Matty Breisch Articles - Page 82

When Brian Pillman Jr. officially debuted in NXT under the moniker Lexis King, it created more questions than it answered. Now sure, technically, Pillman attempted to preempt any issues with the name before they could arise, explaining online that the moniker was a combination of his Stepfather’s last name and his late sister Alexis Pillman’s […]

When Chris Hero signed with WWE in 2011, he was ready to take the next step in his professional wrestling journey. After spending over a decade honing his craft on the indies, working matches alongside future television stalwarts like Claudio Castagnoli, Orange Cassidy, Drew Gulak, and Eddie Kingston for promotions like Chikara and CZW, finally […]

While the most impressive moment of Logan Paul‘s Crown Jewel weekend probably should have been winning the United States Championship in a fun, fast-paced match with Lucha legend and WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio, there was a curious spot in the match that rose above the rest and established the “Maverick” as something far […]

When Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits officially linked up earlier this year, it was far from a universally appreciated move. Sure, there were some who really liked the idea, suggesting that it could usher in a Hurt Buisness-esque renaissance for Lashley and, as a result, the dynamic duo of Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins […]

Cody Rhodes has been a professional wrestler since all the way back in 2006, when he made his debut in a ten-man tag team match for then-WWE developmental territory OVW, and yet, despite having wrestled almost 2,000 matches over 65 different promotions, he’s never taken part in a WarGames match or, as it’s known in […]

When Chris Hero, known to the WWE Universe as Kassius Ohno, was released from his NXT contract during the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, fans assumed he’d be back in the ring sooner than later. Sure, at 40, Hero was no spring chicken, especially for someone who was working exclusively in WWE’s developmental system, but […]

When Bobby Lashley first linked up with the Street Profits, Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford, on SmackDown, it felt like only a matter of time before a new and improved version of the Hurt Business would return to the WWE Universe. I mean, think about it; Omos and MVP had just worked a match at […]

When Adam Pearce ran into the middle of the ring on RAW to announce that Judgment Day, Damian Priest, Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio, and JD McDonagh, and the makeshift babyface set of Finn Balor, Cody Rhodes, Sami Zayn, and the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Seth Rollins, would be participating in WarGames, it turned heads around […]

After watching Cody Rhodes open up the latest edition of RAW, reintroducing fans in Washington, DC, and around the world to his WarGames team ahead of Survivor Series, the members of the Judgment Day, Damian Priest, Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio, and (quasi-member) JD McDonagh – but crucially enough, not Rhea Ripley – walked down to […]

Ever since Ric Flair made his debut in AEW, fans, pundits, and professional wrestlers alike have been asking the very same question: Will the “Nature Boy” actually get in the ring and wrestle? Now granted, technically, Flair has already very publically retired, and he even had an entire event dedicated to his exit from the […]

Bianca Belair has accomplished a lot as a member of the WWE Universe. Since transitioning into professional wrestling after a half-decade in college on the track and field circuit, Belair became a star in NXT, started a WrestleMania win-streak, and officially became the longest-reigning female belt holder in WWE history, a mark that is all […]

Since the moment Cody Rhodes came up short at WrestleMania 39, having to listen to Roman Reigns‘ theme laid out in the middle of the SoFi Stadium ring with a rubber chicken next to him, it felt like the clock began to tick towards a rematch at WrestleMania 40. Sure, a year in professional wrestling […]

After taking a loss to Roman Reigns at Crown Jewel, it would be understandable if LA Knight wanted to take some time for himself in order to get his mind right, refocus on the future, and ultimately forge a new path toward success within the WWE Universe. I mean, it makes sense, right? After being […]

What is the biggest difference between WWE and AEW? Is it the size of the audience at shows? The number and quality of matches placed on Pay-Per-Views/Premium Live Events? The way storytelling is treated long-term? Well, in the opinion of CJ Perry, aka WWE’s Lana, who now works alongside her husband Miro and manages Andrade […]

After absolutely blazing a bath through NXT faster than (almost) every performer who came before him, Dragon Lee is off to a hot shot on the main roster, recording barn burner after barn burner against the likes of Dominik Mysterio, Austin Theory, and Cedric Alexander, who he beat for the second time in as many […]

When Corey Graves was forced to retire from professional wrestling due to a series of concussions, he thought his career was over. Sure, performers have transitioned out of wrestling to other aspects of the industry, with IYO SKY’s sister transitioning to the role of referee, Robert Stone becoming an (almost) full-time manager, and others still […]

As WWE and AEW gear up for a full-on arms race to snatch up the best possible talent free agency has to offer, Jordan Oliver, one of the top indie stars in professional wrestling today, recently stopped by Fightful for an interview with Iridian Fierro to talk about his future in the game and recent […]

As crazy as it may sound, Bobby Lashley has been wrestling professionally since 2005, with “The All-Mighty” making his debut for WWE just six months into his professional wrestling run. Lashley has seen success on both RAW, SmackDown, and ECW, dominated in TNA/Impact during two stints with the promotion, and even has some international stints […]

After having her record-setting reign with the RAW Woman’s Championship come to a crushing end in Saudi Arabia in a match against the “Empress of Tomorrow,” Asuka, Bianca Belair returned to the kingdom to try to become a champion once more, setting her sights on the “Genius of the Skies,” IYO SKY at Crown Jewel. […]

