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Kim Wong’s WrestleMania Week 2026 Awards

We celebrate the highs and lows of WrestleMania Week 2026.
Kim Wongby Kim Wong•
Senka Chris Hero West Coast vs. The World

The quote “No plan survives contact with the enemy” is attributed to Baron Helmuth von Moltke the Elder. The more contemporary version of that aphorism is Mike Tyson’s boast/warning, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” In the case of WrestleMania Week 2026, the enemy was a composite avatar of life in 2026: unexpected catastrophic injuries, unpredictable visa processes that prevent wrestlers from making their advertised appearances, unreliable infrastructure that prevents services and products from reaching consumers who would be happy to pay for them, and untenable standing at the mercy of two duopolistic entities.

WWE was forced to withdraw NXT Stand and Deliver to Chesterfield, Missouri, and the post-WrestleMania NXT broadcast to Orlando, Florida. Nevertheless, the sports entertainment company was still effectively omnipresent thanks to its two nights of WrestleMania, Friday Night SmackDown, Monday Night Raw, the Future Stars of Wrestling: WWE ID Showcase, and WWE’s connection with Game Changer Wrestling.

Tony Khan decoupled Ring of Honor from WrestleMania Week after Supercard of Honor 2024. Still, All Elite Wrestling-affiliated wrestlers represented the company throughout the Week’s shows.

(An incomplete list would include: Billie Starkz, Alec Price, Jordan Oliver, Michael Oku, Lena Kross, Lio Rush, Jessie McKay, Cassie Lee, Bryan Keith, Maya World, Adam Priest, Mistico, Hechicero, Claudio Castagnoli, Persephone, Ricochet, Toa Liona, Bishop Kaun, Blake Christian, Lee Johnson, Bandido, Mark Davis, Mansoor, Mason Madden, Willie Mack, The Beast Mortos, Dante Martin, Darius Martin, Thunder Rosa, Brian Cage, Viva Van, QT Marshall, Aaron Solo, Willow Nightingale, Alex Windsor, Harley Cameron, Kris Statlander, Athena, Brodie Lee Jr., Dezmond Xavier, Zachary Wentz, Myron Reed, Jack Perry, Megan Bayne, Mascara Dorada, and Nyla Rose.

Promoters might level complaints about the restrictions that using an AEW wrestler would impose on your show. All the same, at least they’re available, and AEW wouldn’t prevent you from airing their match. I still remember the dark matches that involved NXT wrestlers that EVOLVE couldn’t air.)

On Monday, April 13, a wave of changes made my Streaming Path to Glory seem infeasible. The punch in my planning’s mouth was IWTV’s inability to load VOD versions of their shows in a timely manner. Nonetheless, I was able to skip around and experience as much of WrestleMania Week as possible. To start, let’s acknowledge the shows that I was able to watch at least one match from:

Let’s also acknowledge the shows that were not streamed or that I couldn’t watch. I hope to see at some point.

The “Best Pure Vibes” Award
New Texas Pro Wrestling: Sin City Stampede

Between 2015 and 2020, EVOLVE Wrestling held 24 shows at La Boom, a nightclub in Queens, NY. (SHINE Wrestling, EVOLVE’s sister promotion in the WWN Family, held 10 shows there too. Also, it was the home for WWN Live and its allies during the 2019 WrestleMania Week.) La Boom was one of my favorite venues. There were no bad seats, and even the bar stools in general admissions were serviceable. The shows were consistently good, so the crowds rose to the occasion for them. I often lament that La Boom no longer hosts wrestling shows. After WWE bought EVOLVE, MWC Lucha Libre and House of Glory Wrestling tried to use La Boom. However, the last wrestling show there (at least on Cagematch) was in 2024.

I attended a New Texas Pro Wrestling show at the Houston Premier Arena last year. The name “Houston Premier Arena” is definitely more aspirational than descriptive; it’s a warehouse in a mixed-use part of Houston on the proverbial “other side of the tracks.” Despite the venue, it was fun to be in a small room for independent wrestling again. No match was exceptional, but the experience still felt rewarding because I was watching young wrestlers learn their craft. They earned my good will, and I kept up with them since they streamed the shows on YouTube.

In my Streaming Path of Glory, I had highlighted Sin City Stampede. New Texas Pro wisely used visiting wrestlers who were available to spotlight its own best and brightest. These matches also paid tribute to WrestleMania Week’s history and were greatly entertaining. Bizarre Bar’s cramped confines concentrated the fans’ cheers, and the show evoked great memories of watching EVOLVE at La Boom. (Also, don’t tell the holders of the music rights, but hearing recognizable songs during wrestlers’ entrances was great, especially if they fit wrestlers as well as Alabama’s “Dixieland Delight” fit Adam Priest.)

The Sloppiest Shop Award
The New Initiative’s Streaming Arrangements with IWTV for Shooting Star Fest

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling was an early frontrunner for this award for how it handled the decision to yank Leon Slater from his scheduled match against Ricochet at the WrestleCon: Mark Hitchcock Memorial SuperShow. Ricky Sosa, who recently signed a TNA contract, also mysteriously reneged on his matches against Cha Cha Charlie and Ca$flow. (That wouldn’t even cover the rumored rationale that TNA President Carlos Silva had for withdrawing Slater. Supposedly, he was annoyed because AEW moved an episode of Collision to Thursday, placing it in direct competition with TNA Impact!. This was outside AEW’s control since TNT, Collision’s usual channel, aired a Men’s National Basketball Tournament game. That irrational pettiness somehow wouldn’t even rank amongst the silliest reasons [LOL]TNA did something in its history.)

CMLL deserved a strong shout-out for how it handled communicating its change to its advertised main event and for trying to sneak the decision to use the controversial Tessa Blanchard as Persephone’s opponent, as Griffin Peltier noted in his preview of the show.

Coastal Championship Wrestling was another strong contender for its production choices. The camera cuts were jarring, and the handheld cameras were unsteady. Even worse, the handheld camera shots were so zoomed in that it was impossible to understand what the wrestlers were actually doing. Never mind that zooming in too far also created a risk of exposing the daylight in wrestlers’ strikes. When shooting action, you need to show the action and its consequences. Coastal Championship Wrestling broke fundamental rules of shooting action, making their show worse.

Paragon Talent Group announced the Palms Slam Fest on February 26, much later than other companies. As a result, the companies under its umbrella (House of Glory Wrestling, Maple Leaf Wrestling, Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre, and World Wonder Ring Stardom) struggled with underwhelming ticket sales in the large Pearl Theater at Palms Casino Resort. The combination of late announcements, high ticket prices, slow card rollouts, and last-minute changes to announced matches implied organizational chaos and a misreading of wrestling fans’ appetites.

As always, Game Changer Wrestling was a land of contrasts. They misunderstood the new Hayabusa‘s strengths and scheduled him to face Atticus Cogar, Bear Bronson, and Mr. Danger. On the other hand, they tried to weave a story around Cogar, calling out Hayabusa for taking his predecessor’s legacy on without the physical scars to show that he earned it. They chose a venue, the Horseshoe Las Vegas, that swallowed fans’ reactions and made all GCW shows seem dull. However, they could boast that they had the highest paid attendance of any independent company’s show during this WrestleMania Week.

They had terrible injury luck and saw Jack Cartwheel and Latigo get injured during Gringo Loco’s The Wrld on Lucha. Conversely, they chose excess when restraint would have served them better. For example, Rina Yamashita and Charlie Evans could have probably had a better match without Vipress in the mix. Eleven wrestlers participated in the the doors, ladders, and chairs match at Spring Break X, which lasted almost four hours. There were 10 matches at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XV, which looks to be the final Bloodsport show. The Wrld on Lucha had two trios matches, and Spring Break X had another. Effy’s Big Gay Brunch had a 4-person match, a 5-person gauntlet, and a 10-person tag. And then there was the JJSB: Clusterf*ck, scheduled to start at 10:00 pm PDT but actually starting more than an hour late.

(The Wrestling Observer Newsletter and F4W Online earned a special mention here. Bryan Alvarez, former independent wrestler and primary cohost of Wrestling Observer Radio, was the 29th participant in this year’s JJSB: Clusterf*ck. As a result, Alvarez and Dave Meltzer were unable to record an episode of their podcast to cover WrestleMania 42 Night 1. Foregoing your main business activity so you could participate in an independent wrestling match run by a company that you also review was certainly a choice of conflicted interests. Alvarez and Meltzer’s decision raised many questions, such as why Alvarez couldn’t have asked the Clusterf*ck’s booker to schedule him for earlier in the match or why Meltzer couldn’t use an alternate co-host so he could still deliver the product for which his customers pay. As always, Trevor Dame got in the final word.)

Ultimately, I chose the mess around the New Initiative’s Shooting Star Fest and whether they would air live for this award. I had high expectations for the New Initiative, the loose alliance of St. Louis Anarchy, New Texas Pro Wrestling, West Coast Pro Wrestling, ACTION Wrestling, and PrideStyle Pro Wrestling. They had claimed Bizarre Bar as the home of their Shooting Star Fest. Since Pandemonium Pro Wrestling also held its show there, it seemed to be loosely affiliated with the Shooting Star Fest. Furthermore, Marvelous That’s Women Pro Wrestling also held their show there thanks to its relationship with West Coast Pro. And the companies all pledged to keep their ticket prices reasonable, unlike Game Changer Wrestling and Paragon Talent Group.

They then captured my attention with their announcements of compelling matches, greatly in advance of WrestleMania Week. A rematch between Senka Akatsuki and Aja Kong at this year’s Marvelous show? Terrific! A match between Johnnie Robbie and Natsupoi? Awesome! Taniya vs. Miu Watanabe in Watanabe’s only singles match this week? What a get! Sareee and Takumi Iroha would rush from Fortune Dream 11 in Tokyo to wrestle Momono and Robbie in Las Vegas? Holy cow! (Upon that announcement, I started looking at travel and accommodation options, which was completely irresponsible and unrealistic.)

Given that I couldn’t actually go to Las Vegas, I awaited announcements for how I could watch these shows from home. IWTV announced that it would air New Texas Pro Wrestling: Sin City Stampede, St. Louis Anarchy: Let Anarchy Be Anarchy, and ACTION Wrestling: We Gambled Away The Graphix Budget, but Pandemonium Pro’s, PrideStyle’s, West Coast Pro’s, and Marvelous’s shows were missing from IWTV’s schedule. They weren’t on TrillerTV, YouTube, or Title Match Network either. Ultimately, we got confirmation that Pandemonium Pro, West Coast Pro, and Marvelous would not air their shows live; they would only be available via VOD.

Last year, I noted, “I’m probably never going to watch something on VOD once the week is over.” This year, I was willing to make an exception because I had high hopes for these shows. In my Streaming Path to Glory, I had planned to watch the New Texas Pro and St. Louis Anarchy shows on VOD. So, while it was disappointing that the very promising Pandemonium Pro, West Coast Pro, and Marvelous shows wouldn’t air live, I could live with it.

Then, on Sunday, April 12, the New Texas Pro, St. Louis Anarchy, and ACTION Wrestling shows disappeared from IWTV’s schedule. We had assumed that these promoters reached the same realization that West Coast Pro’s and Pandemonium Pro’s promoters reached weeks ago: the Internet infrastructure at Bizarre Bar was insufficient to meet the need, and using a Starlink or Globalstar was cost-prohibitive. (Never mind that Bizarre Bar was just a rebranded Swan Dive and that New Texas Pro’s stream was barely serviceable last year.) On Monday, April 13, the New Texas Pro, St. Louis Anarchy, and ACTION Wrestling shows reappeared on IWTV’s schedule. For the record, the New Texas Pro and St. Louis Anarchy scheduled their shows for Thursday, April 16. ACTION Wrestling’s show was scheduled for Friday, April 17.

