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 four different recent indy shows.
Great Lakes Championship Wrestling “Blizzard Brawl” in Waukesha, Wisconsin, at the Waukesha County Expo Center on December 6, 2025 (free on YouTube)
This event was released on YouTube on December 24. This event always draws a huge crowd of maybe 600-800 fans. I’ve reviewed the entire event in past years. It’s an attractive dome building. They bring in a lot of OVW talent that really don’t interest me. In matches I didn’t watch, Wyatt & Wayne Rhodes, Kevin Thorn, and Keagan Garland (the son of Scotty 2 Hotty) were all in action. I opted to watch the three matches leading up to the main event.
Heath (Slater) vs. Joey “Jet” Avalon (w/Sierra). Jet is from this area, and he’s a decent big man. Heath wore his “I Got Kids” t-shirt. Basic standing switches to open. Avalon hit some punches. Heath clotheslined Avalon over the top rope to the floor at 2:30. He hit a baseball slide dropkick to the floor. They brawled on the floor and went over the guardrail and into the crowd as they looped this circular room.
They went over to the merchandise tables as they continued to fight on the floor. Heath dropped him chest-first on the guardrail and pushed him into the ring at 6:00. Sierra struck Heath, allowing Avalon to get a nearfall. Sierra choked him in the ropes. Avalon jawed at the crowd as he kept Heath grounded. He paused to get a kiss from Sierra. Heath fired up and hit some punches. Heath tossed him to the floor at 9:30.
Avalon got back in, but Heath peppered him with some punches, a running knee, a leg lariat, and a powerslam for a believable nearfall. Sierra jumped in the ring; Heath scooped her up but set her down. The distraction allowed Avalon to grab his shovel and hit Heath twice with it. Heath avoided a splash in the corner, and he hit a Ziggler-style leaping inverted DDT for the pin. The crowd was into it.
Heath Slater defeated Joey “Jet” Avalon at 12:18.
Ken Anderson vs. Tony Evans. OVW regular Evans came out first with the mic and told the crowd to shut their mouths. He has short, trimmed hair and gives off Shane Douglas vibes, and a bit of indy star Adam Priest. A nice pop for Wisconsin native Anderson. He brought a chair into the ring. In some good humor, the female ring announcer stood on a chair so she could drop the mic into Ken’s hand. Evans attacked from behind as Ken was doing his lengthy intro and we’re underway! Ken clotheslined him over the top rope to the floor.
Ken got the mic back so he could finish his own intro. Funny. They fought on the floor and Ken slammed Evans’ head on the guardrail. In the ring, Evans targeted the left arm and kept Ken grounded. Ken hit a standing neckbreaker at 5:00 and a forward Finlay Roll for a nearfall. Evans hit a hard spinning back fist that dropped Anderson. Evans missed a coast-to-coast dropkick. Anderson hit a Facewash kick in the corner for a nearfall at 6:30. The ref was pushed out of position and Evans hit a low-blow punt kick for the tainted pin. That wrapped up suddenly.
Tony Evans defeated Ken Anderson at 7:15.
* Anderson shook Evans’ hand, but he then hit two low blows and a Mic Check slam.
Shotzi Blackheart vs. Serena Deeb. Shotzi has kept a busy schedule since leaving WWE. Basic reversals on the mat; a commentator pointed out that both women have shaved their heads in a WWE ring — I hadn’t thought of that! Shotzi hit a basement dropkick to the abdomen, then a 619 in the corner at 3:00. She hit a crossbody block off the ropes and looked like she was setting up for a Sharpshooter, but Deeb fought free. Serena hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip out of the corner.
Deeb immediately began targeting the left leg, and she tied up Shotzi on the mat. Deeb backed her into a corner and hit some chops. Deeb tied her in the Paradise Lock and dropkicked her at 6:30. Deeb tied her in an abdominal stretch and grabbed the ropes for leverage; the ref eventually saw the cheating. Shotzi fired up and hit a series of kicks, then a snap suplex at 8:00. Deeb hit a hard clothesline, then a neckbreaker across the middle turnbuckle. The commentators rightfully heaped praise on this one.
