We are reaching the conclusion of 2016, a year when departures in the entertainment industry rocked the world and people questioned the type of world we are living in as religion, colour, and origins of birth were called into question, dividing nations. But for fans of Wrestling, 2016 was a fantastic year, a year when WWE expanded their horizons with the Cruiserweights, FloSlam presented itself as an indie wrestling fans haven for action and Brit Wrestling showed the wrestling world exactly what it is capable of when given the chance. Seriously look at 2016 objectively, can you say in recent memory that wrestling has had a better year? Across the world interest in wrestling has grown significantly, not just in WWE but in promotions everywhere. Thanks to an increase in social media, streaming channels and on:demand services, promotions and casual fans are no longer at the mercy of word of mouth from travel hardened fans as well as eagle eyed DVD collectors, now promotions can show exactly what they offer and those fans can finally see shows without making exhausting journeys but still contribute to the success of said promotion. Numerous times throughout the years I’d hear fantastic reviews of wXw based in Germany, especially regarding their 16 Carat Gold event (this year held on March 10th to 12th) that regularly features the industry’s best wrestlers and thanks to the increase in authorised streams, I now have the choice of the journey or watch it at home. It doesn’t end there, Melbourne City Wrestling in Australia has been making waves across the world and rightly so, the action displayed in that promotion is fantastic and deserves to be seen on a bigger stage and thanks to it’s on:demand service it can. That’s just two examples, I’m based in the UK, now how the hell would I have heard about those promotions without the increase of social media, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and others, I can imagine the chance would be very slim.
This year social media has helped wrestling reach that new level in popularity, acceptance. Don’t get me wrong as fans we hear the same questions, “it’s fake right?” and “Wrestling? I used to watch that when…”, however the stigma isn’t there as much as it previously was, and if you feel that someone is judging you on what you like…Fuck them, it’s their loss, wrestling is great. I’m getting off topic, let me continue so…social media in 2016 has improved wrestling promotions of old and new, helping them gain more chances of getting noticed, but it shouldn’t stop there. One thing I have noticed on many wrestling websites is a lack of up to date information or even an effort to generate interest from new fans. Here’s a thought, a lot of fans will look up a website to buy tickets rather than go to Facebook or Twitter and if your website looks shit, you just lost a sale. My point being, if you're going to go to the trouble of setting up your promotion to look incredible across social media to gain interest why put the closing of a sale at risk with an outdated website. It doesn’t stop with the promotions, wrestlers this goes to you as well, now I’d never tell you what you should be doing in the ring because let’s face it I’m not qualified, as I’m not trained to be a wrestler. However selling a product and promoting I can say I know something about. Turning my attention to the UK scene here, there are incredible wrestlers in the industry here, the world is about to see what I’m talking about thanks to the WWE United Kingdom Championship held in Blackpool during January on WWE Network, but some of those wrestlers are only just starting to promote themselves, to get themselves noticed to the fans. I've seen numerous instances where a fan has asked if a certain wrestler is actually going to be at a certain event as the promotion may have said they are going to be there but the wrestler hasn’t promoted the event or even themselves, leaving the question is that wrestler going to be there or if they are going to be there to they even care that they are? I've also seen in the past, older wrestlers mock younger wrestlers for their promotion of merchandise and what events they will be wrestling at, well guess what, if they are as good as they say they are I know at a glance where and when I can buy their stuff and where to see them next. Sometimes I’m not in the mood (this goes for many fans) for a treasure hunt of where to buy merch, thanks! But going into 2017 I look forward to seeing more self-promotion from wrestlers, with the risk of repeating myself not just in this column, but previous outings and my Twitter page, there are fantastic wrestlers in the UK as well as Ireland and the rest of Europe and they deserve to be seen. Case in point, ITV's World of Sport and as mentioned WWE UK Championship will be on primetime TV and worldwide on WWE Network respectively, that features an incredible wealth of talent on both shows but there are British wrestlers not featured on either show that should be seen more but with only with promotion from themselves and fans will we see that happen.
It doesn’t end there with the benefits for the increase of Social Media, mainstream publications as well as sports channels have realised just how popular Wrestling Entertainment has become and know they can draw ratings and viewership by featuring stories about wrestling promotions on their shows not to mention interviews. All this will help raise the image of wrestling within communities and many who previously looked down their nose at pro wrestling now how can that be a bad thing. In my opinion it won’t. Look at the promotions in the UK who have sold out shows, produced shows at major venues, held events over full weekends and witnessed a growth in their fan base this year, it’s down to their advertisement on Social Media and fans sharing their experiences more often over it. It’s safe to say 2017 will be incredible.
