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| Beware flying goats Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein |
Promotion: Various indie promotions around North America
What Happened in 2013: Where to start, where to start. EVOLVE crowned its first Champion (AR Fox), while Johnny Gargano STILL hasn't lost the Open the Freedom Gate Championship. He also turned heel in the process, as most long-reigning babyface Champions tend to do. The wrestling world outside of North Carolina discovered Chiva Kid, but Chiva Kid didn't want to be known as a wrestling goat anymore. He shed his skin and started getting bookings around the country, in Dragon Gate USA included, as Andrew Everett.
In Ohio, #NIXON's invasion of AIW garnered them the Absolute Championship, but after Eric Ryan lost the title to Ethan Page, the group sputtered towards its natural end, at Hell on Earth, with Bobby Beverly defecting to seal the group's fate. As for Page, he won the JT Lightning Memorial Tournament and the Absolute Championship, thanks to a gambit using his girlfriend Seleziya Sparx as controversial bait. OF course, his cockiness gave way to comeuppance as UltraMantis Black defeated him for the title in his first appearance in the company.
Shane Hollister reigned most of the year in AAW, only to be stopped by a barnstorming Kevin Steen, while Southern Illinois saw the rise of a new breed of superstars in Matt Cage, Christian Rose, and Alex Castle. Jeremy Wyatt wrestled everyone and anyone in Kansas City, Kyle Matthews ran in some familiar ruts in the South, and Luke Hawx and Matt Hardy brawled all around the country against each other.
The stars of New Japan invaded Texas for a weekend in October, but if that incursion was the only time one would have checked out the Lone Star State, they would have missed out. Central Texas boomed with several worthy promotions growing and cultivating a viable scene. With the shakeup in the National Wrestling Alliance, the oldest governing body in the art settled in the Austin/San Antonio/Houston area, with promotions like NWA Houston and Branded Outlaw Wrestling reaping the rewards.
Of course, Anarchy Championship Wrestling held serve during the year. Despite losing Rachel Summerlyn for various reasons, the 2012's Promotion of the Year kept strong centering around the Submission Squad, new additions to the American Joshis, a reign of terror by the Business, and ACH ascending to the role of national phenomenon/marquee match performer. Maybe the most intriguing addition to the scene, however, was Inspire Pro Wrestling, which started strong trying to add a more positive influence in both Texas and indie wrestling in America in general.
Three great promotions closed: Rampage Pro Wrestling, Connecticut Wrestling Entertainment, and Metro Pro Wrestling. The last of those, however, was later announced as being part of a new nationwide televised governing body headed up by Championship Wrestling from Hollywood head bee guy David Marquez, whose problems with the other governing body, the NWA, are very well-documented. If they return in 2014, they will join Hollywood, Championship Wrestling from Arizona, Traditional Championship Wrestling, New York Wrestling Connection, and five other promotions in the Unified Wrestling TV network.
But not all the wrestling has been happening via traditional means. Chuck Taylor has innovated the field of Instagram video-length matches with the implementation of the 24/7 Hardcore Championship. Title changes have been as varied and imaginative as anything else in wrestling this year.
2013 MVP: I find giving one singular MVP to an entire scene difficult, because so many different wrestlers mean so many things to so many regions. I'll give out a few. First one goes to Drake Younger. He built a legend in the death match arena further east, but in a move made out of self-preservation, he gave up the gross violence and branched out. He also moved out to California and galvanized an underrated Northern California scene.
The second MVP I want to give would go to Andrew Everett. North Carolina has been in a lot of fans' blind spots before this year. Lord knows I've paid scant little attention to the Tar Heel State, at least not enough on the level of what it deserves. His performance at National Pro Wrestling Day (as Chiva Kid) put a lot of eyes on CWF Mid-Atlantic, and allowed other promotions in the state, including Premiere Wrestling Xperience, to get some exposure as well. He's also been killing anywhere he's gone, including DGUSA, AIW, and Combat Zone Wrestling (a company I'll look more closely at later on).
Finally, Chuck Taylor gets my final MVP handout because he actually innovated. The 24/7 Championship has been one of the most fun things to burst on the scene, and it has combined both classic wrestling threads with some avant garde (for wrestling, of course) strains to create perhaps the most buzzworthy Championship in all of wrestling, if not the most prestigious.
What's Going to Happen in 2014: Chris Hero coming back to the indies changes everything. He's seemingly made his bed outside of Ring of Honor, which is good news for the scene at large. Signing a contract makes sense for any wrestler looking to lock up with a company that employs them every week. Because Ring of Honor's schedule is more sporadic in terms of pure appearances, I don't know why anyone would chain themselves to such a restrictive company. Hero is going to be a huge draw for any company, whether on Internet pay-per-view, on home video, or at the gate.
