PWI Weekly for June 30, 2025
O, Canada: Kenny Omega, Maple Leaf Pro, Natalya, Northern Armory
Happy Canada Day, eh?
Okay, so we are a day early … but frankly, we love our neighbors to the North so much that we just couldn’t wait. In this edition of the PWI Weekly, we are painting the town red and white as we celebrate all things Canadian wrestling.
From the legendary Hart Dungeon to the current independent scene, Canada has long been a hotbed of professional wrestling talent. “The Great White North” has consistently produced some of the sport’s biggest players. So, grab yourself a Tim Horton’s as we celebrate a few of them.
WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
When one has achieved as much as Kenny Omega has in his career, they could be forgiven for resting on their laurels. Indeed, the Winnipeg wrestler has already cemented his status as one of wrestling’s true innovators. But that hasn’t stopped him from breaking new ground. When he dethroned Konosuke Takeshita for the International title at this year’s Revolution event, Omega became AEW’s first grand slam champion. His 2025 could get even sweeter in just a few short weeks.
At All In on July 12, “The Best Bout Machine” will face his legendary rival, Kazuchika Okada, in a winner-takes-all match to unify Omega’s International championship and Okada’s Continental title. All of this means that Omega could add another “first” to his resume. Not bad for the boy from Manitoba who dreamed of wrestling stardom.
Whether he defeats Okada or not, Omega’s status as an all-time great Canadian grappler—or just an all-time great grappler, full stop—is already solidified.
SPOTLIGHT ON …
When Scott D’Amore announced that he was launching Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling as a natural successor to Maple Leaf Wrestling, Canadian wrestling fans rejoiced. The historic territory that had once ruled Toronto had seen many of the greats pass through. D’Amore’s vision was to reintroduce that past glory to wrestling’s modern landscape. The results have been well received.
Although MLP has hosted top-notch international stars on its shows so far, highlighting Canadian talent is still very much the goal. Josh Alexander and Gisele Shaw—the inaugural men’s and women’s champions in MLP—are the current standard bearers for Canadian wrestlers there.
MLP’s recent Northern Rising event at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (at the former site of Maple Leaf Gardens) marked a significant milestone—bringing wrestling back to its historic Toronto home. With rumblings now that the company is looking at potential TV deals and expanding across the country, mainstream Canadian wrestling is back in a big way.
A QUICK WORD ABOUT …
While she has long been a respected veteran in WWE, Natalya has taken things to a whole new level in 2025 by wrestling in outside promotions.
Appearances at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport and the NWA’s Crockett Cup have seen the third-generation wrestler compete under her real name of Nattie Neidhart. But it hasn’t been just a name change. There’s been a change in appearance and attitude. The singlet-wearing, all-business Nattie who appeared on those shows is a far cry from the glamorous, smiling Natalya seen on WWE television.
In her two matches outside WWE, Neidhart’s hard-hitting style and technical prowess were on full display. Coming out to the sounds of Rage Against The Machine’s “Killing In The Name,” Neidhart sent the message to opponents from the get-go that they were in for a hard time.
Blending influences from her father Jim and grandfather, Stu Hart, this version of Neidhart has struck a chord. Personally, we would like to see a lot more of it.
TERRITORIAL DISSINGS
In the annals of great Canadian wrestlers, Eric Young might go down as one of the most underrated. The veteran has kept a highly visible profile since debuting with TNA Wrestling more than 20 years ago. In that time, he has played every role from patriotic Canadian to loveable oddball—and, most recently, “World Class Maniac.”
These days, Young is guiding two other promising Canadians, Judas Icarus and Travis Williams, as part of the Northern Armory faction. In this promo from February of this year, Young laid out his vision for the group.
That Omega angle from a few weeks back with the spitting up blood and all that...I don't know, just makes everything look so phony. Sorry, you're losing me with the fake blood. AEW has basically become unwatchable for me.