WEEK FOUR
Week four of WAW's summer run in Yarmouth saw another action packed card, again played out before a very vocal crowd.
Atlantis Cup, 1st Round;
THE BULK v JOHNNY PHERE
At the beginning of the show, Commissioner Steven Howard-Platt announced that because of circumstances beyond his control, Kickboxer Kevin Kelly was unable to be at the show, and because of this, the Bulk was replacing him in this first round tournament match.
In this David v Goliath battle, the Bulk overpowered Phere with a devastating series of power moves, with Phere using his speed to good effect to gain the advantage on several occasions.
The Bulk scored the pinfall victory over Phere, reversing a hurricanrana attempt, turning it into a power bomb. However, moments later referee Charlie Frary reversed his decision, awarding the victory to Phere via disqualification because the Bulk attacked him after the final bell.
JAMIE LEE v ZAK ZODIAC
The second bout of the night pitted Britain's youngest professional wrestler against a wily veteran whose ring attire immediately drew the attention of a certain section of the crowd.
Fought over the rounds system, this contest was one of the most entertaining of the summer run. The first fall of the contest came as early as the second round, with Zodiac pinning Lee with a canary roll-up. Two rounds later, and Lee scored the equalising fall with a good looking fisherman's suplex.
More great action followed until Zodiac scored the winning fall in the fifth round, taking Lee down with a 619, followed by a splash from the top rope. A very good bout here, and it probably would have won the match of the night award had it not been for a couple of other matches.
Last Man Standing
"ROWDY" RICKY KNIGHT v STEVE MOROCCO
Following on from the incident in last week's TLC match against Paul Tyrell, the Rowdy Man took on Morocco in a special challenge match that proved to be just as brutal as the match the week before, and once again, Ricky Knight was cheated out of the victory.
Knight and Morocco hit each other with whatever they could get their hands on - trays, chairs, kendo sticks, anything. If a kitchen sink had been handy they probably would have used that as well.
Both men came close to being counted out, but in the end, it was Stuart Lake, a referee normally associated with the UWA, who attacked Knight with a kendo stick. Then, while almost holding Morocco upright, stopping him from collapsing in the ring, Lake then administered a very fast ten count, and awarded the victory to Morocco.
Enraged by the situation, Knight called Commissioner Howard-Platt to the ring, wanting to know why the man in charge of WAW had hired a UWA referee. The Commissioner said that Lake's credentials had been checked out, but he had obviously been wrong to hire him. He then set about attempting to rectify the situation by firing Lake on the spot.
BASH v "THE TATTOOED WARRIOR" STEVE QUINTAIN
Following on from the successful defence of his Cruiserweight title the previous week, the Tattooed Warrior stepped up to the Heavyweight division to take on the bat wielding maniac in a contest that would prove disappointing for the champion.
Much like the previous week, Quintain had to contend with underhanded tactics that threatened to undermine his game plan, but he was able to get the better of Bash with his often superior wrestling skills.
However, Bash's tactics worked to perfection. Having released one of the corner pads, Bash told the referee of this, and as he attempted to repair the damage, Bash grabbed his trusty baseball bat and whacked Quintain in the knee. Seconds later, and with a half Boston Crab synched in, Bash had the victory via tap out.
Grabbing the microphone, after the conclusion, Quintain told all who would listen of Bash's baseball bat attack, and then demanded a rematch, with lumberjacks surrounding the ring. Bash accepted the challenge, and the Commissioner confirmed the match, but to make matters even, he confiscated Bash's faithful friend.
"GENTLEMAN" JIMMY OCEAN v "THE WONDERKID" JONNY STORM
This match was over eighteen months in the making. These two were originally scheduled to clash at the first Valentine's Day Massacre show in 2003, but Storm's overseas commitments meant that he had to pull out of that match, and even thought we had to wait for this match, it was worth it.
At the beginning of the match there was some confusion as to the rules of the contest. Ocean insisted that he had signed a contract for a best of three falls match, fought under the rounds system, but Storm said he had signed for a twenty minute duration match. Seeking to appease both parties, Commissioner Howard-Platt sanctioned a twenty minute, best of three falls bout.
This battle of the generations proved to be as good in the ring as it looked on paper. Both men went full out in an excellent contest which proved to be the prefect showcase for the talents of both men.
The first fall went to Jimmy Ocean. After some fast paced reversals off the ropes, the Gentleman scored the first pin after a power slam off the ropes. Storm equalised things with a roll-up and a bridge.
As the clocked ticked down, both men tried to score the all important with reversal after reversal, pin attempt after pin attempt. The action was so fast that referee Joe Williams had a hard time keeping up with things. As all of this went on, the time limit expired.
Both men were unhappy with the situation, and both Storm and Ocean asked the Commissioner for five more minutes. Howard-Platt was unwilling to grant their wish, but came up with a compromise - the first man who could put his opponent on his back ten times would get the win.
And so the fast paced action continued. Ocean took the advantage early on before Storm fought back well. Both men had scored nine take downs before Storm took the victory with his tenth take down in the form of an arm drag.
Ocean was not happy with the manner of his defeat and asked for a rematch in Yarmouth at the first available opportunity.
In conclusion - another great show in the summer seasons, with three of the bouts match of the night candidates, making my job very difficult, but after some careful consideration, the award goes to Storm v Ocean. We had to wait a long time for this one, but it was well worth the wait.
At the beginning of the match there was some confusion as to the rules of the contest. Ocean insisted that he had signed a contract for a best of three falls match, fought under the rounds system, but Storm said he had signed for a twenty minute duration match. Seeking to appease both parties, Commissioner Howard-Platt sanctioned a twenty minute, best of three falls bout.
This battle of the generations proved to be as good in the ring as it looked on paper. Both men went full out in an excellent contest which proved to be the prefect showcase for the talents of both men.
The first fall went to Jimmy Ocean. After some fast paced reversals off the ropes, the Gentleman scored the first pin after a power slam off the ropes. Storm equalised things with a roll-up and a bridge.
As the clocked ticked down, both men tried to score the all important with reversal after reversal, pin attempt after pin attempt. The action was so fast that referee Joe Williams had a hard time keeping up with things. As all of this went on, the time limit expired.
Both men were unhappy with the situation, and both Storm and Ocean asked the Commissioner for five more minutes. Howard-Platt was unwilling to grant their wish, but came up with a compromise - the first man who could put his opponent on his back ten times would get the win.
And so the fast paced action continued. Ocean took the advantage early on before Storm fought back well. Both men had scored nine take downs before Storm took the victory with his tenth take down in the form of an arm drag.
Ocean was not happy with the manner of his defeat and asked for a rematch in Yarmouth at the first available opportunity.
In conclusion - another great show in the summer seasons, with three of the bouts match of the night candidates, making my job very difficult, but after some careful consideration, the award goes to Storm v Ocean. We had to wait a long time for this one, but it was well worth the wait.
WEEK FIVE
Week five of WAW's summer season, and their biggest crowd yet, approximately 350 filling the Atlantis Resort to watch a show that may not have been filled with top stars, but was filled with top action.
Atlantis Cup, Semi-Final 1;
"THE DARK ANGEL" ASHE v ZAK ZODIAC
The first semi-final of the summer tournament saw the newly crowned British Champion go up against the country's youngest wrestler in another great show opener.
A good match between two guys known for their high-flying ability saws both come close to victory many times, until Ashe won the bout with the move that seems to have become his finisher, the reverse neck breaker from the top rope.
In a good show of sportsmanship, Ashe congratulated his younger opponent on his fine effort in this match.
