LCW - XMAS CRACKER (Dec 14th)

[british wrestling rocks]

Probably wanna change your name from British Wrestling rocks cos you obviously feel it doesn't!

 

When done correctly it really does. There is so much talent in the country as a whole at the moment, including some of the people used at Leicester Championship Wrestling. If the booking capabilities matched the standard of their roster and were not constantly all over the place then it could be a great little show, the venue is a very nice one and the atmosphere yesterday at times was as good as I have ever been to.

[cobystag]

Probably wanna change your name from British Wrestling rocks cos you obviously feel it doesn't!

 

Doesn't mean he should have a blind bias to every British promotion as a result tho does it? His comments as a paying fan seem valid. Your post comes across as ultra-defensive and involved in the promotion.

[ryan_of_lord]

I was at the show yesterday and have to say I agree with the guys review this time pretty much 99%. Atmosphere was good for the most part. I don't see LCW going anywhere at the moment unfortunately as a promotion as they don't seem to show any value in their top guys like Travis & Angelus. The kid in the rumble was called Zak Northern and is actually one of the House Of Pain lot, there were a few of those guys in there that all looked good but I agree that the rest of the filler as you put it was pretty poor. It was nice to see Bagheera again though as he is a good gimmick.

 

With regards to having Gracie as their champion, I think it is just far too soon. The guy has some potential but is nowhere near good enough or ready to be the main babyface of the company if it is on the rise. Does Rob Maltman (the ring announcer) book the shows? I went to pretty much every show last year that they did and never saw the value in Gracie as a serious contender, they put him over in matches against Angelus and Travis and both times he looked out of his depth. Crowd pop for his win was mediocre at best and mainly just a few kids. Ah well, they are still finding their feet as a promotion so still plenty of time to turn things around for the better

[Froggivizal_Version1.0]

I can't speak for last night's show but I can speak for the Christmas Cracker show, which I purchased. Primarily because of the interest in 2 Ladder Matches going on at once. While the ring announcer did a great job in using hyperbole to hype the unusual match type, it almost made the match a disappointment. Because it wasn't 2 Ladder Matches going on at the same time, it was clearly just a 3 vs. 3 Ladder Match. When the announcer says "when you see other promotions putting on this type of match, know that it happened here first", I kinda wish that other companies would copy it, primarily so they could make a better job of it. I'd have 1 match end early (presumingly the Tag Titles) and then build a 5-minute sprint between Heron & Stixx. It'd really get over the match type. Or maybe have 2 groups that weren't such good friends and wouldn't make such a natural team. Maybe you could use an accidental ladder shot to cause dissension between the 2 matches.

 

Still, there was a really great moment where The Preadators threatened to Piledriver one of The Hunters if the other took the belts down. That was actually pretty gripping.

 

I will say this in LCW's defence. While Travis & Angelus might have a rep on the internet and on here, it's not the demographic that LCW are aiming for. Travis & Angelus could be the same level as anyone else there. I'd have faith that they see the value in Gracie and have a long term plan for him to succeed. We just need to see it through to the end.

[ryan_of_lord]

I can't speak for last night's show but I can speak for the Christmas Cracker show, which I purchased. Primarily because of the interest in 2 Ladder Matches going on at once. While the ring announcer did a great job in using hyperbole to hype the unusual match type, it almost made the match a disappointment. Because it wasn't 2 Ladder Matches going on at the same time, it was clearly just a 3 vs. 3 Ladder Match. When the announcer says "when you see other promotions putting on this type of match, know that it happened here first", I kinda wish that other companies would copy it, primarily so they could make a better job of it. I'd have 1 match end early (presumingly the Tag Titles) and then build a 5-minute sprint between Heron & Stixx. It'd really get over the match type. Or maybe have 2 groups that weren't such good friends and wouldn't make such a natural team. Maybe you could use an accidental ladder shot to cause dissension between the 2 matches.

 

Still, there was a really great moment where The Preadators threatened to Piledriver one of The Hunters if the other took the belts down. That was actually pretty gripping.

 

I will say this in LCW's defence. While Travis & Angelus might have a rep on the internet and on here, it's not the demographic that LCW are aiming for. Travis & Angelus could be the same level as anyone else there. I'd have faith that they see the value in Gracie and have a long term plan for him to succeed. We just need to see it through to the end.

