Attitude Pro Wrestling returned to Rutherglen for their annual summer spectacular, Ruggy Slam. Thanks to the team at APW I’ve managed to nab myself a sneaky look for writing words and that, and with a near three hour run time there are going to be a lot of words.

My pal Magic Dave (interview) got the hype going as the Magician of Ceremonies to introduce the pre-show bout.

Pre-show – Casino Brutale (RABU & Mikey Devine) defeated VL-HALLA (Thorin & E-Town) by pinfall.

Mikey Devine attempted to the use the referee as a joust before the match, he’s great.

The crowd in Rutherglen bathed Casino Brutale in baldy chants (which is now a crime btw, I read it on Twitter so it must be true) to start off which enraged Devine so much that he needed to calm down on the apron for RABU to get things started against E-Town as he begrudgingly fought “a child”.

E-Town escaped a wrist lock to bring in Thorin, VL-HALLA overwhelmed RABU with continuous offense for him to retreat and tag in Mikey but Horsepower didn’t fare too much better with Thorin and E-Town trying to keep a high tempo. It took a blind tag for Casino Brutale to get the upper hand.

Thanks to RABU’s intervention, E-Town entered the isolation station with Mikey and RABU taking their time to clinically beat down the vicious lad. After a long dismantling, E-Town finally ducked, dived, and dodged his way to Thorin who came in like a house on fire to send Casino Brutale all over the room.

An incensed E-Town demanded a tag in for a double team enziguri/lungblower combination for the closest of two counts thanks to RABU. RABU dispatched Thorin on the outside and returned to the ring to put E-Town to bed with an assisted Gory Bomb.

RABU admonished the crowd afterwards while Mikey Devine cackled, they marked their intention on the APW Tag Team Championships.

An enjoyable extra match, the APW fans love them some VL-HALLA so offered plenty of support as E-Town got battered by a maniacal RABU and erratic Mikey Devine so it worked as far as the noise being made. Casino Brutale looked slick with the match being 90% with them on offense which made the comebacks all the louder. A good start.

Magic Dave introduced the main show, announcing that Nick Justice was suspended for attacking him, Dave put out a challenge for a match at Ruggy Havoc to Justice before declaring that The Bill sucks. What did PC Reg Hollis do to get that sideswipe??

APW Tag Team Championships – The Govan Team (Ravie Davie & Cousin Zander) defeated The Freshnas (Martin Steers & Fabio) by pinfall to retain the APW Tag Team Championships.

Martin Steers demanded silence which was met by… not silence. Davie made fun of Martin’s lack of height which earned him a kick in the gut but it didn’t stop The Govan Team getting under the skin of Steers as he ran into Cousin Zander then was given an Airplane Spin as he scurlled while going around and around and around. Zander felt left out so Fabio got spun around as well.

With everyone about dizzy, Davie used Zander and Fabio as launch pads for a corner clothesline the result of which had Steers landing head first into his partners Fabios for some hilarity. The Freshnas finally got some good luck, sending Zander into a turnbuckle perched Ravie Davie to take control of the match, yanking at the arm of The People’s Cousin.

A switcheroo had The Freshnas flailing as Ravie Davie got the tag for some flip, flop, and flying punches, breaking through a double clothesline to send Martin Steers and Fabio wobbly. A springboard moonsault took out both with Steers able to get his shoulder up in the nick of time.

The Freshnas weren’t done yet, a superkick symphony followed by a pop up sit-out powerbomb came close but Zander kicked out. The Govan Team continued to fight with Davie throwing Steers overhead to land an errant destroyer to Fabio. Davie launched Martin into a Cousin Zander spinebuster with The Govan Team finishing the match with a Samoan Drop/second rope neckbreaker combo.

Action heavy with shenanigans. A real crowd pleaser. I’ve been really impressed by Fabio in singles over the last wee while when watching the Community Pro Wrestling shows back but this was my first Freshnas experience. They are a wealth of charisma with flashy moves that strings combinations along to keep a match flowing. This was two well matched teams for a good bit of sports entertainment.

Bryan Mojo w/Danny Miller defeated SBX by pinfall.

The returning had little time to bask in the adulation with Bryan Mojo jumping him before the bell. An onslaught followed while SBX struggled to take off his jacket. SBX weathered the opening storm, sending Mojo up and over the ropes onto a crutch employing Danny Miller at ringside.

SBX fired back with a couple Sling Blades, snapping a standing dropkick or two to have Bryan Mojo regretting his life choices. A barrage of kicks of the chest were halted by Miller hobbling his way over to grab the standing leg of SBX to put Mojo back in charge.

