The closing of Deadlock Pro Wrestling has got me thinking about indie wrestling in general, specifically the number of people I've seen say something along the lines of "I wish I'd gone when I had the chance."
This isn't to denigrate those people, I wish I'd gone to DPW too, but it does lay bare some of the problems plaguing the indies. If the company that came in with a large pre-established fanbase, that quickly became the hottest name on the scene, that was regularly booking big-name talent, still couldn't make it last... What does that mean for your average company?
Indie wrestling is vital, without it wrestling as a whole becomes sterile and boring. But it's not in a good place right now. Everything's expensive and everyone's broke. I don't know how to fix that but I know The Big Two will not save it. Wishing you could buy a ticket to a super-indie in another country will not save it.
The lesson I've learned from Deadlock Pro Wrestling is not to wait. Support the wrestling you want to see today because there's no guarantee it'll be around tomorrow. I'm fortunate enough that there's several indie feds in my local area. I found one with a vibe I like and I've started going to their shows. It's been fucking great.