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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Event Review: FCP Pulp Fixxion Part 2 - Trent Seven v Pete Dunne

On 22nd October, Fight Club: Pro was at Fixxion Warehouse for the second night in a row, with Part 2 of Pulp Fixxion. The main event saw Pete Dunne put his FCP Championship on the line against Trent Seven, whilst Mikey Whiplash and Clint Margera went at it in a No Disqualification Match. With the likes of Kay Lee Ray, Kimber Lee, Nixon Newell, Shane Strickland and Fire Ant making up the undercard, could FCP raise the bar following a very good event just 24 hours earlier? Let's have a look, brah.

Pete Dunne retained his FCP Championship with a victory over Trent Seven in what was the best match across the two Wolverhampton shows. The pair might be PROGRESS Tag Team Champions, but in FCP there's no loved lost between the duo and that showed before the bell with Dunne striking before the announcements even began. The crowd (including myself) were hooked from that moment onwards as Dunne and Seven worked a 16 minute sprint. The bout was a mixture of Seven no-selling shit and some huge dramatic near falls. The two tropes seemed to play into each other, with Seven's ability to dig deep following taking huge moves like a superplex, giving the match a sense of momentum, allowing the fans to start to believe that Seven could take the title from Dunne at the first time of asking. This meant that each near fall had some real weight and believability. Dunne running into a powerbomb, before Seven turned it into a Single-leg Boston Crab, that he's put away Tommy End and Mark Haskins with recently, was a moment that I was completely wrapped up in, desperate to see the heel champion quit. This was helped by how well Dunne sold the hold and the previously mentioned drive of the contest.  

The finish saw a whole lot of shenanigans, beginning with a spectacular ref bump that saw Shay Purser moved into the path of a Seven suicide dive by Dunne. This caused Purser to go through the two rows of ringside seating and It looked wonderful (obviously not for poor Shay) being timed perfectly and getting a big reaction out of the Wolverhampton crowd. Every second following this was brilliant to watch, certainly helped by the emotional investment that I have within FCP as well as the two performers and characters, but I'd like to think it was equally as exciting and entertaining for those attending their first show with the company. In a sequence that was a rollercoaster of emotion, Seven hit a dragon suplex and spinning piledriver, but there was no ref to count the pinfall, but after Dunne had caught Seven low and hit his DT3 (Pumphandle Facebuster) a second referee, Joel Allen, managed to come flying out of the curtain, only for Seven to kick out at two and get another thrilling near fall off a roll-up as Dunne argued with Allen. By the time, Dunne got the submission win, it was as crushing a moment as it should have been, rounding off a wonderful final stretch and enhancing Dunne's credentials as champion. When the moment comes for Dunne to lose the belt, that moment will be all the sweeter because this bout took place. 

In the semi-main slot, Mikey Whiplash picked up his first victory in FCP, by defeating former champion Clint Margera in a No Disqualification match. This was an incredibly creative contest, as the duo took a limited selection of weapons and constructed a number of breath-takingly brutal highspots. Without using the cavalcade of "toys" that were seen across Margera's series with Chris Brookes earlier this year, the bout kept things interesting by having each spot feel bigger and more impressive than the last. This was an aggressive and violent display from the beginning as the two threw forearms at each other and then threw each other into the ringside chairs and walls. This was two chaps with no real backstory, beyond the tag match from the Friday night, just battering the piss out of each other for 15 minutes, just because they bloody could. 

The final three spots of the match were stupid, silly stuff (Meant in the best possible way, that you can call something stupid or silly) Whiplash took a superplex through some chairs, Margera took a slam off the top rope through another load of chairs TO THE FLOOR and then Whiplash hit a Death Valley Driver onto a pair of interlocked chairs on their side to get the win. Any three of those spots could have ended the match and I don't think anyone would have felt hard done by had that been the case. So, is there a case to be made for their being "too much" here? Probably. Is that a case that I'm going to put forward? Fuck no. As uncomfortable as some of teases and spots made me feel at points, it kept me completely involved in the contest as I was on the edge of my seat (bad back and all), partially in anticipation of what carnage was to come and partially because I was hoping neither performer would end up seriously hurt by some of the more high-risk aspects of the bout. The victory going to Whiplash was a slight shocker, as I expected him to come in and put over the FCP regulars, but I'd certainly be up for seeing more Whiplash in Fixxion Warehouse in 2017. It'll be interesting seeing how he'll fit into the wider picture and storytelling within the promotion.

