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

Review: SWE Uprising: The Jackal, The Snitch and The Lobbie Press

Saturday 25 April 2015


Last Saturday of the month can only mean one thing.....SWE Uprising!

The pre-show match was a rematch from last month with Kenny Kyd once again facing JD Wilde.  This was another nice match from the trainees and they seemed to have improved on their previous encounter.  This time is was JD Wilde who took the victory and with the count now standing at one apiece, I look forward to seeing a decider in the near future!

The main show began with a Triple Threat match.  "The Superstar" Darren Lewis made his SWE debut and with him and Massimo Italiano already in the ring, Chaz Phoenix came out to announce the return of Mikey.  Mikey got straight down to business, showing he was fully recovered from his knee surgery but was knocked from the post by the big Italian.  Lewis and Italiano went at it before Mikey returned to take down both of his opponents, finally scoring the pinfall on Lewis, much to the delight of the crowd.

Ian Ambrose then came out to the ring carrying his cardboard replica belt and proclaiming himself Champ.  SWE Heavyweight Champion Joe Hendry then came out for a face to face confrontation which ended in a lot of posturing with each trying to make their belt the most visible!  Add LJT to the mix, who announced he was sick of the politics and wanted a title match that night.  Finally Chaz Phoenix appeared and announced that there would be no championship match that night, but that Ambrose and Hendry would have to put there differences aside as they would be be teaming together in the main event, a tag team match against LJT and a partner of his choice.

The next match saw Venym face Felix Fortune.  Venym came out with his Comix Zone tag partner Rawlins dressed as two of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to the original TMNT movie theme, much to the amusement of the crowd.  Fortune was booed from the minute he appeared through the curtains.  Fortune appeared to have Venym well under control, including hitting five elbow drops in a row but Venym managed to fight back and take the pinfall.

Next out to the ring was Jackie Grady who would face Rawlins (who once again came out to the ring with Venym to TMNT).  I have to admit that I am not too keen on the Comix Zone comedy persona of Rawlins and really miss "The Baddest Man in Professional Wrestling" heel that he used to be!  This was a decent enough match but I couldn't really get into it (I blame the gimmick).  Rawlins took the victory by pinfall.

The first match of the second half was one that had been brewing for a while.  After months of antagonising on Facebook, Saint-George would finally face Chaz Phoenix.  Phoenix made an immediate impact on the bigmouthed Englishman, taking the action outside the ring, where unfortunately Saint-George managed to reverse the momentum.  As Phoenix was starting to gain some momentum, Saint-George was joined by Conor Frost but even this was not enough and Phoenix nailed Saint-George with a cracking piledriver to take the win.  An irate Bravehart then made an appearance, attacking Phoenix from behind before taking the microphone, berating Phoenix, then Chris Duke and calling out Reckless Intent's General Manager Jason McKinlay and threatening to take control of Reckless Intent at their event on 6 June.

Next up, Jay the Jackal put the Future Division title on the line against former champ Scotty Riccio, who had been promised a rematch by Chaz Phoenix.  With "The Associate" at ringside to assist, The Jackal was determined not to give up the title, however the referee put paid to any plans by sending "The Associate" backstage.  Riccio appeared to have the Jackal well under control but while having a discussion with the referee, The Jackal struck from behind with a lowblow.  The referee called for the bell and it was announced that Riccio was the winner by DQ but as the title can only change hands by pinfall or submission, The Jackal retained the title.  "The Associate" then reappeared and both he and The Jackal beat on Riccio.  JD Wilde, Kenny Kyd and Theo Doros came out to try to save Riccio but each failed.  Finally The Jackal and "The Associate" left the ring, with Riccio draped over the big man's shoulders.

The final match of the night  - Joe Hendry and Ian Ambrose wait in the ring to see who LJT has chosen as his partner.  LJT made his entrance and turned to show he was wearing the mask of EG Mackie, who appeared from behind the curtain wearing LJT's mask.  While Hendry and Ambrose continued to posture with their belts, LJT and Mackie took the opportunity to double team them, dropping Hendry to the mat and then dumping Ambrose on top of his partner.  Mackie then threw Ambrose from the ring, leaving LJT and Hendry to continue.  This was a cracking match with some lovely moves from everyone involved.  The highlights for me were Mackie reversing his fortunes when Ambrose and Hendry had him in a suplex - they held him too long and Mackie flipped himself down onto his feet, dropping the two big men and then later in the match when he launched from the turnbuckle to knock the guys standing outside of the ring down like skittles.  LJT and Mackie work really well together and they proved it once again by taking the win and another Match of the Night.

