AWW 10th Anniversary show – Wolverhampton Civic Hall, Wolverhampton – Sunday 15th September 2013

Before travelling to any wrestling show, I always wonder if the time spent on the road will be worth it. After my previous experience of AWW (back in February) I had no doubt that it would be. That show saw an excellent ladies match between Emi Sakura and Shanna, as well as some top UK and International talent. This time would be no different as the likes of El Ligero, Nathan Cruz and Mark Haskins would be joined by former TNA star Doug Williams, and two exciting Japanese wrestlers in Kenbai and Hiromu Takahashi.

These two Japanese guys both put on great matches; first, Kenbai took on El Ligero in a match that I fully expected to be a great one. I wasn't disappointed as both men started with excellent, and flowing sequences resulting in a stalemate each time, showing how equally matched they were. This wasn't going to be a walk in the park for either man. Towards the end, Ligero seemed to show signs of frustration as he couldn't put his Japanese opponent away – trying for three-counts at every opportunity before throwing Kenbai to the floor – hoping to gain the victory by count-out. After an exciting ending, Ligero managed to roll up Kenbai for the win – an excellent showing by both men. It's matches like this that melt my smarky heart and make me realise that I am still just a fan underneath it all!

Hiromu Takahashi took on Nathan Cruz in the other 'International' offering. This had great sequences at times but differed from the Ligero/Kenbai match; hard hitting throughout and what I would call the war of the night. Both men were physically drained by the end as Cruz would take the victory.

Other than the star-studded main event, two other singles matches were on the card, pitting some of the best UK talent against each other. The opening match of the night saw former TNA Bootcamp contestant 'Party' Marty Scurll take on the ever-popular T-Bone. Bone's strength and intimidating look took centre stage as Scurll would run away in the early going. Really great work from Scurll throughout to get the crowd to hate him; T-Bone instantly loved as a result. I've lost count of how many opening matches that I've seen T-Bone in this year and it's credit to him as he puts on a great show everytime and gets the crowd 'warmed up' leading into the rest of the night.

The pop of the night, for me, went to Mark Haskins. The Oxford native came out to a huge ovation against his very bearded opponent, Saul Adams. The early part of the match would see duelling 'Yes' and 'No' chants as well as a 'Sh*t Matt Morgan' chant that was quickly thrown out as Haskins would remind that part of the audience that there were kids present. I still don't understand why some people don't think about that kind of thing when at shows. None of us – fans or wrestlers – need to swear to have a good time and put on a great show. Much of this match was entertaining with Haskins grabbing a handful of beard at every opportunity. Despite Adams getting the somewhat surprising victory, Haskins would trash Adams' feather boa and mirror, infuriating the bearded, vain, Sensational one.

With all the star names that I've mentioned above, there was also a six-man tag team match between some of the AWW's brightest prospects. Charlie Garrett, Matt Lightening and Daniel Valentine would be victorious over the heel team of 'The Real Deal of Sex Appeal' Tukay, The Judge and Sam Wilder. Most notably for me was the performances of Garrett and Tukay – Tukay in particular as I haven't seen him wrestle since the February show. At that show, he was also in a six-man tag match but seemed a little nervous and a little too 'smiley' for a heel. He seems to have improved greatly since then – looking mean at times and giving great facial expressions depending on the situation in the match. It makes me happy when I know that there are youngsters that are taking their wrestling training seriously and I think Tukay is right up there in that respect.

The main event saw four gentlemen that were looking to resolve issues from the previous show. The new AWW Champion Johnny Storm, the former champion Brandon Thomas, the claimant to being the next AWW Champion Stixx, and former TNA Star Doug Williams all had scores to settle in this one. The main situation that I could see in this match was that Stixx is a dominant force that will, in the near future, challenge Johnny Storm for his AWW title. As the faces entered the ring they would charge their opponents' corner only to have Thomas bail out of the ring and Stixx refusing to budge; firmly locking eyes with the new champion. This would continue throughout as Stixx would show the gap in size between him and Storm. Luckily, Storm's lightening quickness would show through at times as he got the better of both larger opponents. The ending would see Storm and Stixx brawl to the back leaving Thomas to fall prey to the experienced Williams.

Results
T-Bone defeated 'Party' Marty Scurll
Charlie Garrett, Matt Lightening & Daniel Valentine defeated Tukay, The Judge & Sam Wilder
El Ligero defeated Kenbai (Match of the Night)
'Showstealer' Nathan Cruz defeated Hiromu Takahashi
'Simply Sensational' Saul Adams defeated 'Star Attraction' Mark Haskins
AWW Champion 'Wonderkid' Johnny Storm & Doug Williams defeated Stixx & 'The Messiah' Brandon Thomas (w/ Violet Vendetta)

Overall, an excellent show from top to bottom. All the matches with top UK talents delivered and the six-man tag match was performed at a really fast pace at times which made it really enjoyable and exciting.

