STEELCHAIR Wrestling Magazine #23

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// NJP H O R / / E W W

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DERGR N U A H C U L / / PACT / / WO S / / I M

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D N E G E L ECW

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A O M A S JOE H OW R E V P R O CAN WIN F R E E S P O RT S .C O .U

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SCAN TO ORDER IN PRINT

REMEMBERING JIM “THE ANVIL” N E I D H A RT

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VULTUREHOUND BLACK?43 ALEI2018STER KO: WWE’S MAN OF MISSED OPPORTUNITIES // WHO ATTACKEDMARCH

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R I A H C L E STE Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more from SteelChair Magazine. Click here to visit the channel

WELCOME

WELCOME FROM THE EDITOR .C O .U

elcome to the latest issue where we reveal our 4th Annual Wrestler of the Year.

We’ve picked the best wrestlers from the last 12 months and compiled them into the top 100.

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We speak to ECW Legend Tommy Dreamer who gives us his opinion on if he thinks ECW could work now.

It’s the greatest mystery of our time and the team has taken it upon themselves to find out who attacked Aleister Black.

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After the sad passing of the Hart Foundation’s Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart we pay tribute to a legend.

Is there a badder man in the business right now than Samoa Joe? We got chance to discuss his rivalry with AJ Styles and Ric Flair amongst other things.

On the site we discuessed how Hell in a Cell lost it’s magic, but after the 2018 additional we look at how WWE got it right. Red cell anyone?

EDITORIAL DAVID GARLICK EDITOR / DESIGN david@vulturehound.com

JOZEF RACZKA FEATURES EDITOR JAMES TOAL INTERVIEW EDITOR VICTORIA TEZANGI REVIEW EDITOR STEPH FRANCHOMME NEWS EDITOR LEE HAZELL COPY EDITOR

DAVID GARLICK @davidgarlick

Copyright 2018 SteelChair Magazine. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written consent of SteelChair Magazine.

Requests for permission should be directed to: info@steelchairmag.com.

Cover photo: Impact Wrestling

OCTOBER 2018 STEELCHAIR 03

REV PRO

WORDS: DAVE ADAMSON

THE REVOLUTION WILL BE TELEVISED BAD HOW REVPRO CAN WIN FREESPORTS ritish wrestling returns to FreeSports after the unceremonious collapse of 5 Star Wrestling in March 2018. Now, stepping up to the challenge, are the already established and hugely successful Revolution Pro Wrestling, one of the more desirable wrestling companies in the United Kingdom, with a reputation for putting on quality shows featuring the pick of UK and global talent for a rabid fanbase.

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With TV tapings taking place during September, RevPro is eschewing 5 Star Wrestling’s previous model of a weekly three-hour live television event for pre-recorded instalments that will give them plenty of wrestling to stripe across a season, instead of worrying about producing a rolling programme of content.

Andy Quildan, the owner of RevPro, has set out his vision, keeping many of the finer details under wraps, for both RevPro and FreeSports, along with his vision for British wrestling and how his product fits into the ever-changing

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landscape. He knows that the fans got the company where it is today and that fans have different views of what constitutes “good wrestling”.

He wants to create a strong representation of British wrestling for the industry on a national platform.

Quildan can certainly turn his vision into a reality with a product that will evolve over time, just like the company that he’s built so far. He will be working with a production company, which certainly stands him in good stead for creating a solid, accessible and contemporary television product with his focus being solely on the area that he excels – quality wrestling.

injury or travel issues for these independent talents.

RevPro is going the WOS Wrestling root – filming a series of shows in a block so that they’ve got the talent, they’ve got the television cameras and they’ve got the control over what the final product looks like. Hopefully, the editing will be a touch tighter than WOS Wrestling whilst the talent will continue to be a showcase for wrestling on a national platform.

There are a few things that RevPro can do to succeed where 5 Star Wrestling struggled:

Ideally, instead of trying to give us a three-hour block (roughly 150 minutes excluding adverts), they’ll give us a solid hour (45 minutes excluding adverts) of television that’ll mix live action, backstage shenanigans and interviews. Imagine it being a cross between WOS Wrestling and WWE NXT. That would be something.

A One Hour Show

Storylines

Having a three-hour block of television time was a blessing and a curse for 5 Star Wrestling.

Having to fill three hours of television per week, every week, regardless of audience numbers and talent availability was always going to be a big ask and plans can be easily derailed by

The benefit of RevPro, as with many of the successful local companies, is a returning fan base. It’s a fanbase that doesn’t just want quality wrestling, but quality storytelling. There’s a reason for the men and women to be in the ring, other than they’ve been paid to be there,

and this is something that RevPro can capitalise upon for the TV format. Unlike WOS Wrestling, which has a higher level of broadcast regulation thanks to its presence on one of the “big five” TV channels (let alone in a prime-time weekend slot), RevPro’s show will be much further down the programme guide (Channel 95 on Freeview). Whilst there’s no news of a time slot yet, it’d make sense for the programme to broadcast as close to the 9pm watershed as possible, allowing for more mature content; not necessarily hardcore wrestling or storylines (this isn’t likely to be ECW or Attitude Era WWF), but to push the creative envelope and what can be shown to the audience.

Fine-tuned Production If 5 Star Wrestling and WOS Wrestling was anything to go by, the presentation of the TV product will be criticised for the way it looks. For a live product, there’s one chance to get it right and WWE has managed to turn that into an art form.

For pre-recorded, there’s a lot more opportunity to get the balance right before broadcast.

Whether wrestling fans watch WWE products or not, they know what good televised wrestling looks like and what the better on-demand services offer, too. Professional editing and camerawork are more than just employing professional editors and camera people, it’s understanding the shorthand of

wrestling and why some things are captured in the way that they are for the home audience.

The same will apply to the product that RevPro produce for television. They’ve had years of practice for the mainstream, now it’s time to put it all out there.

Capturing the audience British wrestling fans are sometimes a fickle bunch. For many, British wrestling is the local promotion and nothing else matches that. RevPro fans are often seen at PROGRESS shows and vice versa, and fans travel the length and breadth of the country to attend York Hall. They’re part of an atmosphere at RevPro that makes it distinctive, it’s a discerning customer base and it’s an audience that has grown to regularly sell out that venue and others. The relationship with NJPW has reaped rewards and the introduction of breakout talent hasn’t gone unappreciated either.

RevPro is in an enviable position – it can change the mind of the local wrestling fans who may not be familiar with this brand of British wrestling. They’ll see names they may recognise but in a whole new light.

Getting and keeping the audience

you’re going to stumble across whilst idly browsing. Sports fans may know it exists, but casual wrestling fans may need a bit of direction. Hopefully, RevPro’s management will spread the word far and wide, especially given how hot British wrestling currently is. Getting the talent in front of the television cameras on programmes such as This Morning, BBC Breakfast, even Loose Women, would be a good move to get that brand recognition out there. Even if someone thinks “I’ll record that”, it’s a step in the right direction not just for RevPro, but for British wrestling in general.

Quildan has made it clear that he’d like to be at the top of the British wrestling mountain, but he is more than willing to learn from what others are doing. He doesn’t see RevPro as comparable to any other British wrestling company, and nor should it be. With existing recognition from fans and talent across the world, his RevPro stands proudly alongside the best of British wrestling, with its head held exceptionally high.

His vision doesn’t seem to be limited or tempered by the success or decline of others and he certainly has the ambition to make RevPro on Freesports a huge event with a long future.

Wrestling fans across the UK are no doubt waiting for the broadcast date announcement with anticipation.

Being so far down the EPG, Freesports isn’t a channel that OCTOBER 2018 STEELCHAIR 05

TOMMY DREAMER

WORDS: STEPH FRANCHOMME |PHOTO: IMPACT

INTERVIEW: TOMMY DREAMER: FROM INNOVATOR OF VIOLENCE TO LEGEND OF HARDCORE WRESTLING ecause of everything he has done, in ECW, WWE, TNA/Impact Wrestling, and his own promotion, House of Hardcore, Tommy Dreamer is a voice that deserves to be heard. How many wrestlers have him to thank for the opportunities he has given them?

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Dreamer loved this business so much he made it a home where he can be the man and wrestler he has always strived to be. We talked to him about how both wrestling and hardcore wrestling, have changed over the years, the impact of social media and streaming platforms to the industry, and his longevity.

On longevity

“To still be competing at this age at such a high level, I really have Terry Funk to credit, because he was the one who told me that if you don’t keep evolving and changing with the business, it will pass you by. That’s why he was doing moonsaults into the crowd in his 50s. To me, to make it – not just in wrestling, but for

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anything like this – it’s passion.

You have to have a love for this because, honestly, you’re not going to make it [if you don’t].

Everything we do in wrestling is what they tell you not to do in life. For my longevity, I always worked out. I still work out. I know it doesn’t look like I work out but I try very hard. There’s a lot of my body parts that are not attached. I’m coming on 30 years of wrestling next year doing this. I was never a guy who was into alcohol or drugs.

The most I’ve ever drunk was when I used to tag with the Sandman. I know I don’t look good, but I train really hard to look this bad.

“Before he passed, I was with Bruno Sammartino and I would talk to him a lot. He used to still run like five miles a week.

If you do this all the time, it just becomes your routine. So I have my routine, I do it as much as possible. I also love what I do and I have respect. If I feel I can’t go in the ring anymore, I’m just going to quit. When I say I retire, that’s it. I’m done in wrestling. I’m gonna do my own farewell tour and I’m gonna go visit a bunch of places that I’ve been before and then I’m gonna use that as a selling point of “hey you’re not going to see me

wrestle ever again” and then I’m out and I will probably have one big match somewhere and then call it a career.”

