Event Review: FCP Breaking Into Heaven - Clint Margera v Pete Dunne 2 *Falls Count Anywhere*

After a very good show on Friday and a superb show on Saturday in Wolverhampton, Sunday, 23rd October saw Fight Club: Pro head North for a show at Manchester Metropolitan University's Student Union in...umm...Manchester. 75 miles from their home, FCP presented a show that saw Clint Margera get a shot at Pete Dunne's FCP Championship in a Falls Count Anywhere Match, Trent Seven went one on one with Mikey Whiplash and Chris Brookes tangled with Fire Ant. With Kimber Lee, Nixon Newell, Shane Strickland, Orange Cassidy and Travis Banks featured on the undercard, could Breaking Into Heaven better the high standards that had already been set across the weekend and smash into Manchester with a cracker? 

Pete Dunne collected his second successful FCP Championship defense in as many days, with a victory over the man who last defeated him in FCP, Clint Margera. The bout began with a similar moment to Dunne's bout with Trent Seven on Pulp Fixxion Part 2, where The Bruiserweight attacked Margera before the bell, calling out the FCP management for making him defend the belt against a "Death Match Worker", only for Margera to turn the tables and make the match Falls Count Anywhere, because...he bloody did. The duo brawled around the Union, fighting on the apron, around ringside, into the fans and onto the stage area. This fracas was punctuated by elongated "Pet-er" chants for Dunne (in reference to a moment from PROGRESS Chapter 37, a week earlier just half a mile away). At times it became a little too much and distracted from the action, which may also have something to do with Margera being a relatively unfamiliar face to the Northern audience. This isn't to say that there wasn't plenty of good to very good stuff going on (Dunne hitting a Tombstone Piledriver on the stage, being the stand out moment), but that it often got overpowered. 

Just like the night before there was plenty a shenanigan in the finish of this on. Chris Brookes made the save for Dunne following Margera hitting an avalanche Death Valley driver and then it all seemed start happening. Ref bumps, biting, wet willies, all sorts of things were occuring, but the long and short of it was that Dunne retained the title with a Rear Naked Choke. There were even more antics post-match, with Trent Seven came out to help Margera, only to be beaten down by Dunne and Brookes as well. This would lead to Jimmy Havoc returning to the promotion, turning on former KYS pal Dunne and turning babyface in the process, as he hit Brookes with an Acid Rainmaker. It was a cool end to the show and after a lengthy time off it's good to see Havoc continue to make his return in different promotions and shake up their stories and rosters in the process. I can't help but feeling that having Havoc announced as already appearing on the show, impacted a little on the moment, as anyone who was paying attention could see exactly where ir was going. Potentially having Havoc come out and cut a return promo earlier in the night before coming back out for the save, would have given the moment more of a swerve factor, but preferably I would've liked this to be a complete surprise.

The semi-main saw Mikey Whiplash defeat Trent Seven, giving Whiplash his second victory in as many days over former FCP Champions. If you've been following British professional wrestling over the last twelve months, then you'll know that Whiplash and Seven have been tearing it up in Insane Championship Wrestling trading victories in Glasgow, Birmingham and Manchester, with things spilling over to Scottish Wrestling Alliance in Motherwell and a special show presented by Jimmy Havoc in Glasgow. So as was to be expected, this bout was slickly put together and stiff as fuck as Whiplash and Seven tore strips out of each other and hit the majority of their big moves in an intense scrappy match. There was a lot of back and forth, with reversals and strike battles, with the story playing out as two guys who are extremely familiar with one another and had an answer for seemingly even the most severe assaults. 

If I was surprised to see Whiplash defeat Margera on Saturday, I was flabbergasted that Whiplash pinned Seven with a Gotch-style piledriver, only moments after withstanding a Bret's Rope piledriver (silly, silly nearfall). With two big wins over the weekend, Whiplash would seem to be becoming a regular for FCP, but having already gone through two of the promotions top babyfaces and with FCP currently looking a little heel heavy, I'm intrigued to see how he'll fit in next year. Bouts with the likes of Tyler Bate, The Hunter Brothers and Nixon Newell should provide some great variety, with the returning Jimmy Havoc offering another attractive prospective match up. Seven sold the loss like an absolute boss and after back to back losses he looked not just hurt from the rough clash, but emotionally drained as his quest to regain the FCP Championship seems to have hit a stumbling block. 

