No Hot Dogs, No Handshakes, No Point? 2022 Independent Wrestling Thread

[One Epic Winter (OEW)]

A lot of the girls breaking into the business now grew up knowing on the Candace Michelle's, Kelly Kelly's, and Michelle McCool's of the world. There really wasn't much else in the states outside of that.

 

[alkeiper]

It's already a system shock to hear so many wrestlers cite Triple H and that generation as their inspiration.

 

[One Epic Winter (OEW)]

Also, to be fair, she cited the Gail Kim/Taryn Last Woman Standing match from 2013 which is one of the best woman's matches of the 2010s.

 

[One Epic Winter (OEW)]

It's already a system shock to hear so many wrestlers cite Triple H and that generation as their inspiration.

I've already heard wrestler cite people like Sasha Banks Seth Rollins as their inspiration. Soon, we're gonna hear about people being inspired Austin Theory and Baron Corbin.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1586490651553976320

#3 promotion

 

[Valeyard]

They could be the best promotion of all time and I still wouldn't go to a show called HOG.

 

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

HOG is really a shit company that has produced some very good talent through their school. Their shows are often overbooked, filled with bait and switches, and DQs/no contests because they bring in big names and don't want anyone to lose. Their production value is trash for a company owned by Master P. If any of the HOG students take outside bookings, the next HOG show they work they don't get paid for, so RED and Brian XL (the trainers) are pretty shit, but carneys gonna carney. They also use known piece of Twitter shit JD from NY on commentary.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Guys, I went to one HOG show in 2016 (that was mostly a student showcase but featured guest appearances from Ricochet and ZSJ) and got shit faced on cheap well drinks at some Elks Lodge in Queens and witnessed the publisher of an urban softcore pinup magazine named Fish N Grits approach Teddy Long for an interview so they'll always be alright by me.

Here is ZSJ wrestling a member of Private Party from said show.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1586529065397194752

Huh...

 

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1586529065397194752

Huh...

Honestly, I hated this so damn much. AC was a great champion, and he gets fucking squashed by a guy that can't have anything but hardcore/deathmatches. This just killed that title for me.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

I kind of get the idea of giving it to a big raw boned hoss that might appeal to casual fans but why the no selling, death match hoss? This must just be a quick reign for Halloween cause I can’t imagine how you book this title reign long term.

 

[alkeiper]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1586767496321077248

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Also I am genuinely curious how the IWTV Championship title changes are determined. Cause if it was up to each and every individual promotion, it seems like it would change as much as a Vince Russo booked title.

However if it is booked collectively...man, I don’t think it’d be possible for a group of indies to order pizza without it going horribly let alone book a “World Title”.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1587899646910660608

IWTV’s owner: Gee...thanks.


West Coast Pro Wrestlng and Prestige Pro Wrestling have announced their plans to stay on IWTV too so I guess they have stopped the bleeding.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

The owner of OVW Craig Greenberg was just elected Mayor of Louisville!

 

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

So, that show from the Queens Elks Lodge that had Josh Alexander, Marufuji, Nakajima, and Del Rio happened on Saturday night, and it was a total shit show behind the scenes, and it had nothing to do with Del Rio:

From the Fightful Patron:

There was a messy situation at a the November [12] New Evolution [Wrestling] show.

During the show, several talent -- including Ultimo Dragon, Josh Alexander, Katsuhiko Nakajima, Naomichi Marufuji, and Alberto Del Rio -- were told that the promoter of the event had no money and they're not getting paid. Talent found the promoter, who claimed to have a medical emergency, and left to go to the hospital, leaving all the money they'd made from signings to split between the wrestlers.

We're told Josh Alexander had to physically chase down and count the money to ensure that the audience that showed up at least got to see Ultimo Dragon and the NOAH talent. In all, the event was roughly $14,000 short of paying what was owed. The talent got together and still did a 6-man tag, which ended up being Josh Alexander, Ricardo Rodriguez and Alberto Del Rio against Ultimo Dragon, Nakajima and Marufuji.

Alberto Del Rio cut a promo after the match and claimed no one was getting paid, which wasn't true, but nobody was getting anywhere near what they were owed. Some of the talent signed free 8x10s in order to help the crowd out. We're told that the NOAH talent specifically did not get paid, and the company itself will likely have to chase down payment for that. Despite this, we were told Nakajimi, Marufuji and Dragon all worked hard despite missing their payday.

In addition, we've been told that the promoter was insisting that fans who attend pay him via venmo, Paypal or cash app, and there was no point of purchase for tickets.

 

[Hawk 34]

It’s actually beautiful that in 2022, scumbag promoters still exist and the boys have to take measures into their own hands.

In a age of sterilized corporate pro wrestling, it’s refreshing the true carny nature of the business can still happen.

May hulking slabs of man beef continue to chase down feckless lying shitheads in backstages of dinky buildings for as long we all breathe this earthly air.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1592106231535382530

I know PROGRESS has gone downhill for years but doing a Dubai show really shows how much they have lost the plot. Who even is still in PROGRESS, @Laz ?

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

I didn't even know they were still open, to be honest.

 

[BruiserBrody]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1592023509928132611

2021 wrestling boom officially dead.

 

[Valeyard]

Listen I get there's indies you can go to and get a great match or promo out of without even trying, but these are the shows that can only surpass expectations.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1594165914030682112

I don't think anyone would have predicted KENTA doing an appearance in CZW.

Idk CZW was even still around in 2022!

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

I literally thought that DJ Hyde quietly closed it down in 2020. Kinda glad to see it's still going.

 

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

It was brought back earlier this year, but they were running Dojo Wars style shows. Bringing in a lot of older local indie talent that can still work a bit, mixed with younger talent that still needs work, and not doing anything deathmatch. They ran TOD last month and it did incredibly well, as far as live tickets.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1593833366016647168

I'm shocked SHOCKED.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

Ah, so that's how he got his name. He just got really highphenated.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1594135389328900099

I know HOG stinks but---

 

[Valeyard]

This Kenta tour is so weird. One show is belated dream matches, the other is the return of Hideo Itami to the states.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1594859793432612864

My man has had the best "Keep getting them checks." years since Rick Rude's 1997. Maybe even best ever.

 

[Valeyard]

It's like a 1998 Sunday Night Heat grudge match.