Spring Time Wrestling - Article (1st Instalment January -March )
We have decided to publish a quarterly HMGW Newsletter to cover our Wrestling News. It will be an overview of shows we have attended within these months.
They will be published at the end of the third month as followed;
Spring Edition - January to March
Summer Edition - April to June
Autumn Edition - July to September
Winter Edition - October to December
Our Spring Newsletter, the first instalment - January to March 2018
January
The year kicked off straight away with a wrestling show from 'Britain's Maddest Wrestling Promotion;
Friday 5th January, Rise; Underground Pro Wrestling
at Brudenell Social Club, Leeds. This is an over 18's show and its definitely for a reason, the clue is in the name. Todays show was the RISE Rumble with an main event of a 30 man over the top rope RISE Rumble. We knew this was going to be a crazy event as it was the first sell out show for RISE, what a way to start the year! The first half of the show included three fantastic matches. These were David Graves vs Liam Slater. This was a match to conclude a rivalry between two friends that became bitter enemies, with the winner getting entry into the Rise Rumble and loser leaving Rise for good. Muscle Cat Saxon Huxley Vs Luke Menzies was another conclusion to a rivalry and definitely made the ring shake, got to love big lads wrestling! The women's match between Little Miss Roxxy Vs Voodo Queen spilled into the packed out venue . There was also an excellent promo about Uncle Bobby b eing in a food coma, which the Darwin family rudely interrupted. The second half was the Rumble, it was certainly entertaining throughout with a mix of some comedy, excellent heal action, technique, stamina and shock and horror. Our highlights from throughout the rumble were, Bulk being coaxed out of the ring with KFC, the debut of Sebb Strife, David Graves wrestling for well over 80 minutes (as well as his previous match), Nina Samuals the only female contestant lasting well and taking and giving as much action as the men, Boris Koslov, Ugandan Warrior and Sebb Strife doing the shield bomb, Cayden being eliminated but being crowd surfaced back in and not to mention the absolutely chaotic ending between Big Joe and Darwin.
Rise not only put on an insane show they also release entertaining promo videos to set the scene and intensify the outcome of the upcoming matches. These can be found on the lead up to each event on their Facebook Page (Click Here).
Here is a video of the 30 Man over the top rope RISE Rumble, watching this will definitely prove to you why it is England's Maddest Wrestling Show!
This video is for 18+ viewing only as there are scenes which may disturb.
Saturday 20th January - True Grit Wrestling Fibbers York
This show was all about the True Grit Championship, with four matches to decide who would progress into the main event and 4 Way Elimination Match for The True Grit Championship. It kicked off with the popular 'Mad Russian' Boris Koslov Vs. the psychotic B.A Rose. The match was a great opener to a great evening of wrestling. Then it was the home town 'Pork from York' Dom Black Vs 'The Powerhouse' Luke Menzies. Dom certainly wasn't sure about how he was going to defeat Menzies and spoke about possibly cheating on our HMGW Show when we interviewed him live. This interview can be found by clicking here. However he didn't cheat and even though at points it seemed like Dom was just a rag doll he certainly put on a valiant effort and did York proud. Just before a break we were treated to an extra tag team match between The Lion Kings Vs 'The Amazing' Matt Myers and Ace Matthews. This match started with a comedy sketch as Ace appeared with a cocky entrance and a headset, making a fool of himself, as his tag team partner Matt tried to just get on with the match. However once it got underway the Lion Kings displayed their ferocious wrestling style causing Ace and Matt to get serious. Next was Saxon Huxley 'The Muscle Cat' Vs Sean Only, this was a highly anticipated match between two top quality wrestlers. The last of the four matches was between 'The Grafter' David Graves Vs El Ligero. This match was epic and the stand out match of the evening. Both men displayed every ounce of their talent and complimented each others skill and abilities throughout the match. The match kept the spectators hooked with some stand out moves such as El Ligero jumping of the barrier onto David when the action spilled out of the ring. The conclusions of all of the matches meant that the qualifying match for the True Grit Championship was a fatal 4 way elimination match between David Graves Vs Luke Menzies Vs B.A Rose Vs Saxon Huxley. This match spilt all over the venue and outside with each one of the wrestlers putting their all into trying to win the championship.
