Review: Reckless Intent presents Sunday Slam 2

Sunday 19 October 2014

This was the second Sunday Slam show from Reckless Intent and would be a wee bit more special for me as Rob would be making his in-ring debut during the main event rumble match.

The show started with ring announcer The Grue informing the crowd that Joe Hendry believed that the Hardcore Championship epitomises everything that is wrong with wrestling and had therefore vacated the title in exchange for a shot at the UK Title at Over the Top on 1 November.  As a result, the main event rumble would now be for the vacated Hardcore Championship.

The first match saw Westy face Mike Hawke.  Westy's gimmick is to come out dressed as different wrestling characters and this time he was the Undertaker during his "American Badass" stint.  He arrived not on a motorbike however, but on a kids scooter.  Mike Hawke took exception to this and claimed to be the real American Badass and unleashed a series of hard chops to the chest of the crowd favourite.  Despite a few mistakes due to his inexperience in the ring, Westy could not be kept down and, in true Undertaker style, no matter what was thrown at him, he just kept going, walking the top rope and finishing Hawke with a tombstone piledriver to take the win.

Next up was Jackie Grady against Craig Valant.  The crowd were a bit quiet during this match but are definitely warming to newcomer Valant, especially after he started by asking Grady if he was a member of Hanson.  After a few wristlocks and armdrags, Grady decided he needed a break, taking a seat in the audience and inciting a chicken chant.  While Grady was getting in my face, Valant exited the ring and forced him back in, only for Grady to get the jump on him and dominate much of the match.  Valant did manage to get back into the match, scoring a near fall after a power bomb, before heading to the top rope however Grady countered and both men went down for a 6 count.  After exchanging punches, Valant hit with some big clotheslines, a scoop slam and a series of elbow drops and looked firmly in control of the match, however Grady managed to counter his finishing move and was able to roll up Valant for the 3 count.

AJ Russell came out to the ring and called out his brother JJ, who had refused to face him back in August.  This time JJ appeared, much to the delight of the crowd.  This was brutal.  AJ started with slaps to the face of his brother, following up with punches and kicks and ramming his shoulder into the back of his brother in the corner.  JJ took a tremendous amount of punishment throughout this match and although he did manage to get on the offence a few times, his brother seemed to have an answer for everything, including some cracking aerial moves.  Despite the crowd being firmly behind JJ, it was AJ Russell who took the 3 count after a massive splash from the top rope.  This sibling rivalry is far from over but they get my vote for Match of the Day (afternoon show remember!)

The first half main event was a much anticipated affair.  After a short (and slightly one-sided) Facebook courtship, we were invited to the "wedding" of Jam O'Malley and Reckless Intent World Champion Saint-George Bernard.  Saint George arrived to the ring first, decked in his flags as usual, grabbing a microphone and stating there would be no wedding, only for O'Malley to arrive to the tune of "Here comes the bride".  Originally scheduled to be a non-title match between these two, General Manager Jason McKinley appeared and announced that the title would be on the line.  As Saint-George grumbled, Jam said they could just get married instead and the champion reluctantly handed the belt to the referee.  There was a moment of pure hilarity when Saint-George grabbed the top rope, only for it to slip and him land on his ass.  It was Jam O'Malley who started the "you fell over" chant!  This only served to make the champ even angrier and when O'Malley held out his hand to Saint-George, it was slapped away. Jam then dropped his trousers to reveal a fetching pair of red boxers, causing Saint-George to leave the ring and refuse to return to ring until he was decent.  Then when Jam offered to "hug it out" Saint-George slapped his face.  With Jam now sulking in the corner, Saint-George dragged him out by his hair and get this match started.  There was very little actual wrestling in the match,

however no-one really minded as there was a lot of entertainment, mainly Jam making fun of and embarrassing Saint-George, who in turn wanted to cause the greatest amount of pain possible for his opponent.  The match came to an end when Jam took off his trousers and bounced on the chest of Saint-George in corner.  Disgusted, the champioon grabbed the belt and left ring to be counted out but as the title can only change hands on a pinfall or submission, he retained the title.  GM Jason McKinlay returned and announced a new stipulation for the Title match on November 1 against Scott Renwick - if Saint-George is disqualified or counted out, he will be stripped of the title and fired.  A very unhappy Saint-George then grabbed a microphone to state that after that match, he would still be champion to a chorus of "blah, blah, blah" from the crowd.

