Table of contents for February 2025 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated

TO TAKE YOU HOME AT THE OCTOBER 12 WrestleDream event in his home state of Washington, “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson wrestled the last match of his full-time career. Finally making good on a deferred promise to his daughter, Birdie, the veteran grappler hung up his boots and returned his uninterrupted focus to being a father and husband. Unlike the triumphant run that preceded it—one that saw him win the Owen Hart Cup and then the AEW World championship—Danielson’s final exit from full-time competition was anything but glorious. After all, he didn’t simply lose his World title. For a second time, he was attacked by his former friends in the Blackpool Combat Club, who, for the second time in as many months, attempted to suffocate him with a plastic bag.…

I DON’T QUALIFY for senior discounts quite yet, but one benefit of growing older—and being a longtime writer at this magazine—is witnessing legendary careers in their entirety. I think of the “Introducing” features I wrote for our now-defunct sister publication, The Wrestler, profiling relative unknowns such as AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode, and many others. Brandi Mankiewicz, our managing editor at the time, had a knack for selecting the perfect up-and-comers. I recall interviewing Bryan Danielson in 2001. He was known simply as “American Dragon.” A graduate of the Shawn Michaels Wrestling Academy in San Antonio, Danielson was embroiled in a rivalry with fellow trainee Brian Kendrick, and he had recently scored the biggest win of his career over William Regal at an indie show in Maryland. He was…

IN PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING, THERE ARE FEW STORIES AS POWERFUL AS THOSE WITH LINEAGE; WHERE THE HALLOWED HALLS OF THE PAST ARE REVISITED, AND LEGACIES ARE BUILT UPON BY NEW GENERATIONS. IN THE GREAT WHITE NORTH, ONE PARTICULAR STORY SEEMS READY FOR A NEW CHAPTER. IN 1939, JOHN AND FRANK TUNNEY purchased control of the Toronto pro wrestling territory from Jack Corcoran, a former boxing promoter who’d been presenting wrestling events at Maple Leaf Gardens for about eight years. Unofficially dubbed “Maple Leaf Wrestling,” the growing league drew big crowds in the decades ahead by booking talent from the U.S. and Canada—including The Sheik and Ontario native “Whipper” Billy Watson. And it continued to serve as a grappling hotbed, as the Tunney Family cooperated with the National Wrestling Alliance,…

IN THE WORDS OF MY beloved dad, “wrestling is hotter than it’s ever been” … and Hollywood continues to take notice. Take one-time PROGRESS tag team champion Charles Crowley, who has a miles-long IMDb page filled with credits as an actor, director, writer, and producer. Triple-threat … what’s that?! “The Trickster God” served up some exclusive insight for me into his upcoming fantasy film, Welcome to Paradise, starring Crowley himself, Bill Nighy (Love Actually), Mathew Horne (Gavin & Stacey), and this year’s number-two-ranked wrestler on the “PWI Women’s 250” list, Jordynne Grace! “It’s a film about greed and second chances, but I can’t say more than that,” Crowley teased. “After my first feature film Drive Me to the End (available on Amazon Prime) that touches on communication and autism, I…

WHAT A YEAR 2024 has been for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre. After having hosted some of the biggest male names on the AEW roster, such as Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, and Chris Jericho, CMLL has now focused much of its efforts on its own women’s division. For the fourth time in company history, the “serious and stable” promotion brought in some of the most exciting talent in worldwide women’s wrestling for the CMLL International Women’s Grand Prix. This “Grand Prix” event took place in the legendary Arena Mexico. It was ultimately won by fan favorite Reyna Isis, who last eliminated AEW star Red Velvet in an incredibly exciting final match. Some other notable international talent who participated in the tournament included Alex Windsor, Viva Van, Willow Nightingale, and last…

