WrestleCon Supershow 2026
Date: April 16, 2026
Location: Horseshoe Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Joe Dombrowski, Veda Scott

Here we have one of the featured attractions of the week, with a bunch of independent wrestlers getting together and having a show. That’s the kind of thing that can make for some fun moments, though it can also lead to some absolute headscratchers as well. This could go anywhere so let’s get to it.

We open with the traditional tribute video to Mark Hitchcock, a Highspots employee who died on his honeymoon and as a result, the show has been named in his honor. This year’s also includes some of his friends talking about how much this would mean to Hitchcock.

The ring announcer is ready for the opening match but here is Teddy Long as a surprise. He’s going to make the first match a TAG TEAM MATCH PLAYA! Nice moment there as the surprises can often be good.

Heath/Rhino vs. Headbangers

Hold on as Mosh has a big brace on his arm due to a recent torn bicep so he can’t wrestle tonight. He does however have a replacement tonight in the form of…Headbanger Swoggle! Heath and Thrasher start things off and that’s good for an early standoff. A hiptoss puts Heath down but he’s back up with a flying shoulder. Thrasher is fine enough for a hiptoss but Swoggle wants in. He does indeed come in and thrusts his hips a lot, to the point of wearing himself out.

After not being able to nip up, Swoggle wants Rhino and…no he can’t slam Rhino. Some kicks to the leg don’t work either (Swoggle: “Son of a b****!”) so Swoggle bites the back of Rhino’s tights to send him outside. Heath comes back in and gets sent into the corner for some swats at the top of his head. Thrasher gets to hammer on Heath for a bit before it’s back to Swoggle for the same.

A big boot finally cuts Swoggle down and Rhino comes in to hammer on him as well. Heath even gets in a cheap shot from the floor before coming back in for a clothesline from his knees. Heath’s right hands in the corner are countered into a powerbomb and it’s back to Thrasher to clean house. Everything breaks down and Swoggle chokeslams Heath…but gets Gored by Rhino. Thrasher is right back with a rollup to pin Rhino at 12:00.

Rating: C+. Now this is what I was hoping to see from this show (fair enough on Mosh’s injury as there’s nothing you can do about that) as it’s just goofy fun. They weren’t trying to do anything here besides have a good time and tie back into a story from ten years ago (when Heath and Rhino first teamed together against the Headbangers) and it went as well as it could have. Swoggle was was a great choice for a replacement and I liked this a lot.

Mala Fama vs. Love And Peace vs. The StarMen vs. CPF

That would be, in order, Latigo/Toxin vs. Ben-K/Hyo vs. Starboy Charlie/Starman vs. Danny Black/Joe Lando and this is elimination rules. Starman is a guy in very generic gear (it’s based on an NES character) and has to be someone surprising. Lando and Charlie start things off with an exchange of legsweeps before they trade missed dropkicks. Mala Fama runs in to clear the ring and everything breaks down.

Starman is double teamed down but manages a double suplex into a backsplash. Charlie’s running shooting star press gets two on Ben-K and it’s Mala Fama back in to put Charlie in trouble. Mala Fama collide by mistake though and Charlie is back in with a springboard headscissors. Starman gets to come back in and chop away, followed by a cutter. CPF come in and get dropped by Starman as well but he freezes (ala NES).

With nothing working on him, Charlie picks him up and puts him in the corner before going after Mala Fama. That doesn’t work either so here are Love And Peace to take Mala Fama outside. Starman wakes up but misses a charge into the corner (ignore that no one was in the corner), only to pop up for a moonsault onto the pile. Charlie is sent outside though and Starman gets double kicked in the corner. Black dives onto the floor and Lando’s shooting star elbow finishes Starman at 9:50.

Starman rapidly walks off like he (probably) does in the game as we’re down to three. Love And Peace take over on Latigo, with Toxin making a save. Ben-K spears Toxin though and Hyo adds the middle rope backsplash for the pin at 11:54. So we’re down to CPF vs. Love And Peace and they start fast with a pulling piledriver dropping Hyo before all four collide for a double down. They slug it out from their knees and Hyo hits a middle rope cutter, setting up Ben-K’s spear to pin Lando for the win at 15:44.

Rating: B. Starman of course stole the show (I would bet on that being Joey Janela, as it’s the kind of goofy stuff he would do) and as usual, Dragon Gate guys get to look awesome. The other teams got to showcase themselves as well, which is great to see as they aren’t the most well known teams. The fans get to see some new (or at least new to them) stars and that is a great thing, as it was here.

Here is our official WrestleCon ambassador: Sgt. Slaughter. His job is to basically to tell us to have fun and come see him at WrestleCon. Nothing wrong with that.

Mark Davis vs. Masato Tanaka

Tanaka rams into him to start and gets dropped with an even bigger shoulder. Back up and Tanaka hammers away in the corner but Davis knocks him back down for a big slam. The knees to the chest have Tanaka in more trouble and it’s a backbreaker into a Boston crab. That’s broken up with a rope though and Tanaka snaps off a big suplex. Back up and Davis puts him on the apron for a running shoulder to the floor, followed by another beating in the corner.

Tanaka fights back and grabs a superplex, but Davis pops up for a jumping enziguri. That’s not enough to keep him down either though and it’s a clothesline to leave them both down. Back up and they slug it out, with Davis missing an enziguri and getting caught with a sliding lariat. Tanaka tries it again but gets rolled up for two, allowing Davis to hit another enziguri. A big lariat gives Davis two and the piledriver finishes Tanaka at 8:26.

Rating: B. I appreciate a match where it is exactly what you would expect it to be. This was two guys beating on each other very hard until one of them couldn’t get up again. Tanaka has been around for the better part of ever and it still means something for him to get beat. Davis is getting somewhere with that piledriver and it’s cool to see him win a match like this. The lack of Don Callis helps a lot too.

Subculture vs. The Swirl

Webster and Johnson go to the mat to start, with Johnson grabbing a headlock. That’s broken up and it’s off to Andrews vs. Christian as the pace picks up. That doesn’t last long either as they go to a staredown, with Andrews knocking Christian into the corner. A standing moonsault gives Andrews two and Webster’s imploding Swanton gets two.

Johnson comes back in and Andrews is knocked outside, leaving Webster to get 619ed in the corner. Christian makes Webster clap before it’s an enziguri into a dragon screw legwhip. Webster elbows his way to freedom though and moonsaults onto both of them. That’s enough for the diving tag to Andrews, who Falcon Arrows Johnson for two.

Johnson is sent face first into Christian’s knees in the corner and it’s a top rope flipping Stunner to put Christian down. Webster’s Swanton to the back gets two but Johnson is back in for the brainbuster/enziguri combination. Andrews makes a save of his own and they strike it out until a quadruple clothesline leaves everyone down again. A Meltzer Driver hits Andrews and the Death Valley Driver/top rope double stomp combination finishes Webster at 12:14.

Rating: B+. This got rolling near the end and that’s not a problem. These teams have a history of working very well together, with the Swirl being rather underrated as they almost never get out of Ring Of Honor. On the other hand you have Subculture, who are a rather good team that I would love to see get back in a bigger company. They’re more than good enough to do it and can hang with anyone. If they’re interested, it would be great to see.

Team Mancer vs. Team Beast

Mancer: Mancer Warner, Steph de Lander, Vaughn Vertigo, Gravity, LJ Cleary
Beast: The Beast Mortos, Danny Jones, Derek Dillinger, Jimmy Townsend, Lacey Lane

This is the ten person tag, the show’s signature match. De Lander and Lane start things off with Lane charging into a boot in the corner and getting side slammed for two. Dillinger and Warner come in to chop it out with Warner getting the better of things. Vertigo comes in and avoids a basement dropkick, allowing Townsend to avoid a kick on the apron.

Townsend gets in and is kicked in the chest for the standing moonsault. Jones and Cleary come in, with Cleary begging off from the much bigger Jones, who isn’t impressed. Jones hits a discus lariat and Cleary is right over for the tag to Gravity. It’s off to Mortos for the exchange of armdrags but gets kicked out to the floor.

Lane can’t shoulder Cleary down and he finds the attempt rather amusing. Instead it’s Gravity coming back in to argue with Dillinger before all ten get in for the slow motion Gravity walk. With almost everyone on the floor, Warner teases a dive but goes outside to poke the other five in the eyes. Mortos powerbombs Gravity into a backbreaker but Vaughn plants him with a tornado DDT.

We hit the parade of knockdowns, with Warner hitting his lariat but walking into Jones’ Falcon Arrow. De Lander spears Jones and Warner chairs him in the back a few times. Gravity’s top rope splash gets two but Mortos is back up with the spear to Cleary. The spinning piledriver finishes for Mortos at 19:37.

Rating: B-. This is the usual insane tag match that you would expect in this spot and that’s a great thing to see. What matters the most is that they got some new names in there and it wasn’t just some wild scramble. I liked the match well enough and was surprised at how long it went so well done on not getting dull.

Bandido vs. Galeno del Mal

Bandido’s Ring Of Honor World Title isn’t on the line (of course). We get a nice handshake to start and Bandido is a bit slow to go after the much bigger Mal. They trade headlocks to little effect until Bandido hits a dropkick. A top rope hurricanrana brings Mal down but he sends Bandido to the apron and then out to the floor. Mal sends him crashing into the chairs and then into the post, allowing Mal to grab some water.

A big boot staggers Bandido but he avoids a character to send Mal into the seats for a change. Back in and Mal rips off part of Bandido’s mask, followed by a big boot to put him down again. They trade running corner clotheslines and Bandido scores with a leg lariat. A tornado DDT drops Mal to the floor and Bandido is right there to take him down with a dive. Back in and Bandido rips at Mal’s mask for a change, followed by a high crossbody for two.

Mal mixes it up with a reverse suplex and a discus lariat cuts off Bandido’s comeback. Mal goes up…and gets pulled out of the air for a World’s Strongest Slam (that looked amazing). Somehow Mal is up first for a backsplash for two, setting up a Michinoku Driver for the same. Back up and Bandido shrugs off a big boot and muscles him up for a suplex. The 21 Plex finishes Mal off at 16:27.

Rating: B. I’ve seen Mal a few times now and the guy definitely has something to him. He’s a bigger guy and can go out there and keep up with the athleticism, which isn’t something you would expect. On the other hand you have Bandido, who feels like a star and should be a much bigger deal than he’s presented as being. Like maybe having him defend the title at some point.

Post match Bandido thanks everyone for coming and praises Mal, his former student, calling him the next big Mexican superstar.

Progress World Title: Man Like DeReiss vs. Ethan Allen

DeReiss is defending in a bonus match. They start fast with Allen missing some kicks and going outside to yell at a fan. Back in and DeReiss hits some running shoulders but Allen pulls him off the top. Allen slows the pace down and they fight over a suplex with DeReiss finally getting him up. Allen knocks him out of the corner though and hits a falling top rope elbow. They fight over a pinfall reversal sequence until DeReiss catches him with an elbow to the face. A spinning belly to back suplex sets up a 450 to retain the title at 8:40.

Rating: C+. For a bonus match, I’ve seen far worse. That’s one of the great perks of this weekend, as you can get random matches like this thrown on and it makes things that much more interesting. DeReiss got in a quick title defense and the fans got the cool moment of his entrance. It’s no classic, but it certainly didn’t hurt anything.

Jet Speed/Michael Oku vs. The Demand

Oku and Ricochet start things off with Ricochet flipping over him and blocking an O’Connor roll. They both miss dropkicks until Ricochet sends him out to the floor. Everything breaks down and Jet Speed hit some dives to the floor as they pair off on the outside. Oku is back in to try the Fosbury Flop but Liona kicks him out of the air, with Oku’s leg getting tied in the ropes.

Liona throws Knight through the entrance (off camera) as Oku is taken into the corner for some hard shoulders to the ribs. Ricochet comes in to get the two count as Knight is finally starting to come back towards the ring. Oku gets beaten down in the corner again as the villains get to take more turns on him.

A missile dropkick finally gets Oku out of trouble and Knight is back up for the tag to start the comeback. Some uppercuts knock Liona down and a twisting splash gives Knight two. Back up and Kaun hits a heck of a clothesline, allowing Liona to come back in for a backsplash. Knight gets knocked into the tag off to Bailey for the rapid fire strikes and he avoids a backsplash.

It’s back to Oku for the moonsault as everything breaks down. Liona tosses Jet Speed without much trouble but Oku is back up. We get the parade of knockdowns and Ricochet kicks at Bailey, who moonsaults onto the Gates on the floor. Back in and Oku half crabs Ricochet for the tap but the referee doesn’t see it. The Gates get back in for Galaxy Impact (double Doomsday Device) for the pin on Oku at 18:51.

Rating: B+. These six man tags have been the recurring theme of the weekend and this was another good one. That shouldn’t be a surprise as the people involved are rather good with Oku being more than talented enough to hang in there. The Gates were a good choice as well as they add in something different than just the same people flying around. Rather strong main event here.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a nice flashback to some of the better Supershows as it felt fun. That’s been missing a bit in recent years as this show isn’t supposed to be anything more than a fun night of wrestling. Adding in a bunch of surprises and having one match after another is a good thing and they made that work here. Stuff like Swoggle and Starman and the rather good tag matches made this work, as did having DeReiss as a surprise. I had a great time with this and it’s nice to be able to say that again.

Results
Thrasher/Swoggle b. Heath/Rhino – Rollup to Rhino
Love And Peace b. The StarMen, CPF and Mala Fama last eliminating Mala Fama
Mark Davis b. Masato Tanaka – Piledriver
The Swirl b. Subculture – Death Valley Driver/top rope double stomp combination to Webster
Team Beast b. Team Mancer – Spinning piledriver to Cleary
Bandido b. Galeno del Mal – 21 Plex
Man Like DeReiss b. Ethan Allen – 450
The Demand b. Michael Oku/Jet Speed – Galaxy Impact to Oku

 

 

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Progress Chapter 193: Las Vegas II
Date: April 16, 2026
Location: Horseshoe Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Joe Dombrowski, D’Lo Brown

We’re back in Las Vegas with the British promotion that you might have heard of before. I’ve only seen a bit from this place over the years so I’m not sure what to expect this time around. Believe it or not, the main event is for the World Title, which is a pretty safe way to go. Let’s get to it.

The opening video seems to be a standard one for the promotion rather than this show.

Subculture vs. Kuro/LJ Cleary

Kuro is a replacement for Tommy Tanner who isn’t here because…I’m guessing aliens. Cleary ties up Webster for two off la majistral and it’s off to Andrews for a change. Kuro snaps off a dropkick and faceplant to drop Andrews, who cuts him right back off. An inverted flipping backsplash gives Andrews two and it’s back to Cleary for a slam.

Cleary poses a bit and drops an elbow before sending Andrews into the corner. A dropkick into a leg trap Tombstone gets two, with Webster not getting in for the save. Andrews’ double Pele misses and everything breaks down. Clearly’s tornado DDT takes out Kuro by mistake and it’s a poisonrana/big boot combination to pin Cleary at 7:55.

Rating: C+. They had a quick but fine match with a story being told as well. The idea here was rather simple: Subculture are a regular team and know each other while Kuro and Cleary were thrown together and didn’t have the same chemistry. That’s more than I was expecting and the match wound up going pretty well. Subculture has done well almost every time I’ve seen them and that was the case again here.

Video on the Super Strong Style 16 tournament, which will have a men’s and women’s edition this year.

Simon Miller vs. Danny Jones

Miller works on a headlock to start and mocks Jones a bit. Jones gets low bridged to the floor, where he can slam the knee into the apron to take over. Back in and Jones chops him down before slapping the top of Miller’s head for some disrespect. Miller picks him up and puts him down with a belly to back suplex and the straps come down. Jones pulls him into a Falcon Arrow for two but takes WAY too long going up. Miller avoids a charge and hits a spear into the Jackhammer for the pin at 7:29.

Rating: C+. Miller is a rare case where he went from a celebrity to someone who was actually making a run out of an in-ring career. He’s not bad at all and works well as a power guy with some charisma. While I can’t imagine him getting much further than a star in Progress and similar promotions, he’s doing rather well with what he’s doing and that’s pretty impressive.

Super Strong Styles 16 First Round: Ethan Allen vs. Lio Rush

Rush is in full on Gollum mode and talks to himself in the corner at the opening bell. Allen goes after him and gets attacked in the corner but whips Rush in instead. Rush blocks a kick though and hits an enziguri to send Allen outside. That’s fine with Allen, who drops Rush hard onto the apron.

Back in and a kick to the back sets up Allen’s chinlock, with Allen punching him in the face to make it worse. Rush fights up and gets the speed going, with a flip into an enziguri dropping Allen for two more. Allen slaps on a quick rear naked choke before switching to a double arm crank. With nothing else working, Rush bites the rope to make the escape. Rush sends him outside and does his weird crawl thing, setting up a suicide dive. The Blue Thunder Bomb gives Rush the pin at 10:08.

Rating: C+. The more I see of Rush’s new character, the less necessary it seems to be. Rush is an athletic star and has a good look in the first place. This just makes him seem more goofy than anything else and that isn’t a good sign. Hopefully it doesn’t last long, though I have a bad feeling it is going to be around for the foreseeable future.

Emersyn Jayne vs. Lena Kross vs. Mercedes Martinez vs. Renee Michelle vs. Shotzi Blackheart

Jayne is “the Mother Teresa Of Workrate”. It’s a brawl to start of course and Blackheart is sent outside. She’s right back in to break up stereo delayed suplexes, followed by a dropkick to break up a Doomsday Device. We get a four way Devil’s Kiss until Martinez kicks them in the head to cut that off.

Kross gets to snap off some suplexes but Jayne takes over on Michelle. Back up and Michelle hits a dive, leaving Martinez to German superplex Jayne. Blackheart ties Martinez in the Tree Of Woe for a stomp but she’s right back with a spinebuster to Michelle. Jayne rolls Martinez up for the pin at 6:43.

Rating: C+. Take a bunch of people, put them in the ring at the same time and let them go nuts. There isn’t much else you can do for a match like this, though having five people in there rather than almost double that many is a nice relief. As usual, no one really got to stand out but there were some familiar names so at least it wasn’t a bunch of random spots from strangers.

Proteus Title: Paul Walter Hauser vs. Big Damo

Hauser (the actor) is defending and is putting up $100,000 for a bonus. In addition, Hauser has been champion for over a year but refuses to defend the title on British soil, making him a big heel for a change. Damo chases him to the floor but Hauser…slaps him, which doesn’t seem to be a good idea.

Some big forearms put Hauser down but a backsplash misses. Hauser’s rather weak chops just tick Damo off and he puts Hauser down with a single shot. A spinebuster and elbow give Damo two and he plants Hauser with a superplex. The gets pulled into the corner so Damo can crush him with a splash. Hauser gets in a low blow to retain the title at 6:48.

