The Positives and Negatives of My Weekend of (British) Wrestling at Pro EVW and Kamikaze Pro

Part One – Saturday 25^th October – Pro EVW – Bourton-On-The-Water

Pro EVW (mainly based in Gloucester) is one of my favourites. This might not be reflected with how many of their shows I've been to this year but that is due to my need and desire to get around more of the rest of the country's shows and get a better taste for wrestling in UK. Eventually, and not too far away, I'm going to have a good idea of which ones I like, which ones are a stretch to travel to, and which ones are the absolute sh*ts, and then I'll be a happy blogger who doesn't bitch and moan about every little thing. This will be a result of finding the promotions that make my whiny little brain happy and SUSPEND MY DISBELIEF from start to finish... that's not that hard to do, is it?

This weekend could have been perfect if I could have gone to one of my other favourites; Pro Wrestling Chaos (Bristol) on Friday night, but, unfortunately, my working hours would get in the way of that one... b*stards...

Positive: The Guys and Gals of Pro EVW

One of my favourite things about Pro EVW is that when I get there I'm really happy to see everyone. It's always nice to see everyone, from the wrestlers to the trainees to the organisers, and it's usually long overdue (as I noted earlier). All the wrestlers that appear on a Pro EVW show are friendly and there doesn't seem to be an ego about them, unlike some other shows that I go to. This is where I first got to see “behind the curtain” and I'll always be grateful for that.

Positive: Waking New Fans Up For The Night Ahead

I wasn't sure whether to make this a negative, but it stays a positive due to the effort made to get the audience 'into' this show and wake them up. MC Hank McCoy always does his best to get the audience ready for the matches, but it's always going to be difficult with a relatively new-to-wrestling crowd, especially when there aren't as many as you'd like in attendance. Hank did as best as he could before the opening match. This is when some work was needed to be done by the wrestlers in the opening match.

Luckily, this would be in the form of The Magnums (Walker and Riley) and Fame & Fortunate (Caine and Gordon). For the first five or so minutes, these four would have great comedy that would get the audience into the show and make them feel at ease. It was needed as small, inexperienced audiences need as much encouragement as they can get to realise that it's ok to make noise and it's ok to let yourself go at a wrestling show. I'm still not sure if this comedy segment, before the wrestling got going, was intentional but it worked better than if they would have just started wrestling straight away.

Chardonnay

Positive/Negative: Girls Matches

I've only really seen one good ladies match in my wrestling fandom. I don't even count the abomination in the WWE at the moment in that. Generally, I really want to like the ladies matches on UK shows but it's really difficult to. That's not to say that they shouldn't try, but I think there's a reason that they only get one match (if that) on most shows. It's a harsh reality, but as one of the wrestlers said to me after the show, it's not that 'believable' when girls are in the ring. The positive to this match was that there were some decent wrestling sequences in there. Some of the best of the night, in fact.

Positve: Justin vs Lomaxx (And Justin's Sh*tty Springboard 450 Splash)

I really like matches when there are two big men and one has that slight size advantage – you know he's going to kick the sh*t out of the slightly smaller guy for ten minutes! It reminds me of Iestyn Rees matches against, say, Big Grizzly or Richtor. He's a big guy, but he's up against someone bigger (and stronger?) and it's going to be a mission to overcome the odds. Justin had the same situation. I particularly liked Lomaxx vocalising how easy it was to shove Justin away. I think it was needed to show how dominant he was, and was going to be for the remainder of the match. It also made the audience hate him and think he was a cocky, over-confident dick.

The match would come to a close with Justin finally slamming Lomaxx after several teases. This got quite a good pop, as was desired. The impressive looking visuals continued as Justin finished the match with a Springboard 450 Splash.

Yeah ok Justin, You did good. Show off!

Positive: The Teacher and The Student

The System's Dom versus Matt Ridler wasn't billed as such but this was that type of feel. You had twenty-year veteran Dom taking Ridler to school at times with some no nonsense moves along with some tasty chops that I could feel in the back row. I was really looking forward to this match in particular as I'd seen them putting it together before the show. I kind of knew what was coming and it made complete sense to me. Matt looked good throughout but got the sh*t kicked out of him by the more experienced guy, who would pick up the somewhat dominant win. It's how these matches should always pan out with experience coming out on top nine times out of ten. As long as the younger guy comes out looking better then it's job done.

Additional positve for Tom (Logan) for his presence at ringside. At times I thought he was a bit too much, but there was a lot of confidence in everything he was saying (shouting) when getting the audience to cheer or boo. He even cracked out an impressive, and unexpected, American accent to berate one person in the crowd. Unlike a lot of trainees I see, Tom is a bigger guy that, with the right training/guidance, can be a good addition to the show in future. All the hair and facial hair helps in my book, too. There's just not enough beards in wresting at the moment...

'Mr Wales' Iestyn Rees

Positive: Bad Guy Iestyn Rees

I did some pre-show notes on Friday and one of them was about Pro EVW having the same heels and babyfaces in all the time that I've seen them. This isn't necessarily a bad thing as people will get fairly familiar with these battle lines, especially when they want a little continuity from show to show. For as long as I can remember, Iestyn has been a face for Pro EVW mainly as part of The Alpha Males. On this night, Iestyn would become 'Mr Wales' and attack 'The Swiss Pornstar', 'Fat Les', 'The Shark' Chris Andrews (Mr England) to set up the main event of England versus Wales. It's a simple thing to do and a nice change to see someone cross from face to heel (for one night only?).

Negative: The Champ Isn't Here

or

Positive: Working Around Setbacks

I don't know the ins-and-outs of it and it's none of my business, but the new Pro EVW Champion Charlie Garrett wasn't at this show. This disappointed me as I was looking forward to seeing him before the show and also versus Chris Andrews in the advertised main event. Regardless of this, the show and set of matches that happened were more than good enough. There were six matches with something for everyone. There were such talents as Iestyn Rees, Chris Andrews, The Magnums and UK Dominator along with up-and-comers Matt Ridler and Logan; trainees used in the right way.

Again, in my pre-show notes, I had this big speech about how Charlie being champion sets up some nice possibilities. You could have him against former champion Justin Sysum. There's also a match that could take place against the guy that he beat for the title, Sam Bronson. The most intriguing is if Iestyn were to stay heel (or turn heel on Charlie) and there's a jealousy match between The Alpha Males. Some good possibilities for those that like a bit of continuity with their wrestling shows.

Results

• Pro EVW Tag Team Championship: Fame & Fortunate (Robbie Caine & 'Gentleman' Gilligan Gordon)(c) defeated The Magnums ('Filthy' Chris Walker & 'Dirty' Dick Riley)
• Chardonnay defeated Nadia Sapphire
• Justin 'The Hammer' Sysum defeated Lomaxx
• JD Knight defeated Sam Bronson
• Dom (w/ Logan) defeated Matt Ridler
• Team England; Chris Andrews & The Magnums defeated Team Wales; Iestyn Ress & Fame & Fortunate

Another nice little show in a new venue. Not the biggest attendance; I'd have thought around 80 were there, but that's not a bad thing for a new venue, especially as they usually draw around 200 at their other, regular venues. This show reminded me of how good a Pro EVW show can be and that I need to get my ass down Gloucester way more often. As I said before, when I've gotten around the majority of the country's promotions I'll have a better idea of where is worth my time. I have no doubt that Pro EVW will always be on that list.

