The WWE Cruiserweight Classic is only three weeks old as a television product, but after just the WWE Network bracketology special and two sixty-minute episodes, the inaugural tournament feels like the wrestling story of the summer in spite of Brock Lesnar, SmackDown LIVE, and the WWE Draft. The CWC...

Titus O’Neil’s pursuit of Rusev’s WWE United States Championship has not set the wrestling world on fire. At this point in his career, O’Neil is an imperfect opponent for any champion. In spite of his tenure, Titus’ career has been plagued by start-and-stop pushes and a tendency to put...

It’s the summer of 2016, and all human beings live in a world where AJ Styles has beaten John Cena in the middle of a WWE ring. The scale of Styles’ first major victory since his arrival at the Royal Rumble makes for huge headlines on its own merit,...

One of the consistent issues with Vince McMahon’s booking during his long tenure atop the wrestling business has been his inability to make a star without breaking another. At times, McMahon has directly fed one top wrestler to the next, destroying any value remaining in the first, as was...

Talent is one of the truly inexplicable aspects of humanity. Through genetics, rearing, or Providence (depending on philosophy), aptitudes present themselves early in life and continue to develop with practice and reinforcement. Of course, some talents, such as athleticism, are valued far more in our society than others. Athleticism...

In spite of the self-proclaimed intelligentsia’s constant dismissal of professional wrestling as little more than As the World Turns for the NASCAR crowd, theatrical fight promotion has remained a consistent predictor of shifts in the television business since the 1950s. During the era of the DuMont Network, professional wrestling’s...

Over the last few years, the Raw following WrestleMania has become a night of bread and circuses, designed partly to create memorable moments and mostly to keep WWE’s most irascible fans from revolting. Even with the show being booked with a “hardcore” audience in mind, it was impossible for...

With the meaningful parts of the WrestleMania 32 card set, the question looms for the second year in a row: is Roman Reigns over enough to challenge for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on the biggest stage of all? His opponent, Triple H, is unquestionably capable of leading him...

With a road to WrestleMania potholed by injuries and patched with McMahons, it seems curious that one proven huge money draw does not have a bigger role at the biggest event of the year: “The Beast” Brock Lesnar. In the last year, Lesnar, who entered the Santa Clara edition...