Welcome to Our Chairshot Take! This week, 5 of your favorite contributors answer questions about AEW, AJ Styles, Vince McMahon, Indy wrestling, and and wrestling journalism!

Welcome to a new weekly wrestling column featuring some of your favorite Chairshot contributors (and some outside of Chairshot as well) – Our Chairshot Take! Every week, we’ll have 5 contributors answer 5 of the most interesting, intriguing, and relevant questions that you want answers too. Please, feel free to tell us why we’re right or wrong, and most importantly, let us know YOUR take!  And don’t forget, #AlwaysUseYourHead!

Is AEW crowing a new champion on free TV and advertising all over Las Vegas during WrestleMania week good business or bush league?

Greg: It’s so easy to call a move like this from AEW bush league, but that is very short-sighted. You have to remove your biases when answering a question like this. WWE WrestleMania Week likely has far less to do with it than the fact that they were in Seattle. But it also got a ton of attention, which for AEW is good no matter when it happens. So, to me, this is good business.

Andrew: Por que no los dos? During the Monday Night Wars, both WCW and WWF switched titles on TV, promoted during each other’s show, and openly tried to undermine one another. It’s business, baby!

Dave: It was very good business, and more importantly, very smart business. WrestleMania week is the week of the year when the most eyes are on the product. That was even more true this year with WrestleMania going to ESPN. On top of that, WWE was catching a lot of grief from the fans for ticket prices, attendance issues, and the overall booking of the card(s). Why wouldn’t AEW try to take advantage of that for their own benefit? This is a promotion that has taken it on the chin for a couple of years now. You take advantage of an opportunity when it is given to you. I give AEW damn near full marks for their marketing and related tactics last week.

Kyle: It’s honestly both. Counter programming your rival in the petty way that they did it is Bush League nonsense, it’s petty when WWE does it and it’s equally petty when AEW does it. At the same time, WrestleMania week is the pinnacle of the wrestling calendar and a bunch of the Indy feds will plan major shows or angles during that week because they know so many fans will be in town for Mania and focused on professional wrestling. AEW advertising their stuff all over Vegas is really no different, they’re just a bigger promotion.

Rey: No, I don’t think it’s bush league, but I do think it’s dirty pool. There’s nothing wrong with a professional wrestling company trying to get advertisement and viewers during the biggest wrestling week of the year. I think it’s dirty pool, however, because Tony Khan has spoken ad nauseum about how much he doesn’t want to “piggy back” off of WrestleMania weekend, and he wants to stand alone on his own merits. So to end up doing that, but not doing it overtly is clever but not the strongest attempt. I think Tony should just bear down and do shows in the city where Mania is like the other companies. At least put ROH’s SuperCard of Honor back that weekend. But giving Darby the World Championship and usurping advertising isn’t wrong. It’s just not a strong attempt.

Where did AJ Styles have the better and more iconic career – WWE or TNA?

Greg: AJ Styles should forever be considered Mr. TNA. He held five world titles in TNA, 6 X-Division titles – and he was the first – and had 19 total title reigns while in TNA (couldn’t give him one more?). Simply put, you can’t tell the story of TNA without the name AJ Styles. That said? He spent ten years in WWE, and during the early part of his tenure, he was champion more often than he wasn’t. He wrestled in football stadiums, and won the most prestigious title in wrestling history twice. He easily tripled his fandom during his decade in WWE. Bottom line? AJ Styles’ career was iconic in BOTH TNA and WWE. But no one is bigger than WWE, so his time there is most iconic by default.

Andrew: TNA was the more iconic career. At the time of his TNA run, his style was still burgeoning. It was fresh and the whole product inspired many young wrestlers. Even toward the end of his WWE run, they were mentioning TNA accolades more since the relationship was in a good spot. While he had more financial success and eyes in WWE, he became Phenomenal in TNA. Without TNA, there’s no New Japan run, and then WWE doesn’t take the shot on him. You gotta be a big deal outside of WWE during the Vince era for Vince to cave in and give you a prominent position right out of the gates.

Dave: Longer does not mean better. The answer is WWE. That does not diminish his accomplishments in TNA, NJPW, or wherever. But you also have to be honest. When AJ Styles came out at #3 in the 2016 Rumble, his life changed dramatically. He packed in so much with WWE in just a decade. He was never a “Vince guy,” but he won over one of the hardest men to please in the industry’s history. His WWE resume speaks for itself: 2x WWE Champion, 1x IC Champ, 3X US Champion, 2x Tag Team Champion with two different partners, a Triple Crown and Grand Slam Champion, and a Hall of Famer. As I said before, WWE is the right answer here.

