Matty Breisch Articles - Page 98

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 […]

After working the proverbial system with a steady stream of main roster talent to bolster the ratings, it looks like WWE’s calculated risk has paid off with a brand new five-year contract for NXT at the CW, which will begin in October of 2024. When NXT decided to shift from a reality game show format […]

When news trickled around the online professional wrestling community that not only was WWE interested in signing Stardom/NJPW star Giulia to a contract but was actually planning on hosting her at the Performance Center for one reason or another, it turned heads. Sure, Giulia isn’t what you would call a household by pretty much any […]

Depending on which rumors you believe, CM Punk is either definitely returning to WWE at Survivor Series, maybe making his way back to The Fed in his hometown arena, or is not making a return at all, with both sides making cheeky references to the other to make light of their inability to make a […]

After securing a massive win over Drew McIntyre at Crown Jewel, Seth Rollins almost had to pull double duty when Damian Priest marched down to the ring with his signature purple Money in the Bank briefcase to cash in his contract for a shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Now, to Rollins, this was […]

Before he was Bray Wyatt, before he was “The Fiend,” before he was the “Eater of Worlds,” and even before he had a thrown-together family from Florida, Windham Rotunda was Husky Harris, a light-hearted member of Nexus who came and went with a whimper, not a roar. While to some, this could have been viewed […]

Ric Flair hasn’t even been a member of AEW for a month, at least officially, and yet, not even the addition of Adam Copeland has earned as many headlines not just among hardcore professional wrestling websites and industry periodicals but in the mainstream culture too, with the “Nature Boy” stopping by everywhere from ESPN to […]

When news broke that Logan Paul was on the lookout to challenge Rey Mysterio for the United States Championship at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia, it spelled very bad news for the legacy leader of the LWO. Sure, Paul hasn’t exactly had the best 2023 of anyone in the WWE Universe, losing every match he […]

There was a time when Big E looked like he was the next big thing in professional wrestling. A do-it-all powerhouse who was as strong as he was charismatic, Big E transitioned from FCW standout to one of the most popular people in the promotion period as a member of the New Day, where he […]

After watching both of his wards, Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa, secure commanding wins at Crown Jewel, Paul Heyman was riding high. Everything went as planned, goofy things happened, and while Jimmy Uso did have to help his uncle secure the win over LA Knight, it was far less egregious than some of his previous […]

After successfully defending his World Heavyweight Championship against Drew McIntyre, Seth Rollins was ready for a fight when Damian Priest ran out to the ring with his Money in the Bank briefcase in order to, presumably, cash in his contract and change his future in the WWE Universe for better or worse. … but then, […]

Death, taxes, and Roman Reigns retaining his title; some things are truly inevitable. Heading into Crown Jewel, LA Knight said and did all the right things. He shot his shot on the mic, did media rounds, and even kissed a few babies for good measure in the hopes of proving he could be the guy […]

When Cody Rhodes challenged Damian Priest to a match at Crown Jewel, it felt beyond random. Sure, Rhodes and Priest have beef, with their most recent Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship match clearly setting things up for a match in Saudi Arabia, but why was the match a singles contest, as opposed to a rematch […]