Review: PWE 4th Anniversary Show "It's Yer Dar"

Another cracking wee review written by the lovely Claire Allan.  Agree wholeheartedly with everything she has written, especially Match of the Night!

Saturday 8th August, Citadel Leisure Centre, Ayr

I have been waiting months for this show, excited was a massive understatement for this!  I was bouncing off the walls all morning, nothing could contain me.

For shows, the banter starts from the queue outside.  Meeting up with Julie, Rob and Janet is always a pleasure.

The difference for this show, I was 2nd row instead of my normal front row but that won't stop me being noisy.

The silver and platinum ticket holders always get the treat of a bonus match, usually this is stars that have performed in front of crowds before but are not as well known as the ones on the main roster.  This time Adrian decided to use some of students from GPWA, to give them some experience of performing in front of die-hard fans.  This was well received.

BONUS MATCH

AUSTIN OSIRIS & KYLE KHAOS VS CS ROSE & FLEX HUNTER

GUEST REFEREE RED LIGHTNING

I was really impressed with the technical abilities of the students, apart from some mishaps with slips off the ropes.  All credit to the coaches.  Rose and Hunter definitely had the power over their smaller opponents but once Osiris and Khaos got going and started using aerial attacks, they held the fans attention.  After a well fought battle Osiris and Khaos secured the win.  It was good to hear the fans getting behind the youngsters and I hope it has done a lot for their confidence.

(Confession: I did get distracted by someone entering the building, you may have had a hoodie on but I know those legs anywhere!)

After this match, it was time to let the general ticket holders in and OMG, they just kept coming and coming.  It felt like an eternity!! Finally all the 729 fans were in the building and the main show got underway 45 minutes late. 

As MC Simon Cassidy was about to get things started, out comes Red Lightning.  He makes his feelings clear that he packed his ring attire as he was wanting a match as well as refereeing the bonus match!  He also said he was miffed that he gets overlooked for these events and wanted answers from Lionheart.  Lionheart honours Red's wish and comes to ringside.  He tells Red that he has learned a few truths since running these shows but two things stand out in this business and they are 1) Sometimes you have to do a deal with the devil and 2) The card is subject to change.......

RED LIGHTNING VS CHRIS RENFREW

The crowd erupted as Chris Renfrew made his presence felt, the amount NAK fans in the crowd was immense.  As soon as Renfrew stepped into the ring he took it to Red Lightning.  Both men have good technical ability but they are also two brilliant brawlers.  It was obvious from the start that this was Renfrew's fight, not taking anything away from Red Lightning but Renfrew is an animal!  Renfrew pinned Red in the centre of the ring.  Hopefully he has learned his lesson that you can always get what you wish for but it can be your worst nightmare!

KID FITE, TJ RAGE & DAVEY BLAZE W/CHARLES BODDINGTON VS LOU KING SHARP

TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH

TJ Rage, Davey Blaze and Charles Boddington come to the ring, closely followed by the Tag Team Champ, Lou King Sharp.  Boddington takes the mic and announces that he felt sorry for Sharp, so he decided to give Kid Fite the night off.  Lionheart comes to ringside and tells Lou that he needs to screw the nut as he isn't going to continue to save his backside. Lionheart then turns to Lou's opponents and says he thought they would pull a stunt like this, Boddington starts to say that Lionheart cannot get involved with the match but he is cut off by the boss who says he knows that he cannot get involved but he does have someone backstage that has a score to settle with Blaze n Rage and cannot wait to get in the ring.....lights go out and the video plays......IT IS THE RETURN OF KRIS TRAVIS!. The crowd went ballistic!

Now a slight deviation from the wrestling....As many people know Kris was diagnosed with stomach cancer in the middle of 2014, prior to this he started missing events due to what he thought was a stomach ulcer.  I sent him a Get Well Soon card but in hindsight, I would have sent a different design!  In September, he announced that it was stomach cancer and that he already had part of his stomach removed and that he was going to require chemotherapy.  The support he was given from colleagues within the wrestling profession and fans was phenomenal.  Shows were made in his honour, friends and fans donated on his behalf, amazing.  After his chemotherapy, Kris got back in the gym and started raising money for Cavendish Cancer Care.  He has been doing charity football matches (and planning to do more?) and helping raise more money for them any which way he can.

