World of Sport

I wasn’t sure what to think when I heard WoS was returning for a one off special/pilot. It was previously an institution, but I was a tad worried that this was just one of the major networks trying to cash in on the Renaissance we have seen in UK wrestling over the last few year. Nevertheless I was excited to see it.​

Mastiff Grado

The first match was a championship match, which seemed a little odd, but in reality it was there to set up the narrative of the night, something that was important in the context of the show. The put on a solid but short match. Their larger than life characters were sold well and it set up.the story well. 

The crowd felt forced or even canned at time’s,  this was true all through the show, and I couldn’t work outo why as there was clearly wrestling fans there.

CJ Banks, Kenny Williams, Sam Bailey, Danny Hope 

Nice to see Danny with a Trav black armband on. Sam Bailey showing shades of McGuiness with certain moves. 4 talented workers showcasing skills in a short match

Viper v Alexis Rose

Solid match from two talented women. Viper playing heel well. I’d only seen her play face before.I was surprised to hear that WoS had never had an all female match in its previous run.

Coffey Brothers vs Ashton Smith and Rampage Brown

Great match. Worked well. Nice to see all 4 shine. I’ve not seen Ashton and Rampage tag together before buthe they looked to have a decent chemistry about them. Rampage looks good as a heel but I prefer him face.

Ligero vs Gibson

Great match, super skills on show from both combatants. Gibson always impresses me and is one of the best technical wrestlers we have in the UK. El Ligero is my favourite comedy wrestler, but unlike some comedy wrestlers, he’s much more than that. And in this match he was showing his more serious side, which combines a great technical moves with some high flying antics. Great match, probably match of the night for me.

Battle Royal

Nice battle royal well booked. Seemed odd that all but 1 started in the ring. Was good to see Harry Smith put in an appearance. I’ve not seen him for age and I’m glad he game in and have a homage to his dad with the moves. I’d have quite liked him to win as I reckon he’d work a great match with big Dave.

Mastiff Grado again.

Not bad again, very short and the finish made Mastiff look weak but it finished off the narrative that had been built throughout the night.

Overall views 

It looked an felt more like a TV show than a wrestling show. The lighting was weird and the crowd were weird. There were enough t shirts on show to convince me the majority if them were actually wrestling fans, but it felt like they were being stage managed as opposed to being allowed to be fans. The cheering and booing felt forced in places and the chanting did too. The signs were obviously planted and seemed daft and the choreographed foam finger waving was annoying.

The way they booked the show to set up a nara time was good,  must have taken a lot if thinking about how they could build for the payoff at the end of 2 hours when most promotions would do it over a few months. 

Grado as the main face seemed a choice made out of the idea that he’d be most well.know from his TNA profile. Which I guess is understandable.

I enjoyed the show, and I think it may be a way to bring in more people to watching wrestling, which I’m all for. But I don’t think it was as good as PROGRESS or ICW or others,  however that may be because it’s aimed at a different sort of fan.

I hope it gets picked up a’s. I’d like to see wheresults they go with it.

Progress 37 – A Sudden sense of liberty

It’s actually been a couple of weeks since I watched this, I’ve not found time to write my views on it yet. I thought it was another awesome progress event, although probably not as awesome as the Brixton event – but it wouldn’t be would it? That  was the big one.

Bubblegum vs Chuck Mambo

I’m used to seeing Bubblegum in a PCW rung,  where he has always impressed me, but I’ve not seen him in progress before. I thought the crowd reaction was strange, given that Bubblegum was local (it was in Manchester) I thought the crowd would get behind him, but they were firmly behind Mambo. Bubblegum worked the heel angle well and these two great wrestlers put on an awesome match to open the show.

Kay Lee Ray vs Kimber Lee

Two women making their progress debuts. I’ve seen KLR wrestle before, but never Kimber Lee. The match was outstanding. both these ladies are extremely talented in ring performers and they put on a great spectacle.  I hope to see them both get involved on the women’s title picture in the future.

Fabian Aichner vs James Drake

I’d not seen Drake before, but I had seen Aichner in the CWC. I had not, however, seen how amazing he could be – there isn’t that much you can do in an under 10 minute first round match. this match was awesome, possibly the match of the night for me certainly in the top two. both guys looked incredible and I hope to see many more matches involving both of them!

Marty Scurll vs Joe Coffey vs Pete Dunne vs Trent Severn

This match includes 4 of the wrestlers I would currently listing in my top ten. The extra dynamic given by having two members of the same tag team (the tag champions no less) in a fatal four way was interesting. we saw some physical dominance from Coffey, sometc villainy awesomeness from Scurll and some excellent team work and heel work from Dunne and Severn. A very enjoyable match, a great result for me as I wanted Mary straight back in the title picture and there was an added bonus when Jimmy Havok showed up after the match!

