STEELCHAIR Wrestling Magazine #19 by SteelChair Wrestling

// GREATEST STABLES EVER // OUR 2017 HIGHLIGHTS //

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KONNAN

"I'M ALWAYS TRYING TO REINVENT MYSELF" December 2017

"I’LL SHOW THE WORLD ASUKA’S NOT ALEXA UNBEATABLE" BLISS

// ISSUE 19

// TAKAYAMA RETROSPECTIVE

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WELCOME

Visit VultureHound.com for regular wrestling updates from the SteelChair team

WELCOME FROM THE EDITOR

elcome to our final issue of the year. We’ve had a look back and picked some of our moments of the year and our top 10 tag teams of the year.

RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss spoke to us about what up-and-coming talent she has her eyes on as well as current stars she wants to get in the ring with.

EDITORIAL David Garlick Editor / Design david@vulturehound.com

Mat Lindsay Features Editor

Bradley Tiernan + James Toal Review Editors

Lee Hazell Copy Editor

Tony Quant Online Editor

We also got the chance to chat with this month’s cover stars the Young Bucks when ROH were over. As always we’ve packed in as much as we can with a Yoshihiro Takayama retrospective, our picks for the greatest ever stable and more. David Garlick @davidgarlick

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Copyright 2017 SteelChair Magazine. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written consent of SteelChair Magazine. Requests for permission should be directed to: info@steelchairmag.com.

PAST MONTH MATCHES OF THE MONTH

KILLSHOT VS. DANTE FOX (THREE STAGES OF HELL) LUCHA UNDERGROUND

Three Stages of Hell means a first blood, a no DQ and an ambulance match, one after the other. Killshot and Dante Fox offered 35 minutes of a hardcore, bloody and unapologetic confrontation. Their hell was made of barbed wire, tables, chairs, ladders, bottles, stretchers, plate-glass and fencing. This match smelt like ECW, but the Lucha Libre way. And “Oh my God!” as Joey Styles constantly screamed, are the best words to describe this unbelievable match.

WALTER VS DAVID STARR WALTER VS DAVID STARR WXW LONDON

David Starr has never been able to beat Walter in wXw and in London, he came up short again. David Starr tried to make the massive Walter move but Walter stood strong. The giant manoeuvred Starr around the ring with ease and loaded lots of terrifyingly hard and loud chops on top of his chest. Starr had momentum, sometimes, but not enough when Walter hits him with a powerbomb. A few more chops and one lariat from Walter were enough to finish Starr’s ordeal. Violently evil but definitely excellent wrestling.

THE NEW DAY VS. THE USOS (HELL IN A CELL) WWE HELL IN A CELL

The Cell was meant to be The Usos’ penitentiary. But who could imagine The New Day, so funny and ass-shaking, were so made for Hell as they offered the PPV match of the night with their best enemies? Big E and Xavier Woods were the first to get the weapons out, innovating when embedding a kendo stick trap into the cage to imprison one of the twins. Trombones, handcuffs, and chairs made for a classicly violent match. But after hell froze over, it was a fifth Tag Title for The Usos.

WORDS: STEPH FRANCHOMME

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WRESTLER

OF THE MONTH

WALTER ou just need to look at the size of Walter’s hands and your chest starts to ache.The ring general of Ringkampf has been an immovable force in the wrestling world as of late. With his hard-hitting style, colossal big boot and knife edged chops that would cave in your chest, the big Austrian has been winning over crowds all across the world.

Despite two defeats in recent PWG showings, Walter has been dominant in his home promotion of wXw both in singles and tag competition, claiming the wXw tag title with his Ringkampf stable mate Timothy Thatcher. The pair also had a shot at the Progress Wrestling tag championships, where they narrowly fell to champions CCK, but with Walter as a firm favourite among the ultras and still the reigning Atlas division champion he is a name that is sure to continue to appear in the UK. WORDS: TIM BIRIRKBECK

EVENT OF OF THE MONTH ULTIMA LUCHA TRES NOVEMBER 2017 STEELCHAIR 05

ALEXA BLISS

INTERVIEW: ALEXA BLISS WORDS: LEE HAZELL | PHOTOS: WWE

lexa Bliss is one of the most talented all-rounders in sports entertainment today. Dynamite on the mic, constantly improving her in-ring style and an acting ability that could see her cast in a sitcom, Little Miss Bliss is the hottest commodity in WWE’s Women’s division right now, Four Horsewomen be damned. We caught up with her to talk about if she thinks a women’s Royal Rumble is a good idea, her time as a bodybuilder and what she thinks of a potential challenger in Asuka.

Alexa started off by evaluating the state of the women’s revolution, the ongoing campaign WWE is marching forward with to make women’s wrestling less about physical attractiveness and more about athletic ability, character and competition, “We’re constantly evolving and taking the revolution to the next level. We’re getting opportunities to main event; we’re getting opportunities to showcase what we can do; having stipulation matches which weren’t offered beforehand. As long as we keep it going nothing can stop it.” Furthering that, she was asked about what she would think of the women’s division getting their own versions of iconic matches such as a women’s Royal Rumble, “I would love to see that happen. I think it would be a lot of fun and a nice little step to elevate our division, show that it’s still progressing and take it to the next level.” And of the Elimination Chamber she had to say, “I think it would be amazing. It’s definitely pushing the bar up for the women’s revolution.

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"I’LL SHOW THE WORLD ASUKA’S NOT UNBEATABLE" -ALEXA BLISS

NOVEMBER 2017 STEELCHAIR 07

KONNAN ALEXA BLISS from across the ring. “I’ve never faced her on a televised event. I would love to have a PPV match with Asuka. I would love for her to try and take my title and be the first person to ever beat Asuka. To show the world that she’s really not that unbeatable.”

"I MOSTLY TRY TO

IDENTIFY AS A SUPERVILLAIN" Yeah, it’s a scary stipulation, but I think it would be well worth it to bring it to the next level.” However, on a possible stipulation between her and Asuka, Bliss would like to keep it simple. “I don’t feel like I would want a stipulation match against Asuka, just because I feel like she’s this unbeatable superstar and I would just want to get in the ring with her and see if I could be the one to end her streak.” Speaking of Asuka, Bliss loves the opportunity her addition to the RAW roster creates, “I’m

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Other than Asuka, Alexa has also had her eye on the Mae Young classic, “I was there at Full Sail [University] watching it. Kairi Sane was awesome. I loved watching Toni Storm, Shayna Baszler; I loved watching all these women because they all brought something. They’re all diverse, intense and it was so motivating to me to see this happen for women in our industry, to see every woman out there trying her best, giving her all for the next step.” When asked if variety and diversity was important in the women’s division Alexa said, “That’s the one thing that WWE is great at. We have literally every type of woman on our roster. Everyone defines beauty and strength differently and I think we have a person that represents that for everybody. It’s very refreshing.”

really excited for Asuka to come to RAW. We’re always looking to take it to the next level and I think Asuka has a lot to offer that can help us do that. I really want to see what she can do because I trained with Asuka in NXT for a year or two, so I’ve seen her develop and grow, transitioning between styles of wrestling and I’m really excited to see her on the main roster and see what she can do.” She doesn’t just want to see what Asuka can do from the stalls either, she wants to see what she can do

Having everyone be able to see themselves in the characters they see on TV is important to Bliss, as is her own responsibility as a role model, “I know when I was growing up an only child, in sports, I saw my coaches more than I saw my parents. I felt that I didn’t really have somebody to relate to. I feel like for kids who get involved in sports and girls who have body image issues, I want to be the person I wish I had to look up to, to show that you can succeed no matter what. Staying active is very important and it can lead you to

amazing things.” One of the ways that Alexa kept up with her own philosophy was to be a competitive bodybuilder. She says of her experience, “It’s so different. Nothing can prepare you for what your body goes through in the ring. With bodybuilding, I lifted every morning for an hour and a half with my trainer and then I did a half hour of cardio, and at nights I would do an hour and a half of boot camp. My trainer had me eating every two hours, not burning any excess calories, so I would lift, do cardio and have to sit pretty much all day until boot camp. Then I would have to get ten hours of sleep.” She compares this with her current job, “With WWE we travel so much we maybe get three hours of sleep. We workout when we can because it’s very important to stay fit on the road. There’s no schedule or regimen, so you have to make your own.” She paints a picture of selfreliance with all the challenges that that entails. “You’re very much on your own and with how busy we get with travelling it’s very hard to set a schedule.” She recalls her change in career and what motivated that change. “I was at college, competing at the time and my trainer told me that WWE was having a try-out. I didn’t really know that people could actually go to wrestling schools or anything like that because I was so wrapped up in college and different sports, so when I heard WWE was having a tryout I knew that was an opportunity I didn’t want to pass up. I wanted to say, “At least I tried.” I am very happy I made that decision.” Competing against some of the

most athletically dominant women in the industry could not have been easy for Little Miss Bliss, because as her nickname suggests, she’s only five foot tall. We asked her how she overcame that disadvantage in her in-ring work. “I feel like my height is an advantage. I feel like because I’m not tall or very big, I feel like I’m quick. People don’t think I can do much damage but I have the element of surprise on my side.” She goes on to talk about her experience being taught by some of the most seasoned mentors in the business. “I loved working with Sara Amato and Terry Taylor. They are brilliant. I worked with Sara the entire time I worked at NXT and I can’t say enough good things about her. I wouldn’t be where I am without her. Terry Taylor is amazing when it comes to psychology; he always has the best insight. I loved working with the both of them. One of the things that makes her one of the best commodities in WWE today, is her amazing versatility. She has a great sense for how to distinguish herself from her colleagues and has worked hard to maintain her own iconography. One of the most engaging parts of her persona is the integration of cosplay into her ring attire. We asked her which superhero she most identified with and why. “I try mostly to identify as a supervillain. I look more like Harley Quinn but I really like cosplaying as The Riddler. When I was younger I used to watch the Batman movies and The Riddler was always my favourite character because he was just so eccentric, so out-there and everything was a puzzle and very smart; so I feel like I could identify with that in the ring because you have to be intelligent, you have to adapt and sometimes I

