With the publishing of ninety-nine articles to Rasslin Blogs that I have either written solo or worked alongside another colleague, I wanted my hundredth article to have something a little bit different to it. In what might in retrospect be seen as slightly self-indulgent (I’ll take that risk), I decided to take this opportunity to not only look back at my previous work, but also a hint towards some future ideas and planned articles. My first article was actually published July 23rd of last year, which means my hundredth article will be coming out close to 13 months to the day, a consistency that I am proud of. I am also hoping this idea might help introduce some more recent readers to previous articles that may be of interest to them. But anyways, let us look back to the year gone by.
Fantasy Booking
It feels appropriate to start with a theme that would kickstart my writing for Rasslin Blogs, as I decided to open a look at former NXT Women’s Champion Asuka fall after Wrestlemania 34 last year.
- Asuka – What Happened, And How It Be Fixed, Part One?
- This article would be the first of a two-parter, with this part looking at Asuka’s victory of the first ever Women’s Royal Rumble, and following her development up until Extreme Rules 2018.
- Asuka – What Happened, And How It Be Fixed, Part Two?
- This article was the second of the two-parter, this time detailing a story that would develop from Extreme Rules 2018 until Wrestlemania 35, ironically featuring Becky Lynch very strongly during the story. Unfortunately, not even the best of Fantasy Bookers could have imagined what would have happened to Becky Lynch over the last year, but I’m proud of this piece anyway.
- Daniel Bryan and The Miz – Eight Years In The Making, Part One
- In the end, I couldn’t complete my second part, as the story I had planned for my Fantasy Booking had too many variables that killed it, mainly Harper’s injury and the ongoing matches between Miz and Bryan. My Fantasy Booking featured The Miz becoming WWE Champion after he reverses a Phenomenal Forearm into the Skull Crusher, and the second part would feature Bryan losing a title shot and being banned from challenging Miz for the WWE Championship, Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles partnering as Tag Team Champions in a multiple month feud against The Bludgeon Brothers, and then AJ winning the Royal Rumble last eliminating Bryan. The Royal Rumble would have allowed Bryan a loophole for challenging Miz, and afterwards, his desperation would lead to GM Paige placing Styles and Bryan in a match at No Way Out, saying “If Bryan wins, he will face The Miz for the WWE Championship”. At No Way Out, Bryan would defeat Styles, only for Paige to reveal “I said if you won, you’d face The Miz for the WWE Championship. I never said you’d REPLACE AJ Styles”, announcing a Triple Threat match at Wrestlemania, which Daniel Bryan would win by pinning Miz, finally winning their eight year long feud and representing the perfect end to Bryan’s return. Unfortunately, the flawed booking for Bryan at the time was quickly killing Bryan’s momentum, which would end up causing Bryan having to turn heel, but to be fair, that meant we got to see the amazing KofiMania moment.
- Fantasy Booking The Fallout To Tommaso Ciampa’s Neck Injury
- With Ciampa’s injury, I decided to fantasy booking his successor, which would tie in Velveteen Dream, Gargano, The Undisputed Era, Matt Riddle, Keith Lee, Dominik Dijakovic, Moustache Mountain, Kassius Ohno, Ricochet and Aleister Black. I will admit to being very proud of this one, and it actually had some surprising connections to what occurred in real life…
- #FantasyBookingFaction– Episode 10 Preview
- In the lead up to Episode 10 of Omega Luke’s Fantasy Booking Faction series, I looked back at the previous nine episodes and the Factions I had fantasy booked.
When I first joined Rasslin Blogs, this was the series I originally wanted to work most on. The aim of this series was to take ‘classic’ title reign arcs, ones that are memorable and often discussed or very well respected and attempt a comprehensive look at what made them good. This would include reviewing the matches where the Champion won the title, lost the title, and every title defence in-between. There are several completed Arcs, and two that have been started but are not yet completed, and unfortunately, it’s a series I haven’t had as many opportunities to focus on (combination of personal life, work life, and other articles taking precedence). This is definitely a series I want to return to, definitely complete the two I am currently on, and I have several ideas for future Arcs, which I will discuss below.
