It was a wild start to 2026 for Discovery Wresrling, a whole five matches announced before the event itself was unheard of in recent times and I liked it. It offered a mix of favourites that gathered momentum in 2025 and some new faces plucked from the Scottish wrestling scene, which is what Discovery Wrestling was all about on their rise.

Another visit to Portobello Town Hall was on the cards with the sultry tones of Mr Kwaku Adjei welcoming the Disco Faithful to Edinburgh.

Lana Austin defeated Natasha Swann by pinfall.

An overwhelmed Natasha Swann looked awe struck to stand across the ring from Lana Austin but was soon showing off that girl next door vibe that has gained her a mass of fans in short order.

Lana got the best of the opening lock up as the claps rattled Portobello Town Hall in support of Scottish wrestling’s Dream Girl. Austin continued to bully Natasha around until Swann had enough and balled her fist to send Lana scurrying to the ropes in retreat.

The veteran continued to use her tricks to get one over on Natasha Swann but as Lana kept the punishment it only got the Disco Faithful more and more on side with the Discovery newcomer.

Austin kept the pressure with sly kicks to the spine and hair pulls, while a spirited Swann did her best to find an opening. A quick lariat caught a near fall but enough for Natasha to give Lana a taste of what she is capable of.

Boos rained as Lana Austin put the boots to Natasha Swann, a comeback combination from Natasha got another two count but it only gave Lana a reason to increase the aggression, spiking Swann to the canvas with a draping DDT.

Not to be deterred. A superkick-stunner-running knee run of manoeuvres once again shook Lana to have to get a shoulder up before Chris Quinn could slap his hand to the mat a third time.

Austin tried to use the ropes to leverage a pin but was caught by the referee. That was enough for Lana to take to the turnbuckle pad, and while Chris fixed the vandalism, Austin dug in a deep eye rake to Natasha and a roll her up with a handful of tights to snatch the win.

A great introduction of Natasha Swann to Discovery Wrestling. The thing that the Discovery crowd love is that never say die spirit and Natasha got to give that against a nasty villain who did verge into pantomime levels of over the top reactions at times, and that’s not a bad thing because it fits with this grandiose character that Lana has and grounds Natasha as one of us who was trying to hold on while being bombarded by a bully.

The shift of Lana Austin going from toying with her opponent to having to employ some heavier hits to then having to eventually cheat was a great way to tier the match to highlight the underdog fight from Swann.

There were some bits that didn’t look totally smooth but the weight of the story made every scrappy moment go into that narrative of Lana using that experience to not make things easy for the debutant.

The post-match applause firmly welcomed Natasha Swann to Discovery Wrestling, who stepped up against a well travelled opponent, shook off the awe and showed no fear. A more than worthy addition to a very capable roster with the likes of Myla Grace, Daisy Jenkins, and Hollie Barlow going forward.

Discovery Wrestling Tag Team Championships – The Good Times (Robb Stow & Monstrum) defeated Alex Webb & Finlay Bane by pinfall to retain the Discovery Wrestling Tag Team Championships.

In the most disgusting moment of the event, Alex Webb dropped his YouTube plaque during his entrance. A shocking scene.

What wasn’t shocking was the loud negative reaction to The Good Times making their way out with the Discovery Wrestling Tag Team Championships to make their first defence of their second reign.

Robb Stow didn’t waste any time confirming that he’s a bad guy by kicking Alex Webb in the stomach as the sound of the bell ringing echoed around Portobello Town Hall. Webb staged a comeback to tag in Finlay Bane to lead to a stand off between him and Monstrum for a round of big smashes which saw Monstrum get the better of the exchange.

The Good Times then dismantled Alex with precision, breaking his back, making him humble, then crushing his body with the sheer mass all while keeping him as far away from his mega evolution in the corner as possible.

Alex kept coming but Stow and Monstrum had the answers, one with the intelligence to seek a counter, and the brute barrelling out of any issues, it took some dip, diving, and dodging for Webb to reach out and bring in a rested Finlay Bane who was throwing forearms and bodies like no tomorrow.

An impressive lariat from Bane to take down Monstrum followed by a silky Alex Webb Frog Splash had the Disco Faithful on the edge of their seats for the count, only to gasp in unison when Monstrum got his meaty shoulder up.

