FCP The Eighth Rule of Fight Club Review // Sekimoto vs. Bate

After a three night stretch at Bush Hall in London, Fight Club: PRO was back at Starworks Warehouse in Wolverhampton for the first time in just over a month on 31st August 2018. Whilst all title holders (World Champion Meiko Satomura, Tag Team Champions Chris Brookes & Kid Lykos and Infinity Trophy (deceased) holder WALTER), were all absent, alongside other regulars like Travis Banks, Angelico and Clint Margera, the originators of British Strong Style still managed to put on a rather tasty looking card on paper. This included the only advertised match in the main event between former BJW Strong World Heavyweight Champion Daisuke Sekimoto and former WWE United Kingdom Champion Tyler Bate in a mouth-watering international clash. Elsewhere, Pete Dunne & Trent Seven were joined by Millie McKenzie to become British Strong Mates as they took on The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wents joined by Trey Miguel) and the newest member of Schadenfreude, Mark Davis, took on FCP Original MK McKinnan, as well as action featuring Jordan Devlin, Kyle Fletcher, "Session Moth" Martina, El Phantasmo and Chuck Mambo. But was it any good? Lets find out! 

Six Person Tag Team Match // 

British Strong Mates (Pete Dunne & Trent Seven & Millie McKenzie) def. The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz & Trey Miguel) // 

Pinfall

This international six person tag was a strong start to the evening, presenting varied action throughout. Underlined by some fun character work from all involved, the bout followed what has become a trademark of British Strong Style (and the Bruisermates) beginning with almost pure japes, before launching into more serious and exciting work in the stretch. The comedy was highlighted by some variation on some of Trent Seven's spots as the Wulfrunian looked to prove his lucha credentials. Seven's run as face in peril had it's moments, but the match really hated up following a hot tag to Pete Dunne, with the pace lifting and leading into a wonderful sequence between Dunne and Trey Miguel. In his Wolverhampton debut Miguel really impressed for me with this delightfully fast and crisp exchange with Dunne, being followed up by a series of truly impressive dives to the floor later on in the bout. For me, a few more convincing near falls could have elevated this one just that little bit more, with jumping piledriver from Seven that was preceded by duel headkicks from Dunne and McKenzie being the only moment I can remember as feeling like it could have been match-ending, but perhaps that's the difference between an opening match and a main event. Destroyers from all three members of British Strong Mates to Xavier was a neat way pulling the matches two strands together, with Starworks popping big for Seven pulling out the move for the eventual pin. 

WrestleHouse Stat // This leaves poor Trey Miguel with a 0-5 record in Fight Club: PRO.

- Trent Seven stuck around, being joined by Martin Zaki, to welcome Project London Super Trainee Stars Of The Future Tournament winner Scotty Davis. This was all fun and games until Davis mentioned wanting to do Ireland proud, bringing out Jordan Devlin. Some words later and we had ourselves a match...

Singles Match // 

Jordan Devlin def. Scotty Davis // 

Pinfall

As someone who hadn't seen Scotty Davis before this was a great introduction to what he can offer to FCP, as he took part in an even contest with one of the top singles performers in the company. The two have previous in Over the Top Wrestling (OTT) meaning that the familiarity allowed for a heated and mostly smooth clash, with Davis showing impressive babyface fire from the very beginning. I was particularly impressed with some of his strong style strikes out of the gate, as well as some solid selling in the later stages. Obviously, Davis will need to evolve past a relatively generic babyface role later down the line in FCP, but as a first introduction to Wolverhampton this worked just fine. For me, this one lagged a little in the middle, losing some of the impact it had in the opening exchange and perhaps could've been improved by being a little shorter and punchier. As the story developed in the later stages, there were plenty of near falls for both sides, including a Fisherman buster for Davis and an avalanche DVD from Devlin, which really put over Davis to the new audience as he held in their with a more seasoned wrestlers and showed a tonne of fighting spirit (something which would become quite a theme for the evening going forward). A desperation headbutt leading to Devlin falling into the pin for the victory deepened the narrative and should lead to a very interesting rematch down the line.

WrestleHouse Stat // Jordan Devlin's one on one record in FCP goes to 7-2, with only Travis Banks and Jeff Cobb managing to beat the Irishman in singles action since August 2017.

Singles Match // 

Kyle Fletcher def. Omari // 

Submission 

The first half main event was the match of the night for me, as Kyle Fletcher got his win back on Omari after their match at June's World Warriors event. Obviously since June, we've seen Fletcher turn to the bad side and join Schadenfruede and Omari lose his Infinity Trophy to WALTER, so this was a very different match-up from the original clash. Like the previous bout this was one was heated from the very beginning with Omari getting a massive slap for the face from Fletcher after the Big O had repeatedly called his opponent "Chris Brookes' bitch", before Omari replied with a barrage of offence. After his match with Travis Banks last month was cut short by an injury to Banks, this was my first real chance to get to see Fletcher's new heel persona and the Aussie Arrow impressed heavily as he targeted Omari's bandaged hand for long periods, with vicious stomps and submissions, often varying his offence to focus on the injury, whilst also spending time to soak up the heat from the crowd. On the flip side, Omari sold the injury well, continuing to perform effectively in the sympathetic babyface role. The damage played a big part in the closing stages with Omari unable to get the cover after his lifting reverse STO finish in a dramatic moment, before a miss tope conhilo would see Fletcher captalise with as series of moves that concluded with a nasty looking modified crossface (with a heavy focus on the hand of course) gave the Aussie the win. This was a much more mature display from each than their previous outing, bringing the story to the forefront, lifting the intensity and opening up a number of possibilities for both men going forward. With the pair at one a piece, a rematch would seem possible before the end of the year.

WrestleHouse Stat // This loss leaves Omari without a win in his last six in FCP, since beating Fletcher at World Warriors in June.

Singles Match // 

Mark Davis def. MK McKinnan // 

Pinfall 

"Find a well known hard man...and start a fight" - MK McKinnan's Arctic Monkeys entrance music acted as an omen of things to come as he scrapped with "Dunkzilla" Mark Davis in the Aussie's first Wolverhampton appearance since joining Schadenfreude, coming hot straight out of the gate. In one his best performances since returning to action, McKinnan took an absolute beating from the bigger man, including a barrage of vicious looking chops and just kept on plugging away. I've felt that McKinnan has struggled to gain a connection with the larger Starworks crowd since returning, with many unaware of his past or his importance to the promotion, but his performance here should hopefully have won a lot more people over, as he sold tremendously throughout, not just the beating, but his desire to prove himself. McKinnan's facial expressions and body language in particular were spot on, drawing me further into the match and almost feel the pain myself. This was, of course, made easier by Dunkzilla being a big violent bastard and the ongoing Schadenfruede story in general, something which was maybe missing from other recent MK matches. It's much easier to root for the underdog, when you've got a connection with the villain of the piece! Davis would pick up the win with Close Your Eyes and Count to Fuck, but both men came out better off following this one. All we need now is for more promotions to start booking McKinnan because he's only going to benefit from further ring time and exposure.

WrestleHouse Stat // Mark Davis remains undefeated one on one in FCP, having previously put away Kyle Fletcher in June 2017, Kay Lee Ray in December 2017 and Clint Margera this May.

WrestleHouse Scramble Match // 

Chuck Mambo def. "Session Moth" Martina and El Phantasmo and Drew Parker and Charli Evans // 

Pinfall

A well-placed and welcome scramble match, as Chuck Mambo finally got his chance in Wolvo and completely owned it, alongside strong performances from Martina, El Phantasmo, Drew Parker and Charli Evans as well. Particular moments that I noted down were Phantasmo's rope walking escapades, which I don't think could ever not be entertaining, as well as a strong sequence with Martina and Evans, who both put on impressive displays. A couple of slip-ups here and there, including a nasty blockbuster from Mambo, but it's rare to have a six-way bout at this pace without something going slightly awry at some point.  It was pleasant surprise to see Mambo so dominant in the victory as he cleared the field with a series of moves in quick succession including a dive to the floor before a top rope splash was enough to put Parker away. A fun change of pace from regular scramble finishes, which can come off a fluke, this seemed to be a way of establishing Mambo as a regular roster member going forward.

WrestleHouse Stat // This loss means that still Martina's only FCP victories in England were shooting Chief Deputy Dunne with a nerf gun and in a three-way that involved a stuffed giraffe as one of the participants. 

Singles Match // 

Tyler Bate def. Daisuke Sekimoto // 

Pinfall 

Whilst it was a very good and extremely physical encounter, the real strength of Tyler Bate's victory over absolute unit Daisuke Sekimoto was the groundwork that had gone in across the previous couple of hours. Each singles match on the show followed a similar pattern, with one performer having to fight from underneath (Scott Davis, Omari, MK McKinnan) whilst the other (Jordan Devlin, Kyle Fletcher, Mark Davis) dominated the majority of proceedings, before the underdog was unable to overcome the odds. That meant that when Bate hit a gorgeous spiral tap to pull out an unlikely victory over an opponent that was bigger, more experience and had shown to be a consistently stronger boi, it felt like a much bigger moment than if the match had been consumed in a vacuum. 

The match itself was a meaty affair with the Big Japan star using strength and size to control, absorbing almost all of Bate's offence (including some big chops). With a much more considered pace than the rest of the card, this match took it's time to tell the story, holding the crowd more through the presence of the performers than a blow-away series of action, especially in the early goings. It was refreshing to see Bate back in a role in which he performs so well, as he got plenty of time here to show the fighting spirit and guts that saw him rise to the top of British wrestling, with some delightful facial expressions as he looked to find a way past Sekimoto. For me, I would've liked to have seen Sekimoto go in a little harder when the two were exchanging strikes, as Bate's chops almost always came across as more impressive, when it felt like Sekimoto's should have been the exclamation point on the exchange, whilst I think the bout could also have benefitted from a gear change down the stretch and perhaps one more good near fall. Overall though, this was a very good conclusion to the show, that tied things together nicely and provided a brilliant and rare opportunity to see Daisuke Sekimoto perform in England.  
WrestleHouse Stat // One on one Tyler Bate is undefeated in Fight Club: Pro since All the Best in February 2016 (a loss to Pete Dunne at the Planet) with Daisuke Sekimoto joining a list that also includes Will Ospreay, Jeff Cobb and Travis Banks (twice).

