By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
There is far more good indy wrestling out there that I could 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 that 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 ten matches from across four different recent indy shows.
Awesome Championship Wrestling “Poughkeepsie Rumble” in Poughkeepsie, New York, at the MJN Convention Center on January 3, 2026 (Triller+)
The big news here is Matt Cardona was slated to be in the main event but backed out after signing his WWE contract. The crowd could be 800, possibly more; I’ve seen a few shows from this venue, and they always draw well. They do have commentary, but it’s really quiet — even at full-volume on my laptop, I couldn’t hear it well. Also, the video playback isn’t quite a smooth feed.
There were lots of stars in the matches I didn’t watch — Tommy Dreamer, Blue Meanie, Little Guido, “Real 1” (Enzo Amore), Crowbar, Gangrel, the Righteous, Joey Janela, Mance Warner, and former WCW World Champion David Arquette (who I refuse to ever watch wrestle!) Here are the four matches I did opt to watch.
Jordan Oliver vs. Leo Sparrow. I’ve seen Sparrow multiple times now, usually in Create A Pro, and he’s wrestled in AEW and was squashed by Omos on WWE Raw in 2022. He came out first and was booed. Oliver is a top 10 indy wrestler and has appeared on ROH TV for two weeks straight. Standing switches to open, and Oliver tied up Sparrow’s legs on the mat. Oliver hit his twisting crossbody block and hit some chops. Sparrow hit a suplex for a nearfall at 3:00, and he tied Oliver in a top hammerlock.
Leo hit an Angle Slam for a nearfall. They traded rollups. Oliver hit a uranage and a leg drop. Leo went for a move off the ropes, but Oliver caught him with a dropkick, then Jordan hit a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall at 5:30. Leo hit an Asai Moonsault. In the ring, he hit a running knee to the head for a nearfall. They traded forearm strikes, and Leo hit a superkick. Jordan hit a mid-ring Spanish Fly for a nearfall; this crowd was HOT for this action. “What am I watching?” a commentator shouted as the crowd chanted, “This is awesome!”
Sparrow hit a DDT onto the ring apron. He grabbed his bag of kale and spinach, but Oliver kicked it out of his hands, and he slammed Leo on the apron. Oliver hit running double knees in the corner, and he set up for an Acid Bomb, but Leo escaped. Leo went to the top rope, but Oliver met him and hit a second-rope Falcon Arrow for a nearfall! He immediately hit the Acid Bomb (face-first Razor’s Edge) for the pin. “The fans were just treated to an absolute clinic,” a commentator said. “What a match!”
Jordan Oliver defeated Leo Sparrow at 10:09.
Indi Hartwell vs. Shotzi Blackheart for the ACW Women’s Title. Cagematch.net records show they’ve shared the ring 13 times before; Shotzi won a singles match in November in HOG, and all their matchups before that were in 2021 or earlier. Shotzi hit a huracanrana that flipped Indi into the ropes, then Shotzi hit a 619. She hit a crossbody block off the ropes, but Indi rolled through it and got a nearfall. They fought to the floor, where Indi leaned her against the guardrail and hit some chops.
They got back into the ring, where Shotzi hit a senton, and she applied a Cattle Mutilation at 4:30, and this crowd was hot and alternating chants for both women. Indi nailed a spinebuster for a nearfall. Shotzi hit a standing neckbreaker, then a Sliced Bread out of the corner for a nearfall. Indi hit the Implant Buster faceplant for the pin. That wrapped up suddenly.
Indi Hartwell defeated Shotzi Blackheart to retain the ACW Women’s Title at 6:06.
Nic Nemeth vs. Mike Santana in a No. 1 contender’s match. Nemeth was the last-minute replacement for Cardona. A feeling-out process to open. Cagematch.net records show these two were on opposite sides of the ring in TNA matches three times in 2025, but this is a first-ever singles match! Santana avoided a superkick; Nemeth avoided a Spin The Block clothesline, and we had a standoff at 4:30, and we got a “This is awesome!” chant. They shook hands, but Nemeth hit some punches.
