Greg Lambert Interview - Ropes and Glory: The Emotional Rise of British Wrestling

At the end of last month, ATPW had the pleasure of talking to Greg Lambert, known for his work as a manager, commentator, promoter and Master of Ceremonies across the UK for the likes of PCW, RQW, FWA, Southside, IPW:UK and others. With Greg's new book Ropes and Glory: The Emotional Rise of British Wrestling, a sequel to Holy Grail: The True Story of British Wrestling's Revival out now, there couldn't have been a better time to speak to the 15 year veteran of the Brit Wres scene. 

ATPW - Tell us a little bit about Ropes and Glory, what's it about and what can people learn from reading it? 

Greg Lambert - It's about the last ten years of British wrestling history, through my own eyes and my experiences. Things that I've been involved in as a promoter or a commentator or a manager on the UK wrestling scene and also things that I've experienced by going to shows and also watching on the telly. Things that I've been aware through studying the British scene. It's the journey from 2007 to where we are now. British wrestling has never, it's just never ever been as good as it is now. Even back in the glory days of Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks, it's never had the attention and received the opportunities that we have now. So, it's the journey of where it was ten years ago, through the triumph and the tragedies along the way, to the return to British terrestrial TV with an episodic series.. It's amazing.  

When did you begin work on the sequel? 

Straight after the first book came out. Holy Grail: The True Story of British Wrestling's Revival was the first book and that was really picking up the story from the World of Sport era up to about 2007, but mainly focused on the FWA, which is the promotion even now that I'm most synonymous with. Straight after that came out in November 2012, I went on a book signing tour. Some of the material in this book is from when I was on that tour, that was the first time I went to an ICW show for example, going to PROGRESS Wrestling for the first time, as well. A lot of research spans from back then. 

How else did you go about collating the material and writing up the book in general? 

I think I'm blessed with a really good memory, I think that helps. I've got a pretty good memory for dates, but I've also got a book, which every show I've worked on I've kept a list of where the show was, the date of the show, matches on the show. So that's a good reference and some of it comes from the internet as well. There's a lot of interviews as well, with some of the top names in British wrestling. So you're getting their memories, their perceptions of what's happened over the last ten years. The likes of Rockstar Spud, Drew Galloway, Rampage Brown, Noam Dar... So it's not just my narrative, there's different opinions. 

The Foreword is written by Rockstar Spud, what do you feel was Spud's importance to the book and to the scene as a whole around this time? 

I'm extremely grateful to Spud for taking the time to write the foreword, because I really wanted him to do it, because he's one of my favourite people and favourite performers in British wrestling for the past ten years. The significance is I think Spud broke the mould for a lot of British wrestlers who aren't the stereotypical size, they aren't the stereotypical look, that you would associate with becoming an international star. There's been people like Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels and Randy Savage, who came before and broke the mould for lighterweight wrestlers, but when Spud started out in the FWA in 2004, he was a different level of not looking like a wrestler. He worked on the body, he worked on the performance skills, he working on everything to the point where he became a champion with my promotion, the XWA, as it was. How Spud became the champion and the story, how he evolved from then and how he did in the second coming of the FWA and then to get to British BootCamp and to end up with TNA. That's a great achievement, he basically knocked the door down for a lot of British wrestlers to become stars in America, because he wasn't supposed to do it. He was never supposed to do it. He was told "You'll never make it, you're too this, you're too that" and he just didn't take no for an answer. He preserved and through brains and talent and drive, he made it. I think he set a great example for others.

You mentioned earlier that about the numerous interviews that you conducted for the book, did you discover anything new from participating in these? 

Lots of things. Rampage's interview sticks in my head, as you read the book you'll discover a lot about Rampage Brown, his mentality as a professional wrestler and how it was for him going over to America as a young man and being a part of WWE developmental, before it became NXT. He was there with Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, but he struggled over there to make any kind of an impact and he talks very candidly about that. He also talks very candidly about his experience on British BootCamp 2, which surprised me, some of the things that he said about that. I think a lot of people that read Rampage's thoughts will find those quite eye-opening. 

Dave Rayne is interviewed for the book. People will know Dave as the former promoter of FutureShock Wrestling and his role in PCW, predominantly, but I think people will get a different opinion of Dave when they read the contributions that he makes to the book. What an intelligent and quite emotionally sensitive guy he is, but also very clued up on wrestling as a whole. That's how I know him, but I think a lot of people will see a side of Dave that they may not have seen before. 

Also, Alex Shane. With the Second Coming of the FWA, which in itself is a great story, which is written out in a lot of detail. I think people will be really interested to read what he has to say about that. I think that people's perception of Alex, who can be quite a polarising figure, people's perceptions might change, for the better.

Greg, you've had numerous roles in pro wrestling over the years, but what brings you the most enjoyment professionally? 

Good question! Still booking, I would say. I've just started again, doing some storyline writing for PCW and I think when things go to plan and seeing an audience react, the way you want them to react and you see performers execute your vision, I don't think there's anything greater. I've never experienced anything greater. 

Commentary I'm really enjoying at the moment, really really enjoying, the commentary side of things. I did the Five Star Wrestling show in January on Spike, which was an incredible moment, personally and professionally, because it was the first live broadcast by a British-based wrestling company on UK television in almost fifty years. To be able to work with an incredible television company, the production people too, because they were really top level people that I was working with. The director was a guy who worked on World Cup Football, World Cup Rugby and some big big fights. To work with that level of people was great. To work with some of the wrestlers as well, some of the biggest names in the industry today likes Rey Mysterio, Drew Galloway, that was just incredible. It's great to commentate for PCW as well, being doing that for five years now, PCW is still a great promotion to work for. Lots of exciting things coming up. 