I make no secret that I have the utmost respect for him and do care about him (even though he probably thinks I am a mad woman!).  I have known Trav for about 3 years and always get him the same way, very respectful to fans, willing to sign autographs and pose for photographs.  He's friendly and not only is he good looking on the outside but has a beautiful heart on the inside, in my experience this is a rarity.  He is the perfect role model for kids, an inspiration to adults and a true ambassador for what he believes in.

Back to the wrestling.....

BLAZE & RAGE VS LOU KING SHARP & KRIS TRAVIS

For me, this was Match of the Night.  Not because it contained Kris Travis.  It was truly awesome, Kris proved that even after nearly a year out of the ring, he had not lost his ability and was still capable of kicking butt!  Blaze & Rage did not make it easy for them.  Kris then tagged in Lou, who got a good few hits in but the tide turned, due to their power Lou struggled against the bigger men, on one or two occasions he had the chance to tag Kris back in but attempted to go for glory but to no avail. Kris eventually got back in the ring and showed exactly how to do it!  After an amazing fight the Champ retained after the opponents were pinned.

1ST HALF MAIN EVENT

BIG DAMO VS SAMOA JOE

What a first half main event this was, two of the biggest guys I have seen in a ring.  As normal, most of the fans were on the side of the 'Samoan Submission Machine' but my group were firmly on the side of the 'Beast of Belfast' which made the chanting fight very interesting, as my group are some of the loudest fans about!  The two men were equals in the ring in both power and ability.  In the beginning, nothing could separate them.  The fight went on the outside and they got into a chopfest.  Damo is a hard hitter but even I felt everyone of Joe's as they echoed around the Citadel.  After more action in the ring, Joe got the win after making Big Damo submit, showing why he is a Submission Machine!

DREW GALLOWAY VS IESTYN REES

This was definitely a match for the ladies!  Two very handsome men.  As soon as both men were in the ring, you could tell there is a bit of history between them especially after Iestyn blames Drew for him losing the Elite Rumble.  This was my third time seeing Iestyn Rees and have been quite impressed, he has a great ring presence and can hold the crowd’s attention.  Drew Galloway has similar qualities but had the backing from his hometown crowd.  After some in ring action, Drew decides he should take Iestyn on a grand tour of the Citadel, introducing him to fans, walls and doors!  Once back at the ring, Iestyn turned the tables and threatened get his own back with a couple of painful chops against the guard rail.  Eventually Drew managed to pin Iestyn, after a hard fought battle. 

WOLFGANG & KENNY WILLIAMS VS THE COFFEYS

This was another match I was interested in.  In the last couple of shows, there has been some cracks showing between the two brothers, would it finally break tonight?  The fans were split equally, again the chant wars began, even overheard a couple of girls arguing who was the better looking Coffey brother! (and put my tuppence worth in).  Once the match began it was Mark vs Kenny, Mark had the upperhand in this contest then tagged in Joe.  At this point the match was swinging back and forth, so much so Joe even took Kenny for a swing!  Once Kenny & Wolfie took control of the match, Joe did not stand a chance. There was fantastic chemistry on the team of Wolfie & Kenny.  Nearer the end of the match, Joe managed to escape the clutches of his opponents but instead of accepting his tag, Mark jumped from the apron which in turn was the main reason for Joe being pinned and Wolfgang & Kenny being winners.  Joe remained in the ring for a few moments, stunned by what his brother had done.  Mark came back out and Joe demanded answers!  Mark did not explain himself but showed some cowardice by slapping his brother then running away.  I think it is jealousy on Mark's part as it was clear the crowd favoured Joe.