Before we get back to the business of subjective list making, I want to throw out a challenge, if you disagreed with my rankings here, please make your own list and send it to me. I know that so many of you had complaints (especially about my placement of Mark Henry. I'm right by the way. It's not a good song) about this but here's the thing, the sheer joy of list making is that everyone's list is probably going to be different and even if it's the same, it might be the same for different reasons. This isn't my way of antagonistically saying 'if you're so smart, why don't you teach the class then', this is my way of saying, please if you disagree with me, take the time to think about this and tell me why you disagree. Also, if you are Mojo Rawley and you have an issue with Part 1, know that you are the problem. And with that, list ahoy:
25. Sasha Banks - Sky's The Limit by CFO$ Song - 8/10 Gimmick - 9/10 I want to like this theme more. The theme works so well, it’s much like Tye’s (which we’ll get to shortly) where it can be genuinely inspirational as a face and falsely egotistical as a heel but much like Sasha as a face, it can feel forced. The big chorus the more you listen to it seems cynical, like an attempt to craft a moment instead of one actually happening. The soaring melodies are really under-delivered with some thin guest vocals. I’m sure the song sounds a lot better coming out of the speakers of this Kubla-Khanian Pleasuredomes that the WWE perform in but from the home speaker system, it feels so close to the finished article but at the same time, lacking.
24. The Miz - I Came to Play by Downstait Song - 8/10 Gimmick 9/10 Awesome. Everything about the Miz is awesome. He wrestles awesome, he delivers awesome promos, his wife Maryse is awesome and his films are… most of the things about the Miz are awesome. His theme is nearly as awesome as he is. Now we can all sit around and just complain that his promo video for WrestleMania 27 gave him the perfect theme in Nas’ Hate Me Now but it’s for naught, The Miz will be stuck being awesome and that’s fine by me. Downstait have provided a lot of good theme work for WWE, it’s just a shame that a lot of their vocals aren’t quite as good as their instrumental.
23. Naomi: Amazing (Remix) by CFO$ ft. Naomi Song - 9/10 Gimmick - 8/10 Before we begin, can someone define 'The Glow' for me? Is Naomi buzz marketing for the upcoming series on the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling? Either way club banger rave shit works better for her than 'I have a bum'. Amazing (Remix) is definitely a banger, it could actually be heard on a Friday night at Snobs (nice little plug for you Birmingham club guys and gals out there) and not be out of place in a way that a lot of WWE style covers can be. But seriously, what the fuck is the Glow?
22. The Revival (Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson) - Southern Proud by CFO$
Song - 9/10 Gimmick - 8/10 The Revival are a pair of top guys, that much is not up for dispute today. Appropriately, ths is a pretty top theme. It’s a big old school song full of Southern Pride. Funnily enough again, it’s a theme for a team who are all about old school revival. And it’s called Southern Pride. Anyway, this song also happens to be really goofy, the lyrics are very, very silly including such highlights including ‘we got fists made of fire, and our neck all red’. It would almost be a parody if it didn’t treat itself so seriously and when it wants to, boy does it go hard but for the one time mechanics, you wish it would go harder. Song 8/10 Gimmick 10/10
21. Samoa Joe - Destroyer by CFO$ Song - 8/10 Gimmick - 10/10 Joe is a monster with a theme worthy of Gojira and friends with it’s opening horns giving way to a giant roar. Luckily not then giving way to a weird funky little bassline but to even bigger fuzzier bass stomping forward like a murderous boombox. This is undeniably spectacular and certainly does its job in selling Joe as a monster in a way that not even Scott Steiner could do before it but it can’t help but get a little stale after more than a minute of listening.
20. Tye Dillinger - Ten by CFO$ Song - 8/10 Gimmick 10/10 He may be the perfect ten but he misses out on a perfect twenty here. Tye’s music has some grand synth horn work occasionally sounding almost like a brassier Muse and here’s the thing, the music works perfectly whether he’s Heel or Face, it’s either a big entrance for the most undervalued face on the roster or a grandiose entrance for the most braggadocious (Is that a word? Trump seems to think so. We said we weren’t discussing politics, Joe) person on the roster not named The Miz. Now, if only they could sort out the voiceover lady saying Ten to sound more fluidly worked into the mix because as it stands, it feels really separate. Picky, I know, but if he wants to be perfect…
19. Kevin Owens -Fight by CFO$ Song - 8/10 Gimmick - 10/10 The prizefighter is possibly the best of the modern iterations of the 'big lad with a big theme' sub-genre with some lovely harmonics going on and a sound engineer who actually knows how to record drums which is a rare delight for the WWE. It also happens to be something that I’d imagine KO could make work for him should he turn face (Turn? Who am I Kidding? Team Kevin and Chris are this year’s biggest damn heroes). It's sadly another case of just needing something more to break that repetition to make it a classic which is something that ironically, I’m thinking is starting to get repetitive as a criticism.
