Wrestling's New Golden Age: How Independent Promotions Have Revolutionized One of America?s Favorite Sports

Copyright © 2017 Ron Snyder

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Tom Lau

Cover photograph courtesy of Craig Hunter Ross

Print ISBN: 978-1-68358-020-1

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-68358-021-8

Printed in the United States of America

To my wife, my love, and my best friend, Lori, who has supported me unconditionally since the day we met.

To my son, William, and daughters, Megan and Marissa, who make me strive to be a better person and father every day.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1:   The Territory Years

Chapter 2:   The Transitional Period

Chapter 3:   The Evolution of Independent Wrestling Promotions

Chapter 4:   A Wrestling Education

Chapter 5:   Life as an Independent Wrestler

Chapter 6:   Independent Wrestling Tournaments

Chapter 7:   Triumphs and Tragedies

Chapter 8:   Looking to Be No.2

Chapter 9:   Building a Brand

Chapter 10: The Daniel Bryan Effect

Chapter 11: Life After the WWE

Chapter 12: The Legends Return

Chapter 13: A Women’s Revolution

Chapter 14: Social Media Explosion

Chapter 15: The Future of Independent Wrestling

Listing of Independent Wrestling Promotions in the United States

Acknowledgments

Photos

Introduction

TYLER BLACK AND KEVIN STEEN were far from household names when the two squared off on the undercard of the IWA Mid-South Wrestling’s Extreme Farewell card on May 18, 2006, in Streamwood, Illinois.

The two wrestlers went all out for more than 12 minutes, showing a fierce determination and fearless approach to the match despite wrestling in a high school gym in front of around 100 people. There were no barricades around the ring and the fans were seated in a hodgepodge of folding chairs and benches. Black, then just nineteen years old, eked out the victory against the then-twenty-two-year-old Steen.

The rivalry between Black and Steen would be revived more than ten years later. While both wrestlers would once again square off in the ring, not much else would be similar in this most recent encounter.

This time Black, now known as Seth Rollins, would face Steen, now known as Kevin Owens, for the WWE Universal title inside Hell in the Cell on October 30, 2016. Instead of a high school gym, Rollins and Owens would wrestle in front of 16,119 screaming WWE fans at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.

This match highlights the culmination of a journey both men took in the pursuit of a dream to become professional wrestlers on the largest stage in the world and in front of the largest crowds possible.

Rollins and Owens’s journey took them through high school gyms, bingo halls, and small town after small town in hopes of defying the odds and reaching the pinnacle of their chosen profession.

When it comes to professional wrestling, the pinnacle of one’s career would be to be standing tall in the middle of the ring after the main event at WrestleMania. The WWE’s signature event since 1985, WrestleMania is to professional wrestling what the Super Bowl is to football, the World Series is to baseball, the Masters is to golf, and the Stanley Cup is to hockey.

WrestleMania has led to some of the most historic and iconic moments in professional wrestling history. There was Hulk Hogan body slamming Andre the Giant in front of 93,000-plus fans at the Pontiac Silverdome at WrestleMania III in 1987. Nine years later, at WrestleMania XII, the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels was seen on his knees clutching the WWE title in the middle of ring after defeating Bret the Hitman Hart in a classic match that went longer than 60 minutes at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California. At the same time, WWE owner and broadcaster Vince McMahon pronounced that The boyhood dream has come true for Shawn Michaels.

In 1998, the WWE’s Attitude Era kicked into full gear after Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated Shawn Michaels in the main event of WrestleMania XIV at the FleetCenter in Boston. As confetti rained down on the ring, WWE Hall of Fame broadcaster Jim Ross echoed one of his most famous calls, The Austin era has begun. Stone Cold’s eight-year journey has been culminated. Three years later, in another passing of the torch moment, the Rock defeated Hulk Hogan in front of 68,000 at the Skydome in Toronto, Canada. The match was dubbed Icon vs. Icon and cemented the Rock’s place as the face of the WWE while allowing Hogan to come full circle and reclaim his fans nine years after leaving the WWE for WCW, where he led them into the Monday Night Wars.

Two more iconic moments came more recently. Proving that true underdogs can come out on top, Daniel Bryan defeated Triple H and later Randy Orton and Battista to win the WWE title at the main event of WrestleMania XXX in 2014 in front of more than 75,000 people at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The visual of Bryan standing in the ring as he rose his fingers in the air while leading the crowd in a Yes! chant will be a moment to be replayed for years to come. The very next year, Rollins shocked the professional wrestling world when he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and defeated Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar in the main event of WrestleMania 31.

