The
Clean Sheet: Volume 2, Issue 1
By
@olskoololfool
The Clean Sheet is back,
here to highlight the good folks, good things and good Independent pro
wrestling! This issue will focus on
another dozen (not sure why I’m obsessed with the number 12…), but this time it
will be the twelve matches that I believe will get tongues wagging, get eyes
open wide and elevate the parties involved over this Mania Week 2021. Six
matches have been chosen from both sides of the imaginary fence: IWTV’s
Showcase of Independents & GCW’s The Collective Remix.
As is the case every
year, they are title matches, dream matches and scrambles galore over multiple
events. What I’d like to do in this
issue of the Clean Sheet is talk a little about some bouts that may not look
amazing to most or may get looked over for other marquee battles…but have
potential to steal shows or at a bare minimum, get folks talking. Sleep is pretty much non-existent when they
are shows non-stop for multiple days, but I guess these are my “don’t sleep on
this” picks for the week.
IWTV
Showcase of the Independents
IWTV Family Reunion Block B: Bryan Keith
v. Alex Kane
The “Bounty Hunter” Keith
gets one of his most high-profile appearances outside of Texas to date against
the absolutely pistol-hot “Suplex Assassin” Kane. If you are not familiar with these two,
please, go out of your way to catch this one. It will definitely be a fight.
IWTV Family Reunion Block B: Robert Martyr
v. Dominic Garrini
A young, hungry “Mat
Bully” and Paradigm Pro’s own “UWFi Icon” walk into a ring…but the punchline
here is sure to be a furious mat wrestling blast. Under UWFi rules, matches usually only go 4-5
minutes. I could see this going 7-8,
especially if Garrini dismisses the ability of Martyr. The “Poison Youth” has zero quit and Dom has seemingly
infinite ways to tie someone up…this will be very interesting.
NPU Murdermania: Ace Austin v. Jamie
Senegal
Ace & Jamie are
quick, flexible, skilled, possess vicious mean streaks and both extremely creative
in the ring…so, umm, let’s nix the ring part.
In the wonderfully crazy world of No Peace Underground, the vast
majority of fights are no ring deathmatches: Senegal has experience here,
Austin does not. I’m eager to see how
the “Undeniable” one handles it.
ACTION/S.U.P. Have Fun, Be Sad: Adam Priest
v. Matt Makowski
The mighty HOSS 2021 jacket bearer squares off with the “Team Filthy” submission machine “Weapon X”. Both men’s stock seems to be rising by the
minute, so whoever snags the win in this one will go “to the moon”. Watch for transitions you’ve never seen
before, innovative offense and some crazy hard strikes from both of these
rising stars.
Tony Deppen’s BierHaus: Brandon Kirk v.
Simon Grimm
I like this match-up a
ton: they both can fight, they both can wrestle and I believe neither get the praise
they deserve. I predict this one will
start as a good wrestling match that evolves into a great fight, hopefully the
aftermath is new-found respect for both athletes.
Beyond Time Capsule: FACADE v. Dave Cole
Dave Cole puts the paintbrush down and the gear back
on, coming out of retirement against the extremely underrated Pittsburgh
high-flyer FAÇADE. I’m always fascinated
by return matches, mainly because I can’t honestly think of too many that have
been bad. An athlete coming back to
their sport of choice knows what it takes to return to form and often go past
that level to assure a successful return.
I think this one will be way more special than it may appear on paper.
GCW’s
The Collective Remix
Jimmy Lloyd’s D-Generation F: Skye Blue v.
Billie Starkz v. Rok-C
Have you ever wanted to
see the future of women’s wrestling AND wrestling in general in one 3-way
match? This is your crystal ball/scrying
mirror. I’ve really enjoyed all of the Lloyd-produced shows, he’s got a great eye
for those who should have more eyes on them.
Allie Kat’s
RHGS: Holidead v. DARK Sheik
I’m not sure if they have
thrown down before, but I was really excited when this was announced. Powerhouse versus technician/flyer, muscle
versus hustle, darkness versus, umm, darkness?
All I know is they are both super-talented and deserving of many more
opportunities than either currently get.
Should be big fun.
rSpring Break presented by 44.OH!: Gringo
Loco, Black Taurus and Arez vs. Laredo Kid, Dragon Bane and Aramis
The lucha equivalent of
those Dragon Gate 6-man mindblowers from ROH Mania weekend shows of yore, and I
think it’s more than fair to set the bar at such a level. Nuff said.
VxS Lucid Dreams: No Disqualification
Match- Dr. Cube vs. JTG
In of the more insane
crossovers in recent memory, the scourge of Kaiju Big Battel has landed in the
90’s fever dream known to fans as Violence X Suffering. Jay the Gawd will be in the corner opposite of
the madman, hot after being attacked by Cube and his goons at the “Violence of
the Lambs” event. Not only will this be
a wild contest, but where the heck does this story go next?
Effy’s Big Gay Brunch: Soul On A Pole
Match- EFFY vs. Ace Perry
Speaking of stories, this
match stems from an Bizarro Lucha event from almost 2 years ago. On that day, in a Lucha de Apuestas with
maybe the highest stakes imaginable, EFFY won Ace’s mortal soul. Perry hasn’t been the same inside since. With
a chance to become whole once more, I’d think Ace will stop at nothing to
defeat “Daddy”. This may end up a very
disturbing, ugly match between two gorgeous athletes.
Unsanctioned Pro Fueled by Spite: Casanova
Valentine vs. “Hoodfoot” Mo Atlas
A “Saucy Butcher” and a “Hipster
Hearthrob”. Big men, heavy hands, huge personalities and violent tendencies…what
more could one ask for? There will be
plenty of hoss fights all week, but in
my opinion this one has the most flavor and style.
So there you go, another
dozen list because apparently that’s part of my gimmick now. Hope this helps
bring a little light to some potential bangers in a very crowded week of
wrestling to enjoy.
Hey all you wonderful
wrestler/promotions! If you have
events/fundraisers that you would like to see highlighted or are an
athlete/company who would like to take on the Forward Five mini-interview,
please reach out to me at either @olskoololfool on Twitter or by e-mail,
olskoololfool@gmail.com