Biggest Winners And Losers Of The Week — 7/20/2026

Another week has flown by in the wild world of professional wrestling, and as always, that means it's time for Wrestling Inc. to name some winners and losers!

It should be noted that technically we've already named some winners and losers this week, specifically for WWE Saturday Night's Main Event, which took place on July 18 in Madison Square Garden. But we must make two points. First, you can never have too many winners and losers, and we'll touch on more of each from that event that we didn't cover before. Second, a lot more happened this week than just Saturday Night's Main Event, from Kevin Knight becoming the No. 1 contender to the AEW World Championship to Tom Brady slapping Logan Paul. In other words, we're covering the whole spectrum of the last seven days in this column, while also hitting a little bit more SNME. Got all that? Good! Here are your WINC winners and losers for the week of 7/20/2026!

Chad Gable's momentum has not ceased, despite losing the El Grande Americano mask to Ludwig Kaiser's iteration of the character at AAA Noche de los Grandes back at the end of May. Losing the mask to Kaiser may actually prove to be a turning point of his career, as on Monday, Gable became number one contender to Penta's Intercontinental Championship, and the pair will face off in Gable's hometown of Minneapolis at SummerSlam.

Gable competed in a seven-man gauntlet match in the final bout of "Raw," and though he could have been booked a bit better, all that matters is that he scored the victory. He notably survived Rusev, who after being eliminated by a roll-up by Gable, locked the star into The Accolade to do further damage while Ethan Page made his entrance.

Page tried to crawl to the ropes while in Gable's ankle lock, but was unsuccessful and had to tap out in the end. With two eliminations in the match, Gable is now off to SummerSlam, and he and Penta stared each other down, despite the respect that exists between the pair.

Gable can also be considered a big winner now that he's off on his own and didn't reconcile with Alpha Academy after his in-ring apology segment a few weeks ago. Otis and Akira Tozawa's segment on last week's "Raw," squaring off against Maxxine Dupri and The Vision, was one of the worst segments on the red brand this week, if not in all of weekly TV, due to its slow pace and overall awkward nature. Maybe one day Gable and Otis can officially make up, but for now, Gable is clearly doing better than anyone in Alpha Academy.

Many fans believe that Gable will take the title off Penta for a variety of reasons, including his hard work, adaptability following his return when Kaiser had taken over what was originally his character, and how crowds are responding to him now that he's a babyface. WWE may be notorious, or at least was under Vince McMahon, for not letting its stars win in their hometowns, but Gable capturing his first singles title in WWE at "The Biggest Party of the Summer" in Minneapolis would be an even bigger win for the star.

Written by Daisy Ruth

This one hurts to write. Just when you thought Shota Umino was finally getting some momentum again, the G1 Climax tournament turns around and says "Where do you think you're going little roughneck?"

Those who have followed New Japan Pro Wrestling for a while know that the G1 Climax tournament is the most grueling experience in all of wrestling, and injuries are commonplace. However, when it happens to someone who was holding the second most important title in the company less than two weeks ago, it does hurt a little more than it usually would.

Umino rocked up to the first night of the G1 in Chicago, Illinois in the hopes of bouncing back from losing the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship to Gabe Kidd on July 6. He had the task of trying to take out the man he headlined the Tokyo Dome with last January, Zack Sabre Jr., but not only did he not beat ZSJ, he got knocked loopy at one point in the bout. Wrestlers usually just power through and try to shake off any blows to the head, but when Umino got to the back, it was determined that he was showing concussion-like symptoms and he was pulled from the tournament.

Obviously, fair play to NJPW. Head injuries and concussions are serious business and need to be treated as such, so pulling Umino from the tournament was absolutely the right call and it will likely mean he returns to the ring far sooner than if he continued on in the G1. However, the fact that he has been pulled from the competition is what lands him in the losers column for this week through no fault of his own.

There was a point shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic where Umino was seen as the next Hiroshi Tanahashi. He had all the tools to be the next top babyface at a time where NJPW really should have thought ahead and built up some new stars so when Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay, Tetsuya Naito and more decide to move on, they were in a healthy spot. That never materialized for Umino, but he's rebuilt his image throughout 2026 especially and this G1 tournament was poised to be the most important so far.

Now he has to wait for another year to get that opportunity again, and sure, he could win the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship again, and he could have a strong end to the year as we head into NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 21, but this injury is another case of one step forward, one step back — only this time, he didn't make that step back by choice.

Written by Sam Palmer

Granted, not everyone in the world was a fan of reigning TNT Champion Kevin Knight getting the first crack at Kenny Omega's newly-won AEW World Championship in what will presumably be the main event of AEW Redemption. Some have complained about a midcard champ waltzing into a PPV world title match, while the likes of Andrade El Idolo are stuck challenging for the National title instead. That having been admitted, you can't deny the booking is great news for Knight, whose star is rising as quickly as anyone's in AEW history.

Knight's heel turn, which closed out AEW Double or Nothing earlier this year, has been generally praised despite his almost immediate association with the Don Callis Family, and now he gets a match with Omega in a PPV main event for the world title. It's a lot of pressure on the 29-year-old, but assuming he shows up and shows out, it's a massive opportunity for him to demonstrate what he can do at the highest levels of AEW. And moreover, while he might not be TNT Champion anymore if he loses to Darby Allin this coming Wednesday, Knight broke AEW's record for most TNT title defenses on "Collision" this past week, putting his name in the history books and proving to his detractors that his pursuit of the world title hasn't come at the expense of the TNT Championship.

