From May 28th through May 31st, independent wrestling was running wild on the independent scene from coast-to-coast. We saw championships retained, tournament matches, hoss fights, an incredible tag team bout inside a steel cage, and the prodigal son returning home to the place it all started for him. From the likes of New York Wrestling Connection, Chaotic Wrestling, St. Louis Anarchy, Greektown Wrestling, and WrestlePro, these are five must-see matches from this past weekend that every fan of professional wrestling should go back and check out.
5. Kylie Alexa vs. Tiara James from New York Wrestling Connection’s “Fight Or Flight”
Kicking off the list, we saw Kylie Alexa put her NYWC Starlet Championship on the line against Tiara James on Saturday night as the New York Wrestling Connection presented “Fight Or Flight.” Now this was absolutely a stacked show. We saw the likes of Bam Sullivan vs. Sage Chantz, Tommy Rant go one-on-one with Sal Savelli, The Cuginos put their NYWC Tag Team Championships on the line, and many other local heroes who stood up and stood out in this one. The main event saw Kaide Lothbrok in a non-title match against ‘Lowlife’ Louie Ramos in a Hardcore match. However, the show stealer above all of these fantastic matches was the bout between Alexa and James. Alexa is now a two-time Starlet Champion, continuing to cement that she is one of the top women on the northeast scene today. Alexa has been doing a ton of fantastic work up in the New England area, most notably at Beyond Wrestling and WWR+. She started in a tag team with her sister, Kenzie Paige, but has since really become her own character in the ring. It’s been a sight to see. Kylie Alexa and Kenzie Paige are equally incredible, and I love seeing them work together in a tag team setting. However, to see them each do their own thing is so special. Kylie Alexa has shown that she doesn’t need any help to get the job done. She’s a star in every sense of the word and has cemented herself as one of the very top singles stars on the entire independent scene, in the women’s wrestling landscape. She has very quickly become a personal favorite of mine, too. Love her or hate her, she truly makes you feel some way when she comes out to the ring. That’s perhaps the most important thing a professional wrestler can do. A lot of the same above can be said about her opponent in this one, Tiara James. James is one of the most underrated women’s talents on the whole independent scene. She is someone who can hold her own against anyone, but doesn’t always get the flowers or bookings that she deserves. She’s another one who deserves to be all over. She’s such a star. Both James and Alexa have such amazingly bright futures in this crazy world that we all love. Go back and check this one out on the NYWC VOD channel on IWTV, and continue to support women’s wrestling.
4. Sammy Diaz vs. JT Dunn from Chaotic Wrestling’s “Summer Of Slams”
Next up, we saw Sammy Diaz and JT Dunn headline Chaotic Wrestling’s big “Summer Of Slams” event on Thursday night, May 28th. This was yet another stacked Chaotic Wrestling show. We saw the likes of the Chaotic Wrestling Heavyweight Champion, Armani Kayos, compete against the Chaotic Wrestling New England Champion, Milo Mirra, in a non-title match for both men, Shannon LeVangie put her Chaotic Wrestling Pan Optic Championship on the line against Queen Ariel, as well as Mike Skyros battle Trigga The OG, Tony Navarro face off with Channing Thomas, and so much more. However, the Diaz and Dunn match stole the show, as it was rightfully put as the main event of Chaotic Wrestling’s first Thursday event of the “Summer Of Slams.” Sammy Diaz is someone whom I simply cannot say enough good things about. He goes by the moniker, “Top Five Dead or Alive.” For a while, I found it to be just a catchy saying and loved it. But now I realize that there’s so much truth behind it, and it’s far more than just a catchy little gimmick that a lot of these wrestlers have. Go back and check out his match with Devious Cass at Blitzkrieg! Pro’s “It Was Never Just A Phase” event in early May. That very well may have been a match of the year contender. His opponent in this one, JT Dunn, is one of the absolute best wrestlers to come out of the independent scene in New England. While it may seem like he’s starting to slow down on bookings, every match we see him take part in, he goes 110% into it. So, while his dates may have slowed, his style and ability haven’t even come close to slowing down. For me, Dunn will forever be in my top five favorite wrestlers on the independent scene, and he continues to show why that is every time I see him wrestle. He and Diaz had an electric match together. They left it all out in the ring with a nice little swerve at the end, which I’ll be honest, I did not see coming. Go back and check this one out on the Chaotic Wrestling YouTube channel, and stay tuned to the Chaotic Wrestling Twitch and YouTube channels for future events. Chaotic is the home of some of the very best in the world of professional wrestling. Names like Mercedes Mone (fka WWE’s Sasha Banks), Kofi Kingston, Ivar, and so many others have made their way through the New England Pro Wrestling Academy. Now, it’s time for the next generation to shine, and they’ve been doing just that.