Kevin Steen also seemingly begun a trend barnstorming across the Midwest at the end of this year. He's already been a regular in Canadian promotions and in PWX, but him going to the big Midwestern promotions like AIW and AAW not only will raise their stocks, but he might entice other big time wrestlers to visit America's heartland.
The biggest wild card, however, seems to be the Unified Wrestling TV network. The idea is ambitious, and I'm not sure it's a network that is going to take off right away. However, if Metro Pro is brought back through this network, then the body has three known quantities (along with NYWC and CWF Hollywood) to prop the entire body up. If this alliance can lead to wrestling growing in places like Utah, Arkansas, and Arizona, then it will be a net win. However, I'm not entirely sure this idea will come together until 2015.
Five Wrestlers to Watch in 2014:UltraMantis Black - Mantis is about as entrenched in Chikara folklore as any wrestler, but he made a bold step out by not only going to AIW, but winning their top Championship in his first match there. With Chikara's future in doubt, Mantis becomes a logical choice to step out and grow his cult following outside of the Chikaraverse. AIW, for all its faults, is a hype machine, and if Mantis becomes a regular there, he could end up growing in stature in fans of indie wrestling around the country.
Ricky Starks - You might know him best as the guy Ryback dumped food upon on that episode of RAW earlier this year, but by the end of 2014, he might be known better as the next breakout star from Texas. He's got mad ups and a decent amount of charisma. He'll get his reps in ACW, but I get the feeling that as Inspire Pro Wrestling grows, it will be on the back of Starks.
Fred Yehi - Yehi came to my attention in 2012, but he also developed a rep for being insular, easily homesick, and a bit flaky. He's seemed to have overcome those stumbling blocks a bit. If he gets more and more comfortable traveling, he'll surely be a great fit in several promotions around the country. Imagine him in North Carolina, Full Impact Pro, or even in some of the Northeast promotions. He'd tear down the house.
Heidi Lovelace - Lovelace has become the go-to woman wrestler in the Midwest, holding court in the various Wrestlings Are, AAW, Southern Illinois, and Tennessee. While the ass-kicking she took at National Pro Wrestling Day made me and a few other observers a bit squeamish, she at least proved that she's great at working underneath and taking on the mantel of the underdog. She's also got a great chance at being the one to normalize intergender wrestling in the Midwest because of her size disadvantage to most wrestlers and the ease at which she adopts the underdog fire.
Timothy Thatcher - If anyone can benefit most from Drake Younger making Northern California his new home, it'll be Thatcher. He's one of the best mat wrestlers, and he's been able to acclimatize several opponents into his style without overpowering their own. He's made his way down south in the state, and if he can make it into CWF Hollywood on regular basis or even in PWG, he'll blow up, guaranteed.
Three Things I Want to See Happen in 2014:1 – Unified Wrestling TV playing a part in National Pro Wrestling Day - Last year, NPWD opened up promotions like International Wrestling Cartel, CWF Mid-Atlantic, and CTWE to the rest of the country. Metro Pro and NYWC, two companies part of this new Unified Wrestling TV network, also took part in the festivities. NPWD is about celebrating pro wrestling, and what better way to celebrate the art than by giving locals from promotions that might not be as exposed. If I were Mike Quackenbush and David Marquez, I'd be blowing up each other's phone lines and getting the affiliates spots on the show along with companies like Wrestling Is Fun!, Beyond Wrestling, and Combat Zone Wrestling.
2 – New markets opening up - Wherever people are living in North America, pro wrestling seems to exist on a local level. However, for as many promotions exist in America, I'm still baffled as to why certain markets don't have stronger presences around the country. Granted, a ton of major cities have strong wrestling presences that promote and distribute either via YouTube or DVD sales. However, some areas that I'd think should have big wrestling scenes don't seem to have them.
For example, Denver produced Vader and Bison Smith, and is the hub city in the Rocky Mountains. Why doesn't it have a more visible scene? Seattle is lumped between two strong wrestling areas in Oregon and British Columbia, and as last night's RAW proved, it can be a red hot town for mainstream stuff at least. However, it doesn't have a major promotion. West Texas has Dory Funk still training people for crying out loud. What about Mississippi? Winnipeg? DC? Richmond? Granted, the embarrassment of riches that comprises the indie scene in North America is about as strong as ever, and I might seem a bit greedy, but at the same time, I think everyone who lives near a major hub in America deserves to have a strong, well-run independent promotion to go to once or more a month.
