Guest: Lily Lestrange's ICW - Fifth Annual Square Go! Surprise Entrant Predictions!

     On Sunday 24th,  ICW's sold out fifth annual Square Go will take place in the Barrowlands Glasgow. I've seen a million and one predictions about who will be in it and who is going to win it. I've got my own ideas about who will win but what I've been wondering is what big names will appear in it? Of course, we already have a lot of big names of our own but what old school stars and current "imports" could we potentially see appear? Could we finally see the return of Paul London and Brian Kendrick? Will Virgil appear and try to paper cut Renfrew's ear off with a signed photo of himself? Well that's what I'm here to talk about (in no particular order). A lot of this will be me pandering to my inner fangirl, some of this may actually make sense. All of it will be me rabbling on a load of pish. Whatever happens, whether all or none of the people I predict will appear, it's going to be an eventful night.  

kurt angle 

Imagine it.  The countdown clock hits: 5,4,3,2,1... DUN DA DA DUN DA DA DA DUN DUN DUN.  IMAGINE.  This is probably the most far-fetched of all my predictions but we can never say never when it comes to ICW.  TNA have tour dates that are awfully close to the ICW show dates so it could happen.  We've gave them enough of our guys so do us a solid Dixie and geez a shot of Angle eh?  It would be brilliant seeing Angle in ICW, can you imagine him and Damo squaring up to one another?  It would be perfection, pure perfection.  We'd also be there for about a week because it'd take that long for one of them to toss the other over the top rope.  Or even Angle and Jackie Polo; they wouldn't even attempt to throw each other over the rope, they'd just spend  the rest of their lives suplexing and scoop slamming each other.  Phone in sick to work, call yer mamas and tell them you love them because if Angle appears then we're in it for the long haul.  

shinsuke nakamura

Damo vs. Nakamura at Rev Pro Wrestling.  Photo: firstnameunknown 

It's no secret that every promoter and their dog would give up their kidneys to get New Japan's biggest star on their show.  Nakamura has an exclusive contract with Revolution Pro Wrestling in which he can only wrestle with them whilst he's in the UK but who knows if it's expired now or if it's even still valid since he's leaving NJPW.  Here's hoping that they've organised something because having one of Japan's top wrestlers in Scotland's top promotion would be something special, not to mention it would open up ICW to a whole new audience over there.  He's already faced our own Damo at RPW so it shouldn't be new to the Japanese fans that have dug into Damo's background but it would be great to have more fans overseas talking about ICW.  With all the rumours flying around that Nakamura is going to WWE, here's hoping that he makes a wee pit stop to Glasgow before heading over to the US.  Which leads me on to my next prediction...

aj styles

Of course I couldn't mention Nakamura leaving NJPW and not mention Styles.  He took the Bullet Club reigns from Finn Balor when he left for NXT and he could potentially follow in his footsteps by dropping in to say hello to ICW before making his way over there to join Finn in the land of WWE. We may even see a clash (AYOOOOO) of old foes with Lionheart being an entrant in the Square Go too.  With both his and Nakamura's contracts with New Japan apparently expiring some time this month, it's entirely possible for at least one of them to show up and cause chaos. 

sami callihan

NXT's Solomon Crowe has been making his rounds in the indy circuit ever since he was released back in November 2015: he's appeared in AAW, CZW, PWG and even had a dark match in Lucha Underground so he's been a busy man over the past few months.  It would only be right to pop in for a visit at ICW.  Maybe him and Joe Coffey could have a lariat-off, or maybe him and BT Gunn can see who's got the biggest collection of human teeth.  Sami's always been a great wrestler and the hype around him finally debuting on NXT was unbelievable but it's a shame that he never got to show his full potential during his time there.  Hopefully he continues making his rounds to some of the world's biggest indy promotions and he doesn't appear in TNA as Sami Solomon or something shite like that. 

james storm

There was a lot of hype around Storm when it was announced that he was going to be signed by NXT but it died down when he decided to return to TNA.  He's been with TNA for around 14 years so it would've been nice to see him in a new and fresh atmosphere, especially with the calibre of wrestler that NXT keep scooping up, so it was disappointing to find out that he wasn't going to be one of them.  Despite this, it's not unusual for TNA stars to appear in ICW (pretty sure that his pal Bram is going to show his big mad face at some point after DCT called him out in his last promo on Friday Night Fight Club) so James Storm could be another potential entrant.  Yet another wrestler I'd love to see fight the likes of Joe Coffey, Damo or Mikey Whiplash so here's hoping he appears.  It's the same logic as I had with Angle; they'll both potentially be on tour with TNA at the time so why not?


