Review: Reckless Intent presents Reckless Intent 3

Saturday 7 February 2015

This was the first Reckless Intent show to have a Bonus pre-show match for advance ticket holders and it appeared that everyone wanted to see it, as there were very few people who required tickets on the door!!

The pre-show match was a corker.  Billed as a Mystery Doors match there was a door in each corner, each with an envelope attached, containing details of the prizes to be won, one of which was the Hardcore Title.  To win the contents of an envelope, you had to put an opponent through the door, eliminating them in the process!  With 5 men and 4 doors, someone was leaving empty-handed and no-one would know who was the Hardcore Champion until after the match when the envelopes would be opened.  Davidian Fury won the first envelop by putting current Hardcore Champ Sam Crowe through a door, ensuring there would be a new champion at the end of the match.  Craig "The Firestorm" Valant took the second envelope after eliminating Fury before being put through the third door himself by AJ Russell.  Finally JJ Russell took the final envelope by putting his brother through the last door.  Then the envelopes were opened .... Davidian Fury won the chance to be guest host at Sunday Slam, AJ Russell won the Hardcore Title, Craig Valant won an Elton John CD and JJ Russell won Fish and Chips - and was so excited, you would think he had won the title belt!!  The action was not over, however, as Bobby Roberts came out to the ring, hit AJ Russell with a spear and pinned him for the Hardcore Title.  Westy then appeared to challenge Roberts but instead was hit in the head with the belt and Roberts left still Champion.

The main show began with the appearance of the SOS, dragging a dishevelled Jason McKinlay to the ring.  They sat him on a chair and berated him before they unmasked themselves one by one....first the mouthpiece of the group was revealed to be Graeme Leask, then UK Title holder Darren Lewis was unmasked and took credit for putting the group together before introducing the final member of their group....none other than Reckless Intent Champion Scott Renwick!

With the SOS still in the ring, Chris Renfrew came out for his match against Darren Lewis, however the match never happened as all three members of SOS beat Renfrew, using the steel chair.  The RI Originals, Rawlins and Mikey came out to make the save and acting GM Doctor Grue came to the ring and refused to allow the match to go ahead, despite Renfrew's protests that he was able to continue.  Instead a match was set between Lewis and Renfrew for the next show at Murieston on 4 April and Renfrew announced that if Lewis is going to have his friends there, he would be bringing some friends of his own, before making the NAK hand sign.

Next was Joe Hendry against Rawlins.  Before the match started, Rawlins asked acting GM Doctor Grue to remove Conor Frost as referee, citing Frost's previous questionable decisions.  This request was granted and an alternative referee , Brian Laing, took over.  Frost then announced that he had lodged an official complaint against Rawlins for putting his hands on him at Sunday Slam.  With Frost removed from proceedings, we were then treated to a cracking match.  With attempted pins and submissions from both guys, this match went back and forth but Rawlins attempted a flying headbutt from the ropes which Hendry avoided and capitalised on to take the pinfall.  A win for Hendry, but Rawlins appeared to accept a defeat where the referee was not a factor!

The first half main event saw Bobby Roberts pick an opponent for Saint-George and, very cleverly, picked Saint-George's friend and ally, Ian Ambrose.  The match began with the two friends refusing to fight each other before messing about, gently poking each other and acting like they had taken the hardest hit ever.  With the crowd getting annoyed at this blatant mickey-taking, Doctor Grue came out to the ring and restarted the match, demanding that they take it seriously or be fired.  The bell rang and Ambrose went straight for the pin.  Saint-George was shocked and angry and a proper match began to take place.....until Bravehart appeared and restored harmony between the friends.  All three then turned on Grue.  First they started stripping him of his shoes, jacket and tie and then began to bully him, demanding he hand the GM powers over to Bravehart.  Bobby Roberts made the save but a shaken Grue said it was too much for him and handed Bravehart the GM position.

The first match of the second half saw Saint-George pick Bobby Roberts' opponent and he chose the new acting GM Bravehart.  The first thing the new GM did was make it a 3 on 1 handicap match, leaving Roberts at the mercy of Bravehart, Ambrose and Saint-George and effectively handing Bravehart the win.  This was not enough for the "Better Together" crew and they continued to beat Roberts, tearing his Scotland flag and draping it over him before LJT came out to make the save.  As Bobby got to his feet however, LJT struck with a superkick and pinned Roberts to take the Hardcore title.  Immediately AJ Russell appeared and hit LJT with a spear before becoming Hardcore champ for the second time that night.  The action was not over as JJ Russell came out and hit his brother with a crutch and the title changed hands once again.  As Russell made his way backstage with the belt, Westy appeared to challenge him and once again took a whack to the head with the belt.

