RIPPA Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 This thread is for things like TNA, ROH and other US indy guys currently making the rounds. For clarity sake - I am considering AJ Styles New Japan and Alberto el Patron Lucha. Also - just because it has it in its name - Lucha Underground will be in Lucha Though I really should have just said - Rockstar Spud, ROH and US Indy guys Time Period: March 1, 2014 - February 28, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted February 20, 2015 Author Share Posted February 20, 2015 I realized I needed a spot for the UK guys - so they go here. Plus a few of them ended up doing British Bootcamp to help bolster their resumes (like Rampage Brown and Dave Mastiff) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cristobal Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Is there a better comedy wrestler alive today than Grado? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sky Blue Sam Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 I think Dave Mastiff was the 2nd best UK wrestler last year, but I'm working on the principle that Zack Sabre Jr. spent most of his year in Japan, so will be on the Japanese thread. Mastiff vs Joe is a fun bout This was the best match I saw live in the time period, with Big Dave working as awesome big heel 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted February 20, 2015 Author Share Posted February 20, 2015 Is there a better comedy wrestler alive today than Grado? I started to say Gran Naniwa and then I remembered he was dead and then I was sad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Man Known as Dan Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 I don't have any matches of them on hand, but someone can toss in some Drew Gulak, Biff Busick, and Timothy Thatcher, I'd be pleased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 I have EIGHT days to watch Chris Masters matches from 2014. How the hell is the Thatcher match not online? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRGoldman Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 I think the case for Gulak, Thatcher and Busick has been made by a lot of people, so I wanted to throw out some names that may not get as much love from the US Indies this year: Green/Silver Ant: Has started to show up in stuff other than Chikara, and has kept up with a lot of people this year. I think if he worked without a mask people would take him more seriously. Tommy End: Hasn't had much US stuff this year, but has really shined whenever he has shown up. I can't speak to random indy feds in the Netherlands or wherever else he works. Matt Tremont: I know Deathmatch stuff is hit or miss and not especially popular on this board, but I think he has worked really hard and had a bunch of good regular matches in addition to his DM stuff. Jimmy Havoc: British guy. Did some death match stuff and became a huge heel champ in Progress this year. Great promo, good storyteller. The indies are pretty crappy right now. I'm sure someone else can make a good case for some of the high fliers like AR Fox or even Ricochet. Does Drew Galloway have enough stuff from this year to be considered active? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Man Known as Dan Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 I have said for a couple years now that if Green Ant could be a much bigger name if he stepped away from CHIKARA. He'd fit right in with the Gulak/Thatcher/Busick group of awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cristobal Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Is there a better comedy wrestler alive today than Grado? I started to say Gran Naniwa and then I remembered he was dead and then I was sad Well now you've brought the whole thread down. Good going, jerkface. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted February 20, 2015 Author Share Posted February 20, 2015 It's what I do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirSmUgly Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 I guess I'll nominate Chuck Taylor, one of the few indie guys that I actually kinda keep up with where I can. I liked his tag stuff in PWG this year, but I don't know if it's online anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Web Conn Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 AR Fox people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazlo Woodbine Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Does Drew Galloway have enough stuff from this year to be considered active? Yes. Matches. Not so much ICW stuff online now they have their VOD service. Hype and promos. There's a bunch more out there too - the rest of the Evolve stuff is or was on dailymotion as complete shows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SturmCRF Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 I'll second Jimmy Havoc. Not only is he incredibly versatile in ring, but over the last year at Progress he's consistently drawn something close to genuine hatred from several hundred of the smarkiest possible London wrestling fans. Also, Noam Dar. His matches are nearly always the best of the night, he carries himself like a major star, and he's made the Khali Chop more over than you could possibly have imagined. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sky Blue Sam Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Also, Noam Dar. His matches are nearly always the best of the night, he carries himself like a major star, and he's made the Khali Chop more over than you could possibly have imagined. Not seen as much Dar as I'd have liked last year - he didn't really work any of the 5 promotions I regularly attend - but he's really great for someone so young. Plus this entrance makes me think Oasis are cool as fuck for the first time since I was 14 http://youtu.be/gEACxEQFthM 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazlo Woodbine Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 I don't think there are too many Noam Dar 2014 matches on youtube either. This showed up today though. Also, ICW have the first episode of their new web series online, free to non subscribers, for the next 20 hours or so, check it out HERE, matches featured are - Zero G Championship: Kenny Williams © vs. Noam DarSammii Jayne vs. Nikki StormBig Damo vs. DCTJoe Hendry vs. Mikey Whiplash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sky Blue Sam Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 YouTube footage is a bit problem when nominating British guys. I've seen Tyler Bate have insanely good matches in the past 12 months, but none of them appear on line. Guys like Martin Kirby, the Hunter Brothers and Pete Dunne would all make good nominees, but it's pointless putting them forward due to a lack of footage. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 I watched Masters vs Tony Vargas from BTW and Chris is the best guy in the world of coming into a territory and making your heel look formidable before maybe beating him. He sells so broadly (almost too broadly), interacts with the crowd really well, and has simple stuff that looks good and has meaning behind it. He's the best "travelling star" in the world. I believe that. I just don't know if it's a role that'll get him too much credit since it doesn't necessarily make for great matches, since by its nature, he has to give a lot of it to the local yokel. The Chris Hero vs Chris Masters match was just frustrating, mainly due to Hero really not looking great when I had high hopes. It was also face vs face super-indy which is probably not ideal for Masters' strengths. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted February 21, 2015 Author Share Posted February 21, 2015 The "traveling star" role is definitely underappreciated because there aren't a done of guys will to do it. It is one thing to go around the indies - using your name to make a decent living. But to be willing to help the local promotions by putting over their own guys - that number dwindles considerably. And speaking of Hero - that is someone I definitely need to catch up on their work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRGoldman Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Has anyone seen Jimmy Havoc's matches from CMLL this year? I just read he had another match against Negro Casas and some other stuff that looked interesting. I searched youtube for like 30 seconds but couldn't find it. Is it posted anywhere? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 The "traveling star" role is definitely underappreciated because there aren't a done of guys will to do it. It is one thing to go around the indies - using your name to make a decent living. But to be willing to help the local promotions by putting over their own guys - that number dwindles considerably. This is exactly that. Masters came in as a vulnerable heel making the local promotion's #1 or #2 babyface, a kayfabe 320 pound guy who could move pretty well, hit his stuff okay, and had decent charisma look like a million bucks. I've mainly seen him as a face the last few years so it was good to see a heel performance. Also, you get D-Lo Brown on Commentary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S.K.o.S. Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 You pretty much HAVE to include Ricochet. He was all over the place during the time period, winning titles and tournaments everywhere. Ricochet vs. Masato Yoshino in DG (just barely within the time period) Ricochet vs. Uhaa Nation in DG Ricochet vs. Johnny Gargano in Dragon Gate USA Ricochet vs. KUSHIDA in the BOSJ finals Ricochet vs. Kota Ibushi for the NJ Junior title Ricochet vs. Drew Galloway in EVOLVE (the January 2015 one) are all honest-to-god great matches. That's not even considering anything he did in PWG (en route to winning BOLA) or Lucha Underground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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