My Weekend of (British) Wrestling 6

Saturday 23rd March 2013 - Pro EVW - Ross-on-Wye, Gloucester

I was fortunate enough to travel along to Ross-on-Wye for the Pro EVW wrestling show at the Larruperz Centre with MC Hank McCoy and Referee Mark 'Paz' Parry last night. This would be the location for six fine wrestling matches, showcasing some of the best young talent in the UK.

Pro EVW Heavyweight Champion; 'The Shark' Chris Andrews

The show was kicked of with the capable and consistent MC Hank McCoy welcoming the audience to the venue and getting them ready for the evenings events. Unfortunately, he was rudely interrupted by Big Daddy Bainsley - an associate of The Magnums; the UK's sleaziest tag team. Bainsley would go onto introduce The Magnums down to the ring before the opening match between 'Dirty' Dick Riley's and Tyler Hawke. This match would end in a disqualification due to 'Filthy' Chris Walker's constant involvement in the match. This then led to a two-on-one beatdown of Hawke, who would be saved by Pro EVW Heavyweight Champion 'The Shark' Chris Andrews. The result of this brawl would be the tag team main event later that evening of the Pro EVW Tag Team Champions; The Magnums squaring of against the impressive team of Andrews and Hawke.

This would be one of the matches of the night as Andrews and Hawke would defeat The Magnums after a huge feat of strength by Andrews; lifting both Magums up to deliver his TKO finisher.

During this match, two things stuck out to me. Throughout the night it was very difficult to get the crowd into the action. The talents and intensity of Chris Andrews helped to 'wake' the crowd up and get them into this match - after some encouragement, the audience reacted to every move that Andrews delivered.

Pro EVW Tag Team Champions; 'Dirty' Dick Riley (left) & 'Filthy' Chris Walker (right) (courtesy of Superkick.co.uk)

The other aspect that was pleasing was that of The Magnums act. After only forming as a team in the last few months, 'Filthy' Chris and 'Dirty' Dick are fast becoming a team to watch out for due to their in-ring talent, comedy, and the belief and fun that they have. I have seen them a few times now and I really enjoy everything that they do - the slow, deliberate, sleazy walk down to the ring; the excellent choice of entrance music that they come down to; and the naturally funny antics and dialogue that they come out with during a match. It entertains me and makes me laugh out loud - two of the main things I look for when watching wrestling.

'The Winner' PJ Jones

My 'Match of the Night' goes to the second match on the card; 'The Winner' PJ Jones vs 'Zesty' Zak Garrett. This was a very flowing match that was great to watch - both guys are very talented and did a great job getting the relevant responses from the audience. Unfortunately for Garrett, 'The Winner' was PJ Jones on this occasion.

Results

• Tyler Hawke defeated 'Dirty' Dick Riley by disqualification (this then led to a brawl and the setting up of the tag team main event)
• 'The Winner' PJ Jones defeated 'Zesty' Zak Garrett (MOTN)
• Justin 'The Hammer' Sysum defeated T-Bone
• 'The English Lion' Eddie Ryan defeated Marshall X
• Scotland's UK Dominator defeated England's Dan Splash
• Pro EVW Heavyweight Champion 'The Shark' Chris Andrews & Tyler Hawke defeated Pro EVW Tag Team Champions The Magnums (non title)

Some good performances by the likes of Justin 'The Hammer' Sysum, T-Bone and one of my favourite heels - UK Dominator, were also on offer here. Overall, a very enjoyable show - especially for the two noteworthy matches that I have detailed above!

The next show that Pro EVW will present is on Saturday 6th April at The Capital Venue, Gloucester (GL2 2FN). For more information visit Pro EVW Facebook page

Support British Wrestling!

@jimmosangle

My Weekend of (British) Wrestling 5

Friday 22nd March 2013 - GSW (Grand Slam Wrestling), Abingdon, Oxfordshire

Last night saw me visit the talented guys of GSW (Grand Slam Wrestling) at their show in the Abingdon Guildhall, Oxfordshire. This was on the back of a very well put together, enjoyable show in Kidlington (also Oxfordshire) earlier this month.

'Mean' Tommy Dean

Back for this show was the ever capable MC Lee Bamber to present five entertaining, and at times funny, matches. Along with Bamber, were some of the talent from the last show - James Mason, 'Mean' Tommy Dean, Stevie Starr and youngster, Josh Faulkner.

This show, as was the case with the Kidlington show, was directed for the whole family. What I mean by that is that it was very straightforward, easy-to-follow, digestible storytelling that all in attendance could grasp, whether you're a regular fan or a newcomer to the wonderful world of wrestling. I'm not sure if it was the venue that added to the volume, but the kids in the audience were insanely into this show. What helps this is James Mason in the first match of the night. He comes across as a very likable guy and is very skilled in waking the audience up and warming them up for the rest of the show. I found myself with a huge smile on my face from the first bell - I was fully invested in Mason as face and his opponent, Wild Boar as heel - both doing an excellent job of getting the audience to cheer or boo them, respectively.

