Southside Wrestling: Adrenaline Rush Report and Review

After a successful debut at the Circus Tavern earlier this year, Southside Wrestling returned to Essex this past weekend to a packed house. Presenting a stacked card with a combination of British and international talent, Southside delivered a solid show in which Tommy End and Will Ospreay, once again, stole the show.

Stixx vs The Pledge

The first match of the night saw two heavyweights battle in a better than expected contest. Stixx hyped up the crowd before The Pledge, accompanied by the Righteous Army, emerged to a smoke filled ring. Over the past six months, The Righteous Army have been a perpetual thorn in the side of the Heavyweight House of Pain and, at Southside Adrenaline Rush, Stixx received the opportunity to inflict a degree of revenge.

As the bell rang, Stixx immediately sent The Pledge on the defensive following a spear into the turnbuckle as chants of Stixx is gunna kill you echoed around the Circus Tavern. After The Pledge managed to land some offence of his own, Stixx tossed him eight feet in the air off a rebound allowing gravity to drive The Pledge's face first into the canvas. Stixx followed The Pledge to the outside as the brawl drifted around the ring before The Pledge gained the momentum by driving Stixx into the ring post.

The Pledge allowed the fans to distract him with chants of Jimmy's boyfriend before Stixx took advantage with an inverted atomic drop followed by a series of devastating chops in the corner. The Pledge regained the advantage by sending Stixx to the outside and looked to win the match via count-out before Stixx returned to the ring only to be greeted by multiple stomps. Impressively, The Pledge then delivered a blue thunder powerbomb before Stixx connected with a uranagi to secure the victory.

Winner: Stixx

After the match, Stixx signalled his intentions to regain the Southside Wrestling Championship.

Outside of the stiff shots inevitable in any Stixx match, this was a solid opener set at a surprisingly fast paced which the crowd got really into it despite the malfunctioning smoke machine.

Starbux and Tyler Bate vs The Second City Collective

Composed of Ryan Smile, the Southside Money in the Bank holder, Damien Dunne and Pete Dunne, fresh off his return from Chikara's King of Trios tournament, The Second City Collective made their way to the ring as Ryan Smile managed to get into an argument with a fan immediately. Starbux, comprised of Robbie X and Mark Haskins, made their way to the ring before their partner Tyler Bate, also returning from Chikara's King of Trios, joined them.

Annoyed by the popularity of Bate's moustache, Smile demanded Bate's music to be turned off. Pete Dunne and Bate began the match with an exchange of holds before Haskins and Damien Dunne were tagged in. Haskins delivered a flurry of offence before Damien Dunne grabbed Ryan Smile's legs before Smile tagged in. Haskins, too, took the opportunity to make the tag to Robbie X, who began work on Smile's bandaged right shoulder. A series of frequent tags ensured Starbux/Tyler Bate stayed on top before Smile delivered a thumb to the eye before tagging in Damien Dunne.

Smile distracted the referee as both Damien and Pete Dunne double teamed Robbie X before delivering a double belly to back suplex. Once again, Smile distracted the ref but this time Haskins broke up the double team. After Smile dominated Robbie X, an enziguri allowed Robbie X to make the tag to Haskins who immediately attempted the Made in Japan only to be reversed by Smile. Haskins reversed an attempted forearm by Smile into the fujiwara arm bar before Damien Dunne broke the hold. After withstanding a three on one beat down, Haskins managed to apply a boston crab to Damien Dunne and a camel clutch to Pete Dunne AT THE SAME TIME before Smile broke the hold.

As the match broke down, a misdirected rebound handspring ace crusher by Robbie X caught his partner Mark Haskins allowing Ryan Smile to take advantage with a michinoku driver to pick up the victory.

Winner: The Second City Collective

After the match, Robbie X and Haskins argued in the ring before Haskins offered a begrudging handshake to his partner as tensions further grew between the two.

This was a really entertaining, high paced match once it got going. Ryan Smile was the star of the match; his constant whining and confrontations with the crowd were fantastic. In fact, The Second City Collective, as a team, have great chemistry and will hopefully be a permanent fixture in Southside for a long time to come.

As a side note, both Haskins and Bate fair better as singles wrestlers and both men deserve to be showcased as such, particularly Haskins.

Kay Lee Ray (C)vs Toni Storm

Southside Women's Championship Match

Since the company's inception, Southside Wrestling has always promoted the best women's wrestlers from around the UK and around the world.

Adrenaline Rush was no different.

TNA Knockout, Angelina Love, made her Southside debut as the special guest referee for the night's Women's Championship match between two of the best in the UK scene today.

As the match began, Kay Lee Ray went straight to the outside as the smoke machine continued to malfunction. Following Ray's return to the ring, Storm and Ray proceeded to an impressive exchange of holds culminating in Ray once again fleeing to the safety of the outside. Disinterested, Angelina Love didn't even bother to start the count out to the dismay of certain fans. Again, Kay Lee Ray returned to the ring only to be bested by Toni Storm before heading to the outside once again.

This time, Storm followed Kay Lee Ray to the outside before sending the champion on a collision course with the ring post. After tossing Ray back in the ring, Storm delivered a series of stomps in the corner before hiding behind the referee. Taking advantage of the distraction, Ray ragged Storm's hair to gain control. Kay Lee Ray choked Storm with her coat before the referee confiscated the foreign object only for Kay Lee Ray to use her t shirt to choke Storm before Love confiscated the item once again.

Storm emerged on top of striking battle before Ray reversed a fisherman suplex into an arm bar before Storm powered out by lifting Ray up to deliver a powerbomb-after lifting Ray up to the top rope, Toni Storm delivered a muscle buster for a near fall.

A double underhook piledriver attempt was reversed into a roll up by Kay Lee Ray as she grabbed a handful of tights to retain the Southside Women's Title.

Winner: Kay Lee Ray

This was a very good match despite Angelina Love's face making it no secret she would much rather be anywhere else. Kay Lee Ray and Toni Storm are two of the brightest prospects in British wrestling and matches like this only testify to their ability. Both Kay Lee Ray and Toni Storm have incredibly bright futures ahead of them in the wrestling industry.

Jimmy Havoc vs Davey Richards

With one success already in the bag, The Righteous Army looked to make it a second in one of the most highly anticipated matches of the night. TNA Tag Team Champion and one part of The American Wolves, Davey Richards, made his Southside return and received a raucous ovation from the Essex crowd.

Accompanied by the muscle of the Righteous Army, the Southside Speedking Champion, the suicidal suicidal suicidal Jimmy Havoc emerged to vociferous boos. As the bell rang, Havoc immediately fled to the safety of the outside before returning to the ring with a nice exchange of holds to begin. Davey Richards, encouraged by the overwhelming support of the crowd, began work on Havoc's arm looking to take the Acid Rainmaker out of Havoc's arsenal. Richards proceeded to apply a figure four leg lock, wrenching Havoc's legs to the mat to exacerbate he hold.

Jimmy Havoc, selling the leg work- the first wrestler of the night to do so, was placed on the top rope by Richards but managed to block the superplex attempt only to receive a knee to the gut. As Havoc rolled to the outside, a distraction by The Pledge allowed Havoc to reenter the ring and capitalise with a drop kick that sent Richards to the outside. After blocking a kick, Richards sent Havoc crashing face first into the apron. Richards, after blocking an attempted Acid Rainmaker, delivered a bridging german for a near fall. Richards, looking to end the match, connected with a brainbuster but once again the distraction by The Pledge allowed Havoc to capitalise by delivering a shot to the head with his Speedking title to secure the victory much to the derision of the crowd.

Winner: Jimmy Havoc

I don't want to say Davey Richards was taking it easy in this match, but this wasn't the Davey Richards many have become accustomed to on TNA. Jimmy Havoc, as ever, was brilliant once again and never ceases to amaze in his ability to generate heat. Next on Havoc's Southside agenda is a  two on two ladder match for the Speedking Title and the Woman's title at their fifth anniversary show. Havoc will team up with fellow Righteous Army member Kay Lee Ray against the team of Nixon Newell and El Ligero.

Joseph Connors vs Hardcore Holly

Making his Southside Wrestling debut, former two time WWE Tag Team Champion and six time Hardcore Champion, Bob Holly was granted a shot at Joseph Connors Southside Title.

