Wrestle Ropes' Ready For The Weekend: October 2016 Week 5 - SWA, SWE & PROGRESS

It's Halloween weekend and we've got a preview that is full of treats and a handful of tricks also! This week, we kick off on Friday with Scottish Wrestling Alliance in Paisley, Renfrewshire, before looking at Southside Wrestling Entertainment's 6th Anniversary Show in Stevenage, Hertfordshire on Saturday and then closing up with PROGRESS Wrestling's Chapter 38: When Men Throw Men at Men in Camden, London. There's little time to wait so let's get Ready For The Weekend!

We've also included alternative shows across the weekend including shows in Sheffield, Preston, Southampton, Greenock, Bristol and Portsmouth! 

Friday night kicks off the wrestling weekend with SWA returning to The Lagoon Centre in Paisley. The event will see regular stars of SWA as well as some new faces from down south. 

One of the matches which will showcase both is the contest between Ryan Griffin and Soner Dursun. Griffin is the current SWA Junior Heavyweight Champion and a firm fan favourite in part for to his high-flying style. His opponent, Dursun will be making his first appearance for SWA but comes in with good credentials as his a former FSW Adrenaline Champion, a title which is comparable to the SWA Junior Heavyweight Championship. This match will be a great meeting of two young stars who no doubt will have many more championship wins in their future. 

Tag team action will also be on the cards this Friday night as the duo of Lana Austin and Alexis Rose will make their SWA debut when they face probably the best known Scottish female tag team today, The Bae Club's Sammii Jayne and Debbie Sharpe. All four women are known for their success as singles competitors as well as being part of their respective tag teams. The teams have never met before in the ring so it will be intriguing to witness what team comes out on top and how the personalities collide with each other. Both duos are known for maybe stretching rules of competition shall we say so the jury is out when it comes to choosing a winner. 

The main event this Friday is quite simply the only reason you would need to attend this event in Paisley. Joe Coffey is widely regarded as not only one of Scotland's biggest starts but one of the best in Europe, possibly the world. His opponent has traveled the world and competed for the biggest wrestling promotion on earth, WWE. Coffey's opponent at The Lagoon Centre will be Cody Rhodes. Since his departure from WWE, Rhodes has been tearing it up on the independent wrestling scene, facing legends and stars of professional wrestling at every turn. Coffey needs no promoting from us if you have even seen one match of his, you will know what he brings to the ring every time he competes. Rhodes has went on record as saying he wanted the best from SWA and they have delivered that in Coffey. This very well could be one that those in attendance look back on in years to come and say “we were there”.

Also this Friday, Xander Cooper will make his SWA debut against Robbie Solar while David Devlin shall face his mentor in Mikey Whiplash. Aspen Faith will also be in action when he competes against Timm Wylie.

Friday Alternatives 

Insane Championship Wrestling Wrestleria 

Sheffield, South Yorkshire

Feat - Joe Hendry v Jack Jester

Preston City Wrestling Fright Night 4

Preston, Lancashire 

Feat - Chris Masters v Iestyn Rees *I Quit Match*

Moving on to Saturday and SWE will celebrate their 6th anniversary as they head to Stevenage, Hertfordshire and The Gordon Craig Theatre. The event will see three of their championship defended as well as an international defence. 

The international defence will come in the form of Eddie Edwards defending the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Bubblegum. Bubblegum is the current Speed King Champion but he'll be trying to add more gold to round his waist this Saturday. Edwards will not be giving up the title easily though as this is his first reign as TNA World Heavyweight Champion, which adds to his many previous title reigns which have contributed to him being a ROH and TNA Triple Crown winner. Bubblegum will not be an easy challenger to fight off though and any underestimation could result in Eddie Edwards' first reign being very short lived. 

Since Robbie X returned to SWE his focus has been soley on his former tag team partner, Mark Haskins. Robbie even resorted to attacking Haskins with a kendo stick during SWE last event. Haskins wants revenge and he's not going to let Robbie get away with his attack. SWE have recognised that Haskins wants retribution for the attack and have scheduled both men to face each other this weekend and kendo sticks will be legal. Robbie wants to destroy Haskins, he'll get the chance to do just this this Saturday. That being said, with kendo sticks being legal for both men, it may turn out to be Robbie who finds himself on the end of a career changing kendo stick attack at the hands of Haskins. Whatever happens expect some creative brutality in Stevenage this Saturday.

The feud between Joseph Conners and El Ligero has consumed SWE for as long as anyone can remember. When Ligero's team beat The Righteous Army, forcing them to disband, many thought it was the end. However, that was not to be the case and the two men will meet once again this Saturday with the richest prize in SWE being on the line, the Heavyweight Championship. The hatred between these two men is so strong that SWE imposed a clause on their championship match that if either man touched the other before this Saturday then the match would not take place. Both men have managed to remain restrained but that restrained will be gone in Stevenage and they will have to give it all they have as this championship match shall also include tables, ladders and chairs (oh my). Only one person is leaving as champion this Saturday but we doubt that either man will able to walk away the same as they entered.

This Saturday will also feature Melina defending the Queen Of Southside Championship in a six-way match against Alex Windsor, Nixon Newell, Kay Lee Ray, Dahlia Black and Toni Storm. The Southside Tag Team Championship will also be on the line when international duo of Shane Strickland and Matt Cross Stixx and Chris Tyler at The Gordon Craig Theatre. Finally, Cody Rhodes shall make his SWE debut when he faces “The Bruiserweight” Pete Dunne in the first meeting between the two men.

Saturday Alternatives 

Insane Championship Wrestling That's a Paddlin' 

Southampton, Hampshire

Feat - Wolfgang v Joe Hendry 

Premier British Wrestling Maximum Impact 2016

Greenock, Inverdale

Feat - Davey Blayze v BT Gunn

PROGRESS return to the Electric Ballroom in Camden, London for the first time since August to present the 38th Chapter in their history, entitled When Men Throw Men at Men, with another wonderful card of wrestling lined up. 

