http://www.cheap-heat.com WWE, TNA, ROH, NJPW - Blogs, Reviews, Top Lists, Indy News & Results Wed, 15 Jul 2015 07:14:57 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.2

http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-evolve-wrestling-evolve-43-ippv-53015-queens-ny/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-evolve-wrestling-evolve-43-ippv-53015-queens-ny/#comments Sun, 31 May 2015 06:12:41 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha DGUSA Dragon Gate USA EVOLVE EVOLVE 43 Evolve Wrestling http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=12095 EVOLVE 43 May 30th, 2015 Woodside, Queens, NY Rey Horus def Anthony Nese Davey Richards def Caleb Konley Davey grabbed the mic and cut a promo about wanting an Evolve Championship match. He popped the crowd when he requested So Cal Val take off her top and they could talk business all night long. T.J. […]

EVOLVE 43
May 30th, 2015
Woodside, Queens, NY

Rey Horus def Anthony Nese

Davey Richards def Caleb Konley

Davey grabbed the mic and cut a promo about wanting an Evolve Championship match. He popped the crowd when he requested So Cal Val take off her top and they could talk business all night long.

T.J. Perkins def Mike Bailey

Chris Hero def Trevor Lee with Tombstone Piledriver

DGUSA Open The United Gate champions Johnny Gargano & Rich Swann def Drew Gulak & Tracey Williams, his new protege, to retain the Tag Titles.

Swann cut a post-match promo about how awesome facing men like that is. Gargano then cut a promo saying DGUSA is the past. They vacated the Tag Titles and also retired the titles. They said they want a new title made called the Evolve Tag Team Championships.

DGUSA Open The Freedom Gate champion Drew Galloway def Biff Busick to retain the DGUSA Title. Great Main Event.

Galloway cut a post-match promo about his match tomorrow night at EVOLVE 44 against Roderick Strong. Johnny Gargano came out and asked Drew Galloway to retire the DGUSA Open the Freedom Gate Championship, but Drew Galloway said kiss my ass and offered Johnny Gargano a re-match, which I am very excited for. Galloway made his exit. Gargano then cut a promo on “All Ego” Ethan Page for their match tomorrow at EVOLVE 44. He thanked the crowd for coming to close the show

Credit: PWtorch.com

http://www.cheap-heat.com/tag-team-top-5-indypowerrankin-for-the-week-of-may-11th-2015/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/tag-team-top-5-indypowerrankin-for-the-week-of-may-11th-2015/#comments Fri, 15 May 2015 15:19:06 +0000 IndyPowerRankings Indy/Puro/Lucha Daniels DGUSA Dragon Gate EVOLVE Hooligans Kaz Kazarian ROH The Addiction TNA http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=11765 Tag Team Top 5 for the Week of May 11th, 2015     #1 The Addiction (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian)-It's rare that you'd see the ROH World Tag Team Champions atop the Tag Team Top 5 in 2015. That's simply because we no longer consider ROH eligible for the Indy Power Rankings, thus any […]

Tag Team Top 5 for the Week of May 11th, 2015

#1 The Addiction (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian)- It's rare that you'd see the ROH World Tag Team Champions atop the Tag Team Top 5 in 2015. That's simply because we no longer consider ROH eligible for the Indy Power Rankings, thus any matches wrestled there do not count. That being said, The Addiction did it without having to fall back on anything they've accomplished on actual ROH shows. They defeated The Coffey Brothers at PWE on 5/9 to retain the titles and then they beat The Hunter Brothers at SWE on 5/10 to once again retain the titles. Impressive weekend for one of the best tag teams in the world who proved that they can still succeed on the indies as a team.

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#2 The Hooligans (Devin & Mason Cutter @BeardedBullys)- Well you just can't keep those bearded bullies down as the tag team from Brutalsville, USA find their way into the Tag Team Top 5 yet again. The #1 team in the 2014 Tag Team Top 50 are making a STRONG push for the #1 spot for 2015 after some early struggles. Over the weekend they defeated Diamond Ink at MEW on 5/8 and then defeated Agents of Chaos and Scott Parker & Kenny Jones in a 3 Way Tag Team Match at SNPW on 5/10. A 2-0 record on a relatively slow week for tags gets the masters of the "fat flippy style" into the #2 spot this week.

#3 Xceed (Go Shiozaki & Kento Miyahara)- It's the first time in the Tag Team Top 5 for this tag team as they won the All Japan World Tag Team Titles when they defeated Akebono & Yutaka Yoshie on 5/6. They then defeated Akebono & Takao Omori on 5/10 to go 2-0 for the week. With 8 victories in their last 9 matches, they are on a roll right now. Can they continue this success? With the prestige of their titles, they will definitely have plenty of chances to continue to get ranked as 2015 rolls along.

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#4 Monster Express (Masato Yoshino & Shachihoko BOY)- For the 2nd straight week, the Dragon Gate Open the Twin Gate Champions grab the #4 spot in the Tag Team Top 5. They have been absolutely incredible recently with 11 wins in their last 12 matches. To get this week's #4 spot they defeated Dia.HEARTS (Masaaki Mochizuki and Big R Shimizu) at Dragon Gate on 5/5 to retain the titles and then defeated Jimmyz (Genki Horiguchi HAGeeMee & Jimmy Kanda) on 5/8 to go 2-0 for the week. Dragon Gate has played a MAJOR role in both the Indy Power Rankings and the Tag Team Top 5 this year. Expect that to continue going forward.

#5 Io Shirai & Mayu Iwatani- This tag team gets their first ranking in the Tag Team Top 5 as they won the Goddesses of Stardom Titles in a tournament for the vacant titles. They defeated Kris Wolf & Star Fire at Stardom on 5/6 in the semifinals and then defeated Chelsea & Kairi Hojo in the final the same night to win the vacant titles to go 2-0 for the week. Tournaments always play a major role in our rankings, so it will be interesting to see if this tag team can continue this momentum and turn it into further rankings in 2015.