Within the book, you reveal a list of instructions you try to stick by as a booker, why do you think they are so important when writing and booking pro wrestling? 

I think, they're more reminders really. It's very easy when you're booking to lose sight of the big picture, so it's quite handy to have these guidelines in the back of my mind. Which I can always go back to and refer to. They do work. I've got numerous example of them working, but the main one I think is what the book is all about, the book is an emotional rollercoaster and done right booking should be an emotional rollercoaster. The quote by Dusty Rhodes that I talk about in the book "Wrestling is built on emotion" that's my mantra for booking and I think that's very much the mantra of the book as well. 

As a viewer, I certainly prefer to watch pro wrestling that has a clear vision. 

Yeah, I think this year's WrestleMania, you can tell, that they've got a much clearer vision, than they did last year. Every match seems to have been built up over time, with a purpose and you can kind of see where they are going, but some of the results of the matches are in doubt as well, which I think is great. Despite the fact you've got that clear direction, there's still a bit of uncertainty about which way they're going, but everything's logical and makes sense and that's what wrestling should be, I think. 

You've worked with a variety of performers throughout your career, from big international stars to young kids getting their first break. Is there anyone in professional wrestling that you'd like to work with, that you haven't got the chance to just yet? 

That's a good question! Yeah, loads of people actually I think. On the British wrestling scene, there's a young lad down south, who I really really rate, he's like the new Spud, a guy called Sid Scala. I love the character, I love his passion, he's a protege of Barry Charalambous, who was also a mentor to Spud and a lot other guys as well. You can see Barry's influence in Sid, because like Spud, he knows the value in cutting a promo, of making sure people remember him. It's not always about having the best wrestling match, it's about making sure that you're remembered and Sid does that. From a British perspective, I think he'd be a great person to work with.

I think if you read the book, you'll see the respect that I have for Mark Dallas as a promoter. I get on very well with Mark, I think he's great guy and I love his ethos for ICW. I love everything about ICW, in fact Scottish wrestling as a whole. It really does have a special place in my heart, the Scottish wrestling scene. I have a lot of respect for Mark. We're not the same in a lot of ways, but I think in terms of our theories of wrestling, there's a lot of parallels. It would be nice to do something with Mark at some point. 

I nearly had the opportunity to work with Kurt Angle, with Five Star Wrestling, but that fell through because he signed on to do WWE Hall of Fame. Which is great, absolutely great and well deserved. I didn't mind in the end, because I ended up commentating with Joe Hendry and Joe Hendry is a guy I really rate and respect and is thoroughly talented and enthusiastic. When you get the opportunity to work with a guy on Kurt Angle's level, it's a big deal and I still hope I get to work with Kurt in the future. 

In the first book, The Holy Grail, the Holy Grail was British wrestling returning to television, since then British wrestling has exploded and has indeed returned to television with WOS Wrestling, Five Star and WWE UK (depending on your definition of TV), what's that been like for you personally? To see British wrestling return to the big time? 

It's had me on the verge of tears, quite a few times, to be honest with you. Not miserable tears, the opposite. It's tremendous. I can't really put it into words. All I can really say about it is that when I started with FWA, when I worked closely with Alex Shane, that was always Alex's vision. Talk Wrestling, the TalkSport Radio show, it was always the vision. When you've worked closely with someone like him, bought into the vision and worked hard to bring the vision about...and in later years, there's other people who've taken up the baton and brought that vision forward and to the next level. I think when you've been involved for as long as I have and worked with the people that I have and seen them struggling and when you've done shows in front of 25 people and you've seen shows cancelled because you've not sold enough tickets and you've seen things go wrong and when you've seen terrible things happen...that when you get to this level, you're bound to be emotional about it. 

When the World of Sport special was on on New Year's Eve, it was quite something for me, as it was for everybody who has been involved in that struggle for years and years and years.

I think that's the real power of wrestling, that not only does it effect those outside the business, but it can have such a profound effect on someone like yourself. 

Yeah, it is. Done right, it's an incredible artform. It's so difficult to explain. One of the hardest things I find about wrestling is trying to explain it to non-fans, who just don't get it at all and in the end, it's not worth it. People are either going to get it or they're not. But those that do get it, there are a lot of us and it's really nice to share experiences like that. To share the same mentality with such a big group of people.

Do you have any future project lined up at the moment? What's next for Greg Lambert? 

I'll be at PCW, I'm still commentating for them, I'm doing the booking for the main shows and in regards to Five Star Wrestling, I'd expect an announcement soon. 

A special thanks to Greg Lambert for taking the time to speak to us. We'll have a full review of Ropes and Glory: The Emotional Rise of British Wrestling on atpw.co.uk soon. You can purchase your copy now, either in Paperback or on Kindle from Amazon and Lulu.

You can find more about Greg and Ropes and Glory here. 

Twitter - @RopesandGlory
Facebook - Greg Lambert - Wrestling

Interviewer - James Marston 

Twitter - @ATPWrestling 

Facebook - /acrossthepondwrestling 

Instagram - @ATPWrestling

Live Review: PCW/ROH SuperShow of Honor II - Show 3

Would PCW and ROH be able to keep up things and improve on the previous two shows that weekend? Dave Mastiff would defend his PCW Heavyweight Championship against PCW Cruiserweight Champion Adam Cole in a Thirty Minute Iron Man main event, Noam Dar would tackle surprise opponent Drew Galloway, F.W.B. (Bubblegum, Iestyn Rees & Team Single) would engage with Dave Rayne, The Hooligans and X-Pac in eight man tag action, with six other matches including the likes of reDRagon, Dalton Castle, Martin Kirby, Roderick Strong and Cedric Alexander all also in action. 

