Wrestling
6 Playas Who Need Mad Props, Belee Dat
By Jay Doring
Apr 20, 2004, 18:36

Ah, nothing like a quickie list article to take my mind off the fact that I'm about to get a D in Elementary Statistics I. I've actually wanted to do something like this for a while though, and now that I have the mental impetus to sit down and write, now seems like a good time.

There are a lot of workers in independent wrestling right now who I've been dying to put over, and who I feel have been underappreciated by the majority of the 'Net community (especially here on TSM) and other independents, but since my recent reviews have been scattershot and I often don't cover the feds these guys compete in with regularity, I haven 't had the chance to. The 5 men (and one woman) I'm going to cover in this article have been tearing it up for a WHILE and it's only a matter of time before they get the respect they deserve.

(list is in no particular order)

Excalibur (SoCal) This is no exaggeration: Pro Wrestling Guerrilla is the greatest thing to ever happen to Southern California wrestling. The area has long been a hotbed of both technical wrestling talent, and high-flying hybrid lucha libre. Not to take anything away from feds in the area (particularly Revolution Pro which puts on consistently exciting shows) but PWG has been the first fed in Cali to make a concerted effort to gain widespread exposure for the boys who have been busting their asses over there for years, guys like Joey Ryan, Adam Pearce and Frankie Kazarian. The biggest beneficiary of PWG's excellent promotion, in my opinion, has been Excalibur. To me, Excalibur is exactly what indy wrestling fans want right now. He's got a very unique look, can dish out a wide variety of high-impact offense, and takes a crazy bump or massively stiff beating with gusto (the Steiner Screwdriver Chris Bosh gave him at Pimpin' in High Places still makes me wince). Most importantly, the guy's funny as fuck and has both microphone skills and in-ring charisma that just SCREAM "star." His "SURPRISE N*GGA" promo at PIHP is already a cult favorite, and it's only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the hilarity this guy can bring. Now residing in Philadelphia, his East Coast exposure has thus far been limited (1 CZW appearance and one ROH showcase card match) but it's only a matter of time before a promotion *coughCZWcough* realizes how easily he gets over and makes a megastar out of him.
Matches to check out:
vs. B-Boy, "CZW 5th Anniversary Show"
w/Jonny Storm vs. Super Dragon/American Dragon -"PWG Tango and Cash Invitational"
vs. Super Dragon, ANY MATCH

Danny Daniels (IWA Mid-South): Despite winning this year's Ted Petty Invitational tournament, Danny Daniels has yet to get the respect he deserves on the indy scene at large, particularly on the East Coast. For most of 2003, Danny Daniels was the PERFECT IWA-MS Heavyweight Champion. Much like Ric Flair in his prime, Danny went up against any and all comers, from every position on the card. Each time he was scheduled for a title defense, especially against more established vets like Chris Hero and Balls Mahoney or heir apparents such as Alex Shelley and Jimmy Jacobs, it was very believable that he could drop the title, piquing the interests of fans. When the match actually happened, Danny would sell his butt off for the challenger and emotion would run high, before Danny finally put it away with his piledriver or classic heel cheating. Danny Daniels made the IWA Mid-South championship interesting and prestigious, which sadly didn't last as the title was put on part-timers like Jerry Lynn and BJ Whitmer following his reign. Also like Flair, Daniels was able to elevate his opponents even through their losses. Daniels' match with Steve Stone at Winter Wars 2003 (a sleeper match of the night), along with Stone's match with Chris Hero, was key in cementing Stone as a main event player in the IWA. Also, from his in-ring body language, ring entrance, and work in the commentary booth, Daniels just screams pure heel, which is rare in the indies these days. Why Daniels is ignored while charismaless wonders like Whitmer and Chad Collyer are in high demand is a mystery to me. And oh yeah, you gotta mark out for that fuckin' theme music.
Matches to check out:
vs. Chris Hero, "IWA-MS King of the Deathmatch Night 2"
vs. Steve Stone, "IWA-MS Winter Wars 2003"
vs. Nigel McGuinness, "IWA-MS S.T.I.F.F."
vs. Jimmy Jacobs, "IWA-MS The Hussman Cometh"
vs. Chris Sabin/Truth Martini, "IWA-MS Quote the Raven"
vs. Chris Hero, "IWA-MS Put Up or Shut Up"

Kevin Steen (Montreal) The IWS, as I've stated before in reviews of the promotion, is "Jerry Bruckheimer wrestling," a highspot and hardcore-oriented stunt show with tons of T & A thrown in. However, several wrestlers in the promotion do stand out from that pack, and top among them is Kevin Steen. Only 19 years old, Steen has a commanding ring presence and always works an extremely smart match. Also extremely adaptable, Steen can take it to the mat, highspot, and use a table or chair with ease -I'd compare him to Alex Shelley at this point in his career. Steen can cut a promo too- his intense rant against Pierre Carl Oullet at Violent Valentine 2k4 was key in making his main event match against PCO at Know Your Enemies 2k4 a major success. Perhaps the most telling signs of Steen's potential is his recent match against "Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels in EWR, which was called by live fans one of the best and most heated matches of Daniels' recent career. Not many can hang with the Fallen Angel and be offered a WWE dark match tryout this early in their career- he just needs some US exposure to break out as a national star- you listening Ian Rotten?
Matches to check out:
vs. XES69, "IWS UnF'nSanctioned"
vs. El Generico/Pierre Carl Oullet, "IWS Blood, Sweat and Beers 2003"-coming soon to Canadian PPV

