5 Star Wrestling Review // 1st March 2018

The heavy weather caused major problems for 5 Star Wrestling this week, as they ventured to Northern Ireland for the first time in their history. The snow resulted in a reduced two hour show on Freesports, with 45 minutes worth of matches aired on various streaming services beforehand. This week's show saw Zack Gibson introduced the Real Wrestling Championship to the promotion on an edition of "Flash" Morgan Webster's The Modcast, before having to immediately defend the title against "The English Lion" Eddie Ryan, whilst Alberto El Patron made his debut in the promotion with a match against Jody Fleisch. But how did it all go down in Belfast? Lets take a look! 

Commentary - Greg Lambert & Joe Hendry 

Ring Announcer - Steve Lynskey 

Zack Gibson introduced the Real Wrestling Championship on The Modcast

The Modcast saw itself thrust into a main storyline this week, as Zack Gibson appeared and unveiled the Real Wrestling Championship. This segment went over similar ground as previous week's with Gibson going over his anti-American import stance. Honestly, I think Gibson is one of, if not the best, promo guys in the UK, but his story needs to evolve past the now pretty generic import disliker and onto something more specific, as I found myself tuning out a few times during this because it was very similar to what we've heard on the last four episodes. The same passion and delivery was there, but the content hasn't developed enough to hold my attention. Two highlights of Gibson's and Webster's interactions for me was Gibson referencing that Webster had had all of his set dropped and Flash's questioning about whether Gibson wanting British wrestling or himself on top, something which 5 Star should have been emphasising from the very beginning if they wanted him to remain a villain. The reveal of the title belt was underwhelming, with the belt being an exact copy of the one Jake Hager currently holds and I find the concept itself pretty cringey, with the idea being that only British wrestlers can compete for it, creating a weird underclass within the promotion. Eddie Ryan's interruption left the Janner way too exposed on the microphone as he has perhaps the least threatening voice in human history. Not exactly his fault, but it would perhaps be wise to find some to talk for him, if 5 Star plan on having Ryan involved in more promo segments. This all lead to a match between the pair being booked for the title, leaving the commentary team extremely confused about whether the Real Wrestling title was an officially sancionted belt and seemingly both taking on-air jabs at the ridiculousness of the situation. 

then...

5 Star Real Wrestling Championship // Eddie Ryan def. Zack Gibson (C) // Pinfall

Eddie Ryan became the second 5 Star Real Wrestling Champion in the titles first ever defence as he went over Zack Gibson with the George Cross. Looking past the numerous dumb booking decisions, Ryan vs. Gibson came out as a good match with the two most-pushed Brits in the promotion working together nicely throughout, putting on a well-paced match that built well to its conclusion. The base was some solid technical wrestling, with a good power vs. skill dynamic, as Gibson focused on Ryan's arm to set up for the Shankly Gates. Liverpool's Number 1 is one of the best at keep working a body part interesting, whilst Ryan has solid big man babyface selling, so this simplistic open worked rather well for the two. The pairs finishers were introduced with the best sequence of the match as they both escaped their opponent best move and then went back and forth with well-hit strikes into a superkick from Ryan. Past that moment I think the match lagged a little, although some nasty head kicks with wrist-control from Gibson looked tasty. All round a completely solid and enjoyable main event, that showed the Brits are more than capable of headlining an event when called upon. Despite all the time being put into Gibson, he's still to win a match in 5 Star and that's one of the major problems with the story, because if we don't see him win at all, not even cheap wins, then why are we supposed to stick around to watch him cut promos or buy into him as threat when put in the ring with top talent? 

After the match - Charlie Sterling and Adam Maxted hit the ring, putting boots to Eddie Ryan, before Bram was seen in the audience and Sterling & Maxted turned on Zack Gibson, with Bram getting in the ring and flipping off the children in the audience to close the show. More baffling booking from 5 Star, who are seemingly unable to learn from their mistakes. Why should I give a fuck about Sterling & Maxted turning on Gibson when they've only been affiliated for two weeks?

Alberto El Patron called out Jody Fleisch

Oh fuck, this segment was bad. I feel like that should be the start of a review of any 5 Star talking segment, because 9/10 out of ten (if they don't involve Zack Gibson) they've been poor to piss-poor. This was piss-poor. Alberto El Patron (who was subbing for Rey Mysterio and seemingly every other import as well) comes across as extremely passive aggressive on the microphone, takes unnecessary shots at WWE, which make no sense in front of family audience, most of which wouldn't have been there had former WWE guys been on the card. Surprisingly, that wasn't the main problem. The main problem was that there was so much time-filling and repetition that it got silly by the end. Alberto's rambling promo about Belfast kicked the ball rolling, but when he called out Jody Fleisch it somehow got worse. I don't think this was Fleisch's issue as he seemed mostly to following El Patron's lead. Bertie said the same thing about the crowd and asked if they wanted to see him vs. Fleisch about fifteen times, whilst also saying Belfast more times than anyone in history has said Belfast. It might not have been awful in the arena, but as a viewer at home this was excruciating. 

Alberto El Patron def. Jody Fleisch // Pinfall 

A diving double foot stomp with Jody Fleisch in the tree of woe position was enough to give Alberto El Patron a debut victory, at the end of a match that surpassed my expectations. Whilst like things like Fleisch getting booed by the Belfast crowd and El Patron doing the "Si Si" stuff despite working as the villain were minor annoyances, everything in this bout past El Patron throwing a tiny bit of beer over Fleisch was really rather good. The crowd brawling gave the bout some real energy as the action spilled out over the barricade, highlighted by Fleisch hitting a gorgeous moonsault off a separating wall. Two big spots on the floor, as Alberto hit a DDT on the ramp and a snap suplex on the floor, lifted the match from what could have felt quite throwaway into a genuinely interesting scrap, that held the audience's attention well. The best wrestling action came from a high intensity comeback sequence from the Phoenix, including a lovely jumping frankensteiner and a series of kicks and flips, whilst Fleisch also managed to evade the crossarmbreaker on a number of opportunities. Fleisch has been low-key one of the best things about 5 Star since it began on Freesports, so it was great to see him make the most of the opportunity that the weather and no-shows provided, hopefully he'll be rewards in the coming week's with more matches like this, whether in singles or with regular tag partner, El Ligero. 

After the match - Alberto El Patron got on the mic and showed respect to Jody Fleisch, whilst also taking a weird dig at WWE, by calling 5 Star a "real" wrestling company. Cringe. 