In a surprisingly long opener, Chris Brookes picked up his third victory of the weekend, this time besting Fire Ant. This bout was very much in the CHIKARA vein, as the pair mixed some good quality wrestling exchanges with a number of comedic spots and general hijinks. It was clear where the bout was heading from the very beginning as after being a piss-kidney to a loud fan, Brookes repeatedly asked the ref to back Ant up, causing Ant to end up actually outside the ring himself. It was corny spot, but both men, as well as referee Joel, played it perfectly. As Brookes' gimmick is developing into someone who would really rather not be wrestling, after taking control of the bout he took Ant out of the ring and out of the room, into the bar area of the student union, before legging back to the squared circle in attempt for a countout. The moment was made by a couple of verbal quips from Brookes once he got back inside the ring.

One of the spots that I was most looking forward to was Brookes (who is still a turd) going for his, now signature, wet willy spot. You can't do a wet willy on a masked man/ant. The spot didn't let me down and went flying passed what even my twisted imagination had conjured up on the drive to Manchester. After initial confusion by the lack of ears, Brookes pulled a canister of bug spray from a black fabric bag and really went to town with it. I don't know the international rules of wrestling completely, but I'd imagine that bug spray doesn't result in a DQ, because what if there's like bugs, that aren't wrestlers, trying to get involved? Exactly! Following this spot the pair mixed things up with some pacy sequences and a couple of nice near falls, including a Brainbuster from Ant and Michonoku Driver from Brookes. The Calamari Catch King would win with his now familiar closing sequence, getting a submission with his double armed octopus stretch, although Ant had previously been able to reverse the rope-hung whiplash neckbreaker, as repeating that sequence began to pay off in more interesting variations. 

The Hunter Brothers (Lee Hunter & Jim Hunter)' only appearance across the weekend saw Ashley Clementine (Kimber Lee) and Orange Cassidy unsuccessfully answer the open challenge laid down by Lee and Jim. Considering both were already on the show under different guises, it was a mild disappointment when Clementine & Cassidy came out, probably because the open challenge gimmick often leads to a lot of speculation. The match was entirely dictated by the Clementine & Cassidy's gimmick of being The World's Laziest Tag Team. At first, I was quite into the idea with Cassidy putting on weak head locks and both going to sit in the crowd after taking chops from Lee & Jim. It wasn't "laugh so much it hurts" funny, but it was still funny. However, for me it ended up dragging, as the single joke was stretched across almost fifteen minutes without really having a big punchline. It was mostly entertaining, but could have done with losing five minutes or more. Had this been the third night in a row of seeing the Hunter Brothers, then I think I would've enjoyed the change of pace for Lee & Jim, but with this being their only match of the weekend and with very little tag wrestling at all over the three days, a Hunter Brothers bout with a hot local tag team would have felt fresher than a bottle of Tropicana. 

The strongest contest on the show was Shane Strickland going over Travis Banks, in a bout that presented a nice style clash. Banks desperation to get a win in FCP was stamped all over the action once again, this time from the very beginning as Banks upped the aggression level with Strickland matching it and the pair producing a pacy and dynamic opening sequence that set the tone for what was to come. The crowd was well split between the two and both worked the Manchester audience well, keeping things fairly even with a string of top quality reversals. Banks catching Strickland coming out of a Rolling Thunder into a German suplex and Strickland swiftly hitting a Spanish Fly as Banks charged in looking for his running knee strike are the two moments that spring to mind initially, but the bout was full of similar switches and swerves.. The match didn't have as many strong near falls as the Banks v Fire Ant match from the night previously, but it managed to tell a different story within the established narrative in a distinct style. I would love to see the pair have a rematch at some point as an extra five or even ten minutes would have only benefited these two creative performers, especially as they become more familiar with each other.

In the sole women's outing on the show, Nixon Newell defeated Kimber Lee in a hard-hitting battle. The contest fell into a similar pattern that we'd seen from the other female matches that weekend, with the pair trading moves. Forearms, chops, kicks, a few more kicks and a german suplexes. A spot where the pair hit each other with bicycle kicks looked particularly well-done, as I've often seen that moment look awful if not timed right and not built to in the right manner. In comparison to the Newell v Kay Lee Ray match from the previous night, the bout had a little more aggression and omph behind it, especially in a sequence where Newell hit a head butt and a German suplex, before Lee would reply threefold. I would've liked to have seen a little bit more action before the finish to really develop the hostility between them, with Newell wanting to even the score from their previous match in May. The bout concluded with Lee missing a high-angle senton bomb and Newell nailing a picture perfect Vulture Culture Destroyer for the pinfall. 

