World of Sport Wrestling #1 28/07/2018

So, with the return of wrestling to terrestrial UK TV, I thought it might be worth following the show on a weekly basis. They've got a really good looking roster, and it'll be interesting to see if some of these guys start getting better bookings because of it. First show? Bit of a mixed bag, but overall a promising first impression.

Rampage vs Adam Maxted vs Crater vs Sha Samuels vs Justin Sysum

First match to kick off a new generation of British wrestling on network TV, and it’s a poorly booked mess that doesn’t do justice to the talents of the wrestlers involved. First of all, it’s an elimination match with three cheap eliminations and then the end sees a screwy finish where the winner isn’t entirely clear. To a first time viewer, this would be a confusing, convoluted mess. The first elimination sees Crater disqualified for not breaking while choking Maxted on the ropes, and the second sees Sysum rolling up Samuels after Rampage, who had been teaming with Sha, accidentally hits him with a clothesline. The final elimination sees Maxted counted out, with Sysum being declared the winner after beating the count…even though it’s then pointed out that Rampage had beaten the count too. This was the first impression that a lot of viewers will have got for the modern UK scene, and it was too short to let anyone really shine. Sysum got the most shine, getting impressive height on some flying clotheslines and Stinger Splashes, though he nearly crashes and burns on a dive.

Will Ospreay vs British Bulldog Jr

This feels like it would have been a better choice of opener, it told a much simpler story and contained enough action to impress a new audience. They told a basic speed vs power story, before going for an ending run full of nearfalls. The spot where Bulldog tried to throw Ospreay out of the ring, only for Ospreay to springboard into the ropes and rebound with a kick looked great, and deserved the sometimes intrusive mid-match replays. Bulldog tried a little legwork, not extensive focus, but enough that whenever Ospreay landed on his feet, it slowed him enough to give Bulldog an opening. Both hit some big moves in the final minutes which looked like finishers, a midring Spanish Fly by Ospreay and a huge sitout powerbomb by Bulldog. In the end, a top rope powerslam gave Bulldog the win, and I bet more fans were talking about this afterwards than the opener.

Martin Kirby & Joe Hendry vs Iestyn Rees & Kip Sabian

This is an opening round match in the tag team tournament. Really like the team of Sabian and Rees, they complement each other well in the ring and had the look of a proper team. They also came out to the ring together, unlike their opponents, which made them feel more like a unit. Their double teams looked well rehearsed, loved Kip hitting a droptoehold on Hendry, then posing whilst holding him in place for a big Rees elbow. Hendry accidentally knocks Kirby off the apron at one point, preventing him from tagging out, and letting the heel team hit a string of moves on him. Kip misses a missile dropkick, to give Hendry the opening for the hot tag…only for Kirby to jump off the apron and walk out. Hendry is still given a little shine, hitting an impressive double fallaway slam, but the numbers add up, and a top rope neckbreaker/powerbomb give Rees and Sabian the win. Good solid stuff here.

Grado vs Rampage vs Justin Sysum

So after the clusterfuck that was the opener, we get a triple threat main event, based on the fact that Rampage didn’t actually get eliminated in the opener. This highlighted Rampage and Sysum far more than the opener. Liked Grado and Sysum, the faces, repeatedly throwing Rampage out so they could have a straight up match, and Grado hitting a cannonball from the apron was a neat highspot. There’s a little bit of comedy, with Grado side stepping and outsmarting Sysum, causing him to fall on his face, before Rampage hurls Grado around the ring. The bits with all three in look really good and well timed, with Grado hitting a Wee Boot on Sysum, who was about to hit a discus lariat, looking great. Sysum looks to have the match won with a 450 on Grado, but Rampage swiftly throws him from the ring and plants Grado with a DDT to win the WoS title. Makes sense to go forward with a heel champion at this point, and all three looked really good here. Given that Grado maybe works best as a special attraction, it may work best with Sysum chasing Rampage, but it opens up some interesting options either way.

WCW Thunder 22/01/1998

Scott Steiner vs Konnan

Only a brief taster of a match, with Steiner basically running over Konnan for two minutes before the NWO run in. Still, it’s fun to watch Steiner hurl Konnan about with a t-bone suplex and a big press slam before the hubbub.

Chavo Guerrero Jr & Super Calo vs Silver King & La Parka

This was a blast, as much fun as you’d expect from these guys given 5 minutes. La Parka sets the tone early when he bumps onto his head when he gets legswept into the ropes. Calo gets briefly worked over, with Silver King draping him off the apron to allow Parka to hit a pescado stomp in a nutty spot. Silver King drops him with a big Eye of the Storm. Calo makes the tag after an awkward double enzuigiri spot where Calo has boots from both Parka and King, they both try an enzuigiri and you can’t tell who is supposed to have been hit. I assume that Calo is supposed to have ducked as he brings Chavo in, who looks great. He moves so well, culminating with him taking out Parka with a suicide dive and Calo pins King after a top rope flying headscissors.

Marty Jannetty vs Dean Malenko

So this was an unexpected little gem. I mean, both guys are capable of great things, but it’s as if the stars aligned to catch them both at their best. You’d probably not think of Marty Jannetty as a great matworker, but here he is keeping up with Malenko in a competitive opening section. Neither gets a sustained run of control, as there’s always a stiff punch or a well-timed kick to break things up. Loved Malenko hitting a series of shoulder barges in the corner, only for Marty to lift a big knee to smack Malenko in the face. Malenko hits a neat low angle crossbody and Marty gets a nearfall with a victory roll, before Malenko is able to escape a Rocker Dropper, hit a double underhook powerbomb and lock in the Texas Cloverleaf for the win. Great stuff.