Wild Boar

The smile never once dropped from my face all night. It was simple; the faces were over-the-top 'good guys' and the heels were over-the-top 'bad guys' - having long interactions with the crowd to get them on their bad sides, and ultimately boo the hell out of them.

I think that this show made me realise why I watch the different offerings of wrestling that I do. I catch WWE's Raw, Smackdown, Main Event and NXT shows on a weekly basis. After a recommendation from Billy Carpenter (@hashtwrestling), I have also added Ring of Honor to that list. Each brings it's own type of wrestling and entertainment. WWE offers the storylines to get your teeth into (although I realise that they do lack in that department just lately), and Ring of Honor seems to be a wrestling-heavy show in the short time I have been watching.

The British wrestling scene seems to be a mix of ongoing storylines (if you are a regular to a particular promotion), wrestling, and good, entertaining family fun. This is especially true of the GSW offerings that I have attended. All bases are covered for my wrestling needs. Earlier this week, my friend stated that he enjoys the 'pantomime' that wrestling brings and I think that's what I love about some of the British/local promotions that I've been to see.

Stevie Starr

A huge positive from last nights show is that the kids were massively into it - this is really important. If shows like this can gain kids as fans then wrestling in this country will never die. A little girl of about four-years-old was sat next to me with her dad (who was also hugely into it all night!) and she was really happy to be there - I was told that it was her first wrestling experience. I could tell that she was really entertained as she kept jumping up and knocking me at every opportunity! The next generation of wrestling fans ladies and gentlemen!

Results

• Wild Boar defeated James Mason (resulting in him progressing to the second half of the show to face a 'mystery opponent')
• 'Mean' Tommy Dean defeated Josh Faulkner
• Stevie Starr defeated the mysterious, masked, Japanese Tagori
• Interval
• Mystery opponent, Little Legs defeated Wild Boar
• Stevie Starr & Josh Faulkner defeated 'Mean' Tommy Dean & Tagori

17-year-old up-and-comer

As I say, a very enjoyable night of British wrestling in Abingdon. The next time that GSW will be in the Oxfordshire area is on Friday 12th April at the Witney Public Hall, Witney, OX28 6AA. Check www.welshwrestling.com for further details and also upcoming events near you!

Support British Wrestling!

@jimmosangle

My Weekend of (British) Wrestling 4

For those of you that are unsure, NBWA or New Breed Wrestling Association is a North Oxfordshire-based wrestling promotion that has been newly created in the last few months. Its first show was on Friday 15th February and second show on Sunday 17th March. The next show is due to take place on Sunday 14th April 2013.

Before looking at the NBWA in depth, I wanted to go to two of their shows before giving my verdict. As stated above, the first show took place on 15/2/2013 in the General Foods Social Club, Banbury and was entitled 'Home Coming'.

On entry to the venue, I couldn't help but notice the height of the ceiling. It would be my biggest hang-up of the night as I felt it would limit certain wrestlers from performing to the best of their ability. I couldn't help but wonder how any high-flyers on the show would be able to 'fly' with this restriction just above their heads.

Another concern of mine was when the ring announcer came to the ring to start proceedings. MC Rob Maltman, who is supposedly the 'Voice of British Wrestling' is not the best man to have as a ring announcer - throughout the night his style of ring announcing was very strange for a wrestling show; instead of announcing wrestlers to the ring, he would 'ask' for them to come out. This was a very strange approach in my opinion. He would also go onto get several names wrong throughout the night - names and basic information of each wrestler should be one of the first things that a ring announcer should be familiar with, right?

Something that was not in Mr Maltman's favour was that the microphone/speakers didn't seem to be able to handle the volume that was required to get the announcements to all in attendance. Admittedly, this was out of his control - unless sound checks were not carried out before the show? A lot of the announcements were very muffled as a result. This weakened the show in an area that you might feel isn't that important, but a good ring announcer and equipment are a very important aspect to a wrestling show to get the audience 'warmed up' and excited for what they're about to witness.

Another unneeded situation that involved Maltman was when [heel] wrestling manager Harvey Dale entered the fray to confront him. This interaction was a little confusing as it seemed that the two have had an ongoing feud. Unfortunately, for the majority of the new Banbury crowd this feud would have gone completely over their heads. Why would they care that a manager and a ring announcer are engaged in a feud? They're here to see wrestlers wrestle; not two weedy, shirt-wearing 'talkers' go at it?

Stixx

With regards to Harvey Dale; his situation over the night was very strange. I believe during the night, he and Maltman had three separate confrontations. This overshadowed a lot of the rest of the show; it seemed like the main focus, instead of the talented guys that were on the card wrestling. One of the talented individuals that I talk of is the 'Heavyweight House of Pain' Stixx - Harvey Dale's main client. Now, my understanding of a wrestling manager is to promote and make sure the audience knows their client's name, as well as their credentials. They should not overshadow their wrestler. This night in Banbury seemed a hell of a lot more about Dale than it did Stixx (who was in, arguably, the match of the night against Stu Odyssey). This was a disappointment to a very good debut show by NBWA.

