Mid 20th Century
140-1086: The Lucha Brothers , also known as the Lucha Bros or Los Lucha Bros , are a Mexican professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Penta El Zero Miedo or Penta Oscuro and Rey Fénix , and their manager Alex Abrahantes . They are known for their time in All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where they were former AEW World Tag Team Champions , as well as former AEW World Trios Champions with their former Death Triangle stablemate, Pac . They also appeared for AEW's sister promotion, Ring of Honor (ROH), where they are former ROH World Tag Team Champions . In Mexico , they wrestled for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), where they are two-time AAA World Tag Team Champions . They previously appeared in Impact Wrestling (now Total Nonstop Action Wrestling), where they are former World Tag Team Champions (and Penta has been Impact World Champion ), making them
280-520: A Fear Factor , before announcing themselves for AEW's inaugural event, Double Or Nothing . Later on February 23, The Young Bucks made a surprise appearance in AAW Wrestling , attacking Lucha Brothers during their AAW Tag Team Championship defense, costing them to lose the match. The Young Bucks then challenged the brothers to a match at Double or Nothing, which was accepted. At AAA 's Rey de Reyes , The Young Bucks defeated The Lucha Brothers for
420-435: A bona fide athletic contest or competition. Professional wrestling is not a combative sport. Wrestling constituting bona fide athletic contests and competitions, which may be professional or amateur combative sport, shall not be deemed professional wrestling under this Part. Professional wrestling as used in this Part shall not depend on whether the individual wrestlers are paid or have been paid for their performance in
560-479: A dark match for WWE , in which he was defeated by Johnny Curtis . In April 2013, it was reported that Johnston was undergoing medical tests for the promotion, and on May 27 Dragon Gate USA confirmed that Johnston had signed with WWE. On August 29, 2013, under the new WWE ring name Solomon Crowe , he debuted for WWE's developmental system NXT , with a loss to Xavier Woods at a live event . He would fail to appear on televised episodes of NXT for more than
700-415: A performing art evolved from the common practice of match-fixing among American wrestlers in the 19th century, who later sought to make matches shorter, more entertaining, and less physically taxing. As the public gradually realized and accepted that matches were predetermined, wrestlers responded by increasingly adding melodrama, gimmickry, and outlandish stunt work to their performances to further enhance
840-415: A professional wrestling exhibition. All engagements of professional wrestling shall be referred to as exhibitions, and not as matches. In the industry's slang, a fixed match is referred to as a worked match, derived from the slang word for manipulation, as in "working the crowd". A shoot match is a genuine contest where both wrestlers fight to win and are therefore "straight shooters", which comes from
980-564: A three-way match , also involving Drake Younger , but lost to Jake Crist . On November 26, 2008, he was eliminated by HWA Heavyweight Champion Jake Crist in the Thanksgiving Eve eight-man tag team elimination match. In a rematch on October 1, 2008, he was again defeated by Jake Crist. In 2011, Callihan made it to the final of the first Heartland Cup tournament against Jake Crist. Callihan began wrestling for IPW throughout 2006 as "Cannonball Sami" until late 2006 when he underwent
1120-449: A Piledriver to Katie Forbes. The following week, Callihan turned back into a heel and interrupted Eddie Edwards before Eddie got attacked by Ken Shamrock, who also turned heel in that segment. Beginning in mid 2021, when Impact started a working relation with All Elite Wrestling , Callihan turned face when he started feuding with Kenny Omega , The Good Brothers , and Don Callis , after they had been costing him multiple opportunities at
1260-897: A Pure Rules match, which ended in a no contest , and the pair faced off at IPW Reign of the Insane 7th Anniversary in a ladder match in which Callihan beat Roc for the IPW Junior Heavyweight Championship. The next month at the IPW Super Junior Heavyweight Tournament Callihan defeated Q Skillz, CJ Otis, and Justin Andrews en route to the final, where he lost the Junior Heavyweight Championship to Aaron Williams. Callihan would not make another appearance for IPW until late 2009 at Reign of
1400-413: A background in authentic wrestling no longer mattered. After this time, matches became more outlandish and gimmicky and any semblance professional wrestling had to catch wrestling faded. The personas of the wrestlers likewise grew more outlandish. Gorgeous George , who performed throughout the 1940s and 1950s, was the first wrestler whose entrance into the arena was accompanied by a theme song played over
1540-532: A carny term for a shooting gallery gun whose sights were not deliberately misaligned. Wrestling in the United States blossomed in popularity after the Civil War , with catch wrestling eventually becoming the most popular style. At first, professional wrestlers were genuine competitive fighters, but they struggled to draw audiences because Americans did not find real wrestling to be very entertaining, so
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#17327870848751680-667: A casket by Mil Muertes after Ivelisse bloodied him. He would return on Episode 9, now under the new name of Jeremiah Snake , as a member of the Reptile Tribe, teaming with Daga, Drago, and Kobra Moon in a losing effort against Aerostar and the Worldwide Underground (Johnny Mundo, PJ Black, and Taya). In the episode, The Reptile Tribe won the Lucha Underground Trios Championship from Killshot, The Mack, and Son of Havoc. The series
1820-519: A central authority. Nor could any of them stomach the idea of leaving the NWA themselves to compete directly with McMahon, for that would mean their territories would become fair game for the other NWA members. McMahon also had a creative flair for TV that his rivals lacked. For instance, the AWA's TV productions during the 1980s were amateurish, low-budget, and out-of-touch with contemporary culture, which lead to
1960-585: A champion that Curley put forth: Dick Shikat . The National Wrestling Association shut down in 1980. In 1948, a number of promoters from across the country came together to form the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The NWA recognized one "world champion", voted on by its members, but allowed member promoters to crown their own local champions in their territories. If a member poached wrestlers from another member, or held matches in another member's territory, they risked being ejected from
2100-554: A deal to appear in the third season of Lucha Underground . He made his debut in a segment on the October 5, 2016, episode of Lucha Underground as Ivelisse 's boyfriend Jeremiah Crane . The following week, Crane attacked Marty Martinez and Mariposa following Ivelisse's match. Crane competed in Aztec Warfare III entering at number four, but was the first to be eliminated by Matanza Cueto . Crane would then compete in
2240-410: A degree. Vince Russo, the boss of WCW in 2000, completely disregarded kayfabe by routinely discussing business matters and office politics in public, which alienated fans. I watch championship wrestling from Florida with wrestling commentator Gordon Solie . Is this all "fake"? If so, they deserve an Oscar . Sami Callihan Samuel Alton Johnston (born September 1, 1987), better known by
2380-404: A distinct vernacular . It has achieved mainstream success and influence within popular culture , with many terms, tropes , and concepts being referenced in everyday language as well as in film , music , television , and video games . Likewise, numerous professional wrestlers have become national or international icons with recognition by the broader public. In the United States, wrestling
