ATTACK! returned to Cardiff as Nico Angelo and Jay Joshua continued their search for revenge following the events of April…
Quick Results
Brendan White, Danny Jones & James Ellis pinned Splits McPins, Alley McPins & Lloyd Katt in 15:28 (***)
Dani Luna pinned Leon Slater in 13:00 (***¼)
Jay Joshua pinned Saxon Huxley in 15:18 (***½)
Shane Hooker pinned Connor Mills in 12:29 (***¼)
Old Poppa Sunflower pinned Elijah, Alex Vaughan & Puf in 13:47 (***)
No Disqualification: Nico Angelo pinned Kid Lykos II in 19:16 (***¼)
ATTACK! returned to PRYZM in Cardiff for the last time – because the venue’s closed down – with their first Rafflemania in four years (because… eh, you know why by now). I’m going into this blind, since Cagematch didn’t have a match listing at the time this dropped, and all I’ve seen is the trailer set to Alien Ant Farm’s Movies.
We open with a pre-tape promo from Nico Angelo, bemoaning how he’d had his opportunity to win the ATTACK! title snatched away from him by Lykos Gym… then had an opportunity to get some revenge taken away from him when he was put through a table in Swansea (at Came Out Swinging). The promo then saw Jay Joshua appear to tell us he’s beating Wild Boar for the ATTACK! title…
Inside PRYZM, the show opens with Mark Andrews on ring announcing duties… and raffling off a signed bowling pin allegedly from the Bowl-a-Rama fire of 2016. There’s a storyline that makes me feel old. Commentary comes from Steve Andrew and Sean Thorne.
Bowl-a-Rama (Lloyd Katt, Splits McPins & Alley McPins) vs. Greedy Souls (Brendan White & Danny Jones) & James Ellis
Last time I checked into ATTACK!, Ellis was stealing wins in scrambles… and is still super unpopular in Cardiff. Football rivalries.
Bowl-a-Rama started brightly against the Greedy Souls, but things threatened to around when Alley McPins came in against the sour Ellis. She finds a way in with a crossbody to Ellis, then with some headscissors, before taking him outside with a tope. It culminated in Ellis being left slumped in the corner as Splits bowled into Ellis. Not a euphemism.
A poke to the eyes from Ellis took down a tagged-in Katt as things turned around, complete with some Greedy Souls-like isolation on Katt, which Ellis slotted into really well doing. Katt’s headbutt in the corner sinks White, and bought him time to make the tag out. We’re back to Splits and Jones trading shots, before a nice uranage-sit-out powerbomb almost put Jones away.
Brendan White gets the tag in as a brief double-team blitzed through Splits, who recovered to get past them with a neckbreaker. Alley McPins tags in to hit a Destroyer on White out of a press slam attempt, allowing the bowlers back in, at least until Danny Jones ripped off a turnbuckle pad. The ref’s distracted – as were the camera crew, who missed Ellis being thrown a bowling ball, which he used to block a senton bomb from Splits, before a bowling ball to the head almost won… but Alley broke up the cover as a much-less-violent Soul Destroyer ended up getting the win. I’d have gone with the bowling ball strike as the finish, especially since Ellis has a winning streak going, but this’ll do as well as Bowl-a-Rama came up short. ***
Dani Luna vs. Leon Slater
This was Slater’s ATTACK! Debut…
It’s hardly a sedate start as Slater’s running dropkick and Blue Thunder Bomb at the bell almost put this one to bed before it’d even had a chance to wake up. Slater kept going from there, as a Twister suplex picked up another near-fall before Luna began to force her way into the match.
A big boot from Slater took Dani down for another two-count, before Dani managed to overpower Slater with a suplex. That took him outside as a low-pe followed, as the pair fought… ending with Slater getting thrown into the ring post. Back inside though, Slater manages to regain control, scoring with a dropkick to Luna in the ropes, before a snapmare and a PK served to just aggravate Dani.
Luna built up momentum with some chops, then with a tornado hot shot out of the corner, before she spun Slater into a knee strike on the apron. A powerbomb back inside followed, then a lariat for a near-fall for Luna… Slater tries to fight back, but he’s eating a lot of elbows before he knocked Luna down with a kick.
Slater’s met with a big boot in return, before an Air Raid Crash looked to put Slater away… he kicked out, but ended up getting caught on the top rope… he backflips out of an avalanche German suplex, but couldn’t capitalise as Luna blocked a cutter, then caught him in the corner once more… before a twisting superplex got Leon back in it.
Luna’s left laying, but Slater slips as he seemingly prepared for a swanton 450… allowing Luna to bring him back in the apron with a German suplex, before the Luna Landing got the win. ***¼
ATTACK! Championship: Jay Joshua vs. Wild Boar (c)
…this didn’t happen as Boar came out in street clothes to have a fight with the microphone, then tell us he’s not giving Joshua his match tonight, and instead introduced another opponent for him…
Jay Joshua vs. Saxon Huxley
Huxley was in-between tours with NOAH here, but was without his half of the GHC tag titles.
