OTT returned to the National Stadium for their biggest show of the year, as Jordan Devlin faced perhaps his sternest challenge yet as champion.
The show opened with Jordan Devlin walking into the dressing room, before we saw Zack Sabre Jr make a similar trek. Except he stopped to speak to the obvious cameraman, telling us he’d known Jordan since “his head was smaller than it is now”. Oof. A quick run through of the card follows, reminding us of dissension within the ranks of the Kings of the North, and that Keith Lee vs. Minoru Suzuki is a match we never knew we wanted to see.
There’s one more surprise, apart from the new-look entrance way, as Aonghus Og McAnally had a familiar voice alongside him. No, it’s not William Humperdink, or Tony Kelly, who were given a low key introduction before word was given to Humperdink and Kelly, who exited stage left. That left an empty space at commentary, which was more than capably filled by the returning Don Marnell! It’s been a while since a commentator got such a loud reaction – and entrance – with Marnell having been exiled at the end of last year.
Know Your Enemy Golden Contract Qualifier: David Starr, Shane Strickland & LJ Cleary vs. Scotty Davis, Tyler Bate & Mark Haskins
This sounds a bit long winded, but bear with me – the first stage of this is a trios match, with the winning team going into a three-way match to decide who’d win the Golden Contract. Like Money in the Bank, without ladders.
At first, Tyler wasn’t exactly dressed to compete, coming out in tracksuit bottoms and sneakers… before ripping them off. Starr and Davis get us going, with Scotty more than comfortable rolling Starr to the mat, before LJ Clearly demanded to tag in against his fellow Contender. The pair seamlessly work through holds, counters and escapes, before Davis rolled together some gator roll-like neckbreakers ahead of a dropkick that took Cleary down – and prompted Starr to nag him into tagging out. One boot to the chest later, and LJ finally did, bringing in Strickland. Tyler Bate also tags in… but before they can lock up, LJ forces himself back into the match, as he fancied a staredown with Tyler. It didn’t go so well, although LJ does the Ospreay see-saw kip-ups before breaking a wristlock… and getting punched out by bop and bang as his partners looked on in disgust. Things go from bad to worse when Mark Haskins got in and launched into him, as David Starr was now having to hit the ring to save the match for his team.
Haskins tags out Tyler Bate, as he was saving himself for the second match – if his side won – as the one-sided working over Cleary continued. Finally LJ tagged out to Starr, who waffles Bate with elbows and lariats, ahead of a Pretty Pumped, as the Product as a proverbial house on fire… wiping out Haskins with a tope, then Scotty Davis with a Cherry Mint DDT. Another lariat to Tyler’s good for a near-fall, but Davis comes in to suplex Starr, as LJ somehow tagged in… and gets taken down with a Quebrada for a near-fall.
A springboard enziguiri from Cleary takes out Haskins, as a missile dropkick took down Davis for a near-fall… but Haskins forces a tag back in, only for Shane Strickland to finally make it into the match. Blocked kicks and knees were the order of the day for the King of Swerve, before he sweeps Davis into a thrust kick, only to get caught in an airplane spin by Tyler… escaping with a push-down stomp! It’s a frenetic spell, and it gets the crowd awake as we burst into a Parade of Moves, with Tyler Bate’s rebound lariat and a koppo kick, as everyone was left laying… save for Davis, who needed the ropes to hold himself up.
Cleary and Davis go back at it, with a suplex from Scotty almost dumping LJ on his head, before leaping into the corner to catch LJ off the top rope with a superplex. An enziguiri from LJ finally gets him some breathing space, as does a punt kick to the head of Davis, before a second was caught and turned into an Angle Slam. Davis keeps up the momentum as Starr somehow got the tag in, and looked to polish off the Contender with a Pretty Pumped, but somehow Scotty counters into Cross Rhodes, and that’s the win! A really solid opener, perhaps a little ragged in places, but I loved how much focus was put on the local lads – for better or for worse. ***¼
Know Your Enemy Golden Contract Match: Scotty Davis vs. Tyler Bate vs. Mark Haskins
Davis had barely gotten back to his feet from making the pin before Tyler Bate punched him out with bop and bang, but Haskins cuts off a Tyler Driver so he can land a pumphandle driver for a near-fall.