- Title Reign Arc – Goldberg’s WCW World Title Steak (1998) Part One
- This part focused on that infamous night where Goldberg defeated Scott Hall and then Hollywood Hogan, to win the WCW World Heavyweight Title, before looking at title defences against main eventers such as…Curt Henning (twice), Brian Adams, Meng.
- Title Reign Arc – Goldberg’s WCW World Title Steak (1998) Part Two
- There was brief moment of hope as Goldberg defended against The Giant on Nitro, but then would have a succession of surprising title defences, before facing The Giant again.
- Title Reign Arc – Goldberg’s WCW World Title Steak (1998) Part Three
- This article focuses strongly on the excellent title defence against Diamond Dallas Page at Halloween Havoc 1998, which is probably my own personal favourite WCW match, the title defence against Kevin Nash at Starrcade, and an in-depth examination of whether this classic title reign holds up well.
- John Cena’s US Title Open Challenge Part One
- A comprehensive examination of John Cena’s defeat of Rusev at Wrestlemania 31, and the beginning of his Open Challenge against wrestlers such as Dean Ambrose and Stardust.
- John Cena’s US Title Open Challenge Part Two
- This part would include Cena’s title defence against Rusev at Extreme Rules 2015, as well as two title defences against NXT legends Sami Zayn and Neville.
- John Cena’s US Title Open Challenge Part Three
- An I Quit title defence against Rusev at Payback 2015, and the introduction of Kevin Owens onto the main roster.
- John Cena’s US Title Open Challenge Part Four
- Probably the month that truly legitimised this title reign, with title defences against both Kevin Owens and Cesaro.
- John Cena’s US Title Open Challenge Part Five
- The culmination of Cena’s title reign with matches involving Rusev, Kevin Owens, Cesaro and Seth Rollins.
- Title Reign Arc – Kazuchika Okada’s IWGP Heavyweight Title Reign (2016-18) Part One
- One of my favourite Title Arcs, focusing this article on Okada’s record breaking title reign, kicking off with his challenging of Champion Tetsuya Naito.
- Title Reign Arc – Kazuchika Okada’s IWGP Heavyweight Title Reign (2016-18) Part Two
- Okada’s first ever title defence, against one of the few men he has yet to defeat in Naomichi Marufuji.
- Title Reign Arc – Kazuchika Okada’s IWGP Heavyweight Title Reign (2016-18) Part Three
- Wrestle Kingdom 11 classic between Okada and G1 Climax winner Kenny Omega in an instant classic.
- Title Reign Arc – Kazuchika Okada’s IWGP Heavyweight Title Reign (2016-18) Part Four
- Okada follows up his instant classic with an amazing title defence against Minoru Suzuki, the hero against the monster.
- The History Of The NXT Championship – Part One (2012 To The Present)
- When planning my next Title Reign arc, I held a poll with four options, also including Christian Vs Randy Orton feud and CM Punk’s title reign, with this and Okada getting an equal number of votes. This article focused on Seth Rollins’ reign as the first ever NXT Champion, but unfortunately it’s a series I haven’t had a chance to return to yet.
WWE Previews, Thoughts and Reviews
I often try to avoid regular articles on the main brand, as I like to focus on elements a little different. However, every now and again for the biggest events, I will change my habits and focus on these events.
- A Few Thoughts On Roman Reigns’ Announcement
- Roman Reigns’ announcement from last year and vacating of the Universal Championship was a shocking and emotional night. This article discussed the fallout of the announcement, in terms of Reigns’ diagnosis, the turning of Dean Ambrose and possible reasons why, and where the Universal Championship might go from here. A difficult article in terms of timing, but one I am proud of regardless.
