Table of contents for August 2024 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated

THERE’S AN OLD PEARL of pro wrestling wisdom regarding the presence of blood: “Red Means Green.” Think of it as a cousin of the media trope, “If It Bleeds, It Leads,” and the visceral, stomach-turning cover photos of vintage grappling mags start to make a whole lot of sense. While AEW, in particular, has caught flack for a perceived overreliance on gore, wrestling promoters have happily sold tickets to bloodthirsty fans from the very beginning. From ruthless, no-holds-barred bouts to surprise attacks that leave fan favorites with crimson visages, even a little “color” can go a long way. One promoter who did not share this view—at least, unless it proved particularly convenient—was Vince McMahon. Yes, one can pull up many examples of WWE matches so gruesome they would make a horror…

MYSTERIOUS. AGGRESSIVE. LETHAL. These three words aptly describe the sinister flora Atropa belladonna—also known as deadly nightshade—as well as its human counterpart, the British grappler Nightshade. Hailing from Buckinghamshire, England, the 27-year-old wrestler is showing her peers throughout Europe and the rest of the world that a reckoning is on the horizon. Hearkening back to her early enthusiasm for the sport, Nightshade first experienced the spectacle of professional wrestling at the age of 12 while channel surfing. By accident—or perhaps by fate—she discovered Randy Orton, who was leading his “Legacy” stable in an insurrection against the McMahon family. “My sister and I became addicted immediately,” she recalled. “From that moment forward, I knew wrestling was what I wanted to pursue for the rest of my life. The larger-than-life backstage segments and…

WITH WRESTLEMANIA 40 taking place in Philadelphia, there was no shortage of references to Philly’s favorite son, Rocky Balboa. That was especially the case in the buildup to Sami Zayn vs. Gunther, with Zayn playing the role of the “Italian Stallion,” and Gunther an amalgamation of Mr. T’s Clubber Lang and Dolph Lundgren’s Ivan Drago. And, in as much as he stood in for Apollo Creed, Chad Gable may want to avoid any exhibition matches against Gunther. Yo, Adrian! Here’s a WrestleMania edition of “Quick Count” inspired by this year’s host city. BROTHERLY LOVE Who in the pool had WrestleMania ending with Brother Love in the ring? Anyone? Yet, when Cody Rhodes got his hands on a microphone during his epic WWE Universal championship celebration, the first thing he did was…

PROMOTION: World Wrestling Entertainment DATE: 04.06-04.07.24 LOCATION: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania FOR THE FIRST TIME since 1999, pro wrestling’s premier supercard emanated from PWI’s stomping grounds: Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love. And brother … this XL edition was something else! With an announced two-night attendance of 145,298, WWE offered up one of the hottest WrestleManias in recent memory. Despite unpleasant weather throughout the week—Philly in April is notorious for cold rains and strong winds—fans from around the globe packed into Lincoln Financial Field to see championships defended, grudges settled, and the spectacle that only the industry leader can provide. NIGHT ONE In what would turn out to be the final defense of her 380-day Women’s World title reign, Rhea Ripley kicked off Wrestle-Mania Saturday with a defense against one of her toughest…

PROMOTION: New Japan Pro-Wrestling DATE: 04.12.24 LOCATION: Chicago, Illinois FROM THE FAMOUS WINTRUST Arena, New Japan made its anticipated return to the city of Chicago—a metro area it had run just three times previously. In front of a loud and proud crowd of wrestling fans, the NJPW Windy City Riot card featured 11 matches, including bouts resulting in three title changes, a wild melee, and the unmasking of a buff stuffed cat. KICK-OFF Before the paid broadcast, Windy City Riot began with a pre-show consisting of two matches. First, Matt Vandagriff and Zane Jay met in a STRONG Survivor match. Vandagriff boasts an impressive indies run, while “The Flip Artist” has really hit his stride as a student at the NJPW Academy. The way these two are presented suggests they’re both…

OVER the last decade, a trip to WrestleMania’s host city has become increasingly appealing for fans who seek a wide variety of pro wrestling. In fact, a surprising number of fans choose to skip the big event entirely in favor of exciting and unusual cards from Ring of Honor, various international promotions, and independents such as Game Changer Wrestling. With PWI photographers attending quite a few of these shows, here are some of our favorites from WrestleMania Week 2024.…

AS THE MONTHS proceed, the alliance between CMLL and AEW continues to provide some of the hottest lucha action in years. Firstly, the “Homenaje A Dos Leyendas” show, featuring Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, and Willow Nightingale was not only a box-office success, but probably one of the coolest moments in CMLL’s long history. One week after this groundbreaking card, Danielson realized his lifelong dream of wrestling Blue Panther in Arena Mexico, in what will end up being a serious contender for Match of the Year. Ironically, one of the hottest rising stars in CMLL has yet to play a major part in the AEW alliance. Stephanie Vaquer, ranked #54 in PWI’s 2023 “Women’s 250,” has reigned as CMLL Women’s champion since September. More recently, she defeated Giulia to become…