Goldberg vs Kendall Windham

Fun squash, with Goldberg surprising Windham from the bell by snatching a leg and locking in a rolling leglock. Windham hits a lovely big punch and a clothesline, but Goldberg hits the spear and the Jackhammer to win.

Rey Mysterio Jr vs Eddie Guerrero

Only brief, but you give these guys a few minutes and they’ll still give you gold. They cut a quick pace from the start, Rey sending Eddie to the floor with a tilt-a-whirl armdrag. Rey is wearing a kneebrace, so Eddie trips him from the floor and hits a slingshot senton onto the knee. Eddie keeps focus on the knee to wear Rey down, before hitting a big brainbuster. Rey sends him to the floor and hits a big tope con hilo, but Chris Jericho comes out to attack for the DQ…

Chris Jericho vs Chris Benoit

In a nice little block of TV, Jericho and Eddie beat down Rey, drawing out Benoit who was due to face Jericho later on in the show. Eddie sees him and swiftly leaves, leaving Jericho to turn around face to face with an angry Benoit who attacks to start the match. Jericho plays a cat and mouse game, constantly fleeing the ring to try and lure out Benoit. Eventually, he fakes a knee injury, allowing him to pull Benoit into the corner, hitting his head on a turnbuckle. Jericho hits the Lionsault (no cover), a surprisingly nice forearm and a top rope superplex, but Benoit lands on his feet on a back suplex and gets a surprise German. Dig Benoit, while still recovering, using Jericho’s momentum against him, avoiding a charge and letting Jericho essentially stungun himself. Benoit ducks a clothesline, and locks in the crossface, with Jericho tapping before the hold is even applied. A glorious piece of cowardice, with his cruiserweight title match in two days.

Rick Martel vs Saturn

This was set up by Saturn throwing Martel through a plate glass window earlier in the night, so Martel is fired up from the start, rushing the ring, sending Saturn to the floor and hurling him into the steps. Martel is such a good fired up face, it makes you wonder why his most well-known WWF run saw him primarily as a heel. Saturn needs a Flock distraction to get back into it and, when Martel jars his shoulder on a corner charge, Saturn goes right into a Fujiwara armbar. Really liked Saturn’s focus on the injured shoulder, locking in a cross-armbreaker. Also liked Martel reversing it into a Regal Stretch, but not being able to properly hold a crossface due to his arm hurting. Saturn goes for some quick pins, including a nice Rings of Saturn into a pinning combination, but Martel rolls through a sunset flip and locks in the Quebec Crab to win.

Scott Hall vs The Giant

It’ll come as no surprise to learn this ends with outside interference. What we do get is pretty good, and it’s an unselfish performance by Hall to let Giant look so good. He gets hurled from the start after cockily getting in Giant’s face, he gets picked up and placed on the top rope after trying a front facelock, and his attempt at a top rope move sees him caught in a big bearhug. We’ve seen Big Show for years, and by now have a good idea how big he is, but it’s still impressive to see him ragdoll a guy the size of Hall. We get the inevitable melee of faces, with Hogan, Nash, Luger and Savage all getting involved, but the ref doesn’t throw the match out until Giant chokeslams Hall and Nash breaks the count, drawing a DQ. Hall basically let Giant destroy him here.

Limitless Wrestling - The World Is Ours

Jeff Cobb vs Darby Allin

Really nice match up here, with Cobb as the all-powerful bull being frustrated by a fly that he just can’t seem to swat away. Allin has to use his speed here, hitting a suicide dive in the first few minutes, but due to Cobb’s size he can take control with just one big forearm. Allin manages to hit a tope con hilo on Cobb through a chair, but he takes too long getting into the ring, and Cobb basically sucks him through the ropes from the apron and just hurls him. Watching Cobb manhandling an insane bumper like Allin is so much fun. Cobb hits a stalling superplex and a vicious forearm to the face, and Allin looks done. Cobb gets cocky though, holding a suplex with one hand, and Allin knees him in the head to escape. I like how Allin almost seems to accept this is his last chance, hitting a Coffin Drop from the top and tying up Cobb’s legs on a roll-up for the upset win.

David Starr vs Martin Stone vs Fred Yehi

All three guys are faces here. Because of these guys' styles in the ring, we get some gnarly three way grappling spots to start, instead of the usual string of moves. Yehi uses his stomp based offence to good effect here, first stomping on Stone’s foot to hold him in place for a back elbow, then stomping on the fingers of David Starr which Stone had broken moments earlier. All guys get time to shine, loved Starr’s succession of big dives on alternate sides, wearing down both men, and I liked the nice touch of Stone holding down Starr’s arm on a pin so, when he kicked out, he rolled straight into a Stone crossface. Also have to appreciate Starr making an effort to sell his fingers throughout. The end sees Stone break Yehi’s Koji Clutch on Starr, and lock Yehi into a crossface for the tap.

Maine State Posse (Danger Kid, Alexander Lee & Aiden Aggro) vs Allie Kat, Ashley Vox & Kris Statlander

Intergender six-man here, with each of the ladies having a silly gimmick (Vox comes from the sea, Statlander is an alien and Kat is….well, guess). Didn’t take to this, too much goofy shit especially from Allie Kat whose gimmick seems to take over a lot of the early part of the match. There’s too much clunky comedy mixed with out-of-place moments of violence. Aggro hits some big forearms and Lee hits a nasty looking complete shot, then moments later Statlander will do some “hilarious” alien mind trick comedy. It doesn’t work and disrupts the flow of the match. There’s some poor looking offence too, unfortunately, with a really clunky dive train and Vox hitting a terrible looking DDT on Lee. The end sees all six in the ring in and it’s a mess of bad timing and bad execution. Kat finally gets the win following a piledriver. Yeah, didn’t like this.

