Mania week had something for just about everyone. There were hardcore matches, comedy matches, plenty of women’s matches and so much more. The best of independent wrestling converged on Las Vegas. Some of the bigger shows were part of The Collective, which aired on TrillerTV, but there were a lot of other shows that happened all over the area from the parking lot of the Punk Rock Hall of Fame to the FSW arena. Here are my 10 favorite matches of Mania Week.

Marcus Mathers vs Sam Halloway (WWEID Tournament)

Mania week in Las Vegas officially started on Wednesday with a WWEID show. This featured some familiar faces to independent wrestling fans, like Zayda Steel, Swipe Right, Izzy Moreno, Kylie Rae, and more. The match that I considered the match of the show was an anything goes match between Marcus Mathers and Sam Halloway. Marcus and Sam have fought multiple times in recent weeks, but it came to a head in the Opening Round of the WWEID Championship Tournament. Sam had a big size advantage, but Marcus is used to being the smaller person in the match and knows how to use his speed to gain victories, however Sam isn’t like a regular big man, he is extremely agile and athletic himself. Sam is very ruthless, especially whenever he gets a weapon, like a steel chair in his hands. Marcus Mathers was able to withstand all the punishment that Sam could dish out, and at the end Marcus hit Sam with a cutter on two chairs and a 450 for the win.

Masha Slamovich vs MAO (Pandamonium)

Pandamonium took place Thursday morning and had some really great matches. The first one that made my list was the TNA Knockouts Champion, Masha Slamavich against DDT star MAO. This was a little bit of a clash of styles, as Masha always seems to have a plan and MAO just seems like controlled chaos and I am not sure if he knows what he is going to do next. These were two of the busiest wrestlers of the weekend, with each taking on all kinds of opponents. This is a match that you will typically only see on Mania Week, so I would really recommend checking it out.

Kingsley vs Hyan (Pandamonium)

This is a first time match that I was really looking forward to, and it did not disappoint. Hyan is one of the best unsigned wrestlers in the world, while Kingsley is one of the top wrestlers out of Australia. This was Kingsley’s US debut and she did a great job of introducing herself to the American audience. Kingsley has quite and attitude, think The IIconics, but when it is time to wrestle, she can hang with anyone, as she has proven in Australia where she has taken on the likes of Charli Evans, Jessica Troy, Lena Kross and more. I really liked this match, because Kingsley and Hyan let themselves have a little bit of fun, the crowd got a feel for Kingsley, then they both showed why they are both incredible wrestlers.

Hazuki vs Lena Kross (SPARK Joshi Pro)

This match includes another Australian female wrestler, Lena Kross, against a star from Stardom in Japan. Lena had the height advantage, as she does in most of her matches, but Hazuki did not let that deter her. Lena dominated with her power early on, but any time Hazuki was see an opening she would take full advantage of it. Hazuki showed her resilience, kicking out of a jackknife powerbomb and Kross Breaker. She then hit Kross with a DDT off a counter, and rolled up Lena for the win and to claim the vacant SPARK World Championship.

Minoru Suzuki vs Yoshihiko (DDT)

This is a bit of a different match. Yoshihiko is a long time member of the DDT roster and has won many championships. Suzuki is one of the best wrestlers in the world, he has been wrestling for 36 years. At first Suzuki did not take Yoshihiko seriously and was just slapping him around. Yoshihiko then started fighting back and kicking out of pin attempts. They both locked in some impressive submission maneuvers, but it was Suzuki who walked out the winner after a grueling 15 minute match.

Nina Samuels vs Izzy Moreno (PODER MANIA)

This was a match for Nina’s EVE Championship. It pitted the 17 year old Izzy against the veteran of British wrestling, Nina. Izzy obviously wanted to take Nina’s title, but more importantly she wanted to prove that she deserved to be in the ring with someone like Nina Samuels. Izzy is always trying to challenge herself, as she had in her match against Zara Zakher on Wednesday and in this match. Nina did come out on top, but it was certainly a hard fought victory.

Megan Bayne vs Bozilla (Joey Janela’s Spring Break)

This is a match between two giants, who got well known during their time in Japan. Megan worked in Stardom and main evented the Stardom show at Mania week last year, while Bozilla has been working for and dominating Marigold since their inception. Bozilla is from Germany and is the daughter of former ECW star Ulf Herman. This was her first match in the US and she proved that she belonged. She stood toe to toe with Megan, showing her strength and athleticism, however Megan used her home country advantage to get the victory. I hope to see Bozilla back in America again and hope to see a rematch sometime in the future.

Atticus Cogar vs Fuego Del Sol (Joey Janela’s Spring Break)

This was a career vs mask match. If Atticus lost he would have to leave GCW and if Fuego lost he had to take off his mask. This could have been the best match of the week, as it told a great story and had plenty of action. Many may think the Fuego has the athleticism advantage, but that is not giving Atticus enough credit, Atticus can wrestle any style, he just chooses to be violent. Violence is what Atticus brought in this match and a lot of it. When Atticus got in trouble, his brother Otis came to the ring. Fuego’s friend, Sam Stackhouse, who is a very large man came out to help him, but Otis ended up brutalizing him. Once it was back to one on one, Atticus used his skewers and got the victory. Fuego unmasked, then left his boots in the ring, signifying that his career may be over.

Effy vs Dark Sheik (Effy’s Big Gay Brunch X)

This match was the main event of Effy’s Big Gay Brunch and was for the GCW World Championship. These two are typically friends, but they were not holding anything back. Effy’s mind games do not seem to work on Sheik, as Sheik is very focused. They break out the plunder and start using chairs on each other. This match starts to get violent and all personal feelings they may have had for each other are out the window. Effy is bleeding, but keeps attacking Sheik. Sheik keeps throwing chairs at Effy’s head, Sheik goes to finish off Effy, but Effy rolled through the pin attempt to retain the GCW Title.

The Infantry vs Culture Inc (4th Rope Heels Have Eyes: Four The Culture)

This was a match between AEW stars, The Infantry were joined by Trish Adora, and one of the top tag teams in the south east, Culture Inc., who was joined ringside by Kiah Dream and Nick J Holiday. This was a street fight, and both teams brought the violence. They were fighting to the entrance screen, jumping off of a balcony, and fighting  through the crowds. Both of these teams are incredible, so it was hard for either team to get the upper hand, but The Infantry pulled off the victory with a double stomp to a chair.