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Wrestling Republic’s Daily Broadcast is a 45 minute daily podcast (with video) discussing the days wrestling news and all of the latest shows. The show is hosted by Ben Allison and Clark Taylor, with a cast of rotating panelists to join the discussion. To join in with the discussion, you can LIVE comment throughout the show via YouTube.

The post VIDEO: Can Will Ospreay Really Dethrone Swerve? appeared first on Wrestling Republic.

‘The Aerial Assassin’ Will Ospreay, 30 years old,  is undoubtedly one of the most talented competitors to ever step foot inside the squared circle, as well as one of the main faces of the sport during the last couple of years.

While competing in different promotions around the world, Will Ospreay starred many five star classics against opponents the caliber of Kenny Omega, Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito and ‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey to name a few.

Former AEW World Champion MJF and current WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth ´Freakin’ Rollins were runners up in this category, which Ospreay ultimately won after a vote conducted by Wrestling Republic’s esteemed voting committee.

The Voting Committee’s Reasonings For The Choice

“Will Ospreay from the beginning of the year till the end was the most consistent performer in wrestling. Not only had he been making headlines in NJPW, he had made his 2024 intentions known as he is signing to the second biggest company in the world,” said Wrestling Republic’s Head Of Reviewing Coby Galenzoski. “Ospreay is a man that elevated and help a large number of people step their games up including Chris Jericho, Taichi, and his own faction members in Mark Davis, Great O’Khan that he had competed against.”

Wrestling Republic’s AEW Reviewer David Sheldon explained he voted for Ospreay as he “was the best male wrestler of 2023 because of his remarkable in ring output, his incredible promo ability and his global appeal. Ospreay wrestled in all manner of venues against all manner of opponents and comfortably had the match of the night every time. No wrestler I can think of has ever performed as consistently strongly as he has across an entire calendar year, and that is testament to his astonishing level of talent.”

Wrestling Republic News Writer & Japanese Wrestling Expert Tomas Gramajo backed this up stating that Ospreay “travelling all over the globe and putting such MOTY caliber performances, while also raising the prestige of the championships he carried is something that only the elite of our sport can do.”

What’s Next For Will Ospreay?

In November 2023 Will Ospreay announced at AEW’s Full Gear Pay-Per-View that he will be leaving NJPW in early 2024, and has agreed terms to sign with Tony Khan’s AEW immediately following his contract expiration. This could mean that in 2024 fans could potentially see Ospreay taking on the likes of MJF, Kenny Omega, Swerve Strickland and Eddie Kingston in AEW.

Undoubtedly, a huge reminder that Will Ospreay will continue to be on the list of the ‘Ones to Watch’ of every pro wrestling fan in 2024.

The post Will Ospreay Wins Wrestling Republic’s Men’s Wrestler Of The Year Award appeared first on Wrestling Republic.

Rhea Ripley, 27 years old, is undoubtedly one of the main standards of the WWE women’s division and one of the very best female competitors in the world, as well as the main difference-maker in The Judgment Day.

In addition to being one of the most dominant WWE Women’s Champions in recent memories, Rhea Ripley starred many well rated matches and moments throughout 2023, like the instant-classic match with Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39 that received five stars in the Wrestling Republic scale and was awarded as Best Women’s Match of the Year.

WWE Women’s Champion Iyo Sky and Becky Lynch were runners up in this category, which Ripley ultimately won after a vote conducted by Wrestling Republic’s esteemed voting committee.

The Voting Committee’s Reasonings For The Choice

“Rhea Ripley was the most featured women’s wrestler in professional wrestling this year and had one of my favorite matches of the year against Charlotte Flair,” said Wrestling Republic Owner Ben Allison. “Additionally she managed to have a solid title reign while also helping elevate all of the judgment day in their respective storylines.”

Wrestling Republic’s Head of Opinions Anthony Ricciardi added that Ripley had “a career defining year in that ring putting on unbelievable performances such as her match with Charlotte at WM”, while concluding that “she has been great as an important part of Judgement Day and helped its resurgence to relevancy.”

