In All Elite Wrestling’s first six years, its women’s division has notably adopted two championships, with another set currently waiting in the wings. Women of AEW have also been positioned in the main events of “AEW Dynamite” and “AEW Collision.” Looking ahead, TBS Champion Mercedes Mone hopes to see the company take that one step further.
“I want to see the women main event on pay-per-view,” Mone told TV Insider. “I feel that is the next big thing we can do and accomplish. I feel within the last year-and-a-half people have really seen how amazing this women’s division is. Before they were just given a little match here, a little match here. People were demanding more time for them. They want to see the women because they are such stars. Within this last year-and-a-half you’ve seen stars come up like Toni Storm with her character change. You’ve seen Athena show up on AEW Dynamite, and I think she is one of the best in the world.
“We have new women coming in all the time like Megan Bayne, Alex Windsor and others who are always keeping you on your toes,” she continued. “You are always looking for who is the best out there. I feel like we are bringing the best in AEW.”
Last week, Mone and Athena defeated Toni Storm and Alex Windsor in the main event of “Dynamite.” Mone then went on to successfully defend her TBS Championship against Windsor, CMLL’s Persephone, and STARDOM’S Bozilla in a four-way match at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door. Athena and Storm also met at Forbidden Door, this time with the latter’s AEW Women’s Championship on the line. Outside of the championship scene, the AEW’s women’s division showcases veterans such as Kris Statlander and Willow Nightingale as well as rising stars such as Julia Hart, Skye Blue, and Megan Bayne.
Hook made his AEW return Wednesday night at the historic 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on “AEW Dynamite.” He came back to confront Wheeler Yuta, who was running down the crowd after addressing Darby Allin, telling him that Jon Moxley wouldn’t be accepting his All Out challenge. The lights in the arena went out after Yuta invoked the name of Bryan Danielson when he said he slayed “The American Dragon.”
Hook’s symbol appeared on the small tron in the arena and he made his way down to the ring. Yuta charged him, but Hook sent him into the corner and locked in a Redrum. He hit him with a right hook, then made his way back down the ramp.
His last match came on the April 9 episode of “Dynamite” when he and Samoa Joe defeated Claudio Castagnoli and Yuta. In the match, Hook made Yuta tap with the Redrum, but shortly after, Hook was put on the shelf with an injury. He made a surprise appearance in the Anarchy in the Arena match at Double or Nothing in May, but hadn’t been seen since. AEW teased his return in previous weeks.
FTR are due to face Christian Cage and Cope at AEW All Out in Toronto.
Cope and Christian reunited in the ring for the first time in 13 years as they defeated the pair of Kip Sabian and Killswitch on Sunday’s Forbidden Door event, and with it being made clear beforehand that they had banded together to deal with Christian’s problem in that team and then Cope’s problem in FTR, it felt like a foregone conclusion that they were going down that road sooner or later.
That road started during this week’s “AEW Dynamite” as FTR and Stokely Hathaway opened the show with an in-ring promo segment. Before long, they found themselves interrupted by the emerging Cope. Though he would look behind him, clearly expecting his partner to join him, before Cage emerged behind FTR in the ring to deliver a Killswitch to Hathaway and ensue a brawl between the teams.
Security broke them up, leaving Cope and Christian in the ring, and the latter sought to address FTR’s fathers per his running gimmick; Cope took the mic, declining to stoop that low, but when the crowd booed him for doing so he relented and let Christian finish what he had to say.
Cope then made the formal challenge for him and Christian against FTR at All Out on September 20.
The world of professional wrestling has been historically dominated by America and Japan. But in recent years it has been seeing an unprecedented surge in popularity in Europe. What’s going on here?
Well, an influx of new competitors in the professional wrestling landscape has opened up new opportunities. From the emergence of another top-tier brand in AEW to freshen up the scene, legendary British veterans taking on key roles at WWE or new promotions forming their own path in Europe, this is how European wrestling is taking over the game in 2025.
The Financial Landscape is Improving
Firstly, there is now more money in wrestling than ever. The emergence of All Elite Wrestling in 2019 showed that a new promotion – with enough funding – could come in and compete for viewership with the long-dominant WWE.
The growth of sports betting has also been a factor. While Americans are not allowed to bet on professional wrestling, as the match results are usually scripted and are vulnerable to insider leaks, European regulators don’t have a problem with it.
