Table of contents for Holiday 2025 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated

DEPENDING ON ONE’S perspective, Tate Mayfairs ranks among British wrestling’s most detestable villains or lovable scoundrels. He proudly angers fans, makes in-ring rivals across international lines, and, in a recent storyline for U.K. promotion Riot Cabaret, an investigation was opened after a mystery assailant “shot” him. Still, the London native’s accomplishments stand apart. At press time, Mayfairs held no less than three European singles championships, including the TNT Extreme Wrestling title he won from Che Monet in September 2023. Recognizing his star power and wrestling skill, myriad notable promotions—including GCW, PROGRESS, and DEFY—happily book him to appear on their shows. PWI asked Mayfairs about his TNT title run, thoughts on American fans, and advice for up-and-comers. PWI: You’re approaching 800 days as TNT champion. What are some of the highlights (and…

GROWING UP IN THE 1980s Ronald Reagan era, it seemed there was no more patriotic sound than that of Bruce Springsteen belting out the chorus to “Born in the U.S.A.” That was, until you realized the song wasn’t intended as a celebration of American pride, but rather an examination of social issues plaguing the nation—including how those in power exploit the working class.. Maybe, in retrospect, it wasn’t the right theme song for Ted DiBiase when he was a flag-waving babyface in Bill Watts’ UWF. Later on, though, it would have been perfect for the “Million-Dollar Man.” Sprung from cages on Highway 9, here’s a “Quick Count” tribute to “The Boss.” BORN TO RUN Jade Gentile made a name for herself as a star forward for West Virginia University—and, later, an…

TUESDAY NIGHT WAR! NOT A FAIR FIGHT? Dynamite suffered its greatest humiliation against NXT on October 7, when AEW’s flagship program earned its lowest number of viewers ever—an average of only 321,000—versus WWE’s third brand, which garnered 625,000. In this “Showdown”-themed version of NXT, TNA World tag team champions The Hardys defeated DarkState for the NXT tag belts, NXT North American champion Ethan Page beat Mustafa Ali, and performers from both brands competedinmen’sandwomen’sSurvivor Series matches. That’s fully loaded by most measures—all we were missing was The Undertaker popping up and chokeslamming Page. AEW countered with “Title Tuesday,” including a faceoff between World champion Adam Page and Samoa Joe, Jon Moxley’s victory over Tomohiro Ishii, and Kazuchika Okada & Konosuke Takeshita’s non-title win over World tag team champs Brody King & Bandido.…

HELLACIOUS HOMETOWNS Pro wrestlers have been known to hail from some lively and unconventional places—some real and some imagined. See how many you can find from the list below! ANDROMEDA ANYWHERE BADSTREET BOWERY BUCKSNORT COSMOS DEATH DUDLEY EUPHORIA FUNK GATES GRAVES METROPOLIS NUTLEY OUTER PARTS SHADOWS TRACKS TRUTH OR TSUNAMI UNKNOWN VALLEY WHEREVER SIX-PERSON SCRAMBLE Unscramble the names of these five current wrestlers. Then, unscramble the bracketed letters to reveal the name of the sixth participant in the scramble match. ANSWER KEY: 1. Deonna Purrazzo; 2. Leon Slater; 3. La Parka; 4. Zayda Steel; 5. Wardlow; 6. OZAWA…

IN TRUE MEXICAN FASHION, lucha libre as a whole seemed to thrive during the month of September. It was as if the entire industry had unanimously decided to celebrate the 204th anniversary of the Independence of Mexico. Lucha libre fans could not get enough action—and promoters were more than happy to meet the supply for such a demand. The oldest wrestling promotion in the world grew even older, as the Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre celebrated 92 years of existence with its annual, epic Aniversario show. The event saw El Valiente lose his all-important mask to ascending star Esfinge, while the arguable current face of lucha libre, Mistico, brought the CMLL light heavyweight title home from the hands of Maxwell Jacob Friedman. MJF, at his most uber-American, bloodied and battered Mistico,…

SPOTLIGHT CARD OF THE MONTH WASHINGTON SEATTLE—DEFY Wrestling at Washington Hall: Bryan Keith defeated DEFY champion Clark Connors to win the title … Evan Rivers beat El Phantasmo, Ethan HD, and Miles Deville in a four-way bout … DEFY Women’s champion Marina Shafir defeated Hyan to retain … Eddie Pearl & Ricky Gibson beat Matt Brannigan & Randy Myers … Nicole Matthews beat Amira … Killer Kross defeated Calvin Tankman in a Super Heavyweight Cup match. (09-19-25) —Liz Hunter ARIZONA MESA—Game Changer Wrestling at Nile Theater: Manny Lemons defeated Gino Rivera … Marcus Mathers beat Oro … Vipress defeated Brittnie Brooks … 1 Called Manders beat Man Like DeReiss … Atticus Cogar beat Starboy Charlie … JKM defeated Brayden Toon … Mance Warner beat Rob S**t … Jordan Oliver defeated…