18. Triple H: The Gameby Motörhead
Song - 8/10 Gimmick - 10/10 Crotch chops, water spray, joke about dichotomy between reputation of burying younger talent and also Dad of NXT raising a new generation, RIP Lemmy, something about Shawn Michaels, all that lovely stuff.
17. AJ Styles - Phenomenal by CFO$ Song - 8/10 Gimmick - 10/10 A phenomenal theme for a wrestler who’s talents match up to his moniker as the phenomenal one. A lovely slice of DMX-esque Southern-fried rap with some unique organ work underpinning some surprisingly unembarrassing rap verses. It also befits AJ’s status that it can slot into whatever mood Styles’ entrance is trying to set. It’s just a shame that the MC is placed so oddly in the mix (possibly not to clash with entrance announcers?) that it’s almost a faint annoyance. It’s just a few tweaks away from being perfect.
16. No Way Josè - No Way by CFO$ Song - 8/10 Gimmick - 10/10 Big, bold, ridiculous and insanely catchy, Josè's theme may well be the single-most earworm-worthy track on this list with its summer club vibes playing well with NWJ's signature style. Much like Bayley's theme, the song does suffer from repetition over repeated listens. Seriously, I get that they mostly make two minute songs that loop (sometimes one minute loops) but honestly, would it kill them to write a four minute song? Would it?
15. Chris Jericho - Break Down The Walls/Break The Walls Down by Adam Morenoff Song - 8/10 Gimmick - 10/10 At this point, there is no argument that WWE is just waiting for Jericho to retire to give him his Hall of Fame ring. Luckily for us, Jericho seems to have at least a couple more years in him if for no other reason than his entrance theme is still a corker. Hailing from the era when every theme it seems had to sound like Linkin Park took an early pass at it but this one works where many others didn’t (sorry to generate controversy but the D Generation X theme is not good. Not good at all). The best and worst thing about his theme is it still sounds the same to me as when we first heard it. It has a nice nostalgia to it that despite character changes, his music remains the same but maybe given a hint of millennial polish, the song would sound less creaky.
14. Bayley: Turn It Up by CFO$
Song - 8/10 Gimmick - 10/10 This song just is Bayley: it’s fun, infectious and even if you don’t like it, you can’t deny you don’t forget it. The theme is one of the purest pieces of pop music that CFO$ have ever produced with a big chorus that can make even the most jaded smark feel like they’re Izzy. The problem is, it’s just the chorus. Not all WWE songs need to have two verses and a bridge but it feels like it’s just a like they wrote the first thirty seconds then coasted over the other three and a half. That said, when it hits at Wrestle<ania and the towering tube men burst out, I defy anyone not to smile.
13. Gran Metalik - Metalico by CFO$ Song - 9/10 Gimmick - 9/10 I'm breaking my own rules as Gran is still clearing up some commitments to CMLL before he signs with WWE full-time but his theme is so fantastic that I had to throw it in here. It only loses points for being slightly less incredible than his CWC theme. But he’s Lucha as fuck, he’s also hardcore as fuck, the theme is LuchaCore as fuck. A lovely big slice of thundering guitars and rousing brass, I have nothing else to add but fuck yeah. If we take anything from today, it's more MariachiCore please.
12. The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper & Randy Orton) - Live in Fear by Mark Crozer Song - 9/10 Gimmick - 9/10 The Wyatt family’s theme is great. The Wyatt family’s entrance are great. Pretty much every member of the Wyatt family are great in the ring. So, why is it that I find myself unable to have this theme break the top 10? It’s not just that the New Orleans voodoo vibe loses some of its mystery and threat after seeing so many aimless ‘spoooky’ promos followed by losses for the team is it? I mean it would be really unfair of me to rate a theme lower just because they keep losing. Yet here we are, this is the laziest sentence I’m ever going to write but do you know why I’ve put The Wyatts here? Because I just don’t like their theme as much as the next eleven. That’s it, I can’t be bothered to explain further. Moving on.
11. Rich Swann: Around The World by CFO$ Song - 9/10 Gimmick - 9/10 - 'North, south, east and west, everybody know my name, and your daddy's gone but your momma's home, we can bring her we ain't got no shame'. 205 Live’s resident intergenerational family threesome expert has a bit of an old school funk vibe that says ‘we couldn’t pay for the rights to ‘All Night Long’ but we’re going to give you something good anyway’. And give him something good they did. The only major issue with his theme is that on recording it loses a little something that it gains from seeing Swann dance and lip sync it to the ring but still a good time had for all who can handle it.
10. TJ Perkins -Playing With Power by CFO$
Song - 9/10 Gimmick - 9/10 Hey did you hear? TJP likes video games. He really likes them. So much he even wears some glasses now that are pixel shaped. He loves them so much he has chiptune music for his entrance and awkwardly slots video game phrases into conversation. Overkill. As much as many of us may find The Pixelisation of TJ Perkins to be faintly annoying, you can’t argue that the actual work done on his theme is rather superb sounding like an Anamanaguchi retooling of Dr. Wily’s theme so good that even Kenny Omega is probably jealous and who does Omega have to be jealous of? Basically no one else. He’s a perfect human being. But enough about Kenny Omega, well done on hitting it out of the park with another genre CFO$. Now let’s work on toning down those video game references, TJ. We get it.