Hardcore Holly received a huge ovation as he emerged from the curtain. Joseph Connors, wearing his beautiful purple smocking jacket and accompanied by Kay Lee Ray, received the exact opposite as the smoke machine went off at the correct time. Disgruntled by the fans cheering for Holly, Connors took umbrage at a number of fans. After Holly grabbed the mic, he asked why Connors brought a sewer rat to the ring as chants of sewer rat broke out and stuck around for most of the match.

The beginning of the match centred around Joseph Connors repeatedly exiting the ring, effectively denying the fans of he match they wanted to see. After numerous teases of a fight, Connors' henchman, The Pledge, emerged from the curtain as Connors attempted to land a few cheap shots before Holly lit Connors up with a series of chops in the corner illuminating the champion's chest. Following a distraction by Pledge, the referee determined enough was enough before sending The Pledge to the back but, for some reason, allowed Kay Lee Ray to stay.

After delivering a series of successful vertical suplexes, Hardcore Holly reversed a vertical suplex into a small package for a near fall. Again, Holly delivered several thunderous chops in the corner followed by a clothesline and a big back body drop. Sensing his moment of glory, Hardcore Holly lifted Connors up for the Alabama Slam but a returning Pledge caused the distraction as Connors reversed into a roll up with a handful of tights to retain the Southside title.

Kay Lee Ray entered the ring post match to talk trash to the Hardcore legend before Holly positioned her for the Alabama Slam. Once again, Pledge caused the distraction allowing Kay Lee Ray to escape before he fell victim to the Alabama Slam.

Winner: Joseph Connors

The Righteous Army's monopoly on the Southside championships was solidified at Adrenaline Rush and they look stronger than ever going into the 5th Anniversary show in Stevenage. Joseph Connors was fantastic here; he worked around Holly's obvious limitations by continually fleeing to the outside as a means of generating heat. Nothing angers a crowd more than being deprived of the match they paid to see and Connors has mastered this to a fine art. In my opinion, Joseph Connors is one of the most underrated wrestlers in the UK today.

Martin Kirby Announcement

Post intermission, Martin Kirby arrived alone as one half of Project Ego. Kirby informed the audience of the tragic circumstances that prevented one of the finest British wrestlers of the past decade, Kris Travis, from being there before stating he would be defending the titles by himself tonight as Travis is irreplaceable.

Pete Dunne, member of The Second City Collective, emerged from the curtain unbeknownst to Kirby before delivering a cheap shot from behind followed by a pump handle driver. Out came Ryan Smile and Damien Dunne as Smile, after delivering a michinoku driver, successfully cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to secure the Southside Tag Team Titles for The Second City Collective.

A post match beat down was broken up by The London Riots as a wild brawl ensued between both teams and a three on three match was scheduled.

Following a lengthy ringside brawl that culminated in The London Riots using Damien Dunne as a weapon to punish Smile, the match began with Kirby and Pete Dunne in the ring. Frequent tags allowed The Second City Collective to work over Kirby before one half of the former tag team champions gained the momentum with an enziguri  before making the hot tag to Rob Lynch, who delivered a series of clotheslines before Pete Dunne grabbed the cricket bat and connected with Damien Dunne instead of Lynch.

The London Riots connected with a double team powerbomb followed by a pop up spear before tagging Martin Kirby who landed the fameasser to pick up the victory underscored by a roar of approval from the crowd.

Winner: Kirby/London Riots

After The Second City Collective went to the back with their tails firmly between their legs, Martin Kirby told the Riots to ensure they regained the tag team tiles from 'those dickheads'.

Now, I'm uncertain whether their is precedent for cashing in for the tag team titles in Southside but the decision strikes me as peculiar. Ryan Smile is insufferable and always manages to generate considerable heat and it seems a shame he will not get the chance to have a run with the most prestigious title on Southside.

El Ligero vs Tommaso Ciampa

El Ligero looked to gain some momentum heading into Southside's 5th anniversary show in October. At Adrenaline Rush, Ligero would face a man that, over the past two weeks, has put on some excellent matches with some of the UK's best.

After a battle to see who could generate the most cheers, Ciampa and El Ligero shook hands before the bell rang. The sportsmanship didn't last too long as Ciampa immediately connected with a fierce knee strike to send El Ligero reeling. Ciampa proceeded to deliver several rapid fire chops to the chest of El Ligero before exposing his knee to deliver another fierce knee to the face. As the crowd chanted for one more, Ciampa flipped them off before delivering an STO assisted by the ropes.

Ligero managed to send Ciampa to the outside before attempting a cross body which Ciampa nonchalantly moved out of the way of. Following a floating suplex into the ring post, Ciampa positioned Ligero on a chair before delivering more chops to the Mexican Sensation's chest. Perhaps looking for a running dropkick, Ciampa ate a superkick before Ligero landed a tope con hilo .

Back in the ring, several elbows were followed up by a drop kick from the top rope. Ligero drove home his advantage with an inverted ddt before meeting a jumping knee by Ciampa- Ligero reversed the Project Ciampa (powerbomb into double knees) into a roll up for a near fall before the two traded blows in the centre of the ring. Ligero attempted the c4l ddt but was caught by Ciampa before delivering an inverted michinoku driver.

On the apron, Ciampa attempted a german suplex which was blocked by Ligero- a brutal forearm smash allowed Ciampa to deliver a death valley driver onto the apron for a near fall. Ligero, after reversing an attempted death valley driver from the top, delivered a powerbomb followed by a frogsplash for a two count. Following a series of shots by each man, Ciampa connected with a big boot that sent Ligero rebounding off the ropes before he delivered a superkick- Ciampa, too, rebounded off the ropes to deliver a spinning lariat before El Ligero kicked out at one!

Ligero flipped off Ciampa before the Sicilian Psychopath connected with a shining wizard followed by Project Ciampa. El Ligero, summoning what little strength he had left, managed to kick out at two!

After re-exposing the knee, Ciampa attempted another shining wizard which Ligero caught and rolled into a pinning predicament for a near fall. El Ligero secured the victory soon after with the c4l ddt to gather momentum heading into the ladder match at the 5th Anniversary show.

Winner: El Ligero

Post match, Ciampa begrudgingly shook the hand of El Ligero.

I really enjoyed this match. It took a while for the majority of the crowd to get into it but both men succeed in pulling the audience into it. Tommaso Ciampa has now been in the UK for over two weeks and, to my knowledge, he is yet to pick up a victory. To me, that suggests Ciampa will be signing to WWE in the near future. Here, yet again, Ciampa put on an excellent showing against one of Britain's best.

Will Ospreay vs Tommy End

In 2015, few in the UK have had a better year than both Will Ospreay and Tommy End. In August, their success in the UK translated into success in the USA as both Ospreay and End had impressive performances in PWG's BOLA.

The Illuminati Assassin, Tommy End was the first to make his way to the ring accompanied by chants of Tommy Fucking End. Will Ospreay, local hero, was next to arrive and was greeted with a huge cheer. Before the match started, Tommy End grabbed the mic to inform the crowd that Ospreay's parents were in the crowd for tonight's show before proceeding to say he is going to kick Ospreay so hard she will feel it in her uterus.

As the match got under way, after some impressive mat wrestling usually not associated with Ospreay, End was sent to the outside by a dropkick before Ospreay landed a beautiful springboard moonsault before landing on his feet to soak in the rabid cheers. Back in the ring, after a series of reversals, Tommy End applied a single leg boston crab before Ospreay reached the ropes. Selling the leg, Ospreay used the ropes to assist him to return to his feet before End delivered several more strikes to the leg that sent Ospreay crumbling to the mat once again. Tommy End delivered a scoopslam which further aggravated Ospreay's leg as it bounced off the ropes.

Despite the audience's best efforts to encourage Ospreay, the middle part of this match featured exemplary limb work by Tommy End; each time Ospreay would return to his feet and attempt to mount any offence, End would cut him off by going right back to work on that leg. Ospreay rolled to the outside to seek respite- End, unrelenting, followed Ospreay to the outside after talking a little trash before delivering a double foot stomp to the chest of Ospreay right in front of the Aerial Assassin's parents. Back in the ring, after withstanding a flurry of forearms, Ospreay spiked End with a reverse rana followed by a swing blade then a standing shooting star press for a near fall.

