Aberdeen Anarchy has been, gone, and conquered. A wild night in The Granite City that once again changed the landscape as the journey begins to the 2027 edition.

The Rich Energy Arena was filled up with a noticeable effort to fit as many as the fire regulations allow. WrestleZone have tinkered with the layout since making their debut in the venue but the results have been the same, there’s no bad view with the ring being a lofty stage to witness the battles presented.

I had chanced my arm and was allowed a little pre-show access to grab whomever gravitated my way for some thoughts before the anarchy unfolds with a thanks to Andrew Reid, Rhys Dawkins, and Mikey Devine for a quick chat:

Then it was to a rare front row experience to take in for my twelfth Aberdeen Anarchy event, a night that never disappoints with all the twists and turns needed to maintain my absolute joy to watch live professional wrestling.

VIP Ticket Holder Match – Triple Threat – Murphy defeated Judas Grey, and James Taylor by pinfall.

As a VIP ticket holder I was treated to a bonus match that had the returning Murphy, Captain Alan’s favourite seaman James Taylor, and a visibly disgruntled Judas Grey, who didn’t take kindly to the mere existence of James Taylor.

Judas barked at Taylor to sit down and stay out the way, which a confused James complying with, leaving Grey and Murphy to tangle in the early stages.

A noticeably trimmed down Murphy bounced Judas around after absorbing some smooth offense from the poster boy of Scottish wrestling. A nasty hard Irish Whip sent Grey over the turnbuckles with force which allowed for James Taylor to try and sneak in to get involved.

There were a lot of moving parts as one man tried to get a string of manoeuvres together to take control, Murphy ragdolled Judas, sidestepping an aerial attack from Taylor, and hoisting Grey over for a Gutwrench Suplex.

The battle continued, with Judas throwing out the superkicks to crack his opponents, the ricochet of Murphy returning after hitting the ropes had him prone to be lifted for a torture rack bomb that you could hear the awe coming from the crowd in the Rich Energy Arena while Judas positioned himself and squatted Murphy into position.

We had little time to bask in the tremendous feat of strength before James Taylor struck with Curb Stomp. A recovered Murphy grabbed Taylor for a chokeslam that was stopped by another superkick from Grey. Judas tried for a crossbody but found himself slammed by Murphy.

With one competitor out for the count, Murphy turned his attention back to James Taylor and a Showstopper Chokeslam later saw Murphy pick up where he left off after his 6 month absence.

An action heavy triple threat, the Judas Grey torture rack bomb was thee moment of the match, but Murphy had a strong showing.

For a random trio, the layer of Judas being furious to be placed in with James Taylor gave some story, and his ability to be chucked about made Murphy look like a threat on return. Grey was the perfect glue to make the match the best it possibly could be.

WrestleZone Tri-Counties Championship – Ladder Match – Umar Mohammed defeated Ryan Riley w/Richard R. Russell to win the WrestleZone Tri-Counties Championship.

Once everyone piled in, it was time for the main show and what a way to start it.

Umar Mohammed and Ryan Riley quickly went about knocking lumps out of each other, there was little in regard to a technical match nor should there have been. The opening display of counters told the narrative that they have fought multiple times and have learned what each brings to the table.

It was The Asian Sensation that went to retrieve the ladder first and the numbers advantage came into play immediately. Richard R. Russell grabbed the other end of the potential weapon to give Riley enough time to recover from the draping backstabber and launch a gruesome ground and pound assault.

Riley demanded that Russell went up the ladder to take down the title and after some hesitation he complied. It looked to be over in minutes until referee Mikey Innes scaled the other side to meet eye to eye with Triple R and told him outright that it wasn’t happening this way.

The pair cornered Mikey to air their grievances, turning around in unison to be met with the outstretched arms of Umar Mohammed to take them off their feet. Russell felt the knee of Mohammed pinpoint to the side of his head to render him virtually inactive for the remainder of the bout.

Now that the ladder was in play it became an escalating barrage of steel based barbarities as Riley and Mohammed destroyed their bodies in hopes to keep the other down long enough to reach the prize hanging above them.