Lomaxx

Please check out Pro EVW on Facebook and Twitter and look out for any future events. A very good family show that does the simple things well and sends everyone home happy, everytime.

Support British Wrestling

@jimmosangle

COMING SOON - Part Two - Sunday 26^th October – Kamikaze Pro – Birmingham

The Review I Didn't Do...

So, it's been a couple of weeks since I went to the Pro Evolution Wrestling show in Trowbridge and I still feel weird and bad that I didn't do my usual weekend of wrestling post.

Despite not doing it, I still felt the need to tweet the guys from the match that I regarded the best of the night - The Alpha Males (Charlie and Iestyn) against The Firm (Martin Stone and Sha Samuels). This match was supposed to be the main event of the evening but had to be brought forward due to outside factors, and you could see that it would've been a hell-of-a main event!

I've only really seen Sha once before and he didn't get too much of a look-in (this was when he replaced Nathan Cruz at a recent PROGRESS show). This time he, along with Stone, were tremendous. From the moment they came out to challenge the Alphas they gained heat and hatred from the crowd; they were genuinely scary. Both shouting 'EAST!!' and getting right in the faces of the fans was brilliant to watch - this is how I like my heels!

Leading up to the match was great; the match was superb and was head-and-shoulders above the rest; the finish was great and after running the East Londoners out of ringside, the Alphas looked solid Tag Team Champions as a result. I would happily see Stone and Samuels team up to take on the Alphas in the future - excellent match!

I really needed to give them four guys huge appreciation in them paragraphs.

A situation from that show that really left a nasty taste in my mouth was when a certain 'name' of British wrestling didn't show and could've put the show in the sh*t. Luckily there was a more-than-adequate replacement at the venue to fill the void. Now, I don't know all the details of why, and maybe things have been resolved now, but if the reasons for the no-show are as suspected at the time then that is awful and unacceptable. It's something that should never happen if British wrestling is to gain a good reputation and not be seen as a shambles. But, I suppose you don't have to worry about where you're booked when you reach a certain level.

I genuinely hope that things have been resolved as far as this situation goes and the right thing has been done since...

Support British Wrestling

@jimmosangle

My Weekend of (British) Wrestling 32: Pro EVW

Saturday 24th May 2014 - Pro EVW - Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire

I got myself along to only my second Pro EVW show this year on Saturday. In my attempts to get along to as many different wrestling shows, it has been difficult to juggle shows that fall on the same day. This coupled with life getting in the way has meant that this show was long overdue!

I always feel a level of loyalty when I do go down to a Pro EVW show as this is where I first got to see 'behind-the-scenes' of a wrestling show and I'll always be grateful for that. It's always nice to go along and see the likes of Tom (Logan), Kayleigh, Chris (MC), Chris (Ref), Lee (big), Lee (small), Justin (Hammertime), Smudger and of course, the gaffer, Robbo. It's nice to catch up and see how previous shows have gone. On Saturday, I was told how great the previous nights show had gone with Justin going up against former WWE star Chris Masters. In his time as champion, Justin has been fortunate to step into the ring with some pretty decent, and experienced, competition. He's always come out looking great and learning something along the way (I'd hope?!).

Although Saturday's show could've been seen as a lesser show, there were still huge talents on display. Unfortunately, the Ross-on-Wye locals wouldn't come out in force as the audience was the least I'd seen at a Pro EVW show. As the night went on, they would get more and more enthusiastic, and make as much noise as you could hope for from such a low turnout.

Nixon

The first match of the evening would see 'Wild Boar' Mike Hitchman taking on Nixon in an inter-gender match that I found intriguing. I was sure that Nixon would take a pounding from the bigger and stronger Boar, but there had to be more to this match than just a straight-up squash. Despite Boar gaining the decisive victory, Nixon really showed balls (for want of a better word!); she was resilient throughout and even got some impressive moves in along the way. The audience were a little flat through this match, but Boar and Nixon did wake them up as best they could leading to the second match.

One half of the Pro EVW Tag Team Champions, Charlie Garrett would take on 'Mean' Tommy Dean in the second bout. This would be something completely different from the first match as Tommy would bring the comedy in waves. I'm used to seeing him on local family shows around the Oxford area (and towards Wales) and his act works a treat wherever. It can be said that Tommy has the complete opposite look of Charlie: Tommy having a 'real man's body' compared to Charlie's chiselled, 'earned' look. My girlfriend would agree with this assessment as Charlie became her new favourite wrestler on this night! Both guys should be on more shows across the country for very different reasons!

The third match would be the standout one for me as Big Grizzly would take on the other half of the Tag Team Champions, Iestyn Rees. I really enjoyed this match as, normally, Iestyn is really good at matching men slightly bigger than him for power. He's great at making you believe that despite him being smaller (which isn't too often!) he can still overcome. In this match, both guys did a great job of showing that despite what Iestyn brought, Grizzly cut him off and gave him a kicking that you wouldn't normally see at every opportunity. Iestyn was probably within an inch of being beaten before Tommy Dean would return to beat on him further, causing a disqualification. This would bring out Charlie to even the odds and set up the main event of Grizzly/Tommy vs The Alpha Males (Iestyn/Charlie) later in the night.

After a short interval, we would be greeted with the presence of The System; Logan and Luthor, accompanied by fellow member Tower. They would be taking on Chris Walker of the Magnums and a mystery partner. This turned out to be Ricky Diamond. I took lots of positives from this match. Ricky and Logan are still learning their trade, but unlike a lot of trainees, they look the part and you can see the improvements both are making all the time. I haven't been to a Pro EVW show in a few months and both guys have definitely improved since I saw them last!

'Filthy' Chris Walker

Walker also impressed me. With the crowd needing waking up after the interval, Walker would constantly rally them behind Diamond, as he took a beating in the ring, with "Ricky" chants. This gained everyone's support and would help get everyone invested in the rest of the shows matches.

The fifth match would be an impromptu Pro EVW Championship match between Justin Sysum and Sam Bronson. During a raffle draw, Bronson would charge to the ring and hold Nixon (from earlier) hostage, threatening to harm her unless Justin would grant him a title match. Justin agreed and the match commenced with Bronson giving Justin a beating throughout. This was a good match but the finish would baffle me a little. Justin is as babyface as you can get in a wrestler/champion; he's a fighter, a fair guy and does everything by the book. On this occasion he rolled up Bronson due to interference from Nixon. In all the time I've been watching wrestling, this is the exact thing that a heel manager would do to distract the popular champion before 'stealing' one. The Ross faithful seemed happy enough with the win, but it did puzzle me a little.

