Review: PWE - The Road To Revolution

Saturday 9 May 2015

It had been a while since we had been to Ayr and we were looking forward to this show.  While there was platinum packages available, we decided to go with the silver option as we had already met the big stars at previous events and silver still got us early entry for the bonus pre-show match. We even took a couple of friends, Janet and Fiona, along with us!

Said pre-show match was a corker with Saqib Ali facing off against "The Best Young Wrestler in the World" Lewis Girvan.  I've seen both these guys wrestle a few times now and when your pre-show is of this calibre, you know the main show is going to be stunning.  A very nice match where both guys were able to showcase their talent despite the shortness of the match.  Really enjoyed this one and it was nice for Janet to be able to cheer for Girvan this time as he took the victory!

The main show began with the appearance of TJ Rage & Davey Blaze to take on Tag Team Champion Lou King Sharp, who had released a video in the run up to the show announcing that his partner for this match would be PWE owner Lionheart and had cheekily named the team Lion King!  As Blaze and Rage waited in the ring, Sharp announced the arrival of Lionheart who failed to appear.  Sharp was invited to get into the ring, lie down and make it easy on himself and eventually Lionheart reluctantly made his appearance.  Rage and Blaze concentrated on isolating Sharp and the wee guy took some amount of punishment before Lionheart was let loose.  After dropping Rage, he delivered a cracking frog splash on Blaze and Lion King took the victory by pinfall.  After the match, Rage and Blaze asked Sharp to come into the ring and shake their hands and agree to a rematch.  Despite Lionheart telling him not to, Sharp accepted, only to be told that he had just agreed to a 3 on 1 handicap match at the anniversary show in August.

Next up was the clash of the heavyweights as Iestyn Rees faced Chris Masters.  To be absolutely honest, I was a bit disappointed with this match and actually said I wished they had given Saqib Ali and Lewis Girvan this slot instead!  Masters really appeared to be just going through the motions and looked like he didn't actually want to be there which was a let down as I have seen this guy before and he really can put on a good show when he wants to.  Rees took the victory and quickly started antagonising the crowd.  A video then was played and it was announced that Rees would be facing Drew Galloway at the Anniversary show on 8 August.

Next up was a Fatal Fourway match with Joey Hayes v Martin Kirby v Kenny Williams v El Ligero.  This match was fast and furious with all four pulling off some lovely moves. A couple of highlights were when Kenny Williams got some amazing height from the top turnbuckle when going for a dropkick on Hayes who was halfway across the ring and when Hayes managed to catch El Ligero with a boot when he sprang from the ropes, before dropping both Williams and Ligero on their faces at the same time.   Despite the crowd being behind El Ligero and Williams, it was Martin Kirby who was victorious as he quickly rolled up Hayes after that stunning move to take the pinfall.

Just before the next match, another video was played announcing the appearance of  Tommy End at the 4th Anniversary show on 8 August.

The first half main event saw The Coffey Brothers v The Addiction (Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian) for the Ring of Honor Tag Team Titles.  This match can be described in one word - WOW!!!!  This was by far my Match of the Night.  Between the action in the ring and the banter between Janet and I with Christopher Daniels, it was brilliant.  I think my favourite moment of the match is captured in the picture - both Coffey Brothers had been knocked from the ring and Daniels bounced off the top rope before doing a backflip onto them at ringside right in front of me - totally amazing.  This incredible match came to an end when Mark Coffey inadvertently hit his brother before being hit by the "Celebrity Rehab" finisher and Kaz scored the 3 count.  The Addiction celebrated their win as Joe Coffey looked on from ringside, before getting back into the ring to confront his brother.

During the interval, The Addiction returned to the ring for fans to have their photo taken with them and despite the verbal abuse during the match, Janet and I took advantage of the opportunity.