9. Seth Rollins: Second Coming by CFO$ Song - 9/10 Gimmick - 9/10 Seth Rollins is the new Shawn Michaels. Seth Rollins is the new Edge. Seth Rollins is the new CM Punk. Seth Rollins is the new everyone. Will anyone let Seth Rollins just be Seth freaking Rollins? At least his music doesn’t seem like an ‘ahem’ Second Coming of anyone else. The Architect’s music is a rollocking slice of hardcore brilliance with some deafening drums and guitars making for one of the most anthemic themes of the modern day. Mostly it’s let down by a lack of a personal touch, you could give this music to almost anyone on the roster and it would work for them. Not to say it isn’t great for Seth but it’s not as inseparable from him as some of the classics we’re about to get to.
8. Shane McMahon -Here Comes The Money by Naughty by Nature Song - 9/10 Gimmick - 10/10 Here comes the money, and with it, a bloody great slice of prep rap. Shane’s theme is the most superbly naff piece of rap in the ‘E outside of, well, his sisters but bloody hell, it works. Hot Dad Shane is the guy that comes to the ring in a suit and trainers, he’s probably the dad that overcompensates on birthdays and tries to play his kid’s music in the car and sing along. He probably practices dabbing with TJ Perkins. But that’s just who he is, he’s not cool but when he embraces and owns his image, he’s great. Plus he is pure money. I mean sure, you get the feeling he probably likes Vince Vaughan movies but nobody, and very few themes’, is perfect.
7. Asuka - The Future by CFO$ Song - 9/10 Gimmick - 10/10 Bear with me here because if you don’t think this theme isn’t utter brilliance, you’re fucking wrong. Just before we continue, go and stick on some King Crimson, maybe start with 21st Century Schizoid Man. Now listen to The Future again. DO you get it yet? Asuka is the Empress of Tomorrow powered by the prog swagger of King Crimson. Her song is an unstoppable beat of lurching guitar lines and convincing freakout solo work. In fact the only thing stopping this theme from making it further up the list is that it just fades out. I know that so many of the themes have just a fade out but such joyous guitar fuckery shouldn’t have to just fade away, it should burn out in an outro of such frivolous proportions that all who witness it makes grown men weep.
6. John Cena - The Time Is Now by John Cena & Tha Trademark
Song - 9/10 Gimmick - 10/10 Love him or hate him, you can't deny everything about Cena has been so finely tuned that he is basically the master of his own iconography. Possibly because of the multiple Cena memes but this theme is as inseperable to Cena’s image as the hats that he loves to throw into the crowd. His theme also happens to be another one of those proper songs with a pop-rap vibe that many have tried to replicate but few have outdone with those massive rap horns laying over rarely bettered Jim Johnston breakbeat. Plus Cena can drop bars when he wants to.
5. The Brian Kendrick - Man With A Plan by Christ Goulstone ft. Nick Walker Song - 9/10 Gimmick - 10/10 The man with a plan seems to have shown that step one of his plan is have one of the greatest theme of all, damn, time. This also not counting that ‘Hey You’ and London & Kendrick’s ‘New Rockers’ were no slouches either. Great themes match their superstar’s personality but also their motion and the cocky sway of this song fits perfectly with the paradoxically smooth yet jagged movements of Kendrick. Plus, in response to my criticism of Jericho’s theme, for his current run it’s been given what sounds like a clean lick of paint making it sound more vital than ever. Sadly it just misses out on the next spot because it’s very good, great even but you know what it’s not? It’s not…
4. Bobby Roode - Glorious Domination by CFO$ Song - 10/10 Gimmick - 9/10 GLORIOUS. You knew it was coming eventually but there was no way that a piece of music as glorious as Glorious Domination wouldn’t…dominate. Look, we all know how good this one is, it’s stupidly good, it’s brilliant, it’s GLORIOUS. I’ve not got any other compliments for this, I mean, how could you not? It’s a big dumb theme for a loveable babyface not the sound of acould tell you about how it expertly merges Muse pastiche choruses with speed metal bridges but all you really want is for me to keep typing GLORIOUS in capital letters. Now you may note a 9/10 up there, do you know why? It’s because you keep cheering for him, I dastardly heel, it’s impossible to boo the entrance of a man with that theme. That said, it’s a minor complaint for one of the crowning glories of humanity. Bobby Roode’s not bad either.
