Wrestle Ropes One for the Road: January 2017 - RevPro, ICW & wXw/PROGRESS

Happy New Year and welcome to the very first One for the Road, a brand new guide to the month of Brit Wres ahead! We'll be focusing on one show for each week, whilst also showcasing a number of other events to make sure that wherever you are in the country, you know exactly the best places to go for your grap needs! 

This month we'll be starting with Revolution Pro Wrestling at The Cockpit in London on the 8th, before looking at Insane Championship Wrestling's first event of the year as they tape for Fight Club in The Garage, Glasgow on the 15th, before heading back to the capital for the final two weeks of the month, with RevPro holding High Stakes 2017 at the hallowed York Hall, Bethnal Green on 21st and closing up with PROGRESS Wrestling teaming with Germany's Westside Xtreme Wrestling at The Dome in Tufnell Park on the 28th.

We've also picked out other shows from 4FW, Attack! Pro Wrestling, Britannia Wrestling Promotions, CSF Pro Wrestling, HOPE Wrestling, House of Pain Wrestling, IPW:UK, Ironfist Wrestling, PROGRESS, Pro Wrestling Chaos, RevPro and Wrestlezone.

Week One

RevPro are kicking off 2017 in style with a bumper card of action for their twelfth Live at the Cockpit event. Some of the best talent in the country will be on display on Sunday 8th, in what promises to be a varied evening of the grappling arts. 

The main event is a star studded affair, as two makeshift tag teams collide when former British Heavyweight Champion "The Villain" Marty Scurll sides with former British Cruiserweight Champion Pete Dunne to clash with Shane Strickland and "All Day Star" Ryan Smile. You may struggle to find two wrestlers who had better 2016's than "The Villain" and "The Bruiserweight", as they both exploded on the world scene. However, in RevPro, Dunne found wins hard to come by after losing the British Cruiserweight belt to Will Ospreay last July, but he's had some world class competition and on the other hand his partner, Scurll, had a vintage year, picking up big victories over the likes of Jushin Thunder Liger, Ospreay and Martin Kirby. Strickland and Smile will be hoping that their similiar high-flying styles, as well as their clash last October, will help to create an instant chemistry to keep them one step ahead. No matter who kicks off 2017 with a victory, expect this one to be a thrilling clash of styles, that could very well blow the roof of the Cockpit!

One of the most intriguing matches on the card is a collision between the hard hitting Trent Seven and the submission based Zack Gibson. Seven has made quite the impact in RevPro since debuting last May, even challenging Zack Sabre Jr. for the British Heavyweight Championship, just a few months after making his debut. Gibson will be hoping that he'll be able to make a similar impression as he makes "Liverpool's Number One" makes his overdue debut. These kind of styles clashes can often result in fascinating matches and with both looking to find leverage within RevPro, things are evenly poised to create an absolute classic. The result could very well come down to who can withstand the most punishment.

Dave Mastiff will make his first RevPro appearance since October 2014, as he clashes with Tyler Bate, in a match which I have dubbed the "Black Country Battle". Whilst Mastiff returns after suffering a heavy run of defeats to the likes of Doug Williams and Rampage Brown, Bate will be stepping into his first RevPro singles match with a point to prove. Despite Mastiff having an over 100 lbs weight advantage, Bate may be one of the strongest wrestlers pound for pound in the country and should be more than capable of holding his own against his more experienced opponent. Expect this one to be full of intense strikes, deceptive speed and tasty suplexes, as the duo meet for the very first time.

Also on the show, Joel Redman and Charlie Sterling (Charlie Garrett) put their British Tag Team Championship against a returning London Riots (James Davis & Rob Lynch), Josh Bodom faces "The Pride of Wales" Eddie Dennis in a rematch from November, after losing the British Heavyweight Championship to Katsuyori Shibata, Zack Sabre Jr. looks to get back on track against RJ Singh, The Revolutionsists (James Castle & Sha Samuels) go up against Kurtis Champman & Josh Wall and Dan Magee takes on Rob Lias.

Also This Week

Friday 7th 

Attack! Pro Wrestlng/Fight Club: Pro Wrestle House 2017
Wolverhampton, West Midlands

Week Two

ICW's first show of 2016 see's them hit their regular haunt of The Garage in Glasgow for a taping of their Fight Club television show on the Sunday 15th.

At the last Fight Club taping of 2016, Lionheart interfered in "Local Hero" Joe Hendry's bout with The Wee Man, hitting a superkick that would result in the upset loss. At the first taping of 2017, Hendry has the chance to gain some revenge on the former Zero G Champion as the two go one on one. Hendry is always entertaining with his wacky parody entrances, but he may not be in the mood for japes at The Garage after the embarrassing defeat that Lionheart handed him. Lionheart will be hoping that a victory over Hendry will put him back in the hunt for the Zero G title he lost at Fear and Loathing, but The Local Hero will not only want to get himself back on track but he'll want to dish out some pain. This could be a scrappy affair and may only be the start, but with the intensity levels rising it may be difficult to look away.

