Fanbyte WWE News, Opinion, Reviews, & More

mer Aug 1, 2022. 5 minute read

Dropping the Bar: An Ode to Sheamus and Cesaro

Claudio Castagnoli made his much anticipated AEW debut at Forbidden Door in June. The vaguely Doctor Who themed show suffered various setbacks, as multiple wrestlers were unable to compete. Bryan Danielson was injured and couldn’t participate in his scheduled bout with Zack Sabre Jr, meant to determine the best technical…

Trevor Dame Jul 30, 2022. 8 minute read

Here’s What Sucked About the Roast of Ric Flair, Besides Everything

I watched it, you shouldn’t. Here’s why. It Wasn’t Funny Seems like a big one for a roast, right? Over the course of well over two hours (that felt like ten), I laughed out loud one time for an anti-joke from Conrad Thompson’s sidekick Casio Kid about Torrie Wilson’s workout…

Colette Arrand Jul 26, 2022. 14 minute read

The Greatest Wrestler of All Time (The Fifth and Sixth Ten)

The Rock. Steve Austin. Ric Flair. Randy Savage. When I took up the task of naming The Greatest Wrestler of All Time, it was partially out of frustration with similar pieces (though, those being ranked lists, they weren’t similar at all) where the same names kept cropping up. If pieces…

Colette Arrand Jul 22, 2022. Less than a minute

“Thank You Vince” Chants: A Review

Colette Arrand Jul 22, 2022. 4 minute read

Vince McMahon Has Retired

I don’t know how to begin covering what is possibly the biggest story in the history of professional wrestling. Vince McMahon is retiring from WWE. In his tweet and in WWE’s press release containing his statement on the matter, McMahon led with the fact that he is 77, intimating that…

Colette Arrand Jul 22, 2022. 6 minute read

I Hope Triple H Starts Pointing at People Again

WWE announced today that Paul “Triple H” Levesque has been installed as the Executive Vice President of Talent Relations. Given that John Laurinaitis is ensnared in an ongoing investigation into his (and Vince McMahon’s) alleged use of company funds to buy the silence of employees with whom he’s alleged to…

Colette Arrand Jul 20, 2022. 4 minute read

Nobody Has a Lariat Like Stan Hansen’s Western Lariat

Before understanding Stan Hansen’s Western Lariat, it’s important to consider what a lariat/clothesline is. I don’t mean the mechanism — at its simplest, one wrestler sticks his arm out and takes off the head of another with it, one of the most no muss, no fuss moves in professional wrestling…

Colette Arrand Jul 20, 2022. 4 minute read

A Field Guide to the Gimmicks of NXT 2.0

I watched NXT 2.0 last night. No, no, hold your applause and save your medals; I, like all of you, am human, and humans tend to fuck up from time to time. It is no secret that NXT 2.0, once a jewel in the crown of WWE’s unquestioned dominance over…

mer Jul 19, 2022. 4 minute read

Cora Jade Busts Skateboards and Friendships

I must confess, I haven’t been entirely captivated by NXT recently. I don’t think I’m alone in this sentiment, as interest in WWE’s aloof third brand has varied wildly over the past year. Since rebranding fall 2021, pastel NXT has gone out of its way to distinguish itself as distinctly…

Colette Arrand Jul 18, 2022. 3 minute read

It Is Now Andrade El Idolo, Jay Lethal, and Jeff Jarrett’s Task to Keep Ric Flair Alive

At last, the world knows what Ric Flair’s last match will be: him and Andrade El Idolo vs. Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett. A 24-minute hype package that weaved together Flair’s working with Jay Lethal to get ready for his match, the question of whether or not Jeff Jarrett was…

Colette Arrand Jul 13, 2022. 2 minute read

The French Fries Bret Hart and Sean Waltman Aren’t Eating: A Review

Today is Sean Waltman’s 50th birthday! We’re also two days out from the anniversary of Bret Hart vs. 1-2-3 Kid, which is one of, if not the, greatest matches in the history of Monday Night Raw. Both of these things are worth celebrating. In fact, many writers have. So instead of…

Brett Davis Jul 9, 2022. 2 minute read

Tony Sirico’s Stacker2 Ads Married WWE to the Mob

Tony Sirico passed away on Friday. Even if you didn’t know him as Paulie Walnuts on The Sopranos, you likely knew his face from commercials and cameos. In real life, Tony Sirico had a history in organized crime, and after 28 arrests, he turned it around to create quite the…

mer Jul 9, 2022. 2 minute read

Maximum Male Models: A Review

    Last Friday night, I went out to support a neighborhood small business by allowing myself a few alcoholic beverages and singing Celine Dion louder than anyone asked. I then came home (10 pm, because I’m in my late 20s) and fell asleep for about three hours, before I…

Colette Arrand Jul 8, 2022. 8 minute read

We Need to Change the Way We Talk About Chris Benoit

Chris Benoit is one of the best wrestlers of all time. Chris Benoit also murdered his wife, Nancy, and his son, Daniel, before hanging himself over a three day period in June 2007. Leaving aside the issue of individual taste, the former statement is widely held to be true and…

mer Jul 7, 2022. 5 minute read

Morgan in the Bank: SmackDown Welcomes New Champion Liv Morgan

WWE has long relied on Money in the Bank to solve their booking woes — if the title scene is stale, if a champ can’t get over no matter how many times they change his music, or if they need to protect multiple top guys with an opportunistic cash in.…

Colette Arrand Jul 2, 2022. 8 minute read

If There Is an Ethical Way to Watch WWE, It Is Via Piracy

Money in the Bank, WWE’s failed attempt at turning a lukewarm narrative conceit into another stadium show, airs this Sunday on Peacock/WWE Network. Please do not pay for the pleasure of either means of watching WWE’s product. Actually, let me walk that back: I love The ‘Cock. It features great…

mer Jun 28, 2022. 4 minute read

Der Ring General Reigns: Gunther Elevates the IC Title in Two Short Weeks

Forget the Bloodline, forget Nattie bodying Ronda Rousey on Twitter, and forget Elias’ family tree. WWE’s hottest summer fling is Gunther. The man formerly known as Big Daddy WALTER changed his name way back in January, setting the stage for a graduation to the main roster, alongside fellow European friend…

Joseph Anthony Montecillo Jun 21, 2022. 12 minute read

For Vince McMahon, “Life Sucks and Then You Die” Is a Campaign Slogan

So I voted for the first time this year. The Philippine national elections felt much more high stakes than usual. I’m sure a lot of that is just a matter of age. It’s the first election I’m experiencing as an (alleged) adult in my 20s, which means I’m seeing the…

Trevor Dame Jun 20, 2022. 11 minute read

Professional Wrestling Doesn’t Need Writers

It seems like every week I see comments online portraying writers in wrestling as either the answer to all of a promotion’s problems or the cause of all their ills. Someone didn’t like the booking of an episode of Dynamite? Tony Khan needs to hire a team of scribes. WWE…

mer Jun 20, 2022. 5 minute read

This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us: Reigns vs Lesnar Part 15

Another banner week for WWE, and by that I mean boy, did they appear in a lot of news headlines. Aside from the most explosive story of the week (if you live under a rock, Colette already examined this for us), there have been multiple rumors of Sasha Banks being…