Wrestle Ropes' Ready For The Weekend (24th-26th July 2015)

Another weekend, another pack schedule of events. So let's get started on just a few shows coming up this weekend.

To kick off the weekend, on Friday night, Grand Pro Wrestling are in action at their regular haunt of The Rose Club in Hindley, Wigan with Cruel Summer. Right at the top of the card is Bubblegum defending the GPW Championship against Craig Kollins. 'The One Man Riot' has had a hell of a debut year in GPW, arguably the best of any in the history of the promotion. He has defeated everyone put in his path in 2015. That being said he's now facing one of the best in GPW and in Europe right now in the shape of Bubblegum. Kollins has the opportunity to become a GPW champion in less than a year but to do so he'll have to be at the top of his game to beat the man at the top of GPW. Another man who is at the top of his game is 'The Grappler' Jack Gallagher. Without question Gallagher is one of the finest if not thee finest technical, pure wrestler in Europe at present. His opponent is a young man by the name of 'The Priority' Chris Ridgeway, who has had some great matches with some of the best in Europe this year and beaten quite a few of them. Ridgeway is a star on the rise, Gallagher is a star that is burning bright. On Friday, these two stars are going to collide and it'll be explosive. The Bad Lads and the Midnight Bin Collection have had a storied rivalry over the past few months in Grand Pro Wrestling, with wins going back and for the between the two teams. It has now come to a point that their issues need to be settled and they may very well be on July 24th when The Bad Lads defend the GPW Tag Team Championship against former champions, Midnight Bin Collection in a Dumpster match. Whether their issues will be settled or not is unknown. What is known is that one team is walking out of Cruel Summer with the gold, while the other will be wheeled out with the trash. All of this plus a GPW British Championship defence, the continuation of the North West Rookie League and a lot more takes place this Friday night in Hindley, Wigan.

Moving on to Saturday and we're faced the familiar dilemma of too many shows to just pick one... so we picked two! Up first on Saturday we have Empress Pro Wrestling hosting their inaugural Empress Pro Invitational Tournament in High Wycombe at the Art4Every1 Centre. The tournament consists of four qualifying matches with the the winners moving forward to a four-way final match. One of the qualifying matches scheduled to take place will see fellow Irish competitors, Katey Harvey and Rhia O'Reilly face one-on-one. Both of these wrestlers are exceptionally talented. While Rhia O'Reilly has appeared all over the UK and US and is rightly one of Ireland's best wrestling exports. Katey Harvey is probably lesser known to those in the UK. However, this match will be no walk in the park for O'Reilly. Katey Harvey is a highly-talented individual who will push Rhia O'Reilly to the maximum. Anyone unfamiliar with Harvey before the show, will be very aware of the talent and skills she possesses by the end of it, regardless of the match result. Another qualifying match taking place on Saturday will feature Kay Lee Ray and Sammi Baynz. For as gifted as both these women are, they have never face each other despite them collectively winning eight championships during their careers so far. There is a very high chance that one of these two competitors will add the EPI2015 trophy to their list of accomplishments on July 25th. Taking a step away from tournament matches, on Saturday there shall be a tag team match that will determine which pair of 'besties' are better when Nadia Sapphire & Faith Lehaine of Team Superficial take on The Bae Club's Sammii Jayne & Debbie Sharpe. Both these teams say they are the best, on Saturday in High Wycombe, one of them is going to prove it. Add in two other qualifying matches featuring Chardonnay and Courtney plus Violet Vendetta and Addy Starr and then the four-way final, Empress Pro look set to deliver a great inaugural tournament.

Also taking place on Saturday we have Shropshire Wrestling Alliance's Summer BlowOut 2015 at the Dawley Town Hall in Telford. If you're a fan of young rising talent then you'll not want to miss Chris Ridgeway vs Will Opreay. Now we've already spoke about Ridgeway earlier and how his star is on the rise right now. His opponent, Will Osrpeay is another who has limitless possibilities in their future. Both men are going further afield, picking up wins and having matches that leave people talking. On Saturday we'll see which one can pick up the win against the other. July 25th will also see former best friends become opponents when Pete Dunne competes against Ryan Smile in Dawley, Telford. This match came about when the current SWA Heavyweight champion, Joey Sanchez announced that Smile would be facing his former friend, undoubtedly as a way to stop Ryan Smile cashing-in his championship opportunity. If Smile wants to get the championship then he shall have to put his old rivalry with the 'Bitter & Twisted' Pete Dunne to rest. Speaking of championship opportunities, Chris Brookes, Damian Dunne, Eric Ryan & Dan Moloney will compete in a Tables, Ladders & Chairs match with the winner earning a championship match of their choosing. Moloney, Brookes & Dunne could all argue their right to a championship match based on previous performances. However with the added unknown of CZW regular Eric Ryan plus legalised weapons, it could well come down to who is the most resilient to decide who wins the opportunity. Add in matches featuring Mark Haskins, Nixon Newell, Chuck Cyrus & Toni Storm and SWA are on track to deliver once again.

On Sunday night, Insane Championship Wrestling make their return to the O2 ABC in Glasgow for Shug's Hoose Party II, as part of their Waynestock weekend that will see them hit the Community Central Halls (also in Glasgow) the night before for Long Before Wesley Snipes. The 55 are a group of men who have run roughshot in ICW for months, attacking who they choose, when they choose. One of the men then have particularly focused on however, is Grado. The 55 have seen Grado as everything they are against and have never passed up the opportunity to show that. On Sunday night, Grado will face possibly the most dangerous man of The 55, Bram. Grado has never been one to back down from a fight and the fight will be taken to him on July 26th. It's unlikely that this will end this feud but maybe Grado can send a message and overcome The 55. Back in January, Dickie Divers won the Square Go and a guaranteed Heavyweight Championship match. The only issue with his win is that he eliminated his New Age Kliq brother, Chris Renfrew to do it. Renfrew didn't like that. From that point on, Chris Renfrew has descended into a deeper, darker place till his only focus was Dickie Divers and his destruction. Dickie Divers now stands alone in ICW and Chris Renfrew is more dangerous than he has ever been. Renfrew wants the Square Go contract but he wants to destroy Dickie Divers just as much. If Divers is to keep the contract, he'll need to not only win the ladder match this Sunday but survive Chris Renfrew. In the main event we shall see Big Damo challenge Drew Galloway for the ICW World Heavyweight Championship. Big Damo has been on a roll in ICW for months, demolishing opponent after opponent. While Drew Galloway has been defending the ICW World Championship all over the world. Big Damo feels that his isn't respect by Galloway or those in control of ICW. Galloway is undoubtly once of the most in-demand and talented wrestlers in the world. On Sunday, Big Damo is guaranteeing to prove to everyone what he already knows. That he can be the ICW World Heavyweight champion and not Drew Galloway or ICW can stop that from happening. All of this plus matches involving Joe Coffey, Sha Samuels, Mark Coffey, Jackie Polo, Kenny Williams and not forgetting the wedding of DCT & Viper takes place in Glasgow at the old out O2 ABC.


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

WWE ECW Unreleased VOL. 3 DVD Review

WWE's ECW Unreleased VOL 3 is out now on DVD and Blu-Ray, available from www.wwedvd.co.uk and all other good home video stores. The three disc set features over twenty matches from ECW, ranging from 1993 to 2000, alongside a handful of promos and connecting segments from Joey Styles, Stevie Richards and The Blue Meanie. The set includes matches from the likes of Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, Terry Funk, Cactus Jack, The Eliminators and many more. 

Disc One

The set begins with a basic tag bout from Hardcore TV pitting Kevin Sullivan and the Tazmaniac against Tommy Dreamer and Shane Douglas, that shows little signs of what the promotion would become. Dean Malenko and Too Cold Scorpio put on a nice display of technical prowess, that is cut short before it can develop fully. The crowd is disrespectful of the action throughout chanting "Boring", a chant that appear way too often throughout the DVD, almost exclusively for technical wrestling. "All American" Ron Simmons and Shane Douglas have a surprisingly good World Heavyweight Championship match on Hardcore TV, telling a great story throughout. 

A bloody weapon-based brawl for the World Tag Team Championship with the Public Enemy opposite Sabu and The Tazmaniac is a must-see for any fan of hardcore wrestling. Announced as a "Dream match", the newly christened "Human Suplex Machine" Taz teaming with Eddie Guerrero (accompanied by Paul E. Dangerously) battle "The Shooter" Dean Malenko and Too Cold Scorpio in a very different match. It's a superb showcase of a variety of different wrestling styles from all four men in the ring, especially in the early stages, although lacks any attempt at storytelling. Almost certainly remember for Taz breaking his neck during the match, Guerrero's performance to keep the match going after the incident is a testament to the skill of the WWE Hall of Famer.

Cactus Jack vs. Sabu from Holiday Hell is exactly what you'd expect it to be, being a bloody hardcore brawl. However, it was Jack's promo prior to the match that was the highlight for me, as his incredible character work works the crowd into a frenzy before the match even begins. A weird segment that includes a pull apart brawl and a ambush attack, eventually errupts into a tag team match with The Eliminators taking on Rey Misterio, Jr. and 911, I have no idea what was happening at any point.

Disc Two

The second disc begins with a match that is criminally short between Bam Bam Bigelow and Cactus Jack from Just Another Night, in which the after-match becomes a little silly. A promo from Cactus Jack and Raven is absolutely incredible, full of emotion and manipulative storytelling, this should be seen by anyone looking to improve their promo abilities. A slow burning clash between Shane Douglas and Chris Jericho for the Television Championship features some lovely sequences and a series of well-done near falls. The finish is frustrating in the realms of a DVD set, calling for a rematch that isn't included, but it's still a good watch. 

Just because the match takes place in Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan, one of Raven and Tommy Dreamer's many singles matches is a great inclusion on the set. It's a big ol' brawl with some top notch near falls, that unfortunately ends up getting a little over-booked in it's conclusion. The Eliminators are so over with the Philadelphia crowd as they collide with The Dudley Boyz at Hostile City Showdown which certainly helps the home video experience. It's another brawling bout that travels what feels like the entire arena, with plenty of weapon shots. Kronus absolutely pisses blood which won't be for everyone, neither will Buh Buh Ray's fake southern accent in his pre-match promo though. 

