Ah, Puppy Love

If you're not following both AJ Lee & Dolph Ziggler on Twitter then be sure you do so for gems like these...

WWE Monday Night Raw: 2/25/2013

SGHDFGJHGJHSGJDGHJ!!!!!!

 

I can't even begin to review last night's Raw as a whole show because there was only ONE thing I will remember 10 years from now and that is the ALL TIME classic between John Cena and CM Punk that took place in the main event.

First Look At TNA's Live Set!

Velvet Sky's entrance live is a spectacle all unto it's own

If like me, you're actually planning on attending the first live show that comes to your town (albeit with a hooded cap and shades so that no one recognizes you on TV), then this is exciting news to you.  Looks like their going for a WWE philosophy of bright lights and longer walkways.  Hey as long as their pyro no longer sounds like a group of silent farts, color me very very pleased.

The ESSENTIALS: The Top 12 WWE Nigel McGuinness Feuds That Could Have Been

Could you imagine all this bravado with a bit more shine?

Welcome to this very unique edition of the ESSENTIALS.  Having recently watched Nigel McGuinness' self-released doc "The Last Of McGuinness", I had originally planned to write up a full review.  As I started typing however, my mind began to wonder just how the fiery Brit's career would have gone had he landed his dream job in the WWE.  Being that Nigel is one of my top 20 favorite wrestlers ever, I couldn't help but dream of the truly legendary rivalries he would've had in the big leagues.  You see where I'm going with this now?  Good.  My guess is you're as excited as I am then?  You're not even reading this intro anymore are you?  Not cool!  I had planned on overhyping the hell out of this thing.  Fine then Captain Impatient, enjoy.

The G9Z Wrestling Honor Roll: Class Of 1997

 

Welcome to another edition of the HONOR ROLL. Every year during my "Year End Awards" I give out roughly 15 awards. Of those awards, "the big four" are the Wrestler, Woman, Tag Team & Match of the year. The winners of these awards were generally the most awesome performers of the year and with hundreds of prominent wrestlers worldwide, it's a true honor to be able to snag one of the four. This section of the blog will be dedicated to the winners for every year dating all the way back to 1990 (roughly the time I first began watching wrestling)! Every week I will add another year's winners until the database is up to date. This is just a fun series that will give you an idea of what the best of the best was in any year you may have missed. Any current and/or future winners will also be added to the honor roll and join the most prestigious group in all of blogging!

This week, we're announcing the class of 1997!

Awesome! Photo of the week! February 18-24, 2013

With 2K officially announcing it's five year deal with WWE Games, I found no photo more appropriate this week.  We could only hope that a 2K inspired WWE video game can be as awesome as their most famous sports titles, such as the critically worshipped NBA 2K series.  Only time will tell.

WWE Monday Night Raw Review: 2/18/2013

Finally, the new WWE Championship is revealed

Here are my thoughts of this week's Raw from Lafayette, LA:

WWE PPV Review: Elimination Chamber 2013

Could predcitable outcomes stop if from being a show of the year contender?

 

Here are my thoughts on last night's PPV:

The Top 25 Matches You Need To See 2012-2013!

Catch up on the best of blog favorites like Shinsuke Nakamura

 

There's a new section of the blog called The Top 25.  Essentially it's an ongoing thread of the best matches from every year of the G9Z era.  It's a good way to check up on any awesome matches you may have missed.  Or you can just check in to see where your favorites stack up.  Either way, be sure to check in every once in a while (the tab is located just underneath the blog header) as I'll be updating the list very frequently.  You can view the current list (as of Feb. 2013) here.

Fondly Remembering The "Matrix Minute"

It's one of the most awesome sequences in wrestling history and the moment that sparked my love for ROH wrestling.  I remember watching this in my college dorm and my head damn near exploded because it was so different from anything I had ever seen.  Been tracking ROH shows ever since.  Thus, it's a bit of a sentimental tidbit to add this in some form to the blog.  Enjoy.

Pfft....So That Wrestling Stuff.....It's Fake Right???

What did the five fingers say to the face?....SLAP!!

Just a lil photo to show your prick friends who roll their eyes at you when you tell them you still watch professional wrestling.  Sigh, how nice it would be if we could all have our own personal Minoru Suzuki bot to unleash a parade of slaps onto anyone who asks our least favorite question....

NJPW PPV Review: The New Beginning 2013

The biggest match of Karl Anderson's career

Check after the jump for my thoughts on the latest iPPV from New Japan Pro Wrestling:

 

The G9Z Wrestling Honor Roll: Class Of 1996

Welcome to another edition of the HONOR ROLL. Every year during my "Year End Awards" I give out roughly 15 awards. Of those awards, "the big four" are the Wrestler, Woman, Tag Team & Match of the year. The winners of these awards were generally the most awesome performers of the year and with hundreds of prominent wrestlers worldwide, it's a true honor to be able to snag one of the four. This section of the blog will be dedicated to the winners for every year dating all the way back to 1990 (roughly the time I first began watching wrestling)! Every week I will add another year's winners until the database is up to date. This is just a fun series that will give you an idea of what the best of the best was in any year you may have missed. Any current and/or future winners will also be added to the honor roll and join the most prestigious group in all of blogging!

This week, we're announcing the class of 1996!

WWE PPV Preview: Elimination Chamber 2013

The Rock & CM Punk clash for the second time ever!

Here are my predictions for tomorrow's show:

Wait....How The F*ck Did He Do That!?

For those of you who have yet to witness the awesomeness of ACH, here is a nice match to start with.  Brace yourselves.  Seriously, this is NSFW.  Not because of bewbs or anything like that.  It just won't look good if your marking out in front of your boss.  Enjoy.

The G9Z Wrestling Best In The World 2013

CM Punk, Best In The World

Every year there are hundreds of pro wrestlers all looking to make their mark in top promotions such as WWE, TNA, NJPW and ROH, but only a select few are "must see".  Let it be known that this is not a kayfabe ranking based on achievements (such as the PWI 500) nor is it determined by technical prowess alone.  This list is meant to represent a wide variety of the men & women who will make wrestling worth watching in 2013 and are worth every penny you're inevitably going to spend this year.  It's a chronicle of just who the most valuable performers in the world are at the time being and whether it's through in-ring excellence, entertainment value or a combination of both, these are the top 35 elite talents that make being a wrestling fan such a joy in 2013:

The ESSENTIALS: Making The Case For Hiroshi Tanahashi As The Best Main Event Performer Of All Time

The IWGP Champion is today's gold standard

 

Welcome to this very special edition of the ESSENTIALS.  With another brilliant title defense in the books at New Beginning (review to come soon), I think it's a safe bet to say that Hiroshi Tanahashi is the best wrestler alive.  No other performer has had a better string of main event performances and his two title reigns spanning the past three years place his name in the hat with greats like Steve Austin, Ric Flair, Bret Hart, Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle as one of the truly great big match wrestlers to ever live.  Don't believe the hype?  Go back and watch any Tanahashi match from the 2010s thus far and find me a single one that he didn't deliver in.  It's a fool's errand.  Still, while the haters inevitably waste away searching for a non-existent flaw in his work, I have decided to present the argument for Tanahashi as possibly, the greatest main event performer of all time.  What follows is a breakdown of how such an opinion was formed:

WWE Monday Night Raw: 2/11/2013

Is CM Punk the best mastermind in the biz right now?

Here are the highlights of this week's Raw from Nashville, TN :

The ESSENTIALS: The 15 Most Effective Finishers In Wrestling Today

Is Randy Orton's RKO the best of the best?

