Chicago’s Freelance Wrestling is back this Friday night for Thrill Your Idols, coming live from Logan Square Auditorium in Chicago, Illinois. It will mark the first title defense of new Freelance Champion Kylie Rae, a huge tag team title match, and another mix of veterans and rising stars. The event streams live on IndependentWrestling.tv
Freelance Scramble Match: Ben McCoy vs. Tripp Cassidy vs. Vinny Pacifico vs. San Andres vs. Chris Castro vs. Gringo Loco vs. Joe Alonzo vs. Kenny Sutra
A Freelance Scramble is a great way to integrate veterans and young stars and this Friday is no exception. Ben McCoy is a veteran from Wisconsin who has been going since the mid-2000s. While primarily from the Wisconsin indie scene, he’s also done tours in Japan with DDT Pro, Kaientai DOJO and others. The bizarre Tripp Cassidy is an 8-year veteran of the Midwest and Southern indies like IWA Mid South, Southern Underground Pro, NOVA Pro, and others, and is also the third man in The Carnies stable. Vinny Pacifico is a four year pro from the Warriors of Wrestling promotion in New York City who has recently been working some dark matches for Ring of Honor. San Andres is an emerging Canadian talent, trained through Superkick’d in Toronto. Chris Castro is a Freelance veteran who is a former Freelance Tag Team Champion with Matt Knicks in The Four Star Heroes. Gringo Loco is a long time Chicago indie veteran who has exploded nationally the past year with Major League Wrestling (MLW). Kenny Sutra is another Freelance vet and former Freelance Tag Champion (alongside Craig Mitchell in Team BETA). Joe Alonzo is only 21-years old, but he’s an emerging star in the Chicago indies and will be looking to make a public statement in the Scramble match.
Craig Mitchell vs. Mark Wheeler
Craig Mitchell is an 8-year pro from the Chicago indie scene who’s been a veteran of Freelance since 2014. A former Freelance Tag Team Champion, he also competes for Beyond Wrestling, SUP, EVOLVE and others. He faces one of the rising stars from the Canadian indie scene of Southern Ontario in Toronto’s Mark Wheeler. A competitor with Superkick’d, Smash Wrestling, Alpha-1 and more in Canada, he began to make his move into the US indies last year and has worked for Freelance, Black Label Pro, and Warrior Wrestling.
#NoNewFriends (Danny Adams & Mike Outlaw) vs. Space Pirates (Shane Sabre & Space Monkey)
A match that could have huge Freelance Tag Team Championship implications, as one of these teams could move up in line for a title shot sooner than later. No New Friends is a three-man stable that also includes Kevin Lee Davidson, but it’s the tandem of Adams & Outlaw hitting the ring on Friday. They’ve been making a name for themselves in Glory Pro, Black Label Pro, Beyond and more the past year and are gearing up to claim some gold in 2019. Their opponents are the reigning Alpha-1 Tag Team Champions from the Canadian/Southern Ontario scene, but Shane Sabre and Space Monkey are no stranger to the US indies either. Sabre has been working with Freelance since 2017 (as well as competing for Glory Pro, IWA Mid South, Black Label Pro, and others) and Space Pirate is somewhat of a cult superstar, wrestling for CHIKARA, Beyond, All American Wrestling (AAW) and more, including the UK scene. He’s also just finished a tour with DDT Pro in Japan.
The Take It Homewreckers (Darin Corbin, Bucky Collins & Mikey McFinnigan) vs. Gregory Iron, Alex Ohlson & Rickey Shane Page
Last month, former Freelance Champion Darin Corbin paired up with 2x IWA Mid South Light Heavyweight Champion Bucky Collins and the flamboyant “Big Moustache on Campus” Mikey McFinnigan to form a new stable in Freelance, The Take It Homewreckers, defeating the trio of Minnesota indie legend Arik Cannon and The N-Words. The trio is going at it again, this time facing another solid trio of competitors, lead by former Absolute Intense Wrestling (AIW) Intense Champion Gregory Iron. Iron is joined by someone he’s tagged with before on occasion, in former Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) World Heavyweight Champion Rickey Shane Page, and on Friday they’re joined by another Chicago indie veteran in Alex Pohlson. The 8-year pro debuted with Freelance in 2014 and in the past year has broken out with Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) as well. This trio is rough and tumble and ready for Corbin’s new group.
