The go-home for next week’s “Stacked” supercard featured a taste of Aron Stevens’ new home, as an interference-laden main event soured an otherwise decent episode of WCPW.
#TLDR: More of the same from WCPW, with a fine match between Martin Kirby and Will Ospreay, a fun no-holds barred match… and then a main event ruined with the usual storyline and interference garbage that this group has at least toned down.
The Full Review: So we’re up to the seventh episode of Loaded – and with next week being yet another supercard, we’ve got a card that could well have been “Stacked”. Which is next week, and I think taping this week…
We open with Joe Coffey speaking to Jennifer Louise. He’s upset how Primate beat him before his title match last week. Sadly, the sound mix is weird again as we could barely hear Jennifer’s attempt at a question, but he gets up and demands another shot at Primate.
The Primate vs. Joe Coffey
Primate has a weird new mask, and thankfully they’ve got rid of the metal grinding noise that accompanied the graphics last week. This is a rematch from last month’s Built to Destroy, and Primate’s got a chair in hand already.
Coffey grabs another red chair form under the ring – someone’s been to Ikea – and since this is no-holds barred, we’re expecting a fair bit of plunder. They smash the chairs against each other, before Coffey blocks a chairshot and replied with a dropkick to Primate through a chair. Primate shoves him down with a shoulder tackle and then delivers a German suplex before Coffey blocks another chairshot with a big boot… only to be swatted out of the air with the chair as he went for a crossbody.
They went to the outside for more brawling as Alex Shane on commentary was more interested in describing Adam Blampied’s gentials… seriously. Coffey delivers an uppercut to Primate, before giving a chair to a guy in the crowd and showing Primate through it. Primate gets back body dropped into the crowd, then met with a running tope over the barriers, before delivering a giant swing in the middle of the crowd. A Boston crab sees Coffey try for a submission as this apparently became falls count anywhere too.
Primate fought free and threw Coffey into a wall, then they went into the bar as Coffey was tossed behind it, before he lands a double axehandle off the bar to Primate. A suplex is blocked, before Coffey leaps over a spear, only to fall to a second spear by the bar. Primate then climbs above an entry way, and dives into Coffey, the ref, and some handily-placed security.
After making it back to the ringside area, Primate throws Coffey onto the apron, before they threw chops at each other, with a clubbing shot from Coffey sending Primate over the top rope and back inside the ring. A missile dropkick through a chair got Coffey some separation from Primate, but they went back to trading chops, and then headbutts. Coffey connects with avalanches, then a springboard cross body off the top rope for a near-fall.
Primate throws Coffey into the middle turnbuckle, then lands a trio of rolling German suplexes, with the last one having a bridge for a near-fall. A table comes into the equation as Primate grabs one form under the ring, but Coffey lands a German suplex and a lariat for a near-fall before the table could come into play. Suzie Kennedy enters the ring to help Primate, and she gets uses as a human shield as Coffey went for a discus elbow. She looks worried as hell… but thankfully she moved out of the way as Primate speared Coffey through the table… but the “Iron Man” kicked out.
Primate went for a second spear, but Coffey ducked it and went for a Giant Swing, before turning over into a Boston crab. Coffey released the hold and slingshotted Primate into the corner, then went for a submission hold that looked like the love child of a Lion Tamer and a Styles clash, before releasing it. Some kicks to Primate seemed to knock him out, and once Coffey went for the Boston crab, the referee stopped the match. Pretty good brawl, and some cool new stuff too – they didn’t try and rehash too much from their first match, which was good to see. ***½
Kenny McIntosh surprises Joe Coffey on the ramp for a post-match interview, and asks Coffey what’s next. He reckons his destiny has been decided, and does a lot of arm pumping… he’s going for Moose.
Jennifer Louise is backstage with Martin Kirby, and she acknowledges Kirby’s woeful win-loss record. Kirby’s challenging Will Ospreay to show “exactly what he’s capable of”.