- WWE Survivor Series 2018 (November 18 2018) – Predictions
- One of the more difficult Previews as both AJ Styles and Becky Lynch dropped out of their matches, due to dropping their title and injury respectively.
- Survivor Series 2018 Review
- I don’t often do negative reviews; I try to look at the positives. If you want a negative review, pick this one, as this event infuriated me.
- WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2018 (December 16th 2018) Preview & Predictions
- Predictions for the final PPV of 2018.
- WWE TLC 2018 (December 16th 2018) Review
- Daniel Bryan defended the WWE Championship against AJ Styles, and Becky Lynch defended the Smackdown Women’s Championship against Asuka and Charlotte in a TLC main event.
- WWE Royal Rumble 2019 (January 27th 2019) Preview & Predictions
- The predictions for my favourite event of any year.
- WWE Royal Rumble 2019 (January 27th 2019) Review – Part One!
- Asuka defends the Smackdown Women’s Championship against Becky Lynch, Ronda Rousey defended the Raw Women’s Championship against Sasha Banks, and the excellent Women’s Royal Rumble.
- WWE Royal Rumble 2019 (January 27th 2019) Review – Part Two!
- Brock Lesnar defended his Universal Championship against Finn Balor, and the Men’s Royal Rumble).
- Wrestlemania 35 Pre-Show (April 7th 2019)
- Two Battle Royals and a Cruiserweight Championship match before the event even begins.
- Wrestlemania 35 Review – Part One (April 7th 2019)
- Joined by colleague Dan, this part included Brock Lesnar defending against Seth Rollins, and the beautiful title defence by Daniel Bryan against Kofi Kingston.
- Wrestlemania 35 Review – Part Two (April 7th 2019)
- Joined again by Dan as Kurt Angle retired, Roman Reigns took on Drew McIntyre, and the historical main event between Ronda Rousey, Charlotte and Becky Lynch.
NXT PPV Previews, Predictions and Reviews
Before I joined Rasslin Blogs, I was writing reviews about NXT Takeover PPVs on my personal Tumblr page (don’t look for it, it’s died a slow death), something I’ve continued for Rasslin Blogs.
- NXT Takeover: Brooklyn IV (August 18 2018) Preview and Predictions
- This would have predictions from myself and fellow colleagues Taylor Johnson, Aaron Browne, and Mike Philpott, of matches such as Shayna Baszler defending against Kairi Sane, The Undisputed Era defending against Moustache Mountain, and Adam Cole defending the North American Championship against Ricochet.
- NXT Takeover Brooklyn IV Review
- This would be main evented by the Last Man Standing between NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa and his rival, Johnny Gargano.
- NXT Takeover: WarGames (November 17 2018) – Preview and Predictions
- NXT Takeover: WarGames 2018 Review
- Whether a grudge match between Johnny Gargano and Aleister Black, an NXT Championship title defence by Tommaso Ciampa against The Velveteen Dream, or the eponymous WarGames featuring The Undisputed Era, War Raiders, Ricochet and Pete Dunne, this event was full of excellent matches.
- NXT Takeover: Phoenix Preview and Predictions
- NXT Takeover: Phoenix (January 26th 2019) Review
- The Undisputed Era defend their Tag Team titles against The War Raiders, Ricochet defends his North American Championship against Johnny Gargano, and Tommaso Ciampa defending his NXT Championship against former Champion, Aleister Black, as well as the possible repercussions of this event,
- NXT Takeover: New York (April 5th 2019) Review
- Some tremendous matches including The War Raiders defending the Tag Team Championship against Ricochet and Aleister Black, The Velveteen Dream defending the North American Championship against Matt Riddle, Pete Dunne defending the NXT UK Championship against Walter, and a Two-Out-Of-Three Falls match between Adam Cole and Johnny Gargano for the vacant NXT Championship.
