By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
There is far more good indy wrestling out there than I can 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 nine matches from across three different recent indy shows.
Produce Wrestling & Action Wrestling (free on YouTube)
Produce just released this single match, not the entire pay-per-view, on their YouTube page. This was the match that intrigued me the most, as I haven’t seen Low Ki wrestle much in recent years. Walker Stewart provided commentary. Lighting was good, but this crowd was shockingly small! Certainly fewer than 100 people were present, possibly as few as 60.
Low Ki vs. Karl-Greco Malenko. Low Ki (age 47) is still dressed like the “Hitman” video game character in a white T-shirt and red tie. NOPE, Low Ki took off the shirt and pants and wrestled in trunks! Malenko (age 56) has a scruffy, gray beard. This match has knock-downs and knock-outs, NOT pins. They tied up on the mat and had a standoff. They again tied up on the mat; this looked a lot like the “GCW Bloodsport” events, as this match was a pretty authentic-looking worked shoot.
Malenko tied him in a Triangle Choke, but Low Ki escaped at 7:00, and Ki applied a rear-naked choke on the mat. Malenko hit a hard knee in the corner that left Low Ki groggy and a bit shaken. Ki again tied him up on the mat. Malenko escaped, mounted Ki, and hit repeated punches, then went to a cross-armbreaker, but Ki got his feet on the ropes at 10:30. Ki again tied up Malenko.
(This has to be exhausting! These guys are going back-and-forth on the mat.) Malenko hit repeated punches to the stomach. Low Ki hit a Ki Crusher (a modified Michinoku Driver). Karl-Greco got up, but Ki hit some knee lifts to the ribs, then he applied a sleeper on the mat. I thought that was it, but Malenko escaped and applied a crossface chickenwing on the mat. The ref checked Ki, determined he was out, and called for the bell! I thoroughly enjoyed that.
Karl-Greco Malenko defeated Low Ki at 14:44.
Focus Pro Wrestling “The World In My Hands” at the Sonia in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on October 24, 2026 (IWTV)
This is a dark, small club. The crowd was maybe 100. The ring was lit okay. I watched four of the eight matches.
LJ Cleary vs. Austin Luke for the Fight Factory Pro Jr. Heavyweight Title. Cleary announced Friday that he has suffered an injury that will sideline him for nine to 12 months. This was the show opener. Standing switches to open. Luke snapped Cleary’s fingers. LJ hit a leg lariat at 2:00. Luke hit a backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall. He hit a series of forearm strikes and a discus forearm that dropped Cleary at 4:00. Austin hit a brainbuster for a nearfall.
They fought onto the stage adjacent to the ring. Cleary hit a back-body drop to flip Luke back into the ring at 5:30. LJ hit a clothesline and was fired up. Cleary hit a series of kicks. Luke intentionally kicked the back of the ref. When the ref turned around, Luke was down on the mat, feigning an injury. The ref saw Luke down and called for the bell! (This seems pretty dumb to me; why would the challenger cause a DQ?)
Austin Luke defeated LJ Cleary via DQ at 7:12; LJ Cleary retained his title.
Gypsy Mac vs. Izzy Moreno in a No. 1 contender’s street fight. The special guest referee was Steph De Lander. Izzy wore blue jeans and a T-shirt; I love when wrestlers are dressed for a fight, not a match. We had chairs in the ring before the match began. Izzy hit Mac on the back with a bat covered in thumbtacks. Izzy got a staple gun and used it on Mac’s chest. Izzy picked up a chair and hit some strikes to Gypsy’s back. De Lander helped wedge a chair into the corner! However, Gypsy shoved Izzy’s face into the chair at 3:30.
Mac’s face was covered in blood. Mac struck Izzy across the back with the plastic bat and got a nearfall. SDL and Mac argued, and some fans chanted, “You f—ed up!” at Gypsy. Gypsy set up a door in the corner and purposely smeared her blood on it. Izzy hit a series of forearm strikes, then she threw a chair at her. Izzy hit a crossbody block for a nearfall at 5:30. Mac speared Izzy through the door for a nearfall! Izzy hit a Michinoku Driver across two open chairs for a nearfall at 7:00.
Mac slammed Izzy and got a nearfall. She argued with Steph and shoved her; SDL shoved her back! Mac hit a Buzzsaw kick, but she again shoved Steph, and Steph shoved her back. “Don’t f— with me, bitch!” Steph said to her. Mac shoved some beads in Izzy’s mouth, then superkicked them out. She hit a piledriver out of the ropes to pin Moreno. More violent than I expected from them.
