Matty Breisch Articles - Page 174

In wrestling, there are very few moral victories. Sure, occasionally, a long-standing feud will end in such a way that both parties are elevated at the end of it, but for the most part, one performer wins, one performer loses – barring a 60-minute time limit draw like the one between “Hangman” Adam Page and […]

In the world of wrestling, there’s nothing more exciting than the christening of a new championship belt; it presents the promise of exciting new matches, more performers featured on Pay-Per-Views, and even if the purpose of the belt is rather confusing, as was the initial rollout of the AEW All-Atlantic Championship ahead of Forbidden Door, […]

In 2022, the wrestling world is as open as it has ever been; AEW stars show up to wrestle at Ric Flair-branded matches, ROH Championships are defended on AEW television shows, and even AEW’s current Interim Champion, Jon Moxley, is pulling double-duty in GCW as that company’s top title holder too. And yet, some doors […]

The first Saturday of August has been a very good day indeed for fans of Ring of Honor. Not only did fans get to see Claudio Castagnoli, the current ROH World Champion, wrestle an absolute gem of a main event at Battle of the Belts III versus the brightest star in all of DDT Pro […]

You’ve got to give it to Tony Khan; while there isn’t currently a Ring of Honor television show, he certainly knows how to book the ROH World Championship to make it feel like something special. Initially booking Claudio Castagnoli to take the belt off of the promotion’s interim-turned-proper belt holder Jonathan Gresham following a heel […]

Thunder Rosa has had Jamie Hayter’s number over their shared time in the squared circle both inside of AEW and beyond. Though the duo have wrestled each other on eight previous occasions before Battle of the Belts III, once in singles action, four times in tag team action, three times as part of trios, and […]

Since arriving in AEW, Jay Lethal really wanted to win a championship. He’s tried his hands at the TNT Championship, the AAA Mega Championship, the ROH World Championship, the FTW Championship, and most recently, the Ring of Honor Television Championship at Death Before Dishonor. Granted, he’s lost every one of them, but he’s certainly trying […]

Oh, what a difference a week can make to the NXT/WWE Universe. Since fully taking over as the EVP of Global Talent Strategy and Development/chief creative mind of the WWE Universe ahead of the penultimate edition of Smackdown before SummerSlam, Paul “Triple H” Levesque has brought wrestling back to television, nixed the 24/7 Championship from […]

After AEW Dark Elevation, AEW Dark, AEW Dynamite, AEW Dark Elevation, again, and AEW Rampage, Tony Khan’s week-long tour de wrestling will officially culminate at Battle of the Belts III, an hour-long showcase of three of the promotion’s 60 six titles, 12 if you factor in the ROH World Heavyweight, Television, Pure, Women’s, 6 Man, […]

While the Sixers are very much the house Joel Embiid build, Tyrese Maxey is the furnace that warms everyone up and keeps it feeling homely. When the team is feeling down, the Kentucky product is always there to bring a little levity. When the team is hungry, Maxey brings extra wings on the plane to […]

On a night that will live forever in the annals of professional wrestling history for Karrion Kross’ return to the WWE, Tony Khan had a few tricks up his sleeve for the live edition of Rampage, with the debuts of not one, not two, but three new wrestlers on AEW television. That’s right, with Battle […]

When Paul “Triple H” Levesque tweeted out “… and we’re just getting started” after the surprising returns/re-debuts of Bayley, Dakota Kai, and Io Shirai-turned-Iyo Sky, it felt like a pretty darn big deal to the WWE Universe. After years of the talent pipeline from the indies to The Fed going decidedly one way, with dozens […]

Goodness, Madison Rayne is having herself a week; not only has she been signed by AEW to serve as their new Head Coach of the women’s decision and made her commentary debut on a surprise Thursday night edition of AEW Dark Elevation, but the former Impact Knockouts Tag Team Champion has since gone on to […]

Just when you thought WWE had forgotten about their third major women’s championship belts, the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship, Michael Cole and Pat McAfee – but mostly Michael Cole – finally announced that the belts are back and their next holders will be decided in a tournament that will begin on the next edition […]

After tapping out during the penultimate match on WWE’s SummerSlam in the middle of a pin, Liv Morgan’s status as the SmackDown Women’s Champion has been one of the more contested topics across the WWE Universe. To some, Morgan won the match fair and square, as Ronda Rousey was pinned legally during her armbar attempt, […]

Though Ric Flair’s Last Match isn’t even one week old, the match continues to garner headlines for just how bizarre the entire ordeal was and how, in a weird twist of fate, the pre-show’s Bunkhouse Battle Royal secured its winner, Mance Warner, a shot at the AEW Interim Championship versus Jon Moxley on Rampage (read […]

“(AEW) Dark is not Tony’s priority; It’s really just to pad the records for storyline purposes,” this quote, delivered to the AEW Galaxy by Joey Janella via Renee Paquette’s The Sessions podcast, more or less confirms what fans of AEW, both hardcore and casual, alike have known all along. Now granted, there have been storylines […]

When former NXT standout Dakota Kai returned to the WWE Universe at SummerSlam, it signified a pretty big changing of the guard for a company defined by sticking to their ways even when they’ve become incredibly stagnant. Not only did it signify a pretty big change in the company’s booking philosophy, as Mr. McMahon really […]

When the Philadelphia Phillies traded Mickey Moniak plus minor leaguer Jadiel Sanchez to the Los Angeles Angels for Noah Syndergaard, the move was met with near-universal praise from Philly fans not just for what their favorite team got back, but for what they traded away too. The first overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft, […]

