SOUTHSIDE present - 5TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW - 24th OCT - STEVENAGE

[cobystag]

Nigel McGuinness has been one of my favourite wrestlers for over the past five years and is, in my estimation, one of the best wrestlers in the world. So to see him retire is sad for me as I've had opportunity to see him live in numerous great matches, so to know that this Saturday will be the last ever Nigel McGuinness match I get to witness in person is a sombre thought. But I can't fault the man for retiring with his numerous injuries that he sustained in providing all the classic matches I loved, so I wish him all the best for his life outside wrestling.

 

The very first time I got to see Nigel was in May 06 where he and Doug Williams wrestled to a 30 minute draw in a GHC Heavyweight Tag Team Title match against Morishima and Yone and he squashed a certain Scottish wrestler who really wasn't worth being in the same ring as Nigel. This appearence was for 1PW where he was one of many imports on the card, the top heavy of that number being major stars in TNA. Nigel, even as the then ROH Pure Champion and a British wrestler, really was an afterthought on the card back when 1PW used to bring over any and every TNA and indy guy available. I remember meeting Nigel that day, only being aware of him by reputation as the man that beat Samoa Joe, and wishing him all the best with his run with the belt. In August he wrestled a great technical match against Doug Williams that kept the crowds attention all the way through their almost 25 minute match. Only a week removed from his classic ROH World Title match against Bryan Danielson, his face was still swollen and bruised and it looked as if one eye was only half open. At this time and I was really impressed with Nigel and the other indy guys I was seeing so 1PW helped push me forward into checking out and buying ROH, PWG, etc DVD's.

 

By the next time I saw Nigel in April of 07, I was more than familiar with an extensive range of his back work in ROH, and his and Doug's match against Darren Burridge and Colt Cabana was one of the few (maybe only) redeeming features of 1PW's Resurrection event. But it was later in the month at Alex Shane's King Of Europe cup that Nigel, representing ROH, won the weekend long tourny. It was here that I really saw Nigel as a superstar as he really was the crowd favourite through the entire weekend, headlining the first night in a match against TNA's Rhino that was such a great contrast of styles and really had a big time feel - Nigel even did a ladder spot! The next night he beat PAC, Davey Richards and had a fitting end to the tourny as he beat Doug Williams in a fantastic rematch of their 1PW match the year before.

 

The next few matches I saw Nigel in really cemented him as one of my favourite wrestlers as he had a really good 2/3 falls match against Darren Burridge in August 07, then followed that with a 45 minute Iron Man match again against Burridge in October, only a week removed from him finally winning the ROH World Title. The Iron Man match was my absolute favourite match that any incarnation of 1PW ever put on and by this point, the majority of TNA stars were gone so 1PW's draws and popularity really hung on the British guys they had built up, along with top name ROH stars like Nigel. I was due to see Nigel next for PWG and 3CW but shortly before, Nigel suffered what was the first of many injuries, as a torn bicep took him off the shelf until the end of the year, and in his first full-fledged match back against Austin Aries he was concussed and was forced to miss the show the next night. The fallout of this and Nigel's response to the shameless selfish fans that booed the man for choosing his health over wrestling that night, resulted in Nigel's heel turn in ROH.

 

So when I next saw Nigel in my first ever ROH show in the states in March 08, Nigel was the most hated man in the building as had an absolutely fantastic match against Tyler Black. I cannot really describe the atmosphere and how special this match was to me and my fiancee, but we were in a small group of vocal Nigel supporters against a sea of fans who as the match progressed were turned fully into Tyler Black fans as they genuinely wanted and believed that this young man who had only just been elevated to the main event that same night could end Nigel's ROH World Title reign. You can even see me and this group of fans on the PPV stick two fingers in the air as Nigel narrowly manages to kick out against a mob of people screaming that it was a three count, and then the high-fives in the corner of the screen as Nigel retained and the PPV was going off the air. A really fantastic moment and match that me and my fiancee still hold dear to this day.

