DEFY Wrestling: Living Proof
11:00 AM PT
Pearl Theater at Palms Casino Resort
Las Vegas, Nevada
WrestleMania Weekend 2025 Event Schedule & Map
DEFY Wrestling is a modern-day success story. The company was founded in 2017 after Jim Perry and longtime pro wrestling message boarder and historian Matt Farmer successfully petitioned the state of Washington to alter its laws regarding pro wrestling.
They did, and DEFY was launched.
In the years since, DEFY has emerged as one of the more professional indie operations in the country.
DEFY’s biggest success stories come from former DEFY regulars, including Swerve Strickland, Nick Wayne, and Darby Allin, making it to the major leagues.
While DEFY’s previous WrestleMania Weekend attempts have been mixed, this show offers some decent potential.
Bit by the multi-man match bug that’s plaguing this WrestleMania Weekend, the DEFY World Championship will be defended in a three-way watch featuring NJPW’s Clark Connors defending against fellow NJPW wrestler El Phantasmo and UK import Man Like DeReiss.
A DEFY regular, KENTA, returns to the company to take on Mance Warner. There’s no denying that KENTA’s effort levels have increased in recent months as he departed NJPW and returned to his more familiar Pro Wrestling NOAH. Does that mean he will bring even his C game to WrestleMania Weekend this year? Let’s hope. There are few things worse than a low-effort KENTA match. He’ll be in there with a guy who almost always gives 110% effort in Mance Warner. Real The Irresistible Force Meets The Immovable Object energy with this one.
The match I’m most looking forward to on the card is The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express, yes, THAT Rock ‘n’ Roll Express taking on the very appropriately named Midnight Heat (Eddie Pearl & Ricky Gibson). The Rock ‘n’ Rolls vs. The Midnights on WrestleMania Weekend, people. Come on! These guys should strive to go out there and have the most Southern ass Southern tag you’ve ever seen. If I know Matt Farmer the way I know him, he will send Midnight Heat a LOT of tapes to study this week to ensure peak ‘rasslin.
EVIL vs. Michael Oku is decidedly not my cup of tea, but it’s a match that really feels like a classic WrestleMania Weekend. Where else but here can you have this kind of match?
Tickets are still available for DEFY Wrestling: Living Proof on Ticketmaster.
If you won’t be in Las Vegas for WrestleMania Weekend, you can also stream DEFY Wrestling: Living Proof on TRILLER at https://www.trillertv.com/watch/defy-living-proof-2025/2pgun/
DEFY Wrestling: Living Proof Full Card
- DEFY World Championship: Clark Connors (c) vs. El Phantasmo vs. Man Like DeReiss
- KENTA vs. Mance Warner
- DEFY World Tag Team Championship: Sinner & Saint (c) vs. Lykos Gym vs. HYO & Susumu Yokosuka
- The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson) vs. Midnight Heat (Eddie Pearl & Ricky Gibson)
- Cody Chhun, Guillermo Rosas & Negro Casas vs. Harv Sihra, Gurv Sihra & Galeno del Mal
- EVIL vs. Michael Oku
- Vert Vixen, Amira & Viva Van vs. Nicole Matthews, Rhio & Liiza Hall
