This Saturday (June 10th), the International Wrestling Cartel presents their sixteenth annual Super Indy tournament. Given that this year’s lineup looks like a ton of fun on paper, I wanted to draw some attention to the show. As you can see above, the four first-round matches have been announced, so let’s see what we’ve got.
Arguably the most intriguing first-round match pits the hottest free agent in professional wrestling against a wrestler returning from a scary, career-threatening injury suffered in April. One of the best parts about tournaments like Super Indy is that it brings wrestlers from “different worlds” together to wrestle each other. Adam Cole, for instance, has been a staple of Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. Zema Ion, on the other hand, has been a part of TNA’s X Division while appearing for independent promotions such as Absolute Intense Wrestling. Zema Ion won Super Indy 9 and could honestly be on the Mount Rushmore of the International Wrestling Cartel (IWC). Adam Cole is the most exciting entrant in the tournament this year. You wouldn’t think that either of these guys would lose in the first round of the tournament, making this one intriguing. Selfishly, I am excited that I can drive fifteen minutes away from my house and see Adam Cole against Zema Ion.
This will be a first-time encounter between Joey Janela and Colt Cabana. Colt Cabana is a previous winner of Super Indy, taking down Super Indy 2 back in 2003. Joey Janela has acquired a reputation for doing some crazy things in the ring and I have to think that his style and personality will be an interesting match for Colt Cabana’s generally fun outlook on professional wrestling. These two approach professional wrestling in completely different ways and I’m looking forward to seeing how that plays out.
Jay White’s United States excursion brings him to the Super Indy tournament, where he will wrestle Super Indy 15’s runner-up Jonathan Gresham in the first round. As a general rule, I appreciate when the defeated finalist of a tournament is brought back the next year to compete again. Jonathan Gresham defeated Sugar Dunkerton and Andrew Palace last year before losing in the finals to Josh Alexander. This is also a match that could plausibly take place in Ring of Honor, as Jay White has been a fixture of the promotion for awhile and Jonathan Gresham just signed his ROH contract in April.
Chris LeRusso enters Super Indy 16 as champion. Only once in the history of the tournament has the champion ever escaped with the title intact. Chris LeRusso has been a part of the Pittsburgh independent wrestling scene for as long as I can remember. Just this year he was an entrant in the Ring of Honor Top Prospect tournament. Mike Orlando is a former NCAA football player who has made a name for himself at Monster Factory Pro Wrestling. Super Indy has always been about giving wrestlers an opportunity to make a name for themselves and Mike Orlando certainly has that opportunity by defeating the reigning Super Indy champion in the first round of the tournament.
There is the bracket and first-round matches for this year’s Super Indy tournament. I think the tournament looks fantastic and I implore you to try to attend if you are anywhere near Pittsburgh this weekend. You can find out more information at IWC’s website.