STANLEY WESTON

Founder
(1919-2002)

EDITOR & PUBLISHER

Stuart M. Saks
PRODUCTION MANAGER

S
Bethany Lawler
ART DIRECTOR
UGAR RAY LEONARD and Roberto Duran had no problem getting together for Julia Tran
a photo shoot in 1980 for our boxing magazine, KO, prior to their second ght. SENIOR WRITERS
Dan Murphy
They despised each other, but they understood the public relations value of going Harry Burkett
Al Castle
nose-to-nose on the cover of a national magazine prior to a huge ght. CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Mike Bessler
When I asked WWE to arrange a similar such photo session featuring Charlotte Flair Matt Brock
and Sasha Banks, I had no idea of what trouble lay ahead. Elizabeth A. Hunter
Brady Hicks
Sashas response: Tell PWI I unfollowed them on Twitter for a reason. Not interested! Gerry Strauss
Louie Dee
Charlottes response: They didnt put me on the cover of their Female 50 issue. Is Kevin McElvaney
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
this an attempt to make it up to me? Let them put Kevin Owens on the cover again. Jennifer Orehowsky
I was told by WWEs public relations people to sit tightthis type of thing happens all CONTRIBUTING ARTIST
Jason Conlan
the time. Ive learned in my years dealing with WWE P.R. that when they say no, they CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
George Napolitano
mean no, but when they say sit tight, that means Im likely to get what I want. Duane Long
George Tahinos
I got what I wanted, but not without heartache. Timothy A. Walker
Mike Lano
The two arrived at WWEs mobile backstage photo studio at the Laredo Energy Arena Koichi Yoshizawa
Wayne McCarty
before the January 30 Raw. I greeted both. They offered a handshake but not their pearly Matt Roberts
Scott Finkelstein
whites. At rst I thought they were still angry with meand they may well have been. John Smolek
Steve Argintaru
What really had them upset was the prospect of sharing space with each other not only Andrea Kellaway
on the cover, but anywhere other than a wrestling ring. Zachary Tarrant
PamElla Winslow
The last thing these women shared was last years PWI Achievement Award for Feud
of the Year. Nuff said. PRESIDENT
Despina McNulty
As unhappy as they both appeared, neither seemed to want to give the other a reason SENIOR VP FINANCE/NEW BUSINESS
not to follow through with their commitment. If the shoot wasnt going to come off, both Bill Siebert
SENIOR CIRCULATION DIRECTOR
wanted to be able to blame the other. This stalemate worked to my advantage. David Tyler
RETAIL SERVICES DIRECTOR
I asked the women if they were familiar with the classic boxing faceoff photos. Briana Coppola
ADVERTISING INFORMATION
Of course, they said simultaneously. Stu Saks
Well, thats what Im looking for here. (215) 643-6385
pwi@kappapublishing.com
They shot each other a glance, and when their eyes made contact, they both looked
to the oor.
Ready?
Its not going to happen! Charlotte responded.
I dont want to be in the same room, let alone have to look at her! shouted Sasha.
I brought up Leonard and Duran. No mas, Sasha said, cleverly. She wouldnt be born
PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED (ISSN: 1043-7576),
until 12 years after that ght, but she was aware that it was in that encounter that Duran Vol. 38, No. 3, 2017 is published bi-monthly by Kappa
Publishing Group Inc., 6198 Butler Pike, Suite 200,
had surrendered to Leonard with that infamous Spanish phrase. But she was not just Blue Bell, PA 19422. Periodicals postage paid at Blue
Bell, PA 19422, and additional post offices. Postmaster:
showing off her cultural literacy. Her real message was that I should stop right there and Send change of address notices to: PRO WRESTLING
ILLUSTRATED, P.O. Box 433120, Palm Coast, FL
not even try to convince her to do something she had no intention of doing. 32143. Single copy price $6.99 U.S./Canada (5.50
in U.K.). Annual subscription price $41.94 in the U.S.,
Yup, Charlotte agreed. $56.94 in Canada and Mexico, and $86.94 in other
countries. Not responsible for the loss or non-return
Well, at least they had found common ground. But what about the photo shoot? of unsolicited articles or photographs, which will not
They both shrugged. Thats your problem, said Charlotte. be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed
envelope bearing the proper amount of postage. The
I have things to do, said Sasha. Unless you have any ideas, Im outta here. entire contents of this magazine are copyright 2017
Kappa Publishing Group, Inc. No part of this magazine
Me, too, said Charlotte, who took a few steps toward the dressing area before I said, may be reproduced without the written permission
of the publisher. All rights reserved. Publisher is
How about this? not responsible for the accuracy or content of any
advertisements appearing in this magazine, nor the
For the moment, I had both womens attention. What I didnt have was an idea. I felt delivery or quality of merchandise or services offered.
No endorsement of any such advertisement is intended
a bead of sweat drip from my face. I think they both sensed my dilemma and were or implied. Advertisers and agencies assume liability for
claims arising from the content of their advertisements.
actually enjoying my pain. Finally, I blurted out, How about if you stand back-to-back? All WWE trademarks, logos and copyrights are the
exclusive property of WWE and its subsidiaries. All other
I didnt expect them to say, Great idea! and neither did. trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of
their respective owners. 2017 WWE, Inc. All Rights
Lets just get this over with, said Charlotte. They both stepped in front of the backdrop Reserved. FOR ADVERTISING INQUIRIES AND RATES:
(215) 461-0583.
and backed toward each other. There would be no eye contact. Backbone contact would
have to do. Printed in U.S.A.

Stu Saks
Publisher
JUNE. 2017 3
 Asuka
Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks get the bulk
of the attention, but NXT Womens champion
Asuka quietly and effectively goes about her
business. Charlotte and Sasha were both strong
NXT champs, but its the native of Osaka, Japan,
who has the longest reign in the companys
history. Asuka received an A in the annual PWI
Report Cards.

2016 WWE, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

PHOTO BY STU SAKS
CONTENTS: JUNE 2017
D E PA R T M E N T S F E AT U R E S
3 FROM THE DESK OF 20 HOTSEAT: CODY RHODES
BY STU SAKS Within six months of doing the unthinkablevol-
untarily leaving WWEthe freest of free agents
6 BEFORE THE BELL worked for ROH, PWG, Impact Wrestling, and
BY MIKE BESSLER EVOLVE. He made five separate trips to the U.K.
and wrestled in New Japans Wrestle Kingdom at
10 RINGSIDE the Tokyo Dome. He even had a major TV role on
W I T H H A R RY B U R K E T T Arrow. Any regrets about quitting WWE? Not that he
would admit to in this exclusive Q&A
14 QUICK COUNT
BY A L C AST L E
28 REMEMBER, REMEMBER, THE 15TH
16 STRAIGHT SHOOTER OF JANUARY: A DAY OF HONOR FOR
BY A L C AST L E TYLER BATE
An ancestor may have failed in a plot to assassinate
18 WIN, LOSE, OR DRAW the king 400 years ago, but 19-year-old Tyler Bate
B Y H A R RY B U R K E T T prevailed in a tournament field of 16 to capture the
WWE U.K. title
60 THE BUSINESS PAGE
B Y H A R RY B U R K E T T 32 A REAL FISH STORY
Bobby Fish had a whopper of a story to tell PWI, let-
64 INDEPENDENT ROUNDUP ting on that as recently as four years ago, he was on
BY MIKE BESSLER the verge of quitting his pursuit of a full-time wres-
tling gig for a job at Target. Ring of Honor came a
66 INTERNATIONAL REPORT callin just in the nick of time!
B Y D A N M U R P HY

68 ARENA REPORTS 36 STARS WAR: LUCHADORA SEXY

STAR REVEALS WHY SHES
78 BETWEEN FALLS COMPELLED TO WRESTLE MEN
Well tell you right here: Sexy Star puts her body on
80 OFFICIAL WRESTLING RATINGS the line against men nearly twice her size because a
certain unnamed member of the male gender once
82 DRAWING BLOOD left her with a deep psychological star. This may be a
job for Dr. Sidney M. Basil!
BY JASON CONL AN

40 WRESTLEMANIA: THE ALL-TIME

STAY CONNECTED!
REACHING YOU
Pro Wrestling IllustratedAugust 2017 (PWI Poll): Digital edition
on sale May 4; print edition on sale May 30
Website: www.pwi-online.com
The PWI Podcast: pwi.podbean.com; iTunes Store
Back Issues: Every PWI cover since 1979 can be viewed at our
website. Back issue availability is noted
REACHING US
General e-mail: pwi@kappapublishing.com
Letters to the editor: prowrestlingillustrated@yahoo.com
Editorial mail: P.O. Box 96, Fort Washington, PA 19034
Arena Reports e-mail: pwiresults@yahoo.com
Podcast e-mail: pwipodcast@outlook.com
Independent news e-mail: officialpwi@gmail.com
Subscription Inquiries: Kappa Publishing Group Inc., P.O. Box
433120, Palm Coast, FL 32143-3120
Subscription phone: 386-246-0114
Subscription e-mail: custsrvc@kappapublishing.com
REACHING EACH OTHER
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/
PWI/127711697289232?fref=ts
Twitter: twitter.com/officialpwi
SLEEPERS, FLOPS, & MAGICAL
MOMENTS
With 32 years of history to draw from, it wasnt easy
to narrow the list to 10 in each category. Relive these
Mania Moments with us and offer your feedback
45 PWIs ANNUAL REPORT CARDS: HOW
DID 100 STARS FARE IN 2016?
Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair have been battling
for the one and only Raw Womens title for the bet-
ter part of a year. Fortunately, there was more than
one A+ to go around. Perhaps thats why they didnt
come to blows during the cover shoot!
COVER PHOTO:
2017 WWE, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
COVER DESIGN:
JULIA TRAN

SISTERHOOD OF THE SQUARED CIRCLE
F
or all their purported interest in re-imagining
the canon of professional wrestling, the top
bananas at WWE have never completely
succeeded in cornering the market when it comes
to history and nostalgia. Indeed, as long as wres-
tling fans count inquisitive minds and continuity
buffs among their ranks, enthusiasts will aspire to
compile a coherent history of the sport they love. In
this spirit, writers Dan Murphy
and Pat Laprade have penned
a new work, Sisterhood Of
The Squared Circle: The His-
tory And Rise Of Womens
Wrestling, which examines
the role of the proverbial fairer
sex in the evolution of the
wrestling business.
Sisterhood Of The Squared
Circle traces the roots of wom-
ens wrestling all the way back
to the tumultuous relationship
of promoter Billy Wolfe and leg-
endary lady grappler Mildred
Burke. Laprade and Murphy
present the union of Wolfe and
Burke as a fiery crucible in
which the couples professional
motivations often encroached
upon their respective personal
boundaries. The chaos bore
fruit at some level, though, ultimately forging the
foundation for one of the most enduring subgenres
of wrestling as sport and spectacle.
Trailblazers such as Lillian Ellison (The Fabulous
Moolah) and Mae Young are afforded particular
consideration by the authors, given their respec-
tive legacies as key figures in the span of womens
wrestling. And the biggest names of the modern
era, including the likes of Mickie James, the Bella
Twins, and Gail Kim, are presented with the same
reverence and respect as retired champions and
6 O PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED O
COMPILED BY MIKE BESSLER
independent fan favorites. SHIMMER, one of the
most influential proving grounds for lady grap-
plers in recent decades, rightly garners an entire
chapter in Sisterhood, and even the short-lived
campiness of the 1980s show Gorgeous Ladies Of
Wrestling earns a spot in this ambitious chronicle.
Sisterhood Of The Squared Circle also presents an
overview of womens wrestling beyond the United
States and Canada, with special
attention to the evolution of the
scenes in Japan and Mexico.
Its familiar territory for Murphy,
who, as a senior writer for Pro
Wrestling Illustrated, compiles
the magazines International
Report and the annual Female
50 rankings.
Laprade and Murphy meticu-
lously document the materials
that comprise their tapestry,
combining a host of journalistic
sources with original inter-
views. The rich narrative his-
tory assembled by Laprade and
Murphy is complemented by
approximately 200 photos, in-
cluding a center section of color
images. The book also features
an introduction by former WWE
Womens champion and third-
generation grappler Natalya.
A concise, yet encyclopedic compendium of the
past, present, and future of womens wrestling,
Sisterhood Of The Squared Circle is an essential
addition to the home libraries of astute wrestling
aficionados. We give it 4 out of five suplexes.
 Heres a list of the top 10 wrestling-related items youve
been talking about lately and our gut reaction to each:

10. Despite a flurry of online speculation, Kenny After adamantly denying that he had copied the
Omega does not appear at this years Royal WWE CEO in any shape or form, McGregor con-
Rumble. cluded his comments by declaring himself the ECW
champion and demanding that Trish Stratus bark
Responding to criticism that he skipped the big like a dog.
event, Omega pointed out that he also skipped all of
the presidential debates, the NHL finals, and the last 3. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows defeat Shea-
seven years of Wheel Of Fortune. mus and Cesaro for
the Raw tag title.
9. Dixie Carter steps down from her role as presi-

PHOTO BY JOHN SMOLEK

dent of Impact Wrestling. Drawing inspiration
from The New Days
In an effort to remain in touch with the wrestling busi- Booty-Os cereal, The
ness, Dixie invites Bubba Ray over to her house once Club will be rolling
a week to power bomb her through the kitchen table. out its own brand of
8. Randy Orton pulls off a surprise win at the breakfast food called
Royal Rumble. Eat This Or We Will
The shocked in-house audience was crestfallen Kill You.
upon realizing that they had been denied the oppor- 2. Kurt Angle is an-
tunity to boo a victorious Roman Reigns out of the nounced as an in-
building. ductee for the WWE
7. Samoa Joe debuts on WWEs main roster. Hall of Fame.
Although fans rejoiced in seeing their longtime fa- Not to be outdone,
vorite hit the big time, Seth Rollins was pretty broken Impact Wrestling offi-
up over it. cials immediately an-
nounced that the next
6. Bobby Roode defeats Shinsuke Nakamura for inductee into its hall
the NXT championship. of fame will be Kurt
In all fairness to Nakamura, he was hardly in top Angles WWE Hall of
form for the bout, as he was still pretty winded from Fame ring.
yet another one of his epic ring entrances. 1. John Cena wins
5. Brock Lesnar returns at the Royal Rumble only his 16th world title.
to suffer a quick elimination from a familiar foe. Asked if he was im-
Clearly, Brock was operating under the assumption pressed by Cenas
that his UFC suspension also bans him from fighting achievement, Ric Flair
back against Bill Goldberg. replied, Lets see him
break my record for
4. Conor McGregor publicly bashes Vince McMa- marriages and then
hon over allegations that he ripped off McMahons well all know how
power walk strut. tough he really is!

I was very nervous that there would be crickets ,WV WKH VDPH WKLQJ WKDW KDV EHHQ WKH FDVH
when I walked out. I was wrong, thank God. WKURXJKRXW WKH SURFHVV DQG WKURXJKRXW WKH MRXU-
AJ Styles, discussing his 2016 WWE debut with QH\ZKHQ,YHEHHQDVNHG:KDWDUH\RXJRLQJWR
Yahoo! Sports GR",YHEHHQDVNHGPRUHVLQFHZLQQLQJWKHWLWOH
DW:UHVWOH.LQJGRPDQGEHFRPLQJ5LQJRI+RQRU
,KDYHWRFRQWLQXHZUHVWOLQJ,PQRWGRQH\HW FKDPSLRQIRUWKHWKLUGWLPH7KHUHDUHDORWRISRV-
,GRQWNQRZZKHQ,OOEHGRQHEXW,MXVWNQRZWKDW VLELOLWLHV,GRQWNQRZZKDW,PJRLQJWRGR
,PQRW Adam Cole on whether or not he will sign with WWE
ECW Original Sabu, discussing his career with Sports in the future, from an interview with USA Today
Illustrated
 ONE TO WATCH: JOEY JANELA
A
s the self-described King Of Car-Crash Wres- big spot.
tling, Joey Janela presides over an empire of I have only done three or four deathmatches,
twisted metal and broken bodies. In the course Janela said. I dont want to be defined by that, but I
of his 10 years between the ropes, Janela has estab- do love the art of it.
lished himself as one of the sports most notorious Now the subject of a mini-documentary by EVOLVE
loose cannons, garnering a throng of devoted fans filmmaker Kenny Johnson, Janela has seized upon
who cheer his high-risk behavior with the cautionary the opportunity to tell his story on his own terms.
plea, Please dont die, Joey Janela! Released via YouTube in February 2017, Please
Hailing from Asbury Park, New Jersey, the birth- Dont Die Joey Janela combines Janelas personal
place of legendary grappler Bam Bam Bigelow, reminiscences with archival footage to present the
Janela would have been right at home on the roster evolution of indy wrestlings infamous bad boy. The
of WCWs bygone cruiserweight division or in the film is part retrospective, but also a glimpse of whats
heyday of TNAs X division. The 59, 190-pound grap- yet to come for a young but seasoned wrestler who
pler has thrilled audiences in a host of independent still aspires to lock up with the likes of John Cena as
promotions, including Pro Wrestling Syndicate, World part of WWEs roster someday.
Xtreme Wrestling, and Combat Zone Wrestling, Its coming to me, Janela said. Its taken 10 years,
blending agility and a diverse skill set with a defiant but its finally coming round.
and headstrong attitude.
My style is unique in this day and age, Janela
explains. Im kind of like an underground cult-classic
when it comes to taste and stylekind of like punk
rock.
To be sure, a good amount of Janelas appeal
stems from his eclecticism. He fancies himself as a
self taught all-arounder who gained important early
experience as a backyard wrestler. He eventually
began helping out with set-up at local shows as a
teenager, occasionally hitting the ropes before bell
time. He drew inspiration from some of wrestlings
stars of his childhood, including Hulk Hogan, Ted
DiBiase, and Honky Tonk Man.
Much like his larger-than-life heroes, Janela is
driven by an urge to speak his mind and play upon
the emotions of his audience. Adept at harnessing
social media to raise the ire of his fans and peers,
Joey has called out a number of individuals and
organizations via Twitter, including President Donald
Trump and the entire writing staff at PWI.
In fact, it was Janelas public challenge to former
CZW owner John Zandig in 2016 that led to one
of the most infamous moments of his career. After
clashing via Twitter, Zandig and Janela met for a
hardcore showdown at a Game Changer Wrestling
event last summer. The harrowing finale of the match
saw Zandig and Janela plunge some 30 feet off the
roof of the venue and through a platform of light
tubes and fire. Video of the spot went viral online
PHOTO BY CHRIS GRASSO

and even earned coverage from television outlets,

including ESPN.
Although the hubbub surrounding his big moment
with Zandig yielded some time in the limelight,
Janela doesnt want to be known solely for a single

8 O PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED O

 BEHIND THE CURTAIN: JAZZY GABERT
M
ost folks might hesitate to stray from their
respective comfort zones in life, especially
when the choice of a new and different path
will almost certainly lead to getting punched in the
face. But for veteran grappler Jazzy Alpha Female
Gabert, the decision to test her mettle in the world of
MMA marked a new and intriguing stage of evolution
in her life as an in-ring performer.
The idea of becoming a mixed martial artist came
up in Japan when I worked with old-school wrestlers
such as Nanae Takahashi and Kimura, Gabert
said. Their training was very strict and hard, the
matches were hard hitting, and we ended up injured
with broken eardrums, black eyes, loose teeth, and
concussions. I thought that in MMA, I could at least
protect myself and have my fate in my own hands.
Thats when I started MMA training and I loved it. It
was so much fun and so much less painful than the
training in wrestling.
Despite her enthusiasm, Gabert still experienced
a learning curve during her foray into combat sports.
During her initial training, she stayed at UFC fighter
Peter Sobottas Planet Eater MMA camp, where she
had to cut over 20 pounds to qualify for a weight class
with an adequate pool of opponents.
A standout in Japans all-female Stardom promo-
tion as well as an alumnus of TNA, Alpha Female
made her MMA debut in her native country of Ger-
many in October 2016, defeating Manuela Kuhse via
TKO. According to Gabert, the fight was watched by
a worldwide audience of 100,000,
including fans that had followed
her exploits in pro wrestling.
Gabert kept things rolling in her
budding MMA career a few months
later, showing up at a Rizin event
in Japan and issuing a challenge
to Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion Gabi
Garcia. She jumped in the ring at
the show and delivered a shoot-
style promo on Garcia, inciting
criticism from some MMA purists.
Whether people like it or not,
MMA is sports entertainment, too,
Gabert explained. Its more sport
than entertainment, but you cant
be successful and keep people
interested without a story. I think
it also gained so much interest
not just because I did a wrestling
promo on Gabi, but because
people dont know what to expect
from me.
Still invigorated from her first big
win and the range of responses
from old and new fans alike, Gabert
is ready for forthcoming opportuni-
ties in the world of MMA. Still, she
remains prominent in Europes in-
dependent wrestling scene, holding
top womens titles for Swiss Wres-
tling Entertainment and Germanys
Champions of Wrestling.
I really love wrestling, Jazzy
said. It will be always something
that makes me happy, but I feel it
is time to do other things as well.
O JUNE. 2017 O  9
 am still at my best.
It speaks of the competitive
balance of WWEs womens divi-
sion that we are seeing so many
title changes. Congratulations to
Naomi, who captured her first
WWE title after five years on the
WITH HARRY BURKETT main roster, beating Alexa Bliss
at Elimination Chamber. The fol-
lowing night, Bayley scored a
major upset (with an assist from

I
AM FAR from retiring, I feel were all eliminated previously. Sasha Banks), taking the Raw
like Im at my physical best, That, at least initially, set up Wyatt Womens title from Charlotte
a defiant John Cena told the vs. Royal Rumble winner (and fel- Flair. It was also Bayleys first title
U.K.s Sky Sports only days be- low family member) Randy Orton since being promoted to the main
fore this years Elimination Cham- for WrestleMania. roster last year.
ber pay-per-view. I dont think its That result actually gave Cena a That same balance appears to
any secret to anybody that this is golden opportunity: the chance to be lacking in NXT, where Asuka
what I love to do the most and I win an unprecedented 17th world passed Paige as the longest
am far from over. championship in 2017. Besides reigning womens champ at 309
Cena was on an emotional facing The Undertaker at Wres- days on February 4. Asuka has
high when those words were tleMania, thats the only real goal to keep a close eye on Ember
spoken, as he had defeated AJ for Cena to pursueand he could Moon, who has been impressive.
Styles for the WWE champion- make a compelling case for being Seth Rollins grudge match
ship at The Royal Rumble only the greatest wrestler of all-time. against Triple-H was put on hold
three weeks earlierhis record- A lot of folks in WWE say that in the weeks leading up to Wres-
tying 16th world title to be exact. maybe I am past my prime and tleMania due to an injury he suf-
Not since Harley Race beat Ric have lost a step and that creates fered at the hands of Samoa Joe
Flair for his seventh NWA World a giant chip on my shoulder, re- on Raw. Joe yanked Rollins leg
championship in 1983, surpass- marked Cena. I want to show- to take him down, catching Seths
ing Lou Thesz record of six world case to everyone watching that I foot on the mat and twisting his
title reigns, has this type of an
achievement been met with such
fanfare. Flair, who had been rec-
ognized as the only 16-time world
champion in the industrys his-
tory, embraced Cena backstage
at the Rumble.
I got to share a heartfelt mo-
ment with Ric immediately after
the match, Cena said in the Sky
Sports interview. He was very
congratulatory and it was very
humbling. It was fantastic, a way
to let everything truly sink in.
Although Cena was outnum-
bered five to one inside the Elimi-
PHOTO BY BRIAN MINSON

nation Chamber, it was still a

shock when Bray Wyatt kissed off
Cena with a Sister Abigail to score
a pinfall, and went on to use the
same maneuver on AJ Styles to
capture the WWE championship.
John Cena propels himself off a pod to take down both Bray Wyatt and AJ
The other combatantsThe Miz, Styles. When he attempted to follow up with an AA against Wyatt, Bray
Intercontinental champ Dean reversed the move and executed his Sister Abigail to eliminate the 16-time
Ambrose, and Baron Corbin champion. Shortly after, Wyatt used another Abigail to set up his title-
winning pin of Styles.
10 O  PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED O
 knee, as he attempted to choke
him out. Joe unfairly caught heat
from some quarters, considering
he was also involved in Tyson
Kidds catastrophic neck injury
nearly two years ago.
The NXT title has become the
steppingstone to a WWE call-up.
Kevin Owens, Finn Balor, Sa-
moa Joe, and the soon-to-arrive
Shinsuke Nakamura all followed
that route. Since Bobby Roode
defeated Nakamura for the belt
on January 28 at NXT TakeOver:
nouncer, Kelly was a full-time of-
fice worker also involved in talent
and public relations. Frequent
travel, including a long com-
mute to the Baltimore area most
days, was said to be a factor. Ac-
cording to Pro Wrestling Torch,
Kelly is earning enough money
as New Japans lead English-
speaking announcer to give him
significant leverage.
Women of Honor play-by-play
man Ian Riccaboni is the top can-
didate to replace Kelly as ROHs

PHOTO BY BRIAN MINSON

San Antonio, everyone has been
asking about the Glorious One.
Word is that Roode is very con-
tent with his role as champion,
and would prefer to join the Raw
or Smackdown roster with the
NXT belt still around his waist.
Its become a chore to figure
out whos leaving and whos stay-
ing in Ring of Honor. The latest
is that Keith Lee is finished with
ROH, having teamed with partner
Shane Taylor against The Bris-
coe Brothers in his final match,
February 2 in San Antonio. ROH
had apparently signed Taylor to a
deal, but Lee took to Twitter soon
after, announcing he was signing
with EVOLVE. Many in the com-
pany questioned the etiquette of
that move.
Perhaps the biggest blow to
ROH is Kevin Kelly reducing his
role. Besides serving as lead an-
Bobby Roode exults after his NXT
title-winning effort against Shinsuke
Nakamura at TakeOver: San Antonio.
Naturally, Roode has ambitions to
advance to Raw or Smackdown, but
he wants to take his belt with him. A
glorious concept, perhaps, but not
very realistic.
2017 WWE, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
lead announcer. ROHs broad-
cast team has been particularly
hard-hit, with color commentators
Nigel McGuinness and Steve
Corino departing for NXT and the
WWE Performance Center.
For news on all the latest TNA
upheaval, including the Anthem
Sports & Entertainment takeover
of the company, check out this is-
sues Business Page. But there
is a rumor circulating thats worth
noting here. Considering all the
damage done to the TNA brand,
and to emphasize this is really a
fresh start, Jeff Jarrettwho was
recently rehired as a consultant
might actually push the idea of
merging TNA with his Global
Force Wrestling promotion or re-
placing TNA altogether with the
GFW banner. As an ardent TNA
supporter over the past 15 years,
I agree this repackaging may be
Naomi proudly displays the Smackdown
title belt after beating Alexa Bliss at
Elimination Chamber. It was her first
piece of hardware since winning a tour-
nament to crown the inaugural FCW
Divas champion in 2010.
overdue. As of now, incidentally,
PWI is transitioning to using the
Impact brand name when writing
about the company.
ESPNs 30 For 30 documenta-
ry, This Is The XFL, ranked number
eight among original cable broad-
casts on Thursday, February 2,
just behind the Fox News Chan-
nels Hannity and Tucker Carlson
Tonight. That indicates the strong
impact Vince McMahons failed
football league had on sports cul-
ture over 15 years ago.
Besides covering the innova-
tions and the flops associated
with the XFL, filmmaker Charlie
Ebersol explored the relationship

between his father, NBC Sports

executive Dick Ebersol, and Mc-
Mahon. The two had enjoyed in-
credible success with Saturday
Nights Main Event in the 1980s,
but their football collaboration
turned out very differently.
The XFL is the only time I re-

 O JUNE. 2017 O   11

ally saw my dad, and Vince for
that matter, fail, remarked Eber-
sol on the Two-Man Power Trip
Of Wrestling podcast. I thought
that they were so incredible
in the face of all the adversity
around the XFL and also how
their relationship survived what
was a very public failure.
Steve Austin has become quite
the broadcast journalist, able to
get guests to spill behind-the-
scenes info on his Steve Austin
Show podcast. During a recent
edition, former WWE executive
Bruce Prichard offered rare in-
sight into the WWE Hall of Fame
selection process, particularly
during the early years. He ex-
plained that numerous WWE em-
ployees contributed names and
Vince McMahon would make the
final selections.
In the late-90s, early-2000s,
the name that was always on ev-
ery list was Howard Finkel and
he would always get passed up,
recalled Prichard. Dusty Rhodes
would always get passed up. And
it was frustrating because there
was never a rhyme or reason why.
Michael Hayes was another one,
and The Freebirds, that would
always get, Not yet, theyre not
ready for it yet. Its not their time.
Fortunately, all of those deserv-
ing candidates were eventually
inducted into the Hall of Fame,
but Prichard added, I think that
if they were to take 20 guys not
in the Hall of Fame, and whether
you put it online, or however you
do it, you open it up to the fans,
itd be more transparent and I
think it would be more popular.
Im sad to report the WWE Net-
work has canceled one of my fa-
vorite series, Legends With JBL.
Since 2015, John Bradshaw Lay-
field had done an entertaining
job of interviewing many of the
sports greats, including Bruno
Sammartino, Stan Hansen, Eric
Bischoff, and, of course, Ron
Simmons, among many others.
Dave Bautista, the hottest wres-
12 O  PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED
Kevin Kelly wears many hats in
Ring of Honor, but he will no
longer be wearing headphones.
Kelly informed ROH that he
was no longer interested in
being the lead announcer.
tler-turned-actor since Dwayne
The Rock Johnson, will be
appearing in Hotel Artemis with
Jodie Foster, who portrays a
nurse in an underground hospital
for criminals.
Our prayers go out to Mike Ad-
amle, whom you may remember
as a WWE play-by-play announc-
er and Raw general manager
from about a decade ago. Adam-
le revealed he is suffering from
dementia, most likely stemming
from his days as an NFL run-
ning back. In addition to dealing entire generation of fans. He was
with epilepsy, the 67-year-old suf-
fers from forgetfulness, constant
mood swings, anger, depression,
and anxiety. He can no longer
work or drive.
He discussed his plight with
Chicagos NBC-5, where he re-
cently worked as a sports anchor.
It shook my world. It just kind of
got a little bit worse sometimes
every day.
Before we part, I must ac-
knowledge the passing of sev-
eral wrestling notables, including
three icons. Superfly Jimmy
Snuka died on January 15 at age
73, reportedly of stomach cancer.
Only 12 days earlier, a judge had
deemed Snuka too ill to face third-
degree murder charges stemming
from the 1983 death of his then-
O
PHOTO BY STU SAKS
girlfriend, Nancy Argentino, due
to a skull fracture. Although the
controversy had always lurked in
shadows, with only the Argentino
family and journalist Irv Muchnik
pushing to keep the issue alive, it
wasnt until the cold case was re-
opened that the reputation of the
once-beloved star took a beating.
The Fiji natives intense feuds
with Bob Backlund, Ray Ste-
vens, Magnificent Muraco, and
Roddy Piper are legendary, and
his Superfly Leap captivated an
a territorial veteran by the time he
reached the WWF in the early-
1980s, surpassing WWF champ
Backlund in popularity just before
Hulk Hogan arrived on the scene.
Rest in peace, Jimmy Snuka,
and rest in peace, Nancy Argen-
tino.
George The Animal Steele,
whose legendary career spanned
the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, passed
away due to kidney failure on
February 16. He was 79. Steeles
mild-mannered alter-ego, James
Myers, taught high school and
served as a football and wrestling
coach in Madison Heights, Michi-
gan. At one point in his incredible
double life, he vied for the WWF
title in Madison Square Garden in
the evening and held football try-
outs at Madison High School
the next day.
To hide his identity, he ap-
peared as the masked Stu-
dent upon his 1962 debut. As
George Steele, his run with
Bruno Sammartino in Pitts-
burgh led to bouts against the
WWWF champ throughout
the Northeast. He also feuded
with two other champions, Pe-
dro Morales and Bob Back-
lund, as well as two chiefs,
Jay Strongbow and Peter
Maivia.
Steeles green tongue, hairy
back, and stunted vocabulary
made him a scary, primitive
villain for much of his career,
but, in the mid-1980s, his soft-
and-cuddly side emerged,
as he entered a Beauty and
the Beast storyline with Miss
Elizabeth and a feud with In-
tercontinental champion Ran-
dy Savage. After a stint as a
WWF agent, Steele earned
international fame playing Tor
Johnson in 7LP %XUWRQV
1994 classic Ed Wood.
Those in attendance at
Madison Square Garden on
January 18, 1971, swear there
was complete silence when
Ivan Koloff pinned Bruno
Sammartino for the WWWF
title, ending his seven-year
reign. Likewise, longtime fans
paused upon hearing of Kol-
offs death on February 18 at
age 74, reportedly of liver can-
cer. No one personified Soviet
villainy like the Russian Bear,
and few grew to love America
as much.
Koloff was born Oreal
James Perraz in Scotland
and raised on a dairy farm
in Ontario. He debuted as an
eye-patched Irish rogue, Red
McNulty, in 1961, and un-
veiled his Russian persona
six years later in Montreal.
His victory over Sammartino
stunned the world, but there
was more to his career than
those three weeks as cham-
pion. After dropping the belt to
Pedro Morales, Koloff head-
lined every major promotion in
North America at one time or
another.
He experienced a resur-
gence in Jim Crockett Promo-
tions in the mid-1980s, forming
a Russian triad with nephew
Nikita Koloff and Krusher
Krushchev. Utilizing the Free-
bird Rule, they reigned as
NWA World tag team cham-
pions, battling such teams as
The Road Warriors and The
5RFNQ5ROO([SUHVV. Koloff
lived in North Carolina dur-
ing the final three decades of
his life.
Other deaths include: 5H[
King, who teamed with Steve
Doll as The Southern Rock-
ers in the Pacific Northwest
and as Well Dunn in the
WWF, died of multiple health
issues on January 9 at age 55.
Doll passed away in 2009
Bodybuilder Nicole Bass, a
frequent guest on The Howard
Stern Show who appeared in
ECW and the WWF, died on
February 17. She was 52. Her
wrestling career came to an
end when she filed a $120-mil-
lion lawsuit against the WWF
in 1999, a case that was dis-
missed four years later Tom
Drake, vice president and le-
gal counsel for the Cauliflower
Alley Club, passed away on
February 2. He was an ama-
teur wrestling star in the 1950s
and coached college football
before opening a law practice
and serving as speaker of the
Alabama House of Repre-
sentatives 31-year-old indy
wrestler JJ Castillo (whose
real name was Joe Carson)
was killed on January 27, the
result of a double-homicide
outside a Walmart in Owooso,
Michigan.
Thats all for now. Save a
ringside seat for me.
THE CHAMP IS HERE
FOR THE AGES
Even for a wrestling journalist, its
easy to take John Cena for granted.
Debuting in 1999 and first appearing in
WWE in 2002, Cena has been a major
factor during the last 15 years I have
covered this business. Its hard to be-
lieve weve watched Cena win 16 world
titles during that time, including his
historic 2006-07 WWE title reign. Hes a
classy ambassador for our sport.
KEVIN, PLEASE
DONT GO!
Ive always considered Kevin Kelly
the Jim Ross of ROH. He was a solid
announcer on Monday Night Raw, but
theres something about routinely be-
ing called a hermaphrodite that un-
dermines ones journalistic credibility.
However, Kellys talent has shined in
ROH. He conveys respect to the wres-
tlers, and is treated with respect in
return. I hope hes on the scene for
years to come.
EBERSOL ON
McMAHON
Charlie Ebersols take on Vince Mc-
Mahon is fascinating, considering he
was only a child when they first met.
Ebersol has so many unique memo-
ries, including one he shared on the
Two-Man Power Trip podcast: Hulk
Hogan was my childhood babysitter
once a month. At Saturday Nights
Main Event, hed be the last match, so
Id be in his dressing room for most of
the night. What a perspective.
PEACE, BROTHER
My life is all about love, Jimmy
Snuka told me during a 90-minute
interview in 2010. He cherished the
connection he had with the fans, say-
ing, It was about me feeling the love,
and me giving it back. Snuka came
across as very, well, lovable, and in-
spirational. Looking back, maybe that
was his way of making amends with-
out really owning up to his past.
 O JUNE. 2017 O   13
 wrestling fans, and promoters,
from around the globe now, it
would seem that The Bullet Club
leader has truly made it. But, if
his wrestling style is any indica-
tion, dont count on him resting
on his laurels.