On his favourite hardcore weapon “I would like to say the Singapore cane. For some reason I’m the one who always brings it to the ring, but yet, it always gets used on me, so I’m a bit of an idiot. Honestly, old-school will never die. Once you fight outside to the floor, the match is now escalated and, if you think about it, there’s the ring apron, the steps, the guardrails... Then it’s the floor, then you reach under the ring for whatever’s under there, even if it’s in the form cookie sheet, which surprisingly makes the greatest noise. A lot of people think it doesn’t hurt, but I have busted more people’s heads open or given – or had – more lumps on my head from cookie sheets than anything else. A garbage can, a chair, a cane, barbed wire or thumbtacks.

To me, old-school psychology is always the best. The term hardcore has been bastardized by the WWE in the sense people think about in terms of blood or tables or chairs. To me,

hardcore is a work ethic.”

On the three major evolutions he has witnessed after 30 years in the business “Number one: The evolution for the wrestler, in the sense of, back in the day, we used to do chair shots to the head before we knew about the problems of concussions and I used to bend steel chairs over people’s heads.

If someone’s gonna hit me, I’m not putting my hands up because I had to be tough and hardcore. The fact that even in WWE or in Impact Wrestling, if someone has a concussion, they set them out because they know about the long-term effects. I remember once in ECW, I had three concussions in a week that could have done some serious damage to me. Thankfully, I’m still going so I like that WWE has a Wellness program. I know at Impact Wrestling, all the wrestlers are tested for AIDS and hepatitis.

“Number Two: the evolution of social media. I’ve been a fan of this business since I was 9-year-old. I remember when I was trying so hard to become a

wrestler. I didn’t know how to do it. Now I can just google it. You can even talk to, or try to meet, a wrestler. The only way to do it, you’d have to stand in the back of an arena at a show and pray and hope that someone just got out of here.

“Number Three: Women’s Evolution. I think it’s great and you also understand I came from ECW where we always treated the women equally in the sense of the women would get piledrivers, they would fight with each other. Beulah, Francine, Dawn-Marie, Lita, Jazz, we really didn’t have women matches but they were out there in the men’s corner

but they were not only eye candies. I never treated women just like eye candies. That’s why for me like I hired Lita, Jazz or Beth Phoenix, people who have surpassed me in their own career’s accolades. I couldn’t be prouder of the women out there.”

On if ECW would make it now “I think we’d be out of business, because everything we did in ECW would be illegal now. Most of the music, which was such a huge part of ECW, we wouldn’t be able to use now. If you want to talk about conflicts and dramas, we would have riots all the time. Now think of the era OCTOBER 2018 STEELCHAIR 07

TOMMY DREAMER

to deal with me how I deal with them. I’m a man of my word and I expect to always be that way. I balance that with just handshake agreements because I’m a man of my word and I’ve proven that for a long, long time. I’ve always lived up to my stipulations. I feel it’s important to be a man of your word, that’s just me, that’s how I am.” of cell phones and cameras.

I don’t think it would exist whatsoever. You could not today pick up a bloody wrestler and throw him into the crowd and expect people to bodysurf him everywhere, you would be sued up for that.”

On recognition “I couldn’t be prouder of the men and women that I’ve helped along the way. I don’t need the recognition that they’re giving me. I don’t think a lot of people realize how many people Terry Funk helped or how much Dusty Rhodes helped me when I used to walk back as a 24 or 25-yearold kid. I would have Terry Funk, Mick Foley, Paul Heyman helping me become better. I’ve been blessed and now I just tell people the truth or what they want to do to take their careers to the next level. I am

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very proud of everybody that I helped.”

On the next hardcore legend “I would say Sami Callihan and maybe Penta. Even though he’s a luchador and he does a Lucha style, he gets pretty hardcore.”

On being Tommy Dreamer “I learned a lot of lessons in my life. Everyone talks about ECW and the greatness of what was ECW, and it was.

But none of us ever knew that Paul Heyman was in bed with the WWE the entire time. I saw those effects. I had to live with those effects for a very long time. Impact Wrestling, I worked there through a lot of different regimes, but once politics or BS started getting involved, I just left. I’m not a very hard person to deal with. I’ve wanted people

A message for the fans “I’m blessed. I always say you are our family. I also always say that I’m just a fan that got fortunate that somebody believed in me. The fact that I’m still doing this means I’m going to give you all that I have.

I wrestle every single match like it’s my last because I know one day it will be. I love you guys just as much as you love me.”

You may dislike hardcore wrestling, but you can’t dislike Tommy Dreamer. Not just because of everything he represents to this business, but for all the wrestlers he has given us the chance to see compete in a ring, Tommy Dreamer has earned a very special place in the business that no Hall of Fame could ever equal. This place is the heart and the soul of the fans.

Oli Sandler Photography

Official Steel Chairer Photograph

KEVIN OWENS

WORDS: TOM BEASLEY | PHOTO: WWE

KEVIN OWENS: WWE’S MAN OF MISSED OPPORTUNITIES ull disclosure, this article was originally going to be something very different. It was going to be an article in praise of WWE for booking an incredibly interesting storyline for one of the most talented performers on its roster. When Kevin Owens, exhausted and battered after a gruelling match with Seth Rollins for the Intercontinental Championship, sat in the ring two weeks ago on RAW and despondently uttered the words “I quit”, it seemed the company was embarking on a very special narrative.

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That was before this Monday.

On this week’s episode of RAW, Owens made his return to carry out a sneak attack on Bobby Lashley who was having a meditation lesson from Jinder Mahal because wrestling is really weird. He beat the everloving snot out of Lashley for a few minutes, before hitting him with his signature powerbomb on the apron.

There was no explanation as to why Owens’ retirement was so brief and there hasn’t been a connection between him and Lashley for a very long time.

Owens’ best friend Sami Zayn

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was embroiled in one of the worst rivalries in years with Lashley immediately before his injury absence, but that would be a very flimsy justification for a feud, particularly given the potential strength of the angle they sacrificed in order to tell this story.

It seems this is a consistent issue with the booking of Owens. They don’t know what to do with him.

On the face of it, he has all of the tools. He’s an elite level in-ring competitor and also has every skill in the world with a microphone in his hand. His promo immediately prior to the match with Rollins is a prime example. His Canadian heritage had the Toronto crowd firmly on side, only for Owens to turn them completely against him by expressing his desire to win the belt in Montreal instead and trash talking the fans in French.

There’s no one on the roster who can control the audience in the way that he can, while also delivering a great match with absolutely anyone.

Since he made his way to the main roster, however, Owens’ booking has been spotty, to say the least. He arrived on fire with a clean victory over

John Cena at Elimination Chamber in 2015 – his first pay-per-view appearance. This story looked set to establish Owens as a top heel and placed him firmly within the United States Championship picture, especially because he lost the NXT Championship at the Beast in the East show as his Cena feud continued. However, KO lost the two subsequent matches to Cena, tapping out to the STF at that year’s Battleground event.

The next year or so saw Owens establish himself as a strong force in the WWE upper mid-card, winning the Intercontinental Championship on several occasions before entering a fatal four-way bout for the newly minted WWE Universal Championship, which Finn Balor had vacated due to injury. This led to Owens’ second big missed opportunity after Triple H intervened to win Owens the belt over his previous protégé Seth Rollins. Authority Owens never happened, though, with Triple H never really explaining why he helped KO to the title and certainly never providing him with any sort of rub over the course of a solid, but unremarkable run as champion. He then lost the title to Goldberg in a squash match

with no fanfare, closing that particular chapter of his career with a whimper.

Owens’ subsequent feud with Chris Jericho – his former best friend – was well booked from a story perspective, but never really paid off with a great match. He was drafted to SmackDown Live and embarked upon a seemingly endless period of tensions with that brand’s boss, Shane McMahon. The feud was initially compelling, with the highlight being a genuinely shocking segment in which Owens busted the septuagenarian Vince McMahon wide open with a headbutt, before viciously laying him out in the centre of the ring. Owens and the younger McMahon battled inside Hell in a Cell later in the year, only for Sami Zayn to turn heel in support of his frenemy, giving the story a new lick of paint.

The next few months, however, were among the worst in Owens’ main roster stint. The feud between him, Zayn and the authorities on SmackDown Live plodded on through a series of ridiculous story contrivances and would have been an entirely insignificant part of the WrestleMania card had it not been for Daniel Bryan’s surprise

return from retirement to make the clash a tag team match.

The contest had hype but failed to deliver from an in-ring perspective.

the briefcase on the line. He lost the bout in less than two minutes, bringing yet another of his storylines to an abrupt and saddening conclusion.

He and Zayn continued to squabble with WWE bosses after WrestleMania, struggling for a contract when they were left undrafted. Stephanie McMahon ultimately granted them a spot on Raw, despite the fact Owens had effectively tried to murder her beloved father just a few months earlier.

Wrestling bookers have very short memories and enough ambivalence towards the fans that they assume our memories are equally fleeting.

That brings things back to where Owens is at today. Last week, when he appeared to be on the verge of tears after coming up short against Rollins, it felt believable. Owens has been stepped on by the fans and by those in power in WWE, setting up potential for a run as an even more unhinged bad guy or even an anti-establishment babyface in the vein of Stone Cold Steve Austin or CM Punk.

When he said the words “I quit”, it felt like the end of the uneven booking that has dogged his main roster career and the start of a new and interesting chapter.

The last few months, since Zayn’s injury, have been taken up by a feud between Owens and Braun Strowman, who won a guaranteed title opportunity at the Money in the Bank event. In a shining example of his commitment to the cause, Owens took a Foley-esque bump from the top of a cage through a ringside announce table at Extreme Rules and elevated a selection of silly segments – remember the portaloo? – before finally being granted something special. At SummerSlam, Owens would have one more match against Strowman, with

When he attacked Lashley on Monday, though, it seemed like a hastily penned addendum to the same chapter in which Owens has been mired for years. WWE seems content to squander one of its most talented performers in a series of meaningless, directionless rivalries that fail to take into account the brightness of his star. His status as WWE’s nearly man seems more or less set in stone.

