IMPACT Wrestling has a three day event built around Bound for Glory this Sunday and on Saturday, they present a live Twitch special on their Twitch Channel that’s a stunning showcase of some of the best indie wrestlers and indie promotions in the US Midwest right now. While no IMPACT talents are featured, many of these stars have appeared on previous IMPACT specials and there’s no doubt that in 2020 you will see many of these names on much larger platforms, either signed to IMPACT or other major promotions.
Wrestling Revolver presents: Ace Romero vs. Larry D
Wrestling Revolver is the US indie owned by IMPACT’s own Sami Callihan, and based out of Iowa. Ace Romero is one of the US indies top super heavyweights and has been featured in Major League Wrestling (MLW) as well as US indies like AAW, Limitless Wrestling, and more, including a spot in the Casino Battle Royale at AEW Double or Nothing. He’s facing a veteran super heavyweight in 17-year pro and Revolver Champion Larry D from Kentucky, who has made his presence felt with the likes of IWA Mid South, Revolver, Black Label Pro, St. Louis Anarchy, and more over his career. This is going to be a heck of a hoss fight.
Ohio Valley Wrestling presents: Corey Storm vs. Justin Smooth
Corey Storm is only four years into his wrestling career, but “Category 5” has made waves in the Midwest with Indiana’s Paradigm Pro Wrestling and IWA Mid South, before becoming a focal point with the revamped Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), where he’s a former OVW Television Champion. He’s facing the cream of OVW in reigning and 2x OVW Heavyweight Champion Justin Smooth in a match-up showcasing two of OVW’s top prospects right now. Smooth is also a former OVW Television Champion and OVW Southern Tag Team Champion alongside Big Jon.
GALLI Lucha presents: Jake Landers vs. Gringo Loco vs. Bandolero vs. Golden Dragon
With Bound For Glory hailing from Chicago, Illinois, All Glory is showcasing several Chicago area indies, including the high flying GALLI Lucha Libre. They’re sending four men into a fatal four way, each with some unique attributes, but who endorse the GALLI Lucha spirit. Gringo Loco is the most recognizable name, as he’s been a regular with MLW for some time now. He’s a 19-year veteran of the Midwest indies, especially GALLI, and he’s finally seeing national recognition and deservedly so. Jake Lander is one of Chicago’s most promising emerging stars and the youngster has been a breakout the past year with the likes of Black Label Pro, IWA Mid South, Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), and AAW, and is one half of the Black Label Tag Team Champions with Tre Lemar in the faction Blood Diamond. Bandolero is a Puerto Rican luchador who has worked everywhere from AAA in Mexico to multiple US indies, but he’s been with GALLI Lucha for years now. Golden Dragon is another longtime veteran of GALLI, who began with CMLL in Mexico back in the early 2000s and still thrills with his approach to lucha libre.
Zelo Pro Wrestling presents: Isaias Velazquez vs. Brubaker vs. GPA vs. Project Monix vs. Bryce Benjamin
Zelo Pro Wrestling is another Chicago area indie promotion that has added to the vibrant Chi-Town indie scene since its inception in 2017. The have a huge five man match-up featuring a few Chicago veterans as well as some skyrocketing emerging young stars. Isaias Velazquez is a Chicago treasure, and as well as being a part of Zelo Pro since the beginning, is a veteran of Freelance Wrestling, where he’s a former 2x Freelance World Champion. Nick Brubaker is another Chicago area veteran who has been a part of the scene since 2007, working with Chicago Style Wrestling, AAW, DREAMWAVE, and Zelo Pro. He’s been the CSW Heavyweight Champion a whopping 697-days. Geoffrey Percival Austere – aka GPA – is yet another Chicago veteran, who has worked for Freelance, CSW, GALLI Lucha, and many more, and a former Freelance World Champion. Project Monix is one of Illinois’ top prospects and the 3-year pro has been a standout with IWA Mid South, where he’s a 2x IWA Mid South Junior Heavyweight Champion. Bryce Benjamin is another 17-year pro from Chicago who has worked for many of the top promotions like AAW, IWA Mid South, GALLI, Freelance, and many more, including time in the tag team The N-Words with Acid Jazz, where he’s the reigning Berwyn Championship Wrestling tag team champions and 2x Freelance Tag Team Champs. He’s also a former CSW Heavyweight Champion in his own right.
