BritWres to Impress Preview // RevPro // PCW // FutureShock [Dec '17 Wk 1]

Welcome back for another edition of BritWres to Impress, as we preview the biggest, brightest and best professional wrestling on offer in the United Kingdom this week. As we begin December, we've got another eclectic bunch of shows to look at. We'll be looking at a pair of double headers beginning with Revolution Pro Wrestling's BWTI debut with Contenders 17 in Portsmouth on Saturday and Live at the Cockpit 23 in London on Sunday and then focusing on another BWTI debutante Preston City Wrestling with a pair of shows, starting with Joey Janela's Big Top Adventure on Friday in Blackpool, Lancashire and then onto Live! on Saturday in Wrexham, Clwyd, before concluding with a look at Futureshock Wrestling in Manchester for Reloaded #4, also on Sunday. So lets get into it, here is the BritWres to Impress for the first week of December 2017!

Also This Week 

Friday // Fight Club: PRO Infinity 2017 // Wolverhampton // fightclubpro.bigcartel.com

Sunday // Pro Wrestling 4 U Ho Ho Ho Let's Go // Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire //  facebook.com/prowrestling4u

Saturday // HOPE Wrestling Evolution 54: Broken Bones Matilda Left a Note and a Rose... // Leicester // hopewrestling.co.uk

Saturday // Revolution Pro Wrestling Contenders 17 // Portsmouth // revolutionprowrestling.com

Sunday // Revolution Pro Wrestling Live at the Cockpit 23 // London // revolutionprowrestling.com

As the dust settles from the massive Global Wars 2017, RevPro is back for their final shows in Porstmouth and at the Cockpit of the year. 

The Portsmouth show is a smaller affair, featuring up and comers, clashing with regular roster members. The scheduled card so far see's Andy Boy Simmonz tag with Ian Logan to take on Johnny Rocket & Timo, whilst Zan Phoenix goes one on one with Rishi Ghosh in an intergender showcase.

One group who had an amazing Global Wars was CCK. Travis Banks and Chris Brookes put away Rocky Romero & YOSHI-HASHI on Night One before Lykos joined them in picking up a victory over Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI and Gedo on Night Two. The Legion of Lords didn't have as good a time, with Chief Deputy Dunne and Lord Gideon Grey falling to Gedo and Toru Yano on the first show, but with Rishi Ghosh returning for the first time since Dunne joined the group, maybe they'll find a new groove here. The other pressing matter is that Kid Lykos has suffered another major injury last weekend and will be unable to join Brookes and Banks for the match. Who will CCK draft in as a replacement? How will that effect their rhythm as a trio? How will Dunne try to stop anyone from having fun? There's lots of questions to be answered at the CCKpit on Sunday, but it'll no doubt be entertaining finding out! 

It appeared that "Flash" Morgan Webster had Josh Bodom's number in RevPro. Webster defeated Bodom in August 2015 in Sittingbourne, then a month later in a triple threat with Mark Haskins in Broxbourne, January 2016 saw Webster advance past Bodom in a tournament to crown a new British Cruiserweight Champion at the Cockpit, before Webster returned to the promotion with a victory over the then British Cruiserweight title holder Bodom this October. Since then their feud has escalated, with Bodom getting disqualified in a title match in Cardiff two weeks later and then cost Flash a match with El Phantasmo at last month's Cockpit show. Things seemed to be setting up for an all-out war between the two over the belt, but then Global Wars when Ryan Smile walked out as British Cruiserweight Champion in a match also including El Desperado. So now we have Webster vs. Smile for the strap on Sunday. They've clashed in ATTACK, SCW, Kamikaze Pro and FIGHT! in the past, including a couple of title matches, but at the Cockpit the stakes may never have been higher. Expect these two high-flyers to put on a spectacular showcase in the intimate theatre.

Josh Bodom will also be action, tagging with new partner Zack Gibson to take on Aussie Open's Mark Davis and Kyle Fletcher. Whilst Bodom's fortunes where mixed at Global Wars dropping the Cruiserweight belt, but also picking up a big win against former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Rocky Romero, Gibson did not have the same fortunes taking two straight loses to Yuji Nagata and Toru Yano. They'll both be looking to use that weekend to push on as a duo and stop Aussie Open from regaining the momentum that they came into the promotion with in September. Either way it'll be a fascinating clash of styles and personalities. Another fascinating clash sees a debut and a return. Martin Stone has been absent since beating Eddie Dennis in August, spending time working in America for WWE, Beyond and MLW, in the mean time "Smash Mouth" Chris Ridgeway has been killing it in PCW, SWA, Southside and all over the country. The two go head to head at the Cockpit and considering how these two hit, they could very well tear each other apart!

Also Jinny prepares to be the first woman to wrestle for RevPro in York Hall on 8th December with a clash against Charli Evans, El Phantasmo goes up against Kurtis Chapman and RJ Singh faces Rob Lias.