 

Welcome to this very special edition of the ESSENTIALS.  There are a great amount of amazing moves in pro wrestling, but only so few that always seem to get the job done.  Sure some of the more flashy moves (such as the Shooting Star Press) always get massive reactions, but only 15 are so feared that opponents base their whole match strategy around avoiding them.  The following is a ranking of the best of the best as of 2013:

 

The G9Z Wrestling Honor Roll: Class Of 1995

Welcome to another edition of the HONOR ROLL. Every year during my "Year End Awards" I give out roughly 15 awards. Of those awards, "the big four" are the Wrestler, Woman, Tag Team & Match of the year. The winners of these awards were generally the most awesome performers of the year and with hundreds of prominent wrestlers worldwide, it's a true honor to be able to snag one of the four. This section of the blog will be dedicated to the winners for every year dating all the way back to 1990 (roughly the time I first began watching wrestling)! Every week I will add another year's winners until the database is up to date. This is just a fun series that will give you an idea of what the best of the best was in any year you may have missed. Any current and/or future winners will also be added to the honor roll and join the most prestigious group in all of blogging!

This week, we're announcing the class of 1995!

Mark Henry: An Appreciation

The 2013 Hall Of Pain Tour has just begun

 

Heading into the Royal Rumble last month, there were very few returns I was anticipating as much as that of Mark Henry.  The WWE's top monster did not make his triumphant return that night and it almost ruined the entire rumble experience for me.  That got me thinking...just what is it that Mark Henry has done to personify the term BEAST MODE to such an extent that his absence left a void that not even his finest impersonators (here's looking at you Big Show) could encompass?

 

Awesome! Photo Of The Week! Mad Love Edition!

Valentines Day is just around the corner!  So why not celebrate with a candid photo of the WWE's top #HEEL couple.

NJPW The New Beginning 2013 Preview

Will "Machine Gun" have enough ammo to take down the Ace of the Universe?

Check after the jump for my predictions for tomorrow's show:

NJPW Ace Hiroshi Tanahashi To Debut A New Finisher At The New Beginning iPPV!

Has Karl Anderson's penchant for countering Tanahashi's most famous maenuever rattled the champion?

The G9Z Wrestling Honor Roll: Class Of 1994

Welcome to another edition of the HONOR ROLL. Every year during my "Year End Awards" I give out roughly 15 awards. Of those awards, "the big four" are the Wrestler, Woman, Tag Team & Match of the year. The winners of these awards were generally the most awesome performers of the year and with hundreds of prominent wrestlers worldwide, it's a true honor to be able to snag one of the four. This section of the blog will be dedicated to the winners for every year dating all the way back to 1990 (roughly the time I first began watching wrestling)! Every week I will add another year's winners until the database is up to date. This is just a fun series that will give you an idea of what the best of the best was in any year you may have missed. Any current and/or future winners will also be added to the honor roll and join the most prestigious group in all of blogging!

This week, we're announcing the class of 1994!

The Bella Twins Give A Sneak Peek Of Their Sexy New Photoshoot!

The Former WWE Divas have apparently been keeping very busy.  And all I can say is WOW! 

Awesome! Photo of the week! February 4-10, 2013

Check out this awesome billboard featuring former WWE Champion CM Punk!

The ESSENTIALS: Reviewing CM Punk's 434 Day WWE Championship Reign

Welcome to another very unique edition of the ESSENTIALS.  Last month, CM Punk lost the WWE Championship to The Rock and the WWE witnessed the end of an era.  CM Punk spent 434 days as WWE Champion and is now in the books as the 6th longest reigning WWE Champion of all time.  Now that his historic run is over, I realized that we may never again see a modern era superstar surpass the level of greatness Punk achieved during his tenure as champ and I have decided to honor his achievement with a full recap of his incredible rivalries, classic matches and unforgettable moments that made his reign arguably, the best ever. 

Best Of The Month: January 2013

For most of 2011-2012, I only covered the best of the WWE each month before expanding in October.  Then I took a two month hiatus from the series.  Have no fear marks, the best of the month has returned!  Starting a new format in 2013, we will cover the action from a wide range of promotions such as WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), TNA Wrestling (Total Nonstop Action), ROH (Ring Of Honor), NJPW (New Japan Pro Wrestling), PWG (Pro Wrestling Guerrilla) and more to name the best of the best every month.  But enough talk, let's get started shall we? 

Here the highlights from January 2013: