IWTV: Is this platform the Netflix of independent wrestling?

IWTV or Independent Wrestling Television is an ambitious company that wanted to connect wrestling fans with every independent wrestling promotion they could get their hands on. Now they have a streaming service with oogles of content. Is it worth it?

I always wanted to try IWTV for a month. I had tried Fite+, Impact Plus, Peacock, NJPW, Wrestle Universe, and ICW on Demand before it. IWTV is one of the most robust wrestling collections on the internet beating both Fite+ and the WWE Network for pure content. Its closest competitors are Pivot Share and High Spots TV which is another service that collects independent promotions.

For $10 a month, I had my world opened to the many promotions around North America. Every wrestling show that could fill a ballroom, a conference center, a karaoke hall, and a bar establishment I could get lost in. Which ones were worth my time?

For the most updated and current wrestling shows:  Limitless Wrestling, Prestige Wrestling, Demand Lucha, IWTV wrestling, H20, and ICW No Holds Barred are just a few to name. These were the promotions that featured mid-carders, indie wonders, and retired wrestlers for some very entertaining shows. They had shows that ran live streams.

For the most international stuff: A2W (Active Advance Wrestling), Freedoms, Pure-J, Sendai, Dove Pro, Tenryu Project, Newcastle Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Australia, Taiwan Pro, and many others. None of these promotions have any current content, but the backlog is very interesting.

Interesting wrestling shows to see: The Masked Wrestler (a reality show like The Masked Singer) Pizza Time Wrestling (a very fun and laid back wrestling show)Pro Wrestling Magic and much much more.

I have to put a warning on this article. None of these guys have even a smidgen of WWE’s or AEW’s budget. You won’t find them at Madison Square Garden or coming out to a pyrotechnic display. In some cases the arenas look drab, the cameraman can’t hold the camera straight, and the sound is sketchy.

But don’t let that kill your experience. IWTV promises the future of wrestling and is a memorial for all the wrestling ideas that did not pan out. I fell in love with the Japanese hardcore antics of Freedoms. I learned about indie darlings like Jody Threat, Alec Price, Ichiban, Anthony Henry, Bobby Orlando, and Warhorse. A lot of this talent is slowly climbing their ranks in AEW Dark. You will find the graveyard of Chikara and Rise in this library as a reminder of how not every wrestling company can make it out alive.

IWTV is a mixed bag. A great amount of these wrestling shows are considered “hardcore”, “deathmatch,” and “blood bath” You can sort your wrestling shows by intergender matches, women’s matches, and hardcore. Fite+ has a similar premise in their plus subscription, but IWTV has a much better catalog and interface to find what you are looking for.

As I am writing this, the Android app for my Samsung tablet and my Motorola Stylus phone is having major problems. The app crashes frequently, your phone doesn’t recognize the stream as a video so you have to constantly wake your phone up while watching, and sometimes the app won’t remember where I left off on a show. You can still use the website without any problems. Based on the app alone, I would say that IWTV is not worth a second look.

IWTV feels like walking into a damp basement and seeing aisles of VHS tapes. It’s not quite got the spit and polish of the WWE Network or Netflix. As for me, I appreciate being part of the indie scene and watching young talent spend themselves for the love of the sport. I will give this subscription a try.