5 Star Tag Team Championship // Adam "Flex" Maxted & Charlie Sterling (C) def. Bonesaw & Damien Corvin // Pinfall 

I had high hopes for this one, as I'd enjoyed my limited exposure to Kings of the North and have heard rave reviews of their work in OTT in Ireland, whilst Max Money have proved to be one of the highlights for the promotion over the last few weeks. Therefore, I came out extremely disappointed with what was a rather dull and uninspired contest. A lot of this match felt like it was playing for time, which was the major theme of the show, as we saw very little of note across around 15 minutes. Sterling & Maxted controlled Bonesaw for a bit, then tried to leave, then continued to control, then there was a hot tag to Damien Corvin, which was cut off almost immediately, then Max Money controlled some more, then something happened and then the match was over with the referee seeming to count the pinfall for what looked like a false finish. That was basically it. Sterling & Maxted's heely cheating and distraction antics are all well and good, but I wasn't given nearly enough of the Kings of the North early on to help me stay interested through the rest of the bout, whilst there was also a weird lack of hope spots or fightback from either Bonesaw or Corvin. I'm not sure what happened here, especially when it came to the botched finish (which already looked awkward as fuck anyway) but it resulted in one of the dullest matches in recent memory. I hope both teams aren't judged by anyone on this effort, because all four are better than what they showed here. 

"Flash" Morgan Webster issued an open challenge, Big Grizzly answered 

The most high-profile match from the pre-show was presented as an open challenge from "Flash" Morgan Webster as he looked to get his first win in 5 Star. The segment, like most 5 Star segments, went on for much longer than was necessary (seriously, issue the challenge, someone comes out and then the match happens, everything else here wasn't needed), but both Webster and Grizzly looked comfortable and performed well in front of the audience. Grizzly, in particular, is a fun watch, for the simple fact that he has a thick Welsh accent and whilst the two arguing over who was more of a loser was a little lame, as the set-up for a match, two men who have yet to register a win facing off is not half bad.  

Big Grizzly def. "Flash" Morgan Webster // Pinfall

The match that followed as okay, but had a few moments that if they had paid off would have elevated the match to the next level. Stuff like Webster using the ringpost to fly into a rana that sent Grizzly into the barricade, which was a good idea on paper, but in practice ended up looking a bit scrappy and took me out of the match a bit. The story was sound stuff, using the power vs. speed dynamic, with Webster dodging and using Grizzly's momentum, with Flash getting the majority of the offence in, including a diving crossbody, front flip senton, tope conhilo and diving senton, all lovely. Grizzly got his first win in 5 Star with a Uranage slam to bring a solid match, that could've been tighter in places, to a close. Webster's winless run has been done before in PROGRESS to good effect and it seems that 5 Star are attempting to replicate that, whether it will eventually get over with the different audiences the company performs in front, I'm not totally convinced yet.

Brian Corr def. Dunkan Disorderly // Pinfall 

The best match from the pre-show came in the form of two debutants going head to head, as PWU's Brian Corr and OTT's Dunkan Disorderly put on a simplistic, but technically sound outing. The heel/face dynamic was clear, with Disorderly stalling a lot at the beginning, whilst Corr worked nicely from underneath. The crowd having being asked to move to the camera side before the match began meant they perhaps didn't get the reaction they deserved from the SSE Arena, but the two managed to build a nice little match that came to a head with a good solid back and forth chop sequence. Chuck in a nice rana and a beautiful match-winning moonsault from Corr and you've got a pleasing opening match, that whilst it didn't set the world on fire did exactly what it needed to do and did it well. 

HT Drake def. Matty Mayhem // Pinfall

Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear. Let's begin with the positives here. There was a nice technical start with Drake and Mayhem trading wristlocks and Drake's diving corkscrew senton that got the win was quite pretty. That's the end of the positives. This match fell so flat with the crowd, that even when the pair were at least trying to be creative, using the barricade on the outside, neither spot got a reaction and to be honest, a pop wouldn't have done much to stop either spot looking a bit of a mess. Actually, that's a good description for the match as a whole, as there was a number of moments that were a bit of a mess. The highlight was Joe Hendry audibly cringing on commentary as Mayhem took a horrible bump of what I can only describe as a thing, but there was also a bizarre walking/stomping version of a Headlock Driver and Drake catching Mayhem from a crossbody, only to hold him for a bit and then put him down to a verticle suplex. Perhaps the blood coming from Drake's ear effected the bout and the referee should've done much more to check on his well-being, but the bout playing out to complete indifference from the crowd and the sloppy action made for an uncomfortable watch at home.

Curtis Murray def. Russell Dempsey // Pinfall

Despite a slip by Curtis Murray early doors, this match developed into another solid outing, with some nice ideas spread throughout. The springboard flippy cutter situation that got the win for Murray was lovely stuff, whilst the two did well to stick to the basics and not get too ahead of themselves in the rest of the match, with the larger Russell Dempsey controlling most of the contest. This was my first exposure to either talent and it was clear to see that both have potential, but still have some way to go, with the match often having an unpolished feel to it, at times feeling disjointed. At times I was frustrated by Murray's bumping, which was a little over-exaggerated, not quite that gif. of Batista against Mark Henry, but certainly reminiscent of it.   

Also This Week 

- The Masters of Cool and Pure Dead Brilliant (minus Lou King Sharp) filled for time, with a few funny moments before Carlito & Chris Masters dispatched off Kid Fite and Krieger with the Master Lock and Backstabber respectively. 

- Joey Axl made BT Gunn tap out to Ayers Rock Lock, after Gunn had come out to confront the big Australian. 

ATPW Scale Rating // 3.10 out of 10 

Written by James Marston // @IAmNotAlanDale 

5 Star Wrestling [Live] Review // 15th February 2018

On 16th February 2018, 5 Star Wrestling came to us live from the Fly DSA Arena in Sheffield, England. Our main event for the evening saw a Teddy Long Special occur as the previously announced match of Rampage Brown against Rey Mysterio became a tag match with the additions of Zach Gibson & Rob Van Dam respectively. With action also featuring 5Star Tag Champions Max Money taking on the UK Hooligans, 5Star Champion Jake Hager taking on Ryan Hunter as well as Colt Cabana, Flash Morgan Webster and many more. It' not exactly controversial to state that 5Star have picked up a bit of reputation in the BritWres community, not necessarily a good one, but could they counter that and put on a show good enough to silence the doubters?

'Tango' Timm Wylie def. Ricky Knight Jr. // Pinfall

This was a reasonably standard face v heel, junior v heavyweight encounter but with some nice touches with Wylie using the tech fuck-ups that plagued the show right from the start to generate some heel heat, in fact considering the crowd was half not in the room and the other half were reasonably unresponsive, it must be said Wylie and Knight Jr. did a good job of actually getting people into the match. Extra points for Wyle using the Brian Danielson 'I have till five' shouts. Wylie would eventually get a pin with a Twisting Suplex Slam.