ATPW Scale Rating // 

7/10

A lovely show once again from Fight Club: Pro who have real hit a rich vein of form since Dream Tag Team Invitational. Whilst this show didn't have the stand out match that other shows this year have had, everything seemed to hit around the good to very good range, with nothing that really dragged the show down. The pacing was some of the best I've seen FCP this year, with the right matches opening and closing each half and the scramble match coming at just the right point to clear the palette before the main event. The story told throughout the show was also a masterful piece of booking that could easily be overlooked. I touched on this in my Bate vs. Sekimoto review, but it really does need bringing up again, because it's not something that I can remember happening in FCP for quite a while. 

Review by James Marston

Photo Credit - The Ringside Perspective 

FCP/ATTACK! WrestleHouse '18 [Live] Review // 26th January 2018

It was the first time inside Starworks Warehouse this year and we had the sequel to last year's classic WrestleHouse show, that saw two BritWres favourite Fight Club: PRO and ATTACK! Pro Wrestling come together for a WrestleBration of epic proportions. The show featured the first TeamHouse Elimination Situation match as it's main event, as Mark Haskins, FCP Champion Chris Brookes, Jordan Devlin, Chief Deputy Dunne & Dan Moloney took on Trent Seven, Travis Banks, MK McKinnan, Clint Margera & Millie McKenzie, as well as a rematch between WWN star Keith Lee and Infinity Trophy winner Omari and a tag team clash with Aussie Open's Mark Davis & Kyle Fletcher facing Team SPLX members Zack Sabre Jr. and Angelico. WrestleHouse '18 had a lot to live up to, but was it up to the task?  

Photo Credit // The Ringside Perspective // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Big Cartel

Fight Club: Pro // Big Cartel // Website // Twitter // Facebook // Vimeo

Attack Pro Wrestling // Big Cartel // Twitter // Facebook // Vimeo

Before we get into the wrestling content, lets talk about the changes made at Starworks for the show. Firstly, it was fucking freezing. I'm not entirely sure why, but there appeared to be a big hole in the far wall. An industrial heater placed in the corner of the room did little to combat this and indeed only seemed to heat the few feet immediately in front of it. It felt like this effected the atmosphere somewhat as the crowd was definitely more subdued than previous events, especially during the opener and stretches of the main event. Other minor issues included moving the food stall parallel the bar, meaning the queue stretched to in front of the merch table. Starworks taking over the running of the bar also seemed to create longer and slower moving queues for drinks. I don't know what happened, but not only did it make it harder to buy beverage (with prices also soaring - £2.50 for a can of Red Bull?), but also to move around the venue in general.  

TeamHouse Elimination Situation Match // Mark Haskins & Chris Brookes & Jordan Devlin & Chief Deputy Dunne & Dan Moloney def. Trent Seven & Travis Banks & MK McKinnan & Clint Margera & Millie McKenzie 

Where to begin with the lengthy main event? There was an awful lot going on in the first ever TeamHouse Elimination Situation match and I'll get into what worked and what didn't work for me in a moment. Firstly, lets talk about the team and some of that Stupid Sexy stuff that's been sweeping through ATTACK! like the sexiest plague you ever did see. Beyond the captains of Travis Banks and FCP Champion Chris Brookes, there was nothing known of who they'd chosen to be on their teams before they headed out. Haskins being on Brookes' team was a surprise, because to my knowledge he'd been a babyface beforehand in FCP, however the little story with the former PROGRESS World Champion initially appearing uncomfortable teaming with the likes of Dan Moloney, before becoming a viciously integral part of Team Brookes was one of the stronger parts of the match for me. Chief Deputy Dunne working double duty was also a strange move. Whether this was the initial plan or not I'm not sure, but if you pushed me I'd lean closer towards the latter. Banks' team read like a Then...Now...Forever of Fight Club: PRO, featuring four former champions. It was great to have MK McKinnnan back with us once again and when given the opportunity he showed glimpses of what had made him a highly touted prospect before his hiatus, highlighted by a nice sequence with Jordan Devlin. 

