Category: Independent Promotions

Two Indie Promotions Based In United States And United Kingdom Announce ‘Major Merger’

Thanks to the usage today of social media and the internet, wrestling promotions of all shapes and sizes can form their own identities and develop their own followings around the world. Two promotions that have made a name for themselves in the United States and United Kingdom are DEFY and Progress, respectively. DEFY, based out of Seattle, Washington, has become one of the most popular independent promotions in the US, helping to launch AEW stars like Swerve Strickland, Darby Allin, and Nick Wayne.

In the United Kingdom, Progress has become one of the premiere promotions to benefit from the British wrestling boom in the mid-2010s, with some of its biggest alums ranging from Pete Dunne and GUNTHER in WWE, to Will Ospreay and Zack Sabre Jr. in NJPW.

Now the two companies have joined forces in a major merger first reported by Fightful Select, and have since gone public with their new venture as both DEFY and Progress aim to create a global presence that benefits both companies and aids further expansion plans.

DEFY’s recent anniversary event DEFY To Survive: Lucky Number 7 was the first event to take place since the merger was announced, and DEFY events will be available to stream on Progress’ streaming service Demand Progress Plus. The next Progress event, Chapter 163: Twisted Metal, will be the first event for the English promotion since the announcement, and will take place on February 25. The companies have held joint events together in the past, the most recent example being DEFY X PROGRESS in June 2023. Progress did help DEFY come to England over All In weekend in August 2023, with both companies running shows in London’s ‘Electric Ballroom’ on August 26, 2023. The next collaborative effort from the two companies will come over WrestleMania weekend in April, as both DEFY and Progress will host events as part of The Collective on April 4.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

RevPro Star ‘Mad Kurt’ Kurtis Chapman Dead At Age 26

Revolution Pro Wrestling delivered sad news Friday morning as they announced that Kurtis Chapman, known to wrestling fans as Mad Kurt, had died at the age of 26.

“We, at Revolution Pro Wrestling are absolutely heartbroken to report the loss of our dear friend Kurtis Chapman,” RevPro stated on X (formerly Twitter). “We watched Kurtis grow from a child to a young man who loved professional wrestling and continued to excel in all aspects of his life. One of the most gifted technical wrestlers, charismatic characters and magnetic personalities. He will never be forgotten.”

A nine-year veteran in the wrestling business, Chapman gradually built his name in the UK’s independent scene, where he later captured the RevPro Undisputed British Cruiserweight Championship. Along his journey, Chapman competed in several other notable promotions, including PROGRESS, TNT Extreme Wrestling, IPW UK, and Game Changer Wrestling, the latter of which saw him challenge Matt Cardona for the Internet Championship in September 2022. Chapman wrestled his last match in June 2023, successfully defending the Resurgence Arthouse Championship in a four-way bout against Chocolate Thunder, Rayne Leverkusen, and Skye Smitson at the promotion’s The Day Resurgence Stood Still event.

Outside of the ring, Chapman also established himself as a prominent social media personality, providing his followers with many smiles and laughs over the years.

As of this writing, the circumstances surrounding Champan’s death remain unknown.

As the wrestling world continues to absorb the gravity of this news, many of Chapman’s friends and peers have chimed in on social media to share their condolences and memories of the young performer.

“I know Kurt would have loved the amount of love shown for him today,” former “WWE NXT UK” star Lizzy Evo wrote on X alongside a candid photograph of herself and Chapman. “Absolute gem of a human behind the keyboard and behind the cape. This one hit hard today. Please have the convos you wanna have and speak to the people you wanna speak to. Life truly is so short.”

ROH World Television Champion Kyle Fletcher, who was a recurring opponent of Chapman’s, expressed similar sentiments, writing, “I don’t quite have the words for how I’m feeling right now. someone I always looked forward to seeing, never failed to make me laugh I’ll miss you Kurt, thanks for everything. rest easy.” Fletcher’s post was also accompanied by a flexing photo of himself, Chapman, and Mark Davis.

https://twitter.com/kylefletcherpro/status/1740695286161490090

Former NXT UK” star Nina Samuels touted Chapman as not only a “special and unique” character in the wrestling world but as a person in the real world as well. “My heart is broken that this isn’t just another Mad Kurt rib,” Samuels wrote. “Sending love to his family and everyone close to him.”

Recent Impact/TNA Wrestling signee Dani Luna offered up a happy memory of Chapman, in which the two can be seen laughing with each other while in attendance at a wrestling show. “The last time me and Kurt hung out is encapsulated perfectly in this photo. Talking s*** about wrestling, drinking beer, and him making me laugh until I couldn’t breathe. Miss you my friend,” Luna tweeted.

https://twitter.com/DaniLuna_pro/status/1740702772457340934

“GCW is saddened to learn of the passing of Kurtis Chapman, aka Mad Kurt. We were lucky to work with him during our first tour of the UK and we will remember him with great fondness. RIP Kurt,” Game Changer Wrestling wrote alongside a smiling image of Chapman and Matt Cardona.

