Event Review: ICW In Your Face Space Coyote - Kid Fite v Joe Coffey 4

On 4th October, Glasgow based Insane Championship Wrestling held their first show in Wolverhampton, In Your Face Space Coyote, at Wulfrun Hall. Returning to the West Midlands for the first time since July, ICW presented a show that included Kid Fite searching for his first ICW victory over Joe Coffey, whilst Coffey looked to continue his warm up for Kurt Angle at Fear and Loathing IX. With Joe Hendry, Trent Seven, Tag Team Champion Mark Coffey, Bram and Matt Cross all on the card, would ICW make an impact on Wolverhampton like they have all over the UK? 

Venue & Audience - This was my first time at an ICW show, so expect that to impact the review a fair bit. I'm not a regular viewer of the product, I saw last year's Fear and Loathing show on VOD, but didn't make much of it, so haven't watch a full event since then. I tend to keep up with what's going on through Wrestle Ropes' results, so generally have an idea of who's got issues with who, who is being pushed etc. There were approx 150 people in the building, which looked very small because of the size of Wulfrun Hall, but the majority were extremly lively. Whilst the atmosphere would have been improved in a smaller venue, the audience did create a surprisingly good buzz, considering the large amount of space in the room.

Whilst Matt Cross and Wolfgang went on last, I want to talk about Joe Coffey's victory over Kid Fite in the main event slot. It was slightly longer (12 mins), which is almost certainly down to the crowd spending three minutes after the bell singing the riff of Coffey's theme music, Black Sabbath's Iron Man. Both men played it superbly, with Fite showing that he wanted things to stop, which, of course, was designed to get the audience to continue, whilst Coffey would let things die down, before encouraging once again with his signature chest beating. Those first few minutes were a real lesson in crowd control, helped by Wolverhampton being more than up for a sing a long. The actual wrestling didn't quite manage to match the crowd's energy for me, with a number of the bouts bigger spots and quicker sequences come across as a little awkward. A front dropkick that Coffey hit to knock Fite off the apron ended up looking like it hurt Coffey more than Fite. However, the crowd remained loud throughout and there was a nice near fall for Fite, with a low blow and brainbuster. Coffey would hit Aw Ra Best Fur Tha Bells (Discus Lariat) to continue his strong run, since winning and losing the World Heavyweight Championship on the same night in July, which has seen him defeat the likes Josh Bodom, Timothy Thatcher and Matt Cross. 

Match in a Sentence - A match that didn't connect as well as it should have in the ring, but one that demonstrated how over Joe Coffey is, even in an area he rarely visits.

The final match on the card was World Heavyweight Champion Wolfgang besting 2 time GSW Breakthrough Champion Matt Cross in a style clash that was a Match of the Night contender. The two worked together well, perhaps surprisingly seeing as this was their first match together, with Wolfgang, the big bruising heel champion and Cross the speedy and exciting babyface. The structure wasn't particularly complicated, but it was filled out with good timing and character work, as well as a couple of really cool spots. Both were over with the audience as a tired crowd remained involved, reacting to pretty much everything either guy did. One of the highlights, for me, was their scrap on the outside, where they put together a speedy sequence before Wolfgang would lift Cross up and crotch him on the guardrail. After brawling into the bar area, the match returned to ring and featured some top quality wrestling with the two going back and forth, including a brilliant near fall where Cross would dodge a punch from the brass-knucks covered fist of Wolfgang and hit a springback cutter. It would have been nice for the title to be on the line, just to give the show a bit more consequential feel, yet at the same time that could have lead to some of the crowd not buying into the Cross' near falls as much as they did.

Match in a Sentence - A big scrap, that was simply booked, but well performed, with a number of strong near falls.

"Big Kink" Jack Jester continued his fine run of form in ICW with a victory over Dan Moloney in a match that had a hometown gut-check type feel to it. Moloney is from the West Midlands and known for his work locally in Kamikaze Pro and Fight Club: Pro, so despite being mostly a villain, he got a favourable response from Wulfrun Hall and whilst there was a contigent of Jester fans, this almost created a home football game atmosphere for the contest. Jester spent a lot of time trying to get in the fans faces, pulling apart the guard rails as fans chanted at him, meaning that it was a good couple of minutes before anything really happened between Jester and Moloney. It was cool for the fans who were getting involved with Jester and speaks to the interactivity of these smaller tour shows, but it went on a little too long for me. Once it started the wrestling was decent, with Moloney taking advantage of the crowd, to work a style that I haven't seen him use before, whilst Jester played the bully role well. The finish made Moloney look great against one of ICW top stars as he was going toe to toe with Jester until a mule kick low blow and a Tombstone Piledriver gave the former World Heavyweight Champion the victory. 

Match in a Sentence - A solid encounter with a unique feel, that could have done with a little less stalling.

In the opener, the team of Zero G Champion Lionheart and Stevie Boy (accompanied by Kay Lee Ray) picked up a victory over Kenny Williams & Joe Hendry, following some interference from Hendry's former Local Fire partner, Davey Boy. The majority of the bout was a decent tag team affair where after Hendry & Williams shined early, Lionheart and Stevie were able to take control with plenty of help from KLR on the outside. This created some enjoyable activity as the villains used a t-shirt and external interference, including KLR being able to cut off what looked like a potential Williams comeback by pulling Hendry off the apron moments before the tag could be made. The finish however showed a lack of attention to detail as Hendry left the ring to brawl with Davey out of the Hall, however Hendry had been the legal man at the time. Whilst Williams fighting on his own against Lionheart, Stevie & KLR was an interesting story to watch unfold, as KLR removed the ref to stop Williams pins, both Lionheart & Stevie were attempting pins also, regardless of who was supposedly legal. This is a pet peeve of mine! If I'm expected to be invested in Williams attempting to get the tag earlier in the match, then why change the playing field and allow anyone to go for pins later on? 

Match in a Sentence - Some decent tag team action, with an story furthering angle for Fear and Loathing IX, but there needed to more attention to the detail.

Trent Seven continued the road towards his World Heavyweight Championship shot with a victory over 2 time Heavyweight Champion BT Gunn in a hard-hitting sprint. With both guys fan favourites in the brand, Fight Club: Pro star Seven got the majority of the fan support in his hometown. The duo put a real shift in across the nine minute outing, battering each other in out of the ring, with big strikes and suplexes. The chop sequence on the outside, where both would end up connecting with the ringpost was clever stuff, whilst the pair scrapping on their knees following a number of big moves (including Gunn kicking out of a piledriver) was cool, and had a great sense of building momentum, with both selling well. It's a shame that this felt like the adbridged version of a better match that the two could have had, as more time would have allowed some sequences the chance to breath. With another five or ten minutes and the chance and ability to explore, these two could produce absolute magic together.