It's shows like this that make the travel time MORE than worth it. I believe the next AWW show is sometime at the end of November and I think I'll be needing to make the trip back up to Wolverhampton!

For my work (on WWE and British Wrestling) please visit jimmosangle.co.uk and follow me on Twitter @jimmosangle

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Bret Hart: The Dungeon Collection DVD Review By Shaun Nichols

The Dungeon Collection is the latest WWE release for Bret, and is basically a collection of rare matches throughout his career and as such haven't been seen on previous releases. It's a three disc set that covers his career from Stampede all the way through to his ill-fated run in WCW.

Before each match he gives his thoughts on the match or his opponents. Some of these are really interesting such as the 'Hitman' gimmick was a cross between Dynamite Kid and John McEnroe. Or why Owen Hart changed his style for his feud with Bret in 1994. Others are where he just says nice things and others are just really strange with the 'highlight' being where he thinks Ric Flair doesn't understand psychology which is a ludicrous thing to say.

I'll give my thoughts on what I believe are the best things on each DVD and my general thoughts overall.

Disc 1

The best thing on Disc 1 is a singles match against Dynamite Kid from the WWF in September 1985, it really is very good but before the match starts we get Bret saying that Terry Funk called it a master class and Randy Savage compared it to being back in school. It's very good as I say but it's not that great.

Other matches include an intriguing 10 minute draw against Buzz Sawyer from Georgia in 1979 which is a pure wrestling match in front of a crowd that didn't know him at all. Another couple of matches from Stampede against Dynamite Kid and Leo Burke which had great crowd reactions but had cheap finishes which only led to further matches we aren't going to see.

An early match against Mr Perfect from 1989 gives an interesting taste of the classic matches that would follow a couple of years later but were slightly hindered by the fact that WWF fans hadn't seen enough of Mr Perfect to see him a big star.

Another contender for match of the disc, was a very exciting tag match where the Hart Foundation battled The Islanders in front of a really hot crowd in Philadelphia for the Tag Titles in 1987. Where the fans were pretty convinced they were going to see a title change.
Bringing up the rear is a very rare match against Andre The Giant from Milan in 1989, this really was a disappointment as at this point Andre couldn't really do much at all. Though it's pretty funny to hear the Italian crowd chanting for Hulk Hogan.

Disc 2

On paper this looks to be the strongest disc as it features 20 minute matches against Tiger Mask II (Misawa) from the Supercard held at the Tokyo Dome in 1990 and also a long TV main event against Flair where Hart defended the I-C title.

Both of those matches are good but nothing more, the Misawa match is hindered by the fact we don't get any commentary track. Also Miswa's style just wasn't suited to playing the Tiger Mask character so it's not particularly exciting to watch in large parts. The fans react to that as it's only until in the closing few minutes that they show any real interest.

The Flair match from November 1991 just didn't click. I don't think that the WWF really knew how to push Flair in his first run. He was cutting great promos saying he was the best wrestler and they booked him to where he had to cheat or rely on interference to beat any average midcarder.

A more interesting match supported by an inspired Bobby Heenan on commentary was against The Undertaker in January 1992. At this point The Undertaker was all about the gimmick and was aided considerably by a sterling effort by Paul Bearer. This was about Bret doing battle against the unstoppable monster and was very good from a storyline point.

Ending disc 2 was another match from Milan but this time against Bam Bam Bigelow, this another good but not great match but is interesting to see that the Italian fans see Bret as a major singles star by this point.

Disc 3

The strongest of the discs in my opinion, it starts out with the best match on the entire set and a very pleasant surprise. Bret defending the WWF title against Diesel at King of the Ring 1994 PPV, not even the awful commentary including ex-NFL star Art Donovan (who had no idea what was happening or who the wrestlers were) could ruin it.

Special mention must go to the great work by Shawn Michaels on the outside, there can't be much funnier sights than a rather tubby Jim Neidhart desperately trying to chase a smirking HBK. This was a fantastic effort by Bret and one of Kevin Nash's all time best matches. Even with the slightly unsatisfying DQ finish this is still comfortably over ****.

Also we get a very entertaining 10 minute streetfight against Owen just before Mania XI which is by the numbers but still great due to the brothers talent. An entertaining match against Jean Pierre Lafitte who had an awful pirate gimmick and a match based on a stupid story of Bret having his jacket stolen and he wanted it back.

Also very good was a match from South Africa against Steve Austin in from September 1996, this was when he was on his hiatus from the company though he officially returned also against Austin at that year's Survivor Series. The match starts pretty slowly features lots of good basic wrestling and an amusing bit of commentary by Owen Hart who tries to convince Jim Ross that his brother has now come around to his way of thinking.

The set closes out with two of Bret's matches in WCW, the first was against Booker T from Nitro in January 1999 and is a very fun encounter with Booker getting plenty of his offence in and Bret playing crafty heel to perfection.
Closing out is his match against Sting from the Mayhem PPV in a WCW Title tournament semi final, what's clear is that no-one really cared. We had a completely pointless run-in by Lex Luger that ended up being ignored. I think it's only included to remind fans how dreadful WCW was in the final 18 months.

