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 ten matches from across five different recent indy shows.
New Texas Pro Wrestling “Texas Indie Showcase 6” in Houston, Texas, on August 29, 2026 (free on YouTube)
New Texas Pro is among the growing number of promotions that have opted to stream their shows on YouTube rather than a subscription-based streamer. This is a dark room; I can see, but it’s not ideal lighting. The crowd was maybe 200. Trent Gilbeaux and Dan Miller provided commentary. I opted to skip the first six matches and watch the final four.
Charity King vs. Raychell Rose vs. Kalientita for the New Texas Pro Women’s Title. I’ve seen Kalientita a few times now; she’s apparently in her early 20s, but she has such a babyface that she looks to be 15 or 16. Rose and Kalie apparently have an agreement to work together. A nice crowd pop for King. She immediately hit forearm strikes on each heel. Charity hit a snap suplex on Kalie. The commentators congratulated Vert Vixen on joining the AEW/ROH roster. The heels knocked Charity to the floor, posed in the corners, and earned loud boos.
In the ring, Raychell mounted Charity and repeatedly punched her. The heel commentator was confident that Kalie was going to allow Raychell to get the pin. Raychell hit a running knee at 3:00, but Kalie tried to get the pin! Raychell then tried to get a pin. (Neither tried to stop the other from winning!) Charity hit bodyslams on each opponent. She hit a fisherman’s suplex on Kalientita, then a Samoan Drop on Rose for a nearfall at 4:30. Charity hit a snap suplex on Raychell.
King hit a second-rope frog splash across both opponents for a nearfall! Rose hit a running knee on Charity at 6:00, but both heels went for the cover. “Kalie forgot the game plan!” the heel commentator shouted. Kalie and Rose got nose-to-nose. Charity pushed Kalie into Rose, knocking Raychell to the floor. Charity immediately hit the World’s Strongest Slam to pin Kalientita. I enjoyed that.
Charity King defeated Raychell Rose and Kalientita to retain the New Texas Pro Women’s Title at 6:40.
* The heels continued to beat up Charity. Danni Bee ran out — she’s been absent all year! — and she beat up the heels. The King Bees reunite! The crowd chanted, “Welcome back!”
Oday Al-Saleh vs. Jesse Funaki for the LoneStar Title. This is Funaki getting his immediate rematch for the belt he lost last show. Oday came out first in an outfit that makes me think of Marvel Comics’ “Moon Knight.” Funaki still carries his TX8 trophy cup, even though he lost the LoneStar Title. Funaki rejected a handshake! They opened with a clean lockup and a feeling-out process. They shook hands at 3:00, but then Jesse rolled him up for a nearfall. He hit an enzuigiri and a Fame-asser.
Funaki hit a basement Claymore Kick and took control. He backed Oday into a corner and hit some chops. Oday hit a springboard tornado DDT for a nearfall at 6:30. Oday tied him in a headlock on the mat. Funaki hit a dropkick. Oday hit a suplex, and they were both down at 9:00. They traded slaps to the face! Funaki nailed a superkick, but Oday hit a clothesline, and they were both down again. Funaki hit a DDT onto the apron at 10:30. In the ring, Jesse got a nearfall. Oday hit a shotgun dropkick, sending Funaki flying into the ref!
Oday hit a “Divine Intervention” (Angel’s Wings) for a visual pin, but there was no ref! Jesse hit a stunner and a running knee to the sternum for a believable nearfall at 13:00. Jesse grabbed a chair, but the ref blocked him from using it. Oday hit a shotgun dropkick, then another! He hit another Divine Intervention for the pin! Good action; I watched the last show, and I really didn’t sense then that they did a ‘double turn’ with these two, but it was clear here.
Oday Al-Saleh defeated Jesse Funaki to retain the LoneStar Title at 14:11.
Brick Savage vs. Ethan Hunter. Brick just made his MLW debut on the episode that aired Saturday. Hunter is a solid UK talent who has been competing here for a while. Savage grabbed him by the throat at the bell, but Hunter escaped and hit a dropkick. Savage hit a clubbing clothesline and tossed Ethan to the floor at 1:00. Hunter hit a basement dropkick, but Savage hit another hard clothesline. Brick whipped him into a corner and was in charge “like a lion playing with his food,” a commentator said.
Ethan hit a stunner out of the ropes at 3:30. He hit a flying knee to the back as Savage was in the ropes, but Brick got up and hit a twisting uranage! They brawled on the floor, and Brick pushed him into the ring frame, then slammed him back-first on the apron at 5:30. In the ring, Brick nailed a standing powerbomb for a nearfall, but Hunter got a foot on the ropes. The commentators agreed that Hunter should just let this match end. Hunter dove through the ropes onto Savage, then pushed him into the ring post at 7:00!
