Event Review: PROGRESS Chapter 21: You Know We Don't Like to Use the Sit Down Gun

So PROGRESS Chapter 20 currently had the highest score on the ATPW Scale going into Chapter 21, surely the show subtitled, You Know We Don't Like to Use the Sit Down Gun, couldn't top that? With Thunderbastard winner Mark Haskins stepping up to challenge the newly crowned PROGRESS Champion, Will Ospreay, in the main event, surprise appearances from Roderick Strong and Adam Cole, and with Jimmy Havoc, Paul Robinson The London Riots, The Origin, The Sumerian Death Squad and more across the card, did PROGRESS continue to make waves in the Electric Ballroom?

Start things as you mean to go on, right? That's what the people say. And that's what PROGRESS did with Chapter 21. Anyone who's been to a PROGRESS show knows the score, the show begins once the Imperial Death March starts, with Jim Smallman spending time walking around the ring as Started from the Bottom and then For Whom the Bell Tolls plays. However, this time Smallman was join by two Stormtroopers, who got a lovely pop when they came out the curtain. This pop would be bested moments later when they removed their helmets and revealed themselves to be...THE GZRS, Sebastian and Tom Irvin. The pair officially opened the show with a quick promo, teasing answering the Sumerian Death Squad's Open Challenge later in show (although quickly withdrawing themselves from that), as well as pushing their ENDVR: 12 with Project Ego next week, with the crowd lapping up every entertaining syllable. 

Match 1 - Tag Team - The Origin vs. The London Riots

This match was made following El Ligero's attack of James Davis (with the Riots' Cricket bat no less) at Download Festival back in June, and the storyline continued here. Ligero not wanting to be in the ring with Davis, not only got on the crowd on Ligero's back ("El Torito" *clap clap clap clap clap*) but also allowed the contest to take on a different element. It was clear that the bout was less about the win for Davis and more about gaining an element of revenge on Ligero for his dastardly actions. Therefore, when Davis was finally able to get his hands on the former PROGRESS Champion and powerbomb him onto a number of chairs at ringside, not only did it look fucking incredible, but the Riots had technically achieved what they set out to do...the fact that they'd go on to lose that match, thanks to Zack Gibson seemingly joining the Origin and handing Nathan Cruz a fork, really didn't matter. The Origin however needed the victory after floundering a little, a savvy piece of booking.


The storytelling throughout was flawless, and for the most part so was the wrestling content, with the teams going back and forth and building towards the conclusion nicely, with a series of strikes and various suplexes. There was however a handful of awkward looking bumps, including Cruz landing almost directly onto his face after attempting to flip over, which got an audible reaction from portions of the crowd. Despite these slips, this was still a strong opening bout that had a lively crowd hooked, both with the action and story, and continued to develop the Origin storyline, which seems to becoming more prominent in the promotion going forward.


Winners - The Origin via pinfall in 15 minutes, 46 seconds.

Match 2 - Singles - Jack Gallagher vs. Pastor William Eaver

Pastor-mania was certainly running wild in the Electric Ballroom, but Nigel Thornberry was there to put a stop to it all in another one of his classic japes. Obviously, it wasn't ol' Nige, but it was Jack Gallagher (somebody noticed the uncanny resemblance and started the chant) and it was another technically sound display from the Futureshock Wrestling regular. Gallagher working the arm was nice, and as usual everything he did was so crisp. Eaver's selling is perhaps something he needs to develop, but his struggle to hit his Crucifix Powerbomb was a sweet touch. Gallagher kicking out of the move and immediately rolling through into Boston Crab to get the submission victory was a curious finish, considering Gallagher's previous work on the arm, however, the victory, especially after Eaver defeated Noam Dar at the previous Chapter, put Gallagher in a strong position in the promotion. Hopefully we'll get to see him more regularly in Camden going forward.

Winner - Jack Gallagher via submission in 7 minutes, 48 seconds.

Match 3 - Singles - Eddie Dennis vs. Zack Gibson with Nathan Cruz

As Nathan Cruz accompanied Zack Gibson to the ring it was pretty much confirmed that the Scouser had joined the Origin, and the heat that he had previously became even more intensified. Throw the perennially popular Eddie Dennis into the mix as his opponent and you had the recipe for a rowdy singles encounter. Whilst the crowd were animated throughout, the action inside the ring matched it as Gibson creatively worked over Dennis' arm, including a lovely overhead throw using the arm, in preparation for his Arm bar submission. However, it wasn't his technical prowess that earned Gibson the victory, but the distraction caused when he attempted to introduce a fork into the match, as well as Cruz's involvement, as he was able to hit a low blow with the referee's back turned and pick up the victory. It's been said many times that the best heels don't need to cheat to win, but do it anyway, Gibson seems to fit that mould in PROGRESS.

Winner - Zack Gibson via pinfall in 11 minutes, 35 seconds

Match 4 - No Disqualifcation for the #1 Contendership to the PROGRESS Championship Jimmy Havoc vs. Paul Robinson

A bonus addition to the card, after Jim Smallman placed the pair in a bout following Jimmy Havoc demanding to have a Number One contenders bout with anyone (with the added stipulation that if either laid down for the other they would be fired). This was one of, if not the, most brutal matches that I have ever seen. When one of the first spots of the match is a piledriver off the apron through a table, you know that things are going to get a little messy by the end. And they certainly did, as Havoc and Robinson introduced more tables, chairs, singapore canes, thumbtacks and a fuck load of motherfucking light tubes. If you long for blood in pro wrestling then this was for you, with the juice flowing freely for a good portion of the match. Each gasp-inducing spot seemed to top the last, as we ended up with Robinson setting up three light tubes across two set-up chairs, before eventually being able to deliver a devasting curb stomp to pick up the victory. 


