WRESTLING BOOM

It has finally been made official that the Final of the 2019 New Japan Cup on 24th March will be contested between Kazuchika Okada and Sanada.  The winner of the prestigious tournament will go on to face Jay White for the NJPW Heavyweight Championship on April 6th in Madison Square Garden. New Japan is known for putting on blockbuster matches when it most matters, with this match likely to be just as exceptional.  Who do you think will win this years New Japan Cup, Okada or Sanada?  I think it's Sanada's time.  Please comment below.

The WWE shake-up has taken place almost every year since 2002, previously under the name The Draft, and is the process of superstars switching brands from either Raw or Smackdown, and formerly ECW, to the other.  This makes for interesting rosters than enable never before seen matches to take place and also keeps storylines fresh over a longer period of time.  Not to mention it also enable some inter-company rivalry to take place as fans choose which show they support which ultimately effects TV ratings.  Since NXT really broke away from being a simple developmental brand in 2015 and popularity rose to equal that of the WWE's main roster, the Black & Gold brand has built a name for itself as one of the best wrestling shows on the planet and has played host to some of the greatest talents in the world today including Sasha Banks, Finn Balor, and Andrade Cien Almas.  Despite it's legacy NXT has yet to compete in a Shake-up, leaving that up to Raw and Smackdown....

WWE Fastlane took place on Sunday night in Cleveland, Ohio and was the last stop on the exciting road to Wrestlemania 35.  Since it's inception in 2015 Fastlane hasn't had the greatest history of PPVs, but with this year's installment holding so much anticipation, much thanks to The Shield's second reunion, did the superstars of Raw and Smackdown impress?  Let's take a look. One of my favourite matches of the night was the triple threat match for the Raw Tag Team Championship as the current holders The Revival took on Chad Gable & Bobby Roode, and Aleister Black & Ricochet.  From the very start the match was entertaining with each team bribing a different dynamic, allowing many different spots to take place.  The Southern Style of the Revival was a heavy contrast to that of Black & Ricochet, with Gable & Roode standing somewhere in the middle.  Although the match was only 10 minutes it was played out perfectly with The Revival retaining the...

WWE Fastlane will take place on Sunday Night live from the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland Ohio in what is a show built around a monumental occasion.  On this night, The Shield will compete in their last ever match as a stable with Dean Ambrose still set to leave the company after Wrestlemania 35.  According to Sky Sports , Reigns is terribly upset that Ambrose is leaving, but his main cavern is his brother-in-arm's happiness, and if leaving the promotion means Ambrose will be a happier man, then Reigns is fully on-board. The Shield's first WWE match took place at TLC in 2012 where they defeated Ryback and Team Hell No is a tremendous TLC match that made one of the best first-impressions in main roster history, solidifying them as main event talent.  The unit of Reigns, Ambrose, and Rollins have a combined 7 World Championships to their name as well as two Royal Rumble victories and several Money in the Banks wins.  With wins over superstars such as John Cena,...

Former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion, and current WWE Raw Women's Champion Ronda Rousey once again put out rumors that she could exit the wrestling promotion in the coming months.  Rousey first appeared in a WWE ring at Wrestlemania XXXI back in 2015 but it wasn't until the Royal Rumble 2018 that she joined as a full-time roster member.  It wasn't long before 'The Arm Collector' got a taste of gold as she dethroned Raw Women's Champion Alexa Bliss at Summerslam 2018 to win the belt.  Since then she has been involved in various of storylines with the likes of Nikki Bella, Bliss herself, and most recently Becky Lynch.  Despite the quick success Rousey has not denied rumors that she may leave WWE after Wrestlemania 35. Sky Sports  reported that Rousey stated that 'she loves her job but does not need it' meaning that if things began to not go her way, she has no problem in leaving the promotion.  This could mean that a failure to retain the be...

Tommaso Ciampa recently made his main roster debut during the February 19th episode of Raw in which he tagged with Johnny Gargano to defeat the Raw Tag Team Champions The Revival.  The following night Ciampa and Gargano went on to defeat The Bar of Smackdown in another huge victory.  When all was looking to be going well for the call-up, it has been announced that the current NXT Champion has suffered an injury, which, according to Wrestling Inc , is of unknown origin but has prevented him from competing on any WWE television this week, so must be of considerable effect. With TakeOver New York taking place on the night before Wrestlemania, Ciampa needs to fully recover in order to defend his Title on the NXT Special.  What effect with this injury have on Ciampa's momentum going forward?  Please comment as I want to hear your opinions.