Lets delve into discussion of the match, by looking at the positives. Obviously, the booking of Millie McKenzie in the match was a major plus point (as has been since McKenzie debuted in FCP last June) but I want to focus a little more on that and the finish a little further down. So instead lets begin at the begin, the wild and crazy brawl around ringside, that erupted as Team Banks had made their Stupid Sexy reappearance. Thankfully (and selfishly), the majority of action was kept to around the ring, as this meant that from my front row vantage point I didn't miss much at all, as has been the case when FCP multi-mans start roaming the entire Warehouse. All ten wrestlers scrapping and chopping and striking each other with good intensity was a great way to start the match and made use of the sheer amount of bodies available. How often do you get ten performers in the same match in the UK? Kid Lykos mirroring Chris Brookes' actions at ringside, like if Damien Mizdow had been a damn dirty Wolf, was highlight of the short face-in-peril situation, before a Travis Banks hot tag sent the match into chaos once more. Multiple corner cannonballs, a spectacular four-way Coast to Coast and multiple dives to the outside were capped off by Clint Margera climbing a ladder inside the ring and leaping off over the barricade and onto the multiple bodies below.

That's enough being nice for now, because as much as I love praising FCP there were a few issues with the main event for me. Firstly, the cold crowd was absolutely knackered by the time this match started, which was equal parts the temperature in the room, a lengthy interval causing the match to go on super late even for Fight Club and the draining nature of Keith Lee vs. Omari. This meant that parts of the match played out in front of what I'd refer to as a subdued audience, not exactly silent, but not exactly what you'd expect from a record FCP crowd during a main event either. For me, this wasn't helped by the general lack of story heading into the match. In December, we'd seen Banks tag with Chris Brookes, but in June we'd seen Brookes cheat Banks out of the FCP title. For me, these big matches work best when there's a grudge between the two teams or a reason that they're fighting and whilst the majority of the characters involved are well-defined, it was difficult to be fully invested without a burning issue. Alongside this, I wasn't a massive fan of how the match was structured either, with a flurry of eliminations coming in a block, meaning that those exits felt unimportant and in fact, inconsequential. Coming soon after a series of one in one out finishers that saw everyone get involved didn't help the elimination stretch, that saw Moloney, McKinnan, Dunne, Margera and Devlin exit the match. 

So, lets get back to Millie McKenzie, shall we? Her story throughout the match was the strongest part of the contest. From her early hot tag and german suplex festival, to a stretch as face-in-peril, her narrative heated up following the aforementioned dive sequence. It was difficult to get a full view of the spot, as it was on the opposite side of the ring from where I was, but Brookes gave McKenzie an neckbreaker off the barricade and onto the hard concrete floor. From my vantage point the spot looked nasty and I certainly wouldn't want to fall onto the solid Starworks floor. McKenzie was helped to the back by staff, with little details like Trent Seven disappearing backstage for a while adding to the angle. The crowd gave McKenzie a rousing applause upon her exit, but following Travis Banks departure at the hands of Brookes, the fans loudly called for Millie to return, because this is wrestling and we like to think we know how it works. Out came McKenzie, selling like a boss, for a gutsy underdog scrap with Brookes, taking everything that the Champion had to offer but continuing to stay in the match. The finish would see PROGRESS' Jinny make her FCP debut, costing Millie the match just when it appeared that McKenzie was going to able to do the impossible. It was a cool way to start introduce a new character and begin a proper feud in FCP and also allowed Brookes to walk out as the last person standing and make up a little for the fact that he didn't defend the championship once again.

Keith Lee def. Omari // Pinfall

Opening sentence mentioning difficult second albums. Follow up sentence listing second albums that improved upon the original. Third sentence discussing a comparison between second albums and Keith Lee and Omari's second match in Fight Club: Pro. You get the picture. The original clash between Lee and Omari at International Tekkers Part 1 last July was an incredible match, with a result that no one saw coming, but in my opinion the second clash topped it. Yes, it didn't have the massive shock surprise finish, with Omari going from strength to strength since July, including winning the Infinity Trophy in December, but here was a richer match, with a deeper story, featuring opportunities for call backs, awe-inspiring highspots and some of the most painful sounding strikes Starworks has ever witnessed. It was fucking glorious stuff, it really was. 

The best match of the night had the crowd in the palm of the performers hands, with the two often taking their time to tell the story right and knowing when to speed up at the right moments. Special shoutout to the "Ooooh, bask in Omari" chant because it was brilliant. The repeated strikes sequence with Omari trying to keep up with Lee and getting the fuck beaten into him, selling his beating and returning for more. If anyone in the crowd hadn't already been won over by Omari's fighting spirit, then this would've done it. The tilt towards the finish was balls out ridiculous. From Lee's super silly one handed chokeslam to the pair of one counts for both men to the call back to the finish of their first match to Omari hitting a German suplex with Lee positioned on the middle rope, the final third of the match was utterly bonkers. Oh yeah, they did a top rope Spanish Fly as well, because why the fuck not? Lee has no business taking Spanish flys, but I'm not going to tell him that. There'd been so much going on and Starworks was rocking, that it almost felt like an anti-climax when Lee managed to vanquish the Infinity winner with Ground Zero. To be honest, I was just glad to be able to get my breath back! 

