From Friday, February 27th, through Sunday, March 1st, many independent wrestling promotions were putting on their best shows to end the month of February. The likes of Game Changer Wrestling, West Coast Pro, Beyond Wrestling, and ACTION Wrestling put on some incredible shows, including one independent wrestling “show of the year” candidate, and more dominant reigns continuing. Here are five must-see matches that every fan of professional wrestling should go back and check out.

5. Bustah & The Brain vs. Savage Gnomes from GCW’s “Baller Blockin'”

Kicking off the list, we saw All Elite Wrestling’s Bustah & The Brain defend their GCW World Championship on Saturday night in Hartford, CT, at “Baller Blockin’.” Alec Price & Jordan Oliver had arguably their toughest challenge yet, as they faced the real-life husband-and-wife duo, Bear Bronson & Gabby Forza, collectively known as the Savage Gnomes. Price & Oliver began their current reign as GCW World Tag Team Champions back in October. They’ve knocked off the likes of the Brothers of Funstruction, High Seas, Star Struck, C4, Sinner & Saint, and many other talented tag teams to keep their reign alive and well. However, never have I seen it come so close to ending. Both Price and Oliver have truly come into their own at GCW. This run opened up a ton of doors for them, including signing with AEW and showcasing their top talents to the world, showing a brand new audience what fans of the independent scene and GCW already know. Their opponents in this one, Bronson & Forza, are far from slouches in their own right. I may sound like a broken record when it comes to Bronson, but the stuff he has been doing since hitting free agency after his AEW time has been nothing short of spectacular. Now, he finds himself as a regular in TNA, still absolutely killing it on the indies from time-to-time too, whether it be in singles contests or a deathmatch. As for Forza, she’s the “newbie” of the four. However, she looks FAR from one. Professional wrestling just comes so naturally to Forza, and we’ll hit more on that down a bit lower. She has an incredibly bright future in professional wrestling. This match just proved that point even more. Check out this full match available on TrillerTV+ whenever you want to check it out.

4. Johnnie Robbie vs. Laynie Luck from West Coast Pro’s “Evil Empire”

We also saw Johnnie Robbie put her West Coast Pro Women’s Championship on the line against the first-ever WWE ID Women’s Champion, Laynie Luck. This match took place on West Coast Pro’s big event, “Evil Empire” on Friday, February 27th. This show was pretty stacked, with some great showings by the likes of The Crush Boys, Vinnie Massaro, Alpha Zo, and more. However, perhaps nobody even comes close to what Robbie has been putting together on the West Coast. Robbie first defeated Zara Zakher for the West Coast Pro Women’s Championship back in March of last year. She has now held the title for over 340 days, putting together quite a historic reign. In history, there have been four West Coast Pro Women’s Champions, and Robbie put herself in great company as she has the second-longest reign in the history of West Coast Pro, behind just Takumi Iroha, who had a whopping 428 days. While Robbie still has a lot of time before catching that, she can absolutely become the longest-reigning West Coast Pro Women’s Champion at this point. I don’t see anyone who can stop her. She truly is one of a kind, and she has such a bright future in professional wrestling. Her opponent in this one, Laynie Luck, has finally been getting her due as she officially got ID’d, winning the WWE ID Women’s Championship in the process. She has cemented her name in the history books, becoming the first woman to do just that. For anyone who hasn’t seen it, Luck has become a mainstay in the Midwest, competing at promotions such as Freelance Wrestling and many more around the Chicago area. Luck has been busting her butt on the independent scene for a very long time. To say this moment is well-deserved is a massive understatement. She deserved it, but more importantly, she earned it. The chemistry these two had together was super special, and they stole the show with their performance. Go back and check this one out, for free, on the West Coast Pro YouTube channel.

