Retrospective: May to December - an older woman's love affair with Reckless Intent

So I was sitting thinking now that the year is coming to an end about just how much my life has changed since my first visit to Reckless Intent back in May and I thought it might make a slightly different and hopefully interesting blog post!

We discovered Reckless Intent when two of their wrestlers appeared on an SWE show at Easter and then we met Jackie Grady at Uprising at the end of April.  We received a Facebook invite to their two night Super B.O.W.L event at the beginning of May and, as they were closer to home than most promotions and the ticket prices were extremely reasonable, we decided to check them out.

May
Friday 2nd - The first night of the Super B.O.W.L tournament and we arrived with no real expectations.  This was a relatively new promotion and I hadn't heard of most of the roster but they had a couple of names on the card we knew, Damian O'Connor, Scott Renwick and Joe Hendry so it wouldn't be all bad!!  The first thing I remember about arriving at this little industrial unit was the welcome we received.  Strangely everyone seemed to know who I was and made an effort to say hello.  We had arrived early as I wasn't sure where we were going and I never trust SatNav fully so we had front row seats for our first show.  While not a sell-out, there was a reasonable turn out for the show and by the interval, I had to admit that I was impressed with what I saw and by the end of the show I was really looking forward to the second night.  With the exception of one match, they had pulled off a show that had me hooked and buying into all their characters.

Saturday 3rd - We arrived for Night two to find that most people had read the blog about the previous night's show (those were the days when I started the blogs the minute I got home from the events!) and they seemed to have liked what I had to say.  There was a bigger crowd at the Saturday show too.  I was once again impressed by the quality of the matches and was delighted to see Scott Renwick win the tournament against all the odds.  At the end of the night I spoke to some of the guys and told them we would be back but as their next couple of dates clashed with SWE, it probably wouldn't be for a while!!

Saturday 31st - Taking Over - We weren't supposed to be here!! But Reckless Intent had announced a card that grabbed my interest - with some of the new faces I had seen at a recent Source showcase also appearing.  With no matches on the SWE card announced and Reckless Intent's Saint-George trying to wind me up on Facebook, I decided to make some signs and head to Livingston.  Rob had started training with Reckless so we arrived early so he could help with the set up and I sat in the car reading or stitching and generally keeping well out of the way!  When showtime arrived, I was front row, giving those heels hell and cheering for the good guys and already starting to wonder if I was going to make the SWE show in June....guess it would depend on the card announcements...

June
Saturday 14th found me at a Gala Day!  I honestly can't remember the last time I went to a Gala Day but Reckless were putting on a wee show so we were there - not just for the show but we started by meeting at the unit before 9am before heading to Blackburn and setting up the ring.  With Rob as a trainee, he was ring crew for the day and rather than stand around and watch, I got stuck in too - and I think I surprised a few of the lads with what I was capable of.  After everything was set up, we had a short break before the boys did their stuff in the ring - not just a couple of exhibition matches either but a full on show!  They did great and after it was all over it was time to tear it all down, pack it in the van and return to the unit.  This was the first time I really felt like part of the team and not just an observer at a show.

Saturday 28th - Proving Grounds - With the SWE card not having been announced and Rob becoming more involved with Reckless, we were back in Livingston and another early arrival so Rob could help with the set-up saw me sitting in the car making signs to antagonise the heels and support the faces!  I was also helping out a little with food and drinks outside when a freak wind lifted the marquee and knocked the urn of water over and my foot just happened to get in the way!!  I ended up spending this show barefoot and wearing a pair of Rob's shorts (the first sign I had lost some weight) and doped up on painkillers!

With no shows in July, Rob had continued to attend the training sessions and we were both looking forward to....

August
Saturday 9th - Cruel Summer - This seemed to be a turning point for Reckless Intent - They had booked Colt Cabana and Chris Renfrew for this show and the unit was bursting at the seams. Thankfully the weather held out and they were able to pull up the shutter and create an extended standing area.  The show was great, brought in some new faces and had one of my favourite moments - Chris Renfrew force feeding jaffa cakes to Saint-George!  It also saw Saint-George cashing in his Wooden Spoon and becoming the new Reckless Intent World Champion.

