WWE.com has just dabbled in high art with a photo series depicting current wrestlers as ECW performers. This includes Shinsuke Nakamura as Sabu, Lana as The Sandman, Rusev as Cactus Jack, New Day as the Dudley Boyz, and even Asuka as Stevie Richards, among others. You can view the full slideshow here.
This is the first Wrestling In Sevens, a new feature at Pro Wrestling Only where I'll talk to some of the most fascinating fans that I know. The first is with Victor Rodgers, who posts at Victator on the PWO forums and is the author of Chairshot: A Savage Sports Story, available on Amazon.
When did you become a wrestling fan?
It's difficult to remember a time pro wrestling was not in my life. I can't remember much before I was six. A lot of it feels like a camcorder on low battery
This will be a shorter version of the daily match reviews I do for older wrestling. The matches I enjoy the most will get a longer look and a more detailed match review on this date next year.
The storytelling here was awesome. Much of it was built on technical precision. Anthony Henry wasn't as skilled as Timothy Thatcher in the story that they were telling, so he tried to make up for it with as much aggression as he could muster. We saw it at the beginning of the match when he charged at
This had tremendous heat, and was pretty much WWE fast-paced wrestling putting its best foot forward. It's a bit weird watching Dolph Ziggler in main events now, four years after most people were clamoring for it but are now sort of over him. Has he changed or have we? Anyway, I guess it's possible he could reverse his momentum. Stranger things have happened. I'm all about Roman Reigns-Drew McIntyre being set up with the post-match angle with Reigns adding a third current program to his workload
A good match that tried to tell an interesting in-match story, but a little too much comedy at times for a title match from my view. This is almost a competitive squash for a big part of this, but then it kicks into high gear in the last few minutes when AR Fox stops trying to out-Riddle Matt Riddle and starts wrestling more as himself. The ringside seconds added a lot to the nearfalls by getting so excited after all of the big moves, which I am convinced played a big part in getting the crowd t
This is unique in that Daniel Bryan carries the offense in most of his matches, but here, he has someone who's on his level in that category, so he puts on more of a selling performance. WWE often talks about Daniel Bryan as this big underdog, which is not what got him over. In fact, he was presented as more of a pitbull. This was an okay match. Nothing really wrong with it, but these are two of the best wrestlers in the company and they obviously have more in them when they aren't doing a short
This is my first time to see Austin Theory, but I have to say I don't get guys cutting promos with that scripted WWE cadence when no one is making them do it. (At least I hope no one is.) I have no desire to return to the rape culture days of early 2000s indie wrestling at all, but calling an opponent an "indie piece of trash" just might be too far in the other direction. I loved DJ Z here and think he has a bright future. I hear he's working BOLA this year, so I hope he gets a lot of matches an
A match from a July 9 house show in Augusta, Maine, has been posted to YouTube after being filmed on a fan's smartphone. In the match, SAnitY faced the New Day in a 6-man tag. You can watch the match below.
This is an absolutely amazing find. Steven Regal and Robbie Brookside, two masters of their craft to say the least, work a 60-minute exhibition match from 1993 at WCW's Power Plant training facility. Fans of mat wrestling and the classic British style should probably go out of their way to watch this. We'll have a full review up soon!
MasterofMuppets on YouTube has posted a No DQ match between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura from a house show on July 9 in Augusta, Maine. It was not professionally filmed but was captured by a fan in the audience. Watch while you can!
If I have learned anything at all, it's that the vision I have for Pro Wrestling Only will never be achieved if I continue operating this as a one-man show. I have quite a few great ideas for how to make the site rock, but having the idea and having the skills to execute it are two different things. That's where help come in.
I am looking for two CO-FOUNDERS to join me in getting Pro Wrestling Only off the ground. In exchange, you'll each get 25% ownership of the site. In the future, you c
YouTube user Master of Muppets has added a match from last night's house show in St. Louis to his YouTube channel. This appears to be the first Daniel Bryan vs The Miz singles match to make tape since Bryan's comeback, even though they've been slowly gearing up the rivalry at arena events for months. Pretty good camerawork considering that it was shot via smartphone in the audience. You can watch it below. Let us know what you think!
UPDATE
Reader Wahoo's Leg pointed out that
In light of the sad passing of wrestling legend Villano III, we thought it might be a good idea to put together a YouTube playlist that shows the buildup and fallout from the most famous match of his career: the mask match against Atlantis from March 17, 2000. We have curated this playlist for you and hope you enjoy it.
