WrestleMania weekend is a dream for wrestling fans everywhere as TakeOver and ‘Mania will be fantastic, but there are so many more promotions in New Orleans over the weekend. Although it’s quite impossible to keep up with all of the shows, we have tried to make it a bit easier, as we’ve got a list of eight matches that you need to seek out over the weekend, that don’t involve the WWE.
Matt Riddle vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – Evolve Championship
These are two of the hottest performers in the entire world, as both men have been putting on fantastic matches with incredible consistency over the past few months, and with the Evolve Championship on the line, this will be incredible. The clash of submission vs. striking styles makes this incredibly physical and gives the bout a feeling of legitimacy. If it lives up to the quality of their recent bout in PWG, it will be worthy of the Evolve main event in what should be an incredible all-around show.
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Travis Banks vs. Shane Strickland – Progress World Championship
In terms of overall quality and consistency, there are arguably no wrestling promotions in the world that can match Progress and their first of two shows over the weekend looks to be one of the best cards they’ve ever put together. Headlined by Shane Strickland challenging the newly turned Champion, Travis Banks, neither of these guys have the name recognition of most others on this list, but it’s bound to be an incredible match. With two shows over the weekend, Progress is something you need to check out.
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The Young Bucks & Flip Gordon vs. SoCal Uncensored – ROH 6-Man Titles
Cody Rhodes may not want Flip Gordon booked for All In, but The Young Bucks are behind Flip, and it’s led to them teaming up (while Hangman Page is busy battling Kota Ibushi, another must-see bout). If you like Flips, this is one you’ll have to see. The Hung Bucks had a great street fight with SoCal Uncensored a few weeks back, but this time it will be contested in a Ladder match. After the main event of SuperCard of Honor last year with the Hardyz, this one will be incredible to see.
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Marty Scurl vs. Dalton Castle – ROH World Championship
A lot of the matches on this list are based on in-ring work, and although this will be a great wrestling match, it’s the character work that will be at the forefront. With both men over with the crowd, Dalton Castle vs Marty Scurll going to be electric. Scurll finally gets his shot at the title, and Castle is aiming to prove that he is a worthy champion, and although it may play second fiddle to a match we’ll get to soon, it’s going to be memorable. It's arguably the biggest match of either man’s career, so they’ll put all their effort into making it a show-stealer.
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Matt Riddle vs. James Ellsworth – Joey Janela’s Spring Break 2
Every match on this list features hard-hitting, equally talented stars, but if you know much about Joey Janela’s Spring Break, you know that it’s just plain weird. It’s offered us a unique match-up that we never thought we’d see, with The King of Bros, and genuine knockout artist Matt Riddle up against James Ellsworth. The video posted to Twitter to promote this was absolutely brilliant, and with Riddle having so many high profile matches over the weekend, his arrogance could get the best of him. This may be one of the best-told stories of the weekend, but mostly, it’s just going to be funny to see how badly Ellsworth gets brutalized.
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Will Ospreay vs. Desmond Xavier – CZW
Will Ospreay is the best high-flyer in wrestling today, and he’s a huge name in New Japan Pro Wrestling, and with seven matches over this weekend, he’s definitely going to feel it for the next few weeks. You should go check out all his bouts (vs. Mark Haskins for Progress will also be great), but the one we’ve decided to single out is his match against Desmond Xavier for Combat Zone Wrestling. Sure, Xavier isn’t the biggest name yet, but he will be soon, as he has all the talent in the world to be a top star. A great showing here against Ospreay will definitely help get his name out there even more.
Eddie Edwards vs. Jeremiah Crane – Impact vs. Lucha Underground
Impact vs Lucha Underground is going to be one of the best shows of the weekend, and Eddie Edwards vs. Jeremiah Crane may not be the best bout, but it has a personal story behind it, as this will be the first time that Eddie Edwards meets Sami Callihan (a.k.a Jeremiah Crane in Lucha Underground) since their infamous botch that saw Edwards seriously injured. It will also be an “I Quit” match, so it may get just as bloody as that bout on Impact TV. Even if you don’t check out the show as a whole, this is one you need to see for the sheer brutality and the story that began many months ago with the devastating eye injury suffered by Edwards.
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Kenny Omega vs. Cody – ROH Supercard of Honor
Outside of Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano, Cody vs Kenny Omega the most personal story over the weekend, as it features two of the top wrestlers in the world battling for Bullet Club supremacy. We'd be surprised if it garnered anything less than five-stars from Dave Meltzer. This match is going to be fantastic, and with Being the Elite being filmed over the weekend, you can expect some major storyline advancements, even some shocks, as it rounds out one of the best looking wrestling cards we’ve ever seen. No matter if you’re Team Kenny, Team Cody or if you don’t watch ROH, this is one you need to seek out because these two will do their utter best to tell a fantastic story alongside phenomenal in-ring work.