There’s another wrestling promotion on Tyneside, and for those who may be fed up of the big-spending promotion elsewhere in Newcastle, NORTH Wrestling provided an alternative.
July 30th, 2016 at the Riverside venue in Newcastle (formerly a fish market!), NORTH Wrestling made their debut with NCL.1: Brace Yourself. And it’s on YouTube now, for free.
After a brief introduction from the owner, we start with our first match, sadly with muted intro music because YouTube’s very sensitive to this stuff… Dunne is underwhelmed by Newcastle, and calls the Angel of the North “a little bit shit”. This heel stuff isn’t getting quite the loud responses he’d have hoped for, perhaps the Geordies have drunk a little too much already!
Damian Dunne vs. Liam Slater
Yeah, I should perhaps start by saying that this is totally NOT for under 18s. And Liam Slater (with his Liam Lazarus trunks) starts out by asking the fans if they want to see him kick (Dunne’s) C-word. Uh-huh… The crowd chant that word back at Damian, who shrugs it off and tells the crowd “yes you are.”
The referee has to warn Slater not to kick Dunne low, and we finally start with a wristlock from Dunne, which is easily reversed. Slater takes Dunne into the corner and sets him up for the Shattered Dreams, but the referee stand in front of Dunne… so Slater sets him up for it too! They untangle themselves, and we return to a test of strength tease, before they finally lock-up. A Fireman’s carry takeover gets Dunne an advantage, and he grabs a wristlock, before Slater stands up, but gets taken to the corner, and snapmared out.
Slater gets a schoolboy for a near-fall, then a backslide, before Dunne connects with an European uppercut. Some rope running follows, before a hiptoss gets Slater a two-count, before Dunne shoves off of a headlock, only to get taken down into a toe-hold. Slater again teases a low blow, then gets a shoulder tackle in.
Dunne fires back with some mounted punches, before shrugging off a headbutt from Slater to go for a kneedrop to the face, which gets a two-count. Some corner punches and chops keep Dunne on top, before Slater elbows out of a waistlock, and follows with a series of forearms.
A dropkick takes down Dunne, who then takes a back elbow in the corner, before Slater lands a spinning Vader bomb for a near-fall. Dunne turns a full nelson attempt into a roll-up, then gets a dropkick and a bridging German suplex for a two-count after landing on his own head! Slater avoids a springboard off the ropes from Dunne, before he throws down Dunne with a judo-style throw, and rolls him up for the win. Good opening match between two good hands – although I really could have lived without the C-word stuff! ***¼
The Sons of Ulaid – Bàs Bàn and Rory Coyle – storm the ring and attack Slater after the match. Bàn bear hugs Slater, and Coyle grabs a chain, but Slater’s saved by a mute… which means a music-led run-in from Dom Black! Who’s nicked Roy Johnson’s light-up shades gimmick! Dom’s looking for a fight, and he wants the masked Leatherface-like guy, so we have our second match!
Bàs Bàn vs. Dom Black
Bàn claps along with the crowd for some reason, and strong arms Black to the mat, before he gets taken into the corner with some punches. A shoulder block from Bàn knocks Black down, but he misses an elbow drop and takes some forearms in the corner. Bàn backdrops Black onto the apron, then gets caught as Black flipped back into the ring, only for Rory Coyle to stop him in his his tracks.
Bàn flattens Black with a clothesline, then mocks the crowd’s clapping, before elbowing Black in the head. A gutwrench suplex takes down Black, but Bàn doesn’t seem to look for a pinfall, instead opting to knee Black in the midsection some more. Bàn drops Black with a women’s style facebuster, but Black returns fire… only to have his crossbody caught and turned into a slam… for a one count.
Bàn picks up Black and drops him with a fallaway slam as the Newcastle crowd chant “Poundland Wyatt” at him. Black nearly shocks Bàn with a schoolboy for a two-count, before landing an elbow off the middle rope for another near-fall. More mocking clapping from Bàn sees him take Black into the corner for more clubbering, and then an avalanche splash, which is blocked. A second avalanche misses, and Black fires back with forearms, before a tiltawhirl headscissor knocks Bàn to the mat.
