D'Amore Drop: Wait — is WWE really about to retire AJ Styles against Gunther?

WWE via Getty Images

It is always a tough situation when you know your heel is going to get cheered. This phenomenon has always been part of wrestling, but it has become more commonplace for the last generation or so.

WWE encountered it twice during its European tour. First, Drew McIntyre — the only Briton to win a WWE world title! — was cheered on "SmackDown," which took place in London, UK.

There, they had Drew acknowledge the crowd’s support … only to ask them where the hell their support was when he was struggling.

The following Monday on "Raw" from Belfast, Northern Ireland, WWE actually played into the fact that Finn Balor, an Irishman, was going to be cheered in his world title shot against CM Punk. WWE did nothing to try to undercut the natural “hometown hero” pop for Finn.

Two "hometown" hero heels — but two different ways of dealing with it within three days.

It’s tough for the wrestlers. Not everyone can receive the opposite reaction to what their character is supposed to be getting and carry on with the role at hand. Not everyone is John Cena, who was booed without mercy for years in some markets but never once let any frustration show.

WWE via Getty Images

It's also tough on the promoters and bookers. Sometimes you can’t ignore what’s going on, and sometimes it's wise to just go with it. I'm thinking of Bret Hart’s Hart Foundation during the early WWE Attitude Era — where the fans in Canada simply refused to stop cheering Bret and then took it a step further by booing all the Americans on the shows.

My own philosophy is that you treat it like a real sport: Expect fans to support the people, or the team, from their hometown and there’s not much sense in battling them over this.

I also feel it is OK — better even — to have nuance in characters. Drew didn’t walk out in London all squeaky-clean babyface — he was the same guy who beat Cody Rhodes via a kick in the balls and outside interference. Even that kind of villain, that kind of cheat, surely would like to be cheered by his own people?

Likewise, with a babyface who is getting booed and booed, I think it is more real to allow them to be frustrated, like a real sportsperson who is doing everything by the book and yet they are still getting booed and the fans have turned on them.

There’s no right answer, though. As evidenced by WWE taking two entirely different approaches three days apart last week.

As has been teased since Gunther beat John Cena, WWE has booked him in a Royal Rumble match against AJ Styles. In order to get the rematch from the previous week’s "Raw," Styles had to promise to retire if he lost at the next big WWE PLE.

This sets up a third potential legend for Gunther to retire, following Cena and Bill Goldberg last summer.

I am shocked by the booking. I was chatting with a friend in the industry about it, and we both can’t believe that this is “it” when it comes to AJ Styles’ career. AJ had said publicly that he’s done with in-ring wrestling in 2026 … but surely not a month into it?

I can’t believe the plan is for AJ to beat Gunther, not with all the heat WWE successfully put on "The Ring General" with December's Cena win and with this being WrestleMania season. I also can’t see Styles losing the match and then finishing his career up in TNA (as some critics have suggested).

It is fascinating … what on Earth is WWE going to do here?

Another talent I am very high on — Bishop Dyer, the former Baron Corbin in WWE — wrestled last night in AEW in a dark match.

Dyer teamed with Better Together (Hadar Horvitz & Ori Gold) and Martin Stone vs. Billy Gunn, Austin Gunn, Brady Booker and Elijah Drago.

Dyer — who regularly wrestles for me in MLP — got a great reaction. He’s friends with Billy Gunn, and I heard Billy ribbed Dyer about the great reaction he got.

He’s another talent I just know AEW will use correctly, if that’s the direction both parties go in.

And — read on — Dyer will be returning to MLP in March.

Speaking of AEW, amazing job by “TK” and his staff on Wednesday.

This Saturday’s AEW Collision event in Arlington, Texas had to be canceled due to a winter storm that's expected to hit the region.

So, pivoting quickly, AEW taped the entire show right after last night’s "Dynamite."

First of a lot of big news regarding my Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling — we’ve officially signed our first television deal. The Fight Nation agreement is a great deal for us, giving MLP international distribution across key markets including French-speaking Europe and Africa.

There are more big announcements I’m actively working on, and more announcements coming. This is the starting gun, not the finish line.

MLP exists because I realized I wasn’t done with pro wrestling when I was forced to exit TNA two years ago.

There was still something in my blood, and I felt there was unfinished business, not in the sense of going backward, but in building something new the right way.

I have other things to do, but I kept coming back to Maple Leaf Wrestling. I’d acquired the rights to the original Maple Leaf footage years earlier and always believed there was something meaningful I could do with that uniquely Canadian legacy.

After talking with a small, trusted group, the decision was made to relaunch the brand as Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling, or MLP. We announced it on Aug. 8, my 50th birthday, very intentionally, to shift the focus away from me being 50 and onto the project.

A huge part of MLP feeling world-class was commentary. Bringing Mauro Ranallo back to pro wrestling was something I’d wanted to do for a long time.

Mauro is a once-in-a-generation voice, not just in wrestling but across combat sports, and pairing him with Don Callis created exactly the energy and storytelling dynamic I’d envisioned for years. Commentary sets the tone for a product, and with Mauro and Don, MLP immediately sounded big, important and alive.

The other big announcement from MLP was a pair of massive shows: Global Wars, a joint promotion with Ring of Honor, takes place Friday, March 27, followed by MLP Uprising on Saturday, March 28.

Both events will stream live on TrillerTV via transactional pay-per-view, with on-demand availability afterward on ROH Honor Club. Tickets go on sale Monday, 10 a.m. ET, on mlpwrestling.com.

Talent already announced includes Ricochet, Kaito Kiyomiya, Mascara Dorada, the Good Brothers, and more stars from around the world, alongside familiar MLP names.

That blend of elite international talent and Canadian wrestlers is exactly what MLP is meant to be.

At its core, MLP is about opportunity. Showcasing the very best in Canadian wrestling alongside some of the best in the world, on a stage big enough for them to be seen globally.

I watched TNA’s big debut on AMC. Again, it really isn’t my place to comment on TNA, given my history with the company. Those of you who read this column regularly will know I always say things like “I’ll always root for TNA to do well” but also am aware any critique I offer will be seen as axe grinding by people in the industry.

So, what I will say is there’s room for improvement, that some of the critiques like those offered by Eric Bischoff (who also wants to see TNA do well) are valid. I’ll add to that the Genesis pay-per-view last weekend was really good.

The D'Amore Drop is a weekly guest column on Uncrowned written by Scott D’Amore, the Canadian professional wrestling promoter, executive producer, trainer and former wrestler best known for his long-standing role with TNA/IMPACT Wrestling, where he served as head of creative. D’Amore is the current owner of leading Canadian promotion Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling.