OTT brought another stacked card – and a storming main event – as they marked their fourth anniversary in style with Will Ospreay trying to unseat WALTER.
We open with the customary terrific video package, chartering the four years of OTT – including their debut live stream on (redacted/FloSlam), Jordan Devlin’s title win, his eventual defeat to WALTER and other bright spots. Oh, and the Tetanus Steel Cage from Homecoming earlier this year. There’s a rather muted reaction as Aonghus Og McAnally and Don Marnell hit the ring… with this perhaps being Don’s final outing at the National Stadium for OTT. You know the score here… onto the action!
OTT Gender Neutral Championship: Paddy M vs. Raven Creed vs. Gino Gambino vs. Rocky Romero vs. LJ Cleary (c)
This opener was the first of two chances for Raven Creed to win gold this weekend, as she’d be in the OTT Women’s title match at Defiant 2 the next day.
It was a big challenge for LJ, who was facing a mixture of international and home-grown talent… and of course, he goes for the big one. Gambino kills him with a lariat as LJ rolled outside for cover, but we quickly end up with some dives as Rocky hits a tope… Paddy a moonsault from the top rope… LJ a tope con giro… and then the big guy comes in! The former Mr. Juicy ends up getting stopped by a forearm and a headbutt from Creed, before the revolving door format broke out back in the ring.
Rocky’s got Forever lariats for everyone, but Gambino avoids a Sliced Bread only to take a shotgun dropkick from Creed as the Parade of Moves broke out. Paddy M gets a bucklebomb and a springboard enziguiri as he tried for a rebound lariat… but Gambino’s back with a Raven Creed-knee assisted German suplex on LJ. Creed’s quickly spiked with a piledriver, before she’s back to help with a Tower of Doom… headbutting Gambino ahead of a goddamned superplex. There’s a monstrous spinning TKO from Paddy M to Raven, before he focused on Gambino with a senton bomb… only for LJ to catch him on landing to cradle him for the win. A pretty throwaway opener, but with plenty of action as LJ lives another day. **¾
OTT Tag Team Championship: More Than Hype (Darren Kearney & Nathan Martin) vs. Kings Of The North (Bonesaw & Damien Corvin) (c)
The Kings turned bad again on the OTT FAN show at the end of September, taking exception to the fans cheering anyone over them. They had a point…
Nathan Martin was hobbling out, selling the attack from FAN. Perhaps they can have LJ do double duty if he’s got a bum knee? Meanwhile, Bonesaw and Corvin came out dressed like Freddie Kruger for their “Mania entrance”, having presumably slain someone on stage beforehand. More Than Hype jumped the champions before the bell and looked to win instantly with duelling frog splashes… but the Kings kicked out as Kearney followed them outside with a tope while Nathan Martin was the proverbial one-legged man in an arse kicking contest. They brawl around the National Stadium, which distracts the referee as Corvin’s able to take a chair to Martin’s knee… and it’s now effectively a handicap match for poor Kearney.
The Kings obliterate Kearney for a while, with a big boot and a back senton getting Bonesaw a near-fall as it looked to be elementary – especially since Kearney was offering little resistance. He was able to get free… but Martin’s still on the floor as nobody’s around to tag out to… meaning that Bonesaw makes light work of Kearney with a swinging side slam that gets Corvin a near-fall. Yep, this really was “show off our arsenal” time for the Kings, who seemed to be agitated by the crowd’s mere existence. An errant big boot from Corvin knocks Bonesaw off the apron, but Nathan Martin’s barely pulling himself up to the apron… and perhaps unwisely, he’s tagged in. Even more the underdog, Martin manages to clothesline Corvin before he flipped out of a German suplex from Bonesaw as “Psycho Nathan” was managing to perhaps ignore the knee.