OCTOBER 2018 STEELCHAIR 11

HEEL TURN

WORDS: LIAM O’ROURKE

HEEL TURN:

ECW KOOL-AID - BACK IN STOCK!

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or this month’s “Heel Turn”, I’ll be talking about All In.

Okay, fear not. This is not some kind of contrarian-for-the-sakeof-it piece, looking to side with the illogical Twitter breed of folk that wants to minimise what is, in my eyes, a fantastic achievement. This is all about perspective.

A lot has been said about this event. In the fallout of the show, one steeped in sentiment, I expected that people would be prone to a little hyperbole. But when I read a piece on Ringer calling it “the best show in recent memory”, I felt that somebody needs to pump the breaks. Or maybe develop a recall longer than seven days.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion of course - that’s the key to the entire success of the show. But for all the historical comparisons made, the people drawing parallels to the WWEpresented “ECW One Night Stand” in 2005 are more on the money than they probably realise.

Like All In, One Night Stand was an isolated show, running high

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on emotion, that fuelled the purest passion for pro wrestling that its fans had. One free of prejudice or overanalytical thinking, that forces those swept up in the maelstrom to be taken on a unique ride. A suspension of consciousness, almost, that allows them to enjoy wrestling the way they used to once upon a time.

One Night Stand followed the true ECW principle, the very same one All In adopted when fans are caught up in the movement, part of something special in the zeitgeist of the moment, the blinders come on.

When a company gets you to buy in and be a part of it, fans see the best in everything and the worst of nothing. They lose their critical eye and rationalise, because they want to.

That’s not a criticism, by the way.

To me, this is what wrestling, at its best, is supposed to do.

This takes nothing away from the incredible accomplishment of selling over 11,000 tickets.

It is, ultimately, a testament to it, because it speaks to how well Cody and The Young Bucks cultivated that movement. But one has to acknowledge when those blinders are on, and for the thousands of hardcores in attendance, including all the

reporters, by being in the thick of things at the Sears Center, many of them lost the ability to see things for what they really are. A lot of viewers seem to have done the same.

Simply put, this was not the best show in recent memory.

This wasn’t better than NJPW Dominion in June. In fact, most New Japan major shows for the last five years beat the hell out of All In. In the sold-out arena, with the great entrance way, pyro and graphics, the show looked major league. That said, there were production snafus you’d have expected from a 2009 TNA show - audio issues, a commentator throwing to a Christopher Daniels promo when he should have said to Nick Aldis, at least two blown finishes, and most notably, timing problems in matches that heavily impacted the main event, which was by far the most anticipated match on the show. Lost amongst the litany of hot spots were the realities of Stephen Amell’s amateur status which shone through, or the awful commentary from Tenille Dashwood and Mandy Leon (their big contribution of “I think they need to go for the pin” had me longing for the days of Rob Bartlett). The first few matches,

frankly, were nothing special at all.

The show turned around, but wasn’t without flaws or unpolished acts. I won’t be breaking any barriers by pointing out the irony of an audience critical of “sports entertainment” (a stupid viewpoint, by the way) going “All In” on Joey Ryan’s wandering dick and inflatable cock druids, but I’ll include it to make the larger point. Rewatching WWF Raw from 1999 will bring you to the realisation in a hurry that when you’re hot, you can get away with almost anything. The most outrageous, absurd idea can be a hit if done right for a crowd of willing customers.

Point being, it would have taken a major failure for this show, with this roster, to not be good, and with the feeling in the air galvanising the experience, upgrading it to greatness by proxy.

The same components that allowed ECW fans to fall in love with acts like The Pit Bulls, “The Shah” Hack Myers, The Sandman and The Gangstas in 1995, overlook their weaknesses and be engaged by them (i.e. good booking/ironic cult support/ charisma) were used on All In to get people to care about a clunky

Cody/Aldis match, pop for the stunts of Joey Janela without a well-rounded act, and swallow a criminally short main event that an awful lot of people would have complained about had a regular promotion been forced to play that card.

Of course, there was some legitimately great stuff on the show, spearheaded by some of the best wrestlers alive.

The perspective I promised at the beginning of this article? Almost all of those criticisms, nitpicks and think-pieces that people make about a wresting product online, including at WWE, are meaningless. Talk about what is or isn’t a babyface or heel move in the context of a story when discussing Roman Reigns or Charlotte Flair, coming from these people, means nothing.

Big picture smokes the minutiae, every time.

The rules of wrestling are relaxed and enforced at the whims of those willing to be entertained.

On September 1st in Chicago, over 11,000 people wanted a historic show, and unless it was a disaster, that’s what they were going to go home thinking. There was enough quality on the show to support their preconceived line of thinking. To those fans,

this was the show of the year, an event that, through it’s imcomparability, makes one wonder about the doors that may open or the possibilities the future may hold.

There is no real answer. This was a one-off collaboration. You can’t run a promotion with regular TV off of this. You could do All In 2, and I expect they will, but then it’s no longer unique, original, or the next big step toward something. It may become an annual indy megashow, and that’s cool, but when so much of the energy is tied to the unknown, just doing the same type of show gets old by year four or five when you’re drawing from the same pool of talent and fans. If you eliminate the big picture of All In 2018, there was enough minutiae to critique to the same standard as everything else.

It was an experiment. It was a wake-up call to the evolving nature of the wrestling audience.

It was a good show. Can it be the beginning of something more?

That depends. But it’s best to remember that ECW One Night Stand was much better off staying a one night stand, after all.

OCTOBER 2018 STEELCHAIR 13

JIM NEIDHART

WORDS: NICHOLAS GROOMS

REMEMBERING JIM “THE ANVIL” NEIDHART (FEB 8, 1955-AUG 13, 2018) I was fast asleep yesterday morning when I heard the repeated vibrating buzz of my phone on the end table next to my bed. After three or four buzzes, I reached through the darkness of my bedroom and lifted the phone from its resting place and clicked it over. The screen was a mixture of text alerts from friends asking me “What happened to “The Anvil?” and a message from the WWE app that read: “Breaking: Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart passes away.

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I was wide awake at that point looking for a news story or someone with more information.

Quite honestly, I was thrown into a bit of a tailspin. Having lost my own father only a few short months ago, my mind quickly drifted to the emotions the Neidhart children must be experiencing and began comparing them to my own.

Of all the wrestlers I loved growing up, Jim Neidhart was one of the few whom I was lucky enough to talk to on more than one occasion. In the game of “wrestling journalism”, our

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interactions are more limited than one would think. Most of the time, we get a quick interview and move on. There is little acclaim or notoriety, as many people seem to believe.

We interview, report our findings and say “thank you for your time” as we move on to the next interview in the same way our subjects often do. In many cases, we are just a face among the many that just so happen to hold recorders and ask wrestler’s a few questions before we part.

Sometime in 2013, I had just lost another friend in the business; Matt Borne, who is better known to the masses as “Doink the Clown”. Matt and I had been working together on some commercials for an agency I owned at the time, and unfortunately, he passed away before our plans could come to fruition. In searching for someone to fill the role, I ended up with the number to Jim Neidhart’s manager and the rest was history. In the few interactions I was able to have with Jim, he was incredibly kind and a bit of a joker. The first conversation we had was a tad awkward as I grew up the ultimate Hart family fanboy, and could not hold in

my excitement in telling Jim a story about how at 6 years old I was running a fever of 105 degrees and needed to go to the hospital but refused to go until I saw the Hart Foundation and the Rockers both wrestle on the program I was watching.

Somewhere in there, I made a joke about being Nattie’s biggest fan and being “so in love with her” to which Jim was completely quiet and responded with a “What?” which made me think I was lucky enough that he didn’t hear what I said in my rambling. With that, I moved on. As we talked business, there was a point where I repeated something to make sure Jim understood and he said “I heard you. Loud and clear, I understood you as well as when you said you loved my daughter” which he followed up with a hearty laugh. With that joke, the ice was broken and all of my fanboy paranoia faded into two men having a conversation. Jim had been having some personal issues shortly after that, and couldn’t finish our project, but went out of his way to call me and let me know and even sent me some signed pictures completely unprompted. To have those few memories with one of my childhood idols is something I consider to be an amazing gift.

For those of you who never met the man, he was one with many incredible talents. He was a fierce competitor in track and field. He was a former NFL football player who played for both the Oakland Raiders and the Dallas Cowboys. He earned the nickname “The Anvil” courtesy of Stu Hart during his days in Stampede Wrestling as he became a staple in Stu Hart’s promotion following an “Anvil toss” competition, in which he easily won. Following his tenure in Canada, he worked

as “Who”, a terrible gimmick that faded into obscurity fairly quickly. In 1997, he went back to his “Anvil” gimmick and had his last run in the WWE where he competed alongside the rest of the Hart Family in the “Hart Foundation” gimmick where the Hart’s were heels in the United States and faces in their native Canada, which became one of the hottest feuds in the history of sports entertainment. He closed his storied career with a short run in WCW as well as many independent circuit

for many notable promotions in the United States such as Georgia Championship Wrestling, Mid-South Wrestling and Championship Wrestling from Florida. He made his way to the WWE sometime in January of 1985 when Stu Hart sold Stampede Wrestling to Vince McMahon. After a very short window of competing in singles competition, he and Bret “The Hitman” Hart were paired together as the Hart Foundation and had a legendary run through the early 1990’s as both heels and faces.

appearances and even scored a victory over Jay Lethal in TNA before officially retiring.

Neidhart’s storied career has paved the way for his daughter Natalya who has had a run as both Diva’s and Women’s champion during her time in the WWE. Neidhart and his wife Ellie have sporadically appeared on the WWE reality show “Total Divas” multiple times through the years through periods where he was struggling with addiction and periods where he was sober. It was incredibly good to see “The Anvil” doing so well in the later episodes where he is seen joking around with his family in a comedic light.

