Wow. Just wow.
Whenever WrestleZone promise a huge show, that’s exactly what you’re going to get. Quality match after quality match, captivating story after captivating story, huge announcement after huge announcement. For Battle of the Nations 2019, that was no different, as they celebrated 10 years at the Aberdeen Northern Hotel, having held their first show at the venue all the way back in 2009. It was their biggest Northern Hotel card ever with a total of eight contests being fought throughout the night, and it featured some massive attractions. The return of Liam Thomson, the reunion of The Granite City Hotshots, the in-ring debut of referee Mikey Innes, the possibility of it being Johnny Lions’ final match in a WrestleZone ring.
Heading into the night, it was looking like a memorable one for all of WrestleZone. Heading out though, it was a memorable one for one certain man in particular, who I’m sure we’ll be speaking about a lot more later on. For now though, let’s speak about the VIP ticket holders pre-show.
VIP Ticket Holders Bonus Match
Mauler Murphy def. Kaden Garrick by Pinfall
Those with VIP tickets were treated to a contest between two WrestleZone Training Academy graduates as former two-time Tag Team Champion Kaden Garrick went up against the latest name out of the training school, Mauler Murphy. For the majority of the contest, Murphy dominated the smaller Garrick, using his size advantage to keep him grounded to eliminate any possibility of Kaden hitting his patented spear. The referee gave Mauler his fair share of warnings throughout for his repeated use of chokeholds, the sort of distractions Kaden needed to get back into things. Some flying shoulder tackles from Garrick failed to knock down Murphy, although Kaden was able to scoop slam his larger adversary at one stage. Eventually, a gorgeous Samoan drop and a Yokozuna-style Banzai Drop ended things in victorious fashion for Mauler Murphy.
I’m a fan of Murphy. Those bin bag trousers aside, he’s a cracking big lad. It’s fine seeing him against these smaller opponents like Kaden Garrick and Cysto, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to see him go up against another big guy, the likes of your Crusher Craibs and your Andy Wilds. Could see him being a serious threat to the Undisputed or Tri-Counties Championship further down the line – just leave Jason Reed alone. We want to make wrestling great again, not bin bags. As for Kaden Garrick, well, y’know. He’s still kicking about at the bottom of the pecking order, the Curt Hawkins of WrestleZone if you will. Maybe he’ll get a win at some point. Maybe he won’t. Maybe it’s leading to something bigger. Maybe he’ll join The Reed Cabinet. Maybe he’ll join The Foundation of the Future. I feel like I’ve said ‘maybe’ too many times now…
Connor Inglis def. Crusher Craib by Pinfall
Wasn’t expecting this to kick off the main portion of the card, but it sure did give the audience a feel-good moment to start the night off the right way. Crusher Craib and Connor Inglis had been going back and forth for the entirety of 2019 at this stage, starting their little rivalry off back at January’s Summerhill Showdown event. To reiterate something Billy said in his review, it was a nice touch seeing the contrasting colours for good and evil, with Crusher donning his purple and black singlet while Connor had on a pair of purple and white tights – certainly a step up from whatever those tights were from Proving Grounds. Let’s hope they’re never seen again. As has been the case throughout the duo’s rivalry, it was mostly a one-sided beatdown in the early stages as The Creator of Carnage tore Connor apart. Again though, like we’ve seen time and time again, the fighting spirit came through in the rookie upstart as he kicked away at Crusher’s knee, trying to weaken the larger man. A loud superkick and a big cannonball off the apron got the crowd right on Connor’s side, as if they weren’t already. Unfortunately, a suicide dive attempt was thwarted by Crusher, as he destroyed Inglis throughout the Northern Hotel crowd. Back in the ring, the onslaught continued, but a huge shock occurred as Connor somehow lifted his shoulder off the mat after taking a thunderous Black Hole Slam, one of Crusher’s signature moves. A full nelson from the former Undisputed Champion was reversed as Connor pinned Crusher’s shoulders to the mat for the three count. What an upset!