 

I agree with the ladder match thing, it did just come across as a 3 on 3 and having been there live for it, a number of audience members seemed lost by the concept. Last nights show was probably not quite as good overall as the Xmas Cracker show but would still be worth picking up on DVD i'd say, if only to see what has been highlighted here and see what you think. I can also see where you are coming from with the whole build for the future thing but in order to believe in a champion you have to believe that he can beat anyone in that promotion. As was said earlier, his matches with Travis & Angelus he was carried through, as I felt he was with Stixx, I have no doubt that at the next show they are planning on having him make Stixx tap out as they have set the stipulation to be a submissions match but I don't think there is a single person who has been to a show in this country that would say you would ever believe that a guy who has taken on and beaten Davey Richards, Kevin Steen, Super Crazy, Dave Taylor ( I believe he may have lost this one but you get the idea) and a whole host of others would submit to someone of the size and ability of Gracie. Poor choice of stipulation if you are looking for something to be believed in.

[Froggivizal_Version1.0]

I can't speak for last night's show but I can speak for the Christmas Cracker show, which I purchased. Primarily because of the interest in 2 Ladder Matches going on at once. While the ring announcer did a great job in using hyperbole to hype the unusual match type, it almost made the match a disappointment. Because it wasn't 2 Ladder Matches going on at the same time, it was clearly just a 3 vs. 3 Ladder Match. When the announcer says "when you see other promotions putting on this type of match, know that it happened here first", I kinda wish that other companies would copy it, primarily so they could make a better job of it. I'd have 1 match end early (presumingly the Tag Titles) and then build a 5-minute sprint between Heron & Stixx. It'd really get over the match type. Or maybe have 2 groups that weren't such good friends and wouldn't make such a natural team. Maybe you could use an accidental ladder shot to cause dissension between the 2 matches.

 

Still, there was a really great moment where The Preadators threatened to Piledriver one of The Hunters if the other took the belts down. That was actually pretty gripping.

 

I will say this in LCW's defence. While Travis & Angelus might have a rep on the internet and on here, it's not the demographic that LCW are aiming for. Travis & Angelus could be the same level as anyone else there. I'd have faith that they see the value in Gracie and have a long term plan for him to succeed. We just need to see it through to the end.

 

I agree with the ladder match thing, it did just come across as a 3 on 3 and having been there live for it, a number of audience members seemed lost by the concept. Last nights show was probably not quite as good overall as the Xmas Cracker show but would still be worth picking up on DVD i'd say, if only to see what has been highlighted here and see what you think. I can also see where you are coming from with the whole build for the future thing but in order to believe in a champion you have to believe that he can beat anyone in that promotion. As was said earlier, his matches with Travis & Angelus he was carried through, as I felt he was with Stixx, I have no doubt that at the next show they are planning on having him make Stixx tap out as they have set the stipulation to be a submissions match but I don't think there is a single person who has been to a show in this country that would say you would ever believe that a guy who has taken on and beaten Davey Richards, Kevin Steen, Super Crazy, Dave Taylor ( I believe he may have lost this one but you get the idea) and a whole host of others would submit to someone of the size and ability of Gracie. Poor choice of stipulation if you are looking for something to be believed in.

 

But that's the thing, it's a family orientated show. LCW fans probably haven't been to Nottingham or St. Neots or wherever to see a Southside show. If this was an internet savvy promotion like PCW or PROGRESS, then you've had a point but in LCW terms, it doesn't matter what has gone on before it, elsewhere. All they need to know in LCW terms is that Stixx is a monster and a dominant heel and Gracie has (from what I have gathered from this thread), defeated a bunch of guys and then beat 5 others to become LCW Champion.

 

A family promotion chooses who it's top stars are, and they don't necessarily have to be the top stars of elsewhere. It annoys me a little that promotions announce guys as if they are big names when the audience clearly has no clue what makes them any better than the guys already there.

[british wrestling rocks]

I can't speak for last night's show but I can speak for the Christmas Cracker show, which I purchased. Primarily because of the interest in 2 Ladder Matches going on at once. While the ring announcer did a great job in using hyperbole to hype the unusual match type, it almost made the match a disappointment. Because it wasn't 2 Ladder Matches going on at the same time, it was clearly just a 3 vs. 3 Ladder Match. When the announcer says "when you see other promotions putting on this type of match, know that it happened here first", I kinda wish that other companies would copy it, primarily so they could make a better job of it. I'd have 1 match end early (presumingly the Tag Titles) and then build a 5-minute sprint between Heron & Stixx. It'd really get over the match type. Or maybe have 2 groups that weren't such good friends and wouldn't make such a natural team. Maybe you could use an accidental ladder shot to cause dissension between the 2 matches.

