Event Review: FCP Infinity 2016 - Travis Banks v Trent Seven 2

On 25th November, Fight Club: Pro returned to Fixxion Warehouse in Wolverhampton for their sixth annual Infinity Tournament. This year's tournament featured Joe Coffey, Trent Seven, Jimmy Havoc, Tyler Bate, Mikey Whiplash, Travis Banks, Chris Brookes and Omari doing battle in two Four Way dances, before the final, all for the opportunity to challenge for Pete Dunne's FCP Championship in 2017. With a line-up like that, how could things possibly go wrong?

In a slight departure from the norm, I'm going to talk through the Infinity tournament in order, beginning with the first Four Way Dance which saw Trent Seven earn a place in the final after successfully outlasting Joe Coffey, Mikey Whiplash and Omari in a well-crafted encounter. This bout went through a number of different sections, with a feeling that everyone involved came out of the match better off for having been involved. The shining example of this would have to be Omari, who stepped up in almost every area of his game. The back and forth scuffle with Coffey, including getting a strong near fall off his modified lifting reverse STO, as well trading strikes with Seven, showed just how capable the trainee could be. The encounter built towards a final showdown between Seven and Whiplash, after some enjoyable three way violence involving Coffey, with the duo adding another chapter to a feud that has been all over the country in 2016. It was the classic Mikey and Trent japes that we've come to expect and love with the pair tearing strips from each other before Seven advanced with a spectacular mid-rope piledriver. 

Match in a Sentence - Three strong-style veterans battering each other, whilst Omari raises his game once again.

The second four way dance saw Travis Banks collected his first win ever in FCP, with Jimmy Havoc, Tyler Bate and Chris Brookes providing stiff competition in a story-telling thrill-ride that had the crowd hook for the duration. This was a very different affair from the first with Brookes being a general annoyance to all throughout the early part of the bout, leading to an angle that could produce some gems in 2017. After being eliminated by Havoc, Brookes denied the former PROGRESS World Champion the match, breaking up a pin after Havoc had hit both Banks and Bate with Acid Rainmakers. The resulting brawl was full of fury as Brookes was thrown into anything and everything as the crowd celebrated by serenading Brookes with "Fuck off back to Tipton" in the most joyous of ways. With old rivals Bate and Banks left in the ring, the atmosphere was unreal in Fixxion Warehouse. With every movement the duo had the crowd exactly where they needed to be and put on a great final stretch of action and despite Bate's popularity, it was the Kiwi that had the ground swell of support. The reaction when Banks finally managed to put Bate away resulted in near pandemonium and lead to me simply writing "BANKS WINS! BANKS WINS! BANKS WINS!" in my note book.

Match in a Sentence - Clever use of the gimmick with a brilliant finish

The final pitted two of Fixxion Warehouse's favourite against one another as Travis Banks and Trent Seven battled for the Infinity trophy, in front of an emotionally invested audience, who desperately wanted Banks to claim the trophy, after a turbulent year. If the crowd had been into the two semi finals, they rallied for the main event and created one of the best atmospheres that I've been apart of all year. The audience was gripped by Banks' quest and the man who'd been struggling all year suddenly had a ground swell of momentum, so much so that regular top protagonist Seven found himself in an unfamiliar situation (at least in FCP) of not having 100% of the audience behind him. From the moment Banks hit a brainbuster to kick off the match with a near fall, this match took me on a rollercoaster of emotions in a way that only wrestling can do and from the reactions of those around me and all over the building pretty much everyone felt the same. 