This is a video of the match between 'The Grafter' David Graves Vs. El Ligero
For more information on True Grit Wrestling Click Here
Saturday 27th January- Grapple Wrestling, Miners Hall Garforth. A great family friendly show. This show was called Live Wrestling Returns to Garforth. Unfortunately we cant remember the actual running order. We are going to start with a four way tag team match which was The Lion Kings Vs George Anderson & Brett Shaw Vs Travis Harwood & Joe Wade Vs Kieran Sargeant & Simon Bullock. The Lion Kings really did show why they are one of Britain's hottest tag teams at the moment. They demonstrated exactly how a tag team should gel together. However their opponents were no push overs and what they lacked in experience they made up for in speed and agility. They are definitely six young upcoming wrestlers to look out for on the British scene. The ladies match of the night was Ruby Radley Vs Natalie Sykes. Ruby brought her wealth of experience against the new and upcoming Natalie Sykes. Natalie certainly made an impression on us as it was the first time we had seen her perform. The Phantom Jake Silver Vs Rollin Mark Rolls was a full filled match which put smiles on everybody's faces. Next there was a Joe Nelson Vs Jeremy Fenton Vs Pop Punk Kid. Teenagers against the Teenage Look Alike. Throughout this match the Pop Punk Kid kept his irritating yet amusing mouth flowing and used as many underhanded tactics as possible. Joe Nelson is the youngest British Pro Wrestler on the British Scene and its always a pleasure to see him perform. This was the first time we had seen Jeremy, his slender build meant that he was nimble on his feet and a worthy opponent. All three put on a great, back and forth three way dance, keeping everybody in the venue entertained. The last three matches were; The Velocity Champion Jack Bandicoot who defended his belt against the up and coming Myles Kayman. This was a fast fuelled match for the Velocity Championship. There was definitely a reason why they were competitors for this as their speed and ability to change direction of their moves was on point. El Ligaro Vs Cowboy John, This match was betweem the King of Sleeze Cowboy John Vs The Ultimate LuchaDoor 'Olay' El Ligero. Cowboy John truly does add fantastic slimy, cheesy comedy value every time he slips those cowboy boots on to wrestle in the squared circle. This match was no exception. His cocky persona didn't work out though as his constant attempts to be 'El Ligeros friend and try to out smart him for the win backfired and meant he got his bottom spanked several times. The last match and main event of the night was The Grafter David Graves Vs The Powerhouse Luke Menzies. This was the first time we had seen these two wrestle each other in a singles match. This was for the Grapple Championship, The stamina these guys had, after both had arrived straight from another match was apparent. They still put on a top class performance which was worthy of the main event slot and admission fee. We would love to see them wrestle each other again in the future. This is a video of the whole show.
To find out more about Grapple Click Here
February
Saturday 24th - Fight Against Poverty 4,The Light Church Bradford. A show put on to raise money for Christians Against poverty. Unfortunately we didn't take notes throughout so this is a very brief overview of the parts we can remember. The evening started with a match between Lewis O Brien Vs Tommy Rocker, These two put on a great opening match which set the bar for the rest of the show. This was then followed by the following matches, in no specific order; Monster vs Machine, Bubba Morris Vs Mustafa Khan. They were like two mammoths colliding and didn't hold back on each other. Mustafa arrived to the ring with his manager, This started well until his manger got jealous and turned against Mustafa. A Beauty vs Beast match, Krug the beast arrived with his shaggy hair and mask in a deranged manner as his opponent Jay Silver arrived with his large black wings and phantom mask, before revealing his 'handsome' face. This was a true reflection of good Vs evil as they faced off each other and fought for the win. The Tag Team match of the night was The Bearded Dragons Vs The Baron Bros, this was an action packed match where each duo worked together with their partner delivering a strong match. Jack Lynch then made an open challenge, his challenge was accepted by Jennie B. This match proved that women can be just as powerful as men when in the squared circle. Jennie gave as much as she got and proved that she is one of the top female British Wrestlers at the moment. The main event of the night was a huge 20 Man Royal Rumble Match, this was full of Yorkshire wrestling talent including Karl Rudunovic, Mustafa Khan, The Butcher, Krug, Tommy Rocker and Rollin Mark Rolls, to name a few. Some of the highlights for this were; Mustafa Khan and the Butchers continuing their feud from their previous match and Rolling Mark Rolls upping his entrance with the birth of the Mark Rolls scooter. The Main Event was Gary Angel Vs Valo in a No Rules and No Mercy Match, this match used tables and spilt a lot out of the ring. There was certainly no mercy as they pounded each other against the walls around the venue.
It was a pleasing evening, with talented wrestlers in aid of a worthy cause.
Sunday 25th February -House of Pain at Calverton, Nottingham.
There is a full blog entry about this show called 'A Day out to The House of Pain' which can be read by clicking here.
March
Saturday March 3rd - Rise; Underground Pro Wrestling, Blackout at Temple of Boom. This was another action packed wrestling show, with some very controversial story lines which once again lived upto its title as Britain's Maddest Wrestling Show. There was utter carnage at points throughout the show and some very enthusiastic fans. The evening kicked off with a pre show game show presented by 'The Mad Russian' Boris Koslov and the 'Beer Swigging ' Danny O'Doherty. Two teams of three made up of team one ;Sebb Strife, ShreddyBrek and a fan answered questions about wrestling against David Graves, Cowboy John Parker and a fan to win tickets to the next show. The show officially began with the first of four matches to determine who would be part of the Fatal 4 Way and wrestle to become the number 1 Contender. This was Sean Only accompanied by Boy 1 and Boy 2 Vs Amir Jordan. Sean started the match by taking the mic to cut a promo and rattle the crowd as Amir arrived dancing with cheers and laughter. The match was solid, but Sean's cheating tactics and interference from Boy 1 and Boy 2 seemed to have worked when he picked up the win, but this didn't go to his advantage in the end as he was disqualified from the main event. The next match was between The Muscle Cat Saxon Huxley and Little Joe. We did wonder how this would go down as there is a slight difference in height and build between these two. However it never really began as Little Joe's entrance and taunting of Saxon was soon cut off by CJ Banks and Lizzie Styles interference. This allowed Little Joe to defeat Saxon as they used distraction techniques to enable him to gain control and qualify for the Fatal 4 Way. Danny Darko fought Dom Black for the next spot. Darko entered to his manager O'Doherty's choice of track and clearly wasn't impressed, as Dom entered strutting his stuff and jiving his hips, you either love or hate him. Some strong wrestling and interesting tactics were used within this match including a condom by Dom Black. Darko picked up the win and progressed to the Fatal 4 Way. The fourth and final match for the place in the Fatal 4 way and chance of Number 1 Contender was Michael Caden Vs Big Joe. There was conflict straight away in this match as Darwin and Little Joe gate crashed the match and attacked Big Joe. But in a twist Caden joined Big Joe and defended him which put them both into the Main Event, Fatal 4 Way Match to determine the Number 1 Contendership.