 

On the flip-side when I saw Nigel next in the small Granby in June, Nigel was the beloved returning hero as he defended the ROH World Title against Lionheart and Keith Myatt the day before NOAH's massive UK debut in the Coventry Skydome. It still blows my mind to this day that I got to see Nigel McGuinness defend the ROH Title in a small shithole in Doncaster, and then the next night saw Nigel and Doug come out to a thunderous applause as Vindaloo played in front of a massive crowd at the Coventry Skydome where they beat future GHC Heavyweight and Jnr Heavyweight Champions in Takashi Sugiura and Kotaro Suzuki respectively. September saw me go back to the states and me and my fiancee got to witness another stellar ROH World Title defense against El Generico that had a lot of the same crowd attributes from the Tyler Black match. A week removed from that I was back in England and so was Nigel as I got to see him and Doug beat The Briscoes in a match that was scheduled for the NOAH show until Mark Briscoe's injury prevented it.

 

The next Nigel match I got to see remains one of mine and my fiancees favourite ever matches we got to see live, as Nigel survived defending his ROH World Title against KENTA in New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom in March 09. I say survived because the night before, Nigel suffered a serious arm injury in a tag match against KENTA, and you could visibly see how much pain Nigel was in and how much he suffered through this match. But Nigel is one incredibly tough son of a bitch and somehow, some way, these two had an incredible match together. I don't know what it was. Maybe it was Nigel's real life injury that sucked me and Suz even more into this match as we were genuinely worried for his safety and health as KENTA unmercilessly took the fight to Nigel. Maybe it was the NYC crowd that were the first to turn on Nigel and could smell the blood in the water, as they were begging for Nigel to lose the belt that night as me and Suz were one of an ever decreasing number that were there to support Nigel. You'll probably see this match and see a hurt Nigel still manage to have a really good match against KENTA. But for me and Suz to be there live.... We witnessed a match for the ages. And I am so fortunate that I've had opportunity to have both Nigel and KENTA sign my copy of the DVD for this show.

 

It was with this injury that I saw Nigel next only a month later for 1PW's To The Extreme weekend. On a weekend for former ECW originals and an ECW nostalgia trip, Nigel still managed to have a lot of crowd support and be seen as one of the main players of the weekend. As on the first night he beat Too Cold Scorpio, and then in the weekend closing match, he beat Johnny Moss for 1PW's Openweight Championship. His first and what will be only English Title he ever won during his career. Again this match completely sucked me in as with Nigel in the shape that he was, I didn't think he stood a chance against Moss and just prayed he wouldn't get further injured. So when he made Moss tap, I was in stunned disbelief. I couldn't believe he'd won. And when the reality sunk in, I practically jumped out of my seat! So it was a couple of months later in July, Nigel again facing Moss in one of his first matches after time off rehabbing that I again naturally assumed Moss would win. So to see Nigel win once again, that really was the best moment of the entire show.

 

Just over a month later news broke that Nigel would be joining Bryan Danielson in leaving the indies for what we thought at the time would be WWE. Nigel had to forfeit his 1PW belt, and I was very fortunate that I'd already had tickets for the last ROH TV appearences that would feature Nigel and Bryan. The last ever Nigel match that I and Suz ever got to see live together was a last minute re-scheduled match against Colt Cabana where the two got to show their chemistry together one last time with some great technical wrestling, some inadvertant comedy, and Nigel got a amazing crowd response pre and post match. Later that night me and Suz got the opportunity to meet Nigel, have him sign our Union Jack flag, get a picture together with him (in all the years and times I'd seen Nigel live, this was the very first pic I ever got with him) and get to small talk with the man. The next night was his final ROH Philadelphia appearence as he cut a heel promo to leave TV, came back and cut a heartful off-camera promo to the fans immediately afterwards, and then closed the night in the ring with Bryan Danielson as The Final Countdown played as both made their last appearences and Suz cried like a baby (caught on camera for a certain wrestling documentary).

