PROGRESS will be making their return to the United States on April 7th/8th and will be hosting shows in New Orleans to coincide with Wrestlemania weekend. This will be the second time that the UK company has ventured over to the states following last year’s extremely successful Wrestlemania weekend shows. The Pontchartrain Convention Center will be hosting these two massive events will will feature the first ever non-UK ‘Thunderb*stard’ match as well as seeing the first ever ‘Chapter’ event outside of the United Kingdom.
Two more names have been announced for the WrestleMania weekend event and they are former UFC competitor Matt Riddle and #CCK member Chris Brookes. They join these already announced stars:
Travis Banks
Will Ospreay
Toni Storm
Mark Haskins
Jimmy Havoc
‘Flash’ Morgan Webster
WALTER
Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson and James Drake)
Jinny
Tickets for the two days are still available to purchase via TicketFly and are priced from $25.
DEFIANT Wrestling has announced the first bout for their upcoming ‘Lights Out’ pay per view event on March 19th. The show will be taking place at Leeds’ O2 Academy and tickets are available to purchase via DEFIANT’s Official Site.
The already announced names for this well hyped event were Rampage, Jimmy Havoc, Martin Kirby, Joe Hendry, Primate, Mark Haskins, Aussie Open, Kay Lee Ray and Millie Mckenzie…and the first bout announced is:
DEFIANT Internet Title Match – Travis Banks (c) vs WALTER vs David Starr
This will be the first time that new Internet Champion Travis Banks defends his title on PPV and it is against two of the top names on the UK circuit. Both WALTER and David Starr have become PROGRESS and wXw stalwarts and WALTER is currently the ATLAS Champion in the company (interestingly Banks is the PROGRESS World Champion), this will be a hard hitting strong style bout and is not one to be missed.
The Magnificent Seven briefcase Match will also be making a return at the ‘Lights Out’ event, with Rampage confirming his place in the bout on this past Friday’s episode of Loaded on YouTube.
Popular PROGRESS star and member of the South Pacific Power Trip stable TK Cooper has demanded a shot at Pete Dunne and his WWE United Kingdom title.
Cooper took part in this past Sunday’s ‘Thunderb*stard’ match and “eliminated” Dunne, in actuality Pete Dunne was disqualified from the match but none the less Cooper did cause Dunne’s elimination from the bout.
Whether PROGRESS decide to offer TK a shot at the WWE United Kingdom title remains to be seen, he has asked for a match at the company’s next event ‘Chapter 65’ and although he is not contracted to WWE he did perform for the company at last year’s WrestleMania Axxess event, so he is certainly on the WWE’s radar. The likelihood of a non-WWE contracted performer getting a shot at the UK title has risen exponentially, with Zack Gibson and BT Gunn both having matches for the title in FutureShock and ICW respectively, so there is more than a good chance that TK will get his wish and a future bout with the ‘Bruiserweight’ Pete Dunne.
Called my shot. Eliminated Pete.
I’ll take my WWE UK title shot on the next chapter, please.
PROGRESS’ 64th Chapter event ‘Thunderb*stards Are Go!’ took place this past weekend from the Electric Ballroom in Camden, London. A new Number 1 contender was decided during the ‘Thunderb*stard’ match and the Tag Team Titles were on the line when Havoc and Haskins defended against the Grizzled Young Veterans. Here are the results from the show:
Sugar Rush (Candyfloss & Zoe Lucas) b. Jayde & Shax
Sexy Starr (Jack Sexsmith & David Starr) b. The Anti-Fun Police (Chief Deputy Dunne & Los Federales Santos Jr) – Following the match, Jack Sexsmith challenged Jimmy Havoc & Mar Haskins for next months show.
Charlie Morgan b. Millie McKenzie – Jinny attacked McKenzie allowing Morgan to hit a DDT and get the win.
