By Josh Kenovan

As the wailing sirens crescendo and the doomsday clock ticks closer to midnight, the Troon Concert Hall will become a warzone on the 22nd of October, as Pro2 Wrestling presents its biggest annual event: Battle Lines. The proverbial battle lines have been drawn in the Ayrshire promotion, and this article will further inspect the combatants who will cross them in this six battle war.

Before breaking down the match card, as confirmed by Pro2 and the SWN, it must be noted that Charles Boddington will be in the building for Battle Lines as the restraining order against him by Pro2 Wrestling is no longer in effect. The sheer presence of “The Manager of Champions” at the Troon Concert Hall will be controversial enough, but his potential actions at the show could shape the Ayrshire promotion’s long-term future. Let’s hope that show day manager, Big Bad John, has eyes in the back of his head after what happened to him during Boddington’s last Pro2 appearance at the 2022 Joker’s Wild event, when Boddington blindsided the show day manager with his trusty briefcase.

Hera vs Daisy Jenkins

Daisy Jenkins has had enough. Not only did she suffer her second Pro2 career defeat at the hands of the debuting Molly Spartan at August’s King of the Bing show, but she also sustained a minor elbow injury. This affliction resulted in her withdrawing from the main event battle royal and missing out on winning not only the King of the Bing trophy but also the title opportunity that comes with it. “The Feisty Fifer” craves a win here in Pro2, and has demanded another match from Pro2 management to rebuild her image, but will it come at the expense of another debuting star?

After making waves from her special appearance at PrestFest 2023, Hera acknowledged Daisy’s demand and was quick to announce her pleasure in not only accepting the challenge but also being a roadblock in Jenkins’ path to success. “The Goddess”, a European powerlifting champion, claims that the “Feisty Fifer” doesn’t have the strength that she does, but, it may be fair to say that Jenkins certainly has the determination. Whether it will be enough to finally gain herself a victory in Pro2 is another matter. Hera’s strength and size will provide a notable advantage in this cross-coastal clash, so the Fifer will no doubt resort to her bag of underhanded tricks in her attempt to become 1-2-0 in her career with the Ayrshire promotion.

Target Wrestling Tag Team Championships – Lucha Scotland (Lucha DS & Soldato) (c) vs Blood Money Mercs (Dick Naylor & Vinnie Van Driver)

Dick Naylor and Vinnie Van Driver have been a thorn in the side of Pro2 ever since they emerged on the scene as a tandem. They ruined the post-match celebrations of TJ Rage at Mayday Mayhem, they, albeit unsuccessfully, ambushed Arcade Violence at Pro2’s press conference at PrestFest’s Saturday event back in September, and they continuously troll the comment section on Pro2’s social media. Naylor’s motormouth and Driver’s stony demeanour have been running roughshod for a while, but their intrusive and irritating escapades never provided the two with their desired result. But, an opportunity has arisen as Lucha Scotland, the reigning Target Wrestling Tag Team Champions, have decided to step in.

Lucha DS and Soldato are keen defenders of peace and order in Pro2, especially when it comes to defending the fans, however, they aren’t taking the Mercs seriously enough, even though the Mercs are being recognised more and more as a legitimate threat in the Scottish tag team wrestling leagues. Because of that, the masked champions are more than happy to dangle their Target Wrestling Tag Team Championships in front of the Mercs like a piñata, in what will be Pro2’s second-ever cross-promotional championship contest. Lucha Scotland won the titles by dethroning Jimmy T and Damon Havok at Target Wrestling’s Carlisle show in August, but could they be losing them after two short months due to underestimating their challengers, or, is it a secret play to mess with the challengers?

Will Dick Naylor’s plan crumble, or will it finally pay off and result in a happy ending for the Blood Money Mercs’ quest for gold? And, if anyone knows about happy endings, it’s Dick Naylor.

Pro2 Belles’ Championship and Why So Serious? Championship – Double-Championship Mixed Tag Team Match – Logan Smith (c) & Angel Hayze vs Che Monet & Emily Hayden (c)

The power couple of Che Monet and Emily Hayden have enjoyed stirring the pot in Pro2 ever since aligning at last year’s Battle Lines event. Monet interfered in the Belles’ Championship match at Mayday Mayhem to aid his friend against Angel Hayze, which resulted in a disqualification victory for Hayze, however, that also meant that the challenger wouldn’t claim the gold. Hayze got revenge later in the night by evening the odds in the main event championship match between Monet and Undisputed Why So Serious? Champion Logan Smith, when Emily Hayden tried to provide her compatriot with an illegal advantage.