Many of Chapman’s cohorts have also sent their condolences to his family and friends, including former Impact Digital Media Champion Joe Hendry, Veda Scott, Faye Jackson, and Darius Lockhart, who praised Chapman for his sharp wit and comedic bits that Lockhart feels were often under-appreciated.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Spike Dudley Makes In-Ring Return

Spike Dudley returned to the ring for the first time in eight years, competing at LIVE Pro Wrestling’s show this weekend.

Dudley hasn’t competed since 2015, and he stepped into the ring with Leon St. Giovanni at the indie event.

St. Giovanni later tweeted,

“I wrestled Spike Dudley tonight. Life is crazy.

Don’t worry about the footage. Trust me, I beat him senseless afterwards.

@LIVEpwevents”

https://twitter.com/LeonStGiovanni/status/1731514037773464045

Source: eWn

Sami Callihan On How Former WWE Star Ronda Rousey Ended Up On Wrestling Revolver

It wasn’t even a month ago that Ronda Rousey hinted towards retiring from pro wrestling, something that seemed pretty apparent following a loss to Shayna Bazler at WWE SummerSlam, which all but ended her WWE career. But things have changed over the last few weeks, with Rousey working a Lucha VaVoom show on October 26, and accepting a booking on November 16 for Sami Callihan’s Wrestling Revolver promotion, which is running their event, UNREAL, in Los Angeles, California.

Appearing on “Busted Open Radio” on Wednesday, Callihan was asked about Rousey’s appearance, which will see her team with AEW star, and long-time friend, Marina Shafir. According to Callihan, Rousey’s appearance on the show almost happened by happenstance and was motivated by Rousey looking to do something for a good cause.

“I fell into that one,” Callihan said. “I’m not going to take credit for that, that it’s some mastermind plan that I went ‘You know what, this is going to be the thing. We’re going to run LA on only two and a half weeks’ notice.’ No, it’s something I fell into, because of my relationships with other people, and people putting myself over [to] Ronda. ‘This is a guy you want to work with. This is a guy we want to do this with.'”

“Ronda wanted to do this for charity. She wants to do something for the Hawaiian relief fun. Her husband is from Hawaii, and this is a charity she holds very near and dear to her heart. As soon as it was brought up to me, I was like, ‘Absolutely. That is something I want to be involved with because that money will actually go to help people.'”

Source: Wrestling Inc. credit “Busted Open Radio”

Ronda Rousey To Team With Marina Shafir At Wrestling Revolver Unreal, AEW Stars Announced

WWE and UFC alumnus Ronda Rousey will be making her Wrestling Revolver debut at the upcoming Unreal event that is scheduled for November 16 at the Homenetmen Glendale Ararat in Los Angeles, California.

Earlier today, Wrestling Revolver announced that Rousey will be teaming with her longtime friend Marina Shafir at the event on November 16.

Rousey made a surprise return to the ring this past Thursday, teaming with Shafir at a Lucha VaVOOM event.

Impact Wrestling World Champion and WR Remix Champion Alex Shelley, AEW stars Jon Moxley, Swerve Strickland, and award-winning actor Paul Walter Hauser are also booked for the Wrestling Revolver Unreal event.

Source: eWn

https://twitter.com/PWRevolver/status/1718702171175219526

Ronda Rousey Returns To The Ring At Lucha VaVOOM Event

Ronda Rousey lost to Shayna Baszler in an MMA Rules Match at the WWE SummerSlam premium live event, ending her second run with the company.

She surprised everyone by returning to the ring for Lucha VaVOOM at the Mayan Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Rousey, sitting in the front row, teamed up with her longtime friend Marina Shafir to face Taya Valkyrie and Brian Kendrick in a tag team match.

The match lasted only five minutes, with Rousey securing the victory for her team by submitting Kendrick with an ankle lock. She shared the full match on Instagram, along with a message.

Source: eWn

Breezango Set To Reunite At Upcoming Independent Show

Following his victory over Matt Cross at Next Generation Wrestling’s Wrestle Wars event, newly-crowned NGW Champion Tyler Breeze will soon reunite with his former tag team partner Fandango, who is now known as Dirty Dango. As revealed on NGW’s Twitter, Breeze will team up with Fandango at the promotion’s Nightmare in The Old City event, which is slated to take place on October 8 in Knoxville, Tennessee. The former “WWE NXT” Tag Team Champions, once known as Breezango, will now be introduced as Dirty Breeze.

NGW Nightmare in The Old City will mark the pair’s first tag team appearance since June 15, 2021, when they defeated Imperium’s Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel (Giovanni Vinci & Ludwig Kaiser) on “WWE NXT.” Ten days later, WWE released both Breeze and Fandango. Upon their exit from WWE, Fandango returned to the independent circuit and later appeared in the National Wrestling Alliance, where he formed The Dirty Sexy Boys with JTG. After a stint in NWA, Fandango arrived at Impact Wrestling, where he is currently signed to.