FENCES
Its legitimacy may always be
BY AL CASTLE up for debate, but one thing is for
certain: the WWE Hall of Fame
has gone a long way toward heal-
ing many of wrestlings oldest,

B
eing a wrestling fan and and dedication by the Winnipeg, deepest wounds.
a movie buff, the first few Manitoba, native, who ground out From Bruno Sammartino to
months of a year are load- on the Canadian and U.S. indy Bret Hart to Randy Macho Man
ed with quality entertainment. On scene for years before making Savages surviving family mem-
the cinema side, Hollywood stu- the life-altering decision to pur- bers, the WWE Hall of Fame has
dios tend to put forth their best sue a career in Japan. time and again over the past de-
films in the months leading up to With Omega on the radar of cade served as the initial olive
the Oscars. Similarly, between
New Japans big Tokyo Dome
show, The Royal Rumble, and the
rest of the Road to WrestleMania,
there have been plenty of match-
es early in 2017 that could be
considered high-art.
With so much to choose
from, whats the best use of my
time? Penning my annual Oscar-
themed edition of Quick Counts,
of course. Action!

ARRIVAL
Showbiz great Eddie Cantor
once said, It takes 20 years to
become an overnight success.
Those words must ring especial-
ly true for oneKenny Omega.
Coming off his performance in
what Wrestling Observer editor
Dave Meltzer said may have been
2017 NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING, LTD.

the greatest match of all-time

his Wrestle Kingdom main event
against Kazuchika Okadait
seems everybody wants to be in
theKennyOmegabusiness.
The buzz behind The Cleaner
goes back at least a year, to
whenOmegastepped up to fill the
void left by AJ Styles departure
from New Japan in January 2016. Following his performance against IWGP champion
Kazuchika Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 11, the smart
But, as meteoric asOmegas rise money is on Kenny Omegas value will continue to
to stardom may seem, it belies rise in the eyes of promoters and fans worldwide.
more than 15 years of hard work

14 O  PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED O

branch in the reunion of wrestling
legends and their WWE family.
With the induction this year of
Kurt Angle, who had been on the
outs with WWE since leaving the
company 11 years ago, the Hall
of Fame has once again helped
WWE mend fences with an es-
tranged alumnus.
Its true that, in some cases,
there may be ulterior motives in
extending an invitation to be in-
ducted into the Hall, and to ac-
cepting that invitation. But once
members of the WWE family are
reunited in front of hundreds of
their peers and legions of adoring
fans, petty grudges tend to wash
away. And thats more important
than any gold ring.
HIDDEN FIGURES
One thing the WWE Hall of
Fame has not done right in recent
years is follow a wise recommen-
dation from one of its most cel-
ebrated recent inducteesThe
Ultimate Warrior.
Three days before his untimely
passing in 2014, the Warrior, in
accepting his induction, urged
WWE to create a special category
in its Hall of Fame to honor the
superstars that you never see.
He recommended naming it the
Jimmy Miranda Award after the
beloved WWE merchandise guru
who died in 2002.
Instead, WWE in 2015 created
the Warrior Award to recognize
individuals who have exhibited
unwavering strength and perse-
verance. Its a nice sentiment and
has provided for some feel-good
moments in recent Hall of Fame
ceremonies. But it doesnt ad-
dress the legitimate need to honor
WWEs unsung heroesfrom se-
nior referee Mike Chioda, who has
been an integral part of countless
classic matches, to publicist Adam
Hopkins, who has helped protect
WWEs image since his days as
a staffer in the fan services de-
partment, to longtime timekeeper
Mark Yeaton, who served faithfully
2016 WWE, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
All the attention is on Alexa Bliss as she receives the Smackdown
Womens title belt at TLC last December. But what about the man
who officiated the match between Bliss and Becky Lynch? Al Castle
feels Mike Chioda has earned a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame.
at ringside for nearly 30 years be- just continues to add to his act,
fore being laid off in 2014. and to his list of accomplish-
WWE agents, announcers, ring mentsmost recently winning his
crew members, and so many oth- first U.S. championship.
ers work hard to deliver WWEs Dont think Chris Jericho is an
mission of entertaining its fans, all-time great? Then maybe you
but without any of the glory. For really are a stupid idiot.
at least one night each year, that
should be corrected. HACKSAW RIDGE
In all the build-up to the 30th an-
LION nual Royal Rumble, one promo-
One current WWE star who is tional video was especially grati-
sure to one day take his right- fying to see on WWE television.
ful place inside the WWE Hall of It featured the winner of the very
Fame is Chris Jericho. But dont first Rumble match, Hacksaw
start contemplating his legacy just Jim Duggan.
yet. He hasnt finished writing it. Long before a victory in the 30-
Twenty-seven years after com- man Royal Rumble match came
peting in his first match, the for- with a guaranteed World title
mer Lionheart somehow man- match at WrestleMania, the only
ages to remain one of the most thing on the line at the inaugural
relevant performers in WWE. His match was bragging rights. But
bromance with fellow Canadian even with just 20 contestants in
Kevin Owens has provided for the match, the 88 Rumble was no
some of WWEs most memora- cake walkfeaturing no less than
ble television moments in recent nine future WWE Hall of Famers,
months, and will surely catapult including Bret Hart, Tito Santana,
Jericho into a prominent role at and Harley Race.
his 12th WrestleMania. Little did we realize how big the
Having already reached the pin- Royal Rumble would become,
nacle of the sport multiple times, Duggan said in the Remember
and also finding success in music, The Rumble promotional spot.
acting, writing, and podcasting, it Looking back, it was just another
would be easy for the six-time day at work.
world champion to phone it in at Were grateful WWE decided to
the age of 46. But instead, Jericho look back at all, tough guy.
 O JUNE. 2017 O   15

I
T PAINS ME to say this about
an event Ive considered to be
one of my favorite wrestling
shows of the year, but I have come
to the conclusion that its time to
declare a moratorium on the Royal
Rumble match.
The Rumble has been unsat-
isfying for the past few years,
and the 2017 version was no
different. In the past, it has been
easier to overlook the disappoint-
ing results because of a handful
of memorable moments and sur-
prise entrants, but the formula
has grown stagnant and needs to
be overhauled.
The fundamental weaknesses
in the Rumble match were glar-
ingly apparent this year, as Randy
16 O  PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED
BY DAN MURPHY
Orton eliminated Roman Reigns
to a tepid reaction from the fans
in attendance and an outcry from
fans online. Orton was the latest
in a four-year string of unpopular
Rumble winners, starting with
Batista in 2014, Reigns in 2015,
and Triple-H in 2016.
The big surprise entrants this
year were Tye Dillinger (which is
terrific; Dillinger has been mired
in developmental for far too long),
James Ellsworth, Mark Henry,
Enzo Amore, and Reigns. Thats a
far cry from the likes of Shinsuke
Nakamura, Kurt Angle, Samoa
Joe, or even Kenny Omega, all
of whom had been rumored to be
participating in the match.
Once again, reality fell far short
O
of the fans expectations. The three
most heavily hyped competitors
Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, and The
Undertakerwere in the match
less than 12 minutes combined.
Chris Jericho lasted one hour, but
spent the majority of that hour on
the floor or resting in the corner.
Once one of wrestlings most
innovative matches, the Rumble
has become depressingly predict-
able and routine.
The 2017 Rumble opened with
Big Cass predicting hed pull a
Shawn Michaels and win from that
unenviable position. Less than 10
minutes later, Cass was hitting the
showers. But that was much bet-
ter than his buddy, Enzo Amore,
fared. Amore lasted 18 seconds
before being unceremoniously
dumped by Lesnar. Just like that,
one of WWEs most popular tag
teams was made to look like a
complete joke.
Lesnar also manhandled both
Dean Ambrose and Dolph Ziggler,
making it look like they had no
business being in the same ring as
him. In fact, Lesnar, Goldberg, The
Undertaker, and Braun Strowman
combined for 17 of the 29 total
eliminations. The match may have
come down to Orton and Reigns,
The unusually long entrance
ramp to the ring at the Alamo-
dome proved to be detrimental
to the drama that should have
been created by each new entry
into the Royal Rumble. It also
may have sapped some wres-
tlers energy.
2017 WWE, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
PHOTO BY JOHN SMOLEK

One of the highlights of the Rumble was

Cesaro and Sheamus eliminating The New
Day all at once. Overall, writes Dan
Murphy, the Royal Rumble was too pre-
dictable and is in dire need of an overhaul.

but it was apparent that the afore-
mentioned four were positioned
as the big stars of the match.
Lesnar, Goldberg, and Taker
are par t-timers, and none of
them seem to have the stamina
needed for a Mania main event
match, while Strowman is still
very green and limited. Why in the
world were those four the focal
points of the match and allowed
to steamroll through more talent-
ed competition? For all of the talk
about how far the cruiserweights
have come, Vince McMahons
big man obsession was ines-
capable. The only cruiserweight
in the match was Jack Gallagher,
who was treated literally like a
clown with his umbrella shtick.
While WWE always preaches
that anyone in the Rumble can
win the match, in reality there are
just a handful of likely winners.
There has never been a true dark
horse winneran undercard guy
or tag team wrestler that pulled
off a miracle and won. The fans
have become accustomed to
knowing that 80 percent of the
competitors have zero chance
of winning. The fans quickly
lose interest in those wrestlers,
so after about a minute-and-a-
half, they are looking toward the
entranceway waiting to see the
next entrant. Each entrance has
become more entertaining than
the match itself.
A n d w i t h t h a t s t a g g e re d
entrance structure, the wrestlers
in the ring tend to slow down or
completely stop and look up the
ramp to see whos coming in.
Maybe they figure they might as
well, because none of the fans
are looking at the ring anyway.
It creates a disjointed dynamic
where a wrestler enters, hits a
few signature moves, then gets
tied up in a corner as every-
one waits for the next guy to
come in. And once the ring gets
too cluttered with bodies, a big
guy comes out and eliminates
a bunch of guys like nothing,
which makes everyone in the ring
look bad.
The Alamodome highlighted
this inherent flaw with the ridicu-
lously long entrance ramp. It took
some wrestlers more than 30
seconds to make it to the ring.
Its entirely possible that the only
reason Under taker magically
appeared in the ring is that he
couldnt handle that walk down
the aisle without a Hoveround.
I m n o t s ay i n g t h e Roya l
Rumble should be eliminated
entirely, just that its time to
change it to a biennial format,
or have it every four years like
the Olympics. Lets re-tool the
concept and make it special
again. If WWE is going to adver-
tise surprise entrantsor not
advertise the entire list of partici-
pants, which is the same thingit
should deliver at least a big name
or two. It needs to stop sacrific-
ing the lifeblood of the company
to make short-term or part-time
attractions look good. Develop
some more innovative elimina-
tions and avoidances.
But most of all, stop trying to
fit a round peg in a square hole.
When it comes to determining the
winner, the key thing is listening
to what the fans want instead of
telling them what to want and then
wondering why it didnt work.

 O JUNE. 2017 O   17


T
WENTY YEARS AGO,
I had the privilege of fil-
ing my first story for Pro
Wrestling Illustrated. A number
of my match reports and letters
had been published in PWIs sis-
ter magazines as early as 1986,
but it wasnt until 1997the
June issue, to be exactthat I
was actually paid for submitting
a story to the industrys premier
magazine of record. Fortunately
for me, Ive contributed to every
issue since, either as a freelanc-
er or an in-house editor.
In 1997, the NWO dominated
WCW. The Bret Hart-Shawn
Michaels rivalry captivated the
WWF. The Monday Night War was
at its peak, and ECWs hardcore
18 O  PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED
BY HARRY BURKETT
revolution was well underway.
It was a golden age, compa-
rable only to the boon of the mid-
1980s. With the Internet still in its
infancy, it was a fantastic era to
earn a living as a full-time maga-
zine writer.
I usually dont look at back two of them remain active. Mys-
issues unless Im doing research terio has appeared in Lucha
for the current one. Right now, Ill
take the opportunity to peruse
that June 1997 issue of PWI, and
offer some random thoughts as I
literally turn the pages:
Page 5: Theres Dave Lenker,
Bill Apter, and Brandi Mankie-
wicz listed as editors in the staff
box. I miss them all, as well as
talented writers such as David
Rosenbaum, Andy Rodriguez,
Bryan Ethier, and Steve
Anderson. And theres
the publisher, Stu Saks.
Im looking forward to his
40th anniversary column
in a couple of years.
Page 7: Bill Apter
reported that New Japan
officials were concerned
about Masa Chono,
Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and
other members of NWO
Japan running roughshod
in the Orient. Sounds a
lot like The Bullet Club,
doesnt it?
Page 10: In another
Ringside item, Apter pick for that honor today is Mauro
revealed that Barry Wind-
ham and Justin Hawk Kelly, Corey Graves, and JBL
Bradshaw were thinking
about forming The New
O
Blackjacks, in honor of Wind-
hams father, Blackjack Mulligan,
and Blackjack Lanza. Windham
and Bradshaw did have a brief
run as a tag team in the WWF,
but, obviously, JBLs success as
WWE World champion wouldnt
come until the mid-2000s. On the
same page is a vintage Jason
Conlan cartoon, depicting a very
big-chinned Antonio Inoki, pro-
moter of the World Peace Festi-
val, roughing up Fidel Castro. Mr.
J goes that far back? Yikes!
Page 18: Rey Mysterio Jr.
was named the best pound-
for-pound wrestler in the 1997
PWI Poll, followed by Shawn
Michaels, Eddie Guerrero, Mitsu-
haru Misawa, Bret Hart, Jushin
Liger, and Dean Malenko. Only
Underground and AAA in recent
years, and Liger still has a full-
time schedule in New Japan and
is the only wrestler to place in all
26 editions of the PWI 500.
Page 21: In that same poll, 63
percent of respondents felt WCW
was winning the Monday Night
War, compared to 33 percent
choosing the WWF. Four percent
weren't sure. Fans didnt know
the Steve Austin-Vince McMa-
hon feud would ignite the WWF
the following year, resulting in a
reversal of fortunes.
Page 22: Kimberly, wife of
Diamond Dallas Page, beat
out Sunny (Tammy Sytch) to
be named wrestlings sexiest
woman. Who would win today?
Charlotte? Nikki Bella? Lana? Or
would Stephanie McMahon think
the whole thing is sexist?
Page 23: Keeping with the
PWI Poll, the WWFs Jim Ross
edged out WCWs Mike Tenay
to be named the best television
commentator in wrestling. My
Ranallo, with Michael Cole, Kevin
getting honorable mentions.
Page 38: Savio Vega, who had

just turned on Ahmed Johnson
and joined The Nation of Domi-
nation, explained his actions in
this issues Press Conference.
Although the NOD was consid-
ered the WWFs equivalent of the
NWO, its interesting that the for-
mation of DeGeneration X forced
the NOD into the ashbin of history.
Vega, Faarooq, Crush, The Dis-
ciples of Apocalypse, and man-
ager Clarence Mason are barely
remembered as a supergroup.
Today, the NOD is best remem-
bered as The Rocks launch pad
to greatness.
Page 41: Theres my first PWI
feature. Im covering my child-
hood hero, Roddy Piper, who
vows, If Im going down, Im
taking Hogan with me! Im sorry
Piper is no longer with us, along
with too many names to mention
from the same issue.
Page 45: PWI analyzed the
prospects of Barely Legal, ECWs
first pay-per-view. It would mark
the first time that stars such as
The Sandman, Tommy Dreamer,
Raven, Stevie Richards, Shane
Douglas, Taz, and Sabu would
be seen on a national platform.
Owner Paul Heyman knew the
success of this PPV was crucial
to ECWs survival.
Page 48: Nine belts were on
the line as Dean Malenko put
his WCW cruiserweight title up
against Ultimo Dragons J-Crown,
comprised of eight international
championships, at Starrcade 96.
Several fans commented that
athleticism and competition would
become more important than per-
sonal issues in the coming years.
While personal issues are still a
part of wrestling, 205 Live might
be proof these fans were correct.
Page 52: Ahmed Johnson is
the subject of the PWI Pinup.
That may explain why we no lon-
ger have a PWI Pinup.
Page 58: In The Steel Cage, tures a crazy shot of Leif Cas-
Dave Rosenbaum asked whether
Mankind or The Nasty Boys had
the worst body odor. He also
wondered who should be named
wrestlings sexiest journalist, is best remembered as Too Cold
analyzing the attributes of Brandi
Mankiewicz, Liz Hunter, and Bill
Apter. Remember, this is the same
demented genius who could write
a feature in only 20 minutes and
once devoted his column to why a
wrestler would name
himself Jerkface.
Page 60: Why is
Andy Rodriguez writ-
ing Win, Lose, Or
Draw?! Oh, thats
before he departed
PWI and passed the
column along to me.
He describes how
hundreds of fans
flocked to see Jake
Roberts at a local mall,
and how The Snake
was hearing the loud-
est cheers at WWF
events. The Snake
was well known for
his personal demons
even back then, and its
amazing that hes alive
and thriving in 2017.
Page 65: Under
Exotic Adrian Streets
advertisement for his
Skullcrushers Wrestling School,
I see an ad that reads Make Big
Money In Pro Wrestling. Larry
Sharpe claimed that his book,
Hittin The Mat, would help aspir-
ing wrestlers do just that. He
threw in an autographed picture
of himself and King Kong Bundy
for good measure.
Page 70: "Between Falls" con-
tributor Harold Pawlik of Erie,
Pennsylvania, wrote that Beulah
McGillicutty deserved consid-
eration for the next PWI 500
because he once saw Beulah
execute a moonsault on Francine.
Obviously, we werent ready for
the Female 50 just yet.
Page 86: The final page fea-
sidy flipping Flash Funk over
the top rope at a WWF event. In
case youve forgotten, Cassidy
was actually Al Snow and Funk
Scorpio.
I encourage all of you to grab a
back issue, maybe the first copy
of PWI you ever purchased, and
go back in time, page by page.
Its quite a nostalgia trip.
 O JUNE. 2017 O   19
 ARS
H E T OP ST
OF T
W I T H ONE
EW
V E I N TERVI
INCISI

CODY RHODES
AN

T
he bottom seemed to fall out of Cody Rhodes life on
June 11, 2015, when his dad, Dusty Rhodes passed
PHOTO BY SCOTT FINKELSTEIN

away at age 69. Cody went through an identity crisis of

sorts and struggled with the idea of staying in WWE without
his father being there.
With a very strong amateur background as a two-time
Georgia state champion, and the benefit of Dustys guidance,
Cody earned a WWE contract in 2005 at the young age
of 19. His formative years in Ohio Valley Wrestling
proved he was a natural for the sport.
His success continued on the main
roster, where he formed the Legacy fac-
tion with two third-generation stars,
Randy Orton and Ted DiBiase Jr. He
went on to capture two Intercontinental
titles and four tag team championships
over the next several years. Like half-
brother Dustin Runnels, better known
as Goldust, Cody eventually applied
the gold face-paint as well, morphing
into the bizarre Stardust.
The Marietta, Georgia, native felt
he had hit a wall, creatively speak-
ing, at the time of his fathers death.
He officially departed WWE in
May 2016. Codys creation of
The Listwhich included
dream opponents from Adam
Cole and Dalton Castle to Kurt
Angle and Roderick Strong
created a tremendous buzz on
social media. From there, he
went about building an interna-
tional career, eventually appear-
ing in TNA, Ring of Honor, and
New Japan. In this exclusive
60-minute interview with Senior
Writer Harry Burkett, Cody talks
frankly about his fathers death,
his WWE run, and the exciting
new phase of his career, includ-
ing his recent win over Juice
Robinson at the Tokyo Dome.
 Harry Burkett: Id like to ask
about the most recent chapter
of your career, your debut at
Wrestle Kingdom at the Tokyo
Dome. Had you wrestled at the
Tokyo Dome before?
Cody Rhodes: No. When
WWE would do their tours in
Japan, wed always book the
Tokyo Dome Hotel, but I never
saw the structure itself. This was
my first time stepping foot on that
hallowed ground.
Burkett: How would you
describe the experience? How
many fans were in attendance?
Rhodes: I think near the
40,000 mark, as far as an hon-
est count. Everybody told me,
prior to that, that it would be a lot
like WrestleMania, but I secretly

2017 NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING, LTD.

thought it would be nothing like
WrestleMania. However, when I
walked in that afternoon and saw
the setup, saw the stage and the
ring and the scope of the seating,
it felt exactly like WrestleMania,
just one that happened to be in
Japan. And it continued through-
out the evening. Even walking
down the aisle meant a lot, con- Rhodes sets up Juice Robinson for his Cross-Rhodes
sidering all the competitors that finisher at Wrestle Kingdom 11 at the Tokyo Dome in
January. Cody, who was announced as a member of
had been there. It was probably The Bullet Club in December, had no problem with
the most fun thing thats hap- traveling to the other side of the world to be booed.
pened in my career. I felt out of
my body. I was thinking, Just exe- How would you describe that the efficiency of how New Japan
cute, execute, execute. I didnt experience, and, overall, how works, I made it a priority in my
want it to end. have you enjoyed working with mind and my heart right away to
Burkett: Now youre a member New Japan? think of how I could get the next
of arguably the hottest faction in Rhodes: The moment I got booking. As far as The Bullet
wrestling today, The Bullet Club. to the airport in Tokyo and saw Club is concerned, just to rub

" ONE thing I didnt expect after leaving WWE is that my man-
agement has booked me for so many flights, its been really
aggressive ... I didnt expect the travel to be tougher than
WWE. But I aint complainin. Its cool to be wanted."
21
 O JUNE. 2017 O  

PHOTO BY SCOTT FINKELSTEIN
Rhodes dance card has been completely
full since he made the decision to leave
WWE. Here, he connects with a cross-
bodyblock against Ethan Page at an
EVOLVE show in Queens, New York.
shoulders with The Young Bucks,
Adam Cole, and Kenny Omega,
and then Kenny went out there
and put a stamp on the industry
that will be there for quite some
time, with that Omega-Okada
confrontation. I try to act like Ive
been in the in-zone before, but I
was just so honored that every-
one in The Bullet Club was on
board with me being part of it. I
just had a tag match with Adam
Cole in Atlanta, and I haven't had
so much chemistry with some-
one since Ted DiBiase Jr.
Burkett: Im always in amaze-
ment how the wrestlers of New
Japan, Ring of Honor, guys like
The Young Bucks are so clever
with self-promotion, marketing,
and branding and youre doing
a pretty good job yourself lately.
Rhodes: Im lucky because a
lot of things are handed to me
because Im the son of Dusty
Rhodes. Im aware of that, and
what I try to do in those situa-
tions is exceed expectations, but
22 O  PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED
The Young Bucks are the prime,
best proof that you dont need
WWE. That doesnt mean WWE
isnt great, but theyve opened
the eyes of wrestlers all over the
U.S. to how they can make a liv-
ing for themselves without reach-
ing WWE, especially in the days
of streaming, social media, and,
like you say, self-promotion. They
are the masters.
Burkett: And stateside, youve
certainly made a mark in TNA. It
must have been difficult to work
in TNA in recent months because
of the controversy regarding
ownership. Has that affected your
relationship with the company or
is it a smooth ride when you get
to the tapings?
Rhodes: Every experience Ive
had with TNA, even those first
tapings when they were about to
change over ownership, I found
them to be extremely organized.
I got paid every night, which is
not information people typically
share, but, for all this talk about
O
people not getting paid, I was
taken care of and everybody else
I knew in the locker room seemed
to be also. During my most recent
trek, I had some of the most fun
experiences of my career, so
I cant wait to see some of the
upcoming episodes of Impact.
I have a lot of respect for Jeff
Jarrett, I have a relationship with
Dutch [Mantel] already, and Josh
Mathews and I are close friends.
I hope TNA, with or without me
hopefully with mereally contin-
ues to climb, because theres no
reason they shouldnt.
Burkett: What are you doing
right now in TNA that you wish
youd been given the opportunity
to do in WWE?
Rhodes: In TNA, they have
agents, they have Creative, and
all the things that a wrestling
company that runs on television
needs. But youre only given
guidelines, more like sugges-
tions, so when the red light hits,
its completely up to you. I found
during the first set of tapings
that I wasnt as good off-the-cuff
as I thought I might be. I looked
at that and thought, Hmmmm, I
really need to spruce up. What I
didnt get toward the end of my
career in WWE was the opportu-
nity to both succeed and fail. If its
not your best, then youll go back
out there tomorrow and light it up.
Burkett: Take a risk.
Rhodes: Exactly.
Burkett: Youve been show-
ing some heelish tendencies
in TNA and also Ring of Honor.
Conventional wisdom would say
that you should have ridden the
wave a little bit longer, com-
ing out of WWE with such high
interest, that you shouldnt have
turned heel so soon. Do you pre-
fer being a heel? Is that the direc-
tion you really want to go in?
Rhodes: I tend to steer away
from conventional wisdom with
most of my career choices, for
good or for bad. When I chose
my direction for The Bullet Club,
being filmed in the chair and
smoking a cigar, I remembered
something my dad told me. When
wed talk about modern-day
wrestling, hed say theres good
guys, theres bad guys, and then
theres stars. The first few weeks
of television will tell you who to
boo and who to cheer for, but the
stars thats where you want to
be. Thats why I dont think of it
as good guy, bad guy, babyface,
heel, especially in 2017. The Bullet
Club is the best example. Its hard
to boo The Bullet Club. Thats a
pretty cool group when you think
of the things they can do in the
ringThe Young Bucks, Kenny
Omega, Adam Coleand the
overall movie-star polish of them.
Burkett: I think of Ric Flair in
particular. Events determined On the road most of the year, Dusty gets to spend some time with
whether you liked Flair or not. six-year-old Cody and nine-year-old Teil before donning the tights
One moment hes standing up in 1991 (above). Battleground 2013 was a big night for the Rhodes
family, as Cody and Goldusts victory over Seth Rollins and Roman
to Nikita Koloff and everybodys Reigns ensured that Dusty and his sons would be on the WWE pay-
cheering for him, and then the roll for some time to come (bottom).
next circumstance hes in a big
feud with your dad and breaking old territorial days and youre a and Japan, and Im headed to
his ankle, and everybodys boo- modern-day Stan Hansen. Youre Qatar in April. I didnt expect the
ing the heck out of him. doing TNA, going over to Ring travel to be tougher than WWE.
Rhodes: Circumstance, bro, of Honor, and then going over to But I aint complainin. Its cool to
thats more important than the Japan. It must be liberating. be wanted.
defining good guy/bad guy thing. Rhodes: One thing I didnt Burkett: I should mention what
Burkett: You left WWE about expect after leaving WWE is that you did last year, which was con-
eight months ago. Since then, my management has booked me sidered the ultimate social-media
youve been an independent for so many flights, its been really masterstroke, and Im talking
contractor in the literal sense of aggressive, with a lot of frequent about The List. You used that
the word. It reminds me of the travel miles between England not only to generate buzz about 2013 WWE, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

23
 O JUNE. 2017 O  
 become rather hard to handle.
Im about to have a match against
Dalton Castle in Columbus at
The ROH Experience. Obviously,
the tough spots on that list would
be Shibata and also Roderick
Strong, now that hes kicking ass
in NXT. Hey, man, the List lives
forever on social media, so hope-
PHOTO BY GEORGE NAPOLITANO

fully at some point in the next two

years Ill have touched it all.
Burkett: Theres one issue I
want to ask you about, mainly
because you tweeted about this
recently, and thats the controver-
sy in WWE when Bayley present-
Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr. captured the WWE World tag team title on
ed the teddy bear to Goldust, and
two occasions and forged a close friendship. DiBiase Jr. left the business Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows
in 2013, catching even Cody by surprise. He was the heir to Randy came out and ripped off the head
Orton and I was the ugly duckling of the bunch, said Cody.
of the teddy bear that was in the
image of your father. Going back,
leaving WWE, but to generate fond memories of Chris Jericho Im trying to remember some of
buzz about your future. Where because some of the most fun your fathers angles I dont
did you come up with that idea? moments Ive had over the remember anything negative like
Rhodes: Being out of sight, past two years have been on that, but I do remember him exploit-
out of mind is a true thing in his podcast. Im very proud of ing real-life situations, probably the
wrestling. I didnt really think of it whatever hes doing. Hes a very most famous being Magnum T.A.s
as a social-media masterstroke special dude. accident and Nikita Koloff coming
as much as a promise, for better Burkett: Well, Ive fallen around to support him I cry for
or for worse, for these potentially behind on my scorecard here. Magnum T.A. My question for you
being the best matches ever How many boxes have you been is what do you think the line is?
or me not being able to hold up able to check off your original Rhodes: The term is posthu-
my end of the bargain. This List List, and how many more do you mous. My dad hated storylines
is what I intend to do, so come have to go? where people said, So-and-
along for the ride. Rhodes: I think the List has so would have loved that. The
Burkett: It elevated those
guys as well, to be called out by
someone just leaving WWE, for
people like Moose, Chris Hero,
and the others.
PHOTO BY DIYAH PERA 2016 THE CW NETWORK

Rhodes: I didnt really think of

it that way because WWE, in the
current locker room, those guys
are watching clips of PWG and
RevPro on their iPads. Those are
some of my absolute favorites on
the List, just to watch.
Burkett: Do you assume that
Chris Jerichos use of a list is a
takeoff from your list last year?
Rhodes: I think he had the
list originally, listing all his Rhodes has the face of a Hollywood
maneuvers back in WCW until star, though you wouldnt know it
from this photo of a scene from A
they went to commercial break. Matter Of Trust of The CWs show
Hes the originator. I have many Arrow last year.

