IWTV (Independent Wrestling TV) has become a revolutionary platform in professional wrestling. Before the internet was around, it was an uphill battle for independent wrestling promotions to get the exposure and attention they deserved. The boom of YouTube was a major step forward in the early 2010s, but the introduction of IWTV in 2017 has been a pivotal part of bringing independent wrestling to an all-time level of popularity. 2021 saw a lot of new promotions make their debut on the award-winning streaming service — which opened a window for a ton of potential great matches. Let’s take a look at the top five IWTV matches of the year.
Note: All of these matches can be found exclusively on IWTV and are not in order of best to worst.
Top IWTV Matches of 2021
Alex Shelley vs. Ruby Soho – IWTV Championship Match – Beyond Wrestling Fete Forever
Ruby Soho’s first independent wrestling match in over five years did NOT disappoint. In the opening contest of Fete Forever, Soho challenged Alex Shelley for the IWTV World Title.
Although I was surprised to see this match open the show, it did not disappoint. An overall fantastic display of both Shelley and Soho’s strengths all wrapped in an eleven-minute ball of fun.
Wheeler Yuta vs. Daniel Garcia – IWTV Championship Match – IWTV 100
Would you believe that two of AEW’s youngest and brightest stars went to a sixty-minute time limit draw in an IWTV Championship match only four months ago?
Well, it happened, and it was a marvel to see. Especially because things like this happen very rarely on the independent scene. Daniel Garcia and Wheeler Yuta beat the brakes off of each other and made sure that IWTV 100 was an event to remember.
Daniel Garcia vs. JD Drake – Limitless World Title Match – Limitless The Games We Play
Another spot on this list, another appearance by Daniel Garcia. Imagine my surprise.
Garcia was one of the “kings” of the independents this year for my money. His match with JD Drake from Limitless Wrestling’s May event stands out as a landmark moment for his advancement in 2021.
The match was exactly what you’d expect — just a hard-hitting war between two guys who, well, know how to hit hard. Personally, I wasn’t necessarily a big JD Drake fan until I saw this match and gained a whole new respect for him.
Daniel Makabe vs. Arik Royal – ACTION World Championship Match – ACTION Bangers Only 2
I had the pleasure of attending this match in person and it blew me away just as much when I rewatched it on IWTV.
This match was the third installment of the series between Daniel Makabe and Arik Royal – which is a rivalry that has expanded over three states total. Makabe played his underdog role to a tee, complimenting the powerhouse style of Royal. If you watched the other two matches between these two, there were multiple callbacks to those matches as well.
Masha Slamovich vs. Charli Evans – Beyond Wrestling Uncharted Territory Season 3 Episode 8
Masha Slamovich is basically incapable of having a bad professional wrestling match.
Slamovich is currently on a big independent wrestling run, making appearances in companies like Beyond, GCW, and JCW. Her run has mainly come in Beyond — where she’s competed in 20 matches for the promotion over a span of nine months.
Slamovich’s match with another young bright star, Charli Evans, stood out the most. The bout seems like it was plucked straight out of a Joshi promotion. With both women relying heavily on the stiff Japanese style of wrestling. It was a treat to see something like this, especially from women, being showcased on a big national independent wrestling stage in the United States.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world. As well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. Catch all of these matches and more indie wrestling promotions on IndependentWrestling.TV.
