Table of contents for February 2023 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated

I ’VE BROUGHT IT up before: I’m a fairly new wrestling fan. Specifically, I started watching wrestling back in 2014. And, like a lot of wrestling fans, I only watched WWE programming. Not long after, when I was recruited to write about women’s wrestling for digital outlets, I was quickly immersed in various wrestling styles. It didn’t take long before I was told to pay close attention to joshi. I’m glad I listened. There has long been a solid fanbase for joshi wrestling in the States, so, to say that joshi is finally catching wind in North America wouldn’t be accurate. Barring pandemic restrictions, Stardom has been a steady visitor to the U.S. since 2015, and joshi wrestlers have made appearances in the States for years. All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling is…

IN RECENT WEEKS, the biggest news in the Great White North has been the great number of Canadian wrestlers used by All Elite Wrestling in Toronto. In total, 27 individuals worked a match, either on Dark or Dark: Elevation. The matches were usually kept short. So, in order to shine, workers had to do something really fast to get noticed. Grapplers from all over the country benefited from this opportunity: Dylan Davis from the Maritimes; Shayne Hawke and Zak Patterson from Quebec; KC Spinelli and Jody Threat from Ontario; Mo Jabari from Alberta; and the Bollywood Boyz from British Columbia. Among the field, Vanessa Kraven, Seleziya Sparx, Alexia Nicole, and The Voros Twins are the ones who caught my attention. Since my last column was only about the Canadian women’s…

EIGHT COMPETITORS … TWO NIGHTS … AND ONE MISSION: SHOW THE WORLD THAT AUSSIE WRESTLING IS HERE TO STAY IN THE LATE-2010s, the Australian wrestling scene was thriving. Following the success of TMDK in Pro Wrestling NOAH and a slew of talented Aussie natives across the U.S. and U.K. indie circuits, companies such as WWE and Ring of Honor started to take notice. Business was good. And then … the pandemic happened. Australian wrestling went on hiatus for the better part of two years, with only occasional shows taking place. Thankfully, the dark curtain has been jerked, and wrestling is once again alive in the Land Down Under. Cue the return of the annual Colosseum tournament, which took place in Melbourne, Victoria, on October 7 & 8, 2022. The single-elimination…

WE’VE HEARD IT all before … countless times, in fact. Pro wrestling is a dangerous line of work. These men and women are professionals. Injuries come with the territory. Do not try this stuff at home. And yet, still, when the reality of a business based on illusion truly hits home, it always gives us pause—tearing through the fun veneer of entertainment to remind us of the grave chances these folks take every time they step through the ropes. One such occasion happened very recently, at the Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati. It was a special Tuesday night edition of AEW Dynamite on October 18, headlined by “Hangman” Adam Page challenging Jon Moxley for the AEW World championship that he once held. Suddenly, in mid-match, the mood changed, as Moxley…

WHAT MAKES A truly great tag team? From The Kangaroos to The Funks, The Road Warriors to The Hart Foundation, and The Dudley Boyz to The New Day, history’s greatest groups seem to have one thing in common: a collective mentality. Top-tier units dedicate themselves to the pursuit of tag team glory, in many cases postponing—or even forgoing entirely—individual superstardom. By no means is that mentality exclusive to pro wrestling. Chris Kazama is a producer with D.C.’s F1ght Club Pro (promoters of the Pan-Afrikan World Diaspora Wrestling championship). He’s also an avid participant in esports, or competitive video gaming, who now streams regularly on Twitch with his team, @WeAreCreedGames. In co-op gaming, as in tag matches, he says it’s crucial to check one’s ego at the door. “It’s natural to…

ON A HOTTER than expected November day in Washington, D.C., mere hours from midterm elections beginning across the U.S., an angry crowd pumped its fists in unison, chanting a familiar phrase: “Not my president! Not my president!” This “President” stands in the center stage not at a political rally, but in the spotlight of a wrestling ring. Killian McMurphy is the elected official in question, the indie star who has named himself “The Gay President” of independent wrestling in an attempt to solidify his legacy … or infamy. His opponent is none other than Edith Surreal, a queen of a competitor who seeks to maintain her throne. This was the scene at Pro Wrestling VIBE at D.C. Brau on November 6, 2022, when these two top stars of the promotion—both…

