Defiant returned to iPPV with a slightly tweaked card as the promotion crowned a new contender for Austin Aries’ championship in the Magnificent Seven match.
There were changes to the originally advertised card, as an ankle injury kept Travis Banks out of his scheduled Internet title defence… but instead we got the latest chapter in the ongoing “can David Starr beat WALTER?” story. Also, Primate being in for surgery to fix a broken jaw meant that his squash of Zack Gibson a few weeks back was for nought, as he was out of the Magnificent Seven match that would main event in Leeds. Yes, we’re in Leeds (and Leeds…) on a tape-delay, with Dave Bradshaw and James R. Kennedy on commentary once we got past the pre-show video package that built up some of the card.
No Fun Dunne vs. Martin Kirby
This was made into a qualifier for the Magnificent Seven, replacing Primate who was missing due to an injury attributed to Jimmy Havoc. Martin Kirby, keeping up the Undertaker motif from Defiant last week, gets his own glorious music video, complete with El Ligero and Prince Ameen set to Limp Bizkit’s “Rollin’”. Ah, the year 2000…
When we got going, Dunne wore down Kirby with axehandle smashes and chinlocks, but Kirby gets free and rolled up Dunne for a near-fall as the crowd mocked the Anti-Fun Police leader because he’s “not a real policeman.” Harsh but fair. Kirby was making light work of Dunne, forcing him into mocking Big Daddy-like “easy” chants.
A free punch for Dunne lead to Kirby ducking and replying with a dropkick as he then called for a Sable Bomb… but an enziguiri gets Dunne a near-fall as commentary was lost amid social media plugs. Dunne keeps up as he took Kirby into the ropes with right hands, before referee Steve Lynskey almost got tangled up in things. The Kirby comeback begins with a roll through into a neckbreaker, before he hits a spinebuster and went back to 2000… only to eschew the People’s Elbow for a Zoidberg Elbow.
Dunne’s back up to spear Kirby as he leapt off the rope, only to get caught up top himself as Kirby brings him down with a ‘rana. A slingshot backcracker almost gets the job done for Dunne, who then took a taste of his own medicine with an enziguiri before shocking Kirby with a roll-up to counter the Sable Bomb… and that’s enough to get the win! Solid enough for the opener, but we’re in familiar territory with a largely quiet crowd, other than the early anti-Dunne chants. **¾
Even on tape-delay, we somehow get a silent video package covering the happenings of last week’s Defiant show, where Aussie Open won the tag titles after Jimmy Havoc laid down for them. The video even loops for… reasons.
Defiant Tag Team Championship: Jimmy Havoc & Mark Haskins vs. BT Gunn & Joe Coffey vs. Aussie Open (Mark Davis & Kyle Fletcher) (c)
Haskins and Havoc jump Gunn and Coffey to start the match – Aussie Open hadn’t even had their music… and rather than come straight out, they wait as Havoc and Haskins wore down on their fellow challengers.
Mark Haskins finds a gift-wrapped barbed wire bat under the ring, and gives it to the birthday boy Havoc, but his assault’s stopped by the eventual music and entrance of the champions, who go straight after Havoc and Haskins. Havoc and Haskins get surrounded and quadruple-teamed, with the two big lads of the teams combining to get rid of Havoc with a pop-up uppercut. Things break down into chops as the Scots took on the Aussies, but it was Davis and Fletcher that took over, with Coffey getting charged in the corner ahead of Davis’ sliding forearm that almost ended things. A Fidget Spinner’s fought out of as Gunn tries to make a comeback, landing a roll-through Downward Spiral to Davis, and an Ace Crusher to Fletcher as the tables quickly turned.
Fletcher withstands a front facelock giant swing and a suplex for a near-fall, but Havoc and Haskins pop up to stop the Scots from diving, before holding Coffey in a camel clutch for… an eye-poke from Havoc. Coffey fights back with kicks and elbows before his crossbody takes down Havoc… only for a forearm to send him out as the revolving door was in full effect.
