Wrestling Archives - D Magazine

All Elite Wrestling’s Residency in Arlington Brings the Territory Era Back to North Texas

Mike Piellucci — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 14:40:09 +0000

Back in the 1980s heyday of the Dallas Sportatorium, some of the best wrestlers in the world traded fists and bodyslams each weekend. Ric Flair, Harley Race, The Fabulous Freebirds and, of course, Texas’ own Von Erich family were just some of the acts that competed in Fritz Von Erich’s World Class Championship Wrestling for … Continued

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The Best of StrongSide, 2023

Mike Piellucci — Thu, 28 Dec 2023 14:30:00 +0000

We have reached that time of year when I shout out our best work, which one of the more daunting tasks of my year as well as one of the most fulfilling. Because our second full year of publishing was better than our first in just about every way, from the amount of pieces we … Continued

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From the Ring to the Screen: MJF Becomes a Von Erich, Sort Of

Mike Piellucci — Fri, 22 Dec 2023 15:28:44 +0000

The big screen debut of Maxwell Jacob Friedman, the fake fake Von Erich, did not play out quite like he imagined. His moment on screen portraying Lance Von Erich, the famous wrestling family’s storyline cousin, amounts to around 10 seconds of action, during which he pummels two opponents while wearing a blonde wig. Zac Efron, … Continued

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The Misunderstood Von Erich

Mike Piellucci — Thu, 21 Dec 2023 16:47:45 +0000

Let’s begin with a history lesson. Thirty-five years ago, as the Von Erich family trudged through the tragedies that would come to define them, this magazine published a story by Skip Hollandsworth called “The Fall of the House Von Erich.” It is, without exaggeration, one of the greatest magazine stories you’ll read. More pertinently, as … Continued

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Getting in the Ring with the Creators of The Iron Claw

Zoe Roberts — Tue, 19 Dec 2023 22:17:08 +0000

Zac Efron had been through the grueling pre-production boot camp and had carefully studied Kevin Von Erich’s physicality and mannerisms. But he still wasn’t mentally prepared for that top rope. Even for the seasoned actors in The Iron Claw, imitating professional wrestlers brought a sense of trepidation and nostalgic exhilaration. “The very first time I … Continued

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This WWE-Flavored Big XII Title Game Is a Little Ridiculous, And I’m Here For It

Mike Piellucci — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 16:54:17 +0000

In a previous journalism life, I had a job that partly involved coverage of sports partnerships. I was miserable. There is a certain kind of person equipped to extract value and meaning from the latest naming-rights deal or jersey patch arrangement, and I am most assuredly not it. Every time I wrote about it, or … Continued

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Kevin Von Erich Keeps on Going

Mike Piellucci — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 16:41:39 +0000

“I always saw God in lightning,” Kevin Von Erich says, by way of explaining why he stood in an icy Texas field many decades ago during a rainstorm, the water drenching him, a frigid wind biting at him. This was him at his lowest: drowning in grief at the loss of his five brothers, who … Continued

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The Last Days of Sting

Mike Piellucci — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 14:30:00 +0000

Editor’s note: On Sunday, March 3, Sting will wrestle his final match. The story below was first published in January 2023. Steve Borden’s last match for World Championship Wrestling is scripted to look like a celebration. It is March 26, 2001, and the country’s second-largest wrestling promotion is airing the final broadcast of Monday Nitro, … Continued

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A Wrestling Nerd’s Guide to WrestleMania Week in Dallas

Mike Piellucci — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 20:04:16 +0000

You may have heard that WrestleMania is coming to Arlington next weekend, April 2 and 3. What you may not know is that the two-night behemoth is only a fraction of the pro wrestling activity in town, be it from WWE itself or the dozens of independent shows and conventions dotting North Texas. It’s a … Continued

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Of Course I’ll Watch The Hell Out of Stone Cold Steve Austin’s WrestleMania Comeback

Mike Piellucci — Tue, 08 Mar 2022 19:01:32 +0000

Next month marks WrestleMania’s first appearance in North Texas since 2016—we’ll have more about that both in print and online closer to the event—and, as is the case for every Mania season, WWE has some trump cards to play. Two, in particular, piqued wrestling fans’ curiosity. The first—76-year-old WWE owner Vince McMahon wrestling former commentator … Continued

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