The Indy Wrestling Experience

We are back this week after last week's IWX Draft with a lot to talk about. Bob and Jon review their picks, debate whose roster is the best, and start to ask what's next. Before that, we have two special guests, Pornstache from NOW That's Wrestling and Rich Buchholtz from Ragin Pro Wrestling, both in Wisconsin. They came on the show to promote their charity event the "Rebuild Rumble" taking place on August 29 outside of the American Legion Post No 38 in Appleton to benefit the members of the community affected by the tornado the ripped through Menasha, Appleton and Neenah on July 27. 
Five professional wrestling promotions (NOW That’s Wrestling, WrestleBash, ACW Wisconsin, Hybrid Wrestling Entertainment, and Ragin’ Pro Wrestling) will come together for the Rebuild Rumble.  All profits from the event will go to the Fox Cares Foundation and their Tornado Relief Support initiative. Pornstache and Ragin' Rich tell us their stories from the day of the tornado, then give us all of the details for the Rebuild Rumble, including where to get tickets and the myriad ways you can donate. Check NOW That's Wrestling's social media for more details.
After that Bob and Jon get back to the draft and decide to seed wrestlers from their rosters in tournaments to crown the first Men's/Heavyweight Championship in their respective promotions. Bob and Jon reveal the seeds, but the winners will be picked by YOU! Keep and eye on our Facebook page for the fan votes for every match through every round. 
Also, last week after the draft, Bob asked the question, "Are you ready?" with a graphic for the 2026 IWX Top 1000. The list is coming soon. More details will be announced in the coming weeks. However, the pool is almost closed and there are currently over 4000 performers eligible for this year's big list. 
Elsewhere in our News & Notes Segment:
Two championships change hands at GCW
Mance Warner drops the Wrestling Revolver Championship to Damian Chambers
Lance Anoa'i set to retire in 2027
Mackenzie Morgan signs with the NWA
Vaudevillains and Blue Pants to reunite at Atomic Legacy Wrestling
Is Triller reloading?
In our Control Center, we preview two shows coming up this weekend. As always, we thank these promotions for giving us permission to use their audio to preview their events:
Show Me State Wrestling
Constant Pro Wrestling
Next week, more draft talk, more IWX Top 1000 news, and maybe a special guest. STAY TUNED!!

We're back this week and the idea the guys had while recording the last episode has taken on a life of its own. We are talking about next week's LIVE 2026 IWX Draft. Bob and Jon will take turns drafting performers from the independents to each create a roster for their own fantasy TV promotion. The 2026 IWX Draft will take place on Tuesday, August 11 at 6:00 EDT and will be streaming on Facebook and Youtube. 
This week, though, Bob and Jon create the pre-draft guidelines and rules:
How many wrestlers on each roster?
Does that include tag teams?
Will there be intergender matches, deathmatches, lucha matches?
Will managers, referees, or ring announcers be drafted, as well??
Which performers are eligible to be drafted??
...and more!!
At the same time, Bob and Jon are watching NHB The Chains #100 from Atlantic City this past weekend. We don't get through the entire show, but I'd say we catch some great matches nonetheless:
Bobby Beverly vs Mance Warner (IWTV Championship)
Angel Metro vs Lucky 13 
Jamesen Shook vs Danny Demanto
Before we get into the rules, Bob and Jon have an impromptu News & Notes segment while NHB 100 gets going. For the first hour of the show, we discuss:
Dory Funk, Jr. passes away
Gabby Forza signed to TNA
Gabby Forza now ineligible for the IWX Draft
NRW added to the WSN+ Streaming app
Veronica Haven (Fallyn Grey) out of the WWE ID program
Veronica Haven (Fallyn Grey) now eligible for the 2026 IWX Draft
Summerslam fuels Jon's continued hatred of WWE
Tune in on either Facebook or Youtube on Tuesday August 11 at 6pm for the 2026 IWX draft. Of course, if you miss us then, the show will be available as a podcast episode that will drop on Thursday August 13, as usual. STAY TUNED!!
 