Looking to keep the larger man down, Ospreay headed up top but missed the Jump Tuck Pray as End rolled out the way. After several knees to the face, End attempted a powerbomb only to be reversed into a stunner by Ospreay followed up by a frankensteiner. End pulled the referee in front of him as Ospreay landed a handspring enziguri that sent the ref reeling to the outside. End attempted a german suplex but Ospreay landed on his feet before connecting with the Essex Destroyer to no avail as the ref was incapacitated. Tommy End landed a devastating brainbuster but Ospreay returned straight to his feet only to be met by a roundhouse kick for another near fall.

After dodging several kicks, Ospreay landed a springboard Essex Destroyer but End managed to kick out this time- Ospreay, sensing his opportunity to secure yet another huge victory, slowly clambered to the top rope before delivering the inverted 450. Unsure whether that would be enough, Ospreay went up top again to deliver the Jump Tuck Pray corkscrew splash to collect yet another impressive victory.

Winner: Will Ospreay

This was a really excellent match in which a more sinister than usual Tommy End displayed a more cerebral approach to the dismantling of Ospreay's leg- yes, somehow, Tommy End has a deeper level of sinister than usual.

Ospreay's selling throughout the match was fantastic and ensured everyone in the crowd was fully behind him. Anybody who believes the white meat babyface is a redundant concept in the 21st century wrestling landscape need look no further than Will Ospreay, he is the perfect babyface.

The ref bump was a little unnecessary considering End didn't pick up the victory but this was a mighty fine match and easily the best of the night. Ospreay can now add Tommy End to an ever growing list of excellent performances. Next up for Ospreay in Southside is a date with The Greatest Man That Ever Lived, Austin Aries, at Southside's 5th anniversary show in another match that has the potential to steal the show as he seemingly does every week.

Final Word: Overall, this was a pretty solid show despite some questionable booking decisions, particularly the fact that Ryan Smile cashed in for the tag titles as opposed to the main title. The Tommy End/Will Ospreay match took the show to a different level and, considering Tommy End's injury, was a really excellent match far and above any thing else on the card. I will reiterate, Joseph Connors is one of the best heels in the UK today and he really deserves a lot more credit than he receives; alongside fellow members of the Righteous Army, Connors is a great villain who always succeeds in earning the ire of the crowd wherever he goes.

Matches of the Week 17/09-24/09

The past week has produced some excellent wrestling. A stacked card at ROH All Star Extravaganza VII managed to surpass incredibly high expectations, RevPro UK delivered two stellar shows with a combination of international and British talent, NJPW continued to provide some of the best wrestling in the world at Destruction in Okayama and WWE delivered a largely solid PPV at Night of Champions.

Honourable mentions this week include Kushida vs Kenny Omega, Mark Haskins vs John Morrison, the Four Corner Survival match to determine the number one contender for the ROH World Title between Styles/Elgin/Strong/Cole and the three team tag match between The Addiction/The Kingdom/Young Bucks.

Serious question; have the Young Bucks ever had a bad match? If so, I haven't seen it yet. There is no tag team in the world at the moment who can surpass them in terms of wresting ability and entertainment value.

Anyway, enough filibuster. Here are this week's matches of the week beginning with two title defences in one night.

Jay Lethal (C) vs Bobby Fish (ROH TV Title match)/Kyle O Reilly (ROH World Title match)

ROH All Star Extravaganza VII

At All Star Extravaganza VII, ROH World and TV champion Jay Lethal defended both titles in one night against one of the best tag teams in the world.

With a reign lasting over a year and a series of impressive performances against the likes of Sydall, Kushida, Jushin Thunder Liger and El Patron, it would be Bobby Fish of reDRagon to challenge Lethal's dominance in a match for the TV title.

In the first match of the night, both men went hold for hold early on before Fish temporarily applied the knee bar before Lethal reached the ropes. Fish continued to work on the leg of the first World and TV champion but a distraction from Truth Martini, Lethal's manager and general hero, allowed Lethal to connect with the Lethal Injection. Showing great ring presence, Fish rolled to the outside before Lethal had the opportunity to attempt the pin.

Lethal proceeded to bounce Fish off the barricades in order to secure a count out victory but was thwarted as Fish returned to the ring on a count of 19. After wresting the momentum from Lethal, Fish, following a back breaker, landed a moonsault for a near fall as the crowd chanted that was three. Lethal, after regaining the momentum with the Lethal Combination, attempted a second Lethal Injection before Fish pulled him back by the trunks. After trading kicks, Lethal again attempted the Lethal Injection but Fish to caught him then rolled through into the knee bar before Lethal rolled the challenger up with a handful of tights to secure the pinfall and retain the ROH TV Title in an impressive opener.

In the night's main event, Lethal faced Kyle O Reilly, a man who has tapped him out on numerous occasions for the ROH World Title. After O Reilly emerged to a raucous ovation, Lethal solemnly limped down to the ring.

Following an initial exchange of holds, O Reilly began work on the arm of Lethal as opposed to continuing to work the already injured leg before a dropkick by the champion allowed him to take a breather. An attempted Lethal Injection was blocked as O Reilly applied a rear naked choke hold before O Reilly delivered the three rolling ddts. Sensing the opportunity to win his first ROH singles title, O Reilly applied a guillotine choke- Lethal reversed the hold into the koji clutch before O Reilly reversed into an ankle lock.

Eventually, the champion escaped the hold to deliver a pop up neck breaker before a german suplex that dropped O Reilly on the head. Lethal, looking to end the match, called for the Lethal Injection but O Reilly caught the Champion and locked in the arm bar. Again, Lethal escaped by a roll up with a handful of tights but O Reilly kicked out, transitioning into an arm bar before Lethal reached the ropes.

After trading several fierce kicks, O Reilly delivered the Nigel lariat followed by a brain buster before stomping the chest of Lethal a la Bryan Danielson. Truth Martini, nuisance as ever, pulled the ref out the ring to prevent the stoppage before Nigel McGuinness, ringside on commentary, escorted Martini out to the back.

Using the ropes to assist him to his feet, a weary Lethal received another blow before the referee got in the way of an O Reilly kick whilst checking on the champion thus sending him down. An exhausted Lethal managed to deliver a Lethal Injection from the top rope before attempting to use the championship as a weapon- O Reilly's partner, Fish, returned to ensure Lethal couldn't cheat to win again before Donovan Dijak rushed to the ring to save Lethal from Chasing the Dragon. After striking Fish with the title, Adam Cole, friend and occasional partner of O Reilly, clothselined Dijak to the outside before setting up Chasing the Dragon only for Cole to turn on his partner by delivering a superkick to O Reilly.

Lethal, unaware of most of the events, delivered the Lethal Injection to secure the victory and retain his ROH World Title.

As a huge fan of both Jay Lethal and Seth Rollins, this past weekend was heaven as both men defended both their title on the same night. For me, I think Lethal's matches against reDRagon were well ahead of Rollins' matches. Perhaps that is due to their respective opponents as much as anything but Lethal shone the brightest. Overall, the pacing, psychology and ring work of Lethal's matches made a lot more sense than Rollins'.

Sure, many ROH disliked the "WWE style" finish in the main event but irrespective of the climax of the show, these were a couple of great matches. Personally, I enjoyed the conclusion of the main event; Adam Cole was born to be a heel and, quite frankly, his performances as a face were somewhat underwhelming. In my mind, the reDRagon/Kingdom rivalry will undoubtedly produce a series of excellent matches which will help both teams in the long run and particularly Kyle O Reilly who is evidently being groomed for a top spot in ROH.

Many commentators, including myself, believed Fish would win the TV title but the events throughout the night provided a logical reason for Fish's loss.

Lethal now moves on to face AJ Styles for the ROH World Title after Styles was victorious in a four corner survival match between Strong, Cole and Elgin for the number one contendership. With the announcement that the ROH World Title will be defended at Wrestle Kingdom X, expect AJ to defeat Lethal for the title and elevate the title to unprecedented levels by defending the title in Japan.

As a side note, I will never get tired of reDRagon catching Lethal off the Lethal Injection and applying a submission hold.

