Another week, another update. I feel like I’ve underachieved this week, my diet was less than impressive, and my exercise plan was a bit all over the place. Ultimately, however, I have still lost four pounds, which means a total loss of over half a stone in just two weeks!
— British Wrestling Tribune (@BritWresTribune) April 9, 2019
I attended BWR: Underground 4 on Friday night, and as well as being an absolute belter of a show, it was a helpful reminder of why I am doing this in the first place. I don’t want to spend my life sat in the audience on the wrong side of the barricade, I want to be in the ring, I want to be a wrestler! I know this isn’t an easy ride, it’s not a cash cow, nor is it an easy route to fame and stardom. And to be completely honest (I apologise for the incoming cliché) I am doing this because I want to wrestle and entertain people, because I have loved wrestling since I was five years old and haven’t stopped since. I think this really helped to renew my drive a bit, and my diet improved dramatically over the weekend and going into the coming week, and it’s the same with my diet.
In terms of my exercise plan, I’ve still been placing a major focus on cardio, with an aim to run a minimum of 5 times a week, but I’ve now started to bring in core work. A lot of my fat is around my core, so I figured that by working this particular area, it will help to burn that fat, although I am no personal trainer, so I could be going the complete wrong way about this (please do get in touch if I am!). As far as my diet goes, I have realised the importance of flavour. Last week, I was very plain, in that I just ate things like chicken and rice, without sauce, herbs or spices. As a result, I found that my cravings for food were stronger. So this week, I’ve been adding things like Paprika and Garlic to add flavour, giving me a happier, as well as healthier meal time.
As you can see below, my weight has dropped by 4 pounds from last week, and my waist size has decreased by 0.7″. I am still overweight according to my BMI, but I am certainly getting there!
Underground 4 looks to be jam-packed! Copyright: British Wrestling Revolution
It’s WrestleMania weekend! And what better way to kick it off than with BWR’s Underground 4? This show is jam-packed to say the least, with huge names such as Sugar Dunkerton, Cody Hall, Drew Parker and Jody Fleisch appearing alongside the next generation of British stars, such as Brady Phillips, Ricky Knight Jnr, and of course the Underground Champion, Reese Ryan! So let’s take a look at the matches that have already been announced for this event.
Brady Phillips vs Sugar Dunkerton
It looks like these two have a nice little rivalry going already! This will be the second time that these two have squared off against one another (to my knowledge), with the first taking place at Tidal Wrestling just a few weeks ago. Brady Phillips is going to be something special, there is no doubt. He has good wrestling ability and a decent level of charisma, both of which he showed in buckets against Joe Nelson at King of the Underground. Sugar Dunkerton is another who is overflowing with charisma and good wrestling ability, so it really is a match-up made in heaven.
Excitement Rating: 4/5
Tom Weaver & Blake vs Tyler Devlin & Drew Parker
This tag-team street fight is certainly going to be interesting. The bad blood between Tyler Devlin and Tom Weaver has existed for longer than BWR itself. Throw deathmatch-enthusiast, Drew Parker, and the aggressive, Blake into the mix and it is the makings of a gore fest. I do worry that the match may be limited by the fact that it is technically a ‘family show’, but this is a pretty minor concern, since this match is set to tell a very good story.
Excitement Rating: 3.5/5
Ricky Knight Jnr & PJ Knight vs Simon Lancaster and Harry Winston
Don’t get me wrong, I think that all four competitors in this match are very good wrestlers and are charismatic individuals. However, with the quality of the card, I worry that this match is not going to get the recognition it really deserves. Lancaster and Winston are two veterans of the Grimsby wrestling scene and are good at what they do, and the Knights are two young talents, but with lack of build and the number of ‘big matches’ on the card, this match may become a little lost in the fold.
