“The indies are dead” discourse has run rampant this week in the aftermath of PRODUCE Wrestling and AIW both announcing they are going on hiatus.
F4WOnline’s Dave Meltzer says one of the biggest problems facing independent wrestling is that talented young wrestlers are quickly being taken off the indies by major promotions like WWE and AEW:
“It is more difficult now with fewer names who aren’t living off past glory but are up and comers people talk about on the scene, because everyone gets signed by
WWE and AEW if they are seen to have potential. If someone gets truly hot on the indies they’ll likely get an offer much faster now than at any time in history. While some are still available for bookings, it becomes much more difficult and you can’t really build programs around them because they can be pulled at a moments notice and this happens all the time.”
AIW described a related problem.
“One of the biggest challenges facing independent wrestling is that young talent needs experience to improve, but there are fewer and fewer opportunities available for them to gain that experience in a meaningful environment.”
Other major factors that are said to be hurting the indies right now are the increased cost of flying out wrestlers to the shows, and the fact that there is such an extreme overload of pro wrestling content to consume on TV and streaming platforms that it’s harder to get fans interested in attending indie events.
Matt Cardona established himself as the King of the Indies for years prior to re-signing with WWE. Here is how he responded to “the indies are dead” discourse today on social media.
“I haven’t been on the indies for a year, so I don’t know if the indies are really dead or not.
The wrestlers I trust say they are not.
Whether they are dead or not, why isn’t every independent wrestler taking advantage of live social shopping to increase their income and connection with fans?
Why isn’t every independent wrestler taking advantage of the FREE advertising that is social media to help promote every show they are on? Post the poster, post the match graphic, do the cell phone promo, etc. If you don’t treat the show like it’s a big deal, then why would a fan?
I could go on and on about this.
I love independent wrestling. Don’t just not let it die…help it thrive!”
Perhaps Richard Holliday is one of wrestlers who Cardona trusts and is adamant that the indies are not dead.
How do you feel about the future of independent wrestling? Do factors like WWE’s developmental and ID programs, as well as AEW showcasing indie style wrestling on national TV make it significantly harder for the indies to thrive? Is it largely a matter of needing certain economic conditions to improve? Is it so expensive and time-consuming to keep up with the major promotions that a higher percentage of fans simply can’t find a practical way to fit independent wrestling into the mix too? How should indie promotions and wrestlers innovate to successfully navigate around the current challenges?
Let me know your thoughts on “the indies are dead” discourse in the comments below, Cagesiders.