Continuing his more than impressive weekend, Dan Moloney won a four way contest pinning TK Cooper in a match that also included Ethan Silver and Drew Parker. It was even more of an imposing victory because not only did Moloney call out anyone to face him, but he ended up with three opponents and finished the match standing tall over all of them. The bout concluded with an incredible double powerbomb on Silver and Parker, before a deadlift spinning sitout powerbomb to Cooper, making Moloney look like an absolute (super)beast. Moloney completely owned the space during this one, especially in that final stretch and after the match. Outside of Moloney looking like a top tier talent in the making, the rest of the four way was an entertaining spot fest that managed to fit an awful lot of action into a short amount of the time. Cooper, Silver and Parker could certainly play a role in FCP in the future, with the trio all offering something a little bit different to what's already on the regular roster.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 6.75/10

Show in a Sentence - A good start for FCP in a new city, but couldn't match the two previous show.  

Match of the Night - Shane Strickland v Travis Banks

Words - James Marston

All images are the property of Fight Club: Pro.

Event Review: FCP Pulp Fixxion Part 2 - Trent Seven v Pete Dunne

On 22nd October, Fight Club: Pro was at Fixxion Warehouse for the second night in a row, with Part 2 of Pulp Fixxion. The main event saw Pete Dunne put his FCP Championship on the line against Trent Seven, whilst Mikey Whiplash and Clint Margera went at it in a No Disqualification Match. With the likes of Kay Lee Ray, Kimber Lee, Nixon Newell, Shane Strickland and Fire Ant making up the undercard, could FCP raise the bar following a very good event just 24 hours earlier? Let's have a look, brah.

Pete Dunne retained his FCP Championship with a victory over Trent Seven in what was the best match across the two Wolverhampton shows. The pair might be PROGRESS Tag Team Champions, but in FCP there's no loved lost between the duo and that showed before the bell with Dunne striking before the announcements even began. The crowd (including myself) were hooked from that moment onwards as Dunne and Seven worked a 16 minute sprint. The bout was a mixture of Seven no-selling shit and some huge dramatic near falls. The two tropes seemed to play into each other, with Seven's ability to dig deep following taking huge moves like a superplex, giving the match a sense of momentum, allowing the fans to start to believe that Seven could take the title from Dunne at the first time of asking. This meant that each near fall had some real weight and believability. Dunne running into a powerbomb, before Seven turned it into a Single-leg Boston Crab, that he's put away Tommy End and Mark Haskins with recently, was a moment that I was completely wrapped up in, desperate to see the heel champion quit. This was helped by how well Dunne sold the hold and the previously mentioned drive of the contest.  

The finish saw a whole lot of shenanigans, beginning with a spectacular ref bump that saw Shay Purser moved into the path of a Seven suicide dive by Dunne. This caused Purser to go through the two rows of ringside seating and It looked wonderful (obviously not for poor Shay) being timed perfectly and getting a big reaction out of the Wolverhampton crowd. Every second following this was brilliant to watch, certainly helped by the emotional investment that I have within FCP as well as the two performers and characters, but I'd like to think it was equally as exciting and entertaining for those attending their first show with the company. In a sequence that was a rollercoaster of emotion, Seven hit a dragon suplex and spinning piledriver, but there was no ref to count the pinfall, but after Dunne had caught Seven low and hit his DT3 (Pumphandle Facebuster) a second referee, Joel Allen, managed to come flying out of the curtain, only for Seven to kick out at two and get another thrilling near fall off a roll-up as Dunne argued with Allen. By the time, Dunne got the submission win, it was as crushing a moment as it should have been, rounding off a wonderful final stretch and enhancing Dunne's credentials as champion. When the moment comes for Dunne to lose the belt, that moment will be all the sweeter because this bout took place. 

In the semi-main slot, Mikey Whiplash picked up his first victory in FCP, by defeating former champion Clint Margera in a No Disqualification match. This was an incredibly creative contest, as the duo took a limited selection of weapons and constructed a number of breath-takingly brutal highspots. Without using the cavalcade of "toys" that were seen across Margera's series with Chris Brookes earlier this year, the bout kept things interesting by having each spot feel bigger and more impressive than the last. This was an aggressive and violent display from the beginning as the two threw forearms at each other and then threw each other into the ringside chairs and walls. This was two chaps with no real backstory, beyond the tag match from the Friday night, just battering the piss out of each other for 15 minutes, just because they bloody could. 