The first match after the interval saw the return of Iron Fist, accompanied by his psychiatrist, Miss J who explained to the crowd that this was an experiment and she was working to help Iron Fist learn to interact with normal peopl.  She stated that she had brought him to see how he would cope in a strenuous social enviroment but that she would not be held culpable for any injuries obtained.  His opponent was Sweet Chavi Sanchez, who came out wearing a second mask as a taunting gesture toward Iron Fist and carrying his trademark Irn Bru.  This was more of a comedy match, with Chavi dealing out low blows and kicks to the ass of his opponent and taking a seat in the crowd while Iron Fist bounced off the ropes.  Finally Iron Fist grew tired of Chavi's antics and took the victory after hitting Chavi with a huge sidewalk slam.  I look forward to seeing Iron Fist in a more serious match in the future.

The final match before the Rumble was scheduled as a non-title match between UK Champion Mikey and Venym.  Venym came out to the ring first and, after stating that he had not had a great run of luck in his recent matches, respectfully requested that the match be made a title match so that he could show he could hold his own against the best in the company.  GM Jason McKinlay came out and granted the request.  Mikey appeared to the usual cheers from the fans, shook Venym's hand and the match was on.  While Venym is the bigger of the two, he is surprisingly agile and this match was a close runner up for my Match of the Day.  There was a lot of really nice moves from both guys and I was surprised by the amount of pro-Venym chanting there was considering how popular Mikey is with the fans.  Mikey nailed Venym with several dropkicks and a cracking 619 before springing from the top rope to splash Venym but could only get a 2 count.  Venym countered with spears into the turnbuckles and a massive legdrop but, once again, only a 2 count was managed.  Venym climbed the ropes only for Mikey to recover and hit some devastating aerial moves that so nearly got him the win.  Venym tried to rally but Mikey finished him with a "Pepsi Plunge" and scored the 3 count to retain the UK title.

Finally it was time for the Hardcore rumble match and I have to admit that for the early part of this match, I was solely focused on Rob.  I had expected that as a trainee he would be in the match for such a short period that I better grab the opportunity to get as many photos of him in action while I could.  Surprisingly he was in the match for longer than I expected and actually was holding his own pretty well, so I turned my attention to some of the other action.  The Russell brothers continued their battle with each other. Wee Jimmy was dragged into the ring before being thrown over the top rope onto the apron where Mikey dropkicked him onto the floor.  The Grue was dragged into the ring by Jam O'Malley, before being dumped over the top rope minus a few buttons on his purple shirt!  Rob had some nice turns with Saint-George, Rawlins and Jackie Grady, before catching a boot from Mikey producing a shiner before being eliminated by Grady.  Mikey hit a cracking dropkick on Craig Valant, before hitting the 619 on Saint-George following it with a springboard splash.  Mikey and Rawlins eliminated themselves by diving over the top rope to take out the SOS who were standing at ringside.  The final four appeared to be Westy (using The Big Show as his gimmick for this match), Jackie Grady, Jam O'Malley and Saint-George.  Saint-George was eliminated but grabbed O'Malley from the apron outside the ring and with Grady inside, together they got him over the top rope only for Westy to grab Grady and eliminate him, appearing to win the match.  As Westy celebrated with the belt, suddenly the

leader of the SOS, Sam Crowe appeared and tossed Westy over the top rope.  As he had not be officially eliminated from the match, he was crowned winner and new Hardcore champion and was joined in the ring by another member of SOS, however Mikey and Rawlins appeared with a steel chair and Crowe took off out the door, leaving his associate to face the RI Originals alone.  After being smacked with the chair and having Rawlins smack it off his face with a big boot, the SOS member was left sitting in the corner as Rawlins held the chair on him and Mikey hit it with a coast to coast before they dumped him out to the floor.

Another great show - and I admit to being totally biased when I say it was probably my favourite because my son made his debut - and I don't give a rat's ass what anyone has to say on the matter!

The next Reckless Intent show is this Saturday 1st November and is being held at Murieston Scout Hall, Livingston.  Tickets are £10 for adults and £5 for children.  Check them out on Facebook to keep up to date with news and future events and subscribe to their YouTube Channel where you will find footage of previous events.

