Former WWE and WCW wrestler Fit Finlay has accepted Jon Davis’s challenge. The two will go one on one at EVOLVE 11, on April the 13th in Toronto.
Thoughts: This could well be Davis’s breakout match in EVOLVE. He has shown a lot of potential, I always enjoy his matches, and this could be the big break he needs to really make his mark on the promotion.
- Lee
By Lee Goodfellow
I interviewed Ring Of Honor’s fastest rising star, Kyle O’Reilly, as he prepares for the biggest match of his career this weekend:
Lee: Next week at the Ring Of Honor 10th Anniversary show, you will be teaming with Davey Richards to take on Eddie Edwards and your former tag team partner Adam Cole, in what is quite possibly the biggest match of your career. What are your thoughts going into this show?
Kyle: This is something that means everything to me and is without a doubt the biggest match of my career. It’s both exciting and nerve wracking but I’m confident in knowing that all four of us will put it all on the line in what should be an absolute war.
Lee: Your team with Davey Richards evolved from your training partnership, which I first saw evidence of when you accompanied him to the ring for his match at Dragon Gate USA: Fearless (2010). Are you and Davey training partners in real life, or just on TV, and how did the partnership come about?
Kyle: Yes, we are indeed real life training partners, and he is my best friend. I wouldn’t have made it this far in my career without his guidance. It began when Davey would come up to wrestle in Vancouver, BC where my home promotion was based. We became friends and began doing some traveling together. When the opportunity came to move to St. Louis and pursue wrestling and training as a full-time thing, I jumped at the opportunity.
Lee: Davey Richards’s interest in MMA and Ju-jitsu is well documented. Do you also train in Ju-Jitsu, or any other martial arts?
Kyle: Yes, MMA plays a huge part in our training regimen. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes about 5 times a week and Muay Thai kickboxing about 3-4 times a week. I get a great deal out of martial arts training and as an athlete I feel it has truly elevated my game both in and out of the ring. I believe martial artists are some of the hardest working athletes in the world so why not try and emulate that persistent athletic mentality.
Lee: The formation of your team with Davey has come at the cost of the end of Future Shock. You and Adam Cole rose through the ranks together, from your pay per view debut at Final Battle 2010, to the first match of the new ROH show, to your first TV main event against the Young Bucks in December. What can you tell us about your time in Future Shock, and how do you feel about the end of this chapter in your career?
Kyle: Adam Cole is such an amazing talent and just all around great guy. Getting the opportunity to break into ROH together and tag together has truly been a blessing. We’ve shared so many big experiences together and so many great memories and matches that I’m very proud of. Tagging overseas in England and Germany to Los Angeles for PWG, it’s been a wild ride. To say Future Shock is over would be a little pre-emptive. I feel we still have unfinished business both as opponents and as partners so the future is still looking bright.
Lee: Tag team success aside, you’re really starting to become one of the top singles wrestlers in ROH as well. Your big solo break came when you got to go one on one with Roderick Strong on TV last year. That was a great match, as were your following high profile matches with Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards. Did you expect to rise to the top so swiftly, and what are your thoughts on these matches?
Kyle: ROH has such a great locker room that is full of so many great, talented athletes. Getting to wrestle these guys creates such a great learning atmosphere, as it literally becomes sink or swim. They bring the fight out of me and in order to survive I have to rise to their level and prove to everybody including the fans, the office and myself that I belong. I just hope to keep getting these great opportunities and I can continue to prove my worth.
Lee: Ring Of Honor may be the main promotion you’re a part of, but it isn’t the only one. You debuted for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla a few months ago, and judging by your subsequent appearance at Fear and your upcoming bookings, you seem set to become a regular there. Do you find working for PWG to be much different to working for ROH? Quite a few ROH guys wrestle for both.
Kyle: I really enjoy working for PWG. Getting to be on the west coast again is wicked and the fans create such a great atmosphere. It’s a ton of fun getting to wrestle there and I can only hope both Adam and myself will keep getting booked!
Lee: I briefly alluded to your time in Dragon Gate USA earlier. While you did wrestle there a few times in 2009-10, you were a more prominent part of the sister promotion, EVOLVE. What can you tell us about your time in EVOLVE, and what are favourite memories of it?
Kyle: I have very fond memories in working for EVOLVE. I felt I kind of found my niche as a wrestler there and it got me over the jitters of working with more experienced guys and in front of bigger crowds. EVOLVE carries such a unique concept in a sport-like setting of pro-wrestling that I felt I could bring a lot to the table there. My matches with Ricochet and Bobby Fish were probably my favorite, but it’s unfortunate I’m unable to compete there anymore as there is room for a lot of potential great match-ups.
Lee: What (or who) first inspired you to get into the wrestling business, and how did you go around doing it?
Kyle: I always knew I wanted to be a wrestler. I was a big fan of Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin and many others that inspired me to pursue wrestling. When I graduated high school in 2005 I got two jobs and began to pay for my wrestling training, and haven’t looked back since.
Lee: What is your favourite match that you’ve participated in?
Kyle: There’s a lot of matches that I’ve really enjoyed and had a lot of fun in. The answer of this question would probably change day to day depending on my mood and what comes to mind. My match with Adam Cole VS Zack Sabre Jr. and Marty Scrull at 16 carat last year in Germany was an amazing experience.
Lee: What goals do you have for the future? I assume the ROH world title is on your list, but I wonder if you plan to follow even further in Davey’s footsteps and go over to Japan at some point?
Kyle: I would very much love to go to Japan as it’s probably been my main goal since I started wrestling. I’m going to just keep working as hard as I can and being the best wrestler I can possibly be in order to earn an opportunity there. Ring of Honor is a place I’m happy to call home and I hope I can just keep having good matches and getting the chance to shine.
Lee: Thanks very much for participating in this interview Kyle! Is there anything you would like to plug (Twitter, website etc)?
Kyle: Thank you. Twitter is @RohOreilly
Thanks very much to Tristan Wolfe for sending in this review of Saturday’s Chikara show. I’ll hand you over to him:
Short story: I started to write this review and then I unplugged my computer with my foot as I was completing it…without saving it. I attended the show in Reading, PA last Saturday and I’d say it was a decent show. Nothing too spectacular though. (3 out of 5)
So now I present you with my half-assed (half-butted for you Chikara fans out there) review.
Submission Match: Ophidian defeats Green Ant with the Cobra Clutch Death Grip after dropping Green Ant on the exposed turnbuckle.
Basically this match was boring. It wasn’t totally the fault of the wrestlers as the ring shifted after Green Ant hit the ropes. The ropes pretty much became useless, and at one point Ophidian whipped Green Ant toward the ropes, only for Green Ant to hit the brakes, turn at the light, and ram himself into the corner instead. Silly.
Favorite point in the match: The end. This match brought shame to the “He’s Using Hypnosis” t-shirt I was wearing like a tool. OR My wife turning to me at the beginning of the match and asking “They leave the masks on the entire time?”
Bonus Match: Saturyne defeats El Hijo del Ice Cream with some crappy top rope move that I forgot.
Saturyne flopped around like a dying fish and is clearly a rookie. Despite this, El Hijo managed to make the match one of my favorites of the night. This guy is a real treat to see. See what I did there? Anyway, El Hijo Del Ice Cream threw Saturyne ALL OVER that damn ring. No punches were pulled. She got tossed around by her hair like three times. And the entire time delightfully hispanic ice cream puns were made.
Favorite point in the match: El Hijo covers Saturyne while holding out two fingers and then acts completed surprised that the count wasn’t tres.
Tag Team Match: The Throwbacks (Dasher Hatfield and Mr. Touchdown) defeat The Colony (Fire Ant and Soldier Ant) via DQ as a (probably) fake Green Ant tosses Dasher off the top rope. Good match. This is what Chikara is all about. This is my first time seeing Mr. Touchdown and he was pretty great and maybe the star of the match? The match went back and forth with some classic spots (Dasher running the bases, double corner dropkick from The Colony, and a failed 3-point stance from Mr. Touchdown). At the end it was a presumably fake Green Ant who caused the DQ by tossing Dasher off the top rope, garnering confused looks by all.
Favorite point in the match: Dasher puts Fire Ant into the tree of woe, he’s at first, tags second, rounding third AND Mr. Touchdown tags in.
First-Time Ever: Brodie Lee defeats Jigsaw with a sitout powerbomb.
Best match of the night in my opinion. Both guys had some hard-hitting action, but it was Brodie Lee that came back on top in his return match. After the match, Brodie claimed that he was coming for Kingston’s Grand Championship in a showdown in Canada that’s going to hurt just watching it.
Favorite point in the match: Jigsaw muscles Brodie over with a huge German suplex.
INTERMISSION: It’s announced that Gargano won’t be wrestling tonight because he is “injured and stuck in the Midwest”. As a result, Wink tells Icarus that he’ll defend the belts to which Icarus whines.
Favorite point in the intermission: Winkler gets the hot dog he was eating slapped out of his hand and sauerkraut ensues.
It’s got Colt in it: Colt Cabana defeats Kobald with the Billy Goat’s Curse
Typical Colt Cabana match. Lot’s of antics. Colt ripped out Kobald’s earring (the other inexplicably disappeared) to start the match. Most of the match was spent humiliating Kobald.
Favorite point in the match: Colt channels the spirit of Manami Toyota with a multi-directional rolling cradle.
8-Man Tag: The BDK (Tim Donst and Jakob Hammermeier) and The Batiri (Kodama & Obariyon) defeat 3.0 (Scott Parker and Shane Matthews), Gregory Iron, and Eddie Kingston when Tim Donst forces the tap with some wrist tape and a chin lock on Gregory Iron.
First time seeing Greg Iron and MAN was he the whipping boy of this match. Most of the wrestlers just kinda hung out on the outside while Greg got the crap beat out of him. There were a couple points in the match where Eddie Kingston or Shane Matthews were in the ring, staring at Greg in a submission hold awkwardly. Not a terribly well-coordinated match.
Favorite point in the match: Stereo Backfists to the Future that put all 8-men out on the mat at the same time.
Queen of Wrestling Showdown: Sara Del Ray defeats Archibald Peck (with Veronica) with the Royal Butterfly
I’m just gonna go ahead and say it. Sara Del Ray is overrated. I’m sorry. I know you hate me now. She’s good, but the Queen of Wrestling? Eh, I dunno. I’d rather give that title to Archie any day. This was a fun match. They played out a great “test of strength” bit with Sara eventually getting the upper hand after Archie sat in the middle of the ring pouting despite the crowd making Sara say that she was sorry. We got to see all of Sara’s classic moves with all of the fun antics of Archibald Peck.
