12 Flavors of Pro Wrestling

10/18/2019

The world of professional wrestling is on fire right now. October has been a huge month with AEW, WWE, Impact and NWA (among others) joining the fray for an all out melee. With all of this wrestling, fans get a choice of what product they want to watch. Here's a guide to help you select what product to watch.

Mondays

WWE RAW
For fans of WWE's "sports entertainment" brand of wrestling, WWE Raw every Monday night is your destination. Raw has traditionally been the A-show for WWE with the biggest stars and storylines. Every week on the USA Network, you get three hours of WWE-style matches, characters and storylines.

Featured Stars: Seth Rollins, AJ Styles, Becky Lynch, Randy Orton

Tuesdays

NWA Powerrr
While everyone else is doing arena-style professional wrestling, Billy Corgan's NWA brand is going retro with studio-style wrestling. NWA Powerrr has a greater focus on ringside promos and matches. They have scrapped entrances and a lot of the backstage pizazz for a simpler take on the sport. If you like old-school wrestling with modern elements, look at NWA Powerrr. You can watch Powerrr on YouTube.

Featured Stars: Nick Aldis, Eli Drake, James Storm, Allyson Kay

Impact Wrestling
Impact Wrestling's parent company has purchased AXS TV and Impact Wrestling will be premiering there beginning October 29th. Impact has stepped out of its own shadow and carved its own niche. They focus on solid in-ring wrestling, cinematic segments and intergender wrestling. Impact Wrestling is your home for consistent action on a weekly basis. They plan on making an Impact later this month when they debut on their new home.

Featured Talent: Brian Cage, Sami Callihan, The North, Tessa Blanchard, Moose, Eddie Edwards

Wednesdays

AEW Dynamite
All Elite Wrestling has been the talk of the wrestling world in 2019. They have taken the modern style of pro wrestling and pumped it up to the next level. AEW is supported with top notch production, promotion and money behind the brand. You are almost guaranteed to see at least one great match on a weekly basis. WWE wanted a war with AEW and they got one. If you want a strong tier-1 alternative to WWE, AEW may be where you see it. Watch Dynamite every Wednesday on TNT.

Featured Stars: Cody, Chris Jericho, Young Bucks, Lucha Brothers, Jon Moxley, Kenny Omega

WWE NXT
WWE's hard-hitting brand airs every Wednesday on the USA Network. NXT is the diehard fan's most talked about brand. With their Takeover specials getting fans buzzing, you will see some kickass matches on a regular basis. NXT is where you will see WWE's superstars of tomorrow with the next generation of talent adorning gold in the yellow brand.

Featured Stars: Undisputed Era, Matt Riddle, Velveteen Dream, Pete Dunn, Shayna Bazler.

Thursdays

NXT UK
Some of the best talent comes from across the pond in the UK. With NXT UK, you can see some of Europe's best talent. Taking place in venues across Europe, you can watch NXT UK on the WWE Network. NXT UK takes a lot of lesser-known international stars and gives them a regular platform to show their stuff.

Featured Stars: WALTER, Trent Seven, Tyler Bate, Toni Storm, Rhea Ripley

Fridays

WWE Friday Night Smackdown
You could say that with WWE's recent deal with FOX that Smackdown is as important to WWE as Raw. Raw and Smackdown compete regularly to become WWE's top brand. Smackdown has the roster and the resources to accomplish that. With a "focus" on the sports-aspect of sports entertainment, Friday Night Smackdown slightly is set apart from the Raw brand. Coming off the WWE draft, the Smackdown brand has been shaken up.

Featured Stars: Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, The Fiend, Bayley, Jeff Hardy, Daniel Bryan

205 Live
Press fast-forward and you will get a good taste of WWE's high flying brand. This is a glorified version of their cruiserweight division focusing on the best adrenaline junkies in the companies. It is often considered a C-Brand for WWE and may soon be dissolved.

Featured Stars: Lio Rush, Mike Bennett, Mark Andrews, Drew Gulak

Saturdays

MLW Fusion
Major League Wrestling takes an approach of treating its promotion like fight club. They call their wrestlers "fighters." Their championship matches are called "title fights." They embrace different styles of wrestling (strong style, Lucha libra, MMA and more). MLW is a hybrid of different styles. You will also see a strong mix of personalities in MLW that you may not see anywhere else. You can watch Fusion on BeIn Sports on Saturdays or on YouTube on Monday Nights.

Featured Stars: CONTRA Unit, Salina De La Renta, The Von Erichs, Tom Lawlor, LA Park, The Dynasty

Ring of Honor Wrestling
Before there was All Elite Wrestling, there was Ring of Honor. ROH focuses on the in-ring aspect of pro wrestling and has recently being trying to rebound after the departures of The Elite and the shaky relationship with New Japan. If you like the focus being on the ring, try giving ROH a shot.

Featured Stars: RUSH, Matt Taven, The Briscoes, Jay Lethal, PCO, Marty Scurll

New Japan Pro Wrestling
If you like hard-hitting, then you probably like Strong Style. The best place to watch strong style in the United States is on AXS TV with New Japan Pro Wrestling. NJPW is the #1 Japanese wrestling organization and one of the top wrestling promotions in the world. New Japan is trying to make gains in the USA after dominating Japan for a few years.

Featured Stars: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada, Kota Ibushi, Jushin Lyger, Tetsuya Naito

Women of Wrestling
In the spirit of GLOW, WOW focuses on the lady athletes of the sport. The product has an over-the-top feel focusing on characters and traditional methods of storytelling. This one-hour show on AXS is easy to follow and features some incredible women's wrestlers. If you are a fan of women's wrestling, give WOW a shot as you might be impressed.

Featured Stars: Tessa Blanchard, The Beast, Jungle Grrrl, Lana Star, Serpentine

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