This was classic wrestling, big man vs little man. Such an easy story to understand. Since Summerhill Showdown, Connor has easily become one of the biggest fan favourites on the WrestleZone roster. It’s not often you get people coming out of the training academy, and instantly becoming a cult favourite of the fans. It’s easy to see why the WZ faithful have taken to Connor though. He won’t go down without putting up the fight of his life, no matter the occasion. For someone in their first year as an active wrestler, he’s already shown so much promise. The look on both men’s face after the match was priceless, neither of them could believe what had just happened. Crusher wasn’t his usual self after Connor headed back through the curtain either. Usually he’s screaming in people’s faces, but not this time. He sauntered off, clearly in shock at being pinned by Connor. Who knows what’s next for The Creator of Carnage.
Austin Osiris def. Mikey Innes by TKO
Right then. Austin Osiris. Someone who made his presence felt throughout Battle of the Nations. Easily one of the most hateable wrestlers as soon as he steps through that curtain, but a perfect fit for a WrestleZone crowd as he’s full of character. Big Money made referee Mikey Innes an offer for their match – if Innes laid down on his back for the three count to be made, he would be paid £10,000. Just when it looked as if Innes was going to comply with Osiris’ offer, he snuck in a small package that very nearly put an end to Austin’s 930 day undefeated streak. As I’m sure everyone expected, this one was almost all Austin, although Mikey did get bits of offence in here and there, including a Stunner and a Sweet Chin Music of all things. One of the more interesting points however came when Osiris downed the man in stripes with a Pedigree, but the official official for the match Denzil Law refused to count the three. Not for any real reason either, it was simply because he couldn’t bring himself to see his colleague defeated. A Million Dollar Dream was soon synched in though, and Innes passed out from the pain, ensuring Austin Osiris reached 931 days undefeated. He would attempt to continue his beating after match was already over but luckily, Mikey would be saved by Undisputed Champion Damien, the man who had provided training to the ref in preparation for this bout.
This was never supposed to be a masterpiece of a wrestling match. After all, one of the competitors in the match was a referee and as we know, all it takes is one splash in the corner to knock a referee out for a good 5-10 minutes. However, it did do something that WrestleZone do better than anyone else – it told a good story. Keeping in mind this match only stemmed from one interaction back at Aberdeen Anarchy, followed by two promo videos, it’s amazing to see how much the fans were invested in the match. They detested Austin and wanted nothing more than to see Mikey end his undefeated streak. Regardless though, Austin Osiris is a cracking talent. No matter what you think of him you can’t take anything away from how good he is. We’ll get to it later, but thankfully this isn’t the last we’ve seen of him up in this neck of the woods.
WrestleZone Tag Team Championships
Scotty Swift & Johnny Lions (c) def. The Outfit (Dino Del Monte & Ted O’Keefe) by Pinfall
Rounding off the first half of the show was the first of three championship matches, but there was much more riding on this one than just the Tag Team Champioships. If Scotty Swift and Johnny Lions lost the championships to The Outfit, then Lions would retire from WrestleZone. Before the bell, Dino Del Monte and Ted O’Keefe got on the mic, revealing Swift and Lions’ combined age was 120 years old, which I’m sure is just a few years added on for comedic effect. When the bell rang, the champions took it right to Dino and Ted, showing that those extra years just means extra experience inside the ring. Despite not even wanting the team to be a thing in the first place, Swift has very much changed his tune and was as focused as ever in this one, not wanting to lose Johnny Lions. The ending was dramatic, as you’d expect from a big WrestleZone match. After Denzil Law caught Dino Del Monte trying to interject a pair of brass knuckles, he was distracted long enough for Ted O’Keefe to whack Johnny with his own pair to seemingly capture the tag titles for The Outfit, ending Johnny’s WrestleZone career in the process. There was so much uncertainty here, with the bell failing to ring to signal the end and The Outfit’s music not playing. Upon finding out, Denzil ordered the match to be restarted, refusing to allow The Outfit another opportunity at the titles if they failed to get back in the ring. One Lion Cutter later to Del Monte was enough for Swift and Lions to retain their titles.
