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

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

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

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

Week One

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

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

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

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

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

Also This Week

Friday 7th 

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

Week Two

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

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

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

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

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

Also This Week

Friday 13th 

Attack! Pro Wrestling #Club100 THREE

Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

House of Pain Wrestling January Special

Nottingham

Saturday 14th

Britannia Wrestling Promotions 

Denbigh

House of Pain Wrestling Debut Day 2 (Jan Special)

Nottingham

Pro Wrestling Chaos The Mysterious City of Chaos 

Bristol

Feat - Wild Boar v Jimmy Havoc

Sunday 15th

PROGRESS Wrestling Chapter 42: Life, the Universe and Wrestling

Birmingham

Week Three 

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

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

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

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

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

Week Highlights

Friday 20th

4FW Price of Glory 2017

Bristol

Saturday 21st 

4FW New Year Wrestleution 2017

Swindon, Wiltshire.

Ironfist Wrestling TBA 

WrestleZone Summerhill Showdown 2017

Aberdeen

Sunday 22nd 

4FW Adrenaline Rush 2017

Bristol

CSF Pro Wrestling 18th Anniversary Event 

Bath, Somerset.

HOPE Wrestling 

Corby, Northamptonshire.

IPW:UK Supershow 6

Rochester, Kent.

Feat - John Morrison v Marty Scurll

Week Four 

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

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

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

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

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

Week Highlights

Friday 27th

House of Pain Wrestling January Weekender (Show One)

Nottingham

Saturday 28th

4FW Live!

Thatcham, Berkshire.

House of Pain Wrestling January Weekender (Show Two)

Nottingham

Revolution Pro Wrestling Contenders: Revolution Rumble

Porstmouth, Hampshire 

Sunday 29th

4FW Live!

Portishead, Somerset.

HOPE Wrestling Empire

Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire

HOPE Wrestling Presents

Derby

PROGRESS Wrestling Chapter 43: Tropic Thunderbastard

London

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

Article: James Marston

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Twitter - @ATPWrestling 

Facebook - /acrossthepondwrestling

Instagram - @ATPWrestling

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: October 2016 Week Three - TW, OTT & PROGRESS

Another busy week of British and Irish wrestling is ahead of us, this week we take a look at Target Wrestling in Annan, Dumfries and Galloway on Friday, before jumping over to Wexford, Ireland as Over The Top Wrestling take over Spiegeltent Festival on Saturday and rounding off in Manchester as PROGRESS Wrestling present Chapter 37: A Sudden Sense of Liberty. So without further ado it's time to get Ready For The Weekend! 

If none of those are near you or you're just looking for more, we've got alternative shows in highlighted also. Including shows in Armadale, Aylesbury, Aberdeen, Bury, Glasgow and Newport! 

Friday kicks things off with Target Wrestling heading back to Annan and The Corner House Hotel. This show marks the first of two events over the weekend for Target Wrestling with them heading to Carlisle the following night. 

In Carlisle, Shady Nattrass is scheduled to defend the Target Wrestling High Octane Division Championship against DCT. However, Natrass might not even make it to Carlisle as champion as he'll be facing Martin Kirby this Friday. Kirby has been close to championship gold in TW as well as being a multi-time champion all over the UK. Could Kirby finally win TW gold or will Nattrass be successful in his first championship defense of the weekend?

This Friday will see Annan's own Ivy Mist back in action in TW where she will be teaming up with former TW Champion; Medallion to face former TW Tag Team Champions; Havok & Karnage. Mist and Medallion have teamed before and had success doing so, but this will be their toughest challenge against former champions. Mist will have the backing of the crowd this Friday, however if the pressure of being in front of home town fans takes over, it may not be the homecoming she so desires. 

In the past, Alexander Henry, Spyda, Benny Munroe and Luke Rose have all crossed paths with each other. This Friday they'll all be meeting in the ring in a fatal four-way match. Some have wins over others, some don't like each other. Regardless of who likes who and who doesn't, only one person is walking of of this match as the winner. We might see alliances form but no alliance can win this match. It can only be one man. The one who fights the hardest for it.


