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 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.