Table of contents for November 2021 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated

COUNT ME AMONG the 60-million Americans who struggle with insomnia each year. I’ve tried everything from medications to dietary changes, to relaxation techniques, and nothing has worked. It may be time for the last resort: watching all three hours of Monday Night Raw. If that can’t put me to sleep, nothing will. Now, close your eyes and enjoy this sleep-inspired edition of “Quick Count.” SNOOZEFEST Seriously: Could Raw be any more boring these days? While not as actively bad as a year ago, when Seth Rollins and Rey Mysterio were literally trying to pluck each other’s eyeballs out, there’s just not a lot to get excited over on WWE’s Monday night flagship. Sure, Bobby Lashley has impressed in his role as a dominant powerhouse World champion, but he’s lacked the…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6r8jXBp_fE THE JOURNEY TO AEW stardom is not often easy. And, for Powerhouse Hobbs, neither was growing up in Northern California. Silicon Valley is home to a very lucrative and expansive tech industry, but deep in the streets of East Palo Alto was a lot of trouble—trouble that would shape Hobbs early, as he lost a brother to gun violence (an issue many young Black men experience). Pro wrestling was something that kept Hobbs out of trouble. “I hit my first spinebuster at eight years old,” he recalled. “Wrestling a pillow on my big mama’s bed, that was my favorite move.” The 6’1”, 270-pound Will Hobbs has been a “Powerhouse” for years, cutting his teeth in long-time Northern California promotion All Pro Wrestling, which was previously spotlighted in the documentary…

SINCE VIRTUALLY THE dawn of professional wrestling itself, Canada has been a stalwart provider of exceptionally gifted performers who have helped to shape the very fabric of this great industry. Yet, somewhere along the way, things began to change for my countrymen. During the past year, I took the time to reflect on the landscape of the professional wrestling industry and began to see many people getting opportunities in major promotions, yet less than 1% of these people were Canadians. As I dug deeper into what I figured was an anomaly or oversight, I began to uncover the infuriating reality of what we as Canadians are truly up against in trying to get hired by the world’s top wrestling promotions. As a 16-year veteran of the squared circle, dubbed by…

SUBSCRIPTION BOXES. YOU’VE probably heard of them before, but what are they, exactly? Why do people want them? These little packages of joy have taken the world by storm, becoming increasingly popular in recent years. Delivered on a recurring basis—typically, about once a month—subscription boxes are collections of items curated to different niche audiences. Pick a hobby or guilty pleasure, and I can almost guarantee there’s a subscription box for it. Jewelry, clothes, makeup, food, travel, gardening … the list is absolutely endless. I’ve received many subscription boxes over the years. You would be amazed at how many options there are for fitness junkies! The strangest thing is, most boxes are complete surprises. You won’t know what you’re getting until you open the package—and I think that’s one of the…

WELCOME TO THE second edition of “Smooth’s Court: A Global Wrestling Experience.” As mentioned last month, “Smooth’s Court” will regularly feature interviews with influential figures in professional wrestling from around the world. In the past several weeks, I was able to speak with former two-time World of Stardom champion (and leader of STARS), Mayu Iwatani. If that isn’t exciting enough, I also spoke with New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s lead play-by-play announcer, Kevin Kelly, who was preparing for the upcoming New Japan Resurgence PPV at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. MAYU IWATANI In 2011, when Mayu Iwatani began training with the world’s premier joshi promotion, she never thought she’d be the “Stardom Icon” she is today. “When I first made my debut, I had a lot of matches, but I never had…

UNLIKE A LOT of people who are heavy into old-school wrestling, I also happen to love and follow today’s professional wrestling very closely. (I wouldn’t be writing for this magazine if I didn’t.) I try not to get too lost in nostalgia and fall into that trap of, “Things were better way back when,” because, often, that’s just not true. Wrestling has always been in a state of flux, even “way back when.” In fact, people are often surprised when I tell them my most “must-see” weekly wrestling these days is AEW Dynamite. After all, AEW seems to drive a lot of old-school purists nuts. And it definitely represents a new and, in many ways, non-traditional approach to wrestling. I find it fresh, interesting, and compelling for a lot of…

CATCHING UP WITH JOSHI’S MOST EXCITING STABLE WHEN ASKED WHERE they see themselves in two years, most people don’t answer by stating they will be a part of a powerful group, holding multiple championships and headlining important events in large arenas. But that’s exactly what happened for two of Stardom’s best: Donna del Mondo members Giulia and Syuri. In January 2020, having joined World Wonder Ring Stardom only a month prior, Giulia needed some allies. And so, she decided to form Donna del Mondo (“Women Of The World” in Italian). Giulia recruited the best joshi wrestlers the world could offer, eventually adding four women with diverse backgrounds to the faction over the course of the following nine months. Giulia, Syuri, Maika, Himeka, and Natsupoi together form Donna Del Mondo—all with…

