Main photo by Chris Brookes
Here’s five things you need to know about British wrestling this week:
1) ATTACK! called “house!” at Club One Hundred #2
Finding a secret, abandoned bingo hall at the back of your usual venue might sound like the stuff of a really good children’s fantasy TV series, but it’s just everyday reality for the folks at ATTACK! Wrestling, who managed to squeeze a few more than the eponymous number for their second Club One Hundred show last Saturday.
Held at the Cathays Community Centre in Cardiff, as always, the discovery of a larger room in the same complex enabled dozens more to enjoy the weird and wonderful on offer, including another appearance for cult favourite Splits McPins, who sadly lost to Tyler Bate.
A High Voltage three-way opened the show, with Drew Parker making the most of his opponents’ debilitation after Danny Jones and Officer Travis Banks accepted the Love Making Demon’s offer of some “chemical help.” The night didn’t get any better for the Anti-Fun Police in Chief Deputy Dunne’s absence as Los Federales Santos Sr. and new recruit (and ATTACK! debutante) Alex Windsor lost to ATTACK! 24/7 Champion Ryan Smile, and another first-timer, Sierra Loxton.
Dunne vs Newell — photo by James Stansfield
The main event of a card which also saw Pete Dunne pin Nixon Newell after two DREADED MARTINETES~! on the bingo hall floor, was a warm-up for the final of the upcoming ATTACK! Championship tournament final as Eddie Dennis teamed with Mike Bird & Brendan White to beat fellow finalist Wild Boar & ATTACK! Tag Team Champions #CCK.
ATTACK! also ran a fun “fresher’s week” event at the Walkabout in Cardiff on Tuesday (in association with Dragon-Pro), and return this Saturday in Wolverhampton for ATTACK!-Pro’s Not Dead at the Fixxion Warehouse. You can see all the action on their on demand service but be prepared to leave your common sense at the door!
2) Alberto El Patron turned up the heat on the latest WAW TV tapings
The stars of British wrestling, old and new, and some choice imports were to be found at WAW’s TV tapings last weekend at Epic Studios in Norwich. The tapings, for WAW’s show on the Mustard TV channel in the eastern UK, were split across three shows, one of which was given over to the all-woman Bellatrix promotion, and featured the high-profile appearance of Alberto El Patron, the boyfriend of WAW owner Ricky Knight’s daughter, WWE diva Paige.
Alberto appeared with his brother, El Hijo del Dos Caras, and beat the team of Nathan Cruz & Aaron Sharp on night one before a confrontation with the UK Hooligans led to a match on night two. That match ended in a no-contest after the Old School stable led by Ricky Knight attacked the four, who fought off the interlopers and embraced.
The impressive Epic Studios set up — photo by El Ligero
The shows also featured a flip-flop on the WAW Heavyweight Championship, as Mr. Anderson beat Luke Hawx on night one before losing it back to him on night two in a two-out-of-three falls rematch ordered by commissioner Scott Hall after Anderson used the ropes to aid his pinfall.
The weekend’s other big winners were Bash (who won a 12-man only tools and forces weapons battle royal), Brad Slayer (who defended WAW’s secondary title, the British Heavyweight belt, in two three-way matches), and Jody Fleisch (who won the WAW Light Heavyweight title on night two after becoming the number one contender in a seven-man contest on night one.
The shows also featured El Ligero, Jonny Storm, Doug Williams, Ricardo Rodriguez, Bubblegum, and “Blackbelt” Tom Dawkins. WAW return on Friday and Saturday in Ipswich and Gressenhall.
Bellatrix 21 was headlined by company owner Saraya Knight taking on Lisa Marie (the former Victoria on WWE TV) in a lumberjack match which commissioner Scott Hall ended in a no-contest because the lumberjacks were ineffective at controlling the two wild women — they will meet again at Bellatrix 22 on December 17th in a steel cage.
The Bellatrix Championship stayed in Lory’s hands after she submitted Queen Maya, and her next challenger could come from any number of victors on the night, including Violet O’Hara (who beat Lana Austin by submission), the returning Jetta (who pinned Sammii Jayne), or even one of Sammi Baynz or Penelope, who went to a time-limit draw.
There were also wins for Shax, Erin Angel, and Amber Rox, as well as for Skarlett, who retained her Bellatrix British Championship by beating Bete Noire by two falls to one in a British Rules Match.
3) Friends and enemies came together for Jimmy Havoc in Glasgow
Although he’s made appearances for IPW:UK and Pro-Wrestling Chaos in the last few months, Jimmy Havoc’s absence from the UK wrestling scene while rehabbing a serious knee injury has been keenly felt by fans, promoters, and his fellow wrestlers.
With his wrestling money having slowed to a trickle, and his injury restricting his ability to work away from the sport, Havoc’s friends in the sport — led by Mikey Whiplash, who organised the night — came together at the Classic Grand in Glasgow last Sunday for a benefit show cast in Havoc’s own, inimitable image.
