FCP DTTI Hangover (Live) Review

On 19th May, Fight Club: Pro found itself a new home at Starworks Warehouse in Wolverhampton and hosted the aftermath of their epic Dream Tag Team Invitational Easter weekender. The show featured a Six Man Scramble with Angelico, Jimmy Havoc, Jordan Devlin, Eddie Dennis, Dan Moloney and Clint Margera, the DTTI winners #CCK (Chris Brookes & Kid Lykos) facing off with the debuting Scarlet & Graves (Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz) and The Hunter Brothers (Lee & Jim) and Travis Banks defending the FCP Championship against Trent Seven, as well as appearances from Kay Lee Ray, Joe Coffey, "The Regulator" Wolfgang, Kris Wolf and "Session Moth" Martina...but was it any good? Let's take a look, shall we? 

Pre-Show
Omari def. Dallaway, Johnny T & Fletcher 

These multi-man trainee "dark" matches had become a bit of a tradition towards the end of FCP's run at Fixxion, so it was nice to see them return for the Starworks show. These usually short and pacy matches work quite nicely at whetting the appetite for some a more substantial graps feast to come, like a nice soup with a crusty cob or whatever your starter of choice is...prawn cocktail, whatever. The first half of the bout was 1i1o type stuff, with a number of big strikes that left Omari with a bright red chest, then into the obligatory dive sequence, before a double german suplex spot was aided with an Omari enziguiri. For me, the best action on offer came when Kyle Fletcher and Omari went at it, putting together hard-hitting slick strike sequence as well cool spot with The Big O slingshotting to the inside and straight into a Fletcher superkick. Overall, the timing could have been better at points, but nothing that had a major effect and with this technically being a trainee dark match those kind of things are to be expected as the four being to iron out their creases. As with any starter this was a nice lead in for what was to come, without ever threatening to fully satisfy the hunger.   

Wolfgang def. Coffey 

The opener of the show proper was an interesting choice, as Wolfgang and Joe Coffey met in their most Southern match to date. Originally, Coffey and Wolfgang were scheduled to take part in a six man match, but Wolfie cut a quick promo and we had an all Scottish affair to kick things off in Wolverhampton. Now, I've thought about how to review this match more than probably any other match on the card, because in the moment, I just didn't get it. Not that I felt I'd seen a bad match, but one that just hadn't grabbed me in the way I perhaps expected it to do. Being the conscientious reviewer that I am and knowing that I'd enjoyed both guys on previous occasions, I thought I'd ask some of my wrassle pals what they thought and almost every single one of them seemed to have a higher opinion of the bout than I did.  I wouldn't say anyone raved about it, but they enjoyed the big lads battle, Marc Pearson noted the psychology in particular, but I still wasn't buying into it. 

I'm not sure why I did...not enjoy isn't the right phrase, because there was some lovely stuff and a few spots that I'll always pop for (Coffey's triple jump crossbody)...so perhaps the best term is fully appreciate. I'm not sure why I didn't fully appreciate this match. I've purposefully not gone back and watched it since, because I wanted to give my feelings on it from being there in the space and how it affected me. Perhaps it was the new venue, which is much more spacious than Fixxion and it took some getting used to the new atmosphere. Perhaps it was the ring breaking early on, when it looked like one of the board came at the very least loose on a bodyslam, which threw me a little off. Perhaps it was coming off a four man into a singles match that I expected to be a six man did something to me. I'm not sure. Looking back on my notes, it reads like a decent opener with some big spots like Coffey's running jump over the barricade and mid-rope moonsault from Wolfgang, before Wolfie picked up his first FCP after blocking a superplex and nailing The Howling. I'm looking forward to rewatching this and hopefully reappraising in the future, as well as getting to see how both fit into Starworks plans going forward. 

KLR def. Wolf

Kay Lee Ray's first FCP singles win against the debuting Kris Wolf from Stardom was a fun bout whilst it lasted but I came away a little disappointed. There was absolutely nothing wrong with this bout and I had a ball of a time watching it, but there just wasn't enough of it. After a technical start, the two had some jokes revolving around the height differential (KLR is 5' 8'' and Wolf just 4' 10'') including a surprise appearance from Viper to even the odds, we had KLR replying to Wolf biting her arm, by biting Wolf's tail and the two looking to use the new FCP set-up as much as possible. Kay Lee jumped off the barricade with a forearm and then Wolf used the new entrance way as a set off monkey bars, initially thrusting out for a kick and then transitioning into hurricanrana onto the floor. Creative stuff on the outside with the exploration of the new venue being a bit of theme for the whole show. 