The pair had had a cracking contest at Rise Against in March, but this was a cut above, bringing all the elements that made that match what it was, with added intensity and almost a years worth of storytelling behind it. This was a real fight of a match, as both laid their strikes in hard, scrapping initially on the outside following a tasty suicide dive from Banks. Where the bout came into it's own was in a string of near falls, aided by both men selling the damage of the fight when necessary and good timing, whilst having a crowd completely consumed by every single movement and caring about the result of the match is never going to hinder things. The bout only got more exciting as things went on, with silly things like kicking out of and no-selling piledrivers only managing to add to the excitement. There's a time and place for that kind of stuff and this was the time and it was definitely the place. Beyond Banks pulling out the victory, the highlight of the bout for me was the time that Banks spent in a single leg Boston Crab, as it was almost agonising to watch with the sinking feeling that the hero might fall short once again increasing as he was dragged back to the centre of the ring. This was one of the most emotional and gripping contests I've watched all year. The first chapter of the Travis Banks comeback in Fight Club: Pro story had the happy ending it deserved at the time it needed it, I can't help but get excited about what the next chapter could bring! 

Match in a Sentence - Excellent, everything I'd wanted and more.

The highlight of the non-tournament action came in Kay Lee Ray and Nixon Newell's victory over The Hunter Brothers 2.0 (Lee Hunter and Young Lee Hunter (Drew Parker, subbing for an injured Jim)). This was brimming with hijinks and shenanigans, with both trying to pull off "twin magic" to varying degrees of success and referee Shay Purser just being generally confused by everything and eventually kissing Parker, to the jubilation of all. The japes and chicanery were wrapped inside what was actually a bloody good tag team match, with the New Hunters slipping into the pseudo antagonist role early on as Newell and KLR brought the fire, in a match that was packed with tag team clichés done well and with gusto. The closing section was home to a number of convincing near falls, like Newell's Vulture Culture Destroyer and despite a little mix up towards the end, the bout finished well with Parker taking all the moves before taking the pin. It was different from what I'd been expecting had Jim been able to take part, but Parker was a great replacement who brought a new dimension and ended up bringing a real dynamic strength to proceedings.

Match in a Sentence - A very good tag bout, with some Attack! style shenanigans.

Dan Moloney continued his strong post-Facesmashers streak as he went over the debuting Professional Wrestling Alliance (Sydney, Australia) wrestler Sean Kustom. The wrestling here was full on and packed with big strikes that drove the conflict inside the ropes. Outside of the ring, Moloney's footwear challenges continued as the crowd found the Roderick Strong hymn book once again. Moloney rode the storm well, playing up to the festivities perfectly, even when a pair of babies booties somehow made their way into the ring. Outside of the brogue nightmares, the Superbeast really grew into this one with the unfamiliar Kustom quickly gaining some quick crowd support thanks to some hard as fuck slaps and kicks and having regular sized boots. Moloney wound up picking up another strong win with his spinning sitout powerbomb making him undefeated since splitting with Wild Boar. 2017 may very well be the year of the Superbeast. The shoes thing really did take over my entire being at one point, the wrestling was strong, but when you've been broken, you've been broken, so this is one match that I'd like to rewatch, just to pick up on what I missed whilst in fits of laughter.

Match in a Sentence - Shitty little boots.

The opener provided a pair of FCP debuts, with Johnny T picking up a victory over Adam Cage with both men accounting for themselves well.The two worked a familiar style with lots of big strikes, with simple dynamic and story. Despite the FCP audience being a mostly respectful bunch, it can still be a difficult place to debut, because that crowd has seen a lot of world class action over the years, so credit to both Johnny T and Cage for coming out and putting on a watchable encounter, in front of an audience that was unaware of them. Whilst there was nothing to get overly excited about, it got the crowd settled for the rest of the show, with both newbies showing potential.

Match in a Sentence - A good introduction, but struggled to stand out.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 7.75/10

Oooft, what an evening at the graps this was! The Infinity tournament was probably my favourite thing of the entire year, in Fight Club: Pro or anywhere. The build of Travis Banks throughout the year has been 100% perfect and whilst I'd initially fantasy booked something completely different, this was without doubt the right time to pull the trigger on a talent who has exploded in 2016. The supporting bouts were a lot of fun, with the tag match standing out for its unique use of the art form. Perhaps the opener held the show back in terms of its ATPW Scale Rating, but it will only help both Johnny T and Adam Cage to have appeared on the show and hopefully we'll get to see them both again as they grow and grow, as that's always a special thing for a fan to witness.

