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The Los Angeles Angels have parted with manager Ron Washington, The Athletic’s Sam Blum reports.

Interim manager Ray Montgomery is also out, according to the report.

Washington, 73, took a medical leave on June 27 and later revealed he had undergone quadruple bypass surgery on his heart. Montgomery took over as interim manager for the rest of the season.

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The Angels will go in a different direction in 2026. The status of general manager Perry Minasian moving forward isn’t clear, per the report.

The Angels made the moves after posting a 72-90 record.

They hired Washington in 2024 after parting with previous manager Phil Nevin. They finished 63-99 in Washington’s first year as manager and in last place in the AL West in both seasons with Washington leading the clubhouse.

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Washington was 10 years removed from his previous managing job with the Texas Rangers when the Angels hired him. He’d since worked as a coach with the Oakland A’s and Atlanta Braves and was on staff when the Braves won the 2021 World Series. He’d previously led the Rangers to consecutive World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011.

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The next Angels manager will be tasked with shifting the culture of a franchise that’s long languished in irrelevance. Despite a roster that’s featured Mike Trout for 15 seasons and Shohei Ohtani from 2018-23, the Angels haven’t made the postseason since 2014. Before that, their previous playoff appearance was in 2009.

The Angels have rarely been competitive during their playoff drought. They haven’t posted a winning record since 2015 and have finished in fourth or fifth place in the AL West in eight of the past 10 seasons.

Developing a winning culture, of course, will require a roster capable of winning. Whether that responsibility will lie with Minasian or someone else is unclear.

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November 1989: inside a Manchester warehouse, guitarist John Squire is busy pouring cans of paint over himself and the rest of his band, The Stone Roses. Suddenly, he stops. “We’ve been stitched up here,” he said.

Squire was right – and not just because the aforementioned warehouse had no shower. The Roses were Manchester United fans – as they looked around at each other and their surroundings, all they could see was a Jackson Pollock-inspired mess of sky blue and white paint covering them, Manchester City colours.

Later that month, the photograph in question was on the cover of music weekly the NME and became an iconic portrait of the band. It was also a victory for the man taking the pictures – legendary music photographer Kevin Cummins, a lifelong City fan. It wouldn’t be the last time he injected some City influences into his work.

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On this day in 1989 – 5 November – I photographed The Stone Roses in a Manchester photo studio, in predominantly sky blue and white paint, for the cover of NME #TheStoneRoses #StoneRoses #ManCity pic.twitter.com/U19DU0tJpsNovember 5, 2024

“The smell? Hot dogs and piss”

Oasis didn’t just burst onto the scene in 1994 – they kicked the hinges off the door, barged their way through and marched straight to the front of it.

During those early years, Oasis and Manchester United were the most famous things to emerge from the north west. For Manchester City, the fact that Liam and Noel Gallagher were fans helped to keep them relevant.

On the back of the success of their first two albums, Definitely Maybe and (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, Oasis were the world’s biggest band at their peak.

Just a week after their crowning homecoming gigs at Maine Road in April 1996, though, Manchester City were relegated from the Premier League. The slide didn’t stop there – two years later, they were in the third tier.

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Three decades on, City are one of the most successful teams in world football, and Oasis might just reclaim their crown as the biggest live band on the planet, with their 2025 comeback tour. Their 41 gigs across the globe include seven at Wembley.

They’ve performed at the Home of Football on five previous occasions – twice in 2000, and three times in 2009, on their final UK tour before splitting. Noel has since described the second night in 2000 as the low point in Oasis history – Liam took to the stage drunk and angry, ranting throughout, altering lyrics and missing out parts of songs.

Oasis first performed at Wembley Stadium in 2000 (Image credit: Getty Images)

It was still marginally less eventful than Noel’s first trip to Wembley 14 years earlier. He and elder brother Paul regularly followed Manchester City home and away in the 1980s – in March 1986, they headed to London to see their side face Chelsea in the inaugural Full Members’ Cup final, bizarrely played just 24 hours after City had drawn 2-2 at Manchester United in the league.

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The Full Members’ Cup was created to compensate for the ban on English clubs from European football, following the Heysel disaster. Back then, Chelsea fans had a reputation for hooliganism – on the way into the ground, there were numerous attacks on City fans.

By the time Noel and Paul made it inside, they were on the wrong side of the stadium in the Chelsea end – were it not for Noel’s quick thinking to drag his elder brother away from the trouble, he would have had his throat cut by someone who slashed at him with a knife. City lost 5-4 and wouldn’t return to Wembley again until May 1999, for their famous third-tier play-off final victory over Gillingham.

Noel Gallagher’s first trip to Wembley was for the 1986 Full Members Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester City – the London side won 5-4 (Image credit: Getty Images)

Even after the Premier League’s birth in 1992, and all of the glitz, glamour and razzmatazz that came with it, the violence that had infected the English game over the previous decades meant many musicians were reluctant to associate with football clubs. Back then, it was hard to find famous people who doubled as authentic football fans.

“My favourite teams are Arsenal, West Ham and Crystal Palace,” heavyweight boxer Lennox Lewis revealed, when interviewed on the pitch at Carrow Road ahead of a Sky Sports game between Norwich and Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest. His pre-match prediction? “I like Nottingham, because I like the manager, he’s kinda funny.” Hardly the phrase to endear you to match-going football fans.

Nevertheless, football and music were undoubtedly linked, and played an important role in many fans’ lives – especially in the north west with the late ’80s ‘Madchester’ scene. The Happy Mondays, James, The Stone Roses and Inspiral Carpets, who had a certain Noel Gallagher as a roadie, all became integral parts of fan culture at the time.

As for football, it certainly played a key part in Noel’s early life growing up in the Longsight area of Manchester. For him, there was only one club to support.

“Coming from the great north west, football was everything,” said Noel, speaking in photographer Cummins’ new book The Masterplan. “My old man watched both City and United – and sometimes, oddly, even Liverpool. He took me to my first game: Man City vs Newcastle at Maine Road in 1974.

Growing up Colin Bell was Noel Gallagher’s Manchester City hero (Image credit: Getty Images)

“Colin Bell was my absolute hero. He took his place with pride on my bedroom wall among the posters of Franny [Francis Lee], Buzzer [Mike Summerbee], Big Mal [Malcolm Allison] and, erm, The Bay City Rollers – all the greats. I loved the ritual of going down to Maine Road for a match.

“Walking to the ground from our house on Stockport Road in Longsight, being passed over the turnstiles by a complete stranger, then waiting for my old man to get through. I vividly recall the strong smells of hot dogs and piss. I still associate that pungent cocktail with football, even today.”