An overwhelming positive in all of these negative comments that I've presented is that of the talent that was on offer in this show. Names such as Noam Dar, The Bhangra Knights, Stixx and The London Riots were on show here just to name a few. I'm not sure that having nine matches (the last being a 30-man-rumble match) was such a great idea, though. It became a chore to get through the night with so much talent on offer - maybe a couple of matches less might have been ideal.

All in all, a good first show; there were always going to be teething problems to sort out going into the second show. Going into the second show, I was looking for some of these problems to be ironed out. I was not disappointed. Lessons seemed to have been learnt from the first outing and it made for a very enjoyable second show - 'Born 2 Fight'.

For starters the second show; still at the General Foods Social Club, Banbury; had a new ring announcer - Leo Orbison - a very competent MC, who has been part of several shows in this area, as well as in the Midlands. Orbison is clear in delivery, gets the main points across, announces wrestlers in a familiar way so that we know who is who, and gets the audience ready for the show that they are about to see. He was also complimented by working equipment. A very good change made by the NBWA there!

Secondly, the ceiling of the venue didn't seem to be as low as the first show. Maybe a different ring (lower)? Or maybe my vantage point was different this show? There were several spots that required coming from the top turnbuckle and the height of the ceiling didn't seem to hinder these situations.

Harvey Dale made another appearance this show and I was delighted to see that he did what he should have done - promoted his wrestler. Not only did he endorse Stixx, but also another tough, tattooed, talented individual - T-Bone. The only downside to his promo (to show a new babyface side) when addressing the crowd was that 'we were all lucky' that he and Stixx had had a change of attitude and decided that Banbury folk are actually alright - this still seemed very heel-like and arrogant; maybe the intention? Still, another positive over the last show!

NBWA Champion Kay Jutler (courtesy of Superkick.co.uk)

The show started out with the introduction of the NEW NBWA Heavyweight Champion 'The Male Model' Kay Jutler. On the 'Home Coming' show, Jutler would beat 29 other wrestlers to earn the right to be the inaugural NBWA Champion - a well deserved honour; I have seen Jutler wrestle for around three years now and he is probably my favourite performer to see wrestler and strut around the ring. A genuinely funny and entertaining guy. Jutler would cut a promo outlining his match that night with star attraction El Ligero and would end the show against him.

In between this segment and match were some very entertaining and funny matches. The talents of Mad Man Manson, Noam Dar, Grado and Kay Lee Ray were on offer along with more local talent in Kristoff Walton, Stu Odyssey, Chris Walker and Scotty Riot.

The opening match told a story that I really enjoyed. It's one of my favourite situations that wrestling brings to life. Scotty Riot faced Dante in what was billed as two pals having a friendly match. Both started out and there was good fun and banter between the two. Towards the end of the match evil manager Mr McCoy - flanked by his client Kristoff Walton - made their way to ringside. After directing unflattering comments to him, he would cost Dante the match. McCoy would then inform Riot that The McCoy Family would like to invite him as one of their own. Surely this was something that Riot would resist in favour of helping his friend to the backstage? But in a shocking turn of events, Riot would then shake McCoy's hand and help Walton in the destruction of Dante.

Another match that I was looking forward to was the debut of The Magnums; 'Dirty' Dick Riley and 'Filthy' Chris Walker. This is a fairly new tag team, who are already making waves throughout the south of England. Their entrance is something to be admired - a stroll down to ringside accompanied by a slow, sleazy version of a 1970's classic song; checking out the local females and MILFs in attendance, before entering the ring to conduct their business. Unfortunately, they were faced with another newly formed tag team - The Bone Yard - consisting of the earlier mentioned Stixx and T-Bone. A very dominant looking force across the ring.

Results:

• Singles match: Scotty Riot defeated Dante (and then became the newest member of the McCoy Family)
• 6man tag: Noam Dar, Grado & 'Shining' Johnny Searle defeated The Heavy Metal Cowboys & Frankie Felicano
• Ladies tag match: Kay Lee Ray & Bacardi defeated Carmel Jacob & Dragonita
• Mad Man Manson defeated Kirk Langley
• No 1 Contenders match (triple threat): Kristoff Walton (w/ Mr McCoy) defeated 'Showcase' Stu Odyssey and 'Bhangra Knight' Darrel Allen to become the number one contender to the NBWA Championship.
• The Bone Yard; Stixx & T-Bone defeated The Magnums; 'Dirty' Dick Riley & 'Filthy' Chris Walker
• NBWA Championship: 'The Male Model' Kay Jutler (c) defeated El Ligero

Kay Lee Ray

Overall, a very entertaining night. Instead of the nine matches on the previous show, we had seven this time around; which made for a manageable show length-wise. Situations that needed ironing out, were ironed out; Leo Orbison was excellent on ring announcing duties and Harvey Dale did a great job making his clients look the threats that they were when they entered the scene. I think there was also a good blend of singles, tag and ladies matches on the card - something for everyone.

