What WWE/ROH Releases Mean for The Industry

Ring of Honor (ROH) announced two weeks ago that their parent company, Sinclair Broadcasting, is shutting down the promotion after December’s Final Battle pay-per-view and will take the first quarter of 2022 to reimagine ROH. All talent will be released from the contracts at the end of the year but can work wherever they want immediately.

As a result, over 50 wrestlers are on the open market. Then, last Friday, WWE released 18 wrestlers, thus making the realm free agency a more competitive place. With approximately 70 talents vying for contracted work, the belief that ROH’s hiatus is a permanent vacation, and AEW and Impact signing many of WWE’s prior releases, there are not enough spots to go around.

Worse, for an elect few, their careers are irrevocably altered or over.

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Late to the Party Review: KOTR, Queen’s Crown, and G1 Climax Finals.

Welcome to our late to the party review of the G1 Climax, Queen’s Crown, and King of the Ring finals. One tournament finale triumphed while another one ended in disaster. Then, there was one that was just, meh.

QUEEN’S CROWN: Zelina Vega defeated Doudrop to become the inaugural Queen’s Crown winner. It was a slow and plotting match that failed to resonate on an engaging level. I’m not sure if it was the massive size discrepancy between the two.

Perhaps their ability to move around the ring comfortably was hindered by the long sleeve shirt and pants they wore instead of their wrestling gear per Saudi law? While Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, and Bianca Belair didn’t have that problem in their Triple Threat Match, it’s different strokes for different folks.

Vega’s Queen’s Crown coronation on Raw and rematch with Doudrop was her longest televised segment in over a year. Vega looks the part and is good on the microphone. If WWE sticks with booking her as a serious character long-term, they will get a good return on the investment. I would have bet the farm she would lose to Doudrop due to WWE’s 50/50 booking. Surprisingly, she did not, which is promising.

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G1 Climax, Queens’s Crown & King of the Ring Predictions

Three tournaments culminate tomorrow as WWE and NJPW hold one of the biggest events on their respective calendars. New Japan Pro Wrestling will hold the finals of the G-1 Climax, a grueling month-long, round-robin tournament. WWE will head to Saudi Arabia with a loaded card to crown a new King of the Ring, and one woman will win the inaugural Queen’s Crown.

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King of the Ring & Queen’s Crown Update: 4 Remain

WWE revealed the King of the Ring and Queen’s Crown brackets last Friday as all first-round matches are in the books. The right-hand side of the semifinal bracket will occur on SmackDown with the other half on Raw.

King of the Ring saw Sami Zayn beat Rey Mysterio and Finn Balor topple Cesaro. On Raw, Xavier Woods defeated Ricochet in a fun matchup, and Jinder Mahal pinned Kofi Kingston.

In the Queen’s Crown, Carmella beat Liv Morgan while Zelina Vega pinned Toni Storm. Shanya Baszler made quick work of Dana Brooke and Doudrop over Natalya in somewhat of an upset.

The finals of both tournaments will occur at Crown Jewel.

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King of the Ring & Queen’s Crown Preview

WWE dusts off King of the Ring, which coincides with the inaugural Queen’s Crown beginning tonight on SmackDown and continues Monday on Raw. Both tournaments conclude at Crown Jewel on October 21, one day before the new draft rosters go into effect.

The brackets haven’t been released. However, we can still preview the tournaments by looking back at how WWE fulfilled their past needs.

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Another WWE Draft In The Books

Another WWE Draft is in the books, with both Raw and SmackDown refreshing their respective rosters with some NXT pick-ups sprinkled in. The draft occurred over two nights. Beginning on SmackDown and ending last night on Raw. The new rosters won’t go into effect until Friday, October 22, which is the day after Crown Jewel.

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Ringside Logic Appeared on NXT

Ringside Logic got some publicity on WWE television, courtesy of NXT.

A video package aired highlighting their newest star, Bron Breakker. Graphics of various websites with articles about Breakker were shown.

One of them was this very site! (Click here for the article)

I would have missed it if not for the colorful logo sticking out in my periphery. The demands of a Chihuahua Dad require many belly rubs.

Rewind, double-take, and complete shock emerged as messages came flooding in. I couldn’t believe it. WWE usually only mentions the major websites on television.

My little corner of the internet getting a shout-out is a testament to all the readers of this site. I can’t thank you all enough for taking the time to read something I wrote.

Thank you! Your support means the world to me.

Omega/Danielson Deliver Grand Slam

Everyone wonder going into AEW Dynamite if Kenny Omega and Bryan Danielson would deliver a “Grand Slam.” Fans didn’t have to wait long as AEW flipped the script and opened the show with the highly anticipated dream match. It was perfect booking on multiple fronts.

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All About A Dream: Omega vs. Danielson

We’re on the cusp of witnessing a legitimate dream match in professional wrestling. For many diehard fans, Kenny Omega and Bryan Danielson are the absolute best wrestlers in the industry.

The two will lock horns on tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite, ceremonially dubbed “Grand Slam.” New York’s Arthur Ashe Stadium will host the largest crowd in AEW’s 2 ½ year history, along with millions watching at home on TNT.

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10 Greatest ECW Tag Team Champions

Written for and published by What Culture June 2015

The design of tag team wrestling is to increase the amount of action and drama in a particular match. Four wrestlers can pull off certain moves and tell certain stories that two wrestlers alone could never do, such as blind tags and double team maneuvers. ECW revolutionized the wrestling business in the ’90s with hardcore action, mature storylines, and highly technical and competitive matches showcasing different styles.

Their tag team division was not only a pivotal part of the show, but they exuded the essence of the art by increasing the excitement in a promotion that was already extreme. The ECW Tag Team titles were originally introduced in 1992 under the promotional moniker of Eastern Championship Wrestling and an affiliate of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).

Seven tag teams held that incarnation of the championship until the promotion left the NWA in September 1994, when the company and the belts were rechristened Extreme Championship Wrestling. Three physical versions of the belts were fought over and defended until 2001, when the company’s original incarnation closed its doors.

Taz pupils Danny Doring and Roadkill were the final team to hold the titles and even defended them on the independent scene post-mortem. Thirty-one teams over eleven years produced many popular feuds and memorable matches with a mixture of uniformed duos and makeshift pairs that often stole the show. Some teams stood out and brought more to the table (literally) than others.

Let’s look at the 10 Greatest ECW Tag Team Champions.

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