Author: Marc Madison (Editor in Chief)

Ilja Dragunov is not an overnight success. In a career that has spanned nearly a decade, Dragunov comes to the ring with an intensity. An intensity that hasn’t been seen in the WWE for many a year. While many may confuse his size as a guise for talent with great heart, it isn’t a fair assessment of him as an athlete. Trained by former WWE and NXT talent Alexander Wolfe & Rick Baxxter, Dragunov has worked hard to be where he is today. The story of Ilja Dragunov isn’t a tale like everyone else. Born Ilja Rukober, Dragunov was born…

As a veteran of over 16 years, Delta, British Columbia native Kyle O’Reilly has made a career of hitting hard, hitting often, and doing it all over the world. O’Reilly first began his career competing on the Canadian West Coast’s Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling. Less than a year later, after being trained by the likes of Aaron Idol, he graduated from ECCW’s House of Pain Wrestling academy. O’Reilly, in fact, defeated Idol at his graduation show. By the Summer of 2007, O’Reilly would capture the Pacific Cup tournament. His time in the promotion was met with notable matches such as…

On August 5th, 2006, two of Ring of Honor’s greatest wrestlers, Bryan Danielson and Samoa Joe, would do battle at the Fight of the Century event in Edison, New Jersey. With the Ring of Honor World Championship on the line, the champion and challenger would battle in a match that had to be seen to be believed! On this night, they displayed unbridled passion, emotion, striking, and commitment to telling a story fans would never forget. While match ratings are often debatable, fans are assured that a battle between these two wouldn’t be less than four stars. This match would…

On August 28th, 1989, the WWF presented SummerSlam 89′ from the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The show kicked off with Tony Schiavone and Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura on commentary. Ventura immediately warns Schiavone to stay in line. The focus is the tag team match featuring Zeus and the ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage against Hulk Hogan and Brutus ‘The Barber’ Beefcake. ________________ SummerSlam 89′ The Hart Foundation (Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart & Jim ‘The Anvil’ Neidhart) vs. The Brain Busters (Tully Blanchard & Arn Anderson) with Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan This is a non-title match and should be a…

This is the journey of Malakai Black and Cody Rhodes and a dark nightmare crossing. On one side, we have (at the time) an AEW Executive Vice President and a former TNT Champion. Standing across from him is a former NXT Champion and one of the most haunting characters in wrestling today. When Malakai Black (Tommy End) appeared on the July 7th edition of AEW Dynamite, fans were in shock and disbelief at who stood before them. At the same time, commentators were unsure what to call the man that stood in the corner of the ring. Finally, the name…

‘The Bruiserweight’ Pete Dunne has been a professional wrestler for over fifteen years, that fans have come to know today wasn’t always what they knew him to be. At the tender age of 12, Pete Dunne initially emerged under the training of Steve’ Psycho’ Edwards in the city of Coventry, England. That early training, much like anyone getting their foot into the door, was only the fundamentals of wrestling. It would only take one year for him to meet someone that would long become someone he has had a longstanding friendship with, Mark Andrews. “Yeah, so it’s a funny thing…

On July 23rd, 2010, at EVOLVE 4: Bryan Danielson vs. Bobby Fish, a match took place between two notable individuals long before they were battling for the NXT championship. When a young, clean-cut Adam Cole faced a long-haired rocker named Johnny Gargano, their encounter was unlike anything fans had seen and certainly unlike what we would see now. These were well before the days of #DIY and the Undisputed Era as well. In EVOLVE, wins and losses were counted and mattered (does that sound familiar today?), and Cole was walking in winless with a record of 0-1 as he squared…

After only a few years in the industry, the top talent Christian Casanova went from being on the cusp of breaking out to becoming HIM, Carmelo Hayes. From Framingham, Massachusetts, USA, Hayes had initially been active on the New England area’s independent scene. However, as the years have passed, Hayes’s popularity has risen as well. His success in various promotions is an example of just how much he’s grown and developed upon getting his career right off the bat needed to find an outlet an in need of a character. The King of Pop initially inspired his first character. Carmelo…

On March 28th, 2010, the WWE presented the 26th annual WrestleMania. One match from this event stood out above all others: Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker battled in a match pitting career vs. streak. It was the second consecutive year they faced each other; however, the stakes couldn’t be any higher. Fans of The Undertaker were aware of his streak. A win here would put the Undertaker’s streak to 18-0. On the other side was the Heartbreak Kid and someone often referred to as Mr. WrestleMania, Shawn Michaels. It would be the second consecutive year where the two would face…

An apex is best described as the tip, the point, the summit, a climax, or a peak. The best definition of combat is ‘to oppose vigorously’. Put these two words together, and you have the nickname for Lee Moriarty, but it is evident that this isn’t merely a nickname. Lee Moriarty carries himself with a sense of calm that erupts upon the battlefield. The earliest influence on his ring style was AJ Styles. But he has shown growth over his time in the industry due to his exposure to Chris Hero and Tiger Mask 1. They, along with contemporaries such as…