By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
There is so much good indy wrestling out there, there is far more than I can possibly watch. So, in this review, I’m popping in on multiple recent indy shows and watching just a few matches from each show that interest me. The reality is, I wasn’t going to get to watch every match from every one of these shows! I picked out matches with top names we’ve seen on TV, some top indy names, and WWE ID prospects.
* In this roundup, I picked out eight matches from across three different recent indy shows.
New Texas Pro “Texas Indie Showcase V” in Baytown, Texas on July 27, 2025 (IWTV)
Baytown is in the Houston area, and this show features wrestlers from a half-dozen promotions across the state. This show was held in an auditorium, and we have a really good crowd of 300 fans. Lighting is fairly decent.
Vert Vixen vs. Lena Kross for the New Texas Pro Women’s Title. This was the show opener. I’m a big fan of both women, so this was a must-see. Rumors have spread today that Kross, who must be about 6’1″, is about to sign with TNA. An intense lockup to open, and Vert applied a leglock around the neck. Vert dove through the ropes onto Lena at 2:00. Lena slammed Vert face-first on the apron, and she took control. In the ring, Lena hit a running kick in the corner and got a nearfall at 4:30.
They traded forearm strikes on the ring apron. Vert hit a rolling stunner in the ring at 6:30, and they were both down. Vert hit an Exploder Suplex and a Helluva Kick. She hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall. Lena hit a running knee to the face for a nearfall at 8:30. Lena hit a Michinoku Driver for a nearfall. They began trading hard kicks to the face. Vert nailed a springboard spin kick and a brainbuster for the pin. Wow, that was a sharp match.
Vert Vixen defeated Lena Kross to retain the New Texas Pro Women’s Title at 10:17.
Maya World vs. Brooke Havok. This was third-to-last. I have Brooke in my top 10 indy female talents, and Maya is probably between 11-20, too. Both have competed all over the U.S. this year. Quick reversals at the bell and a standoff at 1:00. Brooke hit a second-rope missile dropkick. Maya kept her grounded, and she hit a bodyslam for a nearfall at 3:30. Brooke hit a running neckbreaker, then a pumphandle side slam for a nearfall at 6:00. Maya hit a spin kick to the head, and she removed the middle turnbuckle pad.
Maya hit a German Suplex for a nearfall at 7:30. Brooke hit a Lumbar Check-style knee strike to the chin. She hit a flying crossbody block from the ropes to the floor at 9:30. In the ring, Brooke hit a Stomp to the head for a nearfall. Maya shoved Brooke head-first into the exposed turnbuckle and hit a side slam for the tainted pin. Good match; not as good as the opener, but entertaining.
Maya World defeated Brooke Havok at 11:05.
Carter Blaq vs. Danny Orion (w/Maya World) for the New Texas Pro Title. Blaq, formerly known as the masked “Mysterious Q,” has a big frame, and he’s a good guy to build a promotion around. Orion fits in that ROH-style, and he’s really good. Maya (who is married to Orion) carried his tall trophy he won in a recent eight-man elimination tournament. Quick reversals at the bell, and Orion hit a flip dive to the floor in the first minute. He hit a slingshot corkscrew press into the ring and a Lionsault for a nearfall. Orion did another dive to the floor, but Blaq grabbed him and powerbombed him onto a table at 3:00. (It didn’t break, and that presumably hurts more!)
Back in the ring, Blaq got a nearfall, and he was in charge. Carter has a significant size/thickness advantage, and he hit a brainbuster for a nearfall. They awkwardly messed up a pop-up spot but kept going. (I always applaud a crowd that doesn’t chant that someone messed up.) Maya hit a huracanrana on Blaq on the floor at 6:00 as Orion pretended to have a knee injury and was distracting the ref. “What a power couple!” a heel commentator shouted. Orion hit a tornado DDT for a nearfall, showing his knee was just fine. Orion choked Blaq in the ropes, and Maya did, too.
Blaq hit a clothesline and a release German Suplex at 8:00, then a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall. Maya struck Blaq in the head with the title belt! Orion dropped Blaq snake-eyes in the corner and hit a Poison Rana for a nearfall at 10:00. Blaq hit a top-rope superplex. Orion hit a huracanrana. Blaq hit a pop-up stunner, and both were down. Yes, this has been really, really good. They got up and traded forearm strikes, then they traded pump kicks to the chest. Orion hit a huracanrana, then a Canadian Destroyer for a believable nearfall, and they were both down at 13:00. Blaq now dropped Orion snake-eyes. He got Danny on his shoulders, but Orion broke free.
