2018 Wrestler of the Year: Becky Lynch

In the current landscape of professional wrestling, women’s wrestling is more prominent than ever before. WWE, ROH, Impact, and the Indies are producing longer matches, better matches, and main event matches. This is becoming the norm instead of the exception. In 2018, one name rose to infinity and beyond. My pick for Wrestler of the Year is Becky Lynch.

Becky Lynch is a talented wrestler who consistently puts on strong performances. However, WWE booked Charlotte Flair to be the queen bee of the women’s division. Going into last year’s SummerSlam, inept booking that shoved aside Lynch, in favor of Flair, created a perfect storm of opportunity. Lynch capitalized on it spectacularly to become the most popular wrestler in WWE today.

What makes Lynch’s ascension even more gratifying is she did it while embracing a heel role that everyone thought she was too sweet to pull off. Gone is the happy go lucky “Irish lass kicker” and now we have a gives zero f%$#* persona of “The Man.”

Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey in the main event of WrestleMania is the current marquee match of the industry. Let that sink in for a moment. A subgenre once considered bathroom break fodder is now the apple of everyone’s eye.

Most of the wrestlers in the division lack the believability to beat the former UFC champion. Lynch exudes attitude and the requisite authenticity to dethrone Rousey, which makes the match even more intriguing.

While the word on the street says the aforementioned match will end up a Triple Threat with the inclusion of Charlotte Flair, Lynch is too popular for the WWE to not only ignore but to not push as the featured attraction. On SmackDown, Becky Lynch got the better of John Cena, who WWE just started marketing as the greatest of all-time.

Topping off a fantastic 2018, Lynch had a career-defining match against Charlotte at WWE’s first all women’s pay-per-view event Evolution. Their Last Women Standing encounter has received match of the year accolades and told a gripping story from beginning to end.

Lynch was marginalized for the first half of 2018. She capitalized on a creative blunder, which yielded maximum results. A growing social media presence, match of the year caliber performances, a character people love, a hot selling t-shirt and one-half of the biggest match in the industry gives Becky Lynch the blue ribbon.

While other wrestlers such as Kenny Omega, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Seth Rollins are more than worthy of this distinction, Lynch’s story is truly unique, and her impact is undeniable.

All Elite Wrestling Officially Announced

After weeks of speculation, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and All In sequel “Double or Nothing” has been officially announced. The announcement came at the end of the latest episode of the popular YouTube show Being the Elite (BTE).

There is a “Double or Nothing” rally at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida on Tuesday, January 8 at 5:00 pm. A special announcement is expected to be made at this rally, which is free to the public.

Jacksonville Jaguars co-owner Tony Khan is President of the company and the money behind AEW. Tony is a longtime wrestling fan and the son of billionaire Shahid Khan.

Wrestling Observer reported earlier today Cody Rhodes has officially signed with the company and The Young Bucks (Nick and Matt Jackson), while not signed yet, are expected to sign within the next 48 hours. All three wrestlers reportedly turned down offers from WWE.

Hangman Page, Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, and Scorpio Sky are all staples of Being the Elite and are also expected to sign with AWE. All four wrestlers turned down offers to resign with Ring of Honor as their contracts expired at the end of December. Page reportedly turned down an offer from WWE back in October.

The final three members of the BTE crew are spoken for to various degrees. “The Villain” Marty Scrull is reportedly under contract to ROH until the end of April. Flip Gordon recently signed a new two-year contract, which takes him off the board for the foreseeable future.

Then there is Kenny Omega who is under contract to New Japan Pro Wrestling until January 31^st. It will be interesting to see what happens on Friday when Omega defends the IWGP Heavyweight Title against Hiroshi Tanahashi in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 13.

Omega is highly regarded by many as the best wrestler in the world. He is in the driver’s seat from a financial standpoint. New Japan, under their new leadership, is offering more significant money contacts than ever before. WWE wants zero competition, has more money to play with than ever before due to their massive TV contracts beginning this year, and are signing anyone with name value.

WWE traditionally doesn’t offer high six or seven figure contracts to wrestlers who made their name outside of the company. The last time they did was for AJ Styles, and it worked out exceptionally well for both parties. Omega can command such a dollar amount. While AEW would be the emotional favorite to sign Omega, WWE could very well sweep in with an offer too good to refuse.

Make no mistake about it, from a talent perspective, Kenny Omega is the ace in the deck While it wouldn’t derail AWE if they couldn’t sign him, it would be a big blow that would almost have them walking uphill coming out of the gate.

Wow, I almost forgot about Chris Jericho.

Y2J has done a fantastic job of reinventing himself in New Japan Pro Wrestling. He holds their Intercontinental Title and will defend it against Tetsuya Naito at Wrestle Kingdom 13. Jericho wrestles on per date basis and is currently not under contract to any promotion.

