WWE NXT #243 Review (Aired - 12th April 2017)

On the 12th of April, WWE aired the 243rd episode of NXT, taped at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida on 5th April. Starting off proceedings with a rather fun new theme tune that sounds like they couldn't be bothered to keep paying Astroid Boys for their UKCT theme and some lovely new opening credits, this was clearly a soft reboot for the developmental brand This week's main event featured the emotional goodbye of the King of Strong Style, Shinsuke Nakamura, as he heads off to Smackdown to make Dolph Ziggler job again. With matches also featuring Aleister Black (neé Tommy End), Drew McIntyre (neé Galloway), Tomasso Ciampa, Jonny Gargano, Ruby Riot, Kimberly Frankele & Oney Lorcan, could it improve on last week's dissappointing presentation?

Match 1:

 Aleister Black

def.

Corey Hollis

(0.30)

Not so much a match as a single delayed kick. Hollis bounced around the ring till he jumped straight into a Black Mass from the former PROGRESS & WxW Tag Champ for a quick pin. Black celebrated his quick victory with a Full Lotus in the centre of the ring. Obviously not a technical competition but it served its purpose and the crowd are already willing to take their coffee Black.

• Tye Dillinger talks about his excitement on joining the Smackdown roster but says he has unfinished business with Eric Young, business that will be settled next week in a cage match to stop his pesky friends interfering. Those always keep people out Tye, good call.

Match 2:

#DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tomasso Ciampa)

Def.

Dylan Miley & Michael Blais

(3:00)

Ciampa and Miley start proceedings, Miley looks like every other guy on the WWE roster if Vince re-drew him to his personal tastes, he controls both of the former NXT Tag champs with some big lad offense including a brutal looking stalled suplex at least until he tags in partner Blais who gets rocked easily by Johnny Wrestling and the Psycho Killer who hit the (FINISHER) for the win. After the match, Miley would murder his tag partner for the crime of losing. Some more fundamental, basic structure tag stuff but it did its job in establishing Miley as a monster to watch. That said, it's a shame that even if they got the win, this really had nothing to do with #DIY.

• In the aftermath of NXT Takeover: Orlando, Ember Moon spent an hour or two wandering around the Amway Center as they packed away the set and mournfully contemplating her loss while someone played piano for her. This was actually quite a refreshing change of pace for backstage/promo segments focussing on the emotion of the idea instead of any actual issues between the superstars. It not only built up the prestige of the Womens Title but did a lot to sell a re-match between Asuka and Moon as something special.

Match 3:

Ruby Riot

def.

Kimberly Frankele

(2:25)

It's now time for the Shimmer Main Event as former CHIKARA Grand Champion Kimberly took on the woman once known as Heidi Lovelace. Kimberly would control the action early on with some lovely stiff chops and kicks getting a nearly fall off a facebuster and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker combo, Nikki Cross would come to ringisde and do her nutter shtick somehow causing in fact a distraction allowing Ruby to get a comeback sequence leading to her wind-up Pele Kick finisher staring down Cross as she got the pin. Cross would then walk away laughing and looking all manic like. It did what it had to do but these two have had many significantly better matches, most of them longer than 3 minutes it's obviously building towards a one-on-one between Riot and Cross which should be good.

• The Iconic duo are mucking about backstage till they go to taunt Aliyah because if you remember, Peyton beat her last week. the segment ends when Liv Morgan pushes Billie into an ice bath. Banter, hijinks, shenanigans. Ha.

Match 4:

Drew McIntyre

def.

Oney Lorcan

(5:15)

Drew's not using Bad Dreams anymore, he has an entrance theme that's Metal as Fuck but also has bagpipes to remind you, he is Scottish. He gets a hero's welcome from the Full Sail crowd who've been surprisingly tolerable this taping with their most inventive chant being 'welcome back'. A nice change from their normal tone of 'we are more important than the wrestlers'. Talking of the wrestlers, for the time they were given they put on a good match with Drew playing heavily off his strength and size advantage but Lorcan managed to once again showcase his comfort levels with opponents of all sizes by using his blend of big ol' strikes and, well, running strikes but he's good at hitting people. The match featured some fine back-and-forth with highlights including an attempted crossbody to the outside by Lorcan, caught and reversed into an Apron backbreaker, a beautiful suicide dive by Lorcan and an Avalanche Front Headlock Suplex by Drew leading through a massive Alabama Slammer and a Test-sized Big Boot for the pin. Sadly no Futureshock DDT but that maybe be down to Almas and Roode already having DDT finishes. Fine, crisp stuff from both men making Drew look like a world beater with Lorcan still looking impressive in defeat.

• Drew gets a top-of-the-ramp interview talking about how he went away and won stuff, he has RAW talent, can put the SmackDown on anyone but he wants to be on NXT. Do you see what he did there?

Thank You, Shinsuke

The Two-Time NXT Champion has his graduation speech, coming to the ring in a black t-shirt, black blazer, charcoal grey trousers and what may have been winkle-pickers but I apologise if my shoes calls are as bad as my spot calls. He has the standard 'I'm going to Smackdown but NXT will always be home' type spiel, making you realise quite how big an impact he's had in just the year he's been here. It's also notable quite how fluid the speech is showing quite how good Shinsuke's English is. Also he's a charismatic, charming fucker who could probably drag a doctor off a plane and knee him in the head and still be cheered. Thank you for the past year Nakamura, now go kick the head off SmackDown: Live. In his own words, 'We Are NXT. YEAOH!'

• As the show finishes, the NXT roster and Regal come to the ramp to applaud Nakamura as he leaves including a surprise appearance by Finn Balor to rapturous applause, presumably as the cameras cut out, Mahal came in to concuss everyone. Hideo Itami, looking as good as ever is stood next to Regal, hmmm...

Finally...