He also had a very memorable episode of the “Talk is Jericho” podcast alongside his son in law Tyson Kidd, where he told a lot of stories and gave us all an in-depth look at his career.

It is important to note that through the ups and downs, Jim Neidhart was always regarded as a caring individual by his friends and peers. Very

In 1991, he was paired with Owen Hart to form the “New Foundation” before his release in 1992. Following his WWE release, he competed in New Japan Pro Wrestling and on the independent circuit before returning to the WWE in 1994 where he teamed up with a heel Owen Hart as an antagonist for the Hart Brothers feud until he was let go again. In 1996, he was hired back and repackaged

recently, he has been brought up on the “Something to Wrestle With” podcast hosted

by Bruce Prichard and Conrad Thompson where on more than one occasion they make note that “The Anvil” was brought back to WWE so many times due to Vince McMahon and Stu Hart having such a soft spot for him as a person.

It is always unfortunate when we are forced to say goodbye to our heroes. I fell in love with wrestling as a child because to me, it was a game that never ended. No matter what, I could turn on the TV and watch guys like Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart radiating personality before getting into the ring and putting on a show. In pro wrestling, there is no offseason and no waiting period for new material.

Sometimes characters would leave, but in my childhood mind, I always knew they would come back. While I still feel that way about the sport itself, it has been years and years of mourning the legends of the past that I grew up adoring.

This time we say a farewell to “The Anvil”; a brash bruiser in the ring and a devoted husband and father outside of it. He delighted audiences for years with his powerhouse style, his caring nature and his trademark red goatee and maniacal laugh.

Let us all remember him well and keep his family in our thoughts during this time.

You will be missed, Anvil.

Rest in Peace and thank you from the bottom of my heart.

OCTOBER 2018 STEELCHAIR 15

SAMOA JOE

WORDS: LIAM O’ROURKE | PHOTO: WWE

INTERVIEW: SAMOA JOE AT THE PRECIPICE OF A LEGACY BAD FOR RAW s Samoa Joe finds himself involved with the WWE Championship, memories of the sights and sounds of the last fifteen years flood to the mind in powerful volume, followed by the calls of many ardent fans of the business who, even way back when were calling for Joe to be in the spot he now finds himself in. In the time between, Joe has had a profound effect on the industry, the ramifications of which are evident no matter where you look.

A

That impact seemed like a far-off fantasy upon his debut at the end of 1999, but even then the seeds were being planted for the performer he’d turn out to be. “I think a guy, especially after I really started in the business”, begins Joe when asked about his early influences, “Was Arn Anderson.

He had a real good technical acumen, great timing, incredibly explosive, and was able to kind of project an air about himself despite his stature.

He seemed like he was ten feet tall.” Certainly, carrying himself with a unique aura has become one of Joe’s hallmarks,

16 STEELCHAIR OCTOBER 2018

a presentation compounded by a distinctive in-ring style.

“Bouncing back and forth, I caught a little bit of UWFI and I remember early Takada matches and seeing kind of the more shoot style of professional wrestling. It was a very mixed bag.”

The intriguing combination led to Joe blazing a trail through Ring of Honor and TNA Wrestling, becoming one of the more talked about individuals in the wrestling world in the mid-2000s. Performing at an exceptional level, Joe embarked on an incredible series of matches with a myriad of opponents, chief among them – his SummerSlam opponent, AJ Styles.

Taking a look at the business of 2018 compared to 1999 is captivating, as the influenced has become the influence. The ring style seen in today’s WWE, and largely across the UK and American independent scene, bears a closer resemblance to the work Joe and company were churning out in 2005, albeit with the pace and extremes developing with time. With the downsizing of professional wrestling’s reach with casual fans and explosion of die-hards supporting the industry, the

style most frequently used to engage the modern audience doesn’t begin and end with Samoa Joe. But without question, Joe was a major part of the evolution of what fans expect great pro wrestling to look like in 2018.

“I think my biggest thing when it comes to that”, states Joe, “Is that if you found it influenced you or you found that you’ve garnered enjoyment from it, or helped you think about what you do in a different way, then I’m more than happy with that.” Far from basking in reflective selfglory, Joe’s mind quickly moves to critique and humility. “At the same time, I think I’m just not satisfied with doing the same thing. It’s about evolving even more and trying out new things and I think AJ’s been that very same way. The evolution didn’t stop back then and it hasn’t now. I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds.”

Undoubtedly, wrestling outside WWE is stronger now than it’s been for many years, a situation brought about by the 2000s rise of the internet and growing dependence on companies outside of the mainstream to satisfy the cravings of the niche superfan. With “All In” being the talk of the business,

New Japan Pro Wrestling’s stateside invasion and PWG as hot as ever on the West Coast, Joe looks at the modern day landscape with hopeful eyes, and first and foremost, through the lens of a performer. “I hope it’s a sustained strength”, offers Joe. “I’ve thought of the independents as a stable industry for a little over two decades, and that’s because I stably worked in it, so I’ve understood it that way. I’m hoping that these companies are looking towards the future

who created this industry with their efforts and their abilities.

They’re the reason why you see this big flourishing, thriving independent scene. Around the world, in the UK, United States, Canada, Mexico…it’s a great thing to see, and I just hope that they manage this wave accordingly and they get something that’s lasting.”

While his in-ring merits are accepted wisdom, the legacy Joe is paving in 2018 is rather different. Instead, while always considered a strong talker,

and also including their talent in their future plans. You know, understanding the value of them and taking care of them accordingly. I get people all the time that say, “Ah well, they’re an independent, they can’t afford to take care of the guys at this time.” But at the same time, you should still be making your best effort, because it’s those gentlemen that step through those ropes every night

his promos since his call-up to the main roster in January 2017 have catapulted him to the top of the list of the best promo guys in the company.

Between his menacing scowl, self-assured swagger and pitchperfect delivery, Joe’s verbal efforts have frequently been the highlight of the show. He’s evidently striking a chord with crowds, further cementing himself as a money player in

a company short of top-tier talkers. The topic in itself stirs Joe to discuss those he sees as the elite. “I like promo guys for, I’m sure like a lot of people, a lot of different reasons”, he starts. “Obviously, when it came to eliciting a reaction from an audience, especially at the time, I think Ric Flair is the guy who is constantly up there. Especially when you talk about speaking with passion and being able to convey a ton of emotion with his words and his body language. And you know, there’s other guys. I think Mick Foley, Mankind, had a brilliant delivery.

Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts, he’s also got…you know, when people look back and they understand nuanced abilities as far as promos come, he’s one of those guys. But the list is long.”

As he rattles off the names, the focus turns to their impact on Joe’s current speaking style and avoiding the pitfalls of relying solely on the lessons of the past. “Honestly, if you’re a student of this game and you do study and you do look for influences, and honestly they have to be influences”, he says.

“You can never be a carbon copy of anybody, but you can probably be the best version of yourself, and I think that’s the biggest thing. I never have gone OCTOBER 2018 STEELCHAIR 03 17

SAMOA JOE

and said, “Hey, I want to do it

And so the Samoa Joe of

since we’ve been in something

like this guy.” When I speak, I speak as I like to speak. It’s just that I’ve watched great orators, both in and outside of the ring, and I understand that words can carry great power if delivered with the proper emotion and cadence. It’s an art form in some eyes, and it’s an interesting approach, but it can resonate with people and convey a message very clearly, and I think that’s the point of everything I do.”

But while the talent was always there, it’s interesting to note how wide-reaching the opinion is that Joe’s promos have never been better. “A lot of it too is being given the opportunities, and guys coming up on the production end to allow me to do what I do”, Joe responds, talking about the machinations that led to that common belief.

“They showcase it in the best light. They may shoot things my way, or have a way they like things to look aesthetically, but for the most part, we work hand in hand.”

2018 looks ready to sit atop SmackDown Live as the dominant and convincing lead heel the company sorely needs for the brand, wanted Jinder Mahal to be, and failed to allow Shinsuke Nakamura to be. Of course, what may be his ultimate crowning moment comes with the benefit of working with AJ Styles; as poetic and fitting a situation as anybody could have conjured over a decade ago. And as Joe was quick to point out, things have changed.

like this – sparks fly, and the fans benefit.”

18 STEELCHAIR OCTOBER 2018

“I think this is a very different encounter”, he muses, comparing the current rivalries with their storied past. “AJ is a very different athlete than when I last faced him, much more complete. Obviously, anywhere he goes he’s been able to soak up the best parts of that style and make it his own, and he’s done that, he’s gone abroad (to New Japan Pro Wrestling).

Going into this, it’s been a different feel. It’s been a while

The scene is set, and after a tremendous first encounter at SummerSlam and tremendous work in the aftermath, it feels as if Joe may never have a better opportunity to make a definitive statement about belonging at the top of the pro wrestling mountain. There, he could well redefine what it means to be a World Champion, just as he did in Ring of Honor long ago, only on a much grander scale.

This reality brings forward an interesting proposition – for all of the talk about Joe’s influence on independent wrestling, the in-ring style, great matches and top-tier promos, we may have merely witnessed the prologue.

After years of questioning if Samoa Joe was the right fit for WWE and wondering “What if ?”, we now live in a world where, with only one major decision needed to go in his favour, the real legacy of Samoa Joe may be about to unfold.

