March 2017

It seems weird that I’m writing this now,at rather end of April, but it has taken me a while to catch up on the plethora of events that happened in march and even now I’ve not seen everything I wanted to. There has been some amazing events in march, wXw’s 16 Carat being my favourite overall. Many wrestlers have hit my list multiple times this month and it has been massively hard to pick a top 5. But I’ve tried to anyhow, limited to 1 per card and 1 per wrestler…..

5: Zack Gibson vs El Ligero – PROGRESS 46

This matchbwas the funniest match I’ve seen in ages, plus it told a great story and furthered a great feud really well. I was lucky enough to be there for it and loved it.

4:  SPPT vs JML – PROGRESS Orlando

4 of the most talented wrestlers in the world put in one hell of a show. Possibly the best match of mania weekend, certainly the best of the weekend that fell in march. Big spots, plenty of emotion. Great all round.

3: Shibata vs Ishii – NJCUP Semi Final

This was an incredible match from two of the world’s best strikers. I was heavily invested in it and it took me on an emotional rollercoaster. The whole New Japan Cup was brilliant,  but this match was a step above.

2: Speedball Mike Bailey vs Matt Riddle – wXw 16 Carat Gold Night 2

I was genuinely in awe throughout this one. It was fast, it was furious, it was funny and it had me hooked. I didn’t want it to end. Two guys go have come to pro wrestling from different fighting backgrounds putting on a match that had it all. 

1: Walter vs David Starr – wXw 16 Carat Gold night 1

It was tough to pick a top 5, even tougher to pick a top 1, but this was, for me, the best of March. David Starr is,in my opinion, one of the top 3 wrestlers in the world at the moment and Walter is just incredible. The emotion, the power, the spots and the storybook this match were intense. A phenomenal match, and my match of the month.

The full list of matches I loved is below, stars indicate the ones that I shortlisted while making the top 5.

• Shibata and David Finlay vs Davey Boy Smith Jr and Suzuki – NJPW Road 1.3.17
• Neville vs Jack Gallagher – WWE Fastlane *
• Hiromu Takahashi vs Ryuske Taguchi – NJPW 45th Anniversary
• Kazuchika Okada vs Tiger Mask W (Kota Ibushi) – NJPW 45th Anniversary *
• Evil vs Tanahashi – Nj cup 1st round *
• Kenny Williams vs Martin Kirkby – ICW Taping
• Liam Slater vs Joe Hendry – ICW Taping
• Pete Dunne vs Trent Seven vs BT Gunn vs Chris Renfrew – ICW Taping
• Shibata vs Suzuki NJ Cup round 1
• Ishii vs Omega NJ Cup round 1
• Sanada vs Ishii NJCUP Round 2
• Ishii vs Shibata NJCUP SEMI *
• Shibata vs Bad Luck Fale – NJCUP Final *
• Sami Zayn vs Samoa Joe – Raw 20.03.17
• Usos vs AA – SD LIVE 21.03.17 *
• BSS vs SPPT – PROGRESS 45
• Gibson vs Ligero – PROGRESS 45 *
• Ospeay vs Mandrews – PROGRESS 45
• Havoc vs Dunne – PROGRESS 45
• Ringkampf vs Hunter Brothers – PROGRESS 45
• Zack Gibson vs Eddie Dennis – Cockpit 14
• David Starr vs Bubblegum – Cockpit 14 *
• Dave Mastiff vs Jeff Cobb – Cockpit 14
• Ryan Smile vs Pete Dunne – Cockpit 14
• Sterling and Redman vs CCK – Cockpit 14 *
• Timothy Thatcher vs Matt Riddle – Cockpit 14
• Marty Scurll vs Ricochet  – RevPro Orlando *
• David Starr vs Josh Bodom – RevPro Orlando *
• Will Ospreay vs Rey Fenix – RevPro Orlando
• Thatcher vs Kanemoto – wXw 16 Carat
• Riddle vs Dijak – wXw 16 Carat
• Speedball vs ACH – wXw 16 Carat
• Walter vs David Starr – wXw 16 Carat
• Speedball vs Riddle wXw 16 Carat
• Cody Rhodes vs Bad Bones – wXw 16 Carat
• David Starr vs Cody Rhodes vs Jurn Simmons vs Erin Sitoci – wXw 16 Carat
• Dijak and Dunn vs Bailey and ACH – wXw 16 Carat
• Origin vs Origin Banter – PROGRESS 46
• MAndrews vs Dunne – PROGRESS 46
• Walter vs Riddle – PROGRESS 46
• Haskins vs Axel Dieter Jr – PROGRESS 46 *
• SPPT vs JML – PROGRESS ORLANDO *
• Mandrews vs Bate – PROGRESS ORLANDO 
• Dunne vs Haskins – PROGRESS ORLANDO

