Table of contents for June 2016 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated

ON FEBRUARY 8, I turned 60. One person, after wishing me a happy birthday, brought up the “R” word. “So how much longer do you plan on working? Have you given any thought to retirement?” I wasn’t entirely sure what to make of the question, so rather than give it a serious answer, I just laughed it off. But the question did make me think about something for the first time. What will I do with my life when I’m no longer working? On February 8, Daniel Bryan announced that repeated brain trauma has forced him to leave pro wrestling. Retirement isn’t something he can just laugh off. After years of unknowingly shortening his career span in front of relatively sparse crowds and for checks that barely covered his carfare,…

Kaitlin Diemond doesn't need a good reason to fight—she just needs a valid passport. In fact, the 26-year-old lady grappler has logged thousands upon thousands of miles during the course of her 10 years in tights, searching wrestling halls in two hemispheres for worthy opponents. The Toronto native first entered the squared circle in 2005, jumping into the fray after thrilling to the exploits of Attitude Era greats like Chris Jericho and Trish Stratus. While she had gotten a feel for some of the basics by acting out moves in the living room with her older brother, Diemond received her first formal training as a teenager from Mike Shea and Kwan Chang. "My first match took place in a small town called Maynardville, Tennessee," Kaitlin recalls. "It was just a…

DON’T OVERLOOK THE BACKBONE While the wrestling media has gone ga-ga over the signings of former IWGP champions AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura to WWE, don’t dismiss the pair that has traveled with them: Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows. Drawing comparisons to Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard, Karl and Doc should remain a tag team in WWE. We could be talking about them for years to come. THE DRAGON PREVAILED I remember interviewing Bryan Danielson in June2001 about his career thus far, and I noticed the “American Dragon”—as he was then known—was downbeat. He revealed that WWF had released him from his developmental contract earlier in the day. He was thinking about forgetting wrestling and going homr. I—along with millions of fans—am glad he reconsidered that. THINK OF THE HITMAN…

RAW [USA] --VIEWERS IN MILLIONS December 7: 3.05 December 14: 3.86 December 21: 3.38 December 28: 3.54 January 4: 3.58 January 11: 3.32 January 18: 3.50 January 25: 4.10 February 1: 3.49 February 8: 3.73 Analysis: December 7 felt like WWE’s Pearl Harbor Day, as Raw dropped to an overall Nielsen rating of 2.15, its lowest rating since the Monday Night War. That rating was particularly discouraging because it was dominated by the Sheamus-Roman Reigns feud and a talk-fest between the two in the final segment. That didn’t bode well for the TLC payper-view the following Sunday, which saw a Sheamus-Reigns WWE World title main event. Nevertheless, the December 14 edition of Raw, in which Reigns regained the World title from Sheamus, drew a 2.66 rating, its highest number of…

We encourage promoters and readers to e-mail results to: PWIResults@yahoo.com Please try to utilize the exact format you see in the “Arena Reports.” Also, please distinguish between handicap matches and three- or four-way matches. And, when reporting the result of a handicap match, indicate the number of competitors and who was the last man eliminated. Finally, please note pinfall finishes. Following these guidelines will help us greatly and make it more likely that your report will be used. SPOTLIGHT CARD OF THE MONTH PENNSYLVANIA UPPER DARBY—NXT at the Tower Theater: Colin Cassady &Enzo Amore beat Aiden English &Simon Gotch …Carmella beat Peyton Royce by submission …Apollo Crews pinned Elias Samson … Women’s champion Bayley pinned Alexa Bliss …Sami Zayn pinned Alex Riley …Asuka defeated Eva Marie by submission …Austin Aries…

FOR THREE DECADES, Bill Apter was the public face of Pro Wrestling Illustrated and the Stanley Weston family of wrestling magazines. Apter was a ubiquitous personality, seen at ringside shooting the matches with his trusty Nikon FM, conducting television interviews for several different promotions, and working as the liaison to promoters and wrestlers throughout the country. Though he never personally cared for the term (he felt it diminished the efforts of the many other people involved with the magazines), the publications he represented came to be known as "The Apter Mags." After years of putting the project on the back burner, Apter has finally published his memoirs. Is Wrestling Fixed? I Didn't Know It Was Broken (ECW Press, $19.95, 288 pages) tells Apter's remarkable journey, starting as a superfan of…

Things were looking up for Cory Kastle as he stepped into the shower the morning of August 4, 2011. As a wrestler, he had hit his stride, performing in promotions near his hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In fact, Cory was confident that he would leave that evening's WPW show in Reading as the heavyweight champ. He had a lot going for him outside of the ring as well, as Kastle had been slowly building a resume of small parts in films, including an unnamed role in the 2008 movie The Wrestler. However, things took a quick and unexpected turn that day, and instead of fighting for a title, Cory Kastle ended up in a fight for his life. While in the shower, the 28-year-old suffered a grand mal seizure. His…

EXCHANGING phone numbers with famous wrestlers to arrange an interview is, typically, a fairly mundane part of this job. But when Rey Mysterio’s digits come over in an e-mail, it’s more memorable than usual. It begins with the area code “619.” Those three numbers immediately conjure up one of the most thrilling, popular, and revolutionary figures in the sport’s history. The masked dynamo from San Diego was already on his way to becoming a mythical figure years before most American fans were first exposed to him as the anchor of WCW’s cruiserweight division during its mid-1990s boom period. From there, Mysterio went on to gain even more notoriety as the pint-sized underdog slaying giants in WWE, en route to becoming the unlikeliest of world heavyweight champions. But Mysterio’s 14-year run…