2520-452: A distraction by the debuting Jon Moxley who was fleeing from security through the crowd. Later, it would be revealed that Callihan and Moxley were partners, and in that same night Callihan went to the ring after CZW Iron Man Champion Brain Damage and his Cult Fiction tag team partner Deranged had lost a match to The H8 Club. He brought a referee with him, and after Callihan threatened him,
2660-410: A fee, a visitor could challenge the wrestler to a quick match. If the challenger defeated the champion in a short time frame, usually 15 minutes, he won a prize. To encourage challenges, the carnival operators staged rigged matches in which an accomplice posing as a visitor challenged the champion and won, giving the audience the impression that the champion was easy to beat. This practice taught wrestlers
2800-454: A four-way match, also involving Xavier , Monsta Mack , and winner Trent Acid . On August 10, 2010, Callihan was part of The PWS Majestic Twelve Title Tournament . In the opening round he teamed with Dan Maff to defeat Adam Cole and Bandido Jr, and went on to defeat Maff in the second. In the final Callihan pinned Danny Demanto, but was then pinned by Devon Moore. On May 27, 2011, Callihan defeated Dan Maff, and then defeated Devon Moore to win
2940-405: A legitimate sport. Firstly, wrestling was more entertaining when it was faked, whereas fakery did not make boxing any more entertaining. Secondly, in a rigged boxing match, the designated loser must take a real beating for his "defeat" to be convincing, but wrestling holds can be faked convincingly without inflicting injury. This meant that boxers were less willing to "take dives"; they wanted to have
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#17327870848753080-490: A losing streak being defeated by the likes of Jack Evans , Roderick Strong, Marty Scurll and Cody Rhodes at the first round of the Battle Of Los Angeles 2016. On February 18, 2017, at Only Kings Understand Each Other, Callihan returned along with the debuting OI4K (Jake & Dave Crist), being defeated by The Superkliq (Adam Cole and The Young Bucks). On May 19, at PWG Head Like A Cole, Callihan would pick
3220-799: A match against Gus Sonnenberg in January 1929. Bowser then broke away from the trust to form his own cartel, the American Wrestling Association (AWA), in September 1930, and he declared Sonnenberg to be the AWA champion. This AWA should not be confused with Wally Kadbo's AWA founded in 1960. Curley reacted to this move by convincing the National Boxing Association to form the National Wrestling Association , which in turn crowned
3360-438: A match between Callihan and Kon , The Design's "Army of Violence", who were clad in wearing yellow hoodies, attacked Callihan, causing a disqualification in his favour. On May 5, it was announced that Callihan will have to choose two partners to face The Design at Under Siege in a six-man tag team match. On May 15, Impact announced Rich Swann as the first of Callihan's two partners. On May 26 at Under Siege, Callihan, Swann and
3500-549: A match which also involved Myron Reed and A. R. Fox after The Young Bucks interfered in the match. On January 27, Penta, Daga, Garza and Fénix el Rey announced the formation of a new stable named La Rebelión ("The Rebellion") in The Crash Lucha Libre . During their time in the promotion, they won the vacant Crash Tag Team Championship on November 3, 2018. However, they vacated the titles 24 days later after Fénix suffered an injury. Pentagon made his debut for
3640-691: A member of The Calling . Callihan would feud with Akira, defeating him in a Death Machine Rules match at SuperFight . Callihan and Shane Page defeated Akira and Jake Crist in a New York City Street Fight at Intimidation Games . Callihan along with Shane Page, Cannonball, and Dr. Cornwallis lost to Death Fighters ( Raven , Akira, Jake Crist, and Jimmy Lloyd) at War Chamber . Callihan made his surprise return to TNA on April 20, 2024 at Rebellion , to attack Kon , Jason Hotch and John Skyler helping Jordynne Grace retain her TNA Knockouts World Champion over Steph De Lander . On June 20, 2021, Johnston got engaged to fellow Impact wrestler Jessicka Havok (on
3780-424: A more literal meaning in those places. A notable example is India's Pro Wrestling League . In numerous American states, professional wrestling is legally defined as a non-sport. For instance, New York defines professional wrestling as: Professional wrestling means an activity in which participants struggle hand-in-hand primarily for the purpose of providing entertainment to spectators and which does not comprise
3920-515: A name change to Sami Callihan. In 2007 at IPW Reign Of The Insane 6th Anniversary Show Callihan gained entry into the IPW 2007 Super Junior Heavyweight tournament beating Dustin Rayz, xOMGx, and Louis Linaris to qualify, but lost in the first round to Diehard. In 2008 at Uprising Callihan began feuding with IPW Junior Heavyweight Champion Billy Roc after a controversial double pin in a four-way match for
4060-440: A new city, attendance was high because there was a waiting fanbase cultivated in advance by the cable TV shows. The NWA's traditional anti-competitive tricks were no match for this. The NWA attempted to centralize and create their own national cable television shows to counter McMahon's rogue promotion, but it failed in part because the members of the NWA, ever protective of their territories, could not stomach submitting themselves to
4200-475: A record of four wins and three losses, failing to advance to the finals. On November 28, 2015, after being released from WWE, Johnston returned to the independent circuit, switching back to his Sami Callihan character where he appeared at All American Wrestling 's Windy City Classic XI event. He attacked new AAW Heavyweight Champion , Eddie Kingston . On December 4, 2015, he returned to Rockstar Pro Wrestling to face and defeat long time friend Jake Crist at
4340-603: A senior agent for Major League Wrestling. In June 2019, Callihan lost a Loser Leaves MLW against Mance Warner, leaving the promotion. On November 5, 2017, at Bound for Glory , Callihan made his debut for Impact Wrestling as a villain by interfering in a 5150 Street Fight for the World Tag Team Championship , helping Ohio Versus Everything ( Dave and Jake Crist ) defeat Santana and Ortiz of The Latin American Xchange (LAX) to retain
Lucha Brothers - Misplaced Pages Continue
4480-505: A tag team named the D.U.F. (Dirty Ugly Fucks) and defeated The Dark City Fight Club ( Jon Davis and Kory Chavis ) in their first match together. On June 5 at Enter The Dragon 2011 , Callihan and Arik Cannon were joined by Pinkie Sanchez, and picked up a major win over the tag team of Open the Dream Gate Champion Masaaki Mochizuki and Susumu Yokosuka . On October 23, 2012, Johnston wrestled
4620-755: A three-way match with Impact World champion Austin Aries . Following the guest appearance the Lucha Bros began working for Impact Wrestling on a regular basis. On January 12, 2019, Pentagón and Fénix defeated Santana and Ortiz of The Latin American Xchange (LAX) during the TV Tapings in Mexico City to win the Impact World Tag Team Championship and start a heated storyline with LAX. The Lucha Bros would successfully defend
4760-503: A typical American household only received four national channels by antenna, and ten to twelve local channels via UHF broadcasting . But cable television could carry a much larger selection of channels and therefore had room for niche interests. The WWF started with a show called All-American Wrestling airing on the USA Network in September 1983. McMahon's TV shows made his wrestlers national celebrities, so when he held matches in