The monster recovered as The Good Times crashed Webb down with a Hart Attack for a near fall. Stow tried calling traffic that almost saw The Good Times come undone as he got tripped up for a second Hart Attack to give Bane and Webb a chance to run some offence.

That scare sent The Good Times into overdrive, taking out Finlay Bane and surrounding Alex Webb who couldn’t stop a tandem chokeslam-powerbomb to see the champions retain.

Seeds are already being planted of a disenchanted Monstrum being pushed around and lead by Robb Stow, the post-match saw Stow snatch the title from Monstrum like it was punishment for almost causing a loss… even though it was Robb’s barking of orders that caused the distraction. It feels too early seeing as this is their first actual defence of the Discovery Wrestling Tag Team Championships, but we’ll see how the plant gets watered in coming events.

There’s some definite seasoning required but I’m liking this Finlay Bane and Alex Webb combination, that will come with time but the foundations are solid.

Other than the moments of dissension, this was much needed to show how dominant The Good Times can be and a step towards some settling after a turbulent 2025 for the tag team titles. The crowd bit for the heroes almost overcoming the odds, and showed plenty of venom when the three count was made for The Good Times coming out victorious.

Shreddy arrived for a ramble, flanked by Nick Justice and MX1, who were as welcome as a fart in a lift and added to the distain that Shreddy already receives in Edinburgh. Danny Miller was the poor bugger that was tasked with taking on the stacked and jacked Discovery Wrestling Openweight Champion, which went as anticipated…

Discovery Wrestling Openweight Championship – Shreddy w/Nick Justice & MX1 defeated Danny Miller by pinfall to retain the Discovery Wrestling Openweight Championship.

Throw, throw, spear, Steiner Screwdriver. Danny Miller was laid to rest in minutes.

Shreddy and his pals were kind enough to revive Miller by putting the soles of their boots onto his chest over and over again. The Gambler hit the speakers to have Dave Conrad arrive and chase off the baddies.

Conrad declared that the Openweight Championship belonged to him and challenged Shreddy to a match then and there for the belt.

Of course Shreddy declined such a polite request but offered Conrad a chance to earn a shot by beating his team before sending MX1 to the ring.

Dave Conrad defeated MX1 w/Shreddy by pinfall.

Conrad ran through MX1 with a running knee and delayed jackhammer but before the TKO could connect a timely eye rake allowed for MX1 to show us what he’s got, launching Conrad with an impressive inverted Fireman’s Carry slam.

Dave come back to land the TKO to pin MX1.

The celebration was short lived as Nick Justice was soon showing his own brand of police brutality as Shreddy reminded everyone that Dave Conrad had to beat his team.

Dave Conrad defeated Nick Justice w/Shreddy by pinfall.

Justice immediately took aim at the knee of Conrad, driving his attacks to the joint and grounding the cowboy.

An awkwardly put together Figure Four Leglock was assisted by Shreddy pulling the arms of Justice to cause more damage, but Shreddy went to the well too many times and was caught by Chris Quinn who broke the advantage with an Earl Hebner style punt kick.

Nick Justice collided with the referee with Conrad connecting with the TKO to no count. Shreddy took advantage with a spear to Dave but in the time it took for Chris Quinn to recover it gave Conrad the opportunity to recover enough to kick out.

It was back to Plan A for Nick Justice, who went after the knee again but, despite coupling the wear down with a crisp double arm DDT, it couldn’t put Dave away.

Shreddy tried to get involved but his attempt to spray water in the face of Conrad was ducked for some blind Justice. Dave hoisted Nick up and landed the TKO to get the three and seemingly earn himself a future shot at the Discovery Wrestling Openweight Champion.

It did feel like an extended segment from Shreddy’s entrance to Nick Justice being pinned, but to highlight the positives: in the brief time he had there’s something about MX1 which I think will grow nicely with match experience and character building. The Conrad-Justice match was decent, and I liked Nick just going back to the knee to reset the match in his favour if Dave got too much offence then ultimately losing out because of outside forces.