Favorite point in the match: After the match, Archie realizes that Veronica is out cold on the outside of the ring after getting nailed by Sara. After letting out a shrill scream, he collapses at her feet and screams “NOOOO!” at the top of his lungs and then carries her out of the ring…screaming “no” another 2 times.
Campeones de Parejas, 2 out of 3 Falls: F.I.S.T. (Chuck Taylor and Icarus filling in for Johnny Gargano) defeats The Spectral Envoy (Hallowicked and Ultramantis Black) in the 3rd fall after Delirious runs in and lays out Ultramantis Black with the Praying Mantis Bomb
A good match from all. As usual, Chuck Taylor stole the show. I’m pretty sure he was forced to scream like a little girl no less than 3 times during the match. The first fall saw Chuck Taylor hand Icarus some powder (after about a minute of solid searching for it in his vest) who tossed it into the eyes of Hallowicked for the pin. The same trick was tried for the second fall, but Chuck accidently tossed the powder in the face of Icarus as Hallowicked moved out of the way. After Icarus laid out Chucky T with the pedigree, Hallowicked picked up the pin on Icarus with a big boot. For the third fall, both Icarus and Ultramantis were laid out in the ring with the referee nowhere in sight after Ultramantis hit the Praying Mantis Bomb. Delirious ran down and pulled Ultramantis on top of Icarus for the pin…but then turned on him and nailed him with his own Praying Mantis Bomb. Icarus covered for the 3 as F.I.S.T. retains.
Favorite point in the match: Oh dear lord, I had no idea that Icarus had facial hair now. It’s NEARLY as bad as the tattoo.
By Tristan Wolfe
Thanks very much to Jordan Grindlay for the following live report from ICW: Smells Like Teen Spirit!
Insane Championship Wrestling: Smells Like Teen Spirit
Venue: The Garage, Glasgow
Was taped for TV, to be shown on MyChannel on Sky (Ch. 219).
By Jordan Grindlay
Last night ICW presented its second show of 2012 at the larger venue of the Garage in Glasgow. According to owner Mark Dallas this morning, it was a legit sell-out of 500 traditionally rabid ICW fans. ICW’s wonderful, crazy (and mostly drunk) fans were in full voice from top to bottom of the evening making that wild atmosphere that ICW is built upon.
The show opened with commentators Billy Kirkwood and Sean David doing the countdown for TV and Billy used his comedian background to crack several wrestling-related jokes, with a couple of references to the recently-deceased Whitney Houston, but what else would you expect from an over-18’s wrestling show set in a club!
Red Lightning interrupted proceedings and came out to cut a promo claiming he wasn’t a midcard-jobber as claimed by Lionheart at the previous show and challenged any top star to a match. Cue the monster Johnny Moss to answer the call.
Red Lightning defeated Johnny Moss
Lightning won this after interference from his Gold Label stable-mate Wolfgang. Was some good stuff though, with Moss having the full backing of the ICW crowd and throwing Lightning around with some of his big suplexes before being jumped.
Dickie Divers of the S.T.I. followed this match by introducing his partners for the upcoming 6-man tag - Joe and Mark, the Coffey brothers. Next out were arguably the most-over people on the roster - The Bucky Boys with The Wee Man, coming out to pounding dance music, and being proclaimed to be from “Jeremy Kyle’s worst nightmare”. Their partner was the Buckfast drinking, Glasgow brawler and the man voted ICW wrestler of the year at a recent ICW awards night, Chris Renfrew.
The Bucky Boys and Chris Renfrew bested Dickie Divers and the Coffey Brothers
Fun match with plenty of constant action, and its ridiculous just how over the trio of Renfrew and the Bucky Boys are in Glasgow. After the match the Coffey brothers beat down Divers to remain face after he blamed them for the defeat.
James Scott defeated Falcon
This match dragged a little in the middle and the fans were less vocal than usual but it was a decent outing for both men and it did pick up the pace towards the finish.
A large individual named Kevan came out and beat down a couple of jobbers… Kevan was supposed to appear to be a monster a-la Vader, but just looked out-of-shape. Crowd chanted “boring!” throughout which I don’t think i’ve heard at ICW before. Hopefully promoter Dallas drops this idea quickly.
Wolfgang defeated Lionheart and Kid Fite in a 3-Way Dance.
Great match that was a showcase for three of the best wrestlers on the British Isles, Kid Fite in particular is tremendous. Wolfgang won after interference from Red Lightning, furthering the bonds between the Gold Label.
Nu-Metal band who have recently been supporting Limp Bizkit - Psycho Dalek played during intermission. They went down well.
Andy Wild won a Zero-G No.1 Contenders Match over Christopher with James R. Kennedy, Scott Maverick, Liam Thomson, Johnny Starr and T.J Rage with Charles Boddington
Wild 6 man match that had the right man win in Andy Wild. He’s extremely talented and is over too. After the match James. R. Kennedy and Christopher debuted their new muscle (unknown as of yet who exactly he is) by having him beat down Wild.
Paul Tracey vs. William Grange
Embarrassingly I missed the majority of this, including the finish as I was buying a round at the bar. Jack Daniels was calling… I believe Grange went over.
