Sasha Banks and Bayley were the first two women to main event a WWE show when they had their Iron Woman Match.
Women’s wrestling is gaining a following and a respect it has not seen since the early 1950s. Now is the time to see what all the fuss is about.
Girl Fight returns to the Midwest in February with two huge shows in Westland, Michigan and Jeffersonville, Indiana. Some of the best names in the business – Crazy Mary Dobson, Taeler Hendrix, Cheerleader Melissa, Thunderkitty, Allison Kay, Samantha Heights, Amazing Maria, Randi West, Ashley America, Amber Gallows, and many more. Ten ladies are on the card for Michigan, and twenty ladies will be in action in Jeff!
If you enjoy what NXT has given you over the last two years, you’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg.
CHIKARA Pro Wrestling is completely unique among contemporary wrestling promotions. They don’t view themselves as rasslin’ or sports entertainment but a completely different entity, a comic book brought to life. CHIKARA has its detractors, but its fans can’t get enough of the colorful characters, crazy masks, high flying antics, and fan interaction.
CHIKARA doesn’t travel extensively. Their dates are limited, and being based out of Philly, they stick mostly to the Eastern United States. Thankfully, fans across the country can binge on CHIKARA thanks to their online channel, CHIKARATOPIA.
CHIKARATOPIA is available on the web and on Roku through the CHIKARA channel. The channel gives you a live stream 24/7 of CHIKARA action plus access to all fifteen “seasons” of CHIKARA – over 600 hours of wrestling in all. The Roku menu is fairly simple, allowing you to browse by season and then by show. The show descriptions do not give you a lot of detail so if you’re looking for a particular performer or match, you may have to look online.
CHIKARATOPIA runs $7.99 a month, and there are discounts if you pay for 6 months or 12 months in advance. They also offer a free 7 day trial with all new subscriptions.
From my own personal experience, CHIKARA is a promotion best experienced live. It’s fun to watch on TV, but TV doesn’t capture the fun-filled atmosphere that is CHIKARA live. CHIKARA is more interactive than any wrestling promotion today, in the ring, out of the ring, and in the so-called real world. They have some truly original performers you won’t see anywhere else like Dasher Hatfield, Ophidian the Cobra, and the various “Ant” men as well as some of the most talented rising stars today including Heidi Lovelace, Chuck Taylor, and current Grand Champion Kimber Lee. I strongly recommend seeing them live if you get the opportunity, but for those who can’t get there (or can’t get enough) CHIKARATOPIA is a nice way to fill the gap.
On February 6, CHIKARA Pro Wrestling is planning a huge card in celebration of National Pro Wrestling Day. Their Facebook page is promising a stacked card, but what’s truly special about this event, however, is that they plan to make this a fundraiser to fight human trafficking. This is a cause that isn’t talked about enough, one that I support through a number of charities personally. As CHIKARA releases more information I’ll post here, but for now, here’s CHIKARA Grand Champion Princess Kimber Lee with the announcement.
A few more Black Friday shopping tips for wrestling fans:
Ring of Honor is offering 20% off your order and has released a new 2 DVD set featuring Samoa Joe. A new Kingdom T-shirt is available as well.
CHIKARA Pro Wrestling is offering $4 off all VOD events. Most T-shirts are discounted for Black Friday, and if you order three T-shirts this weekend you get a mystery T-shirt for free!
High Spots is offering 25% off most items in their store and 40% off most DVDs. This is a great place to check out promotions like Evolve, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, CZW, Dragon Gate USA, and IWA Mid-South.
And finally, WWEShop is offering discounts up to 75% off on merchandise, plus 25% off your entire order and free shipping on all orders over $15.
I read a lot about CHIKARA while I was writing Eat Sleep Wrestle. I watched a number of matches from past shows online. I even interviewed their fearless leader, Mike Quackenbush. Tonight I learned that you don’t really know CHIKARA until you see them live, and when you do, you will become a true believer.
Unlike most major independent promotions, CHIKARA is not a star-driven show. Fans who are tuned in to the indie scene will recognize some names and faces, but it’s the promotion itself that is the draw. CHIKARA bills itself as the super lucha fun party, and they deliver on fun from beginning to end.
That’s not to say this is not a serious wrestling promotion. CHIKARA’s roster is filled with talented high fliers and even a few brawlers. Blaster McMassive and Kentucky proud wrestler Chuck Taylor delivered a show stealing brawl right before the main event. But that’s not the reason Chikara continues to add to its fan base in its 15th season.
CHIKARA gives you colorful characters in masks like Dasher Hatfield, Ophidian the Cobra, and the Proletariat Boar of Moldova. CHIKARA gives you heels who toss foreign objects (in this case, a cucumber) to kids in the crowd and later try to get it back from that kid so they can cheat to win. CHIKARA gives you characters like Freshly Squeezed Orange Cassidy, who laid down to take a nap during the opening bout. CHIKARA gives you a tag match, Arik Cannon and Darin Corbin vs. Lucas Calhoun and Missile Assault Man, that ends with almost five minutes of slow motion wrestling. This particular match was so much fun, the fans responded with a drawn out, slow motion “This… Is… Awesome…” chant.