Last-minute consumer confusion tended to be detrimental to fan enthusiasm and business. I was reworking my Streaming Path to Glory when IWTV announced that it would air those shows after all. As I undid the changes to my calendar, I found myself just getting annoyed with these shows. Meanwhile, the usually ramshackle Game Changer Wrestling seemed to have its arrangements sorted out. TrillerTV would air its shows, and the shows were available as VODs almost immediately. The Title Match Network made its shows available via VOD hours later. As of this article’s writing (Sunday, April 19), IWTV still hadn’t made the St. Louis Anarchy or ACTION Wrestling shows’ VODs available.

I acknowledge that some changes were out of the promoters’ control. St. Louis Anarchy, for example, couldn’t have predicted that Derek Neal would miss the show due to injury. Furthermore, I acknowledge that promoting wrestling is hard. However, choosing Bizarre Bar when the streaming experience last year was spotty at best was a miss. Relying on IWTV to upload their shows in a timely manner to capitalize on positive live reports was another miss.

I had hoped that the New Initiative would present a serious-minded and organized counterbalance to GCW’s vision of wrestling. (We haven’t even discussed ACTION Wrestling’s approach to marketing its show this year. When Hoodslam has the same aesthetic, you know that you’ve positioned yourself to be considered unserious.) Fortunately, the show I saw reminded me of watching EVOLVE at La Boom.

Unfortunately, the organizational chaos did not make a strong first impression.

The Super Dragon Memorial Award for the Best Match That I Simulated in Fire Pro Wrestling World Because It Wasn’t Streamed During WrestleMania Week
Chris Hero vs. Senka Akatsuki, West Coast Pro: West Coast vs. The World

This year, some of the most promising shows were not available to stream live. Luckily, we could peek at the matches through the power of Fire Pro Wrestling World.

  • Aja Kong vs. Senka Akatsuki, Marvelous That’s Women’s Pro Wrestling
  • Spark Rush (Sareee & Takumi Iroha) vs. Mio Momono & Johnnie Robbie, Marvelous That’s Women’s Pro Wrestling
  • Chris Hero vs. Senka Akatsuki, West Coast Pro: West Coast vs. The World
  • Natsupoi vs. Johnnie Robbie, Pandemonium Pro Wrestling: Forever, Whatever
  • Taniya vs. Miu Watanabe, PrideStyle Pro Wrestling: Out of this World
  • Mexa Boy’s (Spider Fly & Noisy Boy) vs. CPF (Joe Lando & Danny Black), Lucha Memes, Tijuana Wrestling Entertainment & Souris Valley Wrestling: FundMeMania

In the past, Chris Hero has denied that he’s retired, even if he hasn’t wrestled since 2024. (His last match was against Kazusada Higuchi, who actually and unfortunately has retired.) His unannounced match against Senka Akatsuki best fits the idea of a random Fire Pro pairing.

The “Go read a book, you illiterate son of a bitch! And step up your vocab!” Award
Joe Dombrowski’s and Emil Jay’s Pronunciations of “Hyo”

Dearest gentle ring announcers, the man’s name is not “Hi-yo,” nor is it “Hey-yo.” If you’re unsure about how to pronounce a Dragongate wrestler’s name, please reach out to one of the hosts of the Open the Voice Gate podcast or even Dragongate English announcer Jae Church. Surely, they would be happy to help.

The “Where’s Wallace at?” Award
Judas Icarus, Travis Williams, Ricky Sosa, Leon Slater, and Maggie Lee

While TNA wrestlers weren’t completely missing from WrestleMania Week this year, the absence of these five promising wrestlers who were contracted to TNA was notable. Though there was a TNA Thursday Night Impact taping on April 15 in Syracuse, NY, Icarus, Williams, and Sosa did not perform on the show. Their absence was especially notable since other TNA wrestlers who wrestled on that taping also wrestled during this WrestleMania Week.