 

Of course the WWE deal never materialized and he ended up in TNA with a bang with a top-line feud against Kurt Angle. At this point I guess I hadn't ever thought about the chance to ever see Nigel live again without going to a TNA show. So very fortunately for me he was announced for 1PW's May 2010 weekend in matches against Darren Burridge and Lionheart. With both Nigel and Burridge plagued by injuries, and the small intimate venue in Ellesmere Port, it was quite the difference from their epics three years earlier. But the two had a good match and a worthy main event that unfortunately was always going to get compared to their earlier matches (And I considered their last match to be the best 1PW match ever). You could tell when you saw Nigel move around outside the ring that the injuries had taken their toll, so I was worried if Nigel vs Lionheart the next night could live up to the hype I'd built in my own mind.

 

Well it did and then some. Nigel vs Lionheart was perhaps the best match I saw live last year to feature at least one UK based talent. They really had an incredible match that was a fitting and worthy main event to a fantastic wrestling show that was mired with backstage controversy. This match really put across how far Nigel had come in the four years since I saw him for the first time. In May 06 he was just an indy guy that was "there" in comparison to all the attention that all the TNA headliners were getting on those shows. In May 2010 he was one of the TNA headliners that the people had paid specifically to see and he got the main event slot against the guy that 1PW were building up as the future of their company. And it all happened in the same building that I first saw him got the main event status reception for the very first time three years earlier.

 

When Nigel was pulled from TNA for undisclosed medical reasons I guess I hadn't thought about ever getting to see him again. As a fan I was concerned for his well being before I was thinking about his return to the ring. So the retirement tour announcement came entirely out of the blue. I guess I'd just accepted that I'd never see a Nigel McGuinness match live ever again, so I was beyond made up when I first heard rumblings of a final UK tour. So I made sure I would get to see at least two of the shows due to money reasons. In the end IPW:UK as in my opinion they are the premier fed in England right now, and the match up against Joel Redman was very appealing, and also Southside for hosting what would be Nigel's last ever match in England against Martin Kirby, were the two no-brainer decisions. I would have loved to have gone to all of Nigel's shows, especially NGW against Jack Gallagher, but IPW:UK and Southside were always going to be my two first choices.

 

If I were to have fantasy booked Nigel's last ever UK match, I believe I've made it more than obvious by now it would have to be against either Zack Sabre Jnr or Dave Mastiff. Zack being my preference. The reason being is that I could imagine how both matches would play out. So Nigel McGuinness vs Martin Kirby was a very pleasent surprise. I have always rated Kirby as a wrestler, I think he's one of England's finest wrestlers on the scene today. I pulled very hard for Kirby to be included on any Dragon Gate show and he did himself proud in that three way tag match. Kirby really is having one of the biggest years of his career with Dragon Gate and facing El Generico earlier in the month, so I am incredibly happy he's ending his year wrestling against a man who I considered one of the best wrestlers in the world.

 

I'll be honest, I still can't imagine how Nigel vs Kirby is going to end up. Both are amazing, incredibly talented wrestlers, so they're bound to have a good match.... I just can't imagine *how* good it has the potential to be. Because you've got Nigel in what will be his last ever match in his home country in what appears to be the main event slot, against a guy who's been having the best in-ring year of his entire career. This has potential to range from either a very good match, or something really special that you just have to be there to witness.

 

I'm going to be sad to see Nigel's last ever UK match. And my one real big regret is that my fiancee can't be there with me as Nigel is her absolute favourite wrestlers, and one of the few wrestlers to get her so emotionally involved that she will cry. And she's a big Kirby fan as well so I know that she will absolutely *love* this match.

 

If you are someone who has even enjoyed just the one Nigel McGuinness match and Nottingham on Saturday night is do-able for you, you should really go the extra mile to see one of England's best off in style.

