SWE Uprising & The Trident of Doom Review

Saturday 29 March 2014

So a trip to Dundee involving Dr Noodles for lunch, some shopping and Rob getting his lip pierced was topped off with a wrestling show! 

My first visit to Scottish Wrestling Entertainment was Hell For Lycra 10 last year and I admit to not being all that impressed.  The PA system was awful and there were a lot of really botched moves and I didn't think I would go back....except that they had Bret Hart visiting in October and I HAD to go, even if the show was awful it would be worth it for Bret.....but the show was brilliant and we were hooked!  We now travel up to Dundee for the monthly Uprising shows and this one was a belter!

First up was a video introduction and the big reveal for the WWE Hall of Fame legend who would be attending Hell For Lycra 11 in August....none other than Terry Funk!

The first match was LJT against "The Butcher" Scott Renwick.  Renwick was brutal from the start and although LJT tried hard and got a few high flying moves in, the match was pretty much all Renwick.  Eventually Renwick went for the pin but decided to pull LJT up on the two count - a move he was quick to regret as LJT managed to reverse a move and roll Renwick up for the 1-2-3.

Bryan Douglas entered the ring to introduce Bravehart's security team, The Trident, one of whom was to face Steven Magners.  While Douglas tried to get answers from The Trident regarding their recent attacks on wrestlers, they refused to talk and began to surround him in a threatening manner.  Enter Steven Magners to make the save.  The referee suddenly appeared and the match was on, but it was a bit of a non-match.  With a member on each of three sides of the ring and Magners in the ring, it was just a matter of time before one would distract while another would sneak into the ring behind him and roll him up for the pin.  What happened next caused some controversy - Chaz Phoenix entered the ring behind Magners, pulled a plastic bag from his tights and put it over Magners head.  Security had to get involved to remove Chaz and help Magners backstage, however there was a large number of children present and I, and several other people, felt that Chaz's actions were a step too far.

Next was a Sirens match with Debbie Sharpe against Kirsty Love.  This was the first time I had seen Kirsty and was really glad to see a new face as there are only so many times you can watch Debbie fight Sammii Jayne.  Most of the crowd were firmly behind Debbie but Kirsty Love was quite impressive.  A back and forward match which ended in a victory for Kirsty Love when she rammed Debbie into the ringpost and slid under the ropes back into the ring just as the referee was about to count both girls out.  This pic shows Debbie launching from the ring onto Kirsty outside of the ring - its blurry but the faces of Randy Valentine, Bryan Douglas and Calum McMinn are class!!

Next was a tag team match with Claymore and Scotty Riccio facing heels Jackie Polo and Christopher Saynt.  The heels entrance was hysterical which Polo singing along to his backing track and Saynt camping it up in silver trunks and a sailor hat.  Normally I would cheer against the heels but I am actually starting to like Jackie Polo and thats why Rob and I kept a "Jackie" "Polo" chant going throughout much of the match.  The heels pretty much punished Scotty Riccio for much of the match and while the ref continued to stop Claymore from entering to make the save, the heels were free to double team Riccio.  Eventually Riccio managed to tag in Claymore and the tables turned. Claymore threw Riccio over the top rope onto Jackie Polo and then Riccio was lifted from the ringpost onto Claymore's shoulders to give extra height to his splash onto Saynt.  Claymore and Riccio scored the win.

First match of the second half was Jam O'Malley against Chaz Phoenix.  This became another non-match as Steven Magners ran into the ring to get revenge for Chaz's earlier attack.  After beating him in the ring, he lifted the mats at ringside to slam Phoenix onto the floor twice.  Again security were brought in....and Chaz was given the win against O'Malley as a result of a disqualification. 

