#this was the first ddt show/match i watched when i got into current day ddt last year

[sasakidaisuke]

KANON gives Sasaki his hoodie - 4/21/24

[puroresu-musings]

NJPW WRESTLE KINGDOM 14 Night 2 Review (Jan 5th 2020, Tokyo Dome)

NEVER OPENWEIGHT 6-MAN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH/GAUNTLET MATCH: Togi Makabe, Toru Yano & Ryusuke Taguchi (c) vs. Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Robbie Eagles vs. Shingo Takagi, EVIL & BUSHI vs. Taichi, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens  **3/4

JUSHIN THUNDER LIGER RETIREMENT MATCH Ⅱ: Jushin Thunder Liger & Naoki Sano vs. Hiromu Takahashi & Ryu Lee  ***1/2

IWGP Jr. HEAVYWEIGHT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: El Phantasmo & Taiji Ishimori (c) vs. SHO & YOH  ***1/2+

BRITISH HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. SANADA  ****

IWGP US HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Juice Robinson  ***1/4

NEVER OPENWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: KENTA (c) vs. Hirooki Goto  ****

Kota Ibushi vs. Jay White  ****

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Chris Jericho  ****1/4

IWGP HEAVYWEIGHT AND IWGP INTERCONTINENTAL DOUBLE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: Kazuchika Okada (Heavyweight Champion) vs. Tetsuya Naito (Intercontinental Champion)  *****

Photos.

This was an excellent show that, despite being the “deeper” card, ended up not quite being up to the standard of yesterdays phenomenal show, which burnt me out in some respects. Which isn’t a slight at all. It did, however, feature a ton of really memorable moments, a whole bunch of great matches, and an all-time classic of a main event. Things began on the pre-show with an entertaining, but ultimately superfluous gauntlet match for the NEVER 6 Man Titles, which proved to just get as many people as possible on the show. It boiled down to defending champions Taguchi, Makabe and Yano, and the LIJ trio of Shingo, EVIL and BUSHI as the final two teams. To the surprise of no one, the Ungovernables won the most meaningless belts in the company, when Takagi pinned Taguchi with Made In Japan. The main show kicked off with the final match of Jushin Thunder Liger’s career. This was an emotional bout, which really helped enhance the action as if it weren’t Liger’s last outing, it would literally have been just a match. Obviously, the action was driven by Liger’s altercations with Hiromu, and the masked legend was more motivated then he’s been since the Suzuki match in October. Also, Liger’s trainer, Yoshiaki Fujiwara was out there, which made things seem extra special. Lee and Sano both hit dives, but largely weren’t much involved in the bulk of the action. After Liger scored a great near fall on the new Jr Champion after a big Shoutei and a Brainbuster (it certainly isn’t easy watching Takahashi bump on his neck!), Hiromu rallied back with the Death Valley Bomb into the corner, then tries Time Bomb, but Liger turns it into a cradle for another near fall. A lariat from Takahashi follows, as does the Time Bomb, and the long time “Ace” of the Junior division puts the current “Ace” over in the most decisive way possible after 12:16 of very good action. Hiromu got in Liger’s face in the post match, but the former Dragon Lee helped the legend to his feet and bowed to him. Liger then got the mic and thanked everyone for their support over the last 31 years, before heading to the back and signing off on a truly marvelous career.

The Jr tag title match had a difficult time following that emotional ride, as the crowd weren’t too invested early, but it was still a borderline great doubles clash. The story here was Phantasmo getting his comeuppance after a year of being a dick, and the babyface team finally vanquished him to win the belts. The finish saw SHO hit the Daisuke Sekimoto double German Suplex on both champions, and after kicking out of an ELP Styles Clash, he outsmarted the dastardly heel when he no-sold a dick punch, which Phantasmo has been using to win matches for months, including their really great singles showdon in San Jose, revealing he was wearing a cup all along. The challengers took Ishimori out with 3K, then pinned Phantasmo at the 14:08 mark with their new finish; a double stomp/Shock Arrow combo they’re calling STRONG X. The RPW British Title encounter between Zack Sabre Jr. and SANADA was an excellent match. It was quite unlike anything else on either show, and was just a fascinating, mat-based struggle. Super fast paced, and revolving around amazing counter sequences, this never stopped for it’s entire 12:32 runtime, and both guys looked great here. Zack avenged his G1 defeat by retaining over Cold Skull, when they traded a series of cradles in hyper speed, then ZSJ finally locked in the European Clutch to take the win. The Moxley/Juice US Title bout that followed was by far the weakest match these two have had together, and also the weakest match on the main card of this show. It was fine, but felt flat, and Moxley retained when he hit a Double Arm DDT out of nowhere, rolling through into Death Rider and taking the win at 12:48. The post match though, was great, as Minoru Suzuki came out, clearly sore about that DDT Mox gave him at the WTL Finals show in December, locked him in a rear naked choke, then laid him out with the Gotch Piledriver. That should be an interesting match indeed.

Ten years ago, I’d have killed for a KENTA/Hirooki Goto match, and we finally got it here in 2020. It wasn’t anywhere near as good as it would have been back then (mainly due to KENTA’s current physical limitations, and Goto’s staleness), but it was still a great, hard-hitting battle. KENTA stalled early, because he’s a master heel, but it built into a compelling slugfest. The defending champion got a near fall after hitting Shibata’s PK on Shibata’s childhood friend, and a Busaiku Knee, but after a really stiff strike exchange, Goto puts him away after an Ushigoroshi, the GTW, and the match winning GTR at 16:12, and win maybe his 63rd NEVER title, just to continue the rut he’s in. The battle of the double championship losers between Jay White and Ibushi, a rematch of the superb G1 final in August, couldn’t possibly live up to that, given its placement here, and as a result was something of a disappointment, despite being excellent. After Switchblade turned a top rope frankensteiner attempt into a massive Uranage Superplex, and further dropped Ibushi on his head with a nasty looking Sleeper Suplex, the Golden Star battled back with a Boma Ye, then tried Kamigoye, but White pulled Ibushi into referee Marty Asami (who took a bump like he was Curt Hennig), which was the cue for Gedo to run in. He nailed Kota in the back with a chair, who no-sold it, got the “murder eyes”, and floored Gedo with a palm strike. After the ref resurfaced, Ibushi destroyed White with kicks, and hit a stiff Kamigoye, but the dastardly Gedo pulled Asami out whilst he counted. This allowed Jay to throw a chair straight at Ibushi’s head, then Gedo hit a brass knucks shot, allowing White to hit the cross-arm Bloody Sunday and Blade Runner to steal the win in 24:58. Going into this weekend, I theorised that Ibushi was likely the one of the four to go winless this weekend. This is because New Japan do 50/50 booking more often than some would like to admit, and that he had to give his G1 wins back. Ibushi was not happy in the post match.

The semi final saw reigning AEW World Champion Chris Jericho take on The Ace himself, Hiroshi Tanahashi, in something of a dream match with a much talked about potential future title match on the line. I loved this, even though it wasn’t close to being the best match on the show, and both guys have seen better days physically (though it must be said, cosmetically speaking, Tanahashi looks 20 years younger than Jericho), this was a lot of fun, with both veterans clearly having a blast. Jericho took it outside early, hitting a dangerous looking DDT onto the English announce table, but tries a High Fly Flow of his own, and misses. The shot of Tanahashi grinning in glorious fashion because Jericho had missed was tremendous. Tana blocks a Lionsault attempt by dumping Jericho to the floor, then hitting a HFF to the outside. He nailed a series of Dragon Screws, blocks a Code Breaker, and works over the leg with more Dragon Screws. Tana misses the High Fly Flow, and Le Champion hits the Lionsault but the damaged knee prevents him from covering in time, and Tanahashi kicks out. After escaping a Walls Of Jericho, Tana goes up for another HFF, but Jericho turns it into a mid-air Code Breaker. The Ace blocks a Judas Effect and hits a Code Breaker of his own, which busted up Jericho’s mouth, but the former Y2J counters a Sling Blade into the Walls, which Tana turns into a cradle for a 2 count. Tana tries another Flow, but Jericho rolls through into the Walls, and transitions into the high-angle old school Lion Tamer in the centre of the ring. After a mighty struggle, Tanahashi had no choice but to tap at the 22:24 mark. This was great stuff and the crowd were really into it.

And in the main event of the evening, both the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Titles were on the line in a winner-takes-all match between Okada and Naito. This was the culmination of a 6 year (!) story in which Naito promised, after winning the 2013 G1, that he’d beat Okada at the the Dome (he didn’t), which became an obssession to Naito after failing to do so again in 2018. But this year, he was determined to get the job done. First things first, this was an outstanding wrestling contest, filled with amazing drama and emotion, and is the best match these guys have ever had together. With the stakes so high, the crowd were super into this from the get-go and it lead to an amazing atmosphere. This started slow, but picked up tremendously after Okada started working over Naito’s injured knee, even planting him knees first through a ringside table, much to the crowds chagrin, and leading to a great countout tease. After taking a huge missle dropkick, Naito escapes a Rainmaker attempt, but eats a nasty German, which Okada rolls through into another Rainmaker attempt, but Naito turns it into a Tornado DDT. Naito hits Gloria, then a terrifying top rope reverse rana, which Okada lands right on his head for, scoring a great near fall. After escaping a Destino attempt, Okada beautifully dropkicks Naito out of the air as he tries his flying forearm, but eats a running Destino for another great near fall. Naito tries another Destino, but Okada shoves him into the ropes, and hits another big dropkick for the double down. Both men start “selling” exhaustion big, and Naito slaps Okada, resulting in him taking a Spinning Rainmaker. Naito fights back, but Okada turns a Destino attempt into a Tombstone, then hits Rainmaker for another great near fall. Naito spits at Okada, which causes him to start stomping on the injured knee to the crowds dissmay, earning loud boos. He hits two short Rainmakers, but Naito counters a third into Destino, again for a two count. Naito then turns the clocks back five years, and hits his old babyface finish; the Stardust Press (a move he missed at WK12, which ultimately cost him the match), but Okada gets the shoulder up at 2.999 as the crowd goes insane. Naito tries Destino again, but Okada blocks and tries the Fire Thunder Driver, only for Naito to escape and drop Okada on his head again with Valentia. He then lifts Okada up and hits another Destino, this time getting the win at the 35:37 mark and fulfilling his “Destiny” in becoming the first ever double champion. This was outstanding.