Huxley backed up Joshua into the corners early on, before the pair traded shoulder tackles… which Huxley won out on, before Joshua began to fire away with a series of elbows. A headbutt from Huxley keeps Joshua in the ropes, as a crossbody sent the number one contender spilling to the outside, where Huxley aggravated things by throwing him into the ring post for good measure.
Joshua looked to fight back, but had to deal with a distraction from Wild Boar that allowed Huxley back in. Heading back into the ring though, Huxley’s tied up in the ropes… he recovers to boot away Joshua, then follow in with a springboard elbow drop for a two-count. Chops from Joshua are returned as Huxley ends up taking things into the corner ahead of a flying clothesline that drew a near-fall.
Joshua goes back to the chops and forearms, before a series of lariats only took Huxley to his knees… from where he returned with a leaping body attack that Boar celebrated. The pair go back to the kicks, but it’s Joshua’s rear spin kick that found a way through before his German suplex… earned him a big boot that almost got the win for Huxley.
A tree slam gets Huxley another near fall, as the pair then teed off on each other with headbutts… but with Huxley rocked, Joshua ended up backing into the ropes, where Boar swung at him with the belt. Another tree slam lands, but it’s not enough as Huxley looked to add a big boot… Boar ends up back in the ring, but his distraction earns him a running kick into the corner before Joshua managed to put away Huxley with a Gotch piledriver and a muscle buster. ***½
Joshua doesn’t have time to celebrate as Wild Boar pounced and put a beating on him… Boar then slapped Huxley for losing, and ended up getting thrown by Huxley into that rear spin kick from Joshua.
Before the raffle, there’s a plug for the next Cardiff show – (Thank God It’s Not) WinterSlam… and then it’s time for the star turn, as Nigel McGuinness had issues with the stage step and his music. Technology, eh? All the winners get booed, as is tradition… before Connor Mills interrupted. Which isn’t tradition.
Mills snatches the mic out of Nigel McGuinness’ hand, then went on to brand Cardiff a “shithole.” Nigel took the mic back and called Connor a “Nigel McGuinness addict” for ripping off his moves (I thought it was Chris Hero back in the day). After being called a “Poundland Nigel McGuinness,” Mills’ brought up Nigel’s bad memory because of the concussions, then said he’d do his moves better than he ever could in his next match.
There’s one more raffle prize, which Nigel drew… and as luck would have it, ring crew member Shane Hooker had the winning ticket, which earned him the choice of official for his next match. Good job a wrestler won it, that could have been awkward!
Connor Mills vs. Shane Hooker
Hooker picked Nigel as the special guest ref… and instantly threatened to DQ Mills for not taking his chain off.
Hooker pounces on Mills with a dropkick at the bell, while a Samoan driver almost put Mills away in the opening minute. Heading outside only earns Mills a couple of topes, then a couple of chops, before Mills caught Hooker on the top rope and brought him down with a clothesline off the middle rope.
Mills stays on Hooker, punting him in the back for just a one-count as Nigel took his time getting down… so he switches things up with an abdominal stretch instead. Hooker hiptosses his way free, before he took Mills down with a missile dropkick that ended up taking Mills back outside for an Orihara moonsault.
Another trip up top sees Hooker roll through a 450 splash attempt, before he nailed a satellite DDT for a near-fall after Mills had missed a rebound lariat attempt. Elbows from Mills led to a cradle, but McGuinness refused to count the pin as Mills ended up getting a near-fall out of his take on the Orange Crush/Desnucadora.
Hooker elbows out of a teardrop suplex, but couldn’t avoid a Final Cut by the ropes, before he escaped a Burning Cutter and rolled up Mills. From the kick-out, Mills and Hooker trade shots, leading to another crack at the rebound lariat… but it’s Hooker who lands a suplex that nearly took the win. Mills invites a series of strikes before he began to knot up Hooker’s leg with kicks… a knee strike followed, before the pair caught each other with head kicks.
Those sent Mills back into the ropes, from where he returned with a rebound lariat for a near-fall – albeit thanks to a dubiously-slow count from McGuinness. Mills took offence at that, and after he elbowed away Hooker, ended up taking a rebound lariat of his own… which Nigel couldn’t fast-count quickly enough from as Mills kicked out at two.