On Saturday night I had the pleasure of attending Megaslam Wrestling live in Brighouse, West Yorkshire, a show that was part of the promotion's 10th Anniversary year-long tour.  The event was centered around the great feud between Team Megaslam and Team Nasty, two waring factions.  The feud added a solid foundation for the show and gave something for the fans to invest in and really get behind, rather than just watching a series of random matches. The show kicked off with a clash for the Megaslam Heavyweight Championship between the heel Champion Danny Hudson, and the challenger Stixx.  Hudson built up some mega heat (pun intended) with the crowd by slating those in attendance, with Stixx serving as the perfect fan favourite.  The action was back and forth with both of the big men connecting with hard blows and heavy slams but it was Hudson who won, and retained the belt, after a low-blow and roll up pin.  The referee, Max Brooker kicked-off his heel antics...

Although this year's Wrestlemania is still a month and a half away, I thought why not get into the spirit of things a little early with a celebration of the PPV's epic history.  With a 35 year history, there have been several spectacular Showcase of Immortals events over the years, including Wrestlemania III, XVII, XIX, XXI, and XXXI, however I am now going to try my hardest to convince as many of you Boomers as possible as to why Wrestlemania XXIII is the most exceptional of them all. Wrestlemania 23 took place on 1st April 2007 and came to us live from Ford Field, in Detroit Michigan, which is a stadium built to enormous proportions allowing 80,000 excited fans to pack into the stands.  The night was off to a thrilling start from the very beginning (bar the pre-show) thanks to the opening Money in the Bank Ladder match in which Mr Kennedy got the better of Randy Orton, Edge, Finlay, Booker T, CM Punk, Jeff Hardy, and Matt Hardy in the most star-studded MITB match of all ti...

Megaslam wrestling are currently celebrating their 10th Anniversary with a tour of their favourite towns and cities around the UK for the entirety of 2019.  I am personally fortunate enough to be attending the show in Brighouse in West Yorkshire on Saturday 23rd February. Megaslam was founded in 2008 before holding it's first show in Rotherham in January 2009, and has gone on to become a true staple of the British Wrestling scene, holding over 200 events a year in front of tens of thousands of fans. The central focus of the promotion is the rivalry between Team Megaslam and Team Nasty which allows longer term storylines to develop across their shows whilst delivery exciting, and dynamic matches, some of which can be viewed on their YouTube Channel .  Throughout the company's history many of wrestling's biggest names have competed in a Megaslam ring including James Mason, CJ Banks, and Sha Samuels, just to name a few. Over the past few years there has been much turbu...

Last night, the most star-studded call-up in WWE history took place as Ricochet, Johnny Gargano, Tomasso Ciampa, and Aleister Black all made there debut on Monday Night Raw.  The former independent stalwarts are four of the most decorated superstars in NXT history, with Ricochet being a 1 time North American Champion, Gargano the current North American Champion and a former Tag Team Champion, Ciampa a Tag Team and current NXT World Champion, and Black also being a NXT World Champion.  Although not expected to be called up until the post-Wrestlemania Raw, there is no doubt that, looking at their accomplishments and the fact that their matches average a 4.5 star rating, that they more than deserve their place on the main roster. Their Raw debuts added to their past success with all men picking up a well deserved victory.  Ricochet was first to make his mark as he teamed with new Intercontinental Champion Finn Balor to see off Bobby Lashely and Leo Rush.  NXT Worl...

Elimination Chamber 2019 came to us live from the Toyota Centre in Houston Texas just last night.  Anticipation for the show was high as the two chamber matches have been the main focus of WWE TV as of late, and though Fastlane comes before Wrestlemenia, the PPV still held purpose in building towards the Grandest Stage of them All.  With Elimination Chamber being surrounded by such immense expectations, did World Wrestling Entertainment deliver when it mattered? Here is my review of the latest PPV from the McMahon contingent! The first Chamber match opened the show as six teams competed for the newly formed Women's Tag Team Championship.  The teams consisted of Riott Squad (Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan), Boss & Hug Connection (Sasha Banks & Bayley), Carmella & Naomi, Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville, Nia Jax & Tamina, and The IIconics (Billie Kay & Peyton Royce).  There was a lot of hype surrounding the match as the women of WWE haven't had ta...

