U.S.A.
Bar Wrestling – Bar Wrestling 43: The Wildest Ride in Wilderness – Wednesday – American Legion Post, Baldwin Park, California
I’ll start this week with a little anecdote. A few years ago, while listening to the Taz Show (don’t ask why, I’m an idiot), the former orange assassin hosted a weekly competition where his fans could call in and cut promos, with the winner being awarded the much-coveted Taz Show T-Shirt. It was incredibly entertaining (like I said, I’m an idiot). The first week of this historic competition was won by an unknown wrestler at the time by the name of Kevin Kross. At this point, the big bastard was still trying to make a name for himself on the Indie scene by working the occasional Future Stars of Wrestling and Lucha Underground. His promo instantly made an impression with me, and I made a note to keep an eye on the young talent to see where his career may go. Now, maybe 4 or 5 year later and with a new name of Killer Kross, the Las Vegas native is really making a name for himself on Impact Wrestling. He’s even dating Scarlett Bordeaux, so everything does indeed seem to be coming up Killhouse (that may be the best thing I’ve ever said). The reason I take you on a trip down memory lane is because on Wednesday, Mr Kross is appearing at Bar Wrestling 43 in California, where he shall be wrestling one of the top guys in that area, Jake Atlas. That sounds like it could be an absolute cracker.
Elsewhere on ‘The Wildest Ride in Wilderness,’ the stupidly attractive couple of Kip Sabian & Penelope Ford will be facing Heather Monroe & Don Kubrick in a nice little intergender tag match. There shall also be appearances from John Hennigan, Scorpio Sky and Jungle Boy. If you fancy watching you some Bar Wrestling, then that can be arranged by clicking here.
West Coast Pro Wrestling – The World is Yours – Friday – The State Room, San Francisco
Sticking around California, West Coast Pro Wrestling will be holding ‘The World is Yours’ on Friday at the State Room in California. I’ve never covered these guys before, but while searching through this week’s shows one match in particular jumped out at me. You could almost call this match a ‘who will break out first’ match, as three guys who all seem to be on the verge of becoming big stars on the Indie scene will be squaring off in a triple threat. The match in question is Tony Deppen vs. Trey Miguel vs. Jake Atlas. All three of these lads have made big steps over the past year, all working a different style but each finding their niche and their audience in many different promotions. While the match itself probably won’t be a MOTY contender, it’ll certainly be worth checking out if you want to see the future of the Independent scene in the States. That isn’t the only match on the show though, as the long tongue guy, Eli Everfly, will be wrestling Levi Shapiro. Visit their Facebook page to find out more.
Limitless – Know Your Enemy – Friday – Portland Expo, Portland
Last week I rambled on about the importance of tag team wrestling on the Independent scene, and this week Limitless wrestling are carrying on that mantel by booking two absolute beauties that are right up my alley. First, The New Hart Foundation team of Teddy Hart and Harry Smith shall be facing the most underrated fucking tag team in the history of the goddamn world, The Work Horsemen. I know that both Anthony Henry and JD Drake are on the Evolve train but why none of the big promotions have signed these guys up, I’ll never know. Also, the prospect of Hart and Smith losing their shit after Henry lays a stiff kick in makes this match unmissable for me. Hook this shit up to my veins.
The other tag match I mentioned involves another couple of hard hitting, beefy boys, with Chris Dickinson & Tom Lawler going up against The Butcher & The Blade. The wonderfully terrifying looking team of Sutter & Williams recently got a little bit of praise from Cody, and I for one would love to see them get a chance on a bigger scale. I personally think that The Butcher & The Blade should be in the position that the Dark Order are currently in. They have a much better look and presence about them, are a much fresher team and they add something different to the very ‘flippy do’ theme of the AEW tag division. Regardless of that though, this match is another that I will be checking out. In non-tag action and in a continuation of the AEW talk, MJF will be defending his Limitless World Title against Anthony Greene, and there will be appearances from AR Fox, Ace Romero and Christian Casanova. Limitless are a sleeper promotion that don’t get as much buzz as they maybe deserve, so go check them out here.
Women’s Superstars United – Is It Fall Yet – Saturday – The Coliseum, Vorhees, New Jersey
CZW are breaking away from the deathmatches this week to present a little women’s action with what is essentially their women’s brand, the Women’s Superstars United. ‘Is It Fall Yet’ takes place on Saturday at The Coliseum in Vorhees. I’m not too familiar with this promotion, but their current champion is Kris Statlander so they must be doing something right over there. Statlander is awesome, even if she does have a stupid gimmick, and on Saturday she defends her WSU Spirit Championship against Davienne. Can’t say I’m the biggest fan in the world of Davienne but it should be good all the same. The show will also see two title elimination matches for the WSU World Title, with Brittany Blake facing Alex Gracia and Aja Perrera taking on Diamante. Nicole Savoy is also on the card, so that’s another reason to watch.