Show in a Sentence - One of the most cathartic nights of my entire life, long live the graps, long live Fight Club: Pro, long live Travis, Travis, Travis Fucking Banks! 

Match of the Night - Travis Banks v Trent Seven

Review - James Marston

Editing - Jozef Raczka 

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Wrestle Ropes' Ready for the Weekend: July 2016 Week Two - FCP, SWE & RevPro (Andy Scotland)

This weekend as with almost every weekend, British Wrestling is bulging with events all over the country. This week's edition see's us in Wolverhampton, Stevenage and London with some pretty big shows. So without any further ado, let's get Ready For The Weekend!

The weekend kicks off on Friday with Fight Club: PRO at the Fixxion Warehouse in Wolverhampton with 'Rage Against The Death Machine'. 

The main event shall see 'The Death Machine' Sami Callihan bring his rage to FCP when he faces the man who has been the foundation of the promotion, 'The Super Don' Trent Seven. Both of these men are known for a style which can be brutal at times. We expect this match to showcase the strong style these men are known for. 

We've spoken before about the issues between The Hunter Brothers and the Facesmashers. Well things have still not been settled between these two teams and doesn't look like it will be any time soon. To add another chapter to their storied rivalry, Hunter Brothers will be in singles action when Lee Hunter faces Dan Moloney while Wild Boar shall compete against Jim Hunter. Don't expect two matches that have clean decisions is all we'll say about these contests. 

Travis Banks arrived in Fight Club: PRO a number of months ago and was an instant hit as he has been all over the country. He's back again this Friday and he'll have possibly his biggest match since relocating to the UK when he faces the WWE Cruiserweight Classic's Zack Sabre Jr. Banks has impressed everyone as we have mentioned and this shall be a real test and opportunity to impress even further when he faces a true world-class wrestler in ZSJ.

Match Card

‘The Death Machine’ Sami Callihan vs ‘The Super Don’ Trent Seven

‘The Violence Machine’ Travis Banks vs Zack Sabre Jr

Dan Moloney vs Lee Hunter

Wild Boar vs Jim Hunter

Pete Dunne vs ‘Anti-Hero’ Tommy End

Chris Brookes vs Clint Margera

Moving on to Saturday and we head to Stevenage for Southside Wrestling Entertainment "Gunning For Glory" at The Gordon Craig Theatre. 

The show will see the feud between Stixx & Flips' Stixx & Chris Tyler and The Second City Collective's Ryan Smile & Damian Dunne continue. These two teams have been fighting back and forth for ages with Stixx & Flips finally securing themselves a shot at the SCS's SWE Tag Team Championship. However before their championship match, both teams shall meet again in a six-man tag team match with Marshall X joining The SCS and former WWE star D'Lo Brown aligning with Stixx & Flips. Both teams will be looking for the win give them a mental advantage over the other before the gold is on the line. 

Robbie X turned on his partner a number of months ago and since then has had no contact with SWE. That was until very recently when he challenged Mark Haskins to a street fight. Haskins has been waiting for the chance to gain revenge and wasn't ever going to back down from this challenge. The unknown in this match is what sort of mental state shall Robbie X be in. He was extremely angry and aggressive the last time we saw him in SWE. Could he be even more dangerous now? 

The main event this Saturday will see the bad blood between The Righteous Army and El Ligero finally come to an end. Hopefully. We'll see Righteous Army's Joseph Conners, Paul Malen, Kay Lee Ray & The Pledge face Ligero, Nixon Newell, Hardcore Holly and a fourth mystery partner in an elimination match. If Ligero's team defeat Righteous Army, then they shall be force the disband immediately. However a loss for Ligero would see him forced into joining Righteous Army. This is a match that neither team can afford to lose for their long-term future.