The fourth Natural Progression Series kicks off on Sunday, with this edition featuring the added twist that it will be to become the first ever Women's Champion. This first quarter final match shows that PROGRESS aren't messing around, as bitter rivals and two of the promotion's most prominent females will go head to head, with Jinny taking on Pollyanna. These two have been feuding on and off since the start of 2015, having a number of tag bouts since as well as putting women's wrestling on the map in the promotion with a huge No Disqualification match in May 2015. The two have split victories in the past, but a lot has changed over the last 18 months, with Jinny developing into a much more vicious and capable performers, defeating the likes Leva Bates, Toni Storm and Mishca East. She'll be looking to use her increased experience to finally put the plucky Pollyanna down for good, but with so much on the line, it won't be an easy task.  

The issues between The South Pacific Power Trip (TK Cooper & Travis Banks with Dahlia Black) and The Shirtlifters (Jack Sexsmith & Roy Johnson) have been rumbling since the Summer, when Johnson would be pulled into Sexsmith's feud with The SPPT during a Wasteman Challenge in July. Sexsmith's choice words for the group who he'd had problems with for sometime, only added more fuel to fire and the two teams have been scrapping ever since. This Sunday, they'll look to put the rivalry to bed in a fan-voted Tables Match. The gimmick would seem to favour the more heinous The SPPT, who have been on a major role since joining up in PROGRESS. With Sexsmith in particular seemingly stepping outside his comfort zone, we could see a very different side to the Sexually Frivolous star on Sunday, as he and Johnson aim to put Cooper and Banks through a table. Expect shenanigans and excitement as the two popular teams collide in the Electric Ballroom.

In a huge international encounter, former World Champion Mark Andrews and Matt Cross will go toe to toe with a change to face Mark Haskins for the SMASH Championship on the line. Cross is best known for his work as Son of Havoc in Lucha Underground, showing an ability to wrestle in a variety of styles and that sense he'll be more than a match for Impact Wrestling star Andrews. If you've ever seen a Cross or Andrews match over the last few years, then you'll know exactly what to expect here and if not, then prepare to have you mind blown by an aerial assault, that will be action-packed to say the very least. The two previous met during a ten person match at Super Strong Style 16, but have never faced off one on one anywhere. Mandrews picked up big victories on PROGRESS's shows with SMASH in Canada, whilst Havoc has gone undefeated in his last four bouts in the Canadian company, so this match is finely balanced to create a real battle for the title shot, which could also open up opportunities within PROGRESS itself. 

Elsewhere on the show, Rampage Brown will put his Atlas Championship on the line in an open challenge, The Hunter Brothers (Lee Hunter & Jim Hunter) return to take on the debuting team of Alexander Henry & Jason Prime known collectively as The New Nation and Pastor William Eaver faces Paul Robinson. 

Sunday Alternatives

Insane Championship Wrestling You Don't Win Friends With Salad 

Bristol

Feat - DCT v Lionheart

Revolution Pro Wrestling Live in Portsmouth

Porstmouth, Hampshire

Feat - The Big Guy (fka Ryback) v Legion of Lords (Lord Gideon Grey & Rishi Ghosh) 

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!

Words - Andy Scotland & James Marston

Images - James Marston

Image Source - Facebook.com

Wrestle Ropes Ready for the Weekend: October 2016 Week Three - TW, OTT & PROGRESS

Another busy week of British and Irish wrestling is ahead of us, this week we take a look at Target Wrestling in Annan, Dumfries and Galloway on Friday, before jumping over to Wexford, Ireland as Over The Top Wrestling take over Spiegeltent Festival on Saturday and rounding off in Manchester as PROGRESS Wrestling present Chapter 37: A Sudden Sense of Liberty. So without further ado it's time to get Ready For The Weekend! 

If none of those are near you or you're just looking for more, we've got alternative shows in highlighted also. Including shows in Armadale, Aylesbury, Aberdeen, Bury, Glasgow and Newport! 

Friday kicks things off with Target Wrestling heading back to Annan and The Corner House Hotel. This show marks the first of two events over the weekend for Target Wrestling with them heading to Carlisle the following night. 

In Carlisle, Shady Nattrass is scheduled to defend the Target Wrestling High Octane Division Championship against DCT. However, Natrass might not even make it to Carlisle as champion as he'll be facing Martin Kirby this Friday. Kirby has been close to championship gold in TW as well as being a multi-time champion all over the UK. Could Kirby finally win TW gold or will Nattrass be successful in his first championship defense of the weekend?

This Friday will see Annan's own Ivy Mist back in action in TW where she will be teaming up with former TW Champion; Medallion to face former TW Tag Team Champions; Havok & Karnage. Mist and Medallion have teamed before and had success doing so, but this will be their toughest challenge against former champions. Mist will have the backing of the crowd this Friday, however if the pressure of being in front of home town fans takes over, it may not be the homecoming she so desires. 

In the past, Alexander Henry, Spyda, Benny Munroe and Luke Rose have all crossed paths with each other. This Friday they'll all be meeting in the ring in a fatal four-way match. Some have wins over others, some don't like each other. Regardless of who likes who and who doesn't, only one person is walking of of this match as the winner. We might see alliances form but no alliance can win this match. It can only be one man. The one who fights the hardest for it.


Other matches on the show shall see “The Primate” Jason Prime taking on The Coyote Kid for the first time while Ryan Hunter and Ben Vicious shall be competing against each other in singles action.

Friday Alternative 

Premier British Wrestling Live in Armadale 

Armadale, West Lothian 

Tickets Available - From £8 per person 

On Saturday, Over The Top Wrestling make their debut in Wexford for a show at Spiegeltent Festival. 