FROM TOP OF THE Pops to The Razzies, fans and professional writers love weighing in on pop culture by drafting and debating exhaustive lists filled with praise and critique that is, at various points, reasoned and subjective. Professional wrestling fans are especially hip to this particular jive, as evidenced by the enduring success of the “PWI 500” and comparable fare. Now, author and joshi puroresu expert Rob Goodwin has taken the exercise to a new level with his book, Chasing the Dream: 50 of Stardom’s Greatest Matches. Originally founded in 2010 by Hiroshi “Rossy” Ogawa, Fuka Kakimoto, and Nanae Takahashi, Stardom has developed a reputation as one of the premier showcases for women’s professional wrestling in Japan, cultivating a dedicated fan base at home and around the globe. Former WWE Women’s champion…

SAMOA JOE FOR ROUGHNECK NIGHTCLUB BOUNCERS, INC. “Trouble brewing between a couple of hotheads? Joe will squash it good!” CRAZZY STEVE’S NEXT BIG TITLE BOUT, PRESENTED BY DAPPER CLOWN COSMETICS “When you have to defend the strap at noon and get chased by a rodeo bull at five.” GENE SNITSKY FOR SMILEY TEETH WHITENING STRIPS “Guaranteed to turn a mouthful of Boston Baked Beans into a quarry of nearly whites!” AEW DYNAMITE, BROUGHT TO YOU BY CONFIDENT ALPHA MALE BREWING AND WINERY “CM Punk’s not on the show anymore, so what we thought, ‘Why not?’” RICHARD HOLLIDAY FOR AMALGAMATED FINANCIAL AND PRECIOUS METALS UNLIMITED “From headlocks to stock ops, we’ll kick your assets to new heights!” MERCEDES MONE FOR AFFORDABLE CARS AND TRUCKS, LLC “Looking for an affordable automobile? Think…

IF YOU HAD TOLD me 30, 20, 10 years ago—or even one year ago—that the above four-word headline would close a Wrestle-Mania, I’d have laughed for about an hour. Yet, here we are … because that’s exactly what Corey Graves proclaimed at WrestleMania XL on April 7, just a few minutes after Michael Cole shouted out, “I love professional wrestling! It may have seemed like nothing. But, for longtime fans, it was a definite signal of a true sea change happening in WWE in the post-Vince McMahon era. Of course, the fine folks at Pro Wrestling Illustrated have shouted that term from the rooftops ever since the magazine started in 1979. And certainly, throughout much of the rest of the wrestling industry, it’s been commonly used. But the glaring…

PROMOTION: All Elite Wrestling DATE: 03.03.24 LOCATION: Greensboro, North Carolina ON MARCH 3, AEW presented the 2024 edition of Revolution at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina. During the heyday of the NWA and Jim Crockett Promotions, the famed Coliseum hosted numerous big-time wrestling shows, including the first four Starrcade events. It was also the venue where, in 1988, a young man called Sting battled to a 45-minute draw with NWA World champion Ric Flair. Fittingly, 26 years later, Greensboro got to say a final farewell to the Stinger. Revolution opened with Christian Cage defending his TNT championship against Daniel Garcia. With youth and athleticism on his side, Garcia took the early advantage; however, the veteran chicanery of Cage—who feigned an ankle injury—soon allowed him to lure his opponent under…

PROMOTION: Total Nonstop Action Wrestling DATE: 03.08.24 LOCATION: Windsor, Ontario, Canada WITH THIS YEAR’S Sacrifice event, TNA fans witnessed a night of change for a promotion that was already very much in motion. The company, which just transitioned back to its Total Nonstop Action branding from IMPACT Wrestling at the beginning of the year, has seen an influx of fresh talent from WWE, MLW, and various international promotions. At the same time, its Knockouts World champion surprised many by competing in WWE’s Royal Rumble this year, potentially signifying a working relationship that once seemed impossible. With these shifts as a backdrop, TNA Sacrifice continued the propulsion of the company into a new era as it endeavors to remain a top-three promotion in the U.S. In the main event, World champion…

