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

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

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

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

Week One

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

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

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

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

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

Also This Week

Friday 7th 

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

Week Two

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

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

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

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

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

Also This Week

Friday 13th 

Attack! Pro Wrestling #Club100 THREE

Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

House of Pain Wrestling January Special

Nottingham

Saturday 14th

Britannia Wrestling Promotions 

Denbigh

House of Pain Wrestling Debut Day 2 (Jan Special)

Nottingham

Pro Wrestling Chaos The Mysterious City of Chaos 

Bristol

Feat - Wild Boar v Jimmy Havoc

Sunday 15th

PROGRESS Wrestling Chapter 42: Life, the Universe and Wrestling

Birmingham

Week Three 

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

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

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

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

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

Week Highlights

Friday 20th

4FW Price of Glory 2017

Bristol

Saturday 21st 

4FW New Year Wrestleution 2017

Swindon, Wiltshire.

Ironfist Wrestling TBA 

WrestleZone Summerhill Showdown 2017

Aberdeen

Sunday 22nd 

4FW Adrenaline Rush 2017

Bristol

CSF Pro Wrestling 18th Anniversary Event 

Bath, Somerset.

HOPE Wrestling 

Corby, Northamptonshire.

IPW:UK Supershow 6

Rochester, Kent.

Feat - John Morrison v Marty Scurll

Week Four 

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

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

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

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

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

Week Highlights

Friday 27th

House of Pain Wrestling January Weekender (Show One)

Nottingham

Saturday 28th

4FW Live!

Thatcham, Berkshire.

House of Pain Wrestling January Weekender (Show Two)

Nottingham

Revolution Pro Wrestling Contenders: Revolution Rumble

Porstmouth, Hampshire 

Sunday 29th

4FW Live!

Portishead, Somerset.

HOPE Wrestling Empire

Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire

HOPE Wrestling Presents

Derby

PROGRESS Wrestling Chapter 43: Tropic Thunderbastard

London

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

Article: James Marston

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Twitter - @ATPWrestling 

Facebook - /acrossthepondwrestling

Instagram - @ATPWrestling

Wrestle Ropes' Ready For The Weekend: October 2016 Week 5 - SWA, SWE & PROGRESS

It's Halloween weekend and we've got a preview that is full of treats and a handful of tricks also! This week, we kick off on Friday with Scottish Wrestling Alliance in Paisley, Renfrewshire, before looking at Southside Wrestling Entertainment's 6th Anniversary Show in Stevenage, Hertfordshire on Saturday and then closing up with PROGRESS Wrestling's Chapter 38: When Men Throw Men at Men in Camden, London. There's little time to wait so let's get Ready For The Weekend!

We've also included alternative shows across the weekend including shows in Sheffield, Preston, Southampton, Greenock, Bristol and Portsmouth! 

Friday night kicks off the wrestling weekend with SWA returning to The Lagoon Centre in Paisley. The event will see regular stars of SWA as well as some new faces from down south. 

One of the matches which will showcase both is the contest between Ryan Griffin and Soner Dursun. Griffin is the current SWA Junior Heavyweight Champion and a firm fan favourite in part for to his high-flying style. His opponent, Dursun will be making his first appearance for SWA but comes in with good credentials as his a former FSW Adrenaline Champion, a title which is comparable to the SWA Junior Heavyweight Championship. This match will be a great meeting of two young stars who no doubt will have many more championship wins in their future. 

Tag team action will also be on the cards this Friday night as the duo of Lana Austin and Alexis Rose will make their SWA debut when they face probably the best known Scottish female tag team today, The Bae Club's Sammii Jayne and Debbie Sharpe. All four women are known for their success as singles competitors as well as being part of their respective tag teams. The teams have never met before in the ring so it will be intriguing to witness what team comes out on top and how the personalities collide with each other. Both duos are known for maybe stretching rules of competition shall we say so the jury is out when it comes to choosing a winner. 

The main event this Friday is quite simply the only reason you would need to attend this event in Paisley. Joe Coffey is widely regarded as not only one of Scotland's biggest starts but one of the best in Europe, possibly the world. His opponent has traveled the world and competed for the biggest wrestling promotion on earth, WWE. Coffey's opponent at The Lagoon Centre will be Cody Rhodes. Since his departure from WWE, Rhodes has been tearing it up on the independent wrestling scene, facing legends and stars of professional wrestling at every turn. Coffey needs no promoting from us if you have even seen one match of his, you will know what he brings to the ring every time he competes. Rhodes has went on record as saying he wanted the best from SWA and they have delivered that in Coffey. This very well could be one that those in attendance look back on in years to come and say “we were there”.