Friday // Preston City Wrestling Joey Janela's Big Top Adventure // Blackpool, Lancashire // prestoncitywrestling.com

Saturday // Preston City Wrestling Live! // Wrexham, Clwyd // prestoncitywrestling.com

When PCW returns to Blackpool for the first time since August, the Lancashire fans are in for something a little bit different. Anyone who caught the Game Changer Wrestling show Joey Janela's Spring Break during WrestleMania weekend in Florida will know exactly the kind of madness to expect from Joey Janela's Big Top Adventure. 

Janela has had a breakthrough year in 2017, tearing it up in Beyond, CZW, AIW and elsewhere for his hardcore style and off the wall imagination. One of the elements introduced at his Spring Break was the mystical Invisble Man. At Big Top Adventure, the Invisible Man returns to go one on one with Janela. Yes, Joey Janela is having a singles match with the Invisible Man. The Invisble Man is literally...an...invisible...man. If you're someone who struggle to suspend your disbelief this will almost certainly not going to be the match for you. But if you're not a Jim Cornette type and can enjoy the more bizarre areas of the art form then you should have a whale of a time! But who could come out with the win? That's the real question, that will be answered on Friday, when the unstoppable force meets the invisible object! 

Spring Break saw Marty Jannetty, Glacier and Dan Severn make appearances and Blackpool will be treated to some more wrestling "legends" when Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake and Virgil hit the Tower. A smorgasbord of guys who were below average for the 1980s, but this is gonna be retro and cool and stuff, probably. Virgil tags up with Danny Hope and Joey Hayes to take on Big T Justice, Sheik el Sham & Dave Birch in a match that is certainly happening this weekend. I have no idea where to even begin when previewing this, to be honest. The Models are comedy gold and Virgil used to managed Ted DiBiase back in the day, so there's that. Lots of comedic potential that will hopefully be realised on Friday night!

The PCW Heavyweight Championship is also on the line as T-Bone puts the title on the line against the man he took the belt from in October, Iestyn Rees. Both men spent time as the FWB faction that was rampant on PCW shows in 2015, but have since been part of fiery rivalry. The two clash in a Street Fight on Friday night, which promises to be a violent, hard-hitting affair between two heavyweight brawlers. There's also a match between two men who know each other very well as Scarlet & Graves duo Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz go head to head. The two are known for their risk-tasking as a duo, so this should be a spectacular blink and you miss it contest. Xavier got the victory on a joint PCW/CZW show in Liverpool in November 2016, so Wentz has something to prove when they go head to head again in Lancashire.

The rest of the card includes a triple threat that may well steal the show as Bubblegum returns to face Chris Ridgeway and Ashton Smith, whilst Martin Kirby, Lionheart, Matthew Brookes, Tal Benham, Arcadian and Phillip Michael have a six man Ladder match. The whole event is available on PPV through Powerbomb.TV

There's nothing announced for the free show in Wrexham on Saturday, but the promotions first and only trip to Wales in 2017 is scheduled to feature the likes of Joey Janela, T-Bone and Dean Allmark are all scheduled to appear.

Sunday // FutureShock Wrestling Reloaded #4 // Manchester // futureshockwrestling.co.uk

FutureShock Wrestling returns to 53Two Theatre in Manchester and their bringing former ROH World Champion Jay Lethal with them. It's been three month's since FutureShock were in Manchester, but they're back with another hot card of family-friendly action. 

In November, T-Bone's FutureShock Championship match with Ashton Smith ended in disqualification when T-Bone introduced the champion to a steel chain in Stockport. With Smith obviously wanting some revenge on the WWE UK competitor, things are set to taken up a notch on Sunday as the two take part in the most appropriate match available, a chain match. The match would seem to favour the rougher T-Bone, who has in the past used No DQ matches to his advantage winning a Street Fight against Mark Massa in April 2016, as well as putting away rival Rampage Brown in Trailer Park Street Fight in August. Smith is going to have to dig deep and find something to get passed the 6 footer from Worcester on Sunday. Who knows whether he'll be able to do it, but it should be fascinating to watch him try.

Jay Lethal has collected titles wherever he's gone in wrestling. In ROH he took the World, Television and Pure Championships, in TNA he took the X Division title six times, as well as the World Tag Team straps with Consequences Creed, as well as the World Heavyweight Championship in the now-defunct FWE. Now he's coming for Xander Cooper's Adrenaline Championship. The last time Lethal was in FutureShock, way back in March 2013, Xander Cooper was just beginning to find a foothold in the promotion as a singles star, having won the Trophy tournament the previous November, but since then he's developed massively, developing the Uprising faction, taking the FutureShock Championship from Jack Gallagher and is now in his second run as Adrenaline Champion. Cooper is also no stranger to defeating International stars however, he took the title from WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne in October (in three way including Soner Dursun) and having manager Bobby Gage by his side means that he always has something up his sleeve if things don't quite go his way. This could be the proverbial chess match come Sunday night in Manchester. 

There will also be two more First Round matches in the Legacy Tournament. Joey Hayes and Abel Stevens have already qualified for the next round and on Sunday, Soner Dursun will take on Kenny Williams in what is sure to be an aerial showcase. Up and comer JJ Webb is also scheduled to take on the reinvented Thomas Wolfe as the competition continues to throw up intriguing combinations. Cyanide will look to keep his path of destruction going as Joey Hayes steps up following his victory over Damon Leigh, whilst Lana Austin puts her Women's Championship on the line against Molly Spartan.

