UKW are making stupendous wrestling programmes at the moment – their Friday Night Showdown has been great for a year or so and for a weekly 90-minute show, that’s amazing.
Now we have a new show…
Ignite!
It’s part of the UKW Genesis brand, ostensibly less established wrestlers and academy talent. Some of that talent had already made a splash on Showdown, so when they came to Ignite, we already knew them – that helps.
But considering the show’s only been going 10 weeks, those new faces have made an impact too. Ignite is a fast and furious fifty minutes, not too many angles, just good matches.
Tonight?
lightly different.
The Dogs Of War Take Over
They are the main Ignite faction. The Genesis champion, Jacob Reid, who held onto his belt somehow at the recent Hallowed Ground PPV against monster Bishop, the Mercenary, Sebastian Mercer (see what he did there?), previously loved ring technician Cliff Harrison and a new member – previous Women’s Champ Sarah Sky, who has taken to heart the loss of her title to playground heel Leonie Rose, member of the main faction on Showdown The Persian Empire (keep up)…
Sky has taken the lack of gold very badly and is in a dark world of her own – being with the Dogs Of War is the best place for her, wrestling wise as they have no manifesto, no character, they just seem nasty. And keen to get involved.
And They Did…
After their first promo piece at the head of Ignite, Reid interfered in Bishop’s match by just standing there with the belt, surprisingly enough to distract Bishop and lead to a roll-up loss.
Elsewhere Mercer and Harrison were in action, Reid affected the end of his mate Mercer’s match too. This concentration on the Dogs Of War made the show smaller and more focused; felt different and rather good.
The Commentary Makes A Difference
Tommy Dillon, who wrestles for UKW too, is a mainstay behind the Ignite desk, but this week he had Big Duncan (Big is an understatement, he’s a man mountain) with him and their easy manner added to the show. Before the Best Of Seven match between Bishop and Brent Newman, Duncan looked at his running sheet and asked Dillon ‘is this right?’, a lovely human touch.
Good commentary can make the most prosaic moment better, so when Mercer synched in a headlock, Dillon quickly worried if it was a choke, later when Harrison aimed a high kick into Cason Reilly’s face, he told us ‘I’ve taken one of them…’, it’s the sort of insight that adds so much.
I Actually Want The Matches To Be Longer
Evan Knight has a chip on his shoulder, we’re told, and a nasty streak to go with it – he’s straight onto Tom Savage, hits his sweet Senton, but almost loses it after a Knight legdrop – 2.99 is a very long 2 count. Savage doesn’t go up top very often and with the elbow off the top we can tell, but he came down on Knight with a clunk and got the pin.
Good match, could have done with 5 minutes more. Bishop is expected to hammer Brent Newman, but Brent has strength and fight, putting him down with a big clothesline. Bishop reasserted himself with a couple of pushes rather than Pounces, Newman flew across the ring.
There’s been a spot in which Bishop tore Newman’s shirt off to deliver chops that sounded like a whipcrack – here he tore the shirt but didn’t deliver the chop, much to the crowd’s chagrin, instead, he delivered a Death Valley Drop; yep, in the Death Valley position but just dumped on the mat – cor, disrespectful! Reid of course distracted Bishop and led to his loss; could have done with 5 minutes more.
Reid got involved with Bret Sedgwick at the end of his match with Mercer too – Ignite seems to be his personal playground, doesn’t it?
Dogs Of War man Cliff Harrison had a rather fine match with Cason Reilly in the Ignite main event – this time, we had an outcome, plus Harrison’s 3 Neckbreaker spot – always a thing of beauty – plus a sweet Tornado DDT, but Reilly showcased his great-looking full extension Spinebuster and knees to the face, which apparently he calls The CaseIn Point. Yersssss…
Credit; YouTube
As Good As Previous Weeks?
Different. By making this week almost edited by the Dogs Of War, Ignite stepped out of its usual run tonight. That was the right decision; who let the Dogs Out?..
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