"NOTHING CAN

PREPARE YOU FOR WHAT YOUR BODY GOES THROUGH IN THE RING" just try to confuse my opponents and then attack.” Bliss has also found fame as a member of the Total Divas cast in the last year. She shared her experiences with us, “Total Divas is a lot of fun. I get to be on there with my best friend Nia Jax. We got to really show who we are as people aside from in-ring performers. We got to travel a lot; I got to get a pig from it. It was definitely different to how I thought it would be. I didn’t think it would be so busy and so over dramatic but it was and it was a lot of fun.” Speaking of her pet, we asked how it was to look after her deaf domesticated pig Larry-Steve. “He’s awesome. He’s like a child. He’s on a schedule. He wakes up every morning from 7am. He’s in a crib and he oinks be let out. He eats at 7:30. Nap time’s at two and then he plays around the house”.

NOVEMBER 2017 STEELCHAIR 09

FINISHERS

WORDS: LEE HAZELL

10 MOST UNCONVINCING FINISHERS he finishing move is a contract between wrestler and fan. The wrestler performs the move, and if it ends the match, it is a convincing and definitive end, and if it doesn’t, then it is a shock and a pulsequickening moment. For the wrestler to break that contract, they rob the fans – and the match – of a satisfying conclusion. They make the moment the entire bout has been building up to look weak and therefore undo all of the hard work both participants have contributed to their story. Here are the 10 moves guiltiest of taking that contract and blowing their noses on it.

10, THE ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT Yeah, I’m starting with this one. The move that defined the direction WWE would take in the mid 2000s is also one of the weakest finishing moves in history. Essentially a fireman’s carry, back in the day, it was an amateur wrestling move used by technicians to transition an opponent from a standing position to the floor where you could more easily apply a headlock on them. It was a weak move with no impact that went the way of the drop toehold or the body scissors, i.e. they are way too dull to find

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their way into a match without an executive having a fit. The Attitude Adjustment was just that, but with a tabasco kick. The move initially started as a rib, parodying Lesnar’s F-5, but it accompanied Cena on his unexpected rise to the top of the company and became an inseparable part of his iconography.

09. PLAYMAKER/ OZONE/OVERDRIVE Some moves require so much co-operation to pull off, you can almost see them looking at each other and counting ‘1-2-3-go’ before execution. Such is the way with MVP’s Playmaker. Or Randy Orton’s Ozone. Or Carlito’s Overdrive. They’re all the same move and it’s so bad, they pass it around like it’s Typhoid Mary’s handkerchief. Almost everyone who attempted to popularise it moved on to much more impactful manoeuvres. Mostly, it’s the fact that it looks like it hurts the attacker more than the receiver. The recipient’s head never touches the mat as it is gently cradled by the offensive wrestler’s knee, which takes the brunt of the impact. Perhaps we are supposed to believe that the neck is taking the same sort of bump as it would in a swinging neckbreaker, but that’s not a finisher these days either.

08. THE PEOPLE’S ELBOW Theatrics are a powerful tool in any move, but it’s only a foundation. An entire finisher cannot be all smoke and no gunpowder. Enter The People’s Elbow. Originally developed as a way to get Taker to break character at house shows, The Most Electrifying Move in Sport’s Entertainment™ made its television debut thanks to a dare by Mick Foley. This was a case of a move’s popularity spinning out of control and WWF not being able to get the joke. What started as a rib became a legit match finisher to the point where kicking out of it became a big deal. Ironically, this made the move a joke again, only this time in a more self-parodying sense.

07. SKULL CRUSHING FINALE We’ve all fallen flat on our faces. It hurts sure, but usually, we all get up again. Most of us aren’t knocked out cold by it. And that’s if we hit our faces square on the ground. Most of The Miz’s opponents have the opportunity to put their hands up, cushioning their fall and decelerating their decent, allowing them to hit the ground at their own pace. In some cases, their heads

never even make contact with the matt at all. Skull-Crushing? More like Skull-Blushing (comedy is hard).

Mark Callous – the man who would become The Undertaker. Thank god he went Goth.

06. WARRIOR SPLASH

04. THE BIG LEG

At least if The Miz makes his opponents fall bum over nipple, it looks like that was his intent. The Ultimate Warrior made going head over heels a move all on its own and to top it off, he made it his finisher. Far from the worst thing Warrior did to make me shake my head like a disappointed mother whose kid just exposed himself in the class photo, but as far as his in-ring skills go – and they were more diabolical than blowing up a bus full of nuns – this was at the top of a list of sins that could unfurl all the way down the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral.

You could call it the Atomic Legdrop, but to me, the word of Gorilla Monsoon is gospel. Up there with the FU and People’s Elbow in terms of moves that have helped to shape the landscape of the WWF/E, how did this beat so many opponents that Hogan held onto the belt for 1,474 days? It’s a running leg drop ffs. I know the finisher has evolved since the 1980s, but a leg drop is the move that carved out WWF’s Golden Age of industry dominance? Hogan is a big guy and his leg alone must weigh at least 20lbs, but the 80s were a time when razzledazzle, celebrities and spectacle ruled mainstream wrestling. What’s unconvincing about this move is that it ever made it past creative.

05. HEART PUNCH

A punch to the heart is, in theory, a devastating thing for a human being to endure. That’s why God gave us all a rib cage each. The thing about a fist is, it isn’t a knife. It can’t slide between the ribs and puncture the heart in any meaningful way. If a punch to the heart could take a man down, a hug could probably do so too. Also, it’s boring. Ball up your fist, aim for your opponent’s left pectoral, extend arm. It’s amazing to think that, for all he’s accomplished in the industry in terms of atmosphere and character construction, the Heart Punch used to be the finisher of Mean

03. THE COBRA

I don’t care who you are, if you fall foul of Santino Marella’s Cobra then your career is dead. If you can’t raise your shoulder an inch off the mat for three seconds after being poked in the face by a man who won’t even spare you the dignity of balling up his fist, good luck having an audience believe you wouldn’t go down to getting the sun in your eyes. If anything, Marella’s fingers should break upon coming into contact with your face.

02. THE WORM

If I’ll say anything for the People’s Elbow, at least when Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson hits the mat and his opponent’s chest, he hits it so hard he looks like he might go through both. Scotty 2 Hotty finishes his opponents with a brush round the chops. Too Cool were more convincing at winning matches with Rikishi’s flatulence.

01. THE ARMPIT CLAW

Ok, now this is just assault. This is what’s known in old-fashioned circles as coping a feel. This move has more of the erotic about it than the athletic. And to top it all off, it just looks like it itches. There have been many a practitioner of the claw move in wrestling. Kamala, Mr. Tickle, President Trump (although I’m not sure that his version localised the armpit area). Anyone who sees this move immediately falls prey to curiosity. You are doomed in your next private moment, be it in your bedroom, your bathroom, or the cubicle in the Pontiac Silverdome, to grab underneath your armpit to try and see if there is any way in hell that this hold could work. You leave with your opinions vindicated but you can’t quite shake the feeling that you’ve been the victim of an elaborate hoax.

NOVEMBER 2017 STEELCHAIR 11

PRO-WRESTLING EVE

PHOTO: ROB BRAZIER

PRO-WRESTLING EVE SHE-1 WORDS: CRAIG HERMIT he weekend consisted of four shows over two days to crown the first ever ‘Ace of Eve’ in the SHE-1 tournament. The trophy holder would also become the #1 Contender for the EVE Championship and guaranteed a place in the main event of their mammoth new show at York Hall.