MAIN EVENT

NOAM DAR VS GRADO

This was the most anticipated match of the night, the atmosphere was electric, the hall was buzzing.  Keeping in mind, these two are the best of friends away from the ring and have travelled the world together.  The challenger came to the ring in his usual style, you could see the focus in his eyes, he wants the title and I was praying he would get it. Next out came the champion, accompanied by a young lady singing his entrance music.  Usually in a Grado match there are some comedy moments but tonight it was different, he wanted to retain the title just as much as Noam wanted the win.  No-one could get the upperhand, the bad thing about fighting your friend is they know your style like the back of their hand, they know what moves you are going to do!  It was a great match thus far!!  Unfortunately, near the end poor Eddie (the ref) took a hard knock and was out cold!  Noam managed to get the anklelock on which had Grado tapping but there was no official to make the call.  Noam went over to try to revive Eddie, when he turned round he got caught by 'The Wee Boot' and was pinned.  Again, nobody to make the call.  Enter Iestyn Rees, who believes he should have been in this match instead of Noam, starts to beat up both Noam and Grado.  Drew Galloway makes the save.  This causes Blaze & Rage with Boddington to make their presence known and help Iestyn.  Samoa Joe then comes in and cleans house with the bad guys!  He even manages to cause that 'baldy midget' Charles Boddington some pain!  The match ends in a no contest.  Drew, Joe, Noam and Grado then have a little dance in the ring.  Personally, I would have preferred the match to continue until there was an outright winner but the time was against this match.

All in all it was an excellent show, the best Pro Wrestling Elite show so far.  Adrian McCallum deserves a lot of plaudits for putting on these shows on, they are definitely getting better each time......you may need to start looking for a bigger venue soon!

Wishing Pro Wrestling Elite all the best for the next show on 26th September at Ayr Town Hall, the roof will be raised! Unfortunately I will not be there due to family commitments!

PS If you want to donate to Cavendish Cancer Care, you can text TRAV01 followed by either £5 or £10 to 70070.  Your donations will be much appreciated.

Until next time......

Review: BCW Live in East Kilbride

Friday 20 February


Another sellout show for BCW at East Kilbride.  This time I had brought along a couple of friends as I had been raving about how good the BCW shows have been.  Unfortunately when we arrived there was already a lot of people who had braved the rain and snow and we were unable to all sit together.  I sat ringside with Janet and sent the boys off to sit together elsewhere!

First up was "Bad Boy" Liam Thomson against Wolfgang. Wolfgang started strong forcing Thomson to exit the ring to escape and endure the "chicken" chants but he was soon back in the ring and using his underhanded tactics to take the advantage such as using the ropes to choke his opponent before applying a camel clutch.  The action spilled out of the ring and continued directly in front of me before returning to the ring for Thomson's second camel clutch attempt.  Wolfgang does not go down easy though and he fought back to take the advantage and took a popular win after slingshotting Thomson into the turnbuckles and then rolling him up for the three count.  A nice match to start the show!

Next up was an Openweight Championship match between Lou King Sharp and current champ, Noam Dar.  Dar took control of the cocky Sharp and the action spilled outside of the ring.  Returning to the ring Sharp tried to gain the advantage, hitting Dar with cracking kick before taking to the turnbuckles.  Dar avoided and there followed some pin attempts by both guys before Sharp caught the leg of Dar and swung him round, only for Dar's foot to hit a lowblow on referee Sri Hari.  Sharp then hit Dar with a lowblow, who returned the compliment, before all three hit the mat holding their "bits"!  Sharp was the first to recover and went for a steel chair to attack Dar, however Dar had recovered sufficiently to thwart this plan and, taking the chair, hit a light blow to the back of the ref before tossing the chair back to Sharp.  Dar then scoop-slammed Sharp but when going for another the referee pushed Dar aside and scoop-slammed Sharp himself!  Dar then finished the job, taking the three count to retain his title and while Sharp crawled backstage, Dar set up the chair in the ring, sat ring announcer Simon Cassidy on it and draped his jacket and belt over him.

Next up was a tag team match to introduce some new trainees from the PBW Academy, Tony Martyns and Taylor Bellando, who would face the team of Switch & Saqib Ali.  Once again Switch reduced a small child to tears during his entrance and Ali managed to rile the entire crowd.  Martyns and Bellando got a great reception on their entrance however it was cut short as Switch and Ali attacked before the bell.  The youngsters pulled off a cracking double team move almost immediately after the bell, combining a backbreaker and double footstomp and got a near pin but from then on they were the victims of Switch and Ali's experience and cheating tactics.  They isolated Bellando for much of the match and antagonised Martyns into coming into the ring, forcing the ref to focus on keeping him out of the ring and allowing Switch and Ali to double team Bellando.  Despite having all the heart and the support of the crowd, the youngsters were outclassed and Ali scored the pinfall victory over Bellando.