Dick Justice & Troy Nelson vs DL Hurst & Brett Domino

Match of two halves here. Dug the first half, where the heels Hurst and Domino control. They’ve got good swagger and nice heel control, keeping Nelson contained in their corner. Domino hits a lovely dropkick right to Nelson’s face. Then Hurst misses a moonsault and it’s like the match resets, with the heels having to stooge for a load of comedy offence. The faces basically run wild from the moment Justice gets in and win with a Heart punch/neckbreaker combo.

Matt Cross vs MJF

After the last two matches, this was like a cool glass of water in the desert. Just well executed stuff, with MJF as a truly unlikable heel. After a run of control by Cross, MJF pulls the ref in the way of some Cross offence in the corner, forearms Cross in the face and throws him into the ringpost. From there, we get smug heel control, with petty little touches like stomping on Cross’s ankle. MJF works the arm, with a slingshot Divorce Court, and a really painful looking Quackendriver focused on the limb. Cross does ruin the effect by hitting a cartwheel elbow, but he does at least pay lip service to it for the rest of the match, limb dangling limply by his side as he tries to fire back with chops. MJF stopping a barrage of strikes by spitting directly in Cross’s face, a perfect way for such a dick to take over. Cross gets a cutter from nowhere, but misses a shooting star, landing on the arm which MJF instantly locks into a crowbar for the tap. Really good stuff.

Tessa Blanchard vs Deonna Purrazzo

Thought Blanchard was excellent here, just comes across as having a nasty mean streak and her offence looks great. Loved her barrage of offence when she had Purrazzo leant against the ropes, running at her with elbows to the back and dropkicks to the neck. Not overtly heelish, just aggressive and determined. Purrazzo gets a short shine period, luring Blanchard into going up top and suddenly catching her with an armbar. Purrazzo wisely uses Blanchard’s aggression against her, moving out of the way to avoid charges and using this to take her openings. However, Blanchard hits a killshot, a top rope Codebreaker, which is enough for the win. Really neat little sprint.

Eddie Kingston vs Chris Dickinson

Absolutely loved this, two of my favourite wrestlers beating the tar out of each other. They open in a really fun way, jockeying for position on the mat before Dickinson suddenly hits a huge overhead belly-to-belly from nowhere. Eddie soon retorts by pump kicking Dickinson off the apron and hitting a huge suicide dive. Kingston is a really smart offensive wrestler, here putting Dickinson in a neck crank, with the result that it leaves a wide open spot for him to hammer repeated elbows into the side of Dickinson’s face. The viciousness of Kingston’s control manages to make a brute like Dickinson fighting from beneath seem viable. They exchange strikes, and for once it doesn’t feel awkwardly slotted into the match – Kingston is a man who won’t stop fighting if he still can, whilst Dickinson is a man who’s too meatheaded to know he’s in pain. Dickinson hits a huge German suplex, an enzuigiri and a Death Valley Driver in quick succession, and you can sense Kingston doesn’t have much left. Another strike exchange sees neither body willing to give in, until Dickinson throws a thudding kick into Kingston’s head and hits the Pazuzu Bomb to finally put him away. I loved this.

The Thick Boys (Jay Freddie & John Silver) & Ethan Page vs Austin Theory, Christian Casanova & Mr Grim

Reasonable six way action here, with the Thick Boys having some neat offence. Loved Freddie’s pop up powerslam and their flapjack into a big uppercut. Theory also puts in a good performance here, with a brainbuster and a standing moonsault looking great. He hits a lot of moves from forward rolls, which you know will be his downfall later in the match, so it’s no surprise when a heat section on Page is ended up Theory rolling straight into a cutter. Silver is a blog favourite and he looks predictably good here, snapmaring Casanova into a cannonball on Theory in a great spot. Casanova hits a nutso twirling bulldog on Silver, to keep up the run of fun offence. Even the guy I knew least about, Mr Grim, gets a fun moment, hitting a full weight DVD on Silver. However, Grim accidentally hits a pounce on Casanova, and the Thick Boys hit a big slam to get the win. Just enjoyable stuff.

Anthony Henry & James Drake vs Dorian Graves & VSK

This starts off feeling like a squash, with the team of Henry and Drake decimating their massage-gimmicked opponents. Henry stomps the shit out of Graves, but Grave’s hits an unlikely tornado DDT on Henry, really forcing him down to the mat. There’s a little bad comedy as VSK gives Drake a shoulder massage to stop an offensive run, but aside from that he looks really good, and I thought them using massage oil to create a slip-n-slide for a cannonball was a neat way to incorporate the gimmick. Drake misses a standing moonsault, and the faces hit Shatter Machine for the unexpected victory.