Thanks for checking out BritWres to Impress this week, hopefully we've helped you find the right show for you. Don't forget to send your reviews in acrossthepondwrestling@hotmail.co.uk. 

Article by James Marston

Wrestle Ropes' Ready for the Weekend: May 2016 Week 1 - HOPE, LCW & ICW

We're back once again for another busy weekend in the British Wrestling. This week we are heading off to HOPE Wrestling in Mansfield then travelling over to Leicester for Leicester Championship Wrestling before finally heading to Glasgow for Insane Championship Wrestling. Once again, let's get Ready For The Weekend!

friday

hope evolution xxxv: how the west was won and where it got us

forest town, mansfield, england

Firstly on Friday night, HOPE Wrestling host their first of three shows this weekend, this event taking place in Mansfield at the Forest Town Arena. The main event of the evening shall see Jack Jester defending the HOPE Championship against fan favourite, Martin Kirby. Jester has had a lengthy reign since becoming the inaugural champion back in July last year, Kirby is without  doubt one of the most talented wrestlers in Europe so this could be the biggest challenge that Jester has faced in the last 9 months. The winner of the main event will immediately have to set their sights on the next challenge as the number one contender to the HOPE Championship will also be determined this Friday when CJ Banks, Pete Dunne, Joseph Conners and Jake McCluskey compete in a fatal four-way match. All four men would be a worthy challenger for the HOPE Championship so it really will come down to the man who capitalises on the opportunities presented to them and also their own skill and talent to walk away the number one contender. Friday will also see a rematch from last weekend's event as Chris Tyler shall once again face El Ligero. Their meeting last weekend ended in controversy as Tyler won via disqualification after Ligero accidentally struck the referee. Ligero's anger at the decision resulted in the official being on the receiving end of an attack from Ligero, something not often seen from 'The Mexican Sensation'. HOPE Wrestling have therefore scheduled this match between the two in an attempt to rectify the controversy.

evolution xxxv: how the west was won and where it got us match card

HOPE Championship

Jack Jester (c) vs Martin Kirby

HOPE Championship Number One Contender

‘The Lifetrain’ CJ Banks vs ‘Young And Bitter’ Pete Dunne vs ‘The Righteous’ Joseph Conners (w/ Violet Vendetta) vs ‘The Moonsault King’ Jake McCluskey

‘All Day Star’ Ryan Smile vs Burchill

‘The One And Only’ Chris Tyler vs ‘The Mexican Sensation’ El Ligero

Triple Threat

Alex Windsor vs Leah Owens vs Violet Vendetta

Sam Goodison vs Blake

Flex Buffington vs Joey Ozbourne

Six-Man Tag Team

White Tiger, ‘The Primate’ Jason Prime & Lucas Archer vs LJ Heron & Filthy Gorgeous (Robert Sharpe & Kyle Kingsley)

saturday
lcw mayhem - 5th anniversary show
enderby, leicester, england

Moving on to Saturday and Leicester Championship Wrestling are at their usual haunt of Brockington College with 'Mayhem'. The event will see every championship defended. The Hunter Brothers have been chasing the LCW Tag Team Championship for a number of months. The current champions, DNA's Cy Gregory and Marc Massa have managed to hold back the challenge so far but this time the challenge will be even greater. This time they shall be defending the LCW Tag Team Championship in a ladder match. As Hunter Brothers quest to win has not waned, the inclusion of ladders may be the catalyst to propel them to another championship reign. Also on the line will be the LCW Young Guns Championship which is going to be defended in a fatal four-way match. The champion; TK Hayward will defend against Paul Malen, White Tiger & Alex Gracie. A fatal four-way match is a difficult enough task for a champion but this one will be even harder as all three challengers are or have been a champion within LCW. If Hayward can walk away still as a champion, he'll have gone further than he's ever gone before to do so. The main event this Saturday in Enderby will see 'The Man For All Seasons' Xander Cooper defend the LCW Heavyweight Championship against former champion, 'The Heavyweight House Of Pain' Stixx. After interference in previous encounters, it has been announced that this match shall be a first for LCW, a Lumberjack match. While Cooper will have his DNA members present during the match, Stixx shall also have back up in selected allies as he attempts to dethrone Cooper and once again become the LCW Heavyweight Champion.

mayhem - 5th anniversary show match card

LCW Heavyweight Championship – Lumberjack Match

‘The Man For All Seasons’ Xander Cooper (c) vs ‘The Heavyweight House Of Pain’ Stixx

LCW Young Guns Championship – Fatal Four-Way

TK Hayward (c) vs Paul Malen vs Alex Gracie vs White Tiger

LCW Tag Team Championship – Ladder Match

DNA (Cy Gregory & Marc Massa) (c) vs The Hunter Brothers

Alexis Rose vs Toni Storm

The Alpha Brothers (Ricky & Johnny Alpha) vs Ladz Ladz Ladz (Gabriel Kidd & Zak Northern)