Mark Davis nails the one-armed powerbomb onto Havoc, before the Black Coffey discus lariat knocked the Aussie to the outside. Fletcher aborts a dive from Coffey so he can go flying himself with a step-up senton to the outside. Back inside, Haskins’ comeback ends with a pop-up Ace Crusher by Fletcher as Gunn and Coffey make a save, only to get caught by Havoc and Haskins once more.
A slingshot from Haskins led to a death valley driver from Havoc on Coffey, before Haskins rolls him into a death valley driver for a stacked-up near-fall. From off screen, someone throws in Primate’s mask as Havoc went for the Acid Rainmaker… and that distraction allowed Aussie Open right back into it, taking Havoc and Haskins to the outside before finishing off Gunn with the Fidget Spinner. That was pretty abrupt, and not entirely a dominant win… but this was fine, even if the Primate/Havoc feud took centre stage. ***
Amir Jordan vs. Chris Brookes
After playing the Alexander James waiting game, Amir Jordan finally made his appearance to get the crowd going. Given their relative statuses, it’s an odd pairing this, but Brookes tries to slow the pace early… only for Jordan to take him down with an armbar.
Brookes gets back in control as he provided a base for Jordan… who seemed to be more interested in a dance-off, and the sudden playback of music kinda forces it, only for Brookes to end the dancing with an arm-whip. Yep, we’re booing him tonight!
Brookes takes control with a back senton as he picked up a near-fall before going to work on his arm… but Jordan tries to fight back and nails a discus axehandle smash before taking Brookes into the corner with a dropkick. A crossbody from Jordan nearly leads to the upset, before a slingshot into a neckbreaker was countered, allowing Brookes to land a rope-hung neckbreaker for a two-count of his own. The momentum keeps swinging, but Jordan just runs into a big boot before Brookes’ ode to Lykos brainbuster collected yet another near-fall, as the Praying Mantis Bomb completed the win. A pretty straight-forward win for Brookes, who seemed to be playing the bad guy here… at least until he offered Jordan a helping hand afterwards. **¾
After the match, the music comes back on and once he wears Amir’s gear, Brookes reluctantly dances!
Defiant Women’s Championship: Sammii Jayne vs. Kay Lee Ray vs. Millie McKenzie (c)
This became a three-way after Millie interrupted the number one contender’s match between Sammii Jayne and Kay Lee Ray a few weeks ago. We start with indy’riffic pinning series as every woman tried to nick the title, but Sammii’s cockiness cost her as she was knocked to the outside early on.
Ray wheelbarrows Millie for a near-fall before going for the Gory Bomb… but that’s countered into more pinning attempts as Sammii comes in and stacks up Kay Lee and Millie with duelling submission attempts. There’s some impromptu double-teaming as Jayne eats a superkick-assisted German suplex, before Millie busts out a German suplex to Ray… who replied with a thrust kick before everyone went diving… even Sammii Jayne!
Back inside, Millie peppered Jayne with forearms ahead of a monkey flip and some kicks… but there’s no pinning attempts and it almost costs the champion as her wheelbarrow’s turned into a facebuster, only for Kay Lee Ray to break up Jayne’s cover before it even got going. More double-teaming lead to a Gory Bomb mixed with an Ace crusher as Sammii Jayne was left laying once more… and again Millie and Kay Lee went for a handshake that quickly broke down into strikes. Sammii’s back to brutally powerbomb Millie as she tried to superplex Ray… just so she can squash the champion again after a top rope ‘rana sent Ray flying!
Jayne can’t quite get the pin on either woman, but she keeps up wearing them both down, squashing Ray with double knee drops… only for Millie to fire back with a handful of German suplexes, including a double one to Jayne and Ray at the same time! A double avalanche German suplex follows… but it’s not enough as Millie gets near-falls on both challengers.
