By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
AAW Pro “Crush and Destroy”
April 22, 2026, in Berwyn, Illinois, at Berwyn Eagles Club
Released April 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. Lighting is decent; it feels a bit darker from the hard camera today. As usual, they mute the entrance music for copyright reasons. I completely understand it, but it does break up the flow of the show a bit. Tyler Volz and Kevin Kellum provided commentary.
* This is the FINAL-EVER show at the Berwyn Eagles Club after an incident involving a different wrestling promotion. I urge you to read this story for more on what happened. I traded messages with reporter Ambar Colón, who did a great job with the story at ChicagoSunTimes.com.
* AAW is among the better promotions at inserting backstage segments between matches — a definite plus of airing a few days after the show occurred.
* Danny Daniels, a former indy wrestler and AAW founder, came to the ring, and the crowd chanted his name. He thanked several people. “Guys, you made my childhood dream come true,” Daniels told the crowd. “But this doesn’t work without the team I have back there.” He added, “Support indy wrestling — just don’t support all of it,” and that got a laugh. Daniels pointed to the center of the canvas. “This logo means a lot,” he said, and the crowd chanted “AAW!” Daniels listed off wrestlers who have been here, including Josh Alexander, Mick Foley, Terry Funk, Tommaso Ciampa, and CM Punk.
Out of the back came Seth FREAKIN’ Rollins. Unfortunately, the music is muted, so I couldn’t hear the crowd pop! (If you’ve never heard my story about meeting Tyler Black… I spoke to him at intermission when he was 18, and I asked how many matches he’s had. He told me I had just watched his seventh-ever match.) Once the music muting ended, I could hear the crowd chanting “Holy shit!” then “Tyler Black!” then “Welcome home!”
Rollins joked he might have some “dust in my eyes.” He noted his wrestling school is just a few hours away from here (Maggie Lee is a graduate). He said when he heard the Eagles Club was holding its final wrestling show, he felt compelled to go. “I love this,” Rollins said. “I love professional wrestling. It’s you guys that have given me the opportunity to live out my childhood dream.” He thanked the fans for continuing to support indy wrestling. He noted his last indy show was here 15 years ago. He concluded by shouting, “Welcome to AAW!” Awesome segment.
* The commercial breaks are coming every three minutes. Annoying — especially when you are timing the length of matches!
1. Jake Crist and “Twist and Flip” Nate Kobain and Darren Fly vs. Thomas Heim, “Jet” Avalon, and Erik Surge. The last time I saw Twist and Flip, they were fighting each other (in a different promotion.) They are two of the scrawnier high-flyers today. Avalon is by far the biggest man in the match, and he opened against Crist, and he easily knocked Jake down with a shoulder tackle. Scrawny rookie Heim (he’s been destroyed in the past two months here) tagged himself in to face Kobain (the shortest man in the match). Twist and Flip hit some team moves on Heim, who bailed to the floor and called for a time-out.
Fly set up for a dive, but Surge clocked him with a forearm strike at 3:00. The heels pushed Fly into their corner and worked him over. Surge hit a sidewalk slam. Avalon hit a low-blow headbutt and got a nearfall. Fly hit an enzuigiri on Heim at 5:00 and a Stundog Millionaire on Avalon. Crist got a hot tag and hit some flying forearms on Surge and a DVD on Heim, then a Sliced Bread out of the corner on Heim for a nearfall. Avalon hit a Claymore Kick on Crist at 6:30.
Kobain hit a Dragon Suplex on Heim. Surge nailed a spinebuster on Kobain. Crist hit a series of spin kicks on Surge, sending him to the floor, then a plancha. Fly hit a flip dive to the floor. Kobain hit a moonsault to the floor (there is almost no room for him to land! These guardrails are close!) In the ring, Fly hit an assisted moonsault on Heim and pinned him. That was an all-out sprint.
Jake Crist and “Twist and Flip” Nate Kobain and Darren Fly defeated Thomas Heim, “Jet” Avalon, and Erik Surge at 8:15.
* Stephen Wolf stood outside and talked about his first match at the Eagles Club years ago. He is facing Matt Riddle for the first time ever, and he said he’s bringing the fight to him.