It could also be argued that Noel’s ability to write songs that touch people, thousands of whom sing them back at him night after night, was born on the Maine Road terraces – even if few have become City chants, with mixed results.

“City fans don’t sing many Oasis songs,” he said. “They’ve adapted a few, such as She’s Electric for Ederson – ‘He’s Brazilian, he only cost 30 million…’ And I remember a half-arsed Wonderwall adaptation back in ’95. I never really liked that one, but it’s a real honour when you see huge banners and flags with some Oasis reference on them. It’s the ultimate for me. To have the respect of the lads on the terraces, there’s no higher accolade.”

Liam: Mad fer it

When Alan McGee signed Oasis to Creation Records in 1993, the company asked fellow City fan Cummins to help develop an identity for the band. The photographer wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to get his beloved club some exposure at the same time. The Gallagher brothers weren’t shy about nailing their colours to the Manchester City mast, although the first planned photoshoot didn’t go to plan – thanks to a group of Chelsea fans. Yes, them again.

“I went to Amsterdam to do the first shoot with them in February 1994,” Cummins tells FFT. “It was supposed to be their first international gig and they were supporting The Verve. I’d flown over that morning and they were travelling overnight by boat.

“When I arrived, only Noel was there. I asked if the others were still out, and he said, ‘No, they’re all back home in England’. They’d had a fight with Chelsea fans on the ferry – not West Ham fans as has been erroneously reported – and had been locked up, then sent straight back when they arrived in the Netherlands. Noel had gone to bed early and missed it all.”

A week later, with the full band present in London, Cummins did his first Oasis photoshoot. Being a City fan was useful. “The record label thought that helped them to relax,” he explains.

“Some bands are quite abrasive when you first meet them, but Oasis were quite compliant, and we talked football. It was my idea to put Liam and Noel in Manchester City shirts.

“I wasn’t going to miss this opportunity to get City in the NME.”

Photographer Kevin Cummins shot both Liam and Noel Gallagher in Manchester City shirts (Image credit: Kevin Cummins)

The club’s shirt sponsor at the time couldn’t have been any more fitting for a band fronted by two siblings – Japanese electrical company Brother. “That was an absolute gift,” continues Cummins. “We made that the strength of the shot. It was perfect really.”

He took the band onto a back street behind Sly Street Studios, where he’d daubed ‘Blues’ and ‘5-1’ onto some corrugated metal, in reference to City’s famous derby win over Manchester United in September 1989.

“I did that graffiti with various City references, ready for them to walk into,” he says. “The City shirts were mine as well – you can’t rely on the band to bring anything you ask them to. It all started off very pleasantly – they were posing and doing the shots. Then as soon as a football was introduced, Liam kicked it up in the air, Noel kicked it back, they had a bit of a scuffle and we all stood back, waiting for that to finish, before carrying on doing more pictures.

“Occasionally a fight would break out, but only in the way that you’d fight with your brother – not a full-on Green Street style fight. They probably won’t like me saying this, but they were quite sensitive lads, really.”

Johnny Hopkins was Oasis’ publicist at Creation Records, and explains that linking the band to Manchester City was an easy decision. “It was all part of presenting them as they were, that was always the aim,” he tells FFT. “The links between football and music are vital – both are teenage obsessions.

“Guigsy [Oasis bassist Paul McGuigan] was also a City fan and had trials as a teenager with Oldham, Stockport and Crewe. He was a phenomenal footballer, so to make that link between the band and football was a deliberate decision.

“I love those photographs that Kevin took – the Brother sponsorship added a whole other layer to them. They show the humour, respect and love there was between the brothers at that point. It was real.”

The photoshoot took a backseat once the football came out and Liam and Noel started tackling each other for it (Image credit: Kevin Cummins)

The photographs were supposed to be Oasis’ first ever NME cover, but the magazine’s editor was unsure abouta band on the rise being associated with a football club on the decline.

“He was a Southampton fan, and he decided against using them on the front cover, saying he didn’t want the NME to be associated with losers,” laments Cummins. “He thought we made them look a bit yobbish – he wanted them to look like The Beatles.”

The pictures did eventually end up on NME’s cover in 2010, after the band had split up. Yet even in 1994, the images became known by Oasis fans around the world. Back then, many had never heard of Manchester City.

“The Premier League wasn’t global then, so Oasis would go to America or Japan and nobody really knew what the shirt was,” says Cummins. “I used to get messages from people saying, ‘Are they a brotherhood, what does it mean?’ I’d tell them it was a Japanese electrics company, and they didn’t understand that at all.

The pictures of Liam and Noel in the Manchester City shirt were due to be Oasis’ first cover on the NME – but the editor at the time did not want to be associated with losers (Image credit: Kevin Cummins)

“Even in Japan, it was very difficult to get Premier League shirts at that time. When Oasis first played there, though, the first four or five rows were all wearing Man City shirts, because they’d seen my pictures.”

In July 1994, Cummins photographed Oasis again in various locations around Manchester, including Piccadilly Gardens and the Arndale Centre, eventually ending up at Maine Road.

“We went there because I wanted some pictures of them in and around the stadium, to continue the link to the club,” he says. “The ground was being redeveloped at the time, so the gates were open. We just wandered in, sat in the North Stand and took pictures.

Legendary music photographer opted to shoot Oasis on Flitcroft Street in London – as a nod to Man City midfielder Garry Flitcroft (Image credit: Kevin Cummins)

“When we first got to the stadium, Liam wasn’t there – when he turned up, he’d bought a pair of City shorts, put them on and wanted to go on the pitch. It was two weeks from the start of the season and I knew what groundsmen could be like with pitches, so I stopped him, but I took a few pictures with him in the City shorts.”

The nods to the football club during photoshoots didn’t end there, either.“I was going to do a shot in an alleyway near the London Coliseum in St Martin’s Lane,” adds Cummins. “It’s a narrow alleyway and works really well for band shots and portraits.

“But because we were at the Oxford Street end of Soho, I knew Flitcroft Street was nearby, so I said to the band we’d do it there instead. It wasa nod to City midfielder Garry Flitcroft – Liam and Noel loved the idea.”

Noel: board member?

When Oasis’ debut album Definitely Maybe was released in August 1994, it rocketed straight to number one in the UK album chart. The album cover was shot in guitarist Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs’ house in Didsbury, South Manchester, with the five members of the band dotted around the room.

By the fireplace is a photograph of Rodney Marsh in a Manchester City kit. On the windowsill is a picture of Manchester United great George Best. They were last-minute additions to the sleeve, picked up from the houses of Oasis roadie Phil Smith and sound engineer Mark Coyle. “Phil was a City fan and Coyley was a Red,” explains Brian Cannon of Microdot, who were commissioned to design all of the early Oasis artwork. “But as Phil said, George Best transcended football rivalry, he was a genius, so that’s why he was there.”

