Matty Breisch Articles - Page 95

When an assailant, later identified as Rikishi, ran down “Stone Cold” Steve Austin with a car heading into a November Survivor Series Elimination match on SmackDown in 1999, it put the future of the “Texas Rattlesnake” very much into doubt, even if fans didn’t know it at the time. Still reeling from the effects of […]

When Earl Hebner pointed for the bell at Survivor Series 1997 and officially named Shawn Michaels the new WWE World Champion at the Molson Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, it turned the long-time referee into one of the most hated men in professional wrestling history. Fans booed Hebner for years, his integrity was called into […]

When CM Punk, Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and The Undertaker got on a private plane in 2006 to fly to Bagdad for WWE’s Tribute to the Troops, the group likely expected an easy, extended flight to the Middle East without much issue. Unfortunately, as The Undertaker recalls it on his Six Feet Under podcast, that […]

2020 was an incredibly important year for the WWE Universe, even if fans weren’t aware of it at the time. Bray Wyatt’s Fiend character was going strong, even if some fans were getting tired of the gimmick, Drew McIntyre was in the middle of a pair of WWE Championship title runs, and a number of […]

In the eyes of many fans, Cody Rhodes is a strong contender for the MVP of WWE in 2023. On paper, it makes sense, right? Rhodes has wrestled 108 matches for WWE in 2023, the most matches he’s worked since 2017, and has won all but five of his efforts – 86-2 as a singles […]

When news, or at least rumors, broke that Warner Brothers Discovery was interested in negotiating with WWE about the media rights for RAW, a decision potentially related to CEO David Zaslav’s relationship with former AEW favorite CM Punk, it set the internet wrestling community on fire. Was Nick Khan and company looking to run their […]

As the release of The Iron Claw rapidly approaches, fans of the first family of Texas wrestling were treated to not one, not two, but three appearances by The Von Erichs, Marshall, Ross, and their father Kevin – played in the movie by Zac Efron – on AEW television, with the trio debuting on Dynamite […]

When Lacey Evans was released from WWE in August of 2023, fans openly wondered what the future held for the “Sassy Southern Belle.” Would she immediately jump to another promotion like, say, Impact/TNA, which could theoretically place her in a prominent role right from the jump at the top of the card? Or would she […]

When Carmelo Hayes was announced as Shawn Michaels’ hand-picked NXT representative for the United States Championship number one contender’s tournament on SmackDown, it felt like a big deal. Tasked with showing up and showing out against one of his own personal rivals, Grayson Waller, a man who suffered a broken leg during their last encounter, […]

Drew McIntyre is at a very interesting spot in his professional wrestling career. After falling into a bit of a rut following the end of his two WWE Championship runs, McIntyre has embraced his carnal desires for success without the limits of a babyface’s moral code, doing whatever he needs to in order to get […]

It has officially been three months, give or take a few days, since Matt Riddle was released from WWE. While his period away from the promotion hasn’t been completely silent, as he did comment on the return of CM Punk on social media and earned a pretty massive shoutout from Randy Orton for effectively keeping […]

After months away from WWE television – literally – Roman Reigns made his triumphant return to SmackDown to discuss the state of The Bloodline, a faction that has found a new foe in familiar face as of late in Randy Orton. Marching down to the ring with his brand new golden WWE Championship on his […]

When Kenny Omega announced to the professional wrestling community that he was going to be out of action indefinitely in AEW after suffering a medical emergency that was later reported to be diverticulitis, it called the very future of the Golden Jets, his tag team with Chris Jericho, into question. Sure, Tony Khan could simply […]

When news broke that A24 was producing a movie based on the Von Erich family, fittingly named after the family’s famous finishing maneuver, The Iron Claw, fans eagerly waited to see how filmmaker Sean Durkin would tackle the stories of Fritz, Kerry, Chris, David, and Kevin Von Erich on the silver screen. While early reviews […]

As the WWE Universe descends on Wisconsin for a special edition of SmackDown in Green Bay, one performer who won’t be in attendance is Liv Morgan, the one-time SmackDown Woman’s Champion, as she was arrested in Florida for multiple drug-related charges, including possession of marijuana. Though marijuana is legal for residents of Florida who obtain […]

Grayson Waller has a lot going on right now in the WWE Universe. He’s found a tag team partner in Austin Theory, gotten Kevin Owens suspended from SmackDown, albeit momentarily, and has even earned a spot in the latest tournament to decide the next United States Championship number one contender, even if he has to […]

After nearly a year of anticipation, Athena and Billy Starkz will finally take the ring against each other as foes with the Ring of Honor Woman’s Championship on the line at Final Battle, a show going up against SmackDown and Rampage exclusively on Honor Club. Will the hardest-hitting performer in professional wrestling keep her title […]

Two days removed from setting up a huge angle with AEW Tag Team Champions Ricky Starks and Big Bill, one-half of the number one contending team of the Golden Jets, Kenny Omega, has been placed on ice indefinitely, as “The Best Bout Machine” has suffered a medical emergency that will place him on the shelf […]

When news broke that Mariah May was signing with AEW over WWE after an extended run in Stardom, it felt like a major win for Tony Khan’s company. Sure, May wasn’t the biggest name on the international scene, as Giulia remains the apple of WWE’s and, to a lesser extent, AEW’s eyes, but at 25, […]

When The Von Erichs, Marshall and Ross, the sons of The Iron Claw subject Kevin Von Erich, exited MLW at the end of their contracts in the spring of 2022, it felt like only a matter of time before the third-generation wrestlers would be off to bigger and better things in the business. And yet, […]

