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.

February 14, 2016

Wrestling

Straight Shooters Podcast 27: Daniel Bryan's retirement, Titus O'Neil's suspension & more

by Nick Piccone

Brian Isley joins the show again as Nick and Vaughn talk about Daniel Bryan's retirement, their favorite Bryan moments and why it was the right decision for him to walk away from the ring.

February 12, 2016

Wrestling

WWE SmackDown rundown: Styles-Jericho II was missing something

by Nick Piccone

Life after Daniel Bryan’s retirement officially began on Thursday night at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore. On Thursday, I wrote about why Daniel Bryan’s only option was retirement, and SmackDown’s main event kind of felt like a small tribute to him in a way.

February 11, 2016

Wrestling

Why retiring from the ring was Daniel Bryan's only option

by Nick Piccone

There was mixed emotion when Daniel Bryan sent out a Tweet on Monday, hours before Raw began, saying he was retiring from the ring and he would explain why on television that night.

February 9, 2016

Wrestling

WWE Raw roundup: Daniel Bryan officially retires from the ring

by Nick Piccone

Seattle’s KeyArena was the host for Monday Night Raw this week, and the big story coming out hours before Raw took the air was Daniel Bryan announcing his retirement on Twitter.

February 5, 2016

Wrestling

WWE SmackDown rundown: Styles-Jericho II set for next Thursday night

by Nick Piccone

We are just about two weeks away from Fastlane, and the card seems to be taking some shape to supplement the huge main event.

February 2, 2016

Wrestling

WWE Raw roundup: Lesnar shows who’s dominant heading to Fastlane

by Nick Piccone

The Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala., hosted Raw on Monday night as we prepare for Fastlane in three weeks. The main event of that pay-per-view will feature a Triple Threat Match pitting the Beast Incarnate, Brock Lesnar, against former Shield members Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose for a chance to face Triple H for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 32 in April.

February 1, 2016

Wrestling

WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart announces he's fighting prostate cancer

by Nick Piccone

One of the greatest legends in the history of professional wrestling faces another battle outside of the ring. WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart announced Monday on his Facebook page that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

January 29, 2016

Wrestling

WWE SmackDown rundown: Reigns and Ambrose fend off the Wyatts

by Nick Piccone

The continuing fallout from Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view made its way to the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. on Thursday night. Now that we know Fastlane’s main event will feature a No. 1 Contender’s match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, pitting Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and Brock Lesnar all against each other, it looks more and more like the Road to WrestleMania will end with a Reigns-Triple H main event, which I don’t mind at all. What did Thursday night have in store for Ambrose and Reigns in the meantime?

January 26, 2016

Wrestling

WWE Raw roundup: The Rock returns and confronts The New Day

by Nick Piccone

WWE presented Monday Night Raw this week from the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Fla. Sunday night, the COO of the company surprised everyone and entered the Royal Rumble match as the 30th entrant, eliminating both the former champion Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose en route to his 14th World Title reign.

January 25, 2016

Wrestling

2016 WWE Royal Rumble: Triple H returns for revenge on Roman Reigns

by Nick Piccone

The Amway Center in Orlando, Fla., hosted the 29th annual Royal Rumble event on Sunday night. The event would be highlighted by the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Roman Reigns, defending his championship in the 30-man Royal Rumble match, only the second time the title has ever been on the line in the Rumble match itself.