4900-586: A victory for all the pain to which they subjected themselves. In the 1910s, promotional cartels for professional wrestling emerged in the East Coast (outside its traditional heartland in the Midwest ). These promoters sought to make long-term plans with their wrestlers, and to ensure their more charismatic and crowd-pleasing wrestlers received championships, further entrenching the desire for worked matches. The primary rationale for shoot matches at this point
5040-580: A victory over BT Gunn at Fear & Loathing XII in Glasgow, Scotland. He returned to ICW to compete against the likes of Jeff Jarrett , Viper , Andy Wild, Trent Seven and Grado for a shot at the ICW World Heavyweight Championship in the 2020 Square Go! match. On January 10, 2016, Callihan wrestled a dark match at a Lucha Underground taping against King Cuerno and Flamita . In March 2016, Callihan signed
5180-583: A victory over former rival Adam Cole. The next month at Man On the Silver Mountain, Callihan defeated Matt Sydal. At the 2017 Battle of Los Angeles, Callihan was eliminated by Jeff Cobb in the first round. On November 6, 2017, Callihan was announced as a participant in New Japan Pro-Wrestling 's 2017 World Tag League , where he would team with Juice Robinson . The team, dubbed " Death Juice ", finished second in their block with
5320-417: A winning effort against Adam Cole . On July 23, at Evolve 4: Danielson vs Fish , Callihan gained his second victory defeating Arik Cannon via submission. Matches against wrestlers including Zack Sabre Jr. , Brodie Lee , AR Fox, Bobby Fish , and Dave "Fit" Finlay at Evolve 9 followed. On April 5, 2013, Callihan took part in a tournament to determine the inaugural Evolve Champion , where he made it to
5460-464: A year, instead being restricted to live events or dark matches during television tapings. At a live event on December 6, 2013, Crowe assumed the character of a hacker, using a tablet computer to seize control of the arena lights, and attacked Kalisto . At the February 28, 2014, NXT television tapings, Crowe defeated Sylvester Lefort in what would have been his NXT television debut, but the match
5600-436: Is a form of athletic theater that combines mock combat with drama , with the premise that the performers are competitive wrestlers. Professional wrestling is distinguished by its scripted outcomes and emphasis on entertainment and showmanship . The staged nature of matches is an open secret , with both wrestlers and spectators nonetheless maintaining the pretense that performances are bona fide competitions, which
5740-410: Is a true sport. Wrestlers would at all times flatly deny allegations that they fixed their matches, and they often remained in-character in public even when not performing. When in public, wrestlers would sometimes say the word kayfabe to each other as a coded signal that there were fans present and they needed to be in character. Professional wrestlers in the past strongly believed that if they admitted
Lucha Brothers - Misplaced Pages Continue
5880-427: Is generally practiced in an amateur context. No professional league for competitive wrestling exists due to a lack of popularity. For example, Real Pro Wrestling , an American professional freestyle wrestling league, dissolved in 2007 after just two seasons. In other countries, such as Iran and India , wrestling enjoys widespread popularity as a genuine sport, and the phrase "professional wrestling" therefore has
6020-552: Is known about the brothers' previous history beyond what has been revealed by themselves, which is traditional in Mexican professional wrestling ( Lucha libre ). Both Pentagon and Fenix began training in professional wrestling on the same day, and debuted on the same day. Pentagón Jr. and Fénix both debuted in PWG during the 2015 Battle of Los Angeles. Fenix fell in the first round to Matt Sydal , while Pentagon defeated Drago to advance in
6160-470: Is likened to the suspension of disbelief employed when engaging with fiction . Professional wrestlers perform as characters and usually maintain a " gimmick " consisting of a specific persona , stage name , entrance theme , and other distinguishing traits. Matches are the primary vehicle for advancing storylines, which typically center on interpersonal conflicts, or feuds , between heroic " faces " and villainous " heels ". A wrestling ring , akin to
6300-610: The AAA World Tag Team Championship . This subsequently turned their Double or Nothing match into a rematch for the championship, which The Young Bucks won. On the October 30, 2019 episode of AEW Dynamite , SoCal Uncensored ( Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky ) defeated the Lucha Brothers to become the inaugural AEW World Tag Team Champions . Their feud would continue at Full Gear while slowly transitioning into heels , where they competed for
6440-628: The All Out media scrum , Death Triangle defeated the Best Friends to win the vacant titles on the September 7, 2022 episode of Dynamite . They defended the titles several times, including against The Elite at Full Gear . The Full Gear match would kick off a Best of 7 Series , which would see The Elite win the series 4–3, ending Death Triangle's reign at 126 days. In 2023, the Lucha Brothers would begin appearing for AEW's sister promotion, Ring of Honor . At Supercard of Honor on March 31, 2023,
6580-645: The Heartland Wrestling Association , and faced wrestlers including Chad Collyer and Nigel McGuinness . He competed in Chikara 's 2008 Young Lions Tournament but did not win the tournament. He advanced to the finals of the 2008 Ted Petty Invitational tournament with victories over Chris Hero , Eddie Kingston and 2 Cold Scorpio . On September 28, 2008, he competed for the HWA Heavyweight Championship in
6720-624: The New Jersey State Athletic Control Board that professional wrestling is not a real sport because its matches have predetermined outcomes. Shortly thereafter, New Jersey deregulated professional wrestling. The WWF then rebranded itself as a " sports entertainment " company. In the early years of the 20th century, the style of wrestling used in professional wrestling matches was catch wrestling . Promoters wanted their matches to look realistic and so preferred to recruit wrestlers with real grappling skills. In
6860-550: The Southern California -based company Pro Wrestling Guerrilla on April 21, 2012. At the sixth annual Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament , he teamed with Roderick Strong to take on 2 Husky Black Guys ( El Generico and Willie Mack ) in a losing effort in the opening round. After the match, Callihan challenged PWG World Champion Kevin Steen to a title match, which took place later that day; Callihan lost
7000-557: The independent circuit , to internationally broadcast events at major arenas. The largest and most influential promotions are in the United States , Mexico , Japan , and northwest Europe (the United Kingdom , Germany/Austria and France ), which have each developed distinct styles, traditions, and subgenres within professional wrestling. Professional wrestling has developed its own culture and community , including
7140-435: The ring name Sami Callihan , is an American professional wrestler and promoter. He is signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he is a former Impact World Champion . He previously wrestled for Lucha Underground under the ring names Jeremiah Crane , and later, Jeremiah Snake , and on the independent circuit . He has worked for several independent promotions throughout
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#17327870848757280-431: The spectacle . By at least the early 20th century, professional wrestling had diverged from the competitive sport to become an artform and genre of sports entertainment . Professional wrestling is performed around the world through various " promotions ", which are roughly analogous to production companies or sports leagues . Promotions vary considerably in size, scope, and creative approach, ranging from local shows on