First match of the second half saw "Bad Boy" Liam Thomson face off against Noam Dar.  After my normal antagonising of Thomson which received Dar's approval and him giving me a walking stick (which security quickly took from me) the match got underway.  As usual, Thomson used every underhanded tactic he could against his young opponent.  Grado appeared at ringside to cheer on his pal but actually caused a distraction and Thomson attempted the roll-up.  He was unsuccessful this time but Grado would prove to be the catalyst for the match ending the way it did.  Dar went for the dropkick but Thomson pulled the referee in front of him and it was the ref who went down.  Thomson then attempted to use a steel chair on Dar but Grado grabbed the chair from behind to stop him.  Grado then went to hit Thomson with the "wee boot", only for Thomson to drop out of the way and Grado dropped his friend instead.  Thomson took advantage, scored the pinfall and as Grado chased after an angry Dar, attempting to apologise, Thomson took the microphone and announced that he had just beaten the number one contender for the heavyweight title and demanded to know where that left him and that he would not leave the ring until he got an answer.  Lionheart came out to give him his answer - a video was played showing that he would be facing Austin Aries at the show on 8 August.  (Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances, it was later announced that Aries would no longer be able to make this show and that Samoa Joe would be appearing instead, and will face Damian O'Connor)

The penultimate match was Kid Fite v Big Damian O'Connor.  I love Big Damo - how a guy that size can be so agile and pull off some of those moves is just incredible to watch and against a guy like Kid Fite, this match was guaranteed to have everyone going and it did.  I was so into this match, I even forgot to take any photographs for half of it.  Fite gave it everything but it didn't save him from being dropkicked into the corner before being Damo's doormat as the big guy stood on him then dropped the senton.  At this point, TJ Rage and Davey Blaze appeared and attacked Damo.  The referee called for the bell, announcing Damo as the winner by disqualification.  With Kid Fite back on his feet, it was 3 on 1, until Wolfgang appeared to make the save.

The main event saw Grado put the PWE Heavyweight title on the line against he first ever winner of said title, Andy Wild.  This was a good match but had a slightly strange atmosphere....Grado did not seem to have his usual cheer squad.  In fact at one point when he tried to get the crowd going, he was met with silence.  He did manage to parade around the ringside area holding Wild and inviting the kids to "give him a chop".  Wild on the other hand had the crowd chanting for him throughout.  Wild was robbed of the chance to regain the belt when Noam Dar made an appearance and nailed Wild with the title belt.  The ref called for the bell and Wild was declared the winner of the match by disqualification...but the title can only change hands by pinfall or submission, leaving Grado still Champion.  Grado and Dar appeared to have a confrontation in the ring, however it was shortlived and the two ended up dancing in celebration.

The 4th anniversary show on 8 August is shaping up to be another cracker.  Platinum and silver packages are already sold out but general admission tickets go on sale on Friday 26 June.  Tickets can be purchased from their website http://www.prowrestlingelite.com/shop/event-tickets

To keep up to date with match announcements for this show and find out about future shows, check out PWE on Facebook

Review: PBW Capital Clash

Sunday 26 October 2014

Finally, Premier British Wrestling comes to Edinburgh!  I was so pleased that one of the companies I have been travelling to see were coming to my home town.  As their shows are usually around the Glasgow area, there were complaints from some people about having to travel and others were not happy that the venue had a 14+ policy which meant a lot of the families with younger children could not attend.

As we had bought VIP tickets, we had an early entry and Meet and Greet with Chris Masters and The Addiction (formerly known as Bad Influence).  Chris Masters spent a little time chatting with Rob about training before we moved on to Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian.  As Rob had his photos taken with them both at the TNA fan interaction in January, it was my turn to get a photo!  Unfortunately it was then that my camera decided to play up and we ended up holding up the queue slightly.  Luckily I got it working again and Rob managed to get the snap!

The first match of the night was between "Bad Boy" Liam Thomson and PBW Champion El Ligero.  Thomson came out complaining that his match was announced as a non-title match and he found it insulting and challenged El Ligero to put the title on the line.  It was at this time we realised the difference an older crowd made as Thomson asked Ligero if he was a pussy! Challenge accepted and we now had a title match.  Ligero took the fight to Thomson, with some of his cracking aerial moves before the action spilled outside the ring.  Thomson was dumped into a seat at ringside before being knocked straight back out of it.  Once back in the ring, Thomson came back, gaining momentum and scoring a two count.  The match then went back and forth until Thomson got the PBW belt and made to nail El Ligero.  Fortunately the referee was on the ball and refused to allow this to happen.  Ligero then hit Thomson with a splash from the top rope before pinning him to retain his title.  Thomson lay stunned in the ring as the Mexican celebrated, before demanding that the referee explain what had happened.  A great match to start the show.

