Table of contents for October 2025 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated

WITH THE ANNUAL AEW Forbidden Door event on the way, I’m struck by how quaint the name has come to seem—and I mean that as a huge compliment to the folks at All Elite Wrestling and New Japan. That’s because the concept of inter promotional cooperation is no longer a novel idea. Rather, it is much closer to an industry standard. In this issue of PWI alone, we have included feature articles about the recent DEAN~!!! 2 event—a co-promoted effort from Ring of Honor and ACTION Wrestling, which boasted a wealth of talent from Mexico’s CMLL—and the revolutionary Worlds Collide show, which marked the first official collaboration between WWE and AAA since the former acquired the latter. Four or five years ago, such cards would have seemed like pipe dreams…

I RECENTLY VISITED Cleveland for the first time, and, unfortunately, my trip coincided with the return of the midges—flying insects that absolutely infested the entire city during my stay, making it impossible to spend much time outdoors. What a bummer. The last time Cleveland disappointed anyone this much was when The Miz ranked number 1 on the 2011 “PWI 500.” I did thoroughly enjoy visiting the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which recently announced its latest inductees. The Class of 2025 includes such greats as Chubby Checker, Salt-N-Pepa, Outkast, Soundgarden, and Cyndi Lauper. This edition of “Quick Count” is a toast to them. Rock on. THE TWIST Ever since AEW adopted All In as its climactic annual stadium event in 2023—the same year it began courting Will Ospreay—all signs…

THERE ARE MANY LAYERSto Chelsea Green. Before the Canadian-born wrestler was crowned as WWE’s first ever Women’s United States champion, Green proved her in-ring mettle as the “Hot Mess.” There were other memorable eras—Laurel Van Ness in Impact Wrestling (TNA), Reklusa on Lucha Underground, stints in NWA, GCW, ROH, Stardom, and many, many other hours logged in countless independent promotions. No matter where she showed up, who she was fighting, or what she dared to utter in a promo, Green made sure to leave an imperishable mark with her voice and her athletic talent. And, after a decade-long career replete with firsts, debuts, releases, championship titles, injuries, and a marriage to “The Indy God” Matt Cardona himself, Chelsea Green is even more focused … and clearer about her destiny than…

I DON’T KNOW ABOUT you all, but 2025 has been flying by as fast as Randy Orton’s RKO to Joe Hendry at Wrestle Mania 41. But I digress … because there’s still so much to look forward to, especially where pop culture and many of our favorite wrestlers and wrestling personalities are concerned. From films and visual art to agency signings and streaming empires, here’s a look at what’s to come in the world of wrestling meets entertainment. MAJOR MOTION PICTURE NEWS Three of wrestling’s biggest crossover stars, John Cena, Dave Bautista, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson—along with one poised to join said camp, Roman Reigns—are all attached to upcoming film projects. Aside from this year’s action-thriller, Heads of State, a podcast series episode of The 64th Man, and Season 2 of…

AS A CHILD OF the ’80s and purveyor of tag team wrestling, I love the Crockett Cup—and the National Wrestling Alliance outdid itself this year. The 2025 Crockett Cup emanated from a sold-out 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, recorded for upcoming episodes of NWA Powerrr. A personal highlight was spending time with David Crockett, though the legendary commentator failed to remember our meeting two years prior. “I managed ‘The Thrillbilly’ Silas Mason at the 2023 Crockett Cup,” I reminded him. “As I recall, when I came to the ring, you asked ‘What is that?!’” “Oh, yes!” he said with a chuckle. “Quite memorable!” The ice was broken. I thanked Mr. Crockett for his family’s extensive contributions to the sport I hold so dear, then revealed how sincerely I once loathed his…

ONCE UPON A TIME, there lived a strange and terrifying Sheik. He ravaged the land with fire and mayhem, leaving a trail of broken bodies and horrified, yet fascinated fans in his wake. Eventually, after decades of destruction, The Sheik knew that even he must bow to the demands of time and old age, and sought to pass his flaming torch to another—his equally fierce and mysterious nephew.. And so, the nephew learned at the feet of The Sheik; absorbing all his knowledge, even taking on his appearance to an uncanny degree. They traveled the roads together, until, one day, the nephew traveled alone. It was then that he carved out his own twisted and unforgettable legacy. Over the course of his own nearly 40-year career in wrestling—almost as long as…

THROUGH ACCLAIMED WORKS like Out of My League (1961) and Paper Lion (1966), American intellectual George Plimpton dutifully provided his audience with an “everyman” perspective on professional sports. Indeed, Plimpton went to great lengths to convey the true stories of extraordinary sacrifice and struggle that athletes endure to make it in the big leagues. But despite an impressive array of life experiences, there were some things that Plimpton missed out on. For example, he never had a handful of bamboo skewers stuck in the top of his head by a man wearing greasepaint. And he certainly never discouraged an enthusiastic stinkface with a five-count. Perhaps that’s why Colin Hunter decided it was time to break new ground in the field of participatory journalism via the new documentary The Ref Didn’t See…