Excitement Rating: 2.5/5
Jody Fleisch vs Cody Hall
Britain vs America. The Phoenix vs The Terrifying Bulldozer Who is Scott Hall’s Son. I cannot wait for this one. Jody Fleisch really needs no introduction, he is one of the best British wrestlers of the modern era, a man who carried the banner of British Wrestling, alongside Doug Williams, Jonny Storm, Alex Shane, and others, and is partially responsible for the renaissance that British Wrestling is experiencing today. Cody Hall has achieved great things himself. Naturally, he arguably had something of a leg-up being the son of Scott Hall, but he has gone out and carved out a great career for himself. One career highlight has to be his spell in the Bullet Club. I can’t wait for this one.
Excitement Rating: 5/5
Reese Ryan vs ???
This match was originally pitted Reese Ryan against NXT UK star, Amir Jordan. Unfortunately, Jordan had to drop out due to his services being required at WrestleMania Axxess, so we are now left with something of an unknown in terms of what to expect for this match. Reese posted a video on his social media yesterday to announce that he was arranging a sort of Number One Contenders match, with the victor going on to face him in the main event. It is not yet known whether or not that Number One Contenders match will be one of the already announced matches, or if it will be a new match, but one thing that can be pretty much guaranteed is that Will Kroos, still burning with resentment following Reese’s betrayal at King of the Underground: Redux, will be involved.
Excitement Rating: ?/5 – I don’t want to speculate on this one due to the mystery surrounding it.
There we have it, an excellent card to christen BWR’s new home venue, The Depot. And with it being a sold-out show, the place is sure to be bouncing!
— British Wrestling Tribune (@BritWresTribune) March 31, 2019
I wasn’t expecting much from this week, it was my first week and I wasn’t as strict with my diet plan as I’d have liked. I surprised myself though. It has been exactly one week since my first blog post and I have lost 5lb, and my waist size has dropped by 1.5 inches!
I think a lot of this has been down to the exercise regime I have been following. I set it as a goal to go running at least 4 to 5 times a week, which I managed to stick to, and I have already seen improvements in my running ability level, a huge asset in terms of conditioning. I got out to Cleethorpes Country Park on Saturday morning for my first ever ParkRun too. For those that don’t already know about ParkRun, it is a 5K run through a park, you can go at your own pace and it’s completely free to sign up! I managed it in 32 minutes and 25 seconds, which I was pretty happy with since it was the first time I’d ran 5K in forever.
— British Wrestling Tribune (@BritWresTribune) April 1, 2019
I also started doing some circuit training. This sort of ‘high-impact’ cardio really tires you out fast, but then again, that’s the point! I have been following a lot of MMA circuits that I have found on YouTube, they seem to be excellent for the type of conditioning that I’m looking for. I’ve found that pro wrestling workouts are pretty few and far between on YouTube, so I’ve had to make do with MMA, but if anyone else has better look, please get in touch!
Here are my measurements for this month, as I said earlier, I have managed to drop some weight, but I’m nowhere near where I want, or need, to be:
EVO Wrestling Academy Copyright: British Wrestling Revolution
In a couple of months time, the British Wrestling Revolution EVO Academy will be opening in Cleethorpes. The school will be headed up by Robbie X and Matt Myers, two highly experienced individuals in the British wrestling scene. I plan on attending the school, to train to become a wrestler, and in this series of articles, I’m going to track my progress in the build up to the school’s opening.
Cardio and conditioning are arguably the most important things when it comes to getting fit to wrestle. It is also key to eat right. I am the first to admit that I am currently quite out-of-shape and have some very poor eating habits. I will, therefore, have to learn to break these habits, so that I am as ready as possible to start training when the school opens. I have created a meal timetable and a training regimen, which combines running, some wrestling drills, Tae-Bo, and going to the gym. This should hopefully help me to drop excess weight fast, as I intend to cut out snacking and sugary foods altogether.
I’m sure some of you will be asking why I have decided to write this article by this point, and I think the answer boils down to the simple fact that I want to help motivate others and show people that if someone as unfit as me can do it, you can too.
To help track my progress, I am going to include my height, weight, BMI, and waist measurement below:
Height: 5ft 10″
Weight: 14st 5lb
BMI: 28.7 (Overweight)
Waist Measurement: 39″
As you can see, I have a very big job on my hands, and it is going to take a lot of dedication, but it is something that is important, not just for wrestling, but for my own physical health and mental health.