2. Ryan Matthias (w/Davina Thorne) vs. Sean Logan. Matthias whole gimmick is changed compared to what he was doing in the “Tye or Die” tag team in Revolver the next day — he wore a mesh see-through shirt, and he is cocky and arrogant. I’ve noted that Sean Logan gives off young HBK vibes. Logan hit a Thesz Press and some punches, then a bulldog and a guillotine leg drop. Matthias leapt off the ring apron and stomped on Logan’s back on the floor, then he slammed Logan on the ring apron at 2:00, and they looped ringside.
In the ring, Matthias wrapped Logan’s legs in the ropes and kept him grounded. Ryan hit a running Shooting Star Press on the damaged knee at 4:30. Logan fired back with a Michinoku Driver for a nearfall. Logan climbed the ropes, but Davina grabbed his ankle! Matthias hit a 619, then a top-rope flying elbow drop on the damaged knee for the pin. Shorter than I anticipated.
Ryan Matthias defeated Sean Logan at 6:31.
* Backstage, Sierra noted she’s facing Heather Reckless for somewhere between the 10th and 20th time, but she’s coming for her title tonight. Her husband, Joey Avalon was pacing in the background. “If I don’t win tonight, you bitches are dead!” she said.
3. Koa Loxomana vs. Amazonga. Koa attacked from behind, and we’re underway! Again, Amazonga is a bit like Beastman or Fallah Bahh (not quite as heavy, but you get my point), and he hit a splash in the corner and a running body block that leveled Koa. Amazonga blocked a spear and hit a fisherman’s buster, then a top-rope moonsault for the pin. A complete squash.
Amazonga defeated Koa Loxomana at 2:32.
* John E. Bravo was standing backstage with Bruss Hamilton and Angel of Death. He wants them to take out the Hell Hounds tonight!
4. Maggie Lee vs. Aminah Belmont vs. Rae Larson vs. Rory Shield in a four-way. Larson looks a bit like Tenille Dashwood; she has long, straight hair halfway down her back. Belmont just had a pair of AEW matches in St. Paul and Iowa; she’s short but talented. Shield is from Michigan; I saw her compete in the Twin Cities a year ago. Maggie, of course, is about 5’11”. Rae is generously listed at 5’7″, while the other two are all somewhere between 5’1″ and 5’3″. Maggie and Belmont hit stereo dropkicks. Rae and Rory fought in the ring. Belmont dove through the ropes on Rory, then one on Maggie!
In the ring, Rory hit some quick kicks on Rae and a swinging neckbreaker. She applied a Muta Lock at 2:30, but Maggie broke it up. Aminah and Maggie worked together, with Aminah hitting a senton on one of the other women. Rae hit a sliding clothesline on Maggie for a nearfall, then a butterfly suplex on Maggie! She hit one on Belmont at 4:00, then one on Rory! Rae hit buttbumps to the face in three different corners. Maggie hit a German Suplex. She hit a wheelbarrow German Suplex on Rae. Aminah hit a DDT on Maggie.
Rory hit a fisherman’s suplex on Aminah. Aminah hit a top-rope double stomp to Rae’s back. Lee hit a coast-to-coast dropkick on Aminah for a believable nearfall at 7:00; she was shocked Belmont kicked out. Rory hit a Lungblower to Maggie’s chest. Aminah hit Rory with a headbutt. Rae hit a Samoan Drop on Rory. Aminah hit a Styles Clash on Rory, but Rae immediately kicked Aminah. Rae hit a Michinoku Driver on Belmont. However, Maggie hit a Sabin-style Cradleshock driver to pin Rae Larson. Really good action.
Maggie Lee defeated Aminah Belmont, Rae Larson, and Rory Shield in a four-way at 8:34.
* Backstage, Isaiah Moore said he should be in a good mood for the big finale at Berwyn’s Eagle Club, but he’s angry at Ren Jones for costing him a title.
