Powerhouse Portraits with Superkick.co.uk

With all my ramblings and criticisms in and around British Wrestling, it's time to give a shout-out to someone that can help the wrestlers really add something to their image and "selling power".

My friend (and soon-to-be yours), Paul Green is a very underrated photographer, who is learning more and more skills to add to his already impressive list, all the time. He never settles for second best and neither should YOU!

Take a look at the links below and invest in something that WILL help you progress and be taken seriously on your path into, through, and to-the-top of British Wrestling... that is what you want, right?

Superkick.co.uk - Powerhouse Portraits

Superkick.co.uk - A Session with Kay Jutler

Examples of Paul's work:

The Magnums on their recent photoshoot

One of Kay Jutler's impressive shots

Support British Wrestling

@jimmosangle

The Positives and Negatives of NBWA: Passion For Glory

Sigh.

NBWA continues to give me good and bad in equal measures. This is good for me as it gives me a chance to adopt a 'positive' and 'negative' layout for this post that I did for the last NBWA show I reviewed. Things have improved somewhat in that there doesn't seem to be an authority-figure anymore (or maybe he just wasn't on this show), certain costs seem to have been cut; which is a good thing if NBWA want to continue. Also, running every two months seems a smart move.

Ok, let's hope the positives outweigh the negatives...

Positive: James Mason is handsome
These are not my words. Although he does have a great haircut. On the drive home, my girlfriend pointed out that James Mason, is indeed, a handsome man. Who am I to argue with her? He does kind of model himself on me, I suppose.

James Mason is now the No. 1 Contender

Positive: James Mason in an opening match on the show
Ok, I'm starting to kiss James' arse too much here! But, the bottom line is you cannot go too far wrong in getting James Mason to start your show. In all of the shows where I have seen this, the audience 'wake up' and are into the show. It's a win-win for any promotion across the country. Added to this, he was up against one of NBWA's best (and there aren't many) in Kay Jutler.

During the show, I received messages from Jutler apologising for his performance if it didn't impress too much. I have to say that I really enjoyed the match that he and James put on. They both look the part and both can wrestle - what's not to like here? He also said that instead of the usual pre-match planning, their match was, pretty much, called in the ring. This pleased me and I think should happen a lot more. I realise that pre-planning is the norm these days but how can you plan in advance how an audience will react? Surely calling things in the ring gives you the opportunity to read the crowd from minute to minute and adjust accordingly?

Negative: Samson
There had to be a negative coming, right?

The second match started with the arrival of TAW (Milton Keynes based wrestling show) 'stars' Samson and Nightshade. As they walked to ringside, I wasn't sure if I was to like them or not. Their facial expressions were (kind of) unhappy, but it didn't gain any reaction from the Banbury audience.

During the match, things didn't get much better. I HATE judging wrestlers on wrestling because I'm not a wrestler, but when you see such obvious crap, it's easy to point out. Samson was wooden, stiff (looking) and it felt that he was half-arsing simple things like throwing a clothesline. There were also lazy, idol threats from him that he was going to make Dragonita 'tap out'. He said it with such a lack of enthusiasm. This pointed out to me the worth of having TAW guys on this show.

Positive: Sancho... I love you, Sancho!
The standout thing in this match was Sancho. For a family show of this kind, Sancho is such a great addition. He is enthusiastic (to counter his opponent's lack of it) and he's into the character. It's a really silly character but it just works. It's one of the only times on NBWA shows that I remember grinning from ear to ear.

Negative: Street Fight or
Negative: Frankie Fellasarno vs Kirk Langley again
Take your pick from the two options. Where shall I start here?

Is 'Street Fight' secret code for 'we can't wrestle so, to hide this fact, we're going to have gimmick matches and f*ck them up, too'? I really don't get how this 'feud' has gotten to this point. Is there nothing that these two can do other than go against each other? The last show that I went to (in February) saw these two against each other. During Frankie's Facebook Promo (lol!) he said that this has been brewing for over a year-and-a-half. Why, oh why do we need to see it over and over again??

AND THE NEXT SHOW WILL SEE A LAST MAN STANDING MATCH BETWEEN THE TWO. Oh joy.

I suppose I should be grateful that, unlike Frankie's 'classic' hardcore match with Mike Mason, there wasn't half as many weapons used in this one. The bottom line is that these gimmicky matches only show the lack of wrestling that these guys can do. Frankie being a little over with the Banbury audience doesn't quite cut it, I'm afraid.

Negative: Psychology (part one)
Don't start a match with a f*cking Powerbomb, boys??!! Where do you go after you've delivered a move like that?? Also, nice to see someone kick out of someone's finish easily (just a typical two-count) when it's been delivered to them ON A CHAIR...