Once the action returned to the ring I was expecting business to pick up. We'd seen flashes throughout the match with some fast paced roped running stuff and a cool succession of near falls, but by this point I was chomping at the bit to see Wolf and KLR hit top gear and by the bouts conclusion I don't think we got anywhere close to seeing what the pair could have done together. A couple of near falls for each, KLR off a Gory bomb and a wheelbarrow suplex for Wolf and it seemed like the bout was heading towards it's crescendo and then Kay Lee slapped on a koji clutch and that was that. I'm not quite sure what I was expecting, perhaps some more firey exchanges, perhaps a gear change, perhaps some cool submission escapes and just a general build up of aggression towards a conclusion, but I certainly wasn't expecting Wolf to tap so quickly. I'm hoping we get a rematch between the two, depending on how long Wolf spends in the country, because a second match building on the stellar work done here would take away my needy complaints. I want more, dammit.    

#CCK def. Scarlet & Graves and Hunter Brothers 

With Mark Andrews off the card, The Hunter Brothers joined #CCK's Chris Brookes and Kid Lykos and the debuting Rockstar Pro regular's Scarlet & Graves' Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz in a superb three way tag team match as the first half main event. I both hate and love #CCK, sometimes at the same time. I don't know when it happened but Brookes & Lykos have developed into one of the slickest tag team acts in the world. Ever little detail they've added over the past year or so, after branching out from Attack! into FCP, IPW:UK, Southside and elsewhere, Brookes spitting and chucking water at lads, Lykos never shutting up and never being able to hit a brainbuster and also those sicking fucking tag moves, those little details make them so easy to hate, but so entertaining to watch at the same time. When the best boys controlled, first Wentz and then Jim Hunter, they held the crowd in just the right place for the madness that was about to come our way. 

Christ, once the momentum swung towards the Tipton and Ohio connection, as Jim tagged in Xavier things became a balls to the wall sprint, with a shed load of highspots and more sicking fucking tag moves than you could shake a shitty stick at. Dives to the outside from all four of our heroes, big strikes, the Hunters swinging into dropkick, the sweet gory blockbuster that CCK do and that's not even the half of it, as Scarlet & Graves also won over a number of new fans with their high energy offence. My notes on this match got gradually less descriptive as the bout went on, to the point where my final bullet point was "Finish is a series of ridiculous things seemingly all happening simultaneously. It is fucking marvellous". If that's not a good enough description for you, go and watch the match and come back and tell me I didn't get it spot on.  

Devlin def. Angelico, Havoc, Dennis, Moloney and Margera 

OTT's Jordan Devlin picked up a big win on his FCP debut in an eclectic six man scramble, that showcased a real mixed bag of performers and went all over the building. With a variety of different styles, movesets and personas, this was never going to be boring, especially with the crowd so intent on trying to get the attention of Dan Moloney. The mach started with a series of strikes, before the six men worked a lovely sequence where Devlin and Moloney thwarted dive attempts from Angelico and Eddie Dennis, before Jimmy Havoc and Clint Margera got the better of the villain, hit stereo suicide dives and Dennis and Angelico went up and over to the floor. It was a structurally simple opening, but non the less it was effective, with the initial denial of the fan favourite flips meaning they meant a whole lot more when we got them, and more, shortly after. 

Then, of course, there was the crowd brawling. Boy was there some crowd brawling. Starworks is much larger than Fixxion so it seemed like everyone decided to make the most of the extra space. The enjoyment of this kind of stuff usually depends on where you happen to situated in the room and how much you can actually see and with most of the action happening towards the bar area at the far end of the room and me sitting front row towards the entrance way, I didn't manage to catch a whole lot of this. There certainly was some brawling, in different combinations. With six men in the match it would've been cool to have seen them split off into pairs and head into different sections of the crowd, so there was something different for each area to focus their attentions on, but unfortunately the bulk seemed to occur in the large space at the far end of the room. There was a great spot with Devlin reversing a Havoc piledriver into a backbody drop on the bar, which caused an odd series of hanging lightbulbs to swing about, as well as a sequence of back and forth forearms with the six sat opposite each other, however. 

Once back in the ring, the match produced its best action with some interesting combinations battling it out. Dennis cleaned house with forearms out of various situations, Margera and Moloney put together a good section together, Margera took an acid rainmaker as Havoc shouted "I'm sorry, I love you" for a nice pop and Dennis took out both the Callous Hearts with a Fallaway Slam/Samoan drop combination, a solid mixture of sleek sequences, back and forth wrestling, comedic near falls and multi-man spots. I would've liked to have seen a few more highspots making the most of the sheer numbers involved in the match, but that nitpicking didn't make this any less enjoyable. The finish saw each man consecutively taken out of contention with the aforementioned combination move from Dennis keeping Margera and Havoc down, before Moloney removed Dennis from the equation with a sitout fireman's carry facebuster, Angelico took out Moloney with a turnbuckle crucifix powerbomb, leading into a wicked Devlin package piledriver that gave the WWE UK competitor a surprising debut victory. 