The first half main event saw Jack Jester face Davey Blaze in a No DQ match. With the glass still boarded from the encounter between Damo and Drew Galloway, who knew what destruction might result from this match!  And what a match...Jester attacked Blaze before he even got in the ring and the two went at it hammer and tongs from start to finish.  At one point the action spilled out of the ring and Jester tried to put Blaze through the windows before they ended up ringside in front of me, where Blaze had the upper hand, shoving Jester onto the guy sitting a couple of seats along from me and trying to grab another crowd member's walking stick to use as a weapon.  Back in the ring a steel chair was brought into the mix with both guys using it to try to gain the advantage.  Finally Jester nailed Blaze with a tombstone piledriver to take the win.

The second half started with Damo v Joe Coffey and this was a stormer.  Each tried to knock the other down with shoulder blocks that rocked the ring with their impact but neither man would go down.  The action spilled out of the ring and continued right at my feet, with Damo taking the advantage.  Back in the ring, he continued to control things by working the back of Coffey using a camel clutch and then bear hugs!  Coffey tried to come back but ended up on the canvas with Damo standing on his chest before dropping the senton on him.  Once again, Coffey attempted a comeback with a cracking suplex but it was not to be his night as the big Irishman got Coffey up on his shoulder and drove him down to the mat before pinning him for the three count.

The penultimate match saw Aaron Echo face-off against Kenny Williams.  I had only seen Echo once before in a pre-show match and I have to say that I saw a big improvement in his skills.  While Williams dominated much of the match with his fast pace and aerial skills, Echo had a couple of cracking moments during the match, including a cracking suplex, and scored a couple of near pins.  But as they say "Kenny is the bollocks" (loving the new ring gear) and it was Williams who took the victory in a really enjoyable match.

Main event time and BCW owner Graham McKay got into the ring to thank the fans for another sell-out show, before asking retired MC Tommy if he would do the honours, which he agreed to do.  First out to the ring was Kid Fite, sporting a bit of a shiner and his usual bad attitude.  BT Gunn then came out to a huge pop before both men were stunned by the announcement of a third participant, Gunn's tag team partner, Stevie Xavier.  Now I love Just Uz, but I was really disappointed when this happened, as I was really looking forward to what would have been an amazing battle between Fite and Gunn.  As Fite said himself before the match got underway, they might be tag partners but neither man was going to let the other win.  The match itself was good, some great moves from all three and there was a moment when "Just Uz" appeared and hit Fite with that double kick to the head in the corner they do so well, but in the end Fite's prediction came true.  Fite had Gunn down in an anklelock submission when Xavier made the save, however, with Gunn down rather than focus on Fite and take his chance for the title, he instead grabbed the ankle of Gunn, giving Fite the opportunity he required to roll him up for a pinfall.  There appeared to be a bit of confusion however as it looked like the referee only made a two count but Fite left the ring, grabbed his belt and walked away, leaving Gunn and Xavier behind.  What this means for the future of the tag team champions is yet to be seen.

The next BCW event will take place on 4 April in Kilmarnock Grand Hall and will feature TNA stars Angelina Love and Davey Richards, as well as Marty Scurll and Drew Galloway.  Event and ticket information can be found on the BCW Facebook page

Review: BCW No Blood No Sympathy Night 1 - East Kilbride

Friday 5 December 2014

So December sees the BCW annual two night extravaganza No Blood, No Sympathy return to East Kilbride and Kilmarnock.  Having missed their show in September, I was really looking forward to this one and it appeared I was not the only one.  Arriving at the venue just before 6 as we usually do in order to get our ringside aisle seats, I was surprised to see how many people were already waiting in line.  Tickets had already sold out and there would be limited standing tickets available on the door.  Luckily we were able to get ringside seats close enough to the entrance aisle for me to still get some great photos!