“She’s been a true definition of evolution and her match quality has been great since the Royal Rumble, a memorable match at Mania, to dominating the women’s division in a Fatal 5 Way at Crown Jewel,” said Wrestling Republic Podcaster and Host of Take It To The Table Robert Chaos.

In addition, Wrestling Republic News & Opinion Writer Tomas Gramajo explained that “ever since defeating Charlotte at WM 39 last year, Rhea has turned into the main difference maker for The Judgment Day and perhaps one of the most dominant champions of the modern era, outlasting all the competition (sometimes even mens) and solidifying herself as the top champion to beat in WWE.”

What’s Next For Rhea Ripley?

With the beginning of The Road to WrestleMania XL, Rhea Ripley will surely have a huge target on her back since multiple top talents the caliber of Becky Lynch and Nia Jax are looking forward to challenge her for the WWE Women’s World Title at The Showcase of the Immortals.

However, before focusing on WrestleMania, Rhea will surely meet a huge roadblock when the Elimination Chamber PLE arrives in her hometown of Australia later this month. So, fans could be looking forward to seeing her starring more amazing moments and matches in 2024.

The post Rhea Ripley Wins Wrestling Republic’s Women’s Wrestler Of The Year Award appeared first on Wrestling Republic.

The team of AEW stars Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood, most commonly known as FTR, have been on the very elite of tag team wrestling for a few years now.

Despite dropping the AEW World Tag Team Titles way earlier than everyone expected, FTR had a very solid year by starring numerous instant-classic bouts and fantastic moments that received great scores in the Wrestling Republic scale.

WWE’s Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens and AEW’s Better Than You Bay Bay (MJF & Adam Cole) were runners up in this category after a vote conducted by Wrestling Republic’s esteemed voting committee.

The Voting Committee’s Reasonings For The Choice

“A prime example of a union of minds and body is clear with Dax Hardwood and Cash Wheeler,” said Wrestling Republic Podcaster Soul. “Starting the year leading fans a stary,  if they would stay with AEW, to beating The Gunns and becoming two time AEW tag champs. Leading to great matches with the likes of The Bucks at ALL IN, Better Than You Bay-Bay, Aussie Open and more. Even with the loss of their titles, they put on a true classic with Bullet Club Gold on Collision. As well as continuing to honor the late great Jay Briscoe at ROH: Final Battle.” Soul also concluded by stating that “they are continuing their legacy as the greatest tag team of all time.”

Wrestling Republic Owner Ben Allison also stated that “put simply, FTR are the best tag team on the planet today and nearly every tag team match they had in 2023 was a banger.”

What’s Next For FTR?

Ever since dropping the AEW World Tag Team Titles to ‘Absolute’ Ricky Starks & Big Bill, both Wheeler & Harwood made it clear that FTR plans to regain the titles and become the face of the AEW Tag Team division once again.

And if we take the high-level performance and strong soul they put into all their 2023 matches, fans can be sure that it won’t be too long before FTR regains the #1 Contender spots and walks away with the titles anytime in 2024.

The post FTR Wins Wrestling Republic’s Men’s Tag Team Of The Year Award appeared first on Wrestling Republic.

After signing with the company in the Saudi Arabia Tryouts, Mansoor became the first Saudi competitor to ever perform in a WWE ring.

Even though he started his WWE career as a singles competitor, Mansoor was running out of opportunities and would soon be pitched to join Maximum Male Models. However, the Saudi star explained he considered leaving WWE before the company decided to release him.

During a recent interview with Wrestling Republic’s Eric Novak at the ‘All Real Wrestling Podcast’, Mansoor revealed he asked for his release when Maximum Male Models wasn’t having the success that WWE creatives expected.

“I’ve never wanted to quit pro wrestling. I did want to quit WWE. Well, when the male models gimmick was killed, it’s so funny because people are going to say, ‘Oh, well, you got released.’ So obviously, you didn’t want to quit. Okay. But I was considering asking for my release,” said Mansoor. “It was like month after month after month of just being home. I can’t even describe to you how horrible watching wrestling is when you’re not allowed to do it.”