Nixon Newell picked up a big win over Kay Lee Ray, in a match that is difficult to describe because of the ridiculous amount of styles and influences the duo used throughout. Like one moment the pair were doing a cool back and forth headlock and pins thing, which mimicked what had been seen in the Three Way with Kimber Lee from Pulp Fixxion and then all of a sudden Lee and Shane Strickland were having a dance off in a scene reminiscent of the 2001 The Simpsons' episode Tennis the Menace! The match didn't need the dance off to be entertaining, but I also don't feel like it detracted from the quality of the bout either. The pair continued with the back and forth and did so very well with a series of suicide dives, strong-style forearms and a number of finisher attempts, whilst also mixing in some comedy like chopping referee Shay and having him assist Newell in an inadvertent Stunner. It was a difficult task to try and include so much contrasting content within the match but Newell and KLR created something that was entirely enjoyable, featured some excellent wrestling and looked a lot of fun to be involved in as FCP continues to develop it's women's division. This was definitely a step in the right direction. 

One of the strongest stories in FCP in 2016 has been Travis Banks' quest for a win and it was in his loss to Fire Ant (putting him 0-11 in FCP) that it really began to shine and develop into something that currently feels like it could become something particularly special into the new year. Whilst the match seemed to take a couple of minutes to fully connect and grip the crowd, the final stretch of combat was superb stuff, as Banks came agonisingly close to getting his first win in the promotion. Two near falls for Banks stand out in particular, the first being the Kiwi Buzzsaw withstanding a barrage of offense, including a tope conhilo, high crossbody and PK, only to reverse a brainbuster attempt into one of his own, with the second coming moments after when the New Zealander showed his frustration all over his face, and hit a corner roundhouse kick, only for Ant to put his foot on the ropes before the three count. I was so involved in the losing streak angle, that by the end of the bout I found myself turning on Ant, despite him not doing anything wrong at all. I just wanted Banks to win, goddamit. I love being able to get sucked in by the wrestling I watch, get lost in it and begin to engage with narratives and this angle is certainly ticking those boxes right now, with this bout with Ant being a strong continuation of the story. 

In intergender action, Chris Brookes went over Kimber Lee in a fun bout that told a decent story. In my review of Pulp Fixxion, I spoke about how much I hate the Brookes and his asshattery in FCP, which if you've read any of my reviews (or even just another paragraph of this one, I suppose) then you'll know I think that this is a wonderful thing. Before the match began the Calimari Catch King attempted to get out of the bout, revealing that he was actually in love with Lee, giving this as the reason that he lost their previous bout during the CHIKARA Anniversario Tour in May. This was played well by both performers, with it being clear that Brookes simply wanted a night off and Lee wanting nothing to do with it. After an early flurry from Lee, Brookes would control the match following a big boot, grounding Lee and just generally being a cockwomble about it all. It all worked nicely into a strong comeback from Lee, which included a sharp near fall after Brookes ran into a sit-out powerbomb. Brookes finishing sequence was being heavily put over across the weekend, as he hit a superkick and rope-hung whiplash neckbreaker, before locking in a double armed octopus stretch for the submission victory. I'm certainly looking forward to seeing how this plays into future matches in FCP. 

The opening match of the show saw Dan Moloney defeat Shane Strickland with his deadlift spinning sitout powerbomb, in what was one of the best, if not the best match I've ever seen out of the Superbeast. There was some tremendous wrestling in this one, as Moloney and Strickland's styles connected well, with Moloney able to operate in the powerhouse role, whilst also showing some real skill in being able to up his pacing and go toe to toe with one of the speediest performers on the Indy circuit. As much as Strickland is a hugely impressive wrestler to watch, thanks to his pace and varied offence, including a wonderful sequence that concluded with a rolling thunder into a jumping cutter, most of my attention was on the local Moloney. He handled the crowd's chants surrounding his smaller than usual footwear well and genuinely looked to be developing into potential top tier star. FCP continued to build it's roster of villains with the Moloney victory, joining the wins for champion Pete Dunne, Mikey Whiplash and Chris Brookes, across this show, seemingly with an eye on the Infinity tournament on 25th November.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 7.84/10

Show in a Sentence - A very good evening of wrestling, that upped the quality in a number of areas from the stellar card the night before.

