Wrestle Ropes Ready for the Weekend (21st/22nd/23rd August 2015)

In this week's edition of Ready For The Weekend we have events where returns will take place, careers and championships are on the line and opportunities are up for grabs.

On Friday night, HOPE Wrestling host a bumper 8-match card, Evolution 27: You Ask About My Consience and I'll Offer you My Soul, at the Forest Town Arena in Mansfield. In the main event of the evening, Jack Jester shall defend the HOPE Championship against Lionheart. Jester became the first-ever HOPE champion after defeating five other men in an elimination match at Evolution 25: Am I More Than You Bargained For Yet? last month, whilst  Lionheart outlasted 29 other men to win an opportunity at the title just a day later at Evolution 26: Boulevard of Broken Dreams. On August 21st we shall see which of these two men can overcome the other. A man who has overcome the biggest challenge of his life in the last 12 months is Kris Travis. In Mansfield on Friday night, Travis will make his in-ring return to HOPE Wrestling to face the winner of the Kings Of Flight tournament, Chris Tyler. Many have called Tyler the new Kris Travis, Travis is out to prove that wrestling doesn't need a new Travis, the original is still more than capable of stealing the show. Elsewhere in HOPE, there are no two men who hate each other more than LJ Heron and Ryan Smile. These men have competed in various matches for months with neither definitively showing superiority. However, this Friday they'll compete once again and the only way to win is to make their opponent say “I Quit!”. Add in another 5 matches that will feature El Ligero, Joseph Conners, Lana Austin, Martin Kirby & The Hooligans to name just a few and HOPE have a stacked show.

This Saturday will see Futureshock Wrestling celebrate their 11th Anniversary with Underground 12 at The Longfield Suite in Prestwich, where every championship will be on the line. A few months ago The Models were attacked and their Tag Team Championship belts were stolen by an unknown duo. It has now transpired that the duo in question were international tag team, The Wolves. Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards have now informed The Models that if they want their titles back then they'll have to win them and they'll have to do it in a Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match on August 22nd. Two men that have no love lost are Jack Gallagher and Zack Gibson. Both men have faced each other many times, delivering technical spectacles every time. On Saturday both men will come face-to-face once again, this time in a Submission Match. Either man could be argued as one of, if not THE best technical wrestler in the UK. Now it's time to find out who is superior. Every match has something on the line, be it respect, an opportunity or a championship. However, at this Saturday not only will Xander Cooper's Futureshock Championship be on the line but the challenger, Dave Rayne's career will be at risk. Dave Rayne is determined to end the reign of Cooper but 'The Man For All Seasons' wants Rayne's career to come to an end. Regardless of the outcome, Futureshock Wrestling is about to be changed forever. The Adrenaline and Women's Championship will also be up for grabs along with matches that feature Bubblegum, Ashton Smith, Sexy Kev and more as Futureshock Wrestling celebrating their 11th Anniversary in style.

Moving on to Sunday and IPW:UK are back at the Tap 'n' Tin in Chatham, Kent with another 18+ show, entitled If You Like Pina Coladas...and Getting Kicked in the Face. One match that presents an opportunity to all involved is a Four-Way Match between Damian Dunne, Chris Brookes, Tyler Bate & Pete Dunne. Remarkably, none of these four men have ever competed in IPW:UK before and this match not only has the possibility to steal a packed show but also gives all involved a chance to show why IPW:UK needs them in their ranks. A bout with an international flavour is the tag team match between The GZRS and the duo of Iestyn Rees and Robbie E. Sebastian and Tom Irvin have been tearing it up in the UK for the last few months doing things that a year ago had never been seen in a wrestling ring, such as a slip 'n' slip! Robbie E has won numerous championships and Iestyn Rees is a dominating powerhouse. The GZRS have a challenge on their hands when they face a team brimming with power and experience. When a show is for over 18s, there is usually a reason. One main reason for this IPW:UK event is undoubtedly the No F'n Rules Match between The London Riots and The Murkers. The Riots are known to do everything they can in matches to win when there are rules. Removing them will no doubt make them even more dangerous. However, their opponents love a fight. So much so that Jon Ryan's original tag team partner, Kurrupt is competing in his first match for over two and a half years. When a team reunite after being apart for so long you know that they are going to bring everything in their quest for victory. Riots vs Murkers, violence is a guarantee. Additional matches featuring Danny Duggan & Snare in a Falls Count Anywhere Match, a rematch between Toni Storm & Tennessee Honey and a lot more takes place this Sunday.


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.

