The show started with a contract signing for the next show,
where Devilman will face Majik for the Triple X title. However, Majik seemed
more concerned with getting jovial MC and former wrestler Omer Ibrahim to say
he respected him. Omer, however, wouldn’t back down, telling Majik he didn’t
respect him, and getting in the champions face. After both Devilman and Majik
signed the contract, Devilman rammed Majik’s head into the table and things
looked like breaking down before the familiar ring music of Teddy Long hit over
the speakers. Out came Professor Lex, who announced the four men in the ring
(Devilman, Omer, Majik and his manager Gabriel Grey) would meet in the main
event in a Holla Holla Tag Match. A fun start to the show.
The Dunne Brothers vs The Hunter Brothers
This is the 3rd show in a row for Triple X to
feature some Dunne/Hunter interaction, but luckily it’s a pairing that never
fails to entertain. It’s odd, the first time I saw the Hunters was as faces
and, as good as they were in ring, they seemed a little bland personality wise.
However, as heels they really seem to excel and they’re plenty of fun here
heeling it up against the Dunnes. As the younger Dunne, it was Damo who got
focused on for the heat section, which featured some quick tags and nice double teams by the Hunters. To be honest, so much happened in this match
that I’m struggling to recall everything that happened, but the end was a fun
series of saves and reversals which ended with Dunnes reigning triumphant.
Really good opener.
Scott Grimm vs Dave Mastiff
This is a no-holds-barred rematch from last months show.
This provides a nice change of pace from the opener, as both are massive guys.
They run through a long series of stalemate shoulderbarge attempts, before
Grimm takes control. This wasn’t a huge war like I was expecting, but instead
featured Grimm trying to wear Mastiff down with repeated blows. Mastiff’s comeback
was great, as his offence always looks good. He got a real high leap on a
rolling firemans carry, and he got great air on a senton as well, which only
got two. Things heat up at the two fight outside and over the merch table,
before Grimm steals a win back inside with a low blow. Started slowly, but this
was a decent big man match.
Mark Andrews vs Tyler Bate vs Ho Ho Lun vs Chris Brookes
Again, this was a change of pace from the previous match,
advertised in advance as a “Get Your Shit In” match. It lived up to the billing
as all four guys got a shitload of action into the match, with all four
managing to look good here. Lun is on tour from Zero-One HK, and was bursting
with physical charisma, and the fans took to him instantly. One spot, which saw him
sit Bate on a chair, repeatedly asking the audience if he should take a longer
run up to kick him in the face got a great response. Brooke and Bate had
impressed at the last show as the SlapDash Tagteam, but they sadly had broken
up here, with Brooke cheapshotting Bate after a handshake. Bate has crazy
strength, here catching Andrews in mid air and planting him with a German
suplex, which looked awesome. Andrews is a super-crisp high flier, and
everything he did looked slick here, with a massive Asai moonsault providing
the perfect punctuation to a great dive sequence by all four men. Finally,
after a ton of action, Andrews pinned Brooke with a sunset-flip bomb. This was
loads of fun.
The Henchmen vs Local Jobbers
The local jobbers, who entered to “Why Can’t We Be
Friends?”, are fast becoming cult favourites in Triple X, though not as much as
the Henchmen, whose arrival prompts a chant of “So Fucking Hench”. This was
billed as a forgone conclusion, and there was no surprise here, as the Henchmen
destroyed the jobbers. At one point though, local jobber #2 gets in some
offence, working over the leg of Jim Diehard...a flurry which comes to an end
with a huge Diehard lariat. The Henchmen hit the Five Moves of Doom (World’s
Strongest Slam, forearm, clothesline to the back of the head, gutwrench
powerbomb, senton) on #2, before #1 makes the save. However, he also gets hit
with the Five Moves and the jobbers get put out of their misery.
Eddie Dennis vs Wild Boar
Dennis is also getting a good following, with yells of “Wales!”
coming in support. However, it was pointed out that Boar is also Welsh, so we
got chants of “Good Wales!” and “Bad Wales!” depending on who was on offence. Dennis mocked the diminutive Boar
to start, and we got a nice chain wrestling sequence, which was something we’d
not really seen from Dennis before. When Boar got on offence, he lived up to
his name, attacking with a real feral ferocity. There was a really nice looking
spot where Boar hung Dennis upside down in a tree of woe to savage him then, as
Dennis tried to free himself, Boar leapt across the ring with a vicious looking
diving headbutt. Dennis fired back, and nailed Boar with a powerbomb, but it
only got two, before Boar finished him off with a double underhook piledriver
in a good match.
Devilman & Omer Ibrahim vs Majik & Big Grizzly
Before the match, Majik got on the mic and announced that,
due to Grey being taken ill, he’d been forced to replace him with new Damned
Nation member Big Grizzly, an enormous man who towered over everyone in the
ring. This may not have been the slickest match of the night, but it probably
featured the best story-telling and got some of the best reactions of the
night. Majik is terrific at getting negative reactions from the crowd, and the segments
with him and Omer got some of the best responses of the night. Omer is really
popular with the crowd, so he was the sympathetic choice to play face in peril,
and when he landed his first blow on Majik, it got as big a reaction as any
highspot in the night. They nailed the story of the match brilliantly, and I
loved little bits like Majik staring directly at Devilman on a pin attempt on
Omer. A battle over a backslide between Omer and Majik got another great
reaction, which proved they were doing everything right. Grizzly didn’t get to
show much, but he had a great presence and every blow he landed on Omer looked
like it killed him. Finally Devilman got the hot tag and cleaned house, but a
pinfall attempt wasn’t spotted by the ref due to Omer and Grizzly fighting
outside the ring. This allowed Wild Boar to sneak in and nail a double underhook
piledriver on Devilman, but it only got two. As things broke down, Omer nailed
a spear on Grizzly and Devilman finished the big guy off with a Swanton. Really
satisfying main event, with everything making sense, even down to Boar’s
interference leading to Omer announcing postmatch he’d face Sabu at the next
show to stop him ruining the main event.
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