Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Oct 27, 2016 15:23:02 GMT -6
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THE WEEK IN BRITISH WRESTLING: IT’S FOLEY OUT, BALOR IN FOR ICW’S BIG NIGHT
BY ALAN BOON | @indysleaze | OCT 27, 2016 1:31 PM
Before we get on with this week’s column -- I’d like to say a few words. This is the 50th installment of The Week In British Wrestling, a momentous achievement for something that began on a whim.
It wouldn’t be possible without the help of a ton of people -- sites like Hashtag Wrestling and WrestleRopes who gather in results, photographers like Rob Brazier, Jim Maitland, David J. Wilson, and countless others, and spies on the ground like Ben Corrigan, John Lister, Martin Bentley, and Daniel Richardson (and more), as well as those promotions who’ve encouraged and embellished when asked! Thanks, this wouldn’t exist without you all.
Now having said that, here’s five things you need to know about British wrestling this week:
1) Dunne survived Fight Club: PRO’s big weekend -- but Havoc left with the belt
One promotion who’ve ridden the wave of British wrestling’s revival in a cool, understated way has been Fight Club: PRO, and they capped a recent run of critically-acclaimed shows with a three-day weekend that saw them venture to Manchester for the first time in their seven-year history. The shows began with a double shot -- Pulp Fixxion, parts 1 & 2 -- at their regular home, the Fixxion Warehouse in Wolverhampton, a space above a nightclub that is perfect for their kind of grapple action.
New champion Pete Dunne headlined both nights, the first as part of a tag team with Mikey Whiplash against Trent Seven & Clint Margera, and the second in an outstanding battle with Seven, while Whiplash and Margera also clashed on night two in a brutal affair which was equal parts thrilling and terrifying to watch.
Dunne survived his bout with Seven with his title intact, and travelled to Manchester for Breaking Into Heaven to face Margera, who he beat with help from Margera’s nemesis Chris Brookes. Cue Jimmy Havoc, making his return to FCP after a year away, who delivered an Acid Rainmaker to Brookes and left with Dunne’s title belt.
The promotion were joined for the tour by some friends from CHIKARA Pro-Wrestling as Fire Ant and Kimber Lee competed on all three nights, joined by the not-at-all-Fire-Ant-and-Kimber-Lee Orange Cassidy and Ashley Valentine in Manchester.
Kimber Lee faced off with Nixon Newell and Kay Lee Ray on night one -- and those two also fought on night two, their match turning into a dance contest between surrogates and then fought Brookes on night two. She finished with Newell in Manchester before definitely not, oh no, switching into her alter ego to face the Hunter Brothers on that same show.
Fire Ant had a tough weekend, losing to Dan Moloney and Chris Brookes, but beating Travis Banks (who is on the losing streak of all losing streaks), and that same series of results was also experienced by Shane Strickland, in for the WWE-busy Drew Gulak, who received a “please come back” chant from the Fixxion fans.
The tour also saw TK Cooper make his FCP debut, and you’ll be able to see everything on their On Demand channel soon. Fight Club: PRO return to Wolverhampton on November 25th for Infinity 2016.
2) It’s Foley out, Balor in for ICW’s big night
With just three weeks to go until the biggest night in British independent wrestling ever, Insane Championship Wrestling did the final preparations for their huge Fear & Loathing IX show at the Hydro in Glasgow on November 20th by staging one final Friday Night Fight Club taping at The Garage, also in Glasgow, last Sunday.
The show was kicked off by an appearance by Mark Dallas, who will battle Red Lightning for control of the company at F&L through a team of surrogates. Dallas had bad news -- Mick Foley, who was due to be a special enforcer for that match, was needed by the WWE for Survivor Series, held that same night. When Red Lightning and Jack Jester came to the ring to gloat, Dallas revealed he had a replacement -- former ICW Zero-G Champion Finn Balor!
The members of each men's teams were finalized at the tapings, with Red Lightning choosing Bram and Drew Galloway to join Jester and Kid Fite, and Dallas announcing that Chris Renfrew would be joined by DCT, Sha Samuels, and Grado. The latter three wrestled in the main event -- against The Marauders (Iestyn Rees, Mike Bird, & Wild Boar) -- thanks to interference by Jester and Kid Fite.