Chris Tyler vs HC Dyer

sunday
icw friday night fight club taping
glasgow, lanarkshire, scotland

Finally the weekend finishes with Insane Championship Wrestling tape another edition of 'Friday Night Fight Club' in Glasgow at The Garage. This edition of 'Friday Night Fight Club' could well be the biggest yet as there is a lot on the line on May 8th. Firstly, Joe Coffey shall be facing Jack Jester with the stipulation that if Joe Coffey wins he'll receive an ICW World Heavyweight Championship match at Shug's Hoose Party III on July 31st. However a loss for Coffey will result in him quitting Insane Championship Wrestling. Coffey needs to go through a former champion to get a championship match or it shall indeed be the end of his time at ICW. This Sunday shall also see the start of the ICW Tag Team Championship tournament. May 8th shall see two quarter-final matches take place as The 55's Kid Fite and Sha Samuels will face Alexander Henry and Jason Prime of The New Nation while The Rich Kids Of Instagram competing against Davey Boy and Joe Hendry of The Local Fire. All four teams will be looking to make their intentions clear right from the start and show others they are in it to win it. Sunday will also see a new number one contender to the ICW World Heavyweight Championship decided as Chris Renfrew faces Grado. Both these men have been champion before. Indeed it was Renfrew who ended the reign of Grado earlier this year so there is prior conflict between these two men. However, while the winner will be named the number one contender, the loser will not only record a loss, they will never challenge for the ICW World Heavyweight Championship ever again. While the reward for the winner will be great, the repercussions for the loser will alter their entire future in ICW.

friday night fight club taping match card

ICW Zero-G Championship

Lionheart (c) vs ‘Liverpool’s No.1’ Zack Gibson

If Joe Coffey Wins He Receives An ICW World Heavyweight Championship Match At ‘Shug’s Hoose Party’. If He Loses, He Quits Insane Championship Wrestling

‘Iron Man’ Joe Coffey vs ‘Big Kink’ Jack Jester

ICW World Heavyweight Championship Number One Contender. Loser Never Receives A Championship Match Again

Chris Renfrew vs Grado

ICW Tag Team Championship Tournament Quarter-Final

The New Nation (‘Class Apart’ Alexander Henry & ‘The Primate’ Jason Prime) vs The 55 (Kid Fite & ‘The East End Butcher’ Sha Samuels)

ICW Tag Team Championship Tournament Quarter-Final

The Local Fire (‘Local Hero’ Joe Hendry & Davey Boy) vs The Rich Kids Of Instagram (Austin Osiris & Kyle Khaos)

BT Gunn vs Kay Lee Ray

‘The Vigilante’ Johnny Moss vs ‘The Deity Of Deviance’ Mikey Whiplash

‘The Bollocks’ Kenny Williams vs Wolfgang

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!

Guest Article: Running the Ropes with Marc P - Part 3

We left our hero full of confidence, full of hope for the future and loving the adventure that was before him, will it continue to be so? Lets find out...

Jay Lethal meets the Internet Sensation

My next session at Futureshock's training school was taken by Dave Rayne and consisted mainly of chain wrestling. Learning hammerlocks, wristlocks and the like. Up until this point in the classes I had tried to partner up with someone who had been on the induction day, just to help myself feel at ease. This week I decided that to try and break out of my comfort zone as I realised that the best way to improve is to work with people who are much better than me. I worked with a lovely chap called Steven who was not only great to work with but incredibly patient. I'm a very slow learner, and have to have things shown to me again and again and then again just to make sure I've got it. Steven didn't seem to mind at all and was full of helpful tips and pointers, making me feel at ease. Annoyingly though, despite the fact we didn't take ANY bumps that session I managed to tweak my upper back, meaning it started to spasm on my drive home, that wasn't much fun at all!


I missed the following 2 weeks sessions, both for different but valid reasons in my opinion...
The first session I missed was due to driving a few friends up to the Fierce Females show in Glasgow that they were performing on. The trip was long, hard and the single most tiring thing I've ever done, but it was still a lot of fun. Doing it the weekend after driving to Bournemouth for a show though gave me a certain, disdain towards Wrestling for a few days. In fact I believe the term I used when I let the guys know that I wouldn't be attending was "Fuck Wrestling!", that's how draining the drive was! 

Marc flyered outside, whilst Bray Wyatt did his thing.

A week later I missed class again, this time was the opposite of the above mentioned "Fuck Wrestling" this time I went along to The Manchester Arena in London, wait that's not right, in Manchester. WWE was in town to tape it's Smackdown show and the guys at Futureshock thought it would a good time to hand out some flyers to the people arriving at the show and try and get a few last minute at the final Futureshock show of the year which at that time was a week away. Travelling with my partner in crime Ryan Hendrix, we cheerfully stood by one of the entrances to the arena, chatting to fans about who they were looking forward to seeing and trying to get some interest in a local promotion. It was genuinely eye opening the amount of comments, especially from mothers, that had no idea that there was wrestling on, just up the road, for a quarter of the price that they paid so that their child could see WWE. 