Lions Pride Sports Professional Wrestling – Lash Out – Saturday – Navasota, Texas
Can we start a petition to get Lance Hoyt booked on every show in the States? Nah, fuck that, every show in the world. I’ll never get sick of that big bastard doing weird flips and threatening us all with death. One promotion who are jumping on board are the Texan promotion Lions Pride. Granted, Archer is from Texas and regularly appears for them, but still, it’s a step in the right direction. No word yet on what he’ll be doing at their ‘Lash Out’ show on Saturday, but I’m sure whatever it is will be fucking brilliant. Go on Lance son, kick some ass.
Lash Out will also be holding a pretty big match for the Lions Pride Championship, where current champion Moonshine Mantell will be defending against Nobe Bryant in a Lumberjack match. The champ has successfully defended his title against Bryant twice before, the most recent being in July when Mantell had a little help from his buddies. So, this has to be Bryant’s last chance to get his hand on the gold. Fuck, I wanna watch this show now. If that wasn’t enough to get you interested, then fucking Big Daddy Yum Yum will be there. Also, full props to Lions Pride for making this stuff easy to find on their website. I wish some other promotions would follow suit. God job guys, I’ll have to start covering you more.
UK & Ireland
TNT Extreme – Ignition Outrage – Thursday – Fusion Nightclub, Liverpool
Ah Liverpool, the land of the Scouse, The Beatles, and the greatest football team in the history of mankind. Salt of the earth up there. This Thursday it will also be the land of the graps when TNT Extreme host their latest show, Ignition Outrage, at the Fusion Nightclub. Soner Durston became the first ever Ignition Champion in July after winning a Rumble match at ‘Sky’s the Limit,’ and on Thursday he will be making his defence of the title against one of my favourites, Lucky Kid. The German weirdo is making his BOLA debut soon, and I imagine he’d love to head over to LA as the TNT Ignition Champion. The show will also see the third-round matches of the Ignition Wrestling League, with LJ Cleary, Scotty Davis, Big Guns Joe and Ricky Knight Jr. all in action. Go to their Twitter page for more.
ATTACK! Pro – Screaming for Change – Saturday – The Frog & Fiddle, Cheltenham
I never know how to cover Attack. They seem to exist on their own little planet and it’s one I’ve never particularly felt that comfortable on. Plus, they are buggers for releasing show info. I’ll give it a go though and see where I end up. This Saturday, the crazy bastards are heading to the Frog & Fiddle in Cheltenham for ‘Screaming for Change,’ a show where the Schadenfreude trio of Chris Brookes & Aussie Open will be facing the mysterious Kabal. Now apparently the leader of The Kabal, M. Shay Ultra, dethroned Chris Brookes of the Attack Title recently with the help of his stablemates, Asmodeus, Azeroth & Musmortus. Sounds good. In a match that isn’t too weird, NXT:UK tag team guy Wild Boar will also be on the show facing Nico Angelo. Fuck, that sounds good too. The show shall be available to watch over on their Vimeo.
OTT – The Road to the Fifth Anniversary – Saturday – KFR Centre, Dublin
Now we’re cooking. My boys in Ireland have done it again. I know they’ve had their troubles with venues and what not, but any promotion that offers David Starr vs. Scotty Davis will forever be in my good books. This is a match that many have been longing to see for some time now. With Devlin’s WWE contract always looming largely in the background, it has seemed obvious that the promotion should be building things around the new Irish Ace, the still ridiculously young Scotty Davis. The super talented youngster has long been looked at as the natural successor to Devlin, and this is a match that I could see taking place for the title sometime in the future. I am all over this bad boy. That match alone is worth the price of admission, but Toni Storm vs. Martina will be adding a little bonus. There is also a tasty looking 6-man tag match between More Than Hype and the team of the O.J.M.O, Omari & Alex Cuevas. The champ will be in town too, as Devlin faces Paul Robinson. Fucking Davis vs. Starr though. I bloody love OTT.