As MC Calum McMinn was in the ring to announce the next match, the video screen sprang to life and Chris Duke appeared, taunting McMinn and announcing the arrival of Glen Dunbar who was facing Kevin Williams, a former heel and Syndicate member who has turned face using a gamer gimmick.  I am not entirely convinced by this new persona - I think Williams is a better heel than a face!  The match was not bad but I find the whole gamer gimmick a bit stupid...Kev battering buttons on an old Nintendo 64 controller while he had Dunbar in a leglock made no sense.  It got worse when he brought out his little box made to look like the powerup box from Super Mario Bros and opened it to produce a plushie windup bomb toy.  McMinn jumped up onto the ring apron saying Williams couldn't bring a bomb into the building, then he, Williams and Dunbar played a game of donkey with the plushie while the crowd counted down from 10 - sorry but I am just not buying it!  Williams finally rolled Dunbar up to score the pin, leaving Dunbar stunned.

When McMinn asked the crowd to give it up for the loser, Dunbar went for McMinn, who then whacked Dunbar.  Enter Bravehart and The Trident! Bravehart told Dunbar to leave the ring and I noticed Dunbar had a bleeding ear but I am not sure if this happened during the match with Williams or during the altercation with McMinn.  Braveheart then turned his attention to McMinn and his feud with Chris Duke, announcing that each of them would be given the opportunity to prove they were the man for the job at the next two shows, Chris Duke at Kirkton Community Centre on 18 April and Calum McMinn at Menzieshill Community Centre on 25 April.

Next up was the SWE Heavyweight Championship match with Ian Ambrose defending his belt against Joe Hendry.  Ambrose entered the ring from the crowd behind Joe Hendry, who was watching the entrance.  Ambrose's girl (and true winner of the SWE belt) Sammii Jayne was nowhere to be seen during the match.  Ambrose started well but as the match progressed Joe Hendry was getting the upper hand.  Fearful of losing his title, he picked up the belt and while the ref was distracted he threw it to Joe Hendry and threw himself down on the canvas.  Turning, the ref immediately called for the bell and announced the winner of the match as a result of DQ to be Ambrose.  The scumbag strikes again!!

Once again Bryan Douglas entered the ring and announced the entrance of Bravehart, who was accompanied as always by the Trident.  This was supposed to be when the applicants for the position of Bravehart's assistant would enter the ring for a debate on who was the best candidate.  Bravehart, who is currently playing heel brilliantly, got right into Douglas's face asking him why he was called out, then proceeded to berate the 5 applicants, Esther Robbins, Amy Anderson, Tam Malone, Billy Strachan and Stevie Simmons.  He then refused to allow them into the ring and instead told them they would each have an opportunity to prove themselves by actually being the assistant for the upcoming shows - Esther and Tam would each take a half show on 18 April, Amy would run the show on 25 April and Billy and Stevie would be responsible for the next Uprising show on 26 April.

Finally it was time for the main event, a triple threat match to determine the No 1 contender for the SWE Heavyweight Championship between Damian O'Connor, Martyn Stallyon and "The Jackal" Jay Costello.  The match started with Damo and Stallyon in the ring and Costello grabbing their legs from outside, so they banded together to deal with the "potato".  This was an incredible match with constant action.  The crowd cheers were split between Damo and Stallyon.  Damo missed his move outside the ring where he does a flying somersault into his opponent against the barriers when Costello managed to move out of the way, however he did manage to get both men on his shoulders before dropping them both!

Costello, who has a feud going with Randy Valentine, pushed Randy off his chair and took it into the ring to try to nail Damo with it.  Randy wasn't about to let that happen and jumped on the ring apron to take back the chair.  Costello pulled it away and turned, straight into the boot of Damo who then scored the pin to become No 1 Contender.

After the show I spoke to SWE owner Bravehart about my concerns regarding Chaz Phoenix and the plastic bag and the fact that at no time did anyone address the issue in the ring.  I told him that I felt that it was a step too far when there are so many kids in the audience and that someone should have made the point that this was extremely dangerous and that the kids should not attempt to copy it.  He understood my point completely and hopefully there will be no issues in the future.

With tickets for the Uprising shows priced at just £7 for adults and £4 for kids, it really is good value. SWE has quickly become one of our favourite promotions and Rob and I have made quite a few friends within the "Dundee Ringside Posse" - looking forward to Rob being old enough so we can join you in Kage after the shows!! 

Check out SWE on Facebook for details of their upcoming shows.

