McPinions
By: Sean “The MiC” McCaffrey

Welcome to another McPinion’s my fellow DOI-ites. It is 9 PM and I’m already loaded, so to sober up, so I can go walk outside and get more beer, I will take some time to present you the first ANNUAL (You can’t spell annual without anal) MiC’s Top 15 indy promotions! This will be a once a year thing, so look for this again on August 15th of 2004!

Just a little shit before we start- 1- This is my opinion, not the DOI’s, God’s, Vince McMahon’s or Ron Jeremey’s. Just mine, The MiC, so don’t take them as the gospel.

2- This is by what I’ve seen in the past two years, plus whatever I seen on tape, so it should be pretty accurate, in my opinion, for what’s going on now.

3- Things that I took into consideration were- How often the promotion runs, how big the crowds were, enjoyment of shows, talent on shows, if the promotion gives back to fans (IE Free shows, Free bustrips Fanfests, etc), and my tiebreaker, if the promotion sells beer at their shows.

4- I only ranked promotions which I’ve seen, so this list is North east only.

5- Also note that I have ranked defunct promotions that ran.

With that said, I present you this special column of McPinions, as I rank the top 15 Indy Promotions.

15. PWA- Pro Wrestling Alliance

Ran by a guy called “Zeke”, PWA is now a defunct fed. When it was running in early 2003-June, it featured Pat Gunner as it’s champion, Dirty Rotten Scoundrelz as their tag champs, and Wayne as their Lightening Champ. (Version of the cruiser title) PWA had many enjoyable cards and used high class indy talent such as Homicide and the SAT. It also used big names such as Justin Credible and Balls Mahoney. If money and politics didn’t play into it’s demise, we might’ve seen PWA take over Connecticut.

14. CSWF- CyberSpace Wrestling Federation www.cswfol.com

CSWF has only ran 4 shows. Under the guidance of Dave Levy and Firehawk, CSWF looks to make major strides in NJ. The first 3 shows are what you call crap. The last one was definitely a step in the right direction, and the only indy promotion, outside of NWA-TNA to bring in Ron Killings and Mike Tenay. Their next few shows look strong too, as America’s Most Wanted accompany the TNA Invasion. Things can only go up for CSWF, and after a rock solid show last time, I can’t wait to be part of it live.

13. IHPW- International High Powered Wrestling www.ihpw.com

IHPW is another defunct promotion. Ran by Pete Ferrerio, IHPW looked to have a promising future, until Pete Ferriero’s plans to move West slammed the door shut for NJ fans. Shit, I loved the shows, cause next door, there was a place where you could get a 6 pack of Heineken for 4 bucks. But the wrestling got solid as the shows progressed, and it was a shame to see it close down. I also enjoyed watching the Nelson brothers wrestle regularly there, as they were the IHPW Tag Champs. There is a buzz that IHPW will restart in California, but it doesn’t do me any good when I live in NY!

12. SSCW- Stars and Stripes Championship Wrestling www.sscwwrestling.com

The fed that I now help out with SSCW President, Carmine Sabia. I think I honestly ranked it in it’s number 12 spot, as SSCW has done some good things, and have done some bad things. Among the good are showcasing talents that aren’t usually in the top spot of a fed, such as Rob Eckos and the Shaolin Wrecking Crew, who are the SSCW World and Tag champs respectively. Among the negatives are canceling shows, and booking old farts, who don’t appeal to today’s indy fan. SSCW has big plans and promise a talent change, so the future awaits for SSCW.

11. NYWC- New York Wrestling Connection www.nywcwrestling.com

A great promotion for any fan in NY or anywhere else. With a great wrestling school ran by John Curse and Mike Mayhem, called Critical Mass, Critical Mass trains students into wrestlers, and these wrestlers are highlighted on NYWC shows. I can never forget my first NYWC show, where I was shocked in amazement as these young kids made me get on my feet and stand up in admiration. Featuring great talents in Dan Barry, Johnny Ova, Livewyre, Dickie Rodz, Ru Starr and more, expect big things by NYWC as time progresses. They would be ranked higher, but they’ve only been around since February. I have a funny feeling that NYWC will be ranked higher in next years rendition of this top 15 rankings.

10. NWS- National Wrestling Superstars

Not your typical indy mark fed, but then again outside of this site and a few others, how many indy marks are there? 100? Ran by Gino Moore and Joe Panzarino, NWS promotes quality and wholesomeness over brutality and quick fixes. I have enjoyed myself watching the NWS product, as it promotes something different. NWS is all about catering to its local fan, and that’s something I can appreciate.

9. ICW/UCW- Impact Championship Wrestling www.icwzone.com

This now defunct promotion, which was ran by Jac Sabboth and Harry Slash, ICW was one of my favorite promotions to go. ICW brought talent into NY, which you could not see in NY, unless you went to ICW. With such names as Abby, Backseat Boys, and Eddie Guapo, you could not see these guys in NY anywhere else. ICW has recently went under, citing losses and “losing the smile,” as it’s been quoted that Jac wants out of the wrestling business. I thought Harry and Jac were two good guys and it sucks to see their product go. Then again, it’s been gone 5 times already, so you never know…

8. CZW- Combat Zone Wrestling www.czwwrestling.com

CZW, ran by John Zandig has a cult following, and is one of the few promotions that run bi-monthly. Known for it’s hardcore and brutality, it’s one of the most violent wrestling promotions today. Sometimes called a “fake ECW”, CZW is not trying to go that way, as they have stated on numerous occasions. Featuring great wrestling from Deranged, Grim Reefer, and even Livewyre, it’s more known for the H8 Club, Zandig and Nick Cage. The future is bright for this promotion.