There was a break which included live music in another room from the Punk band Nosebleed. They certainly made an impression as they got all the fans to crouch down before jumping up and going wild on cue. Here is a video to show what happened.
The next half of the show kicked off slightly later than scheduled, but crowd pleasers Amir Jordan and David Graves kept the crowd happy as they jumped in the ring and had a grapple until Dave's leg gave way. Eventually the Darwin family (Darwin and Little Joe) appeared, at first it seemed like they had come to make amends with the fans, by explaining that their ticket money would go to a homeless charity. When he thought he had the crowd, dastardly Darwin stroke again as he called everyone 'Vile Northern C**ts' and admitted it was all a joke. they then left feeling very happy with themselves for pissing off the fans. This was then followed by four matches and the main event. The first match was Saxon Huxley Vs CJ Banks. CJ Banks arrived with Lizzy Styles and entered with a cocky and fierce attitude. This match was a result of CJ Banks previous interference of Saxons match with Littles Joe. It was a solid match with tenacious moves. This was followed by an open challenge as Danny Hudson opened himself up for all willing competitors. He was soon challenged by an unknown person who appeared from nowhere, This was Jack Warrington, who gave Danny a great challenge. A tag team match between England's Hardest Men Vs The Brothers of Rage was next. These are two sets of solid competitors, who used their might and strength and speed against one another. After the match The Lions Kings entered the ring and challenged both teams to a three way dance at the next Rise event. Next was the very popular and fan favourite 'The Mad Russian" Boris Koslov vs Drake "The Gimmick Killer". Boris certainly gets the crowd going with their Boris chants and waving of Russian flags. This match had been set up by a series of promo videos on Facebook from Boris being the Gimmick Hunter about 'All Gimmicks'. This was a fun build up to the match and concluded with Boris stating "Boris doesn't want to kill all Gimmick, he wants to be all Gimmick". Watch the videos by clicking here. In the ring the two stood next to each other Drake with his 'Gimmick Killer shirt' and Boris with his 'Be All Gimmicks'. This was a highly anticipated match as the two respected wrestlers went face to face to settle their Gimmick rivalry, but interference from Sean Only meant the match had an abrupt finish. Sean came to interfere and set u a Russian chain match for the next show to put an end to a year long bitter feud. The woman's match was between Roxxy and Lizzy Styles who fought very hard throughout with great crowd interaction. Lizzie played a great heel and played the crowd well with her 'Do I care attitude' as Roxxy continued to prove why she was the fan favourite. Lizzie put on a great challenge for Roxxy and left a vulnerable and exhausted Roxxy in the ring. Then out popped Darwin who arrogantly entered the ring and announced he had hand picked Roxxy to be his opponent in his open Rise Championship match. What a wan**er, not only had he chosen a women he prayed on an already exhausted opponent. He tossed her around the ring, disrespecting her, rattling the crowd. Roxxy managed to find some strength after her previous rival The Voodoo Queen jumped in to help. She challenged Darwin ending in her becoming the New Rise Champion . But this was short lived as dastardly and villainous Darwin controversially planted brass knuckles on Roxxy, meaning a disqualification and him keeping the Rise Championship title. This made the fans furious and Darwin had drinks and cans thrown at him from all around the building, the scenes were of absolute chaos. The last match of the night was the main event and 4 way fatal four way between Big Joe Vs Michael Caden Vs Little Joe Vs Danny Darko. The match was a hard-core match which used a variety of different weapons such as chairs, light tubes, bins and crates of beer. It spilt outside, into the toilets, into the bar where doors and walls were used as targets. There was even a mosh pit. This match was not for the faint heated.
To find out more about Rise click here. Unfortunately we were unable to finish this article before their next show Point to the Sign', but the review will be in our next April - June Wrestling News. Rise will next be in action on Saturday 5th May with their show BeerBash. For tickets and more information click here.