Overall Thoughts

I actually had really high hopes for this set and there are some pretty enjoyable matches on there but I actually expected a little bit more. It isn't as good as the first Bret Hart set of 'The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be'.
Saying that there is plenty to enjoy just don't expect it to be the best WWE release because it really isn't. The top five matches I would say are as follows.

1. vs. Diesel
2. vs. Dynamite Kid (the WWF 1985 match)
3. vs. Steve Austin
4. Hart Foundation vs. The Islanders
5. vs. Booker T

Southside Retribution IV (17/8/13) Review By Tom Linberry

Banner designed by Simon Humphreys, pictures owned and supplied By Brett Hadley with thanks to Southside Wrestling Entertainment.

After an excellent show the night before in Nottingham, the Southside crew move on to Huntingdon for another great card.

1. SWE Tag Team Champions The Predators v The London Riots

In the opening match of the night the number 1 contenders (who won the right to be No.1 contenders at the Big Bump Theory back in July) the London Riots took on the champions the Predators.

From the off set the Riots took advantage of there size and used it to gain the early upper hand, hitting big move after move to keep control. But after some back and forth. Predators managed to regain control of the match, and cut off the ring so it was hard for the Riots to tag in and out.

Just as the Riots were making a comeback thought, 2 masked men made an appaearance and distracted The Riots just long enough, for the Predators to pick up the win and mark 1 year as Southside Tag Team champions ***

(Below: Joseph Conners of The Predators with a flying shoulder block on Rob Lynch of The London Riots)

2. Robbie X v Zack Sabre Jr

This match was supposed to be Noam Dar v Zack Sabre, but due to Dar's continuing injury, Robbie X was into Dar's place and this match did not disappoint.

During the opening minutes of the match, neither man could get the advantage, with various holds being exchanged, and counter holds, it really did set the pace for the rest of the match. Zack took the early advantage, and triedto lock in the fatal armbar early, Robbie managed to scramble to the ropes both times. So Zack continued the onslaught with some well placed kicks to Robbies chest.

But just as Zack was wearing down Robbie, he came roaring back with some high paced offense, which left Sabre down, and in trouble. X went for a few quick pins but could not gain the victory.

Zack managed to gain the advantage again, trying to hit a German suplex and a full nelson suplex, but Robbie kept fighting him off. But as the match progressed, it didnt seem either man would give an inch with both men exchanging kicks and superkicks.But it was Zack Sabre Jnr who came out on top. And quite rightly deserved at the end the crowd gave a standing ovation. It was a true classic, and one of the best matches ive seen on my travels this year ****

(Below right: Zack Sabre Jr with his trademark armbar on Robbie X)

3. Number 1 Contenders match for the SWE tag team titles The Bhangra Knights v The Hunter Brothers.

This match saw 2 teams who have both had a crack at the Tag titles, square off to see who deserved an opportunity at a rematch.
It started off with some back and forth action, between both teams not willing to budge. But it was the Knights who took early advantage, and seemed eager to get there rematch.

But The Hunters managed to regain the upper hand and regain control, with there quick style hitting some great tag team moves. Including scoring one near fall, on the knights.

The Knights regained the upper hand, but it wasnt long before, the 2 masked men remerged from the back and beat down both teams. And the match was declared a no contest. After the masked men made there way to the top of the stage, they revealed themselves to be House of Pain members Stixx and Alex Gracie. Then Joseph Connors came out and cut a short promo saying that they will be keeping the belts forever. Star Rating **

(Above: The Bhangra Knights prepare to hit a double team move on Jim Hunter)

4. Speed King Champion Jay Lethal v 'Ego Dragon' Martin Kirby

This match on paper looked great, and i must say it lived upto the hype. Both men, started very cagey and Lethal took the upper hand on Kirby.

Lethal used his experience to keep on top of his oppenent for several minutes. But Kirby managed to get in control for the first time, by hitting Lethal with some hard offense. Kirby was determined to beat Lethal, and got several near falls on Jay.

Kirby continued the onslaught with some vicious kicks to Lethal's head, but the crowd got behind the Speed King champ and he managed to pick up the pace and regain control of the match, including getting a near fall that looked 3 from the onlookers eyes. But after a flurry of offense, Kirby regained control and beat Jay Lethal to become new Speed King champ. Afterwards on the mic, Kirby said "the belt means nothing to me until I have beat Ligero inside the steel cage at the 3rd anniversary show" and threw the belt on the floor. A really good match and that led us to intermission ****

(Right: Lethal prepares to hit Kirby with the big elbow)

5. Southside Heavyweight Championship Stixx v MK McKinnan

This match was made at Menace to Society the night before, when MK won a number one contendership match, to face off against the champ Stixx.

The match started of with Stixx bragging how this was gonna be easy work and be done in 5 minutes. MK used this as fuel, and went after Stixx in the opening Minutes of the match. But the Southside champ was having none of it and took control pretty early on, throwing MK around like he was toy.

