Fight Club: Pro The Return - Review by @DMC316

Above: MK McKinnan Joins Clint Margera To Face The Hunter Brothers - Picture Credit to Ben Ward

For the first time in 2012 Fight Club: Pro saw it’s championship defended. It’s return around the waist of a visiting Eddie Edwards is perhaps the most important return of all. But The Return is just a headline, and as usual FCP strived to put on a show that would bring three more matches of tremendous quality. There was excitement for every match on the card which put a lot of on the shoulders of FCP. So did they carry it well, or did they crumble? Be sure to check out the videos from the main event if you haven't already

The Hunter Brothers vs. Clint Margera and a Mystery Partner

The Hunter Brothers saw a welcome return to the ring with a warm response which lasted all of 60 seconds before their opponents were announced. Clint Margera, an FCP favourite, received a good reaction as always, but it was the announcement of his tag partner being ‘The Future’ MK McKinnan that would stick the crowd firmly in their corner and leave the Hunters all alone with only their wrestling ability to keep them warm. But they were not likely to freeze with the skillsets that they own, and while McKinnan wanted to prove himself as a title contender and Margera wanted to alter his losing streak, they were not in for an easy ride.
McKinnan broke out the gate with fury which quickly told the fans how displeased he was at not facing Eddie Edwards. While there was no doubt that he could keep up with Hunters ring technicality, he favoured kicks, forearms and double stomps which the crowd were always happy to see, and so the night had started with a bang. Margera received his turn and despite his strong striking ability chose to show his technical side and furthermore he held up with the pair that excelled at it. Eventually though, two men who knew the ins and outs of tag team wrestling would take over and show off their renown teamwork and the maneuvers that it allowed them. While the fans were not on the Hunters’ side, they often earned applause and awe with their efforts. A mass of impressive sequences would arise including a double dive to the outside and a flurry of superkicks that were cut off by a strong elbow strike. Despite an impressive shine by McKinnan, The Hunters’ prowess in tag team wrestling would see them get the pin on Margera, extending his record of losses.
The Hunter Brother received some resentment from the crowd but the respect for their abilities was undeniable. Margera had put in a good performance but was greatly frustrated by his loss before quickly departed the ring. The strong presence of MK McKinnan however garnered a well-deserved ‘Future For Champion’ chant, showing a great deal of agreement to McKinnan’s bid for championship. Ideas festered that McKinnan wasn’t done with his appearances for the night as involvement in the main event seemed likely. The result was highly anticipated.

Dave Mastiff vs. Jonathan Gresham

Dave Mastiff is liked by the FCP crowd and instantly fits in with the roster. But the adoration for Jonathan Gresham in the Wolverhampton based promotion is rarely matched, and it took only a moment for the majority of the crowd to pick who they would support. Gresham had a mountain to climb, but the audience were keen to see him manage it.
Mastiff’s powerful style was enforced in the early going. The size difference was enough to put him firmly in control, but Gresham would soon fight back with what he could to bring down the big man and the crowd were hanging on every attempt. Gresham earned appreciation with moves such as a Moonsault to outside, and the fans were right behind him, calling for him to keep going and defeat The Bastard. Mastiff was not easily thrown of his game though and in an impressive display attempted to break the fence that surrounds the ring by putting a certain professional wrestler through it. He would mostly dominate but Gresham would show heart that kept the fans behind him, gaining great ovations when he fought back, even managing to German Suplex his larger opponent. But Mastiff’s power was enforced again as he put down Gresham with a big clothesline that managed a three count.
While the ending was sudden and many were left disappointed with the result, Mastiff had remained the most powerful man on the FCP roster with another win in a strong showing. It simply became a matter of who he would knock off his list next and how long it would be before he himself held up the Fight Club: Pro Championship. Jonathan Gresham, while on the losing end, still received devotion from the crowd for his continually strong performances and as usual the crowd would look forward to his next appearance.

Rockstar Spud & Dave Williams vs. Chris Brookes and a Mystery Partner

Rockstar Spud picked up his entertaining theatrics on his ring entrance, strutting along to the tunes of Jon Bon Jovi’s Livin’ on a Prayer to the delight of all attendance. But no love was lost and the fans were still against Spud and his partner, Dave Williams, and as they hit the ring and were hit by a mass of toilet rolls, a ploy worked up by Chris Brookes over Twitter. The sight of the two being hit with a dozen toilet rolls is one to be cherished as Spud and Williams lost their cool much to the audience’s amusement. Then Brookes would receive his warm reception and trademark ‘We Want Brookes’ chant. It was then that Brookes would reveal his partner to be a man who hadn’t been seen in six months since he had, as one of the most hated men on the roster, been bounced off every surface in the venue and dropped on tables and thumbtacks by Clint Margera. In spite of his history, Dan Ryder would receive a surprisingly warm reception and a few words on the mic would see the fans accept his change in attitude and give their full support to the team of Brookes and he. However, unable to hold out for another week, Ryder pulled out an early April Fools on all in attendance and displayed his true colours by knocking down Brookes. It was a genius ploy that would draw pure hatred from the fans, gaining chants from the crowd which can’t be repeated in a PG article. Brookes’ hopes were squashed again, that was until the Dragons made an appearance, donning new masks in place of the ones that Spud and Williams had stolen, and found a friend in the enemy of their enemy. Once someone worked out the maths, it became apparent that there was a six man tag on the cards.
Rockstar Spud & Dave Williams & Dan Ryder vs. Chris Brookes & The Dragons
After proudly displaying their new masks, Blue Dragon and Gold Dragon would rush their opponents and start a brawl outside the ring. That left Spud picking up the pieces on Brookes and left this match fully underway. When order was restored, Spud’s team were dominating as they singled out their victim and beat him down. This left the fans in anticipation of The Dragons’ talents being shown off and them giving Spud and company what they deserve. Brookes would get the tag, and in turn Blue and Gold would dominate over the three opponents and show off what they could do. Blue Dragon’s moment would steal the spotlight as he removed his pads, trousers and top to reveal a look that mimicked that of the Rockstar Spud. Gold’s shine came from strong and dominant moves that impressed those in attendence. The match would come to a close with dives to the outside putting most out of action. A beaten and painfully slow Brookes would look to follow up with a dive of his own, but The Rockstar Spud would get one over Brookes again with a roll up pin.
Spud and his entourage were quick to escape with the victory that they could shove in everyone’s face. The Dragons’ looked unimpressed with the actions of their partner but took no action before exiting. Brookes had come out of the match looking weak, but fans were still hopeful. Between the mass of tweets sent and the t-shirts bought, fans were still invested and were willing to see Brookes receive one more chance to prove himself. Faith was wavering though.

Trent Seven vs. Eddie Edwards

Trent Seven was forgiven for his actions against McKinnan at the previous event and received a good response from crowd. But the popularity of Eddie Edwards was unparalleled as his reception rose above any else’s. For the man who took FCP’s title away from Wolverhampton he was well liked, but no less was deserved for a top Ring of Honour star who received a mass off chants in his favour. Everything was business for this one and the match was soon underway.
The two started with basics and were even in their ability as they lay the groundwork which they would build from. Eddie started laying bricks early as him opened up his toolbox and rained his skills down on Seven, sending the crowd into a frenzy with his displays. Edwards gave no reason for the crowd to give a moment of silence and no reason to stop banging the metal fence around the ring. Seven would soon get his advantage with his style of strength and heart, opening up his repertoire of strong moves and laying them on Edwards. As the energy built they reached a moment that was built for the Fight Club: Pro audience and began a chop battle. The insanity of the number of chops delivered was matched only by the force of each one as they went at each other with unbelievable attacks. They would eventually turn to trading clotheslines which gave Seven the advantage. By this point Seven had convinced the whole crowd that he was the man to hang a Fight Club Pro Title on and a perfectly appropriate ‘This Is Awesome’ chant broke out. Edwards was soon showing his immaculate form off too and began reeling off trademark moves to an outstanding reception. The man owned the whole arena with his performance and never faltered, bringing a World Class performance to an independent show in Wolverhampton. As the crowd reeled from this match, breathless and with hoarse voices, it was Eddie Edwards who picked up a dominating victory as he beat Seven enough to gain a stoppage by the referee. Eddie Edwards retained his title and the audience were very pleased with both the match and the result.
How would one describe this match? Well I’d tell you but first I want to go to Wikipedia and change the entry for Main Event to ‘Trent Seven vs. Eddie Edwards’ because this match was the definition of main event. Other pages to be edited include the entry for Five Star Match and the entry for This Is Awesome. This was one of the finest matches one can hope to see. Eddie Edwards brought a World Class performance and Trent Seven kept up with him. Nobody minds Eddie Edwards leaving with the title and of course they can now look forward to another return from him. Furthermore everyone now understands why Trent Seven leads the company, because he can hold up with the best of them. The title of ‘Super Don’ is well deserved.
Following the match, a man everyone had talked about in the build-up but had completely forgotten during the match made his appearance. Mk McKinnan made his bid for the title and received his shot at a proposed return for Edwards. As much as McKinnan is loved by the Fight Club Pro faithful, he finds himself with big shoes to fill now that Seven has set the stage. All eyes will be on the anticipated title bout. Eddie Edwards would thank the crowd and leave with a lot of love and support.
Another show in the books and what did the highly rated Fight Club: Pro promotion offer? One of their best events and one of their best matches. It may have been a little promotion in a little night club in little old Wolverhampton, but they brought a standard in the main event that was world class.

Here are two videos shot by Stu Rodgers from the main event:





Other promotions would ask a lot of money, FCP continue to request only £5 and I can not stress enough how much you should be attending Fight Club: Pro events if you aren’t already. If you are already attending, let’s high five each other for seeing such a great show and I’ll see you on May 18th.
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