POST IT NOTES
**Rewind-A-SmackDown is live at 10 p.m. ET tonight. We will be chatting about Friday Night SmackDown from San Juan, a review of The Firm Deletion on Rampage, a preview of WWE Backlash, and taking your calls & feedback. The show is live and available to download for all POST Café members.
**On Saturday night, we will be live on the POST YouTube channel immediately following WWE Backlash.
**The UFC 288 POST Show will be streaming on Sunday at 8 a.m. ET with Phil Chertok & Eric Marcotte on the POST YouTube channel.
**Rewind-A-Wai #130 is available for POST Wrestling Café with Bruce Lord joining us in-studio to review the WWE Cruiserweight Classic Final from Sept. 2016. We go through the highlights of the CWC series, the breakout performers, the presentation of the tournament, the final four, Bryan Danielson’s work on commentary, and the legacy of 205 Live. Plus, all the news stories from that week including CM Punk’s debut in the UFC, Bryan Danielson’s desire to wrestle again, Randy Orton’s concussion from SummerSlam that year, and Antonio Inoki’s trip to North Korea.
POST SCHEDULE
Tonight: Rewind-A-SmackDown with John Pollock & Wai Ting (Patreon)
Saturday: WWE Backlash POST Show
Sunday: UFC 288 POST Show with Phil Chertok & Eric Marcotte (8 a.m. ET)
Sunday: Wrestlenomics Radio
THE SUMMER OF KHAN
On the heels of its most successful on-sale in history, AEW is poised for a significant summer with many major stories developing for the company.
After blowing away most people’s expectations for the pre-sale of All In at Wembley Stadium, the promotion will be able to ride this momentum throughout the summer, culminating in the largest event in AEW’s four-year history.
By September, we could be looking at a much different structure for the company as it relates to programming on WBD, the make-up of the locker room, and what lasting impact the Wembley Stadium card will have on its European footprint.
Later this month, WBD will hold its upfront presentation with a major marketing push for the rebranded Max streaming service with a focus on news and sports being added to its existing format.
This coincides with the expected announcement of AEW’s pending Saturday night program, ‘Collision’, and WBD’s continued expansion of AEW programming across its airwaves. Beyond adding a second night of tapings to the schedule, the hope is that the added programming also comes with a lucrative licensing fee that could further bolster AEW’s finances.
The launch of Max would seem to be an opening for AEW to strike another deal within the media juggernaut with many assuming that the All In event could find a home on the platform on August 27 where the broadcast information has yet to be revealed.
The additional revenues from these two deals could be sizable for AEW but the true value is the commitment demonstrated by WBD. It is locking up so much of its schedule around professional wrestling and suggests its ties to the programming are tight going into its contractual negotiations.
It should not be lost on fans how much of a lifeline WBD provided the fledging operation in early 2020 when it ripped up its existing contract and signed AEW to a healthier one that would provide approximately $44 million in average annual rights AEW programming – it was a nice bonus in January, and quickly became a lifesaver once the pandemic took full effect in March and AEW was shut out of its primary revenue source of ticket selling with no fans in attendance for over a year.
Central to the launch of the Saturday night program is CM Punk, the figure this show is attached to at the hip as Tony Khan attempts to have his cake and eat it too by pacifying all the parties from last September’s ‘Brawl Out’ events and keep them in separate rooms under the same roof.
The pros and cons of CM Punk in an AEW setting are lengthy in both columns but one trumps all others – his star power and command of an audience. Pure and simple, Tony Khan is playing high-stakes poker this year to secure a media rights renewal that sets up AEW and his performers for years to come. The biggest chip he has is a guy, who has plenty of chips on his own shoulders that he has been less than shy to venting about. At 44, Punk is not the long-term savior of the company but he is as valuable a commodity as Khan has access to in the short term, which is what the job calls for.
Even the Punk optimist has to have a mental countdown clock in the back of their mind of when things will erupt. With reports of outstanding issues stemming from All Out last year, it’s a literal powder keg that Khan is tip-toeing around and the best-case scenario is managing to squeeze the most amount of juice from these players with the knowledge that he’s playing a game of consequences.
