From the likes of Dreamwave Wrestling, Uprising Women’s Athletes, ASE Wrestling, New Texas Pro, and Game Changer Wrestling, here are five must-see matches that every fan of professional wrestling should go back and check out from this past weekend. These matches include a surprise intergender war, two of the independents most underrated wrestlers going at it, one of the independents top stars battling a TNA Wrestling superstar, Stardom making their way to the United States for a match, and a wrestling legend’s son battling one of the best around today in a high-flying, and impressive, war. Check out all five down below.

5. Maggie Lee vs. Kody Lane from Dreamwave Wrestling’s “The Hands We’re Dealt”

Kicking off this list at the number five spot, we saw a surprise intergender match between Maggie Lee and Kody Lane at Dreamwave Wrestling’s big event, “The Hands We’re Dealt.” This was the second event of its kind, and after watching it, it will go down as one of my favorites. The concept of this show is no announced matches, everything is the luck of the draw. So we saw a lot of great, impromptu matches, including a scramble match for the Alternative Championship, Bobby Orlando battling Stephen Wolf in a Singapore Cane match, Syuri face off with B3CCA, a four-way women’s match featuring some of Dreamwave’s brightest up-and-coming talents, and so much more. But the match that stole the show was indeed the TNA Wrestling superstar, Maggie Lee’s intergender war with Kody Lane. Maggie Lee is a former Dreamwave Women’s Champion, and while the times may have changed, something that hasn’t changed is her talent. She may not be fighting for titles anymore, as her schedule is now busy enough with TNA Wrestling, but she is still such a reliable name to give you an absolute banger of a match. A win in this match could put her back into the running for the Dreamwave Women’s Championship and a match with RJS. However, she had a very tall task in front of her in a very game Kody Lane. Lane has not been doing too hot in Dreamwave Wrestling, as of late. He dropped his Dreamwave Alternative Championship to Christian Rose and has been on a bit of a losing streak ever since. So, something was going to have to give here. These are two people who have been wrestling now for quite some time, and this match was sure not to disappoint. While it wasn’t announced ahead of time, which none of the show was, this one was a very welcome surprise. Go back and check this one out, and this big surprise show out on IWTV, and don’t miss future Dreamwave events coming up. One of the best promotions in the Midwest.

4. Anya Rune vs. Shazza McKenzie from Uprising Women’s Athletes “Uprising 9”

Next up, we saw Anya Rune, formerly known to many as Airica Demia, return to Uprising Women’s Athletes to battle Shazza McKenzie at “Uprising 9.” This match kicked off the whole show, which was both a good and a bad thing. A good thing because this was the best opener they could have asked for. Both women were on the very top of their game, and two of my personal favorites around today. Now, this is also a super impressive feat to have the match of the night as the main event saw Rebecca J. Scott put the Dreamwave Women’s Championship on the line against Stardom’s Fuwa Chan, Stardom’s Hazuki go one-on-on with B3CCA, Stardom’s Ranna Yagami battle Brittnie Brooks, Zayda Steel make her return to Uprising against Rachel Ley, and so much more. All of these matches were absolutely fantastic, even a singles match between Joiya Blake and Anna Ray, two of the newer up-and-comers, delivered on every front. However, out of all the matches, Anya Rune vs. Shazza McKenzie was my personal favorite of the night and the one that I will remember the most coming out of it. Anya Rune is always going to be one of my favorites around today. Her anime character and her love for the sport can be seen every time she makes her way out to the ring. It’s infectious. She really has a lot of love for professional wrestling, and combining two of her passions, anime and wrestling, has been a treat for us as fans. I’m happy to see her getting ID’d by the WWE ID program. It is very well-deserved. She’s a hard worker and has come such a long way. She has a very bright future in this world, regardless of where she ends up. As for her opponent, Shazza McKenzie is a veteran in every aspect of the world. She doesn’t have that mainstream appeal sometimes, but don’t let that fool you. She can absolutely go. She hasn’t been a main character on any television company yet, but I think that’s an absolute travesty. She is so underrated, and so, so good. She can have a great match with anyone you put in front of her, and she can hang with anyone. One of the most underrated talents, man or woman, around today. Go back and check this one out on IWTV. This whole show was stacked. You will not be disappointed.McKenzie

