2025 was an incredible year for the independent professional wrestling scene. We saw wars take place, and titans clash on some of the biggest stages on the indies. From the likes of Fight Life Pro, GCW, DEFY Wrestling, Limitless Wrestling, Wrestling Revolver, Prestige Wrestling, and PROGRESS Wrestling, here are ten must-see matches from the year of 2025.

10. Krule vs. Mortar from Fight Life Pro’s “Outta This World”

Fight Life Pro’s “Outta This World” was one of the best events of 2025. It’s not particularly close either. We saw the likes of the Perfect Strangers battle The Monarchy & The Unit, Rip Byson in action, JT Dunn compete against Joseph Alexander in a first-time-ever match, B3CCA host an open challenge, which got answered by Ashley Vox, and a tremendous No DQ trios match, which closed out the show between The Parliament and the Miracle Ones. However, there was one other first-time ever match at the March 29th, 2025, event, the one that saw the “Atrocity” Krule battle Mortar. Krule returned to Fight Life Pro to take on one of the top talents in the New England independent wrestling scene today, Mortar. Mortar had an amazing showing against a much bigger opponent. This match was a must-watch for any fan of professional wrestling. Krule and Mortar left it all out in the ring. Mortar showed in this one that he can hold his own against anyone you put in front of him. He’s continuing to cement himself as one of the top stars today on the North East independent wrestling scene. As for Krule, he remains one of the scariest, most intimidating forces on the entire independent scene today, striking fear wherever he goes and whoever he goes up against. Go back and check this one out, available anytime on TrillerTV+.

9. Bear Bronson vs. Matt Tremont from GCW’s “Homecoming, Part 2”

In GCW’s big “Homecoming, Part 2” event, we saw a lot of tremendous action. Matches such as Ciclope vs. John Wayne Murdoch, VNDL48 vs. Los Desperados, Mance Warner vs. Dr. Redacted, Marcus Mathers & YDNP vs. The Miracle Ones, and so much more took place. The main event of the August 24th, 2025, event saw Matt Tremont put his GCW Ultraviolent Championship on the line against Bronson. Bronson has been on a fantastic run since departing from AEW. He set out with something to prove, and he’s done just that. As for Matt Tremont, 2025 has been his year. He won, what became, the GCW Ultraviolent Championship in a ladder match back in January at “The People vs. GCW.” He’s held that title all year, defending it and looking unstoppable at times. Tremont is a man who absorbs some crazy amounts of punishment. Almost all of Tremont’s matches are blood baths, so the amount of punishment Tremont takes at times is crazy. This match was a bit of a teacher vs. student type of match. Bronson is the new kid on the block, whereas Tremont is a deathmatch legend. I’ve also never seen Tremont go up high to hit a splash before on anyone, so that only emphasized the craziness of this intense, brutal, hard-hitting bout. Go back and check this one out anytime on TrillerTV+.

8. Killer Kross vs. Calvin Tankman from DEFY Wrestling’s “AEON”

The first “AEON” event for DEFY Wrestling saw a ton of great action and huge moments. The show kicked off with Clark Connors defending his DEFY World Championship against Bryan Keith, which, spoiler alert, he lost. We also saw AEW’s Marina Shafir defend her DEFY Women’s World Championship against Hyan, Nicole Matthews face off with Amira, and Midnight Heat face off with Randy Myers & Matt Brannigan. However, on September 19th, 2025, the main event saw Killer Kross battle Calvin Tankman in a Super Heavyweight Cup match. This was a fantastic main event between two of the very best big men in the sport today. At one point, they even teamed up to take out the referee because he was being “too active.” These two wanted to fight, and fight they did. They threw everything they had and more at each other to win the first-ever Super Heavyweight Cup. This isn’t a title that will be defended, just a once-a-year type of thing where DEFY puts the two best super heavyweights against each other. Kross has become a star again in his return to the independent scene. Taking nothing away from his time in WWE, but he was never booked the way that fans wanted to see. Now he’s proving himself all over, showing how damn good he is and how WWE messed up letting him walk. As for Tankman, he’s a star in his own right. Tankman is a brute who gets hit hard but comes back and hits even harder. This match ruled, so much fun seeing two of the very best super heavyweights mix it up. Go back and check this out on TrillerTV+.

