Day of the Dead Review // Aussie Open vs. Moustache Mountain

On 27th October 2017, Fight Club: Pro held Day of the Dead at Starworks Warehouse in Wolverhampton, West Midlands. The show featured a clash between Aussie Open (Mark Davis & Kyle Fletcher) and Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven), Mark Haskins taking on David Starr in a first time encounter, as well as appearances from Penta El Zero M, Pete Dunne, Rey Fenix, the Callous Hearts (Jimmy Havoc & Clint Margera) and Kay Lee Ray. But was it any good? Lets take a look! 

All event photos courtesy of Fight Club: Pro and The Ringside Perspective.

Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) def. Aussie Open ("Dunkzilla" Mark Davis & "The Aussie Arrow" Kyle Fletcher) via pinfall // 17:01

Before the next match began, loud duelling chants echoed around Starworks Warehouse creating an incredible atmosphere inside the building that both teams played into.

A terrific tag team match, that started red-hot and somehow managed to take get hotter by the time it reached it's climax. A near twenty minutes of four lads going nuts on each other, hitting big strikes, big moves and getting big pops. Things started simple enough, Mark Davis hit Trent Seven really hard and often then Tyler Bate and Kyle Fletcher did a cute mirror sequence, before Fletcher dropped into the Aussie Arrow in peril role. But things didn't stay in your regular tag team format for long as Davis came blaring in with a rambunctious hot tag, Bate accidentally gave Seven bop n' bang and from that moment on we were off to proverbial races. With Aussie Open rolling and the pace lifting and lifting, almost everything that happened seemed to be a hit. Davis caught Seven in wristlock and then somehow also hit a powerbomb on Bate, Tyler took a pop-up diving cutter situation and the big boy Davis did a freakin' Arabian press onto everyone and it was just silly. Silly, silly wrestling. 

The bout powered towards its finish as the momentum swayed back and forth and the relentless nature of the contest continued. It felt like the crowd didn't stop popping, constantly being surprised by what these four were capable of doing together and just how much they were going to pull out. Building from kneeling forearms featuring all four men, the bout built to it's crescendo well with the rookie team of Aussie Open pushing Moustache Mountain to the limit, as they themselves looked for their first win in Wolverhampton since April 2015. The strongest near fall came off a Fidget Spinner from Aussie Open that came moments after Davis nailed Bate with his magnificent pull-up piledriver, but after some lvoely back and forth it was Bate & Seven who walked out with the W, after Bate countered Fletcher to hit a mid-rope exploder suplex and following a Seven burning hammer to Davis, Bate picked up the pin with Tyler Driver '97. Part of what made this match so well was that all four gave so much and it was full of action, but I ended up wanting more. I wanted to see these teams wrestle again and again and then again, because even with so much crammed into it, knowing these teams and what they've done elsewhere, you know that there's a bucket load of more cool shit and different directions they could take it.

Mark Haskins def. David Starr via submission (16:40) 

I adored this match. Having spoke to others, I know that it didn't do it for everyone, but by Jove it did it for me, so fuck those nobbers. It perhaps didn't have the crowd interaction and atmosphere that was present for some of the other bouts, there was no storyline to get your teeth into and both lads worked babyface, but the wrestling was fucking gorgeous. From the Goldie Lookin' Chain wrestling of the opening sequence, a pair of wicked suicide dive from both men, some tasty well-hit forearms, kicks and strikes off all shapes into a wonderful series of submission exchanges with Starr able to escape a number of leg-based holds from Haskins, the Star Attraction and the Cream in Your Coffee were flowing, smooth and physical as fuck. For me, this was sexy wrestling. 

A couple of sequences and moments stand out in particular from this one. The first saw Haskins nailed a ridiculous suicide dive, before a series of reversals ended up with Starr nailing his Cherry Mint DDT, followed up with a lariat for a near fall. Each step of the way felt logical and the momentum swing of the two big moves that bookended the sequence produced spikes at the right moments. The second sequence was the finish as the two ran through a series of near misses of signature moves, at sick pace, before Haskins was able to hook in a modified sharpshooter, making the most of the work he'd put in previously and picking up the submission win. Haskins has had a good 2017 in FCP with wins (in various formats) over Chuck Taylor, Tyler Bate, Angelico, Jimmy Havoc and now David Starr, I'd love to see him get a shot at Chris Brookes' FCP title, because they'd have a hell of a match together and seeing as they haven't met in FCP since 2013, it's about time. 

"Bruiserweight" Pete Dunne def. Omari via pinfall // 14:56 

Pete Dunne cut a vicious promo on Omari, initially seeming to be complimenting the Big O, before ripping into the prospect, describing him as "pathetic".