Nemeth stomped on Santana and kept him grounded. He hit a leaping DDT at 6:30 and applied a headlock on the mat. He hit a hard back elbow at 8:00 and went back to tying up Santana on the mat. Santana hit an enzuigiri in the corner at 10:30, then hit his sudden Death Valley Driver for a nearfall. Santana nailed the Rolling Buck-Fifty stunner for a nearfall. (The commentators haven’t called the name of a single move in any of the matches I’ve watched.)
Santana set up for the Spin The Block clothesline, but Nic avoided it, and Nemeth hit the Fameasser leg drop for a believable nearfall, and they were both down at 13:00. Nic set up for a Superkick in the corner, but Santana blocked it. They traded forearm strikes and the crowd went NUTS. Nemeth hit a superkick for a believable nearfall. (We had a nice wide camera view here, showing that this crowd was seriously 700+.) Nemeth hit a huracanrana, and they traded rollups. Nemeth popped to his feet but was immediately met with a Spin the Block (discus clothesline) for the pin. That was stellar!
Mike Santana defeated Nic Nemeth at 15:32.
* Before the next match, there was a 21-man Royal Rumble. When it got to the final two, it turned into a singles match! (This Rumble is where a lot of the aging stars like Blue Meanie, Gangrel, and David Arquette appeared). Richard Holliday hit a ‘Fingerpoke of Doom’ to send Ben Bishop off the apron to the floor to end the Rumble portion of the match!
Richard Holliday (w/Ben Bishop) vs. Dante Casanova for the vacant ACW Heavyweight Title. They immediately brawled, but the seven-footer Bishop reached into the ring and tripped Dante. It allowed Holliday to hit some stomps and earn some boos. Holliday had a cut on his nose and was bleeding, but he kept Dante grounded. They hit stereo clotheslines at 3:00 and were both down.
Holliday went for a low-blow uppercut, but Dante avoided it. They traded rollups. Holliday hit a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall at 6:00. Dante hit a Northern Lights Suplex, then a powerslam for a nearfall. Ben got on the ring apron, but Dante pushed him to the floor. However, it allowed Holliday to hit a low blow uppercut and the 2008 swinging suplex for the pin.
Richard Holliday defeated Dante Casanova to win the vacant ACW Title at 8:05.
* Killer Kross appeared on the video screen and challenged Holliday for the next big show on March 14.
Game Changer Wrestling “One Night Only” in Berwyn, Illinois, at the Berwyn Eagles Club on Saturday, January 3, 2025 (Triller+)
GCW held a deathmatch show Saturday at this aging club in suburban Chicago. Again, I’ve attended a few events here, including some of the original Shimmer tapings. I’m not a deathmatch guy, but I’ve seen Marcus Mathers fight a few women this year (Billie Starkz, Alexia Nicole come to mind), and at perhaps 5’9″ and maybe 190 pounds, Mathers doesn’t tower over most men. This venue is packed and sold out. Dave Prazak was on commentary, and it’s always great to hear his voice.
Marcus Mathers vs. Emersyn Jayne. UK star Jayne frequently wrestles death matches, and she’s pretty close in height and weight to him. They locked up, and he pushed her into a corner. She slapped him in the face. He hit his mule kick to her jaw at 1:30 and was booed. Jayne hit a huracanrana, then another. She dove through the ropes, and they landed in the front row. She pushed a door onto the apron, but he dropkicked it onto her face at 3:30, earning a “holy shit!” chant.
Mathers hit a running Penalty Kick on the apron, then he pushed her into the ring. He threw several chairs into the ring, too. He threw her snake-eyes onto a chair wedged in the corner at 6:00. She hit a drop-toe-hold, sending him crashing onto an open chair. Jayne hit a German Suplex, then a crossbody block into the corner. She tried a coast-to-coast dropkick onto a chair (she actually came up a bit short). She hit a top-rope moonsault for a nearfall at 8:00, and we got a “This is awesome!” chant.
Mathers hit his fadeaway stunner from the corner. She hit a German Suplex, then a sliding German Suplex in the ropes, and a slingshot stunner. Mathers hit a kip-up stunner. She hit a German Suplex for a nearfall. He kicked her on the side of the head, and they were both down at 10:00. Marcus grabbed a chair and jabbed it into her shoulder as she was lying on the mat. He set up a door bridge and set her on it. However, she jumped up and hit a top-rope Spanish Fly through the door bridge for a believable nearfall at 11:30.