Will Ospreay vs Ricochet

RevPro UK: Live in Southampton

Fans in attendence at RevPro's latest show in Southampton, England, were treated to an international dream match between two of the top five high flyers in professional wrestling today. Both men have had immensely impressive years; Ricochet, or Prince Puma, has excelled in matches against the likes of Zack Sabre Jr, Kushida, Morrison, Mil Meurtes, Matt Sydall and various other high profile names. Likewise, Will Ospreay has unquestionably had the best year of his career to date featuring in incredible matches against the likes of AJ Styles, Matt Sydall, Mark Haskins and Jimmy Havoc.

After donning Ospreay's jacket, Ricochet mocked Ospreay by copying his signature pose. The match got under way as both men block german suplex attempts before Ospreay sent Ricochet to the outside. Ricochet attempted to return with a member of the audience's shoe before the referee returns the shoe to its rightful owner. For some unfathomable reason, many members of the audience began to chant for chant for tables at this point. Both men looked underneath the ring to no avail before returning to the ring. Ospreay and Ricochet proceeded to satiate the members of the audience demanding tables with what they do best; high flying. First, Ricochet flipped out of an attempted head scissor take down before Ospreay flipped out of a head scissor take down attempt by Ricochet before both men dodged a series of kicks.

A roly poly into a ddt was followed up by a corkscrew moonsault to the outside by Ricochet before re-entering the ring with delayed springboard knees before channelling his inner Rock by delivering the people's moonsault for a near fall. Ricochet continued to mount a series of offensive manoeuvres as he caught a diving Ospreay, applying a torture rack submission before bashing Ospreay's head on the turnbuckle. Ospreay, after blocking a vertical suplex, connected with a rebound handspring enziguri that sent Ricochet to the outside before Ospreay delivered a beautiful tope con hilo to ground Ricochet.

Back in the ring, after connecting with a swinging ddt, Ospreay delivered a standing shooting star press. Ospreay and Ricochet proceeded to trade chops in the high rent distract before Ricochet attempted a frankenstiener but Ospreay landed on his feet- Ricochet gains the advantage with a rolling fisherman suplex into a vertical suplex. Ospreay blocked the attempted firemans carry into roundhouse kick combination before both men connected with consecutive reverse ranas as both men fell to the mat to chants of this is awesome.

After a standing meteora, Ricochet landed a shooting star press for an incredibly close fall. Again, Ospreay escaped the fireman's carry/roundhouse kick combination before connecting with the Essex Destroyer for a near fall. Sensing the opportunity to pick up one of the biggest victories in his fledgling career, Ospreay headed to the top rope to deliver an inverted 450 splash to secure the victory in, unsurprisingly, the match of the night.

This was an incredible match. It was everything I could have wanted and more. Not much can be said about Ricochet that hasn't already been said, he was fantastic here again. Already with potential match of the year contenders against the likes of AJ Styles, Mark Haskins and Marty Scurrl, not including any of his BOLA matches, Ospreay added another name to an already impressive list of incredible matches. In my opinion, there is no one at his age who is better in the UK or the rest of the world. The boy is going to be a star on both sides of the Atlantic and it was truly a pleasure to witness this match first hand.

It wouldn't surprise me if we get a rematch between these two at a PWG show down the line. I would estimate 75% of the audience in Southampton didn't know who either of these men were but the fact these two got everyone on their feet chanting that was awesome is testament to their ability as performers.

Kevin Owens vs Ryback (C)

Intercontinental Championship Match

The opener of Night of Champions saw Ryback defend his Intercontinental Championship in the state in which he was crowned Intercontinental Champion just four months previously. As both men arrived, the crowd appeared to be divided until a Fight Owens Fight chant broke out.

This was incredibly well put together match in which Kevin Owens delivered a textbook heel performance more commonly seen in the 1980's than present day WWE.

After recovering from being gorilla pressed to the outside, Owens pushed Ryback into the ring post shoulder first before going to work on Ryback's shoulder. Owens told Ryback to shut up after he complained to the ref about his elbow before proceeding to wrench the arm. Ryback regained some momentum when he delivered a spinebuster before attempting the meat hook clothesline which was blocked by a superkick. Owens applied a fujiwara arm bar before Ryback powered out to deliver an impressive deadlift powerslam for a near fall.

After pulling the straps down, Ryback attempted the Shell Shock but Owens reversed with a rake to the eyes into a roll up to secure his first championship on the main roster.

This was exemplary heel work; the limb manipulation, trash talking and the rake to the eyes to secure the victory was a delightful throwback and something I would like to see more of in WWE, particularly with WWE WHC, Seth Rollins. Sure, I would have liked to have seen Owens grab a handful of tights to secure the victory but this was an imposing performance.

Don't forget Ryback, though. In my opinion, along with his match vs Bray Wyatt a couple of months ago, this ranks among Ryback's best performances- his selling of the arm was both a rarity and refreshing to see. On the rare occasions in WWE someone consistently works over a limb, the work is often forgotten about (See Charlotte vs Nikki).

Inevitably, larger portions of the fans have an overwhelming desire to cheer the despicable actions of Kevin Owens. WWE's combative tactic of Owens walking out mid-match is ingenious in the sense it deprives the fans of what they want to see thus forcing the boos. Although many would argue that the cheering of heels is indicative of WWE's problems of establishing top babyface draws, WWE clearly want people to boo Owens and this is an interesting way of achieving that goal.

Togi Makabe (C) vs Kota Ibushi 

Destruction in Okayama 

NEVER Openweight Match

The renaissance of NJPW over the past few years has not only stemmed from main eventers Tanahashi, Nakamura, Okada and Styles. For the past two years, NJPW have established a solid under card featuring the likes of Naito, Shibata and Ibushi. These wrestlers have demonstrated the potential to step up to the main event scene in the near future and unquestionably will.

The match began with an initial trading of forearms, Ibushi, surprisingly considering his height and size disadvantage, grounded Makabe with a series of kicks before a brawl on the mat ensued. Unsurprisngly, Makabe emerged victorious and sent Ibushi crashing into the barricade. Makabe continued to work the lower back with a series of vertical suplexes before applying a single leg boston crab. An enziguri shifted the momentum before Ibushi delivered a standing moonsault for a near fall.

Following a lengthy battle on the top rope, Ibushi landed on his feet after a german suplex attempt before connecting with a pele kick to Makabe, still positioned on the top rope. Ibushi delivered a beautiful frankensteiner for another near fall. Makabe regained the momentum following a series of stiff shots heard in the cheap seats before bouncing Ibushi off the barricades once again. After locating a table, Makabe positioned it ring side before an attempted powerbomb is reversed by Ibushi somehow managing to land on his feet. An enziguri followed by a springboard over the barricade into a hurricanrana incapacitated Makabe.

Ibushi positioned Makabe on the table before delivering a double foot stomp from the top rope. I don't know what it is about Japanese tables, but they are almost impossible to break and this one was no different. Back in the ring, Ibushi connected with a bridging german from the second rope for yet another near fall. Ibushi attempted a phoenix splash to no avail as both men lay strewn across the ring. After returning to their feet, Makabe and Ibushi exchanged blows before a lariat turned Ibushi inside out.

Makabe, in control, positioned Ibushi up top. after smashing Ibushi head on the ring post several times, Makabe finally connected with a dragon suplex from the top rope followed by a knee drop from the top rope to secure the victory and retain the NEVER Openweight Championship.

This was a spectacular match and what the NEVER Openweight Championship is about; the combination of Makabe's strength and brutality combined beautifully with the speed and agility of Kota Ibushi.

That's it for this week. See you next time for a roundup of the best wrestling matches worldwide.

Classic of the Week: Dean Malenko vs Chris Jericho Uncensored 1998

In 2015, thanks largely to WWE's revisionist history, WCW is considered the home of illogical stories, inappropriate celebrity appearances and nepotism, much like WWE in 2015! However, in its heyday, WCW had a lot of great things going for it, particularly the Cruiserweight division.

Formerly known as the WCW Light Heavyweight Championship, the WCW Cruiserweight Championship returned to television screens in 1996 after a near four year absence when Shinjiro Otani defeated The Pegasus Kid (Chris Benoit). The return of the WCW Cruiserweight, precipitated by the influx of Japanese and Lucha Libre wrestlers, represented a paradigm shift from the traditional light heavyweight style to a faster paced style usually presented at the beginning of the show to light up the crowd.