This may sound odd but I genuinely do love the flyering/postering side of being a trainee for a couple reasons. Firstly, I think it shows dedication to the company and that I'm willing to give up my free time - even if I can only manage it once a week - to help out with something that I'm sure can be a very thankless task for the promoters. Secondly, it gives me a chance to get out of the house. Without going into too much detail my partner is disabled and I'm her full time carer so don't really get to go out too much so to spend a day flyering is actually very therapeutic, believe it or not!

One of Futureshock's regular trainers, Xander Cooper

As I write this my last session at Futureshock was now 2 weeks ago. And it was the night my confidence just utterly utterly failed me. When Xander Cooper said we would be learning headlock takedowns my heart sank. Anyone who read my first article in this series knows that I struggled so damn hard with this relatively simple move on my second session and did not relish doing them again at all. I mentioned on my first article as well that I get frustrated when I can't do something and that night was beyond frustrating. Try as I might I could not do a headlock takedown. In my head I knew what I was doing, knew exactly where to put my hands and feet yet when it came round to actually doing it I just couldn't. Which made me get annoyed. Rinse and repeat again and again and again to the point where I was shaking with silent rage and apologising constantly. Xander began to get frustated with me, not because of my lack of ability but because I apologised so often! "Don't apologise for learning" he told me more than once. What was worse was that we then did some counters and sequences out of the takedown, and, working once more with the amazing Henry Grodd (helped on by the awesome Bobby Cash) I was at least ok with all of them, although I was so damn mad at myself I was a ball of tension. We finished the session with walking headlock takedowns, where you grab your opponent as they walk towards you. The wonderful Ellie took me over like a pro on her first attempt but yet again when it was my turn it was a move that I just could not do. 


I left the session feeling so deflated, so ashamed of myself and my performance. As I write this I haven't been back. A combination of lack of funds and family emergencies have meant that training was pushed to the back of my mind. Realistically I can't see myself attending in the month of December at all as I'm going abroad for Christmas so need every penny I can get, and while I want to be dedicated to it, the chance to see my brothers for the first time in almost a year is top priority. I'll be back in the new year though, just try and stop me. 

Ever wanted to be a wrestler? Give it a try! Seriously its great. For all the details about Futureshock and it's school check out http://www.futureshockwrestling.co.uk/

Guest Article: Running the Ropes with Marc P - Part 2

For anyone who didn't get the chance to read Part 1 (shame on you) let me bring you quickly up to speed. I attended an open day at the Futureshock Wrestling School back in September and despite having being very very nervous I loved it. 3 days later I was back again, loving it again but a freak accident meant that I tore the MCL in my left knee. My Doctor recommended 6 weeks rest. Anyone who knows me knew that that was never going to happen, and that's where we begin this time...


I did plan to rest! Stop laughing I really did. I thought I'd take a few weeks off from the gym and forget about wrestling. That was until I saw a tweet from CJ Banks that read:" When I was 16 I tore ligament fibres playing football. I still went to wrestling training every Saturday and Sunday and took notes, no excuses!" I couldn't really argue with that could I? So, despite being on crutches, I hobbled up the stairs to the school to watch the guys train and to take notes. I must confess friends, that it was not the most enjoyable experience. That sounds awful so let me explain why. Dave Rayne took the class that night and taught the class about a thing called "Hope Spots". Now I know a lot about the wrestling world and consider myself to be your generic "smart fan" but I had no idea about a hope spot, what it entailed or how it was performed. So I sat leaning on my crutches being well and truly schooled, and loving it. The reason I say I didn't enjoy this is because it hurt that I couldn't join in with such an interesting session 

DAVE RAYNE!

Dave also showed the class how to throw a punch and a chop correctly. Now, I can sit and take my notes and watch the guys do the hope spots but there is absolutely no way I'm was not going to join in with that bit! Fortunately, my friend Chris was there to watch as well and was a willing guinea pig for me to practice said chops and punches on, I loved that, sorry for being a little snug with you, matey! Watching, and joining it a little was great but on the flipside it was horrible not being able to join in with the majority of what looked like a really fun class. 


I resumed my normal workout routine a week later as my MCL felt fine (6 weeks! More like 3!) In doing so I decided to attend a seminar at the school with TNA Wrestler Rockstar Spud. The night before the seminar I was once again my usual bundle of nerves and I barely slept as the prospect of making a fool of myself in front of a man who I admire greatly filled me with blind terror! Fortunately, I had nothing to worry about. Spud's seminar was mainly talking. If you wanted to get in the ring and do something you could, but, of the 23 of us there I'd say that only 10-12 actually got up and did anything in the ring, to which I was very grateful. The day was made up of Spud asking 2 people to get into the ring and getting them to tell a story, I didn't matter what the story was, just do something. Spud would watch the 2 men or woman wrestle until stopping them at a point and explaining either what he liked, where they were going wrong or suggesting a way to improve. It would take many pages to cover everything Spud talked about or showed us in those 3 hours. Suffice to say I learned so much, a lot of things that I had never even thought of, and a lot of things that hopefully I can look back on in a few months and think to myself "so that's what Spud meant"!