There was another link to Best, too. “Guigsy’s dad and George Best were friends from Northern Ireland, so growing up, Guigsy was playing football with Best, which is pretty amazing,” says publicist Hopkins. “Bonehead and Tony McCarroll [Oasis’ then drummer] were also Man United fans, so it made sense for Best to be on the cover for a number of reasons.”

Noel Gallagher grew up on the terraces of Maine Road watching Manchester City and so it seemed like a logical place to have a photoshoot (Image credit: Kevin Cummins)

The links between the band and City grew stronger, though. Oasis were asked to record the official Manchester City song for the 1995 season, entitled It’s Tough Being A Blue When You Come From Where I Do, but disputes over which record label it was to be released on meant that it never saw the light of day. Noel kept the tune and repurposed it for one of the band’s most popular B-sides, Acquiesce.

Though an official City song never materialised, match-going fans were seen as a target audience when a cover version of Slade’s Cum On Feel the Noize was pressed on CDs with a football design for promotional purposes, and sent to clubs up and down the country to play over the PA system.

“Targeting football fans made total sense, because Oasis made perfect terrace anthems and so did Slade,” says Hopkins. “It was logical to send that song to football clubs and get them to play it before games.”

Cannon agrees. “We were briefed that that was how it would be used, so I came up with the idea of the football motif on the CD,” he remembers.

“The ball design was the classic black-and-white hexagonal design and it was from one of my favourite football photographs, of Johan Cruyff skinning an Argentinian at the 1974 World Cup. I’ve still got that picture on the wall in my office.”

Liam and Noel Gallagher in the stands at Maine Road (Image credit: Kevin Cummins)

Rumours that links between Oasis and football would extend beyond the musical began to do the rounds – when former player Francis Lee became City’s major shareholder and chairman, there were murmurs that they might become involved financially.

“I remember going to a meeting with City,” adds Cannon. “Microdot are a graphic design company and didn’t just do album sleeves, so I went to the meeting expecting to discuss doing some work with the club. About halfway into it, I got the distinct impression that rather than giving me some work, they wanted me to try to broker a deal to get the brothers involved. At the time, City were rubbish and strapped for cash, so the club would have loved it.”

Liam Gallagher on the streets outside Maine Road infront of a billboard with a Man City shirt (Image credit: Kevin Cummins)

After picking up three Brit Awards in 1996, Noel told the media he was about to go onto the board at Manchester City – while a nice idea in principle, it was never a realistic proposition.

“He would have made an interesting board member,” says Hopkins. “He’s a good leader, speaks his mind and understands the fans’ perspective. It would have been a really good thing to have got him onto the board, but the reality is he wouldn’t have had the time.”

Steve Lomas’ warm-up act

Nicky Summerbee, the son of Noel’s childhood City hero Mike, arrived from Swindon for £1.3m in 1994 and was tipped off about the band early on.

“A good friend of mine was a roadie for The Stone Roses,” the former winger tells FFT. “He told me about this new band he said were going to be massive, and I should come and see them. Me and my team-mate Paul Lake went to see them, downstairs at The Hacienda.

“In Manchester at that time, City were s**te but the music was top. It was a small room and you couldn’t really hear them properly, it was just loud guitars and a bit of shouting. After the gig we went to say hello to the band – they were starting out and we were playing for City, so they were more starstruck by us than the other way round. They’d been pictured wearing City kits, so we knew they were proper fans.

“My dad’s era at City had been the last time the club had had success, and that was when they grew up, so they watched Franny Lee, Colin Bell and my dad – we chatted about that. Shortly after that gig, they went off to tour Japan. Paul and I received a postcard from them that just read, ‘To Nicky and Paul, flying the Blue flag, all the best, Liam and Noel’.

Liam Gallagher and Nicky Summerbee at Maine Road after a Manchester City game in 1994 (Image credit: Kevin Cummins)

“Whenever I see Lakey now, we still talk about seeing them in that small room, what they went on to become, and what they did for Manchester and British music. I’ve got no idea where that postcard is though!”

The next time he would see the band, they were well on the path to global stardom – in April 1996 they played their first stadium gig at Maine Road. For the opening night on the Saturday, Summerbee was busy elsewhere, helping City win at Aston Villa in their penultimate game of the season, thanks to a Steve Lomas goal, to keep their hopes of avoiding relegation alive. On the Sunday, most of the City players went to watch Oasis.

“By the time the Maine Road gigs came around, all of the City players wanted to go and see them,” says Summerbee. “It was a tricky time because we were fighting relegation, but we got onto the pitch and all just pushed our way to the front.

“When Liam came out on stage, the whole crowd was transfixed – no one could take their eyes off him. He was wearing an Umbro training top like the ones we used to wear, and he just looked amazing. We were joining in with everyone bouncing up and down – the last thing we were thinking about was football.

Oasis played two nights at their beloved Maine Road in April 1996 (Image credit: Getty Images)

“We were having a good time – we thought we were going to stay up as we’d won the day beforehand. We thought everything was perfect.”

The Umbro top that Liam wore that night has since become so iconic that the sportswear company re-issued it this year, ahead of Oasis’ reunion tour. Some claimed he’d found it in City’s dressing room, wearing it because he thought it belonged to a player. Not quite.

“We definitely sent them that gear,” insists Simon Jobson, then Umbro’s UK marketing manager, with a chuckle. “If it had been a training top, it would have had a City badge on it, but who cares?It was a phenomenal piece of product placement – I was at the gig, pissing myself laughing when I saw he was wearing what we’d sent him.”

The following week, Manchester City played Liverpool on the same pitch that had housed 80,000 bouncing Oasis fans. A win would have been enough to avoid the drop, but they drew 2-2. “Can we blame Oasis for being relegated? No, no, no,” says Summerbee. “The pitch was beautiful and we just didn’t turn up that season. When that final whistle went, it was the worst feeling in the world.”

“Our limo got stuck”

On the same day as Oasis’ second Maine Road gig, three miles to thewest, Manchester United hammered Nottingham Forest 5-0 at Old Trafford. Stuart Pearce was Forest captain – he and several of the team made the short trip across the city after the game.

“Scot Gemmill was the first one to mention Oasis to me,” Pearce tells FFT. “He saw them play in Derby in a really small club called The Wherehouse in November 1993 – he came in the next day and said, ‘I’ve just seen a band last night, really good, great attitude, two brothers, no one had heard of them.’

“For the Maine Road gig, as the football and music gods would have it, Forest were at Man United that day, so we got a minibus across town and saw them. Man City looked after us brilliantly when we got there. We watched the gig, then went to The Hacienda – we got back to Nottingham at about 6am. It was a fantastic day, and the concert was amazing – seeing them on their home ground was very special.”