3. Willow Nightingale vs. Gabby Forza from Beyond Wrestling’s “Ballroom Blitz”

Also on Friday night, February 27th, AEW’s Willow Nightingale and Gabby Forza met in a dream match for many fans, and wrestlers alike, Gabby Forza included, when Beyond Wrestling returned to The Pawtuxet in Cranston, RI, for its big event, “Ballroom Blitz.” This was an unbelievably stacked show. We saw so many great matches, including a match of the year candidate in the main event, but we’ll get to that later. However, despite the main event, Nightingale and Forza stole the show in this one. These two women put on an incredible match, with some amazing chemistry taking place. Nightingale and Forza are pretty even in a lot of ways, especially in power. So, while Forza is used to overpowering her opponents all over, she wasn’t going to be able to do that so easily against Nightingale. That’s what made this match so good; she truly had to work to try to beat Nightingale. However, Nightingale got more than she asked for in this one, as Forza went toe-to-toe with her every step of the way. Nightingale is absolutely crushing it on AEW, and to see her on the independent scene still every now and then is such a treat. She is one half of the current AEW Women’s Tag Team Champions, with Harley Cameron in The Babes of Wrath, becoming the first-ever AEW Women’s Tag Team Champions back in December. She’s also the current TBS Champion, marking her second reign with the title. All of her accomplishments are a testament to Nightingale’s hard work. As for her opponent in this one, she’s already absolutely killing it, still so young in her career. Forza is a powerhouse. She is someone for whom professional wrestling just comes so naturally. Whether that be he professional football background, the hard work she put into training, or a mixture of both, she has absolutely become one of the best women on the independent scene today, and certainly a name to watch out for. This match ruled, and the chemistry was off the charts. Go back and check this one out on the Beyond Wrestling VOD Channel on IWTV.

2. Darian Bengston vs. Channing Thomas from ACTION Wrestling’s “ACTION!”

On Saturday, Darian Bengston put his ACTION Wrestling World Championship on the line against Channing Thomas in the main event of ACTION Wrestling’s return to Tyrone, GA, “ACTION!” The event was a blast from top-to-bottom, but the main event was the show stealer. Darian Bengston first won the ACTION Wrestling World Championship from Tim Bosby back in December. Over the course of the next nearly 100-days, Bengston has knocked off the likes of Kody Manhorn, Austin Luke, Carlie Bravo, Stunt Marshall, and Nicole Matthews. He is etching his own name in the history books at ACTION Wrestling. Bengston is one of the brightest young up-and-comers in the southeast today. He’s showcasing his talents on grand stages already, like JCW, and even on AEW a couple of times. He’s truly one of the most fun young talents to watch, and he’s someone you have to keep an eye on. His opponent in this one, Channing Thomas, is one of the most experienced guys around on the independents today. Despite wrestling for a little under a decade, Thomas is very wise beyond his years. He’s a hard worker who’s really made a name for himself in the Northeast, at promotions like Limitless Wrestling. Despite being a cocky, brash heel, you can’t help but respect Thomas for how great he is in the ring. Bengston and Thomas had an amazing connection together in that ring, and the chemistry was truly off the charts. I strongly suggest anyone who’s a fan of traditional professional wrestling, to go check out this match. You won’t be disappointed. This match is available whenever on the ACTION Wrestling VOD Channel on IWTV.

1. Mike Santana vs. Ryan Clancy from Beyond Wrestling’s “Ballroom Blitz”

Finishing off this list, the main event of Beyond Wrestling’s return to the Cranston, RI, “Ballroom Blitz,” saw the TNA World Champion, Mike Santana, go one-on-one with the #1 Contender for the Wrestling Open Championship, “Fancy” Ryan Clancy. Santana is truly one of the greatest wrestlers in the world today, and I’ll die on that hill. He has reinvented himself in TNA following his AEW departure a few years ago, and it has just been a huge success. Santana can go with the best of them and is truly one of the absolute best around today, regardless of the company. So, when you see him on a show, you know you’re going to have an excellent match. However, his opponent in this one was tasked with a huge dilemma: knocking off the TNA World Champion. Clancy is one of the greatest on the indies today, and it’s not close. Despite his new attitude lately on Wrestling Open/Beyond Wrestling, Clancy is still undeniable in the squared circle. Santana and Clancy put on one of the best matches on the independent scene in the early going of 2026, and when the year comes to a close, this match will be near, if not at, the top of the list for match of the year in 2026. Everything just clicked between these two warriors. Everything landed crisp, and they had the crowd on their feet for the entire 27-minutes they were out in that ring. When the match finally ended, chants of “THAT WAS AWESOME!” rang throughout The Pawtuxet. Probably my favorite thing about this match is that it proved that Clancy can hang with the best of them. If you can hang with someone like Santana, you can truly hang with anybody. For Clancy to put on that type of match and have that type of performance with one of the true greats around today was truly awesome. I’d say that was a star-making performance, but Clancy is already a star, but Clancy deserves his flowers and praise for this one.