Bea Priestley vs. Nixon Newell
A rematch from two weeks ago, and Priestley gets in the face of the fan who held a chair up for Joe Coffey in the last match. Problem with debuting someone without a build is that it can take a while to get their act over, whether heel or face. Alex Shane identifies the New Zealander as being from London… well, as a residence, perhaps.
Priestley starts by ducking under a high kick from Newell, and leaves the ring, before she makes chase. Back in the ring, a forearm drops Priestley and sends her outside again, but Newell follows her and delivers some more forearms. Priestley takes a couple of chops over the barricades, before she fires back as this is all clubbing strikes.
Priestley ties up Newell in the barriers, but Newell sidesteps as Priestley crotches herself, before Newell does a lap of the ring and leaps into the crowd, taking Priestley out in the process.
Back in the ring, Priestley catches Newell with a draping DDT off the middle rope for a two-count, before going for the camel clutch with the forced gum eating. Except Newell bit at Priestley’s fingers and replied with a forearm and a head kick, before Newell ran in with some avalanche elbows, and a leg sweep.
Priestley got dropped with a fallaway slam that turned into a bridging pin, then takes a Shining Wizard from Newell for another two-count. Newell’s attempt at a Welsh Destroyer is backdropped out of, then Priestley sits on her for a near-fall, and follows up with a side suplex. A Yakuza kick drops Newell in the corner, where she takes a pair of knee strikes to the head for another two-count.
Priestley lands a forearm smash, then a Northern Lights release suplex, before a PK almost got her the win. A face lick and a Dragon sleeper took Newell down, and that was it as Priestley forced a submission. Much shorter – and much better – than their first effort. ***
Post-match, Priestley returned to the ring to attack Newell from behind, but she got taken down with some mounted punches. Adam Pacitti comes out with a microphone to stop them, and announced the rubber match for August 24. It’s going to be a last (wo)man standing match, to crown the first WCPW Women’s champion. That I would have liked more… had WCPW had more than two women wrestling in their company! Also, it’s alright announcing the August 24 date for the live audience, but when will the YouTube crowd get to see it?
We return to a backstage segment with Adam Blampied ranting about how someone can’t kick someone in the balls and expect no punishment. Ah, he’s in a wheelchair, and it’s trying to rile up Big Damo ahead of the main event tonight. Blampied shakes the hand of someone in white trousers and seals a “prospective partnership”. Subtle. Gotta love how the focus is still on Adam Blampied and not the wrestlers in this main event angle…
Elimination Tag Team Match: Prospect (Lucas Archer, Alex Gracie & Drake) vs. Grado, Joe Hendry & Joseph Conners
James R. Kennedy is in white trousers, just in case you needed the dots joining, and Kennedy has the microphone. It’s ultra generic, “Prospect does, what Prospect wants”. Except win, I see. Grado’s entrance video is just a still of him pulling a mean face in front of his name… Yeah. I don’t have as big a problem with the entrance videos being used on screen, but not a frozen picture. It’s a custom Joe Hendry theme, with the comically bad “Joseph Conners” comic sans video.
Prospect try – and fail – with a jumpstart as all six men finally get clotheslined to the outside. Lucas Archer comes in and takes some punches from everyone as he’s pinged around the ring, before he takes a bunch of eye rakes, then a back rake as Drake gets tossed to the outside to end another sneak attack. Prospect – Jobbers du Jour!
Drake gets rolled in and takes an arm wringer from Hendry, before Conners comes in and drops him with a backbreaker for a one-count. Grado comes in and chops away at Drake, before bringing Conners back in, and the pair land a double-team elbow drop for another two-count. Drake takes Grado into the wrong corner as they cycle tags and triple-team him.
Hendry gets tagged in after Grado’d freed himself, then suplexes Drake and hits a double team hiptoss backbreaker on Drake and Archer, before Gracie takes a pair of atomic drops, then a Michinoku driver. Conners clubs Gracie with forearms and clotheslines in the corner, before stomping down the onrushing Archer and Drake. Conners accidentally punches Hendry as Gracie ducked a punch, and in the ensuing confusion, Drake dropped Conners with a lungblower, before Archer and Gracie hit a Flatliner/Side Effect combo for the pin to eliminate Joseph Conners.