A Shibata-ish dropkick in the corner works… but aggravates the knee some more, and then again as he leaped off the top rope to Corvin below as Don Marnell let out an anguished “what you doing?!”. The dives continue as Corvin almost lands head first from a tope, before Kearney’s cannonball to the floor took out everyone… including his own man. Back in the ring, Kearney unleashes with kicks to Corvin ahead of a Blue Thunder Bomb… but he’s not legal. Bonesaw dispatches him with a swinging side backbreaker and a German suplex, before Martin returned into the fire as he ate a sit-out front suplex from the K-Kwik loving Corvin. An F5’s countered into a DDT by Martin though, before a brainbuster drew a two-count while doing more damage to the knee.
After the knee buckled again, Martin’s caught in a wheelbarrow lungblower, then a Deep Six as the Kings of the North picked apart the proverbial bones like vultures… but Martin’s still got fight in him! Darren Kearney comes in to help out as Bonesaw took a slam/neckbreaker combo, but Corvin makes the save before a kick-assisted flapjack put the Kings back on track. Nathan Martin dives into make the save, but again his knee gives way. A superkick-assisted Praying Mantis Bomb almost got Kearney the win, as somehow More Than Hype were ahead in this almost-a-handicap match. In the end though, we go back to Bonesaw and Martin clubbering each other with lariats before Kearney caught Bonesaw in a single-leg crab… but a dive from Martin looked to reinjure himself again, allowing Corvin to sneak in with the title belt as the referee checked on him. One beltshot later, and the Kings somehow escape with their gold. Maybe not much of a match, but this was a hell of a performance from Nathan Martin – playing the plucky babyface in peril to a tee. Yeah, you might nitpick the whole “you did some stuff with a bum knee”, but for someone with his experience, this was a career-boosting performance for Martin – along with Kearney too. ***½
Michael May & Satoshi Kojima vs. Hirooki Goto & Sean Guinness
Spot the odd one out… it’s a real show of faith in Michael May, who was thrust into action alongside two of New Japan’s best. Oh, and alongside some of Don Marnell’s worst puns…
We started with Goto and Kojima locking up as chops made sure this wasn’t going to be a slow and steady opening. Goto takes it to the mat with a chinlock that ends in the ropes, as the pair then go on to exchange headlocks ahead of the eventual tags out. Guinness and May are in next, with Guinness keeping it grounded with a hammerlock… but May headscissors his way free. Those two can’t find a way ahead, but they persist as a pacey sequence ends with May countering a monkey flip before Guinness just stands on his face. Chops follow as May gets decked, before Goto comes in to put some more boots in and join the chop party. May’s kept isolated as Kojima’s left as a bystander as his partner gets himself deeper into trouble.
May finally hits back with a hiptoss, before bringing an amped-up Kojima into play… and Kojima’s right in with the machine gun chops to Goto in the corner as the National Stadium roared their approval! The top rope elbow follows for a near-fall, as the pair trade chops while the crowd chants for bread. Kojima slips out of an ushigoroshi and returns fire with a cutter, only for his lariat to get caught and turned into the ushigoroshi. May and Guinness tag back in from there, with Guinness countering a sunset flip with a low dropkick as he then headed to the top rope… and had to cartwheel away from a charging May. A Flatliner takes May back into the corner, with a missile dropkick to the back of the head almost ending things, as Guinness thought he’d won out… but May’s right back with a sit-out powerbomb before we’re back to the chops.
A dropkick from May takes Guinness outside, but a spot of cat skinning turns it around as Goto tags back in as the pair combined well to nearly end things. Kojima makes a save as he slams everything in sight, allowing May to capitalised with a missile dropkick off the top, before a Dragon suplex almost put away Goto. Even more chops follow before May’s caught with an ushigoroshi, then a GYR for a near-fall… and with Guinness wiping out Kojima on the outside, the GTR is more than enough to get the win. Solid enough, but this felt like two separate matches than a tag match, as the Goto/Kojima and May/Guinness interactions stood head and shoulders above the rest. ***
Post-match, May presents Kojima with a slice of bread. He was delighted – and hungry!