[the_suz]

love your write up babe, and i wish i could see Nigel off on one of his last matches but i know i'd be a wreck. everything you've said is what i feel. nigel has drawn such emotion from me every time he wrestles, he is truly one of my most favorites - i even think how much i miss seeing nigel wrestle right now and i get emotional - i love him to bits! We've been lucky enough to see him at his 100% healthiest and even when he wasn't in the best of health he still performed at 100%. i wish him the best of luck in everything he does because he is so talented, he has such great personality and i know whatever he sticks his mind to he will succeed.

 

 

 

(ps quote up fixed lol)

[tattooedgooner]

Nigel McGuinness has been one of my favourite wrestlers for over the past five years and is, in my estimation, one of the best wrestlers in the world. So to see him retire is sad for me as I've had opportunity to see him live in numerous great matches, so to know that this Saturday will be the last ever Nigel McGuinness match I get to witness in person is a sombre thought. But I can't fault the man for retiring with his numerous injuries that he sustained in providing all the classic matches I loved, so I wish him all the best for his life outside wrestling.

 

The very first time I got to see Nigel was in May 06 where he and Doug Williams wrestled to a 30 minute draw in a GHC Heavyweight Tag Team Title match against Morishima and Yone and he squashed a certain Scottish wrestler who really wasn't worth being in the same ring as Nigel. This appearence was for 1PW where he was one of many imports on the card, the top heavy of that number being major stars in TNA. Nigel, even as the then ROH Pure Champion and a British wrestler, really was an afterthought on the card back when 1PW used to bring over any and every TNA and indy guy available. I remember meeting Nigel that day, only being aware of him by reputation as the man that beat Samoa Joe, and wishing him all the best with his run with the belt. In August he wrestled a great technical match against Doug Williams that kept the crowds attention all the way through their almost 25 minute match. Only a week removed from his classic ROH World Title match against Bryan Danielson, his face was still swollen and bruised and it looked as if one eye was only half open. At this time and I was really impressed with Nigel and the other indy guys I was seeing so 1PW helped push me forward into checking out and buying ROH, PWG, etc DVD's.

 

By the next time I saw Nigel in April of 07, I was more than familiar with an extensive range of his back work in ROH, and his and Doug's match against Darren Burridge and Colt Cabana was one of the few (maybe only) redeeming features of 1PW's Resurrection event. But it was later in the month at Alex Shane's King Of Europe cup that Nigel, representing ROH, won the weekend long tourny. It was here that I really saw Nigel as a superstar as he really was the crowd favourite through the entire weekend, headlining the first night in a match against TNA's Rhino that was such a great contrast of styles and really had a big time feel - Nigel even did a ladder spot! The next night he beat PAC, Davey Richards and had a fitting end to the tourny as he beat Doug Williams in a fantastic rematch of their 1PW match the year before.

 

The next few matches I saw Nigel in really cemented him as one of my favourite wrestlers as he had a really good 2/3 falls match against Darren Burridge in August 07, then followed that with a 45 minute Iron Man match again against Burridge in October, only a week removed from him finally winning the ROH World Title. The Iron Man match was my absolute favourite match that any incarnation of 1PW ever put on and by this point, the majority of TNA stars were gone so 1PW's draws and popularity really hung on the British guys they had built up, along with top name ROH stars like Nigel. I was due to see Nigel next for PWG and 3CW but shortly before, Nigel suffered what was the first of many injuries, as a torn bicep took him off the shelf until the end of the year, and in his first full-fledged match back against Austin Aries he was concussed and was forced to miss the show the next night. The fallout of this and Nigel's response to the shameless selfish fans that booed the man for choosing his health over wrestling that night, resulted in Nigel's heel turn in ROH.

 

So when I next saw Nigel in my first ever ROH show in the states in March 08, Nigel was the most hated man in the building as had an absolutely fantastic match against Tyler Black. I cannot really describe the atmosphere and how special this match was to me and my fiancee, but we were in a small group of vocal Nigel supporters against a sea of fans who as the match progressed were turned fully into Tyler Black fans as they genuinely wanted and believed that this young man who had only just been elevated to the main event that same night could end Nigel's ROH World Title reign. You can even see me and this group of fans on the PPV stick two fingers in the air as Nigel narrowly manages to kick out against a mob of people screaming that it was a three count, and then the high-fives in the corner of the screen as Nigel retained and the PPV was going off the air. A really fantastic moment and match that me and my fiancee still hold dear to this day.