We decided to challenge ourselves to a whole weekend of wrestling and to cover three different wrestling promotions. This resulted in us covering 244 miles
Friday 9th March, Montgomery Brawl EBW
Elite British Wrestling at Wath-Upon -Dearne. This was a great venue and our favourite one that EBW have been at. The first match of the evening was Aidan Sparx Vs Jake Matthews. We hadn't been to EBW for a few months and we could see the progress that Jake Matthews had made within this time. As for Sparx he kept a high tempo throughout the match, resulting in a solid opener. Next was a three way tag team match between the EBW Tag Team Champions The Warrior" Paul Malen And LJ Heron Vs The Saints Of Sin (Jay Graves And Tommy Idol) Vs B.A Rose And 'The Hangman' Harry Peerpoint. Malen and Heron shot a great promo to start off the match and got the crowd pumped. The Saints of Sins entered with their overconfident, arrogant personas and then finally the psychotic BA Rose and Hangman powerhouses joined the party. BA Rose has always been a favourite of ours and The Hangman is a complimentary strong partner. The match had a great display of teamwork within each of the tag teams; LJ Heron and Paul Malen demonstrated how well they gelled together as they used a mix of Heron's fast paced moves and Paul Malens strong brutish style. The Saints of Sin use a combination of big man, little man. Tommy Idol provides the pace as Jay Graves provides the strength. resulting in a great unit. Then BA Rose and Hangman clot together as both powerhouses use their strength and aggression to execute hard hitting and body slamming moves. The combination of all three of these tag teams made for a hard hitting and fast paced match of pure entertainment. This match was followed by a singles match between Solid John Green Vs Nate Daniels. This match was described as an experience Vs youth match by EBW. It was the first time we had seen John Green wrestle and he didn't disappoint us, he was mean, got stuck in and displayed a devastating supplex. We had seen Nate wrestle before and it is evident why he is a fan favourite. He used his youth to his advantage with his agile and versatile move set. Next was a fatal four way between Robbie X Vs Joey D Vs Sam Kenny with Ivy Vs Kriss Ace to take on the EBW Catch Champion at the next show in Wath-Upon-Dearne. This match was described to be an octane match and it definitely was this, full of excitement with tense moments. All of the four men put on a show stealing performance despite Ivy's best efforts to cause distractions and interference whenever she could. There was in ring and out of ring action, bodies flying everywhere which kept the audience engaged and entertained throughout. We had been looking forward to this match after seeing that Robbie X was on the card, he is a talented wrestler which we have seen at many other promotions and he is one of the hottest men on the British scene at the moment. Alan Kay took on Radu Bulat in a singles match. The monsters arrived in succession and displayed excellent heel action, throwing water bottles, crunching children's crisps up and getting in fans faces on entry. Ivy stayed up front to cause as much mayhem as she could as the others stood back. Radu wasn't threatened by them and entered with confidence. These two are prominent members of the EBW roster and it was a great battle between two highly skilled athlete's. The Monsters matches still hadn't finished for the night as Jason Jacobs, With Ivy Vs EBW Catch Champion James Bacon arrived next to the ring to fight for the Catch Championship. The catchy, infectious entrance music started playing "BBB Bacon, BBB Bacon, Bacon Sizzle", which we are still singing now! We looked at each other and out came James Bacon a wrestler we hadn't seen before. He was facing the one part of the Monsters Faction Jason Jacobs. On the surface this match looked like a strength verses speed , however when it come to Jason Jacobs looks are very much deceiving , yes he is a big bruiser and capable of powerful slams but he is also extremely nimble and versatile on his feet which is evident in the gif below;
The main event of the evening was a tag team match between the EBW Champion David Deville and Krieg Vs Dirtbag Dave Stewart and Mikey Van Riot. This was a match which had previous animosity from Deville’s and Dirtbag’s last meeting. It was a hard hitting match where Deville used cunning and deviant tactics yet still displayed that he is a multi-skilled wrestler and Krieg utilised his strength and power. Dirtbag is an intellectual wrestler with humour, quick thinking and smart moves, Mikey Van Riot is a hardened veteran who was ready to enforce the laws of wrestling into Deville and Krieg.
The next show for EBW was on Friday 13th April, which we attended and will cover in our Summer Wrestling news. There next show is on the 28th April , EBW Presents April Anarchy 2018 at Sheffield Works Sport and Social Club. For more information click here. For more information on the EBW promotion click here.
Saturday March 10th, True Grit, WrestleRock2
at Scunthorpe. A combination of wrestling and rock music. There were three bands performing throughout the evening. One Order started the evening off with some Rock/Metal music, unfortunately we didn’t hear much of them as we arrived just as they finished. The wrestling show began with a great opening match between four of Yorkshires best athletes The Lion Kings (Sebb Strife and Nsereko) Vs Boris Koslov and B.A Rose and they definitely demonstrated why within this
match. It was a very backwards and forwards match and a joy to watch. Below is a gif of Sebb Strife showing his power.
