Table of contents for May 2021 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated

OSCAR SEASON, FOR me, typically means two things: Getting to watch a bunch of terrific movies at my local cinema, and trying to find ways to tie some of those films’ titles into an Academy Award-themed edition of “Quick Count.” While the pandemic may complicate my ability to carry out the first of those missions, I shall not be deterred from the second. The envelope, please… NEWS OF THE WORLD For nearly 40 years now, The Wrestling Observer has been the go-to source for fans and insiders hungry to learn more about the inner workings of the professional wrestling industry. As the man lifting the curtain for us to get a peek behind it, Dave Meltzer has, at times, been the most beloved figure in the business … and the…

PROMOTION: ALL ELITE WRESTLING DATE: 01.06.21 & 01.13.21 LOCATION: JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA ALL ELITE WRESTLING kicked off 2021 with New Year’s Smash. The two-week special—which unfolded on Dynamite in January—was pushed back a week due to the December 30 episode dedicated to honoring Jon Huber (Brodie Lee, Luke Harper), after his tragic passing. NIGHT ONE The first night of action kicked off with a hot opener highlighting AEW’s strong tag team division. The Young Bucks and SoCal Uncensored (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian) defeated The Acclaimed and The Hybrid 2. Those who’ve read the book, Young Bucks: Killing the Business from Backyards to the Big Leagues, know what a thrill it must have been for Matt and Nick Jackson to team with SCU. The match ended in spectacular fashion when Matt…

PROMOTION: MAJOR LEAGUE WRESTLING DATE: 01.06.21 LOCATION: ORLANDO, FLORIDA ORIGINALLY CONCEIVED AS the company’s second-ever pay-per-view event, Major League Wrestling’s Kings of Colosseum was instead offered for free in the promotion’s usual Fusion timeslot. The event, which was the sequel to the 2019 supercard of the same name, was scheduled to feature four matches—including three championship bouts. THE VON ERICHS VS. THE DIRTY BLONDES Despite a relative lack of activity over the last 12 months, Marshall and Ross Von Erich were impressive enough as a unit to rank #39 on PWI’s inaugural “Tag Team 50” list. After defeating the duo of MJF and Richard Holliday at 2019’s Saturday Night SuperFight, the Von Erichs retained the MLW World tag title throughout early 2020 and reemerged to defend it when the company…

IN ORDER TO help our readers separate the proverbial wheat from the chaff, Pro Wrestling Illustrated has historically designated a limited number of official “world” championships—recognizing the heavyweight, Women’s, and tag team champions of a select few promotions as legitimate. This is in line with the way that certain boxing publications—most notably, The Ring—would let readers know which titles were the real deal. Over the years, countless championships have been touted as “world titles” by their promoters. But, with a handful of exceptions, PWI has typically not referred to those prizes in the same way. Though our magazine has largely moved away from its kayfabe roots, we still feel there is value in the formal world title designation—calling someone a “world champion” only when the title truly fits. With the…

THERE ARE SOME who were literally born to be successful athletes. People predetermined from before they ever set foot in a gym to take their place among the all-time greats. People who seem to have been put on Earth to excel at athletic endeavors and become great at whatever they put their mind and determination to. Danny Hodge was one of those people. When the sports world lost Hodge last Christmas Eve at the age of 88, it lost a man who had achieved feats at a level that will likely never be equaled. He is the only person to ever win national championships in both amateur wrestling and amateur boxing. He was an Olympic silver medalist in middleweight freestyle wrestling at the 1956 Melbourne Summer Games. He was the…

PROMOTION: WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT DATE: 01.31.21 LOCATION: ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA THE 2021 ROYAL Rumble was the 34th occurrence of the annual event, one of the “Big Four” pay-per-views WWE runs each year. The event is, of course, named after the celebrated Royal Rumble match: a battle royal with 30 entrants who enter the match at 90-second intervals. For the 34th Royal Rumble, the pre-show held one championship match, while the main show featured a lineup of five matches—a Women’s Royal Rumble match, a Men’s Royal Rumble match, and three championship fights. NIA JAX AND SHAYNA BASZLER VS. ASUKA AND CHARLOTTE FLAIR Back in August at Payback, Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler captured the WWE Women’s tag team championship from Sasha Banks & Bayley, who, by that time, already had a faltering…

PROMOTION: LUCHA LIBRE AAA DATE: 12.12.20 LOCATION: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO FOR NEARLY 30 years, AAA’s Triplemania has been of great interest to wrestling fans worldwide. For lucha purists, the supercard marks a time for celebration. To casual viewers, the ones who perch on the edge of the fandom, the event sometimes plays out more like a dark comedy than a stoic epic. Certain fans tune in specifically expecting chaos … and they may be justified in doing so. After all, Triplemania 23 saw a match between Psycho Circus and The Villanos receive a very rare-5 star rating from the Wrestling Observer newsletter—one of only five matches to ever receive that grade. But, in true 2020 fashion, Triplemania 28 defied expectations and presented the wrestling world with a robust, cohesive, and…

