According to Fight Club: PRO, Heaven is Manchester… or maybe I’m taking it literally? The promotion made their debut in the city to mark the end of their long October weekender with yet another fine show.
Their venue in Manchester, the city’s Metropolitan University, looks like a slightly-upgraded version of the Fixxion Warehouse, complete with a video screen. We have lost entrances here, which seems to be the new norm after the last few shows had them.
Chris Brookes vs. Fire Ant
Brookes started the match by antagonising a fan who’d been heckling him, then went to work by grounding the Ant and dropping a leg on his left arm. The antennae of Ant were used, to little effect, as Brookes’ headlock was shrugged off, sending the “Calamari Catch King” to the outside in search of a breather.
Brookes played a comedy spot as he ordered Ant to get back… so much so that the Ant ended up leaning out of the ring as far away as he could get, and then finally to the outside before Brookes slide back in and demanded a count-out. When they got going again, Ant hit a wheelbarrow into an armdrag, then countered an over-the-rope hiptoss into an armdrag as he kept Brookes at bay.
An octopus hold followed from the Ant, to the protestations of Chris “that’s my move” Brookes… which led to a headscissors takedown as Brookes went outside, before tripping the Ant up. They wandered through the crowd, without a mobile camera, which meant we just had a view of the referee watching on as Brookes rushed to the ring to try and take a count-out win. Fire Ant took almost all of the 20-count as he returned into an Indian deathlock from Brookes, who also tried for a pinfall or two during the hold.
More antennae grabbing came next, as Fire Ant’s mask was used to assist a snapmare, before Brookes used his feet to improvise a full nelson. A wet willie should have followed for the Ant… except he had no ear holes in his mask. Instead, Brookes went to a little black bag and pulled out a can of a spray pesticide, and rubbed it over Fire Ant’s mask. That’s logical comedy I can get behind, especially when Brookes immediately went to the corner to wash his hands free of the spray.
Fire Ant played dead – because of course he should – and I’m having to bite my tongue to keep watching this! For some reason, Brookes didn’t go for a cover at first, before finally getting a lateral press… but Fire Ant kicked out. Aah, that should have been the finish. Fire Ant hulked up, and unloaded on Brookes with repeated palm strikes in the corner, before connecting with a cross body and some Superman punches.
After initially missing, Fire Ant hit a PK for a near-fall, before reversing a brainbuster to get another two-count. A tiltawhirl DDT gets Ant a two-count, but Brookes snapped back with a superkick and a Michinku driver, only to see Ant counter the rope-assisted spinning neckbreaker into a small package. Brookes kicked out in time and quickly put a stop to the Ant with the double chicken wing for another quick tap-out. A fun opener that was absolute gold. Well done Chris Brookes for thinking of a novel way of killing the Fire Ant. ***½
Kimber Lee vs. Nixon Newell
This is the fourth time these two have wrestled in singles matches this year (five, if you count the triple threat at the start of this weekender), with the only win Kimber Lee holding being back in May when she retained her CHIKARA Grand Championship over Nixon in Wales. The other two have seen Nixon go over in underwhelming matches under the WCPW banner.
They started with wristlocks and reversals, before Kimber reached for the ropes to escape some grounded headscissors. Kimber works Nixon into a prawn hold for an early near-fall, before they go back to more basic fare with armdrags… leading to so many tumbles, that even Joel took a forward roll.
Kimber then lit into Nixon with chops and knee strikes for a near-fall, then comes close again from a hanging vertical suplex. Nixon returned fire with running forearms into the corner, before missing and recovering with an apron enziguiri and a crossbody for a near-fall. They resume with stiff, gunshot-sounding chops, before finally decking each other with simultaneous kicks.
More kicks follow was they try to chop away the others’ thighs, before Kimber took the lead with a litany of German suplexes for a near-fall. Newell finally gets a ‘rana in for a near-fall, but screwed herself as her cover from a Shining Wizard saw Newell’s own feet go out of the ring – breaking up her own pin.
Kimber capitalised with a kick for another two-count, but her top rope senton bomb misses, leaving her open for a Welsh Destroyer as Nixon picked up yet another W. Pretty good stuff from these two – the best of their run of matches that I’ve seen this year. ***¼
Dan Moloney vs. TK Cooper vs. Ethan Silver vs. Drew Parker
The lack of ring entrances confused this a little, save for the ring announcer’s confirmation of this being a four-way. TK Cooper’s best known for his work in PROGRESS; Ethan Silver’s wrestled mostly in and around the Midlands for groups such as the now-defunct VII Pro, whilst Drew Parker’s getting notoriety as “Extremely Confused Drew” in ATTACK! Pro these days.