Kimber Lee makes her first appearance for OTT, as she takes on Martina. Lee has proven to be one of the toughest competitors in Independent wrestling, female or otherwise, even reigning as CHIKARA's Grand Champion earlier this year, even succesfully defending the title against Nixon Newell in Wales. Yet on Saturday she may very well be at a disadvantage, not only because of the unfamiliar surroundings in her first match in Ireland, but also due to Martina being a little bit unpredictable. Even though she reigned a top of CHIKARA's gang of ragamuffins and oddballs for almost six months, Lee may never come into contact with a wrestler like Martina and that might just give the upcomer the edge over the much more experienced Lee. Whatever the outcome, expect plenty of shenanigans and some great action. 

Hubba Bubba Lucha explodes? Quite possibly as Bubblegum debuts in OTT to take on a man he's very familiar with, El Ligero. This pair have battle each other, teamed with each other and just about everything in between all over the UK and into Europe for over ten years and on Saturday that level of experience and familiarity comes to Spiegeltent Festival. Both are known to favour a high-flying and pacy style, so this one could very well be fought and won above the ring. Ligero struggled during his previous trip to OTT, so he'll be looking to put the demons of dual loses to Pete Dunne to bed, whilst Bubblegum will be looking to make a big impact on the company in Wexford. Either way, this match may steal the show! 

At the other end of the scale, Dave Mastiff is returning to OTT for the first time in over a year to take on a performer who will be looking to put himself in the conversion over Pete Dunne's No Limits Championship. Garrett has had a number of successes since debuting at the start of 2016, thanks to his sheer power and impressive speed for a 225 lb man, but in Mastiff he may have some who can match him for power and will work hard to keep Garrett from being able to break into a high gear and use his pace. The Bastard will be looking to show OTT what they've been missing out on over the last year and defeating one of the companies top contenders would definitely send out the right message. Mastiff and Garrett will give their all to get one over the other and you'll have to be in Wexford on Saturday night to find out who comes out victorious. 

Also on the card for Saturday are appearances from Love Island star, Adam Maxted and security guard turned actor turned wrestler, Tiny Iron. 

Tickets Available -  €18

Saturday Alternatives 

HOPE Wrestling Live in Aylesbury 

Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire 

Feat - Gene Munny v Chuck Cyrus 

Tickets Available - From £5 per person 

WrestleZone Live - In Aid of Kincorth Community Centre

Aberdeen 

Feat - Alan Sterling & Shawn Johnson v Mr. P & Kaden Garrick 

Tickets Availabe on the Door - From £10 per person

Futureshock Wrestling Underground 19 

Prestwich, Bury 

Feat - Fabian Aichner v Zack Gibson

Ticket Available - From £8 per person

After holding their biggest show to date in September, but not one to sit on their laurels, PROGRESS Wrestling holds their final Manchester event in 2016, with Chapter 37: A Sudden Sense of Liberty. 

After British Strong Style (Pete Dunne & Trent Seven) won the Tag Team Championship in September, three teams will be looking to get their head above the water and begin to stake a claim for a shot at the new men at the top of the division. FSU (Eddie Dennis & Mark Andrews) are perhaps the most popular tag team in the company, getting insane reactions whenever Andrew WK's Party Hard hits. However, their 2016 hasn't been a vintage year, at least in terms of victories, as they unsuccessfully challenged for the Tag Team titles on two occasions. The team that was champions at that time, The Origin, will be represented by El Ligero and Dave Mastiff. Perhaps surprisingly this is the first time they will be teaming as a pair, but with plenty of big match experience they'll be difficult to beat, even without Zack Gibson and Nathan Cruz at ringside. The wild card in this match has to be The South Pacific Power Trip (TK Cooper & Travis Banks) as whilst they're still a relatively knew team in PROGRESS, they've impressed in their first few matches and remain undefeated. If Dahlia Black is at ringside they may well cause an upset. Three teams and six competitors will make for pacy scramble of a match, but who walks out with the win is anyone's guess!

In another bout involving a lot of variables, Pete Dunne, Joe Coffey, Shane Strickland and Marty Scurll will go to battle for a shot at the World Championship, currently held by Mark Haskins. Just take a look at that line up, it's perhaps the most diverse four way ever. Dunne won the Tag Team Championship and has impressed enough since creating British Strong Style with Trent Seven to get a place in this four way. With Seven by his side, Dunne will do anything he can to earn a title shot and the chance to be a joint champion. Joe Coffey was unsuccessful in his quest to become the first ever Atlas Champion, but had previously blazed his way to the final with victories over the likes of Dave Mastiff, Michael Dante and Mikey Whiplash. Coffey is easily the most powerful man in the contest and will be looking to use that power to turn the negative of losing the Atlas tournament into a positive. 2 time CZW Wired Champion is still a newcomer to PROGRESS, but after defeating former World Champion Will Ospreay in August, he find himself with this big chance. Strickland is the quickest of the competitor, so will be hoping to win this one in the sky. The final participant, Scurll lost the World title in Brixton, but with PROGRESS offering no automatic rematches, he'll have to earn himself a chance here. The Villain has shown that he's obsessed with the title in the past, so who knows what he'll do in order to get the belt back in his possession. Dunne, Strickland, Coffey and Scurll all have what it takes and all four have incredibly different styles, this should lead to absolute classic in Manchester. 

