Johnny Moss Interview - WOS Wrestling/IMPACT Wrestling

Recorded at the ITV WOS Wrestling press conference at MediaCityUK in Salford, here's our interview with veteran of the British and European wrestling scene, Johnny Moss. 


ATPW - How did you performing on the WOS Wrestling on New Year's Eve come about? Who contacted you about appearing? 


Johnny Moss - Well, it was as simple as this. I had a phone call one day from the people at ITV, asking if I'd like to be part of the rebirth of WOS Wrestling. I said "Absolutely". At first, I was sceptical because after being around for twenty years, you get all these things "This is gonna happen, that's gonna happen" and they never pan out. I've been involved in so many failures, that have never got off the ground, I was sceptical. So when it actually became, "Oh my God, this is actually going to happen", it was an amazing feeling. 


So, you're one of the guys on WOS who have been wrestling for the longest times, so you've had one of the longest journeys to this point, how did it feel to finally get to work with a company like ITV? 


Yeah, nearly twenty years. It made it all worthwhile. I never ever thought this day would happen. In all honesty, I have told people in the past, I don't think we'll ever see British wrestling back on national television. So to be a part of it is overwhelming for me, especially with being such a huge fan of World of Sport. I collected all of the videos, all the bootleg videos, everything and studies it. I became friends with some of the old guys, Marty Jones, Johnny Saint and to be able to follow in their footsteps on the special on New Year's Eve meant a lot. It's took twenty years but if you want something, you'll stick at it. 

I think it meant a lot to the fans as well who had wanted to see British wrestling on the telly, because they knew how good the performers were and to see you guys get the opportunity it certainly meant a lot to people like me. 

It was great for the fans who stuck with British wrestling for so long. Now, is probably the greatest time to be a wrestling fan in Britain, with everything that's going on. So much happening. From when I first started it's like chalk and cheese. It was nothing like this. Nobody could have imagined it would be like this. The fact that WWE is involved in this country now, which I think's great, I think it's great for everybody what's happened with WWE and World of Sport and everything else, the other promotions. There's lots of other promotions that are doing well. It's only good for everybody. It's good for the fans because there's more choice, it's good for the wrestlers because there's more work. 

So, you mentioned watching the original World of Sport, how do feel that the special from New Year's Eve compared to the original?

To me they're two totally different animals, that are that far apart, you're talking over thirty years and things do evolve and things do change. The only similarities are that there is wrestling on both shows. It was very nice to pay tribute to the people that paved the way for us, but to me it's totally different. Things have changed so much, it'd be very different to back to that old style of rounds and everything else, which I'm a huge fan of, but not everybody would be sitting their on a Saturday afternoon with the kids. Things do evolve. 

Would you like to see the Rounds come back, perhaps as a one-off or a gimmick match?

Maybe, I think it would have to be a gimmick match and it would have to be explained why we're doing it. If it was every week I think people would lose interest, especially with the rounds. There are a lot of guys who could that style of match, no problem, but you've got to think what would appeal to the masses. That's what people have to realise, it's a show on ITV on a late Saturday afternoon, appealing to the masses. It's gonna have some good wrestling on there, but it's appealing to the masses. 

You also run a training school...

That's right, Johnny Moss School of Pro Wrestling up in Egremont, Cumbria. I've had that open for just over two years now, it's been great, I wish I'd opened it earlier! I've had such a great response and people travelling from all over the world to come and train there. 

If someone was looking at training to be pro wrestler, what could they learn from coming to Johnny Moss School of Pro Wrestling?

There is a lot of schools around the country, but [those who attend my school] learn all the knowledge that I've picked up, over my years of travelling, wrestling some great people and the places that I've been. I can show them the other way of doing things. I've been to the Performance Centre, I've coached there, I know what they're looking for. I know what World of Sport are looking for. I think I could certainly give them a very good foundation in wrestling from just starting out or even if they have wrestled a few years. I've had people who've been wrestling for four, five, six years come and see me and they've learnt a lot of new stuff. I think I've got something to offer everybody. You never stop learning in this job, but look at Jeff Jarrett, he's been doing it nearly twice as long as me, imagine how much experience he's got! 

With IMPACT Wrestling coming in, how do you think that could change the product from what we saw in the special? 