Black’s caught and dropped on the top rope, but he somehow comes back with a crossbody off the top, and for some reason, Rory Coyle runs in and shoulder tackles Black. Liam Slater runs in to attack both of the Sons of Ulaid, and I’m guessing this is being thrown out. Nope, Dom Black gets the win because of Coyle’s interference. Thank God, because Bàn wasn’t doing anything for me, and the “Poundland Wyatt” gimmick just felt out-dated. *½
After the match, Rory Coyle and Bàs Bàn continued to work over the fallen pair, as Coyle seemingly snapped Black’s wrist. Liam Slater grabs the mic afterwards and challenges them to a no-DQ tag match next time out.
Jack Gallagher vs. El Ligero
Hey! They didn’t mute Jack Gallagher’s Toreador music! One of WWE’s newest signees gets a good reaction, and his opponent is El Ligero. Because of course it is… NORTH Wrestling ticks the box and booked Ligero before the BritWres police come a-calling!
The pair shake hands, then Gallagher starts by taking Ligero down in an armbar, with the ropes forcing a break. Gallagher tries again with a wristlock, but Ligero reverses it, before Gallagher eventually undoes the reversal and takes the masked man to the mat. An armbar that turned into a pinning combination gets Gallagher a two count, before another wristlock takedown keeps the Gentleman on top.
Ligero gets some headscissors, but Gallagher just flips back and forth and flips up out of the headscissors and free. Ligero then takes down Gallagher with a headlock, and resists some attempted headscissors, but again Gallagher frees himself by walking backwards on his hands. Ligero blocks an Irish whip into the corner, then rolls up Gallagher for a near-fall, before an armdrag leads to an armbar, as the “Mexican Sensation” gets some offence in.
Gallagher’s dropped by a shoulder block, but he pulls off a crucifix pin for a near-fall, before a knuckle-lock leads to a couple of near-falls for both guys. We get the “confuse the referee” rolling pin spot for an endless number of one counts that gets the crowd going, and also dizzies both guys!
Gallagher gets whipped into the corner, but he headstands on the top rope, before leaping over Ligero’s attempt at a charge. Ligero replies by rolling into the ring and elbowing Gallagher in the midsection, before a dropkick earns him a two-count. A vertical suplex gets Ligero another two-count, before the pair stand up and trade forearms and uppercuts.
Ligero avoids a suplex, but falls into a rolling ankle lock from Gallagher, before grabbing the ropes to force a break. A back elbow in the corner rocks Gallagher, but he surprises Ligero with a roll-up that goes back and forth, before surprising him with an Ace crusher for a near-fall. Ligero comes close again with a La Magistral cradle, before a C4L attempt is blocked with a headbutt. Ligero staggers into the corner from that, then takes a corner dropkick as Gallagher picks up the win. Nothing flashy, but these guys worked well with each other – a definite cut above the prior match. ***½
Martin Kirby vs. Pete Dunne
Kirby gets a bunch of “you killed Ospreay” chants… that’s the other Newcastle group, lads! Dunne starts by grabbing Kirby’s wrist, and taking him to the mat, before Kirby kips up and reverses the hold. A hammerlock from Dunne takes Kirby down again, and this time the “Bruiserweight” adds in some joint manipulation to the wristlock, then rolls him back for a one-count.
They go for a test of strength, with Dunne bringing Kirby to his knees, and then hooked at the Yorkshireman’s nose. Dunne goes for a double armbar, but it gets reversed, before Dunne makes the ropes. Kirby’s grounded again with a headlock, before he grabs Dunne’s hair to roll back and get a near-fall. A cartwheel and some headscissors take down Dunne, before Kirby goes to the ropes for the Zoidberg Elbow! Dunne breaks it up by biting Kirby’s hand, but he still falls to a dropkick.
A lariat from Dunne takes Kirby down, and the pair go to the outside for some chops in the crowd. Kirby ducks one and sees Dunne chop the ringpost, but Dunne kicks him as he tried to return to the ring. More fish-hooking from Dunne keeps Kirby at bay, before the pair exchange slaps as Dunne wrenches the Yorkshireman’s arm for a two-count.