Following the match, Lee got on the microphone, letting Omari know that he originally believed the result of their first encounter was a fluke, but after the rematch he'd changed his mind. Lee then challenge Omari to a rubber match at some point in the future, before requesting that Omari's Infinity Trophy and therefore FCP title shot would be on the line. Oh yes, please and thank you, sir. The first two matches between this pairing have been electric, mixing storytelling and indie madness with the emotional connection between the up and comer from Birmingham and the Wolverhampton audience. The third clash between the two will have an awful lot to live up to, but even more opportunities to develop narrative and push the envelope even further. If you've missed the first two, treat yourself to 

Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis def. Zack Sabre Jr. & Angelico // Pinfall 

Aussie Open picked up their first win in FCP, as they picked up a big victory over the first time pairing of Zack Sabre Jr. and Angelico, with Fletcher pinning ZSJ after Davis hit Close Your Eyes and Count to Fuck, following a very good tag team match. The contest was put together splendidly, with Davis and ZSJ and then Fletcher and Angelico working two lovely and very different sequences to kick things off, with a split crowd finding it hard to pick between the Aussie regulars and the international SPLX sponsored tandem. This changed pretty quickly when ZSJ starting pulling out some of that vicious technical bastardry that's he's become quite fond lately. Nasty looking holds, stomping and a little illegal use of the ropes kept Sabre and Angelico in control of Fletcher, with Davis getting crashed off the apron at any point it seemed like the Aussie Arrow was about to make a comeback. Whilst a portion of the crowd stuck with the scientific wankers, there was definitely a ground swell of support for Davis & Fletcher and even a good deal of heat for Team SPLX. I really get a kick out of this side of ZSJ and it's always a pleasure to boo him when he's doing his methodical arsehole routine, whilst Fletcher is a delight when fighting underneath because he sells using his entire body.


Once the hot tag was made the rest of the match featured some very good near falls for both teams, whilst Davis, knackered from constantly being knocked off the apron, looked to nail his Close Your Eyes and Count to Fuck piledriver. This resulted in a wonderful exchange where Sabre Jr. was able to escape the piledriver attempt and lock in an arm bar instead, which was slickly done and set up the finish for later on. The near falls included a lovely sequence where Fletcher fired up after Sabre started slapping the fuck out of his face, only for Angelico to come sweeping in after a Michonoku Driver to pick up a strong near fall off a crucifix bucklebomb, as well as Aussie Open's Fidget Spinner. With Aussie Open finally able to isolate Sabre, they were able to get revenge for his rapscallion-esque behaviour with a superkick from Fletcher and the aforementioned CYEACTF (say it) sealing their first win in the promotion. With the Dream Tag Team Invitational just around the corner, Davis & Fletcher have to be considered amongst the favourites to take the crown, mostly because three Aussie Open matches across a weekend would be best for everyone. 

ATTACK! Tag Team Championships // Lloyd Katt & Split McPins (C) def. Chief Deputy Dunne & Los Super Santos Federales Jr. and Martina & The Love Making Demon and Drew Parker & ELIJAH // Pinfall

On an event that felt nowhere near as ATTACKy as last year's show, we did get to see the ATTACK Tag Team titles defend as Lloyd Katt & Splits McPins of Bowl-A-Rama made their fifth successful defence of the belts in a Four-way clash also involving The Anti-Fun Police's Chief Deputy Dunne & Los Super Santos Federales Jr, the newly formed Session Mouse duo of "Session Moth" Martina & The Love Making Demon and x Nothing to Prove x's Drew Parker & ELIJAH in a fun, yet occasionally rushed opener. The match was mostly comedy antics, based around a couple of character interactions and Santos saying things in his weird Spanish/Welsh hybrid accent. The highlight came from a wonderful bowling sequence, where Katt & Pinns fired bowling balls into the waiting crotches of their opponents seated in the corner, only for Martina to begin begging for the ball to be lobbed betwixt her legs, because she's mad into that bowling life. The finish was also well done with a flurry of action before Bowl-a-Rama picked up the pin on former ATTACK! Champion Dunne with More Bowl for Your Buck. 

However, the match wasn't without it's problems. The biggest of these for me was the crowd didn't seem all that aware of a number of the characters involved. Perhaps it was the cold, but the boisterous atmosphere that one would've expected for such a match in ATTACK!, especially when it comes to the popular Bowl-A-Rama tandem, just didn't seem to be present here, with only pockets of the crowd seeming to know the ATTACK! performers. A lot of the multi-man stuff didn't hit home for me either, with the usually creative promotion falling back on a number of multi man tropes, that beyond the bowling sequence, felt a little tired. The most obvious example being everyone getting involved in a vertical suplex melee that seemed to take an age to set up, as the competitors joined in one by one. The fact that the resulting suplex (or at least the half involved the Anti-Fun Police) ended up looking woeful didn't help the situation. I was also dissapointing to see absolutely nothing made of the brutal attack from x Nothing to Prove x on Dunne at ATTACK!'s Failure's Not Flattering (Where's The Passion?) in Bristol less than a week earlier, as seeing as this was supposed to be a joint show you would've expected the two teams to have at least hinted at what had gone down there. 

