INTRODUCTION
This topic is meant for everyone who has ever liked wrestling, but lost interest in it. It is also for anyone who is sick and tired of anything WWE, boring matches, boring storylines, stale booking and just all around bad programming. If you have an affinity for wrestling, this thread is here to advice you on the huge wealth of GREAT WRESTLING that is out there, but unseen by the general public due to lack of exposure on US and European television. Wrestling can be fun again, for everyone. You just have to know where to find it. So without further ado, WrassleGAF presents you with all the options and then some!
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NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING
New Japan Pro Wrestling is, in essence, the most true alternative to WWE that you can find. As Japan's top promotion, they have the best talent pool outside of WWE. Employing not only Japanese stars, but also American and European top talent. Guys like IWGP Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada, IWGP IC Champion Shinsuke Nakamura -who was recently named Best Wrestler in the world by the Wrestling Observer-, AJ Styles, Kota Ibushi and Tomohiro Ishii (among many others) put on five-star match after five star match. They also have a working relationship with US-based Ring of Honor, and have several ROH talent appearing on their shows. Japanese wrestling is very different from the WWE style, in that they emphasise on hard-hitting and more realistic fighting styles, giving the matches a more real feel.
New Japan recently put on their yearly Tokyo Dome show, which can be compared to WrestleMania in terms of scope, Wrestle Kingdom 9, which had three matches that can easily compete for Match of the Year and that is no exagiration. Even better, this was the first event in years that was broadcast on US PPV, with commentary by Jim Ross and Matt Striker. Find this show and watch it, pay very special attention to the semi-main event of Nakamura vs. Ibushi for the IC Title (Dailymotion link), you won't see a better match this year.
New Japan holds a big PPV-type show every few months, in the summer they run the prestigious G1 Climax Tournament, which is spread of several weeks with PPV-level shows every other day. The winner of this tournament will be allowed to challenge the IWGP Champion at the Tokyo Dome show in the first weekend of January.
How to watch New Japan:
-New Japan Pro Wrestling World: This WWE Network like service is fully in Japanese, but allows you to watch several live and on-demand shows every month, including every big show, the G1 Climax and Wrestle Kingdom for only 999 Yen (~8.5 Dollars/~7.5 Euro) as well as access a ton of historic shows and matches on demand. Please check out the OT for NJPW World, here: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=944164
-AXS Television: Currently running a 13-episode program with English Commentary on Friday's at 9PM ET, repeated throughout the week. This is a best-of show, showing some of the top matches New Japan has had over the past two years. Especially watch episode 3 (With the Okada vs. Tanahashi WK8 match), perhaps the best hour of wrestling you could watch.
-------------------------
LUCHA UNDERGROUND
This new promotion was created by Robert Rodriguez for his El Rey Network, and airs on that channel every Wednesday at 8PM. This program has received critical acclaim and combines a more dramatic TV series style to the wrestling game. Combining in-ring action with dramatic sequences that are professionally shot as if they were scripted TV dramas. It creates a unique setting. Moreover, the program focusses on Mexican style luchadors, having many of these masked stars giving their unique fast-paced high-flying matches. It also has some top indepedent talent.
If you want a sample, head on over to the El Rey YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaVwpbqM8dkhQvbL8XileAA/playlists?view=50&shelf_id=1&sort=dd
You will find many matches there, as well as backstage segments and such.
