This Week in Wrestling 2022 Week 42

Brian Damage

It’s Saturday and today we have ’This Week in Wrestling’, the 42nd entry of 2022. Today Brian wonders if there is room anymore for a third major wrestling promotion and shares all the best wrestling content from this week.

Three’s A Crowd?

Growing up a wrestling fan, I was spoiled to have three major U.S. based promotions to choose from. They were affectionately known as ‘The Big 3’ which consisted of Verne Gagne’s American Wrestling Association, Jim Crockett Jr Promotion usually identified as the National Wrestling Alliance and of course, Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Federation. Over the years, some of the names and faces changed, but ultimately, I still had a version of wrestling’s big 3.

When the AWA folded, eventually Tod Gordon and Paul Heyman’s Extreme Championship Wrestling emerged. That and the growth of Ted Turner’s World Championship Wrestling and yes…still the WWF. By 2001, things changed when ECW and WCW folded and WWE was the only game in town. Soon enough, came TNA wrestling and Ring of Honor to the mix. A few in between years, but there seemingly were always three wrestling promotions available in some capacity.

Fast forward to 2022 and there are more than just the big 3 as several promotions scored television deals like Court Bauer’s Major League Wrestling and Jeanie Buss’s Women of Wrestling to go along with ROH, Impact, AEW and WWE. The question is, is there enough room for a big 3 anymore? TNA/Impact used to be a solid second promotion, while Ring of Honor was in the third position. Nowadays, with WWE and AEW the top two…Impact has fallen to a distant third promotion…if that. Looking at the TV ratings for Impact the past few months have been pretty bad to say the least. One night, Impact only had 60,000 viewers.

This, despite having Impact paired up with New Japan Pro Wrestling as a part of a Thursday night wrestling block on AXS TV. Is there room for a third promotion? If yes…is it even Impact at this point? MLW has certainly garnered some attention lately. They have up and coming stars like Alexander Hammerstone, Myron Reed and Jacob Fatu to name a few. To Impact’s credit, they have been bringing in an influx of fresh faces almost every week to compliment contracted talent like Josh Alexander, Eddie Edwards and Moose. Despite the actually pretty entertaining showings they have had recently…hardly anybody has been tuning in.

Could it be the channel they are on? Possibly wrestling burnout by the time Thursday rolls in? Lack of interest in Impact’s product? Whatever the case is, kudos to Impact booker Scott D’Amore, as he has kept storylines fresh and interesting for the most part. Admittedly, while I DVR Impact every week, I don’t watch it religiously as I once had. It is a good show, when I do catch it…but to me the company is an afterthought at this point. While they are many more promotions to choose from, it doesn’t necessarily mean all are needed as a viewer. For wrestlers to have another show to work is good for business, but the oversaturation of pro wrestling probably is not.

Photo Gallery

Great “old school” artwork!

Million dollar honey?

RIP to the Intercontinental #1 contender Rey Mysterio’s career…

A Coexist tattoo of Tony Khan hugging Vince MCMahon.

New Japan’s “Three Musketeers” of Shibata, Nakamura and Tanahashi together again at Antonio Inoki’s funeral.

An EXTREMELY well done Family Guy cartoon depicting ECW legends.

Cody Rhodes spotted with Diamond Dallas Page. (Cody is reportedly working with DDP to help in his rehabilitation from his pec injury)

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. LOL

Deonna Purrazzo

Maryse

Mia Yim

Anna Jay

Liv Morgan

Maxxine Dupri

Gigi Dolan

These next couple of pics are a bit more risque…viewer discretion is advised.

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NXT’s Mandy Rose

AEW’s Paige Van Zant

Video Gallery

Ric Flair doing a commercial for erectile dysfunction pills. Wooooo!

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