The next match was scheduled to be Davey Blaze & Carmel v Grado & Kay Lee Ray in a mixed tag team match, however earlier in the day there had been an announcement that both Grado and James Scott (who was scheduled to appear later) would be unable to appear and replacements had been confirmed.  Davey Blaze came out to the ring with Charles Boddington, followed by Carmel, who took the microphone and started to insult the crowd before they proceeded to make digs at Grado's non-appearance.  Carmel stated that if he couldn't be bothered to show up that she was done and they should just go.  As they looked to leave the ring, music rang out and Kay Lee Ray and Tommy Marx appeared.  The girls started things off before Blaze and Marx were tagged in and at this point the double teaming began.  Marx was isolated in the oppositions corner and while Carmel antagonised KLR causing the ref to stop her from getting into the ring, Marx was beaten by both team members, with Boddington getting in on the action too.  Marx was finally able to tag in KLR who nailed Blaze and Carmel with a double dropkick from the top rope before taking control over Carmel. Boddington got on the apron and ended up knocked to the floor while in the ring, KLR pinned Carmel as Marx pinned Blaze to take the win for the fan favourites.

The first half main event saw Jack Jester face Chris Masters.  Masters played up to the crowd after his entrance as Jester sat unimpressed at ringside before getting into the ring and telling Masters to get on with it.  As the bell rang to signal the start of the match, we could clearly hear the guy on the stage doing the commentary for the DVD so Masters decided to do his own commentary, much to the amusement of the audience!  When the action finally got going, they seemed evenly matched until Masters hit Jester with a suplex before going for the pin.  Jester got out of the ring and grabbed a chair before heading back toward the ring.  Masters decided to do the same, at which point Jester dropped his chair and demanded the referee get the chair off Masters. The action then spilled out of the ring again and through the crowd, onto the bar and back to ringside where Jester shoved Masters onto a chair which had been vacated by a fan going to the bar, however the chair collapsed under Masters weight.  Back in the ring, Jester took the advantage but Masters was able to rally, getting Jester into his "Masterlock".  With the referee standing directly in front of the two men asking Jester if he was okay, Jester hit Masters with a backheel lowblow, breaking the hold and making the pin.  As a victorious Jester left the ring, Masters complained loudly to the referee that "he hit my balls" before making several attempts to give the referee a backhand to the nether regions.

The first match after the interval was Kenny Williams v Lou King Sharp.  This was a great match with two young guys who can really move around the ring at some pace.  Williams is becoming one of my favourites and Sharp is definitely one to watch.  Still only a teenager, he really seems to have perfected his character and works it really well and there was a wee chant of "you've got school in the morning" from a group at the other side of the ring.  Sharp started off doing push ups in the ring so Williams grabbed his feet and let him faceplant the mat.  There followed lots of fast and furious action with plenty of "flying" from both guys with Williams the victor on this occasion and Sharp being carried backstage by the referee.

The penultimate match of the night featured TJ Rage as a replacement for James Scott against the masked wrestler, El Technico.  El Technico seemed to have a small fan club in the balcony who made lots of noise which I thought was great as for much of the show there had not been as much noise from the crowd as usual.  Within seconds of the bell ringing, El Technico had knocked Rage out of the ring and then suicide dived him, almost landing on me and with them both being big guys, I admit that I panicked a little.  Back in the ring Rage tried to use his strength and El Technico his agility to try to keep the advantage over the other but it was Rage who took the win after hitting El Technico with an incredible spear before pinning him for the 3 count.

Finally it was time for the main event, The Addiction (also known as Bad Influence) v Just Uz for the PBW Tag Team titles. Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian came out first and took pleasure in winding up the crowd as they introduced each other.  BT Gunn and Stevie Xavier came out to their usual pop.  This was my match of the night with some great action from both teams and some hysterical comebacks from Christopher Daniels, who totally owned me when I gave him some abuse - after repeating "clean break" about twenty times I asked if he had got stuck on repeat.  His response was if he wanted crap from me, he'd scrape my tongue - and that was just one of many!!  Just Uz did their quick tags and slaps to the face of Kazarian before The Addiction managed to isolate BT Gunn and double-team him, having the referee distracted by trying to keep Xavier from making the save.  It was Just Uz who eventually took the win to retain the titles before BT Gunn took to the microphone to thank Daniels and Kazarian for coming to Scotland and giving them such a good match.  Daniels responded by saying they were thrilled to be a part of the independent scene in Scotland and to be as good as they were, they had to wrestle guys as good as Just Uz.  They also stated that Just Uz got the win this time but they would do it again for sure....and I want to see that rematch!