7420-584: The 1920s, a group of wrestlers and promoters known as the Gold Dust Trio introduced moves which have since become staples of the mock combat of professional wrestling, such as body slams, suplexes , punches, finishing moves, and out-of-ring count-outs. By the early 1930s, most wrestlers had adopted personas to generate public interest. These personas could broadly be characterized as either faces (likeable) or heels (villainous). Native Americans, cowboys, and English aristocrats were staple characters in
7560-400: The 1930s and 1940s. Before the age of television, some wrestlers played different personas depending on the region they were performing in. This eventually came to an end in the age of national television wrestling shows, which forced wrestlers to stick to one persona. Wrestlers also often used some sort of gimmick, such as a finishing move, eccentric mannerisms, or out-of-control behavior (in
7700-509: The 1990s, WCW became a credible rival to the WWF, but by end it suffered from a series of creative missteps that led to its failure and purchase by the WWF. One of its mistakes was that it diminished the glamor of its World Heavyweight Championship . Between January 2000 and March 2001, the title changed hands eighteen times, which sapped fan enthusiasm, particularly for the climactic pay-per-view matches. In professional wrestling, two factors decide
7840-501: The 2012 Best of the Best tournament . He also worked for WWE from 2013 to 2015, appearing in NXT under the ring name Solomon Crowe . He also runs an independent wrestling promotion called The Wrestling Revolver. Shortly after his debut, Callihan became a member of "The Crew" faction, which also consisted of Jon Moxley , Dick Rick and Pepper Parks . Callihan began regularly competing for
7980-653: The Atlantic Athletic Corporation (AAC). The AAC shut down in 1960. In 1958, Omaha promoter and NWA member Joe Dusek recognized Verne Gagne as the world champion without the approval of the NWA. Gagne asked for a match against the recognized NWA champion Pat O'Connor. The NWA refused to honor the request, so Gagne and Minneapolis promoter Wally Karbo established the American Wrestling Association in 1960. This AWA should not be confused with Paul Bowser's AWA, which ceased operations just two months prior. Gagne's AWA operated out of Minnesota . Unlike
8120-679: The Battle of the Bulls tournament, defeating AR Fox , Killshot and Mariposa in the first round. In the finals of the tournament, Crane competed in an elimination fatal-4-way match , being eliminated by the eventual winner, Willie Mack . Crane made his return at Aztec Warfare IV on the first episode of season 4 in the Aztec Warfare entering at number 14 but got eliminated by pinfall by Pentagon Dark . Later that season in Episode 3 he got put in
8260-700: The Brewery in July. In the summer of 2019, Callihan began a lengthy feud with Tessa Blanchard regarding intergender wrestling where he claimed that men were superior to women. The two had their first encounter in the main event of Slammiversary XVII , which Callihan won. The match was awarded the Match of the Year Award by Impact. Callihan and Blanchard were randomly paired in the Mashup Tournament on
8400-595: The Faith Callihan would wrestle in a four-way match also involving Jake Crist, AR Fox , and Zack Sabre Jr. with Fox winning the match. On June 18 at Revelations Callihan defeated Jake Crist for the vacant IPW World Heavyweight Championship. Callihan held the championship until November 7, 2011, at Insane Intentions , when he lost it to Jake Crist in a triple threat match that also involved B. J. Whitmer . On May 29, 2009, Callihan debuted for Pro Wrestling Syndicate at their Brawl For Paul event, where he lost
8540-598: The Impact World Championship. The feud eventually culminated to Slammiversary where Callihan and Omega wrestled for the Impact World Championship in a No Disqualification match, a match where Omega would retain in the end. On September 20, it was reported that Callihan has suffered a broken ankle and he would be out of action until the spring of 2022. Callihan returned at the Under Siege event, on May 7, 2022, attacking Moose . After spending
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#17327870848758680-556: The Insane Stage 2 8th Anniversary losing to James Avery. On May 18, 2010, he defeated Toby Klein at the JC Bailey benefit show. Callihan returned to competing regularly for IPW in 2011. At IPW Showdown In Naptown Callihan defeated Kyle O'Reilly , and later that night formed an alliance with IPW World Heavyweight Champion Jimmy Jacobs by saving him from an attack by Dustin Rayz and Sweet Lou Roberts. On May 7, 2011, at Keep
8820-463: The January 28, 2015, episode of NXT , WWE began airing teasers for Crowe's television debut. On the February 18 episode of NXT , Crowe made his television debut as a face , attacking CJ Parker . In his first televised match on the March 4 episode of NXT , he defeated Bull Dempsey . On November 24, 2015, WWE announced that Johnston was released from his WWE contract. Callihan made his debut for
8960-586: The July 19 episode of Impact , where they defeated Dave Crist and Trey to qualify for a fatal four-way elimination match against Eddie Edwards and Moose , Jake Crist and Wentz and Michael Elgin and Willie Mack. Callihan and Blanchard won the match to qualify for a match at the Unbreakable event, which Callihan won, becoming the #1 contender for the Impact World Championship in the process. Subsequently, Callihan began feuding with
9100-529: The Killer XMas iPPV. Callihan returned to Combat Zone Wrestling at Cage of Death XVII on December 12, 2015, defeating David Starr. On December 11, 2015, Callihan returned to Pro Wrestling Guerrilla in the first night of All-Star Weekend event, where he defeated Drew Gulak . Callihan debuted for PROGRESS Wrestling in May 2016 during the 2016 Super Strong Style 16 tournament, beating Matt Cross in
9240-562: The Lucha Bros. for the titles, ending their record-breaking reign at 853 days. On the January 5, 2022 episode of Dynamite , the Jurassic Express defeated them to win their first AEW World Tag Team Championship, during which Fenix dislocated his arm when being driven through a table. Following The Elite being stripped of the AEW World Trios Championship following a legitimate fight that broke out after
9380-581: The Lucha Brothers unsuccessfully challenged champions The Rascalz ( Zachary Wentz and Dezmond Xavier ) in a World Tag Team Championship match. In 2019, they entered the Battle of Los Angeles for the third time, with both men losing in the second round and making their final appearances before working for AEW. On July 23, 2016, Pentagón Jr. defeated Sami Callihan to win AAW: Professional Wrestling Redefined 's Heavyweight Championship . On October 8, 2016, Pentagón Jr. put
9520-577: The Lucha Brothers would defeat Top Flight ( Dante & Darius Martin ), The Kingdom ( Matt Taven & Mike Bennett ), Aussie Open ( Kyle Fletcher & Mike Davis ), and La Facción Ingobernable ( Rush & Dralístico ) in a "Reach for the Sky" ladder match to win the vacant ROH World Tag Team Championship . Professional wrestling 1970s and 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s and 2020s Professional wrestling (often referred to as pro wrestling , or simply, wrestling )
9660-586: The Lucha Brothers. Callihan and Pentagón had a rematch on the August 23 episode of Impact , a Mexican Death match , which Callihan won. The rivalry continued between the two teams with Brian Cage joining the Lucha Brothers in the feud. This led to an oVe Rules match pitting oVe against Cage and the Lucha Brothers at Bound for Glory , which oVe won when Callihan pinned Cage. This win earned Callihan, his first title shot in Impact Wrestling against Cage for