 

Still, there was a really great moment where The Preadators threatened to Piledriver one of The Hunters if the other took the belts down. That was actually pretty gripping.

 

I will say this in LCW's defence. While Travis & Angelus might have a rep on the internet and on here, it's not the demographic that LCW are aiming for. Travis & Angelus could be the same level as anyone else there. I'd have faith that they see the value in Gracie and have a long term plan for him to succeed. We just need to see it through to the end.

 

I agree with the ladder match thing, it did just come across as a 3 on 3 and having been there live for it, a number of audience members seemed lost by the concept. Last nights show was probably not quite as good overall as the Xmas Cracker show but would still be worth picking up on DVD i'd say, if only to see what has been highlighted here and see what you think. I can also see where you are coming from with the whole build for the future thing but in order to believe in a champion you have to believe that he can beat anyone in that promotion. As was said earlier, his matches with Travis & Angelus he was carried through, as I felt he was with Stixx, I have no doubt that at the next show they are planning on having him make Stixx tap out as they have set the stipulation to be a submissions match but I don't think there is a single person who has been to a show in this country that would say you would ever believe that a guy who has taken on and beaten Davey Richards, Kevin Steen, Super Crazy, Dave Taylor ( I believe he may have lost this one but you get the idea) and a whole host of others would submit to someone of the size and ability of Gracie. Poor choice of stipulation if you are looking for something to be believed in.

 

But that's the thing, it's a family orientated show. LCW fans probably haven't been to Nottingham or St. Neots or wherever to see a Southside show. If this was an internet savvy promotion like PCW or PROGRESS, then you've had a point but in LCW terms, it doesn't matter what has gone on before it, elsewhere. All they need to know in LCW terms is that Stixx is a monster and a dominant heel and Gracie has (from what I have gathered from this thread), defeated a bunch of guys and then beat 5 others to become LCW Champion.

 

A family promotion chooses who it's top stars are, and they don't necessarily have to be the top stars of elsewhere. It annoys me a little that promotions announce guys as if they are big names when the audience clearly has no clue what makes them any better than the guys already there.

 

I completely agree with your point about a promotion building their own stars, that is what Futureshock have done for 10 years but in the case of Gracie, he just has nothing to offer. The point that was made about the believability of a champion was spot on, I don't buy into that guy as a champion, he certainly isn't a heavyweight and as was stated was pretty much carried through his matches with the bigger names by them. We were a group of 5 that came down from Manchester way, I know there were other fans of BritWres as a whole that travelled from outside Leicester to get to the show yesterday as when advertised such names as Travis, Stixx, Robbie X, Angelus, Xander Cooper etc it will bring in some fans from outside the area.

 

Any fan whether they know the likes of those names or not is capable of seeing the difference between a guy like Stixx and a guy like Gracie, same as turning on WWE and watching a clear middle order guy like Zack Ryder going over against The Undertaker to become champion or being in there with 5 other top names etc and being given the belt. It is just not something that the audience at the show yesterday bought into or that any fan considering taking a 2-3 hour drive and purchasing tickets would buy into. British promotions can draw in fans from outside without the need for foreign talents but not when they don't use that talent in a constructive way.

[dubu]

Just wanted to follow up from my comments on last months show with a bit of a review of yesterdays.

 

We had planned on attending the ladies show prior to the LCW show but hit awful traffic on the M42 and then trying to get into Leicester itself so didn't arrive at the venue until almost 5:30pm so we missed it.

 

Got into the venue nice and early for the main show however and took up the same seats as we had taken before. Having been assured that Travis and Xander Cooper were to be part of this show we were happy enough to give it another chance and the attendance seemed to be of a similar number to the last show, i'd estimate around the 180-200 mark at least which is always nice to see. Attendance wise I would certainly now put these shows on a par with Futureshock so they have really built something out of nothing and that is very commendable.