The best thing Lucha Underground has done so far is re-invent the Royal Rumble, instead of over-the-top-rope eliminations, people are eliminated via pinfall and submission as in a normal match, otherwise it's a regular rumble with new people entering at regular intervals. Check it out, here: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2e9avf_2015-01-07-aztec-warfare-lucha-underground_sport
How to watch Lucha Underground:
-On the El Rey Network, every Wednesday at 8PM ET: http://www.elreynetwork.com/originals/lucha/
-On Unimas in Spanish: http://uvideos.com/series/lucha-underground
-Via Comcast Xfinity OD for Comcast Subscribers: http://xfinitytv.comcast.net/watch/...112/full-episodes#episode=4633829398542647112
-------------------------
WWE NXT
What, a WWE program? Isn't this about an alternative to WWE? Yes, reader, it sure is. The thing about NXT is, it's a completely different universe from the main roster WWE. WWE NXT is a weekly program originating from WWE's developmental center in Florida and is recorded at a small arena at Full Sail University. This show, produced by a small crew and Full Sail students, is ran completely by Triple H and one creative writer. They're helped by such legends as Dusty Rhodes and William Regal. It is booked very much like an old-school wrestling show. Booking and storylines are straight-forward and almost all of the action happens in the ring. Backstage shenanigans and soap-opera storylines fade to the background as the promotion focusses more on in-ring rivalries and wrestlers fighting over championships. Moreover, NXT has a stellar women's division, lead by champion Charlotte (Flair, indeed his daughter), where the title is treated with respect and the women get as much in-ring time as the men and it shows. It's Indie Wrestling, but with WWE production value.
What makes NXT especially great is that WWE has invested greatly in their developmental territory. With talent training around the clock. NXT also has the top US talent that is not on the WWE Main Roster, attracting most of the top-talent in the indies over the past few years it currently sees guys like Adrian Neville (PAC), Sami Zayn (El Generico), Kevin Owens (Kevin Steen), Hideo Itami (KENTA) and Finn Balor (Prince Devitt) putting on stellar match week-in and week-out. NXT also has a PPV-like event every quarter live on the WWE Network, which are so good that they make the main roster jealous of the developmental territory showing them up (no joke).
How to watch NXT:
-On Hulu Plus: http://www.hulu.com/wwe-nxt
-On the WWE Network: http://network.wwe.com
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RING OF HONOR
Ring of Honor has been the top independent wrestling promotion in the United States for over a decade, and has seen most of the top stars in WWE right now through there doors at one point or another. They are owned by the Sinclair Broadcasting Group and are in syndication around the US with their one-hour weekly wrestling program. They do internet and regular PPV's on a regular basis. They employ some big independent names, like the Briscoes, reDRagon, Jay Lethal, Michael Elgin, The Young Bucks and have recently been joined by none other than Alberto Del Rio (now Alberto El Patron), after his firing from WWE. Much like New Japan and NXT, ROH focusses on in-ring action for storytelling, instead of backstage segments and hour-long promo's.
How to watch ROH:
In syndication on TV, check here for times and dates: http://www.rohwrestling.com/content/ROHTVListings
On Demand every Friday at: http://www.rohwrestling.com/tv/current
INSANE CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING
This Scottish promotion has been gaining a lot of popularity due to having some very unique personalities and national (UK) exposure thanks to a few documentaries made on them by the BBC. Most notable for unlikely superstar GRADO, the promotion has some very great talent, led by current champion Drew Galloway (WWE's Drew McIntyre). ICW has a rabid and very loud fanbase as only the British fans can be, that make every event fun to watch. Definitely give them a go.
Not convinced? Just watch this Grado-entrance and be convinced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBtGFaa0idY
Now that you're convinced, watch this 2012 full show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqvLJ2X5Xrc
How to watch ICW:
Watch a ton of content free, here: http://insanewrestling.co.uk/worldwide.php
ICW Documentaries
ICW has several documentaries made on them, check them out:
Vice - The British Wrestler: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mKGXs1BGvY
BBC - Insane Fight Club, episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA-Rj_saAB4
BBC - Insane Fight Club, episode 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEu-EwpkKTo
-------------------------
PROGRESS WRESTLING
Equally British, though this time from England, comes Progress. A orginazation that prides itself on home-talent, opting to use only a few non-European's on their shows. Again, helped by hot crowds, this promotion is very consistently putting on great i-PPV events. Current champion Jimmy Havoc in particular is worth a watch, but certainly no lesser men are found there in Havoc, Ligero or Rampage Brown for instance.
If you want a sample of what Progress has to offer, check out this title match: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nMjGnkQf9I
Or watch Progress 13 in its entirity, featering the last Independent appearance by Prince Devitt, before he left for WWE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it2coTptmlM (The Devitt match starts at 1h34m).
