PWA Night of Champions delivers
EDMONTON - The Prairie Wrestling Alliance faced a lot of pressure Saturday night, both to top their last event and to impress a former WWE star in attendance. By the time Duke Durrango pinned Chris Steele to end Steele's two-year run as PWA champion, every single one...
Mat Matters: Torn between two ECW shows
Having attended both "Hardcore Homecoming" and "ECW: One Night Stand" this weekend, I find it extremely difficult (pun intended) to come up with an answer as to which one was the better show. Match-wise, I'd say it was a tie. Hardcore Homecoming (HH) delivered huge,...
Hardcore Homecoming a memorable night
Deep in the heart of an industrial area in South Philadelphia at the corner of Swanson and Ritner, surrounded by parking lots and warehouse outlets stands a fairly nondescript building. Its painted white bricks are stained by years of weather and pollution. A simple...
ROH, Buffalo a good match
BUFFALO, NY - As Ring of Honor rolled its brand into Buffalo for the first time Saturday night, it was sometimes hard to tell who was in the spotlight -- the wrestlers or the fans. It became clear that there's a mutual respect between the Buffalo fans and Ring of...
Calgary loves getting RAW
CALGARY - Usually when the WWE rolls their TV cameras into the Saddledome in Calgary, you know you are in for an exciting evening of sports entertainment. Moments like the classic Chris Benoit vs. Steve Austin title match in 2001, Edge vs. Kurt Angle in a steel cage...
Vancouver fans happy with RAW return
A beautiful Saturday evening did not hurt the attendance for the RAW brand house show at the PNE Agrodome in Vancouver. Over five thousand fans made their way through the turn-styles for what turned out to be a very entertaining show put on by the WWE Superstars. A...
Lucha stars unfazed by rope mishap in Toronto
Mexican superstars, Toronto's shining up-and-comers, and a few indy veterans joined forces Saturday night to put on a wrestling show that will have fans talking about for quite some time. Even a ring malfunction couldn't slow down the action that Squared Circle...
Southern California stars shine at PWG All Star Weekend
LOS ANGELES - For many who were checking out Pro Wrestling Guerrilla for the first time on April 1st and 2nd, it was a chance to see well known indy and TNA stars like AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, Samoa Joe, Petey Williams and Frankie Kazarian. By the end of the...
Raw wraps up Mania week in Hollywood
LOS ANGELES - If this weekend's broadcast of Heat seems to have a rather sparce amount of attendees, it would be because of a printing mix up that saw many tickets with a 5:30 p.m. start time. The doors actually opened at 4:30 p.m. and saw the tapings begin almost...
Petey Williams ready for more
MONTREAL -- On February 12th, Petey Williams celebrated his first visit to the province of Quebec by winning the Elite Wrestling Revolution heavyweight belt and becoming the first non-Quebec native to win a major championship in over 20 years. And this past Saturday,...
Aries retains ROH title in Montreal
MONTREAL - In what many wrestling fans are already calling the best card in many years, Austin Aries retained his Ring of Honor (ROH) heavyweight title, beating "Mr. Wrestling" Kevin Steen Saturday night in the co-main event at Marc the Grizzly's New Year's Madness II...
Gino Brito honoured at inaugural MWO show
MONTREAL -- Friday evening, yet another new wrestling federation was born in Québec. Already rich with more than a dozen wrestling federations, the Montreal Wrestling Organization had to do something to set themselves apart from the others. And they did just that....
Sabu tribute a star-studded success
Ask a professional wrestler to name the hardest part about being in the sport, and most of them will say that it's the time spent away from their families. Traveling from city to city for weeks on end, they spend more time with other professional wrestlers than they...
Abdullah forks up the WAW
MONTREAL - Saturday evening was the first show for the World All Stars Wrestling and its promoter/wrestler Andy Ellison in quite a while. For the occasion nothing could be better than Montreal's most famous nemesis for the last 44 years in the grand finale, Abdullah...
Oh the Horror: Shane & Traci win at CyberSpace Wrestling Federation
WAYNE, NJ -- For months, TNA talent has attempted to take over the CyberSpace Wrestling Federation, but after a failed effort at Cybercade, it was time to bring in the reinforcements for the spooktacular Halloween Horror. CSWF returned to the Wayne P.A.L. Center in...
Sugey tops ChickFight, Grimes reappears
HAYWARD, Calif. -- It's Night Two of the joint APW-PGWA ChickFight 2004 / Halloween Hell tournament, and seeing how it's October 30, no one was let into the show without a costume. And, in the spirit of the season, they presented two cage match main events. Match 1:...
ChickFight sets up Melissa-Sugey finale
HAYWARD, Calif. -- APW and Pro Wrestling Girls Association joined forces for the first time for APW's 8th annual Halloween Hell weekend. The highlight on Friday was the ChickFight '04 Tournament, which set up the final between Melissa Anderson and Princess Sugey...