A Fisherman Buster to Ryan had Umar seemingly on track to regain the gold, with the steps bent and moulded in the shape of Riley’s spine. The war had had its toll, with Ryan managing to grab a leg of Mohammed to pull him down and, with the sound of a almighty thunk, drove him onto a second ladder with a Michinoku Driver that sounded like bone on metal, and all the pain that came with it.

Somehow Umar was still able to move his legs to meet Riley at the summit of the ladder, the WrestleZone Tri-Counties Championship literally hanging between them as the forearms went back and forth.

Ryan went for one final strike, successfully sending Umar back to the canvas. In the ferocity of it all, he lost balance and found himself staring at the corner turnbuckles, and some quick thinking from Mohammed to tip the ladder, found Riley heading towards a ladder scaffold that was constructed earlier at speed.

The resulting destruction saw Umar unlatched the title while all Ryan could do was watch on from the mat.

As Umar celebrated and made his way to the back, a show of respect was shown, before Ryan Riley grabbed the microphone to air his thoughts, on he disrespect he has received, and finally notifying everyone that it would be the last time Ryan Riley would be seen in a WrestleZone ring and declaring that he quit.

An absolutely epic way to start the night. The match encapsulated the feud that began the tail end of 2025 with the jeopardy used to make every glance at the belt hanging high above have an extra edge of drama.

Seeing Ryan call it quits, it did make me linger on his words more. The Foundation of the Future, at one point, was hard to argue against being one of the best teams going in Scotland, and regardless of where the team was as a trio, when it came to winning championships it was Ryan Riley that was there. He was an underrated piece of the puzzle.

The Inspirational, The Cerebral, The Foundation on which the future was built on. Thank you Ryan Riley.

WrestleZone Tag Team Championships – Gauntlet Match – The Warriors Against Low Life Entities (Rhys Dawkins & Bryan Tucker) defeated The Influence (Ronan King & Connor Molloy), Casino Brutale (Mikey Devine & RABU), and Captain Alan’s Crew (Kai Orson & Travis Knox) to retain.

From one high impact match to another, one that literally broke the ring, The Influence and Captain Alan’s Crew started the gauntlet with Ronan King and Connor Molloy having to settle into operating as a cohesive unit while Travis Knox and Kai Orson controlled the pace early on. The steel belly of Kai Orson overpowered Molloy while Knox spun King all over the ring.

The cracks that had formed over the last few months were showing but kept at bay with Ronan coming in to hit hard and fast while Connor received the brunt of the damage, the latter finding himself as a crash mat to cushion Knox being powerbombed onto him by Kai. Travis took to the sky to dive to the floor to have The Influence’s hopes of becoming WrestleZone Tag Team Champions once more in danger.

Ronan got the blind tag in while Knox continued to have Molloy on the ropes, connecting with a single leg dropkick and Orson followed up with a second rope Moonsault that got enough of a landing to have Connor in all sorts of trouble. Referee Dennis Law made the correct call to notify Kai Orson that Molloy wasn’t the legal man in the match when he attempted to make a cover.

King scrambled into the ring to hit a Hidden Blade shot to Kai, which might’ve been enough, but Ronan blasted him with a second just to make sure that Kai Orson was KO’d.

One team down, two to go, but the challenge got bigger, as the slot machine noise played over the speakers with Casino Brutale living up to their motto, they arrived to play to kill.

RABU and Mikey gave The Influence no time to recuperate, diving out to try and dispatch them quickly to get their hands on The Warriors Against Low Life Entities as soon as possible.

The match returned to between the ropes, the two teams got acclimatised to what the others provide for a first time ever two on two showdown. Molloy and King isolated Mikey Devine, who gambled with every comeback, pushing the horsepower to the limits. RABU got the tag and ran through The Influence with every ounce of energy, putting Connor into the isolation station.

Momentum went back and forth, once again Ronan with the smash strikes to knock his opponents loopy that RABU was willing to match by return, sending Molloy and King to the canvas with a Whisper In The Wind. It was Brutale’s time, an assisted Gory Bomb landed on Ronan King but the Aces High was wriggled out of for the match to keep going.

It was only a matter of time before those cracks started to expand, Connor mistimed a frog splash to break a fall and landed on King. The moment was brushed aside for the time being with Connor doing all he could to keep The Influence in the gauntlet.

