Table of contents for Holiday 2024 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated

STORM CLOUDS THIS YEAR IS A SIGNIFICANT one for All Elite Wrestling, as it marks the first time a member of its roster has topped PWI’s annual women’s wrestling ranking. Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega have each done AEW proud by placing #1 in the “PWI 500,” in 2020 and 2021, respectively. FTR has stood tall atop our tag team rankings twice (2020 and 2023), while The Young Bucks garnered that spot once (2021). But, for all the plaudits the five-year-old company has received, this is the first time its women’s division has, undeniably, become the buzz of the industry. Toni Storm deserves plenty of credit for this distinction. After all, the former three-time AEW Women’s World champion forged a colorful, yet dominant reign at the fore of her home…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JwrkIk9_qQ IT ISN’T TYPICAL FOR a pro wrestler to make her in-ring debut on a stage the size of All Elite Wrestling, nor against an opponent the caliber of Mercedes Martinez. However, Jessica Roden—better known as J-Rod—isn’t your typical wrestler. She’s got big-time dreams and is on a path to making them come true. For her part, the multi-sport athlete understands how fortunate she was to have competed on that 2022 episode of AEW Dark, calling it “an amazing experience to start my career.” And the hits have kept coming. At press time, the former softball and volleyball player is the reigning Women’s champion of Ohio Valley Wrestling—atitle that has been held by the likes of Serena Deeb, Ruby Soho, and Beth Phoenix. Thanks to OVW’s syndicated TV show, Roden…

SINCE 2008, PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED has done its part to help empower women through its annual ranking of the best female wrestlers in the world, which has evolved into the “Women’s 250.” For even longer than that, female singers have sought to empower women through their music. Heck, if it weren’t for the inspiring lyrics of Cyndi Lauper’s iconic hit, “Girls Just Want To Have Fun,” Wendi Richter may never have won the WWF Women’s championship 40 years ago. What’s worse: She may never have had any fun. When the working day is done, enjoy this edition of “Quick Count,” dedicated to some of music’s most timeless female anthems. INDEPENDENT WOMEN Well before Rhea Ripley and Mercedes Mone earned main-event slots in their respective promotions, women like Madison Eagles and…

THIS COLUMN MARKS THE dawn of a new season; with that, come new opportunities to take in new sights and exciting activities. Pumpkin patches? Check. Concert tickets to declare just how much you don’t want a lot for Christmas with Mariah Carey? Check. A new Amazon Prime ep with Mike Rallis (Riddick Moss) and Tenille Dashwood? Yes, please … and double-check! Yes, you read that right: Rallis and Dashwood are taking the reins in their careers to new heights, literally, with a travel show titled The Wanderer. Dashwood broke the news on Instagram with a post sharing exclusive clips she and her husband Rallis filmed for the series. She also thanked the crew for an “EPIC” time shared in Alaska. And get this … the happy couple had no idea…

MR. MCMAHON SEVERAL YEARS IN THE making, Mr. McMahon is a six-part docuseries focusing on the triumphs, controversies, and chaos behind the career of one Vincent Kennedy McMahon. The Bill Simmons-produced show features interviews with some of the most relevant individuals in McMahon’s life, along with journalists such as Phil Mushnick and Dave Meltzer. Meltzer plays the role of wrestling historian, providing necessary context and rebuking inaccurate statements (including the inflated attendance number for Wrestle Mania 3 at the Pontiac Silverdome). Mushnick, a longtime columnist for the New York Post, is ruthless—though, in many instances, just—in his criticism of McMahon. Notably, Mr. McMahon commenced production with hands-on cooperation from WWE and its former chairman. It contains far more official footage than similar independently produced documentaries. It’s also full of news…

AMID THE TITANIC battle between WWE World heavyweight champion Gunther and Randy Orton at Bash in Berlin, color commentator Wade Barrett proclaimed, “Randy Orton is about to face the most unstoppable force the continent of Europe has ever created in the wrestling industry.” It’s interesting that few people would question such a bold statement. Would I question it? Not necessarily. But Barrett did say “ever.” Gunther went on to force the seemingly indomitable Orton to tap out—clean, no interference, not even a distracting glance from Ludwig Kaiser. In a show of class and respect in his adopted hometown of Berlin, Gunther shook Orton’s hand after the bout. That was 28 days after his World title victory over Damian Priest at Summer-Slam. Gunther intends to make this reign as significant as…