- NXT Takeover XXV (1st June 2019) Review
- An excellent PPV featuring Riddle against Roderick Strong, a Fatal-Four-Way Ladder match for the vacant Tag Team Championship, a return for Tyler Breeze and Johnny Gargano defending the NXT Championship against Adam Cole.
- NXT Takeover – Toronto (August 10th 2019)
- The Street Profits defend their Tag Team Championships against The Undisputed Era, an instant classic between Io Shirai and Candice LeRae, a Triple Threat match between Pete Dunne, Roderick Strong and Velveteen Dream, and finally a Two-Out-Of-Three Falls match between Adam Cole and Johnny Gargano for the NXT Championship.
NXT UK Thoughts and Reviews
Since October of last year, I’ve either contributed to articles alongside fellow TeamRB member and NXT UK expert Scott or written solo articles of live tapings.
- NXT UK: PLYMOUTH – Results And Thoughts (13-14/10/18)
- Saturday tapings in Plymouth 2018 that featured wrestlers such as Mark Andrews, Fabian Aichner, Eddie Dennis, Jordan Devlin, ‘Flash’ Morgan Webster, Dave Mastiff, Ligero, Grizzled Young Veterans, a title defence by Rhea Ripley and a cracking main event between Joe Coffey and Trent Seven.
- NXT UK: PLYMOUTH Night Two – Results And Thoughts (13-14/10/18)
- Sunday tapings in Plymouth 2018 with appearances from Gallus, Xia Brookside, Dave Mastiff taking on Eddie Dennis in a cracker, appearances by Moustache Mountain, a huge title defence by Rhea Ripley, and a dark match appearance featuring Shawn Michaels.
- NXT UK Episode 4 Review
- NXT UK Episode 14 (05/12/18) Review
- The official event for the tapings I went to earlier in the year, featuring Wild Boar taking on Dave Mastiff, Rhea Ripley defending her title against Candy Floss, and Travis Banks taking on Wolfgang of Gallus, with contributing thoughts from Scott.
- NXT UK Episode 16 (12/12/18) Review
- Scott and I’s review of the tapings I enjoyed live, with appearances from Gallus, Xia Brookside, and a pretty cracking main event with Dave Mastiff taking on Eddie Dennis.
- NXT UK Episode 18 (19/12/18) Review
- Thoughts from Scott and I on another Plymouth based taping, with Grizzled Young Veterans taking on Mark Andrews and ‘Flash’ Morgan Webster, main evented by Joe Coffey against Travis Banks.
- NXT UK Episode 20 (26/12/18) Review
- Liverpool based episode with thoughts from Scott and I, with the debut of Marcel Barthel and Rhea Ripley defending her Women’s Championship against Deonna Purrazzo.
- NXT UK Episode 22 (02/01/2019) Review
- Scott and I review matches such as Toni Storm against Deonna Purrazzo, a brawl between Dave Mastiff and Eddie Dennis, and a contract signing between Joe Coffey and Pete Dunne for their match as Takeover Blackpool.
- NXT UK Episode #42 (8th May 2019)
- With my colleague Scott having attended the Glasgow tapings live, I contributed a perspective from a first time viewing on the Network, with the beginning of a series of matches to determine the competitors for a Fatal-Four-Way Number One Contenders Match, starting with Joe Coffey against ‘Flash’ Morgan Webster. There is also an excellent title defence by Grizzled Young Veterans against Kenny Williams and a surprise partner).
- NXT UK Episode #43 (15th May 2019)
- Another Glasgow-based taping, with Dave Mastiff against Wolfgang and Jordan Devlin against Ligero in two more Qualifying matches for the Fatal-Four-Way.
- NXT UK Episode #44 (22nd May 2019)
- Another Glasgow taping match as Walter defended against Pete Dunne.
- NXT UK Episode 45 (29th May 2019) Review
- The debut of Imperium, a title defence by Toni Storm and an enjoyable match between Ohno and Jack Gallagher.