From earlier in the same event Rob Van Dam and Taz (accompanied by Bill Alfonso) have a short but enjoyable bout. A lengthy promo from Big Stevie Cool does what ECW did best, pulling real life events into the companies current angles, even if Richards comes across as a little forced. A rehash of the main event from the original ECW PPV main event see's Big Stevie Cool, Raven and The Sandman battle it out in an absolute clusterfuck of a match for the chance to face Terry Funk for the World Heavyweight Championship. The bout is chock-full of interference, to point where there is very little action between the three guys actually in the match. The winner against Funk is also included with the first section of the match telling a good story, but being let down by a wank finish.

Disc Three

Shane Douglas putting the World Heavyweight Championship on the line against Bam Bam Bigelow from Hardcore TV is a short but fun encounter, worthy of inclusion here. The lengthy introduction the segment including "Ravishing" Rick Rude, Francine, Chris Candido and Tammy Lynn Sytch has a number of twists and turns to keep things interesting, in front of a loud crowd. Candido is in action next in a short, fast paced bout, filled with big impact moves and good story elements, opposite Lance Storm from Cyberslam. A technically sound and smooth collision between Yoshiro Tajiri and Taz from Hostile City Showdown is let down by a finish that makes Tajiri look like a twat.

On their way to the WWF, The Dudley Boyz challenge Spike Dudley & Ball Mahoney for the World Tag Team Championship in a brief clusterfuck of a bout. The resulting promo and bout with Tommy Dreamer and Raven is a classic ECW moment, it's mind boggling that this hasn't been put out by WWE before. The crowd is reserved in Poughkeepsie for a decent encounter between Rhyno and Rob Van Dam over the Television Championship, which does effect the match, especially on some nice near falls. It's a shame that one of the pairs earliest matches is chosen here, as they would a number of matches on ECW's House show circuit over the next three months.

Rhino and Corino are back next for a curious tag team encounter with Tommy Dreamer and "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes from ECW on TNN, as part of Rhodes' brief run with the company in 2000. The match is watchable, but I couldn't tell you why. Two under the radar ECW roster members get the time to shine next as EZ Money and Kid Kash put on a match in the style that would become synonymous with TNA's X Division. Whilst the earlier segment is a bit of a mess, the contest is packed with flips and tricks with some well-done near falls throughout.

The Double Jeopardy match from November to Remember closes the set in a confusing batchshag (I'm trying not to clusterfuck again). Steve Corino, Justin Credible, Jerry Lynn and The Sandman have a match that left me questioning the universe, especially the first section which is completely bypasses any storytelling possibilities that the concept might offer itself to. There's blood and weapons and stuff to disguise the lack of anything really happening, with Sandman turning up late and then twatting everyone with his singapore cane a few times. Luckily the match is (almost) saved by the closing section between Corino and Credible with a well-done turn and some tremendous near falls, it's just a shame the encounter lacked the foundation that the earlier portion should have provided.

Finally...

Alongside the first two Volume's of ECW Unreleased this set works well at provided a cross section of ECW's product, featuring a number of different styles throughout. All the big ECW names are there, alongside names associated more with other groups, like Ron Simmons and Dusty Rhodes which adds a new element of intrigue to their particular matches. The match quality is mixed, ranging from god-awful to pretty good, but almost everything seems to have it's place on the set.

I've left out any real review of Joey Styles, Stevie Richards and The Blue Meanie's presentation segments, as it would be difficult to talk in too much detail without spoiling your enjoyment of these if you purchased the DVD. The same goes for a number of added promos that are also included here.

Worth a look at getting if your interested in introducing yourself to the product, with a smattering of important moments in company history, although perhaps starting with the other two volumes would be a better place to start. If you've already got your hands on those two and enjoyed them, you won't be disappointed with this.

Kamikaze Pro Monster Live Review

In front of their biggest Bournville crowd to date, Kamikaze Pro presented Monster at Cadbury Club. Headlined by an appearance former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Abyss, the show also featured a number of established and up and coming British names including Relentless Division Champion Marshall X, Chris Brookes, Clint Margera, Damian Dunne, Dan Maloney, Ethan Silver, Project Lucha, Ryan Smile, The Hunter Brothers and more in action.

Kamikaze Pro Ring Announcer/General Manager Lawrie Neal opened the show with his usual energetic opening, in front of a congregation that featured a nice mixture of familes and adult males who were very receptive from the beginning.

A Monday Night RAW-esque opening segment followed, with current Kamikaze Pro Champion Robbie X accompanied by his cohorts from So Scandalous. It was a simple but effective segment, with the group running down their achievements in the promotion and seemingly now going by the name The Bigger Picture, before Neal snapped and placed Robbie X's title match with Kay Lee Ray as the opening bout of the show. Whilst the three Bigger Picture teammates all put in competent efforts on the microphone with maybe a little too much shouting, it was Neal that put in the star performance here for me, being both believable in his role of down-trodden boss man and getting the crowd hyped for the upcoming clash.

One Fall Match for the Kamikaze Pro Championship

Robbie X (C) 

vs. 