We are back and fighting the storms to keep the broadcast going. We ended up having to do it in pieces, but the biggest piece of the week is our guest, Co-Owner and Promoter of No Regrets Wrestling in Wisconsin, Taylor Lytle joins us to discuss his journey through the wrestling business, teaching his dad to be a referee, collaborating with RPW's Rich Buchholtz on a show this past June, and his big show, Hellbent in Hudson, coming up this Saturday at the Hive Training Academy in Hudson, Wisconsin. Taylor was a fantastic guest and we hope to have him back soon with more updates from NRW and hopefully some more "wrestling lore."
Before that, in our News & Notes segment, Bob and Jon decide, on the spot, to have the first IWX dual talent draft in two weeks. Bob and Jon will each pick a certain amount of wrestlers as if they were each drafting from the indies to start their own company. First, though, we need some rules and guidelines. Join us next week as we come up with the rules for the draft. If you have opinions, follow us on social media and let us know!!! Then in two weeks, we will draft our new promotions. Join us on August 13 for the 2026 IWX DRAFT!!
Before that, Bob puts over performances last weekend from Joe Alonzo and Top Team (at Wrestling Revolver), Christyan XO (won the ACW Fire Title), and Nick Battee (the new WWGP Champion). Plus, Bob announces a new performer that is on his radar and should do great things, Jake Parker (who dominated T.I.M. at Apple City two weeks ago). Keep an eye out for this kid and do NOT get hit with that Black Hole Slam!
In our Control Center, we preview four show coming up this weekend. If you are in the area of any of these shows, we highly recommend all four. Thank you to the following promotions for allowing us to use their audio to enhance our previews:
814 Wrestling
We Love Wrestling
Truly Independent Wrestling
Focus Pro Wrestling
Next week, the IWX DRAFT 2026 preview show!!! STAY TUNED!!
 
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00:00:00 - News & Notes
00:38:00 - Taylor Lytle Interview
01:51:29 - Control Center

We are back and Bob is back from California where he got to see one hell of a wrestling show: the Santino Bros "LA Rumble 5." Easily one of Bob's all-time favorite shows, Santino Bros took over the exterior of the VFW in Azusa, California and put on banger after banger. Listen as Bob reviews this card (and passes along some of Lauryn's wisdom, as well):
5150 (c) vs Mariachi Montana (SB Tag Titles)
Raunchy Rico vs Damien Arsenick (w/Che)
Brittnie Brooks vs "La Toxica" Zyra
Alec Tomas vs Chris Nastyy 
LA Rumble feat. Live Danger, Epic, Bad Dude TIto, Mathias, Krusty Krew, Auntie Hydie, DRE and more!!
At the same time as the rumble, UPW Champion Sampson was also in LA for a match against Bulletproof Blake Troop at Bring on the Bully's "Bully on the Beach." We catch up with Sampson and compare LA stories, find out how his match with Blake Troop went, and preview what looks to be another fantastic UPW card as they hold "Casino Clash" on Saturday, July 26. Sampson previews the card including:
Ninja Dragons vs Ghetto Gear Solid
Enoch vs Mad Maurice
Tully Bertorelli vs Onyx Andretti
Lucky Leone vs Leela Hall
Big Kon vs J-Sin
Plus, Sampson talks about what happened to his scheduled match against BJ Ray that has now become and open challenge. Apparently, someone has already answered the call, but Sampson will only give us bread crumbs as we try to figure out who it is. 
Finally, we welcome back the Danger Ginger for a Pro Wrestling Star Academy update as he tells us about:
A New SPO Women's Champion (Clearly Tiphani Grady was robbed)
Controlled Kaos' continued run as tag champs
Feral Face seemingly unstoppable as Hyrbid Champion
Pat Dynamite's match with Colby Corino
And some WWE talk on the heels of BJ and DG's main stream show on Sunday night
We are working on securing a guest for next week. Who will it be? WIll Jon have internet back? STAY TUNED!!!

We're back this week as Bob prepares for his trip to California, and we're joined by Tully Bertorelli who shares huge updates in his life, including his engagement and acting work, then we watch a playlist of four  really cool short films that he and his friends produced back in the day, then three matches with three different characters Tully has played over the years. This show is just a lot of fun with wrestling and movies. Join us!
Next week, Bob returns with stories from the Santino Bros LA Rumble 5 and much more. STAY TUNED!!! 