With the new opening, the Full Sail debuts of Black, Riot & McIntyre and the fond farewell to Nakamura, this was clearly an episode all about building up the roster after losing arguably its top Main Eventer, Tag Team and Midcard hero in Nakamura, The Revival and Dillinger. It managed to present a lot of potential options going forward with everyone from McIntyre to Miley managing to show something. That said, while the in-ring action was solid if unmemorable, it did enough to present the developmental brand as one moving forward and developing quite nicely indeed. Now if they can just wrap-up the 'Who injured Itami in the car park' storyline...

ATPW Scale Rating: 4.5/10

Review: Jozef Raczka

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Opinion: There's No Such Thing as the Big Bad Wolf

What a 2017 it has been for UK Wrestling already and it’s only the middle of January okay nearing the end, I’m not good with dates! Anyway fans have witnessed ITV's World of Sport, amazing shows from PROGRESS, Rev Pro and many others, not to mention the WWE United Kingdom Tournament.

I went to the Tournament for both days and it was incredible. The event brought together wrestling fans and united them in positivity and hope for what the event will bring. There was no arguments of booking and it was great to see and read. But that euphoria of positivity can only last so long before issues arise, so I’ll discuss some here.

How often have wrestling fans said, “(insert UK wrestler name here) should be in the WWE” or “if WWE took notice of (insert UK wrestler name here) they will be signed!”. I've seen quite a lot of fans saying this type of thing over the years and guess what, your dreams have come true. The WWE in all its glory is shining a very big spotlight over Wrestling in the UK & Ireland and many of your favourite wrestlers are signed to one year contacts with a possible extension depending on their success.

Now how is this a bad thing, oh it must be a bad thing right? Because some fans are now saying WWE are ‘stealing’ the UK talent, ‘robbing’ fans of seeing their favourite wrestlers in promotions and even showing signs of trying to monopolise the UK and Irish Wrestling scene with ‘insiders’ claims they have links to Insane Championship Wrestling, PROGRESS, Over the Top Wrestling and RevPro as well attempting stop any wrestlers they have feature in any worldwide streams no involved with WWE.

Okay that's one way to look at it, but here’s something you should look at, UK and Ireland are jam packed with incredible talent and equally resourceful promotions and promoter, as well as brilliant training schools, with many of the countries top talent passing on their knowledge to a whole new generation of potential Tyler Bate's or Dave Mastiff's. If you’re a fan of a wrestler who has signed one of the "exclusive" WWE or ITV or any contracts...be happy for them! Each one has worked and made sacrifices to get there, whether it is for a year or more, the experience of being part of WWE will be something that they will benefit for years as well as other wrestlers if they chose to share their knowledge. Is WWE “robbing” fans either? I don’t see how, WWE is planning a weekly TV show in the UK with exclusive wrestlers to their brand, why will you go see a wrestler in WWE if you can see them every week in another promotion, for a perhaps cheaper price in-fact? Also take into account the risks, the wear and tear on the body of the pressures by wrestling continuously that the Indie circuit causes, WWE can ill afford to take these risks with individuals they see can evaluate their image in the UK.
If you bought a ticket to go to an event just for one or two wrestlers. I may question your logic on that one, sitting through a 3 hour show to see one wrestler…erm okay and that is why every promotion has card subject to change on there advertising, because anything can really happen. It is that point a promotion if a wrestler pulls out either the promoter might be able to call another top line star in and they will demonstrate why their show should be seen in spite of the absent star. Case in point, PROGRESS Wrestling on January 15th, didn't have their World Champion or their Tag Team Champions due to the WWE UK Championship Tournament were some fans concerned at the start, hell yeah they were. But afterwards as per usual they were raving about how incredible the Chapter 42 show was and rightly so. (Editor's Note - Whilst this was partly down to PROGRESS' WWE connections getting Finn Balor and Tommy End to appear on the card, as well as a surprise appearance from World Wrestling Network star Matt Riddle, the hard work of British and European talent like Axel Dieter Jr., Rockstar Spud, Jimmy Havoc, El Ligero, Dave Mastiff and more was just as, if not more valuable)
How did that happen? Forward planning, great story lines and even better wrestling, something PROGRESS does extremely well and they aren’t alone in that. As I said earlier, the British Isles has resourceful promotions, they book their events well in advance, but are are also capable of managing potential problems and turning them into positives, as well as not relying on one of two wrestlers to make that show a success. My personal opinion is that while wrestling is a business, cold and calculating, it needs to generate and promote emotion for it to thrive.

My thoughts, start from the Academy level, if you have trainees that are ready to showcase their talents on the Academy or Main shows, put some effort into getting the fans interested and invested, promote them, teach them to cut a promo or even a 30 second vignette otherwise why should fans watch them, or take interest in them, a move set can only do so much. The end result is fans who many have gone to the show to see someone else will sit silently on their phones and it will awkward and weird. That isn’t just about trainees either, it’s across the board. Why not raise your game for the wrestlers to be noticed, get the fans emotionally involved in what might happen during their matches, do what you need to create an angle, storyline or even consistent narrative of why wrestlers are wrestling. It sounds simple but I would believe how many times I’ve gone to a show and I’ve wondered why are these two wrestlers fighting, because you know…reasons?! Just get fans invested in your shows dammit.

The WWE arriving is making every wrestling fan in the world take notice of the wrestling involved in UK and Ireland, right now fans across the world are staring at every promotion in the UK thanks to the WWE Network, that is a fact. Fans and other international promotions are keen to see where wrestlers started, who to watch out for, who's the next promotion to keep an eye on, who to work with and they are starting to see great promotions that may have not have been able to be seen to a larger audience, Attack!, Alpha Omega, Fight Club: Pro, PBW and PWU only to name a few are being seen by fans as far as Australia. Sure WWE focusing their microscope here has drawbacks in the short term but its larger gains in the long term are out of this world. For that to happen every wrestler, promotion, hell even wrestling journalists need to raise their game now more than ever. This message is for wrestlers not just in the WWE United Kingdom Series, but wrestlers all over and this counts for the promoters as well, fans from all over the world hear that wrestling from the UK and Ireland is the best in the world, you’ve now got the floor, the world is watching you now show them exactly why those fans should be watching you, why they should care about you and show them what you got because it might not just be the WWE that is watching you.

