PWI Weekly for April 13, 2026
April Showers Bring ... New Champions?
HELLO AND WELCOME TO another installment of the PWI Weekly. Are you like us and can’t quite believe how quickly Monday comes around? Well, it’s not just the weeks that are moving fast … so, too, is the wrestling world.
We aren’t even two weeks into April yet, and already we’ve seen some big title changes. This week, we’re taking a look at a few that caught our attention.
WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Imagine a hectic schedule that includes appearances for Lucha Libre AAA alongside a regular gig in NXT. Some grapplers could get worn out by the travel, let alone the competition. But not Lola Vice. In fact, by the second week of April, she wore gold for both brands.
Already a AAA Mixed tag team champion alongside Mr. Iguana, Vice added the NXT Women’s championship to her haul when she dethroned Jacy Jayne at Stand & Deliver. The match (which also included Kendal Grey) saw Vice lay claim to the queendom of what many consider the most competitive women’s division under the WWE umbrella. In doing so, she became the first Cuban-American woman to hold a championship in WWE history.
A QUICK WORD ABOUT …
Despite his hard work and considerable accolades, Tony D’Angelo has been left to watch as many of his peers in NXT were summoned to the main roster. In the wake of each call-up to Raw or Smackdown, the Chicagoan could have been forgiven for wondering just what he had done wrong. Why did he continue to be overlooked?
Then again, many of those peers had already achieved something that continually eluded D’Angelo: the mantle of NXT champion.
On April 4, at Stand & Deliver, that all changed. Having eschewed many of the Mafioso tropes he’d been known for on Tuesday nights, the 2026 version of D’Angelo has been about only one thing—winning gold. In the main-event tilt of NXT’s biggest show of the year, he made that happen. In a four-way contest that also included Ethan Page and Ricky Saints, D’Angelo pinned reigning champion Joe Hendry to leave no doubt that he is now the undisputed “Don” of NXT.
WE HEARD THAT
“This was one of the best moments of my life … to watch a kid that I started mentoring when he turned 15, and his parents brought him to my seminar. Congratulations to the youngest ever IWGP Heavyweight champion.” —Will Ospreay
Just a few short weeks ago, we gave Callum Newman the nod as our “Wrestler Of The Week.” On the strength of his 2026 New Japan Cup win, the Englishman was poised and prepared for an IWGP World title shot at Sakura Genesis on April 4. Sure enough, Newman did not waste the opportunity. The United Empire man rode a wave of momentum into Tokyo and dethroned incumbent champion Yota Tsuji in a hard-hitting 24-minute affair.
On the surface, Newman’s win might seem somewhat surprising, but anyone who has followed his career closely can attest to the talent he possesses. One of those people is Will Ospreay. A former IWGP champ himself, the AEW star was one of the first to congratulate Newman, showering him with the glowing praise above.
SPOTLIGHT ON …
Sons and daughters of famous wrestlers aren’t only found in WWE and AEW. The independent circuit also has its share of grapplers doing their family trees proud. One such grappler is Jesse Funaki, the son of longtime WWE fan favorite Sho Funaki. Jesse recently became the New Texas Pro LoneStar champion. And, with less than two years of experience under his belt, the ascendant blue-chipper is already turning heads in the industry.
If you haven’t seen the young Funaki in action, he’s indeed a chip off the old block. But don’t take our word for it: You can check out New Texas’ full TX8 event below for a better look at the rising star.
TERRITORIAL DISSINGS
In last week’s edition of the Weekly, we reported on an Interim Men’s title being introduced at Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling. However, that wasn’t the only championship decided during the most recent weekend of MLP action. In the main event of March 27’s Global Wars, The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) won a four-way bout with Gates of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona), Bishop Dyer & Kaito Kiyomiya, and Bryce Hansen & Sheldon Jean to become the inaugural Maple Leaf Pro Canadian tag team champions.
Dismayed by Hansen’s performance at Global Wars, Jean opted to team with Brent Banks in an ostensible rematch with the newly anointed champs at the following night’s MLP Uprising show. Just when it seemed the veteran Good Brothers had their first defense in the bag, the younger duo ultimately outmaneuvered and outwitted them—and, with a little help from one of the MLP tag team belts, Banks pinned Anderson to end the Brothers’ latest title reign at one day.
TERRITORIAL DISSINGS
The so-called Pulp Fiction promos were a staple of ECW television throughout the promotion’s existence. This one from April 1996 proffers a proverbial who’s who of the Extreme outfit, all airing their thoughts and grievances. Keep an eye out for JT Smith reeling off some of his best Italian.