US
Game Changer Wrestling – Crime Wave – Thursday – Voltage Lounge, Philadelphia.
It’s becoming a bit of a tradition that GCW comes out of Mania weekend as the true winners of the Indie scene. Much like last year, their four shows in New York were all a roaring success and whether you like the deathmatch or comedy stuff they are known for or not, it’s hard to argue the fact that they are really setting the bar in terms of creativity in the Indies right now. I think this year, in particular, they did a much better job of really advertising their brand, and it’ll be really interesting to see how it affects their business going forward and if they can keep up the momentum. Their first show since New York, Crime Wave, will be taking place at the Voltage Lounge in Philly on Thursday, and a few of the guys who made a name for themselves in New York will be appearing. Jimmy Lloyd was probably the biggest winner after his brutal match with Masashi Takeda, and at Crime Wave he will be facing someone who made their return from injury at Spring Break, Marko Stunt. Another break-out from the Spring Break shows was Tony Deppen. The six-year pro has really made a name for himself in the promotion over the past year and coming off his match with the tremendously impressive No Legs, he has firmly cemented himself as a major heel for Game Changer. On Thursday he faces the true star of GCW, Joey Janela, who much like Marko Stunt, made his comeback at Spring Break. Other matches announced so far include Jonathan Gresham vs KTB, and Colby Corino will attempt to survive as he faces Homicide. If you’d like to see if Colby survives or not, then the show will available to watch here.
Action – Friday – Sharpsburg, Georgia.
Action Wrestling is probably one of my favorite promotions to watch right now. A nice and easy watch that doesn’t overstay it’s welcome and tells simple and compelling stories without overloading the card with way too many matches. I really wish more promotions would take a cue from the Georgia based promotion. They also had a little bit of presence over Mania weekend as part of the Family Reunion show, when AC Mack defended his Action championship against Fred Yehi in a good match that unfortunately didn’t get the time needed to really deliver to the standards I was hoping. It was still nice to see a relatively new promotion and one I enjoy so much given the chance to gain a few new fans. Next Friday, they host their next show in Sharpsburg, where AC Mack will make another defense of his title, this time against James Bandy. My most anticipated match though is definitely Anthony Henry vs Fred Yehi. Two guys so underrated that I feel like screaming at every fan who has never heard of them. That match will def be awesome, so I’ll be strapping in for that one. The sleeper match of the night though could certainly be the battle of veteran vs rookie, as Indie legend AR Fox faces the promising young prospect, Bobby Flaco. The Georgia native is still relatively new to the business, but he continues to impress me every time I see him. He could be one to keep an eye on over the next few years. All information is available on their website.
Northeast – Wrestlefest 23 – Friday – Danbury, Connecticut.
Another rather star-studded show (well, in Indie terms anyway) for Northeast Wrestling’s Wrestlefest 23, which takes place in Danbury on Friday. The promotion who attracted a record gate for the Omega/Fenix match last year will be presenting another banger, with plenty of AEW talent on show. The most recent signing, Darby Allin, will be challenging Brad Hollister for the NEW Championship in the main event. There will also be an AEW tag battle as SCU take on The Lucha Bros. Some other big names appearing include David Arquette, Bully Ray, JT Dunn and there will also be a women’s battle royal. Visit their website to find out more.
Scenic City Invitational – Scenic City Showdown – Saturday – Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Following on from Action Wrestling, I’m sticking around the south for the Scenic City Showdown. The Scenic City shows are always enjoyable. Whether it be the Rumbles, the trio tournaments or the Invitational itself, you are guaranteed a damn good night of the good old southern graps. The main event of the Showdown in Chattanooga on Saturday will see the winner of the 2018 Invitational, Joey Lynch, take on the winner of the recent Scenic City Rumble, AC Mack. Both these guys are awesome, so this one is getting the coveted pants off treatment yet again. A bonafide legend will also be appearing, as Superstar Bill Dundee will be teaming up with Cabana Man Dan to take on Alan Angels and Nick Trainer. There will also be an appearance from recent BTE guest Mr Brickster, as well as Jake Parnell, Kevin Ku, The Carnies, O’Shay Edwards and Bobby Flaco. Visit their Twitter page to find out more.