- NXT UK Episode 46 (5th June 2019) Review
- Scott and I look at another Glasgow taping, including a Fatal-Four-Way match for the Number One Contendership between Joe Coffey, Dave Mastiff, Jordan Devlin and Travis Banks.
- NXT UK Episode 47 (12th June 2019) Review
- British Strong Style take on Imperium in a huge six-man tag team match.
- NXT UK: Plymouth Tapings (19th & 20th July 2019)
- Live notes from the two recent tapings in Plymouth, including Grizzled Young Veterans, Jordan Devlin, Imperium, Gallus, Moustache Mountain.
- NXT UK Episode 54 (31st July 2019) Review
- The first Plymouth taping reviewed alongside Scott, featuring Jordan Devlin against Alexander Wolfe, and an announcement of Walter defending his NXT Championship against Tyler Bate.
- NXT UK Episode 55 (August 7th 2019) Review
- Featuring a main event between Dave Mastiff and Joe Coffey in the lead-up to Takeover Cardiff.
I remember last year watching All In, an excellent PPV that unbeknownst to myself would become almost a Pilot for the burgeoning creation of All Elite Wrestling. AEW has a possibility to become a successful promotion in its own right, generating interest and momentum, as well as introducing audiences to possibly unknown wrestlers or allowing opportunities to deserving talents.
- All In PPV Review – Part One
- Featuring SoCal Uncensored, The Briscoe Brothers, a hugely entertaining Battle Royal which would introduce me to future favourite Jordynne Grace, an introduction of Maxwell Jacob Friedman, and Stephen Amell of Arrow fame against Christopher Daniels.
- All In PPV Review – Part Two
- Featuring Tessa Blanchard, Nick Aldis defending the NWA Title against Cody Rhodes, and a Chicago Street Fight between ‘Bad Boy’ Joey Janela and ‘Hangman’ Adam Page.
- All In PPV Review – Part Three
- Featuring Ring Of Honor World Champion Jay Lethal, IWGP World Champion Kazuchika Okada, a dream match of Kenny Omega against Pentagon, and a fast paced main event featuring The Young Bucks, Fenix, Rey Mysterio and Kota Ibushi.
- AEW (All-Elite Wrestling) Double Or Nothing Buy-In Preview Show (25/05/2019)
- Featuring the 21-man Casino Battle Royal.
- AEW (All-Elite Wrestling): Double Or Nothing (25/05/2019)
- Featuring the amazing Cody Vs Dustin Rhodes classic, The Young Bucks against The Lucha Brothers, and Chris Jericho taking on Kenny Omega.
Being based in Plymouth, there is a local wrestling company called Reach Wrestling, who I’ve grown quite fond of and will often appear at as many events as possible. Because of their social media expertise and habit of revealing the entire match card in time for the events, I will often have a Preview article and also a Review afterwards.
- REACH Wrestling – The Second Coming Preview
- Wrestlers who would appear at this event included ‘The Alpha Male’ Iestyn Reeves, Beano, Grayson Reeves, ‘The Winner’ PJ Jones, ‘Dirty’ Dick Riley, ‘Bronco’ Brendan White, Big Grizzly and Eddie Ryan.
- REACH Wrestling: The Second Coming Review (7/10/18)
- Special notice to matches such as PJ Jones against Grayson Reeves, Dick Riley taking on Brendan White, and a cracking main event with Big Grizzly versus local hero Eddie Ryan.
- REACH Wrestling – ACT 3 Preview (9/12/18)
- Debut appearances of wrestlers such as James Mason, Kian Fox, Marcus Bain and Joel Redman.
- REACH Wrestling: ACT 3 Review (9/12/18)
- An impressive performance from James Mason, an important match between Eddie Ryan and Joel Redman, fun tag match between the feuding Beano & Dick Riley against Brendan White and Josh Knott, and an awesome main event of Team Reach against Winners & Sinners.