Words - Craig Hermit

Images - Craig Hermit & James Marston

Editor - James Marston 

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Event Review: PROGRESS Chapter 36: We're Gonna Need a Bigger Room...Again (Tommy End v Mark Haskins v Marty Scurll)

It wasn't just the biggest show in company history, it was the biggest show England had seen since Big Daddy and his pals loomed large. It featured some of the best wrestlers in the country across the card and three of the very best in the entire world in the main event. Chapter 36 had a hell of a lot to live up as over 2000 PROGRESS Ultras descended upon the O2 Academy Brixton in the hope of being a part of something special. Now usually at this point, I'd tease that the show could end up being a disappointment, but this is PROGRESS and the real question here was, just how special would this show be? Let's find out, lads and lasses. 

Marty Scurll. Tommy End. Mark Haskins. Just looking at those names all in the same line should send a shiver down any die-hard wrestling fan's spine and if it doesn't...go away. These three men put on a real display, fitting of the main event slot and whilst most of the talk will be about the finish, it would be almost irresponsible not to begin by talking about the marvelous work that all three did to build towards it and the clever booking that steadily unfolded across over a half hour. After a tense start, displaying the lengthy history that all three share and an number of early pin attempts, each one of the trio was given ample time to shine. Haskins and End looked great when beating the shit out of The Villain, whilst equally upping their game when coming up against each other in a number of pacy and violent strike and grapple sequences. 

Whilst I've always preferred triple threats with two heels, despite some obvious examples on the other side of the coin, they just tend to produce the best opportunities for story-telling. However, I'm just gonna throw that line of thought out of the window, because this contest produced some of the richest narratives that one could hope for, whilst also being incredibly simple at the same time. Everyone wants the belt, everyone that isn't Marty really doesn't like Marty, Marty will do absolutely anything to walk out with the belt. This meant that every move hit on Scurll was extremely satisfying, because he's just so damn good at being a dick and with Haskins and End being some of the hardest hitting wrestlers in Europe you've got yourself a magic combination. The build of near falls for both challengers, the escalation of Scurll's chicanery, every agonising submission, the dramatic sequence on the apron that would lead to End and Scurll suplexing Haskins through a table and a lot more all came together to create a compelling, dynamic, convincing work of art, with an electric Brixton crowd adding a big scoop of whipped cream on the sweet, sweet pie that was this match. 

So, I should probably speak about the finish at some point, because if the crowd were electric to begin with things were about to become...ultra electric (yeah)! The narrative of Scurll being a man possessed trying to keep hold of his prize came to a thrilling climax as he took out every referee in the building after being unable to put End away with multiple Gotch-style piledriver attempts. As the crowd poured scorn on Scurll, The Villain ended up face to face with one third of PROGRESS' owners, Jim Smallman, when the familiar stab of former PROGRESS Champion Jimmy Havoc's music hit for the first time in over a year and Havoc nailed Scurll with a precise Acid Rain Maker, with a knowing nod to former arch rival Smallman. It was a marvelous moment that got the reaction it deserved, whilst setting up a now mouth-watering potential clash between The Villain and perhaps the only man in company history who could out Villain the Villain. This being PROGRESS, I'm sure we'll get to hear from Havoc in due course, to fully explain his involvement.

One of my favourite things about this match, was that the fall didn't come directly after Havoc's interference, because it easily could have felt like Havoc handing the belt to someone, which wouldn't have been the best way to start off a new technico champion. Luckily, after Havoc left, there was one last sprint of action with Scurll and Haskins grappling for just enough the right amount of time before Scurll found himself locked deep within the Sharpshooter. It was so very satisfying to see Haskins finally win the belt after coming supremely close on a number of occasions and do so in convincing form, finally getting a man who has terrorised him for months to submit. This match really did have a little bit of everything, transitioning from a strong wrestling three way into a more sports entertainment style with the angle in the final third, before finishing off with a wonderfully cathartic finish. If you like your wrestling to tell a story, then you'll love this match. 

I was almost tempted to do a similar opening for this match as I did for the last, as it really does have the same kind of feel. Two of the best, in a match type that when done well encourages great wrestling and story-telling, whilst also having a strong back-story and lead-in...there wasn't really a way this could go wrong. Honestly, having seen the previous two matches between the pair in May and December 2015, this was pretty much exactly what I wanted to see from ZSJ and Ciampa here. The duo have a tonne of chemistry in the ring, working holds as well as anyone, slick and crisp in every move and transition, that almost half an hour of wrestling seemed to pass by in a flash. Their previous matches have presented an interesting twist on the old cliche of technical wrestler vs physical brawler, because both men able to raise their game to meet the other in either category and the 2/3 falls gimmick allowed them to get into this even more than before. 

In the first two falls, ZSJ worked Ciampa's arm pretty extensively, with The Psycho Killer doing a stunning sell job, both when in the holds and when later on the offense. This worked nicely as a foundation, whilst also presenting a through thread to follow throughout the match, with the crowd popping anytime ZSJ went near Ciampa's hurt wing. There were also a plethora of pin falls, each made more convincing by the gimmick and the sheer smoothness of the pair's work. I lost track of the number of stunning sequences that the Cruiserweight Classic alumni put on here, but each would culminate with one of the other gaining a near fall, as the crowd got further sucked in. Slotted into this was ZSJ taking the opportunity to lock in a triangle choke with Ciampa fighting out and nailing a make-shift Project Ciampa, threading the two stories together well. This portion of the match would end with some more silky action, climaxing with both men managing to keep each others shoulders pinned to the mat, resulting in the match going to 1-1. I'm still undecided on this as a "finish" here, as part of me feels like it was trying to be a bit too clever, however the result did mean that the final fall would come out as the distinctive victory after both men had proved to be evenly matched. 

