Saturday 2nd February 2013 - Pro EVW - Lydney Town Hall, Gloucester
Saturday saw me, along with three friends - one wrestler, one referee and the ring announcer - go along to the Gloucestershire-based promotion Pro Evolution Wrestling. Along the way, these guys shared wrestling related stories and insight that I found fascinating to hear. I'm always willing to learn something new when it comes to wrestling and I'm always interested in what these guys have to say.
We entered the venue (Lydney Town Hall, Gloucester) and I felt very nervous as I wanted to be respectful but wasn't sure how to conduct myself. It was also extremely cold there! My nerves were eased when I started to meet the crew of guys that were either putting the ring together, or the wrestlers that would be putting the show on later that evening. I then felt very welcome. I still wanted to keep myself to myself until I was told otherwise.
During the afternoon and setting up of things, I was very interested in seeing the guys training and warming up in the ring. Two of the most popular faces in this promotion, Zak Garrett and Justin Sysem, were warming up at one stage and challenging each other with agility exercises/drills. It was really interesting to see their athleticism on display before the show. I had previously seen Garrett at other shows and hadn't given him enough credit. Other wrestlers around, including a well respected veteran, complimented him on his progress; something he was very grateful to hear.
All checks were made, and fans entered the venue as show time approached. My announcer friend [Hank McCoy] and referee Paz made their way to the ring to start proceedings. What happened next was five very entertaining matches; classic 'good guy' vs 'bad guy' encounters that is the beauty and very basic element that I look for in wrestling.
Results
- Zak Garrett pinned Sam Beech
- Pro EVW Tag Team Championship (vacant): The Magnums; 'Filthy' Chris Walker & 'Dirty Dick' Nick Reilly defeated The Lionhearts; Eddie Ryan & Jason Larusso to become new Pro EVW Tag Team Champions
- 'The Saviour' JD Knight pinned 'The Natural' Stevie Jones
- UK Dominator defeated Justin 'The Hammer' Sysem via DQ
- Pro EVW Heavyweight Championship: 'The Shark' Chris Andrews defeated 'Hotshot' Joey Sniper (c) to become new Pro EVW Heavyweight Champion
Match of the night - UK Dominator vs Justin Sysem; great heel/face battle with experience shining through for the veteran.
Sunday 3rd February 2013 - AWW - Wolverhampton Civic Hall
On Sunday afternoon, Hank McCoy (doing Colour Commentary on this show) and I travelled up to Wolverhampton to see the AWW (Alternative Wrestling World) show 'Breaking Point'. As we entered the building, I was lucky enough to meet some of the wrestlers, including former WWE and TNA star Brian Kendrick. I introduced myself, as he did - a very polite, nice guy.
Similar to the previous day/evening, I was fortunate to see some of the wrestlers warming up and training in their own unique ways. Around this time, other friends, along with Referee Paz arrived and we all said hello. For this particular show, Paz had brought his friend Jay along to watch - I had the pleasure of talking with him throughout the show and we shared our memories of watching wrestling throughout our lives. It was really encouraging to learn that Jay really wants to get into the wrestling business. I don't think I've ever spoken to someone so adamant that that's what they are going to do.
During the evening of eight matches, we commented on each and got equally excited by the action that was put on for us, and the 250+ crowd, in attendance.
The match of the evening, and possibly the weekend, was a very welcome surprise. Let me share a little background to why: my experience of women/ladies wrestling is limited to either the 'Divas' of the WWE or the 'Knockouts' of TNA. Both, to me, are simply very beautiful women that are awful to watch wrestle - no disrespect to them but they are too much about looks, and a very small amount of wrestling ability. The two ladies on show for us at AWW -Emi Sakura and Shanna - were quite possibly the best I have ever seen. Unlike WWE/TNA, these ladies didn't pull any punches; it was all hard hitting and very exciting to watch. I was shocked by this; my expectations were fairly low going into this - as a result I was proven wrong and very pleasantly surprised; something I am very happy to admit now!
Towards the end of the night, I was asked to film the last match (Andrews vs Kendrick) for one of the wrestlers. This was something I was more than happy to do, but with the hope that I captured everything and didn't mess it up! I'm very pleased with my filming and I hope I did get everything for the wrestler in question.
Results
- T-Bone defeated Robbie Dynamite
- Carnage, Dante & Matt Lightening defeated 'Tomcat' Kevin O'Neil, Rik Van Damage & Tukay (w/ Kaytlyn)
- UK Kid defeated Leon Shah
- AWW British Champion 'Messiah' Brandon Thomas (w/ Violet Vendetta) defeated 'The WonderKid' Jonny Storm in a non-title match
- AWW Tag Team Championship: Team H8; Gideon & Jekyll (c) defeated The Lionhearts; Eddie Ryan & Jason Larusso
- Emi Sakura defeated 'Portugal's Perfect Athlete' Shanna
- Kid Fite defeated Kris Travis
- 'White Lightening' Mark Andrews defeated Brian Kendrick
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| Me and Emi Sakura, AWW, 3/2/2013 |
A great night AND weekend overall. I really enjoyed getting back to watching British Wrestling and realised that I don't mind travelling a bit to get to a worthwhile show.
Thank you to Hank McCoy, Ref Paz, MC Leo Orbison, Chris Walker and the promoters of Pro EVW and AWW for allowing me to gain a little more knowledge - it's greatly appreciated and I hope to do it a lot more often.
If you'd like to see some top British wrestling action then please visit the links above for these promotions' latest news and next show dates. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.
@jimmosangle
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