SPOTLIGHT CARD OF THE MONTH ONTARIO WINDSOR—Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling “Forged In Excellence” (Night Two) at St. Clair College: Brent Banks & Bryce Hansen defeated Johnny Swinger & Raj Singh … Taylor Rising beat Aurora Teves … Aiden Prince, Kevin Knight, & KUSHIDA beat Rocky Romero, Rohan Raja, & Rohit Raju … El Reverso pinned QPW Qatar champion Classy Ali to win the title … Psycho Mike defeated Alex Zayne, Jake Some thing, Sheldon Jean, Stu Grayson, and Trevor Lee in a six-person scramble … Mike Bailey pinned El Phantasmo … Bhupinder Gujjar & Raj Dhesi defeated Bully Ray & QT Marshall … ROH Women’s World champion Athena defeated Gisele Shaw to retain … AEW International champion Konosuke Takeshita beat Josh Alexander to retain. (08-24-24) —Spotlight photos by Shooting The…

A LITTLE OVER FOUR years ago, I penned my first “The Way It Was” column for Pro Wrestling Illustrated, extolling the virtues of Ray “The Crippler” Stevens: one of the most underrated workers of all time; and a wrestler held in the highest regard by those of the generation who worked with him and spent time around him. Now, this month, I’m taking a look at a tag team that involved Stevens … and of which much of the very same could be said. There were several tag teams over the years who took on the name “The Blond Bombers.” Rip Hawk & Swede Hanson, the subjects of another previous column, were the first. But the pairing of Ray Stevens & Pat Patterson may have been the best. Unfortunately, as…

WATCHING NETFLIX’S MR. MCMAHON documentary made me think about what it would look like if John Grisham, the master of the courtroom drama, took a stab at telling the story of Vince McMahon’s 1994 steroid distribution trial. Rather than Long Island, New York, the setting might have been a small Mississippi town. The judge would almost certainly have a heavy Southern drawl; and the prosecutor a cheap linen suit. But for all the courtroom cliches Grisham is known to espouse, even he would know better than to have the defendant wear a neck brace to garner sympathy from jurors. Now that would be ridiculous. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, if I may introduce into evidence this John Grisham-inspired edition of “Quick Count.” THE PARTNER This issue of PWI marks…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hb17uaaldwM After Bound for Glory, where Hendry was arguably robbed of the TNA World title, fans were crestfallen. Now, from the man himself, here is why they shouldn’t give up … BOUND FOR GLORY 2024 should have been the night when Joe Hendry finally claimed his spot at the top of the TNA Wrestling mountain. In fact, were it not for the outside interference of John Layfield—who leveled him with a Clothesline from Hell on the arena floor—Hendry would almost certainly have left Detroit as TNA World champion. As it happened, the effort it took to kick out after that attack left the challenger vulnerable … and unable to recover from champion Nic Nemeth’s Danger Zone finisher. The devastating loss left Hendry fans and industry analysts alike with a lingering…

THERE ARE NO OVERNIGHT sensations in independent wrestling. More often than not, it’s a long, hard slog of paying dues and “earning your spot.” It’s putting miles on your body and even more on your car. It’s years spent building a reputation so that promoters keep booking you and fans keep paying to see you. It’s a hard existence … and only the tough need apply. To be an independent wrestler in the U.K.—a place where opportunities are fewer than in the United States—requires even more grit. It’s no surprise then that the current king of indie wrestling in the U.K. is one of the grittiest going. “The way I work in the ring is everything to my brand,” Luke Jacobs told PWI during a recent interview. “The whole thing…

CANADA HAS A THRIVING independent scene with a way of conducting business that’s special and distinct. Progressive in its match constellations, open with title contention, and consistent in its use of regulars, the Canadian scene offers a decidedly modern system constructed to be a haven for indie wrestlers. With such forward thinking, it’s no surprise that the Canadian women often grace both the “PWI 500” and the “PWI Women’s 250” lists. One such competitor is “The Sweetest Pea” Kristara. Kristara’s 2024 was a breakout year, with the popular grappler placing on the “500” for the first time at #494, and taking a huge leap to #68 on the “Women’s 250.” She credits her career year to staying busy, branching out, and leaning on those more experienced. “I think just the…