5. “The Hell Hounds” Schaff and Russ Jones vs. Angel of Death and Bruss Hamilton (w/John E. Bravo). This appears to be a non-title match. Bravo was loudly booed. He said he’s glad he’s getting out of this hell-hole. All four brawled at the bell, and it went to the floor. Russ fought Bruss while AOD fought Schaff. In the ring, Schaff worked over AOD and kept him grounded. AOD hit a backbreaker over his knee at 3:30 and stomped on Schaff. He hit a sliding clothesline.
The heels worked Schaff over in their corner, with Bruss hitting a series of clotheslines. Ruff finally got a hot tag at 7:00, and he hit a Mafia Kick on AOD and a spear on Bruss. The champs hit a team 3D slam on Bruss. They hit stereo punches on AOD, then front-and-back stereo kicks on AOD for the pin. Okay match.
“The Hell Hounds” Schaff and Russ Jones defeated Angel of Death and Bruss Hamilton at 7:57.
* Russ got on the mic, and he vowed they were going to kill the Besties in the World at the next show in May.
6. Isaiah Moore vs. Ren Jones (w/Rae Larson) for the AAW Heritage Title. Ren is a short powerhouse; he’s been on AEW/ROH TV before. Rae was selling a neck injury from her match earlier as she approached the ring. Moore hit a Claymore Kick at the bell, then he clotheslined Jones over the top rope to the floor, and he hit some chops at ringside. He dove through the ropes onto Ren, then he hit a top-rope crossbody block onto Ren in the ring.
Ren took control and hit some chops, then an Irish Whip at 3:30. He hit a running crossbody block into the corner, then a vicious spinebuster for a nearfall. He clubbed Moore in the back of the head, dropping him. Moore hit a rolling Death Valley Driver at 5:30, and a top-rope elbow drop for a nearfall. Rae distracted the ref, and he admonished her. Ren put the ring bell across Moore’s throat and struck it with the ring bell at 7:00! Moore was struggling to breathe! The ref called for the bell and disqualified Ren. (A rare case where the ref DQ’d a guy for something he didn’t see happen!)
Isaiah Moore defeated Ren Jones via disqualification at 7:47; Moore retains the AAW Heritage Title.
* Jones stomped on Moore some more on the floor, and he posed with the title belt.
* Backstage, Joe Alonzo, Donovan Marcelous, and Josh Bishop were talking. Alonzo said they are going against some has-beens tonight.
7. Heather Reckless vs. Sierra for the AAW Women’s Title. No Avalon with Sierra. She attacked Heather as she approached the ring, and they brawled on the floor. They looped the ring. Sierra is a powerhouse; she’s not heavy, but she’s thick. They got in the ring and we got the bell at 00:44 to officially begin. Heather hit a basement dropkick in the corner. The commentators discussed Dave Prazak starting Shimmer Women’s Athletes in this building, and how it led to the modern women’s wrestling style.
The women fought back to the floor, with Sierra hitting loud chops at 2:00. They went over the guardrail and into the crowd. Again, it is packed and there is little room for them to move. Heather hit a snap suplex on the bare, wood floor at 4:30, earning a loud “Holy shit!” chant. Heather dove off the top of the bar and hit a crossbody block. Joey Avalon appeared and he grabbed Heather by the throat, but she kicked free.
They got back into the ring at 6:30, and Sierra immediately got a nearfall. (A commentator wondered if this was the first time they were in the ring — they were in it, and we had a bell, but he forgot that.) Sierra hit a backpack stunner for a believable nearfall. Avalon got in the ring, but Maggie Lee ran in and hit a Lungblower on Joey. Sierra speared Maggie, who rolled to the floor. Heather hit a second-rope Lungblower to the chest, then a Swanton Bomb for the pin! Good brawl.
Heather Reckless defeated Sierra to retain the AAW Women’s Title at 8:40/official time of 7:56.
* Maggie Lee got on the mic and told Heather she needs “one more shot at the title.” Reckless agreed. They shook hands, but then Maggie hit a superkick and a Tombstone piledriver! She left the ring but got back in and hit a second Tombstone piledriver!