Marcus powerbombed her across the backs of two open chairs for a believable nearfall. Ouch! Mathers again set up a door bridge, and he hit a second-rope powerbomb through the board bridge for a believable nearfall at 14:30! He hit his Ospreay-style heel hook kick to her jaw. She hit a piledriver along her back on the apron. She hit another one on the pile of door debris in the center of the ring for the pin. Good brawl.
Emersyn Jayne defeated Marcus Mathers at 15:42.
Warrior Wrestling “Resurrection” in Chicago, Illinois, at the Half Acre Brewery on December 5, 2025 (free on YouTube)
This was Warrior’s return show, and they have just started uploading matches as individual files on their YouTube channel; at this time, the entire show is not available as one single video. Here are three matches that jumped out to me. This show was held at a brewery, and it’s packed with maybe 300 fans. It seems like a really good atmosphere, and it has a nice, high ceiling. A note that there isn’t any commentary.
* Warrior Wrestling is returning to this venue on January 16 with Bandido vs. Jake Something and Lance Archer vs. Ben Bishop!
“Latinos Most Wanted” Koda Hernandez and Sabin Gauge vs. “Better Together” Ori Gold and Hadar Horvitz. In recent weeks, I’ve seen BT in Reality of Wrestling in Texas as well as in Georgia, so they are definitely hitting the road. I always say that Koda is among the best of the Chicago scene. Sabin and Hadar opened and immediately traded intense reversals on the mat. Ori entered and twisted Sabin’s left arm. Koda finally entered at 3:00 and locked up with Hadar.
Sabin hit a huracanrana, and LMW hit some quick team moves on Hadar. Koda dove through the ropes onto Ori at 6:00. In the ring, Koda hit a twisting uranage on Hadar, and he flipped Sabin onto Hadar. Koda hit a Razor’s Edge, and Sabin immediately hit a Swanton Bomb to pin Hadar. That was a pretty good tag match; this crowd was HOT.
“Latinos Most Wanted” Koda Hernandez and Sabin Gauge defeated “Better Together” Ori Gold and Hadar Horvitz at 7:10.
Gringo Loco vs. Rey Horus. These two should really mesh well. The video opened backstage as we saw Rey from behind as he put his mask over his head, then headed to the ring. Cool. Chicago-native Loco got a massive pop. Quick lucha reversals at the bell and a standoff at 1:00. Horus hit a springboard move to flip Loco to the mat. Rey dove through the ropes onto him on the floor at 3:00. In the ring, Loco hit a swinging Flapjack, and he choked Horus in the ropes. He set up for a delayed vertical suplex but dropped Horus stomach-first to the mat.
Loco nailed a split-legged moonsault for a nearfall at 5:00. He hit a swinging faceplant for a nearfall and remained in control. Horus got on Loco’s shoulders and hit a cool huracanrana at 6:30. He dove to the floor on Loco. He threw a chair on Loco! Loco climbed onto what I think was a massive cooler, and he dove off this 10-foot structure and hit a huracanrana onto Loco at 8:00. (This really is an insane move with no mats on the floor.)
Horus pushed Loco into the ring, where he hit a faceplant for a nearfall. They traded forearm strikes. Loco hit a sit-out powerbomb. Horus hit some enzuigiris in the corner. He hit a huracanrana out of the corner, then a tornado DDT. This has been top-notch lucha action; they are really clicking. Horus went for a top-rope twisting frog splash, but Loco got his knees up. Loco nailed his Base Bomb (twisting powerbomb out of the corner) for a believable nearfall at 11:30; that’s often a finisher! Loco immediately hit a spinning Tombstone Piledriver for the pin. That was awesome.
Gringo Loco defeated Rey Horus at 11:57.
Willow Nightingale vs. Johnnie Robbie. I’ve noted that Robbie did a tour of Japan last summer and came back a much stronger competitor; she’s moved into the top 10 U.S.-based indy women. Johnnie came out first, and she cut a heel promo, then introduced Frank the Clown to be her manager for the show, and he always draws instant boos. Somehow, they edited out the bell, so I started the stopwatch at first contact. Robbie stalled. Willow knocked her down with a shoulder tackle. Willow hit a running body block for a nearfall at 2:00, and she jawed with Frank.