Hunter hit some European Uppercuts and threw Brick back into the ring, where he hit a second-rope moonsault for a nearfall. Brick hit a headbutt and a twisting Angle Slam for a nearfall at 8:30. “What is Hunter thinking?” a commentator shouted. Ethan hit a series of kicks, then a jumping knee and a springboard fadeaway stunner for the pin! The commentators were shocked! “He did it! I don’t know how he did it!”
Ethan Hunter defeated Brick Savage at 9:54.
Danny Orion vs. Izzy James for the New Texas Pro Heavyweight Title. Izzy had his left arm in a sling, which he removed before the bell. The ring announcer said Izzy is “signed to Power Slap,” which is meaningless to me. I consider Orion to be a top-15 U.S. based indy talent, and he got a nice pop. Orion hit a flip dive to the floor just seconds in. Izzy’s left elbow was taped. In the ring, Orion hit a Thesz Press and some punches. Izzy hit a low blow straight punch to the groin at 2:00, and he tied up Orion’s legs and did some Dragonscrew Legwhips.
Izzy hit a chop block to the back of the knee and tied up Orion on the mat. They traded chops and forearm strikes. Orion hit a double stomp to the chest at 7:30, and he kicked Izzy’s damaged left elbow! Orion snapped the damaged arm over the top rope and hit a twisting slingshot senton, then a Lionsault for a nearfall. Danny unloaded a series of roundhouse kicks. Izzy fired back with a German Suplex for a nearfall at 9:30. Orion hit a German Suplex; Izzy hit a German Suplex; Orion hit a buzzsaw kick. Izzy hit a senton for a nearfall.
Izzy hit a discus clothesline in the corner and more chops. Orion hit a top-rope crossbody block, and they were both down at 12:30. Izzy hit a rolling DVD, but Orion hit his “Stargazer” Crucifix Driver. Orion hit a hard clothesline and a Naito-style Destino, and he applied a crossface on the mat! Jak Calloway appeared on the apron and distracted the ref. Izzy tapped out at 14:30, but the ref missed it! Izzy struck Danny with a loaded weapon for a nearfall; he shoved the item into his trunks. Izzy missed a low-blow kick, so Danny hit his own low-blow punt kick! He hit one more Stargazer for the pin! Good action.
Danny Orion defeated Izzy James to retain the New Texas Pro Heavyweight Title at 15:46.
Ground Zero, “The Dunn & Marcos Cup,” at Aerial Arts in Rochester, New York, on Saturday, August 29, 2026 (IWTV)
Dunn & Marcos were the ‘ring crew’ wrestlers in the early era of Ring of Honor, who usually got thrown around and took big bumps. This is an eight-team tag tournament. As a sucker for tournaments, I genuinely planned on watching this entire show… until I saw the poor production values. Instead, I watched just two matches. This is a dark factory, and the crowd was maybe 100.
“Miracle Generation” Kylon King and Dustin Waller vs. “High Seas” Cloudy and Capt. Nick Ando in a first-round tournament match. Yes, Cloudy was a “Special K” high-flyer in ROH 20 years ago, and he barely looks any different today. High Seas has been on every GCW show held in Rochester. Kylon and Ando opened. King pulled off Nick’s do-rag, revealing Ando’s bald head, and Nick sold being embarrassed. Cloudy and Waller locked up at 2:00. Dustin hit a leg lariat for a nearfall.
High Seas worked over Kylon, with Ando hitting a guillotine leg drop. Cloudy hit some knee strikes to Kylon’s spine. Kylon hit a double German Suplex at 7:30. Waller got the hot tag, hit some flying forearm strikes, and dropped Ando stomach-first to the mat. He hit his running Shooting Star Press for a nearfall. High Seas hit stereo running knees for a nearfall. Waller went for a Lethal Injection, but Cloudy hit a low-blow uppercut! Ando immediately hit an assisted Falcon Arrow for the tainted pin. Yeah, the wrong team definitely won.
“High Seas” Cloudy and Nick Ando defeated “Miracle Generation” Dustin Waller and Kylon King at 9:40 to advance.
“High Seas” Cloudy and Nick Ando vs. “Star Struck” Channing Thomas and Anthony Greene in the Dunn & Marcos Cup tournament finale. I assumed when I saw the brackets that it would be Star Struck vs. Miracle Generation in the finals. Ando and Channing opened. Greene tagged in at 2:30 to face Cloudy; Anthony has a significant height advantage. Ando made a blind tag and attacked Greene from behind. Channing hit a slingshot elbow drop for a nearfall. Greene hit a hard chop on Ando, but Ando hit a D’Lo-style Sky High powerbomb on Greene for a nearfall at 5:00.