Anthony Greene vs Ace Romero vs JT Dunn vs Josh Briggs

At some point, the bottom rope has fallen off, so this match kicks off with only the top two sets of ropes. This doesn’t seem to hold them back though, and this ends up being a big, daftly entertaining four-way. Briggs sets the tone early, hitting a big overhead suplex on Dunn before hitting an insane dive over the turnbuckle. Romero hitting a devastating senton to Greene also is pretty neat, before we get a big crowd brawling section that ends with a super-high Dunn crossbody from the top of the lockers. We get utter chaos in the ring, with Briggs eating a superkick to the face from Dunn whilst he tries hitting a moonsault. Hurst and Domino, who had been sent to the back by the ref earlier when they came out with Greene, come out and punch the ref, assumingly to allow them to interfere freely, but they get squashed when the enormous Romero hits a dive to take them out. However, Greene still gets the win when he lets Dunn hit a big elbow to Briggs before rolling JT up for the win. These matches rely on a minimum of resting and some big well-executed spots, and this was really good stuff. Greene maybe had the least moments to shine, but then he’s also the shitbag heel who pulls out a cheap victory, so that kinda makes sense. Josh Briggs, who had seemed merely fine first time I saw him, looked great here, in many respects the rich man’s Baron Corbin, hitting all sorts of big throws and that incredible dive. Excellent main event.

WWF Monday Night Raw 15/08/1994

Owen Hart vs 1-2-3 Kid

Bret vs Kid from a few weeks earlier is the best Raw match we’ve seen so far in 1994, but this isn’t too far off. Owen is so smug at the start of this match, utterly slappable face. He charges Kid from the get go, but runs into a leg lariat, then misses a corner charge at full speed. Kid gets a good chunk of control on a man who is the current #1 contender to the world title, as Owen is unable to shake him off from a headlock, before Kid sends him out of the ring with a dropkick. Kid continues by baseball sliding Owen into Jim Neidhart at ringside, then hits a huge top rope cannonball to the floor. Owen takes over by suplexing Kid from the apron to the floor in a huge bump, Kid’s ankles clipping the railings on the way down. Owen zones in on Kid’s back at this point, hitting two slams into the ringpost, then hitting some lovely looking offence to the spine. Vicious kneedrop, lovely second rope elbow and a ridiculously high elevation backdrop. However, he misses a top rope kneedrop, really crashing down, and Kid takes full advantage. He kicks Owen’s leg away, ties it in the ropes, then locks in a half crab after ducking an enzuigiri. This lures in Neidhart for the save and the unlikely 1-2-3 Kid DQ win. Not sure how this ending makes sense with the upcoming PPV match, as the steel cage meant Neidhart interference was impossible and the next world title contender really should be winning these matches, but the match itself was really good.

Duke “The Dumpster” Droese vs Nick Barberi

Short squash joined in progress with a big Droese slam. Barberi gets a little shine as he hits Dumpster with a few milky elbows, but Droese levels him with a beautiful clothesline. Leaping elbow, which is actually Droese’s least impressive move in this match, gets the three.

Kwang vs Tony Roy

Barely goes two minutes, Kwang clubs Roy down, standing leg lariat then hits a spinning kick for the three. Pointless, though the finishing kick does look good.

Mabel vs Raymond Roy

Not the best Mabel squash, doesn’t really show off his speed or agility. Big necksnap did look good, but we only get a few slams before Roy gets smooshed by a corner splash and a second rope elbow for the win. Some of his best offence, like his full weight belly-to-belly suplex, was sadly missing.

Jeff Jarrett vs Scott Taylor

Another ludicrously short squash, though Jarrett still find time to let Taylor get a few nearfalls. Jarrett’s main character trait is his cockiness, so it makes sense that he’d underestimate his opponent. Taylor misses a crossbody though, and Jarrett zones in on his leg straight away. Figure four gets the quick win. Post match, Mabel comes out to set up their Summerslam match, and Jarrett takes full advantage of the refs stopping Mabel getting in the ring, with big overblown chicken gestures and lying on his back to show the big man how unconcerned he is. Glorious.

Wild Zero Wrestling - An Ideal For Living

Mattick vs J George vs Isys Ephex vs Jeremy Jensen vs Vinnie Moon

Enjoyable scramble opener. Of all these guys, I’d only seen JGeorge previously, so there was a lot of talent to try and get a measure of and quickly. Mattick felt like the standout here, firstly in his double teaming with stablemate Jensen where he gets armdragged by his partner onto Ephex in the corner, then by hitting an awesome tope con hilo to the floor that belied his look. This kicks off a dive series, though this is by far the most impressive looking dive. JGeorge in particular has some low elevation highflying throughout. Ephex has some wimpy looking kicks, but makes up for it with a killer flipping driver on Moon. Mattick continues to win my heart by uppercutting Moon viciously as he goes to the top , hits a running fireman’s carry to the corner sending Moon headfirst to the turnbuckle, before finishing the run with a cradle neckbreaker. It almost feels like a let down when JGeorge kicks him in the head to win, but this managed to keep the action going for it’s entire running time and is never less than fun.

Nick Sullivan vs Icon Ace

Sullivan is a big beast of a guy, who is managed by Felicia Rose (better known as the lady who held up that sign offering oral pleasure to Finn Balor), and before Ace comes out, we have an open challenge with Sullivan killing two skinny jobbers. Ace is the third person to answer the challenge, and offers a bit more resistance. Not much resistance, as Sullivan catches him with a slick looking belly to belly that just whips Ace over. Ace manages to hit his finish, a second rope enzuigiri, but Sullivan mauls him with a bear attack and hits the Big Ending for the win. Definitely made me want to see more of Sullivan.