Seven men — and one woman, Viper — clashed for nothing more than bragging rights in a hardcore tournament in which each match was held under different stipulations. The first round threw up a kendo stick match (Mike Bird over Aspen Faith), a dual chairs match (Whiplash beating Trent Seven), a falls count anywhere in Glasgow match (which saw Iceman come out of retirement, only to lose to Jack Jester), and a Scottish World of Sport rules match, which involves as much drinking as it does fighting.
Chris Renfrew introduces Viper to a baking tray — photo by David J Wilson
The winner of that bout, Chris Renfrew, fell to Jester in a 10,000 thumbtacks match in the semifinals, which also featured Whiplash defeating Bird in a thumbtack kickpad match. Whiplash and Jester — undoubtedly the most hardcore proponents of the art in Scotland today — clashed in the final (a barbed wire hell match) and Jester carried off the honours, as well as a few new scars.
Outside the main attraction, Sammi Jayne beat ProJo graduate Jinny, and several other Havoc trainees — Pastor William Eaver, Jack Sexsmith, and Chuck Mambo — journeyed up from London to beat local favourites Joe Coffey, Christopher Saynt, and Craig Forsyth. Havoc himself “competed” but a drinking contest between he and ICW promoter Mark Dallas ended in a no-contest when neither man could stand.
Sometimes pro wrestling shows its kinder side, even it is wrapped in barbed wire. Well done to all involved.
4) Smash Wrestling welcomed PROGRESS to Canada
As part of a hook-up between the two companies that began a couple of months ago when Johnny Gargano traveled to the Electric Ballroom to defend the Smash Wrestling title, PROGRESS Wrestling journeyed over to Ontario last weekend for a trio of shows with a Smash vs. PROGRESS theme.
With PROGRESS already two up on Smash before the weekend, thanks to Mark Haskins defeat of Gargano and subsequent defense of the title in Canada last month, the Smash roster was keen to even things up and the company booked a strong component to take on the traveling PROGRESS regulars.
PROGRESS themselves took Haskins alongside their tag champions The London Riots, regular North American visitors Mark Andrews and Zack Sabre Jr., new WWE signee Jack Gallagher, and El Ligero, who claimed to be representing The Origin rather than PROGRESS.
Haskins enjoyed the most success, defending his title on all three nights, including against “Speedball” Mike Bailey in the final Smash vs. PROGRESS encounter. With one win each for Gallagher and Sabre Jr., two wins for Andrews, and a pair of victories for the Riots, PROGRESS took the series 9-7 (El Ligero lost both his matches).
PROGRESS’s attention now turns to this Sunday’s huge show at the Brixton Academy, We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Room Again, which has sold almost 2,500 tickets on the strength of their regular roster, and includes the final independent matches for Tommy End, Jack Gallagher, and Tommaso Ciampa before they leave for the WWE.
As always, all the action — and that from Canada — will be available on Demand PROGRESS.
5) Pete Dunne is a wanted man (and other stuff)
A chapter of the Alpha-Omega Wrestling story may soon be coming to an end when AOW Champion Stixx, after successfully defending his title against Nathan Cruz at Golden Chance last Saturday at the Morecambe Winter Gardens, announced that his time wrestling was coming to an end after the promotion’s next show, Remember Remember, on November 5th.
That show will also see Lana Austin face AOW Women’s Champion Viper in a no disqualification, no countout, no outside interference match, after Viper beat Alexis Rose to keep her title.
Stixx celebrates another title victory — photo by Tony Knox
Furthermore, Remember Remember will feature The Referendum defending their tag team titles against Solar Power, who won a Beat the Clock Challenge which also featured The Island Brothers, The Following, and Xander Cooper & Ryan Hunter.
Golden Chance was rounded out by wins for Matthew Brooks (against Unsexy Kevin) and Laird Grayson (in a Golden Chance Rumble), and you can keep up with all the AOW news on their Facebook page.
After having cashed in his VIIth Heaven briefcase to win the title from Ryan Smile at VII Pro-Wrestling’s last show, Pete Dunne walked into Fight Forever to face the challenge of Tyler Bate. When the curtain came down at the end of show, held at Dawley Town Hall on the outskirts of Telford last Friday, Dunne was still champion but may have to fend off the attentions of Travis Banks in future, the latter having come to Bate’s aid after Dunne delivered a post-match low blow.
Dunne engages in post-match affairs — photo by Turning Face’s Jim Maitland
Chris Ridgeway was a surprise appearance earlier in the night, saving Drew Parker from a beating at the hands of #CCK, after VII-Pro British Lions Champion Chris Brookes intentionally disqualified himself to keep his title from Parker, and the resultant tag team affair also ended in a DQ after the dirty wolf Kid Lykos employed a baking tray to nefarious purposes.
The show opened with a super contest between Dan Moloney and Ethan Silver, and also saw Travis Banks beat Wild Boar, Chuck Mambo defeat Isaac Zercher, and the team of Nixon Newell & Dahlia Black overcome Jinny & debutante Sierra Loxton in women’s action. VII-Pro return on November 11th, again at Dawley Town Hall.