GPW: "Back With A Bang 2013" Jan 25th Rose Club, Wigan

[GPW Kristian Zane]

From The Vault: Back With A Bang 2007

 

El Ligero def Jiggy Walker, Sam Bailey and Rupert Holmes in a Fatal 4 Way Match

An explosive match to start the year with all four wrestlers putting everything on the line to impress. The pace of the match got quicker and quicker until all 4 men had hit various high risk moves including an amazing Tower of Doom. Sam Bailey (set to return at BWAB 2013) made his GPW debut in this one with a very impressive showing. One to check out if you get the chance.

 

 

Johnny Phere def Ernie Benson

Anyone remember Wrestling Challenge? This match was like a modern version of it. Phere hit the ring and took out Benson with a series of moves pinning Benson for the win after less then 2 minutes. "The Year of Phere" would continue until March when Si Valour ended Phere's 2 month winning streak resulting in a hard hitting rivalry where Phere tried to defeat Valour before setting his sights on the Heavyweight title, more on this in the 2008 writeup.

 

 

Joseph Hayes and "The Juice" CJ Banks def Bubblegum and Darkside

This match was set up as a result of what happened at the Crazy Cruiser 8 sho in November. Hayes had defeated Darkside while Bubblegum had defeated Banks and Hayes en route to winning the tournament so there were various scores to be settled. Hayes and Banks had tagged together in 2006 as part of the SIN faction and really gelled as a tag team while to the best of my knowledge this is the one and only time that Bubblegum and Darkside have teamed up, another rare match. Darkside had debuted prior to the Cruiser 8 tournament and was slowly winning over the fans prior to living up his name.

 

What many may find hard to believe going off how things are at the moment is that Bubblegum was the most popular wrestler in GPW at the time while Hayes was one of the more despised, how times change!

 

The action was thick and fast much like in the opener with some top notch tag team wrestling with the fans loving every minute and even if the most popular wrestlers didn't win, the fans were not left disappointed.

 

 

British Champion"Dangerous" Damon Leigh def "The Model" Danny Hope to retain.

Twelve months later, Damon Leigh was still the British Champion having defended the title successfully against Johnny Phere, Keith Myatt, Kenzo Richards, Mark Kodiak and Hope's then tag team partner Jiggy Walker. Hope who had qualified for the Cruiser 8 only to be eliminated in the quarter finals by Darkside had a lot to prove. Hope and Leigh have always had great chemistry and this match was no different and it was the ideal match to kickstart the second half of the show,Damon won to a huge ovation.

 

After the match, THE JUGGERNAUGHT and AAA TASKER made their GPW debuts and took out DDL which left the crowd stunned. Juggernaught would be the one to end Leigh's second British title reign only to lose the belt back to him the following month (albeit due to SIN's interference) and the rivalry would be renewed at BWAB 2010 when both men met for the Heavyweight title, then held by Juggernaught (see 2010 writeup) Hope and Walker went on to challenge for and win the Tag Team Trophy later in the year.

 

 

Tag Team Trophy Match

Project Ego (Kris Travis and Scotty Hexx)

[gpwfanforlife]

[chrisisfear]

Here's the full graphic:

 

[GPW Kristian Zane]

From The Vault: Back With A Bang 2008

 

Jervis Cottonbelly def Mad Man Manson and Voodoo

2008 kicked off with three way madness. One of those matches that can only happen once, nontheless a very entertaining matchup to kick the year off. The crowd found it very entertaining and I'd mention the spots here but I don't want to spoil any punchlines.

 

Chris Echo w/Mya def The Juggernaught w/ AAA Tasker

Another decent match, The Juggernaught had made his GPW debut 12 months ago and was now firmly established as a top contender to the major titles going up against up and comer Chris Echo, the evolution of Elroy from the previous year and both had a lot to prove and delivered. Echo would go on to compete in the 2008 Cruiser 8 while Juggernaught would build up a succession of impressive wins en route to capturing the Heavyweight title in 2009.

 

Heavyweight Championship Match

Dirk Feelgood def Darkside

[GPW Kristian Zane]

From The Vault: Back With A Bang 2009/2010

 

2009

 

Heresy def Chris Echo

The 2009 installment of BWAB started much like the first event with a singles match, the first of many it would turn out. Heresy and Echo were looking to get back to winning ways as Heresy had recently come up short in a high profile feud with Simon Valour (interesting that in 2013, Heresy and Valour seem to be about to cross paths again but so much has changed for both men since!) whil Echo had come up short trying to capture the British title from then champion Jak Domitrescu. The match was a fair opener and started the show off well. Echo would soon take a hiatus from GPW following this loss while Heresy would go on to form the legendary tag team, Paradise Lost.

