PWI Weekly for September 2, 2024
PWI Weekly for September 2, 2024
Labo(u)r Day Edition: Dispatches from the U.K.
With PWI Editor-In-Chief Kevin McElvaney taking a quick breather to recover from his hard work on the “PWI 500” issue, Contributing Writer (and U.K. resident) Jason McVeigh is sending you this edition of the Weekly with a wrap-up of all the wrestling happenings on British soil recently.
WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
If you are taking the time to enjoy this edition of the PWI Weekly, we doubt that you need any lecture from us as to the greatness of Bryan Danielson. Indeed, if you have been watching wrestling and/or reading our publication for the last quarter-century, you will know that “The American Dragon” is one of the finest wrestlers of this or any generation. Perhaps that is why no one is ready to see such a grappling artist retire from his craft.
A jam-packed crowd in Wembley Stadium was solidly behind Danielson as he faced off against and ultimately dethroned Swerve Strickland to become AEW World champion on August 25. With the stipulation in place that he would retire should he fail to win, Danielson did what he always did—empty every bit of heart and soul into his match. The post-match celebration with Danielson’s wife and kids was one of the finest moments in AEW’s young history. And it was a moment Danielson himself has called the best of his career.
A QUICK WORD ABOUT …
Far be it from us to take credit for certain wrestlers getting attention … and certainly not when a wrestler is as talented and hard-working as Rhio. But after our feature on her in the Fall 2024 edition of our magazine, it seems like the wrestling world is sitting up and taking notice of the Lancashire lass. And for good reason.
With championship reigns in PROGRESS and Insane Championship Wrestling already to her credit, Rhio’s surprise appearance alongside the Knight family at AEW’s All In has got fans wondering if she could perhaps find herself being “All Elite” sooner rather than later. Reports have surfaced recently that she has some admirers in WWE who are keeping an eye on her.
Don’t be surprised if the British grappler finds herself in a potential bidding war in the U.S. before long.
SPOTLIGHT EVENT
Britain’s Revolution Pro Wrestling held its 12th Anniversary Show at the Copper Box in London on August 24. In the main event, Luke Jacobs defeated Michael Oku to win the Undisputed British heavyweight championship for the first time. After the match, Tomohiro Ishii—a former holder of the title—came out and stared down Jacobs. Earlier in the night, Ishii had defeated JJ Gale.
The show saw further title changes, as Mina Shirakawa dethroned Dani Luna to become the Undisputed British Women’s champion, and the tandem of Chuck Mambo & TK.Cooper bested Grizzled Young Veterans for the tag team straps. Elsewhere, Saraya made a surprise appearance to cheer on her brother Ricky Knight Jr., as he defeated Zozaya in what was a big weekend for the Knight family (and British wrestling in general).
FROM THE VAULT
In the above photo, taken ringside at Stardom’s WrestleMania Week show in Philadelphia, then-AEW Women’s World champ Toni Storm takes umbrage with Mina Shirakawa. Mariah May, visibly distraught, doesn’t want to side with one woman over the other. Little could most fans have imagined the brutality that May would unleash on Storm en route to taking the World championship from her at Wembley Stadium.