8. Stephen Wolf vs. Matt Riddle. An intense lockup to open, and Matt tossed Wolf to the mat. Riddle’s hair has been light purple for the last month or so that I’ve seen him. He went for a cross-armbreaker on the mat, but Wolf got his feet on the ropes at 1:30. They traded some good reversals, and Wolf hit a series of deep armdrags, then a headscissors takedown and a dropkick at 3:00. Riddle hit a headscissors that flipped Stephen to the floor. They fought at ringside. In the ring, Riddle hit a gutwrench suplex, then a fisherman’s suplex. “Now that’s perfect,” a commentator said.
Riddle went for a senton, but Wolf got his knees up. Wolf hit a rolling Death Valley Driver and a standing moonsault for a nearfall at 4:30. Wolf hit a fisherman’s suplex, and he stomped on Matt. Matt hit a T-Bone Suplex, and this time he hit the senton and a Penalty Kick for a nearfall at 6:00. Riddle missed a moonsault. Wolf fired up and hit a series of punches to the ribs. Wolf hit a springboard clothesline for a nearfall. Matt hit a German Suplex with a high bridge for a nearfall at 8:00. Riddle hit a standing powerbomb and a running knee to the collarbone for a believable nearfall.
Riddle hit his top-rope twisting moonsault for a nearfall. This is as good as I’ve seen Riddle look in months. Riddle hit some Yes Kicks, but it just fired up Wolf, who got to his feet, and they traded punches and forearm strikes. Wolf hit a jumping knee to the jaw. Riddle hit a fisherman’s buster at 10:00. Wolf hit a twisting suplex, then a top-rope Shooting star Press for a believable nearfall! Wolf hit a Lionsault Press. Matt hit his leaping Tombstone Piledriver for the pin. That was really sharp
Matt Riddle defeated Stephen Wolf at 11:41.
* In the back, Trevor Lee cackled. No one can ruin his good mood today!
9. Joe Alonzo and Donovan Marcelous and Josh Bishop vs. Robert “Ego” Anthony and Rich Swann and Solomon Tupu. The heels came out first. It’s kind of sad to see the never-ending Rich Swann intro and not hear it! Sigh. Swann’s babyface team charged into the ring, and they all brawled. Ego through Donovan straight up, with Tupu catching him and hitting a Samoan Drop. Swann hit a rolling splash onto Donovan, as the babyfaces worked over the scrawny kid early on.
Swann hit an elbow drop at 2:00. From the floor, Joe tripped Swann, allowing Donovan to hit a German Suplex. Bishop tagged in and stomped on Swann in the corner and hit a delayed vertical suplex, and Josh jawed at the ref. Joe got in, slammed Swann, and set up for a Rock-style elbow drop series, but Swann stopped that. The heels continued to work over Swann in their corner with Donovan hitting a stunner. Donovan flew off the top rope, but Rich kicked him at 7:00, and they were both down.
Ego finally got a hot tag, and he hit some clotheslines on Joe, then some bodyslams. Tupu and Ego hit a team suplex on Bishop, and Tupu hit a massive senton for a nearfall. Donovan struck the referee! Tupu hit a running body block on Donovan, then slammed the kid to the mat. Tupu hit a frog splash. Josh got a chair and hit the babyfaces with it. He cracked it across Tupu’s back. Swann hit a series of punches on Bishop, but Josh hit a spinning Black Hole Slam on Rich at 10:00.
Ego hit a DVD on Bishop, dropping him onto an open chair! Ego hit a swinging slam on Alonzo and tied him in a surfboard. The lights went out! In the ring was Stevie, the eight-year-old kid who sided with Joe Alonzo a few months ago! Ego set up for a DVD on Alonzo, but the kid hit a low-blow uppercut on Robert Anthony! Alonzo slammed Anthony and got the cheap pin. Did the heels really depend on a child to get them the win? Alonzo and Stevie gave the crowd middle fingers as they headed to the back.
Joe Alonzo and Donovan Marcelous and Josh Bishop defeated Robert “Ego” Anthony and Rich Swann and Solomon Tupu at 12:25.
* Backstage, Rafael Quintero said he’s tired of letting the fans down. The fans still cheer for him, even though he keeps losing. Tonight, he vows to win the AAW Title.