Sunday 24th saw Reckless Intent put on their first Sunday Slam - an afternoon show aimed at younger fans and giving some of the trainees the opportunity to get into the ring in front of an audience.  It also saw me on the ring apron offering to take up Saint-George's open challenge to his title but he was so scared, he used the "I don't hit girls" card.....it's a long time since I was a girl!

September
Saturday 7th - Party in the Park - another outdoor show!  While we didn't arrive early enough to help with the ring set up, we were there to help with anything else required.  I also was allowed inside the barriers in order to take photos and I loved being able to get up close and getting those shots without the ropes or barriers in the way!

Saturday 20th - Unleashed - Once again a show I wasn't supposed to be at!  I'd bought tickets for a Pride show in August which had been rescheduled and clashed with this one.  Rob had attended the Andy Wild seminar before the show and we drove to Glasgow for the Pride show...picked up our friend who had travelled from Dundee to meet up for that show...then drove back to Livingston instead!  Really glad we did as the match between Jackie Grady and Andy Wild was bloody incredible.

October
Saturday 4th - Reckless Intentions - In a word WOW!!!  This was the annual "hardcore" show and it did not disappoint.  The entire show was brilliant and had Scott Renwick and Saint-George in a "Falls Count Anywhere" first half main event, with the second half ending with a TLC match for the Wooden Spoon featuring Chris Renfrew , Darren Lewis, Rawlins and Martyn Stallyon.  The whole night was brutal and brilliant and I loved it!

Sunday 19th - Sunday Slam 2 - This was the show that saw Rob make his in-ring debut during the main event rumble match.  It also saw the "wedding" of Jam O'Malley and Saint-George which had been hyped on Facebook and was a definite highlight of the year!

November
Saturday 1st - Over The Top - Reckless Intent's first main show in an outside venue.  In the 6 months since my first visit, I had seen Reckless go from strength to strength.  New people coming to training, fans who had come for the first time in the summer were continuing to make the journey for shows and new links with SWE were bringing new faces to the roster and their fans were making the trip from Dundee.  The unit was no longer big enough to hold the crowd so we took over Murieston Scout Hall for the day/night...and yes I said we because I was part of the team.  After dropping off Rob and Janet with the food and doing a quick airport run, I returned to help set up the food and merchandise tables, before doing ticket and merchandise sales.  During the show I was able to wander around the ring getting some cracking shots while manning merchandise during the interval and at the end of the show.  I was not missed as the crowd loudmouth as the Russell Brothers had brought support from Bo'ness Rugby Club who more than made up for my lack of chanting!  Scott Renwick beat Saint-George to take the Reckless Intent World Title in a cracker of a match.  Rob got his first spot on a main show during the Rumble main event which I got some video footage of.  Then it was all hands on deck to pack up the ring into the van before heading back to the unit to help unload again.  It was this show that made me truly feel like part of the family - although I still steer clear of the pre-match talk...I don't know anything about the matches until they take place which is why I can still blog them as a fan!

Sunday 16th - Sunday Slam 3 - This show started the trainee tournament for the Sunday Slam title and saw Rob take part in his first singles match against JJ Russell.  I was so proud seeing him in the ring, even though he was heel and told me to shut up as I was yelling support for him.  He did a lovely head scissor armbreaker move which had the friends and family who had come along cheering...and a few others in the crowd too.  Although he didn't win, it was great to watch my boy make those first steps in fulfilling his dream.  The main event between Rawlins and Glen Dunbar caused controversy when the referee made the three count on Rawlins despite him kicking out at 2.  Both wrestlers appeared confused and the crowd were not happy.  Looking forward to a rematch!