Natural Progression Series Quarter Final Match: Mark Davis b. Maverick Mayhew
PROGRESS Tag Team Championship Match: The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake) b. Jimmy Havoc & Mark Haskins – The GYV reclaimed their titles after hitting a Ticket To Ride on an injured Havoc
Zack Sabre Jr b. Jonah Rock – via submission
Thunderb*stard Match:
Entrant 1) Tyler Bate
Entrant 2) Chris Brookes
Entrant 3) TK Cooper
Entrant 4) Trent Seven
Entrant 5) Eddie Dennis
Entrant 6) “Flash” Morgan Webster
Entrant 7) Pete Dunne
Entrant 8) Mark Andrews
TK Cooper b. Eddie Dennis
Pete Dunne is Disqualified and eliminated TK Cooper b. Trent Seven Chris Brookes b. TK Cooper Mark Andrews b. Chris Brookes Tyler Bate b. Mark Andrews “Flash” Morgan Webster b. Tyler Bate – Morgan Webster is now Number 1 contender to the PROGRESS Title
PROGRESS World Championship Match: Travis Banks b. Matt Riddle – The crowd have started to turn on Banks who defended his title against Riddle. ‘Flash’ Morgan Webster appeared alongside Vicky Haskins to threaten the World Champion after the match
Former WWE Superstar Emma/Tenille Dashwood has been announced for IPW:UK’s upcoming event ‘International Battle Royale’ on April 29th from the Casino Rooms in Rochester, Kent.
Dashwood will be taking on IPW:UK Women’s Champion Xia Brookside in a non-title bout. This was the first match announced for the International super show and the following stars are also confirmed:
IPW Tag Team Champions The Collective (Sammy Smooth James Castle & Lewis Howley)
2018 will see WWE’s WrestleMania event head to New Orleans for the first time since WrestleMania 30. For fans who have made the trip to the ‘grandest stage of them all’ it isn’t just the big event that draws you to the host city, with Axxess, the Hall of Fame and the RAW after Mania always providing some gravitas to the biggest weekend in professional wrestling.
But it isn’t just WWE that invades New Orleans this year, the MoreThanMania brand will be once again bringing some of the finest independent stars from across the globe to WrestleMania weekend, and amongst them will be the cream of the UK scene…so here are 3 stars that you simply cannot miss seeing on that weekend in April.
Mark Haskins
Haskins is quite simply one of the most technically proficient wrestlers on the planet right now. The former PROGRESS World Champion (as are the other two of our choices here) has been tearing it up on the UK scene over the past year with DEFIANT, IPW:UK and of course PROGRESS. Now one half of the PROGRESS Wrestling Tag Team Champions, Haskins has been using his experience to work with younger stars and build them on the company’s monthly Chapter shows. A true clinician in the ring and a veteran who you simply cannot miss if you are in New Orleans. Check out his bout against Martin Kirby from DEFIANT Wrestling below:
Jimmy Havoc
The longest reigning PROGRESS Champion in history and the winner of CZW’s Tournament of Death 2017…Jimmy Havoc is one of the premier death match performers on the planet, but to simply just refer to the Camden based star as a “deathmatch guy” is almost a disservice, he is a complete all-rounder. Since returning from a career threatening knee injury Havoc has been reinventing his style and can be slotted anywhere on a card with ease, be it in an epic back and forth main event or alongside his Tag Team partner Mark Haskins earlier in the show. Havoc also has a penchant for the humorous (albeit a fairly dark humour) and when he decides to bring that to the forefront in his bouts it kicks up a level and sets him apart from others in the deathmatch field. Again a true veteran on the UK scene and someone not to be missed.
Will Ospreay
If you are already a fan of New Japan Pro Wrestling then this man needs no introduction, but if you have never seen Will Ospreay perform then you are in for a treat. The current reigning IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion made the jump to Japan a few years ago and has looked every bit the star that the UK fans knew he would be on the international stage. You’ll be able to catch Ospreay on at least two cards over Mania weekend as he’ll be performing on EVOLVE’s 102 event and for PROGRESS. You can also see Ospreay perform as part of NJPW’s upcoming 46th Anniversary event on NJPWWorld.com against IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada in his first ever NJPW Main Event. Trust me when I say that I was lucky to see Will perform in small buildings across the UK before he hit the big time, because this won’t be the last time he main events in Japan or anywhere else he decides to wrestle…
Kayfabe Events will be presenting a week of live speaking events featuring WWE legend Bret Hart. The company has now confirmed the venues and dates for these extremely rare and specials shows. The following press release was sent out this afternoon:
“This is the full list of venues with ticket packages and any updates! Please read before you ask questions. The Chat/Interview will start at 8pm, we also have a very special guest Q&A orchestrating the proceedings! That will be a seperate announcement! For premium VIP’s and regular VIP’s there will be the chance to get other items signed on the night for an additional fee. This information will be released tomorrow with ticket links!
