The Work Of Wrestling podcast turned ten years old this past January. It’s hard to believe I’ve been podcasting and writing about any subject with consistency for that amount of time. In so doing, I’ve produced several episodes I’m proud of but none more so than The Third Law.
Read MoreI'm sick with a bad cold. I've missed a couple days of work. Sore throat, congested, hacking up phlegm as my nostrils turn raw. It's incredibly unpleasant. All I've done is drink tea and sleep. I'm starting to feel better - it's been about six days since the symptoms began. I've tested negative for Covid. The biggest casualty of this sickness is this week's RAW Review. Try as I might I couldn't summon the strength to give much detail or fully fleshed out "takes". I'm exhausted and occasionally in pain. I apologize to anyone who was hoping for more. I figured what I did manage to produce was better than nothing at all. I'll bounce back next week.
Read MoreThis week’s Monday Night Raw, another middling, mostly pointless episode, ended with an intense dialogue between Cody Rhodes and CM Punk. It was a well-acted scene with several well-constructed statements, mainly that Cody Rhodes is no longer “chasing” CM Punk but that it was now Punk “chasing” Rhodes.
One would be forgiven to surmise, based on this scene, that Punk v Rhodes will headline WrestleMania 41. In fact, I’d argue this scene necessitates Punk face Rhodes for the title at Mania. Otherwise, why am I seeing it?
The characters have an interesting history and the imagery and soundbites would make for a fantastic pre-match vignette. Everything about their interactions over the past year, culminating in this promo, lays the groundwork for a championship match.
And yet, I don’t buy any of it.
Read MoreWatch pro-wrestling long enough, and you begin to recognize the patterns of wrestling matches and the tropes of the medium: the heel cheats, the babyface "comes back", groups and teams inevitably betray each other, veterans "pass the torch", and on and on it goes in an endless merry-go-round of (hopefully) joy and wonder.
Eventually, you may even want to see some of these patterns and tropes at work because they provide a sense of comfort, a return to your once simplistic, romanticized view of right & wrong.
Read MoreOn April 1st, WWE Announced they will air a Global Women’s Tournament this summer with 32 competitors from 17 different countries. The Cruiserweight Classic and United Kingdom Championship Tournament were both critical successes for WWE Network. The single elimination tournament format created stakes based in reality for those involved and was portrayed as legitimate sport, real people with backstories all vying for a championship and the opportunity to be seen by the WWE Universe.
Read More