It’s been nine years since I’ve watched and reviewed a full wrestling show. Nine long years. I was never tempted to go back into the wrestling world at all during that time, not even when the country went into lockdown when people suddenly found themselves with a lot of time on their hands.
But now, with access to Netflix (thanks to big brother Mark, he’s a DJ you know), to ITVX, and to countless hours of free wrestling courtesy of YouTube, I’ve decided to dip my toes into the waters once again. Who have I watched, I hear you ask?
Have you watched the most recent episode of Monday Night Raw? Have you watched AEW for the first time? Or perhaps you’ve gone into the past and looked at the WWE or WCW Vaults over on YouTube? Or have you even turned your attention to those guys you used to hang around with in Norwich?
No. None of that. I headed over to the U&Dave catch-up service to watch a bunch of comedians.
Clash of the Comics originally began life as The Wrestling at the Edinburgh Fringe way back in 2011. Created by Max Oleskar and Ivan Gonzalez, the show features comedy performances and wrestling matches, which means that you can see some of the guys who were on Mock the Week belting the proverbial out of each other.
Featuring the likes of Rosie Jones, Phil Wang, Ed Gamble, Nish Kumar, Sara Pascoe as well as a few wrestlers I’m barely familiar with (hey, it has been nine years since I took a real interest in this stuff) such as Rishi Ghosh and Simon Miller, the show, emanating from the famed Hammersmith Apollo, took place last October, and was made available on UKTV’s streaming service the following month. It’s split into nine episodes lasting around fifteen minutes each.
I went into
this thing with very little expectations. I wasn’t expecting a show of WWE
standards, whatever they are these days, and I certainly wasn’t expecting any
Dave Meltzer-like five-star classics. What I was hoping for was to be
entertained.
Phil Wang wanted the title belt that Ed Gamble had stolen from him.
Was I? For the most part, yes. If you’re a wrestling purist then this isn’t the show for you, but if you’re looking for a laugh then this would probably do it for you. The wrestling was okay, and a couple of the matches were pretty decent affairs, especially the main event featuring Phil “Kill” Wang, the Clash of the Comics Champion, seeking to get his title belt back from Ed “The Gambler” Gamble, who’d stolen it at the previous show.
Outside the ring the performances are really over the top. Sara Pascoe, Nish Kumar, and Greg James were suitably so as the commentary team, as was CE-Joe (general manager to you and me) Joe Lycett (that guy seems to get everywhere). The comics did well in the ring, and they were ably led by some more professional hands.
So overall this was a decent and entertaining show, a nice mixture of comedy and wrestling. But if you’re a wrestling purist brought up on a stable diet of New and All Japan classics, then this isn’t the show for you. Stick to trading those tapes (is tape trading still a thing?), and just keep watching those classic Dynamite Kid versus Tiger Mask matches.
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