It would be easy to mistake the description for mindless violence, but you couldn't be further from the truth. This was a rollercoaster ride of emotion, that manipulated the crowd for it's duration to side with one or the other. The majority seemed to go with it, as Havoc and Robinson straddled the heel/face divide at various points, playing off their previous actions in the company. Robinson seemed to be the fan favourite in the early going, seemingly embracing the fan support at one point with the "Dobby is free elf" chants echoing around the ballroom. But the more punishment that Havoc took, the more the empathy built for the man who once held an axe to Will Ospreay's head. There were moments where I just didn't know how I felt about anything in the world anymore and began to question everything that I had ever done. But when all was said and done I was convinced that Jimmy Havoc was our man, and I'm not sure I've ever had a more cathartic experience in my entire life.

Winner - Paul Robinson via pinfall in 15 minutes, 42 seconds

Match 5 - Singles - Kris Travis vs. Marty Scurll

An emotional return to PROGRESS for Kris Travis here, with the crowd clearly appreciate of the man who kicked cancer in the arse, with the support almost bringing the Sheffield grappler to tears. The match was focused around opponent Marty Scurll's attempts to lock in the Cross Face Chicken Wing and Travis being able to wriggle free each time. There was plenty of back and forth action between the two with two crowd behind Travis all the way, but still rather appreciative of the Villain, who seemed to be playing everything by the book in this one. The pair strong together a series of lovely reversal sequences, building the pace of the bout towards the conclusion where Travis was able to pick up the victory by turning Scurll's suplex attempt into a small package. 

Winner - Kris Travis via pinfall in 14 minutes, 30 seconds.

I was just about to write something about the decision of having Travis win on his return bout in my notebook, when out of the corner of my eye I saw Scurll lock on the Cross Face Chicken Wing and a big reaction of disapproval from the PROGRESS faithfull. There's one rule of PROGRESS and Scurll was certainly breaking it here and the crowd let him know. There couldn't have been a better moment to fully realise Scurll's Villain character and with The GZRS, Eddie Dennis and even RJ Singh out to get Scurll out of the ring, PROGRESS have given themselves plenty of options going forward.

Match 6 - PROGRESS Tag Team Championship - The Sumerian Death Squad (C) vs. Roderick Strong & Adam Cole

As surprise appearances go they don't get much bigger than both Roderick Strong and Adam Cole, who were the ones to answer The Sumerian Death Squad's Open Challenge. The pop for the two Ring of Honor regulars was terrific, but that jubilation quickly turned to jeer, as the fans remembering something about Strong's previous visit to Camden. His boots. They are little and they are shitty. With Strong and Cole quickly becoming heels, they fell into their role perfectly against the popular Tommy End and Michael Dante, with ROH duo working quick tags and distracting the ref to stay in control of face in peril, End. Both men worked the crowd well and showed their years of experience in being able to react to pretty much anything that was thrown their way with an entertaining, yet frustrating response, a type of heel that suit the promotion.

The match built and built and built into a tremendous tag team duel with both teams trading strikes, that looked so crisp and sounded even better. Cole and Strong and End and Dante went hammer and tongues in the final third of the bout and produced a number of near falls that had the crowd on the edge of their seats. A particular highlight saw all four men connect with signature strikes in succession, whilst End and Dante being to escape the Figure Four Leglock and Strong Hold simulataneously was also a standout moment for me. After a frenetic closing sequence, SDS retained their tag shields with their Wheelbarrow into float over cutter combination and look all the better having to go toe to toe with two of the premier talents from across the pond. Who could possibly take the shields away from the Dutchmen?

Winner - The Sumerian Death Squad via pinfall in 16 minutes, 7 seconds. *STILL CHAMPIONS*

Match 7 - PROGRESS Championship - Will Ospreay (C) vs. Mark Haskins

After the show that had gone before them, I almost felt sorry for Will Ospreay and Mark Haskins, but I feel like a fool for even allowing the thought that these two wouldn't deliver a match that at least matched what had gone before them. With a lively crowd that was seemingly split down the middle for the Aerial Assassin and The Star Attraction the Electric Ballroom was arguably the loudest it had been all night. The action reflected the crowd, as the pair would go back and forth for most of the bout, with Haskins perhaps seeing slightly more offence in the first two thirds of the bout. Haskins number of submission holds on the Champion, including a lovely looking Lebell Lock, told a fine story of the technician trying to ground the highflyer. Ospreay's is an underrated seller and showed so here with some lovely touches coming out of each of Haskins' submission sequences.


The action was fast paced, physical and crisp throughout, with both men looking like they belonged in the main event of one of the biggest promotion in the United Kingdom. Ospreay provided plenty of "Wow" moments, being his usual flippy self, hitting a superb standing corkscrew senton after previous missing a moonsault, featuring a ridiculous sequence that saw him land on his feet after a top rope reverse rana attempt by Haskins, only to hit a reverse rana of his own and finishing off the bout with his beautiful 630 senton. This was a perfect way to finish the show that saw the landscape of PROGRESS continue to change, cementing Ospreay as the champion and validating his title win at the previous chapter.

Winner - Will Ospreay via pinfall in 17 minutes, 21 seconds.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating: 7.79/10


There was no chance that PROGRESS was going to be able to top Chapter 20, no chance at all....but I think they did it here. The ATPW Scale has been smashed. There were three outstanding matches on this card for me, with Havoc vs. Robinson, SDS vs. Strong & Cole and Ospreay vs. Haskins all being of the absolute highest quality indeed. Personally, Havoc vs. Robinson was my match of the night for it's emotional storytelling and utter brutality, but I certainly wouldn't have a problem with someone who sided with one of the two.


There is just no stopping this promotion at the moment as they continue to go from strength to strength. ATPW will be back at Ballroom in October for the sold out, Chapter 22, and we're very much looking forward to seeing what PROGRESS have in store for us next.