Match of the Night - Trent Seven v Pete Dunne

Words - James Marston 

All images are the property of Fight Club: Pro.

Event Review: FCP Pulp Fixxion - Clint Margera & Trent Seven v Pete Dunne & Mikey Whiplash

On 21st October 2016, Fight Club: Pro returned to Fixxion Warehouse in Wolverhampton, West Midlands for the first show of three across the weekend, as they presented Pulp Fixxion. With a main event that saw FCP Champion Pete Dunne team with the debuting Mikey Whiplash to take on former champions Clint Margera and Trent Seven in a No Disqualification Match, as well as Kay Lee Ray, Joe Coffey, Kimber Lee, Nixon Newell and Shane Strickland in supporting matches, could FCP start the weekend in style? 

The headline bout of the evening saw Clint Margera and Trent Seven pick up a momentum building victory over FCP Champion Pete Dunne and Mikey Whiplash in an action-packed tag team collision. From before the bell, when Margera came flying onto Dunne and Whiplash, this was brutal fight that had plenty of energy and a boat load of intensity. The first couple of minutes saw all four on the outside of the ring, with Seven hitting a suicide dive onto Dunne who had been seated at ringside, before Margera was launched into the chairs on the other side of the ring by Whiplash. Both moments looked vicious and the blood-thirsty crowd wanted more. They certainly wouldn't be disappointed as all four men delivered top draw performances, pacing the encounter well and picking things up when needed. This was a great example of British strong-style.

The idea that these two teams were evenly matched was spread throughout the bout, with neither getting the upperhand for long. This was seen during a seated strike battle on the outside and became even clearer when all four went for running front dropkicks at the same time, leading to the foursome hitting multiple strikes on each other one after another. This would play nicely into the closing stages of the bout, as Seven was able to save Margera from taking a con-chair-to from the dastardly duo and Whiplash would save Dunne from taking a piledriver from Seven. By this point, having watched the two teams pull out their biggest moves and bring steel chairs into the mix, it felt like it would take some special or a big mistake to conclude the bout. In the end, it took a tiger suplex from Seven, a hard forearm from Margera and a Piledriver from Seven to get Whiplash's shoulders pinned to the mat. What about Dunne? The Bruiserweight simply watched the pinfall before walking out. Not only had Whiplash saved Dunne from taking a piledriver earlier, but he also stopped the pin when Dunne took one earlier in the clash! As hard-hitting and violent as the match was, it could be easy to miss the story that was told throughout the outing, but it created a satisfying watch for those keeping up. 

Dan Moloney's victory over Fire Ant featured a nice mix of good banter and solid wrestling, as Moloney continues to get more and more comfortable with every match he has. The crowd latched to Moloney's slightly small boots and began to serenade him with the Roderick Strong hymn book. The Superbeast's reactions to this were priceless and I hope that this only develops across the weekend, as there is some real opportunities for more comedic moments and to create even more heat for Moloney. The contest itself was very good stuff, with Ant always seeming to have Moloney's number, until that it is Moloney went for Ant's antennae, in a similar way to how the crowd grabbed onto the opportunity to sing "Shitty Little Boots" in various formats. The pair created some smooth wrestling inside the ring, with a number of tight reversals, whilst Ant got a strong near fall off a trio of big moves as he hits a Frankensteiner, a PK and then a brainbuster in quick succession. Having split from Facesmashers partner Wild Boar at Project Mayhem V, a victory for Moloney has set him on the right path with Boar conspicuous by his absence. 