PBW Live at the Pavilion Theatre Review

Saturday 15 March 2014

This was both my first PBW show of the year (Rob and I were in Manchester for TNA the same date as Maybole and I was ill the day of the Airdrie show) and the first time ever in the Pavilion Theatre.  I wasn't really sure how this would work with the ring up on a stage and everyone seated to one side but I figured it was worth checking out.

Now please remember these blogs are just my opinion and I don't expect everyone to agree with what I write so please bear this in mind!  For me, as lovely as the Pavilion was, the atmosphere just wasn't the same.  I love to get in the heel's faces and have them insult me or tell me to shut up while I am booing them, but at the Pavilion this was only possible if you were sitting in the front row.  Most of the wrestlers entered from the side of the stage instead of making their way to the ring through the stalls which I thought would have been way cooler!  The other disadvantage was having the ring so much higher than seating level meant there were less opportunities for really good photos unless I stood up (so jealous of a certain Mr Wilson who always gets the really cool shots).  My other moan would be with the venue staff.  Early in the show I had a female member of staff ask me to sit down as I was obstructing the view of people behind me.....well I may be a loudmouth but I am not ignorant and had there been anyone sitting behind me I would not have been standing but the seats behind me were empty so I don't get what the problem was...unless I was obstructing her view from her spot beside the doors!  Then she came back and complained that my camera flash was annoying people - so I turned it off.  When I got up to dance during Grado's entrance, a male member of staff asked me to sit down - when I asked him what the problem was as there was no-one behind me he said there was a no standing rule.  I am just surprised they didn't ask me to be quiet because they seemed to have a problem with everything else I did!!!

Now on to the positives...the show itself.  Once again Ross Watson put together a fantastic show.  First match was fan favourites Just Uz against the Coffey Brothers, Mark and Joe.  This match took place in the ring, on the stage in front of the ring and even made its way into the stalls for a short time.  A great high energy match which ended in the win for Just Uz, but I am liking the Coffey Brothers more each time I see them wrestle - future tag champs I think!

Next was Scott Maverick up against "The Unstoppable" Andy Wild.  Another solid match which went back and forth while the crowd chanted "Let's Go Wild" until Andy scored the pinfall.

The next match was scheduled to be a PBW title match between "Bad Boy" Liam Thomson, accompanied by Carmel Jacob, and Noam Dar.  As Dar was injured, Thomson issued an open challenge to anyone from the PBW Academy.  The challenge was answered by "Mexican" El Technico, a big guy in orange trunks and an orange and black mask with bits flying that just reminded me of the alien in the Predator movies and even whiter skin than me.  If you are going with the Mexican thing mate, invest in some fake tan!!  This was not a bad match but the crowd were pretty quiet.  This can happen with unknown wrestlers and no-one wanted to chant for Thomson.  El Technico showed some good moves but as I have often said to Liam, he only wins when Carmel is there to do it for him and this proved true once again as Carmel's interference was the only reason for Thomson's win.

The second half started with Red Lightning entering accompanied by Charles Boddington.  He made reference to being attacked and hiring Boddington as protection.  This was greeted by chants of "baldie midget".  Then the crowd went wild as his opponent entered via the centre aisle of the stalls...the one and only Grado!  There were hysterics as Grado tried and failed to squeeze between the handrail on the stage steps and a large speaker...and more when he was dragged up onto the stage by David Wilson, official photographer as mentioned earlier!  Grado is an amazing entertainer and really gets the crowd behind him.  Once the match was underway there were the usual underhand tactics by Boddington to try to get his man the win but it backfired when he tried to use his briefcase on Grado and took out Red Lightning instead.  Grado scored the win and the crowd went wild again.

Next up was a tag match with the heels TJ Rage and James Scott facing Kenny Williams and Davey Blaze.  James Scott's build and hairdo has earned him the nickname of "wee fat Taz" and I admit to starting said chant....and the filthy look I got from TJ Rage was brilliant, so I gave him a wee wave and shouted "Hiya TJ"  That was the closest I got to actual interaction during the show but I will still take it!  This was a pretty brutal match and no matter how much the crowd chanted for Kenny and Davey, it was the heels who took the win.