PETALUMA, CALIFORNIA, IS a dreadful place. A pocket of obscene wealth permeated by the stench of cow dung and white privilege just north of San Francisco, it’s also home to Phoenix Pro Wrestling. Pathetic fans have long embraced PPW’s relative mediocrity. Naturally, they had no concept of true greatness until “The Champion Of Managers” debuted last year! After admitted hiccups, my deliciously devious plans took hold in March. Marco Mayur and “Fabulous” Fabricio—Money Power Re$pect, the most dominant duo to decimate California in a generation—defeated The Honor Society to become PPW tag team champions. Next in our sights: PPW champion “Grizzly” Kal Jak! By the end of the year, I personally guarantee “The Necessary Evil” Sanders (holder of the company’s Kyle Cup) will take the gold. And we will rid ourselves…

From local independents to the largest stages, here’s the latest roundup of live event results. Got a report you’d like to share? Send to pwiresults@yahoo.com (and please do your best to mirror the format used here). SPOTLIGHT CARD OF THE MONTH NEW JERSEY WILLIAMSTOWN—ThrashElvania at H2O Wrestling Center: PROGRESS Women’s champion Rhio defeated Delmi Exo and Shazza McKenzie in a triple-threat to retain … Shun Skywalker pinned Kota Minoura … ECWA champion Darius Carter pinned Adam Priest to retain … Robb Radke defeated Alec Price, J Boujii, LSG, Lucas DiSangro, and Man Like Dereiss in the six-person Matt Brock Scramble … F1ght Club Pro Chocolate City champion Andino fought Wrestlers’ Lab champion Eel O’Neal to a double-countout in a title vs.-title match … Andino & Trever Aeon beat Eel O’Neal & Myles…

IN THE SPRING OF 1969, thanks to a talent exchange between Vincent J. McMahon and The Sheik’s Big Time Wrestling in Detroit, Thunderbolt Patterson made a series of appearances in the WWWF. These included several TV matches in Washington, D.C., and one match at Madison Square Garden on the undercard of a show headlined by Bruno Sammartino defending against Killer Kowalski. That would be the only period Thunder bolt Patterson ever spent wrestling for the company now known as WWE. And so, needless to say, it was not at all the reason Patterson was among this year’s inductees to the WWE Hall of Fame. Rather, as WWE has been doing for some time now, Patterson was recognized for his contributions and achievements across the entire pro wrestling industry. When all that…

WHILE I APPRECIATED the grand spectacle of WrestleMania 40—despite the real-feel temperature of 40-something degrees at Lincoln Financial Field—I usually prefer a cozier venue where I can actually see the ring. I’m also much more comfortable among 300 fans than 72,000. About 255 miles west of Philadelphia is Keyser, West Virginia, situated on the north branch of the Potomac River. Keyser was once best known as a railway town with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad as a major employer. It’s a relatively small community, with a population below 5,000. With noted wrestling cities such as Baltimore and Pittsburgh mere hours away by car, the sport has taken hold in Keyser over the past 30 years. Dick Caricofe’s National Wrestling League ran shows across Western Maryland and West Virginia throughout the 1990s—with…

PROMOTION: East Coast Wrestling Association DATE: 03.23.24 LOCATION: Morganville, New Jersey FOR THE SECOND TIME ever, one man has won two Super 8 trophies. For the first time, he defended his ECWA title in all three rounds along the way. “The All-Father” Darius Carter came to Morganville, NJ, on this night determined to not only match Christopher Daniels’ historic feat from 2000 and 2004, but to put his coveted belt on the line, as well. Carter maneuvered the Super 8 in dominant fashion, winning in high-pressure defenses against Avery Jax, Steve Pena, and Curt Robinson. As the night closed, Carter wiped the sweat from his brow and displayed uncharacteristic humility while reflecting on his achievement at the most-watched ECWA Super 8 in history. Flanked by his fellow tournament entrants, and with…

HEAVYWEIGHT 1 CODY RHODES (1) WWE Undisputed Universal champion Atlanta, GA 2 DAMIAN PRIEST (-) WWE World heavyweight champions New York, NY 3 SWERVE STRICKLAND (-) AEW World champion Tacoma, WA 4 JON MOXLEY (-) IWGP World champion Cincinnati, OH 5 MOOSE (6) TNA World champion Atlanta, GA 6 MARK BRISCOE (-) ROH World champion Sandy Fork, DE 7 SAMI ZAYN (-) Intercontinental champion Montreal, QC 8 SAMOA JOE (3) Former AEW World champion Samoa 9 YUMA ANZAI (-) Triple Crown champion Gunma, Japan 10 DREW McINTYRE (2) Former WWE World heavyweight champion Ayr, Scotland WOMEN 1 RHEA RIPLEY (1) Former WWE Women’s World champion Adelaide, Australia 2 MAIKA (3) Stardom champion Fukuoka, Japan 3 STEPHANIE VAQUER (-) CMLL World Women’s champion San Antonio, Chile 4 BAYLEY (-) WWE Women’s champion San…