BACK IN 1982, THE influential punk band Flipper belted out “Way Of The World,” a glib summation of the lamentable side of everyday life. These days, there would be enough lamentable things about the direction of TKO-era WWE for the late Bruce Loose and company to crank out an entire album. But the good news is that WWE still knows how to put on a good show—and how to elevate its allies in the process. That’s exactly what fans discovered when talent from WWE and Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide met for Worlds Collide: Las Vegas. The September 2025 livestreaming event (still available on demand via YouTube) served as the perfect showcase for AAA as WWE’s latest corporate acquisition. Sin City, as it happened, was fertile ground for another big WWE…

To complement this issue’s “Women’s 250” ranking, this word search puzzle includes some of the most iconic names in women’s wrestling history. APACHE ASUKA BELLA BURKE BYERS CHYNA GAIL JACKIE JAZZ KONG LEILANI LITA LUNA MADUSA MANAMI MICKIE MOLLY NAKANO NATTIE RICHTER SANDY SHERRI STRATUS VICTORIA WOMAN EYEBALL GOUGERS Can you identify the wrestler in each photo by the extreme close-up shot of their ring or entrance gear? (Hint: All photos were taken at an August 2025 AEW TV taping in Pennsylvania.) ANSWER KEY: 1. Hologram; 2. Queen Aminata; 3. Julia Hart; 4. Josh Alexander…

IF THERE’S ONE THING I know, it’s that professional wrestlers across all major promotions—and even within the indies—are betting on their burgeoning talents and interests outside the ring. And their efforts are paying off! Within the past several months, some of our favorites have launched fashion collaborations, appeared on red carpets, opened up future fan haunts, and so much more. PREPARE TO BE TERRIFIED (AGAIN) Pro wrestling and horror … two of my favorite worlds colliding in superb form, thanks to Rhea Ripley and the Terrifier franchise’s Art The Clown. It all began with Ripley and Art (portrayed by actor David Howard Thornton) coming face to face at Silver Scream Con in Worcester, Massachussetts. (Methinks someone heard or read about Ripley’s wish to be in the next Terrifier movie!) Unfortunately,…

ABOUT ONE YEAR AGO, WWE launched the ID (Independent Development) program, putting the focus on indie wrestling and wrestlers. The company immediately signed on some prominent athletes—and began collaborating with specific promotions and schools—sending shockwaves through the industry. Promoters, staff, wrestlers, and fans alike were all affected by the sudden change, and a big shift felt imminent. As a fan of indie wrestling myself, I worried for a time that the scene was heading in a direction I wasn’t sure I wanted it to go. With the industry leader getting directly involved, it felt as if the heart and soul of what indie wrestling represented was being stripped away. But, in retrospect, I didn’t need to worry. With the work I’ve seen so many promotions put out, the spirit of…

GREETINGS, GRAPPLE FANS. And welcome to another edition of “The Irish Whip.” Recent months have seen many top titleholders “fall,” while others have reaped a bountiful harvest. But enough autumn puns … let’s dive into the goings-on, starting up north. Mercedes Mone landed in Denmark on October 10, making her debut for the continually buzzworthy BODYSLAM! Wrestling. Already a champion in the U.K., Poland, Austria, and Italy, the Bostonian added Scandinavia’s premier women’s title to her collection when she ended Aliss Ink’s one thousand-plus day reign. The match was well-regarded by fans, both locally and internationally. Over in the United Kingdom, Man Like DeReiss finally reached the top of the mountain in PROGRESS Wrestling. The Super Strong Style 16 winner bested Luke Jacobs in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs main…

10. WWE BIGWIG NICK KHAN EXPRESSES CONFIDENCE THAT WWE FANS WILL TRAVEL TO RIYADH FOR WRESTLEMANIA 43. He conceded that everyday folks may need to make adjustments in spending to afford the trip, like switching from imported to domestic caviar. 9. JON MOXLEY TRIES TO DROWN DARBY ALLIN IN A FISH TANK. The spot received mixed reviews from fans, many of whom failed to realize that it was staged as an unofficial promotion for Red Lobster. 8. MINI MONE GETS A FACE FULL OF CAKE. The incident prompted the puppet to ban all sweets from catering on the set of her forthcoming film, Mini Mone Versus the Muppets. 7. THE DUDLEYS TEAM UP ONE MORE TIME AT BOUND FOR GLORY. The President of the International Federation of Pressboard Tables congratulated…

