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Tag: TNA

  • TNA Impact TV taping results: Kurt Angle’s farewell tour, Will Ospreay wrestles for 5 minutes

    Submitted by Stephen Lyon from Manchester, England, UK

    – TNA returned to Manchester, England, for night one of their three night annual U.K. tour. Two episodes of IMPACT WRESTLING were taped this evening, said to air on February 2nd and 9th. 

    – The 20,000 capacity Manchester Arena appeared to be greatly cut down and curtained off for a 5000 capacity (only a small part of the lower tier only open), and I’d estimate a crowd of 3000 (possibly less). It wasn’t full for what they set up and there were lots of empty seats. The crowd were very hot at key points in the show, but it was a long show (a 4 hour taping) and a lot of people left during the 4th hour, presumably to catch the last bus or train home. I think there was only 1500 fans left for the main event of the taping, and the show started at 7pm and finished at 10:50pm.

    TNA XPlosion:

    Mark Andrews beat Will Ospreay

    Match went 5 minutes. After they made such a big deal about featuring British wrestlers on the taping, not only did Big Damo & Jimmy Havoc not appear tonight (despite tweeting earlier that they were both in Manchester), Will Ospreay was only featured in a five minute opening match spotfest that’s not even going to air on IMPACT. Match was okay but not a patch on their PWG stuff. This was a huge disappointment in many respects, and a waste of Ospreay’s talents.

    February 2nd (February 7th in the UK) IMPACT:

    – They aired an Ethan Carter 3 pretaped promo in his mansion, taped ‘earlier in the week’, where Carter cut a terrific babyface promo, acknowledging he’s been an jerk in the past, but saying the defeat to Hardy had been a wake up call, and that he was flying to England to get his revenge. I’m guessing they aired this to condition the live crowd as to him being a babyface during the show, to ensure the ‘right reactions’ occurred. This was really well done.   

    – IMPACT opened with a Matt Hardy interview. The TNA Champion was accompanied by Reby Sky, and Tyrus was carrying little Maxel. Hardy was heavily booed and cut a great heel promo, demanding that Dixie Carter fire EC3 later in the show.

    Bobby Lashley beat Bram

    Eric Young accompanied Bram to the ring, and his interference backfired when he tried to hit Lashley with a chair and hit Bram instead. Lashley speared both and pinned Bram.

    – Kurt Angle came out to a huge pop for a farewell interview. Mike Bennett & Maria interrupted and insulted him. Bennett challenged Angle, but Angle decked him, saying he’d only wrestle people he respected, and said his opponent tonight was Drew Galloway. Galloway then appeared on the entrance ramp before returning to the back.

    X Division Champion Trevor Lee beat Tigre Uno to retain

    Lee was accompanied by Shane Helms.

    Beer Money beat Decay by D.Q.

    Beer Money came out for an interview to a big pop. James Storm rode a scooter-like vehicle called a ‘Bruiser Cruiser’ to the ring. They mentioned their Feast or Fired Tag Title shot briefcase and challenged the Wolves to a title match tonight. Decay came out instead and challenged Beer Money to a fight. To the match, Storm had Crazzy Stevie pinned, only for Abyss to pull the ref out for the D.Q. Decay put the boots to both Roode & Storm afterwards, with the Wolves running in for the save. Wolves cut a promo on Decay, demanding their belts back, which Decay had stolen. Wolves offered Decay a tag title match. Abyss agreed, as long as it was a Monsters Ball match ‘next week’ (taped later).

    – Grado came out of the crowd in his wrestling gear, acknowledging he’d been fired and was disappointed he couldn’t wrestle tonight. He then claimed that he’d been screwed, and had proof, pulling out an envelope. Eli Drake interrupted him and both Drake and two security guys chased Grado out of the ring and to the back, Benny Hill-style. It was fairly amusing and the crowd ate it up. Grado got a good reaction.

    Jade beat Madison Rayne

    Rebel & Marti attacked Rayne afterwards, and Gail Kim ran out for the save.

    Drew Galloway beat Kurt Angle

    This turned into a pretty good 15 minute match. Finish saw Galloway escape from the ankle lock and apply his own submission move for the win. Afterwards, the pair embraced. Angle looked choked up afterwards, looking at the crowd.