Think I'm mental yet? Because you're probably right. The great thing with ICW is that you shouldn't spend too much time predicting things because you'll always be wrong.  Always.  And even when you're right you'll still be wrong. It's fun to speculate with events like the Square Go and the Royal Rumble though because both ICW and WWE always bring in a few surprises every year. It's why the Rumble has always been my favourite PPV and why I love the Square Go so much. So don't fret too much and just buy the ticket and enjoy the ride.  Unless you've not gotten your ticket yet, in which case yer fucked because it's SOLD OUT BAYBAY. This is the third big event that they've sold out so leaving it until the last minute to get a ticket just isn't an option anymore.You'll just need to catch it On Demand when it gets put up and learn to buy your ticket earlier next time. Silly billies.

Guest Article: Scotland's Ones to Watch in 2016 (Billy Strachan)

Last year I kicked off my Across the Pond Wrestling blogging with a One To Watch article , talking about who to look out for in 2015. I think my picks did quite well and as we're beginning another year, I thought I would share with you my ones to watch for the upcoming 12 months.

aaron echo

PBW Academy standout Aaron Echo is one that I've had an eye on in 2015. He's big, deceptively quick and charismatic which are all fantastic traits to have in wrestling. The Premier British Wrestling Academy has a knack of training great all rounders and Echo is no different, he also has an incredible aura around him that carries forward and makes him look like a star. I think he will be a staple in Scotland sooner rather than later.


Aaron Echo on Facebook

ljt

A veteran in many ways, having been around for a few years now, 2015 was really a year that LJT will remember. Winning both titles in Scottish Wrestling Entertainment, including matches against Juventud Guerrera and Brian Kendrick, a blistering match with Lewis Girvan at Reckless Intent, winning the RI Super B.O.W.L. earlier in the year. It's looking good for "The Rebel With A Cause", I would love to see him appearing for other promotions like Discovery or Pride Wrestling in 2016, maybe a turn at Scottish Wrestling Alliance as I think he and Ryan Griffin would have a belter of a match over the Junior Heavyweight Title.


LJT on Facebook

theo doros

From The West Lothian Pro Wrestling School, this young man has been making quite an impression down in Reckless Intent. Regularly putting in big, gutsy performances against larger opponents in size and reputation. Having held the Sunday Slam Wrestling Championship for most of the year, he's faced the likes of Massimo Italiano and Lewis GIrvan which has seen him hold onto the title through determination and hard work. The fans have really taken to the Cypriot and are very vocal in supporting him. He's got a good look and certainly has the skill to go far.


Theo Doros on Facebook

lucy cole

Another PBW Academy graduate makes the list. Towards the end of 2015, Lucy Cole was just starting to get hold of a character and starting to cement a persona to get the crowd to get involved and give give her a reaction. 2016, I'm sure, will see that evolve further. The blonde bombshell faced some tough opponents in 2015, including former TNA Knockout's Champion Angelina Love and while she didn't pick up the win she displayed a lot of fight and toughness. In a climate where women's wrestling is at an all time high, I can see Lucy Cole pushing her way up the rankings but she will have a lot of work to do.


Lucy Cole on Facebook 

aspen faith

I have wrote about Aspen Faith in depth earlier on here but with 2015 marking the rise of Faith, 2016 will be the year that he breaks that glass ceiling. Having already competed in WrestleZone, Pride Wrestling, Discovery Wrestling, Rock N Wrestle and Insane Championship Wrestling it is only a matter of time before he's given that opportunity to really shine and make a name for himself around the country. He's got all the tools, he just needs the material to work with. If you want to read me gush about Aspen Faith, check out The Faith Is Strong With This One.


Aspen Faith on Facebook 


So there you have it. Five picks and five very talented individuals that I hope have a big year. Of course I am only scratching the surface of the talent pool Scotland has. With highly respected training schools around the country we could see a multitude of breakouts from anywhere. It's an exciting time and it can only get better.


Want to see more of these guys? Check out our Youtube playlist below.

Did I miss anyone? Contact me at VoiceOfOSW@gmail.com


Billy
oswtv.wordpress.com

Guest Article: New Year, New WWE? (Sean Taylor-Richardson)

As the clock struck midnight and 2015 jobbed out to fresh faced rookie 2016, social media platforms erupted into a crescendo of self-important and delusional new year, new me platitudes. Truthfully few of us will change in the next 12 months: we've dug ourselves into a nice little rut and we’re happy with it. But is that sentiment true of Vince McMahon and co? Will things change in that vast universe across the pond? Will the arrival of 2016 be the opportunity for mid-carders to finally achieve main event status, for divas to smash the glass ceiling and for old dogs to finally learn new tricks? At the risk of looking extremely foolish come December 31st, I predict what I think 2016 has in store for the guys and gals of the WWE.