Mojo dug in with shoulder blocks into the corner but SBX returned with an uppercut and hard enziguri but a sweet pop of the hips style powerslam could only score him a two count. Bryan wriggled out of a carry to clip the knee of SBX and smelled blood in the water, torquing the knee into a gnarly position.

It didn’t stop SBX using his other leg to jam his knee into the face of Mojo and slinging him back with a German Suplex and a Northern Lights version but his charge into the corner was dodged and a running shooting star press had SBX just about kicking out. SBX came back to stop a tilt-a-whirl DDT into a pop up Go To Sleep but Mr Wanderer arrived to pull the referee out of the ring.

The distraction allowed for Danny Miller to slide in the crutch to be smashed over SBX and a running knee called it a night for The Handsome Man. Mr Wanderer demanded that Mojo hit him again with the running knee after the match which Bryan complied with.

The change of attitude from Bryan Mojo has been a welcome one, he showed more aggression and spark to trash talk the crowd along with his opponent. The dynamic between him and Danny Miller looks very natural. It was great to see SBX back who showed no hesitation in settling into the match pace. Switching his offense to using his non-targeted knee towards the end was a logical progression which may have made things look odd but in that circumstances it’s supposed to as he’s having to adapt because of his opponent assaulting the favoured joint which showed intelligence.

Mr Wanderer had some choice words for his potential opponents later in the evening, it’s quite a skill to be from Rutherglen but have developed to be so loathed by his hometown crowd.

APW “Slavcore” Championship – Stan The Slav defeated The Renegade Wrex by pinfall to retain the APW “Slavcore” Championship.

It was a mixed reaction for Stan The Slav as he made his return to Attitude Pro Wrestling with the now dubbed APW Slavcore Championship. Wrex wasted little time by running through him with a spear and smashed a chair over his head to a big cheer. Stan woke up to throw hands, sending Wrex out of the ring with a headscissors.

The two brawled to the bar area with Stan jumping off the counter with a double axe handle, the match returned to the ring with Wrex once again using the chair; first by throwing it at the knees of a running Stan then took him to task by cracking it off the Slav King’s back.

Stan was reeling as The Renegade Wrex pounded away with punches with a corner charge fought off for a hurricanrana. The champion brought out a leather strap and took Wrex to the woodshed with whips to the chest, getting a near fall off a basement flatliner.

Wrex stopped a Code Red attempt but a belly to belly suplex couldn’t keep Stan down who returned with a running knee to the side of the head. Wrex picked up a chair but before he could return to his feet Stan ran over with another knee to clatter the steel over the head of The Renegade Wrex to retain.

The two hugged it out after the match.

It took some time for the crowd to get back on board with Stan The Slav while The Renegade Wrex has organically become this fan favourite but slowly the respect shone through with both getting good reactions towards the end with the increasing barbarity. The match had a good amount of mayhem with the chair shots, while being safe, sounded brutal. Good stuff.

Jack Carter interrupted the introductions for the first half main event, noting that Rutherglen was his hometown but the best thing he did was leave for England. He cancelled the raffle, the rotter. Kayden Cross strutted out raging that the raffle had been disrespected, Carter tried to get the jump but was flung around with a spin out side slam and a big splash as the raffle was saved. Wrestling is silly.

CPW Heavyweight Championship Number One Contendership – Fatal Five Way – Manky Frankie Richards defeated Judas Grey, Cowboy Dave Conrad, Big Ross Hauser, and Saqib Ali by pinfall to become number one contender.

Manky Frankie entered with all the atmosphere of a God, a Scottish God, a Scod. The Glencairn Venue was rattling with cheering and clapping that even seemed to surprise him. Big Ross wasn’t for it and booted Frankie in the face and slammed Saqib Ali before joining Cowboy Conrad to throw around Judas Grey to leave the two meaty men to slap meat.

Conrad got the better of the exchange but turned around to eat a Judas Grey superkick and a Saqib Ali running knee. Ali’s pin attempt was broken up by Grey as they started trading forearms. A boot to the head sent Saqib seated in the corner to get a corner delayed dropkick with a standing moonsault as a little extra. Manky Frankie re-entering to do the throwing, dispatching Judas but was met with the heavy hands of Big Ross. The Cowboy mosied back in for another showdown with Big Ross but his second Old School of the match to Hauser was countered into a chokeslam for a near fall.

A big powerbomb out of the corner couldn’t keep Ross down as Hauser and Conrad continued to throw hands as the fight went to the back leaving Manky Frankie, Saqib Ali, and Judas Grey in the ring. Judas Grey went to enziguri avenue to rock them both with a spin out powerbomb to Frankie earning a two, and a superkick giving the same result.