    Finish of the first show saw Hardy, Reby and Tyrus in the ring (no Maxel this time), confronting Dixie Carter who came out. Hardy pleaded with Dixie to fire EC3, bringing up all the terrible things EC3 had done in the past. Rockstar Spud came out to a big pop. Spud was wearing a bright red suit with the POP TV logo on the back. Spud told Hardy that EC3 had done most of the terrible things to him, Spud, but that EC3 shouldn’t be fired because he can back it up in the ring, and claimed EC3 was still undefeated, unpinned and unsubmitted. Tyrus decked Spud. As the heels were about to attack Dixie, EC3 came out to the biggest reaction of the night. He stood at the top of the ramp, ripped off his suit then ran down the aisle. He nailed 2 security guards, then Tyrus, but once he made it to the ring, Hardy ran away. Crowd loved EC3, singing along to his music and waving their arms in the air.

    Taped for the February 9th (February 14th in the UK) IMPACT:

    Mike Bennett beat Mark Andrews

    Good match. Bennett was beating on Andrews after the match and Galloway ran out for the save.

    Eric Young went to double countout with James Storm

    Nothing match. Afterwards, Young & Bram brawled with Roode & Storm into the crowd and into the concourses.

    Mahabili Shera & ‘ODARG The Great’ beat Eli Drake & Jesse Godderz

    ‘ODARG The Great’ was the ‘fired’ Grado under a mask, ‘Odarg’ obviously being ‘Grado’ spelt backwards. Odarg came out to the same Madonna ‘Like A Prayer’ theme song, with ‘ODARG’ written across his singlet like Grado’s regular singlet. Everyone in the crowd knew it was Grado, not that it wasn’t obvious anyway. On the surface this seems dumb, but it was played for comedy and the crowd ate it up. Odarg pinned Drake, but his mask came off at one point during the match.

    – EC3 came out for an interview, and ended up brawling with both Matt Hardy and Tyrus. Hardy & Tyrus challenged EC3 to a tag match later.

    TNA Tag Champions The Wolves beat Decay in a Monsters Ball match to retain (and regain physical possession of the belts).

    This was a wild hardcore match, with chairs, tables, ladders, thumb tacks, a barbed wire bat and barbed wire board used. A key spot was the Wolves caught Rosemary trying to interfere, and with Edwards holding her, Richards at first teased using a cheesegrater on her (seriously), then even better, forced a big kiss on her (similar to the Ric Flair/Becky Lynch spot at the Rumble that people raised their eyebrows over, given it’s now 2016). Finish saw Richards give Crazzy Stevie a brainbuster on a chair covered in tacks for the win.

    – Jeremy Borash brought out Josh Matthews to wave to the crowd, and also later, Billy Corgan. Corgan did some brief mic work, thanking the crowd.

    Gail Kim & Madison Rayne beat Jade & Marti

    Afterwards, Rebel beat down the faces, with Velvet Sky making the save. Sky then cut a promo, challenging the Dollhouse to a 3 on 3 ‘Lethal Lockdown’ match, to be taped in London tomorrow.   

    Ethan Carter 3 & Rockstar Spud beat TNA World Champion Matt Hardy & Tyrus

    Spud came out mid-way through the match as Carter’s partner. Afterwards, Spud simply glared at EC3 then left. The storyline is that although both are now babyfaces, Spud hasn’t forgiven EC3 for the way he mistreated him in the past.

    Then in a dark segment to close the show, EC3 brought Spud out again, and told the crowd it was Spud’s birthday tomorrow, leading the crowd in singing Happy Birthday to him. Spud seemed happy, then said, “By the way, I still hate you’” and left.

    Notes:

    Overall an entertaining show. It did drag a lot towards the end of the third hour and into the fourth hour. The crowd were enthusiastic at the key moments. It was just sad to see the crowd smaller than it was last year (and the crowd size has decreased every year for the past 2-3 years), with plenty of empty seats visible on all 3 sides of the arena. The main event angle is strong, and they did a terrific job getting EC3 over as the top babyface to the point he was the most over babyface on the show by the end (with the possible exception of Kurt Angle).