Gypsy Mac defeated Izzy Moreno in a street fight at 9:23 to become the No. 1 contender.
Mani Ariez vs. Super Crazy. A nice pop for the ECW legend. We got the bell, they shook hands, and locked up. They traded shoulder blocks with neither man going down. Crazy hit some armdrags, and we had a standoff at 2:00. Mani placed Super Crazy on the top rope and hit a running knee. They fought on the apron, and Mani shoved Crazy face-first into the ring post. In the ring, Mani hit a series of clotheslines. They traded slaps to the face while on their knees at 6:00.
Super Crazy hit a hip-toss and some running back elbows. He hit a series of punches in the corner with the crowd counting to ten in Spanish. They traded more forearm strikes. Crazy hit a twisting elbow drop for a nearfall at 9:00. Crazy ducked a clothesline, and he hit a loud overhand chop. Mani peeled down his own singlet, and they traded chops. Mani hit a running knee, but he missed a frog splash. Super Crazy immediately got a Magistral Cradle for the flash pin. Fun match. They hugged, and Mani bowed to him.
Super Crazy defeated Mani Ariez at 10:47.
Diego Alvarez vs. 1 Called Manders for the Focus Pro Title. We got some Bon Jovi for Manders today. Diego cut a heel promo. We got the bell, but Diego immediately rolled to the floor, stalled, and removed his shirt before getting back in. Manders easily shoved him into a corner and teased a chop but gave him a friendly swat on the rear. They pushed their foreheads together, and Diego kicked him. Manders set up for his decapitating clothesline, but Diego rolled to the floor again at 2:00.
Manders eventually went to the floor and hit some chops as they fought through the crowd. Diego made his way over to the commentary table, put on a headset, and boasted about how great he is. Manders marched over and hit some chops. Manders hit a bodyslam on the floor at 5:00. He grabbed a security guard and slammed him onto Diego! Diego knocked Manders off the apron to the floor at 6:30. Manders dove back into the ring to avoid a count-out. However, Diego hit a series of knee drops on the elbow.
Manders fired up and hit some chops, but he missed a second-rope elbow drop at 9:30, damaging his arm some more. Diego hit a standing neckbreaker. Manders tossed Diego gut-first on the top rope. He hit a clothesline in the corner and an Oklahoma Stampede (bulldog powerslam) for a nearfall. Diego hit a leaping DDT for a nearfall at 11:30. Manders hit a leaping clothesline from his knees, and they were both down. They got up and traded chops. Manders nailed the decapitating clothesline at 14:00, and they were both down.
Manders swung his arm but struck the title belt in Diego’s arms. Manders hit a clothesline for a nearfall. They fought on the ropes in the corner, with Diego hitting a twisting DDT to the mat. He hit another DDT for a nearfall at 16:30. Manders hit another decapitating clothesline, but Alvarez rolled to the floor to avoid a pin. Alvarez again struck him across the forehead with the title belt! He hit an Unprettier faceplant for the tainted pin.
Diego Alvarez defeated 1 Called Manders to retain the Focus Pro Title at 18:30.
Combat Zone Wrestling AND Beyond Wrestling “Double Burial” at the Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company in Croydon, Pennsylvania, on October 24, 2026 (IWTV)
I’ve seen several shows from this long-and-narrow white storage room. The lights were on, and it was easy to see. This was fairly packed, more than I’ve seen in this venue before, with a crowd of maybe 150. The two promotions worked together to put this on. I opted to watch the first five regular matches and skipped the four death matches that concluded the show. Nixon Newell took part in one of the death matches, if that intrigues you.
* They opened the show with the 10-bell salute for Jeff “Cannonball” Guerriero, who died recently of ALS at the age of 39.
Desean Pratt vs. Kylon King. Kylon hit running double knees to the back, and we’re underway! Pratt is thicker, and he hit a clothesline. They rolled to the floor and brawled; it’s packed, and there isn’t much room for them to move! Back in the ring, Pratt hit some punches to the ribs, then a diving forearm strike to the back of the head for a nearfall at 2:00. Kylon hit a DVD onto the ring apron, and they both fell to the floor. In the ring, King was back in charge, and he whipped Pratt into a corner and stood on his back.
