What should AEW do in response to CM Punk’s return to WWE?

By Noah Trombley

This past Saturday, the wrestling world saw something we thought we wouldn’t see again: Cult of Personality hit, and CM Punk walked into a WWE arena for the first time in 10 years. After spending half the year in AEW and last wrestling at All In 2023, Punk has returned to the company where he wrestled from 2007 until his controversial exit in 2014. While the world can’t stop talking about what Punk will do in WWE, a big question for many is what AEW does in response to Punk’s return.

The short answer to that question is simple: AEW should do nothing in response. Don’t make Punk’s return make you think that you must do something drastic because of this. AEW started as a valid alternative to WWE, and they have genuinely stuck to that message and that motto to this day. AEW has prided itself on being the wrestling show for wrestling fans, while WWE is the sports entertainment show. AEW has some long-ranging stories from the devil that is haunting world champion MJF, the legendary Sting’s retirement tour, to the brand new continental classic that just started recently and looked to be their version of the famed G1 classic that New Japan Pro Wrestling runs every single year. 

AEW has not only so many huge names in the company like Adam Cole, Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, and Claudio Castagnoli but also so many homegrown talents that have gotten organically over with the fans and have put the future of the company in good hands names like The Acclaimed, Darby Allin, MJF, and Swerve Strickland. Tony Khan needs to keep the ship going in the direction they are in, and it will get back to the heights that AEW saw at the beginning of its run when it was selling out arenas for Dynamite, Rampage, and Collision. AEW is going through a bit colder period right now with TV attendance down across the board, but they just went over to London and completely sold out Wembley in the aforementioned All-In and put on one of the PPVs of the year. 

If AEW tries to do something too drastic because it believes it needs to bring back fans after the controversial firing of CM Punk back in September, then it could end up losing its way and hurting itself in the long run. Feel free to compete with something other than WWE. Continue to be what you’ve always been and be the pure wrestling show hundreds of thousands of people tune into every week to see and every few months for your PPV events.

With all this being said, there is one thing I would advise AEW to do in the next few months, but the same thing regardless of what happened with CM Punk. Tony Khan should push hard to get his PPVs to air on HBO Max, which Warner Bros also owns. That would get many more eyes on your PPVs that they put on, possibly monthly, and would be the move that could launch AEW into a whole new era. 

Lone Star State Showdown

By Mike Rifkin

Two NFC Playoff hopefuls play on Thursday night as the Cowboys host the Seahawks. The two teams both are coming off of games on Thanksgiving.

The Cowboys are coming off a 45-10 beatdown of the Commanders. Dak Prescott continued his splendid play by going 22-32 for 331 yards and four touchdowns. CeeDee Lamb had four catches for 53 yards and a touchdown for the third consecutive game. Making it five touchdowns in five games for Lamb. The Cowboys’ defense did their thing by sacking Sam Howell four times. DaRon Bland set an NFL record with his fifth interception returned for a touchdown. 

The Seahawks are coming off a 31-13 loss at the hands of the 49ers. Geno Smith, who had been bothered with an elbow injury, only threw for 180 yards and an interception. Smith was also sacked six times. Jaxson Smith-Njigba had two receptions for 41 yards, including an incredible one-handed catch. Smith-Njigba’s emergence has created quite the trio with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Lockett had 100 yards and three touchdowns the last time these two teams met. Running Back Kenneth Walker is doubtful for the second straight week with an oblique injury. Seattle’s defense has two outstanding young cornerbacks, Tariq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon.

Dallas has been rolling lately, and I expect that to continue on Thursday night. Seattle will keep it close, but a lot depends on Geno’s elbow. I like the Cowboys at home, 31-20.

In Need Of A Splash

By Mike Rifkin

MLB’s Winter Meetings start this weekend. Yes, free agency has begun, but history tells us that many significant deals go down at the Winter Meetings. Last year at the Meetings, Aaron Judge, Justin Verlander, Trea Turner, and Xander Bogaerts all signed massive contracts. This year, Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto (who has been posted), Blake Snell, Josh Hader, and Cody Bellinger are among the top names on the free-agent market. There has also been speculation on the trade front regarding Juan Soto, Dylan Cease, Corbin Burnes, etc.… Multiple teams will be aggressive at the meetings, but two teams need to make a splash, whether at the meetings or over the offseason.