The first match of the night saw Paul London take on Kid Fite for the BCW Heavyweight Championship.  Kid Fite had made his feelings clear about being in an opening match and not the main event for the Homecoming show back in August and here he was in the opening match once again!  Paul London made his super long entrance and did the rounds of the crowd (which we all love) and was about to enter the ring when Kid Fite appeared and made a sneak attack.  This was a cracker of a match and could most definitely been a main event match.  There were no holds barred as both guys went all out to take the title belt.   London drop-kicked Fite from the apron and the match continued outside the ring for a time with London having the advantage.  Back in the ring the momentum swung back and forth with both having near pins but it was Kid Fite who took the victory, retaining the belt which he would have to defend the following night against Drew Galloway.

Next up was Wolfgang v Joe Coffey.  Now I love both these guys, whether heel or face they both put on one hell of a show and tonight was no different but, for me, something was missing.  I cannot quite put my finger on what though.  It may be that they had to follow such an incredible opening match or possibly because it appeared neither man was in heel role and it all seemed a bit too civilised with them shaking hands before and after the match.  I think I am just used to seeing both these guys do their best to destroy their opponents.  As I said the match itself was good, there was a chant of "that was awesome" from some of the fans, but the buzz that makes me want to get in their faces just didn't happen and I couldn't get into it they way I normally would.  There were near pins for both guys but Wolfgang took the win on this occasion.

The next match saw my personal favourite, Jack Jester face fan favourite, Grado.  Jester managed to make a small child cry on his way to the ring and Grado seemed to be the Pied Piper of East Kilbride as every child in the room seemed to flock around him during his entrance.  Surprisingly, I really enjoyed this match.  While I think Grado is really entertaining, I had started to find his routine becoming a little boring but he has picked up his game - gone was the checking the ref and having a cheeky pinch of his bum and there were no somersaults around the ring.  I mentioned in a previous blog that Grado appeared to be looking leaner and improving on his wrestling ability and it was really evident in this match.  There was some cracking stuff from both guys but there was still some humour - the funniest moment obviously unplanned when Jester threw Grado onto a guy in the crowd only for the chair he was sitting on to collapse..."he's hardcore" yelled Jester.  Despite the crowd being firmly behind Grado and hitting Jester with the "wee boot" and "roll and slice", it was Jester who took the win, rolling up Grado for the pinfall.

The first half main event saw Johnny Moss up against former WWE superstar Hardcore Holly.  I really enjoyed this match, although Rob seemed less impressed.  The majority of the crowd were behind Holly but there was a small contingent of Moss supporters who would not be silenced.  Moss dominated much of the match and hit a couple of cracking suplexes on Holly but the sound of Holly's chops to the chest of Moss actually echoed in the hall.  Holly was able to fight back, hitting Mossy with the Alabama Slammer to take the victory to the joy of the crowd.

Just before the interval, BCW owner Graham McKay came into the ring to thank the fans for coming out and making the show a sell-out, when Big Damian O'Connor appeared, furious that UK talent such has himself had been overlooked in favour of big names from the US and demanding that he be given a match.  With Damo hovering over him in the corner, McKay got on the phone to ask for assistance in the ring...and it arrived in the form of Drew Galloway, setting up the main event for later that evening.

During the interval Hardcore Holly, Chavo Guerrero and Paul London came out to the merchandise tables, selling their merchandise but also willing to sign items brought by fans and have pictures taken at no additional cost.  Having already met Chavo at a TNA show, I had my wee book signed by Hardcore Holly and Paul London and got a couple of pics too.  (I met Paul London in Dundee but as I was with the RI crew at the time, I didn't get autographs or photos)  I also picked up a copy of the Homecoming DVD which was available for the first time that night.

The first match of the second half was Liam Thomson v Chavo Guerrero.  As usual, I managed to wind Thomson up during his entrance and followed it up with a "chicken" chant when he left the ring to escape the onslaught from Guerrero, although I admit to being outdone by the group of guys who chanted "Carmel's better" - that seemed to really wind him up.  Chavo also had a "pied piper" moment when he left the ring and every child in the room flocked to him.  This was another great match with some nice moves from both guys.  It was great to see "The Three Amigos" carried out up close and Thomson hit a cracking dropkick to the back of Guerrero while he was on the ropes.  It was Guerrero the fans wanted to win and they got their wish when he hit Thomson with a frog splash from the top rope and scored the pinfall, leaving Thomson needing assistance from the ring and backstage.