The penultimate match saw The Super Friends, Venym and Chris Echo, take on Jackie Grady and Westy.  Now I am not quite sure where Venym is going with his character - he came out carrying a replica of Thor's hammer and there was this weird skit with Echo not being able to lift it but Venym could...the crowd seemed to like it though but personally I don't think he needs the hammer gimmick!  Anyway the match was okay - Venym swung Grady around while Echo jumped over Grady's head which was cool!  Westy got his usual pop from the crowd which appears to be getting under the skin of Grady, who walked away and left Westy alone and allowed the Super Friends to take the win.

Finally it was main event time - Scott Renwick would put the title on the line against Mikey. Acting GM Bravehart made this match a No Disqualification, Anything Goes match, effectively stacking the match in favour of the newly revealed SOS member.  Now, anyone who has attended a RI show will be aware of how Mikey's mum Janet deals with seeing her son in matches and after the No DQ was announced, I was advised to keep Janet occupied and out of the hall.  I was partially successful - she sneaked in but soon left again in tears - but this meant that I did not witness the action as it happened, rather I was allowed to watch the video footage afterward in order to give my opinion for this blog and I thank Callum Kerr for the photo used as I was not able to get any shots of my own. There is only one word to describe this match and that is brutal.  Mikey dived straight into the ring and let Renwick know how angry he was with his fists.  This was no wrestling match...this was a fight!  As Renwick took the upper hand, he appeared to tell his SOS cohorts that he had this under control and they left....but they would return later! As Mikey started to gain an advantage, they returned, quickly followed by Rawlins to help even the numbers......in fact, just watch it for yourself by clicking here and check out Mikey's 18ft leap from a ladder inside the ring onto tables outside which ultimately led to Renwick taking the win!  Amazing match...definitely match of the night!!

The next Reckless Intent show is "No Going Back" on 7 March at the RI Unit and tickets will be available on the door priced at £7 for adults, £5 for kids or a family ticket (2 adults/2 kids) is £20.  Details of this event and all future events are on Facebook

Review: SWE Uprising: Guardians of the Kayfabe

Saturday 31 January 2015

Our trip to Dundee was a little longer than normal, as this time we were travelling from Manchester, having gone down there for the TNA show (which was pretty damn good but I am not blogging it as they did TV tapings which will air in March).

The first match of the night saw Scotty Riccio put the Future Division title on the line against Rawlins.  This was a cracking match with Rawlins going all out to take the belt and Riccio doing everything he could to hang onto it.  With the action spilling outside the ring, Rawlins smashed Riccio into the railings directly in front of us before returning to the ring to continue the punishment.  Riccio dodged the flying headbutt and managed to gain some momentum until he went for the 619 where Rawlins managed to grab his legs and went for a sharpshooter.  Unable to get the win, Rawlins went for another flying headbutt before using the crossface submission hold.  Somehow Riccio managed to manoeuvre this into a pin attempt and the hold was broken.  Suddenly Riccio had the upper hand and a successful 619 ended with Riccio scoring the pin to retain the belt.  Rawlins appeared to be irate, going to the commentary table to grab the belt, however he returned to the ring, handed the belt to the champion before shaking his hand.  Seems Rawlins ain't all bad after all!

Next out to the ring was Bravehart accompanied by Jam O'Malley, The Trident (minus Saint-George) and Scott Renwick, followed by Chaz Phoenix.  After a war of words between Bravehart and Phoenix, Bravehart stated that it was 5 on 1 and Phoenix wouldn't stand a chance as they attacked en-masse.  Felix Fortune appeared but rather than helping Phoenix, much to the crowd's surprise, he joined Bravehart's crew in the attack.  Bravehart was attempting to put the sharpshooter on Phoenix when Bobby Roberts appeared and cleared the ring - prompting me to shout that "in the face of 100% pure Scottish beef, they all turned into chickens".  Phoenix then announced that Fortune would face Roberts one on one....

Roberts wasted no time in dishing out some punishment to the former fan favourite, however Fortune was not going down as easily as expected.  Although Roberts dominated most of the match, Fortune managed a few good moves and tried to keep Roberts down using headlocks on the canvas.  Roberts is a very hard man to keep down though and rallied to punish Fortune some more, however Fortune lived up to his name when he managed to move out of the corner as Roberts came at him and instead hit the ringpost, Fortune grabbed the opportunity to roll up the big guy, pulling the tights for leverage and scored the three count.