What more can be said about Okada at this point? He’s essentially the greatest of all-time, and it’s incomprehensible to think of someone having two matches as good as this and his match with Ibushi yesterday, on two consecutive days. As for Naito, it’s his time to win the big one, as it’s either now or never for him. He’s clearly very banged up, sometimes clearly phoning it in, and the state of his neck and knees is pretty worrying (it’s slightly ironic that someone who is a huge Keiji Muto fan would follow suit in having utterly devastated knees by his mid 30′s). Either way, this was fantastic storytelling and an amazing blow-off to a years-long story arch. Naito in the post match gives a shout out to Okada, and tells him they need to do it again. Okada, who whilst being helped to the back, gives Naito his own fist bump pose in the affermative. However, before Naito can finish his victory speech, evil heel KENTA runs in out of nowhere, hitting a clothesline and a PK, then killing the new double champ with Go 2 Sleep, before sitting on his chest cross-legged, holding up both titles and laughing. BUSHI arrives, chasing off KENTA, then helps a beaten down Naito to the back as the Dome booes loudly. I know a lot of people are mad about KENTA ruining Naito’s big moment (and God forbid Naito fans have something to be mad about), and it really isn’t an ideal wayto end such a historic show, but it’s the perfect way to get KENTA over as a believable challenger, someone who the crowds are sometimes cold towards, seeing him still as an ‘outsider’. But now everyone is going to want to see him get his for ruining such a momentus occasion, and it may provoke the usually tranquil Naito into being a lot more fired up than usual.

NDT

[grapsandclaps]

GRAPS AND CLAPS REVIEWS - PROGRESS WRESTLING CHAPTER 77 "PUMPKIN SPICE PROGRESS".

Hello and welcome everyone to this edition of Graps and Claps, this time taking me to Camden for PROGRESS Wrestling's Chapter 77 'Pumpkin Spice Progress with the huge main event between PROGRESS champion Walter and the SSS16 Winner for 2018 - Zack Sabre Jr. which was a mouth watering prospect on paper and one I personally couldn't wait for as in a surprise I have never seen this match live or on the box which is rare as rocking horse shit in this day and age.

As ever with a trip to London it was a 9 am bus journey to Manchester to catch the 1035 am train to London Euston, thankfully unlike last week's journey to Leeds this went without a hitch and also the happiness of finding a stray £1 coin on a seat on the top deck of the bus - rich beyond my wildest dreams folks. A distinct lack of people from up north made the trip to London for this show, meaning I was drinking on my own in The Black Heart until London friend Steve came in, so I had a good chin wag about the action upcoming and what other stuff had been going on in the world in the past week. Only two pints in here for me both from Amundsen Brewery with the following - 6.5% Apocalyptic Thunder Juice IPA (£6.60) which was really juicy in taste, another winner in the book was a Lorita Pale Ale (£5.40), if you spot any drinks from this brewery make sure you check them out.

Drinks done, it was time to get into the Ballroom and take my position up on the raised perch with Athers for the first time (a great viewing spot if you can get up there early enough). The Ballroom in the time since I last came for the 1978 show has grown a big screen where the sound booth once resided, another happening is a change in the beer lines available with a Sharp's Brewery IPA, Spaten and Franziker Weissbier taking pride of place on the bar which is a welcome move away from the usual Camden Pale. So with that all said let's get into what went down on this cold Sunday afternoon!

First up we had pre-show action with the lesser seen Kyle Ashmore taking on JJ Lynch who I found out ply's his trade in Battle Pro Wrestling down south. Opening part of this contest was the audience shouting out that Ashmore had a resemblance for some reason to Uncle Albert of Only Fools and Horses fame, plus yes it was me who started the 'Baldy Baldy' chant to absolute silence as ever from the London crowd who don't do singing like they used to (Thanks to the Taffs for trying to join in). JJ Lynch impressed me in this first look at him as he hit a headbutt to Ashmore to stun him but Ashmore rolled out of the ring. Back in the ring Lynch hit a Superkick for a 2 count but that was as good as it got for Lynch as Ashmore hit a big JOHN WOO! and then a elevated back cracker to Lynch for the 3 count to end a tidy pre-show match and maybe the best Pre-show match in ages.

After the opening messages from Jim Smallman, we started off with the main card and a change to the advertised match up as Tyler Bate wasn't fit to compete after picking up an injury at Fight Club Pro at the weekend. Instead we had one half of the fearsome Ringkampf duo, Timothy Thatcher taking on a repackaged version of Pastor William Eaver who is now going by the name of 'Present' William Eaver - the basis of this character is that of a upmarket street preacher (A touch of the Bray Wyatt's here) coming out saying that 'Today is the Day' which I initially thought of a great song Eaver should come out to - go and check on Youtube for the Sean Maguire hit 'Today's the Day' which was a popular tune in the 90's.

Anyways on to the match, Timo hit a big T-Bone Suplex and followed up with a Judo throw slam for a 2 to Eaver. Eaver though eventually got the grasps of things as he beatdown Thatcher in the corner leading to Timo to hulk up by slapping the taste out of Eaver's mouth but Eaver retaliated with a Uranage Backbreaker to stun Tim. Tim though came back to hit an enziguri to the back of Eaver's head and then following up with an arm submission to get the tapout victory in around 10 minutes. Was what it was for an opener, even though it is early days Eaver's gimmick I can't say I was sold on it but time will tell for the Former PROGRESS Champion!

Second up was yes you guessed it PROGRESS Women's Division action with Isla Dawn taking on Millie McKenzie with the latter trying to build momentum after not being able to capture the title in the 3-way at Wembley, Even though this match was 6 minutes long, this was a really good match between two women who you will be certain to hear much more from in the future, Isla at one stage locked in a Dragon Sleeper to Millie that was until Millie managed to reach the ropes to break the hold, Millie though made a fightback hitting a couple of crazy back German suplexes to Dawn but as it looked like Millie was on her way to victory, Jinny and Laura Di Matteo made an unwelcome appearance to lay the boots to Dawn and Millie, that was until her Jinny's former House of Couture mates Nina Samuels and Charlie Morgan came down to fend them away making both Jinny and LDM to fall in the arms of Isla and Millie who hit stereo Germans to send them packing to the back.

Sadly no explanation yet to why the House of Couture split up but it will at least be good to see both Nina and Charlie Morgan at least get some wrestling time in PROGRESS instead of mooching around on the ring apron watching Jinny.

Third match was a PROGRESS Atlas Title Open Challenge match with the Champion Trent Seven offering anyone in the back the opportunity to take him on in his first defence of his newly won belt when he defeated Doug Williams at Wembley Arena. The person to take this opportunity was none other than the MCW Heavyweight Champion - Gino " Mr. Juicy" Gambino. Gambino was on the upside of things early on as he hit a couple of running splashes in the corner to Trent, but all that running left Gino with no juice in the tank which led to Trent passing Gino an inhaler only for Gambino to spray this in Trent's eyes (a really good inventive spot).

This temporary blindness for Trent led to Gino being on top for the next couple of minutes but Trent managed to fight Gino off with knife edge chops and a DDT for the two count. At a vertical base Gino flattened Trent and followed up with a big splash to get a two count, as it looked like Trent's reign was in trouble Trent somehow managed to hit a massive suplex to Gino - Christ Almighty! The big spots didn't end there as Juicy hit a Piledriver for a 2 count but that only awoke Trent who managed of all things hit a Burning Hammer to the 330 pound monster from Australia to get the 3 count to retain the Atlas Title - Excellent big lads action that I didn't have much expectation for but this was a BIG thumbs up from me.

Your first half Main Event was for the PROGRESS Tag Team titles with the first defence for Aussie Open (Mark Davis & Kyle Fletcher) taking on the Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson) and also the 17:35pm 198 bus service from Cardiff to London in the form of 'Flash Morgan Webster' and Bill Bailey doppelganger Wild Boar. Lots of green material on show here as the action got underway in the early feeling out process as the match built to a great crescendo with all three teams coming close on a number of occasions to winning the match. 

The Aussies hit a fidget spinner at one stage only to be dragged out of the ring by Gibson, but as teamwork was much needed in this match Gibson who had grabbed a stray chair he accidentally hit his own tag team partner James Drake to possibly plant the seeds for a break up which was hinted at on the USA tour a month or two ago. With the GYV's out of the way Webster was in the ring to hit headbutts to Aussie Open but this had no effect on them as Davis hit the 'Close Your Eyes and Count To Fuck' Piledriver of Doom and then Fletcher joined hit to hit the fidget spinner with Davis t0 end the 198's hopes of winning to end an all action tag match and end a really fun first half of action.

Back from the break we had Eddie Dennis interrupting an entrance by one of the people who pledged money to the Progress Documentary. Eddie who has some valid points, was unhappy at being left off the card despite beating Mark Andrews at Wembley and that he would cash in his No.1 contenders opportunity when he see fit. The crowd even though Eddie in hindsight is supposed to be a baddie, cheered a lot of what he was saying and in a way can you blame them, out of the current No.1 contenders I am certainly more intrigued to see how Eddie's story ends.

Talking of people from Eddie's past we came to a match between two wrestlers who both ended up on the losing side at Wembley Arena with the terrifying Paul Robinson taking on what seems perennial loser at the moment and in need of a freshen up Mark Andrews. In what was a rematch from Chapter 10 and the first Natural Progression Series, we got off to a great start in this match with both Andrews and Robbo hitting dives to the outside with the fans scrambling out of the way whenever Robbo was in the vicinity.

Back in the ring Andrews hit a reverse rana to Robinson for a two count, but as Andrews went up top to hit the Shooting Star Press he was unfortunately straddled by Robinson on the top rope leaving Robinson to hit a Huaracarana sending Andrews crashing to the mat leaving him prone for a Curb stomp from Robinson who duly pinned Andrews in around 10 minutes to get the win. Onwards and upwards for Robinson for now, for Andrews it is back to the drawing board once again to figure out - Who the real Mark Andrews is??

Semi Main time with a No.1 contenders match to the PROGRESS title with the usual faces in these No.1 contenders matches taking part in the form of Jimmy Havoc and Mark Haskins who both gained big wins at the Wembley Arena show, joining them in this three way was #CCK himself - Chris Brookes who last had an opportunity at the big belt at the turn of the year coming close to beating then Champion Chris Brookes (I'm not counting the 3 minutes Walter no contest in Hamburg). On reflection this was a good match, but for me a downgrade from what had followed before it, Jimmy Havoc was on his way to victory that was until Drew Parker came from out of nowhere to attack Jimmy from behind to take him out of the running by dragging his lifeless body up the ramp and through the curtain. With the odds drastically reduced for the remaining two folks in the ring, it was Mark Haskins who was the one get the victory on Brookes as he locked in the Sharpshooter Submission before leaning back to tap out Brookes in 14 minutes.

After the match Haskins got on the mic to proclaim that after all of the setbacks he was back on top of his game once again to hopefully take the PROGRESS World Title in the future, but I have a bad feeling that if he came up against Walter he would end up on the short end of things but we shall see if that materialises.

With the clock striking 7 p.m it was now time for your Main Event with the unstoppable force of WALTER taking on Zack Sabre Jr with the latter coming out to the Idles tune 'Mother' which was welcome relief away from the Casio Keyboard music which is around once again. My god what can be said about this match - duelling chants from the crowd with a 50/50 split in terms of who people wanted to win here, we had chop battles where at times Zack was trying to wind up Walter by saying that the chops were not having that great an effect on his body - at one stages ZSJ gave Walter the middle fingers which would be a death wish for anyone else but this is Zack Sabre Jr. we are talking about here.