room at the top

Despite all fears to the contrary, Roman Reigns is gradually getting over. Expect him to hold the big belt for the majority of (if not all of) the year…John Cena’s quest for a 16th World title will be one of the stories of the year and a major match between Reigns and Cena will occur at SummerSlam. Big fight feel guaranteed for that one… On the topic of Cena, expect fans to finally soften and show him some more respect. Legend status is approaching for Big Match John… For Seth Rollins, the big babyface turn is coming. He will be the most popular performer in the company by the end of the year… Second most popular could be Bayley: her gimmick should transfer to the main roster and she could become the face of the women’s division (as well as several kid friendly campaigns). A feud between her and the evil Stephanie McMahon could generate rare levels of heat… I could see Vince overlooking Finn Balor. But the Demon Balor character should hold his attention…And if Demon Balor does fail to catch on, Bray Wyatt will turn face and take up the Undertaker’s monster mantle… Wyatt fighting off his former family members will be the start…Not sure how great their overall run will be but Enzo and Cass’ debut, in front of a post ‘Mania or Summerslam crowd will raise the roof. That is one fun entrance… Jordan and Gable will get more and more over as they continue to channel that Kurt Angle vibe…The Miz will re-invent himself as a manager with a Hollywood agent vibe. It will be his best stuff in years… Mauro Ranallo’s talents will illuminate Smackdown; Corey Graves will have the same effect when he hits the booth on the main roster… Nia Jax and Asuka will have an absolutely belting feud…Brock Lesnar will continue to throw people around and it will continue to be very cool.

stuck in the middle with you

Can NXT top its stellar 2015? It will do well to sustain those levels. As long as we get another UK tour all will be well…Dean Ambrose may have to wait another year before he really breaks through at the top: he sells enough merch to justify being kept face but not quite enough to force the Fed’s hand in regards to their booking of him. Mid-card act for now…Kevin Owens will get big matches in 2016 but not the big wins… Sami Zayn may not be elevated as quickly as his avid fanbase might expect. Raw’s loss is NXT’s gain… Randy Orton’s best days are behind him whilst Cesaro’s may never come. I could see these two having a pretty decent feud though…The New Day are great but I don’t see them getting any bigger than they are now. If anything the inevitable babyface turn may harm their act… Likewise the Usos may have to turn heel to stay fresh… Charlotte, Sasha, Becky and Paige will have a decent year but the highs they experienced in NXT will continue to evade them… Raw commentary will continue to be frustrating… Dolph Ziggler will stay in the midcard. Forever. Accept it.

going down

Sad to say but Daniel Bryan won’t wrestle for WWE again. Given his condition, maybe he shouldn’t wrestle again at all…It’s hard to see Kane doing anything special in 2016; Big Show won’t retire but probably should… Tyler Breeze looked great in NXT. He may end up back there as their touring schedule expands and his main roster run fluctuates… No more Bo. There’s just no point anymore… Titus O’ Neill doesn’t have it. Nice guy but not a star… Los Boricuas wouldn’t sweat The League of Nations …Brie mode is so 2014… Friend of WWE star Wayne Rooney will struggle to get goals for Manchester United and disappoint for England at the Euros. Again.


So there we have it people: that’s your 2016. With regard to other wrestling predictions, I expect Brock Lesnar to win the Rumble, record Network subscribers for Wrestlemania, Undertaker to reject retirement and hang around the Fed a bit longer (he has to hit the road- since she retired, Layla’s always round the bloody house), Ric Flair to marry Paige in the spring, a CM Punk chant in Chicago (Editor's note: Only a twat tells people what to chant), Byron Saxton to snap on air and bite JBL’s nose off, Paige to divorce Ric Flair by the summer, a British indie darling to reach NXT, Ronda Rousey to make a significant appearance late in the year, and Ric Flair to wrestle Paige at Survivor Series. That would be a hell of a year.

Guest Article: The Women of WWE - Part 4 (Lily Lestrange)

Remember that time when I said that I was done with my "Women Of..." series on this guest blog? I LIED.


In all truth, this blog was meant to be something completely different but with time constraints (i.e. me gallivanting about for NXT, doing Christmas stuff and just general arsing around) I didn't get round to doing it. Card subject to change 'n' that. SO, since I had the pleasure of watching the NXT women at both the Glasgow and London shows, I thought I'd do a general wee thing about them and how bloody good they are.


Let's face it; from looking at past events, NXT are absolutely spanking the main roster at everything. Storyline, character development, the wrestlers and the matches they put on... it's just brilliant. Every minute detail of the show is cleverly thought out and the delivery of the product just blows everything else about the WWE out of the water. There's no fannying about with 20 minute promos at the start of every show, no ridiculous storylines and an hour of the show isn't made up of ridiculous adverts. Everything about NXT just works.

Something that ring announcer Greg Hamilton said at the Takeover show last week before they started recording really got me. It was the tiniest, most daft little thing but it got me buzzing more than anything that's happened on Raw in the past 6 months. When I write this you'll be thinking "what the fuck is all the fuss about ya daft cow?" but bear with me. He said, "the Superstars and women of NXT are backstage and they can't wait to come out and show you guys a good time", or something along those lines. See that though? The WOMEN of NXT. Not Divas. Women. They don't want to produce what the main roster are... they don't want Divas. They want a new breed of female wrestler and they're doing a brilliant job at it, and they're making sure that we know that they're different. That's my take on it anyway, but it got me giddy.