9800-533: The MGM Grand Pool Splash in Las Vegas, Nevada , Pentagón Jr. and Fénix made their first appearance with the company. As The Young Bucks were leaving the stage, The Lucha Brothers music played seeing the two teams face off before a brawl ensued with Pentagón striking Matt Jackson first, while Fénix took out Nick Jackson with a superkick. Pentagón then proceeded to hit Matt Jackson on the stage with
9940-606: The MLW Tag Team titles. Following Pentagon's feud with LA Park, Lucha Bros begun feuding with The Hart Foundation ( Teddy Hart , Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Brian Pillman Jr. ) over the MLW Tag Team Championship. They would go on to lose the championships to Hart and Davey Boy Smith Jr. at SuperFight on February 2, 2019. Pentagón and Fénix debuted with Impact Wrestling on an "Impact Wrestling vs Lucha Underground" co-promoted event at WrestleCon 2018, in
10080-408: The NWA, at which point his territory became fair game for everyone. The NWA would blacklist wrestlers who worked for independent promoters or who publicly criticized an NWA promoter or who did not throw a match on command. If an independent promoter tried to establish himself in a certain area, the NWA would send their star performers to perform for the local NWA promoter to draw the customers away from
10220-488: The NWA, which only allowed faces to be champions, Gagne occasionally allowed heels to win the AWA championship so that they could serve as foils for him. In August 1983, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), a promotion in the north-east , withdrew from the NWA. Vince K. McMahon then took over as its boss. No longer bound by the territorial pact of the NWA, McMahon began expanding his promotion into
10360-591: The PWS Heavyweight Championship in a match that included run-ins by Kevin Matthews, Maff, Danny Demanto, Velvet Sky , and Mick Foley . He went to defend the championship against Colt Cabana , Jay Lethal , and The Great Muta . On November 11, 2008, Callihan made his Ring of Honor debut at Escalation in a losing effort in a four-corner survival match also involving Go Shiozaki , Rhett Titus , and Grizzly Redwood. Callihan appeared on
10500-402: The September 1 episode of Impact in which Callihan was victorious, but ultimately suffered a post-match attack from Van Dam and Katie Forbes. On the September 22nd episode of Impact, Callihan faced Rob Van Dam in a rematch, this time RVD was victorious and due to Van Dam winning, Katie Forbes got 5 minutes alone in the ring with Sami. However, Callihan laid out RVD outside the ring and delivered
10640-533: The U.S. based Major League Wrestling (MLW) on January 11, 2018, where he defeated Fénix as part of MLW's "Zero Hour" show. The following month Pentagon and Fénix (as Los Lucha Bros) defeated "Team TBD" ( Jason Cade and Jimmy Yuta ) and The Dirty Blondes (Leo Brien and Mike Patrick) to become the first holders of the MLW World Tag Team Championship . At " MLW Battle Riot ", Fenix and Pentagon defeated Rey Horus & Drago to retain
10780-762: The United States. He found most success in Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) and Major League Wrestling (MLW), but has also wrestled for Dragon Gate USA , Evolve , Ring of Honor , Pro Wrestling Guerrilla , Full Impact Pro , and All American Wrestling . In CZW, he held the CZW Iron Man Championship , the CZW Ultraviolent Underground Championship , and the CZW World Junior Heavyweight Championship , and won
10920-514: The World Champion Brian Cage , unsuccessfully challenging him for the title at Bound for Glory . However, Callihan goaded Cage into giving him a rematch by invading Cage's house. On the October 29 episode of Impact , Callihan defeated Cage in a steel cage match to win the Impact World Championship. He successfully defended the title against Cage in a rematch at Turning Point and Rich Swann at No Surrender before losing
11060-401: The arena's loudspeakers, his being Pomp and Circumstance . He also wore a costume: a robe and hairnet, which he removed after getting in the ring. He also had a pre-match ritual where his "butler" would spray the ring with perfume. In the 1980s, Vince McMahon made entrance songs, costumes, and rituals standard for his star wrestlers. For instance, McMahon's top star Hulk Hogan would delight
11200-418: The art of staging rigged matches and fostered a mentality that spectators were marks to be duped. The term kayfabe comes from carny slang. By the turn of the 20th century, most professional wrestling matches were "worked" and some journalists exposed the practice: American wrestlers are notorious for the amount of faking they do. It is because of this fact that suspicion attaches to so many bouts that
11340-561: The audience by tearing his shirt off before each match. The first major promoter cartel emerged on the East Coast, although up to that point, wrestling's heartland had been in the Midwest. Notable members of this cartel included Jack Curley , Lou Daro, Paul Bowser and Tom and Tony Packs. The promoters colluded to solve a number of problems that hurt their profits. Firstly, they could force their wrestlers to perform for less money. As
11480-639: The bout when he tapped out, tying the score. On March 22, 2013, Callihan lost the series, when he was defeated by Younger in the third match, a Guerrilla Warfare match. On June 15, Callihan wrestled his PWG farewell match, a 60-minute Iron Man match , where he unsuccessfully challenged longtime rival Adam Cole for the PWG World Championship, losing the match six falls to five. On December 11, 2015, Callihan returned to PWG at All Star Weekend 11, defeating Drew Gulak . On January 2, 2016, at PWG Lemy, Callihan defeated Trevor Lee . He then started
11620-470: The bulk of December feuding with The Design , on the January 12, 2023, episode of Impact, Callihan decided to join The Design, having Deaner shave his head as initiation and being renamed simply as Callihan, turning heel in the process. On April 16, 2023, at Rebellion , Callahan turned on The Design by hitting Deaner with a baseball bat, thus turning face again. On the May 4 episode of Impact!, during
11760-424: The cartel grew, there were fewer independent promoters where independent wrestlers could find work, and many were forced to sign a contract with the cartel to receive steady work. The contracts forbade them from performing at independent venues. A wrestler who refused to play by the cartel's rules was barred from performing at its venues. A second goal of the wrestling cartels was to establish an authority to decide who
11900-418: The case of heels). The matches could also be gimmicky sometimes, with wrestlers fighting in mud and piles of tomatoes and so forth. The most successful and enduring gimmick to emerge from the 1930s were tag-team matches. Promoters noticed that matches slowed down as the wrestlers in the ring tired, so they gave them partners to relieve them. It also gave heels another way to misbehave by double-teaming. Towards
12040-575: The case with masked wrestlers in Mexico, where their private lives are kept a secret. Pentagón Jr. and Fénix are real-life brothers. Their father and another brother are also professional wrestlers; their father worked as Fuego, while their brother shows with the ring name Ikaro. Pentagón Jr. now resides in Tijuana , Baja California , while Fénix currently resides in San Diego , California . Not much
12180-461: The championship on the line in a Lucha de Apuestas tag team match where his brother Fénix put his mask on the line, while their opponent risked either their hair (Callihan) or their career ( Jake Crist ). The match ended when Callihan pinned Pentagón Jr. to regain the championship. At AAW "Take No Prisoners" 2018, Rey Fenix and Penta El Zero M beat Myron Reed and A. R. Fox . On February 23, 2019, Fenix and Pentagon Jr. lost their titles again to LAX, in
12320-423: The character in shows must be considered fictional, wholly separate from the life of the performer. This is similar to other entertainers who perform with a persona that shares their own name. Some wrestlers also incorporate elements of their real-life personalities into their characters, even if they and their in-ring persona have different names. Kayfabe is the practice of pretending that professional wrestling