3 – More content on YouTube - More and more content, whether via fancam or official promoter release, is ending up on YouTube, which is the most excellent development in wrestling, period. For as many promotions who rely on DVD and other home video sales to supplement their income, at least five other promotions are out there who thrive on local, strong gates. Still other promotions have local television. Any promotion that has TV in their home area has no excuse not to put their weekly show on YouTube for free. Other companies that aren't putting together well-produced content for distribution on Sorgatron, Highspots, or Smart Mark would be doing their wrestlers a major disservice by not putting their names out there for viewing at least. The worst thing that would happen would be the videos not getting any hits, which is a pretty safe low point to land at.
What Happened in 2013: Where to start, where to start. EVOLVE crowned its first Champion (AR Fox), while Johnny Gargano STILL hasn't lost the Open the Freedom Gate Championship. He also turned heel in the process, as most long-reigning babyface Champions tend to do. The wrestling world outside of North Carolina discovered Chiva Kid, but Chiva Kid didn't want to be known as a wrestling goat anymore. He shed his skin and started getting bookings around the country, in Dragon Gate USA included, as Andrew Everett.
In Ohio, #NIXON's invasion of AIW garnered them the Absolute Championship, but after Eric Ryan lost the title to Ethan Page, the group sputtered towards its natural end, at Hell on Earth, with Bobby Beverly defecting to seal the group's fate. As for Page, he won the JT Lightning Memorial Tournament and the Absolute Championship, thanks to a gambit using his girlfriend Seleziya Sparx as controversial bait. OF course, his cockiness gave way to comeuppance as UltraMantis Black defeated him for the title in his first appearance in the company.
Shane Hollister reigned most of the year in AAW, only to be stopped by a barnstorming Kevin Steen, while Southern Illinois saw the rise of a new breed of superstars in Matt Cage, Christian Rose, and Alex Castle. Jeremy Wyatt wrestled everyone and anyone in Kansas City, Kyle Matthews ran in some familiar ruts in the South, and Luke Hawx and Matt Hardy brawled all around the country against each other.
The stars of New Japan invaded Texas for a weekend in October, but if that incursion was the only time one would have checked out the Lone Star State, they would have missed out. Central Texas boomed with several worthy promotions growing and cultivating a viable scene. With the shakeup in the National Wrestling Alliance, the oldest governing body in the art settled in the Austin/San Antonio/Houston area, with promotions like NWA Houston and Branded Outlaw Wrestling reaping the rewards.
Of course, Anarchy Championship Wrestling held serve during the year. Despite losing Rachel Summerlyn for various reasons, the 2012's Promotion of the Year kept strong centering around the Submission Squad, new additions to the American Joshis, a reign of terror by the Business, and ACH ascending to the role of national phenomenon/marquee match performer. Maybe the most intriguing addition to the scene, however, was Inspire Pro Wrestling, which started strong trying to add a more positive influence in both Texas and indie wrestling in America in general.
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| Northern California, SoCal, East Coast, wherever, Younger was hot Photo Credit: Devin Chen |
But not all the wrestling has been happening via traditional means. Chuck Taylor has innovated the field of Instagram video-length matches with the implementation of the 24/7 Hardcore Championship. Title changes have been as varied and imaginative as anything else in wrestling this year.
2013 MVP: I find giving one singular MVP to an entire scene difficult, because so many different wrestlers mean so many things to so many regions. I'll give out a few. First one goes to Drake Younger. He built a legend in the death match arena further east, but in a move made out of self-preservation, he gave up the gross violence and branched out. He also moved out to California and galvanized an underrated Northern California scene.
The second MVP I want to give would go to Andrew Everett. North Carolina has been in a lot of fans' blind spots before this year. Lord knows I've paid scant little attention to the Tar Heel State, at least not enough on the level of what it deserves. His performance at National Pro Wrestling Day (as Chiva Kid) put a lot of eyes on CWF Mid-Atlantic, and allowed other promotions in the state, including Premiere Wrestling Xperience, to get some exposure as well. He's also been killing anywhere he's gone, including DGUSA, AIW, and Combat Zone Wrestling (a company I'll look more closely at later on).
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| 2013's biggest innovator Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein |
What's Going to Happen in 2014: Chris Hero coming back to the indies changes everything. He's seemingly made his bed outside of Ring of Honor, which is good news for the scene at large. Signing a contract makes sense for any wrestler looking to lock up with a company that employs them every week. Because Ring of Honor's schedule is more sporadic in terms of pure appearances, I don't know why anyone would chain themselves to such a restrictive company. Hero is going to be a huge draw for any company, whether on Internet pay-per-view, on home video, or at the gate.
Kevin Steen also seemingly begun a trend barnstorming across the Midwest at the end of this year. He's already been a regular in Canadian promotions and in PWX, but him going to the big Midwestern promotions like AIW and AAW not only will raise their stocks, but he might entice other big time wrestlers to visit America's heartland.