Of course, it doesn't matter what you call them. NXT Women, WWE Divas, it's all irrelevant. They could be called the Lassies of NXT, the Pink Glittery Mammary Glands of WWE... IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT THEY'RE CALLED. What matters is that the storylines they're put into and their delivery of it; their performance. Their heart, their soul, their rock 'n' roll. Their passion. Their charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent. Their... ach, I digress. The point is, recently called up wrestlers aside, the NXT women have been outperforming the main roster ladies for a good long time.


One of them in particular has stood out, more so than ever over the past year. The world's best and most enthusiastic hugger, the woman who has more hairbands than actual strands of hair (and that's a lot of lovely, silky hair)... The darling of NXT and our current NXT Women's Champion, Bayley.

Bayley's come a long way from her humble beginnings in NXT in 2012; her development as a character has been outstanding to watch, a true underdog who fought tooth and nail to get to the top. She started out as a fangirl who doted on the other wrestlers then from there she constantly relied on the friendships she formed with other bigger, stronger, more confident people to get by. She started by aligning with Alicia Fox and Aksana, then after Charlotte started picking on her she moved on from person to person in an attempt to get away from her and that's basically been the story between them ever since. Their feud has been crucial to both of their careers and it never got boring; it allowed Bayley to move on from being the little girl she was at the start to being the woman and Women's Champion that she is today and it gave Charlotte's character a lot more depth. At first glance it just seemed like Charlotte was a bully, merely picking on Bayley because she was young and fearful and well, because she could. Charlotte was the Regina George of NXT and Bayley was a dweeb who ate her lunch in toilet cubicles and wore socks with sandals.

As the feud moved along, it became more apparent that Charlotte wanted Bayley to become better, more confident and less scared. She pushed her and kept pushing her until Bayley eventually started biting back. She saw something in Bayley, a great contender in the battle for the title... and in the end she was right. Bayley went from hardship to hardship, with her injured knee and her friends constantly picking on her and eventually turning on her, and in the end it was all worth it when she defeated Sasha Banks to win the title. Not only that, but she beat everyone who had ever given her any grief for not being "good enough" in the process. And she's been continuously getting better ever since; unlike most champions who usually plateau after a certain amount of time, Bayley has done nothing but improve. She and Sasha Banks were the first women to ever compete in an Iron Man match, not only in NXT history but in WWE history.

The best thing about it though, is that Bayley has stayed true to who she was all along: a positive, cuddle-daft, wacky-inflatable-arm-flailing-tube-man-loving cutie pie with a heart of gold. Not once has she sacrificed her goodness to get to the top, and that's why everyone loves her above everything else.


What is currently lacking though, is a serious contender for her title. We've seen her defend against Alexa Bliss, Eva Marie and Nia Jaxx so far... but nothing has been good enough to stick. Her last title defence was against Nia Jaxx at Takeover in London and despite Bayley doing well in it, I doubt it's a feud that will last much longer. I've no doubt that she'll have that belt for a good while yet but at the same time, we want to see a decent feud come out of it too. The two people I had in mind were Emma or Asuka but they're both currently kicking lumps out of each other so who knows what's next for the champion. It would’ve been nice to see her feud against her old pal Becky Lynch but she’s been banished to the confines of the main roster.

All I know is that 2015 has been an outstanding year for wrestling, especially for NXT. They've grown from being developmental, the "feeder school" for WWE, to their own strong brand who are about to conquer the globe. I can't wait to see what happens next for them.

Guest Article: Holding Out For A Local Hero (Billy Strachan)

From the country's capital, Edinburgh, Joe Hendry (Local Hero) is a name that is fast becoming known for being one of the most gifted wrestlers in Scotland, if not the UK. From his dazzling entrances to his charismatic showmanship, Joe Hendry (Local Hero) has what it takes to be a future cornerstone of professional wrestling.



It's incredible to think that Joe Hendry (Local Hero) has been wrestling for less that five years, having already held many titles and having outstanding matches on a regular basis. It's little surprise that Joe possesses a jack of all trades ability to adapt to any opponent, using his power and size to muscle opponents, to using his technical ability and wrestling to twist opponents, something which has also seen him win a silver medal in amateur wrestling in 2015.



His trophy cabinet is building up with titles from Reckless Intent, Scottish Wrestling Entertainment, Pride Wrestling, Scottish Wrestling Alliance and Pro Wrestling Ulster. Competing all over the UK from the North East of Scotland for Rock N Wrestle to down in England for Tidal, NGW, HOPE and Alpha Omega. Joe Hendry (Local Hero) has even been wrestling into Europe for RWA in Romania and PWU in Ireland.

