World of Sport Wrestling #2 04/08/2018

Rampage vs Joe Hendry

Basic, but well worked opener to establish Rampage as champion, and highlight the dangers of his entourage of CJ Banks and Sha Samuels. Rampage is a really good offensive wrestler, not doing anything fancy, but everything looks like it would hurt. At one point, Hendry looks to be on top with a series of pins and roll ups, but Rampage just stops him dead with a thrust to the throat. Loved Rampage clambering up Hendry’s body to lock on a sleeper. Hendry gets a nice fallaway slam and looks to have the match won with an ankle lock, but he gets distracted by Banks, and Rampage hits a DDT for the win.

Liam Slater vs Gabriel Kidd vs Robbie X vs Lionheart

This is a ladder match, with the winner getting an unspecified opportunity. This ended up as a real Robbie X showcase. I mean, he must have been disappointed that they’ve seemingly decided he doesn’t have a face for TV and slapped a mask on him, but he’s the standout here. He moves like a cat, slinking in and out of the ring to evade Kidd, then later hits a big moonsault from the ladder, hits a lovely springboard cutter, then takes the biggest bump when Lionheart pushes him to the floor from the ladder. The others don’t really get much chance to stand out, though I dug the elbow Kidd hits from a ladder. This doesn’t really play to his strengths, as on recent performances he’s reinvented himself as a hard-hitting hoss, and here he’s playing athletic babyface. He’s still good at it, but it needed more big boots and lariats. He ends up picking up the win after knocking Lionheart off a ladder to leave himself a clear run to the top.

Adam Maxted & Nathan Cruz vs Doug Williams

Decent tag match here. The team of Maxted and Cruz look good here, seemed to complement each other well. The heels work heat on Drake after Cruz distracts him from the apron, leaving him prone to attack. Loved Cruz hitting a slingshot back suplex on him, and really dug Drake diving for the tag, and Cruz pulling Williams off the apron. Timed perfectly. Williams was fun on the hot tag, hitting a nice exploder on Cruz, then moving when Maxted tried to break the pin, so he ends up dropping an elbow on his partner Cruz. Dug the ending too, as Williams is sent to the floor, Maxted springboards into the ring to hit Drake with a blockbuster, then continues his momentum to the floor to stop Williams getting in, as Cruz gets the pinfall. This was fun.

Kay Lee Ray vs Viper vs Bea Priestley

Triple threat for the WOS women’s title. This was a total Viper showcase and, even though she lost, the overwhelming impression you get is that Viper would demolish either lady in a one-on-one match. Even two-on-one, she’s in total control, slamming KLR onto Priestley, then crushing both with a diving crossbody. The massacre continues as KLR tries a rana and Viper powerbombs her into Priestley in the corner. The other two finally get control on Viper by double teaming her, but Viper is still able to stop a KLR pin by hitting a huge senton. Even when Priestley tries a rana from the apron on Viper, she gets caught and planted with a powerbomb on the floor. However, KLR hits a suicide dive then an impressive Gory Bomb to pick up the victory. Enjoyable stuff, but Viper was robbed.

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.