Wrestling Open Airing Episode No. 100

The cutting-edge indie wrestling show airs live every Thursday on IWTV

The future of pro wrestling is airing live every Thursday night.

For the past 14 years, Beyond Wrestling has served as a launchpad for independent wrestlers. Last year, Beyond founder Drew Cordeiro embarked on uncharted territory by starting a new weekly show streaming on IWTV focused on developing new talent through applying an open mic night model to pro wrestling.

Results have been startling. Newer talent has exposure to veterans, as well as receive the luxury of added reps in the ring and on the mic while branching out on a regional level. More experienced wrestlers get a fresh taste of the joys of pro wrestling, all while bringing life to the White Eagle venue in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Paul Crockett and Drew Cordeiro bringing life to the broadcast table / Courtesy Wrestling Open

A key part of the Wrestling Open heartbeat is play-by-play announcer Paul Crockett, who is a trusted voice for Cordeiro. He will call Episode 100 of Wrestling Open later this evening, which will be carried by an exciting slate of matches including budding stars like Alec Price, who faces Joe Ocasio, as well as a tag title match pitting Miracle Gen against Swipe Right, and Ichiban defending the Wrestling Open championship in a highly anticipated bout against “Big Bacon” Brad Hollister.

“As play-by-play announcer, I’ve seen every second of every show,” said Crockett, whose value to Beyond extends far beyond his work on the broadcast. “I obsess over crowd reactions and how the crowd reacts, and how that can benefit our talent as they find out who they are in and out of the ring.

“The creation of Wrestling Open was a risk. We were asking people to come out here and bet on themselves. But we continue to bet on ourselves.”

For nearly two years, Wrestling Open has run weekly live television every Thursday. Even when there was an emergency in their venue, the show was moved last-minute to the nearby Worcester Palladium to ensure it would run.

“These are young, and sometimes experienced, athletes showing off what they can do and working to get better at what they do, and doing it in an environment where there are long-term stories being told,” said Crockett. “And we take a lot of pride in knowing that the stories make sense. This isn’t just violence for the sake of violence. It tells a story.”

Ichiban crowned himself the first-ever Wrestling Open champion this past April. He defeated Hollister, who, even without the belt, has served as the backbone of the weekly program.

Hollister, who started his career in 2008, was a key part of Northeast Wrestling, even taking part in matches against the likes of Cody Rhodes and Jake Hager.

“I’ve been very lucky in my career,” said Hollister. “The opportunities I was able to get in Northeast Wrestling helped me learn a lot from people who are way better than me. So I was able to take that to Wrestling Open when I was at a low point in my career.”

Courtesy Wrestling Open

But Hollister tore his ACL right before the pandemic, rushed back, then reached a point where the future of his career was in question. Then the opportunity to be part of Wrestling Open appeared, and it has revitalized his passion and it continues to bring out his best in the ring.

“I credit that to the weekly format of Wrestling Open,” said Hollister. “Some of these wrestlers are in their early 20s, getting to work in front of a live audience at least once a week. Now, with how much the platform has grown, they are getting opportunities at other places. After my first week there, I was hooked. I got into the best shape of my life, and I got better with the weekly reps. I am at the point now where I physically and mentally feel sharper than ever. Also, with it being weekly, I have been given a lot more chances to show my personality.

“With the 100th episode tonight, I’ve been lucky enough to say that I’ve been a part of the two biggest moments in Wrestling Open history: the Steel Cage Warfare match at Wrestival last year and the tournament finals against Ichiban. In both of those matches, I came up short. So at 100, I want to show that I can win the big one when he is across the ring from me. We have a lot of pressure to top our last match. I know the competitor that we both are, so there is zero doubt in my mind that we will do just that.”

Courtesy Wrestling Open

Wrestling Open embodies the spirit of independent wrestling. Its ethos is giving independent performers the platform to develop their skillset, perform in the ring, and tell stories in a different manner on a weekly basis, which is a rarity on the independent level.

Crockett is honored to make the call for show no. 100. Since the creation of Wrestling Open, his mindset has not wavered: he firmly believes the action in the ring will captivate wrestling fans to the point where they will become weekly viewers.

“At the beginning, people were questioning the platform,” said Crockett. “No one is questioning it anymore. “If you give us a chance, you’ll see there is nothing else like this.”