Bate’s right in from the kick-out with a running shooting star press as they are sprinting here! Haskins slips out of a Tyler Driver next, but falls into position as Davis delivers a stacked-up German suplex to the other two at the same time, before pulling down Haskins into a double armbar. Somehow Haskins escapes and locks in the bridging armbar, but Bate breaks that up with a Giant Swing, before superkicking away a Quebrada attempt from Davis. The end comes pretty quick after that, when Bate hits the Tyler Driver… only for Haskins to break up the count and steal the pin! So, in his first match back in the venue where he lost the (now) OTT title, Mark Haskins has gotten himself back in contention… at a time of his choosing! A fun sprint of a match, but at under three minutes, this was more an angle than a match. **
A video package airs, highlighting the Kings of the North’s woes since they lost the OTT tag titles – losing to the Angel Cruzers and Aussie Open since then… teasing that another loss here could be the end of the Kings.
Adam Brooks & Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) vs. Kings of the North (Damien Corvin, Bonesaw & Dunkan Disorderly)
They tease dissension between the Kings right from the off as Corvin mistimed his salute on the stage… and they’re jumped before the bell as they went for their salute in the ring, getting taken to the outside for a Sasuke special from Brooks.
Eventually the rest of the Aussies joined the fight on the outside as this started as a big big of brawling at ringside. When we got inside, Corvin’s taken down with a low dropkick from Fletcher, but manages to avoid Mark Davis as he backs off into a tag from Bonesaw – and cue more disagreements! Bonesaw starts a chop battle, which ended with a high five from Davis, who then got taken down with a spinning heel kick as Disorderly gets the tag in to keep the revolving door a’going.
Dunkan sends Brooks into the corner ahead of some armdrags, but the Aussie gets ahead by kicking the rope into his crotch before a Strickland-like leaping back kick earned him a near-fall. Corvin gets the tag in to get some retribution, laying out Brooks with a missile dropkick, before a tiltawhirl backbreaker puts down the Aussie Arrow as Corvin was clearing house! Fletcher’s taken to the outside, but a poke to the eye from Brooks stops a dive as the Aussies again take over, with frequent tags keeping Corvin isolated. Adam Brooks became a thorn in the Kings’ side, as he pulled Dunkan off the apron, prompting Bonesaw to fly off the top into the Loose Ledge… meaning there was nobody for Corvin to tag out to as he managed to escape Davis.
The Alphamare Waterslide from Davis gets him a near-fall as Corvin’s again isolated, unable to get past Davis before finally tagging into Disorderly! From there, the Kings took over, at least until Bonesaw knocks Dunkan off the apron accidentally, as we set up for a dive in the form of a Dunkzilla tope! Corvin cuts off Fletcher’s dive as he goes airborne himself, before Kyle got his dive in anyway, as Dunkan completes the set with a moonsault to the floor.
All six men returned to the ring to brawl among each other, as the Kings edged ahead, only or the numbers game to return as the Aussies embarked on some three-on-one assaults. Fletcher takes out Bonesaw with an assisted cutter, but Bonesaw rolls to the outside as Corvin tried to save the match for his team, only to take a double-team powerbomb and a top rope senton as a Fidget Spinner looked like it’d end things…
…except Adam Brooks tried to steal the pin, and it gave Corvin enough time to kick out, as the Kings regrouped to kill Kyle with a powerbomb/back cracker combo. The Kings raise their right hands, and stop a sneak attack from Adam Brooks, who gets wiped out before a big splash from Disorderly gets the win for the Kings. I loved the story they told here – the constant miscommunications between the former tag champions, without malice, before they managed to overcome it and get that much needed W. The match was pretty standard trios fare, as the real break-up came afterwards when Kyle Fletcher superkicked Adam Brooks. ***½
Matt Riddle vs. Will Ospreay
Having seen their initial match in PROGRESS about eighteen months ago, my appetite was whetted for this outing… and that was before I heard all the rave reviews from the live crowd.
Riddle’s straight in with a takedown, going for Ospreay’s arm, before they stood up as Will tried to return the favour. The offence from Riddle was aptly labelled as “smash and grab” on commentary, as he’d take down Ospreay at will then walk off, before swinging and missing with his Tiger knee. Ospreay countered that with a German suplex, but Riddle’s back with his knee as the tit-for-tat spilled to the outside, with Riddle wandering into the firing line for a Sasuke special!
Riddle’s then put in a seat, and dropkicked into it by Ospreay as the front row got a little more than they bargained for… as did Ospreay, as his handspring off the ropes got caught and turned into a German suplex as his much-talked-about neck problems began to rear their head, not helped by a knee to the back of the head in the corner. After a back senton, Riddle keeps up on Ospreay with kicks to the back, before it’s chop time! Rolling gutwrenches are next, but Will manages to slip free and land a handspring overhead kick for good measure, following in with a 619 to RIddle and a springboard forearm as that neck began to ache some more.
