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HEAVYWEIGHT 1 ADAM PAGE (1) AEW Men’s World champion Aaron’s Creek, VA 2 SETH ROLLINS  (2) Former WWE World heavyweight champion Davenport, IA 3 CODY RHODES (3) WWE Undisputed Universal champion Atlanta, GA 4 KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (5) IWGP World heavyweight champion Osaka, Japan 5 MIKE SANTANA  (-) TNA World Champion New York, NY 6 DOMINIK MYSTERIO  (-) AAA Mega/WWE Intercontinental champion San Diego, CA 7 ILJA DRAGUNOV (-) WWE United States champion Moscow, Russia 8 ZACK SABRE JR. (4) Former IWGP World champion Isle Of Sheppey, U.K. 9 TRICK WILLIAMS (6) Former TNA World champion Columbia, SC 10 MADS KRULE KRUGGER (-) MLW World heavyweight champion Unknown WOMEN 1 KRIS STATLANDER (-) AEW Women’s World champion Long island, NY 2 STEPHANIE VAQUER (-) WWE Women’s World champion San Fernando, Chile…

HEAVYWEIGHT 1 CODY RHODES  (3) WWE Undisputed Universal champion Atlanta, GA 2 SAMOA JOE (-) AEW Men’s World champion Huntington Beach, CA 3 CM PUNK (-) WWE World heavyweight champion Chicago, IL 4 KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (4) IWGP World heavyweight champion Osaka, Japan 5 FRANKIE KAZARIAN (-) TNA World Champion Anaheim, CA 6 DOMINIK MYSTERIO  (6) AAA Mega/WWE Intercontinental champion San Diego, CA 7 ADAM PAGE  (1) Former AEW Men’s World champion Aaron’s Creek, VA 8 CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI (-) CMLL World heavyweight champion Lucerne, Switzerland 9 YOSHIKI INAMURA  (-) GHC heavyweight champion Tochigi, Japan 10 MADS KRULE KRUGGER (10) MLW World heavyweight champion Unknown WOMEN 1 STEPHANIE VAQUER (2) WWE Women’s World champion San Fernando, Chile 2 KRIS STATLANDER (1) AEW Women’s World champion Long Island, NY 3 JADE CARGILL  (-)…

WHO DOESN’T LOVE A feel-good story punctuated by a full-circle moment? When Jeff & Matt Hardy took home PWI Tag Team of the Year honors for the year 2000, the young thrill-seekers joined a who’s-who of legendary teams—The Road Warriors, The Rock ’n’ Roll Express, The Steiners, and Harlem Heat, to name a few—as fan-voted recipients of the award. Now, three full decades after competing in their earliest tag matches, they are once again making history within the pages of Pro Wrestling Illustrated. As the number-one pair on 2025’s “PWI Tag Team 100,” The Hardys are the longest-tenured team to ever lead this competitive list. For the evaluation period in question, they outrank three outstanding contemporary acts—FTR, The Usos, and The Young Bucks—who have all ranked first in previous years (and…

GREETINGS, GRAPPLE FANS. And welcome to another edition of “The Irish Whip.” This month, we are bringing you the hottest happenings from BritWres this summer. On June 29, PWI was on hand for PROGRESS Wrestling’s Chapter 181 show, held at the o2 Ritz in Manchester, England. The event saw competitors stake their claims at the forefront of British wrestling, while, elsewhere, rivalries boiled over in the sweltering conditions. One such rivalry was that between Kanji and Nina Samuels. When yours truly sat down to mediate a virtual face-off between the two women in early-June, tensions were already high. Indeed, bad blood had been building for years between the former PROGRESS Women’s champions, during which time they had cost each other opportunities and championships. PROGRESS announced that the two would square off…

HAPPY “TAG TEAM 100” ISSUE, my darlings! At the time of writing this column, thoughts of Christmas trees, Hallmark movies, and hot cocoa are dancing in my head. Perhaps more relevant, though, to this installment of “Mat, Stage, & Screen” are the gobs of truly stupendous entertainment news surrounding the wrestling industry and the players within it. I’ve always wanted to have my own column, and, as a little girl from South Philadelphia, I never could have predicted it would be within the pages of this illustrious magazine. Yet, here we are! I couldn’t be happier to bring you all every morsel of the latest and greatest film, TV, fashion, and literary scoops involving our favorite wrestlers and wrestling personalities. So, let’s get into it, because I have a lot…

HORRENDOUS. MONSTROUS. DISGUSTING. Those are some of the adjectives used to describe the allegations against former TKO Group Holdings Executive Chairman Vince McMahon in a lawsuit by ex-WWE employee Janel Grant, who accused McMahon of sex trafficking and other abusive behavior. Even those who have become desensitized to sexual harassment claims directed toward McMahon over nearly four decades were stunned by the lurid details in the lawsuit that included allegations of coerced sexual activity, depraved acts such as defecation, and using Grant as a sexual pawn for friends (even talent). The 43-year-old Grant, who worked for WWE between 2019 and 2022, had signed a $3-million non-disclosure agreement and says she has received only $1-million of that amount. McMahon’srole in the company became untenable nearly immediately. With McMahon answering to Endeavor…