- Reach Wrestling: The Upcoming Year Ahead…
- Reach Wrestling would announce six events for the rest of the year, in a confident and unprecedented move, with my theories and predictions for the upcoming year.
- Thursday Night REACH Preview (07/02/2019)
- Huge preview for an over-18’s event, including the debut of British legend Jody Fleisch.
- Thursday Night REACH Review (7th February 2019)
- Featuring Eddie Ryan against Lance Cole, Charlie Sterling against Jody Fleisch and a Fatal Four-Way between Sierra Loxton, Candy Floss, Millie McKenzie and Gisele Shaw.
- REACH 4 – Journey For Gold Preview (March 3rd 2019)
- A huge tournament begins with competitors such as Adam Maxted, Joel Redman, Eddie Ryan, Charlie Sterling and others featuring.
- A Conversation With ‘Bronco’ Brendan White…
- This was a brief interview conducted by my colleague Gary and written/edited by myself, with the excellent ‘Bronco’ Brendan White.
- REACH 4 – Journey For Gold Review (March 3rd 2019)
- Featuring possibly the greatest match in Reach Wrestling history, and possibly the greatest I’d ever seen live, Charlie Sterling versus ‘Dirty’ Dick Riley.
- Reach Wrestling: Final Four Preview (5th May 2019)
- Some grudge matches come to a possible climax as Jason King prepares for Adam Flint, six of the best wrestlers in Reach meet in a tag team match, and two Semi-Finals occur.
- Reach Wrestling: Final Four Review (5th May 2019)
- Featuring a Seven-Man Elimination Tag Team match, a surprise appearance from Sierra Loxton and two great Semi-Final matches.
- Reach: Invasion (8th June 2019) Review
- Featuring Beano and ‘Dirty’ Dick Riley against Experiment In Terror, a heel Jason King, and an awesome main event between ‘The Winner’ PJ Jones and Eddie Ryan.
- Reach Wrestling – 365 Days Later (7th July 2019) Preview
- Anticipation for the 1 Year Anniversary, featuring a Six-Man Ladder match for a Title Shot, a Battle Royal, a first round tag team match, and two huge main events.
- Reach Wrestling: 365 Days Later (7th July 2019) Review
- British wrestling legend Jody Fleisch took on ‘Dirty’ Dick Riley, and the first ever Reach Champion was crowned in a match between Eddie Ryan and Joel Redman.
If you had asked me at the beginning of 2018, I would have confirmed a complete lack of interest in Impact PPVs, having been burned out over previous years. However, after tremendous reviews by multiple journalists I respected, I decided to give Impact Slammiversary 2018 a chance, which would lead to me trying to review Impact PPVs as often as possible, in order to shed a look on one of the most consistent companies when it comes to PPVs. As PPVs only really occurred about three months at a time, they would often be huge events with little filler, meaning they needed multiple articles to allow each match its own deserved attention.
- IMPACT! Slammiversary 2018 Review – Part 1
- This part would focus on the first four matches, which featured a multiple-man X-Division match, Tessa Blanchard in action against Allie, a hardcore brawl between Tommy Dreamer and the deranged Eddie Edwards, and Matt Sydal defending his X-Division Championship against the undefeated Machine…Brian Cage.
- IMPACT! Slammiversary 2018 Review – Part 2
- The second half of the PPV, featuring Su Yung defending her Knockouts Championship against the veteran Madison Rayne, an awesome Street Fight between LAX and the OGz, a Mask Vs Hair cracker between Pentagon Jr and Sami Callihan, and Impact World Champion Austin Aries defending against Moose. This half of the PPV would introduce me to some of the future MVPs of every Impact PPV, specifically LAX and Sami Callihan, who I’ve become massive fans of over the year.
- Review of Impact Wrestling Versus UK (2018) – Part One
- My introduction to Lana Austin and another match of the night contender with LAX defending their Tag Team titles against the always fun Jody Fleisch and Jonny Storm.
