SEScoops

Author: Mike Chin

  • Ric Flair’s Last Match Was A Success—Should Other Legends Follow Suit?

    The Ric Flair’s Last Match event over WWE SummerSlam weekend, branded as part of Starrcast V, presented a surprising situation for wrestling fans. First of all, there was the matter of 73-year-old Flair wrestling at all, which defied the expectations of most people around what kind of activities a senior citizen could take part in. From there, the sheer interest in the card was remarkable.

    On the side of wrestlers, the event took on a unique flavor with matches representing a wide variety of promotions taking place on the card. On the side of fans, there was enough interest to move from a small-scale event at the Nashville Fairgrounds to a full-fledged, more conventionally staged show at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium.

    The event became the talk of social media and a draw on pay per view. Based on the success of what happened, questions arise about whether the same formula could apply with a different featured legend.

    Ric Flair’s Last Match Represented A Unique Set Of Circumstances

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    Ric Flair is one of wrestling’s biggest legends and greatest talents, and has in some ways traded on being a crazy old man for the last 25 years-plus. It’s with these factors in mind that building a whole card around him having one more match could draw fans and fellow wrestlers alike.

    It would not work to plug just anyone into such a spot. With all due respect to retired stars like Buff Bagwell or Marc Mero, they simply wouldn’t be able to command an audience like Flair.

    Moreover, Ric Flair’s Last Match traded on family and tradition. The event was promoted by Flair’s son-in-law Conrad Thompson and featured another son-in-law, Andrade El Idolo, as The Nature Boy’s tag team partner. The show also tapped into the Jim Crockett Promotions name—branding synonymous with Flair’s heyday, and a brand there are plenty of fans in their thirties or older still have a lot of nostalgia for.

    There Are A Handful Of Legends Who Might Pull Off Something Akin To Ric Flair’s Last Match

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    Tthe list of mostly-retired stars who could draw like Ric Flair is small, and there’s no one with as intimate a relationship to Conrad Thompson to work his marketing wizardry on putting the event together. There are, nonetheless, a handful of legends who conceivably could have an event like this built around them, too.

    Hulk Hogan is the first name that comes to mind, who could likely pull off a performance at a comparable level to 73-year-old Flair, playing the greatest hits (albeit with fewer bumps), and tapping into a similar demographic of fans age-wise who were WWE stalwarts. Bret Hart comes to mind as well, as not quite the same level of cross over celebrity, but someone with an enormous following, particularly if such an event were to be staged in Canada.

    For better or worse, most of the other candidates range from unlikely to impossible, be it for for clear lack of interest or ongoing connections to WWE, and WWE likely not being interested in promoting a show like this. Those stars include Steve Austin, The Undertaker, and Shawn Michaels. The Rock might also qualify, but his level of celebrity make him all the less likely to do something away from the WWE spotlight in wrestling.

    The more realistic candidates may include legends like Mick Foley, Jerry Lawler, or Diamond Dallas Page (who all appeared at Ric Flair’s Last Match); Chris Jericho also seems like someone who could draw, though for now, that would be under the AEW banner.

    A Show Like Ric Flair’s Last Match Could Be Built More Around The Supporting Cast

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    While advertising a show as the last match of any lesser star than Ric Flair probably wouldn’t be as much of a draw, it’s conceivable that a match like that could still be the main event, or at least a featured bout on another independently promoted, stand-alone event. After all, Ric Flair and Andrade El Idolo vs. Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett may have been the match that drew fans in Nashville, but it certainly wasn’t the objective best match of the night.

    So, someone like Mick Foley wrestling one more match could draw, while top stars from AEW, ROH, Impact, or New Japan—or perhaps a crossover, “forbidden door” encounter like Josh Alexander vs. Jacob Fatu could close the show, especially if a promotion were willing to pull the trigger on a title change at such a show.

    In the end, it may be for the best that Ric Flair’s Last Match remain a stand-alone, unique event in wrestling history. It probably shouldn’t become a pattern for geriatric wrestlers to risk their bodies or lives, and the precise circumstances surrounding this event probably won’t repeat themselves. However, when one event succeeds in wrestling, as in so many walks of life, there’s always a temptation to do it again or for imitators to arise. It will be interesting to see if this unprecedented event were to become a new template.

  • 5 Things To Watch For At ROH Death Before Dishonor

    Ring of Honor has a long, important history that includes the rise of top wrestling talents and major stars like Bryan Danielson, CM Punk, Samoa Joe, and quite a few others. The promotion gets particular credit for its role in keeping independent wrestling, and a more work-rate-oriented style alive and thriving.

    That’s during a time after WCW and ECW were out of the picture and in a time when WWE turned to its bread and butter of churning out super hero types like John Cena and Batista in the mid-2000s.

    The promotion lost some buzz over the years, though, and the emergence of AEW in particular seemed to displace ROH from the marketplace. So, it was quite a turn when AEW owner Tony Khan bought ROH and announced the brand would carry forward.

    Death Before Dishonor will be ROH’s first PPV since Supercard of Honor over WrestleMania weekend, and perhaps more importantly, its first PPV formally under the ownership of Tony Khan.

    • ROH Death Before Dishonor Preview

    What Is Claudio Castagnoli’s Future?

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    Claudio Castagnoli was arguably the hottest free agent in wrestling after he declined a contract renewal offer from WWE. The rumor mill suggested he might wind up back under the WWE banner, but the landscape changed when he instead debuted for AEW, making an immediate impact as a mystery opponent for Zack Sabre Jr. at Forbidden Door and an addition to the Blackpool Combat Club, factoring into the second-ever Blood and Guts Match.

    At Death Before Dishonor, Castagnoli challenges John Gresham for the ROH Championship. Given his WWE pedigree and the momentum he’s established in AEW so far, he wouldn’t be out of place winning.

    However, reigning as ROH Champion would seem to imply more of a commitment to that brand—not that Castagnoli couldn’t still appear for AEW, but that he might be less likely to move into the AEW Championship picture or otherwise become firmly entrenched in the Dynamite rotation. The results Saturday night may be very telling about the former-Cesaro’s future.

    Does The Show Have An AEW PPV Atmosphere?

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    AEW can be polarizing among the wrestling community, but one point that falls undeniably in their favor is that their hardcore fans create an electric atmosphere every time AEW stages a major show.

