Welcome back to the 5-Count, the internet’s best list of five wrestling things. As usual, wrestling didn’t disappoint this week. There is always something going on in pro wrestling that fans can chat about. Let’s dig into our favorite five.
Super Tuesday was a success
The head-to-head matchup of NXT and AEW brought a ton of fans and ratings for both shows. I tuned in to NXT to witness The Undertaker motorbike around the ring and John Cena prance around Carmello Haynes. NXT won the ratings battle, but wrestling fans were the real winners. It’s been a long time since two wrestling promotions banged heads in such a widely promoted fashion. I can’t remember a time recently when WWE felt the need to flex on another promotion. I suppose it’s a testament to AEW’s growing pro wrestling market share. Or perhaps it was an “i’m bored, let’s crush em.” type deal—either way, it was a fun build and conclusion.
Tony Khan has a bad social week
AEW owner, booker, brand manager, talent liaison, and wealthy person Tony Khan did not enjoy Super Tuesday. The outcome bugged him so much that he took to social media platform X to say nonsense. I couldn’t really keep up with all the mess he was talking about. Suffice it to say, he didn’t come off looking good.
Apparently, Khan’s PR department doesn’t have to clear his messages, which could be part of the problem. I heard outlets say it was a tactic to get people to watch his product. I tend to agree there is no other reason to get on those platforms when you are someone like Khan other than to promote your brand. This may fall under “no press is bad press” since AEW could use the rating boost. If that means Tony has to get out there and complain on socials to sell tickets, so be it.
Kevin Owens was traded to WWE Smackdown
When Jey Uso was traded to WWE Raw, everyone wondered who Smackdown would get in return. The “Season Premiere” of Smackdown gave us an answer. (Side note: we all know this wasn’t a season premiere. You have to go on hiatus to have a premiere.) It turns out Kevin Owens filled that spot. This effectively ends his tag team with his best bud Sami Zayn for the foreseeable future. I can’t say that’s a bad thing, as both guys deserve substantial singles pushes at this point. Their team ran out of steam, and the clean loss to the makeshift tag champs Cody and Jey solidified the demise of Sami and Owens. I don’t know what stories or feuds Kevin can get into over on the blue brand, but Friday nights are great for wrestling, so I hope he shuffles into the mix well.
Nick Aldis debuts on WWE Smackdown
Nick Aldis, former NWA World Champ, debuted as the new WWE Smackdown GM on that same season premiere. He was met with a resounding “who?” from the crowd. I suspect that has more to do with WWE fans not paying much attention to promotions outside the Red, Blue, and Gold. Nick looks to establish himself as an authority figure on WWE TV, leaving the bumps to the younger generation (he is only 36, which is younger than me. My lord…). I am not very familiar with the work of Aldis, but he has a nice presence, and a crisp blue suit, so I am excited to see what he brings to the table. He has some big shoes to fill with Adam Pearce moving to Raw full-time.
Flowers for Maven
We should all take a moment to respect Maven and his new YouTube channel. That man is dropping all types of knowledge filtered through his own experiences as a professional wrestler. I really appreciate the candor of his videos, you don’t normally get this type of look at the wrestling business. Lest we forget, he was the very first Tough Enough winner — essentially WWE’s version of Survivor. That came with a reality TV stigma Maven had to shake. The man had a strong will to fight through that in teh locker room.
Maven never reached the heights he could have in the WWE, or pro wrestling in general. Thanks to the success of his YouTube channel, WWE may come calling to bring him back into the family. Perhaps as a producer or on-air host? If WWE has taught us anything, they will bring you back if they can make money with you. If that’s not his goal, I hope he finds all the success in the world. Great channel, Maven!
The wrap up
That’s all for this week. Pro wrestling is a facscinating form of entertainment. If you are new to it, check out our Pro Wrestling For Beginners series. It’ll get you prepped to be a Smark in no time. Also make sure to check out our podcast and subscribe on YouTube!