Matty Mayhem def. HT Drake and Anthony Young // Pinfall

Not much to comment on here really as this was 9 minutes of crowd-popping spot work, though I must commend them for actually never breaking down into the rotating singles match structure and keeping all three men in the ring practically for the entire match duration. Drake played the bigger lad in this throwing suplexes like no one's business, Young pulled off the night's second Danielson tribute by hitting Yes Kicks on both men, Mayhem hit a GTS, indie-galore. The finish came when Mayhem got a surprise reversal into a Paul Smackage on Drake. Nice stuff, did the job, got the crowd's energy up a bit.

So we opened on a shite promo from Jake Hager which left the crowd going '...k' only for it to be interrupted by a very good promo from Zach Gibson who railed on Hager for being dull and said he's the reason people are switching over to Takeshi's Castle. It was at this point the crowd started to wonder, 'do we like Gibson now? He's right and Hager's the bad guy. But Gibson's also the bad guy...what?' After Gibson left, Hager said he would defend his title, not against Gibson but against one of the UK's best talents. What do you bet this sets up the 'Hager beats up a jobber' story?

Joey Axl def. El Ligero // Submission

We come to part three of the evening's Danielson tribute as Ligero and Axl reinterpreted the classic 'you can't pin a ball' spot from when Daniel Bryan fought Tyson Kidd on Saturday Morning Slam. Beyond that glorious moment, this was a solid match with Ligero giving Axl his best match so far of the 5Star tour. The problem this match had was that it had to follow a laboured Hager promo (more on that later) and an ad-break so any excitement the crowd might have had from the dark matches had been lost by this point so it had to build it back up again. The finish came as Axl tapped out Ligero with the Ayers Rock Lock stretch muffler. Decent enough stuff.

Gibson would pop up again, attacking Rey Mysterio before his match with Rampage Brown, opening the door for Rob Van Dam to make the save, setting for our main event: Gibson & Brown vs Mysterio & Van Dam.

Eddie Ryan def. 'The Wrestling Vegan' Marcus Burke // Pinfall 

First off, Burke walking around the crowd shouting 'I am a vegan! Nooo meat!' was perfect character work, I got where he was coming from and Marcus, if you're ever back in Sheffield, hit me up, we can get some Avocado Wings from Make No Bones. The match itself was a little light on action as there seemed to be a lack of connection between both men thought Ryan, positioned as the top UK babyface of the roster was beloved of the younger fans in the audience. Worth mentioning: this match broke the Danielson tributes with instead Ryan entering with his lion mask and cape combo and Burke hitting a Tiger Driver for a good near fall suggesting a move to Tiger Mask tributes. Ryan eventually won with the Sitout Side Slam for the pin. During the match, Bram was at ringside in a baseball cap and what looked like one of those ponchos they give you at Splash Canyon at Drayton Manor.

Colt Cabana & Grado def. Carlito & Chris Masters // Pinfall

There was another edition of Morgan Webster's Modcast but before it could begin properly, the Masters of Cool interrupted, complaining that they wanted to make it an episode of Carlito's Cabana. Talking of cabanas, actual guest Colt Cabana turned up and was attacked by the Masters but Grado made the save. It wasn't entirely clear to the audience that this was a heel turn as the announcer came out during the ad-break to make sure we knew to boo Masters and Carlito and cheer Cabana and Grado. Luckily once the match began, the team known to many as Irn Jew made sure there was no doubt who to cheer for as they delivered an incredibly fun match, putting on not just the best match of the night but probably my favourite pure piece of entertainment from this entire tour thus far. They worked a simple tag structure but they peppered it with a lot of fun details and most importantly didn't outwear their welcome. It's harder to describe comedy focussed matches than pure wrestling as it's akin to explaining the joke but suffice to say, you won't see a more joyous moment this week than Grado trying to put the Master Lock on Chris Masters. The finish came as Carlito when to spit apple at Grado but he dodged, the apple hit Masters, Cabana pulled Carlito out of the ring opening up Masters for an R-Grado out of naewaer for the pin. Not exactly complicated but just good, clean fun plus Colt and Grado turning up were a genuine surprise and an extremely pleasant one at that.

5 Star Championship // Jake Hager (c) def. Ryan Hunter // Submission

Hager came out first to introduce his opponent, AOW regular Ryan Hunter. This was the standard 'heel champion beats up a jobber but occasionally the jobber does something close to a move which pisses off the champion so he drags out the match to beat the piss out of his opponent' match with Hunter being massively over in a way that you almost felt they could have put the title on him that night and the crowd might not have complained. It went on far too long, all things considered as the crowd weren't into it at all. Hager hit the Ankle Lock for an easy tapout.

Joe Hendry def. Big Grizzly // Pinfall

This match happened because Dave Mastiff and Big Grizzly called out Joe Hendry for hiding behind the commentary desk, so, of course, Mastiff took over on commentary because nothing says 'I'm calling you out' like then not wrestling and instead taking his job. A quick match with Grizzly playing the big man heel and Hendry working underneath till he got a good comeback and shocked the crowd by getting a pin off a Fallaway Slam. Hendry, Grizzly and Mastiff have enough charisma to make this work but this didn't really feel like it achieved much, especially if Hendry is going to stay behind the commentary desk for the foreseeable future.

PJ Black def. Flash Morgan Webster // Pinfall

This was probably the evening's best singles action as the former 3-time WWE Tag Team Champion took on the current ATTACK! Champion is a fast paced bout full of the signature high-flying action that both men are known for. The main things that hurt this match were a lack of time but also that the short snippets of commentary they played in the arena suggested that this was meant to be building the story of plucky underdog Webster seeking his first win in 5 Star yet they put him against Black who was just as over, especially amongst one very vocal group of children. It's not that Webster wasn't able to build sympathy nor Black incapable of working a good subtle heelish performance, more that especially in the arena, a lack of crowd support for the chosen hero hurts the storytelling. Perhaps they could have come out before all the matches and told us who to cheer for, it would have made things easier. Black got the pinfall victory off a Lionsault.

5 Star Tag Team Championship // Charlie Sterling & Adam Maxted (C) def. Roy Knight & Zak Knight // Pinfall

If there's one thing that I hope comes from this 5Star tour, it's more bookings for Charlie Sterling and Adam Maxted as they work well together, really showing a lot of tag team fundamentals and heel characteristics that a lot of people forget. It probably helps that the Hooligans were probably the most over thing on this entire show, well, if judging by the row or two behind me who all were constantly doing the 'hoo-hoo-hooligans' chant and as that was directly in my ear, I can't tell about anything else. They worked a good, solid tag match, making the crowd believe that there was a chance that Norwich's finest might take home the belts and making them all the more upset that they lost their chance due to a surprise roll-up. I did feel oddly sorry for Maxted early on as the Knights seemed to be throwing some particularly stiff-looking shots his way but I guess that is their style. Not much to add but still impressive that this far into the show they were still getting responses as fatigue had set in for this writer somewhere around Jake Hager's title match. Before the match, Pure Dead Brilliant (Kid Fite, Lou King Sharp & Krieger) would invade the ring and talk about once again being deprived of a match and issued a challenge for a tag match before the Hooligans scared them off. The lack of booking for these lads is a really bizarre storyline as they were some of the talents brought to the Press Conference announcing the roster, quite similar to their limiting of Jack Jester to pre-show or not at all this week. In kayfabe, why do it?