These are contract years for Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks, and they will have to be team players as Punk comes back on board for the good of the company. You would need to get into their minds to see their view of how the events have shaken out. From the standpoint of Matt & Nick Jackson, they were accused of going to the media with anti-CM Punk stories and then publicly degraded by the company’s top star in a press conference that led to a backstage brawl. If they felt Punk was ill-informed and yet, won’t correct the record, is that someone you can co-exist with? More importantly, do they have the same view as Tony Khan, who is making the decision to welcome him back? A major question is whether Omega and the Bucks wear their EVP hats and ‘take one for the team’ with Punk’s return aiding AEW, or do they opt to stand up for themselves and believe this move is indicative of the promotion not standing behind them when they believe they were the ones wronged.
If Punk’s return leads to a Saturday night show that can perform anywhere close to Dynamite and takes the company into its next domestic rights deal with a healthy increase, the end justifies the means. For Punk, that’s a much better note to hang his hat on than the last memory AEW fans of last September’s press conference that many observe as a low point for his legacy.
One year from now, AEW will be drastically different than the one today. We could be looking at a company with two prime-time hits under the WBD umbrella, a new deal going into 2025 and beyond, and a streaming deal with WBD doubling down on the company. It will put AEW in a secure enough place within the industry that it isn’t going away but more importantly, can be a player when it comes to vying for top talent and finding areas of competitiveness with WWE, which has its own financial windfall to expect in its negotiations.
But, today, there are too many questions left hanging before one can expect the best-case scenario. How badly is WBD’s finances going to impact its ability to pay AEW what it seeks? Will Saturday night pose too much friction to build an audience? What talents are going to play the field and see Cody Rhodes as a blueprint for their own success elsewhere? Can CM Punk and The Elite co-exist? Can Tony Khan handle the mounting workload?
The table is set for the biggest summer of Khan’s career as a wrestling executive and his mandate is ensuring a healthy AEW for years to come and will cement his own legacy based on how he plays these cards.
WRESTLING NEWS
**We want to send our condolences and thoughts to those that knew and followed Dean Rasmussen and his work over the years when it came to the online wrestling scene. Rasmussen was a key figure behind the Death Valley Driver (DVDVR) message board that comprised so many figures in the industry and people that write about and analyze pro wrestling today. Rasmussen was well known for his colorful match reviews, enthusiasm for all types of professional wrestling, and exposing people to hard-to-find and niche wrestling.
Earlier this week, a GoFundMe had been launched to assist Rasmussen, who had been admitted to ICU and sadly, his wife sent word on Thursday evening that he had passed. There have been many memories and tributes posted for Rasmussen including Samoa Joe, Nicole Matthews, Excalibur, and so many people who knew Dean and had a major influence on including Phil Schneider, David Bixenspan, Jonathan Snowden, Kris Zellner, Rob Bihari, Dylan Hales, Rob Naylor, Emil Jay, Joe Gagne, Trevor Dame, WH Park, John Philapavage, and Jamesie among many others.
The GoFundMe is still active and you can help out Rasmussen’s family during this difficult time. Our thoughts go out to all those that followed Dean’s work and knew him personally.