Carmel & Kaylee Ray were defeated by Mikey Whiplash with Lolita
I’m not usually a big fan of women’s wrestling outside of some Joshi stuff but this mixed-gender match was awesome. The best mixed-gender match i’ve ever seen without a shadow of a doubt. It was competitive and didn’t make either Whiplash or the girls look weak. Carmel and Kaylee-Ray continue to impress and this match was the second best thing on the card, after of course, the main event!
ICW Heavyweight Championship
B.T Gunn (c) defeated Jack Jester
Gunn and Jester left everything in that ring last night. They worked hard and put on the best wrestling of the night and also the craziest. After some good back and forth wrestling, they spilled to the outside and brawled over the Garage much to the delight of the ICW fans. Gunn got a nasty looking deep gash which wasn’t a blade-job and it was a gusher. The brawling eventually led them onto the balcony where Gunn was thrown off a good 12-15 feet into a crowd of fans who were suddenly makeshift catchers. A bloody Gunn though could not be put down for the 3-count after some close pinfall attempts and it ended after Gunn put Jester down. I can’t wait to watch this one again on MyChannel because it was high-octane wrestling which had just about everything in it.
Overall another knock-out ICW show. They have a winning formula and potentially the hardest working roster in the U.K who seem to feed off the amazing energy at these shows. I’ve been to some good wrestling shows in the past and i’ve been to some pretty rotten ones but ICW continuously put on thee best wrestling shows, top to bottom of the card, i’ve ever seen. A healthy mix of technical wrestling, hardcore, comedy, debauchery, females and even live music. I am effusive in my praise but it really is just.
According to Mike Johnson of PWinsider, Brian Kendrick is no longer with TNA. His profile has been removed from the TNA website, and he is now taking indy bookings.
Source: http://prowrestling.net
Thoughts: This isn’t surprising, and to be honest I don’t know why TNA have so many X Division guys under contract. These days, they seem to revolve the division around the champion, having him feud with between one and three different challengers for a few months, then move on to new challengers. Kendrick was the centre of the division for a while (with his weird guru character), then Aries took his place, then Kendrick vanished. I reckon they should just sign indy guys to short term contracts if they’re going to keep booking it this way, or maybe even not bother with contracts at all.
Anyway, I imagine we’ll see Kendrick back in ROH or DGUSA in the not too distant future.
- Lee
Low Ki was invited to join both teams in the six man tag match that will take place at Dragon Gate USA: Mercury Rising. On one hand, he could go with Open The Dream Gate champion CIMA’s babyface side. On the other, Akira Tozawa’s heel Blood Warriors. Low Ki announced his decision on Twitter last night; he will be on Tozawa’s team. No word yet on whether this is a one night deal, or if Low Ki will be officially joining Blood Warriors.
CIMA responded by announcing Masaaki Mochizuki as the third man on his team. CIMA and Mochizuki’s rivalry raged throughout 2011, but they put their differences aside and firmed an alliance in Japan last weekend. So, the match will be:
CIMA, Ricochet & Masaaki Mochizuki vs Akira Tozawa, BxB Hulk & Low Ki
You can follow Low Ki on Twitter @oneworldwarrior, and CIMA @DragonGateCIMA
Thoughts: That’s a shocker. Low Ki came across quite heelish in his promo at Evolve 10, but seemed like a babyface at the DGUSA show that took place a couple of weeks later. It’s an interesting development, and the match will be awesome.
- Lee
It’s been a very newsworthy week in Dragon Gate, with several big matches, alliances formed, alliances broken, and a new number one contender for the Open The Dream Gate!
Results and news courtesy of http://iheartdg.com :
20th of February 2012: Hyogo, Kobe Sambo Hall - 1100 Attendance
0. Eita Kobayashi (4:49 Moonsault Press) Yosuke Watanabe
1. Masaaki Mochizuki{W}, Dragon Kid, Gamma (12:13 Twister) Ryo Saito, Genki Horiguchi, Super Shenlong{L}
2. Masato Yoshino (10:01 Lightning Spiral) Jimmy Kagetora
3. CIMA, Don Fujii{W}, Rich Swann (14:24 Gedo Clutch) Naruki Doi, Cyber Kong{L}, Yasushi Kanda
4. CIMA Royale: Rich Swann, PAC, Cyber Kong, Yasushi Kanda, Gamma, Super Shenlong, Eita Kobayashi, Don Fujii, Masato Yoshino, Dragon Kid
-Fujii (9:34 Gedo Clutch) Gamma
-Eita (11:52 Moonsault Press) Shenlong
-(Over the Top Rope) Swann
-Fujii (Choke Slam) Eita
-Yoshino (Over the Top Rope) Kong & Fujii
-PAC (German Suplex Hold) Kanda
-PAC (Bible Cutback) DK
-PAC (18:45 German Suplex Hold) Yoshino
5. No Rope Match: BxB Hulk (21:37 First Flash) YAMATO
6. No Rope Match: Akira Tozawa (18:25 Package German Suplex Hold) Shingo Takagi
Notes: Winning the CIMA Royal = Open The Dream Gate number one contendership, so my fellow Geordie PAC will be CIMA’s next challenger. This will be PAC’s first shot at the top prize in Dragon Gate, and it will take place on the 4th of March.
Thoughts: Congratulations PAC! He’s one of the best in company, he truly deserves to be up there challenging for the title.
