WWE All Star Search: A Rundown - Adam Ross

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Ladies and more probably, gentlemen. I am Professor Turnbuckle, I am a sociologist who specialises in fan culture, social patterns and most importantly, I am a massive wrestling fan. I am 23 years old and I have watched WWE (F) since I was a toddler in the mid-nineties. For however long I've wanted to do a series examining what I love and those that are involved and now I am setting out to do it.
As of today, I will be looking at WWE shows in a (hopefully) chronological order and analyzing them in my own (hopefully) unique way. This post is just to give you a lowdown of how its going to work and the aims I have for the series.

So here's how I will provide my analysis. The first thing I will provide is the card of the show. That's the simple bit. Following that I will give brief thoughts segment by segment. How I hope to differ here is I will not be doing play by play commentary, you can find that anywhere. I will point out anything that sticks out to me mid-match whether it be comedic, awkward or just plain brutal. Matches will get a rating using the Meltzer star system however they will be based on how much I enjoyed the match. Regarding promo's and interviews, I'll provide the summary and once again, provide my thoughts.

Following that, I will provide each featured performer a score out of 10 for their performance within the show. Once a performer is featured more than once, their score out of ten is added to their previous score for the previous show and this should build up until each performers final appearance, both scores will be shown. These wrestler scores will be based on the following criteria: Psychology, Communication With the Crowd, Crowd Response, Uniqueness, Smoothness of Performance, Character Development Moving Forward.

I am a sucker for trivia and hidden gems so expect lots of them too!

So why am I doing this? 2 reasons! I want to find my personal favourite all time WWE performer and I also want to find yours. I want to work out why people love certain superstars and why some are hated. I want to see patterns between wrestler development and crowd connection in correlation with the time period. I want to understand the true value of production style and features.

Anyway, it's time I start the first show...and we will be starting in January 1984! Pre-Hulkamania (just) and Pre-Wrestlemania. I hope you enjoy it and I would LOVE you to leave your thoughts. I read every one and love seeing your differing views to mine! Onward TurnBucklers!

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Thanks to Adam Ross for offering us these articles, you can read more at www.pfturnbuckle.blogspot.com

What a Difference A Year Makes - Fandango

Welcome to a brand new series of articles, looking at the fortunes of a number of WWE wrestlers following on from Wrestlemania XXIX, heading into Wrestlemania XXX

Name: Fandango
Wrestlemania XXIX Opponent: Chris Jericho
Feuds following Wrestlemania: The Miz, Wade Barrett, The Miz (again), The Great Khali & Natalya, Tyson Kidd, Santino Marella & Emma
PPV Win Loss Record: 1 win, 4 losses
Raw Win Loss Record: 12 wins, 21 losses
Smackdown Win Loss Record: 9 wins, 10 losses, 1 draw
PPV Kick-Off Win Loss Record: 1 win
Main Event Win Loss Record: 4 wins, 7 losses
Superstars Win Loss Record: 2 wins, 2 losses
Tribute to the Troops Win Loss Record: 1 loss 
NXT Win Loss Record: 1 loss

Overall TV Win Loss Record: 29 wins, 46 losses, 1 draw

What better way to start off than looking at Fandango (pronounced: FAHN-DAHN-GOO....you have to let the A's breath apparently) the man who made his in-ring WWE debut at last year's Wrestlemania. Okay, so technically it wasn't Curtis Hussey's WWE debut, after he spent some time working as Johnny Curtis, both down in FCW, and then NXT, including winner Season 4 under the original NXT format, and technically it wasn't even Fandango's WWE in-ring debut after working numerous house show dates with the likes of Ted DiBiase, Jamie Noble and Yoshi Tatsu, however we all know, that it doesn't mean squat dibbly if it ain't on the television screen! So yes, it was Fandango's WWE in-ring debut, so DEAL WITH IT! Anyway's Fandango's opponent on the grandest stage of them all, was none other than Chris Jericho!

The storyline was that Fandango was refusing to wrestle a number of opponents, due to them being unable to pronounce his name, therefore when Jericho pronounced his name intentionally incorrect on a March 18th episode of Raw. This enraged Fandango who would attack Jericho on the following episode of Smackdown, with the two trading attacks from then up until Wrestlemania 29. It wasn't the strongest build-up to a Wrestlemania match, but there was certainly some intrigue in how WWE would handle Fandango's debut match and WWE clearly had big plans, with the ballroom dancer taking part in the Wrestlemania Press Conference, debuting new dance partner, Summer Rae. Below is the review of Fandango vs. Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania 29 taken from our review of that event. "The Fandango and Chris Jericho match was marred with a number of errors in a match that did neither men any favours. A lot was expected from these after WWE held off the former Johnny Curtis's début until the Granddaddy of them All and against a competitor of Chris Jericho's standing, it's understandable that the pressure was huge on the two to perform. However that performance never came and the match felt like the two going through the motions, with the awkward ending not helping towards this. It also seemed an odd decision for Jericho to kick out of Fandango's finish on his début, and Fandango to still win." Yes, the match itself wasn't that great, but it was the night after that people would remember. Whilst Fandango made his Raw debut in a bout with Kofi Kingston, the audience in attendance began to sing and dance along to Fandango's entrance theme, and continued to do so even when the music had stopped, in one of the bizarrest moments in Raw history. This would continue, with a campaign building in the UK to get the theme into the UK Top 40, just falling short.

