fighting
From MMA, wrestling, boxing, and more, fighting satisfies your hunger for a good KO.
Reviewing Hikaru Shida's Big Win at Dynamite 200
200 episodes already?! By my mental math, that's nearly four years' worth of wrestling episodes. Time sure flies, doesn't it? October 2, 2019, that was the date that the very first episode of AEW Dynamite aired on television. August 2, 2023: that's the date that the show's 200th aired on TBS, and it was amazing. WWE Hall of Famer Rob Van Dam made his appearance on Dynamite to confront the now-villainous FTW Champion Jack Perry, and speaking of champions, we saw World Champion MJF actually bare his soul, call out Adam Cole, and officially sign a title match between the two of them at All In, the upcoming event set to take place at Wembley Stadium in London.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
A Look Back at Layla's 2013 Heel Turn (and What Could Have Been)
One thing I've noticed as a wrestling fan is that for the last decade-plus, August has been the month for the women of wrestling to go from good to evil. A lot of female heel turns seem to take place in the eighth month--including, but not limited to, Beth Phoenix and Natalya banding together to form the villainous Divas of Doom duo in August 2011, as well as Nikki Bella turning against twin sister Brie Bella at SummerSlam in 2014. One such moment that has stayed in my memory even now, 10 years to the day later, was Layla's heel turn in 2013.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Pros and Cons: The WWE Divas Championship
It's hard to believe that the now-defunct WWE Divas Championship first appeared on WWE television 15 years ago. It was during the summer of 2008 that the Divas Championship was added to WWE's collection of titles, originally serving as a title for the SmackDown's Women's Division for the first few months until the 2009 WWE Draft saw the title switch brands with the more prestigious WWE Women's Championship. The two titles became unified at Night of Champions 2010, and it was the Divas Championship that ended up as the sole title for WWE's Women's Division until WrestleMania 32 in 2016, when the title was replaced with the revamped WWE Women's Championship.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
A Look Back: Edge and Undertaker's 2008 Feud
This month, WWE celebrated the 25th anniversary of the beginning of the storied career of WWE Hall of Famer Edge. What a career! Understatement, I know, but still. SummerSlam 1998 was his first PPV bout, as he served as Sable's tag team partner, and we know the rest after that. Became part of The Brood, teamed with Christian and won various tag titles, went solo and finally worked up to becoming an iconic main eventer, only for his career to come to a premature end barely a week after WrestleMania 27. Nearly nine years later, Edge returns at the 2020 Rumble, and has since been involved in several different and amazing angles since then.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Reviewing Money in the Bank 2023...and Its Many Shockers
The first thought I had as I watched the pre-show for this year's Money in the Bank event: the titular match has been around for 18 years! It doesn't seem like it. It seems like yesterday that I watched the very first Money in the Bank Ladder Match, but it was actually 18 years ago: April 3, 2005 at WrestleMania 21. In the years that have passed, Money in the Bank continued as a WrestleMania staple until 2010, when the namesake event was born. For those of you who are new to this phenomenon, here are the details.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Reviewing AEW Collision's Premiere Episode
I remember being excited over the premiere of AEW Collision, especially due to what would come with the show. Based on what I read, this show is part of AEW's equivalent of a "brand split," if you will. The idea is due to some growing tensions between some members of the AEW roster, so the company decided to add a second two-hour program with a separate roster from their flagship show, Dynamite--with the move also including the shutdown of web shows Dark and Dark: Elevation. The last few weeks prior to the premiere saw announcements regarding future destinations for the show, as well as the site of the premiere episode: Chicago.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Pros and Cons: Bianca Belair's Slow Burning Heel Turn
I've been a fan of Bianca Belair since she started in WWE, and it's hard to believe that she's actually been in WWE for seven years now! She started out in NXT as a villainess, proclaiming herself as the "EST of WWE," using every superlative to describe herself in the brash-EST (see what I did there?) of fashion. Though she never won the NXT Women's Championship, Bianca built one hell of a tenure on NXT before getting her call-up to the main roster. In her debut, Bianca became a babyface and came to the aid of the Street Profits, consisting of Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford (the latter half being Bianca's real-life husband).
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Virtuosa: A Look at Deonna Purrazzo's Career (So Far)
You know, time really flies fast, doesn't it? It's hard to believe that the first time we saw Deonna Purrazzo on a grand stage was nine years ago--it seems like yesterday! The year was 2014, and Impact Wrestling (under the TNA label) was doing their "One Night Only" events--I loved those. One of their yearly events was the iconic Knockouts Knockdown, which was solely focused on the Knockouts--Impact's Women's Division. The first event took place in the fall of 2013, but the focus is on the second one, which saw Impact's regular Knockouts and a mixture of talent from all over the independent circuit. Among the indy talents was 19-year-old Deonna Purrazzo, a New Jersey-based wrestler who was just getting started.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Should Xia Li Go Back to NXT?
I am a huge fan of Xia Li--an absolutely huge fan. She's been one of my favorites ever since she made her WWE debut via the Mae Young Classic (which they still need to bring back). I literally beamed every time Xia Li appeared on NXT. I love everything about her; her look, her moveset, her upbeat demeanor, everything she brings to any and all gimmicks she plays, all of it. Any time Xia Li's on, it's the highlight of the evening.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
The World Heavyweight Championship is Back!
Hours prior to Monday Night Raw's beginning, it was reported that Triple H had a huge announcement as part of the episode's synopsis. My first two thoughts: the upcoming WWE Draft was involved, and I figured/hoped that he would address the World Title situation. Sure enough, Triple H did address Roman Reigns, adding that Reigns' near 1000-day reign as WWE's Undisputed Universal Champion was mentioned, as well as the fact that he hasn't defended the title as much. After stating that the WWE and their fans deserved more than that, Triple H then mentioned the Draft--saying that in the upcoming Draft, when Reigns is drafted by either Raw or SmackDown, he'll take his title and stay there.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Reviewing Trish Stratus' Villainous Explanation on Raw
April 25, 2005. What's so significant about that date? Simple. That date was the last time that Trish Stratus appeared on Monday Night Raw as a heel--coming six days before that year's Backlash event, which was Heel Trish's last overall appearance. Trish's latest return saw her as an ally of her fellow Hall of Fame bestie Lita, as well as Becky Lynch, and the three of them even teamed together in defeating Damage CTRL. Becky and Lita were set to defend the Women's Tag Team Championship against Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan on April 10, 2023, but prior to the match, Lita found backstage, having been attacked.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Reviewing Trish Stratus' Heel Turn; What Happens Between Now and SummerSlam?
So we finally got it. We knew this was coming, we were waiting for it, and it came. A lot of us thought we'd see this happening at WrestleMania. I mean, it was the proper forum. Becky Lynch, Trish Stratus, and Lita against Damage CTRL, and it would have been the perfect opportunity. We didn't get that, and I'm glad of that, because we needed to wait just a bit. We would not wait too long, and it leaves this fan, among others, wondering what will be done in the many months leading to the inevitable clash.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
