Apologies for the delayed column. I’d love to blame my tardiness on the winter storm that pummeled much of the U.S., or even the unsettling events we’re all still watching unfold in Minnesota. But the truth is far less noble: I simply didn’t feel like doing much of anything beyond watching The Rock’s Oscar-worthy performanceContinue reading “The Mop-Up: The Apex Era?”
Author Archives: alltalkwrestling
The Mop-Up: The Past Goes Over
WWE: We kicked off the week with a painful reminder that Jey Uso has won a singles championship before Roman Reigns, which feels like a trivia question designed purely to hurt people. Don’t get me wrong, I like Jey Uso. And I’m even excited for the return of the old wrestling trope of the “breakoutContinue reading “The Mop-Up: The Past Goes Over”
AEW Presents: Elite Warfare (1.12.26)
Live from Scotiabank Arena | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Crowd Size: 26,500 SEGMENT ONE The screen is black. A single bootstep echoes. Then the opening pulse of Johnny Cash’s “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” crawls in. “You can run on for a long time…” The words hang as the first image flickers to life. ThreeContinue reading “AEW Presents: Elite Warfare (1.12.26)”
The Mop-Up: Strong Starts, Thin Margins, and No Room for Coasting
Before I get into what the competition has been serving up in 2026, I need to rewind to a prediction I made a mere eight days ago. I went out on a limb regarding the scope of WOW Week, specifically the 2026 Draft, and wouldn’t you know it: the limb held. As previously reported, AEWContinue reading “The Mop-Up: Strong Starts, Thin Margins, and No Room for Coasting”
[A Tale of the Tape] Hyatte’s Elite Warfare preview
What — didn’t expect to see me back so soon? There was never a chance I was going to sit out the buildup to the biggest show of 2026. Yes, we’re barely a week and a half into the year, but that only makes the moment more striking. This Monday night, AEW presents a pay-per-viewContinue reading “[A Tale of the Tape] Hyatte’s Elite Warfare preview”
AEW Dynamite #66 [S04E017] (1.5.26)
Live from Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse | Cleveland, OH | Crowd Size: 18,303 SEGMENT ONE As Dynamite comes onto the air, Kevin Kelly and Arn Anderson welcome us to 2026! Kelly says he hopes everyone had a good holiday season, noting that tonight is the final stop before Elite Warfare! The crowd immediately becomes raucous asContinue reading “AEW Dynamite #66 [S04E017] (1.5.26)”
2026 Predictions for the World of Wrestling
To wrap up this frankly exhausting week of content from yours truly, it’s time to look ahead. Predicting the future in this industry has always been a fool’s errand. The wind changes direction without warning, pushing sure-thing superstars straight into the wall while dragging the supposedly finished back into relevance. Still, I said I’d doContinue reading “2026 Predictions for the World of Wrestling”
The Mop-Up: 2025 Year in Review
Chirs Hyatte’s In-Depth Look Back at ULW & WWE Programming Every year, the industry promises stability, foresight, and “the long game.” And yet, every year, at least one of those promises gets powerbombed through the nearest announce table. (Not the unbreakable AEW table, of course…) 2025 was not a quiet year. It was loud, ambitious,Continue reading “The Mop-Up: 2025 Year in Review”
Chris Hyatte Presents: The 2025 Smarkies
As the sun sets on 2025, we kick off a trilogy of columns from yours truly. This week brings you the inaugural edition of the Smarkies, followed mid-week by the Year in Review, and we’ll wrap things up by the weekend with my 2026 predictions, which you are free to bookmark now and argue aboutContinue reading “Chris Hyatte Presents: The 2025 Smarkies”
AEW Presents: Violent Night (12.22.25)
Live from Stabler Arena | Bethlehem, PA | Crowd Size: 6,500 SEGMENT ONE The feed pops on with a loud shriek of feedback. The picture is titled. Doc Brown’s wild hair fills most of the frame. Doc Brown: –No, no… that’s not the lens, that’s my thumb. There! There we go. He squints at theContinue reading “AEW Presents: Violent Night (12.22.25)”