12460-512: The commission. The Commission did on very rare occasions hand out such authorizations, such as for a championship match between Jim Londos and Jim Browning in June 1934. This decree did not apply to amateur wrestling, which the commission had no authority over. Wrestling fans widely suspected that professional wrestling was fake, but they did not care as long as it entertained. In 1933, a wrestling promoter named Jack Pfefer started talking about
12600-540: The current fashion of wrestling is the universal discussion as to the honesty of the matches. And certainly the most interesting phrase of this discussion is the unanimous agreement: "Who cares if they're fixed or not—the show is good." Newspapers tended to shun professional wrestling, as journalists saw its theatrical pretense to being a legitimate sport as untruthful. Eventually promoters resorted to publishing their own magazines in order to get press coverage and communicate with fans. The first professional wrestling magazine
12740-405: The end of the 1930s, faced with declining revenues, promoters chose to focus on grooming charismatic wrestlers with no regard for their skill because it was charisma that drew the crowds, and wrestlers who were both skilled at grappling and charismatic were hard to come by. Since most of the public by this time knew and accepted that professional wrestling was fake, realism was no longer paramount and
12880-603: The facade of kayfabe as best as they could. In 1989, Vince McMahon testified before the New Jersey government that professional wrestling was not a true sport and therefore should be exempted from sports-related taxes. Many wrestlers and fans resented McMahon for this, but Lou Thesz accepted it as the smart move as it gave the industry more freedom to do as it pleased, and because by that point professional wrestling no longer attempted to appear real. The demise of WCW in 2001 provided some evidence that kayfabe still mattered to
13020-575: The feud. Callihan shortly after became the leader of oVe. Callihan made his pay-per-view debut for Impact at the Redemption event on April 22, 2018, where oVe defeated Eddie Edwards , Moose and Tommy Dreamer in a House of Hardcore match . oVe began a lengthy feud against The Lucha Brothers ( Pentagón Jr. and Fénix ) in the summer of 2018, which led to a mask vs. hair match between Callihan and Pentagón at Slammiversary XVI , which Callihan lost, which led to Callihan's hair being shaved off by
13160-509: The finals, before losing to AR Fox. On July 24, 2010, Callihan made his debut for Dragon Gate USA , losing to Jimmy Jacobs in a dark match . After wrestling several matches for the promotion through the rest of the year, Callihan was placed in his first angle on April 3, 2011, at Open the Ultimate Gate , when he and Arik Cannon walked out on a six-way match. Later in the event, Callihan and Cannon announced they would be forming
13300-470: The first place. "Double-crosses", where a wrestler agreed to lose a match but nevertheless fought to win, remained a problem in the early cartel days. At times a promoter would even award a victorious double-crosser the title of champion to preserve the facade of sport. But promoters punished such wrestlers by blacklisting them, making it quite challenging to find work. Double-crossers could also be sued for breach of contract, such as Dick Shikat in 1936. In
13440-628: The first round and losing to Tommy End in the quarter finals. On May 21, 2016, Callihan defeated John Skyler to win the Premiere Wrestling Xperience World Heavyweight Championship. On July 8, 2016, Callihan returned to Fight Club: PRO at the "Rage Against The Death Machine" event. After making it his intention to give the Fight Club: PRO Championship world title status, he later defeated Trent Seven to win
13580-518: The following night where they were unsuccessful. On March 18, 2017, Penta el 0M and Rey Fénix defeated The Young Bucks and the team of Matt Sydal and Ricochet in a three-way match to win the PWG World Tag Team Championship. On October 20, Penta and Fénix lost the championship to The Chosen Bros ( Jeff Cobb and Matt Riddle ), ending their reign at 216 days. On Stage Three of the 2018 Battle of Los Angeles tournament ,
13720-610: The game is not popular here. Nine out of ten bouts, it has been said, are pre-arranged affairs, and it would be no surprise if the ratio of fixed matches to honest ones was really so high. The wrestler Lou Thesz recalled that between 1915 and 1920, a series of exposés in the newspapers about the integrity of professional wrestling alienated a lot of fans, sending the industry "into a tailspin". But rather than perform more shoot matches, professional wrestlers instead committed themselves wholesale to fakery. Several reasons explain why professional wrestling became fake whereas boxing endured as
13860-460: The government. They pledged to stop allocating exclusive territories to its promoters, to stop blacklisting wrestlers who worked for outsider promoters, and to admit any promoter into the Alliance. The NWA would flout many of these promises, but its power was nonetheless weakened by the lawsuit. Paul Bowser's AWA joined the NWA in 1949. The AWA withdrew from the Alliance in 1957 and renamed itself
14000-699: The inaugural episode of Ring of Honor Wrestling on HDNet , which aired on March 21, losing to Kenny King . Callihan made his CZW debut at "Summer School" on June 14, 2008. At the 2008 Chri$ Ca$ h Memorial Show , he won the Chri$ Ca$ h Memorial Battle Royal. He defeated LuFisto to earn a spot in the main event at Cage Of Death X . At the Decade of Destruction – 10th Anniversary show on February 14, 2009, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , Callihan defeated Jon Dahmer; originally
14140-526: The independent. By 1956, the NWA controlled 38 promotions within the United States, with more in Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. The NWA's monopolistic practices became so stifling that the independents appealed to the government for help. In October 1956 the US Attorney General's office filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NWA in an Iowa federal district court. The NWA settled with
14280-480: The industry was anything but a competitive sport. The first wrestling promoter to publicly admit to routinely fixing matches was Jack Pfefer . In 1933, he started talking about the industry's inner workings to the New York Daily Mirror , resulting in a huge exposé. The exposé neither surprised nor alienated most wrestling fans, although some promoters like Jack Curley were furious and tried to restore
14420-496: The industry's inner workings to the New York Daily Mirror , maintaining no pretense that wrestling was real and passing on planned results just before the matches took place. While fans were neither surprised nor alienated, traditionalists like Jack Curley were furious, and most promoters tried to maintain the facade of kayfabe as best they could. Not the least interesting of all the minor phenomena produced by
14560-541: The latter's X Division Championship on the November 15 episode of Impact , which Callihan lost. In early 2019, oVe entered a feud with the team of Rich Swann , Tommy Dreamer and Willie Mack , which led to Callihan defeating Mack at the Homecoming pay-per-view but lost a rematch on the January 11 episode of Impact . Callihan would begin pursuing Swann's X Division Championship, unsuccessfully challenging him for
14700-559: The lights would go off and he would disappear. The feud would culminate at Rebellion 2020 Night 1 in an Unsanctioned match , where Shamrock submitted Callihan to an ankle lock . He returned on June 30, 2020, surprisingly helping Shamrock against The North before disappearing into the night, teasing a face turn in the process. Shamrock and Callihan unsuccessfully challenged The North for the Impact Tag Team Championships at Slammiversary . On August 4, Callihan
