Off the back of Battle of the Nations it felt like WrestleZone needed a quick bounce back and with two weeks between shows it didn’t leave long to put together an enticing card that had a back to basics single match approach to craft an interesting interlude between the named events as Halloween Hijinks is only a few weeks away on October 18th.

My last trip to WrestleZone was a bit of a murky mental health affair, two weeks after all the bad stuff is much less bad so other than being on the tail end of whatever disease my grubby three year old brought home from nursery, it was a marked improvement in the ol’ brain space and I knew it when I walked into the function hall at the Hopeville Social Club. Seeing the ring, the more intimate setting, it felt right. I was ready for the wrestling.

VIP Ticket Holder Match – The Warriors Against Low Life Entities (Bryan Tucker & Rhys Dawkins) defeated Captain Alan’s Crew (Kai Orson & Travis Knox) by pinfall.

In the only multi-man match on the show, it was reserved for the VIP ticket holder portion of the event. Captain Alan and James Taylor were nowhere to be seen with Kai Orson and Travis Knox left to taking on the Grand Slam Daddeh and the smartest wrestler on this side of the globe to their own devices.

Bryan Tucker did not know what to make of the hard bellied Kai Orson with shoulder blocks, punches, and headbutts to the stomach to little effect. The WALLE’s aim was then to isolate Travis Knox, taking turns to keep the fresh man in to cause punishment to Knox but a quick roll out tagged in Orson who barrelled through Tucker and Dawkins, bringing Travis back in for a King of the World titanic double team splash to Bryan Tucker.

Dawkins bided his time to send Orson overboard and planted Knox with The Fifth Act to sink Captain Alan’s Crew.

Light boats sail swift, though greater hulks draw deep.
– Troilus and Cressida

Given that this was the first proper debut for both Kai Orson and Travis Knox that wasn’t a battle royal or gala, they presented a lot of personality with Kai Orson in particular already being embraced by the WrestleZone crowd. The hard bellied revelation was silly but with it being posed against Bryan Tucker who is so over the top with the reactions is absolutely worked. There was a moment where Tucker had his head rammed into the stomach of Orson and needed Dawkins to uncompact Tucker’s head from his shoulders which was a riot.

I’m liking that with every match Rhys Dawkins is becoming more enraged, maybe it’s due to being put on the VIP portion for the last few shows that is making him feel disrespected by management but on the flip side it demands that the great unwashed are forced to pay extra for a glimpse of the man. An interesting dichotomy that I got to ponder on while Dawkins shouted and pointed at me and determined that I was a loser after the match.

The more the aggression ramps up I’d be intrigued to see what happens if he drops Tucker before cashing in his championship contract or if Bryan Tucker becomes a nuisance and costs Rhys his opportunity. There is a wealth of stories to dive into with that potential sliding door and where each man would settle in the eyes of the crowd. The potential is deep.

Evan Young defeated Captain Alan Sterling w/James Taylor by pinfall.

After leaving two of his crew members high and dry, Captain Alan Sterling opened the main show with his best boy James Taylor in tow. We got the return of Mr 2004 Evan Young having spent the last near two-years dealing with Chris Archer and all that came of it. There was little conclusion at Battle of the Nations to settle the situation but for one night perhaps there would be no Chris Archer or Oliver Green in the building to kill his vibe when he came up against a familiar foe, holding a 1-2 singles match record against the Captain.

Young was in fine form to bamboozle the Captain early on as Alan sought refuge with James Taylor at ringside, Evan was quick to try and neutralise a potential threat by diving off the apron to knock down Sterling and Taylor. His joy was short lived as Taylor caused a distraction upon returning to the ring that gave his Captain the upper hand to kick the middle rope and attack.

A confident Captain Alan scaled to the top turnbuckle but having not plotted his course accordingly got stuck due to the lower ceiling. After some guidance from Taylor, and even Evan Young, Sterling changed direction to the second turnbuckle but all that time gave Young the chance to head over and throw Alan to the murky depths of the canvas below.

It was downhill for Captain Alan, with Evan driving him head first into the mat with a snapmare driver to tie up the score 2-2.

A bad night for Captain Alan and his crew, with no doubts on who Alan will blame for the loss. You always get a generous helping of entertainment from a Captain Alan Sterling match so that was no surprise but to see Mr 2004 enter after having to see the angst and anger from Evan Young for so long was a lovely change of pace. No appearance or mention of Archer and Green was interesting but as a match it was good.