Grado comes in and unloads on Archer, Gracie and Drake with his Dusty Rhodes routine, before pulling off an Ace crusher on Gracie and Archer. As James R. Kennedy distracted the ref on the apron, Drake kicks Grado low and rolls him up for the second elimination. Sigh. Can we have a promotion where the referees aren’t easily distracted morons?
Joe Hendry’s left on his own now, and the heels bumrush him as the referee struggles to contain the match. Drake remains in the ring and takes Hendry into the corner for some more triple teaming. Archer drops Hendry with a guillotine, but it’s reversed and turned into a suplex, as Archer tags out to Drake. Drake misses an avalanche charge, and gets rolled up for the pin.
Archer comes in now and takes a few clotheslines before Gracie’s dropkicked to the outside. Archer beats down on Hendry, but makes a mistake as a crossbody was caught, before Hendry shoves Archer into Gracie on the apron, and lands a sit-out Dominator for another elimination.
Gracie drops Hendry with a legsweep/side suplex a near-fall as he tried to kill the momentum, but fell to a roll-up for a near-fall. A second sit-out Dominator is avoided, before a big boot off the ropes from Hendry dumps Gracie, as does a reverse neckbreaker… that would have sealed the win, but Kennedy pulls the ref out of the ring, and creates a distraction as Drake returns from the back, only to miss his top rope lungblower.
The referee returned to count a near-fall from a full nelson slam from Gracie, and Archer climbed the top rope for some reason. Our ever watchful referee ignored it, and that ended up with Gracie crotching Archer after Hendry’d sent him into the ropes. Hendry picks up the pair of them off the top and lands a double fallaway slam, and that’s enough for the win. Like the PCW match, some of these eliminations were way too quick, and I wasn’t keen on the referee being made to look incompetent (nor Prospect yet again by the end), but this was decent for what it was. ***
Jennifer Louise seems to be the only interviewer WCPW’s kept on, and she’s backstage with Aron Stevens (not Rex, yet). He’s asked to give his thoughts on Big Damo, and he recaps the whole “punching Blampied in the nuts” thing. Stevens is interrupted by Joe Hendry, who’s singing his theme and not-at-all looking like he’s just had a come-from-behind win in a 6-man elimination tag. Stevens enlists Hendry’s help as back-up…
I’ve only just realised, but this group’s pretty much stopped using that generic rock theme that they had made for them in season one.
We return to see Grado playing Pokemon Go, and he barges into a dressing room with the Primate. Of course, Primate beats the snot out of him… and now Primate turns babyface. At least with me.
Martin Kirby vs. Will Ospreay
They announce Ospreay as being “from the CHAOS faction”. It’s almost like someone’s read his Wikipedia and didn’t think to ask “does that mean anything?” Alex Shane powertalks over a load of “Ospreay” chants, and we start with Kirby grabbing a wristlock, only for Ospreay to flip out of it easily.
Kirby grabs a headlock, and loses it as Ospreay turns it into a waistlock takedown, then a front facelock, which Kirby gets out of. Ospreay takes Kirby to the ropes, and delivers the Okada “clean” break, before he rebounds off the ropes with a springboard armdrag and a hurricanrana, and then sends Kirby to the outside with a dropkick. Typical Will Ospreay and the “I can’t keep up with this stuff!”
After returning to the ring, Ospreay chops away at Kirby, then put shim in an Octopus lock in the middle of the ring, before turning it into a roll-up for a two-count. Kirby clings onto the rope to avoid an Irish whip, but gets a kick to the head, before dropping Will with a tiltawhirl slam for a two-count. He continued with a running shoulder charge into the corner, then gets a dropkick after sending Ospreay into the ropes for a near-fall.
Kirby keeps Ospreay grounded with a sleeperhold, before he pulls Will back to the mat after he’d fought his way free. A hotshot sends Ospreay from the apron to the floor, via the crowd barriers, and Kirby follows him outside with some chops onto the crowd barriers, then a poke to the eye too.