Everybody worked hard and played their parts in making this a very good show. It stands them in good stead for future shows.

The next show - entitled 'Fight for 3Dom' - will take place on Sunday 14th April 2013 at the General Foods Social Club, Banbury. Check the NBWA Facebook page out for updates and future shows.

Support British Wrestling!

@jimmosangle

The Main Event rub

If you have ever read any of my articles, you'll notice that I go on about the future of the WWE and when, or if, it's ever going to get here. I keep on because I care that there will be a future; a future where we get top level stars on par with your Hulk Hogans, Stone Cold Steve Austins, Rocks and Cenas.

A few months ago I did an article looking at the last ten years worth of main eventers and the downfall in top, top talent that populates our main event picture. Since then, I have slightly changed my opinion as there does seem to be an effort being made, and there is a lot of talent waiting in the wings that I can see being major players in the future. Unfortunately, I wonder if these particular up-and-comers are being raised in the correct way.

Let me paint a picture; I've noticed, as everyone probably has, that there have been a hell of a lot of the same matches being booked as of late. I realise that this is the case due to the amount of hours the WWE has to fill each week in television time and as a result you would want to showcase your most talented guys. What I don't understand is the outcomes to these matches. I've taken a closer look at 'the future's' matches against the top guys and it was worse than I'd remembered when watching Raw and Smackdown on a weekly basis.

Wade Barrett

Let's take future main event stars Wade Barrett, Antonio Cesaro and Dolph Ziggler. All three men are in prominent and trusted positions within the WWE as one is the Intercontinental Champion, one is the United States Champion, and one is the World Heavyweight Championship Money-in-the-Bank briefcase winner. Now you would think that these three would be three guys that should be raised and nurtured in the right way to get them to the 'next level'. Looking at their records versus, say, the top five babyfaces tells a different story.


The following takes into account singles matches versus the top five faces in WWE (John Cena, Randy Orton, Sheamus, Ryback and the World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio) since the start of 2013 (until 16/3/2013) on Raw, Smackdown and Main Event:

• Intercontinental Champion, Wade Barrett has faced this group eight times (Orton x4, Sheamus x2 and Del Rio x2) losing six, drawing one (vs Sheamus) and having his only win against them when he beat Orton on the 14/1 Raw.
• United States Champion, Antonio Cesaro has faced this group nine times (Orton x5, Ryback x3 and Del Rio x1) losing eight, and having one 'no contest' (vs Orton).
• Money in the Bank briefcase holder, Dolph Ziggler has faced this group eight times (Del Rio x4, Cena x2, Sheamus x1 and Ryback x1) losing all eight.

From this you can see that the only win that these three men have had over the top five faces was Wade Barrett's clean win over Randy Orton. This was a surprise at the time and I'm still unsure as to why it happened seeing as though he has jobbed to him every other time since.

I know there will be people that will say that the losses don't matter; that having these matches against top talent such as Randy Orton or Alberto Del Rio can only be a good thing for these rising stars; but I completely disagree. I'm in the camp that says that losses do matter - maybe the odd one here and there doesn't, but losing every encounter can't be a good thing can it? Would it really hurt to give them a few more wins against the top guys? I don't think the odd loss to Orton or Sheamus would be the end of their careers; it would show that they are mortal and that they do have a chance of losing matches. I say this because every time a match like this comes up I'm already in no doubt of who will win - in a way, I don't care to watch it because I've seen it before; I know the outcome, and I also know that Barrett, Cesaro or Ziggler will put a good showing in; but ultimately it'll be for nothing.

If these three gentlemen aren't up to standard yet, they should be put in matches that will show their dominance at the level that they're at. Put them against the likes of a Miz or a Kofi Kingston. Yes, put them against the top guys, but present this match to us every once in a while so that there could be doubt that the mid card champion could beat the next level guy; not every other week.

Dolph Ziggler

I think the most worrying stat is that Ziggler hasn't got a single win over the group in question ALL year. He will soon be the World Champion when he cashes in that MITB briefcase and will be a joke and WEAK for this build he has been given. I don't care if he 'steals the show' every time he is against them; when he becomes champion he'll start beating all of these guys as if it's normal all of a sudden. That will look laughable.

I would have added Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow to my findings but I think we all know that their recent pasts haven't been any better!

Hope this look at the 'future' wasn't too surprising to anyone...

Pray for the 'future'.