Parker and Moloney started off together with a slightly skewy ‘rana, before Parker hit back with a dropkick as he ran into the path of a pop-up Samoan drop from a dungarees-less TK Cooper. Silver catches Cooper with an enziguiri and an inside-out dropkick in the ropes, before a springboard crossbody leads to a blocked tornado DDT.
Cooper follows up with a Boston crab on Silver, whilst Parker locked in a sleeper to Cooper… only for Dan Moloney’s missile dropkick to break the whole thing up. Moloney briefly fought off the threat of Parker and Silver – who tag as the YOLO Squad elsewhere in the UK – before falling to a springboard C4 from Silver… who then got flattened by a standing corkscrew splash from Cooper.
Parker then wiped out Cooper with a reverse ‘rana, before taking out the Cooper and Moloney with a somersault plancha to the outside. Silver added his body in with a step-up moonsault off the top rope to the floor – which he almost slipped in doing – and then did the same again with a moonsault press to Moloney in the ring. The action continued at a similar clip – usually in the vein of “big move, guy rolls out, someone else takes over”, before all four guys ran into each other with kicks to send everyone to the mat.
Cooper dropped Silver with an axe kick, before taking what I think was meant to be a Benadryller (fireman’s carry dropped into an up-kick) from Parker, who then sent Cooper flying with a facebuster off the top rope. Silver returned to land a tornado DDT and a Shiranui on Parker, before Silver ate a TKO onto Parker by Moloney. Another Fireman’s carry facebuster followed from Moloney, who then took out Cooper with a knee strike, before we got an innovative, if not drawn-out spot.
Instead of the standard Tower of Doom, we had Moloney powerbombing Drew Parker… who also gave Ethan Silver an Electric Chair drop in the process. I was half expecting that last one to have been a reverse ‘rana that’d have killed them! The last man standing, TK Cooper, then took a spinning sit-out powerbomb for the win as the Dan Moloney Show ended with him on top. A decent, action-packed four-way, but a lot of the high-risk stuff was fraught with slip ups that almost wrecked the match. **¼
Travis Banks vs. Shane Strickland
After losses to Joe Coffey and Fire Ant this weekend, Travis was hoping for at least a consolation victory… and indeed, his first Fight Club: PRO win here. Banks charged into Strickland at the start, before both men swung and missed with kicks. Strickland hit a pair of headscissor takedowns to take Banks into the corner, before the Kiwi pulled of a La Magistral cradle to get a near-fall as both men remained even. Banks catches Strickland’s handspring out of the corner and turns it into a German suplex for a near-fall, then corners Strickland with chops in the corner.
Strickland hit back with a leaping kick to the head for a near-fall, then an atomic drop-turned-backbreaker, before a tornado DDT was blocked and met with a shotgun dropkick from a resurging Banks… who then ran into an Ace crusher out of nowhere. They traded running forearms back and forth, until Banks superkicked Strickland out of a handstand and flew in with a knee for a near-fall.
Banks fought out of a suplex, then exchanged kicks with the Lucha Underground star, and finally knocked him down with a diving clothesline, only to run into a Spanish Fly for a near-fall. Strickland tried to go airborne, but took too long in getting up there, as Banks dropped him with a German superplex, then a cannonball dive and a brainbuster for – you guessed it – a near-fall.
Banks tried to end things with the roundhouse kick out of the corner, but instead had to make do with a superkick and an apron PK as Strickland rolled to the outside… where he then ate a low-pe towards the stage. Strickland then hit back with an apron death valley driver as he cut-off another attacking spell from Banks, before a double stomp off the top saw Strickland collect another two-count. The end didn’t come too much later though, as a half-nelson wheelbarrow driver ended up being enough to put away Banks in a match that was a lot less even than the Kiwi’s previous weekend outings. ***½
Mikey Whiplash vs. Trent Seven
They started as all good big guys should: by clobbering each other with clotheslines at the same time! Seven then took Whiplash to the outside with a back suplex, but the favour was quickly returned as Trent was dumped on the apron.
Trent turned the tables with a series of chops… but as usual, ended up chopping the ring post for another awesome sell, only to make the most of his surroundings and return to the ring for a tope. Back in the ring though, Whiplash headbutts Trent as he’s on the top turnbuckle, then followed up with a superplex, before the pair traded German suplexes back and forth for the fun of it.