The Alpha Males; Charlie Garrett & Iestyn Rees

The main event would see the Tag Team Champions, The Alpha Males take on their foes from earlier in the night, Big Grizzly and Tommy Dean (collectively, The Welsh Warriors).

All in all this was a nice tag team contest and reminded me of tag team wrestling from when I was a kid. One guy (Charlie) would take a beating for 80% of the match before tagging in his team mate (Iestyn) who would eventually get the win. This really worked and went well with The Alpha Males' new tag-line of 'bring back 80s wrestling'. I think as heels, this line will make more sense, but as I have just described how the match went, it also worked as a babyface team. When Charlie eventually got to Iestyn to tag him in the audience gave one of the biggest pops of the night. That's a huge thing missing from wrestling these days that just WORKS.

Results

• 'Wild Boar' Mike Hitchman defeated Nixon in an inter-gender match
• Pro EVW Tag Team Champion Charlie Garrett defeated 'Mean' Tommy Dean
• Pro EVW Tag Team Champion Iestyn Rees defeated Big Gizzly by DQ
• The System; Logan & Luthor (w/ Tower) defeated 'Filthy' Chris Walker & Ricky Diamond
• Pro EVW Championship: Justin 'The Hammer' Sysum (c) (w/ Nixon) defeated Sam Bronson
• Pro EVW Tag Team Championship: The Alpha Males (c) defeated The Welsh Warriors

A nice return to Pro EVW for me. They always deliver and put on a nice family show. Also a little shout-out to Ref Chris - I have no clue about refereeing but I liked his authority over the competitors and his counts didn't seem as rushed as I'd seen them before. Another shout-out to MC Chris - I'm not sure if it's his accent that makes me think this, but he seems to have his own ways of doing things at times and it's nice to see. He seems 'into' the show and does add something to the presentation of the show.

A third shout-out to the masked cameraman... I know who you are; you're not fooling anyone...

If you haven't already; get yourself along to a Pro EVW show. Find them, follow them and like them on Facebook and Twitter, too.

Support British Wrestling

@jimmosangle

Jimmo's Angle Special: Interview: Chris Andrews

Chris Andrews

During my journey through the best (and sometimes worst!) of British wrestling, I have been lucky enough to rub shoulders with some great talents; experienced, inexperienced and underrated. It dawned on me whilst looking at this months 'One to Watch' in Fighting Spirit Magazine (plug!) that there are some great young, and unearthed talents that warrant showcasing in this way. I hope, in some small way, that I can give a little spotlight on such talents and maybe get them the recognition and exposure that they deserve.

I met Chris Andrews about a year-and-a-half ago and was instantly impressed by him both as a man and a wrestler. Although I can't claim to know him very well, I have always felt sure that he is a kind, polite, at times very quiet guy, that has a desire to do his best in everything that he attempts. I've always been sure that he has the look and skills to take him far in wrestling. I'm pretty sure that if you read any of my weekend of British wrestling reviews I have never had a bad word to say about Chris. This isn't due to a need to ass-kiss, but because I am genuinely entertained and impressed by what Chris brings to shows.

When Chris enters to his (usual) music of 'The Power', you're instantly blown away by the physical presence he has: clearly, Chris looks after himself and is a great example to any young and aspiring wrestler of how a you should look. If Vince McMahon is into big, chiselled, muscular wrestlers then he should look no further than Chris! I had quite a few questions for him that he was kind enough to get back to me on:

Jimmo's Angle: What got you into wrestling?

Chris: I think my Gramp used to record WCW in the early hours of the morning for me. My first real memory was seeing a match between Nailz and British Bulldog while my dad was flicking through the satellite channels. I asked if we could watch it and I then became a fan. The first big show I remember was Summerslam 92; shortly after that WWF did a world tour where they held a show in the Westpoint Arena, Exeter. Me, my brother, best friends and dads went to watch. There were some massive stars there: Legion of Doom; Shawn Michaels; Bret Hart; Yokozuna - all the big names except The Undertaker, which I remember being disappointed about; I wasn't really old enough to appreciate it, though.

How long have you been wrestling for?

9 years

Who trained you? Where did you find out about wrestling training?

I was trained by the UK Kid in 2005 at the VPW School of Excellence in Portsmouth. I knew I wanted to start training for a long time before I managed to start full-time. I did a few weekend camps at FWA [Frontier Wrestling Alliance] etc. Then a small school started in Exeter where we were trained by guest trainers each week, one of them was The UK Kid. He saw potential in about six of us including my brother Sam and close friend Joel Redman [WWE/NXT's Oliver Grey] and took us to Portsmouth to start full-time training.

How long did you train before being 'show ready'?

I was lucky really as I was a fairly gifted athlete growing up so found the physical side natural and seemed to pick up the movements and timing quickly. I think Tom (UK Kid) took us up there at the beginning of March and I did my first match on a show in May.

Did you feel ready when you debuted?

I felt ready; I don’t know how ready you can be really. Like a lot of trainees, my first match was with my trainer so I could be pulled through it and made sure I got a good pasting throughout [laughs]. I remember wanting to know everything that was going to happen in the match and memorise the whole thing. You don’t really start to understand the psychology and drawing real crowd emotion until you work a lot of shows so I didn't really get why we couldn't just do that; its all part of learning.

Early memories?

I started working for All Star, wrestling a lot to start with and usually did either one, or both, of the Butlins Minehead shows each week. That was great experience for learning how to control the crowd and share a dressing room with some very experienced veterans. I was lucky enough to wrestle some great talent very early in my career, one of which was against Daniel Bryan. The massive one for me (due to him coming off WWF TV/being in TNA at that time) was Billy Gunn. It was such a big opportunity for any wrestler let alone someone with only a few months experience in wrestling.

Impressively suplexing Dave Mastiff

What companies have you worked for?

I don’t think I could list them all but VPW (Varsity Pro Wrestling), RQW (Real Quality Wrestling), All Star, Premier Promotions, Wrestling.IE (Ireland), DWA (Devon), Pro EVW, LDN, Pride Promotions, Kamikaze Pro, House of Pain: Evolution, Wrestleforce, PWA (Plymouth)...

What companies do you see as the best/most established in the UK?

All Star have been running for years and run shows everyday so they would still have to be considered most established.

Who would you like to work for that you haven't yet?

There are a few companies that have caught my eye. Unfortunately, everyone else also wants to work for them, too; they include PCW, ICW, Rev PRO and Southside.

You're now branching out more-and-more from the South-West; what factors do you give credit for this?

Getting rid of my fuel guzzling truck [laughs]. I guess it probably comes down to having more time for wrestling; the more shows you do, the more people see you and the more shows you get offered. I drastically cut down my bookings around 2009 to free up some time to build a house for myself. I couldn't afford to take time off work for this so my evenings and weekends were pretty much taken up by it. It was a hard decision but I had to think about the future and there are no guarantees with wrestling. I was still able to squeeze in some shows but it was more like one-a-month or a small tour than the two-to-three shows a week I had been doing. When I finished the house I could get going again properly with wrestling.