After Euro 96, Stuart Pearce and some of his Nottingham Forest teammates went to see Oasis at Knebworth – only for their Limo to get stuck in the mud (Image credit: Getty Images)

After starring for England at Euro 96 that summer, Pearce had returned to club duty when Oasis played two more famous gigs, at Knebworth Park in Hertfordshire. An astonishing 250,000 people witnessed them – including ‘Psycho’, with Forest making it back from a pre-season tour just in time.

“Scotty came to me and asked if I wanted to go to Knebworth to see them,” remembers Pearce. “He said,‘If you can get the tickets, I’ll get the transport’. I got in touch with Creation Records, sorted the tickets, then told Scotty to sort the travel.

“We flew back to Birmingham from a pre-season tour of Ireland – as we came out of the airport, half of the squad went left to get on the coach back to Nottingham, and the other half went the other way. There was a white stretch limo waiting for us, which was very out of character for what we were and what we stood for.

“Our manager, Frank Clark, had said to me, ‘Make sure you look after the players, as captain’. I told him not to worry and we’d have a sensible day. Then, as we drove past the coach, Mark Crossley was hanging out of the sun roof with two bottles of champagne in the air – Frank’s face was an absolute picture!

“It had been raining overnight, and as we pulled into Knebworth Park, the limo ran aground – we all had to get out and push this limo into the gig! It wasa great summer for football and music.”

The link between Oasis and Manchester City aided both parties (Image credit: Kevin Cummins)

Crediting Oasis with the re-linking of football to the zeitgeist is a little simplistic. New Order had a crossover number-one hit with World In Motion ahead of Italia 90, long before the Gallagher brothers were on the scene. By the middle of the decade, though, Oasis and British culture had become so entwined that everything they wore, said and did became famous – if they went to the football, everybody started going to football.

“Oasis were the most honest band since the Sex Pistols,” says Cannon. “They talked about football because they liked football, simple as that. It was real.”

Much to the delight of fans all around the world, Oasis reunited to go on tour in 2025 (Image credit: Getty Images)

Their relationship with Manchester City aided both parties. “City certainly benefited from Oasis during the ‘90s because they sold lots of football kits globally, and Oasis helped to make City more of a global brand,” says Hopkins. “That link between Oasis and football was made very early on. It was an important part of who they were.”

Back in 1994, positioning Oasis as football fans – and a band for football fans – was all part of the masterplan. It paid off. This year, when they stride out for their first gigs in 16 years, don’t be surprised to see a sizeable amount of retro Manchester City shirts in the crowd. Sky Blue will be everywhere. Definitely, not maybe.

For details on Johnny Hopkins’ new 90s music podcast ‘Breakfast at Marios’ follow the Instagram accountbreakfast_at_marios_a_podcast_

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Miami quarterback Carson Beck says it was “never” his plan to spend his final year of collegiate eligibility with another program after spending five seasons with Georgia.

Beck transferred to Miami in January, less than three weeks after suffering a season-ending elbow injury while playing for Georgia in the 2024 SEC title game.

“The ending was tough because it obviously wasn’t part of my plan,” Beck told Darien Rencher about his Georgia career Friday’s episode of I AM ATHLETE. “I never wanted it to end that way, right? I didn’t want to go down in the SEC championship game, get injured, and ultimately end up making the decision to go elsewhere. It was never a part of the plan.

“Ultimately, sometimes, it’s God’s plan, it’s not your plan. So just going with that, and trusting in Him that ultimately this is where I was supposed to be.”

Beck’s final game with Georgia ended when he suffered a right elbow injury in the first half of the SEC championship game last December.

Backup quarterback Gunner Stockton came in to lead Georgia to the win, although the Bulldogs’ College Football Playoff ended with a Sugar Bowl loss to Notre Dame.

One week after Georgia’s elimination from the playoff, Beck entered the transfer portal. He committed to Miami the following day.

CBS Sports’ John Talty and Chris Hummer reported after the transfer that Beck was expected to receive a $4 million NIL package for the 2025 season.

Beck, who underwent elbow surgery in December, completed his rehab in time to join Miami for the start of the 2025 season.

“I think the hardest part for me wasn’t that I was just transferring,” Beck told Rencher. “I was transferring after suffering a major injury. So being in the process of rehabbing, not being able to throw… it was very difficult. And then not only that, but everything else that kind of was going on in my life at the time, and having to move schools, move places, deal with the injury, deal with what just happened the season before.

“It was a lot. It was very mentally taxing.”

Beck is so far off to a strong start to his final college season, helping Miami improve to 3-0 and claim its first win over a ranked opponent by defeating host Tennessee last Saturday.

He will look to help No. 2 Miami improve to 4-0 with another road win against No. 8 Florida State this Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.

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In the 1980s, WWE became the dominant force on the pro wrestling landscape when a national expansion saw the company breakdown territorial boundaries by touring across the country and around the world, besides leveraging syndication, cable, and pay-per-view TV models to broadcast into the homes of fans all over.

The back half of the 1990s were largely defined by the Monday Night War when WWE found itself in its first and arguably only real dog fight as WCW surged and, in the short-term, actually got bigger than WWE by a number of metrics. By 2000, WWE had taken a decisive advantage and 2001 saw the company achieve its most decisive victory of all: buying the competition.

While roughly two decades to follow saw new talents emerge, new changes to the business model, and new considerations, the truth remained that WWE was on top of the wrestling world and, within the sphere of pro wrestling, there wasnâ€t really any competition for them.

Between the rise of AEW, Vince McMahonâ€s fall from grace, and TKO acquiring WWE, recent years have seen the next evolution of WWE as a business and how itâ€s approaching the larger wrestling landscape. One consistent thread has been progress toward world domination. WWE is not settling for being the top wrestling promotion in the world, but rather seems intent on owning the business from top to bottom. This multi-part series will consider the new opportunities, growing pains, and nuanced factors that fans are watching play out before their eyes.

The ID Program Was Established In 2024

In October 2024, WWE rolled out its ID program, which saw it flag a select number of indie promotions and schools for resources and direct pathways to eventual careers with WWE.

The development of this program is too recent to have amounted to much just yet, but, for better or worse, it clearly positioned WWE as more formally associated with the larger world of professional wrestling. Indeed, while casual or non-fans might altogether equate WWE with pro wrestling, the ID program took a step toward that connection proving literally true, as even some objectively small, local wrestling outfits became affiliated with the largest entity in the business.

The ID Program Looks Like A Win-Win-Win

Image credit: WWE

On paper, the ID Program stood to benefit everyone involved. For many talents, WWE is the ultimate goal. So, constructing a better-defined path to lead from a training program or small-scale promotion benefits talents with a better chance to be seen by WWE.