Atlantis Cup, Semi-Final 2;
THE KRAFT v ANDY RUSH
A late replacement for Johnny Phere, who withdrew from the tournament because of injury, Rush went up against the Essex Bomb, almost pulling off something of an upset, and proving that perhaps he has a promising future in WAW.
This was perhaps the best match I've seen from Kraft, who has certainly improved a great deal lately. Despite being outweighed by a few pounds, he was still able to match power with the big scouser.
Kraft progressed into the final by taking down Rush with his good looking Samoan Driver move. A good bout from both men here.
Lumberjack Match;
BASH v "THE TATTOOED WARRIOR" STEVE QUINTAIN
If I'm going to be totally honest, this match seemed a little messy at times. This wasn't because of the action inside the ring though. Although that was good, the brawling from the lumberjacks detracted from the match, and made following the in-ring action difficult at times.
In the end, Bash once again bent to rules to achieve victory. One of his allies at ringside was none other than Rock Weiler, currently on the injured list with a broken ankle. It was Rocky's crutch that Bash used to wallop Quintain, while referee Charlie Frary tried to restore order between order between the brawling lumberjacks. When his attention returned to the match itself, he saw Bash covering Quintain for the three count and the victory.
Quintain was not a happy man, having been cheated out of the victory yet again. So it was at Quintain's request that Commissioner Steven Howard-Platt sanctioned a no holds barred match for next week's show.
JAMIE LEE v BATTLEKAT
The first time I had seen Battlekat compete in a long time as he went up against the international playboy and man who seems to be getting something of a cult following on the Internet.
A good, solid wrestling match from both men here, with good action throughout, and Lee gaining something of an upset win, getting the Kat to tap out with a half Boston Crab.
Atlantis Cup Final;
"THE DARK ANGEL" ASHE v THE KRAFT
Five weeks of eliminations and action led to this match, fought over three falls and six rounds.
What could have been a distinct mismatch of styles, Ashe's high-flying against Kraft's power, proved to be possibly the best bout I've seen from both men, as they went all out to be crowned the first Atlantis Cup champion.
After some tremendous action in the early rounds, Kraft scored the first fall in the third, taking Ashe down with his Samoan Driver. Having regained the advantage, Ashe scored the equalising fall the following round following his top rope reverse neck breaker.
For the final two rounds, each man gave their all, with Kraft gaining the advantage as the seconds ticked away, until a double clothesline took both men out as the time limit expired, so with the score at one fall apiece, it went to the judges' decision, who awarded the match, and the Atlantis Cup, by split decision, to the Kraft.
After his victory Kraft asked Ashe for a shot at his newly won British title, a challenge that Ashe readily accepted for next week's show.
BATTLE ROYAL
A good way of ending the evening's entertainment, with many of WAW's promising up-and-comers mixing it up with the seasoned veterans, and on this day, it was the seasoned veterans who won through. When it got down to the wire, Battlekat and Jamie Lee were the last two in the ring, with the Kat gaining a measure of revenge for his earlier defeat by eliminating Lee for the win.
In conclusion - despite the absence of any major British names, this was still a great show. The biggest attendance of the run, approximately 350, were extremely vocal and enjoyed each and every match.
Match of the night goes to not one, but three matches. All those involved in the semi-finals and final of the Atlantis Cup tournament should be proud of their efforts.
Atlantis Cup, Semi-Final 1;
"THE DARK ANGEL" ASHE v ZAK ZODIAC
The first semi-final of the summer tournament saw the newly crowned British Champion go up against the country's youngest wrestler in another great show opener.
A good match between two guys known for their high-flying ability saws both come close to victory many times, until Ashe won the bout with the move that seems to have become his finisher, the reverse neck breaker from the top rope.
In a good show of sportsmanship, Ashe congratulated his younger opponent on his fine effort in this match.
Atlantis Cup, Semi-Final 2;
THE KRAFT v ANDY RUSH
A late replacement for Johnny Phere, who withdrew from the tournament because of injury, Rush went up against the Essex Bomb, almost pulling off something of an upset, and proving that perhaps he has a promising future in WAW.