Purser def. Martina in a Fans Bring the Alcohol Match 

I'm still trying to come to terms with the Fans Bring the Alcohol match and to be honest with you, I don't think that I ever will completely. Referee Shay Purser's first FCP show since turning 18 saw him facing off with notorious boozehound and potential sexual deviant Martina with the fans supplying the alcohol, because it would've been weird if they'd bought their own booze with them. Most of my notes on this bout were single words, written in all caps, for example..."CHRIST". There was drinking, there was singing, there was referee Joel Allen wearing a bin bag, there was a pissed up version of an international, there was bronco busters for anyone who wanted one and it all felt like some kind of glorious dream. The kind of dream that you awake from with a start, slightly confused and questioning everything you once knew to be true. This probably wasn't a match for all, I'm not even sure if it was for me, but it certainly was an experience I won't forget in a hurry. 
  
JOEL DRIED THE RING. WELL DONE JOEL!

Banks def. Seven to retain FCP Championship 

Trent Seven and Travis Banks had been to war with each other before in FCP. Back at Rise Against in March 2016 when a frustrated came out with the victory in only Banks' second match in the promotion, before nine months Trav picked up his first singles win in FCP in a thrilling conclusion to the Infinity tournament. This match took a slightly different angle, as whilst Trent had become the default heel back in December due to the sheer investment the Fixxion crowd had in Banks' losing streak story, there was no mistaking that Seven was the villain here as the challenger cheap shotted the champion out of a handshake and we were off to the races. These two lads are two of the hardest hitters currently residing on our island and holy balls on a typewriter did they hit each other hard here. Strong style kicks and forearms and chops, brawling out into the crowd and doing a wonderful version of the spot where Seven misses a chop using the trussing for the lighting rig, when Seven and Banks face off you know you're going to get something physical, the kind of wrestling that makes you wince in a weird pleasure you're not quite sure how to deal with. 

Once the early brawling was done with, the two found the kitchen sink and through that at each other as well (obviously metaphorically, just in case you were wondering). The two went back and forth hitting big high impact moves, including a series of german suplexes one after the other, a dragon suplex, a seven star lariat and a burning hammer from Seven, a springboard roundhouse kick, a ringpost crotching and double stomp from Banks. Each move looked great, hit with ferocity and intent and that's not even the half of it. The proceedings seemed to get sillier and the reactions got louder as the match went on with each near fall seeming more improbable than the last. Banks kicked out a piledriver, Seven kicked out of a ridiculous coast to coast and then the champ kicked out of an avalanche piledriver, because why the fuck not? The best (or worst, if you're a miserable old bellend) part is that that wasn't even the daftest part of the match. Oh no, as we learned that Travis is pretty much indestructible as he took his third piledriver of the match and bounced back to his feet and the crowd went apeshit, before taking another dragon suplex and no selling the fuck out of that bad boy as well. A roundhouse kick and Kiwi Crusher later and Banks was still our Fight Club: Pro Champion after a thrilling 20 minutes of international strong style professional wrestling. I could watch Travis Banks v Trent Seven every day for the rest of my life and twice on Sundays and never get bored. Each of their matches in FCP has had it's own flavour, using different stories and situations to drive them, but always include great striking, crisp and dynamic big moves, some wonderful facial expression and terrific, awe-inspiring near falls. 

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 6.88/10

A very good debut show at Starworks for Fight Club: Pro and whilst I'm not completely sold on the new venue just yet, I am still sold on the wrestling content. Was the show on the same level as the Dream Tag Team Invitational weekend? No, but it didn't particularly need to be. I think the show took a while to find it's stride, but once the first half main event had blown me away with #CCK, Scarlet & Graves & The Hunter Brothers, the show didn't look back with a wonderfully varied second half, that concluded with main event owning the match of the night spot as Travis Banks and Trent Seven did what they do best. I can't wait to see what FCP has in store for us as we had into the summer, especially when Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate are available and there's not a chance I'm missing a single show.

Photo Credit - The Ringside Perspective.

Wrestle Ropes' Ready for the Weekend: April 2016 Week 1 - GPW, Southside & ICW

Well after a week off last weekend, we're back with the latest edition and what a weekend it's bound to be. As you shall all know, this weekend is the biggest in the whole calendar of professional wrestling thanks to a little show taking place on the other side of the Atlantic this Sunday. However, it's just a regular old weekend here in the UK with bumper load of events all over this wrestling isle. Let's get Ready For The Weekend!

friday

grand pro wrestling only the strong survive

hindley, greater manchester, england

Friday night kicks off with Grand Pro Wrestling who are back that their home of The Rose Club in Hindley, Wigan. Their Only The Strong Survive event is packed with names with chaos bound to ensue. One championship up for grabs is the GPW Tag Team Championship. The Hate League will be defending the championship against 5 other teams in GPW's first ever Tornado Cibernetico. The teams challenging Hate League are some of the most successful in GPW with two sets of former champions and three long standing duos all fighting it out to walk away as champions.  From one multi-man match to another as the current GPW Heavyweight and GPW British champions; T-Bone and Bubblegum join forces with Chris Ridgeway and Ashton Smith to face the group of Dylan Roberts, DDL, Craig Kollins and Travis Banks in an 8-man Survivor Series style match. Everyone wants to make an impression in this match and wins over certain people could be very lucrative in the future. One man with an opportunity that could also be lucrative in the future is 'Jumpin' Jimmy Jackson. Jackson is currently scheduled to compete in the next Fast Track 4-Way in May. However, Ricky J McKenzie is hell-bent on getting a shot at the GPW Heavyweight Championship by whatever means he sees necessary and has demanded a match for this Friday. Therefore, he will now face Jackson with the agreement that if he beats him, he will take his place in the Fast Track 4-Way.