TRIBUTE TO BRODIE LEE AEW faced perhaps the ultimate challenge on December 30: how to say goodbye to one of the industry’s top stars and present two hours of compelling wrestling action while grieving family members are on hand and a mournful locker room tries to recover. And, oh, do this on live television with very little notice. Tony Khan and Cody Rhodes led the effort to meet the challenge magnificently, revealing the heart, soul, and values of the young company during a heart-wrenching time. The episode drew comparisons to the May 24, 1999, edition of Raw, a two-hour tribute to Owen Hart, who had fallen more than 70 feet to his death at a WWF pay-per-view the previous night. There were similarities: Like Hart, Brodie Lee was loved and…

BORN November 3, 1989 in Durango, Mexico … Third-gen luchador’s relatives include Brillante (father), Jose “El Moro” Andrade (grandfather), and numerous uncles … Made in-ring debut at 13 when Brillante signed a waiver for him to compete … Adopted the name Brillante Jr. … Early rivalry with uncle Zafiro set precedent for winning high-stakes Lucha de Apuesta matches … 2007 CMLL signing saw him become La Sombra … Breakthrough partnership with Mistico paved way for tag, trios, and NWA Welterweight gold by age 18 … Rivalry with El Felino and Puma King raged for months in 2010, with El Felino losing his mask at Dos Leyendas … Notched second Trios reign with defining win over Hiroshi Tanahashi, Okumura, and Taichi … Crossed Pacific to compete in Best of Super Juniors…

AMANDA HUBER SHARED intimate details of Brodie Lee’s final two months and the desperate life-or-death struggle to save her husband. In an interview with Aubrey Edwards on the AEW Unrestricted podcast, Huber described how quickly a case of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis settled into Lee’s lungs, and how the fight seemed nearly insurmountable from the outset. Huber explained that Lee had reported to Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida, for that night’s Dynamite, and, although the 6’5”, 275-pound star tested negative for COVID-19, AEW’s resident physician, Dr. Michael Sampson, noted that something didn’t seem right and recommended that he return home to quarantine and rest. Lee’s temperature rose to 102.9 degrees, and his wife urged him to visit the hospital. By that time, his oxygen level had decreased to 52. A normal…

DURING A RECENT broadcast of SiriusXM’s Busted Open, Bully Ray shared a story about Arn Anderson, who had worked as an agent during The Dudley Boyz’ WWE heyday. The Dudleys were facing William Regal and Lance Storm. Anderson thought Regal hitting Ray with a running knee was a sufficient finish. “Damn, Buh Buh, if a man runs at you and kicks you in the head with his knee, you’re gonna get knocked out,” reasoned Anderson. Bully recalled bristling at the idea. That might have worked in a previous generation, but, in an era when superstars possess almost superhuman resilience, he thought that finish would make him look extraordinarily weak. With this anecdote, Bully didn’t intend to criticize Anderson, but wanted to point out that insiders could view professional wrestling quite…

PROMOTION: IMPACT WRESTLING DATE: 01.16.21 LOCATION: NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE IMPACT WRESTLING’S FIRST PPV of 2021 was held on Saturday, January 16, 2021, at Skyway Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. Although there were no fans in attendance due to Impact’s COVID-19 safety protocols, there was still a genuine buzz of excitement surrounding the show. Much of that excitement was because the event promised the in-ring debut of AEW World champion Kenny Omega in Impact Wrestling. Impact’s newest broadcast team, Matt Striker and D’Lo Brown, welcomed everyone to the pay-per-view, which kicked off with a partial reunion of the Decay faction as Rosemary and Crazzy Steve joined forces to take on Tenille Dashwood and Kaleb with a K. The intergender tag team match saw brawling, biting, and even a gratuitous selfie by Dashwood and…

PROMOTION: RING OF HONOR DATE: 12.10.20 LOCATION: BALTIMORE, MARYLAND RING OF HONOR hosted its annual year-end event, Final Battle, on December 10, 2020. Unlike previous years, there weren’t a lot of feuds being capped off on this show. But, as always, Ring of Honor brought some great wrestling and planted seeds for the future. Jonathan Gresham—who was pulling double duty that night—and Jay Lethal were set to defend the Ring of Honor World tag team championship against Mark Briscoe and PCO in the opening match. Briscoe wanted to go at it with another partner as his brother, Jay, pursued the ROH World championship once again. As usual, PCO had to include a couple of his wacky antics in the match. Lethal and Gresham had been teasing a Pure title feud,…

The Moscow-born grappler learned the ropes in the U.S., paid her dues in Canada, and, at the onset of a pandemic, opted to continue training in Japan instead of flying home. After betting on herself, she’s hoping to hit the jackpot. IN 2020, THE world was faced with a global pandemic that sent the lives of millions into a tailspin. As COVID-19 began to wreak its havoc on North America, independent wrestler Masha Slamovich was faced with the biggest decision of her young career—one that would forever impact her trajectory in professional wrestling. Almost seven thousand miles away from home, Slamovich has now been living and training for over a year in Chiba, Japan. What was originally intended to be her second tour of the country—and the first with the…