 

On the flip-side when I saw Nigel next in the small Granby in June, Nigel was the beloved returning hero as he defended the ROH World Title against Lionheart and Keith Myatt the day before NOAH's massive UK debut in the Coventry Skydome. It still blows my mind to this day that I got to see Nigel McGuinness defend the ROH Title in a small shithole in Doncaster, and then the next night saw Nigel and Doug come out to a thunderous applause as Vindaloo played in front of a massive crowd at the Coventry Skydome where they beat future GHC Heavyweight and Jnr Heavyweight Champions in Takashi Sugiura and Kotaro Suzuki respectively. September saw me go back to the states and me and my fiancee got to witness another stellar ROH World Title defense against El Generico that had a lot of the same crowd attributes from the Tyler Black match. A week removed from that I was back in England and so was Nigel as I got to see him and Doug beat The Briscoes in a match that was scheduled for the NOAH show until Mark Briscoe's injury prevented it.

 

The next Nigel match I got to see remains one of mine and my fiancees favourite ever matches we got to see live, as Nigel survived defending his ROH World Title against KENTA in New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom in March 09. I say survived because the night before, Nigel suffered a serious arm injury in a tag match against KENTA, and you could visibly see how much pain Nigel was in and how much he suffered through this match. But Nigel is one incredibly tough son of a bitch and somehow, some way, these two had an incredible match together. I don't know what it was. Maybe it was Nigel's real life injury that sucked me and Suz even more into this match as we were genuinely worried for his safety and health as KENTA unmercilessly took the fight to Nigel. Maybe it was the NYC crowd that were the first to turn on Nigel and could smell the blood in the water, as they were begging for Nigel to lose the belt that night as me and Suz were one of an ever decreasing number that were there to support Nigel. You'll probably see this match and see a hurt Nigel still manage to have a really good match against KENTA. But for me and Suz to be there live.... We witnessed a match for the ages. And I am so fortunate that I've had opportunity to have both Nigel and KENTA sign my copy of the DVD for this show.

 

It was with this injury that I saw Nigel next only a month later for 1PW's To The Extreme weekend. On a weekend for former ECW originals and an ECW nostalgia trip, Nigel still managed to have a lot of crowd support and be seen as one of the main players of the weekend. As on the first night he beat Too Cold Scorpio, and then in the weekend closing match, he beat Johnny Moss for 1PW's Openweight Championship. His first and what will be only English Title he ever won during his career. Again this match completely sucked me in as with Nigel in the shape that he was, I didn't think he stood a chance against Moss and just prayed he wouldn't get further injured. So when he made Moss tap, I was in stunned disbelief. I couldn't believe he'd won. And when the reality sunk in, I practically jumped out of my seat! So it was a couple of months later in July, Nigel again facing Moss in one of his first matches after time off rehabbing that I again naturally assumed Moss would win. So to see Nigel win once again, that really was the best moment of the entire show.

 

Just over a month later news broke that Nigel would be joining Bryan Danielson in leaving the indies for what we thought at the time would be WWE. Nigel had to forfeit his 1PW belt, and I was very fortunate that I'd already had tickets for the last ROH TV appearences that would feature Nigel and Bryan. The last ever Nigel match that I and Suz ever got to see live together was a last minute re-scheduled match against Colt Cabana where the two got to show their chemistry together one last time with some great technical wrestling, some inadvertant comedy, and Nigel got a amazing crowd response pre and post match. Later that night me and Suz got the opportunity to meet Nigel, have him sign our Union Jack flag, get a picture together with him (in all the years and times I'd seen Nigel live, this was the very first pic I ever got with him) and get to small talk with the man. The next night was his final ROH Philadelphia appearence as he cut a heel promo to leave TV, came back and cut a heartful off-camera promo to the fans immediately afterwards, and then closed the night in the ring with Bryan Danielson as The Final Countdown played as both made their last appearences and Suz cried like a baby (caught on camera for a certain wrestling documentary).

