The Merch Table #12 - Lana Austin, Kayfabe Clothing, Pro Wrestling Tees & Parts Unknown (Craig Hermit)

So, every time I do a Merch Desk article it regularly features Merchandise from Wrestling Promotions, Wrestling Apparels and Wrestlers alike, except for this week. This week is only dedicated to the wrestlers, and a bit about the Apparels so let’s begin with…

Lana Austin

Fans of Lana Austin have been waiting patiently for this to happen, her new merchandise. Within the first week of this going on sale, it had sold out. New stock is this being added to the website on the 15th July, you wouldn’t want to miss that.

Available in Sizes S - XL.

Priced at £12.00.

http://www.rewindcollectables.co.uk/Lana_Austin_T-Shirt/p787332_16107601.aspx

Kayfabe Clothing.

Kayfabe Clothing aim to bring the highest quality in alternative pro wrestling T-Shirts inspired by the industry itself or parodies. Everyone who works at Kayfabe Clothing has been a fan of Wrestling for as long as they can remember, and that's an awesome thing.

Filthy Generation

Two incredible talents in Kay Lee Ray and Stevie Xavier, combined they form the Filthy Generation. Both the have cut a name for themselves across the UK and they have released fantastic new designs in T-Shirts and hoodies, below is there new T-Shirt.

Available in Mens and Women’s Clothing.

Available in Sizes XS - XL.

Priced at £19.99.

http://www.kayfabeclothing.com/#!product-page/c136p/d69bc8eb-f2ca-9b31-d928-76670a8bafd6

Carmel Pipebomb Princess T-Shirt

The ICW Women’s Champion and easily one of wrestling’s outspoken and controversial talents. Never shy from staying what she thinks and ALWAYS backs her comments up, here is a look at her  T-shirts, that look awesome. 

Available in Mens and Women’s Clothing.

Available in Sizes XS - XL .

Priced at £19.99.

http://www.kayfabeclothing.com/#!carmel/pmnsl

Nathan Cruz

With over 10 years in the wrestling industry, Cruz is easily one of the most recognisable names on a wrestling show. If he is on the card, entertainment will be guaranteed and after massive success in NGW and Progress, he now has his own range of clothing available to purchase.

Available in Mens and Women’s Clothing.

Available in Sizes XS - XL .

Priced at £19.99.

http://www.kayfabeclothing.com/#!nathan-cruz/uzuun

Pro Wrestling Tees

Well ProWrestlingTees.com work directly with some of the greatest wrestlers in history.  All stores, products and photos are owned by the wrestlers themselves and Profits go directly to the wrestlers to support what they do and what we all love, wrestling.

Saraya Knight

One of the most feared and respected names in wrestling history, she is Saraya Knight. Last weekend fans of Bellatrix witnessed her engage in a fantastic match with former WWE and TNA star Victoria, and the two look to do it again on September 17th at Bellatrix 21.

Available in Sizes S - XL.

Larger sizes increase from $2.50.

Basic Priced at $19.99.

http://www.prowrestlingtees.com/knight-club.html

Cody Rhodes

He is coming to the UK. With PCW, SWA and CPW already confirming that he will be part of their events before the year is out, a new arrival at Pro Wrestling Tees is a modified UK version of the Rhodes T-shirt and is definitely one to look out for.

Available in Sizes S - XL.

Larger sizes increase from $2.50.

Basic Priced at $19.99.

http://www.prowrestlingtees.com/cody-uk.html

Taeler Hendrix

She is a member of the incredible roster in Women of Honor and a must see talent in any other promotion. Taeler Hendrix consistently makes her presence felt whenever she appears and celebrate that fact with he new T-shirt.

Available in Sizes S - XL.

Larger sizes increase from $2.50.

Basic Priced at $19.99.

http://www.prowrestlingtees.com/embrace-the-villain.html

The Hardyz

One of the main talking points in TNA this year has been the Hardy versus Hardy feud and the birth of ‘Brother Nero’. A fan of the new look Matt Hardy and his new attitude? Well The Hardyz thought of a way you can join in the ‘Brother Nero’ trend…T-shirt.

Available in Sizes S - XL.

Larger sizes increase from $2.50.

Basic Priced at $19.99.

http://www.prowrestlingtees.com/brother-nero.html

Parts Unknown

Who are Parts Unknown Clothing? Well they present wrestling merchandise from the best talent all over the world and been involved in printing t-shirts since 2009. They are all massive wrestling fans, who have created a range of items inspired by; and parodies, of their favourite superstars.

Also Parts Unknown isn’t completely unknown it’s based just off Milton Keynes.

Jimmy Havoc

Stylish and fashionable is the best way to describe this offering from the hardcore specialist and Progress Wrestling’s longest reigning Champion, I would certainly advise you to have a look at this and his other options available.

Available in Sizes S - 3XL.

Priced at £14.95.

https://www.partsunknown.co.uk/collections/jimmyhavoc/products/j-h-1984-t-shirt

London Riots

They are brutal. They are chaotic. They are The London Riots, enough said. Support them with this damn excellent t-shirt that’s available now.