Blaq hit a pumphandle faceplant slam for a believable nearfall, and we got a “that was three!” chant. Orion hit a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall, then some Buzzsaw Kicks to the head and a doublestomp to the chest. Blaq hit an airplane spin-into-a-powerbomb for a believable nearfall at 15:30, but Maya pulled the ref to the floor. Blaq flipped her into the ring and put her on his shoulders. Orion hit a spin kick on Blaq and a Crucifix Driver for a believable nearfall. Orion went for a Lionsault Press, but Blaq caught Danny’s head for a stunner. Blaq then nailed a second airplane spin-into-a-powerbomb for the pin. “What a match!” a commentator shouted.
Carter Blaq defeated Danny Orion to retain the New Texas Pro Heavyweight Title at 17:02.
Immortal Championship Wrestling “Immortal Things 6” in Rome, N.Y., at the Kennedy Arena on July 19, 2025 (IWTV)
Rome is near Syracuse, so a full five hours north of New York City. This is a large hockey arena — you can see the hockey boards and plexiglass in the background. It’s well-lit, and the crowd was maybe 300, and there were a lot of kids in the crowd. I tuned in to see some of the top indy names from the New England area.
1. DJ Powers vs. Sean Carr. This was the show opener. I don’t think I’ve seen Carr before; he’s white and he wore all black and has short dark hair, but some gray is coming in. Powers came out first and he’s a babyface in his debut here. (He’s never a babyface! He’s a sleazy, young kid!) The commentators praised his background. Standing switches to open, and Carr is thicker. He pulled on DJ’s hair to get him into a headlock. DJ hit a dropkick and he clotheslined Carr to the floor, then he hit a plancha to the floor at 1:30.
They traded chops on the floor, and Carr slammed him on the apron. In the ring, Carr whipped DJ into the corner and took control and kept the 20-year-old grounded. Powers hit a neckbreaker over his knee for a nearfall at 6:30. Carr hit a forward Finlay Roll, then a moonsault for a nearfall, and he was shocked he didn’t win there. While Carr distracted the ref, a heel in an orange shirt knocked Powers off the top rope. Carr immediately hit a superkick for the tainted pin. Good opener, and it’s always a good idea for someone who is always a heel to get a chance at being a babyface in a new territory.
Carolina Cruz vs. Liviyah vs. Christina Marie in a No. 1 contender’s match. Liviyah wasn’t announced in advance but I presume she drove here with Powers, Waller, and Onyx. This is a debut here for both Liviyah and Cruz. I’ve seen Carolina a few times, and she has been in WWE developmental; she wears the hair and an overall look of Deonna Purrazzo. The mic/sound kept cutting out here. Marie’s a regular here; I just watched her face Masha Slamovich, and the winner will get to face Masha. They all quickly traded rollups. Liviyah hit a dropkick that sent Marie to the floor. Liviyah bodyslammed Cruz, then hit a Lungblower to the back at 2:30.
Marie got back in and hit a dropkick and a Samoan Drop on Liviyah for a nearfall. Cruz hit a Spinebuster on Liviyah for a nearfall. The sound going in and out here was driving me nuts! Cruz hit an elbow drop on Liviyah for a nearfall at 5:00. Carolina hit a handspring-back-elbow into the corner. She hit a Stinger Splash into the corner on both women and got a nearfall. Cruz hit some rolling suplexes and did an Eddie hip swivel, too. She hit a shotgun dropkick into the corner on Marie at 8:00.
Marie fired up and hit some punches on Cruz. Liviyah hit a missile dropkick onto both of them, and everyone was down. They all got on their knees and traded forearm strikes. Marie hit some clotheslines. She backed Liviyah into a corner and hit a series of punches, then a suplex on Liviyah and a spear on Cruz. However, Liviyah hit her Eye of the Hurricane swinging inverted DDT on Marie for the pin! The commentators were shocked, as they assumed (as I did!) that Marie was winning here. It means Liviyah will face Masha on Aug. 5!
Liviyah defeated Christina Marie and Carolina Cruz at 10:22.