Kay Lee Ray

This match worked like a charm, for one simple reason, it's easy to hate Robbie X and it's easy to cheer for Kay Lee Ray. The two performers took advantage of a crowd that was completely into everything that was going on to put together an enjoyable encounter. Kay Lee especially put in a strong performance, with some superb facial expressions getting over her frustration and pain when unable to put Robbie X away with a series of nice near falls. Whilst the wrestling was solid throughout, it was the big highspots that stand out amongst the crowd, with both wrestlers taking big bumps during with Kay Lee getting sent into the ringside chairs standing out as particular highlight of the bout, for sheer visuals alone. Unfortunately the finish didn't quite work for me, as Kay Lee seemed to have the contest finished with a Gori-Bomb, only for Ryan Smile to jump up on the apron as the referee was about to count to three. It's about points like this when it becomes difficult to suspend disbelief, as I couldn't get my head around the referee not just counting to three at this point. Things would have been just fine had Smile pulled the referee out of the ring instead, surely? With Robbie X retaining his title thanks to a school boy roll up, it was a shame to see a match that was entertaining, end with the unsatisfactory finish.

Winner - Robbie X via pinfall

One Fall Tag Team Match 

Omari & Liam Doyle 

vs. 

"The Polish Punisher" Mika & "The Wolf of Wall Street" Elliot Jordan

This is a difficult one to review, because it features four competitors from Kamikaze Pro's training school, all of whom have had limited experience in front of a live crowd. However, due to this encounter being featured on a main show, and not on separate academy match or as a pre-show, it would unfair of me to review it in a fashion different from how I would approach any other contest on the card. To their credit, all four of these men were nicely over with the Cadbury Club, with Omari especially seeming to have special connection with the crowd. All four also looked very comfortable in front of a crowd, with Mika and Elliot Jordan looking strong and confident in their character during a smattering of interactions with those at ringside. 

The match was a basic tag team contest structure, with Doyle taking the majority of the beatings from the heel duo. It was a shame to see Doyle's gimmick (that of a drunken Irishman) never really play apart in the bout, in which anyone else could have been playing Doyle's role. Also, after taking a rather long beating, for Doyle to seem perfectly fine after the hot tag was a real shame, essentially rendering the previous sequence redundant. Not having Doyle take a swig from his whisky bottle to fire himself up again seemed like a missed opportunity. A handful of the bumps weren't as crisp as they should have been, with the finish seeing Omari hit an awkward Modified lifting reverse STO (think NXT's Baron Corbin's End of Days) standing out. Whilst Doyle, Omari, Jordan and Mika all showed some potential here, there's still a long road ahead for these four trainees.

Winners - Omari & Doyle via pinfall

Six Way Elimination Match for the Kamikaze Pro Relentless Division Championship

"Bad Man" Marshall X

vs.

"All Day Star" Ryan Smile

vs.

"Number 1" Damian Dunne

vs.

Ethan Silver

vs.

Dan Maloney

vs.

Chris Brookes

Almost as if Kamikaze took notes from our Fight Club: Pro review last week, this match was made an elimination matchup and given plenty of time. There was strong performance from all involved, but Ethan Silver's outing in the early section of the contest jumps to mind straight away. Silver took an extended beating from the likes of Damian Dunne, Ryan Smile and their untrusting ally for the bout, Dan Maloney. Silver's stature made him the perfect guy to have this spot, bringing to mind TNA's Mark Andrews in his ability to garner support from the crowd from taking a beating. His sequence with Dan Maloney a little further into the clash showed an ability to mix it up with the bigger man, and create an exciting back and forth sequence. 

The match kept a great pace throughout, with things ebbing and flowing nicely, with some exhilarating dive sequences that one would expect of a division entitled "Relentless", with Smile's conhilo over the ringpost being the cream of the crop (even if the pop didn't further his cause as a top heel in the company). Alongside those highspots, there was a lot of storyline and character development, with the continuing efforts of Smile, Dunne and Maloney to dominate Silver and Brookes, whilst Marshall X did his best to stay out of everyone's way, with the bout sharing similarities with a tag team elimination encounter at times. 

Marshall X would go on to retain his title for the second time, after things had been whittled down to just he and Brookes. Marshall's performance throughout the whole match, in term of character, made this finish extremely satisfying to watch, whilst also getting a great reaction from the crowd. From staying out of the ring for as long as he could, to stealing a pinfall on Silver after a disqualified Maloney had attacked Silver with a TKO, to getting Smile disqualified by throwing Smile a steel chair with the referee's back turn (Marshall had already hit Brookes with the chair), it was difficult not to be frustrated to see Marshall not get his comeuppance at the end of the contest, in all of the right ways. 

Order of Elimination

1st - Maloney via disqualification
2nd - Silver via pinfall (from Marshall X)
3rd - Dunne via submission (from Brookes)

4th - Smile via disqualification
5th - Brookes via pinfall (from Marshall X)

Winner - Marshall X

After, the match, Lawrie Neal announced that Marshall would defend the title at Brute Force in Great Barr on August 29th, against a returning Pete Dunne. With Neal referencing that Dunne was still in China, Dynamite coming out and battering Marshall X got a great reaction from the crowd. With the two both hot with the crowd in their respective roles, their bout on August 29th may very well steal the show.

The interval was a length half an hour, that did seem to go on for an age. Lawrie Neal welcomed us back to the show, in a shortened version of his opening for the first half, which was much needed after that lengthy interval.

One Fall Tag Team Match for the Kamikaze Pro Tag Team Championship

The Hunter Brothers (C)

vs.