24 O  PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED O


Stardust hands his WWE World tag team belt to ring announcer
Eden Stiles for safe keeping in October 2014. A year earlier
(and sans makeup), Cody slipped a wedding ring on Edens fin-
ger, making her Mrs. Brandi Rhodes.
reason I know is because he
literally told me that while we
were watching the Rey Mysterio-
Randy Orton stuff. When I came
to work for WWE in 2005, people
said, Eddie [Guerrero] would
have loved this. And Ill never
forget it. My dad asked, How do
you know?
Youre talking about Magnum
and Nikita. Magnum was alive, so
there was a way to know. I gave up
talking about it on social because
its bizarre that somehow I dont
have a say. When it comes to
the wrestling world, hes just as
much their father as he is mine, I
guess, so I just shut my mouth. I
know my dad wouldnt have liked
it. As Cody Rhodes the son, that
situation is real to me. He was my
dad and he was my best friend,
and I cant talk to him about this
situation. The only thing I can do
is try to put a positive spin on it,
and thats what were doing at a
show in February, giving away
free Dusty bears to the first
50 people in line, with the
heads attached.
Burkett: What surprises me is
how often they do it. After Paul
Bearer died, CM Punk dumped
his ashes and his family wasnt
consulted, as far as I know.
Then, just in the past year, Paige
brought up Reid Flair to Charlotte.
Im also thinking about Dustin in
that role. How sympathetic are
you to performers in that posi-
tion? Do they have much power
to say no?
Rhodes: Everybody has the
power to say no, but its a big no.
Gallows and Anderson are rela-
tively new, and they want to keep
rolling and stay strong, so I dont company was the easiest thing I
think thats the hill they want to
die on. My brother is happy to be
in WWE and show Goldust to a
whole new generation. At the
end of the day, it was just a teddy
bear to 99 percent of the people
watching. To the other one per-
cent, which happened to include
me, it was a little bit more.
Burkett: I know youve ad-
dressed this in various ways, but
how did the death of your father
play in your decision to leave
the company?
Rhodes: Somebody told me
recently, Dealing with death
teaches us to live, and I think
thats essentially what happened.
I lost my best friend unexpectedly,
PHOTO BY STU SAKS
and I felt my identity in the indus-
tryas Dustys sonwas
equally compromised. I already
had these personal problems,
so I didnt want any work-related
problems. I knew the moment
that I got any pushback on any
suggestions I was making, about
the direction I wanted to go, then
it would be an easy out for me. I
had a great time there, I met my
wife there, and I spent 10 years
of my life there, but leaving the
ever did.
Burkett: At the time, I thought
about how challenging that period
must have been for you, losing
your dad, leaving WWE, and,
gee-whiz, you also got married. I
guess Brandi really helped stabi-
lize you during that time.
Rhodes: Brandi has been
everything to me, and supports
everything I do. Shes a lot more
hotheaded than me. I like that
about Brandi, and shes been very
understanding of the situation.
She was close to Dusty, too. She
was at the Performance Center
every day for a year and would sit
in his office and talk. They became
friends. Im very, very blessed and
25
 O JUNE. 2017 O  

PHOTO BY STU SAKS
The ever-gracious Cody credits his
opponent, Chris Jericho, for first
coming up with the concept of The
List. Of course, the mens lists have
very different purposes.
lucky to have Brandi.
Burkett: On a positive note,
WWE does portray Dusty as a
standard for generations to fol-
low. Is there a way in which he
conducted his wrestling career
or even his life that youve really
internalized?
Rhodes: You could ask any-
one whos been on the produc-
tion side, especially when youre
an executive producer or cre-
ative head, and youll find out its
real easy to lie to people or have
someone else give them bad
news. I only remember glimmers
of it when my dad was in WCW,
so I saw it more when he was the
lead dog there in NXT, but he was
very honest with the talent, and
I think thats an exceptional way
to go about your business. Vince
[McMahon] is like that, too. If
youre going to tell Vince you dont
want to do something, youd better
be ready to tell him what you want
to do instead. Im really glad my
26 O  PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED
dad represents NXT, kind of like
the spiritual mascot, because
there are a lot of peopleTye
Dillinger, Kevin Owens, Finn
Balorwho got something from
him and were able to take it on
the road. There are guys who
had been on the road for years
who got advice from him. Miz
is a good example. He wanted
to sprinkle a little dust on you, I
guess.
Burkett: I remember his few
appearances in ECW. It seemed
like some of those guys, like Steve
Corino, were in awe of being in
the ring with him.
Rhodes: I was pretty excited
about being in the ECW Arena
recently. Being there with Steve
was a surreal moment, a rewind to
1999. Its hard for me to watch my
dads stuff, because Im still sad
at the situation, but I went back
and watched him and Corino with
the bullrope. He was masterful
on all levelscompetitor, artist,
O
storyteller. Both of them, actually.
Im really glad he did that, even at
an older age.
Burkett: Steve Corino couldnt
wait to run into the Dusty elbow.
He seemed eager!
Rhodes: And Steve, good for
him, by the way. Hell be a real
asset to NXT. Im glad we got the
chance to square off one time.
Burkett: I cant imagine what it
was like for you to grow up in a
wrestling family. What wrestler
of your fathers generationdid
you have great appreciation or
affection for?
Rhodes: The more I watch
wrestling, whether it be on the
Network or with my buddies, the
more I admire what Flair was able
to do in terms of his schedule
and the crowd. Flair could go out
there and get any crowd into an
absolute frenzy. Gosh, my list of
favorite wrestlers changes every
day. Im on a real big Terry Funk
kick right now, and its interest-
ing to see how he evolved for the
changing audiences in a way that
other older talents didnt. But if I
can choose only one, it would def-
initely be Dustys partner in crime,
Ric Flair. One doesnt exist with-
out the other. They have a special
place in history.
Burkett: One aspect that really
wasnt brought up a lot during
your WWE career was your very
successful amateur background.
WWE never made that a selling
point for you. Was that a missed
opportunity?
Rhodes: I dont think it was
a missed opportunity. For every
amateur wrestler now, the bar
has been set pretty high, consid-
ering WWE had in its employ a
future Hall of Famer, Kurt Angle.
Once youve had an Olympic
gold medalist, accomplishments
start to mean less unless youve
been that. Then you have Brock
Lesnar, who won the NCAAs
at such a high level, as well as
Swagger and Ziggler. People
who dont think Dolph Ziggler is
the best legitimate wrestler in the
ring must be out of their mind. He
had the most pins at Kent State.
Most people have never taken
time to watch an amateur wres-
tling contest, but its a helluva
fight. I was a decent wrestler
and wouldve loved to have gone
on, but I was recruited by WWE.
Yeah, Im no Kurt Angle. Im no
Jack Swagger.
Burkett: When I think of your
early years, I think specifically of
your time in Ohio Valley Wrestling
and your tag team with Shawn
Spears, and your rivalry afterward.
What did you like more, the team-
work or the feud with him later?

PHOTO BY ZIA HILTEY/RING OF HONOR

Rhodes: Al Snow and Danny
Davis trained us on the basis of
working in front of live crowds.
Sometimes there were a legit
seven people, but other times
that were absolutely jammin with
a couple hundred people. Shawn
Spears and I had the rivalry with
Deuce and Domino, with Cherry
involved, which ultimately led to
Shawn giving me a freakin pile-
driver in Louisville, where it had
been banned since the Lawler
days. I was able to learn so much
in Louisville because they put a
lot of responsibility on us. Thats
why Im such a Shawn Spears/
Gavin Spears/Tye Dillinger fan.
Im afraid to say nice things about
him because that could cause
bad things for him (laughs).
Hes so good, I hope he gets the
world, because hes been to hell
and back. He knows what he has
to do now and Im rooting for him.
Burkett: Earlier on, you
touched upon somebody I want
to talk about, Ted DiBiase Jr. I feel
like a nosy neighbor asking this
kind of question. By all measures,
and rites of family lineage, you
would have thought Ted DiBiase
Jr. would have gone to the very
top. What happened to him and
his relationship with WWE?
Rhodes: Honestly, you probably
Rhodes is showered with confetti at New Yorks Hammerstein Ballroom
after defeating Jay Lethal at ROHs Final Battle 2016. Would he have
received such acclaim in WWE? Rhodes claims to have never regretted
his courageous decision to leave the worlds biggest promotion.
have to ask Teddy. From my per- wrestling, like acting?
spective, he was the golden goose. Rhodes: I got real lucky when
He was the heir to Randy Orton I was a guest star on Arrow this
and I was the ugly duckling of the past season and that lit the fire
bunch. I was always jealous and with me. We rent this little place
competitive with Teddy, but I never in L.A., so I can look into act-
asked, Do you love doing this? Do ing jobs on weekdays because
you love the whole traveling and wrestling is on the weekends.
sleep-for-three-hours thing? He Ive always loved television and
was an extraordinary talent and film, but Im not going anywhere
still had a ton to give ring-wise, but because wrestling will always be
maybe he didnt love it or he loved part of my life.
it in a different way. Your dad is the Burkett: One final question:
Million-Dollar Man and its the Will we ever see the mustache
industry that knows you and pro- again?
vided for you, but I know he loves Rhodes: I had a couple of days
his family, and being away from when I wasnt working, and in that
them was very difficult. I dont have period of time it grew out quicker
kids. I just have dogs, so I couldnt than I expected. Its pretty terrible
imagine. looking. I think people remem-
Burkett: Over the past eight ber it better than it actually was.
months, have you explored But I wouldnt count it out. I say
any opportunities outside of bring it back.

27
 O JUNE. 2017 O  
 Bate required less than 17 minutes of ring
time to eliminate Tucker (opening round),
Jordan Devlin (quarterfinals), and Wolfgang
(semifinals) in WWEs U.K. Tournament.

WTEXT BY BRIAN SOLOMON

PHOTOS 2017 WWE, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

O
n a gloomy night in the
fall of 1605, Thomas
Bate of Warwickshire,
England, joined a gang of radi-
cals led by the notorious Guy
Fawkes in a bold attempt to blow
up the House of Parliament and
assassinate King James I. Their
infamous Gunpowder Plot
failed, and Bate joined his fellow
conspirators at the gallows. The
incident was immortalized in a
poem by John Milton that reads,
Remember, Remember The
Fifth of November, The Gunpow-
der Treason and Plot, I know no
reason why the Gunpowder Trea-
son should ever be forgot. To this
day, the anniversary of the foiling
of that plot is celebrated in Britain
each year on November 5, other-
wise known as Guy Fawkes Day.
Some 411 years later, in the
historic Empress Ballroom, a
Victorian-era structure about
240 miles northwest of the
House of Parliament, the direct
descendant of Thomas Bate, a
19-year-old pro wrestler named
Tyler Bate, gave the Brits anoth-
er special date to commemorate.
Except this time it wasnt through
failure, but success, when on
January 15, 2017, he defeated
Pete Dunne in a hard-fought
tournament final to become the
first-ever WWE United Kingdom
champion.
It was a ridiculous feeling, in
a good way of course, Bate told
PWI. Just two months before the
tournament, we didnt even know
it was going to happen. Every-
thing happened so fast. To actu-
ally be crowned the first WWE
United Kingdom champion is a
crazy good achievement, and to
think that its going to now be in
the history books of WWE forev-
er, its a big honor.
Adding to that historic honor
is the fact that Bate can also
lay claim to being the youngest
competitor to ever hold a singles
title in WWE. His rise has been a
somewhat meteoric one, starting
a mere four years ago in Oxford,
where Bate had his very first
match at the tender age of 15.
But unlike in the United States,
starting out that young in the ring
is not too uncommon in the hard-
scrabble world of British wres-
tling, characterized for genera-
tions by its toughness and grit.
And yet Bate himself is far too

 JUNE. 2017 29

young to recall the glory days of
World Of Sport, the beloved TV
program that brought wrestling
into British homes during the
1960s, 70s, and 80s. Rather,
like most of his American coun-
terparts, Bate grew up watch-
ing WWE, which took hold in
the United Kingdom in the late-
1980s and quickly overshad-
owed the local wrestling scene.
Born at the dawn of the Attitude
Era, Bate thrilled to the exploits
of Rey Mysterio, The Undertaker,
and his all-time favorite, Kane.
I was always a fan when I was
younger, he said. I was a fan of
30 PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED
Pete Dunne has squared off
against Bate numerous times, but
that doesnt mean hes developed
a counter to the 19-year-olds
aerial arsenal. After disposing of
Roy Johnson, Sam Gradwell, and
Mark Andrews, Dunneonly 25
himselfwas pinned by Bate after
15:10 of action.
superheroes, as well. I wanted to
be a Batman or a Superman, like
every other kid, I guess. So I was
naturally attached to wrestling
straightaway. The closest thing
to becoming Batman or Super-
man is becoming a professional
wrestler. You get to become this
larger-than-life character in front
of all these people, and its a
great feeling.
By the age of 12, Bate already
knew what he wanted to do with
his life. Unfamiliar with the British
wrestling scene, he began scour-
ing the Internet in search of local
schools that would train him to
enter the ring. Shortly after his
14th birthday, he discovered that
a new training center had opened
up just down the road from his
home in the town of Dudley, in
central Englands West Midlands.
In less than a year, he was receiv-
ing training from young grapplers
like Trent Seven and Pete Dunne,
who would later go on to become
both partners and opponents.
Along with Seven, Dunne, and
others, Bate became a propo-
nent of what came to be known
as the British Strong Style, born
in the underground circuit Fight
Club Pro, based out of the West
Midlands city of Wolverhampton.
A combination of the old school
British techniques and the hard-
hitting shoot style made popular
in Japan, it was certainly a far cry
from the more glitzy WWE prod-
uct Bate had grown up watching.
I didnt have any awareness
that British wrestling was even a
thing, he recalls. It wasnt until
later on when I started training,
that I wanted to pick up as many
different styles as possible. That
was when I discovered British
wrestling. Guys like Johnny Saint,
Mal Sanders, Mick McManus,
even Catweazle, who was one of
the comedy wrestlers back then.
I was immediately drawn to that
style more than anything, be-
cause there wasnt really anybody
doing it well when I was training.
And the Japanese style, guys like
Misawa, Kawada, Kenta Kobashi,
I was a big fan of those when I
started wrestling. I tried to make
my style as much of a hybrid of
those two styles as possible, and
I think Im so far doing pretty well
at that.
Bate had found himself at the
forefront of a grassroots revolu-
tion in British wrestling, and it was
only a matter of time before that
movement caught the attention of
the biggest wrestling company in
the world. Rumors had been swirl-
ing that WWE was interested in
potentially setting up a new tour-

ing brand exclusive to the U.K., a
market where the company had
spent a generation building a
loyal fan base. The crown jewel
of that possible new brand, the
rumors said, would be a brand-
new U.K. championship. British
wrestling legend and Triple-H
consigliere William Regal began
scouting talent in his native land,
with the intention of putting to-
gether a tournament.
While on his scouting mission,
Regal encountered Bate at a
show put on by Progress Wres-
tling, a London-based group
among the buzzworthy indies
helping to put British wrestling
back on the map. Impressed by
what he saw, Regal added the
teen sensation to the group of
U.K. grapplers he was bringing
to the States for tryouts. Before
long, Bate became one of the
most talked-about competitors in
the mix.
The young man was turning
heads with his plucky attitude,
squeaky-clean charisma, and
the ability to get the job done
between the ropes in a big way.
At the tournament, he won over
the Blackpool crowd with his diz-
zying airplane spin and surefire
Tyler Driver 97 finisher, not to
mention his very English and
very polite smile-and-wave. Bate
steamrolled through Northern
Irelands Paul Tucker Gallagh-
er in the opening round, tough
Irishman Jordan Devlin in the
quarterfinals, and Scottish sen-
sation Barry Wolfgang Young in
the semis, before finding himself
across the ring from none other
than the man who had played a
key role in his earliest training,
Birminghams Pete Dunne.
I honestly dont think I
wouldve wanted to share that
experience with anybody else,
Bate said. Petes had such an
impact on my career. Weve
worked with each other a ton of
times, so we know each others
styles very well. Were very eas-
ily adaptable to each other, and
we click very well when were in
the ring.
With his victory over Dunne,
Bate instantly became one of
WWEs hottest sensations, car-
rying the prestige of a brand
new championship belt around
The fans and fellow wrestlers hail
the first-ever WWE U.K. champi-
on, who later mused, And to
think that its going to now be in
the history books of WWE forever,
its a big honor.
his waist. In his very first title de-
fense, Bate took on his own tag
team partner Trent Seven, relish-
ing the opportunity to show the
NXT crowd at Full Sail University
exactly what British Strong Style
is all about. Its been a whirlwind
of excitement for the young man
just on the verge of 20, but hes
taking it one day at a time.
Theres always pressure, he
said. Even if I wasnt the WWE
United Kingdom champion,
there would still be pressure to
live up to the hype and buzz
there is around me, since Im
only 19 years old. But I feel like
Im ready to live up to the hype
and the buzz, and deal with that
pressure in the best way pos-
sible. Everyone that gets into
this sport dreams of working for
WWE and being a WWE cham-
pion. And to be there now and
to be treated like a WWE Super-
star is fantastic.
Like his historic ancestor set
out to do all those centuries ago,
Tyler Bate has set off a blaze of
his own in Britain. Only this fire
doesnt look to be snuffed out
anytime soon.
 JUNE. 2017 31
Believe it or not, one of the top stars in Ring of WTEXT BY RICHARD MULHALL
PHOTOS COURTESY OF RING OF HONOR
Honor once almost gave up his wrestling career
to work for an hourly wage at Target. Read about

B
that stunning fact and more as PWI brings you EFORE BOBBY FISH became a Ring of
Honor star, he found himself at a personal
crossroads. His target for most of his

A
adult life had long been to be a wrestling
star. Now, he had to wonder if his new target would
be, well Target.
Dare we say, it was time to fish or cut bait. On

AL
one hand, he could continue to pursue his dream

R E
of earning a living as a pro wrestler, hoping against
hope that he could graduate from the grueling, low-
paying weekend gigs and land a full-time spot with
a quality wrestling company. On the other hand, he
could become an adult and get a job.
Wrestling wasnt paying the bills, man, Fish said.

H
One of Fishs friends urged him to apply for a

IS
position at a Target distribution center near his

F
home. Fish gave it serious consideration. If he took
the Target job, he would make enough money to
support himself, and he could continue wrestling
as a hobby on weekends. But Fish wanted more.
When faced with the option to sink or swim, Bobby
did what any self-respecting Fish would do.

R Y
I could either jump in head-first and take a risk

STO
or put one foot in haphazardly, he said.
Fortunately, fate interceded and he never really
had to make that choice. Fish was sitting at his
desk in his home in Albany, New York, dissecting
wrestling moves on the Internethis Target
application within reachwhen the phone rang. It

Fish applies his excruciating Fish Hook

Deluxe Edition heel hook on former Ring of
Honor heavyweight champion Jay Briscoe.
Fish has no shortage of finishing holds and
maneuvers in his arsensal.

 JUNE. 2017 33

2014 NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING, LTD.
Fish and Kyle OReillys precision teamwork netted
the duo its first of two IWGP junior heavyweight tag
team titles, with a win over Kushida (pictured) and
Alex Shelley. ReDRagon is best known in the States
for winning the ROH tag title three times.
was Ring of Honor calling with a full-time offer.
In 2012, at the age of 36, Bobby Fishs career
began in earnest. Target would have to survive
without him.
Immediately upon his arrival in ROH, Fish was
paired with Kyle OReilly for the tag team that
would later be dubbed reDRagon. Fish and the
Canadian OReilly meshed beautifully. The two
would go on to win three ROH tag team titles and
two New Japan Pro Wrestling junior heavyweight
tag team titles. Then, with OReilly touring Japan
last May, Fish beat Tomohiro Ishii for the ROH TV
title, whetting his appetite for singles glory that
could lay ahead this year.
Many voiced the opinion that Fishs full-time
career had started too late for him to enjoy any
real measure of success. Too late are two words
that have never crossed his mind.
I was always of the belief that if my biggest
obstacle to being successful was the fact that I
started a little later than other people, then Im
doing pretty good, Fish said.
34 PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED
Wrestling in ROH meant possible redemption for
Fish because he considered his first runs with the
company, in 2004 and 2009, unfinished business.
I knew I needed to go back and make some
kind of a mark at that place, he said. Its all about
the journey. You dont know where the ending will
be, but youre along for the ride.
And what a wild ride it has been. The one-time
indy journeyman, who just turned 40 this past
October, has treaded water at times, but hes
always managed to rise from the depths.
I purposely didnt place limitations on myself in
the beginning, he said. You can plot out a bunch
of points on a timeline that told you the likelihood
doesnt seem all that good, so to be here now
knowing that pro wrestling is the only means of
supporting my family is confirmation that starting
out the way that I did was the right move.
The notion of pro wrestling paying the bills wasnt
something Fish believed possible when he started
training 15 years ago. He never viewed pro wrestling
as a realistic way to make a living. Kind of like a
young boy who says he wants to be an astronaut.
Fishs mindset didnt lead him to wrestling
right away, but there was always something that
reminded him he wasnt meant for a 9-5 desk
job. He believed he was destined for something
greater, even if it meant waiting.
His journey didnt fit the same mold as most
wrestlers who start out young, as The Briscoe
Brothers did. Considered a late bloomer by most
wrestlers standards, Fish didnt start training in
earnest until he was 23 years old. But he never
viewed the late start as a detriment.
Its never too late to start something, he said.
You certainly can accomplish more than you ex-
pect. Some people put the obstacles in front of
themselves before they even make the attempt.
After playing collegiate football at Sienna Col-
lege, Fish experienced a what now? moment. He
wanted to continue his football career, but a pair of
Arena League football tryouts didnt pan out.
Fish moved to San Diego on a whim in search of
a fresh start. He took a marketing job that required
him to travel. While on the road, Fish posed an
important question to himself.
Do I really want to wrestle?
That question lingered until Fish returned home
and began training with former ECW wrestler Tony
DeVito. Fish made his debut in 2002, competing
for several years on the northeast circuit. He got
his first major break when he started touring with
Pro Wrestling NOAH in 2006.
The new exposure to the Japanese style of
wrestling, with its emphasis on building and
grooming fundamentally sound wrestlers, made
 an indelible impression on Fish.
I wouldnt even put a limit on the amount of
influence Japan has had on my style, he said.
He found a kindred spirit in OReilly and reDRagon
won its first ROH tag team title in March 2013,
dethroning The Briscoe Brothers. Subsequent title
victories over The American Wolves and The Young
Bucks put Fish and OReilly in the discussion of the
greatest ROH tag team of all-time.
I really think that you cant keep a good performer
down forever, said Fish, who plans to wrestle for
as long as his body allows.
As long as I feel good, Im going to go as hard
as I can, he said. I dont feel any sort of slowing
down, so thats why I hate to put numbers on it. The
popular belief in this country is that its downhill
after 20. But I have quite a bit of my life left to live.
As clich as it sounds, Fish indeed does seem to
be improving with age. His career, he said, is only
getting better.
Thats my martial arts training, Fish said. You
start out as a beginner and you work your entire life
to be a master.
Fish described the culmination of his martial
arts, kickboxing, and grappling as one long con-
tinuation of training spanning across a lifetime. Fish
Fishs kickboxing training (above) paid dividends in
the May 2016 match in which he won the ROH TV title stays active with a Crossfit training regimen, with
from Tomohiro Ishii (below). His ensuing six-month an emphasis on kickboxing and grappling. He also
reign could be a precursor of whats ahead for Fish, teaches Crossfit at Crossfit Soulshine in Saratoga
now that his partner, OReilly, has left ROH.
Springs, New York.
Its a good thing Fish is
in good shape because
he plans to devote him-
self to singles competi-
tion, now that OReilly
has parted ways with
ROH.
Fish was scheduled to
face Adam Cole for the
ROH heavyweight title
in March, after this issue
went to press. Captur-
ing ROHs most coveted
prize would validate the
journey, the sacrifices,
the second-guessing, the
crossroads moments,
and the sink-or-swim
situations. If Fish does
indeed win the title, fans
will have no choice but
to chant the three words
that best define the vet-
erans journey.
You deserve it.

 JUNE. 2017 35
 O R A S E X Y STAR
LUCHAD VEALS WHY
RE
S C O M P E L LED
SHE E MEN
TO WRESTL
There are those who are
of the belief that Lucha
Undergrounds Sexy Star
has a death wish. Why else
would she put her 125-pound
body on the line against
some of the toughest men
in the sport? The luchadora
explains her motives in this
PWI exclusive!
W TEXT BY KEVIN McELVANEY
PHOTOS COURTESY
EL REY NETWORK
R
ANKED NUMBER NINE
in the 2016 PWI Fe-
male 50, the Monterrey,
Mexico-born Sexy Star
has long been turning heads
with her undeniable charisma,
acrobatic ability, and technical
skill. More notably, shes made a
name for herself by boldly chal-
lenging some of the toughest
men in pro wrestling. While Star
hinted in Lucha Undergrounds
2014 series premiere that don-
ning a lucha mask had saved
her from going down a dark
path, its only now that shes
revealed the deep connection
between her traumatic past and
her unconventional career path.
My historical journey into this
36 PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED
sport came through abuse I suf-
fered at the hands of a man, she
revealed to PWI. Not physical
abuse, but psychological abuse,
which is much worse. Most phys-
ical injuries can be healed, but
psychological injuries can leave
you scarred for life.
Though Star declined to give
further details about the nature
of that relationship, she did make
it very clear that shes deter-
mined to show menall men
that they will pay for the crimes
of their unnamed brother.
Every time I face a man in a
match, I relive the memories,
and it reminds me of why I am
in the sport, she said. I want
to prove to myself, and to prove
to the whole wide world, that no
one has a right to put their hands
on me or on any woman.
This revelation from Stars past
helps explain why shea suc-
cessful luchadora who held mul-
tiple womens championships in
Mexicois seemingly hell-bent
on competing against the oppo-
site sex.
Fighting against men makes
me more self-confident, stronger,
and reaffirms that I am not in any
way less than any man, she said.
It also proves to men that they
have no reason to think of women
in any way, shape, or form less
than men, but as equals.
Star may be relatively new to
American audiences, but her
quest to vanquish male oppo-
nents is anything but. Prior to
joining Lucha Underground, Star
had developed a reputation for
wrestling men in her native Mex-
ico, capturing mixed tag titles in
both AAA and FILL.
Of course, the situation north
of the border was a bit differ-
ent. Rather than competing
in mixed tags, Star found
herself in one-on-one
matches with the likes of
Chavo Guerrero, Pen-
tagn Jr., and Johnny
Mundo. While no one
would have blamed
her for backing out
of such encounters,
she bravely stood
her ground.
Outside the ring, in
the real world, women
need to be prepared to confront
any affront, and defend them-
selves against any attack, Star
said. Wrestling reflects reality in
this respect.
While Sexy Stars courage
made her an instant hit with fans,
her first big break didnt come
until the penultimate episode of
Lucha Undergrounds second
season, when, in a seven-per-
son elimination bout, she cap-
tured the vacant Gift of the Gods
championship, granting her a
future shot at the Lucha Under-
ground heavyweight title.
Unfortunately for the new
champ, she soon found
herself in the crosshairs of
Johnny Mundo, who wanted
to take that opportunity away
from her. Soon enough, Mun-
do was indeed granted a title
match. And, thanks to outside
interference (as well as a set of
brass knuckles), he managed
to end Sexy Stars reign as
 champ, temporarily thwarting her
plans to challenge for the promo-
tions top prize.
He is a pathetic human be-
ing, Star said of Mundo. He is
a wrestler who mocks his oppo-
nents. And his actions reflect his
lack of self-confidence, which is
why he resorts to cheating.
Lucky for this scorned lucha-
dora, shed soon get another
chance. On April 9, 2016, Sexy
Star entered a 20-person Aztec
Warfare match, where the Lu-
cha Underground championship
was on the line. She gained a
measure of revenge by eliminat-
ing Mundo, before eventually pin-
ning Mil Muertes to win the bout.
In so doing, she made history by
becoming the first woman to hold
the primary title in one of Ameri-
cas national promotions.
Remembering the moment
brings tears to my eyes, she said.
After 10 years, I finally reached
the goal of demonstrating to the
whole world that women have
the same capability as men.
Unfortunately, the celebration
wouldnt last long. At the next
days taping, Star defended the
Lucha Underground title against
Mundo, who again used a com-
bination of outside interference
and brass knuckles to rob her of
a championship.
Star did get a rematch a few
weeks later, this time inside a
steel cage to prevent interfer-
ence. But predictably, Mundo
once again resorted to cheap
tricksthis time brazenly re-
moving Stars mask. With Star
distracted and visibly distraught,
Mundo escaped the cage. At that
instant, losing the match was
secondary to the indignity she
was forced to endure.
My mask is sacred, and the
most precious thing that I have,
she said. If he would have in-
sulted me with words, or left me

Two weeks later, with a steel cage

preventing outside interference,
Star was able to focus on her tech-
nical acumen (opposite page) and
aerial expertise (below) to wear
down Mundo and put herself in
position to regain the LU title.

Sexy Star taunts Johnny Mundo with the Lucha Underground title belt
before their match last April (above). Though Star took a tremendous
amount of punishment (below), she may well have left the ring with the belt
had Mundo not received assistance from a masked female fan, who revealed
herself to be Taya.

38 PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED


injured to the point of death, it
would not compare.
Considering her entire career
has been an act of vengeance
against a man who hurt her,
its fair to say that Sexy Star
still has a score to settle with
Johnny Mundo. And if she ever
does get to face him in a fair
fight, shes pretty confident how
things would go down. I would
absolutely win, she said. I am
Mundo committed the ultimate sin against a luchador when he ripped off
Stars mask. In all the confusion and Stars haste to cover her face,
Mundo scaled the cage for the victory. His excessive celebration would
draw an attack from Sexys friend, The Mack, but that was little consola-
tion for the darling of The Temple.
100 percent certain, because I
am sure that I am much better
than him.
She had better be, for Star is
not built along the lines of Nia
Jax or Vanessa Kraven. She
stands a mere 53 and weighs
in at 125 pounds. Mundo, who
competed as John Morrison in
WWE, is 61 and 215 pounds.
Male opponents, she said, tend
to underestimate her because of
her gender, which she believes
gives her an advantage.
Mundo thinks that because
I am a woman, and because I
am smaller in height and weight,
that somehow I am weaker than
he is, she said. But I am a
woman. I am a smart woman,
and a very agile woman. I am
superior to him in intelligence,
and I am more astute. There is
no doubt that I would be the one
to have my hand raised high at
the end of the match, if the fight
was clean.
Despite a rollercoaster year
with Lucha Underground, Sexy
Star has shown few signs of
slowing down. Shes made ap-
pearances for SHIMMER and,
in November of last year, she
won the Femenil (Womens)
championship for Mexican pro-
motion The Crash. Last July,
Star announced her intentions
to become a professional boxer.
Her husband, Jhonny Gonzalez,
happens to be a two-time former
WBC featherweight champion.
Whatever the future holds for
Lucha Undergrounds first fe-
male champion, she has no in-
tentions to stop wrestling men
anytime soon.
Never before has a female
superhero risen up and leveled
the playing field to the point
where the persons gender is
secondary, she said. I will enter
into the ring against anyone, no
matter what sex they are or who
they are.
Star also has a very clear
message for her detractors, es-
pecially those men who under-
estimate women.
All of the critics and the whole
world needs to understand that
women are not weak as we
have been labeled, she says.
We as women have the ability
to do great things not only in the
sport of wrestling, but in any-
thing we choose.
Cecilio Padilla served as inter-
preter for this story
JUNE. 2017 39
2013 WWE, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The All-Time Sleepers, Flops, & Magical Moments

WCOMPILED BY AL CASTLE

TOP 10

T
HEYVE COME TO be Bret Hart, and Shawn Michaels
known as WrestleMania historic ladder match with Razor
moments. They are the WRESTLEMANIA Ramon, its easy to forget the
highlightsand some-
times lowlightsthat
SLEEPER HITS excitement of this falls-count-
anywhere WrestleMania 10
help define The Show-
case Of The Immortals.Often they
KALISTO vs. RYBACK grudge match, which marked
Savages last Mania appearance.
If ever there was a clash of
come in the shape of matches
styles, it was this WrestleMania
that were far better than anyone
could have expected. Other times
32 pre-show match between LAWRENCE TAYLOR vs.
they are cant-miss matches that,
the massive U.S. champ and
his pint-sized challenger. But
BAM BAM BIGELOW
somehow, miss by a mile. And, LTs name value elevated this to
the Big Guy proved that,
sometimes, the most magical the main event position of 1995s
despite his size, he could keep
moments of wrestlings annual WrestleMania 11, but nobody
up with the fastest of flyers, and
biggest show transcend the could have expected that a clash
Kalisto never took a backward
boundaries of a wrestling match. between a retired NFL star and
step against the monstrous
The Pro Wrestling Illustrated a rotund WWE mid carder could
champion.
staff helped narrow down have been anything less than
the best, and worst, of those dismal. With the mainstream
moments over the previous 32 RANDY SAVAGE vs. CRUSH media looking on, both men
WrestleManias into these Top In between the first epic battle worked hard to make this match
10 lists. between brothers Owen and more than watchable.