Just like Show 2, a six way contest was used to open up the show, with Dalton Castle, Cedric Alexander, Silas Young, Martin Kirby, Ashton Smith and Charlie Garrett battling it out. Slightly longer than the first six man, I was a little confused that performers were having to tag in and out of the contest, whilst the previous six man was a free for all. My confusion didn't last long however as the bout was blink and you'll miss it fast, chock full of flips and big moves, just what you'd want from this kind of bout. Both Dalton Castle and the Interracial Love duo of Charlie Garrett and Ashton Smith stood out in particular with The Peacock of Professional Wrestling continuing to have the crowd in the palm of his hands with his silly antics and IRL using the match to put a spotlight on the relationship between the tag team, including a cheesy hand-holding dive to the outside. A big thumbs up for Castle getting the victory as after hitting his Bang-a-Rang spinning facebuster to Silas Young! Like a broken record, however, I have to point out how much I'd love to see the bouts go a little longer and also have some kind of consequence behind them.

ROH World TV Champion Roderick Strong and Lionheart's singles bout was a strange one for a number of reasons. A section were both men attempted to hit the Styles Clash on each other was cool, but I felt super uncomfortable when a section of the crowd began to chant for AJ Styles, due to the NJPW star actually injuring both men with the move. However, the crowd were on form for the rest of the contest and gave it a real boost, as they turned Strong's shitty little boots babyface, seemingly out of sheer disdain for the PCW regular. Unfortunately, it felt like the pair didn't manage to get out of 2nd gear, and despite the wrestling being perfectly fine, at times I felt like the duo were treading water until the finish. Lionheart walking out of the contest and getting counted out was a frustrating watch, but should hopefully increase the heat levels for the former PCW Heavyweight Champion heading into 2016 and give the former Champion more storyline involvement in 2016.

The next match was the first chance for the PCW faithful to get a good look at what War Machine (Raymond Rowe & Hanson) can do as they went two on two with IWGP Tag Team Champions reDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O'Reilly), after the duo had been in the middle of an eight man tag on Show 1 and then a Four way tag on Show 2. But boy was it worth the wait. This was sheer unadulterated silliness, as the two teams went back and forth with various striking combos, whilst War Machine provided a number of power moves that made it look like the ring could collapse at any moment. Hanson's deadlift german suplex and samoan drop combination was stupendously well executed, and made the big man look like an absolute beast. As the near falls rolled in, the crowd got hotter and hotter, and whilst the well-known reDRagon remained the most popular of the two, the cheers for War Machine became noticeably louder as the contest went on, creating a great atmosphere inside Evoque. Hanson and Rowe went on to pick up their second victory of the weekend, following a Powerbomb and Splash combination, with Fish and O'Reilly allowing the big men to look incredible as they head towards an ROH Tag Team Championship bout with The Kingdom at ROH's next PPV, Final Battle.


The first and only singles bout of the weekend for former PCW Cruiserweight Champion, El Ligero came opposite former ROH World Tag Team Champion, Kenny King. The biggest talking point coming out of the contest was an angle where The Pretty Boy Pitbull seemed to have tweaked his knee off a dive, and was being carried away at ringside, only for him to attack Ligero from behind. There was some decent heat for King and the moment added the fuel that the contest needed, with The King of the Night dominating for some time. Ligero fighting from underneath allowed for some lovely action inside the ring as the Mexican Sensation attempted to find a comeback from somewhere. When Ligero did manage to pick up the win with the C4L, I couldn't help but feel that the match would have been so much better with an extra five or even ten minutes of action. The two were just about beginning to explore what they could do together in the ring and given some extra time they could have produced something really quite special.


BONUS MATCH, BAYBAY! Yes, unannounced before the show, F.W.B's T-Bone, Rampage Brown, Bubblegum and Iestyn Rees turned up and with Joanna Rose questioning whether their scheduled opponent Dave Rayne had been able to find any partners, we were about to witness something pretty damn special. The former PCW Cruiserweight Champion had an ace up his sleeve and announced The UK Hooligans (Roy Knight & Zak Knight) and the duo got the crowd going nuts, returning to the Evoque for the first time since early June. But if the crowd thought that was it, they were sadly mistaken as Rayne made easy work of a promo introducing, former WCW World Cruiserweight Champion, X-Pac! The crowd couldn't have gone more nuts if the Hooligans were handing out Snickers. Okay, maybe that's a lie because there was even more nutty goodness when 4 time WWE Intercontinental Champion, Scott bloody Hall was announced as the manager for the babyface team! That's one hell of a bonus match.


The crowd were stupidly hot for the tag bout, keeping up an energy throughout as they ran through their song book for the various competitors in the match. It was clear that all eight men were having a lot of fun out there and this reflected back on the bout, which was so very fun to watch. After a short face shine from X-Pac, it was Roy Knight who worked the Hooligan in peril role, with F.W.B. taking advantage of a ringside brawl to take control and then using a number of classic heel tactics to stay in control. I love me some old-school heel tactics in a tag match, keep the ref distracted and then take advantage and keep the ring cut in half, lovely stuff. The one disappointment for me, was that the hot tag that had been building for a while was completely wasted as the crowd was busy singing Bohemian Rhapsody to wind up Iestyn Rees (who looks a bit like a modern Freddie Mercury) and what should have been a big moment with a giant pop was left feeling flat. Partly down to some fans being easily distracted by a sing-song and partly down to the performers not paying enough attention to the ebb and flow of the crowd. After awkwardly standing at ringside for most of the match, it was awesome to see Scott Hall get involved, as Rees gave him some abuse and got a tooth pick to the eye for his trouble, before taking an X Factor and staring at the lights. 