Kid Fite has been engaged in a bitter feud with former The 55 stablemate Sha Samuels over the last couple of months, including a Falls Count Anywhere match that ended in a No Contest when Fite bundled Samuels into the boot of a car and drove off. However on the 15th, Fite finds himself against a rather different opponent in the shape of the high-flying Charlie Sterling (Charlie Garrett). Sterling impressed in his debut in Bristol, before gathering more support when making his Garage debut last month and it's clear that the Bristolian has bucket loads of potential. With Fite clearly pre-occupied with his war with Samuels and finding victories few and far between since the split of The 55, this could be the opening that Sterling needs to gain some momentum and perhaps look towards earning a Zero G Championship shot later in the year. 

Chris Renfrew and Stevie Xavier are two ICW staples both looking to get back into the title picture, after both being unable to capitalise on big victories at Fear and Loathing in November. Renfrew suffered a #1 Contenders match loss to Trent Seven at the last set of tapings, whilst Xavier was unable to take the belt from Wolfgang at the same event. With the Square Go just around the corner, both will be looking to start rebuilding their momentum, which may make these two dangerous men, even more determined to pull out the victory and prove to Mark Dallas that they deserve to be in the mix. Add to that the years and years of history between the pair that's seen them align together in the New Age Kliq as well as wage war with various partners, there will certainly be no loved lost when they go toe to toe once more in The Garage! 

Also scheduled for the taping is Davey Blaze taking on DCT, Andy Wild and Lewis Girvan competing in the final of a tournament to crown a #1 Contender to Kenny Williams' Zero G Championship, Tag Team Champion Jackie Polo meeting Iestyn Rees, a Fatal Four-Way between Sammii Jayne, Debbie Sharpe, Kasey and "Session Moth" Martina where the winner will earn a shot at Kay Lee Ray's Women's Championship and "The King of the North" James Scott facing Christopher Saynt.

Also This Week

Friday 13th 

Attack! Pro Wrestling #Club100 THREE

Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

House of Pain Wrestling January Special

Nottingham

Saturday 14th

Britannia Wrestling Promotions 

Denbigh

House of Pain Wrestling Debut Day 2 (Jan Special)

Nottingham

Pro Wrestling Chaos The Mysterious City of Chaos 

Bristol

Feat - Wild Boar v Jimmy Havoc

Sunday 15th

PROGRESS Wrestling Chapter 42: Life, the Universe and Wrestling

Birmingham

Week Three 

On Saturday 21st, RevPro host their first show at York Hall of the year, as they present High Stakes 2017. This event sees a number of big name international talent hooking up with some of the countrys top performers, including the return of British Heavyweight Champion, Katsuyori Shibata.

Marty Scurll vs Zack Sabre Jr has been building and building within RevPro for a long time and on 21st at York Hall the pair will finally collide as the Leaders of the New School EXPLODE! The pair had been in a fairly uneasy alliance in 2016, tagging against the likes of Matt Sydal & Ricochet, but that all came crashing down following a loss Los Ingobernables of Japon (SANADA & Tetsuya Naito) in November when Scurll turned on ZSJ. Even when teaming, neither seemed to be able to agree with the others tactics when inside the ring, whilst the two have certain similarities in their will to win, it was clear that each had their own techniques to attaining victory. The two have come face to face in places like wXw, PWG and PROGRESS in the past, but when they come together in RevPro the York Hall may see their most intense masterpiece to date. This will be special.

Shibata v Riddle. Like why should I have to write anymore? It's Katsuyori Shibata v Matt Riddle. British Heavyweight title on the line.

Back Globar Wars UK in November, Pete Dunne suffered defeats to Yuji Nagata and Tomohiro Ishii on consecutive nights. He's also suffered losses to Will Ospreay and Ricochet in the later half of the year. Despite the 23 year old's rise in 2016, perhaps he just wasn't ready to tangle with NJPW's elite roster. Perhaps, things have changed in 2017? We'll find out if Dunne is up to task at High Stakes as he goes up against YOSHI-HASHI. The Bruiserweight will be desperate to prove himself, but YOSHI-HASHI won't exactly be a push over, after a banner year that included a G1 victory over Kenny Omega. The Headhunter will also want to make an impression on his RevPro debut. This may come down to who wants it more, but it'll be bloody fun to watch it all play out.

Elsewhere on the show, Martin Stone returns to RevPro to face NJPW's Jay White, former TNA X Division Champion Trevor Lee collides with Trent Seven and Charlie Sterling & Joel Redman put their British Tag Team Championships on the line against former ROH World Tag Team Champions War Machine (Hanson & Raymond Rowe).

Week Highlights

Friday 20th

4FW Price of Glory 2017

Bristol

Saturday 21st 

4FW New Year Wrestleution 2017

Swindon, Wiltshire.

Ironfist Wrestling TBA 

WrestleZone Summerhill Showdown 2017

Aberdeen

Sunday 22nd 

4FW Adrenaline Rush 2017

Bristol

CSF Pro Wrestling 18th Anniversary Event 

Bath, Somerset.

HOPE Wrestling 

Corby, Northamptonshire.

IPW:UK Supershow 6

Rochester, Kent.

Feat - John Morrison v Marty Scurll

Week Four 

Rounding out January, PROGRESS is bringing Germany's best, Westside Xtreme Wrestling to London for the very first time with a stop of the We Love Wrestling Tour arriving at The Dome in Tufnell Park on 28th, just one day before PROGRESS' own Chapter 43: Tropic Thunderbastard in Camden.

