Liam Slater’s “coming out party” against Zack Sabre Jr proved to be the in-ring highlight of this week’s Loaded.
This was the final episode of Loaded before WCPW goes on a semi-hiatus – with only next week’s Exit Wounds special and a series of tapings on the cards along with the World Cup shows.
The show opens with a recap of the ending of Kurt Angle/Alberto el Patron match from True Destiny, then the events that led to tonight’s Hendry/el Patron match. JR and Matt Striker are still on commentary, and they mention something’s going on with the women of WCPW… but first, here comes Martin Kirby.
Kirby’s promo – when his microphone works – tells us that one of the coolest things as a kid is having your own wrestling company. He admits he’s a rubbish GM, but not as bad as Adam Parmesan. Cue “Parmesan is shit” chants, which weaken down to “Parmesan is poop” at Kirby’s request when he points out a child in the front row. All of this leads to him saying that his dream was to be WCPW title. So Kirby’s announcing that he’s resigning as WCPW GM, so he can return to wrestling and capture the title; but he’ll name his replacement on next week’s Exit Wounds special.
They show clips from the Loaded show in Edinburgh last month, where BT Gunn laid out Joe Coffey, resulting in Gunn’s suspension. It looks like that’s over, because BT is out next…
BT Gunn vs. Joe Coffey
It looks like the crowd didn’t remember, or care about this storyline, since there wasn’t that big a reaction for Coffey. JR barely gets over Gunn’s suspension, but doesn’t mention WHAT got him suspended. The two Scotsmen trade shots straight away, with Joe landing a diving shoulder tackle for the first piece of advantage. A powerslam gets Coffey a near-fall, before he goes for a giant swing from a front facelock, then a suplex for another near-fall.
Gunn comes back out of nowhere with a Codebreaker off the middle rope that barely gets a one-count, which means that Coffey can get his regular Giant Swing in, before slingshotting Gunn into the corner. A springboard out of the corner misses as Gunn catches Coffey and turns it into a crossface… but Coffey easily makes the ropes. They head outside where Gunn posts Coffey, which leads to Gunn grabbing a chair – then missing with a shot to Coffey’s hand.
Sadly, that chair just meant that the Leicester fans woke up, demanding that they get a table too.
Gunn tries for another crossface, but Coffey pushes out and lands a pop-up uppercut, then a shotgun dropkick, before a series of avalanches gives way to a step-up crossbody. That gets Joe a two-count, but again Gunn came back with a superkick and a brainbuster as he almost took the W.
The tables turn again when Coffey comes back with an enziguiri and a German suplex to get a two-count, before the favour is returned. Another crossface attempt comes up short for Gunn, as Coffey powers out, before dropping him with the Black Coffey (or in JR speak, the “thunderous clothesline”) for the win. Decent match, but the lack of an interested crowd – or commentators who knows the guys and the product – didn’t help. **¾
BT Gunn hung around ringside… and Coffey didn’t exactly head to the back straight away. Gunn re-enters the ring, before going toe-to-toe and exiting to the back. That was odd.
Backstage now with Kenny McIntosh, who’s with Liam Slater. Kenny asks about Johnny Moss, and Slater confirms that there’s no set time on him returning. Slater says the Swords of Essex are keeping their belts warm, but before he goes back for the belts, he’s challenging Zack Sabre Jr tonight in a bid to make sure that nobody can take his spot.
No Disqualification for WCPW Women’s Championship: Bea Priestley vs. Nixon Newell (c)
Genuine question, do WCPW have any other women that they push?
Bea gets the microphone before the bell, and reminds us that Nixon used a chair to beat her at True Destiny. They don’t bleep “pussy” here (and there’s a kid in the front row), and this match is now a no-DQ match.
Nixon mounts Priestley with punches at the bell, then chops away at her in the corner, before rushing in with forearms. A corner enziguiri follows from Nixon, but she misses a crossbody fof the top, then flops into the corner for a running big boot that gets her just a one-count. Priestley uses the Swords of Essex flag to strangle Nixon with, but the referee breaks it up.
Nixon heads into the crowd where she grabs a fan’s drink – then spits it at Bea – before she kicks away at Bea in the ring. A running kick is caught, but Nixon comes back with a Tiger suplex for a two-count, before Newell headed outside for a steel chair. She tries for a German suplex through the chair, but she’s met with a headbutt by Bea… who gets one back as a set-up for the Shining Wizard.
