Just a quick a spoiler alert before I start waffling on about Lance Archer and Beyond. For those of you who love your PWG, I shall be discussing the winner of this year’s BOLA during the TNT Extreme preview. So, if you are planning on waiting the four years for BOLA to be released then maybe skip that bit.

US

Beyond – Uncharted Territory: Season 2 – Thursday – White Eagle, Worcester. 

While GCW gets all of the fanfare from the Indie crowd, I feel that Beyond has really been the revolutionaries of the independent scene this year. Just last week they had a show on a beach and their incredible live weekly Uncharted Territory series was a definite success. I tuned in every week and had a cracking time watching the likes of Chris Dickinson, Thomas Santell and Bear Country batter their way into the hearts of fans all over the world. They may have had a few problems with the venue towards the end, and I definitely felt that it lost some charm once they moved from the Electric Haze, but all in all, the first season of Uncharted Territory was a lot of fun and made Beyond a lot of new fans. Now, after a month off, they begin their 2nd season this Thursday at the White Eagle venue. I’m not the biggest fan of the White Eagle myself, but Drew Cordero recently announced that the promotion will be opening their own venue pretty soon, so I can live with White Eagle until then. The first episode looks like it could be a corker, as Lance Archer is making his debut to take on Beyond’ resident big man, Josh Briggs. I’d like to see Briggs work more as a big man in his matches at times, but I am counting down the days until I get to see him and Archer beat the shit out of each other. Like I mentioned earlier, Thomas Santell was the breakout star for the 1st season and he’ll be opening up this season by facing another breakout and recent AEW signing, Orange Cassidy. That could be fun. Daniel Garcia will be continuing his run in the Discovery Gauntlet also. Beyond have used their heads and switched to Thursday due to AEW’s Wednesday night slot, and the season will be continuing every Thursday night. Whether you tune in for just the first episode or for the whole season, I urge you to check it out here.

Chikara – King of Trios – Friday, Saturday & Sunday – The Goodwill Beneficial Association Hall, Reading. 

I have no interest in Chikara. They have their fanbase and that’s wonderful, but I am certainly not one of them. I’ll give them a little plug this week though mainly for the absolute madness of one of the matches they’ve booked for this year’s, ‘King of Trios’ tournament. Of course, that match is Big Poppa Pump teaming up with Jordynne Grace and his little buddy, Petey Williams, to take on the Nerder Death Kill trio of Nick Gage, Thomas Santell and Kris Statlander. Stop what you’re doing, we’re getting Scott Steiner and Nick Gage in the same ring. Fucking hell, life is weird. I have no idea who else is in this year tournament, and to be honest, I don’t really care. Gage is gonna fight Steiner. Fucking bone city. You can find out more on their website.

The Wrestling Revolver – Live Show – Friday – Des Moines, Iowa. 

Lance Archer is on a tour this week facing all of my favorite big lads on the indies. The day after he locks horns with Josh Briggs, he heads over to Des Moines to take on Ace Romero for Wrestling Revolver. Much like with Briggs, I feel that Romero should work the big bastard style more than the ‘haha look how fat he is’ style he seems to have been adopted into. I think he’s good enough to fill the final boss role that WALTER left open, and I’m very interested in seeing what him and Archer can produce. Revolver are also leaning into their Impact friendship, with Brian Cage defending his Impact title against JT Dunn, as well appearances from Sami Callihan, Tessa Blanchard, Ace Austin, Jake Crist and Daga. Find out more by visiting their website.

Southern Underground Pro – You’re Next – Sunday – Basement East, Nashville.

I’ve now decided that every week I’m going to include a promotion I bloody love that I think you should all be watching. I know I pretty much do this anyway, but now it’s actually official. The three people who read my nonsense on a regular basis will already know my love of Southern Underground Pro and will have heard me ramble on countless times about them being proper Punk Rock and all that. You’ve also certainly seen my love of another mainstay of the Southern scene, AC Mack. So, put them both together and you have a very happy Johnny. The best heel on the Indies and current Action champion will be taking on one of the scariest men on the Indies and the current Bonestorm (check) champion, Brett Ison. Mack is getting fucked up on Sunday, and my god it will be glorious. A couple of big ole boys will be entertaining the Nashville faithful with a sea of chops and lariats, as O’Shay Edwards faces Steve Manders. Now that’s what I call a Hoss fight. Others appearing at ‘You’re Next’, include Alan Angels, Gary Jay and Jaden Newman. Check out their Twitter page.

UK

TNT Extreme – Cold Day in Hell – Thursday – Fusion Nightclub, Liverpool. 

I warned of spoilers at the beginning, so if you’re a PWG fan and you’re still reading this then quite frankly, you’re an idiot. Anyway, the recent winner of the Battle of Los Angeles will be heading to Liverpool this Thursday for TNT Extreme, where Bandido faces Jody Fleisch in one of them flippity matches that the kids love today. The ‘Cream in Your Coffee’, Mr David Starr will be continuing his run of appearing in pretty much every main event on the Indies as he challenges Mark Haskins for the TNT Extreme Championship. Can we all just agree that Starr should be the champion of every promotion in the world and finally crown him ‘Davie all the belts’? Good, I’m glad we’ve cleared that up. For more information, give their website a little looksy.