WWN Supershow – Mercury Rising

The main draw for me here was the series of PROGRESS VS Evolve matches,  but I hoped to see some other great matches too. The opening segment with Drew Galloway was interesting. Keith Lee is monstrous! It was also nice to see PCW stalwart Joanna Rose.announcing across the pond.

Keith Lee VS Jason Kincaide VS Austin Theory VS Gatekeeper Blaster

I’ve never seen any of these guys before, so I was excited to expand my knowledge of the US scene. This was a decent match, nice way to start. Keith Lee looked strong.

Shine Championship: LuFisto VS Toni Storm

I’m familiar with Toni, but not LuFisto. I’ve not seen any Shine before, but I have heard great things so I was excited for this match. It as a good solid match LuFisto is a big powerful women who played a strong heel, Toni adated and shine in a different type of match to ones I’ve seen her in before. It told a cracking story and I hope to see both again. Loved that Toni wrestled in a PROGRESS t shirt. 

PROGRESS VS Evolve series:

Jimmy Havoc VS Ethan Page

A great way to kick off the series. I was please to hear the ration for Jim Smallman before the match and for Jimmy Havoc, big PROGRESS contingent in the crowd. Match itself was decent, went round the room, good spots, good fan interaction and an interesting finish.

South Pacific Power Trip VS Catch Point

Superb match. Brilliant tag psychology. Perfectly paced.  Nicely built to an insane crescendo. Great false finishes. Excellent all round.

PROGRESS World Title: Pete Dunne VS ACH

Great match between two of the best in the world..hooked me from the get go and told a grateful story. Both these guys have a long and happy future ahead of them and I’d love to see them take each other on again. 

Evolve Title Match: Zack Sabre Jr VS Mark Haskins

Presumably ZSJ was the evolve representative in this match being the champion, but this was a match that was PROGRESS to the core. It was one of the best technical wrestling mat he’s I’ve seen. Everyone already knew ZSJ is the best technical wrestler in the world, but many probably didn’t know that Haskins can match him pretty much hold for hold. An amazing match.

This ended the PROGRESS VS Evlove section if the card.

WWN Championship – Battle of the champions elimination match: Fred Yehi VS Jon Davis VS Matt Riddle VS Parrow VS Timothy Thatcher VS Tracy Williams

Well worked, perfectly booked match including 6 amazing talents.  They told a variety of stories and built to an incredible ending. It’s not very often I love a six man elimination match. But I did love this one.

PROGRESS 46

This was the first progress show I’d seem in a while, since seeing 35 live, and boy had I missed it.

Origin VS Origin: Banter Edition

This was a great match that had me laughing and marking out throughout.  It was a brilliant start to a show and shoes some really good story telling, great high spots and superb tag wrestling. This is my favourite feud in all wrestling at the moment and I hope we haven’t seen the last of it.

Toni Storm VS Dhalia Black

This was another great match, the crowd got behind both women, who both showed amazing in ring abilities. Dhalia had real heel heat at the start but receven a warm ovation as she was carried out after the match. I later learned she had legitimately broken her leg during the match. This whole natural.progression series has been awesome.

Jack Sexsmith VS Travis Banks

Banks is one of the hottest properties in the UK scene, is picking up titles left right and centre and never has a bad match, be it in singles competition or as part of one of his plethora of tag teams. Sexsmith is a solid wrestler, but I don’t really get his gimmick, it kinda makes me feel.like he is trying to portray anyone who identifies as pansexual as a pervert and I really don’t understand the need to shove condoms in people’s mouths. That said, the match was still good.

Banks has been wrestling more and more like a face recently and his singles matches may suggest that’s the route he.will take if TK and Dhalia do head back to NZ. He’s currently my prediction to win Super Strong Style 16 this year.

