United States

The Wrestling Revolver – Catalina Wrestling Mixer – Friday – The Brightside, Dayton, Ohio. 

The Revolver have gone down two very different, yet somewhat familiar tropes with two of the matches for this week’s show. The first being the ole’ ‘couples fighting’ gimmick, and the second pitting two ‘wrestlers with the same surname’ up against each other. You gotta love it, it’s just so damn quirky. Well, it’s not, but at least it’s given me something to write about. The couples match is between the wonderful Tessa Blanchard and her mister, Daga. I don’t mind Daga, but Tessa is as close to a star that the Indies have right now. While I’m not that into Intergender stuff personally, this match should be interesting. On the other scale I have absolutely no interest in the ‘same surname’ match, which is also going down the Intergender path. I feel like not a week goes past when there isn’t somebody booking the battle of the Havocs between Jimmy and Jessicka. The powerhouse against the hardcore guy, sounds riveting. I should mention that these matches are part of the first round of a one-night Intergender tournament. Other wrestlers included in this are Kris Statlander, Jake Crist, Trey Miguel and Jody Threat. Would love to see Blanchard against Statlander at some point but I’m guessing we won’t get it here. Go check out their website to find out how you can watch. 

Black Label Pro – McWrestling – Saturday – RDS Gym, Crown Point, Indiana. 

I do enjoy a bit of Black Label, especially when Bryan Alvarez is getting his ass kicked by one of the Stunts. Not sure why I’m bringing that up since neither are on their next show, McWrestling this Saturday. Black flipping Taurus is on the show though, as the big scary Luchador will be facing Rey Horus. I can’t say Horus does anything for me, but Taurus is fucking awesome and someone I always go out of my way to see. The main event of the show is another absolute cracker that has Intensity written all over it, as Kobe Durst defends the BLP title against ‘The Warhorse’ Jake Parnell. I am all in on this little ball of energy. Both these guys are brilliant, and I’m pleased to see them both getting their names out there more. Especially someone like Parnell, who is painfully overlooked on the Indies. Others who shall be enjoying a McWrestle (sorry, couldn’t resist) include Aero Boy, Alex Zayne, Jody Threat and one of my Indie tag teams of the year, Bear Country. Go watch it on IWTV. Fucking Black Taurus like.

Defy – Defyance Forever – Friday – Temple Theatre, Tacoma, Washington. 

An absolute belter of a match announced by Defy this week, one which I’ve heard very little buzz about. It’s a bit surprising really as I can guarantee if AEW or a bigger Indie were to book this match then the Internet geeks (of which I am a lifelong member) would be salivating all over the bugger. The match I’m talking about is, of course, Jushin Thunder Liger vs Brian Pillman Jr. Those of a certain age will remember the matches between Liger and Pillman Sr back in the ’90s. In fact, as a young lad it was one of my earliest memories of non-WWF wrestling and a match that I occasionally re-watch. While Pillman Jr isn’t anywhere the level of his father, he seems to be improving every time I watch him and with this being Ligers retirement year than this match is surely a must-see. A couple of other Juicy matches (pardon the pun) also on the card will see Juice Robinson come over after a great G1 to take on Randy Myers, now that’s a flamboyant match if ever I’ve seen one. The stand-out from a Defy point of view though will see two of their own battle it out, as Artemis Spencer defends his Defy Championship against Schaff. Artemis has had a cracking year outside of Defy, appearing in the Super Strong Style 16 as well as being announced for BOLA. Another cracking card from Defy, which is becoming a bit of trend from them. You can watch it here.

Ground Zero Pro – It Was Written – Saturday – Imperial Beach, California.

I’m only really including this show because I thought it was a good chance for me to moan about how awful the bloody librarian gimmick. I know this is a completely different promotion, but whenever I see Peter Avalon’s name now, I get flashbacks from all the dreadful librarian segments we’ve gotten so far. Which is a shame, since Avalon is a very good wrestler, I just fucking hate that gimmick. Avalon will be appearing in California on Saturday for Ground Zero Pro, where he will team up with Ray Rosas to take on Adrian Quest & B-Boy. The rest of the ‘It Was Written’ card see’s Jake Atlas challenge Andy Brown for the Ground Zero title, as well as appearances from Tyler Bateman, Ruby Raze, Suede Thompson and Slice Boogie. But yeah, can we all agree that the librarian sucks? Awesome. Visit their Twitter page. 

Shine – Shine 60 – Saturday – Monaghan Knights of Columbus Hall, Livonia. 

