My Weekend of (British) Wrestling 17 - NBWA's '7 Deadly Sins'

Saturday 21st September 2013 - NBWA's 7 Deadly Sins - Spiceball Leisure Centre, Banbury, Oxfordshire

I think when I go to watch wrestling shows, sometimes I get fixated on a particular aspect and can't let it go. I don't think this will ever change because if I see something that annoys me then I feel that people should know. If you like, I can't just say that something is great just for the sake of it. There has to be a more unbiased view than that - simply put, if something is crap then it needs calling crap and at the same time, if something is good, or even great, then it too needs the praise that it deserves. Despite any comments that people deem as negative from me, I really am trying to 'Support British Wrestling' - sometimes calling out bad wrestling is doing the same duty to British Wrestling as calling out the good things. Basically, There'll be no apologies from me. Ever. And I'll continue to do what I do... rant over; on with the show!

NBWA presents 7 Deadly Sins

This time around, I went into '7 Deadly Sins' with a few expectations based on the title of the show, the rules of one match in particular and also how a couple of the matches would go. MC Leo Orbison stated at the start of the evening that each match would have a deadly sin attached to it. Now this interested me but as the night went on it was unclear which sin would be applicable to which match. For me, there would have to be very clear connections between the match and and the sin that they were trying to portray. I think overall there were definitely elements of some of the sins in a few of the matches but not one sin per match. I'd be very worried if any of the matches were about 'Sloth'! Nice idea though.

The opening match of the night pitted three very talented and young guys. Pro EVW Heavyweight Champion Justin 'The Hammer' Sysum would make his NBWA debut in a triple threat against Sam Wilder and Kenbai. For a large chunk of this match Sysum and Kenbai would go through a lot of excellent, and flowing exchanges, with Wilder occasionally getting involved (maybe showing laziness - sloth) only to be tossed back out to the outside. By the end, Sysum would pick up the win over Wilder, but credit has to be given to all three for a solid opener.

Justin 'The Hammer' Sysum

The three co-main events of the evening had mixed results for me.

Before the interval there would be a hardcore match between 'Loco' Mike Mason and Frankie Fellasarno. This match had been set from the previous show and boiled over early on in this show - the Bacardi vs Katie Harvey (Mason's handler) match was due to start when a brawl would ensue between Mason and Fellasarno. The NBWA locker room would spill out to separate the two, adding fuel (and maybe wrath?) to the match that would occur later in the night.

Although this was an adult-themed show I felt that this match was a little over-the-top on weapons. For a match that hasn't had a hell of a lot of build, this match-type seemed a little too much at this stage of the feud. Through the match, chairs, kendo sticks and keyboards (different I'll give you, but potentially dangerous to the audience) were used before the main arsenal of thumb-tacks and a staple gun would be used (the staple gun to the groin getting the reaction of the match!). This match didn't work for me due to the amount of weapons that were 'used for the sake of being used' and also the length. I think the match could've benefited from ending a lot sooner than it did. One thing of note was when Mason wanted to throw Fellasarno into chairs but none of the fans would co-operate (and move) meaning that that particular spot dragged on until willing fans would get out of the way!

A match that really interested me, and in-part sold the show to me was the 'World of Sport' rules match between Stu Oddyssey and Doug Williams. It's a set of rules that I'm not familiar with and I think that could be said for the majority of the audience. My worry with this match would be that these rules wouldn't be clear - fortunately, MC Leo Orbison was at hand to enlighten everyone that we would witness six five-minute rounds and where the man to score two falls over his opponent (either pinfalls or submissions), or one knockout, would be deemed the winner. In simpler terms, this is a two-out-of-three falls match with a couple of additional rules.

Now, to British fans of yesteryear, this was a mouthwatering prospect. It should be stated that both wrestlers did an excellent job in the match - it was technical and it had a slow pace to start with (as is to be expected with the marathon that stood in front of them), and as the match went on the pace and determination grew. Unfortunately, the audience lost interest early on. This could've been due to the prospect of knowing that it could be a thirty minute match, and it could've been due to not fully 'getting' what the rules of the match were. Maybe 'World of Sport' rules matches have their place, and should be respected for putting the UK on the wrestling map, but I don't think the Banbury area quite appreciate what was put on for them. Big congrats to Stu Oddyssey for picking up the win over the experienced Williams - by doing so he won the right to face the NBWA Champion at a later date.

The main event of the evening saw a rematch between 'The Mexican Sensation', and NBWA Champion, El Ligero taking on his former protege, 'The Male Model' Kay Jutler with the NBWA Championship on the line.

This would be a rematch from the June show where Ligero captured the title in a two-out-of-three falls match. As expected, this match was excellent and flowing - exactly what you would expect from Ligero and NBWA's finest Kay Jutler. The ending to this match pleased me, too; after several near falls towards the end, and both trying to use the championship belt to gain the advantage (after a ref bump), Jutler would lock in a Crossface submission to which Ligero could not escape. This is a great feather in Jutler's cap - defeating Ligero AND making him submit.

Other matches on the night would see 'The Filth' Chris Walker pick up a long overdue win defeating Rhys Taylor, Bacardi finally got her match, and win, over Irish Katie Harvey, and a tag team match would take place between Sancho Cortez and Kirk Langley against the dysfunctional team of Bunker Roberts and Malicious Michael Adams - the ending of this match will surely split the former Management members further.

The new co-General Manager (that was hinted at at the last show) made his first appearance in NBWA, too. Pete Andrews ended the show revealing himself to be the balance to Marcus Thorn's luke-warm-evil reign at the helm of the NBWA.

Results

• Pro EVW Heavyweight Champion Justin 'The Hammer' Sysum defeated Sam Wilder & Kenbai (triple threat)
• Sancho Cortez & Kirk Langley defeated Bunker Roberts & Malicious Michael Adams
• 'The Filth' Chris Walker defeated Rhys Taylor
• Hardcore Match: 'Loco' Mike Mason (w/ Katie Harvey) defeated 'Iron Fist' Frankie Fellasarno
• World of Sport Rules Match: 'Showcase' Stu Oddyssey defeated Doug Williams (2 falls to 1; 1st Fall: Round 2- Stu (pinfall); 2nd Fall: Round 4- Doug (submission); 3rd Fall: Round 5- Stu (pinfall))
• Bacardi defeated Katie Harvey
• NBWA Championship: 'The Male Model' Kay Jutler defeated El Ligero (c) to become new champion

Overall, not a bad show at all. A lot more positives and sign of improvement. Maybe the length of the show could be looked at, too, as it started to become a chore towards the end of the night. It was also a real shame that the audience didn't really appreciate the match that Oddyssey and Williams put on; this let the show down a little even with the great effort that both guys put on. Really good matches from Ligero and Jutler, but if I was to pick a 'match of the night', it would be the opener between Justin Sysum, Sam Wilder and Kenbai. Really solid, exciting and enjoyable opener that set the night up nicely. I've seen a lot of Justin down in Pro EVW (Gloucester) and he's always learning and improving all the time - this highlighted that further. I saw Wilder and Kenbai at last weeks AWW show and both looked great there, too.

Ref Paz (photo: superkick.co.uk)

Special mention to Referee Marc 'Paz' Parry, who, for the second week running, split his trousers while refereeing. We salut you for your dedication to carrying on with the show through adversity! Replacements will be bought...

The next NBWA show will be in the Spiceball Leisure Centre on November 2nd. This event will see the return of The British Bulldog's son - Davey Boy Smith Jr. Be sure to attend; check the NBWA Facebook page for further and up-to-date info regarding this event.

Support British Wrestling

@jimmosangle