Mikkey Vago defeated Tommy Raiden by disqualification.

Speaking of soft resets, at Battle of the Nations Tommy Raiden, and Oliver Green, jumped Evan Young that lead to the distraction to give Chris Archer the win over Mikkey Vago thanks to a chain covered punch to the face. So to see Mikkey Vago enter alone was curious, though not unexpected to his character.

Tommy Raiden entered looking like he had grown comfortable in his skin, the confidence was exuding for the first time. It was like the past happy-go-lucky Tommy Raiden that pandered to the audience and pumped his fist like the good boy he was all a facade and this soulless incarnation treated everyone in the Hopeville Social Club with a dead eyed stare. His face paint reminiscent of the undead for a striking visual.

This was a straight up fight with both putting every ounce of power into throwing hands to cause maximum damage. Tommy came in with a feral viciousness whereas Mikkey was trying to get a rhythm going which Raiden was making as difficult as possible. With Raiden on offense he admonished the crowd for picking Vago over him which is a justified reaction when you break it all down. Everything he trusted fell apart, he trusted Mr P to place him with a mentor. In his mind Vago abandoned him for a new model in Evan Young, then Mr P deserted the good graces of the WrestleZone fans, Oliver Green went to Chris Archer, even the new faces from the WrestleZone Academy have found themselves with a, albeit a bit madcap, mentor in Captain Alan. Tommy Raiden was left in the dark, alone with his own thoughts and paranoia. You could feel that when he was in an overwhelming flurry of unaimed punches.

Vago weathered through the clawing to get back into the fight but as it looked like he would discipline his former disciple, Radian struck him in the back of the head with a Singapore Cane to cause the disqualification.

For me it was the best match I’d seen from Tommy Raiden, the emotions felt raw, and he carried himself with purpose. He had enough of humouring Vago wanting to gain some control back in the match then change the narrative so that even though the win-loss record falls in Mikkey’s favour, it was Tommy Raiden that walked out strong. Great story driven stuff.

Lost Boy Aspen defeated Connor Molloy by pinfall.

You knew that this was going to be special when announced. Connor came into this one off the back of a loss to Scotty 2 Hotty and Keagan Garland, in which he was slammed by referee Dennis Law during the match. I liked that it was Mikey Innes that was in charge of the action, just a subtle bit of admin that I appreciated. Lost Boy Aspen came in after being mangled by Monstrum then screwed over by Mr Paterson at Battle of the Nations so to say that he was peeved might have been an understatement.

The match started respectful enough, each trying to get the better of a wrist lock. Aspen did baby carry Connor to counter then unceremoniously dropped him to the canvas so that was a little less respectful I guess.

The match went to the outside with Aspen striking with a heart stopping chop to Molloy who was taken aback while the sound rattled around the hall. The chop was adrenaline injection to the match with Connor diving through the ropes to knock down The Lost Boy but was caught on a second as the struggle lead to Molloy attempting a senton off the apron only to be caught in a suplex position for a release onto the apron back first. The oohs echoed around while Aspen literally surfboarded Connor to readjust The Big Slay’s spine back in the ring.

Connor’s luck continued to be non-existent, having a tornado DDT countered into a snap suplex. Molloy bounced back to send Aspen backwards with a German Suplex rebounding off the ropes. The heavy hits kept coming with exchanges of strikes, Aspen strung combos, a Shining Wizard followed by a powerbomb but Connor lifted a shoulder in the nick of time.

Molloy tried to avoid unleashing a juggernaut of offense, ducking a clothesline and swinging through for a whiplash reverse DDT. The jeopardy increase with Connor finding a weakness, immediately throwing hard jumping forearms, wriggling out of a fireman’s carry, and hosting Aspen up to crash land a fisherman’s buster. Aspen tried to counter a second as the two made their way to the ropes again, with Aspen in the corner Connor peppered him a superkick from the apron, only to be grabbed upon trying to springboard into the ring. A draping uranage, an immediate clothesline, Death Valley Driver, then finally a Jay Driller put away Molloy in empathic style.

