It’s that time of the week again. It’s time for the seventh installment of Match Exchange Monday. If you don’t know by now, every week Andrew Semkow and I exchange five matches from various independent wrestling promotions, give our thoughts and rate them. For those who didn’t read the first four articles, you can check them out HERE.
We suggest everyone go ahead and add these matches to your watchlist. Let us know what you think by responding to the PWPonderings Twitter and Facebook posts, or send us a tweet at @zerepwrestling or @andrewsemkow. You can also share your own match recommendations with us. Give us some feedback, we would love to hear from you. With all that said, thanks to everyone that has read or shared any of our exchanges in the past. Be safe everyone.
Andrew’s Recommended Match #1
Hana Kimura, Stella Grey and Sumie Sakai vs. Jenny Rose and Oedo Tai – Ring of Honor
April 6, 2019
New York City, New York
Andrew:
A brief match that features some of the best of Ring of Honor’s women’s division. Joshi has always been a fascinating style to me, the amount of training and the intensity is insane. Some great double maneuvers and good choreography.
Luis:
This match took place at the NJPW/ROH G1 Supercard from Madison Square Garden. I attended this show but didn’t get to see this match due to the fact that I was still entering the building. I actually didn’t know this match had happened until Ring of Honor uploaded it recently. I’m very unfamiliar with Hana Kimura but you can tell by this match that she was a star. This match was super fast paced and was a fun watch. Wish I was able to see this live. RIP Hana Kimura.
***¼
Andrew’s Recommended Match #2
EC3 vs. Matt Hardy – Impact Wrestling
January 5, 2016
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Andrew:
Remember when EC3 wasn’t a comedy act? Back in the good ol’ six-sided ring days of Impact he was the man, a tough, rich, heel who would do anything to win. A match that shows Carter as a capable athlete and solid in-ring performer. Let’s hope wherever he ends up he gets to be this version of himself again.
Luis:
If you ever put two wrestlers that I don’t care about in a match together, this would be that match. I didn’t care for this match at all. I didn’t know if I was just being bias so I looked up Csonka’s review of the show. Wanted to see if I went too harsh with the match rating and Larry rated the match one star haha. RIP Larry Csonka.
**
Andrew’s Recommended Match #3
Orange Cassidy vs. Kylie Rae – Beyond Wrestling
April 17, 2019
Worcester, Massachusetts
Andrew:
If you haven’t watched Beyond yet do yourself a favor and check it out. This match is one of my favorites in terms of crowd control. Orange and Kylie put on a show before wrestling and the crowd loves it. Once they do start wrestling it keeps getting better. I love when we get to see Cassidy really wrestle and I think this match shows both sides of his character well.
Luis:
Here’s a match that I’ve seen plenty of times. A ton of comedy to start off the match but once the pace picks up, the match becomes amazing. Orange Cassidy and Kylie Rae really show how talented they are in this one. Also, this match was one of my favorites from Uncharted Territory Season One.
****¼
Andrew’s Recommended Match #4
El Phantasmo vs. Brian Cage – ECCW
July 16, 2016
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Andrew:
If you can’t tell by now I’m a fan of ECCW and Brian Cage. This match may look like it’s just high-flyer versus giant but there’s more to it. I won’t spoil anything but safe to say you’ll see a few surprising moves.
Luis:
It seems like Andrew is a big ECCW fan now. I haven’t seen El Phantasmo’s work before he joined the Bullet Club so this week’s share was a treat. I loved the amazing entrance from him. As for the two men in the match, the smaller and faster El Phantasmo takes on the strength of Brian Cage. Sometimes a styles clash makes for the best of matches and this was the perfect example of that.
****
Andrew’s Recommended Match #5
Donovan Dijak and Mikey Webb vs. Anthony Green and Cam Zagami – Chaotic Wrestling
April 12, 2017
Nashua, New Hampshire
Andrew:
Tag team match featuring series favorite Donovan Dijak. Originally came for Dijak but stayed for Greene and Zagami. They’re a great tag team and really make the match.
