With short notice and a very quick sell out, Discovery Wrestling returned for potentially the final appearance of one Joe Hendry. The short notice due to trying to find time for Hendry to be back in the country between TNA and NXT commitments, and all the media involved with a little surprise WrestleMania appearance against Randy Orton. The quick sell out, not only because of the chance to see Joe Hendry, but Discovery Wrestling still have that reputation of incredible pro wrestling events even if their scheduling is a little bit all over the place in the last year or so.

No matches were announced for this event prior and only a poster that maybe provided some clues, but even then it was card subject to change with Bruiser Brad Evans and Emersyn Jayne not being present for the event despite their faces appearing on another epic graphic.

500 in attendance, Kwaku on MC duties, and Katie Walker in the stripes, it was time to believe one more time.

BT Gunn defeated Umar Mohammed by pinfall.

A technical difficulty interrupted the entrance of TV’s own Umar Mohammed but as soon as it kicked in there were some sensational scenes with the crowd erupting. Mohammed has become a regular feature in the new era of Discovery and with every passing appearance the love continues to grow.

What better way to kick off essentially a mystery show? Get the busiest wrestler in the world, UEWA European Heavyweight Champion, and Scottish wrestling legend, BT Gunn, for a first time ever match up.

Gunn got the better of Mohammed early on, with each reset getting Umar a little closer to gaining the upper hand. A back and forth near fall exchange had ref Katie talking in binary with the amount of 1’s as these two continued to go back and forth to the sound of oohs and aahs in Portobello Town Hall.

Mohammed bailed to the outside for a breather but BT was in pursuit where Umar made a tactical error of an open hand slap to the chest of The Oddity, who responded with two disgustingly loud chops that echoed around the hall.

The action returned to the ring where the match began to settle into BT Gunn’s pace with Umar fighting from underneath with explosive moments, planting Gunn with a spinebuster for a two count. The momentum started to build for Mohammed, spotting a Thunder Gun Express counter early to deliver a draping backstabber. BT managed to derail a second Thunder Gun Express to regain the control as the two battled up to the middle rope. Umar was able to fight off Gunn to drop an elbow for another near fall.

A fired up Umar gathered all the energy, absorbing all the positivity from the crowd as they applauded and willed him on but he was caught by a sharp superkick on his third attempt at a Thunder Gun Express and given a lifting flatliner to end his night.

What an opening match. Two fan favourites that didn’t split the crowd as they were heavily supported from all corners of Portobello Town Hall. The story of Umar going back to the Thunder Gun Express but BT always having a counter for it would be great to see evolve into a best of series of matches because for those that would’ve followed the journey, to see it finally land would be electric.

I don’t know what I can say about BT Gunn that hasn’t already been said in the past. The Oddity is one of the best the country has produced, he has that silent aura about him. He doesn’t have to talk you into a building, his reputation, and actions speak louder than any promo, think Jeff Hardy in those qualities. Umar didn’t just hang with BT, he thrived in being that character representative of showing those emotions to those that might not be aware of how highly rated BT Gunn is in this country.

Outstanding.

Cods of War (Chip Watson & Caleb Valhalla) defeated Casino Brutale (RABU & Mikey Devine) by pinfall.

A debuting Casino Brutale scowled their way out to the ring. One half of SKOL BROL arrived, Caleb Valhalla, but Lost Boy Aspen was sitting by the merch stand to spectate so who would be the one to team with The Mighty Caleb? Cue The Codfather, The Tribal Chef, The Bossman of Pro Wrestling, the owner of The Disco Fry, don’t call him Chips, Mr Chip Watson.

After some shenanigans with baldy chants and various degrees of undressing, Chip started proceedings against RABU who demanded silence, which was fitting with his facepaint making him look like a creepy mime. Watson brought in Caleb Valhalla, who proceeded be ran into by Mikey Devine who’s horsepower quickly went broke after colliding with Valhalla.

Caleb continued to side step and cause all sorts of issues for Devine, as he became a punch bag for Chip Watson. A whip into the ropes allowed RABU to stretch out for a tag to finally outmanoeuvre their energetic opponents, isolating Chip from his tag team partner.

Watson finally managed to dive towards an amped up Caleb Valhalla who ran through Casino Brutale, launching Mikey Devine into the sky, and throwing RABU out of the ring. A failed Hot Chip attempted allowed for Devine to sneak a pin but their underhanded tactics for leverage was caught by the most intelligent referee on this side of the globe who broke up the attempt to steal with the match with a swift kick. Watson hoisted Devine up for a Burning Hammer, holding him steady for Caleb to strike an incoming RABU with a spear, before sending Mikey Devine crashing down to hurt inside.