Available in Sizes S - 3XL.

Priced at £14.95.

https://www.partsunknown.co.uk/collections/london-riots


Well, that was this weeks Merch Stand, next time I’ll be focusing on Wrestling Promotions merchandise. I hoped you liked it, leave some comments if you like, maybe if there’s a wrestler you want to know if they have merchandise available I’d have a look and find out.  Anyway I’m @craighermit talk to you soon 

Wrestle Ropes' Ready For The Weekend: June 2016 Week Four - W3L, MEW, OTT, PCW, 4FW, HOPE, Grapple, HOP, EVW, BWP, PROGRESS and Kamikaze Pro

So we have another weekend of wrestling action taking place over the next three days and it wouldn't be fair to just focus on a few. That being said we're going to have a quick look at all the shows taking place over the weekend so everyone gets a little bite of the cherry. Now let's get Ready For The Weekend!

First up tonight, that being Friday, World Wide Wrestling League kick off their summer tour in Portree all the way up in the North West of Scotland. No matches or stars have been announced for the show so far but W3L will be looking to start their tour off with a bang. 

Back down in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne at the Innisfree Sports & Social Club in Longbenton, Main Event Wrestling will be holding their 'Toon Tussle' event. The show shall see the eponymous Toon Tussle match where the winner shall receive a championship match. It's a stacked match with Rampage Brown, Liam Lazarus and the current MEW Tag Team Champions; Micky The Dragon and HT Drake all competing. The event will also see three championship defended as Jason Prime is challenged for the MEW Championship by BT Gunn. Elsewhere, Alexander Henry shall make his first defence of the MEW North East Championship against Assassin. Little Miss Roxxy will also be fighting for gold when she challenges Leah Owens for the RQW Women's Championship. 

Friday shall also see Over The Top Wrestling return to Limerick at Dolans Warehouse. The show will feature Colt Cabana who has been challenged by The Gymnasties. What the challenge is, is anyone's guess but we'll find out tonight. 'The Mexican Sensation' El Ligero will also be in action when he faces former OTT No Limits Champion; 'The Bruiserweight' Pete Dunne. And if that wasn't enough to get you through the door, The Wards will be facing The Kings Of The North in a big six-man relaxed rules tag team match.

Moving on to Saturday and Preston City Wrestling will be hosting their annual Tribute To The Troops event, this year taking place at the Preston Guild Hall. As always, the show is packed with international names and this will be the first event PCW have hosted that shall be broadcast worldwide in iPPV. After winning the There Can Only Be One gauntlet match, Drew Galloway will be challenging Sha Samuels for his PCW Heavyweight Championship. The feud between The London Riots and Team Single will rage on as they meet once again in tag team action in the hope of ending their disputes (though it's doubtful!). The team of Billy Gunn and Ken Anderson, affectionately known as the New Age Assholes will be competing against The Hooligans' Roy & Zak Knight. Lionheart will be stepping in the ring with Rob Van Dam while there shall also be women's action when Toni Storm faces Carmel with a threat that Saraya Knight may be in the vicinity of the event. 

W3L will continue their summer tour with one of their biggest events of the year, '7 Deadly Sins' at the Kirkclady Leisure Centre. The show will see Kevin Williams challenge Joe E Legend for the W3L Heavyweight Championship. The event will also see the 7 Deadly Sins tournament where 7 wrestlers will compete in a one-night tournament. 

4 Front Wrestling will be in action this weekend when they head to one of their regular venues at the Thatcham Catholic Hall. While no matches have been confirmed, 4FW are well known for their great family friendly shows and this event shall likely be no different. 

HOPE Wrestling will be making their debut on Dunstable this Saturday and have announced two matches for their event so far. Firstly, Ashley Dunn shall be facing the undefeated, Joey Ozbourne. The main event shall see a triple threat match take place with Mark Massa, Gene Munny and Chris Tyler all fighting it out. 

Grapple Wrestling will be hosting an event on Saturday which will showcase a number of their academy students. One match on offer will be see Nsereko defending the Grapple British Championship against Liam Lazarus. B.A Rose and Seb Strife shall be competing against each other in singles action will six-person tag team action will see Ward 13 facing Jack Star, Ruby Summers and a mystery opponent. 

House Of Pain Wrestling will be holding another one of their weekend long set of events. They'll be in St Anns, Nottingham. The first show which takes place this Saturday will see Gabriel Kidd defending the HOP Heavyweight Championship against Alton Thorne while Warwick shall be challenging Tommy Taylor for the HOP Full Throttle Championship. Danny Chase and Kyle Kinglsey have been fighting back and forth for months now in a Best Of 5 Series. They're tied at two wins each so this fifth match will be the decider. The match has such significance that HOP have inserted Joseph Conners as the special guest referee to oversee the contest. 

Pro Evolution Wrestling are in Bristol at the Longwell Green Community Centre. The show will see The Bristol Boys defend the EVW Tag Team Championship against former champions, The Renegades while other regular EVW stars will be in action. 

