By Nathan P Hunt
PCW returned to their regular haunt at the Evoque Nightclub in the heart of Preston for the most anticipated rematch in British wrestling since the lost days of World of Sport, when feuds could be built in front of a nationwide audience. The bout in question, pitting international wrestling superstar AJ Styles against the man whose neck he had broken back on March 1st 2014, Lionheart, was guaranteed to be a great match as both are incredibly talented performers. The original injury had been not only a huge story in the world of UK wrestling, but had been reported on websites which tend to cover international wrestling news, and with Lionheart being such a beloved worker for the PCW faithful, and for the best companies around the country, meant that the crowd heat and emotional investment in the match would create an incredible atmosphere. All these things and much more were delivered on an excellent card from start to finish. As PCW's Richard Parker and Chris Brooker had stated at the start of the evening, the promotion do not do 'one-match-cards', and the depth of talent and variety on this show was fantastic as usual.
An excellent Fatal Four Way opened the card and it was good to see Ashton Smith, a highly talented young worker who only recently made his PCW debut, gaining a victory over his three opponents, El Ligero, Dean Allmark & Charlie Garrett. One thing they do very well in Preston is establishing talent and making new stars. They may use a lot of imports to bring causal fans through the door, but they always make great use of the homegrown talents and make sure that everyone gains value whenever they make an appearance.
‘The East End Butcher’ Sha Samuels defeated Dave Mastiff by submission when he choked out the man-mountain with his braces in an excellent No Holds Barred match. The two were very impressive in this heavyweight battle, in which they mixed high impact offense and some believable brawling in an intense war of a match. Both of these guys are excellent heavyweights who would be comfortably at home on an international stage. They push their boundaries and do what they do incredibly well. Joanna Rose played a role in Samuels' victory and went on to defeat Dave Rayne for the #BOOM championship in a pure comedyfest. Rose and Samuels would both feature in a segment later in the card with Kris Travis who, after an emotional promo where he teased retirement, brawled with Samuels and was announced to be returning at the August show. The segment and announcement were extremely well recieved and got some of the evening's loudest reactions.
Noam Dar & Bubblegum had a brief but well performed match (which is no doubt due to an injury currently being nursed by Bubblegum). They successfully covered for the shortness of the actual action through their usual blend of cheeky mischief and comedic grandstanding. Both are so good at it, and so genuinely entertaining, that you would barely notice that they had been in the ring for over five minutes without having actually touched. Meanwhile, Martin Kirby & Joey Hayes Vs So Scandalous (Ryan Smile & Damian Dunne) was another beautiful mishmash of comedy and great action, as anyone would expect from four such great workers. The crowd excelled during the match, growing to a feverpitch in anticipation for the main event which followed and littering the match with their hilarious chants and overly high-pitched screams of 'Martin!'.
The main event had a lot of hype and anticipation to live up to, as evidenced by the press recieved for the match in the weeks prior to the show (see the links below for an interview with Lionheart for the Mirror website and promoter Steven Fludder's piece in the Blackpool Gazette).
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/wrestling/british-wrestler-who-broke-neck-5828541
http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/what-s-on/pcw-s-steven-fludder-showdown-aj-styles-v-lionheart-1-7263198
Much to th chagrin of the majority of the audience, AJ Styles defeated Lionheart by submission with the calf-killer after a masterclass of wrestling technique & psychology. The match told a well-crafted story and everything was executed on the world-class level anyone familiar with the two performers would expect. The main thing of note here though was the crowd reaction, which exceeded expectations in terms of how brutally they rode AJ Styles throughout. Some highlights were the singing of "Jesus isn't real" to the tune of KC & The Sunshine Band's 'Give It Up' - a chant mocking AJ's well documented Christian beliefs - and the constant sea of angrily waving middle fingers. A chant for Pontious Pilate built on the already established theme, which was the result of a particularly vicious crowd attacking a performer on the most personal level they could think of due to the heat he has, but was seemingly misinterpreted by someone near to us as being blasphemous for its own sake. Regardless, the audience was really on top form, even by PCW's standards, which are generally very high on the creative scale.
Team Single (Rampage Brown & T-Bone) Vs The Hooligans (Roy & Zak Knight) for the PCW Tag Team Championship was an utterly brutal and fierce Tables, Ladders and Chairs match and served as one of the main highlights of the night. It had fans on the edge of (and in some cases either squashed in or narrowly escaping from) their seats as the action spilled out around ringside and through the crowd. Some exceptional but cringeworthy spots and creative use of the weaponry made for a hugely entertaining and engaging bout which will no doubt be a driving force for DVD sales when the event is available.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/wrestling/british-wrestler-who-broke-neck-5828541
http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/what-s-on/pcw-s-steven-fludder-showdown-aj-styles-v-lionheart-1-7263198
Much to th chagrin of the majority of the audience, AJ Styles defeated Lionheart by submission with the calf-killer after a masterclass of wrestling technique & psychology. The match told a well-crafted story and everything was executed on the world-class level anyone familiar with the two performers would expect. The main thing of note here though was the crowd reaction, which exceeded expectations in terms of how brutally they rode AJ Styles throughout. Some highlights were the singing of "Jesus isn't real" to the tune of KC & The Sunshine Band's 'Give It Up' - a chant mocking AJ's well documented Christian beliefs - and the constant sea of angrily waving middle fingers. A chant for Pontious Pilate built on the already established theme, which was the result of a particularly vicious crowd attacking a performer on the most personal level they could think of due to the heat he has, but was seemingly misinterpreted by someone near to us as being blasphemous for its own sake. Regardless, the audience was really on top form, even by PCW's standards, which are generally very high on the creative scale.
It was a much more British wrestling show than usual in terms of the talent used, with only AJ Styles being an imported foreign name for the show. Aside from the Kris Travis Charity show they held back in January, this is the only show like this in recent memory for the group, who inarguably spoil their fans with the littany of huge name stars they have been able to bring in. It was refreshing to see such a strong turnout for an almost wholly homegrown lineup, and the performers delivered a show which easily stands up to the quality of matches which the PCW fans are accustomed to, showing what a truly rich talent pool we are lucky enough to have in this country. Never disappointing and always a fun exprience with a great atmosphere, PCW's shows come highly recommended to absolutely anyone.
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