NBWA Cruiserweight Champion: Mr E (credit: Superkick.co.uk)

Positive: Dan is becoming a Man
Although I really don't appreciate paying to see trainees on a show where they're billed as proper wrestlers, I was pleased to see Dan The Man's improvement. Dan is a young lad that seems very keen to learn and to better himself. He does appear to have trimmed down a little and this is a great step in the right direction. Praise should go to Adi, too, for taking him under his wing and trying to do the right thing with regards to progressing his development. I would still say that in order to improve further, a good and reputable wrestling school should be attended. Keep up the good progress, Dan.

Negative: Cruiserweight Championship contested in a Heavyweight match
Maybe this was just the case on this show, but it seems that NBWA have a Cruiserweight title but are having un-Cruiserweight style matches.

For me, when you think of cruiserweights, you think of Rey Mysterio, Chavo Guererro or Billy Kidman. These guys fly around all match long, it's exciting, it's fast-paced. Mr E vs Dan The Man wasn't. It was passable as a match but if you're going to have a slower match, almost like others on the card, then surely you should have a mid-card, Intercontinental title style championship going forward.

Negative: Managers ignoring the Referee's authority
Towards the end of the Mr E vs Dan The Man match, referee Paz was forced to throw Dan's manager, Lady Lucy Becksworth(?) out for excessive interference. When he did so it was long overdue. The interference was too obvious at times. The thing that bothered me about her throwing out was that, despite the fact that she should have left to the back, she continued to stand at the entrance way, screaming for her client and taking the attention away from the match due to the ring announcer and others trying to herd her to the back.

If, when ordered to the back, you remain at ringside, it completely sh*ts on the referee's authority. Don't do it.

Negative: The Darb, The Child and The Nipples
The penultimate match of the evening saw a tag team match with a few more guys (from TAW?) and 'Skinny' Johnny Searle. This match probably offended me the most.

First of all, the guy with 'Hunter' on his shorts had a proper darb (gut; belly; no abs - you get the point?) and was just awful (maybe worse than Samson). His tag team partner (The Nipples) was a lot better but was just too far mixed in with the other ingredients that I didn't care. And then there was NBWA's own Johnny Searle...

ANOTHER example of someone that should not be on wrestling shows. I'm sorry to say this but if your arms are the girth of some people's c*cks, then you do not look like you can win a fight, and that's the point of wrestling, right? You should look like you should be able to handle yourself; you should look like you could win a wrestling match. Why should people pay £10 or whatever to see guys 'play' wrestler?? Insulting.

Positive: Taylor Made
This guys was enthusiastic and, at least, tried to get the audience to give a sh*t about this match. He also tried his hardest to get Searle over (with his own fans). Not sure of his wrestling involvement apart from dropkicks, but he was definitely a diamond amongst all the sh*te. 

'Filthy' Chris Walker (credit: Superkick.co.uk)

Positive: Men wrestling men
The main event saw 'Filthy' Chris Walker vs 'Showcase' Stu Oddyssey. This was one of the two matches that I looked forward to leading up to this show - along with Jutler vs Mason - and I knew that it wouldn't disappoint. I remember seeing these guys go up against each other five years ago on the BAWA shows (also in Banbury) and they still put on a decent match today.

Positive: 'Killer' Stu Oddyssey
I absolutely loved when Stu came out for this match and just stared Walker down. He looked angry (understatement), intense and like he was about to MURDER Walker... what more do you need to start a match? I've always seen Stu as a natural heel and I really hope that can happen sooner rather than later as he just has that look. Big, mean, angry, no-sh*t-taking bad guy is what he's best suited for. No way can I see him as a smiley, happy, baby-kissing goody goody that he has been for the last year-and-a-half.

Positive: Psychology (part two)
Walker worked on Stu's knee throughout the match and this was never forgotten about. I see it far too often when someone works a body part and, a few minutes later, it's completely forgotten about and they have miraculously shaken it off. Stu, thank you for making me believe and think that it could be a problem later in the match.

That's all I've got to say about that show. Better, but still a looooong way to go. There are plenty of talented guys out there that could be booked and do a fantastic job... just saying.

Support British Wrestling

@jimmosangle

Here We Go Again...

I'm off to NBWA (New Breed) later this evening, a wrestling show that is as local as it's going to get for me; just forty minutes up the road in Banbury, Oxfordshire. For those that have read my previous 'weekend of (British) wrestling' reviews, you'll know that I have been very critical (constructively) of NBWA in the shows that I have been to... hopefully after tonight's show, that can change (maybe) and I can start to say nice things!