The first half main event was an absolute corker of a match between "The Butcher" Scott Renwick and LJT, who has become the big fan favourite in Dundee in recent months.  From the outset, these guys just went all out to impress the crowd.  LJT started off the match with a stunning dropkick and looked to have Renwick well in hand until Renwick caught the crossbody attempt and dropped for the backbreaker.  The match continued in spectacular fashion, with near falls for both men.  The end was equally as spectacular as Renwick attempted the Angel Wings, hoisting LJT into the air only for LJT to somehow manage to flip his legs over the back of Renwick, unbalancing him until he dropped and as soon as LJT's feet hit the mat he bridged to take an awesome pinfall, which the crowd loved.  LJT then addressed the crowd, stating that he was the only man to have pinned current champ Ian Ambrose in the 371 days since he took the title and he deserved a title shot.  He ended his speech by saying his mother taught him "If someone hits you, you hit back.  If someone pushes you, you push back. If someone fights you, you fight back" and that he would be taking part in the Battle Royal and walking out with the No 1 contendership for the heavyweight title.

After the interval the action continued with a 20 Man Battle Royal.  As always, chaos ensued and it was difficult to keep track of all the action.  Conor Frost made his wrestling debut as Big Bad Bundy and became the immediate target for Rawlins to the extent that after "Bundy" was eliminated, Rawlins dived between the ropes to continue his assault on the man who had plagued him with poor decisions as a referee, but eventually returned to the ring and was one of the final men to be eliminated.  JJ Russell was an easy elimination for Scott Renwick, who gave him a push as Russell stood on the ropes in the corner calling out his "geez a chance" catchphrase to the fans.  Eventually it came down to Scott Renwick and LJT and the crowd were going nuts.  Unfortunately, Bravehart decided to interfere and as LJT delivered a kick to the SWE co-owner, Renwick took the opportunity to hit a clothesline and put LJT over the top rope.

The next match saw Massimo Italiano make his SWE debut against Jay The Jackal, who was accompanied to the ring by his "Associate".  Italiano had the advantage for the early part of the match until The Jackal's "Associate" caused a distraction allowing Jay to take upper hand for a short time.  Italiano was able to power through to retake the advantage so The Jackal feigned an injury outside of the ring and distracted the referee while his Associate entered the ring behind the big Italian and struck with a boot to the face.  The Jackal then crawled back into the ring and scored the three count.

The penultimate match featured the return of Euan Mackie against his former Z-List comrade Jam O'Malley.  This was not the usual comedy offering seen when these two enter a ring and there was a real feeling of bad blood between them.  With Bravehart accompanying O'Malley to the ring, Chaz Phoenix came out with Mackie to ensure a fair match.  Added to the mix was referee Edith Summer who had slapped O'Malley at Hell for Lycra.  Mackie sprayed Jam with the red mist, Jam retaliated with punches and slams.  Mackie put on a good show and appeared to have the match in his grasp.  As Mackie was on the turnbuckles, Bravehart grabbed his leg and attempted to pull him outside the ring.  Phoenix grabbed Bravehart but the distraction had given O'Malley time to gather himself.  O'Malley was disqualified after whacking Mackie with what appeared to be an inflatable gym ball, then continued his attack using a tricycle. He then turned his attention to the referee and attacked Summer, slamming her to the canvas.  After a final attack on Mackie with the trike, he left the ring area, pausing to attack the timekeeper on his way backstage.

The final match - and most definitely match of the night - was the SWE Heavyweight match between Champion #scumbag Ian Ambrose and Mikey.  With each determined to outdo the other and leave the ring holding the belt, there were no holds barred.  The match went back and forth with some tremendous moves however the action came to a halt when the lights went down and (after a few technical problems) the screen displayed the name "Stallyon".  The crowd then expected to see Stallyon make an appearance but this was not to be.  Mikey hoisted Ambrose on his shoulders and while turning Ambrose kicked the referee in the head, knocking him out.  Mikey then made several successful pinfalls but there was no referee to make the count.  Rousing the referee, Mikey made another pinfall attempt but the dazed ref made an extremely slow count, allowing Ambrose to kick out on 2.  Ambrose then turned the tables and caught Mikey in a submission hold and made the challenger tap out in order to retain the title.  The crowd were furious but the result stands.  I really hope to see a rematch between these two in the future.