Match in a Sentence - Good hard hitting shit, but not enough of it.

Former TNA King of the Mountain Champion Bram picked up a big win heading into the Battle for Control on 20th November, besting former World Heavyweight Champion Chris Renfrew with more than a little help from Black Label pals, Drew Galloway and Jack Jester. This was a bit of a mixed bag for me. When the duo focussed on what they do best, wild and crazy brawling, the match was a lot of fun. What's not to like about big blokes throwing other big blokes into walls, barricades and destroying the merch stand? I felt like once the match got back in the ring, it lost most of its intensity, with very little definition to make up for it. The contest wasn't helped by Bram's single fan in attendance yelling for her villainous bae throughout (someone had obviously had a little too much during the interval as she was nowhere to be seen throughout the first half). Things picked up with the finish that was a well worked situation, as Jester caused the distraction on the ramp, that allowed Galloway to come through the crowd with a chair and hand Bram the victory.  

Match in a Sentence - A firey brawl when outside the ring, that struggled when inside it, but had a cool angle for the finish.

Tag Team Champions Polo Promotions (Jackie Polo & Mark Coffey) continued to build momentum to their showdown with Team 3D (Bully Ray & Brother Devon) on 20th November, with a victory over first time team, "Smash Mouth" Chris Ridgeway & "Kiwi Buzzsaw" Travis Banks. This was the sleeper hit of the evening for me, as Ridgeway and Banks connected surprisingly well for a first-time unit, while Polo & Coffey heeled it up nicely, roughhousing the newbie team for a long portion of the match. Despite one gentleman loudly shouting "We Want Team 3D" (I can only imagine he expected the 8 time (WWE) World Tag Team Champions to be chilling in the back eating orange chips), Banks had the majority of the crowd support and his partnership with Ridgeway built from the hot tag onwards, with a number of sweet near falls for the team, including one off a nifty superkick and german suplex combination. The four built the match well towards the finish, that saw Coffey pin Ridgeway following a superkick and Polo Promotions' elevated German suplex double team (which I imagine has a snazzy name), with the move initially being teased on Banks, before a flurry from Banks & Ridgeway. The team of Smashmouth and the Kiwi Buzzsaw has potential, but my main takeway from this match was that I don't see nearly enough of Ridgeway at the moment and hopefully that will change in 2017!

Match in a Sentence - A cracking tag encounter, that made good use of it's time and built to an exciting climax.

Following the finish of Bram v Chris Renfrew, there was a busy af angle, that would lead directly into the Sha Samuels v Davey Boy match (see AOB). The main bulk of this would come from a Drew Galloway promo, where he talked about the injuries that had kept him out of competing on the tour (he was Trent Seven's scheduled opponent for this show), as well as addressing Mark Dallas' absense as the build for the Battle for Control continues. Galloway's promo was perfectly fine stuff, as he brought his trademark intensity, as one bloke shouted 3MB at him and Jack Jester and Bram kept Renfrew down on the ramp. Samuels would attempt to help out his team mate for Fear and Loathing IX but quickly got blindsided by Davey Boy and another steel chair. The beatdown of Samuels seemed to go on forever as Davey choked him out with his own scarf and smashed his leg with the chair. 

Segment in a Sentence - Managed the difficult job of promoting various angles, but went a little too long and lost the majority of my interest by the time the Samuels v Davey match began. 

Any Other Business 

• Despite the vicious attack from The Black Label and Davey Boy before the match, Sha Samuels was able to roll-up Davey in a short, but well paced encounter, with Joe Hendry acting as a distraction on the ramp.

• Following Trent Seven's victory over BT Gunn, Stevie Boy and Kay Lee Ray attacked Gunn on the ramp, with Wolfgang attempting to blindside Seven, only for the hometown star to rebuff the attack, before cutting a strong promo thanking the fans and vowing to defeat Wolfgang for the World Heavyweight Championship on 20th November.

• The show concluded with Trent Seven making the save for Matt Cross, hitting his Seventh Heaven Piledriver on Wolfgang, before posing with the World Heavyweight Championship in a bostin' moment to send the fans home happy and promote the upcoming Seven v Wolfgang cage match on 20th November.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 5.31/10

In Your Face Space Coyote was a relatively enjoyable night of professional wrestling in the style that you would expect from ICW. Polo Promotions v Ridgeway & Banks, Wolfgang v Cross and Seven v Gunn were all good matches and definitely the highlights of the evening. Some of the booking was a little frustrating, because of the need to heavily push Fear and Loathing IX. It was shame that names likes Grado (pulled earlier in the week), Lewis Girvan and Kay Lee Ray (dropped to a valet role) didn't wrestle on the card as they were three of the ICW regulars I was most looking forward to see. Big Damo's departure to WWE also took away a name heavily associated with the brand this year. However, it was cool to see West Midlands based guys like Dan Moloney and Travis Banks getting slots on the show, with the mostly savvy crowd recognising this and creating a great atmosphere for those matches, that is unique to these ICW tour shows.

Show in a Sentence - A decent wrestling event, that was a little overpriced at £19.

Match of the Night - Ridgeway & Banks v Polo Promotions

Words and Images - James Marston (@IAmNotAlanDale)

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Opinion: Donald Trump and Wrestling - A Match Made in Heaven or Hell?

I can envisage a future where our world has been devastated and is almost beyond recognition: a few lone survivors hunt for scraps on a desolate Earth that has been ripped apart by warring superpowers. Most of civilisation as we know it has long since passed, decimated by The Greatest War of them all, the inevitable end result of the insatiable greed of nations governed by increasingly ruthless, bloody-minded demagogues. The only remnant of this era of distrust and fury are huge, golden statues, memorials to the cult of personality that led humanity down this dark path. In this bleak future, I see myself, tired and fraught, leading my children through the overgrown wilderness once known as New York. In the centre of the marshland, where the contaminated air is at its thickest, stands the golden statue of one Donald Trump, one of the agitators accused of stoking the fires of hate that caused the world to burn. My son looks at me: curious, confused, afraid.

“Dad, who is that man?”

Reflecting on the complex turmoil of years past, I wonder how to answer him. I pause and respond.

“He managed Bobby Lashley at Wrestlemania 23. He shaved Vince McMahon’s head and then Stone Cold beat him up”.