Luis:
Chaotic Wrestling is a promotion that I’ve always heard about but never got the chance to check out. This might be the first ever match from them that I’ve checked out. I really enjoyed the in-ring action from all four men but the color balance between the two camera angles really took me out of enjoying the match even more.
**½
Luis’ Recommended Match #1
Cara Noir vs. PAC – Riptide Wrestling
July 5, 2019
Brighton, East Sussex, England
Luis:
This might’ve been my introduction to the unique character that is Cara Noir. He takes on the bastard PAC. The story of the match is Noir is seeking a handshake from his opponent and using mind games throughout the match. Check out this beautifully shot match from Riptide Wrestling.
Andrew:
Visually Cara Noir is like a theatre student that got into wrestling, but he’s more than his appearance. As Luis mentioned Noir wants a handshake from Pac, this lets Pac be his heel self denying a handshake and taunting his opponent in the process. Some great spots and some amazing back and forth with some really intense moments. I also have to give them credit for the great visuals and lighting quality.
****
Luis’ Recommended Match #2
Kyle Fletcher vs. Jordan Devlin – Progress Wrestling
May 5, 2019
London, England
Luis:
Another match from the UK, this time it’s for Progress Wrestling. Progress recently had watch parties for last year’s Super Strong Style 16 shows. These took place on Memorial Day weekend, the same weekend this year’s SSS16 shows were supposed to take place. On day 2 of 2019’s tournament Jordan Devlin took on Kyle Fletcher. This was one of the best matches from all three shows.
Andrew:
I feel like there’s a rule in Progress that you need to have be a great wrestler before you can drive. This show is intense as both men refuse to be outwitted and keep reversing the pace. A medley of high-flying, technical, and lucha-libre. Plus the ending is an interesting take for two men who personify an immovable object and an unstoppable force.
****
Luis’ Recommended Match #3
A-Kid vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – Whitewolf Wrestling
April 14, 2018
Madrid, Spain
Luis:
In Spain, A-Kid squared off against Zack Sabre Jr. A-Kid has had matches with Ricochet, David Starr, Pete Dunne, Will Ospreay and many others in his home promotion of Triple W. In this one, A-Kid has an incredible match with Zack Sabre Jr. This match pretty much put A-Kid on the map, with the help of Voices of Wrestling and Dave Meltzer. It’s amazing what a free match can do for someone’s career. Watch this star making performance.
Andrew:
A technical match that had both men looking like a million dollars afterward. A-Kid is new to me but watching him keep up with Sabre Jr. you can tell he knows his stuff and is a fan of wrestling. Technical skills aside this match also features some brutal strikes an ending that had you guessing til the last minute.
*****
Luis’ Recommended Match #4
Will Ospreay vs. WALTER – Over The Top Wrestling
October 13, 2018
Dublin, Ireland
Luis:
Big fight feel for this match between Will Ospreay and WALTER. A match that also has the David vs. Goliath aspect to it. This was around the time Will Ospreay moved up to heavyweight. The crowd is incredible for this contest. OTT does a great job with the video packages for their matches. They also do a great job at releasing incredible matches on YouTube. This is why the promotion out of Ireland is one of my favorite indie promotions.
Andrew:
From start to end this match is intense. Walter is a big brutal wrestler and he makes sure that Will Ospreay gets the full treatment. Seeing Ospreay get rag-dolled and beaten gives me a new respect for him being so versatile. We also get Ospreay’s high-flying and is a lot of fun to watch fight back against Walter. This match has to be my favorite of this week
*****
Luis’ Recommended Match #5
Jordynne Grace vs. Joey Janela – Smash Wrestling
June 3, 2018
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Luis:
It’s pretty funny that in the week that Andrew doesn’t share a Smash Wrestling match, that I do. I sware that wasn’t planned. If you didn’t realize by now, I decided to spotlight promotions outside of the US in this week’s exchange. Going to north of the border for this one as Joey Janela takes on Jordynne Grace in Canada.
Andrew:
Jordynne Grace is a beast in this match and gets to show off her power. Janela works great with here as Grace is an immovable object that stops his every move. A good match if you’re short on time and looking to get your Janela fix this is a good one.
***½