This was perhaps the best match I've seen from Kraft, who has certainly improved a great deal lately. Despite being outweighed by a few pounds, he was still able to match power with the big scouser.
Kraft progressed into the final by taking down Rush with his good looking Samoan Driver move. A good bout from both men here.
Lumberjack Match;
BASH v "THE TATTOOED WARRIOR" STEVE QUINTAIN
If I'm going to be totally honest, this match seemed a little messy at times. This wasn't because of the action inside the ring though. Although that was good, the brawling from the lumberjacks detracted from the match, and made following the in-ring action difficult at times.
In the end, Bash once again bent to rules to achieve victory. One of his allies at ringside was none other than Rock Weiler, currently on the injured list with a broken ankle. It was Rocky's crutch that Bash used to wallop Quintain, while referee Charlie Frary tried to restore order between order between the brawling lumberjacks. When his attention returned to the match itself, he saw Bash covering Quintain for the three count and the victory.
Quintain was not a happy man, having been cheated out of the victory yet again. So it was at Quintain's request that Commissioner Steven Howard-Platt sanctioned a no holds barred match for next week's show.
JAMIE LEE v BATTLEKAT
The first time I had seen Battlekat compete in a long time as he went up against the international playboy and man who seems to be getting something of a cult following on the Internet.
A good, solid wrestling match from both men here, with good action throughout, and Lee gaining something of an upset win, getting the Kat to tap out with a half Boston Crab.
Atlantis Cup Final;
"THE DARK ANGEL" ASHE v THE KRAFT
Five weeks of eliminations and action led to this match, fought over three falls and six rounds.
What could have been a distinct mismatch of styles, Ashe's high-flying against Kraft's power, proved to be possibly the best bout I've seen from both men, as they went all out to be crowned the first Atlantis Cup champion.
After some tremendous action in the early rounds, Kraft scored the first fall in the third, taking Ashe down with his Samoan Driver. Having regained the advantage, Ashe scored the equalising fall the following round following his top rope reverse neck breaker.
For the final two rounds, each man gave their all, with Kraft gaining the advantage as the seconds ticked away, until a double clothesline took both men out as the time limit expired, so with the score at one fall apiece, it went to the judges' decision, who awarded the match, and the Atlantis Cup, by split decision, to the Kraft.
After his victory Kraft asked Ashe for a shot at his newly won British title, a challenge that Ashe readily accepted for next week's show.
BATTLE ROYAL
A good way of ending the evening's entertainment, with many of WAW's promising up-and-comers mixing it up with the seasoned veterans, and on this day, it was the seasoned veterans who won through. When it got down to the wire, Battlekat and Jamie Lee were the last two in the ring, with the Kat gaining a measure of revenge for his earlier defeat by eliminating Lee for the win.
In conclusion - despite the absence of any major British names, this was still a great show. The biggest attendance of the run, approximately 350, were extremely vocal and enjoyed each and every match.
Match of the night goes to not one, but three matches. All those involved in the semi-finals and final of the Atlantis Cup tournament should be proud of their efforts.
WEEK SIX
As the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end, as WAW held the last show of the summer season at the Atlantis Arena in Great Yarmouth, once again performing in front of a packed crowd.
ETHAN MOORE v ZAK ZODIAC
The two young lions of WAW began the show in a match that was a little disappointing considering the calibre of their previous encounters.
The contest began with the masked one controlling Moore with an arm wringer and a series of kicks, before Moore fought back with an arm drag as Zodiac came off the ropes. This attack didn't last long as Zodiac began to centre his attack on Moore's legs. Moore fought back briefly, but it wasn't enough as Zodiac continued to control the match.
Moore's attacks were very fleeting as his younger opponent continued to dominate, going for several pin attempts, but Moore continued to kick out of these attempts.