Over the last year, Jericho has lessened the reigns on his self-imposed restriction to not work for any other promotion except for WWE. He worked for New Japan, appeared at All In, did guest spots on Being the Elite, and helmed a successful wrestling cruise. AEW being able to land both Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho will make it a lot easier for the company to get a television deal, which is already rumored to have several offers.

It is an exciting time in the wrestling industry. AEW could be the first promotion to compete with the WWE in eighteen years. It will be interesting to see where everything ends up between now and when the first bell rings on the inaugural episode of AWE television.

Christopher Robin: Review

When I was seven years old, I had a heartfelt conversation with my Mom at the dinner table. I told her I didn’t want to grow up with tears in my eyes and that I always wanted to be a kid. The idea of not being able to play anymore made me sad.

Disney’s newest entry into their live-action adaptations, Christopher Robin is a 104-minute reminder that growing up is hard; however, taking time to smell the roses is necessary. Continue reading “Christopher Robin: Review” →

UFC 225: Whittaker vs. Romero II Review

269_Robert_Whittaker_vs_Yoel_Romero — Photo by Esther Lin of MMAFighting.com

Over the last couple of years, I have found MMA, specifically the UFC, to be a complete bore. The lack of stars and divisional relevance, along with the oversaturation of events, has made most fights a standard affair instead of something special. That all changes, at least for one night, as UFC 225 from the United Center in Chicago produced meaningful fights from top to bottom. Continue reading “UFC 225: Whittaker vs. Romero II Review” →

Does Krypton Soar?

Krypton debuted on the SYFY channel this week with a family story where the past and the present collide to dictate the future. Superman’s grandfather, Seg-El, learns of an impending threat to destroy Krypton, all to prevent the birth of his future grandson.

When I first learned of this new series, I wondered if it would only appeal to die-hard Superman fans.

I’m a die-hard Superman fan, so that wouldn’t bother me. However, for this show to succeed long-term, it can’t just rest on the laurels of its mythology.

Continue reading “Does Krypton Soar?” →

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales – Review

I recently treated myself to back to back movie viewings at my local theater. This is something I used to do all the time. I keep planning to do them but something would always come up at the last minute. This time…success! My two escapes were a bumbling pirate and a deadly extraterrestrial.

The fifth outing in the popular Disney franchise tells the story of a down on his luck Capt. Jack Sparrow who is looking to escape the ghostly wrath of the revenge-laden Capt. Salazar. Jack’s only hope is to find the legendary Trident of Poseidon, and to do it, he will need the help of an astronomer and a young Navy man with ties to his audacious past.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales brings fun and adventure back to the franchise, and it is the best film since the original. That may or may not be high praise since Pirates 2, ,3 and 4 left a lot to be desired. Still, this was an enjoyable movie-going experience that had some hits and misses.

Continue reading “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales – Review” →

WrestleMania 33 Preview & Predictions Show

It’s the biggest day of the year in professional wrestling as WWE unleashes the ultimate thrill ride, WrestleMania 33. The show will emanate from the Camping World Stadium in Orlando, FL.

Atlee Greene and Adam Kohn breakdown all 13 matches on the card including the Universal Championship Match between Goldberg and Brock Lesnar. Also, Randy Orton challenges Bray Wyatt for the WWE Championship.

The rumors are circulating that Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns could mark the last time the Deadman makes that walk down down the asile. If so, will Taker rule the day or fall to the Roman Empire?

Sit back, relax, press that play button and enjoy the show.

Dean Ambrose vs. Baron Corbin is on for WrestleMania

The Intercontinental Championship has officially found its seat on The Ultimate Thrill Ride, WrestleMania 33. Dean Ambrose will defend the title against Baron Corbin as the match was made when Ambrose accepted Corbin’s challenge on SmackDown.

“The Lone Wolf” versus “The Lunatic Fringe” will mark the first WrestleMania singles match for the IC title since The Big Show pinned Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 28, five years ago. This is now the twelfth match added to the six-hour event. Continue reading “Dean Ambrose vs. Baron Corbin is on for WrestleMania” →

Braun Strowman Passed the Test

Braun Strowman took a test on Raw last Monday when he worked the Big Show in the main event. It happens to every wrestler who’s been groomed for a featured role. Yes, he can bump, he can sell, he is a towering colossus but can he tell a story in the ring that is worth the price of admission? Continue reading “Braun Strowman Passed the Test” →

Wrestling Soapbox Preview: Apollo Crews is Not Getting Over

Here is a preview of our Elimination Chamber review show as Atlee Greene and Adam Kohn discuss Apollo Crews’ failure to get over on WWE’s main roster.