Nick Ando vs Orange Cassidy

This veers just a little too close to goofy bullshit comedy for my liking. Cassidy is working an apathetic gimmick, and this means he does some slo mo wrestling. I don’t totally hate it, as Ando doesn’t play along and at times they play it off as Cassidy playing mind games with Ando, as he’ll suddenly turn it up a notch and look like a competitive wrestler. The side effect of this is that Ando looks like an idiot when Cassidy goes into the apathy schtick again and basically offers a competent wrestler an open shot. Ando has some nice offence, decent rana into the corner and a good flipping senton into the ring. I’ll admit, I chuckled when Cassidy went up top and called for a 450 splash, only to do a belly flop splash instead. They go through a series of roll ups and legsweeps, and Ando gets the win. With a legsweep. There were good moments here, but I didn’t love this.

To Infinity And Beyond (Cheech & Colin Delaney) vs Killer Instinct (Jacoby Riddick & Mike Skyros)

Good main event here, just a solid bit of tag wrestling. Killer Instinct jump the faces before the bell, but end up outsmarted by the veterans, who nail them with a double team dive as a full stop. Delaney hits a nice little combo of strikes in the corner, before getting worked over after a distraction on the top rope. Really liked the heels backstabber/tope atomico combo, looked really painful. Jacoby loses me with a really shitty over-the-top sell of a Stundog Millionaire by Delaney. Cheech looks great on the hot tag, hitting a step up rana then a great stunner into a German suplex with his partner. Things break down, Killer Instinct hit a nice ace crusher from a Gory bomb, just to show the faces don’t have the monopoly on nice combo moves. The end comes from another great double team by Cheech and Delaney, as Delaney hits a lungblower on Skyros, then holds him in place to allow Cheech to powerbomb Jacoby from the top onto his partner which is enough for the pin. Just really enjoyable.

WWF Monday Night Raw 08/08/1994

The “Undertaker” vs Butch Banks

Nothing like kicking off with a painfully dull squash. Really slow paced match, with Brian Lee successfully aping the methodical pace of the real Taker, which unfortunately doesn’t make for an entertaining bout. Lots of choking against the ropes, awkward looking big boot before an admittedly nice chokeslam gets the win.

Lex Luger vs Chad Miller

Doesn’t feel like Lex is really putting his all into this. He openly telegraphs some armdrags, doesn’t bother rolling back on a failed O’Connor roll and spends the bulk of this three minute squash working Miller’s arm. Miller hits a few crap leaping kicks to really highlight how poor this is, before Luger hits the flying forearm to win.

IRS & Bam Bam Bigelow vs Tatanka & Doink the Clown

Surprisingly decent tag match, with an ending that actually benefits from hindsight. Million Dollar Corporation members IRS and Bigelow have a tag title match at Summerslam, whilst Tatanka is facing Lex Luger in the belief he’s sold out to the Million Dollar Man, so there’s some storyline strands tying this all together. Doink is the odd man out, so the smart money would be on Doink taking the fall. There’s a nice spot early on in this where Doink catches a boot from Bigelow, and instantly I thought “Ah, Bam Bam is going to hit an enzuigiri here”, only for Doink to duck the enzuigiri and hit big elbows to Bigelow’s back. Odd moment where Tatanka hits two clotheslines to stagger Bigelow, only for IRS to try and pull the ropes down as he runs them and tries a third time. However, Tatanka completely no-sells this and hits a clothesline on Bigelow anyway. The heat gets worked on Tatanka after IRS interferes more successfully. There’s a short period of heat on Tatanka before he collides full-force with Bam Bam as they both try crossbodies. Looks like a car crash. Doink gets the hot tag, but Tatanka manages to distract the referee, leading to a Bam Bam enzuigiri to Doink, followed by the Write-Off to give the heels the win. Knowing as I do now that Tatanka joins the Corporation in a few weeks time, this is a lovely little detail, with Tatanka “accidentally” giving Bam Bam and IRS the win.

Bob Backlund vs Kevin Kreuger

This is evidently just after Backlund turned heel, as he’s still got the floppy hair and acts like a cheery 80’s babyface. He just outwrestles Kreuger, sending him to the mat and letting him get up, only to send him back down again. He keeps looking for cheers, cheers that he’s not going to get. The “We Want Bret” chants from the crowd visibly annoy him, and he instantly whips on a crossface chicken wing to tap out Kreuger. Really effective, you can see the gradual swing into madness.

Freelance Wrestling - The Decline of Mid-Western Civilization

Anthony Henry vs Space Monkey

Perfectly weighted opener, with Space Monkey always looking competitive, whilst never realistically feeling like he was going to win. Henry controls from the off by jumping Monkey at the bell and whilst Space Monkey does get in a big tope, Henry hits a big STO on the apron to establish his shine. Henry comes across well in his control, confident enough to allow Space Monkey to get a few kicks in with the knowledge that he’ll be able to catch one and use it to his advantage. The cockiness allows an opening for Space Monkey, as Henry misses a top rope stomp (having disdainfully kicked his opponent into place, which I loved), and Space Monkey comes back with a huge tornado DDT. Space Monkey’s little run of offence is decent – loved him monkey flipping Henry into the corner – but Henry is just a better wrestler, and he avoids a strike, hits a spinning TKO and a nasty looking Rude Awakening for the victory.