7. Bryan Keith vs. Cody Chhun from DEFY Wrestling’s “AEON 2”

The DEFY Wrestling “AEON 2” event saw so much good stuff. The show was headlined by a tag match, which saw The Righteous face off with the Midnight Heat. We also saw Mad Dog Connelly face off with Judas Icarus, Steven Borden Jr. make his professional wrestling debut, Travis Williams face off with Jack Evans, and so much more. However, for the November 21st, 2025, event, the show stealer of the night saw Bryan Keith put his DEFY World Championship on the line against Cody Chhun. While Keith is a part of the AEW roster now, he’s still making time for himself on the independent scene. This is a great thing for all involved because we got a battle like the one we did here between Keith and Chhun for the top prize in Defy. Chhun is mainly known as a tag wrestler, a part of the C4 tag team, which has taken over the West Coast. However, if this match showed us anything, it’s that Chhun is so much more than a tag wrestler. Chhun is a singles star waiting in the wings, ready for his shot whenever his name gets called. This match was fantastic. Fans knew how great both of these wrestlers were coming into it, but Chhun proved a lot about himself working with a stud like Keith. Go back and check this one out anytime on TrillerTV+.

6. Conan Lycan vs. Zak Patterson from Limitless Wrestling’s “Bissell Brothers Bash”

The Limitless Wrestling “Bissell Brothers Bash” event saw so much good action take place. This includes the likes of Ella Envy vs. Jada Stone on the pre-show, Aaron Rourke going one-on-one with Anthony Greene, Ace Romero meets Dirty Dango in a Portland Street Fight, Swipe Right battles The High-Flying Star Machines, and Gabby Forza faces off with B3CCA. However, on March 21st, 2025, at the event, the show stealer of the match was the one who kicked off the main card of the show, Conan Lycan, going one-on-one with Zak Patterson. Lycan is an absolute star in every sense of the word. It’s shocking to me that he’s still unsigned. For a man his size, he can do things that he shouldn’t be able to. He’s a call-back to the old days of Keith Lee. Lycan has the look, talent, charisma, and is the complete total package. Much of the same can be said about his opponent, Zak Patterson, in this one, too. Patterson is still very young, but he looks fantastic. He’s also the total package when it comes to his talent in the ring and his presentation. So, when these two met in the ring, we knew we were going to get something special. Spoiler alert: nobody was disappointed. This match was the perfect way to kick off the event, and was arguably the show stealer of an already stacked show. Go back and check this one out on the Limitless Wrestling YouTube channel.

5. Rich Swann vs. Matthew Palmer from Wrestling Revolver’s “Cage of Horrors”

The Wrestling Revolver “Cage of Horrors” event was fantastic. We saw the likes of Killer GOAT’s Killer Kelly & Myron Reed face off with Crash Jaxon & Jake Crist, Dante Leon meet JJ Garrett in a Ladder Warfare match, The Macabre face off with Alpha Sig, Priscilla Kelly face off with Zachary Wentz, and AJ Francis go one-on-one with Jake Crist. However, on June 14th, 2025, the main event of the show called “Cage of Horrors” was actually a “Cage of Horrors” match. This match saw the personal rivalry between Rich Swann and Matthew Palmer come to a head. In 2025, Swann became a fan favorite in Revolver, even more so than he already was. Swann is one of the most underrated guys on the independent scene today, and this match just proves that. However, standing in front of him in this one was a new and “improved” Matthew Palmer. The reason I put quotations around “improved” is that some may not think that. This was a much more dangerous, sadistic, and downright scary version of the once nice and lovable Palmer. But, like any good wrestler, Palmer re-invented himself. The Palmer we saw standing before us in this one was definitely not the same one that we were used to. So, something was going to have to give. This was a fight between two men who just downright hated each other. However, in this aspect, the fans won. This was one of the best matches of the year, and certainly Revolver’s best match of the year. Go back and check this one out on TrillerTV+ whenever you want.