Mansoor On How The Lack Of Plans Is Different In WWE Compared To Other Promotions

In addition to what he stated before, Mansoor also explained how the lack of plans in WWE feels way different than in other promotions. When reflecting on this, he said:

“If you’re a free agent, right, if you’re, let’s say, working at AEW or TNA and you’re not being used, you can at least exercise some of your creativity by doing indies. But in WWE, that’s not the case. If you’re not booked, you’re not wrestling, you’re not performing in front of an audience, which is what you started doing this thing.”

“I’m 28 years old. I feel like I’m in the prime of my life. I’m in the best shape of my life. And I feel like I finally reached a level where I used to watch my matches and be embarrassed because I felt like I didn’t move like a wrestler.”

If you use any quotes from this article, please make sure to credit the ‘All Real Wrestling Podcast’ with an H/T to Wrestling Republic for the transcription.

The post EXCLUSIVE: Mansoor Admits Considering Requesting Release From WWE Before Getting Released appeared first on Wrestling Republic.

Even though he never got the opportunity to win championship gold or achieve important milestones within the company, Mansoor was undoubtedly one of the most promising rising talents in the WWE roster back in the day.

Ever since he was released by WWE in September 2023 alongside Maximum Male Models partner Mace, Mansoor hasn’t wrestled for any other major promotion yet. However, he may have hinted that there is one place where he and Mace could achieve great things.

While speaking to Wrestling Republic’s Eric Novak on the latest edition of the ‘All Real Wrestling Podcast’, Mansoor praised TNA Wrestling’s roster and expressed his desire to face some of the promotion’s top talents.

“Right now, I take a look at the landscape. I see guys like ‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey, who’s somebody that really wants to work one-on-one. Mace and I always talk about how we want to wrestle the Motor City Machine Guns,” said Mansoor.

“I think the goal right now is to get high and above in that division, in that landscape, in that company, which has such a great tag team division, and try to win those prizes from such a prestigious and noteworthy tag team.”

Mansoor On TNA’s Rebranding & How He Is Open To Anything In Wrestling

In addition to what he stated before, Mansoor also revealed that he and Mace were always fans of TNA and made it clear that they are open to anything. He said:

“We were fans of it, we watched TNA when we were younger. So for it to come back, for Impact to become TNA again, right around the time we become free agents, it’s like, ‘Man, that would be great.’ But at the same time, we’re open to anything.”

If you use any quotes from this article, please make sure to credit the ‘All Real Wrestling Podcast’ with an H/T to Wrestling Republic for the transcription.

The post EXCLUSIVE: Former WWE Star Mansoor Expresses Desire To Wrestle For TNA Wrestling appeared first on Wrestling Republic.

Mansoor is undoubtedly one of the most talented and interesting Saudi pro wrestlers to ever step foot inside the squared circle. After moving to the US when he was only 11 years old, Mansoor made a huge name for himself in the American indie scene.

However, before taking his career to the next level and becoming the first ever Saudi WWE Superstar in the history of the company, Mansoor first had to overcome WWE’s Saudi Arabia tryouts and impress the coaches.

In a recent interview with Wrestling Republic’s Eric Novak on the ‘All Real Wrestling Podcast’, Mansoor reflected on the tryouts and explained how having a solid pro wrestling experience helped him to stand out from the rest. He said:

“My tryout was in Saudi Arabia. They had announced that there was going to be a tryout for Saudis, and I was the only person at that tryout who had been flown from the United States. I’ve been living in the United States since I was about 11 years old, and I was the only person there who had professional wrestling experience.”

Mansoor continued by explaining that “Most of those guys were players of some sort of sport, whether it was football or soccer, or MMA, boxing. There were some people in the military, guys who had that kind of extensive training, but nothing as specific and niche and unique as pro wrestling, which is one of the only sort of forms of art or sport where you specifically put damage to yourself, you know? And you know, crash yourself on the mat.”