 

International Challenge Match

El Ligero def Jak Domitrescu

El Ligero vs Jak Domitrescu was a very entertaining match as both characters have comedy undertones at their core, wasn't particularly long and served as a nice breather in between the more serious bouts of the evening.

 

Martin Kirby def Jack Toxic

Another debut as the former GPW Heavyweight Champion made his first appearance in a highly memorable bout with Jack Toxic. Toxic was on his way to becoming "The Grappler" and while he wasn't quite there yet, thinking back the signs were all there. Kirby on the other hand made a great impact on his debut and would quickly climb the ladder to the top of GPW.

 

 

Number One Contendership for the Heavyweight Title

Dirk Feelgood def Si Valour

Twelve months on and Dirk was looking to get back into title contention having been champion in 2007 and contender in 2008 while Valour was in the midst of an impressive winning streak and was looking to get his first title shot. These two worked really well together and Valour proved he had what it takes to challenge for the top prize even if he came up short on this occasion.

 

CJ Banks def Dylan Roberts

This match came about as a result of a bout the previous month where Banks had defeated 3 other wrestlers including Roberts in an elimination match but Roberts had proven himself worthy of another shot at Banks and a rematch was made. Roberts definitely proved himself worthy of his roster place in this one in a hard hitting match while Banks would use this match as a springboard to elevate himself into title contention as he would go after Sam Bailey and his British title and finally the Crazy Cruiser 8 whilst at the same time proving he was one of the top wrestlers in GPW.

 

Tag Team Trophy-Two out of Three Falls Match

The Young Offenders ("Dangerous" Damon Leigh and Joey Hayes def The MilAnfield Connection (Danny Hope and Jiggy Walker)

[Mr. Noble]

If going head to head with TNA in Manchester tonight wasn't bad enough, we've got snow now too!

 

For those travelling a distance, current weather reports suggest heavy snowfall around 6pm followed by sleet / rain. No doubt public transport will have a meltdown and the motorways will be fun too so please add a little time onto your journey. We'll get the doors open quickly so people aren't waiting outside for long and on the insude, we'll warm you up with some red hot action! (and central heating).

[GPW Kristian Zane]

From The Vault 2011/2012

 

2011

 

"Money In The Bank Match"

Martin Kirby def Cameron Kraze, Dylan Roberts, Danny Hope, Jack Gallagher and Jiggy Walker

 

12 Months earlier, 4 men had battled for the coveted title opportunity now 6 men had the honour which made the match even more high risk. The match started off slow almost like a 6 man tag match before alliances crumbled and anarchy ensued, everyone had their moment to win the match with some impressive moves before miscommunication between Walker and Kraze led to Kirby winning the match.

 

Fox Carter def Mike Holmes

Fox Carter continued to climb the ladder with an impressive performance against the underdog Mike Holmes, the fans were solidly behind Mike but it was Carter who would pick up the win.

 

 

NorthWest Rookie League Round One

Capt Axl Rage and JD Sassoon def Capt The Great Suzuki and Action Jackson

One of the unique aspects to 2011's year was the Northwest Rookie League. Two experienced North West wrestlers, Axl Rage (who alongside JD was making his GPW debut, Rage up to this point was best known for his time in XWA) and The Great Suzuki (former GPW Tag Team Champion) set up teams with the winner earning a roster place. Axl's team consisted of his tag partner JD Sassoon, Skull Crusher, Kenzen and Jason Logan while Suzuki was aligned with Ste "Bin" Mann, LA Austin, Jynx and Action Jackson. This match served to showcase the talents of the rookies and the crowd certainly took note as the Rookie League became one the most anticipated bouts on GPW shows.

 

 

 

Number One Contendership Match

William Gaylord def El Ligero

Gaylord returned to GPW in the next match after a brief hiatus following the loss of his hair in a match with Danny Hope in 2010. Ligero had done very well in 2010, taking Juggernaught to the limit in Juggernaught's final Heavyweight title defence

before bowing out in the first round of a tournament to crown a new champion (losing to Mark Kodiak) at the end of the year was looking to get back on track. Many argued this match was "Match Of The Night" as far as the wrestling was concerned, it exceeded expectations and both men were on top form.

 

Nontitle Match

Tag Team Champions Paradise Lost

[chrisisfear]

Fun show last night, amazed at the size of the turnout considering Wigan got blitzed by the snow, huge credit to everyone who turned up and hopefully got home safe. Going outside after the show revealed my car to be in 5-6 inches of snow!

 

Quick results for those interested:

 

The Island Brothers bt. Notorious B.A.D.