Chris Brookes continued to get under the skin of the Wolverhampton faithful as he got a win over 2 time CZW Wired Champion Shane Strickland. This was strong blend of slick wrestling and comedic japes as Strickland made his debut in FCP and quickly got over with the crowd, partly because he wasn't Chris Brookes and partly because he's got some fun offence. The match played out fairly simply as Strickland's lucha stylings went up against Brooke's general twattery. Notes I wrote on this match include "Wrestling with Brookes being a general wanksock" and "Brookes is dick", I feel that they kind of sum up how fucking angry Brookes makes me. He put Strickland in a camel clutch and gave him a wet willy. Who does that? The wrestling was paced well, with Strickland getting to show off in exciting bursts, that made Brookes' ways even more frustrating. It would often be Strickland's pacy, risk-laden offence that would catch him out and that would be how the match concluded, because after a missed 450 splash, Brookes would finish off his opponent with a superkick and elevated spinning neckbreaker, before locking in the Octopus Stretch for the submission victory. A fun opener to the main show, that got the crowd nice and warmed up for more wrestling.

Outside of the main event, Joe Coffey pinning Travis Banks was the strongest fight of the night. Banks had suffered nine consecutive losses since joining FCP in February, despite coming close against world class talent like Zack Sabre Jr, Sami Callihan and Trent Seven, and that story really drove the match for me. Each near fall for Banks had so much more behind it, as like his previous FCP matches, Banks appeared to come as close as you can come to winning a match without having your hands raised. Banks hit a number of his big moves including the Running Knee, Brainbuster and a springboard roundhouse, but couldn't hold Coffey down for long enough. This was a real ding dong strong style battle, with the pair not holding back, as the action went mostly back and forth throughout. The finish would see Coffey having to dig deep, removing his elbow pad and after a flurry of action, he'd connect with his AwRaBestFurThaBells lariat combination to pick up the win. It was another tough loss for Banks, as the desperation that had caused him to hit a huge suicide dive earlier in the match, turned to frustration at having lost once again. It feels like it's only a matter of time before Banks snaps and with matches against Fire Ant and Shane Strickland still to come this weekend, it may happen sooner than we think. 

Kimber Lee would come out on top of an entertaining women's match, that also including Nixon Newell and Kay Lee Ray. This bout was almost entirely "Everything you can do, I can do better" as the trio traded headlocks, pinfall variations, forearms, German suplexes, reverse ranas, before beginning to go for their trademark moves. Despite just seven minutes of ring-time, the three way seemed a lot longer for how much the ladies managed to cram into the match, that seemed like it never took a pause for breath! The reverse rana sequence is one of the silliest things I've seen in a while, for all the right reasons. Having three all play babyfaces could have easily caused issues, but the trio worked hard to keep the crowd interested and the audience was happy to chant for all three in various combinations and simply enjoy the grappling. The sequence of near falls in the last leg of the bout were quality stuff, with KLR coming close on a Gory Bomb, Newell nearly winning with the Shiniest Wizard you ever did see, before KLR was able to block a Vulture Culture Destroyer attempt, only to find herself on the receiving end of a massive powerbomb from Lee. With Newell scheduled to face KLR on Saturday and Lee on Sunday, there's more to come from the women of FCP this weekend! 

A special pre-show match saw the debuts of Omari and TK Cooper, with the Big O coming out successful in a decent contest that showcased each man well. With just five minutes, both men established themselves well with the audience, with Omari receiving a strong reaction after being announced as an FCP trainee. Cooper controlled the majority of the outing, after catching Omari with a tasty axe kick on the apron, going on to hit a variation of the Blue Thunder Bomb. It was interesting to see Cooper attempt to pull out a number of tricks and flips, which he almost always missed to give Omari an opening in the match. Cooper has a lot more in his locker than I think I've seen from him previously and I'd very interested in seeing him join the main FCP roster to see just how much he can do when given the chance. Omari has quickly developed into a promising pro wrestler also and it was nice to see a different side to him having watched him come up through Kamikaze Pro. I'd like to see him use his size more and up his aggression levels at points, but this is certainly a young man with a lot of potential.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 6.93/10 

Show in a Sentence - Really good fun, good solid start to the weekender. 