I think it's going to be very similar to what we saw on New Year's Eve, to be honest, I don't think it will be too different. It's very good to have someone like Jeff Jarrett involved, who, of course, has a long and storied history with wrestling and promoting, plus he's worked with TV companies before. It's very good to have his knowledge on board. I think, there will be some small changes, but I think it'll be very similar to what we saw on New Year's Eve. 

A big thanks to Johnny Moss for giving us the time for this interview. WOS Wrestling tapes for TV at the Preston Guild Hall on 25/26 May. Tickets go on sale on 7th April at 9am.

Interviewer - James Marston

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TV Review: World of Sport Wrestling - Coffey Brothers v Ashton Smith & Rampage Brown

On 31st December, World of Sport Wrestling made it's return to ITV, with a one-off two hour special. The show was structured around qualifiers for a battle royal that would crown a new #1 contender, after Dave Mastiff won the promotions belt under suspect circumstances against Grado in the opener. This was highlighted by a tag team clash where The Coffey Brothers (Joe Coffey & Mark Coffey) faced off with Ashton Smith & Rampage Brown. With the likes of Johnny Moss, Viper, CJ Banks, Zack Gibson and El Ligero also in action, would the special lay the foundation for a World of Sport return? Let's take a look. 

The show's lone tag team contest produced some of the best action across the two hours as The Coffey Brothers advanced to the #1 Contender's battle royal with a victory over Ashton Smith and Rampage Brown. This match didn't exactly re-invent the wheel, but it didn't have to, taking the regular tag team structure and filling it out with strong believable performances from all four and some bloody good wrestling also. The two tandems dispositions and chemistry were put over well, with the big man/small man dynamic of Smith and Brown working much better than I had expected, considering they worked the villain role. The build towards the hot tag was exciting, with Mark getting a nice inside cradle near fall, before the tag to Joe got a pleasing pop from the audience. Everything from that point onward was spot on, with each team getting a good near fall in, including a very well worked distraction false finish off a Brown spinebuster, before heel miscommunication resulted in Smith taking a forearm and lariat combo for the pin. 

Match in a Sentence - A very good, simple tag structure, fleshed out by strong performances all round.

The strongest match was a cracking technical outing, that saw "The Mexican Sensation" El Ligero defeat Zack Gibson. These two have clashed numerous times over the last five or six years in places like Grand Pro Wrestling and FutureShock Wrestling and that familiarity was on show throughout with some silky smooth grappling as the two told a clear story. Gibson looked for the submission win with his Shankly Gates (Grounded top wrist lock), Ligero was just trying to keep away from the move, doing all his lucha things in search of victory. The match was taken up a notch when Gibson swung Ligero into the announce table, injuring the Mexican's arm and bringing a whole heap of drama to the rest of the match. Ligero sold the injury magnificently, helped by Jim Ross and Alex Shane on commentary, with some slick sequences, like Gibson reversing a second modified wheelbarrow facebuster attempt and locking the Gates, producing some thrilling television. Both men came out of looking like stars, with Gibson coming across as a vicious non-nonsense villain, whilst Ligero picked up the victory with C4L (Springboard Tornado DDT), despite the injury. If WOS Wrestling does get commissioned for a full run, a series of matches between these two has major potential.

Match in a Sentence - A very good wrestling match with a stellar story and well defined characters.

The seven man over-the-top battle royal saw Grado earn a title shot against Dave Mastiff in the show's main event, after he outlasted Johnny Moss, Sha Samuels, surprise entrant Davey Boy Smith Jr (Harry Smith), Mark Coffey, Joe Coffey, El Ligero and Kenny Williams. Whilst it was a shame to see talent like Williams and Ligero leave the match so early, their exits allowed for the unit of Moss and Samuels to built up, considering they were the only two who were yet to be involved in a match. DBSJ's participation was a well kept secret, especially considering the event was taped in November, and while the logic of him getting to enter whenever he pleased was flawed, it did allow for a cool moment when he came to Grado's aid when the Scot was left alone with Moss & Samuels. DBSJ's involvement produced the matches finest action when the former 2 time IWGP Tag Team Champion mixed up with Moss & Samuels with a number of impressive suplexes, before the numbers game caught up with him (Grado was supposedly too star struck to help out). The crowd was hot for the final flurry, with the TNA performer out maneuvering the villainous pair to advance. The post-match attack from Samuels & Moss appeared cut short the sugary sweet conclusion, with paramedics checking over Grado, although this was only putting the inevitable on hold.