- Review of Impact Wrestling Versus UK (2018) – Part Two
- A Barbed Write Baseball Bat Death match between Sami Callihan and Jimmy Havoc that I still haven’t moved on from.
- ‘Option C’ – The History Of Impact Wrestling’s Biggest Game Changer Part One
- With the surprise decision from Brian Cage to cash in his X-Division Championship as ‘Option C’, I wrote a retrospective on its history, highlighting its creation, Austin Aries and Chris Sabin.
- ‘Option C’ – The History Of Impact Wrestling’s Biggest Game Changer Part Two
- A look at the cashing in of ‘Option C’ by Austin Aries for a second time, Rockstar Spud, and a preview for the future of ‘Option C’).
- Impact Wrestling Presents: Bound For Glory (October 14th 2018) – Part One
- An excellent event where Willie Mack debuts, Tessa Blanchard defending her Knockouts Championship against Taya Valkyrie, and the ongoing feud between Moose and Eddie Edwards.
- Impact Wrestling Presents: Bound For Glory (October 14th 2018) – Part Two
- Cracking six-man oVe Rules tag match between oVe and Brian Cage alongside Lucha Brothers, and a Concrete Jungle Death match between LAX and the OGz.
- Impact Wrestling Presents: Bound For Glory (October 14th 2018) – Part Three
- The controversial Impact Title match between Champion Austin Aries and challenger Johnny Impact, and the fallout of the match, the lead-up to, and my thoughts on the match.
- Impact Wrestling Presents: Homecoming (January 6th 2019)
- Featuring the culmination of Moose and Eddie Edwards’ feud, a grudge match between Willie Mack and Sami Callihan, an amazing Tag Team Championship defence by LAX against The Lucha Brothers, and Brian Cage’s cashing in of Option C against Johnny Impact.
- Impact Wrestling Rebellion (April 28th 2019) Review
- Rich Swann defended the X-Division Championship against Sami Callihan, Tessa Blanchard in a grudge match with Gail Kim, Johnny Impact defended the Impact Championship against Brian Cage, and a Full Metal Mayhem match for the Tag Team Championship between The Lucha Brothers and LAX.
Spotlights
Every now and again, I focus on several classic matches of wrestlers who are likely to come into prominence, whether a new NXT signing, or a non-English-speaking based wrestler. I actually planned to do one on WALTER when he was arrived in NXT UK, but by the time I could start it, he’d already wrestled a few times, so seemed too late. It might also be a spotlight on a particular match, or even an interview.
- Who Is Matt Riddle? ‘King Of Bros’ Part One
- Following his appearance in an NXT Takeover crowd, I wanted to find out what all the fuss was about, with this part focusing especially on matches with two NJPW legends in Tomohiro Ishii and Katsuyori Shibata).
- Who Is Matt Riddle? ‘King Of Bros’ Part Two
- This part focused on matches with wrestlers such as Zack Sabre Jr, Will Ospreay and Keith Lee.
- Interview With Jordynne Grace
- One of my proudest pieces, unfortunately a possible face-to-face interview had to be cancelled, but the ever excellent Grace allowed me to email my list of planned questions for her to answer. Great respect for Grace.
- This Day in History – No Way Out 2004
- This was predominantly Craig’s article, however I contributed to the discussion of the main event, with an in-depth analysis of the entire match, Lesnar’s actions, Eddie’s gradual breaking down of him. I love this match, and always will, but I also have to give attention to the excellent work from Craig for the overall article.
- Who Is Omega Luke?
- An introduction to fellow wrestling personality and creator, Omega Luke.
- Three Examples Of Mick Foley Giving Back To The Future
- A comprehensive examination of three of Mick Foley’s best matches, helping legitimise Triple-H, Randy Orton and Edge.
- Farewell, Our Olympic Hero – Part One
- A recently begun series looking back at the recently retired Kurt Angle, this part focusing on some of his best or more important matches in 2000.