Again Sammii’s double-teamed, but she’s back in with a baseball slide German to Kay Lee… who then ate another German from Millie before the champion sent herself flying into Jayne on the outside. We’re back to strikes briefly as Millie speared Sammii into giving a Samoan drop to Kay Lee, with Millie snatching more near-falls. A Gory Bomb by Kay Lee almost gets her the win as the “I’ll pin one opponent, then try the other” tactic quickly became overplayed… before Millie fought out of another Gory Bomb and hits a double underhook Destroyer as Sammii Jayne tried to steal the pin.
Millie’s able to make the save as the angry face appears… but Jayne hits a German suplex of her own, followed by another baseball slide German, which Millie no-sells! We’re right back in with Millie going for a pumphandle German to Sammii, and that’s enough for the win! This was fun despite the crowd, but there’s a lot to be said for not overplaying a trick – by the end I was more than fed up with the “I’ll do a move so you land on the other person, then I’ll try and pin both of you” routine. ***¼
They announce that Travis Banks is off the card here – but he’s not going to be stripped of the title… as we now get a singles match to determine who his next challenger for the Internet title will be. Strap in folks, this should be a good one!
David Starr vs. WALTER
There were more than a few hoping that the story was allowed to keep rolling here…
David Starr’s got that focused look on his face as he looked to end the streak of losses he’d built up against WALTER. Germany. America. London. Wolverhampton. Would Leeds be next? WALTER got a rock version of the RINGKAMPF theme, which was a wrinkle I wasn’t sure was needed, but hey ho!
Commentary tries to acknowledge their history, and we start with WALTER taking Starr to the corner as he swings and misses with a chop attempt. A standing headlock takedown sent Starr into the corner though as one guy chanted for Starr, who was trying to outpace WALTER… with little success as a Jim Breaks-like arm lift took him right back into the corner. A headlock from Starr actually gets him some success, as he dragged the Austrian down to the mat, and held firm despite WALTER’s attempt to break free. Eventually though, WALTER got back to his feet, only for Starr to take him down again via the ropes, but sooner or later Starr’d have to switch away from a headlock… and when he did, he was charged down by the shoulder of der Ringgeneral. Sorry Maffew.
Starr tries to scurry away from WALTER and ends up in the headlock again… but WALTER’s able to power free and dump Starr with a release back suplex, before he went to work, slamming Starr and drilling elbows into him, as the match looked to take a rather more familiar path, at least in Starr’s view. We’re right in with the chops, as a single one decked Starr… before a gutwrench suplex firmly left WALTER in control.
Starr tries to slam WALTER, but the Austrian Andre ain’t budging as he easily counters… just as you can hear Joe Atherton’s voice trying to offer support to the Product. WALTER grounds Starr with a wristlock, but instead he runs into a boot as Starr tries to fight back with forearms, only to get wiped out with a shotgun dropkick that dropped Starr like a stone! After spending some time regrouping himself on the outside, Starr rolled himself back into the path of the bullying WALTER, before some clubbing lariats tried to soften the big guy ahead of another attempted slam.
More lariats eventually led to a back elbow before Starr gets caught with a butterfly suplex out of nothing for a near-fall. We’re back to the chops as Starr crumbled in the corner, then got lifted up top for an avalanche butterfly suplex… but Starr pushes away and leaps into the Austrian’s grasp, only to unbalance and send him outside for a tope! Yep, more chops back inside as Starr finally nails the Andre slam, then the Han Stansen lariat as he came close to the upset! WALTER tried a sleeperhold, but instead just kicks off Starr’s head for a near-fall, before a powerbomb’s countered with a DDT. Somehow, Starr nails a Blackheart Buster for a near-fall, getting another two-count out of the Austrian, and my God, the Defiant crowd are actually making noise!
