PWI Weekly for February 2, 2026
New Year, New Them: Wrestlers Making A Change In Early-2026
BY THE TIME YOU read this edition of the PWI Weekly, you should already know which man and woman walked out of their Royal Rumble matches as the respective winners. While editorial deadlines mean that we are compiling this edition ahead of time, be sure to check your inbox next week for our thoughts on the big show.
Suffice it to say, this time of year usually means that the title picture in WWE is about to be shaken up en route to WrestleMania. But transformative action is not the sole providence of the industry leader and its creative team. Indeed, as January gave way to February, many grapplers across the globe were ushering in their own seasons of change. In this edition of the PWI Weekly, we shine a light on some of them.
WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Although some of his critics decried the length of Jon Moxley’s most recent AEW Men’s World title reign, it appears subsequent champs have had a hard time holding onto the prize. Adam Page, the man who defeated Moxley, would carry the gold for a little over four months before losing it to Samoa Joe. Joe, in turn, would hold it for just 35 days before the current champ, MJF, dethroned him. That’s a lot of change in a short period of time! And it’s something that MJF is keen to put a stop to.
Since becoming a two-time World champion, the Long Island loudmouth has set about reasserting his position as the most elite (pun intended) wrestler in AEW. A successful title defense against Bandido on the January 14 Dynamite only helped his claim.
MJF is supremely talented—and, perhaps above all, smart. Rest assured that he will have seen the pitfalls that cost Page and Joe the championship previously. We think that Mr. Friedman may be more selective about when (and against whom) he defends his “Triple B.” Whether or not he turns out to be a fighting champion in his latest reign, 2026 has gotten off to a great start for MJF. We’ll see if he can maintain it.
A QUICK WORD ABOUT …
Is it just us, or has there been a change of attitude from Cody Rhodes as of late? “The American Nightmare” received more than a smattering of jeers during WWE’s tour of Europe in January. And while that could be owed to the oft-unpredictable European crowds, we wonder whether there is more to the situation.
When he lost the Undisputed WWE championship to Drew McIntyre in Berlin, Rhodes was apoplectic—rather than accepting the defeat in the sporting fashion we might expect from the company’s “QB1.” Post-match, he took his frustrations out on Jacob Fatu (whom he believed had cost him the title with his interference). Since then, Rhodes has been particularly aggressive in his pursuit of vengeance.
While he still remains one of WWE’s most beloved heroes—and, as evidence, has received more positive crowd support back in North America—we are curious to see if a change is indeed coming over Cody Rhodes. Watch this space.
IN OTHER NEWS …
Longtime NJPW wrestler EVIL has officially finished up with the company and looks to be headed to WWE. The erstwhile House of Torture leader is a former IWGP World champion who seems motivated to start a new chapter in his career after many years with New Japan. While his interference-filled matches weren’t to everyone’s taste in his home country (and outside of it), EVIL has the ability and aura to become a top player wherever he goes.
SPOTLIGHT ON …
PROGRESS Wrestling has a new Women’s champion in Alexxis Falcon. The Yorkshire native bested Rayne Leverkusen for the title at PROGRESS Chapter 189: In Darkest Night on January 25. The victory marked Falcon’s first time wearing singles gold for PROGRESS, although she previously held its tag team title with Charles Crowley. With a busy spring line-up that includes a WrestleMania Week return to Las Vegas and the first-ever women’s Super Strong Style tournament—with the final set for early-May in London—PROGRESS is sure to offer up plenty of worthy challengers for the new champion. This Falcon had best keep her claws tightly on the gold.
TERRITORIAL DISSINGS
This past week, many WWE fans got to see a side of Natalya that they hadn’t seen before. Actually, maybe we should say they got to see Nattie Neidhart for the first time! Regular viewers of Josh Barnett’s GCW Bloodsport events will be familiar with the no-nonsense Nattie, who previously dominated the competition on those shows. Now, this version of Neidhart has made her way to the WWE ring—at the expense of one Maxxine Dupri. In this video, the third-generation star explains why.