PWI Weekly for July 20, 2026
Championship Chatter: Kenny Omega, CM Punk, Hikaru Shida, & More
IN LAST WEEK’S EDITION of the PWI Weekly, we were in a lighthearted mood and chose to have some summer fun. The serious business of wrestling rolls on, however, and in any professional sport, there’s nothing more serious than winning championships. This week, we’re eschewing our normal format and putting the spotlight firmly on those who have been adding to their trophy cases. For them, summer has been about anything other than relaxing.
KENNY OMEGA
Perhaps no one is more synonymous with All Elite Wrestling than Kenny Omega. The Executive VP of the company has been an Elite original since day one. And, ever since then, he has given fans plenty of memorable moments. On July 8, “The Cleaner” gave them another one for the books.
Much to his own dismay, Omega had fallen to AEW Men’s World champion MJF in a title match earlier this year. Entering Beach Break, the veteran challenger surely must have had in the back of his mind. If there was trepidation, though, the Winnipeg warrior didn’t show it. After 24 minutes of action, Omega was able to do what he simply couldn’t in their previous encounter: pin MJF.
Now a two-time AEW Men’s World champ, Omega finds himself once again at the pinnacle of the promotion he has given so much to. A choice encounter with Will Ospreay at Wembley Stadium also beckons, as does the chance to add another chapter to a storied legacy.
CM PUNK
Never let it be said that CM Punk is anything less than adored in his hometown. The fans at the Allstate Arena on the outskirts of Chicago practically blew the roof off the building on July 6, as their native son was revealed to be the mystery opponent challenging Undisputed WWE champion Sami Zayn. Punk hadn’t wrestled since dropping the WWE World heavyweight title to Roman Reigns in April. Yet, the layoff didn’t seem to hurt him. Maybe it was Zayn’s lack of preparedness, or maybe it was the sheer will of the crowd, but the result seemed inevitable. When Punk raised the title belt at the end of the night, a new “Summer Of Punk” was officially underway.
NIC NEMETH
When Nic Nemeth dethroned Mike Santana for the TNA World championship at Slammiversary, some critics decried it as a step backward for the promotion. Santana had been a fresh and exciting champion whom fans had organically gotten behind. His story made him someone easy to root for. The brash and arrogant Nemeth has no such backing. What he has, however, is wrestling ability.
Ryan Nemeth’s … ahem … “BIG BROTHERRRRR!” can hang with just about anyone in the industry between the ropes. TNA could do worse than have a champion of Nic Nemeth’s caliber leading the brand—especially at a time when it seems to be going through creative and business changes behind the scenes.
HIKARU SHIDA
It’s not just the season for men grabbing titles: Over in the land of the Elite, Hikaru Shida has adopted a new attitude that resulted in her winning the vacant TBS championship on July 1. The joshi starlet overcame Harley Cameron, Kris Statlander, Maika, Persephone, and Queen Aminata in a Survival of the Fittest elimination contest, snagging the gold in the process.
With this recent feat, Shida became just the second woman (after Statlander) to have held the AEW Women’s World and TBS titles.
SPOTLIGHT PHOTO
At the latest SPARK Joshi event—a co-production with Pro Wrestling Magic in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey—Kaia McKenna went toe-to-toe with WWE EVOLVE’s Anya Rune (formerly Airica Demia) for the SPARK Pacific championship. Ultimately, McKenna used her witchy variation of a magistral cradle to secure the pinfall victory in that bout. In doing so, she added the coveted Pacific title to her growing collection alongside the Pro Wrestling Symphony Women’s championship (which she’d won the previous afternoon in Nashville, Tennessee). Our congratulations to “The Triple Goddess,” who also happens to be a cohost of the Pro Wrestling INDIEstrated podcast, on her recent success!