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Welcome to the 4th Annual SteelChair Magazine Wrestlers of the Year list.Our writers have picked the wrestlers on this list. This year’s list was chosen by: David Garlick, Jozef Raczka, James Toal, Steph Franchomme, Lee Hazell, Bradley Tiernan, Ryan Howe, Victoria Tezangi, Tom Beasley, Laura Mauro, Dave Adamson, Anton Jackson, Alan Boon, Jordan Chaffiotte, Gary Fenn, Mat Lindsay, Amanda Why, Elliot Leaver, Liam Hall, Josh White, Mark Fox, Oli Sandler

READ ONLINE OR GET IN PRINT AT STEELCHAIR.CO.UK KEEP UP TO DATE WITH US ON TWITTER @STEELCHAIRMAG

Progress veteran, almost beat Lethal for the ROH World Championship

95. SESSION MOTH

94. FINN BALOR

PHOTO: WWE

Ace Brit flyer and wrestling’s 205 Live high-flyer close own MODfather, WWE UK to becoming Cruiserweight tournament semi finalist Champ at WrestleMania 34

PHOTO: WWE

91. RUBY RIOTT Leader of the Riott Squad and tough as nails, future Women’s Champion PHOTO: OLI SANDLER

PHOTO: CZW

97.

87.XXXXXXXXXXX MATT TAVEN

Became CZW HeavyWeight Champion for the first time - Was “All In”

ROH 6-Man Champ with The Kingdom + CMLL’s NWA Welterweight Champ PHOTO: WWE

Exciting to watch and entertaining on the mic, part of The Iiconics

Defiant Hardcore/Tag-Team Champ, Progress Tag-Team Champ, beautiful eyes.

97.82.XXXXXXXXXXX IO SHIRAI

81. HIROOKI GOTO

2018 introduced us to the Switchblade. Understand this, 2019 belongs to him

Left STARDOM, signed with Set to be the greatest WWE to fight in WWE’s Mae IWGP NEVER Openweight Young Classic Champion of all time.

80. DAISUKE SEKIMOTO Fought Riddle at EVOLVE 102 for the championship, face of BJPW

79. CHUCK TAYLOR

78. CHARLI EVANS

2018 New Japan Cup ATTACK! 2018 Kris Travis participant and one of ROH Tag Team Invitational Best Friends with Beretta participant - Australian “Floozy”

PHOTO: WWE

The ‘Bad Boy’won the WWN Made waves around the Championship, made an world in Impact and WOS impact at All In, best hair.

Wrestling, angelic voice

PHOTO: OLI SANDLER

83. JAY WHITE

86. JIMMY HAVOC

PHOTO: OLI SANDLER

84. JOE HENDRY

The Super Indy Champion, he’s been everywhere and he’s been good everywhere

PHOTO: OLI SANDLER

85. JOEY JANELA

Fought for the WOS Women’s Championship, lost out to Kay Lee Ray,

88. MAXWELL JACOB FRIEDMAN

: COPYRIGHT NJPW

Became the WOS Champ, and won the Magnificent 7 in Defiant Wrestling

89. PEYTON ROYCE

PHOTO: OLI SANDLER

90. RAMPAGE BROWN

96. JONATHAN GRESHAM

92.

97.BEA XXXXXXXXXXX PRIESTLEY

93. TIMOTHY THATCHER

One of WWE’s most Bruising indy competitor, consistent in-ring performer had MOTY candidate with and most exciting prospects Walter at PROGRESS PHOTO: WWE

PHOTO: OLI SANDLER

Party girl of the indies, heading to STARDOM for a second tour

97. MUSTAFA XXXXXXXXXXX ALI

98. FLASH MORGAN WEBSTER

PHOTO: WWE

PHOTO: OLI SANDLER

Indy standout, winner of CZW’s Best of the Best 17 tournament

99. MARK HASKINS

: COPYRIGHT NJPW

100. DAVID STARR

PHOTO: OLI SANDLER

PHOTO: OLI SANDLER

PHOTO: OLI SANDLER

PHOTO: OLI SANDLER

TOP WRESTLERS 2018

97.

77.XXXXXXXXXXX CARA NOIR Elegant and deadly indie wrestling star, current Pro Wrestling Clash World Champ

76. ELIAS Released an album, almost captured the Intercontinental Championship from Rollins

G1 Climax 28 winner, IWGP Intercontinental Champion, always and forever The Ace

59. DAKOTA KAI

PHOTO: WWE

54. KAY LEE RAY MYC Competitor, first ever WOS Women’s Champion, longest reigning WCPW Women’s Champion

PHOTO: OLI SANDLER PHOTO: MIKE KALASNIK

PHOTO: MIKE KALASNIK

53. EMBER MOON Standout performance in the MITB match and impressive reign as NXT Women’s Champion

PHOTO: OLI SANDLER

The current EVOLVE Champ after defeating Riddle, welcome to Swerve’s house

61. KEITH LEE Former PWG World Champion, now making waves after his debut on NXT PHOTO: OLI SANDLER

PHOTO: OLI SANDLER

58. KEVIN OWENS WWE workhorse, Best Dad, strong Twitter game, Shania Twain Stan, deserves better.

66. SHANE STRICKLAND

62.

97. KYLE XXXXXXXXXXX O'REILLY

97. 57.

XXXXXXXXXXX VIPER

56. ZACK GIBSON

ICW Women’s Champion and one of World of Sport Wrestling’s female talents

- Liverpool’s Number One, soon to be recognised as the UK’s Number One...

: COPYRIGHT NJPW

NXT UK talent competed in WM 34 inaugural Women’s Battle Royale PHOTO: WWE

: COPYRIGHT NJPW

55. HIROSHI TANAHASHI

Undead bride of Impact, held Knockouts title for several months

First female FCP Champion, Two-Time NXT Tag-Team first female DDT KO-D Champion, Title Belt Air Guitar Openweight Champ Champion, Overall good dude.

PHOTO: WWE

Joined The Undisputed Era + became one half of the NXT Tag Team Champion

60. DALTON CASTLE The man who dethroned Cody as ROH Champion, bringing prestige & Boys

NXT Tag-Team Champion & The Best Thing To Come Out of Wolverhampton

97.67.XXXXXXXXXXX SU YUNG

64. RODERICK STRONG 63. MEIKO SATOMURA

PHOTO: WWE

PHOTO: ROH

Had a great heel turn with Kevin Owens, unfortunately out injured

68. TRENT SEVEN

PHOTO: COURTNEY ROSE

PHOTO: WWE

PHOTO: WWE

65. SAMI ZAYN

71. RAY FENIX

The Irish Lass Kicker is on ROH Six-Man Tag Champ, G1 AAA Mega Champ, made a quest of SmackDown Climax standout, attempted his debut with Impact Live Women’s Champion murder on Joey Ryan.

Wrestling and CMLL

69. DREW GULAK

Former party guy hero, now One of the finest in 205, vicious heel targeting best almost dethroned Cedric friend Mark Andrews Alexander at SummerSlam

72.

97.HANGMAN XXXXXXXXXXX PAGE

PHOTO: IMPACT

70. EDDIE DENNIS

73. BECKY LYNCH

PHOTO: OLI SANDLER

The Undisputed Era member is a 2-time NXT Tag Team Champion PHOTO: WWE

PHOTO: OLI SANDLER

Debuted on 205 in Feb and made an impact, almost became Cruiser Champ

74. BOBBY FISH

PHOTO: WWE

75. BUDDY MURPHY

PHOTO: PATTY MCCARTHY ROH

PHOTO: WWE

PHOTO: WWE

PHOTO: WWE

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52.

ROBINSON 97. JUICE XXXXXXXXXXX

51. TESSA BLANCHARD

2018’s most sympathetic babyface and the very first American IWGP US Champion

The Undeniable wrestling sensation- WSU, Crash and Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion

H ANN

PHOTO: WWE

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50. DANIEL BRYAN When Bryan announced that he was medically cleared in March, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Returned at WrestleMania in convincing fashion against Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens. Lasted over 76 minutes in Greatest Royal Rumble match. Rekindled his odd couple tag team with Kane to general amusement and his feud with The Miz is a SmackDown Live highlight. (Gary)

TOP

50 PHOTO: OLI SANDLER

PHOTO: BRUNO-SILVEIRA

PHOTO: WWE

HIGHLIGHT: :Feud with The Miz

47. KAIRI SANE

49. TENILLE DASHWOOD When the former Emma was released from WWE, no one who ever saw her wrestle believed it would be the end of her career.

Hell, most of us were just looking forward to a promotion giving her the respect she deserves. We turned out to be right too, ROH snapped her up and gave her a prominent place in their Women’s Division.(Lee)

HIGHLIGHTS:

Signed to ROH+ Semi Finals: Women of Honor Tournament

This year’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament saw Marty Scurll fall short of the finals. But it’s not all bad news for Marty: he secured six-man tag gold along with the Bucks, and with a highprofile match against Okada at All In, 2018 could be looking up for the Villain. (Laura)

48. MARTY SCURLL HIGHLIGHTS: NEVER Openweight

6-Man Tag Team Championship

With her quirky persona and exciting ringwork, The Pirate Princess has become a firm favourite with the NXT crowd since her victory in the 2017 Mae Young Classic. Now in possession of the NXT Women’s Championship, she’s more than earned her position at the top of the NXT women’s division. The sky’s the limit for Kairi. (Laura)

HIGHLIGHTS: Mae Young Classic winner + NXT Women’s Champion

45. RUSEV

PHOTO: WWE

Nakamura won the Royal Rumble and subsequently turned on AJ Styles at WrestleMania 34. Since then, his arrogance and demeanour have suited his heel persona perfectly, with the US title currently around his waist much deserved as a result. Expect the Rising Sun to soar highter than ever. (Elliot)

Rusev Day is our biggest gift.

The phenomenon carried Rusev into a Royal Rumble performance that lasted 30 minutes as the No. 1 entrant, a United States Championship match at WrestleMania, a Casket Match with The Undertaker at The Greatest Royal Rumble, and a WWE Championship feud with AJ Styles.

(Anton)

46. NAKAMURA

+ Pro Wrestling EVE Champion

HIGHLIGHTS: Defiant Women’s

Champion before she turned 18.