only the strong survive match card

*Only The Strong Survive – 8-Man Survivor Series*

T-Bone, Bubblegum, Ashton Smith & Chris Ridgeway vs ‘100% Welsh Beef’ Dylan Roberts, DDL, ‘One Man Riot’ Craig Kollins & Travis Banks

*GPW Tag Team Championship – Tornado Cibernetico*

Midnight Bin Collection (Ste Bin Mann & Jet Fashion), The Island Brothers (Tabu & Rio) & The Circus (Noah & Jack Gallagher) vs The Bad Lads (Drill & Mickey Barnes), The Hate League (Soner Dursun & Danxig) (c) & Martin Kirby & The Sheikh

*Singles*

‘The Ringmaster’ Nicholas Cartier vs ‘Toxic Terror’ Cyanide

*If Ricky J McKenzie Wins, He Enters The Fast Track 4-Way In May*

‘Jumpin’ Jimmy Jackson vs Ricky J McKenzie

*Singles*

‘Bad Lad’ Don Meacho vs ‘Magnificent’ Matthew Brookes

saturday
southside wrestling entertainment raw deal v
stevenage, hertfordshire, england

Moving on to Saturday and Southside Wrestling Entertainment hold the fifth installment of their Raw Deal event at The Gordon Craig Theatre in Stevenage. As usual from Southside there is a blend of homegrown stars with a mix of international names as well. One international name who shall be making his Southside debut is Cedric Alexander. A mainstay in Ring Of Honor, 'The Lumbar Legacy' will now step in the ring with the longest reigning Speed King Champion in history in the shape of Martin Kirby. 'The Zoidberg Master' is one of the foundations of Southside Wrestling and British Wrestling as a whole. Alexander is known for bringing his non-stop style to every match but his opponent, Martin Kirby does exactly the same. Opportunity is the keyword for four teams this Saturday as they fight it out to become the next number one contenders to the Southside Tag Team Championship. The Young Wolves, The Hunter Brothers, Stixx & Flips, and The Inter Coastal Violence Connection are all competent as both individuals and teams so a winner in this match won't be easy to pick. While Hunter Brothers and Young Wolves have more experience as teams, the new team of Stixx and Chris Tyler or the birth of Chris Brookes and Travis Banks brand-new team could provide an upset and head straight to a championship match. When Angelico announced his tour of the UK, he went on record as saying he wished to face the best. Well he's going to get his wish this Saturday in Stevenage as he will be facing former Southside Heavyweight & Tag Team Champion; 'The Star Attraction' Mark Haskins. When a Haskins match is announced, you don't ask whether it will be good, you ask just how good it's going to be. Angelico is no walkover by any means and will be a serious challenge to Haskins. That being said, Angelico may end up thinking twice about asking to face the best when the best is world-class.

raw deal v match card

*Singles*

‘The Righteous’ Joseph Conners vs Mr Anderson

*Queen Of Southside Championship – Four-Way*

Toni Storm vs Jade vs Nixon Newell vs Penelope

*Southside Tag Team Championship – Special Rules*

The Second City Collective (‘Number One’ Damian Dunne & ‘All Day Star’ Ryan Smile) vs The London Riots (James Davis & Rob Lynch)

*Singles*

Angelico vs ‘The Star Attraction’ Mark Haskins

*Singles*

Martin Kirby vs Cedric Alexander

*Four-Way Tag Team – Number One Contender*

Young Wolves (Dan Moloney & Tyler Bate) vs The Hunter Brothers (Lee & Jim Hunter) vs Inter Coastal Violence Connection (Chris Brookes & Travis Banks) vs Stixx & Flips (Stixx & Chris Tyler)

