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ESPN's <i>30 For 30</i> On Ric Flair Glorifies Decades Of Sexual Misconduct
On Tuesday night, ESPN premiered its latest 30 for 30 documentary, one the network had been developing and hyping for years: Nature Boy, the story of legendary pro wrestler Ric Flair, widely considered the greatest of all time. The film—which was, according to director Rory Karpf, in its third cut a...
Chris Jericho To Test Popularity Of Japanese Wrestling After 19 Years In WWE
After IWGP United States champion Kenny Omega dispatched with challenger Beretta in the semi-main event at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s “Power Struggle” event on Sunday in Osaka, the Edion Arena darkened and the venue’s big video screen lit up. On that screen, Omega and the fans in attendance saw a vi...
Building A Pro Wrestling Hall Of Fame Is A Lot Easier Said Than Done
In traditional competitive sports, the question of what makes a hall of famer, while fodder for heated arguments, is relatively straightforward. While there is always context that can be added, who the best players are is a largely statistical matter. In professional wrestling, it’s completely diffe...
Impact Wrestling Ruins Everything: Losses Lead to Journalist Layoffs
Thirteen months ago, one story had the hardcore wrestling fan community rapt for several weeks: The seemingly impending demise of Impact Wrestling, formerly known as Total Nonstop Action or TNA (yes, really). At that point, the promotion was running on fumes, to the point that it was unclear, even d...
The Pro Wrestling Fan Who Wasted The FBI's Time Claiming He Paid Oswald to Kill JFK
Thursday night’s release of a trove of raw JFK assassination intelligence by the National Archives seems as if it was deliberately released in such a way as to comply with the law while ensuring that it’s as difficult to use as possible. The PDFs of the documents have not been made searchable, their...
It's Time For WWE To Save Kurt Angle From Himself. Again.
On Saturday night, I went to a show from House of Glory, one of the local independent wrestling promotions in New York City. It was a really fun show until an accident in the semifinal match, when Chris Seaton of the New York Wrecking Krew tag team broke his femur in a freak accident; he landed wron...
Wrestlers Are More Willing Than Ever To Quit WWE And Go Independent
One of the biggest stories in professional wrestling the past few weeks has been Neville (real name Ben Satterly) walking out on WWE and asking for his contractual release. While not necessarily a pattern at this point, wrestlers either asking for an out or happily letting their contracts expire is ...
Triple H's Nutritionist Makes, Walks Back Candid Steroid Comments
That bodybuilder Dave Palumbo was a nutritionist for Paul “Triple H” Levesque—the wrestler-turned-WWE exec who only performs occasionally now—has never been a secret. They talk about their work together all the time, whether it’s Palumbo interviewing Triple H and his wife Stephanie McMahon, the two ...
The World's Greatest Fighter Was A Pro Wrestler Who Couldn't Fight
Often, when wrestling reporters cover mixed martial arts or vice versa, their readers revolt, wondering what the hell the sport and the pseudo-sport actually have to do with each other beyond the occasional crossover athlete like Brock Lesnar, Ken Shamrock, or CM Punk. The reality is that the histor...
Falling From High Places Might Be Shane McMahon's Best Skill
You know what’s not fun? Watching a pro wrestling match in 2017 with a genuine fear that someone is about to be maimed....
The Shield Is Back To Give Us A Reason To Like Roman Reigns Again
Three years after an ill-advised split, WWE is finally pulling the trigger on the reunion of what was once the hottest act in the company, The Shield. A trio consisting of Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns in riot gear, they immediately became one of the top acts in the company thanks to t...
Lance Russell, The Greatest Pro Wrestling Announcer Of All Time, Dies At 91
Lance Russell, the professional wrestling announcer best known as the voice of the sport in the territory surrounding Memphis, Tenn. for decades, as well as for his stint in WCW, died Tuesday morning at the age of 91. He had broken his hip in a fall on Friday shortly after his daughter, Valerie, die...
Brock Lesnar's Matches Keep Getting Harder To Watch
For the last few years, Brock Lesnar has undoubtedly been the WWE performer who feels most like a “star” every time he appears. His character is protected more than any other, rarely put in compromising positions. He’s only on TV in the weeks leading up to his big matches, preventing him from being ...
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan Gave Wrestling Everything It Needed
The Bobby Heenan that most of you are familiar with is the ‘80s WWF version. Naturally, in the immediate aftermath of his death, much of the reminiscing about his career focused on the funniest moments....
Shoots Like Sexy Star's Are Something Wrestling Doesn't Miss
One of the biggest stories in professional wrestling this summer came out of last Saturday’s TripleMania event, the biggest show of the year for AAA, one of the top lucha libre promotions in Mexico. Going in, one would have expected the buzz to be the result of the main event, where, as expected, li...
Conor McGregor Is Somehow Defending The Lineal WWE Brawl For All Title
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is boxing Conor McGregor this weekend, and the whole thing is completely awesome. While the traditionalist fight press sees this simply as a capitalist exercise with an inevitable result and no titles on the line, that’s not exactly the case—at least not officially, that is....
Japanese Wrestling's Bomb-Loving Cult Hero Is Coming To New Jersey<em></em>
When you hear the phrase “indie wrestling,” what exactly does it make you think of? You may be picturing a show in a high school gym, rec center, Knights of Columbus Hall, or something like that. Some promotions might be lucky enough to make a deal with the local minor-league baseball park and pack ...
How WWE Botched The Cruiserweight Division They Don't Need, Again<em></em>
When you’re around pro wrestling fandom for a long time, you become familiar with various talking points that have, over the years, become groupthink. One, specifically, has bordered on self-parody at times: “Push the cruiserweights.”...
Ronda Rousey Appears To Be Ready To Fuck People Up In WWE
Last week, WWE recorded the opening rounds of their inaugural Mae Young Classic—an all-women’s tournament that will air on WWE Network next month—in Winter Park, Fla. The shows, which featured a mix of talent from the WWE developmental system and the independent and international scenes, were well-r...
Wrestler Alberto Del Rio Part Of Police Investigation Into Possible Domestic Violence
Professional wrestler Jose Alberto Rodriguez, better known as current Global Force Wrestling Champion Alberto El Patron and formerly Alberto Del Rio in WWE, is being investigated for possible domestic violence Sunday at the Orlando International Airport. Citing witnesses who said they saw an argumen...