Seeing that this is a wrestling blog and Trump is as controversial and divisive a figure as they come, political chatter shall be kept to a minimum (although I’ll go on record and say that I wouldn’t have voted for him myself). What will be considered here is Trump’s long standing links with the wrestling industry. When the relationship began in the 1980s, it was as a business venture on Trump’s part: hosting the much sought after Wrestlemania events at the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City in 1988 and 1989 (the only time that consecutive Mania’s have been held in the same city) was seen as quite the coup for the savvy operator. In the coming years, Trump was often seen at ringside at various Manias (I’m not sure if he made it to many house shows) with his appearance at WrestleMania XX being a prime example of ironic foreshadowing. Whilst being interviewed by a former governor in Jesse “The Body” Ventura, the topic of politics came up. Jesse asked Trump if he would support Ventura’s own candidacy and stated that it may be time “to put a wrestler in the White House”. As Trump smiled (and maybe formed an idea in his mind), Jerry Lawler questioned whether we would ever see the New York mogul run for President. Hey America, between WWE and The Simpsons (see episode: Bart to the Future), President Trump really should come as no surprise…

Trump’s legacy in wrestling will always be tied to The Battle of the Billionaires. Playing the babyface to Vince McMahon’s classic heel, Trump made his presence felt on WWE television, questioning the direction and quality of the product following the infamous Donald Trump vs Rosie O’Donnell skit on Monday Night RAW (truly one of the worst segments in the history of the flagship show). As McMahon bristled at the sight of his rival, Trump dropped money on the audience (this could prove a crowd pleasing move worth revisiting when the presidency gets tough). Weeks later, Trump returned to RAW and challenged Vince to a fight; despite being a former WWE champion who had beaten The Undertaker, Triple H and Steve Austin, Vince thought better of tangling with The Donald (sorry...Mr President) and instead suggested that they find surrogates to fight for them. With the added wager of hair vs hair, the main attraction of WrestleMania 23 was set. 

Trump was to give the rub to heavily pushed young star Bobby Lashley (although the rub was somewhat undermined by Trump referring to him as Bobby Lindsey in interviews) while Vince led "The Samoan Bulldozer" Umaga into battle. The match was okay, Vince had his head shaved in a memorable angle and Austin hit Trump with the worst stunner in history. Pause and reflect on that: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin has stone cold stunnered the President of the United States. The PPV buy rate was the best in WWE history at that time and Trump more than contributed to this. The character he cultivated in The Apprentice bore more than a passing resemblance to Mr. McMahon (they even shared the same catchphrase) and could be viewed as an equal: his composure on the mic and overly confident demeanour complemented Vince’s own style. Indeed, this run is probably justification enough for Trump to be considered worthy of his place in the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame.

I was at the Garden the night that Trump was inducted. Whereas live crowds in 2007 had tended to cheer Donald (as they did during his brief return in 2009), by 2013 the tide had turned. Trump was booed viciously and I remember remarking to my brother that no-one on the roster had that level of heat. That is why Trump is so pro wrestling: he conjures strong reactions wherever he goes, reactions he often manipulates artfully. Like a political John Cena, you can either love him or hate him: to some he is a babyface, the people’s champion ready to save the working man from the cruelty of modern life; to others he is the ultimate heel, a conniving and corrupt individual of limited morality, consumed by greed and lust. However you feel, you do feel something: there are no shades of grey here. And that is wrestling at its most effective: Trump is a showman who knows what his audience wants and how to give it to them. He has Hulk Hogan levels of skill in reading a crowd and providing them with the perfect response at that precise moment: be it working them into a frenzy of hate and leading them in unified chants; tenderly raising a child in the air for a cheap pop; or showing rare humility as he did in his acceptance speech late last night. He even knows how to execute a turn: he switched from Republican to Democrat in 2001 and turned back again in 2009. Gotta keep that gimmick fresh.

So now that the resident of the White House follows Vince McMahon on Twitter, can we expect to see politics and wrestling combine in the future? We can be sure that Trump will not go near a ring during his presidency and probably wouldn’t even return after his term is up. Trump is now too famous, too prestigious a catch for wrestling and for many, that, understandably, will be seen as no great loss. But Trump is already a part of WWE history. When you re-watch WrestleManias he is, as Vince attested in his HOF induction, ingrained in the fabric of many shows: the arena might be his own; he might be sitting front and centre at ringside; he might even be blowing Austin’s signature move. In the years to come, Donald Trump may well alter the course of American and World history, adding to his already complex and infamous legacy: he surely will be a topic in political studies for generations. But when the day eventually comes when my son asks me who he this man is, my response will start with Bobby Lashley.

Words - Sean Taylor-Richardson (@GrownManCenaFan)

Images & Editing - James Marston (@IAmNotAlanDale)

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Opinion: The Problem With Gimmick Matches or How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? By Putting Her In A Punjabi Prison Match

In the past few weeks, WWE Monday Night RAW has had very few real surprises but there has been one unexpected return. We all knew that really they wouldn't stay away forever, I mean it was never really retirement, was it? It was just waiting for the right time to return, waiting for the moment when all hope was lost and they could bring some back. When they could bring some inspiration to our dark, callous hearts and show us that true sincere joy can still be found in a world so cold and lonely. I am, of course, talking about the surprise return of the Arm Wrestling match in a scintillating ****** (yes, that is six stars. Count 'em) classic full of surprising twists and turns and gut-wrenching performances by Bayley and Dana Brooke, it is sure to go down in WWE history as one of the greatest arm wrestling matches the company has produced. Up there with Mark Henry v Cesaro, Mark Henry v Kane, Mark Henry v Rusev, Mark Henry v Sheamus and of course, the high watermark of this classic match type, Darren Young v Byron Saxton (Young sure earned his redemption points for that one).

Whilst he was not involved that art-pop classic, Henry is clearly shown to be the possible poster boy for World Arm Wrestling Entertainment should the company choose to take that further, which they should I mean, don't you want to print money, Vince? But he's not the only wrestler to be synonymous with match types. Obviously there's the big names like The Undertaker and Hell in a Cell (which was just a couple of Sundays ago. Coincidence, I know), Kane and Inferno matches, Santina Marella and Divas Invitational Battle Royal but did you know about Raven and his Clockwork Orange House of Fun match? Maybe you did but did you know that the first ever match had a rule that you had to push of your opponent through two tables from the Raven's perch? And did you know the second ever one didn't even involve Raven but was between Shane Douglas and CM Punk? Well you do now. Today we're going to look at a few of my least favourite gimmicks, this won't be a comprehensive list by any stretch of the imagination. It's more a reminder that while you spend your time complaining about having to watch three Hell in a Cell matches, you can know how much worse you could have been having it.