The main event will see one of Britain's finest getting a rematch for the wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship, a title he lost on the same night he won it, as "The Villain" Marty Scurll goes up against Axel Dieter Jr. The pair have gone back and forth over the last two years, picking up victories over each other in Oberhausen, Magdeburg and Hamburg, including competing in a brutal "I Quit" match as part of last year's 16 Carat Gold tournament, but when they clash in London with the title in the line, the stakes are higher than ever before. I'd expect the atmosphere inside The Dome to be very different from the pairs clashes in Germany and by the time the two come to the ring the place should be rocking, driving the pair to go that extra step, creating the potential for some real magic. This will be technical, vicious and personal, but most of all it will be wrestling that you just can't take your eyes off. 

16 Carat Gold is one of the most respected tournaments in all of pro wrestlings, that produces some of the best wrestling of the year and has been one by some of the biggest names in Independent wrestling, El Generico, Chris Hero, Zack Sabre Jr, Bad Bones, Tommy End and more. At The Dome, Pete Dunne and Jody Fliesch have been given the opportunity to earn a place in the 2017 edition of the tournament as they clash for the first time ever in a Qualifying match. It's been over ten years since Fleisch wrestled in wXw against the likes of Claudio Castagnoli, PAC and Mike Quackenbush, but he returns looking to show that he can still keep up with one of this generation's hottest talents in Dunne. If The Bruiserweight can stand tall, this may very well be passing of the torch moment.

Two former wXW Unified World Wrestling Champions will get an opportunity to show London what the promotion is all about as WALTER goes up against a man who only lost the belt last month, Jurn Simmons. With WALTER being the tag partner of current champ Axel Dieter Jr as part of Ringkampf, a victory for Simmons will send a real message to the new champion. Perhaps surprisingly the two have never met one on one, however there's plenty of history between the two over the last few years, fueding as part of The AUTsiders and Keel Holding teams in 2014-15, before eventually tagging together successfully in the tail end of last year. The familiarity should only act as catalyst for a hard-hitting fight as both look to prove that 2017 is going to be their year.

Also announced for the evening is PROGRESS Tag Team Champions Moustache Mountain (Trent Seven & Tyler Bate) challenging for the wXw World Tag Team Championships against A4 (Absolute Andy & Marius Al-Ani. 

Week Highlights

Friday 27th

House of Pain Wrestling January Weekender (Show One)

Nottingham

Saturday 28th

4FW Live!

Thatcham, Berkshire.

House of Pain Wrestling January Weekender (Show Two)

Nottingham

Revolution Pro Wrestling Contenders: Revolution Rumble

Porstmouth, Hampshire 

Sunday 29th

4FW Live!

Portishead, Somerset.

HOPE Wrestling Empire

Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire

HOPE Wrestling Presents

Derby

PROGRESS Wrestling Chapter 43: Tropic Thunderbastard

London

That wraps up this month's preview of the British wrestling schedule. Of course, there are many more events taking place over the thirty one days! To find out more about the shows we've highlighted here as well as all the others, check us out at www.wrestleropesuk.wordpress.com for the latest show and match announcements, British Wrestling event list, interviews, exclusive columns, reviews, reports and results!

Article: James Marston

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Event Review: ICW In Your Face Space Coyote - Kid Fite v Joe Coffey 4

On 4th October, Glasgow based Insane Championship Wrestling held their first show in Wolverhampton, In Your Face Space Coyote, at Wulfrun Hall. Returning to the West Midlands for the first time since July, ICW presented a show that included Kid Fite searching for his first ICW victory over Joe Coffey, whilst Coffey looked to continue his warm up for Kurt Angle at Fear and Loathing IX. With Joe Hendry, Trent Seven, Tag Team Champion Mark Coffey, Bram and Matt Cross all on the card, would ICW make an impact on Wolverhampton like they have all over the UK? 

Venue & Audience - This was my first time at an ICW show, so expect that to impact the review a fair bit. I'm not a regular viewer of the product, I saw last year's Fear and Loathing show on VOD, but didn't make much of it, so haven't watch a full event since then. I tend to keep up with what's going on through Wrestle Ropes' results, so generally have an idea of who's got issues with who, who is being pushed etc. There were approx 150 people in the building, which looked very small because of the size of Wulfrun Hall, but the majority were extremly lively. Whilst the atmosphere would have been improved in a smaller venue, the audience did create a surprisingly good buzz, considering the large amount of space in the room.

Whilst Matt Cross and Wolfgang went on last, I want to talk about Joe Coffey's victory over Kid Fite in the main event slot. It was slightly longer (12 mins), which is almost certainly down to the crowd spending three minutes after the bell singing the riff of Coffey's theme music, Black Sabbath's Iron Man. Both men played it superbly, with Fite showing that he wanted things to stop, which, of course, was designed to get the audience to continue, whilst Coffey would let things die down, before encouraging once again with his signature chest beating. Those first few minutes were a real lesson in crowd control, helped by Wolverhampton being more than up for a sing a long. The actual wrestling didn't quite manage to match the crowd's energy for me, with a number of the bouts bigger spots and quicker sequences come across as a little awkward. A front dropkick that Coffey hit to knock Fite off the apron ended up looking like it hurt Coffey more than Fite. However, the crowd remained loud throughout and there was a nice near fall for Fite, with a low blow and brainbuster. Coffey would hit Aw Ra Best Fur Tha Bells (Discus Lariat) to continue his strong run, since winning and losing the World Heavyweight Championship on the same night in July, which has seen him defeat the likes Josh Bodom, Timothy Thatcher and Matt Cross. 