Reversals galore by both men, as Zack tried to grab any stray body parts when Walter was on the floor or at a vertical base - Zack is just smooth as silk in this situation. At one stage though as the match reached fever pitch it looked like Walter was ready to tap to another deadly submission from the Technical Wizard but alas the Austrian managed to escape Zack's clutches when at coming up to 30 minutes in the contest Walter hit the 'Fire Thunder Driver' to Zack to end a breathless and enthralling contest to retain the PROGRESS World Title to send the Camden faithful excited at what they had just seen. In closing though on this match, in terms of PROGRESS matches of the year I would put this slightly above Bate vs Walter at Wembley so make sure you go and check this out once it hits the On Demand service in 5-7 Working Days *Terms and Conditions apply.

Wrestling done, it was time to get back on my way to Rochdale getting back in the 'Dale for Midnight to end another long weekend of japes on my travels. So with that said, I hope you have enjoyed reading this review and as ever any comments and feedback are welcome! Until then I will bid you farewell - BYE!!

@oggypart3

#grapsandclaps 

[gdwessel]

Seven Additional Wrestlers Test Positive For COVID-19; State Of NJPW and Other Promotions in State of Emergency

NJPW announced earlier this morning that through continued testing of its performers, seven more wrestlers have tested positive in addition to the two we knew about since last Wednesday. Once again, no names have been revealed, but they did say the wrestlers were either asymptomatic or had mild signs of COVID-19 infection. Everyone involved is in quarantine right now.

I’ve been checking off and on all day, and even at this late hour, the shows for 5/22/2021 in Nagoya (Aichi Prefecture, now under the expanded state of emergency) and 5/24-5/26/2021 at Tokyo Korakuen Hall are still showing tickets for sale. I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that New Japan Pro Wrestling currently has an outbreak of the novel coronavirus and/or its many variants, and there is no way they can safely run these shows. It would be ludicrous for them to run especially since the Yokohama Stadium and Tokyo Dome shows have been back-burnered. They would definitely be playing with fire to go ahead with them.

We could find out soon that these shows will be cancelled as well. The problem is, it doesn’t seem as if anyone else in Japanese wrestling is taking this anything close to seriously:

All Japan Pro Wrestling - Tickets are still on sale for their upcoming Champions Night 2021 show at Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium on Sunday 5/16/2021, as well as a followup show on Thursday 5/21/2021 at Shinkiba 1stRING. 

Big Japan Wrestling - Running a ticketed show on Sunday 5/16/2021 at Tokyo Korakuen Hall featuring two Ikkitousen Death Match Survivor tournament matches that got called off with the cancellation of the 4/26/2021 Korakuen Hall show. Also running in Osaka on 5/22/2021 , Shinkiba 1stRING on 5/28/2021, and in Nagoya on 5/30/2021 (as well as Yokohama on 5/29/2021, which is not currently covered). Various wrestlers are participating in events in other promotions during this time, including in areas under the state of emergency.

DDT et al - DDT ran a no-fans streamed show from Korakuen Hall on Sunday, but have shows in Sendai and Kobe (not covered) and on 5/26/2021, at Tokyo Shinjuku FACE (covered), and two shows on 5/29/2021 in Fukuoka (now covered). Tokyo Joshi has upcoming events in Tokyo and Osaka. Also on 5/29, Ganbare Pro run Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON*STAR.

Dragon Gate - On 5/14/2021, Dragon Gate runs a streaming only show as a make-up for the cancelled Tokyo Korakuen Hall show on 5/7/2021 that was supposed to start the King Of Gate 2021 tournament. Then they will be holding two King Of Gate shows in a row in Fukuoka on 5/15 and 5/16/2021, which as we know has been added to the state of emergency (and were where the initial two NJPW wrestlers were diagnosed as positive). This is followed by several shows in Hokkaido, which are not part of the state of emergency, but again, they are playing with fire running in Fukuoka.

Pro Wrestling NOAH - NOAH are running several shows outside of the covered areas coming up, however these are sandwiched between two shows in Tokyo which still have tickets on sale: 5/15/2021 from Korakuen Hall, and then the Mitsuharu Misawa Memorial 2021 show on 5/30/2021 from Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium.

STARDOM - Bushiroad’s other wrestling promotion cancelled three shows this past weekend from Osaka, however still have a Korakuen Hall show listed for 5/14/2021,  two shows on 5/15 and 5/16/2021 in Nagoya, two more in non-covered areas, and then Tokyo Dream Cinderella 2021 from Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium on 5/29/2021.

Japan Sumo Association - The May basho began yesterday with no fans in Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan, and ran that way today and will tomorrow. The NHK World announcer when I was watching yesterday seemed to be under the impression that fans will be allowed on starting Wednesday but that could change, especially since ticket sales are still suspended at the Sumo Association’s website.

You get the drift here, however, that there is still a lot of wrestling being put on and with tickets being sold, even after the extension of the state of emergency. It seems like promotions were willing to cancel or run empty-arena in the initial round of this emergency, but not adjusting for the extension. 

Meanwhile, on the same day AEW announces they will be holding their first shows outside Daily’s Place in over a year this coming July (three dates in Miami, Austin and Dallas), the head of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, cancelled his trip to Tokyo due to the spiking cases and state of emergency. And yet, the Olympics are supposed to start within 90 days. 

But wrestling thinks it can and should continue in this current COVID-19 climate. They really are tempting fate, and this could turn into a disaster for puroresu quickly.

[adriennescomingbacktolife]

Adrienne Levi Vs. Zane "Lab Rat" King/Backstage Segment

Author: Me

Terra Skye: Aw, that's sweet. Johnny Vegas: *Puke* Terra Skye: Oh whatever.. And it looks like we've got our next contenders for the Tag Titles, Trent Steel and Zephyr Quinn. An interesting team to be sure. Boy: FROZEN CHICKEN! Johnny Vegas: I'M NOT INTERESTED! Terra Skye: Well I AM! I think that's going to be a great match for the Tag Team Championships at We Are Relentless! Johnny Vegas: Alright...ANYWAY, what next? Oh. This loser again. You figure losing to Tits McGee and some painted up junkies would have taught her a lesson. Hey folks, sit back and watch the funeral of Adrienne Levi. Terra Skye: You’re the epitome of professionalism, Johnny. Johnny Vegas: Thanks, glad you finally noticed. Terra Skye: Right. So to follow up on that, Adrienne Levi continues her quest to become a star here and well, I don’t know how to describe this guy. The pictures don’t do him justice. This Lab Rat King? He looks to be chiseled out of stone. He’s a hulking behemoth and boy is he terrifying. Boy: BEEF! Kelly Carmichael: The following contest is scheduled for one fall! Already in the ring, from Clearwater, Florida, weighing in at 135 pounds, Adrienne Levi! The dark haired competitor acknowledges the camera briefly with a curt nod. Kelly Carmichael: And her opponent, making his CARNAGE WRESTLING debut, hailing from Parts Unknown, weighing in at 285 POUNDS, HERE is the LAB RAT KING ...ZANE ...KING!!! The screens display a flickering, static-struck screen with the crowned rat logo, bone-white over a black and red spattered background as the first swelling, synthetic hits of "Professional Griefers" begin playing; when the first heavy stomp of bass in the music strikes, the logo shudders and glitches, electricity running through it from left to right like a broken heartbeat. Below the screens the entrance is flooded with rolling fog cast in blood-red light and white strobe lights that match the beat of the song and of the electric shock waves on the screen. Terra Skye: This is certainly ominous. Johnny Vegas: I like this fella already ...WHOA! Look at this son of a bitch! The Lab Rat King stepped out onto the stage, shackled in collar and chains. He was accompanied by half a dozen security guards - nearly as big as he was but in no way as imposing. King seems nonplussed by his current predicament and instead slowly makes his way down to the ring - staring at Adrienne. His keepers stay with him as he stalks around the ring, his eyes never leaving his opponent. The guards removed his bonds and one who seemed to be in charge prodded LRK into the ring. He snarled briefly towards him and then turned his attention back towards the match. He rolled up and stood tall and erect, double- maybe triple- the size of Adrienne Levi. DING DING!! As soon as the bell rang, Adrienne Levi of all people charged right at the Lab Rat King and slammed a forearm into his chest. He stumbled backwards but didn’t fall. However, if Levi had designs on further offense, they were abruptly ended when she ran right into the right hand of Lab Rat King. At that point, Zane was screaming or gibbering to the point that it was incomprehensible but the message was received as he let out a guttural scream as he dead lifted the smaller opponent into the air and then back down with a vicious chokeslam. The referee was taken aback as Zane seemingly stalked Levi each time she tried to recover. Looming over her like a shadow, he followed her into the corner. Defiant, Levi pushed away. This only incensed LRK. Zane King: Little birrrrrrrrrd!! TIME TO FLY!!!! His eyes were wide open, full of intensity as he grabbed handfuls of her shirt and heaved Adrienne into the air. Her body didn’t hit the mat until it was across the entire fifteen foot length of the ring. Terra Skye: I don’t know what to think of King. We’ve certainly had giants before, but nobody like him. He doesn’t seem human. Johnny Vegas: Whoa whoa whoa, you want me to get HR on the horn? Terra Skye: Shut your mouth, old man. Boy: MEAT SLAPPING MASTODON. This match continued down an ugly path as King dragged Levi to the middle of the ring. It was moments later that King twisted and contorted the young woman, forcing her into his brutal STF submission he calls the Tranquilizer! The facelock wrenched her neck back and as an added insult, he seemingly pried his fingers into her face, trying to tear and rip into it like a rat would. Zane King: Sleeeeeeeeep!!!!! SLEEEEEEPPPPPPPPP!!! Sleeee---AUGGGGH~! The camera zoomed in as Adrienne’s teeth were dug into King’s fingers. That forced a release on the hold but it didn’t look much better for Levi. His reprisal was swift as he dropped an elbow onto her lower back. Soon, he lifted Adrienne in the air for what seemed an eternity. Out of desperation, Levi raked his eyes. She landed on her feet behind him. Seeing an opening, she kicks at the back of his knee. He dropped to that knee, howling in anguish. Adrienne shakes that off and then runs past him, opting to execute an offensive maneuver that hasn’t failed her yet. The crossbody!!! However, it fails her now as King catches her out of the air. If one could see the expression under his mask, he was seething. He twirls her around and absolutely flattens her on the mat with a body slam. Terra Skye: I almost thought she had him there. Johnny Vegas: You’re really milking this. This freak is tearing Levi apart. Say goodbye to this broad. Terra Skye: Did you not take your meds or something? You’re especially stupid tonight. The assault continues as King shoves her back into the corner, raining down blow after blow. Punches, kicks, shoulders as Adrienne looks to be losing the light in her eyes. King is almost hysterical. Zane King: GONNA PUT youuuuu out of your MISERRYYYY!! Whipping her out of the corner, the hulking beast charged in and took a boot bottom of the chin. He nearly tripped over himself from the impact but he stayed up right. He could be seen lifting up his mask slightly to spit out a wad of saliva and blood to the mat. He didn’t look happy as he turned his attention back to Adrienne. By this time, the young lady was perched on top of the turnbuckle. She leapt off … and again King caught her. Helpless in his clutch, she was slammed back first into the turnbuckle before being spun around right into EMPTY, HOLLOW, THUD. The jackknife spelled the end for this encounter as the referee counted the three when King put his boot on Levi’s throat. DING DING DING!! Kelly Carmichael: Here is your winner... via PINFALL, the LAB RAT KING, ZANE KING!! The referee sure wasn’t raising this guy’s hand. And he didn’t seem to care. The bell meant nothing. He went right back to brutalizing Levi. Forcing her to her feet, he shoves her into the ropes and as she rebounds, she is flung into the air. As Levi comes down, she shows some life on the way down, twisting and dropping King with a tornado DDT out of nowhere!! King was down and out momentarily but he was back on his feet quickly. In fact, he was back up and was pretty damn pissed. He was seething, rambling, as the mere notion of her fighting back. Five of the guards swarm him, looking to get that huge collar and chains back around him. He fought them off as if they were mere flies. King was mere inches to getting his hands back on Adrienne who had retreated to a corner - when the sixth guard stuck some type of pen right into the side of veiny neck. King responded by backhanding that guy right in the face, shattering his sunglasses and probably his nose. But that seemed to be something, because all of a sudden, he became rather slow and sluggish. This allowed for his handlers to collar him. Still struggling, he was led away. Levi stumbled forth into the middle of the ring as King still had plenty to say to her. The cameras quickly caught a relaxed expression. But that didn’t last as it turned to wide eyed terror and frenzy as he still managed to struggle against his captors. Terra Skye: Somebody want to tell me who the hell that guy was? We’re hiring literal fucking monsters now? That guy is going to kill somebody! Johnny Vegas: Good good, we gotta get rid of some of this dead weight around here. Terra Skye: Oh, fuck you Johnny. Let that fucker come at you and see how your reactions change...