Rey Mysterio & Rob Van Dam vs. Zack Gibson & Rampage Brown // No Contest

By this point, it became quite difficult to actually see what was going on from floor level as a hoard of replica mask-wearing children had surrounded the ring, leaning over the barricade to see two true legends of the sport. They also seemed interested in their opponents, some pair of former WWF guys I think. The match worked an odd structure as they seemed to let Rey Mysterio and Rob Van Dam make their opponents look like fools for the longest time before they were able to cut off the faces, twice, because both men wanted to have their hot tag sequence. What worked very well about this match was the psychology behind the heels approach as they could see the crowd were waiting for Rey and RVD to hit their finishers so they knew to wait for them to try and use that to cut them off, making the crowd wait and hate them more each time they delayed their gratification. The faces did work hard to make their opponents look good, Rey, even if he's not quite as quick as he used to be, still is a damn sight better than most and it was a treat to get to see him. Rampage is a sure hand and a great, vicious performer though it really can't be said enough, Gibson is the best thing about 5Star, with every little action he does being used to push forward his agenda, especially with little details like pointing out to the referee about his opponent's breaking rules before using it as a distraction to break some of his own. The finish was a fascinating clusterfuck as after Rampage had taken a 619 and a Five Star Frog Splash, Gibson would pull the ref out of the ring and knock him out before Max Money came in to beat down Rey and RVD but Irn Jew would come in to even the odds, this would lead to a No Contest in theory but it wasn't entirely clear as after they'd sent the heels packing, the faces just raised each others hands and left, no actual bell, no referee response, just a 'let's hear it for Rey and RVD, ok bye everyone'. This did however feature the best moment of the show as after clearing out the heels, RVD seemingly got a bit confused and superkicked Grado out of the ring before trying to go for him while Cabana did the 'Chris Pratt calms the velociraptors' pose. Hilarious stuff. This wasn't necessarily a bad finish to a match but certainly, not exactly the most exciting high-point upon which to end an episode. But if it leads to Cabana and Grado challenging for the tag titles, I'm all-in.

Also this Week

There were some on-screen promos from Hager where Ryan turned up and challenged him for the title in Plymouth next week, that mysterious masked man who screamed about wrestling next week, Nathan Cruz spoke about how he wasn't wrestling but was there anyway to pick up a cheque because he bought an expensive watch with his cheque from last week and something from RVD, Rey and Irn Jew where the sound cut out so who knows what was said? Something about Twixes, probably.

Finally...

As a product, 5Star still has a long way to go with a lot of the book representing the same errors that overly sacrificial WWE booking has suffered from. As an arena spectacle, it is plagued with technical issues and feels empty in the arena spaces as you can hear the sound travel to the back of the room and get lost there. As a spectacle of wrestling, it has enough talent in its roster to put on a good show with obvious standouts like Gibson, Ligero & Webster really showing their talents in a larger arena setting and even certain talents like Carlito and Chris Masters surprisingly really showing up this week. As a wrestling show clearly for a family audience, it's harder to say it's a complete failure. It doesn't quite translate to the television perhaps as well as might be hoped but there was a sense of palpable excitement amongst the kids who crowded around the barrier to watch their favourites like Rey Mysterio, Rob Van Dam and interestingly enough, Eddie Ryan. Perhaps this really isn't designed to be a product for us, the overly informed snarkastic fans of the internet, maybe it's purely for the kids who either don't know or are willing to overlook the lack of reality. I don't know, it's hard to hate something that's so clearly trying to push beyond what it's capable of in the present yet at the same time, there's a certain air of content 'that'll do' to the overall presentation that equally it's very difficult to love. Also, where was Haskins?

Written By Jozef Raczka // @NotJoeRaczka

5 Star Wrestling Review // 8th February 2018

5 Star Wrestling's show on FreeSports was back for a second week, this time seeing the promotion return to Newcastle at the Metro Radio Arena. This week's episode featured Jake Hager receiving a shot at John Morrison's 5 Star Wrestling Championship, Rey Mysterio facing 5 Star Tap or Snap Champion Mark Haskins in a non-title match and Rob Van Dam seeking to gain some revenge on Zack Gibson as the two faced off one-on-one. Last week's show had been poorly received by most, surely this week couldn't be worse? Lets take a look. 

*No pics yet unfortunately because 5 Star hasn't published any at time of posting.

Jake Hager interrupted Zack Gibson

then...

Rob Van Dam def. Zack Gibson // Disqualification 

then...

5 Star Wrestling Championship // Jake Hager def. John Morrison (C) // Submission 

This week's main story continued to push RevPro's Zack Gibson as the promotions top Brit, as he was all over the show. First, he had a verbal confrontation with Jake Hager [Jack Swagger] about Americans and what have you, before losing to Rob Van Dam via disqualification after pushing the referee and refusing to let go of the Shankly Gates whilst in the ropes and then inserting himself into the main event and inadvertently causing Hager to win the 5 Star title from John Morrison with the Patriot Lock. Gibson's promo was along similar lines as last week, a worked shoot type deal ripping into the company for giving American's preferential treatment. Calling potential opponents "washed-up" is questionable, but it's difficult to question the energy that Gibson brings to the show which is often lacking in other areas. Some of the content about promoter Daniel Hinkels having a weird obsession with Hager, brought out the former WWE star, who said some things about some thing, mostly ripping on Britain for being a shithole. Not quite sure what the aim of this thing was and the lack of back and forth hurt the segment on the whole. 

Gibson's match with Rob Van Dam was not good and it appeared like that had absolutely nothing to do with the efforts of Gibson. I'm not sure it even had anything to do with the efforts of RVD because he seemed willing, but seemingly not able to perform. Almost every move in the match looked awkward at best and laughably bad at worst, with Gibson having to work extra hard to get the former WWE Champion up for moves. There was the overhead arm drag/suplex situation that ended with both men sort of falling over leaving no real idea over who had actually hit the move and a monkey flip on the outside that lacked any power behind it whatsoever. A DQ finish is usually deflating, but here it felt like the match was being put out of its misery. It's sad to see RVD in this way at the moment and the fact that he's booked for future matches for 5 Star does not fill me with hope, especially when you can't even justify that he's a draw, because of the sheer amount of empty seats in the arena, including some front row on camera side. 

