By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
There is far more good indy wrestling out there than 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 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.
Warrior Wrestling “Ice Cold” in Chicago, Illinois, at Half Acre Beer Company on January 16, 2026 (free on YouTube)
So far, Warrior Wrestling has posted just two matches as individual video files; the entire show is not available yet. There is NO commentary and just two fan-cameras at ringside. They held a show in this brewery last month, and it was once again packed with maybe 300 people; I don’t doubt if it’s a sellout. I really hope a few more matches are released!
Bandido vs. Jake Something. They locked up; Jake shoved him down and got booed. He did some quick push-ups to show he has the power advantage. Jake hit his series of running body blocks, repeatedly knocking Bandido down. Bandido hit a huracanrana, then a dive through the ropes at 3:00. He hit a second dive, this one over the top rope, and he climbed on a stack of large wooden kegs and posed.
(It appears they made a slight edit here?) The crowd chanted “F— Don Callis!” at Jake, who was embracing being a heel. He slammed Bandito back-first on the apron. In the ring, Jake remained in charge, hitting a clothesline for a nearfall at 5:00. Another edit. Bandido hit a twisting crossbody block and was fired up. He hit a modified tornado DDT and a Buzzsaw Kick. Bandido hit a top-rope huracanrana, but Jake rolled through it and hit a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall.
Bandido hit a top-rope frog splash for a nearfall at 7:30, and they were both down. Jake missed a spear into the corner. Bandido hit a superkick, then a Gorilla Press, slamming Jake to the mat. He hit the 21-Plex for the pin. That was a lot of fun. Not sure how much was edited out, but it sure felt like the bulk of it was left in.
Bandido defeated Jake Something at 9:34 (edited down).
Coastal Championship Wrestling/Boca Raton Championship Wrestling, “Yeow! A Tribute to Jaka” in Kissimmee, Florida, at Sun On The Beach on January 17, 2026 (free on YouTube).
The production was decent, and the crowd was maybe 200. There were 11 matches; I picked four that interested me. Trevin Adams was the main commentator, and I really like his true sports broadcast style. Several wrestlers did commentary. Eddie Kingston, who did not wrestle, was particularly humorous.
Cezar Bononi, Noah Kekoa, and Sean Maluta vs. Bull James, Leon Ruff, and Madman Fulton. All six of these guys were in NXT at one point. (Kekoa had a bodybuilder gimmick as Kona Reeves.) Maluta and Ruff opened and locked up, as the commentators talked about Ruff’s title reign in NXT when the belt fell off his hips. Those two traded chops; they are the smallest guys on their teams. They had a standoff at 2:00. Kekoa entered and hit a sidewalk slam on Ruff for a nearfall. Ruff hit a dropkick, but it only staggered Noah.
Bull James entered — he’s put on even more weight since I last saw him — and he splashed Noah in the corner at 3:30. Fulton hit a Mafia Kick on Noah for a nearfall. James picked up teammate Fulton and slammed him onto Noah. Cezar entered for the first time, and he hit a double crossbody block. Ruff tried a top-rope crossbody block, but Cezar caught him and threw him to the floor onto Ruff’s teammates. Cezar and Fulton brawled at ringside. Noah hit a Chokebomb on Ruffin. Bull hit a buttsplash onto Noah’s chest! Maluta hit a top-rope frog splash to pin Bull James.
Cezar Bononi, Noah Kekoa, and Sean Maluta defeated Bull James, Leon Ruff, and Madman Fulton at 6:00 even.
“Violence is Forever” Dominic Garrini and Kevin Ku vs. Curt Stallion Rogers and Matt Taven. ViF came out to “Zombie” by The Cranberries, while Taven and Stallion came out to Wham’s “Never Gonna Dance Again,” and that song just went on and on. Garrini and Taven opened but did some comedy early on. Ku and Stallion tagged in at 1:30, and they immediately traded forearm strikes. ViF hit some team moves in their corner on Stallion. Rogers hit a double stomp on Garrini and a DDT.
Kingston said he’s never been in the ring with Ku but has been with the others. Ku got in at 6:00 and hit a series of clotheslines in opposite corners. He hit a Chaos Theory rolling German Suplex on Rogers for a nearfall. Taven hit Just The Tip of The Knee and a Lionsault for a nearfall at 7:30, but Garrini made the save. Garrini clocked Taven with a straight punch and got a nearfall. Taven hit an enzuigiri. Rogers hit a frog splash for a nearfall. ViF hit the Chasing the Dragon (kick-and-brainbuster combo) to pin Rogers. There were a few one-second edits in there, presumably from not having a steady livestream.
