Pro Wrestling Illustrated

Published every other month, the magazine’s mission is to bring our readers right to the ringside with brilliant, high-impact photography and to inform and entertain readers about the Pro Wrestling world. Get Pro Wrestling Illustrated digital magazine subscription today to get unbiased coverage of every major promotion and wrestling news.

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

From The Desk Of …

Section Intro

Media Review • A grisly new horror film features pro wrestling matches with life-or-death stakes.

Names Makin' News • Here’s a list of the TOP 10 WRESTLING-RELATED ITEMS you’ve been talking about lately and our tongue-in-cheek reactions to each:

One To Watch • From training under BRIAN MYERS to locking up in Germany, WWE ID prospect AARON ROURKE is determined to be like the superheroes he saw on TV as a kid.

A Bit Of Fun • How many words can you find from the ultraviolent list below?

Ringside • HIROOKI GOTO found a fresh start in the form of a long-awaited IWGP World title reign. Is this simply a reward for a career well done, or will it mean something more?

Quick Count • In his annual silver screen-themed column, AL CASTLE examines some of AEW’s most pressing challenges (and one of WWE’s most troubling tropes).

The Lockup • The 40-year wrestling career of JEFF JARRETT is unlike anything the industry has ever seen.

Win, Lose, Or Draw • BLACK BART epitomized the journeyman wrestler: plying his trade from one territory to another, one of the industry’s countless unsung heroes. It’s time to sing his praises.

SPOTLIGHT ON JAPAN

WORLDWIDE VENUS (Mina Shirakawa) • With considerable charm, uncanny resilience, and a resolute belief in herself, the Stardom standout has become a global sensation

PHANTASTIC PHOTO

INTERNATIONAL ALPHA (Konosuke Takeshita) • AFTER SIGNING DEALS WITH AEW, NEW JAPAN, AND DDT PRO-WRESTLING, DON CALLIS’ CHOSEN GRAPPLER IS ONE OF THE SPORT’S MOST IN-DEMAND ATHLETES

A FORTUITOUS RIVALRY (WWE vs. NOAH) • It’s a new dawn, a new day, and, at NOAH The New Year, WWE wrestlers were feeling good

AJPW'S NEW HOPE (ELPIDA) • Part of the company’s youth movement, a group of determined wrestlers seeks to bring AJPW to daring new heights

CHAMPIONS IN JAPAN • As 2024 became 2025, many new champions were crowned—while others, retaining their titles, stood tall—at some of Tokyo’s most prestigious wrestling venues

Section Intro • The recent Fractured exhibition exposed new audiences to the visual art of Stardom wrestler THEKLA. To learn more about the inspiration for the two paintings here, check out “Mat, Stage, & Screen.”

TV Breakdown • “The Final Boss” becomes “The Friendly Boss,” the “OTC” emerges as the only tribal chief, and the boos run wild for a tarnished icon … and that was only the first Raw on Netflix.

Mat, Stage, & Screen • A former Stardom tag champ goes solo with her latest art show; NIKKI GARCIAreturns to reality TV; and BRANDI & CODY RHODES continue to shine.

The W Column • Australia’s KIRA SUMMER has made history as the first international student at the TJPW dojo. Now, she’s got her sights set on one of the promotion’s top prizes.

Righteous Wrap Up • Rapper and grappling fan WESTSIDE GUNN has launched a new promotion that fuses pro wrestling and hip-hop.

About Face • “Acting will, at the end of the day, help your wrestling career and make you a better all-around performer.”

On Heels • CHARLOTTE FLAIR and ROXANNE PEREZ deliver in the Rumble match; THE HURT SYNDICATE and JACOB FATU are forces to reckon with.

Brainbusters • How many differences can you spot between these two photos of RYOHEI OIWA striking GABE KIDD? (ORIGINAL PHOTO BY KEVIN McELVANEY)

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