It feels like it's been a while since I've seen utter bastard Pete Dunne, like complete and utter bastard who no one would want to cheer for Pete Dunne. But by gawd was that what we got at Day of the Dead as he beat the ever loving shit into our boy Omari. Just over a year after debuting in dark matches, Omari has become a massive part of FCP, gradually improving and winning fans over every time he performs. So, seeing him scrap from underneath against the WWE United Kingdom Champion, eat a beating on the outside, withstand Dunne's underhanded tactics and skullduggery for nearly fifteen minutes and kick out of Dunne's Bitter End finish was a pro wrestling rollercoaster. The bout played on Omari's shock victory over Keith Lee from July, playing on similar themes (with added Dunne chicanery), with some tremendous near falls in the stretch, including a well-timed roll-up sequence and Omari's O-Zone standing out, alongside the Bitter End kick-out. Eventually, Dunne would hit another Bitter End to take the victory, but here's hoping that this won't be the last time these lads get to tangle inside Starworks Warehouse.

"The Kiwi Buzzsaw" Travis Banks def. Rey Fenix via submission // 14:04

This international first-time clash took a little while to find it's feet, but once it settled produced some great action as the pair threw the kitchen sink at each other. Coming directly after Aussie Open vs. Moustache Mountain was the first knock the match took, with a crowd that was more than ready for an interval taking a while to re-energise, whilst a wonderful creative arm-drag sequence using the ropes was let down by the slackness of the apparatus. The second two-thirds to a half of the match saw the two take things up a notch, trading big moves, near falls and hitting nasty chops and kicks along the way.  Fenix almost had the former FCP Champion beaten with a Crucifix Driver, Fire Thunder Driver and superb Spanish Fly, whilst the Slice of Heaven, Kiwi Krusher and Lion Clutch almost did it for Banks. Throw into the mix a pair of diving double stomps from both men and a post-Lion Clutch reverse rana and by the time it was over, the match had developed in an absolute PWG-style belter. Banks have to unload all of his signature arsenal to get the victory was the cherry on top, bringing the match to a fitting conclusion.

FCP Championship Match: Chris Brookes (C) def. Penta El Zero M [Pentagon Jr.] via pinfall // 13:46

After a killer show, I couldn't help being a little underwhelmed by this relatively short main event. However, on many other shows, this would've been the showstealer, as it was still a high-quality wrestling match. A good portion of the bout was a wild brawl around ringside and into the crowd, with Penta taking it to Brookes, with chops, whips into the barricade and even the signature CCK baking tray. Talking of CCK, that pesky Kid Lykos also played a big part in the match, despite having a cast on his arm, like some kind of canine Bob Orton. The outside interference gave the match a different edge to the rest of the show and also created a real moment when Penta's brother Rey Fenix came out to counter the numbers game (after Lykos got involved following a Panama Sunrise from Penta) and then that bothersome wolf took a package piledriver on the apron from the current Lucha Underground Champion. The highlight for me came directly after this with Penta able to escape the Death by Roll-up, a move that had previously proved fruitful during Brookes' reign, nailed a pumphandle half-nelson driver and got a late two count. The reaction for the roll-up kick out was nice and there's potential there to develop more interesting situations and near falls in future matches. A different roll-up would be enough to see Brookes retain, because he's a slug pellet.

After the match, Penta had a man dressed as Jesus Christ come in the ring to bless him and Fenix, in one of the trippier moments of a pretty trippy 2017 in wrestling.

Jack Sexsmith def. Kay Lee Ray, "Flash" Morgan Webster, Eddie Dennis, Stevie Boy, Dan Moloney, El Phantasmo and Shay Purser // 11:36

During the entrances for the opening match, Dan Moloney attacked Shay Purser, seemingly taking him out of the bout...

A varied eight-way opening match with a cast of characters, both regulars and new faces. Stevie Boy impressed on his debut, with a lovely sequence with Morgan Webster as the rest brawled, whilst Dan Moloney was at the centre of most of the action, initially denying a tower of power, only to end up at it's peak later on. There was also Shay Purser... who returned to the match with a sword drawn on his chest and to the sounds of Brock Lesnar "Next Big Thing" entrance theme and took us all on a detour to Shay-plex city. Perhaps, not everyone's bag, but Purser locking Moloney in the Kimura was a brilliant moment and got a good pop. There was the usual multi-man goings on as well with some lovely dives from Jack Sexsmith, Xavier, El Phantasmo and Webster, as well as Dennis' crucifix powerbomb to Purser. The bout was let down slightly by some timing issues in the stretch, with Phantasmo seeming to miss his cue on a save for Purser and the finish seemingly coming out of nowhere as Sexsmith hit a sick diving double stomp on Xavier and got the pin. It looked like there was potentially more to come, but perhaps that was to enhance the surprise of Sexsmith getting the pinfall. 

