Showing posts with label Graeme Leask. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Graeme Leask. Show all posts

Saturday, 23 May 2015

Review: Reckless Intent presents Sunday Slam: 2015 BOWL Qualifier

Sunday 19 April 2015

It was this weekend a year ago that I first discovered the existence of Reckless Intent after seeing a couple of the guys on an SWE show and had yet to actually see an RI show - how time flies - and how things change....

As has become usual, Rob and I were at the unit early to help with the setup.  Although this was a Sunday show, it was also the qualifier for the next Saturday show and Rob was not on the card....or so I thought.....

I got the shock of my life when the show was opened with the appearance of Rob Mills, who got into the ring, took the microphone and announced that he was "the heart and soul of Sunday Slam" and having been omitted from the tournament, he was holding the event hostage until he got a match! (Apparently my face was a picture but thankfully no-one thought to actually take one.)  Well he got his match all right...from none other than Mikey, who was returning to the ring after having surgery on his knee.  This was a cracking match to start the show.  Mills put on a great performance against Mikey, definitely the best I have seen from him, and although Mikey thoroughly annihilated him in the end, I was very proud of my boy.

Next up was the first of the BOWL qualifying matches between Saint-George and newcomer Theo Doros.  With Saint-George being his usual arrogant self, he proclaimed that this year he would go a step further, having been beaten in last year's tournament in the semi-final.  Continuing a run of good matches, Saint-George gave it a good try but, to the delight of the crowd, he took a step backward and it was Theo Doros who took the win and a place in the semi-final on 2 May.

The next qualifier was a triple threat match between Sambroso Maestro, Sweet Johnny and Jackie Grady.  Before the match started, Saint-George appeared and attacked Westy, who was accompanying Grady to the ring, and took the Hardcore Title, however his reign was short lived as ring announcer Sully quickly took the title from Saint-George.  The match then got underway, producing many comedy moments, including Grady sucking up to referee Brian Laing and Sambroso and Sweet Johnny teaming against Grady before falling out with each other over who would be allowed to make the pin.  Grady's sucking up may have actually worked for him as he scored the pinfall on Sweet Johnny to take the win.

The first half main event was an exhibition match between Scott Renwick and Falcon.  Renwick came out to the ring accompanied by one of his fellow SOS members Darren Lewis.  Once Renwick got in the ring, Lewis was roaming around ringside and as he approached me, I moved into the ring apron to allow him plenty of room to pass.  Instead he moved right in front of me and yelled "MOVE" in my face.  Now it has been a while since I have got into a nose to nose with a heel but never have and never will let one bully me...so I stood my ground and told him no.  I will admit that I was actually a wee bit scared as I thought he was going to pick me up and move me, but Renwick, who is slowing starting to see the light, stuck his head through the ropes and told Lewis to walk round me - thank you Scotty!!  Falcon then made his way into the ring and the match began..and it was a corker!  The skill and experience of these two wrestlers was a joy to watch.  With the momentum swinging back and forth between them, it came down to interference from Lewis, from standing on the apron to distract the referee while Falcon went for a pin on Renwick during the match to entering the ring at the end with a steel chair as Falcon looked to be nearing a victory.  As the referee demanded that Lewis and his chair leave, he was caught by Falcon and knocked out, leaving Lewis free to make his mark.  With Renwick holding Falcon, Lewis swung the chair only for Falcon to drop out of the way and Lewis so nearly nailed his own guy, only just stopping short. It looked as though Renwick was finally going to turn on Lewis and the crowd yelled for him to nail Lewis with the chair, however it was not to be and Falcon took the blow just before the referee recovered and Renwick made the pin.  Renwick seemed unhappy with his victory however with Lewis buzzing in his ear, he made a final attack on Falcon before leaving ringside and some of the other roster members came out to help Falcon from the ring.

The second half began with another BOWL triple threat qualifier LJT beat Davidian Fury and Graeme Leask.  Fury and Leask started by double teaming LJT but this was a short-lived tactic as they each wanted the win for themselves.  LJT pulled off a couple of cracking moves on both guys during the match, leaping over the ropes to take both men down early on and a lovely splash from the top turnbuckle onto both guys about midway through.  A slightly controversial finish but one the crowd thoroughly enjoyed came as LJT pinned Fury but the referee had been knocked out of the ring - enter the little lad that Fury had terrorised at a previous show to make the three count and give LJT the victory.

