Three weeks away from WCPW’s first ever iPPV, the road to another part of Newcastle continued on this week’s Loaded.
#TLDR: A five-way opener, debutants and Moose. Yep, it’s another week of WCPW as they yet again rushed in some stuff instead of building week-to-week! Still, at least the matches were alright!
The Full Review: Last week, Joe Hendry won the Invitational Rumble to earn the right to face Kurt Angle on October 6’s “Refuse To Lose” iPPV. So apart from that and Doug Williams vs. Cody Rhodes (which has gone under the radar), what’s the rest of the card going to look like?
We start off with no sound, for some reason… and footage of Joseph Conners attacking Joe Hendry at a charity gig in Nottingham last week. The sound comes back up as Conners demands his music be played, and I’m guessing this is the band that does his ring song that they no longer credit… It looked weird seeing event staffers helping Joe Hendry up as the band played.
They go backstage with Eric Bischoff and Adam Pacitti. Martin Kirby comes in and demands a WCPW title match, and is looking for Bischoff’s approval. So, beating Will Ospreay (something that Bischoff nearly slipped on) means he’s getting booked in a multi-man match against Pete Dunne, Travis Banks, Marty Scurll and Will Ospreay.
Oh wait, that match is now?! I know they played this on their YouTube during the week, but more than thirty seconds build would be nice! Apparently the ban on the piledriver has been lifted for tonight’s main event: Rampage vs. Big Damo. Again, if you aren’t putting this info on your main show, it’s not going to be effective.
It’s clear that the crowd don’t see these backstage segments, because every time another man was announced, “Moose!” was the cry. Cheers for messing up wrestling Quinn!
Travis Banks vs. Pete Dunne vs. Marty Scurll vs. Will Ospreay vs. Martin Kirby
Alex Shane namedrops Marty Scurll as the BOLA winner… which took place after this show. Scurll at least gets proper music, rather than the generic stuff the majority of this roster endures. Will Ospreay’s still representing the CHAOS faction, which means NOTHING outside of New Japan. Still, it’s nice of Ryan Devlin to have read up Wikipedia…
Pete Dunne looks disgusted that the crowd are singing to Kirby’s theme, and we start with Dunne and Banks knocking Kirby and Scurll to the outside, as Will Ospreay stands alone. Flying moonsault dive to the floor I think connects, and he’s back in the ring to hit a rebound armdrag to Dunne.
Travis Banks comes in and puts paid to Marty Scurll, before Kirby comes in to renew rivalries… walking away from a springboard kick in the corner. They go to a contrived spot as Scurll tries for a Romero special, but instead Banks gets a crossface from Kirby… Ospreay gets an Octopus on Scurll… and Pete Dunne just forearms Ospreay to undo it all. They do the same again with headscissors, and it’s like the Human Centipede! Which Alex Shane namechecks, as Martin Kirby turns the headscissors into a four-way Boston Crab. Fun stuff!
Kirby slams everyone and leaves them in a row, almost like a monster truck is going to drive over them, but instead we get the Zoidberg Elbow! Everyone rolls away to avoid it, before Pete Dunne pops up and bites his fingers off. He finally tries again and misses Dunne, before Banks misses a big splash. Ospreay whiffs on a 450, as Dunne gets nothing but mat from a moonsault. Marty Scurll completed the set with a double stomp that he aborted, before eating an enziguiri.
Will Ospreay hits a handspring overhead kick to take down Scurll, before Banks is set-up for a Rainmaker… but he just gets a forearm instead, before an enziguiri staggers Banks. Travis catches Ospreay in a waistlock and tosses him into the corner with a German suplex, before he flattens everyone with cannonball dives in the corner.
Ospreay ends the sequence with a springboard forearm, before he elbows out of a chicken wing, only to take a low superkick. Scurll and Dunne drop Banks and Ospreay with tombstone piledrivers, which get simultaneous two-counts, and they end up arguing with Martin Kirby trying to break it up. He continues the Kane/Undertaker schtick with a double chokeslam attempt, but it’s blocked by a finger snap and some biting.
Dunne and Scurll level each other with clotheslines before they collapse to the outside in unison. Kirby gets caught in the corner, as does Travis Banks, and they get some Cheeky Nandos. Marty Scurll gets caught in the ring apron by Dunne, who turns around into a one man Spanish Fly that gets him a near-fall.