I’m looking forward to seeing the second CIMA Royal, but I’m looking forward to seeing the no rope matches even more. Two huge victories for Blood Warriors there. Tozawa vs Shingo is the biggest draw for me, their singles match at Kobe World Hall was one of my favourites of 2011.
24th of February 2012: Okayama, Okayama Wholesale Center Orange Hall - 650 Attendance:
The New Japan Pro Wrestling 40th Anniversary show will air live on pay per view from the Tokyo Korakuen Hall on the 4th of March. Here is the full card, courtesy of http://www.puroresufan.com :
1. Prince Devitt, Ryusuke Taguchi & KUSHIDA vs. Tama Tonga, Hiromu Takahashi & Takaaki Watanabe
2. Tomoaki Honma & Captain New Japan vs. YOSHI-HASHI & Tomohiro Ishii
3. Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask vs. Jado & Gedo
4. Togi Makabe, Yuji Nagata & Wataru Inoue vs. Minoru Suzuki, TAKA Michinoku & Taichi
5. Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. Toru Yano & Takashi Iizuka
6. Special 6 Man Tag Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hirooki Goto & Karl Anderson vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Masato Tanaka & Yujiro Takahashi
7. IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito
A few other title matches are scheduled for later in March: Prince Devitt will defend the IWGP junior heavyweight title against Davey Richards at the Nagoya Internation Conference Hall on the 10th, Hirooki Goto will defend the IWGP intercontinental title against Yujiro Takahashi in the Ace City Hamamatsu on the 11th, while Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima will defend the IWGP heavyweight tag team championship against Yoshihiro Takayama & Lance Archer at the Iwate Prefectural Gymnasium on the 18th.
Thoughts: The pay per view looks solid, as always from New Japan. It’s going to be weird not seeing Tanahashi in the main event.
Davey Richards winning the junior heavyweight title would be cool. This will be his second challenge to Devitt, who won the belt back in September.
- Lee
Puroresu Sunday is upon us again! Check back throughout the day (or evening, if you’re in the same part of the world as me) for all the latest from various Japanese wrestling promotions.
- Lee
Chikara: A Death Worse Than Fate took place in Reading, Philadelphia (USA) last night. Here are the results:
Submission match: Ophidian defeated Green Ant
Saturyne defeated El Hijo Del Ice Cream
The Throwbacks (Dasher Hatfield & Mr Touchdown) defeated Fire Ant & Solier Ant of the Colony via DQ
Brodie Lee defeated Jigsaw
Colt Cabana defeated Kobald
8 man tag team match: Jakob Hammermeier, Tim Donst, Obariyon & Kodima defeated Eddie Kingston, Greg Iron & 3.0
Sara Del Rey defeated Archibald Peck
Campeonatos de Parejas championship match - 2 out of 3 Falls: Chuck Taylor and Icarus (filling in for his injured stablemate Johnny Gargano) defeated Ultramantis Black & Hallowicked to retain the titles
Chikara will be in action again tonight in Long Island. You can view the full line up here:
http://indywrestling.tumblr.com/post/18205906280/chikaracards
Thoughts: I expected Icarus would fill in for Gargano. Did you attend the show? If so, feel free to send a review in and I’ll share it on here.
- Lee
Team CIMA and Team Tozawa (Blood Warriors) have a new member each for their trios match at Dragon Gate USA: Mercury Rising 2012 (the third show of DGUSA’s WrestleMania weekend, March 31st). Not surprisingly, CIMA’s fellow DGUSA tag champion Ricochet will join his team, while Tozawa’s fellow DG Japan tag champion BxB Hulk will join his. There is a more surprising development though; both teams are reaching out to Low Ki, both wanting him as the third member. No word on Low Ki’s decision yet.
Thoughts: That’s in kayfabe of course, unless Gabe is being lazy and genuinely leaving it to the wrestlers to sort out, which seems pretty unlikely. This is shaping up to be an incredible match.
- Lee
Pro Wrestling:EVE made history last Saturday (the 18th) with their first ever IPPV, “No Man’s Land”. The show was broadcast live on diva-dirt.com. Despite being riddled with technical difficulties, the show was a huge success with fantastic wrestling. Here are the results:
“Queen of the Ring” Tournament, first round:
Nikki Storm defeated Hannah Blossom
Sara-Marie Taylor and Holly Blossom wrestled to a no contest
April Davids defeated Rhia O’Reilly
Kay Lee Ray defeated Carmel Jacob
Big Van Viper defeated Kirsty Love and Janey Brittanico (due to the no-contest earlier, this match was made to determine the last semi-finalist)
“Queen of the Ring” Tournament, semi-finals:
Nikki Storm defeated Big Van Viper by disqualification
Kay Lee Ray defeated April Davids
Pro Wrestling:EVE Championship: Jenny Sjodin (c) and Alpha Female went to a double countout, thus Sjodin retains the title.
The Glamour Gym (Sara-Marie Taylor and Carmel Jacob) defeated The Blossom Twins
“Queen of the Ring Tournament”, final: Nikki Storm defeated Kay Lee Ray to become the new number 1 contender for the EVE Championship.
Thoughts: An excellent show, marred by technical difficulties and a confusing finish to the title match. Congratulations to Nikki Storm and to the entire EVE roster for really putting women’s wrestling in Europe on the map.