After a heated exchange with RABU, Molloy managed to counter a brainbuster attempt to package RABU up to survive to the final match.

Something wicked this way comes
– Macbeth (Act IV, Scene 1)

A disheveled Ronan King held his ribs while Rhys Dawkins and Bryan Tucker made their way out. Dawkins had tunnel vision to divide and conquer, keeping Connor away from his corner. Molloy fought back with the Rich Energy Arena putting their support behind Molloy for the first time in a while.

Connor had Tucker in a prone position, only for Ronan to tag himself in. Rhys took advantage of the miscommunication to land the elevated flatliner to pin Ronan and retain the WrestleZone Tag Team Championships for The Warriors Against Low Life Entities.

Dawkins and Tucker celebrated while The Influence tried to gather their thoughts. King and Molloy seemed to bury the hatchet, Ronan pulled Connor close. Judas Grey arrived back to join the pair but before he could set foot in the ring King clobbered Molloy and started punching while Connor went into the fetel position. Grey grabbed a rage filled King, removing him off of a motionless Connor Molloy.

This was phenomenal, the demise arc of The Influence over the course of the gauntlet was outstanding. In with that was a new team looking like a credible title challenger, a match I’ve wanted to see for long enough, and the straw breaking the camels back with the champions showing a killer instinct, or at the very least, Rhys Dawkins showing that killer instinct to cut through the drama and get the job done.

Everything hit right, to the point of Connor Molloy coming out with a new look, like he was trying to change what he can about himself to shed his skin of past mistakes. Perhaps one last gasp to save something he saw crumbling. Him just crawling up into a ball and not fighting back from the beatdown from Ronan was spot on.

The question mark remains over where Judas Grey lands on this split, but I’m here for it all.

It also left things open to revisit Casino Brutale against Dawkins and Tucker, and bring in Orson and Knox to go against the champions. With the loss of The Foundation of the Future, and the apparent split of The Outfit, and The Influence all but done, there are opportunities in the tag team division that are waiting to be snatched.

Chip Shop Brawl – Chip Watson defeated Captain Alan Sterling w/James Taylor by pinfall.

The previous match was so monumental that the ring was left damaged. But a Chip Shop Brawl ain’t needing no ring. For the first portion of the bout though, the only ring..ing was in the ears of Chip Watson with Captain Alan proving to be a dab hand with a baking tray, sending the metal off the dome of The Tribal Chef is numerous ways.

Alan used his extra pair of hands, James Taylor, to obtain various chip shop related paraphernalia. Including blow up Nemo’s which raised more questions than answers. Watson fought off Taylor’s attempts to hold him back, gifting him a baking tray of his own in the process that was used off the skull and spine of the Sterling. Alan sprung back with a lariat to put Chip once again on the defensive.

With Alan emptying under the ring, it became strewn with cutlery and kitchen implements. Chip reached out to grab a pair of tongs that were pressed together firmly around the Captain’s testicles that caused an audible gasp around the Rich Energy Arena.

Watson took charge, ordering up a sidestep to have James Taylor complete a flying nothing for the second time that evening, landing like a white pudding in hot oil. Chip went about throwing Alan about like he was yesterday’s wrappings, dishing out a slingshot spear to Taylor which was impactful, but as Watson reset after a the flurry, a recovered Captain Alan was once again able to turn the tides.

Sterling obtained a fryer basket that contained dozens and dozens of little pizza tables, slamming Chip into the pile of plastic to have Watson writhing in agony. The pain in his back was soon dulled by having his trusty sandwich board being decimated off his head.

Orson and Knox begrudgingly arrived with a pizza box board for it to set up in the corner while Captain Alan directed traffic. The time spent getting that in order gave Watson the chance to take a mouthful of vinegar, with his intention Alan Sterling sized target ducking and leaving his favourite seaman to receive the mist to his face.

Both men had the same thing in mind, with Chip managing to back drop Alan through the pizza box board and with an emphatic double arm facebuster, the captain was sunk.

As the dust cleared, Captain Alan sent James to the back and firmly blamed Travis and Kai for the loss. They responded by simultaneously slapping the Captain, and leaving him laid out from a Titanic Splash to officiating confirm that they were no longer part of Captain Alan’s Crew.

