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Jordan
03-15-2010, 02:25 PM
I just wanted to talk a little bit about independent wrestling...

So lets start with Ring of Honor. ROH was at one time a very prestigious promotion because of the constant amount of thrilling matches that outshined both TNA and WWE on a yearly basis. However after the departure of Gabe Saplosky, I feel like ROH has turned into a product MUCH different than the original goal.

I actually think Jim Cornette is making the product worse, it is become the new Smokey Mountain Wrestling in a way. Sure they have some really great workers like Davey Richards, Chris Hero, The Briscoes, El Generico, Eddie Edwards, Kenny Omega, Austin Aries, and Castaganoli. But some of their roster is just unimpressive, and comes off third rate. TNA obviously have this same quality from time to time with some of the guys they hire (Nasty Boys, and the other two huge fat guys they were using last year).

Back to ROH. I do miss the old days of wrestling and ROH has a sort of spirit that lived in the early 90's I feel, with strong Kayfabe and a more sports oriented approach that I miss. BUT, this approach isn't going to be the "next hot thing" in wrestling like ROH originally was. There isn't anything you'll see on ROH on HD that you won't see in TNA's X-Division (for the most part, I don't want to take too much away from ROH as they do have really good matches). But in reality most of their guys can't cut a compelling promo to save their lives.

Ahh... anyway, do you guys like ROH? Those who have watched it.

Do you like the direction ROH has been going in the last few months or do you miss the old days?

Do you think ROH will become hot again, or have the smart marks ruined it for everybody else?

Or has Jim Cornette ruined it?

OR has TNA and WWE taken away too many ROH top stars, if so do you think that they can rebuild their current roster to have the respect that guys like Joe, Styles, Daniels, Nigel, and Danielson had?

Also, comment on any other indy promotion you feel could be hot shit in a few months or years.

Dragon Gate USA seems to be a hit with the reviews I have read, but obviously they don't really have a way to market that type of wrestling to the masses very well. You pretty much have to be a die hard wrestling fan to know about DG:USA let alone order the PPV or buy a tape.

Does anybody know if DG:USA has made money so far?

Other indy promotions seem to be trying new things, I am going to be checking out Lucha VaVOOM soon in NYC. It seems great. They mix sex and violence and it seems pretty cool.

PWG also seems to go the comedy approach (I am not 100% sure as I have never seen a whole PWG show). To the people who know PWG, does it have the potential to grow into a bigger promotion or do you think it will stay as a Cali based regional fad?

I don't really keep up with any indy's other than those above. However, one more thought. It would be cool with WWC or IWA Puerto Rico would broadcast their shows online with english commentators, I think they could make a little bit of money doing that, or somehow manage to get it on some US TV station.

CSL
03-15-2010, 02:51 PM
Pretty sure Jim Cornette has a very minimal amount, if any, stroke in ROH

thecc
03-15-2010, 03:06 PM
The skies the limit for pwg. They have an incredibly solid undercard. I don't think they will choose to leave cali but as far as I know their current venue is always packed.

thecc
03-15-2010, 03:07 PM
They have also had shows in England, Germany and France. I don't really see the doing this often though.

Rammsteinmad
03-15-2010, 03:42 PM
I don't follow any independents religiously or anything, but I do watch a lot of matches/promos etc on youtube, and read results etc. I like ROH and Chikara has some awesome, funny-as-hell stuff.

And of course whatever else is available really.

CSL
03-15-2010, 03:53 PM
Vince needs Dragon Dragon

mike adamle
03-15-2010, 04:44 PM
I follow a bit of the indy's so I might as well put in my 2 cents.

ROH. Not really enjoying them lately. They seem to be going toward a more storyline based product, which would be good if the storylines were something that's interested me, but right now I'm really only interested in Steen/Corino-Generico/Cabana. Even Austin Aries is kind of boring me lately, he just seems to do the same stuff. I'm not sure if this is Cornette's fault, but it's basically been a downhill slide since he came in and Danielson and Nigel left. And they CAN try to build new stars with the likes of Davey Richards, Kevin Steen, Chris Hero, Claudio Castagnoli, Tyler Black, Roderick Strong, and Austin Aries (not really a new star for them, but someone who needs to step up) but it all depends on how they're booked.

