The Indy Circuit Turns Back The Clock 20 Years For an NWO-style Weekend

[Papa Pillman]

So over the course of this weekend Gabe Sapolsky in EVOLVE and Hunter "Delirious" Johnston in ROH both channeled their inner Eric Bischoff and booked NWO style angles to close the main event of major shows...

Last night at Global Wars Delirious delivered an NWO angle proper when Adam Cole, revealed as the newest member of the Bullet Club, joined the Bucks and the Guerillas of Destiny to cut-off the world title main event by attacking both champion Lethal and challenger Cabana, and subsequently completed the angle with classic tropes like an anti-ROH promo, comandeering the announce booth, zip ties, attacks on officials and cameramen, and even spray paint(as Tonga Loa painted "BC" across the ROH branded barricades.

This announces the arrival of New Japan's modern NWO knock-off as a proper NWO type entity attempting to flex its brand of control onto ROH, and its being lead by three fulltime contracted ROH talents in The Bucks and Cole.


Also a couple nights earlier at EVOLVE 61, while not as blatantly NWO, Gabe had already thrown the WWNLive hat into the whole outsider takeover fray.

For those who missed the results of that card, the main event was a title match between Gargano and EVOLVE champ Drew Galloway, former tag team partners whose rift started due to Galloway taking offense to Johnny Wrestling's NXT presence and WWE aspirations, and accusing Johnny of turning his back on Indy wrestling. Before the match could finish, ECIII made his EVOLVE debut with a run-in attack on Gargano, before cutting a scathing anti-EVOLVE promo for being in bed with the WWE. Carter's address was a shoot style assault on Bill DeMott, NXT, Triple H, and the WWE machine. He criticized the company for missing on talents like himself and Drew and noted that they left WWE and became World Champions when not held back by the WWE machine. Gargano defended financial improvements to EVOLVE made possibly by the WWE relationship, and even trolled Carter by referring to him as "Derrick Bateman". Carter and Galloway then went on to lay out any wrestlers and security, officials, etc. that tried to stop them, as part of what is being built as an indy wrestling/ex-WWE talent versus the Triple H, WWENXT establishment. And even more interestingly it plays out as a quasi TNA vs. WWENXT feud being presented by a loosely WWE affiliated indy league.

Here is the end of EVOLVE 61 for those interested:


What does everyone think about these angles?

Intriguing?

More dated retreading of an already beat to death angle?

Somewhere in between?

Do you prefer one companies approach to the other? Other thoughts on these developments?

Let's hear it.

 

[MrHashasheen]

It's fresh for both companies. Adam Cole helps reinvigorate the BC, and Carter-Galloway is a good super-heel team for the EVOLVE guys to try and get their comeuppance on.

 

[Bagpipes]

I enjoyed the Bullet Club stuff. I thought Mr. Wrestling III putting so much emphasis on the Superkick Counter during the 8 man tag, only to result in 0 superkicks but 40-something during the last segment was a great touch. I always enjoy little themes that play out over the course of a show like that.

Besides Nakamura, Adam Cole is probably my favorite current wrestler, so I was pretty stoked to see him join the BC, which should ultimately give him a much larger role in both ROH and Japan as well as more national notoriety. He and the Bucks have plenty of history together (Mt. Rushmore and 2.0) so adding him into the mix should undoubtedly bolster the BC ranks after losing AJ and Gun & Gallows.

I don't know who ECIII is.

 

[Papa Pillman]

It's fresh for both companies. Adam Cole helps reinvigorate the BC, and Carter-Galloway is a good super-heel team for the EVOLVE guys to try and get their comeuppance on.

While it does make sense to see the Bullet Club angle take a strong presence in ROH, (due to The Bucks being the biggest, most over, and most popular remaining act in the group and being fulltime ROH competitors now and only part time in New Japan), I can't help but think that Cole was only added to the group because VISA issues are preventing Kenny Omega from working U.S. shows, and they needed a star to fill that void on U.S. based ROH events. It will be interesting to see if Cole does any relevant work in New Japan as a member of the stable.


As for the EVOLVE angle, if its Gabe's wish for the Carter/Galloway pairing to be truly heel, he's got work to do. Carter is gold on the stick, nailed the opening promo, spoke a lot of truth, and had a strong portion of the crowd on his side and eating out of his hand. It might indeed play more as a heelish act in Florida where NXT can do no wrong right now, but as it is currently presented, this angle is far less outsider heels versus defending faces, and more NWO-esque from the perspective of outsiders with a legit beef challenging the spots of company guys defending their turf, and the angle has strong potential to divide the fanbase, especially considering that Drew and ECIII are better talents with stronger mic work than any of the NXT/Cruiserweight series-affiliated EVOLVE talent that they have been positioned against.

 

[Papa Pillman]

I don't know who ECIII is.

ECIII = Ethan Carter III

He is the current face of TNA and on the shortlist of best characters and mic workers anywhere in the business. He is a former WWE developmental talent who appeared on the fourth and fifth season of NXT(pre-NXT taking the place of FCW, and when it was a televised reality style goofball competition on SyFy that insulted pro wrestling fans). In WWE he was Derrick Bateman, Daniel Bryan's "rookie", and he made comedy gold out of the small opportunities he was given; however, he was released tragically early without ever really getting the chance to show his immense character.

 

[Bagpipes]

You lost me at "current face of TNA".

 

[MrHashasheen]

While it does make sense to see the Bullet Club angle take a strong presence in ROH, (due to The Bucks being the biggest, most over, and most popular remaining act in the group and being fulltime ROH competitors now and only part time in New Japan), I can't help but think that Cole was only added to the group because VISA issues are preventing Kenny Omega from working U.S. shows, and they needed a star to fill that void on U.S. based ROH events. It will be interesting to see if Cole does any relevant work in New Japan as a member of the stable.

IIRC Tanahashi was quite a fan of Cole from previous co-op shows, which was why the Kingdom got a run in New Japan (well, that and Maria's ass).

As for the EVOLVE angle, if its Gabe's wish for the Carter/Galloway pairing to be truly heel, he's got work to do. Carter is gold on the stick, nailed the opening promo, spoke a lot of truth, and had a strong portion of the crowd on his side and eating out of his hand. It might indeed play more as a heelish act in Florida where NXT can do no wrong right now, but as it is currently presented, this angle is far less outsider heels versus defending faces, and more NWO-esque from the perspective of outsiders with a legit beef challenging the spots of company guys defending their turf, and the angle has strong potential to divide the fanbase, especially considering that Drew and ECIII are better talents with stronger mic work than any of the NXT/Cruiserweight series-affiliated EVOLVE talent that they have been positioned against.

Dunno, I think the TNA aspect will get the EVOLVE fans booing, regardless of how indy they play themselves up to be. Plus shades of gray in an EVOLVE show is probably nothing new.