The victories by Bryan and Rollins represented a shift in how the WWE, the preeminent organization in professional wrestling, operated. For the most part, those on top of the WWE landscape were either wrestlers with super-human physiques (like Hogan or the Ultimate Warrior) or stars they helped create (such as the Rock, Austin, Michaels, or Brock Lesnar). Bryan and Rollins were different. Their rise to the top of their profession did not happen overnight. Those that truly followed the business understood that their success came after years of blood, sweat, and sacrifice often in far from glamorous settings.

Bryan and Rollins may have only been known to the WWE Universe for a short time, but their journey took them and their fans down many paths that did not include sold-out arenas in major cities, pay-per-view events, or live televised events filled with pyrotechnics and worldwide celebrity attention. Bryan, real name Bryan Danielson, and Rollins, real name Colby Lopez, established themselves on the independent wrestling scene long before ever stepping foot in a WWE ring.

Both Bryan and Rollins came to the WWE with solid fan bases, and their fan’s passion was evident as they rose through the ranks. The organic support each wrestler generated made the WWE take notice and helped lay the foundation for the New Era the WWE kicked off in 2016.

A closer look at the WWE’s roster shows just how much the company has paid attention to the growing independent scene. Top stars like A.J. Styles, Dean Ambrose, Xavier Woods, Cesaro, Sami Zayn, and Owens all got their starts on the independent scene. The influence of independent wrestling can also be seen in the WWE’s creation of its NXT brand and the inaugural Cruiserweight Classic, a 32-man tournament that brought together many the top independent wrestlers in the world.

People can see the passion of the wrestlers who come from the independents, said Dimitroios Papadoniou, also known as Greek God Papadon, who has wrestled in independent promotions across the world since his debut in 1999. When the dust settles, all that is left is the passion and the fans can tell when that passion is real and when it’s not. You can see the influence independent wrestling has had on the WWE, especially with its NXT brand. The wrestlers don’t need to be 6-foot-4 or 6-foot-6, as long as they know how to work and be able to tell a story in the ring that pulls at the heartstrings of the fans in the arena.

To wrestling fans, if the WWE is Major League Baseball, then independent wrestling is the equivalent to the minor leagues. There are dozens of such independent promotions scattered across the country. These promotions give wrestling fans the chance to see up-and-coming talent, offer local wrestlers a chance to hone their craft and entertain fans, and wrestlers who once were seen regularly on WWE or other national promotions the opportunity to still make a decent living in their chosen profession, even if it is on a smaller stage.

Not every wrestler will get a chance to be in the WWE, that’s a fact of life, Jim Ross said. It’s just a numbers game. But that doesn’t mean there is not a lot of great talent out there on the independent scene, because there is and they could one day be in the WWE. That’s what draws many wrestling fans out to see an independent show. It’s the chance to see the stars of tomorrow up close and personal. Wrestling fans are always seeking alternatives beyond the WWE and now more than ever that is out there thanks to some really quality independent wrestling promotions.

There are more than 300 independent promotions scattered across the country, according to a listing by OnlineWorldof Wrestling.com. For those wishing to make it in the business, such promotions are where wrestlers go to pay their dues, hone their craft with hopes of getting fans, along with the WWE and other national promotions such as Ring of Honor and TNA Impact Wrestling, to take notice and sign them to a contract. Such cards are held across the country each week in a variety of venues ranging from flea markets and high school gymnasiums to VFW halls, pool halls, banquet halls, small community arenas, and even some minor league baseball stadiums.

Crowds at such events range from a few dozens to more than 1,000 for some of the more successful independent promotions. Despite the much smaller crowds, the passion for quality professional wrestling is often as strong there as it is at Madison Square Garden in New York, AT&T Stadium in Dallas, or Safeco Field in Seattle—all of which have hosted atleast one WrestleMania.

Adam Cole can attest to that. Cole turned twenty-seven years old in July 2016, but the Lancaster, Pennsylvania, native has been wrestling across the country since 2008. Cole, real name Austin Jenkins, took on all comers for promotions like Combat Zone Wrestling in New Jersey and MCW Pro Wrestling in Maryland before bursting onto the national scene with Ring of Honor and winning its world heavyweight title. Cole was a centerpiece for the quickly growing Ring of Honor, which was purchased by media conglomerate Sinclair Broadcasting Group in 2011. He was also the only three-time champion in ROH history before leaving the promotion in May 2017.

I’ve had the chance to wrestle in front of 20,000 fans on supercards in Japan, and that was great and really special, Cole said. But there is something unique about wrestling in a smaller venue, which is what I prefer. The wrestling fans there understand quality wrestling and it creates a passionate atmosphere that can generate just as much fan energy compared to the big arenas.

That passionate atmosphere is something that has motivated Tommy Dreamer for more than twenty years. The forty-six-year-old Dreamer made a name for himself as a core member of the Extreme Championship Wrestling roster for most of its existence before folding in 2001. Known as the innovator of violence, Dreamer made a career out of taking a severe beating in hardcore matches and dishing out just as much punishment.