For me, I much prefer WCW's showcasing of cruiserweight talent to the majority of main event angles they ran; I would take Jericho, Malenko, Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio and Ultimo Dragon over anything the NWO ever did any day.

Despite the overwhelming success of the division, many of the wrestlers believed the championship prevented them from moving up to main event scene with the likes of Hogan, Hall, Nash, Sting and Savage. As noted in WWE's The Rise and Fall of WCW, both Malenko and Jericho firmly belonged in this camp. Conversely, the argument could be made that, without their achievements in the WCW Cruiserweight division, the likes of Jericho, Guerrero and Mysterio would never have achieved what they did with WWE.

So this week, considering Chris Jericho's surprise return at Night of Champions, we have a topical classic of the week. This week, we take a look at one of the finest Cruiserweight rivalries in the history of WCW that produced golden moments such as this.

Dean Malenko vs Chris Jericho (C)

WCW Cruiserweight Championship on the line

WCW Uncensored 1998

Available to Watch here.

After defeating Rey Mysterio in January '98, Chris Jericho entered into a rivalry that helped redefine the division in the Spring of '98 against former three time WCW Cruiserweight Champion, Dean Malenko.

Jericho and Malenko couldn't have been more different as opponents; Jericho was the arrogant, self-absorbed crybaby champion where as Malenko was the no frills, silent assassin focused on wrestling alone.

Their rivalry reached its peak at WCW Uncensored 1998 in arguably their finest match in WCW.

Austere, stern and unrelenting, Malenko, the man of a thousand holds, was the first to make his way to the ring. Jericho, with his golden hair, lavish attire and 1004 holds adorned across his backside, made his way to the ring next. Spotting a "Jericho Rues" sign in the front row, Jericho tore up the sign before claiming to be too good to be that guy's role model.

As the match began, both men go hold for hold early on before Dean Malenko, systematic as ever, began work on Jericho's arm. Malenko's technical acumen embarrassed Jericho early in the contest,
a factor that was further aggravated as he missed a cross body and ate a face full of canvas.
Humiliated by Malenko's technical nous, Jericho determined enough is enough, grabbing his title and heading up the ramp before deciding better of it by returning to the ring.

Jericho gained the momentum after withstanding a flurry of offence with a spine buster followed by a vertical suplex. Lionheart, Chris Jericho, then delivered the lionsault for a close fall which Malenko broke by putting his foot on the rope. After celebrating a premature victory, Jericho was informed he hadn't won the match by the referee before going to work on the lower back of Malenko in preparation for the Liontamer.

A slap to the face rejuvenated Malenko before he executed a belly to belly suplex for a near fall. After unloading a series of chops in the corner, Malenko delivered a belly to back suplex this time before a vertical suplex attempt was blocked and reversed into a floating suplex by Jericho.

Malenko desperately scrambled to the ropes before Jericho could apply the the Liontamer. Jericho, after delivering a series of forearm blows culminating in a springboard forearm, positioned Malenko for a saito suplex from the top rope but Malenko blocked whilst knocking Jericho to the floor with a cross body. Malenko missed a drop kick allowing Jericho to attempt to lock in the Liontamer once again but this time, ingeniously, Malenko uses what little remaining strength he has to block the attempt by placing his hands behind Jericho's calf so Jericho can't turn him over.

Again, Jericho lifted Malenko up top, perhaps looking for a frankensteiner, but his efforts are foiled once again as Malenko reversed into a double knee gut buster. A second missed drop kick cost Malenko dearly as this time Jericho was successfully able to apply the Liontamer submission to retain his WCW Cruiserweight title.

Eventually, Malenko regained the WCW Cruiserweight Championship by defeating Jericho at Slamboree '98 under the mask of Ciclope before being striped of the title for 'not earning the shot as himself'.

Both Malenko and Jericho would never win the title again.

As the Monday Night Wars came to their conclusion, both men went to WWE and enjoyed varying degrees of success. Chris Jericho became the first, and only, man to ever beat The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin on the same night to be crowned the undisputed WWF Champion at Vengeance 2001. Malenko, on the other hand, languished in midcard purgatory.

In my opinion, Dean Malenko was one of WWE's biggest missed opportunities and a victim of the sports entertainment culture that permeated wrestling culture in the late 90's and today. Given the right platform, Malenko could have thrived in WWE as a no nonsense ass kicker much like he did in ECW and WCW. Malenko is symptomatic of a problem that still plagues WWE today, see Cesaro for example. Vince McMahon has categorically distinguished between "sports entertainment" and wrestling; the WWE is a sports entertainment show, not a wrestling show and, as a consequence, wrestlers are often over looked for sports entertainers.

This goes a long way to explain why a Chris Jericho succeeded in WWE and why Dean Malenko failed to reach the heights many expected him too.

Revolution Pro Wrestling: Southampton 19/09/2015

A full house packed into the O2 Guildhall to witness Revolution Pro Wrestling's debut in  Southampton. Although many tickets were undoubtedly sold on the promise of WWE Hall of Famer, Brett Hart, outstanding performances from Josh Bodom, Damo, Marty Scurrl and yet another match of the year contender from Will Ospreay against Ricochet, ensured fans left satisfied having seen not only some of the best wrestling in England but some of the best wrestling in the world.

Lord Gideon Grey vs Flash Morgan Webster

Lord Gideon Grey, simply better than you, arrived  more suited to riding a horse than to wrestle was greeted by a chorus of boos. Perturbed by the lack of respect shown by the crowd, Lord Gideon Grey proceeded to rile up the crowd with various jibes and comments. Fresh of his American debut in Chikara's annual King of Trios tournament, Flash Morgan Webster arrived to the ring draped in the finest mod gear that would make Paul Weller blush.

Immediately, Lord Gideon Grey went on the defensive, hiding between the ropes to ensure Webster couldn't deliver any meaningful offence. After a brief exchange of holds, Flash Morgan Webster worked Grey to the mat before delivering a standing inverted senton sending Grey to the outside. After attempting a baseball slide, Lord Gideon Grey catches Webster in the apron. Mocking his incapacitated foe, Grey took a run up to deliver a drop kick which Webster blocked before Webster escaped and took to the skies to deliver a cross body to the outside. After an impressive Oklahoma roll for a near fall by Webster, Lord Gideon Grey pulled the referee in front of him to halt Webster's momentum before tying Webster up between the ropes.

After a series of cheap shots and kicks to the tied up arm, Lord Gideon Grey applied a chin lock in the centre of the ring. Encouraged by the crowd, Webster powered out of the hold before a diving clothesline shifted the momentum. Flash Morgan Webster delivered a cross body followed by a neck breaker before, once again, Lord Gideon Grey sought refuge behind the referee. After the successful distraction, Lord Gideon Grey planted Webster with a facebuster before attempting to use the ropes to assist the three count. Fortunately, the referee was wise to Lord Gideon Grey's tactics and stopped the count. Flash Morgan Webster won the match after connecting with a jumping knee followed by a moonsault.

This was a fun little opener. Lord Gideon Grey did a fantastic job ensuring the fans cheered for Webster. Lord Gideon Grey's comeuppance was met with a huge roar of approval from the Southampton crowd as his antics were laid to rest for the evening.

Damo vs Doug Williams

The next unannounced match threw together an interesting encounter. Big Damo, consistently impressive in ICW, faced British wrestling legend and former TNA wrestler, Doug Williams. As the bell rang, Damo gained the initial advantage due to his size advantage before Doug Williams demonstrated his strength by powering out of a side headlock. Williams, encouraged by his achievement, offers Big Damo a test of strength in which he managed to ground the much bigger man before applying a japanese choke hold. A shoulder block sent Damo to the outside as Williams connected with a tope suicida to ground Damo on the outside. After an extensive brawl around the ring, Damo regains the momentum with a thunderous drop kick that sends Williams reeling into the corner.

Damo, in control, began the systematic dismantling of  Doug Williams, driving his back into the ring apron numerous occassions before going to work on Williams' lower back. After returning to the ring, Damo delivered a devastating vertical suplex that registered as a 4.0 on the Richter scale that shook the whole building. An attempted senton by Damo was blocked by Williams' knees before Williams delivered an astonishing german suplex. An attempted double foot stomp was dodged by Damo before delivering a michinoku driver that almost broke the ring in half. Damo picked up the victory via submission as he made Doug Williams tap with the kata ha jime.