The final fall was an eight minute sprint that saw both men going all out to outdo his opponent, with a number of strong potential finishes and a riled up audience. The pair showed an impressive ability to switch gears in a match that could have easily have peaked too early, as ZSJ brought a renewed focus on Ciampa's arm following a wonderful back and forth submission sequence, whilst the former ROH World Television Champion dipped into his bag of tricks, including hitting a Pedigree for two and an Avalanche Project Ciampa. With both men becoming increasingly frustrated the match broke down in to a number of nasty slaps and strikes, somehow finding another place to take the contest, before ZSJ was able to get the win with Hurrah!... Octopus Hold. When all was said and done and Ciampa gave his last bow in an independent wrestling ring, Brixton had been treated to an incredibly technical, incredibly physical, strong-style epic!  

Topping the undercard was a sprawling encounter, that saw The Origin's Dave Mastiff, El Ligero, Nathan Cruz and Zack Gibson take on some of their biggest rivals in Damon Moser, Jack Gallagher and FSU's Eddie Dennis & Mark Andrews. However, the group's biggest rival of all has always been the fans and this was typified with the reaction that all the foursome and especially Gibson received as they attempted to cut their traditional pre-match promo. This included the crowd throwing so much toilet paper into the ring that I was expected a shit load of Andrex puppies to come flying down the aisle to reclaim it. It was an incredible sight, that made fun of the villainous group, with The Origin absolutely reveling in the reaction they were getting. The babyfaces did a great job of encouraging the crowd to keep going, controlling them well, adding to the brilliant work that Gibson was doing on the microphone, exaggerating ever syllable to get the best reaction, whilst Mastiff was making toilet roll angels. 

The match was a lorra lorra fun, as everyone brawled around the large room, featuring some great spots, including Andrews hitting a moonsault off a high barricade. As much as the issues between the teams felt serious, the tone of the match often verged towards the comedic with the performance skills of the likes of Ligero and Mastiff, helping to get the mood of the action spot on. The babyfaces would often get the better of their rivals, with a wonderful spot seeing Gallagher ties all of the opposite team (except Mastiff) in knots, whilst he, Dennis and Andrews basked in the glory. The contest also featured one of the best false finishes of the night, as after Ligero had pushed referee Joel too far, he took a Stunner from the ref, followed up by a beautiful Next Stop Driver from Dennis, assisted by a Shooting Star Press from Andrews, only for Gibson making the save just in time. The finish was a fitting end to Gallagher's time on the independents as he and the man he's faced more than anyone else in his career, Gibson, put together some lovely wrestling, for what was perhaps the final time. Of course, with this being The Origin the finish would have to include shenanigans as Mastiff nailed Gallagher with a car stereo, allowing Gibson to hit a spinning brainbuster for the win and keep The Origin together as a group. As much it would have been perfectly fitting to have broken up the Origin here, with various other feel good moments on the show, it makes sense to continue to build four of the promotions hottest heels, plus giving Gibson the pin on Gallagher on his way out the door gives Liverpool's Number One even more ammunition to fire at the crowd at future shows.

The biggest contest on the first half of the show was the Tag Team title bout, that saw British Strong Style (Pete Dunne & Trent Seven) go over The London Riots (James Davis & Rob Lynch) to pick up their first titles in PROGRESS. This was a very good, action packed tag bout, that rarely took time for a breath, featuring some quality spots and a perhaps surprising sprinkling of comedy. This was a style that suited all four men well, as they used spots like all four sitting on chairs outside the ring and trading brutal forearms and focused on Dunne's obsession with biting opponents, building to a bite-fest between all four. These sorts of sequences could have felt jarring with some of the more serious action, but in the context of the story, that didn't have a whole lot of prior build, made it feel more like both teams were trying to one up the other. 

I found it interesting that there was no notable face in peril and hot tag sequence, or at least a very short one, with both teams mostly just trading big moves and near falls. There was one section in particular, that featured biting, forearms, German suplexes and Powerbombs that really highlighted this as the four men rotated the momentum with no one holding it for long. This was arguably the best-booked match of the evening, as after proving they could go toe to toe with the Tag Team Champions, Dunne and Seven took the easy way out as following a ref bump, Seven drove the handle of London Riots' cricket bat straight into the already hurt eye of Lynch and finished things off with a piledriver combined with a running punt kick from Dunne. British Strong Style have risen quickly after only forming as a team at Chapter 33, but they are also one of the most interesting heel teams in recent memory, with plenty of depth to their act. As good a bout as this was, I feel the best is still to come from Pete Dunne and Trent Seven in PROGRESS! 

Joe Coffey and Rampage Brown could walk into pretty much any company in the country and end up in the main event, however their clash in the Final of the Atlas Championship tournament opened the show as the pair had a belting heavyweight tussle. I'll be honest and say that I haven't been overly enamoured by the "big lads" division heading into the show, with the tournament having a couple of issues, but this match was exactly what the division should be about. Coffey and Brown went right at it, keeping things fairly open throughout the bout, but giving both men ample time to look their best. The duo traded big blows throughout with the action spilling to the outside early on where Coffey hit a snap scoop powerslam, that really set the tone for how things would pan out. 

