Indie Matches of the Weekend is simply going to be me yammering about my favorite matches coming up this weekend. Because I’m saying weekend and not week, any event running Monday through Thursday won’t be considered. Typically I will try to gather up 5-10 matches to highlight.
WALTER vs. Timothy Thatcher (PROGRESS 1/28/18)
https://twitter.com/WalterAUT/status/955521413041082368
Little on the nose probably. Of course I am going to be all amped up for a match between WALTER and Thatcher. Ring Kampf explosion! They had an AMBITION Rules match on a wXw Inner Circle last year that was rad as all heck. Expectations are that this will be a more traditional style contest which will still be awesome. Definitely going to be a different feel. Especially in PROGRESS where the atmosphere isn’t an intimate dojo setting.
Jonathan Gresham vs. Martin Stone (Beyond Powerbomb Pregame 1/28/18)
Busy weekend for @StokelyHathaway…
@TheJonGresham defends the @PowerbombTV Championship on Saturday @WrestleFactory_ and faces @strongstylebrit for the first time ever on Sunday @ehaze_worcester.The #DreamTeam's newest signee @fayejackson419 returns to @WWRProWrestling! pic.twitter.com/K6w8NAwJ3r
— Beyond Wrestling (@beyondwrestling) January 24, 2018
This is for the Powerbomb.TV Independent Championship, a title Gresham is the first and only holder of the belt. The interesting aspect for me is Stone is as known for his NXT stints as his indie appearances at this point. What does it mean if he wins the belt? These two get paired off in a lot of “battle between technical wizard” matches but never against one another. I am not going to complain as they both bring it. Gresham can do all the tricks but here he will be presented with a no-frills opponent in Stone. Few wrestlers are near locks for a good match but Gresham is in that small group. Totally on board with how Beyond has been loading up these pre-shows.
Hy Zaya vs. AR Fox (Prodigy Pro Wrestling 1/26/18)
JUST SIGNED! "The Hood Ninja" Hy Zaya battles international superstar AR FOX in Memphis, IN, on January 26th! Tickets start at just $10 for General Admission and are available at https://t.co/4dKGIWWRYu! Please Retweet! pic.twitter.com/qnbvdnbomb
— Paradigm Pro Wrestling (@ParadigmProWres) December 22, 2017
This may be the only time I wish there was a third participant because this 100% feels like a match between the past generation’s insane high flyer who took the dumbest bumps and the current iteration of this. Who is the future though? No matter, I think the match sells itself if you know both wrestlers, though most people might not be familiar with Hy Zaya. There is a Zaya versus Shane Mercer cage match from IWA Mid-South that is worth checking out to get an idea of what he is about. Fox coming back to EVOLVE will likely increase the chatter around the premier risk taker in pro wrestling. I think Prodigy Pro is the sister company to IWA Mid-South and matches like this will draw more attention
Jake Parnell vs. Gary Jay [LAST MAN STANDING] (Zero-1 USA 1/27/18)
These two have had a series of matches that seemed destined to be part of the hoot canon for this period in indie wrestling. After getting an opportunity to exist outside of the Viking War Party, Parnell has proven to be a solid worker in his own right. Gary Jay seemingly only produces hoots at this point. We are probably going to get a bit of a longer affair as Zero-1 gives these two more freedom than other promotions. The stip probably doesn’t hurt. Expect chests to be raw after this match.