TV Review: WWE Monday Night RAW #1163

     

Just thirteen days until Night of Champions WWE already had most of the main pieces of the puzzle in place for the PPV. With WWE World Heavyweight and United States Champion Seth Rollins placed in two bouts on the card, including the main event that saw him team with Big E and Kofi Kingston of Tag Team Champions, The New Day to take on John Cena and The Prime Time Players, as well as bouts including Cesaro, Sasha Banks, Dean Ambrose, The Dudley Boyz and Randy Orton, could WWE produce a quality product to hold the interest heading into September's special?

The show kicked off with a monologue from "The Architect" Seth Rollins, as he discussed both his upcoming matches at Night of Champions (with Sting and John Cena respectively). Rollins has really developed as a character performer over the last few months and accounted himself well here, playing with the crowd (slowing down when the crowd chanted "boring" was a superb touch) and managing to creatively build up both matches and further his issues with both men. A credit must go to writing team here as well, I'd imagine, they seem to have a strong grasp of the character and Rollins as a performer. Sting (on the tron) and Sheamus both got involved, but it was the inaugural NXT Champion who continued to shine here.


With Sting earlier revealing to that he was in possession of Rollins' statue (as seen on Monday Night RAW #1161), a backstage segment lead to Triple H placing Seth in two matches for the evening to focus himself for Night of Champions, which made a lot of sense and I'll never complain about getting to see "The Man" wrestle.


I liked the idea of having this rematch after the Diva's were lumbered with a silly Beat the Clock Challenge gimmick last week, that meant that Paige and Sasha went to a 1 minute and 40 second time limit draw, I mean...seriously?

Match 1 - Singles - Paige with Charlotte & Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks with Naomi & Tamina

The first part of the bout before the ad break showed a lot of promise with the pair looking lively in the ring and Sasha's signature double knees in the corner was a sweet way to send the match to an ad break. The second part of the bout brought a nice physicality from both performers, although Paige's awkward bump of the top rope and confusing finish just as the crowd were about to get into things let this one down. 

Winner - Sasha Banks via pinfall in 9 minutes, 55 seconds

The Ascension were strangely without Stardust, who they seemingly partnered with on Smackdown as they received their jobber entrance. 

Match 2 - Tag Team - The Ascension vs. Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns

Whilst the bout did have some lovely team based stuff from Ambrose and Reigns (Reigns pushing Ambrose out the way to Spear Konnor was a great spot) and put them over strong, there was no real need for the former Shield boys to be in this type of match-up. 

Winners - Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns in 2 minutes, 55 seconds 

All I got from The Wyatt Family's regular tron promo situation was that Braun Strowman has a really weird looking face. 


Ryback provided a terrible promo as part of an interview sentence with Renee Young, in which he tripped over his words and recited a piss poor script, before Kevin Owens turn up to almost rescue things.


A recap of last week's goings on between Summer Rae, Dolph Ziggler and Lana aired with a strange voice over, WWE was really pushing the soap opera/Jerry Springer element of this story here and it didn't sit well with me.

Match 3 - Singles - Ryback vs. Seth Rollins

The first part of this bout (before the ad break) was so dull with a deathly quiet crowd not help things out either. The match didn't seem to quite know what it wanted to be and we saw the pair go back and forth with some awkward looking moves, with Ryback's usual in-ring issue turning up again. He looked pretty damn good on offence, hitting a nice delayed vertical suplex and a gorilla press, but any time Seth Rollins found himself in control the Big Guy looked wooden and this hurt Rollins offence, especially when the Architect was using mainly strikes to combat the bigger man. Luckily the bout showed promise to head into the break with the World Heavyweight Champion showing his vicious side, sending Ryback into the ring post and steel steps, and this was just enough to hold my attention across the break.


After a shakey start (Seth Rollins locking in a headlock whilst the crowd were dead) the second portion of the match picked up considerably, with Rollins lifting the pace and Ryback looking much more competent with his selling (the moments after his arm struck the ringpost were especially well done and it's almost a shame that this wasn't played up a bit more by Rollins). With Michael Cole heavily signposting a Triple H vs. Seth Rollins bout in the near future, the pair up their game with Rollins trio of dives spot, with Ryback thwarting the third with a huge spinebuster being the standout moment of the bout for me. The finish was a little shitty, as Sting turned up on the screen to distract Rollins, which appeared to be a bit of a dickish thing to do for the former WCW World Heavyweight Champion, at least it gives The Big Guy some momentum as Intercontinental Champion, I suppose.

Winner - Ryback via pinfall in 17 minutes, 45 seconds.

Sting goofing around with Seth Rollins' statue afterwards, didn't do a whole lot for more and felt silly, rather than funny, and kind of made me want to see Rollins kick The Icon's arse.


Whilst the segments' tone was all over the place, there's no denying that Seth Rollins, The New Day, The Dudley Boyz and Edge & Christian all in one backstage skit was pretty cool, and the eight men did manage to cover quite a lot of ground, including tonight's main event, Rollins' angle with Edge and Christian earlier in the year, as well as The Dudleys feud with The New Day.


For shits and gigs, the cringe worthy video package about Summer Rae, Dolph Ziggler and Lana aired again, quite possibly just to annoy me.

I couldn't wait for this segment to end for a number of reasons. 1. Why hadn't Summer Rae and Rusev spoken about Summer supposedly bangin' Dolph Ziggler over the weekend? No reason was given for Summer waiting until RAW to discuss the matter. 2. Rusev accepting Summer's (rather hollow, but that might just be her poor acting) apology made him look like a moron. This guy used to be the Super Athlete. He's currently coming across like a bit of a pussy. 3. Even when Dolph Ziggler added a much needed boost of charisma, the script was so poor that even he couldn't fight through the mess. There is no need for Ziggler and Rusev to be placed in a storyline like this, they've got the talents to tell an interesting story without all these bells and whistles.


Before Randy Orton's match with Sheamus, Byron Saxton noted that Orton "has done it on 12 separate occasions", Michael Cole was quick to remind us that Saxton meant win a World title.