Match Card

8-Person Tag Team – If The Righteous Army Win, El Ligero Joins Them. If They Lose, They Disband Forever

The Righteous Army (‘The Righteous’ Joseph Conners, Kay Lee Ray, Paul Malen & The Pledge) vs ‘The Mexican Sensation’ El Ligero, Nixon Newell, Hardcore Holly & ???

Stevenage Street Fight

Robbie X vs ‘The Star Attraction’ Mark Haskins

‘The Aerial Assassin’ Will Ospreay vs DJ Z

The London Riots (James Davis & Rob Lynch) vs The Inter-Coastal Violence Connection (‘Calamari Catch King’ Chris Brookes & ‘The Violence Machine’ Travis Banks)

Six-Man Tag Team

The Second City Collective (‘All Day Star’ Ryan Smile & ‘Number One’ Damian Dunne) & Marshall X vs Stixx & Flips (‘The Heavyweight House Of Pain’ Stixx & ‘The One And Only’ Chris Tyler) & D-Lo Brown

Zack Sabre Jr vs ‘The Death Machine’ Sami Callihan

‘Anti-Hero’ Tommy End vs Bubblegum

Open Challenge

Billy Gunn vs ???

Shane Strickland Confirmed To Appear

Finally we end the wrestling weekend with a trip to London which is where we tend to end our weekends through either coincidence or just luck. This weekend see Revolution Pro Wrestling's 'Summer Sizzler 2016' take place at the York Hall in Bethnal Green, London.

The main event for this match is the calibre that we have come to expect from RevPro as Zack Sabre Jr will defend the Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship against Katsuyori Shibata. This match would not look out of place on a New Japan Pro Wrestling event and could well be one of the best matches we see in 2016. This match is so difficult to call that RevPro have already ensured that Shibata will be available for a future event in the event that he wins this Sunday. London is likely to see something very special. 

Pete Dunne has risen to the top of RevPro at lightning speed, capturing the British Cruiserweight Championship on his first night. Since then he has delivered stand out matches each and every time. His challenger this Sunday is well-known for standing out as he's the 2016 New Japan Best Of The Super Juniors winner and former champion; 'The Aerial Assassin' Will Ospreay. These men have already had and shall continue to have the most successful year of their young careers in 2016. A win for both men would only add to that success. 

Matt Sydal has been a regular visitor in Revolution Pro Wrestling and has a number of highly rated matches with men of similar size and style. However this Sunday he'll have a match with a man who is everything that is opposite of his style, 'The Beast Of Belfast' Big Damo. A true heavyweight who is known for his hard-hitting style. Sydal has worked for the biggest promotions in the world and faced equal world class competition. Damo will add to that world class competition this Sunday but he shall be an opponent the likes of Sydal may have never faced before. Talent and speed shall be Sydal's allies in this match. Damo will know Sydal's skills and will look to add another international scalp to his impressive list of opponents.

Match Card

Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship

Katsuyori Shibata vs Zack Sabre Jr (c)

Undisputed British Cruiserweight Championship

‘The Bruiserweight’ Pete Dunne (c) vs ‘The Aerial Assassin’ Will Ospreay

Undisputed British Tag Team Championship – Fatal Four-Way

The Young Bloods (Kieran Bruce & Jake McCluskey) vs Joel Redman & Charlie Garrett (c) vs Jody Fleisch & Jonny Storm vs The Legion Of Lords (Lord Gideon Grey & Rishi Ghosh)

‘The Villain’ Marty Scurll vs ‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey

Tomohiro Ishii vs Josh Bodom

‘The Beast Of Belfast’ Big Damo vs ‘Reborn’ Matt Sydal

Moose vs ‘The East End Butcher’ Sha Samuels

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!