BACKSTAGE: Don't Stop Believing in Me Adrienne Levi comes through the black curtain into the backstage area. The cameraman catches her struggle down the stairs, favoring the back of her head. Red marks are on her arms and legs and noticeably there is a boot print on her neck that surely discolor her skin in the next few days. She seems distraught after her encounter with the Lab Rat King. The eccentric interviewer Greg Ace is the first on the scene, nearly shoving a microphone in the young woman’s face. Greg Ace: Well, hello there. Greasy apples. Adrienne stops, her expression quizzical in nature. She hadn’t shared one word with this man and yet he seemed to be familiar with her. Greg Ace: Tough loss out there, Adrienne. You’ve yet to find your footing here at Carnage Wrestling. What do you think it will take to get to the next level? Welcome to the old time fun Jamboree! Adrienne Levi: Thanks, I guess. As for your question, if I knew that, I’d tell you. No offense to you but may I? She asks for the microphone and she gets it. Greg walks off and he may have possibly stated, “Jumbo sized cashews fresh off the rind!” Adrienne isn’t affected much by that. She’s sore, short of breath, and had just been in an encounter with the most monstrous man she had ever seen. Adrienne Levi: I don’t know what to tell you. I’m just not very good. And this isn’t a solicitation for your attention. I don’t need any pity, or any of your atta-girls. The summer has been amazing so far. And unlike others, I am not going to get discouraged. I’ll be here as long as you want me here. She paused, wiping away sweat or tears from her eyes but ultimately the anguish of that fight. Adrienne Levi: It was arrogant of me to think that I could make an impact that matters and I’m sorry - but I’ll keep trying. And I’ll face anyone you put before me. Championship caliber athletes, monsters, and everyone in between. Next time around, I've got a partner and I don't know why he picked me. I've got opponents who think I'm a joke. But if there is anything, one small thing that I can ask of you. And I don’t know how many of you there are. But if there is just one person out there that sees this and doesn’t immediately dismiss Adrienne Levi - then I ask you, don’t stop believing in me. Politely she sets the microphone down and limps off camera.

[jellyfishjuliet]

In Which Kenneth is a Poor Man’s Devdas, and Kota is Everyone’s Patron God

One of Kota’s shining points as a kayfabe character has always been how good he is at getting people riled up. He’s a one-man gas machine, always finding the slickest ways to get up in somebody’s business and make them question their position in the wrestling world. He fucked with Devitt so hard that he was able to beat the Demon. He may have not been able to conqueror Shinsuke, but he sure as hell will try to conquer Tana. A man bred in a promotion that went from zero to hero, Kota is much like the company he came from- petty enough to put on comedy show, but smart enough to continue building himself up in the background so that one match and a few choice words were enough to have one of the reigning Gods of New Japan himself invite him to wrestleprom. DDT is mainstream now, puts on some of the best and some of the most fun wrestling product in wrestling, AND it got capital. A promotion built off parody did THAT.

And seriously- Kota didn’t have to try. He beat Tana clean, put out a few interviews, cut a few slick promos, acted humble in a way that anyone who’s ever consumed his content from his DDT days knew right quick was fake deep. Kota came to kill. He came to take something that wasn’t New Japan’s, but TANAHASHI’S. He couldn’t conquer Shinsuke, but Shinsuke’s other half is still around, so why not? Characters like Kota don’t need a sobstory and killer promo skills to get over. What he has is what most people lack, and that’s the ability to wrestle himself out of every possible situation. Whether it be a blowup doll, a man, or even a God- to Kota, they’re all the same. Kota can lose at Power Struggle at 9 pm Osaka time, then hop on a plane to Guadalajara at 11 pm. He never has to return, and it would all be fine, because that’s who Kota is. He does what he does because he LOVES what he does. He loves to wrestle, loves to be the conqueror of souls, loves being the unspoken sun in a sea full of cretins trying to climb to the top. In the kayfabe, he’s one of the few people who actually loves wrestling for the wrestling. He’ll be over no matter what because he has in him a love for the sport that’s only shared by the audience. He may never win another title ever again, but he’ll go down as a God in his own right because he spread his love for the sport and his performances all throughout the world, from bingo halls to the Federation’s stage. Kota is, for all intents and purposes, the patron deity of wrestling, much like Tanahashi and Shinsuke are credited as the saviors and current Gods of New Japan.

So no, he really is so good that he doesn’t need Kenneth’s crusty ass to validate him. Kota did that all by his lonesome self during his rise to singles stardom in New Japan. It was KENNETH whose legacy was marred by the Club that was obsessed with wreaking havoc and spreading evil, a Club whose first leader lost his position in the Club because he ended up turning on his OWN creation because he couldn’t handle the disgrace of not being able to fight against his old partner in a fair bout. It’s Kenneth who’s currently bitter, a chip prominently positioned on his shoulder, someone who CAN’T wrestle for the sake of wrestling like he once did because he could never handle being in the shadow of a man whose dreams never aligned with his own. Kenneth wrestles for power, for validation, and now with the recent promos, for recognition that translates into liquid capital because only the moneymakers get to hold the titles and headline the major events, not someone who’s so damn good at wrestling that he can make a blowup doll look like a formidable opponent.

Marked by fatigue and headassery, when Kenneth falls, he’ll crash and burn. It’s written in the stars, and the best part? Kota’s not going down with him. A long time ago, I wanted Kota to hold him, forgive him even, because their lovestory in DDT was one of the quaintest and sweetest things to watch. But those days died a morbid death years ago. Now, El Lindaman and Yosuke Santa Maria have a more powerful queer lovestory than Golden Lovers could ever dream of, and they’re not even in DDT. In a way, Golden Lovers became a relic of the past with the quickly forming stories in the generally puroresu kayfabe. They set a standard for their time, but now their remnants of an era that’s long passed.

Kota came to terms with that after losing his opportunity to win the IWGP heavyweight championship against Redneck George. He eventually resigned, went on injury leave, healed, and then toured the world all by himself, the biggest smile on his face. Kenneth, in contrast, gave his 200% to the Club and New Japan, and rose to such prominence that he gave birth to an entire subset of New Japan fans that watch for him, and only him. And he did that with anger, bitterness, and abject hatred for those who sought to curb his path to godhood.

One man moved on, and the other one managed to con himself into a Devdas-style situation, in which the only way out now is to take the L or risk dying at the feet of his beloved. It’s symbolic in the sense that Kenneth probably knew that this was the only way it’d ever end for him, but Kota was less Paro and more a man whose past was best left in the past.

But at the end of the day- Kenneth needs to go. Whatever he thinks he’s going to accomplish as the best means nothing against someone who’ll always care more about himself than whatever Kenneth is up to. But whereas being unbothered helps Kota, it only makes Kenneth soak up the poison more. He can’t help it. If he can’t have everything, then he’s willing to burn everyone else to get what he wants, not realizing that Kota’s the literal embodiment of the sun and has been burning HIM since they first laid eyes on each other and fell in love.

[enbywrestlingfan]

Can you explain Honma?

I’m just gonna assume in general since all we know about his injury at this point is on my blog already, but I’ll cover all that I know (and use Wikipedia to fill in some gaps)

Honma has been around for a long time now, this year was his 19th year as a professional wrestler. He trained in the Big Japan Wrestling (BJW) dojo and made his debut for the company a few years later, and was very popular in the deathmatch style, having some absolutely gruesome matches for the company which he still has scars from to this day. He was the first person to ever use a light tube as a weapon in a deathmatch. That said, he left BJW in 2000 due to issues with management. 

I don’t know as much about his time in All Japan Pro Wrestling, beyond that he worked to ensure he wasn’t just known as a guy who does deathmatches and proved he was a very solid worker in general. He would join  Kensuke Sasaki’s faction around 2006, but a severe neck injury halted any plans and he left the company when he returned from injury. There has also been talk that he has appeared in New Japan Pro Wrestling’s (NJPW) Wrestle Land brand as a masked member of the Makai Club faction known as “Makai Masked Canadian”, never really looked into this but it sounds plausible.

He made his proper debut for NJPW in 2007 as part of the New Japan Cup, losing to  akashi Iizuka. After this he wanted to join the Great Bash Heel stable, which was run by Hiroyoshi Tenzan at the time, but Tenzan didn’t want to let a loser in so Honma did a trial series of matches to prove he could win. He ultimately failed but still got to join since Togi Makabe took over leadership. In 2009 he showed his loyality to Makabe when he was the only member of GBH not to leave to form CHAOS under Shinsuke Nakamura. Though Honma and Makabe still officially carried the GBH banner, the group effectively dissolved as they rarely teamed together as Makabe was a main eventer, while Honma was still a lower card jobber.

Honma had a rare shot in 2011 to challenge for the IWGP Intercontinetal Championship in the main event of a show at Kouroken Hall against Mastao Tanaka, which he lost in a heated 23 minute match. 

He was released in March of the next year due to “personal issues” but would return in 2013 to save Makabe from CHAOS, rekindling GBH. They would become a frequent tag team at this point. 

Honma’s rise to popularity would be seen during the G1 Climax 24 though, with him losing every match but getting bigger reactions every single time, with the crowd exploding if he hit a Kokeshi headbutt. He finished last in his block, but “Honmania” was born. 

