THETFORD, MAY 2002
A first for me in my time with WAW, returning to an arena. A couple of months ago WAW had put on a great show here, but this night's crowd was somewhat disappointing. However, this didn't detract from the quality of the matches.
BASH v DETROIT
After his stellar outing against El Skeletor a couple of weeks ago, it was time for Detroit to go against the bat wielding maniac. Early on, the American's lack of experience showed as Bash got the upper hand, showing some great moves.
Detroit, however, rallied back, and once again impressed with his moves, his spinning leg-drop proving effective, and also proving to be a favourite with the fans. It really is a well executed move.
A good match, with Detroit gaining the upper hand, was spoiled because Bash couldn't control his temper. Bringing the baseball bat into the equation, our referee Charlie Frary had no choice but to disqualify him. The end was disappointing, but in a way, it was a precursor to other events that evening.
THE BULK v THE THETFORD CONNECTION
At the previous Thetford show, the Pitbulls had challenged the local lads, and had left the ring £600 the poorer. This time, the Bulk challenged the Thetfords to a handicap match, and from the beginning, it seemed obvious who was going to one. Despite showing some good moves, Perry and Sam weren't just good enough to defeat the big man.
It seemed like the Thetfords downfall was caused by their eagerness. Instead of taking a few extra seconds to think moves through, they seemed to rush things. Although seconds in a wrestling match can mean a make or break situation, the lads need to learn a little patience. That being said, they do show a lot of potential.
The end came with a Bulk splash on Perry, and to be honest, the result was never in any doubt.
British Title Match
HOT STUFF (c) v PAUL TYRELL
The UWA stalwart earned a shot and the long-reigning British champion, and to begin with, Tyrell surprised many. Earning the cheers of the fans as he came down to the ring, Tyrell took to the microphone and insulted everyone. One minute the fans were eating out of his hand, and the next, he was verbally kicking them up the ass. And to be perfectly honest, I enjoyed every minute of it.
This was a very good bout, and despite Hot Stuff putting in a good account of himself, Tyrell, for me, was really the star of the match. Having always had a soft spot for heels in my many years of watching wrestling, Tyrell's heel performance really did it for me. I have always enjoyed Tyrell's performances, but this one was probably my favourite.
A highly entertaining bout ended with the champion retaining the belt after a well-executed X-Factor. A good bout, and I would really like to see these to go at it again.
BIG DAVE v THE KRAFT
A re-match from the Clacton show a couple of weeks ago. Work commitments meant that I had to miss The Kraft's singles debut, which did leave me a little disappointed. It was because of this that I looked forward to this match with great anticipation.
The early stages of the bout featured Dave simply overpowering Kraft. Try as he might, the blonde Essex boy just couldn't do a thing against the Sheringham strongman. Dave's experience and power showed through.
Kraft did manage to fight back though, showing some good moves, and a particularly good Stunner. But despite the fact that Dave had the edge in experience and power, younger brother and Pitbulls tag-partner Bulk felt the need to interfere. The referee, for some unknown reason, just seemed to watch as the big men went to work on Kraft.
I've said this before, and I'll say it again - despite the physical gifts that they have been given, I just can't understand why the Pitbulls have to interfere in each other's singles matches. On their own, they are just as devastating as they are as a unit.
After being double-teamed for a while, Kraft was saved by his WAW training school classmate Detroit. Despite the fact that they could have probably taken him out as well, the Pitbulls bolted from the ring. The ref then ruled the bout a no-contest.
Then Detroit made the challenge - a tag-team match pitting him and Kraft against the Pitbulls. The big boys agreed, but only to a non-title match.
"ROWDY" RICKY KNIGHT AND SWEET SARAYA V THE ZEBRA KID AND ANGEL
For me, this match showed that despite their beauty, the WAW Divas are just as tough as their male counterparts in this inter-gender tag match. While I have to admit that I'm not entirely comfortable watching these inter-gender matches, I did find this to be a very good match.
Ricky and Saraya worked well together as a team, often out-wrestling, or in the case of Ricky against Zebra, simply overpowering them. It surprised me, though, when Angel managed to out-wrestle Ricky.
This match simply had the crowd enthralled. They were very vocal, and seemed to hang on every move. When a crowd is into a match that much, you know it has to be good.