Who are your closest friends in wrestling?

I don’t know if they would really be considered “in wrestling” as they were already my friends before and we got into wrestling together: my brother Sam Andrews and good friend Joel Redman. They are obviously both lifelong friends. The only other wrestlers I'm close to - who came to my wedding - are Nick Riley, PJ Jones and UK Dominator. I met them in about 2009 through Joel. I have recently been travelling with Iestyn Rees a lot, and have been joined by Nick [Riley] and Chris [Walker] (collectively, The Magnums), and Charlie Garrett who are all good company. I remain good friends with Tom (The UK Kid), too.

What are your ambitions in UK wrestling?

Mainly to enjoy it; it's hard to say something like “to make a good living from it” as the money isn’t really there in Britain at the moment.

What are your ambitions in wrestling overall?

I would love to think I could make a good living from it. As I said before the money isn’t really there to do that in England so it would really mean moving overseas. I still want to give it a go and definitely won't write it off.

Biggest achievement to date?

Being asked to go to WWE try-outs and being invited back. Also, obtaining work in wrestling overseas.

What established wrestlers have you competed against?

Billy Gunn, Bob Holly and D'lo Brown (for VPW), Daniel Bryan and Sheamus (for All Star), and Kid Kash (for PWA) would be the most well-known due to them working with WWE. I have also been lucky enough to work with top British talent such as James Mason, Doug Williams and Karl Kramer.

You're wrestling TNA's Gunner soon; what are your thoughts on that?

Yes, that’s for a show in Plymouth for PWA on Sunday 4^th May. I'm really looking forward to it! Anytime you get to work with someone who has made it into a good position in the business can only be a good thing. He looks like a big, tough guy so should be good. On that show I am also looking forward to being introduced by Duke Nukem [laughs] - Jon St. John is doing the MCing who did the voice for the video-game.

• TNA's Gunner's message to Chris Andrews (link)

As I've said before, Chris is a top talent in the UK. Maybe his name hasn't reached as far as it should have by now but that will surely change the more people get a chance to see him perform. He has the look and experience that should be used on more shows across the country. He has had great opportunities against some big names that have been stars and are currently plying their trade in the biggest organisation in the world (WWE).

If you would like to know and see more then look out for him on local shows, Facebook and Twitter (@chris84shark)...

Support British Wrestling

@jimmosangle

My Weekend of (British) Wrestling 26 - Pro EVW: 'The System' Debut And Dominate

Saturday 22nd February 2014 - Pro EVW - Merchant's Academy, Withywood, Bristol

As the weeks and weeks went on, and this show got closer, I got more and more excited. I hadn't been to a Pro EVW show in about five months and the trip down to Bristol to see one was long overdue. There was an added excitement as I was told a few days before by talented MC/Ring Announcer and Manager (and my good friend), Hank McCoy that we were to perform commentary for the show. As I say, this excited me but also worried me a little - although I can write a couple of thousand words on here with ease, I'm always a little worried that I would freeze-up when having to talk for too long! But I would definitely give it a good shot...

Getting to the venue we would bump into some of the usual faces, and it was really nice to see everyone, as always. There were also some faces that I hadn't expected to see but were a welcome surprise anyway - Big Dog/Two Ton Tank was set to be on the show and this pleased me as it brought something different to a Pro EVW show. I was just glad that I wasn't doing the music/entrances for the show or there would be a potential beating in store for me if I were to mess his music up again!

The show got under way and we were instantly in for a treat with Chris Andrews facing one-third of 'The System' - the new faction in Pro EVW - Dom; formerly UK Dominator. Accompanying Dom to the ring was fellow System member, Tower. This is a fitting name as Tower is around six-foot-six or so.

As with every Chris Andrews match, this was a hard hitting, straight-up brawl; it was only ever going to be this as he faced the smaller, but dominant bully in Dom. At every opportunity, Dom would slow the pace down, gain the referee's attention and allow Tower to get involved to keep Andrews down; giving Dom the advantage at every turn. This, as good as, handicap match continued all the way to the finish when Dom would distract the ref long enough for Tower to deliver a huge Big Boot to Andrews to gift the win to Dom. This was a very sneaky win but was the first example that The System will do WHAT they want, WHEN they want.

The second match of the evening saw the technical master, 'The Professor' Gilligan Gordon taking on one-half of the highly popular Alpha Males, Charlie Garrett. In similar fashion to the first match of the evening, Gordon would slow the pace right down and dictate everything throughout. Eventually, he would get the win by gaining an advantage from the ropes.

The Tank

Things were not great so far for the fan favourites and it didn't look like getting any better as Pro EVW Heavyweight Champion, Justin 'The Hammer' Sysum would defend his title against, potentially, his biggest challenge yet - The Tank. The name is simple enough, but when you see this guy you will understand why he has this name - a huge, near 500-pound giant; and hugely tough-to-budge.

The Tank would dominate Justin throughout, punishing the lower back. This kind of strategy was only going to favour Tank and give Justin very little to work with if he was going to retain his championship. There were even chances for Justin to gain a count-out victory; this was something Justin refused to do - it seemed that he was willing to risk his championship reign for the sake of getting the three-count.

Against the odds, Justin did manage to get some shots into The Tank, picked him up for an impressive slam, before finishing his much larger opponent off with a modified splash from the top rope. Another impressive title defence for Justin.

During the interval, Hank (McCoy) and myself assessed our performance on commentary to that point and we (or more so, I) were surprised at how well we thought we had done! I was fully expecting to have little to say, but we both played off each other well and called the action, putting everyone over, all at the same time... fingers crossed that the audio comes out well as this would be a nice touch to the DVDs that Pro EVW produce. A step in the right direction.

After a short break, it was time for the arrival of the other half of The Alpha Males, the captain Iestyn Rees to take on another member of The System, Logan (flanked by Tower). This match really interested me as it would be Logan's debut on a show and he could not have asked for a better opponent than Iestyn. Despite being a first outing, Logan did really well before being helped out by his fellow System members to beat-down Iestyn and cause the disqualification.

The Alpha Males; Charlie Garrett (left) & 'The Captain' Iestyn Rees (right)

This would bring out Charlie Garrett to make the save, but the numbers were just too much as the three System members were helped out by Garrett's opponent from earlier in the night, Gilligan Gordon. The night was getting worse and worse for the faces, before Chris Andrews would rush to the ring and help the Alphas clean the ring of the new, dominant force of Pro EVW. After a few, short, to-the-point words from Garrett, we had our main event of the evening set - a six-man tag team match between The Alpha Males and Chris Andrews against System members Dom and Logan (with Tower) and their partner, Gilligan Gordon.

Another debut would be seen as 'Mystery' would come to the ring to face Sam 'The Man' Beech. Young, exciting, high-flying Mystery entered the ring with confidence and style and instantly gained the audience's support. Unfortunately, the mysteriously masked one wouldn't get much time in the ring as the more experienced Beech would completely dominate him, working on the lower back before locking in a back-ripping Camel Clutch for the win.