TNA ON AMC NOW IT SEEMS EVERY cable channel wants live action, as AMC Networks and TNA Wrestling have worked out a three-year agreement to air TNA’s flagship program—now rebranded as Thursday Night IMPACT!—from 9 to 11 p.m. Eastern on AMC. The deal is rumored to be worth $30-million, a game-changer for Anthem Sports & Entertainment and TNA. The great news for fans is that AMC wants a specific—yet still undisclosed—number of episodes to air live, which adds an incalculable element of excitement and unpredictability. The first Thursday Night IMPACT under the new partnership will be a live show from the Curtis Culwell Center in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex on January 15. IMPACT episodes will continue to be available on TNA+, in addition to AMC+. Since Anthem’s TNA takeover in 2017,…

MY CHILDHOOD AND teenage years were fortunate because I had never dealt with heavy personal losses. All of my grandparents were still alive, so dealing with grief was something I had yet to experience. So, I’m cruising along in my senior year of college in early-1993, and I read in the newspaper (yes, the newspaper!) that Andre The Giant had died of a heart attack in Paris, shortly after attending his father’s funeral on January 28. He was 46. It had taken two days for the news to be reported in the United States. I didn’t cry, but this was my first experience losing someone who had been in my thoughts from a very young age. Frankly, on the 30th anniversary of his death, I’m still thinking about him. Less…

HEAVYWEIGHT 1 JON MOXLEY 234, Cincinnati, OH (7) Interim AEW champion 2 ROMAN REIGNS 265, Pensacola, FL (2) WWE Undisputed champion 3 JAY WHITE 220, Auckland, NZ (–) IWGP World champion 4 SATOSHI KOJIMA 238, Tokyo, Japan (–) GHC heavyweight champion 5 JOSH ALEXANDER 240, Bolton, ON (4) IMPACT World champion 6 WARDLOW 267, Cleveland, OH (–) AEW TNT champion 7 TREVOR MURDOCH 241, St. Louis, MO (–) NWA World champion 8 JONATHAN GRESHAM 175, Atlanta, GA (6) ROH World champion 9 ALEX HAMMERSTONE 251, Phoenix, AZ (8) MLW World champion 10 SUWAMA 265, Kanagawa, Japan (–) Triple Crown champion WOMEN 1 BIANCA BELAIR 165, Knoxville, TN (1) Raw Women’s champion 2 THUNDER ROSA 119, Tijuana, Mexico (4) AEW Women’s champion 3 LIV MORGAN 117, Elmwood Park, NJ (–) Smackdown…

PROMOTION: NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING DATE: 01.04.21-01.05.21 LOCATION: TOKYO, JAPAN NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING began the 2021 calendar year with the two-night Wrestle Kingdom 15 feature event, a yearly tradition that has become an international spectacle in professional wrestling. The decision for Wrestle Kingdom to return with a two-night format despite the COVID-19 pandemic came up during the PWI exclusive interview—featured in our digital-only issue, Inside NJPW, available through Zinio—with NJPW President Takami Ohbari back in December. “Wrestle Kingdom is our flagship event and represents our brand very strongly. So, while yes, there are risks involved, if we couldn’t do this year what we were able to do last year, that weakens our image,” Ohbari told PWI. “Not only that, it lessens our ability to lift people up and to be a…

MEDIA REVIEWS CASSANDRO It seems as though the movie business is getting hip to what wrestling fans have known all along. That is to say, the squared circle can make for an inspired setting, from all-fiction fare such as Mickey Rourke’s quintessential portrayal of Randy “The Ram” Robinson in The Wrestler to quasi-biopics like the Saraya-inspired yarn Fighting With My Family. Following closely in this growing trend is the film Cassandro, which chronicles the early career of famed luchador Saul Armendariz, as played by actor Gael Garcia Bernal. Armendariz, who began his ring career in the late-’80s, is now widely regarded as an icon in both lucha libre and broader LGBT pop culture. But his path to fame was an especially challenging one, rife with the emotional peaks and valleys…

VINCE McMAHON’S ALLEGED inappropriate relationship with a 41-year-old female employee—a scandal that has expanded to include fellow WWE executive John Laurinaitis—seems ripped from the headlines of 1986 or 1992, not 2022. We’ve been spoiled over the past decade, with the epidemic of premature deaths, steroid trials, and intra-WWE sexual misconduct allegations being distant memories. The good news is the latest McMahon scandal seems like a throwback—something not characteristic of today’s wrestling industry. The irony is that McMahon, who is blamed for many scandals of the modern era, is also responsible for sports entertainment’s cleaner image over the past 10 years: The Wellness Program implemented after the Benoit family tragedy, the pursuit of a PG rating, and the corporatization of WWE have all improved the culture of the business. McMahon’s policy…

FTR DAX HARWOOD AND Cash Wheeler, formerly The Revival, are now The Revitalized. They walked away from WWE, WrestleMania, unparalleled exposure, and tremendous financial security in exchange for the challenge of proving themselves all over again, the opportunity to forge an even greater legacy, and the risk of losing everything. A few months since appearing on the May 27 edition of AEW Dynamite, it seems as if Harwood and Wheeler—now known simply as FTR—made the right decision. They are the AEW World tag team champions, and, as you’ve learned from this issue, they are number one in PWI’s inaugural “Tag Team 50” rankings. When news of the impending “Tag Team 50” broke on social media, Harwood tweeted that PWI was unlikely to grant FTR the top spot. Maybe Harwood thought…