Mark Davis vs. Scotty Davis
Dunkzilla turned heel a few shows ago, having gotten fed up with Club Tropicana… so he’s an entirely different proposition against local favourite Scotty Davis. Yeah, I’ll be referring to these guys by their forenames here…
Scotty tries to throw some kicks early as he looked for a way around the size difference. A headlock looked to be the answer, as Mark’s bid to escape ended up taking him to the mat… before Dunkzilla got free and started throwing his weight around. There’s a stiff chop that puts Scotty into the corner, before the Irishman retaliated with an overhead kick that took Mark outside.
Mark drags Scotty outside and slams him onto the apron, before the pair brawled through the crowd. Wait, that implies it was even… Mark just leathered him with chops and kicks as he showed utter disdain for the youngster. Chop/clothesline combos pin Scotty into the corner, but there’s a fightback and some left hands as Scotty tried to knock the Aussie down… before he ran into a clubbering lariat. A stalling suplex sees Dunkzilla continue to toy with his prey, but Scotty manages to use his feet to give him a chance… before he shrugs off a bad landing on a moonsault and leaps back into Mark with a DDT. Dunkzilla rolls outside, which puts him into harms’ way as a Sasuke special connects, before he returned to the ring to try and land a sunset flip. Mark pulls him up, before eating several knees to the face ahead of a double armbar that quickly ends in the ropes.
Mark’s back with a whoopee cushion out of the corner, before the Alphamare Waterslide led to another bad landing for a near-fall. The sliding punch cracks Scotty in the corner, before a ‘rana proves to be an effective counter to the pull up piledriver as Scotty nearly stole the win with a deadlift German suplex. Scotty looked to go for the armbar… and gets it after he counters out of another pull-up piledriver. He clings on as Mark tried to powerbomb out, then transitions it into the double armbar as Mark was forced to give up. Scotty overcame the monster – showing that he has a gameplan to get past much bigger opponents without having to rely too much on trickery. Add Scotty Davis to the list of future stars – if his career’s handled well! ***½
Post-match, Mark Davis attacked Scotty on the stage, blindsiding him and leaving Scotty laying.
New Nasties (Justy, Liam Royal & Sammy D) vs. Jimmy Havoc & Angel Cruzers (Angel Cruz & B. Cool)
Justy was back in action here as part of the “New Nasties” – with Liam Royal being the new addition to the group. B Cool’s team had their own mystery man, but first we had the traditional Angel Cruzers entrance video that caught folks unaware, as “Mo McAnally” threatened again to blow up the National Stadium.
The Angel Cruzer’s mystery partner then? A certain Jimmy Havoc… which fits in well with the hardcore stuff these two tend to get up to at the National Stadium.
Justy’s targeted early as the crowd already chanted “this is awesome”… but he’s pulled out by his partners as the brainbuster was avoided. Not to worry, Angel Cruz lands a tope con giro that just about catches the Nasties… B Cool almost spikes himself with a moonsault off the apron… and Jimmy… heads to the back for some plunder.
The weaponry’s put to good use, including a cream pie that Angel Cruz throws into Sammy D’s face (and poor Linus at ringside, who was caught in the backlash of it all) while Havoc just decide to dish out paper cuts for fun. With an abundance of weapons, it mean that the Nasties were able to get hold of them as well, but Jimmy seemed to be more proficient with them… at least until Liam Royal deflected a chair back at him as the pace slowed down somewhat.
Havoc’s bounced off of a chair with a sidewalk slam by Royal, getting a near-fall before Royal went to work on B Cool with a big boot. They’re definitely trying to establish Liam, but the money in this is definitely between Cool and Justy – with the other combinations being very much “eh”, as witnessed by the crowd falling silent as B Cool was triple-teamed. A low bridge from Havoc clears the ring as Angel Cruz comes in against Royal, threatening to go Old School, only to get thrown aside.