Fandango's feud with Jericho would continue, with the pair continuing to trade attacks during an after matches, while Fandango went on a winning streak on Raw and Smackdown seeing off, Santino Marella, William Regal, Justin Gabriel and Zack Ryder. The highlight of the feud, came on the May 13th episode of Raw, in a dance off segment. In what should have been a fairly awful segment, Summer Rae quickly feigned an ankle injury, and whilst Jericho and his partner looked tried to help, this allowed us to see a more vicious side of Fandango, as he sent Jericho into the steel steps, before clobbering him with a bit of the dance floor, which looked superb. This set the pair up for a rematch at Extreme Rules. The Extreme Rules encounter (although just a regular match) was a much better bout than the one the pair put on at Wrestlemania 29. Fandango looked a lot crisper in the ring and the match made a lot more sense. Jericho picked up the win with a Codebreaker catching Fandango after a dive from the top rope. This pretty much finished their two month feud, allowing Jericho to move into a feud with CM Punk, whilst Fandango wasn't particularly hurt from losing to a veteran in competitive fashion. 

Fandango then moved into the Intercontinental Championship picture, being inserted into a feud between then champion Wade Barrett and The Miz. The feud started on 20th May Raw, with Fandango teaming with Barrett to take on Jericho and Miz, however Fandango left his partner high and dry to dance with Summer Rae, allowing Miz to get the victory over Barrett. After Fandango got involved in a Intercontinental Championship bout between Barrett and Miz, Fandango got a match of his own with Barrett. The Miz served as Special Guest Referee and allowed Fandango to ultimately pick up the victory with a Skull Crushing Finale to Barrett. After walking out on a bout with The Great Khali on the next Raw, Fandango ended up suffering a concussion whilst defeating Zack Ryder on Smackdown and was there for removed from the Intercontinental Championship Three Way at Payback, being replaced by Curtis Axel.  This for me was the turning point for Fandango over the last year. The smart money would have been on Fandango picking up the Intercontinental Championship at Payback and continuing his ascent up the card, however with the concussion costing him just shy of a month of TV time, meant that any momentum that the he had more or less disapearred and he hasn't really recovered since this moment, as you'll see as I continue to look at his year.

After being announced as a contestant in the World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank Ladder match on the 28th June Smackdown, Fandango made his return to WWE on 1st July Raw, facing off against Sheamus. It was a bizarre choice of opponent and lengthier TV bout than usual for Fandango, who ended up walking out on the contest. In the build up the bout, Fandango squashed Justin Gabriel on 5th July Smackdown, before recieving a Bull Hammer Elbow from Wade Barrett in an interview segment on 8th July Raw. This was followed up with a disapointing match between the two on Smackdown, that saw Fandango get the victory, due to a distraction from The Real Americans on commentary. Fandango wasn't much more than a bit part player in the Money in the Bank match, and bar an interesting section that seemed to tease a possible feud with Barrett heading out of the PPV, ending with Fandango hitting a Springboard Legdrop onto a Ladder, and taking a Cross Rhodes from Cody Rhodes, he really wasn't that involved in the bout that was eventually won by Damien Sandow, as his star continued to fall. It was then that Fandango then embarked on a lengthy losing streak, suffering his first TV pinfall defeat to Randy Orton on the 15th July Raw. This would be followed up with losses to Christian on the 17th July Main Event, Cody Rhodes on the 22nd July Raw, CM Punk on the 25th July Smackdown, Rob Van Dam on 29th July Raw (via countout, at least) and Kofi Kingston on the 5th August Raw. Fandango had essentially became a jobber for the stars (and Kofi), with most of these matches being set up through an altercation earlier on the show (like Fandango interrupting Orton during whilst Orton was talking to John Cena). 

Fandango was getting a lot more time for his matches on TV and it certainly helped the in-ring quality of the matches which for the most part were entertaining and easy to watch, but so many loses in a row harmed Fandango's credibility for sure.  The losing streak came to an end on 9th August Smackdown, with Fandango getting a return victory over Kofi Kingston, in a classic exampe of WWE's even steven booking. It would then seem like WWE were planning him a feud with R-Truth, after Fandango re-entered a battle royal on the 12th August Raw, to eliminate The Suntan Superman. 