The match was full of impressive moments and well worked sequences, that got over the idea that Coffey and Brown were evenly matches, whilst also setting up the duos finishes, with a sequence where Coffey would struggle out of a piledriver attempt particularly standing out. After tonnes of tit for tat fighting that included chops and headbutts and a wonderful suplex sequence, it was Brown who weathered the storm, kicking out of a Discus Lariat, before nailing an avalanche samoan drop and a piledriver, which would be followed up by another following Coffey's resilient kick out to become the first Atlas Champion. Just like the tournament itself had been, putting these two at the start of the show was a brave choice by PROGRESS, but it paid off well, with the pace and make up of the contest getting the crowd even hotter for the rest of the show. A re-match is surely a must!

The lone women's match was a relatively low-key trios match, that still provided some strong action in an energetic ten minutes. With a tournament to crown the first Women's Champion supposedly just around the corner, Jinny, Dahlia Black and Alex Windsor went over Nixon Newell, Laura Di Matteo and Pollyanna in a match that was structured perfectly and got the most out of everyone involved. Pollyanna worked well as the face in peril as arguably the most over babyface, whilst TK Cooper's involvement at ringside and some wonderful rudo work by Jinny and Black got great reactions. Things would break down shortly after the hot tag, rolling along at break neck speed as everyone rotated in and out of the ring hitting big moves. The standout here would have to be Jinny's version of the Styles Clash which got a massive pop. The finish tied everything up neatly, as Cooper would end up hitting girlfriend Black in the face after Pollyanna ducked, then get kicked in the dick by Newell, before a busy busy finish saw Jinny able to put long-time rival LDM away with her Face Lift Finish. 

The second half would feature a bonus match, after Paul Robinson returned after a four month hiatus and his demand for a match was answered by Chuck Mambo, who was, perhaps surprisingly, having his first one on one match on a Chapter show. This was a simple bout done well, as Robinson had plenty of heat and Mambo is a popular persona. Structure wise this was plain, with a face shine, strong heat sequence, short comeback including a nice blockbuster, a decent near fall for Mambo, before Robinson collected the W with a nasty curb stomp. It was short, sweet, but effective, with both men working hard to maximise the time they were given, whilst also taking time to make sure the crowd were back up to their usual levels after the interval. Part of the enjoyment here was that both hadn't been seen all that often recently, and so their work seemed fresh and exciting, however they definitely both staked a claim to deserving more time on the product with their performances. 

Unfortunately, Pastor William Eaver and Sebastian's No Disqualification match ended within seconds after Sebastian was legitimately knocked out by a lariat and had to be taken out of the ring on a stretcher after being seen to by paramedics. This was handled well by everyone involved, including a respectful crowd. Hopefully, we get to see this match sometime soon, but more importantly I'd like to wish Sebastian a swift return to health following the accident. 

Finally... 

ATPW Scale Rating - 8.16/10 

Man, what a show. Seriously, this was the first event I've given above a "Superb" rating on the ATPW Scale. Top to bottom, each match outdid itself in it's position on the card and there was barely a moment where the crowd wasn't totally into the action and with 2400 in attendance the atmosphere made things extra special. The main event was my match of the night, because I love dramatic narrative wrestling, but you really could have picked any of the top half of the show. I could go on and on here, but if you've read the rest of the review and haven't seen this show yet, you'll know exactly what I'm going to tell you, go now, demandprogress.pivotshare.com.

Words and Images - James Marston 
Image Source - Facebook.com 

All images are the property of their respective owners

Wrestle Ropes Ready for the Weekend: September 2016 Week Four - FCP, PWC & PROGRESS

The weekend is on it's way once again, which means it's time to look ahead at what the British wrestling scene has to offer as we see out September with a bang and an almighty line-up of shows. First off we look at what Fight Club: Pro have to offer in Wolverhampton, West Midlands on Friday night, before heading south for Pro Wrestling Chaos in Bristol on Saturday, before closing things off with the biggest wrestling show England has seen for many years, as PROGRESS Wrestling take over Brixton, South London on Sunday! Right, now you know what's in store, we better get your ready for it, eh?! 

None of those near you? Don't worry, we've added a couple of alternatives for each day! There's big shows in East Kilbride, Nottingham, Preston, Ayr and Birmingham, with the likes of Zack Sabre Jr, Mark Coffey and Noam Dar, so you'd be a fool not to get to your nearest show this weekend! 

Following last month's International Tekkers: The Beginning of the End, Fight Club: Pro's September show promises to be another hard hitting night of British Strong-Style action, as Project Mayhem V celebrates the companies seventh anniversary at Fixxion Warehouse in Wolverhampton, West Midlands. 

To say that relations between Chris Brookes and Clint Margera have become heated over the last three months, would be an understatement. After battling in an impromtu No Disqualification match at Rage Against the Death Machine in July and then taking things up a notch at International Tekkers: Beginning of the End in an "I Quit" Chain Match in August, Brookes and Margera look set to take their extremely personal rivalry to an entirely new level, by allowing fans to bring their own weapons. After The Calamari Catch King kicked Margera's girlfriend in the face to finally push the Death match specialist over the edge last month, it's safe to say that Margera desperately wants to hurt Brookes and with the former Infinity Trophy winner not exactly a fan favourite, Fixxion Warehouse won't be the most friendly of places for Brookes come Friday night. Who knows what kind of creativity Wolverhampton possesses, but I've got a feeling we'll be finding out soon enough! 

Another rivalry that has been running wild in FCP is the battles between Lee and Jim, The Hunter Brothers and the comparatively inexperienced pairing of Dan Moloney and Wild Boar, The Face Smashers. The teams traded victories at Infinity and All the Best in December 2015 and February of this year respectively, before things became even more violent in April when the four appeared to destroy the Planet Nightclub at Planet Terror Vol. 2, with no official result given because the two teams ended up fighting anywhere but the ring! If the two teams had problems before, then Boar package piledriving Jim off a bar and through the merch table, leading to Jim having to helped out of the venue and requiring surgery, in July at Rage Against the Death Machine, when the teams were schedule to have two singles matches against each other, has made things much much worse. It's clear that Jim and Lee are out for revenge on Friday and with the fourth match being aptly scheduled as a Tables Match, they have the perfect opportunity. On the other hand, Moloney and Boar will be looking to build on their massive victory over former ROH World Tag Team Champions War Machine last month and finally put to bed one of the longest running feuds in FCP. 