I think I’ve figured what is rubbing me the wrong way about Cowboy Conrad, I don’t feel like he’s for the fans. I’ve acknowledged my concerns about his tag team title reign in past reviews and it was further nailed on after this match when he shouted that “I” had earned a title shot, a bit of humbleness would just edge him back into being personable.

This feud isn’t clicking for me, but (and this is absolutely cliche armchair booking) I reckon there is some stock in a self indulgent run with the Openweight Championship for Conrad wherein we think the egotistical Shreddy was the worst thing possible for the title but here comes Cowboy Conrad expecting a standing ovation and flowers and streamers and everything he has seen others receive from the Disco Faithful, then growing frustrated at the self perceived indifference from the crowd after he got rid of the Shreddy problem in Discovery, blaming them for any slight issue he suffers and feeling like nobody is supporting him, then finally taking the short cut and cheating to keep the belt in his possession to fully complete the turn. There’s definitely legs to that over a consistent run of shows.

Triple Threat – Chris Bronson defeated Judas Grey, and Connor Molloy by pinfall.

I couldn’t shake the comparison of Crash Holly when seeing Chris Bronson’s new, or lack of, hair do. The cropped logo t-shirt didn’t help but I liked it.

The Judas Choir was loud in Portobello Town Hall, which was a great reception for Grey who is now in the recovery point due to coming so close to becoming Y Division Champion at the last event that there’s always a chance that the belief waivers from the audience. So to hear that the crowd are still heavily behind the poster boy of Scottish wrestling means that he has organically earned his fan base and losses aren’t the be-all and end-all for his disciples.

It was Connor Molloy who struck first, throwing a right hand at the jaw of Bronson to spark a trading of pin attempts to come back to a stalemate. Chris returned the favour by cornering Molloy with strikes but Judas didn’t want to be left out by inserting himself via forearms to the faces of his opponents.

Grey and Molloy tried to influence a double team suplex but The Stallion overpowered the duo. A stunning sequence saw Judas give Chris Bronson a Finlay Roll, that lead directly into giving a back drop to Connor onto Bronson, then adding the finishing touch by landing a standing Moonsault to Chris.

It was Molloy’s time to shine next, taking Grey and Bronson down with whipping headscissors then getting into a striking exchange of chops and forearms with Judas Grey. The camera angle perfectly revealed Chris Bronson emerge from the top turnbuckle to land a diving crossbody to both and get back into the fray.

Moves flew in with the trio unable to find that advantage, Judas knocked Connor down with a Codebreaker but was soon being slammed to the mat with a Spinebuster by Bronson.

The power of Chris Bronson became evident, being the base for a crossbody version of the Doomsday Device that Judas became victim to but managed to roll through for a cheeky pin, Bronson then just dragged Grey to his feet by his arm like he weighed nothing to lift him onto his shoulders.

There was no rest, if someone dared lie on the canvas for a second there was a body flying their way. Bronson figured it out, kipping up as Molloy prepared himself on the top turnbuckle and catching Connor from the resulting dive to drive him to the match with a Michinoku Driver to take the W while Judas tried to pull himself over but fell short in breaking the fall.

An aching Molloy refused a handshake from Grey, but it didn’t feel like it was a refusal because of hatred – it was laden with disappointment within himself. Like he hadn’t earned that handshake after eating the pin.

I have to admire the growth that Judas Grey has shown from embracing the Judas Choir, from his quick recovery when things might have been a bit mistimed, but especially when he milked his handstand dropkick, dropping the hammer when the crowd were at their peak, there’s an aura about Judas Grey that amplifies in Portobello Town Hall.

The post-match, for me, sees Connor use 2026 as a year to step up from being a utility man in multi-man matches and step forward. The Big Slay is getting it all together and a nice run of singles matches will propel him further up.

Even without his glorious hair, Chris Bronson is still riding a wave of love in Discovery Wrestling, when he was overpowering the very popular Judas Grey, it didn’t garner any boos. It was an exhibition for all three, fast moving and total non-stop action from start to finish. Going back to the camera cuts, they were timed fantastically to make the moments matter more.

The crowd played their part in highlighting the impacts with audible oohs and aahs. It was a brilliant three way.

Winner Earns A Discovery Wrestling Tag Team Championship Opportunity – Fatal Four Way – Chip Watson w/James Erdos defeated Umar Mohammed, Lost Boy Aspen, and RABU by pinfall to earn a Discovery Wrestling Tag Team Championship match.

