Nick Piccone

Nick Piccone is a Pro Wrestling Contributor for PhillyVoice.com. Nick was the founder of the popular sports and pro wrestling blog Bleed Philly before joining Philly Influencer as Editor and Writer in 2015. He's hosted a weekly pro wrestling podcast with Vaughn Johnson, The Straight Shooters, since 2015. Nick also does editing, writing, and audio engineering for the only sports betting radio station in Philadelphia, Fox Sports Radio The Gambler. Nick graduated from nearby Neumann University after growing up in south Philadelphia and southern New Jersey. His family history is entrenched in Philadelphia culture, as Nick's great aunt Dolly's house was used as Rocky's and Adrian's new home in Rocky II. Nick is a huge Philly sports fan, and he has watched professional wrestling since he was five years old; he has not only a strong passion, but also an abundance of knowledge about the industry. Follow Nick on Twitter: @_piccone.

May 22, 2016

Wrestling

Straight Shooters Podcast 41: Extreme Rules preview and a whole lot more

by Nick Piccone

This week, the guys are joined by Brian Isley as they preview Extreme Rules.

May 20, 2016

Wrestling

WWE SmackDown rundown: Chris Jericho enters the asylum

by Nick Piccone

The last event before Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view aired on Thursday night from the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C. Some angles were furthered from Raw on Monday night, but the huge brawl at the end and when SmackDown went off the air had everyone talking.

May 20, 2016

Wrestling

WWE 2016 Extreme Rules preview: Styles, Reigns ready to get extreme

by Nick Piccone

The most extreme night of the year is upon us as WWE presents Extreme Rules this Sunday night from the Prudential Center in nearby Newark, N.J. On tap are five title matches and the continuation of two feuds that have been underwhelming so far. We’ll also see the continuation of The Club vs. The Bloodline feud with AJ Styles taking on Roman Reigns for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in an Extreme Rules match and Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson going toe-to-toe with The Usos in a Texas Tornado match. The main event alone will make it worth watching this show.

May 17, 2016

Wrestling

WWE Raw roundup: Charlotte vs. Natalya made official for Extreme Rules in contract signing

by Nick Piccone

Six days away from Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view, WWE brought Raw to the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C. It was the final time for the main storylines to be on display in front of a big audience, and the angles played really well in advance of Sunday’s event. Every angle had a purpose and built to a match, so nobody can argue it was a show that didn’t mean anything.

May 13, 2016

Wrestling

WWE SmackDown rundown: The Miz stands tall after tag team main event

by Nick Piccone

Des Moines, Iowa’s Wells Fargo Arena [real original] was the host for SmackDown Thursday night as we inched closer and closer to Extreme Rules, which takes place next Sunday. While the card for the next pay-per-view is taking shape with five matches confirmed so far, SmackDown did a great job featuring some of the high profile angles and also the in-ring debut of Dana Brooke on the main roster.

May 11, 2016

Wrestling

WWE superstar Adam Rose arrested, charged with domestic violence

by Nick Piccone

WWE star Adam Rose, real name Raymond Leppan, was arrested early this morning in Lutz, Fla., and charged with tampering with a witness and battery domestic violence, according to PW Insider. The report states the Hillsborough, Fla. Sheriff’s office arrested Leppan at 1:30 a.m. at a private residence.

May 10, 2016

Wrestling

WWE Raw roundup: Dean Ambrose costs Chris Jericho a lot of money

by Nick Piccone

WWE brought Raw to the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Neb. on Monday night. We’re one week closer to Extreme Rules, where Roman Reigns will defend his WWE World Heavyweight Championship against AJ Styles in an Extreme Rules match. The two came together again on Monday night, and, of course, with their friends close.

May 7, 2016

Wrestling

Straight Shooters Podcast 39: WWE releases and our first official WWE draft

by Nick Piccone

This week, we invaded the 94WIP studios on Market St. in Center City for a huge two-hour plus show. Eric "Turtle" Golden, who's a fantastic producer at the radio station and a big wrestling fan, joined us as we talked about Payback, the AJ Styles/Roman Reigns angle and how it's playing out with the additions of Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson and The Usos to the mix. Is Reigns better because of it? How bad does Styles really want the WWE World Heavyweight Championship?

May 6, 2016

Wrestling

WWE SmackDown rundown: Reigns gets one over on Styles and Co.

by Nick Piccone

The Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. was the host for SmackDown on Thursday night. Despite Shane and Stephanie McMahon running Raw on Monday nights, neither of them apparently run SmackDown, as neither were present on the show.

May 3, 2016

Wrestling

WWE Raw roundup: Reigns vs. Styles gets personal

by Nick Piccone

On the heels of a fantastic Payback pay-per-view, WWE brought Raw to the Scottrade Center in St. Louis on Monday night. There were quite a few questions after Payback ended on Sunday night, but we got a lot of answers on Raw.