Continuing the trend of shitty finishes in top matches, the main event saw Jake Hager win the 5 Star Championship from John Morrison, after Zack Gibson interfered once the referee had been knocked down. Gibson introduced the 5 Star title belt into the fray and after Morrison had sent Gibson to the outside, Hager took advantage, clanging the belt off Morrison's knee, before locking in the Patriot Lock to become the second 5 Star Champion via submission. The finish was moderately exciting in a hot mess, car crash kind of way, but after a handful of screwy finishes on the show having another in the main event was major overkill. The rest of the match was solid, but dull, with a crowd seemingly uninterested by either guy and seemingly a number of extra empty seats where people had decided to go home. The overall story of Swagger having counters for a number of Morrison's signature moves was nice and there was a good sequence into the Hager Bomb (please Greg Lambert or Joe Hendry start calling it this). Hager is a decent technician, but for me lacks that special something that makes him capable of being the figure head of a company. 

Rey Mysterio def. Mark Haskins // Disqualification

For the second week in a row, Rey Mysterio won his match by disqualification. This week's match with PROGESS' Mark Haskins was heating up nicely before Rampage Brown appeared, attacking Mysterio for the DQ and nailing a piledriver in the ring. That's three matches discussed so far and the third screwy finish. I understand the need to build storylines with weekly shows, but if all the matches end in interference or DQ to make another match for the next week, that then has a similar finish, then why is anyone supposed to be expected to invest in this product? That wasn't the only issue as the match had been pushed throughout the show as for Haskins' Tap or Snap Championship, a submission only strap, with Lambert and Hendry pushing the idea that Mysterio wasn't known for his submission prowess. This was switched just as the competitors made their entrances, with no explanation and the commentary team forced to flounder to come up with any reason whatsoever for this happening. Considering the finish, I'm not quite sure why the match couldn't have been for the belt, with only a few changes needed. The action was actually pretty good, apart from a sloppy rana on the floor, with the two connected nicely for a number of Haskins' signature sequences, whilst lifting the pace nicely. Free of the oppressive booking, Haskins and Mysterio could have a memorable match. 

5 Star Tag Team Championship // Charlie Sterling & Adam Maxted def. El Ligero & Jody Fleisch // Pinfall

After two semi-finals last week, 5 Star crowned their first Tag Team Champions this week as OTT's Charlie Sterling & IPW:UK's Adam Maxted, teaming as Max Money, got a victory over Defiant's El Ligero & ICW's Jody Fleisch with their tag finish, the Flex Account (Mid-rope dropkick into a spinebuster). This opened the show and was a sound way to bring the audience in, with lots of action as Ligero & Fleisch stayed on top for almost the whole match. The opening sequence with Fleisch out-manoeuvring Sterling was super slick and there was also a number of sweet double team moves thrown out there, especially in the closing stages. The story that Sterling & Maxted's power wasn't enough to match Ligero & Fleisch's pace was well defined with Max Money eventually resorting to underhanded tactics to gain any form of control. At points it was a little rough around the edges and there's some polishing that needs to be done by both teams, but at least all four guys was trying to entertain the audience and worked hard throughout the contest. We later found out in an interview with So Cal Val, that Max Money with defend the belts against the debuting UK Hooligans, Roy Knight & Zak Knight, next week. There was no reason given to why Knight & Knight were receiving a shot at the titles. 

Primate on the Modcast

then...

Joey Axl def. Morgan Webster // Submission 

This week saw the debut of chat show segment "The Modcast", based around the fact that ATTACK!'s Morgan Webster has his own podcast, with Defiant's Primate making his debut as the guest, before Joey Axl interrupted. Axl brawled with both men, before being challenged to a match by Webster, that concluded with Axl picking up the submission win with the Ayers Rock Lock. The chat show did not go particularly well, especially watching at home, as the set was embarrassing and I learnt nothing about Primate except that he is from Newcastle and happy to be there. The angle where Axl brawled with both was fine, even if these use of the set (which include a rack of clothes and chairs supposedly from someone's breakfast bar) ended up looking a bit shit. Having Webster challenge Axl to a match gave the audience a reason to come back after the break and the match itself was alright. Webster looked good on offence and sells well, but Axl appeared a step or two off pace at times. If we're to see another Modcast on the show hopefully it's got a bit more structure to it and allows the subject more time to get over an actual character or sell an ongoing feud.

Carlito & Chris Masters def. Dave Mastiff & Big Grizzly // Pinfall 

The teams that lost their semi-finals on the Liverpool show went head to head in Newcastle, with The Masters of Cool, Carlito & Chris Masters, going over RevPro's Dave Mastiff & Southside's Big Grizzly after Carlito pinned Grizzly with the Backstabber. The highlights of this came with Mastiff & Grizzly in control of Masters, mostly a sequence of moves in the corner that concluded with a cannonball from Mastiff, with big lads bringing some chaotic energy to their offence. Carlito's hot tag was flat for me and most of the audience it seems with both Masters of Cool being poorly cast in the babyface role, whilst Grizzly appeared to actually murder 17 time WWC Universal Champion when hitting a rolling fireman's carry slam. Seriously, that move looked horrible here. Making the babyface casting even more baffling, the Masters of Cool got the win when Master spat apple in Grizzly's face, leading into the Backstabber. Neither of the ex-WWE lads did all that much for me when they were with the fed and they do even less for me in this role.

Eddie Ryan def. PJ Black // Pinfall

Another impressive performance from PWC's Eddie Ryan this week as he picked up the victory over PJ Black with in one of the stronger matches on the show, with a variation of the Air Raid Crash. The crowd was quiet for most of it, but Black worked well in the heel role and managed to start getting some reaction in the second half of the contest, even if babyface commentator Greg Lambert no sold the underhanded tactics and kept saying both men were playing fairly. The story of Black's experience giving him the upperhand over a naive opponent was simple but worked for getting Ryan over as he managed to over power Black with a series of lovely suplexes. Black also pulled out a cute springboard moonsault, recovering well from the loose ropes to nail a good looking version of the move. This was a big victory, who mostly works in the Southwest and he's beginning to show why he's earned his spot on the show. He's certainly someone I'd like to see more of on the strength and potential of his matches with Black and Hager over the last two weeks. Later in the show, Hager interrupted Ryan as he was being interviewed by So Cal Val and whilst Hager's words had no correlation to what Ryan had actually being saying and the segment itself was trash, it will be interesting to see if Ryan gets a shot at the belt and I'd say that match is pretty much a lock for when the show rolls into Plymouth in two weeks time. Towards the end of the match, Bram was seen clearly front row, but this wasn't mentioned by the comms team and nothing actually happened.

