Top 10 Matches I saw live in 2023

[bobholly138]

Well more like top 10 plus 3 honorable mentions. Over in the 2023 indie matches thread mentioned how this year hit 25 indie shows in Mississippi and Louisiana and filmed 100 matches total.

https://youtu.be/W-kLe1q36js?si=FHP4AJsHM7iB3p-p

Honorable mention

Battlezone Championship Wrestling Braxton Mississippi June 10th 2023

 

Battlezone is the oldest indie in MS. Was NWA battlezone for years. 

First off this venue. It is where the local fire department stores their rigs. No power no  running water and bathrooms are 3 portapotties out front or "Walk down the trail into the woods and watch out for snakes Pimp"
 

Chris Black is the big heel. Been around MS for 20 years. Frankie Thomas is the local face in BZ.

 

Behind the scenes,Frankie is married into the family that has ran BZ siince 2000. Chris use to run a fed on the MS coast that folded early in 2023.

 

[bobholly138]

Another Honorable mention

 

https://youtu.be/JzWVtx2U1jE?si=WcUnhlxbQtfSf8gf

AWA Pro April 8th 2023 Ocean Spring MS

Nightmare Jeremiah vs Rey Fury

 

Starting back in March I've been riding to most shows with Nightmare Jeremiah. Learned we live like 45 minutes from each other off a major highway.

 

Rey Fury appeared on NWA Powerrr recently and is semi known as another indie guy that was using YEET before the USO dude.

 

AWA Pro,used to be based in Alabama. Been around like 8 years. And back in March got sold to 3 guys. And now runs the MS gulf coast. 2 shows a month.

 

These two ,Rey&Nightmare,have faced each other many many times.

[bobholly138]

Last honorable mention

https://youtu.be/8_pEXREi3wE?si=c9pzEUfWG5Y5x33c

 

AWA PRO Ocean Springs MS December 9th 2023

 

AWA Pro  Alabama Champion Nightmare Jeremiah defends his title for the 13th time and it is against The Judge RJW.

 

Back 6 months ago Nightmare won the AWA PRO Alabama Title,which is their tv title level belt,and been defending it all over the indies. 

 

RJW is one of the few local monsters that is the same size as Nightmare. 

As you can see this match I went up in the balcony to film. On the ride to the show Nightmare was telling me a few of the ideas him and RJW had for the match. 

 

Over the next week or so will be adding my top 10.

 

 

 

[bobholly138]

#10

https://youtu.be/4gm9eLY63LA?si=nSihA39wPSaMdfbn

Lost Art of Wrestling Championship match

July 28th 2023 Magee Mississippi

Rey Fury vs Vladimir Koloff

First off this isnt the Vlad Koloff from SMW. This one started close to 10 years ago and was given this name by Teddy Long.

 

LAW is the closest MS gets to a super indie. You will get 4 shows a year. No storylines just matches the fans and the wrestlers been wanting to see. This was their first show back since they shutdown in 2020.

Rey I already talked about. Vladimir Koloff is a huge face pretty much everywhere he works now.  Even getting flown up to Maryland a few times a year to work for AWA up there.

 

 

Edited December 25, 2023 by bobholly138
Forgot to add the match link

[bobholly138]

#09

https://youtu.be/rRRLPte9pdA?si=F960C770JUzfYfyB

Lost Art of Wrestling Dec 1st 2023 Magee MS

LAW Zero Gravity Champion Wess Warren vs Izaiah Zane

This is LAW's crusierweight title. Wess won it at the first LAW show this year. And he is a guy that is working all over the MS/AL/LA/FL area. Mostly as a heel but it works cause the crowds hate him. Izaiah Zane is new to me,started seeing him earlier this year on various events. Use to him being a heel so that is why at first I was booing him.

Love how this venue had a balcony around the entire room. Was mostly me and the promoter up there filming.

 

 

[bobholly138]

#08

https://youtu.be/zPrbfjq-zjM?si=wuHfCWprBbc8aMXG

AWA Pro Sept 8th 2023 Ocean Spring MS

AWA Pro Mississippi Champion(their US or IC level title) The Charles West vs Richard Holliday.