Project Lucha

It would be almost impossible for these four men to have a bad encounter, wouldn't it? One of the most established tag teams in the country and two of top singles stars in the country, this was a smooth, quick paced tag team match that worked well as the opener for the second half of the show. A back and forth affair that saw both teams trading tags, and seemingly just having a great time inside the ring working with each other (as their Twitter accounts would stand testament to). A highlight for me was a spot that saw Martin Kirby through Jim into the bar area (almost the whole width of the building), allowing Lucha to dominate and get a very nice near fall because of it.

When the contest finished following the Hunter's swing into low dropkick signature double team move on Kirby (even this was a call back to an attempt at the move earlier on in the match) I'd have to say I was a tad disappointed. I wasn't entirely ready for things to end and was expecting both teams to really push things into the next gear for another three or four minutes before the close of the bout. That's more of a statement on my sky high expectations of all four men, than it does for the actual match itself. It would be great to see these two teams go at it again in a different slot on the card, or even without the lengthy interval before hand which, alongside both teams working babyface, took a little out of the crowd. A good tag team contest, that could have been better.

Winners - The Hunter Brothers by pinfall

One Fall Match

Sebastian Radclaw Ruby Summers

vs.

"The Chavette" Chardonnay

With Sebastian Radclaw off the show, this match took a bit of turn becoming a "Fighting Females" division matchup with Ruby Summer stepping in to replace Radclaw. A rather basic match would follow, with three errors that stand out in particular hurting my enjoyment of proceedings. Firstly, Chardonnay kicking out of a well-done Fisherman's suplex bang on the count of two felt like a huge waste of a big move that could have worked as a nice false finish, and secondly, the referee counting a pinfall on Ruby when her shoulders were clearly off the mat, and finally, the finish of the contest that saw Chardonnay lock in a crossface with Ruby's legs way past the ropes, and instead of Ruby calling for the ref to break the hold with Chardonnay moving her to middle of the ring and getting more heat doing so, Ruby moved her legs inside the ring and held them up in the air away from the ropes, before tapping out. 

Winner - Chardonnay by submission 

A wild raffle appeared, much to the wonderment of all in attendance.

Monster's Ball 

"The Monster" Abyss

vs.

Clint Margera

If you came to this show to see Abyss then you wouldn't have been disappointed by this one, as it worked almost as "Best of Abyss" situation with The Monster running through a series of his best-known spots and moves, including ending up with chair to the nads, chokeslam, black hole slam and an appearance of his favourite weapon Janice, the only thing that was really missing here was a Shock Treatment. That isn't to say that Clint Margera was merely there to make up the numbers and take Abyss' offence, the Wolverhampton fellow look impressive in there also, bringing out a number of weapons that suited the match-type. The start of the bout with Margera standing face to face with Abyss was a great moment, that was well-performed by both men.

Exactly what you would have expected if you were aware of either man, a brutal hardcore clash that spilled across the Cadbury Club, including a spot that saw Abyss go through a table on the outside. Steel chairs, baking trays, tables, thumb tacks and Janice all sent the crowd into a wild frenzy, as everyone in attendance lapped every moment of this match up with "Holy Shit" chants a plenty, especially when Margera took a chokeslam onto the tacks for a near fall. The finish came soon after as Abyss hit a Blackhole Slam to pick up the victory, much to the delight of the Bournville crowd. It was an occasion where having the import go over the regular was the right thing to, with Abyss putting Margera over after the contest, and putting him over strong. It would seem Margera has turned babyface in Kamikaze Pro, a role that he excels in for Fight Club: Pro up the road in the Wolverhampton, so it will interesting to see how his character progresses in the promotion over the next few months.

Finally...

In front of an animated Bournville crowd, Kamikaze Pro provided an enjoyable show, that had a little bit of something for everyone. The three title matches all provided plenty of entertainment with the Six-Man Elimination bout narrowly claiming the Match of the Night from me. Abyss came across as a hard working import, who seemed out to help the promotion and Clint Margera, rather than just take an easy paycheck. The other two matches weren't close to being able to compete with the rest of the card, but at least the four trainees continued to show promise in their on-going development.

The record crowd (just under 300 people) inside the Cadbury Club shows that Kamikaze is doing something right in Bournville and I'm pretty certain the majority of those in attendance will be back on 27th September when the company rolls into the venue again, and on the strength of this show, they may bring even more with them. 

ATPW Scale Rating - 5.42

WWE Battleground 2015 PPV Review

There was plenty of intrigue heading into the 3rd edition of WWE's Battleground, mainly focused around Brock Lesnar's rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship he lost to Seth Rollins at WrestleMania. Throw in the third match in the series between John Cena and Kevin Owens and this show had to be amazing...right?

Battleground 2015 Kick-Off

Things all began with the now regular Kick-Off panel of Renee Young, Corey Graves, Booker T and Byron Saxton, it was at this point that I realised Renee Young may very well be the love of my life. Tom Philips then attempted to say Social Media as many times as possible inside the aptly named Social Media Lounge, whilst also pushing an upcoming interview with Paul Heyman. My affections continued to grow for Renee as she ran down the card for the night. A superb video package for the United States Championship match between John Cena and Kevin Owens aired, with the pairs back and forth promos being highlights perfectly, if you didn't want to see this match from the package then wrestling isn't for you. Some chatter from the panel regarding the aforementioned bout, including Booker T making the claim that "nobody has worn that title better than John Cena", which I'm sure caused an outrage amongst a certain fanbase. 

Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt was next to fall under the spotlight, firstly with a well-produced promo package that made their feud look a lot more slick than it actually has been. Byron Saxton really shone in the panel discussion about this match, making the rivalry relatable to the audience at home, good work Citreon Saxo. Eden Stiles' interview with R-Truth was a slightly awkward affair on the interviewers part, but Truth's inane ramblings at least contained some entertainment value. Randy Orton vs. Sheamus was next to be covered by the panel, with the panel discussing Orton's "home field advantage" although failing to put over what wrestling in your home town can really do for a performer. 

The New Day turned up with the panel during discussion of their match with The Prime Time Players, which at least brought a bit of variety to the format. 

Battle for the Crown Match

"2015 King of the Ring" King Barrett 

vs. 

"King What's Up" R-Truth

I was actually rather surprised with how much I enjoyed this match, mainly because the feud doesn't interest me in the slightest and I find Barrett's gimmick to be rather stale. However, the two put together a decent encounter, that was well-paced and looked slick, especially when it came to the finishing sequence. Despite Jerry "The King" Lawler being intent on going on about Barrett's nose, the live crowd were into the action and this made the action much more satisfying to watch, given that it was provided a solid soundscape by a lively St. Louis crowd. Barrett picking up the win with a Bullhammer, after being able to block a What's Up attempt by holding onto the ropes, allowed Barrett to pick up a much-needed clean victory, maybe WWE does have some plans for him after all (I'm not holding my breath though)

Winner - King Barrett by pinfall in 9 minutes, 15 seconds

It was back to the dweeb master general himself, Tom Philips, in the Social Media Lounge, as he ended up on the wrong ending of a verbal beating from Paul Heyman, in a car-crash of an interview. The debut's of Charlotte, Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks on last week's Raw received a recap, with Renee revealing all three would be present tonight alongside their various cohorts. Finally the panel took a look at the World Heavyweight Championship match between Seth Rollins and Brock Lesnar, with Citroen Saxo putting in another shift with more metaphors than you could shake a shitty stick at. The promo video for the main event was chosen to close the Kick-Off show, with the video working as not only a good recap of the feud between Lesnar and Rollins, but also as a nice lead in to the main show. 

Battleground 2015

The opening video package focused Wyatt vs. Reigns, Cena vs. Owens and Rollins vs. Lesnar, although the theme of the video felt a confused with a gladiatorial/war-based vibe that didn't quite gel.

One Fall Match
"Mr. Money in the Bank" "The Celtic Warrior" Sheamus
vs.
"The Apex Predator" Randy Orton

The Scottrade Center crowd was absolutely red-hot for this one and the match was all the better for it. It makes a big difference when a crowd is behind a babyface and against a heel, it gives everything that the two guys do in the ring so much more purpose and allows the audience member at home to be drawn into the action a hell of a lot easier. The encounter made good use of Orton working in front of his home town crowd, whilst Sheamus has been very easy to take a disliking too since his heel turn the night after WrestleMania.

The actual content of the match was perfectly acceptable stuff, with the two working a WWE main event style match, with some nice near falls for both men and some well-done brawling sequences that suited both men's in-ring styles. My biggest hang-up with this one was The Viper's lack of selling after taking three Irish Curse Backbreaker's from Sheamus, had Orton sold the back at various points during the match, then when Sheamus was able to lock in the Texas Cloverleaf later in the match it would have meant a hell of a lot more and been believable as a potential finish. The actual finish saw The Apex Predator pull out an RKO out of nowhere to pick up the victory, which got a good reaction from the crowd, although where these two are heading into SummerSlam is anyone's guess. 

Winner - Orton by pinfall in 16 minutes, 54 seconds

The previously mentioned Diva's segment from the previous week's Monday Night RAW got another recap, despite their still not being a match booked between any of those competitors. Things became clear however, during an Jo Jo conducted interview with Stephanie McMahon, with Stephanie revealing their would be a triple threat match between a member of each of the respective factions. 

One Fall Tag Team Match for the WWE Tag Team Championships

The Prime Time Players (C)

vs. 

The New Day's Kofi Kingston & Big E with Xavier Woods

A much improved effort on their outing from last month's Money in the Bank, this match seemed intent on making Titus O'Neil look like a beast. Whenever O'Neil wasn't in the ring The New Day would somehow manage to get the upper-hand, however when O'Neil was inside those ropes he was kicking ass and taking names in impressive fashion. Despite Young taking a lot of the beating, a spirited sequence that saw him take out all of the New Day just about stopped him from looking like a twat. The finish worked well with some nice back and forth with both teams looking like they could have had it won in the closing stages, before Young was able to hit a Gutcheck on Kingston and Big E took the Clash of the Titus to allow the PTP to retain the tag titles.

Winners - PTP by pinfall (O'Neil on Big E) in 8 minutes, 50 seconds

The Diva's bout continued to be heavily featured with a backstage skit with Paige, Becky Lynch and Charlotte, in which Becky seemed to be the stand-out for the group with an impressive speech. The well produced promo for Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns  made their feud look a lot more slick than it actually has been.

One Fall Match

Bray Wyatt

vs. 

