While 2020 seems to blow by and drag on at the same time, the January 2021 issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) is here — and Bayley, WWE’s SmackDown Women’s Champion, has claimed the #1 spot on PWI’s Women’s 100 list.
Continue reading
“Exotic” Adrian Street is one of the most influential professional wrestlers ever and he was way ahead of time — keeping fans guessing with a gender-bending persona replete with provocative mannerisms and flashy attire. His new documentary, You May Be Pretty, But I Am Beautiful: The Adrian Street Story, is excellent, and you can read my review of it here. I sat down with Adrian for my first-ever video interview, and we talked for two hours! The interview covers his illustrious career, Adrian’s close calls with death, his thoughts on WWE, and much more. You can watch the full interview below. Enjoy!
Continue reading
Wrestling With Joeylicious is a novel written by Drummer/Actor/Writer/Producer Joey Cassata and Christopher Lynn. I’m a huge wrestling fan and when I saw this book promoted on my Facebook timeline I thought to myself, “Who is this Joeylicious guy?” I assumed he was some independent wrestler I never heard of. I figured if he had written a book about his career, he must be somewhat well known. Then I saw that my buddies Matt and Cameron were about to interview him for Completely Damaged. So, I decided to give this book a go. And I even had the opportunity to interview Joey Cassata too. Stay tuned for my interview with Joey. Until then, let’s dive into his book: Wrestling With Joeylicious.
Continue reading
Debuting on August 8, 1957, “Exotic” Adrian Street is, perhaps, the most influential professional wrestler you’ve never heard of. I only learned about this Welsh legend last year — and I know a great deal about wrestling — because I watched a documentary that aired on the WWE Network called Adrian Street: Imagine What I Could Do to You. One year later, this androgynous gender-bending brawler is back with his own documentary — You May Be Pretty, But I Am Beautiful: The Adrian Street Story — and it’s one every fan should see.
Continue reading
My first “Pro Wrestling Demystified” article focused on wrestling being “fake.” If you haven’t read it, do so. I’m proud to bring you the next entry in this series. Today, we’re going to take a look at suspension of disbelief — a commonly used term in professional wrestling parlance when describing the total immersion of oneself in the storyline and/or match that’s taking place.
Continue reading
The WWE Encyclopedia of Sports Entertainment is the ultimate reference guide to all things WWE. Released on September 29, the brand-new edition features more than 250 new or updated profiles, with nearly 2,000 full-color images.
Continue reading
The Squared Circle by David Shoemaker was released in 2013, and it examines the careers of deceased professional wrestlers. Not exactly the most uplifting premise, yet the author tackles different eras, promotions, and grapplers with aplomb. Almost all of the big-name wrestlers who are no longer with us are featured in this book, including Chris Benoit, Owen Hart, Brian Pillman, and more.
Continue reading
On September 23 I woke up and read a tweet from Hulk Hogan saying that Animal, one half of The Road Warriors, the most successful and influential tag team in wrestling history, had passed away. Considering he was only 60, I was shocked. Fans and wrestlers the world over reacted with an outpouring of respect and sadness for the loss of one of the all-time greats.
Continue reading
Nitro by Guy Evans is the best book ever written about Ted Turner’s World Championship Wrestling. Prior to this book’s existence, The Death of WCW held this title. Not anymore. At nearly 600 pages, Nitro features interviews with over 120 former TBS and WCW employees. The author also had access to a myriad of internal WCW documents, providing the reader with the nitty gritty details when it comes to contracts, PPV revenue, and more. For a topic that has been covered ad nauseam, Nitro is a fresh take on one of the wildest times in professional wrestling, providing the most comprehensive and satisfying account of the rise and fall of WCW.
Ian Hodgkinson — better known as Vampiro, the lucha libre legend and former star in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) — has a new documentary called Nail in the Coffin: The Fall & Rise of Vampiro. Having grown up watching Vampiro in WCW, I jumped at the chance to interview Ian to learn more about his thoughts on the documentary, his career in wrestling, and more.
Continue reading