St Louis Anarchy (SLA) continues to be the gateway promotion between the vibrant Midwest indie scene and the rising Southern indies, combined with a healthy dose of what’s hot with the Mid Atlantic territory as well, creating a unique capsule of the US indie scene. They return on Friday night with No Church In The Wild, which will air live on IndependentWrestling.tv at 7:30pm CST/8:30pm EST.
The Kenway vs. “Sharkbait” Anthony Gutierrez
The Kenway is a 4-year pro and student of IMPACT’s Michael Elgin, who has cut his teeth in multiple promotions, including Glory Pro, IWA Mid South, Atlanta Wrestling Entertainment (AWE), Black Label Pro, and more. Anthony Gutierrez, aka “Sharkbait”, is a former MMA fighter with a 12-3 record, who competed for UFC Ultimate Fighter in Season 18 in 2013. He transitioned to pro wrestling in 2017 and has also been competing for EVOLVE Wrestling since this past summer.
Larry D vs. Christian Rose
Larry D is a Midwest veteran and the reigning 3x IWA Mid South Heavyweight Champion, and he returns to St Louis Anarchy on Friday for the first time since July’s Circus Maximus. He’s coming off a loss to Craig Mitchell, but will be looking to regain momentum when he faces Iowa’s Christian Rose. Previously at May’s Hog Wild, Larry defeated Jake Dirden, a man whom Rose has tagged with in the past, and he’ll look to put away Rose as well as he looks to strike gold. Rose is another Midwest veteran and former ZERO1 USA Heavyweight Champion who is also looking to get back on track, after he and Dirden lost to Besties in the World back in September.
Aaron Williams vs. Chip Day
A couple of unheralded indie vets go to battle on Friday night, including longtime Midwet wrestler Aaron Williams. Williams is a 14-year veteran who started with Les Thatcher‘s Heartland Wrestling Association (HWA), who became a huge mainstay with IWA Mid South – he’s a 6x IWA Mid South Heavyweight Champion – as well as Rockstar Pro, where he’s a 4x Rockstar Pro Champion. Chip Day is a 17-year veteran of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic indie scenes, where he’s a regular with AWE, where he’s the reigning 2x GWC Champion, as well as the America’s Most Liked (AML) Wrestling Prestige Champion in North Carolina.
Ace Perry & The Riegel Twins (Logan & Sterling Riegel) vs. Everett Connors, “Big Beef” Gnarls Garvin & Evan Gelistico
A big 6-man tag match, that sees Ace Perry, who came through the Midwest with Rockstar Pro and IWA Mid South, teaming up with The Riegel Twins, one of the rising tag teams in the US indies. Apart from St. Louis Anarchy, the Riegel Twins have been tearing it up with Glory Pro and AAW this year as well. Everett Connors is another former student of Michael Elgin who’s been making a name for himself in the Midwest, primarily with SLA and Glory Pro. He’s leading a team that also features former SLA Champion Evan Gelistico, a Midwest veteran who has been a staple for St Louis Anarchy for years, as well as Texas’s Anarchy Championship Wrestling, AWE, and more. “Big Beef” Gnarls Garvin is only 24-years old, but he’s another rising star in the region, having also worked for IWA Mid South, ACW, Pro Wrestling Freedom, and more.
Craig Mitchell vs. Jake Dirden
Craig Mitchell is a 10-year veteran of the strong Chicago scene, having worked previously with GALLI Lucha as well as being a regular with Freelance Wrestling. The tough grappler made his St Louis Anarchy debut in January of this year and is on a bit of a win streak since losing his debut, with wins over Gnarls Garvin and Larry D. On Friday, he looks to extend it as he faces a monster in 6’7″ Jake Dirden. Dirden has been tagging with Christian Rose of late, but the big men is still a fierce singles competitor and this one will get physical.
Thomas Shire vs. Gary Jay
A protegee of former NWA World Champion Dory Funk Jr., Thomas Shire is a 12-year veteran from North Carolina who has gone to war in the likes of Texas indies ACW, Inspire Pro, Iconic Heroes Of Wrestling Excellence (IHWE) and others, as well as appearing regular for SLA. He enters Friday night to battle a true warrior of the Southern to Midwest indies in St. Louis’ own Gary Jay, a 16-year veteran who has fought up and down the Eastern seaboard of the US. From Texas to IWA Mid South and everywhere in between, Jay has shown he’s one of the toughest grapplers in the US and easily one of its most underrated.
Besties in the World (Matt Fitchett & Davey Vega) vs WorkHorsemen (JD Drake & Anthony Henry)
A huge tag team match-up, featuring two of the top tag teams in the US indies today. The Besties in the World are returning to the US for the first time in nearly two months, after touring the UK with RevPro, Riptide, Fight Club: PRO and Ireland’s Over The Top (OTT) Wrestling, where they’re emerging as one of the world’s finest. The reigning 3x AAW Tag Team Champions have won a lot of gold over the past few years, and on Friday they face the equally dominating WorkHorsemen. The tandem of former WWN Champion JD Drake and reigning Full Impact Pro World Champion Anthony Henry – have been increasing their international presence of late as well, having just competed in Germany for Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw)‘s World Tag Festival, and the reigning AWE Tag Team Champions continue to prove why they’re one of the best in the world.
IWTV Independent Wrestling Championship: WARHORSE (c) vs. Curt Stallion
Not many names in the US indies are as hot right now as IWTV Independent Wrestling Champion WARHORSE, who has exploded in the past few months. The charismatic brawler has become one of wrestling Twitter’s new superstars and his cult-like following grows exponentially every day. He’s facing another of the top emerging stars in the US indies in Curt Stallion, a product of the strengthening Texas indie scene who has become a future star with EVOLVE Wrestling the past year. Potential match of the night.
SLA Gateway Heritage Championship: Jeremy Wyatt (c) vs. Mikey!
Jeremy Wyatt is a 16-year veteran of the Midwest who has held rank over the courts in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, and many more. He’s the reigning and 3x 3XW Pure Wrestling Champion in Iowa and his current reign as SLA Champion will hit 400 days if he can hold back his challenger on Friday night. The engimatic Mikey (aka Mikey McFinnegan) has been a staple of the Midwest for a decade, in both his tag team, Roscoe Eat Lisa with Zakk Sawyers, as well as Darin Corbin‘s Take It Homewreckers stable, competing for the likes of Freelance Wrestling, Glory Pro, and Indiana’s EMERGE Wrestling and Paradigm Pro Wrestling (he was also briefly tag team champion with AEW’s Marko Stunt in Tennessee). Mikey will be looking to win singles gold as he takes on the rugged veteran Wyatt.
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 watch SLA No Church In The Wild live on IndependentWrestling.tv at 7:30pm CST/8:30pm EST.