Mark Haskins VS Axel Dieter Jr

Wow. This match was incredible. Haskins entrance was amazing! The fast paced high flyer meet a the methodical pure wrestler in an amazing match. Haskins has a great set of matt moves in his repertoire and there was some awesome chain segments and great transitions. ADJ is a lot bigger than you think when he’s not stood next to Walter! This match told a good story, I got to see my favourite move, Mark Haskins Sharpshooter, which is the best sharpshooter of all. The handshake at the end may suggest Ringkampf are heading in a face direction.

Will Ospreay VS Jimmy Havoc – Fans Bring The Weapons

Death matches are not my favourite type of matches,  but when done well and for a reason rather than for the sake of it that can be effective and certainly have their place.  This one ticked all those boxes. It finished a massive long running feud, it was brutal and it told a great story. Both guys put it all on the line in what was an insane death match that towards the end became a loser leaves PROGRESS match.

It was telling that they used the old white canvas for the first half then the new one after!

Tag Title Match: BSS VS Hunter Brothers

BSS debuted new tag title belts at this event and they look superb, keeping the iconic imagery of the shields but translating it to belt form. The match was good fun, plenty of comedy spots and great team work on both teams.

Atlas Title: Matt Riddle VS Walter

I’d seen these two recently in wXw 16 carat and I was looking forward to seeing it again. It certainly didn’t disappointed. It told a cracking story, had millions of high spots,  great strikes, great chain segments, brilliant submission based sections and some superb reversals. All in all an incredible match, and another handshake from a Ringkampf member at the end. Ringkampf are massively over anyway so a face turn makes sense.

PROGRESS TITLE: MAndrews VS Pete Dunne

The rivalry that has spanned the globe but neve had a bad match. This was an amazing match, plenty of call backs to previous matches. This told a fascinating story of the underdog trying again and again to take the title and building to an amazing ending. A cracking main event to cap off a superb show. 

PROGRESS Orlando

Oh my, massive show. It seems a lot bigger than the other mania weekend shows I’ve seen. Jim seemed genuinely overwhelmed at start and I could see why. Great crowd, great atmosphere and amazing video package to kick it off.

Zack Sabre Jr vs Jimmy Havoc

What a match to kick things off! Superb match, Havoc showed he can hang with the best in a technical match, as well.as the death match stuff he’s famous for. Showcased the British style.well and allowed both to show how good they are. I was impressed by the depth of PROGRESS knowledge the WWN commentary team had, obviously done their homework,  unlike some of the commentary teams on the Wrestlecon Shows.

James Drake vs Spud

It’s good to see SPUD back in PROGRESS again, and with a different, but equally great, progress branded outfit. Great match. Drake is growing into the heel bully role well and Spud is great at playing the victim role. Both guts showing they Han go at it in a fee styles and tell a good story.

Jinny vs Toni Storm

This is the second time I’ve seen these two wrestle each other in a few days. I think the matches may have been in a few days too and I think this might have actually been first. This, like the other, was a great match.  Some of the same spots but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Overall I think I preferred this one as a better story. 

SPPT vs JML

I’m a massive fan of all these guys, although I am more used to seeing JML as singles wrestlers.it was great to.see Dhalia hadn’t let a broken leg get in the way of her trip to Orlando.

This was an incredible match.  Great spots, great tag worm and great psychology..I hope to see JML back in PROGRESS. SPPT nearly fully face now. They are wrestling less like heels and the crowd are fully behind them.

Atlas title: Matt Riddle vs Trent Seven

Another great match on this awesome card. Both are solid workers and this really showed how good they are.  It’s especially amazing considering how little time Matt Riddle has been doing this for!

WWE UK title: MAndrews vs Tyler Bate

This was an incredible match. Well paced and told a great story. Tyler is going to be one of the best all rounders ever, and MAndrews is a phenomenal blur eye high flyer. Styles meshed well and I loved the whole match.

PROGRESS Championship: Mark Haskins vs Pete Dunne

Excellent main event. Told.a cracking story and Pete Dunne showed he is a master of working body parts and of drawing heel.heat. Haskins was great too,  sowing he too has matt skills as well as being an incredible high flyer. Superb match to end a great card.

I thought this was a great show, and I was massively impressed with the commentary team throughout. They had a great knowledge of PROGRESS history and each of the wrestlers and managed to interweave these facts in seemlessly while calling the match in a way to elevate the moves and help with the storytelling.  This was in stark contrast to some of the other shows that were let down by poor commentary.