Royal goes for a chokeslam on Cruz, but it’s countered into a tornado DDT before Sammy D snuck in. Justy tries it too, but he’s just got a bin thrown on him as Jimmy Havoc stacks up the Nasties in the corner as Cruz hits a diagonal Coast to Coast! We’re back to the plunder as Havoc catches Sammy with a rolling death valley driver in the ring for a near-fall, before he goes under the ring for a bag full of drawing pins.
Sammy D’s ed to B Cool for a brainbuster in the tacks, but Royal makes a save… as does Havoc before Justy hits the Trent Seven crossbody off the top and into the tacks. Ow. The tacks stay in play as Havoc takes a spinebuster into them, before Royal tries a powerbomb on Cruz… almost losing him before Team Prick make the save and help out with a Cerberus powerbomb as Liam took the tacks. A double clothesline completes the tack-age as Sammy and B sent each other into the pins. Things break down a little as Havoc catches Justy up top, with Angel looking to join Jimmy for a superplex, but instead B Cool clears it away as he gets his just deserts on Justy, landing an avalanche brainbuster into the remaining tacks as Justy rolls to the outside.
They end up on the stage as Angel Cruz heads to the back for… light tubes?! Angel and Havoc commander the tubes, but Justy ducks as Jimmy takes the brunt of the shot, and things go south from there as Angel runs towards Justy, using a Kendo stick and some more of those tacks as an angry Havoc stalks back to the ring. He goes for Angel with a Rainmaker into the tacks, before he watches as Justy takes the pin from a simple superkick by Sammy D on B Cool. That was a really, really flat finish – I get the Havoc turn, but this whole match just underwhelmed. The money was in Justy vs. B Cool – but it seemed that that was not where they wanted to go just yet. **
Post-match, Havoc feeds Angel Cruz some thumbtacks and punches them out of this mouth as the brawl continued, leading to them going back on stage as Havoc got revenge by smashing the other light tube on Cruz. Something tells me that Jimmy’s not going to let it lie here…
KUSHIDA vs. Tomohiro Ishii
A cross-division match here, with the newly-crowned IWGP junior champion KUSHIDA taking on the Stone Pitbull in a contest that’ll be interesting on so many different levels.
Rocky Romero joined on commentary for this match, just because!
Ishii tried to swing early on for a chop, but KUSHIDA’s able to avoid him as the pair went for their big shots early. Problem was, Ishii was able to use his size difference early… something he gleefully put to use when KUSHIDA poked the proverbial bear with forearms. Those shots barely registered, but Ishii’s receipt did. A hiptoss and a cartwheel dropkick just angered the Stone Pitbull, who began throwing bombs. Dropkicks finally take Ishii outside, but he’s quickly back to snuff out a dive while KUSHIDA… still tried to throw chops. It ends as badly as you’d expect for him. The pair end up in the crowd, with KUSHIDA trying anything he can to get away from Ishii… who eventually rolled back to the ring to avoid being counted out.
KUSHIDA made it back to the ring, where he still tries to chop away at Ishii… and gets a headbutt for good measure. Referee Niall Fox tries to separate the two, and nearly pays for it, before Ishii took KUSHIDA up top… but the superplex doesn’t come off as KUSHIDA caught him with an armbar that turned into a leaping version of the Downward Spiral. A cartwheel kick and a tope con giro keeps KUSHIDA in the hunt, before a crossbody off the top almost led to the finish. A mounted Hoverboard Lock’s attempted, but Ishii’s able to use his size to suplex away from it, before he cornered KUSHIDA with chops and forearms. There’s a shoulder tackle too, as Ishii pounces on the junior heavyweight champion, ahead of a delayed superplex that somehow only got a near-fall. Next up was a powerbomb that straight up turned into a head drop… Ishii tries again as KUSHIDA fought free, following in with a DDT and a cross armbreaker, but Ishii’s still too strong.
