Before they were ever called ‘extreme,’ ECW was Eastern Championship Wrestling, and aligned with the NWA. It was little different to most other independent promotions in the 1990s, showcasing a range of local talent, with a few big names thrown in. ECW founder Tod Gordon had learned his lessons well; prior to starting ECW, he had been a silent partner […]
After failing to win the WWF title at the previous year’s Summerslam, Lex Luger was looking to get another title shot by winning the Royal Rumble. The wily Jim Cornette had inserted a clause in the Summerslam contract that Luger had only one opportunity to beat Yokozuna for the gold. As a result, Luger needed to win the Rumble to […]
WCW had many wrestlers on their roster at one time or another. Apart from Nitro, Thunder and pay-per-views, some wrestlers may have only appeared on programmes like Pro or Prime, that were not as widely seen. Or, it was a case of “before they were stars,” wrestlers who worked as enhancement talent, before finding more opportunities down the track. It […]
As Jeff Jarrett once said, you can make a lot of acquaintances in professional wrestling, but very few friends. The foundations of the business is built on egos and alpha personalities, and there are many shady incidents that occur behind-the-scenes. However, there have been times when wrestling companies have mutually agreed to work together, and on occasion, it can be […]
There’s no doubting the legacy of the National Wrestling Alliance in the hearts and minds of long-time grapple fans. It was the vast organisation that dominated professional wrestling for decades in North America, with affiliated promotions in countries like Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Opponents of the Alliance were usually cut down to size, so much so, that in 1956, […]
The start of the year saw an old institution make way for the new. Prime Time Wrestling, which debuted back in 1985, aired for the last time, to be replaced the following week by Monday Night RAW. Airing live from the Manhattan Centre on January 11, the show was hosted by Vince McMahon, Randy Savage and comedian/actor, Rob Bartlett. Bobby […]
1992 was a year of major transition in the WWF. Unlike the previous couple of years, when Vince McMahon struggled to take the ball completely from Hulk Hogan, he was given no choice when ‘The Hulkster’ left after Wrestlemania, apparently never to return. A past hero came back, but by the time the year was up, he and a number […]
The start of a new decade saw the WWF attempt to move on from Hulkamania, the driving force that had largely made the WWF the undisputed leader in “sports entertainment.” As explained in part one of our on-going series, the first whisperings that ‘The Hulkster’ may be moving on to pursue other endeavours caused Vince McMahon to move up another […]
Vince McMahon knew exactly what he wanted to accomplish when he took over the family business in the middle of 1982. To many, it was a grandiose and over-ambitious plan that would see the young upstart go down in ruin. The plan was to take the already strong North-Eastern promotion national, which meant stepping on plenty of toes. However, with […]
On June 19, 2016 at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Dominion 6.19 event in Osaka-jo Hall Kazuchika Okada defeated Tetsuya Naito to capture his fourth IWGP Heavyweight Championship. What followed was a reign that cemented Okada’s position at the top of the company, one of the greatest title reigns of the modern era, both for longevity and match quality. Star ratings […]
