Independent pro wrestler Effy has two matches this weekend as part of PRODUCE Wrestling’s back-to-back New York showcase, facing Slade in Kingston on Saturday night before moving on to Brooklyn to wrestle Lucha Libre legend Dr. Wagner Jr.
The first bout, a bounty match against Slade, takes place at PRODUCE Wrestling’s Assembly event in Kingston. Effy, who stands 6-foot-2, said in an interview with OutKick Dropkick that he and Slade have a long history, including a past match he says led Slade to step away from wrestling for two years.
“I had to take it off my chart because there’s been a list of people that have wrestled me and retired, and I don’t think it’s because the match was bad… I have people come talk to me and they go, ‘This isn’t a character, you’re Effy, you’re committed to pro wrestling, you’re in this.'”
Effy said Slade’s return to the ring prompted him to put the rivalry back on his list. “Slade came back, and so I had to take him off my list to fight Slade again,” he said, adding that the two have real history: “I’ve been in there with Slade, I’ve felt him when he has the advantage of numbers, and now, if it’s just me and him, I’ve got things to get out of my system.”
From Kingston, the tour heads to Brooklyn for Lucha Fresca, where Effy will wrestle Dr. Wagner Jr. Effy said he would not miss the event, pointing to a career list of Lucha Libre opponents that includes Pimpanella Escarletta and Psycho Clown.
Effy spoke at length about facing Dr. Wagner Jr. in front of the legend’s sons, El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. and Galeno Del Mal, mixing trash talk with respect for his opponent’s standing in the sport. “I’m gonna make Dr. Wagner Jr. understand that Effy is a real-life Lucha Libre legend, whether anyone wants to admit it or not,” he said, while also calling him “a legend” he is “honored to be in the ring with.”
A Rising Profile on the Independent Scene
Effy, whose real name is Taylor Gibson, was ranked No. 72 on Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Top 500 for 2026. He has also spoken publicly about being a gay man working in a sport dominated by straight men, describing wrestling as “an improvisational art form” that lets him build a kind of live, one-take performance for crowds.
Gibson said he leaned into being open about his identity early on and found that audiences responded with curiosity rather than hostility. “I saw that me existing was sort of this little light in the corner of these people being able to come to shows,” he said, describing how word spread online about “this wild gay wrestler.”
That reception, he said, has given him room to keep experimenting with unconventional, boundary-pushing matches. “I’m excited that people have stuck with me this long and been excited because I’ve been able to just be myself unfiltered,” Gibson said, adding that the response has helped make wrestling “a career” and “a living” for him.