Match 4 - Singles - Sheamus vs. Randy Orton

Both these men need fresh opponents, the first portion of the match completely went through the motions with Sheamus attempting to goad the crowd to chant "You look stupid" at him to mixed results throughout the match, being the main highlight.

There's no denying that Sheamus is over as a heel, but I don't think he was quite as over here as WWE were hoping he would be. Yes, the crowd would intermittently chant "You look stupid", but they weren't quite as loud as the storyline seemed to be suggesting, with the idea being that the crowd were getting into his head. The closing sequence that would lead to Randy Orton hitting the RKO to pick up the victory was about as interesting as this one got, this certainly wasn't one of the pairs stronger matches and they've had quite a few! This would seem to put an end to their feud, I'm interested to see how WWE plans on elevating Sheamus to World title level after coming out on the losing side of this feud.

Winner - Randy Orton via pinfall in 15 minutes, 50 seconds

The Wyatt Family (and in particular Braun Strowman) made their presence known after the bout attacking Randy Orton (who was seen talking to Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose earlier in the night) in a nice piece of storyline development for their feud, with Orton putting over Strowman strong with some quality selling of the Black Sheep's Lifting Arm Triangle Choke.


The Dudley Boyz entrance is still pretty cool, isn't it? As soon as those fireworks smash against the stage it's difficult not get hyped.

Match 5 - Tag Team - The Dudley Boyz vs. Los Matadores with El Torito

Wow, this was a quick match, as Bubba Ray and D-Von continue to get put over strong with Los Matadores swiftly jobbing here after having some kind of disagreement with El Torito.

Winners - The Dudley Boyz via pinfall in 1 minute, 35 seconds

Whilst the falling out of Los Matadores and El Torito was a development that I didn't particularly care for, at least it allowed us to see Bubba Ray powerbomb whichever Matadores it was through a table.


Before Cesaro and The Miz could get it on in the ring, there was a repeat of an awkward segment from the Pre-Show in which Miz confronted Cesaro, which lead to this match tonight.

Match 6 - Singles - Cesaro vs. The Miz

Just as the match was starting to show potential with The Miz seemingly upping his game for a match with the technician Cesaro, The Big Show turned up and fucked everything up for everyone, in the head-scratching booking of the night.

Winner - No One by Double Countout in 4 minutes, 10 seconds.

After The Big Show had chased The Miz around ringside, he then knocked out Cesaro, if there is anyone who could explain this segment and the purpose behind it (apart from a Miz vs. Big Show match that everyone's clearly been clamouring for) then I'd love to hear it.

Used as a set-up for Charlotte's title bout with Nikki Bella next week on the "Season Premiere" of RAW, this segment did it's job quite well. I'm not sure whether Nikki is terrible or amazing, because I hate her so much for being bad at cutting promos, so much so that I want to see her get beaten up a bit. Charlotte has the potential to do that and had the crowd on side here with her promo being a much better offering, before things broke down into another brawl and Charlotte had Nikki tapping to the Figure 8. I want to see Charlotte take the title off Nikki, as do many, many internet smarks (some are getting seriously too worked up by it) and this segment added to that. That's all you can really ask for.


As Seth Rollins made his way to the ring for the main event, he was joined by a fan who hopped the guard rail, the bloke looked a massive twat as skipped alongside Rollins and hopefully someone kicked him in the dick on the way out.

Match 7 - Six Man Tag Team - John Cena & The Prime Time Players vs. The New Day's Big E & Kofi Kingston & Seth Rollins with Xavier Woods

The first part of the main event, before the ad break, allowed The New Day to look like stars as Big E and Kofi Kingston were able to quickly gain control of John Cena, including a smashing moment where Big E caught Cena and turned it into a suplex.

After the break the contest was just as enjoyable, with Kofi Kingston, Big E & Seth Rollins working over John Cena with quick tags and heel trickery. The heel trickery could have been played up a little more to really build to the hot tag to Titus O'Neil and give the moment a big more bite. However, The Prime Time Players were also allowed to look good in the main event, with the duo impressing on their hot tag, with Darren Young hitting a lovely suplex onto the apron, whilst O'Neil was using his arsenal of power moves. The bout built nicely into a furious back and forth battle, with an attractive finish, as Cena was able to roll through a Kingston crossbody to pick up the win with a Attitude Adjustment.

Winners - The Prime Time Players & John Cena via pinfall in 13 minutes.

I'm still not sure how I feel about the final segment of the show, as I was with all of the interactions between Seth Rollins and Sting throughout the show. Sting was revealed he was situated next to a bin lorry, before toppling Rollins' beloved statue into the vehicle and destroying it. There were elements of this that were entertaining, such as Sting swinging from the lorry as it drove away, but at the same time it made me want to see Rollins get some revenge on Sting, rather than the other way round. Maybe this is all part of the imminent Rollins' babyface turn.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 4.56

This was not a good episode of RAW by any stretch of the imagination and in fact it becomes the lowest rated show on the ATPW Scale. With a number of matches getting a decent amount of television time none of them stood out as must-see bout and whilst most of them (especially the main event) had their positives, this wasn't enough to justify the amount of time they were given.

Some angles were furthered heading into Night of Champions, as well as next week's Season Première, which is pleasing, but the Sting vs. Seth Rollins feud isn't doing what it should be for me, and the Dolph Ziggler/Rusev feud has descended into madness. Also The Big Show. Fuck Big Show.


Hopefully, we'll see a much better episode next week for the Season Première and go home show for Night of Champions.

Retro Review: WWE Extreme Rules 2014

It's a brand new series about old pay-per-views! Get your retro hats and your old-school slippers on and settle in for Retro Review!


Okay, so our time machine's randomiser is a bit shit and we've only gone back just over a year, but hey ho. Let's take a look at Extreme Rules 2014! She Looks So Perfect from Five Seconds of Summer was topping the UK charts, Eastenders was drawing in the biggest TV audiences and Rio 2 was giving it the big ones at the box office. But was WWE hitting a home run with Extreme Rules?