The final match up of the night was Jack Jester against Wolfgang.  The majority of the crowd were firmly in the Wolfgang camp, however I did my best to keep the Jester chants going throughout much of the match and I have to say I think I did pretty well.  This was another match that took place in the ring, on the stage and in the stalls.  Both men pulled off some great moves but eventually Wolfgang took the win.

After the show, fans could meet and have photos taken with the wrestlers.  This was actually done in the street in front of the theatre.  Thankfully it wasn't raining as some of the guys were still in their wrestling gear!  Had a wee chat with Andy Wild about his black eye at PWE - thankfully he had got it checked and it was okay but it had looked really bad.  Got my pic taken with Jester wearing my new Jester t-shirt and he thanked me for photos I had taken the night before of him with his baby nephew and had printed for him.  I also had a pic taken with Wolfgang, who I have often told I will always cheer, just not always for him. As you can see, I am not impressed by his win, and he is not impressed by my shirt!!

 

 



 Anyway, my final thoughts are this....the show was fantastic but I wasn't keen on the venue.  It was great if you wanted to take young kids along and there were a lot of youngsters here, but it wasn't for me.

Check out PBW's Facebook for details of future events.

BCW Live in East Kilbride Review

Friday 14 March 2014

After the stress of the M8 the previous week, we left a little earlier than usual...only for the roads to be clear and we arrived at the Ballerup Hall a full hour before the doors opened.  Thankfully it wasn't wet or too cold (although my fingers were a wee bit numb) and it meant that we were first in the door.

This was the first event we attended since the airing of the BBC documentary on Insane Championship Wrestling "Insane Fight Club" and it was obvious that there were a lot of new faces in the crowd.  Rob and I had a couple of girls sitting behind us who were talking about Grado, but were pronouncing it Grah-do.  When I pointed out the correct pronunciation, they were like "whatever" but by the end of the first half, they were really into it and already talking about future shows!

First match up was a tag match between Lou King Sharp and Saqib Ali against Brendan Cooper and Tommy Marx.  Not originally advertised, this was a fantastic match showing the talent of some of the up and coming trainees from the PBW academy.  It also gave me my first insult of the night when Lou King Sharp said he would slap the fat of my face....if only it was that easy, Lou!!! The match ended with a win for Ali & Sharp but the team of Cooper and Marx put on a good show and the crowd showed their appreciation.

Next up was James Scott against Kenny Williams.  Scott started off by offering Williams the chance to apologise (for what, we don't know) and leave the ring untouched.  Kenny declined said offer and got stuck in.  James Scott was the first of many wrestlers to land on the floor at my feet that night and Kenny took the win.

The next match was fan favourite Wolfgang against the big hairy Irishman Damian O'Connor.  These two monsters are surprisingly agile for their size and there were a few gasps from the newbies in the crowd at some of their moves.  These guys actually moved the ring when they collided and poor Wolfgang had to endure being stood on by Damo.  After some near pins from both wrestlers, Wolfgang took the win.

The first half main event was the BCW Tag Title match between champs Just Uz (BT Gunn and Stevie Xavier) and "Bad Boy" Liam Thomson and Red Lightning.  Following last weeks taunts against Liam being nothing without Carmel, he decided to have a go....at my hair!! (Yeah Liam, I can change my hair anytime, you're stuck with that face though).  Once the entrance music for Just Uz started, the crowd were on their feet, dancing and cheering.  In my opinion, the pairing of Thomson and Lightning didn't seem to gel too well.  They did put on a decent show though but it was just a matter of time before Just Uz took the win to retain their titles.

The second half started with my personal favourite Jack Jester up against Joe Coffey.  This was a cracker of a match with each wrestler gaining the upper hand at times.  I was in the minority cheering for Jester but my extremely loud voice seemed to make up for it.  The funniest moment was when Jester decided to stare down the new girls sitting behind us and tell them to shut up - the poor things looked terrified at first, then laughed nervously. Once back in the ring, the match continued to swing back and forth and for a moment I thought Coffey might actually pick up the win....but fortunately it was to be Jester's night after all!

