Well then, what a night it was last night at the Aberdeen Northern Hotel for WrestleZone’s Battle of the Nations event. Three huge championship matches, the reunion of The Granite City Hotshots, the WrestleZone return of Liam Thomson, the in-ring debut of referee Mikey Innes. It was an emotional night for all. Reviews will follow from both myself and Billy in the coming days but for now, here are all the talking points coming out of WrestleZone Battle of the Nations 2019.
Undefeated And Undisputed
Following Damien’s victory over Zach Dynamite and Liam Thomson in the main event to retain the Undisputed Championship, he was ambushed from behind by “Big Money” Austin Osiris, who was also victorious at Battle of the Nations as he defeated WrestleZone senior official Mikey Innes. Osiris challenged The Revolutionary to an Undisputed Championship bout on October 26th at Halloween Hijinx, the day that just so happens to be day 1,000 of his undefeated streak. Damien has accepted the challenge, but he may have bitten off more than he can chew here. Osiris always has a trick or two up his sleeve.
Still Johnny Time
One of the biggest factors heading into the show was the fact that it could have Johnny Lions’ final appearance inside a WrestleZone ring. If he and Scotty Swift lost the Tag Team Championships to The Outfit (or whichever team they’re against), then The Tenacious One would call time on his WrestleZone in-ring career. It looked as if that would indeed happen as Ted O’Keefe struck Lions with a pair of brass knuckles to hand he and Dino Del Monte the victory and the tag titles but after finding this out, referee Dennis Law restarted the match. One Lion Cutter later resulted in Lions and Swift retaining their Tag Team Championships, meaning it’s still Johnny Time.
Written In The Stars
Perhaps the biggest attraction at Battle of the Nations was the reunion of The Granite City Hotshots. Bryan Tucker and Shawn Johnson had reunited to take on Blue Thunder and William Sterling. Before the match could get properly underway though, Tucker clotheslined Johnson out of his boots, shades of how the team originally disbanded back in November 2015. Bryan then went ballistic, destroying Shawn’s ankle with a steel chair so badly that he collapsed at ringside when he tried to put any weight on it. If this means another Bryan Tucker vs Shawn Johnson rivalry, then I’m all for it!
Upset Of The Century
The opening bout saw a contest that many fans had been waiting months to see – Crusher Craib vs Connor Inglis. As expected, The Creator of Carnage decimated the upstart throughout the match but as we’ve come to expect from Connor, he put in one hell of a showing. The crowd came unglued when he was able to reverse a full nelson into a rollup that scored him his first ever victory inside a WrestleZone ring. Incredible scenes from Connor Inglis here!
Sneaky Sterling
Seeing as The Granite City Hotshots split up again before the match could really begin, it left Blue Thunder and William Sterling without much to do. Or so we thought. Prior to the Tag Team Championships #1 Contenders Match between The Rejected and The Foundation of the Future, Sterling emerged with a microphone, demanding to be added to the match. The other four men agreed, and the match became a Triple Threat. Just when it looked like Bradley Evans and Ryan Riley were on the cusp of victory, William took the pinfall for himself to grant he and Blue Thunder a future opportunity at the WrestleZone Tag Team Championships.
Double Dose Of Anarchy
Nothing was announced regarding an announcement in the run up to Battle of the Nations, but ring announcer Martyn Clunes dropped a bombshell before the main event. Aberdeen Anarchy 2020 will take place at the Northern Hotel over two nights on May 16th and 17th. Aberdeen Anarchy just got a whole lot bigger!
In full results from the show;
VIP Ticket Holders Bonus Match – Mauler Murphy def. Kaden Garrick by Pinfall
Connor Inglis def. Crusher Craib by Pinfall
Austin Osiris def. Mikey Innes by TKO
WrestleZone Tag Team Championships – Scotty Swift & Johnny Lions (c) def. The Outfit (Dino Del Monte & Ted O’Keefe) by Pinfall to retain
WrestleZone Tri-Counties Championship – Triple Threat Match – Jason Reed (c) w/Agent W def. Andy Wild and Alan Sterling by Pinfall to retain
Blue Thunder & William Sterling vs The Granite City Hotshots (Bryan Tucker & Shawn Johnson) ended in a No Contest
WrestleZone Tag Team Championships #1 Contenders Match – Triple Threat Match – Blue Thunder & William Sterling def. The Rejected (Chris Archer & Mikkey Vago) and The Foundation of the Future (Bradley Evans & Ryan Riley) by Pinfall
Undisputed WrestleZone Championship – Triple Threat Match – Damien (c) def. Liam Thomson and Zach Dynamite w/The Foundation of the Future (Bradley Evans & Ryan Riley) by Pinfall to retain
SCOTTISH WRESTLING NETWORK | SWN 