Indie Watch: Channing Decker

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 rising star in the Canadian indie scene, as part of the Fraternity tag team or as a singles wrestler, “Hardcore” Channing Decker is one to watch in 2019.

Trent Gibson (L) and Channing Deckard (R)

For years, Channing Decker has been one of the two men in indie tag team The Fraternity. But over the past year, the Toronto, Ontario indie star has become one of Canada’s top indie prospects, hitting the radar on the US and international scene.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVp_VvA9zDA

Starting out in the singles scene in 2013 with Ottawa’s Big Time Pro Wrestling, it was in Hamilton, Ontario’s Steel City Pro Wrestling that the Fraternity first reared there heads. Decker, alongside Trent Gibson and Bradford Montague, became the party boys that you either loved or hated and whichever side you chose, you defended or abused with the same intensity. Within months of their formation, they were appearing with Amazing Red‘s House of Glory in New York and Toronto’s Square Circle Wrestling (SCW), followed in 2015 by finding work in Pennsylvania’s International Wrestling Cartel (IWC) and Toronto’s Superkick’D and Smash Wrestling, Hamilton’s Alpha-1 (owned by Ethan Page), and Windsor’s Border City Wrestling (BCW, owned by IMPACT VP Scott D’Amore). They’ve also appeared for IMPACT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xED9NS3ynb8

It was with IWC in the US they hit their stride, as 3x IWC Tag Team Champions, including a huge reign in 2016 that lasted 483 days. Starting in 2017, they began to work dark matches for Ring of Honor and NJPW during stops in Toronto.

Around mid-2017, Decker also began an invigorated singles run, in the Canadian indies, namely Toronto’s Greektown Wrestling and Destiny Wrestling, Montreal’s BATTLEWARS, and a recent co-production with Beyond Wrestling.

Feeling super crazy..#GRK #BeyondWrestling #Hardcore pic.twitter.com/23hbLFuhLN

— HARDCORE (@Channing_Decker) January 26, 2019

Whether it’s with the Fraternity or as a singles wrestler, Channing Decker is a Canadian indie star on the rise and someone to pay attention to in 2019.