Staff Memories

BRIAN SOLOMON [CONTRIBUTING WRITER]

For this jaded middle-aged wrestling fan, with 35 years of watching the sport under my belt, it takes quite a lot to elicit a powerful emotional response—and even more to get me to forgo my DVR and return to the glorious days of “appointment viewing.” Yet that’s exactly what happened when CM Punk made his triumphant return to wrestling on the August 20 edition of AEW Rampage. Like nothing in years, it compelled me to reach out to friends and family who might’ve been lapsed fans—in some cases, even sending them the actual video clip of Punk’s emotional in-ring speech—to make sure that they knew this happened. It was a true generational moment, in a sport that desperately needs them.

HARRY BURKETT [SENIOR WRITER]

Three years ago, I picked Becky Lynch’s slap to former best friend Charlotte Flair as my standout memory, comparing the matches between Becky and Charlotte to, led to Lynch’s verbal receipt in an interview with and Flair responding on BT Sport—each woman detailing how she had lost respect for the other. A slap solidified Lynch-Flair as wrestling’s greatest female rivalry of all-time. A fumble may well lead to another WrestleMania main event.