Don’t think I’ve covered Shine for a little while as they always seem to fly under the radar. On Saturday they host Shine 60 from the Knights of Columbus Hall in Livonia. The best match on paper is the three-way main event, where Allysin Kay defends her Shine Championship against Mercedes Martinez and Ivelisse. I’m a big fan of Martinez, so the more title matches she has the better. Shotzi Blackheart will also be in Livonia, defending her Shine Nova title against Natalie Markova. I like Blackheart but I sometimes struggle to care about her matches outside of her gimmick. Others on the card include Brandi Lauren, Holidead, Ashley Vox and Ariel Monroe. You can watch it here.

Australia

Adelaide Championship Wrestling – Evolve XXIX – Friday – Prospect, South Australia. 

Adam Brooks seems to have gotten things going again after his UK trip ended a bit stale. Just a few years ago I thought he was gonna be an absolute star over on these shores, things didn’t quite go that way though. Since returning to Australia he’s found his groove again and has had some absolute bangers. He’s even had a few crackers outside of Oz; his match against Josh Alexander in AAW for example. Point is, Brooks is good again. On Friday, he wrestles for Adelaide Championship Wrestling against ‘The Australian Sensation’ Craven, with Brooks’ ACW heavyweight title on the line. Don’t know too much about Craven, but that nicknames suggests he must be a tad good. Unless he’s just a cocky git, I’ll have to get onto my sources about that. That’s not the only match on Evolve XXIX though, as Violet Blitz vs Riley, and Jack Rossely vs Cadie Tre are both also on the card. Visit their website to find out more. 

New Horizons Pro Wrestling – Guardians of Wrestling – 24 – Perth, Western Australia. 

Over in Perth for New Horizons Pro Wrestling, Kenicki Miller will be getting one last chance at the Warrior Rising Championship against Creek Murdoch. If the youngster loses then he can never get another shot at the title. Go on Kenicki son, you’ve got this you handsome git. 

New Japan post Young Lion/opening match wonder Henare will also be appearing for NHPW. I bloody love Henare, and while I know New Japan has nothing to do with the Indies (yeah that’s right, New Japan isn’t an Indie for christs sake), I feel like Henare doesn’t get as much praise as he deserves and I’m personally all aboard the ‘Henare G1’ train for next year. Get him in there and let him wrestle Ishii again. His opponent for Guardians of Wrestling hasn’t been announced yet, but I’m holding hope that he’s facing Caveman Ugg. Now, I know that Ugg has never appeared for NHPW before, wrestles on the opposite side of the country and that there is absolutely no chance of this happening, but fuck it, let me dream. Go on Ugg, get yourself over to Perth ya big bastard. To find out who is actually facing Henare, go check out their website. 

Riot City Wrestling – Key to the City – Saturday – Hindmarsh, South Australia. 

Time for Riot City’s annual Key to The City show, which revolves around a 6-man ladder match with the winner getting themselves a shot at the RCW title whenever they bloody well fancy it. The six men who shall be battling it out for glory this year are Zak Sabbath, Steve Miller, Tony Toro, Cadie Tre, Miki Fortune and Adam Brooks. Bloody hell, Brooks is busy. See, told he was good again.  You can find out more by paying a visit to their website. I bet Brooksy wins that match.

Wrestle Rampage Australia – Live at the Dojo 2 – Saturday – Adelaide. 

Wrestle Rampage are giving their future stars a chance on Saturday with Live at the Dojo 2, a show primarily for the young lads to have a crack and get some experience. With the exception of Tommy Knight I don’t know any of the guys on the card, but with names like Rat Daddy, The Foxy Boys and Corndog, this sounds like it could be a barrel of laughs. If you would like to find out more about this show, and Wrestle Rampage in general, then that information is available on their website.


United Kingdom

Fight Club Pro – Rise Against – Friday – The Hangar, Wolverhampton.

The match of the week for me, mainly because it’s happening in two different promotions, is definitely More Than Hype vs The Rascalz. The first of their encounters will be at Fight Club Pro’s ‘Rise Against’ show in Wolverhampton on Friday. I saw More Than Hype have a fantastic match against The Rascalz and Meiko Satomura last year in OTT, and even though Trey Miguel will be taking the place of the Joshi legend this week this should still be bloody awesome. Flips everywhere like. Chris Brookes will also be at Rise Against, where he will be getting his chest caved in by WALTER. Man, I miss that big Austrian. With the exception of his OTT and 16 Carat stuff I’ve seen very little of my favorite wrestler this year. While I’m sure he’s doing wonderful work on the show that no sod watches, I do wish I could see him a bit more on the Indies. Ahh well, at least he’s making the big bucks. Go watch him kill Brooks here.

