Review: Pro Wrestling Elite - No Turning Back

Saturday 17 May 2014

I always enjoy going to PWE shows - PWE was my introduction to the Scottish wrestling scene and for a while was the only promotion we went to...how far we have come in such a short time!

Once we had met up with some good friends we have made in Ayrshire and got our seats sorted, Rob and I were on the lookout for Adrian "Lionheart" McCallum, the owner of PWE - I wanted to ask him if he was willing to do a "spotlight" on PWE for me and Rob had created a Tag Team belt design he wanted to give to Adrian.  Adrian liked Rob's design and told him "it's funny you come to me with Tag Team designs tonight...."  And I better get my ass in gear and sort the questions for the spotlight piece cos he said yes to that!!

The show started with a lovely video intro on the late, great, Ultimate Warrior, dedicating the show to his memory. 

The first match was billed as Instant Classic II, the tag rematch of  Project Ego, Kris Travis and Martin Kirby versus Andy Wild and Noam Dar... and what a match it was.  Andy Wild appeared in his new ring gear, looking considerably bigger than last time I saw him.  Noam was his usual cheeky self, starting off messing around with the ref while Martin Kirby lay across the ropes in the corner waiting for him to get on with the match.  The Dar/Wild combination took the upper hand early in the match, isolating Kirby for a while.  When Travis finally got into the ring, he went wild and I was gobsmacked to see him take a boot to the face from Andy Wild, then a boot to the head from Dar, a powerbomb and still kick out of a pin, only to then bulldog Wild and clothesline Dar at the same time.  Pic is a bit blurry but still... 

Anyway, Project Ego took the win again and after all shaking hands, they left ringside, while Dar decided to take the mic and state that while this tag team thing was cool, he was ready to go back into singles competition and the title scene.  Wild reminded Dar that he had a title rematch to claim and that he became the first ever PWE Heavyweight Champion after defeating Dar and challenged him to a match at Gradomania, which Dar accepted.  Having seen these two guys face each other before, this one is not to be missed.

There was then a promotional video of Iestyn Rees "a heavyweight powerhouse set to make his debut in Scotland this Autumn" I googled him and checked out some of his matches on YouTube and can say I am looking forward to seeing him wrestling live!

Next up was billed as a 2 on 1 handicap match with Davey Blaze and TJ Rage taking on Joe Coffey.  Blaze and Rage appeared, accompanied by "The Manager of Champions" Charles Boddington, who took the mic and informed the crowd that Joe Coffey had failed to show and set up an open challenge to anyone brave enough, answered by Lou King Sharp.  There are two things I have learned about Sharp, 1) he is tiny, and 2) he is fast!  It's really hard to get a good pic of him cos he literally flies about the ring so damn fast, he is either completely out of shot or a blur!  His speed worked for him at the start, when he caught both of the bigger guys napping, but it was just a matter of time before he succumbed to the brutality of Rage and Blaze.  Give the wee guy his due, he didn't give up and kept trying but there was no coming back from the spear from Rage and after the big guys took the win, Boddington was back on the mic, spouting off about how the team of Blaze and Rage were not only the best team in PWE, they were the best in the whole of the UK...only for the words "Card Subject To Change" to ring out of the PA system and the lights dim...enter NAK members BT Gunn and Chris Renfrew who immediately tear into Blaze and Rage.  As they are battling, Project Ego reappear in the ring with Kirby taking the mic and saying that Ego are not only the best team in the UK, they are the best tag team in the World and if the other guys want to find out just how good they are, then they should have a triple threat match at Gradomania.  The crowd love it and the card for Gradomania just keeps getting better!

The first half main event pitted "Bad Boy" Liam Thomson against Uhaa Nation.  This was by far Match of the Night.  It also produced a first for me - after antagonising Thomson as usual and getting told to shut up, Uhaa Nation leans over he ropes and says "Love your hair" - my first ever compliment!!  Anyway back to the match - bloody incredible. To be honest, I don't think anything I could write could accurately describe just how bloody incredible it was so instead I will just say PWE have uploaded the full match on YouTube and you NEED to watch it....The double standing moonsault finish Uhaa pulled off on Liam was utterly astounding!!!  If you ever get the opportunity to see this guy in action live, take it - he is amazing and you won't regret it.  I also have to say hats off to Liam Thomson because he really put in the effort in this match (and as I have said in a blog about another show, it doesn't matter how good a wrestler is if his opponent doesn't put in the work too.)

