Table of contents for October 2024 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated

CHAOS RULES ONE OF THE MORE interesting things about pro wrestling is its imaginary, eminently flexible rulebook. Take weapons, for example. Save for hardcore “anything goes” promotions—such as Game Changer Wrestling, Big Japan, or the aptly named ICW: No Holds Barred—the use of contraband objects to attack opponents is usually forbidden. Throwing a table or steel steps at an adversary is an automatic DQ. However, it’s perfectly okay to send an opponent crashing into either structure. Articles of clothing are a dicey proposition. The Iron Sheik would take off his pointy boot in attempts to wield it as a (presumably illegal) weapon. Toni Storm has sneakily used “the shoe” to similar effect in AEW. Meanwhile, indie stalwart Cabana Man Dan routinely slaps his foes with one of his loose flip-flops—and…

SOME PRO WRESTLERS fit the classic mold so well that they are liable to make the eyes of promoters light up with large, cartoon dollar signs. Oskar Leube is one of those wrestlers. At age 25, the clean-cut Leube—who cuts an imposing figure at 6’7” and about 250 pounds—is instantly credible as either a hero or villain. Yet, he’s chosen a somewhat unorthodox career path: one that stretches from his native Germany to Japan, by way of New Zealand. Leube’s love for professional wrestling is obvious. He’s followed the sport for much of his life, citing an early memory of another towering talent from a mid-2000s episode of Smackdown. “Undertaker was in the ring, and it scared me so I switched channels,” he laughs. “A few years later, I saw…

THE RECENT KING & QUEEN of the Ring event reminded fans of the rich history of the WWE monarchy, dating back to the days of the KOTR tournament being contested at non-televised live events in New England in the mid-’80s. In fact, YouTube users can pull up a 1985 TV spot promoting the inaugural King of the Ring in Foxborough, Massachusetts. It features Howard Finkel announcing that, “There will be a beautiful trophy awarded to the winner.” These days, the winner only gets a measly world title shot at SummerSlam—as if that could sell for much on eBay. Hear ye, hear ye! Enjoy this royal edition of “Quick Count,” you peasants. HEAVY IS THE HEAD After crowning the smallest King of the Ring in company history in 2021 in Xavier Woods,…

Roxanne Perez Leads NXT Into A New Era THE DOWNSIDE OF BEING a child prodigy is that “child” part. No matter how good you are, or how much success you achieve, any accolades are likely to be tagged with the qualifier: “for your age.” It’s a reality with which Roxanne Perez has been forced to come to grips. Make no mistake: The reigning NXT Women’s champion is very much an adult. But, at just 22, she’s the youngest reigning titleholder in WWE. It’d be easy to dismiss the accomplishment as a freshman fluke, except that Perez is far from a freshman … and this isn’t her first major accomplishment. “I’ve been in the wrestling business for almost a decade. I definitely feel young, but I’m old in wrestling years,” said…

The Resilient Second Act of AJ Francis WHY DO WE FALL? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up. That’s a lesson Bruce Wayne learned when he was a young man, and it’s something he held onto throughout the rest of his life. It’s a simple lesson, really … in theory. But in practice? Oh, it’s a lot harder to learn. In professional wrestling, there is a lot of falling and picking oneself back up again. Such is the story of AJ Francis. The Washington D.C. native, formerly known as “Top Dolla” in WWE, has fallen often—literally and metaphorically—throughout his career. But he always picks himself up. And he always, always comes back better than he was before. His current rise as a top free agent, after his release…

“WHO HAS THE NEW valet?” I bitterly asked Jimmy Lloyd as we prepared for Game Changer Wrestling’s The WRLD on GCW pay-per-view in January 2022. Standing onstage at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom, I motioned toward a statuesque blonde across the way, which made him laugh. “That’s Nick Wayne’s mom!” Jimmy said, to my amazement. By then, Nick had flattered me more than once, saying his mother was a “big fan” of my work. Having never met her, I imagined a mother, any mother … a normal mother. Never once did the reality of Shayna Wayne occur to me, not until she was standing opposite me in all her six-feet-tall, breath-taking glory. “Nick Wayne’s mom” was made for wrestling. It’s little wonder the former runway model is an All Elite Wrestling…

HEAVYWEIGHT 1 CODY RHODES (1) WWE Undisputed Universal champion Atlanta, GA 2 SWERVE STRICKLAND (3) AEW World champion Tacoma, WA 3 DAMIAN PRIEST (2) WWE World heavyweight champion New York, NY 4 JON MOXLEY (4) IWGP World champion Cincinnati, OH 5 MOOSE (5) TNA World champion Atlanta, GA 6 KAITO KIYOMIYA (-) GHC heavyweight champion Saitama, Japan 7 NIC NEMETH (-) AAA Mega champion Hollywood, FL 8 EC3 (-) NWA World champion Willoughby, OH 9 YUMA ANZAI (9) Triple Crown champion Gunma, Japan 10 SATOSHI KOJIMA (-)MLW World champion Tokyo, Japan WOMEN 1 BAYLEY (4) WWE Women’s champion San Jose, CA 2 MAIKA (2) Stardom champion Fukuoka, Japan 3 TONI STORM (5) AEW Women’s World champion Gold Coast, Australia 4 LIV MORGAN (-) WWE Women’s World champion Elmwood Park, NJ…