Jay Lethal and Joey Hayes' ROH World Championship match was a strangely structured contest. Hmmm...I'm not sure that's the correct description, but basically Jay Lethal was mainly cheered, whilst Joey Hayes was getting some decent heat, whilst both had been presented as heels (or at best tweeners) on the earlier shows. But we got Lethal locking on chinlocks and steadily wearing down Hayes, before Hayes launched into a babyface comeback (Even shouting "I'm a babyface" whilst doing so, clearly noting the lack of crowd support). This meant that the crowd became weird throughout, how exactly are they supposed to cheer Lethal whilst he's working a wear down hold? Maybe the pair were expecting the crowd to quickly side with the underdog Hayes, but from the entrances it was clear who Evoque was behind and the two should have had enough experience to change things on the fly to suit the crowd. Despite all the moaning, the finishing sequence of the match showed some real quality, as Hayes went for a number of Crossfaces, with Lethal managing to escape and hit a Lethal Injection to retain his title.

Continuing the theme of his weekend, Sha Samuels dominated Delirious in a character driven contest. The pair chatting to each other in their trade mark style made for an entertaining spot, with Delirious' insane rambling matching up well with Samuels gruff and speedy cockney. Delirious running around the ring to evade Samuels was a highlight for me, as it was so simple in it's execution, but allowed both performers to show off the psychology of their characters. In his longest contest of the weekend (just over 7 minutes), Samuels continued his unbeaten streak as Delirious succumbed to the Sleeper Hold, like so many before him. 


Ever heard of Jack Baron before? No, neither had I when the PCW trainee cut a promo on the big screen revealing himself as Noam Dar's opponent for the evening. But as the skinny and excitable lad made it to the ring, he was attacked by a mystery assailant. That mystery assailant was Drew Galloway! A great surprise appearance, that got a big reaction from the crowd, before Galloway delivered a killer, curse-laden promo. The former WWE Intercontinental Champion's delivery was pitch perfect, rising and falling at the right points, full of passion and there couldn't have been a better way to fly straight into the third match of the series than Noam Dar coming out to get some. 


The two Scotsman put on a contest that was completely different from anything that we'd seen across the week end. Full of fire, the two made it feel like the genuinely hated each other as they brawled around the nightclub, battering the shit into each other. The Chosen One hitting a Crucifix Powerbomb through a fire exit looked amazing and may very well have been the stand-out spot of the weekend (that's if you could see it from your seat). The action inside the ring was just as good, if not better, as a battered Noam Dar worked the plucky underdog role nicely, fighting valiantly against the bigger man with the crowd well and truly behind their regular. Following some very near falls for Drew Galloway and some added drama with a ref bump and the re-appearance of Jack Baron, Dar was able to take advantage of Galloway suffering an injured leg after colliding with the ring post, by locking on the Champage Super Knee Bar and getting a submission victory. Galloway's selling prior to the move was spot-on, just liked we'd seen in their previous two bouts earlier in the year and therefore made the finish just that a little bit more satisfying. A huge moment for Dar in PCW, in what had been a marquee weekend for the 22 year old. PCW rarely does bouts with this much aggression behind it and that's why matches like this feel so special. 

Main event time, bay bay! Adam Cole and Dave Mastiff had arguably put on the best match of the 2014 weekender and seeing the pair in a 30 minute Iron Man match with the PCW Heavyweight Championship on the line, was a mouth-watering prospect. It's difficult to review a match like this, because half an hour is such a long time for a wrestling match in 2015 and so much can go on in that amount of time. The crowd were particularly interesting within the first half of the contest. Evoque became pretty quiet and you could hear many people chatting, I would suspect this was down to them knowing the match wasn't going to end for quite some time and that anything particularly important wouldn't be happening for quite a while. This is an experienced crowd who I'd guess have seen way too many Iron Man bouts than they should have and therefore know how things usually go. 


Iron Man bouts are made or broken, on how they are structured, there needs to be accuracy down to the second to keep the crowd engaged and to tell the most interesting story. The wrestling for the first twenty minutes was perfectly fine, but I'm not convinced by where and how the pinfalls came from. Adam Cole took a 2-0 from a small package and superkick combo by the time 8 minutes had passed, but Dave Mastiff had things tied up just 11 minutes later. This sort of meant the bout was back to where it began, with just over 10 minutes to go and whilst both men looked pretty tired, there was no narrative that could have been carried over. As soon as things were even, The One began to work over Mastiff's leg, which made things even more frustrating. I feel if we'd have seen something like this earlier on in the bout then we'd have had a much more compelling outing, especially with the quality of selling that Mastiff is capable of and leading to an even bigger moment when Cole locked in the Figure Four Leg Lock with the clock ticking.


