New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 17 emanated from the Tokyo Dome on January 4th, as it does every year. The show returned to a one-night offering and boasted a twelve match card.
It’s time for Ringside Logic’s “Best of the Year” honors. 2022 will go down as the year to remember in professional wrestling. Between Cody Rhodes leaving AEW, Steve Austin’s return to the ring, and Vince McMahon’s retirement, there was enough earth-shattering news to last four lifetimes.
2022 also produced one of the best years in between the ropes. Action-packed matches, wild angles, and memorable moments encompassed all major promotions. We will list our picks for the best matches in Impact Wrestling, NJPW, AEW, and WWE, and the big one, the overall Match of the Year.
You read the headline, and you’re wondering who the heck is Action Andretti. Is he a famous wrestler from a different promotion using a new name? Is he a hot prospect on the independent wrestling scene? Is he related to the famous race car driver?
A gambler once said you got to know when to hold’em, know when to fold’em, and know when to walk away. Tony Khan’s bid to land a television deal for Ring of Honor (ROH) nine months after purchasing the company yielded an uninspired result.
On the heels of Ring of Honor’s Final Battle pay-per-view event on Saturday, Tony Khan announced the promotion’s HonorClub streaming service has officially relaunched with new weekly television episodes coming soon to the platform.
The post-All Out backstage brawl is either the most well-booked fight we’ll never see or the most bizarre legit donnybrook of all time.
Reports came out last Friday that AEW is working on a buyout of CM Punk’s contract. Even more reports on Wednesday confirmed The Elite (Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks) were backstage at Dynamite and are returning soon.
But wait, there’s more.
WrestlingInc.com reported on Wednesday that when the door of Punk’s locker room was kicked in, it accidentally hit his dog, Larry, in the mouth. A few days later, at a pre-scheduled vet appointment, an exam revealed two of Larry’s teeth were knocked loose and had to be removed.
Larry’s role in the Labor Day weekend brawl has seemingly evolved every few weeks. At first, Ace Steel’s girlfriend was watching Larry. Then, Kenny Omega moved Larry to get him out of harm’s way, only to get bit by Ace Steel. Now, his teeth were knocked loose.
A shroud of dishonor enveloped the ROH Championship when Chris Jericho defeated Claudio Castagnoli at Grand Slam to capture the title. Last Wednesday, Jericho kicked off his 8th world title reign with a successful title defense over former ROH Champion Bandido.
It was a fantastic main event that prompted AEW to immediately offer Bandido a full-time contract. However, the show ended with a despicable decree.
Jericho announced the “Ring of Jericho” mission statement. Simply put, he will desecrate the legacy of ROH by beating every former champion, commentator, referee, and ring announcer.
Depending on who you are, the overflow of championship gold in AEW was either praised or skewered before the promotion introduced the Trio’s Title’s Wednesday on Dynamite. While another prize risks diluting all of the AEW titles, Tony Khan had the belts made some time ago, meaning their inclusion in the all elite ranks was inevitable.
All Elite Wrestling has become a viable pro wrestling alternative. However, the Jacksonville-based promotion receives as much adoring praise as it does staunch criticism. AEW booking the newest WWE release, Cole Karter, on Dynamite this week is the latest example of the promotion’s biggest problem.
Ringside Logic editor Atlee Greene sits down with the host of the CS:GO Clutch Podcast Adam Kohn and review this past Sunday’s AEWxNJPW pay-per-view event, Forbidden Door.
We’re going the Podcast route with this one! We break down all of the matches, surprises, and fallout as we head into Blood & Guts on Dynamite.