A fun tag team match that introduced Casino Brutale effectively. I’ve been used to seeing the cheeky side of RABU and Mikey Devine recently so to go back and have them be more ruthless was a nice change of pace. Aspen not being involved leaves a SKOL BROL versus Casino Brutale match on the table at Discovery Wrestling, but Chip Watson made the most of his time and added to his array of recent tag team partners as the groundswell of support continues to hold strong in Edinburgh for the bossman.

Discovery Wrestling Openweight Champion Judas Grey entered to a huge ovation. He finally put the Ian Skinner saga to rest for the time being at ‘Year 10’ and was looking to the future. Grey pointed out that he didn’t have a match… but someone else didn’t have a match either as the clapping began… Judas said his name and Joe Hendry appeared.

Discovery Wrestling Openweight Championship – Judas Grey defeated Joe Hendry by pinfall to retain the Discovery Wrestling Openweight Championship.

The open exchanges and smooths counters quickly conveyed the teacher versus student dynamic. Joe got the better of the back and forth before landing on a stalemate and taking a moment to soak in the applause.

Hendry opted for a power game next but Grey had it scouted, sending Joe down to the mat with a dropkick and closing the gap so Hendry had little time to catch air. Hendry managed to put a full stop to the run with a well placed elbow and tried to tame Judas Grey by keeping him grounded. Judas slipped out of a Fallaway Slam to unleash his offense, a senton to the back of Hendry followed by a standing moonsault, but it was only good for a two count.

Judas dug deep with a guillotine choke but Hendry powered out to transition Grey into a suplex to swing the momentum back into his favour. A big lariat and Fallaway Slam had Joe in the driver’s seat as the crowd went wild waiting for a Standing Ovation.

Grey slipped out but was planted with an Angle Slam for another near fall, in return Judas landed a butterfly neckbreaker for two. A frustrated Grey demanded Joe tell him that he believed in him as the forearms and uppercuts were dished out between the two men.

A perfectly timed Attitude Adjustment from Hendry with a follow up Standing Ovation still wasn’t enough to keep down Judas. Joe snapped on an Ankle Lock but Grey got to the ropes, before a second could be applied, Grey sent Hendry into the turnbuckle and struck two superkicks and was able to keep Hendry down for three with a second butterfly neckbreaker.

There were so many levels and little callbacks. As mentioned the teacher versus student story was told but Joe got to add flourishes from his own independent career like the Angle Slam and Ankle Lock from the first moment that propelled him into British wrestling stratosphere when he faced Kurt Angle in WCPW, the Attitude Adjustment to pour more fuel on the flames of his well publicised goal to face John Cena, and I’m sure there were more little pieces of Joe Hendry’s past that were part of that match.

The Attitude Adjustment coming after Judas started to slip into a more demanding and arrogant personality, desperate for attention, a trait that had all but dissipated in Discovery Wrestling following his embracing of the Disco faithful and Judas Choir at the end of 2024 was a masterful story beat to have in there. You could see the euphoric emotion that Hendry was running on, in a match that may have been a day off for him without the grind and pressure of millions and millions watching, he looked self assured in front of 500 people, many of whom more than likely bought a ticket solely off the back of his name, and being in the ring with someone he helped train and build up into what we have today. Judas Grey was a made man in Discovery Wrestling before the match but that endorsement will carry so much weight going forward.

The crowd believed in every moment as they made sure their voice was heard as they loudly vocalised their support for Joe Hendry and Judas Grey.

Joe got the on the microphone to give his stamp of approval and that he believed in Judas. After a bit of reminiscing Hendry got back to business by announcing that the The Good Times were refusing to defend the Discovery Wrestling Tag Team Championships tonight in the main event. A simple solution was found in that they would be fired if they didn’t. That brought out Robb Stow and Monstrum to assault Hendry until Judas returned to try and even the odds before a chair swinging Dave Conrad arrived to ward off the duo.

Triple Threat – Connor Molloy defeated Ronan King, and Ian Skinner by pinfall.

Ian Skinner, fresh off his deathmatch debut the day before, stepped in with the next batch of young talent in Discovery Wrestling as he is doomed to repeat his journey now that his tussle with Judas Grey have subsided momentarily.

Ronan set his stall early by antagonising Connor Molloy upon entrance then getting into a spirit discussion about his uncanny resemblance to Logan Paul with a member of the audience which primarily consisted of Ronan telling them to “shut up”. King struck first but it was Molloy who stood tall after the opening flurries.

