When you’re hot, you’re hot. UKW, are on fire at the moment. That may be because of the big moves they’ve made which have bedded in and made something special.
There’s just no handhold here.
We want babyfaces to run the place, don’t we? Good guys telling us what the rules are, organising the place for a higher reason than personal gain.
When heels lead, it’s about them. Even heel groups are suspicious of each other. And so when the Persian Empire broke out and JPR allied himself with arrogant heel Cayman Carlisle, UKW Friday Night Showdown didn’t provide any handhold, no safe place.
But it enabled the show to go places. And it has. The place it’s gone? Quality.
But things have changed in that heel picture. JPR recently revealed in my podcast, Steve Swift’s Rambling Reviews, that his alliance was just a long plan to put the Collective, Carlisle and Henri Winter, out of action.
And the Persian Empire didn’t have it all their way on this episode either.
More of that in a min. First, a rundown of this excellent show which was 90 mins but seemed like 30.
Luna Rox Is Back in UK Wrestling!
And there’s a slick and successful video – do people still say video? – package for her too.
One-half of the tag team champs with Alfieeeeeeee Rogue, who Leonie Rose is suggesting she banished from UKW, Luna will surely want to cross swords with the Pest.
Jester Jayrow Lewis v Johann Hunt
Should Jayrow Lewis be laughing at Hunt and Big Duncan? Seems like taking your life in your hands to me. But then, he was one of the 4 who stood up to the last week and backed them off.
But Hunt hit a sweet 619 and then Rose smacked Jayrow Lewis into the apron and ran him into the ringpost; she can hang with so many on the roster. But although Hunt hit a slingblade, it was the Jester’s spiked DDT and kicks which looked nastier.
And then The Persian Empire’s night got a little more challenging as Cerebral Ste, Jonathan Sedgwick and Luna came into the ramp. Mustafa Khan was well distracted, but unfortunately so was Hunt, who fell to the Lewis driveby kick for the pin.
After, Khan told Johann he’d let him and the Empire down. He had a point…
Remus Caine w/DeCaro v Young Horus
He had the match of the night last week. And although he has an 0-19 streak, I didn’t mind him fighting for the Round The Clock belt, ‘cos he’s getting so much better and learning so much.
But early on Caine controlled things, a shoulder tackle, flying lariat and some good old fashioned stomps.
Horus then thought an off the top double axe handle would get the pin; think again, but he did get a chant and there’s a sense that he’s getting over.
He hit a lovely inzegueri with a sharp whipcrack effect but fell to the TKO.
Matchmaker Sid Phoenix was so impressed by Caine’s work that he granted a tag team chance against champs New Dawn at the next PPV.
This wasn’t the Match Of The Night, bloody close though.
This was the Match Of The Night!
Joe Sedgwick v Cliff Harrison
Fast, fun and full of Wrestling frolics, this was classy.
From the moment Sedgwick’s Figure 4 was reversed and he reversed the reversal, it promised to be fab; Harrison hit another of his ‘Hold on’ moves which he showcased last week – this time it was a spinning neckbreaker into a suplex and very soon after he walked out of the corner with Joe hooked up and hit a sweet spinebuster.
JS got the pin through with his Hard Target elbow from the top; before he hit it, he apologised to the crowd who were split in their affections.
Who wouldn’t be, it was pretty special and could have gone an extra 10 mins for me.
Winter and JPR made up, handshake accepted and although JPR was worried about what the crowd would think about his recent actions, they rallied behind him. This match helped.
JPR v Jacob Reid
Reid, who had such a good showing in the final 2 of the battle royale last week, is having his first televised 1 on 1 match here.
You’d never know. Winter may call him a ‘pound shop Rowan’ due to his long Redbeard (ahem), but he knew how to hit the target.
And his opponent provided one. His knee. It wasn’t in good shape. So the match became a tale of how much work Reid could do on the leg and how JPR was going to overcome it.
And so, Reid cranked on the leg, then pulled it to the side which looked sickening, then laid back with it, the close up camera work caught JPR’s torment beautifully. Reid kicked it, he picked JPR up and sat back on a cloverleaf, then a kneebar; all well done.
Despite this, his opponent managed the Alan Shearer kick which dealt him excruciating pain and a second try at the stylish RedRum DDT for the pin.
Both men won here tonight and JPR, from a prone position in the corner, challenged Cayman Carlisle. That is going to be one not to be missed.
New Dawn v Wild Sheikh
‘I’ve had one of those new WildSheikhs, please. And a curly straw.’
‘There you go.’
‘Thanks. What are those bits floating in it?’
‘That’s…protein and…erm…fibre.’
‘Oh, like a health drink!’
‘Yeah, if you like…’
Not sure about the name and wasn’t sure about Wild Sheikh facing the tag champs. But this was mighty fine. Some comedy, yes, but a good combination of fun and fighting.
The highlight was probably Andrew Jepson swinging Sheikh Mukhtoom for 14 revolutions (Henri counted them) and then the Sheikh wandering over to the opposite corner and attempting to tag Billy O’Keefe…
Those 2 had a really good tussle on the early going, avoiding pins until Billy halted it with a Death Valley Driver.
Dillon got in on the act briefly with a high crossbody, but Jepson handled things well for the champs and the Samoan Drop/Swanton combo was too good not to garner the pin.
We knew it would happen, Luna even had a trailer, so here it was for the main event.
Luna Rox v Leonie Rose
Pest Rose brought the Persian Empire with her, funnily enough. Her playground heel shouting at fans and yakking at Rox is entertaining though.
So is Rose checking the time on the ref’s watch and then attacking Rox, who comes back with a suplex and then, when held by Hunt, the other Pest, escapes and watches as Rose chops her Persian Empire pal.
Things aren’t as smooth as they once were…
They weren’t missing that chance of a choke in the corner though, Duncan doing the ‘honours’ and Rose weighing in with a kick to the back and smart dropkick, plus that excellent Stump Puller variation, you know, stand on the hair, pull on the arms.
1 quick Rox Samoan Drop later…
…that mess I talked about. The locker room emptied, everyone fought, who won wasn’t a thing, the Persian Empire being matched was the abiding memory and what UKW Friday Night Showdown closed on.
So, What Did We Learn?
That UKW Friday Night Showdown is so classy, when small technical issues arrive, Sid and Henri talk through it when her mic stops working, ring announcer Shelby Sinar just raised her voice.
The Persian Empire is letting it get to them. Mustafa Khan refused a Big Duncan v Cerebral Ste match because he seemed unhappy with the loss in the opener.
UKW is going from strength to strength and UKW Friday Night Showdown is one of the main reasons; it gives angles somewhere to grow, wrestling work to be tried, characters to get under our skin and become friends.
UKW Friday Night Showdown is a touch of class. And it’s only getting better…