On Monday Night RAW, Drew McIntyre let it be known that he has absolutely no interest in sharing a locker room with CM Punk. Sure, Punk is popular, and sure, he’s already signed to WWE, meaning they would be co-workers one way or another, but if the “Scottish Warrior” had his say – which clearly […]

When Tony Khan announced the field for the 2023 Continental Classic, there was one match above all others that fans circled on the golden bracket: Swerve Strickland versus Jon Moxley. Suddenly, the hottest performer in AEW, fresh off one of the most incredible death matches you will see at Full Gear, was destined for a […]

Trick Williams is the belle of NXT‘s ball right now. Sure, technically he isn’t the NXT Champion, that honor still belongs to Ilja Dragunov, but he is the Iron Survivor Challenge winner and who knows, maybe in a few weeks’ time, he’ll be able to unseat the “Mad Dragon” in the squared-circle on the first […]

When Nia Jax took the ring against Becky Lynch on RAW, she really has nothing to lose. Sure, Lynch talked a big game, about her own legacy, about Jax’s part in it, and about their forthcoming match set to take place at some point in the future, but the “Irresistible Force” didn’t have to do […]

Chris Jericho has wrestled hundreds and hundreds of different wrestlers over his professional wrestling career. From Ultimo Dragon in CMLL, to Rob Van Dam in ECW, Hiroshi Tanahashi in New Japan, Cody Rhodes in AEW, and about a dozen major names from Shawn Michaels to Kevin Owens in WWE, “The Ocho” has worked against some […]

When Baron Corbin took his talents to NXT after failing to be selected in the 2023 WWE Draft, it felt like a certified nothingburger. Sure, Corbin has a few big matches on his resume, the most notable being retiring Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 35 and his feud against Roman Reigns, but his highlights on the […]

Before Ruby Soho was Ruby Soho, the apple of Angelo Parker’s eyes and a member of Saraya’s Outcasts faction, she was Ruby Riott, the leader of WWE’s The Riott Squad and factionmate of Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan. While the faction never quite rose to the level some fans were hoping to see, as none […]

When CM Punk announced that he’d be stopping at SmackDown, NXT, and RAW before making his free agent decision, it felt like a technicality. Punk made his return on RAW, had the most built-in feuds with performers on RAW, and, after Randy Orton signed with SmackDown, it felt like overkill to add another main eventer […]

After securing a huge win at the final NXT Premium Live Event of the 2023 calendar year, Deadline, in the Iron Survivor Challenge, Trick Williams was fired up heading into the fallout edition of NXT. Sure, the opening of NXT didn’t go quite as he expected, as Carmelo Hayes was attacked – maybe – by […]

After making his massive return after a year and a half away at Survivor Series, Randy Orton officially made his future a whole lot clearer on SmackDown: Signing with the Blue Brand as his new home within the WWE Universe so he can go after The Bloodline. For Orton, the decision to return was a […]

When AEW does something wrong, weird, or questionable, you can bet your bottom dollar that WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff will have something to say about it. CM Punk’s firing? He hated it. The promotion’s declining viewership numbers? He has a million fixes for that, too. And the acquisition of Ring of Honor? Well, […]

After watching SmackDown and NXT secure expensive, expansive media rights deals with the USA Network and The CW, respectively, with a new deal for the CM Punk-headlined RAW soon to follow, all eyes are on AEW and just how much money Tony Khan can secure for a portfolio that includes Dynamite, Rampage, Collision, and Ring […]

Drew McIntyre doesn’t like CM Punk. Now granted, that isn’t a unique to him feature of the WWE Universe, as Seth Rollins’ new character is basically the number one CM Punk hater, but if you think back to Survivor Series, before the “Visionary” threw up the double birds and cursed out the “Saint” within his […]

Over the past month and change, all but one of Ring of Honor‘s championship belts, from the Television to the Pure, the World Championship, the Six-Man Championship, and the Tag Team Titles, have been defended on AEW programming, with belts being wrestled for on television, on Pay-Per-View, and as part of the Continental Classic, where […]

After discussing all things CM Punk’s return on his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T had to face the “Best in the World” head-on at NXT Deadline, where the duo both worked the show in their respective roles. Would Punk give Booker a hard time for going too hard or soft on him as part […]

When CM Punk made his trumphant return to professional wrestling a few months removed from being fired from AEW, it got fans excited. Sure, WWE fans were more pumped up than the AEW faithful, as their preferred company landed a shiny new toy, but even fans who poke fun at the “Best in the World” […]

Well, folks, it’s official: CM Punk and Seth Rollins are going to be seeing a lot of each other in WWE, as the “Best in the World” has officially decided to take his talents to RAW moving forward. Unfortunately, Rollins wasn’t into this announcement one bit, as the “Visionary” waited until just after his rival […]

After two weeks of anticipation, CM Punk took the ring on RAW for the final stop on his free agency tour, where he promised to tell fans of WWE which brand he would “sign” with moving forward. Would he choose SmackDown, working alongside fellow indie stalwart-turned-WWE personality Nick Aldis and fellow former Ring of Honor […]

When NXT Deadline came to an end with the image of Ilja Dragunov and Trick Williams staring each other down as Carmelo Hayes came up behind his long-time friend, it marked the end of the WWE Premium Live Event calendar, with fans having to wait through Christmas and New Years in order to see their […]