The final three spots of the match were stupid, silly stuff (Meant in the best possible way, that you can call something stupid or silly) Whiplash took a superplex through some chairs, Margera took a slam off the top rope through another load of chairs TO THE FLOOR and then Whiplash hit a Death Valley Driver onto a pair of interlocked chairs on their side to get the win. Any three of those spots could have ended the match and I don't think anyone would have felt hard done by had that been the case. So, is there a case to be made for their being "too much" here? Probably. Is that a case that I'm going to put forward? Fuck no. As uncomfortable as some of teases and spots made me feel at points, it kept me completely involved in the contest as I was on the edge of my seat (bad back and all), partially in anticipation of what carnage was to come and partially because I was hoping neither performer would end up seriously hurt by some of the more high-risk aspects of the bout. The victory going to Whiplash was a slight shocker, as I expected him to come in and put over the FCP regulars, but I'd certainly be up for seeing more Whiplash in Fixxion Warehouse in 2017. It'll be interesting seeing how he'll fit into the wider picture and storytelling within the promotion.

Nixon Newell picked up a big win over Kay Lee Ray, in a match that is difficult to describe because of the ridiculous amount of styles and influences the duo used throughout. Like one moment the pair were doing a cool back and forth headlock and pins thing, which mimicked what had been seen in the Three Way with Kimber Lee from Pulp Fixxion and then all of a sudden Lee and Shane Strickland were having a dance off in a scene reminiscent of the 2001 The Simpsons' episode Tennis the Menace! The match didn't need the dance off to be entertaining, but I also don't feel like it detracted from the quality of the bout either. The pair continued with the back and forth and did so very well with a series of suicide dives, strong-style forearms and a number of finisher attempts, whilst also mixing in some comedy like chopping referee Shay and having him assist Newell in an inadvertent Stunner. It was a difficult task to try and include so much contrasting content within the match but Newell and KLR created something that was entirely enjoyable, featured some excellent wrestling and looked a lot of fun to be involved in as FCP continues to develop it's women's division. This was definitely a step in the right direction. 

One of the strongest stories in FCP in 2016 has been Travis Banks' quest for a win and it was in his loss to Fire Ant (putting him 0-11 in FCP) that it really began to shine and develop into something that currently feels like it could become something particularly special into the new year. Whilst the match seemed to take a couple of minutes to fully connect and grip the crowd, the final stretch of combat was superb stuff, as Banks came agonisingly close to getting his first win in the promotion. Two near falls for Banks stand out in particular, the first being the Kiwi Buzzsaw withstanding a barrage of offense, including a tope conhilo, high crossbody and PK, only to reverse a brainbuster attempt into one of his own, with the second coming moments after when the New Zealander showed his frustration all over his face, and hit a corner roundhouse kick, only for Ant to put his foot on the ropes before the three count. I was so involved in the losing streak angle, that by the end of the bout I found myself turning on Ant, despite him not doing anything wrong at all. I just wanted Banks to win, goddamit. I love being able to get sucked in by the wrestling I watch, get lost in it and begin to engage with narratives and this angle is certainly ticking those boxes right now, with this bout with Ant being a strong continuation of the story. 

In intergender action, Chris Brookes went over Kimber Lee in a fun bout that told a decent story. In my review of Pulp Fixxion, I spoke about how much I hate the Brookes and his asshattery in FCP, which if you've read any of my reviews (or even just another paragraph of this one, I suppose) then you'll know I think that this is a wonderful thing. Before the match began the Calimari Catch King attempted to get out of the bout, revealing that he was actually in love with Lee, giving this as the reason that he lost their previous bout during the CHIKARA Anniversario Tour in May. This was played well by both performers, with it being clear that Brookes simply wanted a night off and Lee wanting nothing to do with it. After an early flurry from Lee, Brookes would control the match following a big boot, grounding Lee and just generally being a cockwomble about it all. It all worked nicely into a strong comeback from Lee, which included a sharp near fall after Brookes ran into a sit-out powerbomb. Brookes finishing sequence was being heavily put over across the weekend, as he hit a superkick and rope-hung whiplash neckbreaker, before locking in a double armed octopus stretch for the submission victory. I'm certainly looking forward to seeing how this plays into future matches in FCP. 