ON APRIL 13, 1612, two of the finest swordsmen in all of Japan competed in a duel to the death to prove who was the country’s finest warrior. To prevent outside interference from their respective entourages, the duel was held on the small island of Ganryu-jima, found in the strait between the modern islands of Honshu and Kyushu. In the end, it was the ronin Miyamoto Musashi who fatally wounded Kojiro Sasaki, declaring himself Japan’s ultimate warrior. For centuries, the island was a monument to that historic battle. And, on October 7, 1987, it would become a battleground once again, as New Japan Pro-Wrestling made it the locale for a duel between two modern Japanese warriors, Antonio Inoki and Masa Saito, in the infamous Ganryu-jima “Island Death Match.” Much like…

LEE MORIARTY IS not the best technical wrestler in North America. That’s according to Moriarty himself. The “Master of TAIGASTYLE” wants to be so much more than that. And he actually coined the term because of it. “TAIGASTYLE wasn’t just because of Bruce Lee and Jeet Kune Do, but all of the styles I love put together in professional wrestling,” said Moriarty. Due to the way that he is presented, many are quick to assume that Moriarty is just a technical wrestler. But he is constantly working to be a master of many styles. Inspired by Bruce Lee, as well as the original Tiger Mask, Moriarty wanted to carve his style from the martial arts, as many young Black men of this age were inspired by the martial arts movies…

OVER THE LAST 17 months since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, American indies in many states have found ways to operate … and even expand. By and large, that has not been the case for promoters on the West Coast—and particularly the Pacific Northwest, where Without A Cause makes its home. Aside from a handful of empty venue tapings in late-2020 and early-2021 (dubbed “Without A Crowd”), the popular promotion has sat idly by as independents across the country have returned to something approaching normal. In other parts of the U.S., shows were able to run outdoors—or, for better or worse, indoors—as early as last spring. But WAC didn’t really have the luxury of choosing either of those options. “Washington State has a different set of laws. And, since we…

THE SOUND OF breaking glass. An orchestral organ spewing fire and brimstone. “Ride Of The Valkyries” prompting “Yes” chants. “Can you dig it, sucka?” Whether you’re Steve Austin, Kane, Daniel Bryan, or Booker T, it’s pure magic when a capacity crowd responds on cue to the opening notes or spoken intro of your entrance music—fans rising to their feet before you’ve even appeared on the entrance ramp. Entrance music is an essential aspect of a wrestler’s persona and brand. It’s not an enhancement; it’s part of the show. Gone are the days when wrestlers would pop in a cassette of a random FM radio hit. The best entrance themes are now custom-made for those they represent. “Cashed a lot of checks … Gotta face the facts … Gotta take the…

IT’S A MATCH fans are so hopeful for and intrigued by that they’re afraid to even discuss it out loud, for fear of jinxing it. After all, this kind of showdown doesn’t come along often, and, in fact, is almost generational in nature. One superstar, fully unleashed after years of frustration, asserts his dominance over the sport and builds his entire persona on the strength of earning his spot at the head of the table … the ultimate alpha dog. The other, a legend of WWE’s past who became a worldwide celebrity, may be the only man who can stop him. And, if he can’t, then a true turning point in WWE history may be at hand. Bound by a blood oath taken by their grandfathers, Roman Reigns and Dwayne…

AS AN ADVOCATE for women’s wrestling, I hope to see women’s wrestling as often as I can, in every promotion, territory, and medium conceivable. So, imagine my excitement when it was announced the NWA would be holding an all-women’s pay-per-view event, titled “NWA EmPowerrr”, executive produced by 22-year wrestling veteran Mickie James. I was so excited by the prospect of the show, to be run by one of the biggest legends in the game, that I reached out to Mickie to learn more about the upcoming event. Recently released by WWE, who sent her belongings to her in a trash bag, it wasn’t a surprise that the five-time Women’s champion had women’s wrestling on the brain. I asked her to share what specifically prompted the idea for the upcoming event.…

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 JAPAN YOKOHAMA—Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling-Explosion at Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market: Yumehito Imanari defeated Buatsushi Futonita … HASEGAWA, Naoshi Sano, & Yuichi Taniguchi beat Monster Leather, Mr. Atomic, & Toshiya Kawarai … Brahman Kei & Brahman Shu wrestled Gabai Ji-chan & Kikutaro to a no-contest … Drew Parker…