3. Finn Balor - Catch Your Breath by CFO$ Song - 10/10 Gimmick - 10/10 Here we are, the top three. I’m quite pleased to say that three songs have gained full marks from me and none had less than a 6/20. I think it says quite a bit to the positive of Johnston and CFO$ that so many pieces rank so highly and so few particularly low. Or maybe it just says I’m a nice person who doesn’t criticize too heavily. On that note, fuck Mojo Rawley. I digress, having been given time to Catch Your Breath (groan), let’s discuss the joyous surprise of Finn Balor. I know that Finn had a storied history in his Prince Devitt days but rarely have even in the Indie buyout world of modern NXT, have WWE managed to gather an essentially finished package as there is Balor and complimented by a theme to befit both Balor Club and the Demon. There’s a lot to be said for the link between music and movement in the WWE and when you hear the grandiose orchestral sorcery, you can begin to imagine the very movements of Balor. It’s impressive as well that without any lyrics, there is storytelling and progression in the music itself which unites itself with Balor, possibly the finest storyteller in the WWE. I feel that this theme could become iconic. Move over Bray Wyatt, I think it’s clear who the new Undertaker is. And not just because they both have ten minute entrances. Plus, I think the 10/10 makes this clear, it’s bloody mega song-craft on top of all that.
2. Sami Zayn: Worlds Apart by CFO$
Song - 10/10 Gimmick 10/10 I want you all to consider quite how perfect everything is about Sami Zayn’s theme. Zayn is known as "The Underdog from the Underground", he is someone that everything about his image is based on being undervalued. Now also consider that he enters to a classic slice of Ska Punk, Ska and Punk are traditional sounds of the rebels, the underground burnouts, the kids in the skate park going nowhere fast because they’re undervalued. Ska Punk itself is a tragically un-loved subgenre, especially in comparison to its pure Ska dad, but frankly if you can’t handle me at my Mighty Mighty Bosstones, you don’t deserve me at my Operation Ivy. It helps that Zayn is a self-confessed Skanatic but even if Rami Sebei absolutely hated it, it makes perfect sense as a sonic representation of Zayn the character. It also helps that it is a great big face-wide smile, skanking till the break of dawn masterpiece of soaring ‘whoahs’, chugging horns and a lovely running bass line. It's not just good, not just great, it's 'Worlds Apart' from the rest (I'm so sorry, I swear I'll stop).
1. Shinsuke Nakamura - The Rising Sun by CFO$
Song - 10/10 Gimmick 10/10
I know, you're all shocked that this is number one but you know what, (just to link back to my very first article for ATPW) sometimes the most predictable finish can also be the most logical one. When WWE announced earlier this year they were bringing in Nakamura, many couldn't believe it would go aswell as it did in that he is so far from traditional WWE style. When people ask how does he pull off his finisher without just kneeing the guy in the head, the answer is he just knees the guy in the head. Hulk Hogan was not strong Style. But here's why his theme worked so well, Nakamura is nothing like anyone else in the 'E, not even fellow Japanese Wrestling imports like Itami, Asuka or Balor. His music is also like nothing else CFO$ have produced. Instead of adjusting to NXT, he's made the entire company step their game up for him. Step up, indeed they did. Creating a maelstrom of strings, scattering trip hop beats and just an undercurrent of jagged guitars, it's a beautiful symphony but also a brutal, destructive one. It's a royal march worthy of our ruling monarch of strong style. Long live the king. Yeaoh. .... (Editor's Note - Admit it, you thought I wouldn't include the video to the #1 song... #YEAOH)
On 27th November, PROGRESS Wrestling looked to crown a new World Champion at the Electric Ballroom in London, following Mark Haskins having to vacate the belt through injury. A series of matches were held throughout the show with the winner from each match advancing to a seven person elimination contest in the show's main event, including The London Riots (James Davis & Rob Lynch) getting a rematch for British Strong Style (Pete Dunne & Trent Seven)'s Tag Team Championship. With Marty Scurll, Will Ospreay, Mark Andrews, Matt Riddle and Nixon Newell in action, would PROGRESS crown a new champ in style?
