JCup's Blog

I was unable to watch the live broadcast of Wednesday Night Dynamite , but I really wanted to see the follow-up to the lackluster Redemption PPV. AEW is in Detroit, Michigan, which has caused expectations for the return of the Motor City Machine Guns, who ultimately did not make their return during this show. I've heard through the grapevine that the MCMG may not want to sign long-term contracts, which makes sense; but, more than that, these guys chose WWE over AEW for whatever reason, and I don't think they should immediately be handed full-time AEW contracts.  Anyways, let's get to it:

All Elite Wrestling ended its streak of near-perfect Pay-Per-Views following the inaugural event Redemption .  The show felt like a slog to get through, which is particularly frustrating given the show started one hour earlier than usual. I found some of the wrestling to be sloppy, and the storytelling eye-roll-inducing. I don't think it was a bad show, or at least not in the same vein as WWE Premium Live Events, but it failed to live up to the sky-high standard set by Tony Khan and his roster.  It's also a show shrouded in confusion. We do not know why Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland have disappeared from television, despite Khan's insistence that the two remain in good standing. MJF may or may not be injured, and the severity of his possible injuries may or may not be significant. We do not have enough information, which is frustrating in itself.  This was the show where Kenny Omega was set to defeat MJF for the AEW World Championship, a decision that played out a c...

All Elite Wrestling founder and CEO Tony Khan has assembled one of the greatest talent rosters in the history of weekly professional wrestling television.  It may look dramatically different as Khan attempts to stay the course heading into 2027, one of the more crucial years of AEW's existence. The current Paramount-WBD merger appears to be on hold, and it's difficult to get an accurate read on the prospects of it being approved. Khan has been shouting from the rooftops about all the potential benefits his promotion may reap if the merger goes through, often citing his relationship with Paramount's head honcho, David Ellison (please keep better company, Tony). But that's a discussion for another day, and I'm going to approach the rest of this article with the assumption the merger goes through. Khan has a chance to entirely reshape his roster, as several wrestlers have officially hit free agency following their releases from AEW's rival, World Wrestling Entertai...

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” ― Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities I find the existing dichotomy within World Wrestling Entertainment utterly fascinating.  The TKO/WWE executive branch would tell you their business continues to boom. WWE's revenue increased 22% year over year, and TKO's overall revenue increased 26%. They'd also tell you they are at the forefront of modern pop culture, with Monday Night RAW airing exclusively on Netflix and "Premium" Live Events on ESPN. They are especially bragadocious whenever celebrities, from streamers to hip-hop stars to professional athletes, become involved in their programming. Attendance for some of their shows may be down, yet it's hardly a cause for concern....

I'll begin with a disclaimer: I don't have the faintest idea whether Tony Khan is even remotely interested in taking one of the deepest professional wrestling rosters in modern times and organizing it into two competitive conferences, b ut this tweet had me thinking: I do earnestly think that with the size of the AEW roster, a real brand split might be the best play. I know….it’s cringe….but it might just work if executed really well. — The Rogue Fan (@TheRogueFan) July 7, 2026 Khan has flirted with the concept before - most notably during CM Punk's last stint in All Elite Wrestling - but has thus far resisted adopting WWE's longest-running creative device: the Brand Split. It's not difficult to understand why. The introduction of the Brand Split was nearly 25 years ago, and WWE seemingly did everything in its power to undermine its own creation. Superstars drafted exclusively to RAW would appear on Smackdown (and vice versa) with little to no explanation. The comp...

All Elite Wrestling has solid momentum behind it.  The promotion's greatest strength remains its Pay-Per-Views, as Tony Khan continues to ensure his audience gets the most bang for its buck. It's also the starkest difference between AEW and its competitor, World Wrestling Entertainment, especially  in this TKO-controlled era. Khan strives to present his paying audience with the very best, while his competition offers the bare minimum to its Disney Adult-like audience.  I'm also of the opinion that while his weekly television is vastly  superior to WWE's, there's still plenty of room for improvement. I've recently advocated for Khan to shake up the status quo by abandoning the tired formula that has plagued American pro wrestling's weekly television for nearly 30 years and instead presenting AEW as more of a sports-based promotion than WWE. It's entirely possible to present professional wrestling weekly without the "benefit" of the "invisib...

