As I write that I can imagine many would think "what the f*ck does it matter what you think?", and to a point, you would be right. I don't claim to know everything about wrestling but I've been lucky enough to get an insight into the happenings before and after several shows, and have come up with my own opinions regarding shows, talent and how matches are constructed. More importantly, and probably more relevant, I have my own opinions of whether I liked or didn't like a particular show that I paid to see.
Harvey Dale appreciates that and understands that one of the ways to grow is to listen to your audience to understand what they want and what will improve your show.
Positive: Harvey Dale... Manager; Authority Figure; Commentator; Promoter; Doorman...
Now, Harvey isn't the first guy to be on the door of his own show, but I felt that this was a nice touch from what little I know of HOP:E. Harvey had invited me up and he was on hand to welcome me and my mates at the door. Not only was he collecting the admission charge, but he also runs HOP:E, manages a few of the heels, is part of one of the main storylines AND commentates up on the stage for the three hours that the show was on for. This is clearly his baby and he's looking after and managing it well!
Positive/Negative: Lots of talking... but it is the anniversary, I suppose
I'm not a fan of lots of talking and opening promos at shows. I'd rather get straight into the wrestling. But, after a little research, I realise that this talking led to a match stemming from a year long feud between Harvey and Ruffneck. It was also the anniversary show and that achievement needed to be addressed at the start from Harvey, MC Georgy and a guy who would get involved in the opening match, but would then sit at ringside the remainder of the show.
Negative: The Main Event that happened to open the show
I understand that Ruffneck vs Harvey (and the 'heavy' in his corner) is an important storyline in HOP:E, but I felt like having it as the opener felt like they raised the bar too soon. This was clearly an important match due to all the outside factors and the response from the audience (who were HOT all night!). It was a little worrying to see a ref bump in this opening match as well as the ref being pulled from the ring to no consequence (more on that later...).
Positive: Robert Redface vs Sebastian Radclaw
This was match of the night, for me. I've seen Robbie/Robert X a few times now and he always seems to impress. He instantly connected with the PROGRESS fans at their last show and is popular at the Kamikaze Pro shows that I have attended. This was a joy to watch and the flow kept you interested from start to finish.
Positive: I finally got to see Sebastian Radclaw!
I think I have wanted to see the Radclaw character for about a year now. I remember seeing him in a Magnums 'Sleaze TV', where he was talking about his Uncle Eggbert, and I was instantly won over. I'd seen him in another persona previously and knew that the wrestling ability wasn't in doubt. Seeing him live was hilarious; the twitching and craziness is pure comedy, the way he enters the ring (climing over the ropes, in the corner, as if it was a fence on a country walk) is a nice touch, too. Massively entertained and can't wait to catch him at other shows in the future.
Positive/Negative: Attractive Referees
I'm still on the fence about this one. I want to call her Fern, but I'm not sure where I heard that or if it's correct. Fern is a very attractive female referee and this is something different to a wrestling show - I don't recall seeing any other female referees before. The thing that I'm still not sure about is that she might be too attractive. You find yourself watching her more than the wrestlers and this is an unnecessary distraction from the wrestling. Sorry if Fern isn't your name...
Rampage Brown is what I'm talking about when I say 'you should look like a wrestler to wrestle'. Yes, there should be a variety of looks, shapes and sizes, but Rampage is an intimidating, strong, impressive looking HEAVYWEIGHT. His debut showed all of this against a guy who looked as if he could match the power and strength, Paul Malen. After the high-flying and quickness of the previous match, this was a great change of pace as these two had, what I would say, a 'throwing bombs', heavyweight bout.
Negative: I could have drank a six-pack quicker...
I really wasn't a fan of the six-pack challenge. Don't get me wrong, all six guys put on great spots at times, but it just went on WAY TOO LONG. I almost feel that it took so long to get to the first elimination due to justifying everyone's booking. Everyone certainly got their stuff in in this match, but ten minutes before the first elimination, we were PRAYING for an elimination to change things up. I think this match may have gone on (with entrances) for about forty-five minutes... an interval was definitely needed after!
Negative: Repetitiveness
LJ Heron would go onto win the six-pack challenge... with a spear (I have a feeling that it's probably called something else due to the 'Pounce'-type look to it). My issue with this is that it was the fifth(?) spear of the evening in only four matches of the first half of the show. Ruffneck did two spears in his match (one of which got him the win), and Heron did about three...
The same could be said of moonsaults and moves of very similar nature. Radclaw vs Robbert X had a couple and that should've maybe been it for the night. The six-pack challenge then had a few more thrown in there. I realise that in both matches there were a lot of flippy, high-flyers, but each match should look and feel different.
