Independent Wrestling

This Day in Wrestling History: 9/8/18

As always wrestling gives us both great memories and memories we try and forget, but with the amount of moments worth remembering that have happened we are bound to forget some. The same could be said about some talent that were very much underrated during their career or never at the top of a company during a run this unfortunately makes it easier for fans to forget certain talent. These two are very different talent and had two very different careers while they worked in this great business. Also sometimes we encounter those that deserve to be remembered and acknowledged. I would like to wish a very big Happy Birthday to all who are celebrating their special day today and especially to the one featured below.

Happy Birthday to David Arquette who turns 47 years old

Happy Birthday to Scott "Raven" Levey who turns 54 years old

Match of the Week: Funkin Army vs Extreme Horsemen

Following the end of both World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling some feuds continued and others never really ended. In this case we saw the continuation of an age old feud between the new generation and tradition, in ECW it was Steve Corino against Dusty Rhodes. In reality this was a combination of ECW and WCW with the classic War Games match used to settle the score between the Legend Terry Funk and the "King of Old School" Steve Corino. Imagine a match including names like Steve Corino, Justin Credible, Barry Windham, Sabu, Sandman, Terry Funk, Simon Diamond, and others some at the heights of their career and others in the twilight. Either way it was an interesting mix of talent and really a showing of how full of talent wrestling was following the end of the Monday Night Wars and ECW.

Davis Sells OVW

At this point for years we have been hearing rumors about long time owner of Ohio Valley Wrestling "Nightmare" Danny Davis would be retiring from professional wrestling. This would mean that Danny Davis would have to sell the company that he has built since it's founding in 1997. A while back I thought that the company had been sold to long time employee and an announcer Dean Hill, but I'm thinking that it was more likely some level of achievement for his tenure in OVW. However, I think that Danny has finally found the right person to sell his company to and officially retire as a former booker of the company has stepped up to purchase the company.

Now I know that this news might be a little old at this point, but news broke a few months ago that Al Snow has officially purchased Ohio Valley Wrestling. Though it has been a few months it is unclear if Al will change anything about the company or if he will just keep everything that Danny had in place. If it was me I would keep what Danny had in place, but maybe add to it or find a way to make a smooth transition knowing that Danny must've been doing something right to have been as successful as he has been for as long as he has been. For those who don't know Al has been within the wrestling business in some form for almost 40 years at this point and in many ways him buying a company was a logical next step.

Overall from the interviews I have seen with Al Snow he has a vast amount of knowledge about the wrestling business and deserves everything he has worked for including OVW. Honestly I don't know if Al has ever been the main booker anywhere in recent years I believe he had the past but that was a while ago. Either way I would like to wish Al Snow the best of luck with his new promotion and Danny Davis best of luck in retirement as he has definitely earned it after all he has given to wrestling.

The Debut of Pro-Wrestling Guerrilla

It would be hard to find another wrestling company that has housed more up and coming stars including names like Sami Zayn, Adam Cole, Kyle O' Reilly, Kevin Owens, Daniel Bryan, and various others. For those who may have never seen anything from PWG the best way I could explain it is that there is a lot of over the top, random comedic timing, and a leader of the new age wrestling. Honestly I don't think that I have seen more impressions and incredible action in one place, in my opinion seeing ACH imitate Stone Cold Steve Austin vest included is hilarious. Now I don't know too much about this company other than what I have seen in videos, but that isn't too much and it's not that I'm not a fan of the company it's just that I don't go out of my way to watch it.

However, my fandom or non fandom of PWG has nothing to do with the celebration as on this day fifteen years ago the company famous for their local home held their first ever event. Looking at the card it is interesting to see names like Super Dragon, Chris Bosh, Scott Lost, Joey Ryan, Topgun Talwar, and Disco Machine all on the same show together as these guys were the six founders of the company. I would also like to point out that one half of a future WWE Tag Team is on the event as well and that is Ryan Drago. For those who don't know the name Ryan Drago, you probably know him better as one half of the Vaudevillians Simon Gotch. An easier selection of another name to point out is M-Dogg 20 as the man better known as Matt Cross has seen a far amount of success in Lucha Underground as Son of Havoc. Overall it is one of the best parts of wrestling to see just how far talent can come when given an opportunity.

PWG Debut Show

Charles Mercury & Sara Del Rey & Supa Badd def. Ryan Drago & Topgun Talwar & Zokre 6-person tag
Excalibur def. Chris Bosh
Quicksilver & Scorpio Sky def. Shane Ballard & Shannon Ballard
Super Dragon def. M-Dogg 20
TARO def. Babi Slymm
Apollo Kahn & Hook Bomberry def. Disco Machine & Mr. Excitement
Adam Pearce & Al Katrazz & The Hardkore Kidd def. Funky Billy Kim & Joey Ryan & Scott Lost 6-person tag
A.J. Styles def. Frankie Kazarian

MSG Update Part 2

Recently I spoke about the issues that the WWE and MSG have been having with one another due to the WWE not running any events at MSG during WrestleMania weekend even though they are in the tri-state area for the event. I have went into a lot of this already and wont spend a lot of time on my opinion of the overall subject because I'd prefer not repeating things. Currently, PWInsider is reporting that another company is attempting to run the Garden but it's unclear if they are actually trying to get in the Garden or the adjacent theater which is only 4,500 seats. Honestly I do think that it would make more sense for them to run the theater as oppose to the actually Garden due to the capacity differences. I don't think that AAA would fill up the area and this is not a shot at them it would be hard for them to do it since they have actually never came this far into the states.

However, if they are actually looking to run the Garden they would be the first wrestling promotion in the modern era to run the Garden not WWE to hold an event in the arena. Now I know that it has become mostly public knowledge that the WWE has blocked ROH from running the Garden during WrestleMania weekend for many different reasons, but I do find it funny that the Garden went along with it. Nothing thus far though points to AAA even having a confirmed date to run the Garden but they are looking at either September 16 or 23 according to a report from PWInsider. Overall if they do end up coming to the Garden it would be just another example of how good a place the wrestling business is in right now and it would make September even more of an important month for wrestling than it already is. The importance falls on where things will go from there and what can be done to keep building forward which will not be an answer we will have until after they have passed.

Match of the Week: Ricochet vs Cody Rhodes

Finding a match like this and not wanting to share based on the talent involved in this match. There is no doubt that Ricochet is basically the embodiment of modern wrestling and flying around the ring like a lighting bolt. It is insane to think that after all the rumors that went around about Ricochet heading to the WWE and it is amazing to think that he is now one of the up and coming stars in NXT. Though most fans were shocked to see Cody walk away from the WWE, but I don't think that anyone would've thought that Cody would hit his stride like this after leaving. Don't get me wrong I do think that Cody has always had this potential in him, but now it's coming out and especially with his heel work has come along so much in a short period of time.

All in Update 3

The updates continue with the fall spectacular event set to change the wrestling business with Cody and the Young Bucks putting together the first ever event of this magnitude that has absolutely no ties with any major companies. As I mentioned in the previous update tickets went on sale on May 13 for the show set to be on September 1st and let's just say it went very well. Putting that aside for a second I feel it's fitting to mention that as of right now only one match is announced for the event and that is Nick Aldis vs Cody for the NWA World Title. The fact that they were able to draw the type of crowd they have been able to draw with only one match announced for the show it is crazy. For those who don't know they did end up selling out the arena in Chicago as tickets actually sold out within 30 minutes of going on sale which is even crazier when you think about it.

The fact that tickets sold out as fast as they did is a testament to how well the Young Bucks and Cody have done building it up and the overall popularity of those heading the event. Fact is something that at one point was just a back n forth between Dave Meltzer & Cody Rhodes last year on twitter to become not just reality but a job well done. The reason is because for the first time an event of this stature has been announced/promoted without help of any actual companies even though companies like NJPW & ROH have endorsed the event that's as fair as it goes. It is fair to say though that come September 1, 2018 when talent like Cody, Young Bucks, Nick Aldis, Kazuchika Okada, Marty Scrull, Rey Mysterio, and various others head to Chicago for the biggest event in Independent Wrestling history.

All in Update 2

Recently, we have seen a lot more information come out about the planned event with the Young Bucks and Cody Rhodes leading the charge. Ahead of the arena announcement we hadn't really heard much but now we know that the All In event will be held in Sears Centre in Chicago & this was followed by a roster announcement which I mentioned in the first update. Now after a recent edition of Being the Elite YouTube show we have found that tickets could be going on sale later this month. As seen on the dry erase board not are the Briscoe Brothers confirmed for the event now, but it seems like Tickets will go on sale on May 13.

Though they are also seemingly discussing things they would like to do in Season 2 most seems like bogus jokes to be funny and similar for other things included on the erase board. Either way if we can take May 13 as ticket day this could mean that three title matches might be set up for the event as well. Either way though things seem to be getting very interesting as we approach the September 1 and Chicago.

This Day in Wrestling History: All in the Family

Though at first glance this might be an obscure event to chose to spotlight I think you can tell by the name the reason behind my decision to pull this event into the spotlight. During the Monday Night Wars both WCW and WWE were always trying to stay in front of the curve as far as finding a wrestler that could be the next big thing (no pun intended). Now don't get me wrong neither of these two talents would become major stars but one of them would carry a division. This All Pro-Wrestling show is signaling the departures of Vic Grimes future member of the Da Baldies in ECW and Erin O'Grady better known to WWE fans as Crash Holly.

Both these two men got their starts as members of All Pro-Wrestling and would be among some of the first talent to graduate from the same school that led Chris Daniels, Donovan Morgan, Mike Modest, and of course The Great Khali. Though Crash is the only one to make to WWE and have success it is hard to say he is the only one that had a great career with Christopher Daniels still holding a spot in ROH as an active competitor.

APW Grimes/O' Grady Send Off Show:

Chicano Flame Def. (Pin) Rick Turner
Boom Boom Comini & Frank Murdoch Def. (DQ) Jay Smooth & Kwame Kamoze
Tony Jones Def. (Pin) Chris Ward
Vic Grimes Def. (Pin) Erin O'Grady
Vinny Massaro Def. (Pin) Boyce Legrande
Vic Grimes Def. (Pin) Maxx Justice (C) APW Universal Heavyweight Championship (Title Change)
Donovan Morgan Def. (Pin) Robert Thompson

Match of the Week: Minoru Suzuki vs Matthew Riddle

One of the best events of WrestleMania weekend was Matt Riddle: Blood sport and originally the main event of the show was Low-Ki and Riddle, but Ki pulled out from the event and was replaced by the current IWGP Intercontinental Champion in Minoru Suzuki. The best way to describe this match is extremely hard hitting and one of the top matches from an incredible week of wrestling. One thing that I learned from the Indy Power Rankings series I use to do is just how good Matt is and just how well he transitioned to wrestling from MMA. Usually it is tough to find such a great replacement on short notice, but Suzuki is definitely a better opponent for Riddle then a current reigning champion.

This Day in Wrestling History: Crowing a Champion

It took Evolve a long time to finally decide to crown a World Champion for the company as to start the main focus of the company was wins and loses rather than winning gold. This effect really was something that set Evolve a part from other companies due to the amount of importance that they placed on the idea of winning. Looking at the roster at this point is incredible as a number these stars would end up in the WWE or New Japan at one point or another. One team in particular that would see their stocks rise majorly in the years following is Matt & Nick Jackson the team known as the Young Bucks. This is before the Bucks were members of the Bullet Club, but it wasn't before they were members of the New Japan roster.

Taking a look at the current WWE roster and how far certain talent has come since this event 5 years ago. I think that two names have shown the most for the future and those are Johnny Gargano and Drew Gulak. Though at this point there is no doubt that Johnny has shown a lot more and may have more potential to be a major star, but to anyone that has watched 205 Live recently has seen a change in Drew Gulak. The man of many presentations has finally been able to come out of his shell in the WWE and show the charisma that made him a highly touted star in various companies. However, it is also worth noting that at the time of this show Johnny was in the middle of his record setting reign as World Champion in Dragon Gate which points to others seeing Johnny's potential to be a star before he started in WWE.

Evolve 19: Title Tournament

Sami Callihan def. Jigsaw, Rich Swann, Samuray del Sol Four-way
A. R. Fox def. (DQ) Jon Davis
Brian Kendrick & Johnny Gargano def. Drew Gulak & Orange Cassidy
Sami Callihan def. Chuck Taylor
A. R. Fox def. Ricochet
Arik Cannon def. Scott Reed No Disqualification
Player Dos & Player Uno def. Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson
A. R. Fox def. Sami Callihan EVOLVE Title (title change)

A Well Deserved Thank You

For those who may not have been around the site for that long you may not be aware of an old series that use to be on the site. The series was called Indy Power Rankings and though it wasn't my own created series it still did accomplish a goal and that was to spotlight Indy wrestling. It didn't matter if the name was known or unknown they would list it and I would post it which lead to me learning a lot of names of talent that I had never heard of like for example Matthew Riddle. The Power Rankings list would give the stars of Indy Wrestling the spotlight for at least one time a week and shift the attention. However, suddenly at some point last year I just stopped doing the series and discontinued it without any real reason, but now that changes.

As it turns out the website that published the power rankings list sorta ran into some issues. Basically a the time came for the those involved to move on to developing personal lives and leave this chapter behind them. Though I will honestly say that I am disappointed about losing this series, but very happy that I was able to do it with help. Without the help of Indy Power Rankings there is no way I would've been able to shine the spotlight on the Indies like I did. So I would like to send a much deserved thank you to both @IndyPowerRankin and https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/ for all the hard work they did and allowing me to push their stuff on the site. I appreciate it very much and wish you all well in whatever you attempt in the future.

This Day in Wrestling History: 3/3/18

As always wrestling gives us both great memories and memories we try and forget, but with the amount of moments worth remembering that have happened we are bound to forget some. The same could be said about some talent that were very much underrated during their career or never at the top of a company during a run this unfortunately makes it easier for fans to forget certain talent. Also sometimes we encounter those that deserve to be remembered and acknowledged. I would like to wish a very big Happy Birthday to all who are celebrating their special day today and especially to the one featured below.

Happy Birthday Hanson who turns 34 years old

Happy Birthday to Mandy Leon who turns 25 years old

All-In Update

Though it is hard to believe at this point it is still hard to believe just how far that Cody Rhodes come since he left the WWE and moved to the Indies after his release. Now he is looking to work on his skills as a promoter and following in his fathers foot steps with having a part backstage, and though he actually will not be doing it alone as he will be working with the Young Bucks to promote the event and make it happen. For those who don't remember an interaction last year between Dave Meltzer and Cody where Meltzer expressed doubt of an Indy company drawing a crowd to sell out a 10,00 seat arena. Since then Cody and the Bucks made it their personal goals to prove him wrong and promote an Indy show for a 10,000 seat venue.

At this point it seems as though a location in either Chicago or somewhere in Southern California would be ideal to play host to the event as both areas have rabid pro-wrestling fans and are ideal places for fans that would want to fly in. Even now there plenty of rumors when of the event will be held and which major name they would use to help promote the show to draw the crowd and two names have drawn the most internet attention as CM Punk and Daniel Bryan have both been brought up. Logically I would guess that this show would likely happen in the fall of this year and the only reason that I guess is if they are trying to have Bryan on the show they would need to wait until either September or October when his WWE contract expires. Now I expect the next time we hear about this event we will likely finally find exactly where everyone will be going All In!

Indy Spotlight: Nineteen and Going

Near the end of the 1990's there were lots of different companies popping up with some companies following in the ECW path of business as an extreme promotion as opposed to a "normal" promotion. One of these hardcore promotions that kicked off in the late 1990's was Combat Zone Wrestling. Originally CZW was just going to be a promotion designed to give trainees of the academy and the owners a place to work namely John Zandig, Lobo, Jon Dahmer, Ric Blade, Nick Gage and others. Slowly though the company would become a normal promotion and started to develop a cult like following tapping into the market deserted by ECW upon their bankruptcy.

Also even though having a checkered past and their fair share of critics there owner DJ Hyde must be doing something right as the company will be holding their 19 year anniversary event later tonight in New Jersey. It is incredible to think how successful this company has been and with the management changes that were made late last year it is expected that 2018 will be another year of growth for the company.

I think that the promotion extended its life once they started to tone the idea of death matches and made them feel a little bit more special by doing so which wasn't very noticeable at first, but it became pretty clear soon after DJ took control. I for one much prefer the idea that having violence but toning it down to make it have meaning is better than having it and making it feel meaningless. I just have to say a very special congrats to DJ Hyde and Combat Zone Wrestling for reaching their 19 year anniversary.

Blog of the Week: Indy Spotlight with Van Wicked

It has been a very long time since I look through the inter-webs for an article to share with all of you and I thought I would try something new by looking at a site specifically for Indy wrestling. So without delay let the focus shift to the post from http://www.indywrestlinglife.com

In which city do you live?
I now live near a seaside town in the United Kingdom called Folkestone, Kent but was born and raised in Swindon, Wiltshire.

How long have you been in the business?
I started out in 2001, but took three year out between 2007 and 2010 to study Wildlife Conservation at Nottingham Trent University as a part of my pursuit to become a zoo keeper.

What inspired you want to get into the business?
My Dad, who sadly passed away in August of this year following a long and brave battle with prostate cancer, he introduced me to tapes of WCW in the early 90’s. From the day I saw larger than life characters such as Cactus Jack, ‘Stunning’ Steve Austin and Abdullah The Butcher I was completely hooked. That was the day my love affair with professional wrestling began.

Where did you learn to wrestle?
In 2001 I started training at a now defunct British company known as Ultimate Championship Wrestling (UCW) based in Trowbridge, Wiltshire with one of my best friends from secondary school, James Dunn, now known as JD Knight on the British Indy scene. We were taught the very basics and we figured out the rest ourselves as we went along. I received more structured training later with 4 Front Wrestling (4FW).

What promotions have you wrestled for?
South East Professional Wrestling (SEPW), Ultimate Championship Wrestling (UCW), 4 Front Wrestling (4FW),
Combat Sport Federation (CSF), WIN Wrestling (Dublin, Ireland)
LDN

Check out the full article here

This Day In Wrestling History: Wrestling Evolves

If you could split wrestling into periods of when every active company was doing bad business then I would say that the period from 2009-2011 would be the weakest that modern wrestling has been. But with major companies struggling that forces the smaller companies to evolve and start a new. (No Pun intended) But also by looking at this event you can see just how much talent the indies had even back in 2010 and even though we know this in hindsight but also there were some that were showing their talent even back then. It would be impossible to pick just one star from this card that has really seen their stock jump. Looking at where Gargano, Fish, O'Reilly, Ricochet, Ibushi, and others are at this point in their careers it would be hard to say that one is further than the other as they all have really shown how special they are & filling in their potential.

Now I have seen the match between Ibushi & Davey and it was extremely hard hitting and a phenomenal way to kick things off for the new company and though things went differently then they were planned it was still a great way to get going. However, I don't think anyone could've thought that this company would've accomplished as much as they have especially with their developing relationship to the WWE due to how rare a working agreement with the WWE has been in the past. But as I've said multiple times in the past the more companies that are healthy and successful in wrestling the heathier wrestling is as a whole.

Evolve #1: Richards vs Ibushi

Kyle O'Reilly def. Bobby Fish
Chuck Taylor def. Cheech
Ricochet def. Arik Cannon
Jon Davis & Kory Chavis def. Flip Kendrick & Louis Lyndon
Mercedes Martinez def. Nadia
Brad Allen def. Silas Young
Jimmy Jacobs def. Ken Doane
Johnny Gargano def. Chris Dickinson
Munenori Sawa def. TJP
Frightmare & Hallowicked & Mike Quackenbush def. Brodie Lee & Gran Akuma & Icarus6-person tag
Davey Richards def. (sub) Kota Ibushi

Match of the Week: Drew Galloway vs Cody Rhodes

In recent years we have seen a rise in talent willing to take the gamble and leave WWE for the Indies. With some being let go & others leaving by choice like Cody Rhodes. For years we heard about the "brass ring" in WWE & how if talent want to reach their potential they have to grab the brass ring. The one thing they leave out is that if the opportunity isn't given to grab than it becomes almost impossible to do it. Both Drew & Cody had to realize that for themselves and though one ended up back in the WWE it took leaving the company to grow as a competitor and find his way back. Funny how things work out sometimes!!

WrestleKingdom 12 Hype

Since the site began I have always done some sort of hype leading into the biggest event of the year for the WWE, but now things will change as New Japan will also be getting that spotlight. The reason for this expansion in coverage is due to the fact that I believe this years WrestleKingdom event will be special. I mean over the last 12 months we have seen tremendous expansion for NJPW including them running shows in the US for the first time. But the day that the bombshell was dropped and Jericho appeared showed that 2018 will kick off with a bang.

For those who don't know Chris Jericho actually had a pretty successful career in NJPW prior to his run with the WWE and even competed for the Japanese promotion during his early days in WCW. Prior to the beginning of his feud with Omega, Chris hadn't been on an NJPW event since 1997. These two events featured below almost give a shoot fight feel off for this match and they have been doing an amazing job building up a match that six months ago nobody even thought was possible. If you have seen these videos I suggest watching them and then getting excited for the Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2018.

Muta Coming Back to the US

Back in the 1990's there was one international star that consistently would appear in the US specifically in the second major company at the time which was WCW. The legendary figure known as Great Muta would have a constant presence during the 90's in WCW due to the companies working agreement with New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Following the end of the WCW the company from across the Pacific would really stay out of the United States until recent years. However, within the recent New Japan expansion one talent is non exist and that is the legend known as Muta. The reason that Muta isn't a part of the expansion is that Great Muta would leave NJPW and form his own company in 2013 known as Wrestle-1.

Now I know that Muta did bring his talents to Impact Wrestling during the Wrestle-1 working agreement. Then if you sit and think yes Muta has been in the states within the last year. But it is still a huge deal that Muta will be coming stateside as his legendary status can attract a crowd where ever he goes especially to a smaller company like PCW Ultra. The reason for this big special appearance is likely due to the fact that on January 19, 2018 in Wilmington, CA the company PCW Ultra will be celebrating their anniversary show. For more news and info on the indies check out the video below.

The Bullet Club to finance an event in 2018

Earlier this year Cody Rhodes was going back n forth with wrestling "guru writer" Dave Meltzer about the idea of an Indy company could sell out an large arena. Now according to the below video from Wrestling With Wregret it seems as though the Bullet Club maybe financing an event by themselves. Since his run in the WWE ended we have really seen Cody tap into his potential and put on full display just how much the WWE is missing by not giving him the platform. I do believe that Cody is one of the top names in wrestling world right now and has taken full advantage of the opportunity.

However, the idea that the Young Bucks & Cody will self finance an event together at some point in 2018 it is incredible in my opinion. Earlier reports for the event seem to point to either Chicago or London could be where the event might be held if it does come together. I do also think that if Cody and the Bucks can do this it would help further not only develop the Bullet Club, but also show just how much wrestling has changed in recent years.

Overall this rumor is absolutely something to look forward to in the coming year as the Bullet Club has taken the old WWF saying for themselves and changed it to the Bullet Club. Meaning it isn't "Anything can happen in the WWE" anymore as it is the "Bullet Club can do just about anything."

Triple H goes Insane in the UK

There was a time when fans would be correct in saying that there was a clear existence of a WWE bubble where those within the bubble would claim that nothing important ever happens outside the WWE. However, somewhere along the lines things had begun to change and dare I say it was around the time that Triple H decided to move more into the office & out of the ring. For those who don't know ICW or Insane Championship Wrestling is the company that has developed numerous future stars & top UK talent like WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate, and various others.

The first time I had realized that the WWE actually had some sort of a working agreement with outside companies was when Nakamura debuted and they showed video footage from Progress. Anyone who has seen the WWE TV program in recent weeks could be aware that they were on a UK tour which set things up perfect for two things and one was Pete Dunne on Raw. But the other was once again "A sight that nobody thought they'd see" when Triple H walked out to the ring at a Insane Championship Wrestling show.

As years gone by Triple H has proven to be very different then Vince in his attempts to give the WWE a different look and really help the company fix weaknesses that plague them before the Triple H regime started. Now there is no doubt in my mind that the amount of talent in the UK at this moment is incredible, but did anyone ever think that the WWE would allow any talent to appear for the company & outside companies at the same time.