CHOP! After lifting free, there’s plenty of those from Big Tom while KUSHIDA keeps up on the other arm. Ishii misses an enziguiri but has no trouble with a headbutt, only for KUSHIDA to punch him out cold! Stomps are next as KUSHIDA tried to put Ishii down, following in with a Hoverboard lock before he tried to roll through for Back to the Future. Ishii thought he’d countered, but he ends up popping back up from a DDT as KUSHIDA re-applied the Hoverboard Lock… which gets turned into a German suplex. There’s yet more fighting spirit as KUSHIDA’s back up to kick away Ishii’s arm… but then he runs into a lariat and a monstrous powerbomb that’s somehow kicked out of. A sliding lariat gets a similar result, before KUSHIDA countered a brainbuster into a slippery crucifix as he was trying every which way to force a decision. Another headbutt snuffs out KUSHIDA’s fire, and it’s not long before the sheer drop brainbuster get Ishii the win. Good stuff, with KUSHIDA always being in the fight… but in the end, the “good big guy” was always going to beat the “great little guy”, as it were. ***¾
Bandido, Flamita & Shane Strickland vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL, SANADA & Tetsuya Naito)
Yes, OTT used “Tequila!” as the theme music for Bandido and Flamita, which… was certainly a visual. On paper, this was very much a Rev Pro-esque “dream match”, complete with the hot crowd and Tetsuya Naito in his “big match” Saturday Naito Fever outfit.
Bandido and T-Shirt Naito start us off, going straight into the ropes before Naito found some good aim, spitting through Bandido’s mask. That earned him some triple teaming as Strickland, Bandido and Flamita flowed seamlessly together, with a Muta lock/low dropkick combo laying out Naito as the lucha trio had the crowd on their feet. LIJ turn it around with their usual shenanigans, as we headed into some crowd brawling, complete with Mary Poppins Naito booting Flamita while… holding an umbrella? Back in the ring, Naito unmasks Flamita, before SANADA tied him in a Paradise Lock as Rocky Romero experienced PTSD flashbacks on commentary. I guarantee he had no fecking clue what the Bishop Brennan reference was, as Flamita took a second Paradise Lock as the crowd bayed for it.
Flamita manages to break into a stride, catching EVIL with a 619 and a missile dropkick before Shane Strickland tagged into the proverbial Lion’s Den. He manages to overcome that and make Naito stun EVIL, before he put the boots to SANADA and take him out with a cutter as Bandido tagged in and backflipped out of a lariat. Niall Fox has lost control as Flamita and Bandido double-team EVIL, scoring a wheelbarrow-assisted moonsault for a two-count on EVIL, before Bandito hit the assisted standing Phoenix splash ahead of a Swerve stomp for another near-fall. Good Lord, these guys are silky smooth. With some accidental referee assistance, LIJ get back in it as Strickland’s dumped with Everything is EVIL… before Flamita takes Destino and Bandido a Skull End for the quick submission. This was a pretty solid trios match that didn’t outstay its welcome. The crowd got everything they wanted – particularly from the LIJ end of it, as Naito left the match with Flamita’s mask for… reasons. ***½
Timothy Thatcher vs. Minoru Suzuki
Billed in the pre-show video as Sadist vs. Sadist… this is going to be real good if you’re into two blokes knocking the crap out of each other.
Suzuki manages to scare the crowd into turning their Thatcher chants his way, before we have a tentative opening as the pair looked to grab a body part. A chinbar from Thatcher seemed to spark a gurning contest more than anything else, as Suzuki grabs a finger to get free, only to get caught in a bow-and-arrow hold as Suzuki again grabbed a body part to get free.
Thatcher grabs a leg and tries to roll Suzuki into a half crab, but he instead smothers him on the mat as Suzuki looked for a heel hook. A simple hammerlock gets Suzuki free as the tactical graps continued, with Thatcher having to scramble away as Suzuki looked for the Gotch piledriver really early on. Thatcher returns to the ring, but gets caught in a hanging armbar in the ropes, before he’s thrown into the ring post as Suzuki extricated some fans from their seats… then distracted the referee so he could use a chair on Thatcher.