The penultimate match between Grado and Davey Blaze was cracking.  Grado's entrance had the crowd on their feet and dancing again.  Blaze was sporting the remains of two black eyes after breaking his nose at the PWE event the week before and Grado made sure to tell the crowd "Davey's got a broken nose" before grabbing it and pulling - poor Davey!!  Fan favourite Grado took the win to the delight of the crowd.

The main event of the evening was the BCW Title match between Kid Fite and Mark Coffey.  This match was amazing.  Kid Fite plays the heel so well and the crowd was definitely backing Coffey.  Kid Fite had the upper hand early in the match but after being knocked from the ring (and almost on top of me!!) he decided he'd had enough and was leaving.  Mark Coffey was having none of it and he (and half the crowd) followed Kid Fite out of the hall, where he got hold of him and dragged him back to the ring to continue the match.  Once back in the ring, Kid Fite quickly got the upper hand again and threw Coffey out of the ring, who missed smacking his face off my knee by millimetres!!  After several attempts, Kid Fite finally got the 3 count to retain his title.

After the show, both Jester and Grado were available for autographs and photos and there were plenty of people taking up the offer!

The next BCW event takes place at Kilmarnock Grand Hall on 19 April. Tickets are £15 for front row or £10 each (4 for £30). To book tickets call the Palace Box Office on 01563 554 900. Tickets will also be available on the door.

PWE Elite Rumble Review

Friday 7 March 2014

This was the first time I have been to a PWE event on a Friday and I learned a big lesson...leave earlier!! Friday rush hour traffic on the M8 was a killer but we made it in time....just!

The show started with PWE owner Adrian "Lionheart" McCallum making an appearance in the ring wearing a neck brace after breaking two bones in his neck at the PCW show in Preston less than a week earlier.  As a result of his injury, he told the crowd he was unable to be the surprise entrant in the rumble match as planned and as a result, both Kenny Williams and Lou King Sharp, who had received the most votes for the open spot on the Facebook page, would be entrants.

Lionheart

First match of the night was "Bad Boy" Liam Thomson v Joey Hayes.  A back and forward match with lots of action and near pins from both men, Joey Hayes took the win, much to the disbelief of Liam Thomson.  I did manage to wind up Liam Thomson by telling him he was nothing without Carmel to back him up....and from the result, it looks like I was right!!

Next up was Kid Fite against Joe Coffey.  The crowd were definitely behind Coffey and he looked to be in control of the match until Charles Boddington started to interfere, closely followed by the appearance of Davey Blaze and TJ Rage.  With a 4 on 1 situation, it was inevitable that Kid Fite would take the win!

The next match was billed as an "Instant Classic" tag match with Project Ego (Kris Travis and Martin Kirby) up against Noam Dar and Andy Wild and they were right.  Easily match of the night, the action was non-stop.  With both teams having a share of the crowd chants, the atmosphere was amazing (although sitting in the middle of an entire row of "Ego-tists" and chanting for the other guys puts a strain on the voice to avoid being drowned out - I managed though!!!)  Andy Wild took a nasty hit which caused his eye to instantly start swelling up and by the end of the match he had a cracking shiner.  Project Ego took the win and Noam Dar challenged them to a rematch in May when he and Andy would be better prepared, having underestimated the boys in pink.  Kirby accepted and the rematch will take place at the next event on Saturday 17 May.

During the interval, fans were able to have their photo taken with all 4 participants of the tag match...

Rob with Project Ego, Noam Dar & Andy Wild
Photo by David J Wilson

and a deal with Kris Travis for my old NES was concluded LOL.