The first is the San Francisco Giants, who did make a change at manager, firing Gabe Kapler and bringing in Bob Melvin. The Giants were in on all the primary free agents last year and whiffed. They did sign Arson Judge and Carlos Correa; the problem was Arson Judge was not real, and Correa failed his physical. The Giants ended up signing Outfielders Mitch Haniger and Michael Conforto and pitchers Sean Manea, Taylor Rogers, and Ross Stripling. Conforto had 15 home runs and 58 RBI with a slash line of .239/.334/.384 in 125 games. Mitch Haniger had six home runs and 28 RBIs with a slash line of .209/.266/.365 in 61 games. Haniger was limited to 61 games because of injuries. An Oblique strain during Spring Training caused him to miss the first month of the season; in June, he fractured his forearm after getting hit by a pitch, and that caused him to miss two months. Manea and Stripling both had an ERA of over four. (Stripling was over five) and the two combined 59 games and 21 starts. Rogers had a 3.83 ERA in 60 games. 

The Giants won 107 games in 2021 and lost to the rival Dodgers in the NLDS; in 2022, they finished 81-81; this past season, they were 79-83. In 2021, the Giants were second in all of MLB in Home Runs and ERA, respectively. This year, the Giants were eleventh in ERA and nineteenth in Home runs. You can make the case the Giants haven’t had a pure slugger since Barry Bonds; despite the three World Series titles under Bruce Bochy, those teams didn’t have a massive power source; it was by committee, and they were built on their pitching. The Giants can be dangerous if they can land a pitcher to pair with Logan Webb at the top of the rotation. Farhan Zaidi’s job could be in jeopardy if they whiff again this offseason. 

Other teams have to make a splash, like the Cubs or Yankees, but the team I will say has to do something big here is the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox finished in last place in the last two seasons. General Manager Chaim Bloom was fired but did what ownership wanted: to cut salary. His first move was trading Outfielder Mookie Betts to the Dodgers, which has been a disaster for the Red Sox. Not because of what they got back but because Mookie Betts is one of the faces of the game. And having Betts, Rafael Devers, who hit 33 Homers and drove in 100 RBI, and last year’s signing Masataka Yoshida, who hit .289 with 15 home runs, would give the Red Sox some real thunder. The lineup could use a right-handed power source with Devers, Yoshida, Triston Casas, a finalist for AL Rookie Of The Year, and all left-handed hitters. The Red Sox were 21st in ERA this past season, and because of Chris Sale’s injury history, maybe they target pitching. Red Sox ownership isn’t happy about finishing in last place back-to-back seasons, but if they spend money this offseason, that could change.

The Giants and Red Sox were successful in the 2010’s. But now they need to make some noise because teams in their respective divisions have passed them by. If they don’t make splashes this Winter, their fanbases will not be happy.

Stars Shine Bright

By Mike Rifkin

It’s the season to be thankful, and one of the things the Tampa Bay Lightning were thankful for on Friday was the return of goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. Vasilevskiy missed the first 20 games of the season with back surgery, and the Lightning were able to hold their own with a record of 9-6-5. Vasilevskiy returned on Friday night in a showdown in Carolina. 

The Lightning beat the Carolina Hurricanes 8-2 on Friday night. Brayden Point had a Hat Trick and five points, Nikita Kucherov had two goals and six points, Brandon Hagel had a goal and two assists, and Steven Stamkos had a goal and an assist. The Lightning scored four goals on the power play on five opportunities. Oh yeah, back to Vasilevskiy, he returned to the lineup and made 22 saves on 24 Hurricane shots. 

I said on the Breakaway Bandits podcast (https://open.spotify.com/show/4c0N0MThfHU0Wbt8uEvcPZ) that teams would have to put the Lightning away before Vasilevskiy’s return. That hasn’t happened; the Lightning sit in third place in the Atlantic Division. This is a Lightning team that was eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and it might be the best thing that happened to them because they got an entire offseason to recover after three consecutive deep runs in the playoffs. If the Lightning stays healthy, they have the stars to make another deep run in the playoffs, but on Friday night, the most important thing was they got the best goalie in hockey back, but their other stars stepped up. 