SWE have Uprising shows in the Ardler Complex on the last Saturday of each month and are now working toward their big annual show Hell For Lycra, which is being held on 29 August in Caird Hall.  To keep up to date with future events and ticket information, check out SWE on Facebook

Review: SWE Uprising: Hearts on Fire

Saturday 28 March 2015


If Livingston and Reckless Intent is my second home, then Dundee and SWE is my third and the last Saturday of the month will find me at the Ardler Complex (unless its August - Caird Hall baby!) for their monthly Uprising show.  As the shows have become more and more popular, it has often ended up standing room only and, for the first time the balcony was opened to wrestling fans.

There was a pre-show match for advance ticket holders featuring two trainees from SWE's training school, JD Wilde and Kenny Kyd. A fairly decent display from both guys ending in a victory for Kenny.  I actually quite enjoy these matches - its good to see the talent emerging from different training schools and it also gives them a chance to feel what its like to be in front of a crowd before they hit the main card.

The main show began with an announcement that Chris Duke had been suspended after striking Bravehart at the previous show and that there would be a replacement for him on the commentary table....none other than Bravehart himself.

The first match saw Felix Fortune face Chaz Phoenix.  Fortune put up a good fight but Phoenix had him well in control when Conor Frost and Trident members Darren Blair, Steven "Air" Myles and Saint-George appeared and they each took their turn to perform their finishing moves on Phoenix.  Suddenly MDK, the Trident member who was replaced by Saint-George after sustaining an injury, appeared however instead of joining his old crew, he shocked everyone when he got in the ring and cleared it of everyone except Fortune who was then pinned by Phoenix.  Bravehart was furious and to add insult to injury, Chaz Phoenix then announced that with MDK now by his side, we were witnessing the rebirth of "The Syndicate".  He then called to Chris Duke, who was sitting in the audience, and reinstated him to his rightful place at the commentary table and as ring announcer.

Next up was Martyn Stallyon v Venym v Jackie Grady in a Triple Threat match.  Stallyon started well before being knocked from the ring, allowing Venym to gain the upper hand on Grady.  Stallyon returned to the ring to prevent either of his opponents making the pinfall.  With all three now in the ring, chaos ensued - Stallyon had a near pin on Grady, who was then taken out by Venym, who then found himself on the receiving end of a pin by Stallyon when Ian Ambrose appeared and attacked Stallyon.  Ambrose and Stallyon then battled their way through the crowd, up onto the balcony and down the other side into the backstage area.  While most of the crowd were focusing on the battle outside of the ring, Grady and Venym continued to go at it with Venym eventually claiming the victory.

The first match of the second half saw fan favourite LJT team up with Euan G Mackie against Trident members, Saint-George and Steven "Air" Myles, with Darren Blair hovering around ringside.  This was an incredible match and most definitely my Match of the Night.  All four guys really pulled out the stops on this and the end result was a delight to watch.  With Saint-George and Myles trying their underhanded tricks and double team moves and Blair trying to get involved, it was nice to see Myles taking out his own partner and being on the receiving end of an LJT/Mackie double team too.  The highlight of the match for me is shown in the photo - LJT had taken out Blair at ringside and Mackie had hit Saint-George and Myles with a double dropkick from the turnbuckle before sending them out of the ring.  Mackie then climbed to the top turnbuckle and cannonballed all three Trident members (and his partner) on the outside of the ring.  Back in the ring (and back in my seat) LJT seemed to be on fire but Myles managed to gain control and hit his 450 splash on LJT however he failed to score the pinfall.  There were a couple more near pins for both sides but finally, Myles tried to flip over the back of LJT and pull him down, but LJT dropped to his knees instead, cinching up the legs of Myles getting the three count.  This truly was a great match and even got a "This is awesome" chant (which was NOT started by me!)

After such a cracking match, the last person we wanted to see was Bravehart - but out he came to the ring and demanded that Chris Duke stand in the corner of the ring until he finished.  He then berated Duke for his actions at the previous event, dishing out insult after insult to the point it looked like Duke might haul off and punch him again.  Of course Bravehart had already considered this and threatened to fire Duke if he dared to raise his hand again and how it was so important for Duke to have a job.  I almost lost my voice at this point screaming at Duke to just hit him and I would arrange a whip-round for him!  Unfortunately he chose not to and returned to the commentary table looking somewhat shell-shocked while Bravehart got into verbal battles with myself and my friends as he left ringside.

The penultimate match of the night had Ian Ambrose against Massimo Italiano.  With Ambrose refusing to acknowledge the loss of the SWE Heavyweight Championship to Joe Hendry at the last event, he came out to the ring carrying a home-made version of the SWE belt then demanded that Doctor Grue re-announce him as the reigning SWE Champion of 428 days.  Ambrose then took the microphone and announced that as a "fighting champion" that this match would be for his SWE title, much to the amusement of the crowd and a few chants of "Joe Hendry, Global Hero" were made.  The match itself was great, with some lovely moves and several near pins from both guys.  Ultimately the match was decided by the interference of Stallyon, who superkicked Ambrose, handing his nemesis the win by disqualification, retaining his "title".