PHOTO: OLI SANDLER

PHOTO: OLI SANDLER

PHOTO: PORTRAIT OF A WRESTLER

HIGHLIGHTS:: Signed to NXT UK

She’s only 18? With plenty of time to develop and improve, Millie has already shown she’s not only capable of holding her own in the ring, but looking damn good while doing it. Doesn’t matter who she’s facing, she’ll german suplex them regardless. Millie is a wonder to watch and it’s only going to get better with time. (James)

RUSEV DAY

winner + US Champion

When I first saw Charlie Morgan she had an instantly-iconic, baseball inspired look and a sneer that could curdle milk. I immediately recognised her as an upcoming star. EVE thought so too. They booked her to win their inaugural SHE-1 tournament, and they later made her champion in May. She’s made such waves, she’s now part of WWE’s NXT UK division. (Lee)

44. MILLIE MCKENZIE

HIGHLIGHTS:

HIGHLIGHTS: Royal Rumble

43. CHARLIE MORGAN

PHOTO: OLI SANDLER

PHOTO: WWE

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42. CHRIS BROOKES British wrestling seems divided between NXT UK and WOS, yet, here stands all 6”4 of Chris Brookes, refusing to take a side and just putting on sick f*cking wrestling matches. 2018 has seen the taller half of CCK prove two things: he is an unnaturally talented man and he has the best merch. Maybe neither WWE or WOS deserves him.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Vs Meiko Satomura, DTTI Night One.

Just three years into her professional career, Jinny has gone from being a green rookie to a mainstay of the UK women’s scene. Holding multiple belts at any one time and featuring heavily in plans for WWE UK going forward.

41. JINNY HIGHLIGHTS: Progress, Chaos and Rev Pro Champion

40. RONDA ROUSEY HIGHLIGHTS: WrestleMania +

Since assisting Sanity to capture the NXT tag titles from the Authors of Pain last August, Nikki Cross has been an unhinged force to be reckoned with. She has been incredibly close to capturing the gold at WarGames and put in a stellar performance against Baszler in Chicago. Is Nikki now SmackDown bound, or is NXT gold on her mind?

HIGHLIGHT: Match V Baszler at NXT TakeOver

38. HIROMU TAKAHASHI Everything seemed to be going great for Hiromu. He emerged victorious in the Best of the Super Juniors tournament, and went on to defeat Ospreay for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.

Unfortunately, Hiromu sustained a suspected broken neck in a match against Dragon Lee, and had to relinquish his title.

HIGHLIGHTS: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.

PHOTO: OLI SANDLER

PHOTO: WWE

WWE Raw Women’s Champ

39. NIKKI CROSS

37. DREW MCINTYRE One of the best comebacks of all time after being prophesied as one of the all-time greats, McIntyre spent most of 2017 in NXT feuding with The Undisputed Era. Returned from injury in April, aligning with Dolph Ziggler and is his best ever shape. Once he’s out of Ziggler’s shadow, he looks poised for a great run. Drew has the looks, Drew has the style. (Gary)

HIGHLIGHT:

NXT Champion

PHOTO: IMPACT WRESTLING

PHOTO: WWE

Her match at WrestleMania was the match of the night, and every performance since has displayed the kind of authenticity and tenacity you hire MMA fighters for. At SummerSlam she became WWE Raw Women’s Champ. Will she become the first woman to headline WrestleMania? (Lee)

© NJPW

PHOTO: WWE

TOP WRESTLERS 2018

36. TRAVIS BANKS An incredible year for Travis Banks has saw the New Zealander take part in the second WWE UK Championship tournament where he would go on to lose in the final to Zack Gibson. As well as becoming a member of NXT’s UK division, Banks has had great success in independent promotions, most notably, winning Progress Wrestling’s SSS16 tournament and subsequently defeating Pete Dunne for the company’s world championship. (Bradley)

HIGHLIGHT Progress Champion

He shocked the world when he accidentally hit Eddie Edwards with his bat. But but whether in MLW, Impact, Lucha Underground or indy promotions, Callihan is unapologetic and powerful. Tommy Dreamer acknowledged he could be the next Innovator of Violence.

(Steph)

35. SAMI CALLIHAN HIGHLIGHTS: Hitting Eddie Edwards with a baseball bat

32. TETSUYA NAITO

34. ANDRADE ALMAS

HIGHLIGHT: Wrestle Kingdom Headliner with Okada

HIGHLIGHTS: The Belt Collector + IMPACT World Champion

© NJPW

NXT title match with Johnny Gargano

33. AUSTIN ARIES

Despite dropping the IWGP Intercontinental title to Jericho at Dominion, and coming up short in this year’s edition of the G1 climax, its impossible to say that Naito has lost his fire. Naito has shown the world why he deserves the title of ‘must see attraction’ in NJPW, solidifying himself as a main event player. (Josh)

31. MINORU SUZUKI

30. SHAYNA BASZLER

Wrestling’s own disgruntled grandad will and shall always be known as a guy that will kick your arse and make you say sorry for dirtying his shoe. He’s NJPW’s perfect villain and you can tell he is loving every second of it. While others try to make their strikes mean something, Suzuki proves he’s beyond all his rivals entirely.

“Kaze ni nare!” (James)

Shayna has certainly made a name for herself in NXT. Her run with the NXT Women’s Championship has cemented her as one of WWE’s most destructive characters. While her mic skills could use some work, there’s no denying the presence she has when she enters that ring. She’ll gladly choke you out and make you watch as she broke your arm..

(James)

HIGHLIGHTS:

HIGHLIGHTS:

NXT Women’s Champion

PHOTO: WWE

HIGHLIGHTS:

Already Champion in the UK and Australia, The Belt Collector defeated Eli Drake on his first night back at IMPACT to become World Champion. Aries also made his comeback to ROH and claimed the ROH TV Championship, a title he has never held in a nearly 20-year career. (Steph)

PHOTO: WWE

With Zelina Vega at his side, the former La Sombra escaped lower card purgatory on NXT this year to become a consistent main event performer, including terrific matches against Drew McIntyre and Johnny Gargano. El Idolo has found a new groove of aggression, which he is just starting to bring to the main roster on Smackdown Live.

(Tom)

IWGP Intercontinental Champions

© NJPW

PHOTO: WWE

PHOTO: IMPACT WRESTLING

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29. SAMOA JOE From a fatal 4-way Universal Championship match at SummerSlam 2017, to a potential show stealer against AJ Styles at SummerSlam 2018, Samoa Joe has been an irresistible force this past year. Although injuries have thwarted his wrath of domination, he has proven beyond doubt that he is championship material. Could this next year be the year of Joe? (Mark)

READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH SAMOA JOE AT VULTUREHOUND.CO.UK

PHOTO: WWE

While remaining controversial Roman Reigns has main evented yet another Wrestlemania, stood toe to toe against Brock Lesnar several times, been a regular face on Monday night RAW, and worked genuinely entertaining and must-see matches against various superstars.

Love him or hate him you are talking about the big dog and there is simply no escaping his work.

(Victoria)

Charlotte has excelled at leading the women’s division. She’s an imposing presence of pure intensity and has taken her talents to Smackdown Live in epic encounters that have received constant praise. As the leader of The Four Horsewomen, Charlotte really does it with Flair. (Dave)

27. CHARLOTTE FLAIR

25. ADAM COLE What a rise for Adam Cole. From his explosive debut at TakeOver: Brooklyn III to his triumphs with the Tag Team and North American Championships, his appearance in the Royal Rumble to the cry of ‘Adam Cole, Bay-Bay!’ that takes the roof off venues, he’s a true shining light in NXT; a call-up to the main roster is now inevitable. (Elliot)

North American Championship ladder match

Winning and cashing in MITB

PHOTO: WWE

undefeated streak at WM

PHOTO: WWE

match with Samoa Joe on RAW

She was always the bridesmaid rather than the bride down in NXT, but Alexa Bliss has dominated the main roster women’s division since her call-up. This year, she has spent months as champion and defended the belt in a marquee singles match at WrestleMania, before winning it back in crafty fashion. Little Miss Bliss always finds a way to win..

(Tom)

HIGHLIGHTS:

HIGHLIGHT:: Ended Asukas

HIGHLIGHT: Intercontinetal Title

HIGHLIGHTS:

26. ALEXA BLISS

PHOTO: OLI SANDLER

28. ROMAN REIGNS

PHOTO: WWE

PHOTO: WWE

TOP WRESTLERS 2018

24. RICOCHET The former multi time IWGP Jr Heavyweight tag and singles champion shocked the world when signing with NXT, bringing his brand of flawless aerial assault along for the ride to the black and yellow brand. After a show stealing performance at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV, besting the now former North American champion Adam Cole (Bay Bay), not even the sky is a limit for ‘the one and only’. (Josh)

HIGHLIGHTS: NXT North American Champion

The current Lucha Underground Champion won his first major North American title when he accepted Austin Aries’ challenge last April and became Impact World Champion. His current matches against Sami Callihan in the Impact Zone are just mindblowing. (Stephanie)

23. PENTAGÓN JR. HIGHLIGHTS: IMPACT + Lucha

Underground World Champion

21. TOMOHIRO ISHII

A standout match against Kenny Omega, breaking into the world of NJPW, and a brief WWE appearance proving him to be a must-see star, Chris Jericho has spent the past year proving to be the master of reinvention in the wrestling world as he has taken fans on a journey to a brand-new chapter in his exciting career. (Victoria)

Arguably the MVP of this year’s G1 Climax, Ishii has put on a string of superb matches against opponents as diverse as Hirooki Goto and Kota Ibushi. Ishii absorbs tremendous punishment in the ring and rarely backs down – not even an onslaught from Walter was enough to stop him securing the No.1 contendership for the Rev Pro British Heavyweight Championship. (Laura)

HIGHLIGHTS:

HIGHLIGHTS:

Revolution Pro Wrestling British Heavyweight Champion PHOTO: OLI SANDLER

PHOTO: OLI SANDLER

Match V Kenny Omega at NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom

19. WILL OSPREAY When an IWGP Jr Heavyweight title reign counts towards a quieter year, you know Will Ospreay has become a big deal. A fixture in New Japan, Ospreay’s continued to work US indies, spent more time in Australia and New Zealand, and started his own promotion in the UK, as well as being part of ITV’s WOS Wrestling project. Always stunning, never offbrand. (Alan)

HIGHLIGHTS:

IWGP Jr Heavyweight Champion

PHOTO: OLI SANDLER

22. CHRIS JERICHO

Matt Riddle is someone that has to be seen to be believed. An adonis amongst men, who goes from smily happy man to someone who could legitimately kill his opponent. His pursuit, and match to claim the EVOLVE title from Zack Sabre Jr, coupled with him making all his defences “no rope break” matches shows why he’s off to NXT. (Ryan)

20. MATT RIDDLE HIGHLIGHTS: V ZSJ at EVOLVE 102 to become EVOLVE World Champ

PHOTO: OLI SANDLER

© NJPW

© NJPW

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18. TYLER BATE The first WWE UK champion, Tyler Bate was already big news when he arrived in WWE. He’s since evolved on many levels, which is saying something from a man who impresses wherever he performs.