Roman Reigns

Wyatt and Reigns really stepped up to the plate here, both working hard for each other to create an enjoyable heavyweight collision. The two kept a strong pace throughout the lengthy contest, with the action being fast and furious, but also giving the big moves time to breath. The two worked in some good spots that played off their signature offence, a particular highlight coming from an attempting Drive-by kick from The Juggernaut being met with a huge lariat onto the apron from The Eater of Worlds. There was also plenty of solid near falls, some of which the crowd seemed to fall for, with Reigns rolling through a Sister Abigail attempt into a Superman Punch standing out among the pack.

The story telling element of the bout was the real hook for me however, with Wyatt being pushed to use unorthodox offence, like a DDT onto the apron, in order to gain control of the match, with The Powerhouse actually spending a surprising amount of time on the offense. Reigns positioned as the stronger of the two, suited both characters, with The Man of 1000 Truths constantly rolling to the outside, and resulting in a lot of back and forth sequences with The Big Dog more often than not coming out with the upper hand.The pay-off of Wyatt attempting involved a pair of steel chairs was simple but effective in it's delivery. Perhaps, the match was a little too long for the story it was attempting to sell, with the long-ass chinlock from The Monsters hurting the match in terms of pace, as well as making it hard to believe that these two men truly hated each other, as had been referenced in the build-up.

The finish saw a hooded Luke Harper rejoin his former Wyatt  Family cohort, sending Reigns into the steel post before hitting a superkick, that allowed The New Face of Fear to use Sister Abigail to pick up the pinfall victory. Again, this worked well with the on-going story of the bout and produced a great moment when Harper removed his hood to reveal himself. With Harper now back at the side of Wyatt, it surely can't be long until we see Erick Rowan turn up as well, with WWE seemingly admitting defeat with The Pied Piper of Terror as a singles act after less than a year without his Family. The Juggernaut was booked strongly enough here that he won't be hurt heading forward, whether that be to continue the feud with Wyatt (possibly with more involvement from Dean Ambrose) or elsewhere.

Winner - Wyatt by pinfall in 22 minutes and 5 seconds

Team B.A.D. got an opportunity on the microphone next, with the group interview by Jo Jo, in what was a disappointing turn from all three women.

One Fall Triple Threat Match

Brie Bella 

with WWE Diva's Champion Nikki Bella & Alicia Fox

vs.

Charlotte 

with Becky Lynch & Paige

vs. 

NXT Women's Champion Sasha Banks 

with Naomi & Tamina Snuka

A nice way to properly introduce Charlotte and Sasha Banks to a main stream WWE audience, inside the ring with an established main roster member in the shape of Brie Bella. Cleverly, Brie spent a lot of the match on the outside of the ring or on the apron, allowing Sasha and The Nature Girl to show the rest of the WWE Universe exactly what those who view NXT every week have been saying for a long time, these two are bloody special. Both women's characters came across strong, rather than just being an extension of their respective groups, which was a delight to see on a big stage.

Whilst the bout perhaps wasn't up there with some of Charlotte and Sasha's encounters on NXT, there was still a handful of enjoyable spots involving all three women, like Sasha's pantented double knee strike in the corner, as well as the involvement of all the women on the outside, even if Brie's bump off the apron didn't look particularly well caught by Alicia Fox and Nikki Bella. The finish again spotlighted the different characters in the ring well, with Sasha locking the Bank Statement on The Flair of NXT, before Brie made the save and sent Sasha into the ring post and Charlotte was able to hit a slightly awkward powerbomb before strapping Brie into the Figure 8 Leglock for the submission victory. Despite what many may think of her in-ring ability, a submission victory over Brie Bella is a big win for The Nature Girl and shows WWE's commitment to pushing the "Diva's" division going forward, which is great to see.

Winner - Charlotte via submission on Brie in 11 minutes and 30 seconds

Renee Young, Citroen Saxo, Booker T and Corey Graves were back with their big glass table to give a quick run-down of the show so far, as well as the matches to come...which was nice of them. A superb video package for the United States Championship match between John Cena and Kevin Owens aired, with the pairs back and forth promos being highlights perfectly, if you didn't want to see this match from the package then wrestling isn't for you.

One Fall Match for the WWE United States Championship

John Cena (C) 

vs.

Kevin Owens

Another superb outing from John Cena and Kevin Owens, amongst their two previous Match of the Year candidates. The two have an incredible in-ring chemistry as both characters and performers, that allowed for a mixture of styles to shine through, with plenty of WWE-style brawling, as well as the almost indy-style with a strong focus on near falls. Pulling on elements from the previous two bouts at Elimination Chamber and Money in the Bank we saw the two throw out some big moves early on in the match as they attempted to put each other away, in a blistering back and forth opening five minutes in a match that didn't seem to stop.

Something that rarely get's picked up on in wrestling, especially when it comes to The Cenation Leader, is facial expression. It's a vital part of the game, it can sell the severity of an injury or it can show the desperation following a near fall. It was the latter in which Cena really excelled when an Attitude Adjustment off the middle rope was not enough to put away Owens. The look on The Champ's face was that of a man that had nothing left to give, meaning that when he did eventually push through to claim victory, it meant so much more because of the previous little moment. Michael Cole put a whole new emphasis on the moment, by calling back to Cena's defeat to The Rock back at WrestleMania 28, in a superb piece of commentary.