    AEW PPVs in particular have a strong record of not only satisfying fans with their match quality and booking, but the crowd contributing to the success of the show, staying lively even for almost all of a marathon show like May’s Double or Nothing.

    ROH Death Before Dishonor can’t necessarily be expected to emulate quite that same feeling, with a bit less passionate pre-established fan base, a bit less marquee talent, and a venue with only about half the capacity of buildings AEW typically runs for PPVs.

    Just the same, with the buzz of AEW crossovers, not to mention ROH relaunching, there is reason for optimism, and it will be interesting to see if the live crowd makes this show feel like a huge deal before the first bell even rings.

    How this atmosphere plays out may prove important in determining how Tony Khan and company approach ROH on the whole moving forward.

    Where Does FTR Go From Here?

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    FTR is one of the most talented tandems of their generation, clearly committed to the tag team craft, and earning endorsements from no lesser names than Bret Hart and CM Punk. Many fans anticipated they’d be challengers to and likely as not take the AEW Tag Team Championship off The Young Bucks, but that honor went to Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland.

    There are all manner of possibilities for where the AEW tag titles go from here, but if FTR retains the ROH Tag Team Championship at Death Before Dishonor, it does create questions of whether they’ll be more focused on defending those titles than chasing gold in AEW.

    One way or another, FTR vs. The Briscoe Brothers is likely to be great—especially under Two-Out-Of-Three-Falls rules—but there’s a question baked into the result about whether FTR gives The Briscoes their win back and moves on to other things, or cements themselves among ROH’s top acts.

    Will Women’s Wrestling Steal The Show?

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    Merceds Martinez has impressed as a dominant ROH Women’s Champion since spring, showcasing the hard-hitting and technical style she never quite got to put on display during her WWE tenure. At Death Before Dishonor, she faces one of the most intriguing challengers available to her an another seasoned veteran and a legit technical wizard—Serena Deeb.

    Like other title matches on this card, there’s a possibility the loser, in particular, may be featured in AEW in the near future. The bigger question, though, is if ROH may do the unlikely and emerge with a women’s title match that steals the show on Saturday, or perhaps even arrives as a consensus pick for one of the best women’s matches anywhere this year.

    How Separate Will ROH Be From AEW?

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    One of the key questions that will hang over fans throughout Death Before Dishonor is the degree to which the event signals a new birth for ROH, or the degree to which ROH talent will remain more of a subsection of the AEW roster.

    Wrestling fans are conditioned to feel jaded about separate wrestling brands under the same ownership, given WWE’s less than consistent handling of its different rosters over the years. On one hand fans might have more faith in Tony Khan to differentiate; on the other hand, the Forbidden Door concept he’s so infatuated with may mean that, by design, Khan keeps the borders between AEW and ROH loose.

    Regardless, Death Before Dishonor may signal what the future holds in terms how much this show feels like an extension of AEW, who goes over, if any AEW talent make surprise appearances, or how the evening otherwise turns out.

    ROH Death Before Dishonor 2022 may have more buzz around it than any ROH-branded event in years for all of the questions hanging over it, the brand’s absence making fans hunger for it, and talents like Claudio Castagnoli and Samoa Joe being back in the mix. However, the major matches play out and wherever the titles fall, it’s sure to be an event worth watching, and one that charts a course for ROH and AEW in different ways moving forward.

  • Pat McAfee Should Challenge Roman Reigns At Survivor Series

    A lot can happen between now and WWE Survivor Series 2022. It’s possible Roman Reigns will lose the his unified world title to Brock Lesnar in their Last Man Standing Match at SummerSlam.

    Theory is also lurking with his Money in the Bank briefcase, offering a way for Reigns to drop his titles while both saving face and pushing a fresh talent whom WWE seems highly invested in. Drew McIntyre is the presumptive challenger to Reigns at Clash at the Castle, and if there were ever a time to reinstate The Scottish Superstar on top, that would be the venue.

    However, the prevailing wisdom is that The Head of the Table will remain on top until at least WrestleMania 39, where he has a rumored dream match awaiting him with The Rock, or else the possibility of WWE going all the way with a returning Cody Rhodes and having him unseat Reigns.

    So what should WWE do in the mean time? The answer may sit no further than the SmackDown broadcast table.

    No One Thinks Reigns Is Going To Lose At Survivor Series

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    One of the more awkward dimensions of Roman Reigns having such a long reign atop WWE as that the more time goes by, the more certain it seems he’s keeping the title until at least WrestleMania 39. Moreover, there seems to be less and less chance of him dropping the title to an underdog, as it would disrupt not only The Tribal Chief’s reign, but the aura of invincibility the company has carefully cultivated around him over the last two years. This dynamic hit its nadir when Finn Balor challenged Reigns, and absolutely no one bit on even the Demon version of Balor pulling off that win.

    The bottom line is that, unless WWE were to pull the trigger early on bringing back The Rock, it’s hard to fathom anyone beating Reigns at what’s, at best, the fourth biggest PPV on WWE’s calendar, especially so close to the launch of the Road to WrestleMania.

    If There’s No Drama About Who’s Winning Or Losing, WWE’s Job Is To Make The Story And Match As Entertaining As Possible

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    The question of who will win or lose a match is one of the most fundamental sources of drama professional wrestling has at its disposal. Once the outcome of a match is no longer in doubt, WWE has to find other ways of creating drama and entertainment for fans.

    The 1989 trilogy of matches between Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat is widely remembered as one of the greatest series of bouts in wrestling history. Ask a more casual fan who won which matches out of the three, though, and they may well not be able to say. This was a case of match quality superseding the outcomes of the contests at hand.

    Similarly when Cactus Jack challenged Big Van Vader in a Texas Death Match at WCW Halloween Havoc 1993, there was little question The Mastodon would retain the WCW Championship. It was brutality, storyline, and a wild blow-off match that became iconic, though.

    If WWE is unwilling to have Roman Reigns drop the WWE Championship at Survivor Series and everyone knows it, WWE’s job is to find other means of delivering the most entertaining story possible. Pat McAfee is the man to deliver.

    Pat McAfee Is The Most Entertaining Man In WWE Today

    Pat McAfee is a truly unique phenom in the landscape of WWE. His run at the SmackDown broadcast table has placed him among the best color commentators, and indeed one of the best talkers in general in all of wrestling. Moreover, he has exceeded expectations in his every WWE match to date.

