Review: SWE Uprising

Satuday 30 May 2015


As always, the last Saturday of the month is SWE Uprising so a wee trip to Dundee was required.  This time I decided to sit on the other side of the hall to see if I got better photos....the answer was not really so in June I will be back in my usual spot!!

Since I am a bit behind with my blogs (getting to be the usual these days) I am going to cop out once again and not get into too much detail but as SWE have made this entire event available for free on YouTube, why not click here and check it out for yourself!

After the usual welcome from regular MC and ring announcer, Chris Duke, the show kicked off with the entrance music of Ian Ambrose playing, which caused a stir as Ambrose had announced just after the European Tournament that he was stepping away from wrestling to dedicate more time to his young son.  Instead, The Jackal and his "Associate" appear, laughing at the fans who were hoping to see Ambrose.  The Jackal then offered a "special opportunity" and issued an open challenge for the SWE Future Division Championship to anyone except Scotty Riccio.....

...which was answered by MDK, who came to the ring accompanied by Chaz Phoenix.  This match was virtually non-existent...but ended up entertaining for all the wrong reasons.  The match ended in a disqualification after just a few minutes when the "Associate" got involved, costing The Jackal the match but saving the title which can only change hands by pinfall or submission.  As Phoenix made his way into the ring, he threw in a chair, which accidentally hit the referee.  The Jackal and his "Associate" made their escape as Phoenix announce that the fans had been robbed of a decent match and required compensation...and that would be in the form of a tag match later that evening with MDK and Chaz Phoenix facing "The Jackal and Lurch" (Chaz's words!!) which was met with a resounding cheer from the fans.

Next out to the ring was SWE co-owner Bravehart, who addressed the fact that "one of his favourites" Ian Ambrose had left and put the blame on LJT for this before giving LJT a message "if you have any sense, you will leave this company".  Of course he also took the opportunity to have a dig at the accidental chair shot in the previous match and said that Phoenix should be sanctioned in the same way he was after he hit a referee.  After having a go at Chris Duke, he then announced that he was declaring himself fit to wrestle and that he would be back in action later that night.

Next was tag team action with Conor Frost teaming with Trident member Darren Blair to face The ComixZone, with Rawlins as Batman and Venym as Superman.  The Dundee crowd love The ComixZone and they had plenty to cheer for as Rawlins and Venym worked well together to take the upper hand.  Unfortunately Blair broke the pin attempt and left Venym out of action at ringside, allowing the heels to punish Rawlins in the ring.  Eventually Venym was able to get back onto the ring to make the tag and things were looking up for the ComixZone until once again Blair broke a pin attempt, this time sending Rawlins into the barriers before double teaming Venym and scoring the win.  Despite the result, I really enjoyed this match.

It was then time for a triple threat match - Felix Fortune v Mikey v Jackie Grady.  As Fortune and Mikey waited in the ring, Grady was announced several times, before finally appearing from the crowd with a towel round his head, claiming he had been in the shower.  Fortune and Grady initially worked together against Mikey until Fortune tried to roll up Grady.  It was very telling that the crowd were still chanting for Mikey while Grady and Fortune battled in the ring and they were rewarded as Mikey took the win, pinning Grady after delivering a boot to the head of Fortune, knocking him from the ring apron.

I mentioned in my European Tournament blog that I was looking forward to seeing both Kenny Kyd and JD Wilde facing other members of the SWE roster.  In the final match of the first half, Kenny Kyd faced Trident member Steven "Air" Myles.  While the crowd didn't seem to get involved, this turned out to be a really nice match.  Kyd took the victory after blocking Myles attempt at the 450 splash and then hitting him with a knee to the face before rolling him for the pinfall and, in a very surprising turn of events, Myles proved himself not all bad and shook his hand....could Bravehart's influence be wavering and the Trident be falling apart??