The opening match of the show saw Dan Moloney defeat Shane Strickland with his deadlift spinning sitout powerbomb, in what was one of the best, if not the best match I've ever seen out of the Superbeast. There was some tremendous wrestling in this one, as Moloney and Strickland's styles connected well, with Moloney able to operate in the powerhouse role, whilst also showing some real skill in being able to up his pacing and go toe to toe with one of the speediest performers on the Indy circuit. As much as Strickland is a hugely impressive wrestler to watch, thanks to his pace and varied offence, including a wonderful sequence that concluded with a rolling thunder into a jumping cutter, most of my attention was on the local Moloney. He handled the crowd's chants surrounding his smaller than usual footwear well and genuinely looked to be developing into potential top tier star. FCP continued to build it's roster of villains with the Moloney victory, joining the wins for champion Pete Dunne, Mikey Whiplash and Chris Brookes, across this show, seemingly with an eye on the Infinity tournament on 25th November.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 7.84/10

Show in a Sentence - A very good evening of wrestling, that upped the quality in a number of areas from the stellar card the night before.

Match of the Night - Trent Seven v Pete Dunne

Words - James Marston 

All images are the property of Fight Club: Pro.

Live Review: Fight Club: Pro International Tekkers 2015

Just six weeks removed from Rockstar, which saw MK McKinnan succesful hold onto the Fight Club: Pro over Tyler Bate and Rockstar Spud, Fight Club: Pro was back at the Planet Night Club in Wolverhampton, England to present the 2015 edition of International Tekkers. With a big championship ladder match pitting McKinnan against Clint Margera in the main event, as well as Dan Maloney, Eddie Dennis, KYS, Mike Bird, Moustache Mountain, Ophidian and The Wolves all being on hand for the show. Could Fight Club: Pro prove their Tekkers on the night?

Two performers who produced stand-out matches (End against Adam Cole, Brookes against Zack Sabre, Jr.) on the previous International Tekkers, I was expecting this bout to end up in a similar position and whilst it was a good bout, it didn't quite live up to my expectations heading in. That being said, there was still a lot to enjoy with some good story-telling that saw Brookes focus his attention on the leg of one half of the Sumerian Death Squad, with a number of nice submission holds, which sold very well by End. The highlight of the bout for me was a Diving Double Stomp by End, which saw wXw regular unable to get the pin because of the injured leg. The match felt a little too short to fully reach it's potential (coming in at just over 8 minutes), as End picked up the victory in his first match since dropping the FCP title in May.

The villainous KYS duo of Pete and Damian Dunne took on Dennis and Mike Bird in a quality tag team encounter, with the dynamics of the two teams playing well into each other and both getting a loud reaction out of the Planet. Eddie Dennis was your Pride of Wales in Peril, with KYS's working the crowd well, making it easy to get behind Dennis and will him on to make the tag to Bird, that's what tag team wrestling is about at it's core. The sequence that built to Dennis' hot tag was marvelous, edging into the realm of the OTT but worked well in this environment as Dennis crawled across the ring and fought off both Pete and Damian in order to get the tag. KYS continued their strong run of form with Pete able to get a sneaky roll-up victory like the dirty heel that he is, but not before a superb sequence that saw both of KYS taping out in the middle of the ring, only for the referee to point out that the combinations were wrong and no legal man was taping out another legal man.

This was the best match of the first half for me, as Ophidian and Dan Maloney put on a much better match than I had expected going in. That isn't to say that I don't believe in the talents of the two men, I simply wasn't expecting them to gel as well as did here. The two bought a power vs. speed style, as Maloney attempted to dominate the former CHIKARA Campeonatos de Parejas Champion. The pair bought a different style to anything else on the show, with a superb sequence that saw both men get near falls (Ophidian with a Double Knee attack in the corner and Maloney with a TKO) before both attempted the moves again but had them reversed, with the pace really picking up at this point. It was a big win for Maloney who was picked up the victory with a huge powerbomb and a second TKO, looking impressive doing so.

