Brad McFarlin’s WWE Smackdown Detroit Apr. 12, 2024 photo gallery
The first Smackdown after WrestleMania XL took place at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan, on Friday, April 12, 2024. SlamWrestling.net photographer Brad McFarlin was there to shoot the event, and Josh Olsen filed a few notes from the crowd. "It was a...
Christine Coons’ Battleground Championship Wrestling Born to Die Photo Gallery
SlamWrestling.net’s Christine Coons headed out to Battleground Championship Wrestling’s “Born to Die” on Friday, April 5, 2024, at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA. Check out her gallery below, and for more about Battleground Championship Wrestling, including future...
Christine Coons’ Battleground Championship Wrestling Tribute to the Extreme 2 photo gallery
SlamWrestling.net's Christine Coons headed out to Battleground Championship Wrestling's "Tribute to the Extreme 2" on Friday, April 5, 2024, at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA. Check out her gallery below, and for more about Battleground Championship Wrestling,...
Unaired Jimmy Lloyd-RackaRacka GCW deathmatch filmed for documentary?
After GCW Role Model went off the air Saturday night, fans in attendance at Harpo’s in Detroit were treated to a bonus deathmatch between Jimmy Lloyd and RackaRacka. Social media reactions to the match unanimously praised their battle, with Joey Janela posting, “That...
NXT house show has old-feel feel, a surprise in Carmelo Hayes
SANFORD, Florida - During the days of the territories, the different promotions had a regular circuit of towns that they would run shows. These were towns that they visit weekly. In-between these shows, they would occasionally run what they called Spot Shows. These...
The night Greektown went A-R-R-G-O-O-S for A.J.
TORONTO -- It's not often you see a Grey Cup ring used as a weapon. Or a surefire Canadian Football Hall of Famer at ringside capturing the antics of a buddy on his cell phone. But both happened on Saturday night. The scene was the East End United Church on Toronto's...
Chelsea, returning AOP give Vancouver Smackdown local flavor
VANCOUVER, BC -- Vancouver fans had to wait almost three years in between WWE televised events and a sell-out crowd of over 13,000 at Rogers Arena on Friday, January 5 for Smackdown reaffirmed that wrestling fans continue to be ravenous on the west coast. Smackdown...
A fan gets a Christmas gift and Cody survives the cage at WWE Toronto show
TORONTO -- The WWE and its superstars spread some Christmas cheer with its third-to-last house show and final Canadian show of 2023. The stop in Toronto at the Coca-Cola Coliseum featured three matches which on their own could have main-evented any house show. They...
Brad McFarlin’s WWE Detroit Dec. 27, 2023 photo gallery
The WWE Holiday Tour rolled into the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan, on Wednesday, December 27, 2023, with a decided win, unlike the resident Detroit Pistons of the NBA, who are on a record losing streak. SlamWrestling.net photographer Brad McFarlin was...
Last Smoky Mountain Wrestling show unearthed 28 years later
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The final Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW) event has been hiding, preserved and now re-discovered on YouTube. On Sunday, November 26, 1995, SMW’s Thanksgiving Thunder tour rolled into the Cookeville Community Center. The house show would serve as...
Border City Wrestling marks 30 years with a treat
WINDSOR, ON -- Saturday night, Border City Wrestling marked its 30th Anniversary with a capacity crowd at the St. Clair College Sportsplex in Windsor, the same venue where IMPACT Wrestling recently held this year's edition of Slammiversary. Originally founded in 1993...
WrestleDream shined spotlight on Pacific Northwest
SEATTLE - The first-ever AEW WrestleDream event on Sunday, October 1st, was billed as a tribute show to Japanese wrestling legend Antonio Inoki, and while it did commemorate his legacy, it may ultimately be remembered as the day the Pacific Northwest finally got some...
Danielson hometown hero at Collision in Seattle
SEATTLE -- Bryan Danielson and Zack Sabre Jr. finally went face-to-face and that encounter was the closing image on Saturday’s AEW Collision – the final stop before WrestleDream on Sunday. Sabre Jr. joined the commentary team for Saturday’s main event, which featured...
SummerSlam: The 44 year-old pay-per-view virgin
DETROIT, Mich. -- My name is Josh Olsen and I have a somewhat embarrassing confession to make. I’m a 44 year-old, nearly lifelong wrestling fan, and I’ve never attended a pay-per-view. Sure, I’ve attended televised wrestling events, like Raw, Smackdown, and Dynamite....
SummerSlam Eve: A full menu of indy wrestling & wrestlers in Detroit
DETROIT -- When WWE announced that SummerSlam 2023 would be in Detroit, what I looked forward to most of all, possibly more so even than SummerSlam itself, was participating in the events and activities around SummerSlam weekend. As the subsequent announcements from...
Collison & Battle of the Belts Stampede into Calgary history
CALGARY - More incredible moments were added to the long history of professional wrestling in Calgary as AEW made its debut July 15th to a rambunctious crowd. Whether it was the instant classic 58-minute battle between FTR and Bullet Club Gold or celebrating the Owen...
