Chicago remains a hot spot in the US indie circuits, as the area fields some of the top indie promotions in the nation with AAW, Freelance Wrestling, GALLI Lucha and ZERO1. One of the newer faces in the scene is Warrior Wrestling, who presents their seventh event on Friday night, live on FITE.tv, that sees stars from NJPW, IMPACT Wrestling, Major League Wrestling (MLW) compete against some of the top names in the US indie scene.
Reilly Maguire vs. Danhausen
Reilly Maguire is a budding young star in the Midwest scene, having worked IWA Mid South and recently making his AAW debut, but on Friday he faces one of the explosive breakout stars of late 2019 in the enigmatic Danhausen. The “Hausen Cult” has grown exponentially in the past few months and Danhausen will be looking for a big win to continue his momentum.
Holidead vs. Savanna Stone
Holidead is a US indie veteran with SHIMMER, Shine, and more, who is also a part of the former Shine Tag Team Champions Twisted Sisters with Thunder Rosa. Holidead has been working a lot of singles of late (as Thunder Rosa now stars with NWA), and she’s facing another rising star on the US indies in Savanna Stone. The 19-year old has already worked enhancement for WWE and continues to shine in Missouri’s Dynamo Pro, as well as ZERO1, AAW, Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) and more.
Aero Star vs. Rey Horus vs. Taurus vs. Gringo Loco vs. Drago
A huge lucha libre showcase featuring some of Mexico’s finest and a staple of the Chi-town scene. Aero Star is a longtime veteran of AAA who gained national attention with Lucha Underground, as well as fellow combatants Drago and Rey Horus (who competed as Dragon Azteca Jr. in Lucha Underground). Taurus is another AAA star who is making waves in the US this past year, and from Chicago it’s MLW star Gringo Loco representing the red, white and blue.
Michael Elgin vs. Sam Adonis
IMPACT Wrestling‘s Michael Elgin returns to Chicago in singles action, as he faces the controversial Sam Adonis. Both of these men have international experience – Elgin was a star with NJPW for years, while Adonis worked for CMLL and The Crash Lucha in Mexico – but the two men are facing off on Friday to continue the momentum both men have had in the past few months.
“The Ego” Robert Anthony (w/ Frank the Clown) vs. Jake Atlas
Former CZW World Champion Robert Anthony, with Frank the Clown in tow, will be looking to take out one of the West Coast’s top stars. Jake Atlas is reportedly heading to NXT in the new year, so for the past few weeks he’s been working all kinds of stars, emerging and veteran, before he bids adieu to the indie circuit.
Lance Archer vs. Brian Pillman Jr.
In a classic David vs Goliath, NJPW star and IWGP United States Champion Lance Archer will be taking on one of MLW’s biggest stars in Brian Pillman Jr. Both men normally have sanctuary with stables – Archer with Suzuki-gun and Pillman with the new Hart Foundation – but it’ll be mano y mano on Friday as the two men face of unbridled.
Minoru Suzuki vs. “Filthy” Tom Lawlor
A huge match-up that may turn into an MMA match, as Pancrase founder and NJPW legend Minoru Suzuki makes a rare US indie appearance to face former UFC fighter “Filthy” Tom Lawlor. Suzuki is no stranger to the shoot fight as he spent a great deal of the late 1980s and early 90s in his Pancrase promotion, and continues to be one of New Japan’s most frightening heels. He faces off against former MLW World Champion Tom Lawlor, who has made a flawless transition into one of the US indies top strikers.
IMPACT X-Division Championship: Ace Austin (c) vs. Blake Christian vs. Templario vs. Carlos Romo
IMPACT X-Division Champion Ace Austin is taking his title on the road and defending it in a fatal four way match in Chicago on Friday night. Blake Christian has gone from relative unknown to one of 2019’s breakout stars thanks to his introduction via Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) this past summer, returning to Warrior Wrestling to claim IMPACT gold. Carlos Romo is one of Europe’s top emerging stars, as the Spaniard from White Wolf Wrestling continues to increase his international footprint. Trained by Ultimo Guerrero, Templario is a veteran of Mexican lucha libre who works for CMLL and returns to Warrior Wrestling after beginning to hit the US indies.
The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier, Zachary Wentz & Trey Miguel) vs. CHAOS (Will Ospreay, Rocky Romero & Amazing Red)
A huge inter-promotional 6-man tag team match. On one side, you have IMPACT Wrestling’s full Rascalz stable with Dezmond Xavier, Zachary Wentz, and Trey Miguel, three of the most athletic wrestlers in the US today. They’re facing a CHAOS trio from New Japan, led by IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay, alongside Rocky Romero and Amazing Red, who has unretired and now competes for NJPW on several occasions. Has all the potential to be match of the night.
Warrior Wrestling Championship: Brian Cage (c) vs. El Phantasmo
Although he’s no longer IMPACT World Champion, Brian Cage has held the Warrior Championship since Warrior’s debut show, 466 days ago. He’s putting his title on the line as he faces Bullet Club‘s El Phantasmo. El Phantasmo is a veteran of the Canadian West Coast indie scene who blew up during his UK stint, and alongside Taiji Ishimori holds the IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship.
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 Warrior Wrestling 7 live on FITE.tv.