Callous Hearts (Clint Margera & Jimmy Havoc) & "Session Goth" Martina def. the Anti Fun Police (Chief Deputy Dunne, James Obstruction [Jim Hunter], Leigh Obstruction [Leigh Hunter] & Los Federales Super Santos Jr.) // 6:59

Callous Hearts wanted a fight and after the Anti-Fun Police (including the former Hunter Brothers, James Obstruction & Leigh Obstruction) answered the challenge, Martina would end up joining Clint Margera & Jimmy Havoc, as the "Session Goth"

A comedy match pre-main event, which settled the crowd nicely followed the emotional rollercoaster of Omari vs. Dunne. There were sweets everywheres, Los Federales Super Santos Jr. did a suicide dive and Martina doing various Undertaker inspired moves, including a ridiculous assisted version of Old School. The comedy was done well, the match was kept short and sweet, featuring mostly babyface offence. It won't make any match of the year lists, but in it's slot on the card, it was a fun jaunt, that gave the show a little more variety, which is never a bad thing. Martina picked up the win with the Wombstone on Dunne.

After the match, Martina wanted to celebrate in the proper Goth way, but Callous Hearts decided to leave her to it when she started rocking out to Avril Lavinge's 2002 hit Sk8r Boi.

Another good show from Fight Club: Pro as they continue to have a wonderful 2017. For me, the card could have done with a re-shuffle, as it felt a little disjointed a times. However, this was one of the most varied FCP shows of the year, with a lot of different styles on offer. Whether that be the big boy relentless tag match between Aussie Open and Moustache Mountain, the slick, liquid sexy wrestling of Starr vs. Haskins, the firey Dunne vs. Omari, the comedy sweet fight or the pacey spot-fest (with Shay-Plex city detour) there was nothing on the card that felt similar to something else. With just one show left in 2017, I'm looking forward to seeing the direction that FCP takes now that it appears to be settled in Starworks Warehouse. Personally, I'd like to see more of the heated feuds that were a highlight of the Fixxion shows and it'll make more sense to do something like that now that the larger Starworks crowd is more familiar with the performers.

Review by James Marston 

Event Review: ICW In Your Face Space Coyote - Kid Fite v Joe Coffey 4

On 4th October, Glasgow based Insane Championship Wrestling held their first show in Wolverhampton, In Your Face Space Coyote, at Wulfrun Hall. Returning to the West Midlands for the first time since July, ICW presented a show that included Kid Fite searching for his first ICW victory over Joe Coffey, whilst Coffey looked to continue his warm up for Kurt Angle at Fear and Loathing IX. With Joe Hendry, Trent Seven, Tag Team Champion Mark Coffey, Bram and Matt Cross all on the card, would ICW make an impact on Wolverhampton like they have all over the UK? 

Venue & Audience - This was my first time at an ICW show, so expect that to impact the review a fair bit. I'm not a regular viewer of the product, I saw last year's Fear and Loathing show on VOD, but didn't make much of it, so haven't watch a full event since then. I tend to keep up with what's going on through Wrestle Ropes' results, so generally have an idea of who's got issues with who, who is being pushed etc. There were approx 150 people in the building, which looked very small because of the size of Wulfrun Hall, but the majority were extremly lively. Whilst the atmosphere would have been improved in a smaller venue, the audience did create a surprisingly good buzz, considering the large amount of space in the room.

Whilst Matt Cross and Wolfgang went on last, I want to talk about Joe Coffey's victory over Kid Fite in the main event slot. It was slightly longer (12 mins), which is almost certainly down to the crowd spending three minutes after the bell singing the riff of Coffey's theme music, Black Sabbath's Iron Man. Both men played it superbly, with Fite showing that he wanted things to stop, which, of course, was designed to get the audience to continue, whilst Coffey would let things die down, before encouraging once again with his signature chest beating. Those first few minutes were a real lesson in crowd control, helped by Wolverhampton being more than up for a sing a long. The actual wrestling didn't quite manage to match the crowd's energy for me, with a number of the bouts bigger spots and quicker sequences come across as a little awkward. A front dropkick that Coffey hit to knock Fite off the apron ended up looking like it hurt Coffey more than Fite. However, the crowd remained loud throughout and there was a nice near fall for Fite, with a low blow and brainbuster. Coffey would hit Aw Ra Best Fur Tha Bells (Discus Lariat) to continue his strong run, since winning and losing the World Heavyweight Championship on the same night in July, which has seen him defeat the likes Josh Bodom, Timothy Thatcher and Matt Cross. 

Match in a Sentence - A match that didn't connect as well as it should have in the ring, but one that demonstrated how over Joe Coffey is, even in an area he rarely visits.

The final match on the card was World Heavyweight Champion Wolfgang besting 2 time GSW Breakthrough Champion Matt Cross in a style clash that was a Match of the Night contender. The two worked together well, perhaps surprisingly seeing as this was their first match together, with Wolfgang, the big bruising heel champion and Cross the speedy and exciting babyface. The structure wasn't particularly complicated, but it was filled out with good timing and character work, as well as a couple of really cool spots. Both were over with the audience as a tired crowd remained involved, reacting to pretty much everything either guy did. One of the highlights, for me, was their scrap on the outside, where they put together a speedy sequence before Wolfgang would lift Cross up and crotch him on the guardrail. After brawling into the bar area, the match returned to ring and featured some top quality wrestling with the two going back and forth, including a brilliant near fall where Cross would dodge a punch from the brass-knucks covered fist of Wolfgang and hit a springback cutter. It would have been nice for the title to be on the line, just to give the show a bit more consequential feel, yet at the same time that could have lead to some of the crowd not buying into the Cross' near falls as much as they did.