40 PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED


PHOTO BY GEORGE NAPOLITANO
Trish Stratus and Mickie James
saved their best for the WrestleMania
stage, changing the way many fans
perceived womens wrestling in the
process. James came away with
a hard-fought title victory over
Stratus at WrestleMania 22 in
Rosemont, Illinois.
MICKIE JAMES vs.
TRISH STRATUS
In the mid-2000s, WWE wom-
ens matches were largely
excuses to showcase some
skin, and give fans a bathroom
break. But Stratus and James
delivered genuine athleticism
and thrills in their WrestleMania
22 title boutthe best wom-
ens match WWE had put on
in years.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER vs.
THE BIG SHOW
The low expectations for this
match had less to do with the
size difference, and more to
do with the unlikelihood that
the boxing superstar would
take it seriously. But, thanks
to Mayweathers natural heel
charisma, and plenty of smoke
and mirrors, this freak show
WrestleMania 24 attraction was
a lot of fun.
BATISTA vs.
THE UNDERTAKER
On a card that included the
highly anticipated main event of
Shawn Michaels vs. John Cena,
nobody could have predicted
that this battle of aging big men
Floyd Mayweather changes the
meaning of the word uppercut,
trying to reach The Big Shows
chin with a right hand that had
always done just fine against
boxing welterweights. It took a
pair of brass knuckles to chop Show
down to size at WrestleMania 24 in
Orlando, Florida.
would steal the show. But, with
Batistas World title and Takers
Streak on the line, the two men
delivered some heavyweight
thrills at WrestleMania 23.
CHRIS JERICHO vs.
RICK STEAMBOAT, JIMMY
SNUKA, & RODDY PIPER
With the average age of Jeri-
chos opponents being 59, there
was every reason to think this
three-on-one handicap match
was going to be quite the train
wreck. But, in his first match in
15 years, Steamboat turned
back the hands of time and add-
ed one last classic performance
to his resume.
BRET HART vs.
RODDY PIPER
There were two things that Hot
Rod was not known for doing
during his WWE career: losing
matches and putting on technical
wrestling clinics. And, so this
WrestleMania 8 Intercontinental
title classic caught a lot of fans
by surprise.
PHOTO BY GEORGE NAPOLITANO
JUNE. 2017 41
 HULK HOGAN vs.
THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR
But for his 1989 bout against
Randy Savage, Hogan didnt
exactly have a great track re-
cord for quality matches at
WrestleMania. And against the
limited Warrior, there was little
hope the main event of Wrestle-
Mania 6 would be any different.
But, with some help from mas-
ter matchmaker Pat Patterson,
the two powerhouses delivered
a suspenseful, dramatic, and
unlikely classic.
RANDY SAVAGE vs.
RICK STEAMBOAT
Its not that expectations werent
high for this WrestleMania 3 I-C
title clash, but the fact is that
most of the 93,000 people that
packed the Silverdome in 1987
came to see the epic main event
Hulk Hogans disqualification victory
over Sid (Vicious) Justice did little
for the 62,000-plus fans at the
Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis or those
who purchased WrestleMania 8 pay-
per-view.
PHOTO BY ROY LONDON
42 PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED
of Andre the Giant vs. Hulk
Hogan. What they left talking
about was a match that remains
on the shortlist of the greatest
WM matches ever.
TOP 10
WRESTLEMANIA
FLOPS
HULK HOGAN vs. PSYCHO SID
Its hard to believe that, with the
dream match of Hulk Hogan
vs. Ric Flair at their dispos-
al, WWE matchmakers went
with this as the main event of
WrestleMania 8. In what was
teased as Hogans retirement
match, the two heavyweights
delivered a sloppy, forgettable
performance.
JERRY LAWLER vs.
MICHAEL COLE
In his first WrestleMania match in
the 27-year history of the event,
The King deserved better than
this ill-conceived battle of Raw
broadcast partners at Mania
27. Even special guest referee
Steve Austin could not save
this comedic stinker, which
immeasurably damaged Coles
credibility as the voice of WWE.
BRET HART vs.
VINCE McMAHON
Nearly two decades after the
Montreal Screwjob, Harts
return to WWE should have
been all about forgiveness
and grace. At WM 26, WWE
chose to revisit this tarnished
chapter of its history in the
ugliest way possible.
BIG BOSS MAN vs.
THE UNDERTAKER
This Hell in a Cell bout at Wres-
tleMania 15 was plenty rotten,
even before the needlessly grue-
some and bizarre climax. Heres a
good rule for wrestling promoters:
Whenever possible, try to avoid
ending matches with lynchings.
THE GREAT KHALI vs. KANE
Twenty years after Hulk Hogans
historic bodyslam of Andre
the Giant at WrestleMania 3,
fans were eager to see how
WWE would pay homage to
the historic moment in Wrestle-
Manias return to the Detroit
area in 2007. Suffice to say
Kane slamming Khali in the
third match of Wrestlemania 23
was a gigantic disappointment.
SHEAMUS vs. DANIEL BRYAN
A year after this same match
was bumped off WrestleMania
27 because of time constraints,
fans had high hopes that these
two would redeem themselves
in a World title classic. Those
hopes were quickly dashed
when Sheamus disposed of
Bryan in just 18 seconds.

PHOTO BY GEORGE NAPOLITANO
Ten years before Donald Trump
promised to cut the U.S. deficit,
he was cutting the hair of WWE
Chairman Vince McMahon, as the
result of a stipulation in the Bobby
Lashley (representing Trump) vs.
Umaga (representing McMahon)
match at WM 23 at Ford Field
in Detroit.
SCOTT HALL vs.
STEVE AUSTIN
Coming in to WrestleMania 18,
with Stone Cold riding high
as one of the biggest stars
in wrestling history, and the
revolutionary New World Order
making its Mania debut, this
10-minute so-so bout felt like
quite the missed opportunity.
ROMAN REIGNS vs. TRIPLE-H
Just about everybody could
have predicted that having
the polarizing Roman Reigns
win the World title from the
equally polarizing Triple-H in
the main event of a seven-hour
long WrestleMania 32 would
not be well-received. Perhaps
everybody not named Vince
McMahon, that is.
RANDY ORTON vs. TRIPLE-H
Triple-H likes to blame the
thrilling bout between Shawn
Michaels and The Undertaker
SUPER SHANE TAKES FLIGHT
After a seven-year absence,
Shane McMahon returned to the
WWE spotlight in as spectacu-
lar fashion as possiblediving
off the top of the cell toward
The Undertaker before a record
102,000 fans at WrestleMania
32 in Arlington, Texas.
A BILLION-DOLLAR HAIR CUT
The image of Donald Trump
shaving Vince McMahons head
in the culmination of WrestleMa-
nia 23s Battle Of The Billion-
aires was special. The fact that
Trump is now the 45th President
of the United States makes it
downright surreal.
Steve Austin vs. Scott Hall at
earlier in the night for the
WrestleMania 18 at Torontos SkyDome
lukewarm reaction to this had the potential to be special, but it
WrestleMania 25 main event. missed the mark. Halls NWO crony,
Others prefer to blame the fact Kevin Nash, was ejected for excessive
that this match wasnt any good. interference, and Austin won the 9:51
affair after delivering a series of
Stunners.
MR. T. vs. RODDY PIPER
With the former A-Team actor
still boasting some star power,
Piper still drawing red-hot heel
heat, a yearlong personal rivalry
to work with, and a New York
crowd at WrestleMania 2, what
could possibly go wrong? It
being made a boxing match
thats what.
TOP 10
WRESTLEMANIA
MAGICAL MOMENTS
RIVALS BONDED FOREVER
After finally beating Steve Austin
in their third WrestleMania
together at the 19th annual
event, The Rock expressed
his gratitude to Stone Cold in
a message whispered into his
PHOTO BY JOE ZANOLLE
fallen opponents ear. It was a
candid glimpse into the respect
shared between two of the
brightest stars ever to shine on
the Mania stage.
JUNE. 2017 43

THE ARCHITECT CASHES IN
Cashing in a Money in the Bank
title shot unexpectedly takes
nerve. Doing so in the middle of
a WrestleMania main event takes
the kind of drive, focus, and ego
that could only belong to Seth
Rollinsand they were on full
display at 2015s WrestleMania 31.
A MACHO REUNION
When Randy Savages estranged
partner, Miss Elizabeth, ran in
to defend the Macho Man at
his lowest momentjust after
losing a retirement match to The
Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania
7even the toughest of wrestling
fans felt briefly verklempt.
IM SORRY, I LOVE YOU
The finish of Ric Flairs retirement
match against Shawn Michaels
at WrestleMania 24 would be
44 PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED
remembered not for the superkick
that put the Nature Boy out to
pasture, but for the touching
words from HBK that preceded it.
THE RATTLESNAKE BLEEDS
If you had to pinpoint a single
moment in time that launched
Stone Cold Steve Austins career
into the stratosphere, it might be
him bleeding profusely, writhing in
pain, but refusing to give up before
finally passing out while trapped
in Bret Harts Sharpshooter at
WrestleMania 13.
AN ICONIC STAREDOWN
Decibel meters werent designed
to withstand the volume inside
Torontos SkyDome when two
of wrestlings biggest icons, The er at WrestleMania 30. It ended
Rock and Hulk Hogan stood face
to face at the start of their epic
WrestleMania 18 encounter.
PHOTO BY GEORGE NAPOLITANO
Brock Lesnar could deliver all the
F5s he wanted, but no way could he
end The Undertakers WrestleMania
winning streak. Right? The Beast
pulled off the unimaginable, toppling
Taker at WrestleMania 30 at the
Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New
Orleans.
THE BODYSLAM HEARD ROUND
THE WORLD
Its as rudimentary as wres-
tling moves get, but few images
are as lasting as that of World
heavyweight champ Hulk Hogan
hoisting the 500-pound Andre the
Giant into the air, then slamming
him down to the mat en route to
victory in the colossal main event
of WrestleMania 3.
THE END OF THE STREAK
If ever there was a testament
to why you shouldnt bet on pro
wrestling, it was Brock Lesnars
shocking defeat of The Undertak-
the Dead Mans Mania winning
streak, and put many a gambler
in the poorhouse.
 REPORT CARDS
How Did Wrestlings Best Fare In 2016?
WSECTION COMPILED BY DAN MURPHY
O
NCE AGAIN, ITs time for the annual PWI
Report Cards, where our editorial staff
breaks out the gradebooks and evalu-
ates 100 of the top stars in the sport
today. Some superstars, like AJ Styles, Sasha
Banks, and Charlotte, made the Deans list. Oth-
ers, like Darren Young and The Ascension, might
want to consider hiding these report cards from
their parents.
In the PWI Report Cards, we look at 100 wres-
tlers or teamsboth male and femalefrom all over
the wrestling world, including WWE, TNA, ROH, Ja-
pan, and the independents, and issue them a letter
grade based primarily on their performance dur-
ing the 2016 calendar year. Performance markers
include championships won and won-loss records,
as well as more intangible criteria, such as qual-
ity of opposition faced and career momentum.
We also consider where a wrestler was at the
start of 2016 compared to where that same wres-
tler was at the end of the year. For example, while
James Ellsworth certainly didnt set WWE on fire
in 2016, he managed to climb from complete obscu-
rity (having never so much as cracked the PWI
500) to scoring non-title wins over WWE cham-
pion AJ Styles on Smackdown. Thats some pretty
impressive career growth, resulting in Ells-
worths B grade. (He may want to frame this issue;
we dont see him earning another B anytime soon.)
In 2016, WWEs womens division took center
stage as Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks battled
over the Raw Womens championship for most of the
year, elevating that championship to main events
on both Raw and the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view.
If Charlotte and Sasha fought 100 times, its en-
tirely possible they would split the series 50-50,
which is why both women earned an A+.
Our other teachers pet was AJ Styles, who be-
came the new Champ That Runs The Camp, de-
feating Dean Ambrose for the title and turning
back the formidable challenge of John Cena at
SummerSlam. Cena avenged that loss at the 2017
Royal Rumble, but that event occurred after our
gradebooks were closed.
While we handed out a fair number of Ds, Fs,
and Incompletes, its important to remember that
the wrestlers we selected to grade are among the
top wrestlers in the world. Even a wrestler re-
ceiving a failing grade in our Report Cards is an
elite wrestler competing on the national stage.
However, a poor grade indicates that a wrestler
desperately needs to make some changes in 2017.
Time to separate the scholars from the class
clowns Here are the annual PWI Report Cards!
 JUNE. 2017 45
 ING ILLU
TL

+
ST

A
ES R

WR

AT
ED
O
REPORT CARDS

PR
CHARL OTTE

PR
ED

O
FLAIR

AT

W
R R
ES
ST
ING ILLU
TL The Queen had her hands
full with Sasha Banks,
but when the dust set-
tled, Charlotte was still
proudly wearing the Raw
Womens title. Charlotte
raised the bar for wom-
ens wrestling and made
history by headlin ing
a WWE pay-per- view and
defeating Banks at Hell
in a Cell. She is the most
dominant female WWE has
seen in a generation.
PHOTO BY WAYNE McCARTY

CHARLOTTE vs. BAYLEY

A+ SASHA BANKS A KENNY OMEGA

They say a champion is only as good as
his or her challengers, and Sasha pushed
Charlotte to the limit numerous times.
The rivalry between The Boss and The
Queen saw the Raw Womens title change
hands six times in a five-month span and
was voted Feud of the Year by PWI readers.
Banks and Charlotte were evenly matched
on every level.
A+ AJ STYLE S
No one ever doubted Styles talent; they
just wondered if an undersized southern
boy nearing his 40th birthday could ever
become The Man in WWE. Styles proved
that the cream always rises to the top.
He disposed of John Cena and became the
standard-bearer of the Smackdown brand,
just months after his surprise debut at the
Royal Rumble.
KEVIN OWENS
A
Yes, Triple-H handed him the Universal
title on a silver platter. Yes, he relies
on Chris Jericho to help him protect that
title. But Owens became one of the most
unlikely heavyweight champions in WWE
history, and hes proved to be a success
in the role, turning back challenges from
Seth Rollins and Sami Zayn.
Theres no doubt that The Cleaner is a
breakthrough star with loads of potential.
Unfortunately for him, his greatest match
(against Kazuchika Okada at Wrestle
Kingdom 11; a match he lost, we might add)
came after the official grading period for
our Report Cards. Regardless, he deserves
credit for stepping into AJ Styles shoes
and carrying The Bullet Club and New Japan
in 2016.
A KAZUC HIKA OKADA
On paper, The Rainmaker is the
franchise player in the worlds second-
largest promotion. Yet, despite his success
(including four runs as IWGP heavyweight
champion), he continuously finds himself
playing second fiddle to Omega, Hiroshi
Tanahashi, and The Bullet Club. Hes
dominant, but not quite as dominant as
you would expect from someone of his size
and skill.
A ASUKA
Asuka has toppled every challenger that
has stepped forward to try to wrest the NXT
Womens title away from her, including
former six-time WWE champion Mickie James.
However, WWE has been reluctant to let her
move up to the main roster and vie for the
Raw or Smackdown title. Her only limit has
been a lack of quality competition.

46 PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED

 PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED

A MATT HARDY A- TETSU YA NAITO

Aah, yes! Wonderful! Broken Matt
reinvented himself and became one of
the most talked-about performers in the
game. Matt spent most of his career in the
shadow of his brother, Jeff. In 2016, he
emerged in all of his exquisite glory as a
piano-tinkling madman with a passion for
deleting all he deems obsolete. Last year
was a banner year.
Naito and Kenny Omega performed admirably
when slotted to replace stars that left New
Japan and signed with WWE. Naitos 2016
included an IWGP title win over Kazuchika
Okada, winning the New Japan Cup, and an
IWGP I-C title win over Michael Elgin. His
win over Hiroshi Tanahashi at Wrestle
Kingdom 11 puts him in position for another
shot at Okada.

A- CHRIS JERIC HO A- SHINS UKE NAKAM URA

We expect this grade to land us on Jerichos
infamous list, if we weren't already on it.
Jericho has had a resurgence of sorts, with
wins over AJ Styles at WrestleMania and
Roman Reigns for the U.S. title nine days
into the new year. But, in between, he spent
a large chunk of time as Owens stooge and
in go-nowhere rivalries with the likes of
Enzo and Big Cass.
B+ THE NEW DAY
A- DEAN AMBRO SE
Ambrose cashed in his Money in the Bank
shot and bested former ally Seth Rollins
to claim the WWE championship in June, but
his title reign was disappointingly brief
at less than three months. The low point of
a largely successful year was the beating
he took from Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania.
The Most Popular Wrestler of 2016 (as
voted by PWI readers) has been one of
NXTs greatest attractions. Hes proven
without a doubt that charisma and star
power transcend language and cultural
barriers. However, like his countrywoman
Asuka, he has not had the chance to face
WWEs top stars.
The New Day went down in the record books
as the longest-reigning WWE tag team
champions ever, but its hard to consider
them one of wrestlings all-time best when
their bumping and grinding and Booty-
Os are more memorable than any of their
matches. Theyll likely be remembered as a
novelty act and not an elite team.

A-
O WRESTLI
PR NG
IL

BOBB Y
LU
STRATED

STRATED

LASH LEY
It was a turbulent year for
LU

TNA, but Lashley was the

IL

G rock at the cornerstone

IN
of the heavyweight title
PR
O WRESTL

picture. In addition to
holding the title for most
of the year, Lashley won
the X division and King
of the Mountain titles.
He finally fulfilled his
PHOTO BY JEAN MARIE BIELE/IMPACT WRESTLING

superstar potential.

BOBBY LASHLEY vs.

DAVEY RICHARDS

 JUNE. 2017 47
 REPORT CARDS
ESTLING I

B
WR L

+
O L
R

U
P

ST
RA
TED
ED
RAT
ST

P
U
R
L O
IL WR
RIC H
ESTLING

SWA NN
For years, Swann has been one of the
most charismatic and entertaining
acts on the independent circuit.
The Cruiserweight Classic and
205 Live have given him a chance
to shine on a national stage. His

2016 WWE, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

reign as cruiserweight champion
was a major accomplishment, but he
still needs to show more sparkle to
stand out from the rest of the pack.

B+ FIN N BAL OR B+ BRI AN KEN DRI CK

Kendricks return to prominence in WWE
The former NXT champion graduated
has been a pleasure to watch, but his
from Developmental and made history
efforts have been uneven. Kendrick should
by upsetting Seth Rollins to become the
be the elder statesman of the cruiserweight
first WWE Universal champion. However,
division. His championship reign was brief
his greatest triumph was overshadowed
and unremarkable. Kendrick was a WWE title
by a shoulder injury that put him out of
contender back in 2008; he should be the
commission for the rest of the year. Theres
kingpin of the new cruiserweight division,
no telling what he could have achieved had
not an also-ran.
he remained healthy.

B+ HIR OSH I TAN AHA SHI B+ BEC KY LYN CH

Lynch got a raw deal (pun fully intended)
Tanahashi has achieved living legend
when she was drafted to Smackdown. She
status in New Japan, but hes nearing a
became the first Smackdown Womens
crossroads of his career. Recent losses to
champion, but ended up on the brand with the
Kazuchika Okada and Tetsuya Naito suggest
weaker level of competition. While Sasha
his time on top may be coming to a close,
Banks and Charlotte were headlining Raw
butmuch like John Cenahes a marquee
and PPVs, Lynch was stuck in a lackluster
player who can make another title run at
feud with Alexa Bliss. She is capable of
any time. The clock is ticking, though.
more.

B+ ROM AN REI GNS B+ THE MIZ

A lot of luster came off WWEs golden boy
Maybe it was adding Maryse to his side.
last year. He stood tall at WrestleMania,
Maybe it was the way he shut down Daniel
but his title reign came to an abrupt end
Bryan on Talking Smack. Whatever it
shortly after he failed a Wellness test. The
was, The Miz came into his own and truly
U.S. title run was definite step down, and
developed into one of WWEs top heels.
many fans despise him, as was evident by
He added two more I-C title reigns to his
PWI readers voting him Most Hated for 2016.
resume (making six total) and was voted PWI
Most Improved Wrestler of the Year.

48 PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED

 PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED
B+ DECAY
Crazzy Steve and Abyss made for an
unconventional tag team, but they managed
to brawl their way to the TNA tag team title
and battled The Hardys in TNAs top feud of
the year. Abyss brawn, Steves innovative
offense, and Rosemary as the unpredictable
wild card made them TNAs top stable.
B+ SAMOA JOE
Joe didnt have as much success as fellow
TNA alumnus AJ Styles, but he did quite
well for himself in NXT, capturing the
heavyweight title and waging a memorable
war against Shinsuke Nakamura. Joe is
focused and renewed and looks better than
he has in years.
B+ EDDIE EDWARDS
Edwards made a successful transition from
tag team to singles competition, winning
the X division title twice and defeating
Lashley for the TNA heavyweight title in
June. But Edwards proved to be a better
challenger than champion. His reigns were
brief and unremarkable. His loss to Aron
Rex at Bound for Glory was particularly
disappointing.
B+ JADE
Jade broke away from The Dollhouse and
became one of TNAs most popular Knockouts.
She captured the Knockouts title, but
her reign ended prematurely thanks to
interference from Knockouts Commissioner
Maria Kanellis. She is an elite talent
who figures to become the linchpin in the

B+
PRO WREST Knockouts division in the near future.
LI

Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa have spent years toiling

N
G
ED

in the indies and they finally hit pay dirt in NXT, where they
IL
LUSTRAT

captured the tag title. A loss to the less-experienced Authors

LUSTRATE

DIY
of Pain in the Dusty Rhodes Classic tag tourney was a lowlight
in an otherwise spectacular year.
IL

D
G
N

LI
PRO WREST
2016 WWE, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

DIY vs. NOAM DAR

B+ THE YOUNG BUCKS B+ ZACK SABRE JR.

Matt and Nick Jackson remain one of the
most polarizing and controversial tag
teams in the game (just ask Jim Cornette),
but you cant argue with their success. The
Bucks Of Youth have dominated the New
Japan junior, PWG, and ROH tag titles, but
its time for them to face new competition
and broaden their horizons.
The lanky Englishman was widely
considered to be the favorite in the WWE
Cruiserweight Classic, but he bowed
out of the tourney with a loss to Gran
Metalik. Many analysts consider him
to be the top technical wrestler in the
sport today, but he missed out on a once-
in-a-lifetime opportunity.

 JUNE. 2017 49

B+ WILL OSPREAY
The Londoner won the prestigious Best of
the Super Juniors Tournament in 2016 and
signed with ROH, where he won the TV title
in his first match. He held that title for
only two days, however. He also instigated
a match against Vader and came out on the
losing end.
REPORT CARDS
MARTY
SCURLL
Scurll immediately found his spot in Ring of
Honor, winning the TV title during the companys
tour of his native U.K. With his unique look and
style, Scurll quickly became a player in a
company that was in dire need of new stars.

B+ PENTAGO N DARK ESTLING I

B
WR LL

+
Lucha Underground has featured dozens of R
O

U
P
impressive luchadors since its debut, but

ST
RA
none has captured the imagination quite

TED
the way Pentagon Dark has. As Pentagon

ED
Jr. in AAA, won the Rey de Reyes tournament

RAT
in March and beat Prince Puma for the LU

ST
heavyweight title in June.

P
U
R
L O
IL WR
ESTLING

B+ SEXY STAR
Sexy Star became the first female to hold
the top mens heavyweight title in a
national promotion when she won the Lucha
Underground title in April. Rumors of
retirement and a sporadic schedule in the
second half of the year (highlighted by an
appearance in SHIMMER in October) weakened
what otherwise may have been an A year.

B CESARO
Cesaro managed to eke out an uneasy peace
with Sheamus and ride it all the way to
the Raw tag team title, but such a skilled
superstar with such a passionate fan base
should be accomplishing more. He needs to
take that next step and assert himself as a
Universal title contender.

B SHEAMUS
Like Cesaro, Sheamus deserves credit
for capturing the tag title, but its
unquestionably a step down for the four-
time World champion. Hes been in a rut
ever since he fell in with the League of
Nations. He can either use the tag title as
a needed career boost or he can allow it to
push him further down the card.

B RUSEV
The Bulgarian brute never backs down
PHOTO BY ZIA HILTEY/RING OF HONOR

from a challenge, but his hotheadedness

and his meddlesome wife, who seems to
relish stirring up trouble for him have
sidetracked him time and time again. Hes
dangerous in the ring, and had a solid U.S.
title reign to his credit, but his career
direction is a mess.
MARTY SCURLL vs. JONATHAN GRESHAM
50 PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED

PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED
PHOTO BY STU SAKS
Less than five months after debuting on the Smackdown roster, the former
ALEXA gymnast and bodybuilder upset Becky Lynch for the blue brands womens
BLISS title. Bliss is still a widely unproven commodity, however. She may turn out to
be a fluke champion, but shes a champion nonetheless.
B SETH ROLLINS
Rollins successfully returned from
surgery only to find out he was no longer
Triple-Hs golden boy. He recaptured the
World title at MITB, but lost it to Roman
Reigns moments later, and he was stymied
in subsequent attempts at both the WWE and
Universal titles. Its time for Rollins to
prove himself on his own.
B JOHN CENA
Cena has been a bona fide main-eventer for
more than a decade, but his SummerSlam loss
to Styles, and subsequent move to Smackdown,
pushed him out of the top tier. He enjoyed a
ton of mainstream exposure, but he didn't
break his 2-year world title slump until
after the grading period.
B BAYLEY
The fans nearly blew the roof off the
Verizon Center in Washington, DC, in
July when Bayley made her surprise debut
at Battleground. But she lost initial
momentum when she might have developed
was when she didnt appear on Raw until a
month later and was disrespected by both
Charlotte and Stephanie McMahon. Bayley
still has to prove whether she can replicate
her NXT success on the big stage.
b
O WRESTLI
PR NG
IL
LU
STRATED
STRATED
LU
IL
NG PR
O WRESTLI
ALEXA BLISS vs. NAOMI
B T.J. PERKINS
Perkins wasnt considered one of the
favorites to win the Cruiserweight Classic,
but he did exactly what hes been doing
his entire careerhe defied the odds and
forced people to take notice. His reign
as cruiserweight champion was brief,
however, and he quickly slipped out of title
contention.
B BROCK LESNAR
Lesnars aura of invincibility took a big
hit with his loss to Goldberg at Survivor
Series, but the former UFC champion is
still the most feared man in the game. His
2016 dominance of Dean Ambrose and Randy
Orton proved that Lesnar is still in an
elite class.
B AMERICA N ALPHA
Jason Jordan and Chad Gable had their
share of highs and lows in 2016, but they
finished the year by winning the Smackdown
tag title in December. Their NXT tag title
reign was disappointingly brief, and their
loss to The Authors of Pain was crushing,
but Jordan and Gable showed tremendous
resilience and determination.
 JUNE. 2017 51
 REPORT CARDS
B JAME S ELLS WORT H
Okay, so Ellsworth isnt exactly setting
the world on fire, but he did parlay a one-
off spot on Smackdown into a roster spot
and managed to score several non-title wins
over AJ Styles. He came out of obscurity and
became one of WWEs most talked-about stars.
Thats not too shabby.

B HEAT H SLAT ER
Slater went from the unemployment line to
the Smackdown tag team title. He was humbled
by Brock Lesnar, Rhyno, and others, and had
to resort to begging to get reinstated. But,
in his quest to feed his family, he won over
the fans and got a new lease on his career.

B KALI STO
Sin Caras injury proved to be just the thing
Kalisto needed for a surprise singles run.
The luchador captured the U.S. title on two
occasions, but he also developed a bad habit
of provoking powerhouses like Ryback and
Baron Corbin. The cruiserweight division is
a better fit for him.

B DREW GALL OWAY

Last spring, the Scotsman cashed in his
Feast Or Fired title shot and took the TNA
title from Matt Hardy. It looked like the
beginning of a new era in a company starved
for new blood in the heavyweight title
picture, but less than three months later,
ING IL Galloway dropped the belt and faded from the
STL
PHOTO BY LEE SOUTH/IMPACT WRESTLING

b
E LU scene altogether.
WR S
TR
O
PR

B ROSE MARY
AT
ED

As William Shakespeare once wrote, Madness

in great ones must not unwatched go. The
ED

former Courtney Rush had already proven

AT

PR

herself to be an elite talent, but now that

TR

S
shes fallen in with Decay, shes more
WR
LU ES
TLING IL
dangerous than ever. She spent much of the
year as a valet, but she excels when shes
TREVOR LEE vs. EDDIE EDWARDS competing on her own.

TREV OR LEE B ADAM COLE

Cole became the first wrestler ever to hold
Lee went largely under the radar, but the North
the ROH heavyweight title on three occasions.
Carolina native had a solid year in 2016. He won
He also managed to end Jay Lethals epic
the TNA X division title in June (then regained
title run and started 2017 with a major win
it in January 2017). He and Andrew Everett also
over Kyle OReilly at Wrestle Kingdom 11. As
established themselves as a formidable tag team.
impressive as that has been, however, Cole
Lee is one of Impact Wrestlings rising stars and
has lacked viable competition. He may be a
is poised to have a big 2017.
three-time champ, but he isnt an all-time
great. At least, not yet.

52 PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED

PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED

BRAUN
STROWMAN
In another era, a wrestler of Strowmans
stature would be thrust into the world title
picture simply by virtue of his pure power.
Strowman was unremarkable in his run as
Bray Wyatts pet monster, and a series of
squash matches on Raw did little to help.
Sure, he beat Sami Zayn, but its about time
we see him face off against another super
heavyweight.

B JAY LETHAL
Lethal is at a crossroads. He has been ROHs
MVP for the past few years, but hes ready
for new challenges. So many of his peers from
ROH, TNA, and the indies have moved on to ESTLING I

B
WR L

-
O L
NXT, whereas Lethal is growing stagnant in R

U
P

ST
ROH. We appreciate loyalty, but its time for

RA
Lethal to test himself in a new environment.

TED
ED
B DOLPH ZIGGLER
RAT
One again, Ziggler appeared to be on the
ST

P
verge of a major push and, once again, it all
U
R
L O
IL WR
fizzled out. His highlight of the year was ESTLING

PHOTO BY WAYNE McCARTY

his feud with The Miz. He staved off a forced
retirement and won the I-C title, only to
drop it back to Miz and plummet back down the
ladder of contention. This is not the first
time its happened, and it probably wont be
the last.
B JEFF HARDY
Losing a feud to Broken Matt and being
categorized as obsolete turned out to be
a blessing in disguise for Brother Nero. Now
that he and Matt have reunited, the Hardys
are once again one of the top tandems in
the sport. And, with the introduction of his
Itchweed persona, Jeff looks like hes having
fun again.
BRAUN STROWMAN vs. SI
N CARA
B- NEVILLE
It took an aggressive change of attitude,
but Neville finally got back on track
toward the end of the year after months
on the disabled list. He is custom-made
for the cruiserweight division, and the
cruiserweight title he won at the Royal
Rumble could be a springboard to bigger and
better things. If he can channel his rage
and stay injury-free, this will be his year.

B- BIG CASS & ENZO AMORE B- MIKE BENNETT

Cass and Enzo immediately became two of the
most popular stars in WWE when they debuted
on Raw the night after WrestleMania. They
talk a great game, but frankly, they havent
accomplished all that much yet. Great promos
are fine, but they need to show more once the
bell rings.
The Miracle burst onto the scene with
a cascade of hype, but after a year in TNA,
Bennett really hasnt accomplished all that
much. A two-week run as X division champion
was the highlight of a year that saw him fight
Earl Hebner, get humiliated by Cody Rhodes,
and suffer numerous losses to Moose.