Both the Future Division match between Riccio and Rawlins and the Heavyweight Title match between Ian Ambrose and Mikey are available to view online in SWEOnlineTV episode 3 - I totally recommend you watch them now by clicking here.

The next SWE event, Uprising: The Psycho Circus will be held at the Ardler Complex on Saturday 28 February and tickets are available now.  Check out the SWE Facebook for information on all upcoming events and tickets and subscribe to them on YouTube

Review: Reckless Intent presents Sunday Slam "Shall We Begin"

Sunday 25 January 2015

So my first wrestling show of the year was at my home away from home!  With Rob on the card, we were both looking forward to the day.  While the boys were in the unit organising the show, I was outside setting up the tuck shop and merchandise stand, which is a great way of keeping busy and warm on a cold day!  There was a great turn out for the show, ending with standing room only in the unit.

The show started with temporary ring announcer Sully introducing Doctor Grue as the acting General Manager in the wake of Jason McKinlay being attacked by SOS and his being held hostage.  Grue called them a bunch of cowards and said that if they harmed McKinlay he would set Rawlins and Mikey on them and any other Reckless Intent roster member who wanted a piece of them and that he would not stop them till they had been ripped apart bit by bit.  He also said Jason would want the show to go on and that if SOS thought it would be cancelled due to their actions, they were mistaken.

The first match paired up Rob Mills and Bobby Roberts to face Jackie Grady and "The Westler" West Grady.  Roberts was the dominant force in this match, easily controlling both Grady and Westy before Mills tagged in against Westy.  With the smaller guy now in the ring, Grady managed to antagonise Roberts into trying to enter the ring, taking the referee's attention from the legal man and allowing Grady and Westy to double team Mills and dish out a fair amount of punishment.  Roberts was tagged in and immediately took control, sending Westy out to the floor and showing Grady who is boss.  With Grady on the mat, Roberts stood ready and waiting to spear Grady as he got to his feet when a cocky Mills tagged himself in.  While Mills and Roberts argued, Grady took the opportunity to get to his feet and tag The Westler who dropped Mills with a clothesline and scored the pinfall.  Roberts helped his young tag partner to his feet and told him "you win some, you lose some".   Mills slapped Roberts in the face, yelling "I don't need him" before receiving both a stunner and a spear....cracking moves but hard to watch when it's your kid on the receiving end!!

Next up was Saint-George against the returning Davidian Fury.  Saint-George arrived to the ring first, taking the microphone and making his usual derogatory comments about the crowd, including having a go about eating haggis for Burns Supper, before calling out his opponent.  With Fury bragging about holding the hardcore championship the longest in Reckless Intent, he had a point to prove and he planned to do that by beating the man everyone loves to hate.  The crowd seemed a bit confused about who to cheer for as Fury is known as a heel.  This meant that there were actually people chanting and cheering for the Englishman!  Saint-George started off well, taking Fury down on the mat and managing to yell at members of the crowd while beating on his opponent but Fury came back at him and hit a lovely dropkick to the face of Saint-George.  After a double clothesline put both men down, it looked like Fury had the advantage but Saint-George made a final comeback and hit the "Saint George Cross" and took the three count.

As Saint-George left the ring, Mikey suddenly appeared and attacked Davidian Fury, who was still down on the mat.  Mikey then grabbed a microphone and, in between punches and kicks, made it clear that there was still some resentment regarding Fury's previous time with Reckless Intent when he was part of the New Blood faction who tried to destroy everything Mikey stood for.  Rawlins then appeared and told Mikey off....for starting without him.  The Originals then continued a double team attack on Fury, including their amazing "Reckless Abandon" double team move, followed by some chair shots from Rawlins and finally a coast to coast from Mikey, all of which left a battered Fury bleeding in the ring.

Next up was Craig "The Firestorm" Valant to face Rawlins.  This match was shaping up to be a stoater but once again, the focus turned to referee Conor Frost and his ongoing hostility towards Rawlins.  After a great start with some nice moves and counters from both guys, Rawlins applied his crossface submission hold on Valant, only for Frost to break the hold and accuse Rawlins of choking his opponent.  Rawlins let this one go, got back to the match and once again applied the crossface hold. This went between submission and near pin as Valant tried to escape until Valant managed to reverse the hold into his "white heat" submission.  Referee Frost immediately called for the bell and awarded the win to Valant, stating that Rawlins had tapped out when he clearly had not.  Mikey, sitting ringside argued that Rawlins had not tapped and even Craig Valant was unhappy also making the point that he knew Rawlins had not submitted.  Frost was unrepentant and also extremely lucky, managing to squirm his way out of the ring as Rawlins attempted to apply his crossface hold on the errant referee.

