wrestling Page 9 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Where does Tony Khan think stars come from?
AEW maven Tony Khan had his pre-All Out media call yesterday. These can be fascinating encounters, where he’s there basically to promote a show, and most of the people asking him questions are throwing hanging curveballs so he can do so. However, every so often someone asks him something that doesn’...

WWE regains some ‘attitude’ under Triple H’s thumb
The first full month of WWE under Paul “Triple H” Levesque’s thumb is about to wrap up, with all creative direction steering toward the company’s next big show Clash at the Castle taking place this weekend. Slowly but surely, changes are being made to the product, with most having a positive effect....

Tony Khan’s CM Punk-Jon Moxley AEW title booking was atrocious
The most noteworthy part of now-former AEW champion CM Punk’s three-minute loss to Jon Moxley on Wednesday’s Dynamite had nothing to do with the story beats presented on screen, in the ring, or by the show’s commentary team. It had everything to do with an incident last week in which Punk, at the be...

Johnny Wrestling's triumphant return
Of course, he’s back under Paul “Triple H” Levesque’s leadership. Any doubt about the future career path of longtime NXT MVP Johnny Gargano turned to hope in the aftermath of Vince McMahon’s resignation from WWE. “Johnny Wrestling” left the company on good terms. He did it to spend time with his the...

NJPW not only doesn't care about alleged abusers, it's actively pushing them
It wouldn’t be apt to compare wrestling or wrestling companies to major sports leagues in how they deal with those accused of domestic abuse or sexual assault, though the usual balloon-handed nature of it certainly looks similar. There are definite, top-level sports leagues that could enact any numb...

CM Punk played himself
The honeymoon period with CM Punk in All Elite Wrestling has been over for a long time. It easily ceased before this week’s drama unfolded. He’s had to sink or swim based on what his current ability is for several months. If Punk was just a nostalgia act, he’d leave AEW head-honcho Tony Khan with no...

Bryan Danielson knows we’re uncomfortable
Bryan Danielson is a liar. Don’t take my word for it....

Triple H and the WWE aren’t doing away with AEW — at least not right now
It may be the most meaningless short-term consequence of Vince McMahon’s resignation as WWE’s chairman and CEO after 40 years as professional wrestling’s most powerful dignitary — the art form’s creative direction. McMahon almost exclusively called the shots from the top since the first full year of...

Please don’t let WWE get its greedy paws on The Rock’s new VICE TV series ‘Tales from the Territories’
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has taken Hollywood by storm since he left the WWE, producing hit after hit on the big screen. Even with Johnson’s mainstream success, he’s never forgotten his pro wrestling roots. Now The Rock is teaming up with VICE TV on a series called “Tales From The Territories.”...

WWE’s new creative landscape could open Forbidden Door for AEW star
All Elite Wrestling’s biggest organic star has been off television for 63 days without a peep on when he’ll return. Since his new-age “pipe bomb” promo on the June 1 episode of “Dynamite,” MJF hasn’t surfaced. August’s first episode of AEW’s flagship show has a 99.999999% chance of being the ninth c...

The Triple H era starts with hope
The week leading up to Saturday night’s SummerSlam felt particularly guarded. Most of the stories about the workings backstage in the wake of Vince McMahon’s “retirement” and Triple H’s taking over of creative referred to the plans for the company’s second biggest show already being locked in. That ...

Amanda Nunes made it clear that she is still as good as it gets in UFC
Julianna Peña is tough as nails. She took a beating for five rounds against Amanda Nunes last night. A brutal, bloody beating. Yet through the knockdowns and the elbows, Peña never took her foot off the gas pedal and was able to get Nunes in trouble (at times) on the ground later in the fight. Peña ...

Dwight Howard’s post-NBA career could be in the WWE of all places
Dwight Howard’s career is winding down, no doubt about it. His third stint with the Lakers is over and the former No. 1 overall pick has had to think about a life outside of The Association. With Howard’s personality, a crossover into broadcasting is easy to believe. Maybe he could be a high school ...

Does Tony Khan have a second gear for Ring Of Honor?
It’s pretty standard now, bordering on canon, that Tony Khan will spit out a great pay-per-view whenever he needs to. And now it’s with multiple companies. Last Saturday, it was Ring of Honor’s turn, with “Death Before Dishonor.” And by any measure, it was a banger. Not perfect — rarely is a show ev...

Retirement? We all know Vince McMahon didn’t leave WWE of his own volition
Stop calling it a retirement. Without the details of alleged hush payments skyrocketing well beyond $12 million to keep various women quiet, now-former WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon would still be in unquestioned power. He didn’t leave his post of 40 years unprovoked or out of humility to trans...

What’s that thing about getting exactly what you want?
It was a familiar refrain, somewhere around 2016 or 2017, when the Black N’ Gold version of NXT was arguably at its zenith, and arguably the best wrestling going on the planet at that moment. Any fan would watch yet another banger of an NXT Takeover and think, “Man, when Hunter (Triple H) takes over...

Vince McMahon is an actual American story
As the eulogies for Vince McMahon’s career pile up in the wake of his not-in-any-way-forced retirement on Friday, they follow the usual script of any powerful and ungodly wealthy man’s career coming to an end. His offenses, crimes, and responsibility for the misery and violation of basically countle...