“CXR” Chael Connors and TJ Epixx vs. Dustin Waller and Jay Onyx for the ICW Tag Team Titles. Kylon King was slated to be in this match, but he was out after being in a car crash, so Onyx took his place. I’ve seen Epixx and Chael a few times, and they are perhaps the best workers in this promotion, so this match was the reason I tuned in. Onyx and Waller are the heels; Onyx opened for his team but was hesitant to tie up with Epixx, who has a short crew cut. Waller entered at 2:00 to face the bald Chael. Epixx hit a slingshot senton on Waller for a nearfall. Onyx raked TJ’s eyes, allowing the heels to take control and work over Epixx in their corner.
Chael was yanked off the apron at 6:30, so he wasn’t there for a hot tag. Dustin hit a running Shooting Star Press on Epixx for a nearfall. Epixx finally hit a top-rope moonsault press onto both opponents, and those three were down. Chael finally got the hot tag and hit a back suplex on Jay, then an enzuigiri on Waller, and he was fired up. Chael hit a leaping stunner on Dustin for a nearfall at 8:30. Waller and Onyx hit double knees for a nearfall, but Epixx hit a splash for the save. (He was wayyyy too late; the ref had to stop counting and wait for him.) They all got up and traded punches at 10:00. Waller nailed a Lethal Injection, so Chael hit his own Lethal Injection. TJ hit a Canadian Destroyer. The champs hit a team stunner on Waller for the pin. Good action.
Chael Connors and TJ Epixx defeated Dustin Waller and Jay Onyx to retain the ICW Tag Team Titles at 10:59.
TWE “Crash Course: Summer Bash” in Red Bank, Tennessee on June 30, 2025 (IWTV)
This was just released this week. This show was held at the TWE Arena, which always makes me think it’s an underground fallout shelter. This was a special Monday night show, but it appears they still drew maybe 100 fans. Lighting over the ring is really good here.
Anthony Ogogo vs. Damon Stryker. This match opened the show. I just saw Ogogo have a match in Georgia, where the commentators said it was his first match in a year. The commentators here just said it was Ogogo’s debut in TWE. I don’t know Stryker at all; he’s a young kid in sunglasses and appears to have a decent physique. Ogogo screamed at a female ringside attendant before the bell, and he got booed. We got underway, and Ogogo easily pushed him to the mat. The commentators noted this was a heel-heel matchup, and neither man minds getting booed.
Stryker hit a dropkick at 1:30 and celebrated, but Ogogo immediately hit a clothesline, and he stomped on the kid. Anthony hit some knee lifts to the ribs and blows to the back, then a snap suplex for a nearfall at 3:30, then a delayed vertical suplex. Stryker hit an Eye of the Hurricane for a nearfall at 5:30. Stryker hit a frogsplash for a nearfall. Ogogo pushed Stryker into the ref, then he hit a low blow on the kid. Ogogo nailed a pop-up punch to the jaw for the tainted pin and got booed. Okay match; I thought this would be even more of a squash than it was.
Anthony Ogogo defeated Damon Stryker at 6:32.
Adam Priest and Darian Bengston vs. “The Infantry” Carlie Bravo and Shawn Dean. This was the main event. Priest just got a big win on ROH TV, and Bengston has appeared in ROH in the past, too. Priest and Carlie opened, and the Infantry are heels here! They pulled Priest into their corner and worked him over. Darian battled Dean and grounded him in a headlock. The Infantry now worked Bengston over in their corner, hitting a team back suplex for a nearfall at 7:30. They hit a team backbreaker move over their knees for a nearfall.
The Infantry went for a Magic Killer, but Bengston fought it off, and he made the hot tag at 10:00. Priest hit some clotheslines and hard back elbows in each corner, then an enzuigiri. He clotheslined Carlie to the floor and immediately locked in a half-crab on Dean! Bengston jumped in the ring and cranked on Dean’s head, too! Carlie got back in and broke it up. Bravo accidentally kicked Shawn! Dean hit a frogsplash. Priest hit a DDT for a nearfall at 12:00, and all four were down. Bengston and Carlie traded chops and went to the floor. Anthony Ogogo came out of nowhere, clocked Priest, and pushed him back into the ring. The Infantry hit a “Double Tap” (team doublestomp to the head) for the pin on Priest. That really picked up once Priest got the hot tag.
“The Infantry” Carlie Bravo and Shawn Dean defeated Adam Priest and Darian Bengston at 13:18.
Final Thoughts: Some really good matches here. I would go with Carter Blaq vs. Danny Orion as the best among the eight I watched, with Vert-Lena Kross second. I’ll narrowly go with Dustin Waller/Jay Onyx tag over the Infantry tag for third. Check them out at IWTV.
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