Match of the Night - Clint Margera & Trent Seven v Pete Dunne & Mikey Whiplash

Words - James Marston (@IAmNotAlanDale)

Wrestle Ropes' Ready for the Weekend: April 2016 Week 4 - VII Pro, OTT & PROGRESS

This week we are not only crossing borders, we are crossing water. Firstly we are heading back to Telford for VII Pro Wrestling. Then we head across the Irish Sea to Dublin for Over The Top Wrestling before finally travelling to London for another sold out PROGRESS Wrestling event, Let's get Ready For The Weekend!

friday

vii pro final inception

telford, shropshire, england

Kicking off the weekend and VII Pro Wrestling shall be hosting their 'Final Inception' event at the Dawley Town Hall in Telford. The show will see the first VIIth Heaven Ladder match with Pete Dunne, Morgan Webster, Nixon Newell, Dan Moloney and Chris Ridgeway all in the ring at the same time with the goal of reaching the contract hanging over the ring which shall allow the winner to choose any championship match, at any time of their choosing. All five competitors would be worthy challengers to any championship. But only the one who wants it most will walk away with the contract. Back in November 2015, VII Pro Wrestling held their trifecta trophy tournament which saw The Bruiserweights and The YOLO Squad meet as part of the final. Well since then, these two teams have had on-going issues. The next chapter of their saga looks set to take place this Friday when The Bruiserweights' CJ Banks and Wild Boar will face Ethan Silver & Drew Parker of YOLO Squad. This feud has been back and forth for almost six months. Something has got to give at some point. It might be this Friday in Telford. The main event for April 22nd shall see the VII Pro Champion and British Lions Champion meet one on one. Ryan Smile and Chris Brookes are the top two in VII Pro Wrestling even if their paths to get there have been very different. Smile has taken on all challenges and walked out with his head held high. Brookes on the other hand has resorted to doing anything he can to ensure he remains champion. While no titles will be on the line this Friday, the bragging rights to claim you are the top champion is worthy almost as much.

final inception match card

*Champion Vs Champion*

‘All Day Star’ Ryan Smile vs Chris Brookes

*VIIth Heaven Briefcase Ladder Match – Winner Earns A Championship Match At A Time Of Their Choosing Within 12 Months*

‘Young & Bitter’ Pete Dunne vs ‘Smashmouth’ Chris Ridgeway vs Nixon Newell vs ‘Flash’ Morgan Webster vs ‘SuperBeast’ Dan Moloney

*Singles*

Liberty vs Toni Storm

*Tag Team*

The Bruiserweights (CJ Banks & Wild Boar) vs The YOLO Squad (Drew Parker & Ethan Parker)

*Tag Team*

‘Number One’ Damian Dunne vs Tyler Bate

saturday

ott better than our best

dublin, ireland

Moving on to Saturday and we turn our attention to not only a promotion we've never covered but also a country we've never featured before. On April 23rd, Over The Top Wrestling are that their home of the Tivoli Theatre in Dublin with 'Better Than Our Best: Return Of The Assassin'. The main event for the evening shall see Ryan Smile and Will Ospreay make their tag team debut. They demanded that they face the best that OTT can give them and they certainly get their wish as they'll be facing Pete Dunne and the OTT No Limits Champion; Luther Ward. While Dunne and Ward may be the very best in OTT, they are not the best of friends as they have been fighting for the Championship in recent times after Dunne turned on Ward in a previous match. We'll need to see if they can work together once again to face a team looking to make immediate impact in Dublin. A number of months ago, Gerry Humperdink told Justin Shape that if he and his fellow Gymnasties team-mates could win three matches in a row then they would be granted a championship match. They have so far won two matches. The third match could well be the toughest though as Shape shall be facing Dunkan Disorderly who is on a winning streak right now. Not only will The Gymnasties' championship opportunity disappear if Justin Shape loses but so will Shape's beard as it has been confirmed that will be on the line as well this Saturday. At OTT's last event, Jinny made her debut with a a win against Martina. Now the loss would have been bad enough for Martina except Jinny didn't stop there and took it upon herself to ridicule not only her opponent by everyone in attendance. Now Martina wants some sort of retribution. So she has called upon her friend, Nixon Newell who shall join her to face Jinny and the returning Katey Harvey. Jinny will no doubt be looking to repeat her win from March against Martina. However she may have a small issue in the fact that Katey Harvey has made it known that she's out to prove she's the most dominant female in Ireland. And that might not sit well will Jinny.