Highspots Family Continues to Expand

In recent years the popularity of online streaming services starting with smaller sites and then building to the WWE Network and things have really blown up since. For years Highspots.com has been somewhat of a staple next to Kayfabecommentaries.com as major sites in the DVD world for shoots and random series. Much like RFVideo.com and ROHWrestling.com they streamed events for independent companies and soon after Highspots.com would join the party. Companies like Combat Zone Wrestling, Alpha-1 Wrestling, AAW, IWA Mid-South, Full Impact-Pro, and a variety of others.

However, another company has joined the Highspots family and it is a big deal for the company as a small company is now ready to expand. Back a few years ago Curt Hawkins & Pat Buck founded Create A Pro-Wrestling Training Academy. For those who don't know Pat actually co-owned Pro-Wrestling Syndicate for many years until recently before heading to Wrestle Pro. Even though Hawkins might be in the WWE again it is still his school located in Hicksville, NY and actually has some very talented young stars like "Smart" Mark Sterling, Kasey Catel, Francis Stevens, and others.

This is just another indication that wrestling is on the build especially wrestling on the indies and this has been helped by the expansion of New Japan and Ring of Honor. I do know that Create A Pro is nowhere near being a recognizable company with known talent but signing on with Highspots.com will do nothing but help the company expand and grow which is something that is always great to see especially for smaller companies.

So Far Back Sunday: Pro-Wrestling NOAH Updates

Every fan of Japanese Wrestling is normally just speaking of New Japan when they talk about the wrestling scene across the Pacific much like people have tendency to just speak of the WWE when they talk about the wrestling scene in the US. However, to some peoples surprise Japan actually does have companies in the country other then NJPW and though the companies may not get as much attention from the fans that doesn't mean the wrestlers don't get attention from other companies and don't deserve the spotlight.

Now I will take a look at three contract of talent from Pro-Wrestling NOAH talent that will be expiring very soon and one of them maybe on their way to a certain company like cohorts in NJPW are rumored to be:

Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls: collectively known as The Mighty Don't Kneel they have been under contracts with NOAH for the last two years. With their contracts coming up soon rumors have began to surface that TMDK could be NXT bound before long. Both Haste & Nicholls were a part of a WWE tryout last summer were they impressed officials, and both were offered contracts, but nothing ever came of it for one reason or another.

Takeshi Morishima: It was announced last April that he was retirinig from wrestling due to health concerns, and he was going to have a retirement ceremony in September. However, the ceremony ended getting canceled because Morishima wanted another match instead. Now as months continue to pass and Morishima continue to train and is in the best shape of his career.

Note:
Before arriving in the WWE current NXT star Hideo Itami was one of NOAH's biggeest stars and was actually in a stable with Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls so if they do sign their history should be a interesting point of possible comparison.

So Far Back Sunday: NJPW Stars Contract Updates

In terms of the other two Bullet Club members Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson they also gave their notice with NJPW at the same time as AJ & Shinsuke, but much like Shinsuke they still have some dates left to fulfill with both ROH & NJPW. Anderson & Gallows became one of the top teams in NJPW after coming together seemingly following Giant Bernard's WWE Return in 2012. That's right Albert aka Lord Tensai was Karl "Machine Gun" Anderson's partner in Japan before re-joining WWE and ultimately retiring. Now with the former leader of the Bullet Club and current NXT World Champion Finn Balor down in NXT the interest and intrigue surrounding the supposed eventual debut of Anderson & return of Gallows brings more to the table. Just imagine the Bullet Club down in NXT and even on Raw.

It is signings like these that may give the WWE the shot in the arm they so desperately need right now as it seems like nothing is going right for them at the moment. Especially with half the roster on the shelf with long term injuries and Wrestlemania hanging in the balance they needed a big splash and this is what they did. I must say in terms of signings this is by far one of if not the most intriguing "signings" WWE has done in a long time.

Indy Spotlight: Michael Elgin

The moment you know that you have been watching a certain talent for a long time is you can say that I remember when so and so worked for this company. I remember back in around 2010 when Michael Elgin made his Ring of Honor debut as the muscle of the House of Truth. Elgin would then win the Survival of the Fittest in 2011 and would be moved up the card to the main event in 2012. He would then win the ROH World title and have a big feud with the new heel Adam Cole and even though Elgin would be the WWE version of Sheamus in my opinion he was needed on top and did a good job leading the company.

However, Elgin would end up leaving ROH out of loyalty to PWG after Ring of Honor wanted to pull him off their shows due to him being the ROH World Champion and the company not wanting him losing elsewhere. Then Elgin would move to the top of the card in PWG and now is a top flight talent in New Japan as well. Overall even though his first major exposure came with ROH leaving the company seemed like a good decision for Elgin with him becoming one of the top foreign stars in Japan.

The very first #1 in the IPR 100 is back at the top of the Indy Power Rankings this week as “Unbreakable” Michael Elgin dominated the indies last week. The Pro Wrestling Phoenix Heavyweight, Dynamo Pro D-1 Division and ½ of the Glory Pro Tag Team Champions defeated Penta El Zero M at AAW on 10/13 in the first round of the Jim Lynam Memorial Tournament 2017, then defeated Myron Reed on 10/14 in the quarterfinal, then defeated Zema Ion in the semifinals, and then defeated Jeff Cobb in the final to win the Jim Lynam Memorial Tournament 2017.

This Day in Wrestling History: The Original Omega vs Okada

I am going to state the obvious to start and that the year 2004 was a very long time ago. Looking at the card you can see how many names on this card really didn't stick around the wrestling business for too long and how many went on to accomplish a vast amount in the business in the later years. The one thing that hasn't changed since 2004 is that the Women of Honor are still a part of the shows including long time ROH star Daizee Haze. Also I should point out that a young Jay Lethal, Roderick Strong, Alex Shelley, and Matt Sydal were on the show.

Now onto the original Okada vs Omega for an American company. At this point this was one of the major reasons why ROH would catch the attention of fans the wrestling world in general is this feud that took place over the course of the year 2004. You know this match was something special as it was the American wrestling match to get a 5 star match rating from Dave Meltzer in seven years since Meltzer gave the first Hell in a Cell match five stars.

This no doubt the embodiment of good booking and establishing credible talent especially in the beginning and that is really something that hasn't changed. Even though this was the only time these two would feud due to both Punk & Joe leaving Ring of Honor within the next year as CM Punk would be signed by WWE & Joe would move to TNA. Now much like Wrestle Kingdom 11 earlier this year with Okada vs Omega and their series of matches including a 45 minute draw. For those who have never seen Punk & Joe in the ring they have such chemistry and you would need to keep an eye out and spend the time to see one of these matches; because Punk vs Joe is something I firmly believe that helped put Ring of Honor on the map.

ROH Punk vs Joe II

Davey Andrews draw (NC) T. J. Dalton
Jay Lethal def. (pin) Delirious
Matt Stryker def. (pin) Dixie
Traci Brooks def. (pin) Daizee Haze
Josh Daniels def. (pin) Angel Dust, Matt Sydal, Trent Acid Four Corners of Survival
Chad Collyer & Nigel McGuinness def. (pin) B.J. Whitmer & Dan Maff
H. C. Loc & Tony DeVito def. (pin) Davey Andrews & T. J. Dalton
Jack Evans & Roderick Strong def. (pin) Homicide & Rocky Romero
Alex Shelley def. (sub) Jimmy Jacobs "I Quit"
Samoa Joe (c) Draw (time) C. M. Punk 60:00 ROH World Heavyweight Title *****

Indy Power Rankings: 10/2/17

Though this week it might be a little different then every other week it is sometimes good to change things up. But as always for more from the world of Indy wrestling check out:
https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

#4: Joe Coffey- Though at one point I never had heard of this man but Coffey has seen his stock jump forward in recent months. I have really loved his rise from the bottom up and especially seeing him leading the charge with WCPW. But also Coffey is exactly one of the reasons I do this post and have been paying attention to the Indies a lot more.

#2: David Starr- “The Product” really picked up 3 solid wins over the weekend in Europe as he beat Kip Sabian at Lucha Forever on 9/26, then defeated Will Ospreay on 9/27, and then defeated Eddie Dennis at Revolution Pro on 10/1 to go 3-0 for the week. The only thing that really kept him from competing for the #1 spot this week was that his wins weren’t tournament wins, title wins, or defenses.

#1: Tito Escondido- This Panamanian-American wrestler and one half of the Los Bandidos tag team gets his very first #1 ranking this week as he swept the ballots of all of the official voters. The Finest City Wrestling Heavyweight, Championship Wrestling from Hollywood and Alternative Wrestling Show Heavyweight Champion defeated Brian Cage at Championship Wrestling from Hollywood on 9/28.

Indy Spotlight: Some Storms Never Stop

Over the past few months interest in Women's wrestling has really hit a peak with Asuka's title reign ending being the focal point, but also the WWE conducting the Mae Young Classic in the later part of the summer. The world's top female competitors gathered under one roof to see who the top female was and we saw some amazing talent and something a lot of thought we'd never see. One of those names within the ranks of the Mae Young Classic was Austrian/New Zealand star Toni Storm who by the way is still only 21 years old which is incredible to think about. I would think she is comparable only to Will Osprey who is a few years older but still incredibly skilled for his age.

But comparing her to someone else should be no slight on the talent she poses as even with her age in mind she is still holding three different championships from three different companies right now which is incredible. The amount of trust these promoters have her to give her the big belts from there companies is a testament to how talented she is and I guarantee at her age she'll only get better which is scary to think about. But either way it seems like the momentum is continuing to grow for Women's Wrestling and expand to more companies and more women are gaining exposure now they have the ability to have more serious roles within a company other than GFW/TNA. Take a look at Toni Storm in action below:

Indy Power Rankings: 9/25/17

Changing things up this week as I am including the People's Champion in the rankings this week. For the full list as always check out: https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

Rey Fury- Fury gets his second People’s Champ award amidst some very good competition this week. The Federated Champion got on the poll when he beat John Saxton on 9/23 to retain the title. His fans rallied and came up with 90 votes to EASILY win the online voting competition in convincing fashion.

#3- Derek Neal- "The Real Deal” gets his highest ranking to date as the PWF Tri-State and NEW WWA Kentucky State Champion defeated Randall Shane at WWA on 9/23 in the first round, then defeated Ray Waddell in the semis, and then defeated Krutch in the final to win the Kentucky Classic Tournament to become inaugural champion.

#2: Aaron Williams- "The Baddest Man Alive” BARELY misses out on a third straight week at #1, but with a #2 ranking, he continues to push his way up this year’s IPR 100. The IWA Mid-South World Champion defeated Alex Colon at Rockstar Pro on 9/20, then defeated Shane Mercer and Devon Moore in a triple threat at IWA Mid-South on 9/21 to retain the title.

#1: Toni Storm- This WWE Mae Young Classic competitor used that platform to launch herself into stardom (no pun intended) as the SWA Undisputed World Women’s, PROGRESS Women’s, and NEW World of Stardom Champion defeated Kay Lee Ray at Stardom on 9/18, then defeated Yoko Bito the same day to win the 5*Star GP tournament, then defeated Mandy Leon on 9/23 to retain the SWA title.

Indy Spotlight: A Slight Ray of Sunshine

The Indy Spotlight series has always been really hit or miss for the series and lacking some form of direction and in more ways then one it was just a cheap way to get eyes on an Indy series. Now I will be honest that over the years I have tried many ways to get eyes on different sections of the site and some of them are hit or miss. Last week I spoke about Aaron Williams last week as he is a lesser known talent that is one of the many names that have been helped by the internet and is helping in gaining exposure.

This week instead of focusing on the number 1 rated talent or anyone in the top 10 like I normally do because a lot of people in this weeks top 10 are very well known Indy wrestling stars from all over the world. Now looking into the Indy Power Rankings I can say that I did really look into the list and picked the least known star on the list and decided to write about them. There are other names on the list that most fans don't know but Kenny Ray in my opinion caught my attention for a specific reason due to the fact that he was able to be selected as this weeks People's Choice for the Power Rankings.

Even if this simple post will get your eyes on at least one name that is spoken of on the list and helps them gain more exposure then I am happy about that as this is one of the reasons why I do this series. Now check out this little description as to why Kenny Ray was chosen as this weeks People's Choice on the Indy Power Rankings: The NEW Palmetto Championship Wrestling United States Champion was put on the poll after he defeated Mister Sleaze and James Johnson on 9/15 to retain the title. His fans took care of the rest as he narrowly edged out our official #1 Aaron Williams for the People’s Champ award this week with 68 votes. For more check out https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

Indy Power Rankings: 9/18/17

At this point its time to look back again at the last week and see where people have fallen. For the full list check out: https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

#5: Johnathan Gresham- "The Octopus” had one hell of a week despite coming up just short in the 2017 Ted Petty Invitational Tournament. He defeated Anthony Henry at IWA Mid-South on 9/14 in the first round, then defeated Devon Moore in the quarterfinals on 9/15.

#4: Joe Coffey- Perhaps the biggest, most high profile victory over the weekend was the one over NXT-contracted Kassius Ohno at ICW. The Scottish Heavyweight, Insane Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight and NEW Discovery Wrestling Y Division Champion defeated James Drake (UK) at British Championship Wrestling on 9/15.

#3: Josh Briggs- It’s the highest ranking ever for Josh Briggs as the NEW Chaotic Wrestling New England Champion mowed through the competition to win the vacant title in the title tournament over the weekend. He defeated Adam Booker on 9/15 in the first round.

#2: Matt Tremont- The former #1 and current GCW, Superstars of Wrestling Federation Hardcore and ½ of the Tier 1 Tag Team Champions took a page out of Aaron Williams’s playbook as he took his GCW Title into the NGI over the weekend and defended the title in every round. Tremont has gone on record stating that this was his last death match tournament and he has gone out on top.

#1: Aaron Williams- “The Baddest Man Alive” is now a TWO TIME, TWO TIME #1! The back-to-back #1 earned his top ranking through attrition as he won the IWA Mid-South World Title in a tournament to crown a new champion last week and then took that title into the 2017 Ted Petty Invitational Tournament and defended it successfully throughout the tournament and then one more time AFTER the tournament the same night. He defeated Arik Cannon at IWA Mid-South on 9/14 to retain the title in the first round, then defeated David Starr in the second round on 9/15 to retain again,

Indy Spotlight: Aaron Williams

Since I really began this series and looking at the Indy power rankings to see who the most talented people outside of WWE are in any given week I have found a tremendous number stars that I have never heard of. This weeks number 1 Aaron Williams is one of those names that I have never heard of before this. However, this one of the many reasons I do love this series as it opens my eyes to new stars and some talent that could be the future of this great business. Wrestling is always growing, changing, and giving birth to new talent and this just puts those names in the limelight.

Now what I am going to do instead of going on about how important it is to support Indy wrestling I am instead going to show it by supporting it. I will be posting some matches from Williams to put on display just how talented an individual he is an exactly why he finished first this week on the Indy Power Rankings.

Aaron Williams vs Drew Gulak

Aaron Williams vs Ashley Sixx

Indy Power Rankings: 9/11/17

As always it's that time of the week when the Indy Power Rankings have arrived and the question is asked who is on the list. For the full list check it out here:

#5: TJ Marconi- This member of the Crusade for Change gets a big singles ranking as he picked up not one, but TWO new tiltes over the weekend. He defeated Eric Jayden at BWF on 9/7 to win the Bronx Wrestling Federation Title, then beat Adam Payne at SWF on 9/8, then beat Vinny Cenzo at SWF on 9/9 to win the Superstars of Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Title.

#4: Travis Banks- It has been meteoric rise to stardom in 2017 for Travis Banks as he just continues to dominate the UK independent scene. Banks picked up arguably the biggest single victory over the weekend as ½ of the RevPro British Tag Team Champions added the PROGRESS Wrestling Heavyweight Title to his collection after defeating Pete Dunne on 9/10 to win the title.

#3: Taylor Bateman- The Santino Bros Champion gets his highest ranking yet after he won the SoCal Strong Style Tournament at FIST Combat on 9/9. It was a week of tournaments as the Top 3 all won tournaments. In the first round he defeated Jesse James and then beat Brody King and Ruby Raze in a Triple Threat Final to win the tournament.

#2: Mattick- This talent out of Rochester, NY gets his highest ranking to date as he won the Upstate 8 Tournament on 9/9. He defeated Eddie Kingston in the first round at Upstate Pro Wrestling on 9/9 and then beat Cheech, Jay Freddie, and Gregory Iron in a Four-Way to win the tournament.

1: Aaron Williams- “The Baddest Man Alive” has been getting ranked in the Indy Power Rankings since 2014 and this is the very first time he’s been #1. It’s well-deserved as he went through 3 opponents to become IWA Mid-South World Champion for a second time on 9/9. Williams now has TPI ahead of him as he looks to win yet another big tournament as he shoots for a second straight #1 ranking.

Indy Match of the Week: Cody Rhodes vs Chris Hero

Though this on paper sounds amazing and I am very happy that this match got to happen prior to Hero returning to the WWE. Since his arrival on the Indies from the WWE the man simply known as Cody has been having amazing matches with anyone that he steps into the ring with showing exactly how much the WWE is missing. Hero now is a part of NXT and probably signed with WWE soon after this match happened.

Indy Power Rankings: 8/28/17

It might be a day later than normal, but it is still the same concept as it is time to look at the power rankings. For the full list check out: https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

#5: Pete Dunne- Despite being the WWE UK Champion, Dunne still works a ton of indies and STILL get himself ranked consistently. The Attack! 24/7, Destiny World Wrestling and Progress Champion; defeated Eddie Dennis, Lee Hunter, Millie McKenzie, Charli Evans, Jordan Devlin, Martina The Session Moth & Jack Sexsmith in an eight-way at Fight Club Pro on 8/26.

#4: FUMA- It’s the first ranking for FUMA as he teamed with Isami Kodaka, Ryuichi Sekine and Ryota Nakatsu at Basara on 8/24 to defeat GUNSO, KABUKI KID, Naoki Tanizaki and brother YASSHI, then defeated Takato Nakano on 8/26, then teamed with Yasu Urano on 8/27 to defeat Takumi Tsukamoto and Takato Nakano in the semis.

#3: Chris Brookes- This UK talent had a FANTASTIC weekend as the Fight Club Pro Champion, ½ of the CZW World Tag and RevPro British Tag Team Champions defeated Travis Banks at Fight Club Pro on 8/25 to retain the title, then teamed with Kid Lykos on 8/26 to defeat The Gentleman’s Club (Chuck Taylor & Orange Cassidy).

#2: Rob Van Dam- Your eyes do not deceive you! It’s “The Whole F’N Show” in the Indy Power Rankings this week after taking his show to Australia over the weekend. He defeated Syd Parker at Battle Championship Wrestling in Australia on 8/25.

#1: KUSHIDA- The ROH World Television and IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion came back to the indies over the weekend and he came out with his first #1 ranking in quite some time. He went to the UK and defeated Travis Banks at WCPW on 8/22, then defeated Kenny Williams on 8/23 in the first round of the WCPW World Cup Tournament, then defeated Zack Sabre Jr on 8/24 in the quarter finals, then defeated Mike Bailey (non-tournament) on 8/25.

Indy Power Rankings: 8/21/17

It's that time of the week again with a look at the power rankings. For the full list of power rankings check out: https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

#5: William Huckaby- The Incredible HUCK gets into the Indy Power Rankings this week with a few wins that could have netted him a #1 ranking on many other weeks. The World Wrestling Grand Prix Champion defeated Royal Money at Dojo Wars on 8/16 to retain the title, then defeated Zaiden Kayne at Mega Pro Wrestling on 8/18.

#4: Maya Yukihi-NINE matches for Maya Yukihi equates to a spot in the Top 10. While it wasn’t a perfect week, it was still VERY GOOD as she teamed with Tsukasa Fujimoto at Ice Ribbon on 8/15 to defeat Akane Fujita and Maruko Nagasaki, then teamed with Risa Sera the same day to defeat Mochi Miyagi and Akane Fujita, then defeated Miyako Matsumoto on 8/16.

#3: Hideki Suzuki-The Big Japan Pro Wrestling Strong World Heavyweight Champion gets into the Top 10 after a stellar week as he defeated Takuya Nomura at BJW on 8/14 (non-title) then teamed with Shinjiro Otani at Zero1 on 8/17 to defeat TARU and Voodoo Mask, then defeated Daichi Hashimoto on 8/19 at Big Japan to retain the title.

#2: John Rare-It’s not often you see this HARDCORE competitor ranked, but it’s even less frequent that you see him ranked for something other than death matches! He bucked the trend this week as competed in and WON the 2017 IWA Deep South Soft Core Cup. He teamed with Keylo Green on 8/19 in the First Round to defeat Hermit Crab & Jay Impact in a Softcore Boards Match.

#1: He began this week’s unblemished week as he defeated Silas Young on 8/14 to retain the title, then teamed with Alex Anthony, Brian Rich & The Mercenary on 8/15 to defeat Blondturage (Kute Kody & Tasty Travis), Chase Owens & Jacob Creed, then defeated Adam Knight in a bunkhouse brawl on 8/18 to retain the title, and then defeated Kaito Kiyomiya on 8/19 to retain again to go 4-0 for the week.

Indy Power Rankings: 8/14/17

It's that time of the week again for us to look at the best on the indies. For the full list check out: https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

#5: Christian Rose- It’s been quite a while since we saw Christian Rose in the Top 10 and it’s a welcome surprise. Rose won the Zero1 USA Jōshō Monsutā Tournament over the weekend as he defeated the Dixielander Destroyer at Zero1 in the first round on 8/12, then defeated Frank Wyatt in the semis, and then defeated Kevin Lee Davidson in the finals to win the tournament.

#4: King REK- The “Leader of the Army of the UWA” gets his first ranking this week as he won the 2017 Mike Davis Memorial Tournament. defeated Eddie Thomas and Thomas Kobryn at UWE Elite on 8/9 in the first round, then defeated Chris Powers and Sean “Damage” McNelis on 8/10 in the second round, then defeated Drake Chambers in the quarters on 8/11.

#3: Ken Ohka- The Independent Junior Heavyweight Champion gets his first ranking in the Indy Power Rankings as he won the Ganbare Climax Tournament over the weekend. He defeated Yumehito Imanari at Ganbare on 8/11 in the first round, then defeated KAZMA SAKAMOTO in the second round on 8/12.

#2: Matthew Riddle- The WWN Live Champion just continues to stack the deck against his competition as he continues to add to his impressive résumé for 2017. Riddle moves up from #3 last week to #2 this week as he defeated Lio Rush at Evolve on 8/11 (non-title) then defeated WALTER at Progress on 8/12 to win the Atlas title.

#1: Tyler Colton- After being ranked #4 last week, the CWE Champion gets his first #1 ranking this week after two DOMINANT weeks at Canadian Wrestling’s Elite. Colton defeated Giant Orion on 8/7 to retain the title, then defeated Jacob Creed on 8/8 to retain again, then defeated Silas Young on 8/9 to retain again, then defeated The Giant Orion, Jacob Creed and Kaz Karter in a four corners match on 8/10 to retain again, then defeated Kute Kody on 8/11 to retain again.

Blog of the Week: Live the Dream but do the Math

Now it has been a while since the last time I scoured the internet for an interesting article to share with all of you, but since I have revisited a lot of my old series I thought this was one that I needed to find a way to bring back. In the wild world of wrestling it is easy to get lost in success and glamour of the world, but one thing you always need to do is plan for the present and take of your future.

Though I don't know a lot about the world of wrestling especially as an independent wrestler and it is very tough to make a profitable living as a full time wrestler. But it is just the idea that it is up to you to take care of yourself and manage yourself in not just building your brand, but preparing for your future. Below I found an article on this very subject and took an excerpt from it for the full article take a look here.