A charity show was held in Creswell Social Centre on the 19th. All the proceeds went to Callum Murray, a young wrestling fan who suffers Arnold Chiari Malformation, a brain condition that requires him to fly to America for treatment. Over £500 was raised in what I’m told was an excellent show:
Chris Holmes defeated Travis the Menace
Prince Ameem defeated Mikey Riot
Prince Ameem defeated KC Star
The Baby-Faced Pitbull defeated Prince Ameem
The Big Dog defeated Sean ‘The Hammer’ Davis in a hardcore match
Robbie X defeated Jamie Jewel to win the British Counties Title
Matt Slater defeated Keith Myatt to retain the 21CW title
Dave Rayne defeated Martin Kirby in a mixed tag team match (it doesn’t say who either person’s partners were) when everyone in the match turned on Kirby.
Bubblegum defeated Val Kabious
Southside Wrestling were in Nottingham yesterday for ‘4Everlution’. The show was Southside’s biggest ever event, and featured several internationally-renowned stars:
The Predators defeated Keith and Ryan Myatt
Spud defeated Nikki Storm
Sami Callihan defeated Dave Mastiff
Finlay defeated Martin Kirby
Max Angelus defeated Nick Reilly and Robbie X
Stixx defeated Joel Redman, Doug Williams and Rampage Brown in a four-way.
Thoughts: Sounds to me like an excellent show, although reviews I’ve read have been mixed. Feel free to let me know your thoughts if you attended.
The same night, the North East Wrestling Society (NEWS) were in Peterlee Leisure Centre for their thirteenth show, “Unlucky for Some”. Here are the results:
Tony Spitfire defeated Nathan Cruz
Micky Long defeated Max Heat
Iain Robinson defeated AJ Anderson
Lowthian defeated Cameron Kraze
Robbie Ryder and Carbon defeated Dead Reckoning (John Britain and Jack Norton)
El Ligero defeated Colossus Kennedy to retain the NEWS British Championship
4Front Wrestling (4FW) are in Swindon tonight for their annual ‘New Year’s Wrestlelution’ event. This looks set to be a huge night, with some huge names from the world of British wrestling announced:
4FW Heavyweight Championship: JD Knight (c) vs Finlay
Rockstar Spud vs Jason Larusso
Jack Dynamo vs The Saint
Benham Ali and Doug Williams vs Eddie Ryan and Owen Phoenix
Mad Dog Max vs Johnny Kidd
Plus more to be announced (I think).
Thoughts: Another great card. Finlay, Kidd and Williams are big coups for 4FW and I’m sure this is going to be a great experience for all of the younger wrestlers involved in the show.
SWA are in Paisley tonight for ‘Rebirth 2012’. Here’s the card:
SWA Scottish Heavyweight Championship: Andy Anderson (c) vs Jack Gallagher
No Disqualification Match: Adam Shame vs Eric Canyon
SWA Laird of the Ring Championship: “Lowland Superstar” Glen Dunbar (c) vs Joe Coffey
SWA Tag Team Championship: WMDs (c) vs Paul Tracey and Mark Anthony
Damian O’Connor vs a mystery opponent
With more to be announced.
Thoughts: Fantastic stuff. Jack Gallagher is probably my favourite British wrestler right now, the man can do no wrong. I expect this show to be a blinder.
IPW:UK are back in Sittingbourne tomorrow for “No Escape”. Just like every IPW show, this one looks set to be huge, with some big money draws confirmed:
Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship: Sha Samuels (c) vs Dave Mastiff
British Cruiserweight Championship Tournament, Bracket B, Semi Final 1: Zack Sabre Jr vs Wild Boar
British Cruiserweight Championship Tournament, Bracket B, Semi Final 2: Noam Dar vs Sami Callihan
British Cruiserweight Championship Tournament, Bracket B, Final: Winner Semi-final 1 vs Winner Semi-final 2
Tag Team Contenders Match: Project Ego vs The Thrillers
Finlay vs Martin Stone
Marty Scurll vs ??? (was meant to be AR Fox, but he’s been deported, I assume because of work permit/visa issues)
Thoughts: IPW:UK are without a doubt the best promotion in Britain right now, and this card says it all really. This is already a possible contender for show of the year.
Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) are at The Garage in Glasgow tomorrow (the 26th) for “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. The show is being taped and will air on TV on MyChannel (Sky Channel 219) in the coming weeks:
ICW Heavyweight Championship: BT Gunn (c) vs Jack Lester
3-Way Dance: Lionheart vs Kid Fite vs Wolfgang
Johnny Moss vs Red Lightning
James Scott vs Falcon
Paul Tracey vs William Grange
Zero-G Number 1 Contenders Match: Andy Wild vs Christopher vs Scott Maverick vs Liam Thomson vs Johnny Starr vs TJ Rage
Carmel and Kaylee Ray vs Mikey Whiplash w/Lolita
6-Man Tag: Duckee Divers & ??? vs The Bucky Boys & ??? w/The Wee Man and Lambrini
Grand Pro Wrestling (GPW) are at the Rose Club in Hindley, Wigan, on the 2nd of March for ‘Northern Soul’. Here’s the card:
GPW Heavyweight Championship: Martin Kirby (c) vs Dirk Feelgood
#1 Contenders Match: Cyanide vs El Ligero
Gallagher’s Gold Title Match: Jack Gallagher vs Joey Hayes
6-Man Tag Match: Damon Leigh, Ste ‘Bin’ Mann and Zack Diamond vs Danny Hope, Jiggy Walker and Cameron Kraze
Tag team rematch (non-title): The Blackpool Blondes vs Chris Echo and RJM
LA Austin vs Bubblegum
Thoughts: Another great card from GPW, and I’m not just saying that because I’m training at their wrestling school. Gallagher vs Hayes should be fantastic, as should the #1 contenders match.