The main event saw Scotty Riccio put the Future Division Title on the line against Jay the Jackal.  As expected, The Jackal used every underhanded tactic in the book in his efforts to regain the belt and his "Associate" was on hand to assist in any way necessary.  This was yet another great match and filled with controversy.  With Riccio having been subjected to outside interference on several occasions, he looked to be regaining some momentum when he was thrown into the corner and knocked down the referee.  The Jackal's "Associate" was quick to capitalise, hitting the ref with a boot to the face before turning his attentions to Riccio.  After The Jackal and his "Associate" hit Riccio with a double team move, a second referee appeared to make the count, however Riccio managed to kick out and an angry Jackal then decked the ref, knocking him out.  Riccio then went on the offensive, knocking the "Associate" from the ring apron before hitting a beautiful lionsault on The Jackal.  A third referee appeared as he pinned The Jackal and made the three count.  The crowd went nuts, however before he could call to the timekeeper to ring the bell, the "Associate" grabbed his feet and dragged him from the ring, causing his head to hit off the ring apron and leave him unconscious on the floor.  With the match still officially going, Riccio was beaten by both men and then, as the original referee came to, was pinned by The Jackal to become the new Future Division Champion.  The crowd were furious, as was Chaz Phoenix who appeared at ringside and announced that Scotty Riccio would get his rematch at the next Uprising on 25 April in the Ardler Complex.

A cracking, if unpopular, end to a great show - easily the best show SWE has put on since October when Paul London and Brian Kendrick appeared - and this time without the big name imports!  SWE goes from strength to strength and with their annual Hell For Lycra just a few months away, things can only get better.

Check out SWE on Facebook for details of their upcoming shows and ticket availability.  Tickets are also on sale for Hell For Lycra which will be held at the Caird Hall in Dundee on August 29th.

Review: SWE Uprising: Psycho Circus

Saturday 28 February 2015

Last Saturday of the month so I would be found in Dundee!  After an afternoon of shopping and a visit to Dr Noodles, Janet and I headed to the Ardler Complex for SWE's monthly Uprising show.

There was a pre-show match for advance ticket holders featuring two of the trainees from Hart & Soul Wrestling School, Alec Xander (sorry if this is spelled wrong) and Conor Frost.  Frost has recently made a few waves in both the SWE and Reckless Intent ring as a "renegade referee", making some very dubious decisions and feuding with Rawlins, which had him already set up as the heel.   The crowd were a bit quiet but that didn't stop me cheering and encouraging Xander who hit Frost with a massive elbow drop to take the win.  Both guys did well for their first match and I was pleased to see that Frost can wrestle better than he can ref!!!

After a short break to allow the rest of the crowd in, the main show began with a 10 bell salute to the late Drew McDonald.  The entire roster surrounded the ring and the crowd stood as Chris Duke tolled the bell.  A nice mark of respect which I was glad to be a small part of.

The first match of the main show saw Rawlins & Venym take on Scott "The Butcher" Renwick & Trident member Steven "Air" Myles.  Using the superhero theme, Rawlins came out as The Punisher and Venym had his hammer... which he placed in the centre of the ring and everyone had a go at lifting, including Rawlins, and failed before he moved it himself. (Still not sure about this hammer gimmick)  The match itself was good with some very nice double team moves by Rawlins and Venym and the obligatory cheating from Renwick and Myles.  Myles went for his 450 splash on Rawlins only to find the mat empty when he landed which was the beginning of the end for the bad guys.  With Rawlins doing a suicide dive on Renwick, Venym pinned Myles and took a very popular win.

With the celebrations still going in the ring, Bravehart appeared with Jam O'Malley and Nikki Storm.  Surprisingly they allowed Rawlins and Venym to leave ringside untouched and joined their comrades in the ring.  After consoling the losers on "being cheated out of the win" Bravehart turned his attention to SWE Co-Owner Chaz Phoenix, labelling him a coward.  Jam O'Malley then took the microphone and challenged Phoenix to face him in "Jam O'Malley's Fun House of Horrors".  Phoenix came out to ringside and Bravehart accused him of trying to back out of the match and said he either wrestled O'Malley or give up his shares in SWE.  Phoenix said giving up his shares was not an option and accepted the challenge to face O'Malley.  Bravehart then announced that this would be a 2-on-1 handicap match but did not reveal who would be partnering O'Malley.

Jay The Jackal and his "associate" appeared to join the commentary team as the first half main event was announced, Scotty Riccio would be defending the Future Division title against Felix Fortune.  After a cracking start by Riccio, Fortune took the upper hand and dominated much of the match, focusing on the knee of Riccio.  AS Riccio fought back, Fortune caught the 619 attempt but Riccio managed to nail his opponent with a crossbody from the top turnbuckle to score the pinfall and retain the title.  At this point The Jackal and his "associate" came to the ring.  Riccio knocked The Jackal from the ring apron while his "associate" attacked Riccio from behind, allowing the Jackal to return to the ring and the two beat Riccio down before The Jackal held up the belt, making it clear that he wanted it back.

