MLW Blood & Thunder delivers a storm
ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- My nephew and I packed up the car and headed to St. Petersburgh for a night of wrestling. Major League Wrestling (MLW) presented its event Blood and Thunder from The Coliseum, a beautiful venue in downtown St. Petersburgh. By the time the day...
Card Exam: Ontario Dominion Day shows
It wasn't always Canada Day, of course. Up until October 1982, Canada Day was called Dominion Day, and it's been a national statutory holiday since 1879 when it was really just called the anniversary of Confederation, which, in case you have forgotten your Canadian...
Young and veteran women shine at Divine
LIVONIA, Mich. -- On Friday, May 31, 2024, Divine Pro Wrestling, Michigan’s women’s pro wrestling company, returned to the Livonia Elk’s Lodge in suburban Detroit for its second show, Every Show Has Its Thorns. Brad McFarlin was in attendance to photograph Divine’s...
Horror Slam: Crimson Mask paints the Elk’s Lodge red
On May 10, 2024, the Livonia, Michigan Elk’s Lodge hosted Horror Slam: Crimson Mask, and Brad McFarlin and I were in attendance among the bloodthirsty crowd, ready for some hot Friday night ultraviolence. While I've been in the Livonia Elk’s Lodge a number of times...
Divine Women’s Pro Wrestling Apr. 26, 2024 photo gallery
On Friday, April 26, 2024, Divine Women's Pro Wrestling returned after a hiatus of a few years, in Livonia, Michigan, with a show titled "A League of Their Own." As a veteran photographer, I was curious about the show, so headed out to document it. The show was...
Christine Coons’ Battleground Championship Wrestling Born to Die Photo Gallery
SlamWrestling.net’s Christine Coons headed out to Battleground Championship Wrestling’s “Born to Die” on Friday, April 5, 2024, at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA. Check out her gallery below, and for more about Battleground Championship Wrestling, including future...
Christine Coons’ Battleground Championship Wrestling Tribute to the Extreme 2 photo gallery
SlamWrestling.net's Christine Coons headed out to Battleground Championship Wrestling's "Tribute to the Extreme 2" on Friday, April 5, 2024, at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA. Check out her gallery below, and for more about Battleground Championship Wrestling,...
Unaired Jimmy Lloyd-RackaRacka GCW deathmatch filmed for documentary?
After GCW Role Model went off the air Saturday night, fans in attendance at Harpo’s in Detroit were treated to a bonus deathmatch between Jimmy Lloyd and RackaRacka. Social media reactions to the match unanimously praised their battle, with Joey Janela posting, “That...
The night Greektown went A-R-R-G-O-O-S for A.J.
TORONTO -- It's not often you see a Grey Cup ring used as a weapon. Or a surefire Canadian Football Hall of Famer at ringside capturing the antics of a buddy on his cell phone. But both happened on Saturday night. The scene was the East End United Church on Toronto's...
Last Smoky Mountain Wrestling show unearthed 28 years later
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The final Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW) event has been hiding, preserved and now re-discovered on YouTube. On Sunday, November 26, 1995, SMW’s Thanksgiving Thunder tour rolled into the Cookeville Community Center. The house show would serve as...
Border City Wrestling marks 30 years with a treat
WINDSOR, ON -- Saturday night, Border City Wrestling marked its 30th Anniversary with a capacity crowd at the St. Clair College Sportsplex in Windsor, the same venue where IMPACT Wrestling recently held this year's edition of Slammiversary. Originally founded in 1993...
SummerSlam Eve: A full menu of indy wrestling & wrestlers in Detroit
DETROIT -- When WWE announced that SummerSlam 2023 would be in Detroit, what I looked forward to most of all, possibly more so even than SummerSlam itself, was participating in the events and activities around SummerSlam weekend. As the subsequent announcements from...
Remembering Ginger the Bear on anniversary of her death
In southern Ontario, July 4th is always a day of reflection, as it marks the anniversary of the death of "Bearman" Dave McKigney, Adrian Adonis, and Pat Kelly in an accident in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Bearman had color and charisma to spare and is rightfully...
Cartwheel cartwheels over Vikingo and Speedball
TORONTO -- With so much hype over the young Mexican star El Hijo del Vikingo, the decision to head out to the Demand Lucha show in Toronto's west end was an easy one. It would be, after all, a very different vibe than his AEW debut in the large FirstOntario Centre in...
Remembering Nick Steel with a unique celebration of life
When someone is taken too soon, why, is always the obvious question to ask. When Nick Castanhinha passed away, it was a front-and-center prime example. He was a loving husband and father. His two young sons, Jacob and Joshua, saw their dad as a superhero. Nick and his...
Mat Matters: Fresh fans fun at Demand Lucha
TORONTO - I'm old and jaded, and have no problem admitting that. I have been to so many wrestling shows through the years, met so many fans, wrestlers, referees, promoters, hucksters that I can be a bit blasé when I'm at an actual show. That's why the Demand Lucha...
GCW brings High Incident scaffold match to Detroit
Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) returned to Detroit, Michigan on April 23 with The Old Me, a card headlined by a scaffold match spectacle between Second Gear Crew (Mance Warner and Matthew Justice) and the Briscoe Brothers (Jay Briscoe and Mark Briscoe). A towering...