We’re back to the back-and-forth chops as WALTER antagonised Starr some more, prompting Starr to spit at him amid another fightback, which featured a Violence Party in the corner to a cowering WALTER… who responds with an almighty slap to the face. Starr’s attempt at a German suplex doesn’t work as he’s met with a huge lariat in response, before a rear naked choke would have led to a RINGKAMPF German… Starr avoids the suplex but gets caught in a Gojira clutch, before being dragged down to the mat as the referee stopped the match. Yep, this was just as good as the rest of their feud, and David Starr’s still left looking for his first fall over WALTER as we’re now into double-figures! ****¼
Easily the best match in the rebadged Defiant’s history!
After the match, Starr gets the microphone and told Steve Lynskey that he made a mistake as his foot was under the ropes when the match was stopped. Starr doesn’t seem too mad, and proposes a rematch at Road to No Regret in a no time limit, no rope break match. Don’t mind if I do – and even better, it’ll be free on YouTube!
Street Fight: Drake vs. Grado
Drake’s out with a table for, reasons. I don’t recall him being advertised for this show, so this is the clear definition of “buffer match”. His opponent here is Grado, just because, back after a year (his last appearance being in the World Cup’s Scottish qualifier show in March 2017. Yep, that feels a million years ago!)
Drake attacks Grado before ring bell dot mp3 sounds, taking him into the corner as commentary tells us that this happened based on a Twitter feud. It’s not like you’ve got a TV show to build up storylines, is it?
They head outside as Drake tries to clear the crowd, but Grado avoids getting thrown over the barriers as he instead… returned to the ring. A back body drop and a clothesline keeps Drake reeling, as do some Dusty punches, but the Bionic elbow misses as they head back outside for more walking and brawling. Grado throws a chop after ducking a punch, before dumping Drake crotch-first onto the guard railings, ahead of a rather leisurely lap of honour that led to another chop to Drake.
Grado grabs a chair from under the ring, then goes on the hunt for something else, eventually finding… a float-away football? The bin he brought out to the ring had some bowling pins and other plastic sports stuff – pins which Grado set up on the floor, only for Drake to bring him back inside, as he wanted no part of this prop comedy, instead opting to pull him down on the mat with a rear chinlock.
Grado snaps back with a chairshot to Drake, then another one, before he kicks the football into Drake’s midsection. It probably tickled. The badminton racket follows to the head, before an F5 into a stack of chairs almost put Drake away… prompting Drake to run to the hill. He’s stopped with a bin shot as they wandered backstage, quickly emerging with a crate mover. Yeah, Drake’s placed head-first on the board and is rolled down the ramp into those skittles from earlier. Back in the ring, Grado sets up a table, but he’s stopped by the unicorn version of Pepe from WCW as Drake comes back with a bin shot. Grado’s gently placed onto the pin as Drake tried to “ride the unicorn” onto him off the top rope… and of course he misses as the bin barely dents!
Another bin shot, this time from Grado, puts Drake into the corner for a cannonball for a near-fall, before the table’s brought back into play, with Drake being placed on it… only to hit Grado low as he teased a moonsault. A flying lungblower knocked Grado into the side of the table, and that’s your lot as Drake finally picks up the win. I liked the touch of Grado not wanting to use weapons in a street fight, but this was about as throwaway as you could get. **¼
After the match, commentary lost their mind as Drake put the table back under the ring. I guess they’re used to post-match assaults, not post-match clear-ups!
Magnificent Seven: El Ligero vs. Joe Hendry vs. No Fun Dunne vs. Rampage vs. Gabriel Kidd vs. Prince Ameen vs. Christopher Daniels
Think of the winner getting a “Money in the Bank” style briefcase, without having to climb a ladder for it… Christopher Daniels is out last as the big name in the match, out with his share of the ROH trios titles – not too far removed from when he was here a year ago as the ROH champion.
It’s an elimination match with tags, and we start with Gabriel Kidd almost schoolboying Ligero as Joe Hendry opted to commentate rather than wrestle. Perhaps he had a head start about 5* going under?