Last year, a group of us walked through the week-to-week TV of this feud. The matches, all of which are on the above-linked playlist, are also listed below with links to th
16 months before the first Wrestlemania, Jim Crockett Promotions decided to go big, broadcasting Starrcade '83: A Flair For The Gold on closed circuit in eight states and flying in talent from the Puerto Rico and Florida territories to really give this the ultimate supercard feel. One could argue the first Starrcade as the night wrestling stopped being what it was and started being what it is, since from here on, the biggest and most notable shows were delivered to a much broader audience than j
On the first episode of Pro Wrestling Lonely, Charles walks through the match list for Shawn Michaels: Showstopper Unreleased, a three-disc set WWE is scheduled to release in October. Hope you'll listen and let us know what you think.
PWO Database Plus is coming along nicely! We have found a way to leverage our old Match Discussion Archive and the informed, thoughtful voices in our community by adding a one-stop shop for wrestling information. We hope you'll follow along as we continue building and expanding on this resource.
The newsreel archive is in progress. This will be a full archive of all of the pro wrestling newsreels, mostly from before the 1950s, that we know about, compiling information from the Moving Image
Wrestling DVD Network reports that six more matches have been announced for the Shawn Michaels: Unreleased set that is scheduled to hit the market in the U.S. on October 2. They are:
Shawn Michaels vs Jake Roberts (Mid South Wrestling 02-01-85)
The Rockers vs Legion of Doom (WWF Superstars 12-28-91)
Shawn Michaels & Bret Hart vs Jacob & Eli Blu (WWF Louisville, KY 07-24-95)
Shawn Michaels vs 1-2-3 Kid (WWF Superstars 04-27-96)
Shawn Michaels vs Rob Van
Real Pro Wrestling has published episode 14 of RAMPAGE to their YouTube channel. This week's show:
Alexander Zane vs Omar Amir
Dax vs Michael Kai
NO DQ: Joey Ozbourne vs Sideshow
You can watch below. Is there anything we should all check out? Let us know in the comments.
Major League Wrestling has posted the latest episode of Fusion to their YouTube channel. This show taped on July 12 in Orlando, FL, and looks on paper to be a card with solid potential. The matches:
Kahuna Khan vs Kiki Roberts
Anything Goes Grudge Match: Tom Lawlor vs Jimmy Havoc
MLW World Title: Low Ki (c) vs Shane Strickland
You can watch the show below. Let us know what you think in the comments!
Booker T's Reality of Wrestling has added their latest episode to the YouTube channel. Watch it below, and feel free to let us know what you think in the comments.
CWF Mid-Atlantic has posted two new episodes of Worldwide to their YouTube channel. The match lists looks like this.
Episode 155
Kernodle Cup Semi-Finals: Trevor Lee & Chet Sterling vs The Carnies (Nick Iggy & Kerry Awful)
Kernodle Cup Semi-Finals: Redemption (Michael McAllister & Nick Richards) vs The Closers (Sloan Caprice & Rick Roland)
RGL Title Match: Kool Jay (c) vs Mace Li vs Jeff Castro vs John Castro
Roy Wilkins vs Dirty Daddy
Beau James has recently launched the Southern States Wrestling network on Pivotshare, which should be a nice addition of some classic pro wrestling many of us haven't seen. One of the most recent additions that is likely well worth checking out is a Best of Sherri Martel in SSW video, which includes footage of her both wrestling and managing and includes her induction in the East Tennessee Hall of Fame.
Sherri is most remembered for her run as a WWF manager from 1989-1993, first paired with
The incomparable Master of Muppets has added a match to his YouTube channel from the house show on Monday night (July 16) in Reading, PA. The match sees AJ Styles team with Daniel Bryan against Samoa Joe and The Miz as part of the awkwardly-named Summerslam Heatwave Tour. The camera quality isn't great in this particular case, but if you can tough it out, it's a good chance to see Bryan and Miz opposite each other -- a matchup that has evaded us on television since Bryan's spring return and will
WWE has officially released The Shield: Justice For All today. Wrestling DVD Network has the match list. You can support Pro Wrestling Only while ordering your copy here.
Let the War Games, and the story of World Championship Wrestling, prologue and all, begin.
July 4, 1987
Jim Crockett Promotions
Great American Bash
Atlanta, Georgia
War Games
9.8
In the Jim Crockett era, there was an outlook on the relationships between wrestlers that wasn't entirely unique, but it was definitely distinct from the WWF's approach. Dusty Rhodes booked a more tribalist wrestling offering than that of the WWF, one where feuds overlapped and the locker room