Willow hit an enzuigiri and a clothesline for a nearfall. Robbie did a Sabre-style neck-snap between his ankles at 3:30, and she took control. Frank choked Willow in the ropes and drew massive heat! Willow hit a bodyslam. They traded loud chops. Johnnie hit a Lungblower to the chin for a nearfall. We could see Tootie Lynn watching the match from the crowd. Willow hit a bulldog at 6:30, then some clotheslines and a second-rope missile dropkick for a nearfall.
Willow hit a Death Valley Driver for a believable nearfall. Robbie got up, and they traded stiff forearm strikes. Robbie hit a headscissors takedown and a running boot in the corner. Willow nailed a Pounce at 9:30, and that popped the crowd. Frank got into the ring, but Willow pushed Johnnie into Frank. Willow then hit the Doctor Bomb for the pin. That was really good.
Willow Nightingale defeated Johnnie Robbie at 10:28.
* Tootie Lynn got in the ring with a chair in her hands to chase off Frank and Robbie. Tootie and Willow hugged.
Central States Wrestling “Tales From The Ring” in Overland Park, Kansas, at Abdallah Shriner’s Temple on Oct. 4, 2025 (free on YouTube)
This show was just released this week on their YouTube channel. The lighting is good, and they have on-screen graphics. This is a small room, so a crowd of 150 has filled it.
Blair Onyx vs. Izzy B. I’ve seen Izzy a few times now; she’s a tall blonde in pink gear, and she is maybe 5’11”. Onyx was in full scary goth mode tonight, and she wore her Edward Scissorhands fingers. Izzy looked terrified (and possibly disgusted) and rolled to the floor to stall. In the ring, they twisted each other’s left arms. Izzy planted her long legs in Blair’s throat and choked her in the ropes. She hit running knees to Blair’s face in the corner at 4:00.
Izzy hit a Russian Leg Sweep for a nearfall and remained in charge, and she jawed at the crowd. She rubbed her butt in Blair’s face, so Blair bit her! Blair hit a clothesline, then a sliding clothesline for a nearfall at 6:30. She nailed a Sister Abigail swinging faceplant for a believable nearfall. Izzy hit a Lungblower to the chest for a nearfall. Blair struck her throat across the top rope. Izzy set up for a double-underhook DDT, but she turned it into a swinging powerbomb for the pin. Decent action; a bit surprised Izzy won clean.
Izzy B defeated Blair Onyx at 8:02.
Samuray Del Sol vs. Rey De La Muerte. Being as Rey doesn’t have a cagematch.net bio, I’m assuming this is an experienced wrestler under that mask, and is probably someone working double-duty on this show. He wore the most generic black outfit and a black lucha mask. A huge pop for the former Kalisto. An intense lockup to open, and SDS almost immediately tied him in a Trailer Hitch leg lock. SDS twisted the left arm. Rey tied up Sol’s legs on the mat. Sol hit a springboard armdrag move at 4:00, and Rey rolled to the floor to regroup.
In the ring, Rey hit some armdrags and also hit a springboard armdrag move, then he dove through the ropes onto SDS at 6:00. They traded chops against the guardrail as they looped ringside. Back in the ring, Rey hit a spin kick for a nearfall at 8:30. SDS hit a seated Spanish Fly off the top rope for a nearfall. Rey hit a jumping knee to the chin and got a nearfall at 10:30. Del Sol hit his mid-ring Sliced Bread move out of absolutely nowhere for the pin. Fun match.
Samuray del Sol defeated Rey De La Muerte at 10:47.
Final Thoughts: A day ago, I wrote up an indy roundup where I bluntly admitted only one of the eight matches I reviewed that day was worth going out of your way to check out. I choose my words carefully in writing these reviews — not every match is stellar. I don’t use that word lightly. So, this roundup was loaded with great matches. Santana-Nemeth was stellar. Gringo Loco vs. Rey Horus was sharp; every lucha move they tried landed flawlessly. Oliver-Sparrow was really sharp, too, but only the third-best of these matches. Willow-Robbie was really good, too, and earns honorable mention. Mathers-Jayne was really good and didn’t get bloody, and the man-on-woman violence was minimal. This would have been a really good ten-match card if all on one show.
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