I mentioned those last 10 minutes, with Adam Cole working the leg, and they were much more reminiscent of the bout they had last year, with the two upping the pace and working a number of slick reversals and big strikes, including one outstanding sequence. The crowd began to come to life at this point and gave the contest a boost having soaked up all the action for the previous 20 minutes. The Figure Four Leg Lock from Cole, with Dave Mastiff leading 3-2 was a marvellous moment with Evoque rocking and wanting to see more action. Cole holding onto the hold whilst Mastiff managed to roll to outside of the ring looked bloody awesome. The timing of the final fall was spot on as well, with Cole managing to pull a vertical suplex and drop it into a neckbreaker on his knee to even up the score. A slow burner for sure, but one chock-full of world-class wrestling and with a hot closing sequence.


Of course, that was never going to be it was it? Oh no, siree. After some debate, the contest was restarted under sudden death rules. The section after the restart was blisteringly good, with the two not holding back and at all in trying to get the victory and take the title, with Preston potentially on the brink of destruction. Then it was taken away from us, when that bloke Sha Samuels entered and beat down both guys. It was such a frustrating finish to a match that had gone over half an hour, and whilst it didn't even make that much sense (Why did Samuels wait until the sudden death?) it still got The East End Butcher a whole load of heat and added another chapter in his on-and-off feud with Dave Mastiff. I'd love to know why (in kayfabe) Mastiff and Cole didn't just restarted the match again, instead of getting up, shaking hands and then walking to the back. As much I'd have loved to have had a definitive victory here, here's hoping that Mastiff and Adam Cole will get to wrestle again sooner rather than later in PCW and settle the score....

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 6.75 (Good-Very Good)

This show was just shy of the high bar set by the first event of the weekend, but was still definitely a good evening of wrestling. The main event contributed massively to the rating because of it's length and whilst I had a couple of criticisms, I still feel that the bout was a quality main event with a nice slow burn build and raucous finish, Noam Dar and Drew Galloway's bout bought an aggression not seen elsewhere across the weekend and Galloway's surprise entrance was worked out very well, the Eight Man Tag Team contest was a lot of fun to watch, plus of course some more surprises in the form of X-Pac and Scott Hall made the in-ring segment incredible to have been a part of and the tag bout between  War Machine and reDRagon also deserves a mention.


Whilst Roderick Strong and Lionheart's contest had it's moments, there's no denying that the bout dragged the ATPW Scale rating down just a little bit, simply because it never really got going. The finish of the show with Sha Samuels causing the Double DQ in Cole and Mastiff's sudden death outing was a little disappointing, especially coming at the end of the show.


There's one more show left to review from the Weekend and that's of course, Show 4. With ROH World Champion Jay Lethal facing ROH World Television Champion Roderick Strong in the main event, Interracial Love tackling Martin Kirby and Joey Hayes, Dalton Castle going one on one with Silas Young as well as five other matches featuring the likes of reDRagon, Adam Cole, Cedric Alexander, Noam Dar and Delirious. Could PCW and ROH end the weekend in style? We'll have a review up very soon. 

Guest Article: Running the Ropes with Marc P - Part 2

For anyone who didn't get the chance to read Part 1 (shame on you) let me bring you quickly up to speed. I attended an open day at the Futureshock Wrestling School back in September and despite having being very very nervous I loved it. 3 days later I was back again, loving it again but a freak accident meant that I tore the MCL in my left knee. My Doctor recommended 6 weeks rest. Anyone who knows me knew that that was never going to happen, and that's where we begin this time...


I did plan to rest! Stop laughing I really did. I thought I'd take a few weeks off from the gym and forget about wrestling. That was until I saw a tweet from CJ Banks that read:" When I was 16 I tore ligament fibres playing football. I still went to wrestling training every Saturday and Sunday and took notes, no excuses!" I couldn't really argue with that could I? So, despite being on crutches, I hobbled up the stairs to the school to watch the guys train and to take notes. I must confess friends, that it was not the most enjoyable experience. That sounds awful so let me explain why. Dave Rayne took the class that night and taught the class about a thing called "Hope Spots". Now I know a lot about the wrestling world and consider myself to be your generic "smart fan" but I had no idea about a hope spot, what it entailed or how it was performed. So I sat leaning on my crutches being well and truly schooled, and loving it. The reason I say I didn't enjoy this is because it hurt that I couldn't join in with such an interesting session 

DAVE RAYNE!

Dave also showed the class how to throw a punch and a chop correctly. Now, I can sit and take my notes and watch the guys do the hope spots but there is absolutely no way I'm was not going to join in with that bit! Fortunately, my friend Chris was there to watch as well and was a willing guinea pig for me to practice said chops and punches on, I loved that, sorry for being a little snug with you, matey! Watching, and joining it a little was great but on the flipside it was horrible not being able to join in with the majority of what looked like a really fun class. 


I resumed my normal workout routine a week later as my MCL felt fine (6 weeks! More like 3!) In doing so I decided to attend a seminar at the school with TNA Wrestler Rockstar Spud. The night before the seminar I was once again my usual bundle of nerves and I barely slept as the prospect of making a fool of myself in front of a man who I admire greatly filled me with blind terror! Fortunately, I had nothing to worry about. Spud's seminar was mainly talking. If you wanted to get in the ring and do something you could, but, of the 23 of us there I'd say that only 10-12 actually got up and did anything in the ring, to which I was very grateful. The day was made up of Spud asking 2 people to get into the ring and getting them to tell a story, I didn't matter what the story was, just do something. Spud would watch the 2 men or woman wrestle until stopping them at a point and explaining either what he liked, where they were going wrong or suggesting a way to improve. It would take many pages to cover everything Spud talked about or showed us in those 3 hours. Suffice to say I learned so much, a lot of things that I had never even thought of, and a lot of things that hopefully I can look back on in a few months and think to myself "so that's what Spud meant"!