After a few more minutes of action, Stixx was still in control bragging how it was nearly over to the crowd. But MK came roaring back, with some quick offense which stunned the champ, which got MK a nearfall on the champ. The crowd were solidly behind McKinnan, and one point the ref got his hand so close to 3 the crowd thought MK had won the match, but Stixx managed to kick out by the skin of his teeth.

MK continued to fight hitting 2 kicks to Stixx's head, but still only getting a nearfall. But alas, it was Stixx who picked up the victory, and thus retaining his belt. MK came so close, a really good match, and hopefully not the last time we will see these 2 wrestle. ***

(Below: McKinnan catches STIXX as he tries to cheap shot him with the belt)

6. Loco Imbecil v Alex Gracie

This was a fun little match, which started off with Loco making his way to ringside chucking Jaffa Cakes into the crowd.

Opening few minutes, Gracie didn't quite know what to make of Loco and Loco managed to get a few moves in. But Alex was having none of it, and took control of the match pretty quickly. And it wasnt long before the 'Noisy Boy' Alex Gracie picked up the victory. Short and sweet, fun match **

7. No Disqualification Match: Mark "Hotdog" Haskins v Sabu v Kris Travis v Marty Scurll.

This was our main event of the evening, and I must say was a really good match to round up a great night of action.

Opening exchanges Scurll & Travis were working together to beat down on Haskins and Sabu, but the partnership didn't last long, as they then turned on each other and it broke down into a proper 4 way.

Sabu and Travis paired off a brawled around the ring and towards the merch tables while Haskins and Marty faced off in the ring. Keeping track of the action was hard, but Haskins and Scurll were exchanging some excellent moves in the ring, while Sabu was beating down Travis including hitting a moonsault to the outside on a standing, all be it not for long Travis.

(Below: Sabu has Kris Travis in a painful looking camel clutch)

It all came to a head in the ring, and when all 4 men were brawling Sabu was thrown to the outside, by the tandem of Travis and Scurll. But that still left 3 in the ring, and after eliminating Travis from the equation, Mr Money in The Bank Mark Haskins picked up the victory ***

After the match Haskins and Sabu shook hands and the crowd went home happy.

Another great outing for Southside here. Some stella matches, and some matches that progressed stories leading into the next batch of shows. If you can try and pick up the DVD you will not be dissappointed, this was Brit wrestling at its best. Great show, and if Southside comes near you check them out.

Thanks to Stu of The Indy Corner for giving me an outlet to do this.

Thanks for Reading :) and see you at the shows.

Tom Linberry - Follow me on twitter @mr1985TAL.

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Southside 'Menace to Society III' (16/8/13) Review By Tom Linberry

Poster created by Simon Humphreys / Photos provided and copyrighted By Brett Hadley with thanks to Southside Wrestling Entertainment

Coming from The Rushcliffe Arena in Nottingham, Southside Wrestling Entertainment comeback with another stacked card.

1. Pete Dunne v MK McKinnan v El Ligero (Number 1 contenders match for the Southside Heavyweight title)

Opening match of the show, and needless to say this match set the tone for the rest of the night. It opened with a feeling out process between the 3 combatants, who were out to earn a shot at the Southside title.

After the initial feeling out process, they kicked into 4th gear, with some excellent high paced moves, including MK hitting a flip dive through the ropes onto Ligero & Dunne.

(Right: Pete Dunne dropkicks MK McKinnan as he trapped in a 'tree of woe' with El Ligero looking on)

Drawing towards the end of the match, Pete Dunne hit some high flying offense and nearly picked up the win, but it was MK McKinnan with the victory. Who earned a shot at Stixx at Retribution IV in Huntingdon. Great match to open with, crowd were on fire and the 3 guys in the match really pulled out all the stops and set the tone of the night and things to come ***

2. The Hunter Brothers & R J Singh v "Ego Dragon" Martin Kirby & The Predators.

Next we have a 6-man, great start to the match with The Hunters getting the upper hand early on, and Singh adding to the offensive with great technical ability.

But wasn't long before Kirby entered the match and went to town on Singh, breaking every rule he could when the refs back was turned. And to add insult to Singh, whenever they could the Predators double teamed Singh. However after many attempts to to make the tag, Singh reached his corner and managed to tag in Lee Hunter, who came with a flurry of clothslines and dropkicks, and seem to momentarily swung the momentum back in his teams favour

But when the Hunters went for the pin RJ pulled them off, saying it was his pin, and caused to decention in the ranks. Which allowed the Predators to hit the finish, And claim the victory for them and Kirby. Good 6 man tag, carried the momentum of the show well, and set up for Bhangra Knights v The Hunters at Retribution IV ***

3. Mark Haskins v Darrell Allen

This match started an peculiar note, Mr Money in the bank Mark Haskins, on his way round the ring before the match started, managed to knock a fans hotdog on the floor, to which for the rest of the match he was referred to as Hotdog Haskins.