"Kool" Seth DeLay(NWA Wildside) Anyone who's ever talked to me on AOL Instant Messenger knows that I'm a huge believer in "Kool" Seth DeLay and feel that he's the next big thing in indy wrestling. DeLay is often compared to a young AJ Styles, and it's been said that during in-ring practices even AJ himself is in awe of the incredibly acrobatic aerial moves the guy can pull off (including the most spectacular and deadly finisher in indy wrestling- the Ultimate Back Bump). DeLay has the "boy next door" look that can get him over with the female fans and easily makes him a sympathetic babyface, but his recent interactions with AJ at Hardcore Hell 2k4 showed he can pull off a heel personality convincingly. DeLay has already had two epic series with Salvatore Rinauro and Ray Gordy respectively in Wildside that sadly have gone unheralded. If you want to see great old-school storytelling, check out DeLay/Rinauro from the 200th episode taping, as DeLay finally overcame the tag time partner/rival that had frustrated him for so long and took him out with his big finish (very similar to the Hero vs. Punk IWA series). The only things holding back DeLay from being as big as he can be are a) recent injuries and b) an inability/unwillingness to take bookings outside NWA Wildside. Hopefully the upcoming Wildside/IWA-MS copromotional show, Derby Madness 2004, will be a big first step toward exposing Seth's talents to the rest of the country.
Matches to check out:
vs. Sal Rinauro "NWA Wildside Christmas Chaos 2002"
vs. Sal Rinauro "NWA Wildside 200th Episode Taping"
vs. Ray Gordy, "NWA Wildside 8/2/03 taping"
vs. Jay Fury, "NWA Wildside 11/15/03 taping"
vs. Slim J, "NWA Wildside TV episode 190"

"Anarchist" Arik Cannon (IWA Mid-South) When I think Arik Cannon, I think quality- I have yet to see this guy in a single match I didn't enjoy. Cannon is a ring general, always aware of where he is and what to do. Like his friend Chris Hero, Cannon is extremely adaptable, able to go strong style (some of the hardest forearms I've ever seen), European-style technical, and hit some super-crisp spots. Cannon burst onto the scene on IWA's July 4th charity show (BUY IT!) against Cody O'Neill and has since had stellar contests with Delirious, Nate Webb, Chris Hero, Ian Rotten and many others. His CZW redebut in Reading, Pennsylvania at "Club 1402" (against Roderick Strong, BJ Whitmer and Chris Hero) was called by indy guru Rob Naylor as the most underappreciated match of 2004. Hopefully Ring of Honor gives him some sort of shot when they come through his home region of St. Paul again.
Matches to check out:
vs. Delirious, "IWA-MS, Winter Wars 2003"
vs. Nate Webb, "IWA-MS S.T.I.F.F."
vs. Roderick Strong/Chris Hero/BJ Whitmer, "CZW Club 1402"
vs. Cody O'Neill, "IWA-MS We Are Family"
vs. B-Boy, "IWA-MS Broken Hearted"

Daizee Haze (IWA Mid-South, NWA Wildside, Gateway Championship Wrestling) It really pains me to see WWE constantly hire Playboy centerfolds and push useless Tough Enough winners when there are plenty of talented and good-looking female wrestlers available on the indies to put on good matches with the likes of Molly Holly and Victoria. In my opinion, the best (and best-looking) female wrestler on the indies is Daizee Haze. A solid mat wrestler with some really nice highspots, Haze can put on excellent women's contests with people like Mickie Knuckles and Lacey, and go toe-to-toe with many top male wrestlers. And not to sound shallow or anything, but she's incredibly hot and has a killer set of abs. The fact that she looks like a cute female friend of mine from high school only increases her appeal for me. Daizee is headed for the WWE sooner or later, so let's enjoy, for the time being, the renaissance in women's wrestling she's helping lead.
Matches to check out:
vs. Sal Rinauro, "NWA Wildside 4th Anniversary Show"
vs. Mickie Knuckles, "IWA Mid South Winter Wars 2003"
Women's 6way, "IWA-MS 3/6/04"
w/Mickie Knuckles vs. Rain/Lacey, "IWA-MS Stylin' and Profilin'"

If this list gets a good response, I'll definitely write-up another one, because there are tons of great indy wrestlers whose talents that I think deserve to be recognized. In the meantime, be chill folks.

CZW, PWG and IWA Mid-South videotapes are available at Smart Mark Video, NWA Wildside tapes are available at their official site as well as WrestlingSuperstore.com, and IWS shows are available at xrv.com/iws and Emax Tapes.

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