The second match of the night was high flying with Jack Bandicutt Vs Myles Kayman. Jack Bandicutt may only be small but don’t let his size full you as this just means he can fly higher and move faster. The speed that he moves and precision of his moves are astronomical. Myles Kayman is a fellow Yorkie who we have seen progress so much since the first time we saw him. He has developed a heel character who is an opportunist and uses his ‘always thinking attitude’ especially to get the crowd involved in an amusing and tactical way. The third match was a Falls Count Anywhere match a between two wrestlers which we hadn’t seen before Reese Ryan vs Tom Weaver. It spilled out into the audience, as they flung each other into the chairs and then used cans of Dr Pepper to slow each other down and cause a hazard. They made a good first impression on us and we would like to see them both wrestle again. It was then time for a short break where the band 76 Calling who played a set of classic punk with a mix of ska. The second half of the wrestling started with Ruby Radley Vs Pop Punk Kid Pop Punk Kid. Ruby is an excellent female wrestler who was not fazed to be facing a male. Pop Punk wasn’t too impressed with his opponent and enjoyed riling the crowd, which they just found funny. This soon backfired on him when his mouth was in overdrive and he spent most of his time shouting at the crowd when a young girl initiated a witty chant 'Vegan Nipples' in response to Pop Punk Kid getting angry at being called 'A chicken' as in his words "Shut up, I am a vegan". This is definitely a chant to be used in the future. This then led to Ruby getting the same girl in the ring and let her loose on Pop Punk Kid in the corner, to kick and punch him, she didn't hold back. The conclusion to the wrestling matches was a Battle Royale where all of the previous opponents were involved and started as a goodies Vs baddies. There was action in every corner of the squared circle as all of the opponents battled to throw each other over the top rope for the win. It was brilliant way to end a good night of wrestling. There may have been a small but there were certainly some great chants from the audience and backchat to the wrestlers. The whole night finished with the alternative rock and rap band One Chapter Down who performed some of their own songs followed by a great pop punk rendition of Britney Spears Hit Me Baby One More Time.
True Grit's next show is Retribution in York at Fibbers on Saturday the 9th June. For more information and tickets on the show click here or to learn more about True Grit as a promotion click here.
Sunday 11th March, Our Time Down Here, Tidal Wrestling
The layout to this show was slightly different to how we had seen the Temple of Boom in the past, there were chairs set out in rows with little room room to stand, making the room cosy and comfortable. The night started with a three way dance between Brady Phillips Vs Stealth Vs Visage. Brady Phillips is a wrestler we have seen wrestle a few times before who is fast and strong with good all round wrestling skills. We hadn’t seen Stealth and Visage before but they made a good impression as they delivered an eventful match. Stealth came out looking like a ninja with half of his face covered to protect his identity. He kept this as a mystery throughout the match and wrestled with skill and speed. Visage embraced his sexuality and used it to his advantage in the ring. Next was Luke Menzies Vs Shiek El Sham. Luke is a former rugby league player who primarily played as a prop. He is now a turned wrestler and potential WWE prospect, whose wrestling goes from strength to strength every time we see him. He is pure muscle and his rugby background means that he is used to the hard hits and is not fazed by the power of his opponents, as he can give as much as he gets. Shiek El Sham has an initial boxing presence about him with attire similar to the Legendry Prince Naseem Hamed and a canny resemblance to the well-known former heavyweight champion David Hayes. He takes the positives from these two and transfers the charisma and fast pace and puts them into his wrestling style. This was followed by Sean Only Vs Chief Deputy Dunne. It was strange to see Sean as a face in this match but it just showed us how versatile this talented wrestler is. It was a pleasure to cheer him on rather than to booing him. Chief Deputy Dunn entered with is very annoying fog horn and got the crowd booing straight away. The crowd got behind Sean in this excellent goodie Vs baddie match. We were then treated to a tag team match between Current Tag Team Champions the Lion Kings (Sebb Strife & Nsereko) Vs Aussie Open (Mark Davis & Kyle Fletcher). We had seen Aussie Open wrestle previously in a TNT Extreme show in Liverpool and were happy to see them this time in Yorkshire against a formidable Yorkshire tag team. All four combatants showed why tag team matches are so enjoyable to watch and pushed each other to their limits. It was definitely one of Lion Kings stand out performances. El Ligero Vs Soner Dursun. This was a rematch after Dursun attacked Ligero in their previous encounter. This meant there was ammunition. The ever popular El Ligero is always a pleasure to watch. He has the skills, experience and knowledge to wrestle any type of opponent. We have never seen a bad match from him, today was no exception. Soner Dursun was a strong opponent who used his initiative to target one area on El Ligero which was his legs and wear him down to try and pick up the win. This match set up a rubber match for Tidal upcoming Bamboozled event. The women’s match tonight was a three way dance between Little Miss Roxxy Vs Rhio vs Shauna Shay. We have seen little Miss Roxxy wrestle many times and she has always been fantastic. She is the current Woman’s Tidal Champion and has the wrestling skills to back up this accolade. It was great to see Roxxy face two ladies which we had not seen within the squared circle before. We had seen Rhio as a valet before but not in the ring. Shauna Shay was a strong edition to this three way dance and it was great to see what wrestling abilities these two had to offer. All three woman put on an enjoyable match and it was evident why all three of them held a Woman Championship title within different promotions. However Roxxy was the stand out performer with her versatile, flexible and innovative moves throughout and displayed why she is an excellent ambassador for woman’s British Wrestling. Overall it was an entertaining battle between two gifted wrestlers. The main event of the evening was for us the highlight of the show and one of the reasons we went, HT Drake Vs Dave Mastiff. A match between two very strong contestants. We have wanted to see Dave Mastiff wrestle for many years and Drake was definitely a worthy opponent. The whole match spilt out into the room, into the bar, into the kitchen and over the merchandise desk. A fan even managed to get a Rick Flare slap from Dave by mistake.