Kamikaze Pro Lethal Weapon Review

Following a terrific Shropshire Wrestling Alliance show (Review - http://www.acrossthepondwrestling.co.uk/2014/08/swa-summer-blowout-review.html) the night before, Kamikaze Pro had the unenviable task of being the difficult second show of a double header weekend. With many of the same talents used by SWA the previous night, as well as former NXT Tag Team Champion Joel Redman (fka Oliver Grey), how did Lethal Weapon presented at The Collingwood Centre in Great Barr (As great as Dawley? I think not) live up to the expectations? Let's find out.

Match 1 - 

The Hunter Brothers (c) vs. Miracle Violence Connection (c)

For the Undisputed Tag Team Championships

After Born and Raised saw the Tag Team titles held up, following a double pin, this was the rematch to see who would take both title belts. 

This was a decent opening contest, but I feel that it barely scratched the surface of what these four guys could be doing. The match was very slow to get going, with the referee having to step in between the two teams a total of four times, this harmed the pace of the match and left me a little bit restless to actually see some wrestling. This would have been fine if the match was placed anywhere else on the card, but in the opening contest it was a bit of an overkill. 

Once the match got going, there was some nice moments, like Dan Maloney attempting to block a punch and ending up on the receiving end of a DDT, and the majority of the wrestling was strong (bar a slip up on a hurracanrana, credit goes to Maloney for not selling). A handful of nice false finishes warmed the crowd up towards the end of the bout , including a nice tease at the finish as Miracle Violence Connection attempted a Doomsday Device, that was reversed into a victory roll, getting a nice reaction out of the crowd. The finish saw Hunter land on his feet following a second Doomsday Device, only for Maloney to strike with a Lariat to pick up the three count. A nice twist on the Doomsday Device, which kept the two sides looking pretty even, I'd expect a rematch between the two, hopefully it will be given an extra five minutes or so. 

Following the match, it seemed there was tension between Maloney and Bate, as Maloney attempted to walk out with both of the tag team titles. I'm not quite sure where this had come from, as there was no tension teased in the match or any real reason for this to be the case. MVC didn't seem to heel it up as much as they usually do for Kamikaze, a prime example being the use of a delayed vertical suplex, which is always going to get a pop out of the crowd, and rightly so. I am interested to see where this is going, because I think Bate is much stronger as good guy, whilst the opposite is true for Maloney, so a feud between the two could be interesting, but if that's the direction Kamikaze is going, I'm not sure why MVC won the tag titles here. 

Match 2

Violet Vendetta vs. Nixon Newell

This was Violet Vendetta's debut match in Kamikaze, opposite Nixon Newell who has become a popular face since debuting at Broken Down City in May. The crowd certainly didn't warm to Violet, giving her a reaction of utter indifference, and this match gave them no reason to change their minds. Whilst there was a good deal of intensity, as Violet charged Nixon back first into the ring post and went on to deliver a vicious looking kick off a chair, there was no real reason for this to be taking place, and even then it wasn't picked up on later on in the match. Violet did seem to be working the back following the attack on the ring post, but it was quickly dropped, following a lack lustre boston crab. 

Violet got in the majority of the offence until Nixon pulled a Superkick out of nowhere to pick up the victory. Whilst this was a good way to continue to present Nixon as the Face of the "Fighting Females" division (I imagine a title is on it's way once the division builds up), it certainly wasn't the match that the first One on One women's match in Kamikaze should have been. 

Following the match, Marshall X came through the crowd and was setting up to attack Nixon with a steel chair, before Chris Brookes ran out to make the save. A nice bit of extra build up for Marshall and Brookes match later on in the show, giving the feud an extra bit of depth. Good stuff. I was however a little disapointed to hear Ring Announcer and General Manager Lawrie Neal announce "I'm sure we'll see the rest of that STORY later", erm... story? Really?