The noise in the venue got louder as the support for Frankie, who hit a gorgeous spinebuster for two. A little bit of liquid courage from the fans had him stalking Judas only to be grabbed by Ronan King for a Vanity two on one. The Big Strong Man made the save as he and Ronan fought to the back to join Conrad and Hause, leaving Judas to receive a Manky Bomb.

Saqib Ali bided his time to get back into the fray, jumping Frankie but he ran into brick wall with clotheslines, a rake to the eyes lead Ali to level Frankie with a running knee but it wasn’t enough. Saqib brushed at Frankie but it just awakened Richards who hoisted Ali up for a Manky Bomb to pick up the victory.

That was chaos with so many moving parts. Big Ross Hauser looked to relish in getting a more mixed reaction with the boos heading his way for his out of the blocks kick to Frankie, the scrap with Conrad was beefy, Judas Grey is an enigma as he makes moves look fantastic whether he is taking them or giving them with the nice plot point of Ronan King coming to his aid being thwarted by his opponent in the main event The Big Strong Man. Saqib Ali, though not a focal point in the match was the glue between points happening, and what can be said about Manky Frankie who had the crowd drinking from his metaphorical can. The electricity from him hanging on and inching nearer to victory could’ve powered the Glencairn Venue. A lot of fun with so many things threaded throughout to keep the action going for the whole time.

Mr Wanderer was out for a stare down before the interval.

CPW Heavyweight Championship/CPW JBD Hardcore Championship – Mr Wanderer defeated Manky Frankie Richards by submission to retain the CPW Heavyweight Championship and win the CPW JBD Hardcore Championship.

The second half opened with the CPW Heavyweight Championship match so we got a second entrance for Manky Frankie Richards which was still loud. No The Wanderer for Mr Wanderer, stripping back to a heavier rock entrance theme.

Wanderer blasted Frankie with the belt before the bell but Richards got a shoulder up. A fatigued Frankie got to his knees but was down again with a cutter. A standing cutter got another near fall with referee Sean Moran stopping a second belt shot. While Moran disposed of the belt Frankie gave Wanderer a low blow to even the score but a spinebuster garnered a two count.

Sean Moran got knocked down with Mr Wanderer returning the favour with a low blow of his own to Frankie. They traded swigs of beer and punches to the stomach until Mr Wanderer sprayed the yeasty mix into the face of Richards. Manky Frankie planted Wanderer with a Manky Bomb but while he cleared his eyes Bryan Mojo switched places with Wanderer. Frankie landed the Manky Bomb to Bryan Mojo for the pin.

As the dust settled, Mr Wanderer landed a cutter to Frankie and argued that the wrong man was pinned, the match restarted with Bryan Mojo trying to get involved only to eat a lariat. Mr Wanderer jumped onto the chance to lock in a crossface chickenwing that put Manky Frankie to sleep to not only retain but to take the CPW JBD Hardcore Championship.

This had a great idea, the execution was a bit haphazard and could’ve been a bit smoother if Sean Moran noticed the mistake after the fall without the guddling about with the VAR patter. Hindsight etc. etc.

Once again Mr Wanderer sent Bryan Mojo to do some dirty work to hold Frankie up to be knocked out with the CPW Heavyweight Championship.

What I liked with this was the wrestling trope would be Mr Wanderer jumping in after Manky Frankie won the five way but he gave him the interval to rest. It’s like there is still, deep down… very deep down, this kinship that Mr Wanderer has for his former best friend. Maybe not giving him time to get to 100% but at least allowing the time to catch his breath and recharge. Mr Wanderer did take every short cut at the other end of the equation though so…

Before the next match Nick Justice jumped Magic Dave and delivered a piledriver in the centre of the ring. Medics and staff arrived to tend to Dave after Justice made his exit.

Nicole Jasmin & Hannah Grande defeated Manipulation (JC Storm & Vanity) by pinfall.

Manipulation riled up the crowd, vowing to make Scotland great again and opened the gates to anyone that wanted to face them whether it was women or men. Nicole Jasmin’s music hit for the APW Scottish Women’s Champion to arrive, Nicole went to the back to grab Hannah Grande to even the numbers.

Grande started off with JC Storm, they went back and forth with Hannah landing a running crossbody for a two count. Grande tagged in Nicole Jasmin to hit a neck snap for another near fall. Storm flipped Jasmin over with a side rolling fireman’s carry to bring Vanity in.

A cartwheel back elbow and neck snap knocked Vanity down but a headbutt rocked Jasmin as she was sent into the corner for a draping backstabber as Manipulation took control with boots in the corner. Grande got a blind tag to catch Vanity off guard with a dropkick but it wasn’t enough to stop the momentum as Vanity powered Hannah up with a suplex.