After defeating Marty Scurll and Tommy End just three weeks ago, Mark Haskins will have his work cut out for him when he puts the belt on the line for the first time against The Origin's Zack Gibson. Gibson hasn't been in the best of form since reaching the Semi-Finals of Super Strong Style 16 in May, but managing to pin Jack Gallagher in his final match before leaving for WWE, as well as keeping The Origin from disbanding, has seen him catapulted into a title match. This could be a master class in submission wrestling as both are known to favour specific arm-based holds, but their similarities end there as Haskins is adored by the audience, whilst only Donald Trump seems capable of getting more heat than Gibson at this point in time.  The Star Attraction won their first encounter in January, so will be hoping for a repeat, but there's more than a possibility that Gibson could play spoiler and make sure that Haskins title reign is over before it begins.

Rounding out the show, Rampage Brown faces the unknown as he puts his Atlas Championship on the line in an Open Challenge, Kimber Lee faces Kay Lee Ray, James Drake takes on Fabian Aichner and Bubblegum returns to PROGRESS for a match with Chuck Mambo. 

Sold Out - Re-sale Tickets Available - From £10 per person

Sunday Alternatives 

Glasgow Pro Wrestling Asylum Proving Ground

Glasgow 

Feat - Austin Osiris & Kyle Khaos v Lionheart & Alex Hauser

Tickets Available on Door - £5 per person 

Dragon Pro Wrestling Battle Royale  

Newport, Gwent

Feat - Sierra Loxton v Jetta 

Tickets Available - £8 per person

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!

Words - Andy Scotland & James Marston

Images - James Marston

Image Source - Facebook.com

Wrestle Ropes Ready for the Weekend: October 2016 Week One - SWE & Source

With another weekend of wrestling ahead of us, British wrestling just continues to move forward. This week we're looking at a couple of Southside Wrestling Entertainment shows, one on Friday in St Neots, Cambridgeshire and another on Saturday in Nottingham, as well as a Source Wrestling School event in Glasgow, also on Saturday. Of course, we also have alternative shows from around the country that this week features shows in Glasgow, Liverpool, so there's certainly a bit of something for everyone as we get Ready for the Weekend! 

Friday night kicks off the wrestling weekend with Southside Wrestling Entertainment hosting the first of five weekend events! This first event entitled Adrenaline Rush shall be held at The Priory Centre in St Neots. As is the norm with SWE, the card is packed with international stars alongside home-grown stars of the UK. 

One match that is the essence of international and domestic is Bubblegum vs Fenix. Bubblegum is one of the finest wrestlers in the UK. Simple as that. Numerous wrestlers name him as an example they wish to follow and learn from while others claim that the best matches they have had in their careers have been with him. He is constantly in the upper echelon of talent in the UK and has held numerous championships in British Wrestling, some on multiple occasions. His opponent, Fenix, is best known on these shores for his time in Lucha Underground where he is one third of the current Trios Champions. Fenix is an exceptionally fast competitor who utilises his Luchador style to perfection. Both of these men will be competing in the Speed King tournament the following day and may meet at some point. This match will give both men an idea of what they'll face should that happen and whoever wins this match, may well take a psychological advantage on any future contests. 

The war between Joseph Conners and El Ligero continues to grow ahead of their championship match on October 29th. Neither man is allowed to touch the other unless it is a competitive match. That being said, both men will meet in a tag team match this Friday. Now another scheduled match this weekend will see the duo of Ligero and Brian Cage face Conners and HC Dyer. Conners wasn't best please at Ligero's choice of partner and when this made it's way to “The Mexican Sensation”, he hit back claiming that he could beat Conners with anyone as his partner. Conners is one of the sharpest minds in wrestling and capitalised on that by challenging El Ligero to let him choose the partner. It was accepted and now Conners has an ace in the hole. We don't know who he will choose but it doesn't take a genius to know that it is unlikely to be someone that will be of aid to Ligero and most certainly will be an aid to Conners. 

Originally SWE had announced that Sami Callihan would be facing Will Ospreay. However due to Ospreay being unable to compete this Friday, this has created an opportunity. That opportunity will be heading to “Smashmouth” Chris Ridgeway who will be filling the void. Now Ridgeway is certainly not here to make up the numbers and he will know that this is a huge opportunity to not only test himself against a world-class calibre wrestler but also to send a message to everyone else. Ridgeway is part of the Speed King tournament this weekend and a win over someone like Callihan would do amazing things for his confidence and mindset. That being said, if Callihan does walk away with the win, it could motivate Ridgeway even more. “Smashmouth” hits hard to begin with, as does his opponent. When Ridgeway has confidence or anger in his mind, he's even more hard hitting.

This Friday will also see Damian Dunne taking on international star Lio Rush while Jessicka Havok is back in SWE where she'll compete against Alex Windsor. In a true international match, New Zealand's Travis Banks and Japan's Kazma Sakamoto will face each other in singles action. And finally, Southside Wrestling always like to have some multiple competitor matches on their shows and Friday will be no different as Chris Tyler, Robbie X, Chris Brookes and Nixon Newell all fight it out in a fatal four-way match in St Neots. 

Tickets Available £10-£25pp

Friday Alternatives 

Glasgow Pro Wrestling Asylum Live in Dennistoun 

Dennistoun, Glasgow 

Feat - Jack Jester v Lionheart

Tickets Available - £6-£10pp

 Britannia Wrestling Promotions Scouser Series 

Liverpool

Feat - Don Meacho v The Babyfaced Pitbull

Saturday shall see Source Wrestling School's second event in Bridgeton, Glasgow at the Bridgeton Community Centre. The first event they held their was a huge success with a loud crowd packed in the building. This Saturday's event look to be a repeat of that based on the matches that have been a announced so far. 

This weekend has a special extra layer as the president of All Japan Pro Wrestling, Atsushi Aoki shall be competing in Bridgeton as well as Source Wrestling School's other event in Govan on the Sunday. On the Saturday, Aoki will be facing one of the top heavyweight wrestlers in Europe in the shape of “Iron Man” Joe Coffey. Aoki will bring his experience of competing for over a decade in a true test for Coffey. While obviously a test, Coffey shall have an idea what to expect this Saturday as he has spent time in Japan himself and faced a number of competitors during that time. Aoki has not been in the UK for over 5 years and there is no indication of when or if he ever will return again. Matches like this are few and far between which makes them even more unmissable to wrestling fans. 