Daniel Bryan defending the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Kane in a Extreme Rules match is our main event, whilst Evolution, The Shield, Cesaro, Rob Van Dam, Paige and more featured on the undercard. Let's take a look.

Is there a better way to start a PPV than a Paul Heyman promo? Probably not, but this wasn't one of his best. Heyman attempted to use Brock Lesnar's defeat of The Undertaker at the previous month's WrestleMania XXX to garner heat for his newest charge Cesaro and it just doesn't cut the mustard for me. Cesaro was extremely popular following winning the inaugural Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and the crowd wanted to get behind him. 

Cesaro's opponents in the opening bout were his former Real Americans partner Jack Swagger (with Zeb Colter) and Rob Van Dam (for reasons) and the three combine to produce a decent triple threat elimination bout. Things aren't perhaps as smooth as one would hope with Van Dam struggling to adapt to the three way environment at times. There's also a weird dynamic, due to Cesaro and Swagger both being heels but having just split up as a tag team. Whilst the commentary team of Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield and Jerry "The King" Lawler have absolutely no clue that the bout is elimination, the match really comes to life once Swagger has been eliminated, as Cesaro and Van Dam put together a fun closing sequence involving a trash can.


Winner - Cesaro via pinfall in 12 minutes, 33 seconds.


Next PPV - Cesaro would go on to challenge for Sheamus' United States Championship, whilst Rob Van Dam would face Bad News Barrett with the Intercontinental strap on the line at Payback. Jack Swagger would appear in the Money in the Bank Ladder match a month later.

The push of Alexander Rusev (with Lana) begins here as he squashes as R-Truth and Xavier Woods in a quick encounter, that could easily have happened on Monday Night RAW. 


Next PPV - The forename-less Rusev would take on Big E at Payback, whilst R-Truth and Xavier Woods both wouldn't get another PPV run out until Battleground in an Intercontinental Championship battle royal.

Then Intercontinental Champion Big E is so not over as a babyface that it hurts his defence against Bad News Barrett a lot, as it plays out to almost silence. The early part of the contest does absolutely nothing to try and get the crowd onside as the pair go through the motions for a dull couple of minutes. The action does pick up in the closing stages, but the decent back and forth before Barrett manages to hit the Bullhammer is too little, too late for me. Taking the title off of Big E at this point was almost certainly the right thing to do, it was clear the big man wasn't ready for a push to this level at the time.


Winner - Bad News Barrett via pinfall in 7 minutes, 51 seconds *NEW CHAMPION*


Next PPV - Both men would feature on the following month's Payback with Barrett defending his newly won championship against Rob Van Dam, whilst Big E would be the next victim of Rusev. 

That old intangible big fight feel is present as Evolution (Triple H, Batista and Randy Orton) are made to wait by The Shield before their six man tag team clash. The action beginning before the bell is a superb way kick things off, hinting at the mayhem still to come, whilst also allowing Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins to look good by coming out on top of the pre-match exchange between the six men.

This is the best match on the show, by quite some way, as the six performers all work their arses off to create a lively bout that grows as things go on. The early portion of the clash that saw Evolution dictate the pace, through their heely ways, had the crowd going nuts, especially any time Batista was in the ring. Having a crowd that's fully behind the babyfaces and completely against the heels really does do wonders for a match, doesn't it? This early section cleverly negated the nostalgia feels for Evolution (even if this was their trademark tactics of 2002/03), by keeping a measured pace and building even more support for the upcoming members of The Shield.


The second portion of the contest is almost impossible not to get into, with plenty of high-energy from The Shield, whilst the Evolution members work hard to allow Rollins, Ambrose and especially Reigns to look like stars. Reigns is put over strong throughout and ends up taking a Pedigree and an RKO, both of which work as strong false finishes, as does a Triple Powerbomb from The Shield to Batista. The bout desending into an all out brawl war, plays into the hands of the semi-regulars Triple H and Batista, whilst also producing an awe-inspriing moment as Seth Rollins jumps from a platform onto Triple H, Orton and Ambrose whilst the trio are brawling in the crowd. Batista and Reigns are legal men for a long time, as the action goes on around the arena, which leads to a strong closing sequence between the two, before Reigns wins the bout with a Spear for his team.


Winner - The Sheild via pinfall in 19 minutes, 50 seconds.


Next PPV - The trios would meet once again the next month at Payback to settle the score once and for all.

Whilst John Cena's entrance has remained the same for along time, it  was great to watch the full original Wyatt Family head to the ring once again. Having Erick Rowan and Luke Harper escourt him to the ring gave Wyatt an entirely different aura to what (up until recently) we've been seeing out of him as a singles competitor. It's hard to believe watching them head to the ring that WWE ever decided that splitting the trio up was a good idea.

Out of the Bray Wyatt and John Cena trilogy this Steel Cage bout was by far the worse of the three. The whole point of a Steel Cage match is negated as Rowan and Harper spend the entire bout either attacking Cena through the cage or stopping Cena's attempts at escaping over the top. The fact that The Cenation Leader continues to try to get over the top of the cage for almost twenty minutes, despite Rowan and Harper making it clear that he wouldn't be getting down safely, makes this a frustrating watch for the most part. It's not helped that the bout relies on too many moments where it's difficult to suspend your disbelief, like when Wyatt decided to Crab Walk towards the open cage door, instead of just walking out and winning the match.