    McAfee beat Theory at WrestleMania, and it stands to reason he’ll prevail over Happy Corbin at SummerSlam as well. These victories will ultimately make him about as credible as any full-time babyface on the WWE roster—at least in terms of kayfabe—to challenge Roman Reigns for his undisputed championship.

    Between his gift for gab on the mic and his tendency to over-deliver each time he steps in a wrestling ring, Pat McAfee is an ideal choice to tide over Roman Reigns through the fall, before he gets to more competitive title defenses in WrestleMania season.

  • Roman Reigns Should Main Event Both Nights of WWE WrestleMania 39

    Roman Reigns has accomplished a great deal in his WWE career. Not least of all, he has main evented WrestleMania six times to date, placing him behind only Triple H (a seven-time WrestleMania main eventer) and Hulk Hogan (an eight-time WrestleMania main eventer) for the most appearances in the last match of the show ever.

    WrestleMania 39 could mark a unique opportunity for The Head of the Table to move into a tie for the number one spot, by main eventing both night one and night two of the biggest show of the year.

    WWE Needs Reigns For Two WrestleMania Scenarios

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    Assuming he’s healthy to compete, it’s all but a given that Roman Reigns will work at least one WrestleMania main event in 2023.  However, WWE finds itself an extraordinary circumstance in which there are two feuds that demand his presence. One is his widely rumored showdown with The Rock that has been the subject of speculation for years at this point.

    WrestleMania 39 is the perfect stage for Rock vs. Reigns, for happening in Los Angeles with the backdrop of Dwayne Johnson’s movie stardom, and for some assurance that the pandemic won’t prevent a capacity crowd for both nights of ‘Mania in 2023. On top of that, the window may be narrowing on Rock being physically able to work a full-impact match at this level, besides which Reigns has attained a level of stardom to justify a showdown of this magnitude.

    Cody Rhodes also figures into a WrestleMania main event scenario, though. The American Nightmare made a triumphant return at WrestleMania 38 and won a trilogy of matches opposite Seth Rollins. While his pectoral muscle injury threatened to derail his momentum, the gutsy performance he put on at Hell in a Cell only added to the mythos around the man.

    Rhodes returning at and winning the Royal Rumble feel all but inevitable, as long his recovery progresses in time. While, in theory, WWE could split the world titles and have Rhodes challenge someone other than Reigns, he’s also about the only full-time WWE Superstar who feels realistic to “pull the sword from the stone” and reign as champion after The Tribal Chief.

    Reigns Beating The Rock Is The Perfect Capstone to his Historic Title Reign

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    As much as The Rock is a legitimate A-List celebrity and ultra-credible in the world of wrestling, it doesn’t make much sense for him to win a world title at this point. He’s fifty years old and entrenched in Hollywood. Rather than Rock beating Roman Reigns, he’d be the perfect man to give his cousin his “lifetime achievement award”—a victory over a full-blown icon to cap his historic title reign.

    The ideal scenario could see Reigns beat Rock in a hard-fought match at night one of WrestleMania 39. From there, Reigns would be on a whole new level to move on to his underdog challenger, Cody Rhodes, for night two.

    Cody Rhodes Should Be the Man to Beat Roman Reigns

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    One of the challenges the John Cena vs. The Rock rivalry faced from 2011 to 2013 was The Great One’s limited schedule. The part-time status left Cena holding the bag to cut promos on his own and work a field of other opponents, with the knowledge he was always going to find himself feuding with Rock in the end.

    While Roman Reigns has already transitioned to a reduced schedule, it’s reasonable to expect he’ll be around plenty in WrestleMania season, at least cutting promos. For The Rock, he’ll surely make some appearances, but can’t be expected to be present week in and week out.

    Enter Cody Rhodes. After winning the Royal Rumble, The American Nightmare can be the man who’s present every week to push his own issue with Reigns. Moreover, while Rhodes doesn’t have Rock’s star power, he can lean into that with his family’s working class ethos—selling that he’s the one who always shows up to work and busts his butt.

    Rhodes beating Reigns at night two of WrestleMania 39 could tell a terrific underdog story, besides even protecting The Head of the Table with him having the excuse that he was worn down from working a big match the night before.

    WWE\’s Future is Wide Open After WrestleMania 39

    A part of Roman Reigns being pushed so definitively as the top star in WWE—including two years as Universal Champion and already having WrestleMania main event victories in back-to-back years—is the presumption the company was setting up the intergenerational, intrafamily dream match between him and The Rock. With that match out of the way, and with the historic reign having run its course, WWE will be free to think outside the box with its top title and with Reigns himself.

    What will that mean for the company, its top title, and its top star? Part of the fun is that that future is unclear. While there is merit to long-term booking and the credibility of a long-reigning champion, the scenario of Reigns winning one main event and losing the other at WrestleMania 39 opens up all manner of possibilities for where things might head next, making the top of the card less predictable than its been since 2020.

    It\’s too soon to predict what will happen at WrestleMania 39 with much accuracy, and there is a case to be made that it’s better to spread the ‘Mania main event wealth than concentrating it all on Roman Reigns. That’s especially the case with Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey also rumored for the show. Nonetheless, working these two matches, in back-to-back nights of main events would fit the push WWE has bestowed upon Roman Reigns and offer an epic conclusion to his storied reign atop the company.

  • Fantasy Booking: CM Punk Crosses Paths With The Blackpool Combat Club

    The Blackpool Combat Club has become a real favorite among AEW fans. The faction features some of the company’s best-liked stars in Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, and most recently Claudio Castagnoli, not to mention up and comer Wheeler Yuta, and the foundation of William Regal standing in their corner. Together, they tap into a combination of a hard-nosed but technically sound style, real life bonds, and an undeniable cool factor.

    Now that Moxley reigns as interim AEW Champion, it feels like only a matter of time before CM Punk will clash with him to decide an undisputed champ after he returns from injury. Might that be the gateway, though, to a much longer story in which Punk crosses paths with the other members of Mox\’s faction?

    Punk Defeats Moxley in the AEW Championship Unification Match

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    When CM Punk returns from injury, it stands to reason that he would win a title unification match over whomever reigns as the interim champ. After all, Punk was a major score for AEW to sign in the first place, and every indication is that Tony Khan wholeheartedly believes in him as a standard-bearer for the company. So, we can expect Punk to pick up where he left off when he is able to return to action.