BT Gunn def. Nathan Cruz // Pinfall

BT Gunn picked up his first victory in 5 Star, with a small package win over Nathan Cruz in a solid contest, with a weak finish. Cruz had cut a rambling promo about professionalism before the match, calling out Joe Hendry and talking a lot about his arse being exposed last week. Cruz attacking Gunn before the bell made sense as he sought revenge for Gunn bearing his arse last week. Even if the storyline was pretty lame, at least there was a storyline. The wrestling was all satisfactory, with both getting a stellar near fall as the pair wrestling a couple of nice sequences that saw Gunn come close with a rolling flatliner, before Cruz almost picked up the win with a double knee facebreaker. It was a shame that the small package that got the win looked awful, with it being unclear who's shoulders were supposed to be on the mat, because the call-back with Gunn pulling Cruz' tights down only to reveal Cruz had remembered to wear underwear this week actually made me chuckle and a good finishes would've pushed the match towards the match of the night spot. Still, it was one of the better matches on the show.

Rampage Brown def. Moose // Referee Stoppage

The referee of Rampage Brown vs. Moose had an absolute nightmare at the finish and pretty much ruined what could've been an impactful angle as Lambert and Hendry scrambled to explain what was going on. Basically, Brown attacked Moose before the match and then continued the assault in the ring, the bell rang, Brown hit a piledriver and the match seemed to be done, until the referee wouldn't let Brown cover him. Brown hit another piledriver, the ref refusing to count the pin and then called for a no contest. It was an utter fucking mess. The explanation from commentary made things worse after the break, explaining that the referee didn't award the match to Brown because "he didn't feel like he deserved to win". Just no, stop it. Surely, what happens is that the referee stops the match before the first piledriver, when it was clear Moose was out on his feet and the commentary team were discussing concussions, which is then followed up by Brown hitting a piledriver, to make him look like a real bastard and even more of a bastard when he comes back to hit another one moments later. A few tweaks and there was a really good angle in this, but the attention was on the wrong details and the referee seeming to botch his moment killed it. 

Also This Week

- ICW's Kid Fite and PBW's Lou King Sharp and Krieger kicked off when they found out they weren't booked again from So Cal Val, before heading out to the arena only to be removed by security wearing lime green.

- For the second week running a bloke holding a gas mask was shown standing outside the arena menacingly.

ATPW Scale Rating // 3.3/10

Interview // Zack Gibson

On Monday 8th January 2018, Across the Pond Wrestling was invited to a Press Conference to announce some big news about the forthcoming UK tour and weekly live shows being produced by 5 Star Wrestling, in conjunction with the digital TV Channel, Freesports. While at the event, we had an opportunity to speak to a man who if you know the UK scene, needs no introduction, a former ICW Zero G Champion, A former Futureshock Champion and one-half of the current Progress Tag Team Champions: Liverpool's Number One, Zack Gibson.

In the press conference just now and before, you've spoken about the need to bring in Imports to get in the casual audience but also the need to champion British Wrestling first and foremost, do you see that as the biggest aim coming out of 5 Star?

Yeah, pretty much I'm very outspoken about such things and mostly I just say what I think and it's started resonating with fans. I've taken this on as my own, little personal mission to make sure that all the boys are getting together. In the Q & A earlier, someone got cut off in the middle of asking about comraderie amongst the British lads and of course there is, we all wrestle up and down the country and are in the same or similar locker rooms day-in, day-out, throughout the year so of course we have comraderie and especially when it's a tour like this that's ambitious, 30 arenas back-to-back and three hours of live television a week and coming out of nowhere, not just starting with one hour and seeing how that goes we're just going arenas straight away, 3 hours straight away and that's a massive opportunity and we've got to make sure it benefits our lads. We've got something of an unofficial union and we're trying to make sure it's the right guys that get seen and as someone who's become a bit of a voice for the company, not the only voice but one of them, purely because they like the way I talk so I've been used for a bit of the press, with that direct link to the office, I've become a voice for the performers to the office and with Americans on the show, it's one of those things that divides between us, with wages, I'm sure you've heard this one million times before, it's not news, but someone like a Rey Mysterio is going to get paid more to come over, but he's coming to the British scene, that's what's hot at the moment, that's why they're coming here. It is something of a necessary evil. We need those names to connect to the mainstream audience who don't know us and haven't taken a chance, they'll take the chance on Mysterio or Rob Van Dam but when they come in, they'll see the young, hungry British talent that we have to offer and that's what they'll stay for and write about and follow through the shows. We need the big import names right now but a year from now, I hope it's going to be a very different story. Hopefully, 5Star is going to be the company to get us there. It's already changing, I went to New York and Boston with Progress and we were the imports, the stars, the American fans were going past their talent to talk to us so it's happening, it just needs to happen here on a national scale and hopefully this is the company to do it.

Having been part of ITV's World of Sport Special last year and ICW's Fear and Loathing show, you've done arena shows and television shows before, do you think that gives you an edge going into this venture?

Definitely, as far as experience goes for this, we've picked certain teams of lads that have some experience for this. I've already done TV for ITV and NGW but they were all pre-recorded so going live is new for me. I got kicked into a Christmas Tree on Good Morning, Britain but I don't think that counts (laughs). The arenas, I've already wrestled in them, I've already in fact wrestled for 5Star at the Echo Arena but you know, on that kind of larger, grander scale, it's going to take more than just good wrestling and that's where the passion in the British locker rooms is going to come into play, we're all hungry and we want this and people don't just want to see smooth sequences, they want the passion and the emotion, that's what sells at an arena level. Well, we don't know if you'll get that from the superstars but you'll certainly get it from us.

So the Zack Gibson character, Liverpool's Number One, it's not a stretch to call him a villainous character, are you worried that this campaign of championing British wrestling and delivering passionate performances that if confronted with an import talent who's just cashing their cheque, that you could end up accidentally becoming a fan-favourite?

Maybe but I'm very good at what I do (laughs), I'll find a way. No but it's a consideration and modern wrestling is very different and it's constantly changing, if you look at something like Batman, especially the Christian Bale films and Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker, he's the one that everyone's talking about, that they're buying the T-Shirt of, that they're dressing up as. The game has changed, it can't just be black and white, you have to expect that there'll be those who do what you want and cheer the faces, boo the heels but then there'll also be those that just cheer on the performers they enjoy and that's just the way things are changing and we've learnt we have to adapt to it.

So we know that not just colleagues but friends of yours like James Drake who's been part of the WWE UK scene and Jack Gallagher who's on 205 Live have either begun to or made the move to WWE. Is making it to the WWE a goal of yours or do you see the UK as beginning to present enough of an alternative to that?