"When we decided to forego the cubicle jobs, and say no to working in a shrinking box store, and live our dreams of getting called up to work in a promotion that has a worldwide audience, it comes with a price.
There’s nothing more romantic than doing the thing you love as opposed to working a job that moves you further away from your goals. In doing that, many people go head first into their dreams… you gotta work out, train, get your name out there, etc., but have you really looked at the price you’re paying for doing that?
One of the people on our staff, which is all volunteer, drives for a ride sharing company that rhymes with Gruber. While it might have sounded like a great gig, there are things to consider:"

Gas costs. In California, it can be downright awful.
Wear and tear on the car.
If you don’t want your car’s odometer to go sky high, then you’ll have to rent or lease another vehicle.
If you live in California you have to have rideshare insurance, a nice little racket in addition to the insurance that the Gruber company.
Wear and tear on on your nerves especially when a real life heel steps in your car.
If you’re working late nights, possible upchuck in your car by someone who can’t hold their liquor.
Constant washing the car to make it look spiffy and new.

Indy Spotlight: Fenix is Rising

At one point Lucha Underground had become a bigger circus then that company in Nashville, but much like things in TNA have been settling things cooled down in Lucha as well. However, just as things cooled down in one company tension began to rise up in another as AAA began to show cracks with talent walking away. Now for those who don't know a few names did leave and one them was Fenix or who would become Rey Fenix. During his time in AAA Fenix had become a top star with the company and from what I remember the company had a big push planned for him before he left the company. I'm unsure of the details as to why he left but what I know is that Fenix likely doesn't miss competing for AAA.

This isn't the first time that Fenix reached the top spot on the Indy Power Rankings as since his departure from AAA he has really put on display for an new audience just how much talent he has. I have only seen him a compete a few times, but what I can say is that when Rey left it was definitely a major loss for AAA in terms of talent and someone that is still young enough to be on top for a long time.

Fenix is one of the many reasons why the Indy circuit is in such good shape right now and why companies like PWG and Lucha Underground are thriving in the wrestling world today. Recently, Fenix made the move back to Mexico and is now competing on Indies down there for companies other than AAA as return to that company doesn't seem to be in the cards.

Indy Power Rankings: 8/7/17

It's that time of the week again for the power rankings of INdy wrestling. As always for the full list take a look at: https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

#5: GO Asakawa- GO Asakawa defeated Yoshihiro Horaguchi in the first round at Kaientai Dojo on 8/5, then defeated Shiori Asahi in the quarterfinals, then defeated TAKA Michinoku in the semis, and then defeated Kotaro Yoshino in the final to win the K-Dojo Kaio Tournament to go 4-0 for the week.

#4: Tony Colton- CWE in Canada brings a competitor with a 7-0 record as their break neck tours continue to make a big difference in the Indy Power Rankings. The Canadian Wrestling Elite Champion defeated Kaz Karter on 7/31 to retain the title, then defeated Silas Young on 8/1 to retain again, then teamed with Danny Duggan on 8/2 to defeat The Cannon Clan (Jacob Creed & Bobby Collins).

#3: Matthew Riddle- Riddle just continues to rack up huge wins all over the world and added yet another big list of wins to his growing list of tournament/title wins. The WWN Champion defeated Tank in the first round of the Scenic City Invitational on 8/4, then defeated Gunner Miller in the semis on 8/5.

#2: Fred Yehi- The former #1 and current FIP World Champion came SO CLOSE to becoming #1 once again this week but just got beat out by Fenix. He won WWN Style Battle over the weekend as he beat Jarek 1:20 in the First Round on 8/4, then beat Caleb Konley in the second round, and then beat Ethan Case in the finals to win the tournament.

#1: Rey Fenix- It’s a second #1 ranking this year for Fenix after a VERY hotly contested official vote. The PDM Light Heavyweight, ½ of the PWG Tag Team Champions, and NEW Rockstar Pro American Luchacore Champion defeated Jeremiah at the joint Rockstar Pro/Wrestling Revolver event in the first round, then defeated Shane Strickland in the semis, then defeated AR Fox in the final to win the tournament and the vacant title.

Indy Power Rankings: 7/31/17

It's that time of the week again for the look at the power rankings for Indy wrestling. For the full list of the power rankings check out: https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

#5: Darius Carter- The former #1 in the Indy Power Rankings and former People’s Champ had another fantastic week as he pushed his way into the Top 10 once again. He is also ½ of the NEW Forza Lucha Tag Team Champions. He defeated Matt Riddle at Tier1 on 7/28.

#4: Johnny Mundo- After being ranked #2 last week, Johnny whatever last name you wanna go with falls just 2 spots after another great week. The AAA World Cruiserweight, AAA Latin-American, Qatar Pro Wrestling Souq Waqif, 5 Star Wrestling and Pacific Coast Wrestling Champion defeated Penta El Zero M and Sami Callihan at Pacific Coast Wrestling on 7/28 to retain the title (his tag team loss at AAA doesn’t count towards the poll).

#3: Zodiak- )-“The Hybrid Monster” is BACK in the Indy Power Rankings Top 10 after mowing through the competition last week. The EMERGE Champion and ½ of the WCWO Tag Team Champions defeated James “The Baker” Hickey at IWA Mid-South on 7/27, then defeated Dmitiri Alexandrov at WCWO on 7/28.

#2: Dale Patricks- Like his partner, Josh Crane a few months ago, Dale Patricks ends up with a #2 ranking after a stellar week on the indies. 1/2 of the NEW IWA Mid-South Tag Team Champions; teamed with Josh Crane at IWA Mid-South on 7/27 to defeat The Rejects (Reed Bentley & John Wayne Murdoch) and Larry D & Brandon Taggert in a triple threat to win the titles.

#1: Pete Dunne- “The Bruiserweight” edged out Dale Patricks for the #1 spot as the PROGRESS World and Destiny World Champion teamed with Tyler Bate & Trent Seven at Fight Club PRO on 7/28 to defeat Travis Banks, Low-Ki and Jeff Cobb, then defeated BT Gunn, Wolfgang and Trent Seven in a four-way at Insane Championship Wrestling on 7/29 to retain the WWE UK title, and then defeated Jack Sexsmith at PROGRESS on 7/30 to go 3-0 for the week.

A New Owner in the Combat Zone

Back in 1999, near the end of the popularity of hardcore wrestling in the USA a company sprang up in Philadelphia. This company was founded by hardcore wrestler John Zandig and called Combat Zone Wrestling. At first the company was basically designed as a place for Zandig and his trainees to work and the company would have small amount of success at first. Though most people didn't really think that Zandig was that good, but even though he did have his issues he was also an underrated mind only in a particular way though. Because I think that John was best when he booked a death match company and I don't think he really could have taken the company through the transition that DJ Hyde would take the company through.

In 2009, DJ Hyde would take over the company from John and would actually transition the company from just simply a death match company to a more well rounded promotion. The transition that DJ took the company through would allow the company to make the gimmick matches more special rather than over exposed like it was with John running the company.

Now the landscape of CZW has been changing for the last few months as DJ recently stepped down as the head of creative with Sami Callahan taking over the booking of the company. At this point, DJ is still in charge of the company in some form though it is unclear especially now with another name entering the fray. A few weeks ago Dave Marquez has been brought into the company in an ownership capacity. According to a report, Marquez will be handling the video production end of things, revamping and updating the promotions presentation. This also would give Marquez access to the CZWStudios site -- CZW's on-demand streaming network that also houses various other companies.

What this means for the future of CZW and how the company will continue to change and evolve like it has in recent months. I am very excited for the future of the promotion, because seeing things like this happen in a company only leads to a positive future for the company. The best way to a it is that the more good that happens down low the more places there are and more alternatives there become for the guys to work.

Indy Power Rankings: 7/24/17

Due to this week being a little unique from other weeks, but as always it's time for the power rankings. For the full list check out: https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

#5: Aaron Epic- The former #1 is back at it again with another impressive weekend in the Southeast. The BRAWL, Ignite, Punk Pro Wrestling Heavyweight and 1/2 of Orlando Pro Wrestling Intergender Tag Team Champions defeated Daniel Drennen at I Believe in Wrestling on 7/21.

#4: Tess Blanchard- So Tessa Blanchard is the highest ranking competitor with just one last week but it was a HUGE win as the Remix Pro Fury, WrestleCircus Sideshow, NEW WrestleCircus Lady of the Ring and 1/2 of Shimmer Tag Team Champions defeated Rachael Ellering in a title vs title match at WrestleCircus on 7/22 to retain her title and win Ellering’s.

#3: Matt Tremont- The former #1 is back in the Top 10 as the Superstars of Wrestling Federation Hardcore and ½ of the NEW Tier1 Tag Team Champions teamed with Joe Stockade to defeat Logan Black & Bam Sullivan at Five Borough Wrestling on 7/20 to win the vacant Tier1 titles, then defeated Craig Mitchell at Combat Zone Wrestling vs Freelance Wrestling on 7/21, and then defeated Tank (in Tank’s final match) at Anarchy Wrestling to go 3-0 for the week.

#2: Johnny Mundo- What a crazy week for the former WWE Star and current Lucha Underground talent as the AAA World Heavyweight, AAA World Cruiserweight, AAA Latin-American, Qatar Pro Wrestling Souq Waqif, 5 Star Wrestling and Pacific Coast Wrestling Champion defeated Hijo del Fantasma and Texano Jr. at EMW in Mexico on 7/21 to retain all three AAA titles.

#1: Pete Dunne- “The Bruiserweight” had an amazing year last year but was unable to get a #1 ranking despite being #5 in the year-end IPR 100. The PROGRESS World and Destiny World Champion owned the weekend as he teamed with Trent Seven at Lucha Forever on 7/18 to defeat Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis, then defeated Mark Coffey at Pro Wrestling Elite on 7/21, then defeated Kenny Williams at 7/22 at PWE, and then defeated Eddie Dennis at PROGRESS on 7/23 to go 4-0 for the week.

Indy Power Rankings: 7/17/17

It's that time of week when we shine the light on the bright stars of the Indies. For the full list visit: https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

#5: Kevy Chevy: This talent out of Winnipeg Manitoba, Canada had success at CWE as he defeated Wildman Firpo at Canadian Wrestling’s Elite on 7/14, then teamed with Mike Mission, Logan Reid, Brian Rich the same day to defeat DRAGNEEL, Agent Red, Jacob Creed, & Bobby Collins, and then defeated Mike Mission to go 3-0 for the week.

#4: Penta El Zero M- It’s more success for Penta El Zero M as the AAW Heritage, Wrestling Superstar World Submission Lucha, and ½ of the PWG Tag Team Champions teamed with Daga at Lucha Libre Boom in Mexico on 7/12 to lose a three-way tag match to La Mascara & Maximo, then defeated Jeff Cobb, Marty Scurll and La Mascara in a four-way at The Crash on 7/14.

#3: Jiro Kuroshio- So rankings 1-3 are all newcomers to the Indy Power Rankings. Kuroshio gets a #3 ranking after entering and winning the Wrestle-1 Grand Pix Tournament. He defeated Koji Doi at Wrestle-1 on 7/12 in the first round, then defeated Manabu Soya in the semifinals, then defeated Masayuki Kono in the final the same day to win the tournament.

#2: Joey Matthews- -What a weird, weird world independent wrestling can be. Most people wouldn’t have expected to see Joey Matthews in this position of the Indy Power Rankings, but MCW shocked everyone when Matthews won their Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup XVII. He defeated Joe Keys in the First Round and then beat some FANTASTIC talent in Anthony Henry, Brandon Scott, Joey Janela, Lio Rush, and Shaheem Ali to win the tournament with a 2-0 record for the week.

#1: Priscilla Kelly- For the second straight week, there was absolutely no parity in the official voting as Priscilla Kelly swept the official voters’ ballots at #1. The NEW SHINE Nova Champion earned her #1 as she defeated Veda Scott at SHINE on 7/15 in the first round of the title tournament, then defeated Leah Vaughn on 7/16 in the quarterfinals, then defeated Kiera Hogan in the semifinals, and then defeated Candy Cartwright in the final the same day to win the tournament and become inaugural champion with a 4-0 record for the week.

This is the part of the week that spotlights the independent wrestling circuit. For the full list visit: https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

#5: Chuck Taylor- The NEW PWG World Champion could be the man to make another argument as having won the biggest match of the weekend when he beat Zack Sabre Jr. for the title at PWG on 7/7.

#4: Cody Rhodes- The ROH World, NEW Heavyweight, and ½ of the Alpha1 Tag Team Champions moves up from #7 to #4 this week after yet another outstanding week on the indies. He teamed with Joey Ryan at Bar Wrestling on 7/4 to defeat PPRay (Peter Avalon & Ray Rosas) then defeated Willie Mack at All Pro Wrestling on 7/7 to retain the ROH title.

#3: Shane Strickland- “Swerve” continues a career year for him as the WrestleCircus Ringmaster, 1/3 of the Lucha Underground Trios Champions, NEW CZW, and NEW DEFY Wrestling Champion gets yet another ranking this year. He scored perhaps the biggest single victory of the entire weekend as he defeated Davey Richards, Lio Rush, and Joe Gacy in a Four-Way at CZW on 7/8 to win both titles.

#2: Shazza McKenzie- 1/2 of the Professional Wrestling Australia Tag Team Champions and NEW Heart of SHIMMER Champion gets VERY close to her first #1 ranking, but has to settle at #2 this week. Of course #2 is never anything to be ashamed of as she had a stellar weekend at SHIMMER.

#1: Anthony Henry- The PWX Heavyweight and ½ of the NEW EVOLVE Tag Team Champions gets his THIRD #1 ranking of 2017, fourth overall, and his second straight. It has been an incredible year for Anthony Henry after getting his first #1 ranking towards the end of 2016. He defeated Ethan Case at PWX on 7/8 to retain the title, then teamed with James Drake at Evolve the same day to defeat Catch Point (Jaka & Chris Dickinson) to win the titles, then defeated William Huckaby at Atlanta Wrestling Entertainment on 7/9.

Injury Updates of NJPW Stars

For those who may not be aware Japanese wrestling has always been very hard hitting and in some cases fans view Japanese wrestling as more legitimate then American wrestling. Recently, two injuries took place at NJPW show with one talent likely never to return to the ring due to injuries sustained. We have been given an update on both Katsuyori Shibata and Tomoaki Honma as both names have been recovering from severe injuries.

First let's talk about Honma who was injured in the ring back in March after taking a hangman's DDT and he would suffer a cervical vertebrae injury. According to the report Honma underwent surgery to repair some of the damage and has been doing physical rehab. At this point he can lightly jog, but there are hand coordination issues that he still needs help with; he still needs assistance with things like pouring water. Even with this though doctors have discounted the possibility of Honma being able to return the ring in the future.

As for his fellow NJPW star in Shibata his injury was far more severe. Even with this being the case it has been said that Shibata is in good sprits though the overall picture hasn't changed. Originally the last we had heard about Shibata was that he will likely never be able to return to the ring. At this point the talk has moved from when he will return to what he will do instead of wrestling. For those who don't know Shibata had collapsed after the NJPW Sakura GENESIS event in April, where he faced Okada in a 38 minute match. It was reveled after the match that he had suffered a subdural hematoma. During the match Shibata delivered a shoot head butt on Okada which was said to have caused the injury. Actually it had been a combination of the head butt, dehydration and exhaustion.

These two injuries display just how dangerous the wrestling business can be and how lucky some talent are to be able to leave the wrestling business on their own power. I hope the best for both Shibata and Honma in their recovery and hopefully they can find their next calling with NJPW.

Indy Power Rankings: 6/26/17

It's that time of the week once again to visit the power rankings. For the full list check out: https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

#5: Zack Sabre Jr- Last year’s #1 in the 2016 IPR 100 scored perhaps the biggest single victory of the weekend when he beat Matt Riddle in a non-title Champion vs. Champion Match at EVOLVE on 6/24. It was a HUGE victory between last year’s IPR 100 #1 and this year’s frontrunner for the #1 in the IPR 100. The PWG, EVOLVE, and RevPro British Heavyweight Champion failed to sweep the week which ultimately cost him a shot at the #1 ranking.

#4: Tetsuya Endo- Tournaments once again play a major factor in the Indy Power Rankings and that’s evident in rankings 1-4. Endo defeated Akito at Dramatic Dream Team in the first round on 6/25; then defeated HARASHIMA the same day in the final to win the King of DDT Tournament to go 2-0 for the week.

#3: Dale Patricks- The real life version of Jackass has been quietly tearing it up on the Death Match scene over the last 1-2 years. Despite his proficiency in Death Matches, do not overlook his ability in any kind of contest. Over the weekend he defeated Red Rocket at WCWO on 6/23, then defeated Dominic Garrini in the first round of the Dynamite Cup at Live Pro Wrestling in Lafayette, IN, and then beat Kerry Awful, Nick Iggy, Percy Davis, Mance Warner, and Ace Perry in a 6-Man Scramble to win the tournament to go 3-0 for the week.

#2: Shane Strickland- 1/3 of the Lucha Underground Trios Champions and NEW WrestleCircus RingMaster Champion was ever so close to being the #1 this week. In fact, he WAS #1 until the late results for Fenix came in. That said, #2 is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of as “Swerve” defeated Dezmond Xavier, Lio Rush and Mr. 450 in a four-way ladder match at WrestleCircus on 6/24 and then defeated Brian Cage and Sammy Guevara in a three-way the same day to win the title to go 2-0 for the week.

#1: Rey Feinx- It was a crazy day for the Indy Power Rankings crew as we were all scrambling to get results in as soon as possible. One result that came late and didn’t even get added to the poll was Fenix’s victory at the Border War Tournament at Mucha Lucha Atlanta.

Indy Power Rankings: 6/19/17

It maybe a little later then normal, but as always it's time for the weekly look at the Power Rankings. For the full list: https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

#5: Rory Gulak- The “other Gulak” gets his first ranking in the Indy Power Rankings this week after winning the Johnny Kidd Invitational Tournament with a 3-0 record for the week. He defeated Travis Huckabee at Chikara in the first round on 6/18, then defeated Zack Sabre Jr in the semifinals, and then defeated Juan Francisco de Coronado in the final to win the tournament.

#4: Travis Banks- )-Much like the talents above him in this week’s Top 10, Travis Banks has had a phenomenal 2017. The former Indy Power Rankings #1 and current Lucha Forever, Fight Club PRO and 1/2 of RevPro British Tag Team Champions defeated Mark Haskins at Lucha Forever on 6/13 to retain the title, then defeated Glamorous Roddy at Pro Wrestling Malta on 6/17.

#3: Sami Callihan- The stars are out in the Indy Power Rankings this week as numbers 1-3 all hold major titles. The AAW Heavyweight (and Pro Wrestling 2.0 Heavyweight Champion) defeated Matt Sydal at Pro Wrestling Guerilla on 6/16 and then defeated Michael Elgin at AAW on 6/17 to retain the title to go 2-0 for the week.

#2: Matt Riddle- Matt Riddle has had an unparalleled 2017 so far and he’s back in the rankings again this week after a very good weekend for the WWN and PROGRESS Atlas Champion. First, he defeated Martin Stone at WWN Style Battle on 6/16 to retain the title, then defeated Jon Davis at Full Impact Pro to retain the WWN title again.

#1: Anthony Henry- It’s another #1 ranking after another huge weekend for Anthony Henry as he won the most recent WWN Styles Battle at FIP. After a breakout year in 2016, he continued to make a name for himself over the weekend as the PWX Heavyweight Champion defeated Matt Tremont in the first round at WWN Style Battle on 6/16, then defeated Joey Janela in the second round, then defeated Fred Yehi in the final the same day to win the tournament.

Sami Callihan Takes Over Booking in CZW

According to Pro Wrestling Sheet a new generation CZW is kicking off as Sami Callihan recently took over the creative team of the company which will lead the company in the next generation. As of this writing Callihan and his team will be handling creative/promotional decisions from now on. At this point current CZW President DJ Hyde will focus on managing all the back-end business aspects of the company.

The company has long been known for promoting death matches, something that was covered last year in a popular Vice documentary, and stuff like Tournament of Death/Cage of Death will still be happening but we're told they'll no longer be featured as the forefront of the company. Now DJ has been handling the company since he bought CZW from founder John Zandig and he has done wonders for the development and expansion of the company over the last few years. DJ has also made the former calling cards of the company into matches that actually matter by having fewer gimmick matches at random events that don't matter. Hopefully, this change will drum up even more interest in the product and help will continued expand

Indy Spotlight: Adam Cole

This week the former three time ROH World Champion Adam Cole finished number one on the Indy Power Rankings. This was his first trip to the top of the rankings since his Ring of Honor contract expired. Adam has become one of the most recognized talents on the Indies over the last couple of years as his stock has risen to the point of him almost being an international superstar. Even though there have been whispers over the last few months that Adam will end up in the WWE before the end of the year he will likely not be heading to the company for at least the time being.

Though this will prompt WWE fans to salivate for Cole's debut in the company, but for right now the name value that Cole brings to a card will be able to benefit Independent companies all over as opposed to just going right for the WWE. Having Cole around for at least a few shows for companies could be a really big help for any company as he could have that type of effect on a company to help turn things around.

Indy Power Rankings: 6/12/17

After a week off from the normal we are back again with the power rankings of Indy Wrestling. For the full list as always go to https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

#5: Dre Jacobs- AND the #5 spot goes to a tournament winner as well. Dre Jacobs defeated Marcus Everett at XICW on 6/11 in a Qualifying Match, then outlasted Travis Titan, El Diablo, Chris Moore, Jaimy Coxxx, DBA, Jake Something, and Hakim Zane in the second round, and then defeated Malcolm Monroe III to win the Malcolm Monroe Memorial Cup to go 3-0 for the week.

#4: T-Hawk- Spot #4 in the Indy Power Rankings goes to another tournament winner as T-Hawk teamed with El Lindaman and Shingo Takagi at Dragon Gate on 6/8 to defeat Tribe Vanguard (BxB Hulk, YAMATO & Yosuke Santa Maria) then defeated Eita on 6/10 in the semifinals, and then defeated Naruki Doi in the final on 6/11 to win the King of Gate 2017 tournament to go 3-0 for the week.

#3: Mark Haskins- This English talent had a very good week as he won the Smash Gold 2017 Tournament in Canada over the weekend with a 2-0 record for the week. In Round on 6/11 he defeated Dalton Castle and then followed that up by defeating Evil Uno, Kevin Bennett, TARIK, and Sebastian Suave in a Five-Way Elimination Final the same day to win the tournament.

#2: Jimmy Havoc- The IPW: UK World and Championship of Wrestling Interstate Champion gets a #2 ranking after beating some strong opponents. Don’t overlook who Havoc beat though as he beat John Wayne Murdoch and Rickey Shane Page in the First Round of CZW’s Tournament of Death on 6/10, then beat MASADA in Round 2, and then beat Conor Claxton in a No Ropes, No Ring Mat, Barbed Wire, and Light Tubes Death Match to win CZW TOD 16.

#1: Adam Cole- The NEW IWC Super Indy Champion gets his first #1 ranking in quite some time after winning the Super Indy 16 Tournament. As the Super Indy Tournament often falls on Tournament of Death Weekend, it often has been overlooked, but this is the first time it has produced a #1 ranking. Adam Cole BAY-BAY is at the top of the Indy Power Rankings once again!

So Far Back Sunday: UK Standout to Receive Tryout in WWE

As many know the WWE performance center has just welcomed in a fresh new batch of talent ready for the WWE to mold and model into their vision of the future star. In many ways since the start of NXT the idea of women's wrestling being highly respected and talked about in an equal frame of mind in comparison to the men. That's what makes it all the more interesting when top flight independent women wrestlers are given the chance to come to the WWE for a tryout.

Everyone knows by now due to the high success rate for ticket sales that NXT will be in the UK in December for their first UK tour as a "separate brand." However, WWE itself will be taking part 2 of their yearly UK trip this weekend that's right November 9 kicks off what could be a very promising UK tour. The crowds are always crazy for WWE across the pond and hopefully this tour is no different.

On November 9 UK based wrestling Jodie Champagnie will be given a tryout with the company at the show in Manchester. Though I don't know a lot about or really anything about Jodie I will say that I believe the NXT women's division has been lacking a little something and maybe a signing like a Jodie Champagnie can help to shake things up a little bit. Likely a lot more to come on not only Jodie, but also just based on the tryouts in general like what talent may have attend and the likely results for said talents. But in reality it may just be better to wait and see what happens to hope everything works itself out.