The program also benefits the affiliated indies themselves. A WWE ID designation is a mark of credibility to distinguish a little-known company. On top of that, a WWE partnership can help local companies attract the best talents available—ones who may not be ready for WWE just yet, but who really do have the potential to grow into that kind of spot.

Finally, the ID program benefits WWE. During the national expansion, the company infamously raided top talents from a range of promotions, with names ranging from Hulk Hogan to Roddy Piper to Junkyard Dog to The Texas Tornado less homegrown than poached after proving their top star potential in regional territories.

The nature of the business in 2025 means that itâ€s hard for a truly breakout star to emerge in the US outside WWE, AEW, and maybe TNA. Just the same, having a finger on the pulse of top training programs and indies gives WWE a chance to snap up the cream of the crop for their own developmental system, if not the proper main roster, before they think of going abroad or signing with AEW.

The Raja Jackson Issue Sheds Light On Major Issues

Beyond the opportunities outlined above, WWEâ€s ID Program looks as though it would offer a nice balance of indies maintaining their autonomy while still having some access to WWE resources. On the flip side, WWE wouldnâ€t necessarily have to expand to manage another promotion, but rather enjoy the benefits of an independent feeder system.

The incident of Raja Jackson brutally injuring Syko Stu at a Knokx Pro event on August 23 complicated things for the WWE ID Program. Knokx Pro had a WWE ID designation, with WWE legend Rikishi at the indieâ€s helm. The apparent miscommunication between Jackson and Stu—Stu seemingly thinking he was working an angle with Jackson only for Jackson to give him a disproportionate receipt in the ring—led to an ugly scene. The aftermath and fuller explanations for what happened are still unraveling.

Before the incident could reflect poorly on WWE, WWE seemed to quietly sever the relationship, removing KnokX Pro from at least their public records. On one hand, this happening demonstrated a real vulnerability for WWE—to have its name associated with a small promotion that may well play host to objectionable activity, whether itâ€s real violence like this incident entailed, an offensive angle, or other issues.

On the other hand, itâ€s also arguably not a great look for WWE that they cut ties the moment things got rough—distancing themselves from a PR problem while also seeming to demonstrate they wouldnâ€t stand by or support a promotion that found itself in real trouble.

Assuming the WWE ID Program carries forward into the future, thereâ€s little doubt it will continue to evolve perhaps with a wider reach or perhaps reining in oversight of indies they associate with. Regardless, the first year of the program has highlighted both opportunities and pitfalls as just one aspect of WWEâ€s march toward further domination of the wrestling world.

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Vivien Killilea/Getty Images

After climbing Mount Everest earlier this year, AEW star Darby Allin continues to broaden his horizons in new ways. The wrestler is set to take part in an exhibition alongside Raymond Pettibon, the award-winning artist who designed the Black Flag logo among many other projects, and AEW Special Projects Manager Charlie Ramone.

The exhibition, which is titled HARDWAY, will run from September 26 through October 11 at the 52 Walker art gallery in New York City. Featuring works of art from Pettibon inspired by his love of pro wrestling, Allin’s participation will consist of him wrestling live at the venue on October 3 and 10. There will be additional matches as well as live music on both of those nights, curated by Allin, and the exhibition will include drawings and wrestling props created by Ramone.

It hasn’t been announced who Allin will wrestle at either of the exhibition dates, or what other wrestlers might take part. However, it was indicated that they’ll be “up-and-coming figures” from the industry.

According to the press release, HARDWAY will explore the intersection of performative and genuine violence, and it will “scrutinize and satirize American myths of masculinity, power, and spectacle.” Pettibon’s work is described as bringing wrestling’s homoerotic subtext to the surface, while Ramone’s drawings are in tribute to the industry’s connection with the punk rock and metal subcultures.

It was also noted that Allin is currently working to construct a skate park in McDonough, Georgia, where he grew up. In the short-term, though, Allin first has to wrestle on next week’s “AEW Dynamite,” where he’ll team with Kris Statlander against Wheeler Yuta and Marina Shafir of the Death Riders. Then, Allin will face Jon Moxley in an I Quit match at AEW WrestleDream on October 18.

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Bronson Reed

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

The following report originally published 5 years ago this week here at PWTorch.com…

NXT ON USA
SEPTEMBER 23, 2020, 8PM EST
LIVE IN ORLANDO, FLA., AT FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY
AIRED ON USA NETWORK
REPORT BY KELLY WELLS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Commentary: Tom Phillips, Beth Phoenix

[HOUR ONE]

-In memory of Jon “Road Warrior Animal†Laurinaitis – 1960-2020

-Wade Barrett is “off tonight.†No mention of Vic Joseph.

-A large number of women had entered the ring already for the battle royal to determine Io Shiraiâ€s number one contender. Candice LeRae got full entrance. The poison pixie wore fairy wings on her black jacket. Just moments ago, backstage, she attacked Tegan Nox with a lead pipe, taking her from the battle royal. Nox sold the agony of the injury. Rhea Ripley also got full intro. Raquel Gonzalez stared at her

(1) BATTLE ROYAL – Determines Io Shiraiâ€s challenger for the NXT Womenâ€s Championship

Lots of new faces in this one, so hopefully they name them upon elimination. Rhea Ripley eliminated Gia. Raquel eliminated Raven. Rhea eliminated Ellie. Iâ€m guessing a lot of these PC girls just have one name as they continue to build characters backstage. Rhea eliminated Marina Shafir. Raquel eliminated Avery. Raquel eliminated someone that the announcers didnâ€t name. Raquel eliminated another, also unnamed. Tom called it “Glamazonian strength†and Beth agreed it tames one to know one. Rhea eliminated Emily, giving four each for Rhea and Raquel.

Raquel eliminated Catalina. Aliyah eliminated Kacy Catanzaro, but her feet didnâ€t touch and she snuck back in. She was entirely on the floor other than her feet, so it wasnâ€t one of the cleaner spots of its type. The match went to split-screen. During the break, Rhea eliminated Aliyah when Robert Stone couldnâ€t save her from the fall. Kayden Carter eliminated Xia Li during the break as well; that seems like an odd way to treat someone who just turned heel. Raquel and Dakota Kai double-teamed but couldnâ€t eliminate Shotzi Blackheart.

Back to full-screen, Kacy had been thrown to a barricade, but used it and the Plexiglass to get to the steps. Indi Hartwell kicked her from the steps, but she caught herself on the barricade as well. Kayden Carter reached to try to help her, but Raquel eliminated Kayden. Kayden helped Kacy back into the ring. Rhea and Raquel were at it in the center of the ring, and they ended up eliminating each other. The two had to be pulled apart by officials.