- Who Is A-Kid, The Ace of White Wolf Wrestling? Part One
- Matches with the Spanish Ace taking on Ricochet and Zack Sabre Jr.
Miscellaneous
I would have liked to have a different title for this theme, but it is quite difficult to come with an honest representation of these articles. This basically means articles that can’t be easily placed into any other theme, so a bit more random.
- Hendry, Ciampa & Mankind: When A Normal Entrance Isn’t Enough
- This was an article where I wanted to highlight the importance of wrestling themes, and how three wrestlers in particular demonstrated unique themes that added to their characters. Whether seeing Joe Hendry creating mock music videos parodying his opponents, having Mankind enter and exit matches to two different music themes, or having Tommaso Ciampa enter to no music, all three showed inspired thinking in their creative choices.
- CPW 12: Who Got The Power Preview
- This was a local show I did a preview for, but the actual event was reviewed by my colleague Taylor. The coolest element was being able to see Jimmy Havoc live, as well as future NXT UK competitors Eddie Dennis and El Ligero.
- IPW: UK – Return Of The PAC (20th February 2019) – Part One Review
- This event would actually be used for several tapings, and I was able to see in action wrestlers such as Jonny Storm, Sierra Loxton, Grizzly, Chris Ridgeway, Rob Sharpe, and my introduction to David Starr.
- IPW: UK – Return Of The PAC (20th February 2019) – Part Two Review
- Part two of the event, featuring Stixx, Rob Lynch, Pretty Deadly, Sugar Dunkerton, and Mark Haskins defending the IPW Heavyweight Title against Kip Sabian and PAC in an amazing live match.
I admit, it feels weird looking back at the variety of articles contributed to, and it is mildly surprising to see that NXT UK was one of my biggest collection of articles but makes sense in retrospect. There are several articles that will be continued, which are:
- The most recent episode of NXT UK based in Plymouth and prior to the showing of NXT UK Takeover: Cardiff.
- Part two of my spotlight on A-Kid, one that I’ve enjoyed for its introduction to Spanish Wrestling.
- Continuation of Okada’s Title Reign, which is likely to be another ten parts.
- Continuation of a retrospective of Kurt Angle’s first WWE career, which will probably feature another six parts up until 2006.
- Continuation of the history of the NXT Championship, which I will not even guess how many parts there will be!
Upcoming articles planned as well are the following:
Retrospective reviews of All Elite Wrestling’s Fyter Fest and Fight for the Fallen.
Reviews of upcoming NXT Takeovers and Reach Wrestling events, including the most recent event at Thursday Night Reach 2.
I want to return to focusing on two ongoing series’, one will be the Title Reign Arcs, and another focused on Classic Feuds as well. For the Title Reign Arcs, I’m planning to focus on some classic WWE Championship reigns by John Cena and CM Punk, and a World Heavyweight Championship reign by Batista. However, I want to also broaden onto two other promotions, specifically an old favourite in Ring Of Honor, and an introduction to a British favourite, Progress Wrestling (I think this will be a very popular choice as well). As regards to Classic Feuds, there are three I want to focus on, a surprising choice from TNA between two tag teams, and then two based in WWE, one from Smackdown between Christian and Randy Orton, and one I’ve hinted at previously, the infamous Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels feud from 2008. These will require a lot of time and work, but this has always been the series I was most interested in when I joined Rasslin Blogs.
Hopefully this look back will allow some to discover articles they never knew of, look back over some favourites, and maybe some of you will be tempted by the look forwards for future articles. Oh, and maybe one day, I will try a Title Reign Arcs focusing on Rob Van Dam’s ECW TV Championship reign. Everyone deserves one white whale, and I think looking at a 700-day, 128-match long title reign as revered as RVD? I might even retire on that one…
Either way, thanks for reading as always, hundred articles down, fingers crossed for another hundred.
#TeamRB
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