Really to look at gimmick matches as a whole, we have to look at why they happen. There's a simple theoretical reason and that's that a story can't be the same one beat repeated ad nauseum, because this isn't 2K career mode, a rivalry isn't formed of one person having a one-on-one match with another twelve times then being like good game, let's go beat up other people. The storied rivalries of wrestling history bring in different types of matches to vary proceedings - blood feud about two people wanting to kick the tar out of each other? Give them a Last Man Standing match, does one tag team keep using untagged partner hijinks, have it climax with a Tornado Tag, you get the idea. In many ways, adding a gimmick match is a crutch. If you're trying to raise the stakes of a scenario but the natural progression of the story is slower than you'd like, simply by throwing in a steel structure, you've given the last act a bigger finale even if it's an inorganic one. I'm not saying every tale told in the ring should have to end with a standard match but in a perfect world, the writing would hold up enough that the feud between the two (or more) parties involved would run deep enough that you wouldn't need to add to it, it's emotional shorthand, a way of visibly adding to a confrontation that you'd hope would feel enough without it. I'm not saying that every match with a gimmick doesn't need it but boy, there's a lot of them that don't.

Which brings me neatly to the Punjabi Prison Match, an entire development of the HiaC that never needed to be. Quite appropriately, this is a match-type developed for real-life killer and actually not quite Punjabi, The Great Khali. Feel free to look it up, he's from Himachal Pradesh province which borders Punjab. Also quite appropriately, he wasn't even in the first one at The Great American Bash in 2006 after he developed all of the enzymes in his liver so some bollocks with Teddy Long was written in to make The Big Show face The Undertaker instead. Khali would eventually compete in his own match a year later but he would lose to Batista making the whole thing feel silly, I mean why bother building the whole match type for him to lose it. That said, he was at an unfair advantage as he had to climb out of the structure and Khali was never exactly known for actually being able to leave the ground, especially at speed! So the two matches revolve around locking two big lads in a bamboo cell which has doors that can be opened once per match for sixty seconds then, around it is another bamboo cage that has no doors that they have to climb out of. Much like in prison, where you have to escape by climbing or where there are leather straps for torture, like in prison. I haven't been in a Punjabi Prison or any kind of Prison but clearly Michael Cole has because he talks about being in Prison with such confidence. My first thought watching this is "boy, this must have been difficult to watch for the audience in the Conseco Fieldhouse, Indiana. Not in the way that it's difficult to watch Zandig matches because he's about to die at any second in the ring but because there are thick bamboo pieces surrounding the ring, then more bamboo around that. Somewhere in the middle of all this are two blobs that may resemble The Big Show and The Undertaker from certain angles if you squint hard enough." It's a hard thing to explain because the first match of the two is technically better because at least both Show and Taker know how to move like people but thematically the second one makes more sense because Khali actually appears inside the structure.

The actual structure just, quite appropriately, ruins the structure of the match, it prevent actual storytelling because the simplicity of the HiaC match is that it's just a No DQs match but with a big lump of steel around the ring. The Cell, while used as a weapon, more just represents an enclosing of the story to one area, it (in theory) keeps both competitors in and interlopers out but focuses in the match to the competitors, it forces the story to focus on the athletes. The Punjabi Prison match is more about the prison than the two men in it. Even the commentary talks more about the 'steel reinforced bamboo' than it does about Khali or Batista or Taker or Show. The gimmick is just window dressing, it is a way of adding variation to a story but it is not a story in itself. This is not a film, the Punjabi Prison is not New York, becoming an extra character in the story. It's a mistake that's being made over on RAW at the moment with the focus of the Banks-Charlotte storyline being on women stepping into the Cell for the first time and not who the women are and why they hate each other. Wrestling is characters, not events and that is where the Punjabi Prison went wrong. Also the two matches are fucking piss-piles, that doesn't help.

From one very silly structure we go to a mental multi-man match. Now there were many I could have focused on here: the three ring sixty man clustershambles that is WCW's World War Three Match, the 'boy I hope you feel uncomfortable' histrionics of WWE's Fulfill your Fantasy, and the WSX Rumble, one day, I will write more about Wrestling Society X but for now, just don't ask. But there could only be one worst: TNA's Reverse Battle Royal - the only match type to call itself a reverse and then include the actual thing it's meant to be the reverse of in itself. So a Reverse Battle Royal involves sixteen men standing outside the ring and fighting to climb back in, the first eight that make it inside then try and knock each other over the top rope till there are only two left at which point it becomes a standard singles match. In other words, it's a round of bullshit followed by a second round of bullshit with a bullshit finale to finish. You know how the Royal Rumble at its best weaves micro-stories through its main ones, it builds rivalries afterwards but also has literal through-line narratives of its own, well the reverse battle royal just has lots of not quite ring entrances. There's a reason that it only happened twice because I think something clicked that they realised 'wait, is this really bloody stupid?' But then again, they also made The Dixieland -Escape the cage, run to the top of the entrance ramp and climb a ladder match.

Like all terrible gimmick matches, it's main issue rests with its lack of clarity. What I was saying about the Punjabi Prison match, at least that had a clear means of victory, a clear aim, the Reverse Battle Royal just strands its almost ridiculous amount of talent in the middle of a constantly shifting form of rules. To be a fan of wrestling, you have to be willing to accept some frequently ridiculous contrivances but even the most ardent suspender of disbelief will be hard pushed not question why they don't all just immediately try to climb in? It seems like it was a match idea contrived purely to try and be different. I am not opposed to invention, what I am opposed to is forgetting what the aim of the entire endeavour was. Especially with the second one (the first one seems to have been quite successfully buried in terms of available online footage), the match only really comes alive once we get down to the singles match which begs the question, why not just do a standard battle royal if this was all just a way of furthering a feud between Bobby Roode and Eric Young? Why do you have to try and sell a new match type instead of just telling a story? There are reasons that very few new match types catch on and that's because once a winning formula is found, the easiest thing to do is repeat it, trying something new is difficult. There's a reason why so much that's new fails, but the main issue is not thinking it out properly. When your performers are standing around looking confused, how can you expect an audience to get it?

All this taken into consideration, every so often, something really stupid makes something really beautiful. For the last match gimmick of the night I'd like to take you back to the Halcyon days of NXT Redemption. Tyson Kidd and Yoshi Tatsu were engaged in a feud over the leg of Yoshi Tatsu's action figure that he kept in a shrine and prayed to for luck in matches. They were drawn one match each in their feud but Kidd still had Tatsu's figure's leg on a necklace so the Rubber Match was booked Tatsu v Kidd: necklace on a Pole match. Now 'On a Pole' matches as a whole are usually terrible, especially when combined with the words 'Vince Russo', they just seem like a ridiculous match-type once again begging, the question 'what would happen if you just knocked the pole?' But Tatsu and Kidd made art. It made so much sense that this necklace would be on a pole because it was a feud over a necklace with Tatsu's leg on it, albeit in a tiny plastic form. Tatsu wasn't just fighting for his action figure's body part but the very honour that was represented in being made into an action figure. Kidd was just doing it because he thought shrines were silly and he's a magnificent bastard heel. 

