PWI Weekly for December 16, 2024
Underdog Stories: Fraxiom, Darby Allin, Mikey Whipwreck, And More
IN THE WORLD of pro wrestling, the biggest stars aren’t always the biggest people. Sometimes, it’s the scrappy underdogs who steal the show—the ones who fight through impossible odds.
Underdogs remind us why we love wrestling. It’s about heart. Whether that means standing up to oppressive authority figures or shocking audiences with upset wins, rooting for “the little guy” is something we can all get behind.
On this edition of the PWI Weekly, we’re celebrating the underdogs—the teams, wrestlers, and moments—that show us anything can happen and that dreams really can come true. Because in wrestling, as in life, the greatest victories are the ones no one thinks are possible.
TAG TEAM OF THE WEEK
Axiom & Nathan Frazer may not be the biggest team in NXT, but their passion, skill, and undeniable chemistry has made them the brand’s tag team of the year. The Anglo-Spanish duo combines Axiom’s technical wizardry with Frazer’s high-flying explosiveness. It’s been a winning combination.
Raising the NXT tag team belts twice in 2024, the pair has faced any and all challengers who have come their way. Axion and Frazer’s matches haven’t just seen them be successful – they’ve been chronicles of resilience. More often than not, they’ve squared off against larger, more imposing teams … but never once backed down. Even though they might bicker like children outside of the ring, their bond between the ropes seems unbreakable. Axiom and Frazer prove that, no matter one’s size, hard work and heart trump all.
A QUICK WORD ABOUT …
While his style may not be to everyone’s liking, there’s no denying that Darby Allin has carved out a career as the ultimate underdog. At just 5’8” and 172 lbs, the Seattle native won’t win any Mr. Olympia contests. But his fearless, high-risk style has won over fans across the globe and made him a standout amongst AEW’s diverse roster.
Whether he’s being thrown into coffins, through plates of glass, or off of moving vehicles, Allin lives and wrestles with abandon. But is that abandon too reckless to see him become AEW World champion?
Much like his goal of scaling Mount Everest, Allin no doubt wants to reach AEW’s pinnacle: the World heavyweight championship. Getting there, however, might require this underdog to focus less on enduring pain—and concentrating more on inflicting it. Then again, it’s Allin’s devil-may-care style that has brought him this far. And it might just carry him the rest of the way.
Darby Allin: AEW World champion? Now there is an underdog story.
TERRITORIAL DISSINGS
Last week, we brought you a classic ECW promo from Cactus Jack. This week, we give the floor to his former tag team partner, Mikey Whipwreck.
Nothing says underdog quite like being shocked at winning one’s matches and then crying when told you have to face tougher opponents. Throw in “Loser” by Beck being used as your entrance music and … well, you’ve got a pretty good picture of Mikey.
In this less-than-braggadocious interview from 1994, Whipwreck tells his “Mom” how well he has done, all the while worrying that someone might kill him the next time he steps into the ring.
FROM THE VAULT
Rey Mysterio, clad in Wolverine-esque attire, addresses the crowd at the inaugural All In show in 2018. The perennial underdog was more of a heavy hitter in that particular setting, lending some additional mainstream credibility—and stunning aerial theatrics—to the trios match main event.