“Violence is Forever” Dominic Garrini and Kevin Ku defeated Curt Stallion Rogers and Matt Taven at 9:09.
“The Hex” Allysin Kay and Marti Belle vs. Leva Bates and Sofia Castillo. Sofia had fewer than ten matches in 2025; she previously had a match in MLW. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Leva, who has a full beard. Leva scooped up Marti and spun her. “Perfect for the circus,” a commentator said of her bearded woman look. Allysin got in and locked up with Sofia on the mat; Kay has quite the size and a thickness advantage. Castillo hit a top-rope crossbody block on Kay for a nearfall at 2:00. Castillo did a cross-armbreaker move in the ropes on Kay.
In the ring, Kay was in charge, and she repeatedly punched Castillo. The Hex worked Sofia over in their corner. Kay choked her in the ropes. Castillo got a sunset flip rollup for a nearfall at 7:30, but Kay kicked out and punched her in the face. Leva finally got a hot tag at 9:00, and she hit some quick kicks on Marti and got a nearfall, then a shotgun dropkick into the corner. Marti ripped off Leva’s beard! Leva and the crowd sold the pain of having that removed. Marti hit Sofia with a cane! Allysin then slammed Sofia for the pin. Fairly standard tag match.
Allysin Kay and Marti Belle defeated Sofia Castillo and Leva Bates at 10:13.
“Catchpoint” Chris Dickinson, Drew Gulak, and Matt Riddle vs. Jon Davis and “The Workhorsemen” Anthony Henry and JD Drake. Riddle’s hair was a shade of purple today. Henry and Dickinson opened; I haven’t seen Chris wrestle in several years. They traded intense reversals on the mat. JD entered at 2:00 and locked up with Dickinson. Riddle entered; he ducked JD’s chops and hit a series of roundhouse kicks. JD finally hit his chops and Matt sold the pain of those massive paws. “Matt kind of signed up for this,” a commentator said.
Riddle hit a gutwrench suplex at 4:00, and he tagged in Gulak. Drew hit some chops that JD no-sold, so Drew switched to some stiff forearm strikes and a second-rope flying clothesline for a nearfall. Davis entered for the first time at 6:00 and locked up with Matt, and Davis knocked him down with a shoulder tackle. He hit another. Drew grounded Jon Davis with a chinlock. Gulak was thrown to the floor, where Davis caved in his chest with some chops at 8:30, and Jon got a nearfall in the ring.
Anthony Henry did a Sabre-style neck-snap between his ankles, and JD flattened Gulak with a senton at 10:00. Davis hit a German Suplex for a nearfall, but Chris made the save. The ref missed Dickinson make a hot tag and ordered Chris back to his corner. Riddle finally got a hot tag at 14:00, and he hit some forearm strikes and an Eat D’Feat on Davis, then a rolling Whisper In The Wind cannonball. Riddle’s team applied a submission hold! Davis nailed a pop-up powerbomb on Riddle for a nearfall at 16:00.
Davis hit a rolling cannonball on Riddle, then a hard Flatliner for a nearfall. Gulak clotheslined himself and Davis to the floor at 17:30. Riddle hit a spin kick on Drake. Dickinson got in and chopped Drake, so JD returned fire. Drake hit a stunner and another cannonball on Dickinson, but he missed a massive moonsault. Henry got in and hit some roundhouse kicks on Dickinson. Amber Young tripped Dickinson. Riddle hit a stunner on Davis. Dickinson applied a crossface on the mat, and Henry tapped out. I enjoyed that.
“Catchpoint” Chris Dickinson, Drew Gulak, and Matt Riddle defeated Jon Davis, Anthony Henry, and JD Drake at 19:54.
New Texas Pro “Texas Contenders Series 62” in Austin, Texas, at Come And Take It Live on January 15, 2026 (IWTV)
This is a really dark, small room; there might be 100 people in there, and it’s packed. The ring was poorly lit; much worse than I anticipated. I chose to watch the main event. Quite frankly, I wouldn’t watch this show if I turned it on and saw the poor lighting.
1 Called Manders (w/Gavin Ash) vs. Dimitri Alexandrov for the New Texas Pro Heavyweight Title. Dimitri just wrestled on the GCW show in Dallas over the weekend; he has the look of a homeless Brodie Lee. The scrawny kid Ash had an impressive GCW showing over the weekend, as well; a commentator just said he’s 19. They stood toe-to-toe and are roughly the same height; Manders appears to be a bit thicker. Dimitri flipped him to the floor and hit a baseball slide dropkick. They traded chops at ringside. Dimitri hit a running somersault off the apron to the floor at 2:00.
