PWI Weekly for October 13, 2025
Belt Holders, Business Deals, & Bon Voyages
WITH PWI STAFFERS hard at work on our upcoming “Women’s 250” issue, you might forgive us if we’ve allowed women’s wrestling to take a backseat in our coverage elsewhere.
Not in the PWI Weekly, however. This week, we are making it all about the gals. So, pause your binge-watch of GLOW for a moment, and celebrate some other wonderful women who are doing big things in professional wrestling.
WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
With her strength, athletic ability, and alien aesthetic, Kris Statlander always had the makings of a star. Now, she can lay claim to being among the biggest ones in All Elite Wrestling. The New Yorker ended Toni Storm’s 217-day reign as AEW Women’s World champion at All Out. And while many people thought that Mercedes Mone might have been the grappler to topple the “Timeless” one, it should come as no surprise that Statlander was the woman to get the job done.
Arguably one of the most physically powerful women in AEW, Statlander’s real gift is her emotional strength. Having overcome serious knee injuries in her career, she has proven her resilience in her climb back towards the top.
Keep watching the skies: Kris Statlander is on an upward trajectory that may take her to the stratosphere.
SPOTLIGHT ON …
Giulia was a world-class athlete long before she signed a WWE contract. In fact, we at PWI have been singing her praises for many years.
We weren’t the only ones. Giulia has a long history of people gravitating toward her superstar charisma, with the latest being Kiana James. Smackdown’s resident business mogul obviously has an eye for talent, and signing the former World of Stardom champ as her “client” makes sense.
As things stand, Giulia has someone who can help her navigate the strange and often political waters of American wrestling. On the flipside, James gets an alliance with the current Women’s United States champion—and a prominent position on Friday night television.
It’s fair to question whether either woman has an ulterior motive in the relationship. Such is the nature of professional wrestling deals. For now, though, it’s looking like big business for both parties.
A QUICK WORD ABOUT …
When PWI sat down to mediate a virtual face-off between Kanji and Nina Samuels earlier this summer, the tension was palpable. When we caught up with them in person at a PROGRESS Wrestling show in Manchester, England, a few weeks later, things had only gotten worse.
The cause for this? A Loser Leaves PROGRESS match, with the fate of one woman’s career hanging in the balance. That match finally went down on September 28, at PROGRESS Chapter 184: Camden Lock Up. And when the final bell rang, it was Kanji who was victorious—and Samuels who bowed out of the promotion where she had spent many years plying her trade.
Ever defiant, Samuels has publicly said that despite the loss, “The Nina Samuels Show will never be cancelled.” We wait with bated breath to see where it might debut next.
A TRIBUTE TO ELEGANCE
A tearful Ash By Elegance recently said her goodbyes to professional wrestling. The then-TNA Knockouts World champion took to the microphone at Victory Road to say that she unfortunately had to step away from the ring.
Having reinvented herself in TNA following her WWE release in 2023, Ash was having a banner year in 2025, which culminated in her becoming Knockouts champ. With her future career status to be determined, it unfortunately means that Ash no longer meets the eligibility requirements for our “Women’s 250” list. We felt that she deserved a mention here, however, for the great year that she had.
Ash, everyone at PWI wishes you the best … and we hope we see you back in the squared circle someday.
SPOTLIGHT PHOTO
Jade Cargill enters the ring for her WWE Women’s title match with Tiffany Stratton at SummerSlam 2025. Despite her history as the inaugural AEW TBS champion—with a reign that lasted an astounding 508 days—Cargill has yet to capture singles gold in WWE. Granted, her victory in the 2025 Queen of the Ring tournament tells us that big things are still ahead for the Florida native.