Review: Reckless Intent presents Proving Grounds

Saturday 28 June 2014

Another early start so Rob could help out left me sitting outside finishing some signs for the show!

Unfortunately Ring Announcer Jason McKinlay was ill, so we had to endure Saint-George Bernard as both the announcer for the night as well as acting General Manager.  The show started with Saint-George and John Long coming out to the ring to remind people that it was Armed Forces Day and that Reckless Intent were running a special raffle to raise money for the armed forces charity, SSAFA https://www.ssafa.org.uk/. (Tickets for this raffle are still available and the draw will take place at the next event, Cruel Summer on 9 August so if you plan to come along, remember to bring some money for raffle tickets too.)

And onto the show....first out to ringside was Manlon who called Hardcore Champion, Wee Jimmy into the ring and promptly pinned him to take the title under the 24/7 rules.  Then Juan El Loco Gato came out and pinned Manlon to take the belt, only for Wee Jimmy, who was still standing in the ring to quickly roll up Juan to regain the title before quickly exiting the ring with his belt.  A stunned Juan and Manlon then faced off against each other in what had to be one of the funniest things I have ever seen. First Juan grabbed referee Westy and took his ref shirt and tried to instigate a match between Manlon and Westy.   Manlon was having none of it and quickly took the action to Juan, who eventually returned the ref shirt to Westy.  The match
continued in a comedy vein with Juan asking the crowd who was more manly, Manlon or Westy, then hugging Manlon during grappling sessions.  After smacking Manlon's face against his thigh several times, Juan jumped down and had the audience rub it better....and I was one of those "lucky" people!!  The fun continued when, using a remote control, Juan "paused" Manlon before hitting him with a low blow then hit play to watch Manlon writhe in agony.  Then Manlon grabbed the remote and returned the favour, before Juan used it for a final time to have Manlon punch himself in the face.  There was then a period of serious wrestling during which Manlon attempted his submission hold but Juan got to the ropes.  The match ended with Juan executing a frog splash from the top rope and scoring the 3 count!

Next match pitted Venym against Disturbed.  This match started off fairly straight forward with the crowd cheering for Disturbed against a very vocal Venym but then got a bit confusing as a second Disturbed appeared, knocking both the original Disturbed and Venym down with a crossbody from the top rope.  Venym was knocked from the ring, leaving the two Disturbeds to fight each other..and the confused crowd almost silent.  When Venym grabbed Disturbed 2 and dragged him outside the ring, Disturbed 1 did a suicide dive through the ropes to take both men out.  Back in the ring, Venym took the upper hand over Disturbed 1 going for a submission when Disturbed 2 made the save and attempted to pin Disturbed 1.  The match ended when Disturbed 1 ripped the mask from Disturbed 2 and left the ring, and while Disturbed 2 tried to cover his face with his hood, Venym rolled him up and took the win. Where the "Disturbed Saga" is going, I haven't a clue but I am sure it will become apparent soon!

Next out to the ring was Jackie Grady, who took the microphone to address the fact that he had issued a challenge to DCT who had been training in Romania and that as DCT had failed to show up and told referee Westy to start the match, count to 10 and then name Grady the winner.  As the count reached 7, the music blared and out came DCT.  A flummoxed Grady was then subjected to chants of "chicken" as he refused to re-enter the ring.  DCT took the advantage in the early part of the match, however Grady soon resorted to underhand tactics to get back into it.  As the momentum swung back in the favour of DCT, Grady managed to execute a swinging neckbreaker, following it with a sleeper hold but DCT managed to reach the ropes.  After nailing Grady with a DDT which sent him out of the ring, DCT lifted him back into the ring and after an unsuccessful pin attempt, was rolled up by Grady who, with his feet up on the second rope, scored the pin.

