From Friday, January 30th, through Sunday, February 1st, Game Changer Wrestling, Orange Crush, TNT, and Chaotic Wrestling brought some top-tier independent wrestling match-ups all over the globe, including a major new champion crowned and another very early “Show of the Year” candidate. Here are five must-see matches from this past weekend that every fan of professional wrestling should go back and check out.

5. Charles Mason vs. EFFY from GCW’s “Crushed Up”

On Saturday, January 31st, Game Changer Wrestling returned to Philadelphia, PA, for it’s event, “Crushed Up.” The event streamed live on TrillerTV+. The main event saw the GCW World Champion, Atticus Cogar, team up with Otis Cogar & Christian Napier, collectively known as VNDL48, against the team of SLADE and BearDozer’s Bear Bronson & Matt Tremont. However, my must-see match of the night saw Charles Mason go one-on-one with EFFY. These two have a pretty lengthy history together. The last time they met in singles action, EFFY put his GCW World Championship on the line at GCW “Bash In The Ballpark” in July. This match saw a lot of shenanigans when some other wrestlers got involved, and Mason fell to EFFY. EFFY continued to be the GCW World Champion for a total of 307 days before dropping it to Atticus Cogar at the American Dream Mall in November of 2025. This was yet another match that Mason had a part in, as it was a three-way match for the title. When Mason and EFFY met this past weekend, however, there were no more shenanigans. This time around, Mason and EFFY had a fight in the ring and were able to settle it one-on-one. Mason has been on a generational run as of late. He’s reached brand new heights as the HOG World Champion and has looked excellent in the ring. It seems like Mason has really found his groove, which is excellent for the “Root of All Evil.” The potential has always been there with Mason, and it seems like he’s finally tapping into it, and showing it’s not just potential anymore, it’s talent. As for EFFY, he’s been embroiled in one of my personal favorite stories in GCW as of late, and that story is “Is EFFY really fine?” EFFY has been at a breaking point of sorts following the loss of his GCW World Championship. He has been angry, turning on his friends, but seemingly has been fighting the urge and continuing to try to portray the happy-go-lucky EFFY. Nonetheless, whether he’s on the breaking point or loving life, EFFY has been so fun to watch in the ring. He’s one of the top indie talent around today, and for good reason. He’s hands down one of the most fun, charismatic, and talented guys in the ring. This was such a fun match between two of the top guys in GCW. Go back and check this one out on TrillerTV+ anytime.

4. Willow Nightingale vs. Mara Sade from Orange Crush’s “Superpower Slam”

On Sunday, February 1st, Orange Crush teamed up with Game Changer Wrestling & Jersey Championship Wrestling for one of the biggest independent shows of 2026, “Superpower Slam.” This was a wrestling benefit for the neurodivergent community. It streamed live on TrillerTV and YouTube. This was about as stacked a show as it came, with the likes of Atticus Cogar vs. Bear Bronson, Billie Starkz vs. EFFY, and Janelasus vs. JetSpeed headlining the show. However, one of the best matches of the night saw Willow Nightingale go one-on-one with Mara Sade for the first-time ever. Nightingale has been crushing it on AEW as one-half of the AEW Women’s Tag Team Champions, with Harley Cameron. However, if you think Nightingale is talented from what you’ve seen of her on AEW television, go check out her stuff on the indies. The stuff she does on the indies is far and wide some of the best work I’ve seen of her. Taking nothing away from her time in AEW, as her stuff there has been great. This match with Mara Sade is no different. As for Sade, it’s shocking when you remember this was the same person who was WWE’s Jakara Jackson. Taking nothing away from her time in WWE, it’s night and day the difference we see in her on the indies, re-inventing herself, versus her time in WWE NXT. Sade is out to show the world just how talented she is, and she’s off to a hell of a start. She’s a member of the TNA roster and has been turning heads in TNA thus far, as well. Sade is a prime example of it’s not about the destination, but it’s about the journey. Sade has already grown tremendously in the short time she’s been back on the indies and in TNA. Her new side is lightyears ahead of Jakara Jackson. Taking nothing away from her time as Jackson, seeing her grow has just been absolutely wonderful. Go back and check this one out on TrillerTV+ or for free on the Game Changer Wrestling YouTube channel.

