We’re going back to October for the first of three nights from Fight Club: PRO – with the opening half of their Pulp Fixxion double-header.
If those maths look a little off, don’t worry – FC:P held two shows at the Fixxion Warehouse in Wolverhampton before making the trip to Manchester to complete a long weekend with some familiar international faces.
Chris Brookes vs. Shane Strickland
A decent, evenly-fought opener here, with Strickland and Brookes working over the arm and wrists early. Strickland busted out some impressive stuff, including a handstand into a ‘rana and a backslide that turned into a Gory special.
From there, Strickland used quite a few chops to wear down Brookes, but had no answer to a grounded Octopus and a wet willie from Tipton’s most hated… except for more chops. That opening saw Strickland hit a back suplex into a back cracker for a near-fall, before a missed 450 splash spelled the beginning of the end. Brookes blasted him with a big boot, then a rope-assisted swinging neckbreaker for a near-fall, before getting an instant submission from a double chickenwing. ***
Kimber Lee vs. Kay Lee Ray vs. Nixon Newell
A really good, but fairly short, three-way with some fun spots here… Nixon was targetted by Kay Lee and Kimber in the early going, before the trio worked into what I can only describe as an endless chain of headlocks, complete with swaps.
Ray bit herself free, before Kay Lee and Kimber failed to hit a double-team German on Newell, who took the upper hand with an Octopus submission on Kimber Lee. They worked one of those “accidental move” spots as Kimber took a DDT from Kay Lee as Nixon hit a neckbreaker on the Scotswoman.
We got a parade of reverse ‘ranas as all three women hit one, before we entered the finishing straight: Kimber Lee kicked out of Kay Lee Ray’s Gory Bomb, before Nixon Newell’s attempt at a Welsh Destroyer was backdropped out of. With Nixon down, Kimber Lee ran in and blasted Kay Lee with a pop-up powerbomb, folding her in half for the pin. Really good for the time they had, but I’d have liked to see this go longer. ***¾
Dan Moloney vs. Fire Ant
Ant and Moloney started with a tie-up at the bell, before Moloney threw him across the ring with a Biel throw. The crowd quickly turned on Moloney for his Roderick Strong-inspired choice of footwear, unloading on him with a barrage of chants aimed at his small boots.
Moloney hoisted Ant off the mat into a headlock from there, enraged by the mocking chants, but found himself unable to shake off the Ant, who blocked a chop and replied with one of his own, before some headscissors took Dan to the outside. Ant’s plancha was caught, but he worked free and shoved Moloney into the ring post, before going for another dive… only to be met with a Pounce-like shoulder tackle by Moloney.
Dan tried to rip off Fire Ant’s mask, then instead tried to rip off the antennae on his mask, before choking the masked man in the ropes. Moloney stayed on top of the Ant, whipping him into the turnbuckles, then wrenching back with a single-leg crab. Ant grabbed the rope to break free, and eventually fired back with leaping forearms off the ropes and dropkicks, then with chops and forearms.
Moloney thought he’d blocked a suplex, but managed to take down Ant with a fireman’s carry facebuster and a running boot to the head… only getting a near-fall out of it though. Ant bounced back as Moloney was distracted by the crowd again, but a superplex was blocked, only for Ant to reply with a step-up enziguiri in the corner, then a super ’rana.
Fire Ant almost won it with a fisherman’s buster, but Moloney grabbed the rope just in the nick of time, only to be taken down with some tiltawhirl headscissors, before Ant flew to the outside with a somersault plancha. Back inside, Ant went up top once more, but Moloney caught a flying ‘rana and turned it into a match-winning powerbomb to end an impressive outing. ***½
Travis Banks vs. Joe Coffey
A cagey opening from these two before Coffey took Banks into the corner with a tie-up and a clean break. After another tie-up, Coffey charged down Banks with a shoulder tackle, before this turned into more of a fight as the pair traded forearms and chops between each other.
Banks picked up a near-fall after a roll-up from a springboard DDT, but Coffey quickly replied with a shoulder tackle, then a Giant Swing whilst holding Banks in a double underhook. Coffey followed up with a butterfly suplex for a near-fall, before laying into the Kiwi in the corner with uppercuts and stomps, only for Banks to retaliate with a thrust kick after leaping over Coffey.
Another Giant Swing variation followed, this time from a wheelbarrow position, before Coffey picked up a two-count from a wheelbarrow facebuster. More chops fired up Banks, as they again traded shots, but it was an uppercut from the Scotsman that ended that particular flurry. Again, Banks hit back with a shotgun dropkick to take Coffey into the corner, where he then absorbed several running uppercuts before Coffey leapt up the turnbuckles and picked up another two-count off of a crossbody.
