What We’re Most Thankful For

Anthony Mahalis

I am very thankful for having a great family and terrific group of friends around me. I am also very thankful for a girl that has come into my life recently who makes me very happy.

NXT, for being the best wrestling in the world. Like legitimately, have you ever been disappointed by a TakeOver? NXT delivers time and time again. NXT has some of the best wrestlers in the business. I used to be eager for the top guys to be called up to Raw and SmackDown, and for what? So they can be relegated to midcard nonsense? Now I wish SmackDown and Raw would send some guys back to NXT. Can’t wait to see what NXT has in store for Finn Balor.

I generally put something about Philly sports that I am thankful for, but there hasn’t been a whole lot to be thankful for. So, let’s go with Joe Girardi. I am thankful that the Phillies brought in a manager that I believe will bring meaningful baseball back to this town.

AEW. I am team WWE all the way. However, I am happy that there will seemingly be a legitimate company to push WWE to be better. Lord knows it needed that. AEW has been very solid so far, and I hope it continues to do well so that WWE can’t be so lazy. SmackDown on Fox has been largely pretty good, and Survivor Series was a good PPV, and that definitely has something to do with AEW.

Hot Ones, such a simple pleasure, but I am thankful that it continues to crank out great content. Sean Evans, for my money, is the best interviewer in the game.

Matthew Smith

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! The first thing I’m thankful for this year and every year is my family. Without their love and support, I would have never even reached out or tried to start writing and covering wrestling, so to all of you guys, I love you.

Secondly, I’m thankful for The Wrestling Estate and the opportunity to share my views and opinions on wrestling all over the world. You guys welcomed me and my ideas and I couldn’t be more grateful for that. This whole experience has been amazing getting to know everyone and coming together in this beautiful world of wrestling.

This one might go without saying, but I am very thankful for AEW. From being a lifelong fan of The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega, watching them join the Bullet Club to the metamorphism they went through to help form a company, they lit the wrestling world on fire this year, and have even pushed WWE to put out a better product. This has done nothing but give the audience a wider variety of wrestling to watch and enjoy, or complain about in some cases. The Bucks have always bet on themselves and have inspired others to do so as well, including myself, so for them and everyone at All Elite Wrestling (Jericho included), thank you.

Speaking of All Elite Wrestling, I’m thankful for my other job which helped cover most of my expensive travel from a small little town of Wiggins, Mississippi, to Las Vegas to see the first AEW pay-per-view: Double or Nothing. It was cool to experience the sights and sounds of Vegas and see AEW put on a hell of a show.

Lastly, I’m thankful for another year coming up of even more wrestling. Now that AEW has a flow of weekly television, NXT going all out to compete and Wrestle Kingdom on the horizon, it’s a wonderful time to be a wrestling fan.

Sam Gladen

Legitimate options in prime time wrestling. If you’re unhappy with the product, other options exist.

That more people are seeing the Lucha Brothers on a weekly basis. I started my “career” with The Wrestling Estate covering them week to week on Lucha Underground and watching them get the appreciation they deserve from an American audience has been a treat.

Being sent to cover the G1 Climax and Slammiversary for The Wrestling Estate and getting the opportunity to help increase the exposure of the brand.

My opportunity to see even more local wrestling and see those guys and girls get signed to companies like AEW, MLW and the NWA.

Getting engaged to my beautiful fiancé. She makes me a better person.

Chad Gelfand

Kofi Kingston winning the WWE Championship. This was something that I had been wanting to see for nearly a decade. To see Kofi win the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35 will always be one of my favorite wrestling memories.

More wrestling promotions thriving. While there hasn’t been the speculated upon “wrestling boom,” there are still a number of promotions such as AEW, Impact Wrestling, MLW and NWA that have some buzz around them outside of WWE. This is always a good thing for the wrestlers and the health of the industry.

Keith Lee becoming a break out star. I like to root for people in wrestling who I feel like are good people and Keith Lee seems like a great person, so it’s been awesome to see him show off his immense talent on the highest level.

The NXT Women’s Division. This is the most talented North American women’s division of all time and there’s such a diverse array of characters and talented wrestlers, that’s it’s one of the best divisions in all of wrestling, men or women.

Last, but not least, I want to say I’m thankful for The Wrestling Estate and the platform and opportunity that it’s given me. So, thank you to John and all of the other great writers on the site. Look forward to growing the website with everyone.

Steven Jackson

I’m thankful that after much searching, I finally found a job I love –being at my local hospice, which is the most rewarding work in the world.

I’m thankful that I’ve been able to share my passion for pro wrestling with even more people via Twitter, podcasts and articles for The Wrestling Estate!

I’m thankful for somehow staying here in the U.K. regardless of all the turmoil regarding our economic situation and political upheavals!

I’m thankful that more wrestlers are exploring their options around the world and enjoying being part of smaller promotions as well as big companies.

I’m truly thankful that me and my wonderful, beautiful girlfriend Lucy are still together and planning our future. We’ve both been through a hell of a time these past 12 months, but we’re still together and the strongest we’ve ever been. Lucy is my rock and I truly am the luckiest man alive. I love her with all my heart and thank you for everything!

