The weekend of May 1st through May 3rd, so many incredible promotions running many incredible matches. This includes a tournament final, a GCW World Championship match, an all-female scramble match, a match for tag team gold, and a match that saw two of the very best young guns on the independent scene. From the likes of PROGRESS Wrestling, Game Changer Wrestling, Blitzkrieg! Pro, and Create A Pro, here are five must-see matches from the weekend.

5. Rhio vs. Gisele Shaw from PROGRESS Wrestling’s “Super Strong Style 16 Day 2”

The main event of PROGRESS Wrestling’s “Super Strong Style 16, Day 2” was the Super Strong Style 16 Women’s Tournament finals between Rhio and Gisele Shaw. This year marked the first-ever time that PROGRESS Wrestling ran a Super Strong Style 16 Women’s Tournament. We saw so many incredible tournament matches, including Rhio’s semi-finals match against Shotzi Blackheart, and Charles Crowley battling Charlie Sterling in the Super Strong Style 16 Men’s Tournament, all on Day 2. The Men’s finals were downright incredible and had a really strong case for the match of the night. Unfortunately, the production issues that the match experienced really took away from all of it, including the screen freezing as the match was about to climax and hit its amazing end. Nonetheless, Crowley and Sterling absolutely crushed it. I look forward to going back and seeing this match in its entirety when it is properly uploaded. As for the women’s side of things, Rhio and Gisele Shaw crushed it. Rhio picked up wins over the likes of Stephanie Maze and Shotzi Blackheart to punch her ticket to the finals. Whereas Gisele Shaw picked up wins over the likes of Skye Smitson (with LA Taylor in her corner) and Kanji. Neither woman had an easy road to the finals, and it was going to be a fight for either of these women to win that prestigious first-ever Super Strong Style 16 Women’s Tournament. If I had my pick, without spoiling it, Rhio would, without a doubt, be the winner of the very first Super Strong Style 16 for all she’s done for women’s wrestling and the UK independent wrestling scene across the pond. Taking nothing away from Gisele Shaw. I love seeing Shaw kill it. I’ve been a fan of hers since TNA, and she has grown into a tremendous wrestler. Both women showed up and showed out in one of the most important women’s matches in PROGRESS history. They both absolutely deserve their flowers. This whole tournament was simply fantastic. Go back and check this whole tournament out on TrillerTV+.

4. Atticus Cogar vs. Marcus Mathers from GCW’s “One Night Only”

On Saturday night, May 2nd, Game Changer Wrestling returned to the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA, for one of its biggest shows of the year, “One Night Only.” The event was headlined by a dream deathmatch between Bear Bronson, who has burst onto the scene, and Nick Gage. We also saw several other amazing showings, including Vipress and Joey Janela doing battle, 1 Called Manders meet Christian Napier, Gringo Loco vs. Vengador, and so much more. However, the show stealer out of all nine matches on the card saw Atticus Cogar put his GCW World Championship against Marcus Mathers. Atticus Cogar entered this one having a 160+ day reign. He has defended his title over the likes of Matt Tremont, Effy, Lil Sicko, 1 Called Manders, Priscilla Kelly, Bear Bronson, Allie Katch, Sam Stackhouse, Cheech, Megan Bayne, Larry D, Gringo Loco, SLADE, Daisuke Sasaki, and, most recently, Hayabusa at Spring Break X. However, out of all of those names listed above, this may have been his best match with the championship to date, and his opponent in this one was one of the most interesting names he may have ever faced off with. Atticus Cogar is one of the best hardcore wrestlers around today. He’s not afraid to go to any length to keep his title, and that’s exactly what he did in this one. However, Mathers is not a hardcore wrestler. He may be one of the best professional wrestlers around today, but he didn’t make his name based on his ability to bleed and get hardcore. He is an incredible technical and mat-based wrestler with a mix of high-flying. So, you add all of that together, and you get one of the most perfect wrestlers around today, Marcus Mathers. The reason this match was so good was that we actually got to see Mathers go there and really take the fight to the much more violent and sadistic Cogar. Both men showed up and showed out in this one. This whole show was insane, unlike Friday’s show, which was brutal in comparison. Go back and check this one out on TrillerTV+.

3. Notorious Mimi vs. Mylo vs. Amity LaVey vs. Nikki Winters vs. Corinne Joy from Blitzkrieg! Pro’s “It Was Never Just A Phase”

