Stop Your Bitching, Wrestling Is Doing Just Fine, Pt. 2

Dedicated to those of you incapable of finding something nice to say, this article is my humble attempt at giving the negative masses some alternatives to the pro wrestling you abhor with great regularity. Believe it or not, WWE and TNA are not the only wrestling promotions in the United States. In addition to ROH, the third of the so-called “big three”, there are several independent promotions here in America doing plenty of good things on a weekly/semi-weekly basis, promotions I’m sure would love the opportunity to show you there is an alternative to the glitz of WWE. The following is a small sampling of but a few of the promotions out there, but those highlighted are ones I regularly watch and thus, feel most compelled to promote.

NWA Championship Wrestling from Hollywood

For the last few years, NWA Hollywood has been, in my opinion, the crowned jewel of the Indy scene. Sporting a stacked roster of quality wrestlers/personalities, most notably Willie Mack and Scorpio Sky, both of whom are fantastic wrestlers on the verge of superstardom, NWA Hollywood’s television episodes never disappoint. I see guys like Mack and Sky, as well as standout performers like Nick Madrid and Joey Ryan, and wonder how WWE and TNA haven’t already found places for them in their developmental territories.

With the “Seven Levels of Hate” Best of 7 Series between current NWA Heavyweight Champion Colt Cabana and former 4-time Heavyweight champ Adam Pearce in full swing, now is the perfect time to hop aboard the NWA Hollywood bandwagon.

Territory League

The Jr. Fatu-led Territory League is bringing back the old school ‘territories’ vibe with an innovative twist, actually pitting cities against each other. In addition to Jr. Fatu (Rikishi for all you WWE fans out there), the Territory League also sports former WWE talents Snitsky and Vampire Warrior (Gangrel) as team leaders of the Hollister Hooligans and the L.A. Templars, respectively, as well as several names you need to know, Ricky the Activist and Matt Carlos to name a few.

Territory League is gritty and tough, and in my opinion, has a definite “Mid-South” vibe to it. All you fans of the old, Bill Watts-run, Oklahoma-based territory know exactly what I’m talking about when I say that. Those of you who don’t, you missed out then, and if you’re not checking out Territory League, you’re missing out now.

Ohio Valley Wrestling

Ohio Valley Wrestling is another top independent promotion, and their affiliation with TNA has only enhanced their ability to run quality talent in and out of their shows. If you’ve been too busy complaining about Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff, and Bruce Prichard, perhaps you’ve missed out on seeing the work of Jamin Olivencia, Paredyse, Johnny Spade and Chris Silvio. This likely means you’ve also missed seeing the work of the ever-improving Rob Terry, who just won his first World Title.

With talented vets like Al Snow, Rip Rogers and Nick Dinsmore doing their part to foster growth in the performance of this young roster, OVW, who produces a weekly show that streams on their website, is not only worth an investment of your time, but also an ever-growing and developing stable of talent for TNA.

Resistance Pro Wrestling

As a long time wrestling fan, Billy Corgan, the founder of Chicago alternative rock band, Smashing Pumpkins, knows a thing or two about starting something from the ground up. Not only has he put a lot of his time, money, and effort into the creation of Resistance Pro Wrestling, but he’s also surrounded himself with a group of passionate people dedicated to making Resistance Pro a major player in the Indy scene.

The slow build of “Lonesome” Jay Bradley is old school in every way and exactly the sort of thing fans, especially those annoyed with WWE’s habit of force feeding them, should get behind. He’s got that ‘cocky prick’ vibe that so many quality heels have possessed throughout the history of wrestling and his Stan Hansen-esque lariat finisher is not so dissimilar to seeing a grizzly slap a salmon out of a river. That thing looks stiff as hell.

Harry Smith, the son of British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith to the uninitiated, has shown early on that WWE simply dropped the ball with his character. He, Tyson Kidd and Natalya did a fantastic job as the Hart Dynasty, and he’s proving his value now as the Resistance Pro World Heavyweight Champion, particularly in his feud with former ECW Heavyweight Champion, Rhyno. Pairing him with another ECW legend, Raven, can only help Smith take the next step in his growth.With a fleshed out roster, comprised of young, hungry wrestlers and veterans eager to show they still bring plenty to the table, Corgan’s Resistance Pro is poised to become a force in professional wrestling.

In addition to the above discussed, there are several other promotions out there putting on quality shows (Dragon Gate USA, Pro Wrestling Guerilla, CZW, Chikara, WSU, to name a few), enough to where those of you who find yourselves, week in and week out, complaining about WWE and TNA needn’t continue with the negativity. Simply move on to something that suits your tastes a bit better. No one says to be a wrestling fan you have to watch WWE and/or TNA each week. Stop using social media to bury people when you could be using it to instead expound the greatness of these other hardworking promotions. Above all else, stop the constant complaining. It doesn’t make you sound important, it doesn’t make you sound like you know what you're talking about. Rather, it makes you appear jealous and bitter, qualities no one looks upon in a positive light.