LEAF EXOTIC BASEBALL HALPERNS PULLING 1/1’S

By Mark Halpern

So, the 1/1 is a sports card podcast I usually record with my daughter Charlotte. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we couldn’t go live or record, and Charlotte wanted to break (not like I didn’t), so we decided to open our boxes, take pictures, and do our first blog.

Before we got into it, we had another addition to this break, and that was when my wife wanted to get in on the fun, so she opened some boxes, too. Now, my daughter has joined me in opening two cases, and she has a knack for getting 1/1’s in her boxes (only the second case), so we are off to a good, fun start.

So Leaf Exotic is a great way to get autographs and not just common and uncommon, with a few rare ones thrown in. No, you get three current, HOF, or rookie auto per box numbered ten or less, so you got a good chance per box to get someone who is known or very well known and reasonable price for three autographs.

Michelle Halperns Hits

Justin Crawford auto 6/6 Reggie Crawford (yes, his brother ) 3/3

Taj Bradley 6/6 Alexander Ramirez 4/4 Termarr Johnson 10/10 Alec Burleson 2/9

Chase Delauter 5/6 Ezequiel Tovar 1/2 Jace Jung 1/5 JR Ritchie Redemption 1/1 6 weeks

Cam Collier 4/4 Brandon Barriera 1/9 O’niel Cruz 9/9 Justin Campbell 4/5

Sammy Sosa 5/7

Dual Auto Drew Jones/Justin Campbell 1/1

Charlie Sheen (Wild Thing) Mythical auto redemption 1/1

Bobby Witt Jr 1/1

MARK “OLD OPS GUY” HITS

Dwight Gooden 2/6 Daniel Susac 1/2 Eury Perez 3/3

Curtis Mead 3/7 Christian Hernandez 2/4 James Traintos 6/7 Vaun Brown 4/8

O’Niel Cruz Mythical auto redemption 1/1 Spencer Jones 2/7

Mikey Romaro 4/4 Jordan Beck 1/6

Cade Horton 1/9 Maikel Garcia 4/7 Dustin Harris 1/4 Zach Neto 1/4

Jackson Chourio 2/5

Fransico Alvarez 5/7

Elly De La Cruz 7/7

Dual Jett Williams/Kevin Parada 1/1

Alexander Ramirez 1/1

Dual auto PEDRO MARTINEZ/MARIANO RIVERA 1/1

Saving the best for last Charlotte “Char Monkey” Halperns hits

Prelander Berrora 2/3 Kahial Watson 1/5

Joey Weimer 2/3 Drew Gilbert 2/2 Noah Schultz 2/7 Kumar Rocker 3/3

Sal Stewart 2/9 Gavin Stone 5/5 Landon Sims 5/5 Gabriel Arias 7/7

Brady House 1/2 Thomas Harrington 2/8 Royber Salinas 1/7 Zack Qin 5/8

Christian Encarnacion-Strand redemption 1/1

CORBIN CARROL 7/7 (NL ROY)

Jordan Walker 2/2

Gunnar Henderson (AL ROY) 1/8

Don Mattingly 1/2

Frank Thomas 1/1

Tony La Russa 1/1

This was a lot of fun. With redemptions and pulled cards, 11 1/1’s. I am not sure if there are hot cases out there, and that is possible as some products do have hot Cases, Boxes, and packs that give you have way more bang for your buck. In the following case, we will NATIONAL

TREASURES BASEBALL WHICH WE WILL BE LIVE FOR.

IF YOU WANT TO BUY THESE CARDS, THEY WILL BE WITH OUR CO-SIGNER TOP NOTCH SPORTS CLUB DURING CYBER MONDAY WEEK.