**WBD released its first-quarter earnings report on Friday with the key item being that its streaming business would be profitable this year, one year ahead of schedule. The company generated $10.7 billion in revenue for the quarter but reported a net loss of $1.1 billion as it continues to try and deleverage its heavy debt of $49.5 billion. For its U.S. streaming business, the company made $50 million this quarter and rose $704 million year-over-year. WBD is gearing up for the re-launch of its streaming service Max (formerly HBO Max) with an emphasis on news and sports. Company CEO David Zaslav stated that WBD would be “disciplined” when it comes to its renegotiations for the NBA rights, which expire after the 2024-25 season. The WBD stock reacted well to the news with a 4.5 percent increase during trading and closed at $12.89. (CNBC)
**It only took a few days for everyone to scratch their heads over the brand split and creation of the World Heavyweight Championship on Raw. During Friday’s Backlash press conference, Paul Levesque announced a tournament will start on Monday in Jacksonville … and will continue on SmackDown next Friday. Yes, the Raw-specific title that was added to combat Roman Reigns’ stranglehold on his version will have SmackDown talent eligible to win the belt. There will be two triple-threat matches on Raw this Monday with the two winners facing off on the same night. Then, they will do the same format on SmackDown and the winners from each show will meet on 5/27 at Night of Champions to crown the inaugural champion. There is almost no way to make sense of this on the SmackDown side, which would mean having two (or three) world titles on SmackDown, or the SmackDown winner being moved to Raw, which makes no sense why that show would forfeit one of its top stars by entering them into a tournament that has no benefit to his brand.
**Friday Night SmackDown will have one of the hottest crowds of the year with a show at Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan with over 17,000 expected in the arena. The first of two shows in San Juan will air live at 8 p.m. ET on Fox with the following announced:
*Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Karrion Kross
*Viking Raiders vs. Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows
*An appearance by Bad Bunny
*Cody Rhodes to appear
*Appearance by Bianca Belair
**AEW Rampage airs at 6:30 p.m. ET tonight on TNT with the show highlighted by The Firm Deletion, which was shot on the Hardy Compound and is the big draw of tonight’s show. The following matches will also be on the episode:
*The Firm Deletion: The Hardys, Hook & Isiah Kassidy vs. Ethan Page, Big Bill, Lee Moriarty & Stokely Hathaway
*Lucha Bros. & El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Powerhouse Hobbs, QT Marshall & Aaron Solo
*Mark Briscoe vs. Preston Vance
*Jade Cargill vs. Gia Scott
**In an update regarding the Komander situation from last week’s Demand Lucha event, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted in Friday’s issue that the Lucha star has started to do a worked injury spot at independent shows to preserve himself. During last week’s match in Toronto with Gringo Loco and Arez, Komander executed a moonsault and was taken to the back and never returned to the match, prompting speculation that he was injured but we never received word if he had actually suffered an injury.
**Game Changer Wrestling is promoting a “Lucha Dream Match” between El Hijo del Vikingo and Metalik (formerly Mascara Dorada, Gran Metalik) for 6/23 at Thalia Hall in Chicago and streaming on Fite+.
**Roderick Strong will be wrestling for Prestige Wrestling on 6/18 at The Globe Theatre in Los Angeles, which will stream on IWTV.
**The WWE stock closed at $106.86 on Friday, which was up 1.4% and puts the company at a market cap of $7.96 billion.
**Trinity’s debut appearance in IMPACT aired on Thursday’s episode on AXS TV and was promoted as a significant arrival throughout the show. She came off like a legitimate star with the audience reacting to her strongly and chanting ‘Trinity’ (as opposed to her WWE name, which most would know her as). The reaction was strong, and they set up multiple matches with Deonna Purrazzo and Jordynne Grace, so it was a great segment. The way it was presented was that Purrazzo will defend the Knockouts title against Grace on 5/26 at Under Siege with Trinity wanting the winner. Trinity put over the Knockouts division mentioning Awesome Kong and Gail Kim and the current stars with her goal of winning the title. This felt like a really great signing by IMPACT, which has slowly been building steam over the past two months and has been reflected in its television numbers and ticket sales.
MMA NEWS
**Jorge Masvidal Sr., the father of the UFC fighter, has been arrested after a shooting inside the younger Masvidal’s home in Miami. The 67-year-old Masvidal Sr. is facing a second-degree attempted murder charge using a deadly weapon with a $10,000 bond posted. The Miami-Dade Police Department responded to a call at the home of Masvidal (the fighter was not present and did not have any involvement, according to the police) and found a man who had been shot and was being treated. The victim stated he was in an argument with Masvidal Sr., who allegedly pulled out a gun and shot him. (MMA Junkie)
**The UFC 288 card lost one fight on Friday due to “weight-cutting issues” involving flyweight Rafael Estevam. The fighter was set to make his UFC debut but had to withdraw from his fight with Zhalgas Zhumagulov as Estevam was not able to step onto the scale. There was also a change to a middleweight fight between Joseph Holmes and Claudio Ribeiro, which will now be a 189-pound catchweight fight due to Holmes missing the weight limit by three pounds. Holmes will be fined 20 percent of his purse, but the fight remains on the card. All other fighters made weight for Saturday’s card in Newark, New Jersey.