If I do have one criticism of this match, it's the ending. Having witnessed comeback after comeback, and well executed moves from both teams, Angel went for a monkey flip on Saraya. Saraya reversed the move, and pinned Angel with the help of the ropes. The ref counted the pin, but then, for some reason, disqualified Ricky and Saraya for the use of the ropes, rather than restart the match. If it wasn't for this ending, then this match would have probably been the first recipient of the new feature I am debuting with this review.
All in all, a good show, despite the rather small, but at times very vocal crowd. This night showed me that once again, WAW have some good, upcoming stars in their midst, stars who could be big in British wrestling in years to come. So much so that perhaps some of the more established stars are running scared a little, and that's why we had two DQ endings in matches involving the new WAW graduates.
And now for the new feature - THE J-RAD NO PRIZE, which will be awarded to the match of the evening. The first winners are Hot Stuff and Paul Tyrell. As I said before, Tyrell's heel performance was one that I will remember for ages. It's the best I've seen in ages, and it's on this alone that this match wins the first J-Rad No Prize. It only just edged out the mixed tag-match.
See you all in Lowestoft for the charity show.
LOWESTOFT, MAY 2002
My return to Lowestoft for Steve Quintain's latest charity show filled me with a great deal of anticipation. December's show, my first show on the WAW payroll, was a great experience. This show promised a world title match, and much more.
DANNY QUINTAIN (with Steve Quintain) v BASH
The latest grappler from the Quintain clan had a chance to gain a measure of revenge for his handicap match defeat in Hingham a couple of weeks ago, and for this match, Danny brought his most ardent supporter in the tattooed warrior. However, Bash also had a cheerleader of his own, as Sandy Scott appeared beyond the ringside barrier to shout his own form of encouragement. Scott was still annoyed that Steve Quintain had dumped him as his tag-team partner, in favour of the now departed Jake Roberts.
While I must admit that the younger Quintain still looks a little green, he did put in a very good performance, on many occasions matching his more experienced opponent move for move. Danny is a bright young prospect.
This was a good bout, and once again showed that the more experienced WAW stars are getting a little nervous with regards to their less experienced counterparts. With our referee Charlie Frary distracted by the outside happenings between Steve and Scott, Bash grabbed his trusty bat and smacked Danny upside the head. With the ref none the wiser, Bash secured the pin.
PHIL POWERS v PAUL TYRELL
Fresh from his enjoyable performance in Thetford a couple of days ago, Powers reverted to facedom as he squared off against his usual Essex Boys tag partner, a heel for this contest. Powers seemed to have a great time insulting the fans, and one particular gentlemen, throughout the contest, made his feelings towards Powers extremely well known.
Two evenly matched men who know each other extremely well put on a hell of a match, one of the best I've seen in ages, so much so that I often forgot to make notes because my eyes were glued to the action. One standout moment for me was Powers's double back suplex/fishermans suplex combination, which made me realise just how much I miss Chris Benoit's performances at the moment.
Tyrell got the victory in this contest, sending Powers crashing to the mat with a top rope head scissors. A good contest, and one I'd like to see again sometime.
SWEET SARAYA and NIKKI BEST (with Katty Katrina) V ANGEL and KHARISMA
The omens were not good for the crowd. As she walked to ringside, a young fan held a sign out for Saraya - "Saraya wants chicken". Hmm, I wonder who put him up to that?
I once again found myself impressed by Saraya's performance. No disrespect intended to Nikki Best here, but the World Champion seemed to carry the load for her team. She is one hell of a grappler, and whether she's a bitch or not, her matches are always enjoyable.
Again, Angel and Kharisma showed that they are improving with every match. Angel's springboard off the top rope was the highlight of her performance. I've seen her try to execute this move before, but she never looked as crisp as this.
If I have one criticism of this match, it's the ending. Saraya got the pin, with the use of the ropes, but then referee Charlie Frary disqualified her for using the ropes. I found myself scratching my head. I just couldn't understand this course of events.
WAW World Heavyweight Title
P.N. NEWS (champion) v ROBBIE BROOKSIDE
This match promised much on paper, and it delivered, and then some.
With referee Joe Williams taking control, News, in the beginning, simply overpowered Liverpool's favourite son, but soon got annoyed with the "fat bastard" chant from the Quintain clan at ringside. News demanded silence. When are these heels going to learn that when they ask for silence, they're never going to get it!
The match went back and forth for several minutes. News would overpower Robbie, while Robbie would fight back with some well executed moves. It looked for a while as if we would have a new World Champion, but sadly, it was not to be.
