The Importance of…11.28.08: Indy Wrestling

-Say what you will about poor taste. Go ahead and assert that you knew it was a work all along. In my mind, WWE.com “leaking” the story about Jeff Hardy being found unconscious in a hotel stairwell was a true a masterstroke of booking. The company was smart to play off of Hardy’s history—knowing that he was one of the few guys who fans would believe have really been found KOed in a stairwell. As Sunday evening began, and it became clear it wasn’t a drug issue, but rather an attack, it became clearer that the whole thing was a work—and what a work it was. This stirred new interest in the show, besides paving the way for Edge’s surprise return and championship win.

For a while, I’ve maintained that WWE.com is never going to be as over with smarks as a site like 411wrestling.com because they constantly have to straddle that line between reality and kayfabe, and because the official site rarely breaks news—or when it does, there’s not enough follow up to make it an interesting read (see the Lance Cade release). Here is a rare instance of WWE truly controlling the news story, and creating a storyline captivating enough to draw in more interest than any work really should in this day and age.

My one real reservation about this is that WWE has to be careful not to do this too often. For one, fooling fans and the media once is a triumph—doing so on a repeated basis is going to mean that the site (and, by extension the company) loses what credibility it has, which is not good for long-term business. What’s more, the main event substitution in the multi-man match seemed altogether too familiar, looking back to the Scramble situation where Jericho took the title after Punk was injured. It’s an exciting enough turn that I’m fine with it for now—just something I don’t want to see overdone.

-Speaking of the return of Edge, I usually steer clear of fantasy booking, but I can’t deny that I’m pretty intrigued with his arrival on the title scene. Getting ten steps ahead of myself—let’s break this down. Edge is back, and has the strap. Jeff Hardy is in hot pursuit. Matt Hardy has been elevated to long-term ECW champion. Rumors abound about Christian coming back.

As much as it wouldn’t really jive with the growing MITB tradition, how cool would it be to give these four a ladder, and let them main event the Smackdown side of Wrestlemania 25 in a fatal fourway, or team match? I haven’t got the logistics figured out, and, in reality, it’s hard to imagine a Smackdown main event without ‘Taker and/or Trips. Regardless, I’m hopeful.

On to our regular column…
See a gymnasium with a hundred fans. They’re watching a tag match in which they’ve never seen three out of the four guys involved. And yet, those young guys are busting their asses, trading high spots, racing to keep the work rate up. They blow a spot here, a spot there, and the selling isn’t all that consistent. Nonetheless, you can tell their hearts are into it. The fourth man waits in the corner before he takes his tag, and, upon setting foot in the ring, gets the biggest pop of the night. He’s a WWF or WCW guy from years ago, who doesn’t have the quite energy of his peers in the ring, but has got the charisma and ring savvy to make up for it. The fans can’t wait until after show, to meet up with the guy for an autograph, and to ask him about the good old days.

Such is the scene at an independent wrestling show. There’s no Titantron, no TV cameras, no pyro. An independent wrestling show is all about the wrestling itself, without the frills, conducted on a shoestring budget.

One of the great things about the indies is their ability to function as a learning ground for future stars. The indies are, in a sense, a hold-over from the territory days, in which small promotions have cards that won’t be seen on national television, and programs that, in the vast majority of cases, will never make a mark in the national, much less world consciousness of wrestling fans. What’s interesting is that it is the apparent lack of importance to these shows that makes them important. If any indy guy blows a spot, he doesn’t have to worry that the world is watching. In reality, he’s only got a couple hundred eyes on him, and he’ll be able to reinvent himself the next time out. This gives indy guys the opportunity to experiment with everything from move sets, to high spots, to gimmicks, to promos, working out all of the kinks so that they are completely solid by the time they make it to a bigger stage. In the process, indy fans get to see some truly great stuff. This includes the common implementation of moves like the shooting star press, that WWE frowns upon for being too dangerous.

Some may argue that FCW functions in the same role as the indies, in training talent for the future. And there are many pros to the WWE developmental system, giving the workers more financial stability, and some truly established voices to give them advice, and help them grow as performers. Nonetheless, the indies hold a different brand of potential. Yes, they’re more dangerous, less stable, and less profitable. And true, the vast majority of indy guys will never make it past the indy scene. But for those who do break out, there’s the opportunity to learn the craft in an entirely different way. Take CM Punk, who rose through the indy scene, to ROH, before making it big in WWE. He has a different style from the vast majority of the roster, and you can see it in his Anaconda Vice and Go2Sleep finishers—each quite distinct from any of the other moves currently in play in the company. Such a unique talent likely would not have emerged had he learned his craft solely in the relatively-cookie-cutter WWE developmental system.

Beyond its more practical elements, there’s a certain romantic quality to wrestling’s indies. The crowds are small and intimate, giving fans a chance to really connect with the performers. This happens both while the show is going on, and in the increasingly common practice of talent signing autographs and taking pictures with the fans after the show. There’s a chance to portray a truly creative character, because the fans legitimately may not know about performers’ pasts. As often as they try, it’s difficult to really package someone who’s already been established in WWE or TNA. Contrarily, when fans don’t have any idea who someone is, there’s the opportunity for a really unique new character to emerge.

In addition to all of the aforementioned factors, indies have a unique place for the stars of yesteryear. I recall seeing commercials for an indy show in a city where I used to live, advertising an appearance by Spike Dudley as if he was one of the greatest stars whoever lived. And to be fair, Spike was the most significant figure on the card, and got a monster pop just for showing up. And so, at these smallest of the small shows, old stars have an opportunity to relive some past glory, reconnect with their fans, and give a small promotion a real lift. In so doing, they also give less established talent a good rub, just for hanging with them.

Indies may not thrive today the way they once did, and they may never have quite the same mass appeal as the major companies pushing the same commodity. Regardless, this brand of wrestling remains simple and fun, and holds a vitally important place in the larger wrestling world.