AFTER FOUR YEARS of searching desperately for a breakthrough, Tatum Paxley defeated Jacy Jayne for the NXT Women’s championship in what was considered the best match at Halloween Havoc. And why was it a surprise that Paxley defeated the woman tagged as NXT’s “most beatable champion”? That’s because the entire intent and momentum of Jayne’s five-month NXT title reign—which included a 35-day run as TNA Knockouts World champ—seemed geared toward proving the opposite: that Jayne was not easily beatable. Jayne did face unusual circumstances, as two formidable heel factions—Fatal Influence and The Culling—found themselves on opposing sides at the October 25 premium live event. Fatal Influence was outnumbered for once, with Izzi Dame, Shawn Spears, and Niko Vance more than countering Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid at ringside. Admittedly, though, the…

PREPARING FOR ALL OUT on Saturday afternoon, September 20, I selected the Zero Hour livestream on YouTube because I wanted to catch Samoa Joe & Powerhouse Hobbs vs. The Workhorsemen; Daniel Garcia vs. Katsuyori Shibata; and, of course, the eight-woman Tailgate Tornado Tag Match. On this edition, Renee Paquette, RJ City, and Jeff Jarrett were seated inside a wrestling ring with Bryan Danielson as special guest commentator. Danielson was very much at ease in this informal setting, giving his thoughts on Adam Copeland & Christian Cage’s hometown advantage over FTR in Toronto, why he believed Mascara Dorada was the favorite heading into a three-way with Konosuke Takeshita and Unified champion Kazuchika Okada, and why World heavyweight champion Adam Page had better not underestimate his challenger, Kyle Fletcher. He even analyzed…

AS WE DO EVERY autumn, the staff of Pro Wrestling Illustrated is once again looking to the end of the calendar year: the time when we relinquish the reins to our readers, allowing them to vote for their favorites in 13 competitive categories. Our annual Achievement Awards, which predate PWI as a publication, honor the best, brightest, and most loathsome in the sport. Unlike the top contenders in our “PWI 500,” “Women’s 250,” and “Tag Team 100,” the PWI Award winners are determined entirely by you—yes, you (the collective you, anyway). The winners will be revealed in our upcoming Spring 2026 issue, which makes its way to subscriber mailboxes in February. So long as you get us your valid awards ballot (contained in this section) by the date the proverbial…

MADS “KRULE” KRUGGER is finally the Major League Wrestling World heavyweight champion! A terrifying throwback to characters once so dominant in pro wrestling, the colossal monster has always enchanted me. Since the days when Jacob Fatu reigned over MLW, the former IWTV Independent World champion has loomed in the company’s background like an evil specter waiting to strike. Krugger’s moment finally came at MLW Fightland. Prior to Matt Riddle defending against MLW World tag champ Donovan Dijak, the masked atrocity cashed in his Gravity Gamble contract to make the main event a triple-threat! In a shocking twist, Krugger hit his finisher on the beleaguered titleholder, just as Riddle appeared ready to retain. A three-count later, and “Krule” claimed his first-ever MLW title. The long arm of Contra once again reigns…

COMING OUT OF THE 2025 “Women’s 250” meetings, PWI Contributing Writer Lyric Swinton had keen insights to share about this year’s list. As such, this column’s usual author, Kristen Ashly, has graciously lent Lyric this space for a special edition of “The W Column.” But don’t worry: Kristen will be back next time! When I was asked to write this column for the 2025 “Women’s 250” issue, two thoughts immediately came to mind. The first one was that I was so incredibly honored. I grew up reading PWI, and I don’t take any opportunity for granted to contribute to it. The second thought was wondering how I could summarize what has been a landmark year for women’s wrestling globally. I concluded that the best way to tackle it was by the numbers, sharing…

IT ALL STARTED WITH a simple game. On his wrestling podcast, Sans Restriction Chrono promoter Kevin Raphael was playing “Would You Rather?”—a party game in which the participants have to choose between multiple unlikely and equally unpleasant scenarios. In one scenario, Raphael had to wrestle Kurt Angle every time he wanted to get in his car. And he actually chose that option, thinking that the former WWE champion was old and wouldn’t be too much of a threat. But then, a backlash happened on social media, and listeners were saying that Kevin wouldn’t stand a chance against Kurt. That game gave him an idea: to bring the Olympic gold medalist to one of his shows. And that’s exactly what he did on September 27 in Quebec City. Although Angle couldn’t…