Breed Wrestling – Starrcave – Sunday – Peak Cavern, Castleton, Derbyshire
Now, this is show I’ve been dying to talk about for a while. I’ve mentioned Breed a few times in the past; how even though they are relatively new to the wrestling world, they are constantly putting on great shows and thinking outside the box when it comes to getting their brand out there. The bigger UK promotions may be on their asses, but the smaller ones are thriving, and Breed are very much in that category. On Saturday they venture where very few have gone before by holding a show in a bloody cave. That’s right, they shall be wrestling underground. Starrcave (genius) will be taking place in the Peak Cavern in Castleton. The cave holds regular events, but I believe this is the first wrestling show to ever take place there.
The news of the show first came out a few months ago and it wasn’t long before every wrestler in the land wanted in on the game. Chris Brookes in particular tweeted that he wanted on the show. Well his wish came true, as Brookes and his Aussie Open buddies shall be facing More Than Hype in an absolute beauty of a match. David Starr will also be underground, as he takes on Spike Trivet. The Bernie Sanders of pro wrestling against a Tory snob, now that’s a match. The most intriguing match though has to be the battle of the grapplers, as Daniel Makabe returns to our shores to take on Irish prospect Michael May. I love a bit of grapplefuck me, so this is one I am very excited for. The current Breed Champion, TK Cooper, will be also be making a defence of his title in a four-way against Scotty Davis, Brady Phillips and the winner of the Breeding Ground Invitational. Please let it be either Caveman Ugg or Bárbaro Cavernario. This is a truly ground-breaking idea from Breed, and one that I’m really hoping makes tape. Cracking stuff from Breed Wrestling, and you can find out more about it by visiting their website.
*Editor’s note: Breed Wrestling has announced that Starrcave has been postponed until October and they are refunding anyone who cannot make it. The full statement is on their website.
Dragon Pro – Rising Tide – Sunday – The Neon, Newport
Back above ground now for a show in my neck of the woods, Dragon Pro. On Sunday, the Newport based promotion are back at The Neon for ‘Rising Tide,’ where the current Celtic Crown Champion Dani Luna defends her title in a four-way against Gisele Shaw, Millie McKenzie and Toni Storm. Any match that has McKenzie and Storm in it has my interest, so that should be pretty good. A couple of NXT:UK lads will be in the house, as Flash Morgan Webster teams with Wild Boar to take on two of Dragon Pro’s most promising young wrestlers, Danny Jones & Brendan White. There will also be a Battle Royal for the vacant Next Wave Title, as well as appearances from Big Grizzly, Mike Bird, The Hunter Brothers and some dude who used to be on Dirty Sanchez. Tickets for the show are still available here.
Europe
German Hurricane Wrestling – X-Treme – Saturday – Stadhalle, Hessen
Time to go ‘X-Treme’ for German Hurricane Wrestling, whose next show takes place on Saturday at the Stadhalle in Hessen. The best heel in the country (and Triple H lookalike) Absolute Andy will be onboard, taking on Carnage in a battle of the big boys. One name I was surprised to see on the card was Oliver Carter. The Swiss wrestler has been signed with NXT:UK since around March, and from what I’m aware he has yet to appear on any WWE programming. (Editor’s note: Carter appeared on the 8/28 episode of NXT:UK, losing to Joseph Conners.) So at least they are letting him wrestle elsewhere. How nice of them. Here, Carter will be competing against both Axel Rotation and Just Nick for the GHW Zero Gravity Cup. There is also a Four Corners of Pain match for the GHW Championship, with Drake Destroyer defending against Tristan Archer. To find out more, check out their Facebook page.
German Wrestling Federation – Battlefield – Saturday – Berlin
Now to Berlin where the German Wrestling Federation will be hosting ‘Battlefield’ on Saturday, a show which includes a 30-man Battlefield Rumble, with Corey McRae, Lucky Kid and Angelico all apparently involved. The main event will see Mike Bailey pay a visit to Berlin to challenge John Klinger for the GWF World Title. That should be decent. Other matches include Laura Di Matteo vs. Skye Smitson and Senzo Volto taking to the skies against Pascal Spalter. A quick visit to their website will give you more information. Go on, have a look.
New European Championship Wrestling – Snakepit – Saturday – NEW Hotspot, Hessdorf
A trio of German promotions on our list this week, our final one being New European Championship Wrestling in Hessdorf. Their next show ‘Snakepit’ takes place on Saturday and another notable name on the German scene, Marius Al-Ani, will be on the card challenging Fast Time Mondo for the NEW World Internet Championship. I don’t watch wXw anymore, but Al-Ani was always an entertaining watch. The world title will be closing out the show, with current champion Mexx defending against Danylo Orlow. For more information go to here.
