As could be expected, pro wrestling owes of a lot its move set to fighting sports. Thus, it’s no wonder MMA enthusiasts, Greco roman wrestlers, and dirty boxers find a happy home in its sister art form during/after fight careers. Case in point: an earlier piece on Muay Thai highlighted its relationship to the Art […]
Author: The Intercontinental Belt
Always looking for a kendo stick to turn the tide, I re-discovered professional wresting after a nearly 20 year hiatus.
WRESTLING 101: Storytelling – Save it for the Ring
When announcer Byron Saxton handed Roman Reigns a blood pill on Monday Night Raw, I wasn’t sure what to think. The crowd and promotion seem genuinely enthused over a would-be beat down, likewise the newfound legitimacy of the 2016 Triple H champion concept in the process. Still, I remain confused. I was relieved this not […]
WRESTLING 101: Don’t Forget Where You Came From
Let’s face it. No promotion is perfect, and there are logically peaks and valleys depending on available talent, schedule, and the unfortunate injury bug. It’s no wonder athletes and talent tend to occasionally lose interest along the way. No one loves what they do 100 percent of the time. It’s moments like this one should […]
WRESTLING 101: Changing Promotions Shouldn’t be a Game-Changing Event
Joey Ryan made welcome history during last night’s outstanding Lucha Underground taping. Not from his enormous amounts of oiled chest hair (impressive in its own right), rather a simple fact that an in-ring debut didn’t require reinventing an athlete for the worst. To explain, there appears an unwritten rule that: established pro wrestler changing promotions […]
LIVE EVENTS: Full Impact Pro – Everything Burns 2016
UPDATED: AFTER-THOUGHTS As another FIP Show concluded, I was left thinking on below. It’s always good sport to revisit passions from earlier, gauge current utility. The pre-show really WAS that awesome. And added the ACW champ Blanco Loco to make for a tremendous start via 3-way. The big hug from Frankie Gastineau upon wearing his […]
ATHLETE APPRECIATION: Mauro Ranallo Is a Game Changer in the ‘Social Era’
Perhaps the single greatest pro wrestling industry accomplishment of 2015 was the prime time seat for Mauro Ranallo on the WWE Smackdown desk. Yes, a bold statement….but one I can arguably back up. To explain, with WWE facing a television ratings identity crisis plus simultaneous challenge from an array of independent wrestling promotions, Mauro Ranallo […]
ATHLETE APPRECIATION: Adam Brooks
The latest Athlete Appreciation takes us literally across the world, to Melbourne, Australia’s Adam Brooks. We didn’t select ‘Brooksy’ by accident. See, Adam Wilmot – at the young age of 24 – is already a recognizable star in his home country. He’s arguably best known for a slew of impressive matches – as an opponent […]
ATHLETE APPRECIATION: The Reinvention of Michael Tarver
A few months back, Huracanrana and I were fortune enough to kick off our ‘What Pro Wrestling Means to Me’ section via a terrific piece by former WWE superstar Michael ‘Monster’ Tarver. In reading this piece, it because clear Tarver’s real life persona, Ty Evans, is a very complicated man. Referencing this earlier piece, we […]
SPOTLIGHTS: Should the NBADL Serve as the Model for Indy Wrestling Compensation?
Merely a few days after discussing the troubling fiscal realities of pro wrestling, an interesting story emerged on Yahoo! Sports about two longest tenured NBA Developmental League athletes. What caught my eye was not the intriguing tale of these two athletes, rather the compensation package for this league: “The D-League has three tiers of pay: […]
SPOTLIGHTS: Dollars and Nonsense – The Financial Realities of Pro Wrestling
Despite what the most dedicated fan may conclude, not a single member of the pro wrestling community is in it for the money or lifestyle. For the hundreds of individuals within this community we’re blessed to communicate with on a weekly basis, nary a one seemingly possesses any delusions of grandeur. This, however, points to […]
WRESTLING IN FLORIDA: An Insider Look at Professional Wrestling 