The second half started with the 2-on-1 handicap match in which Conor Frost made his second appearance of the night, teaming with Jam O'Malley  to face Chaz Phoenix.  With both Bravehart and Nikki Storm also at ringside, this was never going to be easy for Phoenix.  O'Malley started the match and soon tagged in Frost, who was pretty much left in the ring to get on with it.  He made a good show against a slightly rusty Phoenix, however Phoenix soon started to get back into the swing of things and began to show the trainee who was boss.  As Phoenix went for the pin, Bravehart got up on the apron to distract the referee from the count and to allow O'Malley to get in and assist his partner.  The referee saw this and stopped O'Malley, while Phoenix continued his assault on Frost.  Unfortunately while the referee was busy with O'Malley, Bravehart grabbed the foot of Phoenix, bringing him down.  Frost hit with a splash, O'Malley let go the ref and Frost pinned Phoenix for the three count with Bravehart holding onto his feet.  With the match over, Bravehart, O'Malley and Frost began to beat on Phoenix until a rescue was made by the most unlikely of people, Chris Duke, who got into the ring and decked Bravehart, sending him and his cronies scattering.  The crowd went nuts as Duke assisted Phoenix back to his feet and Phoenix grabbed the microphone to tell Bravehart that "This is not over" and insinuating there would be a match at Hell For Lycra for outright control of SWE.

Nikki Storm made yet another appearance, having disappeared backstage at sometime during the previous match.  This was announced as a match, but actually came across more like a promo slot.  She took the microphone and starting telling everyone how wonderful she was before having a pop at SWE referee Edith Summer, who she had beaten a few months before at Seasons Beating.  Summer then came to the ring and told Storm how upset she was, that she had looked up to her and wanted to be like her, bursting into tears while Storm laughed.  Storm attacked Summer, then watched as her friend Jam O'Malley arrived and slammed Summer to the canvas before other referees put a stop to their antics.

Chris Duke and Doctor Grue took to the ring to do their first ever live Bell 2 Bell podcast segment.  First they interviewed Mikey who was supposed to be part of the evening's main event but he had surgery on his knee brought forward and was unable to compete.  Mikey promised that as soon as he was cleared to wrestle again, he would be back and it didn't matter whether it was Ian Ambrose, LJT or Joe Hendry who held the belt at the time, he would be coming for his shot at that title.  Then came the announcement regarding the two WWE Hall of Famers who will be appearing at Hell For Lycra.  A video montage played about the event and there was a picture at the end, which if you blinked you might have missed it...showing them to be Ted DiBiase and Terry Funk.  Great names but a bit disappointed in the reveal.

Finally it was time for the main event.  On Day 400 of his title reign, current SWE Heavyweight Champion Ian Ambrose would put the title on the line in a triple threat match against LJT and Joe Hendry.  There was action aplenty in this match, LJT went straight for Ambrose, then Ambrose and Hendry appeared to work together against LJT before finally turning on each other.  With the battle raging in the ring, a Martyn Stallyon promo appeared on the video screen which distracted Ambrose in particular.  As he stood at the ropes, screaming at the curtains for Stallyon to come out and face him, Stallyon appeared from the crowd and attacked from behind.  Joe Hendry went for the pin but Ambrose was not done yet.  LJT then attempted to capitalise, springing from the ropes to kick Hendry in the face but he was unable to make the pin.  Ambrose attempted to pin Hendry but was instead picked up and driven into the mat and this time Hendry was successful in scoring the pinfall to become the new SWE Heavyweight Champion.

So another Uprising came to a close.  A good show, although I felt it was a little heavy on the promo side this time with only 4 matches on the main show, however the quality of the main event made up for it and it was great to see the title change hands....even though the crowd would have preferred to see LJT with the belt.

The next SWE Uprising is on 28 March at the Ardler Complex with advance ticket holders getting early entry to the venue.  Check out SWE on Facebook for information on upcoming events, including their annual Hell For Lycra show in August, and ticket information.

Review: SWE Uprising: Guardians of the Kayfabe

Saturday 31 January 2015

Our trip to Dundee was a little longer than normal, as this time we were travelling from Manchester, having gone down there for the TNA show (which was pretty damn good but I am not blogging it as they did TV tapings which will air in March).