Remembering Ginger the Bear on anniversary of her death
In southern Ontario, July 4th is always a day of reflection, as it marks the anniversary of the death of "Bearman" Dave McKigney, Adrian Adonis, and Pat Kelly in an accident in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Bearman had color and charisma to spare and is rightfully...
AEW’s Edmonton debut a memorable night
EDMONTON – It was clear before the first bell that fans at Edmonton’s Rogers Place were ready to be entertained and have fun at AEW Dynamite. When a disclaimer was aired over the in-house sound system advising that those on the floor were at risk of being in the path...
Cartwheel cartwheels over Vikingo and Speedball
TORONTO -- With so much hype over the young Mexican star El Hijo del Vikingo, the decision to head out to the Demand Lucha show in Toronto's west end was an easy one. It would be, after all, a very different vibe than his AEW debut in the large FirstOntario Centre in...
Musings from a first-time AEW attendee (includes Rampage spoilers)
HAMILTON, ON -- For a variety of circumstances, I had never been able to attend an AEW show in person until Wednesday night, when I went to the live Dynamite event in Hamilton, Ontario. Even though I've been watching AEW since the company started, I wouldn't say I'm a...
AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door: Toronto crowd steals the show
TORONTO -- As someone who has been watching AEW since the beginning and a big fan of NJPW for about four years now, Forbidden Door was the show to be at. With Scotiabank Arena being the host to the second AEW x NJPW show ever, you know I made sure to be there. Toronto...
AEW returns to Detroit with high expectations
DETROIT - A commonly shared mindset of optimism suggests that All Elite Wrestling’s sole competition is the promotion in itself, and AEW encountered a challenge in returning to Detroit, Michigan on May 11; after a massively successful debut at Little Caesars Arena...
Baker rocked, jagoff Jericho and long lines mark AEW’s Pittsburgh return
PITTSBURGH – On Wednesday night at AEW Dynamite, construction around the 12,508-seat Petersen Event Center forced each and every patron to enter through two doors on the concourse area. Half of the line consisted on young men in black t-shirts. A yellow-shirted...
Windsor welcomes back Impact Wrestling
WINDSOR, ON -- 1,246 days. That’s how long it’s been since Impact Wrestling last came to Windsor, Ontario. It was on March 16, 2020 that Impact announced the cancellation of its Lockdown show which was to take place in Windsor, Ontario March 28 of that year due to the...
Winnipeg AEW show indeed Dynamite for those in attendance
If you've watched All Elite Wrestling over the last couple weeks, you heard "Winnipeg" come up several times during broadcasts, and with good cause. Wednesday's airing of Dynamite, along with tapings for Friday's episode of Rampage, emanated from the Canada Life...
Remembering Nick Steel with a unique celebration of life
When someone is taken too soon, why, is always the obvious question to ask. When Nick Castanhinha passed away, it was a front-and-center prime example. He was a loving husband and father. His two young sons, Jacob and Joshua, saw their dad as a superhero. Nick and his...
Kitchener fans go in-Zayn for Sami
For WWE fans today, Sami Zayn can seemingly do no wrong. Even when he mistakenly thanks the name of a different city, as he did during a post-match promo at the Road to WrestleMania house show in Kitchener, Ontario on Sunday night. But even after he heard the...
Road to WrestleMania Toronto: Roman has Sami’s number
Sami Zayn would be your new Undisputed WWE Universal Champion but Lady Luck just wasn't on his side. At the Road to WrestleMania tour's stop at Toronto's Coca-Cola Coliseum Zayn would pin Roman clean but there was no official to make the count. This main event was far...
AEW announces house shows starting in March
AEW fans will get the chance to see their favourite stars on the road starting in March, as the company announced the launch of non-televised live events called “AEW House Rules.” A press release sent out on Wednesday noted that the shows will be “taking place on...
AEW’s Kentucky debut brought tears and joy
LEXINGTON, KY – Show of hands: who would believe me if I told you AEW would deliver one of the most emotional, memorable shows in its brief history with no Bucks, no Moxley, and no Kenny Omega? Hands down, Cult of Cornette fans, I see you. I’m talking to the die...
Mat Matters: My first WWE show in 28 years
WWE - now for over 70 years the revolutionary force in sports entertainment -- is back in touring mode, with the Thunderdome Era, thankfully now in the distant past. Last week, WWE rolled into the Magic City for a doubleheader of events at Miami's FTX Arena. Being...
Rollins, Lynch share special moment at Toronto WWE Live Holiday show
2023 may have been more than a day away but real-life husband and wife Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch had lots to celebrate at the WWE Live Holiday Tour at Toronto's Coca-Cola Coliseum. Lynch came to Rollins' rescue during his steel cage match against the Judgment Day's...
Mat Matters: Fresh fans fun at Demand Lucha
TORONTO - I'm old and jaded, and have no problem admitting that. I have been to so many wrestling shows through the years, met so many fans, wrestlers, referees, promoters, hucksters that I can be a bit blasé when I'm at an actual show. That's why the Demand Lucha...
