DEFY Wrestling

Last updated
DEFY Wrestling
AcronymDEFY
Founded2017
Headquarters Seattle, Washington, United States
Founder(s)
  • Matt Farmer
  • Jim Perry
Merged with Progress Wrestling
Website

DEFY Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based out of Seattle, Washington. DEFY was created in 2017 after founders Jim Perry and Matt Farmer successfully petitioned the Washington state government (specifically the Washington State Department of Licensing) to alter laws around professional wrestling, which they had argued had severely impacted the ability of promoters to run small professional wrestling events in the state since the early 1990s. Since its launch in 2017, DEFY has risen to a high level of prominence on the American Independent circuit, in part because of its association as the "home" of emerging national wrestling stars Swerve Strickland, Darby Allin and Nick Wayne. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

As DEFY has grown, it has begun to hold events outside of Seattle, including locations such as Tacoma, Yakima, Portland, Oregon, Los Angeles and London, England. [4] Stylistically, promoter Matt Farmer has compared the difference between DEFY and WWE as being like that of Alternative Rock and Pop Music. [5]

History

Forbidden Door (AEW x NJPW) (52291674222) (cropped).jpg
Nick Wayne 2023 crop.jpg
Darby Allin in 2019 (cropped).jpg
Swerve Strickland, Nick Wayne and Darby Allin are all Washington natives, and are closely associated with DEFY Wrestling

There is a significant history of professional wrestling in the Pacific Northwest; Between 1925 and 1992 the region was primarily serviced by the well-regarded Pacific Northwest Wrestling (PNW) (also known as Portland Wrestling). However, following the death of the wrestling territory system and the rise of the World Wrestling Federation, PNW fell too by the wayside. [6] Further reinforcing this withering of regional professional wrestling were several regulations introduced to Washington by the Washington State Department of Licensing, which made the cost of producing a professional wrestling event highly prohibitive for smaller organizations. For example, until 2017 the Department of Licensing required all professional wrestling promoters to pay them 6% of the gross income made from any event as well as $1 for every ticket sold at the show. [7] [8] Promoters were also required to obtain a license for every performer featured on the show. [8]

In 2017, following many years of lobbying by Farmer and Perry as well as other members of the professional wrestling community, these requirements were scrapped and Farmer and Perry launched DEFY Wrestling to take advantage of the new era. DEFY would make use of Perry's professional background in marketing and Farmer's background as a professional wrestling historian. [3] The very first DEFY show was headlined by Swerve Strickland challenging Cody Rhodes for the then-active GFW NEX*GEN Championship. [2] Subsequent shows would feature Strickland, Darby Allin and Nick Wayne prominently, as well as female talent such as Vert Vixen and British Columbia's Nicole Matthews.

As of 2024, almost all of DEFY's events in Seattle have taken place in the historic Washington Hall, [4] [3] which has a capacity of 500 to 800 people depending on the setup. [2]

On 9 February 2024, it was announced that DEFY Wrestling would "merge" with Progress Wrestling, an independent promotion based in London, England. It was created to bring a "global presence" to both brands and aid further expansion plans. [9]

Championships

As of May17, 2024

ChampionshipCurrent champion(s)ReignDate wonDays
held		LocationNotes
DEFY World Championship KENTA (52828172837) (cropped).jpg Kenta 1June 3, 2023349 Seattle, Washington Defeated Nick Wayne at DEFY Your Nightmare.
DEFY PrimoLucha Championship No image available.svg Guillermo Rosas1February 9, 202498Seattle, WashingtonDefeated Cody Chhun at DEFY Seven.
DEFY Tag Team Championship Singh brothers.jpg The Bollywood Boyz
(Gurv Sihra and Harv Sihra) 		2
(2, 2)		June 24, 2023328 Portland, Oregon Defeated The Second Gear Crew (Mance Warner and Matthew Justice) at DEFY Heathens.
DEFY Women's Championship Marina Shafir 'The Super Nova from Moldova' - YouTube - 5-16 (cropped).jpg Marina Shafir 1May 10, 20247 Seattle, Washington Defeated Vert Vixen at DEFY Here And Now!.

DEFY PrimoLucha Championship

DEFY PrimoLucha Championship
Details
PromotionDEFY Wrestling
Date establishedJune 24, 2023
Current champion(s)Guillermo Rosas
Date wonFebruary 9, 2024
Statistics
First champion(s)Gringo Loco
Most reignsAll titleholders
(1 reign)
Longest reignGringo Loco
(147 days)
Shortest reignCody Chhun
(83 days)
Heaviest championGringo Loco
(253 lb (115 kg))
Lightest championGuillermo Rosas
(205 lb (93 kg))

The DEFY PrimoLucha Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion DEFY Wrestling, having been contested under lucha libre rules. There have been a total of three reigns shared between three different champions. The current champion is Guillermo Rosas who is in his first reign.