Instead, it would seem that Fandango would be renewing his stop start feud with The Miz, after interfering in Miz's bout with Wade Barrett on  19th August Raw. I never really understood why Miz and Fandago were feuding, and with Miz being perhaps the most miscast babyface in WWE history, it did nothing at all for Fandango. The feud continue the next week, with The Miz coming out during Fandango's bout with Cody Rhodes, dressed as Fandango, alongside Rosa Mendes (I have no idea), allowing Rhodes to pick up the victory. After Damien Sandow got involved as well, Brad Maddox morphed into Teddy Long and made a TAG TEAM MATCH! After Fandango left his partner again, The Miz picked up the victory for his team. After a botched finish cost Fandango a 28th August Main Event bout with Kofi Kingston by DQ, it seemed that the feud with The Miz concluded on Raw on 2nd September, however due to a broke nose suffered by Fandango, the feud continued until Night of Champions. Fandango went over Justin Gabriel in a sloppy bout on 4th September Main Event, cost The Miz a bout with Damien Sandow on 9th September Raw and lose a dance off to The Miz that also included The Great Khali and R-Truth on 13th September Raw, meaning that the excitement to see Miz v Fandango at Night of Champions was at an all time high(!) Unsurprisingly, the PPV bout between the two fell flat, with no one particularly caring who picked up the victory. 

It wouldn't get much better for Fandango as he competed in a series of short and ultimately pointless matches. Whilst his win-loss record wasn't terrible, with victories over R-Truth (16th September Raw), Santino Marella (23rd September & 14th October Raw), Zack Ryder (7th October Raw) and Justin Gabriel (25th October Superstars) balancing out defeats to Kofi Kingston (18th September Main Event & 30th September Raw), The Usos (teaming with Big E Langston, 25th September Main Event),  Rob Van Dam (4th October Smackdown) 

The next feud for Fandango was one with The Great Khali, also involving the pairs valets Summer Rae and Natalya. After Khali had defeated Fandango in a messy bout on 16th October Main Event, the pair engaged in another on 25th October Smackdown, ending in a No Contest after less than two minutes, when Rae and Natalya brawled on the outside (Yes, I don't know why that's a know contest either). Somehow this earned them a Mixed Tag Team bout on at the Hell in a Cell PPV, with Fandango and Summer Rae coming out the victors in a match that was more entertaining than it deserved to be. The feud was over by the 29th October with Fandango defeating Khali on Raw. 

Whilst the Khali feud was over, it seemed Fandango hadn't seen the last of Natalya, as her real life fiance Tyson Kidd returned, with the defeating Fandango and Rae in Mixed Tag action on the 4th November Raw. Fandango would get revenge on Kidd in under three minutes the following week, and after a victory over Kofi Kingston on 20th November, the feud was over with a victory for Fandango on the 22nd November Superstars.  It was then time for another losing streak for The Ballroom Brute, with defeats to Kofi Kingston (27th November Main Event), Zack Ryder (29th November Superstars), Mark Henry (2nd December Raw), Big E Langston (6th December Smackdown) and Daniel Bryan (9th December Raw - The Slammy Awards). 

With the expection of Bryan, it was clear that quality of opponent Fandango was losing to was decreasing, and the majority of these bouts went no longer than four minutes. Therefore it was some what of surprise when Fandango, not only faced Dolph Ziggler on the TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs Kick Off, but defeated the two time World Heavyweight Champion, even if the match itself wasn't much to write home about.  Ziggler got his win back the night after on Raw, with Fandango picking up a victory over Kofi Kingston on 20th December Smackdown, before bettering Ziggler to come out on top of their mini-feud picking up the victory in a "Christmas Present on a Pole" match on 23rd December Raw, earning himself an Intercontinental Championship shot in the process, with a Christmas Day Main Event victory over Kingston seemingly confirming that Fandango was back on the rise, even if a defeat to R-Truth at Tribute to the Troops on 28th December halted his momentum slightly. 

Unfortunately for Fandango, things returned to normal as he succumbed to Big E Langston in his Intercontinental Championship bout on 30th December Raw, the bout however was impressive, with Fandango looking great in a lengthy title contest, this could easily have been built upon. However, WWE decided against it once again, with Fandango falling to R-Truth in quick fashion on 3rd January Smackdown.  Fandango didn't have the greatest of starts to 2014, losing three matches on the bounce on Smackdown, the afforementioned 3rd January bout with R-Truth, followed up by quick loses to Xavier Woods & Big E Langston on 10th and 17th January respectively. However, he did even the score with Woods in just over a minute on 20th January Raw, before falling to Kofi Kingston once again on 24th January Smackdown, heading into the Royal Rumble PPV. Entering the Royal Rumble match on 27th January at Number 19, Fandango lasted just under three minutes before being eliminated by El Torito. It was clear here that WWE had no plans of making Fandango a big player for the company.