It was thick and fast as all three had to have eyes on the back of their heads trying to keep it one on one in the ring with switches throughout. The crowd took great pleasure in watching Molloy bounce King around the ring with a German Suplex. Skinner took charge as the match entered some sort of calm but it was soon move after move as all three laid on the mat physically spent by the sheer speed on display.

King and Skinner traded forearms with Skinner knocked down but he was soon kipping up with a lariat to knock Ronan to the canvas. The kiss exchanges, which have somehow become a Discovery staple, especially when Ian Skinner is involved, caused some levietly among the constant motion of bodies crashing into each other.

Pinfall attempt after pinfall attempt were interrupted by the third man, Ronan decided spitting at Skinner was a good idea but was slapped silly in response. The limbs were flying with all three having their chances to snatch the fall. Skinner almost had Molloy out for the count but King was on hand to pull the referee swiftly out of the ring. Ian took exception and dove off the apron with a flying knee. As both got back into the ring Ronan stopped a brainbustah by dropping back and swinging an arm ring between the legs of Ian Skinner for a low blow. As he celebrated his bastardry, Connor returned and gave Ronan some an Asai DDT off the ropes to pick up the win.

This was a huge victory for Connor Molloy, who had been making sporadic appearances in Discovery Wrestling but despite solid showings he hadn’t quite found himself a spot, much like Umar Mohammed last year. A soft launch of The Big Slay seemed to do the job as the Disco crowd showed plenty of appreciation after the match with Skinner giving the nod, or liplock in this case, of approval. Their interactions were brief but I would be well up for seeing Connor Molloy and Ian Skinner get in about it one on one whether it’s on Skinner’s home turf or Molloy’s.

I love that just when you start thinking “oh, this Ronan King kid is cool” when he busts out high impact and impressive moves from his skill set, he then does something deplorable like spitting, a deep eyerake, or a low blow to remind you that he is in fact an arsehole. Incredible wrestler but the sort of wrestler you should never cheer for bell to bell. King’s main line of offense is making people so unimaginably angry by being such a prick that it flusters them into making mistakes and that doesn’t just extend to between the ropes but to the crowd as well. The worse thing is, he’s very good at it. He has such a shit eating grin that all you want in the world is to see him get relentlessly punched, and yet when you are asked about some of the best wrestlers in Scotland his name should be on that list. It’s a frustrating dichotomy to say the least.

Shreddy arrived to run down the Edinburgh crowd, which went as well as expected. Every word was drowned out to an eventual boring chant until Ravie Davie popped out from the curtain to stop the hold up.

Shreddy defeated Ravie Davie by pinfall.

Shreddy overpowered Ravie Davie from the opening bell, and despite a well meant attempt, Davie had no chance fighting muscle to muscle with shoulder blocks being brushed off. Davie finally rocked the big man with springboard shoulder block and a second from the middle turnbuckle but it wasn’t long before Shreddy caught The Fresh Prince of Drumoyne Square with a spinebuster and hockey fighting Davie by dragging his trackie top over his head.

It was all Shreddy as he took control, chopping Davie and choking him against the ropes while Ravie Davie gasped for oxygen. Shreddy continued to have his way while the Portobello crowd gathered their chants to show support for his opponent.

Davie managed to counter Shreddy’s offence to find an opening, throwing jabs, landing a Blockbuster, and Lisbon Lionsault but a foot on the rope stopped the count. Davie hyped himself up to finish the job but Shreddy blinded Davie with a mist and cut him in half with a spear to walk away the victor.

It wasn’t over for Davie, Shreddy picked him up after the match for a powerbomb to close out a dominant display.

Talk about a showcase, Shreddy had little issues tearing through Ravie Davie and the crowd reacted accordingly. It was more of a showcase for Shreddy, and if there are plans for him to be a regular feature going forward it’s an impactful way to do it.

The Good Times arrived for their main event decision. Stow had some big words about integrity in classic villain fashion considering their method of calling out the then-champions SKOL BROL for an impromptu fight for the belts at ‘Year 10’ to win the titles but I digress…

Cowboy Dave Conrad marched out to interrupt. He got a little jumbled on the mic but the point stood that he was offering to have a scrap over the titles two on one. Monstrum accepted with an attack from behind to get things started.

Discovery Wrestling Tag Team Championships – Joe Hendry & Dave Conrad defeated The Good Times (Robb Stow & Monstrum) by pinfall to win the Discovery Wrestling Tag Team Championships.

Conrad fought the duo off with Monstrum taking a nasty spill after being clotheslined over the top rope, the snapback as his head hit the apron looked painful. Just as Dave started to build some momentum with a spinebuster to Stow and set up for a Polish Hammer, Monstrum was resurrected, running over Conrad with body check to allow The Good Times to take charge.