Honma would have his best match on February 14th, 2015 against Tomohiro Ishii for the vacant NEVER Openweight Championship at The New Beginning in Sendai. It was rated 5 stars by Dave Meltzer and is honestly one of my favorite matches of all time. He replaced a sick Togi Makabe to get into the match, and I’m glad that happened because even in defeat this would be a highlight of his career. Absolutely go watch this match. It’s insanely good.

After that, him and Makabe would have some tag team success, winning the 2015 and 2016 G1 Tag Leagues, becoming IWGP Tag Team Champions at one point, and overall just having some very solid matches as both singles wrestlers and a tag team. 

But that leaves us with the current situation. At a house show in a 6 man tag match, Honma took an elevated DDT from Jado. Following the move, Honma could not get up and the match was immediately stopped, before he was taken backstage on a stretcher. One of the toughest men in the company wouldn’t take a stretcher out unless it was 100% needed, and at the time of writing this (about 24 hours removed from the news breaking) he apparently still can’t feel anything below his neck, and is hospitalized and on oxygen.  

The official statement from NJPW is it’s a cervical spine injury and he’s expected to be out for an unknown amount of time. This could be the end of his career, and it’s a very uncertain time. I hope we get more information on this soon and that in the end, Honma is okay; even if he’s never able to wrestle again, I just want him to be okay.

[salted-barbed-wire]

Interference

Okay so a couple notes before you read this, guys. First, I switched the point of view to first person which means instead of “you, your,” it’s now “me, I, mine,”. I’ve noticed anything I write in first person seems to just flow a little more smoothly. Second, I AM AWARE THAT JON MOXLEY WORKED IN DGUSA AND CZW DURING THE SAME THREE YEARS! I’M ALSO AWARE THAT HE AND HELLENA HEAVENLY DATED SOMEWHERE IN THAT TIME FRAME BUT SHE WAS MAINLY IN DRAGON GATE. For the sake of this au, let’s all pretend that Mox has been in CZW for the last 3 years and hasn’t been to DGUSA for at least a year or so. Okay?Okay.

Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve updated this story! But here’s part 10!

Enjoy!

Master List Plug! (It’s got the previous chapters listed on it as well)

My smile widened as I tightened my grip on Lillian’s arm. Her squeals and kicks only made me squeeze harder. Jon would be proud of me using the chicken wing on her. “Tap!” I commanded. “Tap! Tap! Tap!” Cheered the crowd. I could taste victory. That was until I heard the music hit. All eyes in the audience went to the curtain, Lillian turned her head and laughed. “Here comes your boyfriend.” She pulled out of my grip. “Good thing we know who’s side he’s on.” She said. Lillian went for a tackle but I planted my footing and reversed it into a DDT instead. She laid there, most likely seeing stars. I watch Jon come down to the ring. His dimples were showing as he strutted up to the apron. “Hey there doll-face.” He winked at me. “Came to get the best seat in the house.” “Stay out of this, Mox!” I yelled pointing at him. I turned just as Lillian super kicked me right in the chest. I fell back onto my shoulders. The wind had been knocked out of me. I felt my left leg be hooked and the ref’s hand hit the mat. “One…. two…” My right leg moved, it was placed by a set of warm hands on the bottom rope. This caused the ref to stop the count and Lillian to begin throwing one of her class act tantrums. I rolled to see Mox shouting at me, “Get her! Get her! She’s distracted!” Mox moved my foot on the rope… “(Y/N)! Go pin the bitch!” He yelled again. I got half up, then slid over behind Lillian, placing my arm between her legs and rolling her down into a pin. She kicked out immediately, but as she stood I gave her a huge forearm sending her down to the mat again. Quick as lightning, I got the cover. “One… two… three!” The bell rang. The crowd and Moxley went nuts. I leaned back onto my knees and looked around in awe. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes as the ref brought me MY title. Jon joined me in the ring. He pushed the ref out of the way and hauled me to my feet. “You did it,” he whispered. My heart melted at the pride in his blue eyes. I jumped up and wrapped my arms around his neck. “I love you.” I whispered in his ear. “I love you too. Now, let me have the honors in showing off my new champ.” I pulled back and smiled at him. Jon’s hand gripped mine and he held it above my head. In the other hand, I held my new title.

“Oh my God!” I screamed as Jon and I walked out to the car. “I can’t believe this opportunity. And you get a title shot next week? Talk about the power couple.” “You got it, sweet thang.” He said as he slapped my ass, “You going to wear that title while you ride my cock tonight?” I bit my lip. “I just might have to.” Jon put a finger under my chin, “Mmm you’d look so sexy wearing only that belt.” His eyes wandered to my lips. “Come here.” I heard him whisper as he pulled my chin up towards him for a kiss. “Will you two get a room?” A voice came from behind us. Sami Callahan walked over and placed his hand on Jon’s shoulder, “I think tonight calls for a celebration. Don’t you, Mox?” “Oh here we go.” I grumbled as I rolled my eyes. “Hey, hey, hey,” Sami held up his hands to me. “It’s just a small party.” “Please. I’ve heard tales of your ‘small parties’.” I did air quotes. “I’m not much of a party person.” Sami’s jaw dropped. “Not much of a party person? What? Is that even a real thing?” Sami looked to Jon for and explanation, but only got a shrug. “Well, nerd, maybe you just haven’t been to the right kind of parties.” I rolled my eyes again, “Sami, we don’t need-” “Yes we do because I’ve already invited everyone over. And they’ve all told their friends. And these people all know this party is for you, so you have to come.” Jon looked at me, “We should probably make an appearance.” “You just want free booze.” I glared.

Despite my hesitation, the party was actually a lot of fun. Everyone from work was there, most of them drunk out of their minds. Sami had even made sure to invite Linda and her boyfriend, Zach. Jon and I were sitting on the couch talking to Zach and Linda who had pushed a few lawn chairs together. Mox’s arm was lazily placed behind my shoulders on the back rest of the couch. Every now and then I’d rest my head on his shoulder and he’d lean down and kiss my forehead almost on command. The brush of his lips on my hairline seemed to keep me relaxed.  “Don’t look so thrilled to be here, Zach.” I said sipping on a cherry flavored drink Mox had made for me. “I’ll try not to,” He grumbled. Linda nudged him, “Why are you being such a Debbie-downer? This is (Y/N)’s party! We’re here to have fun.” “He’s just worried that someone will swoop in and take his girl.” I teased. My hands gestured around to all of the mingling bodies, “Look at all the potential rivalries, Zach.” He gave me the finger, which Mox returned on my behalf. “I meant to tell you something the other day, (Y/N).” Zach started with a cocky smile. “There’s something you might want to know.” Linda smacked his arm, “Not here.” She hissed. “Ouch, why are you always beating on me after a few drinks?” “Because you get stupid after a few drinks.” “Will you two knock it off,” I cut between their argument. “What am I supposed to know?” “(Y/N), it’s nothing that can’t wait until after the party. Let’s just have fun tonight.” Linda tried to give me a smile. I looked at Zach, my curiosity was tugging on me, “Are you going to tell me?” Zach shook his head, “She won’t let me.” “Probably a good idea not to challenge your woman,” Mox let out a chuckle. “They can be very vengeful.” I shot him a glare, “What’s that supposed to mean?” Jon’s arm moved to my shoulders and squeezed me closer to him, “Nothing, love. Only that I never want to upset you again.” He leaned down and kissed my lips. The electricity went through me, I wish he would just come home with me already. “GROSS!” Zach yelled. Linda giggled as Jon and I both out stretched our arms towards him, both of us giving him the bird. “You two are so perfect for each other.” She smiled. “It would sure seem that way,” a voice came from behind us. I turned to see a tall red head standing behind the couch Mox and I were sitting on. Her blue eyes were burning into me. I looked away from her, towards Jon. His face had become pale, and he looked like had seen a ghost. What’s wrong with him? “Hi,” I said, attention focusing back on her. “Do I know you?” “Aren’t you going to introduce me, Moxley?” She said, her eyes never leaving mine. “Um..” I heard him hesitate, “What are you doing here, Hellena?” “I was invited. I heard you were getting another title shot, then I also heard how you helped this one put on the match of the century.” She finally turned her gaze towards him, “I figured I’d come down and watch the match on Sunday. I’m your good luck charm remember?” She winked. I stood up and extended my hand, “I’m (Y/N).” My stomach was boiling with anger, “His current good luck charm.” Hellena reached out her hand, “Oh I know who you are,” She gave me a smirk then reached out and took my hand. “I watched your match tonight. You’re good kid, but you could sure use some more practice before you hang with the pros.” My jaw tightened. Who the fuck does she think she is? Hellena released my hand and looked down at Mox, “Jonny. I’ll be here until Monday just in case you want to catch up. And if you win on Sunday,” she bent down, practically shoving her exposed cleavage in his face, “Maybe we can celebrate like we used to.” With that she turned and walked away. I stood there and glared at her curly red hair as she walked out of Jon and Sami’s apartment.  “What the fuck was that?” Zach said finally, “I’m straight up lost.” Mox looked at me, “I need to find Sami.” I stopped him from getting up, “No, first you need to tell me who that was.” Mox sighed, “That was my ex.” “And she got to walk all over us… why?” I placed my hands on my hips. Jon measured my movements, “We need to go see Sami, then we’ll talk. Okay?” I shook my head. “No. I think I’m going to go home a process this.” I picked up my stuff. “Babe!” He tried to stop me. “I’ll drive you,” Linda blocked Mox from coming too close. “Just let her cool off. I’ll have her call you later.” A worried, sad look spread across Jon Moxley’s face. My anger softened for just a moment, “I’ll call you later. I promise.”

“I can’t believe any of that.” I grumbled as I fell onto the sofa in my own apartment. “Where the fuck did she even come from?” “Girl, don’t over think it.” Linda said. She was in the kitchen making quite a bit of noise. “I know you’re over think everything that just happened back there, but right now you just need to get back into a relaxed state of mind.” “I just can’t believe she just appeared out of no where.” I laid there with my hand over my face, “Jon said she left and never came back, that she didn’t mean anything to him.” “So? That’s a good thing right?” She yelled over the tea kettle screeching. “Yeah but did you see the look on his face when he saw her?” I felt like crying. “Jesus!” I sighed, “Why did this have to happen tonight?” Linda sat down next to me holding a cup of hot tea for me. “Here. You’re over thinking it.” I took the tea and inhaled. It was chamomile and lavender, so warm and relaxing. The scent had me feeling better, I almost didn’t hear the knock at the door. “It’s probably Jon.” I whispered. “I shouldn’t have been so mean.” “Do you want me to answer it?” She asked me. I smiled, “No, I need to apologize.” I stood as the door knocked again, more urgently this time. “I’m coming!” I yelled. Knock, knock, knock. It came again. “Jesus, Jon!” I yelled. I swung the door open, “I said I was-” My jaw hit the floor and the cup of tea slipped from my hand. There stood a dark haired man. Brown eyes, average build, and a smirk that made my hand clench into a fist. “Hello, baby.” The smooth voice said in almost a seductive tone. “Long time no see.” Linda came around the corner and gasped, “Tyler! What the fuck are you doing here?!?”