People's Champs. Rochester Wrecking Crew (Hellcat @hellcat420 & Rob Sweet @RobJust2Sweet)- Major props to the UPW Tag Team Champions as they defeated the FBI (Tony Mamaluke & Little Guido) on 5/9 to retain the titles. They don't just have that to be proud of. They have this week's People's Champ award to add to their many successes as they collected a mind-blowing 421 votes to win the online voting competition. For much of the day it looked like Ken Krevis & Max Havok might win, but they fell short at 311 votes. Another great week of voting in the tag team voting competition!

Just missing out/Others Receiving Votes:

Yankee Two Kenju

Shane Mercer & Mad Man Pondo

American Trash

Ken Krevis & Max Havok

Dangan Yankees

CUNTs

D&D Security

The Friars

Chicago Overcoats

Aagan Iisou

Super Smash Bros

Joey Janela & X-Pac

Doc Gallows & Tama Tonga

Matt Cross & MEM

BAD

Pain Inc.

Prost

Golden Storm Raiders

Celtic Sinners

Strong BJ

BUY OUR SHIRTS! Shirts being added all the time at: http://prowrestlingtees.com/indypower

Our Website (where YOU can participate in the weekly online poll voting): http://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/ Our Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/IndyPowerRankings

Also search "Indy Power Rankings" for our open Facebook group where anyone on the indies can promote their various merchandise, fan pages, and upcoming events

Our Twitter: @IndyPowerRankin

Our Instagram where we SPOIL the Indy Power Rankings/Tag Team Top 5 #1 every Monday and Tuesday Night before you'll see it anywhere else: @IndyPowerRankings

You can listen to the IPR Live along with the Carolina Corner (this week's IPR Live is the return of John Wayne Murdoch to the show with guest, Dewey Barnes): http://www.blogtalkradio.com/elitepodcastnetwork/2015/05/13/indypowerrankingslive-return-of-jwm-dewey-barnes-carolinacorner-more

Check out the Indy Power Rankings Reveal on Filling the Void Radio Network here (this week is a very special "SHINE 27" Hype Central): http://www.blogtalkradio.com/fillingthevoidrn/2015/05/12/indy-power-rankings-reveal-shine-27-hype-central

The Tag Team Top 5 Reveal on Elite Podcast Network features former NWA World Women's Champion Barbi Hayden this week: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/elitepodcastnetwork/2015/05/13/indy-power-rankings-tag-team-top-5-reveal-ft-barbi-hayden-barbihayden

http://www.cheap-heat.com/indy-power-rankings-indypowerrankin-for-the-week-of-may-11th-2015/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/indy-power-rankings-indypowerrankin-for-the-week-of-may-11th-2015/#comments Fri, 15 May 2015 15:01:20 +0000 IndyPowerRankings Indy/Puro/Lucha CZW DGUSA Dragon Gate independent wrestling indies Jigsaw PWG ROH wrestling http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=11757 Indy Power Rankings for the Week of May 11th, 2015   #1 Jigsaw (@JigsawWRESTLING)-Jigsaw came completely out of left field this week and absolutely crushed his competition in Europe last week. With wins vs. Marty Scurll at PWH on 5/6, then El Ligero at HOPE on 5/8, then Scott Star at IPW:UK on 5/10, and […]

Indy Power Rankings for the Week of May 11th, 2015

#1 Jigsaw (@JigsawWRESTLING)- Jigsaw came completely out of left field this week and absolutely crushed his competition in Europe last week. With wins vs. Marty Scurll at PWH on 5/6, then El Ligero at HOPE on 5/8, then Scott Star at IPW:UK on 5/10, and then Vinnie Kray at TAW on 5/10 as well, he went 4-0 on the week to enjoy his very first #1 ranking. Not only is it his first #1 ranking, it's his very first ranking as a singles competitor. It's very rare that an American competitor can tour Europe and do as well as Jigsaw, but it was clearly a very special week for him. Can he add some gold in the near future to go with his first-ever #1 ranking?

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#2 Akira Tozawa (@TozawaAkira)- Just when you thought it was safe in the Indy Power Rankings Top 10…Akira Tozawa came crashing back in with both feet. It looked like Drew Galloway and/or Santana Garrett were gaining ground until this week when Tozawa got in after polishing off a flawless 5-0 week at Dragon Gate. Despite no fan support in the online voting competition, the Dragon Gate Open the Brave Gate Champion (and Open the Owarai Gate Champion) teamed with Masato Yoshino at Dragon Gate on 5/4 to beat Gamma and Punch Tominaga, then defeated Dragon Kid on 5/5 to retain the title, then defeated Shingo Takagi on 5/8, then teamed with Masato Yoshino on 5/9 to beat Jimmyz (Genki Horiguchi H.A.Gee.Mee!! and Jimmy Kagetora) and then wrapped up the week when he teamed with BxB Hulk and Shingo Takagi on 5/10 to beat Jimmy Susumu, Ryo “Jimmy” Saito and Satoshi Kojima. Simply fantastic 2015 for Tozawa thus far.

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#3 Jake Dirden (@DirdEYTV)- The Dynamo Pro Champion found his way back into the Top 10 after a bit of an absence. While he's been mentioned quite a few times in recent months, he's been unable to crack the Indy Power Rankings…until this week. This week was a change from his normal "solid" weeks as he went from solid to spectacular with wins vs. Everett Connors on 5/5 to retain the title, then beat Adam Raw at PWCS on 5/9 and then beat CJ Brady at Dynamo Pro on a non-title match to go 3-0 for the week. One of the most rugged, tough competitors in all of wrestling is on the hunt to reclaim his PGP Title from former #1 Blake Steel. Can he take back what he feels he should have never lost?