The final qualifier saw Conor Frost face Venym.  Frost is most definitely a better wrestler than he is a referee in my opinion but is just as unpopular with the crowd.  Complaining about Venym's accessory, a foam disc launcher, Frost attacked Venym from behind as he removed it from his wrist.  Frost had the upperhand for the early part of this match but I have to admit that I missed part of it ("old lady syndrome" struck at the wrong time and I had to go to the loo).  When I returned Venym had gained the advantage and pinned Frost for the victory.

General Manager Jason McKinlay came out to the ring to make the draw for the semi-final matches.  Venym would face Theo Doros and Grady would face LJT at the BOWL on 2 May.  As the semi-finalists faced each other in the ring, Saint-George appeared and attacked Sully for the Hardcore title.  As Saint-George celebrated, Mikey attacked and beat down Saint-George but instead of pinning him, he pushed Westy forward and Westy took the three count to re-take the Hardcore belt.

The main event saw Darren Lewis put the UK Title on the line against Rawlins.  Now this match had all the ingredients to make a a fantastic match - SOS member against one of the RI Originals for the title - but, for me, something was missing.  There wasn't the passion and spark that I expected and it turned out to be just a good match.  After going back and forth, it appeared that Rawlins had the win in the bag when Scott Renwick appeared at ringside.  While it looked like he was on the side of Rawlins, telling him to go for the pin and not try anything fancy, he actually distracted Rawlins and allowed Lewis to take the victory.

I had two contenders for my Match of the Day - Rob Mills v Mikey and Scott Renwick v Falcon and I know I will be accused of favouritism whichever match I pick (cos everyone knows I am a total mark for Scott Renwick) but I have to give it to Rob and Mikey... firstly because it really was a damn good match and secondly for managing to keep it secret and giving me the "OMG" moment too!

Because this is being published late, the BOWL event has already taken place and the next events are Sunday Slam on 24 May at the RI Unit and Taking Over on 6 June at Murieston Scout Hall.

Check out the Reckless Intent Facebook page for details of events and tickets for upcoming events.




Saturday, 18 April 2015

Review: Reckless Intent presents Never Back Down

Saturday 4 April 2015

April saw the return of Reckless Intent to Murieston Scout Hall and another sell out show.

As announced at the previous Sunday Slam show, there was a pre-show match with Venym defending the Sunday Slam title in a 10 man rumble style elimination match.  The match started with Venym, Disturbed and Chavi with a new competitor arriving at timed intervals.  Venym was eliminated early and Chavi and Disturbed seemed to have the match well in control, eliminating each entrant almost as soon as they entered the ring.  As Hardcore Champion Craig "The Firestorm" Valant made his entrance he was attacked by Jam O'Malley who took the Hardcore Championship under the 24/7 rule.  O'Malley was immediately challenged by Wee Jimmy, however it was Westy who took advantage and rolled up O'Malley to take the belt before running out of the building, chased by Wee Jimmy and Jam O'Malley.  Back in the ring the action continued and it came down to Chavi, Disturbed and Valant, who finally made it into the ring after being attacked.  Disturbed was eliminated and after both men had a near fall, Valant managed to secure a submission on Chavi to become the new Sunday Slam Champion.

The main show opened with Mikey making an announcement that he had been cleared to return to the ring on 2 May and he would face Lewis Girvan, one of Scotland's fastest rising stars at the Super Bowl tournament.  The Sons of Silence then appeared and proceeded to beat Mikey, before attempting to damage his recently repaired knee with a chair.  Joe Hendry made the save and Chris Renfrew appeared behind the retreating SOS and a small preview of the night's main event ensued.  Hendry then took the microphone to announce that he would be teaming with Chris Renfrew to face SOS later that evening and to warn Scott Renwick that he was coming after the Reckless Intent title.

The first scheduled match of the night saw LJT take on Bobby Roberts.  This was an interesting match-up, with Roberts' size advantage being countered with the speed and agility of LJT.  The fight spilled outside the ring with Roberts using his strength to catch LJT as he flew toward him, slamming him into the ring apron and ringpost, however LJT was quick to move out of the way as Roberts barrelled towards him, leaving the big man to smack into the ringpost himself.  The match continued to swing back and forth until, with Roberts in control, Saint-George's entrance music played.  Roberts immediately turned to face the entrance, only for Saint-George to sneak in from the side of the hall, crawling around the ring and enabling him to attack Roberts from behind, at which point Ian Ambrose also appeared.  The referee called for the bell and awarded the match to Bobby Roberts as a result of a disqualification.  Craig Valant then appeared to even the numbers and when an angry LJT got involved, Saint-George and Ambrose attempted to make a hasty retreat.....