As has been seen a few times at Fight Club: Pro, putting two babyfaces opposite each other leads to a crowd that doesn't know who to get behind and therefore gets behind no one. This left the match feeling a little bit flat, with no one attempting to get the crowd involved in the action in the ring. The match was rather short, but didn't exactly come across as a squash with Robbie getting plenty of offence in on the bigger Mastiff. There was some interesting elements with Robbie attempting to use his speed, but it was Mastiff's power that came out on top as he caught Robbie with a big lariat after Robbie attempted a handspring cutter. The finish didn't quite look as convincing as it could have and I wasn't expecting the bout to end at that point. Both men are talented but this wasn't their best work.



The big international attraction of the night was The Wolves, who squared off against fan favourites Moustache Mountain. The Wolves quickly took advantage of just how over Tyler Bate and Trent Seven's team is in the promotion, by quickly turning heel, with a sizzling promo about how much of a shithole Wolverhampton is, whilst also making a number of references to their home promotion, TNA. With some fantastic work, the tone was set for the match, with a lively crowd chomping at the bit.

This was a lot of fun to watch, helped along by a red-hot and creative crowd who got on the back of the Wolves throughout the match for their relationship with TNA and especially, Dixie Carter. Edwards and Richards lapped it up and gave it all back to the fans, whipping them up even more and the cycle continued. It was helped, of course, by the fact that Bate and Seven are two of the most over performers in the promotion, and that the Wolves pull out a series of dirty tricks to stay in control of the match, making good use the promotions cage set up.


Whilst the character and crowd work was of the highest quality, the action in the ring was able to match it. Things were very physical inside the ropes with a number of tasty chops and forearms thrown either. With a handful of lovely false finishes for both teams with The Wolves coming close with their version of Chasing the Dragon, whilst the crowd seemed convinced that Moustache Mountain had been able to pull of the victory with a moonsault and splash combination. Davey's "This is For Dixie" Double Stomp was also a nice touch. The Wolves were able to pick up the victory, but Moustache Mountain proved they can hang with one of the most polished tag team duos in the world today.

A marvellously brutal affair, this was a fitting main event of the show, highlighting two of Fight Club: Pro's most prolific performers, MK McKinnan and Clint Margera, in a ladder match for the FC:P Championship. McKinnan's heel persona has developed into one of the most easy to hate anywhere in the country and the fans certainly let him know how they felt about him, with some rather vicious chants at times. McKinnan revelled in it, of course, even getting engaged with the crowd and at one point reminding me that I am indeed a "fat cunt". This character work provided a good groundwork for the pair to batter each other for nearly twenty minutes!


This match was chock-full with sweet highspots, like Margera jumping off the top of the entrance way to put McKinnan through a bit of wood (not quite a table), which looked magnificent inside the Planet. The ladder got plenty of action also, with both men taking some nasty bumps onto the hardware, as well an occasion where McKinnan sent into into the face of Margera on the outside. There was one section however that everyone was talking about post-match, that saw McKinnan's KYS bedfellows get involved and tie Margera's hands behind his back and allow McKinnan to deliver a series of vicious chair shots. This kind of violence in wrestling is either going to Me your bag or it's not, but it certainly made for a great reaction out of the crowd. For me, perhaps this should have been the finish of the match, based on the sheer brutality alone, but Margera getting sent off the top of the ladder to the outside through another bit of wood worked well enough.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 7.14

Another top notch show from Fight Club: Pro with a good variety of action on display. Dan Maloney impressed in his big match with Ophidian, whilst The Wolves killed their heel persona and knew exactly how to work the crowd opposite Moustache Moutain and the main event ladder match was a true specactle, I wouldn't argue with anyone who suggested either of those three matches as the best on offer.

There's more to come from Fight Club: Pro as they will be back in action on 23rd October. FCP announcing the date of their next show made me a very happy chappy. Find out more about the promotion here.

Fight Club: Pro Rockstar Live Review

I've been to plenty of Fight Club: Pro shows over the last year or two, but I've yet to review a show. The main reason for this is that I'll usually write notes as the show is on-going, but the atmosphere and set-up of FCP doesn't really allow for such things. So I've tried something a little different here, taking advantage of the shows two intervals to scribble down some (at times undecipherable) notes. Please let me know what you think of this new style on Twitter @ATPWrestling or Facebook.

The show featured the return of current IMPACT Wrestling star Rockstar Spud, who would factor heavily into the story of the show, top UK stars like Fight Club: Pro Champion MK McKinnan, Infinity Trophy holder Chris Brookes, Jack Gallagher, Nixon Newell, Trent Seven, Tyler Bate and many more.