Zelo Pro – Wrestling on Weed Street – Sunday – Joes on Weed Street, Chicago.
Zelo Pro is a promotion I knew very little about until recently. Based in Chicago, it was only when the main event from their last show, Milwaukee Meltdown, got released that I got my first experience of their product. A match that is currently very high in my MOTY list so far, Kylie Rae and Tessa Blanchard battled it out in a 2/3 falls match in front of an incredible crowd that was enthralled throughout. It really was a fantastic match, and one that is available to watch on YouTube. On Sunday, at their next event, Kylie will be defending the Women’s title she won in January, against a woman she will be facing at Double or Nothing, Britt Baker. If it’s only half as good as her match at Milwaukee Meltdown, then it should be bloody good. The rest of the card looks pretty decent too, with Simon Grimm facing Project Monix in an ‘I Respect You Match’, not sure what that means but I like Grimm so I’m sure it’ll be pretty good. For more info, visit their website.
UK
Attack Live at the Dome III – Wednesday – The Dome, Tufnell Park.
It’s not often that Attack releases a full card before their shows, but they’ve actually bloody done it this week. I’m still a little shocked but thank you to Attack for making my job a little easier. The line-up in question looks pretty damn good, with Kyle Fletcher vs Trent Seven and Mark Davis vs Nico Angelo the stand-out matches. There will also a bit 8-man tag match between Team Attack and The Kabal, as well as appearances from Mark Andrews, Flash Morgan Webster, Chris Brookes, Shigehiro Irie and Wild Boar. More info on the full card and how to watch is available here.
EVE – We’re All Gonna Die! The Frantic Scramble in Search for Meaning Through A Mess of Meaty Interactions: AKA the Kris Wolf Retirement Show – Friday – Resistance Gallery, Bethnal Green.
What a stupid name, like seriously, just call it The Kris Wolf Retirement Show and stop being annoying with overly long and pretentious name. As it says towards the end of the tin, the show will be a farewell to the wonder that is Kris Wolf, who recently announced her retirement. Wolf is a legend, so I’ll give them a pass for the show name. It is fucking stupid though. No word on who Kris will be facing yet, but there will be a title match on the show, as Kay Lee Ray defends the Eve Championship against Nina Samuels. So, to find out more, visit their website.
Dragon Pro – Burning Hearts – Sunday – The Neon, Newport.
My fellow Welshies over in Newport, Dragon Pro, will be welcoming some NXT UK guests on Sunday, with The Grizzled Young Vets facing Flash Morgan Webster and Wild Boar. If you gave me that match on an NXT UK show then I’d probably be bored to sleep, but in front of a rowdy Newport crowd with Welsh boys taking on the evil English it’ll probably be bloody awesome. Mark Andrews will be joining his NXT UK buddies, along with Dragon Pro regulars Big Grizzly, Elijah, Danny Jones, Beano and The Hunter Brothers. Visit their website.
Rev Pro – Live in Bristol 2 – Sunday – Motion, Bristol.
I don’t usually cover the smaller Rev Pro for a number of different reasons, and I was very close to leaving this show off this week. That was until they announced a match that instantly changed my mind and had me rushing towards my keyboard ready to declare Andy Quildan a genius. That match is one between probably the best non contracted wrestler in the world right now and the hot prospect of the Euro scene. No, not Joe Gacy vs Rob Lynch, because that would be awful. I am of course talking about David Starr vs A-Kid. I can’t say I’m a regular watcher of Rev Pro, but this match would even make me sit through the insufferable tones of Andy Simmons. It’ll be awesome, awesome in every way possible. The current British Heavyweight champion will also be in Bristol bending peoples body parts and being wonderful as always, no word on his opponent yet though. More information is available on their website.