The second half started with the Elite Rumble match - a 15 man, over the top rope elimination match with two men starting in the ring being joined at 90 second intervals by another competitor. Entrant number 1 was Grado...and I admit that yes, I was dancing (if thats what you could call it) to his entrance music, much to the amusement of the people around me!  Entrant number 2 was Red Lightning who is always good for an insult or two.  They were soon joined by Kid Fite, who teamed with Red against Grado.  They were soon joined by Davey Blaze and TJ Rage, at which point Red Lighting decided to slip under the ropes and spent most of the remainder of the match crawling around the ring on his hands and knees while the other competitors eliminated each other. Davey Blaze was helped from the ring after receiving a blow which broke his nose (not before I had managed to wind him up and get an insult though).  Kid Fite's little band managed to keep the numbers firmly in their favour until the appearance of the New Age Kliq at which point it was almost impossible to keep up with what was going on in the ring.  Even the announcer was unable to keep up with the eliminations.  Finally it appeared we were down to just two, Kid Fite and Grado, however Red Lightning was still skulking outside and when Grado eliminated Kid Fite, he jumped back into the ring hoping to take out Grado who had been pummelled throughout the entire match, including taking a mallet shot from Jackie Polo.  It was not to be Red's day and Grado made the final elimination to win a title shot at PWE's 3rd Anniversary show on 19 July...and he got to name the show "GRADOMANIA". 

The final match of the night was for the PWE Heavyweight title between current champ Dave Mastiff and fan favourite Wolfgang.  This was a monster of a match - you could almost feel the floor shake when these two behemoths collided in the ring.  This was also the match in which I secured the most insults....I got more from Mastiff than the other heels combined....and the more he told me to shut up, the more I cheered for Wolfgang.  My favourite insult was that I had hit every branch of the ugly tree on the way down...my response was "It would have been a lot worse if you hadn't broken half of them when you went down before me!!"  Despite the chants and cheers from the crowd for Wolfgang, he was unable to take the win and Mastiff remains PWE Champ...for now!

All in all, an amazing night and already I am excited for the next PWE show, No Turning Back on 17 May.  Tickets are on sale now (I have my ringside seats booked already) and to get yours click here

Why TNA is better than WWE... and Pro Wrestling Elite rocks!!!! (originally published 26 February 2013)

It's amazing the way my mind wanders when doing mundane things... and the subjects I tend to think about are almost always totally unrelated to the task at hand. Take today for example, I am busy peeling and chopping carrots for my homemade soup when I start to think about wrestling. I mean if you can think of a genuine link relating carrots and wrestling, I would love to hear it!!

Funnily enough, my last blog (way back in September) was also about wrestling, specifically Pro Wrestling Elite but I will get back to them in a minute.

So in January the long-awaited TNA Maximum Impact tour hit the UK and on Wednesday 23 January Rob and I went to Braehead Arena in Glasgow for the event. We had also got our fan interaction tickets and we really excited to see who would appear at the signing. While we were disappointed that Jeff Hardy did not make it to the UK this time, Rob was ecstatic to see Austin Aries was one of the superstars, along with Kurt Angle, RVD, Chavo Guerrero, Hernandez, Zema Ion and The Blossom Twins from the TNA British Bootcamp. I was kinda disappointed that there was no Hogan, Sting, Roode or Storm but as long as Rob was happy!! He took his homemade TNA title belt along with him and had them all sign it and I took along a plain white t-shirt which they also signed. The plan is to take them to all future events and get as many signatures as we can! The show was great and from our third row seats we saw our first (but hopefully not last) steel cage match and I can now say that I have seen the Legend that is Sting wrestling live! They also gave all the participants from British Bootcamp, Rockstar Spud, Marty Scurll and The Blossom Twins, a chance to be part of the show. I will admit that I was not impressed by the winner of the TNA contract, Rockstar Spud on the night and actually took to calling him Mashed Tattie!!!

