The Best Time To Be A Pro Wrestling Fan

In this edition of The Wrestling Estate roundtable, we discuss the best time to be a pro wrestling fan, sharing our favorite thing currently happening in each promotion we watch.

WWE

Juan Bautista: The Hurt Business being back together.

Steven Jackson: Probably Walter and Ilja Dragunov showing off the European style to the masses.

Neal Wagner: There is talent there that’s been established and it’s always refreshing to see their work every week. Guys like KO and AJ are one of the few reasons that I keep track, but it’s hard to watch Raw and SmackDown regularly. This recent Lesnar/Heyman/Reigns storyline has given me hope that WWE can still write good TV.

John Corrigan: The network moving to Peacock. JK, JK. Brock is back, so that’s good.

Chad Gelfand: Big E as WWE Champion. One of the best moments of the year was his win. After all, he’s someone who has been ready for this spot for at least a few years and is finally getting recognized as a top guy. Big E has also already shown the value he brings as one of the faces of the company appearing on FOX’s College GameDay and doing the video package intros for Wilder/Fury on the same day. Big E is a star and it’s one of the few highlights on Raw every week to see him be treated like one.

Jack Goodwillie: The Tribal Chief. He stands multiple heads and shoulders above his peers in the company, and that’s probably more WWE’s doing than the talent being inept. Even still, I don’t know if WWE does anything better than it used to. The wrestlers aren’t over. The women’s division has seen better days. Tag teams are basically non-existent. The title belts look worse. Hell, even the current logo can’t touch the scratch font or the classic look.

AEW

Bautista: CM Punk having matches, Adam Page in pursuit of the belt again and the TBS Championship will be interesting.

Jackson: Having a weekly wrestling show on a big scale and delivering a solid product.

Wagner: The overall storytelling is excellent. We aren’t seeing the same matches every week. Well, maybe the occasional PPV rematch, but it’s fresh content each week.

Corrigan: There’s a lot to like about AEW: Darby Allin, Miro, CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Jungle Boy’s song, Tay Conti, Dan Lambert, J.R. If I had to narrow it down, I love Tony Khan’s competitive spirit and unlimited resources.

Gelfand: “Hangman” Adam Page’s story arc about to hit a crescendo. This is the defining storyline of AEW’s short history. It’s been building since the company’s inception and it seems like this will conclude at Full Gear. Hangman is one of the most over people in all of AEW and winning the World Title at Full Gear will cement him as a top guy.

Goodwillie: CM Punk. His connection to the fans has never been stronger and I’m thrilled for him that he was able to rediscover his passion for something that he is the very best in the world at. Muh-muh-muh.

NXT

Jackson: Johnny Gargano.

Gelfand: Tony D’Angelo. The rebooted NXT has seen many new characters thrown at a wall to see what sticks and one that seems to be on the right path is Tony D’Angelo. His vignettes got meme’d and D’Angelo quickly gained popularity on Twitter, which carried over into the pop he got for his debut. To his credit, D’Angelo has played the character well so far, adding such bits as trying to bribe the ref before the match.

Goodwillie: Rex Steiner. Not Bron Breakker. Hopefully, somebody sees the light and changes his name back, but the truth is I do not hate NXT 2.0. I’ve definitely been more intrigued than critical of it.

Impact Wrestling

Bautista: Deonna Purrazzo has been must-see as the Knockouts Champion. She has stepped up to become the face of the division. “The Inspiration” will be coming to Vegas. Impact is one of the few companies in which you want to watch every aspect of its show.

Jackson: Impact’s loyal fanbase helping to keep the product alive and the buzz surrounding the PPVs, which are a breeze to watch.

Gelfand: Chris Bey taking another step in his career with The Bullet Club. He seems primed to be a break-out star within the next few years and his induction into the Bullet Club is another step for Bey on his road to eventually becoming a main eventer.

Goodwillie: Personnel. Despite its affiliation with AEW, Impact has done a good job in continuing to show that it’s an inherently different product, and the personnel is a big part of that. From the leadership to the commentary team to the talent in the ring, Impact has done a great job of reshuffling the deck time and time again as established stars have moved on. Impact is about as steady of a non-top-two promotion as you’ll find.

MLW

Bautista: Jacob Fatu and Alexander Hammerstone are tremendous.

Jackson: It feels “underground” and alternative, but keeps to the weekly show formula. It’s a great, free watch!

