Transcript
Speaker: Welcome to Queen's Ring Podcast, where we celebrate the past, the present, and the future of professional wrestling. We're your hosts, Charity and Keri, your go-to duo for life in the square circle. And on today's episode, we're diving into WWE Evolve and the Indies.
Speaker: Now, ain't by myself saying today, you guys, unfortunately, but As you all know, me and Keri are indie promotion goers. We go to indie wrestling events more than we do like the bigger events. and mean that Because, of course, they travel all over the U.S. s And sometimes they just don't hit us. And sometimes they do.
Speaker: And their tickets are like a million dollars.
Speaker: But when we do, we do. So it's so important to like shine a light on the smaller wrestling companies. Simply because that's where so much talent is being developed and where exciting fresh stories are happening.
Speaker: to be honest, just from my experience, not sure about Keri, but my experience, the indie wrestling shows be doing the thing for real.
Speaker: They're so creative. um just love everything that comes with being in the smaller venues. So today, like I was saying, we're focusing on WWE Evolve. and the champions making waves on that show.
Speaker: We'll also dive into the indie scene, highlighting some wrestlers. I'll just name a few and talk about them a little bit. We'll talk about promotions. And these are just some that often fly under the mainstream radar, but are shaping the future of professional wrestling.
Speaker: So starting with WWE Evolve, that is a new show that comes on every Wednesday. And that's where a good amount of indie wrestlers come up and kind of just shine their light and make sure, you know, prove that they are WWE material. To start off, Cappuccino Jones, one of my personal favorites, okay?
Speaker: I actually seen him in Oklahoma City years ago when he had just a small fro. I actually sent him like the video of me seeing him when he first started. He was like, oh my gosh, you've literally been here since day one. Yes, sir. Okay?
Speaker: He is the inaugural WWE ID champion and the TWC Texas Wrestling Cartel part of a hustler champion. So again, this man is one of a kind and it's just very, very talented. And for me, it is so real to be able to see his growth throughout the years and seeing what he's doing now from what he was doing before. And then we have Kylie Rae.
Speaker: She's the inaugural champion. WWE ID Women's Champion, which she vacated the title as seen. If you haven't, it's all over. And then on Twitter, someone tweeted her and said, why did you vacate the relentless PNW title?
Speaker: And then she ended up responding because I'm pregnant. Like to me, that was hilarious. But then somebody else said, again, congratulations or something like that. and she was like, yeah, I could get pregnant twice.
Speaker: She said I could get pregnant to twice. And I was hollering because like, what you mean again? Yes, if I want to have another child, I don't want to have another child. But that was hilarious to me.
Speaker: And then Evolve actually came out with their own championships. So our men's Evolve championship. is Jackson Drake. Again, he's very talented, a very, very talented individual. So it's it's kind of nice to see the different talents in the indies that we have not or didn't know of.
Speaker: He defended his title recently in a triple threat match against Brooks Jensen and Keanu Carver, which if you do watch NXT, you can see that they they were on NXT at one point or made some appearances jumping back forward. Some of them do should appear on NXT if you didn't know.
Speaker: And then we have our Women's Evolve Champion, which is Callie Armstrong. She defended her title in a fatal foray recently, I believe Nikita Lyons, Carmen Petrovich.
Speaker: And I can't remember who the fourth person was, but she successfully defended it. And that girl is talented and I cannot wait to see exactly where her career takes her. That woman is powerful.
Speaker: Okay, but WWE w announced its first ever Evolve special event. It will be called Evolve Succession.
Speaker: So that's supposed to be taking place actually coming up in a couple of weeks, October 15th, streaming live on Tubi and YouTube, which is typically where you watch WWE Evolve if you did not know.
Speaker: Now, as far as storylines, we have, there's plenty of different storylines going on on Evolve. And again, like I was mentioning, some NXT superstars come over to Evolve and wrestle on there.
Speaker: So like I said, Nikita Lyons, Karin Petrovich, Wesley made an appearance at one point, um OTM. Like it's just the ones that you come, some of them that you commonly see on NXT.
Speaker: While WWE has a spotlight, let's talk about the independent wrestling scene. Superstars at the likes of Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Britt Baker, Mercedes-Monaise, Bayley, Becky Lynch, you name it, majority of those stars didn't jump right into WWE.
