Indie Watch is our regular series that looks at all of the amazing talents working the independent circuits around the world. Some are veterans revitalizing their careers, some are indie prospects hitting their peaks, while others are names to be on the watch for! This edition looks at a rising star in the Canadian indies in “The Wild Child” Jody Threat from Toronto, who is starting to break into the US and UK indies.
With her vibrant red hair and Tasmanian Devil ferocity, Toronto’s Jody Threat has managed to work her way up in the rigorous Canadian indie scene, emerging first as a star in the Ontario indie scene and now working internationally in a relatively short time.
An obsessive skateboarded in her youth and beyond (she had a half pipe in her house at one point), Jody Threat turned to the world of professional wrestling in 2017 and made her debut that fall. She debuted with Hamilton, Ontario’s Courage Pro Wrestling before earning a shot with Toronto’s Smash Wrestling at Rumble at the Border in Sarnia, Ontario in November, against another emerging star in Alexia Nicole.
As a woman in a male dominated industry, Jody Threat was drawn to promotions like Smash Wrestling, who treated her more as a wrestler than a novelty act. “Certain places are so accepting (of women’s wrestlers)”, she mentioned in an interview last May 2018. “It’s very interesting how your experiences vary where you’re going…with Smash…when I have a match it’s not that I’m having a women’s match, I’m having a wrestling match. And for me, I hate when people like ‘Oh, you’re a great female wrestler!’ I know it’s meant to be a compliment, but it drives me nuts…that’s what I really, really appreciate about Smash, you’re getting feedback based on being a wrestler, not based on being a female wrestler.”
In 2018, Jody Threat rose quickly in the Ontario and Canadian indies. She worked intergender with tag partner Holden Albright in Riot Makers and became a regular with both Smash Wrestling and Barrie Wrestling, where she faced the likes of Vanessa Kraven, Shotzi Blackheart, LuFisto and Veda Scott. She spent the year making towns with such Canadian indies like Hamilton’s Alpha-1, Ottawa’s Capital City Championship Combat (C4), and Quebec’s Federation de Lutte Quebecoise (FLQ). She also made her US debut with Sabotage Wrestling in Texas.
If 2018 was her proper introduction into the Canadian indies, this year has proven to be her introduction outside of the Great White North. In February this year, she continued her influx into the US indies, by working with AAW in Chicago for Fight for the Future during The Art of War weekend, as well as Glory Pro‘s Anniversary event, where she competed in a 6-person scramble match alongside Allie Kat, Jake Lander, and fellow Canadians Sheldon Jean and Mark Wheeler.
In March of 2019, she expanded into the Detroit indies, winning the Tournament of Roses to crown the first Divine Pro Champion. During WrestleMania week, she went to New York City, where she competed in the Destiny Wrestling & Fight Club: PRO showcase, where she faced former WWE Superstar Gangrel, plus others (like UK star The OJMO) in another scramble. That connection lead to her working with Fight Club: PRO this past weekend in England, where she competed in another intergender scramble alongside Travis Banks, Rickey Shane Page, El Phantasmo, and Lucky Kid, as well as on Saturday’s Sendai Girls UK event, where she competed in a Fatal Four Way with fellow Canadian Gisele Shaw and NXT UK Superstars Viper (Piper Niven) and Isla Dawn. On Sunday, she made her PROGRESS Wrestling debut, again facing Gisele Shaw, but also against Dani Luna and joshi freelance star YUU. When PROGRESS returns to Toronto over SummerSlam weekend, she’s already pegged to face NXT UK Women’s Champion Toni Storm and then team with David Starr to face Jordynne Grace & Chris Brookes.
The sky is the limit now for this new Canadian Threat, who is not only proving she’s a great women’s wrestler, but just plain wrestler. Look for her appearing in a promotion near you!
Welcome to PROGRESS, @DaniLuna_pro @GiseleShaw08 @JodyThreat @yuu_tjp. What a damn good match that was. #CheerUpJuice pic.twitter.com/RD4VrnHnev
— PROGRESS Wrestling (@ThisIs_Progress) July 28, 2019
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, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.