Match 3

Dick Riley with Chris Walker vs. Joel Redman

Former NXT Tag Team Champion Joel Redman took on The Magnum's Dick Riley in an interesting contest. I say interesting because both men seemed to be working babyface at the start of the match, with the allegiance switching a handful of times during the match, which gave it a rather unique dynamic. 

The action in the ring for the most part was strong, and after struggling to connect in the early parts of the match, Redman and Riley grew into the bout, putting together a series of entertaining sequences and began to show signs of a real chemistry in the ring. Riley reversing a powerbomb attempt on the outside into a top rope crossbody and the pair trading lovely German Suplexes were both particular highlights. Oh yeah and there was a Reverse Freaking Rana from Riley, that I don't think anyone saw coming. 

The closing stages of the match however really elevated the match in my eyes. Redman had been wearing a huge knee brace throughout the match, and therefore I was disappointed when it seemed that it would not play a part in the match. However, that would change as after Redman had done a series of moves using his knee, he seemed to tweak it, and with Walker doing some great work at ringside, Riley kicked Redman in the knee allowing him to hit a Superkick for a good near fall. Riley continued to work over the knee effectively, removing the brace, before the finish saw Redman make a comeback with a powerful lariat, before struggling to climb to the top rope, continuing to sell the knee to hit a big knee drop for the victory.

A good debut match for Redman, possibly the strongest on the show and definitely the best match of the first half, whilst also giving extra depth to Dick Riley's character and The Magnums as a tag team in general. I'd happily see Redman return to Kamikaze Pro as he certainly has a lot to offer the promotion, I'm also looking forward to seeing where The Magnums go from here as well.

Match 4

Marshall X vs. Chris Brookes with Nixon Newell

With the previous encounter between the two, this was always going to be a heated affair. Add into the mix a solid pre-match promo from Chris Brookes, which managed to get the crowd to chant "Silly Bugger" and this feud was beginning to heat up nicely. 

The two brought a good energy into the match, with Brookes hitting an impressive Tope Conhilo at the start of the match to set the tone. The two traded moves on the outside, including a nasty vertical suplex from Marshall onto the wooden floor, given all the more reason to do so by the previous encounters between the two. The match flowed very nicely, both men hitting some nice looking moves for near falls, with Marshall coming close with a Falcon Arrow, before Brookes almost got the win with a Michinoku Driver. 

The finish was one of the cleverest of the weekend, as after Marshall had produced a bottle of Talc earlier in the match, it played into the finish as Marshall through talc into Nixon's eyes, before throwing Brookes into position for a blinded Nixon to hit a Vulture Culture Destroyer, accidentally handing Marshall the victory in the process. A great way to have Marshall pick up the victory, whilst also giving the fans a chance to see the Nixon's exciting finish move. A side note on Nixon's selling of the talc, which was spot on, and made the finish even more effective.

After the match, Marshall continued the attack. Unfortunately, a pair of handcuffs, supposed to be used to trap Brookes to the ring rope, didn't seem to function correctly which lead to an awkward exchange between Brookes and Marshall, luckily the pair improvised something that would the same effect, with Marshall going back to the talc again. This would allow Marshall to take down Nixon with the steel chair from earlier, before delivering a vicious double stomp with Nixon's arm trapped inside a steel chair. The moment was sold very well by Nixon and a few of the Kamikaze Pro roster who came out to help. The rivalry is building up nicely, I'm very much looking forward to seeing how things develop over the next few months.

Match 5 Damian Dunne vs. Ryan Smile (C)

For the Kamikaze Pro Championship

Heading into this one I wasn't completely convinced, Heel vs Heel matches are a rarity, and despite a similar match between Smile and Eddie Dennis at Sky's The Limit in May working very nicely, I still wasn't sure if lighting would strike twice.