During the interval, we were able to have photos taken in the ring with Uhaa Nation by the ever lovely Mr David Wilson....Rob and I were in there like a shot!  We were really lucky to catch the man again at the end of the show and have him sign the photo!

The second half kicked off with another video, this time announcing The Fallen Angel, Christopher Daniels would be coming to PWE in September.  This news had the crowd buzzing and Rob immediately told me "We are going!"

Next up were fan favourites Wolfgang and Joey Hayes facing each other.  Joey came out in new Marvel themed ring gear...but Rob noticed he was wearing a superman armband which was not only upside down, it was DC and apparently Marvel and DC should not be mixed!!  The match was good, with the crowd split and both guys getting cheers, Hayes kept trying to lift Wolfgang and after going back and forward a while, he finally managed it, but it was Wolfgang who took the win.  Wolfgang extended his hand and with the crowd chanting to shake his hand, Hayes shook it but then attacked Wolfgang from behind.  He appeared to be leaving the ring, but returned moments later with a chair and continued his attack.  When he finally left the ring, it was to boos from the crowd - heel turn complete!

The raffle was then drawn and normally the ticket directly after mine tends to get pulled, so I was shocked to actually win something - two tickets to Gradomania!

It was then time for the contract signing for the main event at Gradomania, Grado and Dave Mastiff.  Grado came out to a fantastic reception, taking the microphone and telling the fans that it was thanks to them he was getting to live his dream but he really wanted to win a title to validate everything and that he was coming back in July with his sights set on taking that belt home with him.  Mastiff appeared on the big screen and began berating Grado and saying he wasnt worth the effort to travel to sign the contract and that if Grado chooses to sign, he will in fact be signing his own death warrant.  Of course, Grado goes ahead and signs....and suddenly Kid Fite's music starts to play and out he came along with Charles Boddington, Davey Blaze and TJ Rage.  Fite then berated Grado too, saying that the "wee chubby chancer" who started out putting videos on YouTube did not deserve a title shot, that Kid Fite was a real wrestler who had worked his way up over the last 10 years and was more deserving, before he, Blaze and Rage attacked Grado.  Enter El Ligero to help even the numbers.

There was then battles in the crowd, with Grado tackling Kid Fite and TJ Rage amongst the crowd on the other side of the ring, while El Ligero was kicking seven shades of something nasty out of Davey Blaze right behind me!  When they finally got back into the ring, a 3 on 2 handicap match is announced.  The heels take the upper hand, isolating El Ligero after TJ Rage caught his crossbody attempt and subjecting him to some serious punishment.  While chanting for El Ligero, Kid Fite tells me to shut up, I tell him to come and make me and he says he will swing me around by my blue hair - I love it!!   Finally Grado gets tagged in and shows Kid Fite he does actually have some wrestling moves.  Then all 5 men are in the ring and it gets hard to work out who is doing what, but Blaze ended up at our feet ringside, Rage hit Ligero with one of those devastating spears but took a boot from Grado, who then scored the pin.

The heels gather together with Blaze asking what happened as he missed it before Charles Boddington jumps into the ring and confronts Grado, who promptly decks the "Baldy Midget" before attempting a superfly splash from the top rope - Boddington moves out the way, Grado lands on his feet and does the splash from the mat instead.  Boddington is carried away from the ring on the shoulders of Kid Fite, while Grado and El Ligero entertain the crowd with their celebrations.

The next PWE show is their 3rd Anniversary show, Gradomania on 19 July and the card is already shaping up nicely.  Tickets are available from Skiddle click here to check availability.

Platinum packages are also available for PWE Fallen Angel on 13 September, priced at £40.  While this price might appear a little steep, they are limited to just 50 and gets early entry and a meet and greet with Christopher Daniels....and with numbers limited there is not a rushed feeling that you get at some of the big show fan interactions.  Rob & I have ours booked already and last I heard 50% of the platinum tickets had gone so if you want to take advantage of this, be quick and click here now. Going by past events, I assume the silver and general admission tickets will go on sale just after Gradomania.

Links to the promo and intro videos mentioned in the blog and information on future events can also be found on the Pro Wrestling Elite Facebook page

PWE Elite Rumble Review

Friday 7 March 2014

This was the first time I have been to a PWE event on a Friday and I learned a big lesson...leave earlier!! Friday rush hour traffic on the M8 was a killer but we made it in time....just!