It wasn't until a good few minutes later that Moore mounted some sustained offence. A Texas Cloverleaf submission move failed to put Zodiac away, but while he was still on a roll, Zodiac continued to fight back with a superplex, a face buster, and a rolling senton. None of these were enough to put Moore away though.
The action continued at a fast pace until an unfortunate incident after the ten minute mark. While attempting a leapfrog as Moore came off the ropes, Zodiac landed awkwardly and sprained his ankle. The referee had no choice but to rule the bout a no contest.
Given the fact that this match was a show stealer at the DAM show a few weeks ago, compared to that match, this match lacked spark. Both youngsters seemed off their game tonight.
BASH v THE BULK
The tensions between Bash and Steve Quintain had been building for weeks, and this no holds barred encounter was meant to be the match that ended the rivalry, but an injury to the Tattooed Warrior meant that he was unable to compete. Despite Bash's protests, Commissioner Steven Howard-Platt allowed Quintain a replacement, in the form of Britain's largest wrestler, and co-holder of the tag-team championship.
What followed was a hard hitting brawl that went all around the arena, and showed that Quintain made the right decision in his choice of opponent.
Having badmouthed WAW before the match even began, Bash had an even bigger gripe when ht found out who his opponent was. Running scared at first, Bash attacked Bulk early on, but his opponent's power was too much for him, as he soon found himself on the receiving end of a couple of shoulder tackles and a couple of slams. For good measure, Bulk threw Bash outside the ring, and once he was outside himself, he threw the face painted on into the corner post.
The big man then went looking for some toys to play with, and soon found a kendo stick, but Bash blocked the attack, and showing that he was quite adept at using such weapons, fought back against the Bulk before forcing the contest back into the ring. Once there, Bulk tried to use Bash's faithful sidekick, but there was no way that Bash was letting anyone else use his baseball bat. He levelled Bulk with a stiff bat show, before taking him down with a snap mare and a drop-kick to his back. This wasn't enough to put him away as the following pin attempt failed.
Bulk fought back briefly with a chokeslam, but missed the follow-up elbow. Seizing the advantage, Bash grabbed the aching limb, climbed to the top rope and came crashing down on the arm with a leg drop. But again this wasn't enough to get the winning pinfall.
Again, Bulk fought back briefly with a power bomb, but a lax cover saw Bash gaining enough power to kick out and force his way out of a Bulkishi Driver attempt.
It wasn't long before the fight spilled to the outside again, and into the proverbial cheap seats. Bulk slammed Bash onto the hard arena floor, and then I lost sight of what happened a little. The next thing I saw was the big man hurling Bash down a flight of stairs back to the ringside area. He then followed this up with his roll-over on the floor before throwing his man back into the ring.
But inside, Bash fought back. After the Bulk missed a corner attack, Bash took the big man down with a big boot, and then a DDT off the second rope. Having gained strikes one and two, he missed out on strike three as Bulk powered his way out. Seconds later, and it was all over. Bulk scored the winning fall after a massive leg drop.
An entertaining brawl from both men here, although I was a little disappointed that I didn't see all the action.
"THE WONDERKID" JONNY STORM v THE ZEBRA KID
This was the first time that two of Britain's top stars had met in a WAW ring since their brief feud over the Cruiserweight title in the final months of 2002, and it was well worth the wait.
ETHAN MOORE v ZAK ZODIAC
The two young lions of WAW began the show in a match that was a little disappointing considering the calibre of their previous encounters.
The contest began with the masked one controlling Moore with an arm wringer and a series of kicks, before Moore fought back with an arm drag as Zodiac came off the ropes. This attack didn't last long as Zodiac began to centre his attack on Moore's legs. Moore fought back briefly, but it wasn't enough as Zodiac continued to control the match.
Moore's attacks were very fleeting as his younger opponent continued to dominate, going for several pin attempts, but Moore continued to kick out of these attempts.