Three days later I was back at the school with a new challenge to face, a new teacher -  "The Man For All Seasons"  Xander Cooper! Now I had heard that Xander's warm ups could be used by Governments as torture on terror suspects so was just a little bit nervous going into this one. After a few stretches we had to do 140 squats. I can do about 60 before I start to flag so this was tough. Then we were paired up and had to do 50 squat lock ups (making 190 total squats, 190!), then high five press ups, leg raises and a nuts type of reverse sit up over the ring apron!!! I was a tired boy after all that, BUT, I got through it, which I was very proud of myself for as it meant that my fitness is slowly improving. 


Xander's theme for the class was trust. Trusting your body in the hands of your opponent. To do this we would be learning how to do a stalling suplex and a crossbody off the ropes!!! 
As someone who has never performed a suplex or a crossbody, the familiar nerves began to creep in. Xander paired us up and I was picked to work with a young lady called Hollie. I've liked Hollie since my first session, she has a permanent smile on her face which I love. It's actually quite funny watching Hollie get chopped and see that she's still smiling. She's also got bags of talent, a great attitude  and I predict that she'll go a long way in the business. As Hollie is currently studying her GCSE's I was really scared that I would mess up my suplex and end up dropping her on her head. Fortunately Hollie didn't share this fear, confidently telling me that she probably wouldn't mind if I did. That put me at ease and on our second attempt I hoisted her high into the air and was able to hold her up! Fortunately for both of us Hollie didn't have to lift me. A nice young man called Dan was given the unenviable task. But, with the theme of the class being Trust, I wasn't afraid, I jumped when told, pushed off hard off Dan's teigh and he held me up. I felt elated and to be honest with you, a part of me wanted him to fall backwards so we could finish the suplex, but a suplex bump is for another day. 

THE MAN FOR ALL SEASONS!

Next up was crossbodies off Bret's Ropes (the second and most dangerous of all ropes). Xander showed us how to catch your opponent then put down a crash mat in case we needed it. I was determined to show that I do have some strength and actually catch Hollie but my first 2 attempts saw us both crash to the mat, don't get me wrong I caught her fine I just really wanted to be able to hold her upright.  Attempt three though saw me feeling like Lex Luger as I caught her in my arms and held her there. If I was impressed with myself it was nothing to how impressed I was a few minutes later when I dived off the ropes only to be caught first time by wrestler, Henry T. Grodd! Even with my weight loss I'm still in the 14-15 stone range and he caught me like I was half that! We finished the session doing standing crossbodies which again was a lot of fun. 
'

At the end of the session I drove home and a couple of times I actually giggled! Because I'm getting to know my classmates a little bit more I was so full of confidence in myself which in turn made me so happy that I was able to train again! Even better, I'm starting to believe in myself, something I've always had an issue with. So much so than 5 days after this class I was stood in front of 150 people working as the new ring announcer for Southcoast Wrestling! If you had told me I would be doing something like that when I started back in September I would have told you that you were crazy. But training is helping me come out of my shell and for that I am so thankful. The best part is that I'm only a few weeks into this crazy journey, and I know its only going to get better. 


Ever wanted to be a wrestler? Give it a try! Seriously its great. For all the details about Futureshock and it's school check out http://www.futureshockwrestling.co.uk/

Live Review: PCW Heroes

Just one week removed from short trip to 53 Degrees for UCLAN Fresher Week, which saw The GZRS in back to back matches against Hayes & Kirby and The UK Hooligans, PCW was back at Evoque for the first time since the start of August, for Heroes. Dave Mastiff putting his PCW Heavyweight Championship on the line against former WWE United States Champion, Bobby Lashley in the main event, as well as the likes of Charlie Garrett, Drew Galloway, El Ligero, Iestyn Rees, Noam Dar and Tommaso Ciampa also on the card. Could the show be as heroic as the title suggested?


Before we get to talking about the first match of the evening, I'd like to take a moment to discuss the magnificence that is Xander Cooper's coat. Making his début appearance at Evoque (after losing El Ligero at UCLAN Freshers Week), the Futureshock Wrestling regular rocked up in a get-up that would get you battered in most nightclubs around the country and certainly "noticed" in a few others. All dark green and peacock feathery, Cooper looked resplendent as he headed down the Evoque steps to the ring. In a way, it was a shame that Cooper didn't get a one on one match for his (Evoque) debut, to really get the crowd familiar with his character (A small "You're just a shit Ric Flair" chant didn't really hit the spot)

Match 1 - Cruiserweight Championship Four-Way - Bubblegum (C) vs. Xander Cooper vs. Dean Allmark vs. Ashton Smith

      An adequate start to the show, this was what you'd expect from these four talented performers. The action was fast-paced and with it's fair share of flips (Allmark's Asai Moonsault especially standing out), but for me, it was the heel-face divide that drove the bout. With Bubblegum and Cooper seemingly joining forces early doors, the pair would be thwarted at almost every turn by Allmark and Smith (the latter ducking a crossbody by Cooper, sending him into the arms of Bubblegum, before nailing Bubblegum with a backstabber was the highlight of the contest), the champion had had enough of the partnership and nailed Cooper with a Pedigree for the victory, working as a satisfying pay-off to the narrative. For me, this was a little too short to really allow any of the four performers to shine as bright as they could have and to fully explore what could have been done in the ring, both in terms of the action and story-telling. (I think it's also worth noting that all three of Bubblegum's challengers had lost their previous match in PCW)