So firstly tickets go on sale Friday at 9am on ticketbud. Ticket links will be annouced Thursday evening. So the ticket prices are the same at each of our events…there will also be merchandise stands at these events, Items will also be found on our website if you want to get yours in advance from next week. The evening will consist of chat / interview orchestrated by our compere Dean Ayass and Bret, an open floor Q&A.”
Here are the packages available for the shows:
PREMIUM VIP – £150
Premium VIP Meet and Greet starts at 6:15pm – Entry from 6pm. Early entry to get first choice of seats, a digital photo of you and the man himself, a limited edition t-shirt, the iconic wrap around glases, and 2 items signed.
REGULAR VIP – £75
Entry from 6:45pm – Meet and Greet AFTER the end of the Q&A! Second tier entry to choose your seat, a digital photo of you and the man himself and one signed item.
GENERAL ADMISSION – £35
Entry from 7:15pm. Entry for the Talk and Q&A.
The Brighton event will be held at
The Brighthelm Centre,
North road,
Brighton,
BN1 1YD
It can be argued that Seth Rollins was the MVP of the 7-man Gauntlet match on this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW. Rollins put in a record breaking performance which lasted over an hour and saw him defeat both John Cena and Roman Reigns.
With Jason Jordan now seemingly out potentially beyond WrestleMania question marks have been raised over the match that Rollins will have come the ‘show of shows.’ Here are 3 names that we feel could realistically have a bout with Seth:
John Cena
John Cena (Photo credit: Instagram @WWE)
A potential bout with John Cena could be ideal for Rollins, although this would absolutely be determined by the potential return of The Undertaker…and whilst WWE have managed to keep any plans for the Deadman under wraps there is always the possibility that last year really was his last ride.
Following this week’s Gauntlet match there is an inbuilt story, Cena could not defeat Rollins even after a gruelling match with Reigns. It would be the man who arguably built modern day WWE versus the man who calls himself The Architect, both men are former World Champions and have carried the company at different times…does this mean that it should be a marquee match at WrestleMania? If Undertaker is definitely retired then Rollins then it absolutely could be.
Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns (photo: WWE.com)
Again, this is a bout that is ultimately determined on how WWE decides to book the Chamber match this Sunday. Whilst the general consensus has been steered towards a Lesnar/Reigns main event at WrestleMania the company could decide to throw a curve ball and put Braun Strowman in the main event slot.
It certainly isn’t out of the realms of possibility for Braun to take what would be considered a minor ‘shock’ win and for Reigns to then be left matchless for the Grandest Stage of Them All. Here is where Rollins slots in, again you have an inbuilt story, these two men have dominated WWE since their debut as The Shield and are both on fairly equal footing in terms of Championships won.
This isn’t a likely match for Rollins to have come WrestleMania but it would certainly gain a huge positive reaction for Seth going up against the most divisive character in WWE.
Finn Balor
Photo Credit: WWE.com
In an ideal world this final spot would be given to Dean Ambrose, however the ‘Lunatic Fringe’ is still out of action due to an injury sustained in December of last year, he is expected to be out for at least another 7 months with rehab.
The re-invention of Finn Balor as the leader of the Balor Club has reinvigorated the character and given somewhat of a purpose to Gallows and Anderson. The story here is also inbuilt in that Seth cost Balor an extended period of time back when he injured the former Universal Champion during the bout to crown the inaugural champion…something that you have to believe WWE has had sitting on the back burner (they should do).
Finn Balor really needs a big WrestleMania win if he is to begin moving forward with his career on the WWE main roster and a victory against Rollins would give him a healthy dose of momentum.
Who would you like to see Seth Rollins face at WrestleMania? Let us know in the comments.