CWA & NWA: Double Pandemonium
MONTREAL - Saturday was the Championship Wrestling Association's monthly card, appropriately named Pandemonium. Not only did the CWA have their best crowd in a while, there was a backstage announcement that they had reached a deal to associate themselves with the...
Regal screwjob mars Manchester Raw
MANCHESTER -- RAW was something of an unique experience last night. It was a textbook example of how you can turn a crowd that popped for anything (including a frigging promo for a video game) to not giving two craps about anything. And it's all because of one “Dusty...
Bulldogs Ironmen at PWA show
Due to scheduling conflicts and issues beyond their control, Edmonton's Prairie Wrestling Alliance hasn't had many shows this year. Thus, they needed a big show when they relaunched on October 9th. Taking eight of the best talent in Alberta and putting them in the...
IWS delivers ladders, tacks, tables
MONTREAL - With their fifth anniversary now entrenched well into recent memories, and the Sid Vicious debacle just a dark memory, the Internet Wrestling Syndicate had its monthly card Saturday at the Unison bar in the western suburb of St-Laurent. Named Freedom to...
Smackdown okay at the Corral
The empty seats throughout the Stampede Corral, which at capacity holds a mere 6500 people said all that needs to be said. The Smackdown brand isn't a draw. The WWE has failed to make fans care about that roster, and thus they weren't willing to plunk down between $20...
DDP retires Kanyon at hot NJ show
WAYNE, NJ - Last night, fans who attended CSWF Cybercade did indeed Feel the BANG! Diamond Dallas Page returned to action in New Jersey for Billy Firehawk's red-hot promotion, defeating his old running mate Kanyon in what was billed as a Retirement Match. The show was...
A beauty of a Ballpark Brawl
BUFFALO, NY -- Moonsaults, chair shots, ladders and baseball? Where does that all fit together? Promoter Chris Hill took the idea of having a wrestling show following a baseball game, all on the same field. On Saturday, fans flocked to the Buffalo Bisons stadium in...
Toronto welcomed into Ring of Honor
TORONTO - Ring of Honor made its Canadian debut at the Ted Reeve Arena in Toronto's east end last night. News wise, it was significant for more than just the rabid crowd; the evening saw the debut of two Canadians with the company, and the return of Mark Briscoe from...
WWE draws poorly in Vancouver
VANCOUVER, BC - The WWE returned to Vancouver for a Raw house show Friday night, but only drew about 3,000 people. Some of the advertised matches never took place and the lack of real star power did not help this show. Overall it was pretty good but I have seen much...
Live report: Benoit homecoming rocks Rexall
Edmonton - For fans who jammed Rexall Place, just off of Wayne Gretzky Drive, last nights Backlash show was memorable for three reasons. First was the return to action of Ric Flair. "The Nature Boy" has only wrestled in Edmonton once, a 1992 bout with Roddy Piper....
ROH Do or Die II a critical success
ELIZABETH, NJ - It was ironic that the name of RoH's afternoon convention card was "Do or Die II" as it was definitely do or die time for the two-year-old promotion. Critics and fans wondered what would happen in the wake of the Rob Feinstien scandal, as there had...
Onyx crowned champ in CWA re-birth
MONTREAL - Under new management, the Championship Wrestling Association presented their second wrestling card since the takeover and delivered a lot of action, and a new champion. The CWA had gathered many of the most popular wrestlers from Quebec's indy scene for a...
Philly fans’ pysche further beaten down at Rumble
AT THE RUMBLE -- In a town desperate for a championship, fans will latch on to any ray of hope, even that of a professional wrestler. Welcome to Philadelphia. I saw this first hand at the Royal Rumble in Philadelphia, home of the Eagles. A team that lost in the NFC...
Luttemania brings Québec’s best together
LAVAL, Québec -- True to Lutte 2000 tradition, a wrestling card at Christmastime is to be expected from Jacques Rougeau's federation. This year was no exception. The Dec. 27th card held at the famed Colisée de Laval was promising to be different than all of Rougeau's...
Animal in spotlight at Hawk tribute show
BIRCH RUN, Mich. -- Despite being surrounded by hundreds of fans and a locker room full of friends and colleagues, never has a man looked quite as alone in the ring as Road Warrior Animal did on Saturday night during a tribute show to his late partner Hawk. In full...
NWA 55th anniversary show shines
PARKERSBURG, W.V. -- America's Most Wanted, Traci Brooks, Synn, NWA Senior Referee Fred Richards and more highlighted this past weekend's NWA 55th Anniversary Show. The NWA, or National Wrestling Alliance, brought together talent from Hawaii, Ireland, England, Canada,...
Thoughts from the seats in Hershey
By NICK TYLWALK AND DALE PLUMMER HERSHEY, Pa. -- As the adage goes, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again. The WWE may have laid an egg at Badd Blood, its first Raw-only pay-per-view, but it responded with a much better effort Sunday night. Unforgiven played...
