AEW's Daniel Garcia On Current Trends In Indie Wrestling
“People just want to see somebody get messed up”
After the COVID-19 pandemic brought the wrestling business to a screeching halt, many wondered if the independent scene would survive. But since live events resumed, the indie scene is thriving once more, with different styles and promotions putting out specific content to carve their own niche.
AEW’s Daniel Garcia recognises this, and in conversation with Jon Alba on the One On One Podcast, Red Death said the following about the current state of indie wrestling:
“I feel like we go through different eras of wrestling, in independent wrestling anyway. We were in an era for a while of work rate, which was coming off the Ring Of Honor era going into PWG, where it was just having the craziest match you could imagine and that is what would get you over. Then we transitioned into an era of GIFs where if the match was whatever, that was alright. But as long as you could get a good clip out of it and it starts trending on Twitter, you’ll get booked and that would get you over.
“Then we’ve got to an era of micro-content, that I like to call it. Where you’ve got the Danhausen’s and the Warhorse’s and people who are putting out these short little videos, niche stuff. They are getting over a very strong character to a niche audience. Now I feel like we are entering an era of violence where people just want to see somebody get hurt. Deathmatches are super popular right now, and I hate saying it but, ‘shoot-style pro wrestling’ is really popular right now. People just want to see somebody get messed up, and I feel like those are a couple of different eras of independent wrestling over the past couple of years.”
H/T: Wrestling inc.