In wrestling, one match can change everything. One match secured Eddie Kingston a contract, suspended “The Summer of Punk” until probably Halloween, and one match played a part in convincing Tony Khan that another big-time wrestling promotion like AEW could run in the United States with the likes of Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega serving […]

When Taz arrived in AEW, it was for one reason and one reason alone: To do commentary for AEW Dark. I know, in hindsight, that seems a little hard to believe, as Taz has since gone on to earn a gig on AEW Rampage, AEW Dynamite, and an in-ring management role first with Brian Cage, […]

Max Caster might just have the sharpest tongue in all of AEW. Sure, occasionally, it gets him into trouble, as the one-two punch of talking smack on the Duke Lacrosse scandal and Simon Biles’ mental health in the Olympics resulted in a suspension and a required trek through sensitivity training, but when Caster gets going […]

Welp, AEW fans, the women’s division just got a whole lot more experienced. On Wednesday afternoon, mere hours before AEW Dynamite hit the tubes from Columbus, Ohio, Tony Khan and company announced a slew of new back-of-house changes coming to the promotion, with QT Marshall, Sanjay Dutt, Tony Schiavone, and Pat Buck all elevated to […]

Adam Cole joined AEW because of the Young Bucks. He could have stayed in NXT, could have remained atop the card of the black and gold brand, or even jumped up to the main roster for a “managerial role” that may now look a good bit different with Triple H running the show. Cole didn’t […]

When the man formerly known to the professional wrestling world as Alexander Rusev made his debut in AEW, it was largely met with negative reactions from new and old fans alike. Now granted, the initial pop of seeing the “Bulgarian Brute” in an AEW ring was very much there, as fans loved to see now-named […]

As AEW fans the world over already know, Orange Cassidy can go. Though he may present himself as aloof, with a style that is equal parts suave as it is maddening for older fans who like their wrestlers to look and act a certain way, OC has crafted a unique spot in the professional wrestling […]

What do WWE‘s Natalya and Will Ospreay of NJPW have in common? On paper, the answer is a clear nothing; Natalya has never stepped foot in a New Japan ring, and Ospreay has, to the internet’s best knowledge, never even worked out for Vince McMahon’s former company. And yet, in quite possibly the weirdest story […]

When Karl Fredericks had a very public falling out with New Japan Pro Wrestling over not being booked for the Best of the Super Juniors, it felt like the end of an era for the first-ever class of NJPW Strong. Smack dab right in the middle of a compelling Strong storyline where Fredericks was working […]

Since leaving NXT, Swerve Scott, the leader of Hit Row who now goes by Swerve Strickland, has been killing it. He signed with, and is currently the tag team champion of AEW alongside fellow former NXT standout Keith Lee as part of Swerve in our Glory, holds the DEFY Tag Team Championship with SCU alumni […]

Keith Lee is a lot of things; he’s Limitless, the husband of Mia Yim, and… oh yeah, the AEW World Tag Team Champion alongside his fellow former NXT standout Swerve Strickland. His in-ring work, when booked correctly, can dazzle even the most casual of wrestling fans thanks to incredible moves like his “Bradley Beal” or […]

Tommaso Ciampa‘s run in WWE has been weird. For one thing, he’s lost his name, with Tommaso being cut for a new, more streamlined title, and while he hasn’t been asked to shave his beard or, like, wear a gladiator costume, many of the elements of Ciampa’s NXT presentation, from being a wise babyface, to […]

Dakota Kai‘s return to the WWE Universe has been a resounding success. A long-time NXT fan favorite who had some great matches with Raquel Rodriguez, against the performer then-known as Io Shirai, and even as a member of WWE NXT TakeOver: WarGames III, where her team of Candice LeRae, Rhea Ripley, and Tegan Nox lost […]

After months of trying to make an ill-fated heel turn work, Becky Lynch officially returned to her babyface ways at SummerSlam, where she shook hands with Bianca Belair after losing the WWE RAW Women’s Championship to the “Est of WWE” and then came to her former rival’s aid when the trio of Bayley, Dakota Kai, […]

There’s no doubt about it; Ric Flair’s Last Match will live on forever in the hearts, minds, and memories of wrestling fans the world over, even if the match clearly didn’t live up to expectations set by his initial retirement match at WrestleMania 24 versus Shawn Michaels. … then again, if you really expected to […]

There was a time when it seemed like Sasha Banks and Naomi would never, ever, ever, ever, ever return to the WWE. They disliked the immediate plans to push the duo as singles performers in the lead-up to Money in the Bank, took issue with the creative direction of the company’s women’s tag team division – […]

While training camp is still relatively young, the Las Vegas Raiders received some less-than-ideal news on the first day of August, as, according to Field Yates, the team has placed linebacker Micah Kiser on season-ending IR with an as-of-yet unspecified leg injury. Raiders LB Micah Kiser has been placed on IR and is out for […]

When Ryan Pace was relieved of his duties in January along with head coach Matt Nagy, it felt like a pretty major changing of the guard for the Chicago Bears. Justin Fields would be afforded a fresh start, the roster could finally be rejuvenated with fresh talent from a fresh roster-building perspective, and maybe, just […]

Five weeks removed from suffering a broken thumb in the Philadelphia Phillies in a 4-2 win over the San Diego Padres and almost a month to the day after undergoing a successful surgery to insert three pins into the break to help it’s healing, Bryce Harper has successfully undergone a second procedure on the way […]

Calling WWE‘s Michael Cole divisive might just be generous. Since taking over for Jim Ross back in 2008 as the lead voice of RAW and eventually becoming the lead commentator of WWE regardless of brand, fans have come to despise more than a few of Cole’s mannerisms, his lack of charisma, and for generally serving […]