Wrestling is weird right? We pay £10 to watch some lads and lassies fight in their underwear for the enjoyment of men, women and children for about 3 hours most weekends. We pay this money on a regular basis, to see it over and over again. We buy merchandise, we have aspirations to meet these characters and maybe even have a glimmer of being in the industry. Some flirt with it, others grab with both hands. I’m a flirter judging by this website alone.

Speaking of grabbing with both hands, Unite with United Pro Wrestling belonged to the self proclaimed ‘King of United Pro Wrestling’ Chris Lamb but I’ll come back to that in a bit.

The Fisherman’s Hall in Buckie is a cold venue generally, however, on February 22nd someone celebrated a wedding and had left their marquee up. So with that change the heat was kept in the hall which saw coats removed. It wasn’t as big of a crowd as it had been for previous years which is a shame.

Chris Lamb defeated Jack Morris by submission.

The show started with “King” Chris Lamb taking on the popular Jack Morris. It was a slow start with Lamb punishing Morris, wearing down the shoulder throughout. Morris gained some momentum and went for his second rope Shooting Star Press but Lamb was too far away leading to Morris to land his head and injured shoulder on Lamb for a two count which may’ve been an accident but it worked perfectly for the story. Lamb awkwardly put on a cross armbreaker and the referee called for the bell for what I assume was the submission.

It was a bit on an upset in how the match went down. I was surprised how dominant Lamb was throughout. It was a pretty grounded match with Morris having fleeting moments of reprieve. The armbreaker being put on wasn’t the best but overall a very good match.

Lamb was on top form, he was pulled up, interactive with the audience and gave himself that air of cockiness because he believed that he was the King. It was a true turning point with Chris Lamb, last time I saw him was September and I noted how much he improved and now he’s just kept that momentum up. Just needs to smooth out his in-ring work but his character and aura is certainly on the rise.

Even if he called me Benny this time…

Delsin Dayre defeated Steven ‘Air’ Myles by pinfall.

Next up was another match I was really keen to see. Delsin Dayre was not happy with the cheers for Myles. Myles is very much in that Kassius Ohno/Chris Hero shape of looking like he shouldn’t be able to do the things he can do with the flips and flops. Dayre controlled the match, openly mocking the audience for clapping for Myles and asking why they wouldn’t clap for him while putting the boots to his opponent. Myles fought back with a sling blade and looked to hit his 450 splash but Dayre shoved the referee into the ropes before finishing off Myles for the win.

The match was fine, not as high flying as I’d thought it would be and certainly a slower pace but with that, why would Dayre do flashy moves as the bad guy?

Anyway, Dayre’s tights said “The Cure” but the font made it look it it was “The Cube”, which got a wee chuckle out of me. Imagine Phillip Schofield doing elbow drops.

Tyler Reid defeated Riley Adams w/Chris Lamb by pinfall.

The first half main event was a match I wasn’t really looking forward to in the preview. Tyler Reid came out looking a little more comfortable… still wearing converse high tops… I’m skipping that point as it bugs me to see them, I want to see some wrestling boots Tyler. Or the very least have footwear that would support the ankles min. Much like my opinion of Chris Lamb back in September, this was Riley Adam’s turning point. He’s always had the brooding, scowling face, he just looked like he didn’t want to be there at all but he added just an extra linger, a subtle tweak which makes him connect to the audience and let them know that he’s properly disgusted to be in front of them, that he knows he’s being the bad guy and enjoys battering his opponents with little finesse, not just pretending to be the bad guy. Adams entered with Lamb, who was ringside being a nuisance, as he should be. Reid was on the defensive throughout but it was Lamb trying to cause a distraction saw Riley rolled up for a three count.

Lamb picked up the microphone and forgave Adams for losing this one time before offering a handshake. Adams refused the handshake and left, leaving the first half with a bit of tension between The Kings of Unity.

The match itself was better than anticipated, pretty solid and inoffensive. The story between Lamb and Adams was what was interesting as it continued a little later on…

UPW Heavyweight Championship Number One Contendership – Battle Royal – Chris Lamb defeated Jack Morris, Riley Adams, Hombre Plantaco, The Greatest Wrestler of All Time, Steven ‘Air’ Myles, Stallyon and Tyler Reid to become number one contender to the UPW Heavyweight Championship.

After the break there was an impromptu number one contendership battle royal. There was a bloke dressed as a banana… 6 stars on the Meltzer scale. Stallyon was eliminated pretty early on by The Greatest Wrestler of All Time but he spent more time battering other eliminatees at ringside including stalking GWOAT to backstage. It was soon down to three, Jack Morris, Chris Lamb and Riley Adams. It looked to be an upward journey for Morris until Lamb hit Adams with a Codebreaker and threw out his Kings of Unity teammate before quickly disposing of Morris to win himself a UPW Heavyweight Championship match.

A brisk battle royal that had some funny moments, it was all about that pay off to the earlier tension between Lamb and Adams though as the “King” moved one step closer to the crown.

UPW Heavyweight Championship – Theo Doros defeated Euan G Mackie by pinfall to retain the UPW Heavyweight Championship.

Main event time with Euan G Mackie against the UPW Heavyweight Champion Theo Doros. This was a lovely back and forth bout as expected with Mackie using logic to wear down his broader opponent. He was his usual self, offering remarks throughout. Including a bottom rope Vader Bomb (Goblin Bomb perhaps?) that I was advised to put in my review. This was super close and I truly believed that Mackie was going to become UPW Heavyweight Champion. There was a referee knockdown and Mackie went under the ring before returning with a green mist for Doros. It wasn’t as “misty” as it could’ve been and Doros kicked out, Mackie brought out the shovel to bury Scottish wrestling but was met with a Superman Punch which saw the shovel collide with the face of Mackie. Doros retained but it was another close title defense for “The Superior Cypriot”.

Just as Doros was catching his breath Chris Lamb was back out for the forth time this evening to confront the UPW Heavyweight Champion. He told Doros that he would challenge for the title in Peterhead on March 23rd before promising that he would finally take the throne that he deserves. Doros belted out an impassioned speech about him fighting for everyone and being the UPW Heavyweight Champion for as long as he possibly can.

As you can tell from the review this was Chris Lamb heavy but it was really great stuff. It was all logical to have him there so many times, some shocks with the dissolving of The Kings of Unity. This was a fun show which showcased Lamb to really push him forward as the guy that could really beat Theo Doros, I mean, it won’t be without shenanigans, but he seems primed to take the UPW Heavyweight Championship and rule over United Pro Wrestling.

A smaller crowd than usual at The Fisherman’s Hall but the content of the show itself was really fun and was certainly worth heading along to. Plus it had a guy dressed as a banana… a banana.

 

 

 

A banana.