The Americans toyed with Grande, taking turns to punish her. A jawbreaker created some space for Hannah to tag out but once again Manipulation turned the tide with a clunky double team hip toss and a run of a cartwheel elbow and leg drop to keep Jasmin grounded. A lungblower to Vanity allowed Hannah Grande to tag in as the match began to break down with everyone in the ring. A facebuster to Vanity from Jasmin lead to JC Storm landing a nice cutter to Nicole but turnaround to take a wheelbarrow stunner from Grande to have everyone laid out.

All four traded chops with Jasmin and Grande coming out on top of that but they were ran through with stereo spears for two. Vanity and JC were knocked into each other to set up a double neck snap from Nicole, and a double crossbody with a dog pile pin to seal the win.

It was rough in parts with noticeable hesitations and some messy spots but nothing too egregious. Vanity was having a nightmare with her attire throughout the match with adjustments being made constantly. I think there needs to be a little more communication with what Hannah Grande is going for with the wheelbarrow… something because I’m not sure if it’s a bulldog or stunner but it looks like the receiver doesn’t know either so it hasn’t been clean on any occasion I’ve seen it done.

JC Storm was the stand out from the match with Grande doing a solid job getting the crowd invested.

APW Scottish Championship – The Big Strong Man defeated Ronan King w/Judas Grey by pinfall to retain the APW Scottish Championship.

The crowd was split at about 99% to 1% in favour of The Big Strong Man as the Logan Paul chants started towards Ronan King. King took his time to get started, leaping into a headlock to get some leverage but The Big Strong Man slipped through to counter, rolling Ronan into a cradle pin for a two count.

Despite his best efforts, The Big Strong Man had the answer for Ronan’s early offense, finding counters to leave King having to reconsider his game plan. It worked with a grab on the ropes to avoid a German Suplex leading to Ronan being able to start putting the boots to The Big Strong Man.

Ronan kept the pressure on, quickly striking if The Big Strong Man tried a comeback to send The Big Strong Man to the outside. A missed Helluva Kick gave The Big Strong Man a chance, tossing Ronan backwards with a German Suplex and followed with a T-Bone Suplex to create some space to recover.

Both men got to their feet, trading forearms back and forth all the way up, a couple slaps from King revitalised The Big Strong Man as he swung hard with a lariat but a release suplex was only good for two. A missed spear sent The Big Strong Man into the corner and was followed by a Ronan King boot into the back of his head. Ronan hit a second and started laying in unanswered punches for Sean Moran to separated the two.

Crew members came to check on The Big Strong Man but Ronan wasn’t going to be stopped as he drop kicked The Big Strong Man through the ropes to the back of the head again. As The Big Strong Man got carried out the announcement started to declare a new APW Scottish Champion but The Big Strong Man crawled his way back into the ring and challenged King to finish the job which he was happy to provide with a Curb Stomp.

But The Big Strong Man kicked out.

As Ronan went for another killshot The Big Strong Man struck with a spear for two count. The Big Strong Man powered up but Judas Grey tried to assist only to be knocked off the apron by Judas in the fracas. A roll up from The Big Strong Man got another two count, King came back with a brainbuster but it still couldn’t keep The Big Strong Man down for three.

A perplex Ronan King stumbled around to formulate another idea, lifting The Big Strong Man onto his shoulders but as he tried to get balanced The Big Strong Man rolled through with a victory roll to retain.

Vanity jumped The Big Strong Man after the match. As Ronan dragged the lifeless body of The Big Strong Man up, Manky Frankie ran out to chase Vanity off and lift The Big Strong Man to his feet.

Talk about a drama filled main event. Ronan King is an incredible bastard with no shades of grey, a ruthless arsehole who can effortlessly be an arrogant prick. It can anger the most stoic of individual, but he also had this amazing ability to emote to the back of the room without it becoming cartoonish. The goodwill that The Big Strong Man has built in Attitude Pro Wrestling made it all the more intense. The final stretch of kickouts kept ramping up the crowd reaction to peak for the three at the right time.

A well put together match that hit all the beats nicely for an epic main event to Ruggy Slam. Ronan King came out of the match as a stone cold killer.

Attitude Pro Wrestling provided an entertaining three hours of pro wrestling. The five way match and main event were of a high quality with the Slavcore title match being a nice surprise. The big positive reactions for Manky Frankie and The Big Strong Man coupled with the negativity towards Mr Wanderer and Ronan King made for a great atmosphere with the Rutherglen audience being invested throughout the night.

There were a couple matches that weren’t my flavour but again the crowd had their heroes and villains and weren’t afraid to let the wrestlers know which camp they were in. I was very much sports entertained.