It's not down to just his flashy entrances, or his sharp promos, Joe Hendry is one of the hardest working wrestlers in the country. A true student of the game, Hendry regularly travels to seminars all over the country to learn from the best in the world. Something that Joe clearly strives to be. Through matches with the likes of Doug Williams, Crime Time and Damian O'Connor you can tell that Joe Hendry (Local Hero) absorbs so much information that flows over into this next match and his next and so on and so forth. Even from his early promos he gave an aura of invincibility and being a big deal. Not through being cocky, or looking down on others but in the presentation of his work. The man is a credit to Scottish professional wrestling.



As his wrestling ability grows, so do the entrances. Never short on confidence, we've recently seen more creative entrances from Joe Hendry (Local Hero) in Insane Championship Wrestling, raising the ire of his opponents with parody entrances or find inventive ways to shoehorn his name into classic songs. In front of 4000 screaming fans in the SECC, we even saw Joe Hendry makes his entrance in a Hendry ball.

You may've spotted Joe Hendry (Local Hero) on your TV screens having made appearances on WWE television as part of Adam Rose's Rosebuds, the pink suit cladded Hendry was grabbed by Jack Swagger during the segment, this lead to Joe Hendry (Local Hero) rename himself as no longer just a Local Hero but a Global Hero. He would return to our screens as Rusev's Russian advocate (along with Lionheart). With this strong build and great presence, it's hard not to think that Joe Hendry (Global Hero) is on WWE's radar.

I have had the pleasure to watch Joe Hendry (Global Hero) compete in many promotions and I can safely say he is one of the best in the country. Much like the others that have been featured in this guest slot, he is another that is starting to really get his name out there and one that will be on everyones lips in the very near future. He has an "IT" Factor that draws you in and keeps you watching throughout. He can work the crowd to perfection and keep everyone entertained whether he wants you to boo or cheer.



In the spirit of Christmas I will leave you with Joe Hendry's original Christmas gift.

Until next time…



- Billy
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Guest Article: You Ain't No World Champ, Bruv aka Too Many Limes, Too Many Times (Sean Taylor-Richardson)

When I penned an article for this fine website a few months back, the premise of which was to consider who would emerge from the dust to rule an apocalyptic post-Cena world, I cast my eye over several possible candidates. The Shield boys were obvious picks to evaluate; so too was Wyatt while even my outside bet for future ‘Mania headliner, Big E, got a look in. But I didn’t pick the recently anointed World Champ, Sheamus. But then, no-one ever picks Sheamus do they?


Well, Vince does. Quite regularly in fact. Sheamus’ stats are impressive: four time World Champion; two time US title holder; and a Money in the Bank, King of the Ring and Royal Rumble winner. Even Michael Bay picks Sheamus (or at least his casting agent did): the Irishman will play Rocksteady in the next Ninja Turtles film (I always saw him as a Bebop myself). To make serious in-roads in such competitive industries, the Celtic Warrior must have some talent and real presence in front of a camera. He has certainly had some great, physical matches against diverse opponents. He has an interesting, unique look, cuts a very respectable promo and had a theme song ripe for parody. And did you know, he has threatened to hurt Gary Neville. Repeatedly. Shouldn't we at least grudgingly respect this guy by now?

Well it seems that many don’t: I was in New Jersey in April 2013 when the crowd (rather unfairly) gave Sheamus and Orton both barrels. Months of disinterest gave way to an outpouring of pure disdain. More recently, I witnessed the online vitriol (the most vicious of all vitriol) when he a) won MITB in June and b) cashed in the briefcase at Survivor Series. Sheamus is not popular amongst hardcore devotees. But is that on the performer or is it the fault of the machine that backs him?


For my money, WWE have had two real opportunities to effectively get Sheamus over as a bona fide main eventer: both times they started well but both times they stumbled. Opportunity number 1: following a brief stint with the ECW brand, he debuted on Raw in 2009 and was pushed hard as a smash mouth heel, squashing opponents and taking out Jerry Lawler in a dramatic angle at MSG. He even won his first WWE title from John Cena within four months; a quicker rise to the title scene than Brock Lesnar’s journey in 2002. Now that all sounds like a platform for wowing the audience and establishing a star but in reality, his win over Cena in a tables match was presented as a fluke as John simply fell through the table. Sadly flukes do not make smash mouth heels look legit. Indeed by the summer of 2010, he had lost any edge that he may have had, winning his second title from Cena, this time following a Nexus beatdown. The Irishman literally pinned Cena and then ran away from everyone in the ring. All remaining credibility was lost when a few months later, having dropped the title after a bland reign, he was saddled with the worst gimmick in wrestling: the losing streak.