Key
No.Overall reign number
ReignReign number for the specific champion
DaysNumber of days held
DefensesNumber of successful defenses
<1Reign lasted less than a day
+Current reign is changing daily
No.ChampionChampionship changeReign statisticsNotesRef.
DateEventLocationReignDaysDefenses
1Gringo LocoJune 24, 2023DEFY Heathens Portland, OR 11471Defeated Aramis and Laredo Kid in a three-way match to become the inaugural champion. [10]
2Cody ChhunNovember 18, 2023DEFY Pantheon Seattle, WA 1831 [11]
3Guillermo RosasFebruary 9, 2024DEFY Seven Seattle, WA 198+0This was a defy 2 survive lucky 7 match also involving Big Damo and Matt Brannigan. [12]

DEFY Tag Team Championship

DEFY Tag Team Championship
Details
PromotionDEFY Wrestling
Date establishedSeptember 8, 2018
Current champion(s) The Bollywood Boyz (Gurv Sihra and Harv Sihra)
Date wonJune 24, 2023
Statistics
First champion(s) Davey Richards
Most reignsAs a team (2 reigns):
Longest reignMidnight Heat (Eddie Pearl and Ricky Gibson)
(743 days)
Shortest reignState Of Emergency (Miles Deville and Sebastian Wolfe)
(21 days)
Oldest champion Christopher Daniels
(52 years, 115 days)
Heaviest champion Warbeast (Jacob Fatu and Josef Samael)
(503 lb (228 kg) combined)

The 2AW Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion DEFY Wrestling. There have been a total of ten reigns shared between eight teams consisting of sixteen different wrestlers. The current champions are The Bollywood Boyz (Gurv Sihra and Harv Sihra) who are in their second reign as a team as well as individually.

Key
No.Overall reign number
ReignReign number for the specific team—reign numbers for the individuals are in parentheses, if different
DaysNumber of days held
DefensesNumber of successful defenses
<1Reign lasted less than a day
+Current reign is changing daily
No.ChampionChampionship changeReign statisticsNotesRef.
DateEventLocationReignDaysDefenses
1The American Guns
(Ethan HD and Mike Santiago)		September 8, 2018DEFY Club Seattle, WA 11333Defeated Violence Unlimited (Brody King and Tyler Bateman) in a tournament final to become the inaugural champions. [13]
2 One Percent
(Jorel Nelson and Royce Isaacs)		January 19, 2019DEFY 2nd Anniversary Show Seattle, WA 1691 [14]
3 Warbeast
(Jacob Fatu and Josef Samael)		March 29, 2019 PCW ULTRA Wrestle Summit 2019 Los Angeles, CA 13088 [15]
4Midnight Heat
(Eddie Pearl and Ricky Gibson)		January 31, 2020DEFY Year 3 Los Angeles, CA 174310 [16]
5 The Bollywood Boyz
(Gurv Sihra and Harv Sihra) 		February 12, 2022DEFY 5th Anniversary Show Seattle, WA 11555This was a ladder match. [17]
6 Christopher Daniels and Swerve Strickland July 17, 2022DEFY The World Is Yours Seattle, WA 1340 [18]
7Midnight Heat
(Eddie Pearl and Ricky Gibson)		August 20, 2022DEFY Doomsayers Seattle, WA 2370This was a three-way tag team match also involving The Bollywood Boyz (Gurv Sihra and Harv Sihra). [19]
— Vacated September 26, 2022—————
8State Of Emergency
(Miles Deville and Sebastian Wolfe)		October 8, 2022DEFY City Of Thorns Portland, OR 1210Defeated The Bollywood Boyz (Gurv Sihra and Harv Sihra) three-way tag team match also involving C4 (Cody Chhun and Guillermo Rosas) to win the vacant titles. [20]
9The Second Gear Crew
(Mance Warner and Matthew Justice)		October 29, 2022DEFY Kingdom Come Seattle, WA 12383 [21]
10 The Bollywood Boyz
(Gurv Sihra and Harv Sihra) 		June 24, 2023DEFY Heathens Portland, OR 2328+8 [10]

Combined reigns

As of May17, 2024.

†Indicates the current champion
RankTeamNo. of
reigns		Combined
defenses		Combined
days
1Midnight Heat
(Eddie Pearl and Ricky Gibson)		210780
2 The Bollywood Boyz
(Gurv Sihra and Harv Sihra) †		213483+
3 Warbeast
(Jacob Fatu and Josef Samael)		18308
4The Second Gear Crew
(Mance Warner and Matthew Justice)		13238
5The American Guns
(Ethan HD and Mike Santiago)		13133
6 One Percent
(Jorel Nelson and Royce Isaacs)		1169
7 Christopher Daniels and Swerve Strickland 1034
8State Of Emergency
(Miles Deville and Sebastian Wolfe)		1021

By wrestler

RankWrestlerNo. of
reigns		Combined
defenses		Combined
days
1Eddie Pearl210780
Ricky Gibson210780
3 Gurv Sihra †213483+
Harv Sihra †213483+
5 Jacob Fatu 18308
Josef Samael 18308
7 Mance Warner 13238
Matthew Justice 13238
9Ethan HD13133
Mike Santiago13133
11 Jorel Nelson 1169
Royce Isaacs 1169
13 Christopher Daniels 1034
Swerve Strickland 1034
15Miles Deville1021
Sebastian Wolfe1021

DEFY Women's Championship

DEFY Women's Championship
Details
PromotionDEFY Wrestling
Date establishedOctober 29, 2022
Current champion(s) Marina Shafir
Date wonMay 10, 2024
Statistics
First champion(s) Vert Vixen
Most reignsAll titleholders
(1 reign)
Longest reign Vert Vixen
(559 days)
Oldest champion Marina Shafir
(36 years, 26 days)
Youngest champion Vert Vixen
(32 years, 295 days)

The DEFY Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion DEFY Wrestling. There have been a total of two reigns shared between two different champions. The current champion is Marina Shafir who is in her first reign.