  • Bear Bronson: GCW Joey Janela’s Spring Break X, GCW MDK Fight Club, GCW Joey Janela’s Spring Break: The Clusterf*ck, GCW Effy’s Big Gay Brunch 11
  • Jada Stone: Ladies Night Out 16 and SPARK Joshi Lady Luck II
  • Nic Nemeth: JCW Strangle-Mania: Viva Las Violence
  • Dutch: HOG Culture Clash
  • Matt Hardy: HOG Culture Clash
  • Rich Swann: MLP Multiverse
  • Tessa Blanchard: CMLL at Palms Slam Fest

Sosa was scheduled to wrestle at CWC: High Rollers, Delgado Promotions: The Infinity Lucha Libre, HOG: Culture Clash, and GCW: JJSB: The Clusterf*ck. He made none of those appearances.

Slater, of course, was infamously scheduled to wrestle Ricochet at the Mark Hitchcock Memorial SuperShow before TNA unexpectedly removed him from the match.

Icarus, Williams, and Lee weren’t scheduled to wrestle this week at all. Given the problems that TNA presented with Slater’s scheduled match, I wouldn’t blame independent wrestling companies for avoiding the risk of booking any other contracted TNA wrestler in the future. There’s too much risk and too little upside for engaging with TNA.

The Obi-Wan Kenobi Memorial “Hello There” Award for Standouts of the Week
Adam Priest

This year, I wandered further off the beaten path in search of the thrill of the new. I was rewarded with learning about wrestlers with whom I was only faintly familiar.

The finalists were:

  • Monica Monroe – for her surprising athleticism and her sense of urgency in her matches against Big Daddy Mo (Colorado Wrestling Connection: CWC vs The World) and Alexis Littlefoot (Ladies Night Out 16). She’s in just her fourth year, but her performances hit like a bolt of lightning from nowhere this week. (The ladybird hand gesture was a bit silly.)
  • Jada Stone – she showed last year her speed and finesse last year against Suzume. This year, she showed her talent off again against Ruthie Jay. She also seemed to have refined her timing and wrestling instincts. Hopefully, TNA will recognize her potential and capitalize on it.
  • Brick Savage – for matching Mad Dog Connelly’s capacity for violence in their match at GCW Effy’s Big Gay Brunch 2026. Trained by Bobby 2 Badd and Necro Butcher, the 37-years-old powerhouse stood blow for blow with Connelly.
  • Adam Priest – for dedicating himself to petty villainy. For his match against Dustin Nguyen (New Texas Pro: Sin City Stampede), he came out to Alabama’s “Dixieland Delight.” (The song’s music video has a bewildering scene where the rest of the band watches two people make out in a pick-up truck.) This is the best combination of song and wrestler since the Briscoe Brothers chose/were assigned Lynyrd Skynyrd’s  “Gimme Back My Bullets” as their theme. Then, he tied a headband produced from his pants to his head to mock Nguyen’s martial arts techniques. Later, he collapsed before Nguyen could land his Fatal Gust finisher and pointed to his head while lying on the mat. All in all, it was a great reminder of how he good was at playing the heel.

The “Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived” Award for Best Trios Match

Anyone who’s ever listened to a Joe Gagne Christmas Draft would be familiar with the undesirable need to schedule a multi-person match because you drafted too many wrestlers. In the spirit of that annoyance, here is an incomplete list of the six-person tag team matches that took place during WrestleMania Week this year and their Cagematch ratings as of this writing:

