I’m posting this video here because everyone needs to see this. Dave Crist has been one of the Midwest’s best kept secrets for too long. It looks like 2017 will be the year everyone gets to see what the King of Dayton can do.
Dave is not only one of the most talented in-ring performers I’ve ever seen, he’s one of the most respected. He’s a leader and a mentor to those who really want to succeed, and when Dave says, “Jump!” no one asks, “How high?” They’re already jumping.
See Dave walk on the wall from three angles below. Then get out and see Dave for yourself. #OI4K.
Aaron Williams calls himself the Baddest Man Alive, and he backs it up every night in the ring. He had a banner year in 2016 that saw him expand into new territories and even make an extra appearance on TNA. He has a shot at the IWA Mid-South Championship this week in Clarksville Indiana, and with the new vacancies atop the indy ranks (thanks to continued signings by the WWE), he’s one to watch in 2017. Here’s Aaron’s pick for one of his favorite matches in 2016:
“One thing I wanted for sure in 2016 (among a lot. But this one I got) was a match with Sami Callihan. Sami is a world class competitor, and he is truly one of the best in the world. Testing myself against him was something I needed just for me, I think. Sami and I have grown in the business together and although our careers have taken different paths. I’ve always believed I could hang with not only him but the best wrestlers in the world. This match was special to me. Even more so after Sami spoke after the match. The match may have gone different then how I wanted, but I proved something to myself that I hope people will see in the coming year. I’m far from done killing it, and the #PlanetWilliamsTakeover has just begun!”
Last week word broke that Crazy Mary Dobson, the cover girl on Eat Sleep Wrestle, has signed with the WWE. She might not be the only wrestler from that book cover headed to a major promotion.
Eagle-eyed fans, especially those from Ohio, may have recognized a certain security team member on TNA recently. Aaron Williams, the Baddest Man Alive, not only got some TV time, he got a dark match at the recently revamped promotion and left a good impression with the new management.
“Things at Impact went well,” he says. “Got a lot of good feed back! Everyone I met was very polite and I expect be go back in the future.”
After his injury hiatus in 2015, Williams has been on a tear. He won the Rockstar Pro Championship for the third time. He’s faced several dream opponents, including Sami Calihan, Raymond Rowe, Ricky Shane Page, Al Snow, and Ken Anderson. And he is especially proud to now be a full-fledged member of the Midwest’s most dangerous faction: Ohio is 4 Killers.
Williams is facing Jason “The Gift” Kincaid in the first round of the Primus tournament, and Williams can’t wait to step in the ring with the Ring of Honor star. “I do pretty well in tournaments, and I thrive in that kind of thing. I also don’t really feel like I’ve shown the fans of Pro Wrestling Freedom what I’m capable of, but winning the PWF championship will take care of that for me. As far as Jason Kincaid goes I’m very excited to go one on one with him! It’s kinda a ‘gift’ from PWF to me cause once I beat him in my mind I’ve already won this tournament. Kincaid is as good as it gets once I beat him it’s smooth sailing.”
Will OI4K claim another title? Find out on September 9 in Jeffersonville when Pro Wrestling Freedom presents The Primus.
While you were complaining about Sasha Banks losing her title so soon, Marc Hauss was standing up for the women’s wrestling revolution in the indies.
While you were complaining that your favorite guys never get pushed because “politics,” a your other favorite guys – Aron Rex/Damien Sandow, Cody Rhodes, and The Big Guy/Ryback – began their takeover of the indies.
While you were complaining about about the promotion that you routinely pay $9.99 a month to watch, CZW, High Spots, CHIKARA, Rockstar Pro, and others have tried to offer you alternatives – some for less, some for free!
While you were complaining about an ugly title belt, Matt Hardy was busy blowing up the Internet by deleting his own brother.
And lest we forget, you could have been enjoying an independent show where a ticket and a T-shirt costs less than an upper level ticket you complained about buying for the so-called “only” promotion left.
It almost makes you wonder: do the people who complain incessantly about title belts and ticket prices more in love with wrestling or whining?
If you answered wrestling, prove it. Stop complaining and take action. Put your money where your mouth is.
I’m not telling you to cancel your $9.99 subscription. As good as NXT and the CWC have been, you’d be a fool to back out now. But I am telling you to go see a local show, or subscribe to a second network, or look around Youtube and discover what’s out there to watch for free. If even a fraction of the whiners would invest just a few dollars a month in independent wrestling, we might really change the landscape of pro wrestling today.
Support what you love. Stop complaining about what you hate. Prove that you’re a fan and not just a whiner. Let’s pour some fuel on the fire if this indy revolution.
Two years ago I made a deal with my wife. We could finally cut the cable cord, and I would get the WWE Network. I haven’t seen Raw live since, but I haven’t regretted the move for a minute.
Now the indie wrestling scene is catching up and giving you more reasons to cut the cable. I recently discovered CZW has a Roku channel, and coming soon, Rockstar Pro will have one as well. Rockstar Pro is a big favorite of mine with one of the most talented regular rosters in the Midwest. Their shows air weekly on Youtube with monthly iPPV shows as well. Details are still forthcoming, but mark my word, CZW and Rockstar Pro are both worth the monthly price of admission.