3. Emersyn Jayne vs. Rayne Leverkusen from TNT’s “Merseyside Massacre 2026”

On Saturday, January 31st, TNT returned to Liverpool, England, for it’s event, “Merseyside Massacre.” This event streamed live on TrillerTV+. The main event of the show saw Tate Mayfairs put his TNT World Heavyweight Championship on the line against Connor Mills. We also saw several other great matches. However, one of the best matches of the night saw Emersyn Jayne face off against Rayne Leverkusen in a dream match featuring two of the top young women’s talent from across the pond. Jayne had a fantastic 2025 in TNT. She defeated the likes of Drew Parker, Luke Jacobs, and Lucy Sky in deathmatches. Jayne has shown that she’s not just another pretty face, but that she can go with the absolute best of them in some violent, bloody, and brutal affairs. Jayne has also been the TNT Extreme Division Champion for the past 311 days, first defeating Parker for the title back in March of 2025. While her TNT Extreme Division Championship wasn’t on the line against Leverkusen, this was still an incredibly hard-hitting bout. Leverkusen is no slouch in her own right. She is now the former PROGRESS Women’s World Champion, having been defeated earlier in January by Alexxis Falcon. Leverkusen has grown tremendously as a competitor since we first saw her debut, and this match was a huge testament to that. This was a match in which both competitors complemented each other very well. To make a good dance, you need an excellent dance partner. Both Jayne and Leverkusen made each other look fantastic, to the point where you didn’t know if there would even be a winner or not. However, one thing we know for sure is that the real winner of this match was the fans in attendance. Go back and check this one out on TrillerTV+.

2. Janelasus (Joey Janela & Megan Bayne) vs. JetSpeed (Mike Bailey & Kevin Knight) from Orange Crush’s “Superpower Slam”

Heading back to Orange Crush’s big event, in tandem with Game Changer Wrestling and Jersey Championship Wrestling, the main event of “Superpower Slam” saw Janelasus, Joey Janela & Megan Bayne, face off with AEW’s JetSpeed, Speedball Mike Bailey & Kevin Knight. This was hands down the best match of the night, and it’s not particularly close. “Superpower Slam” was an early candidate for show of the year, as there wasn’t a bad match on the card. JetSpeed and Janelasus went 100 miles per hour in the 20 minutes they had as their main event. Joey Janela and Megan Bayne started teaming after their match of the year at Beyond Wrestling’s “Shamrock Slam” in 2024. Ironically, around the same time, they started dating in real life. Their chemistry in the ring was simply off the charts. Janela has told me personally he’s never “had as good a match” as he had with Bayne, where “both competitors started dating a week after.” As a tag team, they look tremendous together. Megan Bayne is leaps and bounds above anyone else in just about any women’s division she’s in, and that’s been on full display since she’s been in All Elite Wrestling. Bayne is without a doubt a future AEW Women’s World Champion, and when that time comes, she may be one of the most powerful and most dominant champions in AEW history. As for JetSpeed, they’re also making a name for themselves over in AEW. Before they got signed to AEW, Bailey and Knight were two of the hottest young guns on the independent scene today. Since forming their tag team, Bailey and Knight have looked like a very good cohesive unit. This match was just insane from the first ring of the bell to the last. After a handshake to start the match, the action kicked off and was fast and furious. Janela and Bayne even hit a team stuffed piledriver on Bailey for just a two-count. There was another insane near-fall after Bayne hit a Frankensteiner, and Janela followed it up with a double foot stomp from the top rope. Simply put, this action was fast, furious, and above all else, amazing. Go back and check this one out on TrillerTV+ or for free on the Game Changer Wrestling YouTube channel.

1. Kalvin Dumont vs. Shannon LeVangie from Chaotic Wrestling’s “Shock To The System”

On Friday, January 30th, Chaotic Wrestling returned to Malden, MA, for it’s “Shock To The System” event. The event streamed live on Chaotic Wrestling’s YouTube & Twitch Channels. The main event saw Armani Kayos put his newly won Chaotic Wrestling Heavyweight Championship on the line against the former champion, Mortar. We also saw Vegan Society vs. Liviyah & Spike Nishimura, Milo Mirra vs. DJ Powers, Miracle Generation vs. The Unit, and so much more. However, the best match of the night and of the weekend saw Kalvin Dumont put his Chaotic Wrestling Pan Optic Championship on the line against Shannon LeVangie. Albeit not always clean, Dumont has gotten the job done as the Chaotic Wrestling Pan Optic Champion, time and time again. Dumont held the title for 308 days coming into this match. He has defeated the likes of Aiden Aggro, Armani Kayos, Sean Keegan, Patrick Wheatman, Bear Bronson, Seabass Finn, Liviyah, Bobby Casale, Cash McGuiness, and Ben Bishop. He always found a way to win. Love him or hate him, Dumont is one of the top talents to be on the lookout for in the northeast. He’s got a ton of potential, and his ability to make fans hate him comes easily. He truly is the “evil, snobby rich kid.” However, despite how much fun it is to hate him, you can’t deny his talent. He’s very talented in the ring. As for Shannon LeVangie, she’s officially back and better than ever from her recent injury. She missed roughly four months and made her return in July of last year. She truly looks better than ever. LeVangie is one of my personal favorites and has been for quite some time. When you think of talent and potential, you think of LeVangie. LeVangie has never shied away from a challenge, no matter the size, speed, or athleticism of her opponent. She’s even gone to war with the likes of Arcturus, who is much bigger than LeVangie. Nonetheless, every match she’s in, she gives it her all. She fights hard and is truly resilient. Go back and check this one out on the Chaotic Wrestling Twitch and YouTube channels.