Coming in at number three on this list, we saw Notorious Mimi, Mylo, Amity LaVey, Nikki Winters, and Corinne Joy battle in an all-female scramble match at Blitzkrieg! Pro’s big event, “It Was Never A Phase.” This show was absolutely stacked from top to bottom. The show was headlined by Charles Mason putting on his Blitzkrieg! Pro Bedlam Championship on the line against Javi, as well as B3CCA and TJ Crawford do battle, and Ancestral City Shooters battle Dolphin Funeral in an insane two-out-of-three falls match. This show could seriously be a show of the year candidate before 2026 is all said and done. This match itself featured five of the very best women’s wrestlers on the scene today. Notorious Mimi is a star in the northeast, and her time in WWE NXT helped to put her more on the map. Now, she’s out killing it on the independent scene as a WWE ID prospect. She deserves her flowers for how much she has improved since her first stint in the WWE, and that’s a testament to her hard work. She truly looks excellent. Next in this match, we saw Mylo make her Blitzkrieg! Pro debut. Mylo is one of the most entertaining, fun, and hardest workers on the West Coast bubble. It’s awesome seeing her take her talents to different parts of the United States. She’s way too good to be just in one area. Mylo shone in her first match in Blitzkrieg! Pro. She had some very fun spots in this one and showcased her talents to a brand new fanbase who loved it. Amity LaVey is also one of the top women in the northeast. Being a fan of hers since before she started reaching new heights, LaVey has always been a special talent. She’s so much fun to watch and has hands down the BEST character on the entire independent scene. The amount of work she put in to get better all-around is very apparent. LaVey has quickly become one of the absolute best young guns that the northeast has seen. She deserves her flowers for this. We also saw Nikki Winters in this scramble match. Winters is someone whom I am not very familiar with, but I am now a big fan after seeing this match. Winters is a powerhouse and plays the bad girl role perfectly. She’s cocky, brash, and above all else, powerful. She was super fun to watch in this one, and her short-lived alliance with LaVey was so fun. Last but certainly not least, Corinne Joy. Joy is becoming the most special young talent on the independent scene today. She came out of nowhere and is now a fan-favorite just about anywhere she goes. With how young she still is, you wouldn’t know it with how good she already is in the ring. The talent is there, and she has such a bright future in this business. All in all, this scramble match was so important for a multitude of reasons. It’s beautiful getting to see women’s wrestling presented in its grandeur. This was the perfect five to choose to represent the women’s scene on the indies, and the fans loved every second of it. Go support Blitzkrieg! Pro, and be sure to check this one out on IWTV on the Blitzkrieg! Pro VOD channel. Spoiler alert: This won’t be the last time Blitzkrieg appears on this list. As always… WOMEN’S F**KING WRESTLING.

2. The Shooter Boys vs. The Verdict from Create A Pro “Monumental Moment”

On Friday night, we witnessed the largest Create A Pro show in promotional history. With about 1,000 fans in attendance, we saw Create A Pro host its biggest show, “Monumental Moment.” The show truly lived up to its name as it was a monumental event. The show saw the likes of MJF battling Max Caster, Kris Statlander going one-on-one with Gabby Forza, and Bear Bronson meeting Nic Nemeth in a first-time ever match. However, the show-stealer for this one was the match that kicked it all off, The Verdict’s Bryce Donovan & VSK putting their Create A Pro Tag Team Championships on the line against The Shooter Boys, Aaron Ortiz & Anthony Vecchio. The Verdict has really come into its own as a tag team, which is certainly not a surprise, as Bryce Donovan and VSK are two of the absolute best wrestlers on the planet today. VSK may go down as being the best unsigned professional wrestler ever. It’s actually criminal that he’s not on our television screens yet. Come on, Carlos Silva, Tony Khan, and Nick Khan… What are we doing? As for Bryce Donovan, he’s much younger but has a ton of potential to be a major player in this business for years to come. Together, the two looked absolutely incredible. Their opponents in this one are a tag team who burst onto the scene a couple of years back and quickly became fan favorites. The Shooter Boys are wise beyond their years and have all the talent in the universe to back it up. They remind me of a very young Team Angle or Alpha Academy—a tag team of old, who crush it with their authentic wrestling style. This match was the perfect tag team match. This was the damn-near perfect way to start the event. However, it made things that much harder for every match that came on after them. No match was going to beat this one, and that’s a very impressive statement considering MJF, Kris Statlander, and Bear Bronson all had tremendous matches on this card. But that’s just a testament to how great all four of these men were in this match. Damn near perfect. Go back and check this one out on the Create A Pro YouTube channel, and check out the entire show. What a night.

1. Sammy Diaz vs. Devious Cass from Blitzkrieg! Pro’s “It Was Never Just A Phase”

For number one on this list, we return to Blitzkrieg! Pro for the show’s opening contest. Sammy Diaz battled Devious Cass in an absolute barn-burner. This may have been one of the best matches I’ve ever had the opportunity to see live. When I tell you that both of these guys left it all out in the ring, I mean it. They were both spent by the time this match ended. Sammy Diaz is the former Bedlam Champion at Blitzkrieg! Pro, and this was a very tall task for Devious Cass. However, Cass more than put up an excellent fight. Diaz is one of my personal favorites on the independent scene today. He is one of the best in-ring talents in the entire northeast and should be booked all over. It’s truly not possible for Diaz to have a bad match in the ring; he will bring out the best in anyone he faces. Diaz calls himself “Top Five, Dead or Alive” for good reason. Every match he’s in, not just delivers, but overdelivers. He is one of the hardest workers, and that’s a testament to how much he trains and the work he puts in to this to continue to get better. He’s already so good, and any match he’s in, you know, could be a show-stealer. As for Cass, he was the perfect dance partner. When you look up the word “prodigy” in the dictionary, you will find a photo of Cass. Devious Cass is one of the hardest workers in the room, and it’s crazy when you remember how young he is. He is already training with Nattie Neidhart in The Dungeon, which is nothing to shake a stick at. He’s doing great things already, and he’s still kind of just starting. He came onto the scene and turned it on its head. He recently had an excellent showing against WWE ID prospect and someone I consider the best professional wrestler in the world today, Marcus Mathers. Cass is someone who is going to do great things in this business, and it’s only a matter of time before he gets his WWE ID contract. Don’t sleep on Cass; he will do some big things before all is said and done. Go check out this entire Blitzkrieg! Pro show, you will not be disappointed. What a match, and what a night.