So many Germans that were shrugged off, it was like these men were undead (and not just painted up like one). Eventually, Trent blocked and reversed a German suplex before going for his piledriver, only for Whiplash to fight back and down him with a rebound lariat. Trent recovered with a pair of cricket chops, then a third, ball-sweat covered cricket chop. A fourth one looked to be on its way with the aid of some arse sweat, but Whippy got his feet up, only to be pulled into the path of a lariat for another near-fall.
The match degenerated into another striking battle, as the pair traded ever-slowing slaps from their knees, before the game changed into Newton’s cradle-esque lariats and big boots. A discus lariat from Trent finally knocks Whiplash to the mat, but the painted one got back up as he threatened to superplex Seven to the floor… except Trent switched it around and dumped him with a piledriver off the middle rope for a near-fall.
More paintbrush-like slaps from Trent looked to weaken Whippy, but he blocked a pair of lariats and dumped Seven with a modified Blue Thunder driver and a pair of turnbuckle death valley drivers for just a one-count! One Gotch-style piledriver later… and Whiplash secured what had to go down as a surprise win. I tell you what, if Whiplash ever turns up in this form for a PROGRESS or the like, his detractors would soon disappear. A fantastic weekend’s work for Whippy… ***¾
The Hunter Brothers (Jim Hunter & Lee Hunter) vs. Orange Cassidy & Ashley Clementine
This was another match where snipping out the entrances badly hurt things… so this was originally an open challenge with the Hunters taking on a mystery team. Who we got was Orange Cassidy, someone best noted for his work in CHIKARA and previously Dragon Gate USA, and Ashley Clementine, who looked not too unlike a certain Kimber Lee. Cue speculation as to who Orange Cassidy is, given the other fly-ins for this show!
We’ve got the usual Hunter Brothers gear issue – and if they’ve changed from this, I apologise, but “Jim’s the one whose kneepads and boots touch”. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Orange Cassidy wrestle, and from what I recall, he seems to act quite like Festus did back in the day, at least in terms of being oblivious. Cassidy’s headlock to Lee Hunter was so lackadaisical, it annoyed him… particularly since Cassidy was asking for a submission from the world’s weakest headlock.
This was complete comedy: an Irish whip turned into slow-motion, with a slow crawl through under Lee’s legs, before a shoulder shrug. Cassidy asked if Lee could do better, so he did… a long run up on the ropes, and a leaping shoulder tackle. Lee then did the slow-mo stuff, before pushing down Cassidy for a near-fall, as both teams tagged out.
Ashley “Definitely Not Kimber Lee” Clementine took a shoulder tackle that knocked her sunglasses off, before log rolling over some rope running… until Jim Hunter offered some sage advice: “just cover her if she’s not going to get up!” Except that was a ruse, as she rolled him up for another near-fall before putting the sunglasses back on.
Cassidy and Clementine headed out into the crowd for a nap, looking to make full use of that twenty-count, before Lee Hunter leapt outside after holding up the count, and tried to drag their opponents back into the ring. With the help of fans. This… is ridiculous. Eventually their chilled out opponents were lifted back into the ring, where they hit the world’s slowest big splash for a near-fall. They followed up with the Orange Squeeze – the old Crush head vice – but the Hunters fought free, only to have their heads pushed into each other.
After working free, the Hunters worked over Clementine in the corner, before Jim’s slingshot senton into the ring led to no pinfall because – yet again – the referee held up a count because their legs were out of the ring. The Hunter swapped tags as they missed Kokeshi-like headbutts on Clementine, who then tagged in Cassidy for a comically ineffective comeback that barely registered on the Tipton boys.
Clementine tagged back in soon after for a more effective rush, ending with a pair of spears to the Hunters, and a Batista-like machine-gun pose. Sadly, she took a diving neckbreaker over the knees of Jim Hunter, which seemed to anger Orange, as he looked to get a double chokeslam… which didn’t work, as Ashley Clementine had to do it instead. Cassidy then called for a 630 (?!), before the unofficial orange twins just fell off the top rope onto the Hunters for a near-fall.
Sweet Chin Music came next, but that barely registered as the Hunters returned in kind, getting just a one-count out of it. Another pair of superkicks did the job though, as the Hunters collected the win. This was good comedy stuff, but for me it ran a little long as the joke was starting to wear out. **¼
Falls Count Anywhere for the Fight Club: PRO Championship: Clint Margera vs. Pete Dunne (c)
Oh my, this is going to be violent.