TYRUS JOINED THE ranks of Lou Thesz, Harley Race, and Ric Flair as champion of the National Wrestling Alliance after winning a three-way bout also involving Matt Cardona and defending champ Trevor Murdoch. Tyrus, who had failed to dethrone Murdoch at NWA 74, relinquished his cherished TV championship to secure another World title shot at Hard Times 3—held November 12 at the Frederick J. Sigur Civic Center in Chalmette, Louisiana, outside of New Orleans. While “The Manster” had improved his conditioning and finessed his in-ring game in recent months, Tyrus as NWA World champion seems jarring to some, considering he’s been only a part-time wrestler in recent years. Outside the ring, he’s better known for his appearances on the Fox News Channel’s Gutfeld and his memoir, Just Tyrus, which cracked…

IN MY EARLY years with PWI, I didn’t hesitate to blast wrestling’s top stars, to the point Stu Saks reminded me that Bill Apter—who, as head photographer, was omnipresent at WWF and WCW events in those days—would be the one most likely to have his legs broken because of something I’d said in the magazine. I curtailed my criticism of the in-ring athletes after that, and saved my greatest ire for creative, particularly Vince Russo. But I must voice my complaint about modern-day wrestling: Everybody wants to be a comedian. There are examples of this on nearly every program, and it’s been happening too often on one of my favorites, NWA Powerrr. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the best comedic relief on Powerrr was The Question Mark. Joseph Hudson, who also…

FOCUS ON… AEW RAMPAGE RAMPAGE VIEWER NUMBERS [TNT] September 30: 472,000 October 7: 404,000 October 14: 458,000 October 21: 404,000 October 28: 378,000 November 4: 455,000 Analysis: Was it star-power, or did the stars align perfectly that night? It’s worth noting the highly rated September 30 edition of Rampage wasn’t loaded with big names … or even one proven AEW headliner. Rush vs. John Silver was the main event. Yes, John Silver. And The Acclaimed defended the World tag title against Private Party and The Butcher & The Blade in the opener. One explanation: John Silver and The Acclaimed have cult followings (though Anthony Bowens and Max Caster are gaining broader appeal by the day), prompting a greater intensity of interest. Still, AEW President Tony Khan wants to reach a…

PRO WRESTLING, IN my opinion, is the greatest art form: a real, live telenovela, in real time. Essays, stories, and probably dissertations have been written about the suspension of disbelief in pro wrestling—the emotional involvement in the narrative, the blurred lines between reality and the story being told inside the ring—from the perspective that fans make conscious decisions to accept the logic of everything being real for the duration of the show. When it comes to Dragon Gate (DG), you don’t have to make the conscious choice to suspend your disbelief, as the story and the wrestlers (not the characters they play) will have you emotionally invested from the first time you watch. I attended my first Dragon Gate event on September 6, 2021. This was after nearly a year of…

PERHAPS NO OTHER company in all of wrestling featured so many great and innovative tag teams as Jim Crockett Promotions. Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard, The Russians, The Midnight Express, The Rock ’n’ Roll Express, Rick Steamboat & JayYoungblood, Jack & Jerry Brisco, The Road Warriors, and many others spent significant time there. Even when the NWA changed over into WCW, duos like The Steiner Brothers, The Hollywood Blonds, and Harlem Heat continued that tradition. What some may not realize is that Crockett Promotions (specifically, its Mid-Atlantic region) was once traditionally known as a “tag team territory”—particularly before booker George Scott transformed the company in the mid-1970s, spotlighting singles stars like Johnny Valentine and Wahoo McDaniel, as well as newcomers like Steamboat and Ric Flair. The best-remembered duo from Mid-Atlantic’s…