Pete Dunne became the tenth World Champion by last eliminating Jimmy Havoc in a Seven Way match that was a rollercoaster of emotion and also included Trent Seven, Matt Riddle, Travis Banks, Sebastian (who forced Pastor William Eaver's to give him his place) and TK Cooper. If you were unsure if Chris Roberts took a bump in this match, you probably haven't watched a whole lot of PROGRESS recently! The reaction to Tyler Bate making his return was loud, especially considering it was towards the end of a long afternoon of the Graps, with it seeming like Bate was here to put a stop to the already his already eliminated former Moustache Mountain partner Seven. This all after two dramatic near-falls for both Havoc and Dunne following multiple Acid Rainmakers and a piledriver and running kick, which I can only imagine Bate was having a piss during. It was all however just a Tyler Bate and Switch, as the 19 year old took Havoc out with a Gotch Style Piledriver and allowed Dunne to hit his DT3 pumphandle for the victory. I may have called the turn from the positioning, but that doesn't mean I was any less shocked by the turn of events. The three together at the top of the promotion has a lot of potential, not just offering some great match ups, but a whole array of stories as well. The rest of the contest was just as rammed with happenings, with Marty Scurll returning to batter Havoc during the entrances, leaving Riddle as the bouts only babyface and sending the crowd into some kind of Spandau Ballet based euphoria. From here the bout was constantly shifting from one style to another, pulling through a number of story threads in the process. There were shit loads of flips, with Cooper pulling out a ridiculous corkscrew to the outside, whilst Sebastian played the spoiler role and just being the general nuisance that he is. Banks and Seven put together some great stuff together, concluding with a mid-rope piledriver taking out Kiwi Buzzsaw, whilst if Riddle battling against British Strong Style en route to elimination didn't have your mouth watering with the possibilities of future singles matches then the graps life just isn't for you. The bouts main story of Havoc fighting adversity worked as the glue, as after his return to save us all from Sebastian, he ended up alone with the Tag Team Champions for the thrilling final stretch, with the crowd rebounding for the underdog story.
Match in a Sentence - An epic rollercoaster of emotions and styles.
British Strong Style (Pete Dunne & Trent Seven) had earned their spot in the World Championship contest, by retaining their Tag Team Championship in a rematch with The London Riots (James Davis & Rob Lynch) in the longest of the five qualifying matches. This was a nice advancement of their September bout, with plenty of fire from the Davis & Lynch as they looked to take back the tag shields. The two teams brawled with intensity, before Dunne & Seven began to slow the match down and control inside the ring. The exchange built up nicely from here, with a strong feeling of momentum and escalation from the hot tag as a series of big strikes and suplexes that the two teams are known for, as well as some highspots like Lynch hitting Seven with a spear off the apron and a missed Lynch corkscrew splash. The highlight for me was a ridiculous pop-up powerbomb and german suplex string that full of some glorious no selling! Just like the original contest, the finish was full of shenanigans as after London Riots came close off a District Line powerbomb, the Riots cricket bat was introduced with Seven accidentally clobbering Dunne with it as the momentum swung back and forth like a pendulum on it's first generic party drug. The story twisted more than Dorothy's favourite board game, with Dunne recovering to remove Davis' protective mask and bite his nose, like the oral obsessed shitehawk he is and BSS getting the win with their piledriver and running kick combination. I mentioned in my review of their first clash, that I felt there was more avenues for these two teams to explore in the ring with each other, as Dunne and Seven continue to find themselves as a tandem, and following their second outing, I actually find myself still feeling the same. We've seen them put on two different matches, both good hard-hitting battles, with antics based finishes, but I've still got the feeling that there's a new level for these guys to reach, the idea that they could create something just that little bit better, if provided with the right environment. Hopefully, we still get to see that in PROGRESS, although Dunne winning the World title obviously casts doubt on that.
Match in a Sentence - Good hard-hitting tag team action with antics.
Jimmy Havoc's win opposite Marty Scurll was perhaps most notable for an unexpected finish that saw Havoc channel Eddie Guerrero, being able to convince the referee that Scurll had clobbered him with his umbrella. I think, you'll either have loved this finish or loathed it, but I found it a lot of fun, giving Havoc an edge over Scurll in their continuing feud, whilst also keeping the focus on the main prize in the company. There was an undeniable logic behind it and that's good enough for me, especially with an eye on a bigger match down the line. At the other end of the bout their was an homage to Goldberg and Brock Lesnar's Survivor Series main event, with Scurll kicking out of an Acid Rainmaker, following a pair of spears, that got a big reaction. The main body of the contest had all the things that I'd want from these two without giving a whole lot away either. The pair showing their animosity well, whilst running through a number of their signature sequences.
Match in a Sentence - An entertaining stepping stone to develop their feud with some nice logic.
The blackmailing plot between Sebastian and Pastor William Eaver continued as the former was at ringside for and directly involved in the finish of Eaver's victory over Joe Coffey. Whilst I'm yet to be fully convinced of the story itself, Eaver and Coffey put together good contest. The similarities between the styles of the two performers was played up well, with some humorous taunting to kick things off, before the strongest portion of the bout saw the two exchanging strikes before both nailing their signature lariats. Coffey's double jump crossbody situation is still one of my favourite moves in wrestling and if there's ever a time I don't pop for it then I'll probably just give up on all things. There was some strong attention to detail in the final third of the clash, with it being made clear that Coffey had just that little edge of Eaver, kicking out of a Fisherman's Suplex and a Crucifix Powerbomb and looking en route to picking up the victory. The fact that it took a distraction from Sebastian and a big handful of tights creates a nice issue between Coffey and Eaver, which will only produce a more hard hitting future rematch, whilst the underhand victory also produces the most interesting plot shift since Sebastian and the Pastor started their feud in July.