On a side note, it was really nice to see someone work a body part for a reason - to lock in a submission move that should and did get the win. Simple and makes complete sense!

The main event was a really nice culmination of what had gone on throughout the show. The Alphas and Andrews had been screwed out of wins and beaten down by The System members and Gilligan Gordon all night and this was the opportunity to get some revenge before the night was done. Unfortunately, for long periods of the match, The System would show more dominance by cutting the ring off and working on Charlie Garrett. Just when it looked like there was no hope, Garrett would manage to tag in Andrews who would gain the advantage for his team... and when it looked like things were firmly in the faces favour, The System would make it even easier by WALKING OUT on Gilligan Gordon... a Chokeslam, a TKO and a rib-crunching Spinal Tap later and The Alphas and Andrews would gain retribution for the night. Really exciting and pleasing main event to send everyone home happy!

'The Professor' Gilligan Gordon

And on their debut show, The System showed that they will do what they want and not let anybody, or anything get in their way. This is really nice to see something new and different in Pro EVW (not that the usual things on the show don't work, but it's really nice to see that the odds will be stacked against the faces in Pro EVW from now on).

Results

• Dom (w/ Tower) defeated Chris 'The Shark' Andrews
• 'The Professor' Gilligan Gordon defeated Charlie Garrett (Alpha Males)
• Pro EVW Heavyweight Championship: Justin 'The Hammer' Sysum (c) defeated The Tank
• Iestyn Rees (Alpha Males) defeated Logan (w/ Tower) by disqualification
• Sam 'The Man' Beech defeated Mystery
• The Alpha Males & Chris 'The Shark' Andrews defeated The System (Dom & Logan) & Gilligan Gordon (w/ Tower)

Overall, a really nice return to Pro EVW for me. It was nice to do something different, too (commentary), and I'm really confident to give it another try if needed. When I started to watch British wrestling shows, I always wanted to help out in some way but didn't know what my calling was... obviously, I do this blog and I really hope that it helps in some way (no matter how small!). The commentary gig, no matter how long or short it might be for, makes me happy that I can help out in other ways, too.

I really want to give a shout out to Logan (The System) as I've seen him in training with Pro EVW and I've heard of his commitment to the Pro EVW cause and credit is due. He's a young guy who really wants to put the work in and learn this craft and that's such a great thing to see. This brings me to a very cheap plug for my article on THE IMPORTANCE OF TRAINING in British wrestling: Importance of Training article with Iestyn, Dom and Gilligan.

If you haven't already, please give this a read, like and share and spread the message. I managed to thank Iestyn, Gilligan and Dom for their responses and input into that article in person at the show and I hope they know it was very much appreciated.

The next Pro EVW show will be next Saturday evening (March 1st) at the Capital Venue in Gloucester for the 1st anniversary of the Kamil Memorial show. Stars retuning on that show will include JD Knight and a debut for UK star Sha Samuels... well worth a look!

Support British Wrestling

@jimmosangle

Jimmo's Angle Special: Interview: The Importance of Training

It's been a while since I've conducted an interview in the category of 'Important Aspects of British Wrestling'. In the past, I have looked at the referee and the MC (Master of Ceremonies). Lately, it has dawned on me that, what could be, the most important aspect of them all should be addressed - training.

The reason that this needs focus is because over the course of the last year, my travels might not have taken me far (yet), but I have seen various wrestlers on various shows in the South of England. I have also heard some worrying stories with regards to the quality of training in British wrestling. I decided to get in touch with some guys that I have been lucky enough to meet, and chat with, over the course of that year - Iestyn Rees, Gilligan Gordon and The UK Dominator - and pick their brains about the importance of good, reputable training before starting off on the journey to becoming a wrestler.

Jimmo's Angle: Gents, thank you very much for your time! Let's start at the beginning: How long have you been wrestling for? Who trained you? How did you find the training?

Gilligan: I have been wrestling for eight years in May of this year. I started training at 4FW under Dave Sharp, James Dunn (JD Knight) and The Saint. I moved to SAS under Rockstar Spud, Charming Don Charles and Dave Mastiff (the latter has had the most input over the training in my career). In addition to these, I spent time travelling around with Al Snow, Nick Dinsmore (Eugene), Doug Basham and Vito (amongst others). I used to find training quite natural, being in a lot better shape than I am now. It was easy to get into as a result of having previous sporting experience playing rugby.

Dom: I have been wrestling for about twenty years and I was trained by Bully Boy Briggs. I found the training one of the hardest things in my life. It's not like the training they do today, it was much harder back then; you had to show that you can be a wrestler, not like today do.

 

Training back in the day was like this: After a four-hour drive to Doncaster, I had to start with a warm-up of running around the ring 100 times, touching each post. Then one-hundred press ups, four-hundred squats, and two-hundred sit ups - that was just the warm up! Then a three hour session on different things; sometimes you might do a session on just punching strikes so you could master it. If you got it wrong then you'd have to do more press ups but that was the norm. Then I had to wrestle for three years before I even got paid! On the way to venues I would get kicked out of the van a mile away from the venue and given a time to get there; if I didn't make it in the time given then it was another fifty press ups but that's the way it was if you wanted to be a wrestler. If he [the trainer] said carry the bags then you would carry the bags; if he said jump your reply would be 'how high'! You wouldn't moan about it or you'd get kicked out - it's not like now; if you don't like something, you just move to another wrestling trainer. Back then there wasn't many around so you had to do anything to get in the game. Also, if you walked into a venue it was up to you to walk around the room, introduce yourself, and shake the hand of everyone in there - to not do this was showing disrespect! Respect nowadays doesn't even seem to come into it. Respect for other wrestlers etc just isn't there. That's what I miss about the old times - the respect and crack.

Iestyn: I started wrestling training in July 2005 and had my first match in November 2005. I trained at the 4FW Academy under Dave Sharp, James Dunn (JD Knight) and The Saint. The training initially took place all day on Sundays 10am-5pm, in Swindon. I learnt the basics; break falls, chain wrestling, takedown and the simple moves. Once you could master those effectively we worked on match structure and working towards getting ready to perform on shows. The training was hard but I was lucky that there were a group of trainees that had either started just before me or just after, so we progressed well as a group. All of the group progressed on to 4FW shows around the same sort of time, I was then lucky enough to get to work with some of the best up-and-coming talent at the time - Dave Mastiff, Martin Stone, The Kartel (Terry Frazier and Sha Samuels). Working with these more experienced wrestlers really allowed me to progress at a quicker rate.

I then began to get bookings in a few companies and continued to work with more experienced guys and progress further, this included wrestling for Allstar Promotions across the country, IPWUK in Kent and the short-lived South Wales Championship Wrestling. It was the travelling to and from the shows with what became a regular car team of myself, Gilligan Gordon, Dave Mastiff, Joel Redman, Referee Chris Roberts plus many others that allowed us to discuss the show and our matches. This dissection of the matches really helped me improve. The match dissection continues to this day and is a great tool in helping me continue to refine and improve my wrestling.