Indy Power Rankings: 5/29/17

It's that time of the week again when we look at the latest power rankings. For the full list check out: https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

#5: Shayna Baszler- The #5 spot belongs to someone who won yet another tournament, meaning that tournaments played a role in rankings 1-5 this week. The Absolute Intense Wrestling Women’s and PREMIER Women’s Champion defeated Lena Kross in the first round at New Horizons Pro Wrestling on 5/26.

#4: Ruby Raze- Much like Kincaid, if it had not been for the tag team loss (with Hudson Envy) vs. The Killer Baes (Laura James & Heather Monroe) on 5/28 at Championship Wrestling from Hollywood, she would have had a strong argument for #1 this week.

#3: Jason Kincaid- Had it not been for his loss to AR Fox at FIP on 5/26, you likely would have been looking at Jason Kincaid as this week’s #1. That said, he still EARNED his #3 ranking as he defeated Sean Maluta in the first round at WWN Style Battle on 5/27, then defeated James Drake (US) in the Block B final, and then defeated Fred Yehi in the final to win the tournament to go 3-1 for the week.

#2: Travis Banks- When it came to strength of competition, NO ONE could stack up against the former #1 and current Fight Culture PRO, Lucha Forever, and ½ of the RevPro British Tag Team Champions. He defeated Matt Riddle at Lucha Forever on 5/25 to retain the title, then beat Jimmy Havoc at PROGRESS on 5/27 in the First Round of the tournament and then beat Flamita at PROGRESS on 5/28 in the quarterfinals to go 3-0 for the week.

#1: Tracy Williams-Just like that we have a NEW and FIRST-TIME #1! It was an insane weekend chalk full of tournaments and at the end of it all, Tracy Williams stood atop the charts as this week’s Indy Power Rankings #1. It was the JT Lightning Invitational Tournament 2017 that led to this week’s #1 as last week’s #6 ranked competitor defeated Eddie Kingston at Absolute Intense Wrestling on 5/26 in the first round,

Indy Company offers Punk a Ton of Money

Since his departure from the WWE in 2014 many companies have made the bid to bring CM Punk back to the wrestling business and every time he has turned the offer down. This time around an Indy company chose to offer Punk to be a part of the upcoming 128 man tournament. Recently, 5 Star Wrestling owner Dan Hinkles was a guest on the Pancakes and Powerslams show. Hinkles offered CM Punk $1 million dollars to participate in the 128-man tournament and he was a guest on the show to debunk the notion that the offer he made to Punk wasn't just a stunt.

Hinkles also stated that he is willing to offer Punk more than the initial $1 million, and would love to talk to Dana White about allowing Punk to compete for 5 Star Wrestling. For those who don't know this company is based in the United Kingdom and just another reason why things are going so well for the UK wrestling scene to have the budget for a serious of that amount is incredible.

Indy Spotlight: Zack Sabre Jr

The UK Wrestling circuit is going through a golden age with talent and one of the few to not really catch on in the United States is Zack Sabre Jr. Now I will admit that Zack has had a very successful run with Pro-Wrestling Guerrilla as World Champion. The reason I don't think that Zack has caught on as much is because you here more about his fellow country men like Will Osprey, Marty Scrull, and a variety of WWE names they have taken a liking to.

Now recently a wider audience was able to see Zack as he was a part of the incredibly satisfy and expectation shattering Cruiserweight classic tournament last summer. Many thought that he was going to win the thing but because he was unwilling to sign exclusive to WWE he past up for the win. Basically I think a bigger audience doesn't know Zack because he hasn't been given a large stage consistently to show what he can do when given the chance.

Over the last year Sabre has been one of the top names on the indies and next to Matthew Riddle, he has had the best year on the Indies. I do think that Sabre is extremely talented and skilled on the mat, but I just think that something is missing from his skill set.

Indy Power Rankings: 5/22/17

It's that time of the week once again for us to look at the power rankings. For the full list of this weeks Power Rankings: https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

#5: Draven Lee- It was a really good week for Draven Lee as he picked up his first ranking after winning the 2017 Pound 4 Pound Cup. He defeated Sean Stephens at Glory Pro on 5/19 in the first round, then defeated James Anthony in the semifinals, and then defeated Chase Owens in the final the same day to win the tournament to go 3-0 for the week.

#4: Matthew Riddle- BRO just continues to establish himself as one of the truly great wrestlers on the indies right now and this past weekend was more evidence of that fact. The PROGRESS Atlas and WWN Champion teamed with Jeff Cobb at PWG on 5/19 to defeat reDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly).

#3: Keith Lee- 2017 continues to a break-out year for Keith Lee as he racks up yet another ranking in the Top 10. The Inspire Pro Pure Prestige, VIP Heavyweight, and ½ of the VIP Tag Team Champions defeated Trevor Lee at PWG on 5/19, then defeated Donovan Dijak at EVOLVE on 5/20, and then defeated Fred Yehi at EVOLVE on 5/21 to go 3-0 for the week.

#2: Rickey Shane Page- As we said in previous editions of the Indy Power Rankings, Death Match Tournament season is in full swing. Once again the winner of a big death match tournament scores a big ranking in this week’s Top 10 as RSP outlasted some of the best death match talent in the world to win his first IWA Mid-South King of the Death Matches.

#1: Zack Sabre Jr- The 2016 IPR 100 #1 is BACK at #1 in the Top 10 once again this week and it’s well-deserved as the official voters unanimously selected him as the top wrestler on the indies for the past week. The PWG World, RevPro British Heavyweight and EVOLVE Champion defeated Trent ? at PWG on 5/19 to retain the title, then beat Ethan Page at EVOLVE on 5/20 to retain their title, and then beat Lio Rush at EVOLVE on 5/21 to retain again with a 3-0 record for the week.

Shibata Update

As previously reported, Katsuyori Shibata collapsed after the NJPW Sakura Genesis event, where he faced Kazucikia Okada in a grueling 38-minute match. There were reports that Shibata passed out after the match; and New Japan confirmed that he was taken to the hospital. At the hospital was diagnosed with a subdural hematoma, and had a successful emergency surgery. A combination of dehydration and the trauma of the legit head butt from Shibata to Okada led to Shibata being hospitalized.

Word has it that he may never be cleared for an in-ring return to the ring. According to reports from Strigga of Puroresu Love Shibata is still handicapped on his right and is suppose to have another surgery this month, but still the future doesn't seem bright. I hate writing about things like this because it is a difficult thing to talk about knowing that someone not only got injured in the ring, but may end up handicap. I for one would love to see Shibata gain the ability to make it back in the ring again and given the ability to put this scary situation behind him.

Indy Spotlight: Lio Rush

I can go back to when I first heard about Lio Rush and his ascension into the limelight of the wrestling world. It took Lio a little while because that was the places that we all were going but didn't really want to go. In wrestling normally we look at talent always moving forward and building forward from the ground up. Lio has shown that has a lot of talented and is very much future of the wrestling business.

Though I haven't seen the progression of his career and seeing how he has moved forward in his wrestling career but has been moving forward recently. At first I didn't think that Lio had captured a World title but as it turns out he captured the Combat Zone Wrestling World Title back on May 13. Back in March, Lio had given his name to ROH officials and even though that had given him the spotlight and the opportunity to move forward and get noticed. Over the last year, Lio has shown a lot of development and depth because at first I didn't think that he could be a heel but he definitely disproved that logic. With him placing first in the power rankings this week it is showing how far Lio has come in recent years and still how bright his future is in which ever company that he is in.

Indy Power Rankings: 5/15/17

That time of the week again were we look at the top names on the indies. For the full list check out: https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

#5: Lufisto- The SHINE Champion gets another ranking in the Top 10 this year as she defeated Leva Bates in a highly competitive match on 5/12 to retain the title and then beat Willow Nightingale at WSU on 5/13 to go 2-0 for the week.

#4: Wolfgang- Make that two members of the WWE UK roster in the Top 5 this week as the Showcase Pro Wrestling British Heavyweight Champion gets another ranking this week. On 5/12 he defeated Chris Renfrew at Insane Championship Wrestling and then followed that up with a HUGE win vs. Pete Dunne on 5/13 to go 2-0 for the week.

#3: Queen Maya- Italy is back in the Indy Power Rankings as the Italian Championship Wrestling Women’s Champion gets her first Top 10 Ranking. She competed in the Queen of the Ring Tournament as she beat Rhio in the First Round at Bellatrix on 5/12, then beat Lauren in the semi-finals, and then beat Miss Mina in the Finals to win the tournament with a 3-0 record.

#2: Trent Seven- Despite all of his work with the WWE, ½ of the PROGRESS Tag Team Champions has been quietly having a phenomenal year on the UK indies. On 5/13 he defeated Sha Samuels at ICW and then beat Travis Banks at PROGRESS on 5/14 to go 2-0 for the week.

#1: Lio Rush- There was really no debate as to who was #1 this week. After winning the CZW World title on 5/13, defeating former Indy Power Rankings #1 Joe Gacy and beating former Indy Power Rankings #2 Corey Hollis on 5/12 at Division Pro, Lio Rush was a lock for #1. He’s such a great talent and yet this is his first #1 ranking which shows just how competitive the indies are right now. Lio Rush has been on fire lately and promotions all over the planet are taking notice.

Indy Power Rankings: 5/8/17

As always we have come upon that time of the week when look at the indies. It's power rankings time and if you'd like to see the full list visit: https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

#5: Marty Scurll: “The Villain” and last year’s #2 in the IPR 100 returns to the Indy Power Rankings this week as he scored 2 huge victories over the weekend. First, the ROH World Television Champion beat Donovan Dijak at Over the Top Wrestling in Ireland on 5/6 and then beat Kyle O’Reilly at Revolution Pro Wrestling in the UK on 5/7 to go 2-0 for the week.

#4: Bubblegum- The former multiple time #1 in the Indy Power Rankings returns to the Top 10 this week after a dominant week in Europe. The 4FW Junior Heavyweight, Just Do Wrestling, Absolute Wrestling and NEW Southside Wrestling Entertainment Speed King Champion defeated Damian Dunne in the first round of the title tournament at SWE on 5/6, then defeated Robbie X, Suicide, Zachery Wentz, Chris Tyler & Dezmond Xavier in a six-way elimination final the same day to win the vacant title.

#3: Tommy Lee Curtis- CWE is responsible for #’s 2 and 3 in the Indy Power Rankings this week as Tommy Lee Curtis shined on CWE’s recent tour. Canadian Wrestling’s Elite 123Approved.ca TV Champion defeated AJ Sanchez on 5/1 to retain the title, then defeated Kute Kody on 5/2 to retain again, then defeated k-dos on 5/3 to retain again, and then defeated Nate Hardy on 5/5 to retain again to go 4-0 for the week.

#2: Danny Duggan- What a week for this Canadian talent as he came JUST shy of his first-ever #1 ranking. That said, his week was absolutely insane at CWE as are most tours that the promotion does. He started the week as he teamed with Phil Atlas at Canadian Wrestling’s Elite on 5/1 to defeat Tasty Travis & Kute Kody, then defeated Kevin Cannon on 5/2.

#1: Jeff Cannonball- In one of the closest official votes in recent memory, Jeff Cannonball takes home his first #1 ranking after winning the Survival of the Sickest Tournament over the weekend. He edges out Danny Duggan for the number one spot by just a hair after a FANTASTIC weekend where he defeated Brad Cash and Tank in a triple threat at On Point Wrestling in the first round on 5/6, then defeated former #1 Matt Tremont in the semi-finals, and then JD Horror in the final to win the tournament with a 3-0 record for the week.

Indy Power Rankings: 5/1/17

Though it seemed as though we hit a snag it is once again that time of week. As always for the full list take a look at https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

#5: JXT- This Australian talent gets a GREAT ranking after a HUGE week. The Melbourne City Wrestling Intercommonwealth Champion defeated Alex Kingston on 4/28 at MCW in Australia to retain the title, then defeated Shane Saw at Australasian Wrestling Federation on 4/29, then defeated Josh Shooter the same day.

#4: Toni Storm- The SWA Undisputed World Women’s Champion has been hovering around the Top 10 all year long and now she breaks through with an awesome performance over the weekend. She won the 2017 Cinderella Tournament as she defeated Rebel at Stardom on 4/30 in the first round, then defeated Tessa Blanchard in the second round, and then defeated Mayu Iwatani in the final to go 3-0 for the week.

#3: Joey Janela- "The Bad Boy” went 4-0 for the week and we can only imagine what he would have done had been able to participate in the ECWA Super 8 Tournament as he was originally scheduled to do. Wrestling politics aside, Janela made the most of his bookings as he defeated Mr Grimm at Limitless Wrestling on 4/28, then defeated Maxwell Jacob Feinstein at Blitzkrieg Pro on 4/29, then defeated Donovan Dijak the same day at Beyond Wrestling, and then teamed with Penelope Ford at Beyond on 4/30 to defeat Brian Milonas and Ace Romero.

#2: Josh Crane- Once again this year, the IWA Deep-South Carnage Cup plays a part in the Indy Power Rankings as its winner pulls off a #2 ranking after winning the gory tournament. He defeated Matt Tremont on 4/29 in the first round, then defeated Adam Bueller, Jeff Cannonball and Shlak in a four-way in the semis, and then defeated Dale Patricks in the final to win the 2017 Carnage Cup. He battled through blood loss, barbed wire, and God knows what else to get his first ranking in quite some time. In doing so, he beat some of the best Death Match talents (and talents, in general) in the game today.

#1: Sean Carr- Since 2013, the ECWA Super 8 Tournament has played a major role in the Indy Power Rankings, but through various circumstances it had never led to an official #1 ranking for its winner…until this year. Sean Carr stepped in for Joey Janela as he defeated Brandon Scott on 4/29 in the First Round, then beat Joe Gacy in the next round, and then beat Lio Rush in the Finals to win the tournament to go 3-0 for the week.

This Day in Wrestling History: 5/1/17

Wrestling gives us both great memories and memories we try and forget, but with the amount of moments worth remembering that have happened we are bound to forget some. The same could be said about some talent that were very much underrated during their career or never at the top of a company during a run this unfortunately makes it easier for fans to forget certain talent. I would like to wish a very big Happy Birthday to all who are celebrating their special day today and especially to the one featured below. Speaking of talent that fans may have forgotten one legend passed away on this day 16 years ago.

Happy Birthday to Human Tornado who turns 34 years old

Happy Birthday to NWA World Champion Tim Storm who turns 52 years old

Indy Spotlight: Matthew Riddle

For some it is shocking to see just how good the former UFC fighter has become in his short time in the ring since making the switch to pro-wrestling. The former UFC fighter walked away from the octagon to pursue a career in the ring and was trained at the "World Famous" Monster Factory in Paulsbro, NJ. I remember two years ago when I wrote an article about Riddle and his start in the training academy and I am shocked by how fast he has moved up the ladder since his debut. At this point it is fair to call Matt Riddle an international superstar with how fast stock has risen in England where he has held World Title gold.

Riddle is just another super prospect that has found his way out of the hallowed halls in Jersey like a number of extremely talented names before him. For example, Bam Bam Bigelow, Big Show, Raven, King Kong Bundy, D'Lo Brown, Headbangers, and so many others that have held gold in WWE, WCW, ECW, and TNA. Though in his 30's at this point I do believe that Matt Riddle still has a very bright future ahead of him and though he maybe another name on the WWE radar I think will be fine either way. Since his debuted Matt has been dazzling crowds from Progress to Evolve as he rose up the card to the top. What is your take on Matthew Riddle? Do you remember him from UFC?

Indy Power Rankings: 4/24/17

Doing the power rankings a day earlier then usual. But as always if you would like to see the full power rankings list. Click Here

#5: Jeff Cobb- The Action Zone Wrestling and PREMIER Heavyweight Champion continued his wave of success last week as he defeated Makenza Cruz at AZW on 4/17 to retain the title, then teamed with Blaster at Cape Championship Wrestling on 4/22 to defeat Farmer Billy Hills & Dell Tucker, and then defeated Keith Lee at Pro Wrestling Guerilla on 4/21 to go 3-0 for the week.

#4: Sam Houston- Yes, THAT Sam Houston, at 53 years old, just had a FANTASTIC weekend in Florida. He started the week off at Monster Pro Orlando on 4/22 where he defeated Jason Dugan, then teamed with Chasyn Rance, Leo O’Farrell & Kaci Lennox to beat Alex Santiago, Faris Hakeem, Mike Austin & Amber Nova, then defeated Carlos Gabriel.

#3: Zack Sabre Jr- The 2016 #1 is back in the Indy Power Rankings once again as the EVOLVE, PWG World, and RevPro British Heavyweight Champion picked up two QUALITY wins over the weekend. First, he defeated Dick Togo at PWG on 4/21 in a non-title match and then beat Lio Rush at EVOLVE on 4/23 to go 2-0 for the week. ZSJ is starting to make strides toward another HIGH ranking in this year’s IPR 100, but with about 7 months to go, how far will he end up?

#2: Aaron Epic- So after being #3 last week, Aaron Epic continued his “epic” roll as he picked up SEVEN wins over the weekend. “Death Proof” moves up to his highest singles ranking to date as ½ of the Orlando Pro Wrestling Intergender Tag Team Champions and NEW Punk Pro Wrestling Champion beat Alex Santiago at Monster Wrestling Orlando on 4/22.

#1: Matt Riddle- Very few talents could say they had a better week than the PROGRESS Atlas and WWN Champion. He went into PWG on 4/21 and defeated Adam Cole, then beat former EVOLVE Champion Timothy Thatcher at EVOLVE on 4/22, then then defeated Mike Verna at the joint BattleClub Pro/Tier1 Wrestling event to retain the PROGRESS Atlas title, then defeated Drew Galloway at Evolve on 4/23 to retain the WWN title, and then defeated Penta El Zero M at Tier1 the same day to retain the PROGRESS Atlas title again to go 5-0 for the week.

Random Indy Wrestling Video of the Day

Considering that the Indy Power Rankings have at this point become somewhat of a staple of the site and a weekly post, I thought it would be fitting to change things up for this section and have a different post appear. Though some of these moments may have been from the bigger companies a lot of the moments in this video are from a lot of the smaller independent companies around the country including fan favorites like PWG and Lucha Underground. Hopefully, you all enjoy and support your local independent companies because they need us more now then ever before.

Indy Power Rankings: 4/17/17

Once again it's that time of the week for another look at the most recent power rankings. For the full list of Power Rankings check out: https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

#5: Mexxberg- We get representation coming out of shows in Austria this week as the NEW UKWA Champion won the vacant title as he defeated Julian Nero in the first round at Ultimate Kombat Wrestling Association in Austria on 4/15, then defeated Juvenile X in the semifinals, and then defeated Demolition Davies in the final the same day to win the title to go 3-0 for the week.

#4: Trey Miguel- It’s a week where some new stars began to shine as Trey Miguel now gets his highest ranking ever. The Rockstar Pro American Luchacore Champion defeated Cole Radrick in a non-title match on 4/12, then beat Johnathan Wolf at IWA Mid-South on 4/13, and then beat Jordan Kage on 4/15 to go 3-0 for the week.

#3: Aaron Epic- Florida produces another top ranking as Aaron Epic comes in high after a fantastic weekend in the Sunshine State. ½ of the Orlando Pro Wrestling Intergender Tag Team Champions and NEW Ignite Wrestling Undisputed Champion gets his highest ranking to date as he defeated Chasyn Rance at Big Time Wrestling on 4/14.

#2: Logan Easton Laroux- It’s the first time in the Indy Power Rankings for Logan Easton Laroux and it’s a good one as he comes in at #2 this week. He put together a great weekend as he beat David Starr in the first round of the Nova Pro Wrestling Commonwealth Cup on 4/14, then beat Chet Sterling and John Kermon in the semifinals in an elimination match, and then beat Arik Royal in the finals to win the tournament to go 3-0 for the week.

#1: Travis Banks- This week we get our first-ever talent from New Zealand at #1 as the Fight Club PRO Champion and ½ of the Revolution Pro Tag Team Champions scores his first #1 ranking after a tremendous weekend in the UK. He teamed with Chris Brookes at RevPro on 4/13 to defeat Martin Stone & Sami Callihan to retain the titles, then defeated Will Ospreay at Fight Club Pro on 4/14 to retain their title, then defeated Mark Haskins on 4/15 to retain again, and then defeated Zack Sabre Jr on 4/16 to retain again to go 4-0 for the week.

Indy Power Rankings: 4/10/17

Once again we have reached that time of the week in which we look at this weeks power ranking list. For the full list check out: https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

#5: Arik Royal- Another former mainstay of the Indy Power Rankings returns this week after a huge week at CWF Mid-Atlantic. He defeated Dirty Daddy there on 4/8 and then won a Battle Royal the same day to go 2-0 for the week. We’ve seen in the past that Arik Royal can be very dominant when given the opportunity as he is a former #1 in the Indy Power Rankings.

#4: Masaya Takahashi- When someone goes 6-1 in a week like Takahashi did, it’s almost impossible to deny them a spot in the Top 10. Takahashi as 1/3 of the BJW Yokohama Shopping Street 6-Man Tag Team Champions teamed with Abdullah Kobayashi & Takayuki Ueki at BJW on 4/3 to defeat Ryuji Ito, Isami Kodaka and Toshiyuki Sakuda, then teamed with Kobayashi & Ueki again on 4/5 to defeat Ryuji Ito.

#3: Toby Farley- The NWA Smoky Mountain Cup once again plays a big part in deciding a top ranking in the Top 10 this week as in previous years of the tournament. He defeated Chip Day in the first round on 4/8 and then beat Menace, Axton Ray, Jordan Kage, Tracer X & Timmy Lou Retton in a six-way elimination match in the final to win the Smoky Mountain Cup and go 2-0 for the week. This is Farley’s first ranking as he picks up a career win in the tournament in Tennessee.

#2: Kip Sabin- The NEW HOPE Wrestling King of Flight Champion gets his first ranking as he defeated Matt Cross in the first round on 4/8, then defeated Cara Noir in the semifinals the same day, and then defeated Jigsaw, Ashley Dunn & Jake McCluskey in a four-way final to win the HOPE Kings Of Flight Championship Tournament to go 3-0 for the week.

#1: Michael Elgin- The 2013 IPR 100 #1 is BACK at the top of the Indy Power Rankings Top 10 as he mowed through the competition this past week. He started off the week when he defeated Jake Crist at IWA Mid-South on 4/6, then defeated Matt Riddle at AAW on 4/8, and then defeated Jeff Cobb, Tarik and Brent Banks in a four-way at Smash in Canada on 4/9 to go 3-0 for the week. He was a unanimous #1 among the official voters as he knocked off some of the top names on the indies in North America in just one week. 5 solid names, all defeated by Elgin.

The Real Story Behind MTV Failed Wrestling Company

A few years ago, the wrestling world was in the process of going through changes and was in a period of transition after a very long down period. During this period the WWE still had three shows during the week with ECW, Raw, and Smackdown covering the weeks programing for the WWE. By far the weakest day for the WWE was Tuesday and ECW; so when Wrestling Society X debuted on MTV and really took a different approach to the pro-wrestling world. The reason they took a different approach is because they had a mix of Punk Rock bands and were considered a death-match company. Even though former employees have gone on record saying the reason that WSX didn't succeed was that MTV didn't have faith in the company, but a death-match company has never worked in the US.

"There seemed to be this big crossover of punk rock fans and bands that were wrestling fans," Wrestling Society X producer Kevin Kleinrock tells Rolling Stone. "I always wondered if there was a way to combine those two worlds." "MTV seemed like natural step. Kleinrock knew someone who was already going in to pitch a show to network executives (about, of all things, poker). He asked if he could also get a pitch in for his idea, which at the time was called Rancid Wrestling Federation because of the band's love of wrestling. He went in and talked up the show, and, to his surprise, MTV actually called back right away to request a pilot. Getting MTV behind it was a huge step in the right direction for Wrestling Society X. Wrestling companies generally start up on a small budget, and almost never get the sort of distribution that MTV could produce.

"This was the first wrestling-related show that was fully-funded by a television network...This isn't us creating a wrestling organization and taking it to the network, like most others. This is us working with the network to create a wrestling series for the network...My original vision is not when it became. But when someone is putting a budget of 3.5 million dollars in front of you and saying here's the money, now you have to make it look like what we want, you listen."