The first match of the second half saw JJ Russell take on "The Superstar" Darren Lewis.  The match started with JJ Russell sizing up to Lewis and, finding himself a little short, had the crowds in fits of laughter as he puffed himself up in an attempt to look bigger.  Lewis was not amused at Russell's comedy antics but he entertained the crowd and also put in a good show against the current UK Champion, while Lewis resorted to underhanded tactics such as using the ropes to choke Russell and pulling on his beard.  Despite pulling off some cracking moves, including a drop kick from the top turnbuckle, it was not to be Russell's day and Lewis got the three count after hitting the cradle shock on the fan favourite.

Next up was the triple threat match for the Sunday Slam title.  AJ Russell was announced first and came out in normal clothing on crutches, taking a seat at ringside instead of entering the ring.  Falcon once again made the crowd wait before making his appearance in the ring.  Finally, Venym appeared and despite the audio problem with his entrance music, was greeted enthusiastically by the crowd.  Falcon and Venym went back and back and forth, each doing everything possible to be the first Sunday Slam champion and both came close to scoring the three count as AJ Russell sat watching from ringside.  Then, as Venym had the advantage and made to pin the beaten Falcon, Russell jumped up on the apron and whacked Venym with one of his crutches.  He then entered the ring, rolled Falcon out to the floor and pinned Venym to become the first Sunday Slam Champion.  Venym then called for acting GM Doctor Grue to come to the ring and asked to be entered into the Battle Royal match taking place later, which would determine the no 1 contender for the Sunday Slam title, thus giving him the possibility of the chance to face AJ Russell one on one for the belt.  Doctor Grue admitted that it was his error that the card was not changed to remove Russell from their match and Russell was the legitimate winner of the belt but that he would grant Venym's request and allow him to compete in the Battle Royal.

It was then time for Sambroso Maestro's "Culture Club".  You actually have to feel a little sorry for the guy because not only did he have to deal with me antagonising him, he had to contend with the wit of Sully and then, after trying to start a "Suave not Chav" chant,  had to face Sweet Chavi Sanchez.  Chavi then wound up Sambroso by say "my name is Jeff" before turning him into a human pretzel and hooking his foot into his shirt and lying down in front of him.  Sambroso retaliated with a lowblow and threatened Chavi with his "deboo" while promoting his Facebook and snapchat, allowing Chavi to get the better of him once again.

Finally we had the Battle Royal match to determine the No 1 contender for the Sunday Slam title.  As always, this was chaotic with so many people in the ring at once, so some things may appear out of sequence!  First everyone attacked Bobby Roberts, who then managed to regroup and hit each and every one of the competitors with a stunner before making the first elimination of match, ejecting Rob Mills from the ring.  He was then distracted by Darren Lewis and jumped the top rope, eliminating himself and chased Lewis backstage.  Falcon spent the early part of the match sitting out of the way of the action before finally getting involved and then strangely chose to eliminate himself from the match.  Chavi Sanchez was like a cat with nine lives, almost being eliminated several times but somehow managing to squirm back into the ring, even using the crowd barriers to avoid his feet hitting the floor.  Jackie Grady was not eligible to compete as a former World and UK title holder, however he stood at ringside and imitated West Grady, before he jumped up on the apron and helped Chris Echo to eliminate The Westler.  Sweet Johnny took a series of brutal chops from several other wrestlers before being eliminated.

The final four competitors were JJ Russell, Venym, Chavi and Sambroso.  Russell was eliminated first and it appeared that Venym had been eliminated however, although he was knocked over the top rope, his feet did not touch the floor.  Sambroso quickly eliminated Chavi and began celebrating what he believed to be a win, only to turn around and find Venym back in the ring.  Venym
swung Sambroso round a few times and then catapulted him over the top rope to take the win and claim the position of No 1 contender to the Sunday Slam title.

There are several pieces of footage from this show available on YouTube, including the full match between Darren Lewis and JJ Russell.

