Professional wrestling news and shows reviews? I’m not a big fan of Chris Jericho, but there is no doubt that he is one of this generation’s most convincing and contentious characters. A perfect mix of wrestling talent and mic work, Jericho is consistently entertaining. He is credited as being the first Undisputed WWF Champion, having unified the World Championship and the WWF Championship by defeating The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin on the same night in 2001. Surely, he is one of the greatest wrestlers in history.
Frequently dropping into the splits during her entrance and incorporating back handsprings into her matches, it’s no surprise that Penelope Ford came from a gymnastics background. During her gymnast days, her favorite event was high beam and she uses those skills today to walk along the top rope. Many fans know that Brandi Rhodes is the creative director at AEW, but they might not realize that she is the first Black woman to hold an executive leadership position in any major North American wrestling promotion. As the creative director, Rhodes is committed to diversity and inclusion and wants to make sure she is always learning something new about someone else’s experience. Not surprisingly, she’s always been ambitious. At a young age, she was inspired to become a figure skater by Debi Thomas, a Black skater who took the bronze medal in the 1988 Olympics. Rhodes skated competitively from age 4 until college, where she left the sport to have a “true college experience.” She later went on to obtain her Master’s degree in broadcast journalism.
The three basic types of wrestling contest are the belt-and-jacket, catch-hold, and loose styles, all of which appear to have originated in antiquity. Belt-and-jacket styles of wrestling are those in which the clothing of the wrestlers provides the principal means of taking a grip on the opponent. In many cases this is no more than a special belt worn by both wrestlers, while in others a special belted jacket and special trousers are worn. Catch-hold styles require the contestants to take a prescribed hold before the contest begins; often this grip must be maintained throughout the struggle. Loose styles of wrestling, which are used in modern international competition, commence with the wrestlers separated and free to seize any grip that they choose except such as are explicitly forbidden (e.g., taking hold of an opponent’s clothing or using a life-threatening grip, such as a stranglehold).
It’s tough to keep winning streaks alive in today’s WWE. Except for Asuka’s incredible 914-day undefeated streak and Undertaker’s legendary streak at WrestleMania, there haven’t been too many impressive undefeated streaks to talk about in WWE, recently. Therefore, it’s impressive that Adam Cole did not take a pin in WWE for over a year. Before Keith Lee ended his run as NXT Champion, Adam Cole hadn’t lost a singles match via pinfall since winning the title at NXT Takeover XXV. Cole only suffered two DQ losses in his run as champion. Similar to Cole’s run, Becky Lynch, who wrestled her last match at WrestleMania 36, hadn’t had a loss via pinfall since losing to Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at Money In The Bank in May, 2019. After losing to Flair, Lynch only suffered one loss in singles matches (via disqualification). The DQ loss came against Sasha Banks at Clash of Champions 2019. Read additional information at WWE News.
The Phenom, who finally called time on his storied WWE career this year, has always remained relevant throughout the decades and his 2000s run was no different. The Deadman debuted his American Badass gimmick and became one of the original stars of SmackDown as it rose to beat RAW in the ratings. He won his first World Heavyweight title in 2007 and became the first man to win the Royal Rumble after entering at number 30. All the while he continued his legendary undefeated streak at Wrestlemania with wins over Orton, Edge, Batista, Kane and Shawn Michaels.