FSU vs The Origin vs The South Pacific Power Trip

Three great teams put on a great show for us here. FSU and El Ligero gave us some high flying antics, SPPT gave us some technical brilliance and Dave Mastiff some big power moves and  showed that he is more.agile than any man that size should be!

Rampage Brown’s Atlas Title Open Challenge

The challenge was answered by Mickey Whiplash. these two are two of the best big guys around and they put on a fun, fast and power filled frenzy that was very enjoyable to watch. I hopersonally Rampage holds the title a while and continues to make it a great belt. can’t wait to see who answers the challenge next.

Mark Haskins vs Zak Gibson

Bizarrely, while watching Chapter 36 a friend and I spoke about Zak Gibson and how we both feel he’s the hottest heel in wrestling right now. He’s better than anyone at winding the crowd up with the mic, he’s a phenomenal wrestler and has a great heel.heel move set. on top of that he’s really funny and uses a car stereo as a weapon. we wee hoping, when Haskins won, that Gibson would get a shot. He didn’t disappoint. these two wrestlers are phenomenal and the match was awesome. I’d say probably the match of the night. And even thigh I’d love to see a long Gibson heel championship reign I’m glad Haskins held on for a bit longer.

Another brilliant event from Progress, currently the best promotion in my opinion.

​Progress Chapter 36 – We’re gonna need a bigger room…. Again!

A few weeks ago Progress Wrestling, my favourite promotion, held their biggest ever show. It was held at Brixton Academy and was massive in every way.  Last week I finally got around to watching it.

Match 1: Rampage Brown vs Joe Coffey, Atlas tournament final.

I’ve very much enjoyed the Atlas tournament, a tournament to crown a new champion which is only open to wrestlers over 205 lb. The whole thing has been fantastic and these two have stood out even amongst such a strong field. The match had everything you would expect from these two phenomenal big fellas and  it is great to a fellow Leeds lad hold another title.

Match 2: Six women tag match – Jinny, Alex Windsor and Dahlia Black vs Pollyanna, Laura di Matteo and Nixon Newell.

Some amazing talent on show in this match, all 6 of these ladies are phenomenal wrestlers and this has really whet my appetite for the forthcoming natural progression series which will crown th inaugural women’s champion. It is my hope that Jinny wins that tournament and takes a length reign as champion, she is one of the best heels in the country.

Match 3: London Riots vs British Strong Style

Two of my favourite tag teams facing off for the tag titles, this match was always going to be awesome an dit surpassed even my expectations. The riots are a phenomenal team who have the art of tag team wrestling nailed and British Strong Style are a very young team but of two wrestlers who are no strangers to tag team wrestling and who are both very talented. On most another cards this would have been the match of the night without a doubt, but with some of the events that were to come it was probably only 3rd – which says more about the quality of the card than anything else. A surprise result at the end, possible due to Rob Lynch carrying an injury, but either way, I’m looking forward to seeing how British Strong Style’s story progresses, and I’m definitely looking forward to the rematch, which I hope will come in Sheffield.

Match 4: Paul Robinson vs Chuck Mambo

Bonus match! Which is always good. I’ve not seen a great deal from either of these wrestlers before so it’s good to get to know them better. I enjoyed the match and I look forward to seeing more of both these wrestlers. 

Match 5: Zack Sabre Junior vs Tomaso Ciampa – 2 out of 3 falls.

This was, as you might expect, a phenomenal match. Both of these wrestlers are incredible and have shown how incredible recently at big events such as the Cruiserweight Classic and the Battle of Los Angeles. The match was the rubber in the series and the whole thing was awesome from start to finish. They showed off their skills, told a great story and really showed a new level of intensity. Plus the booking was clever, to have the first fall a draw an put us at 1-1 was a unique idea. It was good to see a local hero go over, but in the end, the real winners were the audience. I can’t believe that I’m about to type this about a match this good, but it was only the second best match of the night (in my opinion).

Match 6: FSU, Damon Moser and Jack Gallagher  vs The Origin

This match was another incredible match. Zack Gibson is the hottest heel in wrestling at the moment and the whole of the of the Origin are phenomenal at building heat. FSU are a great fun tag team, Moser is intense and Gallagher is, well, extraordinary. The match was full of awesome sections, great spots and great wrestling, It continued the story that had been building, continued to get over the origin as a great heel stable and  had some incredibly funny moments (the car stereo made a reappearance!). This was another match that would have been match of the night on many other cards, and the fact it doesn’t even make my top 3 shows just how phenomenal Progress is at the moment. I can’t wait to see Zak Gibson fight for the title next time out.