Before the weekend and the first show began, the build-up started with 24 wrestlers and as the Ace of EVE tournament drew closer, 12 women remained and then split into three incredible groups, with the winners of each group entered into a triple threat match to crown the Champion. Each one of the four shows within the Resistance Gallery in East London was sold out and rightly so, as each wrestler who qualified for the group stages were must-see names. If there were any doubts about the quality of the awesome wrestling that would be witnessed from the shows, they were quashed immediately from the opening bell. There were incredible wrestlers like Emi Sakura and Meiko Satomura heightening the prestige of the event, as well as Kay Lee Ray, Viper, Jetta, Nicole Matthews, Martina and EVE Champion Sammi Jayne adding excellence to every match. Afterwards, many fans were talking about how EVE demonstrated they are looking to the future as stars like Laura Di Matteo, Jamie Hayter, Nina Samuels and the eventual SHE-1 Winner, “Total Package” Charlie Morgan were all given their chances to shine and WOW, just WOW they certainly did. Spanning over four days, each show added a different dimension to the weekend and I’ll say this, if you haven’t been to an EVE show before, get yourself down there, get ready to buy a shot for your host Emily Read or matchmaker Rhia O’Reilly, prepare yourself to enter the world of the Secret Girl Gang Clubhouse and open your mind to experience not just a great wrestling show but a damn good night!

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PHOTO: CHERRYFOX

WINNER: CHARLIE

PHOTO: CHERRYFOX

MORGAN

NOVEMBER 2017 STEELCHAIR 13

YOSHIHIRO TAKAYAMA

WORDS: MAT LINDSAY

BLEACH BLONDE BULLDOZER: A YOSHIHIRO TAKAYAMA RETROSPECTIVE ive months of speculation finally ended on September 4th, when the news was made public that Japanese wrestling legend Yoshihiro Takayama, who had been seriously injured following a botched Sunset Flip during a May 4th match against Yasu Urano on a DDT show, was paralysed from the neck down and not expected to recover any movement.

The news ended months of speculation and effectively ended a career which spanned 25 years and countless classic matches, not only in almost every noteworthy Japanese wrestling promotion, but also mixed martial arts (creating arguably one of the true defining moments for the sport) and even spilling over into the world of pop music.

UNION OF WRESTLING FORCES INTERNATIONAL Takayama’s natural gifts in terms of his size, power and athleticism lead him to dabble in sports as diverse as kendo and rugby before he made his debut in the worked-shoot promotion UWFI in 1992. But it was when the initial shine had come off the company and it was forced into the position of competing in inter-promotional feud angles with

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Genchiro Tenryu’s WAR and more notably with NJPW, that Takayama received the chance to show his mettle on a far larger stage. Kenichi Yamamoto and Yoji Anjo joined Takayama in the oftentongue-in-cheek Golden Cups, feuding with rivals such as current NJPW bookers Gedo and Jado or Masahiro Chono’s Ookami Gundan stable. They ridiculed veterans such as Super Strong Machine under masks as the “200% Machines”, appeared in daft skits, parodies and even went as far as releasing an album entitled “The Golden Cups Present… Oh Taco” in 1996.

ALL JAPAN PRO WRESTLING Left a free agent after the demise of the UWFI, Takayama was on the radar of Shoei “Giant” Baba, and in 1997 began to appear for AJPW alongside fellow refugees from the former company including Gary Albright, Masahito Kakihara and Takao Omori. There he feuded with top talent in the form of Toshiaki Kawada, but was hampered in making any progress by his reputation as having been on the losing end of many interpromotional confrontations and Baba’s notoriously conservative booking style, which favoured homegrown talent in whom the owner had total confidence. Nevertheless, Takayama still

managed to compete against the likes of Kawada, Mitsuharu Misawa, Kenta Kobashi and Akira Taue, leading many to name him alongside Jun Akiyama as the next most important wrestlers after the legendary “Four Pillars of Heaven” themselves. Matters changed with Baba’s death in 1999, as Misawa took over the booking of AJPW and made Takayama a permanent member of the roster. Paired with Omori, the two became Team No Fear, and went on an incredible run as a tandem, lifting the All Asia Tag Team Titles from Hayabusa and Jinsei Shinzaki (the latter better known to fans of 1990s WWF as Hakushi) and then toppling Johnny Ace (also better known in the West as former WWE Head of Talent Relations John Laurenitis) and Bart Gunn for the Double Cup, before the streak was finally ended by the team of Yoshinari Ogawa and Misawa himself.

PRO WRESTLING NOAH With relations souring between Misawa and Baba’s widow and a battle over control of AJPW in 2000, the former booker was forced out and responded by creating his own company in the form of Pro Wrestling NOAH and taking virtually all the Japanese stars on the roster with him. Takayama was among them, and with Misawa’s

appreciation of his skills and potential, he reaped great rewards in the early days of the company. Takayama featured prominently in the tournament held to crown the inaugural Globally Honoured Crown (GHC) Champion, making it to the grand final, only to be beaten by Misawa. He found some solace in the fact that, whilst teaming with Omori, he won the also newly-created GHC Tag Team Championship. Though he was declared a free agent once more in 2001 as he began to dabble in the world of MMA, Takayama still continued to wrestle for NOAH on a semi-regular basis, having memorable matches with almost all the company’s top names and even relieving Ogawa of the GHC strap on September 4th, 2002, before later dropping it back to Misawa.

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS When the genuine shoot phenomenon of MMA began to take hold in Japan in the early 2000’s, it was not long before many of the names that had lent their own legitimate fighting skills to the semi-worked environment of the UWFI began to dip their toes into the competition, with many proving to be perfectly suited to this new sport, which was fast becoming both immensely popular and very lucrative. Takayama was one of those to take this path, debuting at PRIDE 14, where even though he was submitted by fellow pro wrestler Kazuyuki Fujita, he generated a significant buzz, enough to be booked against kickboxer Semmy Schilt at PRIDE 18, where he was knocked out. Undeterred, those in

charge of booking the fights had him return at PRIDE 21, where he faced American Don Frye, and would go on to make history. Despite being outclassed by the ultra-aggressive Frye, the sheer determination that Takayama showed in meeting his opponent head on and fighting valiantly, even though his face swelled from the beating in mere seconds, made the roughly two minutes long fight a phenomenon that still turns up at the top of compilations of the greatest moments in MMA history to this day.

face visibly robbed of movement for the rest of his active career in the ring.

NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING

Takayama finally received medical clearance to return to the ring in mid-2006, doing so in a tag team match where he partnered with Sasaki against Misawa and Akiyama. The match had been planned to feature Takayama teaming with Kobahsi, but the latter was absent undergoing surgery at the time, although the original confrontation did eventually take place once he was back and available.

As his MMA career began to wind down, Takayama wisely capitalised upon the reputation it had earned him as a tough contender and began to make appearances for NJPW as a genuine challenger to its then top names. In 2003 and 2004 he competed in the G1 Climax Tournament and aligned himself with Minozu Suzuki in what would become a lasting partnership, with the pair winning the IWGP Tag Team Championships in 2004. But doubtless his greatest achievement in NJPW was dethroning Yugi Nagata for the coveted IWGP Heavyweight Championship on May 2nd 2003. Takayama would go on to hold the belt for five months before dropping it to Kensuke Sasaki on November 5th of that same year. And against the same opponent one year later, he would ironically suffer a major setback in his career. After an exceptionally brutal match, even by his own extreme standards, with Sasaki in later 2004, Takayama suffered a stroke, which although he went on to recover from, left his

RETURN TO NOAH AND FREELANCING Whilst he recovered from the lasting effects of his stroke in 2005, Takayama provided commentary on some NOAH shows, earning himself a place in the hearts of many as he proclaimed during an exceptionally lengthy exchange of chops between Kobashi and Sasaki on July 18th: “I hope this never ends!”

The next major milestone in Takayama’s career would come on 14th March 2009, when he was pitted against Keiji Mutoh’s alter ego of The Great Muta for AJPW’s Triple Crown Championship. In doing this, Takayama became only the second wrestler to have worn the IWGP, GHC and Triple Crown Championships (Sasaki being the first), meaning that although he lost the latter belt to Satoshi Kojima on September 26th of 2009, he made pro wrestling history in doing so.