There was a lot of stalling early on in the match, with the two best friends not wanting to fight each. So when Smile quickly picked up the victory with a remake of the infamous "Finger Poke of Doom" I was a little worried that that could be all she wrote for this match. Luckily, Kamikaze Pro isn't WCW and decided not to devalue their title belts, as the match was quickly restarted, and with a few clauses in place, we got a proper match after all. 

I like the story being told throughout the match, with the idea being that Smile didn't want to fight Dunne, at one point offering him Chicken Nuggets and Onion Rings (which got a duelling chant going), with Dunne doing what he had to do to try and win the title. The two created nice spots, like Smile hitting a suicide dive that sent Dunne through the chairs at ringside, which usually I'd pull up as being a babyface move, but seeing as both men are supposed to be heels I don't think it mattered quite as much here. 

After some solid near falls, including a beautiful Blue Thunderbomb from Smile and a very well done sequence that culminated in a two count for Dunne off a Brainbuster, the match reached it's conclusion with Smile hitting a Cross-legged Samoan Driver to pick up the win and retain his title. With all the stalling and the restart, this match did feel a little short, but it did what it needed to do with the time given.

Following the match, Acting General Manager Lawrie Neil revealed Smile's opponent for Line in the Sand in September, as former TNA X-Division Champion Doug Williams. This has the potential to be an outstanding match and with Smile pulling out a blistering promo on Williams post match, I'm sure the two will have something special for the crowd at the Cadbury Club come September 21st. 

Match 6

Robbie X vs. Pete Dunne vs. Jay Lethal (C)

For the ROH World Television Championship

The second ROH World Television Championship match I'd seen in two days, had an awful lot to live up to, following Lethal's terrific clash with Tyler Bate the previous night at SWA Summer Blowout. What made the previous match so good, was what was lacking from this one. Drama. There wasn't a point in the match where I believed Lethal wasn't walking out champion. Now, obviously that's a very hard task to pull off when Lethal is defending a different companies belt, but if the previous match could make me suspend my disbelief, then adding two more guys into the mix should have had even more chance of doing so. 

That's not to say that this match wasn't entertaining because it was. There were some really nice moments that used that extra body in the ring to the matches advantage, like Lethal looking Robbie in a Figure Four Leglock, before catching Dunne in a Crossface and an Inverted DDT/Neckbreaker combination from Dunne. There was also some nice back and forth exchanges, with all three men exchanges chops and forearms, before Lethal delivered a sweet Superkick to Robbie. 

As is important with big US names, those that came specifically to see Lethal were treated to the majority of his signature moves, including the Lethal Combination, Hail to the King and after a few attempts the Lethal Injection that would eventually get the win. Lethal looked very much the professional in the ring, and as with his match with Tyler Bate, it's the little nuances to his performance that really help elevate his match, specifically going to battle Robbie on the top rope after Robbie took a little too long on a dive to the outside. This meant there was no awkward standing around for Lethal and Dunne and allowed the match to flow nicely, as Robbie eventually hit his move. 

I was interested to see how Robbie X worked as a heel, after turning on Dunne at the previous show, but apart from refusing to get in the ring at the start of the match, I didn't really see much of a difference. His move set was essentially the same, a Moonsault Plancha is never going to get you any heat, is it? There was also very little follow to his attack on Dunne during this match, the opportunity was there to further the feud between the two, building to a one on one match down the line, I don't feel like that was fully realised at any point. This might be a bit premature, but after seeing Dunne work heel elsewhere, it might have best if Dunne had been the one to turn instead.

Finally...

It would be unfair to compare this show to the one the previous night, as on it's own merits this was an enjoyable show. Certainly not the strongest I've seen out of Kamikaze Pro, but it still had it's moments with the two matches either side of the interval battling it out for my match of the night. There were a few things that niggled me, and I feel like the main event was a missed opportunity, but with most of the show being used for furthering storylines, it did it's job quite well. I'm interested to see where a number of the feuds are heading, and I'll definitely be back at Kamikaze later in the year.