The show started with PWE owner Adrian "Lionheart" McCallum making an appearance in the ring wearing a neck brace after breaking two bones in his neck at the PCW show in Preston less than a week earlier.  As a result of his injury, he told the crowd he was unable to be the surprise entrant in the rumble match as planned and as a result, both Kenny Williams and Lou King Sharp, who had received the most votes for the open spot on the Facebook page, would be entrants.

Lionheart

First match of the night was "Bad Boy" Liam Thomson v Joey Hayes.  A back and forward match with lots of action and near pins from both men, Joey Hayes took the win, much to the disbelief of Liam Thomson.  I did manage to wind up Liam Thomson by telling him he was nothing without Carmel to back him up....and from the result, it looks like I was right!!

Next up was Kid Fite against Joe Coffey.  The crowd were definitely behind Coffey and he looked to be in control of the match until Charles Boddington started to interfere, closely followed by the appearance of Davey Blaze and TJ Rage.  With a 4 on 1 situation, it was inevitable that Kid Fite would take the win!

The next match was billed as an "Instant Classic" tag match with Project Ego (Kris Travis and Martin Kirby) up against Noam Dar and Andy Wild and they were right.  Easily match of the night, the action was non-stop.  With both teams having a share of the crowd chants, the atmosphere was amazing (although sitting in the middle of an entire row of "Ego-tists" and chanting for the other guys puts a strain on the voice to avoid being drowned out - I managed though!!!)  Andy Wild took a nasty hit which caused his eye to instantly start swelling up and by the end of the match he had a cracking shiner.  Project Ego took the win and Noam Dar challenged them to a rematch in May when he and Andy would be better prepared, having underestimated the boys in pink.  Kirby accepted and the rematch will take place at the next event on Saturday 17 May.

During the interval, fans were able to have their photo taken with all 4 participants of the tag match...

Rob with Project Ego, Noam Dar & Andy Wild
Photo by David J Wilson

and a deal with Kris Travis for my old NES was concluded LOL.

The second half started with the Elite Rumble match - a 15 man, over the top rope elimination match with two men starting in the ring being joined at 90 second intervals by another competitor. Entrant number 1 was Grado...and I admit that yes, I was dancing (if thats what you could call it) to his entrance music, much to the amusement of the people around me!  Entrant number 2 was Red Lightning who is always good for an insult or two.  They were soon joined by Kid Fite, who teamed with Red against Grado.  They were soon joined by Davey Blaze and TJ Rage, at which point Red Lighting decided to slip under the ropes and spent most of the remainder of the match crawling around the ring on his hands and knees while the other competitors eliminated each other. Davey Blaze was helped from the ring after receiving a blow which broke his nose (not before I had managed to wind him up and get an insult though).  Kid Fite's little band managed to keep the numbers firmly in their favour until the appearance of the New Age Kliq at which point it was almost impossible to keep up with what was going on in the ring.  Even the announcer was unable to keep up with the eliminations.  Finally it appeared we were down to just two, Kid Fite and Grado, however Red Lightning was still skulking outside and when Grado eliminated Kid Fite, he jumped back into the ring hoping to take out Grado who had been pummelled throughout the entire match, including taking a mallet shot from Jackie Polo.  It was not to be Red's day and Grado made the final elimination to win a title shot at PWE's 3rd Anniversary show on 19 July...and he got to name the show "GRADOMANIA". 

The final match of the night was for the PWE Heavyweight title between current champ Dave Mastiff and fan favourite Wolfgang.  This was a monster of a match - you could almost feel the floor shake when these two behemoths collided in the ring.  This was also the match in which I secured the most insults....I got more from Mastiff than the other heels combined....and the more he told me to shut up, the more I cheered for Wolfgang.  My favourite insult was that I had hit every branch of the ugly tree on the way down...my response was "It would have been a lot worse if you hadn't broken half of them when you went down before me!!"  Despite the chants and cheers from the crowd for Wolfgang, he was unable to take the win and Mastiff remains PWE Champ...for now!

All in all, an amazing night and already I am excited for the next PWE show, No Turning Back on 17 May.  Tickets are on sale now (I have my ringside seats booked already) and to get yours click here

Why TNA is better than WWE... and Pro Wrestling Elite rocks!!!! (originally published 26 February 2013)

It's amazing the way my mind wanders when doing mundane things... and the subjects I tend to think about are almost always totally unrelated to the task at hand. Take today for example, I am busy peeling and chopping carrots for my homemade soup when I start to think about wrestling. I mean if you can think of a genuine link relating carrots and wrestling, I would love to hear it!!