MEDIA REVIEWS FALLS, BRAWLS, AND TOWN HALLS For much of its institutional existence, professional wrestling’s brightest spotlights have remained focused upon its largest markets, from the dynamic and diverse territories of the United States to the tradition-steeped promotions of Canada, Mexico, and Japan. But most every enclave and locality enjoys its own distinct history. And, as such, it’s worth writing those stories down for posterity. Nick Campbell’s new book, Falls, Brawls, and Town Halls: The History of Professional Wrestling In Northern Ireland, offers a timely example of such regional recordkeeping. Hailing from “The Emerald Isle”—and a local wrestler and promoter himself—Campbell presents the evolution of wrestling in Northern Ireland as a vivid tapestry that, beginning in the early-1930s, developed along a course comparable to pro wrestling in North America and…

RHEA RIPLEY WHEN SURVEYING THE wrestling landscape of the last 12 months, it wasn’t hard to see that Rhea Ripley had a year to rival that of any female wrestler in this century. To limit that comparison to one gender, however, would be a disservice to the Australian bruiser. Rhea Ripley had one of the best years in wrestling imaginable, full stop. It takes a special person to hold their own in a stable that also includes Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio, and Damian Priest. Ripley has not only done that, but she has (arguably) established herself as the leader of the talented faction over the past year. It also takes a special kind of person to be Dominik Mysterio’s “Mami.” And Ripley, too, has taken on that role with aplomb,…

WHEN STING FIRST laced up a pair of boots and stepped inside a ring, Ronald Reagan was president of the United States. There had only been one WrestleMania. Ric Flair was just a three-time World champion. Rick Martel held the AWA World heavyweight title. Sting’s earliest opponents included Austin Idol, The Fantastics, The Fabulous Ones, and Kamala. He is the only man to have begun his career tag teaming with the Ultimate Warrior and ended it teaming with Darby Allin—a wrestler who wasn’t even born until Sting was already a seven-year veteran of the sport. His career has defied time, age, and physics. When he first showed up in AEW and stood side-by-side with Darby Allin for the first time in early-2021, Sting was two weeks away from Social Security…

HEAVYWEIGHT 1 CODY RHODES (2) WWE Undisputed Universal champion Atlanta, GA 2 GUNTHER (-) WWE World heavyweight champion Vienna, Austria 3 SWERVE STRICKLAND (3) AEW World champion Tacoma, WA 4 TETSUYA NAITO (4) IWGP World champion Tokyo, Japan 5 DAMIAN PRIEST (1) Former WWE World heavyweight champion New York, NY 6 NIC NEMETH (-) TNA World champion Hollywood, FL 7 ZACK SABRE JR. (-) G1 Climax winner Isle of Sheppey, U.K. 8 KAITO KIYOMIYA (-) GHC champion Saitama, Japan 9 YUMA AOYAGI (-) Triple Crown champion Nagano, Japan 10 YUMA ANZAI (-) Former Triple Crown champion Gunma, Japan WOMEN 1 LIV MORGAN (5) WWE Women’s World champion Elmwood Park, NJ 2 TONI STORM (2) AEW Women’s World champion Gold Coast, Australia 3 NIA JAX (-) WWE Women’s champion San Diego,…

JULY 1 WAS Canada Day, and I can humbly say that the local Canadian scene has never been blooming as much as it is right now. Let’s start with the Matt Falco story. The Saint-Casimir native has been wrestling for close to 20 years now, mainly throughout the province of Quebec. At 6’5” and 220 pounds, he’s considered a giant on the independent scene. And still, Falco, who just turned 35, has never had the same opportunities as some of his fellow workers such as Marko Estrada, “Speedball” Mike Bailey, and Matt Angel. All that changed in a matter of eight days. On June 18, NSPW was promoting its biggest show of the year, Golden Opportunity 12. In the main event, Falco defeated longtime NSPW champion Angel in front 1,354…

THEY SAY IF it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. If you’ve been watching Raw and SmackDown for the past several years, you might think that NXT is completely broken. As most fans know, it isn’t. But WWE’s approach to developing talent may be. Late this summer, we got an unfortunate reminder of this phenomenon thanks to Keith Lee’s abrupt jump from NXT to Raw. Lee, a trainee of the late “Killer” Tim Brooks who achieved unparalleled success on the black-and-gold brand, simultaneously holding the NXT and North American titles and capturing the hearts of fans in the process, has been pegged for great things for a while now. There’s a reason he’s usually described as “Limitless”—because that’s the extent of his potential. Yet his Raw debut the night after SummerSlam,…