SUZUKI GUN & DDT From 2010 onwards, there was a close relationship between NJPW and NOAH, with periods when the latter was even booked by Jado and

NOVEMBER 2017 STEELCHAIR 15

YOSHIHIRO TAKAYAMA inter-promotional matches wherein the outsiders were cast as the heels were commonplace. Perhaps the best examples of this were Jushin Liger and Tiger Mask IV’s reign as GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions in 2013 and Yugi Nagata’s run as GHC Champion in 2014. Teaming with Takuma Sano in 2011 to win the then vacant GHC Tag Team Championship, Takayama and his partner would face IWGP Tag Team Champions Giant Bernard (a.k.a. Tenzan/A-Train/Albert in his various WWF/WWE incarnations) and Karl Anderson in a title versus title match in June of the same year and lose. But in late 2011, Takayama became a part of Minoru Suzuki’s Suzuki Gun stable, propelling him into matches at Wrestle Kingdom VI in 2012 and even a chance to challenge alongside Lance Archer for the IWGP Tag Team belts, then held by Hiryoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima. Though unsuccessful in these encounters, Takayama was still competing at the very highest level in Japanese wrestling whilst being in his late forties and carrying the injuries he had amassed over his long and storied career. By the time 2016 came around and he was wrestling mainly for Dynamic Dream Team (DDT), the eccentric company’s line in matches that favoured comedy over Strong Style slugfests suited Takayama’s accumulated physical issues very well indeed. But despite not being the in-ring competitor he had once been, he still proved more than capable at least of what was initially asked of him. On April 17th of this year, he

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teamed with the utterly unique Danshoku Dino to win the DDT KO-D Tag Team Championship as well as a contract which stipulated that he had the right to challenge for the KO-D Openweight Championship at any time or place of his choosing. Tragically this would all be moot within less than a month, as he suffered his careerending and ultimately life-changing injury on May 4th.

Foundation, in order to raise funds for his ongoing care and the support of his family, collecting at various shows and even providing means for those who wish to help to transfer money directly into a bank account for the same purpose

SPINAL INJURY AND THE CREATION OF TAKAYAMANIA

Although Takayama’s injury is tragic and deprives the world of one of the most iconic and memorable performers in any generation of Japanese wrestling, his words in interviews given since the official announcement seem to show that he is approaching his situation with the same kind of courage and determination that he was known for whilst in the ring. His legacy will be one of indomitable strength in his matches and the sheer determination and will to win which saw him break into MMA and overcome a stroke to return to fulltime competition. Takayama fully deserves to be ranked alongside such names as Kensuke Sasaki, Toshiaki Kawada, Kenta Kobashi and Mistuharu Misawa as their contemporary and peer in terms of Japanese Strong Style.

Landing on his head and neck because of a botched Sunset Flip, Takayama suffered what would later be diagnosed as a “cervical spinal cord injury due to degenerative cervical spondylosis”, effectively meaning that his years of punishing matches was at least in part to blame for the damage done by the in-ring mistake. In a show of the respect and sensitivity often lacking in modern pro wrestling, specific details of Takayama’s condition and the effects of his injury were kept strictly private until the official announcement was made in September, though Kazushi Sakuraba’s request that people pray for his colleague and friend during his UFC Hall of Fame induction speech on July 6th served to arouse some degree of speculation that the prognosis was not good. In the wake of the tragic announcement that Takayama is now paralysed from the neck down, will require constant care and has no serious chance of recovery, DDT, Suzuki and many of his other friends in Japanese pro wrestling founded the Takayamania

THE LEGACY OF A BLEACHED BLONDE BULLDOZER

So, I implore you to seek out and watch his matches, not as a warning for what can happen when something goes tragically wrong, but as an example of pro wrestling done with all the passion and conviction of the genuine sport that it supposedly seeks to make the viewer believe itself to be.

STABLES

GREATEST EVER STABLE? INTRO: LEE HAZELL | PHOTOS: WWE

hen our editor casually asked the SteelChair staff about their favourite factions of all time, no two writers had the same answer. It was a heated debate and if we did it face-to-face instead of over email, I’d be afraid we might come to blows. Our talk of stables spanned a thirty-year period and stretched across oceans. There were legends of the past and legends in the making. We were still no closer to agreeing with each other when we finished than when we started, so this list is in no particular order. Hopefully, that will appease you if your own favourite faction is left out. If it is, it was because Bradley said they were crap. It was nothing to do with me.

FOUR HORSEMEN Chosen by Lee Hazell Ric Flair, Arn and Ole Anderson, and Tully Blanchard. This conversation is already over. If I reel off those names and you don’t automatically think that this must be the greatest faction of all time then I don’t know what I can do for you. Ever seen the whole group just take over an old episode of NWA World Championship Wrestling? They had more attitude, more authority, and more legitimacy than any other group on this list combined because they had a line-up consisting of the most respected workers and talkers in wrestling history. They even helped kick off one of the most legendary stipulations, the epic WarGames in their classic feud with Dusty Rhodes and The Road Warriors. Simply put, they wrote the blueprint everyone else on this list imitated.

18 STEELCHAIR NOVEMBER 2017

NOVEMBER 2017 STEELCHAIR 19

STABLES gold everywhere. Even nWo’s founding member, Kevin Nash, informally passed the torch to Bullet Club as a sign of respect. Bullet Club is the new embodiment of what a heel stable must be. Successful, unapologetic and powerful.

THE FABULOUS FREEBIRDS Chosen by Oli Sandler

NWO Chosen by Bradley Tiernan

Not only did the nWo come in many varieties (Wolfpac, Hollywood, Vanilla) but they also changed shoot wrestling in a way so deeply ingrained that it ultimately resulted in the demise of WCW. Say what you want about backstage politics, but this – along with intense stories – helped create a buzz so large that the group eventually engulfed the entire company due to its commercial success. Everyone wanted to be in the NWO. From July 96’ until its collapse, WCW was the NWO. And if you think Bullet Club are great, then you simply have to understand they wouldn’t be half as popular if it wasn’t for the ideas (like having an iconic t-shirt or hand gesture) brought to prominence by Kevin Nash and Scott Hall.

THE CORPORATE MINISTRY Chosen by Chris Banks

The Corporate Ministry will not be remembered as one of the great wrestling stables. Nor will it be remembered as a stable that conformed to any traditional sense of logic. That is a shame,

20 STEELCHAIR NOVEMBER 2017

as the nucleus of the group, its activities, its brief run on WWF programming, even the very fact of its existence, represents all that is thrilling, unpredictable and chaotic about professional wrestling. It saw the surreal combination of The Undertaker rubbing shoulders with The Mean Street Posse, and Viscera backing up Triple H. For its brief time in the spotlight, it was fascinating and hypnotic – albeit baffling – fun. Very much the wrestling equivalent of an Auguste clown that has found itself, brandy bottle in hand, behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car. Unmissable.

BULLET CLUB Chosen by Stephanie Franchomme

Non-Japanese wrestlers united as a faction to tear NJPW down, that was the mission statement of Bullet Club. It all started with Prince Devitt turning heel in 2013 and working with Bad Luck Fale, Karl Anderson and Tama Tonga. The number of talented wrestlers who have been a part of this stable, more than 20 and is the key to its success and longevity. They may be evil, but they’re amazing in the ring and on the mic. Since 2013, Bullet Club has become a worldwide stable, working in Mexico, Britain and the United States, and earning

The Fabulous Freebirds. Hayes, Roberts, Gordy. Possibly the most important stable of all time. From 79 to 94 they caused havoc, having legendary feuds with The Von Erichs in Dallas, Lawler and Dundee in Memphis and the Road Warriors in the AWA. They truly were a unit, a three-strong battalion in which every member was as important as each other. This came to the forefront when their NWA tag-title run introduced a rule that allowed any two members of the team to defend the belts in any title match. It became known as ‘The Freebird Rule’. Since then, multiple teams have taken the Freebird Rule and ran with it including the Heavenly Bodies, nWo Wolfpac and The New Day. No other team has had such a concrete impact on Professional Wrestling.

THE MINISTRY OF DARKNESS Chosen by Kev Gil

The Ministry of Darkness were a Satanic cult whose antics defined the Attitude Era. Headed by The Undertaker and Paul Bearer, the numbers were shored up by Farooq and Bradshaw as The Acolytes, Mideon, Viscera, and The Brood, who later defected. What set this

group apart from any other? They brought occult rituals, kidnap, brainwashing, sacrificing and attempted murder to the WWE; such as when Steve Austin was nearly embalmed alive and The Big Boss Man was hung from a rising cell! In terms of shocking TV, this evil clan came up with the goods. They weren’t only shock merchants, all were capable wrestlers, demonstrated by The Acolytes claiming tag team gold twice, and the man-in-charge; The Undertaker, again winning the WWF Championship, under cover of darkness.

THE SHIELD Chosen by Jenna MacDougall

I’ve only been watching wrestling for just over two years, so The Shield was one of the first factions I was ever exposed to. I thought they were immediately captivating because they were so different. They came in through the crowd and their motivation wasn’t really that clear, but that’s what ignited my investment in them. They were somewhat mysterious and that just drew me in. The breakup of The Shield was one of the most effective turns I have seen and it launched Seth into, what I thought, was his peak. Also,

the video package for The Shield Triple Threat at Battleground 2016 is one of my favourite video packages of all time. The Shield, even if you don’t think they’re the greatest faction of all time, they are without a doubt one of the coolest in professional wrestling.

