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!

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@jimmosangle