Kidd nonchalantly dumped Ligero with a Northern Lights suplex, before Ameen tagged in for a Hart Attack-like clothesline, before poking Dunne in the eye. Double-team hiptosses and elbow drops leave Dunne down, before Kidd got an easy pop by tagging in Daniels… who tagged him right back in after they repeated the spot. An Arabian press from Daniels follows to Dunne, but it seems the Fallen Angel wants Rampage – right as I’m begging for commentary to focus on the match. We already get that Joe Hendry is an insufferable so-and-so!
Rampage clubs away on Daniels as the pace slows down… Daniels gives some receipts after a low kick, but gets wiped out with a dropkick for a near-fall. Dunne returns, but he gets an STO for his troubles from Daniels, followed by a big shoulder block from Kidd as Joe Hendry seemed scared of any form of contact while on commentary. Kidd tries to fly, but he misses Dunne, who pulls him outside and into the path of a superkick from Ligero, before returning to the ring as Dunne wore him down some more, before he leapt into an uppercut from Kidd as both men were left laying.
Ligero tries his luck with Ameen, but eats a neckbreaker in the corner, before a Samoan drop to Dunne allowed Ameen to do his Magic Carpet ride… complete with mis-timed singing! The big splash is enough for Ameen to eliminate Dunne, prompting Daniels to congratulate Ameen with a handshake! Ameen tries to outfox Daniels with a test of strength, which gave way to dancing… hey, don’t tell 3CW that! They call back to Daniels’ past as Curry Man, for all those who remember the trailers on the Wrestling Channel, before Kidd returns with a waistlock facebuster on Daniels as the crowd seem to had knackered themselves with the Curry Man cheering.
Ligero is back with a slingshot Ace crusher to Daniels, but it doesn’t put away the Fallen Angel, nor does a suplex, or Ligero’s mocking before the pair clobbered each other with clotheslines. After clearing the apron of Kidd and Ameen, Ligero finds himself in trouble against Daniels, with a Blue Thunder Bomb almost eliminating the Mexican Sensation. The Angel’s Wings is backdropped out of, but Daniels hits a uranage and the Best Moonsault Ever… and that’s Ligero out!
Rampage comes in to trade blows with Daniels, before he’s low bridged to the outside. Ameen follows suit, before Kidd decides to dive onto the pair of them. Joe Hendry finally gets involved, shoving Daniels off the top rope as he tried to do a dive of his own, before rolling up the Fallen Angel for the cheap elimination. Hendry turns around into a peeved off Kidd and Ameen, who double-team like we saw earlier… until Kidd kicks Ameen low?! That’s the next pinfall, and I guess that’s a heel turn for Kidd, who finally remembered the whole servitude deal from last year.
Kidd keeps snapping as he lays into Rampage with boots and chops… they trade big boots before Kidd went for an O’Connor roll… and ended up taking a vicious powerslam and a piledriver! Kidd’s gone, and that’s left us with Hendry and Rampage! Hendry tries a quick schoolboy, then a Freak of Nature, but they’re both avoided as one more Rampage piledriver wins him the match – and the briefcase!
This match felt rather flat until the final stages – squeezing in six falls into 20 minutes was always going to feel rushed. Even more so when you’ve got an opening spell that established things like “Joe Hendry playing chicken” and “Ameen and Kidd working perhaps a little too well together”. Still, at least we got several outcomes here – Rampage winning the match, Kidd and Ameen in a feud with reversed roles, and the tease of Hendry/Daniels for down the line. ***
The show ends with Rampage taking the microphone to name his cash-in date – he’s demanding a shot at Austin Aries at No Regrets next month on iPPV.
Lights Out was a decent enough show, but the usual problems with Defiant continue to exist – mostly silent crowds (or at best, crowds that look disinterested), coupled with storylines that feel rushed. Defiant return to Newcastle for their next two shows – some TV tapings and next month’s No Regrets iPPV, which already has some direction… which is nice!