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.
Continue reading “The Problem with AEW”
“Are you serious?” I blurted out loud when Jeff Jarrett was announced as the special guest referee for Usos/Street Profits Tag Team Title match at SummerSlam on July 30th.
“What’s wrong?” my wife asked with heartfelt concern. She rolled her eyes and quickly returned to her book after telling her, “It’s a wrestling thing.”
WWE has dipped into the guest referee well for the 9th time in SummerSlam history. Usos and Profits have great matches against each other. However, some complained about another outing between the two teams after the shoulder controversy at Money in the Bank.
Continue reading “Jeff Jarrett is the Special Guest Referee at SummerSlam”
Liv Morgan has a new belt strapped around her waist. Eleven days ago, she won the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match and later in the night cashed in the briefcase on a wounded Ronda Rousey to become the SmackDown Women’s Champion. It was quite the shocker that most didn’t see coming.
Another title change saw Theory lose the U.S. Title to Bobby Lashley. But he turned his bad luck around as he was inexplicably entered into, and won the Men’s Money in the Bank ladder match.
Two surprise moments occurred. One was damned with faint praise, while fans and wrestlers celebrated the other. Liv Morgan’s win and successful cash-in culminated in a hard-fought journey with a happy ending many feared was improbable.
Liv Morgan is a different type of enigma. Morgan is not the most polished wrestler, but she’s not bad enough to write off either. Online enthusiasts celebrate her to a degree usually reserved for top-level in-ring performers.
So, what makes her different?
Continue reading “Liv Morgan: A Different Type of Enigma”
Here we go again.
The Wall Street Journal discovered more hush-money payments made by Vince McMahon in excess of $12 million over 16 years to four women who worked for WWE. The former paralegal, the subject of the Wall Street Journal’s initial report on McMahon’s sexual misconduct is included.
Three more women and over $9 million in addition to the $3 million WSJ reported on June 17. A $7.5 million settlement was reached with a former WWE wrestler who claimed McMahon “coerced her into giving him oral sex and then demoted her and, ultimately, declined to renew her contract in 2005 after she resisted further sexual encounters, according to people familiar with the matter.”
Continue reading “Vince McMahon Paid 4 Women over $12 Million in Hush Money”
Los Angeles’ longest-running, most celebrated variety show returns for one night only
Friday, July 29th at The Mayan Theatre in downtown Los Angeles
Featuring world-class Mexican masked wrestling, burlesque, comedy, music, and more
Summer Sabotage is also set to feature a unique collaboration with Sony Pictures’
new upcoming original action thriller, “BULLET TRAIN”
Tickets on sale now
Los Angeles, CA (July 6, 2022)─Los Angeles’ longest-running, most celebrated variety show, where authentic Mexican masked wrestling, burlesque, and comedy collide, is returning with Lucha VaVOOM Summer Sabotage on Friday, July 29th at their historic home venue, The Mayan Theatre (1038 S Hill St.), in downtown Los Angeles. Tickets for this 21+ event are on sale now for $45.00‒$90.00 at TicketWeb.com.
Celebrating their 20th anniversary this August 22nd, Lucha VaVOOM (LVV) has been wowing audiences across the globe with their glam/slam extravaganzas for two decades. In February, LVV hosted their first live event since 2019 due to the coronavirus, selling out their Valentine’s engagement, followed by two blowout nights in May to celebrate 11 years of Cinco de Mayo craziness. From Los Angeles to Tokyo, across the U.S. and Canada, and all the way to Australia, people go crazy for this perfect combination of world-class, professional lucha libre-style wrestling interspersed with insane, high-octane burlesque performances, death-defying aerial acts, comedy, music, lowriders, tequila, tamales, and more ─ all adding up to one unforgettable night.
Summer Sabotage’s confirmed wrestling lineup includes fan favorites Li’l Cholo and Magno “The Man Mountain” Rudo, along with mini superstar wrestler and one of Mexico’s most beloved fighters Microman (as seen on ESPN, CBS News, The Telegraph and Daily Mail), Dragon Lee, Dralistico, Taya Valkyrie (four-time Reina de Reinas champion and former WWE superstar), Dama Fina (former LVV champion), Matt Classic, Mini Matt Classic, Los Crazy Chickens, Dr. Maldad, Chupacabra, Zyra, Johnnie Robbie, and Los SEXI Mexi’s (Ave Rex and Sonico).
Burlesque dancers and aerialists confirmed includes Raquel Reed (burlesque dancer from Absinthe in Las Vegas), Audrey Deluxe (burlesque artist, game-player, fantasy maker, and shimmy shaker), Veronica Yune (stunning daredevil aerialist who will be swooping down from above and stealing hearts), and Viva La Glam (San Francisco-based performer specializing in unique and dangerous acts, such as an aerial dance on chains, with metal grinding in the air, to create a magnificent display of shooting sparks as she spins at death defying heights).
Plus, comedian host Blaine Capatch will be delivering insanely off-the-cuff commentary both nights.