Going into tonight's show, I'm a little cautious about how things are run now. From looking at the previous shows, I can see that there hasn't been a need for a 'star', former WWE this or WCW that on the card. This is a positive as I don't feel that smaller shows need these types of 'stars' as the majority of the audience won't have a clue who they are. But that's an article for another time...

I'm aware that they have a partnership (?) with TAW, a Milton Keynes based wrestling show, but I'm unsure about what they bring. We'll see tonight, I suppose. With TAW's involvement, and NBWA being under the NWA banner (I'm still not sure the worth behind that), I sometimes wonder what NBWA bring to these shows themselves.

I believe the changes above are because of the change of booker/runner-of-the-show. Unless I'm mistaken, Adi is now 'in charge' and I think this is a much smarter move than what was going on before. I like Adi and am willing to give him a fair shout. I'm glad that he's been given the opportunity to put a wrestling show together that will attract more fans and balance the books in the process.

I also came across a promo on Facebook, where Frankie Fellasarno delivered a warning to his opponent for tonight. I'm still a little confused about how "pulling down the bottom rope" can cause someone a loss...

Frankie's words for Kirk Langley (link)

Also, what's up with Frankie being friends with Kirk on Facebook... Kayfabe and all that, boys...

@jimmosangle

Heels acting like heels...

I've really gotten into podcasts just lately, with JR's, Steve Austin's and Chris Jericho's being the top of my list. After listening to several from the last few months, I'm finally catching up and will be up-to-date with the latest ones in the next couple of days!

Today I finished JR's chat with Lance Storm from last week. I only really saw Storm in the WWE (from 2001 onwards) so am unfamiliar with his work in ECW and WCW, but from everything that you hear or read, he seems a great 'student of the game', as JR would say. This podcast was really interesting and brought up two excellent points. The first is one that JR repeats every week on his podcast, but is such a great point and more relevant now than ever before:

Heels acting like heels
I completely agree with JR's take on heels. For him, heels should cheat to win (at times) and portray the bad guy at every turn. He and Lance point out that Bray Wyatt's 'He's Got The Whole World In His Hands' being sung by the audience or Cesaro's Swing (or, for me, Swagger and Coulter having the audience participate in the 'We The People') are detrimental to what they should be trying to achieve - being a hated figure.

Storm points out that if the audience join in with a song, such as Wyatt's situation, then that part of the act should be changed immediately.

Bottom line is, if the heels are being cheered, even a little, then the babyface isn't going to be rooted for as much as he should. If the heel is hated, as should be the case, then the audience will want nothing more than to see them get their comeuppance. The payoff will be that much sweeter.

Wrestling schools
Throughout the podcast, JR plugs Storm's wrestling school several times. This pleased me greatly. I've done a couple of articles on the subject of training and the importance of it, and this furthered that point and, hopefully, pointed some youngsters in the right direction. Storm's school is in Canada, so a little far away for most in the UK. There was also mention of Booker T's school in Texas and The Dudleys' school, too. I'm not sure where others are in America, but it seems that, if you really want to be in the business, there are plenty of REPUTABLE places that you could go to learn your trade.

I hope that the UK can boast the same one day. We do have some schools that are worth your time if you're serious about becoming a well-trained, SAFE wrestler, but there are also the shoddy, should-never-be-touched places that lead youngsters to believe that they are receiving the 'right' kind of training. I get that money can be an issue in this scenario, but don't settle for second (or third or fourth) best - get the best training possible from guys that have been places and know their stuff.

@jimmosangle

Match of the Day: Bret Hart vs Mr Perfect

After a discussion, round a mate's house, about our favourite wrestling matches, I've decided I'll throw a few of my favourites on here. To kick this off, I'll start with the match that got me into wrestling. I'm not sure if I was a Bret Hart fan before this match or if this is what made me one, but their Summerslam (1991) match entertained the sh*t out of me and still makes my hair stand on end!

Bret Hart vs Mr Perfect - Summerslam 1991

I have always been a Bret Hart fan and this was his first crowning glory for me. It was the start of his ascent to the top of the WWF. It was also from a time when the Intercontinental Champion was a fighting champion; a wrestling champion. Whilst the main event was filled with attractions like Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior and The Undertaker, the mid-card had Bret, Perfect, Piper and eventually Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon would continue the trend of the belt being contested in the 'workhorse' match on the card. To be the Intercontinental Champion, in some ways, was more important than the World title; to be trusted with this belt was a sign of where you should go in the company. Obviously, some fell at this hurdle, too, but for the most, the Intercontinental Championship was a great challenge to see if you could make that next step up.