Tag team wrestling or more precisely tag teams are on fire right now in the UK. One of the top regarded teams in the UK if not Europe are the duo of Jackie Polo and Mark Coffey, better known as Polo Promotions. Now both of these men had success as singles competitors before joining together, but their success as a team has been even greater. Their opponents this Saturday in Bridgeton have had a similar beginning. Lewis Girvan and Aspen Faith are two of the finest young wrestlers in Scotland today. In fact scrap that, they're two of the finest young wrestling in Britain today! While they are known, the feel they aren't taken as seriously as they should be and have decided to join forces and form The Kings Of Catch. Now all four of these men are proven in the ring. They're all great individually. They're just as good as teams. Put both of those teams together in one match and we could have a match we're talking about for a long time after this weekend. Polo Promotions have proven themselves as one of the best team today. They've got the accolades to back it up. The K.o.C. may be new to the tag team circuit but Polo Promotions will know the quality that faces them. They'll probably see parts of themselves when they first began as a team in this new duo of Girvan and Faith. If Polo Promotions win, they'll prove again why they have their reputation. If The K.o.C. pick up the victory, they'll make a statement right out the gate that they're here to make people pay attention. 

Source are not only producing some of the best new wrestlers in Scotland right now but they're also showcasing some of the most promising talent in the UK. The match between Ryan Griffin and Danny Jones is a prime example of that. Griffin is a Source graduate who now holds the SWA Junior Heavyweight Championship with a reign of over 500 days. He's continued to improve and evolve his craft since his debut a few years ago. His opponent, Jones hails from South Wales and is a graduate of the Dragon Pro Wrestling Academy. He's been competing for a number of years under a number of guises but now he stands simple as himself. Jones is a quick moving, very entertaining wrestler to watch, much like  Griffin. These two men have never met in a match yet they do share a number of similar traits. This match encapsulates one of the Source Wrestling School's greatest positives. It's bringing two young, hungry, talented wrestlers together to let us the fans see what the near future holds for British Wrestling.

Also scheduled so far for Source's event at the Bridgeton Community Centre in Glasgow is a match between two wrestlers from other training schools in Scotland. Glasgow Pro Wrestling Asylum's C.S Rose shall be taking on Premier British Wrestling Academy's Aaron Echo in a match that will mark both men's debut for the Source Wrestling School.

Tickets Available - £6-£10 pp

As their big weekend continues, SWE present two event on Saturday in Nottingham, with Day of Reckoning 12.5 in the afternoon, whilst the show we're focusing on Speed King 2016 is in the evening. This is the fifth incarnation of the junior heavyweight tournament that boasts Marty Scurll, Martin Kirby, Jay Lethal and El Ligero as it's previous winners. The tournament takes the form of six singles matches, leading into a six way scramble to crown the winner. In a break from the norm, I'm going to be assessing the chances of six of the top contenders to the crown! 

Perhaps the favourite to take the crown is Will Ospreay, who has had the biggest year of his career, so far, after breaking into New Japan Pro Wrestling in April and winning Best of the Super Juniors XXIII. He's also reached the final of PWG's Battle of Los Angeles, HOPE's King of Flight and TNA's Joker's Wild, whilst also winning the RevPro British Cruiserweight Championship this year. The reigning Speed King Champion is undefeated in SWE since winning the belt from Andrew Everrett in August. Ospreay kicks off the day with a huge match against Brian Cage, before having a mouth watering clash with Lio Rush in the First Round! With The Aerial Assassins' appearances in the UK becoming sparser over the last few months, this is a rare opportunity to see a performer who has been on the tip of the wrestling world's tongues in 2016. 

Fenix will be making his SWE debut across the weekend, having wowed audiences on Lucha Underground, as well as reaching the Semi-Finals of Battle of Los Angeles this year. The Mexican star has already won the Lucha Underground Trios Title and PDM Light Heavyweight Championship (twice) in 2016 and is looking to make Speed King the centre piece of his debut weekend. He'll have his work cut out for him as he face Stixx on the afternoon show, before rolling on to face Sami Callihan for the second time in just over a month! Another performer who isn't often seen in Europe, let alone the UK, he'll be bringing a style that Nottingham may not be used, but will certainly have them loving the lucha thing on Saturday night! 

It's a big weekend for Martin Kirby, who celebrates his 100th SWE appearance on Sunday, but before that he'll be a major part of Speed King, as he goes up against Robbie X in the First round. Kirby already has a Speed King victory to his name as he defeated the likes of Kay Lee Ray, Ospreay and Pete Dunne to win the tournament in 2014. He's also had a run with SWE Tag Team titles in 2015, whilst winning the HOPE Championship and PCW Tag Team Championship this year and having more tournament success in GBP's Junior Heavyweight Cup in 2015, DPW's Tag Team Title Tournament in 2010-11 and 3CW's Free for All Rumble in 2008. Kirby's familiarity with SWE would have to elevate him to one of the tournament favourites, and his ability to entertain the crowd whilst wrestling a high impact style will make sure that his involvement will must-watch, no matter what. 