....General Manager Jason McKinlay was having none of it however.  He came out to ringside and announced that Ambrose would face Craig Valant right there and then and Saint-George was banned from ringside during the match.  Ambrose, brandishing his cardboard SWE replica, then announced that as a fighting champion the match would be for the "SWE Heavyweight Championship". A great wee match with plenty going on, the crowd were firmly behind Valant and remained vocal throughout.  The end came with Valant looking to be in control of the match, however as he turned with Ambrose across his shoulders while going for "The Firestorm", Ambrose kicked the referee in the head with his boot, knocking him down.  Valant pinned Ambrose but the referee was unable to make the count.  As Valant attempted to rouse the referee, Ambrose grabbed his cardboard belt, hiding the Sunday Slam belt behind it and nailed Valant on the head, then tossing the belts aside as the referee came to, pinned Valant to take the victory (and retain his cardboard title).

The first half main event saw Saint-George face the upcoming Lou King Sharp.  I have seen Sharp a few times at different promotions and I am in awe of the confidence of this young "pocket rocket" (he is the same age as my own son!!)  He totally embraces the fact that he is shorter and slighter built than most wrestlers but he more than makes up for it with his attitude and character and had the audience in fits of laughter from the minute he entered the ring.  Sharp started off well but the Englishman soon took the advantage.  A trip outside the ring had Sharp grabbing the timekeeper's hammer for the bell and threatening to ring Saint-George's bell with it instead.  Back in the ring, an accidental lowblow to the ref was followed with Saint-George hitting Sharp with a deliberate lowblow.  Sharp returned the favour before all three hit the canvas, holding their respective bits!  While Sharp appeared to recover quickest he was soon hit with the Saint George Cross and pinned, but somehow managed to kick out at two.  Saint-George was furious and went looking under the ring for a steel chair which ended up being his undoing - Sharp knocked the chair back into the face of Saint-George before pinning him for the three count.

The second half of the show started with The Best in the West (-Lothian) Jackie Grady and Westy facing the Russell Brothers.  This was a reasonable match, however it seemed to get a little chaotic after AJ Russell slipped on the turnbuckle, injuring his knee.  Westy and Grady took the victory and both held out their hand to JJ Russell after the match.  JJ and AJ Russell fistbumped each other at ringside before heading backstage.  Then it really got chaotic.  As the victors celebrated, Jam O'Malley made his move on Westy, once again taking the Hardcore belt, donning Westy's wig and trying to shake the hand of Grady.  Conor Frost then attacked O'Malley to take the title before being hit by a springboard missile dropkick from Mikey who claimed the belt and became the second person in the "Triple Crown" club.  His reign was short-lived as Bobby Roberts hit him with a spear before taking the title.  Jam O'Malley hit Roberts with a lowblow, only to be on the receiving end of a lowblow from Westy who then pinned Roberts to retake the Hardcore title and was then, once again, chased from the building by Jam O'Malley.

The penultimate match saw newcomer Theo Doros face Venym.  This was a good match, and Doros put on a good show in his first one-on-one bout against the more experienced Venym, definitely holding his own and showing some amazing potential for the future.  There were several near pins for both guys and surprising it was Doros who took the victory, however Venym was gracious in defeat, shaking the hand of Doros before raising it in victory.

Finally it was time for the main event.  The SOS members Graeme Leask, Darren Lewis and Scott Renwick stood in the ring as Chris Renfrew and Joe Hendry made their way through the curtains.  Lewis was quick to point out that SOS had the numbers advantage but this was soon rectified by the appearance of Rawlins.  The match started off as a giant brawl, with all 6 men in the ring knocking lumps out of each other before gradually settling down.  Renfrew and Co took control early, making several tags and isolating Leask in the ring.  SOS then had a period of control, where Renwick and Lewis made several quick tags which focusing on Hendry.  Lewis then brought a steel chair into the equation, first nailing Renfrew with it and then, when Renwick appeared to have Hendry set up for the Angels Wings, Lewis demanded that Renwick send him to the ropes in order that Lewis could nail Hendry with the chair.  Renwick initially refused but finally gave in to Lewis' bullying, only for Hendry to reverse the move and Renwick was nailed with the chair instead, allowing Hendry to pin him for the victory.  Renwick was furious and a heated verbal encounter took place at ringside between Renwick and his SOS team-mates.

