Panther Pleasants - Wrestling in Hitler’s Shadow
The story of Eric “Panther” Pleasants, the Norfolk wrestler who fought for Hitler.
AAA Triplemania 2023 Monterrey recap & review
My thoughts on AAA's most recent Triplemania show in Monterrey, the good and the bad sides of AAA's brand of Lucha chaos, Lucha politics, and the way AAA choose to book and present El Hijo del Vikingo as Mega Champion.
If Not Now Then When? - Thoughts on Roman Reigns & Cody Rhodes
Thoughts on WWE’s booking of Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes, and why Wrestlemania 39 will be looked upon as a major misstep.
“The Original Ninja From Hell” - The Exorcism Of The Great Muta
The Great Muta was a singular, iconic character - a facepainted, mist spraying, violent demon; but where did he come from? A look at Muta, his predecessors, and wrestling’s history of Orientalism.
Ric Flair’s Last Match
Professional wrestling has produced no end of unedifying spectacles over the years, but few have sat at such stark contrast to the pomp and pageantry surrounding them as the visual of an aged, bleeding Ric Flair, trembling and unable to stand, at the height of a show entirely themed around his career and the nostalgia contingent upon it.
WWE Summerslam 2022
A stream of consciousness recap of Summerslam 2022, the first WWE Premium Live Event of the post-Vince McMahon era.
Forbidden Door and the follies of the Invasion
A look at Forbidden Door, Invasion angles, interpromotional wrestling, and the importance of brand identity and a promotional USP
For the love of a Crush Gal
“There's no magic ingredient to super-stardom, but whatever it was in 1983, the Crush Gals had it.” - a loving tribute to the great Chigusa Nagayo, and an exploration of what it means to be a wrestling legend
AAA Triplemania XXX - Tijuana
AAA, then. For those of us who follow Lucha Libre, a source of near constant frustration and bemusement, and to those who don’t, little more than a meme of a promotion. I don’t pretend to be a Lucha Libre expert, but it’s a style and a scene that is close to my heart, particularly the mid-to-late ‘90s era that I voraciously consumed during my tape trading days, and which AAA is currently mining for precious nostalgia.
/ˈkeɪfeɪb/
Kayfabe.
That's the name of the upcoming book, and it's a word that anyone who follows wrestling has likely encountered, but what is it, really? What does it mean, and where does it come from?
Lexico has the seemingly simple and concise definition; (in professional wrestling) the fact or convention of presenting staged performances as genuine or authentic.