Three days later I was back at the school with a new challenge to face, a new teacher -  "The Man For All Seasons"  Xander Cooper! Now I had heard that Xander's warm ups could be used by Governments as torture on terror suspects so was just a little bit nervous going into this one. After a few stretches we had to do 140 squats. I can do about 60 before I start to flag so this was tough. Then we were paired up and had to do 50 squat lock ups (making 190 total squats, 190!), then high five press ups, leg raises and a nuts type of reverse sit up over the ring apron!!! I was a tired boy after all that, BUT, I got through it, which I was very proud of myself for as it meant that my fitness is slowly improving. 


Xander's theme for the class was trust. Trusting your body in the hands of your opponent. To do this we would be learning how to do a stalling suplex and a crossbody off the ropes!!! 
As someone who has never performed a suplex or a crossbody, the familiar nerves began to creep in. Xander paired us up and I was picked to work with a young lady called Hollie. I've liked Hollie since my first session, she has a permanent smile on her face which I love. It's actually quite funny watching Hollie get chopped and see that she's still smiling. She's also got bags of talent, a great attitude  and I predict that she'll go a long way in the business. As Hollie is currently studying her GCSE's I was really scared that I would mess up my suplex and end up dropping her on her head. Fortunately Hollie didn't share this fear, confidently telling me that she probably wouldn't mind if I did. That put me at ease and on our second attempt I hoisted her high into the air and was able to hold her up! Fortunately for both of us Hollie didn't have to lift me. A nice young man called Dan was given the unenviable task. But, with the theme of the class being Trust, I wasn't afraid, I jumped when told, pushed off hard off Dan's teigh and he held me up. I felt elated and to be honest with you, a part of me wanted him to fall backwards so we could finish the suplex, but a suplex bump is for another day. 

THE MAN FOR ALL SEASONS!

Next up was crossbodies off Bret's Ropes (the second and most dangerous of all ropes). Xander showed us how to catch your opponent then put down a crash mat in case we needed it. I was determined to show that I do have some strength and actually catch Hollie but my first 2 attempts saw us both crash to the mat, don't get me wrong I caught her fine I just really wanted to be able to hold her upright.  Attempt three though saw me feeling like Lex Luger as I caught her in my arms and held her there. If I was impressed with myself it was nothing to how impressed I was a few minutes later when I dived off the ropes only to be caught first time by wrestler, Henry T. Grodd! Even with my weight loss I'm still in the 14-15 stone range and he caught me like I was half that! We finished the session doing standing crossbodies which again was a lot of fun. 
'

At the end of the session I drove home and a couple of times I actually giggled! Because I'm getting to know my classmates a little bit more I was so full of confidence in myself which in turn made me so happy that I was able to train again! Even better, I'm starting to believe in myself, something I've always had an issue with. So much so than 5 days after this class I was stood in front of 150 people working as the new ring announcer for Southcoast Wrestling! If you had told me I would be doing something like that when I started back in September I would have told you that you were crazy. But training is helping me come out of my shell and for that I am so thankful. The best part is that I'm only a few weeks into this crazy journey, and I know its only going to get better. 


Ever wanted to be a wrestler? Give it a try! Seriously its great. For all the details about Futureshock and it's school check out http://www.futureshockwrestling.co.uk/

Wrestle Ropes' Ready for the Weekend: September 2015 Week 4 (PCW, Southside & IPW:UK)

As we approach another weekend of wrestling action, we shall see a weekend of heroes, of adrenaline rushes and the finale of an 11-year anniversary tour. Let's get Ready For The Weekend!

       Kicking off the weekend action on Friday night, Preston City Wrestling are back at their home of Evoque with Heroes. Sitting right at the top of the event is the PCW Heavyweight Championship match. The champion, Dave Mastiff is one of the best heavyweights in Europe and has faced every challenge put in front of him. His challenge this time comes in the form of former WWE United States, TNA World Heavyweight and (WWE) ECW champion, Bobby Lashley. One of the few men who can match Mastiff for strength. PCW GM, Joanna Rose has made a point of stacking the deck against the champion. Mastiff is happy to face anyone and keep the heavyweight championship round his waist. Another man who has incurred the wrath of Joanna Rose is Dave Rayne with the GM going as far as facing him in a match and taking his #BOOM Championship. It appears that Rose isn't finished though as she has now placed Rayne in a match with on half of the PCW Tag Team champions, T-Bone. Not happy with beating Dave Rayne, it appears that Joanna wants to destroy Rayne and T-Bone may just achieve her wish. When PCW were last at Evoque in August they were celebrating their 4th anniversary. On that night many people left saying that Noam Dar vs Drew Galloway was their Match Of The Night. Well both men are going to attempt to do it again as they face each other again on September 25th. Galloway took the win in their first encounter and he'll look to repeat the feat again. However, The Champagne Supernova will give his all to draw the scores level.