Fandango and Summer Rae began to engage in a feud with Santino Marella and Emma on January 27th on Raw, when Emma was present in the crowd for Fandango's defeat to R-Truth. On January 31st Smackdown, Emma was involved once again, with Summer Rae removing her fan sign, as Fandango defeated Xavier Woods. After Santino pulled Emma out of the crowd to face Summer Rae in a dance off on the 3rd January Raw, with Emma picking up the victory, both Marella and Emma were on commentary, as Fandango fell to The Miz on 5th January Main Event. Fandango and Marella then battled on February 10th Raw, with Fandango coming out the victor in a dull encounter.  The feud continued onto 14th February Smackdown, with Marella's Cobra costing Fandango a bout against The Miz, whilst Emma and Summer Rae got physical (calm down) at ringside. However, Fandango quickly got revenge on Marella with a victory on Raw on 17th February, however due to the focus on Emma and Santino's blossoming relationship, came away looking more like an after thought than anything else. The feud was not over just yet, with Emma and Summer Rae battling in a dance off on Smackdown on 21st February, ending in a brawl that saw Emma dropkick Fandango out of the ring. The 24th February edition of Raw saw Emma picking up a submission victory over Summer Rae in a stellar diva's contest, leading to a Mixed Tag Team Match on Raw on the 3rd March, that saw Emma pick up another submission victory for her team, in another short bout to end the feud. Whilst I was fairly entertained by this feud, and was more than happy to see Emma promoted from NXT, this really didn't do a lot for Fandango and whilst he technically didn't lose to Marella at any point, the focus was clearly on Emma and Summer Rae, which harmed Fandango even more. 

With Wrestlemania XXX just over two weeks away, Fandango is currently on a four match losing streak, being put away by Big E (14th March Smackdown), Dolph Ziggler (14th March Superstars), Goldust (17th March Raw) and even Fernando (21st March Smackdown), which really can't bode well for Fandango heading into the Show of Shows, as he takes part in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, sharing the spotlight with 29 other wrestlers.  It's been an interesting year for Fandango, and I have to wonder what could have been, if he had not suffered that concussion in June. What if he won the Intercontinental Championship as planned? I'm not quite sure what can be done with the Fandango character at the moment, I mean he is still appearing on Raw on a regular basis, and has had a number of good matches with various competitors and has a decent amount of feuds throughout the year, even if most of them were with The Miz. I can't see much changing for The Ballroom Brute heading past Wrestlemania, I expect more of the same, although I'd like to be surprised.  But remember let the A's breath and keep Fandangoing and who knows what could happen.

WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs 2013 DVD Review

WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs is out on DVD and Blu-Ray on 31st March 2014, available from www.wwedvd.co.uk, priced £12.99 on DVD and £13.99 on Blu-Ray. Broadcast live on Pay-per-View from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, USA on 15th December 2013, the show is main evented by WWE Champion Randy Orton and World Heavyweight Champion John Cena competing in a Tables Ladders and Chairs match to unify their respective championships, alongside Cody Rhodes & Goldust defending their Tag Team Championships against The Real Americans, Curtis Axel & Ryback and Big Show & Rey Mysterio in a Four Way Elimination match and CM Punk facing up to The Shield in a three-on-one Handicap match, as well as five other matches.  The commentary is provided by John Bradshaw Layfield, Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler.

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 Content Listing

The Authority Promises a Historic Night

3-On-1 Handicap Match

CM Punk vs. The Shield

WWE Divas Championship Match

AJ Lee (C) vs. Natalya

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match

Big E. Langston (C) vs. Damien Sandow

WWE Tag Team Championship Fatal 4-Way Elimination Match

Cody Rhodes & Goldust vs. Big Show & Rey Mysterio vs. Ryback & Curtis Axel vs. The Real Americans R-Truth vs. Brodus Clay

No Disqualification Match

Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz

3-On-1 Handicap Match

Daniel Bryan vs. The Wyatt Family

WWE Championship & World Heavyweight Championship Unification Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match

John Cena (C) vs. Randy Orton (C)

DVD Extras

Dolph Ziggler vs. Fandango

TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs Kick-Off, 12th December 2013

The Shield Reflect on TLC

WWE Superstars React to the Champions of Champions TLC Match

John Cena Discusses His TLC Match

Renee Young Interviews Randy Orton

Football Predictions

Review

There's some really quite vicious chair shots in the main event

Randy Orton continues to dominate John Cena

After a dire run of PPV's for WWE in the second half of 2013, they did turn the tide somewhat, closing out the year on a relative high with TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs. The main event sees John Cena and Randy Orton battle it out the PPV's namesake to unify the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships, in what is a fairly entertaining encounter. Whilst it does have it's drawbacks in the placing of the championships being far too low and a lack of any real shocking moments, the clever touches like the use of hand-cuffs, harking back to the duos "I Quit" match in 2009 and the fact that this is the cleanest ending to a PPV main event in a long time, mean it's a fairly easy to watch bout, nothing particularly special, but not a waste of twenty five minutes either. 

The Tag Title Four-Way about to get underway

The tag team elimination encounter between Goldust & Cody Rhodes, The Real Americans, Rybaxel and Rey Mysterio & Big Show for tag gold is the show stealer on this one, with a solid twenty minutes of well paced and exciting action. A series of moves between Cody Rhodes and Rey Mysterio is a superb and some of Mysterio's best work in WWE over the last three years. 

