Indie Watch is our regular series that looks at amazing talents working the independent circuits around the world. Some are veterans revitalizing their careers. Some are indie prospects hitting their peaks. Others are names to be on the watch for! This edition looks at a rising star in the Southern indie scene in Alan Angels, who has found great opportunities during the pandemic to become of one All Elite Wrestling’s breakout stars.
The unexpected COVID-19 pandemic has caused a lot of strife for many wrestlers, both on the independents and on the sidelines in major promotions. With pandemic affecting travel, many of the majors are finding themselves short large sections of their roster, adapting by bringing in new faces to the crowd. Austin Theory got an early call to Raw from NXT Live Events, IMPACT Wrestling has introduced Kimber Lee, Neveah, and Tasha Steelz to the Knockouts Division, while All Elite Wrestling has utilized their new connection with the Nightmare Factory and used students from the school and other local indie performers to fill out cards on both AEW DARK and AEW Dynamite. One of the wrestlers who has attracted the most attention has been a 22-year indie wrestler from Snellville, Georgia named Alan Angels, thrust into three high profile matches against Lance Archer (April 8), Kenny Omega (April 22) and this past Tuesday against Rey Fenix on AEW DARK. With the growing response to the young Southern indie star’s performances, it may only be a matter of time before we see the announcement that Alan Angels is “ALL ELITE”.
Alan Angels had an impressive showing tonight against Kenny Omega. #AEW #AEWDynamite
— Get The Tables (@GetDaTables) April 23, 2020
Alan Angels got his start with the World Wrestling Alliance 4 (WWA4) Wrestling School in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was trained by indie veteran AR Fox (EVOLVE, Lucha Underground). He would continue to grow in the Georgia scene with the likes of WWA4, Peachstate Wrestling Alliance (PWA), and Southern Fried Championship Wrestling (SFCW), as well as American Combat Wrestling (ACW) in Florida and TWE Chattanooga in Tennessee.
In 2018, be became one of the South’s top prospects, working as a regular with SFCW, as well as newer companies like Georgia’s ACTION Wrestling and Southern Honor Wrestling (SHW) and Nashville’s Southern Underground Pro (SUP). In February 2019, he would capture the SHW Championship for 161-days.`
In recent months, he’s made his Midwest debut with Ohio’s Absolute Intense Wrestling (AIW) and Indiana’s Paradigm Pro Wrestling (PPW), as he looked to break out of the regional indie circuit and enter the national conversation. Well, in the past month, he’s managed to do just that, being showcased on one of pro wrestling’s largest platforms, AEW Dynamite, facing off against the likes of Kenny Omega.
At some point, the remainder of AEW’s main roster will return to work on a regular basis, and at that time, many of the young new faces we’ve been introduced to through AEW will return to their schools and/or indie promotions, but keep an eye on Alan Angels. He just may be one of the ones we see back sooner than later.
https://twitter.com/AEWrestling/status/1260353086977118209
Check out our full list of previous Indie Watches, showcasing emerging talent from around the world!
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.