Match 1

One Fall Six Pack Challenge for the Number One Contendership to the Fight Club: Pro Championship

Rockstar Spud 

Damien Dunne 

vs. 

Jim Hunter 

vs. 

Dave Mastiff 

vs. 

Tyler Bate 

vs. 

Eric Ryan 

vs. 

Robbie X

With Rockstar Spud attacked before the match could even get started by MK McKinnan, it was McKinnan's fellow K.Y.S. member Damian Dunne who would step up and take Spud's place in the match. Whilst many seemed disappointed that Spud would not compete (although I'm sure most were expecting to see him later on in some capacity), Dunne's presence gave the match a different dynamic, giving fans someone who they definitely didn't want to see win, due to his association with the champion. This could have been played up a little more in the bout, to give the action a bit more bite, but it's absense didn't have a detrimental effect at all.

The match was blink and you miss it fast, with some big spots and sweet dives to the outside from the number of the competitors involved, with the crowd completely hooked and lively from start to finish. For my liking this match went a little short, which is the main draw back for multi-man bouts with no elimination gimmick, as just as the match seemed to be moving into a high gear it was over, with Tyler Bate hitting a beautifully done German suplex on Dave Mastiff (Yes, a German Fucking Suplex on Dave Mastiff!) Again the action that was presented was off a very high quality, with everyone playing their part in the match well, I'd have just liked to have seen an extra five minutes or so of action to really satisfy my hunger here.

Match 2

One Fall Tag Team Match

The New Welsh Action Heroes 

vs. 

Dan Maloney & Wild Boar

An enjoyable slice of tag team action, I felt that these two teams complemented each other well both in terms of size and style within the ring. The match took your regular tag team format, and did this well, with Wild Boar and Dan Maloney working over Mike Bird with quick tags and everything else you'd expect from a villainous duo, including double teaming numerous times to cut short a potential comeback and hot tag from Bird. This meant that Bird's comeback was taking out both Boar and Maloney on the outside of the ring by sending them into the cage, felt a lot bigger of a moment than it would have, thanks to the struggle he'd gone through. 

The match transitioned into a back and forth battle with (with Bird selling on outside for a while), featuring some enjoyable hard hitting, that had a nice pace to it also. The finish was Maloney hit an assisted powerbomb on Eddie Dennis, with Boar able to keep Bird at bay on the outside to give his team the victory. For two tag teams in their infancy this was a well done tag team encounter, but I'd be interested to see what kind of bout they would be able to produce if they all teamed regularly together, not just in Fight Club: Pro but around the country also.

Match 3...Match 4

One Fall match for the Infinity Trophy

Chris Brookes 

vs. 

Nixon Newell

and then...

Rockstar Spud

Chris Brookes and Nixon Newell's feud has been brewing for sometime, after Brookes' turn on his former Vulture Squad partner back in December at Infinity. This match played up that feud well in Nixon's first match back in the promotion since February's All the Best, with some vicious throws from Brookes into the cage gimmick, with Brookes looking to win by countout on a number of occasions. Aside from this and inside the ring, the wrestling was very crisp with the pair showing the chemistry that you'd expect from a duo that has been teaming up all over the country (and leaving a trail of Match of the Night contests in their wake) for the last year or so. 

The finish was nicely done with Nixon cut off just when she was getting a head of steam, as Brookes connected with his trusty Infinity Trophy, with referee Joel distracted, and Brookes picking up his third defense of the trophy (and seemingly busted Nixon open). With Brookes having to cheat to win, and the aggression shown at points during the match, a No Disqualification based match would certainly seem to be on the card in the future, to give a fitting culmination to their rivalry. I'm sure most in attendance would be interested in seeing a rematch, I know I certainly would.

The plot of the evening thickened when Brookes would issue an open challenge to any "past, present or future" Fight Club: Pro wrestler, with Rockstar Spud answering the call to a nice pop. The match that followed was simple, but effective, with Spud surprising Brookes with a flurry of offence early on, before Brookes took control (once again with the help of the cage), before Spud launched into a short comeback, hitting the Underdog (corner springboard cutter) to capture the Infinity Trophy. Brookes now has reason to complain about losing the Trophy, but the fact that he was the one to open up the challenge will make him look like a whingy sore loser, suiting that character down to ground. A longer rematch would also hit the spot. Spud's promos after winning the Trophy where he claimed he was "Fight Club ******* Pro til I die" was believable, passionate and even hinted at what was to come later in the evening.