Chris Renfrew stormed the ring afterwards, and he and Grado fought, with Renfrew telling Dallas that they couldn’t be part of the same team. This is the sort of drama that ICW fans eat up!
Elsewhere on the show -- which also featured wins for Andy Wild and Jackie Polo, and a clash between Viper and Carmel -- Lewis Girvan beat Kenny Williams to earn a shot at Ricochet at F&L, Liam Thomson pinned Chris Ridgeway to qualify for the Stairway To Heaven match for the Zero-G title at the same show, and The New Age Kliq defeated the Filthy Generation, which enabled BT Gunn to choose a casket match as the stipulation for his match with Stevie Boy at the Hydro.
The action from this show -- and more -- will soon be available on ICW On Demand (as well as the Fight Network in the US and Canada), and ICW embark on a UK tour which visits Sheffield, Southampton, and Bristol this weekend.
3) Scott Star is the future of IPW:UK -- and The Amazon is Head Girl
International Pro-Wrestling: UK ran an interesting double shot this past weekend in two of their regular towns in Kent. On Saturday in Selsdon, they staged their annual Future 8 tournament, won last year by Sammy Smooth, who has gone onto to challenge for IPW:UK’s big title on several occasions this year, and Smooth was back in the field -- and defending his IPW:UK All-England Championship throughout.
The first round saw Smooth beat Cieran Donnelly, as well as wins for Robbie X, Maverick Mayhew, and Scott Star (over Kyle Ashmore, Connor Hunter, and Danny Duggan, respectively). Those four moved onto the semifinals, and the upshot of that was a final in which Star beat Smooth to win the tournament and become the new All-England Champion. Not a bad night’s work!
On Sunday, attention turned to the White Oak Leisure Centre in Swanley, where the promotion presented a Women’s Showcase, featuring a mini-tournament and headlined by a tag team clash which saw the Queens of Wrestling (Pollyanna & regular partner Katie Harvey) defeat Loud & Dangerous (Rhia O’Reilly & a resurgent Jetta).
The tournament was won by The Amazon, who will now be after IPW:UK Women’s Champion Mickie James, who beat Xia Brookside (daughter of British veteran Robbie) in the final, after Brookside had upset the more experienced Erin James in her semi.
The action was augmented by a match between former IPW:UK Women’s Champion Tennessee Honey and Nightshade, refereed by former WWE star Melina, and by a men’s scrum won by Fentos, and an intergender 10000 Peso Challenge in which Cuban Heat beat Chakara.
IPW:UK return on November 6th in Tonbridge with former-WWE star Aldo Rose, and you can see all their shows on their On Demand service.
4) Pro-Wrestling Legion crowned a new King Of The North
2016 has seen a number of smaller promotions pop up in provincial towns and bring some of the best of the UK graps scene to thirsty crowds looking for something a little different than the usual touring shows. The latest to join their number is Pro-Wrestling Legion, who debuted at the Live Rooms in Chester last Saturday.
Their first outing, a show built around crowning the first, eponymous King Of The North, brought in some of the north west’s finest, and augmented them with some visitors from down south, graduates (and one teacher) from PROGRESS Wrestling ProJo. At the end of it all, Barrow’s Chris Ridgeway (now domiciled in Liverpool) held the winner’s scepter high, though it wasn’t without controversy.
Ridgeway had earlier won a qualifying match to enter the headlining 10-man battle royal, and was joined by Matt Fox, Damon Moser, Sean Only, Ethan Silver, Darrell Allen, Earl Black Jr, Lucha DS, ACRO, and Ellis Barker (with some notable names such as “Bodyguy” Roy Johnson, Dylan Roberts, Chuck Mambo, Jack Sexsmith, and Drew Parker falling by the wayside), and those 10 battled until just Ridgeway and Moser were left standing.
At that point a melee involving eliminated wrestlers broke out, during which Moser threw Ridgeway to the floor and thought he’d claimed the big prize.
However, PWL Senate Representative (which makes a change from “general manager”) Carl Brutus came to the ring and declared that Moser and Ridgeway should re-start the match, which would only be ended when one scored a fall over the other. Ridgeway duly pinned Moser and was named champion, although the southern visitors were far from happy.