El Phantasmo def. Adam Brooks

El Phantasmo made the most of his first singles match in FCP with a victory over the debuting Adam Brooks in a good showcase for the Canadian and Australian. For some reason (I'll blame the freezing temperature once more), I decided to write three whole notes on this one, but that says more about this reviewer than it does about the match. Battling with a crowd that had just came back from one of the longest intervals in professional wrestling history, Phantasmo and Brooks worked hard to draw the audience in, with Phantasmo able to garner a decent amount of crowd support in the end, thanks to a fiery comeback that complimented the strong heel/face dynamic that was present throughout the bout. The series of suicide dives from Phantasmo was the highlight, alongside his always impressive rope-walk hurricanrana. This was the first time I've found myself fully on board with Phantasmo, after only seeing him in multi-man bouts to this point and it was his performance when fighting from underneath that made this match what it was. I've heard good things about Brookes from performances elsewhere in the country and whilst I'm not sure we got him at his best in Wolverhampton, there was just enough here to see his potential and hopefully he's back in FCP later this year.

Shay Purser stunnered Joel Allen and Matt Richards 

Because the main event had ended with popular babyface Millie McKenzie taking a beating from Jinny, the show closed with referee Shay Purser coming out to the ring, once again to Glass Shatters by Disturbed, before stunnering fellow ref Joel Allen and ring announcer Matt Richards. Why not? 

ATPW Scale Rating // 6.69/10

Written by James Marston // @IAmNotAlanDale

Wrestle Ropes' Ready for the Weekend: May 2016 Week 3 - HOPE, CHIKARA UK, PCW, FNW, PWC, Pride, Ironfist, BWP, Reckless Intent, LCW Elevation and FSW

This week's edition will be slightly different from normal. Due to there being a lot of events this weekend we've decided to have a quick look at 11 of the shows taking place. So let's get Ready For The Weekend.

The wrestling weekend kicks off this Friday when HOPE Wrestling are heading to Bedford and the venue of Esquires. Three matches have been announced for the show with the main event seeing 'The Righteous' Joseph Conners taking on Ashley Dunn, a man who has faced the likes of Will Ospreay and El Ligero in recent months. Also scheduled for May 20th are Joey Ozbourne putting his undefeated streak on the line against two-time Kings Of Flight winner, Chris Tyler and White Tiger taking on DOA in singles action. 

This Friday shall also see CHIKARA teaming with Fight Club: Pro to kick off the first portion of their Aniversario tour of the UK "The Chikara Special", in Newport, Wales at The Neon. While the expected Chikara stars will be on the shows, there is also a wealth of British stars involved in the whole tour which takes place across the weekend. Highlights across the weekend include Moustache Mountain (Trent Seven & Tyler Bate) facing The Colony (Soldier Ant & Fire Ant) in Newport, K.Y.S. (MK McKinnan, Pete Dunne & Damian Dunne) teaming up against Nixon Newell, CHIKARA Grand Champion Princess Kimber Lee and Heidi Lovelace at Fixxion Warehouse in Wolverhampton, before Fight Club: Pro Champion MK McKinnan faces Eddie Kingston in singles action at Bush Hall in London on Sunday. Chikara's UK Tour will then roll through Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle and Glasgow next weekend (and Bank Holiday Monday)

Moving on to Saturday and Preston City Wrestling will be making their debut in Liverpool at the Fusion Nightclub. The main event of that show will see Noam Dar taking on former WWE star John Morrison in a match which will be their third meeting in PCW. Grado shall also be in action on May 21st and has the chance to become a champion when he faces the current PCW Heavyweight Champion; Sha Samuels for the gold. Viper, who has just returned from Japan a few weeks ago will be facing Ireland's Martina in a first time meeting between the two. 

Saturday will also see Fight Nation Wrestling in action when they head to Eastbourne for 'Lethal Lottery'. The event will see Sammy Smooth, James Castle, Sid Scala, Jakey, Bruce & Ryan Smile participating in a tournament where the six men will be drawn into three teams. Those teams will face each other in a round-robin series of match with the team with the most wins going forward to the final. Those two men will then face each other in the final with the winner earning a FNW British Championship match. Speaking of the FNW British Championship, Mark Haskins will be defending the championship against Joseph Conners on Saturday. Ring Of Honor World Heavyweight Champion; Jay Lethal will also be in attendance on May 21st when he faces Josh Bodom in a non-title contest in Eastbourne.

Our friends over at Pro Wrestling Chaos are bringing back their hugely successful Total Chaos event this Saturday night at the Yate Leisure Centre in Bristol. The night sees a plethora of stars coming together except for one big difference. Nobody knows who they are facing as all the matches are decided at random on the night. Last year saw some great contests take place and this year is bound to be no different with the King Of Chaos Champion; Wild Boar, El Ligero, Mikey Whiplash and international stars, Colt Cabana and Johnny Gargano all taking part in the aptly named 'Total Chaos' event.