 

Of course the WWE deal never materialized and he ended up in TNA with a bang with a top-line feud against Kurt Angle. At this point I guess I hadn't ever thought about the chance to ever see Nigel live again without going to a TNA show. So very fortunately for me he was announced for 1PW's May 2010 weekend in matches against Darren Burridge and Lionheart. With both Nigel and Burridge plagued by injuries, and the small intimate venue in Ellesmere Port, it was quite the difference from their epics three years earlier. But the two had a good match and a worthy main event that unfortunately was always going to get compared to their earlier matches (And I considered their last match to be the best 1PW match ever). You could tell when you saw Nigel move around outside the ring that the injuries had taken their toll, so I was worried if Nigel vs Lionheart the next night could live up to the hype I'd built in my own mind.

 

Well it did and then some. Nigel vs Lionheart was perhaps the best match I saw live last year to feature at least one UK based talent. They really had an incredible match that was a fitting and worthy main event to a fantastic wrestling show that was mired with backstage controversy. This match really put across how far Nigel had come in the four years since I saw him for the first time. In May 06 he was just an indy guy that was "there" in comparison to all the attention that all the TNA headliners were getting on those shows. In May 2010 he was one of the TNA headliners that the people had paid specifically to see and he got the main event slot against the guy that 1PW were building up as the future of their company. And it all happened in the same building that I first saw him got the main event status reception for the very first time three years earlier.

 

When Nigel was pulled from TNA for undisclosed medical reasons I guess I hadn't thought about ever getting to see him again. As a fan I was concerned for his well being before I was thinking about his return to the ring. So the retirement tour announcement came entirely out of the blue. I guess I'd just accepted that I'd never see a Nigel McGuinness match live ever again, so I was beyond made up when I first heard rumblings of a final UK tour. So I made sure I would get to see at least two of the shows due to money reasons. In the end IPW:UK as in my opinion they are the premier fed in England right now, and the match up against Joel Redman was very appealing, and also Southside for hosting what would be Nigel's last ever match in England against Martin Kirby, were the two no-brainer decisions. I would have loved to have gone to all of Nigel's shows, especially NGW against Jack Gallagher, but IPW:UK and Southside were always going to be my two first choices.

 

If I were to have fantasy booked Nigel's last ever UK match, I believe I've made it more than obvious by now it would have to be against either Zack Sabre Jnr or Dave Mastiff. Zack being my preference. The reason being is that I could imagine how both matches would play out. So Nigel McGuinness vs Martin Kirby was a very pleasent surprise. I have always rated Kirby as a wrestler, I think he's one of England's finest wrestlers on the scene today. I pulled very hard for Kirby to be included on any Dragon Gate show and he did himself proud in that three way tag match. Kirby really is having one of the biggest years of his career with Dragon Gate and facing El Generico earlier in the month, so I am incredibly happy he's ending his year wrestling against a man who I considered one of the best wrestlers in the world.

 

I'll be honest, I still can't imagine how Nigel vs Kirby is going to end up. Both are amazing, incredibly talented wrestlers, so they're bound to have a good match.... I just can't imagine *how* good it has the potential to be. Because you've got Nigel in what will be his last ever match in his home country in what appears to be the main event slot, against a guy who's been having the best in-ring year of his entire career. This has potential to range from either a very good match, or something really special that you just have to be there to witness.

 

I'm going to be sad to see Nigel's last ever UK match. And my one real big regret is that my fiancee can't be there with me as Nigel is her absolute favourite wrestlers, and one of the few wrestlers to get her so emotionally involved that she will cry. And she's a big Kirby fan as well so I know that she will absolutely *love* this match.

 

If you are someone who has even enjoyed just the one Nigel McGuinness match and Nottingham on Saturday night is do-able for you, you should really go the extra mile to see one of England's best off in style.