Arik Cannon vs. Air Wolf
Originally from Chicago, Arik Cannon is a 17-year veteran of the indie circuit, who in 2007 founded F1RST Wrestling in Minnesota and rejuvenating the Minnesota indie scene. A veteran of such promotions like AAW, CHIKARA, IWA Mid South, Beyond and much more, he’s a former CHIKARA Young Lions Cup Champion, 3x IWA Mid South Heavyweight Champion and 2x AAW Heritage Champion. The past faces the future on Friday, as he takes on a 19-year old high flyer from Minnesota known as Air Wolf. A student of Ken Anderson (Mr. Kennedy/Mr. Anderson)’s Minnesota school, Air Wolf took off last year with CHIKARA, Glory Pro and other promotions outside of Minnesota as he looks to make 2019 his breakout year.
Eye Candy Elliott vs. Kobe Durst vs. Kris Chambers
A big triple threat with two faces of the future and a Canadian indie veteran. “Eye Candy” Elliott Paul is a 25-year old from Chicago who broke in 2018, working with IWA Mid South, GCW, Championship Wrestling From Hollywood, and more, after working primarily the Chicago indies up until then. Kobe Durst is one of the brightest stars out of the Canadian indie scene at the moment, and the 23-year old from Toronto is just starting to break ground in the US. Although he debuted in the US a few years back, he’s finally becoming a top-level star and was the inaugural Black Label Pro Indiana State Champion. Kris Chambers has been a Canadian indie wrestler since 2001, who has spent much of the past few years with Superkick’d. But he’s dabbled in various other international promotions, including Germany’s Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw) and US indies like IWA Mid South, CHIKARA, and House of Glory. He made his US return last year with Freelance and Blackcraft Wrestling and on Friday will go up against two rising stars.
“All Ego” Ethan Page vs. Isaias Velazquez
A month ago, Isaias Velazquez was in the midst of his second reign as Freelance Champion, until his defeat by Kylie Rae at Sleepless in Chicago. Now the man who has had two massive reigns as Freelance’s best (his first was 364 days, his second lasted 231) is fighting to get the opportunity for the gold once again. On Friday he has to go through one of Canada’s most known indie exports of the past few years, in “All Ego” Ethan Page. The reigning Black Label Pro Heavyweight Champion has also been a star with IMPACT Wrestling the past year, and recently re-signed for two years. But Page is as tough as they come and he’ll be looking to defeat Velazquez in Chicago to prove he should be next in line for a title shot.
Freelance World’s Tag Team Championship: The Work Horsemen (JD Drake & Anthony Henry) vs. The Hooligans (Mason & Devin Cutter)
A huge tag team title match featuring two of the best tag teams of the US indies for the past few years. The Work Horsemen have been unstoppable of late, both in singles and tag team action. JD Drake is the reigning World Wrestling Network (WWN) Champion, while Anthony Henry is 158-days into his reign as the Full Impact Pro World Champion. They’ve had a run as EVOLVE Tag Team Champions as well, and apart from the Freelance titles, they also currently hold the Atlanta Wrestling Entertainment (AWE) Tag Team titles as well. But they’re opponents are no slouches either. The Hooligans are one of the most decorated indie tag teams of the past decade, and the two currently hold tag team gold in West Virginia’s Vicious Outcast Wrestling (VOW) and Texas’ Anarchy Championship Wrestling (ACW), to add to their trophy case that includes tag titles from Full Impact Pro (which they held 910 days), Rockstar Pro, AAW, and many more. This will be a tag team clinic and could be the show stealer of the whole card.
Freelance World’s Championship: Kylie Rae (c) vs. Priscilla Kelly
Kylie Rae is on an absolute roll the past year and has broken out as one of the new women’s stars to assume a mantle of leadership when other top stars moved on to WWE, IMPACT Wrestling or other majors. Chicago’s own and trained by Booker T in Reality of Wrestling (ROW) in Texas, the 26-year old is barely a four-year pro but carries herself like a veteran. A 3x ROW Diamonds Champion, she currently holds four titles, including the Zelo Pro Women’s Championship, AAW Women’s Championship, Brew City Wrestling Women’s Championship (just recently won), and the Freelance Championship, which she’s making her first title defense for this Friday. Not to mention, she was recently announced as joining the women’s division for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Her opponent is a recent free agent herself, in former Shine Nova Champion Priscilla Kelly. Only 21-years old, Kelly has made a name for herself in a short time with EVOLVE, Shine, DEFY and others, including competing in the 2018 WWE Mae Young Classic.
