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Welcome back to the Sermon on the Mat, your weekly one-stop shop for news from the wider world of wrestling beyond the big cable TV monoliths that get all the coverage.
Indie wrestling is still shut down from the pandemic and everything sucks, but hey, I’m still comin’ at you with all the freebies that I can find!
Plus, a number of streaming services and Twitch channels are offering a constant stream of material for you that’s hard for me to include in the listing, so make sure to check ‘em out—
Free matches here!
Style Battle Season 1 Finale
The World Wrestling Network has been uploading an absolute smorgasbord of full shows over the holiday weekend, and this is one of my favorites. Underloved in its time, this finale showed what Style Battle could bring at its best, with some absolute tour de force performances from two of the titans of WrestleMania weekend 2018, Anthony Henry and Matt Riddle! Don’t miss this one, friends!
DGUSA Open the Untouchable Gate
The World Wrestling Network keeps doling out the hits with this early days Dragon Gate USA show from 2009. Shingo vs. Davey Richards! Bryan Danielson vs. Naruki Doi! Young Bucks vs. Horiguchi and Saito! YAMATO and Akuma vs. QuackSaw! It’s a killer show, friends, enjoy!
Evolve 45
And last but not least, WWN brings us what might be the best Evolve show ever. The undercard, with Jay/Konley, Swann/Beretta, and Nese/Everett, is perfectly acceptable, and then the fireworks hit— Chris Hero vs. Trevor Lee, Roderick Strong vs. Zack Sabre, Jr., and Drew Galloway vs. Timothy Thatcher, all lined up in a row, pure pro wrestling excellence. Strong/Sabre might still be the best Evolve match ever (although my pick is probably Thatcher/Riddle III), whatever you do, watch this show!
D’Lo Brown vs. Joey Janela
And we kick off our individual matches section with one of Black Label Pro’s trademark wild dream matches! D’Lo vs. the Bad Boy, you gotta love it!
Atlantis, Mascara Sagrada, & Octagon vs. Fuerza Guerrera, Pirata Morgan, & Satanico
I love old dudes wrestling and no old dudes, as a class, wrestle quite like old luchadors, friends! From +LuchaTV and Arena Neza, we’ve got a bang-up old man trios match, enjoy!
Airwolf vs. Jimmy Jacobs
Glory Pro’s match of the week this week was a huge test for Airwolf, as the young high flyer went up against of the most established, most violent men in modern indie history in the Zombie Princess. Check it out!
Josh Prohibition vs. Matt Cross
Twenty years. Twenty years! That’s an eternity in indie wrestling time and this match celebrates twenty years of rivalry between Cross and Prohibition. AIW always deliver, enjoy!
Daniel Makabe vs. Kevin Ku
Another one from the fine folks over at Southern Underground Pro for you, a tight slab of indie wrestling featuring two excellent up-and-comers, enjoy!
Bestia Del Ring, Dragon Lee, & Rush vs. Hijo de LA Park, LA Park, & LA Park, Jr.
Oh, hell yeah, we love the family fights here at Sermon on the Mat, and +LuchaTV and KAOZ are bringing you two of the finest in action. Check it out!
Colt Cabana vs. “Hot Sauce” Tracy Williams
From our friends over at Beyond Wrestling, everybody knows that Colt is funny, but it’s easy to forget that he’s a top shelf grappler with a specialty in English-style technical wrestling, and that makes him a perfect match for one-time Drew Gulak protege Hot Sauce. Don’t miss it!
Josh Briggs vs. Kimber Lee
One more from our pals over at Beyond, we’ve got some classic Beyond intergender action. Briggs and Lee take it to each other in fresh, sprinty violence, check it out!
Shingo Takagi vs. Will Ospreay
Shingo. Ospreay. New Japan Pro Wrestling. BOSJ Finals. ‘Nuff said!
Emi Sakura vs. Jamie Hayter
Women’s action from Pro Wrestling: EVE for y’all, as sometime AEW tag partners clash. Enjoy!
Hana Kimura vs. Sammii Jayne
Last but not least by any stretch of the imagination, we’ve got another one from EVE, but alas with a more somber tone. Rest in peace, Hana, and remember, friends— be excellent to each other.
As always...
Remember folks, no matter what type of wrestling you like, no matter how down you feel about the state of WWE, Impact, ROH, or any other “big-time” pro wrestling, there’s something out there for you. There’s a pro wrestling product that can hit you in the right spot and make you love wrestling like you thought you’d never be able to love it again. It’s there, I promise. You just gotta reach out and find it, and that, my friends, is what the Sermon on the Mat is all about.