Table of contents for February 2016 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated

AMERICAN PATRIOTISM has long been a theme in pro wrestling, from the days of Sgt. Slaughter defending the American flag against Iron Sheik, through Hulk Hogan defending it against, well, Sgt. Slaughter. Of course, even the most important battles contested in the ring cannot compete with those fought on the front lines. With that in mind, I bring you this militarythemed edition of “Quick Count.” At ease. THE REVOLUTION As evidenced by the unprecedented depth of talent included in this year’s “Female 50,” American women’s wrestling may be experiencing its hottest period in decades. From Sasha Banks and Bayley putting forth a bona fide Match of the Year contender, to Nikki Bella breaking the record for longest reign as Divas champion, to Charlotte carrying on the championship legacy of her…

The Raw numbers …WWE Monday Night Raw’s overall rating dropped to 2.3 on September 28, the program’s lowest non-holiday figure in 18 years. Headlined by Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt, that edition of Raw—according to some on social media—symbolized everything that is wrong with today’s WWE. Roman Reigns doesn’t draw. Bray Wyatt is overexposed. Sting and Kane don’t belong. Perhaps it's time for an NXT invasion. While very few would give today’s WWE any raving critical acclaim, it’s unfair to measure the modern-day product by standards that are increasingly obsolete. Let’s go back in time to October 27, 1997: WWF champion Bret Hart faced Ken Shamrock in Raw’s main event and WCW champion Hulk Hogan went against “Diamond” Dallas Page on TNT’s Monday Nitro. The Monday Night War had sparked…

THE MAIN EVENT of CMLL’s 82nd anniversary show ended the same way as the 81st anniversary show—with lucha libre legend Atlantis standing tall and his humbled opponent being forced to unmask. Last year, Atlantis defeated longtime rival Ultimo Guerrero in Mexico’s Match of the Year. This year, La Sombra (who had defeated Volador Jr. in a mask vs. mask match in the main event of the 80th anniversary event in 2013) received the opportunity against Atlantis, a 32-year veteran. La Sombra, a former CMLL Universal champion and IWGP Intercontinental champion, had antagonized Atlantis several times in the months leading to their singles bout. He had even gone so far as to partially tear apart Atlantis’ mask, promising he would finish the job at Anniversario 82. On September 18 at the…

WRESTLING FANS HAVE seen it countless times: A once healthy relationship, strained by competiveness. Tension slowly builds until, one day, it explodes. But this isn’t the latest case of a tag team on the brink of a split. It’s the story of WWE and the latest promotion to lay claim to being its closest competitor, Ring of Honor. For most of the past 13 years, the two wrestling companies have co-existed peacefully, with WWE viewing ROH as little more than a small independent promotion with a good track record of molding future stars. Uncharacteristically, WWE has even acknowledged the smaller wrestling promotion— including ROH archival footage in video releases and featuring an article about the company on wwe.com in 2014. But a number of key changes of circumstance over the…

WHEN THE INAUGURAL PWI “Female 50” was considered in 2008, there was some considered that there might not be 50 viable women wrestlers to include. In retrospect, that may have been a valid worry as that debut list included a handful of women who may have been a reach, including Rhaka Khan, Kelly Couture, and Maria Kanellis. But women’s wrestling has come a long way since 2008. Finding 50 female wrestlers worthy of inclusion wasn’t a problem. The problem was trying to limit our list to just 50. There was even some discussion about increasing the list to the top 100 women in wrestling (a conversation which has been tabled for the time being). With the success of women’s promotions such as SHIMMER in Chicago, SHINE in Tampa, Women Superstars…

SEND LETTERS TO: BETWEEN FALLS Box Ft. Washington, PA Or you can e-mail your comments to prowrestlingillustrated @ yahoo.com PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED welcomes readers’ comments on any of our stories or columns. PWI 500 Another year with virtually no negative feedback on our numberone selection in the “PWI 500” (December 2015). If only 2-500 were so easy! “Even PWI couldn’t screw this one up!” wrote Steve Maroney. “Seth Rollins was extraordinary and deserved the honor.” “I’m not sure what Roman Reigns and Randy Orton did to crack the top 10,” e-mailed Brad Mays. “Tanahashi and Jay Lethal would have been more appropriate choices.” “Glad to see Shinsuke Nakamura at number five,” e-mailed Jimmy Montgomery. “I’m predicting he’ll make history by being the first Japanese wrestler to take the top spot.”…

HARRIET TUBMAN, SUSAN B. Anthony, Clara Barton, Rosa Parks, and Sacagawea. Those are the names dominating the ongoing debate over which woman should replace Alexander Hamilton on the $10 bill by the year 2020. Those are important figures in U.S. history to be sure, but why can’t the new face of the $10 bill be someone from entertainment, sports, or other fields of endeavor? I’d like to offer a few candidates representing our universe, pro wrestling. Among some demographic groups, they’re just as well known as the aforementioned females. I will take the liberty of waiving one restriction imposed by the Treasury Department —that the candidate no longer be alive. Several of our pioneers are alive and well. In the spirit of the “PWI Female 50” highlighted in this issue,…

ELIE WIESEL, a renowned Polish author and 1986 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, once said, “There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.” Wiesel may not be much of a wrestling fan (though if he were, he’d probably be fond of Bobby Heenan), but if he read this article, even he would be outraged. We may not be able to right these wrongs, but we know it’s our job to protest ... and we urge all of you to let your voices be heard. FEAST OR FIRED In the movie White Men Can’t Jump, Rosie Perez says that “sometimes when you win, you actually lose,” and nowhere does that mantra ring truer than in TNA’s “Feast…

WITH ALL DUE respect to the wildly entertaining WWE Slammy Awards presentation, it’s hard to believe that Roman Reigns could have been voted Superstar of the Year for 2014, a year that featured Brock Lesnar breaking The Undertaker’s WrestleMania winning streak and nearly breaking John Cena and also Daniel Bryan beating Triple-H and then Batista and Randy Orton for the World title at ’Mania. If Reigns was indeed the “people’s choice,” it’s pretty safe to assume that in this instance, “people” can be defined as Vince McMahon. Reigns, who was being groomed as the new face of the company, didn’t even rank among the top 13 finishers in PRo Wrestling ILLUSTRATED's Wrestler of the Year balloting last year. Not all of the Slammys were this far off the mark, but…

Go ahead and call Madison Eagles a two-timer. After all, she comes by that distinction honestly. At SHIMMER’s live event in Berwyn, Illinois, on October 10, Madison earned the promotion’s top title for the second time when she beat Nicole Matthews in a no-disqualification match. The Aussie’s first run with the strap stretched from April 2010 to October 2011, and she had her fill of seeing other lady grapplers at the top of the heap in the years since then. ¶ Her title bout against Matthews punctuates a lengthy rivalry between the two women, capped by a raucous bout in which the combatants used a chair, a bat, and a belt as they brawled outside of the ring. In the end, Madison pinned the incumbent champ after putting her down…