Match in a Sentence - A big scrap, that was simply booked, but well performed, with a number of strong near falls.

"Big Kink" Jack Jester continued his fine run of form in ICW with a victory over Dan Moloney in a match that had a hometown gut-check type feel to it. Moloney is from the West Midlands and known for his work locally in Kamikaze Pro and Fight Club: Pro, so despite being mostly a villain, he got a favourable response from Wulfrun Hall and whilst there was a contigent of Jester fans, this almost created a home football game atmosphere for the contest. Jester spent a lot of time trying to get in the fans faces, pulling apart the guard rails as fans chanted at him, meaning that it was a good couple of minutes before anything really happened between Jester and Moloney. It was cool for the fans who were getting involved with Jester and speaks to the interactivity of these smaller tour shows, but it went on a little too long for me. Once it started the wrestling was decent, with Moloney taking advantage of the crowd, to work a style that I haven't seen him use before, whilst Jester played the bully role well. The finish made Moloney look great against one of ICW top stars as he was going toe to toe with Jester until a mule kick low blow and a Tombstone Piledriver gave the former World Heavyweight Champion the victory. 

Match in a Sentence - A solid encounter with a unique feel, that could have done with a little less stalling.

In the opener, the team of Zero G Champion Lionheart and Stevie Boy (accompanied by Kay Lee Ray) picked up a victory over Kenny Williams & Joe Hendry, following some interference from Hendry's former Local Fire partner, Davey Boy. The majority of the bout was a decent tag team affair where after Hendry & Williams shined early, Lionheart and Stevie were able to take control with plenty of help from KLR on the outside. This created some enjoyable activity as the villains used a t-shirt and external interference, including KLR being able to cut off what looked like a potential Williams comeback by pulling Hendry off the apron moments before the tag could be made. The finish however showed a lack of attention to detail as Hendry left the ring to brawl with Davey out of the Hall, however Hendry had been the legal man at the time. Whilst Williams fighting on his own against Lionheart, Stevie & KLR was an interesting story to watch unfold, as KLR removed the ref to stop Williams pins, both Lionheart & Stevie were attempting pins also, regardless of who was supposedly legal. This is a pet peeve of mine! If I'm expected to be invested in Williams attempting to get the tag earlier in the match, then why change the playing field and allow anyone to go for pins later on? 

Match in a Sentence - Some decent tag team action, with an story furthering angle for Fear and Loathing IX, but there needed to more attention to the detail.

Trent Seven continued the road towards his World Heavyweight Championship shot with a victory over 2 time Heavyweight Champion BT Gunn in a hard-hitting sprint. With both guys fan favourites in the brand, Fight Club: Pro star Seven got the majority of the fan support in his hometown. The duo put a real shift in across the nine minute outing, battering each other in out of the ring, with big strikes and suplexes. The chop sequence on the outside, where both would end up connecting with the ringpost was clever stuff, whilst the pair scrapping on their knees following a number of big moves (including Gunn kicking out of a piledriver) was cool, and had a great sense of building momentum, with both selling well. It's a shame that this felt like the adbridged version of a better match that the two could have had, as more time would have allowed some sequences the chance to breath. With another five or ten minutes and the chance and ability to explore, these two could produce absolute magic together.

Match in a Sentence - Good hard hitting shit, but not enough of it.

Former TNA King of the Mountain Champion Bram picked up a big win heading into the Battle for Control on 20th November, besting former World Heavyweight Champion Chris Renfrew with more than a little help from Black Label pals, Drew Galloway and Jack Jester. This was a bit of a mixed bag for me. When the duo focussed on what they do best, wild and crazy brawling, the match was a lot of fun. What's not to like about big blokes throwing other big blokes into walls, barricades and destroying the merch stand? I felt like once the match got back in the ring, it lost most of its intensity, with very little definition to make up for it. The contest wasn't helped by Bram's single fan in attendance yelling for her villainous bae throughout (someone had obviously had a little too much during the interval as she was nowhere to be seen throughout the first half). Things picked up with the finish that was a well worked situation, as Jester caused the distraction on the ramp, that allowed Galloway to come through the crowd with a chair and hand Bram the victory.  

Match in a Sentence - A firey brawl when outside the ring, that struggled when inside it, but had a cool angle for the finish.