CM Punk has an up-hill battle against The Shield

In the opening contest, CM Punk takes on the entirety of The Shield, the first of two three-on-one handicap matches on the show. It's a storyline heavy bout, as WWE continues to tease a Shield breakdown, whilst Punk and Rollins produce the best wrestling of the match. Could this be CM Punk's last WWE PPV (non-Rumble) bout?  

Elsewhere Daniel Bryan's feud with The Wyatt Family build with a three-on-one handicap match, that is the perfect length to showcase all four competitors, and definitely Bray Wyatt's standout moment in WWE up to this point. Kofi Kingston battles The Miz in a No Disqualification bout, as their will-they-won't-they feud concludes in a decent bout, but one that barely acknowledges the No DQ stipulations. 

Can AJ Lee's Black Widow help her hold onto the Diva's Championship?

AJ Lee defends her Diva's Championship against Natalya in a psychical women's outing, but one that's not a patch on what they did on Main Event not too long ago. Damien Sandow got a shot at Big E Langston's Intercontinental title in a mostly uninteresting six minutes of action and Brodus Clay took on R-Truth in well put together bout that plays to each man's strengths, but unfortunately with no real follow up to the conclusion it ends up pretty miss able. 

The DVD extras see Dolph Ziggler tangle with Fandango on the TLC Kick-Off, which is another throw-away piece of action. There's also a flurry of short interviews, reflecting on TLC, including ones with The Shield, John Cena and Randy Orton, which all adds something to preceding in their own way, but won't swing anyone's decision on whether to buy the disc.

Overall, this is acceptable PPV, with the headline bouts each delivering on some level, especially the 4-Way Tag match. It is however let down by a slightly dull undercard that has seen no real progression for any of the performers in the three months that have followed. You will most likely be entertained by it, but might find yourself skipping through some of the filler.

Online Karaoke

Top 3 Matches on WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs 2013

1. WWE Tag Team Championship Fatal 4-Way Elimination Match

Cody Rhodes & Goldust vs. Big Show & Rey Mysterio vs. Ryback & Curtis Axel vs. The Real Americans R-Truth vs. Brodus Clay

2. 3-On-1 Handicap Match

CM Punk vs. The Shield

3. WWE Championship & World Heavyweight Championship Unification Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match

John Cena (C) vs. Randy Orton (C)

Supermen: A Story of Britsh Wrestlers Documentary Review

I recently got offered the opportunity to get a sneak peek at a Supermen: A Story of British Wrestling, a documentary featuring interviews from a number of different British wrestling personalities. 

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Filmed over a year in 2012, it seems as if the documentary may have struck lucky with the talent available to it at this time and where they have gone onto. Firstly, there's Dave Finlay, who had been released by WWE in 2011 (after a house show incident, where he authorised The Miz to interrupt the US national anthem), and made only a handful of appearances on the UK independents (including Southside Wrestling Entertainment, one of the filming locations for the film) before being rehired by WWE in 2013. Then there's Doug Williams, who was working a more reduced schedule in TNA than years previous, meaning he was working the UK scene more often (including Brit-Wres Fest, another filming location) and on the opposite end of the scale, Rockstar Spud, who began filming TNA British Bootcamp in 2012 and has since gone on to become a major part of Impact Wrestling on Spike TV in the US and Challenge over this way. Veteran wrestler Robby Brookside has become a trainer for WWE's developmental league NXT, whilst Joel Redman has morphed into NXT's Oliver Grey winning the tag titles alongside Adrian Neville (the former PAC) as part of British Ambition. Alongside some other upcoming British names such as Robbie X and Jimmy Havoc, as well as more veterans in the form of Danny "Boy" Collins and Dave Taylor, this hours worth of footage feels star studded from the outset, and the big names draw the audience in, allowing some of the lesser known guys to really shine in this. 

The documentary kicks off with a series of personal tales about getting into the business, which produces some interesting incites, non more so than that of than former TNA British Bootcamp star Marty Scurll , who talks about how wrestlers replaced his father as male role models in his life. The passion that Scurll feels for the business emanates through the screen, and it's difficult to not want to see him succeed further in wrestling after hearing his words. Matt Jarrett and his mother Lorraine also become stars early, as they tell about Jarrett's troubles, the pair are an enjoyable double act who crop up intermittently throughout.

We transition nicely into talk of the old days of British Wrestling, and whilst Robby Brookside and Ray Robinson's talk of how breaking into the business used to be, won't be particularly surprising to any seasoned wrestling fans, Rockstar Spud's talk about missing those veterans in the locker room, to learn from, is the real point of interest for me here. Brookside's talk about worrying that the British style is being superseded by that of America and Japan is an interesting one, especially with Brookside now working as a trainer for WWE.The crisp editing pays of as Dave Taylor and Jimmy Havoc chat about their diverging styles presented almost as a conversation between the two parties, cutting between each man at the relevant point to allow the other to retort. Whilst it isn't particularly new ground, at times, I began to wish that you could see this conversation for a real, as almost a wrestling version of Question Time.  Promoters Ashcon and Abbas Rezazadeh's talk about the old British style being dead has more than just a hint of hyperbole about it, but there is certainly a following for their deathmatch style of wrestling, even if it's not something that I'm particularly fond of myself. (And yes guys, I'd much rather see a World of Sport legend than Matt Morgan)

A trip to Wickes with Ashcon and SOME GUY sheds more light on the deathmatch, as they pick up all they need from the hardware store, including a tub of barbed wire, who knew?! Whilst this is mildly entertaining, it's the look at Havoc's match with Mike Mason that stands out as a highlight. Following the pair around as they recover and then give their thoughts on the match is reminiscent of the scenes following Randy The Ram's deathmatch in The Wrestler. A really intriguing look into that type of wrestling and the damage it can do to the bodies of the performers who chose to go down that route. 