Dunne blocks an OsCutter and lands the Drop Dead, but he falls to a Just Kidding superkick from Scurll. Banks runs in for a brainbuster, before a corkscrew kick from Ospreay takes him down. Another corkscrew kick from Ospreay rocks Kirby, who then gets a near-fall with a backslide.
Travis Banks catches an OsCutter into a reverse airplane spin, but he too gets tossed out as Kirby tricks Dunne into giving Scurll a Stunner. One Sable Bomb later, and Martin Kirby wins a fun five-way affair that was big on action, but virtually any form of selling or psychology. ***¼
Bea Priestley is backstage… she’s introducing Alex Windsor to the promotion. Windsor says she’ll win the WhatCulture Women’s title, but little reaction from Bea. I guess she’s happy at bringing a friend in to usurp her place in the promotion?
Moose vs. Drew Galloway
Okay, Moose is over like rover here. Shame his bloody chant ruins virtually every promotion he’s been to after he leaves… or is that just in England?
They start with a tie-up and head into the corner, which gets a clean break and those bloody chants. A shoulder tackle takes down Galloway, and this is already the polar opposite of our opening five-way. Galloway grabs a headlock, before the pair trade shoulder blocks, as Moose shows how easily he’s taken down. Some chops stagger both men, but a dropkick from Moose finally puts Galloway to the outside.
Moose teases a dive, but he just slides to the floor and into some more chops. Galloway delivers a death valley driver from the floor and onto the apron, then takes a powerbomb from Moose on the apron as a receipt. Back inside, Galloway blocks an avalanche, but takes a Go To Hell (Sky High powerbomb) for a near-fall.
Galloway ducks a Gamebreaker (Rainmaker) and goes for a backslide, but Moose slips out and connects with some punches, only to be scooped up by Galloway for a tombstone piledriver for a near-fall. Good stuff, tombstones in back-to-back matches! Moose counters a sunset flip with a powerbomb, then a back senton, before the Hit Stick (rolling spear) gets another near-fall.
Galloway ducks a second Gamebreaker, and replies with a kick and an Air Raid Crash for a two-count, before a low dropkick gets another two-count. A sit-out powerbomb gets Galloway another near-fall, before the pair exchange shots at each other, then finally descend into windmilling punches.
A big boot rocks Moose, before the big man returns the favour, and misses a third Gamebreaker. Galloway’s German suplex is no-sold, and he’s dumped onto his neck with a fourth Gamebreaker attempt. Moose goes for another Gamebreaker, but Galloway tries for a backslide that gets reversed… but Galloway flips out into the Futureshock double-arm DDT, and that’s the match. A much different style to the first match, almost WWE-style, truth be told… I can see why some wouldn’t like this, but it was quite good given the relative inexperience of Moose. Speaking of, in spite of those early Moose chants, you could tell that this crowd were into the chants and not the guy himself, as Moose selling drew zero reaction. ***
Up next: women’s tag team action. But first, Jennifer Louise is outside with Will Ospreay. This looks to be Will’s blow-off for now, as Ospreay says he’s the protege of Kazuchika Okada and he’s gotta go to Japan. So… yes, he’s off for now, but he’d love to be on the show when he’s around. They’re building up to another Ospreay/Kirby match in November.
An awkward plug for the WhatCulture magazine, promoting “the link below”. Which didn’t exist.
Bea Priestley & Alex Windsor vs. Nixon Newell & Little Miss Roxxy
Roxxy is from the north-east, so probably one of the more local performers here. Let’s hope she’s improved from the last show I reviewed her on…
Newell and Windsor start off, and they tie-up and go into the ropes before Windsor shoves Newell down to the mat. They swap front headlocks, before Newell dropkicks Windsor to the mat, and drop toe holds Priestley. In comes Roxxy to work a wristlock with Priestley, flipping over to reverse a reversal.
Windsor and Priestley quickly isolate Roxxy away from Newell. Priestley knocks Newell off the apron as Windsor holds Roxxy in a Gory Stretch so Priestley can shove some used gum in Roxxy’s mouth. Roxxy makes a comeback after having her face licked, and takes down her opponents with a headscissor/headlock takedown at the same time.