The first match of the night saw Scotty Riccio put the Future Division title on the line against Rawlins.  This was a cracking match with Rawlins going all out to take the belt and Riccio doing everything he could to hang onto it.  With the action spilling outside the ring, Rawlins smashed Riccio into the railings directly in front of us before returning to the ring to continue the punishment.  Riccio dodged the flying headbutt and managed to gain some momentum until he went for the 619 where Rawlins managed to grab his legs and went for a sharpshooter.  Unable to get the win, Rawlins went for another flying headbutt before using the crossface submission hold.  Somehow Riccio managed to manoeuvre this into a pin attempt and the hold was broken.  Suddenly Riccio had the upper hand and a successful 619 ended with Riccio scoring the pin to retain the belt.  Rawlins appeared to be irate, going to the commentary table to grab the belt, however he returned to the ring, handed the belt to the champion before shaking his hand.  Seems Rawlins ain't all bad after all!

Next out to the ring was Bravehart accompanied by Jam O'Malley, The Trident (minus Saint-George) and Scott Renwick, followed by Chaz Phoenix.  After a war of words between Bravehart and Phoenix, Bravehart stated that it was 5 on 1 and Phoenix wouldn't stand a chance as they attacked en-masse.  Felix Fortune appeared but rather than helping Phoenix, much to the crowd's surprise, he joined Bravehart's crew in the attack.  Bravehart was attempting to put the sharpshooter on Phoenix when Bobby Roberts appeared and cleared the ring - prompting me to shout that "in the face of 100% pure Scottish beef, they all turned into chickens".  Phoenix then announced that Fortune would face Roberts one on one....

Roberts wasted no time in dishing out some punishment to the former fan favourite, however Fortune was not going down as easily as expected.  Although Roberts dominated most of the match, Fortune managed a few good moves and tried to keep Roberts down using headlocks on the canvas.  Roberts is a very hard man to keep down though and rallied to punish Fortune some more, however Fortune lived up to his name when he managed to move out of the corner as Roberts came at him and instead hit the ringpost, Fortune grabbed the opportunity to roll up the big guy, pulling the tights for leverage and scored the three count.

The first half main event was an absolute corker of a match between "The Butcher" Scott Renwick and LJT, who has become the big fan favourite in Dundee in recent months.  From the outset, these guys just went all out to impress the crowd.  LJT started off the match with a stunning dropkick and looked to have Renwick well in hand until Renwick caught the crossbody attempt and dropped for the backbreaker.  The match continued in spectacular fashion, with near falls for both men.  The end was equally as spectacular as Renwick attempted the Angel Wings, hoisting LJT into the air only for LJT to somehow manage to flip his legs over the back of Renwick, unbalancing him until he dropped and as soon as LJT's feet hit the mat he bridged to take an awesome pinfall, which the crowd loved.  LJT then addressed the crowd, stating that he was the only man to have pinned current champ Ian Ambrose in the 371 days since he took the title and he deserved a title shot.  He ended his speech by saying his mother taught him "If someone hits you, you hit back.  If someone pushes you, you push back. If someone fights you, you fight back" and that he would be taking part in the Battle Royal and walking out with the No 1 contendership for the heavyweight title.

After the interval the action continued with a 20 Man Battle Royal.  As always, chaos ensued and it was difficult to keep track of all the action.  Conor Frost made his wrestling debut as Big Bad Bundy and became the immediate target for Rawlins to the extent that after "Bundy" was eliminated, Rawlins dived between the ropes to continue his assault on the man who had plagued him with poor decisions as a referee, but eventually returned to the ring and was one of the final men to be eliminated.  JJ Russell was an easy elimination for Scott Renwick, who gave him a push as Russell stood on the ropes in the corner calling out his "geez a chance" catchphrase to the fans.  Eventually it came down to Scott Renwick and LJT and the crowd were going nuts.  Unfortunately, Bravehart decided to interfere and as LJT delivered a kick to the SWE co-owner, Renwick took the opportunity to hit a clothesline and put LJT over the top rope.

The next match saw Massimo Italiano make his SWE debut against Jay The Jackal, who was accompanied to the ring by his "Associate".  Italiano had the advantage for the early part of the match until The Jackal's "Associate" caused a distraction allowing Jay to take upper hand for a short time.  Italiano was able to power through to retake the advantage so The Jackal feigned an injury outside of the ring and distracted the referee while his Associate entered the ring behind the big Italian and struck with a boot to the face.  The Jackal then crawled back into the ring and scored the three count.

The penultimate match featured the return of Euan Mackie against his former Z-List comrade Jam O'Malley.  This was not the usual comedy offering seen when these two enter a ring and there was a real feeling of bad blood between them.  With Bravehart accompanying O'Malley to the ring, Chaz Phoenix came out with Mackie to ensure a fair match.  Added to the mix was referee Edith Summer who had slapped O'Malley at Hell for Lycra.  Mackie sprayed Jam with the red mist, Jam retaliated with punches and slams.  Mackie put on a good show and appeared to have the match in his grasp.  As Mackie was on the turnbuckles, Bravehart grabbed his leg and attempted to pull him outside the ring.  Phoenix grabbed Bravehart but the distraction had given O'Malley time to gather himself.  O'Malley was disqualified after whacking Mackie with what appeared to be an inflatable gym ball, then continued his attack using a tricycle. He then turned his attention to the referee and attacked Summer, slamming her to the canvas.  After a final attack on Mackie with the trike, he left the ring area, pausing to attack the timekeeper on his way backstage.