Speaker: They started in the indies themselves to become the superstars they are today, which is majority of the time kind of how you need to do it or should do it in a way. Gives you that experience and just climb up the ladder, moving on up because look at how big they are today.
Speaker: So I'm going just go ahead and go through some in these promotions that we know of. And actually a few of them are in our state. If you didn't know, we're based in Washington, Seattle primarily.
Speaker: So the first one is Defy. So like I said, this this promotion is based in Seattle, which is local to us. And it's known for as high energy events and commitment to showcasing emerging talent.
Speaker: So can you believe that it was founded in 2017? And I feel like Defy is actually pretty big to be founded in 2017, which is really, really good. We love climbing the charts.
Speaker: So that promotion has grown so much in what seems to be a little bit of time, right? Defy not only host shows in Seattle, they have hosted shows in Oregon and even London going internationally, which I didn't know at the time.
Speaker: And they do have a partnership with Progress Wrestling, which is giving them more exposure abroad, which we'd love to see. We'd love to go global over here.
Speaker: Global.
Speaker: So Defy is also known to have notable previous WWE, AEW stars like Marina Shafir, Killer Kross, known as Karrion Kross on WWE, wwe e Cedric Alexander, et cetera.
Speaker: So Defy has actually been on our bucket list. Like, don't even ask us why we've been doing this for two years, a year podcasting and how it went to a Defy show.
Speaker: Don't question us, okay? We haven't been because we just haven't been. We've been stuck in the SOS mode. But no, majority of the time, ah SOS Indified events fall on the same day, which sucks because we would love to go to both.
Speaker: But and then even then, if it's not on the same day as SOS, we got something else going the other day that it's showing. Next, we're moving on to Game Changer Wrestling known as GCW.
Speaker: It's based out of New Jersey and it first kicked off in the 90s, 1999, the end of the 90s. Okay. As Jersey Championship Wrestling. So it came back strong in 2013 and then officially rebranded as Game Changer Wrestling in 2015.
Speaker: So since then, they've had all kinds of surprising appearances like Thunder Rosa, which you've seen us post about her plenty of times. We love Thunder Rosa. X-Pac and the Briscoe Brothers showing up and giving the shows that extra spark.
Speaker: Had the extra spark that. So what makes GCW hit different is how they mix so many styles. Like, you know, promotions are different. They can be different and give us different styles.
Speaker: GCW likes to mix a little bit of everything. Hardcore. High flying pure chaos. Which is why fans keep coming back. And why the underground.
Speaker: Meets mainstream. Which as we so as I said. We go to SOS. I mention SOS a lot. Because just like DCW. SOS does bring us.
Speaker: Many different types of matches. Folks be bleeding out here. Okay. They sometimes be bleeding. You get a little bit of goofy.
Speaker: comedy type stuff. Like, we love it here. That's what keeps us engaged and keeps our yeah keeps us engaged. Relentless is another one okay?
Speaker: This is Spokane's breakout indie promotion. It started in June of 2021. That was but four years ago. They brought in big names like WWE Vets, like Carlito, which he will be coming, and Gang Role.
Speaker: mixed with up and coming talents, of course, and built a vibe that's like the gritty, inclusive and raw. What makes them special is how they don't charge they don't charge just for the spectacle.
Speaker: They build the community, show, sell out quickly. People carpool from hours away, as we said, Spokane. From us, that's like, I think Carrie said before, like four and a half, five hours or whatever.
Speaker: So you got people traveling to nowhere, I guess. I guess Spokane is like literally in the middle of nowhere. I don't know what's there besides Relentless.
Speaker: So, and then of course, the fans stick around. Majority of the time at the indie promotion, that's what I love about indies. Majority of the time, they are sticking around. we stick around a lot at SOS.
Speaker: We stick around a lot at the other indie shows that we have went to. We have yet to go Relentless. So, guess what?
Speaker: ah We will be one of those ones to carpool ourselves and head to Spokane. Because, we know this is a must. And I said that maybe, just maybe when Carlito was there. Okay? Because there was an ounce when that Carlito was there.
Speaker: Not be over here getting hype. Because, yes. Okay?
Speaker: Moving on before get carried away. Reality of wrestling. R-O-W, which I believe, not holding y'all to it, not judging if you don't, but I believe you should know about this one.