Winner - Bubblegum via pinfall (on Cooper) in 7 minutes, 34 seconds *STILL CHAMPION*

Match 2 - Singles - Charlie Garrett vs. Iestyn Rees with Joanna Rose

Two workers who clearly know each other very well (They've performed as The Alpha Males tag team in various promotions for the last two years), and who are both technically proficient in the ring. It would be difficult to fault any of the wrestling content of this match, but it was quite simply...a little bit dull. The pair seemed to almost be coasting here, with a crowd that had been slow to warm up not being drawn into the action, which was needed considering this match was happening for...reasons. I found Joanna Rose at ringside to be the most interesting piece of the puzzle here, and even she didn't come into things until the closing stages of the match, causing the distraction that would allow Rees to get the win with a big ol' Powerbomb. 

Winner - Iestyn Rees via pinfall in 11 minutes, 53 seconds.

Match 3 - Singles - Dave Rayne vs. PCW Tag Team Champion T-Bone with Joanna Rose

After Joanna  had offered Rayne a shot at the #Boom Championship, if he could beat T-Bone, Rayne didn't beat T-Bone in a sub-two minutes squash, that saw the PCW Tag Team Champion finish off Rayne with a sweet Tombstone Piledriver. Boom!

Winner - T-Bone via pinfall in 1 minute, 48 seconds

Match 4 - Singles - "The Psycho Killer" Tommaso Ciampa vs. "The Mexican Sensation" El Ligero

     Undoubtedly the highlight of the first half; former ROH World TV Champion Tommaso Ciampa and All Star Wrestling regular El Ligero put on a pleasing rematch of their Supershow of Honor clash from last November. Whilst I'd rank the original clash a little higher, this was still a quality encounter, full of hard chops and big impact moves. Ciampa impressed with his character work, quickly taking on the antagonist role by laying into Ligero before the bell, as well as causing a little girl to cry at ringside. All was good later, the girl isn't scarred for life and some people were really angry on the PCW Facebook page, if only they'd have really given him some heat in the match!. Both men got some great near falls, taking on a very Indy feel, as Ciampa came close with an over the shoulder belly to back piledriver on the apron and Project Ciampa, whilst Ligero seemed to have the match won after hitting a lovely frog splash. With the series now tied at one a-piece, I'm hoping that later down the line (I'd imagine sometime in 2016 now), that we get a third clash between the two, with the pair given a little bit more time to really put on a show.

Winner - El Ligero via pinfall in 11 minutes, 57 seconds.

Match 5 - No Holds Barred - Lionheart vs. Sha Samuels

Sha Samuels is one of my favourite heels in PCW and he's been built amazingly since debuting just over a year ago. So when The East End Butcher came out to Kris Travis' music I couldn't have been happier... I mean, obviously I showered Samuels with some boos, as did the rest of the crowd, but that's exactly the reaction it should have been getting. With Lionheart heading straight and wasting no time going after Samuels, the crowd was the hottest they had been all night and perhaps the most behind Lionheart I've seen since his return from injury. Unfortunately, the match couldn't quite keep things up, with the action never really living up to the No Holds Barred moniker. I mean, if you'd never seen a No Holds Barred match before, I'm sure you'd have thought it was bloody marvellous. Some brawling on the outside and some whipping with Samuels' braces (which didn't look particularly convincing), but compared to the action before the Noam Dar and Drew Galloway match later in the night, this was a fairly tame affair. The finish was well-done however, with Samuels locking in the sleeper hold, with a scarf for added measure, and it was good to see Samuels' momentum continue to grow.

Winner - Sha Samuels via referee stoppage in 10 minutes, 24 seconds.

Before the night's sole tag team encounter, there was a backstage skit, involving Sam Ward taking a piss....yeah. Then The Wards came out with a dog. A DOG! A BLOODY DOG! This went straight over my head, but seemed to get a decent reaction from sections of the crowd. It even garnered a "That was Awesome" chant, which I'm really not sure was supposed to be the reaction it should have been getting. Whatever. Wrestling.

Match 6 - Tag Team - Hayes & Kirby vs. The Wards

Another very short bout, the pre-match antics actually went on about three minutes longer than the actual in-ring action. But, in terms of action, this was the weakest bout of the night, with the four never seeming to connect. There was some decent continuation of Joey Hayes and Martin Kirby's storyline, although if not a little repetitious on previous goings on, with Kirby taking on the majority of The Wards' offence, before Hayes came in to steal the win. Whilst the Wards look okay on the attack, with a fine looking powerslam combo situation working as a nice near fall, but I was not sold on the duo when Kirby was powering up. Sam looked especially ropey, taking a bizarre shitty bump off of the Kirby's Dreamland that would end the match.

