Know Your Indie Wrestlers: RD Evans/Archibald Peck

*NOTE: No DVR Report this week. Sorry folks :(

The Drumline Daddy

Who: Robert D. Evans (most feds)/Archibald Peck (Chikara)
Also Known As: The Barrister of the Embassy, The Essence of Excellence, The Winnipeg Wonder, Drumline Daddy
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 198 lbs.
Hometown: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Promotions: ROH, ACW, Chikara, PCW

Affiliations: In Chikara as Archibald Peck, he pals around with the lovely Veronica as his flag girl. In ROH, he's the Barrister of the Embassy, around to make sure that folks like Homicide don't do bad things to his charges Mia Yim, Ernesto Osiris, Rhino, Tomasso Ciampa or Prince Nana. In ACW, he used to be affiliated with Portia Perez, albeit in disguise as a Robot, but that seemed to have been a ruse to get back at her.

Twitter: @Oh_Robert_Evans

Signature Moves:
Standing Blockbuster (on a wooden stage, no less)


Flying Headbutt


Accolades:

ACW U-30 Young Guns Championship (3x)
NWA Southwest Jr. Heavyweight Championship
PCW Cruiserweight Championship (3x)
PCW Uncut Championship
PCW Tag Team Championship (2x, unknown)

Promos:
Reintroducing The Embassy


Insomnia


All About RD Evans:

His Matches - I can't speak about his matches as Robert Evans in the Texas indies, mainly because they're so hard to come by and because no one gives them the play that they deserve nationally outside of Brandon Stroud, who's in the thick of things down there. That being said, good Lord, he's awesome in Chikara from a comedic heel standpoint. His matches are just a spectacle. It doesn't matter if they're technically proficient or not. They're preeminently engaging. He might be so likable that it's impossible to boo him.

His Character - For lack of a better term, he has a silver tongue. Every time he opens his mouth, he holds the audience in the palm of his hand. He's so engaging to the "smart" fan, and to the more "mark" fan, he can incite a riot. Honestly, he's one of the most dynamic personalities in wrestling. It's clear in that in two East Coast feds he's in, he plays two completely different characters. That's clutch.

Why You Should Know Him - I know that people like to think of "The Internet" as this hive-minded group of people that like all the same things and all the same people. Yet, just ask about John Cena. Hell, even ask about Chris Jericho. You get a bunch of different opinions. Of those who know about RD Evans, it's an almost unanimous consensus that this guy is special and is a star and should be in WWE at least as a manager. He's that good.

Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein - Please visit his site to view the plentiful amounts of pictures he's taken for DGUSA, ROH and other indie feds: Get Lost Photography

Know Your Indie Wrestlers: Eddie Kingston

The Last of a Dying Breed

Who: Eddie Kingston
Also Known As: The War King, the King of Diamonds, Last of a Dying Breed, God's Middle Child
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 228 lbs.
Hometown: Yonkers, NY

Promotions: Chikara, CZW, JAPW, AIW, ROH (alumnus), PWG (alumnus), IWA-MS (alumnus)

Affiliations: He's a lone wolf, and I think that's the way he likes it.

Signature Moves:
Backfist to the Future


Backdrop Driver


Sliding D


LARIATO~!


Accolades:

CZW World Champion
CZW World Tag Team Champion (2x, 1 with Joker, 1 with Drake Younger)
IWA-MS Heavyweight Champion
IWA-MS Tag Team Champion (with Blackjack Marciano)
2010 Chikara Cibernetico Champion
JAPW Jersey State Champion

Promos:

Promo from Grit and Glory


Before his match against El Generico


Promoing on Lince Dorado


Pre-match vs. Drake Younger


Promo with Tommy Dreamer


All About Eddie Kingston:

His Matches - Eddie Kingston is the definition of an American strong-style brawler. His matches are very hard-hitting, full of big strikes, suplexes. They're sights to behold. He's a roughneck, and his matches are very much blue collar in feeling.

That being said, even if he is very much a workman's worker, he's still a big match player. He knows how to enhance the atmosphere and turn even an unannounced match in the midcard into one of the best matches on the show. He doesn't need to be in the main event to have his working shoes on, and to me, that's the sign of an elite wrestler.