They brawled on the floor as they went through the crowd. Manders slammed him against the ring and grabbed a fan’s beer. He got in the ring as the ref was counting; a babyface commentator fumed that Manders was willing to retain his title by countout. Dimitri got back in before the countout at 4:30. Manders did an eye poke, and Ash hit some cheap shot blows from the floor. The babyface commentator said, “It’s past his bedtime!” Manders hit a shoulder tackle for a nearfall at 6:30.
Dimitri got up, and they traded forearm strikes. Manders bit the forehead. He went for a clothesline but Dimitri caught the arm and applied a hammerlock. Dimitri shoved Manders shoulder-first into a corner at 8:30. He hit a running knee for a nearfall. Manders hit an Oklahoma Stamped (bulldog powerslam) for a nearfall. They got up and traded LOUD chops. Manders hit a hard clothesline; Dimitri knocked Manders down with a harder clothesline for a nearfall at 11:30.
Manders hit a Saito Suplex. He popped up and hit a clothesline for a believable nearfall. Ash went to hand Manders a chair, but the ref blocked it. Manders pushed Dimitri into the ref. Manders accidentally hit Ash! Dimitri hit a powerslam, and a second ref counted to two at 14:00. They fought on the ropes in the corner.
Dimitri hit a second-rope DDT and a Helluva Kick, then a Burning Hammer for a pin at 15:22. New champ! But wait! Manders’ foot was under the ropes. The original ref pointed out the foot was under the ropes! The match continued. Dimitri hit a sideslam on Ash. Manders clocked Dimitri with a chair shot and got the tainted pin. The crowd loudly booed this chicanery.
1 Called Manders defeated Dimitri Alexandrov to retain the New Texas Pro Title at 16:48.
Combat Zone Wrestling “Blacklight 2” in Croydon, Pennsylvania, at the Neshaminy Creek Brewery on January 17, 2026 (IWTV)
I admittedly am not a fan of CZW’s deathmatch style, but I opted to watch four matches on this nine-match show. This is a narrow brewery with white walls; I’ve seen a few shows here. The fans sit on just two sides of the ring. There were maybe 150-200 fans.
Griffin McCoy vs. Macrae Martin. These two are both bigger-than-average indy wrestlers. They shook hands at the bell; even with some weight loss, Macrae is still a bit bigger. An intense lockup to open, and they traded reversals on the mat. McCoy hit some chops. Martin hit a shoulder tackle that sent Griffin flying at 3:00. They fought to the floor and traded chops in front of the fans. Griffin hit a neckbreaker in the ropes. In the ring, McCoy applied a cravat and kept Macrae grounded. He hit a kneedrop to the back of the head for a nearfall at 5:30.
McCoy applied a Camel Clutch. He hit some chops and kept Macrae grounded. He applied an STF at 8:00, but Macrae reached the ropes. Macrae fired up and hit some chops. He hit a shotgun dropkick but sold the pain in his neck. Macrae hit some running knees in the corner, then a fallaway slam at 11:00, then a Spinebuster for a nearfall. This has been really good. Macrae hit a top-rope flying clothesline. McCoy dropped him face-first on the second turnbuckle and hit a missile dropkick, then a flying forearm through the ropes at 13:00.
McCoy missed a top-rope doublestomp. Macrae hit a Black Hole Slam for a nearfall. They got up and traded forearm strikes with Macrae getting the better of the exchange. McCoy hit a Helluva Kick and a hesitation dropkick in the corner. He hit a second-rope doublestomp for a nearfall at 15:30. Macrae got a rollup for a nearfall, then a German Suplex. He went for his Spider Kick, but McCoy cut him off. Seconds later, Macrae hit the Spider Kick for a believable nearfall at 17:30, and they were both down. McCoy raked the eyes and hit a half-nelson suplex, then a Cody-style Disaster Kick for the pin. That match had no right being that good.
Griffin McCoy defeated Macrae Martin at 18:37.
“Post Game” Mike Walker and Vinny Talotta vs. Nigel Carter and Troy Parker. I’m not sure if I’ve seen Nigel; he’s a thin Black man. Parker is much thicker; he barked at Nigel before the bell. Uh-oh! Parker went to start against Walker, but Nigel forcibly tagged himself in to start. Uh-oh again! Walker and Troy traded some punches. Parker hit a modified Go To Sleep. Walker hit a dropkick. Nigel got in, but Walker hit a spinning back fist, then a backbreaker over his knee. Vinny hit a Michinoku Driver at 2:00 as they worked over Nigel. Parker hit a shoulder tackle on Talotta.
