Category: Shows

End of An Era: Vince McMahon No Longer Owns WWE

By Jim Biringer

What a historic month in the world of professional wrestling. There were several great PPVs and events not only from AEW but from WWE as well. However, it was outside the ring aka the squared circle that had everyone talking. Specifically, the deal that saw Endeavor, now trading under TKO Group Holdings, bought WWE, which means Vince McMahon no longer owns the WWE.

Think about that. When you were first introduced to pro wrestling there was a McMahon running the show. Especially in the New York territory. Remember before Vince McMahon Jr. bought the company from Vince McMahon Sr., there were regional territories. Then the WWWF before the WWF was in New York and New England. In addition, AWA in the Midwest starting in Minnesota, NWA or Jim Crockett Promotions were in the Carolina region. Georgia Championship Wrestling, World Class Championship Wrestling in Texas, and so on.

As Vince has always stated if his father knew what he had planned to do with the company after buying it for $1 million dollars, his dad might not have sold him the company. Vince bet on himself and the business taking it nationally and globally. If you go back to the first Wrestlemania, Vince put every dollar he had into that event. It was either going to be a success or a failure. His competitors wanted it to fail. Wrestlemania I was a turning point for Vince McMahon and the business.

We saw the rise of Hulkamania, Macho Madness, the Ultimate Warrior, and so many countless talents in the 1980s and into the early 1990s. This led to the national expansion of wrestling and the death of the territories. McMahon shook up the industry. During that time he faced scandals including the big steroid scandal in the early 1990s, and he survived that one.

Though the product dipped in the mid-1990s, during the Next Generation, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels were carrying the company. That time saw the rise of WCW along with the nWo, Vince again had to dig deep and find a way to adapt or else he was going to go out of business. The Attitude Era was born to go along with the Monday Night Wars. What a time to be a wrestling fan with the nWo, DX, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, Undertaker, Sting, Ric Flair, and so many countless others.

But McMahon survived and ultimately bought his competition. Though the Invasion angle did not go over as planned, but still there was Vince McMahon still on top of the world. Remember he went from being a pro wrestling show to a sports entertainment show. And he continues to refer to it to this day.

After the Attitude Era, we had the Ruthless Aggression Era, McMahon once again adapted to no competition by splitting up RAW and Smackdown and it worked. We saw the rise of the Smackdown Six, new superstars emerged like John Cena, Randy Orton, and Batista from OVW. Oh yeah, let’s not forget about CM Punk.

Then we got to the PG era, where Vince lost touch with the wrestling world. The product was not as good as Triple H was making waves with NXT. You knew something needed to change. Eventually, it did, due to the sexual harassment scandal that broke in the summer of 2022. Vince stepped away from the company, and Triple H and Stephanie McMahon along with Nick Khan were running things.

During this time the Bloodline in the Reality Era was running things on TV. Cody Rhodes returned, thanks to Vince McMahon. Though McMahon was not out of the loop he just did not have control. But the writing was on the wall despite what we all thought was going to be the case for years that a McMahon would own WWE. That just is not the case.

The way McMahon got back onto the board of directors and became chairman was shady at best. There were those on the board who did not want him back. But he got back on the board to get his money and to sell the company. Though he did not have creative control, he was still calling things in. But the product on TV was better and never hotter thanks to Triple H.

Think about this for a minute. Vince McMahon sold WWE to Endeavor aka TKO Group Holdings for $21 Billion. He paid $1 million for it from his dad. Now, TKO Group Holdings is looking for McMahon to step aside as his shares are up for sale. The company does not want any distractions as McMahon the current chairman is still being investigated for those sexual harassment allegations and other things as well.

The September 11, 2023 edition of Monday Night Raw was the last event that Vince McMahon owned WWE. Vince started Monday Night Raw in January 1993. Just a historic time to be around the world of professional wrestling.

It is going to be hard to imagine when there was not a McMahon-owning WWE. Now we are here. What a wild time we live in the world of professional wrestling.

