JNPO: Pro wrestling year in review – Collisions, Backlashes & injuries
AEW
On a new Josh Nason’s Punch-Out, we arrive at May 2023 in my pro wrestling year in review series: a transformative 31 days for AEW.
Or so they thought.
ProWrestling.net’s Jason Powell returns as my co-pilot as we delve into the official launch of AEW Collision — the company’s third TV show on WBD.
Of course, there was a lot to unpack with it, especially the circumstances around CM Punk’s involvement which was surprisingly highly in doubt following the initial announcement.
They also held Double or Nothing which featured a four-way for the AEW World title, an Anarchy in the Arena bout, a surprise return & title change, a pregnancy announcement and more.
We couldn’t forget about the launch of AEW All In ticket sales which saw 60,000 out the door by the time the month ended.
On the WWE side, they held two PLEs including Backlash from Puerto Rico which featured one of the wildest crowds in recent WWE history. The undisputed king of the island — Bad Bunny — made his singles debut and the show featured the first-ever Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes clash.
Just as she was getting going, Mercedes Mone suffered a severe ankle injury during the finals of the NJPW Strong Women’s title tournament — one that has kept her out of action as of this writing.
Among the several hundred newstips, we talk Tiffany Stratton’s NXT Women’s title win, an incredibly violent Impact World title match, the passing of “Superstar” Billy Graham, and more.
I promise this is unlike any other year-end series you’ll hear or read, so catch up on the rest of the series in the archive.
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