While in the corner, Robbie knocked news backwards, and the ref took a hit. As the two wrestlers began to brawl, the ref came to, and try to break up the men, only for Robbie to send him crashing to the mat. As an all-out war ensued, and the ref ruled the bout a no-contest, several wrestlers from the back tried to break up the fight, and in the beginning, had very little luck in doing so. Bodies were flying everywhere, and for a moment, it looked like some of them would be coming in my direction. The wrestlers tried to hold the two men back, in an attempt to keep them apart from each other, but at times, they were quite ineffective.
Annoyed at the no contest ruling, Brookside demanded another title match, there and then. News agreed to the match, but for another show. Robbie was angry, but there was nothing he could do about it.
THE U.K. PITBULLS (with Princess Pitbull), RICKY KNIGHT and SANDY SCOTT v THE U.K PATRIOTS, STEVE QUINTAIN (with Elegant Emma) and FRANKIE SLOAN
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the previously promised eight man tag-team match had to be changed a little, with Hot Stuff and Frankie Sloan replacing the proposed American imports.
With so many men involved in this contest, it's hard to point to any particular exchange as being memorable. If truth be known, many of them were, and each man gave a good account of himself. There was excellent teamwork from both teams, particularly on the part of the Pitbulls and Ricky Knight. Even the lovely ladies at ringside got into the action, as Emma doused Princess Pitbull with a glass of water.
The biggest rivalry in this bout was definitely between Quintain and Scott. With what seemed like the entire Quintain clan seated at ringside, roaring the tattooed warrior on, Quintain got the upper hand in the latest instalment of this feud, and as the rest of the combatants brawled outside the ring, Quintain got the pin on Scott after a spinning slam.
But that wasn't the end of it. As I headed for higher ground, world war three seemed to erupt all around ringside, and even some of the Quintain clan got involved. Danny Quintain, now seated at ringside with his family, was pulled into the fray by Ricky Knight and found himself on the end of a brutal dustbin shot. Once again the cavalry, in the form of the backstage wrestlers, were called into action.
But Sandy Scott was still annoyed with Quintain, and made a challenge - a retirement match for the next Lowestoft show. The Rowdy One had to put his two cents in as well, suggesting to the canny Scotsman that because there were so many Quintains in Lowestoft, he gather together his own troupe and turn the affair into a lumberjack match. Quintain agreed to both stipulations.
For this show, the J-Rad No Prize goes to the eight man tag-team match. Each many put in a good performance, and with the Quintains seated at ringside and getting into the action, it brought back memories of the WWF Canadian Stampede pay-per-view a few years ago.
In all, five good contests and a crowd that was literally into everything made for a good show. Out of all the WAW shows I've seen, the ones in Lowestoft are fast becoming my favourites, and I look forward to coming back here in a few months.
DANNY QUINTAIN (with Steve Quintain) v BASH
The latest grappler from the Quintain clan had a chance to gain a measure of revenge for his handicap match defeat in Hingham a couple of weeks ago, and for this match, Danny brought his most ardent supporter in the tattooed warrior. However, Bash also had a cheerleader of his own, as Sandy Scott appeared beyond the ringside barrier to shout his own form of encouragement. Scott was still annoyed that Steve Quintain had dumped him as his tag-team partner, in favour of the now departed Jake Roberts.
While I must admit that the younger Quintain still looks a little green, he did put in a very good performance, on many occasions matching his more experienced opponent move for move. Danny is a bright young prospect.
This was a good bout, and once again showed that the more experienced WAW stars are getting a little nervous with regards to their less experienced counterparts. With our referee Charlie Frary distracted by the outside happenings between Steve and Scott, Bash grabbed his trusty bat and smacked Danny upside the head. With the ref none the wiser, Bash secured the pin.
PHIL POWERS v PAUL TYRELL
Fresh from his enjoyable performance in Thetford a couple of days ago, Powers reverted to facedom as he squared off against his usual Essex Boys tag partner, a heel for this contest. Powers seemed to have a great time insulting the fans, and one particular gentlemen, throughout the contest, made his feelings towards Powers extremely well known.
Two evenly matched men who know each other extremely well put on a hell of a match, one of the best I've seen in ages, so much so that I often forgot to make notes because my eyes were glued to the action. One standout moment for me was Powers's double back suplex/fishermans suplex combination, which made me realise just how much I miss Chris Benoit's performances at the moment.