Warrior Wrestling presents: “The Ego” Robert Anthony w/ Frank the Clown vs Space Monkey
Warrior Wrestling is only a year old, but its quickly becoming another strong force in the rich Chicago indie scene and they have a couple showcases on Saturday. Plainsfield, Illinois’ “The Ego” Robert Anthony has been a veteran on the US indies since 2001, and the student of Harley Race is a former Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) World Heavyweight Champion and AAW Heavyweight Champion. He also wrestles as Ego Fantastico, where he’s won the CZW Junior Heavyweight Championship and the International Wrestling Cartel (IWC) Super Indy Championship in his 18 year career. His opponent is one of the most unique stars of the past few years in Canadian indie star Space Monkey. Of late, he’s best known as one half of the tag team Space Pirates with Shane Sabre, who are former 2x Alpha-1 Tag Team Champions, former Black Label Pro Tag Team Champions, and the reigning tag team champions with Freelance Wrestling and Toronto’s Demand Lucha. He’s a former CHIKARA Young Lions Cup winner and an athletic specimen who commands attention, and this should be a fun affair.
Wrestling Revolver presents: Jason Cade vs. Clayton Gainz vs. Logan James vs. Tyler Matrix
Wrestling Revolver’s second match of the night is a four man scramble match. Jason Cade is a 7-year pro who has missed much of 2019 with injury, but this should be a huge match to get him back in the spotlight. A regular with MLW last year, he’s also been a star with Revolver, FEST Wrestling, Full Impact Pro, and many more. Ohio’s Clayton Gainz is a regular with Rockstar Pro as well as Revolver, where he’s a 5x Rockstar Pro Trios Champion, 2x Rockstar Pro Tag Team Champion, and 2x Rockstar Pro American Luchacore Champ. This will be his fourth IMPACT special this year. Logan James is an emerging star from the Southern and Midwest indies, debuting with OVW in 2016. Since then, he’s broken out in IWA Mid South, Black Label Pro, and Revolver, and looks to push through even further into 2020. Alabama’s Tyler Matrix also made his debut with OVW back in 2015, and has also branched out, working with Revolver, Glory Pro, IWA Mid South, and more.
Black Label Pro presents: Kobe Durst vs. AJ Gray
Indiana’s Black Label Pro has only been around since 2017, but in the past year has emerged as not only one of the top Midwest indies, but one of the best in the US. For their showcase match, they are pitting the best against the best, as their two champions – BLP Heavyweight Champion Kobe Durst faces BLP Midwest Champion AJ Gray in a champions showcase (non-title). Kobe Durst has been one of Canada’s best kept secrets for years, but in the past year or so has exploded into the US indie scene, particularly the Midwest. AJ Gray has risen from his Southern roots and also become a mainstay in the Midwest indies, capturing gold not only in BLP, but in Paradigm Pro, where he’s the reigning PPW Heavyweight Champion, and in Glory Pro as the new Crown of Glory Champion. Two stars who are in for huge 2020s, this will be a classic.
Warrior Wrestling presents: Mark Wheeler vs. Alex Zayne vs. Blake Christian
Warrior Wrestling’s second match is a potential showstealer as it features an amazing triple threat with three names who are exploding! Mark Wheeler is another Canadian who has been a staple in Canada with Alpha-1, Superkick’D, Smash Wrestling and others who is breaking his way into the US indies. Alex Zayne and Blake Christian may be the US indie equivalent of Ricochet vs Will Ospreay in New Japan a few years ago. Both men were GCW discoveries earlier this year who are now being booked around the country (and internationally), dazzling crowds with their innovative athleticism. Could be match of the night.
Zelo Pro Wrestling presents, Zelo Pro Women’s Championship: Laynie Luck (c) vs. Kylie Rae vs. Shotzi Blackheart
The biggest news heading into All Glory is the return of Chicago native Kylie Rae to pro wrestling. One of the US indies biggest stars of 2018, she was an early signing for All Elite Wrestling before requesting her release later this summer. After some time off, the former Freelance World Champion is back at her game, and is jumping into a match to reclaim her Zelo Pro Women’s Championship. The current champion is an emerging indie star in her own right, Laynie Luck. Laynie worked the Texas indies early on, before exploding nationally, where she now works for Zelo Pro, RISE Wrestling, Glory Pro, and many more. The third entrant in this match is indie superstar Shotzi Blackheart, who has been a regular with EVOLVE and Shine Wrestling, and recently signed with NXT.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can catch IMPACT All Glory this Saturday night on their Twitch Channel.
