By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
AAW Pro “Epic: The 22nd Anniversary Event”
March 20, 2026, in Berwyn, Illinois, at Berwyn Eagles Club
Released March 27, 2026, via YouTube.com
I’ve attended wrestling shows in this suburban Chicago venue in the past — it’s a small room, so a crowd of 250 or so makes it absolutely packed. The lighting is decent; it feels a bit darker from the hard camera. As usual, they mute entrance music for copyright reasons. I completely understand it, but it does break up the flow of the show a bit. Tyler Vought and Kevin Kellum provided commentary.
* AAW is among the better promotions at inserting backstage segments between matches — a definite plus of airing a few days after the show occurred.
* Joe Alonzo and Donovan Marcelous came to the ring and were heavily booed. Joe said he’s not wrestling tonight, because today is his birthday! The crowd chanted profanities at him, anyway. Rich Swann came to the ring. (I hate the muted music as the crowd parties with him throughout his extended entrance.) Alonzon invited Rich to have a drink with the birthday boy. Swann noted that he’s now two years sober, and that got a nice applause. (Congrats, Rich!!!!) Joe tossed a drink in Swann’s face! Security had to hold Swann back from going after Joe! Good opening segment.
1. Ryan Matthias (w/Davina Thorne) vs. Jake Crist. Ryan was without his “Tie or Dye” tag partner last month, too. I first saw Jake wrestle live in probably 2006 with his brother. Standing switches to open as the commentators talked about how disgusted they were with Alonzo’s actions. Jake hit a baseball slide dropkick at 1:30, then a dive off the apron to the floor on Matthias. Ryan did a Dragonscrew Legwhip and slammed Jake’s damaged knee on the ring apron, then against the guardrails!
In the ring, Matthias tied up Jake’s legs and kept him grounded. Jake fired up and hit some flying forearms at 4:30, but he was selling pain in his knee. Jake hit a flip dive to the floor. In the ring, he hit a top-rope crossbody block for a nearfall. Ryan hit another Dragonscrew Legwhip, then a running Shooting Star Press on the damaged knee for a nearfall at 6:30. Davina was shrieking at ringside, and the commentators noted how painful her voice was. Jake hit a DVD and a Sliced Bread for a nearfall. Matthias hit a top-rope flying elbow drop for the pin! Good action; good way to kick off the show.
Ryan Matthias defeated Jake Crist at 7:45.
* John E. Bravo and Besties in the World were backstage, and they were irritated that they didn’t have a tag match this week. Hartenbower came up and challenged them. He needs a partner! The Besties pointed at Sean Logan, seated at a table, and named him as the partner.
2. Amazonga vs. Thomas Heim. Heim is a skinny kid with a mustache who was tossed around last month, and it appears more of the same is coming now. Amazonga is 350 to 400 pounds. Heim slapped Amazonga, and we’re underway! He choked Amazonga in the ropes. Amazonga threw him into a corner and hit some clotheslines. He hit a running body block that flattened Heim, then a moonsault for the pin. Yep, that went exactly how it should have.
Amazonga defeated Thomas Heim at 1:38.
* Backstage, Sierra said she was feeling really good about tonight. Aaron Roberts and Joey “Jet” Avalon were pacing in the background. Roberts said they are going to become tag champs tonight.
3. “Besties in the World” Davey Vega and Mat Fitchett (w/John E. Bravo) vs. Hartenbower and Sean Logan. Again, Sean’s look reminds me of a young HBK. The heels attacked as the babyfaces approached the ring, and they brawled at ringside. No bell yet. They got in the ring, and there’s the bell at 00:33 to officially begin. Logan hit a springboard back elbow — yikes, that second rope is loose. Fitchett threw Hartenbower to the floor, and he suplexed Logan. The heels worked over Logan in their corner. Vega hit a Flatliner at 3:30, and Fitchett hit a doublestomp to the chest for a nearfall.
Hartenbower tagged in and hit forearm strikes on each heel. He hit a Gorilla Press on Fitchett, tossing Mat onto Vega, then he clotheslined Mat for a nearfall at 5:00. Fitchett jumped on Hartenbower’s back and applied a rear-naked choke. Logan hit a DDT and a Lionsault, and Hartenbower got a nearfall. Logan got crotched on the top rope at 7:00. Hartenbower was pushed to the floor. The Besties hit stereo running knees in the corner on Legan for the pin. That was solid action; I wasn’t ready for that one to wrap up.
“Besties in the World” Davey Vega and Mat Fitchett defeated Hartenbower and Sean Logan at 7:38.
* Stephen Wolf stood outside. He said it’s been seven years(!!) since he was here last. He vowed to win gold here, sooner than later.