@jimmosangle

I Don't Get The Logic...

Roman Reigns will compete for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at the next pay-per-view (special event, whatever) in a Fatal Four Way with Randy Orton, Kane and champ John Cena. I don't get it. Why does he have this opportunity?

Was it purely for the pop that it got when Triple H announced it?

It's been a few days since and it still doesn't sit well with me. I even caught the Triple H weekly interview with Michael Cole this morning and his explanation is that it was 'best for business' and all that. He also pointed out: "did you hear the reactions from the WWE Universe for Roman Reigns?". Since when did reactions matter to The Authority? Daniel Bryan got huge reactions for months and months but was never GIVEN title matches against their guy (Orton).

Now, granted, John Cena isn't their guy and they've made that clear, but putting the guy you hate the most (Reigns) in the match doesn't make sense at all. Surely if you want to stack the deck against Cena then the 'hard way' would be Randy Orton, Kane and Seth Rollins, y'know, the other guy that you have in your back pocket. As it stands he doesn't have a match at Battleground (yes, he'll probably be against Ambrose, but as of THAT moment, he didn't have an opponent).

Roman Reigns

If there was a further reason to add to why Reigns shouldn't be in the match, then it's that he is directly feuding with HHH. Bryan was against all of them and the title was the ultimate goal. Reigns has held the belts up etc etc, but his main beef seems to be with HHH (don't let it fool you that Orton is there; they have to give him something to do). That's probably the biggest reason NOT to put him in the match; he is defying YOU.

I regularly read a column by Brandon Stroud (The Best and Worst of Raw - Uproxx.com) and he made the best point of all: Seth Rollins turned on his Shield brothers to 'evolve' and get opportunities; he now has possession of the MITB briefcase, fair enough. But, at the same time, Ambrose had that SAME opportunity and now Roman Reigns will have had TWO title matches on consecutive pay-per-views... who's getting the best deal there??

Was this match made the way it was simply because you have to have two babyfaces and two heels in these types of matches?

@jimmosangle

WWF Magazines For Sale On Ebay

Just to get more eyes on this...

I am currently in the process of putting some old WWF Magazines on Ebay. They are from the back end of 1999 through to the first half of 2001.

The Rock cover; July 1999

I've only put the ones from 1999 on Ebay so far just to test the waters and see if there is any interest... if so then I'll be putting the others on.

The Brood cover; August 1999

If you're interested or know someone that might be then search for me on Ebay and check out the magazines that I have on offer! My Ebay username is 'jimmo2004'... search for this and take a look! OR click this link to get straight to the items: Jimmo's Ebay items (link)

Mick Foley/Mankind cover; December 1999

@jimmosangle

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

Fantasy Booking

Not done much content on here for a bit so thought I would do something short and sweet...

I've just got through Money in the Bank; really good show, kept me interested for the most (apart from Layla vs Summer... yawn) with two pretty decent ladder matches - especially the MITB ladder match.

Obviously Cena won (anybody in any doubt of that??) and we'll get our Cena vs Lesnar Summerslam match, that, let's face it, is the best it was going to be. Sorry to the people out there that was hoping for a Cesaro or a Wyatt or a Roman Reigns win but that just wouldn't have been the best thing right now. Great to 'make' someone at anytime but now's not that time.

I got thinking about Wrestlemania next year with all the talk of Reigns going for the title then. Fair enough. What gets him to that point, though?

I'm thinking that at Summerslam it's Brock vs Cena for the title, where Brock gets his win back (not that he should've lost to Cena in the first match?!) and Reigns goes up against Triple H to elevate him. THEN, Brock (in his limited appearances) comes back here and there and destroys everyone put in front of him (because, y'know, he broke the streak and should be IMMORTAL now...), even getting to the point where The Authority can't control him so they enlist the help of the only guy that they feel could get the job done: Roman Reigns...

You know, that 'we hated each other, but you proved me wrong and you are someone to be reckoned with' kind of thing... LEADING to Reigns' big moment at Wrestlemania 31 where he beats the unbeatable, streak-ending, champion of this, champion of that Brock Lesnar, becomes a 'star' in the process (?) and hopefully gets a better run than Daniel Bryan had this year...

@jimmosangle

My Weekend of (British) Wrestling 33 - Triple X Wrestling

Sunday 1st June 2014 - Triple X Wrestling 'Kick Him In The Face' - Club M, Coventry

Usually, I do a review of every show I go to pretty much the day after I attend. This time around I couldn't bring myself to. This has no reflection on the show itself as it was a very entertaining one full of comedy, smark-enjoyment and, of course, wrestling. It was topped off by a fine match between Zack Sabre Jr and Low Ki. Much like my last outing at PROGRESS Wrestling (London); Jim Smallman summed this type of contest up extremely well when introducing Sabre Jr vs Devitt: two of the best WRESTLERS in the world would lock horns; no storylines needed; just great COMPETITION - Sabre Jr and Low Ki would exemplify this further.