    It’s hard to predict where creative will go in the months ahead, and, all the more so, recent months have demonstrated that fans can’t take anything for granted when it comes to wrestling injuries. If he stays healthy and there aren’t major creative shifts, though, it seems likely Jon Moxley will hold the interim title until he can face Punk.

    Rather than a one-off confrontation between Punk and Mox for who gets to call himself champion, it be a multi-match feud, and also the starting point for Punk fighting his way through more of The Blackpool Combat Club.

    CM Punk Successfully Defends The AEW Championship Against Bryan Danielson

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    Since CM Punk and Bryan Danielson both arrived in AEW in late summer 2021, it became an instant dream scenario that the two might reprise the classics they previously put on together in ROH and WWE rings.

    Danielson worked in the AEW Championship picture immediately upon his debut, challenging Kenny Omega and Hangman Page, while Punk bided his time, getting the ring rust off before he had his first title opportunity at Double or Nothing.

    Moving forward, Danielson is the kind of talent who will never feel out of place in a main event scenario, and there’s every potential for him to put on a classic against Punk in one of his first major AEW Championship defenses. Adding on some ongoing animosity between Punk and the stable Danielson and Jon Moxley have been such an integral part of would only enrich their issue.

    CM Punk Passes The Torch, Dropping The AEW Championship To Claudio Castagnoli

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    CM Punk worked his WWE debut opposite Darby Allin and went onto PPV feuds opposite Eddie Kingston, MJF, and Hangman Page—each less established stars who more than held their own, but also benefited from the rub of feuding with Punk.

    In facing Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson, Punk would be taking a step away from this trajectory, working fellow WWE alumni and wrestlers who have won world titles in their pasts. Punk can get back to giving back to the business in a feud with Claudio Castagnoli to wrap up his engagement with The Blackpool Combat Club.

    There remains an open questions whether talents who defect from WWE to AEW are better off. Christian Cage, Toni Storm, Keith Lee, Miro, Samoa Joe, Ruby Soho, and others are among the big names who remain in a gray area of making a big splash when they arrive, and then moving into the background.

    Castagnoli could wind up being the case to prove AEW’s willingness and ability to elevate underappreciated talents. He\’s long overdue to be booked as a top guy, and it would make a major statement for him to get a legit main event push and world title reign after beating Punk in the classic match this duo is more than capable of putting together.

    There’s no shortage of great promos, storylines, and matches awaiting CM Punk opposite The Blackpool Combat Club in the months to come. It could be a testament to the faction, Punk, and AEW on the whole to see their collaborative effort ultimately elevate the uber-talented Claudio Castagnoli to new career heights.

  • What if Curt Hennig Stayed with the Four Horsemen Instead of Joining the nWo?

    WCW Fall Brawl 1997 saw a traditional WarGames match pitting the Four Horsemen against representatives of the New World Order. The pairing made sense with the Horsemen traditional masters of the gimmick against the faction that was in many ways their successors as main event heels and WarGames fixtures (they’d feature in WarGames scenarios from 1996 until the company stopped running these specialty matches).

    The main point fans remember from this match, though, was that newly minted Horseman Curt Hennig turned on his allies to join the nWo, costing them the match and arguably putting the last nail in the coffin of The Horsemen as a legitimate threat. What if Hennig hadn\’t turned heel at all, but rather remained a Horseman?

    WarGames Itself Might Have Been Great

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    The 1997 edition of WarGames wasn’t bad—certainly not as poor as the more experimental editions in the years to come that were really only WarGames in name. Nonetheless, it didn’t stand out and most fans only remember it for Curt Hennig promptly turning on his team and setting up a nasty finish with him threatening to slam Ric Flair’s head in the cage door to get his teammates to surrender.

    While Hennig was no longer in his prime, he was still an elite worker. His efforts, combined with Flair’s, and with Syxx on the opposing side could have made for one of the last great WarGames matches in WCW, whether or not the Horsemen won in the end.

    Curt Hennig Might Have Been A WCW Main Eventer

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    Curt Hennig is often considered one of the great missed opportunities as it pertained to all-around talents whom WWE never pushed to full-fledged main event status. WCW could have made good, minting their own new top guy with a babyface Hennig, backed by The Horsemen, a credible challenger to Hulk Hogan’s WCW title, and perhaps even a world champion.

    Hennig was the kind of performer who might have singlehandedly elevated the WCW main event picture, including headlining opposite fellow stars who could go in the ring like Randy Savage or Scott Hall, besides still working feuds with Bret Hart or Diamond Dallas Page with more stakes attached.

    The nWo Vs. The Four Horsemen Might Have Been A Great Faction Feud

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    Looking back, on paper, fans might think of the New World Order vs. The Four Horsemen as a great rivalry between iconic stables. The reality is that the Hollywood Hogan and company mostly dominated the feud, outsmarting The Horsemen when it mattered and prevailing in most major match scenarios.

    Part of the problem was that The Horsemen were hamstrung with outstanding talents like Dean Malenko, who nonetheless weren’t over with fans at the main event level, leaving Ric Flair as their only star with the credibility to hang with the top five or so stars of the nWo.

    Curt Hennig could have bridged that gap, pushed as a top-level babyface who re-legitimized the group, rather than getting lost in the shuffle as just another guy in the nWo. Like the very best faction feuds, this one might have run across multiple team scenarios and different one-on-one matches between the two lineups.

    In the end, we’ll never know quite what would have been if Curt Hennig had stuck with The Four Horsemen rather than joining the nWo. Just the same, Hennig did feel like a squandered talent there for his forgettable work with the nWo after the original turn and getting wedged into The West Texas Rednecks faction, which he made the most of but was a bit beneath his talents. Working alongside Ric Flair as the top Horsemen—and perhaps even still feuding with him in time—could have been special.

  • Roddy Piper Had The Strangest WrestleMania Legacy Of All Time

    When wrestling fans hear the name Roddy Piper, a number of different concepts might come to mind.

    He was, perhaps, the greatest talker in wrestling history and certainly the host of the greatest wrestling talk show of all time. He was one of the best heels ever, and a darn good babyface too.

    Then there’s the matter of WrestleMania.

    Absolutely no one has a legacy at the Showcase of the Immortals quite like Hot Rod, ranging from all-time classic performances, to matches fans thought were his last, to a series of downright bizarre matches, to playing an interviewer, guest referee, and a number of points in between.