The next Reckless Intent show is on 7 February at Murieston Scout Hall.  Advance ticket holders will gain early entry to the venue and witness a pre-show "Mystery Doors" match for the Hardcore title.  This is one not to be missed and tickets are available now - click here to get yours.

The next Sunday Slam will be held at the RI Unit on 22 February and promises to be another belter.  Entry is £5 on the door and it is advised to get there early to grab a seat!

Check out Reckless Intent on Facebook and subscribe to their YouTube channel.

Review: Reckless Intent presents Christmas Sunday Slam

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.

Review: SWE Seasons Beatings

Saturday 13 December 2014

After several changes to the travel arrangements, it ended up with Rob travelling to Dundee with the boys from Reckless and I made the journey up later with my good friend Janet, stopping off on the way to introduce her to the delights of Dr Noodles!

Once again, there was early entry and a bonus match for advance ticket holders.  This time we had a handicap match with Saint-George and Darren Blair from The Trident against Felix Fortune.  There appeared to be some friction between the two Trident members at the start of the match, with both wanting first crack at Fortune.  The match was completely one-sided with the Trident boys pretty much taking turns to inflict as much punishment on Fortune as possible.  Saint-George got the pinfall, however Blair was not happy about this and it looked once again as though the two would come to blows.  Blair instead powerbombed the beaten Fortune and peace was restored within The Trident, however I am not sure just how long this alliance will stay together.

In true festive spirit, the main show started with the arrival of the commentary team, Chris Duke appeared dressed as Santa and Doctor Grue wore a very fetching Christmas jumper.  We also had Wee Jimmy dressed as an elf and someone in an Olaf from Frozen costume wandering around.  It was announced that the main event for the evening would feature the winners of each match in a 'Sole Survivor' elimination match.

The first match of the main show was Rawlins v LJT.  I have to admit that I love watching Rawlins play heel and he did a great job of that here.  While the majority of the crowd were firmly behind LJT, Rawlins did have a small group of supporters chanting for him too.  Both these guys just go for it and don't hold back anything, giving the fans plenty to cheer about.  There was a cracking move where LJT dropkicked the legs of Rawlins as he stood on the ring apron, sending him to the floor.  After a short battle outside the ring, Rawlins returned to the ring in order to suicide dive LJT!  This was a cracking match up and it looked like Rawlins would take the win with his crossface submission move, but LJT doesn't know how to quit and made it to the ropes to break the hold, before scoring the pinfall himself.

Next Bravehart appeared with Jam O'Malley and The Trident.  As all match winners would be going into the final elimination match, Bravehart decided that Jam O'Malley would have a match and called for a referee.  Edith Summers answered the call and after assuring Bravehart that O'Malley would be eligible for the match if he scored a pinfall, Bravehart lay down and let Jam pin him.  After Edith had reluctantly counted the pinfall, it appeared that all five men were about to attack her as payback for events at Hell For Lycra.  Nikki Storm then made her entrance and berated the men for ganging up on a woman...before turning and attacking Summers herself.  LJT came out to the ring, sending Storm and the men scattering, before helping the injured Summers backstage.

The final match of the first half saw Venym take on SWE Champion Ian Ambrose in a non-title match.  I really enjoyed this match.  Venym put on a great show against the champion, swinging him around the ring, clotheslining him over the top rope then dropkicking him off the apron and had a couple of near pins.  Ambrose had his moments too, including his double foot stomp from the top turnbuckle and a cracking dropkick.  After they took each other down with a double clothesline, Venym appeared to have the advantage but it was not to be his night and the match ended with Ambrose rolling up Venym and grabbing a handful of tights as leverage to score the three count.

The first match of the second half saw Jackie Grady face off against Joe Hendry.  This was thankfully a short match.  I say thankfully as I found it really hard to watch as it appeared that Hendry went all out to destroy and humiliate his younger, lighter opponent and Grady never really stood a chance.  Despite the crowd trying to rally Grady, it was Hendry's match from start to finish.

Next saw Jay the Jackal challenge Scotty Riccio for the Future Division title.  This was marred slightly by the fact that a regular attendee had been banned due to issues between himself and The Jackal and a group of people who were unhappy with this decision decided to leave the hall during this match in support of this fan. The match itself was good with the Jackal being his usual horrible self and Riccio pulling of some delightful aerial moves.  The match ended in a win for The Jackal after the action spilled outside of the ring and Riccio somehow ended up with his foot caught in the barriers, causing him to be counted out.  The Jackal was elated until it was pointed out that the title could only change hands by pinfall or submission and therefore Riccio retained the title.  Once the irate Jackal had left the ring, Riccio then called three fans into the ring to present them with birthday cards and gifts.