TKO strikes again. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select  reported that longtime World Wrestling Entertainment veteran Sheamus is set to hit free agency after "quickly rejecting" a "restructured" extension offered by TKO, the parent company of the Epstein Class' favorite sports entertainment promotion.  There are several angles to cover, so let's jump right in:

Earlier this week, WWE Superstar  Royce Keys sat down for an interview with ESPN's (South Jersey affiliate) Josh Henning and commented on how his first 6 months in The Epstein Class's favorite wrestling promotion have panned out: “Every week is rewarding for me. I figured we’re past the dream part. I just hit six months here [in WWE], so we’re past the dream now and it’s time to just keep working even 10 times harder. Just put the same effort in things that got me here. Putting everything into overdrive.”… pic.twitter.com/wbPq2ZHFba — WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) June 29, 2026 Keys, then known as Powerhouse Hobbs, departed All Elite Wrestling at the beginning of the year and debuted weeks later at the annual WWE Premium Live Event,  The Royal Rumble, and...that's pretty much been the highlight of his WWE tenure thus far.  On the surface, the timeline of events should make you pause: Final appearance w/AEW was January 15 Debuts at the Rumble  on January 31 A rep...

Good day to everyone, especially the New York Knicks, who are on the verge of winning their first NBA Finals Championship since 1973. One more to go.  I wanted to expand on my thoughts regarding the CM Punk rumors and how the professional wrestling industry is covered. Joe & Rich from Voices of Wrestling opened the Flagship with this discussion, and I felt they both genuinely understood my intent behind going public with an unverified rumor. I found myself responding out loud, so I figured I'd write my responses and post them on the shitty blog. Let's start with a question posed by Joe:  Should reporters/journalists/wrestling media acknowledge unverified rumors? The Wrestling Media should acknowledge unverified rumors if they come from credible sources .  I'll use myself and the infamous "Cody story" I've been alluding to since he departed from All Elite Wrestling. I know with great certainty that several media outlets heard a very specific version of ...

Yours truly made a ton of noise yesterday afternoon after hosting a Stage on my Discord server, during which I revealed a rumor about CM Punk that had been circulating in certain circles of the pro wrestling industry. I followed up with a Twitter thread and a post on the F4W Board for those who weren't able to hear the audio, and Wrestling Twitter quickly buzzed. I've been accused of fabricating a story out of thin air because of my strong dislike of WWE and CM Punk himself, and the typical Fedcels have come out in droves to Stand Up for WWE.  I knew going public with a saucy rumor would invite personal attacks, but I'm a big boy who's capable of taking the hits. I'd like to take this opportunity not only to expand on what I heard (and when) but also to explain what I was hoping to gain from this. Let's jump right into it: The WWE Pay Cut "Reporting" I'm still pretty angry about how this was handled, though I have to accept that "off the recor...

The current Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling World Champion is facing impending free agency. Mike Johnson of PW Insider reported on Monday that Mike Santana's contractual obligations with TNA Wrestling are set to expire later next month, and noted WWE's prior interest in the 35-year-old pro wrestler. The industry expectation is that Santana will make the jump to The Fed, and I think it would be a massive mistake for him.  I must make this note before continuing: we do not  know what matters most to Santana, and he must make the decision that's best for him and his family. This article is strictly coming from the "all things being equal" perspective, and should be read as such.  Santana departed AEW in March of 2024 after reports of massive tension with his former longtime tag team partner, Ortiz, and with great frustration over his usage. He decided to bet on himself, became a 2-time TNA World Champion, and will very likely receive an offer from WWE. His decision s...

All Elite Wrestling has once again solidified its well-earned reputation as being the best pay-per-view buy-in in the history  of professional wrestling. It may sound like hyperbole given AEW's relatively short existence, yet I genuinely cannot recall a promotion consistently offering high-quality wrestling, promos, and storytelling on a near-monthly basis.  The 7th installment of Double or Nothing  was not just another memorable pay-per-view but one of the very best in history. Let's jump right into it: Pre-Show I've been down on the quality and presentation of AEW pre-shows for quite a while, but this was exactly the type of formatting and purpose I've been expecting. It began with Renee Paquette introducing the newest member to the AEW family: Mick Foley . I was anticipating an MJF interruption from the jump, and I'm glad they waited toward the end of the broadcast. It was great to see a legitimate legend like Foley being embraced by his near-hometown faithful, a...

In an effort to further establish corporate synergy, World Wrestling Entertainment announced that several of its superstars would be meeting and greeting fellow pro-fascists at this summer's  UFC: Freedom  Fanfest. This is the event to be held outside of the White House, which is currently occupied by a fascist administration filled to the gills with lunatics, racists, rapists, abusers, and any other despicable trait normally associated with MAGA.  One of the eight names announced for this KlanFest was Chelsea Green, a particularly popular performer with the Disney Adults from Hell. Green has used her soapbox to gently advocate for the very same human rights that her employer and most of her colleagues consistently vote against and lobby to deny, so many of her fans were dismayed at her inclusion in this event. A tweet from Twitter user @margaretencinos would spark explosive discourse, particularly from yours truly:  guess the check cleared https://t.co/JQOhQbK8EO ...