What a match. The escalation throughout with each trying to put a combination of moves together to keep the other down was fantastic. The ending of the superkick not landing flush, which ultimately had Aspen have the wherewithal to grab Connor to almost catch Molloy off guard and go through move after move to make sure that it would keep his opponent down.

The crowd were invested for every big impact, of which there were many, with both giving as good as they got. The level these two are at since their first one on one match nearly two years ago is immeasurable, then it was Connor being the underdog and Aspen as Undisputed WrestleZone Champion and not really taking his opponent all that seriously, two years on and Aspen had to go overkill when he found the moment just to make sure Molloy would stay down for the count.

It was great to see Connor have a match to shine, when it’s The Influence he has to share the stage with two other excellent wrestlers and at times it feels like he could be the third wheel to Vanity, but matches like this reminds you how damn great Connor Molloy is. There was a buzz felt during and after the match as it went to interval, a brilliant first half of wrestling.

WrestleZone Tri-Counties Championship – Umar Mohammed vs Ryan Riley w/Richard R. Russell ended in a time limit draw. Umar Mohammed retained the WrestleZone Tri-Counties Championship.

We returned to the show with new Foundation of the Future music, a much darker vibe as Ryan Riley entered with Richard R. Russell. Riley looked pissed off, giving nothing to the crowd but a look of contempt. The Asian Sensation got the party spirit going for his next WrestleZone Tri-Counties Championship defence.

After rejecting a handshake with a face slap, Riley immediately opted to take to a power strategy to keep the speed of Mohammed at bay. Due to the restrictions of the venue Umar had to try and wear down Ryan with a more technical approach which made for a chess game between the two to find a flow. An Octopus Stretch to Riley was responded with a driving knee to the skull to Umar upon escape as they two were evenly matched throughout. Russell did all he could to distract to cause his charge to regain the upper hand.

As the halfway point was announced the pressure increased with more ideas being thrown at the wall as forearms were exchanged to rock the other wobbly legged. Riley tried to use Russell to increase the leverage of an Abdominal Stretch but an eagled eyed referee Dennis Law spotted the tactics and broke it up with an Earl Hebner style kick, The Lawman is getting more physical lately in that ring… Umar managed to get the pace to his liking for a headscissor takeover, and countered a boot in the corner for a second rope draping backstabber.

Ryan wasn’t for being one upped, hitting a stinging half nelson snap suplex to crumple Umar into the canvas while the time continued to run out. A last gasp fisherman’s suplex from Mohammed while the timer ran down wasn’t enough to break the stalemate with the time expired for a draw. It didn’t stop the two brawling after the bell, the result getting under the skin of Umar after ridding the title from the man that used the ten minute time limit to its fullest, Bryan Tucker.

Despite retaining the title Umar pleaded for five more minutes but it fell on deaf ears. Mohammed even tried to get Riley to join the request but was met with a slap in the face which woke up The Desi Debonair with Richard R. Russell having to seek refuge in the crowd to avoid a beating. Interestingly, Riley didn’t even try to protect The Foundation of the Future’s master strategist who has brought nothing but loss after loss since imparting his wisdom.

It was a slower build up but once the time announcements came into play it started quickly picking up, The explosive strikes from Ryan Riley and the incredible way Umar Mohammed can fold his body like an NPC made the impact of Riley’s moves look devastating while also putting across the valiant fight that Umar was putting into the bout. That contemptuous look that I mentioned from Ryan Riley could also be translated into embarrassment, almost like even he knows that due to the losses mounting up that he shouldn’t be in a title match. I’d also put it on to the new attitude of management as Mr Paterson maybe buttering up The Foundation of the Future with opportunity to take out a potential Scotty Swift ally in the main event. There was so much at play here.

I’d also imagine that the time limit draw result will also drive Umar Mohammed a bit mad, and will ramp up the aggression in a future title defence, that could be very interesting to see.

Richard R. Russell emerged out of his hiding spot in the back row to introduce another of his Foundation of the Future charges, Bruiser Brad Evans, for what promised to be a hoss fight.

Bruiser Brad Evans w/Richard R. Russell defeated Murphy by pinfall.

And for seven minutes it was just that. Two big lads trying to out muscle the other. The fists and forearms where going to and fro, each with a little extra oomph. Brad threw Murphy down to the ground out from the corner which was impressive, as was the smoothness of the back suplex journey that Murphy sent Brad on.