DX Chosen by Kev Gil

Let’s face facts. There was no group cooler than DX. When Shawn Michaels and Triple H get together, good things happen. As a stable during the Attitude Era, DX was a major reason WWE’s ratings skyrocketed. People wanted to laugh at their antics and see what crazy thing they did next. It’s amazing looking back at what DX got away with like riding a tank to invade WCW. DX gave fans things they didn’t know they were missing; they brought out the best of their opponents and made wrestling fun. You can look at stables now and see how DX revolutionized the business, the Bullet Club in particular. DX raised the bar for factions in wrestling and, more importantly, they made crotch chops cool again. Thank you DX.

SURVIVOR SERIES: A DISASTROUS ENDING WORDS: LEE HAZELL

urvivor Series. A disastrous ending to an otherwise brilliant show. Incredible wrestling and athleticism was overshadowed once again, by the ego of its legacy Superstars and the rigidity of WWE’s creatives. Four former NXT champions were elevated to the main event of Survivor Series and they all bowed out before HHH, Angle, Shane McMahon, and most tellingly, the seven-foot-tall Braun Strowman. As we’ve long known, the currency for top guys in WWE/F has always been – not dollars – but pounds. And I’m not talking GBP, I’m talking lbs. The spectacle that a wrestler creates when they step through the curtain has more value to WWE than the spectacle created when then get in the ring. Finn Balor’s ability and experience has no They would also rather fall back on old favourites, often at the expense of new prospects. If this trend continues, WWE open themselves up to creating a space in the market for competition to grow and render themselves obsolete, just like WCW did in the late 90s.

NOVEMBER NOVEMBER 20172017 STEELCHAIR STEELCHAIR 15 21

2017

PHOTO: WWE

WORDS: STEPHANIE FRANCHOMME

2017 HIGHLIGHTS THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY FROM 2017

UNDERTAKER RETIRES?

PHOTO: WWE

WWE MAE YOUNG CLASSIC TOURNAMENT September 12 – WWE Mae Young Classic Tournament – Kairi Sane defeated former MMA fighter Shayna Baszler in the finals of a fabulous tournament. Both have now been signed by WWE.

PHOTO: ROB BRAZIER

22 STEELCHAIR NOVEMBER 2017

October 9 - NJPW King of Pro Wrestling - Will Ospreay defeated Kushida to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship for the first time of his career.

PHOTO: WWE

KURT ANGLE RETURNS TO WWE SUPER STRONG STYLE

May 29 – PROGRESS Super Strong Style Tournament – Travis Banks won the SSS’17 tournament by defeating Tyler Bate. He would later become the Progress World Champion by defeating Pete Dunne at Chapter 55 on September 10.

OSPREAY WINS IWGP JUNIOR HEAVYWEIGHT GOLD

April 2– WWE Wrestlemania 33 – The ‘Taker is defeated in his yard. He symbolically leaves his gloves, coat, and hat in the centre of the ring, letting us think we’ll never see him again in a WWE ring.

April 3 – WWE RAW – It was true and damn true. Kurt Angle made his first WWE appearance in nearly 11 years after Vince McMahon appointed Angle as the new General Manager of RAW

May 20 - NXT TakeOver: Chicago – Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne stole the show that night with an unbelievable WWE United Kingdom Championship match. Bate lost the title to The Bruiserweight but the two made a match of the year performance that night.

OKADA V OMEGA

January 4 – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11 – Kenny Omega was defeated by IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada in the main event. The first in a trilogy that would see the pair face off again at Dominion 6.11 to a time limit draw and as part of the G1 Climax tournament where Omega would finally pick up the win.

May 12 – ROH/ NJPW War of The Worlds Tour – Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks turned on Adam Cole and gave his spot into Bullet Club to Marty Scurll. He would become the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion on November 5.

SCURLL JOINS BULLET CLUB

PHOTO: WWE

September 6 – NXT – Asuka relinquished the NXT Women’s Championship after a recordbreaking 523-days reign. William Regal, General Manager of NXT, called her “one of the greatest champions in WWE history”.

LUCHA UNDERGROUND ULTIMA LUCHA TRES

PHOTO: RING OF HONOR / DEVIN CHEN

UNBEATABLE ASUKA

March 10 - ROH 15th Anniversary Show – Christopher Daniels became ROH World Champion for the first time by defeating Adam Cole when Frankie Kazarian turned on Cole.

TYLER BATE VS PETE DUNNE NXT TAKEOVER

PHOTO: ROH/ JOEY DEFALCO JD3STUDIOS

CHRISTOPHER DANIELS WINS ROH GOLD

PHOTO: WWE

PHOTO: LUCHA UNDERGROUND September 27 to October 18 – Lucha Underground “Ultima Lucha Tres” – The 4-part finals of Season 3 offered 5 hours of absolutely devilish and unapologetic matches. Like in this pic, when The Monster Matanza Cueto suplexed El Dragon Azteca, Jr. into the steel and sent him to the floor, destroying the cage.

NOVEMBER 2017 STEELCHAIR 23

2017

PHOTO: WWE February 13 – WWE RAW – The Festival of Friendship was supposed to cement the Kevin Owens- Chris Jericho alliance. It became a kind of “Game of Thrones” moment when Owens destroyed not only the gifts of Jericho but Jericho himself.

FESTIVAL OF FRIENDSHIP

THE USOS VS NEW DAY

PHOTO: ERICA PARISE/ NETFLIX

GLOW June 23 – Netflix TV – The 10-episode TV Series GLOW revolved around a fictionalization of the characters and gimmicks of the 1980’s Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling promotion. A huge success that led to the commissioning of a second season.

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PHOTO: WWE

JOHN CENA VS AJ STYLES - ROYAL RUMBLE

PHOTO: WWE

October 8 – WWE Hell in a Cell PPV – The Usos and The New Day squared off in The Cage for the Smackdown Tag Team Titles and tore down the house with THE match of the night. It was painful, full of weapons, totally nuts and absolutely brilliant.

January 29- WWE Royal Rumble PPV – John Cena became a 16-time World Champion by defeating AJ Styles for the WWE Championship and tied Ric Flair for the most World title reigns in WWE history. The Champ was definitely here that night.

PHOTO: WWE

TOURNAMENT OF DEATH June 10 – CZW Tournament of Death – Jimmy Havoc was the first British wrestler to ever compete in the deathmatch wrestling Tournament of Death. He defeated Conor Claxton in the finals to win the tournament.

HARDYS REURN TO WWE

PHOTO: CZW

April 2– WWE Wrestlemania 33 – The Hardy Boys made a surprise return to WWE and won the RAW Tag Team Championship in their very first match, defeating Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, Cesaro and Sheamus and Enzo Amore and Big Cass in a Triple Threat Ladder match

January 14 and 15 – WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament - The Empress Ballroom in Blackpool witnessed the crowning of the first-ever WWE United Kingdom Champion when Tyler Bate defeated Pete Dunne in the finals.

NJPW G1 IN USA

WWE UNITED KINGDOM CHAMPIONSHIP

PHOTO: WWE

July 1/2 – NJPW G1 in the US – NJPW crowned the inaugural IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion during the weekend. A huge success that saw Kenny Omega defeating Michael Elgin, Jay Lethal and Tomohiro Ishii to win the inaugural 8-man tournament.

CHARLIE MORGAN WINS SHE-1 November 12- Pro Wrestling: EVE - SHE-1 Ace of EVE Tournament - Charlie Morgan defeated Meiko Satomura and Sammii Jayne to win the tournament.

REIGNS POST-MANIA RAW

PHOTO: CHERRYFOX April 3 – WWE RAW – Roman Reigns defeated The Undertaker the day before at Wrestlemania 33 and opened RAW. The crowd blasted Reigns with torrid boos and several minutes of hostile chants, allowing Reigns to only say “This is my yard now!” A page was turned that night.

PHOTO: WWE

NOVEMBER 2017 STEELCHAIR 25

KONNAN

INTERVIEW: KONNAN WORDS: TONY QUANT

ith a career inside the wrestling industry spanning nearly 30 years it’s safe to say that Konnan is a veteran of the business and has been a pivotal part of WCW, AAA, Impact Wrestling and many other promotions throughout.

His current involvement in the industry sees him at Impact Wrestling as part of the LAX stable alongside Homicide, Diamanté Ortiz and Santana. We managed to grab a one-on-one interview with the leader of LAX to talk about how he has remained in the business for so long, his favourite roles within the industry and much more. Check it out!

You have a huge list of accomplishments throughout your career. What Title win stands out the most to you? I think that everything I won in WCW stands out because I had lot of problems with management. So for them after everything I put them through to give me the US Title was huge. I was the first Latino to have it as well and that was a really cool, special feeling. Even though I could still be a problem I was over enough for them to put the Belt on me and I didn’t expect that.