After a prolonged spell in the mid card, where even-steven booking stalled his progress, he got his second chance. Whilst his winning the Rumble in 2012 wasn't overly dramatic or memorable, at least it didn’t lead to near rioting (see Batista/ Reigns) and WWE felt confident that fans would get behind their man handing out an 18 second mauling at Mania ’28. Now whilst the match in question was unpopular (and lay the seeds of the Yes movement that would run for two years), Sheamus escaped reasonable unscathed from the debacle. His subsequent world title run was solid, the best of his career. Yes, his belt was secondary to Punk’s WWE title but he was presented as a force, kind of like a strong Intercontinental champion from the late 80s/early 90s. Good matches with Del Rio and Ziggler were complimented by legitimately great matches with Bryan and Big Show. That’s right, Sheamus gave Big Show his best ever WWE match at Hell in a Cell 2012 as the two competed in a real thriller. It was here that WWE took the belt from him- in hindsight prematurely. Had they left it for a few more months and programmed him with notable stars, he could have made that final leap, demonstrating the consistency required to fully earn the respect of the audience. Winning a feud against a credible heel (either Orton or Jericho would have fit the bill) could have cemented the likeable Irishman as a main eventer. Not the next Hogan or Austin by any means but a solid alternate to John Cena.


As Sheamus went from world champ to perennial mid-carder to suddenly world champ again, it’s easy to blame inconsistent booking for his rather subdued status in the game. But it’s not just that: Sheamus is to some symbolic of the WWE machine. Whilst he did his time on the Indie circuit, it was in the UK and Ireland- he never had a run with a recognisable US outfit that would automatically make him an indie darling to the hardcore fans. When he debuted on WWE television, he was seen as another big guy with a strange look, plucked from no-where and pushed to the moon. Rumours that he was Triple H’s gym partner probably didn't help matters as whispers of favouritism accompanied his push ahead of more seasoned performers.

Despite the misgivings of many and the mistakes of the past, Sheamus is back on top. For now. His recent promos have been lively but still veer into comedy too much. The League of Nations gimmick seems to be an attempt to disguise his lack of heat and legitimacy as a threat to Reign. My guess is that the run is short lived and Roman wins the gold at the Rumble and moves onto Brock Lesnar. Where does that leave Sheamus? Well, Wrestlemania is in Dallas, Texas. Whilst he won’t wrestle a match, Stone Cold Steve Austin will appear in a heavily promoted angle and he will need a heel whose ass he can kick. Sheamus 5:15 might be the man for that gig.


Long term, it’s hard to see him as a regular main eventer that will truly win over the fan base. There have been too many false dawns with this performer for us to take him really seriously. That said, expect the “fella” to be around for a while yet. He’s a steady hand who can give rising babyfaces a rub and he and Barrett could do something fun with the Tag straps. There’s also the small matter of a feud with another Irishman in 2016: Finn Balor. So Sheamus will be fine- a good company man with a major movie on the way, his career will most likely be Hall of Fame worthy, albeit not in the headline spot. The real lesson here is for the Fed: if things had been handled different between 2009-2012, if some long term planning had been implemented, then maybe the cash in last month would have been met with real excitement and not such apathy.

Guest Article: Running the Ropes with Marc P - Part 3

We left our hero full of confidence, full of hope for the future and loving the adventure that was before him, will it continue to be so? Lets find out...

Jay Lethal meets the Internet Sensation

My next session at Futureshock's training school was taken by Dave Rayne and consisted mainly of chain wrestling. Learning hammerlocks, wristlocks and the like. Up until this point in the classes I had tried to partner up with someone who had been on the induction day, just to help myself feel at ease. This week I decided that to try and break out of my comfort zone as I realised that the best way to improve is to work with people who are much better than me. I worked with a lovely chap called Steven who was not only great to work with but incredibly patient. I'm a very slow learner, and have to have things shown to me again and again and then again just to make sure I've got it. Steven didn't seem to mind at all and was full of helpful tips and pointers, making me feel at ease. Annoyingly though, despite the fact we didn't take ANY bumps that session I managed to tweak my upper back, meaning it started to spasm on my drive home, that wasn't much fun at all!


I missed the following 2 weeks sessions, both for different but valid reasons in my opinion...
The first session I missed was due to driving a few friends up to the Fierce Females show in Glasgow that they were performing on. The trip was long, hard and the single most tiring thing I've ever done, but it was still a lot of fun. Doing it the weekend after driving to Bournemouth for a show though gave me a certain, disdain towards Wrestling for a few days. In fact I believe the term I used when I let the guys know that I wouldn't be attending was "Fuck Wrestling!", that's how draining the drive was! 

Marc flyered outside, whilst Bray Wyatt did his thing.

A week later I missed class again, this time was the opposite of the above mentioned "Fuck Wrestling" this time I went along to The Manchester Arena in London, wait that's not right, in Manchester. WWE was in town to tape it's Smackdown show and the guys at Futureshock thought it would a good time to hand out some flyers to the people arriving at the show and try and get a few last minute at the final Futureshock show of the year which at that time was a week away. Travelling with my partner in crime Ryan Hendrix, we cheerfully stood by one of the entrances to the arena, chatting to fans about who they were looking forward to seeing and trying to get some interest in a local promotion. It was genuinely eye opening the amount of comments, especially from mothers, that had no idea that there was wrestling on, just up the road, for a quarter of the price that they paid so that their child could see WWE. 