Sources:
If you have any other news, results or reports from the British wrestling scene, feel free to email me at lonelybitterman@gmail.com.
-Adrian
My latest indy wrestling column is up over at Cheap Heat. I wrote about the latest news from Dragon Gate USA, Ring Of Honor, Chikara and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. Enjoy!
http://www.cheap-heat.com/wrestling/indy-express-3/
- Lee
Chikara: A Death Worse Than Fate
Saturday, February 25th in Reading, Philadelphia
Campeonatos de Parejas championship match - 2 out of 3 Falls: Johnny Gargano & Chuck Taylor (champions) vs Ultramantis Black & Hallowicked
8 man tag team match: Eddie Kingston, Greg Iron & 3.0 vs Jakob Hammermeier, Tim Donst, Obariyon & Kodima
Sara Del Rey vs Archibald Peck
Jigsaw vs Brodie Lee
Colt Cabana vs Kobald
Fire Ant & Soldier Ant vs The Throwbacks
Green Ant vs Ophidian
Chikara: Caught In The Spiders Den
Sunday, February 26th in Long Island, New York
Championship vs Career: CHIKARA Gran Champion Eddie Kingston vs Vin Gerard
8 man tag team match: The Colony, Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw vs Tim Donst, Jakob Hammermeier & The Batiri
Sara Del Rey vs Saturyne
Gran Akuma vs Chuck Taylor
3.0 vs The Throwbacks
Colt Cabana vs Ultramantis Black
Francis K. Stevens vs Kobald
Archibald Peck vs Ophidian
Thoughts: Two solid shows on paper. If you attend either of them, feel free to send a report/review to indywrestling@hotmail.co.uk and I’ll post it on here.
- Lee
THE GOOD
Main Event (Mark Briscoe defeated Charlie Haas, while Jay Briscoe was handcuffed to the post at ringside)
It was cool seeing these tag team guys in singles action for a change, and the match was pretty good. I’m getting re-invested in the Briscoes/WGTT feud, which I sort of lost interest in after the madness that was their Final Battle match.
After the match, Haas took Mark out with an Olympic Slam and a chairshot, while Jay could do nothing but watch (he was still handcuffed to the post). Haas paid the $5000 chairshot fine straight away, as well as his suspended tag partner’s fine, which turned to be his plan all along. It made me want to see Dem Boys get their vengeance, so it was an effective way to keep the fire burning in this feud.
Heel Haas
Charlie Haas’s wrestling abilities have often been revered, but he isn’t renowned for being the most charismatic guy. That may change soon though, as Haas is settling into his new heel persona very nicely. From the sunglasses to the attitude, he’s nailed it. There could be money in the new Charlie Haas.
Eddie Edwards & Adam Cole vs Mike Mondo & Matt Taven (Edwards & Cole won)
This fast paced match was an entertaining exhibition for the new Edwards/Cole team. Mondo and Taven benefitted from exposure two weeks running, and got to keep their feud going as Mondo attacked Taven after the match.
Kevin Steen vs Andy “Right Leg” Ridge (Steen won)
I always enjoy a good squash, I guess it comes from being a Goldberg fan in the late nineties. Steen ended it with the F5, so I guess that’s officially his new finisher now (he used it last week too).
Promos
We saw some good promos from Jay Lethal, Tommaso Ciampa and the Young Bucks, hyping their upcoming matches (the Lethal/Richards world title match on next week’s episode, as well as Lethal vs Ciampa and the Bucks vs Briscoes at the 10th Anniversary show).
Veda Scott
This show was all man when it kicked off in the Autumn, it’s good to see another lady make it into the mix (Scott recently became the backstage interviewer).
Overall show
Another solid episode from Ring Of Honor. I’m looking forward to Richards vs Lethal next week (well, tomorrow, but next week for me since I watch it on the website).
THE BAD
Again, nothing springs to mind. Good job ROH!
THE QUESTIONABLE
Camp Roderick?
I miss those Camp Roderick promos, I felt Strong got his increasing charisma over more in those than he does when the spotlight is on Truth Martini.
Embassy Ltd
Tommaso Ciampa can talk, he backs up his badass wrestling style well with his badass talking style, as he showed in his brief promo in this episode. The thing is, I don’t know what the Embassy Ltd are doing to enhance his act. I guess Archibald Peck (well, RD Evans in ROH) is the problem, his prattling on about investors and money is quite distracting. Why does one guy need two managers anyway? I think it diminishes Ciampa’s aura.
Agree? Disagree? Let me know at indywrestling@hotmail.co.uk, or on Twitter @IWEnews
- Lee
Team Ambition (Davey Richards, Kyle O’Reilly & Tony Kozina) have a message, which sounds like it’s aimed mainly at Richards’s ROH rival Kevin Steen:
More matches have been announced for the upcoming Dragon Gate USA triple shot in March:
Dragon Gate USA/CZW Super Show
Thursday 29th of March 2012
The German American Society Clubhouse, Hollywood, Florida
Just announced - Three way trios match:
Akira Tozawa, BxB Hulk & Uhaa Nation of Blood Warriors vs Johnny Gargano, Chuck Taylor & Rich Swann of Ronin vs Sami Callihan, Arik Cannon & Pinkie Sanchez of D.U.F
Just announced: PAC vs AR Fox
Thoughts: The trios match will be crazy. Cyber Kong recently became third in command of Blood Warriors over in Japan, so it looks like Uhaa will be fulfilling that role in the US. I’m pleased to see Gargano is expected to be back in action.