At 21, he’s breaking out of his shell and developing a rather unique sense of style and humour, whilst delivering breathtaking in-ring performances in singles and tagteam action. (Dave)

HIGHLIGHT::

NXT Tag Team Champion

17. WALTER WALTER has become one of the most in demand wrestlers on the planet. Every card he’s announced for, people speculate who is going to be on the end of the Austrians thunderous chops. Both PWG and PROGRESS currently have him as their World champions showing that the Austrian is a big draw. (Ryan)

HIGHLIGHTS: PWG and PROGRESS Champions

16. BRAUN STROWMAN HIGHLIGHTS: Greatest Royal

14. KOTA IBUSHI

He’s been part of a standout match against Seth Rollins, worked as part one of the most must-see storylines in the WWE this year against Daniel Bryan and continued to highlight himself as one of the best talkers in pro wrestling today. Sure to hear a loud crowd wherever he goes, the Miz picks up genuine heat and attention and remains as one of the most important WWE stars today.

(Victoria)

2018 has been a year of redemption for Kota Ibushi. He first reunited the Golden Lovers in an excellent match vs The Young Bucks at Strong Style Evolved. Before putting on excellent displays against Tomahiro Ishii and Omega in the G1 Climax among others. If Bullet Club members leave next year, NJPW will be in the safe hands of Ibushi.

PHOTO: OLI SANDLER

HIGHLIGHTS: Incredible

character work and rivalry with Aleister Black

G1 Climax finalist

11. TONI STORM

13. VELVETEEN DREAM Velveteen Dream is a pure showman. Since NXT is the “Indie All-Stars of Wrestling”, Dream has left a sizable impression with programs against the likes of Aleister Black, Kassius Ohno, Ricochet, and EC3. Dream was also a participant in the Ladder Match to crown the inaugural NXT North American Champion at NXT Takeover: New Orleans during WrestleMania weekend. (Anton)

HIGHLIGHTS:

HIGHLIGHTS: Daniel Bryan feud

Rumble + MITB winner PHOTO: WWE

15. THE MIZ

PHOTO: WWE

PHOTO: WWE

Braun Strowman has impressed the WWE universe week after week this year. Strowman won the Greatest Royal Rumble match in Saudi Arabia and, at the same time, broke the record for most eliminations in a Royal Rumble match. His ability to demolish trucks or ambulances is unique.

As the current Mr Money in The Bank, he’s undeniably a future World Champion. (Steph)

© NJPW

PHOTO: WWE

TOP WRESTLERS 2018

ZSJ is the best pure wrestler in the world today. The Submissions master has taken the world, especially New Japan, where his alliance with TAKA Michinoku has yielded spectacular results, wrestling classics in the NJ Cup and G1 Climax. Now, he also has the Zack Driver. (Jozef)

12. ZACK SABRE JR. HIGHLIGHTS: Vs Tomohiro Ishii, Revolution Pro NOLA

Despite the fact she’s only 22 years old, Toni Storm has marked herself out as an indispensable star of the global independent scene, most notably here in the UK. The hugely impressive Kiwi has had an unbelievable year, including joining the WWE UK roster and competing for championship gold at WWE’s Royal Albert Hall set of shows..

(Tom)

HIGHLIGHT:

Progress Women’s Champion + UK Women’s Championship finales

Since Styles defeated Mahal to capture the WWE Championship in Manchester he has worked with Lesnar in a losing, but engrossing dream match at Survivor Series. He’s fended off Owens, Zayn, Nakamura, Rusev, and Samoa Joe in his 9-month reign, as well. (Anton)

10. AJ STYLES

© NJPW

PHOTO: WWE

PHOTO: WWE

.CO .UK

09. ASUKA

08. CODY RHODES

Left NXT undefeated, sole survivor at Survivor Series, won the first Women’s Royal Rumble, won Mixed Match challenge, lost to Charlotte at WrestleMania for an incredible 928 day long winning streak. After 267 victories Asuka has still not managed a title on the main rostersurely this will change this year, and a feud with Ronda Rousey is mouthwatering. (Gary)

He’s no longer ROH World Champion, but the man known as The American Nightmare has balanced his work with ROH and NJPW superbly over the last 12 months. Currently one third of the ROH World Tag-Team Champions, a prominent Bullet Club member and helping sell out the Sears Centre Arena for ‘All In’, Cody proves there is life after WWE.

HIGHLIGHTS: Women’s Royal

HIGHLIGHTS: WWE World

07. ALEISTER BLACK Black landed with a sheer explosion in the smark-friendly environment of NXT, and then proved his actual worth by displaying his utterly unique persona and martial arts credentials. Iconic feuds with Velveteen Dream and ending the reign of Andrade “Cien” Almas as NXT Champion fed into a program with Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa that offers yet more potentially classic matches to come.

HIGHLIGHTS: NXT Champion

ROH World Champion + All In sell-out

PHOTO: WWE

PHOTO: WWE

Champion

HIGHLIGHTS:

PHOTO: WWE

Rumble winner

06. SETH ROLLINS Monday Night Rollins has been in full swing in the last 12 months.

Late 2017 would see him claim the Raw Tag Team Championships with Dean Ambrose and then Jason Jordan. Rollins came into his own in 2018 capturing the Intercontinental Championship and playing an exceptional part in a gauntlet match, the longest performance by any wrestler in Raw history.

(Bradley)

HIGHLIGHTS: 2x Raw Tag Team Champion, 2x IC Champion

05. JOHNNY GARGANO There’s a lot more to be said about the year Johnny Gargano’s had but suffice to say, between his matches with Tommaso Ciampa & Andrade Almas, no one has had a better year in-ring. Even if he’s yet to translate that preternatural talent into NXT singles gold, I can’t see that lasting long, he’s Johnny Wrestling after all.

(Jozef)

HIGHLIGHTS:

Vs Tommaso Ciampa, NXT TakeOver New Orleans

JP ©N

W

© NJ PW

TOP WRESTLERS 2018

04. PETE DUNNE

03. KAZUCHIKA OKADA

02. KENNY OMEGA

HIGHLIGHTS: WWE UK Champion

HIGHLIGHTS: IWGP Heavyweight +

HIGHLIGHTS: IWGP Heavyweight +

WWE-UK champion for well over a year, The Bruiserweight has become a rare genuine ticket seller for UK promotions, and has been chosen as the face to launch NXT-UK, the first of a planned series of worldwide junior territories for WWE. Notable appearances over the last 12 months have included teaming with Danny Burch to make the finals of the Dusty Rhodes Classic, defending his WWE-UK title at the Royal Albert Hall, and winning the Pro-Wrestling Revolver tag-team titles with Millie McKenzie as The Bruisermates. Oh, and he threw a shoe at someone on NXT. He’ll also soon co-headline PROGRESS Wrestling’s Hello Wembley! show, in a clash of the European titans against WXW’s Ilya Dragunov.

The weirdness of the UK scene means you can still see him on tiny shows as well as NXT Takeovers, but that may not last for long: grab him while you can. (Alan)

Vs Hiroshi Tanahash

There’s talk of the Big Four of New Japan: Okada, Tanahashi, Naito and Omega. While no-one’s been arguing Okada’s inclusion, this really has been the year, Okada stated his claim for being top of it. 2017 saw Okada hold his IWGP Heavyweight Championship for the entire year and it looked like 2018 might have been the same if not for Kenny.

It’s been unarguably a historic ride with classic defences against the Heavyweights of Los Ingobernables de Japon, Zack Sabre Jr and the latest step in the greatest rivalry in wrestling of our age, Hiroshi Tanahashi but what made Okada so incredible was that he not only held that title for so long but he made every opponent seem like they could be the one to beat him. No one worked harder in 2018 to show why they deserved their place in the upper echelons and even if Omega got the better of him in that near-legendary Dominion match if you don’t believe that Okada isn’t going to be back on top of the world before you know it. The man got smiling and balloons over, truly, he’s a genius. (Jozef)

United States Champions

Only one wrester has managed to crack the final five of SteelChair Magazine’s Top Wrestlers of the Year three times in a row. Kenny Omega began the year when Chris Jericho challenged him for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship. Omega beat him in a hard-hitting clinic and staked New Japan’s greatest ever claim to capture American audiences.

In July, he concluded his quest to become New Japan’s IWGP Heavyweight Champion in Osaka at Dominion, two years after his opponent and arch rival Kazuchika Okada won it at the same event in 2016. It was a fitting end to one of the greatest feuds in the history professional wrestling, a feud fuelled by Omega’s epic sense of storytelling, larger than life character and dedication to his craft. He is finally recognised as the top wrestler in New Japan, a title that many believe he has been worthy of for the last 18 months.