Match 5

One Fall Match

Trent Seven 

vs. 

Jack Gallagher

A bloody good match and no mistake. The type of wrestling that I could watch for hour and hours on end, the match was full of stiff strong-style strikes and some lovely submission sequences. Both men bought the aggression from the start, with Jack Gallagher constantly trying to put the match to bed with the cross-armbreaker, with the match breaking out into numerous back and forth strike and chop battles between the pair, with the crowd clearly behind former champion Trent Seven. A stand-out moment of the contest for me saw Seven reverse one of Gallagher's cross-armbreaker attempts into a gorgeous Texas Cloverleaf.

It was a shame that this was only Gallagher's second match in the promotion, as I feel a crowd that was more familiar with the Futureshock Wrestling regular would have provided a better soundtrack to what was a fairly even back and forth, face vs. face contest. Hopefully Gallagher will continue to be booked for FCP over the next six months, on the strength of this match alone I'd expect to see him get a much warmer reaction next time round, having earned the respect of what can be a hard to win over Wolverhampton crowd (Just ask Eric Ryan, who coincidentally walked out to crickets) 

Match 6...Match 7

One Fall Match for the Fight Club: Pro Championship

MK McKinnan (C) 

vs. 

Tyler Bate 

and then...

Rockstar Spud

Some of you may remember when I wrote an article gushing about Tyler Bate... and this match backed up everything said in that article. His opponent, the villainous champion MK McKinnan, wasn't too bad either (insert wink face), with the two working together very well to create a captivating main event that wouldn't have looked out of place anywhere in the country. That may be a slight fib, as whilst the match quality was top notch, the work that the two have put in prior in the promotion, McKinnan as the leader of K.Y.S. and Bate as one half of Mustache Moutain, meant that the crowd was red hot, creating a soundscape worthy of a match of this quality. 

With Bate catching McKinnan's knee with a drop kick early door and McKinnan hitting a backbreaker, the pair set to work on their respective body parts with a series of inventive moves and submissions, with Bate locking in a Figure Four Leg Lock for a nice near fall. Whilst the reversals and sequence continued to be slick, it's the selling that get's this wrestling nerd excited. McKinnan especially was on tremendous form in this regard, constantly grabbing at his injured knee when the action called for it, it's touches like this that allow the fans to be pulled into the action even further, which is surely the most important part of pro wrestling. After a great false finish that saw Bate kick out of a Pedigree, it was a shame that the second one seemed a little awkward, but only took away slightly from what was a terrific match, that no doubt saw Bate elevated within the ranks of FCP. 

Following the bout and a loooooong celebration by McKinnan that actually saw some people leave the building, Rockstar Spud made his entrance to a huge pop. With the Infinitiy Trophy acting in a similar fashion to WWE's Money in the Bank or TNA's Feast or Fired briefcases, Spud had a instant title shot and everyone knew exactly what was about to happen. The match felt almost like an Attitude Era main event, with shed load of interference and a handful of genuinely convincing near falls. If you can convince Marc P that a match is about to end and it doesn't, then you've done your job correctly! With Jimmy Havoc pulling referee Joel out of the ring, after Spud had hit a second Underdog on McKinnan, the match ended in DQ. Maybe a frustrating finish for some, but with FCP favourite and current commentator Clint Margera making the save for Spud everyone was sent home happy. Spud putting over Tyler Bate following the match was also a nice touch and gives Bate even more momentum heading into the next show, whenever that may be.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating: 7.25

For me, Rockstar was a show that was more than the sum of it's parts and the parts were pretty good on their own. The on-going story involving Rockstar Spud, that started at the start of the show with MK McKinnan costing him his place in the Six Pack Challenge, continued into the middle section with his defeat of Chris Brookes, before culminating in the main event with his shot at the FCP Championship, gave the show a completeness that means it would make perfect viewing for any wrestling fan, whether familiar with the product or not, whilst also spinning off a series of potential rematches. 

Trent Seven vs. Jack Gallagher and Tyler Bate vs. MK McKinnan can fight it out for the Match of the Night, both were top quality matches, with a different flavour. 

You can check out Fight Club: Pro on Facebook and Twitter by clicking the links, keep an eye out for the next show being announced, otherwise you'll be missing out on one of the UK's hottest, yet most underrated, promotions.