Last week around this time, we were reeling from another incredible WrestleMania weekend. GCW, Progress Wrestling, Prestige Wrestling, West Coast Pro Wrestling and many more shows looked to capitalize on the eyes that were viewing their program, some for the first time, on the biggest weekend in professional wrestling of the year.

There was a ton of fantastic shows and matches during the weekend, specifically speaking about the independent wrestling scene. In this article, I will be showing ten matches I feel are must-watch for any fan of the sport we all love, professional wrestling. All of these matches are available to watch on Highspots, Triller TV, and YouTube.

Luke Jacobs vs. Michael Oku – Progress Wrestling

The match of the weekend, in my opinion, saw Luke Jacobs put his Progress World Championship on the line against Michael Oku. Jacobs and Oku headlined Progress’s big WrestleMania Weekend show, “Chapter 179.” Despite how late in the night this match was, it completely stole the show. This marked Jacob’s 11th title defense since he became the champion in July of 2024. The match began with the two men exchanging strikes, and ended similarly as Jacobs hit a monumental lariat on Oku to retain his Progress World Championship. Oku was making a lot of rounds during WrestleMania weekend. Overall, this was a fantastic weekend for talent from the UK like Jacobs, Oku, Leon Slater, and even Man Like DeReiss.

Nina Samuels vs. Rhio vs. Vert Vixen – Progress Wrestling

Staying on the Progress show, we saw Nina Samuels put her Progress Women’s World Championship on the line against Rhio and Vert Vixen in a triple threat match. Samuels had an uphill battle to climb, but did so successfully. Truthfully, the entire Progress show absolutely ruled. It featured two of the best matches of the weekend. We saw Rhio and Vixen go to blows at the end of the match. Despite Samuels being the champion, the rivalry between Rhio and Vixen has been so much fun to watch between two women who truly want to take each other out of Progress for good. Samuels looked great in this match, continuing to show she’s a fighting champion and earns the right night in and night out to be the Progress Women’s World Champion.

KZY vs. Marcus Mathers – Dragongate USA

In the match that set the tone for the entire weekend, KZY and Marcus Mathers did battle on Thursday night at 12:00 am ET when DragonGate USA kicked off the weekend with the opening match coming between Mathers and KZY. KZY picked up the win here with a very cool headscissors move into a piledrive, which he calls “Impact,” followed up by a frog splash for the three. This was a fantastic match that more than did its job as the opener of Dragongate USA. It was a fast-paced match which showcased Mathers’ skills exceptionally well, as KZY and him had some amazing chemistry in the ring.

Alan Angels vs. Calvin Tankman – Prestige Wrestling

The main event of Prestige Wrestling’s big “Nothing To Lose” show saw Alan Angels put the Prestige World Championship on the line against Calvin Tankman in a no disqualification match. As Angels was turned on by Sinner & Saint about a week before this match happened, it looked like Angels was going to be going at it alone. Tankman is a beast and one of the best big men on the independent wrestling scene today. Angels is one of the best heels on the West Coast independent wrestling scene. This match was a hard-hitting, fantastic no-disqualification match. Ultimately, however, Angels had one big trick up his sleeve. Jordan Cruz came to the aid of Angels and took out Tankman, helping Angels secure the match. Just in case you’re not very familiar, Cruz has IT. He looks incredible and can do amazing things in the ring. Pairing him up with Angels is just magic waiting to happen.

Kevin Blackwood vs. Leon Slater – Prestige Wrestling

Earlier on in the night during Prestige Wrestling’s “Nothing To Lose” show, we saw Kevin Blackwood go one-on-one with Leon Slater. This was a match we knew was going to steal the show. Slater and Blackwood’s styles mesh very well as they’re very similar when it comes to wrestling style. Blackwood, however, is much more calculated. Slater also had Man Like DeReiss in his corner. The match ends when Slater goes for his Swanton 450, but Blackwood counters by getting his knees up. Blackwood than hits his stomp for the three-count. With this win, Blackwood may be next in line for a Prestige World Championship shot. Overall, this was a great show which saw a ton of great action and Slater and Blackwood is a must-see.

Karrion Kross vs. JR Kratos – Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XIII

In one of the biggest fights of the night on Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XIII, we saw WWE’s Karrion Kross do battle in his home state against JR Kratos. If you’re looking for a hard-hitting heavyweight bout, look no further than this match. Kross came down to the ring in a Karate jacket, showing he was reverting to his “Killer Kross” mentality. This fight saw some stiff and hard-hitting shots by both men. Ultimately, Kross locked in a sleeper and brought him down to the mat, forcing Kratos to tap out. This was a fun big-man fight, but it’s not the only fight to watch from the show.

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

Heading into WrestleMania week, fans knew the number of WWE talent who were going to be on the Bloodsport show. There were seven matches with a WWE contracted wrestler in them, 10 matches total. However, Yamashita and Nattie Neidhart could have truly been the fight of the night for Bloodsport XIII. Neidhart looked like a complete badass in ways that we haven’t seen at the WWE-level as of late, if ever. Yamashita deserves credit too as she’s someone who was able to go toe-to-toe with Neidhart and not bat an eye. Neidhart won the match after forcing Yamashita to tap to the sharpshooter. While we don’t know what’s next, one thing we know is we hope we see these two go at it again.

EFFY vs. Dark Sheik – EFFY’s Big Gay Brunch X

The main event of the 10th version of EFFY’s Big Gay Brunch saw EFFY put his GCW World Championship on the line against Dark Sheik. What makes this match so much more special is that it was the only time all weekend that the GCW World Championship was defended. While these two are the best of friends, they held nothing back in this matchup. They broke out the items, which saw both competitors use chairs on one another. EFFY got busted open fairly early but managed to finish the match strong. EFFY put Sheik away when he rolled her up for the three-count. This was a great “better friends, but better enemies” match. It was so important for Big Gay Brunch to be the only show the GCW World Championship was defended on, and that can’t be understated.

Gabe Kidd vs. Mance Warner – Joey Janela’s Spring Break 9

In one of the biggest matches of the night on Joey Janela’s Spring Break 9. At the Jersey J-Cup back in February, Gabe Kidd and Mance Warner fought to a no-contest. We got the rematch at Joey Janela’s Spring Break 9, and it delivered and then some. One of the sickest shots of the week came when Warner was stabbed by a screwdriver by Kidd fairly early on in the match. This led to Warner getting bloodied and blood squirting out of Warner’s head. This match was hard-hitting to the very end. Ultimately, the two traded shots in the ring until they both collapsed. Kidd landed on top of Warner and pinned him for the three-count. This was a hard-hitting and brutal fight. If you’re a fan of hardcore and hard-hitting wrestling, this match is for you. Kidd and Warner pulled no punches here.

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

In another one of the biggest matches of the night, we saw Atticus Cogar and Fuego Del Sol meet in a Career vs. Mask match. If Cogar lost, he’d have to leave GCW; had Fuego lost, he would need to give up his mask. This has been a budding and hard-hitting rivalry in GCW since its beginning. Fuego was willing to go to great lengths to try and defeat Cogar, but it was not to be. Both Atticus’ brother Otis and Fuego’s best friend, Sam Stackhouse, got involved. This was a very brutal match between two guys who just don’t like each other. Ultimately, Cogar lands Fuego with an avalanche headlock driver off the top rope onto a trash can in the ring for the three-count. After the match, we saw a sad and pissed off Fuego give Cogar his mask before leaving his boots in the ring and leaving. This was just a great match from top to bottom.