    Roddy Piper’s Historically Great WrestleMania Performances

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    The original WrestleMania certainly wasn’t the greatest iteration of the event, but was one of the most historically important ones for establishing the WrestleMania brand and cementing WWE’s place atop the wrestling world.

    Roddy Piper’s contributions to the event can’t be overstated. While Hulk Hogan was explosively popular and it was a score to sign Mr. T as his tag team partner, Piper was the engine of the heel side of that equation—the bad guy whom fans were all too eager to pay to see get his comeuppance against the heroes.

    Paul Orndorff was the muscle and a formidable villain in his own right, but there’s no question Piper was the top bad guy on the show.

    On the flip side of Piper’s great heel work at WrestleMania 1 came arguably his greatest babyface performance and perhaps the best match of his WWE career at WrestleMania 8. There, Hot Rod went out of his way to put over Bret Hart, taking a rare pinfall loss to drop the Intercontinental Championship.

    It’s telling that, after this important victory, Hart would work world title matches at three out of the next four WrestleManias.

    Roddy Piper’s First And Last Retirement Matches

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    At WrestleMania 3, a babyface Roddy Piper battled Adrian Adonis in a match that was billed to be Hot Rod’s last time in the wrestling ring. By all indications, he really did mean to transition to Hollywood, and did take part in his share of films in the years to follow.

    Seeing him put Adonis to sleep and pass the upper mid-card babyface torch to Brutus Beefcake, who cut Adonis’s hair afterward, was a fitting enough send-off.

    Of course, Piper wasn’t really done by a long shot.

    Twenty-two years later, he’d work his true final match for WWE at a WrestleMania, when he teamed up with Ricky Steamboat and Jimmy Snuka in an elimination handicap match against Chris Jericho.

    Hot Rod was a shell of his former self by then but performed respectably in an entertaining spectacle.

    Roddy Piper’s Unusual Encounters At WrestleMania

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    Roddy Piper took diversification of his WrestleMania resume to the next level with his efforts at WrestleManias 2, 6, and 12.

    WrestleMania 2 saw him headline his leg of the event from the Nassau Coliseum in a boxing match that went off the rails with celebrity visitor Mr. T. From there, he engaged in an even uglier spectacle at WrestleMania 6 with Bad News Brown.

    The otherwise forgettable match achieved infamy for the poor choice for Piper to wear black paint over half his body.

    Piper may have had his strangest match of all at WrestleMania 12 in a Hollywood Backlot Brawl with Goldust.

    This was one of WWE’s first stabs at a cinematic match, staged outside before it gave way to a high-speed chase, clearly deriving from real-life OJ Simpson theatrics that was still in the news at the time.

    Finally, the battle returned to the arena and culminated in the ring with Piper stripping Goldust’s garb to reveal lingerie underneath—a humiliation that was apparently profound enough for Hot Rod to be declared the winner.

    Roddy Piper’s Guest Referee Appearances At WrestleMania

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    After appearing in the main event of the first WrestleMania, set in Madison Square Garden, it was only fitting that Roddy Piper returned to the venue for WrestleMania 10, this time to serve as guest referee for the last match of the show—a WWE Championship clash between Yokozuna and Bret Hart.

    Piper counting the pin offered some symmetry to the first decade of WrestleMania, in addition to calling back to Hot Rod and The Hitman’s history from WrestleMania 8.

    Piper officiated Hart’s match again at WrestleMania 11—a less auspicious affair when Hart won an I Quit Match over Bob Backlund.

    While Hot Rod’s role felt a little random in this context—and a number of fans were annoyed with his insistence on repeatedly asking if either man gave up into a mic–it nonetheless kept Piper in the ‘Mania mix, adding another unconventional chapter to his history with the event.

    In addition to the matches Roddy Piper wrestled or officiated at WrestleMania, he appeared at other events as well.

    He hosted editions of Piper’s Pit with Morton Downey Jr. and Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleManias 5 and 21, respectively. He was also Virgil’s cornerman against Ted Dibiase for WrestleMania 7 and interfered on Mr. McMahon\’s behalf against Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 19.

    He made a series of oddball backstage appearances for WrestleManias 21, 30, and 31, too, all adding up to the most unusual legacy any wrestler ever has, or likely ever will have at WWE’s biggest annual event.

  • Gunther is the Perfect Man to Bring Prestige Back to the Intercontinental Championship

    The WWE Intercontinental Championship has a long history. It was the title that served as a stepping stone for men like The Ultimate Warrior, The Rock, and Triple H to eventually win world titles. That\’s in addition to men like Tito Santana, The Honky Tonk Man, and Don Muraco thriving as Intercontinental Champions in their own right.

    The title has suffered from inconsistent booking over the years, though, and particularly as of late it has seemed like an afterthought. Champs like Shinsuke Nakamaura, Apollo Crews, and Ricochet—despite their considerable talent—weren’t booked to do anything of note during their reigns. Gunther won the title IC strap on last week’s SmackDown.

    More than a simple instance of a title changing hands, this one might represent much more. Gunther may well be the perfect man to restore the title to its past glory.

    Gunther Can Work Great Matches

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    One of the cornerstones of Intercontinental Championship history was that it was title great matches got built around. Particularly in eras when the main event picture was more consumed with showmanship and star power than technical precision, this was the workers’ title.

    It set up absolute classics like Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania 3, Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect or The British Bulldog at back-to-back years of SummerSlam, or the first Ladder Match WWE ever broadcasted live at WrestleMania 10, between Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon.

    Gunther represents an opportunity to return to that tradition. He’s a stiff, polished worker and one need look no further than his NXT UK efforts opposite Butch or Ilja Dragunov to see the kind of instant classics he can deliver, in particular opposite a tough, smaller opponent.

    Gunther hinted at what he was capable of when he took the title from Ricochet, and it would be a pleasure to see him actively defend the title in matches like that over the months ahead.

    Gunther Seems To Have Earned Management’s Respect

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    There’s not shortage of talents who’ve done well in WWE’s developmental system but flopped when they got to the main roster. On paper, Gunther is exactly the kind of talent most at risk of suffering a similar fate, given his indie and international pedigree, complete with a focus on stiff offense and technique over playing a colorful character. However, he has been presented as a dominant force in this main roster run so far, up to and including winning the Intercontinental Championship.