ERIC YOUNG ADMITS HIS FRIGHTENING NEW PERSONA—AND HIS UTTER RUTHLESSNESS—ARE SIMPLY TOOLS HE USES TO CONTROL HIS OWN DESTINY. IN THIS EXCLUSIVE, YOUNG TAKES US INTO THE MIND OF A “WORLD-CLASS MANIAC.” "I’M TRYING TO win, I’m trying to hurt people, to eliminate threats,” explained Eric Young, giving a calm, calculated analysis of his dangerous new persona and rationalizing the heinous acts he’s committed since returning to Impact Wrestling. “Beating a person one-two-three, allowing them to come back in a week and challenge me again, that’s not smart. I’d be setting myself up for disaster. I don’t want to hurt the same person over and over again, just hurt them bad once and never see them again. It’s not personal.” Now it may be appropriate to mention the word “sociopath.”…

REVIEWS YOU CANNOT KILL DAVID ARQUETTE For far too long, fans have regarded David Arquette’s 2000 run as WCW World champion as one of the lowest in-ring moments in the history of professional wrestling. Unfortunately, Arquette himself has internalized this trope as a personal scourge, allowing the criticism and hateful rhetoric of fans and industry insiders to determine his own happiness and self-worth. For Arquette, redemption felt long beyond reach. But, when things came full circle for him in 2019, filmmakers David Darg and Price James were on hand to chronicle it all via the documentary You Cannot Kill David Arquette. Darg and James start from the ugly beginning, recounting Arquette’s estrangement from the acting business, his struggles with substance abuse, and his failed first marriage. What emerges through the…

I CAN STILL REMEMBER it like it was yesterday: Saturday Night’s Main Event on NBC, the night of October 13, 1990. I was all of 15 years old—old enough to stay up late to watch the show, finally. As luck would have it, that would be the night that Dustin Rhodes, the son of “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, would make his first televised appearance in the WWF. He was shown sitting front row ringside for his dad’s match against Randy Savage—only to be ambushed by Ted DiBiase and Virgil, who left him a bloody mess, right in front of the exasperated “Dream.” Just one month later, I’d be in attendance at Madison Square Garden as Dusty and Dustin teamed up against DiBiase and Virgil, the only time they’d ever team…

BELIEVE ME WHEN I say that the title of this column is not an exaggeration. There are moments in life when we can look back and recognize that something impacted us in an indelible way and left a permanent mark. Often, that can be a piece of art, media, or entertainment—and, in my case, it was a wrestling magazine. The specific issue was the October 1991 edition of The Wrestler, commemorating the 25th anniversary of that esteemed Stanley Weston/London Publishing periodical. It would plant in me a lifelong fascination with pro wrestling history, eventually leading me to become the full-blown wrestling historian I am today. Let me explain. It was the summer of ’91. I was 16 years old and heading toward my senior year of high school. I was…

Beloved by wrestling fans for his authenticity and dogged refusal to be defeated by his demons, Santana reflects on sobriety, his late father’s enduring influence, and fulfilling his pro wrestling destiny THIS WAS ORIGINALLY INTENDED to be a feature on the reigning TNA World heavyweight champion. But, less than 24 hours before PWI’s scheduled interview, Mike Santana’s World title reign came to an impromptu end at the hands of Frankie Kazarian and his Call Your Shot trophy. Coming just weeks after the career high of winning the World title at Bound for Glory, the defeat was a crushing setback for Santana—the kind that, once upon a time, may have sent him on a downward spiral to a very dark place. But this isn’t the Mike Santana of a few years ago.…

I’LL BE THE FIRST TO admit my seven glamorous years with WWE consisted mainly of sitting at a desk in a cubicle in Stamford. However, every now and then (about four or five times a year), the company would send me out on the road. This might have been for a very special event, or just to be able to conduct a boatload of necessary interviews with talent while they were trapped with nowhere else to go, because of Raw, Smackdown, or pay-per-view tapings. Those TV loops were always fascinating for various reasons, never failing to be memorable. But, without a doubt, one of the most memorable of all was the loop in May 2004, which included a stop at the Staples Center in Los Angeles for the Judgment Day…

IN WEATHER FORECASTING, as in wrestling analysis, there are no guarantees. In both, however, there is much to be gleaned by keeping a close eye on developing patterns—the telltale signs that shifts in temperature are coming. Not that it’s always easy: In an era of increased inter-promotional cooperation, supersized TV rights deals, and near-infinite options for wrestling enthusiasts, the game is ever-changing. Women’s wrestling, in particular, has evolved in myriad ways, yielding greater coverage in publications like this one. In less than a decade, women’s tag wrestling has undergone a rapid overhaul, and, in 2026, we can say with confidence that competition will heat up across North America. In this feature, we will share our observational data of the current climate, as well as an analysis of where things appear…

IS THE FIVE-DECADE career of Vincent Kennedy McMahon reaching its end? Following a June 15 Wall Street Journal story that McMahon had paid a 41-year-old female employee approximately $3-million to remain silent about a physical relationship between the two, McMahon stepped down as WWE Chairman and CEO to allow the company’s board of directors to investigate the matter. While all initial reports suggested the relationship was consensual, the more pressing question was whether McMahon has fostered a culture of sexual harassment in the workplace. The Wall Street Journal stated the female employee had signed a nondisclosure agreement, and there were additional NDAs involving McMahon, more women, and Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis. Bruce Prichard has since replaced Laurinaitis in that position, at least temporarily. Another story ran in the…

