defector-orange-no-empty-space

lede_post_card_default

lede_post_card_stacked

lede_post_card_featured_post

lede_post_card_featured_posts_hero

lede_post_card_featured_posts_sidebar

lede_post_card_highlighted_post

lede_post_card_horizontal_a

lede_post_card_horizontal_c

lede_post_card_related_post

lede_article_featured_16x9

lede_article_featured_3x2

lede_article_featured_flexible

lede_article_content

lede_article_content_wide_width

lede_article_content_full_width

lede_byline_avatar_post_card

lede_byline_avatar_highlight

lede_profile_coral_avatar

lede_logo

lede_logo_banner

lede_logo_footer_banner

lede_logo_simple_header

lede_sponsorship_logo

lede_sponsorship_logo_river_card

lede_sponsorship_homepage_card_logo

lede_sponsorship_homepage_card

Footer Legal

Header - Categories

Header Menu

The last good website.

Topics

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.

defector-no-empty-space

Defector

NYC: Come To Our WNBA Comedy Show On May 16

10-minute-quarters-3-2-fix (1)

Live Event

-b9trzb

Lauren Theisen

WrestleMania 29 Press Conference

Pro Wrestling

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

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


DFmBbTQF_400x400

Dan McQuade

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.

vince mcmahon last week

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

headshot1

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

<p>Joshua Needelman is a freelance writer living in Astoria who spends way too much time thinking about professional wrestling. His work has appeared in the <em>New York Times</em>, the <em>Washington Post</em>, the <em>Guardian</em>, and more.</p>


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

Tetsuya Naito flying in with a knee on Keiji Muto

Pro-Wrestling NOAH – KEIJI MUTO GRAND FINAL

Year In Review

Some Wrestling Matches I Liked In 2023

Image from iOS (36)

Luis Paez-Pumar

Kazuchika Okada enters the ring during the New Japan Pro-Wrestling at Korakuen Hall on October 01, 2023 in Tokyo, Japan.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling

Even At Half Speed, Kazuchika Okada Is The Main Event

Screenshot (234)

Bryan Danielson Saved The Day

Screenshot (229)

The Biggest Wrestling Show Ever Was About Friendship (And One Little Backstage Fight)

Wembley Stadium was designed by architects HOK Sport and Foster & Partners with Engineers Mott Macdonald and was built by Multiplex.  The signature feature is the circular section lattice arch which is 133 metres tall and sits above the northern half of

AEW Is Bringing 80,000 People To Wembley Stadium At The Weirdest Possible Time

BrayWyatt

Bray Wyatt Was Wrestling’s Most Irrepressible Star

<p>Sean T. Collins has written for The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Vulture, Decider, Pitchfork, and many others. He lives with his family on Long Island.</p>


IMG_0932

Sean T. Collins

Jon Moxley delivers a move to Anthony Bowens during the AEW Dynamite - Beach Break taping on January 26, 2022, at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, OH.

WRESTLING: JAN 26 AEW Dynamite

How Queer Pro Wrestlers Are Handling America’s Anti-LGBTQ+ Heel Turn

Kota Ibushi stares down a bloody Jon Moxley

Screenshot (204)

Blood, Guts, And A Glimpse Of God

<div class="gmail_default">Timothy Faust is a healthcare writer and author of the book <i><a href="http://www.healthjusticenow.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.healthjusticenow.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1685593699820000&amp;usg=AOvVaw24V19Y2HTPgYkH_EpZ_lgj">Health Justice Now</a></i>. He and his long little dog, Ume, move around a lot.</div>
<div class="gmail_default"></div>


headshot in space

Timothy Faust

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JULY 16: Zander Bathory steps on the back of the European Assassin during the AWF Wrestling Dojo Wrestling night July 16, 2004 in Sydney, Australia. For this group of die-hard sports professionals who spend most Saturdays training and wrestling in a small dojo in Sydney's South West. It's a ritual that goes way beyond dedication reaching into the realm of obsession. Founded in 1999, the AWF has now grown to over fifty professional wrestlers Australia wide. Hosting regular bout nights across the country, means these guys get a chance to do things they don't normally get to do, the blood is real and injuries happen, often. After starting a school for wrestling six years ago, AWF founder Greg Bowden has trained more than fifty pro wrestlers, in a bid to help promote the sport and build a substantial fan base. Unlike America's WWE group, which is broadcast regularly around the world via cable television, the AWF, despite numerous attempts, have been unable to secure television broadcast support, which constantly hampers the sport's promotion, keeping crowd numbers down and the group confined to low cost venues and shows. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Inside The Australian Wrestling Federation

In American Indie Wrestling, Bodies Are Cheap And Healthcare Is Not

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 01: Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn wrestle The Usos for the Undisputed WWE tag team championship during WrestleMania 39 at SoFi Stadium on April 01, 2023 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Unique Nicole/Getty Images)

WrestleMania 39

The WWE/UFC Merger Will Be Bad For Almost Everyone

LAS VEGAS - AUGUST 24: An Elvis Presley impersonator sings to World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. Chairman Vince McMahon during his 64th birthday celebration in the ring during the WWE Monday Night Raw show at the Thomas & Mack Center August 24, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

vince-elvis

How Would Betting On Pro Wrestling Even Work?

Screenshot (150)

The End Of Keiji Muto Was The Rebirth Of Japanese Wrestling

Repo Man is interviewed outside the arena, as an inset shows Macho Man Randy Savage looking angry

repo-macho-tv

30 Years Ago, Repo Man Stole Macho Man’s Hat

Stage of WWE's Crown Jewel event in Riyadh

DOUNIAMAG-WRESTLING-SAUDI-CROWN JEWEL

Saudi Arabia Hasn’t Bought WWE Yet, But Its Wrestlers Should Be Ready

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon’s 1 Million Dollar Press Conference

Vince McMahon Is Back And Throwing His Weight Around

A bloodied Eddie Kingston with a can of gasoline

Screenshot (116)

Some Wrestling Matches I Liked In 2022

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 23: Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker battle it out at the WWE SummerSlam 2015 at Barclays Center of Brooklyn on August 23, 2015 in New York City. The photo has been cropped to make it a close-up of the Undertaker's funny face

undertaker-face-wwe

This Is So Stupid

Report: FBI Alerted Twitter To Pants-Shitting Undertaker Parody Account

200089631

Brandi Collins-Dexter

Screen Shot 2022-09-30 at 11.03.04 AM

Dusty Rhodes’s “Hard Times” Promo Still Rings The Bell