Embracing the fun in Wrestling
AEW Full Gear 2020 is in the books and the consensus began growing quickly to name it the most stacked, adrenaline-filled card All Elite Wrestling has put out to date. What really stood out, and what might it tell us about where the company’s going from here? We asked a panel of WrestleJoy contributors for their thoughts. Spoilers for …
At its core, pro wrestling is an intricately planned dance. A brutal and hard hitting dance, but a dance nonetheless – one that requires coordination and pinpoint accuracy to succeed. Something going wrong is the biggest fear of every performer in the ring, but also inevitable given the sheer number of wrestlers and performers participating in wrestling matches every …
When Roman Reigns returned to WWE at Summerslam in August, it was a joyous occasion for fans of all stripes. Knowing that the real-life Joe Anoa’i felt healthy and safe enough to return to the ring amidst the COVID-19 crisis felt good. Nothing he did that night changed the feeling all that much. While Reigns absolutely trucked both Braun …
Over the past few decades false finishes emerged as a common tool across the wrestling industry, particularly in North America. At the outset of a bout, they help set a high tempo while indicating a close and hard-fought match to come. Later on, a series of close 2 and 3/4 counts can signal the audience to tune in closely …
On August 5, 2020, Matt Hardy appeared on AEW Dynamite and explained why he looked and sounded more like, well, Matt Hardy. Or “Matthew Hardy,” as he put it. He spun a very passionate and eloquent tale of choosing to sign with AEW to have more creative freedom and control over how the final chapter of his career will …
The wrestling squash, at its heart, is an evolution of something that harkens back to the industry’s carnival sideshow roots: the strongman showing off and dazzling people with unimaginable feats. It only became natural to have a plant in the audience to toss around, and before you knew it pro wrestling was off and running. A short, impactful bout …
Over the years, wrestling has been complimented at times as “a cartoon come to life.” It certainly fits: bigger than life characters, twisting stories, and insane dives/splats/explosions abound in the squared circle. Some wrestlers lean into a more cartoonish approach (Stardust springboards to mind), while others play the straight man alongside. But if wrestling is itself a big cartoon, …
Impact Wrestling has been through a great deal of change over the last few years – ownership battles, attempted name changes, and roster churn made for a rough transition for the former TNA promotion as they tried to compete on the national level. As the calendar changed over to 2020, though, people began taking notice that Impact currently has …
JK runs solo as he reviews Sunday’s NJPW Dominion PPV. An unforgettable show that nearly broke the collective minds of the wrestling community.
Blood has been a controversial figure in wrestling since the era of the Gold Dust Trio. Back when fans were more fully behind the veil of kayfabe, bloodying the wrong good guy could legitimately incite a riot. It could also lead to issues with state certification, venues becoming less than hospitable, and later on TV censor nightmares. But as …