Match in a Sentence - A battle royal that worked for the specific needs of the show, featuring a great moment in Davey Boy Smith Jr's entrance.

World of Sport got it's introduction to the Ladder match, with Kenny Williams earning a battle royal spot with a victory over Sam Bailey, CJ Banks and Delicious Danny in a fun affair that built nicely throughout, making the most of it's slender seven minutes run-time. The action might not have always been as crisp as it could have been, the camera team may struggled to keep up with the gimmick and Alex Shane was uncomfortably annoying on commentary, but when the match clicked it produced some lovely stuff, that went above and beyond my expectations of what the lads would be allowed to do. The winner Williams shone throughout with a lighting quick opening flurry, a nice sequence with Danny, as well as taking a German suplex from Banks off the ladder, before battling off all three of his adversaries at the top of a pair of ladders to claim the briefcase. A special mention has to go to Danny's dive off the top of ladder also.

Match in a Sentence - Despite some awkward moment, when it worked it worked very well and produced an entertaining match that stood out from the rest.

The opening contest saw Dave Mastiff win the World of Sport Championship by defeating Grado, with more than a little help from Johnny Moss and Sha Samuels. This was a solid opening contest that introduced the two characters in the match, the individuals at ringside and the general concept of professional wrestling well. This created an engaging match that was easy to get into, helped by the lively studio audience. With his experience working for TNA, Grado was almost definitely the right man for the role, with his selling in particular being very TV, allowing Mastiff to look like the rough and tough bastard that we know and love to hate. I would have liked to have seen Mastiff have little longer in control, but with the plans for the rest of the show it makes sense that this one would be kept relatively short. The interference finish, that saw Moss push Grado over the top rope, in the very first match bugs me just a little bit, but again with the plans for the show long story, it was almost necessary for things to happen like this.

Match in a Sentence - Introduced the concept and the characters, but wasn't long enough to do much else.

Any Other Business

• Viper went over Alexis Rose in a short contest, that made Viper look like a beast.

• In the main event, Grado overcame the odds to win the World of Sport title from Mastiff in a match that was way too short to tell the "injury" story, that had seen paramedics trying to keep Grado from competing, effectively. 

• The backstage antics, conducted by interviewer Rachel and also involving General Manager Mr. Beesley, gave the show a different dimension, whilst never feeling like they were about to take over from the in-ring content.

• The vignette's sprinkled throughout, looking back at the history of the show, featuring interviews with former stars and retrospectives on the likes of Big Daddy and Kendo Nagaski gave the show a nice link to the past.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 6.2/10

The return of World of Sport Wrestling produced a good television product that had an appeal across a number of age groups. The Coffey Brothers v Rampage Brown & Ashton Smith, as well as El Ligero v Zack Gibson produced the strongest wrestling, but there was a good variety across the card. Some elements of the booking did mean that parts of the show weren't quite suited to their placing on the event, however the ongoing story also managed to give a feel of momentum, leading up to the feel-good victory from Grado to cap off the two hours. 

There's certainly potential to make this into a series of hour long episodes, perhaps with more two hour specials, with the ground work already being laid for a number of future stories and matches. More WOS Wrestling, ITV pls.

Review - James Marston
Picture Credit - ITV

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Wrestle Ropes' Ready for the Weekend: October 2015 Week 2

     After last weekend had some amazing, huge shows take place, you could be forgiven for thinking this weekend would be a quieter affair. Not a chance of it! Another weekend, another packed calendar of events. Let's get Ready For The Weekend!

On Friday night, Insane Championship Wrestling shall be in Newcastle for the second night (the first taking place tonight in Dundee) of their UK tour with One Fall Brawl. One match which may have implications on the main event of Fear & Loathing VIII shall be the contest between Grado and Jack Jester. Grado is scheduled to challenge Drew Galloway for the ICW World Heavyweight Championship on November 15th, however his opponent, Jack Jester shall be looking to cause damage to Grado's chances in favour of his Black Label comrade. Grado will be looking to his main event match on November 15th but he can't take Jack Jester likely. Friday will also see the return of Johnny Moss to ICW when he faces the New Age Kliq's BT Gunn. Moss is one of the most dominating heavyweights in Europe whose speed matches his strength. His opponent is part of the one of the most dangerous factions in wrestling today. Moss has run through almost everyone in ICW but he returns now to a company that is vastly different from the last time he competed. BT Gunn is probably now more dangerous and ruthless than he has ever been. Gunn will look to make a statement against Moss and 'The Vigilante' shall want to make his return a winning one. Since The Black Label and ICW GM, Red Lightning have become a powerforce in ICW, they have done all in their power to suppress 'The Beast Of Belfast' Big Damo. Even going as far as joining forces with The 55 who have attacked Damo on numerous occasions. But the latter has refused to back down and now he's looking to take apart both groups on his road to the ICW World Heavyweight Championship. On October 9th, Damo turns his focus to 'The East End Butcher' Sha Samuels. Samuels is unforgiving, plain and simple. But Damo has a fire within him that few have ever seen. Without a doubt, Damo faces a big challenge in Sha Samuels but Damo has never ever been as dangerous as he is now. The Road to Fear and Loathing VIII Tour continues on Saturday and Sunday in Southampton and London respectively.