After a short interval, the action continued with a UK Title match between current champion Mikey and Dave Conrad.  Conrad first addressed the crowd and said that what had happened at the last event was a misunderstanding and that he wanted a fair match with Mikey for the title, then offered his hand for Mikey to shake and promptly kicked him in the gut.  With Conrad dominating the early part of the match, Mikey showed great heart, getting some hits here and there but Conrad would quickly subdue him again with a hard clothesline or slam into the corner.  A superb missile dropkick from the top rope started the momentum swing into Mikey's favour, followed by a standing dropkick in the corner then the "coast to coast".  After failing to score the pinfall, he was unable to get the bigger guy up for the "go to sleep", allowing Conrad to hit back with a massive powerbomb but when Mikey kicked out, Conrad started on Westy (and not for the first time) for not counting quickly enough before starting on a kid at ringside, allowing Mikey time to recover and finally execute the GTS and score the 3 count, retaining his title.  As Mikey celebrated in the ring, a masked man in a New Blood hoodie entered the ring, attacked him and quickly left.  Mikey then took the microphone and reminded the crowd of Jackie Grady's underhand tactics at the Super Bowl, hiding under the ring during the match then eliminating Mikey to take the title and how Mikey had then taken the title from him at Blackburn Gala Day after stopping him from pulling the same stunt.  He then offered Grady a rematch at the next event, Cruel Summer on 9 August.

Just before introducing the next match, Saint-George Bernard decided to get into a spat with a guy in the audience as his ego was obviously feeling it was not getting enough attention.  He then started on me again - the poor deluded Englishman still hasn't realised he will never win a war of words with me.  He then introduced John Long, who was to face Lowblow, with each man's job on the line.  Long started mouthing off, berating Lowblow with support from Saint-George.  It was around this time that I had to leave the unit for a few minutes to deal with an injury I had received to my foot earlier in the day so I missed Lowblow's entrance and the very start of the match, however I was told that when he was attacked by Saint-George while Long distracted the referee. After a stunned Lowblow was shoved back into the ring, Long took full advantage, using choke holds and yelling that Westy worked for him and that he better do as he was told.  I returned to the unit to see Lowblow being attacked again by Saint-George while Long was yelling in Westy's face before slapping the young referee. While Lowblow kept fighting, Long continued to use underhanded and illegal tactics and illicit the additional outside interference throughout from Saint-George.  Finally Lowblow started to gain the advantage, managing to get some revenge on both men both in and out of the ring, however Saint-George was not got going to allow this to continue and pulled Westy from the ring and knocked him down to the floor and second referee Adam was also subjected to the same fate.

Saint-George stripped the referee shirt from Westy and putting it on himself, declared himself the new referee.  Lowblow nailed Long with a kick and went for the pin but Saint-George carried out a slow count, inciting Lowblow to attack him.  Saint-George then hit him with a stunner, placed Long on his chest and made a fast count, declaring Long the winner.  With Long's job now safe, he then announced that Lowblow would have a final chance to secure his position in Reckless Intent, by winning a match at Cruel Summer against Rawlins!

Finally it was time for the Main Event, a match for the Reckless Intent World Title between Rawlins and Bobby Roberts, a fantastic confrontation which scored as my Match of the Night.  With the crowd firmly on "Team Bobby", Rawlins was unhappy with the chanting and, unable to get them to stop, took his frustrations out on the heavily strapped elbow of Roberts.  The momentum swung back and forth, with Roberts using his size and strength advantage, only for Rawlins to use his cunning and returning to the injured elbow.  When the action spilled out of the ring I took that as my cue to move out of my seat to protect my injured foot...and a good call it was! Rawlins knocked Roberts to the ground, jumped back into the ring and dived out between the ropes onto Roberts, only the big guy caught him and slammed Rawlins into the ringpost.  Back in the ring, momentum once again swung back and forwards, first Rawlins regained the advantage by again focussing on the elbow of Roberts then Roberts swung Rawlins from one corner to the other, slamming him into the turnbuckles.  The match ended when, after Roberts hit Rawlins with
a massive clothesline and went for the pin, Dave Conrad appeared at ringside distracting Roberts.  As Roberts turned to referee Westy to ask what was going on, Conrad slid a metal tray to Rawlins who slipped it inside his vest.  Roberts then turned his attention back to Rawlins, hitting him with a spear which knocked both men down.  As the referee count reached 7, Rawlins managed to roll over and get an arm across the chest of Roberts, taking the 3 count and retaining the title.

And so ended another great night of action.  Most of the matches are available to view on the Reckless Intent YouTube channel.  The next event "Cruel Summer" is on 9 August and matches have already been announced on the Facebook page so check it out and come along and watch some fireworks!