If anyone wishes to contact me in regards to my training, feel free to drop me a DM on Twitter!
Today marked the arrival of my first Wrestlecrate in about a year. I used to get them regularly, and now that I am in a position where I can actually afford it, I decided I would subscribe once more.
The make-up of the box is pretty standard and as to be expected, you get a t-shirt, a DVD, a signed item, and a few other goodies. I was particularly excited for this one as it was confirmed that there would be an ICW item and an item signed by Edge. I’m a big fan of ‘I-C-Dub’ and Edge reminds me of when I first got into wrestling, so it really was a perfect crate for me.
The Items
Signed Edge 8×10
The first item is a hand-signed 8×10 by none other than the Rated R Superstar, Edge. The 8×10 has a really nice design, it’s something that you could easily use as a poster if it wasn’t signed. The signature itself is great, it really stands out from the 8×10 without getting in the way of the design. Really happy with this item.
Black Water 2018 – Riptide Wrestling DVD
Wow! The card for this show is STACKED! I have to admit that I don’t know a lot about Riptide, but I am very excited to watch this DVD. Matches such as Eddie Dennis vs Chuck Mambo, David Starr vs Chris Brookes, and Aussie Open vs Jimmy Havoc & Jinny ensure that Black Water will be an excellent showcase. I look forward to watching it!
ICW ‘Coat of Arms’ T-Shirt
This is a really nice shirt. It encapsulates what ICW is all about, with lots of weapons and alcohol across the front. There isn’t any design on the back, but that doesn’t bother me too much. I personally find that shirts with designs on the front and back either look really good, or really poor, so I don’t have an issue with the lack of design. It’s the sort of shirt I’m happy to wear in public and outside of a wrestling context, which is more than I can say for some wrestling shirts!
Turnbuckle TV Free Subscription
I haven’t heard of most of the promotions that are partnered with Turnbuckle TV, so it’ll be nice to have a look at some new stuff. The promotion that sticks out to me the most from the list is 4GW. I have seen some of their stuff before, and have been fairly impressed. I’m quite a big fan of Tiger McGuigan Jr., who wrestles for promotion, and is someone who is very talented. This item will be a bit of a research project for me, but I look forward to it.
Calling Spots Issue 30
There is a lot of nice stuff in this issue of Calling Spots. Articles on the success of Becky Lynch and Zack Sabre Jr. and an interview with a rising star on the Northern English wrestling scene, Benji, make this issue a must have for British Wrestling fanatics.
Other Items
The other items included in the box are:
A Dallas Sportatorium Keyring
A Flip Gordon Sticker
A North Wrestling Pin Badge
Overall, I am very happy with this month’s Wrestlecrate. There is a fairly good variation of items within the crate, with the only thing that I would add being a figure or Pop! Vinyl. If anyone is on the fence about getting one of these, I would highly recommend that you do, you will certainly get your money’s worth.
I recently sat down to watch the December 12th
1981 edition of Mid-South Pro Wrestling, the earliest episode available on the
WWE Network. Ernie Ladd, arguably one of the greatest BAME wrestlers of all
time, was on guest commentary for the show, bringing a good dose of personality
to the colour commentator role.
The opening match was between The Monk and Bryan Blair. This
was by far the worst match of the night. Saturated with chain wrestling, the match
started and ended slowly. It was a masterclass in how not to open a show. The
match was further hindered by The Monk’s sluggishness. He routinely hit the
ropes at walking pace, removing any ounce of believability from the bout. Bryan
Blair eventually got a pinfall victory, in what was a short and incredibly
boring match. Not a great way to start the show.