Bea’s thrown into the chair as a set-up for a PK through it – which connects – but that acts as the set-up for Viper to head out to the ring. The crowd don’t have a clue who she is, as she throws a pink chair at Newell, before using it on the Welshwoman. Viper sets up the chairs side-by-side for the Viper driver through them, allowing Bea to score the pin to win the title. **¼
We’ve another backstage promo as Will Ospreay – and his tag title belt – builds up to his match with Drew Galloway next week.
Liam Slater vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Slater and Sabre tussle from the opening tie-up, eventually ending with Slater forcing Zack into the ropes.
Slater plays the grappling game with Sabre, which you’d expect to end badly… and it does, as Sabre grabs a toe-hold, before it’s reversed as Slater gets a deathlock variant, bridging back as he gives as good as he’s got. Liam lifts up Zack with the Jim Breaks Special, but Sabre’s counter into a guillotine choke is powered out into a suplex for a near-fall, before Slater’s armbar attempt ends as both men square off.
Sabre works a modified surfboard on the Yorkshireman, then a strait-jacket hold as he edges an advantage, but Slater comes back with a dropkick for a one-count, then moves into an armbar from the kick-out. That pattern continues for a while, at east until Sabre starts kicking away at Slater out of frustration, but Liam comes back with a Jim Breaks Special into a Northern Lights suplex for another near-fall.
A back suplex from Slater gets him a two-count as he continued his coming out party, of sorts… but since he’s not already established as a singles guy, everyone’s expecting Slater to fall to defeat a la Gabriel Kidd. A gutbuster from Slater, then a gutwrench suplex almost gets the win as Slater’s nose starts leaking yet again!
Sabre gets a near-fall out of nowhere with a German suplex, before catching a swandive headbutt and turning it into an armbar… but Slater rolls him up for a near-fall. Liam apparently jarred his knee after landing out of the corner, and the pain increases when Sabre dropkicks him there, before Slater hits a gutwrench powerbomb as he goes back to the swandive headbutt… and that’s enough for the clean win! That surprised the crowd, but they didn’t pop… a sneakily good match, with Liam Slater getting a career win here. ***¾
We get a promo for Alex Gracie and Lucas Archer’s Prospect to Orlando thing. It’s filmed in the style of an emergency appeal, and they’re looking for any work to pay for their flights to Orlando. Birthday parties, bar mitzvahs, and the like, all with the same photo. They promote a real-life Indiegogo page for their appeal, and you know what, it’ll be paid up to its goal!
A Drew Galloway promo follows to build up that Ospreay match next week. With one segment left, they’ve only announced one full match for the YouTube special next week (plus Delirious vs. Silas Young, which was announced on Twitter).
Joe Hendry vs. Alberto el Patron
Or Albero! So on one show, he’s been called Albero, and Alberto Del Rio. On a taped show, too!
El Patron scored a snapmare and a dropkick for an early two-count, as he took Hendry into the corner for some mounted punches. A back suplex gets another near-fall for the Mexican, who takes Hendry to the stage, then throws him back down, but Hendry snaps and throws el Patron into the ring post… and gets just a one count out of it.
Hendry keeps up the offence, getting some near-falls, but he gets too cocky and plays to the crowd, which just earns him an enziguiri from Alberto. El Patron keeps up with some clotheslines, then a backcracker, before he calls for a superkick… which gets caught and turned into an ankle lock! Hendry throws in a DDT for a near-fall, as the crowd chant “you suck” at him, in the Kurt Angle cadence too. El Patron comes back, but he misses a double stomp, then sidesteps Hendry who accidentally clotheslines the referee. That means he can low blow el Patron with impunity, and then grab a steel chair for the heck of it.
Travis Banks and Joe Coffey come out to make the save for Alberto… but it’s a con, as they turn and superkick Alberto, attacking him with a superkick and stomps. The referee’s still down, so Banks and Coffey hold up Alberto for a chairshot from Hendry, and that’s enough for the win. Well, WhatCulture’s got a new faction of villains, and it’s a trio that’s completely fresh. Joes Coffey and Hendry as heels could be really fun, and Travis Banks is always a good worker, so as long as they’re used right, this could be a killer trio. Sadly, that’s about the only memorable thing from that main event, I fear. ***
The show then abruptly fades to black, and we’re done!
A bit of a lacklustre ending to the last Loaded (for now), with next week’s Exit Wounds being virtually a one-match show. Aside from Ospreay/Galloway and “hey, Cody Rhodes will appear”, it’s the softest build any of their big shows have had, but with the Orlando trip and the upcoming World Cup shows on their plate, it’s easy to see that they’ve got a lot of plates spinning.
Let’s see what comes out of Exit Wounds, but right now WCPW certainly feels very top heavy in terms of heels, with Drew Galloway the only real pushed babyface in the company. Anyone for musical chairs on the roster?