Of course, when I started as a professional wrestler, my goal was the WWE, I think everyone's is and I don't think that will ever go away, I want to wrestle there, it's the best wrestling in the world, of course when I say that, it's because they've collected the best wrestlers (laughs) but I still want to get there, I'm still pushing for that but I haven't got blinkers on, I know it's always a long way off and if other opportunities present themselves, I want to take them and there could well be something to rival it, it could even be this if it takes off the way we want it to, the way we planned it to, you know, fast forward two years, ITV might come knocking again and we might have another new alternative, you just never know, the industry changes so fast but Ive gone on record to say I'd love to wrestle for the WWE, they are still the standard bearer and you see the British influence coming in more and more and I can see my spot there, I can physically see it. There's an outline and I can see how there's a spot I could fill, as you say, some of my friends are already there, I was at Jack's wedding and guys like James Drake, I couldn't be happier to see them succeed and hopefully one day, I'll join them.

You've performed for a good number of different UK companies: We already mentioned ICW & Progress but there's also groups like Rev Pro and Futureshock, a lot of these companies have their individual thing, what do you think makes 5Star unique, what can they offer that's different to an already stacked UK scene?

I think what's different is it is for the mainstream audience, you've got guys like me and Eddie Ryan but then you've also got Rey and Jake (Hager, FKA Jack Swagger), it has that cross-appeal. Other companies, even the bigger ones, have quite a niché appeal but ultimately, 5Star's style has yet to be defined, I can't necessarily answer that question yet. With Progress, they are punk rock pro-wrestling, you rock up to their show and you know what you're going to get and that's why they're so successful because what they put out is so incredible but it's also got this cohesion of style, ICW have their hardcore, almost ECW-throwback style, you know with them what they going to get. With 5Star, you're certainly going to get a big variety to the shows, you'll get high-flying, heavyweights, comedy, you'll get everything but it doesn't have one thing that defines it yet but two-three months down the line, that might be clearer. What will set us apart is that it can appeal to a bigger audience. It can bring a load more eyes on the British scene, people might come to one of our shows having never watched an Indie show before and go away and explore all the great wrestling that's out there and with us at the helm, we're not going to let this opportunity for the British scene pass us by and that can only be a good thing.

Article By Jozef Raczka (@NotJozefRaczka)

BritWres to Impress // PROGRESS // ICW // FutureShock [Nov. '17 Wk. 3]

Hot diggity dog, ATPW's weekly preview of British Wrestling is back and we're not messing around! With so many mid-week shows, I felt it was silly to keep calling this Ready for the Weekend, so after a quick Twitter poll...welcome to BritWres to Impress! Each and every Monday we'll be taking a look at three of the biggest shows across the week and around the British Isles. This week we're focusing on PROGRESS Wrestling Live at the Dome on Wednesday (15th Nov.) at The Dome in London, Insane Championship Wrestling's double header with France '98 on Saturday (18th) at The Garage in Glasgow and the massive Fear and Loathing X on Sunday (19th) at the SSE Hydro in the same city and FutureShock Wrestling Uproar 97 on Sunday at Stockport Masonic Hall in Stockport, Greater Manchester. 

*Disclaimer - All cards are subject to change*

Also This Week  

Saturday // 4FW Live! // Thatcham, Berkshire // 4fw-online.com

Sunday // ATTACK! Pro Wrestling SRVRSRSLY (This Time It Really Isn't a PPV Tie-In Event) // Cardiff // SOLD OUT

Sunday // 4FW Live! // Portishead, North Somerset // 4fw-online.com

Wednesday // PROGRESS Wrestling Live at the Dome // The Dome, London // www.tickettailor.com/all-tickets/15857/eb5f

Hot off the heels of Chapter 57: Enter Smiling in Manchester, PROGRESS returns to the Dome on Wednesday with a card mixing up and comers with some of the promotions top stars. 

The biggest match on the card features someone who has had a change of heart in recent months, that man is Eddie Dennis. At Chapter 57, Dennis cost former tag team partner Mark Andrews his PROGRESS World Championship match and on Wednesday, Dennis will have his first match with the company since breaking up FSU at Chapter 55: Chasing the Sun. His opponent? The exciting and likeable Chuck Mambo. The gnarly ass pro wrestling surfer might not have the best singles record in PROGRESS, but with The Dome behind him and Dennis' mind elsewhere there's always a chance he could off an upset. The powerful and angry Dennis will have a point to prove and will be looking to back up the points he made in an emotional promo video released last month, whether this will translate to a victory is yet to be seen, but this clash of styles as power and aggression takes on speed and good vibes will no doubt end up being a thoroughly entertaining affair. 

The last show at The Dome, Revelations of Divine Love, featured a Women's tournament that would eventually be won by Charli Evans. The Women's action continues on Wednesday with a pair of intriguing matches. Tournament standout, Millie McKenzie takes on a returning Laura Di Matteo, who hasn't been seen in PROGRESS since losing a Women's Championship match at Chapter 52: Vote Pies in July. The two have a similar intense style and with both women looking to make cases for future appearances, the bout has a boat-load of potential. Coming off a Chapter debut on Sunday, but still without a win to her name, Candyfloss takes on the debuting Nina Samuels, who is seen most regularly in Pro Wrestling: EVE. Whoever comes out on top will be walking away with their first win for PROGRESS and with the Women's roster getting more competitive each and every month, now is certainly the time to start chalking up some Ws! The two have met previously in EVE and Battle Pro Wrestling this year with Samuels currently 2-0 to the good.

The theme of returns continues when Damon Moser faces off with Roy Johnson. Both men are Projo trained but have made limited appearances in 2017 and will be looking to do everything to make sure that isn't the case in 2018. Expect this first time ever clash to be a rough and tumble scrap between two men with a point to prove. Elsewhere on the card, The Bhangra Knights (RJ Singh & Darrel Allen) are back to face the undefeated duo of Big T. Justice and the OJMO, whilst in further tag team action Connor Mills tags with Maverick Mayhew against Never Say Die (Alex Cupid & Dillion D'Angelo).

Saturday // Insane Championship Wrestling France '98 // Glasgow // ticketmaster.co.uk/search?tm_link=tm_header_search&user_input=ICW&q=ICW

Sunday // Insane Championship Wrestling Fear and Loathing X // Glasgow // ticketmaster.co.uk/search?tm_link=tm_header_search&user_input=ICW&q=ICW

The night before the massive Fear and Loathing X at the SSE Hydro, ICW have a taping of their Fight Club series, interestingly named France '98. With the biggest show of the year literally right around the corner, there's a chance that everything could break down! Nowhere is that more evident than the waiver signing that will take place for the much anticipated King of Insanity Death match. Just one night before they step into what is being promoted as one of the most dangerous matches in history, for a company that has made on a name on presenting gritty and violent professional wrestling, Jimmy Havoc, Mikey Whiplash, Chris Renfrew and Stevie Boy will all be at The Garage and chances are the night won't end with them all 100% heading into Sunday! 