It wasn't until a good few minutes later that Moore mounted some sustained offence. A Texas Cloverleaf submission move failed to put Zodiac away, but while he was still on a roll, Zodiac continued to fight back with a superplex, a face buster, and a rolling senton. None of these were enough to put Moore away though.
The action continued at a fast pace until an unfortunate incident after the ten minute mark. While attempting a leapfrog as Moore came off the ropes, Zodiac landed awkwardly and sprained his ankle. The referee had no choice but to rule the bout a no contest.
Given the fact that this match was a show stealer at the DAM show a few weeks ago, compared to that match, this match lacked spark. Both youngsters seemed off their game tonight.
BASH v THE BULK
The tensions between Bash and Steve Quintain had been building for weeks, and this no holds barred encounter was meant to be the match that ended the rivalry, but an injury to the Tattooed Warrior meant that he was unable to compete. Despite Bash's protests, Commissioner Steven Howard-Platt allowed Quintain a replacement, in the form of Britain's largest wrestler, and co-holder of the tag-team championship.
What followed was a hard hitting brawl that went all around the arena, and showed that Quintain made the right decision in his choice of opponent.
Having badmouthed WAW before the match even began, Bash had an even bigger gripe when ht found out who his opponent was. Running scared at first, Bash attacked Bulk early on, but his opponent's power was too much for him, as he soon found himself on the receiving end of a couple of shoulder tackles and a couple of slams. For good measure, Bulk threw Bash outside the ring, and once he was outside himself, he threw the face painted on into the corner post.
The big man then went looking for some toys to play with, and soon found a kendo stick, but Bash blocked the attack, and showing that he was quite adept at using such weapons, fought back against the Bulk before forcing the contest back into the ring. Once there, Bulk tried to use Bash's faithful sidekick, but there was no way that Bash was letting anyone else use his baseball bat. He levelled Bulk with a stiff bat show, before taking him down with a snap mare and a drop-kick to his back. This wasn't enough to put him away as the following pin attempt failed.
Bulk fought back briefly with a chokeslam, but missed the follow-up elbow. Seizing the advantage, Bash grabbed the aching limb, climbed to the top rope and came crashing down on the arm with a leg drop. But again this wasn't enough to get the winning pinfall.
Again, Bulk fought back briefly with a power bomb, but a lax cover saw Bash gaining enough power to kick out and force his way out of a Bulkishi Driver attempt.
It wasn't long before the fight spilled to the outside again, and into the proverbial cheap seats. Bulk slammed Bash onto the hard arena floor, and then I lost sight of what happened a little. The next thing I saw was the big man hurling Bash down a flight of stairs back to the ringside area. He then followed this up with his roll-over on the floor before throwing his man back into the ring.
But inside, Bash fought back. After the Bulk missed a corner attack, Bash took the big man down with a big boot, and then a DDT off the second rope. Having gained strikes one and two, he missed out on strike three as Bulk powered his way out. Seconds later, and it was all over. Bulk scored the winning fall after a massive leg drop.
An entertaining brawl from both men here, although I was a little disappointed that I didn't see all the action.
"THE WONDERKID" JONNY STORM v THE ZEBRA KID
This was the first time that two of Britain's top stars had met in a WAW ring since their brief feud over the Cruiserweight title in the final months of 2002, and it was well worth the wait.
The match began with neither man able to get the advantage from the lockup, and even when Zebra gained the upper hand with an arm wringer, Storm was able to use his agility to get out of the move.
Indeed, this was how things went for a good few minutes. No matter what type of hold the Zebra Kid used, Storm's ability allowed him to escape somehow. It was top quality, fast paced action, and showed just how even this contest was at times.
But the first fall of the contest, around the ten minute mark, went against the run of play a little. Zebra had taken Storm down with a couple of clotheslines, but it only took a few seconds for Storm to execute his Wonder whirl move to get the three count.