Despite his release from WWE in 2021, Breeze reportedly remained under the company’s payroll. While it’s unclear if Breeze has any specific wrestling-related provisions in this deal, he is seemingly prohibited from appearing on AEW programming. In the meantime, though, Breeze continues to serve as a co-trainer at the Flatbacks wrestling school alongside AEW star Shawn Spears. He is also a regular guest on Xavier Woods’ UpUpDownDown YouTube channel. 

After a two-year wrestling hiatus, Breeze finally made his return to the ring on July 8, where he won the aforementioned NGW Championship.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Matt Cardona Steals The Undertaker’s Gimmick For GCW Entrance

GCW held their Now and Forever event on Friday night in New York City, New York. 

During it, Nick Gage made an appearance and issued a challenge to Deathmatch Royalty (Matt Cardona & Steph De Lander) for GCW Homecoming weekend. Cardona and De Lander attacked Gage and Itoh from behind. Cardona accepted the challenge for the event.

As seen below, Cardona made his entrance dressed as The Undertaker. 

Here are the results:

5 Way Scramble Match: Charles Mason (w/Parrow) defeated Alec Price, Brayden Toon, Cole Radrick and Marcus Mathers.

Deathmatch Royalty (Matt Cardona & Steph De Lander) defeated BUSSY (Allie Katch & Effy).

Triple Threat Match: Gringo Loco defeated Komander and Arez.

Mance Warner defeated George South.

GCW World Tag Team Championships Match: The East West Express (Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne) (c) defeated The Bookers (Amazing Red & BXL) (w/Ultra Violette).

Singles Match: Maki Itoh defeated Billie Starkz. Post-match, Nick Gage made an appearance and issued a challenge to Deathmatch Royalty (Matt Cardona & Steph De Lander) for GCW Homecoming weekend. Cardona and De Lander attacked Gage and Itoh from behind. Cardona accepted the challenge for the event.

“Speedball” Mike Bailey defeated YOSHIHIKO.

Grim Reefer, Matt Tremont & Homicide defeated Jimmy Lloyd, Miedo Extremo & Ciclope.

GCW World Championship Match: Blake Christian (c) defeated MAO.

Utami Hayashishita defeated LuFisto.

Source: eWn

Kimber Lee Talks Training At CZW, Accuses Owner DJ Hyde Of Misogynistic Behavior

After decades of shady practices, bad business, and various physical and emotional trauma, professional wrestling has finally started to change for the better. A lot of that has to do with many people adopting the “leaving it better than I found it” mindset. But unfortunately, that wasn’t always the case for female wrestlers, which former WWE and Impact Wrestling star Kimber Lee experienced first-hand during her days in CZW.

While she was known as “The Princess Who Saves Herself,” Lee was fortunate enough to have people to watch her back and save her when she needed it at the very beginning of her career. During an interview with Piers Austin, she recalled her experience as the first female graduate of the Combat Zone Wrestling Academy under the tutelage of Drew Gulak. 

The former WWE Cruiserweight Champion — who also trained a number of wrestlers over the years, including “Stone Cold” Steve Austin ahead of his WrestleMania comeback – put the students through the wringer and Lee emerged with a solid foundation of in-ring ability and cherished memories from that period of time.

However, it was after her graduation from the academy that things began to go downhill. That’s when the alleged inappropriate behavior of CZW promoter DJ Hyde started to become more prominent. Lee confirmed that Hyde would frequently say, as chronicled during the Speaking Out movement, that he wouldn’t hire anyone he wouldn’t have sex with.

“It was something that was said to all of us and it’s terrible,” she said. “At the time, I was a 19-year-old girl that didn’t know how to react to that and I was the only girl. There was no one to stand up for me, so I got very protective of some of the girls that came afterwards.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Eddie Kingston Does This Charitable Act At Indie Shows

Throughout his time with All Elite Wrestling, Eddie Kingston has still maintained a healthy schedule of independent shows on many weekends to complement his work on “AEW Dynamite” and “AEW Rampage.” While speaking to Marc Maron on a special wrestling-themed episode of “WTF,” Kingston discussed his reasons for continuing to work independent promotions, and shared that he usually makes a charitable donation with a significant portion of his earnings.

“I like doing the independents still,” Kingston said. “Because without the independents, I would’ve went nuts years ago. … A lot of times — well, they already announced it a couple times. I hate it when they do this. I usually will go there and do a show, but I’ll tell them, ‘Take half my money, and give it to a charity that’s local.’ And I tell them not to announce it, just do it. And they announced it anyways.” Kingston stated that he sees these donations as his way of giving back after working his way through the independents for most of his career.

Over the last year, Kingston has stayed busy working for promotions across the country such as House of Glory, Beyond Wrestling, DEFY, and Glory Pro. On top of his work with his home promotion and on the independents, the AEW star has competed for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, facing off against Tomohiro Ishii and even teaming with Kazuchika Okada to wrestle “Switchblade” Jay White and Juice Robinson of Bullet Club in October. After months of trash talk back and forth, Kingston will soon return to the promotion to face White in a singles match at NJPW Battle in the Valley on February 18.

Source: Wrestling Inc.