RPW Epic Encounter

Martin Stone and Sami Callihan v CCK

A great match up to start this off. Very chaotic at times and certainly didn’t stick to the rules but there was a lot of good spots and some great double team moments. A great start to the show. CCK are a great addition to the roster.

Jay White vs Angelico

Jay White has grown so much, in size,  stature and character over the last year that he’s almost unrecognisable and he gets better every time I see him. Angelico is someone I’ve heard a lot about, but hadn’t yet seen, so when this was booked I was excited. The match itself was good. Spots galore and a great amount of chain wrestling and a decent story.

Zack Gibson vs Goto

Now we reach dream match territory. Two of my favourites who wrestle what I had imagined would be complementary styles. This was a cracker full of brutal strikes, some good power moves, good submission work and some great comedy. I always pop when Gibson gets the car stereo.

Marty Scurll vs Hiromu Takahashi

Probably the match on the card I was most looking forward to and boy this did not disappoint. I presume it was the first half main, and I needed to pause the 9n demand feed and have a break myself. There was masses of innovation from both guys, they told an amazing story and included some great technical wrestling and some big spots. Wow.

Josh Bodom vs Will Ospreay

These guys had one hell of a job to follow the previous match but they were certainly up to the task. They told a phenomenal story based around Ospreay’s injured back and Will working Bodom’s knee. A clear face heel dynamic, some incredible false finishes another brilliant match.

Sha Samuels vs James Castle

These two were never going to be able to follow the previous two matches in a pure wrestling match, but by including a no DQ stipulation they certainly managed it. Some brutal spots, some great comedy and an awesome pop for Sha when he levelled referee Chris Roberts!

Zack Sabre Jr vs Kushida

Another of the matches I’d been looking forward to and it was another incredible match.  Amazing technical wrestling on show from both wrestlers and this match was a back and forth contest that was hard to take your eyes off. Brilliant match.

The Elite vs Lio Rush, Shane Strickland and Ryan Smile

This was a main event for the ages and a worth match to top off an excellent card. There was some massive spots, lots of fun, great banter and plenty of controlled chaos, also a plethora of super kicks. The elite showing why they are selling out arenas world wide and Rush, Smile and Strickland showing they can hang with the best.

Well done RevPro on another cracking York Hall event.

NJPW Sakura Genesis

Manabu Nakanishi, Jushin Thunder Liger & David Finlay vs. Hirai Kawato, Tomoyuki Oka & Katsuya Kitamura

Nice appetitems whetter on the preshow. Good move echanges and transitions ad enough to warm up the crowd.

Togi Makabe, Yuji Nagata, Tiger Mask W & Tiger Mask IV vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens

Decent match showcasing 8verybgood stars. Never my favourite these big multimedia matches but NJPW do them better than mat and it was great to see some of these guys showcase their skills.

YOSHI-HASHI, Rocky Romero & Barreta vs. Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & TAKA Michinoku 

Nice short sharp match, Yoshi-Hashi is building some real momentum recently in terms of wins and in terms of good performances. He’s been one of may favourites on a lot of recent NJPW shows recently and I hope his push continues.  He was the star for me in this natch,  although everyone played their part well with Taka and Suzuki being the most prominent on the other team.

IWGP Junior Tag Championship Match: Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taichi vs. Jado & Gedo

This was a well worked Match that told a story in its own right but also furthered a good story well. Lots of outside interference but enough to make you wonder what’s next. An interesting fight.

Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano vs. Kenny Omega & Bad Luck Fale

Excellenthe match. All 4 guys looking good, especially Kenny and Ishii. This told a good story and had some excellentspots. I get the feeling Kenny is going to be getting his title rematch soon.

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson, Ryusuke Taguchi & Ricochet vs. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI

Great match with some amazingly talented guys. Juice is a rising star and this match will have served to boost that. LIJ are a great stable and look to be growing stronger,  Tanahashi is just amazing at all times, Taguchi gets better everything I see him and Ricochet is busy exploding in all markets. Having all 8 of these guys in a match is a dream come true and they certainly didn’t disappoint.

IWGP Tag Championship Match:  Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. Warmachine

Amazing match, well worked from two teams who know how to put together a great tag match. Told a great story, had some awesome spots and had some.excellent tag work. The crowd were riveted to it and so was I. Two consistentlygood teams I look forward to seeing more of.

