Orange Crush has introduced ORANGE CRUSH CRITERION, a new free-to-watch series presenting a curated collection of professional wrestling matches from across the independent and international landscape. The first episode is now available through The Produce Network’s YouTube channel and brings together three bouts spanning different dates, performers, and styles.
The project is positioned as both a look back at matches Orange Crush has supported since 2019 and a showcase for the wrestlers who have been part of that journey. Orange Crush described the series as a selection of standout contests from its path toward founding PRODUCE for FREE, with an emphasis on bouts that range from major showcase matches to wilder and less frequently seen encounters.
Episode 1 features Billie Starkz vs. Janai Kai from May 1, 2021, Mad Dog Connelly vs. Manders from September 21, 2025, and Charles Mason vs. Everett Connors from July 3, 2021. The lineup offers a varied snapshot of the wrestlers and matchups that fit the series’ stated goal of revisiting notable work from its archive.
Orange Crush revisits its wrestling history
In announcing ORANGE CRUSH CRITERION, Orange Crush framed the collection around its investment in “the present and future of professional wrestling,” while also honoring the industry’s past. That balance is central to the concept behind an archive-driven series. Rather than limiting the project to a single promotion, era, or regional scene, the presentation is built to spotlight matches connected to a wider wrestling ecosystem.
For more background on this topic, read Mr. Iguana Thanks WWE Performance Center Staff After AAA Training Visit.
“Since 2019, Orange Crush has invested in the present and future of professional wrestling, while honoring it’s past. We are proud to present a curated selection of the best matches that we’ve supported on the long road to founding PRODUCE for FREE.”
The series title suggests a deliberate selection process rather than a chronological release of every match available. Orange Crush has specifically identified the featured bouts as some of the greatest, wildest, and, in certain cases, most rarely seen matches it has supported. That gives the series room to function as an accessible entry point for newer viewers and as a chance for longtime followers to revisit material that may not have remained widely available.
Professional wrestling’s modern viewing culture has increasingly been shaped by archives, streaming libraries, social video, and full-match releases. A match that once played in front of a live crowd can gain a considerably wider audience years later when it is placed in a curated format. ORANGE CRUSH CRITERION is entering that space with a format designed around the matches themselves and the performers involved.
Episode 1 brings together three distinct matchups
The opening installment begins with Billie Starkz against Janai Kai, recorded on May 1, 2021. Starkz has become one of the most recognizable young talents to emerge from the independent wrestling scene in recent years, while Kai’s striking-based presentation has made her a distinctive opponent across a range of promotions and events. Their inclusion gives the premiere a matchup featuring two wrestlers whose profiles have continued to develop well beyond the date of the contest.
The second match is Mad Dog Connelly vs. Manders from September 21, 2025. Both men are associated with physical, hard-hitting wrestling, making the bout a fitting representative of the “wildest” side of the collection described in Orange Crush’s announcement. The placement of a 2025 match alongside bouts from 2021 also establishes that CRITERION will not be tied to one particular period. Instead, the series can pull from different points in Orange Crush’s history as the archive grows.
Rounding out the debut episode is Charles Mason vs. Everett Connors from July 3, 2021. The match adds another chapter from the 2021 independent wrestling landscape, placing Mason and Connors in a release that is not built around a single wrestler or a single promotional brand. The three-match lineup is therefore broad by design: it includes different personalities, different match dates, and different corners of modern professional wrestling.
Episode 1 lineup
- Billie Starkz vs. Janai Kai — May 1, 2021
- Mad Dog Connelly vs. Manders — September 21, 2025
- Charles Mason vs. Everett Connors — July 3, 2021
No match results were included in the series announcement. The focus is on making the complete bouts available for audiences to watch through the first episode rather than presenting them simply as historical results.
A platform for wrestlers across the global scene
Orange Crush said ORANGE CRUSH CRITERION will feature stars associated with AEW, WWE, New Japan Pro Wrestling, Ring of Honor, CMLL, TNA, DDT, and numerous other promotions from around the world. The announcement does not identify future episodes, future matches, or specific wrestlers beyond the debut lineup. Still, the range of promotions named illustrates the intended scope of the series.
That approach reflects how frequently wrestlers now build their careers across multiple stages. A performer may first gain attention through independent events, appear for a regional or international promotion, and later reach a larger televised platform. In other cases, established names return to independent cards for special appearances and create matches that become important parts of their body of work. A curated archive can connect those different stages without requiring viewers to follow a rigid promotional boundary.
The inclusion of promotions from North America, Mexico, and Japan also speaks to the increasingly international nature of wrestling fandom. Fans often discover performers through clips, recommendations, or later career achievements, then seek out earlier matches to see how those wrestlers developed. Full-match releases can provide that context in a way that short highlights cannot. They preserve the pacing, crowd response, and in-ring progression that make a particular contest memorable.
For Orange Crush, the project also creates a direct avenue to revisit the matches it has backed and bring them to a free platform. Its reference to PRODUCE for FREE connects the series to a broader effort built around access. The first episode’s YouTube release means viewers can watch without the barrier of a separate paid subscription.
Why curated match releases matter
There is a difference between placing an entire archive online and selecting matches with a specific editorial purpose. A focused series can provide viewers with a clear starting point, particularly when the archive covers several years and involves wrestlers from many different promotions. The name CRITERION reinforces that the material is being presented as a considered collection rather than a random upload schedule.
It also gives Orange Crush the opportunity to pair matches from separate years in the same episode. The 2021 bouts involving Starkz, Kai, Mason, and Connors sit alongside the 2025 clash between Connelly and Manders, creating a release that is based on the character of the matches rather than when they happened. That can encourage viewers to look at wrestling history less as a linear sequence and more as an interconnected network of performances, rivalries, and developing talent.
For performers, archival visibility can be particularly valuable. Wrestlers’ earlier work is often difficult to locate after an event has passed, especially when a match took place outside the largest weekly television or pay-per-view platforms. Reintroducing those bouts in a free, organized series can put a spotlight on a key matchup long after the original event date.
The series may also appeal to fans who already know the names on the first episode but did not see these specific matches when they originally occurred. Starkz, Kai, Connelly, Manders, Mason, and Connors each bring different expectations to the ring, and placing them in one premiere gives the episode a broad range of independent wrestling identities.
ORANGE CRUSH CRITERION is now underway
With Episode 1 now available, ORANGE CRUSH CRITERION has officially begun its effort to collect and re-present matches from Orange Crush’s history. The first release establishes the essential framework: selected full matches, a mix of time periods, and wrestlers whose careers connect to multiple levels of the industry.
Orange Crush has not announced a release schedule or revealed the contents of Episode 2. It has, however, made clear that the series is intended to draw from a deep pool of matches involving talent connected with many of wrestling’s most prominent promotions as well as the wider global independent scene.
For now, the launch episode serves as the opening statement for the project. Billie Starkz vs. Janai Kai, Mad Dog Connelly vs. Manders, and Charles Mason vs. Everett Connors make up the first curated trio, setting the tone for a series devoted to preserving, revisiting, and freely sharing standout professional wrestling matches.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.