Also on the show, Ravie Davie beat Drill, and Mariah Castle defeated Nicola Hyde, and Pro-Wrestling Legion are expecting to announce their second show very soon. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for details.
5) Bubblegum is Absolute-ly the best (and other stuff)
Skarlett won the Extreme World Wrestling title from Philip Bateman -- better known as Curve of the New Breed -- in a loser must retire match at the promotion’s Invasion Of The Bodysnatchers VI in Hastings last Saturday, signaling the end of Bateman’s career.
The show was opened by a clash of the flyers, experience against youth, as Jody Fleisch beat Lance Lawrence, and also featured EWW title action in both the women’s and tag team divisions, where Nightshade (over Erin Angel) and Critical Mass (who defeated Eden) kept their belts.
The opening salvos from Absolute Wrestling reached their crescendo last Saturday when the promotion presented Absolution at the Linskill Centre in North Shields, and crowned their first champion.
At the end of a tournament which had also featured Tyler Bate, Chris Ridgeway, Liam Lazarus, CJ Banks, James Drake, and Zack Gibson, four men were left: Rampage Brown, HT Drake, Martin Kirby, and Bubblegum, and it was the rascal that picked up the win -- and the Absolute Supreme Heavyweight title -- after beating Rampage Brown in the final.
In non-tournament action, ICW Heavyweight Champion Wolfgang beat Joey Hayes, The New Nation -- who will be making their PROGRESS Wrestling debut this weekend -- defeated Liam Lazarus & Matt Myers, and the promotion began the process of crowning a Queen Of The North when Little Miss Roxxy beat April Davids by reverse decision.
Absolute are back on December 11th with Pride Of The North, again at the Linskill Centre.
Finally, a historical night at the Resistance Gallery in Bethnal Green was topped by eternal loser Jerry Bakewell capturing the Lucha Britannia title from Lord Jonathan Windsor, in a match which also featured the evil clown, Payaso Pesadilla.
The night also saw the debut of the evil peacock Pavo Real, a win for the Girl Power team of Diablesa Rosa (who received a tryout at the WWE Performance Centre this month) & “Fug’etta,” and a second King of Lucha Chaos crown for Lagarta de Plata. The weirdness continues on the third Friday of every month.
THE WEEK IN BRITISH WRESTLING: IT’S FOLEY OUT, BALOR IN FOR ICW’S BIG NIGHT
BY ALAN BOON | @indysleaze | OCT 27, 2016 1:31 PM
Before we get on with this week’s column -- I’d like to say a few words. This is the 50th installment of The Week In British Wrestling, a momentous achievement for something that began on a whim.
It wouldn’t be possible without the help of a ton of people -- sites like Hashtag Wrestling and WrestleRopes who gather in results, photographers like Rob Brazier, Jim Maitland, David J. Wilson, and countless others, and spies on the ground like Ben Corrigan, John Lister, Martin Bentley, and Daniel Richardson (and more), as well as those promotions who’ve encouraged and embellished when asked! Thanks, this wouldn’t exist without you all.
Now having said that, here’s five things you need to know about British wrestling this week:
1) Dunne survived Fight Club: PRO’s big weekend -- but Havoc left with the belt
One promotion who’ve ridden the wave of British wrestling’s revival in a cool, understated way has been Fight Club: PRO, and they capped a recent run of critically-acclaimed shows with a three-day weekend that saw them venture to Manchester for the first time in their seven-year history. The shows began with a double shot -- Pulp Fixxion, parts 1 & 2 -- at their regular home, the Fixxion Warehouse in Wolverhampton, a space above a nightclub that is perfect for their kind of grapple action.
New champion Pete Dunne headlined both nights, the first as part of a tag team with Mikey Whiplash against Trent Seven & Clint Margera, and the second in an outstanding battle with Seven, while Whiplash and Margera also clashed on night two in a brutal affair which was equal parts thrilling and terrifying to watch.
Dunne survived his bout with Seven with his title intact, and travelled to Manchester for Breaking Into Heaven to face Margera, who he beat with help from Margera’s nemesis Chris Brookes. Cue Jimmy Havoc, making his return to FCP after a year away, who delivered an Acid Rainmaker to Brookes and left with Dunne’s title belt.
