WITH PWI EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Kevin McElvaney currently on location in London covering All In—which we will bring you coverage of next week—it falls to the rest of us here at the PWI Weekly to hold down the fort in his absence. We can’t promise Kevin that Liz Hunter won’t use his office or drink from his coffee cup while he’s gone, but we can promise to put together a “jolly good” edition of the PWI Weekly. See what we did there?
We hope you enjoy this edition as much as Kevin is enjoying the tea and crumpets in the United Kingdom.
WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Having won back the X division championship from Cedric Alexander just an hour earlier, Leon Slater wasted little time deciding what his first move as champion was going to be.
Just after The Nemeths had regained the TNA World tag team championship in the main event of Lockdown, Slater interrupted the celebration. He stared down Nic Nemeth and promptly signaled his intention to cash in “Option C.”
Knowing that his X division reputation was already secure, the British high-flyer relinquished his newly won gold and challenged the elder Nemeth to a TNA World title bout at Bound for Glory. TNA President Carlos Silva immediately accepted Slater’s request, and the match is now set.
Should Slater be successful in his title challenge, he will become the youngest men’s World champ in TNA history.
A QUICK WORD ABOUT …
“The Forever Champion” might indeed be just that. With another successful title defense to her credit at Death Before Dishonor on August 21, Athena is now fast-approaching the four-year mark as ROH Women’s World champion.
Her main event showdown with Hazuki on August 21 was just the latest in a long line of impressive showings for the reigning titlist. While social media chatter might suggest that Ring of Honor does not have the same fan appeal that it once enjoyed, Athena’s matches are very much still appointment viewing.
Truthfully, there may not be another wrestler anywhere in the world as important to their brand as Athena is to ROH.
SPOTLIGHT ON …
Although WWE once tried to claim that MFT stood for “My Family Tree,” it very much now means Mother … umm … Freakin’ Tongans. Since discarding some former members and renewing their focus on the tag ranks within WWE, brothers Talla & Tama Tonga have been a force. Don’t believe us? Just ask former champs Damian Priest & R-Truth, who lost their WWE tag team championship to the MFT and failed to win it back in a subsequent rematch.
While the MFTs’ dominance could be chalked up to their physical prowess, there is also the important matter of having their father, Haku, in their corner. If the pro wrestling legend was barking at us while wielding a giant staff, we’d find it a great motivator, too.
SPOTLIGHT PHOTO
If Alex Windsor managed to throw a kick at Divine Dominion like she is doing to Syuri here, then she and Jamie Hayter might just be your new AEW Women’s World tag team champions. While we’ve had to put this edition of the PWI Weekly together before All In, you should know by now if Windsor’s Brawling Birds tandem proved successful in the anticipated Wembley outing.
Though she competes a lot on U.S. soil these days, the Brit’s record on home turf is pretty good. In the above bout—photographed at Pro Wrestling: EVE’s Wrestle Queendom event in March—Windsor dethroned joshi ace Syuri for the NJPW STRONG Women’s title.
TERRITORIAL DISSINGS
Sticking with the British theme that has permeated this edition of the PWI Weekly, who doesn’t love some classic Lord Steven Regal?