Match in a Sentence - A match that didn't connect as well as it should have in the ring, but one that demonstrated how over Joe Coffey is, even in an area he rarely visits.

The final match on the card was World Heavyweight Champion Wolfgang besting 2 time GSW Breakthrough Champion Matt Cross in a style clash that was a Match of the Night contender. The two worked together well, perhaps surprisingly seeing as this was their first match together, with Wolfgang, the big bruising heel champion and Cross the speedy and exciting babyface. The structure wasn't particularly complicated, but it was filled out with good timing and character work, as well as a couple of really cool spots. Both were over with the audience as a tired crowd remained involved, reacting to pretty much everything either guy did. One of the highlights, for me, was their scrap on the outside, where they put together a speedy sequence before Wolfgang would lift Cross up and crotch him on the guardrail. After brawling into the bar area, the match returned to ring and featured some top quality wrestling with the two going back and forth, including a brilliant near fall where Cross would dodge a punch from the brass-knucks covered fist of Wolfgang and hit a springback cutter. It would have been nice for the title to be on the line, just to give the show a bit more consequential feel, yet at the same time that could have lead to some of the crowd not buying into the Cross' near falls as much as they did.

Match in a Sentence - A big scrap, that was simply booked, but well performed, with a number of strong near falls.

"Big Kink" Jack Jester continued his fine run of form in ICW with a victory over Dan Moloney in a match that had a hometown gut-check type feel to it. Moloney is from the West Midlands and known for his work locally in Kamikaze Pro and Fight Club: Pro, so despite being mostly a villain, he got a favourable response from Wulfrun Hall and whilst there was a contigent of Jester fans, this almost created a home football game atmosphere for the contest. Jester spent a lot of time trying to get in the fans faces, pulling apart the guard rails as fans chanted at him, meaning that it was a good couple of minutes before anything really happened between Jester and Moloney. It was cool for the fans who were getting involved with Jester and speaks to the interactivity of these smaller tour shows, but it went on a little too long for me. Once it started the wrestling was decent, with Moloney taking advantage of the crowd, to work a style that I haven't seen him use before, whilst Jester played the bully role well. The finish made Moloney look great against one of ICW top stars as he was going toe to toe with Jester until a mule kick low blow and a Tombstone Piledriver gave the former World Heavyweight Champion the victory. 

Match in a Sentence - A solid encounter with a unique feel, that could have done with a little less stalling.

In the opener, the team of Zero G Champion Lionheart and Stevie Boy (accompanied by Kay Lee Ray) picked up a victory over Kenny Williams & Joe Hendry, following some interference from Hendry's former Local Fire partner, Davey Boy. The majority of the bout was a decent tag team affair where after Hendry & Williams shined early, Lionheart and Stevie were able to take control with plenty of help from KLR on the outside. This created some enjoyable activity as the villains used a t-shirt and external interference, including KLR being able to cut off what looked like a potential Williams comeback by pulling Hendry off the apron moments before the tag could be made. The finish however showed a lack of attention to detail as Hendry left the ring to brawl with Davey out of the Hall, however Hendry had been the legal man at the time. Whilst Williams fighting on his own against Lionheart, Stevie & KLR was an interesting story to watch unfold, as KLR removed the ref to stop Williams pins, both Lionheart & Stevie were attempting pins also, regardless of who was supposedly legal. This is a pet peeve of mine! If I'm expected to be invested in Williams attempting to get the tag earlier in the match, then why change the playing field and allow anyone to go for pins later on? 

Match in a Sentence - Some decent tag team action, with an story furthering angle for Fear and Loathing IX, but there needed to more attention to the detail.

Trent Seven continued the road towards his World Heavyweight Championship shot with a victory over 2 time Heavyweight Champion BT Gunn in a hard-hitting sprint. With both guys fan favourites in the brand, Fight Club: Pro star Seven got the majority of the fan support in his hometown. The duo put a real shift in across the nine minute outing, battering each other in out of the ring, with big strikes and suplexes. The chop sequence on the outside, where both would end up connecting with the ringpost was clever stuff, whilst the pair scrapping on their knees following a number of big moves (including Gunn kicking out of a piledriver) was cool, and had a great sense of building momentum, with both selling well. It's a shame that this felt like the adbridged version of a better match that the two could have had, as more time would have allowed some sequences the chance to breath. With another five or ten minutes and the chance and ability to explore, these two could produce absolute magic together.

Match in a Sentence - Good hard hitting shit, but not enough of it.

