My Weekend of (British) Wrestling 22: Grand Slam Wrestling (w/ Welsh Wrestling)

Saturday 23rd November 2013 - Grand Slam Wrestling (in association with Welsh Wrestling) - Brackley Leisure Centre, Brackley

It has been a few months since I've been to an Alan Ravenhill/James Mason show, but I was looking forward to the show last night when the opportunity presented itself. A little trek up to Brackley with MC Hank McCoy and Ref Marc 'Paz' Parry saw us meet all the usual guys that are connected to Grand Slam Wrestling/Welsh Wrestling - always a nice and friendly bunch with no ego whatsoever.

This 'Weekend of (British) Wrestling' won't focus on each individual match but on the show in general as its strength is the whole event in general. That's not to say that each match wasn't great - they definitely were - it's just the basics are done SO well at these shows.

Big Dog - DO NOT mess his music up...

The battle lines are clear and easy to follow on these shows - heels are clearly heels; big, mean, angry... ugly. In turn, the babyfaces are happy, friendly and mostly good looking. The fans get it and understand as soon as these guys come out... and the thing that I still can't work out is that the heels at these shows get massive heat and abuse from the fans and the babyfaces get monstrous ovations when they come out. This is credit to all on the show but maybe moreso to the heels who have to gain the hatred before the babyfaces are inevitably going to be 'our' hero for that match.

The best word to describe these shows is 'simple'. Now, you might think that is a bad thing but it's really not. 'Simple' is rarely seen at shows and it is all that wrestling fans - especially casual fans - require. They don't need big names and fancy match types; they just need wrestlers that can wrestle and look like they should be in a wrestling ring, y'know, wrestling. It might not sound that exciting and doesn't cater to your ultra-smart, hardcore know-it-alls, but the casual fan is a lot more easily pleased. The guys at Grand Slam Wrestling/Welsh Wrestling understand this and book the show accordingly.

James Mason (photo: superkick.co.uk)

Even though what I've just said seems like a dig to the wrestlers on the show last night, it really isn't. In all honesty, they are some of the best characters and showmen that I've seen in my time watching wrestling. And as far as 'big names' go there are a few guys on the show last night that are respected over a wider area - I never hear bad things said about James Mason, ever. He is a very well respected wrestler in the UK and would be an asset to any wrestling show. Along with T-Bone, James is a great way to start your wrestling show off and 'warm' the audience up.

'Mean' Tommy Dean, Big Dog, Big Grizzly and 'Filthy' Chris Walker were the big, mean, angry, sleazy and ugly heels on the show and they are what a heel should be in my book - look mean and be mean - simple (there's that word again) but easy to digest as a fan.

Also, it should be noted that MC Hank McCoy did another excellent job - standard. If you are in need of a competent, professional MC/Ring Announcer then you wouldn't go far wrong with getting him in to do the duties.

Results

• Big Grizzly defeated James Mason
• 'Filthy' Chris Walker defeated The Red Eagle
• Welsh Heavyweight Championship: Stevie Starr (c) defeated 'Mean' Tommy Dean
• Big Dog defeated 'Mr Reem' Scotty Essex
• James Mason & Stevie Starr defeated Big Grizzly & 'Mean' Tommy Dean

I highly recommend getting along to any Grand Slam Wrestling/Welsh Wrestling show if they happen to be in your area. You will love it and your kids will have a great time, too. I believe the next show is this Friday evening in Kettering - www.welshwrestling.com/Live-Events - get yourself along to this for a fun evening for all the family.

'Filthy' Chris Walker w/ OFFICIAL action figure

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