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Indie Watch: Royce Isaac$

Royce Isaacs

Indie Watch is our regular series that looks at all of the amazing talents working the independent circuits around the world. Some are veterans revitalizing their careers, some are indie prospects hitting their peaks, while others are names to be on the watch for! This edition looks at a West Coast indie star in Royce Isaac$, whose work as both a singles and tag team star is starting to get noticed on a national level.

Isaacs with manager, James Iovine (Photo: Jonathan King)

On December 9th at the Oceanview Pavilion in Port Hueneme, CA, Royce Isaacs will defend his Hollywood Heritage title in a ladder match against “Uptown” Andy Brown. The bout takes place at Championship Wrestling From Hollywood’s blockbuster event Milestone. It is the first time the Heritage strap will be defended in a ladder match and is only the second one in the company’s history (when Willie Mack beat Scorpio Sky for the TV gold in 2012). Willie Mack was unceremoniously stripped of the Heritage Championship recently for not defending the title within the 30 day limit according to controversial Hollywood matchmaker Nicko Marquez. Isaacs won the vacant Hollywood Heritage title when he beat “Uptown” Andy Brown with a little help from his manager, James Iovine. This matchup against the 2018 Red Carpet Rumble winner will cap off a year that has seen Isaacs status rise to not only one of the top prospects on the west coast, but the entire country.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgDty4VjwZ4

Royce Isaacs debuted in April 2016 and has been on a roll ever since. Wrestling out of the “Mile High City” he made his debut in Rocky Mountain Pro following his amateur career. As a professional, Isaacs has already travelled the world. Known through the west coast as “the Silverback” and “his grandma’s favorite wrestler” has seen time internationally in Japan with DDT Pro and Mexico with The Crash Lucha.

The double champ (he also holds the United Wrestling Network (UWN) Television title) brings to competition a solidly packed frame with a strong upper body matched only by powerful legs that help him deliver his patented deadlift suplexes.  He shows a great deal of creativity offensively with a variety of moves in his toolbox, and is adept at mixing them up. His finisher, Hush Money, begins as a full nelson, but turns into a german. His deep amateur background is apparent in the wrestling ring. He possesses good footwork on the mat and transitions from move to move effortlessly. Royce’s vast array of slams and suplexes can happen from anywhere, and the size of his opposition is irrelevant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PAuvFncw1w

Isaacs isn’t the quickest wrestler with ZERO aerial game, but he makes up for this with the aforementioned power, technique and accuracy. He rarely wastes movement although he has a tendency to pause between moves to celebrate. His visits to the pay window will increase if he avoids these slight lapses in judgement. Despite this Isaacs remains composed in the squared circle when pressured, displays high level ring awareness, and Royce is rarely caught out of position.

His success began early this year when he reached the finals of this year’s CWFH Percival Pringle III Memorial Cup, but it ended with disappointment losing to Suede Thompson. Isaacs continued to cut his teeth in Hollywood late in the summer when he would square off with none other than current NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis. It was a back and forth affair and Isaacs gave Aldis all he could handle until the champ got his hand raised. The loss was a tough pill for Royce to swallow, but it showed he could compete against the top guys in the sport.

Soon after the Aldis battle, Royce set his sights on Ray Rosas and the UWN Television title. Rosas struggled with the power and strength of Isaacs throughout the match. The gameplan was effective keeping Ray grounded and keeping the Hollywood crowd out of it until an inopportune collision in the corner knocked out the assigned official. Isaacs then hit the television titleholder with hush money and it looked as if the gold was coming his way. After Isaacs tried to arouse the official and with his back turned Rosas took advantage and rolled him up, and beat the frustrated Isaacs. What Royce didn’t know was that his fortunes were about to change.

An unexpected encounter with Jamie Iovine following the Rosas loss proved fruitful. Iovine’s professional skillset transferred over to the wrestling business and he has helped make it rain for Isaacs on the southern California coast. Isaacs wouldn’t get another shot at Ray because soon after their match, “Sexy Jesus” dropped the belt to Oliver Grimsly at AZ100. Isaacs would finally win the TV title from the carnival crazy, but that wasn’t the end of his good fortune. Royce then collected the Heritage strap and looks to close out the year with both belts.

However, singles grappling isn’t the only area that Isaacs excels. He’s also seen a great deal of success this year in tag action particularly in southern Nevada. Isaacs is moving just as fast in the tag ranks. The double champion made his mark in Las Vegas winning the Future Stars of Wrestling (FSW) tag titles with another top prospect, Jorel Nelson. The team known as The One Percent recently lost the straps to two other top west coast prospects The Bag Boyz (Double Platinum), and are booked for a rematch in Las Vegas on December 1st. The One Percent has continued to move up wrestling ladder getting booked with Ring Warriors and IMPACT Wrestling.

2019 is shaping up quite nicely for Isaacs. Rumors of WWE phone calls and the like could mean a bright future for the young star. As Royce likes to say, “It’s Royce I-S-Double A-C, and put a dollar sign on that last S, because Royce Isaac$ is money inside a wrestling ring”. Let’s see if Royce Isaacs continues to be money in the years ahead.

Catch Up on Previous Indie Watch Articles!

Brian Ronovech

Brian Ronovech

I have the most supportive woman on Earth, and I live with her in Las Vegas. Sports have been a part of my life since I was a child. My wrestling life began with the AWA in the early eighties, and I was hooked immediately. I love a high energy, physical pro wrestling match whether it's in a stadium or a high school. I love great stories and characters, but the great match is what gets me every time. Writing has taken me from the school newspaper to blogs about leadership, leukemia, hockey, and wrestling. I've realized that for me everything comes back to writing. There is nothing else I would rather do.

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