The following contest was much more impressive, pitting King
Cobra against Tom Renesto Jnr. The pick-up in pace compared to the previous
match was immediately noticeable. King Cobra took control early on in the bout,
and really looked both talented and more than capable. Renesto Jnr managed to
get some offense of his own in throughout the match, but it was few and far
between and it was clear that King Cobra was on course for victory, which
eventually came courtesy of a jumping headbutt to Renesto Jnr. All in all, this
match was much better, despite the arguably weak finish, and washed away the
bad taste that was left in my mouth after the previous bout.
Next up was ‘The Polish Prince’ Ed Wiskowski against Jim
Garvin. The start of the bout was very centred around Wiskowski having future
Fabulous Freebird, Garvin, in a headlock. Garvin eventually escaped, reversing
it into a hammerlock. He continued to work Wiskowski’s left arm for the rest of
the match, pummelling it with various kicks and wrenches. Overall, the match
was very 50/50, between two equally matched opponents. The contest ended with
the dodgiest looking slam I have ever seen, with Wiskowski seemingly lifting
Garvin up for a bodyslam, changing his mind halfway through the move, and then
proceeding to drop Garvin chest first onto his knee. The Polish Prince got the
pinfall following this. The bout was simply ok, in my opinion. It featured a
lot of strikes and submission holds but managed to retain some semblance of entertainment.
A tag contest followed, with the team of Jerry Novak and
Aaron Holt facing much-loved hero of Mid-South, Junkyard Dog, and Mike George.
George and Novak started for their respective teams, each launching aggressive
looking blows to their opponent’s upper body and head. It didn’t take long for
all four men to join in, however, as Holt and JYD stormed the ring to attack
one another. JYD and George eventually isolate Holt, hitting him with a double
team manoeuvre, followed up by a powerslam courtesy of JYD to end the match.
This match was over pretty much as soon as it began and was the source of a lot
of confusion for me. I’m not sure if I missed a tag, but it looked like neither
JYD or Holt were the legal man for their teams at the time of the pinfall, but nonetheless,
the bell had been rung.
A super-speedy squash match came after, pitting perennial
heel, The Iron Sheik, against Buddy Ryan. Sheik was a classic dominant heel in
this contest, a role hit fits perfectly. He battered Ryan around the ring and
went for two pinfalls, only to break both them up himself to allow himself to
continue punishing Ryan. Sheik hit Ryan with a nasty looking German Suplex to
get the pin. There really isn’t a lot to say about this one. It was there to
simply get heat for Sheik and make him look as tough as possible, which it was
successful in doing.
Another tag match was next, this time a mixed tag pitting
Rick Ferrara and midget wrestler, Diamond Lil against Welshman and British Wresting
legend, Tony Charles and midget wrestler, Barbie Doll. Wow this was an
uncomfortable one to watch. It just felt like Mid-South lost track of what they
were doing and decided that they were going to regress into some sort of carnival
wrestling show. The two females put on a good match, which was unfortunately damaged
by the crowd not taking the bout seriously, a real shame in my opinion. The two
men eventually got in the ring. Both Charles and Ferrara looked decent, but it
was clear before they even got into the ring that they were not the focus of
this contest. Eventually, the two female were back in the ring for the finish,
with Barbie Doll getting the pin to win it for herself and Charles. Saying that
it was an awkward match to sit through would be a big understatement. The roars
of laughter when the two women were in the ring was really a shame as they both
held their own very well. Mid-South discredited themselves in this match, with
a blatant attempt to make it into some sort of P.T. Barnum-era freak show.
Then it was the main event, with Ted DiBiase squaring up against
Paul Orndorff. It felt very strange seeing DiBiase prior to his ‘Million Dollar
Man’ gimmick, and working as a face, but he did a good job of it and had me
rooting for him pretty much from the get-go. The bout was an example of how
every wrestling match should look to a crowd. It was aggressive and looked
legitimate. Both men showed their talent and managed to have a very mixed match
in terms of offense, without making it look structured or worked. The finish
saw DiBiase lock Orndorff in a good Figure Four Leglock, only for Orndorff to
reverse the hold. DiBiase showed a lot of spirit and refused to tap out, with the
clock eventually running down and the match ending in a draw. Despite the
finish making both competitors, particularly DiBiase, look strong as anything, it
was still poor in my opinion. I finished the show feeling like I had been
cheated, not in a way that makes me want to watch the next episode, but in a
way that left me feeling disappointed. The poor finish was a negative, but the
match itself had a lot of upside, with it looking like a real fight, it was how
wrestling should still be.