From all of us here at the Dugout of Millwood and The Sports Insanity network wishes you all a very Happy Thanksgiving, and we will see you all when we go LIVE for National Treasures; look at our Facebook search Sports Insanity Network and follow us on twitter @SInsanityReal. Also check out Top Notch Sports Club for Great Breaks, and if If you are looking to sell your cards, get in touch With the guys over at TopNotch, and they will help with all questions pertaining to something you are interested in Cosigning.

Thanksgiving In The Big Apple

By Mike Rifkin

The Miami Dolphins will play in the first-ever Black Friday NFL game this week as they take on their division rival, the New York Jets, for the first time this season at MetLife Stadium. The two teams split their two meetings last year, each winning at home. Due to concussions, Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa didn’t play in either game against the Jets last season. Skylar Thompson wound up playing in both meetings, including an 11-6 win in Week 18 to send the Dolphins to the playoffs.

The Dolphins are coming off a 20-13 win over the Raiders. The stars shined bright as Tua Tagovailoa threw for 325 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception; Tyreek Hill had another 146 yards and a touchdown. Jaelan Phillips had two sacks, and Jalen Ramsey had two interceptions.

The Jets are coming off a 32-6 beatdown at the hands of the Buffalo Bills. Very little has gone right for the Jets this year after Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles on the fourth play of the season. Zach Wilson has been benched in favor of Tim Boyle, who’ll make the start on Friday. The Jets’ offense did accomplish something in the loss to the Bills; they scored their first touchdown in over 40 drives and 13 quarters. 

The Dolphins can take advantage of this Jets offensive line being brutal this season. They’ve given up 40 sacks so far on the season, and now right tackle Mekhi Becton is dealing with an ankle injury. 

Keys to the game

  1. Protect Tua – The Jets’ defensive line is deep, and they can get to the quarterback. 
  2. Braxton Berrios and Cedric Wilson – DJ Reed and Sauce Gardener will be on Tyreek Hill and Jalen Waddle; if Berrios and Wilson can come up with some big catches, that could be huge.
  3. Christian Wilkins – The big man in the middle can set the tone. The Jets will want to run the ball with Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook; if Wilkins can reset the line of scrimmage and put the Jets in must-pass situations, Vic Fangio can send the house on Tim Boyle.

The Dolphins and Jets play for the first time this year on the first-ever Black Friday game. If the Dolphins can find a way to win, it might eliminate any thoughts the Jets have about bringing Aaron Rodgers back this season. 

TURKEY TIME TRADITION

By Mark Halpern

When it comes to Thanksgiving, we all have our traditions as a family, friends, or even by ourselves. You could be sitting in front of a fire reading, having a family gathering where you hunt your dinner, have a friendly family football game, or you can be like the Dallas Cowboys and get ready to play their annual game of thanks against an undefined rival, the Washington Commanders.

        Over the last few weeks, Dallas entered the easiest part of their schedule and have won the first two, beating the Giants two weeks ago and the Panthers this past Sunday. now, take on a team that can put up points so that the Defense will be on display this Sunday more than the offense. Dak and company will look for another consistent offensive game not only from himself but also from Tony Pollard (who seemed awakened), Cee Dee Lamb (who had his lowest yards of the season but a TD), Cooks, and Montgomery as the commander of Defense has not given the offense much in helping to win games. For the offense, look again for more explosiveness than last week in front of this home game (that is sold out) and pass the first run second. This will only work sometimes, but if anyone has noticed, the reverse has happened in the last two weeks, and Dallas has switched from a run first to a past first offense. We will see how that translates this week as Dallas is going for their 13th straight home win and to keep pace with the Eagles, who beat the 49ers (because of an ex-packer who doesn’t know how to catch)and have moved to 9-1 on the season.

     The Defense doesn’t have a cakewalk of a game, as the Commanders have weapons that can catch and run, but their Quarterback has been regarded as a reliable starter. The Secondary will have to keep the radar clear as McLaurin, Dotson, and Thomas are good receivers with the speed and agility to make big plays. The Line will have to stop Brian Robinson Jr, who might not look like much, but give him a lane, and he can turn on the jets and hurt you. Look for Parsons and Lawrence to constantly be in Sam Howells’s face, trying to throw the rookie off his game and force some bad passes that turn into turnovers, and who doesn’t like a good turnover? (apple, please)

    This game will be rough as there is no lost love for either team, considering their history throughout the years of NFL history. Look for the Cowboys to chow down on some good turkey after handing the Commanders a commanding loss of 38-20. 