The final match - and most definitely match of the night - was the SWE Heavyweight match between Champion #scumbag Ian Ambrose and Mikey.  With each determined to outdo the other and leave the ring holding the belt, there were no holds barred.  The match went back and forth with some tremendous moves however the action came to a halt when the lights went down and (after a few technical problems) the screen displayed the name "Stallyon".  The crowd then expected to see Stallyon make an appearance but this was not to be.  Mikey hoisted Ambrose on his shoulders and while turning Ambrose kicked the referee in the head, knocking him out.  Mikey then made several successful pinfalls but there was no referee to make the count.  Rousing the referee, Mikey made another pinfall attempt but the dazed ref made an extremely slow count, allowing Ambrose to kick out on 2.  Ambrose then turned the tables and caught Mikey in a submission hold and made the challenger tap out in order to retain the title.  The crowd were furious but the result stands.  I really hope to see a rematch between these two in the future.

Both the Future Division match between Riccio and Rawlins and the Heavyweight Title match between Ian Ambrose and Mikey are available to view online in SWEOnlineTV episode 3 - I totally recommend you watch them now by clicking here.

The next SWE event, Uprising: The Psycho Circus will be held at the Ardler Complex on Saturday 28 February and tickets are available now.  Check out the SWE Facebook for information on all upcoming events and tickets and subscribe to them on YouTube

Review: SWE Seasons Beatings

Saturday 13 December 2014

After several changes to the travel arrangements, it ended up with Rob travelling to Dundee with the boys from Reckless and I made the journey up later with my good friend Janet, stopping off on the way to introduce her to the delights of Dr Noodles!

Once again, there was early entry and a bonus match for advance ticket holders.  This time we had a handicap match with Saint-George and Darren Blair from The Trident against Felix Fortune.  There appeared to be some friction between the two Trident members at the start of the match, with both wanting first crack at Fortune.  The match was completely one-sided with the Trident boys pretty much taking turns to inflict as much punishment on Fortune as possible.  Saint-George got the pinfall, however Blair was not happy about this and it looked once again as though the two would come to blows.  Blair instead powerbombed the beaten Fortune and peace was restored within The Trident, however I am not sure just how long this alliance will stay together.

In true festive spirit, the main show started with the arrival of the commentary team, Chris Duke appeared dressed as Santa and Doctor Grue wore a very fetching Christmas jumper.  We also had Wee Jimmy dressed as an elf and someone in an Olaf from Frozen costume wandering around.  It was announced that the main event for the evening would feature the winners of each match in a 'Sole Survivor' elimination match.

The first match of the main show was Rawlins v LJT.  I have to admit that I love watching Rawlins play heel and he did a great job of that here.  While the majority of the crowd were firmly behind LJT, Rawlins did have a small group of supporters chanting for him too.  Both these guys just go for it and don't hold back anything, giving the fans plenty to cheer about.  There was a cracking move where LJT dropkicked the legs of Rawlins as he stood on the ring apron, sending him to the floor.  After a short battle outside the ring, Rawlins returned to the ring in order to suicide dive LJT!  This was a cracking match up and it looked like Rawlins would take the win with his crossface submission move, but LJT doesn't know how to quit and made it to the ropes to break the hold, before scoring the pinfall himself.

Next Bravehart appeared with Jam O'Malley and The Trident.  As all match winners would be going into the final elimination match, Bravehart decided that Jam O'Malley would have a match and called for a referee.  Edith Summers answered the call and after assuring Bravehart that O'Malley would be eligible for the match if he scored a pinfall, Bravehart lay down and let Jam pin him.  After Edith had reluctantly counted the pinfall, it appeared that all five men were about to attack her as payback for events at Hell For Lycra.  Nikki Storm then made her entrance and berated the men for ganging up on a woman...before turning and attacking Summers herself.  LJT came out to the ring, sending Storm and the men scattering, before helping the injured Summers backstage.

The final match of the first half saw Venym take on SWE Champion Ian Ambrose in a non-title match.  I really enjoyed this match.  Venym put on a great show against the champion, swinging him around the ring, clotheslining him over the top rope then dropkicking him off the apron and had a couple of near pins.  Ambrose had his moments too, including his double foot stomp from the top turnbuckle and a cracking dropkick.  After they took each other down with a double clothesline, Venym appeared to have the advantage but it was not to be his night and the match ended with Ambrose rolling up Venym and grabbing a handful of tights as leverage to score the three count.

