Pro Wrestling News
Wrestling is a combat sport that involves physical grappling and techniques like throws, takedowns, joint locks, and submissions. It can be either amateur (Olympic-style) or professional (entertainment-focused, like WWE). Amateur wrestling is often seen in the Olympic Games and various competitive circuits, emphasizing athletic skill, strength, and endurance. Professional wrestling, on the other hand, is scripted and choreographed, with storylines, characters, and theatrical elements that enhance the drama of the matches.
Below you can find some recent wrestling news highlights.
KUSHIDA vs. Ace
Kushida has been an impressive addition to the NXT ranks since he debuted in the brand on the September 7 episode of NXT, a match which saw him take on fellow debuting Japanese star Hiroshi Nagao and a team led by ring announcer Corey Graves.
On this week’s edition of Impact, KUSHIDA will be taking on Ace Austin in a X-Division match. Austin is an accomplished singles wrestler and is looking to break back into the number one contendership ranks.
Also on the show this week will be a six-man tag team match that sees The Rascalz (Trey Miguel and Zachary Wentz) take on Ace Austin and The Hardys (Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy). Additionally, we will hear from former TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace. She is scheduled to appear in an 8-Knockouts Tag Team Match on the November 29 Turning Point event emanating from WrestleCade.
AEW vs. NJPW
The big news out of AEW this week was their official partnership with New Japan Pro Wrestling for a special event this summer, titled AEW X NJPW: Forbidden Door. This will be a joint pay-per-view featuring marquee matchups between the two world-class rosters.
AEW signs most of its talent to exclusive contracts, but they also allow them to work shows from NJPW’s partner promotions (such as ROH and Full Gear). As a result, many of the wrestlers are part of factions. These are basically almost like sports teams, where the members fight for the good of their own cause and go to war against rival factions.
Tetsuya Naito is once again the New Japan Pro-Wrestling champion, which brings a semblance of stability to the company after a year in which stars like Kazuchika Okada left and freelancers such as Jon Moxley carried the belt. It gives the company’s upstarts a target to chase and it gives the kaleidoscopic style of NJPW booking a focus.
WWE vs. TNA
While the world is enraptured by the AEW/NXT war it’s hard to forget that a very real wrestling “war” actually happened ten years ago on January 4. That was the night TNA decided they could take on WWE.
In an attempt to counter program WWE’s flagship Monday Night Raw, TNA moved their weekly TV show The Impact! to air simultaneously with WWE’s corresponding Monday night RAW. The move drew comparisons to the defunct WCW promotion Nitro’s Monday Night Wars, in which the two shows went head to head in an effort to garner higher Nielsen ratings.
Logic would dictate that the two shows going head to head and competing against each other will only split their audiences and not grow them. However, that didn’t necessarily stop TNA from trying again. Earlier this year, the company rebranded their pay-per-views away from the term “pay-per-view” and into premium live events.
WWE NXT vs. WWE RAW
WWE NXT is arguably the best product that WWE has to offer. The main reason is the quality of the matches that NXT stars wrestle in. NXT Superstars are often involved in extended rivalries that make for engaging narration over a long period of time. This is a big advantage that NXT has over the likes of Raw and SmackDown.
NXT also focuses on young up and coming talent which is something that other live shows like Raw and SmackDown don’t always do. In addition, NXT is filmed in front of smaller crowds which can give it a different feel from the bigger shows.
NXT also features a jam-packed roster of female superstars. NXT’s roster includes Rhea Ripley, Bayley, Katana, Naomi, Bianca Belair, Royce and Mercedes, Lola Vice, Ivy Nile, and Zaria. With this roster of women, NXT could conceivably hold a women-only show without issue. This would be a huge benefit for the women’s division.