Austin Aries likes Rob's Style

Signed T Shirt

Rob's handmade belt signed

Now we move onto February 16th and Pro Wrestling Elite's One Wild Night. I got ringside seats booked as part of Rob's birthday present and we were both really looking forward to the event. We were not disappointed! Firstly they used Bon Jovi's One Wild Night for the event so I was happy right from the start. Now if you read my last blog, you will know that I just love to get verbal with the wrestlers and if they pick on me Rob thinks it's fab....and having ringside seats, a very loud voice and bright blue hair is a good way to catch their attention. As much as I love the good guys, you just cannot beat a bit of banter with the heels and Kid Fyte and Martin Kirby were bloody brilliant! When I asked Martin Kirby if "he was born a fanny, or did he practice" he pretended he couldn't hear me but the look on his face when Rob called out "she just called you a vagina!!".....Priceless. Kirby then turned to Kid Fyte and said in a simpering voice "she called me a vagina" to which Kid turned to me and called me a blue haired dyke. Rob was in his element and I scored yet more cool mom points! The highlight of the night however was the appearance of TNA's new signing Rockstar Spud. Now this lad comes from Birmingham and is up against a Scottish wrestler called Red Lightning....and you know how hated Red Lightning must be when a bunch of Scots are chanting and cheering for the Englishman!! During the break Rob had his photo taken with Rockstar Spud and one of the Scottish wrestlers Grado, then we had a chance to get autographs and chat with Spud. That's when my opinion really changed. At the TNA gig he came across as a pompous little ass and he lost his match. Here he was polite, chatty and genuinely nice. He spent a good wee while chatting to us about Rob's "American accent" and rather than saying that it was strange or weird (the normal responses when we explain his Aspergers and language development), he said it was so cool and he was "well impressed." That lad made my boy feel amazing and for that Spud, you will have a fan for life in me and I will never refer to you as Mashed Tattie again! Of course the only disappointment was that we did not have Rob's belt and t-shirt with us and missed a chance to get another TNA superstar signature on them.....and thats what got me thinking today while I was peeling my carrots...

Rob with Rockstar Spud and Grado
Pic by David J Wilson

...at every Pro Wrestling Elite event we have attended there has been at least one TNA superstar appearance. We've seen AJ Styles, Mark Haskins, Mickie James, Magnus and now Rockstar Spud. Now I may be wrong but I don't ever remember hearing of anyone on a WWE contract being allowed to wrestle for independent outfits. I think its great that the independent circuit gets this type of support from TNA. A big name can draw in new fans....after all it was the chance to see AJ Styles that brought Pro Wrestling Elite to our attention in the first place and now we can't miss an event.... which is why, despite the fact that the next event, Elite Takeover on 11 May coincides with my sister's and my mother's (60th) birthdays, Rob and I have our ringside seats booked for Ayr Town Hall... and I think the belt and t-shirt will be going along too...just in case!!!

Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting....But September Weekend Was Made For Wrestling!!! (originally published 19 September 2012)

Back in June, Rob spotted an ad for an independent wrestling event being held in Ayr. The reason it caught his eye was that TNA Superstar AJ Styles was on the bill. He had been really disappointed that AJ had been injured and unable to attend the TNA tour back in January 2011 so he was really keen to go to this show. It was the first anniversary show for Pro Wrestling Elite which is run by Adrian "Lionheart" McCallum (who we had actually seen fight Jeff Jarrett at the TNA show). I managed to get tickets and we went to our first independent show. It was actually pretty good and during the show they announced they would be doing a double-header show at Ayr Town Hall in September and that TNA knockout Mickie James would be appearing. Of course, Rob wanted to go but I had spent a small fortune on merchandise (including getting a signed photo of AJ Styles) and couldn't buy tickets right away....time to work on the budget!!!

It seemed that things were conspiring to stop us from going. First some little ned on a mini-motorbike slammed into the side of my car and took off without stopping meaning I was going to have to take a hit and pay the excess on my car insurance. Then they announced the release of the TNA Fan Interaction tickets which Rob was desperate for. Luckily my brother got a tax rebate at just the right time... so we managed to get both the fan interaction tickets and tickets for both nights of the Pro Wrestling Elite event.

