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 name who is currently going through a career resurgence, Andy Wild.
Wrestling in the UK right now is at an all-time high, thanks to all the hard work put in by everyone involved both in front of the curtain and behind the scenes. One name who is perhaps forgotten about in terms of British wrestling pioneers though is “Unstoppable” Andy Wild.
Hailing out of Fife in Scotland, Wild began his career in 2006, initially wrestling for promotions such as British Championship Wrestling, One Pro Wrestling, and the company he trained with Premier British Wrestling. At the start of the career, he was often used to put other talent over, losing to the likes of “The King of the North” James Scott and current Insane Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight Champion Lionheart. In 2010, Wild entered the tournament to crown the inaugural ICW Zero-G Champion and although he made it to the finals, Andy would be unsuccessful as Noam Dar walked away with the title. Two years later though, things were looking up for Andy Wild.
At the July 2012 Insane in the Membrane event, Wild would capture his first major championship, winning the Zero-G Championship from Noam Dar in a match also involving “The Teen Sensation” Christopher. Seven months would pass by with successful defences against Christopher, Jimmy Havoc, and Scott Maverick but eventually, the reign of the Wildman came crashing down at the hands of current NXT UK star Wolfgang. During this time, Andy would also hold the BCW Openweight Championship, a title he held for 730 days. He saw off a who’s who of British wrestling during his reign, from RUDO Lightning to Johnny Moss to Kenny Williams. December 2013 would be the end of Andy’s championship reign, but it remains the second longest in history as of writing.
From this point onwards, Andy’s career started going downhill as his mental health would get the better of him time and time again. This is something he has been quite open about, which you can read on his official blog here. In 2016 however, his career began picking up once more. He wrestled Noam Dar in Noam’s final ICW match before heading to WWE, he ended Scotty Swift‘s record 525 day reign with the Undisputed WrestleZone Championship, and he wrestled on ICW’s first show at Glasgow’s SSE Hydro for Fear & Loathing IX. Finally, Andy Wild was back where he should’ve always been.
Skip ahead to 2018, which was Andy Wild’s biggest year to date. In March of that year, he won the WrestleZone Tri-Counties Championship in a Fatal Four Way Match against Aspen Faith, Mr P, and Johnny Lions, holding it until September. The following April, he made his full-time return to ICW as he was welcomed back to the roster by Mark Dallas following his performance in the Barramania 4 Zero-G Championship Scramble Match, although he would eventually find himself on the opposite side of the ring from Dallas and his cronies due to not receiving the opportunities he deserves. Down in Discovery Wrestling, The Leader of The Wild Boys won the inaugural Disco Derby Match by last eliminating Bram, he was victorious in the second annual Hotter Than Hell Edinburgh Invitational Tournament after defeating Chris Renfrew in the finals and then most recently, he went to town with current Y Division Champion Joe Coffey in a tantalising contest. Sadly, it wasn’t to be for The Stovie Superman as The Iron King reigned on as the man to beat in Discovery. Nevertheless, this was an early match of the year contender.
It’s safe to say Andy Wild is one of the greatest unsigned wrestlers in Scotland right now, and perhaps even the UK as a whole. He had a WWE tryout a few years back – it would come as no surprise to see him signed to an NXT UK contract at some point in the future.
Check out our full list of previous Indie Watches, showcasing emerging talent from around the world!