MAIN CARD (10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view)
*UFC Bantamweight Championship: Aljamain Sterling (134) vs. Henry Cejudo (135)
*Five Rounds: Belal Muhammad (170) vs. Gilbert Burns (171)
*Jessica Andrade (115) vs. Yan Xiaonan (115)
*Movsar Evloev (145) vs. Diego Lopes (146)
*Charles Jourdain (145) vs. Kron Gracie (145)
PRELIMINARY CARD (8 p.m. ET on ESPN & ESPN+)
*Drew Dober (155.5) vs. Matt Frevola (155)
*Devin Clark (205) vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu (205)
*Khaos Williams (169) vs. Rolando Bedoya (170)
*Virna Jandiroba (115) vs. Marina Rodriguez (115)
EARLY PRELIMS (6 p.m. ET on ESPN & ESPN+)
*Parker Porter (249) vs. Braxton Smith (262)
*Phil Hawes (185) vs. Ikram Aliskerov (186)
*Joseph Holmes (189*) vs. Claudio Ribeiro (185)
**ONE Championship holds its first card in the U.S. tonight and will stream live at 8 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime Video. The company is running the show from Broomfield, Colorado as the commission in Colorado is adopting the different rule set from ONE. The card is headlined by Demetrious Johnson (31-4-1) defending the ONE Flyweight Championship against Adriano Moraes (20-4) in a rubber match. Moraes knocked out Johnson in April 2021 to win the championship but Johnson came back and knocked out Moraes last August to regain the title. Moraes and Henry Cejudo are the only flyweights to ever beat Johnson and both are fighting this weekend. There will be a mixture of disciplines on the ONE card with Muay Thai and Submission Grappling fights taking place on the main card. On the MMA side, Sage Northcutt will compete for the first time in four years when he takes on Ahmed Mujtaba in a lightweight contest. Northcutt (11-3) left the UFC (where he was heavily marketed) when his contract expired and signed with ONE where he was knocked out in May 2019 by Cosmo Alexandre.
*****
REWIND-A-WAI: WWE Cruiserweight Classic Final (Patreon)
John Pollock & Wai Ting are joined live by Bruce Lord to review WWE’s Cruiserweight Classic Finals as Kota Ibushi, Zack Sabre Jr., TJ Perkins and Gran Metalik compete to become WWE Cruiserweight Champion.
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WWE Q1 Earnings Analysis
John Pollock and Brandon Thurston break down WWE’s Q1 earnings report and discuss the early success of AEW All In.
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REWIND-A-DYNAMITE
John Pollock & Wai Ting review AEW Dynamite with MJF & Sammy Guevara vs. Jack Perry & Darby Allin, plus a big announcement from POST x Poisonrana.
*****
NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2023 Review
Karen Peterson & Bruce Lord review NJPW’s Wrestling Dontaku with SANADA’s first title defense against Hiromu Takahashi, Yota Tsuji’s return, and multiple title switches.
*****
upNXT
Braden Herrington and John Siino review WWE NXT from May 2nd, 2023 featuring all the fallout from the WWE Draft.
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REWIND-A-RAW
John Pollock and Wai Ting review WWE Raw with the second night of the WWE Draft, and an appearance by Brock Lesnar in Fort Worth.
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POST PURORESU
John Pollock is joined by WH Park to chat about NJPW Wrestling Dontaku, Stardom’s All-Star Grand Queendom and its five title changes, the era of SANADA in NJPW, and the upcoming Best of the Super Juniors.
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