sunday
insane championship wrestling barramania II
glasgow, scotland

Finally ending the weekend on Sunday and Insane Championship Wrestling return to the the world-famous Barrowlands in Glasgow with BarraMania II. While ICW will be immortalised in the Barrowlands Hall Of Fame, the event will also see two roster members leave the promotion on the same night. Firstly, Nikki Storm shall compete against her former intern, Sammii Jayne. What started off as productive relationship soon turned sour as Sammii found herself overshadowed by 'The Best In The Galaxy'. After standing up for herself, Sammii now wants Nikki gone from ICW and in-turn Nikki wants to see the last of Sammii. Somebody is getting their wish this Sunday. April 2nd will also see one team walk away without their manager and possibly their championship gold. Since winning the ICW Tag Team Championship, The 55's Kid Fite and Sha Samuels have been rather reluctant to give Mark Coffey and Jackie Polo of Polo Promotions any more opportunities at winning the gold back. Polo Promotions had to resort to attacking The 55's manager, James R Kennedy with a steel chair before ICW majority owner, Red Lightning would grant the match. However he added the stipulation that at BarraMania II the match shall be an I Quit Towel contest with the added dimension that whichever manager throws the towel in for his team will be force to quit ICW. When the biggest weekend in professional wrestling comes around, it's only fitting that member and former members of one of the biggest dominating factions in ICW history would collide. BT Gunn and Chris Renfrew of the New Age Kliq were shocked when their allies and family, Wolfgang and Stevie Boy turned on them and aligned themselves with Red Lightning and the Black Label. Since then they hatred as grow to epic proportion between to two groups and now it's come to a head. Former brothers will meet in the ring this Sunday and settle their differences. However, not everyone may be walking out.

barramania II match card

*ICW World Heavyweight Championship*

‘The Beast Of Belfast’ Big Damo (c) vs ‘The Chosen One’ Drew Galloway

*ICW Zero-G Championship – Scramble Match*

Davey Boy (c) vs Lionheart vs Noam Dar vs Kenny Williams vs ‘Local Hero’ Joe Hendry vs Liam Thomson

*ICW Tag Team Championship – I Quit Towel Match – Losing Manager Quits ICW*

The 55 (Kid Fite & ‘The East End Butcher’ Sha Samuels) (w/ James R Kennedy) (c) vs Polo Promotions (Jackie Polo & ‘The Real Deal’ Mark Coffey) (w/ Coach Trip)

*Loser Leaves ICW*

‘The Best In The Galaxy’ Nikki Storm vs Sammii Jayne

*Tag Team*

‘Iron Man’ Joe Coffey & Grado vs The Black Label (‘Big Kink’ Jack Jester & Red Lightning (w/ Flex Hunter))

*Tag Team*

New Age Kliq (BT Gunn & Chris Renfrew) vs Wolfgang & Stevie Boy (w/ Kay Lee Ray)

*Singles*

Massimo vs Doug Williams

*Singles*

Mikey Whiplash vs Trent Seven

That wraps up this week's preview of the weekend's wrestling schedule. Of course, there are many more events taking place over the three days. To find out more about the shows we've highlighted here as well as all the others, check us out at www.wrestleropesuk.wordpress.com for the latest show and match announcements, British Wrestling event list, interviews, exclusive columns, reviews, reports and results!

Live Event Review: Kamikaze Pro Underground - Smile vs. Ospreay

On 4th March 2016, Kamikaze Pro held Underground at The Empire in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The show featured Ryan Smile defending the Kamikaze Pro Relentless Division Championship against a debuting Will Ospreay, Robbie X putting the Kamikaze Pro Championship on the line against AAA star Angelico and The Hunter Brothers defending the Kamikaze Pro Tag Team Championship in three way action against Born 2 Fly and Mika & Elliot Jordan...but was it any good? Let's take a look!

underground match card

Match 1 - Kamikaze Pro Tag Team Championships - Born 2 Fly vs. "The Wolf of Broad Street" Elliot Jordan & "The Polish Punisher" Mika vs. The Hunter Brothers (C)

Match 2 - Singles - Money in the Bank Contract Holder "Superbeast" Dan Moloney vs. "The Big O" Omari

Match 3 - Singles - El Ligero vs. "The International Swerve" Shane Strickland

Match 4 - No Disqualification - Clint Margera vs. "The Bad Man" Marshall X (The Bigger Picture)

Match 5 - Kamikaze Pro Relentless Division Championship - "The All Day Star" Ryan Smile (The Bigger Picture) (C) vs. "The Aerial Assassin" Will Ospreay

Match 6 - Singles - "The Apex of Agility" Andrew Everrett vs. "Dynamite" Pete Dunne

Match 7 - Singles - Blue Pants vs. Nixon Newell 

Match 8 - Kamikaze Pro Championship - "The Ultimate Airdevil" Angelico vs. Robbie X (C) (The Bigger Picture) 

fast-forward...After having a horrific time parking in Coventry we entered The Empire with Lawrie Neal already in the ring, he did a short intro and we were into the show...

the hunter brothers defeat born 2 fly and elliot jordan and mika to retain the kamikaze pro tag team championships

The opening contest was a solid three way tag team match, with The Hunter Brothers picking up their 11th defense of the Kamikaze Pro Tag Team titles. Kamikaze Pro Dojo graduates Elliot Jordan and Mika handled themselves well as the only heels in the bout as they had section in control of members of both of their opponents, whilst also managing to control a lively all-standing Coventry crowd. Whilst both men have grown as performers over the last year, one part of the match that I struggled to buy into was either of them getting a Tag Team title shot and the same can be said for TJ Sky and Kieran Young of Born 2 Fly. Jordan and Mika by this point were yet to win a match as a tag team, including a 4 way shot at Hunter Brothers title back at 2nd Anniversary Show in June 2015 and a two v two bout at Bad Apple in February 2016. Born 2 Fly's only previous appearance for the promotion had been a handicap loss to Dan Moloney at Sky's the Limit 2 in May 2015! 

