Welcome to the Latest PWI Weekly

My usual preamble is going to be shorter this week. Your time is valuable, and I’d imagine you’ve got some wrestling shows to catch up on.

We’ve begun to receive responses to our annual Readers’ Poll. And one of the most surprising revelations, based on the early results, is just how much wrestling you all are watching. A majority of early responders to our Poll have indicated they watch at least 7–10 hours of professional wrestling every single week.

Some weeks, it might seem a little overwhelming just to keep up with it all. Luckily, we’re here to help you keep track of it all. And, if you’re interested in learning how you can take the PWI Poll, keep on reading … —Kevin McElvaney

Wrestler Of The Week

Who else could it possibly be this week? With his victory over Rich Swann at Impact Wrestling’s Rebellion PPV, Kenny Omega captured the Impact World championship—adding it to his collection of prizes that already included the AEW World title and the AAA Mega championship. “The Cleaner” is, in fact, cleaning up when it comes to competing for the top titles in various promotions. What’s next: The NWA World heavyweight championship? Maybe a trip over to Ring of Honor to face RUSH, or even a return to New Japan? Time will tell …

This Week In Headlines

• Moxley vs. Nagata Set for May 12 Dynamite

• Braun Strowman Sets Record on Raw

• Vice Reveals Dark Side of the Ring Topics

• Gimmick Matches Announced for NXT

From The Vault

The annual Poll (once reserved for industry insiders, and now open to our readers) is a long-standing tradition at Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Each year’s Poll is something of a time capsule, capturing the most important topics and trends in professional wrestling at that given moment. Our June 2003 issue is very much of the era in which it was published—Torrie Wilson’s emergence as “Wrestling’s Sexiest Woman,” the WWE’s recovering relationship with Steve Austin, the destructive path of Brock Lesnar. And yes, there’s quite a bit of attention devoted to the hot new company on the scene: NWA-TNA. Our June 2021 issue doesn’t feature the annual Poll results—more on when you can expect those soon—but it does have information about how you can take the Poll and contribute to our print time capsule of professional wrestling in 2021.

PWI Exclusive Featured on MLW Fusion

From MLW.com: “In an exclusive, Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Jason McVeigh gets closer to solving the question everyone has been asking since January: Who is Azteca Underground’s El Jefe? What did he unearth? Who are some of the suspects?”

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE EPISODE

The PWI Podcast w/ Dak Draper, Righteous Reg

This week on The PWI Podcast, Al Castle and Brian Solomon are joined by fellow Pro Wrestling Illustrated writer Righteous Reg to discuss a range of topics including the historical importance of WrestleMania, Reg's experiences at the indie events leading up to the big event, and some recent hot topics/scandals in the world of pro wrestling. Plus, Al Castle shares his exclusive interview with one of Ring of Honor's brightest stars, Dak Draper. Don't miss this supersized episode of The PWI Podcast!

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

In Stores Now: The June 2021 Issue of PWI

The June issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated is available now in stores or via our website. This is our WrestleMania issue, featuring a Hotseat interview with Smackdown Women’s champ Bianca Belair, a look at WrestleMania matches that might have been, and so much more. Here’s a preview of what’s inside:

• Feature stories on Keiji Muto, Jonathan Gresham, Shotzi Blackheart, Miro, and Major League Wrestling’s Azteca Underground

• New columns from Jordynne Grace and Righteous Reg

• 12-pages of coverage of the American independent scene

• Information about this year’s PWI Poll

It’s a jam-packed issue that you won’t want to be without.

Find it on newsstands now, or order your copy directly from us at getpwi.com

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