Speaker: For those of you that didn't know, this is Booker T's indie powerhouse based out of Houston, Texas. Okay, ah didn I to do that, but I did, okay? And what?
Speaker: And what about it? It originally started as the Pro Wrestling Alliance in 2005 before we bring into ROW in 2012. So of course, like I said, Booker T and Charmell actually runs it.
Speaker: And they built more than just shows. There's a full school there, weekly YouTube TV programming, and events that give Rising Talent a real shot. I mean, why wouldn't she get a real shot if you go over there at Booker T's school, okay?
Speaker: Which... Roxanne Perez, if you if y'all know who Roxanne Perez, which I'm not going judge if you don't, but I mean, I would think you do if you watch WWE. She came from here his school, R.O.W., I believe.
Speaker: R.O.W.' 's also made some surprise moments. Like, ah in 2001, they had the One Night in Vegas show um where they had legends and breakout stars stepping in, taking the hats, taking the hats off of these fans, whatever the...
Speaker: I tried to come up with a phrase, don't ask me.
Speaker: And lastly, as mentioned earlier, when i was talking about Cappuccino Jones, Texas Wrestling Cartel. That was founded in 2023, and it's out of Corpus Christi, Texas. almost said Corpus Christi, like some crispy chicken.
Speaker: Okay.
Speaker: Okay.
Speaker: Let me, moving So, which I actually, as far as TWC, I know for a fact that their shows are high energy, edgy, and full of that street smart type of vibe that makes you feel everything.
Speaker: Like I said, I knew Cappuccino Jones wrestles there. Moose actually, he actually, Cappuccino Jones just fought Moose at that promotion.
Speaker: So for the Heart of Hearts Champion, Heart of Hustle Championship, sorry about that. Had a little tongue twister.
Speaker: They've been teaming up with other Texas indies for big cross promotional events and even took a show all the way to Las Vegas, which it appears a lot of the indie shows have have been taking lot of their shows to Vegas, as you should.
Speaker: their show That show at the time was called Mob Ties. Okay. And that's proven they're not just local. Like you talking about you just coming out in 2023 and you already making big moves, going to Vegas, hosting events, that's selling out and everything.
Speaker: Just loving it up. All types of ads. But clearly like I said, Moose was a, he's from TNA if you didn't know. seems He's a kind of a big name-ish, I guess you could say, they have made up appearance in Texas Wrestling Cartel, which i am ready to see where Texas Wrestling Cartel goes in the future, being they are making those big moves and already having notable people on their promotions. and yeah.
Speaker: So now it's time for me to highlight some wrestlers. Some superstars, rising talent. And the majority of these are women, so what?
Speaker: Keep your mouth shut.
Speaker: Okay, let me stop. I'm supposed to be the nice one here. What? Just because we're not feeling Carrie's personality and everything right now. I'm probably feeling in her shoes. So my first one is Kaya Dream.
Speaker: So Kaya Dream, she brings all the energy, charisma, And high-flying moves that you could ask for. She hails from Macon, Georgia.
Speaker: Macon, Georgia's not that big. But she's been turning heads since her debut in 2019. With moves like the Dreamcatcher and Queen of the South that leave fans hyped every single time.
Speaker: Like, just just the name of the finishes sound, like, appealing. Right? Go look at it up. She was trained by legends like Ace Steel, Devon Dudley.
Speaker: She's already snagged the ROW Diamonds Division Championship and even teamed up with Maya World to grab the NPW Tag Team Championships.
Speaker: Those two together, fire. That's all I'm going to say. Fire. Whatever way you want to say it, just know it's a vibe. Next is my personal favorite.
Speaker: Which it's no secret that, you know, he's had it rough and turned to resting and turned his life around. We talking about no other than Zilla Fah 2, the son of the late WWE legend, Umaga.
Speaker: He stepped in the ring for the first time in July 2023 under the guidance of Booker T at ROW. And let me tell you, he came out swangin'. You sent me swangin'.
Speaker: Okay. didn't know.
Speaker: Fast forward to August 2024, he's already holding two major titles. He was holding the ROW Championship and HOG Crown Jewel Championship.
Speaker: Uh-uh. That's not it. He made a surprise debut at TNA's Slammiversary 2025. And he's just been turning heads since. He's making big moves.