14840-485: The match was supposed to be Dahmer versus E.M.O., but as E.M.O. was making his way to the ring, the Arena's video screens showed Callihan arguing with CZW management and demanding a title match. Management denied his request, and instead told him that if he defeated Dahmer he could have a title match whenever he wanted. This led to Callihan attacking E.M.O. and taking his spot in the match against Dahmer, which he then won after
14980-411: The match. In his next appearance on July 21, he was beaten by Michael Elgin at PWG's nine-year anniversary event, Threemendous III . In September, he got his first series of wins at the 2012 Battle of Los Angeles ; he defeated Willie Mack to advance to the quarterfinal round, where he beat T. J. Perkins . In the semi-final, he lost to eventual winner Adam Cole . At Mystery Vortex on December 1, he
15120-498: The members of wrestling cartels as the champion drew big crowds wherever he performed, and this would occasionally lead to schisms. By 1925, this cartel had divided the country up into territories which were the exclusive domains of specific promoters. This system of territories endured until Vince McMahon drove the fragmented cartels out of the market in the 1980s. This cartel fractured in 1929 after one of its members, Paul Bowser , bribed Ed "Strangler" Lewis to lose his championship in
15260-570: The only team to be AEW, Impact, ROH, and AAA World Tag Team Champions. They also wrestle on both the American and Mexican independent circuits and have held multiple titles in both countries including the Major League Wrestling World Tag Team Championship , Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Tag Team Championship , and The Crash Tag Team Championship . Their real names are unknown, as is often
15400-437: The platform used in boxing , serves as the main stage ; additional scenes may be recorded for television in backstage areas of the venue, in a format similar to reality television . Performers generally integrate authentic wrestling techniques and fighting styles with choreography , stunts , improvisation , and dramatic conventions designed to maximize entertainment value and audience engagement. Professional wrestling as
15540-529: The process. They made their debut as a team against Joey Janela and the Private Party, defeating them. However, with Pac stuck in the U.K., due to travel restrictions, they then formed an alliance with Eddie Kingston as well as The Butcher and The Blade . On November 18, the Death Triangle returned to AEW Dynamite after an eight-month absence, where Pac won his return match against The Blade and
15680-717: The promotion's closing in 1991. In the spring of 1984, the WWF purchased Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW), which had been ailing for some time due to financial mismanagement and internal squabbles. In the deal, the WWF acquired the GCW's timeslot on TBS . McMahon agreed to keep showing Georgia wrestling matches in that timeslot, but he was unable to get his staff to Atlanta every Saturday to fulfill this obligation, so he sold GCW and its TBS timeslot to Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP). JCP started informally calling itself World Championship Wrestling (WCW). In 1988, Ted Turner bought JCP and formally renamed it World Championship Wrestling. During
15820-575: The referee sanctioned an immediate match, which Callihan won to become the new champion. At the Eye for an Eye event on April 13, Callihan declared that the championship would now be known as the "CZW New Horror Championship". On June 13, 2009, Callihan lost the championship to Egotistico Fantastico . On October 25, 2009, Callihan defeated Danny Havoc to win the CZW Ultraviolent Underground Championship, but lost
15960-510: The returning Jake Crist defeated The Design. On June 9 at Against All Odds , oVe defeated The Design in an Ohio Street Fight . On September 27, it was reported that Callihan is officially done with Impact Wrestling. On January 6, 2024 at Kings of Colosseum , Callihan made his surprise return to MLW, helping Rickey Shane Page retain the MLW National Openweight Championship against Akira and becoming
16100-516: The second round, where he was defeated by tournament winner Zack Sabre Jr. They would return a year later to participate in the tournament again but were once again unsuccessful with neither man advancing from the first round. They were able to defeat Chris Hero and Tommy End on the second night of the tournament which earned them a shot at The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) for the PWG World Tag Team Championship
16240-440: The stamina for an hours-long fight. Audiences also preferred short matches. Worked matches also carried less risk of injury, which meant shorter recovery. Altogether, worked matches proved more profitable than shoots. By the end of the 19th century, nearly all professional wrestling matches were worked. A major influence on professional wrestling was carnival culture. Wrestlers in the late 19th century worked in carnival shows. For
16380-644: The tag team championship against LAX on February 2, and then against Eli Drake and Eddie Edwards on March 22. The storyline with LAX culminated at Impact Wrestling Rebellion , in a Full Metal Mayhem match where LAX won the Impact Wrestling Tag Team Championship back from the Lucha Bros. The loss was the Lucha Bros' last Impact Wrestling match for the time being. On February 7, 2019, at the All Elite Wrestling Ticket Announcement held at
16520-426: The territories of his former NWA peers, now his rivals. By the end of the 1980s, the WWF would become the sole national wrestling promotion in the U.S. This was in part made possible by the rapid spread of cable television in the 1980s. The national broadcast networks generally regarded professional wrestling as too niche an interest, and had not broadcast any national wrestling shows since the 1950s. Before cable TV,
16660-472: The title on the March 22 episode of Impact and in an oVe Rules match at Rebellion . Callihan concluded his feud with Dreamer by defeating him in an oVe rules match at the Impact Plus event Code Red . Callihan began ascending up the ranks as he defeated Eddie Edwards in a Philly Street Fight at A Night You Can't Mist . Callihan would then lose to Rob Van Dam in an Extreme Rules match at Bash at
16800-682: The title the same day to Thumbtack Jack. On April 10, 2010, at Swingin For The Fences Callihan received a match for the CZW World Heavyweight Championship in a losing effort against Switchblade Conspiracy partner Jon Moxley. In November 2011, Callihan defeated Adam Cole for the CZW World Junior Heavyweight Championship . The following April, Callihan won the Best of the Best XI tournament . He lost
16940-468: The title to Drake Younger at 5 de Mayo . Callihan won the title for a second time on July 14, 2012, in a 60-minute Ultraviolent Rules Iron Man match, but lost it the same day to AR Fox. In July 2017, in a behind-the-scenes promotion, Callihan was appointed the leader of CZW's creative team. On April 15, 2018, he left CZW after a disagreement with the new direction of the promotion. On May 1, 2010, Callihan debuted for Evolve at Evolve 3: Rise or Fall in
17080-433: The title to rival Tessa Blanchard at Hard to Kill pay-per-view on January 12, 2020. During tapings of Impact , a mysterious figure appeared on the titantron called ICU during wrestlers matches. On March 17, ICU interrupted Ken Shamrock 's interview with Josh Mathews . The mysterious figure threw a fireball into Shamrock's eyes. He took off the mask and it was revealed to be Sami Callihan. Callihan would take his phone and