We are back with a ton of news and notes to discuss, before that Bob puts Jon on the spot and asks him for the names of independent wrestlers who have great odds to make it to AEW or WWE. A friend asked Bob this question and Bob will tell you which names popped into his mind immediately before Jon chimes in with a few more names. Obviously not an exhaustive list, but a fun exercise nonetheless. 
Elsewhere in our News and Notes segment:
Simone Valentina to appear on OVW TV
Promo of the year by Lex Ludlow at Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship
Boom Harden to retire
Insane Lane passes away
WSN+ streaming app on Roku looking for beta testers
Jake Crist's harrowing real life experience
NWA introduces "Into the Fire"
Mani Ariez' TNA tryout
A Sexy Star sighting
Joey Janela and the firecrackers
SGW Sperm Wars
 
Out IWX Watch This recommendation is Arizona Wrestling Federation's "High Voltage" from July 3, 2026. This show was jam-packed with action and a lot of fun to watch, especially with Jon's new favorite wrestler, Chubby Depp in the main event. The card:
Alex Ortiz vs Aaron Creed
Dos Equis & Kilo vs Logan Knight & Carnage
Collin Muldoon vs Sexy Roy (Unleashed Title)
AJ Aven vs Marty Snow vs Cash Cartier vs King Khan (State Title)
Chubby Depp vs Lorenzo
In our Control Center we preview shows coming up from three promotions this weekend. We thank each of these promotions for allowing us to use their audio for this segment:
Focus Pro Wrestling
Ryse Pro Wrestling
Bar Wars Wrestling
Next week, Bob is traveling. So we will either have a short show or no show. STAY TUNED for updates!!
 

We're back with this pre-holiday weekend show. Although there won't be much live wrestling this weekend as we all celebrate our nation's independence, there's plenty to discuss in the world of wrestling right now. 
 
We begin the show with RPW's Rich Buchholtz who recaps what happened at his first collaboration show with No Regrets Wrestling this past weekend and previews Destiny VI coming up in September. After that, we loop Rich in on the conversation that started last week with just Bob and Jon regarding gatekeeping in the world of independent wrestling. This topic will not stop after we get Rich's thoughts, and we encourage anyone with strong opinions on the subject (on either side of the argument) to reach out to us and come on the show! 
 
In our News and Notes Segment, Bob and Jon discuss:
Colby Corino's return
GCW to MyAew?
Mystery Wrestling's 22 hour Royal Rumble
Judy Lee Taylor's accomplishments outside of wrestling
A new Men's WWE ID Champion
A new EPW Champion
Haley J's harrowing ordeal at GCW vs Joey Janela
Eran Ashe falls; AKIRA rises in CZW
Nick Hamrick's viral incident
After that we review Rad Pro Rasslin "My Own Prison" from June 20 (now available on IWTV). This was Jon's first exposure to Rad Pro's unique presentation and I think he loved it. Listen as we review the whole show. The card:
Donald Farren vs Lynx Panther
Katarina Montibello vs Lillium
King's Court vs The Midnight Expresso vs Alright Young Man! vs The Lovetts
Lux Virgo vs Dennis
Karak vs PJ Cruzz
Darvaza vs Max
Finally, since there is very little wrestling action happening across the country, we ditched the Control Center in favor of an IWX Watch This watch-along. We watch two matches from DAWG Pro Wrestling's event on June 14:
Marvelous vs Nick Battee
Vinny the Fixxer (c) vs Uncle Slam 
DAWG is such a fun promotion that's worth a look if you're in the NJ area. If not, immerse yourself in the Dangerous Adrenaline Wrestling Gladiators with us!!
 

We are back with a great show and some fun discussions. Most of them will continue into future episodes, so you want to make sure to listen as we focus on the immense shift in the landscape of, not just independent wrestling, but wrestling as a whole. MLW is rising, NWA is on Tubi, but MyAEW is the talk of the industry at this point. The app is adding independent promotions to its banner at a rapid pace. Unfortunately, Triller seems to be imploding at a similarly rapid pace. IWTV is the weird middle child whose outcome seems less direction at this point. What we do know, is that WWE and AEW are staking out claims in the independent wrestling universe, potentially causing formerly "independent" promotions and promoters to choose sides down the road. Is this good, bad, or just inevitable? Where does everything settle on the back end of this transition, for promoters, performers and fans? 
In the rest of our News and Notes segment, we discuss:
OVW as developmental for TNA
Anya Rune critics don't realize that they are noticing her 
RHINO is the new BCW Champion
Amity LaVey dethrones Tiphani Grady
Axton Ray signed by the NWA 
We also begin a discussion about gatekeeping in wrestling, but quickly realized that we have no deep insight or experience on this industry phenomenon. So, we pause the discussion until next week, when we can bring on an industry insider to tell us what this is really all about.
Our IWX Watch This recommendation for this week is KAOS Wrestling TV S01Ep02 which was just recently posted to the KAOS Wrestling Organization Youtube channel. This show features two good matches and one incredible match. All of the performers on this show were excellent and we recommend following KAOS and watching this new show. The card:
Rae Larson (c) vs Karter Cauffman (KAOS Women's Title)
August Albright vs Drystan Kreed
Jack Delaney (c) vs Ryan Matthias (KAOS Digital Media Championship)
In our Control Center, we revisit one and introduce two promotions and preview their events coming up this weekend. As always, we thank each of these promotions for allowing us to use their audio to enhance this segment:
Pride Wrestling Alliance
Elevate Pro Wrestling
International Wrestling Federation
Next week, we return with Rich Buchholtz to discuss gatekeeping in wrestling and give us the rundown regarding his big collaboration event coming up this weekend. STAY TUNED!
 