I was so certain we were seeing The Outfit crowned champions. It’s bound to happen at some point but alas, this simply wasn’t the moment. Yes, I was well excited when Dino and Ted had won the titles however, I won’t be complaining if it means we’re getting a bit more of Johnny Lions. His team with Scotty over the last year and a bit has been brilliant to watch. If we’re speaking about who’s going to end their title reign, I’m almost certain that it’ll be Blue Thunder and William Sterling who take the titles. Story-wise, it would just be a fitting end, given what’s happened over the past 12 months. Then again, I was certain that The Outfit would win the titles, I was certain that Bryan Tucker would join Sterling Oil last year, and I was certain that Richard R. Russell would defeat Damien at last year’s Battle of the Nations. So it’s safe to say my predicting skills aren’t exactly up to par.
WrestleZone Tri-Counties Championship – Triple Threat Match
Jason Reed (c) w/Agent W def. Andy Wild and Alan Sterling by Pinfall
From one title match to another, the second portion of the show kicked off with Jason Reed defending his coveted Tri-Counties Championship against both Alan Sterling and former champ Andy Wild in a Triple Threat Match. Firstly, we have to mention Jason’s new music – a cracking tune. As for the match itself, it was a fantastic sight seeing Reed and Sterling working together, two completely different wrestlers who gelled so well together. The comedic nature of Alan Sterling is always a joy to watch. The pair joined forces for a good chunk of the match, not that it really mattered though. Andy Wild was still able to take them both out, including taking them both out with a double overhead belly to belly suplex – impressive stuff. Not having Caleb Valhalla at ringside clearly distracted Alan long enough for Andy to get him in position for the deadliest move in all of wrestling, the DA BOMB. Jason was also in position for a double DA BOMB (unbelievable scenes) but after moving out of the way, it was only Alan who took the impact of The Dad Bod God, allowing Jason to steal the pinfall for himself and retain the Tri-Counties Championship.
This was a short match, but a good one nonetheless. Having the 10 minute time limit in effect for Tri-Counties Championship matches adds a different dynamic to those matches that makes them that extra bit interesting. I believe this one only went about six minutes, but it meant that those few minutes were full of action as all three men were determined to leave the Northern Hotel as the WrestleZone Tri-Counties Champion. Clearly though, the campaign to make wrestling great again has continued to the joy of all in attendance I’m sure. That’s now the second time Jason has stolen a pinfall from Andy to walk away as the Tri-Counties Champion – perhaps a singles match between those two should happen further down the line. I’m just saying, but I think it’d be a darn good match.
Blue Thunder & William Sterling vs The Granite City Hotshots (Bryan Tucker & Shawn Johnson) ended in a No Contest
Written in the stars, a million miles away. That was the familiar tune that blasted throughout the Northern Hotel as The Granite City Hotshots had reunited after almost four years apart to take on Blue Thunder and William Sterling. An interesting note here was Thunder demanding ring announcer Martyn Clunes didn’t call them The Thunder Buddies. They’re not friends, they’re not on the same page, they’re merely tagging together to get to where they want to be. For Sterling, that’s gaining revenge on the likes of Scotty Swift, Johnny Lions, and Bryan Tucker. For Thunder, that’s rising back up the ranks of WrestleZone and regaining the Tag Team Championships. The reunion of Bryan Tucker and Shawn Johnson didn’t last long though. Before there was even any action, Tucker clotheslined Johnson, shades of how the duo originally broke up at Christmas Chaos (Comes Early!) back in November 2015. There was a deafening silence, the fans couldn’t believe it, Thunder and Sterling couldn’t believe it (although William seemed quite pleased with what he was witnessing). Bryan proceeded to destroy Shawn’s ankle with a steel chair to the extent that the former Sterling Oil member couldn’t stand on his own two feet as he left the ring. Truly, one of the most shocking moments I’ve witnessed since attending WrestleZone shows.
This was exceptional. Although I was all for a Hotshots reunion, I’m not fussed at all with what’s happened. Bryan still isn’t over what Shawn did to him all those years ago, so he’s not just going to waltz back into WrestleZone and tag with the man who betrayed him. He has his reasons for doing what he did. As he said himself, the fans forgot all about him when he disappeared last September. He fell down the pecking order following the breakup while Shawn rose to the top of WrestleZone. Now, he’s back to make a statement at the expense of Shawn Johnson. Of course, the one time I don’t predict a Bryan Tucker turn is when it happens. Can’t be complaining though really as it looks to be leading to another rivalry between the former pals. If their first one was anything to go by, then we’re in for a right treat!
