Table of contents for October 2022 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated

AT THE TIME of this writing, it has been about two weeks since Sasha Banks and Naomi made headlines by surrendering their WWE Women’s tag team championship belts and walking out ahead of a scheduled match on Monday Night Raw. Apart from the fact that two of WWE’s most popular stars left a TV taping where they were set to appear, this story is notable for just how publicly it has played out. First of all, that night’s scheduled main event (featuring both Naomi and Banks) was scrapped, replaced with a singles bout between Becky Lynch and Asuka. On color commentary, WWE announcer Corey Graves referred to Banks’ and Naomi’s actions as “unprofessional.” The response continued offscreen. WWE quickly sent out a press release lacking the tone and corporate quirks…

INTERVIEWING NWA OWNER and Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan in the August issue of PWI reminded me of the awesomeness of the ’90s alternative rock scene. Bands like the Pumpkins, Stone Temple Pilots, and Bush provided the soundtrack to my college years. They also inspired some less-than-memorable wrestling gimmicks, like Rad Radford (Louie Spicolli). To paraphrase Radiohead: What the hell was he doing here? A 1990s alt-rock edition of “Quick Count”? Say it ain’t so. 1979 Cody Rhodes’ inspiring pursuit of the WWE championship, in order to fulfill his father’s mission, may have left some newer fans thinking that the “American Dream” was never able to win the big one. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. This August marks the 43rd anniversary of the night Dusty Rhodes…

IN AUGUST 2021, New Japan Pro-Wrestling held its first large-scale event in the United States since the start of the global pandemic in March 2020, presenting NJPW Resurgence at the L.A. Torch. The show’s main event featured the long-awaited return of Hiroshi Tanahashi to the U.S. in a clash with AEW’s Lance Archer for the IWGP United States championship. The “Once In A Century Talent” would return to Japan as the first Japanese wrestler to shoulder this championship, and, in the process, become a grand slam champion. Currently, NJPW is in the midst of its 50th anniversary year—with many special shows and rare crossover events—and showing no signs of slowing down in the near future. With over 20 years of in-ring experience, Tanahashi has climbed his way to the company’s…

HE IS THE “King Of New York,” according to no less than Eddie Kingston. Approaching his 30-year anniversary in wrestling, Homicide is just as good as he was 20 years ago. “The Notorious 187” ranks among the most influential veterans still working a full-time schedule. Across many of the top promotions of the last 25 years, Homicide always did it his way, and represented Brooklyn, New York, at every step. Now, after being crowned NWA World junior heavyweight champion at Crockett Cup ’22, he is working with some of the youngest, hungriest wrestlers of today, both on-screen and as a coach. One of the first inductees into the Independent Wrestling Hall of Fame, Homicide ranks among the most important indie wrestlers of all-time—having helped build the foundation of what mainstream…

WITH DEADLY STRIKES, martial arts-inspired offense, a cool demeanor, and multiple title reigns, Miyu Yamashita has built a legacy for herself in her native Japan. Meanwhile, in the U.S., joshi puroresu is building up a stronger fan base, thanks to easier access (streaming options) for shows. Will the perfect conditions be met in 2022 for the “Summer Of Miyu”? Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling (TJPW) is a leader in the field of joshi, developing and showcasing some of the best female talent in the world. A sister promotion to DDT Pro-Wrestling, the company formed in 2012 off the backs of its first four signees: Kanna, Chikage Kiba, Shoko Nakajima, and Miyu Yamashita. Ever since her debut in 2013, Yamashita has called TJPW home. Though the 27-year-old has plied her trade elsewhere—notably, fellow…

IT TOOK DECADES for Underground Wrestling Alliance to move from a backyard in San Jose to a packed venue in San Francisco. Since 1996, names like Shotzi Blackheart and MVP have graced UGWA’s blood-soaked ring, competing for the most unique championship belts perhaps in all of wrestling. But so few of them stayed, and that’s a genuine shame. Now, The Agenda—helmed by “The Manager Of Champions,” naturally—is leading UGWA to its rightful place in the red-hot Bay Area wrestling scene. Things truly are looking up in The Underground, honey, and the recently doubled attendance proves it. Fronting The Agenda is Hoodslam founder, “High Priestess Of The Church Of Wrestling” and GCW superstar DARK Sheik. Reigning Northern California “Tag Team Of The Year” Money Power Re$pect, Marco Mayur & “Fabuloso” Fabricio,…

