United States
Action – Friday – Tyrone, Georgia.
Now I know I should be pretty neutral and stick mainly to the bigger shows instead of filling it up with my favorite promotions but fuck it, it’s my work. Plus, it’s not like anybody reads this shit anyway, I can do I whatever I want. So, with that I’m beginning this week with one of the most enjoyable promotions out there at the moment, Action Wrestling. I’ve mentioned them many times before and if I have turned just one person onto their product, then I’ll die a happy man.
The Georgia based promotion not only put on bloody good shows, but they also do some great stuff for charity and help out a lot of different organizations in the Tyrone area. Their next show is a benefit show for Southside Support and will see AC Mack defend his Action championship against Slim-J. Arguably the two biggest stars for the promotion so far, and if it’s anything like the rest of Mack’s title defenses then it should be damn good. Both men put in a great showing for themselves at the Scenic City Invitational, with Mack being his normally mischievous self in reaching the final. I’ve said it before but if you are looking for the best heel in independent wrestling right now (excluding MJF since he’s a big star now), then look no further than AC Mack. The guy is a proper dick, and I mean that in a good way.
Fred Yehi is another guy who’s been rejuvenated in Action over the past year and on Friday he faces a guy who has really hit the ground running since his return to wrestling, Erick Stevens. That should be a cracking match too, since they’re both pretty great. See, Action is awesome. Oh yeah, if you’re thinking about throwing out the whole, “Oh the Southern wrestling guys always think their wrestling is the best” line, then just remember that I live in Wales, have never been to the South (Vegas isn’t the South right?) and I know as much about the area as I do about French literature, which is sod all. No excuses, go and watch some Action Wrestling you twats.
Freelance – Get Over or Die Tryin’ – Friday – Logan Square Auditorium, Chicago.
I feel like my interest in Freelance has waned a little since Kylie Rae left. She brought such an energy to their shows that something just seems to be lacking there without her. Maybe that’s just me though. On Friday they hold their 50th show, Get Over or Die Tryin’, with the main eventing seeing a continuation of the best of 5 series match between GPA and Craig Mitchell for the Freelance Underground title. GPA currently holds the lead 2-1 and this will be an I-Quit match.
B-Boy is another guy having quite the resurgence this year. I can’t say I was the biggest fan of his back in the day, but I’ve really liked his stuff lately. Here he’ll be facing another stalwart of the Indie scene, Arik Cannon. Others scheduled to appear include Alex Zayne, The Work Horsemen, Pat Monix, Effy and Robert Anthony. I’ll be giving this show a watch on IWTV just to see if it can spark my interest.
Northeast Wrestling – Prison Break & Under the Stars Tour – Friday & Saturday – Poughkeepsie, New York & Norwich, Connecticut.
A couple of big shows and some big names from Northeast Wrestling this week, with Prison Break on Friday in Poughkeepsie, before they embark on the Under the Stars Tour the following night in Norwich. The main event on Friday is a dream match of sorts, with Jon Moxley facing off against his AEW roster mate, Pentagon. I’ve been amazed by how great Moxley has done since leaving WWE, especially since I had very little interest in Dean Ambrose. With both men having a penchant for the hardcore then I’d imagine this one will be pretty damn violent.
Prison Break will also see Darby Allin make his 3rd defense of the NEW heavyweight title against Hale Collins, and the rather strange tag team match of Brian Anthony & David Arquette vs Keith Youngblood & Jerry Lawler. Arquette vs The King, now that’s a true dream match right there.
The following night will see a battle of the former WWE stars with Moxley taking on Caz XL. The two had what I’ve heard was an okay match for the promotion in June, and I’m sure Mox can carry the former Big Cass to a decent showing here. Others slated to appear over the weekend include Rhyno, The Private Party, Penelope Ford, Mike Verna and more. Go visit their website for more info.
Without A Cause – WAC Volume 10: It’s Getting Hot in Here – Sunday – Everett, Washington.
I’m including this show solely for the Danial Makabe vs Erick Stevens match which instantly caught my eye. Makabe is fresh from winning the Scenic City Invitational with some great performances, and I’m interested to see how his style matches up with the returning Stevens. The latter is somebody I remember seeing during his Ring of Honor days and since returning to the business he’s really impressed me on the several occasions I’ve seen him.
The Queen of Puke will also be in Everett, as Priscilla Kelly faces Kimber Lee. Without a Cause have recently started releasing a lot of their matches for free on their YouTube channel and I would certainly suggest checking them out, especially when this show becomes available.
Expo Lucha – Sunday – Harry West Gymnasium, San Diego.
Lucha Libre descends upon San Diego on Sunday with Expo Lucha hosting their next show at the Harry West Gymnasium. The show is a variable who’s who of the Lucha world, with Laredo Kid, Flamita, Tessa Blanchard, Rey Horus, Aero Star, Puma King and many others all scheduled to appear. The match that I’m sure will bring the Lucha fans to the edge of climax though has to the six-man tag match of The Lucha Bros & Mr Aguila vs Brian Cage & Jack Evans & TJ Perkins. If you love your flips, then that match is gonna get you going. You can find out how to watch it here.