For the full article visit: Here

So Far Back Sunday: CWR Update

It seems to be never ending every time I think the updates will stop more come out, whoever is in charge of releasing information really knows how to keep people's attention. The expected launch for the company is still early next year. I will say from what I have read this company seems like it will be very unique from any other company around right now, but I'll let you be the judge of that:

- The TV series for the company will be called Revolution TV, with the product being promoted as "reality sports". All of the ring segments would be the reality aspect. The name of the show and the "reality sports" term were trademarked by Bill Townsend, President of CWR.

- The idea behind the promotion seems to have something to do with veterans like Shane Douglas & Animal training and managing new talents.

- Douglas has contact several wrestlers in recent months, asking if they were "ready to move to Vegas". The promotion is also looking for multiple announcers who can speak various languages.

- The promotion has been working on a launch since March 2014 when Shane first began contacting talent for them to sign letter of intent that they would be interested in working for CWR (Then known as Classic Wrestling Federation)

The biggest part of the CWR business plan is that they plan to offer talent things like health insurance benefits, or stipends, a 401k retirement plan and other benefits, and to create a profit sharing plan where all athletes share in the success of the company. It has also been said that the company plans to make a portion of the TV revenue open to retiring wrestlers as a pension plan of sorts. All these unique ideas have never been tried by a wrestling company and it will be interesting to see how the company does when they finally do launch. I guess it's fair to ask "Are You Ready for a Revolution?

Indy Power Rankings: 4/3/17

Once again we are back for another week of Indy wrestling and that means another Power Rankings list. For the full list visit: https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

#5: Pete Dunne- This part-time WWE competitor gets another ranking this week after a great weekend in Orlando, FL. The Progress World Champion defeated Mark Haskins at Progress on 3/31 to retain the title and then defeated ACH at the WWN Super Show to retain the Progress title to go 2-0 for the week (his win at WrestleMania Axxess does not count towards our rankings).

#4: Matt Riddle- BRO just continues to kill it this year as he picks up yet another ranking this week. The Progress Atlas Champion and NEW WWN Champion lost to Drew Galloway at Evolve on 3/30, then defeated Dan Severn at Game Changer Wrestling the same day, then defeated Trent Seven at Progress on 3/31 to retain the title, then lost to Fred Yehi at Evolve the same day.

#3: Lufisto- LuFisto’s fantastic 2017 continues as she picks up a #3 ranking on the busiest weekend of the year. The SHINE Champion racked up three wins over the weekend as she defeated Leva Bates at Shimmer on 4/1, then defeated Toni Storm at the WWN Super Show to retain the SHINE title, and then defeated Deonna Purrazzo the same day at Beyond to go 3-0 for the week.

#2: Dave Crist- What an INSANE week for the IWA Mid-South, ½ of the JCW Tag Champs, and ½ of the AAW Tag Team Champs as he defeated Cole Radrick, Aaron Williams and Craig West in a four-way at Rockstar Pro on 3/29, then defeated Kongo Kong and Larry D in a three-way at IWA Mid-South on 3/30 to retain the title, then teamed with Jake Crist at Pro Wrestling Revolver on 4/1 to lose to Jack Evans and Angelico, then defeated Jake Crist, Rey Fenix and Sami Callihan in a first round four-way at Combat Zone Wrestling the same day, then defeated Michael Elgin in the semifinals, then defeated Shane Strickland in the final the same day to win the Best Of The Best 16.

#1: Zack Sabre Jr- Last year’s #1 in the IPR 100 had some STRONG competition this week for the top spot in the Indy Power Rankings with Wrestlemania weekend in full force. ZSJ gets his first #1 of 2017 as the Pro Wrestling Guerilla, Evolve and RevPro British Heavyweight Champion defeated ACH at Evolve on 3/30 to retain the title, then defeated Jimmy Havoc at Progress on 3/31, then defeated Michael Elgin at Evolve the same day (non-title) then defeated Penta El Zero M at RevPro the same day.

Indy Power Rankings: 3/27/17

It's that time again for another Indy Power Rankings and it's a very special edition of the rankings. For the full list visit: https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

#5: Tim Donst- becomes the only person in the Top 5 this week who only one match (that we know of) over the weekend. Despite winning only one match, it was a HUGE one as he won the AIW Absolute Title, defeating Josh Prohibition and Tracy Williams in a Three-Way to win the title on 3/24.

#4: Reptil- This is a name we haven’t seen in the Indy Power Rankings yet, but he earned his spot as he won the Imperio Lucha Libre South American Title after he beat Jhoan Stambuk in the first round of the title tournament in Peru on 3/25, then beat Chavo Guerrero Jr. in the semi-finals, and then beat Matt Sydal & Zack Sabre Jr. in a Three-Way final to win the vacant title with a 3-0 record for the week.

#3: Drew Galloway- Galloway came oh so close from getting yet another #1 ranking until he ran into Caleb Konley and Jax Dane. That said, he had an absolutely phenomenal week despite not getting the overall #1. The WCPW World Champion beat Joe Coffey on 3/20 to retain the title, then beat Ricochet on 3/21, then beat Mark Coffey on 3/23, and then defeated BT Gunn the same day.

#2: Christopher Daniels- It’s rare that the ROH World Champion gets a spot in the Indy Power Rankings due to us not ranking ROH as an independent wrestling promotion anymore. That said, Daniels had a great week outside of ROH as he took his ROH World Title to WCPW where he beat Zack Sabre Jr. and Adam Cole in a Three-Way to retain the title on 3/20 and then beat El Ligero on 3/21 to go 2-0 on the week.

#1: Jax Dane- Once again, a tournament plays a big part in determining who is #1 in the Indy Power Rankings. This week it’s Jax Dane as he defeated Jordan Kage at AML, then beat Eliott Russell, Drew Galloway, and Houston Carson to win the AML Big Man Bash Tournament over the weekend. It looked as though Galloway had the #1 spot wrapped up this week until he ran into Jax Dane and lost in the second round of the tournament.

NJPW Star Injury Update

At a recent New Japan event in a tag team match involving Tomoaki Honma and Jado a spot took place where Honma took a draping DDT from Jado, and things got scary fast as following the move Honma laid motionless on the mat. Jado quickly covered him to end the match and medical assistance quickly came to the ring. Honma was awake and talking, but mostly motionless as he was taken from the ring. He has regained movement in his arms and legs but is still very weak and cannot sit up, but this was as of a few days ago.

The official report on Honma's is that he suffered an injury to the C-3 and C-4 vertebrae in his neck; he has been moved from the hospital's emergency room and has vowed to return to the ring. An update on Honma's status was given to us by Honma himself:

"Jado's DDT that match was definitely the hardest one I've ever felt," Honma stated. "After it hit, I noticed I couldn't feel anything below my neck. I could hear everyone rush to my side, but I couldn't hear my own voice. I tried to speak, but nothing…Then little by little, things went black. "Ahhh, guess this is what it's like, crossing the river Styx,' I thought. That's when I heard a voice calling me. It was an enlightening experience to say the least. "I've been able move my feet and hands quite a bit since then, but currently I'm still paralyzed from the neck down. So the staff is kindly typing this journal entry for me. While my body may be what it is now, I'm getting better day by day. I'll focus on my rehabilitation and be back in the NJPW ring for sure. Nothing can quell this burning desire I have to get back in there.
"Pro wrestling is not broken or at fault here. This was simply an accident between two professionals."

Author's Note:
Though it seems as though this incident seems to have fixed itself, but this just shows just how dangerous that wrestling can be and can. I am sure that Honma sees just how lucky he is to have gotten out from suffering a very serious injury. For this reason it shows that wrestling is no joke and should be taken seriously as a freak accident could happen at any time. Check out any updates on this situation at this link.

Indy Power Rankings: 3/20/17

It's that time of week once again that we will be checking out the power rankings for week from all around Indy wrestling. For the full list check out https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

#5: Ethan Page- One of the most charismatic talents on the indies picks up yet another ranking this year as he won the Alpha1 Outer Limits Championship after winning the tournament for the gold. He beat Dominic Garrini in the semi-finals on 3/19 and then beat Josh Alexander the same day to become the inaugural champion to go 2-0 for the week.

#4: Ray Fury- This isn’t the first time the AIWF Krazy 8 has played a role in the Indy Power Rankings and it likely won’t be the last. Ray Fury gets his first ranking after winning the tournament by beating Jacob Ryan in the First Round on 3/17, then Menace in the Semi-Finals, and then finally Teddy King in the finals to go 3-0 for the week.

#3: Anthony Henry- The former #1 in the Indy Power Rankings, current PWX Heavyweight Champion, and NEW XWA Heavyweight Champion continued his impressive 2017 as he defeated Mike Bennett and JT Dunn in their own back yard in a Triple Threat Match at XWA on 3/16 to win the title and then beat Brandon Scott in a Best 2 out of 3 Falls Match at Legacy Wrestling on 3/18 to go 2-0 for the week.

#2: Brian Cage- One of the most powerful wrestlers on the indies returns to the Indy Power Rankings Top 10 after one hell of a week around the loop. The WrestleCircus Ringmaster Champion beat Matt Riddle on 3/17 to retain the title and then picked up a win vs. Sami Callihan and Keith Lee in a Triple Threat Match at PWG on 3/18 to go 2-0 for the week. Essentially what Cage accomplished was beating three of the best talents on the independent wrestling scene in one weekend. The fact that the latter was a victory at PWG also helped his standing as well.

#1: Stephen Wolf- Much like the wXw 16 Carat Gold Tournament, the PGP Ryan Buckley Memorial Tournament has now determined the #1 ranking in the Indy Power Rankings for three straight years following the tournament. Stephen Wolf gets not only his first #1 ranking, but his first-ever ranking as he ran through the competition to win both the tournament and the vacant PGP Franchise Title. He defeated a powerhouse in Shane Mercer in the First Round on 3/18, then beat Blake Belakis in the Second Round the same day, and then beat Bucky Collins to win the tournament, the title, and finish off the week with a 3-0 record.

Blog of the Week: Okada will never go to WWE

Another old post series is returning for a one off nostalgia feel much like others have in the last month or so. Recently as a way to celebrate 2 years with Wrestling Express I decided to look back at some of the old series I have done and this one was at the top of the list, because it was somewhat successful, but difficult to do at the same time. Now I am not going to say much about the article, but what I say is that seeing Okada say that he will not go to WWE and wants to remain loyal to NJPW is awesome, because I feel that today loyalty is almost non-existent and though people may think "How could I not want to see Okada in WWE?" Well it's simple I don't think that everyone should base their career goals on what they can achieve in WWE, but how they can help the wrestling business. Below is an excerpt from the blog post:

"Kazuchika Okada is arguably the most recognizable non-North American wrestler in the world, and depending on how one views the Young Bucks and AJ Styles, the biggest act not yet in WWE. While people have fantasized over the Rainmaker heading to WWE, fueled by friendly visits with current WWE superstars, the current IWGP World Heavyweight Champion has no plans on ever going to the global sports entertainment monolith, at least right now.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Okada was asked if he would consider leaving Japan to work full-time for Ring of Honor or WWE, and he blatantly shot down any notion he'd want to work for Vince McMahon's outfit. He stated his goal was not only to make New Japan Pro Wrestling the best company it could be, but that he wants to expand it into the United States."

For the full article visit here

Indy Power Rankings: 3/13/17

Another week done and that means once again we are back for some Power rankings. Now as always for the full list check out: https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

#5: Matthew Riddle- BRO gets himself another ranking this year as he was an absolute work horse last week in Europe. The man’s gonna need a break with that type of schedule, but as it stands, Riddle is dominating the indies in 2017.

#4: Trent Seven- 1/2 of Moustache Mountain and one of the stars of WWE’s UK Division gets another ranking this week after a phenomenal week in the UK. The ICW World Heavyweight Champion defeated Jordan Devlin at ICW on 3/10 to retain the title, then defeated Jack Jester on 3/11 to retain again, and then defeated BT Gunn, Chris Renfrew & Pete Dunne in a four-way to retain again and go 3-0 for the week. Three wins.

#3: Jon Davis- On a week with multiple tournaments it was especially difficult to determine rankings, but the two competitors who won tournaments AND went 4-0 ended up at #1 and #2 while Jon Davis ended up at #3 in addition to winning this week’s online voting competition with 178 votes.

#2: Nick Deep- The 2017 IWA Mid-South Prince of the Death Matches came oh so close to his first #1 ranking, but was barely beaten out by Ilja Dragunov. On any other week, it’s likely that Depp would have had his first number one, but it wasn’t to be this week. He had a FANTASTIC week to get his highest ranking ever as he beat Ray Waddell at IWA on 3/10, then defeated Amazing Maria in the first round at IWA Mid-South on 3/11, then defeated Mitch Ryder in the semifinals, and then defeated Mance Warner in the final to win the Prince of the Death Matches tournament to go 4-0 for the week.

#1: Ilja Dragunov- Once again, we have another year where the wXw 16 Carat Gold Tournament determined who was #1 in the Indy Power Rankings the following week. This is also historic as Ilja Dragunov is our first Russian ranked #1 in the Indy Power Rankings. He made it happen after he defeated Robert Dreissker in Round 1 on 3/10, then defeated Timothy Thatcher in Round 2 on 3/11, then defeated Bad Bones John Klinger in the semifinals on 3/12, and then defeated WALTER in the final the same day to win the tournament with a 4-0 week in Germany.

Indy Power Rankings: 3/6/17

Here we go again it's that another week and that means it's time once again for the Indy Power Rankings. If you'd like to see the full list then visit here:

#5: Jeremiah: The NEW Rockstar Pro Champion showed that hard work pays off this past week after he defeated Colin Delaney at Rockstar Pro on 3/1 and then beat Sami Callihan, Shigehiro Irie, and Zachary Wentz in a Four-Way on 3/3 to win the title.

#4: Alessandro Corleone- We get Italian representation in the Indy Power Rankings this week and it’s really not hard to see why. Corleone gets his first official ranking as the Italian Championship Wrestling Italian Champion defeated Gravity on 3/3 to retain the title, then defeated David Silas the same day to retain again, then defeated Ghostbuster on 3/4 to retain again, then defeated Nemesi the same day to retain again, and then defeated Red Devil on 3/5 to retain again to go 5-0 for the week.

#3: Thunderkitty- It’s the highest ranking yet for Thunderkitty as the WAR Women’s and new Zero1 USA Women’s Champion defeated Bree Alison (Serenity) in the first round at Zero1 USA on 3/2, then defeated Stacy Shadows and Randi West in a three-way final the same day to become inaugural women’s champion, then defeated Leah Vaughn at Pro Wrestling Allstars of Detroit on 3/3, and then defeated Heather Owens at Wrestling and Respect on 3/4 to retain their title to go 4-0 for the week.

#2: Tyson Dux- Tyson Dux came oh SO CLOSE to getting his second #1 ranking this week. The Smash Champion and ½ of the new Alpha-1 Tag Team Champions had the edge among the official voters this week as he defeated Vaughn Vertigo at Barrie Wrestling on ¾, then defeated Scotty O’Shea & John Greed at Smash the same day to retain the title, then teamed with Josh Alexander at Alpha-1 on 3/5 to defeat Ethan Page and Shane Sabre.

#1: Archadia- This week was a prime example of just how important the online voting competition can be. While Archadia didn’t win the competition, he collected 62 votes to come in FIFTH in the online voting competition. This along with high marks among the official voters’ ballots pushed him into the top spot this week. The lesson here is if you’re a fan and you see someone you want to vote for, but it’s unlikely they’ll win the online voting competition, cast a vote anyway, it might just help them in the official rankings. Congratulations to Archadia on his first #1 ranking!

Indy Power Rankings: 2/27/17

Another new week and we are back again with the Indy Power Rankings. For the first time in quite a while John Wayne Murdoch didn't make the list. But to see for yourself take a look here.

#5: Ethan Page- “All Ego” QUIETLY had a very good weekend at EVOLVE as he was able to knock off Jason Kincaid on 2/24 and then Darby Allin on 2/25. Page is again proving that he is one of the best talents to come out of Canada in the last few years as he just continues to knock off some of the top competition in the world.

#4: Penta El Zero- Before PCW’s Sunday results came out the official voters ALL had Penta El Zero M at #1 in the rankings for the very first time, but it was the loss to Bubblegum that cost him the top spot this week. That being said, he still obtained a very good ranking with a 3-1 week in the UK.

#3: ACH- The AAW Heritage Champion continues his phenomenal 2017 on the indies as he defeated Tracy Williams at EVOLVE on 2/24 and then beat Jason Kincaid there on 2/25 to go 2-0 for the week. As you can see, EVOLVE played a major role in our rankings this week with 2 of the top 3 rankings going to competitors who built a great weekend based primarily on their victories at EVOLVE.

#2: Matt Riddle- Matt Riddle continues his ascension up the IPR 100 ladder this year as he knocked it out of the park once again over the weekend. The PROGRESS Atlas Champion defeated Anthony Henry at EVOLVE on 2/24, then beat Drew Galloway there on 2/25, and then teamed with Chuck O’Neill at Beyond on 2/26 to defeat American Destroyers (Donovan Dijak & Mikey Webb) to go a perfect 3-0 for the week.

#1: Bubblegum- It was a hectic week for Indy Power Rankings official voters as some late results poured in forcing almost all of them to change their ballots. In the end, it was the wins on Sunday that ultimately pushed Bubblegum into a #1 ranking for a third straight year. The Southside Wrestling Entertainment Speed King, 4FW Junior Heavyweight, Just Do Wrestling and Absolute Wrestling Champion defeated Lionheart at PCW in the first round of the 2017 Kris Travis Memorial Tournament, then beat T-Bone in the second round the same day, then beat Penta El Zero M in the semi-finals, and then beat Kenny Williams in the finals to win the tournament with a 4-0 record for the week.

Indy Power Rankings: Week of February 20

Another week is coming to a close and just like always if you want to see the full list for this week there is only place to go and that is https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

#5: Joe Coffey: The Scottish Heavyweight Champion had one hell of a week as he defeated BT Gunn at What Culture Pro Wrestling on 2/13, then defeated Ravie Davie at Insane Championship Wrestling on 2/17, then defeated Sha Samuels on 2/18, and then defeated BT Gunn on 2/19 to go 4-0 for the week.

#4: Ricochet- The 2014 IPR 100 #1 is back in the Indy Power Rankings this week after a spectacular 3-0 week for the Future of Flight. He defeated Travis Banks at What Culture Pro Wrestling on 2/13, then defeated Lio Rush at Pro Wrestling Guerilla on 2/18, and then defeated Sammy Gueverra at WrestleCircus on 2/19 to finish off his perfect week.

3: Trent Seven- Despite being unable to wrest the WWE UK Championship away from his Moustache Mountain partner on NXT (which of course doesn’t count towards our rankings) his success on the indies this past week landed him in the #3 spot in this week’s Top 10.

#2: John Wayne Murdoch- The success continues for the IWA Mid-South Champion as he just continues to win and win…and win! First, he beat Zachary Wentz on 2/16 to retain the title, then beat Jake Parnell on 2/18 to retain again, and then beat Zodiak the same night to go 3-0 for the week.

#1: Darius Carter- What an absolutely INSANE week of success for so many talents all over the indies. You could have interchanged more than even TEN people into the top spot this week, but in the end, it was the online voting competition that essentially determined who would become #1. For the third time this year, we have a #1 who is also the People’s Champ in the same week. The Tier 1 World Champion beat Matt Striker Five Borough Wrestling on 2/17 to retain the Tier 1 title, then defeated Pinkie Sanchez at Pro Wrestling Magic on 2/18 to retain the title again, and then defeated Jason Vera at Tier 1 Lucha on 2/19 to go 3-0 for the week. He then collected a VERY impressive 129 votes to edge out Stitches for the People’s Champ award this week.

Indy Power Rankings: February 13

It's the time of the week when we look back at the recent week with the newest edition of the Indy Power Rankings. For the full list visit: https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

#5: John Wayne Murdoch- Another IPR week in the books and another top 5 ranking for the “Duke of Hardore”!! The IWA-MS Champion is having maybe THE most consistent 2017 of any wrestlers on our ballots to date. JWM again defended the championship on two occasions and had his hand raised in victory both times.

#4: Dicky Maier- We continue with another tremendous breakout performance resulting in a very high debut on the IPR top 10. Maier came out on top of TWO tournaments this past week defeating Super Beetle, Anthony Idol, and Ryan Kidd at Desert Wrestling Entertainment to win the Carrot Cup and then winning the finals of the Percy Pringle Memorial III Memorial Cup at CWF Hollywood. 5-0!

#3: Tracer X- Speaking of hellacious weekends, What a performance this week from Tracer X to make his IPR debut! Tracer won the 2nd Style Battle Tournament defeating three top tier opponents in FIP Champion Fred Yehi, Sami Callihan, and Anthony Henry to make the most of his debut with WWN. Tracer X did suffer a defeat in 6 man tag team action the following night teaming with Sami Guevara and Austin Theory in defeat to Sami Callihan, AR Fox, & Darby Allin.

#2: Dave Crist- Another singles ranking for one half of Oi4k! As Dave Crist is ranked very high once again this week. 3 big singles wins in 3 big promotions this week starting off 2/8 defeating Dezmond Xavier at Rockstar Pro, then defeated Larry D at IWA-Mid South, and finished with a win in the Combat Zone over RIckey Shane Page for one hell of a weekend.

#1: Chase Owens- The New NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Champion accomplished quite a feat on his way to #1 this week ending the 1951 day reign of Jason Kincaid at NWA Smoky Mountain. That's not just a big win, but the end of an incredible reign for a World Champion.

Indy Power Rankings: 2/6/17

It's that time of the week again as week look at who has had the best week in Indy wrestling with this week's Indy Power Rankings. As always if you would like to find the full list then you can visit: https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

#5: John Wayne Murdoch- "The Duke of Hardcore” and IWA Mid-South Champion is #5 for a second straight week as the Mr. Consistency of the indies continues his momentum in 2017. On 2/2 he picked up a win against a who’s who in independent wrestling as he beat Sami Callihan, Jake Crist, and Dave Crist in a Four Way to retain the title.

#4: Ryan Smile- This British talent had a HELL of a week in the UK as he defeated Colt Cabana at Kamikaze Pro on 2/3, then beat Pete Dunne on 2/4 at Over the Top Wrestling to win the No Limits Title there, and then beat Travis Banks at RevPro on 2/5 to go 3-0 for the week.

#3: Gary Jay- The breakout 2017 continues for Gary Jay as he won another important tournament over the weekend. The Strong Style Wrestling New Blood Tournament played host to Gary Jay’s second tournament win this year as he defeated Stephen Wolf in the first round, then beat Cole Radrick in the second round, and then beat Chip Day in the finals to win the tournament.

#2: Space Monkey- It’s the first-ever ranking in the Indy Power Rankings for Space Monkey as he made his mark after winning CHIKARA’s Young Lions Cup for 2017. He defeated Ashley Vox, Delmi Exo and Merlok in a four-way first round match at Chikara on 2/4, then defeated Cornelius Crummels in the semis, and then defeated The Whisper in the final to win the tournament and the vacant title to go 3-0 for the week.

#1: Shane Mercer- The Iron Demon” Shane Mercer becomes one of the few talents to ever win the online voting competition AND the official #1 in the same week, but when Shane Mercer says “No Limits”, he means it. Mercer was on FIRE this past week as he defeated international superstar, Joey Ryan at IWA Mid-South on 2/2, then beat Kongo Kong on 2/4 to win the Strong Style Wrestling Heavyweight title. That same night when he finally overcame Kong, he defeated Davey Richards to go 3-0 for the week.

Lucha Underground Coming to Netflix

The wrestling world in the last few years has seen a great amount of growth from a variety of new companies finding their way to either national or regional television. Companies like Ring of Honor, Lucha Underground, House of Hardcore, and other companies have seen a dramatic rise in popularity and means for exposure. One company in particular who has seen their popularity rise in ever since the company began a few years back is the US extension of Mexican based company AAA known as Lucha Underground. Recently plans have been put into place to bring the early seasons of Lucha Underground will be coming to Netfilx.