Outstanding silliness. Alan showing a more aggressive side to catch Chip off-guard considering their previous matches were centred towards the Captain being a bit loose when it comes to his sanity and his insistence on fish being friends and not food. It makes Alan such an interesting wrestler for having that in his back pocket, it comes out rarely, but that Sterling Oil grit is there deep down.

Chip has ingrained himself so easily into the WrestleZone fabric, a colourful character, a catchy theme, and a likeable quality that can be gravitated towards. A dab hand in the ring keeps it all fresh, an excellent addition to the roster.

The comeuppance of Captain Alan and official break off of Knox and Orson was greatly received with their stock rising coming out of Aberdeen Anarchy.

A slightly extended interval saw the team work make the dream work, to fix the ring issue. It’s not the first time that the ring had been hit so hard at Aberdeen Anarchy to the point of fracture, it did give me time to awkwardly shuffle around and mumble at wrasslers, spending far more than budgeted at the merch tables.

Lost Boy Aspen, Mikkey Vago, & Rhino defeated Mr P, Monstrum, & Alex Webb by pinfall.

We returned to the action with one of the marquee matches for first time Aberdeen Anarchy, or WrestleZone, attendees.

Mr P, Monstrum, and Alex Webb entered to resounding boos, Monstrum made eye contact with the crowd who were taken aback with fear (at least, I was). The air of anticipation thickened as Mikkey Vago and Lost Boy Aspen entered, the former looking like he opted for a Raven-esque attire. It was the second time Mikkey Vago had been involved in a match with an ECW legend at Aberdeen Anarchy but this time he stood side by side instead of against.

As a familiar guitar riff hit the speakers, we collectively re-entered 2001 where Rhino entered having never aged a day. The wild eyes of the Man Beast looked ready to dish out a Gore or three.

The match started with good friends turned bitter enemies, Lost Boy Aspen and Alex Webb squared off with Aspen getting into the groove to send Webb down with a snappy single leg dropkick.

Round two, Mikkey Vago and Monstrum tagged in for their teams as Vago threw jabs and headbutts which have proven unsuccessful in the past against the monster. A spinning wheel kick knocked Monstrum into a corner, Vago bounded over with a cartwheel back elbow that connected, his second run at an attack was met in the middle of the ring by a piss off fiend.

Monstrum wanted a piece of the War Machine, the E C Dub chants got louder and reached a peak as the gloved hand of Mikkey Vago met the hand of Rhino. Rhino went shoulder to shoulder with Monstrum, reaching a stalemate until Monstrum went for a kick to the stomach. Rhino held his ground to tackle a charging Monstrum to send him onto his back.

It was Alex Webb’s turn to tangle with the former ECW Champion, and no amount of Spider-Man lore was going to help Webb avoid Rhino’s unrelenting fight.

Before long the match spilled to the outside and into the hundreds in the crowd. Rhino took a particular disliking to Webb, cracking him with drinks, and a bin that made a delightful thunking sound off Alex’s forehead. No amount of begging and pleading was stopping Rhino, with the excitement for some extreme measures being eaten up in the Rich Energy Arena.

The six competitors beat each other senseless around the masses. It finally resurfaced to between the ropes with Rhino coming within a whisker of punching Mr P’s lights out, only to be saved by Alex Webb as things began to settle down. Mr P’s group were out of sorts with the force that was fighting against them, unable to get a concentrated assault together without a counter, Aspen ducked a double clothesline to spring off the second turnbuckle.

Though he was a 245k YouTube subscribers sized punchbag for a large portion of the match, Alex showed that fighting spirit that the crowd had really grown to appreciate upon his return last year. His fight came to an end courtesy of a Stunner from Mikkey Vago.

With Monstrum being take out of the equation, Mr P got his hands dirty to deliver a scissor kick to take out The Heavy Metal Hooligan. Vago rolled out and as it looked like Mr P was the only man standing, he took the time to gloat.

He didn’t take the time to count the bodies, while his back was turned Rhino slid into the ring and prepared himself. Mr P turned around into the path of a GORE. The metal roof of the Rich Energy Arena shook with the impact. The count being sung in unison echoed off every surface with celebration.

Aspen, Vago, and Rhino stood over the fallen Mr P, whose body was eventually placed onto a stretcher and carried out.