ONE OF THE most gratifying things about being a wrestling historian and researcher is being able to tell the stories of people who have somehow slipped through the cracks of wrestling history; who were major stars in their own time, but, for one reason or another, have become largely and unfairly forgotten. Make no mistake—this can happen to even our most beloved stars of today, given enough time. But it’s even more common in the eras where video footage is extremely scarce. And so, it gives me great satisfaction to right these historical wrongs. There are certainly names from wrestling’s distant past that still have resonance today among fans who take an interest in the sport’s history: people like, say, Lou Thesz, Gorgeous George, or Frank Gotch. But, to all…

TRIPLE H IS remaining tight-lipped about suffering what was described as a “cardiac event” in early-September. While his exact heart condition hasn’t been revealed, we do know that he underwent a successful procedure at Yale New Haven Hospital. We also know Triple H’s situation was very serious, because he still hasn’t resumed normal workdays at NXT or his office at WWE headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut. Though the initial event was harrowing for Triple H, wife Stephanie McMahon, and the entire McMahon family, physicians discovered it was caused by a genetic heart issue, which was surgically corrected. “The Game” is expected to make a full recovery. According to The Wrestling Observer, the McMahons were concerned only with lifting Triple H’s spirits, welcoming talent and other WWE employees to offer their well-wishes,…

INTRODUCTION TO NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING ENGLISH With an ever-burgeoning following throughout Europe and North America, New Japan Pro-Wrestling has wisely expanded access to its in-ring product. Thanks to wrestling’s transcendent, universal method of storytelling—along with regular English commentary and subtitles—many fans beyond the shores of Japan have found it easy enough to explore NJPW’s contributions to the rich fabric of the genre. But, for those who seek an even better understanding of the product, the company seeks to bridge the language barrier with the book Introuction to New Japan Pro-Wrestling English (or NJPW English, for short). Available via the TOKON SHOP Global website, NJPW English was ostensibly developed as a way to introduce Japanese fans to English-language terms and concepts. Somewhere along the way, the notion that English speakers might…

LAST YEAR, OUR annual Pro Wrestling Illustrated poll was open to all readers of our magazine for the very first time. Once reserved exclusively for journalists and industry insiders, the “PWI Poll” has evolved into an annual tradition open to fans, pundits, and performers alike. In keeping with that tradition, we’ve specifically invited various wrestlers, journalists, and content creators to take part. Think of it as a sort of midway “State Of The Industry” report before our annual Achievement Awards in the April issue. Once again, PWI’s Al Castle and Kristen Ashly have taken great pains to compile the results and pen the detailed analysis that follows. 1. WHO IS, POUND FOR POUND, THE BEST WRESTLER IN THE WORLD? AJ STYLES 11% KAZUCHIKA OKADA 9% BRYAN DANIELSON 8% OTHERS 72%…

PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING PERSONALITY Renee Paquette might be the busiest new mom you’ve ever met. While some in the business certainly leave their jobs at large promotions to start families, pivot to a new career, to improve their health, or enjoy retirement, Paquette left her position as analyst and interviewer with WWE for one simple purpose: the pursuit of happiness. Paquette, known in WWE as Renee Young, ultimately left the promotion after the cancelation of Fox’s WWE Backstage, a show she cohosted, symbolizing the end of an era for the broadcaster. While she felt that she had accomplished everything she possibly could within WWE, Paquette had more to cross off her to-do list, and the Toronto native wanted to hit the ground running. But life is what happens to us while we’re…

PROMOTION: World Wrestling Entertainment DATE: 04.06-04.07.24 LOCATION: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania FOR THE FIRST TIME since 1999, pro wrestling’s premier supercard emanated from PWI’s stomping grounds: Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love. And brother … this XL edition was something else! With an announced two-night attendance of 145,298, WWE offered up one of the hottest WrestleManias in recent memory. Despite unpleasant weather throughout the week—Philly in April is notorious for cold rains and strong winds—fans from around the globe packed into Lincoln Financial Field to see championships defended, grudges settled, and the spectacle that only the industry leader can provide. NIGHT ONE In what would turn out to be the final defense of her 380-day Women’s World title reign, Rhea Ripley kicked off Wrestle-Mania Saturday with a defense against one of her toughest…

PROMOTION: LUCHA LIBRE AAA WORLDWIDE DATE: 02.19.22 LOCATION: VERACRUZ, MEXICO ON FEBRUARY 19, AAA held its annual Rey de Reyes supercard at Estadio Universitario Beto Avila in Veracruz, Mexico. Traditionally one of the biggest events on the lucha libre calendar, Rey de Reyes 2022 provided a night full of the trademark AAA excitement and unpredictability. Not even the wet and windy weather at the outdoor venue could put a damper on proceedings. After a pre-show dark match presented by Marvel Comics, the main show started with a speech by Rey Fenix, who said that he wouldn’t be able to compete due to a gruesome arm injury suffered on AEW Dynamite. Fenix revealed he was there to support his brother, Pentagon Jr., and to introduce the returning Taya Valkyrie. After a…