If the previous two matches I've talked about have been as personal as you can get, then there's absolutely nothing personal about Trent Seven battling current EVOLVE Tag Team Champion Drew Galloway, but that won't stop these two heavy hitters from beating the absolute shit out of each other. I can hear the chops these two will be dishing out ripping a whole in time and space, right now. Seven has been up against some big names this year, besting the likes of Tommy End and Eddie Kingston, but as he looks to get back in the picture for a shot at Sami Callihan's FCP Championship, he's up against his biggest challenge of 2016 so far. Galloway rolls into Wolverhampton for the first time, having reigned as TNA's World Heavyweight Champion already this year, looking to cause shockwaves in FCP. Will the hometown crowd give Seven the push he needs to defeat his 6ft 5in opponent or will the well-travelled newcomer conquer another city? There's only one way to find out and that's to be there in Wolverhampton to witness the carnage! (Or with the show being sold out get on that sweet sweet On Demand scene, right here - https://vimeo.com/ondemand/fightclubpro)

Also on the show, Travis Banks continues to look for his first win in FCP in a Two Out of Three Falls Match with Tyler Bate and in a rematch from August, Nixon Newell takes on former TNA Women's Knockout Champion, Jessicka Havok! 

FRIDAY ALTERNATIVES 

British Championship Wrestling Champagne SuperNoam

East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire

Feat - Noam Dar v Lionheart

*SOLD OUT*

House of Pain September Weekender: Night One 

Hucknall, Nottinghamshire

Feat - Garrett Bond & Juken v Paul Malen & LJ Heron

*PAY ON THE DOOR*

On Saturday, Pro Wrestling Chaos shall be at the Hungerford Community Centre in Bristol with their The Hungerford Games event. 

The show shall see the continuation of the Knights Of Chaos Championship tag team tournament with one of the semi-finals taking place. This semi-final will see Alex Steele and Eddie Dennis, known collectively as Steele Dragons face The Hunter Brothers. Both of these teams have had the crowd behind them each time they have competed in the tournament so a divided crowd could well make an appearance this Saturday. Whoever does progress to the final shall be facing The Swords Of Essex so another challenge awaits the winners. Both teams only have one shot at getting to the final and they'll have to show why they deserve it more than the other. 

At Choose Your Weapon last month, there was a tag team match that involved Roger The Cabin Boy and Panda Cub. During the match, a video played by "Flash" Morgan Webster where at the conclusion, they both attacked their respective partners before leaving in silence. Since then nothing has been said except for the fact that Roger The Cabin Boy now wishes to be known as Danny Jones. These men seem to be on the same page and with that being the case, PWC have signed a tag team match with Jones and Cub facing Jezz Gardner and Matt Horgan of The Pure Breed. Pure Breed are a product of the Dragon Pro Wrestling Academy, just like Cub and Jones. No one knows what is going on with Cub and Jones but Horgan and Gardner have known them since they began training and probably know them as well as anyone. The question is, do Pure Breed have the knowledge to understand what is happening with Cub and Jones and are they able to combat it? Or are these two men now no longer the same as the men Pure Breed once knew? 

The main event this Saturday in Bristol shall see international star and former wXw World Tag Team Champion, Sami Callihan make his PWC debut. At Choose Your Weapon, Wild Boar was scheduled to defend the King Of Chaos Championship against Dave Mastiff. However, due to injury, Boar was unable to compete. General Manager, Jimmy Havoc agreed with Boar that he would allow him to keep the championship despite being unable to defend it on the condition that he would be challenged by Callihan. Boar agreed to the match and in doing so has possible given himself the biggest challenge of his career. Boar has a brutal almost animal-like edge to his offence and it is what what has made him such an intimidating competitor. Callihan also has that style of offence, meaning that Boar will possibly be meeting his first opponent that has similarities to himself and it will be a real test for the champion. Boar has fought anyone who has challenged him and defeated the likes of Johnny Gargano and Pete Dunne in his championship reign, this Saturday will be the biggest test of his reign and one of the biggest of his career. Callihan will find out that Boar is an animal in the ring and likewise Boar will be bound to discover that “The Death Machine” isn't just a fancy nickname. PWC could be seeing it's most violent match to date in Bristol this Saturday at The Hungerford Games.

Also scheduled for The Hungerford Games is Mike Bird going up against a mystery partner selected by Pariah Khan, whilst "Pastor" William Eaver, "Mr. Massive" Chuck Cyrus and Kelly Sixx are all scheduled to appear. 

General Tickets available here - http://www.ringsideworld.co.uk/events.php?id=1027

SATURDAY ALTERNATIVES 

Preston City Wrestling Dar Wars: The End of an Era 

Preston, Lancashire 

Feat - Zack Sabre Jr. v Bubblegum

*TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE*

Pro Wrestling Elite May The Force be With You

Ayr, Ayrshire

Feat - Polo Promotions (Jackie Polo & Mark Coffey) v The NAK (BT Gunn & Chris Renfrew)

*TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE*

It's the biggest show that England has seen in, at least, a generation as PROGRESS Wrestling presents Chapter 36: We're Gonna Need a Bigger Room...Again in O2 Academy in Brixton, South London with a stacked seven match card.