Five remained: Blackheart, LeRae, Hartwell, Kai and Catanzaro. Catanzaro eliminated Hartwell with a headscissors. Kai and LeRae double-teamed Kacy, and Kai hit a face wash to eliminate her. Kai and LeRae double-teamed Blackheart, but Shotzi eliminated Kai after a missed face wash.

Final two were Shotzi and Candice. Shotzi hit a reverse sling blade and put Candice on the apron, but Candice saved herself. Step-up enzuigiri by Shotzi. Candice hit a neckbreaker on Shotzi and put her on the apron. High kick by Shotzi, who entered and went up the turnbuckle. Candice recovered and joined her. Both got dumped to the apron and Shotzi dropped Candice to the bottom step, but Candice launched Shotzi to the floor to win. Always a bridesmaid, Shotzi. Johnny Gargano celebrated in the ring with Candice.

WINNER: Candice LeRae at 15:10.

(Wellsâ€s Analysis: This seemed wide open, as Io Shirai has no particular feud going. I figured Candice and Tegan would go at TakeOver so this was a minor surprise. Given Candiceâ€s heel work, though, I love her going over here.)

-Damian Priest was interviewed by Sarah Schreiber. He said he was ready for his TakeOver match with Johnny Gargano (announced earlier today on WWE.com). Tonight he faces Austin Theory. He said Theoryâ€s talent is beyond his current win-loss record, but the slide will continue tonight. Priest told Sarah sheâ€s really good at this, and said heâ€d see her at the after-party tonight.

-Fandango, in a Sherlock Holmes outfit, stood in front of a white board with eight misspelled names on them. He pitched an idea to William Regal: men from four teams face off, and the mismatched guys who win the match will then face each other for a tag team title match at TakeOver. Regal warned Fandango against using a silly English accent.

(2) JAKE ATLAS vs. TOMMASO CIAMPA

Atlas, who was introduced second, stood on the buckle and Ciampa stared him down. Ciampa backed Atlas to a corner. Atlas switched and threw fists. Ciampa hit a big forearm and went for Willowâ€s Bell. Atlas jumped off the apron to fight it off and yanked Ciampa to the floor. Back inside, Ciampa hit a big lariat. Ciampa stomped on Atlas and said he was the champ and the main event. Rope run, and Atlas hit an inverted atomic drop and a dropkick. Ground and pound by Atlas. Pump kick by Atlas in the corner. Beth joked that she saw a tooth go flying after the good-looking kick.

Ciampa bailed but Atlas jumped his sweep attempt and hit a moonsault to the outside. Atlas rolled Ciampa inside and hit a top-rope blockbuster. Ciampa blocked a move and hit Willowâ€s Bell. He covered for one, then got up. He jawed down at Atlas, then slapped his head. He hit Fairytale Ending to finish.

WINNER: Tommaso Ciampa at 4:48.

(Wellsâ€s Analysis: Given Ciampaâ€s stature in NXT, even getting a match with Ciampa built on an issue feels like a win, and Atlas got probably two more minutes than I figured he would. Ciampa still feels as if heâ€s of great importance, but he has nothing for TakeOver yet)

-Ridge Holland vignette. During his rugby career, he nurtured an ability to hurt people, and now heâ€ll do it in an NXT ring. The NXT Universe is going to learn what Ridge Holland is all about.

-Up next, Roderick Strong and Danny Burch face Fabian Aichner and Raul Mendoza.

-The world premier of Corey Taylorâ€s single “Culture Head†played as the five men from tonightâ€s gauntlet match (Cameron Grimes, Kushida, Timothy Thatcher, Kyle Oâ€Reilly and Bronson Reed) promoted themselves. The song was…as youâ€d think. Despite that, it was a good promotional piece for the main event.

(3) RODERICK STRONG & DANNY BURCH vs. FABIAN AICHNER & RAUL MENDOZA

Strong and Burch werenâ€t thrilled about teaming; they entered to the Undisputed Era theme. The other two didnâ€t get an entrance and were already in the ring when Strong and Burch got there.

Strong and Aichner to start. Aichner backed Strong to a corner. Irish whip, reverse, Aichner caught and slammed Strong. Mendoza tagged in. PK and a springboard moonsault by Mendoza got two. To Burchâ€s corner, and Burch tagged himself in. Burch hit a headlock. Rope run and Burch slammed Mendoza for two. Irish whip by Mendoza, who missed a charge. Burch went up, Aichner distracted him, and Mendoza yanked him to the mat as the match went to commercial.

Aichner was dominating Burch. Head to the turnbuckle. Mendoza tagged himself in by slapping Aichnerâ€s chest. Mendoza choked Burch on the rope with his leg. Mendoza went for a cover and got two. Mendoza worked a headlock and jawed out at Roderick Strong. Burch hit a sunset flip but didnâ€t see Mendoza tag Aichner. Burch made it to the corner but Strong had been knocked down. Strong made an unseen tag and started dominating. Olympic Slam got two, broken by Mendoza. From the apron, Mendoza hit Strong with a knee and Aichner backdropped Strong for two. Mendoza tagged in and hit a dropkick. Irish whip and Mendoza fought off both Strong and Burch. Strong hit a knee strike on a draping Mendoza and Burch hit a bulldog and covered for the win.

WINNERS: Roderick Strong & Danny Burch at 10:01.

(Wellsâ€s Analysis: I would have thought Legado del Fantasma would be the next challengers, but apparently not. Burch and Lorcan face Undisputed Era next week, I assume)

-Sarah Schreiber caught up with Austin Theory. Johnny Gargano got into the frame and gave some pointers, and said if he softened up Damian Priest before the TakeOver match, he wouldnâ€t forget it. Gargano left. Schreiber wished Theory luck. “Luck?†He scoffed.

ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…

Check out the latest episode of “PWT Talks NXT” with Kelly Wells and Nate Lindberg, part of the PWTorch Dailycast line-up: CLICK HERE to stream (or search “pwtorch†on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)

(4) DAMIAN PRIEST vs. AUSTIN THEORY

Non-title. Beth said Theory wanted to eventually be the flagbearer for NXT. Theory sarcastically cheered Priestâ€s entrance. A main roster ref handled this one, perhaps due to the COVID outbreak.

Theory charged in and Priest wrenched his left arm. Theory rolled through and reversed. Arm drag by Priest, who grinned at Theory. Waistlock by Theory, reversed, headlock by Priest. Rope run and a back elbow by Theory. Rope run and a charging elbow by Priest. Priest walked the rope old school and hit a cross-body. Theory used a drop toe-hold to put Priest down in a corner, then hit a belly to back suplex. Cover for one. Theory said “I knew that. I knew that.â€

Shot exchange. Lariat by Theory. Standing moonsault got one. Theory threw lefts and put up Priest in a firemanâ€s carry. Bell clap by Priest. Ripcord flatliner by Priest. Priest went for a springboard move but Theory recovered and dumped Priest going into commercial.