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#4 Crusher Craib (@CrusherCraib)- It was quite an amazing weekend for this athlete from Aberdeen, Scotland. WrestleZone in Scotland was his playground for the week as he defeated Aspen Faith at WZ on 5/9, then the same day he teamed with William Sterling & Scotty Swift to defeat Mr Malice, Chris Archer & Mikkey Vago, then defeated Mikkey Vago, then defeated Mr Malice & Aspen Faith in a triple threat, and then won a battle royal to go 5-0 for the week. With 9 straight victories, he EARNED his high ranking this week. In fact, he even garnered enough support to get a nod for the #1 spot from one of the official voters. Let's see what he can do the rest of 2015.

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#5 Masato Yoshino- Dragon Gate produces two very high rankings this week as Yoshino grabs the 2nd high ranking for the Japanese-based promotion. Much like Tozawa, Yoshino (1/2 of the Dragon Gate Open the Twin Gate Champions) dominated the week with a 5-0 record. He teamed with Akira Tozawa on 5/4 to defeat Gamma and Punch Tominaga at Dragon Gate, then teamed with Shachihoko BOY on 5/5 to beat Masaaki Mochizuki and Big R Shimizu to retain the titles, then teamed with Shachihoko BOY on 5/8 to beat Jimmyz (Genki Horiguchi H.A.Gee.Mee!! and Jimmy Kanda) then teamed with Akira Tozawa on 5/9 to beat Genki Horiguchi H.A.Gee.Mee!! and Jimmy Kagetora, and then defeated Dragon Kid on 5/10. Yoshino is on fire right now.

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#6 Daisuke Sasaki- Great week for Sasaki as he enters the Top 10 for the very first time. He teamed with Kota Ibushi at DDT on 5/4 to beat Danshoku Dino and Makoto Oishi, then teamed with Kota Ibushi and Suguru Miyatake on 5/5 to beat Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie and Soma Takao, then defeated Ryota Nakatsu on 5/6, and then defeated Konosuke Takeshita by countout at DDT on 5/10 to go 4-0 for the week. On a very competitive week, it was very impressive for Sasaki to enter the Top 10 for the very first time. If he can continue this success and perhaps add some gold to his collection, he'll most definitely be a contender for months to come.

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#7 Abdullah Kobayashi- He is the NEW Big Japan Death Match Heavyweight Champion after he defeated Yuko Miyamoto on 5/5 to win the title, then teamed with Ryuji Ito on 5/9 to defeat B Faultless Junky’s (Jaki Numazawa & Masashi Takeda) in a fluorescent light tubes death match;, and then teamed with Ryuji Ito and “Kokutenshi” Jaki Numazawa at BJW on 5/10 to defeat Yuko Miyamoto, Isami Kodaka and Masaya Takahashi to go 3-0 for the week. It's his first ranking and with the success he found last week, it likely will not be his last in 2015. Look out for him as the year continues.

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#8 Pete Dunne (@DynamiteDunne)- The UK gets some representation this week as the Attack! 24-7 Champion (and PWK Champion) teamed with Damian Dunne at FCP on 5/8 to beat Morgan Webster & Robbie X, then defeated Flash Morgan Webster at Attack! on 5/9 to retain the title, and then defeated Tyler Bate at SWE on 5/10 to go 3-0 for the week. It was a VERY difficult week to rank, but "Dynamite" comes away with his first ranking in 2015 after a very solid 2014. Will this be the year that he continues to make the push as one of the top stars in the UK? It's very likely!

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#9 AJ Styles (@AJStylesOrg)- It's very rare that you see AJ Styles in the Indy Power Rankings Top 10 and it's certainly not because he hasn't been successful this year. It's actually because he's so active with New Japan and ROH that he's usually not eligible for this list. That being said, over the weekend the IWGP & FWE Heavyweight Champion defeated Jimmy Rave at PSW on 5/8 and then beat Chase Owens at NWA Smoky Mountain on 5/9 to go 2-0 for the week. One of the best in the world is undefeated in his last 11 matches with 10 wins and a draw on the indies.

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#10 Jason Kincaid (@GiftKincaid)- The NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Champion returns to the Top 10 once again as he defeated a huge star in wrestling in John Morrison at NWA Smoky Mountain on 5/9 to retain the title. He then defeated Andrew Palace and Benny Conley at APWA on 5/10 to go 2-0 for the week. Kincaid was ranked #23 in the 2014 IPR 100 (the number he called the Michael Jordan number) and he's well on his way to moving up the ladder again for the 2015 IPR 100. No one in West Virginia (or TN) has been as successful in the last few years as him. As stated before, it's a shame he's not on TV every single week.

People's Champ. Lightning Bolt Johnson- This is his 3 ^rd "People's Champ" award as he came from well behind to topple Iceman for the victory in the online voting competition. With 140 votes, he was able to edge out Iceman (based out of Israel) who garnered 107 votes. After a 2-0 weekend, Lightning Bolt Johnson is well on his way to another phenomenal year in wrestling in the Midwest.

Others missing out/receiving votes:

Rickey Shane Page

Minoru Suzuki

Minoru Tanaka

Kotaro Yoshino

Santana Garrett

Yoshinobu Kanemaru

Cherry Bomb

Rude Boy Riley

Iceman

Trevor Lee

Mattick

Kyoko Kimura

Yuji Okabayashi

Brodie Marshall

Blk Jeez

JD Mariani

Thirteen

Rob Fury

James Castle

Mr. 450

Kayoko Haruyama

Takashi Sasaki

Vordell Walker

Scotty Swift

Aja Kong

John Klinger

Mike McCarthy

Sammi Jayne

Mike Maze

Blake Mitchell

Seleziya Sparx

Damo O’Connor

Russ Jones

Kameron Kade

Maximo Suave

Seiki Yoshioka

Sha Samuels

Eddie Diamond

Tommy Angel

King John E. Radic

Chad Howard

Tama Tonga

Bushwhacker Luke

Short Sleeve Sampson

Kamikaze

MK McKinnan

BUY OUR SHIRTS! Shirts being added all the time at: http://prowrestlingtees.com/indypower