HEAVYWEIGHT 1 ADAM PAGE (1) AEW World champion Aaron’s Creek, VA 2 SETH ROLLINS (-) WWE World heavyweight champion Davenport, IA 3 CODY RHODES (-) WWE Undisputed Universal champion Atlanta, GA 4 ZACK SABRE JR. (4) IWGP World heavyweight champion Isle of Sheppey, U.K. 5 KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (-) G1 Climax winner Osaka, Japan 6 TRICK WILLIAMS (5) TNA World champion Columbia, SC 7 BANDIDO (6) ROH World champion Torreon, Mexico 8 HIJO DEL VIKINGO (8) AAA Mega champion Puebla, Mexico 9 SAMI ZAYN (-) WWE United States champion Laval, QC 10 SILAS MASON (-) NWA World heavyweight champion Blount County, TN WOMEN 1 TIFFANY STRATTON (3) WWE Women’s champion Prior Lake, MN 2 TONI STORM (1) AEW Women’s World champion Auckland, New Zealand 3 MERCEDES MONE (2) CMLL/AEW TBS/RevPro Women’s champion Boston, MA 4 ASH BY ELEGANCE (-) TNA Knockouts World champion Cleveland, OH…

TWO BROTHERS: UNBROKEN AND UNBOWED MANY OF US WILL h a v e experienced it at some point. Think of a musical artist you always loved. Then, when you went to see them perform later in their career, you left feeling a little underwhelmed—not because you didn’t still love the music, but because the passion simply wasn’t there on the other side of the guardrail. Older wrestlers, like aging rock stars, can often be guilty of phoning it in. Many coast by on former glory. Most times, we forgive them for it, opting to turn our attention to “their old stuff.” In Cameron, North Carolina, however, there are a couple of wrestling rock stars who have no intention of resting on their laurels. For Matt & Jeff Hardy, the hits…

“The American Nightmare” has checked yet another item off his pro wrestling bucket list by finally topping the sport’s most esteemed—and hotly debated—annual ranking “I’m not a wrestler who pretends like the number doesn’t matter. That’s how you can spot a liar right away, if they ever tweet, ‘Nobody cares about their number on this list.’ We all care.” FOR ALL THE CAREER goals that Cody Rhodes has been able to check off over the last year—winning a second straight Royal Rumble match, finally capturing the WWE championship in the main event of WrestleMania, helping lead WWE in one of its biggest boom periods in decades—there was one dream that has, until now, eluded the “American Nightmare.” And, having achieved it, Rhodes’ reaction was less I finally made it! and…

PROMOTION: WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT DATE: 04.02.22-04.03.22 LOCATION: ARLINGTON, TEXAS FOLLOWING IN THE footsteps of New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom, WWE’s “Granddaddy Of Them All” has evolved into a permanent multi-day event. Like NJPW, the industry leader is still working out some of the kinks with the format and pacing of its expanded signature supercard. Following an uneven early-pandemic offering in 2020 and last year’s top-heavy WrestleMania card, the pressure was on WWE to deliver a high-quality event that lived up to the reputation of “The Super Bowl Of Sports Entertainment.” To WWE’s immense credit, it delivered the goods—selling well over 100,000 tickets to what would be the most captivating two-night WrestleMania to date. WRESTLEMANIA SATURDAY Following a performance of “America The Beautiful” by country singer Brantley Gilbert—and zero pre-show bouts—night…

BLOOD, SWEAT, AND GLASS glittered under the mirror ball dangling from the ceiling of 416 Wabash as “Hoodfoot” Maurice Atlas staggered to his feet. As he always had in the city of Indianapolis, Hoodfoot found his footing braced by a friend, his frequent travel partner, Referee Sean Patrick O’Brien. Though he may have tasted defeat in Circle 6’s Circle City debut, standing there in itself represented a victory that was uncertain only four years prior, when Mo Atlas checked in to the men’s homeless shelter the next street over. Growing up broke, Hoodfoot recalled in an interview with PWI, his entry into pro wrestling was a bit different from most wrestling fans in the era of the Monday Night War, when Raw and Nitro battled for supremacy on cable television.…

FOR PERIOD ENDED JANUARY 20, 2023 HEAVYWEIGHT 1 KAZUCHIKA OKADA 236, Aichi, Japan (-) IWGP World champion 2 ROMAN REIGNS 265, Pensacola, FL (2) WWE Undisputed champion 3 BRYAN DANIELSON 210, Aberdeen, WA (-) AEW #1 contender 4 KAITO KIYOMIYA 216, Saitama, Japan (-) GHC heavyweight champion 5 JOSH ALEXANDER 240, Bolton, ON (7) IMPACT World champion 6 HIJO DEL VIKINGO 207, Nuevo Leon, Mexico (4) AAA Mega champion 7 SHUN SKYWALKER 198, Gifu, Japan (-) Open the Dream Gate champion 8 KENNY OMEGA 218, Winnipeg, MB (-) IWGP U.S./AEW trios champion 9 GRAN GUERRERO 209, Gomez Palacio, Mexico (8) CMLL World champion 10 CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI 231, Lucerne, Switzerland (5) ROH World champion WOMEN 1 CHARLOTTE FLAIR UNK, The Queen City (-) Smackdown Women’s champion 2 BIANCA BELAIR 165, Knoxville,…

