Table of contents for February 2022 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated

IT’S WORTH POINTING out that, at least for some readers of this magazine, our digital offerings are an afterthought. I don’t bring this up as a slight to the digital version of our magazine—available for Kindle, on Zinio, and on our mobile app (iPhone and Google Play)—but to underline the fact that print media still means a whole lot to many individuals. And I know, because I’m one of them. Yes, I’m the guy who insists on holding a pulpy book in his hands, who still buys albums on vinyl, and who likes to own Blu-Ray versions of his favorite movies and TV shows. For myself and many folks like me, there will always be a place for print media and tangible, physical objects. However, I’m technically a millennial—albeit, an…

SIX DECADES AFTER he first suited up, Spider-Man is still going strong, with two new movies on the way. Much of that popularity is owed to his enemies, who make up some of the most colorful supervillains in comic book folklore. In retrospect, maybe that’s why Brad Armstrong’s Spidey-inspired “Arachnaman” gimmick never took off—he just didn’t have the right opponents. Listen, bud, this edition of “Quick Count” is dedicated to the bad guys of the Spider-verse: Being caught, just like flies, since 1962. MYSTERIO The sheer notion of Dominik Mysterio turning on his father is enough to turn the stomach of many a WWE fan. But Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio may be the best wrestling match that none of us want to see. Now in the twilight of his…

THE ROAD TO becoming the fourth-ever Black WWE World champion has, for Big E, been just as long and difficult as it was for the previous three champions. A former football player turned homegrown WWE superstar, Ettore Ewen reached the highest of the highs—the mountaintop, as they call it—on September 13, 2021, in Boston, Massachusetts. E’s WWE championship win was celebrated alongside Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, with whom he comprises arguably the greatest faction in modern WWE history, The New Day. But that coronation didn’t happen overnight. It was the result of 12 years of hard work—from competing against numerous other future hall-of-fame wrestlers in Florida Championship Wrestling to becoming the first-ever NXT champion; breaking lifting records in John Cena’s gym to breaking onto the main roster alongside Dolph…

KIMBER LEE BORN JUNE 27, 1990 in Seattle, Washington … Trained by Drew Gulak at the Combat Zone Wrestling Academy … After some Mid-Atlantic indie dates, debuted for CZW with a victory over Austin Uzzie … Teamed with Joe Gacy and Ryan Slater at Cage of Death 13, falling to BLK Out … Faced Alex Colon in another losing effort at CZW’s 13th anniversary show … Traded wins with Mia Yim throughout 2012 … Earned first championship gold in September, capturing DCW (Delaware) tag title with Kacee Carlisle … In November, she won the DCW Women’s belt, upending Jessie Kaye (WWE ref Jessika Carr) in a title-vs.-title match … Joined Drew Gulak’s detestable “Campaign For A Better Combat Zone” … Made SHIMMER debut in spring 2013, where she’d form The…

“INTERESTING” IS A good word to describe NXT 2.0. "INTERESTING” We’ve spent years trying to figure out if NXT is truly a developmental brand, a third brand, an indie branch of WWE, or … what, exactly? For the better part of a decade, NXT brought “super indie” match-ups to the main stage of the WWE Network, and, later, the USA Network—like a TV version of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. Adam Cole, Johnny Gargano, Ricochet, and Tommaso Ciampa were independent wrestling stars and champions all over the world before entering the fold over at NXT. They spent much of the last few years bringing that exact style, which brought them to the dance, to Wednesday nights and TakeOvers. But, for the most part, when wrestlers cut from that cloth have entered the…

IF YOU HADN’T heard of her before, you most certainly have now. Ranked #2 in the 2021 PWI “Women’s 150,” Utami Hayashishita holds the distinction of being the highest-ranked representative of a Japanese promotion in the history of our annual women’s list. At press time, she was nearing a full year as the reigning World of Stardom champion, boasting an impressive eight successful title defenses against the promotion’s top stars. In September 2020, she won the celebrated 5STAR Grand Prix tournament. And, if that wasn’t enough, her June 12, 2021 battle against Syuri was rated 5.5 stars by Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer—making it the highest-rated women’s match of all-time. Despite these early successes, the 23-year old powerhouse understands her story is not typical. “I think it’s amazing to…

ADMITTEDLY, WHEN I first started watching wrestling, I had no idea an independent scene existed. When I did finally learn about indie wrestling, I was faced with the additional challenge of learning about what one could call subscenes. Subscenes, historically dubbed “territories,” have always held their own history, their own legacies, and their own particular brand of special. But what makes a localized wrestling atmosphere so special? Why are some styles of wrestling seen so frequently in one part of the nation, and almost never seen in other parts? And how does a local area create a state of mind that develops talent in its own unique way? In wrestling’s distant past, there wasn’t a major national promotion, and so professional wrestling territories—or regionally based promotions—provided fans with local shows…

