Sunday 14 December 2014
Just a week after a cracking sell-out show at Murieston, we were back at the RI Unit for the final Reckless Intent show of the year and the crowning of the first Sunday Slam champion! The day had started very wet and windy and being so close to Christmas it was unclear what sort of turnout there would be. Fortunately the weather brightened and the unit ended up pretty full, maybe not a sell-out but it was close! My biggest problem was the fact that I had lost my voice and Rob was facing Jackie Grady - how the hell would I cheer???
The first match of the afternoon was Falcon v JJ Russell. This was Falcon's first appearance since Over The Top and he decided to keep us waiting - his music started....and continued....and finally a full minute and a half later he appeared, jumping straight into the ring and crouching in one corner facing the turnbuckles and completely ignoring the somewhat bemused crowd. JJ Russell got a great reception from the crowd during his entrance and while the ref was making his checks, Falcon made a sneak attack, confirming his new heel status. Falcon attempted to hide under the ring, hitting Russell with a surprise blow when he came looking for him and then battling outside the ring. Back in the ring, Falcon continued to use underhand tactics and the referee seemed to be constantly making 5 counts. Russell attempted to gain the momentum but unfortunately it was Falcon who took a very unpopular win.
Next out to the ring was Iron Fist, accompanied by Miss J, who took the microphone to announce that the fans were not taking the threat of Iron Fist seriously and demanded a match worthy of him. She then called out Mikey and challenged him to face Iron Fist. Mikey answered the challenge and while Iron Fist attempted to beat Mikey with brute force and strength, he had no response for the speed, agility and aerial moves of the fan favourite. A few kicks to the head, a flying crossbody and an elbow drop soon weakened the bigger man and it was Mikey who was victorious, taking a seat in the crowd after his win while Miss J berated her charge for failing once again.
The final match of the first half saw Davidian Fury make his return to Reckless Intent, facing the "Beef from Beith", Bobby Roberts. Fury gained the advantage for the early part of the match, using the ropes to choke Roberts and holding him in the corner with a knee to the throat before attempting to get the win by putting Roberts in a sleeper hold. With the crowd cheering for him, Roberts managed to get back into the match and despite Fury's attempts to subdue him again, Roberts nailed him with a clothesline from hell before pinning him for the three count. After taking the win, Roberts held out his hand to Fury, only to be rebuffed - looks like another sore loser!
The second half started with a rematch from Unleashed, Rawlins against Scott Renwick. Once again we were treated to the skills, experience and wit of two great wrestlers but for me it was not as good as their previous match, simply due to the fact that with Rawlins now being a fan favourite too, there was that good guy/bad guy element missing. The match ended in controversy - as Renwick lifted Rawlins in the Angels Wings, Rawlins caught the referee in the head with his boot, knocking him out, leaving no referee to count when Renwick had Rawlins pinned. Another referee was sitting at ringside, none other than Conor Frost, who refused to take over as referee when, as Renwick attempted to rouse the ref, Rawlins struck and caught him in his crossface submission hold, however when Rawlins released his hold, Renwick struck back and Frost shot into the ring to make a fast three count and declare Renwick the winner before quickly leaving again. With Rawlins fuming in the ring, Frost stood outside smirking as the crowd jeered, before Renwick and Rawlins shook hands and left ringside.
Next out to the ring was Jackie Grady, accompanied by "The Westler" West Grady and his opponent would be none other than Rob Mills! Well obviously I am totally biased in favour of Rob but I know he's just starting out so I didn't have high expectations. I was surprised that the loudest chant was actually for Westy - but that's only cos I had no voice! Anyway Grady was all over this match and had just hit his "No Place Like Home" finisher on Mills when Westy entered the ring and mimicked the move. Grady turned his attention to Westy to berate him, giving Rob the opportunity to roll up Grady and score the pinfall.....MY BOY WON!!! I did get video footage of the match - its not the greatest quality but you can see it on the
Loudmouth Facebook page.
We then had the "Sambroso Maestro Culture Class". Sambroso made his way to the ring, holding a Paul Hollywood calendar and handing out small oranges to kids in the crowd, leaving the last one still in its net bag on my seat! Once in the ring, he aimed to teach the crowd about culture as "the world does not end at the M8 on ramp". Then holding up one of the little oranges he asked the crowd "Do you know what this is? It's a satsuma!" I held up the little net bag and shouted as best as I could...."No it's not! It's a clementine - did you not read the label?" As he attempted to continue with his "lesson" over the laughter of the crowd, he was again interrupted, this time by the arrival of Juan El Loco Gato, stating "my name is Jeff" and "you've got no fans". There was then a bit of a tussle between the guys leaving Sambroso on the mat and Juan repeating his wee phrases!
Finally it was time for the main event between AJ Russell and Venym to see who would be the first Sunday Slam title holder. This was shaping up to be an absolute corker of a match as both guys wanted that belt and they held nothing back. The majority of the crowd were firmly behind Venym although AJ Russell did have a small group of supporters. The match went back and forth, both guys getting 2 counts and it really could have been either guy's match but it unfortunately ended as a no contest when Falcon appeared, climbed to the top turnbuckle and took both guys out with a crossbody. The bell rang to signal the match was over but Falcon continued his assault on Venym, before grabbing a microphone and lying facing the mat, he announced that he does not start shows, he finishes them and was angry that he had been overlooked in the tournament. He then demanded that he be given an opportunity to become the first Sunday Slam champion. Jason McKinlay appeared and agreed that as Falcon had never held the World or UK title belts, he was eligible to compete for the Sunday Slam title and he would grant the match, at which point Falcon left the ring. McKinlay then continued to announce that the match would be a triple threat match between Falcon and the two men he had just cheated of their chance to become the first champion and this would be held at the next Sunday Slam event in January. Personally I wasn't happy with this turn of events. This was supposed to be the final of a tournament and I think that as Falcon wasn't part of the original tournament he should have just waited and challenged the winner....but then the heels never do the right thing so I guess it works in that aspect.
The show ended with the entire roster who were in attendance coming out to thank the crowd for their support throughout the year.
A good show but for me there was something missing. I think now that Rawlins is one of the good guys, we really needed either Saint-George or Darren Lewis on the card as there was no real heel interaction with the crowd. Everyone loves to hate the heels and usually there is at least one occasion during a show where a heel gets right in the face of someone in the crowd and this didn't happen. Yes, Falcon was heel but there was no interaction between him and the crowd, not during his initial match nor during his interruption of the main event. He did not acknowledge the crowd in any way, refusing to even look at them. In fact the only heel/crowd interaction was when referee Conor Frost screwed over Rawlins and got his first "Conor Sucks" chant!
The next Sunday Slam takes place on 25 January at the RI Unit. Matches are starting to be announced and we will finally see the first Sunday Slam Champion crowned after a triple threat match between Falcon, AJ Russell and Venym.
Matches are also being announced for the next main show to be held at Murieston Scout Hall on Saturday 7 February. Tickets are on sale now and advance ticket holders will gain early entry to the venue and a special preshow bonus match for the Hardcore Title.
Make sure to like their
Facebook page to get updates for upcoming events, links for tickets and video content.
No comments:
Post a Comment