When Cody Rhodes announced that Jey Usos, the former Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champion, was not only returning to the promotion after “quitting” but would be doing so as a member of RAW instead of SmackDown, few would have expected what would come next. Sure, after everything that happened with Roman Reigns before and after […]

After taking a fairly clean – by Roman Reigns’ standards – loss to the “Tribal Chief” at Crown Jewel, fans, pundits, and his fellow wrestlers alike wanted to know how LA Knight would rebound. Would the “Megastar” take his loss in stride, accepting the bump in the road and attempting to reload in a more […]

As WWE prepares to be a heavy buyer on the 2024 wrestling free agent market, with big names like MJF, Will Ospreay, and Giulia all potentially set to test the open market, one wrestler The Fed won’t be able to woo over to any of their brands is Konosuke Takeshita, as he’s already locked up […]

If there’s one performer who felt like they had a borderline guaranteed spot on the WrestleMania 39 card, it’s Bobby Lashley. After winning a match against Brock Lesnar via DQ at Elimination Chamber, a match that felt like an underwhelming end to a pretty fun feud, Bray Wyatt vowed to feud with the winner of […]

As crazy as it may sound, we are just over two weeks away from Survivor Series, when the WWE Universe will descend on the city of Chicago to load up the United Center with a pair of WarGames matches and… cheer on CM Punk, who may or may not be debuting on the show. That’s […]

In WWE, legacy is everything. From Vince McMahon, to Cody Rhodes, Charlotte Flair, and the entire Bloodline faction, WWE is known for playing on nostalgia, history, and familiarity to either build up a Superstar or subvert said legacy in favor of being a Dominik Mysterio-style heel. And yet, in a curious decision that still hasn’t […]

In the lead-up to WrestleMania 39, WWE found itself in an interesting spot from a talent acquisition standpoint. While the promotion was clearly still down to add a few key additions wherever possible, with its NIL program going strong, the promotion had something of a soft hiring freeze, even if the exact mandate from up […]

When news broke that Lance Anoa’i, the son of Headshrinkers standout Samu and the heir apparent to his Wild Samoans moniker from inside The Bloodline, had requested his release from MLW, it turned heads around the professional wrestling world. Sure, on paper, the news that Anoa’i could sign anywhere shouldn’t be that big a deal, […]

What does Ric Flair bring to AEW? Well, for one, he certainly brings the promotion extra publicity, even if it isn’t always for the right reasons. He also brings the promotion additional revenue as part of his Woooo! Energy drink, a deal Eric Bischoff has suggested could pay part of, if not all of the […]

On paper, CM Punk and Orange Cassidy really don’t have a whole lot in common. Sure, both sell a lot of merch, and they’ve both not only been members of the AEW roster but have held championships with the brand, but other than that, they’ve never worked a program together, let alone wrestled a match, […]

If there’s one thing Adam Copeland knows better than most, it’s how to identify a superstar. Over his 25 years of experience in WWE under the Edge moniker, Copeland shared the ring with everyone from John Cena, to Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Seth Rollins, and even the current “Top Dog” in the promotion, Roman Reigns, […]

When news broke that WWE had officially agreed to a new five-year contract to take NXT to The CW, fans the world over, at least those in the know, wondered how the situation would affect NWA, who reportedly were also in talks to sign with the Riverdale network. Had Billy Corgan‘s now-infamous cocaine spot cost […]

When WWE decided to unceremoniously take the title off of Mandy Rose after an incredible 413-day reign in NXT, announcing her release from the company shortly thereafter due to her use of the adult content platform Fantime, it felt like only a matter of time before the leader of Toxic Attraction popped up somewhere else. […]

Before he was a SmackDown Tag Team Champion, a RAW Tag Team Champion, an NXT Tag Team Champion, or even an Evolve Tag Team Champion, Montez Ford was a member of the United States Marine Corps who simply enjoyed watching wrestling as a fan. While this origin story, albeit an interesting one, isn’t too surprising, […]

Since joining WWE in 2011, Corey Graves has seen dozens, if not hundreds, of young Superstars make their way to the Performance Center in the hopes of becoming the next big thing. Unfortunately, it rarely happens that way, as the roads out of Orlando are built on tears and broken dreams of 20-somethings who thought […]

When AEW decided to sign WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair to a multi-year contract, it turned heads around the professional wrestling world, but not always for the right reasons. A controversial act who is as popular outside of the ring as he is unpopular among hardcore fans of the sport, AEW drew pretty much […]

In AEW, there’s MJF, and then there’s everybody else. Sure, the promotion has other stars, some of whom are very popular inside the ring – Kenny Omega, Christian Cage, Darby Allin – and some who are popular outside of it – Ric Flair, Adam Copeland, Saraya – but when you look at the premier storylines […]

When WWE announced that they’d agreed to a new five-year deal to bring NXT to The CW, fans around the professional wrestling world, at least fans in the know, wondered what this meant for Billy Corgan’s NWA, the promotion that was previously reported to have agreed to a deal with the very same network the […]

As you may or may not have noticed, WWE has seen an uptick in recent years when it comes to outside sponsorship during matches since Vince McMahon handed over the book to his son-in-law, Paul “Triple H” Levesque. Now sure, the promotion has never been shy about making some money from outside sources, as Snickers […]

After increasingly dipping his toe into the professional wrestling world since midway through the last decade, Pat McAfee officially jumped off the deep end in 2021, when he signed on the dotted line to become the new color commentator for SmackDown alongside the “(New) Voice of WWE,” Michael Cole, replacing Corey Graves on the Blue […]