HEAVYWEIGHT 1 JON MOXLEY 224, Cincinnati, OH (1) AEW World champion 2 TETSUYA NAITO 225, Tokyo, Japan (3) IWGP World/Intercontinental champion 3 ROMAN REIGNS 265, Pensacola, FL (4) WWE Universal champion 4 RANDY ORTON 250, St. Louis, MO (–) WWE heavyweight champion 5 FINN BALOR 190, Bray, Ireland (5) NXT heavyweight champion 6 DREW McINTYRE 265, Ayr, Scotland (2) #1 contender WWE title 7 RICH SWANN 200, Baltimore, MD (–) Impact heavyweight champion 8 EITA 159, Nagano, Japan (8) Dragon Gate champion 9 CODY RHODES 220, Atlanta, GA (–) AEW TNT champion 10 BOBBY LASHLEY 273, Junction City, KS (10) WWE U.S. champion WOMEN 1 SASHA BANKS (6) 115, Fairfield, CA Smackdown Women’s champion 2 ASUKA (2) 137, Osaka, Japan Raw Women’s champion 3 BAYLEY (1) 119, San Jose, CA…

THE “FEMALE FIGHTING Phenom” Jazz is one of the greatest women’s professional wrestlers of all-time. This 23-year veteran has traveled the roads and skies of the world, perfecting her craft and cementing her legacy. In promotion after promotion, Jazz has gone toe to toe with some of the most celebrated women in wrestling history. Jazz is a former two-time WWE Women’s champion and got her start in the famed ECW. But it’s the things she did in promotions like the NWA, SHIMMER, and SHINE that really helped her leave her mark on the business. A pioneer—and one who was living the women’s evolution before it was even thought of—Jazz is a member of multiple halls of fame. It’s about time she has the opportunity to be a part of the…

ON NOVEMBER 18, 2012, The Shield made its WWE debut at Survivor Series, coming to the aid of CM Punk. And on September 14, 2023—the date of this magazine’s digital release—the group’s members reunited in an unconventional way. In respective order: “The Architect” Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and Jon Moxley (formerly Dean Ambrose) are the#1, 2, and 3 wrestlers on the 2023 “PWI 500.” The continued influence of the group, which disbanded after Rollins’ 2014 betrayal and reunited fora celebrated 2017-2019 run, is deeply felt more than a decade after its initial formation. If you ask this year’s top-ranked wrestler, that feels just right. “We came into the spotlight with a unified goal,” Rollins told PWI. “We wanted to take over and rebuild the business in our vision. I think…

358 1 Called Manders 327 Joey Ace 219 ACH 282 Chris Adonis 235 Sam Adonis 50 Trish Adora 432 Aeroboy 394 Saki Akai 429 AKIRA 264 Francesco Akira 430 Baliyan Akki 60 Nick Aldis 14 Josh Alexander 332 Titus Alexander 280 David Ali 45 Darby Allin 333 Omar Amir 319 Karl Anderson 347 Christopher Andino 71 Andrade 230 Matt Angel 113 Angel de Oro 94 Yuma Aoyagi 483 Aramis 157 Lance Archer 163 Tristan Archer 413 Arez 420 Shotaro Ashino 287 Atlantis Jr. 33 Ace Austin 30 Mike Bailey 63 Finn Balor 31 Bandido 321 Kidd Bandit 213 Joel Bateman 411 Becca 435 Junior Benito 463 Victor Benjamin 306 Mike Bennett 133 Chris Bey 9 Big E 495 Big Game Leroy 494 Baron Black 395 Daz Black 304 Joe Black…

HOMICIDE WAS MY pick to leave the Crockett Cup as NWA World junior heavyweight champion, but the wily veteran wasn’t a risky bet, considering he had already won a gauntlet-match qualifier that included CW Anderson, Darius Lockhart, Ricky Morton, Kerry Morton, Luke Hawx, and PJ Hawx to earn an instant ticket to the four-way tournament final in Nashville. He had also maintained a consistent ring schedule and was in great physical shape. To me, those factors made him the favorite. Homicide dominated former ROH rival Austin Aries in most of their exchanges during the four-way, and his experience made him too formidable for the other two combatants, Colby Corino and Darius Lockhart. Homicide pinned Corino to become the new champion at night two, held on March 20 (his 45th birthday).…

WHEN WILL THE COVID-19 pandemic release its grip on our world, our society, and our economy? No one knows the answer. But we’re getting a clearer picture of professional wrestling’s future: Our favorite pastime will never look the same. WWE ThunderDome—housed at Orlando’s Amway Center—has led the way in sports and entertainment, with fans cheering in real time on nearly 1,000 LED boards, complemented by over-the-top pyrotechnics and other special effects. Meanwhile, WWE gutted a portion of its Performance Center facility and created the Capitol Wrestling Center, basically NXT’s version of ThunderDome, unveiled at TakeOver 31. Its name pays tribute to the Capitol Wrestling Corporation, the pre-WWWF entity founded by Vince McMahon’s grandfather, Jess McMahon, that ran throughout the Northeast and as far south as Washington, D.C., in the 1950s…