Tyrell got the victory in this contest, sending Powers crashing to the mat with a top rope head scissors. A good contest, and one I'd like to see again sometime.
SWEET SARAYA and NIKKI BEST (with Katty Katrina) V ANGEL and KHARISMA
The omens were not good for the crowd. As she walked to ringside, a young fan held a sign out for Saraya - "Saraya wants chicken". Hmm, I wonder who put him up to that?
I once again found myself impressed by Saraya's performance. No disrespect intended to Nikki Best here, but the World Champion seemed to carry the load for her team. She is one hell of a grappler, and whether she's a bitch or not, her matches are always enjoyable.
Again, Angel and Kharisma showed that they are improving with every match. Angel's springboard off the top rope was the highlight of her performance. I've seen her try to execute this move before, but she never looked as crisp as this.
If I have one criticism of this match, it's the ending. Saraya got the pin, with the use of the ropes, but then referee Charlie Frary disqualified her for using the ropes. I found myself scratching my head. I just couldn't understand this course of events.
WAW World Heavyweight Title
P.N. NEWS (champion) v ROBBIE BROOKSIDE
This match promised much on paper, and it delivered, and then some.
With referee Joe Williams taking control, News, in the beginning, simply overpowered Liverpool's favourite son, but soon got annoyed with the "fat bastard" chant from the Quintain clan at ringside. News demanded silence. When are these heels going to learn that when they ask for silence, they're never going to get it!
The match went back and forth for several minutes. News would overpower Robbie, while Robbie would fight back with some well executed moves. It looked for a while as if we would have a new World Champion, but sadly, it was not to be.
While in the corner, Robbie knocked news backwards, and the ref took a hit. As the two wrestlers began to brawl, the ref came to, and try to break up the men, only for Robbie to send him crashing to the mat. As an all-out war ensued, and the ref ruled the bout a no-contest, several wrestlers from the back tried to break up the fight, and in the beginning, had very little luck in doing so. Bodies were flying everywhere, and for a moment, it looked like some of them would be coming in my direction. The wrestlers tried to hold the two men back, in an attempt to keep them apart from each other, but at times, they were quite ineffective.
Annoyed at the no contest ruling, Brookside demanded another title match, there and then. News agreed to the match, but for another show. Robbie was angry, but there was nothing he could do about it.
THE U.K. PITBULLS (with Princess Pitbull), RICKY KNIGHT and SANDY SCOTT v THE U.K PATRIOTS, STEVE QUINTAIN (with Elegant Emma) and FRANKIE SLOAN
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the previously promised eight man tag-team match had to be changed a little, with Hot Stuff and Frankie Sloan replacing the proposed American imports.
With so many men involved in this contest, it's hard to point to any particular exchange as being memorable. If truth be known, many of them were, and each man gave a good account of himself. There was excellent teamwork from both teams, particularly on the part of the Pitbulls and Ricky Knight. Even the lovely ladies at ringside got into the action, as Emma doused Princess Pitbull with a glass of water.
The biggest rivalry in this bout was definitely between Quintain and Scott. With what seemed like the entire Quintain clan seated at ringside, roaring the tattooed warrior on, Quintain got the upper hand in the latest instalment of this feud, and as the rest of the combatants brawled outside the ring, Quintain got the pin on Scott after a spinning slam.
But that wasn't the end of it. As I headed for higher ground, world war three seemed to erupt all around ringside, and even some of the Quintain clan got involved. Danny Quintain, now seated at ringside with his family, was pulled into the fray by Ricky Knight and found himself on the end of a brutal dustbin shot. Once again the cavalry, in the form of the backstage wrestlers, were called into action.
But Sandy Scott was still annoyed with Quintain, and made a challenge - a retirement match for the next Lowestoft show. The Rowdy One had to put his two cents in as well, suggesting to the canny Scotsman that because there were so many Quintains in Lowestoft, he gather together his own troupe and turn the affair into a lumberjack match. Quintain agreed to both stipulations.
For this show, the J-Rad No Prize goes to the eight man tag-team match. Each many put in a good performance, and with the Quintains seated at ringside and getting into the action, it brought back memories of the WWF Canadian Stampede pay-per-view a few years ago.
In all, five good contests and a crowd that was literally into everything made for a good show. Out of all the WAW shows I've seen, the ones in Lowestoft are fast becoming my favourites, and I look forward to coming back here in a few months.
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