Jack Goodwillie

Competition in Wrestling

A lot of people are going to straight up have AEW on these lists and I’m not there yet. I love how important each and every show feels and most of the show back up the idea that this is a sports-based product that’s going to put an onus on the in-ring competition. Other angles and talents on the show contradict this idea directly, and the company will be held back until it decides whether to be fish or foul. But look around. There’s enough wrestling in enough places to where you can rank North American promotions 1-10. When have we ever been able to say that? It means more places to work for the talent and more competition to push back against WWE, the Walt Disney of this whole business, actually forcing it to put on a decent show every once in a while.

WWE Network

Say what you want about Vince McMahon, WWE and the current product, but I dare say the WWE Network is as much of a bargain as you’ll find. $9.99 per month for unlimited access to all the best wrestling shows ever produced can’t be called anything other than a steal. It’s the gift that keeps on giving, especially when you consider how atrocious WWE PPV’s of late have been.

CM Punk’s Return

No, it’s not a return to the ring…yet. But CM Punk belongs back in wrestling. In returning, he immediately vaults to the top of any shortlist of the most practical minds in the space and his first full show on WWE Backstage did not disappoint. If I were WWE, it would seem the correct move has to be giving Punk whatever he wants to wrestle Seth Rollins at WrestleMania. That’s not to say Rollins deserves it by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s a straight line to the finish. Kind of like in Super Mario World when you pick up the feather and can just coast over all the outdoor stages and some of the ghost houses.

Jon Moxley

This may be a Thanksgiving Roundtable, but for an early Christmas present, I’m giving my pick for 2019 Wrestler of the Year and the reality is nobody has captivated wrestling fans the way Jon Moxley has this year. I really racked my brain on this one, too. Seth Rollins talks a lot on Twitter about being the world’s greatest wrestler, but his matches are a sarcophagus of empty moves and zero intrigue. Chris Jericho and Cody could be in the conversation, too, as would Bray Wyatt. The difference there, however, is Moxley was not involved in that abortion of a Hell in a Cell match. In general, I find it amazing how more of these names are coming from AEW more than anywhere else. Moxley has not just talked about the holes in WWE’s creative philosophy, but shown how things can be immediately different for those who are willing to take a chance. His podcast with Chris Jericho did gangbusters ratings, he made a run at the G-1 in NJPW and his match with Kenny Omega had everyone talking for better or worse. I’ll elaborate more on this later, but I’m mostly just thankful someone found it in themselves to take the bull by the horns and create their own opportunity.

The Wrestling Estate

This site continues to be a tremendous platform for cutting-edge wrestling journalism with our diverse staff and willingness to engage in thoughtful debate with fellow fans. The roundtables are fun, no doubt, but I’ve been most proud of my work on the site this year in particular. Beyond that, earning the ear of the talent and respect of the talent has been paramount in our ascent and I’m eager to see what’s to come.

Juan Bautista

I’m thankful for my wonderful fiancé. She has made this year wonderful and it wouldn’t be the same without her.

It’s great that I can enjoy many aspects of wrestling. Whether it’s hearing multiple people’s opinions via YouTube or seeing fan-made product from someone like Josiah Williams.

It’s great that I can be myself. I can listen to whatever music or cheer for whatever sport teams I like.

The Lakers are relevant again. Thank the good lord. LeBron and AD taking care of business.

Also, Dwight Howard is making up for the last time he was in purple and gold.

John Corrigan

I’m thankful for all of the promotions who have worked with The Wrestling Estate over the past year. We’ve been fortunate to have mutually-beneficial relationships with Impact Wrestling, Ring of Honor, MLW, Synergy, ECWA, Pro Wrestling Explosion and World-1 Wrestling. They’ve been gracious with their time and access, and in return, we’ve done our part in spreading the word about their talented performers and exciting events. Our indie coverage of the Philly/Jersey/Delaware scene certainly separates us from everybody else.

I’m thankful for all of our supporters. When Dave Meltzer or Scott Keith shares one of our stories, our traffic explodes. They’re in a position where they don’t have to help out the little guy, but they always do. I’m also appreciative of fellow creators like Lavie Margolin, Superkicking It with Kelsi and Dr. Hugenstein for consistently sharing our hard work and inspiring us to keep hustling.

I’m thankful for the one-man operation behind Team LeftJab: Sam Namo. He has been the best partner you could ask for since day one, providing us a platform to grow our brand and challenging us to stay at the top of our game. I’ve worked with many other podcasters who simply can’t match Sam’s professionalism, creativity and passion.

I’m thankful for all of our loyal readers. This has been a record-breaking year in terms of traffic, nearly doubling the number of views and visitors that we had in 2018. Whether you’re a silent clicker or you tweet that we suck, I appreciate your support and hope you continue to be informed and entertained by us.

I’m most thankful for all of our writers: David Gibb, Jack Goodwillie, Anthony Mahalis, Steven Jackson, Sam Gladen, Neal Wagner, Chad Gelfand, Juan Bautista and Matthew Smith. We’ve lost a couple over the past year, which is certainly understandable. I’m grateful that these guys have come along for this ride with me and hung on through the growing pains, to the point that we’ve finally made some money. We’re doing tremendous work and I’m grateful that we’ve been able to connect from across the country and even across the pond. Writing and arguing with you guys about our different opinions has made pro wrestling a helluva lot more fun.

And of course, I’m thankful for the wrestler of the decade – Brock Lesnar.