4. Rafael Quintero vs. JDX vs. Stephen Wolf vs. Stallion Rogers in a four-way. Quintero attacked Rogers at the bell. Quintro and JDX traded chops and forearms while the other two were on the floor, and Rafael hit a headscissors takedown and a dropkick. Rogers snuck in and hit a German Suplex on Quintero. Wolf hit a springboard clothesline and a running Shooting Star Press at 2:00. Wolf hit a plancha to the floor on JDX. Quintero hit a flip dive to the floor on all three, and the crowd was HOT! In the ring, JDX and Rafael traded blows. Rogers again snuck in and hit a German Suplex on Rafael.
JDX hit a backbreaker over his knee on Wolf for a nearfall at 5:00. JDX hit a running neckbreaker for a nearfall, but Quintero made the save. Rogers hit some LOUD chops on Quintero at 6:30, then a running knee to the jaw and a hesitation dropkick in the corner. Wolf and Rogers traded forearm strikes. JDX hit a running knee. Wolf hit a hard clothesline. He hit a pop-up stunner move on Quintero for a nearfall. Stallion and Wolf hit a modified Spanish Fly, where they both landed on their stomach. Quintero hit a rebound powerbomb to pin JDX. That was a sprint and a really fun four-way.
Rafael Quintero defeated JDX, Stephen Wolf, and Stallion Rogers at 9:13.
* Isaiah Moore stood outside and vowed he would beat Trevor Lee tonight and become a double champion.
5. Heather Reckless vs. Sierra for the AAW Women’s Title. Sierra is a thicker powerhouse (think Dani Luna), and she’s taller than Heather (who again, is about 5’0″). They took turns shoving each other at the bell, then unloaded some chops. They brawled to the floor at 2:00. Sierra slammed her face-first on the ring apron. They rolled into the ring with Sierra in charge. She tied up Heather on the mat and twisted her right wrist and fingers. Heather hit a stunner for a nearfall at 7:00. Sierra hit a Backpack Stunner for a nearfall. Heather got an inside cradle out of nowhere for the flash pin! Sierra was shocked that just happened. Solid match.
Heather Reckless defeated Sierra to retain the AAW Women’s Title at 9:15.
6. Ren Jones (w/Rae Larson) vs. “Starman” Harley Rock. Again, Harley is the skinniest, scrawniest, white kid you could find. The crowd cheers for him (but they all secretly love watching him get pummeled every month!) Rae Larson (think Wren Sinclair) came to the ring, got on the mic, and introduced Ren Jones. Ren has wrestled on AEW/ROH TV several times now. He just turned heel, and this is a whole new look and vibe for him. They locked up at the bell, and Ren easily shoved him to the mat and posed.
Ren hit an Irish Whip. Harley tried a top-rope crossbody block, but Ren caught him. Harley hit some chops; Ren dropped him with a clothesline at 1:30. He slammed Harley’s head into the middle turnbuckle for a nearfall. He hit a running crossbody block in the corner at 4:00 and got a nearfall. Harley hit a tornado DDT off the turnbuckles, then a running knee for a nearfall. He missed a Swanton Bomb. Ren immediately hit a running kick for the pin. Yeah, the winner was never in doubt here.
Ren Jones defeated “Starman” Harley Rock at 5:54.
* Tommaso Ciampa came to the ring, wearing his “Psycho Killer” shirt and blue jeans; it certainly doesn’t appear he’s having a match. He talked about his past matches in AAW and how he wanted to come back here. He said the crowd created the psycho killer. Midway through a sentence, scrawny Donovan Marcelous came out of the back and cut him off. The crowd loudly booed Donovan and chanted, “Who are you?” (even though he’s been here for months now.) Donovan got in the ring and got in Ciampa’s face. Ciampa grabbed the kid, but out of the back came Josh Bishop! He is dressed to wrestle! Ciampa removed his flip-flops. It appeared they were about to fight, but Robert “Ego” Anthony ran to ringside and brawled with Bishop. Ciampa chased Marcelous to the back.
7. Josh Bishop vs. Robert “Ego” Anthony. The ref was now at ringside and ordered them into the ring. They got in the ring and we had a bell at 00:45 to officially begin. Bishop hit a fallaway slam and was in charge. He hit a second one, then a third. They brawled, and Bishop hit a headbutt at 4:00. Anthony hit a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall. Bishop hit a Black Hole Slam. They brawled on the floor. Joe Alonzo and Donovan Marcelous ran to ringside and attacked Ego! They got in the ring. The ref put up with this for a few seconds before calling for the bell.
Robert “Ego” Anthony defeated Josh Bishop via DQ at 6:48/official time of 6:03.
* The three heels continued to beat up Anthony. Rich Swann ran to the ring to make the save! Anthony and Bishop brawled to the back… and our next match was immediately underway!