Tag Team Champions Polo Promotions (Jackie Polo & Mark Coffey) continued to build momentum to their showdown with Team 3D (Bully Ray & Brother Devon) on 20th November, with a victory over first time team, "Smash Mouth" Chris Ridgeway & "Kiwi Buzzsaw" Travis Banks. This was the sleeper hit of the evening for me, as Ridgeway and Banks connected surprisingly well for a first-time unit, while Polo & Coffey heeled it up nicely, roughhousing the newbie team for a long portion of the match. Despite one gentleman loudly shouting "We Want Team 3D" (I can only imagine he expected the 8 time (WWE) World Tag Team Champions to be chilling in the back eating orange chips), Banks had the majority of the crowd support and his partnership with Ridgeway built from the hot tag onwards, with a number of sweet near falls for the team, including one off a nifty superkick and german suplex combination. The four built the match well towards the finish, that saw Coffey pin Ridgeway following a superkick and Polo Promotions' elevated German suplex double team (which I imagine has a snazzy name), with the move initially being teased on Banks, before a flurry from Banks & Ridgeway. The team of Smashmouth and the Kiwi Buzzsaw has potential, but my main takeway from this match was that I don't see nearly enough of Ridgeway at the moment and hopefully that will change in 2017!

Match in a Sentence - A cracking tag encounter, that made good use of it's time and built to an exciting climax.

Following the finish of Bram v Chris Renfrew, there was a busy af angle, that would lead directly into the Sha Samuels v Davey Boy match (see AOB). The main bulk of this would come from a Drew Galloway promo, where he talked about the injuries that had kept him out of competing on the tour (he was Trent Seven's scheduled opponent for this show), as well as addressing Mark Dallas' absense as the build for the Battle for Control continues. Galloway's promo was perfectly fine stuff, as he brought his trademark intensity, as one bloke shouted 3MB at him and Jack Jester and Bram kept Renfrew down on the ramp. Samuels would attempt to help out his team mate for Fear and Loathing IX but quickly got blindsided by Davey Boy and another steel chair. The beatdown of Samuels seemed to go on forever as Davey choked him out with his own scarf and smashed his leg with the chair. 

Segment in a Sentence - Managed the difficult job of promoting various angles, but went a little too long and lost the majority of my interest by the time the Samuels v Davey match began. 

Any Other Business 

• Despite the vicious attack from The Black Label and Davey Boy before the match, Sha Samuels was able to roll-up Davey in a short, but well paced encounter, with Joe Hendry acting as a distraction on the ramp.

• Following Trent Seven's victory over BT Gunn, Stevie Boy and Kay Lee Ray attacked Gunn on the ramp, with Wolfgang attempting to blindside Seven, only for the hometown star to rebuff the attack, before cutting a strong promo thanking the fans and vowing to defeat Wolfgang for the World Heavyweight Championship on 20th November.

• The show concluded with Trent Seven making the save for Matt Cross, hitting his Seventh Heaven Piledriver on Wolfgang, before posing with the World Heavyweight Championship in a bostin' moment to send the fans home happy and promote the upcoming Seven v Wolfgang cage match on 20th November.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 5.31/10

In Your Face Space Coyote was a relatively enjoyable night of professional wrestling in the style that you would expect from ICW. Polo Promotions v Ridgeway & Banks, Wolfgang v Cross and Seven v Gunn were all good matches and definitely the highlights of the evening. Some of the booking was a little frustrating, because of the need to heavily push Fear and Loathing IX. It was shame that names likes Grado (pulled earlier in the week), Lewis Girvan and Kay Lee Ray (dropped to a valet role) didn't wrestle on the card as they were three of the ICW regulars I was most looking forward to see. Big Damo's departure to WWE also took away a name heavily associated with the brand this year. However, it was cool to see West Midlands based guys like Dan Moloney and Travis Banks getting slots on the show, with the mostly savvy crowd recognising this and creating a great atmosphere for those matches, that is unique to these ICW tour shows.

Show in a Sentence - A decent wrestling event, that was a little overpriced at £19.

Match of the Night - Ridgeway & Banks v Polo Promotions

Words and Images - James Marston (@IAmNotAlanDale)

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Wrestle Ropes Ready for the Weekend: October 2016 Week Two - GPWA, IPW:UK & ICW

The nights might be drawing in, but that doesn't mean we can't still get Ready for the Weekend! This week we kick things off in Glasgow on Friday as Glasgow Pro Wrestling Asylum host the sixth edition of A Night in The Asylum, head down south for the first night of International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom's Super 8 2016 on Saturday before finishing off back in Glasgow as Insane Championship Wrestling presents a Fight Club Taping. 

Not near Glasgow or Kent, don't worry we've got a couple of alternatives for each day! 

Friday starts the wrestling weekend with Glasgow Pro Wrestling Asylum's latest event in Glasgow. Once again, the young stars of GPWA will be mixing it up in the squared circle with more established names of British Wrestling based north of the border. 