The second half of the show began with LJT taking the microphone to address recent events and his upcoming match at Hell For Lycra against Joe Hendry for the Heavyweight Title.  With Bravehart saying he would not be wrestling that night, LJT issued a challenge to Hendry to a match for the title then and there, starting a chant of "Joe Hendry" to the tune of 2 Unlimited's No Limits.  The wrestler who appeared was not Hendry but JD Wilde, who had a few words to say himself before attacking LJT when his back was turned.  He then demanded that the referee ring the bell to start the match, then proceeded to remove the pad from the top turnbuckle.  This was a great match which received a "This is Awesome" chant from the crowd and scored my vote as Match of the Night.  Wilde looked to have the match won after he hit LJT with a flying elbow, knocking him into the exposed turnbuckle, but instead of going for the pin he picked up LJT's baseball bat and was disqualified after hitting LJT in the gut with it.  Wilde then used the bat to choke LJT and appeared to be about to smack him in the head when Steven "Air" Myles came out to make the save - another sign that The Trident is falling apart!

Next up saw Euan Mackie face Joe Hendry.  If ever there was a mis-match, this was it.  Hendry used his size and strength advantage to dominate Mackie but this is one guy who never gives up.  Although he fought back as best he could and made some lovely moves to stun the Champion, Mackie was unable to overcome the odds and Hendry took the win.  After the bell, Hendry executed his finishing move again before dumping Mackie through the ropes and onto the floor outside.  As he celebrated, LJT appeared and after hitting Hendry with a cracking kick to the head after springing off the ropes, Hendry decided that he didn't want any part of LJT that night, climbing the barriers into the crowd in order to avoid LJT.

The penultimate match of the night saw Scotty Riccio facing Bravehart.  It had been announced that if Riccio lost the match, he would not be on the card for Hell For Lycra but if he won, he would not only be on the card but he could pick his opponent.  Bravehart started by giving the referee £10, telling him to make the three count.  Thinking he had the ref in his pocket, Bravehart tried to cheat his way to the victory but Riccio was smart, letting Bravehart be his own worst enemy until Riccio was able to make the pinfall.  Bravehart then grabbed the ref demanding to know what had happened to be told that he had done as he was asked and made the three count, Bravehart had to specifically said it was to be in his favour!  Riccio now gets to pick his opponent for Hell For Lycra....and I think if The Jackal still has the Future Division belt at that time, it won't be difficult to guess who he will choose.

For the final match, Chris Duke invited the loudest fan to be the guest ring announcer....and I wonder if it is just coincidence that the wee lass he picked was standing right next to me???

The final match saw The Jackal & The Associate (who I have named Team Jack-Ass) against MDK & Chaz Phoenix.  The Jackal demanded that Phoenix get in the ring first but showed himself as a coward by tagging his Associate as soon as Phoenix set foot in the ring.  A slow but steady match where Team Jack-Ass cheated their way to the win when the Associate pulled MDK from the ring apron as Phoenix looked to make the tag.  A tired Phoenix tried to hit The Jackal with a piledriver but The Jackal managed to fight his way out, grabbing the leg of Phoenix and rolling him up, using the tights as leverage, for the three count.

Things are definitely getting heated in the run up to Hell For Lycra on 29 August but there are still two Uprising shows in June and July which should not be missed.

For information and tickets for upcoming shows, check  out SWE on Facebook

Review: SWE European Tournament - 2 Nights

The SWE European Tournament is a bi-annual tournament and we saw Rob Cage win the final of the first one back at Hell For Lycra X, which was our first SWE show.  For this tournament we decided to take in both shows, staying in Dundee overnight.

Because this was a two night event (and partly because I am so far behind with my blogs) I am going to write this event as a single blog and not focus too much on each match individually (yeah I know it's a cop out but I need to get up to date!!)  It will also be without photographs as the strange lighting which kept changing in Menzieshill made it difficult to get great photos, although there will be a selection uploaded to the Loudmouth Facebook page soon.


FRIDAY 15 MAY - NIGHT ONE

It was a small crowd at Menzieshill Community Centre for the first night of the tournament and no matter how I tried, it was difficult to get them to join in with the chants/cheers/jeers but that didn't stop me being the Loudmouth the entire night.

Tournament - Massimo Italiano (Italy) v El Kid Lux (Netherlands)
A nice match to open the tournament.  Italiano is becoming a bit of a fan favourite with the SWE crowd and Lux played the heel to perfection.  Italiano took the victory to progress to the semi-final on Saturday.

Tournament - Saint-George (England) v Sambroso Maestro (Spain?? erm think he's Mexican mate)
This match never actually happened.  Bravehart and Jam O'Malley came out to the ring with Saint-George.  Doctor Grue announced Sambroso Maestro but he failed to appear.  Bravehart then announced that he and Jam had made sure that Saint-George would get a bye into the semi-finals.  He then demanded that Sambroso be given a 10 count and if he didn't appear, he would forfeit the match.   As Saint-George was awarded the bye, Chaz Phoenix appeared and told Saint-George that he wasn't getting off that easily and that he would have a one on one match there and then against Mikey.

Saint-George v Mikey
What a match!!  Mikey came out all guns blazing and Saint-George had to resort to underhanded tactics to get the upper hand.  Mikey soon came back at him, nailing Saint-George with several cracking moves but unfortunately Saint-George was declared the winner when he manoeuvred the referee into the path of Mikey, causing him to nail the referee instead and Mikey was disqualified as a result.

JD Wilde v Kenny Kyd
This was the match I had hoped to see - the decider between the two trainees who had been on the last two uprising pre-shows.  I was not disappointed.  Another cracking match between these two lads and definitely deserving of a main card slot.  Kenny Kyd took the victory and now I look forward to seeing them both facing other opponents in the future.

Tournament - Theo Doros (Cyprus) v Damian O'Connor (Ireland)
Newcomer Doros came out to the ring singing what I believe was the National Anthem of Cyprus.  He gave it a good try but he was facing Big Damo!!  Doros discovered how it feels to have "The Beast of Belfast" stand on his chest and drop a senton.  Damo took a convincing victory to move into Saturday's semi-finals.

MDK v Conor Frost & Darren Blair
The second half started with a 2 on 1 handicap match.  MDK was accompanied to the ring by Chaz Phoenix.  This didn't appear to be much of a handicap match as MDK made short work of both of Bravehart's minions, dispatching Blair and slamming Conor Frost before pinning him for the three count.  Phoenix then got the microphone and declared war on Bravehart, delivering a devastating piledriver on Blair and stating he would destroy his minions until he got his hands on the co-owner.

Tournament - Euan G Mackie (Castle Mackula) v Scott Renwick (Scotland)
The final tournament qualifier of the night was in my opinion the best of them too.  Mackie and Renwick delivered a top notch match which either man deserved to win and was my Match of the Night.  There was something for everyone in this match - technical and high flying moves, a bit of brutality and some humour.  Bravehart was ecstatic when Renwick took the victory to move into the semi-finals, however while Renwick is associated with Bravehart's minions, there are cracks forming..

Jay the Jackal & Jackie Grady v The ComixZone
A rather strange tag team match where The Jackal and his "Associate" came out to the ring but both appeared rather confused when Grady appeared and announced that he would be The Jackal's tag partner for the match.  Rawlins and Venym appeared in The Flash and Spiderman gear as part of their ComixZone gimmick (which I still don't get).  Grady ended up on the floor outside the ring and "The Associate" took over as tag partner for "The Jackal".  The Jackal scored the pinfall on Venym before leaving the ring with "The Associate".  The ComixZone then took out their frustrations on Grady before making their way backstage.

LJT v Ian Ambrose
The final match of the night and one I felt a strange atmosphere in.  The match itself had everything required to blow the roof off the place - two cracking competitors, both with a firm fanbase but it was somewhat subdued.  Ambrose was not his usual cocky self, posing for photos as usual.  The match was good - Ambrose appeared to be leaving with his belts (his homemade belt and Joe Hendry's SWE belt that he had stolen after the last uprising) but LJT went after him and they took in the entire hall, bouncing each other off walls and using dustbins as weapons.. but still something was missing.  LJT received a cut to the forehead during the match but it did not appear to slow him down.  Ambrose attempted to use the belt as a weapon but the ref intervened and ended up down himself.  Ambrose then took the opportunity to nail LJT with the belt after all and eventually scored the pinfall.


SATURDAY 16 MAY - NIGHT TWO

Night Two saw a much larger and very much more vocal crowd...which was just as well as my voice was not at its best after working so hard the night before!