3. Cedric Alexander vs. Manny Lo from ASE Wrestling’s “Black August”

Coming in at number three this week, we saw TNA Wrestling star, and arguably one of the best bell-to-bell wrestlers around today, Cedric Alexander, go one-on-one with an up-and-coming talent, and someone who we can see a lot of Cedric Alexander in, “So Fly” Manny Lo, at ASE Wrestling’s big event, “Black August.” These events are always so important as they are an all-black promotion, which puts a spotlight on black and African American culture. Spoiler alert, the indies are full of amazing black and African American talent that are ready to go whenever they get the call. These events only highlight that. This event was stacked. It all kicked off with an amazing, hard-hitting women’s bout between Janai Kai and Jordan Blade. We also saw the Uglee Gang put their ASE Men’s Tag Team Championships on the line against The Wild Jamaicans, Charity King put her ASE Women’s Championship on the line against Savannah Evans, Billy Dixon face off with Darius Lockhart, and Darius Carter put his ASE Men’s Championship on the line in the main event against Yahya. However, the match that everyone was talking about coming out of this event was the contest between Alexander and Lo. Alexander, who was with WWE for quite some time, was released not too long ago. Fans knew exactly how good he is and what we could expect without the machine holding him back. So, it’s safe to say that the run he has been on, especially as of late, is reminding fans just how incredible a talent he is. Across the ring from him in this one, Manny Lo, was one of the best and most exciting young talents in the game today. He is a hard-hitting, high-flying, and, above all else, a great talent waiting in the wings. He is young, but he’s already so good and very, very talented. He oozes charisma, has the talent to back it up, and simply put, has the IT factor. This is a factor that we don’t see much in wrestling anymore, but Manny Lo certainly has IT. Seeing him square off with Cedric was a blast and one that I think definitely further cemented him as an absolute star. Go back and check this one out, free of charge, on the ASE Wrestling YouTube channel.

2. Syuri vs. VertVixen from New Texas Pro’s “Moonsault”

At number two this weekend, we saw Syuri make her way to the United States, representing Stardom, come to New Texas Pro Wrestling for a main event showdown with VertVixen at “Moonsault.” Now, this may have been one of the best New Texas shows of the year. We kicked it all off on the main card with Danny Orion putting his New Texas Pro World Championship on the line against Izzy James, Carter Blaq battling Chris Marcell, Pac Ortega meeting Prince Ly in a No Holds Barred match, and Oday Al-Salech challenging for the Lonestar Championship, currently held by Jesse Funaki. However, the main event of the show saw Syuri battle VertVixen in a match that just stole the show and almost stole the entire weekend. Syuri is someone whom I don’t get to see too often. She’s typically only in Japan, and living in the United States, it’s not always easy to watch what’s going on overseas. However, I will cherish all opportunities I get to watch this amazing, talented woman. Seeing her come over to the United States and mix it up with VertVixen and B3CCA in back-to-back nights was a real treat. Not sure what her future holds, but I hope to see her again very soon in a ring in the United States. Her opponent in this one, Vert Vixen, has been on a bit of a resurgence. I’ve been thankful enough to follow her career since her “Player One” days. However, it’s safe to say that she’s not that person anymore, and that’s far from a bad thing. We are entering perhaps one of the scariest and most dangerous versions of VertVixen yet. In my opinion, VertVixen is one of the most talented professional wrestlers around today. It doesn’t matter who you put her up against. Whether it’s a man, woman, or a non-binary pal, VertVixen is always ready to go and will give you a match of the night performance. It just so happens that her opponent, Syuri, is also one of the best women’s wrestlers on the planet. This one was a ton of fun and was all I hoped it would be and more. Go back and check this one out on IWTV, and support a very fun, budding promotion in New Texas Pro.

1. Marcus Mathers vs. Avery Styles from GCW’s “Rude Awakening”

Coming in at number one on this list, we saw Marcus Mathers go one-on-one with Avery Styles at Game Changer Wrestling’s big event, “Rude Awakening.” This event may have been one of GCW’s most stacked shows of the year. Yes, it was that crazy. In the main event of the show, we saw Atticus Cogar battle Devon Monroe for the GCW World Championship. We also saw Bustah & The Brain put their GCW World Tag Team Championships on the line against Janelasus in a tag team clinic, Leedz Lewis vs. KJ Orso, Shotzi Blackheart in action, and so much more. But all matches failed in comparison to Mathers vs. Styles. A dream match for many, Mathers included, would pit Marcus Mathers against AJ Styles, and while that may just be a fever dream now, this may have been the closest we were going to get to that. Marcus Mathers is still reminding everyone just how great he is. He is truly one of the most underrated talents around today. He can be a major player on any promotion; it doesn’t matter if it’s an independent wrestling promotion or a television promotion, it remains the same. Mathers is money. The fact that he isn’t on TV yet is a wild concept. Standing across the ring from him may be one of the highest-touted prospects around today. While it’s fair to say, yeah, there’s some nepotism involved, Avery Styles is truly remarkable already. Styles is carving his own path. While he absolutely has big shoes to fill from his father, AJ Styles seems to be on the right path. He’s just starting, and he’s already light-years better than a lot of people who have been doing this for years. That’s absolutely bonkers to me. Styles has such a bright future in professional wrestling. This match only showcased that. Go back and check out this can’t-miss GCW show, and this can’t-miss match between Marcus Mathers and Avery Styles, on TrillerTV+. You will not be disappointed.