10 Best Independent American Wrestlers Today

America celebrates independence from the United Kingdom this week, and its achievements since cutting ties with the British crown have made one thing very clear: you can make it on your own.

Whilst WWE - unlike the remnants of Britain's Empire - is still by some distance the biggest company in all of wrestling, the US indie scene is in pretty good health. The steady stream of hungry, up-and-coming young talent continues to flow, and links with international companies like Japan's NJPW ensure that they can mostly all make a living without being on the McMahon payroll.

Of course, many of those working the independent circuit retain the not-so-secret ambition of one day headlining a WWE show - but these days it's also just as common to see a wrestler spend their entire career working as a free agent, using the internet to speak to a breed of fan to which their 80s or 90s counterparts may not have had access.

And for as long as they remain off WWE's radar, those fans are only too happy to see wrestlers like these working those supposedly "small time" venues.

Anyone who watched chaotic TNA during the mid-to-late 2000s will be familiar with the name Frankie Kazarian. A supremely talented worker, Kaz was often burdened with dead-end gimmicks like video game-inspired Suicide, forever kept out of the main event scene by expensive WWE veterans brought in to boost flagging ratings (normally without much success).

Whilst he never quite broke through Impact's glass ceiling, the 39-year-old has been a revelation in Ring of Honor, where he has frequently teamed with fellow TNA alumni Christopher Daniels (collectively "Addiction"). With two tag team title reigns under his belt - and a whole bunch of great matches to go with them - Kazarian remains one of the indie circuit's most reliable workers.