On Thanksgiving, We’re Having Cheese

By Mark Halpern

On Thanksgiving, the Lions will Take on their division rival, the Green Bay Packers. The Lions, like the Cowboys, share an honor to play on Thanksgiving every year, and this year, the Lions are prepared to win.

      While most people are basting and making various sides for a holiday, those who are football fans will be tuned in to what should be a good game and a Lions win. The Packers come into this game at 4-6, and the Lions lead that division with a Roar that can be heard all around the league. We usually, at this time, are already counting the Lions out, but they’re on the prowl and looking to be at 12-2 by Christmas, and there’s a chance that they will be. Jared Goff is running this offense like it has been playing together for multiple years when the team has been pieced together every year since the Goff/Stafford trade. The offense is putting up better than 400 yards a game, and while you expect most of it to be from the air, Jamhyr Gibbs and David Montgomery have a lot to say as they have been one of the most leather running back duos in the NFC. The run game causes teams to try to adjust because Goff can see a weakness in defense almost as well as Brady did. Goff has shown that he can audible out and change to a quick pass to any of his receivers if he is on the same page and vice versa. It will be a tough day for the Packers defense that will have to contain this offense, and we will see all those holes exposed tomorrow.

    A Band-Aid is holding together the Green Bay Packers offense. Their running backs, Dillon and Jones, are both injured, the wide receivers are young and need more time to develop, and teams are noticing. In his first year, Jordan Love has shown some greatness but also some weakness. Give him a few years to get more experience and a better line to protect him, and we can revisit then. The Lion’s defense has to show up this weekend, as the last two have been nearly disastrous. This team averaged about four sacks a game and two or more turnovers. Over the last two weeks, they have only had two sacks and two turnovers. If the Lions’ defense keeps this up, it will put more pressure on the offense. If there was a game for the defense to go off and have a fantastic game, this is it.?Live in front of the whole country, and every analyst will be heard, so if you want to impress, do it here. Contain Jordan Love; you win this game flat out. The defense should be blitzing on every down to cause pressure on Love and be bold and bold and stack the box because they have no one to run the ball.

    I expect to see Goff, Gibbs, Hutchinson, and Reynolds on T.V. with their turkey leg after a blowout 42-3 of the Packers.

Playoff Implications

By Mike Rifkin

It’s Thanksgiving time, which means Turkey, family, and football. It’s a big week in College Football as this is the final week before Conference Championship games. There’s still much to be decided regarding the College Football Playoff, so let’s look at the crucial games this week. 

UNDEFEATED

Ohio State at Michigan: Michigan has won the last two meetings against their arch-rivals. However, this one will have a different twist as Jim Harbaugh will be serving the last of his three-game suspension. Michigan has rushed for over 200 yards against the Buckeyes in the last two meetings. These are two of the best defenses in the country who rank in the top three in points allowed and yards allowed. The key to the game is how Kyle McCord will handle the pressure from Michigan’s defense and the noise at the “Big House.” For Michigan, the question is, can they slow down Marvin Harrison Jr. In the game last season, Harrison had seven catches for 120 yards and a touchdown. Harrison has 1,093 yards and 13 touchdowns this season, and he has some people talking about Heisman. 

Georgia at Georgia Tech: Georgia Tech has not beaten the Bulldogs since 2016, and the Bulldogs are playing their best football of the season. Georgia is coming off a 38-10 beatdown of Tennessee, but with Georgia Tech being sandwiched between that and Alabama in the SEC title game, the Jackets may have a chance. Also, bad news for the Jackets is Brock Bowers is back for the Bulldogs, and he has three touchdowns the last two years against the Jackets.

Washington at Washington State: Over the last three games, running back Dillon Johnson has rushed for 449 yards and five touchdowns. Compliment that with the way Michael Penix has played, the Husky’s offense has been sensational. Receiver Rome Odunze had five catches for 157 yards and a touchdown vs the Cougars last season. Michael Penix threw for 485 yards and three touchdowns in the Apple Cup last year.