The dark horses for the tournament, includes Lio Rush, Mark Haskins and Sami Callihan. In just his third year in the business, Rush has had an incredible 2016, winning ROH's Top Prospect Tournament and MCW's Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup XVI, as well as winning CZW's Wired Championshion on two seperate occassions. Rush also making fan's sit-up and take notice with a breakout match with Jay Lethal at ROH Supercard of Honor X - Night 1, so he'll be looking to captilise on his momentous year, by taking the Speed King title back to Lanham, Maryland. Haskins has been collecting championship gold this year, winning the PROGRESS World Championship, Smash Wrestling Championship, 4FW Junior Heavyweight title and FNW British Championship all within one calendar year. However, he hasn't won a tournament since 2009, and despite tearing it up at the Battle of Los Angeles and all over Europe, Haskins will be looking to show that he can get it done against some of the World's best Junior Heavyweights, when he tackles Stevie Xavier in the First Round. Callihan has been a man on a mission since leaving WWE at the end of 2015, having great matches in PWG and EVOLVE, winning titles in AAW, PWX, FCP and PW 2.0 and getting to the semi-finals of wXw's 16 Carat Gold Tournament. He's arguably the most powerful wrestler in the tournament and will be looking to use that too his advantage, whilst also showing he's got plenty of speed to matches his opponents. 

Matt Cross, Bubblegum, Stevie Xavier, Robbie X, Chris Ridgeway and Chris Tyler complete the field for the tournament, but they certainly won't be there to just make up the numbers! They'll be chances for them to prove that as Cross will go up against Tyler and Bubblegum will tangle with Ridgeway with a win putting them straight into the final! Also on the card, El Ligero teams with Brian Cage to take on Joseph Conners and HC Dyer, whilst Nixon Newell will team with 3 time WWE Women's Champion Melina to face Kay Lee Ray and Alex Windsor. 

Tickets Available - £10-£30 pp

Saturday Alternatives 

Premier British Wrestling Live in Larbert 

Larbet, Falkirk

Feat - Rampage Brown v BT Gunn

Tickets Available - £10-£13 pp

4FW Live in Thatcham 

Thatcham, Berkshire

Tickets Available - £5-£10 pp

Sunday Alternatives 

Southside Wrestling Entertainment Kirbymania

Sheffield, South Yorkshire

Feat - Martin Kirby v El Ligero

Tickets Available - £8-£18 pp

International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom Har-Low Can You Go

Harlow, Essex

Feat - Fabian Aichner v Sammy Smooth 

Tickets Available - £9-£12

HOPE Wrestling Savages

Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire

Feat - Cy Gregory v Hustle Malone

Tickets Available - £3-£10 pp

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!

Words - Andy Scotland & James Marston

Images - James Marston

Image Source - Facebook.com

All images are property of their respective owners.

Wrestle Ropes Ready for the Weekend: September 2016 Week 2 - Reckless Intent, NGW & ICW

This week's edition will see us not only travel to three different promotions but two countries as we head firstly to Livingston in Scotland on Saturday. Then it's to England's Hull before ending the weekend back north of the border in Glasgow, Scotland. Let's get Ready For The Weekend!

Saturday night sees the wrestling weekend start with Reckless Intent Wrestling holding their The Way It Is event at the Murieston Scout Hall in Livingston. 

While Reckless Intent continues to grow as a promotion, this Saturday will mark the end of either Chris Renfrew or Sean Mercer's time with the company when they face in a Loser Leaves Reckless Intent match. These two men were originally scheduled to compete in standard match until Renfrew caught Mercer bullying members of the roster at a recent event. Following the incident, Renfrew challenged Mercer to the match. These men don't like each other and after Saturday, they'll not be sharing a locker room in Reckless Intent anymore. 

Back in May, Massimo suffered an injury which lead to him being unable to defend the UK Championship. Now prior to this injury, DCT was due a championship match with Massimo. Obviously this wasn't able to take place. However, last month, Massimo returned from that injury and defeated the interim champion, Grado to reclaim the championship he never lost. Now he has to defend the UK Championship against the man who never got his chance, DCT. This is a match that has been waiting to happen for over 4 months. Massimo wants to keep the championship he has only just reclaimed and DCT wants to continue the roll he has been on while waiting for his opportunity. 

Saturday shall see the debut of “The Real Deal” Mark Coffey in Reckless Intent and he's aiming for the top of his first night as he'll be challenging Michael Chase for the Heavyweight Championship. Chase is the only four-time Heavyweight Champion with his latest reign beginning with a win over “The Beast Of Belfast” Big Damo. Coffey needs little to no introduction as one half of Polo Promotions and a multiple tag team and singles champion. Chase has faced all comers during his championship reigns and Coffey is as big as they will come and will be looking to add another championship to his impressive history.

Match Card

Singles Match for Heavyweight Championship

Michael Chase (c) vs “The Real Deal” Mark Coffey

Singles Match for UK Championship

Massimo (c) vs DCT

Singles Match

Theo Doros vs Jackie Polo

Singles Match where the Loser Leaves Reckless Intent

Chris Renfrew vs Sean Mercer

Singles Match

Rob Mills vs David Devlin

Singles Match

Delsin Dayre vs Darkside

Moving on to Saturday and New Generation Wrestling are at the Hull City Hall with Regeneration-X. 

The show will feature the first ladder match for the GenX Championship with the current champion Matt Myers, Bubblegum, Wild Boar and the winner of Martin Kirby vs Robbie X. Not only will the winner of this match walk away with the GenX Championship but an opportunity at the Undisputed Championship, as well. Myers finally won the championship from Bubblegum in July at 8th Anniversary Show and will look to keep the title as well as getting a step closer to the Undisputed Championship but the odds in this match are not in his favour. He'll need all the determination he used to win the championship to keep it this Saturday. 

“The Mexican Sensation” El Ligero has been in a long standing war with Dara Diablo in NGW which finally ended in a Last Man Standing match at 8th Anniversary Show. Ligero must have felt that the skies were clearing until Joseph Conners appeared. After attacking Ligero, “The Mexican Sensation” is after some retribution and a match  between the two has been signed for this Saturday. This is mostly likely the exact plan that Conners has in mind as he has a way of manipulating things to his own way. Ligero will be out for revenge but he must be aware of Conners' demanding offence, both physically and mentally. 