IN ITS LATEST example of baffling business decisions and gross talent squandering, WWE came to terms in November on the release of Keith Lee, one of its most promising prospects. This column had originally been inspired by WWE’s decision to grant him the nickname “Bearcat,” in honor of the great Bearcat Wright. Now, it stands as a tribute to what might have been. Imagine, if you will, a heavy-hitter in baseball taking on the nickname “The Bambino,” and having it be ridiculed because it’s a silly-sounding name. It’s hard to imagine this scenario, since Babe Ruth’s nickname is well-known—and, unlike wrestling, baseball has done a sterling job of celebrating its history. All of its history, and not just what serves the interests of a given promotion. Perhaps that’s why there…

VINCE MCMAHON IS out of touch. He’s the new Verne Gagne. His competition is the cool alternative. His superstars are defecting. His company is in peril. I’ve been hearing those kinds of comments over the past couple of years. I remember vividly when those statements were being made in 1997. In the fall of that year, the PWI offices received calls from inside sources suggesting the WWF was on the verge of bankruptcy. It was even worse than what the newsletters were reporting at the time. Bret Hart’s contract was up for renegotiation and WCW would certainly make a larger offer. Monday Nitro was amid its 83-week ratings winning streak against Monday Night Raw. The outlook was bleak. Thank goodness, no company’s survival is at stake in 2021. Modern-day WWE…

FOCUS ON… WWE SMACKDOWN SMACKDOWN VIEWER NUMBERS [USA] September 24: 2,135,000 October 1: 2,252,000 October 8: 2,147,000 October 15: 866,000 [FS1] October 22: 2,249,000 October 29: 1,032,000 [FS1] Analysis: “The moment I arrive at Smackdown, I will beat Roman Reigns senseless.” Roman Reigns had barely escaped Saudi Arabia with the WWE Universal title intact, and Brock Lesnar posted that simple tweet, ensuring that millions of fans would tune in to Smackdown on October 22, the day after their titanic battle at Crown Jewel. Lesnar, true to his word, attacked Reigns and the Uso brothers, and the intrigue regarding Paul Heyman’s true loyalty was at a fever pitch. That episode from Wichita, Kansas, drew 2.2 million viewers—about the same as the October 1 edition, the first time that Lesnar laid waste…

BEING FROM MONTREAL, Quebec, I’ve long thought the Canadian scene was being overlooked in this magazine. “On The Indies” only covers the U.S. independent scene, while “Smooth’s Court” (formerly: “International Report”) mostly covers Japan, Mexico, and Europe. Hereby, I’m very proud to present a first in PWI’s rich history: “Coast to Coast,” two pages dedicated only to Canada. On September 4, in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia—Kaizen Pro Wrestling’s second-anniversary show—KPW champion Covey Christ defeated Aiden Prince. This was only Kaizen’s fourth show in 2021, due to strict COVID-19 restrictions throughout the country. New Brunswick-based North Pro Wrestling also reconnected with its fans on September 4, by having a show in Moncton. Aside from talent like Channing Decker (who personified Brian Pillman and Chris Benoit on Dark Side of the Ring) and…

FOR PERIOD ENDED OCTOBER 31, 2021 HEAVYWEIGHT 1 BIG E 285, Tampa, FL (1) WWE World champion 2 ROMAN REIGNS 265, Pensacola, FL (2) WWE Universal champion 3 KENNY OMEGA 203, Winnipeg, MB (3) AEW/AAA champ 4 SHINGO TAKAGI 212, Yamanashi, Japan (4) IWGP World champion 5 KATSUHIKO NAKAJIMA 192, Fukuoka, Japan (–) GHC heavyweight champion 6 ALEX HAMMERSTONE 251, Phoenix, AZ (–) MLW World champion 7 BANDIDO 183, Torreon, Mexico (5) ROH World champion 8 ALEX SHELLEY 215, Detroit, MI (–) IWTV World champion 9 DAMIAN PRIEST 249, New York, NY (9) WWE U.S. champion 10 MOOSE 300, Orlando, FL (–) IMPACT World champion WOMEN 1 BRITT BAKER 135, Pittsburgh, PA (1) AEW Women’s champion 2 CHARLOTTE FLAIR 148, The Queen City (2) Smackdown Women’s champion 3 UTAMI HAYASHISHITA…