  • Dani Mo, Emily Jaye & Rachel Ley vs. Journey Burke, Sirena Veil & Valentina Rossi, Podermania~! 2026 (4.5)
  • Dragon Kid, Kzy & Yuki Yoshioka vs. Gajadokuro (Madoka Kikuta, ISHIN & Yoshiki Kato), DGUSA: The Gate of Sin City (7.25)
  • A.M.F. (Audric Gallegos, Michael Avalon & Franky Gonzales) (c) vs. Jack Moody, Mikey O’Shea & Coda Alexander, Colorado Wrestling Connection: CWC vs The World (N/A)
  • Raku, Yuki Aino & Pom Harajuku vs. Shino Suzuki, HIMAWARI & Alexis Lee, TJPW Live In Las Vegas 2026 (6.06)
  • Starboy Charlie, Cosmo Orion & Epydemius Jr. vs. Shimbashi, Dragon Kid & Andrew Cass, New Texas Pro: Sin City Stampede (N/A)
  • Mike Outlaw, Camaro Jackson & Everett Connors vs. North Shore Wrestling (Will Keidis, Jack Osborne & Sam Osborne), SLA: Let Anarchy Be Anarchy (N/A)
  • Galeon Fantasma (Barboza & Difunto) & Soberano Jr. vs. Esfinge, Valiente Jr. & Xelhua, CMLL At Palms Slam Fest (6.63)
  • The Demand (Ricochet, Toa Liona & Bishop Kaun) vs. Michael Oku, Kevin Knight & Mike Bailey, WrestleCon: Mark Hitchcock Memorial SuperShow 2026 (6.65)
  • Adam Priest, Fuminori Abe & Minoru Suzuki vs. Erick Stevens, Jonathan Gresham & Zack Sabre Jr., ACTION We Gambled Away The Graphix Budget (N/A)
  • Mala Fama (Latigo & Toxin) & Rey Horus vs. Mexa Boy’s (Noisy Boy & Spider Fly) & Briyante Jr., GCW Gringo Loco’s The Wrld on Lucha 2026 (6.5)
  • Arez, Gringo Loco & Vengador vs. Hyo, Kzy & Yuki Yoshioka, GCW Gringo Loco’s The Wrld on Lucha 2026 (N/A)
  • Neo Genesis (Mei Seira, Starlight Kid & (The) AZM) vs. Babes of Wrath (Willow Nightingale & Harley Cameron) & Kris Statlander, Stardom American Dream 2026 (7.29)
  • Maika, Mina Shirakawa & HANAKO vs. Mi Vida Loca (Rina Yamashita & Suzu Suzuki) & Hazuki, Stardom American Dream 2026 (6.17)
  • YDNP (Alec Price & Jordan Oliver) & Marcus Mathers vs. The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier, Zachary Wentz & Myron Reed), GCW Joey Janela’s Spring Break X (6.86)
  • The Demand (Bishop Kaun, Ricochet & Toa Liona) vs. Michael Oku, Rich Swann & Sidney Akeem, MLP Multiverse (N/A)
  • Amazing Red & El Sky Team (Mascara Dorada & Mistico) vs. The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier, Myron Reed & Zachary Wentz), MLP Multiverse (N/A)
  • George South & The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson) vs. St. Claire Monster Corporation (Beastman, Kongo Kong & Mr. Happy), JCW Strange-Mania: Viva Las Violence (N/A)
  • 2 Tuff Tony, Rob Van Dam & Willie Mack (w/Bill Alfonso) vs. KENTA & The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson), JCW Strange-Mania: Viva Las Violence (N/A)

(NB: These trios matches were advertised, but I cannot confirm through Cagematch that they happened as advertised. So, I am not counting them for this award.

  • Eddie Grayson, Jack Valor & Spencer Scott vs. Mexa Boy’s (Noisy Boy & Spider Fly) & Calibus, Pandemonium Pro Whatever, Forever
  • C4 (Cody Chhun & Guillermo Rosas) & Steven Bradley vs. No Bail Posted (Devious Cass & J Boujii) & Juni Underwood, Pandemonium Pro Whatever, Forever
  • Tiger Mask, CJ Tino & El Mexica vs. Fidel Bravo, Ricky Gee & Danny Rose, Unapologetic Pro: Sinner’s Paradise
  • The Chini’s (Iced T Curtis, Tony Chini & Fran Chini) (c) vs. X, Million Dollar Minds Pro Wrestling: All Or Nothing!
  • Dr. Wagner Jr., Toxin & El Hijo del Cobarde vs. Ultimo Dragon, Oni El Bendito & El Dragon, Delgado Promotions: The Infinity Lucha Libre
  • El Cucuy, Axel Lee & Vaquerostar vs. Briyante RB, Angel Aereo & Radioactivo, Delgado Promotions: The Infinity Lucha Libre
  • The MOB (Elliot Rey, Alpha Zo & D-Dre Fresh) vs. Melanin Mafia (Dom Cirrus, D-Rouge & Sancho Dimera), Oasis Pro Wrestling: NINTH ISLVND III
  • South Pacific Savages (Iosefa Parisi, Juicy Finau & Journey Fatu) vs. The Strays (Lyta Jay, Jiah Jewell & Shaun Sims), Oasis Pro Wrestling: NINTH ISLVND III
  • Old School Values (American Punk, Lee Steel & Biggie Biggz) vs. Gibson Bros & Ron Kilbourn, Oasis Pro Wrestling: NINTH ISLVND III
  • Rob Van Dam, QT Marshall & Starboy Charlie vs. The Demand (Ricochet, Toa Liona & Bishop Kaun), Big Time Wrestling: High Stakes
  • The PWO (Su Yung, Tara Zep & Lindsay Snow) vs. Tres Mas (Olivier Vegas, Rachelle Riveter & Mazzerati), KingSlayer Wrestling & Impact Zone Wrestling: PWO One World Stage)

So, Cagematch records confirmed 18 trios matches took place, and 11 more may have taken place. Multiple shows had more than 1 trios match! Say what you will about Bloodsport’s flatness, but at least it didn’t contribute to the over-saturation of trios matches.

As a result, a trios match would have to be outstanding to stand out from the crowd. After watching Toxin and Spider Fly’s fireworks at 16 Carat Gold, I had hoped that they would exceed those heights. Instead, they seemed discombobulated. In particular, Spider Fly and Noisy Boy seemed rattled even before Latigo left the match due to injury.

The Demand and the Rascalz both had multiple trios matches, which lent to the feeling that their matches blended together. The fact that the Demand had wrestled Knight and Bailey (with Adam Page as the third man) just two months ago on AEW Collision further eroded appeal of their match at the Mark Hitchcock Memorial SuperShow.

Shun Skywalker was a major reason why the Dragongate trios match at Dragongate x Pro Wrestling Revolution: The Gate of Revolution was memorable. His absence was keenly felt in the two trios matches that Dragongate wrestlers participated in this year. The matches were competent, and even Gajadokuro couldn’t bring the vibes down too much. However, they just didn’t have the spark that Skywalker provided last year.

Neo Genesis and AEW’s contingent of Willow Nightingale, Harley Cameron, and Kris Statlander exceeded the lowered expectations that resulted from Cameron’s inclusion. Yet, the best that I can say about the match was that everyone was able to work their way around the anchor that had been tied to them.

That left the three trios matches that took place at the New Initiative’s shows. As of this writing, only one was available for viewing on demand, so it won by default. However, that would diminish a very good match that honored the spirit of the legendary Dragon Gate six-man tag team match from ROH Supercard of Honor 2006.

For one, Dragon Kid was the featured player in the match. For another, Starboy Charlie, Cosmo Orion, Epydemius Jr., Shimbashi, and Andrew Cass all flowed together and overcame the venue’s physical limitations to create a match that felt seamless. Finally, in another example of why the show won the Best Pure Vibes award, multiple wrestlers spoke after the match about how honored they were to participate in this match and how much the 2006 match had influenced them. (Of course, Epydemius Jr. was born two months after that match. He might not be the only one who was younger than that match here.)

The Best Match of the Week, Tony Khan Division
Will Ospreay vs. Hechicero

Tony Khan’s All Elite Wrestling and Ring of Honor did not involve themselves in WrestleMania Week this year. Nevertheless, their business continued as normal while the attention was focused on the comings and goings in Las Vegas. They loudly reminded wrestling fans that they cannot be ignored with a title change on Dynamite, Kevin Knight’s TNT Championship defense against Claudio Castagnoli, Thekla’s AEW Women’s World Championship defense against Alex Windsor, Jon Moxley vs. Nick Wayne, and Will Ospreay’s match against Hechicero.