PWG. They're on a roll, kind of like ROH was in 2006. I still highly doubt they come out of California though. Still, they're worth checking out at the moment.

DG:USA. Kind of fading away in terms of quality matches. And with the loss of Davey Richards who seemed to be a big part of their future, I don't see them doing anything outside of what they've already been doing.

Evolve. Just watched their first show, wasn't good. I guess their second show was very similar, and since a lot of people feel the way I felt about their first show I don't see them lasting too long.

Chikara. They're fun, but not going anywhere.

AAW. They suck.

Blitz
03-15-2010, 05:02 PM
Everyone should watch Chikara.

The Show Off
03-15-2010, 05:07 PM
I love ROH I think they're transitioning right now. The loss of both Nigel, Danielson, and Jacobs is something that is going to take a while to fill in. Their cards are still great to watch but they need someone to really step up to fill the void. Tyler Black will do well but his credability needs to be built before he can electrify the ROH-faithful the way Nigel and Danielson can.

thecc
03-15-2010, 05:33 PM
Everyone should watch Chikara.Have you seen any of this years shows yet? I'm still behind but they sound pretty good.

Fignuts
03-15-2010, 05:58 PM
I have the dvds of ROH's first 4 shows and they were incredible. Not a bad match on the card. So a couple years ago, I ordered a PPV. Was around the time Nigel beat Morishima. Nigel vs Black and Ares vs Danielson was fantastic, but the rest of the card didn't do much for me.

Didn't come close to matching the shows from my dvds. Seems like the main eventers are still awesome, but the undercard isn't so great.

KayfabeMan
03-15-2010, 06:40 PM
Cornette can't really ruin any promotion.

99% of his ideas are well thought out and apply logic to the situations. He's usually the voice of reason, if anything, and that's why he is so 'unpopular' amongst many in the biz - so to speak. Also, like mentioned above, I'm pretty sure he doesn't have any real pull there; just a job.

The other thing is, RoH is terribly overrated; though I see why people would praise it as an alternative to some of the crap on TV. The main problem, as mentioned before, is the ability of any of these guys to sell their matches and make them seem believable. They can't do anything on the microphone. RoH should be scouting more male managers to get their guys over, but they also can't have a whole promotion of guys who can't cut promos (or they'll turn into WWE :shifty: )

The indies in general are a rough thing. In the S.E. United States, everything runs smooth until you hit FL, where indy wrestling (apart from ROH's deal and WWE's down there) is dead. Which is just insane, considering the amount of talent that used to come from down there, and the crowds in that state - but the times have changed so much.

mike adamle
03-15-2010, 07:15 PM
Have you seen any of this years shows yet? I'm still behind but they sound pretty good.

I just watched the January 31st show, had a pretty funy 8 man tag on there, and the whole show was pretty fun in general.

Gertner
03-15-2010, 08:20 PM
Thank you Kayfabeman for saying guys in ROH can't cut promo's! I love how defenders claim that they can when every single one is the same " grrr I want respect and I'm intense".

Oh and indy wrestling fans are douchebags for the most part.

Gotta love that sexy workrate!!!!!!

Gertner
03-15-2010, 08:26 PM
There's nothing really Pearce and Cornette can do. They lost their most exciting tag team, and their two biggest stars in one swoop. Its only a matter of time before the Briscoe's and the KofW leave as well. Who's really left? Richards and Edwards? Aries?

The Show Off
03-15-2010, 09:53 PM
Thank you Kayfabeman for saying guys in ROH can't cut promo's! I love how defenders claim that they can when every single one is the same " grrr I want respect and I'm intense".

Oh and indy wrestling fans are douchebags for the most part.

Gotta love that sexy workrate!!!!!!

They're not all bad a promos. Jimmy Jacobs and Austin Aries are good at cutting promos but they are the exception.

The reason why the indy guys aren't good at cutting promos has most to do with the major promotons snapping up the good promo guys.

weather vane
03-15-2010, 10:41 PM
Kenny Omega is phenomenal... so fucking good.

thecc
03-15-2010, 10:45 PM
Kenny Omega is phenomenal... so fucking good.Seconded on this. Kids got such a bright future. It's a shame PWG took the belt off him so quickly.