Australia
Battle Championship Wrestling – Lucha DownUnderground – Friday – Leichardt, Sydney.
You Aussie fans are in for a treat this week, with plenty of top shows taking place all over your spider infested land. Starting in Sydney on Friday for Battle Championship Wrestling’s ‘LuchaDownUnderground’. I had to include just on the name alone, and since it is a Lucha show, there will be a lot of Lucha guys on the card, with Drago even defending the AAA Latin American Championship in a three-way against Aero Star and Bee Boy. Also, in the 3rd match of their best of 3 series, Chavo Guerrero will be wrestling Gabriel Wolfe, and Ken Shamrock will be defending the tag team titles in a handicap match against The Velocities. All information is available here.
Melbourne City Wrestling – Fallout – Saturday – The Thornbury Theatre, Victoria.
The big boys are up next, with MCW presenting Fallout, at The Thornbury Theatre in Victoria. I really need to watch more MCW, which is something I say pretty much every time I cover the promotion, because from what I have seen they are pretty damn great. The main event of this show is a perfect example of this, with new double champion, Slex, defending against Robbie Eagles. Every time I’ve seen Slex he’s be great, Eagles is one of the best wrestlers in the world, so yeah, this will be a treat. Millie McKenzie will be making her debut for the promotion also, facing Kelly Anne. If somebody would love to gift me a subscription for their on-demand, that would be marvelous.
Riot City – Strength – Saturday – Latvian Hall, Wayville.
I’m here, so I may as well cover another show down under. I don’t know where Wayville is, but on Saturday, Riot City Wrestling will be hosting Strength, with Sabbath defending the RCW title Hayter. Another two guys I know sod all about, they both look cool though. There will also be the semi-finals of the Strength cup, with the remaining participants Menero, Brady, Tre and Baron all battling it out. There’s a lot of one name wrestlers in this promotion, has Vince been hanging out there? Ohh, representing the surname gang, Savannah Summer will be fighting Miki Fortune in a street fight. Go check them out here.
Rest of the World
DTU – Epidemica Destructiva – Thursday – Arena Aficion, Hidalgo.
It’s Mexican deathmatch time. How wonderful. All your lightbube loving favorites will be in Hidalgo making a lot of mess, including G-Raver, Disturbio, Fly Danger, Toxico, Crazy Boy, Aero Boy, and for some reason Anthony Greene. I love the retrosexual, but what is he doing here? Stay away from the light tubes Anthony, don’t do it. Go here for more.
C*4 – Heat – Friday – Ottawa, Ontario.
I think C*4 is booking shit just for me again, the wonderful bastards. Anybody who had read one of these articles before will know of my love for Josh Alexander and Kobe Durst, so putting them in a three-way for Alexanders C*4 Title and throwing Matt Angel in there is a sure-fire way to the get me excited. Alexander defeated Angel for the title at Nightmare City in a cracking match, the C*4 main events always come off amazingly well on VOD, so please, for the love of all that is pure, sign up for IWTV IW.TV and start watching C*4. You’ll also see one of my new favorites (and most terrifying) tag teams, The Butcher and the Blade, take on the ironmen of Mania weekend, LAX. That too should be an absolute beauty. Stop missing out and visit their website.
Fight Club: Finland – Attitude – Saturday – Nightclub Pressa, Helsinki.
The European coverage this week comes from Helsinki, where Fight Club Finland host their Attitude show on Saturday at the Nightclub Pressa. The poster and name suggest they are going for an attitude era feel, so expect plenty of run in’s and non-finishes booked by a Finnish guy calling everybody ‘bro’. There will be plenty of opportunities for shenanigans when Jake Luupaa and Toni Tamminen slug it out in a Lansirannikko Street Fight, whatever that means, and in the main event Viktor Tykki will challenge Timmy Force for the Nordic Championship. I wonder if Timmy is married to the boss’s daughter. Visit their website for more.