The penultimate match of the night saw Kenny Williams and Davey Blaze team up to face Just Uz, accompanied by Kay Lee Ray, for the Tag Team Titles.  This was an absolute belter and was a real close contender for match of the night.  I have said in the past that some of the combinations put together as teams to face Just Uz did not have the chemistry needed to make a really good match.  I hadn't seen Williams and Blaze as a team before but they did an incredible job, they worked really well together and the whole match just flowed.  There was plenty of strength and agility shown by both teams and it really was a joy to watch.  Just Uz retained their titles on this occasion but if Williams and Blaze continue to work as a team to this standard, they may just be wearing those belts themselves in the near future.

Finally it was time for the main event, Damian O'Connor v Drew Galloway.  This was by far Match of the Night.  It was strange to see Damo have to look up to the face of an opponent and these two giants went at it hammer and tong.  They started in the ring, however they ended up battling all over the hall.  At one point Damo slammed Galloway into the fire exit door with such force the glass smashed.  They continued to battle around the hall and I actually feared for the Christmas Tree at one point.  Back in the ring they continued to fight and after several failed pin attempts, Damo got frustrated with referee Sri Hari and knocked him down and out of the ring.  Galloway seized the opportunity to make a pin attempt but there was no referee to make the count.  A second referee came out but he was accidentally knocked out by Galloway.  This time Damo had the pinfall attempt but once again there was no referee to count.  Damo dragged Hari from the floor back into the ring before attempting to finish Galloway but when his attempt failed, he again attacked the referee.  The match ended with Galloway having both referees in the ring before hitting Damo with the Futureshock and both referees made the 3 count.

With Damo beaten and lying on the floor at ringside, Kid Fite appeared.  Galloway called him into the ring to go for it immediately but Chavo Guerrero then came to the ring and said that Galloway should enjoy his victory tonight and Kid Fite would wait until the following night when he would be putting the title on the line against him during No Blood No Sympathy night 2 in Kilmarnock.

I unfortunately was unable to attend the Kilmarnock show as Rob was involved in Reckless Intent's show on the same night, so I am eagerly awaiting the DVD release of the event so I can see what I missed.

BCW have been putting on some of the most incredible shows and after selling out the Kilmarnock Grand Hall with their Homecoming show, went one better and sold out both Ballerup Hall in East Kilbride and Kilmarnock Grand Hall with the No Blood No Sympathy shows.  My advice is that if you want to see one of their shows, DO NOT wait to buy tickets on the door - you may well be disappointed.  Check them out on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date on future events and ticket sales.

PBW Live at the Pavilion Theatre Review

Saturday 15 March 2014

This was both my first PBW show of the year (Rob and I were in Manchester for TNA the same date as Maybole and I was ill the day of the Airdrie show) and the first time ever in the Pavilion Theatre.  I wasn't really sure how this would work with the ring up on a stage and everyone seated to one side but I figured it was worth checking out.

Now please remember these blogs are just my opinion and I don't expect everyone to agree with what I write so please bear this in mind!  For me, as lovely as the Pavilion was, the atmosphere just wasn't the same.  I love to get in the heel's faces and have them insult me or tell me to shut up while I am booing them, but at the Pavilion this was only possible if you were sitting in the front row.  Most of the wrestlers entered from the side of the stage instead of making their way to the ring through the stalls which I thought would have been way cooler!  The other disadvantage was having the ring so much higher than seating level meant there were less opportunities for really good photos unless I stood up (so jealous of a certain Mr Wilson who always gets the really cool shots).  My other moan would be with the venue staff.  Early in the show I had a female member of staff ask me to sit down as I was obstructing the view of people behind me.....well I may be a loudmouth but I am not ignorant and had there been anyone sitting behind me I would not have been standing but the seats behind me were empty so I don't get what the problem was...unless I was obstructing her view from her spot beside the doors!  Then she came back and complained that my camera flash was annoying people - so I turned it off.  When I got up to dance during Grado's entrance, a male member of staff asked me to sit down - when I asked him what the problem was as there was no-one behind me he said there was a no standing rule.  I am just surprised they didn't ask me to be quiet because they seemed to have a problem with everything else I did!!!