Also this Friday, Xander Cooper will make his SWA debut against Robbie Solar while David Devlin shall face his mentor in Mikey Whiplash. Aspen Faith will also be in action when he competes against Timm Wylie.

Friday Alternatives 

Insane Championship Wrestling Wrestleria 

Sheffield, South Yorkshire

Feat - Joe Hendry v Jack Jester

Preston City Wrestling Fright Night 4

Preston, Lancashire 

Feat - Chris Masters v Iestyn Rees *I Quit Match*

Moving on to Saturday and SWE will celebrate their 6th anniversary as they head to Stevenage, Hertfordshire and The Gordon Craig Theatre. The event will see three of their championship defended as well as an international defence. 

The international defence will come in the form of Eddie Edwards defending the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Bubblegum. Bubblegum is the current Speed King Champion but he'll be trying to add more gold to round his waist this Saturday. Edwards will not be giving up the title easily though as this is his first reign as TNA World Heavyweight Champion, which adds to his many previous title reigns which have contributed to him being a ROH and TNA Triple Crown winner. Bubblegum will not be an easy challenger to fight off though and any underestimation could result in Eddie Edwards' first reign being very short lived. 

Since Robbie X returned to SWE his focus has been soley on his former tag team partner, Mark Haskins. Robbie even resorted to attacking Haskins with a kendo stick during SWE last event. Haskins wants revenge and he's not going to let Robbie get away with his attack. SWE have recognised that Haskins wants retribution for the attack and have scheduled both men to face each other this weekend and kendo sticks will be legal. Robbie wants to destroy Haskins, he'll get the chance to do just this this Saturday. That being said, with kendo sticks being legal for both men, it may turn out to be Robbie who finds himself on the end of a career changing kendo stick attack at the hands of Haskins. Whatever happens expect some creative brutality in Stevenage this Saturday.

The feud between Joseph Conners and El Ligero has consumed SWE for as long as anyone can remember. When Ligero's team beat The Righteous Army, forcing them to disband, many thought it was the end. However, that was not to be the case and the two men will meet once again this Saturday with the richest prize in SWE being on the line, the Heavyweight Championship. The hatred between these two men is so strong that SWE imposed a clause on their championship match that if either man touched the other before this Saturday then the match would not take place. Both men have managed to remain restrained but that restrained will be gone in Stevenage and they will have to give it all they have as this championship match shall also include tables, ladders and chairs (oh my). Only one person is leaving as champion this Saturday but we doubt that either man will able to walk away the same as they entered.

This Saturday will also feature Melina defending the Queen Of Southside Championship in a six-way match against Alex Windsor, Nixon Newell, Kay Lee Ray, Dahlia Black and Toni Storm. The Southside Tag Team Championship will also be on the line when international duo of Shane Strickland and Matt Cross Stixx and Chris Tyler at The Gordon Craig Theatre. Finally, Cody Rhodes shall make his SWE debut when he faces “The Bruiserweight” Pete Dunne in the first meeting between the two men.

Saturday Alternatives 

Insane Championship Wrestling That's a Paddlin' 

Southampton, Hampshire

Feat - Wolfgang v Joe Hendry 

Premier British Wrestling Maximum Impact 2016

Greenock, Inverdale

Feat - Davey Blayze v BT Gunn

PROGRESS return to the Electric Ballroom in Camden, London for the first time since August to present the 38th Chapter in their history, entitled When Men Throw Men at Men, with another wonderful card of wrestling lined up. 

The fourth Natural Progression Series kicks off on Sunday, with this edition featuring the added twist that it will be to become the first ever Women's Champion. This first quarter final match shows that PROGRESS aren't messing around, as bitter rivals and two of the promotion's most prominent females will go head to head, with Jinny taking on Pollyanna. These two have been feuding on and off since the start of 2015, having a number of tag bouts since as well as putting women's wrestling on the map in the promotion with a huge No Disqualification match in May 2015. The two have split victories in the past, but a lot has changed over the last 18 months, with Jinny developing into a much more vicious and capable performers, defeating the likes Leva Bates, Toni Storm and Mishca East. She'll be looking to use her increased experience to finally put the plucky Pollyanna down for good, but with so much on the line, it won't be an easy task.  

