This time last week, all eyes in the wrestling world were on Las Vegas in what is the biggest week of the year in professional wrestling, Mania week. There were a ton of wrestling events, specifically independent wrestling, from GCW’s The Collective, to shows ran by Deadlock Pro, Prestige Wrestling, and West Coast Pro, to events taking place at the FSW Arena.

In this article I will be highlighting ten matches that I feel are a must watch from Mania week in Vegas. You can watch these matches on Highspots TV, TrillerTV, and YouTube.

Leon Slater vs. Man Like DeReiss – ASÉ Vegas

A battle between two men that know eachother well. These two are tag team partners, but have squared off against eachother in the past. This was the match of the night on a very entertaining ASE Wrestling show from the FSW Arena. At 20 years old, Leon Slater has a really bright future ahead of him, and Man Like DeReiss is one of the most charismatic wrestlers out of the UK. DeReiss ended up winning with a nasty piledriver. You can watch this one for free on YouTube.

Panther Brothers vs. Lucha Solos – DGUSA/PWR The Gate of Revolution

A tag team match between four competitors that I wasn’t too familiar with. By the end of the match, I was left wanting to see more from both men, especially The Lucha Solos (Arkangel Divino and Ultimo Maldito). Both tag teams were made up of brothers. The action was fast paced from the start, with some incredible spots throughout. Both Divino and Maldito move with ease for two men their size. This was my favorite match coming out of Mania week. These four men need to be booked in more independent promotions.

Z-Brats (Shun Skywalker, Kota Minoura & ISHIN) vs. Ben-K, Hyo & Kzy – DGUSA/PWR The Gate of Revolution

Nineteen years after the historic Dragon Gate six man tag team match between Do FIXER and Blood Generation, the traditional continues with one of the best Dragon Gate six man tags during Mania week in recent years. Maybe even since that classic from 2006. The match starts off chaotic, including all six men brawling outside the ring. In the second half it picks up, and once it goes to the next level, it stays there. An incredible end to a great show. If you haven’t watched this event yet, do so by going to TrillerTV.

Atticus Cogar vs. Fuego Del Sol – Joey Janela’s Spring Break 9

The feud between Atticus Cogar and Fuego Del Sol came to an end at Joey Janela’s Spring Break 9 in a Career vs Mask match. If Atticus Cogar lost, his GCW career would come to an end, but if Fuego Del Sol lost, he would have to unmask. Before the match, a video from Atticus plays on the screen, showing that Atticus is one of the most creative wrestlers on the independent scene today. The match was brutal with both men beating the hell out of eachother with weapons. Atticus’ brother Otis Cogar and Fuego’s tag partner Sam Stackhouse both got involved. The match ended when Atticus gave Fuego an avalanche headlock driver into a trash can. After the loss, Fuego not only unmasked, but he also left his boots in the ring, symbolizing the end of his wrestling career. This was cinema.

Sabu vs. Joey Janela – Joey Janela’s Spring Break 9

The final match in the career of the legendary Sabu. The 40 year career comes to an end in a No Rope Barbed Wire Match. This match was not pretty and is not for the faint of heart. You won’t see a 5 star classic with this one but Sabu not only goes face first into barbed wire, he also crashes to the floor, hitting his head on the concrete. Blood pours out the head of Sabu as the crowd may have just witnessed a man’s death. The match also features The Sandman taking around five minutes to make his way to the ring, as it seems like he got lost. Sabu rises from the grave two days before Easter to finish the match and defeat the man who idealized him his entire life.

Nattie Neidhart vs. Miyu Yamashita – Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XIII

Going into Mania week, Josh Barnett received a lot of criticism regarding the Bloodsport card having an abundance of WWE talent on the show. This was one of the seven matches (ten matches in total) with a WWE star in it. I have to say that this was my favorite performance from a WWE wrestler on the show. Nattie Neidhart looked like a total badass. She might’ve looked more badass here than in her entire WWE career. Miyu Yamashita is also someone who is a complete badass. Nattie Neidhart came out the victor in this one after locking in the sharpshooter. It would be awesome to see Nattie a lot more on the independent scene. A rematch between the two will also be awesome to see.

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Jonathan Gresham – Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XIII

These two men have squared off plenty of times before, but this was the first time inside a Bloodsport ring. Both men are considered the two greatest technical wrestlers in the world today. The match receives a “fight forever” chant before it goes to a time limit draw. Per Bloodsport rules, the match goes to a five minute overtime. Both men are exhausted going into overtime, but they come at eachother with strikes. Kicks, chops, slaps, before Sabre finishes the match with a punt kick for a knockout.

Aja Kong vs. Senka Akatsuki – Marvelous Pro Wrestling

The match between Aja Kong and Senka Akatsuki proves that a match doesn’t have to be 20+ minutes to be a classic. Clocking in at just five minutes, this match had some of the loudest crowd reactions I’ve heard out of all the Vegas shows that week. At one point Senka Akatsuki body slams Aja Kong to a huge reaction. Then Aja hits her with a clothesline and attempts to pin Senka, but struggles to keep Senka’s shoulders down as she fights out of it. The crowd goes nuts. Fans getting out of their seats for such a basic spot. This is what professional wrestling is all about. This match had me hyped at around 3 or 4 in the morning on the east coast.

Luke Jacobs vs. Michael Oku – PROGRESS Wrestling Chapter 179

The main event of PROGRESS Wrestling’s Chapter 179 saw Luke Jacobs defend his PROGRESS Wrestling World Championship against Michael Oku. The match which took place around 2am local Vegas time, stole the show on a very solid event from PROGRESS. This was Luke Jacobs’ eleventh defense of the title that he’s had since July 2024. The match starts off with both men trading forearm shots and ends with Luke Jacobs having to give several lariats to Oku in order to keep him down. Michael Oku had quite the week, wrestling in Boston for Ring of Honor, over to Las Vegas, then making his return back to the UK on Sunday. The talent from the UK, Luke Jacobs, Michael Oku, Leon Slater and Man Like DeReiss really shined bright in Vegas last week.

Mizuki vs. Miyu Yamashita – TJPW LIVE in Las Vegas

For the main event of TJPW LIVE in Las Vegas, the Princess of Princess Championship was on the line, as the current champion Mizuki defended against the former 4x champion Miyu Yamashita. The dangerous Miyu Yamashita dominated most of the match. Yamashita gave Mizuki several head kicks but wasn’t able to keep down the fighting champion. Mizuki came back and picked up the victory. A true underdog story.