Gilligan Gordon

Looking back, how essential do you feel that training was?

Gilligan: Imperative! Not just for the physical aspect but because that was how I made my connections. It was how I found my way into some of the places I did in the early years. Meeting people, networking, socialising – all the aspects of the business that get taken for granted and people don’t understand. I learned more of what not to do by observing others in training than I did anywhere else. So I did the opposite.

Dom: It was what made you what you were, it was hard. What more can you say? Most, if not all, the trainees of today would walk out and never come back.

Iestyn: The training I received, and still do receive from more experienced guys, is paramount to the continued improvement and evolution of my wrestling. There is always more to learn and ways to improve.

What do you feel are important factors when starting out to be a wrestler? What advice would you give to wannabe students?

Gilligan: Ask someone in the know first if they are reputable. Pro EVW (Gloucester), House of Pain (Nottingham), AllStar, Brookside’s (Leicester), Fight Club/AWE (Midlands) and 4FW (Swindon) to name a few around the country (not an exhaustive list!). Then when you get there: study, work hard and commit. Engulf yourself in it. Don’t be afraid to switch off from time to time but if you want this you have to commit 110%. Watch as much as you can but make sure you are absorbing it. Train as much as you can, but don’t burn yourself out. Speak to as many people as possible, but never out of turn. Be nice and make friends. Ask for advice. Take everyone’s advice but don’t necessarily listen to it all. And stay in shape. When you get on shows – KEEP IT F*CKING SIMPLE!! Learn how to work every match on the card 1st, 2nd, Main… wherever. Then do that match when you are booked there.

Dom: Give everything, never give up, don't expect anyone to give you anything. Go out and get it for yourself; you will get lots of promises that will not be delivered.

UK Dominator; 20+ years wrestling

Iestyn: Do some research into the schools you could attend. When I was starting I went on the internet found the three most viable schools that were possible to attend. I looked at their websites and I chose the school with most professional looking set-up and wrestlers they produced. At the time I had little-to-no knowledge of British wrestling as it was then. Nowadays there are more schools - good and bad - but the product is much more visible (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc) therefore I would suggest to all potential trainees to research the schools; find out who the trainer is; has he been working a long time for respected companies? Have any of his trainees also progressed to work for well-known companies? Are the facilities of a good standard?

The advice I'd give to potential trainees is get yourself to a basic level of physical fitness so you are able to perform basic body weight exercises squats, push ups etc for fifty reps at least as a minimum. Secondly, be prepared to get things wrong and be criticised; the skills you need to wrestle are very different that of most activities you will have undertaken. Therefore, you will make mistakes. Expect constructive criticism and take this on board - your trainer/coach is trying to help you.

Do you think there is a problem with youngsters going to the wrong places/people to get trained? Are there any measures that can be taken to stop this from happening?

Gilligan: Yes, there is a problem. It’s like germs – if you don’t clean up they spread. I have had a fair few accusations thrown my way and I maybe a hypocrite in some of the things I say about staying in shape but when it comes to training I have a grounding that means I can say people need to get the proper advice. Measures? Not unless the whole thing becomes Governed and regulated by a proper authority.

Dom: Trainees will train then think they can be trainers; you will always get this, it will never stop until the top promoters get together to stop it, or a governing body is set up.

Iestyn: There is a huge problem with poorly trained people that start their own schools who don't give the correct training for young adults attending their schools. The only way to stop this would be to have an independent governing body which would advise on the necessary skills and requirements needed to be a Professional Wrestler and then a Professional Wrestling Trainer. Unfortunately, I can never see this happening.

Basically, how important is it to get the right training?

Gilligan: Essential. In all aspects of the business. A lot of it people can’t teach you, you have to learn as you go. But that comes with experience and you won’t get the experience without the training. Sunrise/sunset.

Dom: Look around you and have a look at the shit that's going around. You can tell the ones that have had good, decent training and the ones that have had bad training.

Iestyn: As I've eluded to above, the right training is essential. If you are taught the basic fundamentals poorly you won't be able to progress to the more complicated aspects successfully. Therefore, you become a danger to yourself and, more importantly, your opponent. Furthermore, you will leave a bad impression of wrestling in the minds of paying customers of the shows you work on. Therefore, those customers are less likely to support British wrestling in the future.

Do you have any success stories of people that you have trained and if so could you share them?

Gilligan: Justin (The Hammer) Sysum. His story will write itself. (The Monstrosity Known As) Richtor went on to end his run at a higher quality level than anyone ever anticipated. However, I would say I have “helped out” more people than I would dare claim to have trained. A group of us travelled the road together; helped each other out in so many ways. We affectionately called ourselves “Car Team” – me, Dave Mastiff, Iestyn Rees, Sam Beech (at various times in the past also Chris Roberts, Mark Haskins, Spud (TNA), Joel Redman (WWE/NXT's Oliver Grey), Derice Coffie, T-Bone and Mad Man Manson). I was a couple of years behind some of them but we progressed together. Look at that list of names; that’s a top quality card anywhere in the country.

Dom: I never trained but did help out Drew McIntyre (WWE) with some words of wisdom; how to show-out and improve showmanship. I can also say the same with regards to Joel Redman.

Joel Redman has found success in America

Iestyn: I have had a small hand in helping out some up-and-coming wrestlers who I feel have the potential to go as far as anyone in the business. Two of those would be Justin Sysum and Charlie Garrett. The physical abilities of these two athletes are comparable to another wrestler who I have spent a lot of time with and that is Joel Redman. He was the epitome of hard work and determination and you can see where those traits have gotten him.

Finally, how rewarding is it to see someone succeed and progress?

Gilligan: My legacy will likely be the successes of others. I like to think I have had a positive impact, despite my indiscretions and disagreements, and that I have been part of a group that really helped to remind people that the wheel is round.

Dom: It's an amazing feeling to see people further their career in wrestling. There's also a bit of jealousy!

Iestyn (right) with up-and-comer Charlie Garrett

Jimmo's Angle: You can see from these answers that with the correct training you have a much better chance of progressing in your wrestling career. Dom, Gilligan and Iestyn have all pointed out at various times how hard it is to get anywhere - quite simply, you have to want it, work for it and have no excuses.

I really hope that the right eyes see this article and take the advice of these guys. Between them they have around forty-years worth of experience - there is an enormous amount of useful information that they could give you; and they're not the only ones. As they have said, search for the reputable companies (as they have listed some above), ask about their experience and choose a training facility and trainers that will train you in the appropriate way.

Facebook pages for the above companies/potential trainers:

• 4FW (Swindon)
• Pro EVW (Gloucester)
• Fight Club Pro (Midlands)
• House of Pain (Nottingham)
• Brookside's School of Wrestling (Leicester)

Above everything, ensure that you get the right training from credible trainers. As Iestyn pointed out in the interview: with the wrong training '...you become a danger to yourself and, more importantly, your opponent.'


Support British Wrestling
@jimmosangle

My Weekend of (British) Wrestling 23 - What's to come in 2014?

