Chairshot Wrestling News Report: Hangman Page Returns, G1 Begins & AAA Title Shakeup

Hangman Page returns on AEW Collision, NJPW G1 Climax begins, AAA vacates a title, and Verano de Escándalo gets new title matches.

Welcome to The Chairshot Wrestling News Morning Report for July 12, 2026, bringing you the biggest wrestling news stories, results, and announcements from the past 24 hours. Today’s report starts with Hangman Page returning to AEW television, then moves through AEW Collision’s three title defenses, NJPW opening the G1 Climax in Chicago, AAA vacating the Latin American Championship, new Verano de Escándalo title matches, and the latest reaction to Sheamus’ reported WWE departure.

Hangman Page Returns To AEW, Rules Out World Title Chase

Hangman Page returned to AEW on Collision in Roanoke, Virginia, making his first appearance since his Texas Death match loss to MJF at Revolution. Page reiterated that he intends to honor the stipulation from that match and will not challenge for the AEW World Championship again, even with Kenny Omega now holding the title.

That is the important part of the return. AEW brought Page back without immediately throwing him into the world title picture, and Page instead pointed toward other championships, including the TNT, National, Continental, and International titles. For a character who has been defined by chasing the top prize, this gives AEW a clear reset without undoing the stipulation.

AEW Collision Delivers Three Successful Title Defenses

AEW Collision was built around championship matches, and all three champions retained. Bandido defeated Katsuyori Shibata to keep the ROH World Championship, Hikaru Shida retained the TBS Championship against Harley Cameron, and Mark Davis defeated “Speedball” Mike Bailey to retain the AEW National Championship in the main event.

The show also moved several stories forward outside the title matches. Willow Nightingale declared her goal of walking into Wembley Stadium as AEW Women’s World Champion, then later joined Hyan and Maya World in calling out Mercedes Moné and Divine Dominion for Dynamite. Darby Allin also returned to action, beating Trent Beretta before Brian Cage attacked him after the match.

NJPW G1 Climax Opens With Yota Tsuji Beating Konosuke Takeshita

New Japan Pro-Wrestling opened G1 Climax 36 at NOW Arena in Chicago, with Yota Tsuji defeating Konosuke Takeshita in one of the biggest results of the first night. The tournament began July 11 and runs into August, with the finals set for August 16 and the winner receiving an IWGP Heavyweight Championship match at Wrestle Kingdom 21 on January 4, 2027.

The opening night also gave early points to Jake Lee, Yuto-Ice, Hirooki Goto, Ryohei Oiwa, Aaron Wolf, OSKAR, Zack Sabre Jr., and Callum Newman. It is one night of a long tournament, but Tsuji beating the defending tournament winner immediately gives the G1 a major first-night hook.

AAA Latin American Championship Vacated After Vikingo Injury

AAA has vacated the Latin American Championship following El Hijo del Vikingo’s knee injury and surgery. On AAA on FOX, Dorian Roldán blamed Rey Mysterio for sending Vikingo to NXT and SmackDown, then attempted to hand the title to Omos before Mysterio appeared and ordered Omos to give up the championship or face suspension. Mysterio then declared the title vacant and said an announcement on crowning a new champion will come next week.

The segment also brought Damian Priest into the picture through a video message, with Priest saying he wants to become the next AAA Latin American Champion. That gives AAA a bigger-name hook coming out of the vacancy and keeps the title from feeling like a simple injury-forced reset.

AAA Announces Verano De Escándalo Title Matches

AAA also announced that Verano de Escándalo will begin July 25 as a three-week special from Arena San Marcos, with multiple championship matches attached. Rey Fenix will defend the AAA World Cruiserweight Championship against Mini Vikingo, while Flammer defends the Reina de Reinas Championship against Lady Shani and La Catalina in a triple threat match.

AAA also announced that Lola Vice and Mr. Iguana will defend the AAA World Mixed Tag Team Titles at the event, with their challengers to be determined by La Hiedra and Laredo Kid facing Joaquin Wilde and Faby Apache. Between the Vikingo injury fallout, the vacant Latin American Title, and Dominik Mysterio’s ongoing involvement, AAA has a lot more U.S.-friendly hooks than usual right now.

JD McDonagh Bids Farewell To Sheamus

Reaction to Sheamus’ reported WWE departure continued, with JD McDonagh posting a farewell message on Instagram. It’s been widely reported Sheamus was departing WWE, and Sheamus himself reacted with a message that ended with “slán mo WWE chairde.” McDonagh then posted a photo with Sheamus and thanked him, writing, “Until the next one, Sheamo. Thanks for everything.”

That does not settle where Sheamus goes next, but it adds to the feeling that this is more than a normal contract rumor. When peers start posting farewell messages, the story naturally moves from speculation into legacy conversation.

AEW Collision Quick Results And Fallout

• Bandido defeated Katsuyori Shibata to retain the ROH World Championship.
• Hikaru Shida defeated Harley Cameron to retain the TBS Championship.
• Death Riders defeated AR Fox, Komander, and Top Flight.
• Brian Cage defeated Zachary Wentz.
• Darby Allin defeated Trent Beretta.
• Mark Davis defeated Mike Bailey to retain the AEW National Championship.

NJPW G1 Climax Night One Quick Results

• Aaron Wolf defeated HENARE.
• Jake Lee defeated Shingo Takagi.
• OSKAR defeated Ren Narita.
• Yuto-Ice defeated Great-O-Khan.
• Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Shota Umino.
• Hirooki Goto defeated SANADA.
• Callum Newman defeated Yuya Uemura.
• Ryohei Oiwa defeated Oleg Boltin.
• Yota Tsuji defeated Konosuke Takeshita.

AAA On FOX Quick Results And Fallout

• Mini Vikingo defeated Jack Cartwheel and Dragon Lee to become number one contender to the AAA Cruiserweight Championship.
• Rey Mysterio warned El Grande Americano about Perros Del Mal before Dominik Mysterio interrupted and suggested they watch each other’s backs.
• The AAA Latin American Championship was vacated following El Hijo del Vikingo’s injury and surgery.
• Mini Vikingo vs. Rey Fenix and Flammer vs. La Catalina vs. Lady Shani were announced for Verano de Escándalo.
• Money Machine vs. Noisy Boy and Epydemius Jr. ended in a no contest after Perros Del Mal attacked.
• Dominik Mysterio made the save for El Grande Americano and challenged any two members of Perros Del Mal to face them.

Sunday Watch List

Sunday is lighter on the major weekly TV side, so the watch list shifts to fallout. AEW comes out of Collision with Hangman Page back, Mark Davis still holding the National Championship, and Willow Nightingale setting her sights on Mercedes Moné and the Women’s World Title scene. NJPW now has G1 Climax standings to track after its Chicago opener, while AAA has several moving pieces after vacating the Latin American Championship and setting up Verano de Escándalo.

On the WWE side, the next major checkpoint is Saturday Night’s Main Event on July 18, where Undisputed WWE Champion CM Punk teams with Cody Rhodes against Gunther and Sami Zayn. WWE is already framing the match around whether Punk and Rhodes can coexist before their SummerSlam title match, and whether Gunther and Zayn can hold together after the chaos on SmackDown.

Saturday gave the wrestling world a strong mix of television fallout, international tournament action, and AAA storyline movement. Hangman Page’s return gives AEW a meaningful reset, the G1 Climax is officially underway, and AAA now has a vacant championship, Verano de Escándalo title matches, and Rey Mysterio directly involved in multiple stories. Not a bad weekend news cycle at all.