Britannia Wrestling Promotions will be holding the first BWP Young Dragons tournament this Saturday in Denbigh at the Town Hall. The tournament shall consist of 4 competitors each with Lana Austin, April Davis, Lizzy Styles and Violet Vendetta participating in the women's tournament while the men's tournament will see Ethan Beach, Soner Dursun, Troy McCarthy and Drew Parker competing.

Finally on Saturday, Over The Top Wrestling will be in action for the second time this weekend when they head back to the Tivoli Theatre in Dublin. While Colt Cabana will be making his debut on Friday, he could be leaving OTT on Saturday with gold when he teams with Workie to face The Gymnasties for the OTT Tag Team Championship. Luther Ward shall be facing 'The Beast Of Belfast' Big Damo in what is bound to be the definition of hard hitting. Martina will also be in action in Dublin when she faces Katey Harvey while a triple threat match between Ryan Smile, Tyler Bate and Jordan Devlin is scheduled to take place.

On Sunday, W3L will be in Dumfirmline at the High Valleyfield Community Centre for the third stop of their summer tour where Joe E Legend shall be in action. Whether he will still be the W3L Heavyweight Champion or will be a former champion by then is still to be seen.

PROGRESS Wrestling will be hosting an event for the second week in a row when 'Chapter 32: 5000 To 1' takes place at The Electric Ballroom in Camden, London. The show is already sold out and you can see why when Marty Scurll will be defending the PROGRESS Championship against Tommy End. There will also be two Atlas Championship tournament matches taking place as Damo O'Connor face Rampage Brown and T-Bone joins forces with Dave Mastiff to face Big Daddy Walter and Iestyn Rees in a tag team match. Jinny will be in action as well as she will face her former PA, Laura Di Matteo in a match that is filled with bad feelings. Johnny Gargano will also be in action this Sunday as he'll be defending the SMASH Championship in an open challenge.

The second show of HOP's weekender will take place in Calverton, Nottingham at the Working Men's Club. There are six matches set to take place such as Danny Chase facing Lucas Archer and tag team action between the teams of Johnny Concrete and Alex Gracie and Garrett Bond and Barricade. HOP Heavyweight Champion; Gabriel Kidd shall also be competing when he faces Steven Harris in singles competition.

And finally on Sunday, Kamikaze Pro will celebrate their third anniversary at the Meadway Sports & Social in Birmingham. The event will see all three championships on the line with Robbie X defending the Kamikaze Pro Championship against Clint Margera in a Tables, Ladders & Chairs match. Elsewhere, Ryan Smile's Relentless Division Championship will be on the line a four-way match including Omari, Tyler Bate and Chris Brookes. The Bigger Picture's Marshall X and Damian Dunne will look to add to their gold collection when the challenge The Hunter Brothers for the Kamikaze Pro Tag Team Championship in a ladder match. Not to mention that Jonny Storm, Dan Moloney, El Ligero, Lana Austin, Jody Fleisch, Alex Windsor and Pete Dunne will all be in action as well.

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!

Wrestle Ropes Ready for the Weekend: May 2016 Week 2 - GPW, AOW & PROGRESS

We're back for another edition. Another edition where we take a little look at just some of the action taking place in British Wrestling this week. Firstly, we'll be off to Hindley in Wigan for the (un)luckiest day of the year. Then we travel to Morecambe for a War On The Shore. Before we end the weekend back in London for another PROGRESS Wrestling ENDVR. Let's get Ready For The Weekend.

friday

gpw friday the 13th

hindley, wigan, england

Starting off the wrestling weekend and we head to Grand Pro Wrestling for their aptly named 'Friday The 13th' event in Hindley, Wigan at The Rose Club. The show will see another Fast Track 4-Way match where either Craig Kollins, Nick Maguire, Dylan Roberts and Jimmy Jackson will fight for the opportunity to challenge for either the GPW British or GPW Championship. Opportunities like this do not present themselves that often so the pressure will be on all four men to win. While one champion will be defending their championship, the other will be in an even more challenging situation when they face The Hate League's Danxig and Soner Dursun. Both men have been under the tutelage of Dylan Roberts for the past few months and a win over a current champion would be a great way to impress their leader. When Ricky J McKenzie made his return to Grand Pro Wrestling a few months ago, he did it at the expense of Matthew Brooks' musical performance. The following month, Brooks would  gain a small measure of revenge when he cost RJM a chance to compete in the Fast Track 4-Way. These men have outstanding issues with each other and there is only one way to sort out these differences, in the middle of the squared circle.

friday the 13th match card

Fast Track Challenge – GPW Championship or GPW British Championship

Fast Track 4-Way Winner vs T-Bone or Bubblegum

Six-Man Tag Team

The Circus (‘The Extraordinary’ Jack Gallagher, Noah & ‘Ringmaster’ Nicholas Cartier) vs The Bad Lads (Drill, Mickey Barnes & Don Meacho)