It feels like forever since my last 'Weekend of Wrestling' post, but after looking through my archives I've noticed that it was only the end of November at the much needed, family fun show that James Mason and Alan Ravenhill put on in Brackley!

James Mason (photo: Superkick.co.uk)

As I've stated many times, these shows are a winner in anyone's book, and it's probably this reason that I put it in another category to anything else that I watched at the back-end of last year.

I need to make a confession before I move on into 2014: I fell out of love with British Wrestling towards the end of 2013. I think I felt a little burnt out from doing a show review after every show I went to. I contemplated stopping doing them but who am I kidding; the next show I go to WILL have a review conducted - good or bad - so I might as well pick myself up and get ready for a resurgence in 2014!

In all seriousness, a few things really bothered me about British Wrestling towards the end of last year. I'm going to do my best to not name names or promotions but it'll probably be abundantly clear who I'm talking about based on my previous ramblings! As I've stated several times (almost to cover my arse from the too-obvious comebacks that I'm likely to get on the matter) I am not a promoter, never plan to be, and have never run a show. I have, however, been around a fair few people that have. I've also got an idea of basic costs of shows. This is why I hear things, total-up costs in my head, and find myself fuming at some things in British Wrestling. It really bothers me that people do not seem to learn from their mistakes, continue to do things the same way, and believe in their own crap due to having [sort of] 'back-up' from people in 'higher places'. I can't think of a better way of putting it than that so that I don't name names...

A huge probem that really offends me (even though it doesn't directly affect me) is that some promoters still have the nerve to NOT pay the talent that have been on their show. This is completely unacceptable and it baffles me why talent would continue to work for companies where this happens.

Both of the above things had me shaking my head to the point where I had to step back and take a break... only giving Welsh Wrestling (under Mason/Ravenhill in Oxfordshire) the benefit of my time as (1) it was just up the road from me and (2) it's simple, easy to digest, good family fun that you cannot help but smile your arse off all the way through. It's well organised with no egos.

Now I've got that off my chest I wanted to focus on what I've seen in 2013 and what I'm hoping for in 2014:

2013

Last year was the first year where I went to shows on a regular basis. Don't get me wrong, I'm fully aware that I only went to shows that are fairly local to me, but still, I went to a fair few and a few different promotions.

In Oxfordshire, I went to shows in Banbury (NBWA) where I saw an underrated triple-threat match between Justin Sysum, Kenbai and Sam Wilder, as well as several other shows in the county for GSM/Welsh Wrestling. In Birmingham, I had the privilege to see the finest live match I've ever seen when Emi Sakura defeated Shanna (yes, a ladies match!) for AWW, as well as a huge babyface reaction for the usually unpopular Magnums at a Kamikaze Pro show!

The Magnums got a huge ovation at this show

A lot of my 'Weekend of Wrestling' posts were devoted to Pro Evolution Wrestling shows down in Gloucestershire (and surrounding areas), though. This is a promotion that I have a lot of time for and I am sorry that I haven't been down in a few months - this must change in 2014! I've seen a lot of good stuff on these shows, including anything The Magnums do (I have no shame in being a Magnum mark), Chris Andrews' theme music and great little matches involving Justin 'The Hammer' Sysum against Andrews, as well as one against former TNA star Doug Williams.

With the addition of The Alpha Males (Iestyn Rees and Charlie Garrett) to the tag team ranks, I expect more great shows from Pro EVW this year! (cheap plug: my interview with Iestyn is my most viewed article - give it a read, like it, and BOOK HIM on your shows - a really nice guy and top UK talent!)

2014

In 2014 I hope to get to a lot of shows as I did last year. The difference with this year is that I hope to get further a field and see something different. Ref Paz - the Safest Hands in British Wrestling - showed me a Progress Wrestling DVD a few weeks ago and this is a promotion/show that I would love to go and see. I'd also like to get up to House of Pain Wrestling in Nottingham as well as Southside Wrestling.

I'd even like to get up to Preston and see Preston City Wrestling (PCW) - a bit of a trek but one that I think would definitely be worth my time.

Basically, the aim this year is the same as it's always been - to promote British Wrestling. That being said, bad shows need to be exposed, too, and I'll continue to call them out. There's no point in sugar coating problems and saying something was good when it was complete and utter shite. By doing anything other than this would be doing British Wrestling a disservice.

Thoughts

There seems to be a debate at times about where British Wrestling is at. I completely agree that it is on the rise and doing well - we have such great talents in this country; too many to list - but we must be aware that there are a lot of cowboy promoters; WWE-wannabe promoters, if you will; that are making wrestling in this country look like a joke. That sort of thing needs to stop otherwise international talent will lose faith in us. Luckily, there are a lot of companies that are making a genuine effort to give British Wrestling a good and reputable name.

Sometimes I think that a TV deal is the only thing missing from putting us on the map in a big way in the world of wrestling. That ever happening remains to be seen as it is still a very American pastime that has been gone for a generation in this country.

Now that I have gotten through this post, I feel more positive about 2014. I think it'll be another good year for British Wrestling, hopefully making further progress and getting the good name of wrestling in this country recognised by more and more people - in this country and abroad.

Hoping to get along to one of their shows...

I look forward to getting to more shows and extending my readership - hopefully with people enjoying what I write as well as it encouraging people to get along to their local - and not so local - wrestling events.

If anyone has any views/comments or would like to get in touch over the great subject of wrestling then please feel free to comment in the field below, contact me on Twitter (@jimmosangle) or 'like' the Jimmo's Angle Facebook page!

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@jimmosangle

My Weekend of (British) Wrestling 21 - DWA (Devon)

Saturday 19th October 2013 - DWA (in association with Pro EVW) - The Factory Petroc, Barnstaple, Devon

Last night saw me take the longest trek yet for a wrestling show - Devon. Waking up at 5am to go to work, followed by a quick shower and a three-hour drive to Devon, two-hour show followed by another three-hour drive home; eventually getting home at 2am this morning; doesn't seem like the best of ideas! I don't think it's something that I could do that regularly, but this show was well worth the trip down.

I was keen to see how the DWA did things differently. For starters, the venue was a good size and seemed to have a stage appropriate to showcase the entrances of the wrestlers. This spacious building was easily going to house over 200 fans - which it did with an audience of over 260 ready for the evenings show.

The card would see four simple singles matches with the main attraction of the night being the TLC (Tables, Ladders and Chairs) match to determine the number one contenders to The Andrews Brothers' Tag Team Trophies. This would see the sleazy Magnums going up against the new, and impressive, Alpha Males.

Justin 'The Hammer' Sysum vs Richtor
The opening bout featured two young and up-and-comers in Justin 'The Hammer' Sysum and The Monstrosity known as Richtor. As Richtor came through the curtain to start this match, I could have sworn that there was a gasp from the fans in attendance; taken aback by the man's presence and size. Whoever Richtor was to face would surely be in for a troubled night? Justin would come out to strong support from the Barnstaple locals and would not let them down with his efforts.