The first match of the second half saw Jackie Grady face off against Joe Hendry.  This was thankfully a short match.  I say thankfully as I found it really hard to watch as it appeared that Hendry went all out to destroy and humiliate his younger, lighter opponent and Grady never really stood a chance.  Despite the crowd trying to rally Grady, it was Hendry's match from start to finish.

Next saw Jay the Jackal challenge Scotty Riccio for the Future Division title.  This was marred slightly by the fact that a regular attendee had been banned due to issues between himself and The Jackal and a group of people who were unhappy with this decision decided to leave the hall during this match in support of this fan. The match itself was good with the Jackal being his usual horrible self and Riccio pulling of some delightful aerial moves.  The match ended in a win for The Jackal after the action spilled outside of the ring and Riccio somehow ended up with his foot caught in the barriers, causing him to be counted out.  The Jackal was elated until it was pointed out that the title could only change hands by pinfall or submission and therefore Riccio retained the title.  Once the irate Jackal had left the ring, Riccio then called three fans into the ring to present them with birthday cards and gifts.

Finally it was time for the main event - the Sole Survivor elimination match.  Announced as the sole member of his team was LJT.  Next Bravehart appeared with Nikki Storm, Jam O'Malley and the Trident and already it looked like the odds were firmly stacked against fan favourite LJT.  Suddenly Olaf from Frozen appeared at ringside and unmasked to reveal none other than Chaz Phoenix.  As the other members of Bravehart's team, Jay the Jackal, Joe Hendry and Ian Ambrose appeared, it was now a 7 on 1 battle, but Phoenix announced there would be two men to join LJT's team, Mikey and "The Beast from Belfast" Damian O'Connor.  This was an absolute belter but I am not even going to try to describe this match.....instead I suggest you check it out for yourself by clicking here!

During the interval I had spoken to a young lad called Edward who I had noticed at the previous show as he had dressed as his favourite wrestler Ian Ambrose, complete with the white coat although his stated "Ambrose is God" on it.  I told him I would see if it was possible to have Ian Ambrose to come out after the show to meet him and maybe get a photo.  Sure enough, Ian Ambrose agreed to do so and made that young lads night - not a total #scumbag after all!

SWE's next event is Uprising on 31 January.  Tickets are on sale now and advance ticket holders will get early entry and a pre-show bonus match.  Check them out on Facebook for information on events and tickets.

Review: Reckless Intent presents Lights Out

Saturday 6 December 2014

So once again we were in Livingston for Reckless Intent's second show at Murieston Scout Hall.  We arrived early at the unit to help load up the ring and then set up at the Scout Hall.  I helped out with ticket sales and merchandise and although Rob was not wrestling, he was to be a lumberjack.  Pre-sales had been good and it turned out to be another sell out show.  I am not going to go into a lot of detail about each of the matches because I have been such a slacker, it's now three weeks since the event and virtually all of the matches are up on YouTube for your viewing pleasure!!

The first match was scheduled to be a Fatal Fourway but ended up a Triple Threat between Craig "The Firestorm" Valant, Venym and Jackie Grady, who was accompanied to the ring by "West Grady".  Valant and Venym appeared to be working together against Grady early on, however neither was willing to let the other make the pinfall so they inevitably had to battle each other.  The added element of "West Grady" at ringside, mimicking Grady came into play when Grady rolled out of the ring after being suplexed by Venym.  Valant then slammed Venym to the canvas before leaving the ring to retrieve Grady, only to find it was "West Grady" trying to hide under the ring, while Grady appeared at the other side of the ring and attempted to sneak attack Venym from behind.  While Venym was able to counter and put Grady down, Valant grabbed his opportunity and nailed Venym to score the pinfall.

The next match between JJ Russell and Scotty Riccio also became a Triple Threat match.  As GM Jason McKinlay introduced Riccio to the Reckless Intent crowd, SWE co-owner Bravehart appeared and demanded that Trident member Darren Blair be allowed to compete in the match.  With the Bo'ness Rugby Club in attendance once again, they made their feelings toward Bravehart very obvious.  Similar to the previous match, Riccio and Russell worked together against Blair until the issue of the pinfall came up.  Another great match which came to an end as Blair and Russell were pulling each other's beards, Riccio hit a double dropkick leaving both men on the ropes in a set up for the 619.  Russell managed to move out of the way and Blair took the move, however he managed to move out of the way of Riccio's springboard moonsault, leaving Riccio face down on the mat and allowing Russell to capitalise, hitting Blair with the "Sister Abigail" to take the win and give the Bo'ness boys something to cheer about.