[soundspheremag]

Live Review: WWE NXT [June 7, 2017] Leeds First Direct Arena

WWE brings its brand NXT to the uk for one-off dates around the country, and a three day stint at the download festival. Tonight, we get to watch it at Leeds, but how does it stack up compared to WWE's main roster house shows, Smackdown Live and Raw Live? 

The show starts 30 mins late, due to extra security searches at the entrance, in response to the Manchester attack, and the show starts with a 1 minute silence for the victims. After that, Lilian Garcia comes out to sing the nation anthem. This was a surprise to the audience, as we haven't seen her on TV since 2016, after announcing her retirement. 

The audience, is full of hardcore wrestling fans with the significant difference between this and a main roster show being the age. There aren't as many kids as you would find at a Raw or Smackdown show. This audience wants to see good technical wrestling at a fast pace, something the NXT brand delivers on the WWE network. 

Kassius Ohno vs Wolfgang is the first match up of the night, and after a lengthy wait, everyone is ready to see some in ring action! Although Kassius is one of the bigger names in NXT the crowd support is with Wolfgang, who was one of the 16 men from the British tournament in January. 

The two men deliver a good start, with my only complaint being, I wish it was sped up a little. If the pace of the match was 1.5 times faster then, this would have been a great opener. 

Kassius got the pin on Wolfgang, which at least meant the audience could sing along to his theme tune again! Next up is a six-man tag with Jack Gallagher & Mark Andrews & Trent Severn vs. Tino Sabbatelli, Riddick Moss and Lars Sullivan.

The crowd pop as soon as Jack Gallagher music starts playing and he enters the ring with his gentlemanly swagger! When the lesser known heels make their entrance, they are greeted  to chants of "Who are ya" to which moss responds by pointing to his name on the back of his jacket. It's some great heel work, and there is laughter at his frustration. The match involves Trent Severn heavily as he tries to get the hot tag, but he does a wonderful job of selling the heels. 

When he finally does get the tag, it's an unleashing of Jack and Mark, who both get to show their strengths in the ring. The match is finished by a wonderful Moonsault by Mark Andrews We then have an 'iconic' promo on the screen, where the duo claim to be in a handicap match later on in the night with Aliyah, but it is revealed to them that Aliyah has a tag team partner in Asuka with mention of the women, our next match is a singles match with Ruby Riot and Nikki Cross. 

During the match, the crowd are using their knowledge of Cross's Scottish heritage to create cleaver chants. As iron brew chants are thrown towards the ring, she reacts by kicking the ring post and yelling at the audience to shut up. It's fun, and it's that interaction which an audience enjoys. Between the chants though people remain pretty silent. The wrestling is ok, but nothing to get people cheering, and a slightly botched ending with a clearly blocked kick doesn't get anyone cheering at the end either. Next up is the match of the night, Roderick Strong vs Pete Dunne. The bruiserweight, being one of the most refreshing heels of recent times, is greeted with cheers as much as any face! 

The UK audience are clearly appreciative to the work he has been doing for British wrestling, including a match of the year candidate at NXT takeover Chicago. Rodrick Strong, is a perfect foil for him to unleash his bruiserweight style, and gets plenty of moments to show his technique. The match is a constant back and forth between the two wrestlers, with near falls having the audience on their feet. 

This is exactly the type of wrestling the NXT fans have come to see. After a hard fought match, Pete Dunn ends victorious, and the crowd are cheering. Not once does Pete let the cheering break his character, as he makes his way to the back with his belt in his mouth. Before the interval, we have one last match, and this is a fatal three way between Andrade Cien Almas, Eric Young and Aleister Black. 

From the audience reaction everyone is excited to see Aleister Black, and his entrance is slow and methodical as he enters the ring into his cross-legged meditative position. 

I was a little worried this would be a squash match, as most of his matches have been to an extent, but there is a lot of back and forth between all three of the wrestlers. From Almas' cocky poses, to Young's raspy heckling, to Black’s vicious kicks, each wrestler has his moment in the spotlight. It's worth pointing out that there were some incredible jumps over the top rope, for a house show. 

The only thing I wish I could have seen, was a little bit more of that cross-legged state we see from Black so much on TV. As this was a a three-man triple-threat match, it was all a little hectic for this I guess. Great match, with Black picking up the victory, with a devastating Black Mass. 

 After the interval William Regal hits the stage, and gives a heartfelt thanks to the WWE universe for making NXT what it is. He explains that the last 5 years have been the best of his career and gets chocked up saying it. Next up is the two remaining members of sanity, Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain vs the Authors of Pain for the NXT tag team championship. We are reminded that anything can happen at NXT, calling back to over one year ago when Finn Balor lost his championship against Samoa Joe at a house show. 

The match is a hard one to get behind, as both teams are heels, but Sanity try to act as the faces, due to Dain's popularity in the UK independents. Fan chants of 'Dain,oh' from his work in the independents, help this but it's one chant that takes off in particular. This is "Hey, Hey Daino, oh ah, I wanna know if you shave your back" to the tune of Bruce Channel’s 'Hey Baby'. Even Dain seems to have a little chuckle at it. Wolfe takes most of the punishment in the ring, until the tag, when Dain gets in, and gets to dish out a little punishment. It never really feels like the title is in danger, and the Authors Of Pain get a dominating victory. Next up is the woman's tag match, mentioned in the earlier promo. The iconic duo, Peyton Royce and Billie Kay vs Aliyah and Asuka. The heels do a great job in this match, with their over the top antics. Even Aliyah and Asuka go over the top at times paying homage to Rikishi when they both deliver stinkfaces to the duo. The match is fun, especially Peyton Royce, who really plays up her role tonight. When Asuka gets in the ring, everyone gets destroyed, with the fans chanting Asuka's gonna kill you. It's a fair match, and fun, it's just a real shame Ember Moon is currently injured. By this point in the night, I think a fast pace wrestling match as oppose to comedy match, would have been appreciated. 

Next up was the main event. Drew Mcintyre vs Bobby Roode for the NXT championship. Drew is given a warm welcome, as the fans are already familiar with his work in the independents. Following his entrance, their is a long silence, with the audience hushing people. Then the glorious domination song starts playing and the entire house, is up on its feet singing along with the incredible theme song. Roode really takes his time making it to the stage, giving fans chance to continue singing his theme, and he takes it all in! The match itself is great, as Roode plays his cowardly heel is constantly working to help get Mcintyre over. 

His wrestling style is a reminder to the great heel wrestlers from the past, going for the low blow after the handshake. McIntyre towers over Roode, and really feels like a credible threat. They really play on the story of Roode trying to sneak a win. There are enough near falls during this match, including a kick out from a glorious DDT, and Roode wins by pinning with both legs on the top rope, helping to protect Mcintyre. 

Although he lost the match, Mcintyre looked great here and after losing the match, went onto deliver his finisher to Roode, and Taunt him with his title. He grabs the microphone, and tells the crowd, not only will he be the next NXT champion, but will go onto win the WWE heavyweight belt! 

 It's a great night, and although a lot of big faces were missing (Hideo Itami, Ember Moon, Tommaso Ciampa, johnny gargano) the talent available, put on a great show, with a mixture of humour and wrestling skill.

Words: Anthony Neylon

[grapsandclaps]

GRAPS AND CLAPS REVIEWS - PCW 7TH ANNIVERSARY 'STAIRWAY TO SEVEN'.

Like any movie trilogy, there has got to be an end and here we are folks for Part 3 of PCW's 7th Anniversary weekender which ended on the evening of Saturday 18th August in front of a good sized crowd, which was promising given that Futureshock and ROH were all running big events that night plus Preston vs Stoke was on and also the big concerts involving Liam Gallagher, Britney Spears and Feeder all in the local proximity.

As I left you last time we had just finished the afternoon show on the Flag Market and was looking for somewhere to pass time for an hour, so we embarked to visit a couple of local drinking establishments that is forever growing in Preston by the month. First off was The Guild Ale House's sister pub - The Orchard which is located on Preston all-new indoor market, which for ever in you re in Preston I recommend visiting as it looks like somewhere you could easily spend a few hours.

Anyways, The Orchard even though it is relatively small, it does offer up to 10 keg lines plus 2 cask options with drinks served mainly in Schooners and costing anything upwards from £3.50, but still giving you a great taste of some of the more exotic drinks at an affordable price unlike Port Street Beer House the day before.

After having a much needed 2 half's in The Orchard whilst watching if Hemel Hempstead would score to see my Both Teams to Score bet come in (I cashed out for £27), we moved on elsewhere with the final sight of a swarm of fly's getting half cut of a 1/2 of a fruity drink in a Tiny Rebel glass - you never see stuff like this on Attenborough. Next pub was another of the new pub's to the scene 'Plug and Taps' located near to the old Corn Exchange building in the city.

As good as this pub is for it's selection of beer on tap and takeouts, you can get a bit hot and sweaty when there are a few people in there especially on a warmish Saturday afternoon as it was on this day. I had in here a 2/3rd of a Liquat sour beer costing £6 and another 2/3rds of a Outstanding Strawberry Witbier which was around the £4 range, that considered this is well worth a trip to when on your travels in Preston.

Venturing into Evoque, we took our spots in the usual position that I have taken up in the last 3 years (no not holding up the bar, before you say anything) ha! So let's get into the night's action which started at 6:10 pm with what was to be expected a raft of early matches for wrestlers who had to get elsewhere on there travels down the M6/M62.

First up was our boy Ashton Smith who is due someday to face Charlie Sterling in PCW, as they did start a feud in February, but have only had a couple of altercations since then, the last being in April/May. Ashton's opponent for this evening was Adam Brooks who has become a bit of a Marmite figure among BritWres fans some thinking he is only average and then you have some like me who has not seen him have a bad match yet, we really are a divisive bunch. 

As ever the Ashton singing section was in full voice as the match began, in what was a really good 12 minute or so opener it was Ashton who picked up a much needed win after his earlier loss to Sheikh El-Sham on the flag market, by finishing off Brooks with a modified 'Roll of the Dice' DDT to get the 3 count and off up the road to go and Futureshock Heavyweight Title against Cyanide (You can read all about that on Andrew Gibney's review that he did for me from Saturday night on The Indy Corner - cracking read as well).

Next up we had a hotly contested PCW Women's Title match with the new Champion Nightshade taking on Viper who picked up a huge win in the afternoon show against Rhio. Surprisingly with this match, it was a comprehensive victory for Nightshade as she hit a match-winning spear to Viper to retain her title and as stated on the Blackpool review hopefully on to a new batch of challengers instead of Rhio and Viper.