How to watch Progress:
Many free shows and matches can be found on their YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZaS14idYb591IbxLqcyNQA
-------------------------
VARIOUS
Of course, that is but a sample, this thread is here to point out GOOD WRESTLING to you. So subscribe and share stuff you find yourself with others. If people want to, we can start some weekly viewing parties where we watch a match or one-hour show a week and help eachother enjoy wrestling again!
To start you off, check out the following, as recommended by Bootaaay, WrassleGAF's MVP and resident Indie Wrestling Expert:
Check out the Beyond Wrestling YouTube channel, they put out tons of matches for free: https://www.youtube.com/user/BeyondWrestling
Also, here's a list of Independent Promotions that upload free matches and shows:
https://www.youtube.com/user/SmashWrestling1
https://www.youtube.com/user/aiwrestling
https://www.youtube.com/user/AAWPro
https://www.youtube.com/user/Alpha1Wrestling
https://www.youtube.com/user/InspireProVideo
NWA Ringside TV
-------------------------
DOCUMENTARIES
Now that you're done watching wrestling, lets watch some documentaries about wrestlers and wrestling promotions, shall we.
First off, the three ICW documentaries already mentioned above:
Vice - The British Wrestler: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mKGXs1BGvY
BBC - Insane Fight Club, episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA-Rj_saAB4
BBC - Insane Fight Club, episode 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEu-EwpkKTo
A documentary on WWE Diva Paige and her wrestler family, right before she left for WWE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2HiVuxPHPQ
There is also a documentary about Prince Devitt's final days in New Japan and the UK Indies, before leaving for the WWE:
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwHgRgiM3T0
If you want to find it, it's called: Smack 'Em Up: Reality Bites
If you have Netflix (US), watch these:
Hitman Hart: Wrestling With Shadows: http://www.netflix.com/wiMovie/70117707 (Famous behind-the-scenes of WWF during Bret Hart's final days with the company and the famous Montreal Screwjob)
GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling: http://www.netflix.com/wiMovie/70296765 (About famous 80s Female Wrestlers)
This topic is meant for everyone who has ever liked wrestling, but lost interest in it. It is also for anyone who is sick and tired of anything WWE, boring matches, boring storylines, stale booking and just all around bad programming. If you have an affinity for wrestling, this thread is here to advice you on the huge wealth of GREAT WRESTLING that is out there, but unseen by the general public due to lack of exposure on US and European television. Wrestling can be fun again, for everyone. You just have to know where to find it. So without further ado, WrassleGAF presents you with all the options and then some!
-------------------------
NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING
New Japan Pro Wrestling is, in essence, the most true alternative to WWE that you can find. As Japan's top promotion, they have the best talent pool outside of WWE. Employing not only Japanese stars, but also American and European top talent. Guys like IWGP Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada, IWGP IC Champion Shinsuke Nakamura -who was recently named Best Wrestler in the world by the Wrestling Observer-, AJ Styles, Kota Ibushi and Tomohiro Ishii (among many others) put on five-star match after five star match. They also have a working relationship with US-based Ring of Honor, and have several ROH talent appearing on their shows. Japanese wrestling is very different from the WWE style, in that they emphasise on hard-hitting and more realistic fighting styles, giving the matches a more real feel.
New Japan recently put on their yearly Tokyo Dome show, which can be compared to WrestleMania in terms of scope, Wrestle Kingdom 9, which had three matches that can easily compete for Match of the Year and that is no exagiration. Even better, this was the first event in years that was broadcast on US PPV, with commentary by Jim Ross and Matt Striker. Find this show and watch it, pay very special attention to the semi-main event of Nakamura vs. Ibushi for the IC Title (Dailymotion link), you won't see a better match this year.
New Japan holds a big PPV-type show every few months, in the summer they run the prestigious G1 Climax Tournament, which is spread of several weeks with PPV-level shows every other day. The winner of this tournament will be allowed to challenge the IWGP Champion at the Tokyo Dome show in the first weekend of January.