Priest missed a pump kick and Theory hit a dropkick for two. He told the ref heâ€d never seen anything that good. Chinlock by Theory, who riled up Priest as he continued to jaw at him. Big combo of kicks and a forearm and lariat by Priest. Arrow and a big elbow. Falcon arrow got two for Priest. Priest missed a discus kick and then a splash in the corner. Theory hit a blue thunder bomb for two. Action went outside. Priest wanted South of Heaven, blocked. Cyclone kick by Priest. Razorâ€s Edge on the apron. Priest rolled in and fired up the simulated crowd (I donâ€t think thereâ€s an actual crowd, due to the COVID thing). The Reckoning finished.

WINNER: Damian Priest at 11:04.

During the low-light post-match celebration, Johnny Gargano struck. Phillips called out Johnny TakeOver but the camera didnâ€t linger.

(Wellsâ€s Analysis: I think Theory has lost three in a row, but he continues to get more and more minutes as he hangs with some of the mid-to-uppercard guys. The post-match attack by Gargano is fine but does little to offset the fact that this match was made with no fanfare, was the result of nothing specific and still has no issue)

-In a hype segment, Isaiah “Swerve†Scott reminded Santos Escobar that he had pinned him twice. He said he was the better competitor and heâ€s -this- close to beating him. He wants to do it again – no Legado del Fantasma, no manipulated lucha masks.

(5) ANTONIO DE LUCA vs. RIDGE HOLLAND

The slim De Luca charged and hit a few shots, but Holland shoved him away. Launch/pounce by Holland. Huge release belly-to-belly. Wow. Another. The simulated crowd booed Holland; seriously, where are all the babyfaces? Big headbutt in the corner. A series of headbutts on the sitting De Luca. Northern Grit, a sort of blockbuster powerslam, finished.

WINNER: Ridge Holland at 1:32.

(Wellsâ€s Analysis: Iâ€ve seen a lot of this from Ridge on NXT: UK, but this was a great enhancement match for him for a new audience.)

-The Garganos busted in on an Io Shirai interview. Damian Priest showed up and there was a lot of yelling. Up next, itâ€s the Gauntlet Eliminator, and the first two entrants will be Kushida and Kyle Oâ€Reilly. The rules are that two begin and one more is added every four minutes, and eliminations happen via pinfall or submission.

-Connorâ€s Cure spot.

-Announced for next week thanks to tonightâ€s battle royal, Shotzi Blackheart faces Dakota Kai.

(6) KUSHIDA vs. KYLE Oâ€REILLY vs. TIMOTHY THATCHER vs. BRONSON REED vs. CAMERON GRIMES – Gauntlet Eliminator to determine Finn Balorâ€s challenger for TakeOver

#1 Kyle Oâ€Reilly, #2 Kushida

Kyle worked a brief headlock, then the two exchanged a number of grapples on the mat. Reset after about 45 second of that. Kushida grabbed a leg but Kyle worked a wristlock. Reversal. The two traded leg holds and broke at the rope at 1:30. Kyle worked a headlock. Rope run and a block by Kyle. Pump kick. Armdrag/dropkick by Kushida. Kushida wrapped up Kyleâ€s arms in his legs and wrenched them back. Kyle threw some kicks at a grounded Kushida but Kushida kicked upward and hit his feet. Kick exchange and a timer showed up in the bottom right corner. Shot exchange to the bell.

#3 Bronson Reed

Reed threw a forearm to Kushida, then launched him onto Oâ€Reilly. Splash in the corner on both guys. Double back elbow by Reed. Enzuigiri on Reed by Kushida as Tom weirdly said the ring was “crowded†on a night with a battle royal. Kyle worked a heel hook on Reed and Kushida hit Kyle with a hoverboard lock. Reed splashed Kushida, oddly breaking up the elimination attempt. Huh? Reed blocked Kushida in the corner. Kyle threw some sots to Reed but Reed knocked him down. Reed went up top but both other guys slowed him down with shots. All threw went up the turnbuckle but Reed headbutted Kushida down. Kushida knocked Kyle from the ring. The ref checked on Kyle, and Velveteen Dream charged in and hit Dream Valley Driver on Kushida. Reed, who didnâ€t see it, hit the Tsunami to eliminate Kushida at 7:47.

#4 Timothy Thatcher

Thatcher tried to hit the ring but was knocked down by Reed upon entrance. The show went to commercial, still with 20 minutes to the hour, so this one will go a while after Grimes enters unless thereâ€s a post-match angle.

Time was running out upon return as all three guys went at it with waistlock switches in the middle of the ring.

#5 Cameron Grimes

Grimes entered with a top-rope cross-body on Reed. Dropkick by Grimes for Thatcher. PK for Oâ€Reilly. Thatcher went for the Fujiwara armbar and Grimes slipped out. All four guys hit rapid-fire impact shots. Grimes hit a slam on Thatcher and Reed hit Grimes with a big lariat, leaving all four guys selling on the mat.

Oâ€Reilly and Thatcher exchanged shots on the apron. Reed charged in and Thatcher hit a headlock on him, and Grimes hit a superkick on Thatcher. Reed used the ropes to launch Grimes on top of the other two guys outside. Reed joined the other three on the NXT logo at the foot of the ramp. Thatcher took control and put Reed in the ring. Death valley driver got two for Reed. Oâ€Reilly joined Reed for some action and Reed hit a powerbomb and held on for two. Oâ€Reilly slipped out and Grimes entered to try Reed next. Grimes hit a forearm and a big kick for two. Reed bealed Grimes and Grimes bailed. The heels fought outside and Reed hit a tope on all three as the match went to split-screen. Through much of that segment, Thatcher and Oâ€Reilly paired off, as did Reed and Grimes.

Upon return to full-screen, Grimes and Thatcher double-teamed Reed as Oâ€Reilly was outside. Reed fought back but Oâ€Reilly jumped in, then Reed took him down with a powerslam that Phillips called out as a tribute to Road Warrior Animal. Reed slammed Grimes on top of Thatcher and covered Thatcher for two. Reed went to the top, but Grimes held his leg. Thatcher went up with Reed and Reed fell down, and Oâ€Reilly pinned Reed at 21:35 after a knee strike.

