I’ve been attending wrestling in Scotland for 30 or so years now. In my days, I have watched some of the biggest names on the UK and US scene deliver decent performances that were enjoyable, but always felt as if they were at just another wee town on another wee show.

Recently the Scottish indie scene has been on fire, I believe part of that is the inclusion of fans, plus the use of social media into storylines that makes a fan feel part of the show. Sometimes I wonder if anyone is reading my reviews and taking notes…

Zack Leon vs The Alex Webb

At my review for Hell for Lycra, I suggested Webby needed to fine tune his heel persona – he delivered at Uprising. A viscous attack pre-bell, a spinebuster powerbomb, and a reverse DDT that I had never seen before all looked brutal, plus the armbar, that security had to attend before he released a passed out Zack Leon, was top drawer.

Leon had little to do other than get beat up, but it’s easy to miss the skill needed to put another performer over the way he did. Great start to the show.

John Kerr vs Darren Blair

On his singles debut (I’m sure I saw him involved in a Battle Royale some time back) Kerr looked pretty confident. His match with Blair was pretty heavy hitting, with an evil lariat plus a rolling thunder attempt, only to be denied by the rookie, who cheekily hit Blair with his own move. The plucky youngster was pretty over with the crowd, until a thunderous powerbomb finished him off. A handshake pre and post-match showed the respect between these two. I’m hoping for more of the same soon.

Six Man Tag Match, with Special Referee Scotty Riccio – gWo (Jace Jackson, Jack Morris & Steven ‘Air’ Myles) vs KJ Nitro & Dead Cell (Nathan Reynolds & Kevin Williams)

It needed to be done – The gWo came to the ring with their devil horn hand signs, as they do every week, but this time taunting Vince McMahon. It’s good to see the SWE supporting their Young Buck brothers… Dead Cell kept their run of form up, with some strong style heavy artillery. My only grumble was spotted by Nitro himself ‘I’m staying out of this’ he said, as the match ran on without him– six man tags can feel like a way to use anyone up who doesn’t have a match. Myles finished things off with his version of the Styles Clash.

Heel Reel with gWo as special guests

This started with a first – whenever a fan is sung ‘Happy Birthday’ it’s usually a cue for Grue to spoil the party. We got through that just fine, but he managed to spoil the party anyway. It had seemed for a while that tag team belts were on the way, with several teams regularly working together, but instead Grue introduced his GrUFC belt, given for his work in the mixed martial arts world. My call is that this will be used like the Million Dollar Belt was back in the days in WWF – only defended on Grue’s terms. Also announced was the I Quit match at next year’s Hell for Lycra. If during the signing of a match half the crowd are shouting ‘NO, NO, NO’, then maybe it’s time to move this feud on…

Felix Fortune vs Kenny Kyd

Possibly after the disappointment of the last section, this one was a bit flat. Kyd hit his kicks, Felix acted the spoiled brat, but it was only towards the end that there was any crowd interaction at all. Kyd by pinfall.

Eddie Devine vs Conor Frost (If Eddie wins, he is reinstated to SWE)

In wrestling, there’s some guys who can set a crowd off with the raise of an eyebrow. Eddie doesn’t even need that. The roof came off the Ardler Complex for his match. It started out with a game of pattycake, and finished with a roll up for Eddie’s reinstatement. The only notable event was Conor Frost leaving his gear in the middle of the ring at the end like some tribute to The Undertaker, but with flashing sunglasses.

SWE Future Division Championship – Ian Ambrose vs The Jackal (champion)

The Jackal has been main event material for a while now. With plenty hiding on the ropes, arguing with the fans, and whinging, this could be a great run for a classic heel champion. This one finished with Steven Myles distracting the referee to allow The Jackal to pinch Ambrose’s crossface armbar finisher, then Myles pulling the rope back, so ‘Brose couldn’t manage the rope break. There’s about a million ways a good heel can keep a championship, and I’m sure The Jackal knows them all.

This was a pretty solid show, with a feeling of stories and characters developed from Hell for Lycra. With The Monster Abyss booked in December, it’s a fine time to be watching wrestling in Dundee.