7 Biggest Non-WWE Stories In Wrestling This Week
Neville returns, NJPW's last big show of 2018, and more!
The content never sleeps, and neither does the world of wrestling beyond the monied walls of Titan Tower.
A jam-packed week saw one independent promotion earn their largest ever crowd, an international juggernaut suffer the indignity of an unexpectedly small one, and several high profile scenesters openly put themselves back on the market following the most celebrated non-WWE American event of the last decade.
It's the norm in the industry now - the contemporary boom is not one driven by one particular star or storyline but the sheer awareness of action outside the auspices of Vince McMahon. Online fans once bullied for operating out of their parents' basements now make up the heartbeat of a community that grew whilst the monopolistic McMahons weren't really watching.
This is a cottage industry that has now sold 10,000 tickets for one show and sold out Madison Square Garden the weekend WWE will otherwise take over New York for WrestleMania 35. Wrestling's appeal in 2018 isn't to be underestimated by audiences, let alone a company that has severed relations with much of its "Universe" in favour of money from other sources.
These are the shows, 'superstars' and stories that stole all Raw and SmackDown's headlines this week...
7. PROGRESS At Wembley
In what can only be described as a massive objective success not just for the promotion themselves, but the British scene as a whole, PROGRESS Wrestling's Hello Wembley show drew 4,750 fans to London's Wembley Arena on Sunday night (30 September), knocking their initial projections out of the park.
Headlined by a PROGRESS Championship match between Austrian bruiser WALTER and WWE UK star Tyler Bate, the show is expected to be uploaded to the promotions streaming service imminently. Pete Dunne vs. wXw's Ilja Dragunov, Eddie Dennis vs. Mark Andrews, and Matt Riddle's last independent bout (vs. Mark Haskins) were among the other featured bouts.
Hello Wembley wasn't without its problems. A bloated runtime meant several fans had to leave before or during the main event to catch public transport home, but PROGRESS, to their credit, have found a workable solution.
Killed by their WWE affiliation, the "Punk Rock Pro Wrestling" tagline has never been less apt, with PROGRESS now bearing closer resemblance to Green Day than The Exploited. Regardless, this will go down as a landmark "independent" wrestling event. The Jim Smallman-fronted group are soaring, and along with the likes of ICW, firmly at the forefront of the British surge.