Former TNA King of the Mountain Champion Bram picked up a big win heading into the Battle for Control on 20th November, besting former World Heavyweight Champion Chris Renfrew with more than a little help from Black Label pals, Drew Galloway and Jack Jester. This was a bit of a mixed bag for me. When the duo focussed on what they do best, wild and crazy brawling, the match was a lot of fun. What's not to like about big blokes throwing other big blokes into walls, barricades and destroying the merch stand? I felt like once the match got back in the ring, it lost most of its intensity, with very little definition to make up for it. The contest wasn't helped by Bram's single fan in attendance yelling for her villainous bae throughout (someone had obviously had a little too much during the interval as she was nowhere to be seen throughout the first half). Things picked up with the finish that was a well worked situation, as Jester caused the distraction on the ramp, that allowed Galloway to come through the crowd with a chair and hand Bram the victory.  

Match in a Sentence - A firey brawl when outside the ring, that struggled when inside it, but had a cool angle for the finish.

Tag Team Champions Polo Promotions (Jackie Polo & Mark Coffey) continued to build momentum to their showdown with Team 3D (Bully Ray & Brother Devon) on 20th November, with a victory over first time team, "Smash Mouth" Chris Ridgeway & "Kiwi Buzzsaw" Travis Banks. This was the sleeper hit of the evening for me, as Ridgeway and Banks connected surprisingly well for a first-time unit, while Polo & Coffey heeled it up nicely, roughhousing the newbie team for a long portion of the match. Despite one gentleman loudly shouting "We Want Team 3D" (I can only imagine he expected the 8 time (WWE) World Tag Team Champions to be chilling in the back eating orange chips), Banks had the majority of the crowd support and his partnership with Ridgeway built from the hot tag onwards, with a number of sweet near falls for the team, including one off a nifty superkick and german suplex combination. The four built the match well towards the finish, that saw Coffey pin Ridgeway following a superkick and Polo Promotions' elevated German suplex double team (which I imagine has a snazzy name), with the move initially being teased on Banks, before a flurry from Banks & Ridgeway. The team of Smashmouth and the Kiwi Buzzsaw has potential, but my main takeway from this match was that I don't see nearly enough of Ridgeway at the moment and hopefully that will change in 2017!

Match in a Sentence - A cracking tag encounter, that made good use of it's time and built to an exciting climax.

Following the finish of Bram v Chris Renfrew, there was a busy af angle, that would lead directly into the Sha Samuels v Davey Boy match (see AOB). The main bulk of this would come from a Drew Galloway promo, where he talked about the injuries that had kept him out of competing on the tour (he was Trent Seven's scheduled opponent for this show), as well as addressing Mark Dallas' absense as the build for the Battle for Control continues. Galloway's promo was perfectly fine stuff, as he brought his trademark intensity, as one bloke shouted 3MB at him and Jack Jester and Bram kept Renfrew down on the ramp. Samuels would attempt to help out his team mate for Fear and Loathing IX but quickly got blindsided by Davey Boy and another steel chair. The beatdown of Samuels seemed to go on forever as Davey choked him out with his own scarf and smashed his leg with the chair. 

Segment in a Sentence - Managed the difficult job of promoting various angles, but went a little too long and lost the majority of my interest by the time the Samuels v Davey match began. 

Any Other Business 

• Despite the vicious attack from The Black Label and Davey Boy before the match, Sha Samuels was able to roll-up Davey in a short, but well paced encounter, with Joe Hendry acting as a distraction on the ramp.

• Following Trent Seven's victory over BT Gunn, Stevie Boy and Kay Lee Ray attacked Gunn on the ramp, with Wolfgang attempting to blindside Seven, only for the hometown star to rebuff the attack, before cutting a strong promo thanking the fans and vowing to defeat Wolfgang for the World Heavyweight Championship on 20th November.

• The show concluded with Trent Seven making the save for Matt Cross, hitting his Seventh Heaven Piledriver on Wolfgang, before posing with the World Heavyweight Championship in a bostin' moment to send the fans home happy and promote the upcoming Seven v Wolfgang cage match on 20th November.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 5.31/10

In Your Face Space Coyote was a relatively enjoyable night of professional wrestling in the style that you would expect from ICW. Polo Promotions v Ridgeway & Banks, Wolfgang v Cross and Seven v Gunn were all good matches and definitely the highlights of the evening. Some of the booking was a little frustrating, because of the need to heavily push Fear and Loathing IX. It was shame that names likes Grado (pulled earlier in the week), Lewis Girvan and Kay Lee Ray (dropped to a valet role) didn't wrestle on the card as they were three of the ICW regulars I was most looking forward to see. Big Damo's departure to WWE also took away a name heavily associated with the brand this year. However, it was cool to see West Midlands based guys like Dan Moloney and Travis Banks getting slots on the show, with the mostly savvy crowd recognising this and creating a great atmosphere for those matches, that is unique to these ICW tour shows.

Show in a Sentence - A decent wrestling event, that was a little overpriced at £19.

Match of the Night - Ridgeway & Banks v Polo Promotions

Words and Images - James Marston (@IAmNotAlanDale)

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All images belong to Insane Championship Wrestling

Opinion: The British Aren't Coming, They're Already Here

Source - aminoapps.com

It’s that time of month of again when ATPW grants me a column to write my thoughts down and present them to yourselves for you to read, to enjoy, to scorn at while you read on the couch, the train or sitting on the toilet hoping that you locked the door and no one knows what you're doing. So as I write this, the PWG Battle of Los Angeles has been won by Marty Scurll and already I look on social media there’s announcements of “The British is Coming”, ‘The UK is taking over” and “The UK rules wrestling!”. I have to ask really? 