Overall, I enjoyed the show, and will be reviewing more of Mid-South in the future. But it was far from perfect. The opening match was comically bad and frankly embarrassing to watch, the mixed tag match left me feeling uncomfortable and queasy, and finish to the main event was disappointing. There were a lot of good parts and a lot of bad parts, and for that reason, I can only give it a 6.5 out of 10.
For this list, I attempted to avoid really well-established national talent. This is more about the wrestlers who have the potential to break out on the national scene in the upcoming year. Unfortunately, there were so many high potential wrestlers that just missed out, so honourable mentions to: Scotty Rawk and Cole Quinzel (The Rawk ‘n’ Cole Express), Tom Weaver, and Dom Black.
1. Tel Banham
I first saw Tel Banham when he was still working under the name of ‘Rocky Future’. This was probably four or five years ago now, but even then, he really stuck out as a potentially huge star. He has wrestling ability with charisma to match, to put it simply. The current holder of the PCW Heavyweight and the PCW Cruiserweight Championships, Banham is very well established in PCW, but he is yet to branch further afield. There is enough versatility and potential in this guy to find his feet in PROGRESS, ICW, or WOS Wrestling.
2. Tyler Devlin
Tyler Devlin tends to find himself in hardcore matches, but this does not mean he lacks quality wrestling ability. He is only really operating out of the Grimsby and Cleethorpes area, mainly appearing for British Wrestling Revolution, where he is the current champion, but he has all of the potential to branch out. His recent feud with Jimmy Havoc of the belt was a fairly exciting one, with Havoc’s beat down of Devlin forcing the hometown boy to leave the promotion, only to return a few months later, eventually besting Havoc in a ladder match for the title.
3. ‘The Amazing’ Matt Myers
‘The Amazing’ Matt Myers has both personality and wrestling ability. He has been around for some time now, but NXT UK, WOS, and several other big promotions seem to have failed to pick him up. This is a mistake by them in my opinion. Myers regularly works on both sides of the River Humber, having built up a fan base in Hull-based promotion, NGW, and the Grimsby-based, BWR. His bouts with the likes of Nathan Cruz and Rampage Brown have become somewhat legendary in NGW, while his teaming with the easily excitable, Kelvin Kayton as part of S.H.A.F.T. in BWR has been both funny and emotional in equal measure. Myers could, and frankly should, be one of the biggest names in British Wrestling, and it is my prediction that he will be one of the front-runners in terms of filling the void left by the stars of NXT UK.
4. Reese Ryan
Reese Ryan (pictured above), like the previously-mentioned Tyler Devlin, primarily operates out of Grimsby. PCW have been looking at signing him recently, this should hopefully get him some the attention his recent work deserves. He is incredibly versatile in terms of his character-work, starting out with a very basic ‘Teenage Sensation’ gimmick, then moving onto an emo gimmick, before moving onto his current character, that of a movie star. He has been able to make each and every one of these gimmicks highly entertaining. His in-ring work is not lacking either, recently participating in a singles match against Joe Hendry at a BWR show, arguably the best match of the night. Ryan is still a young guy, and has a long career ahead of him, certainly one to keep an eye out for.
5. ‘The English Psychopath’ Erin Jacobs
This man has the scariest set of eyes I think I have ever seen. His gimmick fits perfectly. Erin Jacobs is from the north-east, and has worked mostly for NORTH. The north-east is a real wrestling hub at the moment, with plenty of stars from the area. Some would find it impossible to find recognition for themselves in such a wrestling-saturated region, but Jacobs appears to have carved himself a place with his unique character. Personally, I would like to see him in a feud with Jimmy Havoc or Rory Coyle (who he is currently tagging with as part of The Sons of Ulaid), I think his character would mesh well against either of these men. He is another one to keep an eye out for in 2019 and beyond.
