Wrestlers independent contractor status is a longstanding industry standard grown out of what had been, prior to WWEs forceful national ascendance in the 1980s, a business in which performers essentially worked as freelancers across the countrys various regional promotions. CCW in North County San Diego were the first Southern California independent wrestling events I attended, and Cruiser Eddie Williams was one of the stars. There also exists the possibility that WWE may be protected by an upcoming California Supreme Court decision on a trio of cases regarding workers who do only part of their work in the state. 49. 39. Koko Samoa APW 44. I remember he and Christopher Daniels had a dark match at a WCW Nitro in Los Angeles and their match was by far the best match on the show. New Japan Pro Wrestling 42. But WWE did not conquer the wrestling industry without knowing how to protect itself. Championship Wrestling from Hollywood He got into MMA early and was a big fan of shoot-style. Carlos Sainz saw his Austrian Grand Prix run come to a fiery end, marking his fourth DNF in 11 races. Jason Styles BTW 50. Jeff Lindberg SWF . She doesnt have the charisma of a Jordan Blu, but is a more natural in-ring worker in my opinion. Though, its possible all three didnt hit their strides till later. I started attending EWF shows around then. When I first started following independent wrestling in Southern California, there were two names who were always brought up as being the best wrestler in the state. ET is very much inspired by Fit Finlay, and works in a methodical style based on grounding his opponents and making his matches feel like a struggle.

Sign up to be notified about tickets for this and similar events at Chase Center. In June, the fan was waiting at a parking garage to try and meet Ball but instead spotted the teams majority owner. Note:This is not a critique at all on Hansons rankings, as his list was posted over a year before I attended any independent wrestling events in the region. The thing that separates PWR from the other family-friendly lucha promotions, is they weirdly have a lot of puro connections, including working with All Japan, hosting Jun Akiyamas only US match. WWE Monday Night Raw and WWE Smackdown LIVE will be coming to San Francisco for the first time ever in a two-night event at Chase Center on September 23rd and 24th. COPYRIGHT 2001-2020 | SoCalUncensored.com. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Category:Professional_wrestlers_from_California&oldid=951008198, Template Category TOC via CatAutoTOC on category with 101200 pages, CatAutoTOC generates standard Category TOC, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 15 April 2020, at 00:44. Northern Nevada isnt exactly a wrestling hotbed, forcing talent to work in the Bay Area and Sacramento on a regular basis. Naybah Hood Crazed One AIWA . (Those currently include medical professionals, engineers, and commercial fishermen, among others.) Photo courtesy of Kimber Lasskick, 5 Facts About WWE Superstars with Bay Area Ties, Fri, Jul 22