Showcased in a brilliant hype package on social media, Zack Sabre Jr and Tommaso Ciampa's rivalry has been building and building since they clashed in the Quarter Final of Super Strong Style 16 in July 2015 at Chapter 19, in what was regarded as one of, if not the best match of the highly acclaimed tournament as ZSJ came out on top. Things would escalate in a rematch that December at Chapter 24: Hit the North with Ciampa getting his win back, but despite battering each other repeatedly, things would remain relatively friendly until Chapter 27: The Lost Art of Suffering in March this year, when following an unsuccessful challenge for the Tag Team Championship, Ciampa laid out The Technical Wizard before laying down the challenge for Chapter 36. These Cruiserweight Classic competitors have stolen the show together before and with the rubber match being made Two Out of Three Falls, they'll have three times the opportunity to steal the biggest show in PROGRESS to date, all whilst beating up their most bitter rival! 

The Origin consists of Nathan Cruz, El Ligero, Zack Gibson and Dave Mastiff and they've been causing all kinds of problems for PROGRESS since the Summer of 2014, taking on a number of different aliases until the group we recognise today was formed. With so much history it was inevitable that the villainous foursome would collect a number of enemies along the way and this Sunday four of those enemies may cause the downfall of the group as we know it. As The Faceless, the group took the Tag Team Championship from Eddie Dennis and Mark Andrews, known as FSU, they'd later clash in titles rematches in January and April as well other tag and singles matches, with Cruz & Ligero always having a trick up their sleeve to remain champions. Damon Moser was initially a member of the group, but having been kicked out fairly early on, he's made it his mission to destroy his former stable, including taking part in a vicious No Disqualification Match with Cruz in June. Cruiserweight Classic competitor Jack Gallagher has defeated Origin members on three consecutive PROGRESS Chapter shows, so Moser will be hoping that Gallagher is the lucky charm that will lead to the group's demise, before The Extraordinary Gentleman heads of to join the Cruiserweight Division on RAW! These two sides are going to go to war with each other and once the dust settles PROGRESS may be a very different place indeed. 

Chapter 36's main event is a Three Way Dance between three of the World's premier wrestling talents as Marty Scurll puts his World Championship on the line against Mark Haskins and Tommy End. Both challengers are no stranger to the title picture, with the pair coming as close as you can to winning the belt without getting to take it home, putting on PROGRESS classics in the process. Both challengers have proved that they belong in the promotions upper echelon, with Haskins repeatedly beating top talent to become Number One Contender, including winning the 2015 Thunderbastard match, whilst End has won Super Strong Style 16 and even defeated Scurll in a non-title match this year, only to be screwed out of the title thanks to an interfering Mikey Whiplash and other nefarious Scurll shenanigans. Whilst the challengers didn't exactly need any other reasons to wrestle the belt from Scurll's grasp, we've seen The Villain commit atrocities to both as he attacked Haskins wife in February and cheated to defeat End not once but twice in their last meeting. When these three make their way out to the ring on Sunday, there will definitely be a big match atmosphere inside the O2 Academy, but will that atmosphere help drive one of PROGRESS' nearly men to winning their first PROGRESS title and get vengeance on Scurll or will The Villain do what he does best and find a way to win, by any means necessary? Sunday, Brixton, O2 Academy, be there or you'll regret it forever. 

The show also features the Final of a tournament to crown the inaugural Atlas Champion in a division for those over 205lbs as Joe Coffey clashes with Rampage Brown, British Strong Style (Pete Dunne and Trent Seven) challenge for The London Riots' Tag Team Championship, Pollyanna, Nixon Newell & Laura Di Matteo team up against Alex Windsor, Dahlia Black & Jinny and "Pastor" William Eaver gets his hands on the man that cost him the World Championship two months ago, Sebastian.  

Tickets still remain here - http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/event/progress-wrestling-tickets/226391

Sunday Alternatives 

Kamikaze Pro Conspiracy Theory 

Bournville, Birmingham 

Feat - Clint Margera v Ryan Smile 

*TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE*

House of Pain Wrestling September Weekender: Night Three

Calverton, Nottinghamshire

Feat - Team Archer (Lucas Archer, Gabriel Kidd & ???) v Team Malen (Paul Malen & The Alpha Brothers (Johnny Alpha & Ricky Alpha) - Elimination Match

*PAY ON THE DOOR*

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


All images are property of their respective owners.

Wrestle Ropes' Ready for the Weekend - May 2016 Week 4 - NGW, OTT & DPW

We're back with yet another edition of our weekly article and either you people keep reading them or Across The Pond Wrestling like having us around. Either way this weekend we're firstly heading to Northallerton for New Generation Wrestling's event on Friday. On Saturday we are once again going across the Irish Sea to Dublin for Over The Top Wrestling before finally rounding off hopping over to Wales where Dragon Pro Wrestling are in action in Newport. Let's get Ready For The Weekend!

Kicking off the wrestling weekend and New Generation Wrestling will be at The Forum in Northallerton. The show will be main evented by the current NGW Undisputed Champion; 'The Showstealer' Nathan Cruz and Martin Kirby. In a different set of circumstances, Kirby could have been the man with the gold in this contest as he originally set to challenge Rampage Brown at NGW's last event at The Forum for the title. However, Cruz managed to become the champion before that happened. Now Martin Kirby gets to face the man at the top of the mountain and while the championship will not be on the line, a win would certain put Kirby in line for a future title match. Cruz will be focused on his triple threat championship defence that takes place just 24 hours later, but he certainly won't be ignoring the threat that Kirby poses. One of the men who will be challenging Cruz on May 28th will be Rampage Brown. He shall also be in action this Friday when he faces Liam Slater in a match that shall be a first between the two. Brown is hell-bent on destruction right now and nobody is safe from his wrath. His opponent in Northallerton will be the ever popular, Slater, a man who has had his own problems of late, mainly in the shape of Joseph Conners. While it would be wise for Slater to have eyes in the back of his head, if he's not looking at Brown then he might not have a head on his shoulders when Brown is finished with his this Friday. If Brown is dangerous, then Dara Diablo is just as dark. The man who once stood alongside the biggest and most loved names in NGW simply does not exist anymore. In his place, is a dark and dangerous man who is in full control of the demons inside him. His opponent is Matt Myers, a man who has a drive like he never has before. These two men meet a number of months ago and it was Myers who walked away with the win. Since then Matt Myers' ambition has grown with the fire inside him for success. The question now is can Matt Myers' fire still burn bright when it is face to face with the blackness of Dara Diablo's soul?