Futureshock 74 Review - Marc Pearson

Just 4 weeks since Futureshock 73 we were back to the Guildhall with a truly ridiculous looking card. The building is sold out, complete and utterly, to the point where there were seats in places I've never seen them including where the commentary table normally goes. I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if people were turned away

PCW ring announcer Joanna Rose was in charge of ring announcing, commentators Mark Adams & Matt Taylor have shared the ring announcing duties since Jenna Ellison left the company 18 months ago and while they both do a good job it's something I've never liked so hope this is a permanent thing, other than calling the belt the FS title (a big no no in the company, it's the Futureshock Title, the owners get very funny if you refer to the company as FSW) Joanna did a great job.

As far as I could tell there was no commentary recorded, I will be VERY interested when I get the year-end box set to see how the commentary sounds because from my own personal experience it just doesn't sound as good if you aren't there live. As a head up to anyone from the company I would happily and willingly come out of retirement to call a Futureshock show!

Having settled into my front row seat and with the place full to bursting we got underway with Joe Vega defeating Mark Massa in a good, short and fast paced match, I think this one went less than 10 minutes but actually felt a bit longer, Massa hit a great looking spinebuster while Vega got a really nice moonsault press and finished the match with a springboard tornado DDT.

Next up, leader of The Uprising, Xander Cooper beat Sonar Dursen in another fast paced short match, both men employing some lovely, deep arm bars in this one. Sonar hit a lovely senton to the outside. He attempted a phoenix splash, a move you very rarely see and one I can't recall seeing in a Futureshock ring, alas it missed allowing Cooper to hit the MXC3 for the win. I got the impression that this was a match designed to make 2013 Trophy Tournament (and therefore, Number One Contender) a competitor who doesn't NEED his Uprising troops behind him to get the win

Zach Gibson & The Models d T Bone & The Blackpool Blondes in a fun, entertaining match. Gibson successfully retained his Futureshock Championship in a very good match last time out so this was a nice little continuation of that storyline. The Models are crazy over in Stockport, A young girl in the front row was giddy with excitement when the men came out and I honestly thought she was going to cry when Hotstuff Hayes slapped her hand! At one point we had a very entertaining moment as The Blondes put Bone in a corner, then put Axel Rage into a tree of woe so he was draped across Bone, they then suplexed James Drake onto the pair of them, certainly an interesting move. I must say I'm still waiting for the moment that Melanie Price turns on her charges, maybe it's just me but I don't like babyface teams with managers and Ms Price is way way more effective in the heel role. The Models hit The Snapshot (3D) then Futureshock champion Gibson hit his Liver Driver (modified brainbuster) for the win.

In the main event of the first half we got an absolute master class of a match between Jack Gallagher and former TNA star Sonjay Dutt. My friends and I were expecting a technical masterpiece between the two and were sometimes that can create a quiet crowd especially with casual fans. We got what we wanted and should not have worried about the crowd one bit. The match was fast and fluid, with both men doing little touches to keep the fans entertained between sequences. For example Sonjay kissing Jack's hand, Jack smiled and without missing a beat wiped the hand on the referee's shirt. Dutt locked an Octopus Stretch, a favourite submission move of mine then Gallagher, later on he went for his moonsault double stomp but Gallagher moved out of the way, connected with a picture perfect dropkick to the jaw and finally hit a Swanton bomb for the win to a standing ovation!

After the intermission the ridiculously over (and one half of the tag team champions) Dave Rayne defeated Noah in a match that not only featured the expected shenanigans but also some really nice wrestling. Noah brings a small, burned teddy bear to the ring with him so before the bell Rayne got on the mic and introduced his tag team partner The Nordic warrior who was holding Little Rayne - a large teddy bear which got a rousing LITTLE RAYNE chant. Highlights of this one were Warrior running in terror from Noah's fearsome scream, Noah hitting a beautiful armbreaker and Rayne winning with his back cracker off the top rope. I'd like to see the 2 of them go at it again in the future.