Riddle uses his knee to avoid Ospreay, but his Pele kick’s countered into a reverse DDT as the transition from defence to offence was seamless for Will… as were those kicks to the chest. Unfortunately, they just awoke Riddle into throwing some more chops, before he finally landed that overhead kick and a Fisherman’s buster for a near-fall… rolling through after the impact for a second one. Pulling himself up in the ropes, Ospreay stares down Riddle for some more chops… but it’s Riddle who looked to win out as he had Ospreay recoiling into the ropes before teasing a Bro to Sleep. Will escapes and gets an enziguiri in as his brief flurry turned things back around, only for his Rainmaker to get countered with a ripcord knee ahead of a powerbomb and a brutal knee to the head as Ospreay somehow kicked out!
Staying on top of Will, Riddle throws some elbows before a Cobra twist variation keeps him on the mat… only to head up to the top rope in a bid to break it like he did the last time they met in New Orleans… except Riddle’s wise to it, and he goes for a German superplex. Which Ospreay flips out of and lands on his feet! A running Spanish fly is next as the pair crashed to the mat, before they resumed with an exchange of forearms and elbows… some face-washing kicks from Ospreay follow, but Riddle returns the favour as they’re all about the fire! A head kick left Ospreay loopy ahead of a powerbomb and a tombstone… which Ospreay escaped as he nails Riddle with a hook kick ahead of a shooting star press as Riddle was draped across the top rope!
The diving corkscrew kick comes next, but Ospreay cuts himself off as his OsCutter’s caught and turned into a Bromission… but again Ospreay gets up… and earns some more elbows as Riddle transitions back into a rear naked choke. Ospreay gets to the rope, but he’s dumped with a sleeper suplex, then a tombstone slam, as all of those head drops… get a near-fall! Frustrated, Riddle keeps up with kicks and back sentons, sending Ospreay to the outside where the pressure didn’t let up.
Somehow, Ospreay counters a tombstone into a crossface as he tried to humiliate Riddle with a submission… switching it into a triangle armbar, then a lariat after Riddle tried to escape! Ospreay keeps hold of the wrist, a la Okada, but Riddle throws some more kicks before he’s caught in the Storm Breaker for the win! Holy hell, that was AMAZING. The final few moments were jaw-dropping, and even if you’d not seen any of their prior matches, this stands up on its own. If you had seen their prior outings, particularly their match in New Orleans, then it’s even better. A nice, cheeky showstealer in the middle of the card… ****¾
OTT Women’s Championship: Valkyrie vs. Sammii Jayne (c)
Sammii Jayne had won the OTT Women’s title from Martina in a four-way at their all-female Defiant show a month-or-so ago… and her first defence was a pretty big deal for Valkyrie, easily the biggest match of her fledgling career.
Sammii started off on offence, charging Valkyrie into the corner… but the favour was returned as both women dragged each other to the mat from a collar-and-elbow tie-up, before Jayne broke free. A couple of dropkicks took Jayne to the outside, before a third one saw Valkyrie accidentally crotch herself between the ropes after catching Sammii on the floor. A crossbody off the top almost led to the upset, as Sammii’s again taken outside a Valkyrie headed to the apron for another crossbody… but Sammii catches her and charges into the ring post. The pair fight back in the corner, with Sammii leading out with kicks and stomps, before she sidesteps another crossbody as Valkyrie went to the well a little too often.
Jayne largely retained control from there, teasing a Dragon suplex that Valkyrie dropped out of and into a roll-up, before being caught in a bow-and-arrow hold, countering out of that into a crucifix for a near-fall. The Dragon suplex follows as Valkyrie’s folded in half for another two-count, before returning fire with an enziguiri and a series of kicks, with a leg lariat giving way to a handspring moonsault as Valkyrie came ever closer to victory. Problem was, Jayne was never out of the picture, and despite getting caught with a back elbow out of the corner, she was able to kick out, and catch Valkyrie with the baseball slide German suplex. Valkyrie began another comeback, but gets crotched in the ropes when Sammii shoved the referee, and after bringing Valkyrie down with a slam out of the corner, Jayne retains. This was a decent enough match, but placed where it was, it was always going to struggle to get the crowd on-side. A good showing for Valkyrie, who’s got plenty of potential. **½
After several matches of Joel Allen refereeing, the crowd chanted for Niall Fox to return… and he got a loud cheer when he did. Biggest star in the territory, eh?
Jeff Cobb vs. Tomohiro Ishii
Time for the big lads! Dublin were more than ready to see Ishii in OTT for the first time… and my God, they showed it.
We start with Ishii grounding Cobb in a headlock as the big lads shoulder tackles got us underway, with Ishii being the first to leave his feet. The Stone Pitbull retaliates with elbows and forearms, with Cobb happy to respond in kind, as the crowd went wild amid the barrage of strikes… a barrage that went on for so long it was like watching a game where they only knew one move. Finally, Ishii knocked down Cobb, then went back after him with headbutts to put the Olympian into the corner… and although Cobb responded with some of his own, it just sparked a battle of noggin knockers! Wish Ishii on the mat, Cobb starts to put the boots to him, before hauling him up for an Oklahoma Stampede, as Cobb had no issue moving the Stone Pitbull around the ring.
A standing moonsault saw Cobb move from strength to agility for a near-fall, before they exchanged more chops in the corner. Ishii’s whipped into the turnbuckle, but recoils with a clothesline and a side Salto suplex, before an Athletic-plex from Cobb kept the pair on an even keel. Cobb just shows off with a pumphandle fallaway slam as he came pretty close to a win, before Ishii fired back up, walking through some more shots to the head before unleashing some of his own.
A single elbow from Cobb decks Ishii though, only to be taken down with a brainbuster seconds later for a near-fall… before he rolled through and into a suplex! Yeah, that’s just showing off now. A German suplex from Ishii is shrugged off, was was Cobb’s belly-to-belly as lariats ended up leaving both men on the mat. Cobb nearly does it with an Olympic slam, before the Tour of the Islands is cut short as Ishii nails an enziguiri, then a leaping headbutt as Cobb gets caught on the top rope.
Ishii follows him up for a superplex, crashing down to the mat with him, before finishing the Olympian with a sliding lariat… for a near-fall! The sheer drop brainbuster’s next, and that’s enough as Ishii took home the win. This was a solid big lad’s match, but hurt by the crowd still on the come-down from that earlier Ospreay/Riddle match. Well worth a watch, but had the crowd been hotter throughout, this could have hit that proverbial next level. ***¾
Hey, OTT have new-look tag titles since we last watched. The belts look a little like the IWGP junior title, but with the OTT lucha mask logo in the middle.Those straps are on the line next against the Angel Cruzers, with Zack Gibson’s pre-match video deriding the Irish crowd for liking them.
OTT Tag Team Championship: Angel Cruzers (Angel Cruz & B. Cool) vs. Rapture (Zack Gibson & Charlie Sterling)
The challengers had their own mini-movie as an entrance, taking down bad guy Mo Cabray (who looked awfully familiar) – this wasn’t as cheesy as the WCW ones in the 90s, thankfully!
The champs today were represented by Zack Gibson and Charlie Sterling – of course, Gibson had something to say as he did his Big Venue Promo In The Crowd… something that was hardly audible as the crowd drowned him out, before there was some backlash as Sterling threw someone’s drink away… before it was returned in kind as the crowd started to throw beer over the champions. B Cool takes the mic as Charlie Sterling threatened to sing God Save The Queen, and we’re underway with a crowd that was on fire. The champs tried to double-team Cool early, but he powders to get a breather, before returning against Sterling – whose gear was very evocative of an early-day British Bulldogs.
The challengers manage to score a double-team hiptoss and elbows on Gibson, but Zack’s up as they struggled to kip-up… so they do it again to Sterling, but still can’t hit the kip-ups. Gibson’s frustrated by that, but he comes in and has his knees kicked out as Cruz managed some offence, taking Gibson for a spot of Old School, before he was pulled down. Cruz escapes a Helter Skelter and hits a shotgun dropkick… but has to change his plans as Team PRICK (complete with shiny silver suits) help him go Old School before going Coast to Coast across the ring!
Sterling ruins that parade with a rake to the eyes as the champions took control, all while Team PRICK ran throughout the Stadium to try and gee up the crowd. Cruz manages to get free and decides to head under the ring for back-up… but Sterling cuts him off and stops Angel from getting what sounded like a Samurai sword. Back in the ring, Gibson tries to lock in the Shankly Gates as the crowd chanted “Brexit” (c’mon, that’s like shooting fish in a barrel).