Then, after winning New Japan’s top prize, he went on to score 12 points at the G1 Climax and is looking to headline the Tokyo Dome on January 4 for Wrestle Kingdom 13, this time as Champion. (Lee)

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01. TOMMASO CIAMPA rom the first day they appeared as part of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic in 2015 and for much of his early WWE NXT career, it could be argued that Tommaso Ciampa existed in the shadow of Johnny Gargano, constantly standing behind the hugely popular “Johnny Wrestling” as part of DIY, a man who demonstrated impeccable charisma on the microphone and an astonishing style in the ring. Then it all changed with an act of jealousy and, since then, Ciampa has all but escaped the gravitational pull of his former tag partner and shown the world how brightly this dark star can shine. Now, as NXT Champion, he is a constant reminder to wrestling fans the world over what a true bad guy looks like, how intense a feud can be and just how far he will go to tell his story.

F

Callous, vicious and darkhearted, Ciampa is a new breed of NXT Champion, succeeding the hugely popular Aleister Black. As was seen at

NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV, it looks like Ciampa will stop at nothing to retain the gold and revels in his ability to infuriate his opponents and the NXT fans. There are moments where he lets emotions seep through, but only as part of his mind games as Tommaso Ciampa has proved himself to be a master of his own personality, a domineering in-ring performer and at the very top of his game. Emphatic wins mixed with devious acts, coming to the ring to no theme music (unless you count the symphony of jeers), rarely speaking and a methodical approach that combines arrogance, mockery and brutal efficiency has made Ciampa a focal point in NXT. Tommaso Ciampa has a flawless ability to draw the white-hot ire of fans with barely a word and, with the NXT Championship still firmly in his grasp, it can only be a matter of time before this far from conventional superstar moves up to the main roster.

(Dave)

HIGHLIGHTS:

Matches and Feud with Gargano + NXT Champion

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ALEISTER BLACK

COMPILED BY: JORDAN CHAFFIOTTE | PHOTO: WWE

WHO ATTACKED ALEISTER BLACK? THE TEAM WEIGHS IN t’s the mystery of the century: who attacked Aleister Black?

As William Regal appears to be taking the matter much more seriously than the attack on Hideo Itami, the team decided to make our cases for our #1 suspect:

I

Tom Beasley picks Johnny Gargano

have even seen it cause friction in his relationship with his wife, Candice LeRae. Gargano has positioned Ciampa at the forefront of his mind, and so it’s not inconceivable that he saw Aleister Black as a roadblock on that journey. When he inadvertently allowed Ciampa to win the NXT Championship from Black, he set in motion a chain of events that made it harder for him to accomplish his goal. This new, darker Gargano would not be above carrying out a beating in order to get what he wants.

Johnny Gargano is not the man he once was. After months of feuding with Tommaso Ciampa, who has repeatedly got the better of his former DIY buddy, Gargano is rapidly descending into a world of darkness. He has showcased remarkable aggression against performers like EC3 as part of his unravelling mental state. The clean-cut babyface incarnation of ‘Johnny Wrestling’ is obviously gone, replaced by something uglier – the singleminded pursuit of Ciampa’s destruction.

So let’s take a look at the evidence. Gargano is one of the first people to be visible leaving the scene in the original footage of the attack.

While the rest of the roster is evidently shaken by what has happened, Gargano walks emotionlessly past William Regal as he wanders back into the building immediately prior to the discovery of Black’s body.

He doesn’t return to the scene when the proverbial hits the fan, as if he knew exactly what Regal was going to find.

Gargano is utterly devoted to taking Ciampa down. We saw that impede his pursuit of the NXT Championship at the beginning of the year and we

NXT television in 2018 has focused heavily on Johnny Gargano’s descent into insanity and, with that in mind, he’s almost certainly responsible for

32 STEELCHAIR OCTOBER 2018

the attack on Aleister Black.

Laura Mauro picks Lars Sullivan If there’s anyone out there who has unfinished business with Aleister Black, surely it’s Lars Sullivan. Sidelined with a broken jaw after their NXT TakeOver match, Lars has no doubt been simmering quietly while Black continued to occupy the spotlight – and it’s not a stretch to suggest he feels hard done by after failing to defeat Black for the NXT Championship.

The motive is abundantly clear, but what about the method?

Lars has had plenty of time and opportunity to plan and execute a sneak attack, and we know he was in the vicinity at the time – and unlike most of the other suspects, he was alone, lurking in the background. And it might seem unlikely that someone so physically imposing could sneak in and out unseen, but Lars is a smart man, and with his upcoming return the perfect reason for him to be at the performance centre alone, supposedly minding his own business, he’s already got a cover story in place.

IT’S THE MYSTERY OF THE CENTURY! Ciampa might be the NXT champion and the more logical target, but a broken jaw is personal. And while Lars may well set his sights on the gold again, there’s the small matter of revenge to take care of first…

It’s completely possible she had time to lay out unsuspecting Aleister Black and find an alibi before anyone found him. We know from years of her indie performances that LeRae is stronger than she looks.

Jordan Chaffiotte picks Candice LeRae

In a triple threat, Gargano’s odds go down to 33.33%, but one on one he might have a chance at getting the job done.

LeRae needed to keep the belt in the picture, so taking out Ciampa himself wouldn’t have served its purpose, though we all know who’s responsible for keying up his car. By eliminating Black, LeRae positions her husband to win the NXT Championship and come home a whole man. Somehow, he still

Who is the one person who most needs the Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa drama to be over and done with? Why, that’s Candice LeRae, Johnny’s wife and unwilling participant in the boy’s nonsense. She was caught on camera in the parking lot right after the incident occurred but we don’t know how long ago she sat down with Kairi Sane.

managed to mess it up and lose at NXT Takeover, injuring himself in the process. Guess it’s true what they say, if you want a job done right you have to do it yourself. Maybe next time LeRae will just go for the NXT Championship herself, clearly, she can take them.

Do you agree with our assessment? Who do you think did it?

Let us know on twitter at @SteelChairMag

OCTOBER 2018 STEELCHAIR 33

GO-HOME SHOW

WORDS: ALAN BOON | PHOTO: NJPW

GO-HOME SHOW WITH ALAN BOON n Saturday September 1st, the Young Bucks and Cody (Rhodes) promoted their All In show at the Sears Centre Arena in Chicago.

The show came about as the result of a bet made between (Rhodes) and journalist Dave Meltzer, when Meltzer said that no independent wrestling show could sell 10,000 tickets in the US, and Cody and the Bucks took him up on the wager.

And you know what? They did it. In the end they probably underpriced the tickets for the size of venue (or undervenued for the price of tickets), but reaching that magical 10k was the prime aim, and they hit it within hours of tickets going on sale.

O

Okay, in the end, it wasn’t a truly independent show, as it borrowed contracted talent from both Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, but it’s the first non-WWE or WCW show to pull a five figure crowd since the Mexican promotion AAA had a successful run of shows in Los Angeles in 1993.

Outside those 10,000 ticket

34 STEELCHAIR OCTOBER 2018

holders, there was enormous interest in the show, which was shown live on the Fite Network and Ring of Honor’s Honor Club, as well as added to New Japan World 48 hours later.

The buzz around the show was centered around its stars – Cody and the Young Bucks, and also Kenny Omega, Kazuchika Okada, Arrow’s Stephen Amell, and more – but also around the sheer spectacle of the thing.

After the show was done, Cody tweeted that he’d like to do it again, and it’s really this that is the most interesting aspect of All In for the disinterested

commentator…

The history of pro-wrestling is full of start-ups, promotions that began with a bang and then faded away to nothing.

Some did it sooner rather than later, and some are still hanging on – witness whatever TNA is these days – but you can count the examples on one hand of endeavours that have not only sustained interest in the product, but actually grown it.

The live audience for All In was very much a travelling crowd, with 75% of fans coming from outside Illinois or its surrounding states. That presents two problems right off the bat – is Chicago enough of a repeat destination for that number and – more importantly - how often can you rely on those fans to buy hotels and flights alongside show tickets?

Could All In run annually in

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STEELCHAIR.CO.UK Chicago? I’d say there’s a good chance of that. More than once a year, staying in Chicago? Perhaps not. More than once a year, in a variety of cities around the US (or globally)? That’s where you need a crystal ball or a time machine, and as outlandish as Being The Elite has gotten, Cody and the Young Bucks currently have neither.

The expansion into the US of New Japan might hold some clues, as their first shows in Los Angeles did gangbusters business (again, they probably undervenued), but their returns to California have so far failed to sell out. There are caveats, but it shows that the audience attracted by New Japan and All In in the US does have a limit, especially when you factor in that many of these fans are also paying to fly into Wrestlemania, and the festival of wrestling that has grown to surround it.

Next year’s WrestleMania contains a sequel of sorts to All In, as Ring of Honor and New Japan have teamed up to run Madison Square Garden in New York, the night before the big show across the water in New Jersey. That sold out almost immediately, too, only

with more of a local crowd than the All In fly-in, and will be going head-to-head with NXT’s Takeover in Brooklyn, which can usually be relied upon to attract pretty much the same audience. That both shows will do very good business on the same night is encouraging.

Wrestling is an ego business, and no matter how down to earth Cody and the Young Bucks may seem, it will be difficult for them to not want to repeat the experiment.

That’s a Good Thing. If nothing else, what all this has told us is that there is a viable career to be had for US (and UK) wrestlers outside of Vince McMahon’s empire, and even though it hurts my Socialist heart to admit it, competition can sometimes make an industry stronger (but only when there’s a virtual monopoly or cabal outside the control of the state, am I right kids?).

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Anything that chips away at WWE’s dominance of the sport is to be encouraged, and if All In run my country (okay, my town, maybe), I’ll support it. Especially if Arrowman is on the card. I love that show.

OCTOBER 2018 STEELCHAIR 35

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