Tag Team action next with the Masked Duo of Suicide and Planet Bolton's own Arcadian taking on the World-Travelled Desmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz - 'The Rascals'. As expected this was a sight of high flying action, with the bulk of the match spilling to the outside and in this writer's opinion it was good to Arcadian get an opportunity to test himself against someone like Des and Zachary. Sadly for Arcadian it wasn't to be a fairy tale ending as Desmond and Zachary hit the push moonsault and Wentz covered Arcadian for the 3 fall. This was really good fun!!

Up next was the eagerly anticipated confrontation between 'The Face of the Case' Tel Banham vs Magnificent Matthew Brooks in a 'Fans bring the musical instruments' match and on inspection there was a lot of guitars in the crowd, god knows which shop they found in Preston/Blackpool to buy anything musical given our failed attempt in the morning. Early doors the musical instruments came into play as Brooks climbed a top of Banham on the ropes to use a triangle symbol to deafen Banham given that Brooks can't now use his voice to do the same thing. Brooks then set a keyboard up on the outside across two chairs which he was about to put Banham through, but as ran to do said thing, he was hip-tossed by Banham through the keyboard which sounded faintly like one of the ones PROGRESS use nowadays to make its entrance themes.

Back in the ring, with Brooks suffering from the keyboard fall, Banham tried to take the opportunity to add further misery to Brooks but Brooks managed to wriggle free to grab a didgeridoo of all things from the outside to whack Banham around the back and neck, with Brooks in control he neutralised the threat of BIG T as well, plus it has to be noted Joanna Rose got involved in Banham's business due to a confrontation at the last show when Rose was marched off to a local medical facility at the hands of Banham. With all that said , Brooks finally finished off Banham with the 'High Note' legdrop for the victory. This was everything I was expecting from the match and more to end what has been the main highlight of PCW in the past year - credit to Matthew Brooks and Tel Banham for that, take a bow lads.

Up next we had a battle of World of Sport Alumni with Iestyn Rees taking on Doug Williams who is currently in his what some have called his Retirement tour as he begins to wind down what has been a successful career which will culminate in a Wembley Arena match defending his ATLAS title against Trent Seven for PROGRESS. Rees who has been on a bit of down slope since losing his PCW Title and also Rhio in the process was looking to get back on course with a victory here against Doug, which he duly did in a hard fought contest that ended up being better than I expected it to be on paper. After the match, Doug received a standing ovation for his efforts which was well deserved!

A -ONE-TWO-THREE-FOUR SUGAR DO DO DO DO!! Yes it was Archies time once again in Evoque as Sugar Dunkerton entered the building for a 6-way contest against James Finn, Rhio, Drew Parker, Dave Birch and the mystery opponent who turned out to be none other than the Former Cruiserweight and #Boom Champion Dave Rayne strutting out to the Basement Jaxx Classic 'Get Me Off'. The start of the match played host to Sugar trying to get everyone to dance along with him, but Drew was not having any of it as he jumped Sugar to get the match going, This match was similar to the 6-way the night before with the action spilling to the floor outside, but in a stroke of good fortune it was our boy Sugar who picked up the victory to send the PCW crowd into another singing session of 'Sugar Sugar', I can say that my voice was shot from singing at this stage - ouch!!

We were treated then with an appearance by Sheikh El-Sham all suited and booted coming out to gloat about the two big victories he had picked up over the weekend on Joey Hayes and Ashton Smith respectively. In this segment, El-Sham called out PCW Owner Steven Fludder for a talk about possibly offering Fludder all of his Middle-Eastern Millions to buy the company from him and take PCW to the next level, sadly for El-Sham, Fludder wasn't of the same thinking as he politely declined Sham's offer leaving 'The Prince of Panache' seething saying that Steve will regret he ever did this. One thing I do say, PCW have done excellently to build El-Sham as the next big bad guy in the company - keep an eye on this for the next year I am guessing.

PCW Tag Team Title action next with the Champions 'The Kinky Party' Sha Samuels and Jack Jester due to take on Team Single,  Rampage Brown and T-Bone, but sadly due to Rampage still being on the shelf due to a shoulder injury that he picked up in a match against Josh Alexander for Tidal, PCW Matchmaker Greg Lambert had to search for an opponent and in he found one in the form of - 'SUGAR DO DO DO DO'. Yes it was our boy Sugar once again to form the tandem of 'T & Sugar' to see if they could rest the tag belts away from The Kinky Party, well at one stage all looked on course for T & Sugar until Sheikh El-Sham made an unwelcome appearance to attack T-Bone to cause the DQ victory for T & Sugar BOOOOOOO!! So it looks like we will be getting  Sheikh vs T-Bone match in the future at an upcoming PCW show this year.

Greg Lambert was out again next to introduce the next match which was a battle of two men from British Wrestling folklore and two men that Greg Lambert was familiar back in the heyday of the FWA with Jody Fleisch taking on 'The Wonderkid' Jonny Storm, I have to say this was a classy touch by the promotion and it made you feel invested straight away in this contest.

What followed was a great exhibition match between Storm and Fleisch who haven't missed a step, especially Jody who looks in amazing shape with his physique and it was Jody who picked the victory here over Storm in around 10 minutes to a great ovation from the crowd. It didn't end there as Doug Williams came out to congratulate both men on the match and to say to them to continue to carry the torch of the old brigade when he retires next month, this was great to listen to and even elicited a shout of 'FWA FWA FWA' from a couple members of the audience who shall remain nameless ha! 

FWA FWA FWA FWA!! - YOU CAN DO TWO THINGS ABOUT IT - THAT'S NOTHING AND LIKE IT!!

With that out of the way, it was time now for your Main Event of the evening with Dean Allmark cashing in his No.1 Contenders shot which he earned by winning the Road To Glory Tournament in February and his opponent was the Champion, Lionheart who won the title in May by defeating T-Bone. After a talking segment where Lionheart mentioned about Allmark's finisher being a version of the Styles Clash which broke Lionheart's neck a few years ago on a fateful night in Evoque, this provoked some ill-advised comments from some of the local delinquents to some right head shaking from myself.

That said, the Main Event itself was a good end to proceedings but I always had the thought in my head that once Dean Allmark wins, which he did with the Smiles Clash to win the PCW Championship that a certain Mr. Tel Banham would come out to cash in his briefcase to challenge for both titles that Deano held and low and behold, the prediction what I have been shouting ever since Dean won the Road To Glory Tournament and since Banham has had the case - finally happened as Banham snuck up from behind a prone Dean to cash in his suitcase to hit two USHI-GO-RUSHI'S to get the 3-count and your NEW PCW Cruiserweight & Heavyweight Champion - Tel Banham and in this writer's opinion a well deserved one as well.

Pictured: Your New Double Champion Tel Banham (Credit to PCW for the top picture).

In the process now for Banham, you have two ready made challengers for the belts in Dean Allmark and Matthew Brooks which should keep him busy for the next 6 months. 

So there you have it, the end of the PCW's 3-show weekender that provided lots of matches and entertainment to make the punters go home happy into the Preston night. One thing though I wish there would have been was a break in the action once again tonight, 8/9 matches in a row live can be a bit wearing on the mind but that's only one small thing. I hope you have enjoyed reading about this weekend and if it has enticed you enough, go and give PCW a try at any of there upcoming shows in Blackpool and Leeds in Early October and also there Fright Night show on October 27th with the return of Billy Gunn and X-Pac.

Next review from myself will be from NXT UK in Birmingham this coming Sunday to give you a flavour of something that you might see sometime soon on the WWE Network once they get there act together.

After that I am off to Germany for the WXW/PROGRESS show in Hamburg at the end of August and seeing as my podcast debut got good reviews, my voice will be back in September to give you a preview of some of the shows going on in the North West and Yorkshire in September including GPW/TIDAL and Futureshock Wrestling. Untll then BYE!.

#grapsandclaps

@oggypart3

[grapsandclaps]

YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE LIKE A CANDLE IN THE WIND!

Hello again everyone!! Welcome to the story of Show 79 of the #100showyear which took me to Leeds for what on paper looked like Tidal Wrestlings best show of the year with a multitude of top UK and World stars congregating in a Church in West Yorkshire on a blustery Sunday afternoon.

But first as you know all too well, it was time to sample the local beer scene. On the 75 minute journey across the pennines i sampled 2 cans from Cocktails of Littleborough who have in the last 2 years become a welcome addition to the village offering craft ales, gins and whiskies of the highest order at a nice price. Both cans were from Electric Bear Brewing with a 5.1% coffee caramel stout (£2.85 a can) and a 4.6% Berry Pale Ale (£2.55 a can), I recommend this brewery alot if you see their drinks out and about. Also on offer was a bottle of Samuel Smith Organic Cherry Beer (£2.95 a bottle), this was divine and up their with their organic chocolate stout.

Arriving in Leeds, it was time to meet up with a huge gathering of the North West Graps crew in Tapped, many of whom this was there first taster of Tidal. Just the one pint in here which was a 4.6% stout for £3.90 a pint, no qualms about it.

It was then the short walk across the road to the Leeds staple - The Head of Steam who have recently just had a small refurbishment since I last went in, with added seating at the back of the room. I had a pint of 5.6% Wylde Child Mango & Passion Fruit IPA at a cost of £4.80 a pint with a lovely taste to it if you have a sweet tooth like I do.

Drinks done here and it was off to the pool mecca of The Fenton for the next chapter in the BritWres Pool Championship with holder Athers lining up challengers left, right and centre including maybe a rumoured appearance from deathmatch wrestler Clint Margera which didn't come to fruition due to traffic difficulties. So who took up the challenge of providing the afternoons pool entertainment - Lets See:

Athers beat Duffy & Carl in a 2 on 1 handicap match, this was in play as I arrived so didnt catch the early duels.

Chris Linay beat me despite offering me a chink of hope by not 7 balling me.

Our Geoff earned a title match beating Athers to set up the Main Event for the Pool Crown which we now have an actual belt adorned with tyler bate and will ospreay face for some reason.

The title match was akin to Steve Davis vs Dennis Taylor from the 1980s with the match hanging on a black ball with Athers missing an easy black cannoning off the knuckle of the middle pocket to his despair. This left Geoff to clear up to capture the belt for a third time with a celebration last seen when Shawn Michaels won the WWF Title at Wrestlemania 12. One thing to state about this match was that it played to a backdrop of 'Candle in the Wind' and the 9 minute version of 'Loch Lomond', you cant make this shit up.

One last match took place with 2 of the 1000 Chris's in britwres beating the O's to win a Chicken Mayonnaise reduced sandwich from Boots.

Drinks in here included a pint of Summer Breeze for £3.80, half a pint of 7.1% Bacon and Maple Syrup Stout for £2.20, plus another half of pale ale and a packet of Nik Naks. If you are ever in Leeds I recommend visiting this hidden gem of a pub.

Arriving at CHURCH it was great to see a healthy crowd with the venue looking splendid with the lighting. The only sad thing to report was that apart from Stella Cidre (£4.50 a pint) all draught lager was off, so it was bottles or that or coca cola to which I had 2 pints of for a change due to the lack of proper ale.