His Character - Kingston is streetwise, tough as nails and a man whose pride carries his character. It's a very versatile character, one that plays well as a good guy or a bad guy, although really, it's been playing well in Chikara as the top hero there. Despite the fact that he can project a very menacing demeanor, he plays well as an underdog, as proven time and time again during the BDK angle.

I think a big reason why his character resonates is because he's a great promo. Seriously, he hits it out of the park anytime he's got a microphone in hand. Again, it's because he's such a genuine character. He feels real.

Why You Should Know Him - Kingston is arguably Chikara's biggest star. I'd say if you could bet on indie wrestling, you'd get even money odds on the War King taking the 12 Large Summit. While he's not in ROH, PWG or other big name feds, he's a known name on the East Coast, and although Southern California is catching up, this coast, especially in the feds where Kingston is prominent, is still the most important area for indie wrestling.

Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein - Please visit his site to view the plentiful amounts of pictures he's taken for DGUSA, ROH and other indie feds: Get Lost Photography

Know Your Indie Wrestlers: Claudio Castagnoli

Very European

Who: Claudio Castagnoli
Also Known As: Very European, the Swiss Stalwart
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 222 lbs.
Hometown: The United Banks of Switzerland

Promotions: ROH, PWG, Chikara, NWA Hollywood (alumnus), EVOLVE (alumnus), CZW (alumnus), Pro Wrestling NOAH, IWA-MS (alumnus), JCW

Affiliations: His most famous and classic affiliation is with Chris Hero. As the Kings of Wrestling, they've made the indie tag team scene their bitches on two separate occasions. They're often seconded by Sara del Rey, and in ROH, regrettably by Shane Hagadorn. In Chikara, Claudio is one of the most prominent figures in the BDK.

Twitter: @ccastagnoli
Youtube: Claudio's Cafe Found Here

Signature Moves:
Ricola Bomb


Giant Swing


Swiss Death


Bicycle Kick


Les Artess Driver


KRS-ONE (with Chris Hero)


Ragnarok (with Ares and Tursas)


Accolades:
PWG World Heavyweight Championship (current)
Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas (2x, Chris Hero 1x and Ares 1x)
2010 Chikara King of Trios Champions (with Ares and Tursas)
Chikara Tag World Gran Prix Champions (2x, 2005 with Arik Cannon, 2006 with Chris Hero)
2007 Chikara Torneo Cibernetico winner
ROH World Tag Team Championships (2x, with Chris Hero)
CZW World Tag Team Championships (2x, with Chris Hero)
JCW World Tag Team Championships (with Chris Hero)
2010 Wrestling Observer Tag Team of the Year (with Chris Hero)

Promos:

CZW Promo


Promo on Chuck Taylor
rt

Responding to Chris Hero's challenge


Clutch of Doom promo on The Colony


Dead Men Don't Laugh promo on Team Frightning


All About Claudio Castagnoli:

His Matches - In the indies, Claudio is a giant among men. Yes, there are other guys, including Hero, who have the height, but Claudio actually looks like he shouldn't be there. This isn't a bad thing, as it totally creates some unique style contrasts the smaller guys around the independent scene. Wrestling Claudio is almost like a litmus test. See, many of the smaller guys in the indies do good flips or have an impressive workrate or they look good against each other. But when they wrestle Claudio, if they can't bump huge for his offense, then they're not worthy of your praise.

But Claudio is not to be a man defined by other people. No, the reason why he's more than just a canvas for guys to bump off is because he looks so natural in the ring. He can do the big power stuff and look really aggressive, but he has a sense of fun, almost whimsical nature to his offense at times. I love his "no hands" approach to his UFO, and the giant spin, especially done on guys like Grizzly Redwood, is an amazing, crowd-involving move. He makes everything look easy and fun.

His Character - It's funny, he's such a mild-mannered-seeming guy from his Tweets or when he's a face, but he can turn the menace on and it works. He's extremely versatile, and honestly, despite his size, you don't expect that from him because he's so charismatic and personable that it can be hard to picture him terrorizing small children and being evil. That's why he needs to be seen to be believed.

And for a guy whose third language might be English, let alone first or second, his promos are surprisingly smooth. He's definitely the immigrant wrestler success story, and over the last decade, he's become one of the most well-rounded character wrestlers in the indies right now.

Why You Should Know Him - It's not a secret. Claudio is one of my favorite wrestlers on any level right now. A lot of people agree with me here. HE always gets a reaction, no matter what side of the alignment chart he's on. He's also made people in higher places notice. Once before, he had a WWE contract. If you believe the scuttlebutt, he and Hero have one on the table now. Again, it's a rumor. Believe me, the only people who know whether there is one there or not are the Kings and the HR people in WWE. I'm fine with that. But, if those rumors are true, I can say that there aren't two guys in the indies right now who aren't signed to a major company (especially since Austin Aries just won an Impact contract as we speak) who deserve to get paid more.

But if they don't have a contract offer or if they choose ROH over WWE? Well, it might be selfish of us, but at the same time, we'll get to see more of Claudio in the indies. That's a good thing for us indie devotees. No matter where he's at though, he's definitely a guy to seek out. He's very much one of the most well-rounded, best wrestlers going today.

Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein - Please visit his site to view the plentiful amounts of pictures he's taken for DGUSA, ROH and other indie feds: Get Lost Photography

Know Your Indie Wrestlers: The Colony

The 2011 King of Trios Champions

Who: The Colony (Fire Ant, Soldier Ant, Green Ant, Worker Ant [former member])
Also Known As: Energetic Insectoid Grappler (Fire), Militant Mat Mite (Soldier), Resilient Rookie (Green)
Heights: 5'7" (Fire), 5'8" (Soldier), 6'2" (Green)
Weights: 166 lbs. (Fire), 162 lbs. (Soldier), 182 lbs. (Green)
Hometown: The Ant Hill

Promotions: Chikara

Affiliations: With each other, of course. They also have loose affiliations with Mike Quackenbush and several other Chikara tecnicos.

Twitter: Green Ant - @GreenAntCHIKARA

Signature Moves:

Ant Hill Splash


Ants Go Marching


Fire Ant - Beach Break


Green Ant - Cloverleaf


Accolades:

2011 King of Trios
Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas (Fire and Soldier)
2008 Chikara Tag World Grand Prix (Fire and Soldier)
Young Lions Cup (Fire)

Promos:

Before a CdP defense against the BDK


King of Trios '11 promo


Before wrestling the Portal for the CdP


All About The Colony:

Their Matches - Separately, each Ant has his own style. Fire Ant has a lot of highspots and big head dropping moves. He also is part of the stiff-ass indie kicker clique. Soldier Ant gimmicks his moves as militarily as possible. A lot of forearm strikes and headbutts as well. Green Ant is the most "classic" worker out of all of them. When they're together, expect to see a lot of really fun, enthusiastic and vibrant double and triple team moves. Any trios match that they're a part of is going to be a match to remember.

Their Characters - It's unique. Soldier and Fire don't talk a whole lot, choosing to express their characters either by grunting and gesticulating (Fire) or playing up the military salutes and commands (Soldier). When Worker Ant was part of the group, he was their mouthpiece. Green Ant, naturally, replaced him. Green Ant lately has taken on a tongue-in-cheek adoption of the All-American Lex Luger character, going on the Flex Express to take down Tursas.

Why You Should Know Them - They are quite possibly the marquee act in Chikara right now. The BDK storyline over the last two years has been entwined in the Colony as much as any other tecnico presence, even moreso than Quack, UltraMantis Black or Eddie Kingston. The story of King of Trios '10 was more about them getting screwed than it was the BDK ascending. The story of King of Trios '11 though was their redemption.

They're definitely among the most fan favorite teams in the company, so them being the face of the company works. They've got the work and the intensity for the adults and the colorful costumes and vibrant personalities for the kids. They're pretty much a full-service trio. Chikara would do worse than to have a top team than these guys.

Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein - Please visit his site to view the plentiful amounts of pictures he's taken for DGUSA, ROH and other indie feds: Get Lost Photography

Know Your Indie Wrestlers: Sara del Rey

Death Rey

Who: Sara del Rey
Also Known As: Death Rey, Queen of Wrestling
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 150 lbs.
Hometown: Martinez, CA

Promotions: SHIMMER, Chikara, ROH, WSU, JAPW (alumna), ACW

Affiliations: In Chikara, she's a member of the devious and deadly BDK. Otherwise, she's found palling around with the Kings of Wrestling as their queen.

Twitter: @TheSaraDelRey

Signature Moves:

Piledriver


Top 10 Moves, including bridging fallaway slam and Royal Butterfly


Accolades:
SHIMMER World Championship
JAPW Women's Champion (current, perhaps final)
ROH Undisputed Intergender Heavyweight Tag Team Championship (w/ Chris Hero)

Promos:

Sara and Daizee are furious over the lack of competition


Promo on Kong and Raesha


A candid talk about women in wrestling


Promo on Daffney


All About Sara del Rey:

Her Matches - She's not the biggest competitor, even among her peers in the women's divisions or in SHIMMER. However, regardless of how much mass or height she has or doesn't have, she's always projecting a fearsome aura. She's definitely the prototype of the female bully, only one that isn't a larger woman. I think that makes her unique, whether she wrestles men or women. She's got some of the best strikes of any gender, especially her koppo kick which is strangely not clipped anywhere on Youtube (or maybe it is, and I'm lazy). I also absolutely love that she uses the piledriver as a finisher. Not a tombstone or a fire thunder or any other variant, but a regular, Memphis-style piledriver. She's definitely the best female wrestler in America right now, at least in my estimation.

Her Character - In nearly every promotion I've seen her, she seems to play down her femininity and work as a bully like she does in the ring. From the facepaint to the menacing scowl, she's the most unladylike of the current crop of women wrestlers. With her ROH/KoW-second character as the Queen of Wrestling, it works brilliantly. She's the new prototype of woman wrestler, one who, despite her obvious inherent good looks and somewhat petite size, doesn't rely on her looks at all and instead on her ability in the ring. It's a brilliantly simple character.

Why You Should Know Her - Honestly, I may be biased, because she's my favorite female in any wrestling promotion, but I think that Sara del Rey is must see whenever she's in the ring or even out of it. It's a good thing, because she's in very high demand. Whether it's in Chikara, SHIMMER, WSU, start-up women's feds or in any women's division, you can count on her being there and turning in great performances. She's clearly making her case to join her former peer Awesome Kong in WWE as part of a new movement of anti-Divas who can actually wrestle and do more than shake their tits and ass.

The thing is that she dowdies herself down and is actually very, very attractive when she accentuates her femininity. However, I think that it makes a very poignant point. She could very well make it to WWE by glitzing up, putting on a shit-ton of makeup and a push-up bra and trying to fit the mold. She doesn't, and I think she's a credit to women's wrestling for doing it. She's talented and it seems like she wants to make it on her merits as a wrestler. That's awesome to me, maybe the biggest reason why I think I have such a crush on her. She definitely has enough talent as well, maybe the most in my estimation.

SO yeah, you need to know her, because if she's not the best in the world, she's at least one of them. She's just about the biggest star remaining on the indie scene, maybe tied with Serena and Cheerleader Melissa, and if she's on a card in your town, I think you need to be there just to see what she does. I think that goes double for if she's in town with Chikara, because she's most likely wrestling intergender, and those are the best examples of her talent.

Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein - Please visit his site to view the plentiful amounts of pictures he's taken for DGUSA, ROH and other indie feds: Get Lost Photography

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

Know Your Indie Wrestlers: Kevin Steen

Mr. Wrestling

Who: Kevin Steen
Also Known As: Mr. Wrestling IV
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 238 lbs.
Hometown: Marieville, QC

Promotions: PWG, ROH (alumnus), C*4, IWS, CZW (alumnus)

Affiliations: His most current affiliation is in the Nightmare Violence Connection in PWG with Akira Tozawa. Even though Tozawa will be leaving America for the time being, I assume the bond will remain strong. In ROH, he was last seen palling around with Steve Corino, and the rumor is he'll be returning a changed man with Corino and Jimmy Jacobs to combat the House of Truth. His most classic pairing was with El Generico, but that was shattered at Final Battle 2009 with a chairshot to the head.