The story could potentially work, but Cena in the underdog role with a crowd that's clearly behind Wyatt just doesn't sit right with the visual and audio never matching up. Imagine a film score where all the tender moments had tension music and the tense moments had comedy japes playing underneath. There were ways for the match to take into account the fact that Wyatt was clearly the one the fans were behind, and whilst the commentary team attempt to play this into the storyline, the performers in the ring don't and therefore everything that is done suffers. There's a handful of nice moves, like a Sitout Powerbomb from Cena after bringing Wyatt off the ropes, as well as well done Leg Drop Bulldog to Harper (who Cena pulls into the cage for reasons) and the actual wrestling content of the match is fine. I feel that you'll either have loved or hated the finish, that saw a creepy (but rather blinky) child turn up to deny Cena exit from the cage, but for me it doesn't suit a match that's gone over 20 minutes and does very little for Bray Wyatt (or the rest of the family's) credibility. 


Winner - Bray Wyatt via escape in 21 minutes, 13 seconds.


Next PPV - Cena and Wyatt would end their feud at Payback a month later in a Last Man Standing match.

Michael Cole calling Tamina the son of Jimmy Snuka is a sign of things to come for Paige's first WWE PPV bout. With the Diva's Championship on the line, this is a sloppy encounter that fails to win over a crowd that just couldn't care less about what is going on in the ring. There's a handful of nice spots like Paige's victory roll (Tamina kicks out at one to ruin the moment) and Tamina reversing a head scissors attempt on the outside and sending Paige into the barricade, but that's about as good as it gets here. This wasn't the match that the Norwich lass needed in her first PPV encounter. At least she kept the strap with the P.T.O. I suppose.


Winner - Paige via submission in 6 minutes, 16 seconds *STILL CHAMPION*


Next PPV - Whilst Paige would go on to defend her title against Alicia Fox at Payback, Tamina wouldn't get another PPV match for over a year, when she teamed with Naomi to take on the Bella Twins at Payback 2015.

The main event manages to provide this show with a second match that is worth checking out, as Daniel Bryan has his one and only PPV title defence against Kane in an Extreme Rules match. The pair take advantage of the gimmick well, with a host of weapon shots and turn what could be non-starter into an entertaining B show main event. The backstage brawling element of the collision has a real purpose and drive to it, with Bryan really upping the intensity in a style that he was rarely allowed to explore in his WWE run, as the duo get into all kinds of shenanigans with TV monitors and a car. 


The East Rutherford crowd is clearly in love with Daniel Bryan, but perhaps the fact that they don't really hate Kane hurts this one a little, as their indifference towards the Big Red Monster means they can be a little quiet a times. This is seen after the biggest spot of the bout, Bryan hitting a diving headbutt off a forklift truck (yes, a forklift truck) doesn't result in the finish and they continue to wrestle for another three or four minutes, with the crowd clearly burnt out from the big spot and never quite believing that Kane could have the match won. It's strange not to call the real finish, which see's Kane fall through a flaming table, the biggest spot of the match, but the camera angle makes it perfectly clear that the challenger is nowhere near any of the fire (and he's quickly sprayed with fire extinguishers anyway). Still this is a satisfactory watch throughout and is perhaps underrated amongst most fans.


Winner - Bryan via pinfall in 22 minutes, 26 seconds *STILL CHAMPION*


Next PPV - Due to Daniel Bryan's neck injury he would not compete at another PPV until his appearance in the Royal Rumble match in January 2015. Kane however would recieve another shot at the big one at Money in the Bank alongside seven other wrestlers competing in a ladder match for the vacant gold.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 5.94/10


Despite looking like a three match show heading in, this PPV boils down to one great match and one good match, with the rest floating around between decent and pretty shit. The Shield and Evolution have the match of the show, whilst Bray Wyatt and John Cena offer up the most disappointing bout on the card, with a poor steel cage match, and the Diva's Championship match also drags down the ATPW Scale by a considerable amount also.


The PPV is watchable on the whole, a 5.94 isn't exactly a terrible rating on this scale, but if you're looking for above average action then there's only two bouts on the card that provide that consistently. However, with an Intercontinental title change, the beginning of Rusev's push, Paige's first PPV bout and a rare glimpse of Paul Heyman managing Cesaro, there is at least some reason to check out portions of the undercard just over a year on from this event.

Next time - NWA Bunkhouse Stampede (1988)

The main event see's Arn Anderson, Dusty Rhodes, Ivan Koloff, Lex Luger, Road Warrior Animal, The Barbarian, The Warlord and Tully Blanchard battle it out in a Steel Cage Bunkhouse Stampede match. Ric Flair, Road Warrior Hawk, Bobby Eaton, Barry Windham, Nikita Koloff and more appear on the undercard.

Blu-Ray Review: WWE The Kliq Rules

WWE's The Kliq Rules is out on Monday in the UK on DVD and Blu-Ray from www.wwedvd.co.uk and all other good home video stores. The main feature is an over 1 hour documentary looking at the infamous backstage group known as The Kliq and their history in both WWE and WCW. The documentary is supplemented with 23 full matches (4 of which are Blu-Ray exclusive) featuring all five members of The Kliq, as well as Chris Jericho, The Rock, Owen Hart, Sting, Davey Boy Smith and more.

Disc One

Documentary

     At just over an hour, the main feature feels especially brief when looking at a group who's influence spread over a number of decades and two separate companies. Whilst all the major points (the groups formation, Curtain Call, etc.) are covered, often times it feels like the documentary is only scratching the surface of the groups influence behind the scenes, that an extra half hour or even an hour, would have allowed for. 


Whilst the documentary fell short of my expectations, it's safe to say that it is a very easy watch, with a number of interesting interviewees giving a good insight into the Kliq's backstage power (with Shane Douglas, Rick Steiner and a new Eric Bischoff interview amongst the usual suspects). The documentary also covers ground that you may not expect it to go into, such as the BSK (another backstage group at the time, that included The Undertaker and Yokozuna) and interviews with the two guys who filmed the Curtain Call, which is where the most interesting moments come from. The frank talk of Scott Hall's problems with alcohol and drugs produce some poignant moments, and it's interesting to see how each of his friends reacted to his struggles during this period. Outside of the main story there's some laugh out loud moments throughout, perhaps unintentional, like Jim Ross explaining what a marionette is, whilst doing his own little impression.