WrestleZone Tag Team Championships #1 Contenders Match – Triple Threat Match
Blue Thunder & William Sterling def. The Rejected (Chris Archer & Mikkey Vago) and The Foundation of the Future (Bradley Evans & Ryan Riley) by Pinfall
Since their scheduled match didn’t go ahead, William Sterling and Blue Thunder emerged before the next match began to insert themselves into the Tag Team Championships #1 contenders match between The Rejected and Foundation of the Future members Bradley Evans and Ryan Riley. Although they were fine with an additional team being added to the match, the original four competitors ganged up on the opposition at the start, with Riley nailing a gorgeous pouncing knee strike to Sterling’s jaw. No move I enjoy more than a good knee strike (or a rolling elbow, but let’s take it one body part at a time). There was some solid tag wrestling throughout this one from both The Rejected and The Foundation of the Future, but not really from The Thunder Buddies Sterling and Thunder. You could say that it’s because they never had the chance due to at least one of them being on the floor at all times, but let’s just say it’s because they don’t work as an actual tag team. That adds more to the story so yeah, let’s go with that. Evans and Riley, who have really come together as a team by the way, apparently had the match one after planting Chris Archer into the mat with some sort of elevated reverse DDT (genuinely hope they use that as a tag finisher, looks devastating), but William Sterling marched in and took the pin for himself.
Well, what can you say? William Sterling always has a plan up his sleeve. He and Blue Thunder came into Battle of the Nations with a regular tag team match waiting for them, and now they’re leaving with a guaranteed opportunity at the WrestleZone Tag Team Championships further down the line. Blue Thunder’s only teaming with Sterling again to once again be one of the top stars in WrestleZone. What better way to do that than by capturing the tag titles, ending Johnny Lions’ career in the process? That’ll surely make people remember the name Blue Thunder. As for the other two teams in this match, I’m hoping we’ll get to see that two on two match at some point. No matter how much I enjoyed this Triple Threat, I was buzzing for that tag match. Still plenty of time though.
Before the main event began, an announcement was made by Martyn Clunes with regards to Aberdeen Anarchy 2020. Like what ICW are doing with Fear & Loathing in November and what New Japan are doing with Wrestle Kingdom in January, the next Aberdeen Anarchy will take place over two days as the anarchy will descend upon the Northern Hotel on May 15th and 16th next year. As I’m sure many of you will agree, this is a fantastic move from WrestleZone management. They’ve been selling out the Beach Ballroom since 2013 and I believe they sold out the Beach Leisure Centre back in April for this year’s Anarchy (not too sure on that though, a large crowd nonetheless), so what else can they do at this stage to make Aberdeen Anarchy bigger than it already is? Spread it over two nights of course. Just hoping there’s no-one saying ‘oh, but it won’t feel like Aberdeen Anarchy if it’s not at the Beach Ballroom’. Seen a few of those comments earlier this year since it was the Leisure Centre. Still a cracking show, so isn’t that what should matter most? Besides, nothing wrong whatsoever with a Northern Hotel show. Assuming next year’s Regal Rumble and Battle of the Nations are also at the Northern, then that means four shows at the venue in one year. Bonus!
Undisputed WrestleZone Championship – Triple Threat Match
Damien (c) def. Liam Thomson and Zach Dynamite w/The Foundation of the Future (Bradley Evans & Ryan Riley) by Pinfall
Main event time now, and what a doozy it was. It was time for another of Damien’s Undisputed Championship defences, which in this case meant three things – a) we got to hear his music, which is always a delight, b) we got to the see the WrestleZone return of Liam Thomson, and c) we got to see my boi Zach Dynamite. Unquestionably, one of the most underrated wrestlers in Scotland, maybe even the UK in general. He had his Foundation of the Future pals at ringside with him, but they didn’t get involved as much as I would’ve expected. Then again, they didn’t need to as Dynamite remained at ringside throughout the early stages of this match. That allowed Damien and Thomson to showcase some excellent technical wrestling exchanges before Zach got involved, tripping up The Bad Boy as he went to run the ropes. From there, it was anyone’s match to win. Damien dove off the top rope later on with a huge cannonball, something he typically does off the ring apron but I guess he thought to himself that it’s a big match so he has to lay it all on the line. Another dramatic finish here, as Damien nailed his flying Codebreaker on Liam only for Zach to steal the pinfall. Seeing as it wasn’t enough, he landed a frog splash, but Damien would give Zach a taste of his own medicine, tossing him out of the ring and taking the pinfall for himself to remain our Undisputed WrestleZone Champion.