Zebra was hard at the start of the second session, taking Storm down with a slam and a suplex, but this wasn't enough to get the pin. It then looked as if Storm would tap out to a Boston Crab, but he managed to reach the ropes. With the action having slowed down a little, it was soon back to normal. Zebra reversed an Irish whip attempt into the corner, only for Storm to counter with a monkey flip attempt. As Zebra sat on the top rope, Storm went for a Hurricanrana, but Zebra pushed him off using so much force that he landed right near the opposite corner. Then, showing a tremendous amount of agility, Zebra climbed to the top rope and scored with his Zebra Crossing elbow drop - right over to the opposite corner. The pinfall won, the scores were now tied at one fall each.
What could have been a great final session was in the end spoiled by outside interference. The action returned to it's normal pace, but this time Storm controlled the early parts of the session, as his high-flying tendencies came to the fore, taking Zebra down with a flying head-scissors and clothesline to the outside, before scoring with a suicide dive to the arena floor.
Back in the ring it became a back and forth affair, Storm scoring with a power bomb, Zebra fighting back with a super kick. It continued in this vein as the time limit neared, and Zebra connected with a tombstone pile driver. Then, as Zebra climbed to the top rope, Paul Tyrell and Steve Morocco came out. As the referee was distracted, Morocco blasted Zebra with a board, knocking him off the top. As Storm came to, his natural instincts led him to cover Zebra to get the winning pinfall.
Unhappy with the manner of his defeat, Zebra took the mic and called Tyrell out. After he had found out what had happened, Storm said that he was unsure whether he could accept the victory, and both men asked Commissioner Howard-Platt for an extra five minutes. Sadly, the Commissioner was unable to grant their wish, but he was able to grant one wish, and made the Zebra Kid's match with Tyrell at The War of 2004 a street fight.
A great way of ending the first half of the show, and probably the best match I've seen between these two.
WAW British Heavyweight Championship
"THE DARK ANGEL" ASHE v THE KRAFT
Following on from his victory in the Atlantis Cup last week, the Kraft was granted a title shot at the new British Champion in another strong encounter.
Round one began with the challenger controlling the champion from the beginning, working on his arm over and over. Towards the end of the first three minutes Ashe began a comeback, but there wasn't enough time to sustain the comeback.
Round two began in the same vein, with the Kraft once again taking control of the action, but this time Ashe began his comeback earlier, using his high-flying skills to take him down before drop kicking his opponent to the outside. He then launched himself into the air with a suicide dive over the top rope. As Kraft slowly regained his senses, champion and challenger began to brawl on the outside of the ring as the round ended.
Round three began with Kraft again dominating things, using his power to good effect, almost gaining the first fall after a hard slam/leg drop combination, and then after a Samoan drop as Ashe came off the ropes. Kraft then went for a power bomb, but Ashe escaped, going for a sunset flip as the bell was once again against them.
Round four saw the first fall of the contest, as Kraft tried to take Ashe down with some powerful looking kicks. Kraft then missed a corner attack, as Ashe went against the run of play and pinned the challenger with a schoolboy roll-up. The champion was up one to nothing.
Round five began with Ashe keeping the momentum he gained at the end of the previous round by working on Kraft's neck, his moves reminding this reporter of the late, great, Curt Hennig. The momentum couldn't be sustained though, as Kraft took Ashe down with two powerful back breakers, then scoring the equalising fall after his Samoan Driver. The scores were now level.
Round six began with Kraft again attacking Ashe's arm, but the champion fought back briefly with an arm wringer of his own. The action then spilled to the outside again after Ashe reversed a posting attempt by flipping over the ropes. Kraft kept his wits about him by kicking Ashe to the arena floor. Outside, Kraft took him down with a hard suplex, before throwing the champ back into the ring. The round ended as Kraft drop kicked Ashe as he came off the ropes.
