The Top Ten Contenders To The Independent Wrestling Championship - March Edition
As previously noted, at the end of every month IWTV News will release the top ten contenders for the Independent Wrestling Championship. While these rankings do not guarantee a title shot to anyone who appears in them, they do point to deserving and interesting championship contenders. The IWTV Championship committee consists of several IWTV officials as well as the champion himself. More on that later. Without any further ado, here are the top ten contenders as of March 31.
- "Warhorse" Jake Parnell - Parnell climbs from number 4 to number 1 after another a month that saw him add the Zero1 USA Heavyweight Championship to his collection of titles that also includes the Zero1 USA World Junior Heavyweight Title and the Black Label Pro Indiana State Championship. In addition Parnell picked up big wins over Thomas Shire at St. Louis Anarchy and his career rival Gary Jay in an I Quit Match at Black Label Pro. The "Warhorse" has an incredible amount of momentum heading into IWTV's Family Reunion event this week where he will face off against Gary Jay again in a Last Man Standing bout.
- Kris Statlander - Statlander debuted as the number one contender last month and slips to two this month not so much because of what she didn't do, but because of the hot streak Parnell has been on. Her victory in the Beyond Wrestling Treasure Hunt Tournament has not been forgotten and still entitles her to a Championship opportunity. Should she defeat AR Fox this week on the debut episode of Uncharted Territory she could well find herself in the top spot again at the end of April - assuming she doesn't challenge for the title before then.
- Jonathan Gresham - The first ever IWTV Champion will challenge Orange Cassidy for the title this week at Family Reunion in a European Rounds match. Widely considered the best wrestling technician on the planet, Gresham has toured the World in recent months and is considered by many to be the favorite in his match with Cassidy.
- Logan Easton LaRoux - While LaRoux did earn a championship opportunity months ago, he has done little to add to his resume thus far in 2019. Talented and crafty, LaRoux will have opportunities to improve his standing in April and IWTV Officials will be watching his match this week vs. Chris Brookes very closely.
- Jeremy Wyatt - The current Gateway Heritage Champion, has been on a tear in both St. Louis Anarchy and Journey Pro, including successful defenses of that title against Larry D and Hallowicked. Gateway Heritage Championship bouts are contested under Pure Wrestling Rules which plays to the strengths of Wyatt who is a seasoned veteran, excellent grappler and strong strategist. It's worth noting that Wyatt holds victories over both Gresham and Parnell in recent months.
- Nick Gage - The most dangerous man in independent wrestling, Gage walked into St. Louis Anarchy and defeated the promotions favorite son Gary Jay in one of wildest fights of the year. What's telling is that no one was really shocked by this. Gage has beaten a who's who of wrestling talent over the years, fears no one and is a serious threat to anyone he competes against.
- Nick Iggy - Though Iggy is usually thought of as a part of The Carnies tag team and stable with his fellow freaks Kerry Awful and Tripp Cassidy, The Ringleader has emerged as a formidable singles competitor recently. The inaugural and current Bizarro Lucha Luchaversal Champion picked up a huge victory over Jimmy Jacobs in March and hasn't suffered a singles loss in quite some time.
- Still Life with Apricots and Pears - After winning Chikara's Young Lions Cup, Still Life can no longer be dismissed as just the artistic expression of Blank. They have emerged as a serious force in the ring, and it is worth nothing that Blank has vanished from the top ten as Still Life has entered it.
- Smart Mark Gary - As noted above, IWTV Champion Orange Cassidy does have a voice in determining the rankings. This month he advocated fiercely for Smart Mark Gary. While the rest of the Championship Committee protested at length, Cassidy did present a shockingly compelling argument, noting that "of anyone in the Independent Wrestling scene, Gary has seen and filmed it all. With countless hours of licensed tape, Gary has watched every persons strengths and weaknesses through the lens of a camera." He then shrugged, and fell back to sleep.
- MJF - You don't have to like his attitude, but you have to respect the wrestling IQ of MJF who become the first ever Limitless Wrestling Champion in March. IWTV Officials argued strongly for MJF to be placed higher in the rankings, but Orange Cassidy was adamant in his stance that "Gary is better." Whatever.
Honorable Mention: Kobe Durst, Brett Ison, AC Mack, Ethan Page
Editors note: We’re going to have a stricter policy on Orange Cassidy’s suggestions for next month.
Jeremy Wyatt photo credit: AudreyMPhoto