So what went down -

It was The Great British Drake Off with HT Drake facing off with James Drake in what seemed like a face vs face contest which initially confused our group because of HT being the local star and JD being from Lancashire but we soon picked a side and cheered for the gorgeous silky locks of JD. Once both guys got through the initial feeling out process, they put on a decent opener with HT Drake getting the win here after about 12 minutes and he now moves on to December where he faces current champion Rampage Brown. James Drake I predict is going to do great as a good guy on the scene and with performances like this he isnt far away from it.

Next up was the walking tampon head Sean Only vs Luke Menzies (Former Rugby League player and WWE bound wrestler). This only lasted 10 minutes with Only trying to avoid the muscular Menzies at all costs, Menzies did some impressive throws on Only and looks like a guy with boundless potential and if he plays his cards right could be in the upper echelon of UK BIG LADS. Finish came when Only superkicked the referee intentionally to cause the cheap DQ win for Menzies.

Match No.3 was a NO DQ Match between Clint Margera and Drew Parker who when we last saw these 2, they were a part of the infamous deathmatch at FCP that only nightmares are made of. This in its own right was a decent NO DQ scrap involving chair battles, BritWres Pool Belt Shots to the head, stapling of TIDAL flyers to each other. The end came when Margera hoisted Drew up to the top rope for the match winning Death Valley Driver with Parker onto 2 chairs with Drawing pins. Really good to watch this and not your usual walk and brawl that sometimes can ruin these matches.

Half time Main Event with NO FUNNNNAHHH Damien Dunne vs Evil Uno who I admit to only having seen a handful of times on old PWG DVDs. Decent stuff here with Dunne getting annoyed with fun and frivality of the crowd which eventually got to him as Evil Uno hit the One Winged Angel on to his Knee which looked EVIL you might say. UNO i wouldnt mind seeing again, maybe with his SSB tag partner.

Back from the break and it was time for Tag Team action with debuting Rogues Gallery vs The Lion Kings. A lengthy tag team match built around The Rogues beating down an injured Seb whilst neutralising Nsereko on the other side. Nsereko got the hot tag and eventually him and Seb cleaned house with Strife hitting a top rope splash after the Ugandan Drop for the 1-2-3. Personal opinion this was my 2nd favourite match of the night with decent work and storytelling from both teams and this is one match I for one would like to see again.

Next up was Kyle Fletcher accompanied by "the hand slapper of doom" Mark Davis vs OOH AH DAVID STARR IN LEEDS. Opening moments included great chain wrestling between 2 of my current favourites played out to songs about buying David Starrs Merch (And You Should!!). Sadly this match was short lived when Davis jumped in to cause the DQ but El Ligero came down to help Starr to femd off the Aussies which then in turn set up an impromtu Tag Team Match HOLLA HOLLA!!

Aussie Open vs Dave "N" Ligs, this was my favourite match of the night lasting around 15 minutes under Tornado Tag rules. This was everything and more that you would expect from these 4 guys with near falls coming from a Davis Pop Up Piledriver which is great to see, Starr hit a double Cherry Mint DDT to both Aussies. Finish came with Starr who is on a winning streak in the UK now hitting a running knee on Fletcher for the win - Fantastic stuff 👍

Main Event time with Little Miss Roxxy facing Lana Austin for the No.1 contenders to face Lizzy Styles in December (this was supposed to be a 3 way title match but Styles pulled out due to schedule issues). A good main event with 2 of the North's best female wrestlers and as I have stated in previous issues, Lana Austin has improved immensely in the last 18 months and hopefully gets a try in your Progress or Fight Club Pro's one day. But sadly on this occasion, for all our cheering Lana went down to a suplex pin for the loss, but it didnt there as Lana went mad after the match hitting Roxxy and 2 refs with a steel chair to the boos of the crowd.

So that was that and for me maybe the best Tidal show of the year and a return to form after hitting a lull in the middle of this year with the electricity problems and wrestlers double booking. The newbies enjoyed as far as I could tell and I for one ask you to come on the 26th November to check them put for yourselves.

Show done it was time for a final couple of drinks respectively in The Dry Dock and Friends of Ham with the Graps Gang.

A fantastic day all around with great like minded people. Now all roads lead to this weekend with the triple header of PCW/WXW/PROGRESS which should be immense.

#grapsandclaps

[grapsandclaps]

BALDY BALDY OVER THERE WHAT'S IT LIKE TO HAVE NO HAIR

Hello Everyone! Welcome to the review of Show 76 of the #100showyear that took me once again to Stockport for a Sold Out No Vacancy Futureshock Wrestling show featuring the Triple Threat Adrenaline Title match with Pete Dunne (Champion) vs Soner Durson vs Xander Cooper. As with GPW and Futureshock the other month, the name value of Pete Dunne has added not only bums on seats but a buzz around both products introducing new faces to Soner Durson who has been tearing up the North West scene and is a lock for appearances in Progress or even Fight Club Pro.

But before all the fun of the fair, it was time to meet up with a host of people from the graps gang who were either here for the wrestling or as new challengers for the coveted BritWres Pool Championship currently held by Athers.

First pub was The Chestergate which is based near the main shopping area in Stockport and provides a service for all of your sporting needs with BT Sport and Sky Sports on over at least 8 screens. Drinks here was your usual run of the mill drinks with pints of Amstel Bier being £2.90 which is lower than usual, some of the clientele was less than to be desired including a man with a fully tattooed head looking like a reject from the Blue Man Group.

Next pub was the local Wetherspoons establishment, as we know is a britwres staple to go to at least one and stay there forever. Drinks here including a pint of Ginger Tinge (4.4%) for £2.49 and a pint of Lager Shandy for £3.20 which as a responsable drinker like myself, I found to be a bit steep in price.

Spoons done, it was off to the Pool Mecca of Stockport - The Nelson Tavern where a waiting Athers (cue in hand) was waiting for the raft of contenders to his throne. Lets see what went down:

I myself lost a no.1 contenders match with Chris Linay after my big giant hands didn't get out of the way quick enough to cost me 2 shots to allow Chris to clear up after my protests over the Loughbrough Rules fell on deaf ears.

Athers valiantly lost his title to former title holder Our Geoff after a close contest. Geoff then surrendered the title to The Boozerweight Chris Duffy due to "Death By Black Ball, Duffers fresh from drinking Lemonade all afternoon continued on a decent win streak over Linay, Geoff again and a lucky win over myself (black ball of doom).

But the run came to a halt, with Champion at the start of the day - Athers coming back to regain his crown and in doing that before any other contenders could get warmed up, he drove off into the Stockport Sunset with his title, which will next be defended on October 22nd at The Fenton in Leeds - Free Admission in but bring your 50p's.

Pool drama done, it was on to the wrestling which started at least 35 minutes late due to the sheer amount of people jam packed into the Guildhall and as we would find out a massive sound problem which left us with no music for the 1st half.

Enter Matt Taylor Richards (He Fears Bread) asking us to do our best to sing the entrance themes or make enough noise as possible for the wrestlers, to which the Futureshock Faithful duly obliged. So what was the first sing- up OH! I mean Match Up.

TELL ME WHAT YA THINK YOUR LOOKIN AT! PANTS! Danny Hope vs DOOOO DOOO DOOOO DOOOO DOOOOO DUH DUH Abel Stevens. This was a good opener with Abel who has been on a run of losses since a good opening start to his fledgling career and it was here, his streak of losses continued as Danny Hope hit a superkick for the 1-2-3 for a morale boosting win for Hope.

Next match was Chardonnay who wasnt reported to have had a sang theme tune vs Lana Austin who came out to a rendition of Aerosmith's "I Dont Wanna Miss A Thing" mixed with "Do The Conga" by Black Lace. Good womens match here with Champion Lana Austin getting the win in around 10 minutes with a DDT for a popular victory. Chardonnay who I remember last seeing as a chav character in NGW and Futureshock looked the part here in this new role as Lady Chardonnay not looking pleased at the aled up congregation on the back row.

To the sound of claps mixed in with The Caravan of Love by The Housemartins - its JJ Webb vs The Sound of Stomping and RAAAARRRS! - its a newly masked Cyanide. Ive got to say, I love Cyanide in this monster role just rag dolling his opponents including a super one armed backbreaker that looks like it legitamately breaks his opponent in half, this is what poor JJ fell to in a valiant effort.

I can see Cyanide running through a few of the lesser lights on the roster, till a Rampage Brown comes back for a huge big lads collision that could be all kinds of great.

Back from the second half and the sound had made a great comeback to save our voices or maybe because Halls Soothers had sold out at the nearby petrol station.

Meat & Veg (Don Meacho & Ryan Hendricks) vs the ever popular Tag Team Champions Sexy Gents (Sexy Kev AND JON!). Really enjoyed this match despite it being a face vs face setup but the sway of the vote went to The Sexy Gents who are a good unit to watch. It once again proved fruitful here for The Gents who hit the Big Money Shot to get the win. After the match, Cyanide came down to smash both Don & Ryan so im guessing thats your next opponents on Cyanide's list of terror, Meacho vs Cyanide could be a good scrap if it happens.

The chimes of Genesis rang out and here comes everyones favourite bald chicken - Damon Leigh who got some right abuse about his bald head:

BALDY BALDY OVER THERE

WHATS IT LIKE TO HAVE NO HAIR

IS IT HOT! IS IT COLD!

I DONT KNOW COS IM NOT BALD

REPEAT X 6

He took on Mr. Lovely Hair, Lovely Face On His Pants, The Mane Event, Cos' He's Worth It - James Drake.

A previous contest between the two ended up with the famous Chicken In A Bin Spot with Damon in said bin. This match was a play off that match and was a very fun match between to of the most underated workers in the UK, Damon especially is a comedy genius.

The finish came when Drake got distracted by rival Zack Gibsons music only to get hit by a move from Damon to lose in a fantastic match. Thankfully though the bin made a return to end up over Damons head, who was then hung up in the corner ready for Drake to take pictures with Resident North West Booing Machine - Shauna, Top entertainment.

Talking segment time with Ashton Smith being officially declared in a presentation as Futureshock Champion who asked for new challengers and out came T-Bone who accepted with a giant headbutt to set a title match for the 19th November.

Main Event time with the aforementioned 3 way stated at the start of this review. I would go as far to say that this could easily be in the Top 5 Futureshock matches of the year, everyone looked brilliant and worked their arses off in a over 15 minute match. The finish came when Fitzgerald was distracted by Little Daddy Walter whilst Xander Cooper was laying the boots to Soner Durson, but whats this - Sam Bailey for the save or so we thought till 😮😮😮

BAILEY TURNS ON SONER! Bailey laid Soner out leaving Cooper to submit a valiant Durson who tapped out, so your new Adrenaline Champion - Xander Cooper to the boos of the audience.

Drinks prices - £2.50 for bottles of Desperado and £4 for pint cans of Guiness.

Overall a great show with not a bad thing to report, a molten hot crowd who added to the show in a great way despite the early technical issues. Make sure you check Futureshock Wrestling out for upcoming dates at theor website, one of which is the 19th November back in Stockport #grapsandclaps.