Welcome to the Latest PWI Weekly

It’s been another busy week in wrestling. So much so, in fact, that we felt obliged to tap in Wrestlenomics’ Brandon Thurston to discuss some of the biggest news stories going on right now, from TV lineup changes to censorship and the two-night WrestleMania coming up next week. Thurston’s appearance on the PWI Podcast is linked later in this email.

Before we get to it, just a reminder that our latest issue, May 2021’s “Return Of Supercards,” is in stores now. If you’d rather not make a trip out, you can order a copy directly from us. And, as always, I’m happy to hear your feedback—good, bad, or indifferent—about what we’re doing. Feel free to drop me a line. —Kevin McElvaney

Wrestler Of The Week

It has been quite the run for Tracy Williams as of late. After failing to earn championship gold in Ring of Honor’s Pure division, Williams followed in the footsteps of his fellow compatriot in The Foundation, Pure champion Jonathan Gresham, by winning both singles and tag team belts. At ROH’s 19th Anniversary show, which aired last Friday evening, “Hot Sauce” bested Kenny King in a singles bout to capture the vacant ROH Television title. Then, later that evening, he and Rhett Titus beat King and La Bestia del Ring, who was subbing for his son, former TV champ Dragon Lee. As hard as this all may be to follow, it was equally a joy to watch unfold—particularly when seeing the delight on the face of Williams, who has finally begun to see the kind of success in Ring of Honor that seemed to come so easily to him on the independent circuit.

This Week In Headlines

• The Nightmare Family Implodes

• NXT Women’s Tag Title Bout Announced

• Kris Statlander Returns, Joins Best Friends

• Charly Caruso Amicably Parts Ways with WWE

From The Vault

On October 4, 2004, Gail Kim attempts a submission on Victoria at Madison Square Garden. The match, which aired on Sunday Night Heat, would be one of Kim’s final outings in her initial WWE run. Soon after, she departed for TNA, where she’d eventually be prominently featured and build a Hall of Fame career. During her second run with TNA, Gail Kim was dominant enough to top PWI’s 2012 “Female 50” list.

Brandon Thurston On The PWI Podcast

This week on The PWI Podcast, Al Castle and Brian Solomon are joined by Wrestlenomics’ Brandon Thurston to discuss some of the biggest stories happening right now in the wrestling industry, including WWE content being edited on Peacock, NXT’s move to Tuesday nights, and Impact Wrestling’s return to Thursdays. This is a thoughtful, in-depth conversation with one of the leading public experts on the economics of pro wrestling.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

A Quick Word About …

 At this time of year, our attention naturally turns to the legends being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. But it’s important to also occasionally reflect on those who never (or rarely) worked for WWE and still managed to carve out long and successful careers. One of those men is James Storm, who, this week on Impact, wrestled his 1000th career match—picking up a win over Eric Young in the main event. A former TNA World champion and multi-time tag team champion, Storm is proof that hard work and perseverance are often the things that Hall of Fame careers are really made of. And “The Cowboy” deserves a beer raised to his.—Jason McVeigh

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