Now, both teams will cross swords in a unique double championship tag team bout: the titles will only change hands if that champion is pinned. If Smith pins Monet, Smith will retain but Hayze will not take home the gold. The same goes for Hayden: if she pins Hayze, Monet will be goldless. Tensions are running high as both sides want to leave with their respective titles. Smith has been a valiant champion throughout his two title reigns and has arguably conquered his biggest challenge to date after surprising Hunter Samson with an upset win at August’s King of the Bing show, but his new challenge is once again preventing the unified belts from having a makeover.

It should be noted that Smith doesn’t need to be involved with the decision to lose the belts to Monet, and the same goes for the Belles’ Champion to Hayze. Having won the belt after her ally screwed over Nicole Jasmin in his capacity as Special Guest Referee last October, Hayden hasn’t played fair at all as champion, and Angel Hayze wishes to restore honour to the belt. Monet and Hayden are aiming to prove that their friendship is too strong, and the makeshift union of Smith and Hayze are aiming to right the wrongs caused by their opponents. Only one side can claim all the gold, so the question remains as to which side’s artillery will be more powerful.

Scottish Interpromotional Championship – Gauntlet Match – Frank X. Cross (c) vs Hunter Samson vs Hammerhead Smith vs Davey Blaze

“Big Struttin’” has been on a tremendous winning streak since defeating Stone Malone and “Grapzilla” Meyhem Brooks to become Scottish Interpromotional Champion, and as he approaches the first anniversary of this accomplishment, he wants to mark the occasion with a spectacular conquest. He informed Pro2 management that he wished to run the gauntlet in defence of his championship, and three of the most fearsome men to have ever stepped foot in Pro2 have answered the call, with the order being drawn before the show.

Hunter Samson cheap-shotted Cross at King of the Bing to send a message in regards to his involvement in the gauntlet. However, after suffering a shock loss by Logan Smith for the Why So Serious? Championship and being thrown overboard by Cross in the main event battle royal, the 6’7” monster is angry beyond belief, making him more dangerous than ever before. Samson already made his name known with Cross after attacking him during his championship defence against Krieger and will be Cross’ first opponent in the gauntlet, so the giant will prove to be a difficult barrier to surpass.

Hammerhead Smith had to withdraw from his Ayrshire Heavyweight Championship bout against TJ Rage at Mayday Mayhem due to personal reasons and doesn’t want fans to forget who he is or what he is capable of. The second-generation fiend has made rumblings in the past in Pro2, even going toe-to-toe with The Billington Bulldogs, one of the best up-and-coming tag teams who, like Smith, has a powerful lineage behind them. Winning the Scottish Interpromotional Championship would prove to be a major thorn in the side of the fans, as his finisher, The Rotten Core, perfectly describes not only himself but what he will create within the Scottish professional wrestling scene by winning this belt.

Davey Blaze has been a major player in the Scottish professional wrestling scene for well over a decade, winning championships in some of Scotland’s foremost wrestling promotions. Since filling in for Hammerhead Smith in a losing effort at Mayday Mayhem, Blaze is hungry for more, making it clear that whilst coming up short at Mayday Mayhem, he is a force to be reckoned with. There is a reason why one of his many monikers is the “Glasgow Gladiator”: because he is a ruthless powerhouse with unrelenting aggression, with the poisonous cherry atop that cake being his nasty Sparrowhawk spear, which he uses to tear through opponents.

Will Samson condemn his opponents to a shallow grave? Will the second-generation brawler smash through the competition? Will the former Take Me Out contestant take out the competition? Or will “Pro2’s Struttin’ Sheriff” serve some High Justice in his quest for retention and live to strut another day as Scottish Interpromotional Champion?

“Alliance Rules” Tag Team Match for the Pro2 Tag Team Championships – The Alliance (Sweeney & “The Paisley Wrecking Machine” Adam Shame) (c) vs Arcade Violence (Brody Turnbull & Jake Lawless)

“Ayrshire’s Favourite Tag Team” has had a tremendous career trajectory since entering the Scottish wrestling scene, making waves in many Scottish promotions before entering the Pro2 landscape, defeating the Blood Money Mercs at Bruisestation in March of this year and embarrassing them to massive cheers at PrestFest in early September. They seek to climb the ranks of the Pro2 tag team division, but the Alliance stand in their way of reaching the summit.

