The World Independent Ladies' Division (WILD) is an all-female professional wrestling promotion based in Southern California. The creator and owner of WILD is promoter Travis Leland, who had previously promoted Pro Wrestling Uprising (formerly NWA High Desert Championship Wrestling), and been part of the creative teams of EPIC Pro Wrestling WAR and Insane Wrestling League. The concept behind WILD is similar to the original World Heavyweight Championship or the current NWA World titles. The WILD World Championship can be defended in any wrestling company in the world, against any female wrestler. To date, the WILD World Championship has been defended in numerous Southern California promotions, as well as Northern and Central California, with plans to soon be seen in Las Vagas, Nevada and Phoenix, Arizona. HISTORY The promotion debuted as what Leland calls a "backdoor pilot" during the last (to date) Pro Wrestling Uprising show, "Clash For The Cure III," on May 22, 2010 in Highland, CA. PWU runs on an irregular basis, almost exclusively as a fundraiser for charities like The American Cancer Society and Autism Speaks. Wanting to keep promoting something between PWU shows, Leland had the idea for WILD after having a conversation with EPIC Pro Wrestling WAR Promoter Gary Yap, after the latter commented on the lack of female talent in the Southern California region. Leland debuted the World Independent Ladies' Division Championship at the May 22nd event, in a match between Chloe and "Krazy" Kiara Dillon . Chloe won the match and became the first WILD Champion. After receiving strong reviews regarding the match, Travis Leland called many other promoters in Southern California and arranged to have the WILD Division be showcased at their shows. On June 6th, 2010, WILD Champion Chloe defended her title against veteran female wrestler Nikki "The New York Knockout." at The Fit Pit in Chatsworth, CA. Nikki was seconded to the ring by her former tag team partner Lizzy Valentine, who accidentally (kayfabe) cost Nikki the match. Shortly thereafter, WILD Champion Chloe was profiled in the September, 2010 issue of Muscular Development magazine, where she was erroneously called the "World Independent Women's Division" Champion. Still, it was the first mainstream publication to mention the promotion. Chloe lost the title to The Fabulous Thunderkitty on August 29, 2010 at a show promoted by Xtreme Zone Wrestling (XZW) in Apple Valley, CA. Thunderkitty defended the WILD Championship around the independent circuit, defeating Kiara Dillon on September 5th at a Vendetta Pro Wrestling show in Bakersfield, CA. A controversial storyline involved the outing of WILD Warrior "The Bloodthirsty Vixen" Amanda as being a preoperative transgendered person. The current storyline involves discussion about the eligibility of a male-to-female transgender to compete for a women's championship. Travis Leland has claimed that he would like this angle to open up discussion about the eventual reality of transgenders in non-predetermined competitions. Not all WILD matches are title shots. There have been occasions when the champion is not available for a match, so two other women will wrestle for a number one contendership. Thunderkitty defeated "The Bloodthirsty Vixen" Amanda on August 27th to earn her successful title shot on August 29th. Currently, Nikki is the number one contender to the WILD Championship after defeating Amanda at a show promoted by the Insane Wrestling League in Chino, CA. on September 10, 2010. Although not recognized by the editors of Pro Wrestling Illustrated Magazine, official statements refer to the championship as the WILD World Championship. Leland states that this is due to the nature of the title, in that any woman in any company in the world can challenge for, and potentially win, the championship. Since it is the recognized Women's Championship of numerous otherwise unaffiliated companies, Leland uses this as a further fact when defending the claims of WILD being a legitimate world championship. NOTABLE WRESTLERS IN WILD Although the way the promotion is designed allows almost any female wrestler in the world to be a potential contender for the WILD Championship, there is a core group of women who are used in most WILD matches. These women are referred to as the WILD Warriors. Since the WILD Championship has not yet left California, these women are all regularly seen in the WILD Affiliate companies. Even so, a few notable women have been seen in the World Independent Ladies' Division. - It was announced simultaneously on the WILD Wrestling website and on www.diva-dirt.com that Pro Wrestling SUN founder and SHIMMER Women Athletes star Allison Danger would be competing for WILD. - Former WWE Diva (then known as Katie Lea Burchill) and current TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champion when she was announced as joining the WILD roster on 2/24/2011. Lizzy Valentine - Lizzy is a well-known wrestler and valet, having been seen in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), PWE (Spain), Wrestlicious and MTV's short-lived Wrestling Society X. In 2010, shortly after appearing in WILD for the first time, she placed 6th in Diva-Dirt.com's annual 100 Hottest Divas contest, higher than every TNA Knockout and almost every WWE Diva. Christina Von Eerie - is a female independent wrestler from Northern California. A very popular worker with a punk-rock inspired look, Von Eerie has been seen recently in Mexico's AAA promotion, and recently had a well-received tryout match for TNA. Nikki - "The New York Knockout" is a well-traveled veteran of the squared circle, also appearing in EPIC Pro Wrestling WAR and Wrestlicious. In December, 2009, Nikki made history by being the first woman to win the flagship men's championship of a professional wrestling company, when she defeated "Big Nasty" Jason Watts for the EPIC WAR Championship, which she still holds. Companies That Currently Recognize The WILD Championship All-Star Wrestling Network - Georgia Insane Wrestling League - Chino, California Pro Wrestling Uprising - Southern California Real Deal Pro Wrestling - Phoenix, Arizona The Fit Pit - Chatsworth, CA. Vendetta Pro Wrestling - Central and Northern, California Xtreme Zone Wrestling - Apple Valley, CA. List of WILD Champions 1. Chloe 5/22/2010 - 8/29/2010 (100 days - 2 defenses) 2. Thunderkitty 8/29/2010 - 10/24/2010 (58 days - 4 defenses) 3. Lucky O'Shea 10/24/2010-current (3 defenses) World Independent Ladies' Division Roster Aiden Riley Allison Danger "The Bloodthirsty Vixen" Amanda Buggy Nova Chloe Christina Von Eerie "Krazy" Kiara Dillon Liz Savage Lizzy Valentine Lucky O'Shea "The New York Knockout" Nikki Tabitha Jackson/Tabitha Buck Winter Alumni The Fabulous Thunderkitty
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