NOT GAMES
Dylan Roth Dec 17, 2021. 8 minute read
“Spider-Man: No Way Home” Review: Greatest Hits
The Spider-Man film franchise has the dubious distinction of having been rebooted twice in the space of a decade. The first Spider-Man trilogy, directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire, launched in 2002 and defined the superhero film genre for a generation. The hasty 2012 Amazing Spider-Man relaunch led…
READ MORE >
TV/FILM
Nigel Spudes Dec 16, 2021. 4 minute read
Violento Jack vs. Tomoya Hirata Showcased the Present of Deathmatch Wrestling
Since its birth in 2009, Japanese indie deathmatch promotion Pro Wrestling FREEDOMS has been quietly making a case for being the best deathmatch promotion in the world. Home to legends like Jun Kasai, Takashi Sasaki and recent breakout star Toru Sugiura, as well as frequent stomping grounds of in-demand freelancers…
READ MORE >
WRESTLING
Colette Arrand Dec 16, 2021. 1 minute read
Bryan Danielson’s Jumping Jacks: A Review
Last night, Bryan Danielson and “Hangman” Adam Page wrestled to a 60-minute time limit draw. It was a brilliant match, utterly breathtaking in the way it wasted exactly zero of the 60 minutes it was given, full of references to other epic championship clashes and even more packed with its…
READ MORE >
WRESTLING
FOLLOW US
Dylan Roth Dec 16, 2021. 7 minute read
Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 Episode 5 Review: “The Examples”
For the past few weeks on Star Trek: Discovery, the storytellers have struggled to deliver self-contained adventures while still dedicating time to advancing the season’s ongoing character arcs and mystery plot. There’s still not quite as much meat on the bone as I’d like, but “The Examples” succeeds where the…
READ MORE >
TV/FILM
Joshua Needelman Dec 15, 2021. 3 minute read
“Send Hook”: On AEW’s Meme Incarnate
Hook, AEW’s Meme Incarnate, strutted to the ring on Friday evening’s taped edition of AEW Rampage with a swagger in his step and a grimace on his face. Taz rose from his seat at the announce table and clapped, then provided a heartwarming soundtrack for his son’s debut match. “He’s…
READ MORE >
WRESTLING
Dylan Roth Dec 14, 2021. 8 minute read
‘Don’t Look Up’ Review: Death From Above
In 2017, two years after stepping down as showrunner of the HBO comedy Veep, veteran political satirist Armando Iannucci spoke about his career to a panel at the Sydney Writers Festival. The conversation soon turned to the White House, both the useless West Wing-obsessed Obama Democrats and the newly-installed mad…
READ MORE >
REVIEWS
Joseph Anthony Montecillo Dec 14, 2021. 7 minute read
Jimmy Rave’s Legacy Is Forever
It’s a big night for wrestling fans in Piedmont, Alabama. The IWGP Heavyweight Champion is in town. A small crowd has packed themselves into 627 Southern Avenue for the ProSouth Wrestling show. Ringside seats sell for $10 a pop, general seating only $8, a real bargain to see AJ Styles…
READ MORE >
WRESTLING
J.J. McGee Dec 13, 2021. 5 minute read
¡Olé!: Three Essential El Generico Matches
El Generico: the man, the myth, the legend. Sometimes erroneously referred to as “Sami Zayn when he was on the indies,” a statement which is clearly not true as Zayn himself has denied it, and El Generico is retired and unavailable for comment. (More earnestly, it’s totally accurate to say…
READ MORE >
WRESTLING
Colette Arrand Dec 10, 2021. 1 minute read
The AEW Debut of Hook: A Review
Hook, the chip eating, ringside vulturing, dragon sleeper utilizing son of Taz, the head honcho of the eponymous Team Taz, debuted tonight on AEW Rampage against Fuego del Sol. The build to Hook’s debut, and the attention paid to it, was one of the strangest developments in professional wrestling this…
READ MORE >
WRESTLING
Martin Douglas Dec 10, 2021. 6 minute read
78 Degrees of Wrestling: The Major Arcana of AEW (Part II: The Soul of Will)
To read the previous installment of Martin’s exploration of the major arcana of AEW, click here. VIII. Strength: Kris Statlander In many different contexts—obviously including pro wrestling—strength is a term used as a synonym of domination. We are conditioned to think of strength when we think of someone conquering another…
