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This is Defector, a new sports blog and media company. We made this place together, we own it together, we run it together. Without access, without favor, without discretion, and without interference.

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Defector

NYC: Come To Our WNBA Comedy Show On July 15

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Live Event

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Lauren Theisen

US wrestler CM Punk greets the fans before his match against against John Cena for the undisputed WWE Championship during the King of the Ring event at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh on June 28, 2025.

WRE-KSA-WWE-SMACKDOWN

Pro Wrestling

CM Punk Loves Saudi Arabia

Visual Editor. Runs <a href="http://defectorstore.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">defectorstore.com</a>. Philadelphia-based, if you couldn’t tell.

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Dan McQuade

Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis look on during the main event of Money in the Bank 2011.

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John Laurinaitis Says He Will Testify Against Vince McMahon

korakuen

I Went To Japan To See One Building

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Luis Paez-Pumar

John Cena (L) celebrates with rapper Travis Scott after defeating Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship during WrestleMania 41 at Allegiant Stadium on April 20, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

WrestleMania 41

WrestleMania 41’s Two Main Events And The Risks Of Getting Epic

Swerve Strickland delivers a stomp off a ladder to Jon Moxley at AEW Dynasty.

aew_dynasty

Wrestling Shows Don’t All Have To Aim For “Epic”

Women’s Pro-Wrestling “Saree-ISM”

Some Wrestling Matches I Liked In 2024

View of a wrestling ring during a tag team match at White Eagle Hall

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Deadlock Pro-Wrestling Is As Fun As It Is Fragile

Chairman Vince McMahon is introduced during the WWE Monday Night Raw show at the Thomas &amp; Mack Center August 24, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

WWE Monday Night Raw In Las Vegas

‘Mr. McMahon’ Is An Incomplete Portrait Of Wrestling’s Reprehensible Kingpin

Wide view of Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd during AEW Dynamite

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AEW Can Be Too Much

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WWE Informs Viewership Of Tyrese Haliburton

Bryan Danielson, bloody and pointing in the ring

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Bryan Danielson Makes Every Last Match Count

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Flaws Can Make A Wrestler Feel Real

Brad Balukjian, PhD has chosen two careers—journalist and scientist—which converge on pursuit of the truth. He has been published in Rolling Stone, Smithsonian, National Geographic, and many others. His first book, The Wax Pack: On the Open Road in Search of Baseball’s Afterlife, hit #7 on the LA Times bestseller list and was named one of NPR’s Best Books of 2020. He is a Research Associate at the California Academy of Sciences, and he discovered 17 species of insects (green flash bugs) in Tahiti, one of which he named after Harrison Ford. He lives on the road, where he’s in an open relationship with his VCR.

Brad Balukjian author photo courtesy of author

Brad Balukjian

An image of Tito Santana in the ring during his time in WWF, with the cover of Brad Balukjian's book "The Six Pack" visible at lower left.

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Book Excerpts That Don't Suck

Before He Became A Wrestling Legend, Tito Santana Needed A Name

Mistico makes his entrance at Forbidden Door

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Go See Your Guys Live

a bloody Minoru Suzuki with Kenoh in a wrestling ring

Pro-Wrestling NOAH

Minoru Suzuki Is Having The Coolest Midlife Crisis Ever

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AEW Still Isn’t Over CM Punk

Cody Rhodes celebrates during Night Two of WrestleMania 40 at Lincoln Financial Field on April 7, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

WrestleMania 40

WrestleMania Distilled WWE’s Worst Excesses Into Five Glorious Minutes

Sting puts the scorpion death lock on Matthew Jackson in his last match

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Sting Went Out Crazier Than He Came In

WrestleMania 29 Press Conference

John Cena Can’t Escape Vince McMahon’s Fantasy World

Dwayne Johnson and Vince McMahon at a press conference

WWE Presses The Panic Button, Summons The Rock

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 23: TKO Executive Chairman of the Board Vince McMahon is seen during a ceremony announcing Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has joined the Board of Directors for TKO at New York Stock Exchange on January 23, 2024 in New York City.

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Vince McMahon Is Gone From WWE, Allegedly For Real This Time

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Patrick Redford

January 23rd, 2024. New York Stock Exchange Ceremony Announcing Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has joined the Board of Directors for TKO. New York, New York. Vince McMahon at the podium.

TKO Announcement

Former WWE Employee Sues Vince McMahon For Sexual Abuse And Trafficking

New Japan Pro-Wrestling – Wrestle Kingdom 18 in Tokyo Dome

Kazuchika Okada’s Exit Is A Warning Siren For The Rest Of Japan

Joshua Needelman is a journalist based in New York City who has written for The New York Times, New York Magazine, The Washington Post, The Guardian and more. He has dabbled in yoga and meditation for more than a decade. He enjoys eating (and making) pizza, as well as rooting for the New York Knicks, whom he is available to coach next season.

Joshua Needelman

Eddie Kingston, with his eyes closed, in the ring.

eddie-kingston-hell-gate

How New York’s Eddie Kingston Became Pro Wrestling’s “King of the Bums”

Kevin Von Erich poses at The Iron Claw premiere

“The Iron Claw” Dallas World Premiere

‘The Iron Claw’ And The Real Von Erich Story Go Together Like Pizza And Muffins