Tournament - Massimo Italiano (Italy) v Saint-George (England)
Massimo Italiano endeared himself to the crowd by appearing to wipe his butt with Saint-George's top but unfortunately he was unable to give them what they truly wanted.  A belter of a match ended with Saint-George victorious after managing to hit Italiano with his second attempt at the Saint George Cross.  Saint-George has booked his place in the final at Hell For Lycra in the Caird Hall on 29 August.

Bravehart Invitational Battle Royal
Bravehart came out to announce that the winner of the Battle Royal would automatically get a spot on Hell For Lycra at the Caird Hall.  The competitors were Jam O'Malley, The ComixZone (Rawlins and Venym) JD Wilde, Jackie Grady, Scotty Riccio, Theo Doros, Conor Frost and The Jackal's "Associate".  O'Malley and Frost appeared to work together throughout and Bravehart made his presence at ringside felt, however their plan was thwarted and Scotty Riccio was the last man standing.

Joe Hendry v Mikey
These two guys always put on one hell of a show and this was no exception.  Hendry was without his SWE Heavyweight Title belt, which Ambrose had stolen.  From the outset the crowd were chanting for Mikey, who has become a big fan favourite with the SWE crowd.  Unfortunately, despite pulling out all the stops, it was Hendry who would be the victor this time.  A close contender for my Match of the Night, it was only just beaten by the next match.....

Tournament - Damian O'Connor (Ireland) v Scott Renwick (Scotland)
There is nothing like watching two guys who have worked together as a tag team going at it against each other.  These guys know each other so well, it was going to take something special for one to get over on the other.  I have seen Big Damo stand on the chest of several wrestlers over the years, but this was the first time I saw him stand on a wrestlers back and then follow it with standing on his chest and the senton!  Surely it was over and Damo was the winner.....but no....Renwick not only withstood this but he was the one to score the three count and would now face Saint-George at the Caird Hall in August.  In a show of good sportsmanship, Damo and Renwick shook hands after the match.  Saint-George came out and got into Renwick's face and Bravehart and his minions came out to try to smooth the waters between their "comrades".  Bravehart encouraged them to shake hands and as it appeared they would, Bravehart and the minions left the ring, just as Renwick pulled Saint-George in and hit him with the Angels Wings.  The crowd went mad as Saint-George landed on his face.  Scotty appears to have seen the light and will have the crowd firmly behind him in August as Scotland faces England at the Caird Hall.  Definitely my Match of the Night!!

Bobby Roberts v El Kid Lux
A nice match to kick off the second half of the show.  Despite the crowd being on the side of Roberts, the Dutchman put on a better performance on the night and took a well deserved win.

Chaz Phoenix & MDK v Darren Blair and Steven "Air" Myles
The three original Trident members in a match but with one aligned with Phoenix against the other two showed how things change.  There was a lovely spot with Myles walking the top rope before doing a backflip onto the others outside the ring.  I was a bit worried he was going to overshoot with the height he gained on it but boy it looked impressive!  MDK and Phoenix took the victory then Phoenix challenged Bravehart to a match at Hell For Lycra - a 5 on 5 tag team elimination match with Bravehart personally taking part with 4 of his cronies with whoever wins getting 100% control of SWE.  Bravehart avoided accepting the challenge by saying he would give his answer at Uprising on 27 June at the Ardler Complex.

Jay the Jackal & Ian Ambrose v LJT & Euan G Mackie
The final match of the two day tournament saw The Jackal and Ambrose team up against LJT and Mackie, who have worked really well together in the last couple of shows.  The Jackal and Ambrose did not work so well and at one point Ambrose made to leave, saying he didn't need this.  "The Associate" who was ringside tried to stop him only for LJT to dive through the ropes.  Ambrose got the upper hand just as The Jackal joined them, furious at Ambrose for leaving him in the lurch.  Euan Mackie took the opportunity to leap from the top turnbuckle and knock them down like skittles.  The win went to LJT and Mackie after LJT pinned Ambrose for the three count, however it appeared he had taken a bit of a bump to the head and required some assistance getting up and out of the ring afterward.

All in all, this was a good wee tournament, although I wish the Friday crowd would have been a bit more vocal!

SWE have upcoming shows in Blairgowrie on Saturday 13 June and Dundee on Saturday 27 June.  For information on these and future events, including how to buy tickets, check out SWE on Facebook