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s English Language Twitter account @njpw_global has announced that Los Ingobernables stable member EVIL will be unable to compete at their upcoming 46th Anniversary show due to a fractured orbital bone. EVIL was originally scheduled to face YOSHI-HASHI and Hirooki Goto as part of a tag team match alongside stable mate SANADA. New Japan has now confirmed that this will be a singles match pitting YOSHI-HASHI against SANADA, the company sent out the following press release confirming the change to the bout:
“As a result of EVIL suffering a fractured orbital bone, the tag match scheduled for March 6’s Anniversary show featuring EVIL and SANADA against YOSHI-HASHI and Hirooki Goto has now been changed to a special single match with SANADA facing YOSHI-HASHI.
These two have a deep connection to one another, having attempted to take the NJPW tryout test on the same day: November 3, 2005. SANADA took a circuitous route to eventually debuting in New Japan, joining Los Ingobernables De Japon in April 2016. His appearance immediately drew YOSHI-HASHI’s ire, and the two were embroiled in several tag matches. This included YOSHI-HASHI scoring a memorable submission win over SANADA in a tag bout in Osaka Jo Hall that year via his Butterfly Lock.
On March 12 last year in Hyogo, the two finally faced each other one on one for the first time. Then, SANADA got the tap out victory with Skull End. The LIJ member has the 1-0 singles edge. Yet while YOSHI-HASHI suffered defeat at the hands of Tetsuya Naito at the New Beginning in Osaka, he bounced back, beating EVIL in Okinawa on February 14 with his new pinning combination, the Kinkoji. With renewed momentum, YOSHI-HASHI could right his record with SANADA, but Cold Skull has his own wrongs to right after a hard fought defeat against Kazuchika Okada on February 10.”
Joey Janela has released a ‘Unlock Match Announcement’ video in the vein of 16-Bit era video games for his ‘Spring Break 2’ event. The show is set to take place on Friday April 6th on WrestleMania weekend and will once again be presented by Game Changer Wrestling. The match announced was PROGRESS ATLAS Champion WALTER versus Pierre Carl Ouellet.
Last year’s Spring Break event featured matches from the likes of Marty Jannetty, Lio Rush, Keith Lee and an MMA “Superfight” between former UFC stars Matt Riddle and Dan “The Beast Severn.”
You can check out the incredible video below which was created by @WrestlingArcade:
Former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Tetsuya Naito has recently been voicing his displeasure with certain elements of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s booking choices. Japanese wrestling correspondent Chris Charlton posted a series of tweets with translations of Naito’s recent interview with Tokyo Sports and he had this to say regarding his opponent for the NJPW 46th Anniversary show and member of Suzuki-Gun Taichi:
“I actually rate Taichi, a bit. But I won MVP two years in a row, right? And I just beat him (at Takataichimania) anyway..? Why not have YOSHI-HASHI face Taichi, and then the winner faces me? Just chucking people at me for no reason, expectations get raised, and then they lose, obviously. It’s bad for them, if anything. They need to stop throwing matches together at random.”
Several fans were not happy with Naito’s loss to Kazuchika Okada at this year’s Wrestle Kingdom, feeling that the time had come for Okada to lose his IWGP Heavyweight title to the 2017 G1 Climax winner Naito.
https://t.co/hruN98VUjL Naito upset at current booking. ‘I actually rate Taichi, a bit. But I won MVP two years in a row, right? And I just beat him (at Takataichimania) anyway..?’ #njpw46th
British based company Kayfabe Events has announced that former WWE Champion and Canadian wrestling icon Bret Hart will heading to the United Kingdom for a speaking tour June 5th-8th at the following cities:
June 5th – Brighton
June 6th – Cardiff
June 7th – Manchester
June 8th – London
Bret is known for being extremely honest when it comes to these types of events so it is absolute must see for any British wrestling fan. This is an extremely rare opportunity to see one of the greatest performers and minds in professional wrestling history give his take on events throughout his career, which spanned working for his father in Canada through to WWE and WCW. Ticket information for the shows will be released later this week and we will of course update you here on SEScoops once these are available.
Kayfabe Events will also be hosting events throughout the year with the likes of Jack Swagger, Austin Aries and Abyss. More information can be found on Twitter @KayfabeEvents or via their official website.
XWA UK and Pro Wrestling: EVE have announced the next instalment in their EQUAL FIGHTS series. Part 2 ‘Every Loser Wins’ will be taking place at the Resistance Gallery in London’s Bethnal Green on April 21st from 3pm.
The first event took place 2/17 and featured some of the wildest inter-gender bouts between members of the All Female Pro Wrestling: EVE and the mostly male roster of XWA UK, including matches between Millie McKenzie and Jimmy Havoc, Doug Williams and ACE of EVE Charlie Morgan and the main event between XWA Champion Cara Noir and Rhia O’Reilly.
You may have read earlier in the week that Rhia O’Reilly went on to defeat Cara Noir and become the first female XWA Heavyweight Champion in history, putting her in a prestigious class alongside the likes of Doug Williams and Robbie Brookside, Christopher Daniels and new 205 Live General Manager Drake Maverick.
This is an event not to be missed, if you live in or around London then make sure you follow the XWAUK and Pro Wrestling:EVE social accounts and grab your tickets when they are available as they will sell out quickly.
Kenny Omega is the latest name announced for Chris Jericho’s Rock and Wrestling Rager At Sea. The ‘master of ceremonies’ Jericho released a video on Twitter confirming that the inaugural IWGP United States Champion would be taking to the seas from October 27th-31st.
Jericho opens the video stating “Kenny Omega, you claim to be the best in the world, well you know what I think? I agree, I know that you are.” Y2J then followed up this comment by referring to their January 4th match at Wrestle Kingdom; “You beat me at the Tokyo Dome in what many are saying is Chris Jericho’s best match, a five star classic…my best match, but not even your best match and that’s why I agree you’re the best in the world and that’s why I wanted you on Chris Jericho’s Rock and Wrestling Rager at Sea.”
There were rumors of a rematch between the “Alpha” and “Omega” of wrestling dating back to the initial announcement of the January 4th show. @ith the confirmation of ‘The Cleaner’ heading out as part of the cruise there is a very good chance that we see #AlphaOmegaPart2 with a third instalment potentially coming at the G1 Climax or at a Ring of Honor event later this year.
Further information on the Cruise can be found at chrisjerichocruise.com where cabins are still available to purchase for this once in a lifetime experience.
This week’s RAW featured an incredible near 2 hour long Gauntlet match pitting the seven men who will be going into the Elimination Chamber this Sunday. Arguably the standout performer from the match was ‘The Architect’ Seth Rollins, who started the bout and defeated both Roman Reigns and John Cena before finally falling to Elias. The seven man gauntlet was eventually won by Braun Strowman.
Interestingly the ‘iron man’ performance from Rollins has broken a record for the longest time wrestled in a single televised WWE match in WWE history. The record was previously held by Rey Mysterio and his performance in the 2006 Royal Rumble where he entered the ring second and eliminated Triple H to win the bout in 1 hour, 2 minutes and 45 seconds.
Many fans were quick to praise the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion on an incredible performance and Seth himself took to Twitter to share his delight following the match:
It’s nights like these when I remember why I fell in love with professional wrestling. Thank you to the men I shared the ring with this evening. It was truly special. I’ve drawn a line in the sand… #MONDAYNIGHTROLLINS#WrestleMania
Do you think that Rollins has a chance at winning the Elimination Chamber this Sunday and going on to face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania? Or will it still likely be Roman Reigns who conquers ‘The Beast’ at the Show of Shows? Let us know in the comments.
PROGRESS Wrestling co-owner Glen Joseph recently sat down with Welsh star Mark Andrews to discuss a variety of topics, including his recent ongoing feud with fellow PROGRESS star Eddie Dennis.
Andrews is already a member of the WWE United Kingdom roster and he recently made his way onto 205 Live, joining the Cruiserweight Championship Tournament and defeating Akira Tozawa in somewhat of an upset. Whether this means that ‘Mandrews’ will be a full time member of the WWE roster going forward remains to be seen. Andrews’ bitter PROGRESS rivalry with Eddie Dennis looked to be gaining momentum however an injury to Dennis has left his unable to compete over the past few months. There is a very good chance that we will see Andrews vs Dennis at some point down the line, even potentially as part of the upcoming PROGRESS event in Wembley Arena this September.
VIDEO: @Glen_Joseph sat down for a Face to Face chat with former PROGRESS Champion @MandrewsJunior about loads of things… but it got really interesting when a certain subject came up. WATCH: https://t.co/s7R5oR5Uxi
PROGRESS has announced the latest participant in the upcoming Super Strong Style 16 tournament. Lucha Underground star Angelico will be making his debut in the 2018 iteration of the tournament. Angelico will be joining the already announced WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne and Keith Lee on May 5th-7th.
The company has also revealed the latest name to be added to the WrestleMania weekend show in New Orleans…PROGRESS Women’s title hopeful Jinny will be making her way over to the United States and she joins these names already confirmed:
Travis Banks
Will Ospreay
Toni Storm
Mark Haskins
Jimmy Havoc
‘Flash’ Morgan Webster
WALTER
Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson and James Drake)
Welcome to a new weekly post here on SEScoops. We’ve been covering the booming scene in the United Kingdom for the past year and now we’re looking to extend that coverage, starting with our weekly look at some of the best wrestling to emerge from the British Isles.
Our first featured match comes from the relatively new promotion RIPTIDE Wrestling and it features two of the finest independent wrestlers on the scene currently; Travis Banks and ‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey. The match took place as part of RIPTIDE’s ‘Deep Six’ event back on February 2nd and the company has now released the footage for free on YouTube.
One of the most striking elements of the bout is the presentation, RIPTIDE have managed to craft a wholly unique style and the production quality is absolutely sublime. Check out the match below and let know your thoughts in the comments.
WWE are reportedly looking to hold an event at Melbourne’s Cricket Ground. The Australian stadium can hold over 100,000 people and according to Sportster stadium officials are looking to hold big events going forward, something that WWE would be eager to capitalise on.
The MGC is the 10th largest stadium in the world and it has hosted events such as the 1956 Summer Olympics, 2006 Commonwealth Games and multiple FIFA World Cup qualifiers. There are currently no concrete plans as to what the event would be; a WWE Live event, PPV, RAW/Smackdown and even an NXT Takeover have been named as possible circumstances. An NXT event would however be a hard sell for a 100,000 seater stadium with the biggest Aussie stars on the brand being TM-61 and Buddy Murphy, names that whilst talented are nowhere near the draw WWE would need to accomplish such a feat, even the stars on the main roster would possibly struggle to fill over 100,000 outside of WWE’s domestic market.
Something else to also consider is the fact that the rest of the traditional ‘big 4’ PPV events have already been allocated venues; Summerslam in the Barclays Center, Survivor Series in the Staples Center and of course WrestleMania will be emanating from New Orleans this year…this leaves no real space for a big Australian PPV event unless WWE decides to add an extra date and really push the event akin to one of these benchmark shows.
Revolution Pro Wrestling has announced the first match for their WrestleMania weekend show at WrestleCon in New Orleans.
The Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship will be on the line when Zack Sabre Jr defends against Tomohiro Ishii. Not only is this a bout to determine who can be regarded as the best performer in Rev Pro, but it is also a bout that pits Suzuki-Gun against the CHAOS faction, two of New Japan’s most highly regarded stables.
It is expected that more names will be announced for the show as we draw closer to that magic weekend in April, there are already confirmations that Minoru Suzuki and Will Ospreay will be in NOLA for WrestleMania weekend so expect their featured bouts to be announced shortly.
April 6th, 4pm – TOMOHIRO ISHII gets his reward for fine form in RevPro when he goes one on one with ZACK SABRE JR for the Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship
PROGRESS has announced the competitors for their annual ‘Thunderb*stard’ match at Chapter 64. The bout is a seven man elimination contest to determine the number 1 contender to the PROGRESS Wrestling World Championship, which is currently held by the ‘Kiwi Buzzsaw’ Travis Banks.
This year’s iteration of the match is arguably the most star studded in company history, as members of the WWE UK and 205 Live rosters will competing alongside the PROGRESS homegrown stars to see who will be the next number 1 contender.
WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne, Trent Seven, Tyler Bate, Mark Andrews, Chris Brookes, TK Cooper and ‘Flash’ Morgan Webster will collide on Sunday February 25th at the Electric Ballroom in Camden and it will be available to view On Demand shortly after.
So #Chapter64 is called #ThunderbastardsAreGo which means we have our patented THUNDERBASTARD match: New entrant every 2 minutes; elimination by pin, submission or DQ. Last man standing wins himself a title shot. MANDREWS / BROOKES / COOPER / FLASH / DUNNE / SEVEN / BATE! pic.twitter.com/YsFFF9DpyZ
Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann has been confirmed for Southside Wrestling’s Speed King 2018 tournament. The announcement has been met with a mixed reaction from fans of the UK scene, following recent news surrounding Swann.
The former 205 Live Superstar was arrested back in December for a domestic incident that included charges of battery and kidnapping/false imprisonment. The company wished him “the best in all of his future endeavors” – but still decided to release him on his birthday (February 15th), the decision was “mutually agreed” by both parties. All charges have since been dropped and Swann reportedly is hopeful of a return to WWE down the road.
Swann is the final entrant into the UK Super Indie extravaganza and he joins the already announced roster of:
UK based promotion XWA has crowned their first ever female Heavyweight Champion. Former Pro Wrestling: EVE Champion Rhia O’Reilly defeated Cara Noir as part of the EVE vs Wrestle Friends event this past weekend from the Resistance Gallery in Bethnal Green, London. The event saw performers from EVE’s All Female roster take on XWA’s predominately male roster, which included bouts between Jimmy Havoc vs Millie McKenzie and Doug Williams vs ‘Ace of EVE’ SHE-1 Champion Charlie Morgan.
Formerly known as the FWA Championship, the belt holds high regard amongst the UK scene and has been held by the likes of British wrestling legends Doug Williams and Robbie Brookside, Christopher Daniels and new 205 Live General Manager Drake Maverick.
Another former holder of the belt and current NXT Superstar Killian Dain tweeted his congratulations to the enigmatic performer:
Austin Aries recently made his return to IMPACT Wrestling, the ‘Greatest Man That Ever Lived’ defeated then IMPACT World Champion Eli Drake in shocking fashion to once again sit atop the mountain for the company that previously saw him reign as X Division and TNA World Heavyweight Champion.
Since his departure from WWE and the Cruiserweight scene Aries has been branching out into more territories across the globe, most notably in the United Kingdom where he currently holds the IPW:UK and DEFIANT Wrestling World Championships.
Intriguingly Aries made his entrance on this week’s episode of IMPACT with both of these prestigious UK Championships and IMPACT appears to be touting the fact that Aries is a Champion around the world…will this mean co-promotion going forward? It will be interesting to see how this story develops, especially as IMPACT look to re-establish themselves on the pro wrestling scene and attempt to break back into markets such as the UK, possibly by running co-branded events alongside IPW:UK and DEFIANT.
Former NXT Champion Drew McIntyre was inducted into the ICW Hall Of Fame earlier this month. The icon of Scottish wrestling helped grow and define Insane Championship Wrestling into the phenomenon they are today.
McIntyre (known as Galloway on the independent scene) had two stints for the company, his first back in 2006 when he appeared at the company’s inaugural event and became their first ever Heavyweight Champion and his second followed his 2014 release from WWE. Drew’s run from 2014-2017 completely reignited his career and fundamentally changed the course of ICW’s already incredible success story.
Drew recently spoke to SPORTBible on his induction and revealed his thoughts on the Scottish scene in general:
“It’s crazy, the idea I’m going into the ICW hall of fame, with everything that ICW had achieved is pretty incredible. For a start I’m 32 and going into a hall of fame, that’s pretty mental. But when you break it down and put it into perspective there wasn’t any Scottish wrestling scene when I started wrestling, aged 15, 17 years ago, Mark Dallas was the first guy I met in the whole of professional wrestling. He told me he wanted to be a promoter one day, I told him I wanted to be in the WWE one day. And that was the first guy I met and we had big dreams, there was nothing and we started the scene back then.
He started ICW, I was the first champion, I left, the BBC documentary came around and it started taking off. There was 1500 people when I made my return, we all worked together and we all busted our arses and we built that number from 1500 to over 6000 for the biggest indie show of all time. All the things the guys are saying online about me, the roster, all the compliments, they all mean the world to me but it really was a team effort to be able to change so much and I really am so proud to be recognised and going into the ICW hall of fame.”