The feature acts as a good in for anyone less familiar with the group, and it's good to see a number of things legitimised by appearing in a WWE release, however a lot of the stories have been covered in a number of releases by independent companies, as well as a number of autobiographies by this point.

Matches

After the famous moment of The Kid defeating Razor Ramon on Monday Night RAW, the rematch (Monday Night RAW, June 1993) is enjoyable for the most part, but features a weird finish that left me scratching my head as to who I was supposed to be supporting. There's no such problems as Ramon continues to be the focus in a match with Diesel (Monday Night RAW, November 1993) with the contest having a simplistic but strong face vs. heel format, although it's hurt by another TV finish. Shawn Michaels makes his first appearance, opposite 1-2-3 Kid (Monday Night RAW, December 1993), in a sound TV bout that offers a different style to what had gone before it, although once again falls foul of a disappointing finish. 


Kid and Ramon team up to take on The Quebecers for the WWF Tag Team Championships (Monday Night RAW, February 1994) goes a little too long for me, but does have a number of notable moments, including Quebecers manager Johnny Polo taking a Razor's Edge on the outside. It's interesting to note here how strong Kid and Ramon are put over the then Tag Team Champions, with Jacques and Pierre made to look like complete chumps for lengthy sections of the match. The Ladder match over the Intercontinental Championship between Michaels (with Diesel) and Ramon (WrestleMania X, March 1994) should need no description, it's truly one of the all-time classic WrestleMania bouts that you should be going out of your way to watch if you've still to see it. Whilst it's appeared on a handful of other sets over the years (and of course it's on the WWE Network) it's inclusion again here is warranted thanks to it allowing for a satisfying conclusion to the Ramon-Michaels feud that the early part of this set follows. 

An Intercontinental Championship bout between Ramon and Diesel (with Michaels) (WWF Superstars, April 1994) is a pretty dull bout that bucks the trend by being saved by an exciting finish. The inclusion of a tag team match pitting Michaels & Diesel against Ramon and Kid (WWF Action Zone, October 1994) provides one of the best matches on the entire set, in what may be considered an uncovered gem. With Action Zone currently not available on the WWE Network, this bout which is full of drama and great sequences is perhaps one of the best reasons to get your hands on this set. 


A Survivor Series match that see's The Bad Guys (Ramon, Kid, The British Bulldog & The Headshrinkers) takes on The Teamsters (Michaels, Ramon, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart & Jeff Jarrett) (WWF Survivor Series, November 1994) is a welcome addition for the mere fact that it allows for a few other faces to appear on the set, therefore freshening things up. The match itself isn't one of the greatest Survivor Series bout that you'll ever see, but it's pretty watchable throughout until the finish and features a significant moment in the career of Big Daddy Cool. Hunter Hearst Helmsley's first match on the set is opposite Ramon (WWF Monday Night Raw, January 1996) isn't much of a match, with the focus on Ramon's feud with Kid, but it is the only televised match between the two Kliq members and therefore deserves to be included here. Ramon and Kid's feud continues in a Crybaby Match (WWF In Your House: Rage In A Cage, February 1996) and whilst the gimmick lame, the pair do put together a decent encounter that features a hot crowd. 

Disc Two

Matches

A No Holds Barred bout over the WWF World Heavyweight Championship with Shawn Michaels (WWF In Your House 7: Good Friends, Better Enemies, April 1996) is perhaps the best match of Diesel's career. A truly physical epic encounter, this is unlike anything before it on the set, bringing a brutality that would see WWF eventually take a new direction over the coming years. Michaels continues to prove why he's considered on of the best in the history of the industry with a smashing TV bout with Hunter Hearst Helmsley (WWF Monday Night RAW, May 1996) and whilst the bout is shaky at points in it's presentation of Helmsley, there is a number of special sequences between the two. A foreshadowing of things to come between the two, not long before the formation of D-Generation X, this is a welcome addition to the set. 


Having the full fan recording of the Curtain Call incident is a very nice touch, with the reaction of the crowd throughout being particularly interesting. Moving to WCW and the first matches entrance made me absolute hate Michael Buffer, what ever he was being paid was too much. The bout see's Scott Hall (fka Razor Ramon) and Kevin Nash (fka Diesel) (accompanied by Hulk Hogan) taking on The Steiner Brothers (WCW Monday NITRO, January 1998) in a awful tag team match, with plenty of interference and perhaps ONE good move all match. Things get worse as Nash and Hall face off (WCW Halloween Havoc, October 1998) as the match focuses on Hall's alcohol problem, seriously. 

Praise the sweet lord we're back in the WWF, but oh dear...it's an X-Pac (fka 1-2-3 Kid) match. The bout with Triple H (WWF Backlash, April 1999) actually has some promising moments with some pleasing storytelling, but goes way, way too long and has a pretty wank finish. Skipping a few years, we have a bout full of star power, Hall, Nash and X-Pac team to take on Hulk Hogan, The Rock and Kane (WWE Smackdown!, March 2003) in a match that happened on that day. If anyone needed convincing of the Kliq's influence in WWE then Kevin Nash's 2003 main event run with Triple H is that evidence, their Judgment Day bout is included here, and is played out in front of a crowd that certainly couldn't give a fuck about Kevin Nash. 


The set finishes up with a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match as D-Generation X (Triple H & Michaels) have one last hurrah, opposite Jeri-Show, with a very appreciative crowd on hand. Whilst the match doesn't reach the heights of TLC bout before it, it's still a pleasant watch with a handful of decent spots, although it is hurt by the botchy conclusion.