The main event this Saturday will see “The Showstealer” Nathan Cruz defend the Undisputed Championship against the Destiny Rumble winner, Doug Williams. While Cruz is one of the biggest stars not only in NGW but British Wrestling as a whole, Williams is a legend of British Wrestling. Having won championships on almost every continent, Williams still has his eyes on more championship gold. Notably, the gold around the waist of Cruz. While “The Showstealer” played a part in eliminating The Control from NGW and has fought every challenger put his way, he shall know that Williams' experience and skill is matched by very few. A main event where a pioneer of British Wrestling faces one of it's brightest stars with championship gold on the line.

Match Card

Singles Match for Undisputed Championship

“The Showstealer” Nathan Cruz (c) vs Doug Williams

Four-Way Ladder Match for GenX Championship

“The Amazing” Matt Myers (c) vs Bubblegum vs Wild Boar vs ???

Singles Match for Final Spot in Gen-X Championship Ladder Match

Martin Kirby vs Robbie X

Singles Match

“The Righteous” Joseph Conners vs “The Mexican Sensation” El Ligero

Singles Match

Screwface vs Liam Slater

Finally on Sunday we head back to Scotland for Insane Championship Wrestling's Fight Club TV taping in Glasgow. 

The event shall be the last for Noam Dar who will soon be joining WWE's RAW show as part of their Cruiserweight division. While Dar will be moving on to new things, his last match will be something of a step back into history as he faces Andy Wild. These two men have competed against each other for years. They started their journey in wrestling at the same time. Now for the time being they give us one last hurrah. Have no doubt that these two men are going to give the best performance they can together. There are no issues and no rivalries here, this is purely competition and a celebration of Noam Dar's time in ICW. 

While Noam Dar will be heading to WWE, Joe Coffey shall be facing a 4 time WWE World Champion on November 20th when he competes against Kurt Angle. Before he gets there though, he's got a match this Sunday against the current EVOLVE Champion, Timothy Thatcher. Coffey is known as a mighty wrestler and rightly so and his opponent, Thatcher, is known as being as pure a wrestler as you can get. Both men are genuine heavyweights and their styles should marry together very well. While Coffey will be focused on Angle on November 20th, he'll know that Thatcher is as much of a challenge and likewise Thatcher will know the reputation that Coffey holds. 

Back at BarraMania II in April, Polo Promotions (Jackie Polo & Mark Coffey) won the Tag Team Championship, but then left the promotion. Not long after ICW began a tag team tournament to crown new champions with The Local Fire (Davey Boy & Joe Hendry) eventually winning at Shug's Hoose Party III in July. However, immediately following their win, Polo Promotions appeared with the original Tag Team Championship belts. This left a predicament as while Local Fire had won the tournament, Polo Promotions had never lost the championship. Therefore, this Sunday, Polo and Coffey of Polo Promotions will face Boy and Hendry of Local Fire in a ladder match with the winning team being named the Unified Tag Team Champions. Not only will the winning team be crowned the unified champions but they will also go on to Fear & Loathing IX on November 20th to face 6 time [WWE] World Tag Team Champions Team 3D's Bubba Ray & D-Von Dudley. It's all on the line this Sunday and only one team is walking away with it all.

Match Card

Singles Match for World Championship

Wolfgang (c) v Darkside

Tag Team Ladder Match for Undisputed Tag Team Championship

Polo Promotions (Jackie Polo & “The Real Deal” Mark Coffey) (c) vs The Local Fire (“Local Hero” Joe Hendry & Davey Boy) (c)

Singles Match

“The British Messiah” Timothy Thatcher vs “Iron Man” Joe Coffey

Singles Match

Noam Dar vs Andy Wild

Singles Match

Kenny Williams vs Kid Fite

Singles Match

Sha Samuels vs “Smashmouth” Chris Ridgeway

Singles Match

Wild Boar vs “The Beast Young Wrestler In The World” Lewis Girvan

Stevie Boy Hosts The Funeral Of The New Age Kliq

Trent Seven Confirmed To Appear

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!

Words - Andy Scotland
Editor & Images - James Marston
Image Source - Facebook.com

All images are property of their respective owners.

Wrestle Ropes Ready for the Weekend: May 2016 Week 2 - GPW, AOW & PROGRESS

We're back for another edition. Another edition where we take a little look at just some of the action taking place in British Wrestling this week. Firstly, we'll be off to Hindley in Wigan for the (un)luckiest day of the year. Then we travel to Morecambe for a War On The Shore. Before we end the weekend back in London for another PROGRESS Wrestling ENDVR. Let's get Ready For The Weekend.

friday

gpw friday the 13th

hindley, wigan, england

Starting off the wrestling weekend and we head to Grand Pro Wrestling for their aptly named 'Friday The 13th' event in Hindley, Wigan at The Rose Club. The show will see another Fast Track 4-Way match where either Craig Kollins, Nick Maguire, Dylan Roberts and Jimmy Jackson will fight for the opportunity to challenge for either the GPW British or GPW Championship. Opportunities like this do not present themselves that often so the pressure will be on all four men to win. While one champion will be defending their championship, the other will be in an even more challenging situation when they face The Hate League's Danxig and Soner Dursun. Both men have been under the tutelage of Dylan Roberts for the past few months and a win over a current champion would be a great way to impress their leader. When Ricky J McKenzie made his return to Grand Pro Wrestling a few months ago, he did it at the expense of Matthew Brooks' musical performance. The following month, Brooks would  gain a small measure of revenge when he cost RJM a chance to compete in the Fast Track 4-Way. These men have outstanding issues with each other and there is only one way to sort out these differences, in the middle of the squared circle.

