This is last week’s UKW Friday Night Showdown which arrived the following Thursday and was the go-home show for the UKW British Bash show which happened last Saturday; convoluted, I know, so let’s just concentrate on the show itself.
Because it was stupendous. Almost 90 minutes long but seemed like 20, with strong angles, surprises, and great wrestling. Sounds easy? Bloody hard to get right.
Happy Birthday To You, Happy Birthday To…Ouch!
UKW stalwart Tommy Dillon kicked us off on sweet terms, it was his son’s birthday and he was there, so he asked us to sing it to him. The crowd obliged and it was so lovely.
He went to leave, grinning widely until he ran into Mustafa Khan. Yes, the UKW Heavyweight and Persian Heavyweight champ who wasn’t in the mood for party hats or cake – he was in the mood for season’s beatings. And that was good. Not for Tommy of course. But why?
The Persian Empire Was In The Ascendancy Again
Mustafa Khan’s heel turn and forming of the current Persian Empire were, along with JPR’s heel turn, the beginning of the brilliance which UKW is now reaping. They had a quick rise, as is the way it should be with big heel factions, and looked unbeatable. For a short time.
And then the locker room stood up to them, they looked a little challenged and started to lose matches. This is right too. But not so soon, not so soon, calm it, don’t hotshot, this can be spread over many weeks.
So it was good to see the Persian Empire causing trouble again. And even better to see the next surprise.
Leonie Rose Cashes In
She was backstage doing a promo. Then she heard something. It took place earlier in the day, it seemed, as Leonie pulled back a curtain and saw Alfieeee, women’s champ, talking to Sid Phoenix with her back to the door.
Hadn’t she seen any cowboy movies? You always sit facing the door so you know when your enemy enters!
Alfieeeeeeee didn’t see anything and tasted a clonk on the head. Rose made Sid count. And she was the new Women’s champ.
Hang on, Sid isn’t a referee, is he? And the title can’t be defended anywhere like a Round The Clock one, can it?
Never mind that!
This worked, Leonie Rose cashed in her dream ticket, which hadn’t been mentioned for a couple of weeks just to get our minds off it, she finally got what we expected her to, the Women’s strap and it burnished The Persian Empire.
And New…
Which allowed Mustafa Khan, watching on the monitor, to introduce the new champ. And allowed Rose, one of the Pests with Johann Hunt, to give her playground heel excellence, jawing with the crowd. One fan shouted ‘do you ever stop talking?’Leonie replied that it was surely what they were supposed to do.
Excellent stuff.
Two Match Of The Night Contenders
That’s how good the UKW wrestling was this week. First up;
Cerebral Ste v Young Horus
Horus was 0-21, but it’s about the journey, not the W, as he calmly told me in an interview on my podcast a few weeks ago.
And he gave a good showing, starting early when he ignored Ste’s proffered hand and went for the leg instead. After excellent jockeying for position, Horus synched in a rear-naked choke with hooks in, even kicking out after Ste had loosened his head from his shoulders with a dropkick as he came off the top.
But a kicking combo later, he was 0-22. He applauded Ste after and rightly so, but this Young wrestler is rapidly improving.
And the other;
Johann Hunt v Jayrow Lewis
Short but very sweet, Lewis trumped Hunt’s dropkick by hitting his own from the top, Leonie Rose hit him with the belt on the outside (she’s going to enjoy using that strap as a weapon) and Hunt got the pin with an extraordinary kerb stomp from the top.
Sounds simple, sounds small, but it had fizzing energy and febrile temperament that was so good to watch.
Other Matches Weren’t So Bad Either
A New Dawn v The Yorkshireman & Joe Sedgwick
For the New Dawn tag belts this, although if the challengers could stay together for the match, it would be a feat. There were other feats, of strength, that is, as Andrew Jepson swung Joe and the Yorkshireman knocked Man Mountain Jepson off his feet and even lifted him briefly for a slam.
Joe had a go too, his spinning Blue Thunder Bomb looking great and the assisted neck breaker from Jepson and O’Keefe deserved a long 2 count.
Unfortunately, Remus Caine and Robert De Caro, also in the tag picture, kept the Yorkshireman chatting at ringside (I don’t think it was about tea) allowing the champs to pin Joe.
No spare flesh on this match at all.
Cayman Carlisle v Jonathan Sedgwick
This main event was a bit odd for 2 reasons;
- Carlisle should surely have been kept off TV until the grudge match with JPR at the Bash
- Why a match with Jonathan Sedgwick? Was there any current bad blood?
Anyhoo, it allowed the Persian Empire to come down as they had a vested interest in persuading (read ‘beating up’) Sedgwick into joining them. They weren’t about to let this chance go…
That’s maybe why they all had a go at stomping Sedgwick on the outside, as Carlisle looked on, keen to take the advantage, which he did with a sleeper and a dropkick. Sedgwick timed that kick out so well, it was 2.99 recurring and had people gasping.
But after Cayman tried a dropkick, Sedgwick showed him how it was done, his is a thing of beauty.
And then he wound up or the Superkick, the cue for Pest Johann Hunt to remonstrate with him on the apron and taste a knuckle sandwich for his trouble.
Of course, Carlisle took advantage and hit a Superkick of his own for the pin.
It wasn’t over for head honcho Jonathan, Leonie Rose introduced his face to her Women’s championship belt and the Persian Empire rose again.
Almost The Match Of The Night
JPR v Mad Ed
This was JPR’s match, as he unloaded with some lovely offense and produced some lovely touches. His clothesline off the apron was perfectly executed this week and looked nasty, his Boston Crab was sat back on, he hit a single-arm DDT and when Mad Ed tried to lift him, gently took his opponent’s arm from around his neck and even more gently took him to the mat.
He lost. But that was Cayman Carlisle’s fault. Well, it was JPR’s fault as he let himself be distracted and then had to listen to cocky Carlise on the mic. He looked defeated, disgruntled, and disgusted with himself on the walk back to the changing room; such good work.
Sounds Good
Oh, it was. UKW is on fire at the moment. It’s a purifying flame. And one you can watch all night
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