“Sports Entertainment Solidified” is a pro wrestling column by Maddy Myer that runs every Monday.
Professional wrestling is an ever-evolving sport filled with acrobats, never-before-seen athleticism, perfectly crafted characters with attitude and so much more. Each week, men and women lay their bodies on the line inside the ring for the audience’s entertainment and bring their all on the mic to invoke emotions into the audience’s hearts. New storylines are crafted within minutes, fan reactions can change how a wrestler acts in front of a live crowd and an injury can end a career that could have gone down in history.
Each week, fans tune into the sports entertainment spectacle with WWE at the helm. All Elite Wrestling (AEW), New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) and Impact Wrestling are all big hitters as well and attract large audiences. The unexpected thrill of waiting for the winner of each match is like the adrenaline rush one gets right before the big drop at the top of a roller coaster. There’s truly nothing like it.
Not everyone can be a John Cena or The Rock, the type that transcends professional wrestling and enters into popular culture forever, but these wrestlers can surely try their best each week to make it to that level.
Here are the top pro wrestling matches from the past week.
CM Punk and FTR vs. Samoa Joe and Bullet Club Gold (AEW Collision, June 17)
In AEW’s newest weekly show, AEW Collision, CM Punk made his return to wrestling in over nine months. This return had an incredible amount of buzz surrounding it, and Punk did not disappoint. He brought out all the stops, from his Macho Man Randy Savage-inspired elbow drop from the top rope to his running high knee to the corner. His chemistry with Samoa Joe was something out of a movie as well, which is fitting, considering they both started on similar paths on the independent wrestling scene.
FTR also delivered agility-filled performances against Juice and Jay White (Bullet Club Gold), which helped keep the audience’s eye not only on the middle of the ring, but also on what was going on outside of it. Punk hit his “go to sleep” finisher to pick up the victory for his team.
Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens vs. Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser (WWE Monday Night Raw, June 12)
Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens are two of the most gifted wrestlers on WWE’s roster. Put them against Gunther, another one of WWE’s most prominent athletes, and it creates magic in the ring. Zayn’s quick reversals against Kaiser showed his speed and veteran status, while Owens vs. Gunther was like watching two technically sound, but still powerful behemoths going at it.
While both Owens and Gunther are over 260 pounds, it doesn’t show in their performance, as their speed matches their strength in every aspect. From Owens’ superkick, cannonball and swanton bomb alone, one wouldn’t be able to turn their eyes away from the match. Zayn picked up the victory for his team after nailing the blue thunder bomb against Kaiser, while Owens hit Gunther with a DDT move outside the ring.
Skye Blue vs. Toni Storm (AEW Dynamite, June 14)
From nailing hurricanranas to running knees, Skye Blue showcased a flurry of killer offense against Toni Storm that was quite impressive for a wrestler who only signed with the company in April. Even with the can of spray paint thrown into the ring that was supposed to be sprayed on Blue by Storm and with Ruby Soho outside the ring trying to distract Blue, Blue was able to hit her finisher as well. Still, Storm’s almost-perfect Texas Cloverleaf submission hold was too much for Blue after the damage she had already sustained.
Moose vs. Rich Swann (Impact, June 15)
The tale is as old as time: a little man versus a big man —in this case, however, a cruiserweight (Swann) versus a heavyweight (Moose). The chemistry in this match was undeniable. The much quicker Swann was landing high-risk moves like dropkicks from the top rope until his momentum shifted. Swann’s dive toward Moose outside the ring ended with a Moose reversal, two powerbombs and Swann being thrown into the metal barricades at ringside. Once back inside the ring, there was a lot of back and forth, but Moose got the upper hand after some chops to Swann’s chest and a superplex from the top ropes onto the mat. In the closing moments, Swann was able to counter Moose’s finisher for the quick rollup pin and victory.
From Punk’s triumphant return to a David and Goliath matchup with the likes of Swann and Moose, last week’s wrestling matchups were stacked. Let’s see if next week continues this momentum, as several pro wrestling promotions have pay-per-view events coming up soon.