Arik Cannon & Ethan Page vs The Four Star Heroes (Matt Knicks & Chris Castro)

Hadn’t seen Cannon in years, and he looked far more credible than in his early 2000s binbag leather attire. He was always a good wrestler, but that outfit was so bushleague. There’s some slightly overlong opening schtick about Page and Castro both being pudgy guys, they work a “slam reversal” sequence for far too long, but the match really kicks off when Knicks and Cannon get in, working a fluid looking sequence. Knicks becomes face-in-peril, with Cannon hitting a lovely looking seated necksnap, though this doesn’t last too long. Page and Castro do at least pay off the earlier nonsense by slamming each other and we get a big melee. Liked Cannon hitting a gourdbuster on Knicks over Page’s back, though I still don’t like Page’s clunky looking between-the-rope cutter. The end sees Knicks avoid the Glimmering Warlock and roll up Cannon for three. Some good stuff here within the comedy, this could have been really solid if paced a bit better. After the match, Page turns on Cannon, and I suspect a more vicious edge might suit Page better than the comedy.

Gringo Loco vs Robert Anthony

This starts with Anthony jumping Loco as he walks to the ring, and is a big old weapons brawl. The commentators mention early that Loco is making a return from a heart attack, and this feels like a strange choice of match to have so early into a return. Anthony beats him around the ringside area, including a big powerbomb on the stage. Anthony does some really half-hearted bumping in this match, with the first coming when he tries powerbombing Loco on an overturned chair and instead takes a shitty backdrop. Loco hits a huge dive to the floor from the top of a ladder, which looks insane. Anthony takes another weak bump when he gets dropkicked onto a ladder that bridges the ring and the barriers, but it’s made up for when Loco hits a huge flipping swanton onto him. There’s no proper end to the match however, as Anthony brings out a taser to audible shock from the audience. The commentators bring up Loco’s heart attack again…and then Anthony tases him. Having a big angle like this totally depends on how the crowd buy it, and here they seem totally sold on it, with real rage directed towards Anthony. This could have gone down badly, either laughed at by the crowd or seeing the audience turn on the promotion, but they just about got away with it.

Xia Brookside vs Kylie Rae

This is face vs face, for Brookside’s IPW:UK women’s title. Rae seems to be working a gimmick not dissimilar to early Bayley, all friendly and smiley. Liked the initial mat exchanges, all cleanly worked, before Rae starts to up the ante with a big shot to the face. Brookside comes back with a rana and a neat superkick to the face of a kneeling Rae. Brookside also hits a nice running knee. Rae gets a nice looking crossface by grabbing Brookside’s arm from nowhere, but when she goes up top she gets distracted by former partner GPA, and Brookside is able to hit the Iconoclasm for the win. This was really enjoyable stuff.

Darin Corbin vs Joey Ryan

This is for Corbin’s Freelance title. Corbin keeps threatening to have a match here, but Ryan is doing everything in his power to bring this back to his bullshit. Call me old before my time, but Ryan’s continued demands to “Touch my dick” are the antithesis of funny. It’s frustrating, because the few times he actually does some wrestling, he’s more interesting than the rather pedestrian Corbin. We get Corbin falling facefirst into Ryan’s crotch and hurting himself, then the Ryan dick flip before Corbin hits a cutter for the win. This was trash.

20 Man Rumble

As I think I’ve said in the past, it’s hard for me to really get to grips with indy rumbles, as often I don’t know who half the guys are, what the hierarchy is and it’s harder for guys to impress with their ring time. Here, the lines are a bit easier to read. The first two entrants, Isaias Velazquez and Stevie Fierce are both fan favourites, and you get the vibe early on that these two could be iron men. In contrast, the next man in is chubby comedy wrestler BD Smooth, so you know he’s not long for the match. Velazquez and Fierce don’t spend much time actually wrestling in the match though, preferring to hang out on the floor killing time. There’s some highlights in the match, with certain wrestlers making the most of their chances to stand out. Chainsaw King looks very impressive, eliminating one wrestler with a huge press slam to the floor and another with a chokeslam on the apron. Anthony Henry’s entry finally brings Fierce to life, with the two of them brawling round the ring. Joey Ryan comes in, much to my horror, and he dickflips everyone in the match, until the two female entrants Hawlee Layne and Shotzi Blackheart clotheslines him to the floor. Arik Cannon comes out at 19, and you just know Ethan Page is going to be #20, and Cannon is so focussed on his former partner that he gets thrown out before Page enters. As predicted, Fierce and Velazquez are the iron men, lasting until the final two, before a returning Henry hits Fierce with a neckbreaker and Velazquez throws him out for the win. Aside from the Ryan nonsense, pretty good stuff.

WWE Main Event 19/08/2014

Sheamus vs Curtis Axel

Really good match, worked within their hierarchy. Sheamus lets Axel look really good here, whilst ultimately ending up the comfortable winner. Sheamus is very giving here, letting Axel power out of the 10 Beats, before Axel takes over after sending Sheamus throat first into the ropes. Lovely running knee to the head sends Sheamus out of the ring. Loved Axel putting Sheamus in the tree of woe, then hitting a running boot to the head from the floor. Looked nasty. Even when Sheamus tries a comeback with a slingshot shoulderblock, he gets caught by an Axel forearm to the face. In the end, Axel makes the mistake of slapping Sheamus repeatedly in the face, firing him up for a comeback. Sheamus basically rolls through him from that point, culminating with the rolling senton and a Brogue Kick for three. Well worked to give Axel the shine, but when Sheamus took control, Axel had no answer.

Nikki Bella vs Emma

This was Nikki’s first match after turning heel on Brie. Short, but effective as she runs through Emma pretty easily. Cranks in a front-facelock, rams Emma’s face into her knee then, after Emma misses a crossbody, just whacks her with the forearm and the Rack Attack gets the academic three. Effective.