friday the 13th match card

Fast Track Challenge – GPW Championship or GPW British Championship

Fast Track 4-Way Winner vs T-Bone or Bubblegum

Six-Man Tag Team

The Circus (‘The Extraordinary’ Jack Gallagher, Noah & ‘Ringmaster’ Nicholas Cartier) vs The Bad Lads (Drill, Mickey Barnes & Don Meacho)

CJ Banks vs Travis Banks

RJM vs ‘Magnificent’ Matthew Brookes

2-On-1 Handicap

The Hate League (Danxig & Soner Durson) vs T-Bone or Bubblegum

Fast Track 4-Way

Craig Kollins vs Nick Maguire vs Dylan Roberts vs Jimmy Jackson

saturday
aow war on the shore
morecambe, lancashire, england

Moving on to Saturday and Alpha Omega Wrestling will be back at the Winter Gardens in Morecambe with 'War On The Shore'. This event will see a number of long running issues hopefully settled although there is a big chance some won't. The main event of the evening will see 'The Heavyweight House Of Pain' Stixx defend the Alpha Omega Championship against 'The Psychotic Warrior' Johnny Phere. These two men have only ever face each other once before and it ended in chaos with no winner. Almost four years after that match these two men meet once more, this time with gold on the line along with Stixx's 8-year undefeated streak. A feud with over 4 years of history will come to a head this Saturday. A feud that could see a championship reign and undefeated streak ended. Back in 2014, The Referendum came into existence and one of the first victims was Danny Hope. Since then, Hope has done all he came to get back at The Referendum. This Saturday he looks to deliver another blow as he faces 'The Best Young Wrestler In The World' Lewis Girvan. While Hope looks to continue this war, Laird Grayson will be hoping that his young warrior will stop Hope's attacks for good. Speaking of The Referendum, another victims of their countless attacks is Lana Austin. She was first attacked back in December 2014 and since then Austin has made it her mission to take on every female member of The Referendum. After defeating a veritable who's-who of Scottish female wrestlers, there is just one female left of The Referendum. The Alpha Omega Women's Champion, Viper. While Austin has defeated everyone that The Referendum have thrown at her, Viper is the champion for a reason. She's world-travelled and has competed against some of the biggest female wrestlers. Viper is indeed a formidable opponent but it is matched by Austin's desire to win.

war on the shore match card

Alpha Omega Championship

‘The Heavyweight House Of Pain’ Stixx (c) vs ‘The Psychotic Warrior’ Johnny Phere

Alpha Omega Women’s Championship

Viper (c) vs Lana Austin

Sexy Kev vs ‘The Man For All Seasons’ Xander Cooper

Kiss The Flag Match

Laird Grayson vs Ryan Hunter

Solar Power (Cyanide & Solar) vs Prime Beef (‘100% Welsh Beef’ Dylan Roberts & ‘The Primate’ Jason Prime)

‘Delicious’ Danny Hope vs ‘The Best Young Wrestler In The World’ Lewis Girvan

Ricky J McKenzie Calls Out ‘The Leader’ James Drake & ‘The Following’

Marty Jones Is Inducted Into The Morecambe Wrestling Hall Of Fame

sunday
progress endvr: 16
london, england

Finally ending the wrestling weekend we are back at PROGRESS Wrestling who are hosting another edition of the highly successful ENDVR events at The Garage in Highbury, London. Over the last six months, Sweet Jesus' Chuck Mambo and Pastor William Eaver, and The Dazzler Team's Earl Black Jr and Darrell Allen have been trading wins back and forth with no one team standing a clear victor. PROGRESS have therefore taken the step to have these two team face each other one more time, this time in a 30-minute iron man match. Both teams claim they are better than the other and an iron man match will show who the truly better team is. When Pollyanna and Dahlia Black are mentioned in the same sentence, the word friendship isn't normally included. The reason is simple, they hate each other with a passion. Pollyanna's hatred grew larger after Black defeated her twice after Black's significant other, TK Cooper delivered a straight right hand to Pollyanna's face. Cooper's interference was brought to a stop at Chapter 29 when Jack Sexsmith got in the way of Cooper's interference in a tag bout involving Pollyanna and Black. Fast forward to this Sunday and Pollyanna will look to gain revenge on Black on her own. However to ensure that TK Cooper's right hand doesn't become a factor again, Sexsmith shall act as the referee on May 15th. The main event for 'ENDVR:16' shall be a first in PROGRESS as Wild Boar and Paul Robinson look to end their long running rivalry in a chain match. These two men want to get their hands on each other and this Sunday they will have no choice as they shall be joined together by a steel chain. What happens when you join to men together with a legalised weapon? We'll find out this Sunday but chaos and violence are an almost certainty.

endvr: 16 match card

Chain Match

‘Wild Boar’ Mike Hitchman vs Paul Robinson

30-Minute Tag Team Iron Man

Sweet Jesus (Chuck Mambo & Pastor William Eaver) vs The Dazzler Team (Darrell Allen & Earl Black Jr)

Atlas Championship Tournament – Group A

T-Bone vs Iestyn Rees

Special Guest Referee – Jack Sexsmith

Pollyanna vs Dahlia Black

Dillion D’Angelo vs Hayden Yorke

10 Man Battle Royal – Winner Gains Entry Into The Super Strong Style 16 Tournament

Confirmed Entrants: James Best, Kyle Ashmore, ‘Bodyguy’ Roy Johnson, Freddie King, TK Cooper, A-Jay Benjamin, ‘Fantastic’ David Francisco, Alex Cupid, Jack Sexsmith, Aiden Iomi

Jinny Calls Out Elizabeth To Explain Her Actions At ‘Chapter 29: Practically PROGRESS In Every Way’

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!