New Japan in Chicago: A brand new perspective
Text by CHRIS JONES, photos by RICKY HAVLIK VILLA PARK, Illinois - This is a story from wrestling's newest fan told by a first time viewer. I only heard about wrestling in the late 1990s but never really grasped the concept until one day you I had a long time fan tell...
Mat Matters: Old friend, new to wrestling
We all have them. Those friends. You know, the ones that don't watch wrestling, don't know much about it, and humor you a little when you talk about it. So imagine my surprise when one of those friends suggested we go to a local wrestling show. And by local, I do mean...
Randi West experiences horror at Horror Slam
DETROIT - Michigan independent promotion Horror Slam Pro Wrestling recently held its Murder City Deathmatch Cup tournament, spanning two days on March 17 and March 18, in Brownstown, Michigan at Victory Gym. Yes, the event was precisely the absurd and extreme set of...
Mat Matters: A Timbit-y return to the Ontario indy scene
My home province, Ontario, has been one of the strictest jurisdictions in North America as far as COVID-related rules. I'm not complaining. Generally, I felt safe and protected through the pandemic. No one enjoyed the lockdowns and the restrictions, but it is what it...
Photographer’s Eye: Safety precautions before HorrorSlam
DETROIT - Last Friday, February 18, my son and I were looking for something to do. He gets bored easily, so an evening at the Ford Museum or a Pistons basketball game were out. Instead we attended an indy wrestling card by HorrorSlam Pro Wrestling, held in Brownstown,...
Violence, Cardona rule the day at GCW in Detroit
Heading into Game Changer Wrestling’s (GCW) loaded event in Detroit, Michigan, the promotion’s top heel Matt Cardona took to Twitter in disparagement of the city: a “B town,” he negatively asserted. Cardona’s maligning continued on the microphone, but instead of...
Guest column: My hero, Brad McFarlin
By LEONARD BRAND - For SlamWrestling.net TAYLOR, Mich. -- There is an old saying that tells us "Never meet your heroes," but Friday night I got to see from ringside how someone named "Brad" was always a hero to me and someone I had admired for over four decades. Going...
NJPW youngster Shota Umino shines in final match before UK lockdown
I tracked down the Shooter Shota Umino at a bingo hall in Wales, and saw him wrestle in front of 250 people at a bingo hall in Cardiff. It was surreal. At the time nobody knew either that it would be his last match for the foreseeable future as the United Kingdom...
Alexia Nicole new Femmes Fatales Women’s Champion
Once a three-time title holder, Mercedez Martinez called herself Femmes Fatales Women’s Champion when she defeated Jordynne Grace at The Summit last August. Now that she has signed with WWE’s NXT that could only mean one thing: a new champion must be named. At Femmes...
Top 5 Moments at EVOLVE 133
EVOLVE 133 packed the Monaghan Knights of Columbus in Livonia, MI for the hall's biggest crowd yet. Fans lined up around the building to meet-and-greet the likes of Tomasso Ciampa, Matt Riddle, and Austin Theory, while anticipating a big night of action. Saturday's...
Bull Nakano steals the show at The Summit
TORONTO - It's never been a more exciting time to be a female wrestler in the business today. The women's evolution far extends the boundaries of the WWE; independent promotions all over the world are producing high quality female athletes. However, if it weren't for...
Top 5 Moments at EVOLVE 127
EVOLVE 127 took over the Monaghan KOC Hall of Livonia in Michigan. EVOLVE packed the building to witness the headlining, non-title bout of NXT’s Adam Cole against EVOLVE's Champion Austin Theory. Friday night’s show also included a variety of NXT and Evolve stars...
Femmes Fatales show a celebration of LuFisto
QUEBEC CITY - Saturday night's Femmes Fatales card was a tribute to those who paved the way for the younger generation to live their dreams of being in the squared circle. LuFisto is one of those women, and last night was the Wounded Owl's last match in Quebec City....
Matt’s NYC diary: It’s a great time to be a wrestling fan
NEW YORK -- Never before in history has it been better to be a fan of professional wrestling. It was a thought I had prior, but after these last two days in the Big Apple, I've become 100% convinced it is the case. Whether it's an increase in talent levels, more...
EVOLVE 125 brings together NXT, Japan, and a major Theory
NEW YORK - There's always a first, and on Thursday at noon, the first of a number of wrestling shows during a busy weekend at La Boom took place, EVOLVE 125, and it had a decided NXT feel to it, with a touch of Japan thrown in. The main event of the show had Kyle...
Matt’s NYC diary: WrestleCon Supershow full of whooos and wows
NEW YORK -- The biggest weekend of the year for the professional wrestling world kicked off in a big way Thursday night. A night full of hard hitting, high flying action mixed in with a healthy dose of surprises led to another successful edition of the WrestleCon...
Female empowerment celebrated at Femmes Fatales 21
OTTAWA, Ont. -- There is no question that women's wresting has become the representation of power, inspiration and perseverance. Many fans over the years have witnessed these women break barriers and even struggle to get to where they are today. Femmes Fatales 21 was...