PAC vs Fox should be great too. Those are the kind of matches I like to see Fox in, not the hardcore stuff he’s often bogged down with.
Dragon Gate USA: Open The Ultimate Gate 2012
Friday 30th of March
Deauville Resort Hotel, Miami
(Online Pay Per View - bargain, once in a lifetime price of $2!)
Low Ki vs PAC
Just announced: Akira Tozawa vs Masaaki Mochizuki
Stable Shootout Match #1 - Street Fight: Sabu & Jon Davis vs Arik Cannon & Pinkie Sanchez
Stable Shootout Match #2 - Fox Picks Callihan’s Opponent: Sami Callihan vs BxB Hulk
Stable Shootout Match #3 - Callihan Picks Fox’s Opponent: AR Fox vs Uhaa Nation
Thoughts: I marked out so much at that announcement. This will be the second bout in DGUSA between Tozawa and Mochizuki (the first took place at Uprising 2010), but the only singles match I’ve seen between the two was their Open The Dream Gate title match in Japan last year, which was one of my favourite matches of 2011. I’ve seen them go at it in various tag matches (in Japan) since, they have increasingly great chemistry together.
With two potentially great headline matches, and two potentially great undercard matches, I have high expectations for this show.
Dragon Gate USA: Mercury Rising 2012
Saturday 31st of March
Deauville Resort Hotel, Miami
(Online PPV - $15)
Just announced: CIMA, ? & ? vs Akira Tozawa, ? & ?
No rules: Sabu vs Sami Callihan
Thoughts: Tozawa’s teammates will be from his Blood Warriors stable. BxB Hulk is Tozawa’s tag partner and second in command, so it’s safe to say he will be on the team. This was originally announced as a match that will feature the core Dragon Gate roster from Japan, so I’m guessing Naruki Doi will be the third Blood Warrior rather than Uhaa, unless he leaves or is ejected from the stable before this show.
As for Team CIMA, it’s unlikely that his allies in Japan, Don Fujii and Stalker Ichikawa, will be coming to America, but the start of an alliance between he and Mochizuki has been hinted at, and he’s still half of the DGUSA tag champions with Ricochet, so I’m guessing they will be his partners.
These shows are shaping up very well. It’s going to be a hell of a weekend for Dragon Gate USA. WrestleMania weekend is like Christmas for wrestling fans.
- Lee
Sami Callihan has posted another promo hyping is upcoming match with ECW legend Sabu in Dragon Gate USA. The match will take place at one of the DGUSA shows in March. It was said that it will be the March 31st show on Heyman Hustle, but I can’t find anything from DGUSA or Callihan to back that up.
Thoughts: Another solid promo from Sami. Like I’ve said before, this match could turn out great, or it could turn out to be a big weapons mess. We’ll see.
- Lee
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s annual tag team tournament, DDT, will take place on April the 21st, at the usual venue (American Legion Post #308) in Reseda, California. The first team announced for the tournament is…
Roderick Strong and Sami Callihan
Thoughts: A good choice of partner for the debuting Callihan. DDT is one of the most loved staples on the PWG calendar, I imagine this year’s edition will be great.
- Lee
Ring Of Honor have released a CM Punk DVD, focusing on the fantastic “Summer Of Punk” angle that took place in 2005. For those that don’t know, the angle kicked off when CM Punk won the ROH world title on what was supposedly his final night in ROH, and held the belt throughout the summer, defending against various ROH wrestlers. This angle was the obvious inspiration for the similar angle that WWE did with Punk last year.
Here is the match listing for the DVD:
Disc 1
1. CM Punk vs. Austin Aries (ROH World Title Match)…Death Before Dishonor III 6/18/05
2. CM Punk vs. Jay Lethal (ROH World Title Match)…Sign of Dishonor 7/8/05
3. CM Punk vs. Roderick Strong (ROH World Title Match)…Escape From New York 7/9/05
4. CM Punk vs. James Gibson (ROH World Title Match)…Fate of an Angel II 7/16/05
Disc 2
5. CM Punk vs. Christopher Daniels (ROH World Title Match)…The Homecoming 7/23/05
6. CM Punk vs. Samoa Joe vs. James Gibson vs. Christopher Daniels (ROH World Title Elimination Match)…Redemption 8/12/05
7. CM Punk vs. Colt Cabana (2 Out Of 3 Falls Match)…Punk: The Final Chapter 8/15/05
“This classic release also includes moments that solidified “The Summer of Punk” in the annals of ROH history including Punk’s notorious contract signing, his confrontation with Mick Foley, and more!!!”
You can order the DVD ($19.99) at the following link:
http://www.rohwrestling.com/product/summer-punk-2-disc-set
Thoughts: An essential purchase for fans of Punk and ROH who don’t already have these shows on DVD. ROH picked a great time to release this, since Punk is at the top of WWE right now.
- Lee
