I disagree with Mike Panozzo. The WNT is not only a tour, but it is the best tour. Still, it's inability over the past two years to publish an event schedule in a timely manner has made the folks at Matchroom appear a bit disorganized and has made it harder for top players to properly plan for participation in WNT events. Who will forget that several players had already committed to a concurrent expo in Asia before the 2025 UK Open dates were announced, which led to a weak field?
There's no question that, despite their many differences as businesses, Matchroom and Predator could pull together. In fact, a few years ago, they tried to team up in the production of the PLP. Some may recall that it all blew up when Matchroom insisted that all participants wear a Predator patch during the competition. which infuriated players having a cue sponsor other than Predator. To my knowledge, Matchroom and Predator have not collaborated on a project since.
Matchroom took an extreme measure in 2024 when it asked its top players to boycott all WPA sanctioned events, even though that meant asking Predator sponsored players like Filler and Ouschan to boycott the events of their sponsor. Each agreed to the boycott under peer pressure but understandably reconsidered. In Filler's case, he became Matchroom's whipping boy, denied a spot on the 2024 Reyes Cup team and bashed publicly. I remember standing almost alone on this forum when I took exception to it. For Matchroom, however, it wasn't enough. Filler was declared ineligible for the 2024 Mosconi Cup. In 2025, both SVB and Filler chose the World 8ball over the Hanoi Open and Matchroom took harsh action again, denying each inclusion in the 2025 Reyes Cup, an action that made the event uncompetitive and, frankly, completely unwatchable.
I love Matchroom, but I feel that its lack of loyalty to two of its three biggest stars sent shockwaves through its roster of players. How could anyone feel safe when such severe measures were being taken against the headliners of the WNT. Loyalty is a two-way street and, while Matchroom would surely suggest that its stars have shown insufficient loyalty to them, the truth is the opposite. Guys like Josh and Shane ARE the WNT product, and they must be courted in a sport now having so many elite events.
I am growing a little more optimistic. Perhaps Matchroom, at long last, has come to realize that the WNT, a magnificent, ground-breaking international tour, is not the only game in town. Jayson Shaw, for example, played the Predator Las Vegas Open but just two weeks later skipped the WNT European Open. If that's not proof that Matchroom is backing away from its monopolistic thinking and methods, nothing is.
Another huge problem with WNT is the arbitrariness of selecting the wild cards at the Reyes Cup and the Mosconi. At the Mosconi, the inclusion of someone who hasn't earned a spot has become a tradition, and this will surely demotivate several Americans with Team USA aspirations, knowing that favoritism is part of the selection process.
Matchroom has an exceptional management team that must rethink its position a bit. Loyalty to the WNT has wavered a bit, but I feel that such loyalty can be recaptured if Matchroom dishes out a little more loyalty to its top performers. Matchroom can continue to count on the many dollars I will spend to attend WNT events, the dollars I spend on WNTTV, and the many dollars I spend on WNT merchandise. Still, they will have to take steps to ensure that WNT fields will be super-elite going forward if they hope to stay in the limelight. Nobody is rooting harder for them than me!