  • Awesome Kong sent home following a TNA dressing room skirmish; lineup for Saturday

    At this time, we don’t have additional details, but we have learned that TNA’s Awesome Kong was sent home from the U.K. tour due to a physical dressing room altercation with Reby Hardy. Here’s the full results from Friday’s tapings.

    These matches have been announced for the Saturday tapings in London at SSE Wembley:

    • TNA Champion Matt Hardy vs. Ethan Carter III cage match
    • Kurt Angle vs. Bobby Roode
    • Eric Young & Bram vs. Roode & James Storm cage match
    • Velvet Sky & Gail Kim & Madison Rayne vs. Jade & Marti Bell & Rebel cage match

  • TNA Impact ratings hold steady

    Impact last night did 339,000 viewers for the 9 p.m. show,up from 321,000 the week before.  The show was built around a tease for Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy match that didn’t take place.

    The midnight replay did 103,000 viewers, down from 123,000 last week.  So the combined 442,000 viewers was down from 444,000 the week before, numbers close enough that they are essentially the same thing.

    The show also featured the results of the Feast or Fired briefcase reveals.

  • TNA Impact Wrestling results: Feast or Fired is back!

    Previously on TNA Impact:

    Matt Hardy defeated Ethan Carter III in a title vs. career Last Man Standing Match to become the new TNA World Champion. A double turn occurred, Matt turned heel and EC3 turned babyface. Also, Tyrus turned on EC3 and joined up with Matt.

    On This Week’s Show:

    Tonight’s Impact features the return of the Feast or Fired Match. TNA’s best compete to capture one of the four briefcases. The X division belt is on the line in a three way and the TNA Knockouts will also be in action. Plus, the fallout and aftermath of the Matt Hardy vs. EC3 World Title match.

    Show Recap:

    – Earlier in the day, Jeff is arriving to the building. He hasn’t talked to Matt all week. He’s going to confront Matt tonight and get some answers.

    – Jeff calls out Matt Hardy. Matt has new music. The new TNA World Champion, Matt Hardy, comes to the ring with his wife Reby, bodyguard Tyrus, and son Maxell. Tyrus is carrying Maxell to the ring. Jeff told Reby “I didn’t want to talk to my bitch sister in law.” Matt says his wife whispered in his hear, “stop giving and start taking” The crowd breaks out in an “EC3” chant. Matt’s red dress shirt and Reby’s hot red dress match, which is a nice touch.  Jeff challenges Matt for the title and Matt accepts. Tonight’s main event is Matt Hardy defending the TNA World Title against Jeff Hardy.

    Feast or Fired Match – Beer Money (James Storm & Bobby Roode), Rockstar Spud, Eli Drake, Jesse Godderz, Eric Young, Bram, Grado, Chris Melendez, Robbie E, Aiden O’Shea and Drew Galloway.

    Four briefcases are in four corners of the ring. The objective of the match is to climb up and grab a briefcase. Three of the briefcases have contracts for title shots at the TNA World title, King of The Mountain and World Tag titles. The fourth briefcase contains the dreaded pink slip and whoever gets this will be fired.

    There’s lots of brawling around ringside throughout the match. Grado pulled down the first briefcase, which took him forever to do. Drew Galloway is dominating the action in the ring. He climbs up and pulls down the second briefcase. Two briefcases remain. Both Jesse Godderz and Eli Drake climb up for the last two. Robbie E stops Jesse but Eli pulls down the third briefcase. One Briefcase is left. EY and Bram clear the ring until Beer Money takes them out. Bobby Roode and James Storm both go for the last briefcase but Roode stops and lets Storm climb up and grab the final briefcase. Later tonight is The Reveal ceremony and we’ll find out the results.

    – Backstage, Kurt Angle approaches Jeff Hardy and tells him that he has his back and to be careful tonight.

    TNA X Division Champion Tigre Uno vs. DJ Z vs. Mandrews

    In a cool spot, DJ Z got a two count on Mandrews with a back slide and at the same time rolled up Tigre Uno with his legs for a two. Mandrews uses a skateboard from the top of the ramp into a tilt-a-whirl head scissors. Tigre Uno wins that match with the Spanish Fly off. After the match, Gregory Shane Helms comes down to the ring. Helms challenges Tigre to a match next week for the X Division title. Uno accepts.