better than our best match card

*Tag Team*

Luther Ward & ‘The Bruiserweight’ Pete Dunne vs ‘All Day Star’ Ryan Smile & ‘The Aerial Assasin’ Will Ospreay

*Tag Team*

‘Session Moth’ Martina & ‘The Welsh Destroyer’ Nixon Newell vs Katey Harvey & ‘The Knightbridge Fashionista’ Jinny

*Singles*

Charlie Garrett vs Jordan Devlin

*The Beard Vs The Streak*

Justin Shape vs Dunkan Disorderly

sunday
progress chapter 29: practically progress in every way
london, england

Finally we wrap up the wrestling weekend with another sold out show for PROGRESS Wrestling at the Electric Ballroom in London. PROGRESS always deliver on their events and this one shall be no different. It'll also be rather special as this show will feature two qualifying matches for the WWE Global Cruiserweight Series which shall be airing on the WWE Network later this year. The first qualifying match will see Zack Sabre Jr face Flash Morgan Webster while Jack Gallagher shall face Pete Dunne in the second contest. Both matches would be a perfect fit for PROGRESS Wrestling regardless of their major meaning for the winners. This Sunday shall also see the continuation of the Atlas Championship tournament for PROGRESS' brand-new championship. The tournament is a round-robin style with two groups of four men. The winner of each group will meet in the final for the championship. The two matches that are kicking of Group B give us a glimpse of the calibre of matches we are going to see over the next few months with Joe Coffey and Rampage Brown going one on one while Michael Dante faces Damo O'Connor on April 23rd. The person who does eventually win this championship is going to have earned every piece of it. The main event this Sunday shall see Marty Scurll face Tommy End in a rematch from Chapter 28. The big difference this time is that Scurll's PROGRESS Championship will be on the line. At Chapter 28, Scurll refused to defend his championship. However, PROGRESS ensured that 'The Villain' did compete as he was scheduled for an open challenge. When End answered, Scurll was not best pleased. He was even less pleased after End knocked him out and pinned the champion. Such a big win over the champion put End as the next in line for a title shot and he'll get it this Sunday. If their last meeting is repeated then End could be walking out of the Electric Ballroom as the new PROGRESS Champion.

chapter 29: practically progress in every way match card

*PROGRESS Championship*

‘The Villian’ Marty Scurll (c) vs ‘Anti-Hero’ Tommy End

*Natural Progress Series Final*

Pastor William Eaver vs Damon Moser

*Atlas Championship Tournament – Group B*

Damo O’Connor vs Michael Dante

*Atlas Championship Tournament – Group B*

‘Iron Man’ Joe Coffey vs Rampage Brown

*Pick Your Opponent’s Partner*

Pollyanna & ??? vs ??? & Dahlia Black

*8-Man Tag Team*

F.S.U (‘White Lightning’ Mark Andrews & ‘The Pride Of Wales’ Eddie Dennis) & The London Riots (Rob Lynch & James Davis) vs The Origin (‘The Showstealer’ Nathan Cruz, ‘The Mexican Sensation’ El Ligero, ‘The Bastard’ Dave Mastiff & ‘Liverpool’s No.1’ Zack Gibson)

*WWE Global Cruiserweight Series Qualifier*

Zack Sabre Jr vs Flash Morgan Webster

*WWE Global Cruiserweight Series Qualifier*

‘The Bruiserweight’ Pete Dunne vs Jack Gallagher

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!

Wrestle Ropes' Ready for the Weekend: October 2015 Week 4

Another weekend coming up and another edition of Ready For The Weekend. Let's not hang about, let's dive into the Aladdin's cave of British Wrestling and take a look at a few of the gems on offer.