Even though it’s nearly two weeks later, I’m still astounded by how hard Rhino can still go. That wave of nostalgia hit wasn’t just because you got to see Rhino in the flesh but he also delivered in the ring. You could see the giddiness in Lost Boy Aspen’s body language as he was watching Rhino bring the intensity.

Much like Vago, he too is no stranger to being in with legends when Aberdeen Anarchy rolls around, standing toe to toe with Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Len Ironside, and Hardcore Holly in the past, it must’ve been a nice change of pace to be standing side by side for a change.

The match was exactly what it was meant to be, a massive brawl, no holds barred, with Mr P being peeled off the mat at the end of it all.

There were reserved spots to bring Monstrum and Mr P in with Alex being the unfortunate guy that had to be battered from pillar to post to bridge those moments. For Monstrum it helps build more of a special attraction vibe, whereas for Mr P it just has people seething and begging to see him getting his bald head slapped about after a year of having to deal with his antics.

The aftermath is an interesting one, Vago and Aspen have been on this collision course with Mr P and his goons for a while, and even though they’ve been teaming up there’s never been that proper team dynamic. It’s been more about two individuals going after the same enemy. Now that their business is seemingly concluded I’m keen to see where they go next as we have a long way to go until Battle of the Nations in August.

Ted O’Keefe defeated Evan Young by pinfall.

The penultimate match of the evening didn’t wait for the bell. Evan Young arrived with a chair in hand to set it in the ring all while donning an Outfit t-shirt, before heading to meet Ted O’Keefe at the entrance to start a fight.

O’Keefe and Young headed all around ringside with Ted able to rock Evan long enough to chuck him into the battleground. As O’Keefe pursued Young, Evan clipped his opponent with a drop toe hold to send O’Keefe face first into the chair that was prepared earlier.

Dennis Law checked on Ted O’Keefe, who waved off any notion to declared the match a no contest. The bell finally rung and Evan smelled blood in the water, dismantling the former WrestleZone Tag Team Champion with ruthless aggression.

Young went after the back of O’Keefe, much like he did to Scotty Swift. Evan was hitting with a point to prove. If it wasn’t the back of Ted, it was slamming his head to the mat in varying ways. A Snapmare Driver would’ve been enough for any other night but O’Keefe survived.

Evan had had enough, he picked up the chair with the aim to destroy Ted O’Keefe until a hooded figure caused a distraction in the front row. The hood was removed to reveal Scotty Swift. Young looked furious at the development, he gawked at Scotty for too long which gave rise to a recovered Ted O’Keefe to give Evan a piece of his mind (that was left of it after the numerous attacks to the head he had already suffered), a Samoan Drop, followed by a nice Arn Anderson style spinebuster had Evan Young showing fear for the first time in the match.

An irate O’Keefe ran Evan into the corner to stun him for another spinebuster, finishing it off with a Swanton Bomb to take the win.

Brilliantly paced to tell the story of both men champing at the bit to get a hold of the other. It was intense, Young is thriving as an angry menace, and Ted O’Keefe has really settled into being a solo good guy.

The Scotty Swift inclusion was expected but I appreciated that it was still a surprise on how it was revealed. As a match it was short but, as it’s serving part of a larger arc it was what it should’ve been, an appetiser to a feast.

Before the main event it was time for the most nail biting part of any event, the raffle. As far as WrestleZone raffles go it was relatively uneventful once folk actually got their tickets out and accepted their prizes. The goodies bags were issued, the plugs for Battle of the Nations were made (22nd August), and it was time for the main event.

WrestleZone Undisputed Championship – Bruiser Brad defeated Damien by pinfall to win the WrestleZone Undisputed Championship.

The stage was set. Bruiser Brad, the challenger, had a slideshow of pictures from baby Bradley Evans, to The Mad Dog, The Foundation of the Future, WrestleZone Tag Team Champion, Regal Rumble winner. In many ways it felt like a farewell which put doubt in my mind on whether he would be able to capture the title that marks the pinnacle in WrestleZone. He held his Regal Rumble trophy proudly while he awaited the man he would have to defeat in order to reach that summit.