Whilst I had problems with the titles being on the line, the spot-based action of the 2nd portion of the match got the crowd warmed up nicely with all six men working hard to put on some cool moments. A sweet Tower of Doom spot stands out as one of the strongest of the bout, as does a powerbomb spot over the ringside barricade. Having seen The Hunter Brothers used their Giant Swing into Dropkick combination as a near fall in other promotions I always find it hard to buy into it as a finish at Kamikaze Pro and I felt the same as usual here. Despite the action being fun and pacy, nothing made me feel like the Hunters weren't walking out with the titles, and there was a distinct lack of near falls in the closing stages which could have really pushed this match to the next level. An okay opener, but nothing more.

dan moloney defeats omari

It's been a fantastic experience to watch Omari develop over the last year and this match was his strongest to date, against a Dan Moloney who has also improved ten fold since I first saw him in action. It felt like the two performers connected early on here, with their characters gelling really well. It wasn't a particularly flashy or complicated bout, but what was done was well and the crowd bought into the simple storytelling and remained hooked throughout.

My favourite part of the contest was Omari's comeback as he fired up and showed a side of him that I hadn't seen before. For those unfamiliar with The Big O, he usually portrays a fairly whitemeat babyface, so to see him get angry with Moloney and burst into a series of stiff strikes and really bring the action to Moloney. It added some much needed dimension to Omari's character and I'd love to see this side explored again over the next couple of shows. Maloney continued to build towards his eventual Money in the Bank cash-in, picking up the victory after nailing Omari with his briefcase. Maloney got a lot of heat from the crowd for this and took it well, he's a performer I'm looking forward seeing getting a major chance in Kamikaze later in the year and hopefully running with it and getting even more bookings across the country.

el ligero defeats shane strickland

This was the first match on the card to really stand out, as El Ligero met CZW's Shane Strickland in an Indy spot-fest done right. This was my first chance at seeing Strickland and he impressed me throughout, as the pair kept the action coming thick and fast. Lots of back and forth flips and tricks here, this was almost the complete opposite to the bout that had gone before it, bringing all the sizzle that the pair could find and then some. Considering this was the pairs first one on one match, I thought the action was surprisingly fluid here with the two transitioning from one portion of match pretty flawlessy. It was a shame that the ropes seemed to not want to play ball and the pair ended up slipping a couple of times which unfortunately did effect the contests pace and took me out of the match a few times.

Whilst the match was mostly spot-based, there was at least some narrative going on here, as Ligero was constantly attempting to hit his C4L finish throughout the bout. He must have tried for the move at least three times, with Strickland managing to either dodge or counter the move each time. Whilst this was going down there was also some nice near falls for both men, with Ligero hitting a version of the Canadian Destroyer to reverse a powerbomb, whilst a Standing Spanish Fly also seemed to have the job done. The closing stages were electric, as Ligero hit a beautiful reverse rana to set up for him to finally connect with the C4L and pick up the victory over "The International Swerve". This was Ligero's first victory in Kamikaze Pro since June last year and should surely put him back in the hunt for a shot at either of the singles' titles in the promotion sooner rather than later.                  

clint margera defeats marshall x in a no disqualification match

A rematch from Frost Fight 3 in Bournville last November, Clint Margera and Marshall X put on a belting No Disqualification Match to close the first half of action, as the two melded their style to produce a satisfyingly physical match-up. Of course, Margera is known for his Death Match style, having spent time in the USA, Japan and Germany with CZW & BJW, whilst ripping it up on these shores for Wolverhampton's Fight Club: Pro and No DQ matches with the likes of T-Bone, Chris Brookes, Abyss, Robbie X and Dan Moloney in Kamikaze and he bought some that here. Starting off with some crowd brawling which is always a lot of fun, before escalating into some vicious singapore cane shots, a clock smashed across the head, the arrival of a carrier bag full of thumb tacks and even the surprise return of Abyss' weapon of choice Janice (previously seen in the promotion at Monster in Bournville in July 2015). The contests brutality suited the all-standing mainly adult environment, it would have been interesting to see just how far these lads would have been willing to go had the show been an over 18's event!

