Greetings and Salutations, Cheap-Heaters! Welcome back to my mad scientists lab. The place where things get chopped up (Some say, Butchered) – but I prefer the term Dissected (you should have seen his collegiate fetal pig dissection… that thing was NOT "dissected") – Today I come to you off the successful Ring of Honor Pay Per View, Best in the World.
No, not YOU, UFC-boy. But thanks for checking in. A lot of us wrestling fans do miss you plying the trade that made you rich and famous… Yes… rich AND famous ties into what I'm doing with my scalpel (Butchering the english language?!) – stop sarcastic inner monologue!
No. See with ROH running successfully for a long while and being an amazing pipeline for generating and developing new talent. See: Punk, CM. Plus they're back on national TV, but have been in syndication with their TV deal with Sinclair… I got to wondering.
WHAT IS "Indy"?
Stop. I can hear you explaining it, and this is rhetorical. I understand it. I understand what it means. Hell I'll even throw in a definition I found online: In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indy circuit is any independent professional wrestling promotion that is smaller than a major televised promotion. They are roughly analogous to a minor league for pro wrestling. Coming from the music or film industry. Its about the DIY way to go about your bidness. Bands on Sub-Pop don't have the same stringent corporate overlords as say, if they were eon Sony or Warner Brothers… or whatever major record labels that actually STILL exist. The budget is smaller. So the production value can be lesser. Maybe the acting isn't as good, or maybe good actors go do an indy film because of the added freedom to ply their craft. But we're here to talk about it. Pull it apart, and try to see what exactly that MEANS in today's wrestling landscape.
Watching Ring of Honor, or Lucha Underground, or Impact Wrestling, or even NXT. I start to wonder… what of those brands are "indy"? From the definition? They're all on TV (Sort of in the case of NXT) – but would we classify them as "MAJOR"? By the way, I'm sure some will scoff at my mention of NXT, but they have WAAAAAY more in common with those other three brands I listed than they do with say, WWE or New Japan.
And that brings up another thing. I've seen people list New Japan as an indy Promotion. C'mon… I have every intention of trying to figure out where the "indy Line of Demarcation" should fall in the Wrestling world, but? I'm not about to say New Japan is an indy, (OR AAA for that matter) To be truthful I don't know how wide spread that opinion is, but I do remember seeing it, and feeling that it wasn't an accurate portrayal for the King of Sport.
It's All About Benjamins?!
Uhh… no.
I'm going to focus on the #WrestlingWednesday crew here. Because I feel somewhere in those four shows: Impact, ROH, Lucha Underground, and NXT we find, if not an outright ANSWER? A little clarity. So to be "indy" we'd have to concede that you'd be functioning on a smaller budget. For two of these three that would definitely feel accurate. NXT is under the WWE umbrella. They have WWE money to back them. They can sign away talent AND do something most of these other shows can't, successfully. Sign guys and girls to exclusive deals. TNA has flirted with that a bit, but if the interwebz are to be trusted their money "ain't right". Lucha Underground has to have some good finances. From the producers of the show, to the fact that its pushing for an Emmy nod. The production value might be the best of the four. Again having legit hollywood backing for you product means you're not going to have deep pockets. So their stacked roster of indy darlings, Lucha Legends, and sprinkle in a few old familiar faces like Chavo, Patron (Del Rio), and Mundo (Morrison).
It's All About Television?!
All four of these shows appear on TV. Three of the four have national cable deals. NXT is the outlier because its ONLY available on the WWE Network, and I'd argue its THE Reason to invest in said Network. Lucha Underground has had a super successful first "season" of their show. The story and wrestling have both been praised. Unfortunately El Rey isn't available everywhere The author "Sad Panda sighs" here because he doesn't have El Rey) , but if you are industrious and know your way around the internet you can find a lot of the episodes online. Destination America is home to the two other brands… for the time being. It sounds as if Impact is running out its contract into September and the DA will be all about Ring of Honor… hopefully. Again Destination America's market penetration isn't GREAT. Luckily my pimped out package (I'm talking about my cable package, pervs) – Has Destination America. They don't have WWE styled national exposure. But at least three of the brands have cable deals. That's HUGE.
It's All About Pay Per View?!
This idea was born out of me watching Ring of Honor: "Best in the World". They have pay per views… (TANGENT ALERT: Perhaps now with their arrival on my TV screen, Vegas will dip a toe into the Ring of Honor world for Over/Unders!) – Not only Pay Per Views on the cable box, but also iPPV's. Like July's Death Before Dishonor. They have the strongest Pay Per View presence of the four. NXT, again… Network only and doesn't have any Pay Per View presence. Impact's is small and feels like its dwindling. They've taken their named shows which used to be Pay Per Views and made them into Super Shows they televise. Lucha Underground is still new enough that they haven't dabbled into the Pay Per View landscape. There was talk of them having either a "Supershow", or Pay Per View sometime this summer. I'm not sure where that stands. So really… only one of the four has much of a Pay Per View presence.
It's All About the Styles?!
Not exactly, buddy. The reason "style" was made plural. There are multiple things to take into account. The style of the broadcast. If you look back at what I think a lot of us picture when we think of "indy" style?
So… the aesthetics?