@jimmosangle

WWE Main Event/NXT: Less is More

For the last couple of months I have really gotten into WWE Main Event - WWE's 'C' show. After Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown - the WWE's two main shows in the last twenty years - Main Event has fast become the next best show. In my opinion it has now become one of the better shows that WWE produces. It is also a very important show in the development of talent.

Main Event debuted in October 2012 and has gone onto showcase various levels of the WWE's talent. Each week seems to focus on whoever may need some TV time that week. In the early shows the 'main event' of the evening would be a bout between the likes of CM Punk and Sheamus, this would then be followed by a match with 'lesser' talent such as a Santino Marella or a Zack Ryder.

As the weeks and months have gone on, the need to 'sell' the show to the audience by having a 'main event' guy such as a Punk or a Cena have passed, and it is now the mid-card that have been heavily focused with the occasional appearance by a top tier talent. It's good to see the focus away from the likes of Cena, Punk, The Rock and, for the majority, the World Champion. Instead, the mid-card champions get a good amount of exposure.

In the last couple of months, whether they have won or lost, Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett and United States Champion Antonio Cesaro have made quite a few appearances. This is very important for both of them, and shows the aim of this show - elevating and nurturing the future main eventers.

Another huge positive of this show is that it has a duration of only one hour - after three hours of Raw and two hours of Smackdown, this is a welcome 'bitesized' show that the WWE brings to us. Within this hour is usually two top class matches, a recap of the developments from Raw that week and the occasional video package highlighting a particular superstar or upcoming event (just lately Wrestlemania has been heavily hyped and advertised). As a result, a great way to describe this show would be 'to the point'.

Another of WWE's offerings that I have also started to watch is the developmental territory; NXT.

This show started out as a reality TV show, where there would be tasks set for the contenders, regular eliminations, and culminating in the winner being elevated to the main WWE roster. Two successful winners from this show are the current Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett (Season one winner) and current Diva's Champion Kaitlyn (Season three winner).

During 2012, the WWE dropped the reality TV/competition aspect and changed the set-up of this show making it much like the current crop of shows that WWE produces. In addition to this they would incorporate members of the defunct FCW (Florida Championship Wrestling) roster. Ultimately, they were combining NXT and FCW. Therefore, this show would be full of development talent and 'rookies'. Normal feuds and storylines would happen, but it would be between guys (and girls) that were hoping to become stars of the future.

In the last year, the pace has quickened; new Championships have been introduced and new Champions have then been crowned. Seth Rollins and Big E Langston have been the only two NXT Heavyweight Champions so far. Both men have since been elevated to the main WWE roster now so I can imagine another crowning will be happening in the next few weeks.

A positive that WWE could use with regards to it's main shows is that the NXT's hour long show is wrestling-heavy; there are promos and verbal confrontations where needed, but the majority of the show is devoted to what we all came to see - wrestling.

In conclusion, both of these shows have the same aims and goals; just at different stages in the process of getting to the top of this profession. NXT is the grass roots part of getting to the WWE. It seems that if you're seen as an NXT Champion - or even NXT Tag Team Champion - then the future could be very bright for you. This has been the case for both Seth Rollins and Big E Langston, who have not only been elevated to the main roster, but positioned in very prominent roles very early in their main roster careers.

Similarly, Main Event is where you want to be when you are on your way to the top - take Cesaro or Barrett; these guys will be the future and the exposure and time that they get on Main Event is priceless in showing off their skills and getting them to that point in their career.

Both of these shows are a must see if you don't have the time in your week to struggle through the five-plus hours of Raw and Smackdown. They get to the point (as I have stated in previous articles!) and are very enjoyable; good match lengths as well as seeing the talented future of the WWE.

The stars of the future?

@jimmosangle

My Weekend of (British) Wrestling 3

Last night I spent another ten pounds. I know what you're thinking; 'I've heard this story before'... but this story ends happily ever after!

James Mason

Instead of Banbury, Oxfordshire - where the previous night I had seen a diabolical show - I travelled a little closer to home in Kidlington, Oxfordshire where there was a wrestling show on at the Exeter Hall. The selling point for me was that a gentleman by the name of James Mason was on the bill. A couple of friends of mine have always had good things to say about him as a wrestler, and as an organiser of wrestling events. This was well deserved comments after my experience last night.

I, along with two mates, paid and entered the venue where we already knew what we were getting - high ceilings; as a result the ring was assembled how it should be. I should point out that my admiration of the venue alone will make sense if you read my post from the previous nights show - My Weekend of (British) Wrestling 2.

Exeter Hall, Kidlington, Oxford 9/3/2013

Exeter Hall is a large hall with plenty of space for the ring, the ringside area, and there is absolutely no chance of hitting the ceiling during a move! This put me at ease straightaway. The referee and the Ring Announcer/MC, Lee Bamber then made their way to the ring. Unlike the previous nights announcer, Mr Bamber was dressed the part and had a microphone in hand; at the previous evenings show there was no microphone and no sound system to get the MC's point across clearly. That instantly hurt that show.

