WWE will start to set the road to WrestleMania 30. Featured will be the return of Hulk Hogan for the first time since 2007; the fall-out from screwjob 2,546 on Daniel Bryan after Kane interfered to help Randy Orton retain the WWE World Title in the Elimination Chamber.

Other legends reported to be appearing include Jimmy Hart, The Undertaker, and Ric Flair.

Brock Lesnar is also advertised for Raw to set up his match.

I’m not sure what take-away moment last night is supposed to make people want to buy the WWE Network. No Daniel Bryan upset of Randy Orton. Hell, not even interference by HHH and a revelation he was behind all the screwjobs on Bryan to keep him from winning the WWE World Heavyweight Title to set up a high-profile match between Bryan and HHH…that would have made the last six months of screwjob after screwjob against Danielson finally payoff.

Instead, it sounds like we’ll get Daniel Bryan versus….Kane.

Yippee.

Far and away, the best match of the night was the insane high-speed craziness that was the match between The Shield and The Wyatt Family. The crowd reaction.. before the match even started… shows what happens when WWE actually builds a match. The match itself then backed it up and then some. It’s a shame that it’s setting up the breakup of The Shield, and not at least one more rematch at Wrestlemania 30.

So we’ll see what tonight brings…

Steve Gerweck of Gerweck.net asked me (and presumably others) to provide him examples of top independent (not signed to WWE or TNA) talent .These examples are not necessarily in order, and are examples of Northeast talent. From time to time in the future, I’ll include such examples of independent talent for readers.

1) “Greek God” Papadon
Real name: Dimitrious Papadoniou
Birth date: July 17, 1977
Height: 6′ 0″

Trainer: Homicide

East Coast Wrestling Association

ECWA Unified Heavyweight Championship
ECWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship

Jersey All Pro Wrestling

JAPW Tag Team Championship

National Wrestling Alliance promotions

NWA Shockwave Internet Championship
NWA Shockwave Heavyweight Championship
NWA Cyberspace Tag Team Championship (once)

New York Wrestling Connection

NYWC Fusion Championship
NYWC Heavyweight Championship
NYWC Interstate Championship

Stars & Stripes Championship Wrestling

SSCW Tag Team Championship (with Havok as The Solution)

USA Xtreme Wrestling

UXW Tag Team Champion (with Havok as The Solution)

Facts: currently works for Extreme Rising promotion, skilled and complete wrestler, very smooth in ring, can work with seemingly anyone.

2) Adam Cole

Real name: Austin Jenkins
Birth date: July 5, 1989
Height: 5’11″

Trainers: Jon Dahmer, DJ Hyde

Combat Zone Wrestling

CZW World Junior Heavyweight Championship (once
Best of the Best X (2011)

Dreams Fighting Entertainment / World Wrestling League

DFE Openweight Championship/WWL Heavyweight Championship (once)

Eastern Wrestling Alliance

EWA Cruiserweight Championship (once)

Ground Breaking Wrestling
Battle of Gettysburg (2009)

Maryland Championship Wrestling

MCW Rage Television Championship (2 times)
Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup (2012)

Premier Wrestling Xperience

PWX Heavyweight Championship (once)

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla

PWG World Championship (current)
Battle of Los Angeles (2012)

Pro Wrestling World-1

World-1 North American Championship (1 time)
Shinya Hashimoto Memorial Cup (2010)

Real Championship Wrestling

RCW Cruiserweight Championship (once)
RCW Tag Team Championship (once) – with Devon Moore

Ring of Honor

ROH World Championship (current)
ROH World Television Championship (once)
ROH World Championship Tournament (2013)

WXW C4

WXW C4 Hybrid Championship (1 time)

3) Drew Gulak

Real name: Austin Jenkins
Birth date: April 28, 1987
Height: 5’11″

Trainer: Chris Hero, Mike Quackenbush, Skayde

Combat Zone Wrestling
CZW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time, current)
CZW World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Andy Sumner
CZW Wired TV Championship (once)
Chris Cash Memorial Battle Royal (2005)

Evolve
Style Battle Tournament (2013)

New York Wrestling Connection
Master of the Mat 2014

Chikara (wrestling as Soldier Ant)
King of Trios (2011) – with Fire Ant, Green Ant

Tag World Grand Prix (2008) – with Fire Ant

He gets the award for being able to work at the same time (minus CHIKARA’s hiatus) for two promoters who are well known as not liking each other; Mike Quackenbush and DJ Hyde; and doing so without any obvious heat for either side (his working as Soldier Ant for CHIKARA and some of the “Wrestling Is’ promotions isn’t exactly a secret among fans). Not coincidentally, he also has the interesting background of being well known by regular fans for supporting numerous charity/political causes (it’s been suggested the “Campaign for a Better Combat Zone” which has had him incorporate “women being treated better ‘in the Combat Zone’ as part of the gimmick.

4) Kevin Steen

Real name: Kevin Steen
Birth date: May 7, 1984

Height: 5′ 11″

Trainers: Serge Jodoin, Jacques Rougeau, Carl Ouellet

All American Wrestling
AAW Heavyweight Championship (once)

Capital City Championship Combat
C*4 Championship (once)
C*4 Tag Team Championship (once) – with Mike Bailey

Combat Revolution Wrestling
CRW Tag Team Championship (once) – with Pat Skillz

Combat Zone Wrestling
CZW Iron Man Championship (once

Elite Wrestling Revolution

EWR Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
Elite 8 Tournament (2005)

International Wrestling Syndicate/Montreal
IWS Canadian Championship (once)
IWS Heavyweight Championship (3 times)

North Shore Pro Wrestling NSPW Championship (once)

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
PWG World Championship (3 times)
PWG World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with El Generico (twice) and Super Dragon (once)

Ring of Honor
ROH World Championship (1 time)
ROH World Tag Team Championship (once) – with El Generico

Squared Circle Wrestling

2CW Heavyweight Championship (once)

5) Roderick Strong

Real name: Chris Lindsey
Born: July 26, 1983

Height: 5’11″

Trainer: Jim Neidhart, The Warlord, Prince Iaukea, Tim Mahoney

Championship Wrestling from Florida
NWA Florida X Division Championship (3 times)

Full Impact Pro
FIP Tag Team Championship (2 times, current) – with Erick Stevens (once) and Rich Swann (current)
FIP World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)

Florida Entertainment Wrestling
FEW Heavyweight Championship (once)

Independent Professional Wrestling
IPW Florida Unified Cruiserweight Championship (once)
IPW Tag Team Championship (once) – with Sedrick Strong

Independent Wrestling Association East Coast
IWA East Coast Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South

Revolution Strong Style Tournament (2008)

Lethal Wrestling Federation
LWF Heavyweight Championship (once)

Premier Wrestling Xperience
PWX Tag Team Championship (once) – with Eddie Edwards

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
PWG World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Davey Richards (once), PAC (once) and Jack Evans (once)
Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament (2007) – with PAC
Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament (2008) – with Jack Evans

Ring of Honor
ROH World Championship (1 time)
ROH World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Austin Aries
ROH World Television Championship (1 time)
Survival of the Fittest (2005)
Honor Gauntlet (2010)
Toronto Gauntlet (2010)
Second Triple Crown Champion

South Florida Championship Wrestling

SFCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
SFCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Justin Venom

Until next time….

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