 

 

this has got to be one of the greatest UKFF write up's of all time - thank you

[gadge]

A tremendous write-up indeed (though I hope it doesn't get quoted again in full...), I'll be in Nottingham on Saturday. Where else would I be?

[cobra_gordo]

Very nice write-up but I agree with Gadge, don't really want to have to scroll through another quote of it haha

[cobystag]

Well I can't do anything to Suz (she'd beat me up) so Gooner will have to get the slap on the wrist.

[Kincaid]

Can't wait to find out which other international star will be Southside in Feb at this show.

 

Hoping for mr wrestling Kevin Steen! :-)

[robrage]

Can't wait to find out which other international star will be Southside in Feb at this show.

 

Hoping for mr wrestling Kevin Steen! :-)

 

Or a CZW guy !

[Southside crew]

Can't wait to find out which other international star will be Southside in Feb at this show.

 

Hoping for mr wrestling Kevin Steen! :-)

 

Or a CZW guy !

 

 

Well I know there are some about 100% , maybe I have spoke to one or 2

[cobystag]

Would love Sami Callihan.

[Kincaid]

Would love Sami Callihan.

 

Ditto or Adam Cole

[eboy316]

Show is tommorrow and I for 1 can not wait, anyone who is able to attend this show should defently do so its gonig to be amazing plus as an added bonus the HOP show is before hand also so a full day of entertainment at a great price, the only place to be.

[Kincaid]

I'm also looking forward to the HOP and SOUTHSIDE shows. It will be sad to see Nigel retire but he's given us lots of great matches over the years.

 

Also, if you are a fan of Southside. Why not follow them on Twitter? SOUTHSIDE WRESTLING on TWITTER

[robrage]

Would love Sami Callihan.

 

Ditto or Adam Cole

 

Ditto or Ar Fox

[cobystag]

Oh God, it's another long cobystag post! Apologies but with the show tomorrow, my mind got bored so just decided to jot down some thoughts.......... Yeah sorry again.

 

 

McGuinness vs Kirby

I know I've spoken at great length about this match, about my opinion on Nigel and how through out the years Nigel's stock has risen incredibly as I got to witness it. So I'm now going to talk more about Martin Kirby and his evolution and why, after I've thought about it long and hard, Kirby is a fantastic and deserving person to warrant the opportunity to wrestle Nigel in his final ever English match. The very first time I saw Martin Kirby was in Jan 07, he was on an afternoon show at 1PW's Will Not Die event. Even then, with only a few months of experience shockingly enough, Kirby's charisma and personality made him stand out. And when in 2007 I started to attend more BritWres shows with my first tastes of 3CW, NWL, GNP, etc etc, Kirby appeared for all of them and really stood out, his comedic timing was unrivalled on these shows as he was such a fantastic, fun wrestler to watch. I always rated him, but it seemed more for his comedy and the enjoyment you can get from a Martin Kirby match. It was in 2008 when Kirby and Travis became a regular tag team that it became evident that Kirby had amazing potential as a wrestler, outside of the gags and comedy matches. Project Ego were and still are a fantastic tag team that could have great matches against any tag team they were pitted against (And their series against Hubba Bubba Lucha was fantastic) but the chance to see Kirby in serious competative singles matches were few and far between as he became each promotions comedy act to warm the crowd up. But I've always known there was a fantastic 'straight' singles wrestler in there and in 09 I saw him have a great match against John Walters that confirmed it. And last year Pro Wrestling 101 took a chance on Kirby as a serious wrestler with matches against Martin Stone, Steve Corino and an amazing match against former tag partner turned bitter rival, Kris Travis (Something which I am really glad Southside have picked up). Kirby has gone from a great comedy wrestler, to an amazing and really talented versatile wrestler that has more than deserved the opportunities given to him this year with matches against El Generico, an appearence in Dragon Gate UK, and now Nigel McGuinness' last ever English match.

 

Also, Nigel has to come out to Fucking In The Bushes or I will be upset!