United Kingdom
Attack – (Thank god it’s not) Winterslam 4 –Wednesday – The Dome, Tufnell Park, London.
The wonderful and weird world of Attack is in London this Wednesday for (Thank god it’s not) Winterslam 4, this time at the Dome in Tufnell Park. Attack is generally quite tight when it comes to releasing info on their cards, but from the little they have divulged the stand-out match has to be Mike Bailey vs Nico Angelo. Bailey is always a treat to watch and Nico always seems like he’s only a great match away from really breaking out in the UK. His high-flying style is something that could really make him a big fan favorite over here. Knowing how great and popular Bailey is, then this could be that match for Angelo.
Chris Brookes has been away practicing the art of comedy wrestling in Japan with DDT, and I’m sure he’ll be breaking out a few tricks he’s learned as he challenges M. Shay Ultra for the Attack championship. For more information on how to watch these wacky buggers, visit their website.
Pro Wrestling Soul – Soul 5: Thursday Night Soul – Thursday – Merton Arts Space, Wimbledon.
My delve into the unknown of the UK scene this week takes me to Wimbledon, where Pro Wrestling Soul will be hosting Thursday Night Soul at the Merton Arts Space. This will be their 5th show since their debut in January and will include the semi-final matches of the Soul title tournament, with Connor Mills vs Darrell Allen, and a match that feels like a real battle of the future between Scotty Davis and The OJMO. That match alone is worth checking out, but if you’re into your women’s wrestling, then Dani Luna will also be at Thursday Night Soul facing Chakara. Check them out by visiting their website.
Tidal Wrestling – Back to the Bad Ideas – Friday – Temple of Boom, Leeds.
Another of the underrated promotions currently keeping the UK scene from imploding is Tidal Wrestling in Leeds. I’ve been hearing some bloody good stuff about the company of late, and I’m eager to finally break my TCW virginity by checking out one of their shows soon. Their next show, Back to Bad Ideas could be the ideal show, with a couple of intriguing matches taking place at the Temple of Boom on Friday. A collection of the top young talent in BritWres come together for a juicy looking four-way, with Scotty Davis vs Connor Mills vs Matthew Brooks vs Lucky Kid. The only one of the four I’ve yet to see wrestle is Matthew Brooks but I have heard many good things about the opera singing grappler. Others appearing in Leeds include Darrel Allen, Sam Bailey, Stixx, Rhio and The Henchman. If BritWres is going to be kept alive, then we have to start supporting these smaller promotions. You can do that by visiting their website.
Futureshock – 15th Anniversary – Saturday – Longfield Suite, Manchester.
I’m going to complain in a moment about how another promotion is promoting their Anniversary show, but before that, I’ll cover another celebrating their anniversary this week, Futureshock Wrestling. The Manchester company are bringing out some of the big guns for their big event, with WWE’s Jack Gallagher going back to his old haunt to face off against Sam Bailey. I’ve missed seeing Gallagher on the UK scene and he has a lot of history with Futureshock, so I may search out this match when I get the chance. The big match going into this show will be the champion vs champion main event between the Futureshock champion, Soner Durson, and the Adrenaline champion, Joey Hayes. With both titles on the line, this is certainly a match very much fitting an anniversary show. Good job guys, that’s how you do it. Get in on some of this by visiting their website.
Rev Pro – 7th Year Anniversary – Sunday – Cheltenham Town Hall, Cheltenham.
Now it’s time for my moaning. Remember a time with anniversary shows were a big deal? A promotion would pull out all the stops to put on a memorable show to really celebrate their birthday. One thing that was certainly a given is that said promotion would advertise the crap out that show to really get the word out and give us a good indication of the matches taking place. Well someone needs to tell Rev Pro, because as of writing this the show is just over a week away and I can find barely any information on the line-up with the exception of the main event and the appearance of Liger. I understand that Rev Pro has a lot of shows going on right now, but this their 7th anniversary for christ’s sake. Make it easy for me to help promote the damn thing.
Anyway, with my rant over let’s look at what has actually been announced (shouldn’t take too long). The main event is a face-off between two former WWE stars and two of the most prominent highflyers of the past decade, PAC and Matt Sydal. The latter isn’t exactly setting the world alight with his work right now but he and The Bastard should be a hell of a lot of fun. Jushin Thunder Liger continues his retirement tour and will also be appearing in Cheltenham for this momentous occasion. Go check out their website and see if they’ve announced anything else.
Note: Just before publishing I noticed that Rev Pro had announced a few more matches, with A-Kid vs Carlos Romo, Mike Bailey vs David Starr and Mark Haskins vs Chris Brookes all being announced. So, if you’re a big Rev Pro and you take offense of my moaning then please forgive me, or don’t, I’m not really bothered.
Rest of the World
United Pro Wrestling – Undisputed Glory – Friday – Sunshine Coast, Queensland.
