Mission in Waiting: Is the 7th Era Slipping?

Mission in Waiting – Is the 7^th Era Slipping?

Here I am. A man and his computer with an eagerness to discuss this industry that we all love, and I can’t help but to see what’s happening.

When did we let it get out of control? I know that I, Johnny Quest, am not at fault. I was just minding my own business along with Fitz when we both suddenly lost over a month of our lives. Was our collective amnesia a coincidence? Nah, but THAT isn’t the topic of this article.

Rather, it seems that the wheels started to come off of this – the presently-named “Prime Era” of the business – at some point in mid-September. After two and a half months of intense competition and consistency across the board, the industry experienced a few speed bumps.

The first thing I took note of was how Murrey Entertainment continued the chaos in its upper management that we saw begin back in early-June. However, now, WWE is being run by a booker and podcaster run-amok (no, it’s not Cross). They started to take some time off, interrupting their schedule and stories, and then – by the time AEW aired “Sympathy for the Devil”; which barely beat “Hallow-Travaganza”, by the way – the erratic curse of old spread like wildfire.

Not even ULW was immune.

Hell, we even saw the triggering of ULW’s now-infamous “Rule 11 Clock” – an era-ending self-destruct mechanism designed by the now-deceased Mickey to ensure the death of the industry -, and that was followed by a brief return to action.

This chaos created the conditions for a number of things which leave the industry (and the era itself) in an uncertain situation: all 3 promotions find themselves mired in desperate power struggles. Benny has escaped the institution, Sami and Megan have been kidnapped, the Triad has been disappeared, and Murrey has cleaned house and brought his best “bro” on board to right the ship.

With Murrey Entertainment, we saw Murrey do what he does best: hit “reset”. Tragically, though, the biggest casualty of this executive decision (no doubt inspired by Russo and a LOT of cocaine) was the history-making two year-long Women’s Title reign of the 6^th Era’s Top Women’s Star: Asuka.

My suspicion here is that Murrey and company had NO idea where to take the Women’s title story, and they especially had no clue how to end such a great reign. I can’t emphasize enough how much this outcome broke my heart, but the deed is done.

Meanwhile, the only reigns left intact by Murrey’s decision was to keep the world titles around the waists of their respective holders. AJ Styles is still the World Heavyweight Champion (a title without a home in lieu of the brand extension being concluded after all shows but Raw were cancelled), and the 13-month reign of the Rock as WWE Champion.

Rock isn’t completely invincible, though, as he recently discovered that Murrey managed to gain the services of Roman Reigns as he convinced the Tribal Chief to jump ship from BWM Inc.! If there is anyone who can reasonably dethrone the Rock, it’s Reigns…or is that what Murrey wants us to think? Of course, Murrey may not have his mind on much save for his desperate attempts to keep Guyla’s secret about him under wraps. We’ll see where that goes, though.

So, WWE has gotten back on track after its reset, and they appear to have an exciting card set for this coming Monday’s Raw (which is set to compete against ULW’s return, but more on that in a sec). However, what about AEW?

According to my DVR, Dynamite from last Monday has yet to appear for me to watch and review, even after they came back for a momentous ratings victory with their Elite Warfare special early in January. I am thinking that AEW actually didn’t air, but I am not going to press the issue. I will just patiently wait to see the latest.

What I do know is that Logan Paul as world champion is the choice that anyone who has been watching the company consistently should have seen coming from the beginning of his run. I can also see that Midget Hogan and his new bride having some early marital problems is going to send a few ripples of its own through the Love-obsessed industry in ways which will make millions hurl and thousands more…well, very happy.

The Street Sharks continuing to rip through the tag division should leave the Elite tag teams shivering, and the Knockouts division remains on fire. I just want to see more of it. The people want to see more of it, and the reason you don’t hear more from me as of late is that we aren’t being consistent here.

Tragically, even though the staff here at Cash Mouse Entertainment is pledging to get more consistent about weekly updates (beyond the short press releases), I will not be getting back on discussing the industry as a whole until we see at least two consecutive weeks of action…which I can watch in a timely manner.

Don’t fret, though, because one of our best writers will be volunteering their thoughts as a Quest Correspondent to at least tackle Murrey Entertainment week in and week out as long as they remain consistent when AEW isn’t, and in the event that the tables turn where AEW is consistent but WWE isn’t, then we have another Quest Correspondent ready and waiting for that eventuality.

We are ready to get this stuff back up and running, but for now let’s delve into what makes this coming Monday’s return of ULW on Aggression so special!

Filling a Vacancy

It was announced that the current vacancy in the revamped Extreme League for the Women’s Division would be filled by an Open Hardcore Four Corner Elimination match. This incredibly popular and chaotic holdover from the Sixth Era will give one lucky woman a chance to enjoy all the privileges which come with being in one of the Leagues; the biggest advantage being a top contender for gold. Let’s see who pulls this one off!

In Pursuit of Women’s Glory

For the last 5 years of this industry’s history, there are probably 8 names associated with the top of women’s wrestling: Asuka (who we talked about earlier), Becky Lynch, Angelina Love, Athena Star, and Sasha Banks all easily come to mind, but then there are 3 more around which the industry’s future has been crafted, and they are each in this Triangle Match to crown the Women’s Champion: the champion herself, Jade Cargill, and two of the most dominant women of the past five years in Alexa Bliss and Ronda Rousey.

In my personal assessment, I don’t need to remind you of the history between these three women and what this victory means to them. I will, though, note a few things: Rousey remains a woman who was wrongly stripped of the EWA Knockout’s Title after holding it without a single title defense for two years. Bliss was second only to Asuka for her dominance of women’s wrestling in the Sixth Era (having held the title for a collective 460 days). Let’s not forget the reigning champion, Jade Cargill, who stole the show in the last 18-24 months of the Sixth Era, culminating in her dominant victory over Bliss to take the title to close the era. Now, with Asuka being stripped of the WWE Women’s title, Jade Cargill now holds the distinction of the longest active Women’s reign in the business, and second longest overall active reign, trailing only the WWE Champion, the Rock.

A PPV-caliber encounter, for sure!

A Clash for Greatness

To close Aggression, we will see the boastful Undisputed Champion, Matt Cardona, defend his prize against CM Punk. The story between these two is that Cardona’s 2023-2024 was defined by his relentless belief in his own skill and greatness. He had made the now-defunct HLW/AXW into his image, and hopped over to PWI to dominate, and while it took him a minute to experience his rise to prominence, he managed to overcome his chief foes – which included two top former world champions -, and even ended the iconic career of Dragonfly (arguably the greatest of all time) along the way!

As for CM Punk, the man has come a long way since his HCW days of being hilariously stalked by Edge. The man had to get past his greatest enemy – Jesse Hash – to earn this spot, and a chance to win his first ever world title, but when the bell rings, his long wait for a true shot at glory will arrive!!

What Else is on Tap for the Week ahead?

In addition to an awesome incoming show for Aggression, we are also set to watch the following for ULW –

1. Tuesday, Extreme Animosity: Splidder seeks to end his torment by taking on Menotaur!
2. Friday, Intensity: Valentine’s Smash!: Chelsea Green seeks revenge for his unwanted dumpster dive by squaring off against the Premier League’s AJ Lee!
3. Friday, Intensity: Valentine’s Smash!: The Big Show challenges Pretty Deadly in Tornado Handicap Tag Action!

So, there you have it, the return of your favorite analyst who isn’t obsessed with MJF. Here’s to hoping that we can pick back up on our regular missions again soon!!

Until our next Quest, this has been Johnny with yet another mission!