That mix is no more evident than in the main event match between the NAK and The Purge. Chris Renfrew and BT Gunn need little introduction. Both skilled as singles competitors, they've even more a threat as a duo and as such have held numerous championships. The Purge are also making a name for themselves with GPWA as a very skilled team who have a very bright future ahead of them. Both teams are known for a hard hitting offence. One thing that the NAK do have that The Purge don't is the PWE Tag Team Championships. That could change though as it's been confirmed that the championship will be defended on Friday for the first time outside of Pro Wrestling Elite. If The Purge were to win, they would become champions of a promotion that they have yet to compete in. A true history making moment itself. 

When you speak about big impacts, few people can match Flex Hunter. A genuine Goliath of a man, Hunter has been dominant in his time at GPWA and has went through more than a few of GPWA's stars. His opponent is one of the men who helped to train him but one of Scotland's most decorated stars, Lionheart. Lionheart has faced some of the biggest stars in professional wrestling but only a few of those could match Flex Hunter for his sheer size and power. Lionheart has a lot more experience in the ring than Hunter and that experience will be vital to defeat a man who has destroyed many men who have stood before him. 

Over a number of months, Molly Spartan and Kasey have been exchanging blows and victories over each other. Neither seems to become a definitive winner between the two. The next chapter of their feud will happen this Friday when both women bring a partner for some tag team action. Spartan has brought in an unknown factor in the shape of Jokey. Little is known about Jokey other than she is from Italy. Kasey on the other hand has went with a partner who is probably one of the best known females today, Viper. A champion on numerous occassions, Viper is world travelled and has as much experience as she does power. Picking a winning team in this match isn't easy. It's really a case of experience against the unknown.

GPWA's event will also see Stevie Boy in action against Ravie Davie while The Sam Barbour Experience shall be facing Kez Evans. Barbour's tag team partner, C.S Rose will also be competing this Friday when he faces Jack Dillon. The final match of the card will see the very unique Iriving Garrett in the ring with the current ICW World Heavyweight Champion, Wolfgang.

Tickets Available - £10 per person

Friday Alternatives 

HOPE Wrestling Evolution 39: The Past Is Only The Future With The Lights On

Mansfield, Nottinghamshire

Feat - The Boogeyman v T-Bone 

Tickets Available - From £7 per person

WrestleForce Wrestling at The Cricketers 

Southend-on-Sea, Essex

Feat - Kevin Hanley v Harrison Bourne

Tickets Available - £5 per person

On Saturday, International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom brings the third incarnation of the UK Super 8 tournament to Casino Rooms in Rochester, Kent, as they present one of the most eclectic line up an eight man tournament can really hope for. Who will follow in the footsteps of Zack Sabre Jr and Rampage Brown? Let's take a look at some of the front runners.

It seems strange to place a man who hasn't been appearing regularly for IPW:UK this year as the favourite, especially considering he hasn't won in the promotion since June 2015, but quite simply anytime Dave Mastiff steps into a ring he has to be considered a favourite. Mastiff's sheer power, experience and endurance make him a match for pretty much anyone in the world. He's won the VPW Heavyweight Title Tournament in 2015, the BCC Title Tournament in 2010 and the RQW Tag Team Title Tournament in 2007, whilst his title reigns this year in VPW and PCW are only the tip of the ice berg for his reigns on top of various promotions. In 2014, Mastiff reached the semi-finals of UK Super 8, losing to the eventual winner, Zack Sabre Jr, he'll be looking to go one further this year and make the final and perhaps win the whole thing! Mastiff's Quarter Final opponent will be a man he is no stranger to, as he clashes with old FCP rival, Clint Margera, in what could prove to be one of the most brutal encounters of the entire weekend! 

Another man who must be considered on favourite, despite a lengthy absense from IPW:UK, is Magnus, who will be returning after an almost two year absense. Magnus has proven ability in that ring and has shown in the past that he's willing to do whatever it takes to get to the top of the business, as was clear during his rise to the top of TNA in 2013. It was there where he gained his tournament pedigree winning a TNA World Tag Team Title #1 Contender's Tournament with Desmond Wolfe in 2010, Championship Challenge Tournament and Wild Card Tag Team Tournament with Samoa Joe in 2011 and TNA World Heavyweight Title Tournament in 2013. Of course, more recently Magnus has been holding onto GFW's Global Championship, recently defending the strap on a brutal tour of Canada. As the most recognisable name in the tournament, he'll have something to prove on Saturday when he steps in the ring with Big Grizzly for the first time. 

Since debuting in IPW:UK last August, Chris Brookes has only lost one match, one match to someone has almost certainly had the best year of his career, Chris Hero. So, Brookes has to be considered a major contender heading into UK Super 8. Brookes has proven tournament calibre, winning FCP's Infinity Trophy in 2014, Plex Wrestling British Title Tournament and SWA British Lions Tournament in 2015. Outside of IPW:UK, Brookes has found success this year also, reinging as VII Pro's British Lions Champion, whilst also capturing the ATTACK! Tag Team Champion with Kid Lykos on two separate occassions. Brookes has shown in the past that he go with the best in the country, using his techincal knowhow to make a tough opponent for anyone, but he's certainly not afraid to bend the rules when it suits him, something that he may have dig into if he wants to walk away as the winner of UK Super 8. He faces current IPW:UK All England Champion "Smooth" Sammy Smooth in the First Round! 