The promotion were joined for the tour by some friends from CHIKARA Pro-Wrestling as Fire Ant and Kimber Lee competed on all three nights, joined by the not-at-all-Fire-Ant-and-Kimber-Lee Orange Cassidy and Ashley Valentine in Manchester.
Kimber Lee faced off with Nixon Newell and Kay Lee Ray on night one -- and those two also fought on night two, their match turning into a dance contest between surrogates and then fought Brookes on night two. She finished with Newell in Manchester before definitely not, oh no, switching into her alter ego to face the Hunter Brothers on that same show.
Fire Ant had a tough weekend, losing to Dan Moloney and Chris Brookes, but beating Travis Banks (who is on the losing streak of all losing streaks), and that same series of results was also experienced by Shane Strickland, in for the WWE-busy Drew Gulak, who received a “please come back” chant from the Fixxion fans.
The tour also saw TK Cooper make his FCP debut, and you’ll be able to see everything on their On Demand channel soon. Fight Club: PRO return to Wolverhampton on November 25th for Infinity 2016.
2) It’s Foley out, Balor in for ICW’s big night
With just three weeks to go until the biggest night in British independent wrestling ever, Insane Championship Wrestling did the final preparations for their huge Fear & Loathing IX show at the Hydro in Glasgow on November 20th by staging one final Friday Night Fight Club taping at The Garage, also in Glasgow, last Sunday.
The show was kicked off by an appearance by Mark Dallas, who will battle Red Lightning for control of the company at F&L through a team of surrogates. Dallas had bad news -- Mick Foley, who was due to be a special enforcer for that match, was needed by the WWE for Survivor Series, held that same night. When Red Lightning and Jack Jester came to the ring to gloat, Dallas revealed he had a replacement -- former ICW Zero-G Champion Finn Balor!
The members of each men's teams were finalized at the tapings, with Red Lightning choosing Bram and Drew Galloway to join Jester and Kid Fite, and Dallas announcing that Chris Renfrew would be joined by DCT, Sha Samuels, and Grado. The latter three wrestled in the main event -- against The Marauders (Iestyn Rees, Mike Bird, & Wild Boar) -- thanks to interference by Jester and Kid Fite.
Chris Renfrew stormed the ring afterwards, and he and Grado fought, with Renfrew telling Dallas that they couldn’t be part of the same team. This is the sort of drama that ICW fans eat up!
Elsewhere on the show -- which also featured wins for Andy Wild and Jackie Polo, and a clash between Viper and Carmel -- Lewis Girvan beat Kenny Williams to earn a shot at Ricochet at F&L, Liam Thomson pinned Chris Ridgeway to qualify for the Stairway To Heaven match for the Zero-G title at the same show, and The New Age Kliq defeated the Filthy Generation, which enabled BT Gunn to choose a casket match as the stipulation for his match with Stevie Boy at the Hydro.
The action from this show -- and more -- will soon be available on ICW On Demand (as well as the Fight Network in the US and Canada), and ICW embark on a UK tour which visits Sheffield, Southampton, and Bristol this weekend.
3) Scott Star is the future of IPW:UK -- and The Amazon is Head Girl
International Pro-Wrestling: UK ran an interesting double shot this past weekend in two of their regular towns in Kent. On Saturday in Selsdon, they staged their annual Future 8 tournament, won last year by Sammy Smooth, who has gone onto to challenge for IPW:UK’s big title on several occasions this year, and Smooth was back in the field -- and defending his IPW:UK All-England Championship throughout.
The first round saw Smooth beat Cieran Donnelly, as well as wins for Robbie X, Maverick Mayhew, and Scott Star (over Kyle Ashmore, Connor Hunter, and Danny Duggan, respectively). Those four moved onto the semifinals, and the upshot of that was a final in which Star beat Smooth to win the tournament and become the new All-England Champion. Not a bad night’s work!
On Sunday, attention turned to the White Oak Leisure Centre in Swanley, where the promotion presented a Women’s Showcase, featuring a mini-tournament and headlined by a tag team clash which saw the Queens of Wrestling (Pollyanna & regular partner Katie Harvey) defeat Loud & Dangerous (Rhia O’Reilly & a resurgent Jetta).
The tournament was won by The Amazon, who will now be after IPW:UK Women’s Champion Mickie James, who beat Xia Brookside (daughter of British veteran Robbie) in the final, after Brookside had upset the more experienced Erin James in her semi.