Summer Sabotage will also feature a unique collaboration with Sony Pictures’ new upcoming original action thriller film, Bullet Train, out only in theaters on August 5th. In Bullet Train, Brad Pitt stars as Ladybug, an unlucky assassin determined to do his job peacefully after one too many gigs gone off the rails.
Fate, however, may have other plans, as Ladybug’s latest mission puts him on a collision course with lethal adversaries from around the globe – all with connected, yet conflicting, objectives – on the world’s fastest train…and he’s got to figure out how to get off.
From the director of Deadpool 2, David Leitch, the end of the line is only the beginning in a wild, non-stop thrill ride through modern-day Japan. With a screenplay by Zak Olkewicz based on the book by Kotaro Isaka, the film also stars Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Benito A Martínez Ocasio (Puerto Rican artist known as Bad Bunny, who is also a huge wrestling fan) and Sandra Bullock.
A wrestler, inspired by Bad Bunny’s “The Wolf”-character from the film, will be a part of the second match of the night at Summer Sabotage. Additionally, the dangerously cute and mysterious mascot Momomon will also make a special appearance at the event, plus fans in attendance will get to see the film’s trailer, special footage, and more!
About Lucha VaVOOM:
For almost 20 years, Lucha VaVOOM (LVV) has been delivering arguably the most electrifying show on earth with a mind-blowing mix of Mexican masked wrestling, burlesque, and comedy. Founded in Los Angeles in 2002 by Rita D’Albert and Liz Fairbairn, LVV — voted Los Angeles’ “Best Burlesque Show” by LA Weekly in 2012 and 2013 — is good vs. evil played out in quick, exhibition-style, one-fall lucha libre matches for maximum enjoyment and action.
LVV has created a Los Angeles tradition: from the low rider car parade escorting in performers as the crowd enters the iconic Mayan Theatre, to the local luminaries it attracts (Drew Carey, Jack Black, and more have sat in), to burlesque (which was revived in Los Angeles), to lucha libre, where masked heroic wrestlers, in character-driven style, flip, fly, and amaze.
It all comes together to make for one fun, surreal, glam-bam spectacle of raucous entertainment. You could say it’s a wrestling show for people that don’t like wrestling (and those that do). Says the Los Angeles Times, “Far-out flamboyance always prevails at Lucha VaVOOM, a spectacle of Mexican freestyle wrestling with an L.A. twist.”
For more info, visit LuchaVaVOOM.com and follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
“…no one that puts on a better lucha libre show than the folks at Lucha VaVOOM. Far wackier and wilder than most professional wrestling…Lucha VaVOOM lets its freak flag fly…”
– Nerdist
Ladders upon ladders will engulf the MGM Grand Garden Arena this evening with WWE Money in the Bank. There are six matches on the card, which is in line with WWE putting fewer bouts on their premium live events as of late. While there are four championship matches, the real interest in the show is the two Money in the Bank ladder matches.
Continue reading “WWE Money in the Bank 2022 Predictions”
Social Media influencer Logan Paul is the latest celebrity to throw in with WWE.
Paul announced Thursday afternoon on his various social media platforms that he’s signed with WWE and shared a picture taken with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon at WWE Headquarters.
Ariel Helwani reported that Paul signed a multi-year deal that calls for the celebrity boxer to work an undisclosed number of premium live events (pay-per-view) in 2022 and 2023. This news comes after Paul confirmed he was training for an in-ring return to wrestling.
Continue reading “Logan Paul Signs with WWE. Will it Work?”
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.
Japanese professional wrestling is an enigma unto itself. While North America’s presentation primarily emphasizes spectacle over sport, Japan’s exhibition of the art accentuates the opposite. While it might look the same as the staged combat seen in the west, the eastern flavor has more kick.
While WWE is the industry leader, New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) is Japan’s most prominent and longest-running wrestling promotion. Founded in 1972, NJPW is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
Today, NJPW is arguably the second biggest promotion in the world and puts on great wrestling matches that have produced a global cult-like following. All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and New Japan will team up for their Forbidden Door pay-per-view event this Sunday.
There are many great matches from a multitude of events that epitomize NJPW. Consider this an introductory course for the uninitiated, citing ten matches that best illustrate the style and presentation of New Japan.
This isn’t a “best-of” list, and I won’t be teaching this class alone.
I called the Jobber Knocker Podcast’s resident NJPW expert Dennis Conway aka SSJPegasus. We’ll each pick five matches that are great introductory examples to New Japan Pro Wrestling.
If you’re watching AEW Forbidden Door this Sunday and are unfamiliar with NJPW, this one is for you.
Continue reading “10 Matches for People Who Don’t Watch NJPW”
Well, Vince McMahon made his highly anticipated appearance on SmackDown this evening. Opening the show, he slightly strutted down the aisle as the ring announcer introduced him as “Mr. McMahon.”
Continue reading “Vince McMahon Does Not Address Allegations on SmackDown”
Ringside Logic 