They return to the ring as Suzuki goes back to the Key lock, before Thatcher’s forced to try and defend himself from the bottom, throwing some Ali-like kicks at Suzuki before a stuffed takedown ended with him in more trouble. Eventually Thatcher gets free and scores with a RINGKAMPF belly-to-belly off the ropes for a near-fall, as it’s time for some palm strikes and a cross armbar, the latter of which Suzuki blocks with all his might, before he’s forced to scurry into the ropes for freedom. Suzuki turns it right back around with a snapmare and a PK for a near-fall, as the armbar returned, complete with more wrist contortion that forces Thatcher into the ropes. The fightback resumes with Thatcher throwing an uppercut that Suzuki laughs off, as we traded uppercuts and chops that rang around the National Stadium. They raise the tempo during the exchange, but Suzuki’s the first to buckle… only to return with some clonking elbows to the jaw of Thatcher. Oof.
Those elbows knock Thatcher down to the mat, motionless, and he’s in for more when he’s brought back to his feet as Suzuki used him as a human punching bag. One that retaliates with an enziguiri and a Fujiwara armbar, but Suzuki’s able to make it to the ropes as he looked for the Gotch piledriver… only to get swatted away by Thatcher. Second time proved to be the charm, first getting in a rear naked choke before a stalling Gotch piledriver earned Suzuki the win. A veritable low-key banger – no urgency, but everything these two did was snug and hit hard… both in terms of impact and with the crowd too. Add this to your watch-list! ****¼
Ahead of the main event they play another excellent video of WALTER beating Jordan Devlin – although the North Korean imagery was certainly a bizarre choice to paint WALTER as the import killer killer. Speaking of bizarre choices… Will Ospreay’s Spiderman-inspired suit.
OTT World Championship: Will Ospreay vs. WALTER (c)
WALTER’s first defence was a rematch from Defiant not too long ago, as Will Ospreay looked to play David to the Austrian Goliath. Even if WALTER was announced at 136lbs. That’s quite the illusion.
Maybe Butch just meant to announce the weight differential? Ospreay’s trying to stick and move early on, but WALTER instantly smothers him and pulls him into a single leg crab that Will kicks away from. There’s a patronising pat on the head as Ospreay’s effortlessly lifted onto the apron… then gets decked as he tried to clock WALTER with a forearm. A stomp to the chest keeps Will down as WALTER was having his way with the former IWGP junior champion, forcing him onto the apron with just the sole of his boot as the crowd booed him.
Ospreay catches a big boot and pushed down WALTER for some ground and pound, as the Austrian was instantly cowering into the ropes… but not for long as WALTER was back to his bullying best. There’s an easy slam for a two-count, as a chin bar and some more clubbing shots kept Will on his knees, seemingly with little to offer in return. Out of nowhere, a handspring overhead kick catches WALTER, taking him outside… where he’s crashed into with a Sasuke special as Ospreay looked to be making some headway. Back inside, some kicks to the chest kept WALTER at bay, as did a series of elbows before he went back to his usual game and got chopped in the back as he went for a springboard back elbow.
WALTER’s right back in with an Earthquake sit-down splash, before it’s time for CHOPS! Ospreay almost crumbles to a pair of chops, but he stays on his feet… until WALTER pulls him to the top rope and stands on his neck, sending Will tumbling to the floor as the bully was back in control. Crossface punches in the ropes saw WALTER channel Sheamus for a while, as Ospreay tried to Hulk up… only to get chopped back to the mat. Thanks for coming! Ospreay’s up at two after those chops, as he tries to reply in kind… only to get met with a boot to the head. Yep, Will’s chops aren’t in the same universe as WALTER’s, but his agility and quickness were light years ahead, as he counters a shotgun dropkick with a double stomp before a Whisper in the Wind out of the corner almost led to a title change. An OsCutter’s blocked as WALTER looks to turn it into a sitout tombstone… but Ospreay slips out and lands a springboard missile dropkick that gave the champion a rude landing.