Other tournament participants include former IPW:UK British Tag Team Champion James Davis, current EPW Champion Big Grizzly, 2015 Hardcore Lottery Semi-Finallist Clint Margera, All England Champion Sammy Smooth and Scott Star. Outside of the tournament, The Swords of Essex (Paul Robinson & Scott Wainwright) put their British Tag Team title up agaisnt DND (Danny Duggan & Cieran Donnely), 5 time WWE Women's Champion Mickie James takes on Jetta and in an international tag team contest 3 time AAA World Tag Team Champions Angelico & Jack Evans battle Shane Strickland and Lio Rush in a bout that may literally blow the rough off the Casino Rooms.

Tickets Available - From £15 pp

Saturday Alternatives 

Premier British Wrestling Live in Airdrie 

Airdrie, North Lanarkshire

Feat - BT Gunn v Sha Samuels 

Tickets Available - From £10 pp

Kamikaze Pro Live in Rubery

Rubery, Worcestershire 

Feat - Liam Doyle v Mika

Tickets Available - From £5 pp

The weekend rounds off on Sunday when Insane Championship Wrestling host another edition of the Fight Club TV tapings at The Garage in Glasgow. It's another packed show with eight matches scheduled to take place. 

Two of the matches announced will be qualifying matches for the Stairway To Heaven match for the ICW Zero-G Championship at Fear & Loathing IX. The first match will see Andy Wild face Kenny Williams. Both men are former champions and both have a desire to once again be champion. Williams has been trying to get back in the title picture for months while Wild's last match where he faced Noam Dar in his final ICW appearance, has reinvigorated the former champion. The second qualifying match will see Christopher Saynt face Zack Gibson in a match that shall be the first meeting between the two. Gibson is a no nonsense competitor who is all about business. Whilst Saynt is also a very skilled competitor, he does put on quite a show when he comes to the ring. It's unlikely that Gibson will appreciate that but Saynt will be sure to remind him that he's not just all show without substance.

 A few months ago, BT Gunn and Stevie Boy had a match that was supposed to end their dispute. It didn't. Instead those in attendance witnessed both men nearly destroy each other with steel chairs. Their issues are still there and if anything have grown bigger. These two men are going to have another match this Sunday in the hope that they can finally end this battle. However, if they went to the lengths they did last time in almost destroying each other, what will they do this time? 

Championship gold will be on the line this Sunday as well as Lionheart will be defending the ICW Zero-G Championship against Lewis Girvan. Girvan has been trying to get a championship match for a while now and finally he will have an opportunity in Glasgow this Sunday. Lionheart was the one who came up with the Stairway To Heaven match and obviously he will expect to be in the match to prove himself as the greatest ICW Zero-G Champion of all time. However, looking past Girvan and his desire to be champion could well result in Lionheart not even getting to the match he created.


Also this Sunday, Joe Coffey takes on Matt Cross in singles action. Tag team action comes in the from of Jack Jester and Kid Fite facing Sha Samuels DCT. ICW World Heavyweight Champion, Wolfgan will be in non-title action when he competes against “Local Hero” Joe Hendry while Hendry' former tag team partner, Davey Blaze shall be in singles competition against Trent Seven.

Tickets Available - £15 per person

Sunday Alternative 

International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom UK Super 8 2016 - Night 2

Rochester, Kent 

Feat - Tennesee Honey v Mickie James

Tickets Available - From £15 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

Wrestle Ropes' Ready For The Weekend: August 2015 Week 5 - RevPro, Kamikaze Pro, TNT & ICW

As we come off one of the big weekends in the wrestling year, you could be forgiven for thinking that the following weekend would be a quiet one. Well that might be the case for some, but not here in the UK as we have a plethora of events taking place all over our blossoming wrestling scene. Let's take a look at just a few and get Ready For The Weekend.

Up first on Friday night is Revolution Pro Wrestling's event at the Portsmouth Guildhall. RevPro are known for their events featuring the finest talents from the US and Japan and matching them with the greatest that the UK has to offer. This show looks to be no different with multiple international match-ups. One match with a great international flavour will see South Africa's and former WWE star, PJ Black (FKA Justin Gabriel) face one of the UK's most popular names, 'The Modfather' Flash Morgan Webster. Gabriel has travelled all over the world but it's unlikely he's ever faced anyone like Webster. From one on one competition to tag team action, The Wolves' Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards have held championship gold in almost every country they've competed in. Their opponents on August 28th are part of a group that have held nearly every championship in Revolution Pro Wrestling. The Wolves are one of the most seasoned teams in the world. Josh Bodom & James Castle will do anything in the world to win. The main event scheduled to take place at the Portsmouth Guildhall shall see 'The Phenomenal' AJ Styles defend the Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship against 'The Star Attraction' Mark Haskins. Now for anyone who is unaware, these men have a lot in common. Both have travelled extensively in Europe, Japan and been a part of TNA. This might be Styles first defence of the championship but to underestimate the threat that Haskins poses could very well make it his only defence.