I have no qualms about the success of UK wrestling across the world at the moment as well as the state of play of wrestling in the UK as a whole, it certainly seems to be hitting that golden era again. For years people have said I’m too positive about the UK and Ireland’s success in wrestling, but from my mind set regarding “The British is Coming”, this isn’t even the beginning of what the UK and Ireland has to offer, fans across the world are only just recognising tip of the talent from what the United Kingdom and Ireland presents. 

Earlier I mentioned PWG BOLA, Marty Scurll, the current PROGRESS Wrestling Champion was triumphant in his journey to the surprise and the delight of many. The tournament included the current Revolution Pro Wrestling British Cruiserweight Champion and New Japan Pro Wrestling Best of the Super Juniors Winner Will Ospreay as well. These two men who battled over the PROGRESS Championship last year have made 2016 theirs and the year isn’t even over yet. 

Over in World Wrestling Entertainment, the Cruiserweight Classic has included former BOLA Winner Zack Sabre Jr as well as Noam Dar, Jack Gallagher and in NXT Nikki Cross, it is easy to understand why fans are saying the British are coming when you look at the evidence in WWE this year alone. Some may say that the WWE doesn’t always equal success and while that is true in the past, fans can sense a difference in the treatment of the way the new arrivals have been given. Thanks to the CWC, they have been given almost free reign to play to their strengths and not repackaged in any way. The same goes for Cross in NXT, who many have dropped the Storm in the name, but in name only as personally I see the same attitude and excellence I witnessed in Fierce Females, Insane Championship Wrestling and Scottish Wrestling Alliance that she brought to the table.

Image Source - Snapmarenecks.com 

It doesn’t stop there, earlier this year Joe Coffey was in Evolve Wrestling and Full Impact Pro making his impact, while the team from Premier British Wrestling including Kid Fite and Saqib Ali was in Denmark at Dansk Pro Wrestling. While the latter may not be performing to the crowds of the size of WWE, to gain experience outside the UK is something incredible and on the subject of Fite, he has been continually wrestling all across Europe which is something you can tell not just in his wrestling but the experience he passes to the PBW Academy.

And when I say incredible I have not even written on the subject of the impact Kay Lee Ray, Viper have made in World Wonder Ring Stardom, Shine Wrestling and SHIMMER Women Athletes, while Courtney has made her name at Stardom in Japan. In Germany the incredible following that Pollyanna, Jamie Hayter and Saraya Knight have there is something that has to be witnessed to be believed also who can forget The Owen Twins in Spain at Revolution Championship Wrestling and the incredible matches Nixon Newell has been involved in this year alone across the world, she is her own one woman army. 

Now as I write that paragraph I digress for a moment, the names I mentioned there are amazing athletes and the matches they are involved in with multiple talents across the world are a shining examples of the reason why there shouldn’t be a separation in the term of Women’s Wrestling and Wrestling. I mean we don’t say Men’s Wrestling do we? But we say Women’s Wrestling, maybe if we broke things down into Divisions, Heavyweight Division, Cruiserweight Division and Women’s Division it would make things more logical to some people. But if you are under any impression that Women in the wrestling profession can’t match talents with their male counterparts I implore you to check out Kay Lee Ray versus Mikey Whiplash at ICW, Nixon Newell in Fight Club Pro, or even confront Saraya Knight with that opinion and you may have to bend over and kiss your own ass goodbye for the outcome of that. I say these things at the moment because even now there is still those who have the backward opinions that women in wrestling are there just to look good and that’s all, this I will continually argue against because it’s point because it’s something I strongly disagree with.

With that being said, as I reel back my original point of the impact of UK wrestlers are making across the world, in the next few months Chris Ridgeway, another excellent talent will be heading to Limitless Wrestling in Maine, USA and how could I not mention Mark Andrews, while fans are critical of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling for not recognising the jewel in the sand that is that man, he continually finds a way to steal every match he is involved in. And while on the subject of TNA, you have to mention Drew Galloway, I have already stated in another wrestling outlet about how much of an impact (pun intended) he has made since leaving WWE, he remains proof that with dedication, heart and desire there is life across the Independent scene without WWE.

Image Source - alchetron.com

You have to wonder one thing though, that with the exporting of wrestling talent that has occurred this year, does the world recognise the incredible market there is with UK fans? Of course they do.

This year, wrestling fans have seen tours from Chris Hero, Ethan Carter III, Kurt Angle, Jay Lethal, many more and soon to be seen like Cody Rhodes The plus side not just for the fans is that those stars have often hosted seminars for wrestling students to learn something different and gain a fresh perspective in how they are trained. Also not to mention the excellent work from the Inside The Ropes team who have brought, Paul Heyman, Eric Bischcoff and Scott Steiner to the fans to share stories and answer questions that the fans would never have had before.