Revenue is the bottom line …Call us old-fashioned, but it’s hard to argue with WWE’s financial success in 2015. The company reported revenue of $658.8-million for the year, compared to $542.6-million in 2014. And what were the primary drivers of WWE growth? Those were higher television fees (thanks to WWE’s latest negotiations with NBC Universal) and, believe it or not, the often-maligned WWE Network business model. Those two segments accounted for $100-million, about 85 percent of WWE’s revenue increase. Yet there are always criticisms, even upon news of WWE’s most financially successful year ever, and we would be remiss not to mention them here. These numbers reflect overall revenue, not net profits, although it must be noted that WWE reinvests much of its capital back into the company, which should…

IT SEEMS ONLY fitting that Greg Anthony would eventually end up sporting a healthy amount of gold around his waist. After all, the precious metal is the very stuff of his nom de guerre, “The Golden Boy.” Anthony landed the NWA National championship, one of the promotion’s most coveted titles, with a victory over John Saxon on January 30 in Dyersburg, Tennessee. Anthony was almost taken out of contention after he was tossed from the ring and hit the apron hard before crashing to the floor, but he managed to battle back, catching the champ with a stunner off the ropes to get the pinfall win. “I am humbled to have my name associated with men like Dusty Rhodes, Tully Blanchard, Masked Superstar, and Terry Taylor,” Anthony said. “My success…

Wint. 1999: 20th Anniversary Special. A Celebration of PWI … And the Sport of Wrestling. Sum. 2000 (116-Page Special): The Greats Of The Game. Relive the careers of: Goldberg, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, Mick Foley, Hulk Hogan, Madusa, Kevin Nash. Fall 2000: PWI Interview Special: Memorable interviews with: Ric Flair, Steve Austin & Brian Pillman, Jim Ross, Rick Steamboat, Terry Funk, Bret Hart, Scott Steiner, Scott Hall, Hulk Hogan, more. May 2001: The WrestleMania Curse! Will The Great One Ever Win The Big One? Plus: Vince McMahon, William Regal, Page & Nash, Ivory, Lance Storm, ECW. Feb. 2002: A New Era For Wrestling. Plus: Goldberg, State of the Game. June 2002: 2002 Insiders’ Poll: 50 Red-Hot Questions Answered! Plus: NWO, Steve Austin, Ric Flair. Sum. 2003 (Special Edition): WWE at…

"Welcome to the big leagues, kid!" -Chris Jerichoto AJ Styles before their first-ever match on Monday Night Raw "[T]he deal I chose was not really the better one, but instead it was a better opportunity for me." -James Storm,speaking with The Independent regarding his decision to return to TNA after appearing in NXT "Every part of it makes it special. Every aspect of the show comes together to form this fantastic world. Everything from the staging to the luchadors to the staff both in front and behind the camera. Even the medics and the office workers, it all feels like a big family there. Add in the amazing fans that come to watch the matches, it makes for a perfect combination." -Pentagon Jr.describing the unique environment in Lucha Underground during…

DANIEL BRYAN’S retirement speech on the February 8 edition of Raw was one of the most touching and heartfelt moments ever to air on a wrestling program. I admit, I teared up, especially when Bryan pointed out where his late father had sat in the crowd at the KeyArena in Seattle, the last time he was able to attend a show. The “Yes!” chants, Brie Bella’s loving support, the curtain call from the locker room—it all made for a sweet and poignant end to a Hall of Fame-caliber career. But behind all of Bryan’s talk about gratitude and the show of support from his fans and peers, we were watching a 34-year-old retire due to severe brain injuries, injuries that may affect his health and wellbeing for the rest of…

60-DAY HIGH: 19.26 on December 28 60-DAY LOW: 14.20 on February 11 52-WEEK HIGH: 23.63 on August 3, 2015 52-WEEK LOW: 13.01 on April 6 WWE had a mixed record on the stock market in 2015, but, overall, it had to be considered a positive year for investors. While the number of WWE shares declined by 12 percent, the actual value of stock increased by 20 percent. Ongoing investor concerns regarding the WWE Network, and negative income in the fourth quarter, dampened enthusiasm about WWE’s overall positive performance in 2015. On February 11, the day after WWE released its fourth-quarter report and annual summary, the value of its stock dropped by six percent. Yet management had to be very happy that the S&P Dow Jones Indices has added WWE to…

TOP 10 1 ROMAN REIGNS 267, Pensacola, FL (1) No. 1 contender WWE World title 2 KAZUCHIKA OKADA 240, Tokyo, Japan (2) IWGP heavyweight champion 3 JAY LETHAL 225, Elizabeth, NJ (3) ROH heavyweight champion 4 KEVIN OWENS 266, Marieville, QC (7) WWE Intercontinental champion 5 DEAN AMBROSE 225, Cincinnati, OH (4) No. 2 contender WWE World title 6 MATT HARDY 235, Cameron, NC (–) TNA heavyweight champion 7 KALISTO 170, Mexico City, Mexico (–) WWE U.S. champion 8 ETHAN CARTER III 225, Cleveland, OH (–) No. 1 contender TNA heayweight title 9 Finn balor 190, Bray, Ireland (10) NXT heavyweight champion 10 TOMOHIRO ISHII 220, Kawasaki, Japan (–) ROH TV champion TAG TEAMS 1 BIG E & KOFI KINGSTON & XAVIER WOODS Combined weight: 702 pounds (1) WWE World…