JNPO: Pro wrestling year in review – The beginning of the end
CM Punk’s return to AEW and the launch of AEW Collision are the lead topics for the June 2023 edition of the JNPO pro wrestling year in review series.
Joining me on this hour-plus deep dive is podcaster Mike Gilbert of Voices of Wrestling.
We also talk the very successful AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door which featured Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay 2 and the surprisingly under-promoted return to PPV for Punk.
It was a relatively quiet month for WWE and NXT with the exception of July’s Money in the Bank taking shape and Seth Rollins heading to Orlando to defend his WWE World Heavyweight title against Bron Breakker.
We also talk Alex Shelley winning the Impact World title for the first time, the legendary Iron Sheik passing away at 81 years old, and plenty 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.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.