Florida ST. At Florida, Jordan Travis is out for the season after suffering a severe leg injury. Florida St. still has talent on both sides of the ball. Having reliable weapons in Keon Coleman, Johnny Wilson, and Trey Benson can help the absence of the quarterback. Graham Mertz will miss the game for the Gators. 

ONE LOSS TEAMS

Alabama at Auburn: The “Iron Bowl” has had some epic historical moments, like the “kick six.” I don’t know how seriously I can take Auburn after being blown out by New Mexico ST. at home. Alabama has played well since their early season struggles, led by Jalen Milroe, who has been doing it all for the Tide.

Oregon State at Oregon: Last year, the Beavers scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to beat the Ducks. Since the loss to Washington earlier this year, Bo Nix and company have been on a mission to avenge that game. Against Washington last week, Oregon St. turned the ball over three times; they can’t do that against the Ducks.

Texas at Texas Tech: Last year, the Red Raiders beat the Longhorns, but Quinn Ewers didn’t play in that game. With a spot in the Big 12 title game, Texas can emphasize what has been a good season.

With one week left until Conference title games, this weekend will be about eating leftovers and narrowing down the field for the College Football Playoff. 

ALMOST GOT TRAPPED

By Mark Halpern

As I said in the preview, this game was the perfect fit for a trap game, and through the first three quarters, it looked like that would happen. The Lions knew what was at stake, and it seemed like a completely different team on the field facing the less-than-grizzly Bears team. Even the return of quarterback Justin Fields didn’t make many analysts or even other coaches think they had a chance, but we all know any team can beat any team on any given Sunday.

        Goff was so un-Goff, throwing three interceptions on the day, and as I said, “As long as they are winning, I don’t care if he is aggressive and throws interceptions.” Goff didn’t have a day like previous weeks but did throw for 236 yards and two touchdowns. The Lions got on the board in the second quarter after a turnover. Jahmyr Gibbs capitalized and ran in a score from 2 yards out, and then at the end of the second quarter, Goff hit St. Brown for a TD, and the Lions were in a reasonable position up 14-10 even though a disastrous first half. The Defense put the offense in more trouble by letting up another ten unanswered points, and at the end of the third, the Lion’s offense put up a doughnut, making them down 20-14. However, after two field goals by Chicago, things seemed very bleak. Jared Goff is used to these situations, having played in plenty in Los Angeles for the Rams and the pressure he could handle; the question was, could the team come back from being down 26-14? Well, he led one of the best 4th quarter comebacks I have watched. Jameson Williams started things with a 32-yard reception for a TD, followed by a three-and-out by the Bears. Goff got the ball back with under 4 minutes and to the Lions on an 11-play 73-yard drive, which ended with a Montgomery 1-yard touchdown, and the Lions then completed the 2-pt conversion to Sam Laporta, were up 29-26. The Bears would get one more chance, and the Lions D showed up when they needed the most, forcing a Safety of all plays. The Lions completed the comeback and won 31-26. I could make this article filled with stats, but the Lions had 115 yards on the ground and 236 in the air. The whole offense, not just Goff, deserves the credit.

    This is the second consecutive week in which the Lions’ Defense has been subpar. The Lion’s Defense has been formidable this season, and these last two weeks have been a complete mirror of themselves. No sacks last week, and only two this week show a defense that might be losing some stamina, and with an entire half of the season left, this can’t happen. The Defense also didn’t have any interceptions but did force a fumble because the Defense has been so relaxed. Two wins were almost lost, and they were lucky that the Vikings didn’t complete the win against the Broncos Sunday Night, which would have made the division a different story. The Defense will get little rest this week as they will face the Packers on Thanksgiving for their traditional Thanksgiving day game this Thursday. They can force turnovers, and the offense can orchestrate long drives and give the Defense a break. 

   The Lions can afford a loss this week, even more so because it’s also a division game, and one more win can tighten their grip on the NFC North, while a loss could have them feeling not in the mood to enjoy a huge Thanksgiving meal.