Cruz gets free to B Cool, who clears house with clotheslines before his brainbuster attempt is stopped. The Cruzers finally hit that kip up after a double dropkick, before an attempt to fly saw B Cool’s tope con giro caught and turned into an apron powerbomb. Angel decides to try too, but Sterling’s attempt to stop it is met with an enziguiri as Gibson goes under the ring for something… the sword?! Zack’s got Angel’s sword, and removes it from its sheath… so Angel goes for more plunder… an AK47?! What in the world? For some in the crowd, it’s very evocative imagery outside of the “don’t bring a knife to a gun fight” cliche, as Angel forces Zack into a cover at gun point… only for Sterling to break it up! Another attempt to hold the match at gun point ends with a dive by Gibson, as B Cool’s left isolated and double-teamed.
Cool tried to fight back, and manages to knock Gibson and Sterling to the mat as the crowd chanted “Hardy Tank” to the Bobby Gunns song. Oh boy. Sterling again makes the save on a brainbuster, as a spike piledriver puts Cool away for a near-fall, and after shoving off the champions, Angel’s back in for another comeback! Chops leave the Brits reeling, as Cruz escaped a double team powerbomb, turning it into an accidental DDT between the champs, before almost snatching the win with a roll-up on Gibson.
A superkick from Cool rocks Zach again, as the challengers looked for a stomp assisted TKO, but it’s not enough as Sterling shoved Cruz onto the pile to save the match. The Angel Cruzers go Chasing the Dragon with a superkick-assisted brainbuster, but Sterling somehow kicked out, and as the challengers went for something else, Gibson crotches Cool on the top rope. Some double-teaming from the champions led to them catching a flying ‘rana from Cool, who was dumped awkwardly to the floor – landing badly on his upper back – as Cruz was left prone for a Helter Skelter and a Spinal Tap… but still he’s able to kick out!
Yep, these teams are unbeatable. Call it a no contest… or rather, don’t. Cruz is quickly caught in the Shankly Gates as Team PRICK’s attempts to help were booted away by Charlie… before he dragged one of them in and threatened to chop off one of their fingers if Cruz didn’t tap… of course, he did, and the champs retain. Shenanigans throughout, and this’ll be one of those matches you’ll either enjoy or hate. I just about fell on the enjoy side of things, but this went a tad on the long side for my liking. **¾
Keith Lee vs. Minoru Suzuki
For potentially the final time at the National Stadium, we had Keith Lee… in one of those dream matches that you never knew you wanted.
The glory basking quickly gave way as Dublin were waiting for the lonely warrior tonight, giving a fantastic reception as the National Stadium loudly sang in chorus: Kaze Ni Nare! After some more basking, Suzuki started to get a little irritated as he charges at Lee, before starting to chip away at Lee with a series of kicks to the legs, then to the arms and finally the midsection. Suzuki ducks some shots from Lee, but gets POUNCED for his efforts, as the Limitless one begins his spell on top, standing on Suzuki’s throat in the ropes as the Suzuki-gun leader rolled onto the apron.
The atmosphere’s still white-hot as the crowd chanted for both men, cheering even loudly when Suzuki grabbed an armbar in the ropes before dragging Lee to the outside for some work on the arm. Suzuki lives up to his reputation by jabbing a chair into Lee’s midsection as New Japan rules were clearly in effect, before returning to the ring to continue wearing down on Lee’s arm and wrist.
A key lock forces Lee into the ropes, while Suzuki started to go after referee Niall Fox… forcing the referee to the outside after his life’d flashed in front of his eyes. More kicks from Suzuki rocked Lee, who finally hits back with elbows and a double-handed chop, but Suzuki tries to retaliate with a rear naked choke. Lee shrugs it off and takes Minoru to the corner so he can slingshot into him with a crossbody, picking up a near-fall as Minoru looked on in disbelief at what just happened. Those shots from Lee are enjoyed by Suzuki, who retaliated with a couple of kicks, including a PK, for a near-fall, before going to the mat for a cross armbreaker. Lee’s able to make it to the ropes though, but he can’t avoid more arm work as Suzuki picks his shots, before he ran into a chokeslam as Lee was almost restricted to the odd hope spot. A series of palm strikes from Suzuki keeps Lee on jelly legs, as the crowd’s geed up for a Gotch piledriver…
…which Lee countered out of with a back body drop. A lariat from Lee gets him another near-fall after he’d taken down Suzuki, but it’s not long before we’re back to the Gotch piledriver attempt, before Minoru just decides to throw a knee again. Lee’s back with a forearm, but his powerbomb’s countered into a rear naked choke as Suzuki took every chance he was given, wearing Lee down for the eventual Gotch piledriver, spiking Lee for the win. A pretty clear win for Suzuki, which was kind of odd to see given this was sort-of Lee’s going away party (not including the Contender’s show the next night). Lee didn’t get a chance to do much of his signature stuff, as the spotlight was firmly on Minoru here. A good match that saw Suzuki’s greatest hits, but perhaps not one you’ll rush back to for a second viewing. ***½
A video package airs, with Jordan Devlin comparing him and Zack Sabre Jr’s careers. There’s even words from Finn Balor in here, while Paul Tracey also chips in. It sets the stage perfectly for perhaps the biggest match in Devlin’s career.