Other matches on the show shall see “The Primate” Jason Prime taking on The Coyote Kid for the first time while Ryan Hunter and Ben Vicious shall be competing against each other in singles action.

Friday Alternative 

Premier British Wrestling Live in Armadale 

Armadale, West Lothian 

Tickets Available - From £8 per person 

On Saturday, Over The Top Wrestling make their debut in Wexford for a show at Spiegeltent Festival. 

Kimber Lee makes her first appearance for OTT, as she takes on Martina. Lee has proven to be one of the toughest competitors in Independent wrestling, female or otherwise, even reigning as CHIKARA's Grand Champion earlier this year, even succesfully defending the title against Nixon Newell in Wales. Yet on Saturday she may very well be at a disadvantage, not only because of the unfamiliar surroundings in her first match in Ireland, but also due to Martina being a little bit unpredictable. Even though she reigned a top of CHIKARA's gang of ragamuffins and oddballs for almost six months, Lee may never come into contact with a wrestler like Martina and that might just give the upcomer the edge over the much more experienced Lee. Whatever the outcome, expect plenty of shenanigans and some great action. 

Hubba Bubba Lucha explodes? Quite possibly as Bubblegum debuts in OTT to take on a man he's very familiar with, El Ligero. This pair have battle each other, teamed with each other and just about everything in between all over the UK and into Europe for over ten years and on Saturday that level of experience and familiarity comes to Spiegeltent Festival. Both are known to favour a high-flying and pacy style, so this one could very well be fought and won above the ring. Ligero struggled during his previous trip to OTT, so he'll be looking to put the demons of dual loses to Pete Dunne to bed, whilst Bubblegum will be looking to make a big impact on the company in Wexford. Either way, this match may steal the show! 

At the other end of the scale, Dave Mastiff is returning to OTT for the first time in over a year to take on a performer who will be looking to put himself in the conversion over Pete Dunne's No Limits Championship. Garrett has had a number of successes since debuting at the start of 2016, thanks to his sheer power and impressive speed for a 225 lb man, but in Mastiff he may have some who can match him for power and will work hard to keep Garrett from being able to break into a high gear and use his pace. The Bastard will be looking to show OTT what they've been missing out on over the last year and defeating one of the companies top contenders would definitely send out the right message. Mastiff and Garrett will give their all to get one over the other and you'll have to be in Wexford on Saturday night to find out who comes out victorious. 

Also on the card for Saturday are appearances from Love Island star, Adam Maxted and security guard turned actor turned wrestler, Tiny Iron. 

Tickets Available -  €18

Saturday Alternatives 

HOPE Wrestling Live in Aylesbury 

Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire 

Feat - Gene Munny v Chuck Cyrus 

Tickets Available - From £5 per person 

WrestleZone Live - In Aid of Kincorth Community Centre

Aberdeen 

Feat - Alan Sterling & Shawn Johnson v Mr. P & Kaden Garrick 

Tickets Availabe on the Door - From £10 per person

Futureshock Wrestling Underground 19 

Prestwich, Bury 

Feat - Fabian Aichner v Zack Gibson

Ticket Available - From £8 per person

After holding their biggest show to date in September, but not one to sit on their laurels, PROGRESS Wrestling holds their final Manchester event in 2016, with Chapter 37: A Sudden Sense of Liberty. 

After British Strong Style (Pete Dunne & Trent Seven) won the Tag Team Championship in September, three teams will be looking to get their head above the water and begin to stake a claim for a shot at the new men at the top of the division. FSU (Eddie Dennis & Mark Andrews) are perhaps the most popular tag team in the company, getting insane reactions whenever Andrew WK's Party Hard hits. However, their 2016 hasn't been a vintage year, at least in terms of victories, as they unsuccessfully challenged for the Tag Team titles on two occasions. The team that was champions at that time, The Origin, will be represented by El Ligero and Dave Mastiff. Perhaps surprisingly this is the first time they will be teaming as a pair, but with plenty of big match experience they'll be difficult to beat, even without Zack Gibson and Nathan Cruz at ringside. The wild card in this match has to be The South Pacific Power Trip (TK Cooper & Travis Banks) as whilst they're still a relatively knew team in PROGRESS, they've impressed in their first few matches and remain undefeated. If Dahlia Black is at ringside they may well cause an upset. Three teams and six competitors will make for pacy scramble of a match, but who walks out with the win is anyone's guess!