How to watch New Japan:
-New Japan Pro Wrestling World: This WWE Network like service is fully in Japanese, but allows you to watch several live and on-demand shows every month, including every big show, the G1 Climax and Wrestle Kingdom for only 999 Yen (~8.5 Dollars/~7.5 Euro) as well as access a ton of historic shows and matches on demand. Please check out the OT for NJPW World, here: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=944164
-AXS Television: Currently running a 13-episode program with English Commentary on Friday's at 9PM ET, repeated throughout the week. This is a best-of show, showing some of the top matches New Japan has had over the past two years. Especially watch episode 3 (With the Okada vs. Tanahashi WK8 match), perhaps the best hour of wrestling you could watch.
-------------------------
LUCHA UNDERGROUND
This new promotion was created by Robert Rodriguez for his El Rey Network, and airs on that channel every Wednesday at 8PM. This program has received critical acclaim and combines a more dramatic TV series style to the wrestling game. Combining in-ring action with dramatic sequences that are professionally shot as if they were scripted TV dramas. It creates a unique setting. Moreover, the program focusses on Mexican style luchadors, having many of these masked stars giving their unique fast-paced high-flying matches. It also has some top indepedent talent.
If you want a sample, head on over to the El Rey YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaVwpbqM8dkhQvbL8XileAA/playlists?view=50&shelf_id=1&sort=dd
You will find many matches there, as well as backstage segments and such.
The best thing Lucha Underground has done so far is re-invent the Royal Rumble, instead of over-the-top-rope eliminations, people are eliminated via pinfall and submission as in a normal match, otherwise it's a regular rumble with new people entering at regular intervals. Check it out, here: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2e9avf_2015-01-07-aztec-warfare-lucha-underground_sport
How to watch Lucha Underground:
-On the El Rey Network, every Wednesday at 8PM ET: http://www.elreynetwork.com/originals/lucha/
-On Unimas in Spanish: http://uvideos.com/series/lucha-underground
-Via Comcast Xfinity OD for Comcast Subscribers: http://xfinitytv.comcast.net/watch/...112/full-episodes#episode=4633829398542647112
-------------------------
WWE NXT
What, a WWE program? Isn't this about an alternative to WWE? Yes, reader, it sure is. The thing about NXT is, it's a completely different universe from the main roster WWE. WWE NXT is a weekly program originating from WWE's developmental center in Florida and is recorded at a small arena at Full Sail University. This show, produced by a small crew and Full Sail students, is ran completely by Triple H and one creative writer. They're helped by such legends as Dusty Rhodes and William Regal. It is booked very much like an old-school wrestling show. Booking and storylines are straight-forward and almost all of the action happens in the ring. Backstage shenanigans and soap-opera storylines fade to the background as the promotion focusses more on in-ring rivalries and wrestlers fighting over championships. Moreover, NXT has a stellar women's division, lead by champion Charlotte (Flair, indeed his daughter), where the title is treated with respect and the women get as much in-ring time as the men and it shows. It's Indie Wrestling, but with WWE production value.
What makes NXT especially great is that WWE has invested greatly in their developmental territory. With talent training around the clock. NXT also has the top US talent that is not on the WWE Main Roster, attracting most of the top-talent in the indies over the past few years it currently sees guys like Adrian Neville (PAC), Sami Zayn (El Generico), Kevin Owens (Kevin Steen), Hideo Itami (KENTA) and Finn Balor (Prince Devitt) putting on stellar match week-in and week-out. NXT also has a PPV-like event every quarter live on the WWE Network, which are so good that they make the main roster jealous of the developmental territory showing them up (no joke).
How to watch NXT:
-On Hulu Plus: http://www.hulu.com/wwe-nxt
-On the WWE Network: http://network.wwe.com
-------------------------
RING OF HONOR
Ring of Honor has been the top independent wrestling promotion in the United States for over a decade, and has seen most of the top stars in WWE right now through there doors at one point or another. They are owned by the Sinclair Broadcasting Group and are in syndication around the US with their one-hour weekly wrestling program. They do internet and regular PPV's on a regular basis. They employ some big independent names, like the Briscoes, reDRagon, Jay Lethal, Michael Elgin, The Young Bucks and have recently been joined by none other than Alberto Del Rio (now Alberto El Patron), after his firing from WWE. Much like New Japan and NXT, ROH focusses on in-ring action for storytelling, instead of backstage segments and hour-long promo's.