OTT Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Jordan Devlin (c)
You’ll be shocked, but this crowd was massively pro-Devlin…
It’s a rather cagey opening spell as Sabre and Devlin fought in and out of holds, with Sabre targeting Devlin’s arm and the recently-healed thumb as the match was kept on the ground. Sabre keeps up with a surfboard stretch, but Devlin’s able to return fire with kicks to the leg as he tried to chip away at Sabre any which way he could.
A hammerlock takedown led to a trapped armbar for Devlin, but Sabre’s going back to the wrist and thumb, forcing Devlin to scurry to the ropes as the self-professed “dickhead hunter” Sabre’s on display. Devlin manages to get in a Romero special, but Sabre just grabs the wrist to free himself, stamping on it as the champion was yet again plunged into danger, having been left helpless for a neck twist as Sabre was in complete control.
Some boots to a downed Devlin just angered the champion, but Sabre trips him right back down as he wrenches in a STF, twisting the knee again when the rope break’s called for. Devlin slips in a back cracker after taking Sabre into the corner, but he can only get a two-count, as Sabre quickly recovers with more submission attempts, this time trying to pull at Devlin’s ear en route to a hold. Trying to pull Devlin back in from the apron, Sabre instead opts for forearms as Jordan nailed a gamengiri and a slingshot cutter back inside, before following up with a moonsault to the floor. Back inside, Devlin almost wins out with a surprise Tiger suplex, then a back elbow and some diving knees follow as the champion tried to finish things off… but Sabre’s still got plenty left in the tank, and manages to escape a package piledriver by pulling Devlin down to the mat with a wacky take on a Dragon sleeper.
Sabre tries to wear down Jordan more with kicks to the chest, but Devlin shrugs them off and absorbs a PK for a near-fall – with Sabre’s one-foot cover perhaps costing him. Devlin is back with slaps, following up with a twisting T-bone suplex and a shotgun dropkick before crushing Zack with a double stomp off the top as he borrowed moves from both of his trainers! Undeterred, Zack tries to rush in with a guillotine choke, only for Devlin to escape with a spin-out suplex as he was seemingly running on fumes… going up top once more for a moonsault, as he landed into a triangle choke!
Somehow Devlin powerbombed free of the hold, and looked for a package piledriver, only for Sabre to counter out into a sunset flip for a near-fall. A Euro clutch nearly gets the win after another brief exchange, before Devlin countered a second… and ended up in submission attempts as he found himself on the back foot all of a sudden. Back to their feet, Devlin and Sabre exchange palm strikes, with Sabre quickly taking Devlin down for a PK as you sensed that both men were just one big move away from the win…
More uppercuts from Sabre bring Devlin to his knees, but he’s alert enough to counter a running uppercut with a backslide, flipping Zack over and into a leaping package piledriver… and THAT was the big move that does it! A really solid main event and technically fantastic as you’d expect. However, this was a bout that you never really felt was going to result in a title change, which may explain the muted crowd. ****¼
ScrapperMania 4 lived up to the hype of being OTT’s largest show ever – although for me the high points came in the performances of the home grown talents. Sure, the Ospreay/Riddle match took all of the plaudits, like it should, but the performances of LJ Cleary and Scotty Davis should not go unnoticed. Those two have been winning rave reviews for their outings on the main OTT shows – and with more up and coming talent on the Contenders cards, OTT’s longer term looks to be in safe hands… the only issue that I can see is with their world title, as the conveyor belt of Jordan Devlin vs. import, however good those matches will be, will struggle to convince fans that there’ll be a title change.
Mark Haskins’ Golden Contract victory sets him up nicely to be a proverbial safety net if the WWE UK deal kicks into a higher gear than they expect over in Ireland – although for everyone’s sake, I’m hoping that that isn’t a trigger that needs to be pulled anytime soon!