Kyle: The answer is TNA and it’s honestly not even close in my opinion. While his WWE career was iconic (SmackDown will always be the House That AJ Styles Built), what he meant to TNA cannot be understated. He was the company’s first real home-grown star. He was the inaugural X-Division Champion (a title he would win six times), the fourth ever World Champion (a title he would win five times), the first TNA triple crown winner (five times), the first TNA Grand Slam Winner (two times), a Bound for Glory series winner, and one third of arguably the best main event in TNA history (the Triple Threat Match vs. Christopher Daniels & Samoa Joe at Unbreakable 2005). From the birth of the Phenomenal One, to joining Christian’s Coalition, to feuding with the likes of Kurt Angle and Christopher Daniels, to becoming the Lone Wolf, AJ Styles was at the center of some of the most important moments in TNA history. Simply put, AJ Styles was one of, if not THE greatest star in TNA has ever had and his legacy in that company may never be matched.

Rey: Honestly? WWE. I loved TNA as much as any fan walking the Earth in their early days. AJ Styles is synonymous with TNA. And the things he achieved there are legendary. In fact, it’s the reason why he’s known worldwide now. But we’ve reached a point where he was in WWE just one year less than he was in TNA. And in those 10 years, he’s become one of the best WWE stars of his generation. Despite winning multiple world titles, he’s feuded with the biggest stars WWE has, most notably having an epic feud with John Cena. As great as TNA is, WWE is the biggest game in town. And AJ was able to make an immediate impact, ultimately becoming a Hall of Famer. So, as crazy as it sounds, the answer is WWE.

Should the WWE completely move away from any and all Vince McMahon references on television?

Greg: This should be an open and shut question with a quick answer – YES. But it’s not quite that easy to me. Vince McMahon isn’t just part of the story of WWE; for much of it, he’s THE story. His fingerprints are all over the company – his daughter is a permanent beloved figurehead regardless of any official title she holds. The current Chief Content Officer – Triple H – and Executive Producer of Creative, Writing, & Television – Bruce Prichard – are essentially disciples of Vince McMahon. Purposefully avoiding any references would be equally obvious and forced. What you do is you don’t purposefully bring him up. If it happens organically, so be it. Don’t do it on purpose, and don’t avoid it on purpose.

Andrew: As long as Stephanie still goes by McMahon and not Helmsley or Levesque…kind of an impossibility. I feel like we’ll remain in a world where they don’t refer to him much. But if there’s an Old School episode again, or when he ultimately passes away, they’re not just going to ignore it. For better or for worse, Vince is going to be in people’s vernacular until at least the Millennial generation no longer exists to pine about the Attitude Era.

Dave: Absolutely not. We are talking about, inarguably, the most important person in the business’s history. The man who put WrestleMania on the map and brought pro wrestling from a territory-based form of entertainment to a global and mainstream entertainment juggernaut. Is he a sexual deviant and a complete POS? Yes, I think the evidence speaks for itself there, at least in the court of public opinion. But you can say that about a lot of people, including former (and present) US Presidents, as well as people with power in all walks of life. The Epstein Files show just how deep and dark that rabbit hole goes. But Vince is so inextricably intertwined with the history of pro wrestling that never mentioning him at all tells a story of half-truths and cherry-picked information scrubbed clean of critical details. By all means, limit any references to him. But a zero-tolerance approach to Vince McMahon is just not the way to go.

Kyle: Vince is a horrible person, but he’s too important to the company’s history to pretend he never existed. Some things we just have to live with, and this is one of them.

Rey: I feel conflicted about this question because there’s no good answer here. There is no professional wrestling as we know it without Vince McMahon. Everything we see, we owe to him. Vince is also one of the worst humans walking the Earth in my opinion. We’ve long known that he wasn’t a good person, but it was largely believed to just be from a personality standpoint. Now, we know how terribly he treated people, specifically women. The story of Janel Grant, whether it reaches a fair and respectable resolution in court, will never be forgotten and is the story of an unchecked megalomaniacal billionaire who took advantage of people simply because he could.

Here’s my honest take – you can’t separate him. This is not a Chris Benoit situation. As big and successful as Benoit was, you can tell the story of WWE and wrestling as a whole without him. You can’t tell that same story without Vince. So, he has to be referenced. Now, he doesn’t have to be mentioned directly. Recently, WWE has had a lot of mentions of his name on television, most notably with his daughter, Stephanie McMahon, being inducted to the Hall of Fame. So, that was a completely understandable time to reference and mention him. That is not the same as needlessly talking about him on a random Raw. Keep his mentions to the necessary stuff and we’ll be fine.

What will it take for one of the major Indy companies – GCW, MLW, DEFY, and HOG – to become mainstream?