Twitter: @SteenIsChange

Signature Moves:
Package Piledriver


Steenalizer


Apron Powerbomb


CAAAAAANONBALLLLLLLL


The most impressive 450 splash I've ever seen


Moonsault


Accolades:
PWG World Heavyweight Championship
PWG World Tag Team Championship (2x, w/ El Generico)
ROH World Tag Team Championship (w/ El Generico)
IWS World Heavyweight Championship (3x)
IWS Canadian Championship
C*4 Championship
C*4 Tag Team Championship (w/ Mike Bailey)
CZW Iron Man Championship
2010 Wrestling Observer Best Brawler
2010 Wrestling Observer Feud of the Year (vs. El Generico)

Promos:

Promo to Sylvian Grenier en Francaise


Pre-Survival of the Fittest 2010


2005 Promo for PWG as Champion


Interrupting AJ Styles


C*4 Promo


Steen vs. Southwest


Post-match promo with Akira Tozawa


All About Kevin Steen:

His Matches - If you've never seen a Kevin Steen match, then I feel like you're missing out. Seriously, he's one of the best all-around grapplers in the game today, indies, mainstream, American or foreign. You have this guy, and he's not a bodybuilder or a beanpole, and yet he flies around more gracefully than most spot machines anywhere. I mean, did you see the moonsault and the 450 I posted above? They're among the best in the business. He also is among the best brawlers in the industry. Dave Meltzer and his readers weren't full of shit here when they voted him Best Brawler last year. I've seen him in person tearing it up with Colt Cabana and El Generico.

The best part about him isn't the flying or the brawling. No, he's a bona fide head dropper. That package piledriver, taken by the one and only Bryce Remsburg TWICE, is one of the best moves going today. And if that weren't all, the guy's so expressive and emotive in the ring. His facial expressions are top notch. As a heel, his taunting is excellent and adds so much to his matches. Hell, he even COMMENTATED his own match a couple of time last year in ROH. Seriously, you want to talk about the "Best in the World" moniker now that Danielson's left the indies, don't look at Davey Richards. Don't look at Eddie Edwards, or Low Ki or even Claudio Castagnoli, Chris Hero or Akira Tozawa. It's Kevin Steen. It's always been Kevin Steen.

His Character - The meme among Internet fans is guys are always better heel than face. While I think that's bullshit in most cases, in this one, it's true. While Steen's an alright face character, his best work comes as a heel, a sadistic almost psychopathic heel with silly undertones that only serve to bolster his sickness in-character. Just go back to the feud with Generico last year; Steen played his character perfectly.

As a face, he can be a little dry, but then again, there have been some great moments of him as a babyface in promos where he'd just deadpan lines or look at the guy in the segment with him like he was nuts, totally making the scene work. Still, while his face work isn't bad, as a younger Hannibal Lecter, he shines brightest.

Why You Should Know Him - Steen is one of the most versatile wrestlers out there in the indies today. Why he's not on WWE's radar is beyond me, but if I were in Johnny Ace's or Jim Ross' spot, I'd be throwing a developmental deal at him faster than you can say l'etats, c'est moi. Be that as it may though, he's definitely one of the best guys on the indie scene, which makes it that much more baffling why ROH let him go at the end of last year, just to replace him with guys like Homicide (who's good, but a retread) and Rhino (who blows).

Regardless, we're lucky for having Steen on the indies. He's a treat to watch, and I'm not alone in this. Steen is among the most fan-favorite wrestlers among the indies, garnering huge positive reactions despite his alignment. The fact that he's so over means that feds want to book him. If he comes to a promotion in your town, buy tickets as soon as he's announced. Seriously, he's that good.

Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein - Please visit his site to view the plentiful amounts of pictures he's taken for DGUSA, ROH and other indie feds: Get Lost Photography

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

Know Your Indie Wrestlers: Chris Hero

That Young Knockout Kid

Who: Chris Hero
Also Known As: That Young Knockout Kid, Your Hero
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 240 lbs.
Hometown: Metropolis

Promotions: ROH, PWG, Chikara (alumnus), CZW (alumnus), JCW, EVOLVE (alumnus), various foreign promotions

Affiliations: He forms one-half of the Kings of Wrestling with Claudio Castagnoli in ROH and in other promotions. He can also be found managed by Shane Hagadorn and seconded by Sara del Rey. He also is known from time-to-time to enter the broadcast booth with Excalibur in PWG.

Twitter: @TheChrisHero

Signature Moves:
Death Blow


Hero's Welcome


Elbow montage


Death Is Welcome


Hangman's Clutch


Accolades:
PWG World Heavyweight Champion
ROH World Tag Team Champion (2x, with Claudio Castagnoli)
ROH Survival of the Fittest, 2007
ROH Tag Wars Champion, 2010 (with Claudio Castagnoli)
ROH Undisputed World Intergender Tag Team Champion (with Sara del Rey)
Chikara Campeon de Parejas (with Claudio Castagnoli)
Chikara World Tag Grand Prix Winner, 2006 (with Claudio Castagnoli)
JCW World Tag Team Champion (with Claudio Castagnoli)
IWA-MS Heavyweight Champion (4x)
CZW World Heavyweight Champion
CZW World Tag Team Champion (2x, with Claudio Castagnoli)
CZW Iron Man Championship
Wrestling Observer Newsletter Tag Team of the Year, 2010 (with Claudio Castagnoli)

Promos:













All About Chris Hero:

His Matches - Hero has gone through a few phases in his career. First, he was all about the cravate. Then, he morphed into "That Young Knockout Kid", using his elbows at every chance he could. He still loves him some elbows, but he's rounded out his style. What you get with a Hero match depends on the setting. He loves his strikes no matter what setting, but the level of storytelling differs with where he's at. In Japan, he blends in with the style. In PWG, he's arguably their ace performer and will go balls-out to have the best matches on the card. In ROH, his style is mixed more with the classic, North American main event style with emphasis on selling and pacing. He's become also one of the preeminent tag team wrestlers in the land, as he and Claudio Castagnoli have established themselves as an elite team twice during the last decade.

His Character - Hero has the cocksure, supremely talented heel character down to a tee. It's evolved a lot over the years with different levels of refinement. Right now, it's about as polished as you'll find it. He speaks with a certain confidence, a bravado that an elder indie statesman should be expected to promo with. The best is his chemistry with Castagnoli. They really are the perfect tag team, even though both of them are also stellar on their own as singles wrestlers.

Why You Should Know Him - He's too good for TNA and shockingly and disappointingly ignored and rebuffed by WWE. You need to get to know Hero because as long as he'll be wrestling in America, he'll belong to the indie scene. That's not necessarily a bad thing for us the fans. Hero is a hard worker, a talented character and someone who wrestles in as many feds as he can while Stateside, honing his craft and becoming one of the best in the world at what he does. He can wrestle in any style, against any kind of opponent, and still be excellent. He's also one of the best pure heel wrestlers in the land, and is able to make whomever he feuds against, be it an underdog, a fan-favorite elite level worker or even a gruff, rough-around-the-edges warrior like Eddie Kingston, feel like someone you can get behind.

Hopefully, the WWE does see the light on him, because he deserves to get to the next level without having to fly across the Pacific every couple of months. Until then though, he remains one of the biggest reasons to follow ROH and PWG and one of the only reasons why you'd want to associate with the Insane Clown Posse (who, for all their flaws, do get big names for their wrestling promotion). Chris Hero is one of the best wrestlers in the world today, and he's a big reason why you should dig deeper than what you find on cable TV.

Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein - Please visit his site to view the plentiful amounts of pictures he's taken for DGUSA, ROH and other indie feds: Get Lost Photography

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!