You may have noticed I've been mostly picking on matches that involve a lot of climbing and you know why? Because climbing is not interesting to watch, it's up there with rest holds and Mojo Rawley on the list of tedious elements of pro-wrestling. It's hard to describe what made this one match special, it wasn't that the two men were better than those who'd come before, it wasn't even that it was less silly (than for instance, the Shane Dougas v Billy Kidman in a Viagra on a Pole match), I think it was a commitment to the strange alt-universe in which this kind of match made sense. Frankly writing this, I'm now surprised and disappointed that Killshot (Shane Strickland) and Marty Martinez's Weapons of Mass Destruction Match didn't have Killshot's dogtags on a pole because that would have been perfect. Maybe what I'm saying is that sometimes, a really stupid gimmick can be overwhelmed by sheer commitment to it. Like how Kota Ibushi can wrestle a sex doll and make it more compelling for twenty minutes than anyone to. But what Kidd and Tatsu did was take a gimmick and make it part of the story, instead of the gimmick being the story. Just consider that with Hell in a Cell, the cell is just another storytelling device and ask yourself 'would this match work if there wasn't a Cell here?' 

But honestly, if you take one thing away from this article, it's that we were robbed of a second season of Wrestling Society X. Robbed, I say!

Words - Jozef Raczka (@NotJozefRaczka)

Images - James Marston (@IAmNotAlanDale)

Editor - James Marston (@IAmNotAlanDale) 

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Event Review: PROGRESS Chapter 38: When Men Throw Men at Men - Jimmy Havoc v Marty Scurll v Mark Haskins

On 30th October, PROGRESS Wrestling returned to the Electric Ballroom in Camden, London, England for the first time since August. The card was headlined by former champions Marty Scurll and Jimmy Havoc (in his first match in PROGRESS match since September 2015) challenging for Mark Haskins' World Championship, whilst elsewhere Jinny and Pollyanna continued their feud and looked to move one step closer to being the first Women's Champion in the first round of Natural Progression Series IV and The Shirtlifters (Jack Sexsmith and Roy Johnson) went up against The South Pacific Power Trip (TK Cooper & Travis Banks) in a Tables Match as they attempted to end their feud. With the likes of Bad Bones, Atlas Champion Rampage Brown, Mark Andrews, Pastor William Eaver and Matt Cross on the undercard, would PROGRESS return to Camden with a bang? 

In the main event, Mark Haskins retained the World Championship, making Marty Scurll submit to the Sharpshooter, in a match that also included Jimmy Havoc. The battle was Havoc's first bout with the company since September 2015! This was a well paced 18 minute three way, that told a good story and featured slick and crisp action. Having Scurll control the early portion of the match, by hitting big moves to both Haskins and Havoc on the apron, allowed things to settle, with The Villain commanding the crowd as well as he was dominating the action. Scurll played the former champion desperate to recapture his prize role very well and after he immediately won the title back from Pastor William Eaver in July it had even more believablilty. There was strong wrestling to be seen as Haskins and Havoc both found their way back into the match, with a fire-up from The Star Attraction seeing him trap Scurll in a tree of woe before sending Havoc crashing on top of him with an overhead belly to belly suplex. Havoc and Haskins combined to create some more satisfying activity as both went for their finishes in a swift sequence, before a spot where all three hit roundhouse kicks gave the trio and the fans a breather, essentially concluding the contests first act with all three in the same place.

The second act took things up a notch, with all three attempting to hit their big moves or lock in their signature submission to grab the title, whilst the issues between Havoc and Scurll played a major part in the story also. Havoc took the biggest bump of the show, after taking a headbutt from Scurll from the middle rope to the outside, through a pair of seated chairs in a "Holy Shit" moment that was especially surprising because of it being Havoc's first match since February. The final stretch of the bout saw the momentum switching between all three men, with a number of convincing near falls, including Scurll locking the Crossface Chicken-Wing in on Havoc, with the latter able to shift his weight to get a two count, keeping the crowd completely hooked until the bitter end. The finish would see the Havoc and Scurll feud furthered as The Villain delivered a low blow, before Haskins was able to grip Scurll in the Sharpshooter to earn the submission victory. Whilst the bout lacked some of high drama of Chapter 36's triple threat (with Tommy End replacing Jimmy Havoc) this was still corker of a climax to the afternoon's graps feast. 

Match in a Sentence - Great three way with a well worked out structure, that built to a momentum swinging, near-fall laden crescendo

In the first Quarter Final of the 4th Natural Progression Series, Jinny advanced over Pollyanna in a firey encounter, with The Fashionista moving one step closer to being crowned the first ever Women's Champion. This wasn't always the crispest match, especailly in the early going, but it was carried by the passion and believable animosity that the two ladies showed towards each other. The opening brawl between the two got this across well with things being amplified as the contest went on, with each strike and move seeming to have a little bit more behind it. Both women told the rest of the story in their body language and all across their faces. The majority of the fans hate Jinny and love Pollyana, because of two years hard work from the performers and management, and that definitely afforded the pair the chance to slip up in places without losing the audience. One weird chant caused a slightly uncomfortable moment and lead to a spot that saw Jinny hit a sitout facebuster off the top rope not looking as good as it could have, but beyond that the audience was completely invested and created a wonderful atmospheric wrap for the action. 

The match flowed nicely towards a number of impressive and gripping false finishes, with both women coming close to getting the pin. As these went on, the Camden crowd got more and more pulled in and it seemed like every kick out was garnering a bigger reaction, peaking when Jinny hit a Style Clash after having cleverly teased the move earlier on. The finish was perhaps a bone of contention, as Pollyanna hit a cradle belly-to-back piledriver, but instead of going for the pin she raised to her feet and hit another and then instead of going for the pin again, she raised to her feet for another, only this time Jinny caught Pollyanna with a roll up into a jacknife cover, resulting in a three count. For me, to go for three was gratuitous and I actually ended up being slightly removed from the action because as soon as Pollyanna went for the third, I'd already worked out where it was going. Jinny sold well after the finish, but I still struggled to buy into her taking two piledrivers and then immediately getting the pin. I might be a stickler for details like that, but the whole sequence had the crowd going nuts non the less. There were questions raised when the popular rivarly was chosen to open the 4th NPS, however thanks to the quality of this contest and especially the strength of the near falls in final quarter, the NPS and by association the Women's Championship has come out the blocks hot and the rest of the tournament now has to up it's game. This will hopefully lead to even better matches as the series goes on.

Match in a Sentence - Very good women's match, that whilst untidy at points, was full of passion and some stupid false finishes.