This was an enjoyable match in which the fans were firmly behind Doug Williams. This was the first time I have seen Damo in a ring other than ICW and found he was just as impressive here as a heel as he is as a face in ICW. For my money, I don't think there are many men of his size that can do what he does. 

Andy Boy Simmons vs Flatliner

Portsmouth's own, Andy Boy Simmons, arrived to a cascade of boos as he riled up the Southampton locals. Simmons offered an open challenge to anyone in the arena which was answered by local legend, Flatliner.

Carrying a bottle of water, Flatliner spat water at Simmons before pulling the referee's trousers down. Simmons takes advantage of Flatliner's turned back with a series of cheap shots before Flatliner gained the advantage with a lariat. Flatliner, after kissing Simmons, delivers a body slam followed by a brutal kick up the arse. As the momentum shifted once again, a grounded Flatliner encourages Simmons to return the favour by kicking him up the arse before moving out of the way as Simmons lands on his backside to the delight of the crowd.

After blocking another attempted kick, Flatliner feasted on the boot of Simmons before an inverted atomic drop sent the derided Portsmouth local to the outside before a lariat by Simmons allowed him to apply a chin lock. Flatliner powered out before connecting with a series of homages to various wrestling legends; first, Fatliner delivered a stunner that sent Simmons reeling into the corner. Then, Flatliner connected with a stinkface followed by a chokeslam before channelling his inner Big Daddy with a splash to secure the victory.

This match wasn't really for me as it relied too heavily on comedy spots. However, much of the audience appeared to enjoy the antics of local legend, Flatliner.

John Morrison vs Mark Haskins

In the first international dream match of the night, The Star Attraction, Mark Haskins, faced a man rejuvenated in his wrestling career. After leaving WWE, John Morrison dwelled in the pro wrestling wilderness before singing to cult phenomenon Lucha Underground in which he earned critical acclaim for a series of impressive performances against the likes of Prince Puma (Ricochet), Brian Cage and Alberto El Patron. Similarly, Mark Haskins has enjoyed a resurgence  after departing TNA. A series of excellent performances across various UK promotions over the past couple of years have solidified him as one of Britain's best.

Haskins and Morrison exchanged various holds before Haskins rolled through to apply an arm bar. After Morrison reached the ropes,  a series of kicks sent Morrison to the outside before Haskins connected with a tope suicida. Haskins and Morrison proceeded to trade fierce kicks around the ring until Haskins blocked a moonsault attempt with a super kick before rolling Morrison back into the ring to continue work on the arm.

A superkick allowed Morrison to gain the momentum before an impressive sequence in which he followed up a side russian leg sweep with a neck then a back breaker before applying a chin lock. Haskins successfully powered out and then avoided the Moonlight Drive but failed to avoid an enziguri. Morrison, after connecting with a shining wizard, looks for the End of the World but Haskins catches Morrison and transitioned into the fujiwara arm bar- Morrison reached the ropes before landing on his feet after an attempted german suplex.

Morrison, after connecting with a super kick, attempted a second shining wizard but Haskins caught his knee and transitioned into a stretch muffler submission hold before delivering a devastating death valley driver for a near fall. The match ended when Morrison connected with a springboard enziguri before delivering the End of the World to secure the victory.

This was a really good match. Unsurprisingly, these two displayed great chemistry together and if given a little longer time, this could have been even better than it was. My only complaint is that we didn't get five minutes more.

Will Ospreay vs Ricochet

Post intermission, fans were treated to an international dream match between two of the top five high flyers in professional wrestling today. Both men have had immensely impressive years; Ricochet, or Prince Puma, has excelled in matches against the likes of Zack Sabre Jr, Morrison, Mil Meurtes, Matt Sydal and various other high profile names. Likewise, Will Ospreay has unquestionably had the best year of his career to date featuring in incredible matches against the likes of AJ Styles, Matt Sydall, Mark Haskins and Jimmy Havoc.

After donning Ospreay's jacket, Ricochet mocked Ospreay by copying his signature pose. The match got under way as both men block german suplex attempts before Ospreay sent Ricochet to the outside. Ricochet attempted to return with a member of the audience's shoe before the referee returns the shoe to its rightful owner. For some unfathomable reason, many members of the audience began to chant for chant for tables at this point. Both men looked underneath the ring to no avail before returning to the ring. Ospreay and Ricochet proceeded to satiate the members of the audience demanding tables with what they do best; high flying. First, Ricochet flipped out of an attempted head scissor take down before Ospreay flipped out of a head scissor take down attempt by Ricochet before both men dodged a series of kicks.

A roly poly into a ddt was followed up by a corkscrew moonsault to the outside by Ricochet before re-entering the ring with delayed springboard knees before channelling his inner Rock by delivering the people's moonsault for a near fall. Ricochet continued to mount a series of offensive maneuvers as he caught a diving Ospreay, applying a torture rack submission before bashing Ospreay's head on the turnbuckle. Ospreay, after blocking a vertical suplex, connected with a rebound handspring enziguri that sent Ricochet to the outside before Ospreay delivered a beautiful tope con hilo to ground Ricochet.

Back in the ring, after connecting with a swinging ddt, Ospreay delivered a standing shooting star press. Ospreay and Ricochet proceeded to trade chops in the high rent distract before Ricochet attempted a frankenstiener but Ospreay landed on his feet- Ricochet gains the advantage with a rolling fisherman suplex into a vertical suplex. Ospreay blocked the attempted firemans carry into roundhouse kick combination before both men connected with consecutive reverse ranas as both men fell to the mat to chants of this is awesome.

After a standing meteora, Ricochet landed a shooting star press for an incredibly close fall. Again, Ospreay escaped the fireman's carry/roundhouse kick combination before connecting with the Essex Destroyer for a near fall. Sensing the opportunity to pick up one of the biggest victories in his fledgling career, Ospreay headed to the top rope to deliver an inverted 450 splash to secure the victory in, unsurprisingly, the match of the night.

This was an incredible match. It was everything I could have wanted and more. Not much can be said about Ricochet that hasn't already been said, he was fantastic here again. Already with potential match of the year contenders against the likes of AJ Styles, Mark Haskins and Marty Scurrl, not including any of his BOLA matches, Ospreay added another name to an already impressive list of incredible matches. In my opinion, there is no one at his age who is better in the UK or the rest of the world.

It wouldn't surprise me if we get a rematch between these two at a PWG show down the line. I wtould estimate 75% of the audience didn't know who either of these men were but the fact these two got everyone on their feet chanting that was awesome is testament to their ability as performers.

What a great match!

Josh Bodom vs Tomasso Ciampa 

British Cruiser-weight Champion, Josh Bodom, faced on of the biggest challenges in his young career as he faced The Sicilian Psychopath, Tomasso Ciampa. Fresh of a couple of appearances on NXT, Ciampa returned to the British wrestling scene this past weekend with a duo of matches vs Damo and this match vs Josh Bodom.

A cheap shot by Bodom got the match under way as he immediately tossed Tomasso Ciampa to the outside. An attempted tope suicida was blocked by Ciampa as he caught Bodom before delivering a floating suplex to the ring post. A lengthy brawl around the ring was punctuated by Ciampa asking fans hold Bodom' arms apart to deliver a series of precision chops to Bodom's chest.

After supping a member of the audience's beer, Ciampa attempted to mount some ring in ring offence but his plans were scuppered as Bodom delivered a series of rapid strikes before an inverted neck breaker assisted by the ropes followed by a standing moonsault for a near fall.

A pop up knee delivered by Bodom allowed him to head to the top rope. Ciampa, showing excellent awareness, returned to his feet to battle on the top rope before emerging on top with a death valley driver from the top rope for a near fall.

 The match ended when Josh Bodom unwrapped his wrist tape to choke out Ciampa- the referee identified Bodom's intentions before removing the tape. Whilst the ref's back was turned, Bodom took advantage with a low blow before delivering a double underhook piledriver assisted by the ropes to secure the victory.

This was a solid match and another excellent performance from Josh Bodom.

Marty Scurrl vs The Darewolf PJ Black


Fans began to chant for Brett Hart before demanding a refund as they apparently couldn't wait a moment longer to see him. Fortunately, Hart was scheduled to appear at this juncture as he made his way to the ring, swarmed by members of the audience trying to get pictures. After entering the ring and making some comments about how great the fans were, fans would not allow him to leave the ring as they swarmed the ring like a pack of vultures.