HEAVYWEIGHT 1 CODY RHODES (1) WWE Undisputed Universal champion Atlanta, GA 2 JON MOXLEY (-) AEW World champion Cincinnati, OH 3 GUNTHER (3) WWE World heavyweight champion Vienna, Austria 4 ZACK SABRE JR. (-) IWGP World heavyweight champion Isle of Sheppey, U.K. 5 NIC NEMETH (4) TNA World champion Hollywood, FL 6 BRYAN DANIELSON (2) Former AEW World champion Aberdeen, WA 7 TETSUYA NAITO (5) Former IWGP World champion Tokyo, Japan 8 KAITO KIYOMIYA (8) GHC heavyweight champion Saitama, Japan 9 YUMA AOYAGI (9) Triple Crown champion Nagano, Japan 10 ALBERTO EL PATRON (-) AAA Mega champion San Luis Potosi, Mexico WOMEN 1 TAM NAKANO (6) World of Stardom champion Aichi, Japan 2 MARIAH MAY (2) AEW Women’s World champion London, U.K. 3 NIA JAX (5) WWE Women’s champion San…

10. SAMANTHA IRVIN SHARES THAT SHE DIDN’T REALLY LIKE BEING AN ANNOUNCER. Inspired by Irvin’s candor, Michael Myers subsequently released a statement revealing that he never really enjoyed stabbing people. 9. THE GREAT KHALI ACCUSES BATISTA OF BEING POPULAR WITH THE LADIES DURING HIS TIME IN WWE. And Troy McClure thought he had an embarrassing scandal … 8. AN INFLUX OF KANE IMPERSONATORS RUNS WILD ON THE INDIES. Film buffs and wrestling fans alike eagerly await masked versions of Michael Kane and Bob Krane entering the squared circle. 7. AJ STYLES TURNS DOWN INDUCTION INTO THE TNA HALL OF FAME. Styles explained his decision via social media, saying he still isn’t over the whole Claire Lynch thing. 6. JON MOXLEY SUBMITS A TRADEMARK APPLICATION FOR THE NAME “DEATH RIDERS.” In…

SOMETIMES, GREAT SUCCESS can bring complications. For nearly a quarter-century now, WWE has had to grapple with the very real issue of finding and developing new talent. In the old days, when the territorial system was still in existence—or at least not too far in the past—there were any number of seasoned, experienced veterans ready-made for national TV, who required little preparation because they’d been performing at a high level for years. After that, WCW, ECW, Smoky Mountain Wrestling, and other places still proved to be fertile ground for recruiting highly capable stars. In the 21st century, this has definitely been more of a struggle. WWE has needed to take a more proactive approach in the development of talent, who no longer had anywhere else to work that would give…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPba_gQ16wU BIANCA BELAIR & JADE CARGILL LEAD THE PACK! MY, HOW QUICKLY OUR baby has grown up! Once the experimental new ranking on the PWI editorial calendar, the “Tag Team 100” is now in its fifth edition—highly anticipated (and widely debated) by fans and industry insiders alike. Where does the time go? For tag team wrestling, the last 12 months have been a whirlwind, with new pairs forming (and some splitting up) on a regular basis. And though most of the world’s premier tag divisions have seen their share of ups and downs, there’s no denying that tag team wrestling—when done well—is a gift to wrestling fans. Kudos to this year’s #1-ranked duo, Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill, for becoming the first women to top PWI’s annual tag team ranking.…

1 PWI: You recently completed a tour with CMLL in Mexico. What was your favorite thing about the experience? VV: My favorite things were the steak tacos and spending time with my girls in Team World. I also made so many new friends in CMLL. 2 PWI: What’s one helpful thing a veteran wrestler taught you not to do? VV: A vet once told me to “no-sell everything” and “fly low.” This has kept me out of a lot of trouble. 3 PWI: Our readers might be surprised to learn that you sang in a death metal band. Is this something we might see you do more of in the future? VV: I don’t know … anything is possible. I’m just so busy with wrestling now that I don’t have…

SINCE THE BEGINNING of the year, Montreal’s Kristara has wrestled 70 matches all over Quebec and Ontario. But perhaps no other match has been more important than the one on October 12, at IWS Know Your Enemies. On that night, she was added to an International Wrestling Syndicate heavyweight title match between champion Karl Jepson and James Stone—because, in storyline, she was the only one to have helped owner PCP Manny in his feud with Game Changer Wrestling. And against all odds, Kristara won the title to a roar of applause. In the crowd, girls were actually crying. “Winning the IWS title was a big moment for myself,” said Kristara, the highest-ranking Canadian independent in the latest “PWI Women’s 250.” “But the reception and the comments I heard from other…