The Good Times kept the fresher man in as they took turns wearing down the Cowboy, arrive, cause damage, tag out, rinse and repeat. Conrad had fleeting moments but they were few and far between as he reached his hand out to nobody while Stow and Monstrum kept the pressure of their two on one advantage.

Stow taunted Conrad, declaring that he no friends…

Say his name…

Joe Hendry arrived to accept the tag and went straight after The Good Times, launching Stow and, with a little bit of ingenuity, slammed Monstrum to even the odds.

A revitalised Cowboy Conrad showed a second wind but a collision with ref Katie meant his cutter was all for naught. Shreddy ran out to knock Hendry off the apron and spear Conrad but before he could powerbomb Joe, Judas Grey arrived from the crowd to take out the intruder and brawl to the back.

Monstrum and Robb Stow took advantage to deliver a chokeslam-powerbomb combo to Conrad but the fall was broken up by Hendry to a roar from the crowd. Stow was taken out, and Monstrum suffered a double Standing Ovation to seal the deal. 500 fans waving their hands from side to side to celebrate two friends, who started their wrestling journey together becoming tag team champions.

As the music cut off the crowd continued to sing, an incredible moment.

This isn’t a goodbye forever, it’s goodbye for a little bit.

After a heartfelt speech, Hendry lead a Disco Wrestling chant to close the night as his students and close peers gathered on stage for one final rendition of Joe’s theme.

The match was all about building the tension for that final stretch, and seeing the emotions fly when that music hit and Joe arrived, battered and bruised, to save his best friend, get a little revenge, and ultimately win tag team gold in the process. The crowd believed and their belief was paid off. There was a little WrestleMania 40 inspired shenanigans with some potential Disco Derby groundwork in place between Judas Grey and Shreddy to ripple into upcoming events. We know that Dave Conrad had declared his spot at number one, and Ryan Richards declaring also, but I would love to see the Disco Derby become some sort of tag team championship endgame. Whether it’s 10 teams coming in like…

  • Dave Conrad & ???… actually he’s on the poster so let’s go Grado
  • Casino Brutale (RABU & Mikey Devine)
  • Victory Inc. (Ryan Richards & Lee MacRae)
  • SKOL BROL (Lost Boy Aspen & Caleb Valhalla)
  • The Good Times (Robb Stow & Monstrum)
  • The Foundation of the Future (Ryan Riley & Bruiser Brad Evans)
  • Chips & Curry (Chip Watson & Umar Mohammed)
  • Kings of the North (Damien Corvin & Bonesaw)
  • Ghalus (Wolfgang & Mark Coffey)
  • and a wild card team like Ian Skinner & Connor Molloy

Last man standing takes home the titles for their team, just throwing that out there.

It was the culmination of a otherworldly lightning in a bottle journey that Joe has been on for over 10 years. Climbing every rung of the ladder, sometimes more that once, and coming out of it as a worldwide superstar. It’s never been shied away from the fact that Joe has been business minded since nearly day one, sometimes to his detriment, but you never saw a shortcut being taken, he built his following organically with patience, he put the work in to make engaging content that made him a must see professional wrestler. He took opportunities that may’ve been scoffed at and made the best out of it, Commonwealth Games, entering the UK music charts, podcasting, commentary for 5 Star Wrestling, being a character in PUBG, and seeing trends take off like being one of the star attractions for WhatCulture Pro Wrestling because he went all in with the passion that you would want every wrestler to have for something they believe in.

This show wasn’t just about Joe but showcasing those he has instilled his trust in to hold the fort and expand the reputation of the promotion. He showcased his students, the guys that trusted him to teach them what to do and give them the tools and framework on how to progress like Judas Grey, Chip Watson, Robb Stow, and Monstrum. He used his spotlight to put it on Cowboy Dave Conrad. He shared his final moments on that stage with a wealth of talent that will take Discovery Wrestling to another level.

An additional shout for Rhys Dawkins stepping in as a referee to share duties with the experienced zebra Katie Walker, I’ve long been an advocate for Dawkins as a wrestler so to see him get his foot in the door at Discovery Wrestling is great to see. More importantly I barely noticed him which, as I’ve learned, is a big compliment when it comes to refereeing.

Once again Discovery Wrestling knocked it out the park for variety, balancing comedic moments with hard hitting pro wrestling, it was the formula that gained them such a strong fan following and more than 10 years on, even with some irregularity of shows, the crowd investment hasn’t left. I’m excited to see where Discovery Wrestling goes from here.