8. Rich Swann vs. Joe Alonzo (w/Donovan Marcelous). The ref called for the bell as they traded punches. They brawled to the floor and traded punches as they looped ringside. They got back in the ring, and Joe hit some stomps in the corner and was in control. He choked Rich in the ropes. Joe hit a back suplex for a nearfall at 4:00. Swann fired up and hit a step-up mule kick at 7:00. Alonzo hit a Nemeth-style leaping inverted DDT for a nearfall. Swann hit a powerbomb for a nearfall.
Swann avoided the springboard axe handle, but he accidentally hit a Lethal Injection on the ref! He superkicked Alonzo at 10:00 and went to the top rope, but Donovan tripped Rich. Marcelous got in the ring to help Alonzo. Donovan got a chair, but Ciampa returned, confiscated the chair, and hit Donovan across the back with it. Ciampa hit a running knee on Donovan, a running knee on Alonzo. Swann got up and hit a frog splash. A new ref ran in and made the three-count! Fun match. Ciampa and Swann shook hands, then they danced together!
Rich Swann defeated Joe Alonzo at 11:45.
9. Trevor Lee vs. Isaiah Moore for the AAW Title. Standing switches to open, and Moore hit a dropkick that sent Lee to the floor, so he dove through the ropes onto him. In the ring, Moore hit a step-up mule kick for a nearfall at 1:00, but Ren Jones appeared and pulled the ref to the floor! So, Moore hit a flip dive over the ring post onto Ren on the floor! In the ring, Moore went for a frog splash, but Lee got his knees up to block it. Lee dropped him snake-eyes and hit a running roundhouse kick.
Lee hit a Penalty Kick on the ring apron, dropping Moore on the floor at 3:00. Lee leaned Moore against the ropes and hit some chops. Moore fired back with his own chops. Lee loudly jawed at Isaiah. Isaiah hit an enzuigiri at 5:00. He hit a series of kicks, then a Cradle Shock for a nearfall at 7:00. Lee hit a release German Suplex for a nearfall. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Moore hit a jumping knee to the jaw. Lee hit a mid-ring Spanish Fly at 9:00, and they were both down.
Moore hit a tornado DDT out of the ropes for a nearfall. Lee hit a sliding forearm for a nearfall at 11:00. Moore hit a rolling Death Valley Driver and a top-rope frog splash for a nearfall. Stallion Rogers jumped in the ring and jawed at Moore. Quintero ran in for the save. (This is too much interference in back-to-back matches.) Lee nailed the Cave-In leaping doublestomp to the collarbone for the pin.
Trevor Lee defeated Isaiah Moore to retain the AAW Title at 12:50.
10. “The Hellhounds” Russ Jones and Schaff vs. Joey “Jet” Avalon and Aaron Roberts in a street fight for the AAW Tag Team Titles. Again, the 400-pounder Roberts reminds me of a young One Man Gang, and I’m truly stunned that WWE cut him from the ID program so quickly. Avalon and Jones brawled in the ring at the bell while Roberts fought Schaff at ringside. They continued to fight around ringside. Roberts tackled Jones on the ring apron at 2:00.
The Hounds got kendo sticks and beat Avalon with them in the ring. Schaff got a chair and hit Avalon with it. Roberts hit a splash in the corner at 6:30. Schaff hit Roberts with a kendo stick. Avalon had blood trickling from near his nose. Russ hit a spinebuster on Avalon at 8:30. Roberts hit a chokeslam on Jones. In the ring, Avalon struck Schaff in the head with the title belt for a nearfall at 10:00. Roberts found a staple gun! Avalon grabbed his shovel and hit Schaff with it. Roberts stapled Schaff in the face, and that earned a “You sick f—!” chant.
Schaff was heavily bleeding, too. Roberts hit a suplex on Schaff at 12:00. Avalon got on the mic and said he’s sick of the Hell Hounds. Roberts pushed some doors into the ring. However, Russ speared Avalon through a door in the corner! The Hounds hit superkicks on Roberts, staggering the big man. They worked together to scoop up Roberts and slam him through the door in the corner, then they both piled on Aaron for the pin! Not my style of a match, but a good brawl.
“The Hellhounds” Russ Jones and Schaff defeated Joey “Jet” Avalon and Aaron Roberts in a street fight to retain the AAW Tag Team Titles at 14:26.
* NO post-main event backstage segments tonight. That’s unusual.
Final Thoughts: Despite the run-ins, Lee-Moore was really good and earned the best match of the show. Same for Swann-Alonzo; I can do with fewer run-ins, but the action was good. The four-way was really good action for third. The main event was a good brawl — I can do without all the blood loss and the use of the staple gun.
I don’t know if they ever officially said it was a sellout tonight, but it clearly was — during that street fight, you could see all the fans lining the walls because they didn’t have a seat.
The big complaint is the interference in matches. It just happened over and over. I noted that the same sort of interference happened in the top two matches.
I like that AAW has some one-sided matches mixed in. Sometimes, a bigger guy just needs to absolutely pummel a small, scrawny kid. I’m all for that.
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