Author: Anthony Ricciardi

“Life isn’t a matter of milestones, but of moments” Rose Kennedy Professional wrestling is built on the foundation of storytelling and creating lasting moments that will be talked about for generations to come. The moments are that lasting legacy for promotions and performers that can define them not only today, but for years to come. Storytelling and moments go hand and hand, in building a lasting impression and legacy. As I prepare for WrestleMania week, I wanted to try to find the time to talk about three incredible moments from this month that I’ve wanted to write about, but finding…

“The thrill of coming home has never changed.” Guy Pearce This past week’s NXT saw the young, arrogant and brash, Grayson Waller continuing his feud with the authority figure of NXT, the GOAT, Shawn Michaels. Waller has been one of the few bright spots of the NXT brand these days as it is far removed from its Black and Gold glory days. Waller has been running down Shawn Michaels for weeks and been a thorn in his side.  The irony is that the Grayson Waller character is very reminiscent of how a young and brash, Shawn Michaels was back in…

One of the most important skills all the greats in the history of this business have in common is the ability to promote and motivate fans to want to see a match. This past week on AEW Dynamite, Bryan Danielson once again proved that he is one of the best of all time. We all know how technically sound Bryan Danielson is in the ring, but sometimes people forget just how good he is on the mic. Bryan has something that can never be taught, he has a connection with the audience because he is the forever underdog. He is…

Anthony’s Best of the Best. It is now time for my February 2023 best matches of the month list. Please keep in mind these are just my opinion of the best matches I saw this month and is not a definitive list and is not the official Wrestling Republic ratings and rankings. I’m sure there are matches that I may have missed but there are only so many hours in a day and only so much wrestling I can watch. So, please feel free to suggest matches in the comments, as it is possible, I haven’t seen them or maybe…

“When you measure your worth based on what other people say about you or on what you can achieve, it’s hard to understand who you really are.” Nick Foles As of the time of me writing this piece we are only hours away from Sami Zayn having the biggest match of his almost 20-year career in front of his hometown crowd with his family and friends watching on as he faces off against the 900 plus days Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, Roman Reigns. All logic says Sami Zayn has ZERO chance in this contest, but what Sami Zayn has done…

“Meeting expectations is good. Exceeding expectations is better.” Ron Kaufman One of the first thoughts I had when thinking about Cody Rhodes returning at the Royal Rumble, was that he was the front runner going into the match, and a number of other things as well. The other thoughts I had on the matter were that Cody Rhodes is really the perfect choice to be the man to dethrone Roman Reigns.  Background: As I’ve discussed in multiple pieces in the past and on Wrestling Republic podcasts as well, the purpose of a long championship reign is to elevate the champion,…

Anthony’s Best of the Best. It is now time for my January 2023 best matches of the month list. Please keep in mind these are just my opinion of the best matches I saw this month and is not a definitive list and is not the official Wrestling Republic ratings and rankings. I’m sure there are matches that I may have missed but there are only so many hours in a day and only so much wrestling I can watch. So, please feel free to suggest matches in the comments, as it is possible, I haven’t seen them or maybe…

“Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.” William Jennings Bryan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovebtWhQ2qk Courtesy of Your Tribal Chief’s YouTube/WWE Last night we witnessed Cody Rhodes get one step closer to achieving a 29-year-old goal that he made when he was just 8 years old, to win the one championship that his legendary father, “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes was denied. The very championship that even Cody’s older brother, Dustin, was also unable to capture during his own legendary career as Goldust. The…

“Death comes to all, but great achievements build a monument which shall endure until the sun grows cold.” Ralph Waldo Emerson Note: This is a collaborated piece written by Head of Opinions, Anthony Ricciardi and Reviewer, Clark Taylor. It never gets any easier writing these types of pieces because tragically after watching wrestling as long as we have, we have seen a lot of wrestlers pass away young and unexpectedly. The death of Jay Briscoe at only 38 years old, is so truly tragic and our thoughts and prayers go out to Jay and his family during this unimaginable, difficult…

Any booking decision in wrestling is second guessed and questioned by fans and the decision by NJPW to have Kenny Omega defeat Will Ospreay at Wrestle Kingdom 17 is one of them. Full disclosure as always, I don’t watch NJPW on a regular basis. but there are some talents there that I do keep an eye on and when I hear that there is a match I should check out, I try to do so. Will Ospreay is one of those talents that I most certainly keep an eye on. My opinion on Will Ospreay is that he an elite…