Finally it was time for the main event - the Sole Survivor elimination match.  Announced as the sole member of his team was LJT.  Next Bravehart appeared with Nikki Storm, Jam O'Malley and the Trident and already it looked like the odds were firmly stacked against fan favourite LJT.  Suddenly Olaf from Frozen appeared at ringside and unmasked to reveal none other than Chaz Phoenix.  As the other members of Bravehart's team, Jay the Jackal, Joe Hendry and Ian Ambrose appeared, it was now a 7 on 1 battle, but Phoenix announced there would be two men to join LJT's team, Mikey and "The Beast from Belfast" Damian O'Connor.  This was an absolute belter but I am not even going to try to describe this match.....instead I suggest you check it out for yourself by clicking here!

During the interval I had spoken to a young lad called Edward who I had noticed at the previous show as he had dressed as his favourite wrestler Ian Ambrose, complete with the white coat although his stated "Ambrose is God" on it.  I told him I would see if it was possible to have Ian Ambrose to come out after the show to meet him and maybe get a photo.  Sure enough, Ian Ambrose agreed to do so and made that young lads night - not a total #scumbag after all!

SWE's next event is Uprising on 31 January.  Tickets are on sale now and advance ticket holders will get early entry and a pre-show bonus match.  Check them out on Facebook for information on events and tickets.

Review: Reckless Intent presents Lights Out

Saturday 6 December 2014

So once again we were in Livingston for Reckless Intent's second show at Murieston Scout Hall.  We arrived early at the unit to help load up the ring and then set up at the Scout Hall.  I helped out with ticket sales and merchandise and although Rob was not wrestling, he was to be a lumberjack.  Pre-sales had been good and it turned out to be another sell out show.  I am not going to go into a lot of detail about each of the matches because I have been such a slacker, it's now three weeks since the event and virtually all of the matches are up on YouTube for your viewing pleasure!!

The first match was scheduled to be a Fatal Fourway but ended up a Triple Threat between Craig "The Firestorm" Valant, Venym and Jackie Grady, who was accompanied to the ring by "West Grady".  Valant and Venym appeared to be working together against Grady early on, however neither was willing to let the other make the pinfall so they inevitably had to battle each other.  The added element of "West Grady" at ringside, mimicking Grady came into play when Grady rolled out of the ring after being suplexed by Venym.  Valant then slammed Venym to the canvas before leaving the ring to retrieve Grady, only to find it was "West Grady" trying to hide under the ring, while Grady appeared at the other side of the ring and attempted to sneak attack Venym from behind.  While Venym was able to counter and put Grady down, Valant grabbed his opportunity and nailed Venym to score the pinfall.

The next match between JJ Russell and Scotty Riccio also became a Triple Threat match.  As GM Jason McKinlay introduced Riccio to the Reckless Intent crowd, SWE co-owner Bravehart appeared and demanded that Trident member Darren Blair be allowed to compete in the match.  With the Bo'ness Rugby Club in attendance once again, they made their feelings toward Bravehart very obvious.  Similar to the previous match, Riccio and Russell worked together against Blair until the issue of the pinfall came up.  Another great match which came to an end as Blair and Russell were pulling each other's beards, Riccio hit a double dropkick leaving both men on the ropes in a set up for the 619.  Russell managed to move out of the way and Blair took the move, however he managed to move out of the way of Riccio's springboard moonsault, leaving Riccio face down on the mat and allowing Russell to capitalise, hitting Blair with the "Sister Abigail" to take the win and give the Bo'ness boys something to cheer about.

The next match was supposed to be AJ Russell v Claymore, but in another card change, he instead faced LJT.  This was a great match.  Both these guys come out with masks but remove them to wrestle and you are never exactly sure which side of sanity they are on.  They are both good on the mat and pull off cracking flying moves. LJT dropkicked Russell over the top rope, but Russell had the smarts to move before LJT followed up by launching himself over the top rope and moved to the other side of the ring ready to catch LJT with a boot to the face when he attempted a suicide dive.  This went back and forth and looked like LJT would be victorious after a stunner and a boot to the face of Russell but somehow Russell kicked out.  Russell then capitalised, moving out of the way of another aerial move by LJT before finally hitting a massive frogsplash from the top rope and getting the 3 count.  Not a popular win for the regular Reckless Intent crowd, but the Bo'ness Rugby Club were ecstatic.