Next up was the only title match of the evening as Woman's Champion Danni Hunter took on impressive newcomer Lana Austin after Lana had pinned the champion in a mixed tag match at the last show. Both girls looked good in the ring, Danni hitting a really nice spinebuster and letting out a war scream that sent chills down your spine, definitely one not to be crossed. Unfortunately this one was just hotting up when Danni's Uprising companions hit the ring. Lana didn't give a damn about them though and hit Don Meacho with a really nice cross body to the outside, then, as he staggered into the ring she hit her Kiss Of Death (tilt a whirl stunner, a move that has to be seen to be believed) but this left her wide open to a spin kick from the champion for the win. I would have liked at least 5 more minutes as this one felt way too short but I'm sure the storyline is leading to these 2 facing each other again one day! After the bell it looked like The Uprising were going to attack Lana some more but Si Valour and Sparx made the save. Sparx complete with new ring gear made me a happy chappy. They brawled with The Uprising until Valour got on the mic and challenged Meacho and Ryan Hendrix to an impromptu match there and then, which the heels accepted. Sparx had a great big bandage on his left shoulder which any wrestling fan will tell you is just a big target for a man as nasty as Meacho, he picked Sparx up and dropped him shoulder first onto the ring apron! The heels got the win after Sparx stopped Meacho using Xander Cooper's Tournament trophy, then used it himself causing a DQ. Valour did not look happy about this at all and argued with Sparx who tried to protest his innocence all the way to the back.

While the famous Stockport raffle was being drawn Joanna announced that PWG star Drake Younger will make one of his last Indy appearances before joining WWE at the next Futureshock Underground show on April the 19th. I've been an admirer of Younger's for a while so this pleased me.

Speaking of pleasing me the main event certainly did that as Cyanide defeated Jay Lethal in a superb match. The action started hot and heavy as Lethal delivered a superkick the moment the bell rang, this staggered the big man who bailed to the outside, Lethal then hit a suicide dive to Cyanide's manager Chris Egan while the fans roared their approval. Lethal followed this quickly with an attempted cross body but was caught ant dropped into the apron by "The Toxic Terror". Lethal unloaded with punches which just made the big man mad to the point where he unleashed big Vader style haymakers in the corner then caught Lethal attempting a cross body and turned it into a wicked power bomb! Lethal managed to rally, hitting a missile dropkick and a lovely standing moonsault for 2 but when he charged at Cyanide in a corner he was met with a massive dropkick from Cyanide. The fans were at fever pitch by now, chanting this is awesome as Cyanide hit his Cyropracters Dream backbreaker for 2. The match went back and forth and the fans were screaming themselves hoarse as Lethal connected with a hurricanrana, a superkick and his Randy Savage style elbow drop, we thought that was enough but Cyanide still managed to kick out. Lethal called for his Lethal Injection move but as he attempted it Cyanide hit a lariat that turned Lethal inside out, amazingly the resulting cover got a 2 count. With Lethal down Chris Egan brought a ladder into the ring, when referee Darren Bateman tried to stop Cyanide using it he got in the refs face in a corner, Lethal loaded up for a superkick but Cyanide moved and the kick hit the referee square in the jaw, to the utter joy of the crowd. Lethal Injection put Cyanide down but there was now no ref, a second ref came out but only counted 2 as Cyanide kicked out! Egan got up on the apron, Lethal dispatched him with a punch but this left him wide open to a gas Chamber power bomb from Cyanide to get the 3! After the bell Cyanide put the ladder on top of Lethal's broken carcass and threatened to moonsault onto it, but Zach Gibson came out to make the save. Egan got on the mic and demanded a title shot for his charge who not only accepted it but said it will be a ladder match at the next show!!!!!

All in all this was the best Futureshock show in some time, every single match delivered, the crowd were super hot and at no point were they quiet. Both imports were on top form and hopefully will attract some of the casual fans who came to see them will have enjoyed the British guys and will come along again. A superb night!

Five Questions With... Ryan from Discover Wrestling

After last weeks interview with Alex and Rob from Scottish Wrestling Ring, it's now time to speak to Ryan from Discover Wrestling.

Name: Ryan
Age: 26
Hometown: Leeds, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom.
Known For:  www.discoverwrestling.com

1.    When did you first get into wrestling and what was it that drew you to the sport?

I got into wrestling as a little kid, but only really watched it when I got chance at a relative or a friend’s house. I really got hooked when Channel 4 started showing WWF Heat and Channel 5 starting showing WCW Worldwide. After those finished showing, I drifted through fallow years of the occasional DVD and book, before the Internet and full time employment allowed me much easier access to wrestling content. I think what drew me to it was the athleticism and theatrics, I’m a big comics fan and grew up really attached to the classic Batman TV Series, and there is really a lot of similarity between the two of them. So, when I saw the likes of Rey Mysterio and Psychosis going mental on Worldwide, it was like the next best thing! I was always drawn to the highflying guys and they are still the type of wrestling I tend to prefer!

