Indie That Helped Launch Seth Rollins & Kevin Steen Joins FITE+
Absolute Intense Wrestling (AIW), the independent league that was a stepping stone for several major stars of WWE and AEW, has announced that its entire video library will be available on Fite's streaming platform Fite+ for only $4.99 a month.
AIW was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Cleveland. However, it has stretched into Ohio, Michigan, New Jersey, Indiana, and Florida to put on wrestling matches.
Among the wrestlers who spent the earlier parts of their career at AIW are Seth Rollins (as Tyler Black), Kevin Owens (as Kevin Steen), Johnny Gargano, MJF, Jon Moxley, Colt Cabana, AJ Styles, Nikki Storm, and Ethan Page. On occasion, a star from WWE or AEW will show up at an AIW event; most recently, former AEW Women's Champion Britt Baker made a surprise appearance at an event last May.
In a press release for the announcement, the company said it "prides itself on being a breeding ground for the stars of tomorrow" and highlighted current talent that included Joshua Bishop, Derek Dillinger, Bulking Season, Joseline Navarro, Dominic Garrini, Isaiah Broner, Pretty Boy Smooth, Wes Barkley, Eric Taylor, Ziggy Haim, and Members Only.
AIW is the latest independent league to have its video library available on Fite+ for $4.99 a month; GCW, Black Label Pro, and Glory Pro Wrestling recently went this digital route. In an interview with Wrestling Inc., GCW owner Brett Lauderdale noted the low monthly subscription cost for being on Fite+ enables the independent leagues to reach wider audiences.
"They have a customer base that goes beyond just independent wrestling," Lauderdale said. "They do massive boxing and MMA and bare-knuckle events, all kinds of events beyond just wrestling. And ultimately, I think they're going to put all of this under the FITE+ umbrella at some point. ... So, while $4.99 sounds low to us in this indie wrestling world, you have to keep in mind that they're not just targeting the indie wrestling world, they're targeting a much larger fan base."