CHIKARA is very fan interactive. No insult from the crowd goes unanswered by the heels. Just remember to keep it clean. CHIKARA is PG and kid friendly, and rule number one is no bad language from the wrestlers or fans.
CHIKARA does occasionally feature inter-gender wrestling, which may not sit well with some fans. That said, they currently have Heidi Lovelace on the roster. Heidi is an OVW graduate with a stellar resume who not only excels at inter-gender matches but truly seems to enjoy mixing it up with the boys.
CHIKARA doesn’t travel extensively, and if you’re lucky enough that they pay a visit, the ticket prices may seem a bit high. My ticket tonight was double what I normally pay for local shows, but it was worth it.
This was the first time CHIKARA has ever visited the Louisville area. Given the reactions from the sell out crowd, I doubt it will be their last visit. Check out their website at www.chikarapro,com to see their schedule of upcoming events and watch video online. Thanks to 2 Tuff Tony and the gang at the Arena in Jeffersonville for bringing the best in independent wrestling to town.
Tim Donst was told five months ago he would never wrestle again. Not only is he about to prove that doctor wrong, he has a T-shirt store, a documentary, AND a music video.
Cannot wait to see Donst in action again. Welcome back!
Indy wrestling fans have been telling WWE fans for years they were missing out. Last night, Indy fans were able to rise up and say, “See?? I told you so!”
Owens is only the latest to crash the WWE party. Bryan, Rollins, Ambrose, Harper, Zayn, Cesaro, Balor, Itami, Bayley, Emma, Neville. These are not pre-fabbed stars made by the WWE machine. All of these rising stars got to the WWE after years of busting their butts on the Indy circuit.
There’s more great wrestling to discover, possibly right down the street from your house. That’s why I wrote Eat Sleep Wrestle. That’s why you need to get out and see an Indy show.
When I was writing Eat Sleep Wrestle, I knew I was creating a time capsule. What’s written in the pages of that book is a moment of time, now past, depicting the lives of a number of modern day independent wrestlers. No sooner was the book released, the lives and careers of the men and women profiled inside began to change. Since Eat Sleep Wrestle was printed:
Evolution Pro Wrestling closed its doors.
Destination One Wrestling changed its name to Premiere Destination Wrestling.
Jamin Olivencia left OVW.
Michael Hayes left OVW and seems to have retired.
Marc Hauss was laid up after surgery. (Get well, sir!)
Colt Cabana blew up the internet and got sued along with his pal CM Punk.
Madman Pondo and Crazy Mary Dobson became the Juggalo Championship Wrestling tag team champions, the first intergender champions in the promotion’s history.
Ron Mathis managed to accumulate four title belts at once.
Mitchell Huff became Cage Mitchell.
Crazy Mary Dobson got a speaking role on Raw. “You are chips!”
Mad Man Pondo finally appeared on Raw as a Rosebud. Arriba!
Crazy Mary, Lylah Lodge, and Cage Mitchell also appeared as Rosebuds. Crazy Mary’s become a regular, in fact.
At least four wrestlers – Crazy Mary, Lylah, Aaron Williams, and LuFisto – applied for the next season of WWE’s Tough Enough.
The Crist brothers co-headlined CZW’s anniversary show with the Young Bucks.
CHIKARA crowned Heidi Lovelace winner of the Young Lions Cup, the first woman to achieve that honor.
If you’re scratching your head wondering who these people are, grab a copy of Eat Sleep Wrestle to get up to speed. Then get out to an independent wrestling show to see what you’re missing.
First of all… let’s not get so upset we overlook the good.
We got a terrific title match, arguably the best triple threat of all time. And they made a legitimate main event star last night. His name is Seth Rollins.
That said, many people are beyond disgruntled today, and many have gone so far as to cancel their WWE Network subscriptions.
For those who have, and for those who haven’t but are still angry about the Rumble, maybe you should give independent wrestling a try?
Eat Sleep Wrestle is a great place to start exploring wrestling beyond the WWE. After I released Bluegrass Brawlers, I went out to some indy shows to sell the book. I had the opportunity to meet some of the Midwest’s finest indy talent, and I saw some amazing matches. I was so inspired by them, I had to tell their story.
These are not superstars. These are wrestlers. The people profiled in Eat Sleep Wrestle are passionate, driven people who work as hard or harder than anyone you’ll see on Monday Night (tonight excepted, of course).
Eat Sleep Wrestle will introduce you to people like Mad Man Pondo, Chris Hero, Crazy Mary Dobson, Aaron Williams, Ron Mathis, Hy Zaya, Jamin Olivencia, Zodiak, Mickie Knuckles, Cherry Bomb, and Reed Bentley. It will make you realize there is wrestling beyond the WWE, and it will inspire you to follow your own dreams.
Yes, this is a shameless plug, but Raw isn’t live tonight, and you can get it on Kindle or Nook, why not give Eat Sleep Wrestle a try?