United Pro is a promotion I’ve kept on the bench for a while now, waiting for a quiet week down under before I unleashed the greatness of The Stockman upon the world. Well, that week is upon us, and the Queensland based company are banging out a big show on Friday, with Undisputed Glory taking place from The Shed on the Sunshine Coast. The aforementioned Stockman, a big lumbering bastard who looks like the Aussie version of Braun Strowman, challenges E.C Diamond for the UPW Championship. The Stockman also looks like he could crush my skull with his pinkie if he really wanted too, so the champ could be in for a tough old night. The rest of the line-up includes an appearance from Matthew Gabriel, Jack Tucker, Thirteen and Malibu. To join the United Pro family and bask in the glory of The Stockman, visit their website.
Pro Wrestling League – Day of Reckoning – Saturday – Southport, Queensland.
Another newbie, which is pretty much all I ever say about my Australian coverage, but hey I’m a rookie, cut me some slack. This week it’s Pro Wrestling League which makes its debut for me, with Day of Reckoning taking place on Saturday from Southport, Queensland. The show will see two three-way matches, with the winners going on to compete in a ladder at their upcoming Project 2: Revolution show. The matches will be Jett Rouka vs Mitch McCarthy vs Sebastian Matters, and Davis Storm vs Renegade vs Jake Nova. I have it on good authority that Storm is one of the top dogs of Aussie wrestling, so I’ll be hoping to find a video of this one at some point. Outside of the three-way, Jesse Daniels faces JL Gold in a singles match. You can find out more here.
C*4 – Fighting Back 9: Wrestling with Cancer – Friday – St. Anthony’s Banquet Hall, Ottawa, Ontario.
Wrestling in Canada continues this week with a lot of good stuff going on all over the shop. C*4 start things off on Friday at St Anthony’s Banquet Hall in Ottawa, for Fighting Back 9: Wrestling with Cancer. As it says in the title this is a benefit show for the Canadian Cancer Society and they are definitely bringing out the big guns, with a lot of AEW talent appearing. Cody & his best friend MJF will be teaming to take one of the best teams in Canada, TDT. I can’t bloody wait to see this match, since anything MJF does is gold in my eyes.
Another match that certainly wets my whistle will see Joey Janela teaming up with two of the promotions finest in Kobe Durst & Matt Angel, to take on Evil Uno and The Butcher & The Blade. The idea of Kobe Durst bumping like a maniac to Andy Williams is something I cannot wait to see. The show will also see an over the top rumble, with participants including Tony Deppen, Daniel Garcia, Vaughn Vertico, Stu Grayson and Gabriel Fuerza. Fighting Back 9 will eventually be available to watch on IWTV and I certainly be watching it. Come and join me, it’ll be awesome.
Alpha-1 – Purge IV – Sunday – Hamilton, Ontario.
Alpha-1 are probably one of the bigger promotions in Canada, and one that I’ve always enjoyed whenever I’ve checked them out. Plus, they recently had Ethan Page and David Arquette in a dog collar match, so they’re alright in my book. Their next show, Purge IV, takes place in Hamilton on Sunday with a couple of big names appearing. The husband and wife team of Rich Swann and Su Yung will be there; with Swann taking on Koby Lane, and Su Yung wrestling Jody Threat. I’m not the biggest Su Yung fan but Jody Threat is definitely a name on the up and someone I would expect to break out over the next few years. The big feud of the show will see Kobe Durst and Gregory Iron continue their rivalry by each picking a mystery partner for a tag match. Alpha-1 are another of the many promotions that you can watch over on IWTV.
European Wrestling Promotion – Summer of Wrestling 4 – Saturday – Hannover.
A couple of well-known names will be appearing in Hannover on Saturday for Summer of Wrestling 4, with AEW stars Angelico, T-Hawk and Lindaman scheduled to appear, along with local guys Marius Al-Ani, Orlando Silver, Pascal Spalter and the awesome Icarus. The latter is better known as one-half of The Arrows of Hungary team which was starting to pick up steam before the injury of Dover back in March. This certainly hasn’t held the big Hungarian back though, as he has been tearing it up on the singles scene over the past few months. Visit their website to see how he does here.
Impact Pro NZ – 312 Throwdown – Saturday – Onehunga, Auckland.
312 Throwdown takes place on Saturday in a place called Onehunga in Auckland. A guy I am pretty familiar with from his work with SPW is JK Moody. The young talent is better known as part of the Deadly Sins tag team along with Kane Khan, and he has recently announced that he will be coming to the UK soon to hopefully follow in the footsteps of guys like Travis Banks and Aussie Open. So, I’d certainly keep an eye on Moody as a guy to watch over the next year. On Saturday he faces rival Jake Sheehan in a no rules street fight. The women’s title will also be getting a defense as Kellyanne puts it on the line against both Candy Lee and Brittany. The big old boy, Jamie Tagatase recently put out an open challenge for the show, which has since been answered by the returning Brook Duncan. Go check them out here.