The show opened with a big tag team match including 4 teams, Mark Massa, whom we are very familiar with from Futureshock and his partner (whom we had seen once before but are very impressed with - his name escapes me though) versus Battle Squad Awesome, a team we have been very impressed with in the 4 times we have seen them versus The Predators who lost the belts in that ridiculous ladder match at the last show versus The Hunter Brothers who won them. It seemed an odd choice of match to begin a show with as there was a lot going on, high paced, high flying at times and full of spots, making it a tough follow for anyone coming on after it. All in all it was enjoyable to watch, but with a rumble match still to come on the show we did think that having such a heavily loaded affair on the card as well was a little strange. Massa's team and Battle Squad were both eliminated within 10 mins leaving the inevitable and obvious Hunters vs Predators showdown, these guys have pretty much run their course with what they could do now in this promotion after that Ladder Match, seeing the 2 teams square off in normal circumstances seemed to get a bit of a drone from the section of the crowd around us. Both are hugely talented teams though and did a good job. It would be good to see either team getting some more bookings up in the North West, they would be a great fit for Infinite or GPW.

An angle at the end of the match showed tensions brewing between The Predators looking as though it is leading to a split, which for the 2 to have anything fresh to do now having lost the belts seems the only way forward. The absence of Harvey Dale who was actually sat in the crowd for the show seemed very odd again though especially with such an angle.

 

Next up was for us the MOTN, Damien Dunne took on Xander Cooper one on one and the match was just superb with both guys giving a great account of themselves. Cooper's crowd work is sublime, always has been and Damien Dunne is often the lesser talked about of the Dunne brothers but is every bit as good as, if not better than Pete. We were kinda hoping Pete would make an appearance somewhere on the show aswell in the Rumble match but it wasn't to be.

 

The last actual match before the rumble itself was another heavily loaded elimination style 6 man. LJ Heron, who won the belt back on the last show, again in the ladder match, defending against the former champion and still one of the most impressive looking specimins in BritWres Stixx, Max Angelus, who always shows his class and looks every part the total package as a worker, Kris Travis, who thankfully this time was on the show as advertised, Robbie X, who for me at the moment is probably the most over guy in the UK and totally deserves to be so and Alex Gracie, who for me just isn't a name that should have been thrown in with these type of guys anyway. The match started with a flurry, all guys pairing off into separate 1 on 1 brawls before finally settling into some kind of routine. The first big surprise came when the new champion LJ Heron was the first eliminated, meaning that the belt would yet again be changing hands...2 title changes in 2 shows, very odd booking, seemingly no point in putting the belt back on Heron at the last show if they were not going to let him run with it and a total throw away piece of booking that shows the inexperience of the product still. Stixx was next out giving us another surprise as we felt sure the belt would at least be going back his way. At this point though the excitement was flowing with us and we were 100% sure that the belt would be around the waist of Kris Travis or at the very least the incredibly over Robbie X who got more pops from the crowd in this match than the rest of the card put together. As Travis and Robbie then became eliminations 3 & 4 we were in total amazement to see that it was down to Angelus or Gracie. Not for a second thinking that the belt would be headed off with Gracie we resigned ourselves to the fact that it may not be Travis but Angelus would at least be a decent header for a company attempting to grow and bring some form of legitimacy to their title. Imagine our surprise when it was in fact Gracie who took the belt making Angelus tap out. As the faces in the crowd around us dropped and sat in stunned silence and indignation I can honestly say that I was totally speechless. The only guy in the match who looked as though they didn't belong was the one they have chose to lead up the promotion? Another piece of incredibly na

[british wrestling rocks]

Just wanted to follow up from my comments on last months show with a bit of a review of yesterdays.

 

We had planned on attending the ladies show prior to the LCW show but hit awful traffic on the M42 and then trying to get into Leicester itself so didn't arrive at the venue until almost 5:30pm so we missed it.

 

Got into the venue nice and early for the main show however and took up the same seats as we had taken before. Having been assured that Travis and Xander Cooper were to be part of this show we were happy enough to give it another chance and the attendance seemed to be of a similar number to the last show, i'd estimate around the 180-200 mark at least which is always nice to see. Attendance wise I would certainly now put these shows on a par with Futureshock so they have really built something out of nothing and that is very commendable.

