1PW - Road To Destiny [27/05/2011]

[Kawaii Guy]

Finally, just a word or two about continuity. I thought one of the best things at the last show was Greg Burridge's "heel turn", yet he came out with the furry dice, slapping hands and cracking jokes. Kris Travis was last seen being cheered as he fought all over the Olympia against Kevin Thorne, yet he was out with a bad attitude from the onset.

 

IIRC, by the end of the olympia match, Trav ended up turning heel because the crowd got behind Thorne by the end of it because some thought Travis went 'too far'. I remember him getting boo'ed quite a bit at the end of the match. (I wish that show was out on DVD tbh, that match and the Lionheart vs Nigel match were 2 of my favourite matches from last year)

[TysonSL]

I'd forgotten about that to be honest. I'm not too bothered about the heel turn. Travis is a great cocky heel and I do think his new group is quite impressive.

[darepool]

I'm back home from the show with my thoughts for anyone who's interested.

First of all, I got there at 5.50, after reading directly from Facebook that doors open at 5pm and the show starts at 6pm. When I go to a show on my own, I don't like to sit around waiting so I always try to time it that I get there as close to bell time as possible (although it should be noted that there wasn't actually a bell there tonight). The doors only opened at 6.10 and the show started at 7. We were informed there was a delay because Greg Burridge was stuck in traffic.

 

On the way in I heard a little kid ask Danny if Kevin Nash was here, to which Danny replied "he's here tomorrow night, but everyone else is here tonight". It's been well documented that this wasn't the case. A few minutes later, Road Dog, Rhyno, Kid Kash and Lionheart were out signing autographs and taking photos with fans.

 

First match was a four way to crown a new Openweight Champion. Noam Dar vs Joey Hayes vs Marty Scurll vs Kris Travis. With the talent involved this was never going to be a bad match, and it ended up being pretty good, although I did feel it took a while to leave second gear. Noam got a submission on Marty for the win. With no bell to end the match there was some confusion as to what was going on at the end.

 

Liam Thompson and Adam Curtis come out to congratulate Dar on the win, then out comes Ruffneck and Keith Myatt to confront them. Curtis says Fight Club are the champs whether they are recognised as such and will call the shots as to when they defend the belts. MOB must face their past if they want a shot at the belts. Out comes Sam Bailey (from Prophets of Liberty) and while MOB were destracted Bubblegum attacks them from behind to start the match. Curtis said that the second wrestler was someone from Myatt's past and I believe that he trained Bubblegum, which does fit in, but there would be many there who would be wondering who that was, what the connection was, etc. After what felt like a long match, Bubblegum scored the win after a run in from Kris Travis. The three baddies beat MOB down before Joey Hayes made the save, supposedly setting up a six man match tomorrow night. However, Joey then attacked MOB too, forming a new stable that Travis referred to as "the future of British wrestling". Somehow this will still lead to a six man match tomorrow, but I'm not sure how.

 

Next up was Kid Kash vs Val Kabious. It was billed as a no rules match, but Kash said he wanted to beat Val in a British wrestling match. Sorry, but I was bored for most of the match. Kash was an amazing heel the other year in 1PW because he played up to the real hatred many people in the crowd had for him over his match with PAC. It's not the same now and I just get bored with his stalling. Val in my mind is overrated. I'm sure he will be big someday but I've not seen anything in the 1PW matches I've seen him in.

 

Next up was a "special" match featuring two relatively unknown wrestlers. One was RJM from GPW; I didn't catch the other name. To no surprise this was the queue for The Manhattan Project to make their presence known. Krimson spat "blood" in someone's face before Rhino came out and gored both of them and eveyone in "security". Krimson said their message would be revealed tomorrow night.

 

Road Dog was out next. He informed us that Billy Gunn had been sent back to America. Liam Thompson came out and the two fought a bit. Road Dog did his catchphrases and said he would take on Fight Club tomorrow. Alone? A new partner? Who knows?

 

After an intermission, Greg Burridge beat Jimmy Havoc with two powerbombs. It was an entertaining match, but confusing as I'll explain below.

 

In the main event Lionheart beat Zack Sabre Jr with a frog splash in a very good match. When looking at the DVD boxes they already printed for tomorrow night, it was in black and white that Lionheart vs Burridge would be the final. So it comes to something when I actually though Zack had the win at one point with a near fall. That's a credit to both men. After the match Burridge came out for a staredown. He said Lionheart may well be the future of the business, but he is the present.

 

All in all it was an enjoyable show. Flawed, but enjoyable. I would pay a tenner for a card like that every once in a while. As a fan of British wrestling I couldn't give a shit DDP, Billy Gunn, etc weren't here. Just give me a good show with the odd import here and there and an ongoing storyline or two to bring me back.

 

Pet hate 1: I hate it when an audience latches on to something which takes away from the matches. Picking up on something different and then cheering/chanting to "get it over" is something I hate at the best of times, as it gives the impression rightly or wrongly that the fans are only interested in getting over themselves. However, it is particularly annoying when people are chanting the ref's name when two wrestlers are putting on a great match which is being short changed. The ref didn't do anything to garner this reaction, so it is either sarcastic or just something to do for a bit of fun. I've nothing against people having fun but it is something which really gets on my nerves.

 

Pet hate 2: People posting "in the know" rumours/spoilers. If you have been told that such and such is getting a title win, posting it on a message forum betrayes a confidence or betrayes a confidence on behalf of someone else. Giving it away on a forum, whether spoilers are used or not is a bit of a twatty thing to do as far as I'm converned. If you know something, fine. Keep it to yourself. Despite the fact that I know wrestling isn't real, I like getting lost in the match and not knowing the ending.

 

Finally, just a word or two about continuity. I thought one of the best things at the last show was Greg Burridge's "heel turn", yet he came out with the furry dice, slapping hands and cracking jokes. Kris Travis was last seen being cheered as he fought all over the Olympia against Kevin Thorne, yet he was out with a bad attitude from the onset.

 

Anyway, I've gone on way longer than I planned. I'll be attending the show tomorrow, which hopefully will have a bigger crowd than tonight. (I'm rubbish at crowds, but I'd say there were fewer people at the venue than the February show, but there isn't an aweful lot to do with them.

 

 

Oh I bet there was!

 

 

When I heard of the new 'champions' I honestly thought 1PW would have pushed Kris Travis for heavyweight champion. I think he's going to be the next big thing in british wrestling.

My source said Lionheart is very good friends with the 1PW owner which I hope won't tarnish his title win tonight as he most definitely has the talent for it. I'd personally prefer to see Burridge with the belt as it was something he never got to win with the old 1PW.

[TysonSL]

I actually agree with that. Burridge appologised for his heelish behaviour in February, saying he was just frustrated. If this frustration comes out again tonight it could see a heel Burridge cheating to win the title. Eventually I'd love to see Lionheart with the belt, but it would make things interesting if he had to chase for it until the October shows (if there are any more shows between now and then).