To cite one well-known example, Dave Bautista has said that in 2008 he was fined $100,000 by McMahon for intentionally bleeding during a match. 34. What we do know is that Brooke is one of the easiest people to root for, and has garnered a cult following because of her injuries. Back in the 1990s, Usenet groups along with AOL boards were the social media of their time, before they were eventually diminished by message boards and eventually modern social media. While there have been rumblings here and there since then, in an industry where one company can hold so much sway over workers earning power and history, the potential costlosing ones spot, burning a bridgeof organizing any push for more rights can be discouraging to the point of nonstarter. Vendetta Pro Wrestling I have fond memories of so many of the boys listed here and miss several of them. The Icon Jason C. Clay APW 40. To PWRs credit, both Viento and El Cucuy have been moved up the card and have gotten the opportunity to wrestle big-name luchadors like Rey Horus, Lince Dorado, and Dragon Lee. Empire Wrestling Federation Millennium Pro Wrestling They are a class act group who has been giving recognition to all of the leaders who have been a big part of California Wrestling over the years.``. Not sure who this was, but Shane Hansons description is hilarious. One California labor lawyer, Eric D. Anderson, has suggested that wrestlers might follow a Hollywood actors tactic by creating a production company that deals with WWE on their behalf, acting as a legal stand-in. He is probably best known now for being featured in Beyond the Mat, but he was such a great wrestler. Lucha Underground Our monthly rankings have returned! SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. I highly recommend reading his original rankings, which are linked in this article, for his complete thoughts. The Natural One Michael Modest APW Probably the best all-around wrestling in the state of California. Was always fun to watch. 6:00pm Thrive City, Sun, Jul 31 The question became whether WWE, which between 2017 and 18 held 38 live events in California, and whose wrestlers very clearly do not appear to pass the ABC test, could continue to tour the most populous state in the U.S., and whether it could run into issues in other states should they pass similar bills. Professional wrestlers from the U.S. state of California. That team didnt last very long. Chicano Flame APW 33. I dont believe I ever saw him wrestle. Four-time SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos were born in San Francisco, California and are the twin sons of WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi. The mission of the California Wrestling Hall Of Fame shall be to recognize those individuals and groups who, because off their outstanding dedication, have contributed immeasurably to the establishment, maintenance and continuation of amateur wrestling in the Golden State. A list of pro-wrestling and MMA events happening throughout Southern California. 1st SoCal Indy show I went to was in 99/00. I have no idea why WWF never picked him up.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'socaluncensored_com-box-4','ezslot_6',111,'0','0'])};if(typeof __ez_fad_position != 'undefined'){__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-socaluncensored_com-box-4-0')}; 2. It felt like every show for a while had The Naybah Hoodz vs Supreme Kaos. Im glad that occasionally a gem like this top 50 ranking can be found. The Forum, which once hosted home games for the Los Angeles Lakers, was purchased by Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer in March 2020. He is built like Gary Albright, and wrestles like him too, with an offense built around suplex variations, Cheema easily overpowers his opponents. More recently Lars Sullivan was fined $100,000 for bigoted internet message board comments dating back to before he signed with WWE. And while there is really NOTHING easy about being a pro wrestler (indy or otherwise), I do believe the business has changed to the point that there has never been a more likely time for indy talent to get a national tv gig in either the WWE/NXT AEW, ROH, or IMPACT Wrestling. The Extra-Terrestrial jokes, and more importantly, can become even more violent and aggressive with his holds, ET can be a big part of this scenes future. My teammates refer to him as Diablo. What really makes him stand out is a natural babyface charisma and fire. Brown Bomber Robert Thompson APW4. If you were attending wrestling events in California in the 1990s and have thoughts on this list or memories of the shows, please feel free to comment below. There was also the end of WCW and ECW, and with fewer major promotions for work, some probably decided to call it quits as well. According to Cagematch, Brooke has just five matches in her career, two of which ending prematurely with her suffering horrific leg injuries. One of the best independent wrestlers there ever was. (The previously dismissed challenge to WWE worker status failed in part, the court said, because the former wrestlers contracts were no longer enforceable.) Super Diablo BTW 26. Lucha Va Voom Knokx Pro Entertainment According to Fightful Select, AEW had considered The Forum as a venue for the Double or Nothing pay-per-view on May 29, before finalizing on the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. He took some insane bumps too, such as getting thrown off the scaffold by New Jack in XPW. Thanks for the Compliment, Shane. Suicide Kid EWF At only 16 years old, this youngster is already making a name for himself in the Southern California area.

You can see how Connecticut courts have treated this, so I wouldnt be too optimistic on the prospects, says Konstantine Kyros, a Massachusetts-based lawyer who represented the plaintiffs in that case and is currently leading a class-action suit against WWE over concussion damages. Just too many top guys and international talent sticking around at the top. This is a wrestler who was Rob Van Dams tag-team partner, wrestled in All Japan, and wrestled Jim Neidhart at the World Wrestling Peace Festival in 1996. Gary Key became TOOL in XPW. In May, Takedown Pro ran their debut show at a brewery in Berkeley, even with several people in the crowd properly wasted, it was still a family-friendly show with simple wrestling, the kind of show I actively avoid.