Eventually, after a good ten minutes or so, the audience returned to their seats as Brett Hart took his seat in the front row for the main event which saw RevPro triple crown winner Marty Scurll face The Darewolf PJ Black, formerly known as Justin Garbriel.

Both men went hold for hold early on as Black emerged on top before antagonising Marty by messing up his beloved top knot. Irritated by such temerity, Marty delivered a series of uppercuts that sent Black to the outside. After connecting with a tope suicida, Marty offered to shake a child's hand before telling the child to shut up whilst taking his hand away at the last moment. A brawl around the ring was punctuated by Scurll tossing PJ Black into the guardrail.

Back in the ring, after a saito suplex Scurll applies a headlock right under the nose of Hart whilst talking some trash. Clearly looking to aggravate Brett Hart, Scurll attempts a pinfall in the style of Hogan whilst working his way through Hogan's repertoire of signature taunts. PJ Black landed a beautiful head scissors that sent Marty to the outside before connecting with a trifecta of topes followed by a springboard corkscrew elbow to the outside.

After blocking a cross body with double knees to the gut, Scurll connecting with the superkick/just kidding to the knee of Black before a swinging ddt was blocked by The Darewolf. Instead, Scurll landed a vertical suplex before applying the sharpshooter in front of Hart- PJ Black managed to reverse the hold into the koji clutch before Scurll broke the hold by reaching the ropes. A blue thunder bomb reaped a near fall before Scurll pulled the referee in front of him causing the referee to go down. PJ Black connected with a springboard ace crusher for an 8 count but no one was there to make the count.

Whilst trying to revive the ref, PJ Black ate a superkick from Scurll that sent the former WWE Tag Team Champion reeling to the outside. The Villain, sensing his opportunity, grabbed his umbrella and attempted to hit PJ Black but Brett Hart made the save by grabbing the umbrella before striking Scurll with it then rolling him in the ring.  PJ Black connected with a double foot stomp from the top rope to secure the victory in an excellent main event.

As PJ Black and Brett Hart celebrated in the ring, an indignant Scurll lambastes Hart for getting involved in his business before PJ Black laid him out with a superkick. Encouraged by the crowd, Hart applied the sharpshooter to Marty Scurll to end what was a highly entertaining show.

Marty Scurrl was outstanding here. Evidently, many of the crowd had come to see Brett Hart and he played of this so well. Various despicable acts throughout the match ensured the cheer was all the louder for Brett Hart's involvement

in the finish.

Final Word: Overall, this was a great show as you would expect with such high profile names. The Ricochet vs Will Ospreay match is worth the price of the video download alone. Along with the excellent Haskins/Morrison match and the entertaining Scurll/PJ Black match, this show is highly recommend so long as you mute certain members of the crowd's constant chanting for tables.

Classic Match of the Week- Rey Mysterio vs Psicosis ECW

As of today, each Monday will feature an article detailing a classic match from the archives of professional wrestling across various promotions world worldwide. This week, we begin with a classic match from ECW's heyday.

Rey Mysterio vs Psicosis

Mexican Death Match, ECW November to Remember, 1995. 

Available to watch here. 

The loss of Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit to WCW in the summer of 95' left Paul Heyman with a sizeable hole in his roster to fill. Unperturbed by WCW's poaching of talent, Paul Heyman looked to shores afar to solve this crisis. Under the epithet Extreme Luchadores, Paul Heyman was the first to bring the likes of Rey Mysterio Jr, Psicosis and Juventud Guerrara to US audiences. Unsurprisingly, the move was a success as the Extreme Luchadores captured the imagination of US audiences, albeit a short term success due to WCW once again poaching ECW talent.

The fall of 95' produced an immensely entertaining trifecta of matches between two Heyman's finest imports. Tied at one a piece going into November to Remember, Rey Mysterio Jr and Psicosis met in the rubber match befitting the intense rivalry between these two men; a Mexican Death Match. The rules of a Mexican Death match stipulate that once an opponent has been pinned or submitted, said opponent has ten seconds to answer the referees count. If he fails to return to his feet, his opponent will be declared the winner. 

So, The Millionaire of Tijuana, Psicosis, met The Technical Kid of San Diego, Rey Mysterio Jr, in what would be their final match in ECW before heading to WCW in early 96'. 

Before the match got under way, Rey Mysterio Jr flips off Psicosis who immediately attempts a drop kick as Mysterio ducks out the way to get the match under way. A beautiful hurricanrana by Rey Mysterio sends Psicosis reeling before a second drop kick attempt misses. Taking advantage of Psicosis' unbalance, Mysterio connects with a second hurricanrana, this time off the top rope, into a roll up to secure the first three count of the match. 

Psicosis, though, doesn't remain on the mat too long before returning to his feet.

An attempted vertical suplex is reversed by Mysterio into another hurricanrana that sends Psicosis to the outside. 

Rey, after repositioning the guardrail, is sent hurtling into the steel barricade before a chair shot incapacitates Rey further. After rolling Mysterio back into the ring, Psicosis delivers a moonsault from the top rope to secure his first pinfall of the match. On the stroke of the ten count, Mysterio manages to pull himself to his feet before Psicosis continues the punishment with another drop kick followed by a pop up powerbomb for another three count. Again, Rey Mysterio returns to his feet at the latest possible opportunity before Psicosis continues the assault with a snake eyes variation. 

After teasing a chair shot to the rabid Philadelphia crowd, a tease that was inevitably greeted by boos, Psicosis drives Mysterio gut first into the turnbuckle followed by a one and a 1/2 moonsault into a senton to secure another three count. Again, Rey Mysterio returns to his feet before Psicosis delivers a ddt on the chair. After positioning the chair over Mysterio, Psicosis delivered the third moonsault of the match to secure yet another three count. 

Perhaps playing possum, Psicosis attempts a second moonsault on the chair but Mysterio raises his knees to block the attempt. Following a fierce chair shot to the face, Mysterio delivers a springboard clothesline that sends Psicosis staggering to the outside. A springboard cross body over the guardrail and into the crowd unbalances Psicosis before a beautiful slingshot moonsault plancha grounds The Millionaire of Tijuana. After locating the nearest chair, Mysterio delivers a chair shot to the back as the luchadores battle through the raucous ECW crowd. Another chair shot to the back allows Mysterio to head to greater heights to jump 10 ft from the production area through the air into an incredible hurricanrana on to a chair. Rey Mysterio Jr returns to the ring before the referee completes the ten count as Mysterio emerges the victor in a thrilling, high velocity encounter between two of the greatest luchadores of all time. 

This incredible match is not only testament to the outstanding ability of both Rey Mysterio Jr and Psicosis but also testament to Paul Heyman's ability to identify fresh talent and bring it to a wider US audience. Not to detract from the performance of Mysterio and Psicosis, though, this match was not only a precursor to the Lucha invasion of the Counterweight division in WCW but an early indication of the success Rey Mysterio would enjoy in his WWE career. 

ECW's Extreme Luchadores represented a counter-cultural movement unseen before in the US whose spirit lives on in the temple of Lucha Underground. 

Matches of the Week 09/03-09/13

This past week has produced some of the best wrestling in a while; ROH returned to form with two excellent championship matches, Chikara hosted their annual, and final, King of Trios tournament, UK based promotion Progress featured an incredible match between Will Ospreay and Mark Haskins as well as the surprise appearance of indy dream Adam Cole/Roddy Strong teaming up to face the Sumerian Death Squad, The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic started to heat up with two good matches between Bull Dempsey/Breeze vs the team of Johnny Gargano/Tomasso Ciampa along with Samoa Joe/Balor vs The Lucha Dragons and TNA contributed a fantastic tag team match between The Wolves and Trevor Lee/Brian Myers. Even Smackdown played host to fun matches between Reigns/Ambrose/Uninjured Uso vs The New Day as well as another strong performance from Seth Rollins solidifying himself further as one of the best in the world in a 15 minute+ match with Ryback.

Unfortunately, many of these matches, at the time of writing, are not available on demand as of yet thus ruling them out of this week's matches of the week. We begin, though, in ROH with a match that would feature in any week's matches of the week.