GANBARU There was a time when Japan’s wrestling scene constituted a niche interest for fans outside of the Pacific region, primarily reserved for a cross-section of cultured enthusiasts and curious tape traders. Of course, the internet opened the floodgates for fans whose curiosity was piqued by terms like “strong style” and fierce, high-impact match-ups. Nowadays, global interest in the Japanese scene is strong, thanks in large part to crossover superstars like Shinsuke Nakamura and Io Shirai. But understanding the ins and outs of such a dynamic and storied genre can prove daunting for newcomers and seasoned fans alike, which is precisely why Jonathan Foye’s new book, Ganbaru: How All Japan Pro Wrestling Survived the Year 2000 Roster Split, is such an important effort. As the title suggests, the focal point…

AS SOMEONE WHO is often asked my opinion on the “greatest of all-time” at this, that, or the other thing as it pertains to pro wrestling, I usually prefer to stay out of those discussions. After all, how do you judge? What criteria do you use? Wrestling straddles the line. Unlike other sports, it’s not nearly as dependent on cold, hard statistics. And yet, unlike other forms of entertainment, it’s presented as sport. What does “greatest of all-time” even mean? Do you judge by wins and losses? By drawing power? By overall performance ability? Does this include talents outside the ring, as well, and intangibles like charisma? How do you offset for different eras and totally different performance styles? And yet, despite all these caveats, I’m going to wade boldly…

THE DATE IS September 26, 1977: a warm and windy, overcast Monday night in Mayor Ed Koch’s grimy, gritty, and glorious New York City. It’s a city still recovering from the blistering assault of record-breaking summer heat—a summer ruptured breaking by a historic blackout and its ensuing riots, the streets terrorized by the rampaging Son of Sam killer, David Berkowitz. Now, with Berkowitz behind bars, the lights back on, and the searing summer just concluded, New Yorkers are out and looking to enjoy ed, their city. At the palatial Astor Plaza in Times Square, Star Wars Wars, the global phenomenon, that’s topped the box office for four months, is packing in patrons. Downtown, Blondie is tearing it up at CBGB’s. Uptown, Hollywood’s elite ing join the rest of the leisure…

FROM 2002 TO 2022, WRESTLING’S PERENNIAL UNDERDOG HAS MADE A REAL IMPACT ON THE SPORT. NOW, KEY FIGURES FROM THE COMPANY’S PAST AND PRESENT REMINISCE … A HUGE VOID was left when the doors of World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling closed—one Jeff Jarrett, Jerry Jarrett, and the late Bob Ryder looked to fill. Borne out of a fishing trip, NWA Total Nonstop Action (TNA) began as a weekly Wednesday night pay-per-view, starting with a wild debut on June 19, 2002, at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama. From there, the Nashville-based promotion evolved into a traditional TV program, bouncing from Fox Sports Net and Spike TV to other cable channels and timeslots, now airing Thursday nights on AXS TV. It changed owners, bookers, number of ring corners,…

1 WHAT IS YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY OF WRESTLING AS A FAN? VVS: I wasn’t really a fan until I started training, so all of my memories are fairly recent. One thing that always stood out to me was Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay. I was blown away by the agility and coordination it took to put on a match like that, and it made me want to wrestle more. 2 WHAT DO YOU FEEL IS THE MOST UNDERRATED CONCEPT IN TAG TEAM WRESTLING? VVS: It’s hard for me to say, since I don’t do a whole lot of tag team wrestling. But, sometimes with modern tag wrestling, it seems like good psychology falls by the wayside in favor of the big moves. I love big moves, and I’m fascinated by chemistry…

"THE YOUNG G.O.A.T.” Myron Reed is just 25 years old, and he’s surely one of the brightest up-and-coming talents on the planet. The World middleweight champion of Major League Wrestling, “Hot Fire” is constantly on a mission to wow crowds with swagger and innovation. As one of the longest-tenured members of MLW’s evolving locker room, Reed is positioned as one of the promotion’s top names, with recent victories over Swerve Strickland, TJP, and Lio Rush. The young high-flyer has been climbing the MLW ranks for four years now, engaging in many notable feuds—formerly standing out as a member of Injustice with Jordan Oliver and Kotto Brazil. On his own, Reed has been at the forefront of the middleweight division for the last two years, taking on all challengers through three…

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 NEVADA LOS VEGAS—AEW Double or Nothing at T-Mobile Arena: Danhausen & Hook defeated Mark Sterling & Tony Nese … Wardlow pinned MJF … Jeff & Matt Hardy defeated Nick & Matt Jackson … TBS champion Jade Cargill pinned Anna Jay to retain the title … Brody King,…