Moving on to Saturday and we faced the old problem of picking one show from many so instead we have two. The first event on Saturday is Kamikaze Pro's Brute Force at The Collingwood Centre in Great Barr, Birmingham. The event will see all the championships on the line including Marshall X defending the Relentless Division Championship against Pete Dunne. These men are the opposite of each other in every way. Pete Dunne spent a number of weeks this year in China, improving his craft. Marshall X on the other hand spent his time winning and retaining the Relentless Division Championship by any means he could. However, now it's time to see if that cunning is enough to overpower Pete Dunne, a man who is focused solely on leaving Brute Force with gold once again round his waist. Speaking of gold, The Hunter Brothers will once again be in action defending the Tag Team Championships. Their opponents this time are a team which was born in Kamikaze Pro, The Vulture Squad. The Hunter Brothers have shown in every match why they are one of the best tag teams in Europe. The Vulture Squad have also shown their skills all over the UK as a team and individually. On August 29th we'll see who comes out of this match as the winner in a match that could go either way and steal the show. Another championship that'll be on the line will be the Kamikaze Pro Championship currently held by Robbie X. Robbie has had some big title defences since winning the gold in October 2014. This is quite literally his biggest as he defends against the first ever British World Heavyweight champion, Magnus. Robbie X has been a fighting championship and has never backed down from any opponent. He will need that mentality and all of his skill to overcome the massive Magnus. Magnus will know the challenge ahead of him to dethrone Robbie X. Robbie X will know this is biggest challenge yet.

The second event we are featuring for this Saturday is TNT Extreme Wrestling's Summer Explosion 2015 at The Black-E in Liverpool. Right at the top of the card in the main event we shall see Bubblegum face Stevie Boy in a Ladder Match with the winner qualifying for the heavyweight championship match later this year. Bubblegum is widely regarded as one of the UK's best wrestlers right now. Stevie Boy on the other hand is one of the best wrestlers based in Scotland. That being said, Stevie Boy is no underdog in this match. The fact that Stevie Boy is better known in Scotland than the UK as a whole is no indication of the skill and talent that he possesses. This main event is going to be very hard to call. This match might well introduce them to one of Scotland's wrestling diamonds when he faces one of the best in the UK. Now many people like masked wrestlers. Chris Ridgeway is not one of those people. He has issues with masks, big issues. However the next masked wrestler he faces, could be argued as being his toughest yet as he faces CHIKARA star, Ophidian on August 29th. Ophidian is known for his mastery of hypnosis. He may well need to to stop Ridgeway kicking his mask off and adding it to his growing collection. Many matches are born out of rivalry or quests for gold but not this next match between Wolfgang & Rampage Brown. Both men are classic heavyweights. Big, strong, tough and hard-hitting. This Saturday we're going to see which one is the best. It might destroy The Black-E in the process but even then these men will keep going until one comes out the victor.

Moving on to Sunday and Insane Championship Wrestling are back at The Garage in Glasgow with the next edition of their highly successful Spacebaws events. Championship gold will be on the line Sunday as the New Age Kliq's Stevie Boy faces DCT with the ICW Zero-G Championship up for grabs. DCT is a man on a mission right now after the events of his wedding to Viper and the attack from The 55. This has turned DCT into a man that few have ever seen. He's ruthless and unrelenting in his attacks. His opponent, the current ICW Zero-G champion, Stevie Boy knows all about being ruthless as he's part of the most dominating forces in the UK today. Stevie Boy turned on his own tag team partner before joining the NAK. DCT has claimed that nothing and nobody will stop him. We're going to see two men filled with hatred and anger give out as much as they can. Speaking of the NAK, Kay Lee Ray will also be in action on August 30th. She'll compete in a ICW Women's Championship Tournament Quarter-Final against one of the most decorated women's champions in history, Mickie James. These women have fought before but that was a very different Kay Lee Ray then. Since their last meeting, Kay Lee Ray has competed across the world, been featured on TV and become a completely different person. Mickie James will be a very tough opponent for Kay Lee Ray. Hopefully, Mickie James realises just what she faces in the unforgiving Kay Lee Ray of today. The premise of Spacebaws is to give the young stars of ICW the chance to shine and two men whose stars are shining bright right now are Lewis Girvan and Aspen Faith. While Girvan has been a part of Insane Championship Wrestling for a few years, Aspen Faith has only made himself known to ICW fans in 2015. This match will be a great showcase of what the future and indeed the present has to look forward to in ICW.


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.