Indian Pro Wrestling Base

It’s worth a listen. WWE has been around for a very long time now and has quite the history. There have been all kinds of looks back at that history, oftentimes through the official WWE lens. That can lead to some interesting takes o what the company has done over the years and now we might be seeing something similar, albeit with someone else giving their take.
The Ringer will be releasing a new 25 part podcast series called The Book of WWE, looking at a variety of catchphrases from the Attitude Era. The podcast will be hosted by David Shoemaker and is based off a book by Bill Simmons. It will debut on April 4 with a new episode being released every weekday for the next five weeks. There is no word on any possible subjects being covered in the series.
Opinion: This is something that could be interesting, though that is a rather specific topic and time frame to look at. I know the Attitude Era has a certain special feeling for a lot of wrestling fans, but there is so much else out th..

It could work for him. Wrestlers have a weird reputation when it comes to action, because they are considered people who are always acting but only able to do one thing. That is not entirely true though and some wrestlers have had quite the success in the acting world. Now someone else is trying their hand in the same world, and it might be something that works out well for him.
During an interview with Ariel Helwani, AEW’s Maxwell Jacob Friedman announced that he has filmed a voiceover for an animated movie that is set to be released at some point in 2023. Friedman said that he could not give any more details on the project. He went on to say that he wanted to see how he could do in acting, comparing himself to John Cena, the Rock and Batista.
Opinion: This is something that could work, but at the same time Friedman is the latest name on a long list of wrestlers who have dabbled in acting. Some of them have done rather well, but those are the minority compared to those who have not ..

Call them guest stars. WrestleMania has been around for the better part of forty years now and there are certain traditions that have continued throughout its history. One of the longest running has been the inclusion of celebrities, who have been around since the beginning and will be there again this year. It turns out that we might be seeing even more of them than advertised.
One of the announced matches for WrestleMania 38 is an Anything Goes match between Jackass star Johnny Knoxville and Sami Zayn. During an interview with Bleacher Report, Knoxville announced that he will be bringing some of his Jackass co-stars with him, though he is hoping to keep them out of the ring. Knoxville has wrestled once before, appearing in this year’s men’s Royal Rumble, where he was eliminated by Zayn.
Opinion: This is something that had to be expected, as it makes all the sense in the world to have Knoxville bring in his friends to try and even the odds a bit. While Knoxville is the most famous o..

He deserves the attention. We are well on our way to WrestleMania weekend and that means it is time to wrap up all of the preparations. In addition to WrestleMania itself, WWE presents the annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony. This includes a variety of wrestlers getting their recognition, including one special inductee each year. Now one of them is receiving some extra attention.
WWE has released a tribute video to Shad Gaspard, who will posthumously receive the Warrior Award at this Friday’s Hall of Fame induction. Gaspard passed away via drowning after telling lifeguards to save his son instead. During his WWE career, Gaspard primarily wrestled in a tag team with JTG as part of Cryme Tyme, though he did compete as a singles wrestler as well.
It’s a touching tribute. Check out WWE’s special look at Gaspard, narrated by ESPN’s Mark Krigel:
[This post contains video, click to play]

Opinion: This is one of those tributes that gets more emotional the more I think about it, as Gasp..

There is a market for it. Wrestling fans love what they get to watch anytime a wrestling show is on. They have their favorites and get to cheer one wrestler after another, many of whom have their own signature looks. It would make sense for fans to want to not only support those wrestlers but also show their support for them. Now that is going to be easier in WWE.
WWE has announced that they have entered into a long term agreement with Fanatics for merchandise, NFT’s, trading cards and e-commerce. WWE’s online merchandise store will be replaced by a Fanatics store at some point over the summer. There is no word on what kind of changes this could mean for the amount of merchandise available or how long the partnership is originally set to last.
Opinion: This is the kind of thing that WWE does as they love to outsource their stuff. If nothing else, this is one less in-house thing that they have to worry about and Fanatics is already associated with almost every major American sports le..

It’s one of the senses. WrestleMania 38 is less than a week away as WWE will reach its biggest show of the year. That is something that WWE has been doing for a long time now and that means there is quite a history built up. If there is one thing WWE knows how to do, it is hype up their own history, which is what they are doing again, albeit in a very specific way.
WWE and BT Sports have released the Ultimate Wrestlemania Playlist on Spotify in honor of WrestleMania 38. The playlist features fifty songs, including various WrestleMania theme songs as well as other songs that have been used for WWE promotional videos over the years, along with theme songs for Monday Night Raw and SmackDown. This year’s WrestleMania theme song, Sacrifice by The Weeknd, is the first song on the list.
Opinion: There is something about hearing these songs again that make them feel special. You don’t get something like this every day and it is cool to have that many songs included in one place. Music is suc..