CJ Banks vs Travis Banks

RJM vs ‘Magnificent’ Matthew Brookes

2-On-1 Handicap

The Hate League (Danxig & Soner Durson) vs T-Bone or Bubblegum

Fast Track 4-Way

Craig Kollins vs Nick Maguire vs Dylan Roberts vs Jimmy Jackson

saturday
aow war on the shore
morecambe, lancashire, england

Moving on to Saturday and Alpha Omega Wrestling will be back at the Winter Gardens in Morecambe with 'War On The Shore'. This event will see a number of long running issues hopefully settled although there is a big chance some won't. The main event of the evening will see 'The Heavyweight House Of Pain' Stixx defend the Alpha Omega Championship against 'The Psychotic Warrior' Johnny Phere. These two men have only ever face each other once before and it ended in chaos with no winner. Almost four years after that match these two men meet once more, this time with gold on the line along with Stixx's 8-year undefeated streak. A feud with over 4 years of history will come to a head this Saturday. A feud that could see a championship reign and undefeated streak ended. Back in 2014, The Referendum came into existence and one of the first victims was Danny Hope. Since then, Hope has done all he came to get back at The Referendum. This Saturday he looks to deliver another blow as he faces 'The Best Young Wrestler In The World' Lewis Girvan. While Hope looks to continue this war, Laird Grayson will be hoping that his young warrior will stop Hope's attacks for good. Speaking of The Referendum, another victims of their countless attacks is Lana Austin. She was first attacked back in December 2014 and since then Austin has made it her mission to take on every female member of The Referendum. After defeating a veritable who's-who of Scottish female wrestlers, there is just one female left of The Referendum. The Alpha Omega Women's Champion, Viper. While Austin has defeated everyone that The Referendum have thrown at her, Viper is the champion for a reason. She's world-travelled and has competed against some of the biggest female wrestlers. Viper is indeed a formidable opponent but it is matched by Austin's desire to win.

war on the shore match card

Alpha Omega Championship

‘The Heavyweight House Of Pain’ Stixx (c) vs ‘The Psychotic Warrior’ Johnny Phere

Alpha Omega Women’s Championship

Viper (c) vs Lana Austin

Sexy Kev vs ‘The Man For All Seasons’ Xander Cooper

Kiss The Flag Match

Laird Grayson vs Ryan Hunter

Solar Power (Cyanide & Solar) vs Prime Beef (‘100% Welsh Beef’ Dylan Roberts & ‘The Primate’ Jason Prime)

‘Delicious’ Danny Hope vs ‘The Best Young Wrestler In The World’ Lewis Girvan

Ricky J McKenzie Calls Out ‘The Leader’ James Drake & ‘The Following’

Marty Jones Is Inducted Into The Morecambe Wrestling Hall Of Fame

sunday
progress endvr: 16
london, england

Finally ending the wrestling weekend we are back at PROGRESS Wrestling who are hosting another edition of the highly successful ENDVR events at The Garage in Highbury, London. Over the last six months, Sweet Jesus' Chuck Mambo and Pastor William Eaver, and The Dazzler Team's Earl Black Jr and Darrell Allen have been trading wins back and forth with no one team standing a clear victor. PROGRESS have therefore taken the step to have these two team face each other one more time, this time in a 30-minute iron man match. Both teams claim they are better than the other and an iron man match will show who the truly better team is. When Pollyanna and Dahlia Black are mentioned in the same sentence, the word friendship isn't normally included. The reason is simple, they hate each other with a passion. Pollyanna's hatred grew larger after Black defeated her twice after Black's significant other, TK Cooper delivered a straight right hand to Pollyanna's face. Cooper's interference was brought to a stop at Chapter 29 when Jack Sexsmith got in the way of Cooper's interference in a tag bout involving Pollyanna and Black. Fast forward to this Sunday and Pollyanna will look to gain revenge on Black on her own. However to ensure that TK Cooper's right hand doesn't become a factor again, Sexsmith shall act as the referee on May 15th. The main event for 'ENDVR:16' shall be a first in PROGRESS as Wild Boar and Paul Robinson look to end their long running rivalry in a chain match. These two men want to get their hands on each other and this Sunday they will have no choice as they shall be joined together by a steel chain. What happens when you join to men together with a legalised weapon? We'll find out this Sunday but chaos and violence are an almost certainty.

endvr: 16 match card

Chain Match

‘Wild Boar’ Mike Hitchman vs Paul Robinson

30-Minute Tag Team Iron Man

Sweet Jesus (Chuck Mambo & Pastor William Eaver) vs The Dazzler Team (Darrell Allen & Earl Black Jr)

Atlas Championship Tournament – Group A

T-Bone vs Iestyn Rees

Special Guest Referee – Jack Sexsmith

Pollyanna vs Dahlia Black

Dillion D’Angelo vs Hayden Yorke

10 Man Battle Royal – Winner Gains Entry Into The Super Strong Style 16 Tournament

Confirmed Entrants: James Best, Kyle Ashmore, ‘Bodyguy’ Roy Johnson, Freddie King, TK Cooper, A-Jay Benjamin, ‘Fantastic’ David Francisco, Alex Cupid, Jack Sexsmith, Aiden Iomi

Jinny Calls Out Elizabeth To Explain Her Actions At ‘Chapter 29: Practically PROGRESS In Every Way’

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!