Shotzi nailed a top-rope superplex, and they were both down at 10:00. Deeb hit some chops. Shotzi locked in a Cattle Mutilation! Shotzi hit another top-rope crossbody block, but Serena rolled through and applied a cross-armbreaker. Serena hit a short-arm clothesline for a nearfall at 13:00. Shotzi hit a running knee to the jaw and a DDT for a nearfall, but Deeb got a hand on the ropes. Deeb hit another Dragonscrew Legwhip. She set up for a Styles Clash but slammed her face-first to the mat. Deeb then slammed Shotzi’s knee into the mat and applied a half-crab, and Shotzi tapped out. As a commentator said, “that was a clinic.”
Serena Deeb defeated Shotzi Blackheart at 14:44.
Warriors of Wrestling “18th Anniversary Show” in Staten Island, New York, at Funstation USA on December 6, 2025 (free on YouTube)
This show was just loaded onto YouTube this week. It’s a big gym. I barely know anyone on this show. The crowd was maybe 100.
“Divine Chaos” Alex Divine and Nikita vs. “Miracle Generation” Kylon King and Dustin Waller for the WOW Tag Team Titles. This match opened the show. King opened against Divine, a young Black man in silver pants. He hit a shoulder tackle that dropped Kylon at 2:00. Nikita, a white man with red hair, entered and continued to work over Kylon. (Cagematch.net records show Nikita has just 37 total matches, including 16 in 2025.) The champs began working over Waller and kept Dustin grounded.
The MG began working over Divine in their corner. Kylon hit a spinebuster, and he put Divine in a half-crab at 6:00. Waller kept Alex grounded. Waller hit a running Shooting Star Press for a nearfall at 9:00. Divine hit a springboard crossbody block on Kylon, and they were both down. Nikita got a hot tag, and he hit a neckbreaker over his knee on Kylon, then a Blue Thunder Bomb on Waller for a nearfall at 11:30.
Waller hit a Lethal Injection on Nikita, and Kylon hit a German Suplex for a nearfall, but Divine made the save. In an unintentionally funny spot, Divine messed up a 619. He hit one a moment later. He dove through the ropes onto Kylon at 13:00. In the ring, the champs hit a Magic Killer team slam to pin Waller. There is clearly some talent with Divine and Nikita; they need to be working closer to 50+ matches a year, not 15.
Alex Divine and Nikita defeated Kylon King and Dustin Waller to retain the WOW Tag Team Titles at 13:20.
Trevor Lee vs. Chris Benne. My first time seeing Benne; he also only had 15 matches in 2025. He’s a smug, white man in his mid-30s with a thick, dark beard, and he’s a bit heavyset. The commentator noted he recently faced Danhausen. Lee was a babyface here, high-fiving fans as he looped the ring. An intense lockup to open; Benne has the size advantage and backed Lee into a corner. Benne rolled to the floor to stall. In the ring, Lee ducked a punch and hit an armdrag and targeted the left arm.
Lee hit a roundhouse kick at 3:30 to the chest, and Benne rolled to the floor again. Lee hit a baseball slide dropkick to the floor on him and some loud chops. They continued to loop the ring, as Benne hit some blows and he jawed at the fans. In the ring, Benne hit a Mafia Kick, then a senton for a nearfall at 6:30. He kept Lee grounded until Trevor hit a flying forearm at 8:30.
Lee hit a running Penalty Kick on the ring apron. He nailed a top-rope crossbody block in the ring for a nearfall. Benne slammed him for a nearfall at 10:30. Lee hit a German Suplex and a Shining Wizard for a nearfall. Benne hit a forward Finlay Roll, but he missed a Vader Bomb. Lee got an inside cradle for a nearfall. Benne hit a low-blow mule kick and a spear for the tainted pin. Boos for the finish. A solid match.
Chris Benne defeated Trevor Lee at 12:38.
TWE “Crash Course Three Anniversary” in Red Bank, Tennessee, at TWE Anniversary on December 29, 2025 (IWTV)
This is the venue that looks like an underground military bunker; it’s dark in there, and the ring is pushed up against one wall. John Mosely provided commentary. The crowd appears to be maybe 100.
Jameson Shook vs. Drako Starx for the TWE Title . I chose to watch the main event. This is Drako Knox, who was recently cut by WWE after a handful of matches in Evolve. He’s bald and slender with a reddish beard. They took turns playing to the crowd before finally locking up at 1:30. Drako hit a shoulder tackle that dropped Shook. He hit some shoulder thrusts to the ribs in the corner and got a nearfall at 4:30. Shook fired up and hit some punches; Drako hit some blows to the back.