A reverse leg sweep knocked Coffey again as the match started to get more tit-for-tat, before Banks hit a diving knee for a near-fall. Another superkick followed from Banks as he countered a suplex, before landing a suplex of his own to send Coffey rolling to the outside for cover… and you know what comes next. Tope! Well, not quite, as Coffey walked away and ended up eating a PK off the apron instead.
On the floor, Coffey landed a pop-up uppercut, before throwing Banks back inside. Silly bugger, that just meant he took the tope he was meant to get earlier. A Coast to Coast followed as Banks leapt back into the ring, getting another two-count as he almost won it, but Coffey instantly hit back with a bridging German suplex for a near-fall.
Banks kicked away a Black Coffey lariat and flew in with a knee strike for another near-fall, then hit his roundhouse kick out of the corner… for just a one count! Again, Coffey rolled to the floor as Banks continued his hunt for his first FC:P win, but another uppercut from Coffey cut off another dive. Coffey then brought Banks in the hard way with a deadlift superplex off the apron, before finally hitting the Black Coffey for the win. A thrilling bout, as the subtle story of Travis Banks’ fighting-in-vain continued on. ***¾
That’s how you do losing streaks – by having hard-fought matches and not batting people around the head with the statistic!
No Disqualification: Clint Margera & Trent Seven vs. Pete Dunne & Mikey Whiplash
Margera got the match off to a hot start with a somersault senton to Dunne and Whiplash, as the match officially started on the floor, with Margera and Whiplash pairing off, whilst Dunne and Seven fought as well.
The fixed camera caught Pete Dunne being thrown onto the ring apron as the tag-champs-in-another-promotion battled… before Dunne went after one lone fan who used a very bad swear on him. That’s the danger of these intimate shows! Seven chopped Dunne, who eventually ducked and led to Trent hitting the ring post. We missed something with Pete and Trent as the cameras focussed on Whiplash getting whipped into an entire row of chairs sideways-on.
All four men exchanged forearms in front of the ring, before deciding to do it with a bit more comfort… by sitting down! The match resembled a bar fight for a while, before Trent and Clint took their chairs in the ring and went flying… only to be met with flying chairs from Pete and Mikey. A spike DDT from the apron to the floor laid out Seven as Dunne and Whiplash went to work on the prone Margera, kicking and stomping away on a man who Whippy eloquently labelled “a piece of shit”
The crowd warned the heels “Trent is gonna kill you” as they continued to wear down Margera, who did try and fight back, only to be pulled off of the top rope and into the path of a Pete Dunne forearm. Trent finally came in and laid out Pete and Mikey with chops, but he ended up posing to the crowd and turned around into a pair of forearm strikes.
Seven recovered and dropped Dunne on top of Whiplash, before outsmarting the heels as they found themselves unable to make their man advantage count. Whiplash and Seven went up top for a superplex, sending some fans on the floor scurrying, but they’d needn’t have worried as Pete ended up saving Whippy from a piledriver, before the heels combined for a Doomsday Device Uppercut to Trent.
Usefully, Clint Margera rolled back into the ring and started throwing chairs around, punching one into Whiplash, before using a drop toe hold to drop Dunne through a chair. A tornado DDT off the middle rope sees Dunne land on a chair, whilst also affecting Margera, who walked into a powerbomb from Whiplash for a near-fall. Dunne returns with a release suplex to Seven and a moonsault… but Trent gets the knees up, only to see a cricket chop blocked by the teeth of Pete.
A four-way pump kick knocks everyone down, as they trade forearms and lariats until Seven decks Dunne with a lariat, then a piledriver for a near-fall – thanks to a save from Whippy. Seven counters another piledriver from Whiplash, only to get taken to the corner for another superplex attempt, which actually worked this time.
Seven no-sold it, and popped back up, only for Whiplash to pick him up in a Fireman’s carry, as Seven and Dunne took simultaneous death valley drivers. Margera, fresh off of dropping Dunne, looked to give a second to Whiplash, but it’s countered and Whiplash sent Margera into the turnbuckles with another death valley driver. Clint kicked out, which was the cue for the heels to break out the steel chairs and smash him with them.
Margera fired up again, which drew the heels into hitting each other with a Conchairto, before Seven dumped Whiplash with a German suplex, then a piledriver as Dunne stood on watching… then did absolutely nothing as Whiplash took the fall. A fantastically violent main event, but Peter left with the belt, and the last laugh… ***¾
Another solid show from Fight Club: PRO – it did threaten to start off slowly, but it roared into life with the final three matches in particular delivering. For £4, this is among the best wrestling you can get, and if you’re not able to make it to Wolverhampton to see this group… then at least grab their shows via their Vimeo store – they are highly recommended!