In particular, Ospreay demonstrated that he remained one of the best wrestlers in the world. He combined dynamic athleticism with compelling storytelling about his injured neck. Hechicero showed his creativity and power, and they only whetted the appetite for a rematch some day.

The Best Match of the Week That Aired Live, Everybody Else (Not You, WWE or WWE Cronies) Division

The finalists were:

  • Blue Panther vs. Ultimo Guerrero, CMLL at Palms Slam Fest
  • Fuminori Abe vs. Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado Presents Death Vegas Invitacional
  • Club (Nick Gage & Matt Tremont) vs. El Desperado & Jun Kasai vs. Masashi Takeda & Rina Yamashita, El Desperado Presents Death Vegas Invitacional
  • Fuminori Abe vs. Erick Stevens, GCW: Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XV
  • 1 Called Manders vs. Timur The Great, New Texas Pro: Sin City Stampede
  • Suzume (c) vs. Sakura Hattori, TJPW Live In Las Vegas 2026
  • Miyu Yamashita vs. Mizuki vs. Miu Watanabe, TJPW Live in Las Vegas 2026
  • The Swirl (Blake Christian & Lee Johnson) vs. Subculture (Flash Morgan Webster & Mark Andrews), WrestleCon: Mark Hitchcock Memorial Supershow

Similar to last year, WrestleMania Week’s bounty provided thrills to match tastes.

  • Deathmatch fans could sink their teeth into H8 Club (Nick Gage & Matt Tremont) vs. El Desperado & Jun Kasai vs. Masashi Takeda & Rina Yamashita.
  • Worked shoot fans could appreciate the violence of Fuminori Abe vs. Erick Stevens.
  • Fans of beefy meat slapping each other’s meat could appreciate 1 Called Manders vs. Timur the Great. (I can’t believe that this beat out Mark Davis vs. Masato Tanaka, the slobberknocker that I had bolded and underlined in my planning document.)
  • Fans who are worn out on formulaic three-way matches could appreciate the creativity that Miyu Yamashita, Mizuki, and Miu Watanabe showed in their match.
  • Fans who would like to see someone new could appreciate Sakura Hattori’s first spotlight in her new character in her match against Suzume.
  • Grapplefuckers like me could appreciate Fuminori Abe vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Tag team aficionados who weren’t in Las Vegas had a sparse selection this year. The Swirl (Blake Christian & Lee Johnson) vs. Subculture (Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster) was competent, but it felt like it lasted a minute or two too long.
  • Lucha libre enthusiasts could appreciate Ultimo Guerrero vs. Blue Panther.

The Lucha Solos vs. Los Hermanos De La Jungla from last year’s Dragongate x Pro Wrestling Revolution: The Gate of Revolution was memorable because it offered the thrill of discovery. Some of this year’s best matches had the same thrill, though it was somewhat muted. I had seen Timur the Great in New Texas Pro before, so his slugfest with 1 Called Manders wasn’t a complete surprise. (I recommend his matches against Jesse Funaki at The Audacity of Hope and TX8 2026). Similarly, while Sakura Hattori was someone new to me, Suzume was not. So, the fact that Suzume and Hattori over-delivered on their match wasn’t shocking.

Instead, the biggest surprise came from Blue Panther and Ultimo Guerrero. At 65 and 54 years old, respectively, they turned in an incredible performance that put the work of wrestlers 20 to 30 years their junior to shame. My jaw dropped at what Blue Panther did in this match, and they ended the match right at the peak of excitement. Did Blue Panther need to dive from the middle turnbuckle to hit Ultimo Guerrero, who was on the floor? He absolutely didn’t, but he did it anyway. That was just one instance where they defied expectations about age to deliver a truly thrilling match.

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