In another bout involving a lot of variables, Pete Dunne, Joe Coffey, Shane Strickland and Marty Scurll will go to battle for a shot at the World Championship, currently held by Mark Haskins. Just take a look at that line up, it's perhaps the most diverse four way ever. Dunne won the Tag Team Championship and has impressed enough since creating British Strong Style with Trent Seven to get a place in this four way. With Seven by his side, Dunne will do anything he can to earn a title shot and the chance to be a joint champion. Joe Coffey was unsuccessful in his quest to become the first ever Atlas Champion, but had previously blazed his way to the final with victories over the likes of Dave Mastiff, Michael Dante and Mikey Whiplash. Coffey is easily the most powerful man in the contest and will be looking to use that power to turn the negative of losing the Atlas tournament into a positive. 2 time CZW Wired Champion is still a newcomer to PROGRESS, but after defeating former World Champion Will Ospreay in August, he find himself with this big chance. Strickland is the quickest of the competitor, so will be hoping to win this one in the sky. The final participant, Scurll lost the World title in Brixton, but with PROGRESS offering no automatic rematches, he'll have to earn himself a chance here. The Villain has shown that he's obsessed with the title in the past, so who knows what he'll do in order to get the belt back in his possession. Dunne, Strickland, Coffey and Scurll all have what it takes and all four have incredibly different styles, this should lead to absolute classic in Manchester. 

After defeating Marty Scurll and Tommy End just three weeks ago, Mark Haskins will have his work cut out for him when he puts the belt on the line for the first time against The Origin's Zack Gibson. Gibson hasn't been in the best of form since reaching the Semi-Finals of Super Strong Style 16 in May, but managing to pin Jack Gallagher in his final match before leaving for WWE, as well as keeping The Origin from disbanding, has seen him catapulted into a title match. This could be a master class in submission wrestling as both are known to favour specific arm-based holds, but their similarities end there as Haskins is adored by the audience, whilst only Donald Trump seems capable of getting more heat than Gibson at this point in time.  The Star Attraction won their first encounter in January, so will be hoping for a repeat, but there's more than a possibility that Gibson could play spoiler and make sure that Haskins title reign is over before it begins.

Rounding out the show, Rampage Brown faces the unknown as he puts his Atlas Championship on the line in an Open Challenge, Kimber Lee faces Kay Lee Ray, James Drake takes on Fabian Aichner and Bubblegum returns to PROGRESS for a match with Chuck Mambo. 

Sold Out - Re-sale Tickets Available - From £10 per person

Sunday Alternatives 

Glasgow Pro Wrestling Asylum Proving Ground

Glasgow 

Feat - Austin Osiris & Kyle Khaos v Lionheart & Alex Hauser

Tickets Available on Door - £5 per person 

Dragon Pro Wrestling Battle Royale  

Newport, Gwent

Feat - Sierra Loxton v Jetta 

Tickets Available - £8 per person

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!

Words - Andy Scotland & James Marston

Images - James Marston

Image Source - Facebook.com

Opinion: Discovery Wrestling Goes Lucha (Billy Strachan)

Discovery Wrestling are back again for their second show in as many months as they prepare to go Lucha! Lucha Underground stars Angelico, Shane "Kill Shot" Strickland and "Prince Puma" Ricochet make their way to Edinburgh as 'Jam's House' has another party. With the news of the Superkick Party Volume 2 being halted in April, Discovery Wrestling announced that current Ring of Honor World Champion Jay Lethal would be coming to the Edinburgh Corn Exchange on April 10th and would be defending his ROH Title. So there's a lot going on and this event would be the last chance for many of the Discovery Wrestling stars to make their case to face Lethal.

Discovery have a knack of bringing in some huge names in the world of independent wrestling, from The Young Bucks to Tommy Dreamer, Chris Sabin (their current Y Division Champion) to Mike Mondo, Chris Hero and Crime Time. The sky is certainly the limit for the Edinburgh based promotion. Their recent inclusion in 5 Star Wrestling: ReGenesis on the PlayStation 4, there are more and more eyes on the promotion. They mix the big names from across the pond with the best and brightest the UK has to offer. 