Umar, Chip, Aspen, and even Erdos, all got their names chanted loudly before the opening bell, and I think RABU did as well – I’m sure it was RABOOOOOOOOOOOO being shouted but I’ll need that verified…

RABOOO, I mean, RABU immediately took his frustration out with a shotgun dropkick to Chip Watson before arrogantly getting into a chop exchange with Aspen, with Umar Mohammed getting involved with Double Zero getting double teamed.

The match spilled to the outside for all four men, with James Erdos getting a Sparta Kick from RABU in response to chucking popcorn at one half of Casino Brutale.

It was in and out with RABU and Chip continuing to fight in the ring until Aspen sent Watson over the ropes so that he could have a scrap with RABU. Umar returned but was hoisted into a torture rack position by Aspen, who proceeded to run through RABU in what has been called the Killdozer.

Chip was chopped, Umar felt the same fate but managed to spinebuster The Lost Boy only to turn around for a Panama Sunrise from Watson. Chip went magna, throwing Aspen back with a Dragon Suplex but his wind up for momentum was stopped in its tracks with a lariat and follow up Cradle Piledriver.

All four men made it back to the ring as RABU got the upper hand, unfortunately his hand was grabbed by Aspen who snapped his fingers and superplexed him into the centre of the ring for Umar and Chip to land an Ucey double splash.

A stereo cutter left Chip and Umar standing face to face, then lips to lips, then palm to face, with both going back and forth. A missed double knee left Mohammed prone on the ropes and open for a Shadowfax German Suplex, but Chip’s slingshot back into the ring introduced his face to Umar’s knee.

Mohammed planted Watson with a Gory Bomb but couldn’t capitalise thanks to RABU, Umar was taken out with a Darkest Lariat, and RABU with a Jay Driller from Lost Boy Aspen. It was all going Aspen’s way until Chip sent RABU out of the ring and rolled up Aspen for the three as the crowd went banana.

In contrast to previous match, Aspen accepted the handshake offered.

It wasn’t as slick as the triple threat, but it wasn’t presented that way. It was all about continuing to position Chip Watson into a title challenge against The Good Times. From him being the target from the bell for RABU, to weathering through a slate of chops, then picking his time to score the win all layered up and it’s working, the Disco Faithful ate it up which was most prominent when Umar and Chip went head to head, in that split second to react it was Chip’s name being bellowed, Portabellowed you could say…

That support has been natural, Chip has made the right moves in letting the Discovery fans see him come from the raffle shenanigans and earn his position, while seeing his progress physically and in-ring.

While the triple threat was an exhibition, this was a more character driven showcase which highlighted the skullduggery RABU was willing to go to, the impact that Aspen provides at any given moment, and the passion from Umar Mohammed to give himself into the match, all capped off with the every man and the homegrown lad Chip Watson come out with a big win. Great stuff.

Bruiser Brad defeated Franco Fate w/Simon Miller by pinfall.

Simon Miller arrived in civilian clothes, he ran down the crowd, and was unable or unwilling to wrestle Bruiser Brad so found himself a big bald replacement, Franco Fate.

Irresistible force meeting immovable object. Franco and Brad were well match in the brute strength department but with a little rope assisted momentum, Bruiser got Fate off his feet. Brad immediately went for the piledriver but was distracted by Simon Miller at ringside to give Franco the opportunity to take control.

Franco Fate took to the air, connecting with a dropkick from the top rope but his attempts to move back into a power game were quickly swatted off by Brad. Miller overplayed his hand in trying to get involved and was sent to the back by Chris Quinn to even the numbers.

Both men levelled each other with big clotheslines after mighty battle, as Brad and Fate got to their feet the chops and jabs continued to be thrown. A charging Franco ran into a dropkick from Brad that looking his he was floating in air.

Brad ran a combination of high impact offence to cause all sorts of trauma to the body of Franco Fate but his piledriver was evaded. Franco had one final burst of energy but was put to bed soon after with a spinebuster then a piledriver for the one-two-three.