Corrigan: I love that MLW has taken residency at the 2300 Arena for the foreseeable future. It’s my favorite promotion right now, so being able to hop on I-95 to watch Contra, Richard Holliday, 5150, Tom Lawlor, Davey Richards, Myron Reed, etc. is a luxury.

Gelfand: Cesar Duran. Dario Cueto was one of my favorites in Lucha Underground, so I’m happy to see him in MLW playing essentially the same character. He gives the show a little something extra to make it special, and he completely nails his role.

Goodwillie: MLW is sitting on two golden eggs right now in Fatu and Hammerstone. What I mean by that is with proper exposure on a network like USA or TNT, they would get over in weeks rather than months. I know they just wrestled on the Fightland special, but I don’t think we’ve seen the last of MLW’s 1A and 1B. And that’s the beauty of it. Both are interchangable at the top and for a company as small as MLW, that’s a great problem to have.

Ring of Honor

Jackson: Jonathan Gresham…Do I need to say anything else?!

Wagner: ROH does such great work in raising the stock of unknown talent. Guys like Jonathan Gresham weren’t a name years ago and now should be world champion. People are still going to ROH and making it big there to move on to greener pastures.

Corrigan: The Briscoes. The cornerstones of ROH, they’re still doing their thing almost 20 years later, tearing down the house every time they compete. Pro wrestling never feels more real than when “Dem Boys” come out the curtain.

Goodwillie: Presentation. The Ring of Honor rebuild has been underway for more than a year now and it’s doing everything right. The sports-like presentation is a breath of fresh air to be sure, and as the roster begins to catch up, ROH could once again become the place to go for independent wrestlers who hang their hat on their work rate.

NJPW

Jackson: Continuing to prove why it has the most impressive talent pool in the world, and demonstrating that by putting on all-time classics involving Hiroshi Tanahashi, Shingo Takagi and Tomohiro Ishii.

Wagner: Gedo is a master in long-term planning. While it’s been a lackluster year since an awesome Wrestle Kingdom, once we are through the G1, we’ll see the storytelling become even more amazing heading toward January 4, 5 and 8 of 2022. NJPW knows how to book great matches and make you care about the people involved.

Goodwillie: The booking. Nobody can make chicken salad out of chicken shit quite like Gedo can. Remember when NJPW lost AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura and Gallows & Anderson all simultaneously? The company bounced back and did so quickly. How about when Will Ospreay had to vacate the IWGP World Championship? Same thing. Lately, NJPW has been overshadowed, but in due time, history tells us it will bounce back. Its ability to create bankable, homegrown stars is a big reason why.

NWA

Bautista: The women’s division has been intriguing. Trevor Murdoch as the champion has potential because he’s the perfect fit for that brand.

Jackson: Keeping its legacy alive and giving so many people second chances that deserved them. Plus, a presentation which is stylishly retro and immediately draws you in.

Goodwillie: Again, presentation. The roster is not fantastic, but NWA has and will always make up for that by presenting itself as a nostalgic alternative for older fans while featuring talent younger fans can cling to. Sticking its content behind a paywall, however, is a big detriment especially considering how small the brand is.

Indies

Bautista: Matt Cardona in GCW has been the perfect fit and the Hammerstein Ballroom show will be one to watch.

Jackson: The amount of talented wrestlers, all around the world, who are getting a chance to showcase their work. The indies are my happy place and it makes me smile to see others enjoying certain promotions and wrestlers, too!

Corrigan: The best part about the indies is that they’re back up and running again. ECWA held its 25th annual Super 8 this year, followed by the return of the Women’s Super 8. UWA Elite is celebrating its 20th year, putting on banger after banger. After returning from the pandemic earlier this month, Pro Wrestling Explosion plans to run monthly. Catalyst Wrestling has welcomed crowds back. And, for its debut at Buffalo Riverworks, Empire State Wrestling drew the same amount of fans as ROH did.

Goodwillie: The depth. There are more “good” indies than ever before. PWG is still around, GCW has taken some of the old PWG heat and is opening an LA-based GCW of sorts called LA Fights. There’s the tradition of ECWA, the presentation of Southern Honor, there’s OVW, and many more (and those are just some of the more prominent names). That doesn’t even include wherever Tony Khan pulled Daniel Garcia out from, and remember, Joey Ryan’s Bar Wrestling and CHIKARA are now defunct! It’s as good of a time as ever to get out to your local show, as you never know who is going to make it to the big time, the big, big time and the big, big BIG time.