Category Archives: Chris Hyatte

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?”

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”

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”

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”

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”

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”

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”

Though the official ratings numbers have yet to be tallied, I think it’s safe to say that last Monday was probably the biggest day this era has seen — and it’s a day I do not anticipate will be topped anytime soon, at least in the sense of all three companies presenting major shows withContinue reading “The Mop-Up: Post Halloween Edition”

It’s been a long minute since any World of Wrestling pundit has earned their keep around here, but with all the excitement about tomorrow night, I had to put SOMETHING together to acknowledge just how spectacular the Fall of 2025 has been thus far. When the season began back in July, things were really lookingContinue reading “The Mop-Up: October Mega Edition”