Los Matadores vs Slater Gator

The Matadores are accompanied by Hornswoggle in a cow outfit as well as El Torito, for reasons unknown. This is fun stuff, with Slater in particular stooging about amusingly for the Matadores offence. Los Matadores make everything look so smooth, just a fluidity to their movement. Titus O’Neill coming in is the gamechanger, as he’s able to overpower Fernando, and send him flying with a big hurling slam. Slater gets taken down with an enormous flapjack, but after escaping a series of roll-ups, he nails a big implant DDT for the win.

The Big Show vs Erick Rowan

Exactly what you’d hope for from these two, nothing pretty, just two big boys battering each other. There’s a small run of Rowan working the Big Show’s leg after a chopblock to the knee, but they wisely decide that the crowd aren’t here for Erick Rowan’s limbwork, they want to see some big boy shit, and that’s what they get. Big clotheslines from both men, massive sounding chops by Show, running corner splashes from Rowan at full speed, even a side Russian legsweep by Show…just full on collision from both guys. Really good fun. Rowan even gets to slam Show for two, but as he tries raising Big Show to his feet, he gets caught with a sudden KO punch for the win.

WWE Main Event 12/08/2014

Seth Rollins vs Kofi Kingston

Two exceptionally inconsistent wrestlers here, but the stars align and this ends up being a decent match. The big problems Rollins has always had is that he wrestles like a face, but he looks and sounds like a whiny brat heel. Here, he’s a shit to poor Kofi, trash-talking him in the corner, stood on his back and forcing Kofi to look at his MITB briefcase. There’s a nice bit where he stops and smirks at the “You sold out” chants, and this brief pause gives Kingston recovery time to duck a clothesline and hit a neat springboard dropkick and a big dive to the floor. Seth works a brief heat on Kofi after slamming him into the barriers, but Kofi takes over when he evades a corner splash, hitting a pendulum kick as Seth leaps into the corner. Kingston is kept looking really strong, getting nearfalls from a corner crossbody and the SOS, to the extent that I thought he might win. He doesn’t, as Rollins stops a superplex attempt by sunset flipping into a running corner bomb, and the Kerb Stomp gets three.

The Usos vs Rybaxel vs Sheamus & Rob Van Dam

This is for the Usos tag title, and the Sheamus/RVD team really stands out as “We had nothing for these guys this week”. I’m not sure that the team added anything to the standard good Usos/Rybaxel match, but it did add an interesting riff on the psychology. As the heels, Rybaxel end up working a heat sequence, in this case on Sheamus when Ryback catches a Brogue Kick into a powerbomb. To stop anyone tagging in, Rybaxel can’t even cut the ring in half, they basically have to contain Sheamus to their quarter of the ring, and they manage to do this convincingly, with Axel doing this awesome little scrabble for purchase, using momentum to roll Sheamus away from the hot tag. Impressive stuff. In the end, RVD gets the hot tag and goes through the greatest hits. There is a nice rolling senton/rolling thunder spot by Sheamus and RVD, but aside from that Van Dam isn’t cracking out the new stuff. The Usos are slightly marginalised, but Jimmy gets to light up Ryback with a vicious sounding series of chops and Jey hits a big dive to the floor. Neat ending sees RVD push Axel off the top and nail him with the Five Star, but Jimmy Uso had already blind tagged Axel, and he followed RVD with his own top rope splash, getting the pinfall on Van Dam. Overall, good stuff.

World Class Championship Wrestling 18/12/1982

Killer Tim Brooks vs Brian Adidas

Good little match here, always fun to see Brooks fighting dirty against an opponent. Loved Brooks variation of a hiptoss here, as he chucks Adidas across the ring by his head. There’s a fun look of apprehension on the face of Adidas on a rope break, but Brooks breaks cleanly…before moments later raking the eyes with his finger then along the top rope. Adidas doesn’t offer much, but he makes Brooks’ offence look good. The end sees Adidas charge into a corner, but Brooks takes him down with a double-leg and pin him holding the ropes, a decision later reversed by a second referee.

Checkmate & Magic Dragon vs Al Madril & Bugsy McGraw

This was a reasonable match with an eyerolling ending. The majority of the match sees Checkmate and Dragon in control of Madril, with Checkmate keeping Madril’s arm under his control, pulling him back to the mat by the hair if it looks like Madril is recovering. Love the kicks and chops Dragon throws in the corner, looked really nasty. The heels really cut the ring in half, Madril nowhere near tagging out, until Checkmate grabs the arm again and Madril is able to whip him into a corner at speed. This lets him tag in McGraw and, as limited as he is as a wrestler, McGraw does at least have the energy you need for a good hot tag. Then the ending. McGraw and Dragon, the two legal men, are in the ring, and McGraw gets a really shitty looking sunset flip. The ref doesn’t start counting. Then Madril hits a top rope sunset flip on Checkmate as he enters, at which point the ref does double count, counting both heels down. Just nonsensical, he could have counted three on Dragon before Madril had even left the top rope.

David von Erich vs The Great Kabuki

This is for Kabuki’s All-Asian title. Loved David’s aggression at the bell, wanting revenge for the injury Kabuki caused to Kerry, and he gets an early 2 count right away. The bulk of this match is worked as a battle of the Kabuki nerve hold vs the Von Erich Claw, with both men fighting to apply their move. Loved David’s smarts, as he tries for a while to claw Kabuki on the head then, realising this left the rest of Kabuki vulnerable, suddenly switching and locking in a stomach claw instead. Kabuki does get to lock in a nerve hold on the shoulders of Von Erich, who manages to break free and get another Claw to the head. Loved David’s running knee to the head, looked like a knockout blow. We get a ref bump, and Kabuki’s manager Armand Hussein holds David for a misting. With hilarious inevitability, David ducks and Hussein gets the mist. Beautifully timed too, as the replay shows. This leads to a DQ win for David, which also seemingly gives him the title. Odd. Match was surprisingly fun for two men trying to apply the same moves over and over.