The Merch Table with Craig Hermit #7 - WWE, SPLX Wrestling, TNA Impact Wrestling & Scamp Customs

Welcome everyone, I'm Craig Hermit, and this is my Merch Table, this week we will focus on merchandise from WWE, TNA, SPLX Wrestling and much more!

wwe

The New Day "Booty-O's" T-Shirt & Collectible Box.

Priced: £31.00

Available in Sizes: S - 5XL

http://euroshop.wwe.com/eu/default/W11069.html

Get your recommended daily value of Positivity, Unicorn Magic, and Trombone music! All part of a balanced New Day Breakfast!  This New Day T-Shirt comes packaged in a collectible "Booty-O" Box.

*This box contains a T-Shirt - Cereal NOT included

Shane McMahon "Shane-O-Mac" Baseball Jersey

Price: £44.00

Available in sizes: S - 3XL.

Wrestlemania is on countdown and Shane McMahon is facing "The Deadman" The Undertaker. To celebrate this Shane-O-Mac has released a brand new Jersey to go along with it.

Available here - http://euroshop.wwe.com/eu/default/W11095.html

Sasha Banks "Sky's The Limit" Authentic T-Shirt

Price:  £22.00

Sizes Available from S - 5XL

Who wants to dress like "The Boss"? Sasha Banks has arrived with new arrivals and it is looking boss...I apologise that joke was really bad. But alternatively the t-shirt as you can see looks fantastic.

Available here - http://euroshop.wwe.com/eu/default/W11107.html

splx wrestling

The new range has been released by SPLX Wrestling and once again the new arrivals look that good that you can wear them outside of wrestling events as well as "at the matches". I've double checked and many items have been restocked.

Zack Sabre Jr Jacket T-shirt

This looks phenomenonal, a brand new look for the winner of the wXw 16 Carat Gold Tournament in Germany and current PWG World Champion!

Priced at £15.99 and available in sizes: S - 2XL.

Available here - http://suplexapparel.com/product/zack-sabre-jr-the-jacket-t-shirt

Kyle O'Reilly "Violent Artist" Range T-Shirt

Another man who has been electric all over the world at the moment is Kyle O'Reilly and his t-shirt does the same.

Priced at £15.99 and available in sizes: S - 2XL

Available here - http://suplexapparel.com/product/kyle-o-reilly-violent-artist-range-t-shirt

Red SPLX Logo Beanie

yes this looks good, priced at £10.99

http://suplexapparel.com/product/red-splx-logo-beanie

tna impact wrestling

Matt Hardy "Sign" T-Shirt (Exclusive)

When you think of "Iconic" in Impact Wrestling, you think of only one man and that is Matt Hardy, controversial on twitter and in the ring he let's his actions do the talking, this is his exclusive new t-shirt.

Available here - http://www.tnaeurostore.com/review/product/list/id/48136/#review-form>

£18.00

Available in sizes: S - 2XL.

EC3 "I'm 100% Sure I Will 1% You" T-shirt

He is the 1%'er, he is the man who has become one of the most dynamic figures in Impact Wrestling and with his new t-shirt, you could be a 1%'er too.

Available here - http://www.tnaeurostore.com/review/product/list/id/48125/#review-form>

£18.00

Available in sizes: S - 2XL

Recently on the Merch Table I like you look at independent companies or individuals who are creating awe inspiring items involved with wrestling, this week it's...

scamp customs

So, who are they?  Based in the UK they are offer custom made Funko pop dealing mostly in wrestling and made with as much care and attention as possible to give the buyers the best product possible.

How much is it? Basic cost £35 + £5 postage = £40 total and require payment up front via paypal. Of course the more advanced/detailed items maybe more, but this will be discussed once you have contacted them with ideas. Accessories/Weapons will be an extra £5 – some are handmade some bought depending on the item. Some of the weapons that have been created so far are: barbed wire crown, briefcase, barbed wire table, polo mallet, axe & chain.

They like you to have as much input as possible, as they put it, "this is YOUR funko" but it should say bear in mind the size of them and be realistic with what they can or cannot do.

They want it to be as good as possible, and are very welcoming to ideas/photos being emailed so that why they can create the best funko for you.

How can you contact them? You can email them directly at ScampCustoms@gmail.com

Well that was this week, hope you enjoyed it and see you soon!

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

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

Photo credit - Preston City Wrestling

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

Photo credit - Futureshock Wrestling

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

Photo credit - IPW:UK

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

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

PWK VI "Elevate to the Summit" Review

It had been quite some time since I'd gotten my arse down to a live wrestling show, so to say that I was excited for my return to Pro Wrestling Kingdom in Birmingham would be a slight understatement. Would PWK reward my sheer excitement with a quality evening of professional wrestling? Let's find out shall we!

