DVD Review: Pro Wrestling Pride: Nevermore… Never Again – (Season 2, Episode 1) (2 Disc set)



Pro Wrestling Pride is a promotion who are based in the South of England (Exeter, Devon, Torquay etc) and formed in 2012, so they are still in their relative infancy as a company. They are carving out a reputation for outstanding live shows and are constantly building and improving on the talent and resources available to them, currently investing in their entranceway and other key areas to improve the overall presentation of their product. While the production values are not yet amongst the best in the country, it is clearly an area that they are focused on improving and in all fairness, their DVD offerings are a great example of how they are able to make the very most of what they have. Other companies throughout the country of similar size are not necessarily able to capitalise on and magnify their better points in such a successful way, and the quality of what they offer is amongst the best in the country where it counts – in the ring. With some superb talents making regular appearances (such as Doug Williams, Ryan Smile, Pete & Damien Dunne, UK Dominator, Tyler Hawke etc) as well as intelligent use of visiting international talents (Koji Kanemoto, Red Eagle, Raven, Hiromu Takahashi etc), PWP offers a well-rounded, high quality, varied and exciting show with some of the best in-ring action any fan could hope for.

 Opening with an amusing salute to the company delivered by a retro Duke Nukem still graphic, we are then treated to a music video vignette set to The Offspring’s ‘Come Out & Play’ (Raven’s ECW entrance music). The video showcases some of the varied characters and offense which makes up their product and sets the tone for the excitement which follows.
Due to technical issues with the audio equipment on the night, which I had mentioned in my original review of the live show, the introduction to the show by ring announcer John Harding is hard to make out, but it’s only a few seconds long and doesn’t have any bearing on the show itself. What is more immediately apparent is that the cameras used to capture the event are of varying quality, causing a distinct change in picture as we change from shot to shot, however the framing of the action is mostly good and the event is generally captured well overall.
Opening with a fairly traditional British-style match between Dick Riley & Josh Knott for the PWP Catch Division Trophy, the show gets off to a strong start. The two enter a decent and entertaining back and forth match, drawing the crowd in with some well exectuted combinations and exchanges. Next is a fantastic five-man match featuring Ryan Smile, Dan Moloney, Chris Brookes and brothers Damien & Pete Dunne. The fast-paced cruiserweight style match grabs the audience’s attention and the varied, exciting offense from all participants makes for some great viewing. Bringing the audience to their feet with some outstanding aerial offense, particular credit has to go to Ryan Smile, although all five work extremely hard and make a great account of themselves. Following this, UK Dominator faces Kay Jutler in a match which builds slowly, showing brilliant psychology as the crowd really buy into the unfolding action. Varied and with some striking thrown in which draws palpable sympathy from the crowd, everything in the match is performed exquisitely. Rob Brittania & Showcase Vs Marcus Baine & Samson is in a more sports-entertainment, Americanised style, which translates better to DVD than it did live. PJ Jones Vs Danny Walsh for the Pride Heavyweight Championship is a strong clash of styles, with the babyface Jones hitting some decent high flying while Walsh’s heelish, mat-and-striking-based offense is performed with believable malice. Evenly contested and strongly performed, the match is exciting and well recieved by the live crowd. A ‘Money In The Bank’ cash-in after the match makes for an interesting additional segment and is a good demonstration of how a little bit of simple storytelling is often most effective in pro wrestling.
The six-man main event sees Raven teaming with PWP’s babyface heroes Darren Saviour & Ultimo Tiger, squaring off with members of heel faction The C2 Agenda; Tyler Hawke, Danny Walsh and Callum Cain. If anything, it should be noted that the audio and visuals actually compliment this match quite well, giving it a suitably gritty feel which is matched by the in-ring action. Featuring a generous helping of weaponry and hardcore action mixed with a little high-flying, substantial brawling and even a smattering of well-performed technical wrestling, this worthy main event is an emotional cocktail of eclectic and exciting action.

 Extras:
An informative and insightful Q&A session with Raven starts the extras disc and lasts just under an hour, covering various aspects of the business and his career. Although the acoustics of the hall where this was held are not ideal, the majority of answers are very clear and the questions posed by the fans are subtitled, which is a welcome post-production move.
A bonus match between Dick Riley and Ultimo Tiger for the Catch Division Trophy in front of an extremely intimate crowd features some great action from the outset as Tiger takes full advantage of his surroundings, hitting a springboard huricanrana off the high-backed benches built into the venue quite early in the match. The match is a high standard, easy to watch and both do a great job of getting the crowd invested in the action and ultimate outcome, with some fans so emotionally invested that their impassioned reactions are quality entertainment in themselves.
Raven’s appearance on the inaugral edition of 2 Count TV is a brief, but entertaining and interesting interview which covers a variety of topics including Raven’s recent wrestling seminars, his Hardcore Title reigns, and wrestling video games.
The disc finishes with another exclusive match, this time from LEP Wrestling, pitting Ultimo Tiger and Darren Saviour against John & Simon Harding. The event was held in a theatre, so the ring is on a stage and while the audience is fairly vocal and reactive to the action, it gives the match a somewhat low budget feel because of the surroundings. Saying that, the match itself is well performed and the action does a good job of distracting from the shortcomings of the venue. A solid match, it is a good addition to the DVD and is a natural choice as it showcases some of the key players from the main disc.
Overall, this is a highly entertaining DVD with some excellent action and the extras give the set some welcome substance. While there is obviously some room for improvement as far as the production values go, the company are seemingly doing everything right with the resources that they have at their disposal, boding well for the group’s future and making for a worthwhile offering which is well worth the cost. Raven fans will obviously enjoy the main event of the actual show, the Q&A and the 2 Count TV appearance, but should find several other enjoyable gems amongst the varied action.


To keep up to date with details of other interviews, reviews & articles from Eye On Wrestling, as well as news and trivia, please follow on Twitter and like the Facebook page.
You can find out more about Pro Wrestling Pride on their website, Facebook page or by following them on Twitter.


(This review was originally posted on the 'Inside The Squared Circle'website on 31st December 2014, but was moved here as it is more relevant to the content of this site. You can see my other contributions to that site here.)