For a wrestling promotion to succeed, you have to try something different. Lucha Underground has definitely taken some risks with their product and it’s nice to see them take a major step forward in exposure with their addition to the Netflix roster. Seasons 1 and 2 of Lucha Underground will be available on February 15th.

See more at: http://lrmonline.com/news/lucha-underground-to-debut-on-netflix#sthash.P44Xar5y.dpuf

This Day in Wrestling History: 2/4/17

Wrestling gives us both great memories and memories we try and forget, but with the amount of moments worth remembering that have happened we are bound to forget some. The same could be said about some talent that were very much underrated during their career or never at the top of a company during a run this unfortunately makes it easier for fans to forget certain talent. Sadly in recent years wrestling fans and talent have both experienced far to much heartbreak from losing so many of our favorite names so young. On this day one year ago the wrestling world saddened to find that we had lost ECW Alumni Axl Rotten. In a way this is to celebrate both a joyous occasion (someones birthday) and the life of another.

Happy Birthday to Chris Sabin who turns 35 years old

Axl Rotten vs Ian Rotten

Indy Power Rankings: January 30

Once again we are back with this week's power ranking list and as always if you want to see the full list this week you can visit: https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

#5: John Wayne Murdoch- "The Duke of Hardcore” and IWA Mid-South Champion moves up one spot from last week after two impressive victories this past week. First, he beat Larry D on 1/26 to retain the title and then he put the title on the line again on 1/28 as he beat Rickey Shane Page to retain the title in a violent House of Horrors Death Match.

#4: Axel Dieter Jr- The wXw World Champion had a phenomenal week in Germany and the UK over the weekend after two HUGE victories. First, he beat Jurn Simmons in Germany on 1/27 to retain the title and then he beat Marty Scurll in the UK on 1/28 to retain again with a 2-0 week.

#3: Saraya Knight: This ultra-busy UK talent gets into the Top 10 for the first time in quite some time after an incredible week. She picked up a win at Rise on 1/27, then defeated Kikyo the same day, then beat Layne Rosario the same day, and then teamed with Christina von Eerie and Hudson Envy at Alternative Wrestling Show on 1/28 to defeat Raze, Rosemary & Sage Sin to go 4-0 for the week.

#2: John Morrison- The former #1 JUST misses out on the top spot this week after a big tournament victory against three fantastic competitors. The AAA Latin American, 5 Star Wrestling and Qatar Pro Wrestling Souq Waqif Champion defeated Moose at 5 Star Wrestling on 1/28 in the quarterfinals of the tournament, then defeated Drew Galloway in the semifinals, and then defeated Rey Mysterio Jr in the final to win the tournament and retain the title.

#1: Matt Riddle- Matt Riddle has done it again! After a stellar 2016, he has cruised into 2017 with some great performances and now he’s #1 once again. Riddle picks up his third ranking this year as the PROGRESS Atlas Champion beat ACH at EVOLVE on 1/27, then beat DUSTIN at EVOLVE on 1/28, and then beat Brian Cage at Beyond Wrestling on 1/29 to go 3-0 for the week. Three top-notch talents and three top-notch victories over all of them for Riddle this past week equals enough support to edge out John Morrison for the top spot.

AAA's Future in Doubt

The business we love is one of ups and downs for everyone involved in the wrestling business from promoters to the wrestlers to just the companies in general. There seems to be a never ending story that many companies have problems that start behind scenes and it comes to affect the entire company and drag down the whole promotion no matter how hot the company might be. This has happened to many companies back in the day and even a few nowadays, but I never seen a snowball effect like that of which we are seeing in AAA. One of the big two wrestling companies south borders has fallen hard times thanks to a whole host of things including top talent jumping ship, a power struggle, and many other problems that have been troubling the one time partner of TNA wrestling. However, I will not try and explain the issues I'll leave that to this very well written article from the folks over at H owtheyplay.com below is an excerpt from the article:

"Ironic that the promotion that got on the map because of pay per view may have been mortally wounded by another. And make no mistake folks; Triplemania XXIII was the beginning of the end. The failure of that show from both a technical and creative standpoint took all the other issues AAA had (Peña’s death, Perro’s death, the Roldan’s control) and snowballed it out of proportion. I’d bank that the failure of this show played a part in Alberto and Carístico leaving (as well as their mutual disdain for the other), Rey Mysterio deciding to commit to AAA less, the dissention between Konnan and the Roldan’s spilling over to the point where Konnan was out and the Roldan’s had full control; all of it. Certainly the issues that plague AAA now wouldn’t just go away; the Roldan’s would still be the Roldan’s and the absence of Peña and Aguayo would be difficult to ignore. But there’s no doubt in my mind that the blame for that show was ultimately put on Konnan and his guys, whereas a successful show would’ve likely just kept things the same as now."
"Don’t underestimate this point folks. Perro Aguayo Jr. was AAA’s top rudo at the start of 2015, leader of one of the two hottest stables in Mexico (Perros del Mal), was poised for big feuds with Alberto El Patron, Rey Mysterio and Carístico (then Myzteziz) and more than likely was going to wind up in Lucha Underground sooner or later. Then he tragically died (at a Crash show of all places), none of those big plans and AAA has never been the same. Maybe Perro eventually bolts along with the rest of these guys for all I know, but good Grodd I don’t feel comfortable saying that for sure."

For the full article visit: https://howtheyplay.com/individual-sports/Decline-of-Lucha-Civilization

So Far Back Saturday: NJPW Top Stars Contract Updates

Due to the magnitude of this story I've decided to split it up between two separate posts. Right now I will speak to a point about the big rumors and huge story that shook the wrestling world to it's core earlier this week. As top NJPW Stars apparently gave their notice to the company following the Wrestle Kingdom 10 event that took place last weekend. Those stars include AJ Styles, current IWGP Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, and Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson. I feel it necessary to mention that the "King of Strong Style" will have his own article centered around him later this week, and now I will focus on the Bullet Club.

Though it is true that all four men have given their notice to New Japan it is untrue that they have signed contracts with WWE at the moment, but are in negotiation with the company. Rumors have been flying around for months regarding the possibility of AJ Styles joining WWE this year. Now it seems all the more likely that one of the biggest free agents in wrestling maybe destined for the WWE. If the small rumors of his arrival wasn't enough then adding more fuel to the fire is that he wouldn't go to NXT and would actually be signed for the Main Roster. After 12 years with TNA he joined NJPW back in January 2014 and became an international sensation and now it seems like he will be finding a home in the only company he's never been.

In terms of the other two Bullet Club members Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson they also gave their notice with NJPW at the same time as AJ & Shinsuke, but much like Shinsuke they still have some dates left to fulfill with both ROH & NJPW. Anderson & Gallows became one of the top teams in NJPW after coming together seemingly following Giant Bernard's WWE Return in 2012. That's right Albert aka Lord Tensai was Karl "Machine Gun" Anderson's partner in Japan before re-joining WWE and ultimately retiring. Now with the former leader of the Bullet Club and current NXT World Champion Finn Balor down in NXT the interest and intrigue surrounding the supposed eventual debut of Anderson & return of Gallows brings more to the table. Just imagine the Bullet Club down in NXT and even on Raw.

It is signings like these that may give the WWE the shot in the arm they so desperately need right now as it seems like nothing is going right for them at the moment. Especially with half the roster on the shelf with long term injuries and Wrestlemania hanging in the balance they needed a big splash and this is what they did. I must say in terms of signings this is by far one of if not the most intriguing "signings" WWE has done in a long time.

Indy Power Rankings: 1/23/17

As January draws to a close we look more time this month at the top people on the Indies with this weeks Indy Power Rankings. For the full list visit: https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

#5: Shane Mercer- “The Iron Demon” was nothing less than dominant over the course of week as he Garrett at IWA Mid-South on 1/19, then defeated Murder One & Adrian Armour via DQ at Pro Wrestling Freedom on 1/20, and then defeated Jake Parnell in an Ironman Match at IWA Mid-South on 1/21 to go 3-0 for the week.

#4: Shingo Takagi- What an INSANE week for the power house of VerserK as he went 7-1 for the week after a crazy week of competition at Dragon Gate. defeated Hyou Watanabe and Shachihoko BOY in a triple threat at Dragon Gate on 1/16, then teamed with T-Hawk and El Lindaman on 1/18 to defeat Naruki Doi, Masaaki Mochizuki and Big R Shimizu in the quarterfinals, then beat Jimmyz (Jimmy Susumu, Ryo “Jimmy” Saito and Jimmy Kanda) in the semifinals, and then beat Masato Yoshino, Kotoka and Ben-K in the final to win the New Year’s Unit War Tournament.

#3: Jason Cade- What a weekend it was for Jason Cade as he gets his first-ever ranking in the Indy Power Rankings after winning the 2017 Don Curtis Memorial Cup for the vacant USWA Elite Championship. He beat Jon Cruz on 1/21 in the first round, then beat Chance Champion in the semi-finals, and then beat Jon Davis to win the tournament and the title with a 3-0 record for the week.

#2: Bubblegum- We get a familiar face at #2 this week as the former multiple-time #1 and SWE Speed King, JDW, Absolute Wrestling, and NEW 4FW Junior Heavyweight Champion returns to the rankings for the first time in 2017. He beat Lion King at 4FW on 1/20, then beat Mega Pegasus on 1/21 to win the title, and then beat Dagon Phoenix on 1/22 to retain the title to go 3-0 for the week.

#1: Gary Jay- What a wild week for the human Gumby of independent wrestling as Gary Jay gets his first-ever #1 ranking after a dominant weekend. First, he beat Aaron Williams at PWF in a #1 Contenders Match on 1/20, then went to PWCS on 1/21 where he beat Everett Connors in the first round of the STLI Tournament, then beat Alex Rudolph in the semi-finals, and then beat Danny Adams in the finals to win the tournament with a 4-0 record for the week.

Indy Power Rankings: January 16

It's that time of the week once again as I shine the light on the Indies and show you who did the best this past week. For the full list visit: https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

#5: Matthew Riddle- It appears that 2016 was just a taste of how impressive Matt Riddle is going to be in the coming years. Riddle became the NEW PROGRESS Atlas Champion after beating Rampage Brown at PROGRESS on 1/15 to win the title.

#4: Lufisto- The NEW SHINE Champion gets her first ranking in quite some time as she took full advantage of her opportunity to win the vacant title on 1/13. A victory over both Mercedes Martinez and Allysin Kay in a Triple Threat on 1/13.

#3: John Wayne Murdoch- #1 last week. #3 this week. 2017 is already looking fantastic for “The Duke of Hardcore” as he is making the most of this IWA World Title reign. On 1/12 he defeated Derek Neal to retain the title and then beat Mance Warner on 1/14 to retain once again.

#2: ACH- It’s the second ranking of 2017 for the AAW Heritage Champion as he went to Canada for a BUSY week and managed to pick up wins in 5 of his 6 matches there. He defeated Michael Allen Richard Clark at Canadian Wrestling’s Elite on 1/10, then defeated Shane Sabre, Tony Kozina and Travis Cole in a four-way on 1/11, then lost to Tony Kozina on 1/12, then defeated Shigehiro Irie on 1/13, then defeated Shigehiro Irie again on 1/14, and then defeated Shane Sabre on 1/15 to go 5-1 for the week.

#1: David Starr- We have our first two-time #1 of 2017 as David Starr is once again #1 after a fantastic 3-0 weekend where he repeatedly defended and retained his wXw Shotgun Title in the United States. ON 1/13 he defeated Rude Boy Riley at Next Level Wrestling, then defeated Alexander James at Combat Zone Wrestling on 1/14, and then defeated Sami Callihan and Lio Rush in a triple threat at PWX on 1/15 to wrap up the week with a perfect record and his second #1 ranking.

This Day in Wrestling History: 1/17/17

Wrestling gives us both great memories and memories we try and forget, but with the amount of moments worth remembering that have happened we are bound to forget some. The same could be said about some talent that were very much underrated during their career or never at the top of a company during a run this unfortunately makes it easier for fans to forget certain talent. In this case I have picked two names that had very different career paths and went down very different roads in the wrestling business. I would like to wish a very big Happy Birthday to all who are celebrating their special day today and especially to those featured in the post below:

Happy Birthday to Mark Briscoe who turns 32 years old

Happy Birthday Chase Stevens who turns 38 years old today

Indy Power Rankings: Janurary 9

For the second time this year we have arrived at the end of another week. As always if you would like to see the full list visit: Right here

#5: Dave Crist- If you look at Dave Crist’s performance at the WWN Style Battle alone, he’d the sure fire #1 this week, but he had a busy week chalk full of SEVEN matches. He defeated Clayton Jackson at Rockstar Pro on 1/4; then teamed with Jake Crist & Sami Callihan at IWA Mid-South on 1/5 to lose a three-way match to Jake Parnell, Johnathan Wolf & Myron Reed, then lost a Rockstar Pro title match to Zachary Wentz on 1/6, then defeated Darby Allin at WWN Style Battle on 1/7 in the quarterfinals, then defeated Dezmond Xavier in the semifinals, then defeated AR Fox in the final to win the tournament.

#4: Daisuke Masaoka- almost completely swept the #4 ranking in the official voters’ ballots this week after the King of FREEDOM World Champion defeated Kenji Fukimoto at FREEDOMS on 1/3 in the first round of the Damz Hajime 2017 New Year Lottery One Day Tournament, then defeated Chikara in the second round, then defeated Toru Sugiura in the semifinals, and then defeated Yuya Susumu in the final to win the tournament to go 4-0 for the week

People's Champ Alex Titan: A 6-0 week for Alex Titan gets him a hell of a ranking AND the People’s Champ award this week to add to the accomplishments of the crew from Down Under. He defeated Syd Parker at International Wrestling Australia on 1/3, then defeated Kai Drake on ¼, then defeated Paris de Silva on 1/5, then defeated Randal on 1/6, then defeated JL Gold on 1/7, and then defeated Kai Drake on 1/8 to finish his flawless week.

#2: Apollo- It was a HUGE week for Australia as the IWA Heavyweight Champion went 6-0 on the week! It was an incredible week for Apollo as he JUST missed out on the #1 ranking this week. He defeated Josh Gatt at IWA on 1/3 (non-title) then defeated Chris Abbott on 1/4 to retain the title, then defeated Randall on 1/5 (non-title) then defeated Kai Drake (non-title) on 1/6, then defeated Rip Reilly, and then defeated Keegan Brettle on 1/8.

#1: John Wayne Murdoch- 2017 is off to a hot start for “The Duke of Death Matches” as he gets a #1 ranking in his fourth straight calendar year (having previously been #1 in 2014, 2015, and 2016). Much like last year when his King of the Death Matches win got him to #1, this year he gets in primarily on the strength of a tournament win.

This Day in Wrestling History: 1/8/16

Happy Birthday to Chris Masters who turns 33 years old

Happy Birthday to Ricky Marvin who turn 36 years old

Indy Power Rankings: January 2

Another week has arrived and that means it is time for us to look back again at the Indy Power Rankings for the week. For the full list follow the link: Click Here

#5: Martin Stone- One of the biggest single victories over the weekend was by the NWA FUW Flash and FIP Florida Heritage Champion as he added another title to his collection when he dethroned Jimmy Rave at AWE on 12/27 to end his 558 day title reign and win the GWC Championship. His match with Shane Strickland at Pro Wrestling 2.0 on 12/29 ended in a draw which is likely the only thing that kept him from an even higher ranking this week.

#4: Risa Sera- It’s tough to deny someone a Top 10 ranking after winning a tournament, much less one that ends in a title victory. ON 12/29 Risa Sera started her week off as she teamed with Maya Yukihi at RIZIN to defeat Tequila Saya & Tsukasa Fujimoto. She then defeated Hiragi Kurumi at Ice Ribbon on 12/31 in the semifinals of the ICExInfinity Title Tournament and then defeated Tsukasa Fujimoto in the final the same day to win the vacant title to go 3-0 for the week.

#3: ACH- AAW enters 2017 as STILL one of the most important indies in the minds of the official Indy Power Rankings voters. Since AAW is so well thought of, ACH’s AAW Heritage Title win vs. AR Fox on 12/30 was just one factor that shot him up to the #3 spot this week. Along with that, his victory over a former Indy Power Rankings #1 most definitely helped his strength of competition

#2: Corey Storm- Corey Storm (@corey_storm24)-It’s week two of the Indy Power Rankings for the 2017 year (last week was the first official week for us) and Corey Storm has already racked up two People’s Champs awards, an official #1 rankings, and now a #2 ranking to go with his #1. While Storm missed out on the 2016 IPR 100 after winning the last People’s Champ award of the year, he is still on fire in 2017.

#1: David Starr- The wXw Shotgun Champion CONTINUES to add prestige to that title as he continues to defend AND retain the title in the United States. This week he adds just a bit more importance to the belt as he obtains his very first #1 ranking in the Indy Power Rankings (singles). On 12/27 he took his title to AWE where he defeated 2013 IPR 100 #1 Michael Elgin to retain the title and then went up to the Northeast where he defeated former #1 Jonathan Gresham at Beyond Wrestling on 12/29 to retain the title again.

Wrestle Kingdom 11 Card

Though not everyone knows off hand what events in other companies are the big events. For example, if I asked you what event on the New Japan calendar was their verison of the Royal Rumble or Summerslam well I would probably tell you that it would be the finals G1 Climax which lines up with the event that is NJPW's comparison to Wrestlemania. This Wednesday on January the 4 it will be the 11th annual edition of the Wrestle Kingdom PPV event live from the Tokyo Dome, consult your local listings for info and check out http://njpwworld.com
Below is the card for the event I will go more into the show following the event depending on the results so now let's wait and see what happens next and I will mention that though I don't know a lot about NJPW I am very excited for the event this year.

Dark New Japan Rumble Match

Singles Match
Tiger Mask W vs. Tiger The Dark

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title Match
Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) (c) vs. Roppongi Vice (Beretta & Rocky Romero)

NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Title Four Way Gauntlet Match
David Finlay, Ricochet & Satoshi Kojima (c) vs. BULLET CLUB (Bad Luck Fale, Hangman Page & Yujiro Takahashi) vs. CHAOS (Jado, Will Ospreay & YOSHI-HASHI) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, EVIL & SANADA)

Singles Match
Cody vs. Juice Robinson

ROH World Title Match
Kyle O'Reilly (c) vs. Adam Cole

IWGP Tag Team Title Three Way Match
Guerrillas Of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) (c) vs. CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano) vs. Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma)

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match
KUSHIDA (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi

NEVER Openweight Title Match
Katsuyori Shibata (c) vs. Hirooki Goto

IWGP Intercontinental Title Match
Tetsuya Naito (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

IWGP Heavyweight Title Match
Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Kenny Omega

Indy Power Rankings: December 26

For the final time this year we will be looking at the power rankings for the last week of 2016. As always take a look at https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/ for the full list and even more power rankings having to do with the Independent circuit as 2016 comes to a close.

#5: Ayuma Honda- It’s another first as the UWA World Middleweight Champion gets a first-time ranking as Honda defeated Dinosaur Takuma and Kotaro Yoshino in a three-way at Kaientai Dojo on 12/23 and then defeated Yuma on 12/25 to retain the title to go 2-0 for the week.

#4: Rina Yamashita- We get another first-time ranking coming out of Japan this week as this talent went 3-0 with a fantastic week. She defeated Rin Kadokura at Seadlinnng on 12/21.

#3: Io Shirai- This former #1 makes an immediate impact in this year’s rankings as she was the only person who stood between Corey Storm and a clean sweep of the official voters and the fan vote. Io Shirai is the only wrestler to have gotten a #1 vote (aside from Corey Storm of course) from an official voter this week.

#2: Raquel- It’s the first of the year for our rankings and the first official ranking for ½ of the SHINE Tag Team Champions and NEW Orlando Pro Wrestling Women’s Champion. On 12/21 she teamed with Mila Naniki to defeat Axx Clover & Chico Adams. She then beat Amber Nova, Kaci Lennox, Mila Naniki, and Raegan Fire in a Five Way to win the vacant title the same night.

#1: Corey Storm- It’s the first official rankings of the 2017 year (last week was the last of 2016) and Corey Storm did what few others have done as he won both the official voting AND the fan voting to become both the People’s Champ AND the overall #1! Storm also has the unique distinction of being the very last People’s Champ of 2016 and the first of 2017. While independent wrestling was very slow on this week, take nothing away from the WCWO Fight or Die Champion who defeated Jordan Oliver Jr. at IWA Mid-South on 12/22 and then beat Red Rocket at WCWO on 12/23 to retain the title with a 2-0 record for the week.

Lucha Undeground Update

With the circus that we once saw from Lucha at this time last year gone and replaced by a very stable presence on the El Rey Network we are now dealing with a different "animal." Looking at the position of pro-wrestling and the changes we have seen in the last year take place in the wrestling business we are entering a different place next year as 2017 comes closer. As of this writing it seems as though Lucha Underground will be getting a bigger place on the El Rey Network next year as it seems like they will be expanding the episodic output for the season from 30 episodes in Season 3 to 60 episodes for next season. This is a very good thing for Lucha as they continue to grow as a brand and this episodic expansion will only help the company.

Wrestling is growing and I do feel like we are on the brink of another wrestling golden age and this year will only be the building block for the overall perception of the business. Success for the smaller companies like Lucha and Ring of Honor even on a smaller scale will help the business tremendously because it allows the wrestling fans to understand that there are other companies in the US and even more on TV for them to get their fix of wrestling on a weekly basis.

Indy Power Rankings: December 19

This week's edition of the Indy Power Rankings is a perfect example of the amount of roster turnover we have seen this year from the WWE. With both Ryback and Cody Rhodes highting their strides on the Indies now and reaching their potential. For the full list check out:
Here

#5: Matt Riddle- The phenomenal year for the former #1 continues as he teamed with Jeff Cobb to beat The Young Bucks at PWG on 12/16 in a non-title match and then beat perennial #1 Zack Sabre Jr. at IPW: UK on 12/18 to go 2-0 for the week. Riddle, like so many big names on the indies right now has the inside track on one hell of a ranking next week in the IPR 100 based on the year he’s had.

#4: BC Killer- It’s a first-ever ranking for BC Killer as he won the UEW Sovereign of Slaughter 2016 Tournament over the weekend. He defeated Biggie Biggz in the first round in a chain match, then defeated Damian 666 in a pane and bed of glass match in the semifinals, and then defeated Max X in the final in a no rope barbed wire match to win the tournament on 12/17.

#3: Ryback/Big Guy- 1/2 of the WrestlePro Tag Team Champions gets his first ranking after a big 3-0 week where he defeated JD Knight at 4FW on 12/16, then beat Johnny Moss at PCW on 12/17, and then beat Saul Samuels at 4FW on 12/18. Pretty impressive stuff for a “big guy” who has been taking the indies by storm since leaving the WWE.

#2: David Starr- Before the fan votes were tallied, it appeared that the official voters had deemed David Starr #1 in singles for the very first time, but in the end, the fans helped Cody top him. That being said, the wXw Shotgun Champion had an incredible week as he moves up from #3 last week to #2 this week after beating Mike Orlando and Cheeseburger in a Triple Threat at BCW on 12/16 to retain the title, then defeating Sami Callihan on 12/17 to retain again, and then a victory over Chip Day at PWX on 12/18 to retain for a 3rd time to go 3-0 for the week.

#1: Cody Rhodes- The fan vote once again plays a HUGE role in this week’s rankings as the fans made the difference between Cody Rhodes being #1 and #2. Because he was 2 votes ahead of David Starr in the online voting competition this week, he JUST edged him out for the top spot for the second time this year. The GFW NEX*GEN and WCPW Champion defeated LJT at SWE on 12/15 to retain the GFW Title, then beat Bubblegum at PCW on 12/17, and then beat Will Ospreay at IPW:UK on 12/18 to go 3-0 on the week.

Indy Power Rankings: December 12

Once again a new week is here so that means that it's time for another power rankings. For the full list you will need to send you attention to the main site for the list which is: here

#5: CT Brown- It’s a first-ever ranking for CT Brown as he defeated Faris Hakeem at Orlando Pro Wrestling on 12/7 in the first round, then defeated Axx Clover in the semifinals, and then defeated Aaron Epic, Chasyn Rance and Chico Adams in a four-way final the same day to win the Toys For Tots Cup to go 3-0 for the week.