There’s your big surprise debut. There is something so special about seeing someone show up for the first time in a promotion. A wrestler showing up out of nowhere and immediately making an impact is one of the most exciting things there is in wrestling, especially if someone has been a star elsewhere. That is the case again, as a former WWE star has a new home.
Former WWE star Toni Storm made her AEW debut this week on Dynamite, defeating Bunny in an Owen Hart Foundation qualifying match. This was Storm’s first match since requesting and receiving her release from WWE in December. Storm had been rumored to be signing with AEW in recent days and was officially announced as part of the roster after her match was over.
Welcome to the team…#ToniStorm is #AllElite#AEWDynamite https://t.co/rnLRNOwDuz pic.twitter.com/leoBda1ANe
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) March 31, 2022
Opinion: This is the kind of signing that often makes things more interesting, as Storm never got the chance to do muc..

Dynamite
Date: March 30, 2022
Location: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, South Carolina
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone
We’re still on the long road to Double Or Nothing and that means there are some things that need to get ready before then. It seems that we will be seeing Adam Cole vs. Hangman Page II either on the way there or at the show itself, meaning there is a good chance we’ll see more of the build here this week. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
CM Punk vs. Max Caster Caster’s rap goes straight to the Will Smith reference and throws in a Hunter Biden line, plus a reference to Punk’s issues with Z-Pak’s. Anthony Bowens is here with Caster as Punk works on Caster’s taped up shoulder to start. Punk takes him down by the arm but it’s too early for the Anaconda Vice. Back up and Punk’s headlock doesn’t last long so he shoulders Caster down and grabs the armbar again. Caster gets in a shot of his own but Punk flips over the corner and runs the apron to set up a..

It’s a different kind of promo. Talking is one of the most import important parts of a wrestler’s presentation, as the fans need a reason to care about who they are seeing. Working in the ring is important, but you need to make the fans care, which is why promos can be so memorable. A good talker can mean a lot in wrestling, and now one of the more famous ones got to talk in another way.
Wrestling personality Johnny Fairplay and promoter Ron Gossett appeared on the Judge Steve Harvey Show, with Fairplay attempting to college $5,000 in unpaid appearance fees. New WWE Hall of Famer Scott Steiner appeared as a surprise witness for Gossett, saying he had been paid in full for working on one of Gossett’s shows. Steiner also threatened to beat up Fairplay and offered to wrestle him for the money. Fairplay wound up winning the case and was awarded the fee. This is the second time wrestlers have appeared on the show, after JJ Dillon and Kevin Sullivan were on the show earlier this week.
Ok, ..

That’s an explanation. An injury is one of the worst things that you can see in wrestling. They can cut off anyone no matter what they are doing and you don’t know when someone is going to be taken out of the ring. These things can also be a bit surprising as someone can be around without actually being in the ring. Now that is the case again with an AEW star who is not able to get in the ring at the moment.
AEW President Tony Khan appeared on Busted Open Radio this week, where he revealed that Anthony Bowens is currently out of action with a knee injury. Bowens’ injury is not expected to be a long term problem but he has already been out of action longer than expected and has not been cleared. His most recent match took place on the March 9 edition of Dynamite, though he has continued accompanying Max Caster to the ring.
Opinion: This is a bit of a surprise and that shows that AEW has done a good job of presenting the Acclaimed. Bowens being out of action for the last few weeks has ..

Oh dear. This weekend, WWE will induct the latest class into the company’s Hall of Fame. That is one of the more nights of the year as WWE gets to honor their legends and allows them to speak about their careers. The audience is a who’s who of WWE wrestlers, but there are going to be some generation gaps here and there. It seems that is the case again between two Hall of Famers.
In a since deleted video from the Bella Twins YouTube channel, Nikki Bella said she was looking forward to Vader taking the stage and giving his WWE Hall of Fame induction speech. However, Vader passed away in 2018 and is being inducted posthumously. There is no word on who will be accepting the induction on Vader’s behalf. The Bella Twins were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2020.
Opinion: While I don’t think Bella meant anything malicious by what she said, this doesn’t exactly make for the best visual. At the end of the day, Vader passing away is something that she probably should..

There is some interest there. AEW has changed the wrestling landscape in a great way as there is now a new place for all kinds of wrestlers to go. Several former WWE stars have wound up in AEW, with some of them already being more successful. It can be interesting to see someone new show up and that might be the case again as AEW has been talking to someone else.
According to Fightful Select, AEW and Athena, formerly known as Ember Moon, have had at least “light talks” about Athena being brought in to the company. The discussions are described as a “feeling out” process, though there is nothing to suggest that she will be brought in anytime soon. Athena was released from WWE on November 4, 2021 and has only wrestled twice since.
Opinion: This is something I could see happening but it is by no means a sure thing. Athena seems happy with taking things slowly and maybe that does not mean jumping straight into AEW. The company already has a ton of female wrestlers and Athena would be in ..