Jay Lethal (C) vs Roderick Strong

ROH World Championship Match

Available to watch here. 

After fans chanted for five more minutes after their 60 minute time limit draw at Death Before Dishonour, fans were again treated to an excellent contest between two of the very best in the world. An atmosphere absent from Philadelphia since the heyday of ECW underscored arguably the best TV match of the year as the ROH World Champion, Jay Lethal, defended his title against Roddy Strong.

I wont delve too deep into the particulars of this match as it is well worth a watch- the work rate of these two men is just incredible. Understandably, this match was considerably faster than their previous encounter and perhaps just as good. In my mind, this match solidified these two as the best workers ROH currently posses and will lead to further encounters between these two- hell, I could watch a 90 minute time limit draw between these two such is the quality of these matches.

The match ended when Lethal unwrapped his wrist tape to choke out Strong- referee Todd Sinclair spotted this breach of the rules and tossed it to the outside. Meanwhile, while the ref's back was turned, Lethal laid Strong out with the championship belt before Lethal connected with the Lethal Injection only for Strong to kick out at the latest possible opportunity. Lethal then delivered a second Lethal Injection to pick up the victory and retain his ROH World Championship after retaining his ROH TV Title last week against Hansen.

Lethal will pull double duty against both members of reDRagon at All Star Extravaganza VII- first, Lethal will defend the ROH TV Title against Bobby Fish. Then, in the main event, Lethal will defend his ROH World Title against another man who has taken him to a time limit draw in the recent past, Kyle O Reilly. All is not lost for Roddy Strong as he has the opportunity to redeem himself in a fatal four way match against AJ Styles, Adam Cole and Michael Elgin to crown the new number one contender to the ROH World Championship.

Returning to this match, I would argue this match is up their with Cena/Cesaro, Rollins/Neville and Strong/Nakamura for the best televised match of the year. In the face of the bombasticity of Monday night RAW, this match demonstrates that just a simple story in the ring is enough to satisfy fans.

The Wolves vs Trevor Lee and Brian Myers (C)

TNA World Tag Team Title Match

As ever with TNA, many things with the current product make very little sense. Like why is Drew Galloway, a man recently acquired by TNA, fighting to defend the honour of TNA despite only being there for six months. And do they not have anyone more suitable to be challenging EC3 than Matt Hardy? Peculiar booking decisions aside, the actual wrestling has remained remarkably good-in the context of the shitstorm that currently surrounds the product.

This week was no different.

After cashing in the Feast or Fired contract on last week's TNA, Trevor Lee and Brian Myers, representatives of GFW, defended their TNA Tag Team Titles against the team they defeated for the titles last week, The Wolves.

A frenetic pace in the initial stages really set the tone for this match- a brawl around the impact zone ended when The Wolves delivered a falcon arrow sealed with a kick. After Myers pulled Davey Richards to the outside, Trevor Lee delivered his incredible inside out power slam. Team GFW worked over Eddie Edwards for a while with a series of quick tags before a double foot stomp by Trevor Lee misses granted The Wolves an opportunity to get back into the match with a tag to Davey Richards. After delivering a superplex, Richards attempted creeping death to no avail- Edwards makes the tag and delivers a roundhouse kick into a german suplex. After missing a double foot stomp from the top rope, a jumping knee by Trevor Lee allows Myers to deliver an sto on Edwards. a second jumping knee is dodged by Edwards and connects with Myers instead- Edwards delivered a flapjack into a muay thai kick from Richards before The Wolves delivered a powerbomb into a back stabber. The pin was interrupted by Sonjay Dutt, member of the GFW invasion team, by pulling the ref to the outside. Luckily for team TNA, Earl Hebner was on hand to dispatch Dutt with one swift punch almost hitting Dutt's face before Richards delivered a tombstone piledriver punctuated by a kick by Edwards to pick up the victory and bring the TNA Tag Titles back home to TNA.

It is a very peculiar booking decision to hand the titles back to The Wolves after they lost them just last week and having Sonjay Dutt, someone who will be representing team GFW at Lethal Lockdown next week, dispatched by a 65 year old man. As always with TNA, poor booking decisions aside,
this was an entertaining match. At the young age of 21, Trevor Lee is at least ten years from reaching his prime.

Imagine Trevor Lee in his prime!

The guy is incredible now and has years of success in the wrestling business ahead of him, his dead lift suplexes truly are a thing of beauty. The Wolves, too, were better than they have been for a while in this match- various innovative double team manoeuvres illustrated once again that, on their day, The Wolves are one of the best tag teams in the world. In all likelihood, all four men will meet again at Lethal Lockdown next week when TNA battles GFW for control of the company as the invasion angle appears to be wrapping up prematurely.

Team Attack vs United Nations

King of Trios is available to purchase on Chikara's website.

I'll admit, King of Trios 2015 was the first Chikara event I have ever watched. And I loved it. Just look at the names of some of these guys; Max Smashmaster, Oleg the Usurper, The Proletariat Boar of Moldova, Gavin Loudspeaker, El Hijo del Ice Cream and many many more.

At the time of writing, the final night of the tournament is not yet available so I have only been able to watch night one and two. A match that stood out for me, as a major proponent of British Wrestling, was in fact the first tournament match up. Combining a series of comedy spots, high spots and fun wrestling, Team Attack UK, composed of TNA Boot Camp II winner Mark Andrews, Pete Dunne and Flash Morgan Webster, faced The United Nations, composed of Mister Azerbaijan, Juan Francisco de Coronado (of Ecuadorian descent) and The Proletariat Boar of Moldova.

And if the names of the United Nations do not entice you to watch Chikara, I don't know what will.

I'm not going to go into a great amount of depth about this match as the Lucha Libre rules make the matches incredibly difficult to convey with language, I will just detail some of my personal highlights from the match. Pete Dunne and Juan Francisco de Coronado got things under way with a frenetic exchange of holds- Coronado, after gaining some momentum, tags in his partner Mister Azerbaijan, named sexiest man in Azerbaijan for 12 consecutive years. Mister Azerbaijan gives the ladies in attendance what they want by pulling down the straps of his singlet- Pete Dunne reciprocates by pulling his straps down for a big-man-off. The sexiest man in Azerbaijan, unwilling to be out muscled, pulls Pete Dunne's straps back up before delivering an uppercut to Dunne.

Not long after, Mister Azerbaijan found himself in the wrong part of town and on the receiving end some brilliant team work by Attack UK, Mark Andrews applies the bow and arrow submission before catapulting Azerbaijan into a scoop slam by Pete Dunne. A distraction by Prakash Sabar, accomplice of The United Nations, leads to an extended period of punishment for Pete Dunne before a tag to Flash Morgan Webster, the Modfather,  making his Chikara debut. Webster delivered a diving clothesline followed by an inverted senton to Mister Azerbaijan before a misdirected tope con hilo grounds his team mate, Pete Dunne. Mark Andrews lands an incredible tornado ddt on Coronado before missing a shooting star press due to the Proletariat Boar of Moldova pulling Coronado to the outside. Taking advantage of referee's preoccupation with the Proletariat Boar, Prakash Sabar, to the disgust of the crowd, delivers the non-pg bronco buster on Mark Andrews. The Proletariat Boar of Moldova connects with a devastating spear before Mister Azerbaijan spikes mark Andrews with a spinning pump handle piledriver. Mid way through the referee's count, Azerbaijan beckons Coronado over, team captain of the United Nations, to secure the victory which he does.

The unwavering adherence to kayfabe is astonishing and the reason why I enjoyed my introduction to Chikara so much. Sure, the goofy gimmicks aren't for everyone but the commentators really sell the gimmicks of these characters. The world of Chikara is unparalleled in pro wrestling today and completely dismisses any argument that PG wrestling is not entertaining.

In addition to analysis of the Matches of the Week, I will now be including links to other matches in the week that came close to making the list. 

Young Bucks vs The Addiction (ROH 09/09)

Dolph Ziggler vs Kevin Owens (Main Event 09/10)

Ryback vs Seth Rollins (Smackdown 09/10)

Finn Balor/Samoa Joe vs Lucha Dragons (NXT 09/09)

Ciampa/Gargano vs Breeze/Dempsey (NXT 09/09)

Reigns/Ambrose/Uso vs The New Day (Smackdown 09/10)