Moving on to Saturday and Southside Wrestling make their return to Sheffield with a double show event taking place at the Corporation. We're going to focus of the second show for this article but the afternoon show is of equal quality and we'd recommend attending both if you can. The Righteous Army are undoubtedly the power in Southisde Wrestling right now. One man that the leader of The Righteous Army and current Heavyweight champion, Joseph Conners has an issue with is Stixx. He has focused on the former champion since he returned earlier this year. On Saturday, both men will meet once again, this time in a tag team match. While Joseph Conners will team with The Pledge, Stixx has called on the assistance of former WWE star, JTG. The Righteous Army are a formidable team but Stixx has a partner who is a specialist in tag team matches, in particular with a heavyweight team-mate such as Stixx. This match could be the beginning of a turn in the tide for Stixx or it may be a continuation of The Righteous Army's oppression in Southside. Speaking of The Righteous Army, the main event this Saturday will see 'The Mexican Sensation' El Ligero continue his war with the faction, this time with the current Speed King champion, Jimmy Havoc. This match would be hate-filled anyway but this match will be a street fight. The Righteous Army have made it their aim to attack and embarrass El Ligero but now there are no rules and El Ligero will want to send a message to Havoc that he will not be a victim of theirs. 'Flash' Morgan Webster has been a on great run in Southside Wrestling recently with a win over Will Ospreay and a great match with Tommy End to name a few. He wants to face the best that Southside can provide and on October 10th he's going to have that chance when he faces Tommaso Ciampa in singles competition. Ciampa has had great matches in Southside as well as competing all over the world. Morgan has a thirst for great competition and the tools and talent to achieve it. This Saturday we could see a match that might just steal the show and Webster may possibly get a win over another word-class talent.

Sunday shall see the first out of Alpha Omega Wrestling since it was born from Paid Promotions in Morecambe. And they're not getting off to a slow start with two new champions guaranteed to be crowned at the event in Morecambe. One championship that will be unveiled and awarded shall be the Alpha Omega Women's Championship which will be up for grabs in a gauntlet match. The gauntlet match will consist of seven competitors, Lana Austin, Felony, Sammii Jayne, Viper, Debbie Sharpe, Jenna & Alexis Rose. Sometimes a favourite can be chosen in a match but that is eliminated with this match type as the order in which the competitors enter could play as big a factor as the wrestlers themselves. While there are competitors such as Viper & Lana Austin who have competed in Alpha Omega Wrestling (formerly Paid Promotions) before, there are a number of débuts such as Felony & Alexis Rose to name a few. This adds another unknown elements to the match. Really anyone could walk away the inaugural Alpha Omega Women's champion this Sunday. Another champion that will be decided will be the new Alpha Omega Tag Team Championship. Former opponents now turned allies, Sexy Kev & Shaun Vasey will face a team which couldn't be more bonded as a unit, The Referendum. That being said, Sexy Kev & Shaun Vasey or Big Sexxxy as they are now known, present an unknown in the fact that The Referendum don't know how they interact as a team. However, The Referendum are THE power faction in Alpha Omega with countless wins over opponents. The Referendum say they are destined for the gold. Big Sexxxy are out to prove otherwise. The main event on October 11th will see two men who hate each other so much that a meeting between the two was inevitable even if the powers that be tried everything to prevent it from happening. As the hatred between Johnny Phere and Craig Kollins is so great, a normal match would not be enough to settle this so that contest will be held under no holds barred rules. If either man is going to move on then this has to be settled on Sunday in Morecambe and it will without doubt be done so in the most violent was possible.


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