Our Website (where YOU can participate in the weekly online poll voting): http://indypowerrankingsipr.wordpress.com/ Our Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/IndyPowerRankings

Also search "Indy Power Rankings" for our open Facebook group where anyone on the indies can promote their various merchandise, fan pages, and upcoming events

Our Twitter: @IndyPowerRankin

Our Instagram where we SPOIL the Indy Power Rankings/Tag Team Top 5 #1 every Monday and Tuesday Night before you'll see it anywhere else: @IndyPowerRankings

You can listen to the IPR Live along with the Carolina Corner (this week's IPR Live is the return of John Wayne Murdoch to the show with guest, Dewey Barnes): http://www.blogtalkradio.com/elitepodcastnetwork/2015/05/13/indypowerrankingslive-return-of-jwm-dewey-barnes-carolinacorner-more

Check out the Indy Power Rankings Reveal on Filling the Void Radio Network here (this week is a very special "SHINE 27" Hype Central): http://www.blogtalkradio.com/fillingthevoidrn/2015/05/12/indy-power-rankings-reveal-shine-27-hype-central

The Tag Team Top 5 Reveal on Elite Podcast Network features former NWA World Women's Champion Barbi Hayden this week: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/elitepodcastnetwork/2015/05/13/indy-power-rankings-tag-team-top-5-reveal-ft-barbi-hayden-barbihayden

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http://www.cheap-heat.com/updated-wwn-live-event-cards-for-wrestlemania-31-weekend/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/updated-wwn-live-event-cards-for-wrestlemania-31-weekend/#comments Tue, 17 Mar 2015 18:36:39 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha AR Fox Austin Aries Biff Busick Brian Cage Caleb Konley Chris Hero DGUSA Dragon Gate USA Drew Galloway Drew Gulak Drew McIntyre Ethan Page EVOLVE Johnny Gargano Justin Gabriel PJ Black Rich Swann Ricochet Roderick Strong SHINE SoCal Val Timothy Thatcher TJ Perkins TNA Tommy End Uhaa Nation Wrestlemania WWE WWN WWN Live http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=10467 EVOLVE returns to Florida on April 17th and 18th. Tickets go on sale today in the DGUSA.tv Shop. The events are: EVOLVE 41 The Orpheum 1915 E. 7th Ave. Ybor City, FL Belltime: 9pm EVOLVE 42 4801 W. Colonial Dr. Orlando, FL 32808 Double header with FIP! FIP Belltime: 4pm EVOLVE Belltime: 7pm he following […]

EVOLVE returns to Florida on April 17th and 18th . Tickets go on sale today in the DGUSA.tv Shop. The events are:

EVOLVE 41
The Orpheum
1915 E. 7th Ave.
Ybor City, FL
Belltime: 9pm

EVOLVE 42
4801 W. Colonial Dr.
Orlando, FL 32808
Double header with FIP!
FIP Belltime: 4pm
EVOLVE Belltime: 7pm

he following events are taking place as part of the WWNLive Experience in San Jose:

EVOLVE 39 – Thursday, March 26th – 8pm PST , 11pm EST – www.WWNLive.com

EVOLVE Title Match
EVOLVE Champion Drew Galloway defends vs. “Darewolf” PJ Black

New Stipulation: DGUSA Open The Freedom Gate Title Match
DGUSA Open The Freedom Gate Champion Johnny Gargano defends vs. AR Fox

A Wrestling Odyssey Rematch
Timothy Thatcher vs. Drew Gulak

Just Announced: Six Man Tag Team Attraction
Ricochet, Rich Swann & Uhaa Nation vs. Caleb Konley, TJ Perkins & Brian Cage w/SoCal Val

First Time Ever Match
Chris Hero vs. Ethan Page

Pro Wrestling Clinic
Biff Busick vs. Tommy End

EVOLVE 40 – Friday, March 27th- 3pm PST , 6pm EST – www.WWNLive.com

First Time Ever Dream Match
Ricochet vs. PJ Black

Bonus Main Event – Non-Title
EVOLVE Champion Drew Galloway vs. Uhaa Nation

Grudge Tag Team Match
Johnny Gargano & Rich Swann vs. Caleb Konley & Brian Cage with So Cal Val

Special Challenge Match #1
Chris Hero vs. Biff Busick

Special Challenge Match #2
Timothy Thatcher vs. Tommy End

Special Attraction Match
AR Fox vs. Ethan Page

Just Added: Pro Wrestling Clinic
Drew Gulak vs. TJ Perkins

WWN Supershow – Saturday, March 28th – 4pm PST , 7pm EST – www.WWNLive.com

Champion vs. Champion (if both retain their titles at EVOLVE 39)
EVOLVE Champion Drew Galloway vs. DGUSA Champion Johnny Gargano

Generation Next vs. The New Generation
Austin Aries & Roderick Strong vs. Ricochet & Uhaa Nation

Dareworlf vs. Daredevil
PJ Black vs. AR Fox

Grudge Match
Chris Hero vs. Timothy Thatcher

SHINE Presents A Six Woman Tag Team Match!