December
Saturday 6th - Lights Out - The second show at Murieston and having done it once before, Janet and I let the boys get on with the ring set-up while we got stuck into the setup of our food and merchandise tables.  Ticket pre-sales had been fantastic and it was another sell-out at the Scout Hall.  The Bo'ness boys were back in force making plenty of noise.  The matches were cracking, Rob got to be a lumberjack, Chaz Phoenix made an appearance and distracted Saint-George long enough for Bobby Roberts to get the win before ripping his England flag and draping the pieces on his face while the crowd went nuts and referee Conor Frost screwed Rawlins over in another match (storyline developing!) and Scott Renwick had a cracking match against Eric Canyon to defend his title.  Once again, after the show was over it was time to pack everything up and head back to the unit to unload!

Sunday 14th - Christmas Sunday Slam - The final event of the year.  Rob took his first victory in a match with Jackie Grady, rolling up his opponent while he was distracted by "West Grady".  The final of the Sunday Slam tournament ended as a no-contest when Falcon interfered, setting up a triple threat match between Falcon, AJ Russell and Venym for the belt at the first Sunday Slam show of 2015 on January 25th.

And so there you have it - from May to December I discovered a little wrestling promotion and fell in love with it.  I count the roster members and their families as friends and you really don't want to be in earshot of me and the boss's mum when we are at other events, eh Janet?

Review: Reckless Intent presents Sunday Slam 3

Sunday 16 November 2014

Just two weeks after their sell-out show at Murieston Scout Hall, Reckless Intent returned to the unit for their third Sunday afternoon show.  This one started a trainee tournament to crown the first ever Sunday Slam Champion.  The rules for the tournament are that no current or former title holder from the main roster could hold the title, however to make it "interesting" one wild card entry would see Jackie Grady take a spot in the tournament.  There would be four quarter final matches and two semi-finals, with the final match to be held at the next Sunday Slam event on 14 December.  Even more important, Rob would be taking part in the tournament in his first ever one on one match.

As always we arrived early but this time it was more for Rob to prepare for his match than help with the set-up and, also as always, I kept out of the way while the final show preparations were made.  We also had some friends and family along to support Rob.

The show started with General Manager Jason McKinlay explaining how the Sunday Slam tournament would work and revealing the championship belt, when he was interrupted by the arrival of Jackie Grady.  Grady stated that, as the only Triple Crown winner, he would obviously be successful in winning this title too.  It was then time to meet his opponent in the first quarter final match, Wild Wild Westy.  In keeping with his imitation gimmick, this time we met West Grady as Westy appeared wearing a blonde wig and Grady's tights and boots!  Westy and Grady faced each other in the ring and what followed was a hilarious mime where Westy mirrored the actions of Grady, ending with both of them lying side by side on the mat.  Grady asked the crowd, "Is he lying down?" and quickly moved to pin Westy who kicked out the first time but Grady went back for the pin and scored the 3 count.  Match won by Grady without a single wrestling move apart from the pinfall!

The second quarter final saw Venym face Iron Fist, who was accompanied to the ring by Miss J.  While Venym tried to use his superior agility to his advantage, the brute strength of Iron Fist dominated much of this match.  Miss J grabbed the leg of Venym while he stood on the ring apron to kill his early momentum and Iron Fist delivered some crushing moves, including a leg drop on the apron, driving the shoulder to the lower back of Venym while he hung upside down in the corner and a sidewalk slam.  Despite this Venym managed to rally and took the win but while Venym was celebrating on the rope, Iron Fist grabbed a steel chair and slammed it off his back, before throwing the chair to the ground and power bombing Venym onto it to the disgust of the crowd.

The third quarter final saw my boy make his singles match debut.  Fighting under the name Rob Mills, he faced JJ Russell.  Russell started off by "correcting" the referee, saying it was Rob Wells, before holding out a hand to Rob, who blasted it away and the match was on.  It was a short match but I loved it (and I don't care if anyone calls me biased either!)  Rob managed a lovely head scissor armbreaker move which got a great reaction from the crowd and, in total heel character, told me to shut up when I shouted "that's my boy".  Unfortunately it was Russell who took the win, hitting Rob with his "Sister Abigail" before making the pin.