Following the match, that’s when the main talking point happened. As Damien celebrated his victory, he was ambushed from behind by Austin Osiris, who locked in a Million Dollar Dream (as I type that, it’s sunk in why he uses it – million dollar. Yes, I’m slow). Osiris proceeded to challenge The Revolutionary an Undisputed Championship match at Halloween Hijinx on October 26th. That day just so happens to be the day Austin will celebrate 1,000 days of his undefeated streak. Damien accepted, so we now know what our Halloween Hijinx 2019 main event will be, assuming it is the main event. Looking forward to that one.
The match itself was brilliant, and the post-match shenanigans were even better. As I said earlier, Austin Osiris is a cracking talent who does his job to perfection. If you don’t like him, boo him. Don’t be going after him though. Enough about that though. Osiris and Damien’s first match in the Drew Galloway Invitational Tournament last year was a great match for how short it was – who knew that would be leading to something much bigger? Buzzing for Halloween Hijinx now, even if the venue was a nightmare to find last year. As for Zach Dynamite, I really want to see him win the Undisputed Championship at some point. The lad deserves it. Who knows, maybe he’ll win next year’s Regal Rumble Match. That’s my super early pick.
Overall thoughts – to steal a line from the worst TV show of all time Love Island (and I hate myself for even knowing this), it is what it is, that being another outstanding Battle of the Nations show, another outstanding Northern Hotel show, and another outstanding WrestleZone show. Every match had something to it, including the pre-show match. It seems to be a common occurrence that whenever a WrestleZone show is reviewed on the site, they always end in the same way with either myself or Billy giving endless amounts of praise to everyone involved with the show in question. Can you blame us though? If you headed along to any sort of event like this and had an enjoyable time, you’d want to give it praise as well.
From top to bottom, everything about the show was excellent, as Northern Hotel shows usually are. Although this show wasn’t as full of emotion as last year’s Battle of the Nations for example, it still packed a lot into the near three hours it was on for. We’ve got a title match set for Halloween Hijinx, we’ve got new number one contenders to the Tag Team Championships, we’ve got a new bad guy around town who’s back with a vengeance, we’ve got a rookie star now established as one of the biggest fan favourites on the whole roster, we’ve got dates for Aberdeen Anarchy 2020. It was a huge night. It was a historic night. It was a feelgood night at some points, and a serious night at other moments. In short, it was like any other WrestleZone show these days – dramatic.
What more do you want from a wrestling show?
Quick Results
VIP Ticket Holders Bonus Match – Mauler Murphy def. Kaden Garrick by Pinfall
Connor Inglis def. Crusher Craib by Pinfall
Austin Osiris def. Mikey Innes by TKO
WrestleZone Tag Team Championships – Scotty Swift & Johnny Lions (c) def. The Outfit (Dino Del Monte & Ted O’Keefe) by Pinfall
WrestleZone Tri-Counties Championship – Triple Threat Match – Jason Reed (c) w/Agent W def. Andy Wild and Alan Sterling by Pinfall
Blue Thunder & William Sterling vs The Granite City Hotshots (Bryan Tucker & Shawn Johnson) ended in a No Contest
WrestleZone Tag Team Championships #1 Contenders Match – Triple Threat Match – Blue Thunder & William Sterling def. The Rejected (Chris Archer & Mikkey Vago) and The Foundation of the Future (Bradley Evans & Ryan Riley) by Pinfall
Undisputed WrestleZone Championship – Triple Threat Match – Damien (c) def. Liam Thomson and Zach Dynamite w/The Foundation of the Future (Bradley Evans & Ryan Riley) by Pinfall
SCOTTISH WRESTLING NETWORK | SWN 