Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Jun 7, 2017 8:47:23 GMT -6
www.pwinsider.com/article/110131/its-time-for-ric-to-be-fair-to-flair-wildkat-the-arenas-last-independent-where-raw-greatly-improved-last-night-and-more.html?p=1
THE LAST INDEPENDENT
It's weird to say there will ever be a "last" anything in pro wrestling, since the last person to actually retire and stay retired was, well, I have no idea - but this Saturday 6/10 at the 2300 Arena, Luke Hawx's Wildkat Sports will be a literal fish out of water, as the New Orleans-based promotion runs South Philadelphia. On paper, it's a crazy excursion and one that I've had my concerns about making money, but it's also, under the current landscape, going to be the last independent show presented by the venue that isn't promoted by House of Hardcore or Ring of Honor - who signed a joint exclusive deal with the legendary venue right after the Wildkat date was booked.
Luke Hawx told PWInsider.com in past interviews that he didn't book the date out of ego or even for personal glory (after all, he's the one fighting Wolverine and The Rock in major feature films this summer in small, supporting roles), but to give back to his students and his locker room as Wildkat. Knowing that being based in New Orleans doesn't make an independent talent geographically desirable (go Google flights to and from the Big Easy and see for yourself), Hawx nonetheless wanted to give his talents a chance to be seen by a different audience and hopefully, gain the attention of other independent promoters in the Northeast so that they can potentially pick up more work outside of the Gulf Coast.
It's an honorable idea, even if the idea that the show will make huge bankroll is a longshot at best. Some might say the idea is crazy because how good could the talents be, but having seen many of them up close and personal over the years, there are quite a few who are indeed ready for the big time.
Steve Anthony, who is in a four-way on Saturday, is as good as anyone in professional wrestling right now. If he was living in NYC or Philadelphia, he would have been all the rage and likely would have huge buzz on the Internet. I rarely write this about anyone, but the fact he isn't signed to a national TV deal is complete bullsh**. He's that great.
Buku Dao, aka the "SituAsian" was at one point on WWE's radar for the Performance Center before the deal was yanked and as a smaller, Cruiserweight talent, he's incredibly crisp and has the ability to tell great stories, not just as an underdog due to his size but as a pure professional wrestler. Facing veteran Crowbar on Saturday, he's likely to have a standout match.
Matt Lancie reminds me a lot of an old school brawler in both his look and his work, sort of a young Dick Murdoch or Bob Orton. Just a good technical wrestler with a bad streak who beats people up. I think he will continue to excel as he matures and is nowhere near his peak.
There are others as well, including J Spade and Soccoro, as well as talents from the Monster Factory waiting to break out and be seen by the masses. The show will also feature a number of familiar faces to both ECW fans and veteran fans of the Northeast independent circuit. It's a packed weekend for pro wrestling on the independent scene (when isn't it lately?) but I am really looking forward to this show, not for the names I know, but for those who this will be their first time in the venue as spotlighted performers - and because it could very well be (for now), the last independent show in the venue. Saturday's show features:
*Wildkat Sports champion Stevie Richards vs. Luke Hawx.
*Devon "Crowbar" Storm vs. Buku Dao.
*Ruby Reyes vs. Renee Michelle.
*Steve Anthony vs. Blk Jeez vs. Papadon vs. Bestia 666.
*Rory Gulak vs. Nick Comoroto
*The Pump Patrol vs. Gabriel & Manny Soriani.
Also scheduled to appear are The Blue Meanie, Joel Gertner, Matt Lancie, Socorro, J.Spade, talents from The Monster Factory and more.
For additional information and tickets, visit www.wildkatsports.com
PWInsider.com will have live coverage of Wildkat this Saturday.
THE LAST INDEPENDENT
It's weird to say there will ever be a "last" anything in pro wrestling, since the last person to actually retire and stay retired was, well, I have no idea - but this Saturday 6/10 at the 2300 Arena, Luke Hawx's Wildkat Sports will be a literal fish out of water, as the New Orleans-based promotion runs South Philadelphia. On paper, it's a crazy excursion and one that I've had my concerns about making money, but it's also, under the current landscape, going to be the last independent show presented by the venue that isn't promoted by House of Hardcore or Ring of Honor - who signed a joint exclusive deal with the legendary venue right after the Wildkat date was booked.
Luke Hawx told PWInsider.com in past interviews that he didn't book the date out of ego or even for personal glory (after all, he's the one fighting Wolverine and The Rock in major feature films this summer in small, supporting roles), but to give back to his students and his locker room as Wildkat. Knowing that being based in New Orleans doesn't make an independent talent geographically desirable (go Google flights to and from the Big Easy and see for yourself), Hawx nonetheless wanted to give his talents a chance to be seen by a different audience and hopefully, gain the attention of other independent promoters in the Northeast so that they can potentially pick up more work outside of the Gulf Coast.
It's an honorable idea, even if the idea that the show will make huge bankroll is a longshot at best. Some might say the idea is crazy because how good could the talents be, but having seen many of them up close and personal over the years, there are quite a few who are indeed ready for the big time.
Steve Anthony, who is in a four-way on Saturday, is as good as anyone in professional wrestling right now. If he was living in NYC or Philadelphia, he would have been all the rage and likely would have huge buzz on the Internet. I rarely write this about anyone, but the fact he isn't signed to a national TV deal is complete bullsh**. He's that great.
Buku Dao, aka the "SituAsian" was at one point on WWE's radar for the Performance Center before the deal was yanked and as a smaller, Cruiserweight talent, he's incredibly crisp and has the ability to tell great stories, not just as an underdog due to his size but as a pure professional wrestler. Facing veteran Crowbar on Saturday, he's likely to have a standout match.
Matt Lancie reminds me a lot of an old school brawler in both his look and his work, sort of a young Dick Murdoch or Bob Orton. Just a good technical wrestler with a bad streak who beats people up. I think he will continue to excel as he matures and is nowhere near his peak.
There are others as well, including J Spade and Soccoro, as well as talents from the Monster Factory waiting to break out and be seen by the masses. The show will also feature a number of familiar faces to both ECW fans and veteran fans of the Northeast independent circuit. It's a packed weekend for pro wrestling on the independent scene (when isn't it lately?) but I am really looking forward to this show, not for the names I know, but for those who this will be their first time in the venue as spotlighted performers - and because it could very well be (for now), the last independent show in the venue. Saturday's show features:
*Wildkat Sports champion Stevie Richards vs. Luke Hawx.
*Devon "Crowbar" Storm vs. Buku Dao.
*Ruby Reyes vs. Renee Michelle.
*Steve Anthony vs. Blk Jeez vs. Papadon vs. Bestia 666.
*Rory Gulak vs. Nick Comoroto
*The Pump Patrol vs. Gabriel & Manny Soriani.
Also scheduled to appear are The Blue Meanie, Joel Gertner, Matt Lancie, Socorro, J.Spade, talents from The Monster Factory and more.
For additional information and tickets, visit www.wildkatsports.com
PWInsider.com will have live coverage of Wildkat this Saturday.