The first half main event saw Mikey v Joe Hendry, with Mikey's career on the line.  Hendry came out to the ring and got on the microphone...and promptly became the butt of all the Bo'ness boys jokes.  Jason McKinlay interrupted to make an announcement that, because so much was at stake and both men had been attacked by SOS at the last event, this would now be a lumberjack match.  It was very obvious which camp each lumberjack was in and there was a bit of a run in with the Bo'ness boys and Saint-George both before and during the match.  There was something for everyone in this match with Hendry using his technical skills, Mikey showing his aerial skills (including taking out half the lumberjacks flying over the top rope) and outside interference, first by the lumberjacks - Saint-George grabbed Mikey's leg more than once - and then by the appearance of the SOS.  With several near falls by both guys, this could have gone either way but, having suffered three losses to Hendry in the past, this was to be Mikey's night when, after being suplexed twice by Hendry, he managed to counter an attempt at a third and roll Hendry up instead to take the three count.

The second half started with a tag team match pitting Saint-George and Ian Ambrose against Bobby Roberts and DCT. With Bravehart and Darren Blair at ringside interfering, this was never going to be a fair match, however the referee did send them backstage.  Ambrose and Saint-George continued with underhanded tactics, keeping one member of the team isolated in their corner to enable them to double-team as the ref kept the other member from entering the ring and, in the case of Bobby Roberts, focusing on the left knee.  Saint-George was also debuting some new ring gear which was not very flattering and I doubt we will be seeing it again in the future!  Ambrose appeared to have Roberts under control when Roberts pulled off an amazing mid air spear on Ambrose as he leapt from the top rope.  This gave both men the chance to tag in their partners and DCT let loose on Saint-George, with several near pin attempts before
tagging Roberts back in.  With Ambrose and DCT battling outside the ring, Roberts caught Saint-George with a spear, only for Bravehart and Blair to make a return to ringside.  With both the referee and Roberts distracted, Saint-George hit Roberts with an RKO and had him pinned when Chaz Phoenix appeared.  With Saint-George now distracted, Roberts managed to recover and finished Saint-George with a stunner before scoring the pin.  As a final insult, Phoenix entered the ring, pulled the England flag from his pocket and watched as Bobby Roberts ripped it in two before dumping it on the face of Saint-George, finishing by draping a lion rampant over him to the cheers from an ecstatic crowd.

The penultimate match saw Rawlins face Jay the Jackal.  This match had its share of controversial moments as well as some humour.  Rawlins starting by addressing Wee Jimmy at ringside as though he was Jay, which infuriated his opponent, following up by taking a seat in the crowd and starting what appeared to be a "Jimmy" chant.  The crowd love Rawlins as the good guy and were firmly behind him throughout the match.  Referee Conor Frost played an important part in this match, first stopping Rawlins from leaving the ring to follow The Jackal, allowing The Jackal to sweep his leg on the ring apron and gain the advantage.  With Rawlins prone in the ring, The Jackal decided to get in the face of one of the crowd members, who had to be restrained by Jam O'Malley.  Then as Rawlins made his comeback in the match, a boot mean for the face of The Jackal instead connected with the referee.  Rawlins then got The Jackal in his crossface submission and The Jackal tapped out, however with referee Frost down and out, there was no-one to call it!  As Rawlins roused Frost, The Jackal hit him with a lowblow and rolled him up for the three count to take a very unpopular win.

The Main event had been advertised for some time as Scott Renwick putting the title on the line against a face from his past, someone who had take a title from him before.  Shortly before the event it was announced that his opponent would be Eric Canyon who, with the help of some friends, had taken Renwick's NWA belt back in 2011.  This time Canyon would not have his friends to help, nor would he have support in the crowd who were very much behind Renwick and it was this support which helped rally "The Butcher" during a brutal but fantastic match.  Both guys put on one hell of a show, battling both in and out of the ring, but Canyon finally succumbed to the "Angels Wings" and Renwick left ringside still holding his belt.

So another cracking show at Murieston, which looks to be the regular venue for Reckless Intent's monthly shows.  The next event here is Reckless Intentions 3 on 7 February with tickets on sale now.  Check out their Facebook page for tickets and details of the matches are already being announced, including an early entry and special pre-show bonus match for advance ticket holders.

Of course there is also Sunday Slam on 25 January at the RI Unit with entry costing just £5 on the door.  See you there!!