The South Pacific Power Trip (TK Cooper & Travis Banks, accompanied by Dahlia Black) remained undeffeated with a victory over The Shirtlifters (Jack Sexsmith & "Body Guy" Roy Johnson) in a Tables Match, that concluded the first half. This match outdid my expections as the mix of amusing character portrayals, top drawer high-spots and some astute booking created a match that was a real joy to watch and got a wide range of emotional reactions from the eager congregation. The tussle featured a number of creative moments, that created the bigger story as The SPPT would attack from behind before the bell, thanks to Black distraction, the high energy opening assault from The Shirtlifters would end thanks to Black distraction, Sexsmith would get pushed off the stage onto the rows of chairs below, thanks to Black distraction...you get the picture! It would all culminate in Black distracting Johnson, whilst Cooper readied himself for a big punch...only this time Johnson ducked, meaning Cooper punched Black in the face, sending her off the apron and through a table. All involved played that moment perfectly and it lead to Banks blindsiding Body Guy and eliminating him in a great swerve. It was a shame that the table didn't break on the first attempt, as the timing of the spot was fantastic on all accounts. 

This was the best match that I've seen Sexsmith and Johnson compete in and they more then held their own, matching Cooper and Banks' aggression when neccesarry, but also credibly presenting themselves as sympathetic babyfaces, building upon the existing connection they have with the Electric Ballroom. Sexsmith supposedly being left alone following Johnson's elimination, after already having been thrown from the stage, produced a compelling comeback as he scrapped his way back into the match with a neckbreaker and DDT combination acting as the highlight. This lead to best example of the bouts mix of styles, with a Dudley Boyz parody seeing Johnson refuse to "Get the tables", before a 3D to Banks would level the scores at one a piece. With the energy behind the Shirtlifters, the conclusion was spot on for me, as the crowd gave one of the biggest pops of the evening for Sexsmith unveiling Mr. Cocko (Think Mr. Socko but sponsored by Durex) with Cooper the target, only for Banks to attack from behind and send Sexsmith crashing through a table with a big powerbomb. The victory set up The SPPT for a potential title challenge and garnered them even more heat as a group, but also elevated the Shirtlifters who showed a new side to their game, improving and growing their already popular act. 

Match in a Sentence - A cracking tornado tables match, full of character comedy with some big spots, where both teams will benefit from having taken part in it.   

A victory over Mark Andrews earned Matt Cross a shot at Mark Haskins' Smash Championship, in a clash that was blink and you miss it quick, at points. If you've seen Andrews in TNA or Cross as Son of Havoc (Not Jimmy) on Lucha Underground then you'll know what they are capable of. Up your expectations and then play them back at 1.5x speed and you'll be almost there. There was flips and dives and reversals and just general madness, Andrews and Cross managed to fit more into their thirteen minutes than most could fit into thirty and executed everything crisply. A section where Andrews worked the leg with a number of submissions felt a little out of place with the crowd having chanted for "Flippy shit" from almost the opening bell. If they wanted flippy shit, they definitely got it later on, as the pair had a number of back and forth sequences that were full of the stuff, from various dives to the outside to Cross landing on his feet from a poisoned frankensteiner attempt. By the time Cross had got the pin, I was left wanting more, which is always a good thing.

Match in a Sentence - Unbelievably flippy.

The opener saw The Hunter Brothers (Lee Hunter & Jim Hunter) pick up their first 2v2 success in PROGRESS with a flash pin over a debuting The New Nation (Alexander Henry & Jason Prime). With both teams being relatively unfamiliar to the audience and having never met in the ring before, the match took a while to find it's groove as the Fight Club: Pro and Target Wrestling regulars looked to both connect with the crowd and each other. Prime looked impressive when using his strength to take control, but I felt that having his offence look so much cooler than the initial Hunter Brothers face shine end up hurting the momentum, but understand he was looking to make an impression on the new crowd. The bout really picked up in the second portion though with Lee pulling out an exciting hot tag sequence, before things broke down into a series of nifty spots and near falls. I particularly enjoyed the number of creative ways to four had thought up toi break up pins. I would have liked to have seen New Nation heel things up a little more, with moments like Henry's moonsault to the outside standing out as slightly out of place and whilst I understand why it would have been included, I'd prefer to not have the supposed villains pulling out the most flashy move of the contest see. On the quality of this match, I'd suggest that both teams deserve to return for PROGRESS as they both proved they have a lot to offer and will help to add depth and diversty to the division

Match in a Sentence - Good tag opener, that despite a few personal niggles, set the pace for the rest of the show.

To start the 2nd half, Rampage Brown retained the Atlas Championship in his second Open Challenge, by defeating 2 time wXw Shotgun Champion Bad Bones. The two put on a real tough scrap of a match, in a style that has really began to shine in the Atlas division. Brawling around the ring, throwing meaty chops, hitting big hard suplexes and impressively fighting on the top rope, it was two tough men beating each other up. Despite it being Bones first appearance, the Electric Ballroom popped for his announcement and remained surprisingly split throughout, with Bones rewarding the faith by putting on a great show opposite the reliable Brown. The Westside Xtreme Wrestling star pulled out some impressive offence for a 230lber and quickly won over those who hadn't seen him before. The men used the short ten minutes allotted time to keep a brisk pace, with the beatings coming thick and fast and barely missing a step as they went through a run of near falls. Bones seemed to have the upperhand, getting a couple of two counts with a mid-rope spear and a lariat that caught Brown as he came off the top rope. This all built up to make Brown look like a real tough S.o.B. when he continued to kick out, before bringing Bones down to earth with thudding back superplex and then a piledriver for the three count.

Match in a Sentence - Strong and rapid heavyweight conflict, as Rampage Brown and the Atlas Championship continues to be built up.

Paul Robinson continued his strong run of form with a convincing victory of "Pastor" William Eaver, a former World Champion. This was a succinct bout, with the pair bringing plenty of energy and intensity to proceedings. The early references to Eaver legitmately injuring Sebastian in-ring at Chapter 36 were a little uncomfortable for me, but luckily the pair didn't make it the focus of the match, quickly moving on after addressing the elephant in the room. Eaver continues to grow and opposite the more experienced Robinson continued to impress with a good mix of power and agility. The bout was driven by Robinson though, with his persona able to get under the skin of the fans with ease, as he did anything he could to take control and goaded the crowd whilst doing it! The constant attempts from Robbo to hit his version for the Curb Stomp gave the bout an extra dimension, meaning that when he was finally able to hit the move it got a sweet reaction as fans realised that the dicksalad had managed to get the win. Whilst it was the most low-key match on the card, Eaver and Robinson still created a good outing in their spot and stated their case for higher positions on future shows.

Match in a Sentence - Nice intense scrap with a good through thread.

Any Other Business...

• In a surprising twist, Mark Haskins left the World Championship belt in the ring following the main event, with co-owner and ring announcer Jim Smallman chasing after him, resulting in one of the weirdest conclusions to a show I've ever seen!