Whilst Margera is known for his violence, Marshall X is known for his shenanigans. Since Marshall joined The Bigger Picture it was only going to get more shenanigany going forward and this match didn't disapoint. Kamikaze Pro Champion Robbie X and Kamikaze Pro Relentless Division Champion Ryan Smile (with other member Damian Dunne teaming with "Flash" Morgan Webster in a losing effort to The Filthy Rotten Scoundrels over the PW4U Tag Team Championships in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire on the same night) got all involved to stop a Margera pinfall, only to be chased away by the Hunter Brothers. The craziness of the final moments was suplement by a big ol' violent spot as Margera hit a Death Valley Driver onto the pile of thumb tacks to pick up the victory. A well-structured bout that lived up to my expectations heading in, providing plenty of violence and plenty of shenanigans, good stuff.

fast-forward...Interval time

ryan smile defeats will ospreay to retain the kamikaze pro relentless division championship

"The All Day Star" and "The Aerial Assassin" have ripped it up together for SWA in Telford, Southside in Camberly and FPW in Sutton and they bought that action to Kamikaze's debut in Coventry, with Will Ospreay making his first appearance for the promotion, challenging for Kamikaze regular Ryan Smile's Relentless Division Championship. If there was one match that encapsulated everything that Kamikaze's "Relentless Division" should be, it was this utterly ridiculous match, between two of the UK's best Junior Heavyweights. The opening section was some of the best action you'll catch anywhere in the UK, as the two looked to out do each other in a blindingly quick series of back and forth action, with way, way too much stuff going on here to actual make any coherent notes on! Trust me, it was bloody marvelous.

Despite this being Ospreay's first appearance for Kamikaze and one of his only appearances in the West Midlands, he was very over with knowledgeable Coventry audience, with loud chants of "Ospreay, Ospreay, Ospreay, Ospreay" (replacing the Ole chants) throughout the match. Whilst a good proportion of the audience seemed to have caught Ospreay in action for the likes of IPW:UK, Southside or Rev Pro, part of his success as the bouts babyface, has to be accredited to Ryan Smile turning up his heel persona to 11 and coming across as a right old bag of shite. Whilst I'm not sure Smile needed to use just as much fruity language as he did, considering this wasn't an Over 18's show and there was a fair few children dotted around the venue, a lot of his character work was strong and helped add an exta layer of narrative to the contest. For example, The All Day Star refusing to hit any dives to the outside in the mid-section of the match and attempting to go for the countout victory, not only denied fans some of Smile's flashier offence, but allowed for Ospreay to flex his babyface selling muscles, creating compelling action with having to do a whole lot.

With the pace of the contest being to rise again, the final third of the bout produced the most satisfying performances of the entire contest. A fired up Ospreay got some great near falls, with the crowd getting hotter and hotter for each one, whilst the on-going story of Smile's frustration at being unable to put the future NJPW star away paying off in the final three or four minutes of the bout. After Ospreay reversed Smile's brainbuster attempt for another near fall, Smile was able to hit a deadlift varation of the move for a near fall of his own, this was the turning point of the match where Smile's frustrations boiled over and took it to a new level. After Ospreay had missed a Tope Conhilo into the crowd (or conveniently placed Dojo trainees, who gave themselves away cheering for fellow Dojo students Mika and Elliot Jordan earlier in the night when the rest of the crowd was booing the heels), Smile took things to a new level diving head first of the balcony of the building with a beautiful swan dive that sent the crowd mental. I liked the idea that Smile only wanted to hit something flashy when he absolutely had to and if he was going to do it, then it would be something that no one would ever forget. Still it would take two Smile High Frog Splashes for Smile to retain his title, with the first one making for a brilliant false finish that got an electric reaction from the crowd! A great match, that may have been the best I've ever seen in a Kamikaze Pro ring, this was the clear winner of Match of the Night for me.

andrew everrett defeats pete dunne

Whilst it struggled to compete with the bout that went before it Pete Dunne and former PWG World Tag Team Champion Andrew Everrett put on a solid, indy bout. There was a cool clash of styles in this one, as Everrett went for a lot of high-flying, flashy offence, whilst Dunne stuck more to technical British style. The two went back and forth throughout the match, using their preferred style, it was a shame that the bout didn't get a great deal of time and that it was positioned directly after Smile vs. Ospreay as it was always going to struggle to stand out after it. I feel like Dunne and Everrett could have done a lot more if they had another ten minutes and a main event or sub-main event slot. The finish however was cool piece of action with Dunne managing to reverse Everrett's Tombstone Piledriver attempt to hit one of his own, only for Everrett to reverse Dunne's DT3 finisher into a small package to pick up his first victory in Kamikaze Pro, giving Dunne his first defeat in 1 v 1 action since August for Kamikaze. A rematch with a brighter spotlight would be very well recieved I feel.