Borne from the ashes of the now defunct GWA, British Wrestling Revolution was formed by a small team of GWA alumni and fans last summer. They have held 12 shows since their creation, and have regularly sold out. Here is why they are the ones to watch in 2019.
The Roster
BWR have created a roster with a good mix of well-known British Indy wrestlers and home-grown rising stars. Jimmy Havoc, Jack Jester,Kay Lee Ray, and Kip Sabian are all regulars for the promotion, but they also feature the likes of Reese Ryan and Tyler Devlin, both local stars who have bags of in-ring potential. The tag team division is also excellent, with The Sons of Ulaid (Rory Coyle and Erin Jacobs), GBH (Robbie X, ‘Powerhouse’ Blake,and Kip Sabian), The Rawk ’n’ Cole Express (Scotty Rawk and Cole Quinzel), and S.H.A.F.T. (‘The Amazing’ Matt Myers and ‘The Incredible’ Kelvin Kayton) all routinely gracing the BWR ring.The promotion also has a sprinkling of British Wrestling royalty mixed in, with legends, Jonny Storm and Jody Fleisch, both featuring on recent shows. They were also one of the first promotions in the UK to book PAC, following him parting ways with WWE. He is set to appear on the upcoming show, ‘Welcome to Wonderland’, on Friday 21st December.
The Matches
Over their short existence, BWR have put on some brilliant showcases. On their most recent show, ‘The Last Stand 2018’, which I was able to attend, there were several memorable bouts. The first one that I will cover was Reese Ryan w/ Will Kroos vs Joe Hendry. It started in true Joe Hendry-esque fashion, with a very funny cover of the theme from The Greatest Showman dissing Reese Ryan. The match was fairly exciting. Reese Ryan spent a good proportion of the end of the match trying to hit Hendry with a steel chair, after the referee had been knocked out. It ended with a spot reminiscent of the late Eddie Guerrero and Mr. Kennedy, with Hendry being framed, losing him the match by DQ. The other match I want to talk about is the main event from that night,Jimmy Havoc vs Tyler Devlin in a Championship Ladder match. It was arguably the perfect match for the typically bloodthirsty Grimsby crowd, with both men seemingly trying to one-up each other in terms of how dangerous a position they could put themselves in. There were two spots that were particularly memorable.The first caused most fans to hold their breaths, when Devlin dived from atop a ladder onto another ladder propped up between the ring and the guard rail, the ladder breaking in bone-tingling fashion. The second memorable spot was when Jimmy Havoc was thrown from a ladder onto another ladder that was wrapped in barbed wire, a spot that looked incredibly unsafe. There has been several other bouts that have featured on previous shows too, which, despite me being unable to witness all of them first –hand,sound like they would have been very entertaining. A three-way match between Pete Dunne, Jimmy Havoc, and Joseph Conners, and Tyler Devlin vs current PCW Champion, Tel Banham in a cage match are just two that stick out.
The Potential
So, why should you look out for them in 2019? The year that they’ve had is very commendable, given that they have risen from nothing. Every show feels fresh and is rarely boring, so providing that they can continue this into the coming year, and protect the product from going stale, they will be absolutely fine. The main base for the promotion is in the Grimsby and Cleethorpes area. While operating in such a contained area may have once been a problem for promotions, the advent of streaming now means that promotions can gain nationwide recognition without having to travel. ICW are the perfect example of this, with the majority of their shows running out of a single venue. BWR look to be capitalizing upon the streaming market. They have recently said that they are waiting until they have built up an adequate video library first, so we can expect the service to go live at some point in early 2019. Also, there is a great amount of talent on their roster, with so many rising stars such as Tyler Devlin, Reese Ryan, Scotty Rawk, Cole Quinzel, Tom Weaver, and several others. Most of these could have the potential to help fill the gap left by the NXT UK stars and bring about a new era of British Wrestling.
British Wrestling Tribune 