READ MORE >
WRESTLING
mer Dec 9, 2021. 6 minute read
One Final Bow: #DIY Dies with a Whimper
Everyone’s favorite pay-per-view to shout in a vaguely British accent, War Games, is solidly in the past. It was only NXT 2.0’s first TakeOver, but, personally, it feels like we’ve known Tony D’Angelo a lifetime. Like most gimmick matches, War Games tends to be pretty fun just by virtue of…
READ MORE >
WRESTLING
Natalie Weiner Dec 9, 2021. 2 minute read
The Olympics Are A Broken, Useless Metaphor
Every week in her Good Form column, Natalie Weiner explores the ways in which the sports world’s structural inequalities and injustices illuminate those outside it — and the ways in which they’re inextricably connected. You can read previous columns here. Content warning for mention of human rights abuses and sexual assault. In another…
READ MORE >
SPORTS
Dylan Roth Dec 9, 2021. 8 minute read
Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 Episode 4 Review: “All is Possible”
In a previous episode review, I praised Discovery for having found a balance between its own identity as a fast-paced, emotionally-charged adventure show and the themes and superficial trappings of a more traditional Star Trek series. This week, however, Discovery’s growing resemblance to Treks past works against it. “All is…
READ MORE >
REVIEWS
Fanfyte Staff Dec 8, 2021. 4 minute read
FanFyte’s Best of the Month: November 2021
We’re a bit into December now—dogs are wearing sweaters, people are arguing about whether nor not egg nog is good (it’s good!), and sites like ours are gearing up for a barrage of end of the year retrospective articles. We have plenty of those forthcoming, covering a wide spread of…
READ MORE >
WRESTLING
mer Dec 8, 2021. 1 minute read
Paul Wight on Royal Pains: A Review
Look, I know I’m probably the only person in the entire world who religiously watched Royal Pains. Even among USA beach law fans, it was always the forgotten son. But I was super depressed in high school, so you simply would not believe the amount of television I watched. It…
READ MORE >
WRESTLING
Joseph Anthony Montecillo Dec 8, 2021. 13 minute read
An Interview With Kevin Ku, One of the Best Independent Wrestlers in the World
When Kevin Ku enters the Zoom call, he’s wearing an American Dragon hoodie. No shock, he and I share the same favorite wrestler. In fact, the first time I had the opportunity to interact with Kevin Ku online was when he volunteered to be a talking head on my “Bryan…
READ MORE >
WRESTLING
Danielle Riendeau Dec 8, 2021. 4 minute read
Shudder Reviewers are Dead Wrong About The Strings
I’ve taken to a new routine at night: after work and training, I like to settle in, get under a blanket, and watch a horror movie while I grade my students’ work. It’s a weirdly comforting mood: I watch something spooky, I snuggle my pets, I get my second job…
READ MORE >
REVIEWS
Colette Arrand Dec 6, 2021. 1 minute read
Bron Breakker’s Use of Bolt Cutters at NXT Takeover War Games: A Review
So, the War Games cage got padlocked shut last night in an effort to keep the babyface team of Guys What Who Haven’t Been Drafted to Raw or SmackDown from interfering in the team of Literally Got Here Three Weeks Ago’s scheme to maintain advantage throughout the match. It didn’t…
READ MORE >
WRESTLING
Joseph Anthony Montecillo Dec 5, 2021. 5 minute read
Yuji Okabayashi’s Time Limit Draws in the D-Oh Grand Prix: The Good and the Bad
One was good, the other not. It is always a fascinating exercise to see how two different wrestlers utilize time. So rarely do we get as direct a comparison as with Yuji Okabayashi’s two 30-minute time limit draws in the block stages of the DDT D-oh Grand Prix 2021 II.…
READ MORE >
WRESTLING
Brett Davis Dec 5, 2021. 11 minute read
Join Us: Every AEW Faction Ranked
AEW is chockablock with various stables, from high-profile units like The Elite to lowly units like The Wingmen. This could be a daunting hurdle for new AEW fans, so I have not only summarized each group, but I have ranked them. For this list, I am considering any group of…
READ MORE >
WRESTLING