Kamikaze Pro – Truth or Consequences – Saturday – Empire Coventry. 

The last true king of the UK Indie scene is the Bernie Sanders of our weird and fake world, good old Davie Starr. I won’t lie, I fucking love this fella and I think that outside of Japan he is without a doubt the wrestler of the year so far. There is nobody who gets me as invested in their matches as much the ‘Jewish Cannon’, and while he has made being Independent his brand over the past year I really bloody hope that he doesn’t get snapped by any of the big boys. I’m still reeling from the loss of WALTER, I don’t think I could handle losing the ‘104-minute man’ too. On Saturday, he continues to show why he’s the best in the world when he appears for Kamikaze Pro at Truth or Consequences in Coventry. There, he will be facing and challenging the current Kamikaze Pro champion, Sean Kustom. The champ is another who doesn’t get much love from the hardcore faithful but I’m sure he and Starr will be having an absolute banger here. 

Kamikaze is following a pattern I very much agree with for this show, that is having an established name taking on one of their own. The star in the next match will be ‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey, who will be getting a title match of his own as he challenges Elliot Jordan for the Relentless Division title. Much like Kustom, Jordan is another of Kamikazes self-made guys and I’m def looking forward to checking out both matches. Good job from the Midland promotion here.

OTT – Live in Cork – Sunday – Neptune Stadium, Cork. 

It’s been a strange old year for OTT. While their big shows have been tremendous and have probably produced the best matches outside of Japan this year, their struggle with venues have meant they aren’t putting on as many shows, so the buzz has died down a little bit. While this obviously isn’t their fault I have found myself caring less about them of late, which is a hell of a shame since I thought they were the best Indie promotion in the world just a few months ago. 

On Sunday, they make their debut at a new venue, that being the Neptune Stadium in Cork. Apparently, the capacity of the Basketball Stadium is around the 2,500 mark, so if this show goes well then that could certainly help OTT in the future. The show offers a cracking line-up, with all the big names appearing. Like I mentioned earlier, More Than Hype and The Rascalz will be having their second match of the week here, and David Starr will be facing Callum Black. Black is a guy I’ve been raving about for a while now and I can’t wait to see what he and Starr can do. Other matches will include Raven Creed challenging Valkyrie for the Women’s title, PAC vs Mike Bailey in a what should be a beauty, and Jordan Devlin will make another defence of his title against UK legend Jody Fleisch. There is no way the Cork fans can be disappointed by that line-up. Oh, I forgot that Scotty Davis is facing Cara Noir too. Fucking hell lads, take it easy. Get over to their On demand to watch.

Rest of the World

La Descente Du Coude – Young Guns Cup – Friday – Bar 99, Montreal. 

In Canada this week, Montreal promotion La Descente Du Coude is hosting their Young Guns Cup show at Bar 99 on Friday. Much like the Wrestle Rampage show above, Le Descente will be giving the Young Guns a chance by giving them their own tournament. The participants for this year’s include Sonic Seb, Melanie Havok, Tyler Turris, Fernando De La Cruz and the promising Isiah Bronson. One of the best tag teams in Canada will also be on the show, with TDT taking on Les Guerriers de Ring. If you’d like to check out this year’s Young Guns Cup, visit their Facebook page to find out how.

Championship of Wrestling – cOw Goes Fark – Friday & Saturday – Schiffweiler. 

German promotion Championship of Wrestling will be holding a tournament of their own this week, with the Fark Cup taking place over two days on Friday and Saturday. From what I can see this will be the first-ever Fark Cup, and the guys hoping to walk away as the champion of Fark are Carnage, Aaron Insane, Rick Miranda, Hektor, Blackwell and Scorn. Carnage is an absolute beast and Aaron is well, insane. Go check out their website, slap on the old google translate and enjoy the Fark Cup.

Riot Wrestling Alliance – Friday – Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. 

Tournaments out the bloody ying-yang this week. Following in the footsteps of the two promotions above, the Riot Wrestling Alliance will be presenting the Riot title tournament on Friday in Monterrey. I’m unfamiliar with any of the guys on this show, so I’ll just name them for you in the hope than one of the three people reading this knows more about Mexican wrestling than I do. The matches announced are Iron Kid vs Madness, Aramis vs Latigo, Dralion vs Tony Rodriguez, and Erick Ortiz vs Fuego del Sol. Actually, I do think I’ve heard of Aramis and Fuego (Aramis is in this year’s BOLA I think), but other than them I’m kind of lost here. Check their Facebook page out, might be fun.Â