The issues between The South Pacific Power Trip (TK Cooper & Travis Banks with Dahlia Black) and The Shirtlifters (Jack Sexsmith & Roy Johnson) have been rumbling since the Summer, when Johnson would be pulled into Sexsmith's feud with The SPPT during a Wasteman Challenge in July. Sexsmith's choice words for the group who he'd had problems with for sometime, only added more fuel to fire and the two teams have been scrapping ever since. This Sunday, they'll look to put the rivalry to bed in a fan-voted Tables Match. The gimmick would seem to favour the more heinous The SPPT, who have been on a major role since joining up in PROGRESS. With Sexsmith in particular seemingly stepping outside his comfort zone, we could see a very different side to the Sexually Frivolous star on Sunday, as he and Johnson aim to put Cooper and Banks through a table. Expect shenanigans and excitement as the two popular teams collide in the Electric Ballroom.

In a huge international encounter, former World Champion Mark Andrews and Matt Cross will go toe to toe with a change to face Mark Haskins for the SMASH Championship on the line. Cross is best known for his work as Son of Havoc in Lucha Underground, showing an ability to wrestle in a variety of styles and that sense he'll be more than a match for Impact Wrestling star Andrews. If you've ever seen a Cross or Andrews match over the last few years, then you'll know exactly what to expect here and if not, then prepare to have you mind blown by an aerial assault, that will be action-packed to say the very least. The two previous met during a ten person match at Super Strong Style 16, but have never faced off one on one anywhere. Mandrews picked up big victories on PROGRESS's shows with SMASH in Canada, whilst Havoc has gone undefeated in his last four bouts in the Canadian company, so this match is finely balanced to create a real battle for the title shot, which could also open up opportunities within PROGRESS itself. 

Elsewhere on the show, Rampage Brown will put his Atlas Championship on the line in an open challenge, The Hunter Brothers (Lee Hunter & Jim Hunter) return to take on the debuting team of Alexander Henry & Jason Prime known collectively as The New Nation and Pastor William Eaver faces Paul Robinson. 

Sunday Alternatives

Insane Championship Wrestling You Don't Win Friends With Salad 

Bristol

Feat - DCT v Lionheart

Revolution Pro Wrestling Live in Portsmouth

Porstmouth, Hampshire

Feat - The Big Guy (fka Ryback) v Legion of Lords (Lord Gideon Grey & Rishi Ghosh) 

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: October 2016 Week Four - FCP, IPW:UK & ICW

With the news that ITV are bringing back World of Sport for a one off special, there's never been a better time to get into British wrestling. This weekend, we begin our look with Fight Club: Pro in Wolverhampton as they present Pulp Fixxion, before moving down south to Selson in Surrey for IPW:UK UK Future 8 2016 and then flying back up to Glasgow, Scotland for ICW as they celebrate their 10th anniversary with a special taping of Fight Club. There's little time to wait so let's get Ready For The Weekend.

There's also alternative shows in Edinburgh, Swindon, Stroud, Wolverhampton, Kent and Bristol, so there's no excuse not to get down to a show!

On Friday night, Fight Club: Pro kick-off a triple header at Fixxion Warehouse in Wolverhampton with Pulp Fixxion. It promises to be another night chock-full of British Strong-Style, with an added twist as a number of CHIKARA performers join in the fun as well. 

Having won the FCP Championship from Sami Callihan at Project Mayhem V in September, Pete Dunne finds himself teaming with a man making his debut for the company. But this is certainly no rookie taking his first steps in pro wrestling as Dunne teams with veteran and former ICW World Heavyweight Champion Mikey Whiplash. On the other side of the ring will be the man that Dunne and Callihan attacked in September, Trent Seven. With Seven scheduled for a singles match with Dunne on Saturday, both men will be looking to cause as much damage to the other as they possibly can and head into Saturday's clash with the upperhand. Joining Seven will be Clint Margera who is coming out of a brutal feud with Chris Brookes and will be looking for a new face to inflict his own brand of lunacy on. He'll find himself up against Whiplash on Saturday. With four men who are known to like to get more than a little bit violent, this contest could end up going all over the Warehouse, but when the dust settles the title picture in FCP could have a very different look. 