Plus more with Rich Swann, Biff Busick, Drew Gulak, Tommy End, Ethan Page and Premier Athlete Brand members Caleb Konley, TJ Perkins and Brian Cage with So Cal Val

http://www.cheap-heat.com/lucky-thirteen-4-nifty-looking-title-belts/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/lucky-thirteen-4-nifty-looking-title-belts/#comments Fri, 23 Jan 2015 19:43:42 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Blogs Other Blogs Top Lists AAA AJ Styles American Wrestling Association AR Fox AWA Big Vis Bob Backlund Bobby Lashley Bret Hart Brian Christopher Brock Lesnar Cheerleader Melissa Chessman Chris Hero CIMA DGUSA Diva's Title Dr. Wagner Jr. Dragon Gate Dragon Gate USA Drew Galloway Drew McIntyre ECW EVOLVE FTW Hiroshi Tanahashi Hulk Hogan Impact Wrestling Iron Sheik IWGP Jeff Hardy John Cena Kazuchika Okada King Mabel King of the Ring Kurt Angle Larry Zbyszko Latin American Championship Light Heavyweight Championship Mabel Matt Hardy Million Dollar Championship Monday Night RAW Monday Nitro National Wrestling Alliance New Japan Pro Wrestling NWA Paige Paul Heyman RCP Ric Flair Right Coast Pro Ring of Honor Sara Del Rey Saraya Knight Shawn Michaels SHIMMER Smoking Skull Belt TAKA Michinoku TNA Ultimate Warrior Vader Verne Gagne Vince McMahon Viscera WCW Willow Winged Eagle World Championship Wrestling WWE WWF WWWF http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9173 Lucky Thirteen #4 Nifty-Looking Title Belts Written by Mark Adam Haggerty You know a belt can do more than keep your trousers from falling down around your ankles. The right accessory around your waist might mean you're the best at what you do. Of course I'm only referring to one type of belt—those leather straps […]

Lucky Thirteen #4
Nifty-Looking Title Belts
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty

You know a belt can do more than keep your trousers from falling down around your ankles. The right accessory around your waist might mean you're the best at what you do. Of course I'm only referring to one type of belt—those leather straps coated in gold made to distinguish super humans from every day citizens. Championship title belts come in many forms and represent a slew of action sports from mixed martial arts to boxing, but perhaps are most synonymous with the over-the-top world of professional wrestling. My name is Mark Adam Haggerty, and this week I'm counting down "Nifty-Looking Title Belts"—the most aesthetically pleasing championships in professional wrestling history.

Honorable Mention
I don't always do an honorable mention, but I figured one was most certainly warranted given this week's subject matter. For the purpose of variety, I excluded Superstar-specific championship belts such as the spinners worn by John Cena and the ghastly Willow-inspired TNA belt created for Jeff Hardy. I also left out the Million Dollar Championship, the current Matt Hardy Title in Ring of Honor, the Smoking Skull Belt and anything else designed to fit one specific superstar. I wanted this list to focus on "real" titles, rather than gimmick belts—but who knows? Perhaps that's another list for another Lucky Thirteen?

13. Impact Wrestling – TNA Heavyweight Championship [Present Design]
Our countdown begins with a championship still in use today, the TNA World Heavyweight title belt. When Total Nonstop Action broke from the National Wrestling Alliance, they needed to establish their own world title apart from the NWA. The TNA Championship was introduced in 2007 and first held by the Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle. The current belt was unveiled in 2011 and closely resembles the IWGP Heavyweight title in New Japan in its magnificently decadent design. Sitting atop an already extravagant set of plates are the words, "TNA Heavyweight Champion," embroidered in cubic zirconias. The front plate extends higher than the average belt, making it almost impossible to ignore this glistening piece of hardware, especially around the waist of the current champion Bobby Lashley.

12. WWE – WWF Heavyweight Championship [Winged-Eagle Design]
I grew up in New Jersey during the 1990's, so in many ways this was the only world title I ever knew. Worn by the greatest champions in history, the "Winged Eagle" design features a deep-blue globe positioned in the center of, you guessed it—an eagle! The bird's massive wingspan encompasses the words "WWF World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion," with classic representations of modern professional wrestling along the edges and side plates. This was the championship belt passed down from Hulk Hogan to Bret Hart to Shawn Michaels, with names like Ric Flair, the Ultimate Warrior and Yokozuna each having their opportunity to carry the gold. Unfortunately the "Austin Era" signified the end of the "Winged Eagle" belt, and introduced the round-faced Attitude Era championship.

11. Right Coast Pro – RCP World Heavyweight Championship [Present Design]
The most indie of independent titles on our countdown, the Right Coast Pro Heavyweight belt debuted in 2013 after a lengthy design process involving RCP executives and the engineers at Top Rope Belts. This belt is the largest on our countdown, including massive side plates each depicting a certain set of skills required to win a chess match. Looking closely at the front, you can see that the plate is covered with nearly microscopic inscriptions. Don't try and read too closely unless you're familiar with Latin—the dead language of the Catholic Church extends across the entire faceplate, fading into the background behind the all-original RCP logo.

10. Shimmer – Shimmer Championship [Present Design]
Feeling the need to represent women in wrestling, I scoured the internet in search of the coolest looking lady's championship title in the world. While the pink WWF Women's belt and current Diva's title are unmistakably original, I decided to instead go with the most-sought after title in women's wrestling, the Shimmer Championship. Made from soft leather, the Shimmer belt includes a perfectly-rounded set of face and side plates, with the word Shimmer stretched across the front and extending over the sides. Shimmer is the premier league for women's wrestling, meaning the title has only been held by highly skilled competitors such as Cheerleader Melissa, Sara Del Rey, and mother of WWE Diva Paige, Saraya Knight.

9. AAA – AAA Latin American Championship [Present Design]
Let's venture across the southernmost border of the United States for number nine, the AAA Latin American Championship. The L.A. championship belt was first introduced in 2011 and originally worn by the second generation luchador Dr. Wagner Jr. As opposed to most belts, this AAA title doesn't feature a circular centerpiece, but a sharp angular shape with more than thirty separate sides. In the middle sits a globe focusing on Central and South America with the Mexican flag beneath. On the right and left of the map are ten more flags, each representing a different nation in Latin America. The current title holder is Chessman, a near 20-year veteran who's managed to retain the championship for over 300 days.

