Table of contents for August 2017 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated

AFTER WATCHING THE match between Katsuyori Shibata and Kazuchika Okada at New Japan’s “Sakura Genesis,” my first thought was this: If I didn’t have any foreknowledge that professional wrestling matches were ostensibly simulated fights, nothing that I had just seen would give me a reason to question the validity of pro wrestling as actual combat. Think about that for a moment. I’ve been with PWI for almost 38 years. I’ve watched thousands of wrestling matches. The good ones are so emotionally gripping that you can easily get caught up in the action. Even the best of these have moments that bring you back to reality. There was nothing about the Shibata-Okada match that would tip off the uninitiated. That may sound good, but it is not. The Shibata-Okada match, which…

HAVING GROWN UP on ’80s hair metal, part of me still thinks of a lot of the bands that came up during the 1990s alternative scene as “new” artists. And so the recent induction of Pearl Jam into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame really has me feeling old. I guess time flies when you’re having fun—just as it drags when you’re watching WrestleMania 33. Is that thing over yet? So turn out the lights, because it’s less dangerous, and enjoy this grunge-inspired edition of “Quick Count.” NEVERMIND Remember the eight months we spent hyping the repackaging of one of our wrestlers? Yeah, forget we did that. That was pretty much the message received by fans when they witnessed the long-awaited return of Emma on the April 3 edition…

TAP HERE TO VIEW VIDEO TO USE A baseball analogy, if Christopher Daniels were ever to get inducted into the Hall of Fame, his plaque at Cooperstown would likely depict him wearing a Ring of Honor cap. From the night he competed in the main event of the very first ROH event in 2002—a three-way match that included Bryan Danielson and Low-Ki— through his multiple title victories in the company, both as a singles competitor and teaming with longtime Addiction partner Frankie Kazarian, Daniels’ name has been almost synonymous with ROH over the last decade-and-a-half. Despite having found international success over his 24 years in the sport, including championship runs in TNA and New Japan, the former “Fallen Angel” has soared the highest when competing in ROH. And so it…

IN EARLY MARCH, a random sampling of 250 PWI print and digital subscribers received either an e-mail or a letter asking them to participate in the 2017 PWI Poll, our annual survey on the state of wrestling. Our panelists were given a series of 50 questions that touched on various aspects of the game. Their responses were tabulated by the editorial staff and compiled in the pages ahead. The PWI Poll provides a unique insight into the the wrestling industry. Our panelists ranged in age from 14 to 57. They were selected from geographically diverse areas throughout the U.S. and Canada, with a handful from England, Mexico, Japan, and Australia as well. While all were knowledgeable about the wrestling world (they are PWI subscribers, after all), some were primarily WWE…

RAW [USA] --VIEWERS IN MILLIONS February 13: 3.07 February 20: 3.22 February 27: 3.09 March 6: 3.21 March 13: 3.23 March 20: 3.05 March 27: 3.35 April 3: 4.09   Analysis: The “Raw after WrestleMania” phenomenon has gotten a lot of play lately, thanks in part to a WWE DVD highlighting arguably the number-one cable show of the year. This year’s Raw was no different—literally— because the show drew 4.09 million viewers, virtually the same number as the Raw after WrestleMania 32. Strangely enough, the lowest-rated Raw of the past couple of months was the March 20 edition featuring The Undertaker. Here’s the story: Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman was the advertised main event, but The Undertaker’s appearance was a surprise. When is Creative going to learn? It’s okay to have surprising storyline twists, or even surprise…

SEND LETTERS TO: BETWEEN FALLS Box 96 Ft. Washington, PA 19034 OR you can e-mail your comments to prowrestlingillustrated@yahoo.com PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED welcomes readers comments on any of our stories or columns SASHA/CHARLOTTE We received massive Twitter feedback on the June 2017 cover featuring Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair posing together, including a big-time “Wooooo!” from Ric Flair himself. “This was the best PWI cover ever,” e-mailed Dan Etheridge of Cleveland, Ohio. “When I first saw it, I thought that Sasha and Charlotte were okay with each other, but Stu Saks’ ‘Publisher’s Note’ put that idea to rest. Great job!” “This cover was an obvious mea culpa for not having a woman on the cover of the ‘Female 50’ issue,” wrote Beth Norwood of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. “Great cover, PWI.…

BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE Getting fired from a job is the kind of life experience that tends to taint otherwise favorable reminiscences of good-natured co-workers and workplace achievements. Following his abrupt release from WWE in late-2014, ring announcer Justin Roberts might have chosen to look back on his time in the company with an understandable degree of contempt, much like anyone else on the receiving end of a pink slip. Instead, Roberts takes the proverbial high road in his new book, Best Seat In The House: Your Backstage Pass Through My WWE Journey, offering an amiable account of his dozen years between the ropes and behind the mic. Roberts sets the stage for his journey to stardom with a nod to his humble midwestern roots and a driving aspiration…

KENNY OMEGA’S QUEST for a rematch against IWGP champion Kazuchika Okada hit a roadblock when he suffered an upset loss to Tomohiro Ishii in the opening round of the 2017 New Japan Cup Tournament. The 10-day singleelimination tournament was won by Katsuyori Shibata, who took down Bad Luck Fale in the finals on March 20. Shibata also defeated Ishii, Juice Robinson, and Minoru Suzuki in tournament bouts. With the New Japan Cup victory, Shibata earned a title shot for either IWGP heavyweight, Intercontinental, or NEVER openweight title. Shibata wasted little time in making his decision and challenged Okada for the IWGP heavyweight title on April 9 at New Japan’s “Sakura Genesis” event. Unfortunately for Shibata, his winning ways came to an end at Genesis, as he was defeated by Okada…

FOR PERIOD ENDED APRIL 12, 2017     WWE RAW Universal Champion: (–) 286, Minneapolis, MN 1—SETH ROLLINS  (–) 217, Davenport, IA 2—ROMAN REIGNS  (4) 265, Pensacola, FL 3—DEAN AMBROSE  (–) 225, Cincinnati, OH 4—CHRIS JERICHO  (1) 227, Winnipeg, MB 5—SAMOA JOE  (3) Huntington Beach, CA 6—NEVILLE  (9) 194, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Eng. 7—BRAUN STROWMAN  (2) 385, Sherrills Ford, NC 8—BRAY WYATT  (–) 285, Brooksville, FL 9—BIG SHOW  (8) 380, Tampa, FL 10—FINN BALOR  (–) 190, Bray, Ireland WWE Champion: (4) 250, St. Louis, MO 1—JOHN CENA  (1) 251, West Newbury, MA 2—KEVIN OWENS  (–) 266, Marieville, QC 3—AJ STYLES  (2) 218, Gainesville, GA 4—BARON CORBIN  (7) 275, Lenexa, KS 5—MOJO RAWLEY  (10) 265, Alexandria, VA 6—DOLPH ZIGGLER  (5) 221, Hollywood, CA 7—SAMI ZAYN  (–) 205, Montreal, QC 8—SHINSUKE NAKAMURA …

60-DAY HIGH: 23.14 on February 1 60-DAY LOW: 20.09 on March 14 52-WEEK HIGH: 23.14 on February 14, 2017 52-WEEK LOW: 15.55 on April 12, 2016 Investors loved WWE on Valentine’s Day, driving the stock to 23.14, capping a steady ascendance in early-February. WWE stock remained over $20 per share through WrestleMania season, the time of year when it tends to do best. But it wasn’t just WrestleMania hype. Shares have remained consistently over the 20.00 mark for the past several months, a streak not experienced since the early days of the stock in 1999, and its value has doubled since its lowest point in 2014. It’s hard to believe the stock has taken this long to completely recover from the catastrophes of 9/11 and the 2008 financial collapse. Frankly,…

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 fourway 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 FLORIDA ORLANDO—EVOLVE at the Downtown Recreation Center: Drew Galloway pinned Matt Riddle … Timothy Thatcher beat Chris Dickinson by submission … Lio Rush beat Jaka and Jason Kincaid in a three-way … Blaster McMassive & Flex Rumblecrunch defeated Façade & Michael Richard Blais … Ethan Page pinned…