The card is littered with intriguing match-ups, but the one that stands out for me is El Ligero's return to the promotion for the first time since 2013, to take on Kenny Williams. The pair are known for their high-pace, action-packed offence, so this should be an exciting clash that sets up Williams for his high profile encounter the following night. Elsewhere, Ravie-Davie has a chance to earn some payback and a spot in a #1 Contenders Ladder match at The Hydro as he faces Bram, the ICW Women's Championship match from the Hydro is previewed as champion Kay Lee Ray teams with the debuting Katie Forbes to battle her two challengers Viper and Kasey Owens in tag team action, Stevie Boy pulls double duty teaming with Filthy Generation teammates Aspen Faith & Lewis Girvan against The Kinky Party (Jack Jester & Sha Samuels) and Jody Fleish in a match featuring an intriguing array of talent, The Marauder's Iestyn Rees battles Aaron Echo, whilst new group The Fite Network (Krieger & Lou King Sharp, with Kid Fite) take on a team who have built momentum in the second half of 2017, Krobar and Stevie James, The Purge.  Then there's the small matter of the first ever Carlos Vanderama Invitational Battle Royal.

Onto Fear and Loathing X, the biggest show promoted by a British wrestling company in 2017. There's a reason I decided to bring back weekly previews this week! After last years event offered spectacle by the barrel load, but lacked an in-ring punch, this years card looks to marry the two concepts. 

With three former WWE Champions on hand, the show also combines homegrown talent with major household names. Kevin Nash will be appearing, with the founding nWo member acting as guest commissioner for the show the chances for shenanigans are high. Nash will be joined by Cruiserweight pioneer Rey Mysterio Jr., in only his second appearance in Scotland since leaving WWE. Mysterio goes one on one with ICW's own Kenny Williams. Williams has never lost at Fear & Loathing, but has also never had a match as a high profile as this one. It'll be youth vs. experience here, as Mysterio looks to wind back the clock one more time and Williams looks to continue building a name for himself. Also appearing, for the first time in Scotland outside of WWE and TNA, is the "Whole F'n Show" Rob Van Dam, who will collide with Lionheart and Zack Gibson in an eclectic three way dance. The feud between Lionheart and Gibson lit up quickly with Gibson beating Lionheart at Eleven in Edinburgh last month, with Liverpool's Number One demanding that he be added to the contest. With Gibson getting his wish after goading his rival repeatedly, this has the potential to be a very heated affair, something which RVD is very familiar with. A win for either Lionheart or Gibson would propel them into the title picture, but their dislike towards each other may end up costing them the opportunity on the grandest stage in British wrestling.

The biggest match for ICW regulars has to be the clash between Joe Coffey and BT Gunn, with both Coffey's World Heavyweight Championship and Gunn's Zero G Championship on the line. After defeating Trent Seven at Barramania III in April, aligning himself with Red Lighting, Coffey has gone through a who's who in title defences, picking up victories over Kassius Ohno, Colt Cabana, Pete Dunne, Moose, Joe Hendry and more. BT Gunn has been on a similar roll in the Zero G Division, since receiving a shot at the WWE United Kingdom Championship at Shug's Hoose Party 4 - Day 1 in July, going on to win the Zero G belt the following day. Since then Gunn has retained against the likes of Jimmy Havoc, Jody Fleisch, Wolfgang, Jordan Devlin and James Drake. The two have clashed multiple times in ICW, as well as WhatCulture Pro Wrestling and Target Wrestling, but never has so much been on the line. This should be a barn-burner.

Jimmy Havoc. Mikey Whiplash. Chris Renfrew. Stevie Xavier. One of these men will walk out of the Hydro with the title of King of Insanity. There's been a weaving and dark story being told involving all four men at various points on Fight Club, but whether that will matter once they step into the ring on Sunday is anyone's guess. What will matter is that these four are known for their risk-taking, their willingness to inflict and take pain,  their cringe-inducing violence and that's what to expect here. The idea that a death match is taking place in a building like the Hydro is a tantalising prospect and knowing these four, this will be something that people won't be forgetting in a hurry.

Elsewhere on the show,  Kay Lee Ray will defend her ICW Women's Championship against Kasey Owens and Viper, as the three women step inside a steel cage for the first time in company history, The Marauders (Wild Boar & Mike Bird) put their ICW Tag Team Championships up against Polo Promotions (Jackie Polo & Mark Coffey), the odd-couple Kinky Party (Sha Samuels & Jack Jester) clash with The Kings of Catch (Aspen Faith & Lewis Girvan) and Bram, DCT, Jody Fleish, Joe Hendry, Aaron Echo and Kid Fite battle it out in a Ladder match for a future title shot.
KLR vs. Kasey vs. Viper.

Sunday // FutureShock Wrestling Uproar 97 // Stockport, Greater Manchester // futureshockwrestling.co.uk/upcoming.html

In August, Ashton Smith won the FutureShock Championship at 13th Anniversary SuperShow in Prestwich, Greater Manchester, defeating Zack Gibson, that same night former champion Tyson T-Bone put his feud with Rampage Brown to bed by winning a Trailer Park Street Fight. In September, during a presentation ceremony, Smith declared that he'd defend the Championship against anyone the fans thought deserved it, this bought out T-Bone, who after a short confrontation landed a headbutt on the champion, leaving Smith on the mat as he held the title that he held between September 2015 and April last year above his head. The two met in June with Smith coming out with the win, after an appearance from Rampage Brown, but with the title on the line will the result be the same? Or will Smith lose the title at the first time of asking? 

It seems like it's a good weekend for returns for El Ligero. After Travis Banks had to pull out, Ligero was drafted in as his replacement in a FutureShock Adrenaline Championship match against Xander Cooper. The last time Ligero stepped into a FutureShock ring was over seven years ago at FutureShock 48 and in that time away it's safe to say that the El Ligero in 2017 is a whole different beast. Xander Cooper, however, took the title from current WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne in September and has been known to enjoy an underhanded tactic or two, to keep a championship belt around his waist. "The Man For All Seasons" and "The Mexican Sensation" have clashed in Preston City Wrestling and Full House Wrestling previously and their clash of styles should produce a tremendous encounter for the Stockport faithful. 

Another change to the originally announced card, sees Chris Ridgeway replace Zack Gibson in a contest against James Drake. It's a shame that the original stipulation of Gibson potentially losing his championship deposit has been lost, but that doesn't mean that this bout won't be just as physical. Ridgeway is yet to taste victory in FutureShock and Drake has been on a downward spiral after winning the Lotto Thunder Tournament in July, so that might just produce the most ferocious contest, from two competitors known for their unforgiving ferocity. No matter who leaves with their hand held high, expect both "Smash Mouth" and "Mr. Mayhem" to leave a mark on each other.

Elsewhere on the show Don Meacho is looking for revenge on Cyanide and the Legacy Tournament begins as "Deadly" Damon Leigh faces Joey Hayes and Danny Hope goes one on one with Abel Stevens in two First Round clashes. 

---

Until next week!

Article by James Marston