We are back this week with a lot to talk about. The Danger Ginger from the BJ & DG Talk Wrestling Podcast returns with an update on the happenings at the Pro Wrestling Star Academy, including what appears to be a hostile takeover by Hybrid Wrestling. These folks have even invaded DG's podcast and he does not know what's going to happen next. In the meantime, there's a new SPO Champion, the tag titles have changed hands twice, and Tiphani Grady is still queen of the castle. 
In our news and notes segment, we really dive into the MyAew streaming service after it added two more independent promotions to the app, Limitless Wrestling and C*4 Wrestling. These moves shook Bob as AEW's strategy becomes clearer and the entire landscape of indy wrestling streaming is about to change. Bob and Jon debate the response from WWE and the potential pipeline created from the indies to AEW if this strategy is implemented correctly. 
In addition, we discuss:
Bob and Jon are watching Rad Pro Rasslin this week for sure.
Underground Lucha Experience podcast is live
The passing of Jordan Saint
The return of MLW with a vengeance
Mani Ariez possible rap career
Something we haven't done in a while, IWX Watch This returns this week, as Bob and Jon analyze Memphis Wrestling #277 featuring:
K-Toomer Open Challenge
Hollywood Clique's takeover
An appearance from Big Vito
Bobbi Thunder vs Judy Lee
Raven confronts DDT
A scramble match for the Cobra Cup
After watching this episode, there's one thing we both know. We are huge fans of Chris Lexx. 
Finally, in The Control Center we preview shows from four promotions coming up this weekend. As always, we thank them for allowing us to use their audio for the segment:
12 Gauge Pro Wrestling
Summit Wrestling Association
Dominant Championship Wrestling
Hybrid Wrestling Entertainment
We are back next week, hopefully discussing Rad Pro. STAY TUNED!!

We are back this week with the big announcement that, starting Monday June 15, the Underground Lucha Experience becomes a stand-alone podcast. Join us as Bob discovers Lucha Underground for the first time, Jon relives the memories of watching every episode the first time, and we react in real time. The old Lucha Underground episodes are being uploaded to the Lucha Underground YouTube channel as we speak, so watching along with us just became easier than ever! Join us at www.undergroundlucha.com 
 
In our News and Notes, Bob and Jon discuss the unique structure of the new PRODUCE Wrestling, its recent addition to the MyAEW streaming app (even before its debut show), and the stacked card that Jonathan Gresham has curated for their debut event. Also, we discuss:
Zoey Serrano (fka Zoey Stark) announced for match at HAW vs Leyla Hirsch
Tiphani Grady nears one full year with two separate championships
Bobbi Thunder to get a shot at the WWE ID Championship
Vito Fratelli wins the IWRG Championship
WWE ID performers now required to use their WWE name when wrestling independent shows
Next, UPW Heavyweight Champion, Sampson, returns to update us on his nationwide tour defending the UPW Championship (and looking to pick up even more titles), Roxy Astor's show in LA being a huge success, his ever growing presence with the NWA, and what's next for The Collective after MarquetteMania IV.
In our Control Center, we preview shows from three companies coming up this weekend. As always, we thank these promotions for permission to use their audio to enhance The Control Center:
River City Championship Wrestling
All-Star Wrestling WV
Pure Vanguard Wrestling
Next week, the Danger Ginger returns to update us on the happenings at the Pro Wrestling Star Academy and much more. STAY TUNED!!