{"id":124657,"date":"2024-05-30T08:00:56","date_gmt":"2024-05-30T12:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=124657"},"modified":"2024-05-30T05:08:09","modified_gmt":"2024-05-30T09:08:09","slug":"pro-wrestlings-cold-war-is-here","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/05\/30\/pro-wrestlings-cold-war-is-here\/","title":{"rendered":"Pro Wrestling&#8217;s Cold War is Here"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wrestling has had its history of wars in the business. From the &#8220;Monday Night Wars&#8221; in the 90s to the &#8216;Wednesday Night Wars&#8217; in the 2020s. Territory rivals and backdoor politics have always been present in wrestling. Pro-Wrestling&#8217;s cold war has started. One thing stands true now, more than ever.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><em>\u201cBecause War\u2026 War never changes.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><em>-Ulysses S. Grant, US President<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3><strong>The Prohibited Portal<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On Tuesday night\u2019s edition of <em><strong>WWE NXT<\/strong><\/em>, <strong>TNA Wrestling<\/strong> Knockout\u2019s Champion <strong>Jordynne Grace<\/strong> made her TV debut. The TNA Champion is coming off a dominant showcase during the <em><strong>WWE Royal Rumble<\/strong><\/em> this past January. Grace will make her in-ring debut next week against <strong>Stevie Turner<\/strong> on NXT.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jordynne also made it clear her eyes are set on the NXT Women\u2019s Champion <strong>Roxanne Perez<\/strong>. The two will face off at the next Premium Live Event,<strong> NXT Battleground<\/strong>. This blossoming relationship isn\u2019t the first time <strong>WWE<\/strong> and <strong>TNA<\/strong> have crossed paths. In 2022 the IWC saw a returning <strong>Mickie James<\/strong> to the Rumble, also wearing her Knockout\u2019s Women&#8217;s title.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">HISTORY. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JordynneGrace?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@JordynneGrace<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/roxanne_wwe?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@roxanne_wwe<\/a> will battle it out for the NXT Women&#8217;s Championship at <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NXTBattleground?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#NXTBattleground<\/a>!!!<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/WWENXT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#WWENXT<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/yT5FrtAMQs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/yT5FrtAMQs<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 WWE (@WWE) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE\/status\/1795623224589377727?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 29, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fightful is reporting, \u201ct<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hat the door is very open for more NXT crossover with TNA.\u201d The publication also stated that Grace was scheduled for three NXT appearances and a six figure payout. Although it is unclear what the future holds in regards to the cross promotion work, all signs point to there being more of it.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Wrestling\u2019s Cold War<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unlike the Monday Night War when two powerhouses were going head to head against each other. This war is a (semi) silent war with the occasional shade being thrown in each other&#8217;s directions. The big two in this war, WWE and AEW, are assembling their allies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the first time in a long time, WWE is not performing in a bubble. The <strong>WWE Universe<\/strong> has started to open up to other wrestling worlds. The relationship between WWE and Japanese wrestling had been strained in the past. T<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">he Connecticut based promotion is hoping to change that. <strong>Shinsuke Nakamura<\/strong> was allowed to go to Japan to participate in the Great Muta\u2019s final match in <strong>Pro-Wrestling NOAH<\/strong>. In January of 2024 we saw another olive branch as <strong>Charlie Dempsey<\/strong> from NXT traveled across the Pacific to wrestle in <strong>AJPW<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TNA Wrestling also has a very open and public working relationship with <strong>AAA<\/strong>. WWE has also had relationships in the past with the Mexican based promotion during the luchador invasion in the 90\u2019s.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>All Elite Wrestling<\/strong> and <strong>Tony Khan<\/strong> have not been sitting back quietly. Since its inception, AEW has had a strong working relationship with NJPW. With this partnership came a strong relationship with <strong>Stardom<\/strong>, also owned by Bushi Road in Japan. AEW and <strong>CMLL<\/strong> have also developed a working relationship since the beginning of 2024.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NJPW and CMLL have\u00a0 had a working relationship since the 1980\u2019s. CMLL and AAA have a heated rivalry that even in 2024 prevents contracts from either company to work with the other.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>GCW is Switzerland<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the sides build their armies and prepare for war, the wrestling world has a Switzerland. It comes in the form of <strong>Game Changer Wrestling<\/strong>. <strong>Brett Lauderdale<\/strong> and company have made it a point to focus on working with everyone they can.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As GCW goes around the country they routinely put over independent talent from territory to territory. GCW featured both AEW and WWE wrestlers at The Collective during WrestleMania weekend in Philadelphia. They truly do not pick a side. GCW wants to make wrestling better.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>The Chessboard is Set<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the pieces get put into place and the chessboard is set,\u00a0 wrestling fans have to wait. The wrestling BUSINESS is exactly that, a business. The goal is to bolster their reputation as being able to put the most butts every 12 inches in the arena, and as many eyes on the television product as possible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The community needs to remember though, WWE doesn\u2019t have the best history with cross promotion work. They need to prove this isn&#8217;t another Memphis Wrestling, Smoky Mountain Wrestling or ECW situation. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Opening the proverbial \u201cForbidden Door\u201d means it has to be a healthy relationship going both ways. AEW has also started to develop the reputation of \u201ctaking top talent\u201d from their partners, by offering huge contracts. With Okada and Ospreay recently signing with the Jacksonville based promotion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But at the end of the day, war never changes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Pro-Wrestling&#8217;s Cold War is here, are you all ready?<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/h3>\n<p><em>Header photo &#8211; WWE &#8211; Stay tuned to the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_self\">Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/a>\u00a0for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wrestling has had its history of wars in the business. From the &#8220;Monday Night Wars&#8221; in the 90s to the &#8216;Wednesday Night Wars&#8217; in the 2020s. Territory rivals and backdoor politics have always been present in wrestling. Pro-Wrestling&#8217;s cold war has started. One thing stands true now, more than ever. \u201cBecause War\u2026 War never changes.\u201d [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4168,"featured_media":124674,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16,4677,23,17,5274,7205,13,24,6,2192,321,4,3,320],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-124657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aaa","category-aew","category-ajpw","category-cmll","category-gcw","category-history","category-international","category-noah","category-north-america","category-wrestling","category-tna-knockouts","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","category-wwe-women"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124657","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4168"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=124657"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124657\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/124674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=124657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=124657"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=124657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}