This event was great and the last minute changes to the card did not detract from the show at all.  It was filmed for a DVD release and I am looking forward to getting my copy and watching this event again.  I also hope that PBW will return to Edinburgh again in 2015.

For information on their future events, check out PBW on Facebook

Review: Pro Wrestling Elite - No Turning Back

Saturday 17 May 2014

I always enjoy going to PWE shows - PWE was my introduction to the Scottish wrestling scene and for a while was the only promotion we went to...how far we have come in such a short time!

Once we had met up with some good friends we have made in Ayrshire and got our seats sorted, Rob and I were on the lookout for Adrian "Lionheart" McCallum, the owner of PWE - I wanted to ask him if he was willing to do a "spotlight" on PWE for me and Rob had created a Tag Team belt design he wanted to give to Adrian.  Adrian liked Rob's design and told him "it's funny you come to me with Tag Team designs tonight...."  And I better get my ass in gear and sort the questions for the spotlight piece cos he said yes to that!!

The show started with a lovely video intro on the late, great, Ultimate Warrior, dedicating the show to his memory. 

The first match was billed as Instant Classic II, the tag rematch of  Project Ego, Kris Travis and Martin Kirby versus Andy Wild and Noam Dar... and what a match it was.  Andy Wild appeared in his new ring gear, looking considerably bigger than last time I saw him.  Noam was his usual cheeky self, starting off messing around with the ref while Martin Kirby lay across the ropes in the corner waiting for him to get on with the match.  The Dar/Wild combination took the upper hand early in the match, isolating Kirby for a while.  When Travis finally got into the ring, he went wild and I was gobsmacked to see him take a boot to the face from Andy Wild, then a boot to the head from Dar, a powerbomb and still kick out of a pin, only to then bulldog Wild and clothesline Dar at the same time.  Pic is a bit blurry but still... 

Anyway, Project Ego took the win again and after all shaking hands, they left ringside, while Dar decided to take the mic and state that while this tag team thing was cool, he was ready to go back into singles competition and the title scene.  Wild reminded Dar that he had a title rematch to claim and that he became the first ever PWE Heavyweight Champion after defeating Dar and challenged him to a match at Gradomania, which Dar accepted.  Having seen these two guys face each other before, this one is not to be missed.

There was then a promotional video of Iestyn Rees "a heavyweight powerhouse set to make his debut in Scotland this Autumn" I googled him and checked out some of his matches on YouTube and can say I am looking forward to seeing him wrestling live!

Next up was billed as a 2 on 1 handicap match with Davey Blaze and TJ Rage taking on Joe Coffey.  Blaze and Rage appeared, accompanied by "The Manager of Champions" Charles Boddington, who took the mic and informed the crowd that Joe Coffey had failed to show and set up an open challenge to anyone brave enough, answered by Lou King Sharp.  There are two things I have learned about Sharp, 1) he is tiny, and 2) he is fast!  It's really hard to get a good pic of him cos he literally flies about the ring so damn fast, he is either completely out of shot or a blur!  His speed worked for him at the start, when he caught both of the bigger guys napping, but it was just a matter of time before he succumbed to the brutality of Rage and Blaze.  Give the wee guy his due, he didn't give up and kept trying but there was no coming back from the spear from Rage and after the big guys took the win, Boddington was back on the mic, spouting off about how the team of Blaze and Rage were not only the best team in PWE, they were the best in the whole of the UK...only for the words "Card Subject To Change" to ring out of the PA system and the lights dim...enter NAK members BT Gunn and Chris Renfrew who immediately tear into Blaze and Rage.  As they are battling, Project Ego reappear in the ring with Kirby taking the mic and saying that Ego are not only the best team in the UK, they are the best tag team in the World and if the other guys want to find out just how good they are, then they should have a triple threat match at Gradomania.  The crowd love it and the card for Gradomania just keeps getting better!

The first half main event pitted "Bad Boy" Liam Thomson against Uhaa Nation.  This was by far Match of the Night.  It also produced a first for me - after antagonising Thomson as usual and getting told to shut up, Uhaa Nation leans over he ropes and says "Love your hair" - my first ever compliment!!  Anyway back to the match - bloody incredible. To be honest, I don't think anything I could write could accurately describe just how bloody incredible it was so instead I will just say PWE have uploaded the full match on YouTube and you NEED to watch it....The double standing moonsault finish Uhaa pulled off on Liam was utterly astounding!!!  If you ever get the opportunity to see this guy in action live, take it - he is amazing and you won't regret it.  I also have to say hats off to Liam Thomson because he really put in the effort in this match (and as I have said in a blog about another show, it doesn't matter how good a wrestler is if his opponent doesn't put in the work too.)