This may sound odd but I genuinely do love the flyering/postering side of being a trainee for a couple reasons. Firstly, I think it shows dedication to the company and that I'm willing to give up my free time - even if I can only manage it once a week - to help out with something that I'm sure can be a very thankless task for the promoters. Secondly, it gives me a chance to get out of the house. Without going into too much detail my partner is disabled and I'm her full time carer so don't really get to go out too much so to spend a day flyering is actually very therapeutic, believe it or not!

One of Futureshock's regular trainers, Xander Cooper

As I write this my last session at Futureshock was now 2 weeks ago. And it was the night my confidence just utterly utterly failed me. When Xander Cooper said we would be learning headlock takedowns my heart sank. Anyone who read my first article in this series knows that I struggled so damn hard with this relatively simple move on my second session and did not relish doing them again at all. I mentioned on my first article as well that I get frustrated when I can't do something and that night was beyond frustrating. Try as I might I could not do a headlock takedown. In my head I knew what I was doing, knew exactly where to put my hands and feet yet when it came round to actually doing it I just couldn't. Which made me get annoyed. Rinse and repeat again and again and again to the point where I was shaking with silent rage and apologising constantly. Xander began to get frustated with me, not because of my lack of ability but because I apologised so often! "Don't apologise for learning" he told me more than once. What was worse was that we then did some counters and sequences out of the takedown, and, working once more with the amazing Henry Grodd (helped on by the awesome Bobby Cash) I was at least ok with all of them, although I was so damn mad at myself I was a ball of tension. We finished the session with walking headlock takedowns, where you grab your opponent as they walk towards you. The wonderful Ellie took me over like a pro on her first attempt but yet again when it was my turn it was a move that I just could not do. 


I left the session feeling so deflated, so ashamed of myself and my performance. As I write this I haven't been back. A combination of lack of funds and family emergencies have meant that training was pushed to the back of my mind. Realistically I can't see myself attending in the month of December at all as I'm going abroad for Christmas so need every penny I can get, and while I want to be dedicated to it, the chance to see my brothers for the first time in almost a year is top priority. I'll be back in the new year though, just try and stop me. 

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/

Guest Article: The Women of WWE - Part 3 (Lily Lestrange)

As we've seen from parts one and two of this blog series, WWE's history books are full of women who have made some sort of impact on the industry and have paved the never-ending path to what women's wrestling is today. But it's time to stop dwindling on the past and start looking at the (mostly) present and future Divas of the WWE.


Spot that cheeky wee "mostly" tucked away in brackets in that last sentence? That's because this lady is sadly no longer involved in the WWE but her presence is still felt despite this. I tried to keep this blog as future-focused as I could but this wee one just had to slip through; if WWE aren't going to give her the recognition she deserves then I certainly will.

AJ Lee

Who else but AJ? I've never personally been a fan of her in the ring but her mic work was some of the best that we've ever seen in the women's division and her accomplishments - like all of the other women in this series - are so important when it comes to progress in that division. She was the one who decided that "Divas" were a complete omnishambles, that being just like them wasn't anything to be proud of; so she told them all to take a running fuck to themselves and stood against them on her own because she was an independent wee mental goth chick that didn't need no help from anyone. 


Sure, they dumped her with the "crazy chick" gimmick that they burden a lot of good wrestlers with but she ran with it and made it her own; you saw the character developing from that shy little girl who cost Daniel Bryan the World Heavyweight title to Sheamus at Wrestlemania 29 to this sadistic, manipulative woman who pushed CM Punk off the top rope and through a table. At Mania 29 she just wanted to kiss her man good luck... that night on RAW she was kissing CM Punk goodbye because she was done with his shit. All the kisses she was dishing out resulted in the black widow gimmick that she ran with for the rest of the time she spent with the WWE and it was brilliantly thought out, the lot of it. There hasn't been that much attention to detail given to a female character in the history of WWE, as far as my memory serves. You could see her character developing as time went on and that’s why she was as popular as she was; you can be the best wrestler in the world with the best mic skills ever but if your character is stale then people begin to lose interest very quickly.


It was a shame that things ended the way they did with her. She was the longest reigning Divas champion in history and she didn't get so much as a thank you or a proper send off when she left. They wrote her out of the history books by making Nikki Bella hold it for 6 days longer than her; a title reign that was nowhere near as interesting as AJ's. Despite this, AJ still holds the combined record with Eve Torres for the most title reigns with the Divas Championship.

Paige

Speaking about AJ ties in nicely with Paige, given that it was on her debut to the main roster that Paige defeated AJ for the Divas Championship. Asides from Gail Kim winning the Women's title in a battle royal (a battle bloody royal, some things never change eh?) no other woman has won a title via pinfall on their debut. An amazing achievement for her given that she was only 21, which makes her the youngest Diva's champion ever.