• Sebastian made his return following the Paul Robinson and Pastor William Eaver contest, informing Eaver that if the Pastor didn't want him to press charges for the life-threatning injury from Chapter 36, Eaver would have to do anything he asked in a storyline twist that has more than a shade of John "Bradshaw" Layfield and Shawn Michaels' WWE storyline in 2008/09.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 7.55/10 

Show in a Sentence - A very good afternoon of wrestling, full of variety

Match of the Night - Havoc v Scurll v Haskins 

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Words - James Marston (Twitter - @IAmNotAlanDale)

Images Courtesy of PROGRESS Wrestling

Supercard Review: WWE Hell in a Cell 2016 - Charlotte Flair v Sasha Banks *Hell in a Cell*

On 30th October, WWE's RAW brand held the 8th incarnation of the Hell in a Cell PPV (the 1st to be entirely RAW branded). The main event was the first ever female Hell in a Cell bout with Sasha Banks putting her RAW Women's Championship on the line against Charlotte Flair, whilst a pair of semi-mains came from Roman Reigns and "The Bulgarian Brute" Rusev battling over the United States Championship and Kevin Owens placing the Universal Championship on the line, both inside the structure. With Cesaro, Bayley, RAW Tag Team Champions The New Day, Karl Anderson and Brian Kendrick on the undercard, how would Hell in a Cell turn out? Let's take a look. 

Despite what WWE's "triple main event" billing said, Charlotte Flair winning the RAW Women's Championship from Sasha Banks in a Hell in a Cell match was the main event in pretty much every sense of the term. It went on last, took up the most screen time and got the most hype. So how about that main event? It was always going to be difficult for Flair and Banks to step up not only into the main event, but to join the grand pantheon of Hell in a Cell matches, that includes classics like Shawn Michaels v The Undertaker and Cactus Jack v Triple H. There was a lot of history behind this bout, but at the same time there was none. Never before had two women main evented a PPV, never before had two women stepped inside the demonic structure. Was the match looking to emulate the past or create the future? It's difficult to judge something's effectiveness, if you're unsure of its aims. 

A large portion of the action happened outside of the bell, with Flair attacking Banks before the bell, leading to the two brawling outside of the cage. This would include the main angle for the bout that would drive the contest's narrative. Flair pulling Banks from the outside of the cage and hitting a powerbomb through the announce table looked superb. Banks took the bump like an absolute boss (pun intended), with the table collapsing underneath her and Flair's powerbomb looked tasty also. The build up could have been a lot slicker than it was, with Flair awkwardly bumping off the cage and then waiting for Banks to position herself into the powerbomb, instead of simply grabbing her. If the prior work had looked less cooperative then the big spot would have looked even better. The angle with Banks being put onto the stretcher and not wanting any help, only to pull herself into the cage when the announcement was being made, felt a little corny and didn't make a whole lot of sense. The two ladies played it well, but if the doctors had decried that Banks couldn't wrestle to the point that it had been communicated to the ring announcer (Jo Jo) then surely the match still doesn't go ahead? The spot has been played out in various formats over the years, including in a number of Hell in a Cell matches and I would've preferred the ladies had started with something that couldn't be easily compared to things we've seen over, at least, the last five years. 

Once the wrestlers were inside the Cell, I thought Banks and Flair did a damn good job, with a number of strong spots, some substantial storytelling and never for a moment looking out of place in the slot they were given. The majority of the bout was wrapped around Banks' back injury, with Flair targeting the damaged area and Banks offence kept to desperation flurries. The Boss' selling was mostly good, but the length of the bout (over 20 mins bell to bell) at times threatened it's believability, especially during a spot that saw her hit the three amigos suplexes (Because Eddie Guerrero). Spots-wise the match had some good use of the cell, from the very beginning where Charlotte hit a wicked monkey flip into the steel and a flurry of double knee shots from Banks that pinned Flair against the structure. A couple of the spots involving tables could have come off slicker, especially Flair's bump off the apron. Had these spots come together as planned then this probably would have been the undisputed match of the night. Flair winning the match with Natural Selection, having thrown Banks into a table twice, was a flat end to the evening, especially with the match in Banks' hometown. 

Match in a Sentence - A very good match, with some flashes storytelling brilliance, but it occasionally got lost and some of the bigger spots could have looked better

The show opened with Roman Reigns retaining the United States Championship over Rusev in a solid heavyweight scrap inside the structure. The match was hurt by having to take two other HIAC matches into consideration, meaning that the bout lacked any particularly impressive spots, meaning that Rusev bumping off the apron and into the cell was replayed about twenty times during the match. However, within the confines that they were given, I felt like Reigns and Rusev managed to produce an extremely watchable affray. They'd introduce a number of props to compliment that big lads style, whacking each other with Kendo sticks, the steel steps and a big metal chain. One of my favourite parts of the match was when Rusev had Reigns caught in the ropes and was wailing away with the kendo stick, but with the crowd chanting along, he stopped the beating and broke the kendo stick over his knee. It made me chuckle at home, but also got him a decent big of heat, because Boston loves to count. There was a couple of near falls with Reigns' being sent into the steps and then taking a superkick, which were worked well and had the crowd gripped, especially on the first one! 

My main problem with the bout was that it felt like a missed opportunity to make Rusev into a legitimate top guy in WWE. This was all down to how the story of the match unfolded and also, in part, the finish. The conclusion saw Rusev wrap the steel chain around Reigns' chin and apply a modified Accolade with the chain, with the two on top of the steel steps, now for me, unless you can do a run-in, that's the end of the match, right there. Instead, Rusev was made to look a bit dim, by dropping the chain to lock in a normal Accolade, allowing Reigns to power out and hit a Samoan Drop on the steps, followed by a spear to get the win. Why on earth would Rusev drop that chain? It just made him look a fool. Have Reigns pass out or if The Big Dog HAS to win for whatever reason, work an injury angle where Rusev can't keep the hold on because X, Y or Z, anything that gives a reason for The Bulgarian Brute to drop the chain. With the knowledge that Reigns was going over, I would've liked to have seen Rusev get more offence in during the first act of the match, where it seemed like Reigns always had the upperhand, even when the former champ resorted to raking the eyes, Reigns somehow rebounded and sent Rusev into the steps. There was a more interesting story to be told, with a few simple changes, that would've lead to both being elevated at the same time.

Match in a Sentence – Big heavyweight scrap, that utilised a number of props well, but could have done with cutting time and also feels like a missed star-making opportunity for Rusev.