Hendry then took the microphone and announced that he had just pinned the Reckless Intent champion and challenged Renwick to put the title on the line there and then.  Renwick accepted and with Rawlins and Renfrew making sure that Leask and Lewis were "otherwise engaged", an impromptu title match took place.....and Hendry once again pinned Renwick to become the new champ and third member of the "Triple Crown" club.  Renwick sent the referee from the ring, before handing the belt over to Hendry and shaking his hand.  Lewis and Leask reappeared at ringside and Renwick threw his SOS hoodie in the face of Lewis before walking backstage with his head held high.....Scott Renwick has seen the light!!!!

Hendry was then joined in the ring by several of the roster members and made an emotional speech, thanking the fans and Reckless Intent for their support.  To see Hendry win the title and his speech, click here.

This was an incredible show and with the surprise title match to finish it off, I was gobsmacked.

The next Reckless Intent event is the Super BOWL tournament which is split over two dates.  The qualifying rounds take place at Sunday Slam at the RI Unit on 19 April with entry only £5 on the door.  The final of the tournament will take place on 2 May at Murieston Scout Hall and tickets are available online.  Details of matches and ticket available can be found on the Reckless Intent Facebook page

Friday, 3 April 2015

Review: Reckless Intent presents No Going Back

Saturday 7 March 2015


This was the first Saturday show to be held in the Unit since November and it was standing room only!

The show started with the arrival of all three members of SOS , Darren Lewis, Scott Renwick and Graeme Leask, carrying bottles of beer and major attitude.  Lewis took the microphone and proceeded to disrespect everything about Reckless Intent, the company, the fans and especially General Manager Jason McKinlay, who would only grant a contract to Graeme Leask if he managed to win his match that night against Bobby Roberts.
Surprisingly, Lewis and Renwick did not interfere in this match and left the ring area, allowing Leask to handle business on his own.  This was starting to look like a decision they might regret as Roberts appeared to have the upper hand until he went for a spear on Leask, who managed to move out of the way and Roberts hit referee Conor Frost instead.  Roberts pinned Leask but the ref was still down and unable to make the count.  Then Saint-George came out and nailed Roberts, dragged Leask into the pinfall position then dragged the referee over and used his hand to make the three count, giving Leask the victory and he left the ring, clutching his contract with Reckless Intent.  (Has Saint-George aligned with the SOS???)  Craig "The Firestorm" Valant came out, stopping Saint-George from leaving, allowing Roberts to recover and knock down the Englishman before Valant hoisted him up and Roberts delivered a stunner.

Saint-George called GM Jason McKinlay to the ring to complain about the attack on him, only to be told that if he had not interfered in the first place, none of this would have happened.  Not only that, Saint-George had in effect handed the RI contract to Leask and therefore, since he was already in the ring, he would now have a match against Sunday Slam Champion Venym.  What followed was probably the best match I have seen Saint-George have.  Venym certainly brought out the best (or worst) in the Englishman and this really was an absolute belter of a match....right up until the end when Venym stopped himself from crashing into the referee in the corner and, whilst the ref had his arms up to defend his face from the incoming Venym, Saint-George hit a low blow from behind and rolled up his opponent for the three count.

Once again Jason McKinlay appeared and told Saint-George (who lay down on the mat in a show of disrespect) that just because the referee didn't see his lowblow on Venym, he had seen it via the monitors backstage.  He added that he was sick of repeating himself regarding Saint-George's blatant cheating and had decided that the Englishman would have a second match, right there and then.....and this would be a match he was familiar with...a 3 on 1 handicap match....only this time it would be Saint-George on the receiving end from Venym, Craig Valant and Bobby Roberts.

Valant and Roberts returned to ringside, holding up a shirt with "Independence" printed on it.  They joined Venym in the ring where they got Saint-George in the corner and each delivered a massive chop to the chest before taking their turn to perform their finishing moves, ending with Bobby Roberts hitting a spear and then taking the pinfall with Venym and Valant each having a hand on the shoulder of Roberts.  A win for "Team Independence", they draped their shirt over the face of a prone Saint-George.  Roberts then picked up Venym's hammer announcing "it's plastic" before bonking both Venym and Valant on the forehead with it - somehow managing to cut Venym's forehead and having them yelling "it's NOT plastic" as they left the ring.

The first half main event saw Rawlins face Darren Lewis for the UK Title.  It was announced this would be a submission match, with no disqualifications.  It was, in a word, brutal!  Right from the start there were no holds barred and I knew this was not going to be pretty!  The momentum swung back and forth with each guy going all out to take the victory.  Lewis tried to use his size to his advantage but Rawlins is a real grafter and tried several submission holds on Lewis but "The Superstar" refused to tap out.  Finally caught in the crossface, it looked like Lewis had experienced one submission too many and was on the verge of giving up when Scott Renwick came out to the ring and smashed a beer bottle over the head of Rawlins.  With the no disqualification stipulation, this left Lewis free to continue a brutal assault on Rawlins, hitting him with a steel chair as he hung over the ropes and following up with a cradleshock on the already unconscious Rawlins.  Finally the referee had to stop the match as it was obvious that Rawlins was in no way able to continue and a smug Lewis left the ring as several roster members came out to assist in getting Rawlins backstage.