I'm going to cheat a bit here and gush on about her time in NXT, because this is where her best matches have all happened. Her time on the main roster has seen her garner a bigger fanbase but with time constraints she's not really been able to show off her true skills in any of the matches she's had. She's had a lot of decent matches but none worth noting. NXT is another story; her match with Emma on NXT ArRIVAL in February 2014 was, I believe, the first match that really got people's interests piqued in terms of women's matches in the WWE. Everything about that match was brilliant, from the storytelling to the visible emotion they both showed throughout it, it's a must-see for every wrestling fan. But after that match was when people started talking; it got people saying "aw here, these lassies actually CAN wrestle" and from there everyone's been in mutual agreement that


The women of NXT are, well, fucking brilliant. It's leading to more people giving a damn about what happens on the main roster now that a lot of the NXT women have been called up too, so the more buzz that's generated by that, the more that creative will see how much people care about the women's division and hopefully that leads to them paying more attention to their Divas.


Her wrestling skills aside, Paige has fallen from the same tree as AJ and Lita where she has never been afraid to be different and takes pride in being a pillar of hope for kids who have always felt like they've never fit in. It's touching to see young girls approach her with their stories about how she's inspired them to embrace who they are because it was the exact same for me back when I was a kid except it was Lita that we looked up to. It's heart-warming to see that the next generation of kids have someone like that to look up to in wrestling, especially someone as talented as her.

Charlotte

I've seen people flapping their gums about Charlotte a lot this past while so I felt that she was the most relevant of the Horsewomen to talk about for now. She's been getting a lot of flack from the IWC because they think that she's only achieved what she has because she's Ric Flair's daughter, when in reality that couldn't be farther from the truth. I mean don't get me wrong, I don't think she'd have gotten into NXT if it wasn't for her family but to say that her entire wrestling career is built on the basis of her being the kid of a Hall of Famer completely discredits everything she has achieved in the time that she's spent on NXT and the main roster. The mentality of a lot of wrestling fans is that if you've no previous experience in the industry then you've no right to be in the WWE. A lot of those same fans shit their knickers with joy when Enzo Amore comes out with Big Cass. Enzo was in the same boat, he joined WWE with no previous experience but there we go, that's the IWC for you.


Charlotte's journey through the ranks and her development as a wrestler has been an interesting one: she started out on NXT as Bayley's tag team partner then turned on her not long after to join Sasha Banks and Summer Rae as part of the BFFs. Whilst all of this was going on she was feuding with Paige for the title and when Paige was called up to the main roster (and when she won the Divas Championship) she was stripped of it, so a tournament was held to determine who would win the vacant title. Charlotte ended up winning after pinning Natalya and went on to successfully defend the title for another 258 days before losing it to Sasha Banks at NXT TakeOver: Rival. Before she lost the title, the matches she had where she was defending it weren't some mickey mouse squash matches; she got to demonstrate her wrestling abilities, her mic skills and her athletic prowess (and by god is she athletic) in all of the matches she had which is why she's drawn in a lot of fans amongst the people criticising her.


As expected when she was called up to the main roster along with Becky Lynch and Sasha, the storyline they were inserted into hasn't exactly been thrilling; I haven't watched RAW for a long time (and given the kinds of matches and story lines that not only the women but all of the wrestlers have been put into, I won't be inclined to watch it anytime soon) but the gist I got from it is that they all got put into different sororities (like they were high school teenagers) and got pitted against each other in teams of three, as per usual in some daft triple threat matches where you don't actually get to see anyone demonstrate their capabilities. It was Charlotte, Becky and Paige versus Naomi, Tamina and Sasha versus The Bellas and Alicia Fox versus... no-one gives a fuck. It was all the women thrown together and put in meaningless matches with no continuity. Aaaaanyway, regardless of all of the half-arsedness of their feuds, Charlotte ended up feuding with Nikki and after being cheated out of a win a few times, she finally defeated her at Night Of Champions to become the new and current Divas Champion.


Now this doesn't seem like a lot; the timeline of her career that I've just described sounds quite short, right? Well she's been with NXT for 3 years now, so it's really not. Given that she has previous athletic experience she's obviously picked this up quicker than what some model with no experience would *cough* Eva Marie *cough* and she's been working alongside some of the best coaches in the business to get where she is now, so it's got little do with who her dad is and more to do with the effort she's put in to get where she needs to be. Working her way up from nothing to become the NXT Womens Champion then the Divas Champion in that timescale is an amazing feat and it's well deserved.

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And there we have it, the last instalment of my Women Of WWE blogs. I've -hopefully- covered the past, present and now future of the women's division sufficiently enough for you all to know and appreciate a bit more about it. Once again, I'm sorry I didn't get to cover all of the people that I wanted to in this one; Becky Lynch and in particular Sasha Banks have achieved great things in their careers and they should be recognised for it. I'll hopefully be covering more about these great ladies over on my own blog at some point in the future.