Match in a Sentence - A sturdy contest, with a very good strike sequence and some savvy booking at it's conclusion.
The show kicked off with a big victory for The South Pacific Power Trip (TK Cooper & Travis Banks) (accompanied by Dahlia Black) over former Tag Team Champions FSU (Eddie Dennis & Mark Andrews). The match started off hot with Black attempting to interfere and ending up getting thrown to the outside by Dennis, before FSU got a big ol' shine in. The matches narrative began to unfold rather quickly as The SPPT took a beating from FSU, with the protagonists managing to keep the upperhand, whilst the action remained crisp and had a cracking pace to it. The story continued to build when even Banks and Cooper's underhanded tactics and double teams couldn't stop the FSU party, with Dennis kicking out of double superkicks. After a pacy back and forth strike sequence and some dives to the outside from FSU, the contest came to a satisfying conclusion, when Black would re-insert herself into the contest, delivering a low blow to Dennis that allowed Banks and Cooper to hit their double team Whiplash Neckbreaker for the victory. Though relatively short, the brevity of the match probably helped to tell the story that played out here, that easily could have gotten lost had their been more time to fill.
Match in a Sentence - Solid tag bout, with some well paced action and interesting narrative.
The non-World title qualifier on the card was a First Round match in Natural Progression Series IV that saw Nixon Newell advance past the debuting Katey Harvey in a clash that recovered well after struggling to find it's feet in the first few exchanges. The crowd latched onto Harvey's outfit only having a single sleeve and ran with it, whilst the women found their stride in the ring, pummeling each other with hard hits, headbutts and slaps. This was my first time seeing Harvey and I was particularly impressed with her selling during later half of the contest, but I would have also liked to have seen her make a little more of the crowd's jeers. Newell would have to be considered a strong contender for the tournament after what was a fairly convincing victory following a Shining Wizard (the shiniest in the land, I've heard).
Match in a Sentence - A powerful first time clash and debut, once it found it's feet.
Matt Riddle's victory over Will Ospreay was a silly, silly match, that crammed a shit tonne of action into just over 8 minutes. The World Wrestling Network star may have been making his PROGRESS debut, but the Electric Ballroom was already well-versed in the former UFC fighters work, creating a great atmosphere, that was only intensified by Riddle blindsiding The Aerial Assassin during the ring announcements. The contest played out as a wonderful battle between an MMA fighter and a pro wrestling high-flyer, with Riddle dominating with huge strikes and intense suplexes and slams, before Ospreay took the air including a moonsault off the steps near the DJ booth. The wrestling was fluid and flips were spectacular, whilst the strikes were hard and the two selling the pain whilst asking for more punishment added an extra dimension to proceedings. The finish was a little jarring because of quickly it came, but suited the style and story as Riddle hammered down with elbow strikes before locking in the Bromission (Twister) for the win. I would've loved to have seen these guys go longer, as there was definitely more expedition to be done here, but with Riddle also having to compete in the main event, it's understandable why this one didn't go long.
Match in a Sentence - A fantastic contrast of styles, that left me wanting more.
Finally...
ATPW Scale Rating - 6.47/10
This is a difficult show to sum up, because it was completely unique in it's set-up, after the necessity to crown a new Champion as quickly as possible. The qualifier gave the first half an overall feel and focus, however there's also an argument to be made that each match would have been better served had the winner not have to compete again later in the evening or had those bout had the luxury of being spread across the event. There wasn't anything close to a bad match, but each match had the potential to hit the next level, even the marvelous Will Ospreay and Matt Riddle match. That being said as an overall package, the show was arguably greater than the sum of it's (already considerably strong) individual parts, with the main event offering a real one-of-a-kind feel. The conclusion of the show, with Pete Dunne on top, felt like a real shift in the promotion, with Trent Seven and Tyler Bate by his side offering a different look at the dominant stable cliché. There is potential here to create something magnificent with those three at the helm & a number of different avenues and feuds for the boys to have in the coming months.
Show in a Sentence - A momentous evening with a very different feel, but still plenty of very good to great graps.
Bullet Club members are becoming as common as NWO guys were back in the nineties as this weekend we were treated to our (not including associates such as Jeff Jarrett) 17th inductee, ‘The American Nightmare’ Cody Rhodes. The former WWE star was revealed in a wonderful video package at the World Tag League final on Saturday and suddenly the wrestling world is once again humming to the sounds of Cody Rhodes and the Bullet Club. Usually I would be weighing up whether this pairing would be a good idea or not. However, this just screams success for both parties and should give both Rhodes and Bullet Club a real jump start heading into the new year. But who will have the better of it, will Bullet Club gain more by being associated with Cody’s huge independent name or will Rhodes be better off having paired with New Japan’s notorious faction?
