After Austin Aries lifted the Defiant championship last week, we’ve got two more title matches as the new era continued!
We open with… footage from IPW Undisputed? I must say, I was not expecting to hear Dean Ayass as the first voice on Defiant this (or any other) week… there’s “unauthorised recording” of the IPW show last week where Aries defended the Defiant title… and ended up collecting Mark Haskins’ IPW strap at the same time. Fair enough. I hope IPW try and take down this video from YouTube, kinda like how we had tit-for-tat copyright takedowns in the current CZW/GCW feud in the States!
A recap of last week’s main event follows, including Aries’ “last night” mentions. Timelines!
Dave Bradshaw on commentary mentions how Aries appeared at a “rival” promotion with the Defiant title. Surely history’s told us that rivalries don’t work that way? Remember the legal threats when Madusa went on Nitro with the WWF Women’s title? Anyway, we cut to Stu Bennett who’s trying to get through to legal to sort things out.
The Prestige (Joe Hendry & El Ligero) vs. Chris Brookes
I think it’s safe to say we’re meant to have forgotten that Stevie Aaron ever had a flirtation with the Prestige. Yay for the neuraliser! Joe Hendry mentions how CCK have invaded Defiant and got in their business, before he pitches to a video – it’s showing Kid Lykos laid out on the floor, presumably at the hands of David Starr, who’s standing above him with a chair. He re-reinjured the wolf!
David Starr quickly appears with a chair and a cup of tea… he’s on commentary. Anyway, with no Lykos, we’ve got Chris Brookes for a handicap match as Sweet Stevie malfunctions on the fly. Chris is going it alone, flying into the Prestige pair with a tope con hilo as he more than held his own, especially as the Prestige didn’t seem to need to worry about tags.
Joe Hendry gets a dripping wet willie, before teasing it with Ligero… and that’s where things turn around as Ligero slips out and tries to give Brookes his own wet willie. The reversed reversal sees Ligero take it eventually as Brookes ends up getting a hard back body drop to the floor by Hendry.
On the outside, Hendry throws Brookes into the guard railings, and the same continues in the ring as Brookes gets worn down by the former Local Hero. Ligero keeps it going, but he’d rather throw Brookes to the floor for a count-out – all while David Starr continued to decimate commentary. There’s a shout for best on the mic in those year end awards…
Brookes gets a chance once Ligero accidentally forearmed Hendry, coming back in with a missile dropkick… but without anyone to tag, it feels like only a matter of time. A rope-hung DDT gets Brookes a two-count, as does a slingshot cutter, before David Starr jumps on the apron to provide a distraction as Brookes had an Octopus hold on.
That distraction costs Brookes as he turns around into a lariat before Hendry and Ligero combined for a double stomp into a Dominator… something Starr called a sick tag move. Hey, may as well troll CCK with their own catchphrase! That’s enough for the win after a decent, albeit by the numbers handicap match. David Starr still isn’t “officially” in the Prestige, but is just a general pain in the arse… ***
After the match the beatdown on Brookes continued until Travis Banks made the save! Just to show how much the British scene’s bleeding into each other, Banks, Brookes and Lykos are being called CCK here despite neither Brookes nor Lykos being part of this group until last week.
Next week, Drake’s backstage telling us he’s going to rid Defiant of gimmicks. His first shot is to get rid of the “karate kid” Mike Bailey. Good luck with that!
After that, we’ve got Pastor William Eaver and “Brother” Liam Slater… they’re joined by their “Massive Miracle” “Brother” Jurn Simmons, and soon Generic Interviewer Adam. He asks about Prince Ameen, but he’s just laughed at as the Pastor walks away to lead prayer.
Little Miss Roxxy comes to the ring next to address her defeat to Millie McKenzie last week. Her microphone’s way too quiet as she claimed to not be ready… and somehow that means she deserves a shot at the women’s title. I guess having your only win be over Brandi Lauren somehow qualifies you for a shot, as Kay Lee Ray responds to Roxxy’s threat of taking the show hostage.
Defiant Women’s Championship: Little Miss Roxxy vs. Kay Lee Ray (c)
Roxxy tried to cheapshot Kay Lee as the bell went, but the Scotswoman quickly took the initiative with some chops in the corner.
It’s all one way for Ray, as she traps Roxxy in the Koji clutch… but Roxxy’s able to make the ropes before she escaped a Gory bomb. A front suplex dumps Roxxy on her face, but she recovers to yank Kay Lee out of the corner as the challenger tied her up in the ropes for a dropkick. A Kevin Nash-esque choke with a boot followed in the corner as Roxxy showed off her flexibility, but you could tell that the crowd didn’t really buy Roxxy as a challenger. Why would you? One win in her entire career here will do that to you!