The wave of change continues to ripple throughout the wrestling world as it has officially been announced that, after 29 years wrestling for the WWE, The Undertaker has retired from the squared-circle. The Undertaker, real name Mark Calaway, debuted in the WWE at Survivor Series 1990 and has gone on to become one of the most legendary figures within the entire industry.  During his time with World Wrestling Entertainment, Taker has held the WWE Championship 4 times and the World Heavyweight Championship on 3 occasions, has holding multiple other Titles, and was the winner of the 2007 Royal Rumble match.  Championships aside, Undertaker is most notable for his Wrestlemania streak in which he won 21 straight matches on the Grandest Stage of the All before shockingly losing to Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania XXX.  The 21-1 record is so famous that it even has it's own wiki page....now that is some serious business right there.  'The Deadman' will likely continue to b...

This year's Elimination Chamber PPV event takes place this Sunday night in Houston Texas and is set to feature multiple Championship matches.  Daniel Bryan will defend the WWE Champion inside the Chamber against Samoa Joe, Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy, AJ Styles and Kofi Kingston.  The Uso's will take on The Miz & Shane O'Mac for the Smackdown Tag Team Titles.  Akira Tozawa and Buddy Murphy will clash for the Cruiserwieght Title. Lashley and Leo Rush will defend the Intercontinental Championship against Finn Balor in a Handicap match.  Ruby Riott will challenge Ronda Rousey for the Raw Women's Championship.  And finally, the first ever Women's Tag Team Champions will be crowned. With all these Title matches on 1 card, the common conclusion would be that some of the champions would be dethroned on the night, causing some belts to switch owners.  But that won't be the case, a part from the Women's Tag Team Championship, which will be won by a new and f...

With the emergence of All Elite Wrestling and WWE's unmerciful tactics in securing all the top talents, news and rumors are hitting our screens everyday about which wrestler is going here and which wrestler is going there.  The latest of these rumors regards no other than 4 time World Heavyweight Champion Batista. According to Cageside  Seats Batista could on be his way back to the WWE in time for Wrestlemania XXXV and could compete in his first match with company since Payback 2014.  Triple H hinted that he himself has resumed training and when you look at what went down on Smackdown 1000 back in September, a clash with a returning Batista on the Grandest Stage of them All could be in the books for The Game.  Not only would this bolster a card which will lack Roman Reigns and possibly The Undertaker, but will add that sense of nostalgia that WWE fans crave at such large-scale events. Although Batista does look very likely to return to WWE's squared-cir...

The Elimination  Chamber match first appeared on our screens at Survivor Series 2002, thanks to the brilliant mind of Triple H (not Bischoff), and has played host to 22 WWE matches throughout it's 16 year plus history.  Out of those 22 matches I have given myself the challenge of listing the top 5, something which, after much thought, I managed to complete.  I have based the list off the quality of action, the competitors involved, and storyline development.  Here are the top 5 Elimination Chamber matches of all time! 5) Smackdown Chamber- Elimination Chamber 2017 This was the first Elimination Chamber match to take place after the first Superstar Shake Up and was a Smackdown exclusive affair.  The match was for John Cena's WWE Championship and featured opponents Bray Wyatt, The Miz, Baron Corbin, AJ Styles, and Dean Ambrose, making it a star-studded contest.  Going into the match AJ Styles was the favourite to win the match and reclaim his Title from...

Last week it was rumored that WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar was in talks with All Elite Wrestling, with a possible move after Wrestlemania 35, and this week, according to Destination PW , it is said that the Florida outfit has now approached 'The Viper' to be their first direct signing from WWE. Randy Orton has been with the WWE for 17 years and since his in-ring debut in April 2002 and has gone on to have 17 various title reigns across both the Raw and Smackdown brands as well as being a 2 time Royal Rumble winner and 1 time Money in the Bank winner.  Orton is one of the greatest wrestlers in the history of the company, and currently holds the position of the veteran heel, a role which would surely become void if he was to leave for AEW.  The motives for 'The Apex Predator' being in talks with AEW is not know, but is presumably linked with a bigger pay check and a less intense work schedule.  What we do know is that if Orton did jump ship a large portion of ...

All Elite Wrestling, the promotion spearheaded by Cody Rhodes & The Young Bucks, and backed by billionaire Shahid Khan has been the centre of headlines around the world for the past few months.  Gaining them said headlines is the company's 'no holding back' recruitment technique which has already gained them massive stars such as Chris Jericho and Christopher Daniels, however, rumors are still running the mill, linking the promotion to more big names. Reports have it that no other than the WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar is currently in talks with AEW.  The move would come down to money, and nothing to with how Lesnar is treated in WWE, because, let's face it, he's treated like Vince McMahon's personal God.  AEW would offer Lesnar more money than he is on now, as well as give him extra benefits such as continual medical care, and with rumors that UFC style rankings will be in place for AEW talent, the system as whole would more likely suite Lesnar...