WE’VE SEEN IT IN the endings of so many movies. The hero triumphs over all the obstacles put in his way. He perseveres, endures, and eventually succeeds. He achieves that all-encompassing goal he was striving toward. His whole life has been pointing toward this moment, and he’s done it. The ultimate fulfillment of his ambitions has occurred, the movie fades to black, and everyone goes home happy. In short, he has “finished the story.” But what happens after the movie fades to black? What happens when we close that really good book and put it back on the shelf? What does our hero do then? What does life for him look like after the triumph? We usually don’t get to see this. However, the world of pro wrestling is different.…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f1PDPXCVz0 As Bryan Danielson stood in the middle of the ring, he spoke about love: the kind of unique love that you feel when you find “your thing,” and then fully immerse yourself in it. For Danielson, that thing was professional wrestling—not just the spectacle, but the art, and the connection with fans that it brings. By the time he spoke, the sun had already set in the Arizona sky above him. But even in the twilight, Danielson’s smile shone through. It was his love for professional wrestling that had brought him there, to a free, outdoor, independent show in Glendale. Then again, the whole reason that show—ACTION DEAN~!!! 2—was even happening was for the love of professional wrestling. Let’s backtrack a little … Today, with just a few movements…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4M2vvIWahQ LAST YEAR MARKED THE 30TH anniversary of the original “Worlds Collide” event. With the help of World Championship Wrestling, the show announced the arrival on the international scene of Asistencia, Asesoria, y Administracion de Espectaculos (now Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide). It was widely considered one of the most exciting wrestling pay-per-views of its day, and it firmly established AAA as a vibrant alternative to the traditional lucha libre of CMLL. With Worlds Collide 2025, WWE and AAA announced the beginning of a new era for the Mexican promotion, which WWE recently acquired. Across five matches featuring talent from both promotions, fans were offered a preview of what to expect from the lucha league going forward. In this section, we dive deep into those five matches, uncovering the true triumphs…

RING OF HONOR IS a mystery in many ways. Even as AEW’s foundation and vision become clearer, ROH remains a bit of a wild card. This is particularly true for the women’s scene, which has largely been dominated by World champion Athena. If ROH wants a stronger women’s landscape, its frequent use of wrestlers from the independent and international scenes would be a powerful step in beefing up the roster and broadening the championship scene. At press time, 11 women are listed on the official ROH roster. Of this small number, half are seen frequently on AEW programming—leaving a small number of athletes exclusive to the brand. On the flip side, seven women solely listed on the AEW roster have appeared for ROH. Yet, aside from those select few, several women…

IT MIGHT NOT BE the same Maple Leaf Wrestling, and it might not be the same Maple Leaf Gardens, but it was the same great action—if not better—that Scott D’Amore’s Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling provided at Mattamy Athletic Centre on May 10. Josh Alexander, Stu Grayson, and Mike Bailey replaced the likes of “Whipper” Billy Watson, Billy Red Lyons, and Yvon Robert in Toronto at Northern Rising, the first MLP show held in the Queen City … and the first card under the “Maple Leaf” banner in that building since June 1984. Alexander won a 20-man battle royal that included Billy Gunn, Matt Cardona, PCO, Rhino, and Rich Swann, among others, to become MLP Canadian champion. Grayson fell to NWA World champion Thom Latimer, while Mike Bailey defeated Gabe Kidd and…

HEAVYWEIGHT 1 JOHN CENA (1) WWE Undisputed Universal champion West Newbury, MA 2 GUNTHER  (2) WWE World heavyweight champion Vienna, Austria 3 SETH ROLLINS  (-) Men’s Money in the Bank winner Davenport, IA 4 JON MOXLEY  (4) AEW World champion Cincinnati, OH 5 HIROOKI GOTO  (5) IWGP World champion Mie, Japan 6 HIJO DEL VIKINGO (-) AAA Mega champion Puebla, Mexico 7 TRICK WILLIAMS (-) TNA World champion Columbia, SC 8 OZAWA  (-) GHC heavyweight champion Shizuoka, Japan 9 ADAM PAGE  (-) Men’s Owen Hart Foundation winner Aaron’s Creek, VA 10 JUN SAITO  (9) AJPW Triple Crown champion Miyagi, Japan WOMEN 1 TONI STORM (3) AEW Women’s World champion Auckland, New Zealand 2 NAOMI  (-) Women’s Money in the Bank winner Orlando, FL 3 MASHA SLAMOVICH (5) TNA Knockouts World champion Moscow, Russia 4 SAYA KAMITANI (7) World of Stardom champion Kanagawa, Japan…

“THE PRODIGY” NICK Wayne has demonstrated flashes of brilliance during his seven-year career, first dazzling crowds in the Pacific Northwest and then on a bigger stage in AEW. Now, as the young phenom celebrates his 20th birthday on July 10, Wayne must be included among the international elite—Will Ospreay, Zack Sabre Jr., and others. That’s not just Mother Wayne talking. That would be anyone who has followed his exploits in 2025 so far. Wayne quietly collected solid wins during the first few months of the year—over Serpentico, Marcus Mathers, and Michael Oku—but his breakthrough moment occurred on the April 17 edition of AEW Collision in Boston, where he defeated Komander for the Ring of Honor TV title. Wayne went on to beat the greatest ROH TV champ of all-time, Jay Lethal,…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lR83qGK-zE THIS YEAR, FOR THE 32nd time, New Japan Pro-Wrestling assembled a field of the top junior heavyweight wrestlers on the planet, crossing promotional and geographical lines to gather participants for the Best of the Super Junior tournament. Competitors from six countries—and varied companies including NJPW, AEW, CMLL, NOAH, DDT, and Dragongate—were divided into two blocks for the annual round-robin series. Each of them carried the goal of winning their block and advancing to the final, where the last two wrestlers would square off to determine who was the top junior heavyweight of 2025. This year, that honor went to New Japan Dojo graduate Kosei Fujita. “The Japanese Young Punk” won the tournament’s competitive A-block, then defeated junior heavyweight division mainstay YOH to win Best of the Super Junior 32. With…