The finish will divide the fanbase, simply because Big Match John won and then the fact that Kevin Owens tapped out to Cena's STF. Personally, I'm not someone who usually let's the winner of the match effect my feelings about the match itself, and that happens to be the case here. Even the submission doesn't bother me, as firstly Owens had intially been able to get to the ropes and only tapped when there was clearly no way to get back there, and secondly, how many wrestlers have tapped out to the STF over the last ten, eleven, twelve years? Owens will only be helped by this loss, as the tap-out gives him somewhere different to take the character, as well as a reason for the fans to get on the back of his brash, arrogant attitude with the ever popular "You tapped out" chants. Was it as good as Elimination Chamber and Money in the Bank? It's too close to call.

Winner - Cena via submission in 22 minutes and 11 seconds

If someone could explain what a segment where heel The Miz ran down the injured babyface Intercontinetal Champion and heel The Big Show, before Show came out and knocked out Miz was supposed to achieve, I'd love to hear from them. Please send any idea on the back of a postcard to....Seriously though what was the point? I understand having to make the best of a bad situation with Ryback's injury, but this segment helps no one in either the short term or the long term.

The video package previously aired on the Kick-Off show for Lesnar vs. Rollins recieved another trip out here to head into the main event.

One Fall Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Brock Lesnar

vs.

Seth Rollins (C)

This was a weird main event, seemingly unsure of what it wanted to be. Whilst Rollins constantly running away and being hunted down by Lesnar painted the WWE World Heavyweight Champion as a cowardly heel, we also saw him make an almost babyface-esque comeback after taking a sustained beat down on The Aeralist, with The Beast seemingly uninterested in going for a pin. There were elements that worked nicely, such as The Architect focusing on Lesnar's hamstrings in an attempt to take the big man down, but there just wasn't enough exploration of these ideas to make them fully realised strands of the bout. 

Another finish that you will either have loved or hated. The Undertaker returning was a genuinely shocking moment, and it was great to see Undertaker take it The Conqueror. However, after a show that was built almost entirely around a Lesnar vs. Rollins match (see the poster at the start of this review) and five weeks of the bout being heavily promoted on Monday Night RAW, I don't think anyone could say they were truly satisfied with nine minutes of suplexs from The One in 22-1. The Architect didn't get enough offence in to justify a rematch between the two, and WWE is now in a situation where their Champion has been dominated in a title match, but retained the title, because the person who was dominating him, was then dominated by someone who only wrestles once (or seemingly now twice) a year. 

No Contest in 9 minutes

Finally...

This was a good PPV that delivered on a number of it's promises heading into the show. Owens and Cena stole the show for the third time in a row, with another blistering effort, Orton vs. Sheamus and Wyatt vs. Reigns both produced strong singles matches, with Wyatt and Reigns going above and beyond my expectations heading in. The main event is perhaps the only thing that let's this show down in my opinion, failing to deliver on it's potential and the amount of time the build up has had across television. Undertaker's return may have captured the headlines, but it left the show ending on a flat note for this reviewer.

ATPW Scale Rating - 5.75

Over the Border VII: Is This Real Life…or Is This Just Fantasy?

Over on the OSWtv Facebook page I've been posting up a fantasy match between a Scottish wrestling star against a wrestler from WWE/TNA/ROH in a fantasy match styley. So, for this edition of Over the Border I thought I'd share with you five of my favourite combinations that have been posted so far;

Dean Ambrose vs Chris Renfrew

Fairly straight forward storywise. Both are sadistic, hardcore and breathtaking on the mic. This would be a brawl, a bloodbath and a spectacle. This would be everything that we'd hoped Bray Wyatt vs Dean Ambrose could've been. A Glasgow Street Fight might be the way to do this, not that there would be much choice as to where as this could go all around the venue, the streets and into other establishments nearby.

Daniel Bryan vs Mikey Whiplash

This match would have a little bit of everything. Both are well versed in grappling, working the mat and jockeying for position. However, both aren't afraid to throw in a suicide dive or a high risked manoeuvre I think these two would create a fascinating story, like a War and Peace, it could be near never ending, yet keep the reader occupied throughout.

CM Punk vs BT Gunn

BT Gunn isn't known for his words but his in ring prowess is unquestionable. Both are similar in style, using quick stiff kicks and willing to use their body as a weapon. As good as CM Punk is, I think BT Gunn would pick a body part to breakdown to diabilitate before finishing off the job. CM Punk calls himself the Best in the World but The Oddity could be a spoiler.
 

Paige vs Sammii Jayne

I posted quite a few matches with ladies that I could've picked like The Bella Twins vs The Owens Twins, Angelina Love vs Courtney, Taryn Terrell vs Viper which are all fantastic prospective matches but this is the one I picked for this piece. I'm a big fan of Sammii, to put her in the ring with someone of the experience of Paige, who is also still so young, it would create a physical and interesting contest. Sammii thrives when she's got something to prove.

Cesaro vs Joe Coffey

The King of Swing vs Iron Man. There, your money has been handed over. Feats of strength, wrestling, endurance. A 1 hour Iron Man match might no be enough. Cesaro can make any opponent a Superhero and in this one he would be facing an actual Superhero. This has an explosion of immovable force versus immovable force.

So there you have it, just five of the many fantasy matches that have been posted on the OSWtv Facebook page. Do you have a fantasy match that you would like to see? Contact me at VoiceOfOSW@gmail.com