3. Victor Analog vs. Ashlyn Alexander from St. Louis Anarchy’s “Fighting Spirit Lead Me”
Coming in at number three on the list, we saw Victor Analog battle Ashlyn Alexander at Friday’s St. Louis Anarchy event, “Fighting Spirit Lead Me.” This match went up with the likes of Gary Jay vs. Mad Dog Connelly, Jeremy Wyatt vs. Adam Priest, Mike Outlaw’s latest war with Camaro Jackson over the Destination Championship, and a fun main event which saw Mat Fitchett put his Gateway Heritage Championship on the line against Aaron Williams. While there was a lot of fun wrestling on this show, no match even came close to topping the second match of the night between Analog and Alexander. Analog is someone I’m fairly new to, but someone I enjoy watching a lot already. His character is brash and outspoken. He’s someone who’s not afraid to get in your face. He has the ability in the ring and charisma to back it all up. He’s someone who has a world of potential, and I very much enjoyed seeing what he could do in this one against an absolute powerhouse like Ashlyn Alexander. Alexander is someone I have the fortune of being much more familiar with. She is someone who is just an absolute powerhouse in every sense of the word. I love seeing her work at Dreamwave and Uprising, two more incredible promotions to follow in the Midwest. Alexander is very quickly becoming one of my favorite workers on the entire independent scene today. I’ve always been a fan of the striking and powerhouse style, and that’s a style that she embodies to a T. I’ve yet to see her have a bad match, even when she was partnered at Dreamwave with Zeke Zshe. This was a fun show, but most importantly, this was an insanely fun match. Go back and check it out on the St. Louis Anarchy VOD channel on IWTV.
2. Channing Decker & Joey Janela vs. Eddie Kingston & Ortiz from Greektown Wrestling’s “May 29th”
Next on the list, we saw the Greektown Wrestling Champion, Channing Decker, team up with the Greektown Cup Championship holder, Joey Janela, to face off with AEW’s Eddie Kingston & Ortiz at Greektown Wrestling’s big event on Friday night, May 29th. This match served as the main event. This may have been one of the best Greektown Wrestling shows in recent memory. It was headlined by three, back-to-back-to-back Steel Cage matches. First, we saw the women take center stage as Dani Mo battled Seleziya Sparx, Allysin Kay, & Jody Threat. Next up, we saw Big Bill Collier go one-on-one with Tommy Dreamer inside the cage. The final cage match was this dream tag match, which headlined the whole show. This show was amazing. On top of the three steel cage matches, we saw The Outrunners battle The League, Dreya Mitchell go one-on-one with Layla Wilde, and so much more. We even saw Kalypto make her Canada debut as she took part in a mixed tag match on the pre-show. Go support Kalypto, she’s incredible. She’s one of the best local young guns on the New York scene today, and her stock is just rising. I give it a year or two tops before she’s booked all over and becomes a household name on the independent scene. However, let’s get back to the tag match. Janela and Decker have gone to so many wars against one another, so it’s been fun seeing them work together. Janela and Decker are two very similar stars. They both can absolutely go in the ring and are not afraid to go high-risk and take things to that next level if they need to. That’s what they brought out of each other in singles action, so now seeing them team up has been nothing short of amazing. Their opponents in this one, Kingston and Ortiz, what more can be said that we don’t already know? Two of the most underrated talents on the entire AEW roster. Don’t let a lack of a push for either of them on TV fool you; they can hold their own with the best of them. Kingston’s rivalry with CM Punk, MJF, and Jon Moxley showed just that. This was a hardcore Steel Cage match in every sense of the word. An argument can be made that this was the only match of the three Steel Cage matches that deserved the gimmick match. Taking nothing away from the only two, but this was by far the only match that needed the cage, and the cage worked wonders for all four involved. However, this whole show was top-notch from the pre-show all the way to the main event. Go back and check this one out on TrillerTV+.
1. MJF vs. Pat Buck from WrestlePro’s “Better Than You”
Coming in at number one on this list, we saw the Prodigal Son return home as the AEW World Champion, Big Hebrew himself, MJF, came back to the place it all started to battle his trainer, and arguably the person responsible for the MJF we see before us today, Pat Buck. WrestlePro knocked it out of the park with another absolute banger of a show. While this headlined the show and was the undisputed best match, we also saw LSG put his WrestlePro Gold Championship on the line against Richard Holliday, Rebecca J. Scott put the WrestlePro Women’s Championship on the line against Janai Kai, Max Caster in singles action, and much more. This was a top-notch show, free of charge. The main event was worth watching for itself. MJF’s return to WrestlePro was so special. Despite the event taking place in New Jersey, compared to his home training school of Create A Pro in New York, MJF making his return to Create A Pro in New Jersey was just so special. There wasn’t a better match at the show for him to have, as he got to work with his wrestling father in a way. MJF has been on such a monumental run. He won the AEW World Championship back for a third time on Sunday, May 24th, in Queens, NY, at AEW’s big event, Double or Nothing. He’s continuing to cement himself as one of the brightest stars on the entire professional wrestling scene. His opponent in this one, Pat Buck, is someone who doesn’t always get the flowers that he truly does. He’s one of the founders of Create A Pro, alongside Brian Myers. They have put out so many great talents from their schools, including names like Kris Statlander, Max Caster, Anthony Bowens, Bear Bronson, and many more. They even have a lot of names getting ready to take that next step, like Gabby Forza. So, while Pat Buck may have never been a mainstream top guy or top champion, he’s responsible for some of the absolute best around today. His legacy will truly live on in his students. Go back and check this one out, free of charge, on WrestlePro’s YouTube channel.