No matter how you slice it, it's a good week to be "The Jet," and Kevin Knight is a definitive winner heading into Redemption this weekend.

Written by Miles Schneiderman

Sing in me, muse, and through me tell the story of a sad, divorced Quarterback, who quarreled with a man who wore disgrace and indignity like a coat of perfumed linen.

Since retiring from football, Brady has been something of a wayward presence, but it was the usual post-NFL beats of doing paid appearances and becoming a broadcaster. Now, he's in a clout-chasing feud with Logan Paul. There is something about bickering with a YouTuber that feels beneath the once mighty New England Patriot. Hell, even as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer he felt above this kind of chicanery.

Brady has never been known for his personality. He was always overshadowed by the Peyton Mannings and Marshawn Lynches of the world, with their easy, charming, effortless charisma. He's always felt lost outside of the gridiron, but never more so than in his fledgling interactions with Paul.

Logan Paul may have a lot of awful qualities, but he's always had that certain spark. I don't think extending this feud any further would be in Brady's best interest. It will only prove further that the man has a void where most people have a personality.

The only thing Brady seems to gain from these interactions is attention, a sad truth of our attention-based economy. I don't even like the guy, but it's disheartening to see a titan of the NFL reduced to a mortal man who has to ride the coattails of an annoying influencer who wears gilded Pokemon cards around his neck. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

Written by Ross Berman

WWE booking a veteran to actually put over a younger talent and making it look good. Funny how that can be an effective booking strategy isn't it?

Lyra Valkyria was a true star in Madison Square Garden. She defeated her former partner Bayley in what was easily the best match on the show. The match itself was completely different to anything else that we've seen in the women's division over the past few months, and that's something that Valkyria has really excelled at as of late. Her style is rooted in technical British wrestling, but with an extra layer of stiffness that you don't see from many other women in WWE. You could even argue that she wrestles more the way someone in AEW would wrestle, which actually benefits her in WWE as she stands out in the way that GUNTHER does for the men.

All of that made the match between Valkyria and Bayley feel a lot grittier, a little rough around the edges. After all, Valkyria nearly got her nose caved in and ended up wrestling most of the match with blood on her face, but that's what made the match feel different and succeed in a way that stands out on a show primarily built around the New York Knicks.

The most important thing was that the right woman won. Valkyria got the win and for once, WWE managed to build up a talent in the way that actually sets them up for a promising way. The company almost did it with Oba Femi, but then he decided that he wanted to wrestle Brock Lesnar rather than become the literal World Champion of the biggest wrestling company in the world. Bron Breakker was also very close but he has since lost to both CM Punk and Seth Rollins. Valkyria could have a real shot at being a big star following this match.

This seems like a win for everyone. Valkyria works her way up the card to where she belongs, Bayley can be written off to join Mercedes Mone in AEW (presumably), and WWE have a reason to get you to watch the next Saturday Night's Main Event — because you might get this kind of match.

Written by Sam Palmer

When GUNTHER retired John Cena and AJ Styles in quick succession after retiring WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg a few months prior, never did we think he wouldn't have a major match at SummerSlam — either retiring the likes of Brock Lesnar, or a match defending or competing for a top championship. Despite how exciting and unique some may think GUNTHER's now-official match against "WWE SmackDown" General Manager Nick Aldis may be, it's a far cry from what was expected for "The Career Killer" in 2026.

GUNTHER teamed with Sami Zayn at Saturday Night's Main Event to take on Undisputed WWE Champion CM Punk and Cody Rhodes. If the heels won the bout, they would be added into Rhodes and Punk's match at "The Biggest Party of the Summer." Instead of the "can they co-exist?" troupe coming into play for either team, it was Aldis who interfered, and appeared after a referee was taken out to smash GUNTHER over the head with the title belt, allowing for him to eat a GTS from Punk.

It wasn't Punk to pin GUNTHER, however. Instead, he pulled "The American Nightmare," who was the legal man at that point after a chaotic few minutes of the match, on top of "The Ring General" for Rhodes to get the win. GUNTHER's record against Rhodes is pretty embarrassing at this point, as he's taken four recent pinfall losses to the former champion, three of those being in title bouts.

Following the match, it was revealed that GUNTHER and Aldis will officially be going one-on-one at SummerSlam. As of this writing, it hasn't been revealed whether or not Aldis will be putting his in-ring career on the line. He's never had a match in WWE, so even if he does, it could end up feeling like a rather lackluster retirement by GUNTHER following his most recent career-threatening match against Styles at the Royal Rumble.

GUNTHER walked into last year's SummerSlam as World Heavyweight Champion. He may have been dethroned by Punk by the end of the bout, but walking into the event with gold around his waist is more than he can say this year. Aldis may be no slouch, and the pair could go on to have a four-star match, but it's not going to feel like enough for GUNTHER, whose SummerSlam plans have reportedly changed so much, they ranged from retiring Lesnar to taking on Royce Keys. While the "loser" is really always WWE creative in the end, sadly, it falls on GUNTHER's character this week.

Written by Daisy Ruth