Speaker: He's just not about the in-ring action. That's what love when a wrestler is active in ring, but also active on the outside. He's also being future featured in marketing campaign for the Houston Texans and is working to unite Houston Samoan community, which we know when comes to Samoans, everything is about family, just being a community in general. So being able to see that is pretty nice.
Speaker: And I actually watched one of his vlogs where he was featured in the WWE 2K25 game He was going through just showing us that experience and also talk about that experience. So that was nice to see.
Speaker: My next indie wrestler is Ali Katch. A straight up chaos in the best way possible. Coming in loud, proud, and ready to throw down. Okay, she ready to throw them hands.
Speaker: She's from Texas. And she's been making the indie scene in her playgrounds respectfully since 2015. Making her way through GCW. AEW and beyond with moves that leave a shooketh.
Speaker: Okay. She's a tag team champ with Effie in GCW. And yeah, she's a tag team champion Effie, but she can carry a match solo just as easily.
Speaker: Mixing her power, agility, and a whole lot of personality, baby. You better know it. Lastly, Maya Worlds. I mentioned her above with Kaya Dreams.
Speaker: Straight out of Greenville, Texas. And she's been making things shake since August 2022. at Just at the age of 23. Which we know a lot of people start wrestling young and everything. that Granted, that's not the youngest. But she's still young.
Speaker: Making things shake. Okay. Trained by Lugati. Maya's been putting in that work. Put that work. Put in work. Okay. Stop. Why i got to sing everything?
Speaker: And let's just say it's paying off. She's held titles like the DFW All-Pro Women's Championship, the Hot Women's Championship, and the NPW Tag Team Championship with Kaya Dream, as mentioned before.
Speaker: Maya's been everywhere. DFW, NPW, ROW, VIP, GCW, and even made appearances on AEW Dynamite and ROH Honor Club.
Speaker: She's just all over place, and we love to see that. You go ahead do your thing, baby. When watching Maya, she just brings like this whole different energy to this thing. Like, you get the oohs in the eye.
Speaker: Whenever you watch her matches, she's climbing up them charts, which we've seen, as stated, in such a short amount of time. And we love to see that. We will always, always, always love to see wrestlers climbing, climbing, climbing, doing what they love and getting to the top.
Speaker: We ain't never hate, okay? We love everybody. Do your thing. So one of the most exciting things about wrestling right now is the crossover between the bigger promotions and the independent scene.
Speaker: We're at a time where the lines aren't as rigid as they used to be. Talent moves fluidly between companies with indies wrestlers popping up for one-off appearances or viral matches that put them on the radar of major promotions.
Speaker: AEW continued to feature names who still work indies on the weekends. TNA has opened its doors for crossover stars. And WWE Evolve Project or ID Project has made it clear they're scouting directly from the independent circuit, which that's what WWE ID is about.
Speaker: You're grabbing people in the indie scene and they coming up to Evolve to prove that they about they worked it. Okay, they come they making statements, taking names. Just like Cappuccino Jones, whenever he fought Wesley. Like Wesley is a big name and he's one of the WWE ID.
Speaker: And what he do, went over there, did the thing. Granted, may not have won, but he went and proved that he could step up to fight people like Wesley. That man is very talented. Wesley is talented at tech.
Speaker: So it it does create a unique structure where fans can discover talent in a small venue one week and then see them on TV the next week. So this constant exchange... Not only keeps the product fresh, but also reinforces how important the indie scene is as a heartbeat pro wrestling.
Speaker: In my opinion. Period. And honestly, I think I'm done talking your ear off right now. If you didn't care about the indies, I think it's time you need to.
Speaker: Okay. And that is going to conclude this week's episode. You can find me on TikTok and Instagram at livinglavishwithlonnie. And you guys can find Keri on TikTok and Insta at Keri Vicious.
Speaker: Thank you for stepping into the ring with us this week. Well, with me, I should say. And hanging with your girl. Make sure to like and subscribe for more exciting episodes bi-weekly on Wednesdays.
Speaker: And head over to our Instagram and TikTok, Queens Ring Podcast. We love to interact with the wrestling community. So don't be shy. I said what I said.
Speaker: Until then... Keep your crowns high and your shoulders off the mat.