4. Mance Warner vs. Gabe Kidd from GCW & JCW’s “Jersey J-Cup”

The 2025 Jersey J-Cup saw many fantastic matches take place, such as Leon Slater vs. Drew Parker, Alec Price vs. Clark Connors, Atticus Cogar vs. Joey Janela, Leon Slater vs. Kevin Knight in the first round, and so much more. However, the show will always be remembered for the hardcore war that Mance Warner and Gabe Kidd went through. On February 16th, 2025, at “Jersey J-Cup 2025, Night 2,” we saw Mance Warner and Gabe Kidd battle it out to see who the most brutal, violent, and hard-hitting wrestler was around today. Ultimately, this match was too big to be decided in one night, and these two had to run it back a couple of months later at Joey Janela’s Spring Break 9. However, the match we got on that night in February was one that these two simply couldn’t match. The violent nature of Warner puts him head and shoulders above everyone. He’s the “Southern Psychopath” for a reason. He absorbs punishment like it’s nothing and comes back and hits even harder. As for Gabe Kidd, while he’s mainly on AEW TV now, it’s important to remember that he’s still the same hard-hitting warrior that we’ve grown to know and love on the independent scene. Go back and check this one out whenever on TrillerTV+.

3. Alan Angels vs. Judas Icarus from Prestige Wrestling’s “Combat Clash ’25”

In one of the best main events in Prestige Wrestling history, we saw Alan Angels put his Prestige World Championship on the line against his former running mate, Judas Icarus, on July 13th, 2025, at “Combat Clash ’25.” This was a massive show for Prestige Wrestling from the very announcement of its inception. AEW’s Toni Storm made an appearance, Drexl battled Su Yung, The IInspiration met Brooke Havok and Elayna Black in tag action, Matt Brannigan went one-on-one with Matt Cardona, the Midnight Heat battled The Dark Order, and so much more. However, the nearly 40-minute war that took place inside a steel cage in the main event stole the show. Fans knew that one way or another, this was going to be a conclusion to a big rivalry in Prestige Wrestling throughout 2025. The Noise broke up, Angels went on his own, accompanied by his new heavy, Jordan Cruz. However, Icarus and Williams remained as good as ever before, so something was truly going to have to give in this one. Angels was a dominant champion in Prestige, whether people loved or hated him. He was also a tremendous talent in the ring for them. This was a star-making performance for Icarus as it would mark one of his first-ever real singles runs as a singles star. While the professional wrestling world will miss Prestige Wrestling dearly, Icarus is still around, and still the same star we saw made in that very cage match. Go back and check this one out anytime available on YouTube.

2. Bear Bronson vs. Slade from GCW’s “Cage of Survival”

Perhaps the most violent match of the year saw Bear Bronson make his deathmatch wrestling debut against Slade on June 8th, 2025, at GCW’s “Cage of Survival.” In June, Bronson officially became a free agent. So, he wasted very little time endearing himself to fans and showing how great he actually is. Taking nothing away from his time in AEW, but the Bronson we see before us today is a whole different animal, and it all started in this match. Bronson and Slade are a rivalry I got to see time and time again in person at Create A Pro in New York, but I have never seen them have a match like this. This was bloody, brutal, violent, and a star-making performance for Bronson. However, it’s important to give Slade his flowers too. Slade is a violent, hard-hitting person. Oftentimes in matches, he looks like the one who can give out the most punishment. He’s strong and can absorb anything that gets thrown back at him. That’s what made this match so good. We hear the term “unstoppable force meets the immovable object” quite often in pro wrestling, but with this match, that term actually serves to be true. Go back and check this one out anytime on TrillerTV+.

1. Luke Jacobs vs. Michael Oku from PROGRESS Wrestling’s “Chapter 179: Las Vegas”

My match of the year came back at PROGRESS Wrestling on April 17th, 2025, as a part of WrestleMania weekend. PROGRESS Wrestling brought their big stars across the pond to the United States and delivered on just about every front, which is what also makes this my show of the year. We saw the likes of Lykos Gym face off with Boisterous Behavior, Nina Samuels defend her PROGRESS Women’s World Championship against Rhio & Vert Vixen, Cara Noir meet Minoru Suzuki, and so much more. However, the main event, which stole the show, and the year, saw Luke Jacobs put his PROGRESS Men’s World Championship on the line against Michael Oku. 2025 was the year of Jacobs. He put his title on the line time and time again against some of the very best. In each and every match of his, we saw an absolute war, and this match was all it was hyped up to be and then some. Oku is another very talented wrestler from across the pond in his own right. This match delivered on every front and stood head and shoulders above the rest. Go back and watch this one whenever you want to on Hooked On Wrestling and/or TrillerTV+.