By Brian Argabright
It was a weekend pro wrestling fans could only dream of.
Starting with the independent marathon that was Fight Forever and ending with the WWE’s annual Royal Rumble pay-per-view, fans were treated to nearly 30 hours of pro wrestling over the course of Friday to Sunday.
While the Rumble drew most of the attention, since it is the WWE after all, Fight Forever was a 24-hour, livestreaming fundraiser to benefit independent wrestlers who had been unable to work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the matches featured wrestlers most fans had never heard of or seen before, but there were a few names, and faces, fans would recognize. Some of the more well-known wrestlers to take part in the event included former Evolve Tag Team champion Chris Dickinson, former WWE Cruiserweight champion Lio Rush, former NWA World Tag Team champion Ricky Morton, former Ring of Honor World Champion and TNA World Tag Team champion Homicide and former WWE Tag Team champion Erick Redbeard, formerly known as Erick Rowen of the Wyatt Family and the Bludgeon Brothers.
As of this writing, the event, which fans could contribute funds to through Indiegogo, raised just under $54,000 thanks to the efforts of 961 backers. It far surpassed its initial goal of $40,000. It was a great way for fans to give back and watch some free wrestling in the process.
If you want to see what all the buzz was about, there should be a replay of the event on the official Game Changer Wrestling YouTube channel or on Fite TV. A word of caution though – some of the matches may be too violent for some fans and there’s a whole lot of profanity throughout. You’ve been warned.
Spoilers ahead for those who haven’t seen this year’s Royal Rumble matches yet. Read no further if you don’t want to know who won.
As for the WWE’s Royal Rumble, neither of my predictions in regards to who would win came true. I was close, though.
Rhea Ripley, my pick to win the women’s rumble, was second. She was eliminated in the end by eventual champion Bianca Belair.
On the men’s side, returning superstar Edge entered the match at number one and managed to survive, last eliminating Randy Orton to claim his spot at this year’s WrestleMania. Who Edge and Belair will face at ‘Mania may not be decided for a while, but I foresee Edge challenging Roman Reigns while Belair sets her sights on Sasha Banks.