17220-414: The title, also involving Ricochet and Shiima Xion . The next month at Legally Insane Callihan and Roc teamed up in a losing effort against "The Messiahs of a New Age" of Dustin Rayz and Lou Roberts. Callihan and Roc would have their first singles match for the Junior Heavyweight Championship at Heatstroke which ended in a time limit draw. The next month at Crowning Point Callihan and Roc wrestled in
17360-473: The title. Callihan and The Crist Brothers then formed a faction named Ohio Versus Everything (oVe), where they started a feud with LAX. On the December 14 episode of Impact , Callihan would light a fire flame in the face of Konnan after a face to face summit. On the January 18, 2018, episode of Impact , oVe would then challenge LAX in a Barbed Wire Massacre match, where they lost the match, thus ending
17500-503: The titles in a three-way match also involving Private Party , which SoCal Uncensored won. On the February 5, 2020 episode of Dynamite , Lucha Brothers pinned the AEW Tag Team Champions Kenny Omega and Adam Page in an eight-man tag team match, earning them a title shot which they lost on February 19. On March 4, they formed a trio along with Pac known as Death Triangle, confirming their heel turn in
17640-519: The trial, witnesses testified that most of the "big matches" and all of the championship bouts were fixed. By the 1930s, with the exception of the occasional double-cross or business dispute, shoot matches were essentially nonexistent. In April 1930, the New York State Athletic Commission decreed that all professional wrestling matches held in the state had to be advertised as exhibitions unless certified as contests by
17780-471: The truth, their audiences would desert them. Today's performers don't "protect" the industry like we did, but that's primarily because they've already exposed it by relying on silly or downright ludicrous characters and gimmicks to gain popularity with the fans. It was different in my day, when our product was presented as an authentic, competitive sport. We protected it because we believed it would collapse if we ever so much as implied publicly that it
17920-468: The vacant championship. On June 8, 2018, Callihan defeated Evander James for House of Glory 's Crown Jewel Championship at their "Temperature Rising" show. He retained the title at their "High Intensity 7" show on August 17 against Low Ki after hitting him with a low blow to intentionally get himself disqualified. After the match, Bully Ray appeared and powerbombed Callihan. On November 2, 2019, Callihan debuted for Insane Championship Wrestling with
18060-535: The way of proceedings: the "in-show" happenings, presented through the shows; and real-life happenings outside the work that have implications, such as performer contracts, legitimate injuries, etc. Because actual life events are often co-opted by writers for incorporation into storylines of performers, the lines between real life and fictional life are often blurred and become confused. Special discern must be taken with people who perform under their own name (such as Kurt Angle and his fictional persona ). The actions of
18200-420: The wrestlers quietly began faking their matches so that they could give their audiences a satisfying spectacle. Fixing matches was also convenient for scheduling. A real ("shoot") match could sometimes last hours, whereas a fixed ("worked") match can be made short, which was convenient for wrestlers on tour who needed to keep appointments or share venues. It also suited wrestlers who were aging and therefore lacked
18340-425: Was Wrestling As You Like It , which printed its first issue in 1946. These magazines were faithful to kayfabe . Before the advent of television, professional wrestling's fanbase largely consisted of children, the elderly, blue-collar workers and minorities. When television arose in the 1940s, professional wrestling got national exposure on prime-time television and gained widespread popularity. Professional wrestling
18480-414: Was about to face Eddie Edwards for the Impact World Championship, but was attacked by Rob Van Dam as he was making his way to the ring, and ultimately succumbing to Edwards. The following week, Callihan hacked into Katie Forbes' photos during her photo reveal, thus starting a feud with Van Dam and turning face for the first time in Impact Wrestling. Callihan and Van Dam would face off against each other on
18620-488: Was challenges from independent wrestlers. But a cartelized wrestler, if challenged, could credibly use his contractual obligations to his promoter as an excuse to refuse the challenge. Promotions would sometimes respond to challenges with "policemen": powerful wrestlers who lacked the charisma to become stars, but could defeat and often seriously injure any challenger in a shoot match. As the industry trend continued, there were fewer independent wrestlers to make such challenges in
18760-404: Was discontinued after season finale, Ultima Lucha Cuatro. On October 5, 2017, Callihan wrestled his first match for Major League Wrestling (MLW) at MLW's first show since 2004. At the event, called One Shot he lost a match to Montel Vontavious Porter . He went on to a major focal point of their weekly show MLW Fusion throughout 2018 into 2019. At some point in 2018 Callihan begun working as
18900-650: Was previously considered a niche interest, but the TV networks at the time were short on content and thus were willing to try some wrestling shows. In the 1960s, however, the networks moved on to more mainstream interests such as baseball, and professional wrestling was dropped. The core audience then shrunk back to a profile similar to that of the 1930s. In 1989, Vince McMahon was looking to exempt his promotion (the World Wrestling Federation ) from sports licensing fees. To achieve this, he testified before
19040-408: Was removed from the episode; it was supposed to air for the March 6, 2014 NXT . In August 2014, Johnston suffered a chipped tibia during a tag team match with Kalisto against The Ascension ; the injury did not require surgery and he was able to return to the ring in November. In late 2014, Crowe wrestled a number of dark matches on NXT, including one against the returning Brian Kendrick . From
19180-415: Was something other than what it appeared to be. I'm not sure now the fear was ever justified given the fact that the industry is still in existence today, but the point is no one questioned the need then. "Protecting the business" in the face of criticism and skepticism was the first and most important rule a pro wrestler learned. No matter how aggressive or informed the questioner, you never admitted
19320-417: Was the "world champion". Before the cartels, there were multiple wrestlers in the U.S. simultaneously calling themselves the "world champion", and this sapped public enthusiasm for professional wrestling. Likewise, the cartel could agree on a common set of match rules that the fans could keep track of. The issue over who got to be the champion and who controlled said champion was a major point of contention among
19460-707: Was then saved by Fenix and Penta after being attacked by Kingston and Butcher and Blade after the match and also turning the trio into babyfaces at the same time. At All Out on September 5, they defeated the Young Bucks in a Steel Cage match to win the AEW World Tag Team Championship . On the October 16 episode of Dynamite, they defended the AAA World Tag Team Championship against the team of Las Super Ranas, who turned out to be FTR in disguise. FTR defeated
19600-410: Was victorious over Drake Younger. After the match, it was announced that Callihan and Younger would participate in a best of three match series to determine a number one contender for the PWG World Championship. At the 2013 Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament , which took place on January 12, 2013, Callihan fought Younger in a non-tournament knockout or submission -only match. Callihan lost
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