Winners - Hayes & Kirby via pinfall (Hayes on Sam Ward) in 6 minutes, 3 seconds

Before the rematch from August's The Fourth Awakens, could even begin, Noam Dar and Drew Galloway had brawled all over Evoque. Trust me, this will look magnificent on Blu-Ray as the pair really went at it, and the stuff that I could see clearly looked brutal and was done with an intensity that was missing from elsewhere in the night. Brawling on the booths, brawling behind the bar, a Fallaway slam from Galloway into a fire door, Dar sending Galloway head first into a wall. The two made the most of the environment provided and continued to get over the rivalry that began when Galloway attacked Dar at the end of their match in August. It's interesting that this action felt much more No Holds Barred, than the No Holds Barred match earlier in the night.

Match 7 - Singles - Noam Dar vs. Drew Galloway

High and away the match of the night, the action inside the ring was just as good as the action outside it. The pair looked almost effortless in there, with Dar quick to target the former WWE Intercontinental Champion's leg once again, straight away bringing back memories of how good their initial contest was. Galloway's selling was on point once more, making Dar's Champagne Super Knee Bar feel all the more dramatic, as Galloway managed to claw himself to the ropes. Whilst CSKB was clearly a big part of this and the last match, Galloway bought his own weapon with the Futureshock DDT. After attempting a swinging variation of the move earlier in the match, it was not one, but two DDT's that would eventually put Dar away. This was a bout that played off the original encounter, whilst being completely different at the same time, brilliant stuff. Give me more of this.

Winner - Drew Galloway via pinfall in 10 minutes, 9 seconds

Pull apart brawls are great, give me a pull apart brawl and I'll be happy! Who doesn't love pull apart brawls? Seriously, though, Dar and Galloway heightened things with their post-match confrontation, with a number of PCW Staff/Trainees getting in between the pair as they tried to tear strips off each other, after Galloway continued to batter Dar after the bell. Just like the previous bout, the goings on post-match intensified the want for a rematch and raised the feud to the next level, superb booking that was improved upon by two world-class performances. Big shout out to the trainee who couldn't wipe the "Look at me, I'm in the ring" smile off his face during the entire segment, because it wasn't a serious situation at all. 

After the thrill-ride that was the raffle, it was almost time for the main event. Before that though, Joanna Rose said something. She put over Bobby Lashley as her choice to dethrone Dave Mastiff as champion, which I suppose made some sense as Lashley may have gotten a more positive reaction simply because he's been on the telly. But I honestly don't think it was needed, as Lashley got plenty of heat walking out for just working for TNA and being alongside Joanna, who had already been out twice in the evening. 

Match 8 - PCW "World" Heavyweight Championship - "The Bastard" Dave Mastiff vs. Bobby Lashley with Joanna Rose

When your main event gets a "boring" chant, that pretty much says it all, doesn't it? This match was just that, boring. What would you do if the crowd was chanting boring? Slap on the fourth rest hold of the match, according to big Bobby. The match ran just shy of ten minutes; why are we having to have FOUR REST HOLDS! Yes, Lashley was "wearing down" Mastiff and all that, but there were surely more interesting ways to so, especially when the match was going less than ten minutes. Even then Mastiff had to resort to a low blow to get the victory, which I'm sure was in there to keep Lashley looking relatively strong for his TNA/Bellator commitments rather than do anything for Mastiff, before hitting his Cannonball to retain the title. 

Winner - Dave Mastiff via pinfall in 9 minutes, 53 seconds.

Iestyn Rees, T-Bone and Bubblegum were all out to give Mastiff some beats after the match, with The Bastard also taking a big spear from Lashley. The crowd clearly knew the score as the "Maaartin" shouts began, and out came Money in the Bank holder Martin Kirby. Kirby's partner Joey Hayes argued that Kirby shouldn't cash in, giving Mastiff enough time to recover and the trio fought off F.W.B to close the show. Not quite sure about this as the closing segment, as whilst it sent the fans home happy, the Kirby and Hayes stuff went on a little too long. The crowd chanting for Kirby to cash-in, despite Mastiff being their favourite Bastard was also a weird moment. One last point, F.W.B. have been trying to get the belt off Mastiff since he won the belt in July, so why didn't they want Kirby to cash in his Money in the Bank? The fact that they bought in Lashley for this show already shows they aren't too bothered about the title going to someone already in the group, right?

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating: 5.06/10

Galloway vs. Dar just about saves this show from dropping below a 5 on the ATPW Scale, with all three portions (the bout, plus action before and after) scoring high.


As you might have been able to tell from reading the review, I didn't enjoy the majority of this show, at all. If I was taking into account the fucking weird crowd (bloke who couldn't chant in time, drunken women, some shit chants that unsurprisingly didn't get going) then I think that the rating would be a lot lower, as I know that it certainly impacted on my enjoyment of the show. I wouldn't say there was necessarily a "bad" match on the show, although parts of the tag bout perhaps came close and the main event couldn't live up to the action directly before it. There was a lot of average or dull action throughout this show. More often than not the contests felt way too short to fully deliver on their potential also.


Having tickets to Shropshire Wrestling Alliance show on Halloween, I'm certain I won't be back for PCW's Halloween double header. My next trip to Preston will be for the PCW/ROH weekender in November...I'm expecting to have a much better time of things here, as last year's four shows were superb. But as it stands, I'm considering making those shows my last PCW shows for a while. 


A big thanks to Andrew Tomlinson for casting his eagle-eye over this. Very much appreciated.