The third Hell in a Cell contest on the card was Kevin Owens retaining his Universal Championship against Seth Rollins, after Chris Jericho had got himself locked inside the structure. There were a number of different elements that went into this, with the near 25 minute bout moving through a number of distinct segments. Each of these sections had their own merits, Owens focusing on Rollins injured tapped back had some good spots and suited the pairs styles, a lightning quick sequence of reversals sent the crowd into a frenzy and Jericho's involvement in the finish bought more storyline into the action without feeling over-booked. Everything on it's own was entertaining and the variation of styles meant that the 25 minutes went past fairly quickly, but (there's always a but) it wasn't melded together as good as it could have been. The back and forth sequence felt so out of place for what had come before, the run-in was awkwardly ambled towards with fire extinguishers and shit. It felt like when it was booked everyone had a load of good ideas, but not the time to make them fit together. 

Everything from when Jericho got inside the cage to when Owens pinned Rollins was very good. Rollins looked great fighting from underneath, managing to keep Jericho out of the action, only for Y2J to comeback just in time to keep Owens in the match. The spot where Rollins powerbombed Owens through a ridiculous structure of tables on the outside was superb stuff with the highspot itself looking insane. Similar to the Banks v Flair announce table spot, the build up could have been slicker, but the duo managed to recover the moment well, as when Rollins seemed to be unable to get Owens in position it could have been a lot worse, both visually and physically.  The finish built up nicely with Owens unable to put Rollins away with a Pop-Up Powerbomb, before Jeri-KO were finally able to combine for a sustained period, hammering away with chairs, before Owens hit a DDT on a chair for a near fall and finally won with a Powerbomb through a pair of seated chairs. It protected Rollins by having him scrap til the very end and also included some pretty cool looking moments along the way. I feel like everyone will benefit from this story ended, with Rollins able to stretch his babyface wings in a separate feud, whilst Jeri-KO can step up their best friends storyline that is obviously only heading in one direction.

Match in a Sentence - Good bout that goes through a number of different section, but doesn't quite manage to thread them together.

The biggest bout on the undercard saw Sheamus & Cesaro defeat The New Day (Big E & Xavier Woods, accompanied by Kofi Kingston) by disqualification, meaning that New Day retained the RAW Tag Team Championships. At times this match had some great wrestling, at times it was super awkward. Sheamus being the only heel in the contest, just meant that the structure of the whole thing was a bit off and that the first half of the match played out in front of a crowd that didn't really know how to react to it. The hot tag sequence was exciting stuff, with Big E having overhead belly to belly suplexes for days, Woods hitting a lovely tope conhilo and then Big E blocking a Brogue Kick and hitting a sit-out powerbomb for 2, but it didn't have enough substance or heat heading in to make it as satisfying as it could have done. The finish had way too much going on to set up the DQ finish, with Kingston retaliating Sheamus hitting Big E with Francesca 2 (the trombone, if you're not keeping up) with a Trouble in Paradise, whilst Cesaro got Woods to tap out to a Sharpshooter. After the match, I don't feel like anyone involved came out of the show looking any different from before the match took place.

Match in a Sentence - Some really well worked spots, but also incredibly awkward at points and did very little for anyone involved.

Brian Kendrick won his first singles title in WWE, taking the Cruiserweight Championship from TJ Perkins. The contest was technically sound but struggled to grab to crowd's attention and at points risked the audience turning on it. One of the matches biggest challenges was that it came directly after the Owens v Rollins HIAC bout, which had included the stupidly quick back and forth section. There was nothing in this match which even came close to the excitement of that piece of work. The spot that seemed to turn the crowd off was Kendrick trying to tape Perkins to the bottom rope by his wrist tape, which made absolutely no sense (the commentary team said Kendrick was going for the countout) and looked awful. WWE have weaved a story into the cruiserweight division that nobody wanted to see and have shown a clear misunderstanding of what made the Cruiserweight Classic so popular. The majority of the wrestling content was fine, because Kendrick and Perkins know what they're doing, but by the time Kendrick had won the belt I didn't feel anything or at least felt nothing near to how emotional I was for any of Kendrick's matches during CWC. 

Match in a Sentence - A match that struggled to get the crowds imagination, but included some decent wrestling 

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson got a big victory over Big Cass & Enzo Amore, in a simple but enjoyable tag team match. Gallows, Anderson, Cass and Amore didn't reinvent the wheel here, but each part of the wheel was constructed well. Enzo & Cass' face shine was fun, Gallows and Anderson controlled the bout well, the build to the hot tag was good, Cass looked like a hero during his come back and the heels got the win thanks to some over exuberance from Cass and a swift double team on Amore. I would've liked to have seen Gallows & Anderson get a bit more time to work over Jersey's Finest and to have really ground on him to the point where the crowd were absolutely desperate for Cass to come lay waste to them, but in a show that went three and half hours, asking for more is an odd request. Gallows & Anderson needed this victory, after no supercard win since May and especially after the New Day feud had killed their momentum as two bald bad asses. Don't worry about Enzo & Cass they could lose week in week out and still turn things around with one promo, plus Cass looked like a beast, so all is well.

Match in a Sentence - Solid tag team match, that finally gives Gallows & Anderson a bit of momentum!

Rounding out the show we had Bayley picking up a victory over Dana Brooke in what was both women's first singles match on a main roster supercard. It was clear to see where both women were at in their careers in this match as Bayley shone, whilst Brooke looked average (that's being me being uncharacteristically nice).  From the awkward spot where Brooke tried to drop Bayley shoulder first onto the top buckle, it was clear that the contest was a little too sophisticated for a Brooke who should probably still be in NXT. Brooke working the arm was mostly sloppily executed, including a move that I believe was supposed to be a Bow and Arrow, but Bayley's selling was strong enough that it pretty much carried the match. Little touches, like only using one arm to do the wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man dance, made the contest for me and gave me a big smile on my face. The logical next step would seem to be moving Bayley into either a one on one feud with Charlotte or Nia Jax, the top two female heels on the RAW brand currently. 

Match in a Sentence - Very good performance from Bayley in a match that wasn't always as tight as it should have been

Best of the Rest 

• Big Cass & Enzo Amore knocked their pre-match promo out of the park, with a number of funky references to their opponents, such as renaming them Big Gal and Andy.

• The New Day's pre-match promo was mainly pandering and talk of potential merchandise for Cesaro & Sheamus, it wasn't great.

• Backstage, Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley shilled the upcoming Survivor Series PPV before Chris Jericho canvassed for position on the RAW Survivor Series team, with all the signature catch phrases. 

• Backstage, Tom Phillips interviewed Kevin Owens – Cesaro & Sheamus argued about something 

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 6.27/10

Show in a Sentence - A good show, with three good to very good Hell in a Cell bouts, even if each would have been improved by not having to take the others into consideration, accompanied by an average, yet mostly entertaining undercard.

Match of the Night - Sasha Banks v Charlotte Flair

All content - James Marston

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