Ospreay briefly thought back, but took a stiff bump into the crowd barriers from an Irish whip, but after being thrown into the ropes again, Ospreay knocked down Kirby with a handspring into a corkscrew overhead kick. Kirby misses an avalanche, then takes a flying forearm for a near-fall.
Ospreay’s Cheeky Nando’s kick gets him a two-count, before Kirby ducks a Rainmaker. They end up outside again, and Kirby rips a page out of Ospreay’s book with a tope con hilo, then goes back inside for a Michinoku driver that almost got him the win. Kirby calls for the end, but Ospreay counters a Sable bomb with a roll-up, before he counters a second one, only to backflip into a Kirby TKO for another near-fall.
A second Cheeky Nando’s is countered by Kirby, but he falls to a suplex stunner, and then a standing one-man Spanish Fly from Ospreay. This prompts an “are you watching Vince McMahon?” chant (you know, to the guy who owns WWE and NXT…) from the crowd, before Will and Martin start trading forearm shots in the middle of the ring. Ospreay goes to the corner for the Kenta Kobashi rapid chops, only for Kirby to catch him with a snapmare driver for a near-fall.
Kirby tries the Zoidberg elbow, and gets caught with a hurricanrana, before Ospreay follows him outside and dives across the turnbuckles and lands a tornado DDT. After going back inside, that gets Ospreay a two-count, and he quickly gets a 450 Splash for another near-fall. This is getting good, especially if you mute the commentary… and out of nowhere the finish comes as Ospreay connects with his diving corkscrew kick, before an OsCutter attempt was countered with a backslide for the win! A fantastic match, which went some way to getting rid of the comedy jobber label that Kirby had placed on him for the first two months of this promotion. ****
Afterwards, Ospreay grabs the microphone and puts over Kirby as someone who’d been overlooked for far too long. After seeing some of Kirby’s stuff in the earlier PROGRESS shows, I’d have to agree. Ospreay then cut down some of the “smart marks”, and asked for a rematch when he’s back in WCPW. Well, if Will’s missing the next set of tapings, it makes sense for him to put someone over – now, all they need to do is keep Kirby consistent and keep him well away from the comedy jobber garbage they’ve had before.
We’re taken to Old Eldon Square in Newcastle (they don’t name it, it’s local knowledge I’m afraid!) where Gabriel Kidd’s giving Prince Ameen another piggy-back. Ameen claims that the St George’s Monument in Newcastle is actually of him, and orders Kidd to chase away the pigeons surrounding it. This must have been weird to watch, but I rather enjoy “wrestlers in gimmick in broad daylight” segments, especially when it’s not full of “extras”. Kidd asks Ameen to show him how it’s done, but instead he’s forced to piggyback Ameen back to the O2 Academy.
We return to the Academy with Doug Williams and Jennifer Louise again. Even WWE has multiple backstage announcers, but whatever works, I guess. Williams dismisses Noam Dar after he beat him in a loser-leaves-town match last week, and this is a way to build up Doug Williams vs. Drew Galloway for next week’s Stacked show. I’m not a fan of how they’re doing so many matches in this “oh, I thought you were told…” format.
They build up to next week’s Stacked show, featuring Moose vs. Joe Coffey, Bea Priestley vs. Nixon Newell in a “one of the only two women we’ve ever booked will become champion” match, Will Ospreay vs. Marty Scurll. So I guess Ospreay’s doing Stacked, but not the Loaded tapings if what he said after the last match is right?
WCPW Championship: Aron Stevens vs. Big Damo (c)
Oh dear, they still have the old Damien Sandow Twitter handle here… Big Damo is out with Adam Blampied in a wheelchair. Ah, so that’s why we have a ramp, and not steps for this. Blampied is wearing a neckbrace, has the title belt, and is out with James R. Kennedy, because of course, this can never be about the wrestlers. After seeing Kennedy’s charges earlier tonight, I’m not sure I’d want to know him, let alone willingly associate.
Stevens takes Damo into the corner with headbutts and kicks from the bell, and it looks like the rest of Prospect have joined the gang on the stage. More headbutts and clubbing forearms from Stevens, but a single clothesline from Damo drops the former Damien Sandow.
Damo kicks Stevens to the outside, then follows him, only to take an Irish whip that breaks the guard rails – that looked dangerous for the fans. Stevens rolls him back in and continues with the punches in the corner, before Damo overwhelms Stevens with a body attack. A suplex from Damo gets him a two-count, and then he goes to a chinlock to keep Stevens on the mat. Aron fights up, but walks into an uppercut, before a slam sets up for the back senton, except Stevens rolls away before he’s squashed.
Stevens sidesteps an avalanche in the corner, and makes a comeback with some clotheslines and a roaring forearm. An elbow drop gets Stevens a two-count, before Damo dropped him and landed the back senton for a two-count. We get a ref bump as Stevens sidesteps another avalanche, but Damo goes ahead and flattens the referee in the corner, so we know what that means… Shenangians!
A short DDT gets Stevens a visual pin, but Adam Blampied runs out of his wheelchair and throws some powder in Stevens’ eyes. Damo runs in with a low crossbody as the referee takes a nap, and Damo sets up for a chair-assisted Coast to Coast dropkick, only for Joseph Conners and Joe Hendry to run in to make the save.
Prospect, Hendry and Conners fight in the ring, as Drake comes out and gets tossed again easily. The crowd chants for Grado as Prospect clear out Hendry and Conners, but Stevens easily dumps the pair of them, and Drake, like the jobbers they’ve been booked as time and time again. Comedy geeks, the lot of them!
Stevens turns around to see Blampied with that red Ikea chair again, and he boots Blampied in the chest. Stevens grabs the chair, but Damo stops him, only to get the chair superkicked into his head. The referee’s still sleeping, but wakes up just in time as Damo kicked out at two. For some reason, the ref decides to sell again, and that gives Blampied a chance to come in and low blow Stevens. One piledriver later, and the referee’s conveniently awake to count the pin. Well, Aron Stevens is now with TNA, and he got a refresher of early TNA here, with a match that was stunted massively by run-ins and interference. **¾
Almost as soon as the bell went, Conners and Hendry ran in to attack Damo, but Prospect ran in to even the numbers up, allowing Damo a chance to piledrive Stevens on the chair… but the lights go out (so everyone stops, like you do in wrestling). A video plays on the screens, and Rampage Brown is back! A two week break from a “broken neck”.
Rampage clears house on the Prospect jobbers, as they and Big Damo do a runner. They then insert a pre-taped segment with Adam Pacitti in the WCPW boardroom. There’s no crowd reactions to this, which just sounded weird, and Pacitti announces a fatal four-way for next week’s Stacked show: Joseph Conners, Joe Hendry and Rampage are going to be the challengers. That looked odd, with clearly-dubbed in cheers. Well, it’s going to be a main event next week, that’s for sure.
The live viewing figures for this week’s show seemingly tanked – a low of under 6,000 viewers at its peak – and if I’m being honest, it’s a mixture of two things: the format, and the weekend. Before the weekend, I’d planned on watching this live, but after two EVOLVE shows, SummerSlam, NXT and New Japan, this was a show that immediately became “will watch later” viewing.
The stand-out match for this week was easily the Martin Kirby/Will Ospreay match, the only negative of which for me was that they had to do too much to try and flag that this wasn’t a slip-on-a-banana-peel finish, since Kirby had been booked as comedy jobber as recently as last week.
Look, I’ve said from day one, my main problem with WCPW has never been the in-ring, it’s always been the booking: as a viewer, we were supposed to take Prospect seriously as some sort of threat, just minutes after we’d seen them squashed like a bug. Martin Kirby – as good as he is – is portrayed as a comedy geek, then suddenly scores an upset win and we’re meant to take it seriously. And don’t get me started on how the main event of the company somehow seems to revolve around a non-wrestler. With my recent ticket purchase for their October show in mind, lets hope the stuff they’ve toned down in recent weeks continues to taper off, and we actually can have main event angles that involve, y’know, wrestlers by then…