{"id":53075,"date":"2019-08-24T15:10:41","date_gmt":"2019-08-24T19:10:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprowrestling.com\/?p=53075"},"modified":"2021-05-12T12:56:09","modified_gmt":"2021-05-12T16:56:09","slug":"indie-watch-the-butcher-the-blade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2019\/08\/24\/indie-watch-the-butcher-the-blade\/","title":{"rendered":"Indie Watch: The Butcher & The Blade"},"content":{"rendered":"

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! In this edition, we will be taking a look at one of the fastest rising tag teams on the US indies in the monstrous pairing of Pepper Parks and Andy Williams, collectively known as The Butcher & The Blade.<\/i><\/p>\n

Pepper Parks<\/strong> has been a part of pro wrestling for 19 years now, but he’s arguably never been as hot as he is now, thanks to forming a tag team alongside his best friend, Andy Williams<\/strong>. And now this union, into his third year of existence, is starting to catch fire around the US and beyond, as The Butcher & The Blade<\/strong> has become a tag team bent on domination and destruction.<\/p>\n

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From Buffalo, New York, Pepper Parks got his start in the Ohio indie scene in 2000 as a student of the legendary Les Thatcher<\/strong> in Heartland Wrestling Association (HWA)<\/strong>. In his first six years, he became a huge part of HWA, as a 2x HWA Heavyweight Champion, HWA Cruiserweight Champion, and HWA Tag Team Champion. During his years in Ohio, he was a running mate with two young Ohio wrestlers named Sami Callihan<\/strong> and Jon Moxley<\/strong>, with the three forming a stable called The Crew<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=W3y4b6F_UjI<\/p>\n

He returned back to Buffalo in 2006, working with NWA Empire<\/strong>, then joined Empire State Wrestling (ESW)<\/strong> following NWA Empire’s demise in 2009. He continues to work with ESW to this day, as a trainer and performer, leading the future of upstate New York and its Buffalo Brothers<\/a>. He became a staple on the US indie scene, working with the likes of Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), Ring of Honor, International Wrestling Cartel (IWC)<\/strong>, and others, as well as joining Toronto’s Smash Wrestling<\/strong> in 2014. In 2015, he joined IMPACT Wrestling under the name Braxton Sutter<\/strong>, where he competed for three years in varying capacity, before departing the company last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=INmfxjtxhfM<\/p>\n

Andy Williams has his own claim to fame before getting involved in the square circle in 2016. Since 1998, he’s been part of the popular metal band Everytime I Die<\/strong>, who have been signed to Epitaph Records since their 2009 release, New Junk Aesthetic<\/strong><\/em>. A hulk of a man onstage, he’s always had the presence required to become a pro wrestler. And in 2016, he turned that dream into a reality. He made his debut in Canada, working with Smash Wrestling, and then took part in a match with Ohio’s Absolute Intense Wrestling (AIW)<\/strong> at Warped Tour that year.<\/p>\n