What does it take to survive in the wrestling business for so long when > many don’t? I think it’s the passion that you have and sometimes companies can take it from you. But you can’t let others seal your fate or tell you what your worth is. I see it in the WWE, they are gold standard but see when they drop

"EVEN THOUGH I

COULD STILL BE A PROBLEM I WAS OVER ENOUGH FOR THEM TO PUT THE BELT ON ME" NOVEMBER 2017 STEELCHAIR 27

KONNAN me and it was a very creative time for me. ‘Moody’ Jack Melendez helped me for a lot of those years do some really cool stuff. Then we passed CMLL in the ratings and they never beat us again. We beat the WWE and they never beat us again.

Mexico seems a notoriously difficult territory for Wrestlers to break into and then make a big name for themselves in. Do you have any tips for talent looking to make it in Mexico? The dressing rooms are not ideal conditions, you have to endure long bus trips and really shitty buses. There is not a lot of money to be made. That said, the Mexican experience will make you way better as a wrestler. Just look at guys like Benoit, Eddie, Love Machine, Psychosis. It will make you a more well-rounded and complete wrestler. My advice would be to make sure you know someone there before heading out. But the fans are so much more passionate in Mexico, wrestling is the most popular sport after Soccer there.

ball on the likes of Bayley, Sasha Banks, Nakamura, Enzo you have to think “What is going on here?” I have always reinvented myself, one time I’m a heel then I’m a babyface, then I am in LAX. I am always trying to reinvent myself.

Having been in the business for so long you have covered 28 STEELCHAIR NOVEMBER 2017

lots of roles. Which one has been your favourite? I think being behind scenes in Triple A is up there with the best as we were being beaten by CMLL in ratings. They had double the ratings we had, WWE had four times the ratings we had. I used every resource that was available to

One thing that I can’t get through this interview without mentioning is the infamous Max Moon character. What were your first thoughts when you saw the Max Moon gear? Well it was my idea. I had gone to Japan to wrestle Onita and I saw a robot suit that shot confetti and fire and thought of the gimmick for kids which could shoot candy

and confetti and stuff. I met Vince (McMahon) around Christmas and he liked it. I got a guy from LA to make it and it cost about $13k. Unfortunately though it was a bitch to carry around. Sometimes we would have to fly it from coast to coast and them put all the boxes in a taxi. At the same time I was wrestling in Mexico and becoming a huge star there, I had just lost my mask at same time and got into a soap opera which put me over the moon so I thought fuck WWE.

We have just marked the twenty year anniversary of the passing of Brian Pillman. I understand you helped train him during your WCW days. Do you have any fond memories of those times? When I first got to WCW I didn’t know how to do American style Wrestling. I had trained in Mexico and started in Mexico so didn’t know why they wouldn’t put me in a Lucha style match. I was in the ring one day learning the American style and Pillman walks in and says “I heard that Super Astro was your teacher. I love that guy can you teach me some Lucha?” Pillman used to watch his tapes, Super Astro was the one who invented the 619 move. Pillman called me once because I was booking for AAA and he said “I want to

go mexico and be in the main event.” I told him I couldn’t pay him the money that they were paying him in WCW and nobody knew him in Mexico. He said “I don’t care what you pay me, I want to prove to everybody and myself that I can be a main eventer.” I called Kevin Sullivan and said Brian is asking for work, I am going to bring him to Mexico. The next thing we know he broke his ankle. But just look at what he did, he went to ECW, the WWE and made lot of noise.

Do you miss being in the ring? Not right now because I’m not in shape. I am going to get hip replacement surgery and then I’m going to get with Rey Mysterio and do a retirement tour. I think probably in March/April 2018. Hopefully we can come to the UK, go to Mexico, Puerto Rico and the States.

Are there any opponents that spring to mind which you would like to share the ring with on that tour? All of my friends really guys like Rey, Jericho, Booker T, Psychosis, X-Pac, Billy Kidman, Dean Malenko. Even some young cats like the LAX guys, Sonjay Dutt, MVP. It would be no pressure or stress matches just lots of fun with my peers.

“NOT A ROSTER, A SISTERHOOD” WORDS: NICHOLAS GROOMS

five word description that speaks leaps and bounds of the Texas based Sabotage Wrestling promotion and their focus on the best women the independent circuit has to offer. From veteran talent like Thunder Rosa (Lucha Underground’s Kobra Moon) to young stars like the up and coming Delilah Doom, Sabotage manages to produce some of the best shows in the United States from beginning to end. While some faces rotate in an out, the thing I find most fascinating about Sabotage is the amount of the roster that returns show after show. There is an essence of teamwork and loyalty that is absent in most other promotions that keeps the Sabotage vehicle moving forward for the team rather than any one individual.

Sabotage isn’t strictly a promotion for women as they cross into inter-gender territory from time to time. It is in fact the focal point of their next big show “War of the Genders 2” which takes place on January 19th in Austin, TX. The show will feature Joey Ryan, Sammy Guevara, Ruby Raze and the usual cast of Sabotage favorites. At their “Sabotage: Hey Ladies” event in February, they crowned their first ever champion after Delilah Doom captured an emotional victory over Ruby Raze to cap off an incredible 16 woman tournament in true “David vs. Goliath” fashion as the injured Doom taped up her ribs and conquered the heavily favored Raze in a finish that saw her holding the championship in wonderful tears of glory. It was a pivotal moment for the promotion; the crowning of not only a new champion but the birth of a new standard for Independent Women’s wrestling and those who set out to promote it. The best part you ask? They haven’t even scratched the surface on how good they can truly be. Look out 2018, Sabotage Wrestling is coming.

NOVEMBER 2017 STEELCHAIR 29

SMACKDOWN

WORDS: BRADLEY TIERNAN

read weekly reviews at steelchairmag.com

PHOTOS: WWE

SMACKDOWN W

elcome to the most must-see SteelChair Magazine review in history; welcome to… The SmackDown

Review. It was all about the build-up to Survivor Series since the last time we spoke and it seems as though Shane McMahon has been up to his old “Daddy never loved me” tricks. If that’s even a thing? Stealing the limelight as usual, Shane McMahon has frequently opened SmackDown, apparently going back on his promise that this is no longer an era defined by the management. Further to this, he even made himself the team captain for SmackDown in their traditional 5v5 match against Raw. And what did he get in return? He had his ass handed to him by Triple H. This all came about when SmackDown, by the order of Shane O’Mac, invaded Raw, laying waste to every superstar (other than Brock Lesnar, of course). The death defying McMahon went on record to say there will be hell to pay for Kurt Angle and team Raw after Kane attacked Daniel Bryan. To be fair, Shane was the last remaining competitor for the Blue Brand but that’s a bitter pill to swallow when you consider their

30 STEELCHAIR NOVEMBER 2017

two NXT graduates, Bobby Roode and Shinsuke Nakamura, were eliminated first. One of the most shocking stories right now, is Sami Zayn’s heel turn where he has aligned himself with his best friend IRL, Kevin Owens. We can only dream of the fun these two will get up to as a devilish heel duo; I’d like to see the pair briefly hold the tag team titles until then one of them succeeds in the Royal Rumble and betrays the other. Yet for now, the pair aren’t finished in their vendetta against Shane McMahon. In more shocking news, Jinder Mahal is no longer the WWE Champion and it looks set to stay that way till at least Clash of Champions. Styles won the Championship off Jinder at the Manchester live show and it shook the world. The Phenomenal One went on to face Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series where the two put on one hell of a match that almost saw AJ slay The Beast! However, it was not to be and Jinder remains a thorn in his side for the foreseeable future. Becky Lynch won the right to become the captain of the SmackDown Women’s team for their 5v5 match against Raw at Survivor Series, in which, Asuka

embarrassed the lot of them. I see a theme emerging here. We get it, SmackDown is the B show! In spite of their efforts, the women were once again at each other’s throats on the SmackDown following Survivor Series. In a carbon copy of Raw’s women’s invasion, SmackDown’s Women’s Division were attacked by Ruby Riot leading Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan. Why? Your guess is as good as mine. This sh*t deserves better: - Breezango have been getting less screen time - Harper and Rowan have been repackaged as the Bludgeon Brothers and squashed the Hype Bros on their debut. - Charlotte is the SmackDown Women’s Champion - Benjamin and Gable are still picking up wins and look set to face The Usos for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. - New Day lost to the Shield at Survivor Series because money. - Carmella is still Ms. Money in the Bank. - Rusev is supported by Aiden English in a quest to be given better opportunities. I hear you brothers!

WORDS: JOZEF RACZKA

RAW urvivor Series, the one night of the year when the brands compete and the only show where the card changes daily. On SmackDown, there were qualifying matches, on RAW, Angle was made captain, he picked Braun Strowman because he’s Braun, Samoa Joe and Finn Bálor had a qualifier where they were both lost, so both got picked, and then his son, Jason Jordan, was member five till Bray Wyatt killed his legs. To add injury to other injuries, Triple H hit him with a pedigree and declared himself the new fifth member. The Bar won back the Tag Titles via New Day distraction, earning the right to lose to the Usos, Brock Lesnar spent time laughing at Jinder Mahal until AJ Styles won the WWE title back, meaning he had to actually there – his least favourite thing to do. Alexa Bliss and The Miz were also on the card.