This is one of the matches I went for because I've been watching both guys for ages all over the country, and both are great talents. So after the chorus of "Hotdog Haskins" had somewhat calmed down, we got down the match. It started with both men, exchanging holds, with Haskins getting the upper hand.

But Darrell managed to roar back with some great offense, and take the upper hand against his more experienced foe. But after a great comeback, Haskins hit a Michinoku driver for the win. It was a very fun match, with Haskins and Darrell both playing off the Hotdog incident, and the action was good too ***

(Below: Darrell Allen catches Marks Haskins in mid flow)

4. Southside Heavyweight Champion STIXX v Super Crazy

Stixx made his way to the ring with Harvey Dale and his Southside Heavyweight title. He proclaimed he was a huge fan of his oppenent, and he just wanted a clean fight with him. So he sent Harvey packing to the back, and Super Crazy made his entrance to a rowdy crowd.

Great opening exchange with neither wrestler giving an inch. Which to everyones displeasure bought out Harvey Dale to console Stixx and stay in the corner for his match.

The ex ECW star Super Crazy, hit some crazy offense, to stay on top of STIXX, who was having trouble getting to grips with the Mexican's offense.

But STIXX managed to ground the high flyer just long enough to get the upper hand, and take control of a very competitive match. after a few minutes the Crazy one re-took control of the match, and mounted a strong comeback. But it was STIXX who picked up the victory, by pinning Super Crazy for the count while using the ropes for leverage. Another great match wich the crowd going intermission buzzing ***

(Above: Super Crazy with an abdominal stretch on STIXX)

After intermission we had the arm wrestling contest between commentator Dale Mills and House of Pain advisor Harvey Dale. After much back and forth on the mic and Harvey Dale refusing to lock up they finally did. But as they did Mrs Haskins jumped up on the ring apron to distract Harvey Dale by lifting up her shirt. He was distracted just enough for Dale Mills to get the victory and claim bragging rights between the two.

(Below right: Arm wrestling with Harvey Dale & Dale Mills with Adam Curtis looking on)

5. Speed King Champion Jay Lethal v Robbie X

Jay Lethal taking on for Speed King champion Robbie X. Robbie X had lost the title at Speed Kings, so he was out to try and unseat the man who won the 6 man at Speed King back in May Jay Lethal.

The crowd were hot for this match, with both guys, going all out pretty much from the bell ringing. Lethal took the upper hand on the former champ, including hitting a handspring elbow. The crowd were really into this one.

Robbie managed to get back into the match by hitting some quick offensive moves and take the control over Lethal. Robbie on several occassions thought he had the match won, but Lethal kept kicking out and coming back for more.

Lethal who had the experience edge came back slowly but surely and managed to hit the 'Lethal Combination' but he only got a near fall. With Lethal growing frustrated, Robbie managed to make a quick comeback and nearly become Speed King champ for a second time.

But as the match wore on Lethal regained control and after both hitting some big kicks Lethal Picked up the victory and retained the title. Great match, Robbie X has really come into his own and has grown into a great performer ****

(Left: Robbie X & Jay Lethal shake hands after an epic Speed King title match)

6. wXw Unified Heavyweight Champion Tommy End v Zack Sabre Jr

This match was sanctioned by wXw in Germany and was an official match and will also appear on an upcoming wXw dvd release.

This match pitted 2 very well travelled men, both with experience in Japan and the USA against one another as wXw champion Tommy End took on England's own Zack Sabre Jr. Both these men have met before in wXw and wrestled in the final of this years 16 Carat Gold Tournament and on a side note of interest, Zack was the first ever unified champion in wXw.

This match started very cagey, with guys hitting hard Kicks to each other. But after the opening exchange, Zack went straight for the armbar, but Tommy managed to scramble for the ropes.

After the initial excahnges, Tommy tried to lock in the Dragon Slayer sleeper, but Zack managed to squirm free. With some more hard hitting strikes, Tommy hit a kick to Zack's head that dazed the former champ and may have stunned him a bit.

Tommy made it to the top rope, and managed to hit a double stomp right to Zacks chest, that winded Sabre, but didnt keep him down for the 3. While Tommy was trying to restructure his gameplan, Zack took the upper hand with some hard kicks off his own and and locked in the armbar once again, and this time Tommy only just made the ropes. After several more exchanges, Tommy End locked in the 'Dragon Slayer' sleeper and forced Zack to pass out. Great match, good to see the title get defended on these shores and hopefully not the last time we see Tommy End in this country ****

(Right: Tommy End hits Zack Sabre Jr. with an awesome German suplex)

7. Sabu v Jimmy Havoc (Hardcore Match)

The ECW legend v Britain's own deathmatch worker. In what was the main event of the evening, Sabu went to work early on Havoc using anything that wasn't nailed down to try and keep Havoc grounded.