7. ECWA- East Coast Wrestling Association www.ecwaprowrestling.com

Maybe a promotion that people think I should of ranked higher, ECWA features a more traditional and old school style at its shows. Known for its wildly popular Super 8 tournament, ECWA is definitely more for the local Delawarineans, than your typical loudmouth NY fan. This is the promotion that people want to work for, as it’s known that promoter Jim Kettner and WWE have a friendly relationship, which was even exercised at this years Super 8, as we saw Spanky and Charlie Haas, wrestle, and appear respectively. You always get your money’s worth at ECWA, and you can get a pack of cigarettes for 2.40, and a 22 oz of Heineken for a 1.25, so while you’re down there, take advantage of the price structure!

6. WXW- World Xtreme Wrestling www.wxwwrestling.com

Definitely not meant to be interpreted as “Xtreme” by indy hardcore fans, WXW is more known for it’s traditional old school product. The only negative in my eyes, is that you never know what you’re gonna get at a WXW show. Then again, more than not, you will see great wrestling from such superstars as Don Crisis, Solution, Team Xtreme, Slyk Wagner Brown among others. WXW runs as many as 4 shows a month which is fucking impressive as well. Ran by Afa The Wild Samoan, WXW is watched by WWE, which is very good news to anyone working there who aspires to move up to the bigtime. WXW is also known for it’s big Sportsfest spectacular. WXW also features exclusive talent such as Supreme Lee Great, Malachi, Mean Gene Sinisky and others. While they run in the boondocks of PA, it’s worth the ride if you got nothing else to do.

5. JCW Jersey Championship Wrestling www.jcwwrestling.com

Ran by Ricky O and Bob C, JCW might be the next big promotion out of NJ. Recently, JCW has been featuring kick ass cards, and it only gets better with The J-Cup and in the future. JCW uses great talents such as Johnny Ova, Shawn Sheridan, Ace Darling regularly. They also use Devin Sturgis. (LOL just a joke) JCW has big plans from what I’ve been told, and if their past shows are any indication, expect my ass to be in Paramus or Garfield regularly.

4. 3PW- Pro Pain Pro Wrestling www.3pwrestling.com

Ran by Jasmin St. Claire and The Blue Meanie, 3PW offers everything to the indy fan. From pure wrestling in Mike Kruel, Rob Eckos, AJ Styles, to hardcore wrestling, Terry Funk, Sabu, Sandman to women, JSC, Gorgeous George, to comedy, Tod Gordon and Matt Striker, 3PW has something for everyone. 3PW runs about once every 6-8 weeks, and is one of the top promotions in the Philadelphia scene. 3PW has big plans to run in other territories, so keep checking it out to find out the deal.

3. USAPRO- USA Pro Wrestling www.usaprowrestling.com

I know I may get heat for ranking USA PRO so high on my list, but you know what, think about this. What promotion features big name talent with big time indy talent on a regular basis? I don’t know any other promotion outside of USA Pro that uses Homicide, Low Ki, Reefer, Deranged, DRS, SAT, Low Life Louie with Balls Mahoney, Justin Credible, Raven, Perry Saturn, Al Snow, D-Lo Brown almost every show. Shit, the last USA show, “Fan-fest” you could see D-Lo vs Slyk and Raven vs Low Ki for fucking 5 bucks! You also gotta give props to Frank Goodman, the promoter, who allows and sells beer at every show. The negatives about USA Pro are the lengths of the shows, accompanied by “Ticket selling talent.” 6 hour shows + 24 beers + Josh Deeley isn’t in anyone’s success plans, but somehow USA Pro makes it work. I also gotta say that the positives of USA Pro out weigh the negatives, and I for one, am a big fan of it.

2. JAPW- Jersey All Pro Wrestling www.japw.net

Straight up, my favorite indy promotion. While I don’t agree with some things that happened at its recent show, you know that JAPW and Fat Frank, the promoter, has something up its sleeve. You never leave a JAPW show without remembering something. JAPW also is a big fan of logic, as whenever something happens, it happens for a reason. Shit, the Boogie Knights beat up Monsta Mac, from an incident that is almost 2 years old! With Al Snow, Jerry Lawler, Terry Funk and now Raven, mixed in with SWC, DRS, Deranged, Kruel, Azraiel, and others, JAP shows are my number one priority as a wrestling fan, and for a god damn good reason- the best all around show for your dollar. Plus Fat Frank drinks a lot of beer so you know he’s a good guy.

1. ROH Ring of Honor www.rohwrestling.com

How could any other promotion take the number 1 McSpot? While ROH is criticized by some, including myself, for featuring too much of the same type of match, and not offering anything else, you can’t argue what it presents to the wrestling fan- PURE 100% Perfectally Acceptable Wrestling. Ran by Rob Feinstein with Gabe Sopolsky, and with such high profile indy talent as Homicide, CM Punk, Samoa Joe, Low Ki, Mafia, Monsta Mac and the recently WWE Departed Paul London, among others, there is no other indy show to see the top indy names under one roof. ROH is also known for its big tape library. I would also like to mention that ROH presents the best damn ref staff on the indies, Paul Turner, Ref Garry and DOI favorite, Sean Hanson. Talk about a triple threat lol. ROH has run in many states, and it’s only a matter of time in this McPinion, that ROH seriously competes with the WWE.

Well there you have it, the first annual McRankings of the top indy promotions. While many will say it was a cop-out to put ROH at number 1, how could you argue? This is just my opinion, and I’m sure it will be debated on the DOI Message board. Some promotions didn’t make the cut such as CCW (which I didn’t see enough of), ECPW (which I only saw once) and EBW (n-word please.) Let the debating begin lol.

Well it’s now 9:45 and I got a straight head, so it’s off to the bar for this drunken Irishman!

This is The MiC

Sean “The MiC” McCaffrey
Send email to BULLSMC@aol.com