Along with wrestling, Dreamer has had a role in just about every facet of the business, from booking and promotion to merchandise and training. He is currently the owner and promoter of House of Hardcore, which uses the slogan, No politics. No BS. Just wrestling. Dreamer said there is plenty of room for quality wrestling promotions outside of the WWE.

Pro wrestling changed my life. There are people who watched pro wrestling as a kid and may have gotten away from it later in life, but it never leaves them. I know a lot of people who were wrestling fans, but once ECW and WCW went away they did not like what they were seeing anymore. That was a sign to me that fans wanted an alternative. Wrestling is primed for a boom because of the quality of independent wrestling out there.

The growing independent wrestling scene has attracted the attention of many from previous generations who want nothing more than for the industry to continue to grow and evolve for future generations of wrestling fans. This includes Jim Cornette.

The fifty-five-year-old Cornette has been involved in professional wrestling in some capacity since he was fourteen years old. He rose to fame as the manager of the legendary tag team the Midnight Express, but also worked as a commentator, in booking, and as a creative team member and wrestling promoter.

Never one to shy away from voicing his opinion, Cornette likes what he sees when he gets the chance to check out an independent wrestling card. He added that such promotions have filled a huge void in the industry created from the death of the territory system.

I’m really impressed with what I see on the independent scene today, Cornette said. "It really has replaced the territories as a training ground for wrestlers looking to make a name for themselves on the national scene.

Once the territories went away there wasn’t a way for wrestlers to get noticed, especially by the WWE. Think about a basketball player going from middle school to the NBA. That’s what we had in the wrestling industry for so long. The WWE has finally started to notice albeit five years later than they should have.

While there are plenty of success stories today of wrestlers who have risen from ranks of the independents to heights in the WWE, there are many more who for whatever reason will never have the chance to main event a WrestleMania or even make it into a WWE ring.

For some wrestlers, the push to make it in the business ended with tragic consequences. But in many other cases, much like a professional athlete who fails to reach the pros, it was just a case of it was not meant to be for them.

Some wrestlers were OK with just entertaining fans in their own town, while others decided to pursue other career options. Whatever the case may be, the fact remains that the options for wrestling fans to be entertained are as strong as they have been in any time in recent history.

While the popularity of independent wrestling is on the rise, the future of the industry outside of the WWE was very much in question as recently as fifteen years ago. To understand where the business is heading, one must first understand how it all started.

CHAPTER 1

The Territory Years

FROM 1948 UNTIL THE LATE 1980s, the National Wrestling Alliance, or NWA, was the dominant governing body of professional wrestling. The NWA established the territory system, which divided up North America between a group of promoters who agreed to only operate their business within a designated geographic region.

In many respects, this system operated like the Mafia, as no other NWA members could promote a card in another member’s territory unless they were given special permission. Also, this system made it very difficult for a non-NWA member to promote a card in a territory, as other member groups would send wrestlers to that town to help squash any potential threat. There were even reported threats of physical violence against promoters who tried to go against the territory system of the time.

The territory system worked well—at least for the promoters—for decades. Local shows like Championship Wrestling from Florida, Wrestling at the Chase in St. Louis, and World Class Championship Wrestling in Dallas were among the highest rated television shows in their respective markets. Florida produced stars like the American Dream Dusty Rhodes and Mike Graham, while St. Louis was home to eight-time NWA world champion Harley Race and Dallas helped turned the Von Erichs and the Fabulous Freebirds into worldwide celebrities.

Other successful territories included Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, which was run by the Crockett family, Mid-South wrestling, which was run by Cowboy Bill Watts, and the American Wrestling Association, which had a base in the midwest and was run by Verne Gagne, although the latter two were not NWA members.

Promotions during that era would run shows in a select group of towns in a circuit each week. A small group of wrestlers would make up the core of the promotion while other wrestlers would move from territory to territory every six months to a year in hopes of greater paydays while also keeping their characters fresh to the fans, who could tire easily from seeing the same group of wrestlers each week along the circuit.

Back in the territory days you just kept moving from city to city and there was not a lot of great opportunities to be up close and personal with the fans, said Cornette, dubbed the Louisville Lip for his ability to rile up any crowd as one of the top heel managers of the 1980s and 1990s.

Kevin Eck is a longtime journalist who has covered the professional wrestling industry for decades. The Baltimore, Maryland, native is a lifelong fan who had a successful professional wrestling blog with the Baltimore Sun. He also served as the editor of the WCW magazine and spent several years as a writer and a member of the creative team for the WWE.

Eck said the territory system had its faults, but it also provided wrestlers quality opponents and a variety of styles depending on which town they were based in at the time.

"Wrestlers who traveled the territories knew that each town had star