JNPO: Pro wrestling year in review – Triumph, tragedy & tribulations
On the latest entry into my JNPO pro wrestling year in review series, it’s time to wrap up summer with a look at August, joined this time by Rich Kraetsch of Voices of Wrestling.
It truly was a month of triumph and tragedy as the wrestling world mourned the sudden passing of WWE star Bray Wyatt at just 36 years old — just a day after one of the greatest of all time — Terry Funk — passed away at 79 years old.
It was a triumphant month for AEW thanks to the success of All In at London’s Wembley Stadium — a show that grossed $10+ million in revenue and saw more than 70,000 fans come through the turnstiles.
However, as seemed to be the case with a lot of AEW success, there were tribulations as CM Punk got into a backstage skirmish with “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry just minutes before he was set to kick off the PPV. It would be Punk’s final AEW appearance and Rich & I dive into all the other Punk-related drama through the month.
Join us for this hour+ deep dive into everything that happened in WWE, AEW, Impact Wrestling, Japan, 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.
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.