Travis Banks has been one of the most consistent performers in FCP in 2016, but perhaps not in the way that he would have liked. Despite coming close on numerous occassions, against the likes of Zack Sabre Jr, Sami Callihan and Trent Seven, Banks is yet to collect a victory in FCP. That brings us to this Friday where he'll come against the debuting, "Iron Man" Joe Coffey. A former ICW World Heavyweight Champion, Coffey has wrestled some of the best performers in the World, and similar to Whiplash despite making his debut in FCP, he'll be anything but a pushover. Banks desperation for a victory may push him even further against Coffey and force him to take a step up. He'll be looking to move faster, hit harder and dig deep. If there's anyone that can match those attributes it's Coffey, who will be looking to make an impact on the fans in Wolverhampton. 

In an event that is choc-full of debuts, Kay Lee Ray will step into an FCP ring for the first time as she takes on Nixon Newell and Kimber Lee in a mouth-watering triple threat bout. Newell will be looking to bounce back from her loss to Jessika Havok in September, whilst Lee will be looking to recreate the form she was on during FCP's CHIKARA tour in May, that included a victory over Newell, while KLR will be wanting to show the FCP crowd what they've been missing out on. When the discussion turns to the best females in independent wrestling these three names are almost guaranteed to be brought up, so what happens when you put all three in the ring at the same time? Fixxion Warehouse will find out on Friday night!

Also on the card, Chris Brookes faces two time CZW Wired Champion Shane Strickland, whilst Dan Moloney comes up against former CHIKARA Campeonatos de Parejas Champion Fire Ant. 

Friday Alternative 

World Wide Wrestling League Wrestling Showdown 

Edingburgh

Feat - Mark Coffey v Dickie Divers

Moving on to Saturday and IPW:UK are holding their annual 'UK Future 8 2016' in Selsdon, Surrey at the Selsdon Hall. The event sees eight up and coming stars competing in four quarter-final matches with winner progressing to semi-finals and the eventual final, all in one show. 

This year sees last year's winner, Sammy Smooth back to make it two straight years as UK Future 8 winner. However, this year he will be holding the All-England Championship which he shall be defending in not only his quarter-final match but if successful, every round of the UK Future 8 tournament that he competes in. Sammy Smooth will be facing Cieran Donnelly whose tag team partner, Danny Duggan will also part of the tournament and will be competing against Scott Star in the second quarter-final match. The third quarter-final contest will see the debut of Robbie X in IPW:UK and he'll be facing IPW:UK training school graduate, Ashmore in what will be a big match for both men. The fourth quarter-final sees another IPW:UK training school graduate, Lewis “Maverick” Mayhew in action when he competes against one half of the current IPW:UK Tag Team Champions; Scott Wainwright. Mayhew has a big future ahead of him but it could well be cut short by Wainwright. While it is very hard to pick a winner in these types of tournaments, a few stand outs in the pack are Robbie X, Sammy Smooth and Scott Wainwright. Robbie X has the advantage of not only being a debut in IPW:UK but holds a vast amount of experience. Possibly the most experienced of all eight men. Sammy Smooth on the other hand has the experience of winning this tournament before and that is sure to give him an edge. The added pressure of having the All-England Championship on the line could either be of benefit to him or be the cause of his downfall. Scott Wainwright is probably in the most successful era of his career so far and that is largely down to his change in attitude much to the detriment of his opponents. A more ruthless streak has already lead him to becoming the IPW:UK Tag Team Champions with Paul Robinson and that streak could well lead him the becoming the UK Future 8 winner of 2016.

Also scheduled for this Saturday is the first ever 10,000 peso tag team challenge where Cuban Heat and his new banker, Marc Lloyd shall face Muscle Mountain.