If you’re looking for the top betting sites in Europe, maybe to put down a flutter on the wrestling or any other sport, then aggregate sportsbook review sites are your new friend. These helpful sports betting and general gambling fans put the work in to analyse every betting site out there. All to find the best odds, bonuses and user experiences for bettors like you.
The global WWE market was valued at $1.4 billion in 2024, and analysts have projected it could reach $2.8 billion by 2032. Although WWE officials say it has dropped its plans to lobby for legal sports betting on pro wrestling in the US, on the off chance that did happen the market would get even bigger.
More Funding Means Better, Bigger Regional Event
This all led to increased funding for ever more spectacular live shows and tours, and opened up more career opportunities for wrestlers – bringing exciting new blood into the sport, and encouraging old legends or famous faces to get back into the ring.
In Europe, this has meant smaller regional promotions have found the funding and audience to book big venues, such as Burnley Wrestling booking out their English town’s Premier League Football Stadium or WWE helping NXT to book the AO Arena in Manchester.
Tickets for WWE events in Europe – now often showcasing homegrown wrestling talent as well as established US stars – are not cheap. For example tickets to the recent WWE Bash in Berlin started at $100 and can sell for as much as $1000 for premium seats
In the wider global context, the professional wrestling market was worth an approximate total of $5 billion in 2023. Some analysts predict its global expansion could see it surge to $7.5 billion by 2032.
That kind of growth will only see the sport’s global presence continue to benefit, bringing in new audiences and competitors to the scene.
Legendary European Wrestlers Back in the Limelight
Speaking of famous faces William Regal was (arguably) for a long time the face of British wrestling in America, with a storied career in the WWE including several title wins. Now retired from the ring, he is currently the Vice President of Global Talent Development at the leading professional wrestling promotion.
A new generation of European wrestlers have been inspired by Regal’s long US career to come through and forge a path from smaller regional promotions to the big American rosters.
Today wrestlers like Austrian Gunther (formerly Walter from wXw), Sheamus (from Ireland), or Englishmen Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate and Trent Seven have all made successful WWE careers for themselves.
Other big promotions are now directly working with European leagues, such as WWE’s five year sponsorship of NXT. Before AEW started working with promotions outside of the US, such international wrestling collaborations were not really on the cards very often.
Dunne, Bate and Seven wrestled for Progress Wrestling in the UK, before joining WWE after its collaboration with NXT. They eventually became the dominant British Strong Style tag team (now New Catch Republic), and at one point all three members were WWE champions.
A Big Future is Within the Grasp
European wrestling is a different game now, and the numbers bear that out. The professional wrestling landscape has fundamentally shifted, and Europe has become a proving ground for the industry’s evolution.
WWE Clash in Paris, Revolution Pro Wrestling and AEW’s Forbidden Door at London’s O2 Arena and the Bash in Berlin have all been big ticket wrestling events in Europe so far in 2025 – and things are only looking bigger going into the future.
With massive growth predicted for the global professional wrestling market across the next decade, European and global wrestling promotions are looking to be a bigger part of the scene than ever.
The days of Euro wrestling being limited to small-hall promotions are over. Yes, the ultimate goal for many of the biggest stars is still the US and the WWE.
But, right now, the path to global recognition for European talent is easier than its ever been, and large-scale home soil shows built by partnerships with the big brands are a key part of that.
NXT Viewership Declines for August 26 Episode – NXT experienced another dip in viewership for the August 26 episode, which aired live from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
According to Wrestlenomics, the show averaged 616,000 viewers, marking a decline from last week’s 675,000. The 18-49 key demographic also slipped, drawing a 0.12 rating compared to last week’s 0.15. Both numbers reflect a week-to-week decrease in audience engagement for the developmental brand.
The episode opened with Ricky Saints addressing the crowd and calling out NXT Champion Oba Femi. Instead, Josh Briggs answered the challenge, leading Ava to set up a match between the two to decide Femi’s next challenger. Saints went on to defeat Briggs, securing his title opportunity, before trading verbal shots with Femi later in the night.
Other highlights from the show included Lexis King scoring a controversial win over Myles Borne in a blindfold match, using underhanded tactics to secure the victory. In the main event, Lola Vice teamed with Zaria and Sol Ruca to face Fatal Influence in six-woman tag team action. The trio emerged victorious, closing the show with momentum in their corner.
The drop in numbers comes as NXT continues to build toward its next premium live event, No Mercy, with several major matches beginning to take shape. Saints will now move forward as the number one contender to Oba Femi’s NXT Championship, while Lola Vice also has a championship match confirmed for the event against Jacy Jayne.