Positive: Ashton Smith
I gather that Ashton is another local lad, as is Harvey's objective with HOP:E and the cheers and loyalty from the audience that he received was nice to see. He and Nathan Cruz put on a decent match, that might've gone on a little long, which made both he and the debuting Cruz look good.
Negative: No consequences
The women's match between Violet Vendetta and Nixon highlighted something that had been happening all night. It seemed normal and consequence-free to shove the referee around whenever a heel saw fit to. In the first match the referee was pulled from the ring during a pin attempt to no consequence, Robert X pushed his luck with the referee during his match (earning him a slap that he wouldn't have received from a male ref), Violet pushed the referee of her match SEVERAL times, and I believe that there was more pushing and intimidation of the ref in the main event between Joseph Connors and CJ Banks. Throughout all of this, there were absolutely no repercussions. None of the matches were thrown out due to disqualification and nobody really got reprimanded for abusing and disrespecting the person who is there to keep order.
Negative: "You don't make the rules! If they wanna fight; let them fight!"
This was Harvey Dale's battle cry as the women's match went to a double countout. From where we were sat, it appeared that this situation shouldn't have happened and the match shouldn't have gone to a countout. But unfortunately it did and that result should've been preserved. The referee might not make the rules, but they definitely enforce them, so if two people don't answer a ten count then that should be that. Not a good night for referees...
The main event would see these two guys battle it out in a best-of-five series to, ultimately, see who is the better wrestler in HOP:E. With his showings here and elsewhere, there is clearly a lot of faith in Joseph Connors in and around the Nottinghamshire area. This match was a war - as it should be - with both men clawing and biting to get the victory that they needed.
Negative: Maybe a little too predictable?
I completely understand that you need to stack the deck against the hero of the people, but going into this Joseph Connors was 2-0 down. In a best-of-five series, unless you intend to kill someone's momentum, the other guy IS going to make the comeback and get a couple of wins back, right? I would say that this will eventually go to 2-2 and then whoever wins, BOTH guys can come away smelling of roses. Having a 2-0 lead just makes the next two matches a little predictable in result. I suppose as long as the story progresses and you have a different match each time, it'll still be worth the investment that you and the fans put in.
Positive/Negative: It cuts like a knife...
Another 'new' thing that I saw, to go along with the female referee, was a female MC. Georgy is the HOP:E MC/Ring Announcer and she does a fine job. She even has a few digs at Harvey here and there, and that's a nice touch that gets a laugh. The only downside was that, due to the volume of the mic, her voice cut straight through me! Added to this, I couldn't hear a lot of the announcements... so really, not a knock on her, just the ear shattering volume!
Positive/Negative: The HOP:E fans
This would have been a resounding POSITIVE had it not been for the lads behind us. I don't want to come across as an old man, but there was really no need for the stuff they were shouting ringside. I get that if you pay for your ticket then you can say what you want, but make sure that it's suitable for the audience that you're sharing the show with. I believe that this was a family show as there were several kids dotted around ringside. Therefore "F*CK HIM UP ASHTON, F*CK HIM UP!" isn't really appropriate, is it?
There was worse than that, too, but there you go. I always remember being at shows when Marty Scurll as good as broke character to inform some idiots in the front row that there were kids in attendance after being called a c*nt.
The rest of the HOP:E regulars were tremendous, though. They were noisy from the start and that volume never really dropped. This must be credit to Harvey and HOP:E that they have gotten a local crowd so invested in what they bring every show. There was one guy with a megaphone and someone with Ultimate Warrior face-paint - how 'into' it were these guys??! Great stuff.
Positive: Wrestlers looking like wrestlers and being able to wrestle
This is in no way a dig at any other promotions...
Or maybe it is...
Anyway, as most people would expect from their wrestling fandom and show-going expectations, HOP:E is full of guys that, simply, LOOK like wrestlers (whether you're chiselled, a clear-to-see gym goer, a larger chap or a high-flyer) and can ACTUALLY wrestle and do moves and stuff = happy Jimmo.
How hard is it, eh?
During the lead-up to this show, I looked into a few matches of HOP:E and came across Harvey's mission statement. He stated that HOP:E would be a mix of Nottingham-based guys and the best from around the country. This show exemplified that with the additions of Rampage Brown, Nathan Cruz and Sebastian Radclaw amongst others. I love it that this is close to Harvey's heart and you can see that with the efforts from him and everyone that was on the show. I know that Harvey's big on his wrestling and I think, and hope, that he continues to grow HOP:E and make it bigger and better as the months go on.
Huge thank you to Harvey for inviting me up. It was a bit of a trek from Oxford but I'm glad we did it. I hope Harvey appreciates this post and finds it helpful in moving forward. At the same time, this can be taken or left - that's the beauty with one fan's opinion; there are a sh*t-tonne of opinions out there and none of us are necessarily right or wrong; we just like what we like!
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