The last of the quarter finals was AJ Russell v Craig Valant.  AJ seems to have gone a little nuts recently and came out with a can of silly string which he sprayed over the crowd.  Valant came out to a great reception from the crowd.  This was good match with both guys having a chance to shine.  Russell dominated the early part, but Valant fought his way back, dropping several elbows on Russell.  Russell however showed he could win a match without his high flying moves by rolling up Valant for the three count.  While Russell sat on the floor at ringside, cackling over his victory, GM Jason McKinlay came out to the ring to conduct the draw for the semi-final rounds - Jackie Grady would face Venym and the Russell Brothers would come face to face once again.

The second half of the show began with two former champions facing off, Mikey v Saint George.  With both men losing their titles at Over The Top, neither was in the mood to lose another match.  Saint-George was also upset that Mikey had used the RKO on Joe Hendry after the rumble.  He came out to the ring, grabbing a steel chair on the way.  While the crowd chanted Blah Blah Blah, he referred to losing the title to Scott Renwick and bragged about having made Renwick require knee surgery after their match.  He then had the chair set up at ringside and invited Jason McKinlay to take a seat and watch him win his match against Mikey.  Mikey came out to the ring and proceeded to kick Saint-George's ass around the ring - literally - causing Saint-George to escape the ring.  Once back in the ring the momentum swung back and forth.  Saint-George delivered a cracking suplex before taunting Mikey's mum in the audience, then called for a time-out when Mikey took the upper hand.  The action took a slightly worrying turn when Mikey asked the referee to pull on his leg after his knee popped, however Saint-George decided to capitalise on Mikey's recurring problem and focused on the knee.  Mikey would not give up and hit Saint-George a series of kicks and blocks using the ropes for momentum.  Saint-George managed to block a 619 attempt by grabbing Mikey's legs but a second attempt hit the target and was followed by a springboard splash off the top rope.  At this point Mikey looked to be in control but Saint-George was no pushover and fought his way back, leaving them both lying in the ring and needing a 7 count to recover.  After faking a leg injury, he attempted the RKO several times but was blocked and countered by Mikey each time.  After rolling Mikey up and grabbing the tights but only managing a two count, Saint-George finally hit him with the RKO and took the win.  He then took great delight in forcing Jason McKinlay to raise his hand in victory.

The first semi-final of the Sunday Slam tournament pitted Jackie Grady against Venym.  These two have faced off several times before, usually with Grady the victor.  Grady came to the ring first, followed by Westy, who Grady made stand at ringside where he continued to mimic every move Grady made.  Venym came out, still hurting from the after match attack by Iron Fist and was visibly less agile than usual.  Grady quickly tried to capitalise on this, however Venym still appeared to have enough left in the tank to deal with Grady, making Grady leave the ring and attempt to have Westy take his place.  After a failed legdrop attempt from Venym, Jackie attempted his finisher but ended up being swung round the ring.  It was Venym who took the win this time and secured a place in the Sunday Slam final on 14 December.

The second semi-final saw AJ Russell take on his brother JJ Russell.  To be honest, based on their previous encounter, I was hoping the semi-final draw would have gone differently and these two would face each other in the final.  Once again they put on a hell of a match.  With the majority of the crowd firmly behind JJ, these boys beat each other senseless.  With JJ having the upper hand, the referee was knocked out and was unable to make the count when JJ clearly had AJ down for the win.  As JJ tried to revive the referee, AJ attacked with a low blow and, as the referee started to come round, hit his brother with a big splash from the top turnbuckle, then pinned him for the win.  AJ Russell will face Venym on 14 December for the Sunday Slam title.  Venym came out and held out his hand to AJ, who instead attacked Venym, hitting him with the "Shell Shock" leaving him senseless on the mat.