But I digress... not only was Mr Bamber dressed to announce but his delivery was clear, informative and entertaining at times. He warmed the crowd up without insulting our intelligence as wrestling fans; I say this because the last two shows that I had attended saw the announcer let us know that we should 'boo' the bad guys and 'cheer' the good guys, getting us to practice our cheering and booing, just in case we weren't sure how to?! This insults me and everyone in attendance - I know who I should cheer and boo. If this information is for the benefit of the kids then they DEFINITELY don't need the head's up - they, more than any other age group KNOW who the bad guys and good guys are - they are still young enough to see things purely in black and white; unlike us seeing the shades of grey.

A final note on Mr Bamber; I instantly liked him and wanted to listen to what he had to say all evening.

The wrestling then commenced and we witnessed five very entertaining, and different, matches. The first saw Englishman James Mason take on Welsh villain 'Mean' Tommy Dean. This was an excellent opener that got the crowd warmed up and firmly behind Mason. Tommy Dean did an excellent job of getting us to hate him - very funny with it.

Mark Haskins

The next two matches saw two youngsters from London compete in two very entertaining matches - the first saw 16-year-old Shaun Meryll (apologies for the spelling) take on former TNA star, Mark Haskins in a match that was billed as 'Youth vs Experience'. This was a very good outing for the youngster - for a 16-year-old kid he kept up and gave a great showing. Surely, things can only get better and better for him?

The second match saw 17-year-old Josh Faulkner compete against an older opponent. Unlike Meryll (again, apologies for the spelling if wrong), Faulkner had a bigger physique and looked more dominant. An interval was then announced and this gave us time to dwell on what we had just seen and how well the two young guys had done.

Iestyn Rees (right) along with WWE's Oliver Grey

After the interval, the action continued with a bout between Welsh Heavyweight Champion Iestyn Rees and former champion, and former WWE developmental star Stevie Starr. This made for a nice lead up to the main event of the evening.

The main event was billed as a 2-on-1 handicap match that one of the competitors had requested to show his strength - enter Richtor - a 300-pound monster. I've seen Richtor on other local shows and I really like seeing the big man - most notably, I remember seeing him against Zak Garrett; where I would always want him to sit on/bonzai drop Garrett - very impressive looking and flattening!

In this 2-on1 handicap match, Richtor was pitted against James Mason and his partner, 'Little Legs' - a local midget actor/wrestler (from Headington). This led to a very entertaining match with all the usual little man/big man comedy spots along with Mason taking it to Richtor. This was, by far, the comedy match of the night, but after the four entertaining matches previously, this was the icing on the cake!

In summary, this show was why I love wrestling and going to well organised local shows. It had a good mix of talent, experience and youth on display. The venue was adequate for what they wanted to do and the show did not disappoint in any way. I have absolutely no problem paying my admission to see shows like this.

Richtor (courtesy of Superkick.co.uk)

Comedy of the night - 'Little Legs' and Richtor little man/big man spots.

Wrestler(s) of the night - although it was good to see Mason and Haskins, the wrestler(s) that put on a great show were the two young lads - 16 and 17-year-olds - as I said before: the only way is up for these guys!


The next show that these guys are putting on will be in Abingdon on Friday 22nd March - please check listings and get yourself along to the show!

Support British Wrestling!

@jimmosangle

My Weekend of (British) Wrestling 2

Saturday 9th March 2013
I spent ten pounds last night (Friday 8/3). This ten pounds I will never get back. That's not the thing that bothers me most about my night. I travelled up to Banbury (North Oxfordshire) to attend the debut of a wrestling show in Oxfordshire at Banbury United Football Club's social club. I admit, it was a risk, but one that I was willing to take to see local, British wrestling.

The federation/organisation (if you can call it that) was UWE Megaslam wrestling - a South Yorkshire based promotion.

We walked in and paid our admission. As we entered the room there was the ring, but something seemed odd about it. The ring mat had been lowered, as well as the turnbuckles being on the next rung down from where you would usually see them. This made for a very ugly looking ring. The reason for these two modifications was that the ceiling was so low that there was no other choice.

Can you see the problem with the mat?

That ceiling looks a little low...

This brings me to my main problem with the evening - organisation. This venue was clearly not suitable for wrestling. I completely understand that running a wrestling show, or any form of entertainment, costs money and you need to find 'tools' as cheaply as possible. But surely, one of the most fundamental priorities has got to be the venue? In fact, this must be the first thing that's looked into, no? Scouting of this venue was clearly not done. If it had been done - i.e checking the venue out in person - then it would have been very apparent that the ceiling was far too low. I can imagine that a phone call was probably made regarding the venue, and the reply was that the venue would have been 'fine' to use. Research done then!

As a result of this, the show suffered greatly. It must have been a problem for one of the wrestler's styles, too, as he was billed as a 'high-flyer' - any of his exciting moves would not be happening tonight then?