Moving on to Saturday and Southside Wrestling are in Purfleet, Essex with Adrenaline Rush at the Circus Tavern. One championship that shall be on the line on September 26th will be the Southside Heavyweight Championship. Since forming The Righteous Army, Joseph Conners has become and unstoppable force in Southside. However in late 2014, Conners suffered a loss to Hardcore Holly. Now, Holly looks to beat The Righteous once again and this time take the Southside Heavyweight Championship. That being said, this is not the same Joseph Conners from a year ago. Conners is now more dangerous and ruthless than he has ever been and he wants to correct a loss from the past. Two men with something to prove in Southside Wrestling are 'The Mexican Sensation' El Ligero and 'The Sicilian Psychopath' Tommaso Ciampa. El Ligero is currently trying to redeem himself since losing the Speed King Championship thanks to The Righteous Army and in particular Kay Lee Ray. Ciampa on the other hand has only ever won one match in Southside and he's looking to correct that statistic. Both these men want and need victory on Saturday but there can only be one winner. The main event on September 26th will see one man demand the best and one man claim to be it. Back in July, Will Ospreay told the crowd that he wanted to face the best when he returned to the Circus Tavern. This lead to Tommy End stepping up to the plate and accepting Ospreay's request before levelling the former Speed King champion. Ospreay wanted the best and he'll get it in Tommy End. The question is, will he regret his actions or will he overcome the 'Anti-Hero' as he's done with many before?

Rounding of the weekend and the end of their 11-year anniversary tour, IPW:UK are at The White Oak Leisure Centre in Swanley, Kent. The Scrum is a match that has become one of IPW:UK's trademark contests and it returns for their tour finale. The match will see a blend well-known stars and up-and-coming names all competing at the same time in a one fall match as we see The Wonderkid' Jonny Storm vs. Alpha Dreams vs. 'Dazzling' Darrell Allen vs. 'Smooth' Sammy Smooth vs. 'Aerial Assassin' Will Ospreay vs. 'Blackbelt' Tom Dawkins vs. Maverick Mayhew vs. Mike 'The Strike' Broly. From a match filled with British talent to a match that will see one of the UK's best against one of the best from the US. Dave Mastiff and Tommaso Ciampa are both known for their hard-hitting style and this match won't be any different. These men regularly steal shows when they appear. Combining them in one match could make this an international classic. Since coming to IPW:UK, Vince Russo has abused his power in any way he's chosen. However, he took exception when Daniel Edler took the decision to use his own power to officiate the end of a match. Russo has therefore decided that if Edler wants to get involved in a match, then he'll compete in one in a 10-man elimination tag team match. Looking forward to Sunday and we will now see Vince Russo, Jimmy Havoc, James Davis, Rob Lynch & Mr. Russo's Aide face Daniel Edler, Danny Duggan, Cieran Donnelly, Grado (another man that Vince Russo has an issue with) & a fifth competitor of Daniel Edler's choosing. This match is another example of Russo using his power to his own benefit but a win for Team Edler could send a message and start a revolt within IPW:UK against the Vince Russo.



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

Wrestle Ropes Ready for the Weekend (21st/22nd/23rd August 2015)

In this week's edition of Ready For The Weekend we have events where returns will take place, careers and championships are on the line and opportunities are up for grabs.

On Friday night, HOPE Wrestling host a bumper 8-match card, Evolution 27: You Ask About My Consience and I'll Offer you My Soul, at the Forest Town Arena in Mansfield. In the main event of the evening, Jack Jester shall defend the HOPE Championship against Lionheart. Jester became the first-ever HOPE champion after defeating five other men in an elimination match at Evolution 25: Am I More Than You Bargained For Yet? last month, whilst  Lionheart outlasted 29 other men to win an opportunity at the title just a day later at Evolution 26: Boulevard of Broken Dreams. On August 21st we shall see which of these two men can overcome the other. A man who has overcome the biggest challenge of his life in the last 12 months is Kris Travis. In Mansfield on Friday night, Travis will make his in-ring return to HOPE Wrestling to face the winner of the Kings Of Flight tournament, Chris Tyler. Many have called Tyler the new Kris Travis, Travis is out to prove that wrestling doesn't need a new Travis, the original is still more than capable of stealing the show. Elsewhere in HOPE, there are no two men who hate each other more than LJ Heron and Ryan Smile. These men have competed in various matches for months with neither definitively showing superiority. However, this Friday they'll compete once again and the only way to win is to make their opponent say “I Quit!”. Add in another 5 matches that will feature El Ligero, Joseph Conners, Lana Austin, Martin Kirby & The Hooligans to name just a few and HOPE have a stacked show.

This Saturday will see Futureshock Wrestling celebrate their 11th Anniversary with Underground 12 at The Longfield Suite in Prestwich, where every championship will be on the line. A few months ago The Models were attacked and their Tag Team Championship belts were stolen by an unknown duo. It has now transpired that the duo in question were international tag team, The Wolves. Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards have now informed The Models that if they want their titles back then they'll have to win them and they'll have to do it in a Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match on August 22nd. Two men that have no love lost are Jack Gallagher and Zack Gibson. Both men have faced each other many times, delivering technical spectacles every time. On Saturday both men will come face-to-face once again, this time in a Submission Match. Either man could be argued as one of, if not THE best technical wrestler in the UK. Now it's time to find out who is superior. Every match has something on the line, be it respect, an opportunity or a championship. However, at this Saturday not only will Xander Cooper's Futureshock Championship be on the line but the challenger, Dave Rayne's career will be at risk. Dave Rayne is determined to end the reign of Cooper but 'The Man For All Seasons' wants Rayne's career to come to an end. Regardless of the outcome, Futureshock Wrestling is about to be changed forever. The Adrenaline and Women's Championship will also be up for grabs along with matches that feature Bubblegum, Ashton Smith, Sexy Kev and more as Futureshock Wrestling celebrating their 11th Anniversary in style.