    A part of why Gunther might have earned management’s respect and admiration is his adaptability. The big man was purportedly not willing to base his career in the US when he first signed on to work with NXT UK. He has changed his mind since that time, though. Moreover, reports suggested management asked him to get more visibly cut to consider him for a main roster run. Gunther delivered.

    While his work rate and cardio probably weren\’t ever in question, he nonetheless has made major strides in looking like a more traditionally ripped WWE Superstar leading up to his introduction to the SmackDown roster. All of these factors bode quite well for his long-term prospects.

    Gunther Is Still New To The WWE Main Roster

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    Though hardcore fans may have followed Gunther for quite some time, he only got his formal call up to the WWE main roster this past April. Yes, he put over Ilja Dragunov in NXT UK and Bron Breakker in NXT 2.0. That\’s not to mention his early elimination from inter-branded Survivor Series in 2019.

    Still, in the eyes of the more casual fan, his record remains mostly clean, and having Ludwig Kaiser in his corner offers him a credible sidekick he has already built strong chemistry with. Without the baggage of ever looking like a jobber or someone relegated to the tag team division, the sky’s the limit for what Gunther might accomplish in WWE.

    So it is that Gunther arrives as Intercontinental Champion with a noteworthy combination of credibility and optimism for what he might become. Nothing is guaranteed. Nonetheless, at this point he feels like he could the one to reinvent the tradition of the fighting Intercontinental Champion who elevates the title every bit as much as it elevates him across a series of great matches, en route to an eventual main event destiny.

    It has been a while since WWE has given its fans much reason to get invested in the Intercontinental title or the person holding it. Between his talent, management’s support, and his bright future, Gunther just might be the man to make this championship prestigious again.

  • Is Rhea Ripley This Generation\’s Lita?

    Rhea Ripley is one of the most talented and well-received women in WWE today. After her successes in NXT and NXT UK, she made a splash by debuting on the main roster opposite Charlotte Flair in a match that stole the show at WrestleMania 36.

    From there, Ripley’s resume includes a Raw Women’s Championship victory over Asuka at WrestleMania 37, and most recently garnering a high profile angle as the first female addition to the Judgment Day faction.

    From her on screen partnerships, to her aesthetic, to her positioning within the women’s roster, more and more reasons have developed for why fans might liken her career to Lita’s.

    Like Lita, Rhea Ripley Is A Woman Sharing A Mutually Beneficial Partnership With Men

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    After a couple of bit parts and false start working as part of The Godfather’s entourage and with Essa Rios, Lita rose to prominence as part of Team Xtreme. The Hardy Boyz were a cool tag team with an edgy look and eye-catching aerial offense. Lita fit that style perfectly.

    Having a uniquely talented and attractive woman with them elevated The Hardys, while being paired with a featured tag team got Lita more time on screen and a more clearly defined persona. Later in her career, Lita enjoyed a similar relationship with Edge.

    Having a well-known femme fatale in his corner helped The Rated R Superstar feel more credible as a top tier act, while a provocative partnership with Edge helped Lita get over as the top heel of the women’s division.

    WrestleMania Backlash saw Rhea Ripley strike up her own partnership with Edge when she joined his Judgment Day faction. The Nightmare, Damian Priest, and Finn Balor have since turned on Edge but the core consideration remains in place.

    She‘s a woman, paired with men who have similar dark and edgy personas, and everyone involved stands to benefit from this alliance and the clear identity it lends them.

    Like Lita, Rhea Ripley Has A Different Aesthetic

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    Part of Lita standing out during the Attitude Era was her signature look. In a sea of blonds who looked like clean-cut fitness models, Lita had bright red hair, highly visible tattoos, and a signature look that included a thong peeking out from her pants.

    There’s a somewhat similar ethos to Ripley’s act. With short hair, tattoos, piercings, and leather, she stands out from the pack of female performers in WWE, looking a bit edgy, a bit alternative, and perhaps most importantly like a clearly identifiable character no fan is ever likely to confuse with another woman from the WWE roster.

    Like Lita, Rhea Ripley Has Lingered One Step Shy Of The Top

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    Lita was one of the best and most popular female performers of her day. However, it was difficult to ever call her the top woman in WWE, at least in a sustained way. Just as Randy Savage tended to play second fiddle to Hulk Hogan, or Randy Orton spent the better part of a decade one step behind John Cena’s stardom, Lita was a key rival, but ultimately second fiddle to Trish Stratus.

    Some of that comes down to timing—particularly when Lita got hurt going into what might have been her biggest push for WrestleMania 21–but regardless, she tends to be remembered more as half of a package deal with Stratus than as the face of the division on her own.

    Time will tell how Rhea Ripley’s career wil play out. In NXT UK, though, she shared the top women\’s spot with Toni Storm, and in NXT she tended to be featured a step behind Io Shirai and Raquel Gonzalez at different points.

    On the main roster, Ripley has had her moments, but Charlotte Flair has tended to get the best of their exchanges and Bianca Belair has surpassed The Nightmare in their cohort of talents, when it comes to kayfabe accomplishments like title reigns and winning the Royal Rumble, as well as overall star power.

    At twenty-five years old there is still plenty of time for Rhea Ripley to carve out her legacy. The fact that WWE’s women’s division is much better featured now can be a blessing and curse in comparing her run to Lita’s, as The Nightmare certainly has more opportunities to break out, but also a more crowded roster to overcome to stand out from the pack. Nonetheless, key elements of their presentation and journey have overlapped so far.

  • Fantasy Booking Cody Rhodes’ Road to the WWE Championship

    When Cody Rhodes cut his first promo back in WWE since his return, he established a mission statement of winning the title his father never had the chance to—the WWE Championship. Based on the way he was booked to sweep a three-match series with Seth Rollins, it would appear he was on track for just that accomplishment.

    While his injury to his pectoral muscle may have seemed to derail that momentum the fact that he still won his last match before stepping away inside Hell in a Cell, and delivered such a well-received, gritty performance in the process suggest he may well pick up where he left off and still be on track to wind up WWE Champion. But what will that road look like?

    Cody Wins The Royal Rumble As a Surprise Entrant

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    WWE Royal Rumble

    For the last three decades, there’s been no better established traditional journey to the WWE Championship than winning the Royal Rumble and going on to challenge for the title at WrestleMania. Early reports suggest Cody Rhodes will miss six-to-twelve months for this injury. If he can return on the early end of that range, he would fit the mold of electrifying surprise entrants to the Royal Rumble and would make a lot of sense as a choice to win it all.

