VIP PODCAST 1/8 – The Fix Mailbag w/Todd & Wade (pt. 2 of 2): LA Knight, WWE Unreal, match scripting, Tony Khan as a heel character, Okada backlash, Mercedes, Lars, White Castle burgers (92 min.)

January 8, 2026

SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...

SHOW SUMMARY: In this week’s The Fix Mailbag with PWTorch VIP analyst Todd Martin and host PWTorch editor Wade Keller, they answer emails from VIP members on the following topics:

Will Kazuchika Okada face a backlash from AEW fans or colleagues this year?
Was the Mercedes Mone belt collector gimmick effective?
Is it fair to say AEW is “a heel territory” given that Tony Khan seems to like heel champions with babyface on the chase?
Sami Zayn
The state of the Janel Grant lawsuit (plus what is Todd’s day-to-day legal job)?
Athlete biographies and autobiographies
Lars Sullivan
Why does TKO seem to budget conscious except when it comes to flying in wrestlers for brief backstage vignettes?
2016
Do pro wrestling media outlets have legitimate insider knowledge or is speculation mnosty reported as news?
Could L.A. Knight be a surprise winner of the Royal Rumble?
Could C.M. Punk have worked out long-term in AEW if not for the Jack Perry incident?
Should Tony Khan have turned into a heel character during the Punk situation like Vince McMahon after the Montreal Screwjob?
Why did WWE play theme songs for Rey Mysterio, Dragon Lee, and Penta they entered through the crowd ostensibly unexpectedly?
Did New Japan waste some top talent in the opening gauntlet match?
Wolf
WWE Unreal season one
Scripting of matches in WWE
Is New Japan worth seeing in person outside of Japan?
What format of PLE’s is better between Vince McMahon and Paul Levesque?
Drew McIntyre’s stipulations for Three Stages of Hell
Upsides for new NXT call-ups and is it too late for Montez Ford?
Aaron Wolf
Bron Breakker’s bad landings
White Castle!
AEW’s risk taking style impact compared to WWF steroid era impact on wrestlers health long term?
Ava!
Mercedes losing titles rapidly
The Young Bucks one-week hiatus