The next match was supposed to be AJ Russell v Claymore, but in another card change, he instead faced LJT.  This was a great match.  Both these guys come out with masks but remove them to wrestle and you are never exactly sure which side of sanity they are on.  They are both good on the mat and pull off cracking flying moves. LJT dropkicked Russell over the top rope, but Russell had the smarts to move before LJT followed up by launching himself over the top rope and moved to the other side of the ring ready to catch LJT with a boot to the face when he attempted a suicide dive.  This went back and forth and looked like LJT would be victorious after a stunner and a boot to the face of Russell but somehow Russell kicked out.  Russell then capitalised, moving out of the way of another aerial move by LJT before finally hitting a massive frogsplash from the top rope and getting the 3 count.  Not a popular win for the regular Reckless Intent crowd, but the Bo'ness Rugby Club were ecstatic.

The first half main event saw Mikey v Joe Hendry, with Mikey's career on the line.  Hendry came out to the ring and got on the microphone...and promptly became the butt of all the Bo'ness boys jokes.  Jason McKinlay interrupted to make an announcement that, because so much was at stake and both men had been attacked by SOS at the last event, this would now be a lumberjack match.  It was very obvious which camp each lumberjack was in and there was a bit of a run in with the Bo'ness boys and Saint-George both before and during the match.  There was something for everyone in this match with Hendry using his technical skills, Mikey showing his aerial skills (including taking out half the lumberjacks flying over the top rope) and outside interference, first by the lumberjacks - Saint-George grabbed Mikey's leg more than once - and then by the appearance of the SOS.  With several near falls by both guys, this could have gone either way but, having suffered three losses to Hendry in the past, this was to be Mikey's night when, after being suplexed twice by Hendry, he managed to counter an attempt at a third and roll Hendry up instead to take the three count.

The second half started with a tag team match pitting Saint-George and Ian Ambrose against Bobby Roberts and DCT. With Bravehart and Darren Blair at ringside interfering, this was never going to be a fair match, however the referee did send them backstage.  Ambrose and Saint-George continued with underhanded tactics, keeping one member of the team isolated in their corner to enable them to double-team as the ref kept the other member from entering the ring and, in the case of Bobby Roberts, focusing on the left knee.  Saint-George was also debuting some new ring gear which was not very flattering and I doubt we will be seeing it again in the future!  Ambrose appeared to have Roberts under control when Roberts pulled off an amazing mid air spear on Ambrose as he leapt from the top rope.  This gave both men the chance to tag in their partners and DCT let loose on Saint-George, with several near pin attempts before
tagging Roberts back in.  With Ambrose and DCT battling outside the ring, Roberts caught Saint-George with a spear, only for Bravehart and Blair to make a return to ringside.  With both the referee and Roberts distracted, Saint-George hit Roberts with an RKO and had him pinned when Chaz Phoenix appeared.  With Saint-George now distracted, Roberts managed to recover and finished Saint-George with a stunner before scoring the pin.  As a final insult, Phoenix entered the ring, pulled the England flag from his pocket and watched as Bobby Roberts ripped it in two before dumping it on the face of Saint-George, finishing by draping a lion rampant over him to the cheers from an ecstatic crowd.

The penultimate match saw Rawlins face Jay the Jackal.  This match had its share of controversial moments as well as some humour.  Rawlins starting by addressing Wee Jimmy at ringside as though he was Jay, which infuriated his opponent, following up by taking a seat in the crowd and starting what appeared to be a "Jimmy" chant.  The crowd love Rawlins as the good guy and were firmly behind him throughout the match.  Referee Conor Frost played an important part in this match, first stopping Rawlins from leaving the ring to follow The Jackal, allowing The Jackal to sweep his leg on the ring apron and gain the advantage.  With Rawlins prone in the ring, The Jackal decided to get in the face of one of the crowd members, who had to be restrained by Jam O'Malley.  Then as Rawlins made his comeback in the match, a boot mean for the face of The Jackal instead connected with the referee.  Rawlins then got The Jackal in his crossface submission and The Jackal tapped out, however with referee Frost down and out, there was no-one to call it!  As Rawlins roused Frost, The Jackal hit him with a lowblow and rolled him up for the three count to take a very unpopular win.

The Main event had been advertised for some time as Scott Renwick putting the title on the line against a face from his past, someone who had take a title from him before.  Shortly before the event it was announced that his opponent would be Eric Canyon who, with the help of some friends, had taken Renwick's NWA belt back in 2011.  This time Canyon would not have his friends to help, nor would he have support in the crowd who were very much behind Renwick and it was this support which helped rally "The Butcher" during a brutal but fantastic match.  Both guys put on one hell of a show, battling both in and out of the ring, but Canyon finally succumbed to the "Angels Wings" and Renwick left ringside still holding his belt.

So another cracking show at Murieston, which looks to be the regular venue for Reckless Intent's monthly shows.  The next event here is Reckless Intentions 3 on 7 February with tickets on sale now.  Check out their Facebook page for tickets and details of the matches are already being announced, including an early entry and special pre-show bonus match for advance ticket holders.

Of course there is also Sunday Slam on 25 January at the RI Unit with entry costing just £5 on the door.  See you there!!