Key
No.Overall reign number
ReignReign number for the specific champion
DaysNumber of days held
DefensesNumber of successful defenses
<1Reign lasted less than a day
+Current reign is changing daily
No.ChampionChampionship changeReign statisticsNotesRef.
DateEventLocationReignDaysDefenses
1 Vert Vixen October 29, 2022DEFY Kingdom Come Seattle, WA 155916Defeated Liiza Hall to become the inaugural champion. [21]
2 Marina Shafir May 10, 2024DEFY Here And Now! Seattle, WA 17+0 [22]

Notes

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    References

    1. ↑ Nason, Josh (25 March 2022). "Inside the rise of Seattle's DEFY Wrestling". Wrestling Observer Newsletter . Retrieved 17 January 2024.
    2. 1 2 3 Josh Nason (25 March 2022). "Matt Farmer discusses DEFY Wrestling". Josh Nason's Punch-out (Podcast). Retrieved 17 January 2024.
    3. 1 2 3 Douglas, Martin (28 June 2017). "A Newcomer Threatens to Legitimize Seattle's Independent Wrestling Scene". Seattle Weekly . Retrieved 17 January 2024.
    4. 1 2 "DEFY Wrestling event history". Cagematch.net. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
    5. ↑ Vent, Terry (4 May 2018). "Defy Wrestling brings its performance art to Liberty Lake on Saturday". The Spokesman-Review . Retrieved 17 January 2024.
    6. ↑ Saez, Rosin (23 July 2019). "Defy Is Changing Everything About Wrestling in Seattle". Seattle Met . Retrieved 17 January 2024.
    7. ↑ Kramer, Grace (2 March 2017). "Lawmakers ready to rumble over pro wrestling regulations". Seattle Globalist. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
    8. 1 2 Myers, Alexis (17 April 2023). "Washington governor signs theatrical-wrestling bill". Seattle Times . Retrieved 17 January 2023.
    9. ↑ Currier, Joseph (9 February 2024). "PROGRESS & Defy Wrestling announce merger". Wrestling Observer Newsletter .
    10. 1 2 Lambert, Jeremy (June 29, 2023). "DEFY Heathens Results (6/24): Two New Champions Crowned; Vikingo Faces Komander". fightful.com. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
    11. ↑ Brennan, Corey (November 19, 2023). "DEFY Pantheon Results (11/18): Joey Janela Challenges KENTA". fightful.com. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
    12. ↑ Black, Ethan (February 9, 2024). "Defy Wrestling Seven Results – February 9, 2024". pwmania.com. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
    13. ↑ Madison, Marc (September 4, 2018). "Preview: DEFY Seattle Wrestling DEFY Club (9/8/18)". lastwordonsports.com. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
    14. ↑ Internet Wrestling Database (IWD) (January 19, 2019). "DEFY Never Dies - 2nd Anniversary". profightdb.com. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
    15. ↑ Thompson, Andrew (March 30, 2019). "PCW ULTRA 'Wrestle Summit' Results (3/29/19): Shane Strickland Loses PCW ULTRA Heavyweight Title". fightful.com. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
    16. ↑ "DEFY 01/31/2020 DEFY Year 3 Results". pwponderings.com. PW Ponderings. February 1, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
    17. ↑ Lambert, Jeremy (February 14, 2022). "DEFY Wrestling 5th Anniversary Results (2/12): Christopher Daniels, Jonathan Gresham, More In Action". fightful.com. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
    18. ↑ Lambert, Jeremy (July 19, 2022). "DEFY The World Is Yours Results (7/16 - 7/17): Swerve Strickland, Konosuke Takeshita, More In Action". fightful.com. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
    19. ↑ Lambert, Jeremy (August 20, 2022). "DEFY Doomsayers Results (8/20): Alex Shelley, Swerve Strickland, Bobby Fish In Action". fightful.com. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
    20. ↑ Lambert, Jeremy (October 9, 2022). "DEFY City Of Thorns Results (10/8): Swerve Strickland Faces Christopher Daniels, Two Titles Changes". fightful.com. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
    21. 1 2 Lambert, Jeremy (October 30, 2022). "DEFY Wrestling Kingdom Come Results (10/29): New DEFY Tag Team And Women's Champs Crowned". fightful.com. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
    22. ↑ Black, Ethan (May 10, 2024). "Defy Wrestling Here & Now Results – May 10, 2024". pwmania.com. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
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