Heading south and Ironfist Wrestling are at the Rainbow Hill Social Club in Worcester. The show has two matches announced so far as Alex Gracie shall be defending the Flyweight Division Championship in an Infinity gauntlet match against Killian Jacobs, Chris Custodio, Matt Hovis, Tommy Sparks, Daniel Arrowsmith, El Kazador, Christopher Drew, Sugar Shay Morris and Joey Scott. Odds on Gracie leaving as champion are 10% and that's not the best chance for the champion. The show will also see the debut of Alex Windsor, formerly known as Liberty who shall be facing Millie Marks in singles action in Worcester.

Finally, Britannia Wrestling Promotions shall see all their championships on the line at the Denbighh Town Hall this Saturday. Marc Morgan shall be defending the PWI:BWP World Catchweight Championship against Danxig. Babyface Pitbull shall also defend the Champion Of Wales title when he faces Dave DelVecchio. We're guaranteed new BWP World Tag Team Champions as the vacant titles will be up for grabs in a match to be announced. There shall also be a 10-man rumble where the winner will hold a Money In The Bank contract for a championship match of their choosing.

Rounding off the weekend on Sunday and Reckless Intent Wrestling are holding their Battle Of West Lothian tournament in Knightsridge, Livingston. The tournament shall see Michael Chase, Jam O'Malley, Sean Mercer, Theo Doros, The Westler, Rob Mills, Delsin Dayre and Jackie Grady compete in four quarter final matches, with the winner progressing to the semi-final and eventually the final all in one night. With a current champion and numerous top members of Reckless Intent's roster all vying for the win, it's a tournament with a lot of unknowns as to who will walk away the winner.

LCW Elevation are at Brockington College in Leicester on May 22nd with 'Ambition'. The main event will see 15 men compete in an over the top rumble match with the winner earning a match for the LCW Elevation Championship. The disturbing group of The Asylum will be in action this Sunday when they face the trio of Shauna Shay, Zak Northern and a third partner of their choosing. The Asylum have been running rough-shot for a while now. This trio will look to stop that momentum. Brett Ryans war against Joseph Conners will continue this Sunday when he faces another close ally of The Righteous one, Lucas Archer. Ryans has taken out Conners friends before and look to add another to the list.

HOPE Wrestling hold their second event of the weekend on Sunday this time in Warsop. The show will see Kyle Kingley try to do what his tag team partner, Robert Sharpe couldn't do a few weeks back, defeat 'The Mexican Sensation' El Ligero. Speaking of Robert Sharpe, he'll also be in action when he faces CJ Banks in singles competition. Martin Kirby shall be defending the HOPE Championship this Sunday as well when he compete against Lucas Archer for the first time ever.

The final event of the weekend will see Futureshock Wrestling back at the Stockport Guild Hall. The show shall see James Drake finally defend the Adrenaline Championship for the first time since January. It might be his last though as his challenger is Jack Gallagher, a man who is due to feature in the WWE Cruiserweight Classic in the near future. Fellow champion, Lana Austin will also be in action this Sunday but her championship will not be on the line. However, if her opponent, Violet Vendetta was to win, it would put her as a very serious contender to the Futureshock Women's Championship. Former Futureshock Champion, Xander Cooper will be competing this Sunday when he faces a man who is everything he is not, Sam Bailey. Both these men want a win over the other to put them on the path to hopefully once again become cahmpion.

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: April 2016 Week 3 - FCP, Pride & RevPro

We're back and once again it's time for everybody to come aboard the.... weekly article? Yeah, so we're no experts at talking. What we are pretty good at though is telling you just a tiny selection of the great events coming up this weekend in British Wrestling. Let's get Ready For The Weekend!

friday
fcp planet terror vol. 2
wolverhampton, west midlands, england

Friday night kicks off another wrestling weekend when Fight Club: PRO are back at their usual haunt in Wolverhampton of The Planet Nightclub. The night sees Vol 2 of Planet Terror take place but it could be virtual bliss for us wrestling fans. Back at 'Rise Against' Pete Dunne was originally scheduled to face Clint Margera in a Death match. However, Dunne said that he would never compete in such a match and Rickey Shane Page took his place. Well this Friday marks Margera's birthday and FCP management have let Margera choose any match he wants as way of a gift. So Dunne will be in this match. He will be facing Margera. And it shall be an unsanctioned Death match! Clint Margera might not only be ripping open gifts, he could be ripping open Pete Dunne. For months, The Hunter Brothers have been at odds with The Facesmashers. Last month, Wild Boar & Dan Moloney said they wouldn't face Hunter Brothers again until they proved themselves. Well FCP think Hunter Brothers have proven their worth so these two teams are going to meet once again in an attempt to settle their differences. Whether we'll see the end to this war or not, we're seeing another battle in Wolverhampton this Friday. The main event on April 15th shall see MK McKinnan defending the FCP Championship for the first time this year. His opponent shall be having their first challenge for a championship in FCP, Nixon Newell. McKinnan has stated that he believes Newell has no place in the ring with him. Newell has proven without doubt that she is equal to any man or woman to grace FCP. If McKinnan thinks that Newell is no real threat to his championship reign then simply he won't walk out of The Planet Nightclub as champion.