    Of course, that opens the question of whom Rhodes would challenge at WrestleMania. It would not make sense for him to go toe to toe with Roman Reigns there, assuming the rumored plans are true for Reigns to face The Rock in LA.

    Additionally, Reigns is about the only WWE roster member who still feels off limits for The American Nightmare to defeat. Seth Rollins could, however, be in play.

    Cody Helps Seth Rollins Win the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble

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    It’s not unheard of for a world title match to go on after the Royal Rumble at the annual PPV, or with two Rumble matches in the mix, the men’s could go on early while the women’s version closes the show. Whatever the mechanics may be, Cody Rhodes could win the Royal Rumble, then have an active role in Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE Championship later in the show.

    Rollins is an established enough top tier star for WWE that he’ll never not make sense in a world title picture. Moreover, given the fact he technically beat Reigns at Royal Rumble 2022, there’s some poeticism to him getting his rematch at Royal Rumble 2023. With only the WWE Championship on the line, Rhodes could be the difference maker in helping Rollins win this match and title.

    That finish would protect Reigns, and he might even be confronted by a returning Rock after the match, to offer a reason for him not to immediately seek revenge on Rhodes. Meanwhile it would make some sense to put the WWE title on Rollins, whom Rhodes has unfinished business with after The Messiah attacked him during his last appearance on Raw.

    Cody Beats Seth Rollins At WrestleMania

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    (WWE)

    While there’s a large portion of the WWE audience that’s ready to move on from Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins, their story really does feel incomplete given the way Rollins attacked an already injured American Nightmare. Rhodes vs. Rollins one more time at WrestleMania can pay off that storyline, give Rhodes a champion to beat who’s not Roman Reigns, and, importantly, would all but guarantee another excellent match. It might even feel somewhat fresh again after ten months of the two not working matches together.

    With Rhodes going 4-0 against Rollins, the story could truly be finished between these two, and bring The American Nightmare’s comeback journey full circle with another huge WrestleMania victory.

    Cody Rhodes Vs. Roman Reigns

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    (WWE)

    If The Rock vs. Roman Reigns does happen at WrestleMania 39, it’s not clear who would emerge victorious. On one hand, The Rock is a wrestling legend and legit A-list celebrity whom  fans would buy beating Reigns. On the other hand, it seems unlikely Rock will stick around WWE to defend a title or work many more matches at all after this one. Also, Reigns beating Rock may be a proper capstone to his dominant run.

    Cody Rhodes would remain one of the few top talents Reigns hadn’t defeated, and with the story of him costing The Tribal Chief the WWE Championship at Royal Rumble—not to mention winning the title himself afterward—it would only be natural for the two to clash after WrestleMania, maybe saving the dream match for SummerSlam.

    It’s too soon to say which of the two would make sense as the winner, but it’s a natural destination for both to head to, after The American Nightmare realizes his destiny as WWE Champion.

    Time will tell how things play out, with injuries, fan reactions, a Money in the Bank briefcase, and other wrestlers surging with momentum all in play to alter the future of WWE. Nonetheless, the story of Cody Rhodes vs. WWE Champion Seth Rollins (and by extension Roman Reigns) can begin at the 2023 Royal Rumble.

  • MJF-AEW Situation Shows Wrestling is at its Best When the Lines are Blurred

    Worked shoots have been a part of pro wrestling for a long time. After all, there were years when wrestlers went to great lengths to protect kayfabe on the premise the business could only work if fans believed everything they saw to be legitimate sport. The matter grew more sophisticated after Vince McMahon openly acknowledged wrestling was a work, and all the more so during the Monday Night War era.

    Particularly in the aftermath of the Montreal Screwjob, playing with the line between fact and fiction became a staple, and arguably a plot device WCW turned to too often and in clunky fashion. There’s still a place to blur the lines between a work and a shoot, though, and AEW and MJF have highlighted just how compelling creative choices around this line can be.

    MJF was the Talk of the Wrestling World Heading into AEW Double Or Nothing

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    For Double or Nothing, AEW built an extremely compelling card with a number of matches hat looked great on paper, the promise of a historic moment or two, and a number of storylines appearing to reach a climax. However, when the day of the show rolled around, there was one aspect of it that superseded all others: what was going on with MJF, and would he even show up?

    The rumors took a life of their own on the Internet. While it’s still not entirely clear what was real and what was for show, we do know AEW booked the PPV perfectly with MJF the first wrestler to walk out from behind the curtain. His appearance gave the show an electric feel out of the gate and prevented the questions around his status from distracting from the rest of the event.

    Moreover, his match with Wardlow was executed perfectly. The extended squash paid off the storyline, with a babyface getting retribution and giving a heel his comeuppance, yes, but with the short, one-sided match also feeding rumors that MJF might be on poor terms with management, such that he was booked to look badly in the ring.

    MJF Cut One Of The Greatest Wrestling Promos of Wrestling\’s Modern Era

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    The buzz around MJF leading into Double or Nothing contributed to an equally buzzworthy performance on the Dynamite after the PPV. MJF cut the promo of a lifetime as he criticized management, weaving in very real issues like Tony Khan signing former WWE talent to big money contracts and pushing them over AEW mainstays.

    MJF’s promo was well-timed to capitalize on speculation about him, as well as the momentum AEW had coming off a major PPV. While opinions still vary pretty widely on MJF’s in-ring abilities, there’s little question he’s one of the best promo guys in the world right now. The worked shoot scenario set him up to succeed, and MJF exceeded every expectation with his riveting delivery.

    AEW Has Committed To The Storyline

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    Worked shoot storylines are difficult to pull off. Fans have seen enough variations on angles like MJF feuding with management that they’re inherently skeptical. Moreover, there are practical considerations like a wrestler keeping up the storyline on social media and shoot interviews, or questions about why a company would still be selling a performer’s merchandise if he’s on such rocky terms with them. Add on a never-ending stream of dirt sheets finding the inside scoop and it’s awfully difficult for the modern fan to suspend disbelief.

    AEW and MJF have committed to what they’re doing, though. The degree to with The Wrestling Observer, Fightful, and others bit on the prospect of MJF potentially no-showing Double or Nothing after he skipped a meet and greet suggested that AEW had either artfully manipulated or deftly collaborated with these kinds of media outlets to sell their story, rather than having reporters undermine them.