King hit a backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall at 4:00. He applied a half-crab, then went to a full Boston Crab. He hit a buzzsaw kick to the side of the head, and the crowd rallied for Pratt. Desean hit a spin kick and a Michinoku Driver for a nearfall at 6:00. Kylon hit an enzuigiri; Pratt hit a superkick. King hit a jumping powerbomb for a nearfall. Pratt hit a DDT onto a folded chair for a nearfall at 8:00. Kylon hit a German Suplex onto the open chair! Ouch! King hit a dive to the floor while holding a chair. King threw Pratt back into the ring, where he got the pin!
Kylon King defeated Desean Pratt at 8:57.
* Several people ran in to check on Pratt, and the commentators certainly indicated he might have been legitimately injured. I wouldn’t doubt it, as I didn’t expect that pin; it felt like it came out of nowhere. We could hear the crowd cheering for Pratt as he was helped to the back. His legs were covered, which makes me wonder if he broke one. UGH, I rewound it, and it’s clear his left leg is broken below the knee. It was bent unnaturally. This is like the injury an Oklahoma City Thunder player suffered last week.
Allie Katch vs. Liviyah. They shook hands before locking up. I’ll put them both at about 5’8″. Allie flipped her to the mat. Liv put her arms around Allie’s waist and slammed her face-first. Liviyah hit a shoulder tackle, then hit a snap suplex and some clotheslines in the corner at 2:00. Katch hit a seated senton, and she twisted Liv’s left arm. She applied a headlock on the mat to slow down Liviyah. Katch snapped the left arm over her shoulder at 4:30 and planted her knee in Liv’s spine.
Liv hit a flying shoulder tackle and was fired up. She hit a Helluva Kick and a German Suplex for a nearfall. They traded rollups. Katch slapped her across the face; Liv hit some forearm strikes. Allie hit a Pele Kick, but Liviyah hit a clothesline. Allie hit a short-arm clothesline for a nearfall. She hit some more clotheslines, and the crowd rallied for Liviyah. Allie applied a front guillotine choke, but Liviyah hit a spinebuster. Liv hit a TKO stunner at 8:00. Liviyah charged into the corner but crashed into the middle turnbuckle. Katch immediately hit a piledriver for the pin. Good action; that could have gone longer.
Allie Katch defeated Liviyah at 8:23.
Joseph “A-Game” Alexander vs. Flyin’ Ryan O’Neill. Both men have really been on a roll lately. A clean lockup and standing switches to open. A-Game hit a punch to the ribs and tied up the left arm. Ryan hit a springboard armdrag and a clothesline for a nearfall at 2:30. A-Game dropped him with a clothesline, and he stomped on the teenager O’Neill. He hit a basement dropkick to the back for a nearfall at 4:00, and he planted his knee in Ryan’s spine.
Ryan hit a springboard crossbody block for a nearfall at 6:00. A-Game blocked a sunset flip and got a nearfall. He hit a running kick into the corner, then a hip-toss and a diving punch to the jaw for a nearfall. A-Game hit a jumping knee. Ryan hit double-chops and a pump kick to the sternum. A-Game blocked a flying move off the ropes, and he hit a spinebuster for a nearfall at 8:30. Ryan got a backslide for a nearfall. They traded rollups. Ryan hit a bottom-rope Canadian Destroyer, then a Cleopatra stunner and a Swanton Bomb for the pin! That was really sharp.
Flyin’ Ryan O’Neill defeated Joseph “A-Game” Alexander at 10:16.
* The commentators told us that Pratt was taken away in an ambulance, but he’s in “high spirits.”
“Simply the Best” Oxx Adams and Brett Ryan Gosselin vs. “Wrench & Resolve” Erik ChaCha and Jake Gray vs. “Game Time” Griffin McCoy and Vinny Talotta vs. “Northern Thunder” London Lightning and Storm Ryder in a four-way tag match. It’s always good to see the Canadian brothers Northern Thunder here. I’ve noted that I really like this new pairing of McCoy and Talotta while Vinny’s regular teammate is out with an injury. Griffin opened against the much shorter ChaCha. Game Time stomped on ChaCha. The commentators noted that they just started teaming. Gray tagged in and hit a basement dropkick on McCoy at 1:30.
BRG made a bling tag, and he worked over Gray. London entered for the first time, and he tagged in Ryder. They hit a team hip-toss on BRG. Northern Thunder hit stereo shoulder tackles on Game Time. Oxx entered and hit a double chokeslam on Northern Thunder for a nearfall at 3:30, but everyone jumped in to break it up. Oxx hit splashes in corners on several guys, and he hit a sidewalk slam. Did I mention that Oxx is a seven-footer and is similar to Brody King? He did some push-ups, then playfully kicked Ryder and dropped him with a chop.