You’re given the chance to interview your favorite wrestler. What questions are you dying to ask them? What would you never think to ask? We offer a bit of both in this reboot of a classic PWI feature. THE KINGS OF THE DISTRICT EEL O’NEAL & JORDAN BLADE 1 WHO ARE THE KINGS OF THE DISTRICT, AND WHAT DO THEY STAND FOR? JB: The Kings are a team with great pride in our District and professional wrestling. And I say professional wrestling in the sense that we have a deep appreciation and admiration for pure and technical wrestling. On the surface, we’re an intergender tag team. But we stand for equality most of all. EO: Jordan is the power wrestler and I’m the speed guy. J is a power lifter and Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner,…

WHICH WAS MORE historic: Bryan Danielson’s AEW World title triumph at All In, or his WWE World title win at WrestleMania 30? That will be debated forever. But, at least in the moment, Danielson’s performance at London’s Wembley Stadium on August 25 seemed every bit as dramatic as what happened in New Orleans back in 2014. Nothing about Danielson’s victory at All In was inevitable. Danielson retiring after a hard-fought loss would have been consistent with the “American Dragon’s” inner samurai. And we saw the defending champion Swerve Strickland—still riding the momentum of his own title win four months earlier—going full-throttle heel for much of the bout. It was a strike-fest at the beginning, with Danielson targeting Strickland’s arm. The turning point came when Strickland’s manager, Prince Nana, retrieved the…

HEADING INTO THIS year’s “500” meetings, there was one thing everyone on the ratings committee seemed to agree on: This year’s top-ranked wrestler would be in that coveted position for a second time. But would it be WWE’s top dog, Roman Reigns (#1 in 2016), or AEW’s “Belt Collector,” Kenny Omega (#1 in 2018)? With all respect to the “Head Of The Table”—who, most of our staff feels, is doing the finest work of his career—we’ve never been faced with the prospect of ranking a man who simultaneously held three prestigious world championships from top promotions in the U.S. and Mexico. Given Kenny Omega’s unprecedented, concurrent title runs in All Elite Wrestling, IMPACT, and Lucha Libre AAA, how could we not rank him #1? For his part, “The Cleaner” was…

“THE BEST-LAID SCHEMES o’ Mice an’ Men /Gang aft agley (Go often awry).” So wrote the great Scottish poet Robert Burns in 1785. These words ring true for Killer Kelly, who, over the last several years, has watched solid plans crumble again and again due to circumstances beyond her control. And yet, she remains resilient. In July 2022, as Lisbon’s top grappling export begins her twice-postponed run in IMPACT Wrestling, she’s optimistic that her fortunes have begun to turn. “I never got that time to come out of my shell and show people what I got,” said Kelly, reflecting on her past work in promotions like NXT U.K. “I feel like the spotlight is on me [in IMPACT], and I can finally show everyone what the original Killer Kelly was…

PROMOTION: TOKYO JOSHI PRO-WRESTLING DATE: 03.19.22 LOCATION: TOKYO, JAPAN ONE WEEK BEFORE the highly anticipated Stardom shows at Ryogoku Kokugikan, the fabled sumo hall played host to another women’s wrestling event—this one presented by the increasingly popular Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling. The event, which was broadcast live with English commentary on the WRESTLE UNIVERSE streaming service, drew rave reviews from international fans. ARISU ENDO & SUZUME VS. JURIA NAGANO & MOKA MIYAMOTO The opening bout of this marquee event marked Nagano’s in-ring debut, proving to be quite the prestigious accomplishment for the professional actress. She paid homage to one of her other careers, wearing a nurse’s outfit to the ring. She and Miyamoto—both trained in karate—did a fine job squaring up against their opponents, with Nagano using her sharp striking skills…

AFTER MORE THAN a decade of producing two annual lists celebrating the top wrestlers in the world, we’ve decided it’s high time to complete the trilogy. And what better way to do that than by acknowledging the contributions of tag team specialists? The PWI “Tag Team 50” is a gender-inclusive ranking that focuses not only on in-ring achievements, but on the overall presentation and cohesion of the top tandems in the industry. As with this year’s “Women’s 100” list, the evaluation period for the “Tag Team 50” is October 1, 2019, through September 30, 2020. The minimum activity requirements are 10 matches or four months of activity as a team. This means some tandems who have recently been successful—including WWE Women’s tag champs Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax and Impact…

BY NOW YOU’VE read Editor-in-Chief Kevin McElvaney’s announcement in his “From the Desk Of …” column and learned that PWI is expanding to nine issues per year. I’m hard-pressed to think of another magazine in any genre that has increased its frequency in the internet era. Thanks to a renewed appreciation on social media—and you, our loyal readers—PWI has gone from surviving to thriving. Before the internet, magazines were the only wide-reaching forum where wrestling was analyzed and critiqued. And, before cable television, print was the only vehicle by which regional draws could become national stars. Why would a New Yorker get excited about Dusty Rhodes challenging “Superstar” Graham in Madison Square Garden? He had already read about the “American Dream’s” exploits in Florida and around the world. Why was…