NEVER Openweight Championship Match: Hirooki Goto vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Amazing match. Goto is massively tough and brutal and Zack is a gifted technician. The styles meshed really well together and the callbacks to the ZSJ debut match were well work and the storyboard well told.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match: Hiromu Takahashi vs.  KUSHIDA

This was an interesting match. Short and sharp and unexpected but long enough for both to get some stuff in and it certainly told a story well.

IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match: Kazuchika Okada vs. Katsuyori Shibata

This was a great match. Both guys are incredible, two of the very best in the world today, and this meeting was only their second ever and the first had been so long ago that it felt like a first time. There was some incredibly stiff looking strikes,  some amazing high flying stuff and some great mat wrestling and reversals. I had heard going in that Shibata had picked up a possible very serious injury, and that perhaps diminished my enjoyment of the match, but that’s not to take anything away from how good these guys were on the night. Amazing match from two amazing wrestlers.

RPW Cockpit 15

Eddie Dennis vs Rob Lias

It’s been good to see the evolution of Rob Lias recently and this as a good showing against the pride of Wales.  The match had some funny moments, some good spots and a good narrative that looks to further the evolution. A great starting match and one that was well placed on the card.

Dan Magee vs Gideon Grey

Recently I’ve been very impressed with the work of Gideon Grey, and I’ve also enjoyed Magee’s matches and ongoing feud with Lias, so I was hoping this would be a good Un. It was an enjoyable match that told a good story and built the mystery around Gideonas well as the Magee/Lias angle.

Jinny vs Toni Storm

It’s good to see RPW are finally taking women’s wrestling seriously and this is a serious match to book. Two of the best women on the independent circuit. This was a racking match that built both women’s character and story and certainly lifted the bar for the women’s division going forward 

Zack Gibson and Josh Bodom vs Will Ospreay and Bubblegum

4 of my favourites on the RevPro roster in one epic tag match. Plenty of story telling, loads of spots and even though someweren’t as clean as they could have been.this was an excellent match that I very much enjoyed.

Martin Stone vs Luke Phoenix

Stone is someone I’ve enjoyed watching for years, and Luke is someone I’ve only ever seen once but who very much impressed me in that match. This was a good solid match. Worked well from both guys. Told.a great story and helped with the ongoing push of the guv’nor.

RJ Singh vs Sha Samuel

Two solid guys who put on a decent match that furthered a storyline and allowed both guys to showcase their abilities.

CCK vs Ryan Smile and Shane Strickland

The second cockpit showing a row that the tag titles took the main event, and rightly so given the quality that is currently residing in the RevPro tag division. This was a great main eventhing that told a great story and featured plenty of high spots.  I think Ryan Smile could be the breakout star of 2017.

wXw 16 Carat Gold 2017

This is a big event from wXw with an incredible line up of talent this year. 

Day 1 – The first round

Da Mack vs Cody Rhodes

Two talented guys with WWE history to kick things off. Great match, both guys looked great, told a good story and showed off what they can do. Got the crowd up for it but didn’t take it to a level that would be detrimental for those who came after.  Perfect opener.

Marius Al-Ani vs JT Dunn

Not massively familiar with either guy buy very much enjoyed this match,  well paced, build well and told a good.story.  Great first round match.

Koji Kanemoto vs Timothy Thatcher

Another great first round match. Two brilliant technical wrestlers who used this proficiency at chain wrestling to get the narrative they wanted to tell across. There was also plenty of stuff looking strikes and a clever finish that left both looking mightily strong.

Ilga Dragunov vs The Avalanche Robert Driesker

Again this was twone guys I’d not seen before so I was excited to see how it panned out. Started at 100mph and didn’t let up. Enthralled me throughout. Another great first round match.

Donovan Dijak vs Matt Riddle 

I’d never seen Dijak, but I’m certainly familiar with Riddle, who never seems to have a bad match. This match took it up a level.  It was strange to see Riddle out sized and out muscled for big parts but he played that part well. Some great chain wrestling from both, clever transitions, stiff strikes and power moves. A great match and I hope to see much more of Dijak.

Paul London vs Bad Bones

Two wrestlers I’ve enjoyed watching before but was unsure how their styles would mesh. I thought they meshed pretty well. Match was good, told a good story, London put his all in. Bad Boned came out looking superhuman.

Speedball Mike Bailey vs ACH

Tso phenomenal wrestlers in this next match and what a match it was. Showcased just how brilliant both guys are. Fast, hard, athletic and at times high flying but with a great story where every move added something.