ACTION Wrestling Debut Show 27/4/2018

AC Mack vs Joey Lynch

Good opener. I liked Mack as a loud-mouth braggart, and his attempt to get in Lynch’s face sees him get met with a big elbow to the jaw. Loved Lynch holding a wristlock and clapping using Mack’s hand to get the crowd into it. The commentary makes mention of Lynch returning from a knee injury, which nicely pre-empts him jarring his leg on a floatover. Mack works it over, but the selling is inconsistent. At one point Lynch can’t even run the ropes without collapsing to the mat, then moments later he’s landing on his feet flipping out of a back suplex and sprinting across the ring. Wouldn’t stand out so much if he’d not oversold it in the first place. Lynch misses a moonsault but reverses a figure four attempt to a cradle for the victory.

Arik Royal vs Michael Spencer

Spencer isn’t the most intimidating looking character, and he’s pretty awkward throughout this. Right at the start, he hits an ugly looking wheelbarrow armdrag. Royal is far better here, taking control with a nice cheapshot where he puts his body between the blow and the referee. Royal hits a kind of kneeling pounce that looks good. This is basically a squash, but at least the right guy won, as Royal slams Spencer’s skull to the mat with a leaping dunk before nailing a spear to win. Liked Royal a lot here.

Ethan A Sharpe vs James Bandy vs Donnie Dollars vs Adrian Hawkins

The only guy I’ve seen here is Dollars, who’s pretty good. He’s easily the best wrestler in this match, looking really impressive, with a really nice slam-facebuster and a great big boot to the face. Hawkins slips on a springboard on his very first move and I don’t know if it affects him, but he’s a bit sloppy throughout. Sharpe has all the look of a comedy wrestler, and his strikes are indeed laughable. Bandy seemed fine, but it’s probably for the best this is short, with Hawkins slipping out of a Dollars pumphandle slam and rolls him up to win.

Billy Buck vs Cam Carter

Buck is accompanied by Team TAG, Kevin Blue and Chris Spectra. Carter is the leaner competitor here and makes the most of his speed advantage. Early on, he sends Buck out of the ring with a headscissors and hits a neat dropkick to the stomach as Buck tries to get in. There’s some lovely camera work as Buck takes control by hurling Carter shoulder first into the corner, with Carter almost coming straight into the viewer. Dug Buck’s control on the shoulder, with him wrapping Carter’s left arm around the corner post and really yanking on it. Buck continues to impress with come great height on a dropkick, and I loved how he just casually threw Carter to the floor to be picked off by his henchmen. Carter makes a nice comeback, taking out all three opponents with a plancha and hitting a neat springboard 450 splash back into the ring. However, there’s a ref bump and Buck takes advantage of a missed 450 to hit the Buckshot superkick to win. Really good stuff here.

Matt Sells vs Big Bite Martinez

Sells looks like a knock-off of 1992 DDP whilst Martinez is a guy wearing an interesting looking mask with a big tooth-filled mouth. This is short, with some sloppy looking offence before Team TAG come back and beat both men down.

Cain Justice vs Fred Yehi

This right here was terrific. I’d heard a lot about Justice from various people who’s opinions I trust, and I liked his performance in the CWF Mid Atlantic rumble I watched, but this is the match that made me a believer. Loved the focus both guys had on their matwork, with Yehi trying to lock on a Koji Clutch right on kicking out of a pinfall while Justice dropped his guard for a second. The kind of matwork where the wrestlers have to be alert or they’re done for. Yehi works over the arm of Justice viciously, jamming the arm over his shoulder. They fight outside the ring, and this is where Justice takes over, breaking Yehi’s fingers by snapping them through a small look on the outside of the ringpost. Real nasty looking shot. I like how instead of this being just a one off spot for a pop, it dictates how the rest of the match goes, which it really should. With every hold Justice applies, he makes sure to include the fingers in some way, making escape harder for Yehi. Every time Yehi tries to comeback, he goes for Justice’s shoulder, which he worked over earlier. It means the early matwork has consequences. Justice locks in a triangle, grabbing the fingers in the process, but Yehi is able to power up and slam him down to escape. The end is perfect, as Justice goes for a knee strike, only for Yehi to avoid and use the momentum to send Cain to the mat, swiftly locking in a Koji Clutch with elbow strikes to the head for the victory. Great, great match.

Gunner Miller vs Dominic Garrini

Interesting clash of styles here, with the power of Miller vs the technique of Garrini. In the initial stages, Garrini is really fun at trying to grab a limb from anywhere to down Miller, trying to force a submission. Miller finally gets some separation with a big overhead belly-to-belly suplex. There’s a nice spot where Miller tries some shoulder barges in the corner, only for Garrini to lock in a front choke. However, because they’re so close to the ropes, Miller is able to force the break and hit a knee strike as Garrini lets go. Garrini has nice open palm strikes, though he does kind of telegraph a missed back elbow. Both gets close nearfalls with the CTE pounce for Miller and a stump piledriver by Garrini getting two. Finally, the end sees Garrini lock on another front choke from a Miller spear, but Miller holds on a powers him up into a jackhammer for the win. Good main event.