But Havoc made a brief comeback, nailing Sabu with a few chair shots. But the ECW legend, used his experience and regained the upper hand, and took the match to the Extreme getting a table from under the ring and setting up on the outside, both brawled round the ringside and eventually Jimmy was back dropped through the set up table. Sabu threw a chair at Jimmy which cut him open deep.

Sabu then promptly set Havoc up on a chair, got back in the ring and after a few attempts ran off the ropes and jumped on the chair onto the ropes and dropkicked Jimmy head first into another chair. Sabu dragged Havoc into the ring and made a pin attempt but Havoc kicked out.

So Sabu set up another table, near the turnbuckle and placed Jimmy on the table head first, he then proceeded to head to the top rope and hit the Arabian facebuster, and put Jimmy through yet another table. He crawled over onto Jimmys motionless body and picked up the victory. The crowd roared with appreciation for both guys, and the fans went home happy ***1/2

(Above: Sabu prepares to go airborne on a prone blood Jimmy Havoc)

Another top notch show, with some great wrestling invovled. Southside is one of the top promotions in the UK and it was truly a great show and I urge you as soon as the DVD is available to buy it. It was one of those shows if you missed it, you missed out.

The next Southside show in Nottingham is Crossing the Line, on September 28th, featuring CZW champ Drew Gulak, Drake Younger, Ricochet & the high flying sensation AR Fox as well s the usual Southside crew.

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Tom Linberry - Follow me on twitter @mr1985TAL

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ATTACK Pro Wrestling 'We're Gonna Need A Bigger Boat' (11/8/13) Review By Derrie Catton

ATTACK! Pro Wrestling created a lot of buzz earlier this year when their style was showcased in the above video. The display remains a superb mix of fun-themed humour and awe-inspiring moments, which brought tears to the eyes of those not within travelling distance of Cardiff where the promotion is based. APW answers this complaint, by literally setting stage in the middle of the UK with their visit to the Midlands. So on August 11th crowd flocked to Dudley to see if the event could live up to the hype videos.

Themes are taken seriously at APW, exampled by an announcer donning a Hawaiian shirt and a lei as he enters through a blown up image of a shark's open jaws to welcome the attendance to their world. Wrestlers followed up on the antics, from summer songs as entrance themes, to beach appropriate attires, along with Jay Lethal being dubbed a boat enthusiast and what can be best described as a 'Anything From The Beach Goes' match. These quirky touches make for a fun show, and plenty of laughs come in tow. From their trailer packages, APW are expected to deliver surreal moments of unpredictable hilarity, and when surprise star Clint Margera is eaten by a shark only to return wearing the remains of his foe a match later, it can only be said that they delivered.

Thanks to the W in APW a certain amount of wrestling ability is to be expected too, and on many accounts that mark was hit. Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews impressed a crowd which was not expecting to see the likes of an attempted 630 splash in a match that quickly turned from comedy to great action. It was the Wild Boar and Tyler Bate who hit a home run however, as it pitched a quality presence against a guy so local he went to the very school hosting the event. Wild Boar is fantastic on the offence, convincing with every strike and move he uses, but Bate is full of ability and gradually got the crowd behind him and to their loudest point of the show as everyone rallied up for his array of moves including the execution of a 450 splash.

At sixteen, Tyler is an incredibly promising talent and an example of the roster APW puts together. The already mentioned Jay Lethal was a guest addition, who reeled of all his signatures manoeuvres for the fan's appreciation in a match against the very capable 'Dynamite' Pete Dunne. Clint Margera's surprise appearance was also a treat as he transferred his skills from deathmatch specialist to comedy antics, and on that humour front came a team that stole the show, not least thanks to Damien Dunne's partner Ryan Smile spouting comedy gold at every given opportunity. Chris Brookes also put in a good showing in an opener that did well for setting the shows tone, rounding out a robust roster featuring star highlights and flexible talents.

There are many unremarkable promotions around today that become clouded in the mist of similarity. ATTACK! Pro Wrestling is something different for the UK wrestling scene, not only stand out but at the top of their game and more giving than a handful of examples in this article can convey. They provide a great showing of comedy, often topped off with superb wrestling content and it's serve you well to attend their event if you like your wrestling fun.

Below is a DVD trailer of their previous show 'Press Start'



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On the Road to Summer Slam By Shaun Nichols

The biggest show of the Summer is well on its way and it seems a good time to preview the show and the matches that have already been announced,

CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar
From a fan interest point of view and also from a coherent storyline basis, this is the main event of SummerSlam. Although of course the feud is essentially between former best friends, CM Punk and Paul Heyman. With Punk vowing that he will destroy his former manager, Heyman for his part is sending his 'hired beast' to stop him.

The great thing about the feud is that Punk and especially Heyman are so great in their respective roles and can justify in their promos why they feel and act as they do. Brock is essentially the third wheel in this programme but I don't see that as any kind of negative, he makes rare appearances so until he and Heyman splits it's difficult for him to play the central role. It works great that Brock plays the role of Heyman's monster that Paul is sending to hurt CM Punk.