#4: Chasyn Rance- What a phenomenal week for Rance as he was VERY busy with FIVE big matches. The SCW Florida Cruiserweight, USCW Cruiserweight, Orlando Pro Wrestling and RIOT Cruiserweight Champion defeated Robert Von Achen at Orlando Pro Wrestling on 12/7 in the first round of the Toys for Tots Cup, then defeated Amber Nova in the semifinals, then lost to CT Brown in the final, but then bounced back as he defeated The Haitian Sensation at Conquer Pro Wrestling on 12/9.

#3: David Starr- “The Product” just continues to show that his star is rising (no pun intended) as he regained the wXw Shotgun Title over the weekend when he beat Chris Brookes, Da Mack, and Pete Dunne in Germany on 12/10 to win the title.

#2: Ashton Smith- The NEW Preston City Cruiserweight Champion gets his first ranking after beating Bubblegum on 12/9 to win the title. He then beat Cyanide by DQ at FutureShock Wrestling on 12/10 in the first round of the Trophy Tournament and then beat James Drake in the finals to win the tournament with a 3-0 record for the week.

#1: Joe Gacy- How important is the CZW World Title to the Indy Power Rankings’ official voters? Obviously, very important as it was Joe Gacy’s title victory alone that thrust him into his first #1 ranking this week. Gacy’s victory over Jonathan Gresham in what many would call an upset on 12/10 was the thing that finally gave Gacy his first World title, which of course led to this ranking.

Match of the Week: More Bang for Your Buck

Changing things up a little bit this week as I am posting this weekly post a little bit earlier then normal just to change things up and maybe to keep you guessing. The amount of matches that we as fans have to choose from is endless! (Unless your looking for the WWE) Hopeful fans can look at 2016 as a whole and say we are on the brink of another golden age for pro-wrestling and that we should all be very excited for 2017. I am not one of those people that will say that we could be nearing a golden age, but I do think we should be excited for 2017 after how good this year has been. The business seems to be shifting and changing little by little once again and companies need to change with it or be left behind, talent can help the companies change and these two teams have been at the forefront of the changes we have seen in the business this year:

Indy Power Rankings: December 5

Back again with our weekly edition of the Indy Power Rankings. For the full list visit: here.

#5: Cody Rhodes- While his excellent performance at ROH’s Final Battle does NOT count towards the Indy Power Rankings, his victory over El Ligero on 11/30 DOES count. He took the GFW NEX-GEN Championship to the UK where he beat Ligero for the WCPW Internet Title AND retained the GFW Title to both retain his title and add a new title to his collection.

#4: Jurn Simmons- The wXw Undisputed Wrestling Champion falls just one spot from last week after a very good week in wXw to continue his impressive run. On 12/2 he teamed with WALTER to defeat A4 (Absolute Andy & Marius Al-Ani) then beat Bad Bones John Klinger on 12/3 in a non-title match, and then beat Klinger again on 12/4 to retain the title to go 3-0 for the week.

3: Chris Brookes- The NEW wXw Shotgun Champion gets into the rankings this week after three straight victories for wXw. He beat Dave Crist on 12/2, then beat David Starr, Ilja Dragunov, and Dave Crist in a Four-Way on 12/3 to win the title, and then beat Dave Crist again to retain on 12/4 to go 3-0 for the week.

2: Drew Galloway- Last year’s #3 in the IPR 100 gets his highest ranking this year after a spectacular week in the UK. He is the NEW What Culture Pro Wrestling Champion after defeating Joseph Conners and Joe Hendry on 11/30 to win the title. He took that title and defended it successfully at BCW on 12/3 vs. Matt Hardy. There are reports that he scored two other wins, but we didn’t have those official results as of press time.

1: Tony Deppen- The TRUE Wrestling and NEW On Point Wrestling Champion gets his first-ever ranking, which just so happens to be a #1 ranking this week! He won the Masters of the Mat Tournament on 12/3 as he beat Steve Scott in the first round, then beat Gran Akuma in Round 2, and then beat Unbreakable Andy in the finals to win the tournament. As if that wasn’t enough, he defeated Joey Janela the same night to win the OPW Title to go 4-0 for the week.

Indy Power Rankings: November 28

#5: Nixon Newell: The British Wrestling Entertainment Women’s and What Culture Pro Women’s Champion teamed with Kay Lee Ray at Fight Club Pro on 11/25 to defeat Drew Parker & Lee Hunter, then with Kay Lee Ray at Pro Wrestling EVE jointly defeat Alex Windsor (double pin) then defeated Kay Lee Ray at Southside Wrestling Entertainment on 11/27, and then defeated Katey Harvey at Progress the same day to go 4-0 for the week.

#4: Bull Bronson: This underrated “Vader-like” talent gets his first official ranking this year after winning the 1-ton tournament at SWF on 11/25. He beat Danny Compass in the First Round, then beat Ray Waddell in the semifinals, and then beat Buzz Dupp in the finals to win the tournament to go 3-0 for the week.

#3: Jurn Simmons: This is the highest ranking ever for Jurn Simmons as the wXw Unified World Wrestling Champion, Southside Wrestling Entertainment Speed King, Preston City Wrestling Cruiserweight, Just Do Wrestling and Absolute Wrestling Champion defeated Dave Crist in the first round at the joint PCW/wXw/CZW/Beyond event on 11/25, then defeated T-Bone on 11/26 in the semifinals, and then defeated Dave Mastiff in the final to win the Wrestling World Championships Openweight Tournament to go 3-0 for the week.

#2: Pete Dunne- What a phenomenal year it’s been for Pete Dunne (and the UK wrestling scene as a whole) as he picks up yet another ranking this year. The Over the Top No Limits, Pro Wrestling Kingdom, FCP, VII Pro, Progress Tag Team and NEW Progress World Champion defeated Fabian Aichner and Marty Scurll at Over the Top Wrestling in Ireland on 11/26 to retain the title, then teamed with Trent Seven at Progress on 11/27 to defeat The London Riots (James Davis & Rob Lynch) and then defeated Jimmy Havoc, Trent Seven, Travis Banks, Matt Riddle, Sebastian and TK Cooper in a seven-way elimination match the same night to win the vacant title to go 3-0 for the week.

#1: At Fox: The Whole Foxin Show” has returned to the #1 spot in the Indy Power Rankings this week! The AAW Heritage Champion resumed his winning ways over the weekend as he beat Dezmond Xavier in the first round of the joint PCW/wXw/CZW/Beyond event on 11/25, then beat Da Mack in Round 2, and then defeated Bubblegum in the Finals to win the Wrestling World Championships Cruiserweight Tournament. This was surprisingly his first #1 ranking since 2013 when he racked up three #1 rankings in one year.

Indy Power Rankings: November 24

Trying something a little different this time around as I am putting the pictures in more of a display as oppose to just lining them down like I had done in the previous part of this "series." So now let's get to the Breakdown as brought to us by our favorite Indy wrestling site. Also for the full break down take a look at the site: https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/

Ethan Case: Last year around this time, Ethan Case celebrated a victory in the PWX X-16 Tournament which led to his first #1 ranking. This year…the X-16 leads to another solid ranking for Case as he is now 7-1 over the last two years in this tournament.

Rampage Brown: The former #1 is back in the Top 10 again as he mowed through the competition in the UK over the weekend. The Tidal Wrestling and PROGRESS Atlas Champion beat Chris Dickinson at PCW on 11/18, then beat Dave Rayne on 11/19, and then polished off the week with a win vs.

Su Yung: Despite being an amazing talent and one of the best female talents on the indies, Su Yung had never been ranked in the Indy Power Rankings prior to this week. Had it not been for Anthony Henry’s breakthrough week, Su Yung’s first ranking likely could have been a #1 ranking. That being said, she still gets a GREAT ranking as she ends up at #3 this week after an absolutely incredible week all over the U.S.

Joe Coffey: Hell of a week for Joe Coffey in the UK as he defeated Havok at Target Wrestling on 11/18, then beat Johnny Moss on 11/19, and then scored perhaps the biggest single victory of the weekend (and his career) when he defeated Kurt Angle at ICW on 11/20 to go 3-0 for the week. The only thing his weekend really lacked was some gold or a tournament victory.

Anthony Henry: For the second straight year, PWX’s X-16 Tournament produces the #1 ranking in the Indy Power Rankings. This time around…it’s Anthony Henry as he proved most predictions right and won the tournament for his first-ever #1 ranking. On 11/19 he defeated former IPR #1 Martin Stone in the first round, then beat Trevor Lee the next day in the Quarterfinals, then perennial #1 Zack Sabre Jr. in the Semi-Finals the same day, and then last year’s winner and former #1 Ethan Case in the Finals to go 4-0 for the week with the tournament victory.

Pro-Wrestling NOAH has been Sold

Now I will be honest I do have a wide variety of knowledge about the pro-wrestling business, but my international knowledge is weak at best so trying to explain the current wrestling picture in Japan wouldn't be very easy for me. But what I do is this, in the early part of the 2000's the US wasn't the only country that saw various new companies surface as following the passing of Giant Baba long time AJPW star Mitsharu Misawa would leave the company after disagreements with new management to begin his own company known as Pro-Wrestling NOAH. Unfortunately like in a lot of cases following the passing of Misawa the company hit some hard times and then things got worse when the companies biggest star KENTA would be stolen from them by the WWE.

Things got bad enough that competitor New Japan would actually invest in NOAH to help keep the company afloat and it wasn't just money but they also sent some talent to help the company as well. But recently the company has been sold to a Japanese IT company and though not much is known right now about the deal or what the future holds for NOAH; what can be said is that for right now New Japan is still invested in the company. Now to help better understand the history of Pro-Wrestling NOAH and maybe even a little about the current company I will turn things over to a video:

Indy Power Rankings: Week of November 14

As always I like to try new things on this site and just see what stick or what you guys and gals like the most and normally whatever that might be is what I stick with on the site. Which is why starting now Indy Wrestling will be getting a little bit more attention on the site and that will be accomplished using the Indy power rankings. Every week the folks over at https://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/ rank the top Indy Wrestlers in the world.

For the full list and much more: Click Here

#5: El Ligero

This former #1 gets back into the Top 10 after a very impressive 3-0 weekend in the UK. The 13-year veteran and current SWE Heavyweight and What Culture Pro Wrestling Internet Champion beat Marty Scurll at What Culture on 11/9 to retain the title, then teamed with Martin Kirby & Whitey at HOPE on 11/11 to defeat Craig Anderson & Hard Knocks Inc.

#4: Kongo Kong

“The Monsta” moves up from #6 to #4 this week after a clean sweep of the Midwest with a 4-0 record. The APWA Quadruple Crown Heavyweight, JCW Heavyweight, SSW Heavyweight, and XICW Proving Ground Champion beat JJ Garrett at IWA Mid-South on 11/10, then beat Aaron Williams at PWF on 11/11, then beat Mance Warner by DQ at IWA Mid-South on 11/12, and then teamed with Dre Jacobs at XICW on 11/13 to defeat The Monroes

#3: Will Ospreay

The former #1 and current RevPro British Cruiserweight Champion defended and retained that title on 11/10 with a win vs. Bushi and then followed that up with a HUGE non-title victory vs. Japanese Legend Jushin ‘Thunder Liger on 11/11 to go 2-0 for the week. VERY impressive week for Ospreay who is really looking to pad his IPR 100 stats as he has spent so much of the year working for New Japan which kept him ineligible for the Indy Power Rankings......

#2: Ethan Page

It was a VERY close call as to who was #2 and #3 this week, but in the end “All Ego” Ethan Page won out due to the strength of his victories combined with the prestige of the promotion where the wins took place. At EVOLVE on 11/12 he started his week off strong with a win vs. “the Technical Wizard” Zack Sabre Jr. and then followed that up with a victory at EVOLVE again as he defeated Chris Dickinson 11/13 for a 2-0 weekend record

#1 Katsuyori Shibata

While there was some amazing talent in (and even just missing out on) the Top 10 this week, Shibata made it impossible to make a strong debate at #1 for anyone else. Why? Well he beat TWO perennial #1’s in one weekend! On 11/10 he became the NEW RevPro British Heavyweight Champion when he defeated Zack Sabre Jr. at RevPro to win the title and then followed that up with another huge win vs. Chris Hero on 11/11 to retain the title for a 2-0 week.

So Far Back Sunday: NJPW Contract Updates

Streaming Service Expands Exposure for Indy Companies

Recently news broke that a new streaming service would be expanding the reach for certain independent companies who signed with the streaming service. One of the companies that didn't sign with the streaming service is Pro-Wrestling Guerrilla and they didn't for two reasons DVD sales and previous partnership. You see PWG is one of the companies that are a part of the Highspots.com On Demand service and that is where their PPV get streamed to those who can't be in Reseda. Also PWG is one of the few companies that have very good DVD sales still and even though the DVD market maybe fading overall it is strong as ever in PWG.

In the original report we found out that the company FloSports actually has the WWE as an Investor which makes this all the more interesting considering the rumors from a few weeks back about the WWE expanding the Network to include Indy Wrestling. This is not to say that Flo has covered all the bases as far as Indy wrestling they have just made it a lot harder for the WWE to appear unique by selling Indy wrestling to fans on the Network for an extra fee. It's worth noting that though WWE is a silent partner to FloSports they have no control over the day to day operations of the company and have zero influence over this deal due to their partner status.

The biggest change will come to the WWN Live owned properties and I chose an excerpt from an article to explain things further for me: "FloSports today announced a five-year partnership with World Wrestling Network Live (WWNLive) to make FloSlam.tv the exclusive worldwide streaming partner of all WWNLive properties, including EVOLVE, SHINE, Full Impact Pro and WWN Supershow. The agreement begins Friday, Nov. 4, with live coverage of SHINE 38 from Ybor City, Fla. There will be live coverage of approximately 60 events annually on FloSlam as part of this deal. “We’re excited to serve die-hard pro wrestling fans with live streams of some of the best independent promotions in the world,” FloSports co-founder and CEO Martin Floreani said. “This is a groundbreaking agreement that will take WWNLive to new heights.”
In addition to live coverage and replays of all future WWNLive promotions, FloSlam will host archives from all WWNLive events dating back to 2003 and will produce a series of original documentaries focusing on the lives and stories of the athletes who compete in pro wrestling events across the world."

Universal Wrestling Revolution: Helping Save Lives

Interacting with you all is one of the things that I very much love to do is talk to people or network with others on Twitter. I enjoy because I want to talk to you and help you the best I can, because I feel like I owe you a lot more then you might be aware which is the reason every now and again I would give the spotlight to a guest writer. Due to outside circumstances a guest writer hasn't had an opportunity to show their skills in far to long and with that being said I have chosen to change that with this. Recently I spoke with the folks over at Underground Revolution Wrestling about the company they are in the early stages off kicking off.

Basically the goal of the business is to give the kids somewhere to be that is positive and safe as opposed to somewhere dangerous and problematic. The reason I had to share this is because the younger generation is our future and we need to protect them and help them as best we can and that is exactly what they are doing at UWR so props to them for that. Below is a little detailed outlook of the company from one of the people in charge:

"We're not here to make money we're here for our love of professional wrestling. We want to make a difference to Gloucestershire and we want to give something back. Our goal is to run a professional wrestling academy and create engagement with the community. Growing up one of the biggest problems is having nothing to do, this leads from antisocial behavior to crime. This is where we come in, it's our mission make a difference and help youngsters embrace professional wrestling. This experience will help them grow and improve their lifestyle in a number of ways socially and physically. Our long term goal is to run the biggest wrestling promotion in Europe."

To find out more about this company check them out:
On Twitter: Here
Their Website: Here (Hasn't launched just yet)

This Day in Wrestling History: NWA 50 Year Anniversary

Though the National Wrestling Alliance may not carry as much weight now as it did back in the day but a 50 year anniversary for a promotion is big deal no matter the size or mainstream attention. I mean take a look at the card! Sure back in 1998 these names didn't carry much weight, but as the years went on a good number of names on this card saw their stocks rise tremendously. Within two years of this event almost to the date Kurt Angle would become the WWF World Champion which in my book is almost unprecedented. Back in 1998 the "Fallen Angel" was just another up and coming youngster on the Indies, but now Daniels in many ways is a legendary figure on the Indies and isn't letting up thus far.

Also how could you not want to praise a show that included someone named T.Rantula that is awesome!! But seriously take a look at the names on this card and even how of much attention their names brought at this point in time in particular names like Steven Regal and Stevie Richards who were two men that benefited big time from the wide success of pro-wrestling during this era. Now to the NWA I would like to wish them another successful and prosperous 50 years so they can reach 100 years.

Christopher Daniels & Kevin Quinn def. Ace Steel & Danny Dominion NWA Midwest Tag Team Titles (title change)
Primo Carnera III & TNT def. Lord Zeig & Patch
E. Z. Ryder def. Paul Atlas
Tre (c) draw (DCO) Inferno Kid, Ray Odyssey three-way NWA New England Cruiserweight Title
Steve Williams def. Andrew Martin, Babu, Barry Houston, Christopher Daniels, Devon Storm, Giant Silva, Glenn Kulka, Kurt Angle, Shawn Stasiak, Steve Corino, Teddy Hart, Tiger Ali Singh, Tom Prichard Battle Royale
Abdullah The Butcher def. T. Rantula
Mosh & Thrasher def. (DQ) Reno Riggins (c) & Steven Dunn (c) NWA North American Tag Team Titles
Ace Darling & Devon Storm def. Harley Lewis & Lupus
Erich Sbracchia & Knuckles Nelson def. Agent Gunn (c) & Agent Maxx (c), Khris Germany & Kit Carson, Tom Prichard & Tully Blanchard four-way tag NWA Tag Team Titles (title change)
Dan Severn (c) def. Steven Regal NWA World Heavyweight Title
Doug Gilbert & Lance Diamond & Rik Ratchet & Steve Corino def. (pin) Dead Man Walking & Pitbull #1 & Pitbull #2 & Stevie Richards (c) Steel Cage (4 on 4) NWA National Heavyweight Championship (title change)

So Far Back Sunday: Indy Wrestler Opens Collectibles Store

It was a few weeks ago when current CZW World Champion "Bulldozer" Matt Tremont opened "Bulldozer's Collectibles" which is a Pro Wrestling and Sports Memorabilia/ Collectibles store. The store is located inside Mike's Custom Airbrush inside the Berlin Farmers Market located at 41 Clementon Road in Berlin, NJ.

The store feature WWE figures both old & new -- CZW/ On Point Wrestling/ TNA/ ROH/ WWE & wrestling DVD's -- NFL/NBA/ and MLB Authentic Jerseys --- WWE apparel shirts and jerseys and other misc wrestling items. The store's hours of operation are listed below:

Hours of Operation:
Thursday: 10am -- 5:30pm
Friday & Saturday: 10am -- 8pm
Sunday: 10am -- 5:30pm

This Day in Wrestling History: 9/30/16

We are back again with I guess the birthday messages for some wrestlers this time around. Honestly this has been one of my favorite series to do every time, because I love to give the spotlight to random wrestlers from both the present and the past. So now like always I would like wish all those who have birthdays today a very Happy Birthday and very special wishes to those who will be featured below:

Happy Birthday Trevor Lee who turns 23 years old today

Happy Birthday Candice Michelle who turns 38 years old today

Adam "Pacman" Jones who turns 33 years old today

Ricochet Update

For months we have heard rumors upon rumors as to where one of the hottest free agents will be heading once he's free and clear go wherever he choses to go. Well at this point now Prince Puma has made his decision and after the big offer he was given by Lucha Underground and just the appeal of staying with New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Recently Ricochet let us know that 2017 will be a big year for him due to that fact that pretty much he made his decision and that he doesn't include the WWE. This means that one of the best junior heavyweights in the world will remain in the company that is by far the best company to be a junior weight.

At some point I did think that Ricochet would be heading to the WWE and had a special "opt out" per say due to him being a masked wrestler and having the normal Lucha No Compete clause that would've prevented him from joining any other company before the no compete clause expires. However, at this point it is official that Ricochet will be accepting the offer of Lucha and staying home. Though I don't know that much about Lucha Underground I do know that Ricochet is the "Face of the company" in my book due to the fact that I know the Prince Puma mask and I also know that he was the first Lucha Underground World Champion during Season 1 and I do know that was a long time ago at this point.

With the International star being the signings of choice for the WWE this year it just seemed likely that they could be targeting more of the same this year especially with the return of the cruiserweight division on Raw a few weeks ago. I think that the addition of Ricochet would've done wonders for the division, but it wasn't meant to be so it's time to move on. I think that seeing Ricochet remain in Lucha Underground/NJPW is the best place for him to do best display his talents and even though the perception of Indy talent has changed on a major level I still think that he could achieve more where he is then if he moved on so I happy to see he stayed where he was.

Random Indy Wrestling Video of the Day

With his recent return to the WWE it is time to say goodbye to another online Youtube series much like we had to for the Kevin Steen show when he signed on with NXT. Now that Curt Hawkins has returned to the WWE we must say goodbye to his Making Towns series on Youtube where he gave a behind the scenes look into the traveling and preparation he went through for his matches. Though it seems like it's been a while since he has posted a video I will still say that I liked the series and kinda wish he'd do it in the WWE, but they already have that series with Ride Along series. So here we go take a look a Curt Hawkins series "Making Towns"

Indy Match of the Week: Ricochet vs Louis Lyndon

I always used to call this company wrestling's best kept secret and now I believe that has changed because I haven't really focused much on this company since my days on Blogger three years ago. But for this week I will be spotlighting this company and a very good match between two amazingly gifted athletes in Ricochet and Louis Lyndon. I hope you enjoy:

Ricochet Future Update

This year has been an amazing year for pro-wrestling the fans being given a lot of sights that we never thought we'd see in our wildest dreams like AJ Styles as WWE World Champion, Zack Sabre Jr & Ibushi in a WWE ring, and Shinsuke Nakamura just to name a few of shocking moments we have seen this year. Now looking forward to next year as we wonder who will be a big signing and what dream matches we will see next year after such an incredible year we've had this year. For months we have heard rumors of the great Prince Puma aka Ricochet and were he will end up now that his contract with Lucha Underground has expired. By far the biggest rumors as to where Ricochet will end up and that is the WWE.

Now in many respects this would be a huge signing for the WWE and could help both brands especially the Raw brand after a long run down in NXT. Ricochet would absolutely be a great name to help the Cruiserweight division on Raw and give the division a credible name a likely a replacement for someone who may have been pulled up from the division by that time. This isn't my way of saying that Ricochet will make his presence felt in a WWE ring, but this is more so what could happen if Ricochet actually did make his way to the company. However, due to the his contract with Lucha Underground he will not be making his way anywhere on TV for at least a couple of months due to no-compete clause. I will also say that Ricochet may actually have caught his former employers on a technicality as he was a masked grappler in Lucha Underground and due to the fact that he will not be wearing a mask in his next employer thus technically being a different person.

A Farwell To An Icon

It seems like a never ending saga for Independent companies as pretty much every Indy company has had to restart with new talent. For the last seven years Johnny Gargano has been that name for Evolve/Dragon Gate USA he has been the man that the company was built around Gargano who was one of if not the longest reigning World Champion in DGUSA. I honestly don't know too much about Evolve as a company other than since the company was founded Johnny has been pretty much the "Face of the Franchise" per say.

However, for the last year or so "Johnny Wrestling" has been helping establish the NXT tag team division with his friend Tomasso Ciampa. I will talk about this more in an upcoming post, but it seems very likely that Johnny will be getting the call to the main roster to help with the cruiserweight division on Monday Night Raw. I have watched Johnny for years and seen him become one of the best in-ring workers in the wrestling world and for one am extremely happy for Johnny for getting this opportunity and seeing all of his hard work pay off.