    -Christy Hemme was interviewing Bobby Lashley about his confrontation with Kurt Angle last week. The mysterious and gorgeous woman with purple hair approaches Bobby again. She tells him that she was sent by someone to tell him “I’ll bring you pain or I’ll bring you pleasure.”

    Awesome Kong vs. Velvet Sky

    They have a good match, with Kong physically dominating Velvet but she just kept fighting back. Kong wins the match with a piledriver. After the match, Kong continued to beat down Velvet. Madison Rayne came out to help but she gets beat down by The Dollhouse. The Dollhouse held down Madison and made her watch as Kong came off the top with a massive splash onto Velvet.

    Feast or Fired Reveal:

    Beer Money, Grado, Drew Galloway and Eli Drake meet in the back with Jeremy Borash for the reveal. Just before they do the reveal, “Miracle” Michael Bennett and Maria Kanellis enter the room and cut a promo.

    The Reveal: Eli Drake goes first and in his briefcase is the King of the Mountain title shot. The next reveal will happen later.

    – The Wolves enter the ring and call out Crazy Steve. A woman looking like a clown comes out and is soon joined by Crazy Steve. The Wolves go after Steve when suddenly Abyss’s music hits.

    TNA World Tag Team Champions The Wolves vs. Crazy Steve & Abyss

    The Wolves are the champions despite the fact their belt has been stolen. Crazy Steve and Abyss dominate the Wolves. Eddie Edwards gets the hot tag and runs wild. The woman from before walks to the ring with the Wolves’ belts, which causes a distraction. Both Steve and the woman blow mist into the eyes of The Wolves. Crazy Steve, Abyss, and the woman pose over the fallen body of Eddie Edwards.

    Feast or Fired Reveal Continues:

    It’s James Storm turn to open his briefcase. Beer Money was great here and teased Storm getting fired but they got a Tag Title Shot instead. Drew Galloway couldn’t wait and opens his briefcase. Drew gets the World Title shot. Grado congratulated Drew and then opened his briefcase to reveal that he’s been fired. Grado cried and said it was the “worst day” of his life. It went from funny to sad pretty fast.

    TNA World Champion Matt Hardy w/ Reby and Tyrus vs. Jeff Hardy

    Before the match could start, Eric Young and Bram attack Jeff. Matt and Tyrus leave the ring as Jeff gets beat down. EY sets a table up a ringside. Beer Money come out for the save. Crazy Steve & Abyss run down as well. Beer Money and Crazy Steve & Abyss fight to the back. The whole time Jeff lay on the apron clutching his knee. Matt comes back in the ring but Kurt Angle runs down to confront him. Tyrus jumps Kurt from behind and Matt knocks him out with a shot to the head with the belt. Matt, Reby, and Tyrus leave and go up the ramp. EY gives Jeff Hardy the piledriver off the apron through the table. As the show goes off the air, Jeff is left laying in the broken pieces of the table.

    Final Thoughts:

    TNA puts on another solid edition of Impact. The company is doing a decent job so far of giving everyone on the show something to do. It’s not all built around one person and they’re clearly attempting to make stars. Next week, Tigre Uno defends the X Divison title against Gregory Shane Helms. Also, EC3 will be interviewed and will let the world know what is next for him. Plus, more on the Kurt Angle Farewell Tour. 

  • TNA contract signings continue with Jeff Hardy

    TNA announced Tuesday that former TNA Champion Jeff Hardy has signed a new contract with the company. Terms were undisclosed.

    Hardy had openly talked with friends in recent months about being interested in a WWE run, but TNA has been very aggressive in signing talent of late to significant guaranteed contracts.  While not announced yet, given the nature of his recent turn, one would also expect current TNA Champion Matt Hardy to also stay with the company.

    Dixie Carter tweeted: “Thrilled to announce @JeffHardyBrand has signed a new contract.” She also noted he would kick off Tuesday’s show on POP TV. A Matt vs. Jeff angle will be featured on Impact, although because of Jeff being unable to go to the U.K., the angle will be delayed somewhat.

    TNA also announced the re-signing of TNA Tag Team champions The Wolves (Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards) — two men who were also possibly looking into WWE possibilities.  

  • TNA re-signs tag team champions Eddie Edwards & Davey Richards

    TNA announced today that tag team champions Eddie Edwards & Davey Richards have signed new deals with the promotion.

    Each man’s contract was set to expire on 4/30.

    Edwards & Richards were two of the wrestlers referred to in recent Observer stories with names not listed of TNA talent that WWE was pursuing, but that TNA was offering more than WWE.

    Their new deals will allow them to continue to work independent shows, however because they are getting guaranteed contracts, promotions will have to go through TNA to book them as opposed to directly going through them as in the past.

  • TNA sees increase in ratings

    Due to a combination of Matt Hardy saying he would either win the title or leave TNA, leading to his heel turn, and an 11 percent increase in clearance of the station that went into effect on Friday, Impact was way up in ratings this week.

    The Tuesday night show did 321,000 viewers on the first run episode and 122,000 on the replay. That’s up from 288,000 viewers last week for the 9 p.m. show and 77,000 for the midnight show.

    The growth for the midnight show was real in the sense it gained more new viewers by percentage than the percentage of new homes getting the station.  For the 9 p.m. show, the growth was almost exactly the same as the percentage of growth of the new clearances.

  • TNA Impact Wrestling results: EC3 vs. Matt Hardy Last Man Standing title vs career match

    Previously on TNA Impact:

    Matt Hardy offered to put his career on the line against Ethan Carter III in order to receive one last shot at the TNA World Title.

    On this week’s show:

    The main event will be TNA Champion EC3 vs. Matt Hardy in a title vs. career Last Man Standing Match. Also Knockouts champion Gail Kim will defend against Awesome Kong, plus “Miracle” Michael Bennett and “The First Lady of Professional Wrestling” Maria Kanellis will make their Impact debut, and more on the Kurt Angle Farewell Tour.

    Recap:

    Impact kicks off with an awesome video package previewing the main event. Josh Matthews is pushing on commentary that this match would be the last time the two will meet.

    – Jeff Hardy makes his way to the ring and grabs the mic. He says “that something just doesn’t feel right” in regards to the main event. He calls brother Matt to the ring. They’re pushing that this could be the last night that we see Matt Hardy. Matt convinces Jeff that he’s going to beat EC3 and there’s nothing to worry about. Jeff starts a “Hardy” chant. EC3’s music hits but out comes Tyrus. Tyrus is upset that Jeff called him stupid last week when he implied that Tyrus couldn’t read. Tyrus challenges Jeff to a match and he accepts.

    Jeff Hardy vs. Tyrus

    Josh reminds us that Tyrus is the “de facto” number one contender for the TNA World Title. Jeff went to the top rope but lost his balance, fell and injured his knee. Tyrus dominates Jeff for the rest of the match. Tyrus goes for a steal chair and shoved the referee, which led to a DQ. After the match, Jeff hit the Twist of Fate on Tyrus.

    – Next week it’s Feast or Fired on Impact. We get a video package explaining the concept of the Feast or Fired Match.

    – Backstage, TNA tag champs The Wolves talk about the past two years in TNA. They name several tag teams they have beaten which includes the Bro Mans, The Hardys, and Team 3D. Now they’re looking to face off with Beer Money. Crazzy Steve interrupts them and laughs manically. Suddenly, The Wolves and the cameraman are attacked from behind by a mysterious monster. We see only his boot. 

    TNA Knockouts Champion Gail Kim vs. Awesome Kong

    Before the match, Kong grabs the mic. Kong tells Kim that nobody cares that she’s married to the cook even though “he makes the best damn lobster raviolis I’ve ever eaten in my life.” This was in reference to Gail Kim’s husband, celebrity chef Robert Irvine. Kong dominated Gail in the early part of the match. Gail hits a crossbody off the top rope to the outside and takes out the entire Dollhouse. The Beautiful People run down and fight Marti Bell and Rebel to the back. Gail hits Eat Defeat on Kong, and throws Jade off the top rope onto Kong. Gail pins Kong to win the match and retain her title.

    – They show Jeff injuring his leg earlier in his match with Tyrus.

    – Back from commercial, we get scenes from the Kurt Angle Speaking Tour. Kurt talked about a match he had earlier in the year with Bobby Lashley and hopes to face him again.

    – Beer Money head down to the ring and they’re looking for a fight. They call out Eric Young and Bram but instead, Eli Drake and Jesse Godderz come to the ring.

    Beer Money vs. Jesse Godderz & Eli Drake

    They brawl around ringside to start the match. Drake and Godderz get the advantage early on but Beer Money quickly puts an end to that. Beer Money hits the DWI to win the match.

    – Backstage, Jeff is icing his knee when Matt, Reby, and Maxell come in to check on him. They convince Jeff to leave and go to the hospital to get the knee checked. Jeff wants to stay for the main event but Matt assures him he’ll be okay. Jeff leaves the arena.

    – Kurt Angle makes his way down to the ring. Kurt wonders who should be the next person he faces in the Kurt Angle Farewell Tour. “The Destroyer” Bobby Lashley’s music hits and he makes his way to the ring. Lashley explains that 14 years ago Kurt Angle discovered him. Lashley then quotes Ric Flair and says, “To Be The Man, You Have to Beat The Man” and that Kurt Angle is the man. Lashley challenges Kurt Angle and Kurt accepts.

    -Backstage Lashley is asked about his upcoming match with Kurt Angle, when a mysterious woman in a stunning/sparkling dress with purple hair interrupts. She says, “my pleasure is your pain.” She walks away and Lashley is checking her out hardcore.

    “Miracle” Michael Bennett vs. Pepper Parks

    -Maria Kanellis comes and introduces The Miracle. Bennett gets the advantage in the match with a sweet looking super kick. This was basically a squash match to showcase the skills and talent of Michael Bennett. “Miracle” Michael Bennett picks up the win.

    TNA Champion Ethan Carter III vs. Matt Hardy – Title vs. Career Last Man Standing Match

    It’s main event time. Both Matt Hardy and EC3 come out alone. They use a lot of weapons, such as tables, chairs, and ladders. Matt hits a twist of fate from the apron through a table at ringside. Reby Sky is watching the match from ringside. Tyrus makes his way down to the ring. Instead of helping EC3, Tyrus turns on him and attacks EC3. He then goes over and hugs Matt. EC3 is playing the face, while Matt is now playing the heel. EC3 fights off both Hardy and Tyrus. Matt uses the TNA World title to knock out EC3. Matt is the new TNA World Champion. After the match, Matt is now a full blown heel and is insulting the fans. Matt hits EC3 with a one man con-chairto. Matt Hardy, Reby, and Tyrus pose on the entrance way with the world title to end the show. A double turn happens with Matt Hardy now the heel, while EC3 is now a babyface.

    Final Thoughts:

    A good show this week with a really solid main event, which was followed up by a major angle. The double turn was an interesting choice. Next week’s show is built around the Feast or Fired Match with Booby Roode, James Storm, Rockstar Spud, Eli Drake, Jesse Godderz, Eric Young, Bram, Grado, Chris Melendez, Robbie E, Aiden O’Shea and Drew Galloway.

  • TNA Impact on POP ratings up slightly on week two

    TNA Impact rose slightly in its second week on Pop TV.

    The show, built around the beginning of the Kurt Angle farewell tour and a singles match with Drew Galloway, did 288,000 viewers on the first airing of the show and 77,000 on the second airing at midnight.

    Those numbers compare with 255,000 for the first airing last week and 90,000 for the replay, with a net increase of 20,000 viewers.

    The numbers are about two-thirds of what the viewership was at this same point one year ago on Destination America, even though Destination America was in 17 million viewer homes.

    Next week’s show is built around Matt Hardy vowing to leave TNA if he fails to win the title in the main event against Ethan Carter III.  The show features the beginning of the Matt Hardy heel turn.

  • The Week In British Wrestling: AJ Styles vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Brits all over TNA TV

    1) We’re gearing up for High Stakes.

    After a successful TV taping the other Sunday – at which they bizarrely announced they would be producing action figures! – Revolution Pro-Wrestling is gear up for their first big show of the year, next Saturday’s High Stakes at the York Hall in Bethnal Green. Main eventing the show is what will likely to turn out to be the final non-WWE appearance in the UK by AJ Styles, who is defending his Undisputed British Heavyweight title against Zack Sabre Jr, who seems to be upping the amount of dates he’s doing in the UK of late.

    RevPro run the York Hall three times a year, and last year’s final show – Uprising – featured eleven New Japan stars as part of a formal agreement between the two promotions which should hopefully see some of the UK’s top wrestlers get a chance to go over to New Japan. Also on the High Stakes card is a rematch from the TV taping’s Undisputed British Cruiserweight tournament final, as champion Pete Dunne takes on “Flash” Morgan Webster, a Will Ospreay versus Marty Scurll warm-up before their PROGRESS title match a week later, and the UK debut of “Speedball” Mike Bailey. As one of the UK’s “big three”, RevPro’s shows are always worth looking out for, and the results of this one will be eagerly awaited.

    2) If you liked “one fall!”, how about “one show”?

    Yes, for some odd reason, in the middle of blockbuster January – the last weekend in the month alone has over 25 shows scheduled – there was only one show this week – another of Insane Championship Wrestling’s Friday Night Fight Club TV tapings at the Garage nightclub in Glasgow, Scotland. The exclusive content taped for their ICW On Demand service – which, I’m reliably informed is actually unexclusively free to non-subscribers for the first 24 hours – has been a shining light in the winter gloom these past few weeks, and this week’s show was no different.

    The latest taping was dominated by heel stable The 55 (who, for the uninitiated, play on the percentage of Scots who rejected independence in 2014’s referendum), with tag-team champions Sha Samuels & Kid Fite retaining their titles against Mikey Whiplash & Tommy End, and the whole group attacking not only babyface hero Joe Coffey after the main event, but also ICW owner Mark Dallas. With Grado & Galloway over in Pennsylvania, the rest of the roster got the chance to step up and shine, and by the sounds of the slobberknocker between Jimmy Havoc and Big Damo, they did just that.

    3) The Brits returned on TNA.

    Although we’re very much focussed on what goes on over here in the UK, we also like to keep an eye out for what our talent is up to overseas. This past week’s TNA tapings heavily featured Drew Galloway, who formed an alliance with the soon-to-depart Kurt Angle, as well as the usual antics from Bram, Rockstar Spud, Mark Andrews (who did a must-see spot with a skateboard that will make you forget the Dynamic Dudes ever existed), and Grado in a Monster’s Ball match with Abyss, which included barbed-wire and thumb tacks (or “drawing pins” as we call them in the UK).

    While all but Galloway (and, to a lesser extent, Bram) are used in a way that disappoints most British fans of their work, the exposure they receive benefits both them and the promotions they work for in the UK, and so we swallow it down like bad medicine (cue Dr Wagner Jr earworm). In the case of Andrews, and after a year in which he based himself in Nashville and did few UK shots, he’s upping his UK dates this year, appearing regularly for the ATTACK!-Pro promotion he helped to create and getting a shot at the PROGRESS tag-team titles at the upcoming Chapter 25: Chat Sh*t, Get Banged.

    4) I get things wrong.

    I told you last week about the ultra-ambitious (in a good way!) upcoming show from Pro-Wrestling Chaos, running a 3000-seater hall in Bristol for an exclusive English date by The Young Bucks. Well, in amongst all that, I got the date wrong. The show is on April 9th, not April 8th as I wrote last week. Apologies for that, Chaos lads. They have another show coming up next month, with Grado, Trevor Lee, and UK legend Johnny Kidd joining all the usual regulars, and you should check their website for details.

    5) Robbie Brookside gave a history lesson.

    Chris Jericho’s podcasts are an acquired taste for some, but when he gets a good guest with lots to say, they’re essential listening. This week he had British wrestling legend and NXT trainer Robbie Brookside on the show, and gave his guest the room to speak at length about his career. It must have been an eye-opener for US fans of the show to hear tales of Terry Rudge and Scrubber Daly, as well as a spot-on impression of All-Star promoter Brian Dixon, but long-time UK fans will have emerged from it basking in the warm glow of nostalgia. One day someone will write a proper book on all this, and I hope they go to Brookside for first-hand material.