Match Card

‘The Showstealer’ Nathan Cruz vs Martin Kirby

Rampage Brown vs Liam Slater

‘The Mexican Sensation’ El Ligero vs AJ Anderson

The Proven (Caz Crash & Sam Wilder) vs Team Sports (Ace Matthews & David Graves)

‘The Amazing’ Matt Myers vs Dara Diablo

Moving on to Saturday and Ireland's Over The Top Wrestling are back in Dublin at the Tivoli Theatre. The night will see The Gymnasties hard work come to fruition when they final challenge The Kings Of The North for the OTT Tag Team Championship. The Gymnasties have had to win three matches in a row to earn this title fight and they're bound to give it everything they have to finally win the championship they have desired for so long. The K.o.t.N. on the other hand have held the championship for a long time and will have no plans on releasing them this Saturday. The fact that it was Dunkan Disorderly of The K.o.t.N. who was the last hurdle The Gymnasties overcame on their road to the championship match will only add to Bonesaw & Damien Corvin's determination to win and keep the gold. Pete Dunne was originally scheduled to face Zack Sabre Jr this Saturday but an injury has meant that Dunne was without an opponent. Well he's got one now in the shape of 'Iron Man' Joe Coffey. These two men have never met one on one and the only interaction they have had in the squared circle was back in 2014. In those two years, these men have grown in ever sense of the word. Both are now bigger, stronger and more experienced. OTT is in one for one hell of a match in Dublin. The main event will see championship gold up for grabs as Luther Ward shall be putting the OTT No Limits Championship on the line against one of the most dangerous strikers in the world in 'Anti-Hero' Tommy End. Ward has been a mainstay of Over The Top Wrestling for a long time and is now in his second reign as champion. While known for his success as part of the Sumerian Death Squad, End has also held gold as singles competitor in multiple countries. This Saturday he will look to add another country to that list while Ward shall look to add another name to his list of men who have tried to take the championship from around his waist.

Match Card

OTT No Limits Championship

‘Anti-Hero’ Tommy End vs Luther Ward (c)

OTT Tag Team Championship

The Kings Of The North (Bonesaw & Damien Corvin) (c) vs The Gymnasties (B. Cool & Sammy D) (w/ Justin Shape)

‘The Villain’ Marty Scurll vs ‘All Day Star’ Ryan Smile

‘The Bruiserweight’ Pete Dunne vs ‘Iron Man’ Joe Coffey

Logan Bryce vs Bull Dempsey

The weekend rounds off with Dragon Pro Wrestling who will be back at their home of the Rodney Parade in Newport, Wales. In the last 9 months, DPW have been having more regular events in Newport and 'Battlelines' will be the latest. The main event will see the head trainer of the DPW Academy, Mike Bird bring the best of the Academy in the shape of Danny Jones and Bishop to face the current All Wales Champion; Big Grizzly and two trainees who have turned their back on the Academy, Jonny Doe and Joe 'Messy' Mezinger. Bird has had enough of Grizzly cheating his way to win and now with the help of Doe and Mezinger, he's had enough. His partners, Jones and Bishop are two of the finest men to come from the DPW Academy in recent memory. Jones came very close to becoming champion until the aforementioned cheating stopped it. Bishop on the other hand is undefeated in DPW, defeating some of the best on the roster. Bird, Jones and Bishop look to send a message this Sunday that dirty tactics and disrespect will not be the way of Dragon Pro Wrestling. This Sunday will also see the continuation of the Celtic Crown Women's Championship tournament with two débuts. The first debut is Ciel Fontaine who carries a reputation of being a perfectionist with her work. That perfectionist trait has lead to her also being known as having quite a temper when things don't go her way. Her opponent and fellow debutante is Sierra Loxton, who is known for her very unique style, blending a mix of Lucha Libre and Joshi Puroesu to create vicious strikes that come with degree of showmanship. These two competitors will be a clash of styles, it'll come down to which style overcomes the other on May 28th and which debutante progresses to the next stage of the tournament. For a number of months, relations between former DPW Tag Team Champions; Panda Mask and Panda Cub have worsened. Things came to a head last month when they lost the championship to The Pure Breed. After that, things exploded between the two. This Sunday we're going to see one of the most popular tag teams in DPW tear themselves apart when they face each other one on one in Newport, Wales. This match may be less of who wins but rather who is the one to survive.

Match Card

Six-Man Tag Team

Danny Jones, Mike Bird & Bishop vs Big Grizzly, Jonny Doe & ‘Messy’ Joe Mezinger

Dragon Pro Tag Team Championship

The Pure Breed (Owen Wall & Matt Horgan) (c) (w/ Merlin Obediah Cambridge) vs ‘The Pride Of Wales’ Eddie Dennis & Lucky Bowden

Celtic Crown Women’s Championship Tournament Quarter-Final

Ciel Fontaine vs Sierra Loxton

Panda Mask vs Panda Cub

The Badman Invitational Scramble

Confirmed Entrants: ‘The Original Badman’ Beano, Oliver Sudden, Ian Williams III, Oliver Satchwell.

Dean Winter vs Brendan White

The Wild Boar vs ‘The Wonderboy’ Cal Adams

Kat Von Kaige Addresses Her Celtic Crown Semi-Final Match With Nixon Newell

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!