I TAKE GREAT PRIDE in being a part of the “Women’s 250” ranking committee. The list has increased over the last five years, and seeing it grow as a contributor to PWI is a great honor. The criteria are straightforward, but always leave some important names out of the ranking. Whether it is Mercedes Moné being too inactive for the minimum requirements, women who didn’t rank because the list was too competitive, or women who retired before the end of that year’s evaluation period. To me, it seems unfair to leave out wrestlers who retired. Being on the PWI staff, I understand why they are; someone who has stepped away from the business is tough to rank above someone who is actively performing in the ring. Still, this technicality creates…

HEAVYWEIGHT 1 CODY RHODES (1) WWE Undisputed Universal champion Atlanta, GA 2 BRYAN DANIELSON (-) AEW World champion Aberdeen, WA 3 GUNTHER (2) WWE World heavyweight champion Vienna, Austria 4 NIC NEMETH (6) TNA World champion Hollywood, FL 5 TETSUYA NAITO (4) IWGP World champion Tokyo, Japan 6 MISTICO (-) World Historic middleweight champion Mexico City, Mexico 7 SATOSHI KOJIMA (-) MLW World champion Tokyo, Japan 8 KAITO KIYOMIYA (8) GHC champion Saitama, Japan 9 YUMA AOYAGI (9) Triple Crown champion Nagano, Japan 10 THOM LATIMER (-) NWA World champion Chesterfield, U.K. WOMEN 1 JORDYNNE GRACE (4) TNA Women’s World champion Austin, TX 2 MARIAH MAY (-) AEW Women’s World champion London, U.K. 3 MERCEDES MONE (7) AEW TBS/NJPW STRONG Women’s champion Boston, MA 4 LIV MORGAN (1) WWE Women’s…

THOSE WHO WATCHED the Mr. McMahon docu-series that dropped on Netflix on September 24 realize that it was an attempt to explain Vince McMahon—in the context of a very unique industry—to a mass audience. McMahon ensured that an enormous number of people would sample the program … by doing preemptive damage control the day before its release. McMahon posted on X: “The producers had an opportunity to tell an objective story about my life and the incredible business I built, which were equally filled with excitement, drama, fun, and a fair amount of controversy and life lessons. “Unfortunately, based on an early partial cut I’ve seen, this doc falls short and takes the predictable path of conflating the ‘Mr. McMahon’ character with my true self, Vince. The title and promos…

FOR THE 17TH STRAIGHT year, the staff of Pro Wrestling Illustrated is proud to present our annual ranking of the top competitors in the wide world of women’s wrestling. From the big promotions in North America to the vibrant joshi scene of Japan, the thriving rosters of the Euro and Australian wrestling circuits to the premier independent grapplers found anywhere on the map, this year’s “Women’s 250” list was just as competitive as any that preceded it. The incomparable Toni Storm makes history as the first All Elite Wrestling talent to place #1 in this storied ranking—putting an exclamation point on a year that saw her reign as a dominant and exceptionally popular world champion. To be sure, Storm’s spotiswell-earned. Yet, it’s worth noting, the 249 performers who follow her…

IN THE WEEKS LEADING up to our press deadline, Quebec City has been the center of Canadian wrestling. At the end of August, NSPW held its 500th show, with a thousand-plus fans at Canac Stadium. To celebrate the event, the three members of Un-touchables, Marko Estrada, Travis Toxic, and Matt Angel, teamed in the main event to beat The Union. Two weeks later, it was back-to-school time with NSPW’s first show of the season, Rise Above. Junior heavyweight champ Loue O’Farrell solidified her position in the company with a 21st title defense. Zak Patterson became the number-one contender to Travis Toxic’s NSPW title by defeating Marko Estrada, Benjamin Tull, and Kristara in the main event. Then, on September 14, Femmes Fatales held its 15th-anniversary show. In the main event, Azaelle…