Dunne attacked Margera during the in-ring announcements, then took the microphone to decry being given a “death match wrestler” as an opponent. Margera flipped off Dunne, then dropped him with a rolling forearm as he was told he “didn’t deserve to be in the same ring” as him – and this is where it turned into a Falls Count Anywhere match.
Margera flew into Dunne with a somersault senton, as Dunne replied with an eye rake, and by throwing Margera into the seats – which for a change at a wrestling show, weren’t fold-up, or plastic. The tables turned as Margera hurled Dunne into a chair, before sitting him in one and throwing forearms in his direction… then himself in the form of a clothesline.
Dunne took Margera up to the stage and sat him in another chair, then ran a knee into him and the crowd barrier before going face-to-face with a fan. A Sharpshooter on the stage followed – because things always hurt more on a table or a stage in wrestling – before Dunne nibbled away at Clint’s fingers.
Eventually Dunne kicked Margera off the stage and leapt onto him with a double stomp for a near-fall, then with a front suplex onto the apron that saw Margera clip the ropes on his way down. Dunne tried to piledriver Margera on the apron, but it was blocked, before Clint drilled the champion with a forearm as he came charging at him.
A Cactus Jack-esque elbow came next for Clint, as the pair traded forearms in the middle of the ring, both whilst standing and seated. Margera made good use of that seat by giving Dunne a drop toe hold into it, but Peter quickly rebounded with a release suplex – right in the midst of a long, drawn-out “Peter” chant/drone. That chant/drone angered Dunne so much he started to go after the fans again, like a Brummie Scott Steiner!
In the ring again, Dunne sat Margera in a chair and kicked him off of it, as the catcalls continued in the form of “shit Jack Swagger” and “mum’s swimming costume” chants. Margera finally fought back on a distracted Dunne with forearms and a snapping tornado DDT, then a sliding lariat for a near-fall, before reversing a brainbuster from the champion. Clint even went up top for a senton bomb for a near-fall, but again Dunne came back with a version of the Go To Sleep and a sit-out powerbomb.
Another double stomp off the top gets Dunne a two-count, before be blocked a forearm from Margera and… bit it. That’s a new body part for him. Dunne washed his boot against Margera’s face for a spell, before the pair traded German suplexes – a battle that Margera won out, as he followed his up with a lariat and a death valley driver for another near-fall.
Margera then headed to the outside in search of some chairs, setting two up in the aisle… then decking Dunne with a forearm as he tried to land a plancha on the challenger. What followed next was an attempt to press slam Margera onto some chairs – but Dunne blocked it and landed a tombstone piledriver on the stage (which we had to see from far away thanks to the fixed camera).
Back in the ring, Margera caught Dunne up top and brought him back in with an avalanche death valley driver to get a two-count, as Chris Brookes ran out and pulled the referee out of the ring. Referee Shay Purser shoved Brookes away… and took a big boot for his troubles, before Margera’s dive wiped out Brookes. Margera returned to get kicked low, then eat the Drop Dead, just as Joel Allen ran out to count the near-fall.
More back-and-forth led to Dunne biting Joel’s fingers as he disputed the count… and this time Joel got his revenge by biting Pete. Brookes tried to end that with a pump kick, and he too took a punch from Joel, but in the middle of all this, Dunne slapped Margera in a rear naked choke for the submission. A decent main event – I’m not that thrilled on the overuse of referees getting involved in matches beyond the odd spot, but they had a good main event in spite of that. ***½
After the match, Dunne and Brookes beat down on Margera with one of the chair,s before Trent Seven made his way out to save Clint… except the Dunne and Brookes pairing overwhelmed him with some finger biting and a wet willie. As they continued their beatdown, some familiar music started to play over the sound system, and the fans knew who it was the second the music played: Jimmy Havoc hit the ring, made a beeline for Dunne, who then swiftly left the ring as Chris Brookes ate an Acid Rainmaker on his behalf.
Havoc picked up Dunne’s title belt – and there’s our next big feud: Peter vs. Jimmy for the title. Oh, 2017’s going to be great in this promotion!
There’s no way you can paint Fight Club: PRO’s October weekender as anything other than a success. Three red-hot shows in front of great crowds that lapped up everything on offer, including the continuation of Pete Dunne’s reign as champion, and the continued search for a Travis Banks win.
FC:P have had a really good second half of 2016, and have emerged as one of the promotions to watch in what’s become affectionately known as the “undergraps” – promotions that are distinctively low-budget, without feeling cheap. If the wrestlers on offer, and the “underground” feel is your kind of thing, jump on board – it’ll be a hell of a ride!