The major storyline in the Women’s division is the return of Paige alongside two women she spent weeks telling they would never be as good as her on Tough Enough, Mandy Rose and Sonia Deville. Not only did they stop a No.1 Contenders’ match after attacking everyone, they also killed Alexa Bliss backstage. What does this new group mean for RAW? Who is the new no.1

RAW

The battle between raw and SmackDown continues

contender? Is anyone ready for Asuka? Let’s find out. Over on Below 205lbs, Drew Gulak is proving to be better at being Enzo Amore, Colin Cassady, and Drew Gulak than anyone else can be. Why he isn’t Cruiserweight Champion yet or at the very least, given a PowerPoint web series, is beyond me. We also had a UK invasion as Pete Dunne destroyed Amore on RAW and James Drake said ‘toot toot’ like a train. What a time to be alive. With Brock performing as Brock does, intermittently, the main event scene has been all about two returns: Kane and The Shield. Kane has been ridiculously built up, going over Daniel Bryan, The Shield and Finn Balor, twice, all so it means something when Braun Strowman eats him. Is it working? Fundamentally, yes, but did It have to be at the expense of every over babyface on RAW? Moving onto The Shield, having lost the Tag Titles, Roman Reigns returned from the toilet to join the lads in beating The BarMizVah, then The New Day at Survivor Series before Roman became the second Shield member to win a Grand Slam after beating The Miz for the IC title on RAW. If you’re thinking, this is probably leading to The Shield vs BarMizVah for all the mid-card Gold, well, they probably won’t have Lesnar back till the Rumble...

WORDS: JAMES TOAL

NXT

NXT ho saw that one coming? They’ve only gone and revived War Games for NXT Takeover. But, that’s slightly getting ahead of myself. How did it all go? Let’s take a look.

We saw the Authors of Pain take on Sanity for the Tag Team titles in the main event. The teamwork that made Akam and Rezar so fearful in the past was definitely back, the hiatus they had been on was worth it as they came out looking refreshed and even seem to have more chemistry. Sanity continued to dominate for a considerable amount of time thanks to their own tag team skills, but the AOP resisted through brute strength. We thought it was all over when we saw The Last Chapter, however, the Undisputed Era came down to break up the tag. Presumably, because they’d rather face the lesser of two evils, but this led to an all-out brawl. Also, Rodrick Strong came down to decline his invitation to the stable, which led to vocal disappointment from the NXT crowd. Let’s just hope this all ends ups being as entertaining as I’m imagining in my head.

NOVEMBER 2017 STEELCHAIR 31

LUCHA UNDERGROUND

ULTIMA LUCHA TRES: HARDCORE WRESTLING WITH A MODERN TWIST WORDS: VICTORIA TEZANGI

ltima Lucha Tres has been noted by many as a wrestling highlight of 2017 and one of the many reasons fans have not stopped talking about this epic event is down to the sheer barbaric nature of the show. Previous episodes from all three seasons of Lucha Underground have seen the brand present fans with intense, barbaric, hardcore matches with Fenix vs Mil Mueters being one of many, but it was at Ultima Lucha Tres that we saw the stakes raised. From Dante Fox vs Killshot, to Pentagon Dark vs Son of Havoc, this was an event that showed Lucha Underground in a new light. Attracting a different side to their demographic, the stars of the underground raised the bar and the non-stop, fast-paced and intense action we are used to seeing from the company was altered to attract an audience familiar with promotions such as ICW and of course ECW. The clash of top Lucha Underground stars Son of Havoc and Pentagon Dark proved this very point. Raising the bar, the two stars used their surroundings and the props under the ring to take each other to war in what was an entertaining and fully satisfying contest. This and many matches taken place during the event allowed Lucha Underground to present a new, darker side to the promotion with the rosters biggest names drawing blood, using props, jumping off everything in sight and feeding off the believersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; energy to present a wrestling event of the ages and welcome fans back to the age of hardcore wrestling.

32 STEELCHAIR NOVEMBER 2017

PHOTOS: LUCHA UNDERGROUND

NOVEMBER 2017 STEELCHAIR 33

tt’swas been only a long a matter time of time until coming but reDRagon the wrestling are finallyworld in the started WWE and to it’s takegreat notice to see of Johnny them onGargano. the grandest Considered stage of one them of the all.highlights There isn’tofmuch the US they independent haven’t achieved, scene, Gargano including multiple has developed Title reigns a truefor knack ROH for & NJPW being and the most it canlikeable only be guy a matter on of any time show. before WWE they fans set have their already sights on taken WWE toGold. him, but the best is yet to come for Johnny Wrestling. (Coire)

PHOTO: WWE

HIGHLIGHT: WWE NXT DEBUT 34 STEELCHAIR NOVEMBER 2017

PHOTO: WWE

11 08

REDRAGON CODY

BRISCOE BROTHERS

HIGHLIGHT: WIN OVER REDRAGON AT PWG HEAD LIKE A COLE

HIGHLIGHTS: ROH WORLD SIX MAN TAG TEAM TITLES

kam & Rezar have been one of the most devastating teams in NXT history and have really developed a great chemistry over the last year. Their battles with #DIY helped pave their way to the top of the NXT Tag division and it can’t be long before we see AOP arrive on the main roster and cause some havoc.

enta el 0M & Rey Fenix are a spectacle to behold and provide some of the very best, high flying, hard hitting tag team matches across the globe. The pair are still in their early days as a team but have quickly shot to the top, defeating the likes of the Young Bucks & reDRagon, proving they have Cero Miedo!

HIGHLIGHT:WWE NXT TAKEOVER: CHICAGO VS #DIY

HIGHLIGHTS: PWG WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES

PHOTO: TONY QUANT

WORDS: TONY QUANT

em Boys” Mark & Jay Briscoe continue to prove that they are a name you should never sleep on. Another solid year for the Briscoe Brothers saw them teaming with Bully Ray and also being part of NJPW’s United States debut. Whilst their ninth ROH Tag Title win evaded them, rest assured it is never that far away.

PHOTO: OLI SANDLER

YEAR

tiddle was & only Cobb a matter have an of time until amazing chemistry the wrestling and their world love for started togrown throwing take notice men of Johnny aroundGargano. like babies Considered is just an one absolute of the highlights joy to watch. of the StillUS establishing independentthemselves scene, Gargano as a top hasteam, developed the Chosen a true knack Bros have for overcome being the reDRagon, most likeable OI4K guy & on The Unbreakable any show. WWE F’Nfans Machines have already and it shouldn’t taken to him, be long but before the best they is yet win their to come first for ever Johnny Tag Titles. Wrestling. (Coire)

+ REY FENIX

OF THE

PENTA EL 0M

TAG TEAMS

RIDDLE + COBB CODY

11 10

THE AUTHORS OF PAIN

TOP

PHOTO: OLI SANDLER + MIKE KALASNIK

STEELCHAIR TOP 10 TAG TEAMS 2017

HIGHLIGHTS: CZW TAG TEAM, PROGRESS TAG TEAM, ATTACK! TAG TEAM TITLES

PHOTO: WWE

HIGHLIGHTS: WWE Universal Champion, US Champ, JericKO HIGHLIGHT : LONGEST TAG TITLE REIGN AT 483 DAYS

HIGHLIGHTS: WRESTLEMANIA RETURN WINNING WWE RAW, ROH AND TNA TAG TEAM TITLES

THE USOS CODY

he contrast in the Usos of 2017 to 2016 is amazing. To see just how far Jey and Jimmy have come, both in the ring and on the microphone is astonishing. They have fully deserved their place at the top of the Blue brand’s tag division and can hold their heads high as one of the best teams of the year.

HIGHLIGHT: WWE SMACKDOWN TAG TEAM TITLES hey had the best moment of WrestleMania when their surprise return helped RAW revitalise its flailing Tag Team Division. Also, along with Bullet Club, they proved you don’t need WWE to make money. They did this by winning seven championships all over the indie scene, including the ROH and TNA Tag Team titles. They also set the internet on fire by dividing the entire wrestling world over the sanity of The Final Deletion. On their year-long Expedition of Gold they proved they could very well be the Greatest Tag Team in all of space and time.

It’s been a hell of a year for the Hardy Boyz, they may not top 2016-17 but it’ll be exciting watching them try.