David Starr vs Walter

Two of my favourite’s facing off next in a fitting main event. This match was incredible from the get go and worked a great story around a David vs Goliath dynamic. Starr has to be in the conversation when it comes to the best in the world at the moment, and Walter is one of the best big guys around. This was the match of the night for me, no small feat given how awesome the whole show was.

If Day 1 was this good. How good will 2 and 3 be?!

Day 2

Jeff Cobb vs Donovan Dijak

Two behemoths collided here in a match full of strength and power. However both guys have more than that in their arsenal a day the whole ra get was on show here. A very good way to open day 2.

QF Speedball Mike Bailey vs Matt Riddle

This match was fast, hard hitting, high flying and told an incredible story. These two are both phenomenal wrestlers and their styles fit perfectly together. I hope to see these two fight again and again and again.

QF Ilja Dragunov vs Timothy Thatcher

Another brilliant match. Two phenomenal technical wrestlers laying everything theh had on the line. Told a great story and showed impressive move sets.

QF Walter vs Marius Al-Ani

Another very enjoyable match. Walter is a beast and Marius a great opponent for him. Big moves, great story and plenty of high spots.

QF Cody Rhodes vs Bad Bones

This was an incredible match that left both guys looking massively strong. They put their all into the match and destroyed each other in a brutally physical encounter that told a great story and had plenty of high spots.

Koji Kanemoto vs Francis Kaspin

Good solid match from two great wrestlers. Certainly enjoyable, but not.as amazing as some on the card.

Shotgun Title: David Starr vs Absolute Andy vs ACH vs Paul London

Not one for the purists, and not a match that will.win many awards, but great fun. 4 talented guys who know how to play the crowd put in an excellent lighthearted match full of comedy and some heat spots. Very enjoyable and a nice light moment in what is a rather intense wrestling weekend.

JT Dunn vs Robert Dresser

Good solid short sharp match. Both guys got their stuff in and the crowd were into it.

wXw Unified World Championship Axel Dieter Jr vs Jurn Simmons 

This match is one I’d been excited about for a while and the video package before it made me even more excited. It had a big match feel and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Two masters of their craft took us in a honey that was exciting, brutal and showed some technical brilliance. I hear ADJ may be WWE bound and I think he certainly has the skill set to succeed in the big time.

Day 3

Bad Bones vs Ilja Dragunov – Semi Final

This was a great match that told a good story and managed to completely shock me. Bones had been booked as seemingly invincible throughout the tournament and this match and to see Ilja pick up the win was a shock, both guys left the match looking phenomenally strong and it certainly set the bar high for the night! 

Walter vs Matt Riddle semi final 

Another cracker of a match from this tournament. Another match that told a great story and left both guys looking incredibly strong. I think they have met in PROGRESS, or are due to, at end event I’m yet to see so I will look forward to that one.

Bobby Gunns vs Koji Kanemoto 

A good solid match from two great competitors. I’m not entirelysure the premise.the commentators built about Kanemoto hating smoke was a solid story line, but the match was enjoyable nonthe less. Some great chain wrestling and an inventive pinning combination to win.

Tag Titles Gauntlet match

Well worked and good fun, all teams involved got their stuff in and got over. Nice swerve at the end when everyone thought it as over! Awesome ending.

David Starr vs Jurn Simmons vs Em Sitoci vs Cody Rhodes

Amazing promo exchange between Starr and Simmons at the start of the match. Great match, well worked and told a great story. Some awesome spots and an emotional finish. Superb all round.

Alpha Kevin vs Marius van Beethoven

This appeared to be the culmination of a former friends feud and as such was a no ropes match. This was an odd gimmick and I wasn’t sure it would work, but it really did.

JT Dunn and Donovan Dijak vs Speedball Mike Bailey and ACH 

Excellent match. Loads of spots. Superb wrestling from all involved. Very enjoyable match from 4 amazing talents.

Walter vs Ilja Dragunov – Final

The main event of the weekend, the tournament final. A tough position to be in, needing to follow three full cards of amazing matches but it certainly managed it. It was full of amazing wrestling, tough brutal strikes, chops that drew blood, massive high spots and an incredible story. Perfect end to an amazing tournament. I need to get to Oberhausen next year.

RPW Orlando

Sami Callihan vs Jay White
Exciting match to be booked first up. Sami has been a top guy everywhere for years and Jay is one of the fastest rising stars. This was a great match, it told a great story and kept me enthralled throughout with some great outside of the ring work and amazing matt and submission work.