Ospreay looks to finish it with a Rainmaker, but he barely budges WALTER, who replies with an Okada-like tombstone to put Will back in his place. A WALTER Rainmaker’s ducked as Will finally hits the move, keeping hold of the wrist so he could leather WALTER with some kicks ahead of a PK that put the big man down. The crowd get to their feet as Ospreay… misses a shooting star press and eats a shotgun dropkick that sent him to the outside! WALTER begins to dismantle part of the staging, pulling away the steps that led up to it before he chopped Ospreay into the crowd, before he begged the referee to count him out. That just bought him time as he powerbombed Ospreay from the floor to the stage… and good God, Ospreay took that landing BAD. Will escapes a second powerbomb off the stage, kicking WALTER to the floor before he got to his feet and gave himself a running start for a running cannonball off the stage!
They head back to the ring, but WALTER’s right back in it with a Gojira clutch that Ospreay fought free from, which led to WALTER getting dragged across the ropes for a shooting star press as Ospreay brought him in the hard way. A second trip up top leads to a shooting star to the back… then one to the front… but WALTER gets both boots up and straight away smothers Ospreay with a grounded Gojira clutch. Yet still Ospreay stands up… and is right back in the hold as WALTER leans into it, ahead of a RINGKAMPF German suplex as the challenger looked to be in deeper trouble than ever.
Pulling Ospreay out of the corner, WALTER eyed the corner and began to scale the ropes. Christ… WALTER takes too long and gets cut off. Or so it seemed, as Ospreay looked for a ‘rana, only to get met with a huge powerbomb as he’s driven to the mat. He kicks out of the pin as the Dublin crowd started to believe… but WALTER’s straight on him again with another Gojira, before one last fight-out led to the Fire Thunder Driver. The referee counts three, but Ospreay got a foot on the rope… with the referee reversing the decision straight after the crowd pointed it out.
The match restarts, much to WALTER’s annoyance as he shoves down the ref, before a belt shot’s kicked away as Ospreay tried to make the most of his second chance. Will goes to use the belt, but instead opts for a series of head kicks, a Robinson special and an OsCutter… but it’s not enough! Ospreay gets a little out of his league as he tries a Storm Breaker, but WALTER counters right back with a lariat for a near-fall as the crowd continued to roar behind Ospreay. Can the (sorta) Irishman bring the belt back home?
WALTER slips back into bully mode, slapping the taste of out Ospreay once more, before Will flipped out of a lariat and somehow powerbombed the big man for another two-count! CHRIST. Ospreay up top… but WALTER clips his knee just before he looked to fly, and shoves him down, before an Austrian big splash off the top flattened Will enough to get the three count. Good Lord, it was by the skin of his teeth, but WALTER leaves Dublin still as the OTT champion – and OTT fans still look for their next savour… the man who will unseat him. This was just about in the same stratosphere as WALTER/Devlin, despite the crowd perhaps not being as emotionally invested until the end – but WALTER as the Final Boss remained unbeatable. ****¾
As a flagship show, OTT’s Fourth Anniversary felt a whole lot more special than what was presented across the Irish Sea (and a little bit more) a fortnight earlier. While the card was a little “dream matchy” at times, the matches largely delivered, with only the trios match disappointing for various reasons. While the first four years of OTT have been about establishing the promotion, the next year of OTT may well be its most challenging. With the Tivoli on its last legs, the promotion is going to be without a regular home – or indeed, any regular dates, as they seem to flit between Suir Road and the National Stadium. Will that affect OTT into 2019? Who knows – but wherever they end up, you can be sure that the quality isn’t going to waver.