Matty Breisch Articles - Page 166

When Ronda Rousey pulled out the win over Natalya in the penultimate match of the 2022 edition of WWE‘s Money in the Bank, it was a predictable yet fun way to close out the fifth match of an all-around successful premium live event. … but then it happened. That’s right, not two hours after winning […]

When The Usos and the Street Profits are given a Pay-Per-View match’s worth of time to show their stuff in a WWE ring, you know it’s going to be sweet. Arguably the two best tag teams in the WWE Universe – no offense to New Day – Jimmy, Jey, Tez, and Dawkins have shared the […]

Carmella was the first winner of the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match, the second winner of the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match, and the first female Money in the Bank winner to defend a title at the Pay-Per-View; if anyone knows how to put on a show at WWE‘s green, white, […]

For some reason, Theory, the United States Champion of WWE, decided he wanted to test his mettle against “The Almighty” Bobby Lashley in the wrestling ring. Okay, technically it was in a wrestling ring, but he didn’t want to actually wrestle against the former WWE champion. No, for some reason, Theory wanted to go up […]

When seven members of the WWE Universe get in a ring together with about a dozen ladders littered around the squared circle, the results can be chaotic. Why? Well, because ladders, like children and animals, are notoriously hard to work with, especially when they are on camera in front of a large audience. And yet, […]

Money in the Bank is a special premium live event in the WWE Universe. It features bouts both gimmicky and traditional, a slew of championship matches, and best of all, no commercials, which is quite literally the worst part of watching any wrestling show on television regardless of the promotion. With hours to fill and […]

After weeks of anticipation, Money in the Bank 2022, one of the most exciting WWE premium live events of the year, is officially upon us. Soon, fans will see if Ronda Rousey can beat Natalya for the SmackDown Women’s Championship, Bianca Belair can take care of Carmella after the former Lakers dancer replaced Rhea Ripley […]

When it comes to AEW, one of the more confusing creative decisions in recent memory was the introduction of the All-Atlantic Championship. The inaugural champion, who eventually turned out to be PAC, was to be decided in a tournament featuring wrestlers that were not located anywhere near the Atlantic Ocean, the concept of the belt […]

It’s here, it’s finally here: WWE‘s Money in the Bank 2022 is upon us. Though it may not get the same hype as, say, WrestleMania or SummerSlam, Money in the Bank is one of the more consequential premium live events of the WWE calendar year, as the show’s namesake ladder match presents two wrestlers, one […]

There was a time when Io Shirai was not only the top female performer in/on NXT but was considered a favorite to become a fixture of a WWE television too, be that on RAW or SmackDown. On paper, she had it all; she had a good look, was a fantastic worker, and could play the […]

Though he doesn’t have a card on the official AEW roster page, Jonathan Gresham has reportedly held a contract also signed by Tony Khan since April, when he defeated Bandido at Supercard of Honor in a unification match for the ROH World Championship. And yet, you wouldn’t know it if you only watch AEW television, […]

When you think of a cross-promotional Pay-Per-View where the top wrestlers in AEW take on the best of the best NJPW has to offer, who is the one tag-team that comes to mind that has to be on the card. Drum roll……. The Young Bucks FTR. Wait, what? FTR? I mean yeah, they are by […]

When Brody King pulled out the win in the inaugural AEW Royal Rampage, it turned more than a few heads across the greater wrestling world. In a match that featured some incredibly wholesome spots between John Silver and “Hangman” Adam Page, more incredible moves by Konosuke Takeshita, and the in-ring debut of Rush – who […]

As boos rained down from the fans assembled at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, Max Durpi finally debuted his Maximum Male Models, Mace and Mansoor, now stylized as ma.cé and mån.sôör, onto the WWE Universe, and needless to say, it did not go particularly well. With no goal but to “titillate the juices of […]

AEW put a ton of work into the buildup to Forbidden Door, their co-promotional Pay-Per-View with NJPW. They produced digital hype packages, committed serious television time to contextualizing every angle, and even compiled it all on YouTube, where fans could catch up on anything they missed, or simply watch it again to familiarize themselves with […]

Las Vegas is a special place for WWE superstar Happy Corbin; it’s where he recaptured his fortune, regained his dignity, and cashed in his old name and disheveled looks for a much “Happier” demeanor and some Gucci threads. So naturally, when news broke that Money in the Bank was booked for Vince Vaughn‘s favorite city, […]

Roman Reigns is the WWE‘s franchise player. He headlines their biggest Pay-Per-Views, sells a ton of merchandise, and is the rare wrestler to hold not one but both of the promotion’s top belts, while he and his Usos cross brands effortlessly from RAW to SmackDown and back to RAW to defend the honor of The […]

After almost a week of anticipation, The Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer finally released his ratings for AEW x NJPW’s Forbidden Door, and needless to say, they were relatively predictable in the best possible way. Sure, some fans wibble with a rating one way or another, but for the most part, the information matched the eye […]

If you were planning on attending WWE‘s biggest show of the summer, the fittingly named SummerSlam, to explicitly catch the next in-ring appearance of John Cena you might want to sit down, as “The Champ” reportedly isn’t going to be on the card, let alone wrestling a match at the event. Yes, you read that […]

In the almost week since Jon Moxley triumphantly held the Interim World Championship above his head before being viciously attacked by Chris Jericho, a lot has been said about AEW x NJPW’s Forbidden Door. Some have called it the Pay-Per-View of the year, Tony Khan called it the second-most profitable event in AEW history, and […]