Drako applied a headlock on the mat and kept Shook grounded. Shook hit a splash in the corner at 8:00. Shook hit a senton for a nearfall. Drako hit an Exploder Suplex for a nearfall at 10:00. Drako hit a modified Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall, but Shook’s feet were in the ropes. Drako celebrated, thinking he had won. They traded rollups, and Shook got the clean pin! Solid match. Shook is so talented.
Jameson Shook defeated Drako Starx to retain the TWE Title at 12:22.
Dynamic Wrestling Association “Winter Lock Up” in Alpharetta, Georgia, on December 19, 2025 (IWTV)
I’ve seen shows from this narrow aging warehouse before. They used a steel cage for the entire six-match show! (It reminds me of when TNA did that a few times.) The crowd was 40 to 50. Also, the ref wore a camera on his head, so we had a view from inside the ring, too.
Jazzy Yang vs. Corinne Joy vs. Alexandra Quinn vs. Vivian Cross in a four-way for the DWA Women’s Title. Jazzy (daughter of Jimmy Wang Yang) was in GCW again on New Year’s Eve. I’ve seen Corinne a few times, and I’ve compared this teen to a young Willow Nightingale or Layla El; she has the ‘it factor’ about her. I’ve seen Quinn at least once, and I don’t think I’ve seen Cross — she has green in her hair. All four brawled at the bell; Yang tried to climb the cage. (Oh, I hate escape-the-cage-rules). Quinn hit a German Suplex for a nearfall.
Jazzy and Cross took turns bodyslamming Joy, and Cross hit a snap suplex, so Yang hit a snap suplex for a nearfall at 3:00. Quinn hit a butterfly suplex, dropping one opponent onto the other for a nearfall. Cross hit a second-rope flying Lungblower to the chin for a nearfall. Yang hit a Shining Wizard for a nearfall at 5:00. Joy hit a double crossbody block for a nearfall. Corinne was about to exit through the door, but a woman named Nikki Heat slammed it in Joy’s face! Yang then exited the door and went to the floor to win. So-so action.
Jazzy Yang defeated Corinne Joy, Alexandra Quinn, and Vivian Cross in a four-way to retain the DWA Women’s Title at 6:11.
Krule vs. Chaymale vs. Terry Yaki vs. Dante Darko vs. Hakeem Young vs. Crowgan Shoals vs. Alexander Lev for the Multiversal Title. I really only know Krule and Yaki, but I’ve seen Lev a few times recently, too. OH, this match has staggered entrances. (I guess I do appreciate that matches have different stipulations if they all are fought in a cage.) Yaki drew No. 1 and Lev was No. 2. (Easily the best two workers, so smart to start with them.) Basic reversals early on. Yaki hit a huracanrana, then he hit a flying crossbody block on Lev, who was leaning against the cage.
Hakeem Young, a young Black man with short hair, entered at 3:30. He went for a cover but was informed he couldn’t get a pin until everyone was in. Dante Darko was No. 4 at 6:00. Shoals is a massive, rotund man in bib overalls, and he wore a mask, and he entered at 7:30 and began clotheslining everyone. Krule entered and glared at Shoals. Everyone else attacked. Chaymale was No. 7 at 10:00, and there can now be a pin. He hit a top-of-the-cage splash onto everyone below. Yaki hit a sit-out powerbomb on Chaymale for a nearfall.
Hakeem hit a flying spear, and he was fired up. Krule hit a back suplex on Shoals at 13:30. Krule stood on the top rope and threw Chaymale onto everyone. Shoals hit a chokeslam on Krule! Shoals then hit a belly-to-belly suplex on Chaymale for the pin. Not sure who this Shoals is, but he might be 6’4″ or so, and he’s pretty thick, too.
Crowgan Shoals defeated Krule, Chaymale, Terry Yaki, Dante Darko, Hakeem Young, and Alexander Lev to win the Multiversal Title at 14:36.
Final Thoughts: The Shotzi Blackheart-Serena Deeb match was really, really good and deserved all the praise the commentators heaped on it. Admittedly, none of the other seven matches really jumped out at me today. Ken Anderson and Heath Slater wrestled the sort of matches you expect from veterans in their 40s — a lot of stand-up brawling. It was fine, but certainly not must-see. Jameson Shook is really good; so is Terry Yaki. Corinne Joy has an aura. Miracle Generation and Trevor Lee carried greener opponents to passable matches. Drako Knox showed why WWE passed on him so early on (sorry!), but he was fine.
Yeah… go find the Shotzi-Deeb match, and it’s okay to skip the rest.
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