How to watch ROH:
In syndication on TV, check here for times and dates: http://www.rohwrestling.com/content/ROHTVListings
On Demand every Friday at: http://www.rohwrestling.com/tv/current
INSANE CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING
This Scottish promotion has been gaining a lot of popularity due to having some very unique personalities and national (UK) exposure thanks to a few documentaries made on them by the BBC. Most notable for unlikely superstar GRADO, the promotion has some very great talent, led by current champion Drew Galloway (WWE's Drew McIntyre). ICW has a rabid and very loud fanbase as only the British fans can be, that make every event fun to watch. Definitely give them a go.
Not convinced? Just watch this Grado-entrance and be convinced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBtGFaa0idY
Now that you're convinced, watch this 2012 full show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqvLJ2X5Xrc
How to watch ICW:
Watch a ton of content free, here: http://insanewrestling.co.uk/worldwide.php
ICW Documentaries
ICW has several documentaries made on them, check them out:
Vice - The British Wrestler: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mKGXs1BGvY
BBC - Insane Fight Club, episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA-Rj_saAB4
BBC - Insane Fight Club, episode 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEu-EwpkKTo
-------------------------
PROGRESS WRESTLING
Equally British, though this time from England, comes Progress. A orginazation that prides itself on home-talent, opting to use only a few non-European's on their shows. Again, helped by hot crowds, this promotion is very consistently putting on great i-PPV events. Current champion Jimmy Havoc in particular is worth a watch, but certainly no lesser men are found there in Havoc, Ligero or Rampage Brown for instance.
If you want a sample of what Progress has to offer, check out this title match: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nMjGnkQf9I
Or watch Progress 13 in its entirity, featering the last Independent appearance by Prince Devitt, before he left for WWE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it2coTptmlM (The Devitt match starts at 1h34m).
How to watch Progress:
Many free shows and matches can be found on their YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZaS14idYb591IbxLqcyNQA
-------------------------
VARIOUS
Of course, that is but a sample, this thread is here to point out GOOD WRESTLING to you. So subscribe and share stuff you find yourself with others. If people want to, we can start some weekly viewing parties where we watch a match or one-hour show a week and help eachother enjoy wrestling again!
To start you off, check out the following, as recommended by Bootaaay, WrassleGAF's MVP and resident Indie Wrestling Expert:
Check out the Beyond Wrestling YouTube channel, they put out tons of matches for free: https://www.youtube.com/user/BeyondWrestling
Also, here's a list of Independent Promotions that upload free matches and shows:
https://www.youtube.com/user/SmashWrestling1
https://www.youtube.com/user/aiwrestling
https://www.youtube.com/user/AAWPro
https://www.youtube.com/user/Alpha1Wrestling
https://www.youtube.com/user/InspireProVideo
NWA Ringside TV
-------------------------
DOCUMENTARIES
Now that you're done watching wrestling, lets watch some documentaries about wrestlers and wrestling promotions, shall we.
First off, the three ICW documentaries already mentioned above:
Vice - The British Wrestler: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mKGXs1BGvY
BBC - Insane Fight Club, episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA-Rj_saAB4
BBC - Insane Fight Club, episode 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEu-EwpkKTo
A documentary on WWE Diva Paige and her wrestler family, right before she left for WWE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2HiVuxPHPQ
There is also a documentary about Prince Devitt's final days in New Japan and the UK Indies, before leaving for the WWE:
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwHgRgiM3T0
If you want to find it, it's called: Smack 'Em Up: Reality Bites
If you have Netflix (US), watch these:
Hitman Hart: Wrestling With Shadows: http://www.netflix.com/wiMovie/70117707 (Famous behind-the-scenes of WWF during Bret Hart's final days with the company and the famous Montreal Screwjob)
GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling: http://www.netflix.com/wiMovie/70296765 (About famous 80s Female Wrestlers)