The theme of injures develops with a number of interviewees chiming in on this one, including Jamie Hadley's casual mention of having a pain killer addiction. It's at this point that as fan you remember that what you see in the ring has an effect on the performers long after they get behind the curtain. This often get's forgotten in discussions amongst fans, so it's definitely a good thing to see it presented in that way here.

As he has been on TNA television over the past few months, Rockstar Spud continues to shine here. He comes across as a humble guy, contrasting with the character we see on Impact Wrestling, as he talks about not knowing anything until he has worked for WWE (I wonder if he still holds this viewpoint?) and regretting not spending more time with Robby Brookside. We hear from one of Brookside's students, Jimmy Meadows, as well as seeing some fascinating footage from Brookside's training school in Leicester.

It's then the turn of veterans Fit Finlay and Doug Williams to get the focus, as Finlay talks about dealing with the stardom that being on television for WCW and then WWE afforded him, alongside a great tale from Brookside of how Finlay kept his hardman image in Germany. We hear from both Williams and his wife Claire, as they tell us how wrestling has effected their relationship, with a number of wrestlers chiming in with their own experiences, as Williams mentions never being in WWE, and began to imagine how that would have effected their relationship further.

We close up with the cliché question "What does wrestling mean to you?" which is a mixed bag of ending for me. Whilst many talk about wrestling being their life, Alex Shane decides to talk about wrestling as a metaphor for life. It seems like he's trying too hard to say something clever, at times trying to convince himself that what he's saying is actually making sense. The two stars of the documentary for me, Robby Brookside and Rockstar Spud round things out nicely, with feel good answers, in fitting end to the documentary. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this documentary, it was complete joy to sit an watch for an hour, as you can probably tell from reading the above. I would've have liked to have seen certain stories explored deeper, and more footage looking at the lives of wrestlers interspersed between the talking heads would have been fantastic. Personally, I think the documentary had scope to go at least half an hour longer than the version I saw, if not another hour, but whether someone else would sit and watch for that long is a different kettle of fish. 

Below is some information about how the film will be made available (taken from the press release). I reccomend that you at least go and watch the film on it's Saturday 5th April (the day before Wrestlemania XXX) and if you don't think it's worth at least a FIVER to get your own copy on DVD then we might have to have some words.


The film will be available for FREE on www.supermenfilm.co.uk and hosted on YouTube. Viewers will be able to ‘tip’ money via PayPal ­ which will help go to covering the costs of production. Donating £5 offers the viewer a physical copy of the standard edition DVD to be released in May. Donating £10 offers the viewer a physical copy of the Collector’s Edition DVD also to be released in May. Adding £2.50 to any of those offers will upgrade them to Blu­Ray HD versions. 

The standard edition DVD/BluRay will feature a standard copy of the film.The Collector’s Edition DVD/BluRay is a double­disc pack that comes with the standard copy of
the film, and a bonus second disc with additional full interviews of Rockstar Spud and Dave
Finlay, and additional match material. There is potential for these extras to change, depending on viewer feedback.

PCW Road to Glory Day 2 Review - Michael Jolly

1st March was Preston City Wrestling's (@PCW_UK) second day of a 2 day event which brought us a fun filled day of wrestling that included a WWE Legend, ROH stars, a former TNA World Champion and the crowning the winner of the 'Road to Glory' tournament.

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(Daytime Show)

Martin Kirby def. Noam Dar, Robbie X and Tommaso Ciampa.

We originally were to have a Triple Threat but the music hit and out walked, ROH TV Champion, Tommaso Ciampa. This was very fast paced from the start to end with each of them taking control of the match at some point. Robbie X cracked Noam Dar in the face with a perfect superkick but the highlight was seeing Martin Kirby place a cloverleaf submission on Noam Dar and at the same time put Robbie X into a torture rack. Kirby would pin Noam Dar for the win.

After the match, Tommaso stated that he wanted another match later that day and challenged Kirby for the ROH TV Title, Kirby accepted.

Quarter Finals Match
Dave Mastiff def. Dave Rayne

Before the match started, Rayne sighed as he saw who he would be facing, Dave "Bastard" Mastiff. This didn't last long as Mastiff used his strength to hurt Rayne all around the ring and won when he hit a senton.

