10 HUGE Predictions For Independent Wrestling After ALL IN
8. A New Veteran Takeover
American wrestling fans may remember him best for playing a comedy role in mid/late-90s WCW, but L.A. Park has evolved into one of the lucha libre scene's foremost brawls over the decades since then, primarily through his feud with CMLL star Rush.
Their matches have become cult favourites. Chaotic, heated, and regularly traversing most of the arena floor, these brawls feel like legitimate fights, not script wrestling stunt shows. Buzz is through the roof, and though CMLL's inability to put the duo's rivalry-ending mask vs. hair bout together for their upcoming 85th Anniversary show provoked widespread disappointment, this may work to Park's benefit.
The former La Parka has become such a heroic figure over the past few years that he stands to benefit more from keeping his mask, rather than handing Rush his scalp. He's a man in-demand, and if his notoriety keeps spreading the way it has been, he may soon become the US indie scene's premier nostalgia act.
Park will soon return to the States to work dates for MLW this autumn. PCO's shock revival shows there's a place for such stories in 2018, and after somehow becoming lucha's hottest commodity, the charismatic Park could take the former Quebecer's spot.