The action was augmented by a match between former IPW:UK Women’s Champion Tennessee Honey and Nightshade, refereed by former WWE star Melina, and by a men’s scrum won by Fentos, and an intergender 10000 Peso Challenge in which Cuban Heat beat Chakara.
IPW:UK return on November 6th in Tonbridge with former-WWE star Aldo Rose, and you can see all their shows on their On Demand service.
4) Pro-Wrestling Legion crowned a new King Of The North
2016 has seen a number of smaller promotions pop up in provincial towns and bring some of the best of the UK graps scene to thirsty crowds looking for something a little different than the usual touring shows. The latest to join their number is Pro-Wrestling Legion, who debuted at the Live Rooms in Chester last Saturday.
Their first outing, a show built around crowning the first, eponymous King Of The North, brought in some of the north west’s finest, and augmented them with some visitors from down south, graduates (and one teacher) from PROGRESS Wrestling ProJo. At the end of it all, Barrow’s Chris Ridgeway (now domiciled in Liverpool) held the winner’s scepter high, though it wasn’t without controversy.
Ridgeway had earlier won a qualifying match to enter the headlining 10-man battle royal, and was joined by Matt Fox, Damon Moser, Sean Only, Ethan Silver, Darrell Allen, Earl Black Jr, Lucha DS, ACRO, and Ellis Barker (with some notable names such as “Bodyguy” Roy Johnson, Dylan Roberts, Chuck Mambo, Jack Sexsmith, and Drew Parker falling by the wayside), and those 10 battled until just Ridgeway and Moser were left standing.
At that point a melee involving eliminated wrestlers broke out, during which Moser threw Ridgeway to the floor and thought he’d claimed the big prize.
However, PWL Senate Representative (which makes a change from “general manager”) Carl Brutus came to the ring and declared that Moser and Ridgeway should re-start the match, which would only be ended when one scored a fall over the other. Ridgeway duly pinned Moser and was named champion, although the southern visitors were far from happy.
Also on the show, Ravie Davie beat Drill, and Mariah Castle defeated Nicola Hyde, and Pro-Wrestling Legion are expecting to announce their second show very soon. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for details.
5) Bubblegum is Absolute-ly the best (and other stuff)
Skarlett won the Extreme World Wrestling title from Philip Bateman -- better known as Curve of the New Breed -- in a loser must retire match at the promotion’s Invasion Of The Bodysnatchers VI in Hastings last Saturday, signaling the end of Bateman’s career.
The show was opened by a clash of the flyers, experience against youth, as Jody Fleisch beat Lance Lawrence, and also featured EWW title action in both the women’s and tag team divisions, where Nightshade (over Erin Angel) and Critical Mass (who defeated Eden) kept their belts.
The opening salvos from Absolute Wrestling reached their crescendo last Saturday when the promotion presented Absolution at the Linskill Centre in North Shields, and crowned their first champion.
At the end of a tournament which had also featured Tyler Bate, Chris Ridgeway, Liam Lazarus, CJ Banks, James Drake, and Zack Gibson, four men were left: Rampage Brown, HT Drake, Martin Kirby, and Bubblegum, and it was the rascal that picked up the win -- and the Absolute Supreme Heavyweight title -- after beating Rampage Brown in the final.
In non-tournament action, ICW Heavyweight Champion Wolfgang beat Joey Hayes, The New Nation -- who will be making their PROGRESS Wrestling debut this weekend -- defeated Liam Lazarus & Matt Myers, and the promotion began the process of crowning a Queen Of The North when Little Miss Roxxy beat April Davids by reverse decision.
Absolute are back on December 11th with Pride Of The North, again at the Linskill Centre.
Finally, a historical night at the Resistance Gallery in Bethnal Green was topped by eternal loser Jerry Bakewell capturing the Lucha Britannia title from Lord Jonathan Windsor, in a match which also featured the evil clown, Payaso Pesadilla.
The night also saw the debut of the evil peacock Pavo Real, a win for the Girl Power team of Diablesa Rosa (who received a tryout at the WWE Performance Centre this month) & “Fug’etta,” and a second King of Lucha Chaos crown for Lagarta de Plata. The weirdness continues on the third Friday of every month.