Era of AEW Begins

The State of Pro Wrestling is taking a seismic shift this week. WWE is beginning the Smackdown on Fox era, and will be debuting new sets, graphics and announce teams, along with the return of pyro starting on Raw Monday!! NXT on the USA Network is expanding to two hours, and there are rumors of CM Punk returning as an analyst for a new studio style show on FS1.

The biggest news of the week though, is the debut of AEW Dynamite on TNT, the first real challenge to McMahon since WCW. I'll be giving some brief big picture thoughts on all four brands, but keep in mind WWE is holding their annual Draft next week which will lead to more changes.


Raw - The flagship show for almost 27 years may soon become the B-brand to Smackdown. WWE's relationship with USA is strong, since they have been the driver of the applecart for decades. The move of Michael Cole, Corey Graves, and Renee Young to Smackdown may give you an idea of where Vince views the brand. Ratings continue to decline, especially during the 17 weeks a year they go against football, and the three hour format has drawn criticism for years. Seth Rollins' title reign hasn't moved the needle for me and I think The Fiend will grow old quick if he wins the strap at Hell in a Cell. Paul Heyman has taken the reigns on creative, and while the show has improved I think the damage has been done.

Smackdown - Fox has put it's full marketing machine behind the blue brand. They're all over football broadcasts, and the wrestlers will be appearing on all of Fox's properties leading to the Friday debut. Fox is hoping it chose correctly paying up for WWE's rights and letting the UFC leave for ESPN. The debut show is loaded, with appearances by Stone Cold and Hulk Hogan, Brock vs Kofi for the belt and Shane and Kevin Owens in a ladder match. It will be interesting to see how the performance holds up over time.

NXT - WWE's third brand, ran by Triple H, was a fan favorite for it's use of top indy stars and a different wrestling style than you'll see on the main roster. In my opinion, they will be damaged the most by the new landscape. From what we've seen so far, AEW does NXT better than NXT. The idea of being a developmental brand is over with the debut of a two hour show on national television. Also, their popular Takeover shows are reportedly going be scheduled against top AEW events, creating an us vs them mentality.

AEW - So far, AEW has exceeded everyone's expectations. Fans have been waiting for an alternative to WWE for 18 years, and it will be interesting to see if Dynamite can quench their thirst. The promotion has a smart team behind the scenes, (led by Tony Khan, Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, and the Young Bucks) and has made waves with the addition of Chris Jericho and John Moxley (Dean Ambrose). It would be premature to write about WWE's demise, but as a fan I hope the competition makes both companies stronger.

Week 4 Picks

I went 3-2 last week bringing my record to 6-5 on the season. I apologize for the Raiders game, I read that completely wrong.

This week I like

Titans +3.5 @ Falcons - Titans are a better team than they looked last Thursday, which being in primetime hurt their public perception. Falcons defense keeps losing key defensive players, including safety Keanu Neal. Tennessee dominates the line on both sides of the ball and may win outright.

Giants -3 v Redskins - Washington is a mess, with rumors of Jay Gruden coaching for his job. Daniel Jones impressed last week, and should have no problem covering in his first home game.

Patriots -7 @ Bills - Bills Mafia needs to learn they aren't on the Pats level. Every year a dildo gets thrown on the field and New England covers. Josh Allen will learn quick he's not playing the Jets or Giants this week.

Browns +6.5 @ Ravens - The season is on the line for Cleveland and the Ravens are mentally exhausted after losing a heat check game in KC last week. I don't think the Browns win, but keep it within a TD.

Broncos -3 v Jaguars - Taking the opposite approach as the Titans game. The Jags are America's Darling with Mustache Minshew after a primetime win Thursday, and are reportedly without Jalen Ramsey. Pressure is on Denver, who hasn't recorded a sack yet this season. Von Miller and Bradley Chubb hit the taste saver off the Jags QB and get their first win.

Cowboys -2.5 @ Saints - The Cowboys have looked like the best team in the NFC this season, behind an improved passing game from Dak and Cooper. I think they let Zeke eat this game. Bridgewater is a very serviceable QB and we can find value in N'Awlins the next few weeks, but not Sunday.

The King is Back

Did you miss me? After going into a coma induced by binge drinking and Jets football, I'm here to help you beat your bookie.

A lot has happened in the past three years, Gang Green drafted their new QB in Sam Darnold, we finally canned Todd Bowles, and then our savior got drugged by one of Bill Belichick's cronies and came down with mono.

The Yankees farm system produced several studs, traded for Giancarlo Stanton, and sort of forgot about starting pitching. But Sevy is back and we are locked and loaded for a big run in October.

Juve added Cristiano Ronaldo and keep collecting Scudetti like they're hooker trading cards in Las Vegas.

The UFC has seen significant changes, McGOAT and Rousey are after thoughts, and Nate Diaz turned his shot at McGregor into superstardom. The move to ESPN is great for the sport overall, but it may never reach the heights of Brock's heyday again.

But forget all that shit, sports gambling is legal in New Jersey and I'm ready with the best advice South of Jetlife Stadium.

I'll give you my 5 winners each week along with my thoughts on everything sports and entertainment. I'll also be dropping nuggets on the prime time games on Twitter @FrankCostaNJ.

Last week I went mezza-mezza at 3-3, and looking to turn that Jamal Adams into a winning record.

Giants +6.5 @ Bucs

Now that news has come out Eli has finally been moved to the retirement home, about 4 seasons too late, we can award the Eli Face Award to, mine and yours favorite former clueless Jet coach, Todd Bowles. I've seen this before, the Tampa D is getting some respect for playing well against Scam Newton and the Panthers, and Danny Dimes is making his debut. Easy win for Tampa. NOPE! I bought my ticket for the Danwagon. CHOO CHOO MOTHERFUCKER!

Raiders +9 @ Vikings

Now that AB can terrorize the rest of the league on the Patriots, the Raiders have rallied around Coach Gruden. Kirk Cousins (328 yds 52% CMP 2 TD 2 INT) continues to prove he's not a franchise QB with a back breaking INT against the Packers Sunday. Meanwhile Derek Carr has spread the ball well between Tyrell Willams (151 yds 2 TD) and Darren Waller (13 rec 133 yds). I may even sprinkle a little ML love on Oakland. Knock on wood if you're with me.

Chiefs -6.5 v Ravens

There's really not much else you can say about Patty Mahomes that hasn't been said already. Lamar Jackson really taking that whole "Not much more than a RB" knock pretty hard, huh? The Ravens can be a very good team, but until the Chiefs stop covering, I'll keep picking them.

Texans +3 @ Chargers 

The only thing worse than being a Jet fan may be a Charger fan. They swap coaches, cities, but they still can't find a kicker that makes clutch kicks. The Texans looked slow against a solid Jags D after a sprint against the Saints on Monday Night Week 1. Nuk isn't held under 50 yards receiving like he did against Jalen Ramsey often, and I think they have a good bounce back this week.

Steelers +7 @ 49ers

Going with another road dog this week, not to be confused with the TravisDog (WoofaWoofaWoofa). San Fran has beaten the Bengals and Bucs to get to 2-0, and I feel like Vegas has them a little too high here. Big Ben's elbow injury hampered Pittsburgh the first two games, and Mason Rudolph looked competent replacing him in the second half. The Steelers have enough players on both sides of the ball (11) to keep this game within a TD.

Feel free to mock my picks and tell me how much I suck. I'll be back again next week.