I missed the beginning of the second half and therefore the following is just general information I have after chatting to some of the other fans at the end of the show.  It began with a tag team match between the team of Jackie Grady & Westy and AJ Russell & Davidian Fury.  Grady and Westy debuted their new entrance music - the theme from Baywatch - and made their entrance in the "slow motion" style of the TV show's credit reel. Russell removed his clown mask to reveal some face paint and dried blood!  "A decent match" I am told, which ended when Fury went to make the tag only to have Russell jump off the apron, leaving him to finish the match alone.  Westy then hit Fury with the Cobra before Grady hit his "No Place Like Home" finisher and scored the pin.  While they celebrated, Sambroso Maestro hit a sneak attack and pinned Westy under the 24/7 rules to become the new Hardcore champion.

Sambroso Maestro then faced Disturbed in his own match.  By all accounts Disturbed defeated himself when he climbed from the top turnbuckle to a ledge to gain extra height for an elbow drop on Sambroso.  This gave his opponent extra time to recover himself and he hit Disturbed with a lowblow as he dropped from the ledge and scored the pinfall.  Conor Frost then attempted to take the Hardcore title but it appeared that both Frost and Maestro had their shoulders on the mat and an arm across each others chest meaning that both scored the pinfall, however this was a short-lived problem as Bobby Roberts hit them both with a spear, pinned them and took the belt.  Just seconds later the belt would change hands once again, as Westy faced off against Roberts and instead of receiving a blow to the head with the belt as has become normal, Westy this time delivered a kick to the nether regions of Roberts, dropping the big guy to the floor and retaking the belt he had lost earlier in the evening.

Just before the main event, Mikey took to the ring to express his disappointment in having to withdraw from the originally scheduled ladder match against Scott Renwick due to having surgery on his knee less than two weeks ago.  Once again, Saint-George made an appearance and promptly got his ass whooped!  Despite still recovering from surgery, Mikey hit Saint-George with an "Emerald Flowsion" which had the crowd cheering and howling for more and a certain Englishman left ringside red-faced after receiving his just desserts for, once again, sticking his nose where it didn't belong (I'm really starting to think he might be aligned with SOS).

Finally it was time for the main event, where JJ Russell would face "The Butcher" Scott Renwick for the Reckless Intent Title.  With both men in the ring, Russell made a wise crack about Renwick being the vinegar that spoils the fish 'n' chips....which had not only the crowd in fits of laughter, but cracked the hard shell of Renwick who struggled to hold it together. (There is hope!!!)  The match itself was good but there were too many comedy moments for a serious title match.  The match came to an end when Russell hit Renwick with the "Sister Abigail" and went for the pin, only for Darren Lewis and Graeme Leask to return to ringside and Lewis grabbed the leg of Russell, dragging him off his opponent.  As the referee remonstrated with Lewis, who was now on the ring apron, Renwick was able hit Russell with "Angel Wings" (there may also have been a lowblow involved but I was watching Lewis and the ref) and took the pinfall to retain the title.  Suddenly the entire roster was in the ring battling against the SOS but individual battles appeared to be forming, setting up for some grudge matches in the future.

As much as it pains me to say this, my Match of the Night was neither the first or second half main event, but goes to Saint-George and Venym....and that big-headed Englishman will probably boast and brag about it....just as long as he remembers that he wasn't alone in the ring!  Just to temper things, Moment of the Night was Mikey hitting him with the Emerald Flowsion!!!

The next show is Never Back Down on 4 April, back at Murieston Scout Hall.  After the no-contest between Darren Lewis and Chris Renfrew in January, they will face each other again but this time Renfrew is bringing some friends.

Also there will be early entry and a pre-show match for advance ticket holders.  The pre-show match was announced at Sunday Slam (yes I am so far behind that I haven't got that review up yet) Venym will defend the Sunday Slam title in a 10 man elimination match.  So far, Chavi and Disturbed have been confirmed as participants but who the other 7 are is yet to be announced.

Keep tabs on upcoming shows by liking the Reckless Intent page on Facebook, subscribe to them on YouTube and check out their website.



Wednesday, 4 March 2015

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