Dunne pulls apart the fingers of Kirby, then bit at his feet as he set up for a figure four leglock. More fish-hooking keeps Kirby down, before Dunne sets up for a STF, and then follows up by laying into Kirby with a forearm after a suplex attempt failed. Kirby reverses a suplex to get back into things, before a series of clotheslines keeps Dunne at bay.
A running shoulder tackle in the corner, followed by a Slingblade off the ropes gets Kirby a two-count, before Dunne kicks away a Sable bBomb attempt, only to fall to another neckbreaker for another near-fall. Dunne fires back with a sit-out powerbomb as he tried to end the match, before a Fireman’s carry into an uppercut got him another two-count.
Dunne snacked on Kirby’s fingers, before he stomped away on the mat, only to see his attempt at the Drop Dead pushed off, as Kirby countered with a pump kick. Dunne came back with an enziguiri, before getting one in return, as Kirby again went for the Sable Bomb, only to be pushed off and dropped with a snap German suplex. Undeterred, Kirby countered another Drop Dead into a tornado DDT, then tried for the Sable Bomb a third, time, but Dunne somehow knocked the referee away, giving him an opening for a low blow, then the Drop Dead for the win. This was exactly as good as you’d expect from these two, with further proof that Kirby really can go when you strip away the comedy stuff. ***½
The F*ckers (Chris Brookes & Tyler Bate) vs. The New Nation (Alex Henry & Jason Prime)
It’s really odd seeing Tyler Bate in a heel role. Perhaps that turn from Trent Seven has made him act funny? Jason Prime is better known elsewhere in Newcastle as Primate, but at least here he’s not going to be given the gimmick of the monster who sells way too much. Unfortunately, that leads to some cat-calls of “Primate”…
We start with Prime and Bate, eventually, and Bate gets taken into the corner early on. Another lock-up sees Bate taken to the corner, but he fights out and grounds Prime in a headlock, before a shoulder tackle barely moved the big man. They bounce back and forth with shoulder blocks like a human Newton’s cradle, at least until Bate kneed Prime in the stomach, only to get dropped with a shoulder tackle.
Chris Brookes ran in but got picked up by Prime and deadlifted into a German suplex, before Alex Henry tagged in and flattened the F*ckers with a cannonball off the apron. The New Nation combine to do a double hiptoss on Bate, before Prime pops-up Henry into a big splash on Bate for a near-fall. Bate tries for a cross body, but he’s caught, although Bate does fight out of a swinging side slam attempt.
Bate winds himself up, but misses a punch, and gets sent to his knees from a chop from Henry. Brookes trips Henry, which allows Bate to drop an elbow, and then the heels took over for a while. Brookes holds Henry in place for a slingshot splash from Bate, which gets a near-fall, before Brookes puts Henry in a camel clutch and forces him to eat some used chewing gum.
Bate tags back in and runs into Henry with a knee, then locks in an abdominal stretch in the middle of the ring, with some added nipple tweaking. That gets a “Fifty Shades” chant, bizarrely, before Brookes runs in to knock Prime off the apron and continue the heels’ advantage. Henry’s rolled up, but the referee doesn’t count a pin as Brookes had run back in to again knock Prime off the apron.
Henry finally fights out of the corner, and catches a crossbody off the top from Brookes, and dumps him with a swinging side slam. Prime finally gets the hot tag in, and he clears house on Bate and Brookes, throwing Bate with a T-bone suplex, before Brookes takes an overhead belly to belly.
The New Nation run corner-to-corner with avalanches on Bate and Brookes, before Henry takes out the pair of F*ckers with a crossbody off the top. Prime flattens Bate with some rolling German suplexes, before Bate avoids a flying Henry who inadvertently takes down his own man. Brookes and Bate kick Henry down for a near-fall as Prime makes a save, and Prime breaks up the pin again after a Bate brainbuster.
Bate rams Henry head-first into the turnbuckle with a Fireman’s carry, before he dropkicks Henry into a Dragon suplex from Brookes for a near-fall. Henry outsmarts the F*ckers, who get shoved into each other, before Prime returns for more rolling Germans on Bate, ending with a German suplex to both Brookes and Bate at the same time. That was impressive.