Friday night kicks off the wrestling weekend with Fight Club: PRO at The Planet Nightclub in Wolverhampton. The first match announced by Fight Club: PRO was one that had any fan of tag team wrestling visibly frothing at the mouth to see as The Hunter Brothers, arguably one of the best tag teams in Europe right now face the reunited duo of Eddie Dennis & Mark Andrews, collectively known as F.S.U. All four of these men have been tearing up FC:P for a number of years but when they are in tag team action, they take it to another level. This looks to be another memorable match for the history books of Fight Club: PRO. Speaking of history, two individuals who have a lot of history between them is Chris Brookes & Nixon Newell. Former tag team partners turned bitter enemies after Brookes turned his back on Nixon only to attack her on numerous occasions. Nixon has not backed down from Chris Brookes, getting her own back on her former partner at previous shows. Their issues need to be settled and on October 23rd they look to end it once and for all. The main event scheduled for 'Project Mayhem IV' will literally be a war of chaos. An 8-man war between MK McKinnan, Jimmy Havoc, Pete Dunne & Damian Dunne of K.Y.S. and Dave Mastiff, Clint Margera and Moustache Mountain's Tyler Bate & Trent Seven. Each team hates the other and everyone is out to prove a point to the other. The Planet has seen a number of battle over the years but this may be the biggest ever and forget the ring, the city of Wolverhampton may not be ready for the violence coming it's way this Friday night.

Moving on to Saturday night and Pro Wrestling Chaos will be at the Hanham Community Centre in Bristol with 'Total Chaos'. Unlike other shows that PWC have hosted in the past, this event has no matches for it at all. Now while this may seem strange, the whole premise of this event is that nobody will know who they are facing on the night. All we know is who will be there. We would normally talk about certain matches scheduled to take place but as we don't know what they'll be, we'll discuss a few of the men who will be in action. The first man who was announced for 'Total Chaos' was the reigning King Of Chaos Champion, Mike Bird. The champion has more knowledge of the night than others as he does know that he will be defending his championship in a match but he has no idea who his opponent will be or even how many there will be. He may have only just won the championship for a second time but he could have a reign that lasts less than one show if the draw doesn't fall in his favour. Another man confirmed for October 24 is the former Doomsday Killer, Gideon. After his return at 'The King Is Dead, Long Live The King', he has fire in him that few have seen from him. He will hope that he faces someone from the Doomsday Killers so help anyone else who happens to stand opposite him on Saturday. October 24th will also throw in even more unknowns when Chuck Cyrus & Pastor William Eaver both make their debut in Pro Wrestling Chaos. Both men will look to make a statement on their first night but against who, nobody knows.

Rounding off the weekend and Kamikaze Pro host 'Bank On It! 3' at the Meadway Sports & Social in Stechford, Birmingham. The main event will see the current Kamikaze Pro Tag Team Champions, The Hunter Brothers join forces with former WWE & WCW star, X-Pac to face the trio of Ryan Smile, Damian Dunne and the current Kamikaze Pro Champion, Robbie X. Smile, Dunne & Robbie X, collectively known as The Bigger Picture have been running thorough Kamikaze Pro, attacking anyone they choose and abusing the rules at any opportunity they can. Now the fight is fair with the numbers even and a team of champions and huge experience opposing them. We'll find out on Sunday if the road stops here for The Bigger Picture or if the Hunters & X-Pac will fall to the groups antics. October 25th sees the return of Kamikaze Pro's annual ladder match for the Money In The Bank contract. This year's feature numerous former champions with Tyler Bate, El Ligero, Juventud Guerrera & Dan Moloney all competing along with Clint Margera & Kay Lee Ray, who are no strangers to using weapons and taking the risks that this match will encourage. No clear winner in this match and anyone has what it takes to win the guaranteed 
championship match. Sunday night will also see the Kamikaze Pro Fighting Females Division in action as Toni Storm, Nixon Newell & Shanna compete in a triple threat match. Nixon & Shanna faced each other on Kamikaze Pro's last show with Shanna narrowly picking up the win. Now it's time to up the ante and the number with the inclusion of the very talented Toni Storm. While Shanna may have won last time, there is no indication to say that history will repeat itself as anyone of these women have the skills and talent to take the win in Stechford.



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