Recently the deal between Preston City Wrestling and Ring Of Honor collapsed, a deal that they jointly host ‘Supershow of Honor', an event that was due for it’s third year in November however with ROH’s UK tour dates clashing with PCW dates it was inevitable that an issue would occur, the good thing is that there appears to be no bitterness on either side. What this means though is that other promotions have stepped in to fill the void left by ROH, those promotions being Beyond Wrestling from Massachusetts, USA, Combat Zone Wrestling from Delaware, USA and Westside Xtreme Wrestling from Nordrhein-Westfalen , Germany. Why have I included this piece of information in my article? Well, do think fans in CZW have heard of El Ligero? The same said for Beyond about Bubblegum? My point being that Ligero and Bubblegum have almost thirty years wrestling experience combined all over the UK, two of the best wrestlers the UK has to offer but they haven’t been seen on a grander stage yet. No justice in that. But they aren’t the only two UK talent’s that can gain more publicity thanks to this combination of promotions, many more can be seen thanks to this which is a great thing in my mind. No doubt with this exposure wrestlers from all promotions will be able to maximise their popularity to gain notoriety in all four fronts.

One issue that may occur in the future, and we have seen one issue of it already, is that out of shape run down wrestlers who used to be incredible in the Eighties and Nineties exploit the fans and promoters to get one more pay day hoping to suck the fans into a nostalgia trip of one match. My advice only as a fan of over thirty years, don’t let this happen, the UK and Ireland (I apologise I’ve not included enough from Ireland in this column) have a sensational amount of talent targeting the wrestling promotions across the world and already have a magnitude of wrestlers ready to take their place thanks to the respectable training schools all over the countries. My idea alone on this, is that if you desperately feel the need to pay over the odds for an import, you probably should look inward at the talent you already have and why you have haven’t pushed them or created the stories for them to connect them with the fans, because what happens when you that import you rely on can’t make it? The answer? Bad times. 

Image Source - wrestlinginc.com

So in closing, my point, if there was one at all, the British aren’t coming, the UK and Ireland have already arrived, you just never realised it yet and now your starting to see the results.

Words - Craig Hermit

Editor & Images - James Marston

Image Credits - David Wilson

All other images are the property of their respective owners

Wrestle Ropes' Ready For The Weekend (31st July-2nd August)

Another week and another edition of Ready For The Weekend. So without further ado, lets get started.

On Friday night, Discovery Wrestling are making their debut at the Portobello Town Hall in Edinburgh with a card stacked with British and international talent. One match containing both talent from our shore and overseas is Chris Hero vs Joe Coffey. Hero is probably one of the most respected wrestlers in his native USA and all over the world. Joe Coffey is quite simply the Iron Man. A hard hitting, non-stop machine of a wrestler. Chris Hero is known as The Knock Out Artist. It might very well take a knock out to stop Joe Coffey. Also set for July 31st is the rematch between Damian O'Connor and Rampage Brown. We will need to hope that the Portobello Town Hall is well-built as when these two men collide it may destroy the very foundations of the building and only one man will be left standing after this war. One match with a great deal of interest surrounding it is the four-way elimination between Lionheart, BT Gunn, Christopher Saynt & Danny Boy Rodgers. In what will no doubt be a very competitive match, the implications that this match could have on the Y Division Championship is what really catches the eye. All of these matches plus contests including Viper, Kid Fite and Lewis Girvan is making Discovery Wrestling event a very worthwhile destination this Friday.

Moving on to Saturday and Pro Wrestling Chaos are at the BAWA Club in Bristol with Hell Is For Heroes. Sitting right at the top of the card is Mike Bird defending the King Of Chaos Championship against the returning Mark Andrews. Mike Bird has had great year in PWC with successful championship defences against the best that Pro Wrestling Chaos has to offer. However Mark Andrews is on top form right now, wrestling all over America. Not to mention that Mark Andrew probably knows Mike Bird better than anyone, as Bird helped train Andrews many years ago. Mike Bird has defeated the best, he'll have to beat Andrews in his best form to keep the championship. Speaking of best form, Rockstar Spud who is having the best period of his career so far will also be in action on August 1st when he competes against Damian Dunne and the most hated man in Pro Wrestling Chaos, 'Flash' Morgan Webster in a triple threat match. Another match set for this Saturday in Jeckel facing Rampage Brown. Jeckel has had a hell of a year in Chaos, defeating the likes of Mikey Whiplash in 2015. His confidence is at an all-time high as he personally challenged Rampage Brown for this match. Brown has never back down from a fight in his life, this will be no different. Also in action will be Chris Hero against Eddie Dennis, The Hunter Brothers in tag team action and The Doomsday Killers open invitational.

Sunday will see Insane Championship Wrestling begin their four week tenure at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The first show, 'I'm A Lumberjack Match (And I'm Okay)' will give a tiny glimpse at the carnage that awaits at 'Fear & Loathing VIII' when Legion's Mikey Whiplash competes against the New Age Kliq's Wolfgang. Speaking of the New Age Kliq, Chris Renfrew and BT Gunn will be in action against the Sumerian Death Squad's Tommy End & Michael Dante with the winner being named the number one contenders to the ICW Tag Team Championship. In the fallout from the main event of 'Shug's Hoose Party II', one of the men responsible for costing Damo the ICW World Heavyweight Championship, Jack Jester will face the wrath of 'The Beast Of Belfast' when the two meet this Sunday at the City Nightclub. Add in matches with Noam Dar, Kid Fite & Joe Coffey and it looks like ICW are kicking of their residency in the Scottish capital in style.