Riptide – Brighton Spirit – Friday & Saturday – Brighthelm Centre, Brighton. 

It’s kind of the best-kept secret in the UK right that Riptide is the best promotion on our shores. They may not be as big as Progress or Rev Pro, but they are a lot more enjoyable and I’d rather watch a Riptide show than those two any day of the week. This weekend, in fact, the best promotion in the UK will be having a busy old-time of it as they present three shows over two days at the Brighthelm Centre. With one show on Friday then two on Saturday, they have put together some absolute beauties. Fresh from making his UK debut for Breed Wrestling, Daniel Makabe is back over here facing Chris Brookes on Friday before competing against Jordan Break in a British Rounds match the following day. The more Makabe the better, so I am loving those matches. Other matches announced include The Rascalz vs The Besties in the World, Chakara vs Big Swole, and the rather spectacular contest of Cara Noir and Su Yung. The ‘Undead Bride’ will also be facing Gene Munny in another weird little match that could a bit nuts. I am definitely going to watch all of these shows, and you should too.  That can be accomplished by going here.

Discovery – Year 5 – Sunday – The Jam House, Edinburgh. 

Sorry Scottish fans, I know I don’t give you much love but let’s be honest, there isn’t much to love about your scene right now. I’ll break you off a little piece this week though for Discovery Wrestling, who host their 5th Year Anniversary show on Sunday from the Jam House in Edinburgh. Nothing too mind-blowing announced, but Mike Bailey will be in town taking on BT Gunn, and Joe Henry will be challenging Joe Coffey for the Y Division Championship. Elsewhere on the show, Session Moth Martina, Sammi Jayne, Sugar Dunkerton, Veda Scott and Paul Tracey will all be making an appearance. Right, that should be enough Scottish wrestling for a while, I’ll see you back here next year for Discovery’s 6th Anniversary. 

Rev Pro – Live at the Cockpit 46 – Sunday – Cockpit Theatre, Marylebone. 

Oh boy, it’s been a tough couple of weeks for Rev Pro. The debacle that was Summer Sizzler,  the show that had so many controversial talking points it makes WWE seem normal. I won’t go into them since they have been debated to death by every podcaster and writer in the land. I will say though, maybe it’s time to Rev Pro to steady the ship a little and give us some actual good wrestling to remind us all why we liked them in the first place (Not me, as I’ve never been a fan, but you know what I mean). Their next Cockpit show could be the start of that, with the high-flying beauty that is Senza Volto making his return to take on the young prodigy, Callum Newman. The debut of Volto was one of the only positive things to come out of Summer Sizzler and I’m hoping more promotions in the UK start booking him. The current savior of the UK scene, Michael Oku, will be trying his hardest to get a good match out of New Japan prospect Hikuleo. I don’t mind the tall son of Haku personally, but he’s still a bit green. As per usual with a Cockpit show, there isn’t too much announced, although The Besties in the World will be there. So come on Rev Pro, let’s have people talking about your wrestling again, shall we.  

Canada

Barrie Wrestling – One Fall Classic – Saturday – Barrie, Ontario. 

Every time I see the name Barrie Wrestling, a tiny part of me hopes the promotion is named after the legendary EastEnders character. I know it’s not of course, you know, since it’s obviously named after the town it’s based in, but hey, a guy is allowed to dream. Anyway, the Canadian promotion will be hosting their next show, One Fall Classic on Saturday. Unfortunately, Shaun Williamson (check name) is not on the card (what a babyface he would make), but Kevin Blackwood is. Not that he has anything to do with Williamson or EastEnders, but I’m a big fan of the Ink covered kickass and I don’t get to talk about him much. Here he will be facing Mark Wheeler in what will be Blackwood’s first match in the promotion in almost a year. The rest of the card is pretty stack too, with Lionel Knight vs Jessie V, John Greed vs Randy Bynoe, and Vaughn Vertico defends his heavyweight title against RJ City. All they need now is Ian Beale and Phil Mitchell to go to an hour draw and we’ll have a show of the year contender. Seriously though, this show looks like it could be awesome. Go and have a gander at their Twitter page.

Battle arts Pro – Rising Stars –Saturday – Battle Arts Academy, Mississauga. 

Time for a little look at the future of Canadian wrestling with Battle Arts Pro, the Mississauga based school and promotion owned by the former Santino Marella. The promotion has been putting on shows since 2014 and on Saturday they give a showcase to their ‘Rising Stars’. The line-up so far includes a bunch of wrestlers I’ve never really heard of, but I’m looking forward to keeping an eye on these guys and girls over the next few years. Vanessa Luvv, Mike Dorositi, Amy Crimson, Jon Gonzalez & Matt Black are all scheduled to appear so far. Visit their website.