The show opened with a big tag team match including 4 teams, Mark Massa, whom we are very familiar with from Futureshock and his partner (whom we had seen once before but are very impressed with - his name escapes me though) versus Battle Squad Awesome, a team we have been very impressed with in the 4 times we have seen them versus The Predators who lost the belts in that ridiculous ladder match at the last show versus The Hunter Brothers who won them. It seemed an odd choice of match to begin a show with as there was a lot going on, high paced, high flying at times and full of spots, making it a tough follow for anyone coming on after it. All in all it was enjoyable to watch, but with a rumble match still to come on the show we did think that having such a heavily loaded affair on the card as well was a little strange. Massa's team and Battle Squad were both eliminated within 10 mins leaving the inevitable and obvious Hunters vs Predators showdown, these guys have pretty much run their course with what they could do now in this promotion after that Ladder Match, seeing the 2 teams square off in normal circumstances seemed to get a bit of a drone from the section of the crowd around us. Both are hugely talented teams though and did a good job. It would be good to see either team getting some more bookings up in the North West, they would be a great fit for Infinite or GPW.

An angle at the end of the match showed tensions brewing between The Predators looking as though it is leading to a split, which for the 2 to have anything fresh to do now having lost the belts seems the only way forward. The absence of Harvey Dale who was actually sat in the crowd for the show seemed very odd again though especially with such an angle.

 

Next up was for us the MOTN, Damien Dunne took on Xander Cooper one on one and the match was just superb with both guys giving a great account of themselves. Cooper's crowd work is sublime, always has been and Damien Dunne is often the lesser talked about of the Dunne brothers but is every bit as good as, if not better than Pete. We were kinda hoping Pete would make an appearance somewhere on the show aswell in the Rumble match but it wasn't to be.

 

The last actual match before the rumble itself was another heavily loaded elimination style 6 man. LJ Heron, who won the belt back on the last show, again in the ladder match, defending against the former champion and still one of the most impressive looking specimins in BritWres Stixx, Max Angelus, who always shows his class and looks every part the total package as a worker, Kris Travis, who thankfully this time was on the show as advertised, Robbie X, who for me at the moment is probably the most over guy in the UK and totally deserves to be so and Alex Gracie, who for me just isn't a name that should have been thrown in with these type of guys anyway. The match started with a flurry, all guys pairing off into separate 1 on 1 brawls before finally settling into some kind of routine. The first big surprise came when the new champion LJ Heron was the first eliminated, meaning that the belt would yet again be changing hands...2 title changes in 2 shows, very odd booking, seemingly no point in putting the belt back on Heron at the last show if they were not going to let him run with it and a total throw away piece of booking that shows the inexperience of the product still. Stixx was next out giving us another surprise as we felt sure the belt would at least be going back his way. At this point though the excitement was flowing with us and we were 100% sure that the belt would be around the waist of Kris Travis or at the very least the incredibly over Robbie X who got more pops from the crowd in this match than the rest of the card put together. As Travis and Robbie then became eliminations 3 & 4 we were in total amazement to see that it was down to Angelus or Gracie. Not for a second thinking that the belt would be headed off with Gracie we resigned ourselves to the fact that it may not be Travis but Angelus would at least be a decent header for a company attempting to grow and bring some form of legitimacy to their title. Imagine our surprise when it was in fact Gracie who took the belt making Angelus tap out. As the faces in the crowd around us dropped and sat in stunned silence and indignation I can honestly say that I was totally speechless. The only guy in the match who looked as though they didn't belong was the one they have chose to lead up the promotion? Another piece of incredibly na

[Froggivizal_Version1.0]

I'm pretty sure they're a guy on top of the WWE right now who a lot of adults can't say a good word about, but kids absolutely love - and he seems to be doing just fine.

[british wrestling rocks]

I'm pretty sure they're a guy on top of the WWE right now who a lot of adults can't say a good word about, but kids absolutely love - and he seems to be doing just fine.

 

That particular guy has been around over 10 years and earned his spot at the top though, he wasn't thrown into it before he was ready and able

[damage inc]

Stixx - power/size/experience.

 

Gracie - speed/agility/heart.

 

In my eyes, its a perfect underdog scenario.

 

What wrestling fan or even casual watcher can't get into a story like that?

[british wrestling rocks]

Stixx - power/size/experience.

 

Gracie - speed/agility/heart.

 

In my eyes, its a perfect underdog scenario.

 

What wrestling fan or even casual watcher can't get into a story like that?

 

Now if you replace Gracie with Robbie X - then I am totally with you.

[damage inc]

No need. I also heard the reaction when he won the title, the reaction he recieved before, during and after his match with Stixx last year and the reaction he gets every time he goes out there. They are strong every time, and will continue to get stronger as he evolves into a good champion.

 

From my view, he works very hard and he looks better everytime i see him, which means hes working on that aspect of it.

 

i look forward to seeing what he can do.