Every year, at least since 2021, fans across the WWE Universe have a chance to vote on their favorite moment of the past calendar year via the ESPN Espys. While this hasn’t been the only representation WWE has had at the awards show, as noted nice guy Titus O’Neal was nominated for the Muhammad Ali […]

In a match filled with interesting storylines, backstage intrigue, and very real implications for AEW‘s future booking plans, one storyline rose above the rest and felt so potentially contentious that Draftkings even ran a prop bet on whether or not teammates would fight during the match: Would Eddie Kingston and Claudio Castagnoli work together on […]

Eddie Kingston wanted violence when he enter caged double rings during the main event of AEW‘s Blood and Guts. He took the door with a Tommy Dreamer-style Kendo Stick in his hands and kept swinging it, mostly against Christ Jericho’s head, until it literally shattered in his hands like a sword in Breath of the […]

For a time, it looked like Cesaro was going to be the face of Max Dupri’s Maximum Male Models on WWE‘s SmackDown. It looked like the “Swiss Superman” would finally return to the company that made him a mainstream darling, and be afforded the sort of A+ talker that had largely eluded him in Vince […]

Danhausen is a rascal. Though he’s clearly coded as a babyface both via his presentation, the tunnel he comes out of, and the reactions of his adoring fanbase, Danhausen has consistently found ways to get into other people’s business during his time in AEW, whether that’s interjecting into the Beach Break match between Adam Cole […]

When news broke that Christian Cage was going to address the fans assembled in the Little Ceasers Arena, not to mention those watching from home, on AEW Dynamite, it didn’t seem like things were going to go particularly well for Jungle Boy, who has been absent for two weeks with an injury. As it turns […]

After having “97.5 percent” of its rights at Forbidden Door, Tony Khan pulled through and Orange Cassidy finally debuted his new theme at AEW‘s Blood and Guts, with “Where is my Mind” by Pixies being officially replaced by “Jane” the song by Jefferson Starship known most notably for being featured in the film Wet Hot […]

When news broke that James Harden was opting out of his $47 million player’s option, it drew largely positive reactions from fans of the Sixers and of the NBA in general. Suddenly afforded an opportunity to use the full mid-level exception and the bi-annual exception too if he so sees fits, Daryl Morey has a […]

After already saying goodbye to one of their own founders, Stu Grayson, earlier this year, the Dark Order is down one member more after Alan Angels, the occasional masked fifth member of the unit, has failed to secure a new, long-term contract with AEW according to Will Washington of Fightful. Though Angels was reportedly offered […]

After tearing down the “Forbidden Door” at a pay-per-view literally called Forbidden Door, AEW is on a roll. They’ve got a new interim champion, a number of new feuds raring to go, and have booked of their biggest televised bout of the year, Blood and Guts, set to take place on free television, broadcast live […]

Monday’s edition of RAW was a certified love-fest for one of the best WWE Superstars of all time, John Cena. It had a little bit of everything; advice segments with current roster members, video packages from former foes – including a few who now work for AEW – and an in-ring promo from the man […]

After turning a legitimate Match of the Year candidate with Will Ospreay at Forbidden Door – seriously, it was that good – Orange Cassidy isn’t about to rest on his laurels and take another extended break from AEW action. No, now that OC is back to full strength, Tony Khan has booked the promotion’s (basically) […]

Many a wrestler in both AEW and NJPW has taken credit for being the Forbidden Door. While Hiroshi Tanahashi came up with the phrase, Jon Moxley has called himself the Forbidden Door, as has Tony Khan in his weirdly charming Impact Wrestling commercials, and Jay White, ever one for modesty, took credit for pretty much […]

While Forbidden Door is officially finished, the afterglow of the AEW x NJPW co-promotional Pay-Per-View is very much still alive and well for the fans who either watched along from home or were lucky enough to make it out to the United Center in Chicago. The card had long-term storytelling, newfound rivalries, and made more […]

You have to give it to Kevin Ownes; he’s never been one who is afraid to speak his mind on WWE television. He’s talked trash on the boss’s son, betrayed Chris Jericho in a Festival of Friendships segment “Le Champion” once called his favorite ever, and went to war with the entire state of Texas […]

While WWE Raw kicked off this week with a Men’s Last Chance Battle Royal for the penultimate spot in Money in the Bank, for the Main Event, it was the women’s turn with a Last Chance Elimination Match of their own, all for the eighth and final spot in the Women’s Money in the Bank […]

John Cena wasn’t universally popular when he was a regular performer at WWE. He had his fans, sure, but he was constantly booed at arenas across the country and was criticized by the “smart” marks for constantly burying young, ascending talents, from the Nexus to Alberto Del Rio. And yet, in a twist of fate […]

John Cena has been a member of WWE for 20 years and fans the world over couldn’t be more excited to celebrate his accomplishment. Current stars sought out the 16-time world champion for advice heading into their matches, stars of yesteryear – even ones who work for AEW – sent in video packages celebrating Cena’s […]

When the men formerly known as Daniel Bryan and The Big Show made an appearance on RAW, at least via video package, to wish John Cena well on 20 years with WWE, it felt like only a matter of time before Chris Jericho, “La Champion” of AEW, found his way back onto the Titantron to […]