So, the problem with doing a review this time around was 100% my problem. I'm starting to bore myself with the layout of my reviews. Every show, I go through the matches, in order, and give my take even if there wasn't much to take from it. I'll be the first to admit that I have no business trying to break down what is going on in the ring but I try my best to interpret it anyhow. My aim is more to put across, and put over, my experience of a show and why, nine times out of ten, you should part with your money ans invest in British wrestling.

Basically, I need to freshen things up, enjoy the shows (even more than I do) by watching with more focus, and emersing myself in the goings on instead of the continual note-taking. Therefore, I want to start focusing on the couple/few things that REALLY catch my eye.

So, despite this review being a couple of weeks late - also due to life getting in the way! - I'd like to give praise to the things that really stood out at the last Triple X show:

Eddie Dennis
I've been fortunate to see Eddie at a few different shows and I enjoy every outing, because whether he is a babyface or a villain, it's entertaining and really funny. I particularly like him as a heel due to how easy it is to gain abuse from the audience. Eddie being Welsh obviously makes it easy to direct sheep noises and similar chants his way. The one that tickled me the most was the "Baaaaaaaad Wales" (yes, in the style of a sheep's cry) chant. As simple as it is, it creates a back-and-forth between the fans and Eddie that gives him a chance to berate the fans, and if you can get past laughing at him, you soon hate him a little more as a heel - ready to cheer his opponent (even if his opponent on this occasion was a 'bit of a c*nt').

Tyler Bate
I'm not sure if I'm biased when it comes to Tyler due to him being my girlfriend's favourite wrestler (in the VERY short time that she's been watching) or whether his youth and talent just plain impresses me?!

Along with Dan Moloney, Tyler is another youngster that I admire as he's clearly putting in the time at the gym as well as learning how to wrestle. At only seventeen, he's already a great example to guys in their twenties as to how to go about being a wrestler the RIGHT way.

I also love how they're (wrestling promotions) using him in an obvious way; he IS young, he IS strong; so his gimmick of being a young, strong 'wonderboy' of wrestling is a natural extention of himself. It's also great to use if and when he gets beaten by a more experienced guy; his youth can be used against him but will be all the more impressive when he overcomes obsatcles. I would guess that Triple X are building him up to eventually take on Dennis for the title, with Chris Brookes being 'experience' along the way.

Best of the Rest

• Shout-outs for Dave Mercy; who is funny as hell in the opening matches that I've seen him in. The first match is meant to wake the fans up, right? Mercy has certainly done this each time I've seen him - huge credit has to go to his 'Bump 'n Grind' theme that instantly puts a smile on the fans' faces on his arrival to the ring.
• The Dunnes and Hunters put on a great number one contenders match that definitely deserves a mention.
• Match of the night has to go to Sabre Jr and Low Ki. As obvious a statement as this is; these two put on a mesmerising performance. It was more of a mat-based, Japanese (?) style that I'm not familiar with, but these types of matches (along with Sabre Jr vs Pete Dunne (Triple X) and Sabre Jr ve Devitt (PROGRESS)) just captivate me and the audience every time. There's an appreciation I have every time that I find difficult to explain!

Results

• 'Sleazy Bastard' Dave Mercy defeated 'The Toolshed' Benton Destruction by countout
• Scott Grimm defeated Local Jobber #2
• 'The Incredible Wrestling Boy' Tyler Bate defeated Scott Grimm
• 'Flash' Morgan Webster defeated 'Indy Guy' Kieran Young (w/ Rob Hall)
• No. 1 Contendership (for the Triple X Championship): 'Dynamite' Pete Dunne defeated Damian Dunne, Jim Hunter and Lee Hunter
• Triple X Championship: 'The Pride of Wales' Eddie Dennis (c) defeated Chris Brookes (w/ Tyler Bate)
• Chase Alexander defeated 'The Unit' Jim Diehard
• Low Ki defeated Zack Sabre Jr

Another highly entertaining Triple X show; well worth the trip up to Coventry! Thanks to Omer Ibrahim for keeping us entertained between the matches and a 'get well soon' to Benton Destruction.

I URGE YOU to get yourself along to a Triple X show in the future. Find them on Facebook and Twitter; follow them, like them, check out the latest news and shows!

Support British Wrestling

@jimmosangle