Kay Lee mounts a comeback, but nearly gets schoolboy’d for the win as Roxxy throws in an X-Factor for another two-count, before throwing in a cheeky backheel from a handstand to keep herself in the game. For some reason Roxxy gets a pin and pulls up Kay Lee at two so she could… apply a Last Chancery? Hang on… Austin Aries’ move? Hmm…
Except Kay Lee Ray stands up out of it, and Roxxy’s left herself in position for the Gory Bomb as the champion easily retained. As one-sided as you’d expect, but credit for at least trying to give Roxxy a go… there’s some rebuilding to be done if she’s to be a threat here. **½
During the prior match, commentary notes how Martin Kirby had “re-done his concussion” from several months earlier and would be out indefinitely. Having heard from some reliable folks that that concussion in April wasn’t entirely on the level, it’s a bit of a naff way to write out someone.
We’re backstage next with Alex Gracie and an un-named person. Gracie described his anger from the past, convinced that his career was over after losing that Kiss My Arse match to Martin Kirby at the end of WCPW. He’s mentally recovered apparently, but he’s remorseful over how he snapped against Liam Slater and the staffer even later at the end of WCPW. It turns out that Gracie was interviewing himself, so I guess we’re going to be dealing with mental health issues now? We’re two for two in terms of “weeks with wandering promos that could have been tightened up”, by the way…
Next… Gabriel Kidd walks into a dressing room, with a Greggs bag on display. I hope they got some free sausage rolls out of that product placement… Mike Bailey and Veda Scott are sitting there, but they can’t help Kidd’s search for Prince Ameen.
Jurn Simmons vs. Alex Dunn
Jurn’s accompanied by Pastor William Eaver, while Alex Dunn gets the “already in the ring” treatment. How many seconds is this gonna last?
Jurn charges straight at Dunn, taking him into the corner as this quickly becomes an exhibition for the Marquee Player. Suplex throws put Alex down hard, but Dunn tries to make a comeback, only to run into a spinning side suplex. Hey, I guess you could say Jurn Deep Six’d him before a sit-out gutwrench powerbomb completed the squash.
Yay for squash matches! Not everything has to be a competitive match, especially when you’re establishing someone…
We’re backstage again as Stu Bennett’s still on the phone. In walks Zack Gibson, who’s shooed away… so he picks a fight with him, and orders the GM to make a cup of tea. Well, they do have history… Apparently Gibson wants a gig here, and if he wins a match here next week, he gets his contract.
Hardcore Rules – WCPW Tag Team Championship: BT Gunn & Joe Coffey vs. Primate & Jimmy Havoc (c)
The former Prestige pairing won this title shot in the #WeAreDefiant pre-show… and offered to make this a hardcore rules match last week.
We’re instantly taken outside as Havoc and Gunn paired off whilst Coffey and Primate trade shoulder barges. It’s fast and furious action early, with Havoc going for a Rainmaker early before opting to just boot BT in the face. Primate tries for a spear, but Coffey just leaps over it before busting out the giant swing/airplane spin combo to the champions.
A rolling elbow from Havoc breaks up a Boston crab, before we ended up in the diving section of the match, then the general throwing portion as the remains of David Starr’s cup of tea was thrown over BT’s chest. Of course, Jimmy somehow gets a drink as Primate runs out of camera shot as he and Coffey exchange dives into the crowd.
Eventually they end up in the ring, but it’s Primate going one-on-two briefly before Havoc returns with some boots, only to get slammed by Coffey as all four men ended up laid out. Next up, Primate’s forced to make the save after the Black Coffey lariat left Havoc down and out… but the former Prestige pair’s idea to go for a double-team superplex goes wrong as Primate makes a save, and that Parade of Moves rolled on!
Coffey just about connects with a springboard crossbody out of the corner, but he’s quickly flattened with a Primate spear and a Rainmaker as BT Gunn was just too late for the save as the champions retained. This was alright, but the hardcore rules just meant that we had a lot of chaotic stuff rather than a typical match that built. Not really my cup of tea, but it worked for the live crowd I guess… **¾
After the match all four men celebrated, but then there’s a return from Mark Haskins and Chris Ridgeway as they came with chairs to clear the ring! Again identified as coming from IPW, the credits roll as Haskins and Ridgeway leave the scene of the crime…
Next week! The Hunter Brothers are back, taking on the South Coast Connection, Drake takes on Mike Bailey, and Zack Gibson fights for a contract against Gabriel Kidd as Defiant closes out their year.
So, week two of Defiant starts to build the streak of good shows – we had a squash, some week-to-week building, and a continued slow-burn on this “invasion” deal with IPW… it’s a little curious that they didn’t even have a promo from Austin Aries, but I guess the whole point of the slow-burn is that it’s not in your face the whole time. Subtlety, eh?