Somewhere in the chaos of quarantine, living in fear, normalcy lost to no end, professional wresting became the beacon of hope. And surprisingly, it emerged from the WWE, a company oft-criticized for its inability to adapt, overcome biases, and understand the changing world around it. Yes, this company and its fledgling stock value…plunging network subscriber […]
Category: Live Events
LIVE EVENTS: Royal Rumble 2020 and the WWE Disconnect
Perhaps the most simultaneously intriguing yet unsatisfying aspect of watching WWE’s Royal Rumble this Sunday was firsthand knowledge of the glaring disconnect between the Company and its fanbase. To explain, I’ve been a member of its ‘Fan Council’ for several years, one of thousands of individuals regularly asked to provide unpaid survey feedback on WWE […]
LIVE EVENTS: Dear Mae Young Classic – Please Learn from Cruiserweight Classic Missteps
As the curtain about to lift on the inaugural Mae Young Classic, it’s important to realize how important this event truly is. And not for reasons you might think. This isn’t about participant list. The WWE assembled a virtual ‘who’s who’ in the indy wrestling women’s circuit (sans those with firm commitments to other promotions). […]
LIVE EVENTS: Re-Appreciating Pro Wrestling Guerilla’s ‘Battle of Los Angeles’
Re-invigorated by a terrific Shine Wrestling 42, Huracanrana and I found ourselves revisiting our proud and always growing collection of independent wrestling DVD/BluRays. That monthly PayPal statement; ouch! To us, there’s arguably no live experience more invigorating than indy wrestling, mainly closeness to action and symbiosis between performer and observer. There’s something truly intoxicating in knowing […]
LIVE EVENTS: WrestleMania 33 Weekend – The Morning After
So check off a bucket list item: I’ve officially attended a WrestleMania. I’d have little excuse (in exception to a pregnant Huracanrana) to skip said event, as it was literally held 90 minutes away just outside of downtown Orlando, Florida. As stated in the previous story, I likewise used this weekend as an excuse to catch […]
LIVE EVENTS: Happy WrestleMania Week!
Friends, Roman’s (, Rollins), and Countrymen, welcome to Orlando! Checking the schedule of events for Wrestlemania Week makes 2017 arguably the most stacked roster (93 events) to date! I would go so far as to state that even those ignoring the Big Show…well, the ‘Big Show’…will find 2017 the year that independent wrestling is perhaps […]
LIVE EVENTS: Shine 38 – Let the Good Times Flo(Slam)
This is no small statement, but Shine 38 may very well be the best independent live wrestling show I’ve ever seen. This is anything but hyperbole, rather recognition of what happens when you combine an outstanding roster with equal storytelling, and pack a room with a crowd that absolutely adores this marriage. Timing couldn’t be […]
LIVE EVENTS: ‘C-4’ Gives a Really Good ‘Pipe Bomb’
In the hazy lines of social media, reality TV stars and YouTube celebrities, pro wrestling fits beautifully and awkwardly. What once was a “secret society,” pro-wrestling is now reality-esque, psycho-drama for the internet and TV, where fake characters merge into real life people and back again sometimes in the same sentence or 5 minute sequence. […]
LIVE EVENTS: Shine 37 – A Haphazard Recap, or “Rain, Rain, Go Away”
Disclaimer: this is not in order by any means. Rather stream of consciousness. First things first: I’m admittedly a bit shocked this event happened, period. Hurricane Hermine had just said ‘howdy’ less than twelve hours earlier, and was still roaring its way up the East Coast. As could be expected, some of the talent and […]
LIVE EVENTS: Why ‘Money in the Bank’ May be the Best PPV Format of All
While this site deliberately tries to stick to independent wrestling discussion, there’s no shame in occasionally bringing up big brother WWE. Truth be told, Huracanrana and I wrote a fair number of pieces on the shortcomings of the world’s most famous professional wrestling promotion. Critiques on body type, gender presentation, financials, and the ‘jobbing’ concept […]
WRESTLING IN FLORIDA: An Insider Look at Professional Wrestling 