The Steve Harvey Show (1996-2002)

By Miguel Mike Medina

The Steve Harvey Show is one of those sitcoms that’s known but at the same time feels underappreciated. The show ran for six seasons on ‘The WB Network’ which at the time was one of my favorite TV networks growing up. I miss the WB. So many great shows and animated series. The Steve Harvey Show had so many fun cast of characters. The show had great storylines and on-screen chemistry duos: Steve and Regina, Lovita and Cedric, Romeo and Bullethead, and Steve and Cedric.
The chemistry between Steve and Cedric is natural because they are real-life friends. They both became household names when they were part of Def Comedy Jam. Steve and Regina’s love story has been so many ups and downs but they finally got together in Season Five during the show. 
The show went through changes during Seasons 1 and 2, but they got better as the seasons went by. Adding Lovita Jenkins (Cedric’s love interest and then wife) was a genius move on the production team. When she came in Season Two, it changed the culture of the show. 
Overall, the legacy of The Steve Harvey Show should forever be remembered. I can speak about the show and break down some of my favorite episodes but I’ll save that when I make a video about it on The MMM Journal YouTube channel. 

HBO Max Sounds Better Than Max

By Miguel Mike Medina

Why HBO Max Sounds Better Than Max?

Today is the launch day for the streaming service under the new name, “Max.” HBO Max has a better ring than “Max.” It doesn’t make sense why they want to switch to this new name for the streaming service. It’s nuts, like in Sports. For example, Staples Center was a better name than “crypto.com arena.” HBO Max has a lot of great content. I don’t regret subscribing to their service. 

At the beginning of my journey with HBO Max, I had difficulty logging into my phone after setting everything on my TV screen. This was back in 2020 or 2021. I don’t know why it was giving me problems, but it wasn’t delightful. Thank god I don’t have that problem anymore. Serving service at expense, but HBO Max and Netflix are two streaming service that is hard for me to let go of. I don’t spend all day watching content because there are other important things in life. But if I want to take an hour during the weekend to watch something entertaining, those two services, especially HBO Max, are my go-to place. 

There are many movies and shows that I’ve enjoyed watching on HBO Max: Barry, Succession, The Flight Attendant, and many more. 

Max better bring something great since they are making this push. Naming the service Max is like calling someone by their first name. Max is not a strange name for me because I have two family members with that name. One of my friends’ sons has this same name as well. HBO Max sounds way better. But then again, with three creative executives, they’re forever changing their platforms, rules, and content, whether for the good or bad. 

Daffy Duck vs. Speedy Gonzales

By Miguel Mike Medina

The Looney Tunes is one of the best and most recognizable animated shows ever. Can we imagine if there were no Looney Tunes? Well, one thing is for sure, no matter how old we get, some classic cartoons will never leave our hearts. This Morning, I decided to watch an episode of Looney Tunes. That’s right. Mr. Miguel Mike Medina watched some Looney Tunes on a Tuesday morning without the cereal. I usually leave that for Saturday mornings, haha. You can’t go wrong to watch an episode or so and the one I saw is called “Daffy Duck vs Speedy Gonzales.” I don’t know if that’s the proper title of the episode, but it’s probably from the 1960s. 

On YouTube, they have this thing called “Looneg Tuesdays.” If bored, I recommend watching Looney Tuesday on the WB Kids YouTube channel. When those two clash, it is a recipe for disaster. Two fascinating characters on the Looney Tunes on a collision course. Daffy Duck is a hit head, often in a bad mood and very edgy. Speedy Gonzales is known as the fastest mouse in Mexico. 

One of the best parts of this episode is when Speedy Gonzales hits Daffy Duck’s foot with a hammer because Daffy Duck was carrying a box that Speedy wanted. Speedy Gonzales finds a way to outsmart Daffy Duck and makes his life a living life. Speedy was sneaky but pesky to Daffy Duck. What makes Daffy Duck’s character so great is his facial expression and how he reacts to specific moments. Another great moment in this episode is when Speedy calls Daffy a “chicken.” Daffy responds that no one calls him a chicken and starts shooting Speedy with a shotgun as Speedy storms away. 

God bless all of the creators who created these iconic characters and bless our childhood by entertaining us through the Looney Tunes.