Finally it was main event time.  This match was billed as the match between two of the most under-rated wrestlers in Scotland, Rawlins and Glen Dunbar.    After The Grue read out a note praising Dunbar, I felt it necessary to get in his face and was told to sit on my ass!  This match also brought about a very rare occurrence, something I have only done once before - I started chants for Rawlins! Yes, for one night only, "The Baddest Man in Professional Wrestling" was the fan favourite.  This match started off brilliantly and the crowd were loving it.....right up until the point that the referee made a complete balls-up - but I will get to that later.  Rawlins attempt at a suicide dive was countered by Dunbar who then punished Rawlins on the ring apron before both men got back into the ring.  The match continued to swing back and forth with both guys scoring near pins.  Rawlins sent Dunbar out of the ring to land at my feet but back in the ring, things swung back and forth again.  Once again Dunbar ended up outside of the ring and this time Rawlins suicide dive paid off.  I, of course vacated my seat as for some reason I always seem to get caught up in these things!!  Back in the ring Rawlins caught Dunbar in a cross face submission hold.  As the crowd chanted for Dunbar to tap, he broke the hold and managed to pull off a slingshot vertical suplex on Rawlins before going for the pinfall.  The referee counted, one, two, Rawlins kicked out and the referee brought his hand to the mat for the three count.  There was stunned silence in the unit and everyone wondered what the hell was going on.  Both Rawlins and Dunbar were confused as the referee insisted that it was a three count and declared Dunbar the winner.  There were a lot of angry, upset and confused people at the end of this match.

I have not picked a Match of the Day for this show, as what was shaping up to be that match was turned into a farce by the referee's actions.  I am sure an explanation will be forthcoming but no matter what, it ended the show on a bum note and I hope that there will be a rematch booked soon.

The card for the next show, Lights Out on 6 December is already shaping up to be a corker, with Mikey facing Joe Hendry in what could be his final match.  If he can't beat Hendry, he will retire.  Saint George and Ian Ambrose will team up to face Bobby Roberts and DCT and new Reckless Intent World Champion Scott Renwick will be going against doctors advice to defend the title against a "face from the past" who has beaten him for a title before.  To find out more information on this and future events and how to get tickets, like them on Facebook and subscribe to their YouTube Channel to see videos of these amazing matches as they appear.

Review: Pride Wrestling - We Aim To Misbehave

Saturday 7 June 2014

This event was on the same date as a PBW show but our decision to make our first visit to Pride Wrestling was based mostly on the fact that the main event was a title match between Glen Dunbar and Mikey Whiplash (although I think Nikki Storm v Viper would have sealed it for Rob)  When it was announced that Glen Dunbar had sustained an injury that would keep him out of the ring for 12 weeks and would not be able to compete, I was totally gutted.

So the show starts with Glen Dunbar addressing the crowd, saying that you cannot start a Pride Wrestling show without "your Champion and a true hero" and that while we would see a fantastic show, we would not see him defend his title tonight, although he would at the next show on 16th August.  He then took a seat in the audience to watch the night's action.

First match up, Jackie Polo v DCT.  Once again Polo worked the crowd during his entrance - he must have one of the longest entrances but it just never gets boring.  Once in the ring, he took the microphone and told Dunbar he was looking at the No 1 contender for his championship before turning on one of the crowd.  DCT then arrived and had Rob come over to the ring to tell Polo that DCT had better hair than Polo (seemed random at the time and still does!).  Polo held the advantage through most of the match, however it was DCT who scored the pinfall, much to the shock of Polo and the delight of the crowd.

Next up was the team of Street Justice (Chris Renfrew & Mark Sweeney) v Bobby Roberts & Daihlan Hendry.  This was just brutal... Renfrew and Sweeney isolated Hendry for much of the match and with the referee stopping Roberts from entering, took the opportunity to double team the young Source graduate, even going as far as removing their belts and using them to whip him.  When Roberts finally managed to tag in, he was also double teamed and belt-whipped before Renfrew hit him with the stunner and scored the pinfall.  Street Justice then continued to beat and whip Roberts and Hendry after the bell.