10. Trevor Lee vs. Rafael Quintero for the AAW Title. Quintero’s really talented, and I’ll reiterate that he had a ‘competitive’ 63-second match against Okada on AEW TV last summer. Trevor got on the mic, saying it should be him going to Raw and it should be Tyler Black in this match. Lee dragged him to the mat in a headlock, and he jawed at the crowd. Quintero hit a running knee to the back of the head for a nearfall at 2:00, and Lee rolled to the floor to regroup. Quintero hit a running boot as Lee was seated in a chair by the guardrail. In the ring, Quintero went for a Lethal Injection, but Lee blocked it.
Lee hit a hard spin kick to the head for a nearfall at 4:30. He stomped on Quintero in the corner and kept him grounded. Lee tied him in a Sharpshooter at 7:30, but eventually released it as Quintero wasn’t quitting. Lee tied him in a Camel Clutch and cranked back on Quintero’s head. Lee hit a backbreaker for a nearfall at 9:30. Quintero hit a running Meteora in the corner, then a hesitation dropkick for a nearfall at 11:30. Lee got a backslide for a nearfall, and he hit a clothesline Quintero got a series of rollups, then a German Suplex.
Quintero hit a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall at 13:00, as the crowd chanted, “That was three!” Quintero hit a Lethal Injection, but Lee hit a diving forearm, and they were both down. They got up and traded punches. Quintero set up for a dive, but Lee cut him off with a forearm strike. In the ring, Lee hit a German Suplex for a nearfall at 16:00, and we got a “This is awesome!” chant. Quintero hit a DVD onto the apron, then a dive through the ropes, then another one! The guardrails got pushed into the fans. Quintero hit a third dive, then a fourth!
Lee hit a running Penalty Kick on the ring apron at 18:00, and they both collapsed to the floor. In the ring, Lee hit a powerbomb for a nearfall. He rolled to the floor and got a chair! The ref confiscated it. Lee went to hit a low blow on the ref, but the ref blocked it, and the ref hit a low-blow kick on Lee! Quintero got a rollup for a nearfall at 20:30. Lee hit a top-rope German Suplex with Quintero rotating and landing stomach-first. Lee hit his Cave-In stomp for a believable nearfall, and Trevor was startled that he didn’t win there!
Lee grabbed the chair, threw the ref to the mat, then cracked the chair across Quintero’s back a few times. Lee sat Quintero in the chair and hit some roundhouse kicks to the chest. He set up for a second Cave-In, but Quintero caught him and hit a DVD onto the open chair! The ref woke up and made a two-count, but Lee grabbed the ropes at 23:30! The crowd chanted, “Fight forever!” Quintero hit a frog splash, then a top-rope elbow drop for the pin! New champion! The crowd ERUPTED for the title change! “Dreams do come true!” a commentator shouted as the crowd chanted, “New champ!”
Rafael Quintero defeated Trevor Lee to win the AAW Title at 24:18.
Final Thoughts: A memorable show. The crowd was hot and into it, and having a Seth Rollins visit to open the show set the tone for a good event. The main event will certainly be in contention for AAW’s “match of the year” when people compile their lists in December. The first five minutes started a bit slow as it was clear they were going long, but they sustained a really strong pace with a wild second half of the match. Quintero is consistently putting in top-notch performances whenever I see him, but he’s really stayed under the radar nationally.
As I noted, Wolf-Riddle was really good for second place — that’s about as good a Riddle match as he’s had since leaving WWE. Wolf really brought out the best in him. I enjoyed the women’s four-way for third. Ren vs. Isaiah Moore gets honorable mention, although we didn’t get the clean finish — that feud definitely has more chapters to come.
I’ll reiterate that I like that AAW typically has a squash match in there, and I’m all for it — sometimes the bigger, stronger competitor just needs to dominate and not have a 50-50 bout. Not too many complaints — the tag bout with the champs was a bit slow. The guys certainly look the part of pro wrestlers, but I wouldn’t describe the match as “exciting.” And I guess I can do without depending on an eight-year-old boy as your secret weapon to win a big six-man tag. The pluses definitely outweigh the negatives. AAW had intended to stream this live, and I can see why they rushed to release it just 48 hours later.
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