The Rockstar Pro network will officially kick off Christmas Day, just in time to give your indie wrestling loving sweetheart a little something special.
Earlier this week in my post about Sami Callihan, I made the comment there were dozens of others like Sami working hard on the independent circuit keeping indy wrestling alive. Friday night, one of those hard workers steps into the ring with Sami Callihan for one last match in front of the Rockstar Pro Wrestling crowd in Dayton, Ohio.
Jake Crist is one of the reasons I fell in love with indy wrestling. He’s a twelve year veteran who has traveled the world, working for Heartland Wrestling Association, Juggalo Championshop Wrestling, Combat Zone Wrestling, Ring of Honor, Big Japan Pro Wrestling, and many more. He and his brother Dave collected tag team championship belts at numerous promotions as the Irish Airborne and Ohio Is For Killers. Most recently, he paired with Aaron Williams to form the team Baddest Killers Alive and won the Rockstar Pro tag team championship.
Jake and his wife, former women’s wrestler Neveah, just welcomed their second child, and Jake has decided it’s time to hang up the boots. He has a few more bookings later this month, but Friday will be a very special night in Dayton.
Jake has been a fan favorite and an inspirational leader to many of the younger wrestlers in locker rooms across the Midwest. He will be missed, but his impact in the ring will be felt for a long time.
If you want to see Jake at his very best, I strongly recommend getting the CZW 16th Anniversary Show. The Crist brothers defended their tag team titles that night against the Young Bucks in one of the very best matches I have seen all year.
Thank you, Jake, for everything. Best of luck in the future, and enjoy your time with your family.
If you miss a week of wrestling in Louisville, you miss a lot!
While I was off enjoying a family vacation in D.C., Mitchell Hull won the OVW TV title. Mitchell was just getting back into the business when I interviewed him for Eat Sleep Wrestle in the summer of 2014. Looks like he’s well on his way to making a name for himself in the business.
Not only did Mitch win gold, but Aaron Williams, who is on the cover of the same book, won the Rockstar Pro Wrestling tag belts with Jake Crist in Dayton. These two are as talented a tag team as you’ll find anywhere in the indies and a must-see if they’re on the card.
Then Friday night brought two more surprises at the IWA Mid-South 19th anniversary show. After announcing the Headbangers had dropped out of the show earlier in the week, Ian Rotten surprised the fans by bringing in former WWE star Simon Dean (aka Super Nova of the BWO) and IWA Mid-South legend Chris Hero. Then Reed Bentley (another Eat Sleep Wrestle talent) capped the night by winning the IWA Mid-South world championship, snatching the title away from newly crowned champ John Wayne Murdoch.
For those counting, that’s three stars from Eat Sleep Wrestle winning gold last week.
This Wednesday, OVW is taping television in Louisville and Rockstar Pro is doing the same in Dayton. Pro Wrestling Grind in Jeffersonville has Rhyno coming in for a show at the Arena Friday, and IWA is running a benefit for IWA-MS original Mitch Page the same night.
And oh yeah, Chikara is coming to Jeffersonville October 24.
It’s a great time to be a fan of wrestling, especially here in the Midwest.
Last week I turned off Raw twenty minutes in. I know. I missed the brawl between Brock and the Undertaker. I watch the 90 minute replay on Hulu (because I don’t have cable), and the way WWE chose to edit the program last week, the portion I saw was all promos and no wrestling. Just after Steph and HHH’s speech to the backstage troops, I turned it off. I went to my YouTube app on Roku and I watched wrestling.
Time was if you didn’t like what WWE had to offer, you didn’t have a choice. There’s no excuse today. If you have cable, TNA and Ring of Honor are on Destination America (for now), and even if they go away, the far superior Lucha Underground is on the El Rey Network.
Don’t have those stations? Or cable? You have YouTube. You can watch classic matches, if that’s your preference, but I strongly recommend giving one of the new indies a try. IWA Mid-South’s channel is packed with recent classics featuring CM Punk, Chris Hero, and Colt Cabana. It’s also a great place to meet their newer stars like Reed Bentley, Hy Zaya, Shane Mercer, John Wayne Murdoch, and rising star Kongo Kong.
Rockstar Pro in Dayton, Ohio is another option on YouTube with their weekly program Amped. (Yes, they had the name before Jeff Jarrett decided to make use of it!) In fact that’s the show I turned on after turning off Raw. RPW’s locker room is packed with rising stars like Ron Mathis, Aaron Williams, Jake and Dave Crist, and Kyle Maverick to name a few.
And let’s not forget the second longest running weekly wrestling program, Ohio Valley Wrestling. The former WWE developmental territory is still going strong and releases new episodes weekly on the OVW website.
If you have Roku, you need to add the Indy Wrestling Channel. This app includes dozens of promotions from across the country, and they’re all free.
No more settling when the big E doesn’t give you more than a few minutes of wrestling on Monday nights. There’s great wrestling to be had online – not to mention in your own neighborhood.
Two years ago I made a deal with my wife. We could finally cut the cable cord, and I would get the WWE Network. I haven’t seen Raw live since, but I haven’t regretted the move for a minute.
Earlier this week in my post about 