Moving on to Sunday and IPW:UK are back at the Tap 'n' Tin in Chatham, Kent with another 18+ show, entitled If You Like Pina Coladas...and Getting Kicked in the Face. One match that presents an opportunity to all involved is a Four-Way Match between Damian Dunne, Chris Brookes, Tyler Bate & Pete Dunne. Remarkably, none of these four men have ever competed in IPW:UK before and this match not only has the possibility to steal a packed show but also gives all involved a chance to show why IPW:UK needs them in their ranks. A bout with an international flavour is the tag team match between The GZRS and the duo of Iestyn Rees and Robbie E. Sebastian and Tom Irvin have been tearing it up in the UK for the last few months doing things that a year ago had never been seen in a wrestling ring, such as a slip 'n' slip! Robbie E has won numerous championships and Iestyn Rees is a dominating powerhouse. The GZRS have a challenge on their hands when they face a team brimming with power and experience. When a show is for over 18s, there is usually a reason. One main reason for this IPW:UK event is undoubtedly the No F'n Rules Match between The London Riots and The Murkers. The Riots are known to do everything they can in matches to win when there are rules. Removing them will no doubt make them even more dangerous. However, their opponents love a fight. So much so that Jon Ryan's original tag team partner, Kurrupt is competing in his first match for over two and a half years. When a team reunite after being apart for so long you know that they are going to bring everything in their quest for victory. Riots vs Murkers, violence is a guarantee. Additional matches featuring Danny Duggan & Snare in a Falls Count Anywhere Match, a rematch between Toni Storm & Tennessee Honey and a lot more takes place this Sunday.


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 and more.

Wrestle Ropes' Ready For The Weekend (7th-9th August 2015)

This weekend sees numerous shows and anniversaries taking place in British Wrestling. Here is just a selection of what is scheduled to take place. Let's get Ready For The Weekend.

Photo credit - Preston City Wrestling

On Friday night, Preston City Wrestling will celebrate their 4th anniversary in style at their home of Evoque in Preston with The Fourth Awakens. The one match that everyone is talking about is the in-ring return of Kris Travis who shall face 'The East End Butcher' Sha Samuels. This match came about during a previous PCW show when Samuels interrupted Kris Travis and told the former PCW Heavyweight champion that he should go home and wait to die. Travis overcome a lot in the past year. On Friday, he's looking to show that he's back, he's very much alive and he's ready to kick Sha Samuels arse. Sitting right at the top of the championship tree, Dave Mastiff will make his first defence of the PCW Heavyweight Championship against the winner of the Road To Glory 2015 tournament, the current PCW Cruiserweight champion, Bubblegum. Dave Mastiff has fought for years to become the man in PCW, Bubblegum on the other hand has shown he'll go to any length to win, be it legally or not. Mastiff is a huge challenge for Bubblegum to overcome but he's overcome a lot in the past. Either man could be walking out with heavyweight gold. The Fourth Awakens will also see the return of the Team Single Open Challenge, this year won by Josh Bodom & Ryan Hendricks via public vote. Team Single are the longest reigning champions in PCW history but The Brolievers present an unknown to the champions as they never face each other before. Could The Brolievers upset the PCW Tag Team champions or will Team Single's dominance continue to reign? The show will also feature the débuts of Samoa Joe and Drew Galloway plus the return of reDRagon's Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish who will join Noam Dar, Joey Hayes, Dave Rayne and many more in various matches.

Photo credit - Futureshock Wrestling

Saturday see's Futureshock Wrestling back in action, this time at The Rylands Recreation Club in Warrington. The main event will see Dave Rayne join forces with Jack Gallagher to face the man who he challenges for the Futureshock Championship at Underground 12 with his career on the line, Xander Cooper and his partner, Damon Leigh. Rayne will be looking to send a message to Cooper on August 8th and may well do so with Gallagher by his side. On the other hand, Xander Cooper will look to show why he's been so dominant as champion and why he'll end Dave Rayne's career. Talking of champions, Soner Dursun will once again put his Adrenaline Championship on the line, this time against the hard-hitting Mark Massa of The Uprising. Dursun has faced all challenges for the championship since winning it and Massa is one of the biggest challenges to date. From one championship to another as Danielle Hunter look to regain the Futureshock Women's Championship from the woman who won the title from her, Lana Austin. Austin has been on a huge winning run since capturing the championship. However, Danielle Hunter was a dangerous champion, she's an even more dangerous challenger. If Lana Austin want to walk out with her winning run and still champion, she'll need ever bit of heart and desire she has to do it. All this and a lot more including matches with Ashton Smith and Ryan Hendricks takes place this Saturday.

Photo credit - IPW:UK

Then moving on to Sunday, IPW:UK host their Summer Bonus 2015 in Tonbridge at The Angel Centre. The show will see the beginning of the UK Super 8 qualifying round with Jody Fleisch taking on Iestyn Rees and Scott Star facing a hand-picked opponent from the IPW:UK training academy. Those in attendance will also see Danny Duggan & Cieran Donnelly defend the IPW:UK Tag Team Championship against arguably the best tag team in the world, reDRagon's Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish. This will be a big test for D&D and shall show what they are capable of against world-class talent and former world champions. The main event will see the unification of the IPW:UK World Championship and All-England Championship when Bad Bones meets Jimmy Havoc in a Tables, Ladders & Chairs match. The original match was supposed to take place at 'Title Showdown' but was postponed due to Jimmy Havoc suffering an injury. However nothing is stopping the match this time. Added in the stipulation that Jonny Storm & The London Riots are banned from ringside therefore aiding Jimmy Havoc, it really will come down to which man has the toughness, endurance and the desire to become a double champion on August 9th.

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!