Damien entered, the champion took his time to examine the terrain, soak in the hundred within the walls of the Rich Energy Arena showering him with jeers. He hung back a second or two, kissed the WrestleZone Undisputed Championship that he sold his soul for, the title that he believed to be the key to moulding WrestleZone to his, and Mr P’s, vision.

Martyn Clunes made the introductions, streamers were thrown as Bruiser Brad stood in the centre of the ring. The farewell motifs continued to be displayed.

The champion shot out of the corner to try and take Brad by surprise, but he was immediately grabbed by the challenger. The fear on the face of Damien established the story within seconds, as he spent the majority of the match having to duck and strike in an effort to wear down and outlast Bruiser Brad.

Even with the strikes, Brad absorbed chops, weathered flying offense, and countered with big impactful raw power suplexes and slams. As the match headed outside, Damien was able to avoid a rampaging Bruiser to send him head first into the metal ring post which The Revolutionary jumped on to try and keep Brad off kilter.

It wasn’t just Brad having to navigate a barrage of attack, Damien showed why he is one of the longest tenured in WrestleZone and multi-time champion, showing that grit to keep going, taking the hits and retaliating to knock Brad to a knee to eat a knee of his own and driving him to the ground with a springboard cutter. Brad was a juggernaut, recovering and exploding with pure strength, delivering a snap Oklahoma Slam.

The champion was on the back foot, managing to dive out of the way for Dennis Law to become caught between a corner and a Beef King. It took seconds for Alex Webb and Monstrum to re-emerge in the absence of Mr P. Brad fought them off for as long as he could but the numbers were not in his favour, a chokeslam from Monstrum and a front slam/head kick combo looked to have the title safe in their camp until a cane swinging Mikkey Vago, along with a fist throwing Lost Boy Aspen, rushed out to get rid of the intruders.

Options were becoming limited for Damien, who decided to low blow Bruiser Brad. As Mikey Innes was about to call for the bell his arm was grabbed by a beefy hand and a demand for the match to continue. The Rich Energy Arena begged for the match to keep going as the life drained from Damien’s eyes. Now he dealing with a pissed off Bruiser Brad.

Panic set in for the champion, another pump knee to the face kept Brad on the canvas but Damien knew it wouldn’t be enough, one more was needed. Damien’s run up was stopped with his foot caught in the giant paws of Bruiser Brad, who forced Damien to receive an Earth shattering piledriver that sent his body limp. Damien stirred to only watch on, hear the chants of BEEF, and see Bruiser Brad drop from the top turnbuckle for a Tsunami sized splash to finally put an end to an epic main event and Damien’s 12 month stranglehold over the WrestleZone Undisputed Championship.

The Beef King was now reigning as King of WrestleZone, the Undisputed WrestleZone Champion.

What a match. Damien was incredible at hitting the emotional beats, he is wonderful at expressing the importance of every piece to reach a crescendo and make that closing stretch memorable. He is exceptional at using those performative talents to add significance to those moments. A dependable figure to get the best out of opponents.

Seeing the pictures in Brad’s entrance reminded me why getting invested is one of the absolute joys or professional wrestling, especially at a local level. Here’s a guy that has bet on himself to become the type of wrestler he wants to be, take the chance to move to another country to develop further and come back to conquer the place where he began the journey. He was the main event.

It’s a story that I’ve been lucky to see play out numerous times over the years and it always makes me appreciate the world I’ve dived into and continue to champion.

The match showcased Bruiser Brad to the fullest, a dominator, and when all else failed and Damien tried to escape, the organic love for Brad to triumph filled the venue with noise of support.

An incredible Aberdeen Anarchy event which I will put up there with the likes of the 2014, 2017, and 2022 editions. Every match was there for a reason, even the triple threat pre-show that was on the surface a bit thrown together was used to make Murphy come back with a bang by having him in with someone of the calibre of Judas Grey.

The inclusion of Rhino drew a nostalgic audience, but the noise maintained consistently loud throughout the night. Nostalgia is a hell of a drug, without it I may’ve never discovered Scottish wrestling as a thing. For my money WrestleZone provided an excellent overall presentation to tempt people, that came for Rhino, to come back for another event. An exceptional night in the Granite City.

If you want my day-of pre and post show thoughts I’ve stuck in our On The Road episode and montage below: