When Will Matt Vertigo Return To The Ring?
The Territory Champion and UWA Elite Champion has a lot of plans for 2022.
Step aside, Becky Lynch. Two Strap Matt has arrived.
Matt Vertigo made history in November, defeating Vincent Valentine for the UWA Elite Championship at Last Breath. The Long Island native earned the opportunity by outlasting 29 other competitors in the Brawl For It All, UWA Elite’s version of the Royal Rumble. Now the “New York Drip,” who has been the inaugural Territory Champion for close to 300 days, has two titles around his waist.
But he hasn’t been able to defend them in 2022.
While challenging Valentine, Matt Vertigo was tossed over a table and his right elbow hit the wall. It led to a bad case of bursitis, but the double champ refused to slow down. It wasn’t until a week before Christmas, after a successful Territory Championship defense against Breaux Keller at sWo, that Vertigo realized he needed to pause his blossoming career and properly recuperate.
“In sports in general, no one wants to miss time,” Matt Vertigo told The Wrestling Estate. “Sometimes, you have setbacks. This is a very minor one. I’ll be back soon.”
Following surgery, Vertigo has been undergoing physical therapy and plans to announce when he’ll return to the ring at UWA Elite Setting the Standard on Feb. 19. Perfect timing because that same night in South River, NJ, there will be an Ultimate Turmoil match, featuring eight men who all want a crack at the gold. Whoever wins, gets it.
While Vertigo is familiar with all the potential challengers, he has a deeper history with some of them. Joey Adams, for instance, has battled him in the “craziest bangers.” If they met one more time – for UWA Elite’s richest prize – it would be the culmination of years of storytelling. On the other hand, Boom Harden has only faced Vertigo once, in a loss last summer. Flash Carter is another up-and-comer who piques the champion’s interest.
“Guys like Flash Carter and Jay Evans and Boom Harden, I want to give them a platform to showcase their skills,” Vertigo says. “It won’t be easy for them. I’m the champion for a reason. It’ll remain that way, but I want to give these other wrestlers who bust their ass every single day a chance. That’s exactly what I was given, so now it’s my chance to give that same platform to other people.”
BT Bull is another hungry wrestler eager for a chance. Formerly known as Brandon the Bull, the bruiser made a drastic change, donning business attire and aligning with the devious Nicholas Kaye. Bull ran roughshod over the New Jersey-based promotion for seven months as UWA Elite iChampion before losing to King Tek in October.
“He’s on the same trajectory I was on,” says Vertigo, who has been in the company for over a decade. “If Bull gets the shot, he’d be a tough person to stop, but at the end of the day, I’m the top guy.”
Everybody wants to be the top guy in UWA Elite. Whether it’s Mike C-Way, Lukas Finnegan, Hedges or anybody else, Vertigo is ready to stake his claim as the leader of the pack. Admittedly, though, he’s pulling for Sean “Damage” McNelis, who interfered on Valentine’s behalf in the UWA Elite Championship match.
“I busted my ass for that title and he tried to prevent me,” Vertigo says. “He tried to stick his nose where it didn’t belong in my main event. If he gets the shot, I’d put him in his place and make sure that was his last opportunity for this belt.”
It remains to be seen how long we’ll have to wait until Two Strap Matt is back in action, but if you’re a gambling man, odds are sooner rather than later. After all, he has some lofty expectations for 2022, which he coins “the year of the debuts.”
“GCW, AEW, JCW, NWA, those are all destinations I’m looking forward to hopefully being a part of this year and the future,” Vertigo says. “We’re in a hot time for indie wrestling right now, especially on the East Coast. As long as I can keep up this momentum, I’ll be up there with the top names. And trust me, I’ll keep this momentum rolling.”
UWA Elite’s Setting the Standard takes place Feb. 19 at the South River VFW in South River, NJ.
For tickets and more information, visit https://www.uwaelite.
You can watch all of UWA Elite’s past events on the UWA Elite Network.
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