High Seas worked over Greene, with Cloudy hitting a basement dropkick to the face for a nearfall. Greene fired up and hit some chops. Ando hit a hard back elbow for a nearfall at 9:00. Ando went for a baseball slide dropkick to the floor, but he accidentally struck Cloudy! Channing finally got the hot tag, and he hit a double clothesline. He hit clotheslines in opposite corners, then a DDT-and-neckbreaker combo for a nearfall at 10:30. Greene hit a running neckbreaker, and Channing put Cloudy in a Boston Crab. Greene also put Ando in a Boston Crab.
Ando hit the assisted Falcon Arrow (used to win their first-round match!) on Thomas, but Greene made the save at 12:30. Channing hit a Sliced Bread for a nearfall, but Ando made the save, and all four were down. Cloudy pushed Greene into Channing’s groin, and Channing fell to the floor. High Seas hit a spike piledriver on Greene for a nearfall at 14:00. Channing got back in, and Star Struck hit stereo kicks. Channing hit a top-rope flying elbow drop, and Greene made the cover for the pin! Good action.
“Star Struck” Anthony Greene and Channing Thomas defeated “High Seas” Cloudy and Nick Ando at 14:46 to win the Dunn & Marcos Cup.
Dunn & Marcos entered the ring and presented the four-foot-tall trophy to Star Struck. The commentators agreed it was a great event and a great way to pay tribute to the Ring Crew Express.
St. Louis Anarchy “Who Wants To Live Forever?” at Spaulding Hall in Alton, Illinois, on August 28, 2026 (free on YouTube)
For the second straight event, St. Louis Anarchy opted to air live and free on YouTube. This is their usual venue with white walls and a low ceiling. The sound is better than at other recent shows!
Billie Starkz vs. Shimbashi. I guess Billie didn’t get the England invite. A clean lockup, and she’s not that much smaller than him. She suplexed him into the Tree of Woe at 2:00. She hit some spin kicks to his back, then another suplex for a nearfall. Starkz backed him into a corner and hit some chops; she has dominated. He hit a mule kick to her chest as she was seated. Billie blocked a dive and hit a DDT onto the apron at 5:30, then a DVD onto the apron! Shimbashi hit a hard running knee to her head in the corner, and they were both down. They got up and traded forearm strikes.
Shimbashi hit a Lumbar Check-style move to her ribs, then a top-rope elbow drop for a nearfall at 8:30. Billie hit a Gory Bomb faceplant for a nearfall. She hit a DDT and a neckbreaker over her knee for a nearfall. She put her hair up (the international sign that it’s time to fight!) and she stomped on him. Billie hit a hard slap to his face! He got up and slapped her on the face, then hit a hard running knee to her jaw! Shimbashi locked in a Sharpshooter. She rolled him up for a nearfall, then she locked in a standing sleeper, and fell backwards to the mat. He held on for a few seconds, but then he passed out!
Billie Starkz defeated Shimbashi at 11:46.
Inter Species Wrestling “@ Vans Warped Tour, Day One,” at Parc Jean-Drapeau in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on August 21, 2026 (IWTV)
Yes, they set up a ring at the concert venue. (I’ve seen Arik Cannon’s F1rst Wrestling do the same thing, having matches at “Rock Fest” in western Wisconsin.) SO, not a lot of people are really paying attention — they are there for the music, not the wrestling! It’s mid-day, so no issues with lighting. They taped a whopping 14 matches over three-and-a-half hours; I chose to watch two. Maybe 100 people are watching; you can see the nonstop flow of traffic in the background as people went to tents and concession stands.
Marcus Mathers vs. Mitch Thompson. Never heard of Mitch, but I’ll never pass up a Mathers match! Mitch came out first, wearing sunglasses, and he insulted everyone in the crowd. He’s white and of average size. No intro music at a music festival? WTF is that? A clean lockup to open. Mitch posed in the corner to get a few more boos. Marcus hit a dropkick at 1:30 and was fired up. Mitch rolled to the ground to regroup, so Mathers followed, and they brawled around the music grounds. The main concert stage was visible in the background.
Mathers got back on the ring apron and hit a running penalty kick at 3:30. In the ring, Mitch hit an eye-poke and a Pump Kick, and he took control. He hit a leg lariat for a nearfall, and he choked Marcus in the ropes. Thompson hit a spinning side slam for a nearfall at 6:00, and he applied a Cobra Clutch on the mat. Mathers fired up and hit some back elbows. He hit his mule kick at 8:30. Mathers went under the ring and got a door and pushed it into the ring and set it in the corner.