Greg: This might be the most difficult question to answer. Each one of these companies has distribution across various levels, mostly streaming. They each have a following. They’ve all produced stars you see on weekly television today. Two have major money backing. But mainstream? There’s one HUGE factor that none of these companies can control: space. Where do they fit? We currently have weekly wrestling on TV Monday through Saturday. That includes four WWE brands (with Evolve), two weekly shows for AEW, and TNA now being on a major cable outlet. To me, the mainstream is already overcrowded, and I don’t see space for another company to make that leap.

Andrew: They need Jesus. Just like in wrestling, there’s main eventers, mid carders, lower guys, and local enhancement talent. The promotions work the same way. Ain’t no one clamoring for a G-League basketball team to get a new franchise slot, or for the UFL champions to play the Browns or Jets in a relegation match. As long as the bigger Indies are making money and paying talent their rate…not everyone needs to be mainstream. NWA found out the hard way that there aren’t enough TV stations or general demand for “mainstream.”

Dave: The only way this happens is if one of the Indy Companies cuts a deal with WWE, similar to what ECW did back in the day and what TNA and AAA have with them now. WWE, and to a much lesser extent, AEW, has the biggest stranglehold in mainstream media, and that is not going to change. The Indy promotions have great talent, but none who would have what it takes to break through on a mainstream level. You can’t beat WWE, so you might as well join them if you want to get some mainstream attention.

Kyle: The same thing that it took AEW: a billionaire investor and a major television contract.

Rey: Money. The quick answer is money. Tony Khan and his family spent millions of dollars and immediately became a player in the wrestling business. So definitely money.

To get a bit more specific, I once wrote a column about this very thing. To spare you time, the main things were having a specific creative vision, hiring a talented and unique booker, having or creating at least 3 needle movers, using the internet to their advantage, and having a television deal. You can’t be a major company if people can’t watch your program easily and with consistent quality.

The closest of the 4 companies listed is MLW, because they have some level of television access, they have a unique booker in Court Bauer, they have a history of talent and current wrestlers that are known and/or could be needle movers, and they use the internet well. GCW has a great chance as well, specifically because of their booker (Brett Lauderdale) and their very unique and fan-friendly creative vision, but their reliance on hardcore and violent themes and matches will hurt them.

Should wrestling journalists and reporters be able to get access to shows and companies regardless of their reporting?

Greg: On the surface, my answer is a quick “yeah, sure,” but it’s deeper than that. It’s relatively easy to get credentials to TNA, MLW, and New Japan (when they’re in the United States) because they NEED the coverage. They practically beg for it. I’ve personally gotten members of The Chairshot credentials to all of the aforementioned companies with relative ease. But that’s not WWE or AEW, and those are the companies more in question right now. If you’re WWE, and even if to a lesser extent, AEW, you aren’t begging for coverage. You’re a magnet for it. You are in the position to pick and choose. You hold the luxury of having riches of reporters and journalists wanting to cover your product, and the benefit of choosing who fits your long-term goals. And if you’re a reporter, what are you complaining about? Not having free tickets? Everything you need to see is available to you via some form of broadcast. You can still do your job. 

Andrew: No, not at all. If you want to take a hard stance against a wrestler, angle, or company, and they choose to blackball you? Deal with it, buttercup. I haven’t been able to tolerate AEW since 2020. You think I have the unmitigated gall to assume they’d give me a press pass just because I know someone or work for a place? Stop it. If you claim to be unbiased, you have to give unbiased takes all the time. As soon as you stop being measured in your interactions, you deserve whatever positive or negative attention that comes with it.

Dave: No! There is too much inherent bias among many of the journalists who cover pro wrestling now. I use the Wrestling Observer as a template here. The pro-AEW, anti-WWE stance they take does not feel like unbiased journalism. To the contrary, more often than not, it feels like a bought-and-paid-for hit piece. The same could be said about journalists who crap all over AEW, no matter what. So, if I am WWE or AEW, I do not see the need or advantage gained from providing unfettered access to shows and companies to journalists who are clearly shown to be hostile to the company in question.

Kyle: Freedom of the Press means freedom to report whatever they want as long as the reporting is true. Gatekeeping access to the company doesn’t get rid of negative reporting, it makes it seem like the company is hiding something, which will only encourage a good journalist to dig even harder for information.

Rey: For free? No. Wrestling is not a sport. And with respect to some of the actual reputable wrestling journalists (there’s not many), wrestling journalism is a misnomer. I have no issue if a journalist or influencer who likes to specifically attack, criticize, or speak negatively of a company loses his press access to a wrestling company or a show.

They should now, however, be banned from going to the show at all. If they buy a ticket, they should be able to attend. Nobody deserves access for free just because they work in news and media, but everyone deserves access if they pay their hard earned money to buy a ticket.

Greg – @GregDeMarco44

Andrew – @IWCWarChief

Dave – www.attitudeofaggression.com

Kyle – @OutsidersEdgeCS

Rey – @itsreycash