Random Indy Wrestling Video of the Day

The biggest weekend of the summer came at the back end of the summer when the WWE took over Brooklyn and the Barclay's Center. But I think it's fair to say that not many fans realize how big this weekend was for not just the WWE but also wrestling as whole. Could it be any bigger of a coincidence that the other company that had a big week was seemingly the only company on good terms with the WWE, that company being Evolve. Because two former WWE names made their debuts with the company and the biggest feuds in the company continued to build forward. The debut of both Joey Styles and Cody Rhodes gave fans something to not just talk about, but also get excited about for the future. It is great to see that some companies other than the WWE are doing well for themselves. Plus they seem to be building up a pretty big match between Cody Rhodes and Drew Galloway and they will be building things up the right way. Don't believe me just take a look at the videos below:

Dusty Rhodes Knows Talent

Depending on how well received this post is I may bring this up as a new series for the site. Last year the wrestling world lost an Icon and a man that really knew talent which after being trained by one of the greatest wrestling minds in the history of wrestling in Eddie Graham. During his time behind the camera Dusty was credited with creating a lot of names and giving a lot of talent their big breaks. Even into his last years Dusty still gave everything to the talent of the future and to try give the talent of the future their big break.

However, there is no better way to start what could be a series centered around Dusty then to kick it off talking about one of his sons specifically the younger of the two that being Cody. See I have alluded to the idea of old school bookers really being more in favor of treating their company as serious as possible rather than as some form of entertainment which is probably the reason why a lot of old school bookers never worked modern WWE on the writing staff. Yes Paul Heyman worked on the team for a bit but remember when he did and what shows he wrote for. Also think about which brand of WWE that Dusty helped most with that being NXT down in Orlando, FL.

Recently, Cody spoke about a conversation he had with his father a few years ago and shockingly Cody went on record saying his father wanted him to leave the WWE 4 years ago when he was feuding with Big Show. Dusty told his son that basically management wasn't booking him in the right direction and was making person who could be given the keys to the kingdom look to weak and that if he left then that might wake them up to the mistakes they were making in booking certain talents not just Cody. Now I know that some will say that Dusty was being biased because it was his son and if it was up to him then Cody would've been World Champion. To that criticism I say that would have been a great thing because when Cody was feuding with Big Show he was in his "Dashing" Cody Rhodes phase which I think was one of the best if not the best point of his career in the WWE and he would've made a great champion for Smackdown and given WWE a new star. So what if its his son that doesn't change the amount of talent that Cody has both on the microphone and in the ring, but WWE wasted that talent and instead gave him a gimmick that made him look like a cheap knock off of his brother.

Long story short Cody did end up taking Dusty's advice and now Cody Rhodes has become one of the hottest free agents on the Independent Circuit and giving us small glimpses of what we could have seen from him in WWE if he was given the chance. I guess the old saying is true here to "You Don't know what you got till it's gone" unless your Dusty Rhodes, because Dusty knows talent!

This Day in Wrestling History: 8/31/16

For the last 14 years one tournament has given us some of the most violent matches and moments on the Independent circuit. Now I know that most fans are or have been very critical of death-match wrestling and Combat Zone Wrestling in general, but it is still worth honoring them in my book. On this day 14 years ago live from Dover, Delaware CZW ran the first ever Tournament of Death for the fans. If you don't already know the tournament of death concept didn't begin in 1999 when the company was founded as the first tournament was held 3 years after the company began in 2002. I am aware that most fans don't believe that a lot of death match wrestlers aren't considered actual wrestlers because they don't wrestle, well last time I checked being a brawler is a style of pro-wrestling so they are all considered wrestlers.

The other thing is that this was just the start of things to come for the Combat Zone and this tournament absolutely would set the tone for the next 14 years for one of the more highly anticipated independent wrestling tournaments on a yearly basis. Below is a highlight video of the original tournament as well as the card that was held on that day:

CZW Tournament of Death

Zandig def. Nate Hatred "Barbed Wire Boards"
The Arsenal & The Green Phantom def. Hardcore Ninja #1 & Hardcore Ninja #2
Wifebeater def. Necro Butcher Falls count anywhere "Staple Gun & Mousetraps"
Nick Gage def. Toby Klein "Barbed Wire Boards & Wooden Strips with Nails"
Nick Mondo def. Homeless Jimmy Weapons Match
The Backseat Boyz def. Derek Frazier & Sonjay Dutt, Eric Tuttle & Jon Dahmer, Chri$ Ca$h & G. Q."Scramble Cage" (4-way tag)
7Ruckusdef.Justice Pain, Nick Berkthree-way
8Wifebeaterdef.Nick Gage"Panes of Glass"
9Nick Mondodef.The Messiahfans bring the weapons
10Wifebeaterdef.Nick Mondo"200 Light Tubes, Barbed Wire & Salt"

This Day in Wrestling History: 8/29/16

Okay so this might be the toughest This Day in Wrestling that I have done, because for one I actually have some emotional investment into this post for the first time from what I remember. The emotional investment I have in today's post because I have actually researched the events that lead to the event that we will be "honoring." For this post will be taking the wrestling time machine back to the year 1988 specifically the summer of 1988 as this day 28 years ago AJPW held the Bruiser Brody Memorial Show to honor their fallen ally.

Now I will not go into much detail about the events that lead to the Bruiser Brody Memorial show as it should be something that is either told by someone who was there or researched by an interested party. Let's just say on July 17, 1988 the man named Bruiser was working down in Puerto Rico for the WWC and was preparing for a the nights event. Look though I didn't know Brody it is still very tough for me to talk about this without getting angry or frustrated so I will just say a backstage altercation with another wrestler got serious. This event that was held on August 29, 1988 proves shows the lasting legacy that Brody left on the industry and that people believed the old saying about him which was "Brody worked with those who worked him." Below is the card from that night as well as a video with Tony Atlas detailing the events of July 17:

AJPW Bruiser Brody Memorial Show

Mitsuo Momotadef. (pin) Tsuyoshi Kikuchi
Isao Takagidef. (pin) Katsumi Kitamura
Isamu Teranishi & Mighty Inoue def. (DQ) Haruka Eigen & Motoshi Okuma
Toshiaki Kawada & Yoshinari Ogawa def. (pin) Kenta Kobashi & Masanobu Fuchi
Akira Taue & Shinichi Nakano def. Rocky Iaukea & The V
The Great Kabuki def. Goro Tsurumi
Hiroshi Wajima & Takashi Ishikawa def. (pin) Jerry Oates & Tom Zenk
Jimmy Snuka & Johnny Ace def. (pin) Shinichi Nakano & Tiger Mask II
Giant Baba def. (pin) Rusher Kimura
Stan Hansen def. (DQ) Abdullah The Butcher
Ashura Hara & Genichiro Tenryu def. (pin) Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu

Random Indy Wrestling Video of the Day

Though I seemingly have been one who has a very old school view on the wrestling business much the older bookers for those who may not know what that exactly means well it means certain people value the competition of over entertainment and that wrestling should be treated as real as possible and respected. But I will admit that my ideology on that subject has soften a little because of the outlook of professional wrestling 2016 especially with what seems to be successful in the modern era. So now it seems fitting to take a look at where in my book the best comedy comes from and that is on the Indies:

Matches Matches and More Matches

This isn't a return but more bringing back something from the past, because as you guys and gals all know I love doing different series and spotlighting a variety of different talent and just about anyone who may be worth sharing with you all. So let's get to the focus of the post and change things around and let's focus on the videos instead of me writing again:

Scouting Report: Chuck Taylor

Chuck Taylor is probably one of the most entertaining Wrestlers on the Indy Scene today. He has amazing chemistry with The Colony in Chikara the spot with the Grenade is awesome and the fact they sell it so good is even better. Chuck like a lot of other indy stars have competed in numerous different companies from PWG, Evolve, Chikara, DG USA, CZW & others. Also throught his career Chuck has had a long standing feud with current fellow DG USA superstar Ricochet.

Chuck has become a top star in every company he has competed in but never has came through the door at the WWE, ROH, or TNA and yet is still a widely known and well regarded talent by those who know him and have seen him compete in the ring. From his girlish screams to some of his best matches to him stomping in the corner then stomping the air in the middle of the ring; I can honestly say in my 18 years of watching this sport I have never once seen a man like Chuck Taylor ever before. For that reason and many more I am a big fan of Chuck Taylor's.

Below is a Tribute to Chuckie T or maybe think of it as a video highlighting how good he is & a match:

Match of the Week: Johnny Gargano vs Chris Sabin

One of the newest signings for WWE for the developmental roster has been one of the best wrestlers on the Independent circuit and has in many ways been one of the most improved wrestlers seemingly every year. The man that some call just "Johnny Wrestling" aka Johnny Gargano who with Thomasso Ciampa has been taking NXT and the WWE universe by storm. I have been a big fan of Johnny's for a very long time and it seems like every time I see Johnny in the ring he gets better then the last time I saw him in the ring.

Now I will say Chris Sabin is no slouch in the ring as he is a legend within the ranks of the TNA X-Division holding the title over 6 different times during his stay with the company. Sabin I think has really done better since his return to the Indies and even though this match took place over a year ago still the point is that this match will be a good one and is one worth watching.

Lucha Underground Season 4 Update

From being a circus to being a cluster you know what things seem to be settling down for Lucha Underground as far as getting things straight with new seasons starting and stopping and the taping schedules as such. With Season 3 now in the rear view mirror and the eyes now being set on the start on the new season which maybe starting before the end of the year. At this point the likeliness of the new season kicking off prior to the end of the year I would probably say is 50-50 but we shall know for sure later on this year until then we'd just have go with the likelihood of it happening early next year.

Now though with Season 3 behind us this means that one of the top names and familiar faces for the company will be hitting the road as Season 3 was the end of Ricochet's stay with Lucha Underground as he will not be returning to the company when Season comes upon and will likely be heading to the WWE sometime early next year. However, that is saying that nothing changes for him or with interest on either side between then and now which though isn't likely is still very possible.

In my opinion I look back at how things were for the company at the end of last year when basically every other week it seemed like something different was going wrong for them and compare it to now where we hear pretty much only good things and seemingly a lot of praise for the company it's like a tale of two cities. I for one am very happy and hope that with Ricochet likely not returning to the company next season that we then see someone gain an opportunity to either take his spot or just get a chance to be on national television with Lucha Underground.

A Story Worth Sharing

I know I have done this before where I find stories on random sites on the internet and proceed to share them with all of you, but this one is different. The reason for the difference is that I will let the story to the talking not me. As this is a touchy subject and I would rather give the spotlight to this story, because it's one that everyone should share and be aware of. A big thank you to Mia Yim for having what it took to stand up and tell her story for the sake of helping other that takes guts:

"As a female professional wrestler, I understand the pressure female athletes feel to serve as role models to other women by being strong and letting them know that they can shatter any glass ceiling. (Note to women reading this: Yes, you can!)

But being a “victim” doesn’t seem to fit into the narrative of being a strong woman. When people see me, they see a muscular woman who wrestles both men and women. They think that I can surely take care of myself—and kick ass—if a man ever tried to raise a hand to me.
The reality is that I was a victim of domestic violence, and for so long I felt pressured to be silent around my own abuse, allowing it to continue behind closed doors.
Not only was I embarrassed by what was happening, I stayed silent because I didn’t want to be known as a victim. In order to be a top female wrestler, I needed to be perceived as a strong woman, not a victim. Besides, I was working with World Wrestling Entertainment’s (WWE) NXT program, and my ex and I were both working with TNA Impact Wrestling at the time, so I felt I had to protect both of our careers."
"That’s why silence seemed like the best option. But I know now that silence allows the issue of domestic violence to thrive although the statistics are loud and clear: 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime.
I never had a black eye, but whenever my ex didn’t like something I said or did, he would choke me. Eventually, I realized that his mindset was “because I’m not leaving a mark on you, it’s OK.”"
"I was recounting this experience with Brian Pacheco of Safe Horizon, an organization that helps victims and is trying to change the way we talk about domestic violence, who informed me how much danger I was really in. He told me that strangulation can be a significant predictor for future, often lethal violence. I was stunned to learn this.
Subscribe to the Motto newsletter for advice worth sharing.
Looking back, had I stayed, I wonder if I would still be here today."

For the full story: http://motto.time.com/4439994/domestic-violence-pro-wrestling/

Will Osprey offered a contract with Evolve

If you have lived under a rock for the last year or so then you have missed the International ascension of the youngster himself Will Osprey. To give a little background on Will this kid was able to make his way to Japan for the first time at the ripe age of 21 years old. Also if you have forgotten then I will remind you recently Will was over in Japan and he went one on one with Ricochet and this match went borderline viral. It went so noticed that legends like Vader, Jim Cornette, and others.

Now onto the real news recently Paul Heyman took a trip to the United Kingdom for a one man show and though the years have gone by Paul still has ear on the Indies and is aware of what is going on and who the top names are. During the show Paul talked about all things from the early part of his career to ECW to WWE to anything outside of the company to just the business in general. Also during the show Paul Heyman acknowledged the presence of both Will Osprey and Marty Scrull who were both in the front row.

Now to set things up about 18 years ago the current owner of Evolve and head booker of Dragon Gate USA Gabe Sapolsky was actually trained/learned from the former owner of Extreme Championship Wrestling Paul Heyman. Back in the day Paul was taught by the legendary booker Kevin Sullivan which could explain his rather extreme style. But this is really just a normal thing that we have seen in the wrestling industry over the years, but the only thing I will mention is that as far as public knowledge Paul never really mentioned the fact that he trained and was still in touch with Gabe. Well I don't really want to say to much as I will let the video do the talking.

Note:
Not too long after this video was made public did the news break that Will Osprey had actually signed an exclusive contract with Evolve and will be working with the company as now he will be able to make his name in the US like he has done in the other parts of the world. As of this writing I will say that even with his contract set with Evolve he will still be allowed to work with New Japan and PWG even with the contract. Now onto the video:

This Day in Wrestling History: 7/25/16

Though as of this writing the company maybe dormant today is still cause for celebration as this would've been the 7 year anniversary of Dragon Gate USA if the company were still active. Even though the company only had a few successful years as a solo company stateside before joining forces with Evolve and becoming the first members of the WWN Live family back in 2012 or 2013. Also considering the short time that the company was actually together they were still able to make a lot of talent into international superstars for example just look Apollo Crews or the man formerly known as Uhaa Nation or Tozawa who are both two who honed their craft with DGUSA. Need more evidence check out their first show stateside which was held 7 years ago today in the 2300 arena in South Philly:

YAMATO def. (pin) BxB Hulk
2 Cold Scorpio def. (pin) Ken Doane
Fire Ant & Jigsaw & Mike Quackenbush & Soldier Ant def. (pin) Amasis & Gran Akuma & Hallowicked & Icarus17:238-person tag****
Dragon Kid def. (pin) Masato Yoshino13:26 ***¾
Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson def. (pin) CIMA & Susumu Yokosuka17:31 ****¼
Naruki Doi (c) def. (pin) Shingo Takagi Dragon Gate Open The Dream Gate Championship

Random Indy Wrestling Video of the Day

It feels like it's been a long time since the last time I actually hunted the inter-webs for a random wrestling video to spotlight indy wrestling. I found it and the funny thing is that it's been right in front of me. At this point I think every wrestling fan knows or has heard of What Culture and their Youtube channel. But not everyone knows that What Culture has actually began their own wrestling company known as What Culture Pro-Wrestling.

Battle of Los Angeles Update

Every year PWG pulls out all the stops for one of their biggest shows of the year and that is the tournament that happens every September particularly in the first weekend of the month. This year is absolutely no different and in my book is one of the biggest events in the history of this company as they have some of the biggest names in the business on the Independent circuit today. They have an awesome mix of new talent and legends as well as Indy wrestling veterans such as Jushin Liger, Matthew Riddle, and Sami Callihan just to name a few.

By far I will say that in my opinion that the biggest name of the list of confirmed names for this years Battle of Los Angels event is none other than the former WWE Superstar Hornswoggle. Just kidding the real name was the first person announced for the tournament and that my friends is Cody Rhodes. The Battle of Los Angeles will be Cody Rhodes.... PWG Debut!!! Also if that wasn't enough you will get the opportunity to bear witness to quite a contest as the first tournament match has been announced and that featured below:

Retro Fight Network Match

Last year it was an unprecedented few months because a variety of Indy companies would end up landing National TV deals two of those companies were PPW and House of Hardcore. PPW is still the other pro-wrestling company on POP TV with TNA. However, House of Hardcore was only on The Fight Network for a little over month leading into their first International show north of the boarder in Canada. HOH was lucky enough to land a TV deal on a National TV company to help promote their upcoming events which at that time were HOH 9 & 10 on July 18 and July 19.

With wrestling returning to the Fight Network later this month I figured it be fitting to take a trip back in time to when House of Hardcore was on The Fight Network building up to their major event in Toronto last July. Now with a new company finding a home on the channel I figured honoring the Network's past. As I always say Indy wrestling deserves attention to because you never know where the next big star may come from in the wild and crazy world of pro-wrestling.

Catch WrestleCentre live on the Fight Network next Monday Night at 11pm check your local listings for more info!!

This is was the show that they were building to during their run last summer on The Fight Network. Look in the bottom left you have the Fight Network logo.

Ricochet To Finish With Lucha Underground

For the most part of the year there have been heavy rumors have been polluting the internet dirt sheetsas the WWE seems to have interest in the top talent on the Indies. They scored big at the beginning of year signing Anderson, Gallows, AJ Styles, & Nakamura from New-Japan. Since the end of the first season it seems that the WWE has had interest in a variety of names from Lucha Underground including one name in particular who has had a lot of rumors attached to his name recently with contract talks.

Over the last few years a wide variety of names of seen their popularity skyrocket on the Indies due to the internet and extreme success across the Pacific in NJPW like that the likes of ReDragon, Ricochet, Kenny Omega, Michael Elgin, and others. Due in part to his success in both PWG & NJPW when Lucha came calling he refused to sign an exclusive contract when the company began signing people which is one of the reasons why they chose to put Ricochet under a mask in my opinion at least. In his career thus far Ricochet/Prince Puma has held a championship in every company he has been a part of and he still is very young that he has a long time left in his career as long as he continues to evolve.

Unfortunately for WWE fans they may not have the pleasure to see Ricochet join his predecessors in a WWE/NXT ring until early next year due to his contractual agreement with Lucha Underground. As of right now the last time you will see him on a Lucha Underground episode will likely be either late summer or some time in the fall, and due to the no-compete clause he will not be able to show up on a competitors program for 6 months following all taped footage aired. However, due to the fact that he wears a mask in Lucha Underground he may have caught the company on a technicality and maybe able to appear in the WWE sooner. Though right now nothing is confirmed many due suspect that he will end up in the WWE/NXT before this time next year.

A Tribute to a Modern Hardcore Legend

Recently a true independent wrestling legend made the decision to hang up the boots after a long career in the ring. That man is named Dylan Gettings better known to wrestling fans all over the world as the Nerco Butcher. Starting in 1998 the Nerco Butcher began his career in pro-wrestling with Insane Hardcore Wrestling. In my book Nerco could be considered the modern day Mick Foley as every time he went out to the ring he was willing to put his body on the line no matter the risk just for the pleasure of the fans. Now with his last match behind him and a successful career in the rear view mirror I can say this on be half of wrestling fans every where thank Nerco for all the risks you took, and injuries you sustained for our entertainment you have our utmost respect and gratitude for what you did in the ring.

"For many, Necro Butcher has served as the truest distillation and representation of the death match boom of the mid 2000s, and perhaps one of the few who actually had some appeal and notoriety outside of those circles. I have always felt a kinship in some way to him, because in my eyes Necro always viewed and treated professional wrestling in the same way that Fugazi treated music. I’ve often said it in a joking fashion on twitter and in articles, but I think The Necro Butcher is the truest and most brilliant artist in professional wrestling. I will be sad to watch and think about wrestling knowing that Necro Butcher won’t be a part of it moving forward, because Necro was as forward thinking and dedicated to his profession and what he created as anyone in the wrestling business.

This generation of indie wrestler is in a lot of ways in a liminal space in regards to wrestling history. While the wrestlers who have come before viewed wrestling almost purely through a commercial lens, the current crop of indie stars have often created friction by viewing wrestling as an artform to be explored, caring deeply about the match quality. The Young Bucks are a great example, who often tweet and talk about how they willfully ignore the advice of their wrestling forefathers. While I think the Young Bucks are being truthful and earnest when they say this, I also think this brash, punkish affectation has in a way become a gimmick that the Young Bucks have consciously monetized."

Urban Wrestling Federation Revived

The previously inactive or at least the company who feel off after gaining some traction on the indies. Urban Wrestling Federation the first company to combine the rap game and pro-wrestling and the company was founded by a former ECW employee whose name does escape me. Now I will get to the news as the revived company will be using previsously filed content to produce monthly PPVs. The site reports that the revived PPV's are something of a retelling of the promotions original angles with re-edited matches and previously unaired pre and post-match vignettes and footage that were filmed back during the original PPVs in order to ehnace the characterizations and storylines.

The next PPV for the company will be "Hood Killa" and will debut in July live on PPV and satellite, with a main event of Ricky Reyes vs Slyck Wagner Brown. The companies first PPV is already available on other providers and will debut on DirecTV along with "Hood Killa" next month. Other then the next show their really isn't much else known about the company or any other upcoming plans that the company may have. But I will say this that their are rumors for the company to film more original content but like I mentioned not much else is known and the best way to put a cap on this is by saying we have to wait and see what happens.

Independent Company Gains TV Deal

Canadian wrestling promotion WrestleCentre has officially signed a new global TV with the Fight Network. The company has been given a one hour weekly time slot on the channel and they will be seen all over the US, Canada, and in over thirty countries in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The Fight Network in my book is becoming known for giving wrestling companies a chance as they gave House of Hardcore a short run on the channel last summer. Now a little background on WrestleCentre, the company has been in business since 2014 and is based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The show will be called WrestleCentre Voltage, the premiere episode will air on July 19th and run Wednesdays at 9 AM ET in Canada as part of Fight Network's Tuesday professional wrestling block that includes TNA Impact Wrestling as well. A special edition of the show will premiere on July 14th at 11:30 PM ET leading into the series the following week. The special episode will have a run time of an hour and half.

Blog of the Week: 10 Wrestling Matches that Turned Real

Here we once again with an old series, I am not sure that this is the return of the once prominent series for the site or just a one off return and then coming back every now and again like So Far Back Sunday and other past series from the site.

"Sure we all know the deal about pro wrestling. The cat was let out of the bag a long time ago. Yet even sometimes the match planned in the back has taken a serious detour in the ring. Here is a look at ten instances when the “fake” pro wrestling got very real inside of the ring.

Nobody is trying to insult anyone’s intelligence here with pro wrestling. It’s a work and that has been documented long enough. But what happens when one wrestler isn’t playing ball with the other? What happened was chaos, unpredictability, intensity, and even fear when a planned match turns shoot. You want to see fear in a pro wrestler’s eyes? Wait until that wrestler realizes his opponent isn’t pulling punches and you will see some of the biggest, meanest, and intimidating individuals change their body language immediately.

I thought it would be fun to take a look back at ten matches where one wrestler or promoter went into business for themselves. It doesn’t happen often in this era of pro wrestling, but there have been plenty of rogue wrestlers in the past who were interested in embarrassing, double crossing, or hurting their opponent inside of the ring. Here are ten famous and some not so famous worked matches turned shoots in pro wrestling history."

This match is legendary for the swerve that Brody pulled on Luger and Luger’s reaction. The match took place in Florida right before Lex jumped to Jim Crockett Promotions. Brody didn’t sell a thing for Luger who was locked in a cage with the mad man. Luger thought that Brody had a problem with him but that wasn't the case at all as apparently Brody just had a problem with the promoter in Florida and no heat with Luger.

Ed Lewis

Henri DeGlane

For wrestling fans like me who follow history, this match is also legendary. The match took place in 1931 so the only evidence of the story is word of mouth. DeGlane was a 1924 Olympic gold medalist and a big star in Montreal. Lewis was coming in as defending world champion and expected to win the best of three falls match. During this era wrestlers would go back to the locker room between falls. As legend goes DeGlane bit himself in the locker room between the second and third fall near his armpit and drew blood. He came back to the match with his arm covered. As the third fall began DeGlane grabbed a headlock and brought Lewis out the middle of the ring. DeGlane dropped to the mat and started screaming, revealing the blood to the referee. Seeing teeth marks, the referee disqualified Lewis and awarded the world title to DeGlane in what was probably the biggest swerve in the history of the wrestling business. According to legend Lewis was so irate that he went after the promoter in the locker room but was stopped by several bodyguards, none named Shane.