This was a meaty palette cleanser before the main event. There was nothing fancy about what was happening, two beefy lads hitting each other really hard until one stops moving for three seconds. I had hoped for a return of Miller following his ejection from the match to properly set up a Simon versus Brad clash down the line but it didn’t come to pass. A fine match that didn’t fully reach top gear, but I’d be invested in a rematch.

Discovery Wrestling Y Division Championship – Gene Munny defeated Ian Skinner by pinfall to retain the Discovery Wrestling Y Division Championship.

I heard joke once: Man goes to doctor. Says he’s depressed. Life seems harsh, and cruel. Says he feels all alone in threatening world. Doctor says: “Treatment is simple. The great clown – Pagliacci – is in town. Go see him.

That should pick you up.” Man bursts into tears.

“But doctor…” he says “I am Pagliacci.” Good joke. Everybody laugh. Roll on snare drum.

Curtains.

After removing his Rorschach mask, Skinner soaked in main event entrance with his game face on. Kwaku announced the entrances with a very noticeable sway in crowd support towards the cool guy with lots of friends.

It was a respectful opening, the feeling out process began as Skinner and Munny got a gauge on the match. Ian clambered all over Gene like a spider monkey which rattled That Damn Dirty Dawg.

A fan challenged Gene to blindfold himself with his headband which Munny took them up on after little cajoling, finding himself swinging fists at thin air as Ian sat in the front row watching on.

It took a stinging chop for Skinner to move into the next phase, goading Munny for another but Gene was still in mind for some fun and rasped the stomach of Skinner that didn’t amuse the challenger.

An Ainsley Lariat was ducked to send Munny to the outside where Ian went about targeting the torso and back with chops and knees. The combatants fought their way to the apron where Gene Munny spun Skinner with a one armed scoop slam onto the hardest part of the ring that landed with a gnarly thud.

Gene took the lead, playing into Skinner’s desperation to prove himself, allowing Ian to come in for strikes but quickly coming back with one of his own to show who was really in charge. It lulled Gene into going for a kick that was caught and trapped into a single leg Boston Crab to panic the champion.

The momentum swung like a metronome, and just as Munny strung few things together Skinner would reactively get a shoulder up so Gene would have to change tact.

It was off to the top rope, Munny sent Skinner flying from the turnbuckle onto the stage. His respite was seconds with Ian jumping from the stage and grabbing Munny for a Spanish Fly for the nearest of two counts to send the crowd wild.

Skinner stalked the champion, but a hooded figure arrived to boot referee Mikey Innes in the face and revealing himself as Ronan King.

King attacked both and cracked the Y Division Championship off the skull of Gene Munny today blood. Skinner dispatched Ronan but walked into an Ainsley Lariat for another 2.99 count which might’ve only been saved by the added seconds it took Chris Quinn to slide in to replace his fallen zebra.

A final gasp back and forth was put to an end with another Ainsley Lariat to keep the title on Gene Munny.

Post-match, Ronan seemingly confirmed his target by going eye to eye with Ian Skinner but Ronan made an exit before it could come to blows.

An impassioned speech from Ian Skinner was then passed onto Gene Munny, Munny told Ian to go sort Ronan King then come back to him for another shot.

A dramatic main event, it showed how undeniable Gene Munny has become in Discovery Wrestling to turn back Judas Grey then Ian Skinner in back to back events but still have a large vocal fan support. Gene has been put into the spot of being the measuring stick in Discovery Wrestling and thrives in that role.

Ian laid it out in his speech after the match, he went to his first Discovery Wrestling show as a fan 10 years ago, he clawed his way to the main event while putting in the hard graft to gain that crowd connection, which in turn has saw him earn those opportunities, and tell some great stories along the way. This was no different, you could feel his trepidation and need to go all out that really made sure the interruption from Ronan garner as much heat as possible because he ruined that first time and it will forever taint that memory.

My only real nitpick is that I would’ve had the Ronan King reveal close out the show to take aim at both wrestlers when they are at their most vulnerable then Gene can help Ian up and they can go into the speeches but that would’ve just added a little side dish of sauce on an already full plate.

It was a strong start to the season for Discovery Wrestling with plenty threads hanging for future events. The debuts did well, the crowd was hot, and the matches you expected to do well definitely delivered, a successful night at Portobello Town Hall.