 

Love how Holliday realized very few in the crowd knew who he was so he heeled up on us. The Charles West has been around for a long time. Working Battlezone for years. Now he is a main stay in AWA PRO where the crowd LOVES him.

 

[bobholly138]

#07

https://youtu.be/eXhid6SoiQE?si=hS33E-Lpyy5_pm7y

Bayou Independent Wrestling August 12 Brookhaven MS

Danny Chance vs Exodus Prime

Day of the show I was planning on not filming this match. Was a show with 6 matches only had space for 4 on the camera. Then mentioned to someone in another match on the card I wasn't gonna film this one "REDACTED can't say why but trust me dont film my match film this one."

Danny Chance is a guy that in the 70s and 80s would have been the perfect regional babyface. He travels from the TX/Mexico border 12 to 13 hours to work in Brookhaven. And over the past 5 years has won over the crowd. 

 

Exodus Prime is one of the many rising stars of the Texas indie scene. I knew his name but had never seen him before this.

And keep watchinng after the pinfall. Danny gives a speech that is why I was told to film this.

 

 

[bobholly138]

#06

https://youtu.be/2rz4gVTDqnU?si=r1mDslzs0DHUfRBy

The Gulf Coast Wrestling July 18th 2023 Bay St Louis MS

 

AWA Pro Alabama Champion Nightmare Jeremiah vs Draven Lee in a NO DQ match.

 

Now this is the first TGCW match to hit my list. They started back in Jan of the year. And a buddy had been booked to film it. Then his car died 5 days before the show,and the fed lost their venue and got another one day of the show. Back in  March they booked a buddy to wrestle and we go down. They got an old country music bar,that closed after Hurricane Katrina. Kept the bar area and the VIP area and pput the ring in the dance floor/where the bands played. Gives the place a get look. Plus they got ring card girls.

 

Draven Lee is a Eastern TN based guy.And funny story he got this booking and thought he was going to St Louis Missouri. Then someone clued him in nope you driving to the gulf coast of MS. And working at the most 3 miles from where Heroes of Wrestling PPV happened.

These two brawl all over. I was clued in on the ride this would happen. And might be obvious on the footage that I am trying to keep the crowd back but allow security and Draven's valet Anna Lee thru.

 

 

[bobholly138]

#05

https://youtu.be/jta7e7KCx7s?si=-YgZNulpPgRch-al

Battlezone Widowfest Night 2 March 25th 2023

NWA Women's champion Kamille vs Lufisto

 

Ahh Battlezone. This was their last show with their previous booker. A guy that turned them around. Widowfest is their 2 night annual event. Usually they bring in a few names and always have the BZ Hall of Fame ceremony on night 2,I got that up on the same channel as this match.

Before the show got a chance to talk to both ladies. Lufisto was great. Kamille was a bit more quiet but still nice.

You will be able to tell most of the crowd had no clue who either was. But then the BZ crowds know WWE,TNA and maybe AEW. If it aint on their DISH Or DirecTV package they dont know it.

This was the main event and a good way to cap off a good run of Battlezone. But not the best match on the card. That match is coming up soon.

 

 

[bobholly138]

#04

https://youtu.be/hmOC7ZBjTi4?si=hv12JqjFCJcKNjfH

AWA Pro Pascagola MS Nov 4th 2023

 

Barry Wolf vs Xtian Blake

 

Ahh the VFW hall in smelly stinky 'Goula MS. Best known as the town Stan Frazier lived iin for a good chunk of his life.

And to think this venue is a football field away from the place where the cops invaded a XIW event when a call was made "Some gang member is attacking the rasslors" after NeW jACK Did a run in during a main event.

 

But back to this match.

 

Barry Wolf was #500 in the PWI 500 back in 2010. Dude has been around the MS scene for a long ass time. For the first half of his career he mostly worked face and was over. Then he found his groove and became an amazing heel,with a long run as the SWA champ (Watch it on FITE/Triller). 

 

Xtian Blake,not to be confused with Blake Christian,is a south Louisiana  based guy. And a guy that should have been at least on Impact or hell even the weekly Memphis show.

 

These two have been wanting a one on one match for years. Was Blake's first appearance in AWA Pro. And they stole the show.

[bobholly138]

#03

https://youtu.be/pQ-cRY2EzKQ?si=j7PDmjrXUZy2EHOg

Lost Art of Wrestling Magee MS July 28th 2023

Fly Def vs The Rapture

I mentioned how LAW is the super indie in MS. The main guy running it is 27ish and started wrestling when he was 15.

His original plan for this was Fly Def,Reality of Wrestling tag team that goes all over now,vs Wasted Generation(New South Pro Wrestling tag team that broke up 2 years ago). that was booked and advertised. Then a week before the show Wasted pulls out. So FLorida based The Rapture stepped up. 

Show how two good tag teams that are pretty much unknown to the crowd can get them to react.

[bobholly138]

#02

https://youtu.be/fR9QPsjqauQ?si=vBXH03_Tw4WrPAHE

Battlezone Widowfest Night 2 March 25th 2023 Richland MS

Ok this needs some set up. Back 2015ish Nightmare Jeremiah was running a wrestling school in  mid MS for a indie fed. Out of the 2 years he ran that school 2 people stuck to wrestling. Ref O. Boma is one of them.

 

And Ref Oscar Boma..dude always surprises me. Helps he is smaller than most of the wrestlers. And looks like he is 98lbs. 

Add in that for years when O.Boma was reffing  a match with Nightmare something would happen. 

This built up to Widowfest Night 1 2023. Big battle royale with the winner of this one and hte one at night two getting a shot at the Battlezone title. Nightmare is clearing the ring gets SUPERKICKED by O.Boma and gets eliminated.

Which leads to this match.

 

I love a match with a long story behind it. And this one.... was so good.

 

 

[bobholly138]

#01

https://youtu.be/3E2JJNFWxKI?si=xK3mXQdZgB4VFuB3

Pro Wrestling 225 October 28th 2023 Houma LA

The only match from outside MS to make the list. But I only hit 3 shows outside the state this year.

I was sure cause of the long term story in my #2 match it would be #1. Then in August I start hearing  rumors. "Steve Anthony wants to come back."

Every region has that one guy,the one that should be HUGE. Steve is that for the Gulf states.Yes he is a former NWA Jr heavyweight champ,beat Jushin Lyger,and yes he has traveled to Japan. In the Gulf states for over a decade you knew if you saw Steve's name on the card you were getting your money's worth from that one match. 

Then in 2021 during a match where it was career vs hair <BIW Steve Anthony BIW Southern Heavyweight champion (Hair) vs Apoc Adam Asher(career)> Not long into the match Steve drops to the mat and is unresponsive. Apoc bails out of the ring but looks worried. Ref calls for the promoter. 

Promoter comes out with Vordel Walker(EMT in his shoot job) and Cassidy Riley(nurse shoot job). They go and check on Steve,crowd is saying "He's faking". Cassidy slips his hand into Steve's and told him "look your kid is in the crowd if you are ok squeeze,if you dont we are calling 911"

Steve didnt squeeze and on my footage you can see a ringside sheriff calling 911.

Then  out of no where Steve jumps up attacks Apoc and hte match continues.

Apoc wins,Steve tries to run to avoid the haircut but is blocked by T-Ray and Danny Chance standing  with cliippers. 

Steve gets his head shaved. Local fave Apoc ends his 2 year long journey to the belt and the crowd goes home happy.

Then an hour later while sitting in Waffle house learn that while I was filming this match that went all over the place,includiing into the bathroom,Vordell Walker was being talked out of going out and "beating Steve's ass".

Steve gets word out he is retired. Vordell lets it be known he is pissed at Steve.

 

Then back in July a video appears. Vordell is at Steve's house and the door bell cam records it. 

 

Steve responds a week later. Says he is retired. 

 

The crowd believes these two hate each other. 

This match is why I was at this show. I love 225 events. Just they run 4 to 6 hours from  me. And I rather not spend half a day in the car. But this match I had to make it.

Pro Wrestling 225 has a weekly tv show,Pro Wrestling 225 Unleashed. It airs in South  Louisiana on some channel,and  is uploaded to Youtube. So if you want to see this match from more than one camera check that out.

 

Well hope yall enjoyed this. As of right now my first show of 2024 is the third weekend of January and I will be at  a TGCW event in Bay St  Louis MS.