Martin Stone vs Jeff Cobb

Good solid match from two awesome wrestler’s.  Great technical work on show from both and a good narrative throughout. Cobb is fast becoming a firm favourite of mine and Stone has been for years.

Gideon Grey vs Swoggle 

This promised to be an instant classic for any comedy wrestling fans. It delivered on the entertainment value and didn’t go too long. Rather enjoyable.

Marty Scurll vs Ricochet 

This match was incredible. It was fast paced, had plenty of high spots and some very funny moments. Great crowd interaction and some heartfelt promos to end it. I very much enjoyed this one.

Josh Bodom vs David Starr

Another amazing David Starr match, he is an incredible talent and Bodom was a great foil.for him. They told a great story though some amazing chain wrestling, some great high spots and perfectly executed false finishes. This was an instant classic.

Rey Fenix vs Will Ospreay 

Seeing these two in a match is amazing. Two of the world’s premier high flyers ginger at it at pro wrestling’s biggest weekend. The match itself was very bit as a amazing as I imagined it would be. Full of flips and spins and everything lucha libre. It also told a great story and made both guys look incredible.

Shane Strickland and Ryan Smile vs Unbreakable F’N Machines

Two of the best high flyers around vs two of the biggest and strongest men in the industry. This meeting of contrasting styles could have gone either way and fortunately for all.of us it worked really well. A great story was told and all 4 guys got to play to their strengths and they all made me laugh.

Penta Zero M vs Zack Sabre Jr

Another quality match and a fitting end to the show. ZSJ never ceases to impress with his submissions and transitions. Penta is an excellent worker and the styles meshed well. Heel Zack is certainly something different and I’m enjoying this run.

RPW Cockpit 14

Rob Lias vs Curtis Chapman

This squashed to match was a great way to continue the evolution of Rob Lias from honorable contender to main card heel. The subsequent run in from Dan Magee built well on their ongoing story and I look forward to seeing more.

Zack Gibson vs Eddie Dennis

Two of my favourite British wrestlers going head to head. Great promos from both to start then a well worked match that had everything: power moves, high flying, matt wrestling and comedy. Loved it.

David Starr vs Bubblegum 

I had never heard of David Starr before he arrived at my local promotion in October for TCW vs CZW. I was blown away by how good he was and he seems to be a little bit better everytime I see him. Bubblegum has been around the UK scene for.a long while and I’ve seen him have great matches with lots of people, but this was probably my favourite match of his so far. I loved everything about it.  It was amazing. Probably my match of the night, but that’s a tough call on what was probably the best independent show of the year so far. Certainly the best RevPro show.

Moustache Mountain vs Revolutionists

Another quality match. Interesting Dynamic with Sha and Castle and I look forward to that feud panning out. Great team spots, good story, good high spots and generally 4 talented guys going at it.

Dave Mastiff vs Jeff Cobb

Great power match. The highlight for me was some awesome suplexes that put even Lesnar and Angle to shame. Jeff Cobb is an amazing talent and I imagine he will be WWE bound very soon.

Jinny then came abd cut a great promo and had a good square off with Rhea O’Rilley. I hope this signifies a new dawn for RevPro as a good quality women’s division, or even programme, has been the only thing lacking.

Pete Dunne vs Ryan Smile

Another great match. Pete Dunne is one of the best in the world and I think Ryan Smile is on his way to join him. Great work from both and my favourite moment was a no sold Canadian destroyer, although I do worry about the cheapen in of that move. It looks amazing, but it’s used so often and by most people for false finishes (used at least twice on this card and not for a finish) that I fear it will lose its impact as a finisher.

Josh Bodom vs RJ Singh 

Solid match. RJs return from retirement continues to impress me. Good heat for Josh and a postscript that set up a great build for an Orlando match with Starr.

Timothy Thatcher vs Matt Riddle

Great match. Good submissions hard strikes. These two are suberb stuff strikers and both know their way around the matt. The finish was one of the most painful submissions I think I’ve ever seen!

CCK  vs Redman and Sterling 

This was a brilliantly worked match that had be marking out left right and center. Some awesome work from all 4 guys, all of whom are supremely talented individuals. The false finish arena restart was brilliant and Chris Roberts played his part really really well. Very much enjoyed this one.