NOVEMBER 2017 STEELCHAIR 35

PHOTO: WWE

totwas onlyonly did athey matter hostof time until the wrestling WrestleMania, but they worldbroke also started theto record take notice for longest of Johnny reign for any Gargano. Tag Team Considered Championship oneat of 483 the highlights days! The New of the Day UScontinue independent to scene, Gargano impress and throughout has developed solid runs a true with The knack Usos, forhave being reinvented the most likeable guyas themselves onthe anytop show. team WWE on fans have already SmackDown. The question taken to him, is, what but the best record can is yet theytobreak comenext? for Johnny Wrestling. (Coire)

THE HARDY BOYZ

hris Brookes & Kid Lykos have been on fire making a point of wrestling in as many promotions as they possibly can. With their “Sick Fucking Tag Moves” CCK have overcome the likes of BSS, Scarlet and Graves & The Lucha Brothers to name but a few. Expect to see the “Best Boys” overseas much more next year!

PHOTO: WWE

12 04

THE TYLER NEWBATE DAY

05 CCK

PHOTO: DAVID GARLICK

Join the debate @SteelChairMag

STEELCHAIR TOP 10 TAG TEAMS 2017

YOUNG BUCKS rrogant. Charismatic. Exciting. Talented. Wrestling fans can call The Young Bucks anything they like as long as they add the terms Champions and most successful tag team NOT to be in WWE. This year, wrestling fans have seen how high the bar has been raised and each time itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Young Bucks who have surpassed it time and time again.

The Young Bucks are arguably the hottest Tag Team in the World right now and SteelChair Magazine were able to catch up with Matt and Nick during the recent Ring Of Honor UK tour. The pair are the current ROH World Tag Team Champions and have previously held major Titles at NJPW & PWG to name but a few. During our chat with the Bucks we got their views on the current UK scene, who they would like to wrestle, how they measure success and so much more.

PHOTO: RING OF HONOR

This is why we think the Young Bucks are the best tag team of the year. So without further ado here is the full interview that we carried out with The Young Bucks.

HIGHLIGHTS: NJPW IWGP JUNIOR HEAVYWEIGHT TITLES + ROH WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES 36 STEELCHAIR NOVEMBER 2017

PHOTO: RING OF HONOR JOE DEFALCO

Join the debate @SteelChairMag

So we are backstage here at York Hall in London which is a familiar venue for the Young Bucks. Last year you were here and you got a huge reception. Obviously the current UK scene is thriving, what do you make of it? It’s hot, really hot, it’s popping. It’s good for wrestling and has helped the independent scene in the States. Its influences are everywhere, wrestling is thriving everywhere. UK, Mexico, Canada, I mean we were in Canada a few weeks back and WWE was running down the street and we were sold out. That’s pretty crazy. It feels like there is a weird movement, it’s becoming cool again. It might not be seen in the WWE ratings but it’s happening underground. It is the most I am noticed outside ever in my career.

You and the rest of the Bullet Club recently announced a deal with Hot Topic to sell your merchandise. As Brit it’s hard to put that into perspective, just how big a deal is that? It’s huge, there is a Hot Topic in every major mall in pretty much every City in the US and Canada.

Obviously we are here in London and we have touched on the current UK scene. Is there any teams that you have not had the chance to face from the UK scene that you would like to? Well we had lot of fun with BSS over at Fight Club that was a match

we wanted to do. We only got to work Marty and Zack one time but obviously that won’t happen again anytime soon. Erm, South Pacific Power Trip we really wanted to work with but he (TK Cooper) broke his leg I am bummed out about that. He had to cancel BOLA, poor guy that sucks. We were just talking about this. We want new tag teams to come up and try to compete with us. We want some competition, it’s friendly and fun. Singles guys have lots of competition, tag teams we don’t have as much.

Have you ever considered going your separate ways and going solo? Never, not interested. God forbid if one of us gets hurt but we know what we are good at. Nobody wants to see a Nick Jackson or Matt Jackson singles run. We could do it for sure but we are not interested. We are so competitive that we could be really good singles wrestlers. But our goal is to be best of all time, feel like we are on pace to do that.

How do you measure being best of all time? The Hardy Boys are the measuring stick in my opinion. There are lots of ways to measure it. We will never catch up to them (Hardy Boys) on dollars earned. Championships, reinventing and staying on top for years as Hardy’s have done is crazy. Only good if you are in it for the long haul, so many teams who are flavour of month and good for a minute. I want to know about the guys who have put 10 years in. Hardy’s are number one, Dudley’s are number two or close to it. Just being a draw around the world, I think it’s cool that we have done it a different way to the Hardy’s.

You guys are on the road all of the time, are there any countries you haven’t had the chance to wrestle in which you would like to? I have never been a fan of ticking off places, I don’t care. London, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Santiago are all great places. But we don’t see the country, we see the hotel and airport which is why I don’t think we care. Cody was saying how cool Egypt was but we just base it off our fan interaction or how we do at the merch table.

In the age of social media do you feel like the new age of Wrestlers have an advantage over the older generation in terms of being able to promote yourself etc? You can look at it two ways and you have to be able to use tools in right way. The bad thing is you can screw up so much faster on social media, I feel like it’s good and bad. You need to be mature and to know what you are getting into. Now everything is remembered forever. I mean when you get into wrestling you have some awful matches, we have matches which will never be seen again but nowdays that stuff is remembered. Also some people are just lazy at it (social media), we know guys who are in Japan all year long but never tell anyone about it. We are hype men, you could be using a tool on phone to publicise yourself so why not do it? People also use it in a bad way talking about politics and stuff, nobody cares bro you’re a wrestler.

Head over to our YouTube page to check out the full video interview in the new year

NOVEMBER 2017 STEELCHAIR 37

GO-HOME

WORDS: ALAN BOON

GO-HOME SHOW ‘m willing to lay a pretty safe bet that, if you’re reading this magazine at all (let alone having got all the way to this, the last and best bit), you’re a big wrestling fan. And, of course, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that - you’re among friends here.

Sometimes, though, being a big wrestling fan can mean you don’t have a proper, reasonable grasp on how the only real sport is viewed by the world at large, how important things that happen within wrestling really are (or more likely aren’t), and just how much attention/ derision/amazement these things are worthy of. I call this The Wrestling Bubble and it’s easy to find yourself stuck in it. We’re not alone in this and there are bubbles for all sorts of things these days. As the 21st century speeds along towards its inevitable fiery end, it’s an increasingly-attractive proposition: living in a (semi-)fantasy world, where everything that happens is HUGE and IMPORTANT and there are no shades of grey, only pure black and white. Recently, because of a chain of events manufactured by my stupid brain, I fell out of the bubble. Overnight I stopped living on Wrestling Twitter, stopped reading the wrestling news, and even stopped watching the stuff on TV. A year ago this would have been unthinkable and terrible and life-or-death, but you know what? Reader, I survived. Wrestling is brilliant. It is fantastical, thrilling, and endlessly inventive. It can also be rubbish and petty and divisive but it’s mostly brilliant. It’s at its most brilliant when it enriches your life, when you can use it to escape the minutiae of our humdrum existence, when it takes you to places you would never otherwise go. When it isn’t brilliant - when it’s those other things I mentioned earlier - is when you take it too seriously. When you depend on it, when the slightest thing amiss can sour you on even the best experience. Gone to a show and been annoyed by some of the fans there? Chances are you’re in the Wrestling Bubble. Been those fans at a show that have annoyed other fans? In the bubble. Umming and ahhing over whether you can

38 STEELCHAIR NOVEMBER 2017

support a promotion because one of their wrestlers once farted in a lift? Totally in the bubble. Engaged in extreme “whataboutery” because someone else on Twitter had a bad word to say about your favourite promotion? Bubble! This is not some “look, I stopped doing these bad things and am thus considerably better than you” thing. The real issue with my Wrestling Bubble problems is me, and you may well live a full and exhilarating life comfortably tucked inside. The danger is one of scope, of relativism, and of OH MY GOD IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD about the slightest thing. “You’ll never believe what Paige and Alberto have been up to!” It’s really none of my business. “Sami Callihan is going to New Japan and HE’LL RUIN IT!” He really won’t. “I went drinking with Matt Riddle!” Great, he’s just a human being. Instead of a #FiftyShowYear (and apologies for starting that - or “you’re welcome” if you’re enjoying doing it, I guess), try a #TwentyShowTwentyFilmTwentyGigTenMuseumYear. Instead of watching ten hours of WWE a week, cut down to five and give Japanese anime a try. Instead of reading a wrestling magazine, try... actually, no, keep reading the magazine. KEEP READING THE MAGAZINE. I’ve exaggerated for effect, which is pretty much my whole thing, but there’s a serious point underlying it all. If wrestling as a whole is populated by more rounded individuals, it is less likely to eat itself. We’ll have fresh characters, fresh angles, and that mainstream acceptance - assuming we still want it, I don’t know any more - will be easier to find. If there’s a place in wrestling for normal humans, with all the positives and negatives that brings, it will become more human. Everyone will be welcome because nobody is spending so much time in the bubble that it stinks. Like I said, wrestling is brilliant. Let’s keep it brilliant but let’s not keep it to ourselves, for ourselves, by ourselves. Burst the bubble.