 JUNE. 2017 53
 REPORT CARDS
B RHYNO
The veteran made a big impact in NXT and
was called up to Smackdown, where Shane
McMahon called him wrestlings hottest
free agent. Well, that might have been
a bit of an exaggeration, but it didnt
take long for the former ECW champ to win
gold, carrying Heath Slater to the tag
title. Even more impressive, he was also
campaigning for a spot in the Michigan
House of Representatives all year.

B BOBBY ROODE
If the two-time TNA heavyweight champion
felt slighted by being signed to NXT
instead of debuting on the main roster (as
his old TNA running buddy AJ Styles did), he
never let it show. Instead, Roode developed
a glorious persona and set out to prove
himself all over again. Last year was a step
backward; 2017, beginning with his NXT RANDY ORTON vs. KANE
title win over Shinsuke Nakamura, will be
a big step forward.

TLING IL
B SIENNA ES

PHOTO BY STU SAKS

B
LU

-
WR S
Sienna made an immediate impact in Impact
O

TR
PR

Wrestling, winning the Knockouts title

AT
ED
shortly after her debut in the company.
However, she made a tactical error by
ED

falling in with Maria Kanellis and getting

AT

caught up as a pawn in Kanellis takeover

PR
TR

of the Knockouts division. Shes at her

O
S

WR
LU ES
best when shes kicking tail, not playing RANDY TLING IL

politics.
B- ETHAN CARTER III
At the start, ECIII (with help from his team
of attorneys) had a virtual stranglehold
on the TNA heavyweight title. What he
didnt have was respect. Well, he earned
that respect in his battles against Mike
Bennett and Drew Galloway. Still, the title
remained out of his reach.
B- MOOSE
The 2015 PWI Rookie of the Year made a big
gamble when he left ROH for TNA, but with
big gambles sometimes come big rewards. In
ROH, he stood out because of his sheer size
and athleticism. In Impact, hes had to dig
a bit deeper. After an uneven few months, he
found his groove, beating Aron Rex for the
Grand title.
ORTON
The Viper missed several months with a
shoulder injury. When he returned, he was
brutalized by Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. In
terms of momentum, Orton never recovered from
that bloody loss. A subsequent move to Smackdown
and a forgettable (and inexplicable) tag title
with the Wyatts was a huge step backward for
the 12-time World champion. Perhaps his Royal
Rumble victory is a portent of good things to
come in 2017.
B- KYLE OREILLY
OReilly had the biggest win of his career
in December, when he bested former partner
Adam Cole for the ROH title at Final Battle.
Though his reign was brief, OReilly proved
himself as a viable singles competitor
after years of tag team experience. His
title run may have been his swan song, as
rumors run rampant that he is WWE-bound.

54 PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED

 PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED
B- BARON CORBIN
Winning the Andre the Giant Memorial
Battle Royal was a coup, but Corbin settled
in for a slow burn through the rest of the
year. Hes been steadily improving yet
underwhelming. His brawling and kicking
style seems pass in this day and age,
especially since hes usually fighting
smaller opponents. Lets see how he fares
against someone his own size.
B- DALTON CASTLE
Castle has become one of the most dynamic
and charismatic competitors in ROH.
And he has some major victories to his
credit (including wins over Jushin Liger,
Roderick Strong, and Colt Cabana), but he
has yet to make the jump to the main event.
Its time to forget about The Boys and
prove that he can be The Man.
PHOTO COURTESY OF EL REY NETWORK
ESTLING I
B
WR
-
O
R
P
ED
RAT
ST
L O
IL
ESTLING
B- CODY RHODES
Unhappy with how he was being utilized
in WWE, Rhodes requested his release in
February. Cody has appeared in TNA, ROH,
New Japan, and all over the indies, but
every month that passes since his days on
WWE TV, his marketability plummets. Hes
too good to become a journeyman.
C+ LUKE GALLOWS &
KARL ANDERSO N
When the former Bullet Club members debuted
in WWE last spring, expectations were sky-
high. But instead of quickly claiming the
tag title and laying waste to the division,
Gallows and Anderson stumbled in matches
against The New Day and resorted to comedy
skits. We think they regained their bad-ass
persona with their Raw tag team title win
over Cesaro and Sheamus.
C+ SAMI ZAYN
Zayn had several highlights during the
past year, but he was never quite able to
string them together in a meaningful
way. He wrestled a classic match against
Shinsuke Nakamura and scored a PPV win
over Kevin Owens, but at the end of the year
he was still locked in the same role as the
plucky underdog looking for his break.
C+ BRAY WYATT
While Wyatt is consistently entertaining,
were still waiting to see him definitively
win a major feud. He talks a great game,
but a brief tag team title reign is all he
has to show for it. Yes, hes dangerous, but
his energy needs to be focused in some
clear direction.
PRINCE PUMA vs. REY MYSTERIO JR.
RICOCHE T
Widely considered to be the best
aerialist in the game, Ricochet has been
building his name in Japan, the indies,
and Lucha Underground (as Prince Puma),
but more than a year has passed since
his career-making Best of the Super
LL
Juniors win in 2015, and hes still in
U
the same position. Its time to get out
ST
RA
of his comfort zone before his high-risk
TED
style takes its toll.
 JUNE. 2017 55
P
R
WR

PHOTO BY STU SAKS
Ryder stunned the world when he won the I-C title ladder match at
Mania. Dolor His exuberant celebration with his dad was one of the
ZACK great emotional moments of the year. But 24 hours later, the title was
RYDER with The Miz and Ryder was left with nothing but memories. A knee injury
he sustained in December is expected to sideline him well into 2017.
C+ TYE DILLINGER
Dillinger has been kicking around the
WWE developmental system for about a
decade now, but his Perfect 10 persona is
finally rallying the fans around him. Hes
an underrated talent who has been passed
by time and time again, but hes still
battling for a spot on the main roster.
C+ DANA BROOKE
Brooke got her call-up to WWE and wisely
allied herself with Charlotte, essentially
becoming Arn Anderson to Charlottes Ric
Flair. Working alongside Charlotte was
a terrific learning experience, which,
unfortunately, is not reflected in her
won-loss record. Her association with
Charlotte did give her an opportunity to
face off against Raws top females, even if
she wasnt quite ready.
C NIA JAX
The 2016 PWI Rookie of the Year has been a
juggernaut on Raw, but she spent the year
facing lackluster competition. Now that
she has Sasha Banks in her sights, were
finally going to see how Jax can fare
against a major talent. Up until now, shes
simply been a bully.
56 PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED
REPORT CARDS
C
O WRESTL
PR IN
G
IL
D
LU
TRATE
STRATED
LUS
IL
G
IN PR
O WRESTL
ZACK RYDER vs.
CURT HAWKINS
C NATALYA
Its easy to forget that Natalya came
within a hairs breadth of winning the
Womens title several times last summer.
Natalya couldnt find a way to solve
Charlotte, and her frustration developed
into bitterness. Now that Smackdown has
its own womens title, she really needs to
settle back into her groove and make a push
for that championship.
C NIKKI BELLA
Bella returned from surgery, but the
longest-reigning Divas champion came
back to find that the level of competition
in the womens division had greatly
improved since the days when she and Brie
ran roughshod over it. She has slipped
considerably in the womens rankings,
and another championship seems like a
longshot.
C ALLIE
The former Cherry Bomb came into TNA as
Marias personal assistant and wound up
with the Knockouts title around her waist.
Sure, Allies title win was a fluke, and she
surrendered the belt to Maria in her first
defense, but Allie earned support from
the fans, and with training from Braxton
Sutter, shell likely contend for the
Knockouts title again this year.
PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED

NAOMI
Okay, the Day-glo ring attire
was an interesting change and
a fresh look, but Naomi needs
to remember that this isnt
dancing its wrestling. Her
move set has been stagnant for
the past few years. Her signature
move (the Rear-View) is actually
a liability in that it forces her
to turn her back on an onrushing
opponent. She needs to re-assess
her game plan.
ING ILLU NAOMI vs. PAIGE
TL

-
ST

C
ES R
R
AT
W
O

ED
PR

PR
ED

PHOTO BY STU SAKS

O
AT

R
R

ES
ST TL
ING ILLU

C- THE BRISC OES C- ARON REX

Like Jay Lethal, Jay and Mark Briscoe have
been a cornerstone of ROH, but they have
accomplished everything that they can
possibly accomplish in that promotion.
Theyre simply treading water at this
point. They remain viable contenders to
any title in the company, but theyre stuck
in a deep rut. Its time to change things up.
After building a huge cult following as
Damien Sandow, Rex debuted in TNA and
almost immediately lost that fan base. He
has shown little of the charisma and humor
that endeared him to the WWE Universe.
He won the Grand championship, but other
than that, his Impact stint has been a
disappointment thus far.

C- THE USOS C- LUKE HARPE R

We give credit to Jey and Jimmy for having
the courage to try to reinvent themselves.
They were a popular act, but found
themselves a distant second to The New Day,
so they changed things up and adopted a more
brawling style. It hasnt paid immediate
dividends, however.
C- KANE
After flirting with the main event in
2015, Kane dropped like a stone back to the
midcard in 2016. Go-nowhere feuds against
Randy Orton and The Wyatt Family seemed
like placeholders, and not particularly
interesting placeholders at that. The
demon has lost his fire.
The wildman of The Wyatt Family was
sidelined for half the year due to a knee
injury. Once he returned, he quickly re-
established himself as a threat, laying
claim to the Smackdown tag title with Wyatt
and Orton. Harper is still on the verge of a
major breakthrough, and a split with Wyatt
could make it happen.
C- MICHA EL ELGIN
Elgin made a bold move by leaving ROH and
focusing mostly on New Japan. He captured
the IWGP Intercontinental championship,
but lost and quickly faded from the title
picture. Hes been working mostly on the
independents, and his won-loss record is
just not what it should be. Last year wasnt
his year.

 JUNE. 2017 57

C- ERIC YOUNG
E.Y. made a surprise appearance in NXT,
where he unsuccessfully challenged Samoa
Joe for the heavyweight title. After that
loss, he regrouped to build the Sanity
stable. Hes laying the groundwork for
Sanity to become WWEs next faction.
C- ERICK ROWAN
Well technically he co-main-evented
WrestleMania, right? Rowans greatest
moment was taking a Rock Bottom in an
impromptu match at the biggest event of
the year. While it likely earned him a nice
payday, it didnt do much for his aura of
intimidation. Between that embarrassment
and injuries, Rowan was largely invisible.
D GOLDEN TRUTH
R-Truth and Goldust are in a marriage
of convenience, but thats doesnt make
them a pushover of a tag team. They are two
seasoned veterans who are also adept at
playing comic relief. Theyre so good at
clowning around, they allow themselves to
get lost in the shuffle.
D SIN CARA
When the original Sin
Cara debuted in WWE, he
was supposed to be a game-
changer, the next Rey
Mysterio. Well that didnt
go quite as planned. A new
wrestler is wearing the mask
now, but the Sin Cara persona
has been badly tarnished by
injuries, lackluster matches,
and the eponymous Sin Cara
botches. Its time to retire
the mask.
REPORT CARDS
D PAIGE
Suspensions. Tabloid gossip. Injuries.
Paige drew plenty of controversy in 2016
and spent most of the year out of the ring.
Its a shame because Paige could thrive
in the current womens division. Her
relationship with Alberto Del Rio has
become a nightmare for her professionally.
D MOJO RAWLEY
Its important to get hyped. Its more
important to learn how to pace yourself,
to be a ring general, and to keep your
wits about you. Rawley is impressive
in short bursts, but his impetuousness
and inexperience are major weaknesses.
Hopefully, Zack Ryder can provide some
veteran advice.
D ROCKSTAR SPUD
Look we just cant overlook the fact that
Spud was pinned by a toddler in 17 seconds,
can we? Spud is a terrific promo guy and,
pound-for-pound, one of Impacts top
talents, but he was largely underutilized
last year. The two-time X division champion
spent the year as a stooge.
APOLLO CREWS vs. ELIAS SAMSON

APOLLO
CREWS
In retrospect, the bar was set
impossibly high for Crews.
As soon as he debuted in WWE,
people looked at his physique
and his agility and pegged
him for superstardom. A few RESTLIN
PHOTO BY GEORGE NAPOLITANO

D
disappointing performances in O W G
PR I
the ring quickly took the bloom
L
LU

off the rose, and his window may

ST

have already closed.

ATED

RATED
STR
LU

58 PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED

L

I PR
G O
WRESTLIN
 PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED
D MAHABALI SHERA
TITUS ONEIL vs. ENZO AMORE Impact had big hopes that Shera could develop
into a bona fide international superstar,
but so far, his claim to fame is having the
goofiest dance since Vince McMahon performed
Stand Back. Hes still extremely raw and
inexperienced, and his daffy smile and dance
arent doing him any favors at all.

F THE ASCENSION
Konnor and Viktor did not win a single
standard tag team match during the entire
calendar year of 2016 (they did have one
eight-man tag victory teaming with The Usos
in September). Not only do they get a failing
grade, but they failed in spectacular fashion.

F THE VAUDEVILLAINS
Remember when The Vaudevillians defeated
Blake and Murphy for the NXT tag title at
TakeOver: Brooklyn? Remember the ovation
they received from the 15,000 fans at the
Barclays Center? What in the world happened?
Simon Gotch and Aiden English laid an egg on
the big stage.

F DARREN YOUNG
Not even Bob Backlund could make Darren
Young great again, and if Backlund cant do
it, we dont think anyone can. Young failed
to capitalize on a unique opportunity to
distinguish himself. At this point, he needs a
complete makeover to salvage his WWE career.

INC THE BIG SHOW

RESTLING We know hes been working out and he seems

F
W IL
RO to be in great shape, but he still has to show
P

that the drive hes displaying in the gym

PHOTO BY WAYNE McCARTY

US
TR

translates into his work in the ring.

ATED
ATED

INC GOLDBERG
TR

Eighty-six seconds is just not enough time

US

to evaluate Goldbergs performance for the

L

RO
IL
ESTLING
WR
TITUS
ONEIL
ONeils most memorable moment of
2016 was when he playfully grabbed
Vince McMahons arm, earning himself
a suspension and costing him a spot at
WrestleMania. It actually went downhill
from there. Instigating a feud with The
New Day only reinforced the fact that
ONeil is bland by comparison.
year. His win over Lesnar was impressive,
but it may also have been a fluke. As Buster
Douglas showed us years ago, anyone can get
lucky once.
INC EVA MARIE
The sultry redhead got more heat by not
wrestling than most rulebreakers get
swinging chairs and insulting the local
sports teams. Eliciting a reaction is
LPSRUWDQWEXWVRLVDFWXDOZUHVWOLQJVNLOO
:HUH ZDLWLQJ WR VHH ZKDW HOVH (YD 0DULH
brings to the table.

 JUNE. 2017 59

I
mpact Wrestlings latest new
beginning Anthem Sports
& Enter tainment, formerly
a minority stakeholder in TNA
Wrestling, finalized the purchase
of majority interest in the com-
pany in early-January, creating
new winners and losers, return-
ing power players, and a fresh
cast of corporate characters. Ed
Nordholm is the most important
name to know.
The Anthem executive vice
president is now the president
of Anthem Wrestling Exhibitions,
PHOTO COURTESY OF IMPACT WRESTLING
Anthem Sports & Entertainment
Executive Vice President Ed Nordholm
and TNA co-founder Jeff Jarrett pose
during a trip to the U.K. Jarrett and
Dutch Mantel are back on Impacts
creative team.
60 O PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED
by HARRY BURKETT
LLC, and is in charge of Impacts
day-to-day operations. His direct
experience with pro wrestling is
limited: When Anthem bought
its minority stake in October
2016, Nordholm became a board
member of Impact Ventures, LLC,
the entity created when Smash-
ing Pumpkins front man Billy
Corgan began funding TNA last
year. But, considering Anthem
is majority owner of Canadas
Fight Networkwhich already
carries Impact Wrestlingand
has invested in sports channels
O
and online entities throughout
the U.S., Nordholm knows how
to produce and market combat
sports.
The new Impact president
(theyve unofficially done away
with the TNA acronym) hired for-
mer owner Jeff Jarrett and Dutch
Mantell, who will influence the
companys creative presentation
and in-ring product more than
anyone.
Nordholm, Jarrett, and Mantel
lcomprise the new power struc-
ture, in addition to Chief Execu-
tive Officer Jason Brown, Chief
Financial Officer Dean Broad-
head, Chief Marketing Officer Al
Ovadia, and television producer
John Big Gaburick.
Firmly in the cold are former
President Dixie Car ter, who,
despite her five-percent stake,
was broomed upstairs to become
part of Fight Media Groups ad-
visory board, and Billy Corgan,
whom Anthem has promised to
reimburse for all the money he
loaned TNA since last summer.
As much as the company needed
Corgans financial support, insid-
ers suggest that his eagerness
to take creative risks was equally
importantand will be missed.
And that should be factored
into Impacts upside. Creatively,
Impact Wrestling has received
critical acclaim over the past year,
particularly for its unconventional
Broken Hardys storyline, which
included a full episode emanating
from the Hardy compound. Talent-
wise, Impact has established a
working agreement with Japans
Pro Wrestling NOAH, which will
be similar to Ring of Honors re-
lationship with New Japan. And,
in terms of audience, the CBS
Corporations various channels,
including Pop, will now broadcast
in real time via Hulus live stream-
ing service.
Linda McMahon starts SBA
tenure It was a stunning an-
nouncement when President
Trump tapped Linda McMahon
to head the Small Business Ad-
ministration, and the wrestling
puns hit Rock Bottom as the
mainstream media grappled with
the idea that the former CEO of a Linda McMahon, who was
largely responsible for
wrestling company would receive WWEs enormous growth in
a cabinet-level position. the 1980s and 90s, is sworn
Fortune ran one of the more se- in as the head of the Small
Business Administration.
rious articles, How Linda McMa-
hon Will Wrestle With The SBA,
which analyzed the reception the
two-time U.S. Senate candidate
was likely to receive in the small-
business community. Karen Mills,
who headed the SBA during the
Obama administration, praised
Trumps pick, stating, Small
businesses need someone at the
table who knows what it takes to
grow and run a small business.
Many media stories overlooked
the fact that WWE originated as staff employeesand printing entertainment empire with over
a classic small business, with wrestling programs in their base- 800 employees. The Huffington
the McMahons going from 13 mentto a $1.55-billion global Post focused on the personal

WWE STOCKWATCH
relationship between Trump and
the McMahons, WWE squashing
independent territories (i.e. small
[FOR THE PERIOD OF DECEMBER 10, 2016, TO FEBRUARY 12, 2017] businesses) in the 1980s, WWEs
questionable classification of tal-
60-DAY HIGH: 22.11 on February 10
60-DAY LOW: 18.00 on January 3 ent as independent contractors,
52-WEEK HIGH: 22.11 on February 10, 2017 the steroid scandals, and the
52-WEEK LOW: 14.27 on February 12, 2016 Chris Benoit family tragedy.
Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT),
What can the critics say now? Wall Street analysts said the WWE who defeated McMahon for an
Network business model would have a cannibalistic effect on net profits, open seat in 2014, said McMahon
and Internet pundits criticize WWEs creative direction at every turn, but is unquestionably qualified to
heres the real bottom line: In the fiscal year of 2016, revenue increased by run the SBA.
11 percent to $729.2-million, the highest in the companys historyhigher
than the Rock n Wrestling Era of the 1980s and the Attitude Era of the late-
1990s and early-2000s.
Lucha Underground returns
WWE has developed three major drivers of stable growth: the Network, The first half of Lucha Under-
lucrative television agreements, and steady international expansion. grounds third season ended on
According to thestreet.com, WWEs revenue of $729-million in 2016 is likely January 11, but the second half
only the beginning, and company profits should increase by 20 percent will resume on May 31, according
each year for at least the next half-decadethats more than twice the rate to prowrestling.net. That will con-
projected for the S&P 500. clude a four-month hiatus for the
One reason why analysts are suddenly so high on the WWE Network is show, although these episodes
the Networks ability to deliver original content. In 2016s final quarter, 205 were taped nearly a year ago.
Live and WWE Story Time premiered on the Network, in addition to Total The episodic nature of the se-
Bellas debuting on E! and The Bella Twins appearing on YouTube. Netflix
ries, however, has somewhat miti-
and Amazon are changing the entertainment industry with their original
programming on the Web. As usual, WWE was the pioneer.
gated the long lag time between
Also of note, WWEs Board of Directors declared the companys regular tapings and eventual airdates.
quarterly dividend of 12 cents per share for all Class A and B shares That likely helped Lucha Under-
of common stock. The record date for the dividend is March 15 and the ground land a deal with Netflix,
payment date will be March 27. with the show being available
both in the U.S. and Canada.

O JUNE. 2017 O 61
TV BREAKDOWN
RAW [USA]
--VIEWERS IN MILLIONS

December 12: 3.11 Analysis: Raw scored its highest rating in six months on January 30, the night after The Royal
December 19: 2.96 Rumble. WWEs flagship program usually experiences a steady surge throughout the month of
December 26: 2.86 January, thanks to the build toward the Rumble coinciding with the lag time between the NFL
January 2: 3.05 playoffs and the Super Bowl. Raw scored above the three-million-viewer mark in the final four
January 9: 2.91 weeks of our evaluation period, and did so two other times, on December 12, when The New
January 16: 3.27 Day sought to surpass Demolitions 478-day tag team title reign, and on January 2, when Bill
January 23: 3.29 Goldberg confronted Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho, and Braun Strowman. Nevertheless, Raws
January 30: 3.62 ratings are down slightly from a year ago. Raws decline is just as much a factor in the newly
February 6: 3.12 competitive Raw-Smackdown ratings race as Smackdowns ascendance on USA.

SMACKDOWN [USA]
--VIEWERS IN MILLIONS

December 13: 2.36 Analysis: For the first time in its 17-year history, Smackdown reached more viewers than its
December 20: 2.36 big sister program, Monday Night Raw. A couple of unusual factors were at work on December
December 27: 2.89 27, however. Raws rating always drops significantly during the period between Christmas and
January 3: 2.60 New Years Day, and Smackdown Live had a special boost: the return of John Cena, who had
January 10: 2.53 been off TV for several weeks. Smackdown is clearly rejuvenated by the move from Syfy to
January 17: 2.65 USA, the switch from Thursday to Tuesdays, going from taped to live, the brand extension, and
January 24: 2.56 Mauro Ranallos excellent play-by-play. The program has been on a significant streak, achieving
January 31: 2.82 at least 2.5 million viewers every week since that fateful turnaround date of December 27. Will
February 7: 2.63 the blue brands numbers remain impressive after WrestleMania? We shall find out.

IMPACT
--
[pop]
VIEWERS IN MILLIONS
LUCHA
--
UNDERGROUND [el rey]
VIEWERS IN MILLIONS

December 15: .34 Analysis: The special Total January 11: .13 Analysis: El Rey aired the
December 22: .21 Nonstop Deletion episode of January 4: .14 mid-season finale of Season 3
December 29: .22 Impact Wrestlingwith the entire December 28: .14 on January 11, with Matanza
January 5: .29 card emanating from the Hardy December 21: .15 Cueto defeating El Dragon
January 12: .28 compound in Cameron, North December 14: .11 Azteca Jr., and there will be a
January 19: .31 Carolinaattracted 340,000 four-month hiatus before the
January 26: .31 viewers on December 15, Im- season resumes. This season contains 40 episodes
February 2: .30 pacts strongest number in sev- the highest number yetand El Rey remains committed
February 9: .25 eral weeks. Impact routinely drew to the show despite the ratings drop since the beginning
that kind of figure after moving to of Season 2. But to understand the true value of Lucha
Pop last year, but its average viewing number has slipped in Underground to its owning company, the United Media
the months following Bound for Glory. Is that an indictment Group, one must look beyond a single airings num-
Eddie Edwards, who reigned as Impact champ during this pe- bers. Each episode that is first-run at 8 p.m. Eastern
riod? It could be, considering his title defense against Bobby is repeated not just in the 10 p.m. time slot, but again
Lashley on February 9 drew an anemic average of 250,000 the following week and throughout the year. Its also a
viewers, preventing Impact from even breaking the top 150 regular on-demand feature for most cable systems. Now
for original cable shows that day. Impacts Greatest Hits Of its available on iTunes and Netflix. The program also airs
2016 program drew only 210,000 viewers on December 22. overseas, on TNT in Germany and KIX in Southeast Asia.

62 O PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED O



presents...

H E
T

PW I D C A S T
P O o v e r s ial.
ontr i t sc
live l y .
!
t s
e
. i
its inf
o r m a t ive

it s f r e
The pages of your favorite wrestling
magazine come to life as Senior Writers
Al C astle & Dan Murphy host
Pro Wrestling Illustrate d Presents: The PWI Podc ast.

Each week, Castle and Murphy interview top

wrestling personalities or fellow PWI writers
about the hottest topics in the sport.

Their guest list has included Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Adam
Cole, Drew Galloway, and Rey Mysterio, as well
as current and former PWI contributors Craig Peters,
Harry Burkett, Mike Bessler, Louie D, Kevin McElvaney,
Kris Zellner, and Stu Saks.

The PWI Podcast is available as a free subscription

at the iTunes Store or streaming at pwi-online.com
 BY MIKE BESSLER

I
T WAS A meteoric fall from
grace when Chris Hero was
unceremoniously released from
WWE NXT in 2013. Almost 3
years later, the celebrated grappler
once again bade farewell to the in-
dependent scene at EVOLVE 77,
his final appearance before return-
ing to NXT as Kassius Ohno. At
the January 28 event, Hero battled
Zack Sabre Jr. in a 23-minute
contest, ultimately tapping out af-
ter getting caught in the Brits Ode
to Jim Breaks submission hold. Af-
ter the bell, fans chanted Thank
you, Hero! and Chris eventually
took to the mic, expressing grati-
tude to his fans and peers.
If I sat here and thanked ev-
eryone who truly deserved the
thanks, wed be here until next
year, probably, Hero said as he
leaned against the turnbuckles in
the corner of the ring. You dont
go 18 years as a pro wrestler with-
out getting a hell of a lot of help
along the way, so I appreciate ev-
erybody.
During his most recent stint in
the indies, Hero returned to old
stomping grounds like Ring of
Honor and Pro Wrestling Guer-
rilla and he won championships in
EVOLVE and All Pro Wrestling.
an NWA Smoky Mountain show Pro debut at the promotions Janu-
in Kingsport, Tennessee. Twenty ary 28 show in Summit, Illinois,
minutes into their no-time limit, no- challenging Cobra for the heavy-
disqualification brawl, Owens got weight title. Williams impressed
the three-count on Kincaid after fans, almost scoring the victory,
hitting his rival with a package pile- but a timely distraction by Co-
driver. Gracious in defeat, Kincaid bra Dynasty crony Justin King
took to social media in the hours provided Cobra with an opportu-
following his loss, thanking fans nity to snatch a pinfall victory. At
for their support and encourage- the same event, RPro Womens
ment. While holding the top title for champ Rachael Ellering retained
NWA Smoky Mountain, Kincaid her title, fending off a challenge by
also performed in Ring of Honor, Kiera Hogan.
EVOLVE, and TNA.
The Space Monkey pinned
The Baddest Man Alive Aaron The Whisper in the final round
Williams made his Resistance of the Young Lions Cup tourna-
Chris Hero is back in NXT as
Kassius Ohno after once
again saying so-long to his
fans in EVOLVE. Might we
see a Kings of Wrestling
reunion with Cesaro at some
point in the future?

Jason Kincaids incredible five-

year run as the NWA Southeast-
PHOTO BY STU SAKS

ern heavyweight champion came

to a surprising end on February
11 when he dropped the strap to
longtime foe Chase Owens at

64 O  PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED O

 ment at CHIIKARAs National Pro
Wrestling Day on February 4 at
The Wrestle Factory in Philadel-
phia. The third-year pro advanced
to the finals by beating Ashley
Vox, Delmi Exo, and Merlok in
an opening-round four-way and
Cornelius Crummels in the
semis. The event, which was free
to the public, exceeded its goal
of raising $2,000 in donations for
the Superkick Foundation, which
supports Bucks for Vets, Just
Cause, and the Massie Family
Fund, among others.
For the second time in his ca-
reer, Tokyo Monster Kaha-
gas captured the NWA National
championship, this time defeat-
ing Damien Wayne on February
3 at an NWA New South Cham-
pionship Wrestling event. Kaha-
gas last won the belt in 2013 and
is a previous holder of the NWA
heavyweight title Mercedes
Martinez enjoyed a banner night
at WSUs 10th anniversary show
Five men tried to prevent The
Space Monkey from winning
the CHIKARA Young Lions
Tournament in Philadelphia.
They all failed.
PHOTO BY CECILIO PADILLA
in Voorhees, New Jersey, on
February 11. In addition to be-
ing inducted into the promotions
hall of fame, Martinez beat Allie
for the WSU title. Its great to be
back home, Martinez said after
the match. Im humbled. Im ex-
cited. I have a new love for this
sport. Chicago Style Wres-
tling crowned a new champion
at its January 21 show when
Jake Andrews outlasted a host
of competitors in an over-the-top
battle royal. In singles action,
Acid Jaz and Marshe Rockett
battled to a double-countout and
GPA retained the Metra division
title when he defeated Beau
Anderson Apocalypse kept
his title gold at Imperial Wres-
tling Entertainments January 28
show in Houghton Lake, Michi-
gan, when he put challenger Ric
Caurdiea down for the three-
count. In six-man tag action,
Bill Blackwell, Nick Baker,
and Leviticus Abel defeated
Mike Goodman, Mongo Ham-
mers, and Flatliner Scotty
Fraytown when Baker rolled up
Goodman for the win Stock-
ades challenge for the ACE
heavyweight title proved unsuc-
cessful when he lost to champi-
on Danny Maff at the ACE event
in Wallington, New Jersey, on
February 4. Later in the evening,
Mike Donovan and Rob Vegas
beat Chris Rockwell and Sam
Shields to win the Mike Morgan
Jr. Memorial Cup Karim Brig-
ante bested Leland Race and
Steve Fender in a three-way
dance for WLWs vacant heavy-
weight title on February 4. At the
same WLW show in Troy, Mis-
souri, Jon Webb held on to the
promotions junior heavyweight
title, defeating Kyle Roberts
Brian Cage beat Donovan Di-
jak in the main event of Beyond
Wrestlings January 28 show in
Somerville, Massachusetts. Ear-
lier in the evening, Jordynne
Grace and LuFisto defeated
Davienne and Mistress Bel-
mont The Hardys brought
their entire entourageReby
Sky, King Maxel, and even Se-
or Benjaminto MCW at the
companys Broken Anniversary
event on January 28. By the end
of the night, Impact Wrestlings
top tag team had even more ti-
tle gold to their names, winning
the MCW tag straps away from
Dirty Money and Eric Chapel
Despite some interference by
Chris Syndel, Mac Havok put
away Ogre to capture the HIW
championship at the promotions
January 28 event in Tucson,
Arizona Wrestling superfan
Kevin Whack Packer Hogan,
a longstanding and prominent
presence in the front rows of east
coast wrestling promotions like
CZW and ECWA, passed away
suddenly on February 2. Tributes
abounded on social media, in-
cluding a tweet from WWE Uni-
versal champion Kevin Owens,
who hailed Hogan as a die-hard
fan and one of the good ones.
O  JUNE. 2017 O   65

D
ESPITE RUMORS TO the
contrary, Kenny Omega is
remaining with New Japan
Pro Wrestling for the foreseeable
future. The 33-year-old Canadian
became wrestlings hottest free
agent following his epic battle
with Kazuchika Okada at Wres-
tle Kingdom 11.
IWGP heavyweight champion
Okada successfully defended the
title against Omega in a 46-min-
WWE fans hoping to see
Kenny Omega follow the path
paved by AJ Styles from
Japan to America will be dis-
appointed to learn that he
has re-upped with New Japan
Pro Wrestling.
PHOTO COURTESY RING OF HONOR
66 O  PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED
ute thriller at New Japans signa-
ture event, held January 4th at
the Tokyo Dome. The match was
hailed as an instant classic, with
Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Publisher Dave Meltzer giving it
six stars on his five-star grading
system.
Despite losing the bout, Ome-
ga came off as a breakthrough
sensation. He sparked rumors
that he might be ready to jump
O
BY DAN MURPHY
to WWE when he Tweeted he
would be stepping away from
Japan to reassess (his) future,
prompting some fans to specu-
late that he might follow in the
footsteps of AJ Styles and debut
at The Royal Rumble.
However, after lying low for
almost a month, Omega an-
nounced that he was re-signing
with New Japan, effectively quell-
ing the Omega-to-WWE rumors
for the time being.
A rematch against Okada
seems to be a given, but former
IWGP champion Tetsuya Naito
(who defeated Hiroshi Tana-
hashi at Wrestle Kingdom 11) is
also poised for a title shot, and
NEVER openweight champion
Hirooki Goto and Tanahashi are
also on the periphery. Okadas
win at Wrestle Kingdom 11 was
fantastic, but if he can manage
to hold off those contenders over
the next few months, it will be
even more impressive.
NJPW followed up the wildly
successful Wrestle Kingdom
event with New Beginning, which
took place in Osaka on Febru-
ary 11. That event was headlined
by a match that saw Naito retain
the IWGP Intercontinental title
against former ROH heavyweight
champion Michael Elgin and
also a spectacular lightweight
showdown between junior heavy-
weight champion Hiromu Taka-
hashi and Dragon Lee that saw
Takahashi against the lauded
aerial daredevil.
In other news from Japan, Ha-

2017 WWE, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
jime Ohara defeated Taiji Ishi-
mori for the Pro Wrestling NOAH
GHC junior heavyweight title on
January in Tokyo, and Kenoh
and Masa Kitamiya defeated Go
Shiozaki and Maybach Tanigu-
chi for the GHC tag team title on
January 21 in Osaka.
WWE made a huge splash
in the United Kingdom with its
United Kingdom Championship
Tournament, which took place on
January 14-15 in Blackpool, Lan-
cashire. The 16-man tournament
was won by 19-year-old Tyler
Bate, who defeated tourney favor-
ite Pete Dunne in the final round
(see feature story on page 28).
Prior to the tournament, WWE
Chief Operating Officer Triple-H
said he believed it was kind of in-
evitable that WWE would devel-
op a weekly television show in the
United Kingdom, but that such a
show would be contingent on the
fan interest in the tournament.
There is still a lot of talent that I
would love to work with in the U.K.
[who are not in the tournament],
so when it comes to a weekly
show and you bring more people
in, its going to be fresh and excit-
ing, Triple-H said.
In an another surprising U.K.
story, it was announced that The
Rocks production company,
Seven Bucks Productions, will be
partnering with WWE Studios to
make a movie based on Norwich,
The Empress Ballroom in Blackpool, Lancashire, was packed
for both nights of WWEs United Kingdom Championship
Tournament. Triple-H is confident that there will be local
support for a TV show produced in the U.K.
Englands own Knight family
Rowdy Ricky Knight, Sweet
Saraya, WWEs Paige, and broth-
ers Zak and Roy Knight. In his
announcement on Facebook, The
Rock said he was inspired to make
the movie after stumbling upon the
documentary The Wrestlers: Fight-
ing With My Family that featured
the Knight clan while he was film-
ing in London in 2012.
The family element I saw in the
doc, no matter how dysfunctional
our families can sometimes be
and especially regardless of how
much we fightwere also there
for each other. Thats what families
do, said The Rock, who himself
was born into a wrestling family.
The film will be written and
directed by Stephen Merchant.
Game Of Thrones star Lena
Headey has reportedly been
signed to play Saraya and Shaun
Of The Dead star Nick Frost has
reportedly been signed to play
Knight family patriarch Ricky
Knight. Queen Cersei may be
evil, but she cant hold a candle
to Saraya Knight!
Mexicos AAA promotion drew
a sellout crowd of 5,000 fans to
the Gimnasio Juan de la Barrera
in Mexico City for Guerrera de Ti-
tanes on January 20, but the com-
pany was left reeling when top
stars Pentagon Jr., Daga, and
Garza Jr. announced they had left
AAA the day after the event.
AAA Latin America champion
Johnny Mundo defeated Penta-
gon Jr. in the main event of the
Guerrera de Titanes event, while
Garza Jr. was defeated by AAA
cruiserweight champion El Hijo
del Fantasma. Pentagon, Gar-
za, and Daga appeared the fol-
lowing night on an independent
card in Mexico. Pentagon Jr. is
now going by the name Penta El
Zero M, as AAA owns the rights
to the name Pentagon Jr.
Mike Mendoza became a
two-time World Wrestling Coun-
cil Puerto Rico champion on
January 7 in Bayamon by win-
ning a nine-man battle royal to
claim the title. Meanwhile, the
WWC Universal title remains va-
cant after being held up following
a controversial match between
Carly (Carlito) Colon and Al-
berto Del Rio last December.
Up in Canada, Quebecs
NSPW promotion kicked off a
new weekly television show on
the MATV Quebec network in
January. The first set of tapings
generated so much buzz that
the mayor of Quebec City, Regis
Labeaume, attended the event.
Also in Quebec, IWS Canadian
champion Scott Parker defeat-
ed IWS heavyweight champion
Black Dynamite in Montreal on
February 4 to become the first
double-champion in the history of
that promotion.
 O JUNE. 2017 O   67

SPOTLIGHT CARD
OF THE MONTH
pennsylvania
UPPER DARBYNXT at the Tower
Theater: Kassius Ohno pinned
Patrick Clark Daria Berenato
pinned Mandy Rose Oney Lor-
can pinned Steve Cutler Aleister
Black pinned Andrade Almas
Womens champion Asuka beat
Ember Moon and Nikki Cross in a
triple-threat Alexander Wolfe &
Killian Dain defeated Angelo
Dawkins & Montez Ford Tye
Dillinger pinned Eric Young
Shinsuke Nakamura, Tommaso
Ciampa, & Johnny Gargano beat
Bobby Roode, Akam & Rezar.
Spotlight photos by Stu Saks
ALABAMA
MOBILEWWE Raw at the Mobile Civic
Center: Tag team champions Cesaro &
Sheamus defeated New Day (Ko King-
ston & Xavier Woods) and Luke Gallows
& Karl Anderson Cruiserweight cham-
pion Rich Swann beat T.J. Perkins and
Neville in a three-way Bayley, Sasha
Banks, & Alicia Fox beat Dana Brooke,
Nia Jax, & Charlotte Big Cass de-
feated Rusev Seth Rollins pinned
Chris Jericho Goldust, R-Truth, & Big
Show defeated Titus ONeil, Bo Dallas,
Curtis Axel, Epico, & Primo in a handicap
match Braun Strowman pinned Sami
Zayn U.S. champion Roman Reigns
defeated Kevin Owens.
(01-08-17)
Nick Magdelana
BIRMINGHAMWWE Smackdown at the
Legacy Arena: Tag team champions Chad
Gable & Jason Jordan beat Konnor &
Viktor, Heath Slater & Rhyno, Fandango
& Tyler Breeze, Aiden English & Simon
Gotch, and the Usos in a Tag Team Turmoil
match Dolph Ziggler pinned Kalisto
Womens champion Alexa Bliss pinned
Becky Lynch Intercontinental champion
Dean Ambrose pinned The Miz Naomi
& Nikki Bella defeated Carmella & Natalya
Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, & Randy
Orton beat Apollo Crews, Jack Swagger,
68 PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED
Kassius Ohno takes the wind out
of Patrick Clark with a boot to
the midsection. Ohno, whos
beginning his second run with
NXT, is a crowd favorite in the
Philadelphia area for his indy
work as Chris Hero.
& Mojo Rawley World champion AJ
Styles defeated John Cena and Baron
Corbin in a three-way.
(01-14-17)
Nick Magdelana
ARKANSAS
JONESBOROWWE Smackdown at the
ASU Convocation Center: Tag team cham-
pions Chad Gable & Jason Jordan beat
Konnor & Viktor, Heath Slater & Rhyno,
Fandango & Tyler Breeze, and the Usos
in a Tag Team Turmoil match Kalisto
pinned Dolph Ziggler Womens cham-
pion Alexa Bliss pinned Becky Lynch
Intercontinental champion Dean Ambrose
pinned The Miz Naomi & Nikki Bella
defeated Carmella & Natalya Bray
Wyatt, Luke Harper, & Randy Orton beat
Apollo Crews, Jack Swagger, & Mojo
Rawley World champion AJ Styles
defeated John Cena and Baron Corbin in
a three-way.
(01-16-17)
Brian Matthews
CALIFORNIA
BALDWIN PARKEmpire Wrestling Fed-
eration at the Esther Snyder Community
We encourage promoters and readers
to e-mail results to:
PWIResults@yahoo.com
Please try to utilize the exact format
you see in the Arena Reports.
Also, please distinguish between
handicap matches and three- or four-
way matches. And, when reporting
the result of a handicap match, indi-
cate the number of competitors and
who was the last man eliminated.
Finally, please note pinfall finishes.
Following these guidelines will help
us greatly and make it more likely
that your report will be used.
Center: American champion Anthony Idol
pinned Ty Ray Ashley Grace beat Raze
by DQ Scorpio Sky pinned Dicky Maier
Rico Dynamite, Che Cabrera, & Friar
Juan Roman beat Super Beetle, Adrian
Quest, & Jorel Nelson Heavyweight
champion Andy Brown pinned Fidel Bravo
Scorpio Sky won a battle royal.
(02-04-17)
Chad Simplicio
IMPERIAL BEACHFinest City Wrestling
Proving Grounds Tournament at the Impe-
rial Beach Sports Complex: Non-tourna-
ment: Eli Every beat Jacob Diez and
Seville Alvarez in a three-way Tourna-
ment matches: Quarternals: Corey Jack-
son beat Guy Cool by submission
DMarco Wilson beat Biagio Crescenzo
by submission Jesse James pinned
Donnie Suarez Jake Atlas pinned
Brody King Seminals: DMarco Wilson
pinned Corey Jackson Jesse James
pinned Jake Atlas Final: Jesse James
pinned DMarco Wilson.
(02-04-17)
Steve Bryant
SOUTH GATERISE at American Legion
Post #335: Desi De Rata pinned Jewels
Malone Sage Sin pinned Allie Kat
Rosemary pinned Samara Saraya
Knight pinned Kikyo Raze pinned
Hawlee Layne Mercedes Martinez
pinned Shotzi Blackheart Britt Baker
pinned Chelsea Green Phoenix of RISE
champion Angel Dust pinned Delilah
Doom.
(01-27-16)
Chad Simplicio
EAST LOS ANGELESMovie City Wres-
tling at the UEW Arena: Koto Hiro pinned
Daniel Torch Fee Lyons (Osiris Mit-
tens & Senior Buttons) beat Party Patrol
(Guy Cool & Jay Baker) Damien Smith
pinned Jake Atlas Hudson Envy pinned
Raze Cereal Man, Ruben Iglesias, &
Lucas Riley beat Ricky The Activist, V-
Pacolypes, & Trevor Fury Brian Jace
beat Louie Louie by DQ Dicky Maier
pinned Ju Dizz Airon Skye pinned
Ricky Mandel.
(01-21-17)
Mike Draven
WILMINGTONPacic Coast Wrestling at
the ILWU Memorial Hall: Joe Graves beat
Timothy Thatcher by submission Doug-
las James beat Lio Rush and Joey
Janela in a three-way Hammerstone
pinned Oracle Women of Wrestling
Womens champion Santana Garrett
pinned Khloe Hurtz Jeff Cobb pinned
Joey Ryan Low Ki pinned Drago
Warbeast (Almighty Sheikh & Jacob Fatu)
beat tag team champions Dom Vitali & MVP
for the title Heavyweight champion Rob
Van Dam pinned Willie Mack.
(01-20-17)
Chad Simplicio
SANTA MARIAVendetta Pro Wrestling
at the Airport Radisson Hotel: Midnight
Delight (Billy Blade & Richie Slade) beat
Creepshow (Sledge & J.D. Horror)
Ricky Rufn pinned Clay Tawzer Su-
nami pinned R.J. Cruz Tri-Force cham-
pion Greg Hernandez beat Kadin An-
thony and Vintage Dragon in a three-way
Heavyweight champion Judah Matthew
pinned SoCal Crazy Jody Kristoffer-
son, Will Roberts, & Jeckles the Jester
beat Rik Luxury, Buddy Royal, & Alex-
ander G. Bernard Zicky Dice pinned
Prince Najjar Shane & Shannon Bal-
lard beat International tag team champions
Twisted Sisterz (Thunder Rosa & Holid-
ead) for the title.
(01-06-17)
Chad Simplicio
FLORIDA
FT. PIERCEWWE NXT at the Havert L.
Finn Center: Aleister Black pinned Patrick
Clark Mandy Rose pinned Heidi
Lovelace Brennan Williams pinned
Kishan Raftar The Revival (Dash
Wilder & Scott Dawson) beat Angelo
Dawkins & Montez Ford, Otis Dozovic &
Tucker Knight, and Alexander Wolfe &
Killian Dain in a four-way elimination match
Elias Samson pinned Oney Lorcan
Daria Berenato pinned Macey Estrella
Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, &
Tye Dillinger defeated Akam, Rezar, &
Wesley Blake.
(01-21-17)
Duane Long
JACKSONVILLEWWE NXT at the Max-
well Snyder Armory: Aliyah and Ember
Moon won a 12-woman battle royal
Aleister Black pinned Wesley Blake
Steve Cutler pinned Cezar Bononi
Oney Lorcan pinned Kona Reeves
Alexander Wolfe & Killian Dain beat
Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford Rod-
erick Strong pinned Patrick Clark
Ember Moom pinned Aliyah Otis
Dozovic, Shinsuke Nakamura, & Tucker
Knight beat Dash Wilder, Scott Dawson,
& Elias Samson.
(01-20-17)
Duane Long
MIAMIMiami Pro Wrestling at the Dun-
geon: Jonny Vandal pinned Axx Clover
J-Dawg Brooks pinned Tracer X
Flex Magnum pinned CT Brown Amber
Nova pinned Chasyn Rance Aaron
Daria Berenato shows off her MMA training against
Mandy Rose. The former Tough Enough finalist
pinned Rose after a back-and-forth struggle.
Epic pinned Braydon Knight Jesse
Neal pinned Brady Pierce.
(01-20-17)
Al Haft
ORLANDOOrlando City Wrestling at
GILT Nightclub: Axx Clover pinned Gio
Faria Jason Cade beat Nick Nero, Gil
Quest, Richard Delicious, and Troy Hol-
lywood in a ve-way Chasyn Rance
pinned Richie Peppereld Alexx Todd
& Derick Grayson beat Vertigo Rivera &
Rome Braydon Knight & Ronnie Ladd
beat Chico Adams & CT Brown Jesse
Neal pinned CJ ODoyle Seth Petru-
zelli & Josh Woods beat Michael Patrick
& Leon Brien Su Yung pinned Raegan
Fire Johnny Knockout pinned Main
Man Malken Aaron Epic pinned Snoop
Strikes Shannon Moore & Lindsay
Snow beat Maxx Stardom & Angel Rose.
(01-19-17)
Al Haft
ORLANDOWWE NXT at the Englewood
Neighborhood Center: Jack Gallagher
defeated Tony Nese Lana beat Kim-
berly Frankele Steve Cutler beat
Adrian Jaoude Angelo Dawkins &
Montez Ford defeated Riddick Moss &
Tino Sabbatelli Roderick Strong de-
feated Elias Samson Bille Kay &
Peyton Royce beat Aliyah & Liv Morgan
Aleister Black defeated Patrick Clark
Shinsuke Nakamura, Johnny Garga-
no, & Tommaso Ciampa beat Wesley
Blake, Akam, & Rezar.
(01-19-17)
Duane Long
COCOAWWE NXT at the Cocoa Armory:
Daria Berenato beat Macey Estrella
Akira Tozawa defeated Kona Reeves
Babatunde defeated Chris Atkins Tony
Nese beat Mustafa Ali Jack Gallagher
defeated Buddy Murphy Liv Morgan
& Aliyah beat Kimberly Frankel & Dori
Prange Wesley Blake defeated Dan
Matha The Revival (Scott Dawson &
Dash Wilder) beat Angelo Dawkins &
Montez Ford.
(01-14-17)
Duane Long
LAKELANDWWE NXT at the Lakeland
Armory: Jack Gallagher defeated Wesley
Blake Adrian Jaoude defeated Kona
Reeves Daria beat Dori Prange
Cedric Alexander beat Steve Cutler
Liv Morgan & Aliyah defeated Sarah
Bridges and Macey Estrella Akira
Tozawa defeated Buddy Murphy The
Revival (Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder)
beat Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford.
(01-13-17)
Duane Long
YBOR CITYShine Wrestling at the Or-
pheum: Su Yung beat Jayme Jameson,
Jessie Belle Smothers, and Angel Rose
in a four-way Malia Hosaka beat
Brandi Lauren by submission Xandra
Bale pinned Ariel Monroe Candy Cart-
wright pinned Leva Bates Rachael
Ellering pinned Chelsea Green Tag
team champions Santana Garrett &
Raquel beat Thea Trinidad & Amanda
Carolina Rodriguez and Amber ONeal
& Kennadi Brink in a three-way Lu-
Fisto beat Mercedes Martinez and Allysin
Kay in a three-way for the vacant SHINE
championship.
(01-13-17)
Al Haft
 JUNE. 2017  69
Roger Bailey
Employing a seldom-
used but effective
strategy, Oney
Lorcan focused a
good portion of the
match targeting
Steve Cutler's fin-
gers. Cutler tries to
loosen Lorcans grip
by pummeling his
midsection, but
Lorcan would go on
to score the pinfall.
ORLANDOI Believe in Wrestling at the
Team Vision Dojo: Aaron Epic pinned Axx
Clover Daniel Drennen pinned Leo
OFarrell Jesse Neal pinned Jason
Dugan Raegan Fire & Kaci Lennox
beat Amber Nova & Mila Naniki AWA
Florida tag team champions Jonny Vandal
& Tyranus beat JD Amazing & Chico
Adams Michael Patrick, Leo Brien, &
Josh Hess beat Rhett Giddins, Chasyn
Rance, & Seth Petruzelli.
(01-13-17)
Al Haft
TAMPA WWE NXT at University Area
CDG Gymnasium: Jack Gallagher pinned
Kona Reeves Tian Bing pinned Wes-
ley Blake Daria pinned Liv Morgan
Steve Cutler pinned Adrian Jaoude
Angelo Dawkins & Montez beat Ariya
Daivari & Mustafa Ali Lana pinned
Macey Estrella Akira Tozawa pinned
Tony Nese The Revival (Scott Daw-
son & Dash Wilder) beat Riddick Moss
& Tino Sabatelli.
(01-12-17)
Duane Long
FORT LAUDERDALEPlatinum Pro
Wrestling at VFW Post 1966: Chasyn
Rance pinned Axx Clover Trish Adora
pinned Roxy Riot Nefarious & Jester
Yorick beat Rex Bacchus & Chico Adams
Angel Rose pinned Mila Naniki
Chelsea Diamond pinned Aria Blake
Raegan Fire pinned Rachael Ellering
M a d d D aw g Wi l l i a m s & To ny
Touch beat Michael Patrick & Leo Brien
Dynamite DiDi beat Hellen Vale by
submission Romeo Quevedo pinned
Johnny Knockout Jason Cade beat
Nick Nero, Sean Maluta, Maxx Stardom,
Snoop Strikes, and E.R.A. in a six-way for
the new Silverweight title Raegan Fire
beat Angel Rose and Chelsea Diamond
70 PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED
in a three-way for the new Diamonds divi-
sion title Martin Stone beat Gangrel,
Kahagas, and C.J ODoyle in a four-way
for the new Platinumweight title.
(01-07-17)
Al Haft
GEORGIA
ROYSTONAPW at the Royston Gym: Tag
team champions Damien Sick & Michael
Manson beat Dynamic Dexter & Stevie
Ray Frost North Georgia champion Ken
Lee beat Andrew Duckworth Brandon
Parker pinned Sam Kooper Brandon
Parker beat Antrone Brewer by DQ
Grady Hughes pinned Ehrin Black
Southern States champion Scott Mayson
vs. James Boulevard ended in a no-con-
test Stryknyn, Jacob Ashworth, &
Jamie Hall beat Scott Mayson, James
Boulevard, & Demarko Knight.
(01-13-16)
Brian Edens
ILLINOIS
ALTONPro Wrestling Championship
Series at the Spaulding Hall Club: Gary
Jay pinned Everett Connors Paco
Gonzalez defeated Jason Roberts
Alexandre Rudolph beat Makaze The
Carnies (Nick Iggy & Kerry Awful) de-
feated Evan Gelistico & Austin Black-
burn Danny Adams beat Colt Cabana
Gary Jay pinned Alexandre Rudolph
Danny Adams defeated Paco Gonzalez
Michael Elgin beat Sean Orleans Gary
Jay pinned Danny Adams Gateway
Heritage champion Davey Vega defeated
Mat Fitchett.
(01-21-17)
Patrick Brandmeyer
INDIANA
SOUTH BENDStrong Style Wrestling,
Revolution Championship Wrestling, & Pro
Wrestling King at the Century Center:
Mance Warner won a battle royal Joey
Avalon pinned Nick Calucci PWK tag
team champions Cassidy Cain & Jontae
Keith defeated Tracy Smothers & Little
Guido Steven Drochner defeated
Maltese Tiger, El Blue Inferno, and
Mance Warner in a four-way Robbie E.
pinned Kef Sweat RCW heavyweight
champion Jack Thriller pinned Swoggle
Owen Travers & Kevin Storm defeated
Noah Walker & Theo Storm SSW
heavyweight champion Shane Mercer
pinned Davey Richards The Midwest
Monsters & Sugar Dunkerton defeated
Rod Street, Deputy Dave, & Swat Mem-
ber #69 PWK Kingdom heavyweight
champion Ames pinned Adam Bueller
Steven Drochner pinned PWK Kingdom
heavyweight champion Ames for the title
Rikishi & VIP defeated The Soul
Shooters by DQ.
(02-04-17)
Leonard Brand
SEYMOURNWA Supreme at The Point:
Mike Trusty won a battle royal U.S.
champion Josh Lewis defeated DeWayne
Davis Angus Barnett pinned Timmy
Danger Dance & Dazzle defeated NWA
Mid America tag team champions Custom
Made (Eric Draven & Roger Malcolm) for
the title Andrew Mason defeated
Colton Cage Dino Stephanopolis
pinned Lars Umlaut Johnny Justice
defeated NWA Mid America Heavyweight
champion King Nicolas Noble for the title.
(01-27-17)
Jason Cohen
FORT WAYNEWWE Smackdown at the
Allen County War Memorial Coliseum:
Rhyno & Heath Slater beat Breezango
(Tyler Breeze & Fandango) Baron
Corbin beat Kalisto Kalisto defeated
Curt Hawkins Mojo Rawley & Jack
Swagger defeated The Vaudevillains
(Aiden English & Simon Gotch) Tag
team champions Chad Gable & Jason
Jordan beat The Ascension, The Usos,
and Bray Wyatt & Luke Harper in a Fatal
4-Way Becky Lynch & Naomi defeated
Carmella & Alexa Bliss The Miz de-
feated Apollo Crews Intercontinental
champion Dean Ambrose beat AJ Styles.
(01-22-17)
Brad Merchant
INDIANAPOLISWWE NXT at Old Na-
tional Centre: Gran Metalik defeated
Noam Dar Eric Young, Alexander
Wolfe, & Big Damo defeated Oney Lor-
can, Tucker Knight, & Otis Dozovic
Ember Moon beat Mandy Rose Tag
team champions Johnny Gargano & Tom-
maso Ciampa beat The Authors of Pain
(Akam & Rezar) Elias Samson de-
feated Patrick Clark Womens cham-
pion Asuka beat Billie Kay and Nikki
Cross in a triple-threat Shinsuke Na-
kamura & Roderick Strong defeated
Samoa Joe & Bobby Roode.
(01-12-17)
Brad Merchant
KANSAS
WICHITAWWE Raw at the Intrust Bank
Arena: Tag team champions Sheamus &
Cesaro beat New Day (Big E & Xavier
Woods) and Karl Anderson & Doc Gal-
lows Braun Strowman pinned Sami
Zayn Golden Truth (Dustin Rhodes &
R-Truth), Big Show, Darren Young, & Sin
Cara defeated The Shining Stars (Primo
& Epico), Bo Dallas, Jinder Mahal, & Titus
ONeil Cruiserweight champion Rich
Swann beat T.J. Perkins and Brian Kend-
rick in a triple-threat Big Cass pinned
Rusev Sasha Banks, Bayley, & Alicia
Fox defeated Charlotte Flair, Dana
Brooke, & Nia Jax Seth Rollins beat
U.S. champion Chris Jericho by DQ.
(01-14-17)
Sal Mooney
KENTUCKY
MONTICELLOKentucky Zone Wrestling
at the Aspire Center: The Super Assassin
defeated Matty B. by countout Krutch
beat Repik and Mason Alexander in a tri-
ple-threat Tag team champions Con-
trolled Chaos (Wes Howard & Crash
Jaxson) beat Bad Attitude (B.W. Ander-
son & Sully Larkin) Johnny Suede
pinned Chief Tomahawk Heavyweight
champion Fiji Wildman pinned Austin
Harness.
(01-07-17)
Frank Hobbs
SHOPVILLEKentucky Zone Wrestling at
the Old Shopville Gym: The Super Assas-
sin pinned Matty B Austin Harness
defeated Sully Larkin by DQ Bad Atti-
tude (B.W. Anderson & Sully Larkin) beat
Bill Rich & Austin Harness Krutch
pinned Terry Alan Dark Insanity (Dark
Suede & Repik) beat tag team champions
Controlled Chaos (Bad Henry & Crash
Jaxson) for the title Johnny Bad beat
Tony Corral by DQ Chief Tomahawk &
Michelle Meyers defeated Fiji Wildman &
Lady Inferno.
(01-14-17)
Frank Hobbs
BOWLING GREENUPW at the National
Guard Armory: Shoot 2 Thrill defeated
Dyron Flynn & Chad Stallings Seth
LeDuc beat Avispo Scott Sexton de-
feated Eric Benjamin Derek Neal de-
feated Rob Conway Jeff Crowe beat
Trent Ware Avispo won the Rumble for
the Gold battle royal Carlito defeated
Chris Michaels.
(01-14-17)
Josh Mackey
LOUISVILLEWWE NXT at Broadbent
Arena: Gran Metalik defeated Noam Dar
Ember Moon beat Mandy Rose
Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar) beat
Heavy Machinery (Otis Dozovic & Tucker
Knight) Elias Samson defeated Oney
Lorcan Womens champion Asuka de-
feated Peyton Royce Tag team champi-
ons Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ci-
ampa beat Alexander Wolfe & Killian Dain
Eric Young defeated Patrick Clark
Shinsuke Nakamura & Roderick Strong
beat Bobby Roode & Samoa Joe.
(01-13-17)
Aisley Porter
LOUISIANA
LAKE CHARLESWWE Smackdown at
the Lake Charles Civic Center: Kalisto
pinned Curt Hawkins James Ellsworth
pinned Curt Hawkins Heath Slater, Jack
Swagger, Mojo Rawley, Rhyno, & The
Usos beat Fandango, Tyler Breeze, Kon-
nor, Viktor, Aiden English, & Simon
Gotch Nikki Bella pinned Natalya
Intercontinental champion Dean Ambrose
defeated Dolph Ziggler Womens cham-
pion Alexa Bliss defeated Becky Lynch
Apollo Crews, Chad Gable, & Jason
Jordan beat Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, &
Randy Orton WWE champion AJ Styles
beat Baron Corbin and John Cena in a
three-way.
(01-09-17)
Andre Gossage
MASSACHUSETTS
WOBURNChaotic Wrestling at Woburn
Elks #908: Anthony Greene pinned Mike
Graca Adam Booker pinned Ace
Romero Christian Casanova & Tripli-
cious beat Kris Pyro & Davey Cash
Demon Ortiz beat Brandon Locke by
submission JT Dunn pinned Travis
Gordon Brick Mastone pinned Cam
Zagami Chase Del Monte & Bryan
Logan beat tag team champions Donovan
Dijak & Mikey Webb for the title.
(01-13-17)
David Ratty
MICHIGAN
SUMNERPure Pro Wrestling at the Sum-
ner Community Center: Zach Gowen
pinned Gideon Malice Princess Tenshi
pinned Congo Queen Raja Ace Evans
& CJ Anderson defeated tag team cham-
pions Xavier Justice & Father Time for the
title Heavyweight champion Ace Evans
defeated Cobra TA by DQ.
(02-04-17)
Leonard Brand
The crowd reaction
indicated that
Aleister Black
(right) vs. Andrade
Cien Almas was
the match of the
night. Black, a
Dutch wrestler who
formerly competed
as Tommy End,
signed with WWE
last June, and
impressive wins
against top NXT
talent have pro-
pelled him up the
ratings.
MELVINDALEPro Wrestling All Stars at
Play Atlantis: Movado & El Ridiculoso
defeated Zachary Main & Alexander
Beardslee Justin Pilgrim vs. Frank
Isaac Anderson ended in a no-contest
Chuck Stein, Matt Hagen, & Justin Pil-
grim beat Paul Bowser, Frank Isaac An-
derson, & The Unknown Chris Moore
beat Jsin Allen Buddy Hanlon pinned
Downriver champion Zach Gowen for the
title El Mano Del Diablo beat Jack
Thriller, Blake Acumen, Atlas Hytower,
Maltese Tiger, and Malcom Monroe III
in a six-way Tag team champions The
Soul Shooters defeated Jay Maynard &
Creep Cruisercore champion N8 Matt-
son pinned El Mano Del Diablo Heavy-
weight champion The Great Akuma vs.
Breyer Wellington ended in a no-contest.
(02-03-17)
Leonard Brand
WALDRONChampionship International
Wrestling at the Waldron Area Schools: Matt
Hagen pinned Christopher Saint Miss
Hannah pinned Shayla Hyde Alex
Jordan defeated Colt Daniels & JJ Cas-
tillo Ray Orndorff pinned Sam Beale
Gary Dawson pinned Mr. Main Event
The Soultaker pinned Alexander Beard-
slee Chuck Wagon pinned Andy Chene
Jack Price pinned Aaron Orion Tag
team champions Denzel Titan & Dymond
Kouture defeated Nitro & Malice.
(01-28-17)
Leonard Brand
DETROITDetroit Style Wrestling at the
Tireman Flea Market: Willie Watts pinned
Ben Boone Kef Sweat pinned David
Shaw Dougie the Creep, Chuck
Wagon, & Travis defeated Jaimy Coxxx,
Mikey Smalls, & Andrew Lee Jason
XIII pinned Alex Weir Jack Verville &
Max Morrison defeated Kurt Hendrik &
Sheldon Jean Heavyweight champion
Aiden Prince defeated John E. Bravo by
DQ Movado & El Ridiculoso beat tag
team champions Chris Moore & Devin
Shaw for the title TV champion The
DBA pinned Malcolm Monroe III.
(01-27-17)
Leonard Brand
 JUNE. 2017  71
Roger Bailey
The evenly match Ember
Moon and NXT Womens
champ Asuka attempt
dropkicks simultaneously.
Asuka successfully defend-
ed her title with a pin of
the third woman in the tri-
ple threat, Nikki Cross.
SAGINAWWWE Smackdown at the
Dow Event Center: Rhyno & Heath
Slater beat Breezango (Tyler Breeze &
Fandango) Baron Corbin pinned
Kalisto Kalisto defeated Curt Hawkins
Mojo Rawley & Jack Swagger de-
feated The Vaudevillains (Aiden English
& Simon Gotch) Tag team champions
Chad Gable & Jason Jordan beat The
Ascension, The Usos, and Bray Wyatt
& Luke Harper in a Fatal 4-Way Becky
Lynch, Nikki Bella, & Naomi defeated
Carmella, Alexa Bliss, & Natalya The
Miz pinned Apollo Crews Interconti-
nental champion Dean Ambrose pinned
AJ Styles.
(01-23-17)
Leonard Brand
FLUSHINGPure Pro Wrestling at the
Flushing Sportatorium: Arella Angel
pinned Billy Ray Daniels Grizzly
House Jones defeated Malice by coun-
tout Cobra TA pinned Cory Lyon
Malcolm Monroe III pinned Blake Acu-
men Cody Manning pinned Solaris
Beefcake Andrews pinned The Maltese
Tiger Xavier Justice & Father Time
defeated Michigan tag team champions
Ace Evans & Prospect Zero for the title.
(01-21-17)
Leonard Brand
COLDWATERPrice of Glory Wrestling
at the Coach Eby Youth & Family Center:
Sean Tyler defeated Deputy Dave by DQ
Mike Musso beat Frank Isaac Ander-
son, Chris Moore, BD Smooth, and Kipp
Mackey in a ve-way Shark Boy pinned
The Maltese Tiger Fabuzio pinned
Bam Heavyweight champion Louis
Lyndon pinned Jack Thriller Womens
champion Sybil Starr beat Betty Battles
by submission Max Morrison, Lance
Manion, & Alexander Beardslee de-
feated CJ Otis, Jack Verville, & Jimmy
Shalwin. As a result Manion & Beardslee
won the tag team belts from Verville &
Shalwin.
(01-21-17)
Leonard Brand
FLINTChampionship International
72 PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED
Wrestling at the City Market: Chuck
Wagon pinned Andy Chene Arella
Angel pinned Shayla Hyde Travis
Aero pinned The Maltese Tiger Ray
Orndorff & Xavier Justice defeated The
Great Akuma & Ace Evans Palmer
Cruise vs. Rod Street ended in a double-
DQ Abyss, Nitro, & Malice defeated
Denzel Titan, Dymond Kouture, & The
Soultaker.
(01-15-17)
Leonard Brand
CLINTON TOWNSHIPXtreme Intense
Championship Wrestling at the Imperial
House: Palmer Cruise & Xavier Walker
defeated Zach Main & Alexander Beard-
sley Lightweight champion Johnny
Devine pinned Jaimy Coxxx Movado
& Jeff Brooks defeated Dr. Replica & El
Mano Del Diablo Chris Moore pinned
Willie Watts Joe Coleman pinned Dre
Jacobs Intense champion Jake Some-
thing pinned Cody Deaner CMLL
Reina International champion Heidi Ka-
trina pinned Joseline Jack Price
pinned Matt Hagen Midwest champion
Gavin Quinn pinned Idris Abraham
Tag team champions The DBA & Malcolm
Monroe III defeated Headbangers Mosh
& Thrasher and Zach Gowen & Gregory
Iron in a three-way.
(01-14-17)
Leonard Brand
MELVINDALEPro Wrestling All Stars at
Play Atlantis: Cruisercore champion N8
Mattson vs. Downriver champion Zach
Gowen ended in a no-contest N8 Matt-
son & Buddy Hanlon defeated Zach
Gowen & Atlas Hytower Justin Pil-
grim pinned The Unknown Dougie
the Creep & Jay Maynard beat Zachary
Main & Alex Beardslee The Great
Akuma won a 12-man gauntlet match
Tag team champions The Soul Shooters
defeated Movado & El Ridiculoso
CMLL Reina champion Heidi Katrina beat
Thunder Kitty by submission The
Great Akuma pinned heavyweight cham-
pion Breyer Wellington for the title.
(01-13-17)
Leonard Brand
BIRCH RUNPure Pro Wrestling at the
Expo Center: Father Time pinned Xavier
Justice Palmer Cruise & Xavier
Walker defeated James Alexander & Jeff
Brooks Cody Manning beat Malcolm
Monroe III, Blake Acumen, Billy Ray
Daniels, and Alex Weir in a ve-way
Zach Gowen pinned Cody Manning
CMLL Reina International champion
Heidi Katrina pinned Sybil Starr Ace
Evans & CJ Anderson defeated Michigan
champion Cobra TA, Nitro, Ray Orndorff,
Denzel Titan, and Dymond Kouture re-
sulting in Evans winning the title.
(01-06-17)
Leonard Brand
MISSISSIPPI
JACKSONWWE Smackdown at the
Mississippi State Fair: Tag team champi-
ons Chad Gable & Jason Jordan beat
Konnor & Viktor, Heath Slater & Rhyno,
Fandango & Tyler Breeze, Aiden Eng-
lish & Simon Gotch, and the Usos in a
Tag Team Turmoil match Kalisto pinned
Dolph Ziggler Womens champion
Alexa Bliss pinned Becky Lynch In-
tercontinental champion Dean Ambrose
pinned The Miz Naomi & Nikki Bella
defeated Carmella & Natalya Bray
Wyatt, Luke Harper, & Randy Orton beat
Apollo Crews, Jack Swagger, & Mojo
Rawley World champion AJ Styles
defeated John Cena and Baron Corbin
in a three-way.
(01-15-17)
Hank DeCalvin
MISSOURI
TROYWorld League Wrestling at the
Race Wrestling Arena: Leland Race de-
feated Jayden Fenix by DQ Karim
Brigante pinned Rex Fults Superstar
Steve Fender beat Brandon Espinosa
Stacey OBrien vs. Heather Patera
ended in a double-countout Junior
heavyweight champion Jon Webb pinned
Kyle Roberts Karim Brigante beat
Superstar Steve Fender and Leland
Race in a three-way for the vacant heavy-
weight title.
(02-04-17)
Patrick Brandmeyer
ST. LOUISNational Wrasslin League at
the Casa Loma Ballroom: The Party
Crashers (Boulder & Spike) defeated
The Anti-Social Network (Tommy Flagg
& August Marshall) Maverick pinned
Cal Stark Cornell Douglass beat
Dominick Butler The Blood Brothers
(Davey Gibson & Matthew Grundy) de-
feated The Underground (Adam Ryan &
Jackie Lee Bosch) Todd Letterman
pinned Skyler Beckett Jay Lutz beat
Christian Adonis Coco Rumble & Dez
Wellston defeated Marcellus Gaines &
Clayton Fox.
(01-26-17)
Patrick Brandmeyer
NEW MEXICO
HOBBSWWE Raw at the Lea County
Events Center: Sin Cara beat Curtis Axel
Dustin Rhodes, R-Truth, & Big Show
beat Primo, Epico, & Titus ONeil
Enzo Amore & Big Cass defeated Karl
Anderson & Luke Gallows and The New
Day in a triple-threat Seth Rollins beat
Braun Strowman by DQ Sasha
Banks, Alicia Fox, & Bayley beat Char-
lotte Flair, Dana Brooke, & Nia Jax
Roman Reigns defeated Universal cham-
pion Kevin Owens in a non-title match.
(01-27-17)
Rene Oswault
NEW YORK
BINGHAMTONWWE Raw at the Floyd
L. Maines Veterans Memorial Coliseum:
Tag team champions Cesaro & Sheamus
defeated Big E & Ko Kingston, Luke
Gallows & Karl Anderson, and Enzo
Amore & Big Cass in a four-way
Cruiserweight champion Rich Swann
defeated Neville and T.J. Perkins in a
three-way Big Show, Sin Cara, Gold-
ust, & R-Truth defeated Primo, Epico,
Curtis Axel, & Titus ONeil Seth Rol-
lins pinned Rusev Bayley, Sasha
Banks, & Alicia Fox beat Charlotte Flair,
Dana Brooks, & Nia Jax Braun Strow-
man pinned Sami Zayn Roman
Reigns defeated Universal champion
Kevin Owens in a non-title streetght.
(01-20-17)
Todd Finley
ROCHESTERUpstate Professional
Wrestlings WrestleBowl 2017 at the Ea-
gles Club: Cloudy pinned Lionel Knight
Jason Savior, Bam Bam, & LaDiva
defeated The Wet Bandits & Rae Rae the
Ram KDW champion Jeremy Jensen
pinned Boz in a non-title match De-
ance beat Wrecking U by DQ Carter
Mason pinned Colin Delaney Tag team
champions The Eh Team defeated The
Interstate Educational System Icon
Ace won the WrestleBowl Rumble, beating
Jordan Falco, Charlie Locke, Victor
Lord, Rysk, and Anarchy Ashe Aubrey
in a scramble match Heavyweight
champion Mattick beat Cheech, Nick
Ando, and HC Loc in a four-corners
match.
(01-14-17)
Todd Brantley
OHIO
LIMAWAR Wrestling at the UAW Hall:
Cody Hawk pinned Bruce Grey in a tar &
feather match Respect champion Or-
lando Christopher defeated Idris Abra-
ham in an I Quit match Mojo McQueen
defeated Mikey Smalls in a casket match
Palmer Cruise & Xavier Walker beat
Austin Manix & Brandon Edwards Joe
Coleman pinned Dusty Dillinger in a lad-
der match The Samson Family defeated
Jock Samson, Danny Shay, Vinny Scar-
boni, and Sonny Scarboni in a loser-
leaves-town match Tag team champions
Chris Hall & Sherman Tank defeated Tanu
the Savage & Papa Dingo Matt Taylor
pinned heavyweight champion Jake Some-
thing in a barbed-wire cage match for
the title.
(02-04-17)
Leonard Brand
CANTONWWE Smackdown at the Can-
ton Civic Center: Rhyno & Heath Slater
beat Breezango (Tyler Breeze & Fan-
dango) Baron Corbin beat Kalisto
Kalisto defeated Curt Hawkins Mojo
Rawley & Jack Swagger defeated The
Vaudevillains (Aiden English & Simon
Gotch) Tag team champions Chad
Gable & Jason Jordan beat The Ascen-
sion, and Bray Wyatt & Luke Harper in a
triple-threat Becky Lynch & Naomi de-
feated Carmella & Alexa Bliss The Miz
defeated Apollo Crews Intercontinental
champion Dean Ambrose beat AJ Styles.
(01-22-17)
Skip Masley
DAYTONWWE Smackdown at the Nutter
Center: Rhyno & Heath Slater beat Bree-
zango (Tyler Breeze & Fandango)
Baron Corbin pinned Kalisto Kalisto
pinned Curt Hawkins Mojo Rawley &
Jack Swagger defeated The Vaudevillains
(Aiden English & Simon Gotch) Tag
team champions Chad Gable & Jason
Jordan beat The Ascension and Bray
Wyatt & Luke Harper in a triple-threat
Becky Lynch & Naomi defeated Carmella
& Alexa Bliss The Miz pinned Apollo
Crews Intercontinental champion Dean
Ambrose pinned AJ Styles.
(01-21-17)
Danny Dawes
TOLEDONorthwest Ohio Wrestling at the
Believe Center: Jayson Sykes pinned Big
Fish Rembrowski Mavis pinned Alex
Cassidy Big Cass Keith pinned Tez
Jason Franchise pinned City Wide cham-
pion Daniel Winchester for the title
Louie Perez pinned Tyell Kenneth
Dante, The Black Angel, Tim Lutz, &
Malcom Monroe III defeated Riot City
CMLL Reina International champion Heidi
Katrina pinned Shayla Hyde Natural
Aces & Alex Jordan defeated The Nomads
Jontae Keith pinned cruiserweight
champion Eli McFly for the title Bryan
Castle pinned Jack Price Johnny
Carassy defeated Alan Graves by DQ.
(01-07-17)
Leonard Brand
Alexander Wolfe takes down Angelo
Dawkins hard with a German suplex
as he and Killian Dain prevail over
Dawkins and Montez Ford. Under
the tutelage of former TNA champ
Eric Young, the Sanity stable is
becoming quite a force in NXT.
LANCASTERPremier Wrestling Alliance
at the PWA School of Pro Wrestling: Will
Sims pinned Juan Crazy Hillbilly U.S.
champion Outlaw Tony James defeated
JT Hogg by DQ Heavyweight champ
Chris Cruit pinned Morgan Taylor
Mace Young pinned Bryan Blade
Jimmy Fahrenheit pinned King Pain.
(01-07-17)
Tony Ashbrook
OKLAHOMA
TULSACompound Pro Wrestling at Per-
fect Practice Athletic Center: Chris Morri-
son defeated Mr. Chale Trey Cole de-
feated Riker Duke Swellington
defeated Samedi Steven Cruze beat
Terry Montana Gavin Dixon beat Gra-
ham Bell Phoebe defeated Erica
Michael Wolf defeated Double D Mas-
cara Purpura defeated Nathan Estrada
Heavyweight champion Brian Breaker
beat Aaron Anders.
(01-14-17)
Kel Varnson
WAGONERWrestling For A Cause at
the Wagoner Civic Center: Tim Rockwell
defeated Barrett Brown Prince Ma-
halli defeated Dusty Gold HomeTown
Heroes champion Paul Puertorico de-
feated Duke Swellington, Drake Gal-
lows, Dutch Hagen, and Americos in a
ve-way C. J. Ward defeated Fuel
Tag Team champions Simply the Future
(J. D. & Alex) defeated Lone Star Inc.
(Cody Burns & Trey Cole) Matt Dur-
den beat Riker Skyler Fayden de-
feated Dimitri Alexandrov in a loser-
leaves-WFC match Heavyweight
champion X-Cal beat Mr. Nasty.
(01-07-17)
Mike Iles
 JUNE. 2017  73
Roger Bailey
HINTONCrowbar Championship Wres-
tling at the Sugar Creek Casino Event
Center: Sam Stackhouse vs. Largus
Ragna Brock ended in a draw Psycho
Mike pinned Lumberjack Tony Martin
Judge beat Nikita Breznikov in an arm-
wrestling match Chris Stevens pinned
Brandon Groom Apoc & Moonshine
Mantell beat Johnny & Jimmy Swole
Rodney Mack pinned Dustin Bozworth
Marcus Dupree beat Jamie Holley by DQ
Hammerstone pinned Houston Carson.
(01-07-17)
John Simpson
TULSACompound Pro Wrestling at Per-
fect Practice Athletic Center: Mitch Baxter
defeated Gavin Dixon Giganto de-
feated Adrian Dell Ladies champion
Skylar Slice beat Phoebe Psycho
Sawyer defeated Mr. Chale Samedi
beat Seth Angel Terry Montana de-
feated Rob Cabella in a hardcore match
Michael Wolf defeated Chris Morrison
Brian Breaker beat heavyweight cham-
pion Nathan Estrada and Mascara Pur-
pura in a three-way for the title.
(01-07-17)
Mike Iles
& Sheamus defeated Big E & Ko Kings-
ton and Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson in
a triple-threat Bayley, Sasha Banks, &
Alicia Fox beat Charlotte Flair, Dana
Brooks, & Nia Jax Seth Rollins beat
U.S. champion Chris Jericho by DQ
Kevin Owens & Chris Jericho defeated Seth
Rollins & Roman Reigns.
(01-21-17)
Rory Clinebrook
TENNESSEE
NASHVILLEWWE NXT at the War Me-
morial Auditorium: Gran Metalik pinned
Oney Lorcan Sanity defeated Heavy
Machinery Ember Moon beat Mandy
Rose Tag team champions DIY (Tom-
maso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano) de-
feated Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar)
Elias Samson defeated Patrick Clark
Womens champion Asuka beat Peyton
Royce and Nikki Cross in a triple-threat
Shinsuke Nakamura & Roderick Strong
defeated Samoa Joe & Bobby Roode.
(01-14-17)
Ernie Mallory
HUMBOLDTNew Breed Pro Wrestling at
the Wildside Arena: Alex Cross beat Cody
coe vs. Keith Lee & Shane Taylor ended
in a no-contest Cody Rhodes defeated
Donovan Dijak Adam Cole, Hangman
Page, Matt Jackson, & Nick Jackson beat
Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, Lio Rush, &
Jay White
(02-03-17)
Sidney Morgan
HIDALGOWWE Smackdown at the State
Farm Arena: Heath Slater, Jey Uso,
Jimmy Uso, & Rhyno beat Tyler Breeze,
Fandango, Konnor, & Viktor Kalisto
pinned Curt Hawkins Dolph Ziggler
pinned Apollo Crews Naomi & Nikki
Bella defeated Carmella & Natalya
Womens champion Alexa Bliss pinned
Becky Lynch Intercontinental champion
Dean Ambrose pinned The Miz Tag
team champions American Alpha (Chad
Gable & Jason Jordan) defeated Bray
Wyatt & Randy Orton WWE champion
John Cena defeated AJ Styles and Baron
Corbin in a three-way.
(01-30-17)
Steve Beyer
SAN ANTONIOWWE Royal Rumble at
the Alamodome: Becky Lynch, Naomi, &

PENNSYLVANIA
POTTSVILLEAmerican X Wrestling at
the Humane Fire Company: Brock Hyde
vs. Dominick Monroe ended in a double-
countout Sammi Pandora defeated
Vanity Motley Tue beat The Kings of
Mustachery Yams the Working Man
defeated Dennis Reaper Drew Bron-
son beat Andy Header, Andy Harner, and
Drew Chaos in a Fatal 4-Way Extreme
Rednecks defeated The Classics by DQ
Blue Meanie won a battle royal, last
eliminating Sean Silence.
(01-28-17)
Jocelyn Valentin
WEST NEWTONRWA at the West New-
ton Gym: The Great Akuma beat Bronco
McBride, Jon Rodin, Danimal, and The
Doctor of Destruction in a ve-way Big
Lenny pinned Zubov Womens cham-
pion Jessie Belle Smothers beat Angel
Dust by submission Sonjay Dutt de-
feated cruiserweight champion Bobby
Shields in a ladder match for the title
Daniel Eads pinned Regional champion
C.A. Elliott for the title Generation
Dead (Gory & G-Raver) defeated The
Alliance (Marshall Gambino & Super
Hentai) in a tables match Heavyweight
champion Shane Andrews pinned Nick
Estaban The Mempho Mofo pinned
Chris Taylor in a Fans Bring The Weap-
ons match.
(01-21-17)
Derek Widziszewski
INDIANAWWE Raw at the Kovalchick
Complex: Big Cass beat Rusev Big
Show, Sin Cara, Goldust, & R-Truth de-
feated Primo, Epico, Jinder Mahal, & Titus
ONeil Cruiserweight champion Rich
Swann defeated Neville and T.J. Perkins
in a triple-threat Braun Strowman pinned
Sami Zayn Tag team champions Cesaro
Chaos and Rob Danger in a triple-threat
Matt Storm defeated Jack Diamond by
DQ Tag team champions Quiksilver &
Nikki Bella beat Alexa Bliss, Mickie
James, & Natalya Karl Anderson &
Luke Gallows beat Raw tag team cham-
Tommy Angel beat Capt. Spalding & pions Cesaro & Sheamus for the title
Living Dead Girl Alex Cross & Dallas Nia Jax pinned Sasha Banks Raw
defeated Cody Chaos & Rob Danger Womens champion Charlotte Flair pinned
Wildcard champion Ethan Steele beat Car Bayley Universal champion Kevin Ow-
Crash Kid. ens pinned Roman Reigns in a no-DQ
(01-07-17) match Neville beat Cruiserweight
champion Rich Swann by submission for
Wayne Camp the title John Cena pinned WWE cham-
TEXAS
DALLASROH at Gilleys Dallas: Dalton
pion AJ Styles for the title Randy Orton
won the 30-man Royal Rumble, last elimi-
nating Roman Reigns.
Castle pinned Donovan Dijak Hanson (01-29-17)
& Raymond Rowe defeated Andy Dalton
& Rhett Titus Adam Cole & Cody Jerry Villagrana
Rhodes beat The Addiction
(Christopher Daniels & Frankie
Kazarian) Hangman Page
pinned Jay Lethal Will Ferr-
ara beat Jax Dane, Jonathan
Gresham, and Sho Tanaka in a
Four-Corners Survival Match
Bobby Fish defeated Lio Rush
Six-man tag team champions
Matt Taven, T.K. ORyan, &
Vinny Marseglia beat Alex
Shelley, Chris Sabin, & Jay
White Tag team champions
The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick
Jackson) beat Jay & Mark
Briscoe.
(02-04-17)
After the tag team
Regis Modesta match, Sanity issued
a challenge to the
SAN ANTONIOROH at the entire NXT locker
Austin Highway Events Center: r o o m a n d T y e
Will Ferrara beat Jonathan Dillinger answered
Gresham Sho Tanaka & t h e c a l l . A f t e r
Yohei Komatsu beat The Ad- Dawkins and Ford
diction (Christopher Daniels & cleared the ring of
Frankie Kazarian) Dalton W o l f e a n d D a i n ,
Castle beat Bobby Fish and The Perfect 10
Jay Lethal in a three-way BJ
was able to handle
Whitmer defeated The Roman-
tic Touch Jay & Mark Bris- Young one-on-one.

74 PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED


SAN ANTONIOWWE NXT: TakeOver at
the Freeman Coliseum: Eric Young pinned
Tye Dillinger Roderick Strong pinned
Adrade Almas The Authors of Pain
(Akam & Rezar) beat tag team champions
DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ci-
ampa) for the title Womens champion
Asuka beat Billie Kay, Nikki Cross, and
Peyton Royce in a Fatal 4-Way Bobby
Roode pinned heavyweight champion
Shinsuke Nakamura for the title.
(01-28-17)
Steve Beyer
DALLASWWE NXT at the South Side
Ballroom: Cedric Alexander beat Wesley
Blake Ember Moon defeated Aliyah
Roderick Strong defeated Elias Samson
The Revival (Dash Wilder & Scott
Dawson) beat Otis Dozovic & Tucker
Knight Tye Dillinger beat Eric Young
Samoa Joe defeated No Way Jose
Womens champion Asuka beat Peyton
Royce Shinsuke Nakamura, Johnny
Gargano,& Tommaso Ciampa beat
Akam, Rezar, & Bobby Roode.
(01-27-17)
Steve Beyer
HOUSTONWWE NXT at the Revention
Music Center: No Way Jose beat Elias
Samson Eric Young, Killian Dain, &
Alexander Wolfe defeated Cedric Alex-
ander, Tucker Knight, & Otis Dozovic
Roderick Strong defeated Wesley Blake
Tag team champions DIY (Johnny
Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) beat The
Revival (Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson)
Womens champion Asuka beat Billie
Kay, Peyton Royce, and Nikki Cross in a
Fatal 4-Way Andrade Almas defeated
Akira Tozawa Shinsuke Nakamura &
Tye Dillinger defeated Bobby Roode &
Samoa Joe.
(01-26-17)
Steve Beyer
McALLENNWA Wrestling Revolution at
Cine El Rey: Shooter Roberts defeated
Richard Reason in an I Quit match to win
the vacant Grand Warrior title Jim Jus-
tice defeated Jay Williams in a chain
match Jodan & Rob Love beat tag team
champions Colt Caliber & Kon Hawk for
the title Colt Caliber & Kon Hawk de-
feated Bandana Joe & Coven James
Dante defeated Erik Shadows Tiger
King II & Michael Autumn defeated Jodan
& Rob Love.
(01-16-17)
James Dante
WEST VIRGINA
HARPERS FERRYPrimal Conict Wres-
tling at the KOA: Fenix Fury pinned Alex-
ander James Los Hermanos de San-
gre beat Clay Reynolds & Chazz Rockwell
Nui Toga beat Ken Doll by DQ Dirty
Money vs. Logan Easton LaRoux ended
in a time-limit draw Punk Rock All-Stars
defeated tag team champions Napalm
Bomb & Chuck Lennox for the title Ken
Dixon defeated Hoss Hagood in a bullrope
match Doug Delicious pinned heavy-
weight champion Drolix for the title
A six-man match offered a degree of retribution for
the men who lost their belts at NXT TakeOver: San
Antonio: Shinsuke Nakamura (landing a stiff kick
against Bobby Roode) and DIY, who got plenty of
ring time against The Authors of Pain.
Abyss defeated The Bruiser.
(01-21-17)
Sophia Cates
INTERNATIONAL
CANADA
HAMILTON, ONAlpha-1 Wrestling at
Knights of Columbus: Mark Wheeler
pinned Kobe Red Young Money
(Young Myles & Brent Banks) defeated
Big n Dirty (Brute Van Slyke & Rex At-
kins) Shane Sabre pinned Ethan Page
wXw Shotgun champion David Starr
beat Josh Alexander by DQ Zero Grav-
ity champion Alessandro del Bruno
pinned Silas Young Space Monkey
defeated Jim Nye & Evil Monkey in a
handicap match Tag team champions
Rickey Shane Page & Gregory Iron de-
feated EYFBO (Angel Ortiz & Mike Draz-
tik) Dominic Garrini defeated Gavin
Quinn, Alex Daniels, Joey Janela, Eric
Cairnie, Joey Kings, Josh Rogen, and
Dr. Dan in a Buck Wild ladder match.
(01-22-17)
JP Zammit
MISSISSAUGA, ONDestiny World Wres-
tling at Don Kolov Arena: Karou pinned
Sheldon Jean Rene Dupree pinned
Randy Reign Travis Gordon pinned
Brent Banks Alexia Nicole pinned
Stacy Thibault John Atlas & RJ City
defeated Mike Dorosti & Stone Rockwell
Tyson Dux defeated Dustin Quicksil-
ver, Phil Atlas, and Tarik in a four-way
ladder match Ryback pinned Moose
Heavyweight champion Mike Rollins
pinned Kongo Kong.
(01-22-17)
Saxon Huxley Pete Dunne pinned Roy
Chris DeCarvalho
CAMBRIDGE, ONPure Wrestling Asso-
ciation at the Beehive Hall: Brandon Ja-
cobs pinned Super Kamikaze Tag team
champions Modern Day Warriors (Jimmy
King & Joey Allen) defeated Lenny Lilac
& Reggie Marley Hardcore Hick pinned
Jesse Bieber Alexia Nicole defeated
Elite Womens champion Beautiful Beaa
by submission for the title Mike Hart
pinned Hitman 4 Hire Eric Cairnie
pinned Scotty OShea.
(01-21-17)
Chris DeCarvalho
OSHAWA, ONPro Wrestling Eclipse at
Oshawa Legion: Carter Mason pinned
John Atlas Randy Reign pinned Rip
Impact Tony Cage vs. Sheldon Jean
ended in a time-limit draw Johnny
Devine beat Buck Gunderson in a sub-
mission match Cody Deaner won a
21-man rumble.
(01-15-17)
Joshua Hocking
ENGLAND
BLACKPOOLWWE U.K. Championship
Tournament: Non-Tournament: Saxon
Huxley & Tucker beat Dan Moloney &
Nathan Cruz Neville pinned Aleister
Black Quarternals: Pete Dunne
pinned Sam Gradwell Mark Andrews
pinned Joseph Conners Wolfgang
pinned Trent Seven Tyler Bate pinned
Jordan Devlin Seminals Pete Dunne
pinned Mark Andrews Tyler Bate pinned
Wolfgang Final: Tyler Bate pinned Pete
Dunne.
(01-15-17)
Clive Miller
BLACKPOOLWWE U.K. Championship
Tournament: Non-Tournament: Chris Ty-
ler & Jack Starz beat Ringo Ryan & Tiger
Ali Opening Round: Trent Seven
pinned H.C. Dyer Jordan Devlin pinned
Danny Burch Sam Gradwell pinned
Johnson Wolfgang pinned Tyson T-
Bone Joseph Conners pinned James
Drake Mark Andrews pinned Dan
Moloney Tyler Bate pinned Tucker.
(01-14-17)
Clive Miller
 JUNE. 2017  75

Wint. 1999: 20th Anniversary Special.
A Celebration of PWI And the Sport of
Wrestling.
Sum. 2000 (116-Page Special): The Greats
Of The Game. Relive the careers of: Gold-
berg, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, Mick
Foley, Hulk Hogan, Madusa, Kevin Nash.
May 2001: The WrestleMania Curse! Will
The Great One Ever Win The Big One?
Plus: Vince McMahon, William Regal, Page
& Nash, Ivory, Lance Storm, ECW.
Feb. 2002: A New Era For Wrestling. Plus:
Goldberg, State of the Game.
June 2002: 2002 Insiders Poll: 50 Red-
Hot Questions Answered! Plus: NWO,
Steve Austin, Ric Flair.
Sum. 2003 (Special Edition): WWE at 40!
(Digital only; visit pwi-online.comCover
History)
Sept. 2003: Guardian Angle: The One
Superstar WWE Couldnt Afford To Lose.
Plus: The Hurricane, Sting, Kazarian-Sabin,
Jeff Jarrett, Booker T.
Jan. 2004: All Fired Up! Can Kane Blaze
A Trail To The Raw Title? Plus: John Cena,
Samoa Joe, Flair-Goldberg, Christian, ugli-
est wrestlers.
Oct. 2004: Eugene, The Impossible Dream:
When Will His Opponents Wake Up? Plus:
Victoria, Edge, Dudleys, AJ Styles, six-sided
ring.
Fall 2004: Women Of Wrestling. 164 pages
RI ZUHVWOLQJV KRWWHVW VWDUV 'LJLWDO IRUPDW
only.)
Feb. 2005: A Yes Man? No Way! Ric Flairs
Secret Plan Will Ruin Triple-H! Plus: Y2J,
The Naturals, Luther Reigns, WrestleMania
21 countdown.
March 2005: 2004The Year In Wrestling.
3OXV  ,Q 5HYLHZ $FKLHYHPHQW 
awards, Unofficial/Official, phantastic pho-
WRVRISUHGLFWLRQVIRU
April 2005: Batista: Can He Steal Wres-
tleManias Future From Orton? Plus: Jeff
Hardy, Eugene, Undertaker, JBL.
June 2005: Our Challenge To John Cena:
Dominate 2005 Or We Dont Want To
See You! Plus: Steve Austin, Austin Aries,
Big Show, AMW.
July 2005: Gold Strike! Cena & Batis-
ta Change The Face Of Wrestling! Plus:
Kevin Nash, Chris Benoit, Heartbreakers,
all-time WrestleMania roster, the state of
the game.
Aug. 2005: Kurt Angle: The 10 Reasons
Hes The Best Ever. Plus: Edge, Alex Shel-
ley, Christy Hemme, DDP, WWE Hall of
Fame.
Fall 2005 (164-Page Special): Wrestling
Yearbook. ,QVLGHU VFRXWLQJ UHSRUWV RQ 
top stars.
Dec. 2005: Triple-H: Which H Fits? Hat-
ed? Hero? Hypocrite? Plus: Guerrero-Mys-
terio, Dixie Carter.
Feb. 2006: Losing Street Cred? The Time
Is Now For Cena To Get Tough. Plus: Jerry
Lawler, Eddie Guerrero, Austin-Hogan.
July 2006: WM 22: Magic Mania Moments!
Plus: The State of the Game, Abyss & Mitch-
ell, Davey Richards, Christian Cage.
Aug. 2006: Exclusive! Edge Comes Out
Swinging! Plus: Brother Runt, Benoit &
Lashley, Milano Collection AT.
Sept. 2006: The Triple-H Paradox: What He
Needs He Cannot Keep. Plus: Mid-year re-
port, Shawn Michaels, Rob Van Dam, Chris
'DQLHOV 6XPPHU6ODPV WRS  PDWFKHV
ECW years1992-2001.
Oct. 2006 (164-Page Special): Report
Cards Of The Stars. PWIJUDGHVWKHVSRUWV
WRSVWDUV
Jan. 2007: Sudden Impact! Can Kurt An-
gle Do For TNA What Hulk Hogan Did For
WCW? Plus: Raw vs. Smackdown vs. TNA
vs. ECW, Big Show, Orton-Masters-Carli-
to-Nitro, Matches of the Year.
Feb. 2007: Hollywood Ending: Cenas
Pumped For A Year Of Wrestling Only!
Also: Randy Orton, Hardcore Holly, Book-
er-Batista, Kurt Angle.
March 2007: 2006The Year In Wrestling.
Plus: 2006 In Review, Achievement 2006
awards, Unofficial/Official awards, phantas-
tic photos of 2006, predictions for 2007.
April 2007 (164-Page Special): Wrestling
Annual. A month-by-month recap of 2006.
May 2007: The 2007 PWI Poll. Plus: Ba-
tista, AMW, CM Punk, Bam Bam Bigelow,
Flair-Dykstra, Chris Sabin.
July 2007: Mania Madness: Exclusive WM
23 Coverage. Plus: The State of the Game,
Samoa Joe, wrestling deaths, global wres-
tling.
Sum. 2007: The Match Vince Let Get Away
And The Title He Wouldnt! Also: Ho-
gan-Big Show, Team 3-D, WrestleMania 23
weekend, ECW.
Sept. 2007: Orton Pays The Price In The Ring
And Earns The Fans Respect. Plus: Mid-
year report, Edge, MVP, Jay Lethal, Great Khali.
Oct. 2007 (164-Page Special): Report
Cards Of The Stars. PWIJUDGHVWKHVSRUWV
WRSVWDUV
Nov. 2007: The PWI 500. Plus: John Cena,
TNA, WWE draft, TNA analysis.
Dec. 2007: Triple-H Disses The Champ:
Cenas Disrespect Is A Sign Of Fear.
Plus: Kurt & Karen Angle, McMahons-Horn-
swoggle, Batista-Khali, Raw vs. Smackdown
vs. TNA vs. ECW, 90 minutes with Chris
Jericho.
Jan. 2008 (164-Page Special): The Greats
Of The Game. Relive the careers of: Tri-
ple-H, Kurt Angle, John Cena, Batista, Sting,
Edge.
Feb. 2008: HBK: If You Ask Me, Im
Younger Than Randy Orton. Plus: Kurt
Angle, Nigel McGuiness, Gail Kim, Royal
Rumble at 20, sleaziest sluts & slimeballs.
March 2008: 2007The Year In Wrestling.
Plus: 2007 In Review, Achievement 2007
awards, Unofficial/Official awards, phantas-
tic photos of 2007, predictions for 2008.
June 2008: Special Tribute To Ric Flair:
His 25 Greatest Covers Of All-Time. Plus:
Y2J-JBL, Christian Cage, NWA, Brock Le-
snar, Vickie Guerrero, John Morrison.
July 2008 (164-Page Special): Report
Cards Of The Stars. PWI JUDGHVWKHVSRUWV
WRSVWDUV
Aug. 2008: Was Shawn Wrong? Former
World Champions Speak Loudly And
Unanimously! Plus: Angle-Joe, Undertaker,
CM Punk, Austin Aries, State of the Game.
Sept. 2008: Take It Like A Man, Orton! A
Real Champion Knows How To Lose. Plus:
Lance Cade, McChif, general managers,
guide to independents, Mid-Year Report.
Oct. 2008: PWI 500. 5DQNLQJ WKH WRS 
stars in the sport.
Dec. 2008: Five-Way Faceoff: Raw vs.
Smackdown vs. ECW vs. ROH. Plus: Mi-
chelle McCool, JBL, Shawn Michaels, An-
gle-Styles, Ric Flair.
Jan. 2009 (164-Page Special): The Greats
Of The Game: Relive the careers of: The
Undertaker, Randy Orton, Booker T, Shawn
Michaels, Samoa Joe, Rey Mysterio Jr.
Feb. 2009: Annoying? Si Successful?
Si But Is Santino A Worthy Champ?
Plus: Sheik Abdul Bashir, TNA Wars, Hard-
ys, Super 8, Bryan Danielson, second-gen-
erations stars vs. dads, 20 matches that
changed wrestling.
March 2009: 2008The Year In Wrestling.
Plus: 2008 In Review, Achievement 2008
awards, Unofficial/Official awards, phantas-
tic photos of 2008, predictions for 2009.
June 2009: The PWI Poll. Plus: Hardy vs.
Hardy, Christian, Team 3-D, Kelly Kelly,
CZW, Shawn Michaels, greatest wrestlers
never to win world title.
July 2009 (164-Page Special): Report
Cards Of The Stars. PWI JUDGHVWKHVSRUWV
WRSVWDUV
Aug. 2009: Jacked Up! Old Pro, New Era
For TNA. Plus: Batista, FCW prospects,
MVP, Homicide, State of the Game.
Sept. 2009: Mid-Year Report. Plus: Angelina
Love, MVP, Evan Bourne, 3:,V 30th anniversary.
Oct. 2009: PWI 500. 5DQNLQJ WKH WRS 
stars in the sport.
Dec. 2009: Five-Way Faceoff: Raw vs.
Smackdown vs. ECW vs. ROH. Plus: ODB-
Cody, Orton-Cena, American Wolves, Dolph
Ziggler, anti-Americanism, Gabe Sapolsky.
Jan. 2010 (164-Page Special): The Greats
Of The Game: Relive the careers of: Chris
Jericho, AJ Styles, CM Punk, Team 3-D, Big
Show, Kevin Nash.
Feb. 2010: Triple-HWrestler Of The De-
cade. Plus: The Decade In Review, Des-
mond Wolfe, Super 8, John Cena, Hulk Ho-
gan, Capt. Lou by Paul Heyman.
March 2010: 2009The Year In Wrestling.
Plus: 2009 In Review, Achievement 2009
awards, Unofficial/Official awards, phantas-
tic photos of 2009.
July 2010 (164-Page Special): Report
Cards Of The Stars. PWI grades the
VSRUWV WRS  VWDUV SOXV 6KDZQ 0LFKDHOV
career grades.
Aug. 2010: The Bell Tolls For HBK: Team Cov-
erage Of WrestleMania 26. Plus: Adam Pearce,
Amazing Red, Briscoes, State of the Game.
Sept. 2010: Cena (2010), Kobashi (2010),
Flair (1990), Race (1980)Who Would Win
The Battle Of The Decades? Plus: Vince
McMahon, Jack Swagger, Abyss, Edge, col-
lectibles, Mid-Year Report.
Oct. 2010: PWI 500. Ranking the top 500 Bully Ray, report cards. /DVKOH\ :UHVWOH .LQJGRP  :UHVWOH0DQLD
stars in the sport. July 2013: Redemption, Thy Name Is Cena. YV:UHVWOH0DQLD
Dec. 2010: Cenas Suicide Mission: 3OXV :UHVWOH0DQLD  :LQQHUV  /RVHUV Aug. 2015: WrestleMania 31: The Real Win-
Theres No Winning And Theres No Way WWE Hall of Fame, Jesse Sorensen, Matt ners & Losers. Plus: Johnny Mundo, Ethan
Out! Plus: Danielson-Shingo, Kane-Under- Taven, Devon, PWI Poll. &DUWHU,,,PWI Poll.
taker, Hardcore Justice, Motor City Machine Sept. 2013: Our Annual WWE vs. TNA vs. Oct. 2015: Exclusive InterviewKevin Ow-
Guns, secondary titles, four-way faceoff. ROH Face-Offs. Plus: Ryback, Mark Henry, ens: Im Proud To Be Different. Plus: Dolph
Jan. 2011 (164-Page Special): The Greats &XUWLV$[HO&KULV6DELQ%ULVFRHV0,7% =LJJOHU'UHZ*DOORZD\86 ,&WLWOHV52+YV
Of The Game. Relive the careers of: Chris Nov. 2013: PWI 500. Ranking the top 500 1HZ-DSDQZUHVWOLQJVULVLQJVWDUV
Jericho, AJ Styles, CM Punk, Team 3-D, Big stars in the sport. Dec. 2015: 3:,500. Ranking the top 500 stars
Show, Kevin Nash. Jan. 2014: Daniel Bryan: The Fans Say in the sport.
Feb. 2011: John Cena vs. Randy Orton: Yes! Why Do The McMahons Say No? Feb. 2016: Female 50.3OXV1LNNL%HOOD-D\/H-
3:,V Special 50-Category Analysis. Plus: Plus: Cheerleader Melissa, Adam thal, NXT, injustices.
Daniel Bryan, Jeff Hardy, Phill Shatter, Big Cole, Punk-Heyman, Magnus, AJ April 2016: 2015The Year In Wrestling. Plus:
6KRZ52+&03XQN:KDWV$KHDGLQ" Styles, PWI Female 50. ,Q5HYLHZ$FKLHYHPHQWDZDUGV8Q-
March 2011: 2010The Year In Wrestling. March 2014: 2013The Year In Wrestling. RIFLDO2IFLDODZDUGV
3OXV  ,Q 5HYLHZ $FKLHYHPHQW  3OXV  ,Q 5HYLHZ $FKLHYHPHQW  June 2016: A(+J)! Our Report Cards For 100
awards, Unofficial/Official awards, phantas- awards, Unofficial/Official awards. Stars: Plus: New Japan, Roderick Strong, TNA,
WLFSKRWRVRI May 2014: Exclusive Analysis: Ranking The Rey Mysterio Jr., WresleMania memories.
June 2011: CM Punk: Is He Destined To Undertakers Toughest WrestleMania Oppo- Aug. 2016: WrestleMania 32: The Real Winners
Let History Destroy Him? Plus: The Har- nents. Plus: Randy Orton, Batista, WWE Net- & Losers. Plus: Drew Galloway, WWE Hall of
dys, Edge, Sheamus-Morrison, Winter, all- work, TNA Hall of Fame, Report Cards. Fame, PWI Poll.
time WrestleMania roster, PWI Poll. July 2014: WrestleMania 30: The Real Oct. 2016: Seth Rollins Exclusive Hotseat
July 2011 (164-Page Special): Report Winners & Losers. Plus: Ultimate Warrior, Interview. Plus: Young Bucks, Jax Dane, Jade,
Cards Of The Stars. PWIJUDGHVWKHVSRUWV Adam Cole, Carter Family, Super 8, broth- 1DSDOP%RPE::(+LWV 0LVVHV
WRS  VWDUV SOXV 8QGHUWDNHUV FDUHHU ers, WWE HOF, PWI Poll. Dec. 2016: PWI 500. Ranking the top 500
grades. Sept. 2014: Celebrate With Us As PWI stars in the sport.
Aug. 2011: Rock vs. Cena: Cant Bring It Turns 35. Plus: AJ Styles, NXT, Eric Young, Feb. 2017: A Bizarre New Universe: This Is
Soon Enough! Plus: Sin Cara, Matt Mor- WWE vs. TNA vs. ROH. 1RW <RXU )DWKHULQ/DZV ::( Plus: Will
JDQ :UHVWOH0DQLD  SD\SHUYLHZ SLUDF\ Dec. 2014: PWI 500. Ranking the top 500 Ospreay, Hotseat: Kenny Omega, Female 50.
State of the Game. stars in the sport. April 2017: 2016The Year In Wrestling. Plus:
Sept. 2011: Can Cena Stay On Top With Feb. 2015: Unstoppable: Why Brock Le-  ,Q 5HYLHZ $FKLHYHPHQW  DZDUGV
Rock In His Head? Plus: Randy Savage, snar Will Remain Champ For As Long As 8QRIFLDO2IFLDODZDUGV
RVD-Hulk, Christian, Brie Bella, Super 8, He Likes. Plus: Cesaro, Jay Briscoe, Bob-
Mid-Year Report. by Roode, Paige, the PWI Female 50.
April 2015: 7KH <HDU ,Q :UHVWOLQJ
[All issue also available in digital format 3OXV  ,Q 5HYLHZ $FKLHYHPHQW 
beginning with Oct. 2011. Visit pwi-online.com awards, Unofficial/Official awards.
Cover History] June 2015: Report Cards Of The Stars.
Plus: Alberto el Patron, CM Punk, Bobby
Oct. 2011: PWI 500. (Digital format only)
Nov. 2011: Memo To Triple-H: Dont Fire
Vince Avenge Him! Plus: Ezekiel Jack-
PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED
son, Madison Eagles, Brian Kendrick,
:,1 AUG 05 -8/ OCT 08 0$5 129 -$1 $35
ROH-Sinclair, PWI Female 50. SUM 00 )$/ 680 DEC 08 -8/ -$1 0$5 -81
Jan. 2012: What The H Is He Doing? Five Di- 0$< DEC 05 6(3 -$1 $8* )(% 0$< $8*
rections Hunter Can Take WWE. Plus: Kelly )(% )(% 2&7 )(% 6(3 0$5 -8/ 2&7
.HOO\ %HHU 0RQH\ ,QF -D\ /HWKDO +XON +R- -81 -8/ 129 0$5 2&7 0$< 6(3 '(&
gan, Raw vs. Smackdown vs. TNA vs. ROH SEP 03 $8* '(& -81 '(& -8/ '(& )(%
Feb. 2012: Whats Ahead In 2012 For Wres- -$1 6(3 JAN 08 -8/ -$1 6(3 )(% $35
tlings Top Stars? Plus: Sting-Dixie-Hulk, 2&7 2&7 FEB 08 $8* )(% 129 $35
FEB 05 -$1 MAR 08 6(3 0$5 -$1 -81
-RKQ /DXULQDLWLV IXWXUH VWDUV &HQD YV DOO
MAR 05 )(% JUN 08 2&7 -81 0$< $8*
time greats, Davey Richards. APR 05 0$5 -8/ '(& -8/< -8/ 2&7
March 2012: 2011The Year In Wrestling. Plus: JUN 05 $35 AUG 08 -$1 $8* 6(3 '(&
,Q5HYLHZ$FKLHYHPHQWDZDUGV8Q- -8/ 0$< SEP 08 )(% 6(3 129 )(%
RIFLDO2IFLDODZDUGV'ROSK=LJJOHU
May 2012: Rock vs. Cena: Our 11-Page Re- In case of sellout, indicate two substitute choices:
port On The Match Of The Century. Plus:
Austin Aries, R-Truth, TNA-OVW, WWE inju-
Please send me the back issues I have checked off. I have enclosed $5.95 for each issue (plus $2 for
ries, Report Cards.
postage and handling) as payment in full or provided my credit card number to charge my purchase.
July 2012: The PWI Poll. Plus: Jeff Jarrett,
Hardy-Angle, Daniel Bryan, Raquel Diaz, SEND TO:
Gunner, bounties. KAPPA PUBLISHING GROUP INC., P.O. BOX 96, FT. WASHINGTON, PA 19034
Sept. 2012: What The Brock! How Lesnar Check or money order (enclosed and payable to Kappa Publishing Group Inc.)
Ruined His Own WWE Return. Plus: Kevin
Steen, Beth Phoenix, Stanley Weston-WWE, VISA #
streaks, Raw vs. Smackdown vs. TNA vs. ROH MasterCard #
Nov. 2012: 3:,500.
Expiration Date: __/__ __ __ __
Jan. 2013: The Anti-Punk: Why Sheamus Is
MO/YR 3 DIGIT SECURITY CODE
So Comfortable In His Pale Skin: Plus: An-
tonio Cesaro, Miz, Magnus-Joe, the PWI Fe- Signature:
male 50. Name
March 2013: 2012The Year In Wrestling.
(Digital format only) Address
May 2013: Finally! The WWE Title Has City State Zip EMAIL
Come Back To The Rock: What To Expect
From Mania And Beyond. Plus: All-Time For Canadian and Mexican orders, the postage and handling charge is $3 per issue (airmail). For all other countries, the postage
and handling charge is $7.50 per issue (airmail). Intl money order in U.S. funds only. Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery.
WrestleMania show-stealers, Kevin Steen,

SPECIAL YEAR-END AWARDS ISSUE!
HATING ON ROMAN
It really bothered me when I
saw that Roman Reigns of all
people was voted Most Hated
Wrestler of the Year by the read-
ers of PWI. I have to admit,
STYLES
WRESTLER OF
THE YEAR
though, that I was not surprised.
IN A LANDSLIDE
500 (Episode 58, iTunes Store)
where he first said that it doesnt
bother him when the fans boo,
but a little while later admitted
that it does.
Im hoping at some point the
fans will come around, just as
they did with his cousin The

Wrestling fans have a sort of Rock, and seem to be slowly do-

pile-on mentality. When it be- ing with Cena.
2016
2016
THE YEAR IN
comes popular to hate someone, This is the first time PWI read-
WRESTLING they dont have to have a real rea- ers voted a good guy the Most
APRIL 2017
$6.99
INCLUDING
2016 ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS son. Case in point, John Cena. Hated. Im hoping its the last.
display until APRIL 4

THE YEAR IN REVIEW

YOUR UNOFFICIAL OFFICIAL AWARDS

www.pwi-online.com
What did he ever do that was so ROGER POWELL
bad that he earned the wrath of Cheyenne, WY

AJ's Year so many fans? Its the same with

Reigns. Does he have the skills of OMEGA GLORY
There was nary a peep from any- AJ Styles or Kenny Omega? Of I would love to congratulate
one about the selection of AJ Styles course not. But hes an intense Pro Wrestling Illustrated on a
as 2016 Wrestler of the Yearnot competitor who gives it his all fantastic job with the February
even from the 49 percent of you night after night. 2017 issue. I was particularly
who cast your votes for someone I was taken by the podcast you pleased with the Kenny Omega
else. (Come to think of it, what guys did with Reigns after he was interview. I was very surprised to
would we do with our runner-up
selected number one in the PWI see how humble and appreciative
listing if someone actually won
unanimously?)
It was gratifying to see Styles
finally make it to WWE, but to see
him in so many great matches and
end the year with the World title,
how can he not be WOTY, wrote
Brian Albertson.
I really wanted to vote for a
non-WWE wrestler because, well,
just because, e-mailed Greg Law-
rence. When it came right down
to it, though, Styles had a year
like few have ever had. It wasnt
even close.
Finally, from long-time reader Bob
Morrison: I knew AJ had some great
PHOTO BY WAYNE McCARTY

matches in 2016, but when I read

Certainly these folks did not vote for Roman Reigns as Most Hated
in Stu Saks column that he received Wrestler of the Year. Roger Powell doesnt understand the mindset of his
first-place votes for seven different fellow PWI readers who gave Reigns the dubious distinction of being the
matches, I was really blown away. first good guy to get that award.

78 PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED

Kenny was and how he feels
about WWE.
It is very true that Omega was
not always the most sought-after
wrestler, as originally his gimmick
was bland and rather ordinary.
When Omega introduced his
Cleaner gimmick and became
the head of The Bullet Club, he
completely took the wrestling

PHOTO BY WILL HEATH/NBC

world by storm. Now, Omega is
the most sought-after wrestler
that is not part of WWE. With his
technical acumen and thrilling
matches, he would be an excel-
lent acquisition for WWE and be
a big main-event player. Perhaps, John Cena did his best as host of Saturday Night Live in December,
we would even see the Club make but, Beth Egan complains, he could only be as good as the dreadful
scripts provided by the shows writers. Cena must learn to be more
its debut on the WWE landscape. selective in his non-wrestling roles, notes Egan.
Also in the February issue, I
enjoyed your coverage on more in maybe 10 years. When I heard Can you give me a little more
international and independent John Cena would be hosting, I information on Mr. Conlan?
topics, such as your Will Os- set my DVR. I think Cena repre- RYAN YOUNG
preay article. And, of course, the sents pro wrestling beautifully, Akron, OH
Female 50. and I was so excited to see him. [Editors note: Jason has been
All in all, this may have been John handled himself quite with PWI for more than 20 years
one of the best issues I have ever well, but I have to say, the skits now.We like him, too.You can learn
read. Still, the Kenny Omega in- he was in were so juvenile, I was more about Jason by searching
terview stole the show. Keep it embarrassed for him! Where did his name on Wikipedia.]
up, PWI. they find these writers?
JUSTIN WICK I know John wants to follow SHANES COMEBACK
Clintonville, PA
in The Rocks footsteps, but for Being that you guys listed
all the mainstream exposure he Shane McMahons return among
IN MEMORIUM received by hosting this horrible the Top 10 Stories of 2016 in
Its always so sad to see how show, hes going to end up hurt- your April 2017 issue, I was very
many names are included on ing his own cause if he doesnt surprised to see that his name
your In Memorium page in the learn to pick his spots better. wasnt listed among the top vote-
Year-End issues. I have to admit, BETH EGAN getters in the Comeback of the
I never heard of half those folks. Syracuse, NY Year category.
It would have been nice to [Editors note: On the other Mind you, I have no problem
see a little write-up on each, hand, kudos to the person who with Bill Goldberg winning the
but I guess there wasnt enough wrote his monologue for the award (in fact, I voted for him),
space. No problem; I found most ESPYs.] but its hard to imagine Shane
of them on the Internet. being completely overlooked.
By the way, you guys must YAY TO MR. J Shanes return on Raw in
have an incredible archive of Page 82 is the first place I turn February nearly knocked me out
photos! Thanks for running the when my subscription copy of of my Barcalounger! Ive always
pictures of Lord James Blears, PWI arrives. Your cartoonist, Mr. found him to be a very enter-
Karen Kellogg, and Axl Rotten. J, is a scream! taining personality, and I look
RON COHEN In the April 2017 issue, Ja- forward to seeing him on TV and
Pine Bluff, AR son Conlans depictions of Sgt. in an occasional match. If he,
Slaughter, Triple-H, Braun Strow- Stephanie, and Triple-H can get
SNL BENEATH CENA man, and James Ellsworth were along, WWEs future is in very
I was a regular viewer of Sat- priceless. And the text accompa- good hands.
urday Night Live years and years nying the cartoons was very, very BARRY MONROE
ago, but I havent watched it at all funny and topical. Baton Rouge, LA

79
 O JUNE. 2017 O  
 FOR PERIOD ENDED
FEBRUARY 12, 2017

TOP 10 TAG TEAMS

PHOTO BY STU SAKS

1 KEVIN OWENS
266, Marieville, QC
(2) WWE Universal champion
1 CHAD GABLE & JASON JORDAN
Combined weight: 448 pounds
() Smackdown tag team champions

2 KAZUCHIKA OKADA
240, Tokyo, Japan
(4) IWGP heavyweight champion
2 NICK & MATT JACKSON
Combined weight: 350 pounds
(2) ROH tag team champions

3 BRAY WYATT
285, Brooksville, FL
() WWE heavyweight champion
3 KARL ANDERSON & LUKE GALLOWS
Combined weight: 548 pounds
(8) Raw tag team champions

4 JOHN CENA
251, West Newbury, MA
() No. 1 contender WWE heavyweight title
4 TORU YANO & TOMOHIRO ISHII
Combined weight: 474 pounds
() IWGP tag team champions

5 AJ STYLES
218, Gainesville, GA
(1) No. 2 contender WWE heavyweight title
5 MATT & JEFF HARDY
Combined weight: 449 pounds
(7) TNA tag team champions

6 DEAN AMBROSE
225, Cincinnati, OH
(8) WWE Intercontinental champion
6 ROCKY ROMERO & BERETTA
Combined weight: 373 pounds
() IWGP junior heavyweight tag team champions

7 ADAM COLE
205, Panama City, FL
() ROH heavyweight champion
7 CESARO & SHEAMUS
Combined weight: 499 pounds
(1) No. 1 contenders Raw tag team title

8 CHRIS JERICHO
227, Winnipeg, MB
() WWE U.S. champion
8 BIG E & KOFI KINGSTON & XAVIER WOODS
Combined weight: 702 pounds
(5) No. 2 contenders Raw tag team title

9 BOBBY ROODE
235, Toronto, ON
() NXT heavyweight champion
9 ENZO AMORE & BIG CASS
Combined weight: 476 pounds
(9) No. 3 contenders Raw tag team title

10 BOBBY LASHLEY
273, Denver, CO
() TNA heavyweight champion BOBBY ROODE
10 AKAM & REZAR
Combined weight: 620 pounds
() NXT tag team champions

WWE RAW SMACKDOWN TNA ROH

Universal Champion: WWE Champion: Heavyweight Champion: Heavyweight Champion:
KEVIN OWENS bray wyatt bobby lashley adam cole
(C) 266, Marieville, QC (7) 285, Brooksville, FL (2) 273, Denver, CO (2) 205, Panama City, FL
1CHRIS JERICHO 1JOHN CENA 1EDDIE EDWARDS 1 MARTY SCURLL
(7) 227, Winnipeg, MB () 251, West Newbury, MA (C) 214, Boston, MA (1) 195, Cambridge, England
2BRAUN STROWMAN 2AJ STYLES 2ETHAN CARTER III 2DALTON CASTLE
(3) 385, Sherrills Ford, NC (C) 218, Gainesville, GA (1) 225, Cleveland, OH (8) 219, Catalina Island, CA
3SAMOA JOE 3DEAN AMBROSE 3MATT HARDY 3JAY LETHAL
() Huntington Beach, CA (2) 225, Cincinnati, OH () 234, Cameron, NC (4) 225, Elizabeth, NJ
4ROMAN REIGNS 4RANDY ORTON 4MOOSE 4CODY RHODES
(1) 265, Pensacola, FL () 250, St. Louis, MO (3) 309, Washington, DC (3) 220, Charlotte, NC
5BIG CASS 5DOLPH ZIGGLER 5JEFF HARDY 5JAY BRISCOE
() 276, Queens, NY (3) 221, Hollywood, CA () 215, Cameron, NC (5) 231, Sandy Fork, DE
6SAMI ZAYN 6APOLLO CREWS 6JOSH BARNETT 6BOBBY FISH
(4) 205, Montreal, QC (4) 280, Atlanta, GA () 256, Fullerton, CA (7) 200, Albany, NY
7RUSEV 7BARON CORBIN 7DREW GALLOWAY 7HANGMAN PAGE
(5) 304, Plovdiv, Bulgaria (6) 275, Lenexa, KS () 256, Ayr, Scotland () 214, Aarons Creek, VA
8BIG SHOW 8THE MIZ 8JAMES STORM 8WILL OSPREAY
(6) 380, Tampa, FL (1) 220, Cleveland, OH (8) 233, Leipers Fork, TN (6) 174, Essex, England
9NEVILLE 9LUKE HARPER 9TREVOR LEE 9WILL FERRARA
(9) 194, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Eng. (8) 275, Rochester, NY () 215, Cameron, NC () 178, Queens, NY
10RICH SWANN 10MOJO RAWLEY 10ARON REX 10JAY WHITE
(8) 168, Baltimore, MD () 265, Alexandria, VA (6) 247, Palo Alto, CA (9) 198, Auckland, New Zealand

80 PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED

Top 10 and Tag Team ratings are based on won-lost records for the past month, quality of opposition, and inherent
skill of each wrestler or tag team. These ratings are compiled by a committee consisting of Stu Saks, Dan Murphy,
Kris Zellner, Harry Burkett, Louie Dee, and STRIGGA (cagematch.net, purolove.com). The numbers in parentheses
indicate a wrestlers position in that category last issue. Agate-sized ratings are supplied to PWI by promoters and
can be e-mailed to us at pwiresults@yahoo.com (please put the word ratings in the subject line).

EAST COAST WRESTLING ASSOCIATION: CHAMPIONSean Carr; NWA SUPREME: CHAMPIONRob Conway; 1Eric Draven; 2Van
1Azrieal; 2Chris Wylde; 3Breaker Morant; 4Damian Adams; Martigan; 3Josh Lewis; 4Johnny Justice; 5Lars Umlaut; 6Angus
5Howie Timberche; 6Chuck Payne; 7Joe Gacy; 8 Zombie King; Barnett; 7Timmy Danger; 8Roger Malcolm; 9Deonta Davis; 10
9Ty Awesome; 10Johnny Galindo Apollo Garvin

EVOLVE: CHAMPIONTimothy Thatcher; 1Zack Sabre Jr.; 2Fred
Yehi; 3ACH; 4Matt Riddle; 5Ethan Page; 6Tracy Williams; 7
Drew Galloway; 8Keith Lee; 9Jaka; 10Darby Allin
NATIONAL INDEPENDENT CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING:
CHAMPIONKen Steel; 1Scott Lee; 2Thunder Morgan; 3Barry
Hardy; 4Jeffery Irons; 5Ricky Morton; 6Jimi Love; 7Sinn
Krowley; 8Wolf; 9Kalis Miller; 10Court Montgomery
OLDE WRESTLING: CHAMPIONMatthew Cross; 1Dr. Jacob Omen;
2Felino de Rojo; 3Hugo Lexington Black; 4Jeff King; 5Gavin
Volstead; 6Chuck Taylor; 7Jock Samson; 8Jervis Cottonbelly;
9Marion Fontaine; 10Gregory Iron
PLATINUM PRO WRESTLING: CHAMPIONMartin Stone; 1Jason
Cade; 2Gangrel; 3Romeo Quevedo; 4Chasyn Rance; 5Kahagas;
6Maxx Stardom; 7CJ ODoyle; 8ERA; 9Sean Maluta; 10Axx Clover

NATIONAL WRESTLING ALLIANCE: CHAMPIONTim Storm; 1 PREMIER WRESTLING ALLIANCE: CHAMPIONChris Cruit; 1Outlaw
Tyson Dean; 2Rob Conway; 3Matt Riviera; 4Damien Wayne; Tony James; 2Rowdy Randy; 3JT Hogg; 4King Pain; 5Jimmy
5Mustang Mike; 6Rob Terry; 7Rodney Mack; 8Seth Allen; 9 Fahrenheit; 6Mace Young; 7Bryan Blade; 8 Juan Crazy; 9Morgan
Josh Lewis; 10Andrew Anderson Taylor; 10Irish Hitman Lafferty

NORTHEAST WRESTLING: CHAMPIONTK ORyan; 1Kurt Angle; SHINE WRESTLING: CHAMPIONLuFisto; 1Ivelisse Velez; 2Su
2Brian Anthony; 3Warbeard Hanson; 4Matt Hardy; 5Cody Yung; 3Santana Garrett; 4Raquel; 5Allysin Kay; 6Mercedes
Rhodes; 6Dijak; 7Jerry Lawler; 8Vinny Marseglia; 9Travis Martinez; 7Amber ONeal; 8Thea Trinidad; 9Malia Hosaka; 10
Gordon; 10Wrecking Ball Legursky Rachael Ellering

NXT JAPAN MEXICO WOMEN

Heavyweight Champion:
bobby roode 1KAZUCHIKA OKADA 1MAXIMO SEXY 1ASUKA
(2) 235, Toronto, ON (1) 240, Tokyo, Japan (1) 203, Mexico City, Mexico (3) 137, Osaka, Japan
IWGP heavyweight champion CMLL heavyweight champion NXT Womens champion
1SHINSUKE NAKAMURA 2YAMATO 2HIJO DEL TEXANO 2BAYLEY
(C) 229, Kyoto, Japan
(2) 181, Chiba, Japan (2) 220, Mexico City, Mexico (7) 119, San Jose, CA
2TYE DILLINGER 3KATSUHIKO NAKAJIMA AAA champion Raw Womens champion
(3) 200, Niagara Falls, ON
(3) 209, Fukuoka, Japan 3 HIJO DEL FANTASMA 3CHARLOTTE
3RODERICK STRONG GHC heavyweight champion (6) 200, Mexico City, Mexico (1) 135, Charlotte, NC
(5) 200, New Orleans, LA
4KENTO MIYAHARA 4REY HECHICERO 4NAOMI
4ALEISTER BLACK (4) 225, Fukuoka, Japan (3) 207, Monterrey, Mexico () 125, Pensacola, FL
() 208, Amsterdam, Netherlands AJPW Triple Crown champion Smackdown Womens champion
5LA MASCARA
5ANDRADE ALMAS 5TETSUYA NAITO (4) 187, Mexico City, Mexico 5ROSEMARY
(6) 180, Gomez Palacio, Mexico (5) 225, Tokyo, Japan (4) 150, Winnipeg, MB
6ATLANTIS
6ERIC YOUNG 6KENNY OMEGA (5) 181, Guadalajara, Mexico TNA Knockouts champion
(9) 225, Vancouver, BC () 203, Winnipeg, MB 7ULTIMO GUERRERO 6ALEXA BLISS
7ONEY LORCAN 7HARASHIMA (7) 205, Gomez Palacio, Mexico (5) 102, Columbus, OH
(4) 190, Boston, MA (6) 190, Tokyo, Japan 8DRAGON ROJO JR. 7BECKY LYNCH
8NO WAY JOSE 8MINORU SUZUKI (8) 187, Gomez Palacio, Mexico (6) 135, Dublin, Ireland
(8) 230, Santo Domingo, Dom. Rep. () 225, Yokohama, Japan 9VOLADOR JR. 8JADE
9ELIAS SAMSON 9HIROMU TAKAHASHI (9) 192, Monclova, Mexico (8) 132, San Diego, CA
() 227, Melbourne, Australia () 203, Tokyo, Japan 10MEPHISTO 9NIA JAX
10KASSIUS OHNO 10HAJIME OHARA (10) 200, Toluca, Mexico () 272, San Diego, CA
() 240, Dayton, OH () 200, Kanagawa, Japan 10SASHA BANKS
(2) 114, Boston, MA
82 O  PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED O
 N TE D
U W A S
YO LE S !
PAY
TO ned.
. w e l i st e
k n ow
et us SPECIAL YEAR-END AWARDS ISSUE!

YOU l

STYLES
WRESTLER OF
THE YEAR
IN A LANDSLIDE

2016
2016
THE YEAR IN
WRESTLING

INCLUDING
APRIL 2017
$6.99
2016 ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
display until APRIL 4

THE YEAR IN REVIEW

YOUR UNOFFICIAL OFFICIAL AWARDS

www.pwi-online.com

INTERESTED IN A BIGGER DISCOUNT & FASTER DELIVERY? GO TO WWW.PWI-ONLINE AND SUBSCRIBE TO OUR DIGITAL EDITION
(See ad elsewhere in this issue)

50% DISCOUNT 52% DISCOUNT

OPTION 1: OFF NEWSSTAND! OPTION 2: OFF NEWSSTAND!
Please send me 6 Issues of PWI for $20.97. (PWI) Please send me 12 Issues of PWI for $39.99. (PWI)
A15PWI A15PWI

Please indicate method of payment:

YOUR NAME ______________________________________________
Check or money order (enclosed and payable to Kappa Publishing Group, Inc.)
VISA MasterCard ADDRESS ________________________________________________
Card #
CITY __________________________ STATE ______ ZIP ___________
Expiration Date: /
MO/YR PHONE _______________ E-MAIL _____________________________
International subscription rates: Canada and Mexico: 6 issues of PWI$37.47;
Signature: 12 issues of PWI$72.99. All other countries: 6 issues of PWI$65.97;
12 issues$129.99. International money order in U.S. funds only. Airmail shipping
New Subscription Renewal only outside the U.S. Please allow up to eight weeks before you receive your first
vprint magazine. Offer expires December 31, 2017

Send to: Kappa Publishing Group Inc., P.O. Box 433133, Palm Coast, FL 32143-3133