Indie News: Sami Callihan takes over booking for CZW
What’s the story?
While his time in NXT as Solomon Crowe may not have worked out the way either party had hoped, Sami Callihan has been busy since leaving the WWE brand. Now, it appears he’s in charge of the matches for one of the more well-known indie companies in the US.
The background
In 2013, Callihan debuted for NXT under his Crowe persona, and it looked as if he was going to make a major impact. For numerous reasons, he didn’t actually debut on NXT TV until two years later and after nearly a year later, was granted his release.
After returning to the indies, he also signed with Lucha Underground as Jeremiah Crane, appearing on the show in an October 2016 episode. The show is taped in advance and aired on a traditional TV schedule, and hence he still remained able to work independent dates.
The heart of the matter
Today it was reported that on top of in-ring performing, Callihan will be in charge of Combat Zone Wrestling’s creative department. While Callihan handles that, CZW president DJ Hyde will handle business and financial matters.
It’s already been a week of change for the extreme indie promotion, as they recently had two new champions for their major titles.
What’s next?
While CZW had traditionally been known for their violent and bloody hardcore matches, Pro Wrestling Sheet has reported that the company is attempting to change this reputation. While these types of matches aren’t going away, the company intends to focus more on tradition style matches in order to expand their fanbase.
Having a creative mind like Callihan – who has also had experience in seeing how a company like WWE/NXT runs things – can’t hurt.
Author’s Take
If CZW is looking to expand and become more successful, this is a good start. While there’s certainly a crowd for bloody deathmatches, focusing more on great wrestling and storytelling will get you more butts in seats.
Plus, when you do have the super bloody matches, it makes them more impactful.