CM PUNK FULFILLED his destiny on May 29, 2022, becoming the AEW World heavyweight champion at Double or Nothing in Las Vegas. It was Punk’s destiny even before he realized it, with “CM Punk” chants haunting WWE events since his departure in 2014, renewing at All Out in 2018, and continuing with the inception of AEW in 2019. Indeed, it was Punk, as wrestling’s “angry young man” (as PWI labeled him in 2006), who began the movement that made main-eventers out of Bryan Danielson and, eventually, Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks. “The Summer Of Punk” lent credibility to the notion that fans should have a say in who is a superstar and who is not, and that wrestlers should have a measure of control over their own destinies. The…

THUNDER ROSA AND Jade Cargill. During All Elite Wrestling’s Fan Fest in Las Vegas over Double or Nothing weekend, I waited for each, anticipating some rare one-onone time. These would be my first in-person interviews with athletes who, at press time, were the reigning AEW Women’s World champ and AEW TBS champion, respectively. Two very different wrestlers, champions, and women, with the same vision of rising to the pinnacle of the AEW Women’s division, their walks from the Fan Fest to our private interview area backstage seemed quite befitting. Cargill was flanked by a security guard, with her spectacular-looking TBS championship belt slung over her shoulder. Fans dared not approach, but definitely didn’t hold back on saying a few words of appreciation to the mother of one who dreams of…

ALEXANDER HAMMERSTONE WAS on top of the world. He had just beaten Pagano in a wild, falls-count-anywhere match to retain his Major League Wrestling World heavyweight championship, and was poised to give a post-match interview to MLW “Interview Queen” Alicia Atout. With his best friend, Richard Holliday, looking on from the corner of the ring, Hammerstone soaked in the plaudits from the crowd in Dallas, Texas. Not even the apparent technical difficulties Atout was having with her microphone could put a damper on things. Those “technical difficulties” turned out to be a ruse, however. And, as Atout walked behind Hammerstone to seemingly exchange microphones, she suddenly dropped to her knees and, in a shocking turn of events, delivered a low-blow. Unfortunately for the champion, things got worse from there, as…

SAZZY BOATRIGHT TALKS to me between two different non-alcoholic drinks, flanked by their girlfriend and dog co-parent, a lighting designer working in the theatre world. As a wrestler, Sazzy comes to the art form as a fitness model, personal trainer, behavioral healthcare worker, and a former comedian. Their physicality is distinctly one of muscle and stage. On this sunny Brooklyn day, we chat about “moments of reckoning.” Boatright is an openly sober voice in a community that often celebrates extreme and raucous risk-taking, but their sobriety journey started pre-wrestling, as the election results were coming in the evening of November 8, 2016, and the early morning hours of November 9. “That particular night, I saw a lot of people go off the deep end.” “I got sick and tired of…

WHEN YOU TALK about pro wrestling in Canada, especially the Eastern part of the country, one name is on everyone’s lips: Marko Estrada. From Le Goulet, New Brunswick, but residing in Quebec City for many years, Estrada will main-event North Pro Wrestling’s first show since the beginning of 2022 against Mike Marston. The next night, in Moncton, he will be part of an eight-man tournament to crown North Pro’s new champion. This will be the promotion’s first Moncton event filmed for television. The tournament will also include, among others, Marston, Channing Decker, Dylan Davis, and Charlie Hubley. Estrada is also a mainstay of Quebec City’s NSPW. Part of The Untouchables stable with Toxic Dars and NSPW champion Matt Angel, Estrada opened NSPW’s May show coming down from the rafters, reminiscent…

AT ONE TIME, she was one of the most promising new stars on the British wrestling scene. A former teenage prodigy at the Knight family-owned WAW in Norfolk, U.K., Alex Windsor captured numerous championships on the British indies under the name Liberty. Performing under her current mon iker, she thrived in notable promotions like PROGRESS, Pro Wrestling: EVE, and Germany’s Westside Xtreme Wrestling. But then, as it often does, real life intervened, and Windsor stepped away from the ring. Nearly four years after her last match, Windsor returned. And, since then, she’s simply soared—fighting to reclaim her status as one of the top emerging grapplers in BritWres. McVEIGH: As we conduct this interview, you are currently the Undisputed British Women’s champion in RevPro. That’s one of the most prestigious titles…