The next Tidal Wrestling Show is on Sunday 29th April back at the Temple of Boom, Leeds for their Bamboozled event. Click here for more information. or to find out more about Tidal Wrestling itself Click here.
24th March, Phoenix Events, One More Round
This was an absolutely fantastic show in aid of Kris Travis, raising money for Cavendish Cancer Care. There was so much love and support throughout the evening with all wrestlers wearing something pink in honour of Kris. The night was hosted by Dirtbag Dave Stewart and his wife. The evening started with all of the wrestlers forming around the ring while Dave spoke about the reason behind the night. A representative from Cavendish Cancer Care gave a speech about what they do and how all the money that has been raised has impacted on people lives. Dave then asked for everyone to join in with a one minute clap in honour of Kris, everybody within the room took to their feet and put their hands together, before the wrestlers left to prepare to start the show.
Here is a tribute video which One More Round produced in honour of Kriss Travis
The evening started with one of the most highly anticipated matches of the event between Robbie x Vs CJ Banks. These two are sought out wrestlers in the British scene as they are both highly skilled athletes within the squared circle. It was an impressive match which lived up to all of our expectations. Next was a fatal four way between Boris Koslov vs Mikey Van Riot vs Krieg vs Joey D to determine the number 30 entrance slot in the main event of the 30 Man Rumble. We loved to see Boris Koslov performing outside of his usual promotions and witnessing his reception from the crowd. Mikey Van Riot tried to restore order by demonstrating his wealth of experience within the ring, Krieg demonstrated his power and strength and Joey D is speed and agility. All four men put in their all but Joey D picked up the win gaining that all important number 30 slot in the Rumble. The charismatic and popular Amir Jordan was up next against the malignant King Dangerous. Amir got the fans captivated with his electrifying light bulb dance which encouraged the crowd to cheer him on. King Dangerous entered with a brash and full of himself demeanour. The match was fast paced with Amir getting the audience hyped and Kind Dangerous trying to shut them down. The respected Tyson T Bone Vs ‘The Leader of the Monsters’ Alan Kay were wrestling next. This was Alan Kays biggest match of his career, and was a true slobber knocker with chairs used, full fan interaction including gambling techniques, interference by Ivy and Rick chest slaps galore. Then some impromptu music began to play and as the crowd wondered what was happening Mad Man Manson entered the ring and spiced the action up with a nipple twist off before leaving again. A tag team match was next, well was supposed to be between The Lion Kings (Sebb Strife and Nsereko) Vs Saints of Sin (Tommy Idol & Jay Graves). However ‘The Monster’ Killer Sam Kenny was not impressed that he was not involved in the event and had put out a message on Facebook of his intent to get involved. He fulfilled this promise by gate crashing this match after The Lion Kings and Saints of Sins were in the ring. Killer Kenny arrived with fellow Monster members Ivy and Jason Jacobs who was on crutches as well as The Hangman. He exclaimed that Jacobs was injured and unfit to participate so for this match The Hangman would become a member of the Monsters and join him in his tag team. Dirtbag Dave Stewart wasn’t happy where this was going so decided to bring back The Hot Blooded Males Dom Black and Ryan Lee who after a year and past feud had reunited for one night only. They were accompanied by their manager Mick Mason to the ring and received a humongous reception from the crowd. It was enjoyable to see these two team up for the very first time live. All four team put on a stellar performance as they wrestled all over the arena with hard flying and hard hitting spots, it was hard to know where to look. Not only were there 8 wrestlers to keep an eye on but the tactful and devious Ivy was causing as many diversions as she could. A woman’s match was next, Georgy Archer Vs Queen of the Monsters – Ivy. These two had a highly combustible feud, which was visible from the moment they were both in the ring. It was an ongoing rivalry which we unfortunately don’t know the back story to but their interaction in the ring proved it went deep. Both ladies created an enjoyable match that spilt around the room including Ivy been thrown into the chairs and the fans and interference from ‘Monster’ member Alan Kay. The finale of the evening was the 30 man Rumble for the Shooting Star Memorial Trophy. This included the following entries in order; The Hangman, James Bacon, Kriss Ace, Amir Jordan, Andy Hogg, JG Nash, Wolfe, Axl Ray, Ryan Lee, Killer Sam Kenny, Dom Black, Rainz, Alan Kay, Aidan Sparx, Mickey Van Riot, Joe Nelson, Tommy Idol, Nsereko, LJ Heron, Jay Graves, Sebb Strife, Dirtbag Dave Stewart, Boris Koslov, King Dangerous, Ivy, Tyson T-bone, Radu, Georgy Archer and Joey D. The highlights of the rumble were; Amir Jordan disappearing and then reappearing with waistcoats and scarves for five of his opponents to have a dance off around whilst stamping on The Hangman who was in the middle to keep him down. Boris Koslov nearly getting eliminated but the fans cheers gave him strength to survive, Dirtbag making his entrance and causing some fast eliminations, the reappearance of Andy Hogg, the woman’s continuation of their feud, the elimination of Dom’s tag team partner Ryan eliminating him. All in all it was an action packed, solid rumble with a great mix of everything that makes wrestling enjoyable, humour, strength, speed, versatility, storytelling and an emotional ending with a worthy winner, Mikey Van Riot.
