The Indy World

I've decided to look at one of the aspects of wrestling I really love, that being the Indy wrestling scene in America. I probably follow this more than the mainstream (WWE & TNA) and it's mainly because it's pure wrestling, they are some of the best shows you will see and this seems to be a constant. Now this isn't gonna be a shot at WWE or TNA who still put on great shows but I truly love the indy wrestling scene. So in this blog I'm gonna look at the indy companies that I love and will recommend/review a show that would get you following the company itself.

IWA Mid-South
Now recently IWA MS has been going through a rough patch, after returning from closing they have promoted lots of shows however recently many of them have been cancelled/rescheduled. But nonetheless this is a company that got me hooked into the indy scene. IWA MS has been famous for making talent into superstars, guys like CM Punk, Chris Hero, Tyler Black and so many more have had legendary programs in the company. The shows can suffer from low attendance however the in ring quality is amazing.
When it comes to shows which you should watch there's a lot. Any Ted Petty Invitational tournament is worth a watch there are some of the best shows ever. I would also recommend We're No Joke which features Low Ki vs. Necro Butcher and A Rotten Farewell which was Ian Rotten's retirement show and saw Eddie Kingston win the World title in an amazing 4 way featuring Chuck Taylor, Mike Quackenbush and Chris Hero.

Combat Zone Wrestling
This company scared the hell out of me the first time I watched a match from it, mainly because it was my first look at death match wrestling which I am now a fan of. This company is a great mix of violence and great wrestling. Now when it comes to shows there a mixed bag. If you like the hardcore violence then Tournament of deaths and Cage of Deaths are the shows for you, however Cage of Death is also a great wrestling show which makes it a perfect balance. I would also recommend this years Tangled Web 3 which was an amazing show. This years Cage of Deaths is already looking like an awesome show and can't wait to see it. One of the best wrestling shows I've ever seen has come from this company the show When 2 Worlds Collide was amazing top to bottom, it had a crazy 6 man ladder match, an amazing arena wild brawl pitting Justice Pain vs. El Generico and a 'white hot' match which saw BLK Out & Necro Butcher vs. Generation Next, this is a show you have to see.

CHIKARA
What can I say about this company? It is a great mix of comedy, fantastic wrestling and great story line development. This year in particular has been amazing, the BDK storyline has been great to watch and interesting to follow. They do pull in the big names for one of weekend shows, including Manami Toyota this year! When it comes to shows you can pretty much pick any of them and you'll have a great show to watch. The King of Trios tournament is one of the biggest tournaments every year but it's also one of the best. The Young Lions Cup is also a great tournament for different reasons, it allows young rookies to make a impact and they do. This years tournament saw excellent matches from Adam Cole vs. Kyle O'Reily and the finals Frightmare vs. Lince Dorado. Seriously pick up any Chikara show from this year and you'll be hooked.

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
This company has a Ring of Honor feel to it, by which I mean that every show is great from top to bottom. Now they do have a problem when it comes to their world champions as they haven't been able to keep one for long over the last year, they pick the best wrestlers but they are always busy working over seas that they don't have time for the company. Hopefully that's settled now with Claudio Castagnoli as champ. Anyways this company has one of the best rosters you'll find and they always make a impact in their matches. This company never uses talent that doesn't deserve a spot on the show, for example at the recent Seven show a match featured a wrestler called Brian Cage. At the beginning of the match the fans chanted 'Who are you?' at him but at the end they chanted for him to come back and chanted his name. PWG can make stars in just one night if they want. Since I've mentioned Seven I would highly recommend it, it features some amazing matches including Chris Hero vs. Davey Richards and a wild triple threat tag war which saw Paul London & El Generico vs. The Cutler bros vs. The Young Bucks. This is another company that you could pick up any show and fall in love with the company.

Ring of Honor
Finally we come to ROH, the top of the indy world. This is a company that has always put on some of the best shows you will ever see. Some of the greatest talent in the world is in this company and some of the greatest wrestlers ever have pasted through and left their mark. Now when it comes to shows to watch there are a ton, I could literally be here and fill pages of shows you should watch. But my personal favourites are the 100 show which features a wild 6 man tag pitting Chris Hero, Necro Butcher & Super Dragon vs. Samoa Joe, Adam Pearce & BJ Whitmer. Any of there PPV/iPPVs are a great watch as well especially this years Death Before Dishonor iPPV which saw the Kings of Wrestling brawl with the Briscoes and an amazing main event which saw Tyler Black face Davey Richards.

Overall
Now didn't want to go into loads of details here so only hit some of the key points. The indy scene is massive and it can range from good to bad but the companies I've pointed out are some of the best companies in the world in my view, they deliver great shows one after another and they do have some great stories involved in it as well. Some of the greatest talent in the world in and many of them are gonna be the next big break out star and you can see why. I love watching these companies and I don't think that will change any time soon, as much as I like the mainstream companies to me I will pick a indy show over them any day of the week.