Rating: C. I remember Hauser winning the title last year and I’m kind of stunned to see him still holding the thing. If nothing else, making him a heel is quite the move and he did it well enough. Hauser isn’t a great worker or anything, but it’s cool to see him taking this seriously and trying something new. Not a great match, but I got what they were going for here.

Post match Hauser praises the American fans and mocks the British fans. Simon Miller, the former champion, shows up to chase Hauser back inside, where Damo gives him the Belfast Blitz. Then he does it again..and Miller goes to steal the $100,000. There’s no money in the suitcase though so Hauser gets hit in the head with the case.

Women’s Super Strong Style 16 First Round: Rhio vs. Vert Vixen

Rhio avoids a charge into the corner to start and they go out to the apron. A package piledriver doesn’t work so Rhio hits a belly to back suplex instead. Back in and Vixen takes her down for an early chinlock, followed by a choke in the corner. Rhio gets kicked out to the floor, where Vixen drops her again and poses a bit.

As usual that takes too long and Rhio is back with a dive to take over. They get back in and slug it out with Vixen getting the better of things, followed by a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Rhio’s MuscleBuster gets the same and a crossbody puts Vixen down again. A fireman’s carry backbreaker gives Rhio two but she still can’t hit the package piledriver. Vixen’s charge misses and now the package piledriver finishes for Rhio at 10:55.

Rating: B-. It’s no surprise that Rhio is on so many radars, as she checks a lot of boxes. She has the size, a nice look, and is a heck of an athlete. Having her move on is a smart idea as she seems like a favorite to win the whole tournament. Vixen is an interesting case as well, as she’s quite the star outside of AEW, which is a shame as she rarely gets a chance to do anything there.

Progress World Title: Michael Oku vs. Man Like DeReiss

Oku, with Amira, is challenging and DeReiss (with Brodie Lee Jr.) raps his way to the ring as usual. Oku dropkicks him in the corner at the bell, setting up a frog splash for two. A backdrop puts Oku down but he’s right back with something like a Sling Blade over the top. Back in and Oku grabs a snapmare but has to bail out on a top rope moonsault.

DeReiss knocks him down again though and an elbow to the face gets two. They trade shots for a double down and Lee slides in the title. DeReiss doesn’t want it that way so Amira goes after Oku. DeReiss has to save Lee from a half crab but misses Cool Runnings (450). Instead DeReiss kicks him into the corner for a very spinning Blue Thunder Bomb.

Oku escapes a leg lock and gets the half crab, with Lee teasing throwing in the towel. That’s broken up and Oku sends DeReiss outside, setting up the Fosbury Flop. Back in and DeReiss pulls a dive out of the air for a swinging Downward Spiral, setting up Cool Runnings for two. A piledriver gets two more and DeReiss Sharpshooters him to retain at 13:46.

Rating: B. This was more like it, as it came off like a main event World Title showdown between two rather talented wrestlers. You don’t get to see that very often, and it’s nice to see DeReiss being able to back up his cool entrance in the ring. Oku is slowly growing on me and his in-ring abilities are more than good enough to keep him around for a long while to come. Good main event here.

Post match Lee makes amends with Oku and Amira. DeReiss celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. As usual, Progress puts on a good show with a solid main event and enough hard work from a talented roster. It’s not a classic or anything (though the main event is worth a look) but for a show that runs just over two hours, it’s worth your time. I could go for more of Progress, as they’re always worth a look when they come stateside.

Results
Subculture b. Kuro/LJ Cleary – Big boot/poisonrana combination to Cleary
Simon Miller b. Danny Jones – Jackhammer
Lio Rush b. Ethan Allen – Blue Thunder Bomb
Emersyn Jayne b. Lena Kross, Mercedes Martinez, Renee Michelle and Shotzi Blackheart – Rollup to Martinez
Paul Walter Hauser b. Big Damo – Low blow
Rhio b. Vert Vixen – Package piledriver
Man Like DeReiss b. Michael Oku – Sharpshooter

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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