Walker flipped Nigel to the floor at 3:30. Parker pushed Walker into the wall. In the ring, Nigel hit a leaping DDT on Talotta. Nigel hit a Fosbury Flop to the floor on Vinny. Parker hit a German Suplex on Walker for a nearfall at 5:00. Parker hit a stiff kick to Mike’s spine for a nearfall, and he kept Walker grounded. Talotta tagged in at 7:00, but the ref missed it, and she ordered Talotta out of the ring. Walker finally hit a DDT on Parker. Nigel cut Walker off and hit a bodyslam.
Vinny finally got the hot tag at 8:30, and he picked up Nigel and slammed him into the corner on Parker, then he hit a fallaway slam on Nigel. Talotta hit a spinebuster on Troy for a nearfall. Parker hit a Blue Thunder Bomb, and Nigel immediately hit a top-rope elbow drop for a nearfall on Talotta at 10:00. They suddenly weren’t on the same page again and started to argue, but then they stomped on Vinny. Vinny pushed Walker into a spear on Nigel! Walker hit a top-rope Blockbuster on Troy, then a faceplant on Nigel. Talotta threw Walker to the floor on Parker. In the ring, Post Game hit a team powerbomb move to pin Nigel. That was really good.
Mike Walker and Vinny Talotta defeated Nigel Carter and Troy Parker at 12:20.
* Desean Pratt cut a backstage promo. He said he’s been “eating nothing but scraps for 18 years.” He’s a Black man and clearly in his late 30s or early 40s; because I don’t generally watch CZW, I don’t think I’ve seen him before.
Ryan Clancy vs. Desean Pratt. Clancy is always great to watch, and the reason I checked out this match. Standing switches early on, and Clancy applied a hammerlock on the mat. He tied up the left arm and flipped Pratt to the mat at 2:30 and posed. Pratt applied a leg lock around the neck on the mat, but Clancy escaped and tied up Pratt’s legs and into a Bow-and-Arrow. “You don’t see a lot of that in CZW,” a commentator said. They ran the ropes, and Pratt hit a huracanrana. They traded armdrags, and Clancy hit a monkey-flip at 5:00.
Clancy hit some European Uppercuts. He did the Sabre-style neck-snap between his ankles and hit a couple more neckbreakers and got a nearfall at 8:00. He hit a brainbuster and a flipping senton for a nearfall. They hit stereo clotheslines and were both down at 10:30. They got up and traded forearm strikes, and Pratt hit a superkick. They traded rollups. Clancy got an awesome O’Connor Roll and got the pin! I liked that a lot. Clancy won over this crowd in his debut here. Pratt hugged him afterwards, and they did Clancy’s signature pose.
Ryan Clancy defeated Desean Pratt at 12:26.
Eran Ashe vs. Ichiban for the CZW Title. Because I don’t really watch CZW, I think I’ve seen Ashe just once before. Ashe is bald and has to be legit between 350 and 400 pounds (his height and weight aren’t listed on cagematch.net). Ichiban ducked tying up; he could seriously be giving up 200 pounds. “Just look at the size difference,” a commentator said. Ichiban avoided a guillotine leg drop, and he mockingly patted Ashe on his head. Ichiban hit a Mafia Kick and an enzuigiri. He hit a palm strike to the face. Ashe finally grabbed Ichiban and hit a backbreaker over his knee at 2:30.
Ichiban fired up and hit some forearm strikes. Ashe hit a uranage for a nearfall. He twisted Ichiban’s fingers and kept him grounded. He hit a big bodyslam at 6:00, and he was in charge. Ichiban tried a move off the ropes, but Ashe caught him and hit an Exploder Suplex. Ashe hit a Gorilla Press and a senton at 7:30 for a nearfall. Ichiban hit a stunner. Ichiban hit a 619, a double axe handle, and an awkward tornado DDT for a nearfall at 9:30.
Ashe hit a pop-up Samoan Drop for a believable nearfall. Ashe climbed the ropes, but he missed a moonsault. Ichiban hit a top-rope moonsault for a believable nearfall at 11:30. Ichiban hit some Yes Kicks. Ashe finally caught a leg. Ichiban hit an enzuigiri. He tried a springboard stunner, but Ashe caught him and hit a sit-out powerbomb for the pin. For the size difference, that was really entertaining.
Eran Ashe defeated Ichiban to retain the CZW Title at 12:09.
Final Thoughts: Some really good action here. Sure, the Bandido-Jake Something match was clipped a bit, and there wasn’t any commentary, but it’s well worth checking out. That McCoy-Martin match was really good and takes second-best of these 10 matches. Matt Riddle’s six-man tag in Florida earns third.
Again, I don’t regularly watch CZW, but I tuned in to see some northeast regulars I like. I came away impressed with the CZW guys I was unfamiliar with. I’m still not going to watch their death match stuff, but I was pleased with what I saw here.
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