nixon newell defeats blue pants

Still struggling to overcome the Smile vs. Ospreay bout and with the time getting pretty late, Blue Pants and Nixon Newell seemed to struggle to hold the fans attention for the whole match. NXT star Blue and Kamikaze regular Nixon did manage to put on some decent action, with Nixon taking on the default heel role against the American talent. Nixon spent a fair amount of the match focusing her attention on Blue's knee, landing multiple kicks and showing a vicious side that she has rarely shown in Kamikaze to this point. With the crowd mostly talking among themselves, Blue didn't seem particularly bothered about getting them involved, with a cheesy Blue Pants gimmick not quite going over with this particular crowd, the lack of in-ring chemistry with Nixon didn't really help things either. The finish was disappointingly sloppy as Blue went for her version of the Acid Drop and botched, leading to an awkward pin from Nixon with her feet on the ropes. Nixon completed her heel turn in Kamikaze by flipping the crowd the bird on her way out, it'll be interesting to see where Kamikaze take her role over the next sixth months.

fast-forward...An interval was called for before the main event and then quickly cancelled in a bizarre turn of events, even for Brit-Wres...

robbie x defeats angelico to retain the kamikaze pro championship

In the final marquee bout of the evening, AAA's Angelico challenged Kamikaze Pro Champion Robbie X in a character-driven encounter. Robbie X was incredibly over with the Coventry crowd and seemed to revel in the crowd reaction that he was getting. Lots of loud boos, pepped with the occasional chant about his height or top-knot (potentially a pony tail, but no one cared). Robbie X controlled the pace of the early goings, denying the crowd of the flashy offence that Angelico is known for, delivering a number of chops, whilst interacting with the crowd throughout. I feel like Kamikaze is really missing an opportunity to place Robbie X in a longer running feud for the title, as he's got a lot of heat with the crowd and works them nicely, if placed against a regular Kamikaze babyface over a number of months they could create something truly special and take the company to the next level.

For his part in the match, Angelico looked the part, although he wasn't as over with the crowd as you'd think he would have been. That could just as easily be due to the crowd being blown out or the fact that it's hard to find a chant that fits his name! His main part in the bout was numerous teases for his Fall of the Angels finisher, with Robbie able to escape twice before eventually hitting it for a good near fall. Both Angelico and Robbie X are talented in-ring performers and whilst they put together some good action sequences in the ring, I didn't feel that the two fully connected with each other in the ring and because of this they didn't reach the full potential of what they could have done together. However, if this is the quality of match the two are capable of when they don't quite gel, I'd love to see a rematch when the two are more aclimatised to each other. Of course, Robbie was up to his old way when he picked up the victory, hitting a low blow followed by a Lethal Injection to pick up the win and retain the Kamikaze Pro Championship! 

fast-forward...The show closed with Andrew Everrett and Pete Dunne coming to make the save for Angelico after The Bigger Picture attacked, with a tag team match between Everrett & Dunne and Bigger Picture's Robbie X & Ryan Smile being scheduled for Over the Top 3 in Birmingham on the 27th March

finally...

atpw scale rating - 6.57/10

As Kamikaze Pro's first trip to a new city this was very good card of action. Will Ospreay and Ryan Smile earn the match of the night award, with a brilliant display of high-flying, fast-paced action that you will struggle to find done better anywhere else. Robbie X's performance in the Kamikaze Pro Championship bout livened up a tired crowd, even if he and Angelico didn't quite connect in the ring, whilst the opening Tag Team three way bout offered some nice action, but didn't quite manage to create the break out contest that the tag team division needed.

A varied undercard was highlighed by El Ligero and Shane Strickland's PWG style sprint and Clint Margera and Marshall X's brutal No Disqualification tussle. Pete Dunne and Andrew Everrett also put in some quality work, but were let down by time constraints and having to follow the outstanding Smile vs. Ospreay bout. Rounding off the card, Omari continued to show signs of promise in a simple bout with Dan Moloney, but Nixon Newell and Blue Pants failed to capture the crowd imagination in a fairly lacklustre clash. 

It was a shame that Kamikaze didn't announce a return date to Coventry, as they pulled a decent crowd and I enjoyed the set up of the venue, as it offered something a little different to your regular Kamikaze venue. They will however be back at the Meadway Sports & Social Centre in Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom on 27th January 2016. Robbie X will defend his Kamikaze Pro Championship against a returning Jody Fliesch, Jonny Storm will return to square off with Marshall X, Toni Storm and Liberty both come back to face each other, Clint Margera, Pete Dunne, Ryan Smile, Dan Moloney, Travis Banks and Tyler Bate will battle it out to get the #30 spot in the Rumble bout with loser having to enter number one. Pete Dunne, Ryan Smile, Tyler Bate, Omari, Travis Banks, Dan Moloney, Toni Storm, Jim Hunter, Lee Hunter, Marshall X, Mika, Sancho Cortez, Elliott Jordan, Clint Margera, Liberty, Dan Tucker, Jonny Storm, TK Cooper, Sam Wilder, Darius Lockhart, Caz Crash, Liam Doyle and more will battle it out to become #1 Contender in a Royal Rumbe bout and The Hunter Brothers will defend their Kamikaze Pro Tag Team Championships against The Proven. Tickets are available here

(All photo credit goes to Kamikaze Pro and Mark Lungley)