Quarter Finals Match
Chris Hero def. Bubblegum

The crowd cheered for Hero when he came to the ring and you could see that he was enjoying the crowd but sang, "he's just a rentboy" to Bubblegum, who replied with his usual finger gesture. I did enjoy watching Bubblegum use some high-flying moves. However, once Hero took control of the match, he planted a spinning elbow, picking up the win.

Quarter Finals Match
Kris Travis def. Mike Bennett

Both Travis and Bennett, who was accompanied by the beautiful Maria Kanellis received a loud welcome from the crowd and they didn't disappoint. Travis asked Maria if he could have a kiss as she had kissed her Bennett for luck. This match was fantastic and I loved every minute of it. Bennett at one point speared Travis on the outside of the ring apron. We had numerous 2 counts from both, Travis however was able to stay strong and get the win.

Tag Team Match
Team Single vs. Mad Man Manson & Danny Hope

Both Hope and Manson were comedy gold during the match and Hope took control as he started against T-Bone, it didn't last long as the power of 'Team Single' took over. Both Manson and Hope tried to "Hulk up" at one point but it didn't work with T-Bone dropping Manson with a 'RKO' and Rampage hitting Hope with a piledriver for a double pin.

Quarter Finals Match
Chris Masters def. Joey Hayes

Before the match started, Joey Hayes asked if anyone had bought his NEW t-shirt and then asked if anyone wanted the one he was wearing. I put my had up and said "me". As he came up, he started to put his top on me but at the last minute, walked away. The crowd booed. Masters then came up and gave me his NEW t-shirt, which started a chant of "mini Masters." Joey was aggressive throughout the match, using his speed to his advantage and taking Masters off of his feet on more than one occasion. There were a few 2 counts from both wrestlers but Masters was able to hit a devastating spinebuster that we all felt and following it with his "Masterlock" for the win.

Football Predictions

(Evening Show)

#Boom Champion Triple Threat Match
Joey Hayes def. Dave Rayne (c) and Robbie X

Everyone took turns in dominating this match but it was Joey Hayes who would win with a crossface submission on Dave Rayne. After the match, Rayne informed everyone that according to HIS rule book, the title cannot change on the 1st or 14th of any month. PCW owner, Steven Fludder, then stated that it didn't say anything in his rule book about Superheroes challenging in the month of May. "Hurricane" Helms video and music started to play and Rayne was then told that he would be defending his #Boom Title at the Supershow in May.

Semi Finals Match
Chris Masters def. Chris Hero

This went back and forth but started with Hero wanting to do the "Masterlock" challenge. When he placed it on, Hero would slap Masters on the head, making him release it. We got to see Masters put a figure-four leg lock on and then Hero with a blockbuster from the top rope onto Masters arm. This match had its fair share of 2 counts but Masters would get the win when he put the "Masterlock" on and as Hero countered, Masters was able to reverse it and get the pin.
After the match they both shook hands to the applause of the crowd and invited Dave Rayne, who had tried to interfere earlier into the ring. As all 3 hugged in the ring, Hero caught Rayne with his spinning elbow.

Semi Finals Match
Dave Mastiff def. Kris Travis

Before the bell had even rung, Travis dived through the ropes onto Mastiff and tried to get a quick 3 count. He tried to use a samoan drop on Mastiff but fell under the weight. He then used a hurricanrana, Del Rio style kicks, a release german suplex and a superkick but only got a 2 counts. The crowd cheered for more and when Mastiff was able to get Travis into the corner, he used his cannonball move for the win.

ROH TV Championship Match
Tommaso Ciampa (c) def. Martin Kirby

This was hard hitting and fast paced from both which included a top rope elbow and a release german suplex. Tommaso caught Kirby with some vicious running knees when he was against the turnbuckle and then get the win when he used his powerbomb lung blower.
After the match both shook hands in a mark of respect and the crowd stood to clap the match that they had just seen.

"Intergender" Tag Team Match
Mike Bennett & Maria Kanellis def. Danny Hope & Mad Man Manson

I thought this was far better to watch than I was expecting, as we saw a "dance-off" with all four of them and then replaying part of the match which Manson and Bennett wrestled in slow motion, with the crowd chanting and cheering slowly to the match as well. Maria hit a bronco buster to Hope and he wanted one more but got Bennett instead. Maria would then pin Hope after a kick to the face. 
After the match, the crowd would chant "please come back" to Bennett and Maria. 

Open Challenge Tag Team Title Match
'Team Single' (c) def.   Battle Squad Awesome w/Harvey Dale

Battle Squad Awesome were awarded this match as they were picked by the fans to face the Champions via social media. We started the match with T-Bone facing off against 'Iron Dan' Danny Chase, who worked really well but both T-Bone and Rampage were able to use their power to dominate the rest of the match. The crowd were firmly behind the champs other than maybe a handful of people in the crowd and I heard a small group chant, "f*%k them up T-Bone, f*%k them up." It ended when Rampage caught 'Diamond' Dave Andrews in a powerbomb and then T-Bone followed up with an elbow drop from the top rope to get the win. 'Team Single' would then attack, Harvey Dale, who didn't sell this very well and looked like a seal out of water when hit.