Brookes gets thrown out of the ring, as Prime focusses on Bate, but a pop-up into a dropkick by Henry sees Bate counter it by taking Henry down in an inverted figure four, whilst Brookes kept Prime at bay. Well, only briefly, as Prime broke up the hold, and then sent for the pop-up into a codebreaker for the win. Hey, isn’t that the Revival’s finish? Bate and Brookes worked pretty well as a team, and my word, Prime looked good here without the “monster who sells way too much” gimmick. ***
HT Drake vs. Liam Thomson
Drake gets to use his initials as he’s not being booked as a jobber here, whilst Liam Thomson – complete with glow-in-the-dark trunks – is a Scottish-based wrestler who’s wrestled most of his career in Scotland for the likes of ICW.
Thomson gets the mic, and decries the Newcastle crowd as “Geordie wankers”. Yep, definitely not adult-friendly! Drake gets the mic, and says that he was expecting a high-flyer instead of “this short-arse Jock” (Will Ospreay was booked for the main event, but pulled out on the day of the show with an injury), but he’s willing to kick his arse anyway.
We start with a tie-up as Drake takes Thomson into the corner, before Thomson replied with a wristlock. Drake reverses the hold and takes Thomson to the mat, but the Scotsman gets out and gets a hammerlock, before dropping a knee to Drake’s back and rolls him back for a near-fall.
From a test of strength, Thomson trips Drake to the mat, before he goes to work on HT with some clubbing forearms and another headlock. Some leapfrogs from Thomson only serve for him to end up in the path of a dropkick from Drake, as he makes a comeback with a suplex for a near-fall. Drake headstands on the top turnbuckle, then takes down Thomson with a springboard spinning heel kick off the top for another near-fall.
Drake misses a double axe-handle off the top rope, and then gets dumped across the top strand before Thomson dropkicks him into the crowd. The mixture of bad lighting and a mobile camera means we miss some of their crowd brawling, but we pick them up by the bar, where something happens, as Drake sprays a soda gun in Thomson’s face. The match becomes a radio show for a bit, as we see nothing but darkness, and I guess Thomson threw Drake’s head into a table, before the pair finally got back into the ring.
After kicking out at two, Drake found himself getting stomped in the corner, before a legdrop got Thomson a near-fall. Drake blocks a suplex, and takes Thomson down, only to be knocked down with a back elbow off the ropes for another two-count. A front facelock keeps Drake grounded, but Drake elbows free, before knocking Thomson down as the camera zoomed in just-too-much for us to see how.
Drake drops Thomson with a lariat, then a butterfly suplex to get a two-count, before he mounts the Scot and lands some punches. A slingshot hilo into the ring gets Drake another near-fall, before Thomson comes back with a Northern Lights suplex for a two-count of his own.
Thomson gets another two after a corner dropkick, before a backdrop suplex… only to miss a swandive headbutt off the top rope. Drake tries for a German suplex, but Thomson elbows free, only to take the German after being shoved into the ropes. Drake gets caught on the top turnbuckle, as Thompson lands some forearms and follows with a superplex.
Drake ducks down to avoid some leaping knees to the back, before shaking off a lungblower attempt, and then follows up with a Shining Wizard to the Scot. Second time was lucky as Drake climbed up, and hit the codebreaker off the middle rope for the win. A pretty decent match, but perhaps not fitting main event level, given the other guys on the card. ***
As a debut show, this was pretty good, especially after they’d had to deal with a last minute spanner in the works in the form of Will Ospreay’s withdrawal. The only down point for me was the entire Sons of Ulaid gimmick, especially Bàs Bàn, who did not seem to connect with the crowd, and that led to the worst match on the card. Apart from that, this was a card full of British wrestlers doing what they do best. Which is exactly what another north-east group had in their hands, before they decided to go and turn it into an old-fashioned “supershow” promotion…
Production-wise, there were issues, with the usual indy lighting problems (but hey, you’re not going to be able to get WWE-level production on the independent scene, and especially not on a debut show!), whilst there were audio problems, largely caused by YouTube being overly fussy with music copyrights. I’m sure these’ll be ironed out for the second show in November, and if you’re in the area… get yourself along!