Mansoor On How Pro Wrestlers Are Used To Take Different Types Of Punishment In The Ring

In addition to what he stated before, Mansoor also continued to explain how pro wrestling is different from other sports and the fact that most of the people on the tryouts were not used to some aspects of it.

“I don’t think there’s any art form or sport quite as self-destructive as professional wrestling,” he said. “At least in a sport like MMA, someone else is beating you up. You’re not beating yourself up. So I think for a lot of those guys, it was kind of a culture shock.”

“I remember being in that tryout, and somebody was running, and they hit the ropes, and he stopped, and they were supposed to go back and forth. And the guy was like, ‘There’s a mistake. The ropes, they’re too hard.’ They don’t even know that every time you run and hit the ropes, for people who have never done that before, it bruises your ribs. It’s just that pro wrestlers are so used to running back and forth that our bodies have become accustomed to the kind of punishment that we endured.”

If you use any quotes from this article, please make sure to credit the ‘All Real Wrestling Podcast’ with an H/T to Wrestling Republic for the transcription.

The post EXCLUSIVE: Mansoor Was The Only One With Wrestling Experience At WWE’s Saudi Arabia Tryouts appeared first on Wrestling Republic.

Ever since making his main roster debut, Mansoor promised to be a very interesting asset to the WWE mid-card championship picture. However, time passed and he never received another chance to fulfill all of his great potential.

In a last creative effort, WWE decided to pair Mansoor, Mace, Maxxine Dupri, and LA Knight (then known as Max Dupri) in a faction named Maximum Male Models.

During a recent interview with Wrestling Republic’s Eric Novak on the ‘All Real Wrestling Podcast’, Mansoor reflected on his time with Maximum Male Models and explained that WWE writers once told them that they’ll have ‘jobs for life’ if they succeeded in portraying Vince’s ideas for the group. About this, he said:

“A writer is assigned to us, and there are liaison with the creative team. And I went to a writer and I said, ‘Hey, everything’s going great, but I’m just telling you right now, please. I’m going to pitch you guys stuff for after this, because I just know Max Dupree is going to become LA Knight, and then we’re going to disappear.’ And he was like, ‘No, no, that’s not going to happen. You guys are great. We’ll find something for you.’”

“This was something that Vince was shouting about in creative,” said Mansoor. “We need models. I want to make up models on the show. For a year, that’s what writers sold us. That’s what producers and writers sold us. They said, ‘This is Vince’s baby. This is Vince’s baby. Don’t screw it up. Because if you do this right, you guys will have a job for life. You guys will be millionaires.’”

Mansoor On How The Changes In Management Can Shake The Landscape Of A Wrestling Promotion

In addition to what he stated before, Mansoor also explained that Vince McMahon’s departure and Triple H’s rise played an important role in most of the promotion’s creative decisions. When reflecting on this, he said:

“We get a text from Vince McMahon saying, ‘I’m retiring.’ He had the allegations against him, and I think he just stepped down. I mean, there was too much heat. Everybody was like, “What’s going on here? Why’d you do this?” And he was gone. Hunter was in, and it was like suddenly… You could see the look on people’s faces.”

“There are people who I think were Hunter’s people that were elated, and there were people who were Vince’s people who were like, ‘Oh, no. I’m screwed.’ That’s just how it is. That’s just how wrestling is,” Mansoor said. He also concluded by explaining that “when a booker changes, they have their guys, and the guys from the previous regime are phased out. It’s just like, that’s normal.”

If you use any quotes from this article, please make sure to credit the ‘All Real Wrestling Podcast’ with an H/T to Wrestling Republic for the transcription.

The post EXCLUSIVE: WWE Told Maximum Male Models They’d Have Jobs For Life By Following Vince McMahon’s Ideas appeared first on Wrestling Republic.

Damage CTRL is undoubtedly one of the most important and dominant women’s factions in recent memories, becoming one of the main standards in the WWE women’s division ever since the group’s introduction in SummerSlam 2022.