Marcus hit some European uppercuts, and they traded forearm strikes. Thompson hit a running kick to the side of the head, then a frog splash for a nearfall. Thompson nailed an Exploder Suplex through the door for a nearfall at 11:00! He set up another door in the corner. Mathers hit a clothesline and a release powerbomb, tossing Thompson through the door. Mathers nailed the top-rope 450 Splash for the pin. These guys worked as hard here in front of some indifferent fans as if they were in front of a huge GCW crowd. Kudos to both.
Marcus Mathers defeated Mitch Thompson at 12:26.
Joey Janela vs. Macrae Martin for the IS Dub King of Crazy Title. This was the main event. Macrae is among a small group of top-tier Canadian talents who really should be used for future Maple Leaf Pro shows. He’s deceptively big; he’s teamed with high-flyer Junior Benito for so long, I think people don’t realize Martin’s size. They locked up, and Martin is clearly taller and thicker. Joey hit some European uppercuts, and he gave the crowd the middle finger. Martin hit some chops. Janela hit a running European Uppercut at 2:00 and pushed his foot into Martin’s throat.
Macrae hit a DDT onto the ring apron. Doors, chairs, and garbage can lids were shoved into the ring. Janela whipped Martin through a door in the corner at 4:00, then he repeatedly struck Macrae with door shards. Joey whipped a chair at Martin (he turned his body to block it partially, but I still hate thrown chairs). Joey did a big ‘hip swivel’ before hitting a Rude Awakening at 7:00. Macrae hit a leaping Flatliner, and they were both down. They got up and traded punches. Macrae hit a series of clotheslines, then a shotgun dropkick into the corner at 8:30.
Martin hit a top-rope flying clothesline for a nearfall. He set a door up in the corner. Joey hit a snap Dragon Suplex for a nearfall at 10:00. Macrae did a monkey-flip, tossing Janela through the door in the corner, then Martin hit a Canadian Destroyer for a nearfall. Joey hit a superkick for a nearfall. Macrae hit an impressive fallaway slam at 12:00, but Joey got up and whipped a chair at Martin’s back. Joey swung a chair, but it ricocheted off the top rope and onto his own forehead. Macrae nailed his Spider Kick out of the ropes for a nearfall. Joey grabbed his title belt, struck Macrae across the forehead, and hit a top-rope superplex. They were both down at 14:00.
They got up and traded forearm strikes, then chops. Martin dropped him with a straight punch to the jaw at 16:00. They fought to the ground. Martin leapt off the guardrail and struck Joey. In the ring, Macrae hit a Mamba Splash for a nearfall. Martin set up a door bridge. Martin missed a Swanton Bomb. Joey hit a DVD onto an open chair for a nearfall at 18:00. Joey hit a top-rope double stomp onto a chair over Martin’s chest for a nearfall. They fought on the ropes above the door bridge. Martin hit an Air Raid Crash through the door bridge, then his version of a One-Winged Angel for the pin. That was really good.
Macrae Martin defeated Joey Janela at 19:42.
TWE Chattanooga “Final Destination” at the TWE Arena in Red Bank, Tennessee, on August 8, 2026 (IWTV)
This is their regular building that looks like an underground military bunker, with the ring pushed up against one wall. I opted to watch just the main event.
Jamesen Shook and Damon Stryker (w/Dylan Hales) vs. Sean Campbell and Shean Christopher. Shook (the young Sami Zayn clone) is now a heel here. Christopher charged into the ring, but Stryker dropped him with a kick. I don’t think I’ve seen Campbell before; he has long hair that goes halfway down his back. He also charged to the ring and brawled with Shook on the floor. In the ring, Christopher bodyslammed his teammate onto Stryker. The heels worked over Campbell in their corner. Shook hit a suplex for a nearfall at 5:00, and he hit an Irish Whip.
Shook hit a flying knee drop to the sternum, then another. This heel beatdown on Campbell just kept going and going. Christopher finally got a hot tag at 10:00, and he hit a hard clothesline on Stryker, then he dove through the ropes onto Shook. Thompson hit a clothesline on Stryker for a nearfall. Shook hit a DVD on Campbell for a nearfall. Stryker hit a neckbreaker over his knee for a nearfall. Hales distracted the ref. Shook struck Christopher in the head with a weapon (a book, maybe?). Stryker hit a superkick on Christopher for the tainted pin. An okay match; that two-on-one beatdown went on a bit too long.
Jamesen Shook and Damon Stryker defeated Shean Christopher and Sean Campbell at 13:42.
Final Thoughts: As always, there is just not enough time to watch these shows in their entirety. Danny Orion is really good, and his match was the best of these 10. I’ll go with Mathers’ match for second and Janela-Macrae for third. I didn’t care for the commentary from the Inter Species show and ultimately turned it down.
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