It was a sprint with the chops raining and the slams flooding with neither really forging a dominant display as two big titans waged war. For every side walk slam from Murphy there was a German Suplex from Bruiser Brad in retaliation.

A timely distraction from Richard R. Russell gave the time for Bruiser Brad to recover and struck with a piledriver to put Murphy to bed.

They weren’t there for a long time but it didn’t need to be a long marathon. It was two big lads smashing at each other for a short intense period. What more could you want? I had said in the build up to this that Murphy needed this match to show a bit more of himself as a big man to properly step out of a Dino sized shadow to be his own man and there were glimpses of that. There still seems to be a comfort level missing but testing himself against guys like a Bruiser Brad, who is possibly the best big man wrestler in the country right now for my money, will knock those hesitations out bit by bit and get those shoulders pulled up and allow for his arms to relax to spread out to become bigger.

WrestleZone Undisputed Championship – Damien w/Mr Paterson defeated Scotty Swift by pinfall to retain the WrestleZone Undisputed Championship.

It was time for the main event with a sunglasses adorned Mr Paterson arriving to offer an apology to MC Martyn Clunes before not-so-subtly belittling Clunes back to ring bell duties so he could introduce the WrestleZone Undisputed Champion, his chosen champion, Damien.

Even though it was a non-title match, and nothing anyone could do would change that fact, it’s still against the norm to have the champion enter first but for the egomaniacal Mr Paterson, in my mind anyway, it makes sense so his champion gets a soul spotlight with the title. He doesn’t have to be distracted by the challenger standing in the ring waiting for their change. If anything it offers an advantage because the challenger then has to trust in the champion to allow them to enter the ring unimpeded.

Scotty entered to a rousing reception and didn’t mince his words in demanding that the contest be amended to a title match, but despite the pleas of Swift, and those in Inverurie, Mr Paterson was not to be budged. The match started like two old foes trying to gain the advantage, with a blindsided forearm to the side of the head of Swift swinging the momentum into the favour of The Revolutionary.

Damien continued to wear down Scotty but an errant kick was caught to give Swift the opening needed to start jabbing and get the Swift train out of the platform. A second rope twisting European uppercut saw Scotty land hard on the canvas and immediately favour his shoulder. As the action came to a halt, Dennis Law threw up the X as Mr Paterson seemingly dropped the facade to check on Swift.

Scott, Scott, are you okay?… … … have you got a boo boo?
– Mr Paterson

After some deliberation from Mr Paterson, and making sure that Scotty’s health bar was low, he declared that the match would then in-fact be for the Undisputed WrestleZone Championship. Suddenly Scotty made a miraculous recovery, much to the chagrin of Mr Paterson, and bombarded Damien with attacks with every near fall putting the crowd on the edge of their seat. The title belt came into play but Damien swung and missed only to be hoisted onto the shoulders of Swift and coming down hard with an Attitude Adjustment.

Mr Paterson grabbed the belt but was caught before he could do anything, it was enough for Damien to land a couple superkicks to a defiant Scotty Swift to keep his title reign intact.

Post-match, Mr Paterson demanded a beat down of Scotty Swift but Lost Boy Aspen ran out to send the champion scurrying. Aspen put out the challenge, a Halloween Brawl against Damien for the title at Halloween Hijinks which Damien was quick to accept without deliberation with Mr Paterson to close the night.

A drama filled main event that is WrestleZone’s bread and butter, story driven and the investment was there for each twist and turn. It’s what WrestleZone are best at, and those in Inverurie were taken along for the ride. It is great to see WrestleZone get out of their comfort zone to try and run bigger venues on a more regular basis, and make a concerted effort to not rest on being the hidden gem up in the North East.

This was a reminder that local independant wrestling is an incredible emotional rollercoaster, and while Battle of the Nations may’ve been seen as a little bit of a stumble it was just that, with Inverurie being an excellent display of what WrestleZone offers to all ages. A great night of wrestling, even if I will 100% be unable to see the Halloween Brawl on October 18th, and Stonehaven on November 15th, due to being otherwise engaged. Oh well, I’ll just have to wait for Christmas Chaos to see what happens!

If you want my pre and post show thoughts I’ve stuck in our On The Road episode (available at 5pm) and montage below: