On December 8th, 2025, I attended a Championship International Wrestling show in Toledo, OH with two of my closest friends. Being a longtime Upstate New York resident, I have attended my fair share of independent wrestling scene, but over the past several years I’ve been seeing the same wrestlers competing in different companies within a fifty mile radius of each other.
One of the performers on the show was Ashton Adonis. Adonis entered the show as the CIW Heavyweight Champion and was positioned as one of the top heels in the promotion. Adonis has been competing actively for Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) for over a year, and has appeared for ROH and AEW recently. Adonis stood out as one of the more seasoned and TV ready performers on the show. With the nickname “Astonishing” I was rather astonished by how well Adonis performs considering he’s been wrestling for just over two years.
At the show, Adonis lost the CIW Heavyweight Championship to Ren Jones in a steel cage match when his heel stablemates turned on him. Prior to the face turn, Adonis oozed heel tendencies and seems to be the kind of performer people could love to hate. However, his face turn promo afterward also showcased an ability to be a babyface and I’m sure the CIW crowd will rally behind him.
Now, admittedly, I haven’t seen much of Adonis in-ring. I’m a very passive OVW TV viewer in the sense that I’ll maybe have it on TV as background noise. In OVW, Adonis is part of the Trifecta teaming with Brandon Barretta to win the titles, and is associated with Jake Lawless and Anthony Catena.
I reached out to Adonis on X, and he was kind enough to pass along several matches to checkout. Similar to the Calvin Coco piece, I’ve never seen these matches and they are my genuine reaction good, bad or indifferent.
ASHTON ADONIS VS. ERIK SURGE – GREAT LAKES CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING
Surge backs Adonis into a corner to kickoff the match, but backs away cleanly as Adonis got into the ropes and goes to the apron to taunt the fans. Adonis backs Surge into a corner and delivers several kicks to the midsection. Adonis chops Surge, but Surge isn’t bothered by it and Adonis backs off, but delivers another chop that still doesn’t bother Surge. Surge picks Adonis up, but Adonis breaks free and continues to chop. Surge drops Adonis with one chop, but Adonis eye rakes Surge and grabs headlock control. Surge shoulder blocks Adonis coming off the ropes and hits a delayed vertical suplex. Adonis drops Surge face first onto the top turnbuckle and hits a running uppercut followed by a dropkick for a one count. Adonis mounts Surge to deliver right hands on the mat. Adonis ducks a strike and forearms Surge to the mat before taunting the fans. Adonis tries for a cover, but Surge kicks out at two. Adonis splashes onto Surge’s back a couple of times. Adonis chokes Surge while the referee is distracted.
Adonis keeps control by choking Surge over the middle rope. Adonis strikes Surge in the corner several times. Surge sends Adonis into the corner and backdrops Adonis. Adonis drops Surge throat first over the top rope and delivers a knee strike for a two count. Adonis keeps Surge on the mat with a sleeper. Surge elbows free and forearms Adonis a few times. Adonis hits a sit out bomb, but Surge kicks out at two. Adonis misses a springboard kick attempt. Surge elbows Adonis and avoids a splash in the corner. Surge clotheslines Adonis several times. Surge splashes Adonis in the corner followed by a sit out slam for a two count. Adonis eye rakes Surge and delivers a spinebuster followed by a kneeling superkick. Adonis comes off the ropes to deliver another kick to the head. Adonis waits in the corner and nails Surge with a running knee strike for a near fall. Adonis exposes his knee, but is met with a running elbow strike by Surge leading to a near fall.
They begin to trade strikes until Surge gets the advantage. Adonis comes off the ropes and is met with a headbutt. Surge is stopped by a throat chop. Surge avoids Adonis coming off the ropes and hits the Sky High for the clean win.
Bob’s Take: There wasn’t much of a slow period of the match as they progressed into the consistent action of the bout fairly quickly. Adonis presents himself a bit like an old-school heel, and that is something I appreciate. Adonis doesn’t rely on high spots to get over, but his offense is still hard hitting and interesting to keep viewers engaged. Surge is a good opponent for Adonis and it’s clear there is a level of chemistry between the two of them. The crowd remained engaged throughout the battle, as well. This is a quality match.
Match Rating: ***
PWK DOUBLE CROWN CHAMPION ASHTON ADONIS VS. TREY MIGUEL — PRO WRESTLING KING — MAY 31ST, 2025
Adonis controls Miguel with a waist lock, but Miguel quickly counters and takes Adonis down to the mat with wrist control. Adonis rolls through with a wrist lock of his own. Miguel complains to the referee to have Adonis let go of his arm, but Adonis refuses. They trade arm drags and they kip up to a standoff leading to the crowd chanting for both men. Miguel eye poke Adonis to fake out a handshake. Miguel jabs Adonis several times and stomps on Adonis foot to deliver a dropkick. Adonis uppercuts Miguel in the corner followed by an elbow strike. Adonis delivers a backbreaker and a twisting vertical suplex. Miguel bails to the floor to regroup. Miguel counters a suicide dive attempt with a cutter over the middle rope. Miguel grabs a fans championship and declares he’s the champion. Miguel back rakes Adonis a few times to maintain the advantage. Miguel sends Adonis into the ring post shoulder first. Miguel threatens a fan in the crowd to fight him. Adonis chops Miguel on the floor after Miguel realizes he can’t win the title by count-out. Miguel eye rakes Adonis and declares he’s going to blind Adonis. Miguel misses a chop and hits the ring post. Adonis strikes Miguel over the back. Miguel throat thrusts Adonis and drops Adonis onto the apron back first. Miguel covers, but Adonis kicks out at one.
Miguel mounts Adonis to deliver right hands on the mat. Miguel knee strikes Adonis for a two count. Miguel keeps Adonis on the mat with a sleeper. Adonis elbows Miguel, but Miguel locks in the sleeper again. Adonis breaks free with a swinging side slam onto Miguel. Adonis clotheslines Miguel followed by several jabs. Adonis nails Miguel with a kick and a springboard kick. Adonis pulls down his kneepad, but Miguel gets a rollup for a near fall. Miguel kicks Adonis several times and double stomps Adonis on the back. Miguel tries for a cover, but Adonis kicks out at two. Miguel misses a double stomp off the top and Adonis nails Miguel with a running forearm strike. Adonis has Miguel on his shoulders, but Miguel eye rakes free and kicks Adonis to get to the top rope and hits a double knee strike. Miguel covers, but Adonis kicks out at two. Miguel goes under the ring and grabs a kendo stick. The referee prevents Miguel from using the stick so Miguel pulls the referee by her ponytail. Adonis takes advantage to hit Miguel with a running high knee and pins Miguel for the win.
Bob’s Take: The dynamic of this match was not at all what I was expecting to see. I truly thought this was going to be an example of Adonis working as a heel against an underdog Miguel, but instead it was Miguel being a cocky, annoying heel and Adonis being the face defending his promotion from Miguel’s disrespect. It’s a good match and it didn’t feature major high spots from Miguel that may be expected. Adonis shined and got a clean win over Miguel, which is probably one of the biggest wins of his career to this point. It’s an entertaining match with good action, but their antics also kept me engaged throughout, too.
Match Rating: ***
PWK DOUBLE CROWN CHAMPION ASHTON ADONIS VS. MUSTAFA ALI — PRO WRESTLING KING — JUNE 28TH, 2025
The crowd is supportive of both men before the match begins. It looks like they are both working as faces, but Ali has a little bit more support than Adonis. They lockup, but break free and Ali plays to the crowd. Ali keeps wrist control on Adonis, but Adonis counters with one of his own. Ali shoulder blocks Adonis and they trade arm drags and leg sweeps. Adonis gets a two count as Ali bridges out of the cover, which the crowd acts as if they’ve never seen that before. Adonis shoulder blocks Ali and runs the ropes. Adonis taunts Ali by wiping sweat off his forehead as Ali sat on the mat bracing for a strike. Ali avoids Adonis in the corner and hits a running hurricanrana off the ropes to send Adonis into the corner. The crowd is heavily into Ali. Ali chops Adonis in the corner, but Adonis responds with a dropkick. Adonis chops Ali in the corner a few times. Adonis misses a charge in the corner and Ali kicks Adonis from the apron before hitting a rolling neckbreaker. Ali hits a standing moonsault for a one count. Ali dropkicks a seated Adonis from behind and controls Adonis with a sleeper. Adonis elbows free, but Ali cuts Adonis off with a forearm strike for a two count. Ali drops Adonis with an uppercut and keeps Adonis on the mat with a chin lock. Ali plants Adonis with a swinging neckbreaker.
Adonis avoids a suplex attempt, but Ali strikes Adonis. Adonis catches Ali coming off the ropes to hit a swinging side slam and both men are down for a moment. Adonis strikes Ali several times into the corner. Adonis avoids Ali and hits a springboard kick for a two count. Ali blocks a running knee strike. Ali locks in a Sharpshooter in the middle of the ring. Adonis reaches the ropes to break the hold. Adonis rams Ali into the apron back first. Ali chops Adonis and catches Adonis sliding on the apron to deliver a DDT on the floor. They return to the ring as Ali heads to the top rope. Ali misses a 450 splash and Adonis hits a running knee strike. They begin to trade strikes in the middle of the ring. They begin to trade a flurry of strikes in the middle of the ring. As they are brawling, another wrestler (I don’t know the name), enters and clotheslines both men causing the match to be thrown out. Ali and Adonis stand together in the corner saying the match will not end that way because the fans spent their hard earned money. Ali and Adonis fight the other two wrestlers. They take care of business quickly. Ali hits a 450 splash and pins one of the other wrestlers.
Bob’s Take: Okay, the finish is a complete cop out because of course Ali is not going to lose on an independent wrestling show. It’s one of my biggest pet peeves to have the singles matches end in an abrupt tag match to avoid doing a finish. Now, take that out of the equation this is honestly a great match. Ali and Adonis didn’t hold back and Ali put forth a great effort to make Adonis look good and be on his level. Focusing on Adonis it is pretty clear that his career is on the upward trend and he’s more than capable of keeping up with veteran stars.
Match Rating: ***1/2
PWK HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP ASHTON ADONIS VS. ELIJAH BURKE — PRO WRESTLING KING — AUGUST 29TH, 2025
They shake hands to show respect for each other at the start of the bout. Burke sidesteps a lockup and stalls for a moment. Burke backs Adonis into the ropes and into the corner. Burke cleanly breaks free from Adonis. Adonis backs Burke into a corner and also cleanly backs off. Burke keeps wrist control on Adonis, but Adonis rolls through and gets wrist control. Burke counters with a hammerlock, but Adonis counters quickly causing Burke to reach the ropes to get a break of the hold. Burke takes Adonis to the mat with a headlock. Adonis manages to counter with a headlock of his own. They continue to counter each other with headlocks, but Adonis keeps Burke on the mat. Burke shoulder blocks Adonis and hits an arm drag. Adonis responds with an arm drag and they dropkick each other leading to them sitting on the mat looking at each other. Burke wants a test of strength and they lockup in the middle of the ring. Adonis gets the advantage and drops Burke to his knees. Burke backs Adonis into a corner and chops Adonis. Burke forearms Adonis several times. Burke continues to chop Adonis, but Adonis battles back with chops and forearms in the corner.
Burke fakes Adonis out on a handshake with an eye poke and decks Adonis with a clothesline. Burke nails Adonis with a short arm clothesline. Burke knee drops Adonis and taunts the crowd. Adonis kicks out of a cover attempt at the count of one. Burke takes Adonis over with a snap suplex and a back suplex. Adonis strikes Burke a few times and kicks Burke into the corner. Burke chops Adonis in the corner. Burke strikes Adonis in the corner several times followed by body shots. Burke sends Adonis into a corner, but misses a splash and is met with a dropkick for a two count. Burke begs off in the corner as Adonis delivers strikes. Adonis chops Burke and sends Burke into the corner, but misses a splash. Burke dropkicks Adonis leading to a near fall. Burke keeps Adonis on the mat with a sleeper. Adonis elbows Burke to break free and sunset flips Burke for a two count. Burke clotheslines Adonis and taunts the crowd. Burke kicks Adonis in the midsection and leaps off the middle rope only to be caught and tossed overhead by Adonis. Adonis covers, but Burke kicks out at one.
Burke body strikes Adonis and backs him into a corner. Burke strikes Adonis on the top turnbuckle. Burke hooks Adonis for a superplex, but Adonis punches Burke and shoves Burke to the mat. Adonis climbs to the top rope hitting a flying clothesline. They begin to trade strikes from their knees. Adonis delivers a flurry of forearms and knee strikes Burke followed by a few clotheslines. Adonis comes off the ropes to deliver another clothesline. Adonis drives Burke down with a backbreaker and a sit out front suplex for a two count. Adonis has Burke on his shoulders, but Burke breaks free and hits a German suplex. Burke holds onto Adonis to hit a second German suplex. Burke refuses to let go and hits a third German suplex. Burke continues with a fourth German suplex. Burke tries for a fifth, but Adonis elbows Burke and hits a spinning sit out powerbomb for a near win. Adonis kicks Burke on the knee and delivers a running knee strike for another two count. Burke shoulder blocks Adonis and takes Adonis down to the mat to lock in a Sharpshooter, but Adonis doesn’t give in.
Burke prevents Adonis from reaching the ropes and puts an STF on Adonis, but Adonis is able to reach the ropes. Burke argues with the referee and gets shoved away. Burke sends Adonis across the ring after a few chops, and Adonis hits the corner chest first. Burke strikes Adonis into the corner and pulls down his kneepad. Burke waits in the corner, but Adonis avoids the attack and hits a leaping knee strike on Burke. Adonis crawls over for the cover, but Burke kicks out at two. Adonis lowers his kneepad, but Burke takes Adonis to the mat where Adonis surprises Burke with a cradle and picks up the win.
Bob’s Take: I honestly didn’t know what to expect from a 2025 Elijah Burke match, but this exceeded my expectations quite a bit. I thought it was very good match and Adonis looked great here. I like that Adonis doesn’t use the same moves every match as he pulled out some moves that hadn’t been used in any of the previous matches watched. It adds a level of freshness to his matches when it’s not repetitive, which I think can tend to happen in wrestling. These two battled and had a compelling competitive match. Burke worked very well in his veteran role and kept the crowd engaged with his crowd work. This is the kind of match that is only going to help Adonis.
Match Rating: ***1/2
Adonis has only been wrestling since August 2023, and there’s no denying that as he continues to compete and get more reps that he’s only going to get better. Adonis in such a short time is clearly capable of working and holding his own with established names. Now, in less than two years he’s getting opportunities with ROH. So, he’s clearly being noticed by the right people. Adonis continues to be a regular with OVW, which has been an established promotion for over twenty years and is available to be watched weekly on YouTube.
Ashton’s persona seems to be better geared towards being a heel, after all he is astonishing and it’s easy to play into that aspect and get the fans to dislike him. Especially with his match against Burke, Adonis can play the face role, but I think he excels at getting people to dislike him. Adonis should be a prime target to be used for NWA as his mixture of old school tendencies and modern day wrestling is a perfect blend for that brand. Adonis playing up the astonishing aspect of his gimmick can easily excel in major independent promotions and nationally televised companies
Along with appearing on OVW, Adonis can be found competing for Pro Wrestling King (Indiana), Frontier Elite Wrestling (Indiana), Emerge Wrestling (Indiana) and Championship International Wrestling (Ohio & Michigan).
To follow Adonis and his career growth, follow his X account HERE.
Thanks for reading.