The Venue

Having previously attended a PWK show at the mac, I was pretty familiar with the surroundings. This continues to be a venue that doesn't look like it should be hosting pro wrestling, miles away from the crumbling social clubs and dingy nightclubs that dominate the British wrestling scene. Wrestling appearing in this venue alongside the musical performances and art installations that occupied the downstairs area can only be a good thing for the British wrestling scene, as it provides an opportunity to attract a clientele that might not attend a Brit-Wres show otherwise.

The set up for the show itself also continues to impress, with a slight alteration to the last PWK show I attended, with the entrance way moving to a different corner. The lighting rig present allows for more elaborate entrances, whilst also providing a nice look to the action inside the ring (something which I'd imagine will look incredible on the DVD's). A smoke machine is also used, although I'm not quite sure if this worked all the time, especially when the machine was left on for no particular reason. I'd like to see this machine used specifically when it adds to a wrestlers gimmick (Joseph Conners springs to mind here), with a discussion of how much smoke the specific performer needed. 

It also needs to be pointed out that the doors for the show opened a whole hour and a half after the advertised start time. Whilst Mad Man Manson and Sebastian Radclaw headed out to provide some entertainment for those waiting, this was two out of two PWK shows I've attended where there has been a delay in getting into the building. I believe this time had something to with the Ultimate X set up, and to their credit the PWK staff kept the fans waiting outside informed of the ongoing situation and there was plenty of things around the venue to keep everyone occupied. 

Match 1 

Matt Myers vs. Danny Hope

 

This was my first chance to get a look at Matt Myers, wrestling under a comedy super hero gimmick not too dissimilar from former WWE wrestler The Hurricane. He couldn't have had a better opponent to introduce me to him, as he faced "Delicious" Danny Hope. Any previous time I've watched Hope I've spent the entire match with a huge smile on my face.

The bout was a lot of fun to watch, as the two seemingly both worked as babyface, using a number of comedy spots to keep the fans engaged in the action. Whilst the comedy was funny, it's important that the wrestling is strong enough to provide a base for the rest of the action, luckily the majority of the wrestling provided here was smooth with the two bouncing off each other very nicely in the ring.

The match flowed nicely, peaking and troughing at the right times to get the crowd hyped up for the rest of the show. The pair knew when to lift the pace and when to slow it down to allow the comedy to come through, with referee Paul Winstanley also playing into the action nicely.

 I was impressed with a number of the moves that Myers pulled out, including nice tilt-a-whirl arm drag early on, a sequence that saw Myers flip out of a Back Suplex attempt and reverse into a Reverse STO and an attempt at a Phoenix Splash. There was however a nasty looking Standing Shooting Star Press attempt, where Myers seemed to catch his head on Hope as Hope attempted to roll out of the way, luckily the pair recovered quickly, not allowing the crowd to dwell on the accident for long. 

After Myers picked up the victory, with the two paying homage to the finish of the WrestleMania 14 main event, there was a hilarious interchange between the two about whether the match had gone to plan. Just to prove there was no hard feelings between the two, Hope and Myers performed Hope's infamous cat walk, much to the delight of the crowd. An entertaining opener, that was a lot of fun to watch.

Ryan Smile calls out The Bitter Youth

 

In a change of pace from the opener PWK Promoter Ryan Smile called out The Bitter Youth, in an intense, well-paced segment. Smile's opening promo was calm and collected, cleverly mixing real life situations, with on-going storylines, which whilst embellishing the storyline for those aware of those real life situations didn't take away for anyone who wasn't. 

Pete Stevens is operating as the mouthpiece for the group, which is also includes Damien Dunne, Chris Ridgeway and PWK Champion Pete Dunne (who wasn't present for this segment) and despite some clear nervousness early on in the segment I thought Pete handled his job here well and you could see him growing into the character as the show went on. 

Talking of growing, Smile's build from calm and collected to losing his shit with his former friends was done very nicely. The tension built to cresecendo with Stevens delivering the line "You ain't got no stones, but here comes Goliath" leading to Dunne and Ridgeway unleashing a vicious attack, finishing off Smile with a kick to the nadgers. Smile's selling of the old chicken nuggets following the attack was superb, everything from facial expressions to vocal outbursts of pain were spot on. This guy knows what it's like to get a kick in love spuds apparently!

Whilst I really enjoyed this segment, it didn't seem over with the crowd as well as it should have. There really wasn't any heat here. I'm not sure why this was, as it would seem that a large section of the crowd had been to PWK shows before and would be familiar with the ongoing storyline. Maybe it was the crowd just wasn't willing to give out heat? Maybe they were too hyped up from the comedy match before hand?

Match 2

Mad Man Manson vs. Sebastian Radclaw

33 Minute Iron Mad Man Match

 

How on earth am I supposed to review this match? Genuinelly one of the funniest things I've ever had the pleasure to watch.

The story of the match saw Manson and Radclaw not wanting to wrestle for 33 minutes, with the pair coming up with more and more ridiculous antics to get the clock to tick down. There was wrestling in slow motion, silent wrestling, at one point we went outside in protest the lack of Wi-Fi availability and then there was the longest game of Rock, Paper, Scissors that has ever been played.