Firstly, let’s look at the Son of a Son of a Plumber, the Star that left them in the Dust, the Dashing one, Cody Rhodes. Back in May he caused a real stir as he departed the rough seas of the number one wrestling company in the world and headed towards calmer, clearer waters of the independent scene, TNA, ROH and now, NJPW. I’ve always been a big fan of Cody. He has always had an interesting gimmick and successfully stayed relevant since making his debut in WWE; be it Legacy or Dashing or Masked, hell, even Stardust was entertaining at first. He’s a great worker too but his interesting personas and commitment to each role has always kept him interesting in the eyes of the fans. This, to me at least, is what Cody has been missing slightly on the independent scene thus far, a solid gimmick that he can run with in order to tell great stories as he is often has in the past. As we know, a fantastic tale can turn a good match into a great match, just look at Ziggler v Miz this year, it’s been unreal stuff. By joining Bullet Club he can represent them wherever he goes, adding a story to each individual match, more of a meaning to feud with different wrestlers and ultimately giving him a character to express himself within. He will still be the guy who broke the mould and left WWE, and will still be the son of the legendary Dusty Rhodes, but he will also be Bullet Club’s exciting new chapter. Joining the team built by the man formerly known as Prince Devitt means Cody also arrives in New Japan as a huge deal. Yes, he was already known around the globe from WWE, but throwing him into one of the leading groups makes Japanese fans stand up and pay attention to him; he’s not arriving as another guy who has been in WWE, he’s arriving in one of the hottest heel factions on the planet, giving him instant momentum. Finally, he will get something for his personal gain too. He faces Juice Robinson at Wrestle Kingdom but then he will surely move onto one of the names on his list, Katsuyori Shibata. These matches should allow Cody to show exactly what he is made of and could be the best fights he has had since he departed the WWE. I for one, am greatly looking forward to him acing these two and more; hopefully we get to see him collide with Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tetsuya Naito, Hiroki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii and many, many more during his current New Japan tenure.
So how about BULLET CLUB? What do they, as a faction, gain from adding Cody Rhodes to their ranks? Well firstly, I feel it is pretty safe to say that Cody is the most exciting of the recent additions to the squad; Adam Cole, Hangman Page and Tanga Roa are all building themselves up slowly under the Bullet Club umbrella but none of their reveals shook up New Japan quite like Rhodes. The video package reveal was something special, the stubbing out of the cigar on the Wrestle Kingdom logo was exciting and Omega telling us they ‘broke the bank’ to get Rhodes presents him as a truly sought after superstar. Being a former WWE star obviously carries a whole heap of weight behind him already and as a result he feels like he a ready-made main eventer, despite only being in the company 5 minutes. And this is exactly what BULLET CLUB have been missing this year! Sure you have Kenny Omega, who may be the most successful leader of them all given his G1 victory and his incoming Tokyo Dome headline spot versus Kazuchika Okada. But this year they lost AJ Styles and Karl Anderson who were both previous leaders, Bad Luck Fale is far from the force he once was in the land of Japan and they added the frankly laughable Bone Soldier (formerly Captain New Japan) just a few weeks back.
Rhodes can arrive, instantly raise the prestige of the faction again and easily establish himself as a co-leader, similarly to how Anderson acted under Styles and Devitt. This position has been unsuccessfully fulfilled since January following Omega’s promotion and, whilst Tama Tonga has stepped up another gear this autumn and Cole has been bought in, Rhodes truly feels like a higher level than those two; whether he will remain at this level remains to be seen but I’m confident in the man, the faction and the booking.
Last of all, being a heavyweight, he’s another guy who can represent BULLET CLUB at the highest level in NJPW and I wouldn’t be surprise if he adds to the notoriety of the group by competing in the New Japan Cup and even the G1 Climax in 2017. Furthermore, based on his list, he will likely come face-to-face with the aforementioned Shibata sometime soon, maybe even taking the fan favourite’s NEVER Openweight title back to the ever growing BULLET CLUB trophy case.
So, whilst Cody will gain a lot of bonuses to his independent career by joining the mighty BULLET CLUB I feel that, despite both being big winners, the club themselves are to gain the most fruits from this relationship. Other than obviously freshening up a stable that many fans think may be growing increasingly stale, BULLET CLUB will benefit massively by having a former WWE Tag Team and Intercontinental Champion in their ranks. He will bring leadership, he will bring drama and he will likely bring titles too; all of this, I’m sure you’ll agree, can only be considered a good thing. I am so, so excited to see Cody break the Japanese scene in half and you too can follow the goodness, starting with Wrestle Kingdom 11 which takes place from the world-famous Tokyo Dome on January 4th 2017 on New Japan World. You’d be mad to miss it!