Round seven saw the deciding fall of the contest. It began with Kraft attacking Ashe before delivering three successive suplexes. However, the challenger missed the follow-up elbow as Ashe regained his senses and slammed him in the middle of the ring. He took too long to climb to the top rope as Kraft sent him crashing down. With his opponent stunned and sitting helplessly on the top rope, Kraft took him down with a superplex, before attempting to end the match with a second Samoan Driver. Ashe blocked the attempt with a reverse DDT. Seeing the advantage, Ashe went back to the top rope, taking Kraft down with his reverse neck breaker for the deciding pinfall. The champion had retained his title.
This match was good, but lacked the spark of their first encounter. But then again, that Atlantis Cup final was a hard act to follow.
THE SUPERFLYS v STEVE MOROCCO and PAUL TYRELL
The culmination of several weeks worth of tension here. Ricky Knight had been fighting a fruitless battle against Tyrell and Morocco, and finally had had some help in the form of Jimmy Ocean.
Before the match even began, Tyrell took the microphone and insulted everything and everyone connected with WAW, praising his own Ultimate Wrestling Alliance in the process. This did not sit well with the Yarmouth faithful.
The first session of this three fall bout began with a great deal of showboating before Knight used his power advantage to take Morocco down. The team from the UWA then started to head for the hills until they realised they couldn't win the match by walking away.
The Superflys then showed their tag-team experience by doubling up on Morocco, before the underhanded tactics of the bad guys saw them take the upper hand. Ocean tried to protest on a number of occasions, but this did more harm than good as Tyrell and Morocco used every trick in the book against the Rowdy Man. But in the end it wasn't enough as Knight scored the first fall for his team, reversing Tyrell's sunset flip attempt by bringing all his weight crashing down on Tyrell's chest for the first pin.
The second session began with Knight keeping his momentum going by overpowering Tyrell with a spear. He would have kept the momentum going had Morocco not interfered. Needing some rest, Knight tagged in his partner, but as the referee was distracted, Tyrell and Morocco took the opportunity to double team Ocean, even going as far as throwing powder in his face. Following up this heinous attack with a double suplex, Morocco and Tyrell scored the equalising fall.
The final session began with Knight grabbing the microphone and trying to tell the ref of Tyrell's powder attack, but the Essex boy was claiming innocence, saying that it was in fact a fan who carried out the attack on Ocean. Knight wanted to carry on instead of his injured partner but the ref was having none of it.
Ocean was more or less out of it, as Tyrell and Morocco unloaded on him, even removing one of the corner pads and throwing him into the exposed metal which, given Ocean's condition, wasn't really needed. Eventually Ocean mustered up enough energy to score with a double DDT on his opponents before tagging in an eager Knight. Knight overpowered both of his UWA counterparts, but while the referee was checking on Ocean's condition, Tyrell went for another powder attack. But as the old saying goes, he went to the well once too often as the Rowdy Man kicked the powder into Tyrell's face. Then, after whipping Tyrell into the ropes, Knight slingshot Ocean back into the ring, into the oncoming Tyrell. Three seconds later and the Superflys had the winning fall.
But it didn't end there. As the Superflys celebrated their victory, Bash stormed the ring and took them both out with his baseball bat. Then, as the Bulk stormed the ring, the villains ran for cover. Seconds later, the big man showed his true colours by attacking the Superflys himself. Moments later his UKP partner Big Dave was joining in the attack. A massive brawl then ensued as the locker room emptied. After order was restored, the bombshell was dropped as Bash, a man trained by and brought into the business by WAW announced that he was defecting to the UWA.
A very good and exciting match here, an example of tag-team wrestling at it's finest.
In conclusion - a good way of ending WAW's summer season in Yarmouth, and a shame it had to come to an end. Monday nights won't be the same for a while.
A dead heat for match of the night, between the tag-team match and the bout between Jonny Storm and the Zebra Kid. It was so close I literally couldn't separate them.
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