Speaking of talent, this was my next problem with the show. Of the three matches that we stayed for, I didn't 'get' any of the six competitors on display. The first match pitted a leopard-printed-tights-wearing camp/homosexual wrestler (the heel) vs Bully Boy Carter - a man that was supposedly a 'good guy', but came to the ring with one of the angriest/uneasy faces I've ever seen at a wrestling show. After the berating that the camp/homosexual character had given the crowd, you would expect the face wrestler to come out and defend the honour of us in attendance. No such luck. Instead, he said 'hi' to his friend in the crowd and simply got in the ring, ready for his match. Instantly, I didn't care for this wrestler. What made matters worse was that instead of tying up and wrestling, we were treated to the camp/homosexual wrestler getting out of the ring for the first five minutes of the match, and mocking the crowd.

I don't mind this type of behaviour from a heel; in fact I welcome it. The problem here was that this went on for far too long. I just wanted the guy to get in the ring and, y'know, wrestle. What was even more annoying is that the trash he was talking was at a level of a five-year-old. I understand that the WWE caters for kids, but this guy took it to a generation lower than that - poking his tongue out at kids and blowing raspberries was one of the more overused gestures that he made.

The second match pitted another camp/homosexual wrestler (another?!); who was apparently a 'Teenage Dirtbag' - he had the music and everything! He was facing the 'high-flyer' that I mentioned earlier. The third match was much the same - the heel of this match was a vicar/priest character who didn't say much or give the crowd any grief - how am I meant to hate him when he doesn't incite a response from me?

When the interval came, it was our cue to get up and leave. Although I haven't been watching British Wrestling for that long, this was easily the worst show I have seen. I really don't want to be writing things like this, though. I want to be positive about wrestling in this country - I want it to be big and improve. Sadly, shows like this are an embarrassment to this sport that we love. It gives the wrong message to people - firstly, it says that wrestling is shit in this country - and it really isn't. Secondly, it kind of gives the impression that any idiot can put a show together - this is also very untrue.

I'm off to see another show tonight in Kidlington (Oxfordshire) and I fully expect it to be a hell of a lot better. For one, the venue is of a size whereby no move is out of the question. Surely, there should be no limits with wrestling, so why have a venue that restricts the talents of the guys you're showcasing?

Support British Wrestling - organise good shows, or don't bother in the first place.

@jimmosangle

Remembering Paul Bearer

As we have all heard by now, Paul Bearer (real name William Moody) passed away last night. I was due to write a piece on wrestling managers and their relevance in today's product. As part of that I was going to look at Bearer amongst others.

For me, Paul Bearer was one of the most recognizable, and best, wrestling managers that there has ever been. My reasoning for this is because he did the job so well - he was the mouthpiece for The Undertaker when he started out in the WWE. In them days, The Undertaker wouldn't have a hell of a lot to say in promos - talking from underneath his hat, usually concluding with 'Rest in Peace'.

It would be Bearer that would paint the picture going into matches. That ghostly, maniacal voice of his along with the legendary catchphrase 'oh yes!'. This would all add to Undertaker's mystique - all action (slow and methodical) and very few words - relying on the talents of Bearer when it came to the talking.

Watch the above video and keep your focus on Paul Bearer all the way through - especially when Undertaker is talking - the facial expressions are priceless!

My earliest memories of Paul Bearer were him leading Undertaker to the ring in the early nineties. It was such a perfect fit to have an Undertaker and his manager with a name like Paul Bearer - a great play on pallbearer as well as sounding like an actual name!

During the mid-nineties I fell out of wrestling and didn't start watching again until early 1999. This would be when Undertaker (still flanked by Bearer) would be at his most demonic - and who better to aid him than Bearer; both looking as evil and devilish as they ever have.

My favourite memory is probably unusual to most as it doesn't involve The Undertaker. Instead, I always remember when Kane returned in February 2000 to confront X-Pac and Tori (who had betrayed Kane over the Christmas period). It was towards the end of Monday Night Raw; Degeneration X and The Radicals were putting a beating on Too Cool, The Rock and Cactus Jack. Suddenly, the lights went out. The titantron display came on again and out walked Paul Bearer (with red jacket) to a huge ovation. Kane's music then started up, he entered, and Bearer would demand that Kane go and gain revenge. In the video below, look at how deliberate Bearer's hand gestures are as he guides Kane.

The Smackdown that week would continue Kane - and Bearer's - return as he would get revenge on Tori by delivering a Tombstone to her. As this was about to happen - and during the destruction Kane was administering to anyone that got in his way - Bearer was the calmest man in the ring. He was the one that would detain Tori until Kane was ready to deal with her. When Kane hoisted her up, Bearer could be seen giving Kane the order to drop the jezebel on her head.