Gargano-Theory end EVOLVE 120 on a happy note for fans
QUEENS, NY - I saw my first EVOLVE show in person in August 2016. It was an eye-opening experience and it continues to be a fun experience to see in person. Back then EVOLVE presented a great show with Drew McIntyre, EC3, TJP, Drew Gulak, Aleister Black, Matt Riddle,...
Involvement of WWE & NXT heralds new era for EVOLVE
LIVONIA, Mich. - Friday night, EVOLVE returned to the Monaghan Knights of Columbus in suburban Detroit for Evolve 115. This event was a major checkpoint for the company, as this marked the start of a so called "new EVOLVE." From here on, EVOLVE will showcase its...
EVOLVE runs end for Riddle, Hathaway
LIVONIA, Mich. -- EVOLVE 111 took place on Sunday afternoon, a standing-room only crowd hot at the Monaghan Knights of Columbus Hall. The passionate fans were rewarded with one of Matt Riddle's final matches on the indy scene before he heads to WWE/NXT, and the finale...
Keith Lee ends EVOLVE run with emotional farewell
LIVONA, Mich. -- On Sunday night, an emotional "Limitless" Keith Lee wrestled his last bout in EVOLVE, his last "indy" bout, before heading off to NXT/WWE. After his loss to EVOLVE champion Matt Riddle, Lee took to the mic to say goodbye. Part of the reason for the...
WrestleMania weekend day 3: Progress and ROH
NEW ORLEANS - My Saturday kicked off with Progress Wrestling, which was the best Progress show that I have ever seen. However, Progress did have a list of people that were injured from previous matches during WrestleMania weekend. Darby Allin had a concussion and...
WrestleMania weekend day 2: Progress, EVOLVE & WWN Super Show
NEW ORLEANS - My Friday kicked off with Progress Wrestling, which had many more people in attendance than any of Thursday's shows. There were many more international people in attendance than the day before, with people from Europe and Australia. Moustache Mountain...
WrestleMania weekend day 1: Bloodsport and EVOLVE
NEW ORLEANS - Bloodsport kicked off WrestleMania weekend Thursday afternoon. It was a hybrid of Mixed Marital Arts and Professional Wrestling. Victory was obtained with knock out or submission. However, the rules were unclear since a referee would take the two...
Mat Matters: Don Davies’ Japan Wrestling Diary
From the epic Wrestle Kingdom 12 to violent death matches to raunchy comedy wrestling this year's wrestling vacation in Japan was one of the best ever. I have attended wrestling events all over the world including Canada, USA, UK, and Africa, but by far the best place...
Live Report: NJPW’s New Year Dash sets up Jericho vs Naito
TOKYO - New Year Dash featured Chris Jericho attacking Tetsuya Naito and daring fans to hit him. Many people thought that Jericho's appearance at Wrestle Kingdom 12 would be a one-time match for New Japan. However, the wheels have now been set in motion for a Naito...
Live report: Wrestle Kingdom 12 an incredible spectacle and experience
TOKYO - I traveled halfway around the world, from Toronto to Tokyo, for New Japan Pro Wrestling's Wrestle Kingdom 12 show. It was worth it. Here are my thoughts on the experience, and the reactions of the crowd during the show. There was a big buzz during the day in...
Border City show brings right mix for Excellence
WINDSOR, ON - Just shy of 25 years old, Windsor, Ontario's Border City Wrestling has pretty much found the perfect formula for success: put on a show that features some of wrestling's biggest historical names, add in some of the industry's brightest current stars from...
CZW’s Tournament of Death more popular than ever
TOWNSEND, Delaware - Maybe it was the "Vice Factor." That is, the mainstream publicity given to CZW's annual Tournament of Death event after being the subject of a Vice Media documentary last year. That would help explain why the crowd at the show this past weekend...
Bishop’s diary: Four shows in 24 hours
ORLANDO -- Seemingly the entire professional wrestling world has converged onto Central Florida for WrestleMania weekend. With dozens upon dozens of shows, many happening simultaneously, these few days offer a cornucopia of possibilities for fans. My personal belief...
Chris Hero says his goodbyes to indy life at EVOLVE
SAN ANTONIO, TX - Ever since being released by WWE in November 2013, Chris Hero has been one of the hottest commodities on the independent circuit. Fast forward three years and he said goodbye to the indy life once again, his second chance at NXT and WWE only days...
Rhodes, Styles prove ex-WWE stars can EVOLVE
Patric Laprade - Slam Wrestling BROOKLYN, NY – The EVOLVE 67 show Saturday afternoon in Brooklyn, as a part of the bigger WWE SummerSlam experience in town, saw the appearance of two just-released WWE employees. While WWE superstar Cody Rhodes was announced a while...
Mercedes Martinez returns, wins SHIMMER title
BERWYN, ILL. - Mercedes Martinez made a shocking return and won the SHIMMER championship at the conclusion of a marathon three-day DVD taping in Berwyn, Illinois, this weekend. Martinez’ return after a two-year retirement was the culmination of a whirlwind series of...