FOR LONGTIME WRESTLING fans, the May 28 edition of NXT was a very special one—and something we never thought we’d ever, ever see. And no, I’m not talking about the appearance by Sexyy Red (although that’s also something I never thought I’d see). No, I’m talking about another woman who showed up that night, without any announcement or hype whatsoever: TNA Knockouts World champion Jordynne Grace. There she was—not just a contracted TNA wrestler, but a TNA champion no less, with her championship belt slung over her shoulder—walking right out on a WWE-produced television show, issuing a challenge to this month’s cover star, NXT Women’s champ Roxanne Perez. Talk about opening a “forbidden door”—this was damn near blowing it off its hinges. The match was scheduled for NXT Battleground two weeks…

Thekla’s Cold-Blooded Plot To Rule Stardom The dazzling lights of Akihabara at night often cast shadows that obscure the grittier underground of idol culture. Waves of otaku (obsessed fans), tourists, and die-hard gamers make their pilgrimages to Electric Town with its specialty shops, cosplay cafes, and video game arcades. However, for “The Toxic Spider” Thekla, it’s a stark reminder of why she became “The Idol Killer.” THEKLA’S CULTURE SHOCK began in 2019. That was the year she traveled to Japan in order to study pro wrestling under Tsukasa Fujimoto in the Ice Ribbon Dojo, which has been a training grounds for the likes of Giulia and Hikaru Shida. Standing out for her agility, toughness, and proficiency in multiple languages, Thekla left her mark on the promotion as one of the…

AS PWI’S RESIDENT Hedda Hopper, I’m thrilled to offer loyal readers the latest and absolute greatest in wrestling, entertainment, and pop culture news. And what a month it’s been since my last installment! HYAN’S BIG (NETFLIX) BREAK Already one of the most talked-about free agents on the independent wrestling scene, Hyan will give fans even more to talk about … once the second season of Mo lands on Netflix. Why? Because she’s appearing in it! After the Texas native teased her involvement in the hit comedy series via social media, I had to get the inside scoop on what we could expect from Hyan on the show. Surprisingly, Hyan wasn’t even aware of the widespread fanbase of the show, until she told one of her aunts about her upcoming role.…

10. WITH TONY KHAN SIDELINED, EVPS MATTHEW & NICHOLAS JACKSON SEIZE CONTROL OF AEW TV TAPINGS. Their weekly “Superkick Pizza Parties,” meant to boost employee morale, drew mixed reviews. 9. PRO WRESTLING NOAH REVEALS INTENTIONS TO “STRENGTHEN [ITS] RELATIONSHIP WITH WWE.” Diehards hope that NOAH and CyberFight can band together to achieve the unthinkable: a brand-new season of Camp WWE on the WRESTLE UNIVERSE streaming service. 8. MATT HARDY MAKES HIS RETURN TO TNA WRESTLING. Hardy’s decision was likely motivated by the desire for a lighter schedule, more creative input, and the possibility of an appearance on AXS TV’s The Big Interview with Dan Rather. 7. NIC NEMETH CAPTURES THE VACANT AAA MEGA TITLE AT TRIPLEMANIA. Immediately after the victory, Nemeth was greeted by AAA legend Konnan, who asked whether…

JORDYNNE GRACE’S SURPRISE appearance on the May 28 edition of NXT was a stellar moment for TNA, as the Knockouts World champion boldly represented her brand once again—just as she and former Knockouts champ Mickie James had done at the 2023 and 2024 Royal Rumbles, respectively. “The Juggernaut” was presented as a star, nearly approaching Jade Cargill’s level, as she stood nose-to-nose with NXT Women’s champion Roxanne Perez. While Perez didn’t give the slightest indication that she was intimidated by Grace’s imposing presence, she was nonetheless dwarfed by Grace, if we’re measuring by classic tale-of-the-tape comparisons. Given Perez’ own emotional insecurities over the past year or so—and the bitterness she’s displayed lately—it seemed that she was a vulnerable champion. That made Grace’s verbal challenge and their planned match at Battleground…

AEW INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: RODERICK STRONG [C] VS. WILL OSPREAY ON THE HEELS of retaining the International title over Kyle O’Reilly at Dynasty, Strong went into this one with two goals: keep the action close to the mat, and rely on the assistance of his Undisputed Kingdom allies. Though he gave Ospreay a run for his money, “The Aerial Assassin” was simply too good. After landing on his feet to avoid the End of Heartache, the challenger connected with a Hidden Blade, followed by a Stormbreaker for the 1-2-3. THE WINNER: Will Ospreay by pinfall in 17:57 THE REAL WINNER: Will Ospreay. In order to maintain his momentum, it was important for one of AEW’s most exciting stars to get some gold around his waist. THE REAL LOSER: Wardlow. He was punching…

The Rise Of Michael Oku & Amira Blair MICHAEL OKU SAT in the dressing room of the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre. Outside, the February night air was chilly. Inside, the temperature—like the atmosphere an hour earlier—was hot. Though the crowd that came to see Revolution Pro Wrestling’s High Stakes show had long since filed out of the building, the weary Oku still hadn’t unlaced his boots. Instead, he’d been replaying in his mind what he had just done. In the days that would follow, the main event clash he’d just had against Will Ospreay would be awarded six stars in a review by The Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer, while some social media users heralded it as perhaps the best match in British wrestling history. Oku’s career as he knew…

IT’S A TALE AS OLD as time. The old Aesop’s fable of the farmer and the snake has been repeated and quoted by the Greeks, the Romans, peoples of the Middle Ages, and right up into modern times and popular songs. The farmer takes in a frozen snake from out in the cold. He nourishes and supports it, only to have the snake bite and kill him in the end—because, of course, that is its nature. The farmer, in his final moments, regrets helping the snake. But by then, it is too late. Wrestling promoters have long been characterized in similarly less-than-flattering terms. The industry has been likened to a den of thieves; or, more appropriately, a nest of vipers. Trust can be a precious and rare commodity indeed. So,…