Get Your Indie Wrestling On This Weekend

Team Tremendous will be part of the weekend's festivities
Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein

So, Halloween is this weekend, and it's an excuse for children and adults alike to dress up in costume and either go solicit candy from their neighbors or get to a party to try and copulate with another adult dressed in costume, respectively. Of course, if you're too old for trick-or-treating or you're over the party scene, you can definitely partake in some wrestling this weekend. In its own way, the art of pro graps keeps the spirit of Halloween going all year long. Even the most vanilla "gimmicks" or characters keep with the spirit, as I'm pretty sure folks like Timothy Thatcher wouldn't venture out of the house in wrestling boots and spandex underwear most days of the year.

Anyway, two huge events are happening this weekend. One takes place on Halloween by a promotion built to run shows on that holiday in Connecticut. Another emanates from Austin, and it will crown new Tag Team Champions for one of the hottest companies in the nation. Candy Apples and Razorblades, Inter Species Wrestling's latest show, takes place at the Heirloom Arts Theater in Danbury, CT tomorrow night, and Inspire Pro presents the latest installment in its residence at the Marchesa with Taggcade on All Saints Day.

ISW's show has been in the works now for awhile. Honestly, that promotion doesn't even need to announce a talent roster or a match for a show on that specific date for me to get hype for it. But yeah, this card looks hype as hell. The main event will pit ISW Champion and legit zombie Izzie Deadyet against Team Pazuzu's leader and the Undisputed King of Crazy Champion, Chris Dickinson. A winner must be crowned, no cop-outs, no clusterfucks. Someone's walking out of the  Heirloom the Undisputed ISW Champion.

The tag teams, not to be outdone, are going to be in full force as well. Team Tremendous, the intrepid duo of Dan Barry and Bill Carr, will interrupt their search for Barry's son to defend the ISW Tag Team Championships against another two representatives from Team Pazuzu, EYFBO. Mike Draztik and Angel Ortiz were kinetic, exciting, and unhinged BEFORE joining the demonic alliance with Dickinson, Jaka, Pinkie Sanchez, and Heidi Lovelace. Putting them in an ISW ring with Barry and Carr will definitely steal the show. Also on the show, Tabarnak de Team will bring their grumpy asses to Connecticut again to destroy shit and glower at people while doing it. Gran Akuma, Matt Tremont, Jaka, George Gatton, and all ISW's crazy cast of mutants and weirdos will be there.

Of course, if you like tag teams, and you live in Central Texas, then you're going to want to head down to the Marchesa in Austin on Sunday. Inspire Pro Wrestling's Taggcade: Rise of the Twin Dragon Connection. A lucky number of 13 teams will compete for the brand new Inspire Pro Tag Team Championships in a one night tournament. Six of those teams will compete in two-on-two tag matches, and the rest will be thrown into a gauntlet. The talent list for this tournament is off the charts. Davey Vega, Jessica James, Delilah Doom, Evan Gelistico, Pierre Abernathy, Matthew Palmer, and Jojo Bravo will all be participating, but the real story is the sheer number of mystery partners yet to be unveiled. Palmer and Sky de Lacrimosa have partners yet to be unveiled, and Chris Trew dot biz, the MANAGER OF THE DECADE, has an entire mystery team that he's yet to unveil to go against Bravo and TRAITOR TO THE NEW MOVEMENT, Cherry Ramones.

Tag wrestling won't be the only thing on the menu. Veda Scott is returning to defend her XX Division Championship in an open challenge against anyone except Jessica James. Of course, James is occupied in the tag tourney, but even if she wanted to, she can't pull double duty. With Athena gone to WWE, Portia Perez retired, and Angelus Layne hurt, the pool of competitors seems limited, and yet mysterious at the same time. If you want my out of leftfield prediction, Lady Poison, James' Eldritch-horror alter ego, will exploit the loophole and terrorize Scott. Or she won't. I'm a writer, not a psychic. Also on the card, "Dirty" Andy Dalton will get his rematch for the Inspire Pro Championship in a best two-out-of-three falls match against "Absolute" Ricky Starks in what should be a dandy of a contest.

Of course, those aren't the only shows happening this weekend of note. If you're in northern Georgia, you better get your ass to Blue Ridge to see Deep Southern Championship Wrestling present Kahagas vs. Jimmy Rave. Personal favorite of our Lady Near the Lake Erica Mo, Freelance Wrestling, pops off tonight in Chicago. Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling is gonna have Nicole Matthews vs. Shayna Baszler tonight in the greater Vancouver area. Atlanta Wrestling Entertainment and PROGRESS Wrestling are also gonna be running on Sunday for Georgians and Brits respectively. You have options. Go take advantage of them.