Although Punk should win in the end, as the heroic babyface overcoming overwhelming odds to win it doesn't make sense for him to win right at the start. You also have to consider that Brock is still a PPV mover and any losses he has should be used judicially. I expect a very good match with Brock winning which allows the Punk vs. Heyman feud to continue throughout the rest of 2013.

John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan
We are getting a pretty rare 'face vs. face' main event, and they are going to be using the Total Divas show to 'add interest'. They are both dating a Bella, with the storyline being that Bryan is considering marriage while Cena has no interest in doing so.

Outside of that, the WWE booking has finally woken upto the fact that a large part of their fan base wants to support Daniel Bryan. They have dropped all talk of being the 'weak link' which made him sound like a complaining heel and have instead have switched attention to having Bryan proving he belongs which worked great at the recent Raw when he wrestled Swagger, Cesaro and finally Ryback in a gauntlet series.

The hardcore fans will obviously be behind Bryan, so expect a lot of boos for Mr Cena. I think that we may get a Daniel Bryan win, which will be quickly followed by Randy Orton cashing in his MITB briefcase and turning heel and leaving as WWE Champion.

Alberto Del Rio vs. Christian
Let me just say that I like Del Rio as wrestler, he works well and has good matches but nobody cares about him. It hasn't helped that he's been without Ricardo (due to a Wellness violation) but you have to face facts that very few people react to his entrance or his interviews. The good news is that Ricardo should be back for SummerSlam but honestly he can't make that much difference.
Christian is pretty similar, he is a really good wrestler and has lots of good matches but the fans don't really care that much. He's hindered by the fact he's never been booked very strongly as a singles and when he did win a big match such as winning the World Title against Randy Orton in 2011 it wasn't because he pinned him but that Randy got himself DQ'd in a match where the title changed hands on a DQ finish.

Christian also hasn't had much interview time, so him challenging for the title seems a little bit out of nowhere. JBL on commentary has mentioned that Christian wants 'one more match' for the title but that's pretty weak as a storyline. I think they will have a very good match that people will get into eventually that sees Del Rio win, Christian will then quickly disappear from the title picture.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Big E Langston
This at least as a storyline to follow, Ziggler badly needs a win after losing at Payback and the Money In The Bank events. He also needs to drop the gimmick that he athletically avoids being attacked by incompetent heels, however clever the WWE thinks this is. The fans only see this as a guy they want to cheer running away from his opponents.

Langston doesn't need to win, he just needs to look competitive and his offence to be effective. This shouldn't be an issue as Ziggler will bump like crazy for him. But as it stands the money is with Ziggler and I can't see him leaving LA without picking up the win.

Damien Sandow vs. Cody Rhodes
The former partners battling over Smackdown's MITB briefcase. From a wrestling standpoint, Cody is clearly the better wrestler but is somewhat lacking in personality in front of most live crowds.

Sandow has the stronger personality and is able to connect better with the fans in attendance but isn't much of a worker.

So their match will depend on what the WWE booking team wants from the MITB case holder, it's frankly difficult to see either challenging or actually becoming World Heavyweight Champion in the near future. But I can see there being some entertainment in the 'Intellectual Saviour' cashing in the case and somehow failing. His character actively encourages the fans to laugh at his failures, Cody overall doesn't encourage much of a reaction at all. On that basis, expect Sandow to reclaim his MITB briefcase.

Bray Wyatt vs. Kane
The WWE have done a pretty good job of introducing the Wyatt Family and having their fans treat them as a serious act. Kane at this point is someone who's position on the card that doesn't depend on if he wins or loses.

Wyatt on the other hand will need to win in his first major singles PPV match. A loss here would badly hurt the Wyatt Family and could seriously send them straight to becoming an opening card attraction. Expect a Wyatt victory through outside interference.

The Shield vs. Mark Henry & Big Show
This hasn't been announced yet but seems likely. This could be interesting as there is a suggestion that Seth Rollins has heat over an handshake with the Big Show (was he not aware of the issue between the Young Bucks and Booker T?).

The Shield have been somewhat downgraded in recent weeks since they won the US Title and Tag Titles at Payback but have still won most of their matches. A defeat against resident monsters Henry and Show arguably wouldn't be a disaster, but looking at things rationally they are the future of the WWE and they also have a 3 on 2 advantage.

Big Show and Mark Henry are in similar position to Kane, they have history and longevity on their side. If they win it's difficult to see where the win would actually take them, if they lose then it was in an handicap match so it doesn't hurt them at all. If The Shield don't win then I would start to worry about how the WWE see their future.

Dragon Gate Kobe World 2013 Preview By Shaun Nichols

The Kobe show is classed as Dragon Gate's biggest show of the year and the promotion itself is having a really strong year. Thanks to USTREAM now airing DG iPPV's it now makes much easier to keep up to date and even watch the big shows live.

The main event sees CIMA defending the Open the Dream Gate title against Shingo, CIMA is attempting to make his 16th successful defence of the title since dethroning Maasaki Mochizuki at Final Gate 2011. Despite being champion for over 18 months his title run doesn't appear to being showing much sign of fatigue and he's still very popular.