BRG hit a Russian leg sweep for a nearfall on Ryder. Vinny hit a backbreaker over his knee. McCoy hit some roundhouse kicks to Ryder’s chest, then a Mafia Kick as Vinny held Ryder upside down at 6:30. Gray got a hot tag, and he unloaded blows on Game Time and Oxx. ChaCha hit a springboard dropkick. He hit a frog splash on BRG for a nearfall. Wrench & Resolve low-bridged the top rope, and Oxx fell to the floor. ChaCha hit some Yes Kicks on Game Time. However, Vinny hit a spear on Erik for a nearfall at 8:30.
Ryder hit a double clothesline on Game Time. He hit running splashes on opposite corners on Game Time, then a release German Suplex on Griffin, then one on Talotta for a nearfall, but BRG made the save. BRG hit some eye-pokes and celebrated. Everyone who was down got up, surrounded him, and stomped on Brett. Funny. Oxx jumped in and began punching everyone. Four guys worked together to powerbomb Oxx at 11:30! London hit a plancha. Ryder dove through the ropes onto several guys.
Chacha hit a dive onto everyone on the floor. Jake hit the Toolbox Drop (Coffin Drop) to the floor onto everyone. McCoy hit a top-rope superplex on ChaCha. Talotta scooped up Erik and powerbombed him over the top rope onto several guys. Game Time hit a team double-stomp-and-Dominator swinging faceplant on London for the pin. An awkward landing for London, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a bit injured, too.
“Game Time” Griffin McCoy and Vinny Talotta defeated “Simply the Best” Oxx Adams and Brett Ryan Gosselin, “Wrench & Resolve” Erik ChaCha and Jake Gray, and “Northern Thunder” London Lightning and Storm Ryder in a four-way tag match at 13:43.
DJ Powers vs. Will Kiedis vs. Jimmy Lloyd vs. Myles Hawkins in a four-way. I’ve seen Hawkins a few times, but he’s the one I’m least familiar with. Kiedis is the short Australian who gets the Addams Family comparison. Hawkins rolled to the floor at the bell, and Lloyd was pushed to the floor, so Powers and Kiedis locked up. DJ complained that his hair was pulled. They shook hands, but both went to kick each other in the gut. Kiedis hit a powerslam on DJ at 1:30. Jimmy got back in and hit a running neckbreaker.
Myles hit a top-rope crossbody block on Kiedis for a nearfall. Kiedis hit a dropkick into the corner on Hawkins, then a sliding dropkick to the floor on Powers. Will flipped Hawkins into the turnbuckles. Jimmy got back into the ring, and he dove through the ropes onto Hawkins at 4:00. Hawkins hit a flip dive to the floor onto everyone. In the ring, Jimmy was on the bottom of a Tower of Doom. Will jumped in and hit an elbow drop for a nearfall. Powers hit a Pedigree on Kiedis for a nearfall.
Powers hit a Canadian Destroyer on Lloyd at 6:30. Hawkins hit a flying kick on Kiedis for a nearfall, but Jimmy slammed Powers onto Myles to break it up. DJ superkicked Kiedis. DJ hit a Hangman Lariat. Kiedis hit a spin kick on Hawkins for a nearfall. Lloyd hit a superkick on Kiedis, then a swinging piledriver. However, Hawkins threw Lloyd to the floor, and he covered the prone Kiedis to steal the pin! The crowd booed that.
Myles Hawkins defeated DJ Powers, Will Kiedis, and Jimmy Lloyd in a four-way at 8:07.
Final Thoughts: In the early 2000s, when I’d go to an indy show and scoop up some wrestling DVDs, I usually bought it if Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, or Low Ki were on the show. (Yes, those three were ahead of Bryan Danielson and CM Punk in my eyes.) Point being, I’ve long been a fan of Low Ki’s in-ring work, and it was great to see one of literally two matches he’s had in 2026. I’ll reiterate that the match is free on YouTube and well worth checking out.
That four-way tag match in CZW was a lot of fun and earns second of these nine matches. Manders-Alvarez from Focus Pro takes third, with A-Game vs. O’Neill earning honorable mention. It’s always hard to see a terrible injury like what happened to Pratt. Likewise, I noted that LJ Cleary is injured and out of action for nine to 12 months. He didn’t specify the injury, but that’s usually the recovery time from an ACL surgery.