8. AWA – AWA World Heavyweight Championship [Last Redesign]
If the WCW title was referred to as the "Big Gold Belt," then the final belt representing the American Wrestling Association should surely be known as the "Big Silver Belt." When the sport of sports entertainment began to go global, Verne Gagne stuck to his all-American roots, outfitting his belt with the red white and blue of the United States. The face plate makes this among the most reflective championship titles in history, serving to mirror anyone who looked directly at it, but only belonging to one man at a time. The middle of the centerplate simply reads: "AWA World Heavyweight Champion," without any sort of star-studded bells and whistles aside from the standard red jewels and fake diamonds that any belt of the time was designed with. Sadly the title was retired nearly a year before the AWA closed when the final champion Larry Zbyszko signed with WCW.

7. WWE – WWF Light Heavyweight Championship [Original Design]
WCW's Monday Nitro on TNT maintained a solid lead over WWF's Monday Night Raw on the USA Network, partly because of the innovation on display each week from the cruiserweight division. High flying luchadors from every corner of the planet converged on World Championship Wrestling to practice their craft and it was only a matter of time before Vince McMahon sought to cash in on the junior weight division. In 1997 the WWF dusted off the Light Heavyweight Championship, a 1980s title that had since been retired. The new belt was red and featured the same sort of prestigious styling as the "Winged Eagle." The first champion to hold the crimson championship was Taka Michinoku who defeated Brian Christopher in the tournament finals. The belt was soon replaced with a classic black strap, and then once again retired in 2001 when Vince McMahon bought WCW and the cruiserweight championship.

6. WWE – WWF King of the Ring [1995 Prototype]
Alright so I cheated with this one. I promised I would keep the countdown focused on real titles worth wrestling for, and sadly this was a one-time only concept. But how cool is the WWF's King of the Ring title designed in 1995 for King Mabel? Whether the original idea was to have the late Big Vis defend his Kingly crown on a regular basis, or simply display his reign in classic championship form, we may never know. The faceplate is similar in shape to the classic WWF tag team titles of the 1990s, but features castle towers raising off the words "World Wrestliing" with "Federation beneath the "King of the Ring" logo. On either side the strap are the flags of several noteworthy wrestling nations such as Mexico, Japan, the UK, Australia and—South Korea? Unfortunately the only man to ever own this title has passed, leading me to wonder whether his widow is still in possession of this one of a kind piece of wrestling folklore?

5. EVOLVE – EVOLVE World Championship [Present Design]
The Evolve Championship title looks like it belongs to the Springfield Nuclear Powerplant with all of its atomic elements including the EVOLVE logo in the center. The entire faceplate has a symmetrically wavy style to it, representing both the unpredictability of nuclear energy and the action inside the EVOLVE squared circle. EVOLVE is an extension of Dragon Gate, and therefore adheres to a variety of the same principles as both DG and DGUSA. The first ever EVOLVE champion was AR Fox crowned in April of 2013, and since then there have been two additional title holders: Chris Hero and the current champion Drew Galloway AKA Drew McIntyre.

4. ECW – ECW World Tag Team Championship [Last Redesign]
It's about time for this countdown to get EXTREME. ECW was always relentless when it came to designing their championship titles in a way that reflected the sharp-edged style of Hardcore Wrestling. Their belts always seemed to have some barbed wire or broken glass—hell they even had an FTW championship that stood for "Fuck the World." But perhaps the most interesting-looking belts ever produced by Paul Heyman were the final tag title belts, redesigned for ECW on TNN. In addition to the barbed wire motif, the ECW world tag team championship featured an entire prison fence torn to shreds with a black and white globe crashing through the middle.

3. New Japan – IWGP Heavyweight Championship [Present Design]
The IWGP Heavyweight Championship might possibly be the most prestigious championship in all of professional wrestling. Currently held by the record-setting Hiroshi Tanahashi, the IWGP championship has been passed from men like Vader and Brock Lesnar to stars of today such as AJ Styles and Kazuchika Okada. The most recent title design makes for a near-30 pounds of brushed silver and gold plates, making it one of the more massive belts on our countdown—most certainly the heaviest. Although defended in the "Land of the Rising Sun," the IWGP heavyweight title features roman lettering and English phrases such as "Heavyweight Champion." The side plates lining the strap are used to display the names of all former champions, so that the current title holder never forgets the historic significance of his championship.

2. WWE – WWWF Heavyweight Championship [Big Green Belt Design]
Everyone's heard of the "Big Gold Belt," but somewhere lost in the shuffle of history is the championship belt that represented the era between Vincent J. and Vincent K. McMahon. Only ever held by three men including Bob Backlund, the Iron Sheik, and Hulk Hogan—the WWWF Heavyweight Championship consisted of several heavy gold-plated slabs affixed to a bright green leather strap. In the center was a perfectly circular plate depicting the earth underneath the words, "World Wide Wrestling." The length of the belt was covered in rectangular pieces of metal, each displaying the length of reign for all previous champions. The above photos display the original belt as it was in the early 1980s, as well as a fully restored replica created by Wild Cat Belts.

1. Dragon Gate – Open the Dream Gate [All Designs]
The number one title belt in the world is the Dream Gate championship title awarded to the best and brightest stars of Dragon Gate. The Dream Gate belt is considered the equivalent of the world title in Dragon Gate, and has been held a record number three times by the first ever champion Cima. Unlike virtually every other title belt in existence, the Dream Gate championship opens up to display a championship compartment where the current title holders name may rest. When a competitor is named number one contender to the Dream Gate championship, they're given a key which "Opens the Dream Gate." Should the challenger best the champion and take his title, he may use his key to remove the former champions name and replace it with his own. However, should the champion retain his title, the key is then added to a bar along the bottom of the belt; many keys hanging from the Dream Gate championship means a series of successful title defenses. Not only is the outside stylish, compete with black and bronze colored plates topped with silver accents, but the hidden compartment and "contender's key ritual" represents an entirely new level of innovation in championship belt design. That is why I've named the Dragon Gate Open the Dream Gate the number one championship on this countdown of "Nifty Looking Title Belts."