The biggest wild card, however, seems to be the Unified Wrestling TV network. The idea is ambitious, and I'm not sure it's a network that is going to take off right away. However, if Metro Pro is brought back through this network, then the body has three known quantities (along with NYWC and CWF Hollywood) to prop the entire body up. If this alliance can lead to wrestling growing in places like Utah, Arkansas, and Arizona, then it will be a net win. However, I'm not entirely sure this idea will come together until 2015.
Five Wrestlers to Watch in 2014:UltraMantis Black - Mantis is about as entrenched in Chikara folklore as any wrestler, but he made a bold step out by not only going to AIW, but winning their top Championship in his first match there. With Chikara's future in doubt, Mantis becomes a logical choice to step out and grow his cult following outside of the Chikaraverse. AIW, for all its faults, is a hype machine, and if Mantis becomes a regular there, he could end up growing in stature in fans of indie wrestling around the country.
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| More than just Ry-bait Photo Credit: Texas Anarchy |
Fred Yehi - Yehi came to my attention in 2012, but he also developed a rep for being insular, easily homesick, and a bit flaky. He's seemed to have overcome those stumbling blocks a bit. If he gets more and more comfortable traveling, he'll surely be a great fit in several promotions around the country. Imagine him in North Carolina, Full Impact Pro, or even in some of the Northeast promotions. He'd tear down the house.
Heidi Lovelace - Lovelace has become the go-to woman wrestler in the Midwest, holding court in the various Wrestlings Are, AAW, Southern Illinois, and Tennessee. While the ass-kicking she took at National Pro Wrestling Day made me and a few other observers a bit squeamish, she at least proved that she's great at working underneath and taking on the mantel of the underdog. She's also got a great chance at being the one to normalize intergender wrestling in the Midwest because of her size disadvantage to most wrestlers and the ease at which she adopts the underdog fire.
Timothy Thatcher - If anyone can benefit most from Drake Younger making Northern California his new home, it'll be Thatcher. He's one of the best mat wrestlers, and he's been able to acclimatize several opponents into his style without overpowering their own. He's made his way down south in the state, and if he can make it into CWF Hollywood on regular basis or even in PWG, he'll blow up, guaranteed.
Three Things I Want to See Happen in 2014:1 – Unified Wrestling TV playing a part in National Pro Wrestling Day - Last year, NPWD opened up promotions like International Wrestling Cartel, CWF Mid-Atlantic, and CTWE to the rest of the country. Metro Pro and NYWC, two companies part of this new Unified Wrestling TV network, also took part in the festivities. NPWD is about celebrating pro wrestling, and what better way to celebrate the art than by giving locals from promotions that might not be as exposed. If I were Mike Quackenbush and David Marquez, I'd be blowing up each other's phone lines and getting the affiliates spots on the show along with companies like Wrestling Is Fun!, Beyond Wrestling, and Combat Zone Wrestling.
2 – New markets opening up - Wherever people are living in North America, pro wrestling seems to exist on a local level. However, for as many promotions exist in America, I'm still baffled as to why certain markets don't have stronger presences around the country. Granted, a ton of major cities have strong wrestling presences that promote and distribute either via YouTube or DVD sales. However, some areas that I'd think should have big wrestling scenes don't seem to have them.
For example, Denver produced Vader and Bison Smith, and is the hub city in the Rocky Mountains. Why doesn't it have a more visible scene? Seattle is lumped between two strong wrestling areas in Oregon and British Columbia, and as last night's RAW proved, it can be a red hot town for mainstream stuff at least. However, it doesn't have a major promotion. West Texas has Dory Funk still training people for crying out loud. What about Mississippi? Winnipeg? DC? Richmond? Granted, the embarrassment of riches that comprises the indie scene in North America is about as strong as ever, and I might seem a bit greedy, but at the same time, I think everyone who lives near a major hub in America deserves to have a strong, well-run independent promotion to go to once or more a month.
3 – More content on YouTube - More and more content, whether via fancam or official promoter release, is ending up on YouTube, which is the most excellent development in wrestling, period. For as many promotions who rely on DVD and other home video sales to supplement their income, at least five other promotions are out there who thrive on local, strong gates. Still other promotions have local television. Any promotion that has TV in their home area has no excuse not to put their weekly show on YouTube for free. Other companies that aren't putting together well-produced content for distribution on Sorgatron, Highspots, or Smart Mark would be doing their wrestlers a major disservice by not putting their names out there for viewing at least. The worst thing that would happen would be the videos not getting any hits, which is a pretty safe low point to land at.