The Main Event: Marty Scurll vs Tommy End vs Mark Haskins

This match was, for me, the match of the night. Three incredibly talented young men showing us what pro wrestling is all about. Some massive bumps, some great three way spots, some awesome story-telling and brilliant feud building. For vast periods it looked as though Haskins was just there to make up numbers, but he just kept coming back and nothing could keep him down. Then, just as you thought it couldn’t get any better Jimmy ********g Havoc arrives! All three wrestlers involved in the match deserve all the praise they get, and Haskins deserves the plethora of titles he seems to be carrying recently. I look forward to seeing him defend his title, I look forward to seeing Tommy End in WWE and I really look forward to seeing Jimmy Havoc vs Marty Scurll, if and when it happens….

What an event. What a promotion. This.Is.Wrestling. This.Is.Awesome. This.Is.Progress.

Progress 35 – Writing Nirvana on other peoples bags

So I finally got round to watching progress 35. And what a show! Progress is, in my opinion, the best British promotion by far. The talent, the being and the match quality are awesome and unlike some if the other big British promotions they run mainly off their roster with the odd import making a rare appearance.

The show kicked off with. “British Strong Style” – which was Pete Dunne and Trentham Severn,against Damien Dunne and Tyler Bate. This was building on events from progress 33 where Pete and tent turned in their respective partners mid match. This was a great opening match, some massive spots and it was well worked throughout, telling a good story.  I love that Trentham and Tyler are feuding despite holding the Chikira tag titles. The only problem I have with this match is that it means no singles match for Pete Dunne – who is fast becoming a firm favourite of mine.
Match 2-Nixon Newell vs Alex Windsor – this was a good solid match that was well worked. Nixon Newell is an impressive wrestler who I’ve seen twice recently and can’t wait to see more of. Alex Winsor is also a cracking performer and the match was great. I like the fact Progress are finally building towards a women’s title and expanding the women’s division. I’m hoping for Nixon Newell vs Pollyanna in the near future.

4way – great match but a tad shorter than it should have been. Jack Gallagher great as ever, his tie up move is my current favourite. Zack Gibson getting a car stereo was absolutely hilarious.

Joe Coffey vs Dave mastiff – great big guys match. I’m loving the Atlas tournament  (you may have guessed by the name of the blog!) And I love that the Progress mid card title is for big guys, this shows how wrestling has changed over the years. I always think, while watching his matches, that one who looks like Dave Mastiff should be that agile!

Will Ospreay vs Shane Strickland – what a match! On most cards this would have been the match of the night by a mile. Brilliant agility on show from both, brilliant heel work from will and an alround great match that showed it all. The crowd chanted “Both these guys” and it seemed very fitting.

Weirdly, Will apologised for the heel behaviour,which left me with unanswered questions about his reasoning. 

Haskins vs Whiplash – a great match, and some killer heel mic work from whiplash to start. I hear a lot of negative things about haskins, but I’ve yet to see him have anything other than a brilliant match. I wouldn’t be too upset if he dethroned the Villain at Brixton. 

Rampage vs T Bone – team single square off! Two of the best British heavy weights gave us an incredible mat h and I can’t wait for the AtLas final at Brixton!

Marty Scurll vs Mark Andrews. Marty seems to be continually unable to restless aarch that will not be a candidate for match of the year. The whole thing was brilliant start to finish, the moves, the spot’s,  the story line, hitting a powerbomb into a chicken wing. Match of the night and a great great performance from two great wrestlers.

Superb show, and it really sets up things for chapter 36 in Brixton, which looks to have an amazing card  that we know already will feature 

Joe Coffey vs Rampage Brown

Zack Sabre Junior vs Tomasso Ciampa (3 falls)

Women’s 6 man –  Alex Windsor, Dahlia Black and Jinny vs Nixon Newell, Laura Di matter and Pollyanna 

8 man tag Moser, Andrews, Dennis and Gallagher vs The Origin

Sebastian vs The Pastor

London Rit’s vs British Strong Style

Scurll Vs Haskins Vs Tommy F****** End 

What a line up. I’m already excited and can’t wait!

WCPW Stacked

WCPW is a fairly new British promotion which is growing rapidly, thanks in part to its weekly YouTube show loaded which has featured some superb matches. Not least this instant classic from Will Ospreay and Martin Kirby. 

