Late last week, Game Changer Wrestling announced that, in conjunction with Orange Crush, it will present the first-ever Indie Wrestling Hall of Fame ceremony. As its name suggests, this event celebrates the various stars that have made an impact on the independent wrestling scene. It will take on January 22, live from The Cutting Room in New York City. Earlier today, the first inductee was announced. Jerry Lynn, known for his work in such organizations as Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment, will be inducted by his longtime rival, Sean Waltman.
*Hall of Fame Update*
JERRY LYNN joins the inaugural class of the Indie Wrestling Hall of Fame!
Jerry will be inducted by longtime rival SEAN WALTMAN!
Tix on Sale Mon @ 10AM:https://t.co/zYFocQMFy4
GCW/Orange Crush present
The Indie Wrestling Hall Of Fame
Saturday 1/22 – 7PM pic.twitter.com/1NaIHqMp8w— GameChangerWrestling (@GCWrestling_) November 21, 2021
Jerry Lynn Enters the Indie Wrestling Hall of Fame
Making his professional debut in 1988, Jerry Lynn started working primarily in Michigan and his home state, Minnesota. On a local level, he worked for such organizations as Pro Wrestling America and the American Wrestling Association, the latter of which was owned and operated by Verne Gagne at the time. In addition to continued national work, Lynn expanded to countries including Mexico and Japan. He began to see mainstream success when he debuted for World Championship Wrestling in 1995, wrestling not only under his real name but the masked character of Mr. J.L.
Two years later, in 1997, Jerry Lynn joined ECW, where he saw much of the aforementioned mainstream success. During his time in Paul Heyman’s ultraviolent promotion, Lynn became the ECW World Heavyweight Champion, defeating Justin Credible at Anarchy Rulz 2000 to win the title. Lynn would hold the title for 35 days before eventually dropping it to Steve Corino in a Double Jeopardy Match at November to Remember.
The Move to WWE and Beyond
In early 2001, following the closure of ECW, Jerry Lynn joined the World Wrestling Federation, where he won the Light Heavyweight Championship in his debut match. Lynn held the title in question for 37 days, successfully defending it against such names as Essa Rios, Taka Michinoku, and fellow AEW personnel Christopher Daniels and Dean Malenko. Following his departure from the company in February 2002, Lynn worked for other notable promotions, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and Ring of Honor specifically. He would even win the ROH World Championship in early 2009, facing such names as Chris Hero, Roderick Strong, and Bryan Danielson during his time on top of the company.
Even excluding Lynn’s mainstream success, his accolades on the independent level can’t be denied. Case and point, in New York Wrestling Connection, where he worked during the mid-2000s, he won the NYWC Interstate, Hi-Fi, and Heavyweight Championships. In the Texas-based Anarchy Championship Wrestling promotion, is a former Tag Team and Heavyweight Champion. Jerry Lynn made numerous contributions to wrestling, inspiring others in the process, and his induction in the Indie Wrestling Hall of Fame is well-deserved.
Currently, Jerry Lynn works for All Elite Wrestling, where he signed in 2019, as a coach and producer. He made numerous televised appearances since then, not only in AEW but IMPACT Wrestling, albeit in non-competitive roles. Stay tuned to GCW’s social media channels to learn more about future inductions in the Indie Wrestling Hall of Fame.
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. The Indie Wrestling Hall of Fame will take place on January 22; tickets are set to go on sale on November 22.