Its strange Modest and Youth didnt make it. Leprechaun Erin OGrady APW Former APW Junior Heavyweight Champion, OGrady is another high-flier but hes got the strength of a man twice his size. 19. Talking about someone being before their time, Mikey Henderson, the Suicide Kid, would be a star if he was wrestling in this era. Those IWC shows were loaded with talent! However, the show never materialized. As much as McMahon transformed the business, including signing wrestlers to exclusive agreements, worker classification was one relic he deliberately preserved. Louie Spicoli EWF A journeyman wrestler whos competed all over the globe makes his home in San Bernadinos Empire Wrestling Federation. Johnny Starr BTW 35. More directly, performers can be fined for actions both in and out of the ring. For this list, Ive decided to include wrestlers from Reno since it literally borders Northern California, and is basically an appendage of the NorCal scene. What she has going for her is a really good lookif you told me shes related to Carmella, I might believe youcharisma, and a bubbly personality. While the business was enjoying an all time boom period, in the 23 years Ive been paying attention I dont think there was a more difficult time for a indy wrestler to get a job with the WWE. After talking to him after show he told me it was only his fifth career match, which was shocking given how polished he was and how he had the crowd the palm of his hand with his flying and natural babyface charisma. Independent companies generally do not sign talent to exclusive contracts.). Baja Stars USA I just wrestle with the law now. According to Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer, The Young Bucks are expected to announce the date of the first-ever AEW show in Southern California on tomorrows episode of BTE. (As offensive as Sullivans comments were, it is hard to imagine more traditional independent contractors, such as plumbers and carpenters, being legally fined by clients over what they once wrote on Bodybuilding.com.). Would be a star if he wrestled today. Even with the lack of promotions, there is some pretty solid talent. I remember seeing Daniels wrestle for the first time in early 1999, and he was so much better than everyone else on the card it was insane. As noted earlier, in addition to the PPV, AEW will be taping episodes of Dynamite and Rampage in Las Vegas in May. In July the law firm Greenberg Traurig registered to lobby on WWEs behalf in California, perhaps indicating a plan to fight for one of the bills exemptions. And I agree there were a lot of people from that era that in the area I would have put on this list before me. Irish Assassin EWF . Known to consume belly-bottom lint andear wax. He moved back East in 2002 ish. Fonz is only a few matches into his career, but hes already picked up bookings all over lower-level Bay Area indies including Takedown Pro in Berkeley, Southbay Championship Wrestling in San Jose, and Stars Of Wrestling in Alameda. I remember Cincinatti Red(surprised he wasnt on this list) Jason Allgood, Ryan Mcbane, and Johnny Hemp were on the show. But that is an option the company has fought back against whenever presented. I never had a chance to see Spicoli live, unfortunately. 1. WWE Possibly Spoils Big SummerSlam Match With Action Figure? In a year of majornews in the professional wrestling world, an intriguing story emerged last week from an unusual source: Californias state legislature. West Side Shooter Tony Jones APW 22. One need look no further than WWEs own self-produced documentaries or any number of interviews to see the great extent to which WWE indeed controls where, when, and how performances on its shows will be done. Tim Patterson wrestled all over the world, and I remember he showed up on seemingly every FMW tape I got for a while. Had great feuds with Adam Pearce and Babi Slymm in WCWA in San Diego.

Actually I moved to Boston in 1997 and made some appearances in Socal from 2000-2002, but New England was my primary home base until 2006 and I then pretty much called it quits as an in-ring performer. West Side Playa Kuame Kamoze APW 29.

A young Kid Kaos stole the show athletically, and Lucky Pierre was a truly memorable gimmick. SoCalUNCENSOREDs Rankings: As most prominently detailed on an episode of John Olivers HBO show this past spring, WWE has long classified its performers as independent contractors despite exclusive contracts and other arrangements that would seem to indicate they are employeesa distinction that denies its wrestlers an array of legal benefits including health insurance, pensions, and other common labor protections. I never saw him live, as he signed with WWF and went to Memphis in early 1998. SoCal Pro Wrestling Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Tiny but mighty as her ring introduction goes, Mayra is the smallest wrestler on my list, making her a natural underdog babyface. Recently, while researching something unrelated, I came across a 24-year-old post on the Usenet group rec.sport.pro-wrestling by Shane Hanson.

47. professional wrestling valet, semi-retired professional wrestler, ring announcer, former model, and singer, Professional wrestler; actor; American football player, Angelina Roadrunners men's basketball players, Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling, ECW Heavyweight Champions/ECW World Heavyweight Champions, NWA/WCW/WWE United States Heavyweight Champions, I'm a CelebrityGet Me Out of Here! 13. A performer who does not comply with a WWE mandate could find themselves featured less prominently on the television shows or not at all, or be portrayed in a hapless and embarrassing way that could impact their earning potential even after they leave the company. The friendliness of Connecticuts court rulings has been particularly important for WWEs worker classification given that the case against its wrestlers independent contractor status otherwise appears straightforward and commonsensical. Posted by Timothy Teresi | Jun 8, 2022 | Columns. I think Id seen The Iceman John Black on TV from the San Bernadino federation around then. Jordan Blu is very much cut from the WWE cloth. 16. Enter your email address to subscribe to SCU and receive notifications of new posts by email. He helped train Sky. The reality is at this point there are way more questions than answers. All Rights Reserved. The greatest independent wrestler of all time.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'socaluncensored_com-leader-1','ezslot_18',115,'0','0'])};if(typeof __ez_fad_position != 'undefined'){__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-socaluncensored_com-leader-1-0')}; 11.