PWI Weekly for July 13, 2026
Surfers, Slackers, Snoozers, Sharks: A Scorching Summer Special
THERE’S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT summertime. Even notoriously grumpy people—we’re looking at you Matt Brock—seem to have a sunnier disposition at this time of year. With that in mind, this edition of the PWI Weekly is all about the pro wrestling folks who have summer vibes all year long. Enjoy!
WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
We could open this with numerous puns about how Sol Ruca has made a splash or been making waves since debuting on Raw. Puns or not, her rise has truly been meteoric in just a few short months.
Emerging on the Raw after WrestleMania 42, Ruca crashed Liv Morgan’s World title celebration, and, in the ensuing weeks, wowed fans with her athleticism. Not everyone was wowed with having the NXT standout on the main roster, though. Enter: Becky Lynch.
The veteran Lynch let forth her less-than-positive feelings about Ruca during multiple appearances on Monday nights. It was the colorful surfer who would get the final word, though, when she dethroned “Big Time Becky” for the Women’s Intercontinental championship at Clash In Italy. Since then, Sol has been shining (there’s another one of those puns) in all that she does.
A QUICK WORD ABOUT …
When the history of AEW’s first decade is written, there will be some obvious names in the mix who are given well-deserved plaudits for their success. Someone at risk of being overlooked, however, is Orange Cassidy. “The King Of Sloth Style” has not only survived for years in AEW—something that his harshest critics didn’t think he was cut out to do—but thrived.
For Cassidy, less is indeed more. The minimalist fan favorite tries “when he has to,” and that is quite often enough. A two-time International champion, as well as a World trios champion with The Conglomeration, Cassidy has more than proven his doubters wrong. He has wrestled more matches in an AEW ring than anybody else. And, more often than not, he has been on the winning side of them.
Once derided in some circles because of his slacker gimmick, Cassidy has offered a fresh and exciting presentation in a sport that can often feel a bit too formulaic.
SPOTLIGHT ON …
From being the girl who liked napping in NXT to the dark and disturbing demon-like character, Wendy Choo has taken on many guises in her career. Today, she finds herself in the most successful one—that of herself.
And, in being herself, Choo has been able to rise to the rank of EVOLVE Women’s champion. Having long ago discarded her sleep mask and blanky, Choo has evolved (what is it with us and the puns today?) into a serious grappler who has earned the respect of fans and flowers from her peers. Although she lost her EVOLVE gold to Nikkita Lyons on June 24, Choo remains a championship-caliber grappler.
See what a good night’s sleep can do for you?
REMEMBER WHEN …
Brock Lesnar F5ed a great white during the SummerSlam 2003 commercial. You don’t remember? Well … then, you’re in for a treat.
TERRITORIAL DISSINGS
In a business where, dare we say it, too many people talk, it’s rare to find a promo that actually changes the course of the wrestling industry. At Bash of the Beach 1996, however, that’s exactly what happened. You don’t need us to preach to you about the importance of what Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, and Kevin Nash did that July night, but it’s always worth a watch.
Also, how has it been 30 years already? It feels like just last week we were wearing our NWO shirts. Actually, that was just last week.