Rampage: An emotional homecoming for Spears and lots (and lots) of wrestling
A lively crowd, many still buzzing from last night's Dynamite, showed up for the taping of Rampage and many, many Dark matches. From the listed showtime of 7:00 until just minutes before 9:00, it was all Dark matches -- but nobody seemed to care. Even when QT Marshall...
AEW Rampage Spoilers from Toronto
Here are your spoilers for this week's Rampage broadcast filmed on Thursday night but airing Friday night. Tony Khan greeted the crowd and thanked them for supporting AEW in Canada. Claudio Castagnoli & Jon Moxley defeated The Butcher & The Blade The hometown...
AEW’s Dynamite debut in the north: A night of scissoring, patriotism, and overall good fun
TORONTO — Since its debut in 2019, All Elite Wrestling has only run live events across the United States. However, earlier this summer, AEW announced its first wave of international events as Dynamite and Rampage shows became set for October at the Coca-Cola Coliseum...
AEW Rampage Spoilers
Here are your spoilers for this week's Rampage broadcast. The Butcher and Blade vs. Private Party vs. The Acclaimed w/Billy Gunn - AEW World Tag Team Title Match Anthony Bowens pins the Butcher to retain the AEW tag team titles. Feugo del Sol vs. Lee Moriarty w/ W...
Hungry Vancouver crowd eats up WWE action
VANCOUVER, BC - The WWE brand flexed its muscles big time in Vancouver on Saturday, September 24, with a Saturday Night’s Main Event card at the Pacific Coliseum. According to Wrestletix, with close to 8,000 tickets sold the show was essentially a sellout for the...
Buffalo crowd experiences the fall out from All Out
BUFFALO -- The "Dynamite after All Out" might have gone in any number of directions. With the in-ring events of the 2022 edition of AEW's spectacle being shoved aside in the news cycle to make room for coverage of new champion CM Punk using his post-event media scrum...
Rampage Taping Spoilers
Here are your spoilers for this Friday's edition of Rampage, taped on Wednesday, September 7, 2022 at the Key Bank Center in Buffalo: In a qualification match for the AEW World Championship tournament, Sammy Guevara beat Darby Allin with a GTH and with a little help...
Angle toasts milk, women highlight Raw in Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH - Much had been made about Kurt Angle's triumphant return to Monday Night RAW. The one-time Olympic Champion and WWE Hall of Famer most recently had been seen throwing out the first pitch at an Altoona Curve baseball game before the independent group there...
Smackdown taping spoilers: McIntyre gets his revenge
WWE heads overseas to Cardiff, Wales next week for Clash at the Castle and in turn the final two episodes of Smackdown were taped consecutively in Detroit, Michigan on August 26th. Building towards WWE’s September 3 premium live event, Little Caesars Arena harbored...
What You Didn’t See on Raw: Edge talks retirement
When Raw went off the air from the Scotiabank Arena, Edge addressed the fans in attendance and his career in WWE. "I am getting too old for this!" he joked to the crowd after defeating Damian Priest of Judgment Day. "I am kidding. I am still kicking ass!" he laughed....
WWE in Ottawa a welcome return
OTTAWA – The last time I attended a pro wrestling event was four years ago. The venue was a run-down Knights of Columbus hall. The headliner was Teddy Hart who was making his umpteenth comeback from personal trouble. Obviously, a lot of s@@t has gone down in those...
Mat Matters: Blood and Guts becomes a family affair
The first time I took my son, Jack, to watch professional wrestling was on December 15, 2014, for Monday Night Raw at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. He was ten years old, the perfect age for the spectacle of a live professional wrestling event. It was a...
Blood and Guts violence appreciated at AEW in Detroit
DETROIT - The Midwest has habitually harbored All Elite Wrestling (AEW) shows throughout the promotion’s young three-year tenure - particularly Chicago at an almost upsetting frequency. But following yet another Chicago date, ironically, AEW at last came to Detroit,...
George Tahinos’ AEW Forbidden Door photo gallery
SlamWrestling.net's George Tahinos was at the Allstate Arena, in Chicago, Sunday, June 26 2022, as AEW presented the Forbidden Door pay-per-view with stars from New Japan Pro Wrestling. Here's his photo gallery from the event. For more of George's photos, visit his...
Rampage fans were pulling for Statlander, not Soho
LAS VEGAS - The final of the Owen Hart Foundation women’s tournament is now set for Sunday’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view show, but for many fans in attendance at Friday’s Rampage show the wrong person will be taking on Britt Baker. All Elite Wrestling took over the...
Crowd in Vegas red-hot for Wardlow-MJF
LAS VEGAS - On a night when All Elite Wrestling celebrated its third anniversary, the biggest news coming out of Wednesday’s Dynamite show was the promotion’s future plans for Double or Nothing and the west coast. AEW president and CEO Tony Khan spoke to fans in...
GCW brings High Incident scaffold match to Detroit
Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) returned to Detroit, Michigan on April 23 with The Old Me, a card headlined by a scaffold match spectacle between Second Gear Crew (Mance Warner and Matthew Justice) and the Briscoe Brothers (Jay Briscoe and Mark Briscoe). A towering...
