Indie Promoters Announce Territory Championship
The inaugural champion will be crowned at the 25th annual Super 8.
In an exclusive video presented by The Wrestling Estate, three independent wrestling promotions have announced the creation of a new title.
The Territory Championship will be defended at ECWA, Synergy Pro Wrestling and UWA Elite, as well as other promotions to be announced in the future. The inaugural champion will be crowned at the 25th annual Super 8 on May 1 at The Jersey Dugout in Morganville, NJ. “People want promotions to start working together,” said Ryan Kavanaugh, ECWA representative. “It’s better for the fans, the wrestlers and the business itself.”
Qualifying matches will take place at ECWA Night of Unusual Matches on April 3 at The Jersey Dugout, UWA Elite’s Setting the Standard on April 17 at the South River VFW and Synergy’s return to the Monster Factory on April 24. “It’s an opportunity for not just promotions, not just wrestlers, but for wrestling fans to really help bring together the independent wrestling circuit just a little bit closer under one tight-knit umbrella,” said Dave Swan, owner of UWA Elite.
The announcement was teased earlier this week when The Wrestling Estate learned that these indie promotions would be working together, mirroring what’s been happening on TV with AEW, Impact Wrestling and New Japan.
“Fans are passionate and will follow wrestlers from promotion to promotion,” said Colin West, owner of Synergy. “A championship defended with the business in mind and not individual promotions in mind allows that championship to be for the wrestlers and for the fans. Multiple people and multiple promotions can come together to highlight a championship that can tell great stories from one show to another.”
The Wrestling Estate will have exclusive coverage of the Territory Championship, bringing you live results of every defense and in-depth profiles of the champions and challengers.
Swan launched UWA Elite in 2011 with a focus on family-friendly, episodic pro wrestling featuring colorful characters and compelling stories. Notable names like Jay Lethal, KTB and Brandon Kirk have cut their teeth in UWA.
Synergy was founded in 2017 by Dan and Heather Funkenstein, owners of Funkenstein Wrestling Superstore. West was brought on board as creative director, and in 2019, he took over the promotion. Over the past three years, the company has evolved from P.G. sensibilities to a more mature product. “The Bulldozer” Matt Tremont was the first Synergy Champion, followed by Frightmare, Matt Macintosh, Kirk and now Jordan Oliver.
In March, West presents the Synergy Offseason Special, a new series of 60-minute episodes airing exclusively on IWTV. Synergy also joins IWTV’s Showcase of the Independents LIVE at noon EST on April 10 in Tampa, FL. #SynergyVS pits Synergy’s best against the best of the independents.
ECWA is considered the longest-running independent wrestling promotion in the United States. Jim Kettner created the company in 1967, when he promoted his first show in his backyard, and it grew into a breeding ground for future stars, such as Christian, Christopher Daniels, Low Ki, Billy Kidman and more.
After 43 years of promoting, Kettner retired in 2010 and sold the company to Mike Tartaglia. At the end of 2019, longtime matchmaker Joe Zanolle took over with the help of Kavanaugh. On May 1, ECWA presents the 25th annual Super 8 tournament, the predecessor for all tournaments on the indie scene.
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