By The Masked Embroiderer
5 pieces of wrestling art chosen by a member of our Scottish Wrestling community.
This time with…
Luke Aldridge
It’s been a while since I put fingers to keypad (as I type this on the Notepad App on my phone like a total millennial) and contributed to the Scottish Wrestling Network (archive Life Of Smith and Aldridge Opinion articles can be found on their website). However, thanks to the Masked Embroiderer, I’ve agreed to do so once more for ‘Behind The Art.’
It took me a while to come to a decision on my five picks and I decided to focus on Scottish Wrestling. Chances are I’ll think of dozens more after this article goes public, but in alphabetical order, here they are:
Craig Stephens and ALL THE BELTS!
I’ve known Craig since 2012 (I was even his first match) and have had the privilege of seeing him grow from a masked luchadore to the man he is today. We’ve trained together, travelled the road, teamed and have competed against each other as well. He’s also one of the strongest people I’ve ever seen, with his warm-up Bench Press being many peoples 1RM.
A particular highlight of his current work is his desire to hold ALL THE BELTS! and as he goes into W3L’s next event on April 13th (tickets available at w3lwrestling.com) he’s only one championship away from having ALL THE BELTS! in W3L.
Euan G Mackie’s ability to reinvent himself
Another person I’ve known for a long time is Euan G Mackie, with us first meeting in 2008. Over the years, Euan has introduced many aliases to Scottish Wrestling and his creativity and innovation is something I’ve always looked up to.
Whether he’s Very Good, his Z Form, a Sasshole or delving into his current Neo Paradigm, Euan G Mackie is a gift to Scottish Wrestling and a pleasure to know both professionally and personally. We’ve travelled, eaten, drank, traded Pokemon (thank you again for helping me get a Gengar) and shared the ring together countless amount of times over the years. To you Euan, I say thank you.
Grado’s 2016 promo and response to Chris Renfrew
In terms of Box Office Draws, Grado is the arguably the biggest as far as Scottish Wrestling goes and to this day, some of his one-liners (such as ‘Ethan Carter the Dafty’) make me chuckle.
For all his work and contribution to Scottish Wrestling, a promo of his from ICW in 2016 has always resonated with me. This promo was different from the comedic stylings and razzmatazz Grado became known for, this felt as real as it gets.
Shaun Walker
The Thug Life chose him but he chose retirement. A truly missed figure of the Scottish Wrestling scene, the stylings of Shaun Walker were always great to witness. From his pimp slap that put him on the map in Lennoxtown to his work alongside KOE and against Sugar Dunkerton, I always looked forward to seeing the latest from 100% Space Trash.
The article below courtesy of SWN’s own Adam Morrison helps keep the memories alive.
Leave the memories alone
‘The Inhuman’ Xero
One of the highlights of my Twitter feed (when I used to frequent it) was the work of Xero. His eerie, dark promos helped put him stand out amongst the most dominant forces, dust settlers and smoke clearers of the job and can send chills down the spines of many.
I’m delighted to see where his career has taken him over the years, he also had one of the best matches I’ve ever seen in person, versus Kieran Kelly at a Source Wrestling Origins event at the Source Wrestling School.
BONUS PICK! The Bulgarian Baker, Bozidar Branimir
A pick that may or may not be an attempt by yours truly to pop the esteemed editor of this Network, I’m making The Bulgarian Baker a bonus pick for this article.
Post-Brexit and COVID, it seems that Bozidar has taken a step back from the W3L ring. However, his ability to completely change body shape and appearance has always intrigued me and if he has collected enough dough to retire from this sport then hats off to him. A true breadwinner.
A Bonus pick!? Oh a bit cheeky but I’ll allow it. Thank you Luke Aldridge. 5 Scottish Wrestling picks too. Well done! Check out Luke’s social media pages below.
🆂🆆🅽 | Scottish Wrestling Network 