2. Tell us a little about Discover Wrestling and how that came about?

Discover Wrestling was born out of the drive home from the PCW Supershow of December last year, springing out of an idea for a way for us to share videos/matches we liked. CJ and myself were chatting about it whilst belting across the M62 and the wheels were set in motion from that point. I studied writing at university and wanted an outlet for it and what better way than to start a blog! The name stemmed from the desire to share what we liked about wrestling and talk positively about one of our favourite things. After we came up with the idea to start up, we invited our good friend Olli to contribute, and later on our mate Mark was the last addition to the team. We like to blog with a real personal feel and want others to enjoy wrestling as much as we do!

3. If you could book a pro wrestling dream card at the moment who would it feature and why? 

Ah! This is a question and a half, I’ll keep it to just six matches or I’ll be here all year.

First off, I’d start with a red hot opener to get the crowd going and I’d have a big tag team turmoil (first pin to win!) match featuring Project Ego, The Models, Frightmare and Hallowicked (Of The Spectral Envoy) and Bad Influence. With Ego, The Models and Bad Influence there would be some hi-jinks going on, but The Envoy would be the glue that would hold it together. It’d really get the crowd excited and probably have them in stitches too.

Next up, I’d have a hard-hitting collision between T-Bone and Akira Tozawa. Bone is just a brilliant heavyweight wrestler and Tozawa just has the IT factor.

To go into the interval, I’d have a first half main event between April Davids and Daniel Bryan, it’d be a technical showcase and if I had the booking pencil, I’d end it as a time-limit- tie and have the crowd desperate for a rematch!

To start the second half, I’d get the crowd in the mood with a battle of the comedic geniuses between Archibald Peck and Mad Man Manson. The two of them are probably my favourite comedic style wrestlers and I wouldn’t be able to leave them off the show.

Penultimately, I’d have a big four way match between a real mixed bag, first up I’d have ‘The Man Gravity Forgot’ PAC (now Adrian Neville in NXT), he’s just an awesome talent and pretty much the guy to watch at the moment. Secondly, I’d jump in a time machine and grab 1997 Rey Mysterio Jr, because those two alone would just be awesome. However for some extra layers of brilliance (like a wrestling lasagne) I’d put in Bubblegum, he can really go and would add a mischievous dynamic to the match. Finally, I’d chuck in Sami Zayn, also of NXT Fame. That would pretty much be a dream match and the thought of it, is pretty much mind-blowing.

Last, but by no means least I’d have THE main event. After all that wrestling action, what better way to top it off with the ultimate match? I’d finish the show with a sixty-minute Iron Man match between Antonio Cesaro and El Ligero. Those two are pretty much at the top of their game right now and it would be a big thick slice of pure goodness to watch those two step up to such an epic match.

Admittedly, this supercard would probably last about five hours, but I’d just love it. It’s a pretty good mix of UK and international talent and I think that says a lot about our site, we try to mix it up as much as possible!

4. What are your Top Three matches of all time and why?

My favourite match of all time is Mick Foley vs. Edge at WM22. It’s just the ultimate in wrestling theatre, a real blockbuster of a match. I can sit and watch it repeatedly, its thrilling viewing and one, which for all the gore and violence, still has a strong story and a really crisp narrative. I wrote an in-depth ‘Match Of The Week’ about it a while ago, you can find it here: http://discoverwrestling.com/2013/02/20/match-of-the-week-mick-foley-vs-edge-wwe-ryan/

Next up, I’d have to go with Eddie vs. Rey at Halloween Havoc in 1997. Its one of the best matches of its type and showcases both guys equally. It’s just a jaw-dropping match. Again, this is just one you can watch on loop and you’ll still notice little nuances that you missed the last time around. It’s just brilliant.

Third place is really difficult as those two are my definite faves, but I’ll go for PAC vs El Generico from PWG All Star Weekend 4 - Night . PAC is awesome. El Generico is awesome. What more do you need to say? A modern classic!

5. Where can our readers find your work and what have you got coming up?

If people want to check us out, they can click on over to www.discoverwrestling.com for all our opinions on wrestling from around the world. Whether you want to find a match recommendation, a review of a UK show or just our thoughts on wrestling in general, it’ll be there! The next shows we are at are the NGW 5th Anniversary Show and the debut show from House Of Pain: Evolution, so you can expect to see reviews of those up in the near future! Also, check back for our regular ‘Match Of The Week’ feature and any other random goodies that crop up.

We are also on Facebook and Youtube at /discoverwrestling and you can follow us on Twitter @discoverwres.

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We'd like to thank Ryan for the fantastic interview!