As both members of 'Team Single' were about to leave the ring, a video played of current ROH Stars, ReDRagon. They talked for quite a while and the crowd got restless. They stated that they would be coming to the PCW Supershow in May and take on the current PCW Champions. I don't think the crowd were bothered as we had a "who are you" chant.

Singles Match
Papa Shango def. Bubblegum

Bubblegum came to the ring and complained that he didn't have a match that night and would fight anyone for £5. Having squared up with a young girl at ringside, Papa Shango's music started to play, to the enjoyment of the room. Bubblegum tried his best but it wasn't long until Shango would pin him following a shoulder breaker.

Finals Match
Chris Masters def. Dave Mastiff

This was like watching 2 bulls fight, as both traded blows, back and forth. We got to see Masters deliver a fantastic 2nd rope suplex but only for a 2 count. He also tried with a spinebuster but again, just a 2 count. Mastiff did try hitting his cannonball move but ended up been put in the "Masterlock." He couldn't escape this and Chris Masters would become the 'Road to Glory' winner of 2014. He now has a title shot at the PCW Champion at PCW's 3rd Anniversary show.

PCW Championship Match
Lionheart (c) def.  A.J Styles

We then were ready for this 'No DQ' Main Event that we had been informed of earlier that day.
The crowd went wild for Styles when his music played and it didn't stop until the PCW Champion, Lionheart started his way to the ring. 
This match didn't stop, as both took punishment from each other and we got to see Styles use all of his signature moves that we are used to. At one point, they made their way into the crowd and wrestled for what felt like 10-15 minutes. The crowd went nuts for this and chants of "this is awesome" and "we can't see" erupted. Once Lionheart was able to get back into the ring, he took control using a 2nd rope suplex of his own. He would the try winning the match with a "Rock Bottom" and then a boot to Styles face followed by a spear but only got a 2. 
Joey Hayes then made his way to the ring and told the ref that he wanted to cash his briefcase in. Styles told him that he would face him after the match but Lionheart would take this opportunity to roll him up for the 3 count and win. 

Styles would then put Lionheart into the "Styles Clash" but it didn't end well for the PCW Champion, as we would later find out via social media that he had in fact broke his neck. Everyone in and around the ring knew something was wrong as, Steven Fludder, came to the ring as did the medical staff and were quick to deal with the situation. We were then told to please leave. As we left the crowd would chant "Lionheart".

This was an amazing day of wrestling from PCW and they didn't disappoint. It was unfortunate what happened at the end of the night but  we now know that Lionheart doesn't need surgery and 1 week after it happened, is now walking. This shows strength, courage and can't wait to see Lionheart back in the ring. 
Also, a big thank you to ALL of the PCW family for taking care of Lionheart.

Michael Jolly
@JollyTheBear

Conference Call with Samoa Joe & Magnus

Football Predictions

Earlier this week, ATPW was part of a conference call with TNA World Heavyweight Champion Magnus and his challenger at the Lockdown PPV event Samoa Joe, along with numerous other outlets from around the world. Below is a link to the conference call in full, our question turns up about 23 minutes in!

Don't forget that Lockdown airs in the UK on Challenge TV, Wednesday 12th March at 10PM!

http://tna2go.com/filesend/?f=11635&fid=f0f1d34d

200th Post

Online Karaoke

It's mental to think that this is Across The Pond Wrestling's 200th post! It's been a bit of rollercoaster so far, and we're constantly evolving and finding out what kind of content people want to see! But that's been part of the fun, I hope you're all enjoying what we've got for you, whether that be the interviews we present, PPV or DVD reviews or the occasional opinion piece. 

If you'd have told me when I started this blog up, in April last year, that I'd have interviewed the likes of Christopher Daniels, Samoa Joe, Magnus, Brodus Clay, Matt Striker, JJ Dillon, Bill Apter, The Blossom Twins, the list goes on and on, I'd probably have laughed you out of the room! So thanks to all those people that allowed those things to take place and everyone that took the time to read those interviews! I don't make any money from your views, but they truly mean a lot!

Thanks to anyone who's ever promoted the work that's done here, the guys at 4 Corner's Radio have been great! We've interviewed a lot of those guys, and even caused Martin Dixon to make a T-Shirt about his ;) Big thanks to my buddy Marc P, who has not only written for ATPW (some of our most read articles non-the-less) but I also consider him a friend (all because 2K thought we were important!) There's so many people to mention that have been so good, WrestlingHeels, King Bingus Wrestling, The Wrestling Chronicle, British Wrestling Radio, OSW Review, I've probably missed some! But all those guys are awesome.

I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon and I've got a few cool things planned over the next few months, we've got an special interview with Botchamania's Maffew, the special Wrestlemania XXX celebration article, more opinions piece, more PPV and DVD reviews, more Five Questions With..., more Brit-Wres content, so don't change the dial, kids, stick with ATPW we'll look after you! 

To the next 200!