Whether their style be classic like the Winged Eagle, or radically adventurous such as the titles seen in Dragon Gate; some date back fifty years, while others were introduced in the past two. Regardless of who's gone before, each championship belt tells a story and it's up to the current title holder to keep that tale alive. Until next time, my name is Mark Adam Haggerty and this has been another installment of Lucky Thirteen, exclusively at Cheap-Heat.

http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-wwn-live-tour-of-china-2014-day-3-111414-emeishan-city-china/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-wwn-live-tour-of-china-2014-day-3-111414-emeishan-city-china/#comments Sat, 15 Nov 2014 17:49:36 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha Allysin Kay AR Fox Biff Busick Caleb Konley Chuck Taylor DGUSA Dragon Gate USA Earl Cooter FIP Full Impact Pro Ivelisse Ivelisse Velez Jody Kristofferson Johnny Gargano Larry Dallas mia yim Rich Swann Ricochet Su Yung Timothy Thatcher Trent Baretta Valkyrie WWN http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=6329 WWN Live Results November 14, 2014 Emeishan City, Sichuan Province, China Estimated attendance: 2,500 (said to be a record for any WWNLive promotion)   – Johnny Gargano defeated Chuck Taylor. – Biff Busick defeated Jody Kristofferson with Larry Dallas & Earl Cooter by countout. – Valkyrie (Allysin Kay & Su Yung) defeated Ivelisse & Mia […]

WWN Live Results
November 14, 2014
Emeishan City, Sichuan Province, China
Estimated attendance: 2,500 (said to be a record for any WWNLive promotion)

– Johnny Gargano defeated Chuck Taylor.

– Biff Busick defeated Jody Kristofferson with Larry Dallas & Earl Cooter by countout.

– Valkyrie (Allysin Kay & Su Yung) defeated Ivelisse & Mia Yim.

– Caleb Konley with Trent Baretta & Su Yung defeated Timothy Thatcher.

DGUSA Open the Freedom Gate Championship
– Ricochet defeated AR Fox to retain

FIP Heavyweight Championship
– Rich Swann defeated Trent Baretta to win the FIP Heavyweight Championship. (This reportedly could have been the first Title change in China in pro wrestling history)

source: PWInsider

http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-wwn-live-tour-of-china-2014-day-2-chengdu-china/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-wwn-live-tour-of-china-2014-day-2-chengdu-china/#comments Thu, 13 Nov 2014 16:46:48 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha Allysin Kay AR Fox Biff Busick Caleb Konley Chuck Taylor DGUSA Dragon Gate USA Earl Cooter EVOLVE Fire ANt Harlem Bravado Ivelisse Ivelisse Velez Jody Kristofferson Johnny Gargano Lance Bravado Larry Dallas mia yim Rich Swann Ricochet SHIMMER SHINE Silver Ant Su Yung The Bravado Brothers The Colony Timothy Thatcher Tracy Williams Trent Barreta WWN http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=6274 The following results are from a recent WWN Live event. The event took place on November 12th, 2014 at the Wen Jiang Sports Center in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China. Singles Match Johnny Gargano defeated Jody Kristofferson (w/Larry Dallas). Singles Match Tracy Williams defeated Earl Cooter (w/Larry Dallas). Singles Match Mia Yim defeated Su Yung. […]

The following results are from a recent WWN Live event. The event took place on November 12th, 2014 at the Wen Jiang Sports Center in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China.

Singles Match
Johnny Gargano defeated Jody Kristofferson (w/Larry Dallas).

Singles Match
Tracy Williams defeated Earl Cooter (w/Larry Dallas).

Singles Match
Mia Yim defeated Su Yung.

Singles Match
Biff Busick defeated Timothy Thatcher.

DGUSA Open The United Gate Championship Match
Trent Barreta & Caleb Konley (c) defeated The Bravado Brothers (Harlem Bravado & Lance Bravado).

SHINE Championship Match
Ivelisse Velez (c) defeated Allysin Kay.

6 Man Tag Team Match
Ricochet, Rich Swann & AR Fox defeated Chuck Taylor & The Colony (Fire Ant & Silver Ant).

http://www.cheap-heat.com/early-information-on-dgusaevolve-wrestlings-wrestlemania-weekend-events/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/early-information-on-dgusaevolve-wrestlings-wrestlemania-weekend-events/#comments Thu, 30 Oct 2014 13:58:16 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha Axxess DGUSA Dragon Gate USA Drew Galloway EVOLVE Wrestlemania WWN WWN Live http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=5638 WWN Live sent out the following: The WWNLive Experience is coming to San Jose on the biggest weekend wrestling weekend of the year! There will be multiple events happening on March 27th & 28th at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds at Fiesta Hall on 344 Tully Rd. in San Jose. This is just a few […]

WWN Live sent out the following:

The WWNLive Experience is coming to San Jose on the biggest weekend wrestling weekend of the year! There will be multiple events happening on March 27th & 28th at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds at Fiesta Hall on 344 Tully Rd. in San Jose.

This is just a few minutes from WWE Axxess and Wrestlemania. EVOLVE Champion Drew Galloway is the first talent confirmation. We will have the complete lineup of events and ticket info soon. Major cards will be happening on the evenings of March 27th & 28th in San Jose, CA.

http://www.cheap-heat.com/wwn-announces-matches-for-upcoming-tour-of-china-dgusa-evolve-fip-shine-and-more/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/wwn-announces-matches-for-upcoming-tour-of-china-dgusa-evolve-fip-shine-and-more/#comments Mon, 27 Oct 2014 23:27:58 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha AR Fox Biff Busick Caleb Konley Chuck Taylor DGUSA Dragon Gate USA EVOLVE Fire ANt Full Impact Pro Ivelisse Johnny Gargano Larry Dallas mia yim Rich Swann Ricochet SHINE Silver Ant The Bravado Brothers Trent Baretta WWN http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=5501 WWN sent out the following: 28 members of the WWN Family are getting ready to fly to the other side of the world for the WWN tour of China. The four events will feature title matches from the WWN promotions. All the non-title matches featuring male competitors will have an effect on the next EVOLVE […]

WWN sent out the following:

28 members of the WWN Family are getting ready to fly to the other side of the world for the WWN tour of China. The four events will feature title matches from the WWN promotions. All the non-title matches featuring male competitors will have an effect on the next EVOLVE ratings. This historic tour is going to feature high-flying, cutting-edge and technical wrestling. China has never seen pro wrestling like this! Will will now give you the basic lineups and will be back with another Alerts to explain things more.