 

T-Bone vs Redman

I think these will be a really good heavyweight singles match. T-Bone appears to be getting better in each outing I see him in, but I've still seen a lot of brawling and heavyweight clubbering and lifting. His last match in Nottingham against Val Kabious was a solid encounter, but I feel he will be more challenged by Redman. As while Redman is no small guy and can definitely offer him enough of a fight, Redman is such a masterful technical wrestler that if he were to keep T-Bone grounded and challenge T-Bone to a scientific mat wrestling match, Redman would completely out-match him and out-wrestle him. So it would be in Redman's best interests to keep T-Bone out of his element, and it will be an interesting match to see how T-Bone copes and manages to stay in a technical match against a guy the calibre of Redman, and how well Redman can match against T-Bones brawling and clubbering.

 

Spud vs Manson

This could end up as a classic comedy match. Manson is forever hilarious, I have never seen the guy "off". And a match against a disgusted Spud who wants nothing to do with Manson... This could be brilliant. Manson is always at his best playing off a straight man. Can't really write that much about this match because if you can imagine a Manson vs serious Spud match, in all likelihood, this is going to be exactly what you imagined.

 

MVK vs Mason

I'm disappointed not to be able to see Max Angelus so wish him a speedy recovery. But I still think these two will have the same kind of match. I'm not as high on MVK as others but I cannot deny he has a fantastic look and great athletic ability. But what really makes him stick out to me right now is his intensity. He's got a great aggressive streak in him that fully matches his look, so I think in time when his wrestling ability can match his potential then he will be a great prospect. But as of right now I still feel like he's having the same kind of matches, although he has improved since he very first started. Mason in an unknown quantity. With Max Angelus I already knew to expect a great Jnr Heavyweight wrestler who has the build to match up against heavyweight, but with Loco, from what I can tell, looks to be more of a heavyweight wrestler so will have a similiar match that Val Kabious had against T-Bone. But with Mason being the trainer at Lucha Britannia with Burridge and Terry Frazier, he must have something to offer. Plus, I'm 90% certain he'll come out to a 10 year old nu-metal song to show how 'Loco' he is.

 

Storm vs Rocamora

Mouthy Scottish woman against former porn star? Oh yes please! I just wish Southside wasn't so PG to experience the full foul mouthed Nikki Storm that was so praised in Triple X..... Must resist temptation to talk about Holly in Triple X...... Anyways, yeah. I liked Nikki when I saw her in EVE, she and Tsukasu Fujimoto had a great little match, so I know what Nikki can do. First time seeing Holly but from the youtube clips, she looks like a decent wrestler for her experience level, and has a great babyface look to get the crowd on her side. Really looking forward to this match.

 

Predators vs Robbie & Spyral

Last time in Nottingham, Robbie really showed his growth and maturity as a wrestler with El Ligero against The Predators. So this time I'm expecting more of the same to see him against Malen and Connors, this time without Ligero, to show his stock rising. I've always felt Malen works a lot better as a heel and is more of a tag team wrestler, so my first time seeing The Predators validated both points and I could see why Connors was rated highly last year.

 

Ligero vs Stixx

I know I've had someone tell me this has MOTN potential (I'm still thinking that if the main event manages to live up to and exceed expectations then that will walk it) and it's hard to argue against it. If this was a few years ago, it would be a good big man vs little man match. Stixx proved that he had great chemistry against light-heavyweights, and El Ligero has become such an expected commodity on the BritWres scene that you automatically know you're guaranteed a good to really great match. But Stixx has undergone a physique transformation between when I saw him last and Nottingham as he looked lighter and a lot leaner, and looked in the best shape of his life. With this transformation he was able to have an excellent power vs weight big man match against Collosus Kennedy, so I'm left to wonder how this new Stixx will translate against Ligero and the kind of matches they used to have. Stixx will still have the power and size advantage, it'll still be a big man vs little man match at heart, but with Stixx's leaner physique and newfound fondness for moves you'd see a man the size of Ligero perform with the same ease, this match could be really interesting.