Now, like it or not, and some people positively loathe it, the prime focus for the wrestling industry at the moment is of course the WWE. Say wrestling to people, and they’re more likely to say WWE (or WWF) than any other company currently out there. By no means is this the same as saying that the WWE is the best product out there, though. The two much talked about US contenders at the moment are vastly different products, and the great white hope of the UK scene has evolved rapidly from where it was a few years ago.
Ring Of Honor positions itself as pure athletic contest, with a bare minimum of storyline and “sports-entertainment”. NWA-TNA seems to straddle the gap between that and the more storyline geared WWE product, an approach the UK based Frontier Wrestling Association has adopted too. All three have made a little niche for themselves, with each promotion having die hard supporters who will hear nothing against them - just check out the SmashWrestling forums for evidence of that! Over the past few weeks, I’ve managed to check out shows from all three, ROH, NWA-TNA and FWA, and have been mightily impressed.
NWA’s X-Division is thing of beauty, featuring performers and moves the WWE wouldn’t dream of showcasing - the mighty Jerry Lynn, released by the WWE for reasons known only to themselves, has made his home in this X-Division, and already AJ Styles has developed from it into a legitimate star, and he will by no means be the last to break into the main event spotlight.
Ring Of Honor prides itself on pushing the boundaries of what people think wrestling is to the extreme, but not in the ECW extreme way - I’m talking about some of the best matches I’ve seen in a long time - on the first ROH show for example, a triple threat between American Dragon, Low Ki and Christopher Daniels was incredible, yet was topped on the next show by a 30 minute plus wrestling clinic from American Dragon and Low Ki on their own.
The UK scene was dragging it’s feet and offering nothing new for people to latch onto, and I myself was often quoted as being no fan. The big show of the past two years was undoubtedly Revival, which while many people raved over, didn’t do much for me. But, having watched a couple of shows from the FWA since then, they look to have moved on leaps and bounds - up and coming talent like James Tighe, Raj Ghosh, Jack Xavier Jody Fleisch and Jonny Storm impress more and more every time I see them, and Doug Williams may well be the finest wrestler ever to come out of the UK.
The people that think that wrestling begins and ends with the WWE really have no idea what they’re missing... it’s worth hitting those tape traders and digging out the indy shows with a few names you might not recognise - you’ll turn up more than a few gems, trust me! To aid you in this task, here’s the essential Live Wire guide to the five Best Kept Secrets In Wrestling - dramatic, eh?
Working in both Ring Of Honor and NWA, Christopher Daniels has long been touted by the Internet as a hell of a worker, and having briefly seen him work a couple of jobber matches on WWE Metal back in the day, I thought he looked alright, but didn’t understand the hype surrounding him. However, put him into an environment where he can work to his full capabilities, as well as showcase his “fallen angel” gimmick, and it’s a different kettle of fish.
Daniels is now recognised as the being a member of the upper class in Indy circles, and rightly so - he has a fluidity of movement about him that’s so smooth, it’s amazing. Add to that a great knowledge of how to work a crowd as a heel, without missing a step in the ring, and that’s one hell of a package. Daniels is probably one of the top 10 workers in the US at the moment, yet with barely any recognition for it.
My next pick is another WWE jobbing regular - American Dragon. You may have seen him on Velocity a few times, using his real name of Bryan Danielson, most noticeably against Jamie Noble - a great match full of give and take from both men. Dragon may have looked good doing the job to an established WWE star, but in an ROH ring, he’s ten times better.
No gimmick is needed for Dragon - he’s a straight wrestler in the Chris Benoit mould - he’ll take you down as soon as look at you, or knock you into next year with some devastating kicks and forearm smashes. Although it took place last year, his match with Low Ki at ROH 2 is the best match I’ve seen all year, without a doubt. Dragon is going to be a huge star in the next 10 years, it’s just a question of whether it’s in the US or in Japan, where his style seems based and suited to most.
Nothing low key about the next on my list - Low Ki. See, I may be serious, but still the humour just rolls in there... but I digress. Low Ki is the most intense man on the US wrestling scene right now - seriously, folks, Rhyno would back down if faced with Low Ki. Add to that a repertoire of moves that vary from submission holds to high impact brainbuster variations, from high flying highspots to kicks that could knock a hole in a brick wall.
Low Ki is another guy that I saw a couple of times jobbing on Metal or Jakked (one time to Raven that I recall in particular) but is a different ball-game either in NWA, or Ring Of Honor, where he seems to focus more on his mat wrestling skills than just kicks he’s become famous for. Of course, it doesn’t change the fact that he still looks like a bald, pissed off monkey, but hey, can’t have everything, eh?
The Amazing Red is well named, as some of the stuff he pulls out is well... amazing. He’s improved incredibly in the space of year - there’s no comparison between the Red of the first Ring Of Honor show and the Red that’s popping up in the NWA these days. Red is perhaps the natural successor to the unique Rey Mysterio - yes, he is that good. Red’s strongpoint is his incredible aerial ability - some of the moves he pulls out simply defy description and gravity!
Red has been working in Japan already, and I get the feeling that could well be where his future lies - he is small, as in Mysterio small, which more or less writes off his chances of being a member of Vince’s Land Of The Giants - although Brian ‘Spanky’ Kendrick seems to be surviving, that’s maybe no bad thing for him and his unique style. Check out some of his matches in the NWA X-Division against AJ Styles and Low Ki, you won’t be disappointed.
And the last, but by no means least selection on this list... well, there only really could be one name - AJ Styles. Much vaunted by the Indy fans as the man that turned down Vince - Vince offered him a $500 per week developmental deal, and AJ turned it down to work the Indy circuit, and it’s really benefited him. He has a great presence in the ring, and can mix styles with the best of them.
His NWA feud with Jerry Lynn put him on the map, and he remains the only star that NWA-TNA have created themselves in my eyes. But don’t peg him down as an NWA only worker - AJ pops up anywhere there’s a card - he’s even worked an FWA show in the UK, against Jonny Storm in a great match. Styles has become the breakout star of the X-Division, and surely will be a huge name on the wrestling scene for years to come.
So there we are - not particularly groundbreaking for some people that read this column, but hopefully, it’ll light a fire under someone, and they’ll potter off and pick up a ROH tape, or an NWA tape, maybe even buy the NWA PPV one week if they can, or pop down to the next show held near you.
Don’t take this list as the be all and end all of the indy scene - for every Low Ki, there’s a Jonny Storm, for every American Dragon there’s a Shark Boy, for every AJ Styles, there’s a Doug Williams, and so the list goes on - take a chance on some of the indy promotions - you won’t regret it.
Until next time, have fun, go mad.