Saturday 15 September - Night 1 of the event - featured four matches which were part of an 8 man tournament to find the first Pro Wrestling Elite World Heavyweight Championship, a tag-team match and the first ever female main event, Mickie James v Kay Lee Ray. The venue was packed and they even had to put out more seats for people who arrived wanting to pay at the door. We had second row seats and Rob was in his element. During one of the tournament matches, one of the wrestlers wouldn't get back into the ring and I ended up yelling at him to get on with it. He responded by telling me to shut my mouth so I called him chicken and started to cluck at him... and the crowd joined in ....Rob was impressed! During the interval we had the chance to have our photo taken with Magnus, another TNA Superstar (he was also former Gladiator Oblivion) and of course I had to be in on that!!!

Me, Magnus and Rob

I bought some raffle tickets and Rob won the DVD of the event we had attended in July. At the end of the evening we managed to meet Magnus and Rob got a signed photo. We drove back to Edinburgh really excited for the following night.

Sunday 16th September was totally amazing! There weren't as many people attending compared to the Saturday, probably because there were a lot of families there on Saturday and the children would have school on the Monday - Rob was so glad that the Monday was an Edinburgh holiday. Because it was quieter we managed to get front row seats. While we were waiting for the show to start, Adrian McCallum went past and I asked if they would be producing a DVD of the event like they did with the previous one. Rob was totally gobsmacked that I had actually spoken to Lionheart - so I went one better and asked if he would have a pic taken with Rob, which he did. He also personalised a signed photograph for him.


Rob & his personalised picture of Lionheart

Rob & Adrian "Lionheart" McCallum







Two of the biggest "heels" Liam Thomson and Mikey Whiplash, who had been eliminated from the tournament the previous night, were teaming up in a match against Magnus and Wolfgang. As they came out, we were booing and giving the thumbs down and they were yelling at us all to shut up. Of course being at ringside and not being the quietest of people, I managed to get their attention and when they told me to shut up, I told them to come over and make me! It ended up with me threatening to blacken Mikey Whiplash's other eye (he got injured on the Saturday night) and him calling me an "ugly cow" and moo-ing at me.....Rob was once again impressed and told me I was the coolest mum ever!! At interval time, we had the chance to get a photo taken in the ring with Mickie James and Rob informed me that my presence was not required and he could manage this one himself.... and he also got a signed photo to add to his ever growing collection!

Rob with the lovely Mickie James

The evening ended with the final of the tournament, Andy Wild v Noam Dar. I admit that I believed even before the tournament started that Noam Dar was a given for the first ever champion...so I was totally surprised when Andy Wild scored the win. It was a great match. Rob managed to get a photo taken with Andy and the belt at the end of the evening and said that one day he would be holding the belt as the champ and not as a fan!! I just warned Andy to make sure he got the right belt back!

Rob and Andy Wild

The thing that stood out the most to me over the entire weekend was how friendly everyone was. Adrian McCallum was more than happy to chat to people and have pictures taken, his girlfriend Alison was so friendly, even when I said I would rather have her boyfriend than raffle tickets. The photographer, David (davidjwilsonphotography.co.uk) and his wife Elaine were so nice. David said he would send me digital copies of the photos of Magnus and Mickie James and he did, which I have included in this blog and Elaine noticed that I went from blonde to purple overnight!! And of course there was Mikey Whiplash....who was sweet enough to moo at me again after the show just for Rob to get a photo. We are so looking forward to the next show!!

Oh yeah, erm Garry my dear brother, I'll pay you back on Tuesday!!!

Hello World...

... and welcome to the strange world of the Blue-Haired Loudmouth.  Let me introduce myself.  My name is Julie, I am 42 and currently have blue hair.  I have a teenage son called Rob who used to hate the fact that I had weird hair but, after 2 years has finally come to see it has it's uses.  We travel around Scotland going to independent wrestling shows and I generally do my best to antagonise the heels into insulting me and cheer the faces until I am hoarse.  Of course having blue hair helps attract the attention of said heels looking for someone to insult in order to keep the crowd booing them.

So today, 8 March 2014, Rob said to me he really wanted to create a Facebook page for "The Blue-Haired Loudmouth", where we could share our photos and videos from the events we attend, as well as writing reviews.  My first question was "does this mean I can keep my blue hair without complaints?" and he said yes!!

We have decided that I would create this blog where we will put our reviews and add links to our Facebook page.

Watch this space......