The foreboding duo of Sweeney and Adam Shame, the hard-hitting big man and the veteran “Paisley Wrecking Machine”, have been problematic to the operations of Pro2 ever since pairing up. After taking the belts hostage upon defeating Lucha Scotland for them back at Brawl at the Hall II in November 2022, they have applied a stipulation to all title defences whereby their opponents only have eight minutes to defeat them for the gold. No team has stepped forward to challenge the champs under their rules… until now.

With a great deal of momentum behind them, Jake Lawless and Brody Turnbull could achieve the high score by claiming the belts from the Alliance, but it will be no easy feat. The difficulty is set to hard mode, and the champs will no doubt use their usual array of cheat codes. Although the crowd will definitely be behind Arcade Violence, will the challengers beat the clock and unlock the biggest achievement within Pro2’s tag team division, or are the difficulty settings just a bit too high for the popular pair?

Pro2 Ayrshire Heavyweight Championship – TJ Rage (c) vs Grado

TJ Rage has endured a lot as Ayrshire Heavyweight Champion – a title he has defended dominantly since defeating Krieger and Adam Shame to be crowned the inaugural champion at Smashing Through the Snow in December of 2021 – and has gone on to defeat some of the biggest names to step foot in Pro2. He has faced several Wild Card opponents, suffered a broken wrist earlier in the year at Bruisestation, has been outnumbered and attacked on several occasions, and more. Things boiled over at Mayday Mayhem earlier this year, and the champ took out his frustrations with a Wild Card opponent, a blindsiding from the Blood Money Mercs, and being booked underneath Why So Serious? Champion Logan Smith for the second show in a row, on promoter and long-time friend Logan Storm.

Storm did his best to calm Rage down by explaining that he thought that the Ayrshire Heavyweight Championship spoke for itself and that he wanted to put the spotlight on other divisions within the company, divisions containing talent that Rage trained himself, in an attempt to elevate them and give prestige of their respective championships. When Storm offered to do better by his friend and offered to satisfy Rage’s demand for a main event match at Battle Lines, they shook hands and all was seemingly at peace. Unfortunately, Rage proceeded to destroy a nearly twenty-plus-year friendship when he disgustingly attacked the boss and his son, Logan Storm Jr. In retaliation to Rage’s assault, Storm has chosen Grado, a BBC TV star and Scottish wrestling icon, to defend the Storm family name.

“The Chubby Wee Underdug fae the Tap End ae Stevenson” has become one the biggest from-rags-to-riches success stories in British professional wrestling, successfully building his brand from comedy jobber to one of the top names in the UK wrestling scene over the past decade and a half. He has spent time with Impact Wrestling, made a sensational appearance during the pre-show of AEW’s All In 2023 pay-per-view at Wembley Stadium, and has broken into the world of television, radio, and pantomime with great ease. So, accepting his selection by promoter Logan Storm is undoubtedly a boon for Pro2 and is guaranteed to assist in selling out the Troon Concert Hall. He is a familiar opponent for Rage and a stellar choice from the boss, and the two are bound to blow the roof off of the Troon Concert Hall with their major main event clash.

But, can Grado pry the championship from the war-torn hands of the champ, or does Rage have something up his sleeve? The champ took to social media and released a menacing video, detailing his anger towards the Storms and what his new modus operandi will be. He also mentioned that Pro2 fans will see a new side of him, stating that they have already seen what TJ Rage is capable of doing so that he keeps the belt around his waist as the people’s champion. But, what they haven’t seen before is what he’s capable, or willing, to do to keep the belt now that he has manifested this newfound… rage.

The doors will open at 2:30pm, with the first bell at 3pm. Tickets are priced at £10 each for general admission, which you can purchase either at the door on the day of the show or by contacting our Facebook page, where you can also get more information regarding the show and more. The £15 VIP Front Row Passes have all sold out. All tickets are subject to availability and the card is subject to change. Please remember to subscribe to our social media pages for more updates on Battle Lines, future shows, and special messages from all your favourite roster members:

And, of course, if you are unable to attend the show but wish to be kept abreast of the results, then stay tuned both here at SWN and on Pro2’s YouTube channel for the release of the Battle Lines edition of When The Dust Has Settled with my good self, where I shall inform you of all match outcomes and any future developments. Not only that but tune in for Pro2sday with Kid Thomson every second Tuesday on the Pro2 YouTube channel, where you can catch up on shows you’ve missed and rewatch shows you have attended, as Battle Lines will soon be the subject of upcoming Pro2sday episodes.

Please remember to like, share, follow, subscribe, buy a ticket to our shows, spread the word about our promotion, and tell us where in Ayrshire you would like to see us next. If you do, then you will be Pro2.