Shingo is the leader of the akatsuki stable which haven't been altogether that successful. Although he did manage to win the Twin Gate titles with YAMATO which only led to YAMATO turning on him saying he was sick and tired of carrying Shingo. Since then Shingo has been on a major role and won the latest CIMA Royale to win this opportunity. This is also Shingo's first singles title shot at CIMA, as his only previous attempt was in a 3 Way Elimination alongside BxB Hulk at Final Gate 2012.

This could go either way and should be a great match, I've got a feeling that we might see a title switch setting up the former akatsuki partners battling for the title in the second half of 2013.

Twin Gate champions Akira Tozawa and BxB Hulk defend against Naruki Doi and Ricochet, the Tag Titles have been bouncing around quite a lot this year. The Mad Blankey duo are the fourth team to carry the belts this year. They won the belts last month following YAMATO's turn on Shingo and this will be their first defence.

Doi & Ricochet are two of the big stars in the World-1 International group and Ricochet especially has had a very good 2013 which included winning the King of Gate tournament. They have both got experience of being successful in the tag team scene (Doi with Masato Yoshino, Ricochet with CIMA) but I can't see the two big stars of Mad Blankey losing in their first defence.

The second big singles match is YAMATO facing off in a No DQ match against Maasaki Mochizuki, this as the potential to be a really great match. Since his turn, YAMATO has joined up with Mad Blankey so don't rule out lots of outside interference especially considering the stipulations.

YAMATO is also now doing a gimmick where he says he's the coolest and sexiest wrestler in DG and it's nice to see him back being put in a prominent position again. Of course this attitude hasn't sat particularly well with the no-nonsense Veteran Army leader Mochizuki. Both these wrestlers are excellent and I expect to see a very enjoyable affair leading to a YAMATO win probably through some kind of shenanigans.

Masato Yoshino is defending the Open the Brave Gate title against K-Ness. K-Ness seems to be around for a little while and then disappears for months at a time. But he looks to be back and in pretty good shape and got great reviews for his title challenge against CIMA earlier on in the year.

Yoshino has had a pretty average year until he dethroned Dragon Kid to win the title in an absolute show stealer at the Dead or Alive iPPV. Yoshino will be the favourite to retain but Dragon Gate have done a good job in making K-Ness into a strong and viable contender. He's even brought back the Sol Noches El move which basically is a counter to Yoshino's Soi Naciente submission move, which he used when they met in a recent tag team match to earn a victory for his team. Saying that though I'd still favour Yoshino to leave Kobe with his belt intact.
Open the Triangle Gate match sees current champions The Jimmys, represented by Ryo Saito, Genki Horiguchi and Jimmy Kanda defend against the Veteran Army of Don Fujii, Dragon Kid and Gamma and also Mad Blankey team of Kzy, Mondai Ryu and Uhaa Nation.

This is your typical DG faction warfare in the setting of the six man tag, this will be a whole kind of fun and The Jimmys (which means Simple in Japanese, so it's meant as an insult) are incredibly popular especially Horiguchi doing the H-A-Gee-Mee (bald) rallying gimmick when he's in trouble.

This really could go in any direction and probably depends more on how the rest of the show will be booked, I'd go for either The Jimmys or the Veteran Army being victorious.

As for the undercard we have legendary job guy Stalker Ichikawa getting his routine beating from an outsider to the group. This year he's facing ageing Yoshiaki Fujiwara (yes, him of the armbar) in a submission match. It will have its moments and be very funny and then Stalker will tap out.

Opening the show is Super Shisa, Rich Swann & Shachihoko BOY (World-1 International) facing akatsuki team of Super Shenlong III, Chihiro Tominaga and Kotoka. This is really just getting a spot on the card and have fun opener with lots of nice dives and other highspots to get the crowd into the show. Don't think it really matters who wins here.

Finally rounding off the card is Jimmy Susumu, Jimmy Kagetora & Mr Quu Quu Tanizaki Naoki Toyonaka Dolphin (formerly Naoki Tanizaki) battling the random team of HUB (look out for the tail), Cyber Kong and NOSAWA Rongai. This again will probably be an entertaining match but lacking a clear story or reason to care all that much.

The top five matches all have either titles on the line or in the case of YAMATO vs. Mochizuki a clear story to tell so they all have reasons for fans to take a keen interest in the results. More importantly though is that I can't see these matches not delivering in the ring.

This show should be well up in contention when it comes to Card of the Year thoughts, I would encourage any fan to consider buying the show. The event takes place on Sunday 21st July and is available to buy for $25 (approx. £18 so not much different to WWE PPV cost) and will start at 7am UK time although it will be available on video on demand.

Also if you haven't checked out Dragon Gate's last major iPPV event 'Dead or Alive 2013' then I urge you all to do so. It was a brilliant show with four matches at least **** or better. Simply a great wrestling show.