It was a humble event which touched a lot of people’s hearts, as different wrestlers merged together from different promotions to put on an outstanding show in honour of a well loved and respected friend of theirs. The show exceeded their expectations and raised an amazing £2446.24 to continue to support Cavendish Cancer Care.
This is a yearly event. The next show has been announced for the 16th March 2019. The event information can be found by Clicking here. To follow their Facebook page and learn more about Phoenix Events Click here.
Sunday 25th March, House of Pain Calverton, Nottingham
This was another great show from the House of Pain, it was again packed out with a lot of regular fans. It started straight away with a Championship Match. This was the qualifier round for a brand new belt, the House of Pain Middleweight Championship between Joseph starr Vs Dante Durden who was accompanied by Nate. This included some innovative wrestling moves, devious tactics from Dante and Nate, and interference causing Dantes concentration to lapse and Joseph to get the pin! The second match was a tag team match between 'The Malen Malicious' (Davey Thompson and Paul Malen). They entered to a lot of booing and signs saying 'Water Melon', which they weren't impressed with and ripped up. They were against Tommy Taylor and Ritmo who are definite fan favourites. There was toe stamping, face slaps, high flying moves, Ritmo and Tommy were charismatic and high flying. They used the ropes like they were springs. Davey and Paul needed to cheat to gain control, then used their brute force , deviant tactics and trickery to gain the victory. This still didn't seem to be enough for them as they waited for Tommy to leave and attacked Ritmo and then Wolfe appeared to and continued the beat down. Luckily BFD appeared and intervened to help Ritmo and challenged Wolfe to a match right there right now. So there it was the impromptu match Wolfe Vs BFD, this match had a lot of power from both competitors. After a quick break with a slice of pizza and chips from the kitchen the second half began. The first match of this half was a tag team decider between BMX (Jesus's meets Christ Nasty Nate Colt and H-Block) accompanied by Dante Vs the Brothers of Metal (Jack Kastor and Syntax). This match had taunting throughout from both parties. Once the action hit both tag teams put on solid a performance. However once the bell had rang and the Brothers of Metal picked up a win and left, the action didn't finish. Nate went mad at H Block as Dante tried to keep the peace, but this didn't last long as then they turned on H-Block. This led to one of the Brothers of Metal to return and save H-Block. It was then the main event for the House Of Pain Heavyweight Title, Garrett 'G-Wiz' Bond (c) Vs Jukèn. The entrances definitely proved who was the face and who was the heel as the cheers for G-wiz could be heard all around the room and Jukèn entered trying to steal the belt, resulting in a tug of war between him and a child. This was a great action packed match with the dominance being on par. Both of the wrestlers displayed their skills and abilities, fast moves and hard strikes, big slams making a great finale to the night. But it was a controversial finish as the ref announced Jukèn as the winner but Neil the second ref appeared and explained that Jukèn had used a chair and that the match must continue. This didn't stop Jukèn from trying to use the chair again, Although it backfired flinging back off the ropes and enabling G-Wiz to pick up the win.
A great end to an afternoon of action packed wrestling and controversial matches suitable for all the family.
House of Pain hold a monthly show at this venue. To find out more about the House of Pain click here. The next scheduled show at Calverton Working Men's Club is on Sunday the 29th April. For more information and tickets click here.