That wraps up this week's preview of the weekend's wrestling schedule.

That wraps up this week's preview of the weekend's wrestling schedule. Of course, there are many more events taking place over the three days. To find out more about the shows we've highlighted here as well as all the others, check us out at www.wrestleropesuk.wordpress.com for the latest show and match announcements, British Wrestling event list, interviews, exclusive columns, reviews, reports and results!

Over The Border III - Rock N Wrestle 3 Preview

As part of the Over The Border series, OSWtv's Billy Strachan presents a preview of Rock N Wrestle 3!

Deck the halls with festive baubles, get your tinsel out and get ready for some wrestling to blow the roof off The Ironworks. Rock N Wrestle returns to The Ironworks for the third time but for the first time under the solo Rock N Wrestle banner. Back in March for PBW Rock N Wrestle 2 the special guests included Joe E Legend, Ricochet, Sonjay Dutt and Jay Lethal so it will have a lot to live up to and by golly, I think it might just do that.

The main selling point of Rock N Wrestle 3 is the crowning of a Highland Champion  and after Jack Jester’s win at Strathpeffer over Timm Wylie and Kenny Williams defeating Kid Fite at the same event, it leads to the final and with such high stakes it’s only appropriate that it’s officiated by one of the greatest champions in Scotland. 

Lionheart.

Rock N Wrestle Highland Championship Final

Jack Jester vs Kenny Williams

Special Guest Referee: Lionheart

Jack Jester, a big, sadistic, brawling beast. At the last two Rock N Wrestle events at The Ironworks he has taken great pleasure in ripping musician Toby Michaels apart, almost literally last time. This time his focus is to win the Highland Championship, having held the WrestleZone Undisputed Championship and ICW Heavyweight Championship in Scotland this year, it would be an extra feather in the cap for someone that has had a fantastic 12 months in terms of promotion and popularity to be the inaugural champion for the Highlands. Kenny Williams is also having a great year, the current PBW King of the Cruisers and ICW Zero G Champion brings a lot of speed and fun to any match he takes part in. He’s currently undefeated at Rock N Wrestle and is on a wave of momentum. He will have to rely on his speed and agility as Jester will be looking to ground Williams and pick him apart. Lionheart will be the dark horse in this one, we would assume he would show no allegiance to either party but this is professional wrestling, we’ve all watched it long enough to be keeping an eye on the official for any shenanigans. Overall this will be a show stealer and if it stays in the ring I’d say Williams could nick this one but if he allows Jester to ground him and take it to the outside and brawl it could be a long, painful and empty journey home for Kenny Williams.   

6 Man Tag Team Match

Just Uz (BT Gunn & Stevie Xavier) and Noam Dar vs Fight Club (Kid Fite & Liam Thomson) and Lou King Sharp w/ Donnie T

The amount of talent in this match is insane. Noam Dar is hot off the heels of making the final six of TNA British Bootcamp, Just Uz and Fight Club have faced some of the greatest tag teams to ever grace a wrestling ring and Lou King Sharp will be a megastar in the future and is, of course, your Mother’s favourite wrestler. I suspect there will be bodies flying everywhere and you’ll get a little bit of everything in this match. Much like the Jester-Williams match I think Fight Club will be hoping to ground Just Uz and also try and avoid Noam from working their legs for the Champagne Superkneebar. Sharp will be out to get his first win at Rock N Wrestle as he’s currently 0 and 2, he has the least experience in this match but has shown already he is a confident and clever individual so he will find ways to take advantage of situations for his own gain. Expect a lot of things to happen in this one. 

TJ Rage vs “The Freak” Rob Terry

Former TNA Global Champion Rob Terry will be making his debut for Rock N Wrestle, currently wrestling in TNA as The Freak, the Welshman will be looking to make a lasting iMPACT! in Inverness. TJ Rage is no slouch though and will be aiming to forge a foundation to crash into the Highland Championship picture and a win over the TNA star would do just that. I don’t expect this to be a mat classic, it’s going be all about strength and who will tire first. 

Drew Galloway vs Big Damo

The first guest announced for Rock N Wrestle 3 was former WWE Intercontinental and Tag Team Champion, the current Evolve and ICW Heavyweight Champion, Drew Galloway. He will face a bear, a human bear, the Beast of Belfast, if standing on someone’s chest was an Olympic sport he’d win Gold, the Sloshmaster, the King of Kicking Cu…I mean, Big Damo is coming to The Highlands where beards are mandatory and body hair is compared in local establishments. With that introduction aside this is a big one. Two huge men will battle it out for pride, both men are well versed in multiple styles and can adapt to a submission game or an all out brawl. Like the other matches announced I’d expect a lot to happen in this one and same with the others, there is no clear favourite as they are equally matched. 

So that’s what has been announced so far for The Ironworks. Also scheduled to appear are The Owens Twins, Kay Lee Ray, Carmel Jacob, Davey Blaze and Wolfgang. The music will be provided by Toby Michaels’ Rolling Damned.

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All photos from the Rock N Wrestle Facebook Page.