Now on to the positives...the show itself.  Once again Ross Watson put together a fantastic show.  First match was fan favourites Just Uz against the Coffey Brothers, Mark and Joe.  This match took place in the ring, on the stage in front of the ring and even made its way into the stalls for a short time.  A great high energy match which ended in the win for Just Uz, but I am liking the Coffey Brothers more each time I see them wrestle - future tag champs I think!

Next was Scott Maverick up against "The Unstoppable" Andy Wild.  Another solid match which went back and forth while the crowd chanted "Let's Go Wild" until Andy scored the pinfall.

The next match was scheduled to be a PBW title match between "Bad Boy" Liam Thomson, accompanied by Carmel Jacob, and Noam Dar.  As Dar was injured, Thomson issued an open challenge to anyone from the PBW Academy.  The challenge was answered by "Mexican" El Technico, a big guy in orange trunks and an orange and black mask with bits flying that just reminded me of the alien in the Predator movies and even whiter skin than me.  If you are going with the Mexican thing mate, invest in some fake tan!!  This was not a bad match but the crowd were pretty quiet.  This can happen with unknown wrestlers and no-one wanted to chant for Thomson.  El Technico showed some good moves but as I have often said to Liam, he only wins when Carmel is there to do it for him and this proved true once again as Carmel's interference was the only reason for Thomson's win.

The second half started with Red Lightning entering accompanied by Charles Boddington.  He made reference to being attacked and hiring Boddington as protection.  This was greeted by chants of "baldie midget".  Then the crowd went wild as his opponent entered via the centre aisle of the stalls...the one and only Grado!  There were hysterics as Grado tried and failed to squeeze between the handrail on the stage steps and a large speaker...and more when he was dragged up onto the stage by David Wilson, official photographer as mentioned earlier!  Grado is an amazing entertainer and really gets the crowd behind him.  Once the match was underway there were the usual underhand tactics by Boddington to try to get his man the win but it backfired when he tried to use his briefcase on Grado and took out Red Lightning instead.  Grado scored the win and the crowd went wild again.

Next up was a tag match with the heels TJ Rage and James Scott facing Kenny Williams and Davey Blaze.  James Scott's build and hairdo has earned him the nickname of "wee fat Taz" and I admit to starting said chant....and the filthy look I got from TJ Rage was brilliant, so I gave him a wee wave and shouted "Hiya TJ"  That was the closest I got to actual interaction during the show but I will still take it!  This was a pretty brutal match and no matter how much the crowd chanted for Kenny and Davey, it was the heels who took the win.

The final match up of the night was Jack Jester against Wolfgang.  The majority of the crowd were firmly in the Wolfgang camp, however I did my best to keep the Jester chants going throughout much of the match and I have to say I think I did pretty well.  This was another match that took place in the ring, on the stage and in the stalls.  Both men pulled off some great moves but eventually Wolfgang took the win.

After the show, fans could meet and have photos taken with the wrestlers.  This was actually done in the street in front of the theatre.  Thankfully it wasn't raining as some of the guys were still in their wrestling gear!  Had a wee chat with Andy Wild about his black eye at PWE - thankfully he had got it checked and it was okay but it had looked really bad.  Got my pic taken with Jester wearing my new Jester t-shirt and he thanked me for photos I had taken the night before of him with his baby nephew and had printed for him.  I also had a pic taken with Wolfgang, who I have often told I will always cheer, just not always for him. As you can see, I am not impressed by his win, and he is not impressed by my shirt!!

 

 



 Anyway, my final thoughts are this....the show was fantastic but I wasn't keen on the venue.  It was great if you wanted to take young kids along and there were a lot of youngsters here, but it wasn't for me.

Check out PBW's Facebook for details of future events.