Roxxy gets a double dropkick, and finally Newell makes the hot tag to clear out Priestley and Windsor with forearms. An enziguri from the apron rocked Windsor, as Newell goes up top for a Molly Go Round! Newell and Windsor end up on the outside, as Roxxy teases a dive, but she runs into the knee of Priestley, as Newell goes face-first into the barriers outside.
Roxxy’s left alone on the inside, as she takes a snap Saito suplex, and is left prone for a modified sharpshooter – almost like the old Edg-ucator – but despite tapping, the referee doesn’t visibly call for the bell. Instead, the match just stopped. That looked really weird, and apart from phases, this match wasn’t that great. **¼
Afterwards, Windsor and Priestley tie-up Newell in the ropes like she’s Andre the Giant, as Windsor poses with the title belt. Alright then. It’s worth noting that this match around 5% of the audience checked out, and returned for the main event…
We’re backstage again and WhatCulture’s Jack is with WhatCulture’s Suzy. He’s trying to hit on women again. Primate catches him, and he’s mad… and Jack gets chased out of the building. This had to have been written to pop somebody in the office.
We go to another part of backstage as Rampage comes out of a dressing room. The cameraman goes in, and sees Lucha Archer and El Drako laid out. Join the dots now, because the unsubtle Alex Shane is going to do it for you in a matter of seconds!
Big Damo vs. Rampage
We get a jump start as Rampage takes down Damo and punches him, before a diving clothesline off the apron sees both men crash to the arena floor. Uppercuts by the barrier, and apparently this is now a no-holds-barred affair. Oh, and they inform the crowd that the piledriver has been allowed (which the crowd weren’t told about beforehand, because… WC(P)W…)
Adam Blampied tries to attack Rampage from behind because he’s apparently the biggest star in this group, but Damo makes the save and attacks Rampage. A cannonball splits the crowd barriers apart as Damo dives into a seated Rampage, before Rampage gets tossed through a fire exit… and almost down some stairs!
Rampage makes a comeback, shoving Damo chest-first into the ringpost as he then gets Irish whipped back into the crowd barrier they just repaired. Damo takes Rampage back inside for some more stomping, which gets a two-count. Blampied gets a shot on Rampage outside the ring, and Damo attacks him as he tried to chase after the supposed YouTube star.
Damo sits on a seat over Rampage, before he chops him around the outside. Inside again, Rampage takes a Bret Hart chest-first bump into the turnbuckles for a near-fall, and then gets fish-hooked by Damo. A knee to the midsection sends Rampage down to the mat, but a Samoan drop gets Rampage an opening!
The pair pull themselves back up to their feet, as Damo misses a corner charge in the corner, before taking a back suplex. Rampage teases a piledriver, but Damo dead-weights him and backdrops free. In reply, Damo drops Rampage and goes for a back senton, but Rampage misses – which was sold with utter nonchalance on commentary. Another piledriver attempt sees Rampage backdropped to the outside.
They brawl around to the entrance ramp, where Rampage blocks a suplex onto the steel ramp, before a piledriver attempt is also fought out of. Damo hits the suplex on the ramp anyway, and eventually lifts up the potato sack that is Rampage back into the ring, but he kicks out at one when a cover is made.
Damo hits a piledriver on Rampage after the kick-out, but that only gets a near-fall. That leads Adam Blampied to get that red Ikea chair they always use, but Rampage fights free as Damo went for a Coast to Coast. Instead, Damo takes a superplex, before Rampage hits back with a piledriver and that’s the win. Well, they fought all over the place, but for me, this match “out of nowhere” was really, really cold on video. And this “MOOSE!” loving crowd seemed to be apathetic at times to it too… **¾
Afterwards, Rampage grabs that Ikea chair and threatens Adam with it, but instead he just gives up and goes to the back… and that’s our show. One hour and 15 minutes this week, with nothing set-up for seven days’ time as they continue to be unable to build week to week: two segments here that would have been so much better added to last week’s show: Rampage vs. Damo and the Martin Kirby five-way could have at least been built to. But hey, they know what they’re doing, right??
As a positive, they have at least debuted two new women to this company’s division – although I’m not sure why a heel Bea Priestley wouldn’t give a stuff that the person she’s brought in is already saying she wants to usurp her place…
I look forward to seeing more clips on the WhatCulture channel building up stuff for next week, because they didn’t have time to do it this week!