5 Most Insane Things Happening In Wrestling Right Now (Jan 4)

1. The Banter Era Continues

Scott Steiner Swoggle
Absolutely Intense Wrestling

Inspired by mad scientist Joey Janela, the "banter match" is a new and quite wonderful development in the world of professional wrestling.

Exhuming stars from yesteryear with dormant potential for twilight swansongs, or simply pitting two performers who absolutely shouldn't be sharing the same ring, said trend has reached a superb zenith with Absolutely Intense Wrestling's announcement of Scott Steiner Vs. Swoggle over WrestleMania Weekend.

Both performers share just one thing in common - both were pointed to and laughed at by Triple H on WWE television - and, accordingly, this horrific mismatch is going to be awesome. Steiner is a legendary performer - a neon-clad nutcase who throws poor b*stards to their doom, he is arguably the idealised performer - and Swoggle is a pesky little sh*t who is going to taunt him before eating some gruesome Germans. A black comedy masterpiece beckons on April 4, especially if Big Poppa Pump makes Swoggle atone for years of comedy dross by spiking him with the Steiner Screwdriver.

Perhaps WWE could take inspiration from this, and book something absolutely f*cking nuts - like a title match without a sequel, or Universal Title match featuring two wrestlers the fans actually like.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!