Saturday Alternatives 

4FW Kingdom Rising 2016

Swindon, Wiltshire

Feat - The Sheikh’ Tiger Ali vs Saime Sahin 

Pro Evolution Wrestling Live in Stroud

Stroud, Gloustershire 

Feat - T-Bone v Iestyn Rees 

Fight Club: Pro Pulp Fixxion Part 2

Wolverhampton, West Midlands 

Feat - Dan Moloney v Shane Strickland 

Finally on Sunday, Insane Championship Wrestling will celebrate their 10 year anniversary with another edition of their 'Fight Club' event in Glasgow at The Garage. The event will have a number of implications for 'Fear & Loathing IX', ICW's biggest show to date. 

One match that will shape 'Fear & Loathing IX' is the contest between Kenny Williams and Lewis Girvan. When it was announced that Ricochet would be in action on November 20th, both men threw their hat into the ring to face him. ICW management decided that instead of them choosing who would face Ricochet, they would let them fight it out to see who wants it most. So that's what's going to happen this Sunday, former ICW Zero-G Champion; Williams who has been fighting with Lionheart for a number of months will face Girvan, the self-proclaimed “Best Young Wrestler In The World”. Only one of them is face Ricochet at 'Fear & Loathing IX'. 

ICW have also announced that BT Gunn and Stevie Boy will end their rivalry at 'Fear & Loathing IX' but in what type of match that will be is to be decided by the winner of Chris Renfrew & Gunn vs The Filthy Generation on October 23rd. Gunn and Boy were supposed to face each other at the last edition of 'Fight Club' but that never happened thanks to a chairshot from Kay Lee Ray to Gunn. If it had not been for Renfrew's intervention, the outcome could have been far worse. Both Gunn and Boy hate each other with a passion. Their previous matches show that to be clear. Whoever wins the match this Sunday will have something very special in store for their final encounter. 

Lionheart is defending the ICW Zero-G Championship in a Stairway To Heaven match on November 20th and there have been a number of qualifying matches for the five match places that are available. This Sunday will see another qualifier take place with Liam Thomson taking on Chris Ridgeway. Thomson has been a stalwart of ICW for a number of years and is back in the hunt for championship gold after shall wee say an unsuccessful attempt to woo Debbie Sharpe. Ridgeway has declared his intentions to be in the Stairway To Heaven match and wants his first taste of gold in ICW at their biggest event to date. Both men are hungry for a win this Sunday so they can go on and be in with a chance on November 20th. One element which may come into play is that fact that Thomson never answered Christopher Saynt's challenge on two occassions. Saynt has announced that he will be attendance this Sunday. Take that as you will.

Also scheduled this Sunday is six-man tag team action between Mike Bird, Wild Boar & Iestyn Rees of The Mauraders and the trio of DCT, Sha Samuels and Grado. Additionally, Darkside, William Grange and Dickie Divers will compete in a three-way elimination match while former tag team partners, Davey Blaze and Joe Hendry will meet to settle their differences in the squared circle. While Mark Coffey has been suspended by ICW co-owner, Red Lightning, his tag team partner and fellow ICW Tag Team Champion; Jackie Polo will be facing Red Lightning's cousin, Aaron Echo in singles competition.

Sunday Alternatives 

Internation Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom Women's Showcase 

Swanley, Kent 

Feat - Xia Brookside v Erin Angel 

4FW Kingdom Rising 2016 Night Two 

Emerson's Green, Bristol 

Feat - Tiger Ali v Billy Gunn

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: October 2016 Week Three - TW, OTT & PROGRESS

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

Friday Alternative 

Premier British Wrestling Live in Armadale 

Armadale, West Lothian 

Tickets Available - From £8 per person 

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

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

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

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

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

Tickets Available -  €18

Saturday Alternatives 

HOPE Wrestling Live in Aylesbury 

Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire 

Feat - Gene Munny v Chuck Cyrus 

Tickets Available - From £5 per person 

WrestleZone Live - In Aid of Kincorth Community Centre

Aberdeen 

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

Tickets Availabe on the Door - From £10 per person

Futureshock Wrestling Underground 19 

Prestwich, Bury 

Feat - Fabian Aichner v Zack Gibson

Ticket Available - From £8 per person

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday Alternatives 

Glasgow Pro Wrestling Asylum Proving Ground

Glasgow 

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

Tickets Available on Door - £5 per person 

Dragon Pro Wrestling Battle Royale  

Newport, Gwent

Feat - Sierra Loxton v Jetta 

Tickets Available - £8 per person

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

Words - Andy Scotland & James Marston

Images - James Marston

Image Source - Facebook.com