The crowd played a massive part in this one, coming up with some great chants, including the "This is Silence" whispered chant and really adding an extra dimension to the section where both men attempted to cover each other with one arm. Both men knew exactly how to work the crowd to get the reaction they were after and Manson's constant conflab about El Ligero and Doug Williams had every smarky Brit-Wres fan in the room giggling like a school girl.


Top marks and big thumbs up for the finish as well, as Manson's Powerbomb attempt was reversed by Radclaw into a Sunset Flip, with Manson holding on to stop himself from going down. After the pair had a conversation about who should win, it was time for a reference to Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair's WrestleMania 24 bout, with the classic "I'm sorry...I love you" line, as Radclaw managed to get the pin for the win. I could probably pull up that this match ended straight after the pinfall, but I honestly couldn't care less. 

Match 3

Chris Ridgeway vs. Lana Austin vs. Bubblegum vs. Damien Dunne vs. Nixon Newell vs. Tyler Bate

Elevate to the Summit Ladder Match

 

 

Essentially this was a Money in the Bank Ladder match, under a name that nicely fits with the theme with the promotion. 

Continuing with the theme of the night, this match was paced to perfection, a good mix of spot based action and storytelling, it felt like everything happening in this match was happening for a reason, rather than "Spots for the sake of spots". When Lana Austin's Tilt-a-Whirl Stunner and Nixon Newell's Vulture Culture Destroyer are some of the less notable spots in a match, you know you've been treated to something special. Lana's dive off the ladder to outside, Nixon's moonsault off the ladder to the outside and Bate chokeslaming Nixon off the Ladder stand out as particular highlights. 

In terms of storytelling, you had two members of the Bitter Youth in the match, as well as Bubblegum who's pre-match promo pointed out his reluctancy to work a match with two women, throw into the mix the history between Bubblegum and Tyler Bate in the promotion and the six wrestlers had a lot to play with. The on-going story with Bubblegum, Nixon and Lana built perfectly to a spot where Bubblegum asked for one of the girls to make him a sandwich, whilst the other "sorted him out", it was perhaps not quite appropriate for the children in attendance, but the reaction when the girls destroyed Bubblegum, finishing up with Lana's Tilt-a-Whirl Stunner was superb. 

After Dunne, Lana and Nixon had all taken big bumps, the match was wittled down to Bubblegum, Chris Ridgeway and Tyler Bate going at it, in a series of solid exchanges between the three. Bubblegum and Ridgeway worked together, before realising each other were trying to sneak up the ladder, leading to some hard chops and fantastic hard hitting sequence between the two. With Bate and Ridgeway trading some beautiful suplexes, before Bate launched in an exhililarting sequence with Bubblegum, climaxing in Bubblegum getting crotched on the top rope after falling off the Ladder. It seemed the stage was set for Bate to pull down the briefcase, however that wasn't to be the case as Ridgeway climbed up the ladder and hit a big roundhouse kick knocking Bate off the ladder before retrieving the briefcase. 

This felt like a true War of Atrition with every big spot built up as a way of "eliminating" someone from the match, rather than just happening. This put a big smile on my face indeed. Everyone involved in the match brought something different to the proceedings and everything seemed to slot together perfectly. However, as with most multi-man ladder matches, the finish felt slightly anti-climactic after what had gone before it, but that's me being a nitpicky bastard.

Match 4 - 

YOLO Squad vs. The Hunter Brothers

 

 

This was my first time getting to see Ethan Silver and Drew Parker work together as the YOLO Squad. In fact, it was my first time seeing Drew Parker at all! I'd previously seen Silver work a Three Way bout for Kamikaze Pro in June, in which he hadn't really impressed me all that much, but seeing as he's only 17 I was more than willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and went into this one with a completely open mind. 

And Sweet Mama Benjamin am I glad that I did. The bout told the time tested story of Rookie vs Veteran, as Parker and Silver went toe to toe and back and forth with the boys from Tipton. With both teams working as babyface duos, no team spent too long in control of the match, continually shifting momemtum, although the majority of the crowd was decidely behind the veteran duo. There was some lovely work early on where each team worked the arm of an opponent for a short while, not really long enough to have an impact on the match later on, but it told a good story of YOLO Squad learning and attempting to up their game as the match went on. 

Whilst the story itself was strong, the action in the ring was also of a high standard, with a number of inventive tag team moves from both teams, including an Assisted Double Stomp from YOLO Squad and a Giant Swing/Dropkick combination from the Hunters. The strongest part of the match for me was a terrific back and forth sequence between Lee Hunter and Drew Parker, with both men keeping up a high pace, before Parker hit a ridiculous looking Standing Double Stomp. 

 The closing sequence was a break neck series of action with all four men involved. Beginning with Parker breaking up a pinfall on Silver following the Hunters Supercanrana/Frog Splash combination (which in inself was a great false finish), the foursome launched into a series of inventive superkick deliveries, before The Hunters finally gained the upperhand with a Neckbreaker/Backbacker combo on Silver and another Supercanrana/Frog Splash combo to Parker to obtain victory. With the crowd receptive to everything the four had to offer for the last few minutes, this was a superb way to end the match. 