Angle on top in Hamilton house show
HAMILTON -- The WWE juggernaut rolled into Copps Coliseum in Hamilton on Sunday. The arena was half to two-thirds full. Curtains blocked off most of the upper deck. During the opening announcements, Tony Chimmel mentioned the blackout, which drew boos from the fans....
Jason’s Saskatoon Diary Day 7: The Long Journey Home
CALGARY - We were an hour outside of Saskatoon, and I was enjoying the cool breeze blowing through Johnny Handsome's driver's side window when a grasshopper met its tragic demise ... on my face. "Ow that hurt!" I yelled, wiping bug guts off of my face as my three...
Jason’s Saskatoon Diary Day 6: Wavell Dethroned
SASKATOON - The fans have been begging for someone to knock the arrogant Wavell Starr off his perch as POW Carnival Champion since he walked out to the ring at 4:30 pm on Tuesday afternoon. Sunday night their wish came true as NWA-TNA star Jerry Lynn pinned Starr in...
Jason’s Saskatoon Diary Day 5: The End Draws Near
SASKATOON - The end is in sight for Don Callis and Crash Crimson, the men behind the mania that has been this past weeks Pro Outlaw Wrestling at the Saskatoon Exhibition. "By the end of Sunday everybody is going to be glad and happy that it is over, but we are also...
Jason’s Saskatoon Diary Day 4: From Legends to Rookies
Pro Outlaw Wrestling's referee George Smiley is named because he always has a giant grin on his face while in the ring. But who can blame his enthusiasm when every night he is refereeing matches involving Sabu and Jerry Lynn? "I wake up every morning excited about...
Jason’s Saskatoon Diary Day 3: Apocalypse marks out
SASKATOON - For Calgary's rising star Apocalypse, his match on the 9:00 p.m. show at the Saskatoon Ex was something he would never forget. Thursday night, he looked across the ring, and staring back at him was Sabu. "It was pretty crazy. I was thinking 'Wow, I never...
Jason’s Saskatoon Diary: Day 2 – Hitman a hit
SASKATOON - Thousands of fans flocked to the Exhibition Wednesday to take in the POW action and meet six-time World Champion Bret 'Hitman' Hart. Hart signed for his scheduled time and then moved closer to the ring for another hour of signing for fans that hadn't had...
Jason’s Saskatoon Diary: Day 1 – Road Rules
SASKATOON - Whether you are the champion in WWE, a regular in Japan, or an independent wrestler making their name with an assortment of promotions, there is one thing that every wrestler has to do, and most wrestlers don't like to do: Travel. I had a small taste of...
Saddledome Smackdown lacks sizzle
CALGARY -- On paper, Saturday's Smackdown! brand house show at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary looked awesome. The main event Wrestlemania rematch of Kurt Angle defending against Brock Lesnar had the potential to be the best house show main event in Cowtown since...
WWE lays Smackdown! on Toronto
Wrestling fans in Toronto came out in full force to attend a Smackdown! taping last night at the Air Canada Centre. Since SLAM! Wrestling's Dale Plummer normally covers the broadcasts, I'm not going to steal his thunder and only offer you my own twisted insights into...
Wrestlers honoured to be on Stu’s show
CALGARY -- It showed on the faces of the fans, and in the effort put forth by the athletes in the ring: Stu Hart is loved and respected. SLAM! Wrestling had the opportunity to catch up with a number of members of the Hart Family as well as participants at Friday's Stu...
Stu Hart tribute show delivers
CALGARY -- On Friday, May 2nd, Stampede Wrestling paid tribute to Stu Hart on his 88th Birthday by presenting a spectacular show at the Ogden Legion Hall in Calgary. The highly-anticipated main event of "Stampede Kid" TJ Wilson and "Bulldog" Harry Smith (Son of Davey...
Rough night for Canadians at NWA 53rd
It wasn't the best of nights last night in St. Petersburg, Florida for the Canadians on the NWA 53rd Anniversary show at the Wrestleplex. Though the vacant NWA Canadian title was captured by former champ EZ Ryder from the Winnipeg-based CWF promotion, another Winnipeg...
Backstage at the Pillman Memorial Show
By STEVE HOOPER -- For SLAM! Wrestling I was privileged enough to be part of the Pillman 2001 Memorial Show in Cincinnati, Ohio, and thought I might share some thoughts with you all regarding this fantastic event. This year marks the second time I have worked this...
A fourth generation of Rougeau debuts
Jacques Rougeau Jr's Lutte International 2000 has never stopped believing in itself and with a goal of producing family oriented shows, last night's card was no different. In front of a disappointing crowd of approximately 3500 at the Verdun Auditorium, the show got...
Nashville’s NWA 52nd Convention has hits and misses
NASHVILLE -- Judging by the National Wrestling Alliance's 52nd Convention card on Saturday night at the historic Nashville Fairgrounds, showcasing wrestling talent isn't the promotion's problem. It's the presentation and packaging. While the WWF and WCW can put on...