During the interval, we were able to have photos taken in the ring with Uhaa Nation by the ever lovely Mr David Wilson....Rob and I were in there like a shot!  We were really lucky to catch the man again at the end of the show and have him sign the photo!

The second half kicked off with another video, this time announcing The Fallen Angel, Christopher Daniels would be coming to PWE in September.  This news had the crowd buzzing and Rob immediately told me "We are going!"

Next up were fan favourites Wolfgang and Joey Hayes facing each other.  Joey came out in new Marvel themed ring gear...but Rob noticed he was wearing a superman armband which was not only upside down, it was DC and apparently Marvel and DC should not be mixed!!  The match was good, with the crowd split and both guys getting cheers, Hayes kept trying to lift Wolfgang and after going back and forward a while, he finally managed it, but it was Wolfgang who took the win.  Wolfgang extended his hand and with the crowd chanting to shake his hand, Hayes shook it but then attacked Wolfgang from behind.  He appeared to be leaving the ring, but returned moments later with a chair and continued his attack.  When he finally left the ring, it was to boos from the crowd - heel turn complete!

The raffle was then drawn and normally the ticket directly after mine tends to get pulled, so I was shocked to actually win something - two tickets to Gradomania!

It was then time for the contract signing for the main event at Gradomania, Grado and Dave Mastiff.  Grado came out to a fantastic reception, taking the microphone and telling the fans that it was thanks to them he was getting to live his dream but he really wanted to win a title to validate everything and that he was coming back in July with his sights set on taking that belt home with him.  Mastiff appeared on the big screen and began berating Grado and saying he wasnt worth the effort to travel to sign the contract and that if Grado chooses to sign, he will in fact be signing his own death warrant.  Of course, Grado goes ahead and signs....and suddenly Kid Fite's music starts to play and out he came along with Charles Boddington, Davey Blaze and TJ Rage.  Fite then berated Grado too, saying that the "wee chubby chancer" who started out putting videos on YouTube did not deserve a title shot, that Kid Fite was a real wrestler who had worked his way up over the last 10 years and was more deserving, before he, Blaze and Rage attacked Grado.  Enter El Ligero to help even the numbers.

There was then battles in the crowd, with Grado tackling Kid Fite and TJ Rage amongst the crowd on the other side of the ring, while El Ligero was kicking seven shades of something nasty out of Davey Blaze right behind me!  When they finally got back into the ring, a 3 on 2 handicap match is announced.  The heels take the upper hand, isolating El Ligero after TJ Rage caught his crossbody attempt and subjecting him to some serious punishment.  While chanting for El Ligero, Kid Fite tells me to shut up, I tell him to come and make me and he says he will swing me around by my blue hair - I love it!!   Finally Grado gets tagged in and shows Kid Fite he does actually have some wrestling moves.  Then all 5 men are in the ring and it gets hard to work out who is doing what, but Blaze ended up at our feet ringside, Rage hit Ligero with one of those devastating spears but took a boot from Grado, who then scored the pin.

The heels gather together with Blaze asking what happened as he missed it before Charles Boddington jumps into the ring and confronts Grado, who promptly decks the "Baldy Midget" before attempting a superfly splash from the top rope - Boddington moves out the way, Grado lands on his feet and does the splash from the mat instead.  Boddington is carried away from the ring on the shoulders of Kid Fite, while Grado and El Ligero entertain the crowd with their celebrations.

The next PWE show is their 3rd Anniversary show, Gradomania on 19 July and the card is already shaping up nicely.  Tickets are available from Skiddle click here to check availability.

Platinum packages are also available for PWE Fallen Angel on 13 September, priced at £40.  While this price might appear a little steep, they are limited to just 50 and gets early entry and a meet and greet with Christopher Daniels....and with numbers limited there is not a rushed feeling that you get at some of the big show fan interactions.  Rob & I have ours booked already and last I heard 50% of the platinum tickets had gone so if you want to take advantage of this, be quick and click here now. Going by past events, I assume the silver and general admission tickets will go on sale just after Gradomania.

Links to the promo and intro videos mentioned in the blog and information on future events can also be found on the Pro Wrestling Elite Facebook page