Mills pushes on from there, and after a roll-up with a handful of tights didn’t get it done, he pulls up Hooker for a Burning Cutter… which is countered into a reverse ‘rana. A double stomp followed, but Nigel’s being wacky with his counting as we get a near-fall, before a 450 splash off the top drew the upset win for Hooker! A big win for Hooker, although the wackiness around the ref’s counts definitely played a part… ***¼
Alex Vaughan vs. Puf vs. Elijah vs. Old Poppa Sunflower
For some reason, nobody got an entrance but Alex…
Vaughan had issues with Puf early on, getting butt bumped and punched out when he went for a waistlock. Elijah and Old Poppa Sunflower had similar woes, taking a double back suplex from Puf, before Vaughan managed to take the big man outside. A clothesline to the back of Elijah’s head keeps Vaughan ahead, before Old Poppa Sunflower tried to snatch the win with a Magistral cradle.
Elijah cuts off Sunflower with armdrags, but Puf’s back in and gets a “get your tits out” chant. I have no words. He obliges before trading right hands with Elijah… and then its time to put them away as Puf teed up for a dive. Vaughan and Sunflower stopped him, only to get slung into the ring as Vaughan ended up getting ripcorded into a Puf uranage.
A back senton’s next to squash Vaughan, before Elijah almost won it with a springboard crossbody to the big man. Elijah’s attempt to suplex Puf didn’t go to plan, as the big man ended up suplexing Elijah and Sunflower… Vaughan manages to hit a spinebuster that almost put away Puf, before Sunflower responded to almost getting deadheaded with superkicks by scoring with a bunch of clotheslines.
Sunflower’s eventually taken outside as Elijah went after Vaughan, coming close with a Graveyard Smash… but Sunflower broke up the pin, then nailed Elijah with a swandive headbutt for another near-fall. Puf returns to clear the ring, only to get caught with an assisted crucifix bomb as the match headed into the finishing stretch… leading to Old Poppa Sunflower taking the win when he caught Elijah with Baron Corbin’s End of Days. ***
After the match, Elijah noted that he’s winless since ATTACK! came back, and blamed it on bad karma for his past actions… he asked Old Poppa Sunflower to come back out, and reminded us that Elijah’s early days of attack saw him beat Sunflower in a loser-leaves-town match before apologising for it. Sunflower refused the handshake, opting for a hug instead, and I guess Elijah’s got something to prove now?
No Disqualification: Kid Lykos II vs. Nico Angelo
Kid Lykos II was filling in for the elder Lykos, who dropped out of the match after picking up some knocks during his PROGRESS Super Strong Style 16 winning run the weekend prior…
Before the bell, Angelo tried to talk sense into Lykos II, warning him that Wild Boar would turn on him eventually… but we get going with Angelo taking Lykos II outside as the pair fought around ringside in the opening stages.
Angelo pulls a door out from under the ring, then bridged it between the ring and the crowd barrier… the door’s put to use pretty quickly, but not how you’d think, as Lykos II used it to shield himself from a dive from Angelo. Ow. Nico’s able to recover as he traded shots with Lykos II, who smashed a baking tray into his head a few times for a two-count.
Lykos II stays on Angelo, stopping to grab a chair from under the ring as he used it on Angelo’s back for another two-count, then the baking tray once more as Nico continued to take a beating… until he countered a telegraphed brainbuster. Angelo commandeers that baking tray and gives it to Lykos II with some interest from earlier, before a wicked clothesline spun down Lykos II for a near-fall.
Lykos II got back in it with a DDT onto a chair, before he went outside and got another door, bridging against the guard rail, while one more went into the ring. Angelo intercepts one and swatted Lykos II with it, before it got draped across the middle turnbuckle and used as a platform for a Void Walker death valley driver off of the middle rope. Somehow Lykos II kicks out at two, then found a second wind as he battered Angelo… until another lariat dumped him to the mat.
The pair head outside as Angelo’s cutter put Lykos II through one of the doors that was bridging against the guard rails. Angelo’s able to get back up into the ring, but Lykos II shoves the ref into the ropes to knock Nico down, following up with a low blow before he put Angelo through a door with a death valley driver.
It’s not enough to get the win though, as Lykos II adds a brainbuster… which was also kicked out of. A brainbuster onto a chair’s next, but you guessed it, Angelo kicks out as Lykos II reached for and emptied a bag of drawing pins onto the mat. He saves a handful, “feeding” them to Angelo before an attempted kick to the face was blocked… an enziguiri connects to Angelo though, before Lykos II took him up top and saw a Lo Mein Pain countered into a chokeslam off the top into the pins.
From there, Angelo pours more pins into Lykos II, then hit the shooting star press off the top onto Lykos and the pins for the win. ***¼
Having both key matches changed at late notice was unfortunate, as it took away two of top draws on the card… Although it does serve to extend the chases for Nico Angelo and Jay Joshua, and you’d hope that both of them “finish their story”, to borrow the phrase. Not a show that you should handwave, but one to perhaps keep an eye on, particularly for the names that don’t appear in some of the larger promotions.