ASÉ Wrestling: Vegas
11:00 AM PT
FSW Arena
Las Vegas, Nevada
WrestleMania Weekend 2025 Event Schedule & Map
ASÉ (pronounced Ah-Shay) is a North Carolina-based independent wrestling promotion founded by indie veteran Darius Lockhart in December 2023.
The promotion’s shows air for free on YouTube with a very aesthetically different look than what you’d typically get from your run-of-the-mill indie.
For a time, Lockhart gained fame due to the Tony Khan flash drive incident, but the 10-year veteran proved his commitment and put his money where his mouth was by founding ASÉ, a professionally and uniquely produced, black-owned wrestling company that focuses on booking black talent.
Lockhart went one step further, naming the company ASÉ, a word with Yoruba origins meaning “the ability to create change/life force/energy.” Again, Lockhart channeled his energy and created something. Created something productive and unique in a largely homogenous pro wrestling scene.
ASÉ shows look and feel different from what you see on the indies today and, honestly, major league wrestling as well. The shows are professionally shot and edited, with bold black-and-white imagery mixed with unique, film-based editing to create an aesthetic that stands out in a largely mundane, same-y pro wrestling landscape. A ton of care clearly goes into each and every ASÉ show.
From what I’ve watched of their shows—again, all available on YouTube—the promotion is very promo-heavy, led by their current champion, 16-year veteran Darius Carter.
Carter will be in the show’s main event as he’ll form a team to take on a team hand-picked by his rival, whom Carter refers to as “Darius #2” in his Vegas pre-show promo: Darius Lockhart.
That match should be a fun spectacle with Lockhart assembling his team: Jonathan Greshman, Yahya, Darian Bengston, and Ian Maxwell against Carter’s team of Frontman Jah C, Ashton Starr, Kenny King (K-I-N-G… KING), and Movie Myk.
Suge D will defend his Pan-Afrikan World Diaspora World Championship against former WWE wrestler and Cryme Tyme member JTG. Suge D has held this title for over 540 days, but that pales in comparison with the title’s first champion, Trish Adora, who held it for an astonishing 1338 days.
I was excited for ACH to return to the wrestling ring for the first time since September 2024 in a match against my favorite for WrestleMania Weekend 2025 MVP Leon Slater. Unfortunately, ACH is now off the show but the company found a very suitable replacement in Man Like DeReiss.
I last saw ACH during his surprise appearance in AAW several months ago. At that time, I wondered if he was planning a full-time return to professional wrestling. However, since he hasn’t wrestled since then, his appearance there was just a one-time event.
He still looked to be in incredible shape, and despite being 37 years old, ACH left wrestling with so much untapped potential. Maybe one day we’ll see ACH back in the ring. It just won’t be this weekend.
In previous WrestleMania Weekends, For The Culture—initially booked by the now-retired AJ Gray and later by Billy Dixon—celebrated black excellence in pro wrestling.
While For The Culture is set to return in 2025, it will be under the Heels Have Eyes branding led by rapper Westside Gunn. One significant change for the 2025 event is the lineup of wrestlers being booked for the show. So far, one of the two matches announced is Zilla Fatu vs. Josh Bishop, which marks a departure from the vibe of the previous three For The Culture shows. While the full card isn’t out at the time of this writing, this year’s event appears to be more of a hip-hop-themed WrestleMania Weekend show, highlighted by the Fatu vs. Bishop match as well as performances by the Flatbush Zombies and Joey Bada$$.
The significance of For The Culture waned in recent years, due in large part to its typically unfavorable timeslot. The show was often scheduled late at night during a packed pro wrestling day, leaving both fans and wrestlers feeling burnt out by the time it started. During the AJ Gray era, the show featured some interesting bookings and standout matches. However, the Billy Dixon era struggled with a lack of cohesive booking, leading to a significant loss of momentum and attention compared to earlier weekends.
The show had lost its appeal and publicity, a disappointing result for a vital WrestleMania Weekend event.
ASÉ will thankfully take place at a more convenient time—11 AM PST on Thursday. This makes it one of the very first shows on Thursday and among the first five or six shows of the entire weekend.
It goes without saying, but being at the beginning of the weekend is far more desirable than kicking off in the middle of the night as the 30th show of the weekend.
ASÉ has flown under many radars since its beginning. Could this weekend change that? Here’s hoping. I’ve been a big fan of what I’ve seen from this brand thus far, and more eyeballs need to be aware of what’s happening in North Carolina.
Tickets are still available, starting at $30: https://eventbrite.pxf.io/4GEoJ9.
Full ASÉ Wrestling: Vegas Card
- Pan-Afrikan World Diaspora Wrestling Championship: Suge D (c) vs. JTG
- Team Darius Carter (Darius Carter, Frontman Jah, Movie Myk, Ashton Starr, Kenny King) vs. Team Darius Lockhart (Darius Lockhart, Yhya, Man Like DeReiss, Darian Bengston, Ian Maxwell)
- Fire N’ Flava (Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz) vs. King Bees (Charity King & Dani Bee)
- AJ Francis vs. Calvin Tankman vs. Reyhan Inteus vs. Papa Jace vs. Moses
- Jada Stone vs. La Rosa Negra
- Scheduled To Appear: Kev on Stage, Big Swole, Faye Jackson, Jazz, Leon Slater
