Throughout the month of May, a number of wrestling stories made fans stand up and take notice. Whether they were about events in the ring or backstage, these stories stood out and seized the attention of wrestling fans around the world.
A couple of these stories emerged from a particular event, while others were either caused by online spats or noteworthy actions in different promotions. One highlight was the reaction to a certain champion being crowned.
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Once again, these stories gained traction via social media and/or on television. This month, the news relates to a new champion, an ousting in a company, a single word getting the social media world abuzz, and a team splitting up. Many of this past month's most notable events are tied to WWE because they gained huge traction on various platforms and media outlets. What made the internet wrestling community stand up and take notice?
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Which stories caused fans to focus most of their attention on above all else? Here are the six biggest and best moments in professional wrestling for May 2017.
#6 Marty Scurll joins Bullet Club and Adam Cole is out
“Every story needs a hero and every story needs a villain.” On May 12th, Kenny Omega, the Bullet Club's leader, made this statement as a means of introducing ‘The Villian' Marty Scurll as part of Bullet Club.
At the end of the Adam Cole/Hiroshi Tanahashi match, Matt and Nick Jackson came down to the ring and teased a superkick on Adam Cole, but ultimately embraced and then ‘too sweeted' their friend and Club cohort. It was at that point that the lights went out and Omega appeared on the screen to announce that Adam Cole had been fired from Bullet Club and that Scurll had joined.
When the lights came back on, Scurll appeared in the ring with an umbrella that read Bullet Club on it; the Jacksons super kicked Adam Cole, excommunicating him from Bullet Club. The addition of Scurll was a great choice and wasn't something that could have been predicted. With Scurll's addition, the combination of him and the Young Bucks will be known as the Super Villains, replacing the group known as the Super Kliq.
#5 ‘dive'…. headlock
These two words seemed to catch the attention of not just fans of sports entertainment, but wrestlers past and present as well. On May 14th, Randy Orton quoted a tweet sent out by OVW trainer and former professional wrestler Rip Rogers. The tweet was actually a quote by Canadian indy wrestler Daniel ‘D-Man' Parker, which commented on how many current indie wrestlers follow the same sequence of moves without telling a story in the ring.
Orton followed up this tweet by issuing an ‘apology'. He ended the tweet with the word ‘headlock' as a counterpoint to ‘…dive,' which had ended many tweets posted in response to Rogers.
It certainly got the ire of fans, who critiqued Orton and expressed their feelings of his matches. In between, an online dispute between Orton and Bully Ray emerged through tweets going back and forth.
There was also sarcastic acceptance by the Young Bucks, as these types of comments are perceived to be directed towards them. Meanwhile, Will Ospreay showed a sense of humour and had a t-shirt printed with the word ‘…dive' written on it. Whether you agree or disagree with Orton, it was certainly a talking point this past month.
#4 Pete Dunn and Tyler Bate steal the show at NXT Takeover: Chicago
In January, many expressed the sentiment that the must-see match of the year was Kenny Omega versus Kazuchika Okada from Wrestle Kingdom 11. However, at NXT Takeover: Chicago, two men with a collective age of 43 came into a show where they weren't the focal point of the program and left fans walking away talking about their match more than the NXT women's championship, NXT championship or NXT tag team championship bouts.
The match featured United Kingdom champion Tyler Bate defending his championship against the Bruiserweight, Pete Dunn. The result was a technical match that reflected what has been dubbed as British Strong Style. Dunn and Bate hit each other with everything and anything in a match that went on for about twenty minutes.
We saw everything from a corkscrew 450 splash to stiff forearms shots, to an eventual Bitter End by Dunn. After this hard-fought match, nothing should be taken away from Bate, who came out on the short end but played a key role in this match up. The match stole the show and can easily be considered a match of the year contender.
#3 Tommaso Ciampa turns on Johnny Gargano
“This isn't our moment… this is my moment”. After an act that can only be described as ‘didn't see that coming,' the tag team of Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa is no more. After their match against the Authors of Pain, the fans cheered the efforts of #DIY. It was a heartfelt thank you for their efforts and made clear that everything they had worked to achieve in that ring wasn't ignored.
However, as they walked up the ramp and seemed to accept the gratitude of the fans, Ciampa suddenly grabbed an unsuspecting Gargano and threw him head first into the video wall at the entranceway. He then proceeded to hit his erstwhile partner repeatedly with fists and a knee strike to the head as Gargano lie prone against the announce table.
It culminated with Ciampa picking up Gargano and leaping off the announce table, delivering an Emerald Flowsion (similar to Sheamus' White Noise) onto the tables below.
The last visual was Ciampa sitting cross-legged watching Gargano being put onto a stretcher by EMTs. This heel turn suggests Ciampa will now re-emerge as the Psycho Killer, a character reminiscent of Stone Cold Steve Austin.
#2 Shinsuke Nakamura makes official in-ring debut at Backlash
In the Superstar Shakeup that occurred after Wrestlemania, a number of men moved from Raw to Smackdown Live and vice versa. Several talents that were a part of NXT were brought to either Raw or Smackdown Live – The Revival, Tye Dillinger, and Shinsuke Nakamura were all moved to the main show's rosters.
While The Revival and Tye Dillinger have competed a number of times, Nakamura's in-ring debut was held off until the Smackdown Live only pay-per-view, Backlash. The belief was that Nakamura carries with him a special attraction type of aura, even though he hadn't competed weekly yet, but was a significant part of the brand.
The build to his debut saw Dolph Ziggler talk down Nakamura week in and week out, and suggest that he is a fraud. While the match itself wasn't of typical Nakamura quality but that doesn't mean that it wasn't memorable. It may not be the end of this rivalry between the two, but it marked the King of Strong Style's in-ring debut as a part of the Smackdown Live brand.
#1 Internet wrestling community reacts to Jinder Mahal capturing the WWE Championship
John Cena and Roman Reigns can move over because another WWE superstar has instantly joined the ranks as the most polarising character in WWE. On Sunday, May 21st, Jinder Mahal defeated Randy Orton to become the WWE champion.
Mahal immediately etched his name into the record books, becoming the first wrestler of Indian descent to capture the championship. Mahal's win, while celebrated by some, has come under scrutiny from a number of vocal fans.
Some expressed confusion as to how someone who had been on the undercard for so long had been granted the opportunity, and some questioned his recent physical development. Regardless, he has achieved what many either said wouldn't be done, couldn't be done or shouldn't be done. Social media has featured a public outcry about whether or not Mahal deserved it, to an extent that is incredible.
Whether fans like it or not, Mahal's capturing of the championship has certainly made headlines, and even if public reaction isn't in favour of it, WWE certainly has people talking, which is ultimately what they wanted to have happened.