Saturday 31st March, Live in Morley, Grapple Wrestling Morley. It was great to see David Graves as the announcer and we loved his Easter bonnet that much we awarded him with 'The Best Easter Bonnet Award'. Stuff that judge who's son won! We were sad to see him relinquish his Grapple Championship belt, but believe in him that he will be back just as good on his return. The night kicked off with the two Yorkies 'The Opportunist' Myles Kayman Vs Brett Shaw. We have seen Myles Kayman wrestle a lot over the last three months and he has continually put on a dexterous performance with his calculated tactics and approach both in his wrestling style and interaction with the audience. We hadn’t seen Brett wrestle before but he got stuck in and displayed superior strength. A great opener to the show. The next match on the cards was a knockout match between 'Man Like’ DeReiss Vs ‘Rollin' Mark Rolls. Mark arrived to the ring on his upgraded scooter, with tassels and a basket, it was very pretty. We think this is a great addition to his entrance. He kept the audience in fits of laughter throughout this match using an array of versatile and unique moves to confuse his opponent. DeReiss had an aggressive approach to the match and aimed to inflict as much punishment as he could. A Triple Threat was next between Pop Punk Kid, Cobey Hansom Vs Kieran Sergeant. This match included two up and coming young wrestlers against the more established Pop Punk Kid. Pop Punk Kid spent a lot of his time heckling with the crowd as the two others wrestled each other before finally Pop Punk Kid got involved and used his experience against them. It was a positive match for all involved. Next was the Tag Team Match of the night between Cowboy John Parker and Victor Vs The Lion Kings (Sebb Strife & Nsereko). Cowboy John Parker arrived alone with his sleazy and sordid yet amusing music before his mystery tag team partner arrived ‘Victor’. We have no idea who this guy is but he arrived with an over confident attitude, challenging one half of the Lion Kings Sebb Strife to a test of might whilst Nsereko looked over exclaiming ‘I’m not ready’. The match spelt some hilarious segments throughout’. Joe Wade Vs The ‘Mad Russian' Boris Koslov, The ever popular Boris had the whole of the crowd cheering on his entrance to the ring as the young Joe Wade swaggered in, with his new hip hop inspired kit and personalised baseball cap. Joe Wade has made a huge improvement over the last year and needed to up his game against the experienced and highly skilled Boris Koslov. He did just this in this match and proved to Boris that he wasn’t somebody to be underestimated, however Boris’s ring superior in ring skill and knowledge was clearly apparent as he used his dominant strength and precision. The woman’s match of the evening was a continuum of a feud which sprung from the last Grapple show we attended Ruby Radley Vs Natalie Sykes. Both wrestlers upped their game since their previous encounter. The audience got behind Natalie and showed animosity to Ruby Radley. The main event of the night was for the Velocity Championship, Sean Only challenged the current Velocity Champion Jack Bandicoot. These guys are two of Grapple’s finest wrestlers and highly skilled athlete’s. Jack is certainly a fantastic face and the crowd always get behind in and tonight was no exception as they clapped along to his entrance music. As Sean is a great heel, always managing to rattle the crowd with his facial expressions and body language. Both wrestlers put on a first class performance as they pushed each other’s strength to their limits. Jack used his fast, high flying, energetic and gymnastic skill set and Sean Only used a combination of powerful kicks and hard hitting punches.
To learn more about Grapple click here
The next Grapple show is right here just on the outskirts of York in Ricall on Saturday 21st April. For more information and tickets click here.
Our Springtime Wrestler
As part of our quarterly post we will also be including a wrestler of the season. Our spring wrestler is ;
The Grafter
The 80 Minute MaN
"Du Du Dududu!"
David Graves
Unfortunately Mr Graves is out of action with an injury at the moment. However this extraordinarily talented British wrestler has had a phenomenal first quarter of the year. Here are some of our highlights from this time;
True Grit York- A magnificent match which was a qualifying match for the brand new True Grit Championship VS the Legendary El Ligero. The full match is available above within the first True Grit segment. He won this match and qualified for the Fatal 4 Way Championship VS B.A Rose, Luke Menzies and Saxon Huxley and put on a brilliant performance.
Grapple wrestling- We were lucky enough to witness David defend his Grapple Championship Vs Luke Menzies.
Rise Underground Wrestling -The conclusion of his rivalry with Liam Slater at this year's Rise Rumble. The highlights of this feud can be seen in this video.
Dave also proved his true moniker of 'The Grafter' and 'The 80 minute man' in this match lasting a whole 80 minutes in The Rise Rumble and putting on a spectacular performance, the full Rise Rumble is available to watch above, under the first Rise segment.
David is currently undergoing recovery for his injury and there is no specific time frame for his return. Unfortunately due to this injury David has had to relinquish his Grapple Championship title. When he does return, we have no doubt that he will be just as good as ever, hip poppin, elbow droppin with taped thighs and spectacular suicide dives stealing the show and regaining his rightful gold. When David returns you can expect to see a wrestler that is high flying, technically sound, strong with a versatile move set, charismatic and full of heart. This Grafter has not just had a spectacular beginning of the year but an amazing 2017 working for some of Yorkshires best promotions and beyond. To see more of David in action check out this highlight reel which includes footage from his fantastic matches with Martin Kirby at True Grit, HT Drake at Tidal and El Ligero at True Grit.
David is not only one of the best British Wrestlers on the wrestling scene at the moment but is an extremely gifted and talented graphic designer. He recently launched his brand new T-Shirt which is available to purchase with this link (Click here) and is available for all your graphical needs at Dave Lewis Creative. To find out more about his graphic design company click here to visit his Facebook Page.
While David is away from wrestling he has decided to try his hand at stand up comedy for charity in aid of Cancer Research Uk. To find out more and purchase tickets click here to support David in this click here for his Just Giving page.
You can keep up to to date on what David Graves is doing by following him on the following platforms / Click each platform to link you to the corresponding social media site.
We would like to thank the following guests, their interviews on our HMGW Show broadcasted live from Two Rivers Radio. To hear the interviews click on the wrestlers name.
January- Dom Black
February- David Stewart
March- Alan Kay
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