During his time in the WWE, everyone that had an association with Paul Bearer have done well for themselves. His most successful client is obviously The Undertaker. This man has a 20-0 streak at Wrestlemania dating back to beating Jimmy Snuka at Wrestlemania VII to last years third bout against Triple H at Wrestlemania XXVIII. He is undoubtedly a legend and future Hall of Famer and this is in part thanks to Paul Bearer.

Kane and Mankind (Mick Foley) are two others that have greatly benefited from having Paul Bearer in their corners. Both became legitimate threats to The Undertaker; something that previous foes - such as Giant Gonzales - could never match. Kane could have been just another obstacle for The Undertaker to overcome, but over the years he has come back to haunt him time and time again. He has become a phenom in his own right and that has got to be credited back to Bearer for his part in the 'history' of Kane and The Undertaker, as well as accompanying him to the ring and legitimising him as a serious threat.

One of my fondest memories of Paul Bearer is when he paid tribute to Owen Hart on the Monday Night Raw after Owen had passed away (at Over the Edge 1999). Everyone offered their kind words but Paul Bearer's stuck with me. I was grateful for that.

William Moody; April 10, 1954 – March 5, 2013; RIP...

 Throughout today, there have been an enormous amount of tributes on Twitter alone - this just shows the effect he had on the wrestling community. In times like this you only hear the good things about a person, but I genuinely feel that there are no bad points about this man. Everybody loved and respected him.

I hope we get a tribute show/show of respect on Raw next week...

Rest in peace William Moody... #RIPPaulBearer

@jimmosangle

Kofi Kingston's 2013: Who did he piss off?

In the last week, I had a brief Twitter conversation with a writer from a wrestling news site on how wins and losses don't mean anything anymore. His argument was that despite your favourite wrestler's (whoever that may be) current losing streak it won't affect them in the future when it becomes 'their turn' for a push up the card, or even, towards a World Title run.

One such example, and I've discussed this gentleman before, is Kofi Kingston. It wasn't until i put the following statistics together that I realised just how bad a predicament Kofi is in:

Kofi's win/loss record for 2013 (so far):

• Smackdown; 4/1/2013; lost to Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett
• Raw; 7/1/2013; lost to Big Show (under a minute)
• Smackdown; 18/1/2013; lost to United States Champion Antonio Cesaro
• Royal Rumble; 27/1/2013; eliminated during Royal Rumble match
• Smackdown; 1/2/2013; lost to Jack Swagger
• Smackdown; 8/2/2013; lost to Cody Rhodes
• Raw; 11/2/2013; lost to Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett
• Elimination Chamber; 17/2/2013; lost to Dolph Ziggler in impromptu match; followed by Big E Langston destroying him after match
• Raw; 18/2/2013; beaten up by Damien Sandow before match could start; saved by the returning R-Truth

As you can see from this he has lost every meaningful television match that he has had (these stats do not include any matches he may have had on lesser shows such as Superstars). Added to this, in most cases he has been beaten in squash matches, or very convincingly with not much offence of his own. You will also notice that this doesn't include many Raw/Smackdown shows/dates and that's because he hasn't been used that much at all in 2013.

What doesn't help him further is that the back end of 2012 wasn't any better either. On the New Year's Eve edition of Raw (31/12), Kofi lost the Intercontinental Championship to Wade Barrett and, as you can see from the above list, did not regain it later that week. In fact, once the title was lost, he hasn't had another sniff at a championship.

It could be argued that it's a positive that he has been on pay-per-views this year, but he's merely been there to make up the numbers - especially so at the Royal Rumble, where for the second year running he performed a party trick by saving himself from elimination in a comedic way. This only led to his tossing out seconds later. At the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view he was introduced as Dolph Ziggler's 'surprise' opponent for the evening. I was left unexcited and in no doubt whatsoever of the outcome here - why would you put someone with an up-and-coming World Title run against a losing streak such as Kofi's on pay-per-view? The win did absolutely nothing for Ziggler - due to Kofi's current 'jobber' booking - and there should have been no doubt in anyone's mind watching as to who was going to be victorious.

After Big E Langston's vicious assault on Kofi after the match, I thought we might have been going somewhere with Big E. This hasn't been the case since then as he has simply remained as Dolph's 'heavy' at ringside during his matches. So the beatdown seems to have been for nothing?

Ultimately, I have no idea why Kofi has been used, or misused, in the way he has so far in 2013. He is a very talented and popular superstar and there must be a meaningful place for him on TV?

Maybe this will lead to a longer break from TV for him, with a return similar to that of Jack Swagger and Mark Henry. I think this is very much needed to get some momentum behind Kofi again, as I for one have lost interest, and faith, in him. I fully expect him to lose every match that he has - and why should I think otherwise?

Basically, if he is going to remain on TV (on the rare occasions that he's used) then I cannot get away from thinking about his win/loss record - therefore, his losses do matter, and they will continue to do so unless there is a drastic change. And he can't simply just start winning again, either.

@jimmosangle