The first half main event was a triple threat match for the N7 Championship between current champ Lewis Girvan, Christopher Saynt and Joe Hendry.  With Girvan and Saynt in the ring, Hendry arrived and announced that he was not 100% fit and that it would be unfair to the others to bring down what would be an amazing match, before taking a seat in the crowd to watch.  With a pretty even split of the crowd cheers, Girvan and Saynt pulled out all the stops to win and Joe Hendry was right - it was an amazing match.  With Saynt prone on the canvas, Girvan took to the turnbuckles ready to capitalise when Street Justice reappeared at ringside.  Girvan leapt from the turnbuckles to knock down Street Justice and while all three were lying on the floor at my feet, Hendry snuck into the ring from the other side and pinned Saynt to take the title.  Girvan and Saynt then watched as Hendry handed an envelope of cash to Chris Renfrew and walked away with the belt. 

The first match after the interval featured Rob's favourite, Nikki Storm against Viper.  This was a great match with several near pins.  Storm tried everything she could to win, including standing on Viper's hair while arguing with the referee, but Viper was not going down to the self proclaimed "Queen of the World" and nailed Storm with the V bomb to take the win.  Viper then turned her attention to Dunbar sitting in the crowd and stated that having pinned him already in the past made her a contender for his title.  Enter Mr Byers, the new Scientific Adviser to the Founders, holding his clipboard and giving a whole slew of reasons why Viper, as a female wrestler, was not up to the challenge of competing in the superior men's division.  With the crowd booing him, Viper showed him just how inaccurate he was, by taking his clipboard and nailing him with it.

Next up was Jam O'Malley who had challenged Dave Conrad to face "Sideshow Jam's House of Fun".  Once the two men had got to the ring, O'Malley took the microphone and said that as he was undefeated, he was not going to wrestle until he got a title shot but that Conrad would still have a match - he had already lined up a replacement, "The First Follower" Alex Cavanaugh.  With the odds stacked against him, Conrad fought bravely and even managed to get a pin on Cavanaugh, however O'Malley had the referee distracted and as he attempted to regain the ref's attention, Cavanaugh was able to turn the tables and take the win.  O'Malley then decided he would wrestle after all, climbed into the ring, pinned an already prone Conrad and forced the ref to make the 3 count.  O'Malley and Cavanaugh then began to beat Conrad until Christopher Saynt came out to even the numbers.

Finally it was time for the main event, Mikey Whiplash facing Jack Gallagher.  After seeing them both in action against Japanese wrestlers the previous night, I was looking forward to this...and I was not disappointed.  The biggest shock was seeing Mikey Whiplash as a face!! I saw him smile and laugh and I almost lost it completely when some kid was making fun of Gallagher's gumshield saying he looked like a vampire, only for Whippy to come over and pop out his front teeth and say it's better than this!  The match started with Whiplash focusing on the left elbow of Gallagher, however Gallagher managed to turn the tables and worked on the left knee of Whiplash, however it was the more experienced Whiplash who finally took the win in what was an amazing match, a total joy to watch and if I didn't rate Gallagher before, this weekend definitely made me sit up and notice him.  The match of the night by a mile!  Whiplash took the microphone and thanked his opponent for an amazing match, calling Gallagher one of the best wrestlers that Britain has ever seen, before turning his attention to Dunbar in the crowd and saying as soon as Dunbar was fit, Whiplash would be ready to face him.  This match is set for the next Pride event on 16 August....and I will definitely be there to see it!

So, despite my initial disappointment at the change to the main event, I really enjoyed my first visit to Pride.  The matches were great and the crowd were noisy - what more could you want?

On a side note, congratulations to Pride owner James St James, who had changed the date of this show as he was expecting a new arrival the following week, but babies never arrive when you hope/expect and his new son decided to appear on show day.

For information on upcoming events, check out Pride Wrestling on Facebook or their website