Rest of the World
United Pro Wrestling – Aftermath – Friday – Sunshine Coast, Queensland
I cover United Pro quite a lot. Mainly because they are a bloody busy promotion, which is always a good thing, but also because their current champion is The Stockman. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the guy wrestle, but anybody with a name like that who looks like Brawn Strowman’s younger brother is instantly over in my book. I hope he doesn’t suck though, because then I’ll look like an idiot. I should check him out really. The big bastard will be defending his UPW Title on Friday against Zeke Andino. The challenger looks a good 50 pounds lighter than his opponent, so he could be in for a rough night. Come on Stockman, fuck him up. To find out what else is happening at ‘Aftermath’, visit their website.
New Horizons Pro Wrestling – AntiEverything – Saturday – Perth
New Horizons Pro are bringing in the big guns on Saturday with a collection of both past and present Impact stars appearing on their next show, ‘AntiEverything’ in Perth. Su Yung, Homicide and Shawn Hernandez are all making the trip to the Perth Mess Hall, with Su Yung getting a shot at Lena Kross’ Indygurlz Championship in a no rules match. Lena Kross looks like way too nice a girl to be engaging in such a violent match. Don’t do it Lena. No word yet on a match for the original LAX, but there will be two matches in the Hybrid Championship tournament with King Shahl facing Aaron O’Malley and Rory Holmes taking on Kenicki Miller. To find out more about the promotion and how you can watch the show, visit their website.
Barrie Wrestling – Back 2 School 6 – Saturday – Barrie, Ontario
Yay, another chance to talk about the great Josh Alexander. He’s bloody awesome, and on Saturday he’s facing Brett Banks for Barrie Wrestling’s ‘Back 2 School 6’ show. Alexander and Banks, that’ll be a bit good. Talking about a bit good, Kobe Durst is also gonna be in Barrie where he shall be wrestling Mark Wheeler. The show also has a Women’s Title defence from Jody Threat. The young Canadian is still relatively new to the business, but she is really starting to break out this year. For the comedy lovers, PUF shall be putting his Three Pistols Title on the line in a three-way against two mystery opponents. Check out their Twitter page to find out more.
Lutte NSPW – Rise Above – Saturday – Centre Horizon, Quebec
Since leaving New Japan, Michael Elgin has really been a tear up. Kicking ass in Impact and going all super strong style with Daisuke Sekimoto in Big Japan. Fuck that match was good. Fair play to big Mike; he might be a twat, but it’s hard to argue he isn’t a bloody wonderful pro wrestler. He’s even making waves in his native Canada, as on Saturday he shall be challenging for the NSPW Championship for Lutte NSPW in Quebec. The current champion, Marko Estrada, has held the title for over 300 days and at Rise Above he will be putting the title on the line against not just Elgin, but also Kevin Blanchard and Matt Falco. The Canadian deathmatch legend (apparently, I’ve never heard of the guy until today) PCP Crazy F’n Manny will be having only his 2nd match this year in a 4th Street Death match against Matt Angel. Make of that what you will. Also, the No. 245 on this year’s PWI 500 list, Markus Burke, shall be facing a wrestler who didn’t make the list, Aiden Prince. Oh, come on, he definitely deserves to be on there more than fucking Chasyn Rance. Maybe Pete Dunne was right after all. Anyway, enough about things that don’t matter, go visit their Twitter page to find out more about ‘Rise Above.’
The Clash – FCP Mexico – Saturday – Tijuana
Man, Fight Club Pro don’t half get around the world. First Japan, then New York, now they’re in flipping Mexico teaming up with The Clash. The midlands boys are taking over the world. Although looking at the line-up it’s more 75% Clash and 25% FCP, with the UK promotion only taking 5 guys over to Tijuana, and one of them is Rickey Shane Page. Mr Page is loved in the UK for some reason, and he shall be facing Flamita here on behalf of his UK family. The big main event is the most interesting match, with Moustache Mountain & Travis Banks facing the team of Bestia 666, Mr.450 & Rey Horus. Dan Moloney will be filling up the FCP attendees, alongside. There will also be appearances from Ricky Martinez, Los Traumas, Super Astro and El Mesias. More info is available here.
Promociones MDA – Saturday – Arena Pavilion de Norte, Saltillo
Our Independent adventures end this week at the Arena Pavilion de Norte, where Promociones MDA will be holding their next show this Saturday. The Lucha Bros will obviously be there, since they pretty much appear on every show in the world. Their opponents will be Laredo Kid & Caristico in a fliptastic spot fest extravaganza. Jack Evans is also in Saltillo, facing Argenis and Dragon Bane in a three-way. If you speak Spanish, then pay their Facebook page a visit.
