PWI Weekly for August 3, 2026
Raucous Redemption Ramblings: New Champs, New Contenders, & More
IT FEELS LIKE EVERY week there’s another mouth-watering wrestling supercard to get excited for. Not that we’re complaining …
With SummerSlam having wrapped up mere hours ago, the big WWE show is the current talk of all your favorite social media channels. Forgive us at PWI Weekly while we take the time to properly digest our graps … and know that you can expect some SummerSlam reflections in this newsletter soon.
While you wait, we are bringing you the best bits from an action-packed AEW Redemption in Montreal, Quebec. Bon appetit!
WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Talk about a feel-good win: A recent two-month injury layoff did little to deter the momentum of a determined Willow Nightingale. The magnanimous fan favorite returned at Dynamite: Beach Break in early-July, promptly winning a Casino Gauntlet match for a shot at the AEW Women’s World title. At Redemption in Montreal, the “Babe With The Power” seized upon that opportunity, using a backslide to pin incumbent champ Thekla and capture the division’s most prestigious prize.
With the victory at Redemption, Nightingale is now the first-ever Women’s Grand Slam champion in AEW history. PWI sends its collective congrats to one of the hardest-working—and, genuinely, one of the kindest—pro wrestlers we’ve encountered in recent memory!
A QUICK WORD ABOUT …
Although her 165-day run as Women’s champion has come to an end at the hands of Willow Nightingale, Thekla should feel no shame in defeat. “The Toxic Spider” recorded seven successful defenses of her World title between February and July, facing down the likes of Kris Statlander, Hikaru Shida, Jamie Hayter, and Starlight Kid in the process.
And it’s not all bad news for the eccentric Austrian. For one thing, Thekla recently claimed the Artist of Stardom championship for the second time in her career. In the semi-main event of Stardom’s July 18 show, she and her Triangle of Madness allies (Julia Hart & Skye Blue) took down God’s Eye (Ami Sohrei, Hina, & Lady C), taking home the promotion’s coveted multi-colored trios belts in the process.
All in all, it’s been a career year for Thekla—and a hard-fought loss to Willow Nightingale at Redemption does little to detract from this.
TAG TEAM OF THE WEEK
Raise your hand if you would’ve predicted, just five years ago, that Adam Copeland & Christian Cage would be riding high in 2026 as AEW World tag team champions.
Now, if you’ve raised your hand … please put it down, as we know you’re full of it.
A solid 30 years after they first paired up in their native Canada, the former Edge & Christian are outfighting and outclassing teams with relative youth on their side. At the Bell Centre in Southwestern Quebec, Cope & Cage gamely saw off the challenge of the Death Riders’ Claudio Castagnoli & PAC in a competitive, 18-minute row.
As it turns out, experience and rugged determination go a long way in helping a duo stay on top despite their advancing ages—and being one of the sport’s most successful tandems, with eight world tag titles on their CV, doesn’t hurt, either.
Now, let’s see how they fare against another all-time combo in The Young Bucks …
SPOTLIGHT ON …
Few title victories in 2026 have carried the emotional weight of Maya World capturing the TBS championship at Redemption. The plucky Texan endured an incredibly difficult start to the summer when she lost her beloved brother Jatwane, who, when they were kids, had helped kickstart the AEW grappler’s interest in wrestling.
While this personal tragedy tested World’s resolve more than any opponent ever could, it also gave her a whole new level of strength. Fans supported her and cheered her on while she continued to ply her trade. And she dedicated her in-ring successes to the Jatwane’s memory.
After an impressive runner-up finish in the Women’s Owen Hart Tournament, World would use the momentum to go on to defeat Hikaru Shida for the TBS gold at Redemption. It’s an inspirational tale in the story of a career just getting started.
SPOTLIGHT PHOTO
We won’t ever claim to truly know what The Beast Mortos is thinking. But when it comes to the moment captured above, we have a feeling that it’s something along the lines of uh-oh!
That’s what we’d be thinking if we were lying on a ladder looking up at Mike Bailey, who was about to clobber us with the Ultima Weapon double-kneedrop. “Speedball” would go on to win the contest—a spectacular six-way ladder match—and earn a future shot at the AEW International title.
That Bailey was able to secure the dub in their home province of Quebec must have tasted as sweet as maple syrup.