The group formed by Bayley, IYO SKY and Dakota Kai definitely had their best year in 2023 by winning championship gold and starring some of the most important storylines throughout the year in the WWE women’s division.

WWE’s Chelsea Green & Piper Niven and TNA’s MK Ultra (Masha Slamovich & Killer Kelly) were runners up in this category after a vote conducted by Wrestling Republic’s esteemed voting committee.

The Voting Committee’s Reasonings For The Choice

“Damage CTRL was a cohesive unit throughout the year and made their presence known and felt,” said Wrestling Republic Opinion Writer Brandin Adams. “Despite losing the tag titles early on in the year, Damage CTRL was usually always in the forefront of top storylines in the Women’s division which included multiple rivalries with top talent such as Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair and Bianca Belair.” He also explained that “these storylines helped to culminate into an unforgettable War Games match at Survivor Series 2023.”

Wrestling Republic Podcaster Soul explained that “Damage CTRL has always been enjoyable when on the screen of WWE television. Starting the year as WWE Women tag champs to having a match against modern legend in Becky Lynch and stars of the past in Lita and Stratus.” He also pointed out that “adding a returning Kari Sane to their ranks and putting a strong showing within War Games at Survivor Series, yet would could be in store in 2024, will they continue their path of rage or will this rage implode this team from within.”

In addition, Wrestling Republic Owner Ben Allison stated that “the storylines told by Damage CTRL have been excellent, despite only holding the actual tag belts for a short time.”

What’s Next For Damage CTRL?

2024 will surely deliver more tensions and a huge inner implosion within the group, since leader Bayley has recently confronted reigning WWE Women’s Champion IYO SKY and WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Asuka and Kairi Sane for turning their backs on her.

In addition, since Bayley won the 2024 Royal Rumble match and picked IYO SKY as her WrestleMania XL opponent, this storyline will surely be settled in a heated bout at the Grandest Stage of Them All.

The post Damage CTRL Wins Wrestling Republic’s Women’s Tag Team Of The Year Award appeared first on Wrestling Republic.

WWE is undoubtedly the most important and famous pro wrestling promotion in the entire world, and 2023 was another fantastic year that demonstrated once again the huge success in terms of product and business that the company had in the recent year.

In addition, the merger deal between WWE and UFC that created the TKO Group was awarded with Wrestling Republic’s News Story of the Year Award solidified perhaps an even bigger growth for the years to come.

AEW and NJPW were runners up in this category, which WWE ultimately won after a vote conducted by Wrestling Republic esteemed voting committee.

The Voting Committee’s Reasonings For The Choice

“This one is easy. WWE completed the biggest sale in sports entertainment history,” said Wrestling Republic Owner Ben Allison. He also explained that “the company then put on banger after banger when it came to shows, and broke their social media records multiple times.”

Wrestling Republic’s Head of Opinions Anthony Ricciardi stated that “this has been an extraordinary year for WWE both on screen putting on a overall very compelling product such as the cinema bloodline story continues, Cody vs Brock, Rock appearing and the Punk return to name just a few. Record profits, selling out everywhere they go and the breaking of records both in attendance and streaming.”

In addition, Wrestling Republic’s Head of Reviewing Coby Galenzoski added that “WWE ultimately takes the cake with their record profits and numbers on a weekly basis with their events,” while also concluding by explaining that “not only is the business of WWE booming, they have also successfully been merged to create a sports and entertainment powerhouse in TKO with the UFC.”

What’s Next For WWE In 2024?

With the beginning of this year’s Road to WrestleMania, WWE will undoubtedly be focusing on starting this new year with a banger of event for WrestleMania XL. In addition, the teasings of more PLEs outside of the US and new streaming deals will definitely play a major role in WWE and TKO’s global expansion.

Undoubtedly, the perfect example of how the promotion will continue to grow in the coming years under the new management and the TKO Group.

The post WWE Wins Wrestling Republic’s Promotion Of The Year Award appeared first on Wrestling Republic.