Following the bout it seemed a "Show of Respect" would be next, however following a handshake the YOLO Squad hit the Hunters with a pair of slaps, before quickly fleeing the ring. A nice exclamation point to the story and a rematch with a more vicious and heely YOLO Squad is something I'd be very interested in. Whilst the younger duo weren't always as crisp as they could have been and there were a few occasions where the action didn't quite click, for a duo of this age to be putting on a match of this quality is something that should be commended. As should the participation of the Hunters who allowed the YOLO Squad all the opportunities that they needed here.  

Match 5

Joseph Conners vs. Dan Maloney

 

Before the match got under way, Joseph Conners was given some mic time, where he clearly got over his character and his on-going story in PWK well. Whilst Conners hit all the marks in terms of information, I would have like to have seen some more levels to the performance, as I did find myself switching off from everything being delivered in the same way.

This match was right up my alley way, with even more story-telling and psychology. A relatively short bout, started with Conners ramming Maloney back first into the ringpost on the outside and the story was set. The majority of Conners offence was focused on Maloney's back, with any Maloney comeback cut off with a move to said back. I haven't had the opportunity to see Maloney work babyface all too often, but I was impressed with no only his selling of the pain in his back, but a fantastic set of facial expressions that really got over the pain that he was feeling, allowing the crowd to really get behind the "Superbeast". 

The only real slip up in this match was on a Gutwrench Bomb attempt by Conners, but the pair quickly recovered and managed to flow into the next part of the match without having to do the classic Indy repeat spot. Both men managed to get a nice false finish in, with Conners hitting a Crucifix Bucklebomb and Maloney coming close off a Sitout Backbreaker Rack Drop.

 The finish itself saw Maloney attempt a Powerbomb, and whilst it was not clear if Maloney would be able to due to the back injury, the lights went down and something played on the screen, when the lights where back up Conners hit an Arm Trap DDT to pick up another pinfall victory. Whilst the stuff on the screen was less than clear, I enjoyed the way the finish was booked to allow both men to continue to look strong with the doubt of Maloney would have been able to deliver the Powerbomb playing well into this.

Match 6 

Mark Andrews vs. Pete Dunne (with Pete Stevens)

Ultimate X-Central Match for the PWK Championship

 

 

Going in to this match, I was a little apprehensive that it would be too similar to the Ladder match from earlier on, with both match types known for their aerial spots. These thoughts were quickly cast aside as Andrews and Dunne wrestled a clever and engaging match.

With Dunne working as PWK's top heel, he avoided any fancy offence and instead spent most of the match strategically working over Andrews with a series of stomps and kicks, whilst cunningly pulling back on Andrews fingers a number of times, which of course would make it more difficult to climb the X structure above the ring. This played well into a soot where Dunne grabbed Andrews fingers while Andrews scaled the structure before transitioning into his signature DT3 Pumphandle Facebuster. 

Whilst Dunne was busy heeling it up, Andrews was his usual flippy self pulling out a number of inventive spots using the structure, including droping from the scaffold into a hurricanrana, a leaping Sitout Slam whilst Dunne scaled the structure and a huge Missile Dropkick with Dunne in a similar situation. Throw a missed Standing Corkscrew 450, a Moonsault Spike DDT and Northern Light suplex transitioned in a Shooting Star Press into the mix and it's easy to see why a crowd would get vocally behind Mark Andrews. For me, he is one of the most natural babyfaces in the country, at the moment. 

Pete Stevens was at ringside to support his Bitter Youth stablemate and looked comfortable in this role, working the crowd nicely. You could see Stevens gain in confidence every time the crowd would react to something he would say. I'm interested to where PWK will take Stevens in the next couple of shows and watching him develop further as a performer.

Stevens would be involved in the finish of the bout attempting to call the rest of the Bitter Youth out to ringside. Damien Dunne and Chris Ridgeway came down the aisle, only to be met with a flurry of Andrews offence, finishing with a spectacular Tope Conhilo. This allowed Dunne the distraction he needed to edge closer to the belt, and whilst Andrews springboarded onto the structure to provide some last minute drama, it was Dunne who managed to retrive the belt and retain his title. A great ending to the match, with the crowd with the competitors every step of the way, both furthering the Bitter Youth storyline and allowing some tension to develop between Pete Dunne and Elevate to the Summit Briefcase holder Chris Ridgeway. Unlike the earlier Ladder match this was a satisfying and climactic finish, that left me wanting to see more.

Finally...

You may have noticed by the rest of the review, that I enjoyed this show, just a little bit! From top to bottom this was one of the best shows that I've seen this year, with each match providing something different to the rest of the card. Most of it all, I felt like I was given a reason to watch every match intently and follow the stories being told in the ring, this is the kind of pro wrestling that I enjoy to watch the most and it's the kind that will make come back as a paying customer for PWK in  the near future.