A quarter century ago, Super Hentai, a veteran with nearly three decades of experience under his belt by 2026, was hoisted onto the shoulders of his fellow competitors after he made it through three rounds of matches to win the first-ever Super Indy tournament. He defeated Orion, CM Punk, and Christopher Daniels in the same night to claim the trophy.
The eight competitors that assembled the field that night in Monroeville, Pennsylvania didn’t know it at the time, but the one-night tournament format, a dramatic test of endurance and skill, would not only become one of the most storied events in the history of Pittsburgh, but also one of the most prestigious tournaments anywhere on the independent circuit in the decades that followed.
“Being a Participant in the first Super Indy elevated my career to a whole new level. Being considered to be worthy enough of being in the same category with guys like CM Punk, Christopher Daniels, and Chris Hero is something I will forever be grateful for. I’ve seen the tournament evolve into something that I would consider to be one of the most prestigious tournaments in professional wrestling. I can list so many people that have graced IWC with their presence over the course of the last two decades and all of them are household names,” remarked CJ Sensation, senior official and backstage organizer for the promotion.
It’s certainly apropos that Super Hentai, the grappling stalwart that won the inaugural Super Indy, will make his return to the tournament when the International Wrestling Cartel, one of the longest-running independent leagues in the country, presents Super Indy 25 at Marx’s Court Time, the home base for the organization for the past twenty years, this Saturday in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania.
The concept of the tournament was designed to crown a Super Indy champion, a title that is put up for grabs each year, with the current champion sometimes defending it throughout the night, or the anticipation of a new titleholder based on who made it through the grueling format. Super Indy became synonymous for bringing some of the best talent in the business to the area for memorable nights of action that fans still talk about years later.
AJ Styles, Chris Sabin, Petey Williams, Matt Sydal, Adam Cole, Larry Sweeney, Colt Cabana, Joaquin Wilde, and Claudio Castagnoli are just some of the numerous national names that competed alongside stellar local talent such as Glenn Spectre, Gory, and Troy Lords.
More than just the participants of the tournament, Super Indy remains such a staple on the Pittsburgh calendar because of the memorable moments that it provided. Low Ki smashing his way through the field until John McChesney refused to wilt under the pressure in the final round, scoring a flash pin on the original Ring Of Honor champion to claim a victory that sent the fans in attendance jumping from their seats in 2005. Local favorite, Jimmy DeMarco went toe-to-toe with Necro Butcher in a violent street fight in 2009. Josh Alexander put on an absolute clinic with technical specialist, Jonathan Gresham in 2016.
“I think Super Indy has always evolved with the times and with the state of independent wrestling. Under the three different owners, there have really been three different versions of the tournament. In the early years, there weren’t many platforms for fans to discover the rare independent wrestlers. So, Super Indy was one of those places where you could see someone you may not have known much about before. The middle years, to me, probably reflected the true essence of what Super Indy became by showcasing talent that you would eventually see on a national platform. Today, independent wrestling is completely different. Fans have access to wrestlers from all over the world, so there are fewer unknown names and more established talent or wrestlers who have already been discovered. Super Indy has changed along with that, but the idea of bringing together great outside talent, alongside standout local talent, and giving them a stage to show what they can do, has remained the same,” explained Jason Fosnaught, who works as a backstage producer for IWC today, but broke into the sport years ago in the organization as Orion.
With such a milestone of the 25th anniversary of the tournament, the 2026 edition will be no exception to the standard set with the previous track record, as some of the brightest young talent on the independents today will serve as a compliment to the major star power that will be hosted by the IWC, creating the compelling dynamics of opportunity for the next generation to compete against those national names.
Major headlines were made when Nic Nemeth, a former WWE and current TNA world champion, was announced as a participant in this year’s field. The former Dolph Ziggler had an accomplished amateur background at the nearby Kent State University, and while the glitz of the television cameras have captured his star power for several years, the Super Indy tournament can give him a chance to showcase his tremendous mat skills. Another former WWE star, Tyler Breeze was also announced for the tournament when he will meet Nemeth in first round action. Breeze, a former NXT tag team champion, was deemed vastly underrated for most of his television career so again, the platform of Super Indy allows him to spotlight his skills.
“Calling my first Super Indy is a literal dream. The Super Indy tournament is so historic in not just Pittsburgh wrestling, but independent wrestling. The names that have gone through this tournament are legendary. As someone is just over a year in this business being able to say that I called a tournament with the TNA World Champion Nic Nemeth, Breeze, Super Hentai, and so many other greats that are on TV is a true honor,” said Austin Cairns, one of the top play-by-play commentators in the area today.
The previously mentioned Super Hentai drew Canadian standout Shimbashi, who was actually born the same year that Hentai won the original Super Indy tournament. Dubbed “The Canadian Dragon,” Shimbashi is a dynamic athlete that has already turned heads on both sides of the boarder. The five-year pro is only beginning to enter the prime of his career, and IWC could discover a gem if the youngster makes a name for himself in the steel city in one night if he wins the Super Indy championship. On the flip side, what a story it would be if Hentai wins the tournament again 25 years after he won the initial tournament?
While Shimbashi will make his IWC debut in the tournament, on the other end of the spectrum, another Canadian that is very familiar with the organization is slated to compete in the first round as well. Greektown Wrestling’s Channing Decker, a multi-time IWC tag team champion over the span of many years, will squared off with the current Super Indy champion, Zach Nystrom. A seven-year pro, Nystrom spent the first portion of his career as a successful tag team competitor, but within more recent years, he has really come into his own, leading to his title win a few months ago. Considering that Nystrom is regarded as one of the best of the current crop of Pittsburgh talent, it seems like a run throughout the tournament to keep the belt around his waist could be exactly what he needs to cemented himself as potentially the best singles wrestler in the region.
In a prime example of the variety of the Super Indy format, it will be a battle of the big men to close out the opening round when Bill Collier, known as Agent Zero in TNA and one of the longest reigning IWC heavyweight champions in the history of the organization, will step into the ring with Sam Holloway, a talented youngster from the Buckeye state that many pundits have predicted a very bright future for in the industry.
A few non-tournament matches will bring together the rest of an all-star cast for a series of tag team contests. An eight-man tag will see Elijah Dean, NWA star Spencer Slade, the dynamic Austin Blaze, and former IWC champion Jami Jameson compete against the combination of the current IWC heavyweight champion Duke Davis, former titleholder Andrew Palace, Wes Barkley, and Felix Koz. The IWC Tag Team titles will be on the line in a ladder match when longtime radio personality and the founder of the International Wrestling Cartel, Bubba The Bulldog and his partner, Bulk Nasty defend the belts against The Dead Presidents, the combination of Storm Wrestling Academy alumni, RC Dupree and his stablemate, Johnny Mahalo, a two-year pro that learned the ropes under the IWC banner at the Iron City Wrestling Academy. The Dead Presidents are a mysterious rouge group that have targeted many throughout the promotion in the past several months, will the faction play a role at Super Indy?
“We’ve got TV talent, we’ve got our first Super Indy champion, we’ve got some of the best young contracted talent in the business, the longest-reigning heavyweight champion in IWC history, and guys looking to win their first championship in IWC. There are so many different stories and so many different paths this tournament can take that I think anything really is the best way to describe what fans should expect from Super Indy 25,” commented Fosnaught.
One thing is for sure, when Super Indy celebrates it’s silver anniversary, it will be a memorable night in the history books, as the tournament has been such a defining event that has shaped the direction of the Pittsburgh scene for the past 25 years.
For more information about the event, you can go to iwcwrestling.com
For information on how to watch the live broadcast, you can go to https://independentwrestling.tv/promotions/international-wrestling-cartel?sort=event_desc
Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
Email [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