We are excited to present these cards in China:

11.10.14 – CITIC Guoan Grand Epoch City, Xianghe Province, China – Golden Sport Hall

DGUSA Open The Freedom Gate Title Match
Ricochet defends vs. Chuck Taylor

DGUSA Open The United Gate Title Match
Trent Baretta & Caleb Konley defend vs. Fire Ant & Silver Ant

SHINE Title Match
Ivelisse defends vs. Su Yung

Special Challenge Tag Team Match
AR Fox & Rich Swann vs. The Bravado Brothers

EVOLVE Ratings Match
Johnny Gargano vs. Biff Busick

SHINE Showcase Match
Allysin Kay vs. Mia Yim

Plus more with Timothy Thatcher, Jody Kristofferson, Earl Cooter, Larry Dallas, Lacey and others!

11.12.14 – Chengdu City, Sichuan Province – Wen Jiang Sport Center

Special Six Man Tag Team Main Event
Ricochet, Rich Swann & AR Fox vs. Fire Ant, Silver Ant & Chuck Taylor

DGUSA Open The United Gate Title Match
Trent Baretta & Caleb Konley vs. The Bravado Brothers

SHINE Title Match
Ivelisse defends vs. Allysin Kay

The Rivalry Goes To China Part 1 – EVOLVE Ratings Match
Biff Busick vs. Timothy Thatcher

SHINE Showcase Match
Mia Yim vs. Su Yung

Special Attraction Match
Tracy Williams vs. Earl Cooter

Plus more with Johnny Gargano, Jody Kristofferson, Larry Dallas, Lacey and others!

11.14.14 – Emeishan City, Sichuan Province – Emei Sport Hall

DGUSA Open The Freedom Gate Title Match
Ricochet defends vs. AR Fox

FIP World Heavyweight Title Match
Trent Baretta defends vs. Rich Swann

Classic Feud Comes To China
Johnny Gargano vs. Chuck Taylor

Grudge Tag Team Match
Fire Ant & Silver Ant vs. The Bravado Brothers

EVOLVE Ratings Match
Timothy Thatcher vs. Caleb Konley

SHINE Showcase Tag Team Match
Ivelisse & Mia Yim vs. Allysin Kay & Su Yung

Plus more with Biff Busick, Jody Kristofferson, Earl Cooter, Larry Dallas, Lacey and others!

11.16.14 – Beijing – The MasterCard Center (Formerly Wan Shi Da Stadium)

DGUSA Open The Freedom Gate Title Match
Ricochet defends vs. Johnny Gargano

Special DGUSA Open The United Gate Three Way Match
Trent Baretta & Caleb Konley defend vs. The Colony vs. The Bravado Brothers

SHINE Title Match
Ivelisse defends vs. Mia Yim

The Rivalry Goes To China Part 2 – EVOLVE Ratings Match
Biff Busick vs. Timothy Thatcher

Special Attraction EVOLVE Ratings Match
Rich Swann vs. AR Fox

EVOLVE Ratings Match
Chuck Taylor vs. Jody Kristofferson

Plus more with Allysin Kay, Su Yung, Earl Cooter, Larry Dallas, Lacey and others!

All these events will be available to watch at www.WWNLive.com On Demand. The complete WWNLive production team is going to China. We will upload these shows as quickly as we can after they happen.

We want to take this moment and give you the a deep, very sincere thank you. It is only with your support that these wrestlers are able to perform in China. You have made WWN into a worldwide brand. You are the reason this historic tour is happening. China has never seen anything like the action that these cards will showcase. You are giving it to them. Thank you.

http://www.cheap-heat.com/top-independent-wrestler-being-heavily-scouted-by-wwe-update-on-pay-for-indy-workers-used-as-wwe-extras/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/top-independent-wrestler-being-heavily-scouted-by-wwe-update-on-pay-for-indy-workers-used-as-wwe-extras/#comments Mon, 20 Oct 2014 00:58:04 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha DGUSA Dragon Gate Pro Wrestling Guerrilla PWG Uhaa Nation WWE http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=5132 – According to MetsFan4Ever, a former WWE backstage worker who has broken WWE news and produced multiple shows scripts on Reddit.com, officials from the sports-entertainment organization have Uhaa Nation on their radar. He says WWE was so impressed with his tryout at the Performance Center last month that organization officials flew to Reseda, California, to […]

– According to MetsFan4Ever, a former WWE backstage worker who has broken WWE news and produced multiple shows scripts on Reddit.com, officials from the sports-entertainment organization have Uhaa Nation on their radar. He says WWE was so impressed with his tryout at the Performance Center last month that organization officials flew to Reseda, California, to observe his match at a Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) event on Friday. According to MetsFan4Ever, Nation “is currently a very high priority for WWE.”

Beginning his career in 2009, Nation made his breakthrough in 2011, when he was signed by the Dragon Gate USA promotion, which also led to him making his first trip to Japan to work for Dragon Gate. Billed at 6-0 and 240 pounds, Nation is known both as a high-flyer and a power wrestler.

– It was reported recently in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that due to budget cuts, WWE has reduced the pay for independent wrestlers who work televised events as “extras” (generally as security guards, police officers or Rosebuds) from $250 to $100. According to MetsFan4Ever, the specific number is false.

“WWE only downgraded pay for extra talent by $50 and extra talent now receives $200,” MetsFan4Ever.

He noted that talent who appear as Rosebuds at live events receive $100 per show.