    The choice for MJF not to meet fans, itself, may have been part of the plan and while it’s ill-advised for AEW to make a habit out of false advertising or messing with the money fans put down for experiences like this, doing it one time to serve this story feels like a key part of making this angle work. Other choices like Tony Khan refusing to comment on MJF in the post-PPV media scrum and pulling MJF’s merchandise online have further reinforced uncertainty.

    A Tradition Of Worked Shoots

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    MJF\’s situation with AEW has drawn comparisons to other situations from the past twenty years. The degree to which MJF is publicly living his gimmick, with some fans suspecting he \”went into business for himself\” in skipping his meet and greet prompted memories of Brian Pillman\’s \”Loose Cannon\” antics when he made a number of unorthodox choices on his own to cultivate a sense of chaos across his journey between WCW, ECW, and WWE.

    In a similar time frame, the early stages of the New World Order angle in WCW had a similar ethos for the shock of seeing Scott Hall and Kevin Nash arrive in the promotion and hint that they were invading from WWE.

    Moreover, MJF\’s promo on Dynamite had harkened back to CM Punk\’s Pipe Bomb on WWE Raw from 11 years. There\’s a great deal of overlap when it comes to speaking to legitimate concerns about his employer within the confines of what was ostensibly a worked promo, complete with heeling on the crowd in the process. That promo and the angle to follow were key in elevating Punk to megastar status and the seeds are there for MJF to enjoy a similar type of growth.

    Fans can’t yet know where AEW is headed with MJF, and it’s a testament to the success of the angle that there is a some doubt as to where the line is between a work and a shoot and whether it’s possible that, even if MJF is working, he still might be out the door to WWE when his contract’s up.

    Nonetheless, for a promotion that has thrived off the quality of its in-ring product, AEW may well be telling its best out-of-the-ring story to date with MJF.

  • AEW Double Or Nothing Week: Live Fan Experience Recap

    With Double or Nothing, AEW wrapped up a three-night stand in Las Vegas. Prior to taking over T-Mobile Arena, they’d staged Dynamite and Rampage at the Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay.

    Throughout the three events, AEW offered an experience live that was distinctive from what fans at home saw on TV, including additional content, fan interaction, and a fundamentally different encounter for the live crowd taking in Anarchy in the Arena.

    Exclusive Promos Before And After AEW Shows

    Each of AEW’s three events in Las Vegas for Double or Nothing week includes some time on the mic before the television product took off. The Acclaimed greeted fans with raps both before Dynamite and Double or Nothing. In addition, Tony Khan got out in front of the live crowd before and after both Dynamite and Rampage. In both cases, Khan expressed his gratitude to the fans and polled who had been in Vegas for the original Double or Nothing PPV, while trying to hype up the audience.

    The most memorable promo of all that happened off air came from CM Punk. After winning the AEW Championship, he hung around to express his gratitude to his wife, April Mendez, and express how hard it is to be on the road and wrestle year round. He went on to express an inspirational message that anything worth having is hard, and thanked the fans in attendance as well for making his sacrifices worth it.

    Justin Roberts Led The Charge On Fan Interaction

    One of the details AEW fans wouldn’t necessarily know about TV tapings from home is the degree of fan interaction that happens before and after shows and during commercial breaks. Ring announcer Justin Roberts led the charge, vamping on the mic and polling the crowd about different matters like who they wanted to see win different

    Double or Nothing matches and who was at their first AEW live event.

    The TV tapings in particular felt a little more independent in nature, including security letting a child come over the railing to sit on the ring apron for a photo before the show, and Roberts going so far as to announce that his mom was in attendance for her first AEW show. In a heartwarming moment, in between Rampage and extended tapings for AEW Dark, Roberts singled out a fan named Amir out in the arena, asking if he’d dropped something. The cameras put Amir on the big screen as he got down on one knee to propose to his partner.

    A Few Oddball Highlights Just For Live AEW Fans

    There were a number special, oddball, and otherwise unexpected moments that happened at each of AEW’s events for Double or Nothing week that they did not broadcast. Perhaps the most noteworthy instance came after Double or Nothing went off the fair, before Punk’s promo to the live crowd, as FTR came down to the ring to celebrate his victory with him, complete with putting him up on their shoulders to parade him around the ring. Punk thanked FTR and the fans before his music started to play again. The new champ cut that off, though, saying into the mic that he was going to talk some more, to the amusement of the crowd, before the music stopped and he proceeded with his fuller speech.

    Rampage had some unlikely highlights as well. Justin Roberts cited that referee Aubrey’s family was in the crowd, and suggested she should have a match, then booked her into a Rock, Paper, Scissors “Match” with Taz from the broadcast table. Taz had Excalibur coach him through the experience and wound up putting Aubrey over. The final moment of Friday night saw not only Tony Khan, but Bryan Danielson address the crowd, inviting fans to a karaoke event elsewhere at the Mandalay Bay to benefit the local Rescue Mission.

    Anarchy In The Arena Could Be Difficult To Follow Live

    AEW Double or Nothing’s Anarchy in the Arena match was chaotic by design. While the match has been well received on the whole, it’s noteworthy that the narrative the camera crew and broadcast team cobbled together for viewers at home was quite different from the live experience. With action happening throughout the arena and backstage, live fans were able to see what happened nearby them for a unique spectacle, and of course able to follow what happened in the ring. Fans also missed a fair bit of what was going on, though, left to listen for big reactions from elsewhere in the building and speculate about what might have occurred, or see if there’d be a replay on the big screens.

    For all the limitations of the Anarchy in the Arena format, there were also some benefits and shrewd placement of the match on the card. By any measure, Double or Nothing was a long show, and a good portion of the audience was running out of steam by the time Kyle O’Reilly beat Darby Allin. Thunder Rosa vs. Serene Deeb got particularly short shrift from a tired, distracted crowd. Between wild spots and the sheer fact that most fans had to stand up to see any of what was happening, Anarchy in the Arena brought the crowd back to life and helped fans return to their lively, vocal involvement in the final stretch of the show.

    All in all, Double or Nothing week delivered live with a unique and entertaining experience for everyone in attendance. Capping it with a world title change and Punk’s engagement with the crowd after the PPV broadcast ended put a fine cap on the three-night run.