Run by Alan Smith (former pro wrestler Mr News) and Alex Fowlis, they have a great ethic when it comes to giving the fans a show for all ages. They upload their full shows onto YouTube where we get to hear the commentary team of Randy Valentine and Darren T. Goss give their insight, with a Jerry Lawler- Jim Ross quality in bantering but able to also put all focus in the action happening in the ring. As a relatively new company they have put together not only a wrestling show but an experience to those that attend. March 10th will be no different and they've already announced several marquee matches including several debuts and battles that will take place for the first time ever. 

The biggest news coming into this show is the debut of Ricochet, the (literally) bigger news was his opponent…"The Beast of Belfast" Damian O'Connor. Damo has been on the best run of his career, putting on great match after great match against the biggest, the fastest, the strongest and has stood on them all. He's developed a reputation of not only being a great trainer but as a fantastic wrestler who can do things that no man his size should be able to do. Hot off the heels from a TNA UK Tour (that is currently being televised this month) and an ICW World Heavyweight Championship win in his hometown of Belfast, Damo is a man in demand and to see him face the best high flyer in the world will be a special sight. The Jam House will have to go through some renovation work after this match as the roof will be blown off the building.

 The Y Division four way elimination match has become a staple in Discovery Wrestling as it allows debutants to show their stuff. It's also seen some of the best in the UK compete with Aspen Faith, Ian Ambrose and BT Gunn being just a few names. This time there is an international feel with Lucha DS (Mexican?), a graduate of the PBW Academy debuts on the right night as Discovery Wrestling Goes Lucha so it seems a right fit for the mask man, the Cypriot Theo Doros (one of my Ones To Watch this year), the Italian Massimo and the Bollocks Kenny Williams (okay the Bollocks isn't a nationality…). You have the high flyers in Lucha and Kenny, the power of Massimo and the scrappiness of Doros to make one hell of a combination. These matches always have the potential of being showstealers so this could be just that, a showstealer.

One half of BAE Club is in action when Sammii Jayne takes on the debuting Lucy Cole. Cole, another graduate of the PBW Academy (and another of my Ones To Watch) takes on 
a product of the SWA Source Wrestling School. A nice little bit of school rivalry which won't be part of the match. BAE Club are undefeated in Discovery Wrestling and boy, they aren't shy about telling people. Picking up wins over Viper, Nikki Storm, Kay Lee Ray and Bete Noire which is a who's who of Women's wrestling in Scotland. It would be a safe bet to assume that Debbie Sharpe will be getting involved to help her BAE.

Joe Coffey has beaten everyone, bar a double count out to Deviation, so Discovery Wrestling have brought in another challenge in Angelico. If Joe Coffey plans on taking on the Y Division then a win against the high flying Angelico will put another feather in his cap. Coffey has had a remarkable time in Discovery Wrestling facing the likes of Mike Mondo, Chris Hero and Mark Andrews and seeing victory each time.

When Chris Sabin was unable to compete due to injury, his handpicked challenger Lewis Girvan defeated the number one contender Christopher Saynt in November to be crowned the Interim Y Division Champion until Chris Sabin returned. The main event sees Lewis Girvan defend the Interim Y Division Championship against BT Gunn and Shane Strickland. Christopher Saynt cost BT Gunn the title when he attacked Lewis Girvan during Discovery's last visit to the Jam House in February. 'The Scottish Sinner' will no doubt be watching this match very closely as he believes that being champion is his right. 

Ringside tickets have sold out for this event but there is a limited number of general tickets on shop.discoverywrestling.com as of writing. If you're in the Edinburgh area on Thursday, why not go and discover wrestling at The Jam House.

matches announced

Ricochet vs Damian O'Connor

Aspen Faith vs Michael Chase

Joe Coffey vs Angelico

Sammii Jayne w/Debbie Sharpe vs Lucy Cole

*Y Division Four Way*
Lucha DS vs Kenny Williams vs Theo Doros vs Massimo

*Interim Y Division Championship*
Lewis Girvan © vs BT Gunn vs Shane Strickland

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