Ah the final day of the Collective. Where everyone is either still excited about the wrestling going on, or extremely burnt out watching all the wrestling that they’ve decided to consume. Not to worry, if you didn’t consume any of it on Saturday, I’m here to be your guide and tell you what to watch on the final day.
Didn’t check out days one or two yet? You can read about both days prior by clicking on whichever days link you want to read about. Read them both? Let me know on Twitter if you agreed with my thought process on the matches I chose.
Did I miss a match? Disagree? Think my opinions aren’t worth your time? Let me know about it all (@shawntaggart531).
So, let’s get cooking baby.
GCW – Effy’s Big Gay Brunch 4/2 11AM CST
The perfect Brunch show gets its perfect brunch slot. A very lighthearted affair, which makes everyone remember, you don’t always need to take wrestling so seriously.
Petty in Pink vs. Devon Monroe & Ace Perry vs. Ashton Starr & AC Mack vs. MSP This was a great way to get some talent in the ring together that just wanted to wrestle. It was great seeing MSP make their proper GCW debut in a show that is just so much about positivity it warms everyone’s heart. Some fun spots in this match, and some excellent back and forth. Petty in Pink is such a fun tag team to watch, and I’m glad they’ve reunited.
Allie Katch vs. Dirty Dango The same Dango that controlled his narrative a few nights before, came here and had some lighthearted fun with Allie Katch. Some great spots in this include Dango wanting Allie to run off with him and just forget about the match. When we all thought she was going to do so, a quick flurry of moves and a Heatseeker later, Allie was victorious in this fun match.
Mission Pro – Bangerz Only 4/2 3PM CST
This show was a love letter to womens wrestling. Thunder Rosa’s Mission Pro promotion was a part of the Collective and was one of the few all-womens wrestling shows of the weekend. Giving opportunity for a lot of these wrestlers to get a spotlight was a treat, as you can see they’re very good here.
Trish Adora vs. Thunder Rosa I’d be lying if this wasn’t the match I was most excited for when this card was announced. It’s good to see Adora get some shine during Mania weekend, even though I would’ve loved to see more from her. Rosa, the hometown girl from her adopted home of Texas couldn’t have been more over here. Just some great wrestling between two talented wrestlers.
LuFisto vs. Holidead (c) – Mission Pro Title Match; No Disqualifications The independent wrestling Hall of Famer LuFisto took on champion Holidead in a very fun back and forth plunder match that had the crowd excited. Rightfully so. This just played to both strengths very well, and it showcased why both are highly regarded in the industry. Always good to see both in the ring, even better when it’s against one another!
Unsanctioned Pro – Mulligan 4/2 7:30PM CST
What’s WrestleMania? Well, Unsanctioned Pro wanted to make you forget WrestleMania was even a thing and put out a solid card that had a lot of people excited, and happy that they made the right choice not to watch Mania (even if they did switch to see a certain Nightmare return).
“Speedball” Mike Bailey vs. Cole Radrick (c) – UP! Title Have I not yet gushed enough about the weekend Mike Bailey had? I think I did twice (you can find it on Independent Waters, and Hot Shakes and Hand Dogs), either way this was also another standout performance for Cole Radrick, who had such an excellent weekend of his own.
Kevin Giza vs. Alex Colon (c) – UP! Hardcore Title A short and loveable sprint that got everyone excited. Moves a plenty in a super-fast pace that woke up the crowd a bit here too. Everyone loved what they saw in this short match, that I don’t think people were disappointed it in being a little under 4 minutes. I wasn’t but this to me is what makes some hardcore matches great, the unpredictability and the fact that it can end at an instant.
Black Label Pro – Norm! 4/2 11:59PM CST
The final show of the collective, Norm (show named after the late Norm MacDonald). A tale of two shows that we talked about in detail on Independent Waters. This felt like a show that the talent, the fans, and everyone in between was just tired from the long weekend.
Bully Billie Starkz vs. Shazza McKenzie Ah Billie showing more of her heelish tendencies here in Black Label Pro, that was introduced to us at their show the previous weekend, In the Heights. Billie just wants to be taken seriously a bit more in the independent scene, and I think this showcased it, as she had a partner that could help her look legit with this personality change.
Anthony Greene vs. Alex Zayne vs. Blake Christian vs. Black Taurus This match brought the crowd back, after it seemed the exhaustion was kicking in. Everyone tired from the long weekend, yet there were some fun lighthearted spots here that got the crowd going again. Who doesn’t love seeing Black Taurus act like a bull? Just a fun match that had me excited.
That has been a look at all three days of The Collective. If you're interested in watching any of these shows, FITE still has the package up and available for purchase, which you can find here.