Funnily enough, my last blog (way back in September) was also about wrestling, specifically Pro Wrestling Elite but I will get back to them in a minute.

So in January the long-awaited TNA Maximum Impact tour hit the UK and on Wednesday 23 January Rob and I went to Braehead Arena in Glasgow for the event. We had also got our fan interaction tickets and we really excited to see who would appear at the signing. While we were disappointed that Jeff Hardy did not make it to the UK this time, Rob was ecstatic to see Austin Aries was one of the superstars, along with Kurt Angle, RVD, Chavo Guerrero, Hernandez, Zema Ion and The Blossom Twins from the TNA British Bootcamp. I was kinda disappointed that there was no Hogan, Sting, Roode or Storm but as long as Rob was happy!! He took his homemade TNA title belt along with him and had them all sign it and I took along a plain white t-shirt which they also signed. The plan is to take them to all future events and get as many signatures as we can! The show was great and from our third row seats we saw our first (but hopefully not last) steel cage match and I can now say that I have seen the Legend that is Sting wrestling live! They also gave all the participants from British Bootcamp, Rockstar Spud, Marty Scurll and The Blossom Twins, a chance to be part of the show. I will admit that I was not impressed by the winner of the TNA contract, Rockstar Spud on the night and actually took to calling him Mashed Tattie!!!

Austin Aries likes Rob's Style

Signed T Shirt

Rob's handmade belt signed

Now we move onto February 16th and Pro Wrestling Elite's One Wild Night. I got ringside seats booked as part of Rob's birthday present and we were both really looking forward to the event. We were not disappointed! Firstly they used Bon Jovi's One Wild Night for the event so I was happy right from the start. Now if you read my last blog, you will know that I just love to get verbal with the wrestlers and if they pick on me Rob thinks it's fab....and having ringside seats, a very loud voice and bright blue hair is a good way to catch their attention. As much as I love the good guys, you just cannot beat a bit of banter with the heels and Kid Fyte and Martin Kirby were bloody brilliant! When I asked Martin Kirby if "he was born a fanny, or did he practice" he pretended he couldn't hear me but the look on his face when Rob called out "she just called you a vagina!!".....Priceless. Kirby then turned to Kid Fyte and said in a simpering voice "she called me a vagina" to which Kid turned to me and called me a blue haired dyke. Rob was in his element and I scored yet more cool mom points! The highlight of the night however was the appearance of TNA's new signing Rockstar Spud. Now this lad comes from Birmingham and is up against a Scottish wrestler called Red Lightning....and you know how hated Red Lightning must be when a bunch of Scots are chanting and cheering for the Englishman!! During the break Rob had his photo taken with Rockstar Spud and one of the Scottish wrestlers Grado, then we had a chance to get autographs and chat with Spud. That's when my opinion really changed. At the TNA gig he came across as a pompous little ass and he lost his match. Here he was polite, chatty and genuinely nice. He spent a good wee while chatting to us about Rob's "American accent" and rather than saying that it was strange or weird (the normal responses when we explain his Aspergers and language development), he said it was so cool and he was "well impressed." That lad made my boy feel amazing and for that Spud, you will have a fan for life in me and I will never refer to you as Mashed Tattie again! Of course the only disappointment was that we did not have Rob's belt and t-shirt with us and missed a chance to get another TNA superstar signature on them.....and thats what got me thinking today while I was peeling my carrots...

Rob with Rockstar Spud and Grado
Pic by David J Wilson

...at every Pro Wrestling Elite event we have attended there has been at least one TNA superstar appearance. We've seen AJ Styles, Mark Haskins, Mickie James, Magnus and now Rockstar Spud. Now I may be wrong but I don't ever remember hearing of anyone on a WWE contract being allowed to wrestle for independent outfits. I think its great that the independent circuit gets this type of support from TNA. A big name can draw in new fans....after all it was the chance to see AJ Styles that brought Pro Wrestling Elite to our attention in the first place and now we can't miss an event.... which is why, despite the fact that the next event, Elite Takeover on 11 May coincides with my sister's and my mother's (60th) birthdays, Rob and I have our ringside seats booked for Ayr Town Hall... and I think the belt and t-shirt will be going along too...just in case!!!

Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting....But September Weekend Was Made For Wrestling!!! (originally published 19 September 2012)

Back in June, Rob spotted an ad for an independent wrestling event being held in Ayr. The reason it caught his eye was that TNA Superstar AJ Styles was on the bill. He had been really disappointed that AJ had been injured and unable to attend the TNA tour back in January 2011 so he was really keen to go to this show. It was the first anniversary show for Pro Wrestling Elite which is run by Adrian "Lionheart" McCallum (who we had actually seen fight Jeff Jarrett at the TNA show). I managed to get tickets and we went to our first independent show. It was actually pretty good and during the show they announced they would be doing a double-header show at Ayr Town Hall in September and that TNA knockout Mickie James would be appearing. Of course, Rob wanted to go but I had spent a small fortune on merchandise (including getting a signed photo of AJ Styles) and couldn't buy tickets right away....time to work on the budget!!!

It seemed that things were conspiring to stop us from going. First some little ned on a mini-motorbike slammed into the side of my car and took off without stopping meaning I was going to have to take a hit and pay the excess on my car insurance. Then they announced the release of the TNA Fan Interaction tickets which Rob was desperate for. Luckily my brother got a tax rebate at just the right time... so we managed to get both the fan interaction tickets and tickets for both nights of the Pro Wrestling Elite event.

Saturday 15 September - Night 1 of the event - featured four matches which were part of an 8 man tournament to find the first Pro Wrestling Elite World Heavyweight Championship, a tag-team match and the first ever female main event, Mickie James v Kay Lee Ray. The venue was packed and they even had to put out more seats for people who arrived wanting to pay at the door. We had second row seats and Rob was in his element. During one of the tournament matches, one of the wrestlers wouldn't get back into the ring and I ended up yelling at him to get on with it. He responded by telling me to shut my mouth so I called him chicken and started to cluck at him... and the crowd joined in ....Rob was impressed! During the interval we had the chance to have our photo taken with Magnus, another TNA Superstar (he was also former Gladiator Oblivion) and of course I had to be in on that!!!

Me, Magnus and Rob

I bought some raffle tickets and Rob won the DVD of the event we had attended in July. At the end of the evening we managed to meet Magnus and Rob got a signed photo. We drove back to Edinburgh really excited for the following night.

Sunday 16th September was totally amazing! There weren't as many people attending compared to the Saturday, probably because there were a lot of families there on Saturday and the children would have school on the Monday - Rob was so glad that the Monday was an Edinburgh holiday. Because it was quieter we managed to get front row seats. While we were waiting for the show to start, Adrian McCallum went past and I asked if they would be producing a DVD of the event like they did with the previous one. Rob was totally gobsmacked that I had actually spoken to Lionheart - so I went one better and asked if he would have a pic taken with Rob, which he did. He also personalised a signed photograph for him.


Rob & his personalised picture of Lionheart

Rob & Adrian "Lionheart" McCallum







Two of the biggest "heels" Liam Thomson and Mikey Whiplash, who had been eliminated from the tournament the previous night, were teaming up in a match against Magnus and Wolfgang. As they came out, we were booing and giving the thumbs down and they were yelling at us all to shut up. Of course being at ringside and not being the quietest of people, I managed to get their attention and when they told me to shut up, I told them to come over and make me! It ended up with me threatening to blacken Mikey Whiplash's other eye (he got injured on the Saturday night) and him calling me an "ugly cow" and moo-ing at me.....Rob was once again impressed and told me I was the coolest mum ever!! At interval time, we had the chance to get a photo taken in the ring with Mickie James and Rob informed me that my presence was not required and he could manage this one himself.... and he also got a signed photo to add to his ever growing collection!

Rob with the lovely Mickie James

The evening ended with the final of the tournament, Andy Wild v Noam Dar. I admit that I believed even before the tournament started that Noam Dar was a given for the first ever champion...so I was totally surprised when Andy Wild scored the win. It was a great match. Rob managed to get a photo taken with Andy and the belt at the end of the evening and said that one day he would be holding the belt as the champ and not as a fan!! I just warned Andy to make sure he got the right belt back!

Rob and Andy Wild

The thing that stood out the most to me over the entire weekend was how friendly everyone was. Adrian McCallum was more than happy to chat to people and have pictures taken, his girlfriend Alison was so friendly, even when I said I would rather have her boyfriend than raffle tickets. The photographer, David (davidjwilsonphotography.co.uk) and his wife Elaine were so nice. David said he would send me digital copies of the photos of Magnus and Mickie James and he did, which I have included in this blog and Elaine noticed that I went from blonde to purple overnight!! And of course there was Mikey Whiplash....who was sweet enough to moo at me again after the show just for Rob to get a photo. We are so looking forward to the next show!!

Oh yeah, erm Garry my dear brother, I'll pay you back on Tuesday!!!