These phrases come to mind: Dimly lit. "Bingo Hall". Dingy. Intimate. Shows could be run in Armories. Farmer Markets. Abandoned warehouses. Outside in some random park… (CZW, I'm looking at you) – The production values for the television product would be decent to deplorable. Footage would be grainy. Audio would warble. Rings would be smaller, plain, and maybe the apron would have a logo. The stories of Heyman and Dreamer cutting shows together in the basement of someone's home. Filming promos late into the night. That's the Do It Yourself nature. I don't know how much of that is going on with ROH, or Impact. We know they both put multiple episodes "in the can" at TV Tapings. So do NXT and Lucha Underground. Ring of Honor retains a more "indy look". No bells and whistles. Maybe a big screen. Lighting rigged around the ring. I will say their production at Best in the World was NICE. Loved the over the ring camera they were using. But it looked damn good. Maybe with the new cable deal they have a little more money to splurge on some added production values.
Impact is probably the next tier here. Especially since moving back to the Impact Zone. A few more bells and whistles. Lighting a notch up from ROH. At one point they fancied themselves a competitor for the WWE, even being insane enough to move to Monday Nights. Plus having a TV studio to film in always helps for the TV production. Both Lucha Underground AND NXT are testaments to that. Not hard to set up a TV taping when they're all done in the same place. Lucha Underground looks great and different from any other wrestling show. The Lucha Arena with its temple styled seating. No barricade between the fans and the fights. Its set up has lent itself to some insane spots in matches. Also lends itself to adding a level or realism. You're in this arena and these are modern day gladiators fighting for your amusement. NXT looks like if ROH had some WWE money coming in. The LED boards, the "Trons" the music and videos are the best of the four. Its a toned down WWE style. Their video packages are next level.
But also the Ring Work?
If you're reading this you are probably aware of the "WWE Style". As well as the phrase "Five Moves of Doom". I think THIS is the biggest thing that hinges on what makes "indy Wrestling". Probably why some will call a huge successful promotion like New Japan "indy". The ring work is high paced. High impact. Risks are allowed. Basically the handcuffs and restraints are off. Some places put restrictions on moves, i.e. WWE has a "almost zero piledrivers" rule. Watching a match in this style you'll see each guy do numerous moves that could qualify as finishers, and they'll just be sprinkled in as signature moves. If the pinnacle of "Mainstream Corporate Pro Wrestling… err…. Sports Entertainment" is the WWE? Then the matches there bring up a specific visual. Maybe that visual is "Hulk Up. Finger wag. Whip. Big Boot. Leg Drop." For the indy style that visual MIGHT be: "Superkick. Superkick. Superkick. More Bang for your Buck… oh… and Superkick." <�— That STILL wouldn't finish a match. Basically the there is no corporate overlord (I use that term lovingly, Vince) putting restrictions on what you can't and can do as an artist inside that ring. And, to paraphrase Daniel Bryan who said he's an artist and the stories he's going to tell he's still going to tell no matter the injury (In hindsight this might NOT have been the best idea… but still kudos for him going out and doing things on his own terms) – The strings are looser in all of these places. Yes. Even in NXT. Their ring style is certainly a more indy styled WWE match. Basically I feel their matches are if ROH and WWE had a love child. Maybe that's because of all the ROH Alumni that have rolled through NXT… But you can see a difference in the ring product in NXT compared to the main roster stuff. (Tangent 2: Perhaps that continues to bleed into the main roster as these guys get called up. We've certainly seen some of that with Neville and Owens.) – Lucha Underground has its own style leaning heavily on Lucha. Fast paced and high flying. Its also heavily features inter gender matches. < — That's super indy. I think a lot of this does hinge on ROH, and going back to ECW. But Ring of Honor has influenced a lot of what we are experiencing in Wrestling today. So?!
I don't fully consider any of the four I talked about as "indy Wrestling Companies". Each one has things that really fly in the face of what would make an indy company "indy". That said they're not a corporate conglomerate. They have created and now inhabit their own level. They are where ECW was at its peak. Right before the TNN/SPIKE deal went down the tubes. (hopefully with more business savvy… – Dixie we're looking at you)
Its a great time because we have these companies who are available to us on TV. They're alternatives to the status quo that would be the WWE, but haven't broken out to such an extent that they've lost their charm. Still growing and building. (Maybe not Impact) – Three of the four definitely have bright futures ahead of them. Even with a developmental brand, the WWE only has so much room and space. Many of these guys are making good livings because of this wrestling boom. Wrestling for a couple different promotions (guessing this also plays into the definition of "indy", but I don't need to make this three thousand words) – Ultimately as the internet makes so much more easily available, and the cable dial expands and makes plays for our precious eyes, we win out. Not since the Monday Night Wars have we had a day with so much different wrestling available to us. #WrestlingWednesday's can be a day we fans can really look forward to. And it doesn't MATTER. If one of these brands blows up and becomes a multimillion dollar success? Is it going to detract from the product? Are we suddenly going to inundate the internet with "LOLJayBriscoeWins" memes? (probably) –
And while its hard to classify them as such? The spirit of these companies certainly lends them to being indy Wrestling companies. The passionate fanbases and positive feelings (Maybe Impact to a lesser extent than the other three) – the loyal fanbases that will gladly take any of these shows over Raw or Smackdown. Its a diehard vocal group of wrestling fans, and if NXT is any proof… the WWE can't… and ISN'T ignoring its existence. They recognize the talent that is out there. They understand that maybe the business model can work so they don't HAVE to do 100% exclusive contracts… at least with NXT.
We may not ever get another "Wrestling Boom" Like we did in the mid to late 90s, but it damn sure feels like are in the midst of the Independent Wrestling Boom of the twenty-teens. Ya know… depending on what your definition of indy is.
Thanks for joining me on this scientific endeavor. Weigh in. What makes indy Wrestling, "indy"? Are some, all, none of the brands I discussed independent? As always, your feedback is appreciated. Down in the comments, or you can tweet me @sirmhayesxiv.