As well as their weekly show they have bigger events and Stacked is one of them. The event had a “stacked” card and was held in WCPW’s home territory Newcastle, England. Stacked took place on 24th August and was streamed on YouTube on September 3rd. Being made available on YouTube video a few hours after the stream (click the links below to find the matches).

As well as the stacked card, this show included my all time favourite on the mic – Alex Shane – on commentary, and this for me added a whole new level to the event. Shane is extremely knowledgeable about pro wrestling and as such adds great insight to each match, as well as being genuinely funny and excellent at being a heel commentator. He made an excellent team with Dave Bradshaw.

It was also great to see Steve Linsky refereeing, he’s been a favourite of mine since he took the best ref bump ever by coming off the balcony at the Coventry skydome during an Alex Shane match year and years ago.

The show started with “guest General Manager” Eric Bischoff, the segment was funny and I feel it added star power to the event early.

Joe Coffey vs Moose

This was fantasticmatch to kick us off, big guys collided in a very watchable way.Some great spots. I thought the ending could have had more though, Moose tool a lot of big hits but Coffey went down a little easily. Still a great match and Joe Coffey seems to get better every time I see him.

El Ligero vs Pete Dunne vs EC3

What a great match. Pete Dunne is fast becoming one of my favourite wrestlers. EC3 is a solid worker and El Ligero is always entertaining. I really enjoyed the whole thing. Good spots and a great story told.

Doug Williams vs Drew Galloway 

It was testament to the strength of the card that these two faced off in the third match, and boy was it a great match. Doug Williams was, in my opinion, the greatest wrestler ever. And while he may not be as amazing as he was in his prime, he’s still a phenomenal in ring performer and I thought he really turned back the clock with his work in this match. Drew has been great his entire career, since the days he and sheamus fought all over Europe pre WWE.  For whatever reason wwe didn’t work.out but he has reinvigorated himself leaving since and this was a great match. Two skilled performers telling a great story.
This match in particular was lifted further by Alex Shane’s phenomenal commentary. He built heat for Doug with Brexit talk and even set everyone straigh on the Montreal screw job – “was it a work? Of course it was.”

Ospreay vs Scurll

Arguably the best two cruiserweight in the world today. Arguably the best two British wrestlers in the world today. Arguably the best two wrestlers in the world today. I would certainly say they are my two favourite wrestlers active today, and they are wrestling each other in a match where my favourite talker is commentating and my favourite referee, Steve Linsky, is calling the shots. This was always going to be the match of the night,  and again is testament to the strength of the card that it was on so early, it could easily have headlined, as I have seen these two do elsewhere. 

These two have fought in Progress and Rev Pro already this year, but this is a match up I will never get tired of seeing. They raised the bar again with a match that prompted Alex Shane to exclaim “the best match we’ve ever seen in this promotion”, and it would be hard to argue with him.
Marty showed his technical brilliance and Will showed off his aerial ability, we saw all the trademarks we expect from each of them and much, much more. When Marty was building heat from the crowd Dave Bradshaw exclaimed “he won’t gain many fans that way”, to which Shane responded with “when you are that cool Dave you don’t need fans!” A great way to sum up the villain. 

Martin Kirby and Travis Banks vs Liam Slater and Gabriel Kidd.

This tag match was well worked. All 4 wrestlers got over well. I’ve seen a lot of Kirkby over the years and he’s always solid. As is Travis who I’ve seen a bit of in Progress recently. Slater I’ve seen once before with RISE at the Brudenell and I was impressed, he impressed me again and Gabriel Kidd, who I had never seen, was also impressive. Not a patch on the previous match, but great all the same.

Bea Priestley vs Nixon Newell

Last women standing match. Some really good stuff which showcased the quality that there is in the women’s division here in WCPW. It was a great way to introduce a women’s title. Both women wrestled really well and came up with some incredibly innovative ways to use steel chairs. My only slight criticism is that it was a tad in the short side.

Grado vs Primate 

I saw Primate in the flesh recently have a falls count anywhere match in RISE against the muscle cat at a social club. It was an incredible match so I had high hopes for this match against a TNA star. The match didn’t disappoint on quality, putting both wrestlers over and being very entertaining, however I was left feeling a little short changed by the match length in this match too.

Main Event – Big Damo vs Rampage Brown vs Joe Hendry vs Joseph Connors.

This was a great fatal 4 way. Damo and Rampage looked strong as ever and put some great work into the match. A match that had some superb spots and told two great stories, one of Damo and Rampage continuing a long running feud, and the other showing the development of friendship into something else between Hendry and Connors. This was a really well booked and worked match made even better by the commentary gold from Alex Shane.

I was very impressed by the event and I look forward to many more WCPW showings in the future.