The early going would show what both men were about - Justin dodging Richtor's advances with speed before Richtor would finally catch him and use his size and strength to good use. Usually, Justin would be the aggressor as he's no small man either, but he more than met his match in the tougher Richtor. There would be an impressive show of agility from Richtor, too - jumping from the floor to the ring apron, kicking Justin in the head in the process. After quite a battle, Justin would gain the win after successfully slamming Richtor - a la Hogan/Andre - on the second attempt. Good opener.

'The Winner' PJ Jones vs 'The Saviour' JD Knight
This match started out in the typical way of PJ claiming to be a winner - being very vocal about this point at close range to some of the fans faces. For some reason, the whole audience here were adamant that PJ was, in fact, a loser. This would infuriate PJ, throwing a tantrum and demanding MC Hank McCoy reiterate that The Winner's Circle regular had to be a winner.

Chops: JD Knight

For me this match will be remembered for the chops that both men gave - particularly Knight's, whose chops were probably heard up the road in Tiverton! Unfortunately, Knight would miss a top-rope leg-drop; resulting in PJ launching him into the turnbuckle post and rolling him up for the handful-of-tights-three-count. Decent flowing second match.

DWA Trophy match: 'The Shark' Chris Andrews (c) vs 'Big Daddy' Bainsley
Before this match started, Bainsley, flanked by his Magnum brothers; 'Dirty' Dick Riley and 'Filthy' Chris Walker; would come to the ring to promote The Magnums participation in the TLC match later that night. Bainsley would then question why he had no match for the evening and would go onto challenge the biggest dog in the DWA - Chris Andrews. The DWA Trophy holder would then make his way out to answer the challenge - stating that he had wrestled the likes of Billy Gunn and Hardcore Holly; why should he need to take on the rotten, sleazy Bainsley?

True to being the champion that he is, Andrews would ask the fans' opinion on whether they would like to see him kick Bainsley's ass - a question that was answered with a resounding cheer. Match on.

Going into this match, it would seem that Andrews would have an easy outing against the third Magnum. This would play out in the early part of the match before Riley and Walker would reappear from the back with bad intentions. At various times, Bainsley would distract the inexperienced Ref Dom long enough for The Magnums to wear Andrews down, thus giving Bainsley the firm advantage. This would last until Ref Dom caught The Magnums in the act and ejected them from ringside. Bainsley's momentum would die shortly after, falling victim to Andrews' Stalling Suplex, a Sharpshooter attempt (Bainsley getting to the ropes) and a very mpressive Fallaway Slam Pin.

Miraculously, Bainsley would gain control again, almost winning the Championship after a World's Srongest Slam. This comeback would be short-lived as Andrews would hoist Bainsley up for the TKO. Ordinarily, this would be the ending, but Bainsley showed great ring awareness by placing his foot on the bottom rope at the critical time. A short time later, Andrews would finally get him up for a definitive TKO, this time in the middle of the ring, to retain his DWA Trophy.

The Magnums would return to the ring to deliver a beating to Andrews before The Alpha Males would storm to the ring to make the save and stare down their TLC opponents. This would be to a, somewhat, flat reaction, though. This would be rectified with the TLC match later in the evening. Big credit should go to Andrews and Bainsley here as this could've easily been a squash, but Bainsley was very convincing when he had the upper hand, beating on Andrews, whether he was helped by his fellow Magnums or not.

'Gentleman' Gilligan Gordon vs Sam Andrews
Leading up to the main event, you would expect a match that would bring the fans down a notch. This achieved that, but in the wrong way.

'Gentleman' Gilligan Gordon (photo: Tony Knox)

Gordon would come to the ring to his usual Star Wars theme and would incite the the fans from the offset. Unfortunately, Andrews wouldn't take advantage of this; coming down with little enthusiasm and energy. As a result of this it made the match really flat and awkward at times.

The positives that I will take from this, though, were the heat that Gordon achieved throughout the match as well as the popularity of Sam Andrews. I hate to knock anyone when watching shows, but I couldn't dispute the love and excitement that the fans had for Andrews before and throughout this match - this was confirmed when he got Gordon up for The Jackhammer and pinned him.

TLC match to determine the Number One Contenders to the Tag Team Trophies: The Magnums vs The Alpha Males
I'd already seen these teams battle it out the previous week in a normal tag team match, and I was expecting good things from this one, too. I wasn't disappointed as this match was the war that I expected it to be and the fans would expect from their main event of the evening; both teams showing how important it is to become tag team champions, by first earning the opportunity to face the champions.

In a Ladder/TLC match, it must be difficult to come up with new and innovative things to do, but both teams seemed to have come up with unique, exciting and, at times, hilarious spots. One such comedy moment happened when 'Filthy' Chris Walker brought a small ladder into the ring to attempt to grab the briefcase (hanging above; holding the contract in it). Unfortunately, Walker would climb to the top of the ladder and realise that he was probably a couple of feet away from reaching the case! In his embarrassment he would call for 'Dirty' Dick to fetch him a bigger ladder...

There would also be tables destroyed with Charlie Garrett being Powerbombed through one by both Magnums, and then 'Dirty' Dick would get wood after receiving a Spinebuster from Iestyn Rees.

Towards the end, 'Big Daddy' Bainsley would enter the fray to aid The Magnums and would help lift Riley to the top of the ladder so that he could reach and unhook the briefcase for the win and secure The Magnums' opportunity at the DWA Tag Team Trophies. Awesome main event - well done to all four guys for the effort that went into putting on such a flowing and brutal match. Match of the Night.

NEW number 1 contenders: The Magnums (photo: Superkick.co.uk)

Results

• Justin 'The Hammer' Sysum defeated Richtor after a huge bodyslam
• 'The Winner' PJ Jones defeated 'The Saviour' JD Knight after a roll up (with a handful of tights)
• DWA Trophy match: DWA Champion/Tag Team Champion 'The Shark' Chris Andrews (c) defeated 'Big Daddy' Bainsley after a second TKO
• DWA Tag Team Champion Sam Andrews defeated 'Gentleman' Gilligan Gordon after a Jackhammer
• TLC match to determine the Number One Contenders to the Tag Team Trophies: The Magnums; 'Filthy' Chris Walker & 'Dirty' Dick Riley defeated The Alpha Males; Iestyn Rees & Charlie Garrett when Riley gathered the briefcase - new number one contenders - The Magnums

A very enjoyable show and evening down in Devon! Other praise going to MC Hank McCoy - a very assured performance as always but something seemed extra confident and polished last night. I firmly believe that this type of showing adds to the professionalism of the show in general.

Also, a very professional performance from the rookie Ref Dom - despite having a trouser malfunction (TROUSER SPLIT OF THE NIGHT) in the first match, he would dust himself off and fit into fellow Ref, Paz' spare trousers very snugly to continue with his evenings duties! Congratulations to Ref Paz for completing another show without splitting his trousers...

The Ultimate Rulebreaker applied the rules on this evening...

For more information on upcoming DWA events and news, please visit their Facebook page - DWA - Devon Wrestling Association

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@jimmosangle