Report: 'Messy Situation' At Indy Show That Left Big-Name Talents Unpaid

Wrestling can be a messy business, and the ugly side of the industry reared its head again at an independent show over the weekend.

New Evolution Wrestling ran an event in New York featuring some huge names from the independent scene, Japan, and Mexico. However - per a report from Fightful Select - during the event several of the big name stars found out that the promoter of the show had no money, and thus they would go unpaid.

The likes of Ultimo Dragon, Alberto El Patron, Josh Alexander, and Noamichi Marufuji were slated to wrestle the show, and after the promoter claimed he had a medical emergency and departed for the hospital, Alexander allegedly physically counted the money left behind so that the paying audience would get to see Ultimo Dragon and the stars of Pro Wrestling NOAH.

The money left over - which was generated from signings - was not enough, with the amount being some $14,000 shy of what was owed to the talent. Regardless, Josh Alexander, Ricardo Rodriguez and Alberto El Patron ended up teaming against Ultimo Dragon, Katsuhiko Nakajima and Marufuji in six-man tag action, before Patron cut a promo claiming that no-one was getting paid for their services.

Fightful also reported that the NOAH crew specifically were not paid, and will likely have to chase down any monies owed, as well as reporting that the promoter insisted that attending fans paid him via Venmo, Paypal, or cash app, with no point of sale for tickets.