Thatcher struck in, but Oâ€Reilly hit an ankle lock. The two exchanged grapples and shots. Grimes charged in and hit a release German on Oâ€Reilly. Grimes fought off Thatcher briefly but Thatcher hit a reverse belly-to-belly on Grimes. Phillips announced that next week, Damian Priest and Io Shirai would face the Garganos in a mixed tag.

All three exchanged shots in the center of the ring. Thatcher caught Oâ€Reilly with a sleeper. Grimes charged in but Oâ€Reilly caught him. In the chaos, Grimes got dumped and Oâ€Reilly hit his awesome kicks on Thatcher and grounded him. Rope run and Thatcher hit some European uppercuts. More kicks by Oâ€Reilly. Sick palm strike by Thatcher. Backslide by Oâ€Reilly got two. Rollup by Oâ€Reilly finished Thatcher at 25:14. Cave In by Grimes got two, and Oâ€Reilly got his foot on the ropes. Grimes thought he had it and protested when the ref told him Oâ€Reillyâ€s foot was on the rope.

Grimes kicked down Oâ€Reilly a couple of times and said “Youâ€re nothing like Adam – he was the man of the group.†Was? Grimes did his twisting cross-body for a long two. The two exchanged shots on their feet, both in slow motion, selling the effects of the match. Grimes hit a big kick and missed a Cave in. Oâ€Reilly caught Grimes with a submission and Grimes immediately tapped.

WINNER: Kyle Oâ€Reilly at 27:48.

Tom said “here are the rest of the Undisputed Era boys†as Adam Cole and Roderick Strong, but not Bobby Fish, hit the ring to celebrate. Finn Balor made finger guns from the ramp as the show ended.

(Wellsâ€s Analysis: With no obvious challenger to Balor, that was wide open. It amuses me that a brand chock full of heels ended up with a face vs. face championship match for TakeOver, given that Kyle has largely been on the babyface side of things with Adam Cole as part of the ongoing rift that may be developing in UE. I have no idea how the championship match will be handled, or if itâ€ll be the main event when it could easily be the proven matchup of LeRae vs. Shirai that gets the honor, but I canâ€t wait to see Oâ€Reilly in a big singles spot. This match moved Kushidaâ€s story forward and then produced some pretty strong action, especially in the last five minutes)

FINAL THOUGHTS: Apparently, there were significant changes to creative as a result of the COVID outbreak. Interestingly, to me, some of the missing faces are known anti-maskers, and I wonder if thatâ€s where this new outbreak started. It was different – although I canâ€t say it was worse – not to have the PC crowd behind the glass; the lights were down behind the glass areas so as not to call attention to the lack of people. The show itself was okay, though it still feels a little haphazard to have three championship matches for TakeOver move forward on the same show, just 11 days from TakeOver, in these multi-person matches and a wacky tag mismatch. Nothing was bad, but we didnâ€t have that one standout singles match that we usually get on the show. I suppose itâ€s a necessary evil with just one week of TV left before TakeOver.

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Sep 23, 2025, 01:58 PM ET

NEW YORK — Robot umpires are getting called up to the big leagues next season.

Major League Baseball’s 11-man competition committee on Tuesday approved use of the Automated Ball/Strike System in the major leagues in 2026.

Human plate umpires will still call balls and strikes, but teams can challenge two calls per game and get additional appeals in extra innings. Challenges must be made by a pitcher, catcher or batter — signaled by tapping their helmet or cap — and a team retains its challenge if successful. Reviews will be shown as digital graphics on outfield videoboards.

Adding the robot umps is likely to cut down on ejections. MLB said 61.5% of ejections among players, managers and coaches last year were related to balls and strikes, as were 60.3% this season through Sunday. The figures include ejections for derogatory comments, throwing equipment while protesting calls and inappropriate conduct.

Big league umpires call roughly 94% of pitches correctly, according to UmpScorecards.

ABS, which uses Hawk-Eye cameras, has been tested in the minor leagues since 2019. The independent Atlantic League trialed the system at its 2019 All-Star Game and MLB installed the technology for that’s year Arizona Fall League of top prospects. The ABS was tried at eight of nine ballparks of the Low-A Southeast League in 2021, then moved up to Triple-A in 2022.

At Triple-A at the start of the 2023 season, half the games used the robots for ball/strike calls and half had a human making decisions subject to appeals by teams to the ABS.

MLB switched Triple-A to an all-challenge system on June 26, 2024, then used the challenge system this year at 13 spring training ballparks hosting 19 teams for a total of 288 exhibition games. Teams won 52.2% of their ball/strike challenges (617 of 1,182) challenges.

At Triple-A this season, the average challenges per game increased to 4.2 from 3.9 through Sunday and the success rate dropped to 49.5% from 50.6%. Defenses were successful in 53.7% of challenges this year and offenses in 45%.

In the first test at the big league All-Star Game, four of five challenges of plate umpire Dan Iassogna’s calls were successful in July.

Teams in Triple-A do not get additional challenges in extra innings. The proposal approved Tuesday included a provision granting teams one additional challenge each inning if they don’t have challenges remaining.

MLB has experimented with different shapes and interpretations of the strike zone with ABS, including versions that were three-dimensional. Currently, it calls strikes solely based on where the ball crosses the midpoint of the plate, 8.5 inches from the front and the back. The top of the strike zone is 53.5% of batter height and the bottom 27%.

This will be MLB’s first major rule change since sweeping adjustments in 2024. Those included a pitch clock, restrictions on defensive shifts, pitcher disengagements such as pickoff attempts and larger bases.

The challenge system introduces ABS without eliminating pitch framing, a subtle art where catchers use their body and glove to try making borderline pitches look like strikes. Framing has become a critical skill for big league catchers, and there was concern that full-blown ABS would make some strong defensive catchers obsolete. Not that everyone loves it.

“The idea that people get paid for cheating, for stealing strikes, for moving a pitch that’s not a strike into the zone to fool the official and make it a strike is beyond my comprehension,” former manager Bobby Valentine said.

Texas manager Bruce Bochy, a big league catcher from 1978 to ’87, maintained that old-school umpires such as Bruce Froemming and Billy Williams never would have accepted pitch framing. He said they would have told him: “‘If you do that again, you’ll never get a strike.’ I’m cutting out some words.”

Management officials on the competition committee include Seattle chairman John Stanton, St. Louis CEO Bill DeWitt Jr., San Francisco chairman Greg Johnson, Colorado CEO Dick Monfort, Toronto CEO Mark Shapiro and Boston chairman Tom Werner.

Players include Arizona’s Corbin Burnes and Zac Gallen, Detroit’s Casey Mize, Seattle’s Cal Raleigh and the New York Yankees’ Austin Slater, with the Chicago Cubs’ Ian Happ as an alternate. The union representatives make their decisions based on input from players on the 30 teams.

Bill Miller is the umpire representative.

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