The 90s are never actually leaving
Pop culture is officially in a feedback loop. We are staring down the barrel of 2026, yet the marquee for the upcoming MLP television tapings looks like a lost episode of a Nitro or Raw broadcast from twenty-five years ago. The New Age Outlaws and Rhino are headlining, reminding us that wrestling promoters are currently addicted to the same hit of dopamine that keeps Creed playing to sold-out arenas.
Listen, I respect the grind. I respect the fact that Rhino can still hit a Gore that looks like it would snap a lesser man in half. But let’s be honest about what this is. It is a safety net for promoters who are terrified to bet on the next generation without a veteran name attached to the poster.
The HOG card is actually trying something else
While the MLP tapings are busy rummaging through a nostalgia closet, House of Glory is actually pushing some different buttons for their Waging War event scheduled for next Friday. Booking Kevin Knight versus Amazing Red? Now you have my attention.
This is the high-velocity, high-risk wrestling that makes the indie scene worth tracking. Knight is electric, and pitting his modern athleticism against the literal veteran wizardry of Amazing Red is the kind of stylistic clash that actually justifies the price of a ticket. It is an acknowledgment that you don’t need to dust off a gimmick from 1999 to get people interested in your product.
The booking problem is becoming structural
The issue with leanings toward veterans like the New Age Outlaws is that it stunts the growth of the local guys trying to get over. If every independent show is just a revolving door of guys who were on TNT during the Clinton administration, where is the oxygen for the local talent? They become glorified jobbers for the legends of yesteryear.
As PWInsider reported, the HOG card is also bringing in other names to shake up the local hierarchy. That is how you build a following that actually lasts longer than a single house show. You provide the spectacle, but you make sure the future of the sport is the one standing tall when the lights come up at the end of the night.
The talent gap is real
Let’s address the elephant in the room regarding these MLP tapings. You have a televised platform for TSN, and you are using it to lean on classic acts? That is a massive missed opportunity for a breakout star to find their audience. Television is the most expensive, rarest commodity in wrestling right now.
Using a TV slot for nostalgia acts is akin to using your prime draft pick on a retired hall of famer. It is a lazy reliance on brand recognition at the expense of long-term development. If these promotions want to be taken seriously as more than just a traveling reunion tour, they need to stop booking from the yearbook and start looking at the training academy. History is fine, but in the ring, it doesn’t help you move tickets on a cold Tuesday night in November.