Lutte NSPW – 11th Anniversary Show – Saturday – Le Diamant, Quebec. 

It’s a big night for Lutte NSPW on Saturday, as the Quebec based promotion celebrates their 11th Anniversary at the La Diamant Theatre. This will be their first show in the new venue, and they are bringing out all their big guns to ensure that they deliver a bloody good show. The self-proclaimed chairman of AEW and the former 10 guy, Shawn Spears, will be making his debut against Matt Angel in a match that could be pretty good. I’ve seen Angel a few times in C*4 and he’s always impressed. The big match for the home-grown lads is the big boys battle for the NSPW Championship, where Marko Estrada defends the title he’s held for almost a year against the veteran Markus Burke. A couple of big old Canadian boys battering the fuck out of each other, lovely jubbly. Other matches include Kevin Blanchard defending the Jr Heavyweight title against Brad Alexis, Channing Decker vs Dave La Justice, and Benjamin Tull vs Dylan Davis. To find out more, visit their Facebook page. 

Rest of the World

Wrestling GO – You Go Girls – Saturday – Marayong Community Centre, Blacktown. 

The more I’ve delved into the Aussie scene, the more I’ve realized how awesome that country is at producing women wrestlers. The list of wrestlers to have come from the region over recent years is incredible, with pretty much every big promotion right now having an Aussie in their ranks. I can only think this is due to the quality of promotions and the level of talent they have to work within that part of the world. On Saturday, Wrestling GO is giving us a look at the current crop of Aussie girls with their all-women show, ‘You Go Girls’, from the Marayong Community Centre in Blacktown. Shazza McKenzie is the biggest name on the show having recently made her AEW debut. Shazza is one of the most in-demand Aussie wrestlers right now, and on Saturday she appears alongside Jessica Troy, Ashlee Spencer, Tarlee, Kingsley and Harley Wonderland. More info can be found on their website.

Wrestle Rampage Australia – Ground Zero – Sunday – Lions Arts Factory, Adelaide. 

While I know nothing about him, Big Willy Gibson is a cracking name and I’m now very much on the Big Willy bandwagon. Let’s get this guy on every fucking Indie show in the land, whether he’s good or not. He should be alright on Sunday though, as he’s facing one of my faves Punch Drunk Istria in Adelaide for Wrestle Rampage Australia. Can’t get much better than old Punch Drunk and I’m sure it’ll be a decent match. Man, I hope Big Willy is good. Ohh apparently this is a title match too for Istria’s Australian National Championship. Fuck it, stick the strap on Big Willy. Do it you cowards. If Big Willy isn’t your thing then there will also be a Cruiserweight Cup match between Robby Heart and Corey Adams. I mean they look good, but they’re no Big Willy. Check out more about the promotion here.

Lucha Libre Vanguardia – Thursday – Tulancingo, Hidalgo. 

Mexican time babay. Aeroboy & Violento Boy vs Crazy King & Lunatik Fly vs Loz Mazisos, if you’re into your Lucha then those names will mean a lot more to you than me. I’ve heard Aeroboy is pretty good. All these names and more shall be flipping around Hidalgo on Thursday for Lucha Libre Vanguardia. Drastik Boy and Aramis are there too. Sounds alright like. Visit their Facebook page.

Fight Club Finland – Live Show – Saturday – Teatteri Forum, Helsinki. 

Finland’s number one promotion, Fight Club Finland are holding another live show on Saturday in Helsinki. I’m not sure how many promotions there in the country but FCF are adding some pretty good stuff to the Euro scene right now. On Saturday they will be hosting the semi-finals of their SISU tournament, with Viktor Tykki facing The San, and Regina Rosendahl taking on Make Smooth. In the non-tournament matches, the rather terrifying Heimo the Wildman will be destroying the much smaller Viii Raato. Find out more here.

German Wrestling Federation – Chaos City 4 – Saturday – Festsaal Kreuzberg, Berlin.

The German Wrestling Federation has put together a cracking little line-up on Saturday for Chaos City 4 in Berlin. The guy with the worst gear in wrestling, Angelico will be flying over from his AEW duties to team up with Die Muskel-Kater to take on the Blutsbruger trio of John Klinger, Erkan Sulcani & Orlando Silver. Klinger throwing Angelico around is a nice thought. The weird daredevil, wolf guy PJ Black is paying a little to Germany for the show to challenge Pascal Spalter for the GWF Berlin title. I’ve not seen too much of Black lately, but I’ve heard he’s not exactly setting the world alight. The current GWF women’s champion, Laura Di Matteo will also be making her first defense of her title against the woman she defeated for the belt, Skye Smitson. Di Matteo felt like a bit of a prospect a few years ago with her work in Progress but she hasn’t quite developed like I’d hoped. She’s still good though, so this match should be decent. You can hopefully watch it by visiting their website.