planet terror vol.2 match card

*Fight Club: PRO Championship*

MK McKinnan (c) vs Nixon Newell

*Unsanctioned Death Match*

Pete Dunne vs Clint Margera

*Singles*

Trent Seven vs Zack Sabre Jr

*Singles*

Tyler Bate vs Travis Banks

*Tag Team*

The Hunter Brothers vs Wild Boar & Dan Moloney

saturday
pride carry on wrestling
glasgow, scotland

Moving on to Saturday and Pride Wrestling are hosting their first event of 2016 at their home of the Bridgeton Community Centre in Glasgow. The night sees championships defended and new threats emerge. Chris Renfrew and DCT have been battling over the N7 Championship since last year with Renfrew going to any length to remain champion. However, DCT's resilience has lead to Renfrew showing him a degree of respect. DCT's quest and hunger for the N7 Championship is still as strong as it ever was. He will not stop until he becomes champion. Each time he has come closer than the last. Could this be his time to topple Renfrew and become champion or will he come up short once again to the antics of the champion? Massimo Italiano is back in action at Pride after an impressive debut at their last event. This time round he's going one on one with possibly the most popular man in Pride, Bobby Roberts. Italino is a big hitter and he'll need to hit hard to get Roberts off his feet and down for the three-count. The crowd will almost certainly be behind 'Big Beefy' as he welcomes back the big Italian. When Pride finishes we shall know who has a guaranteed championship match as the 24/7 Challenge returns this Saturday. The past two challenges have been won by men who have both went on to become Pride Heavyweight Champion thanks in part to the any championship, anywhere clause. This 24/7 Challenge sees one of those men, 'The Lowland Superstar' Glen Dunbar once again compete for the contract. His long-time tag team partner, Alex Cavanagh and Christopher Saynt have also been announced for the match. The unknown in this match will come from the two unannounced entrants. Everyone in Pride Wrestling will want to be a part of this match as previous winners have shown it's potential to be a rocket to championship gold. The eventual winner will just have to overcome four other competitors to get that chance.

carry on wrestling match card

*Pride N7 Championship*

Chris Renfrew (c) vs DCT

*24/7 Challenge*

Christopher Saynt vs ‘The Lowland Superstar’ Glen Dunbar vs Alex Cavanagh vs ??? vs ???

*Singles*

Massimo Italiano vs ‘Big Beefy’ Bobby Roberts

*Singles*

Mr Byers vs Solar

sunday
revpro sittingbourne spectacular 2016
sittingbourne, kent, england

Rounding off the wrestling weekend and Revolution Pro Wrestling are at the UK Paper Leisure Club in Sittingbourne with their 'Sittingbourne Spectacular 2016' event. RevPro are well-known for the international match-ups and this event is no different with international stars in every match that has been announced. That is not be a slight at RevPro as they have scheduled some mouthwatering match up with the best of British stars. Pete Dunne only debuted in RevPro a few months ago during the Undisputed British Cruiserweight Championship tournament. He went on to win that tournament and has been having stellar matches since. This Sunday looks to be no different as he faces one of the best cruiserweights in the world in the shape of Matt Sydal. Sydal has had a number of memorable matches in the past few years. This match could well be added to that list when he faces Dunne. When RevPro announced the first match for this event we knew the calibre we were getting. King Ricochet returns to RevPro to face 'The Aerial Assassin' Will Ospreay. Both of these men have appeared in the US, both are members of the New Japan Pro Wrestling roster. This is a match of world-class, epic proportions. Make no mistake this match will show why both of these men are the most in demand stars in the world right now. The main event will see championship gold defended as Zack Sabre Jr defends the Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship against Michael Elgin. ZSJ won the championship from now WWE star, AJ Styles back in January. Not only did ZSJ win but he made Styles tap out to do it. Styles on that night declared the new champion to be one of the best in the world. A sentiment echoed by many others. He'll have to be indeed one of the best this Sunday as the challenger, Elgin, is a powerhouse of professional wrestling. Elgin has appeared in RevPro before and he impressed in a big way. Since then he has grown in talent and power. ZSJ is a technical wizard whose kicks are as hard as his holds are to escape from. He'll need those talents to counter the power and strength that Elgin will bring to the table on April 18th.

sittingbourne spectacular 2016 match card

*Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship*

Zack Sabre Jr (c) vs Michael Elgin

*Singles*

‘The Aerial Assassin’ Will Ospreay vs King Ricochet

*Singles*

Donovan Dijak vs ‘The Anarchist’ James Castle

*Singles*

ACH vs ‘The Beast Of Belfast’ Big Damo

Za

‘The Reborn’ Matt Sydal vs ‘The Bruiserweight’ Pete Dunne

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!