Something Different to Enjoy

Guest post from Chad.  

In recent writings, I’ve talked about my decision to stop watching TNA: Impact. After seeing the ending of the 1/19 episode posted online, I think I made the right decision.  Ring of Honor taped their final HDNET shows over the weekend. And while I still watch Raw, I usually feel I’ve wasted two hours watching the same show I watched the week before. 

So what is a fan with “the sickness” to do to get his or her fix of good wrestling on a weekly basis?  If you have the Internet, and if you’re reading this, chances are pretty good you do, there are some independent wrestling promotions that put their weekly shows online for your viewing pleasure.  I’ll state upfront that I am not a regular viewer of all of these promotions.  Not because of the quality of the promotion or show, but because I have only recently started seeking out online shows. Maybe in the future I’ll do an opinion piece about the individual promotions.

NWA HOLLYWOOD (http://nwahollywood.com/main/) Living in Hollywood myself, this is a promotion I should really start paying more attention to. Especially since they are now taping their monthly shows a mere mile away from my apartment. The promotion has a good mix of known indy talent alongside up and comers.  The few shows I’ve watched have had a nice old school production feel with modern in-ring action.  The promotion appears to keep storylines simple and do a good job of building up title matches. 

SHOWTIME ALL-STAR WRESTLING: (http://sawonline.tv/) SAW is based out of Nashville, Tennessee. Looking over the roster on their website, there are only a couple of guys I’ve seen before.  I haven’t watched enough of SAW to really have an opinion of the promotion.  The venue they run in looks like a seedy nightclub, which gives the show a unique atmosphere.

OHIO VALLEY WRESTLING: (http://www.ovwrestling.com/tv/) OVW used to be the development territory for WWE before they set up a new promotion, Florida Championship Wrestling.  Before deciding to write this, I didn’t know OVW was posting their shows online.  I have no knowledge of the current OVW promotion. Will have to give them a viewing. 

ELITE EXTREME WRESTLING: (http://www.elitextremewrestling.com/EXW/EXW_TV.html) Based in Arizona. Looks like they stream a weekly Tuesday show from Toby Keith’s I Love this Bar and Grill.  Another promotion I discovered doing research for this article.

I thought there were more online promotions. I wish WWE would put FCW’s weekly show online.  It would give fans a chance to see potential future Superstars showcase their skills and give them some recognition before debuting on Raw or Smackdown to a quiet crowd reaction. 

If you check out any of the promotions, I’d be interested in hearing your opinions on the shows.  At the least, the shows will give you some new talent to watch.  At the most, you might find a good alternative to your routine Monday, Thursday and Friday night wrestling viewing.