Blu-Ray Exclusives

Scott Hall teams with Syxx (Kid or X-Pac) to take on Harlem Heat (WCW Monday NITRO, July 1997), and describing the match as not terrible is perhaps the best thing I can say about it. Kevin Nash takes on The Rock (WWF Smackdown!, March 2002) in another not terrible match, but there's nothing particular special about this encounter either, other than it's clear that The Rock is considered a bigger star by both the fans and the company. Nash is back in a Sledgehammer Ladder match with Triple H (WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs, December 2011) in a clash that is better than it had any right to be. There's some quality storytelling here and a handful of brutal spots, that go further than their terrible 2011 feud deserved.


The exclusive finish up with Triple H taking on Sting (WWE WrestleMania 31, March 2015) as all of The Kliq (alongside the New Age Outlaws and Hulk Hogan) are on hand for a true celebration of a long gone era. This isn't a good match, but what it is is a true spectacle and thoroughly entertaining from start to finish.  

Finally...

Obviously, a set like this live and dies on the strength of it's documentary features and whilst I feel that a new fan will find plenty of interesting information here, it's brevity may mean that someone who has followed the behind-the-scenes of the business since the time of The Kliq will perhaps find it lacking slightly, especially with the wealth of information that can be found elsewhere (Shoot interviews, autobiographies etc.). 

The presentation of the matches is done very well over the first disc here, allowing for a story to unfold between Ramon, Diesel, Michaels and Kid across the number of years that it played out, with highlights including Michaels and Ramon's Ladder match and the terrific tag bout from Action Zone. Onto the second disc and as soon the four start working together less frequently things aren't as enjoyable to binge watch, with the set jumping a few years a number of times. Whilst anything from WCW should be avoided like the plague, Michaels and Diesel's No Holds Barred match and Michaels and Helmsley's bout from Monday Night RAW are both quality viewing. 

There is plenty to enjoy here, from underrated gems of matches to some interesting stories during the documentary, I'd recommend this set to anyone looking to discover more about the backstage workings of WWE, especially between 1993 and 1997, as well as anyone looking to fill up their library with matches from that period. Of course, any big fan of Shawn Michaels ring work will love this also.

Wrestle Ropes' Ready for the Weekend: September 2015 Weekend 1

We're back with another edition of Ready For The Weekend and it's another packed weekend of events. Let's have a little peak at the wrestling goodness that awaits.

On Friday night, Pro Wrestling 4 U return to their familiar haunt of the Silverdale Working Mens Club in Newcastle-Under-Lyme with Sweet As A Nut. In a turn from their normal events, PW4U have allowed the fans the opportunity to vote on certain aspects on some of the matches. One of the options that was chosen was a Best Of 3 Series between Violet Vendetta and Laura Jane. While Laura Jane may be a newcomer to PW4U, Violet Vendetta's actions and personality have made sure that the fans of PW4U won't forget her. Could Laura Jane cause an upset and steal Vendetta's thunder? We'll find out on Friday. A majority of the matches announced have been subject to a vote on social media, however the PW4U G6 Championship defence will be a bit different as the vote will take place live at the Silverdale Working Mens Club. Jurgen Heimlich has been a fighting champion since winning the title and on September 4th he'll be in a fight again but he's in the dark over whether he'll be facing Robert Sharpe, Noah or Zak Northern. In the main event, Keith Myatt shall defend the PW4U Championship against Barricade. Now that is a challenge in itself even for a veteran of the squared circle such as Keith Myatt. Now add in the fans choice of a Tables Match and the challenge increases tenfold. That being said, Keith Myatt became the champion due to his skills and will to win. Barricade faces as much of a challenge to dethrone Myatt as Myatt does to keep the title.

Moving on to Saturday night and Pride Wrestling are back in action with Saviours Of The Universe in Bridgeton, Glasgow. Pride Wrestling are known for blending established names with up-and-coming talent and this event is no different. Two men who are very well known to Pride Wrestling and British fans as a whole are Dickie Divers and Joe Coffey. These men have had their battles in Pride Wrestling before, in fact they competed on the first show in Bridgeton. However 5 years have gone by since that encounter and both men have grown and evolved in that time. Now it's time to see what has changed since 2010 when this rivalry is renewed. Some big names have been a part of Pride Wrestling in the past. One of those is 'The Best In Th Galaxy' Nikki Storm. Well the Storm is returning to Bridgeton on Saturday night but she'll come face to face with an opponent who has run through the majority of the female division in Pride, Layla Rose. Rose says that Nikki Storm is just another Barbie to break. Storm is back to prove why she's not just the best in the galaxy but the saviour of the Pride Wrestling universe. Originally a match between DCT and Chris Renfrew was scheduled for September 5th until an injury forced Renfrew to withdraw. However, the current N7 champion was given the chance by The Gaffer to choose a replacement for himself. And what a replacement he chose former champion, Joe Hendry. DCT has shown the heart and determination he has which has made him such a big figure in Pride. He'll need all of it when he not only faces the 'Global Hero' but a ringside surrounded by Chris Renfrew and The Gaffer's henchmen.

And finally on to Sunday and there was only really one show we could focus on and that was Progress Wrestling's Chapter 21: You Know We Don't Like To Use The Sit Down Gun. The main event shall see the first defence by Will Ospreay of the PROGRESS Championship. Ospreay gave everything to finally end the reign of Jimmy Havoc at Chapter 20 but now a new challenge presents itself in the shape of the 2015 Thunderbastard winner, 'The Star Attraction' Mark Haskins. Ospreay may have gotten out of the proverbial frying pan, he's now in the fire. This is a big test for ' The Aerial Assassin' against one of the best in Europe. Speaking of tests, Tommy End and Michael Dante have shown that they want to be tested as they've issued an open challenge to any team in the world to come and face them this Sunday at the Electric Ballroom. Who shall answer the challenge? We'll find out on Sunday! At Download Festival this year, El Ligero attacked James Davis in the aftermath of their match. Since then Davis has had no chance of retribution. Well that all changes this Sunday as El Ligero and his Origin team-mate, Nathan Cruz face The London Riots in a tag team match. Dealing out pain is always on The Riots minds. This time it has the added flavour of revenge with it.


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