 

Prof. Mike Holmes bt. Jiggy Walker

 

Jason Logan was revealed as the new bodyguard to Alan Alan Tasker. T-Bone then revealed himself to be Dylan Roberts mystery partner by blindsiding Cyanide & El Ligero.

 

Matt Myers bt. Bubblegum

 

Dylan Roberts & T-Bone bt. Cyanide & El Ligero

 

Zack Diamond bt. Danny Hope via count out. Hope retains the belt due to count out.

 

DDL bt. Cameron Kraze, Joey Hayes, Martin Kirby, Ste "Bin" Mann and CJ Banks to win the Money In The Bank Contract.

[GPW Kristian Zane]

Results from Back With A Bang 2013

 

The Island Brothers def Notorious BAD in 6.52

 

Prof Mike Holmes def Jiggy Walker in 7mins

 

"Amazing" Matt Myers def Bubblegum in 11:15

 

Dylan Roberts and T-Bone def GPW Heavyweight Champion Cyanide and El Ligero in 14:10

 

British Championship Match

Zack Diamond def Danny Hope

[Big Benny HG]

I can usually make it back home from GPW shows the same night these days, but with the promise of some awful weather, I decided to stop over in BOLTON for this one, where I'd also chosen to stay for the last show of 2012 too (because I've discovered it's much, much cheaper than Manchester). It's a pretty shabby little town, but isn't without its certain charms. On arrival in B-Town at about 5:30pm, the snow was just starting to come down heavily, but by the time I'd moved on to Hindley for the show, the snow had stopped and the light white covering didn't seem as bad as predicted. More on this later.

 

What with the wintery conditions and the fact that TNA were running a major event 15 miles away at the same time, GPW had set themselves up for a poor turnout, not setting out any chairs at all on the entrance-side, and only initially putting out 2-3 rows on the other 3 sides. Thankfully, things were better than that and it did fill up respectfully. Not to usual levels, but not bad. After winning a ticket to EVERY 2013 GPW EVENT at the last show, upon arriving at the box office I was presented with this one-of-a-kind bad boy:

 

 

 

In your face. So, after coming in from the cold and securing refreshment from the bar, it was time to begin GPW's 10 anniversary year. Some changes for the first show of the year included a new announcer and the ring normally seen at PCW, rather than the normal SLAM/BRAWL job. Also notable was Dave Rayne and the Blackpool Blondes sat in the front row. This seemed to continue a situation set in motion last month, when Dave was sat in the exact same place, offered some words to Rage and Sassoon after their beating at the hands of The Killers, then left together.

 

The Island Brothers (Rio & Tabu, with Mr. Simon R Valour) beat Notorious BaD (Sam Bailey & Sean Daniels) (**1/2).

Decent tag match to open things up, with Bailey returning to GPW after an absence of over a year, bringing his FutureShock Wrestling tag act with GPW debutant Sean Daniels. The Islanders have been dominant in GPW so far and are on a collision course with duos champs The Killers (Johnnie Brannigan & Mark Kodiak). This bout was more competitive than anything we've seen Rio and Tabu in so far, and BaD looked good as a bubbly, energetic babyface combo, perfect fodder to showcase the Brothers' tag team offence. The Island boys took the win with a sort-of running double team Emerald Frosien, that I'm sure I've seen another team do somewhere. Looks cool, and gained an audible "OOOOOOOOO" from the crowd.

 

Afterwards, as a broken Notorious BaD were leaving, Bailey wandered past where Dave Rayne and his cronies were sitting and, like last time, Rayne stood up and had some private words for the beaten man. Bailey, Rayne and the Blondes then all walked off together, through the crowd.

 

Professor Mike Holmes beat Jiggy Walker (*1/2).

The usual silliness aplenty, including Holmes laying a trap by squirting washing up liquid all over the floor on one side of the ring. Early on, then, the story was the Professor repeatedly trying to lure Walker onto the slippy floor, but Walker seeming to be too clever and putting the breaks on every time. Back in the ring, each wrestling hold ended with Holmes gradually dressing a seemingly unaware Walker up in a Batman costume. Yep, mask, cape, etc. "I'M NOT BATMAN!!". Well. Maybe he thought it was a really cheap El Ligero outfit. Of course, all flustered and annoyed with the Batman distraction, Walker forgot all about the Fairy liquid and took a spill on the floor. SLAPSTICK. Back inside, Holmes hit an interpretation of a missile dropkick, but was then just about killed when Walker flung him head-first off the top rope. Despite this, Mike came back with a sunset flip-powerbomb out of the corner for the win.

 

Next, the ring announcer called Dylan Roberts and manager Alan Alan Alan Alan Alan Alan Alan Alan Tasker to the ring, presumably for Roberts to explain his actions from 2012 (it was revealed at the last show that the treacherous Roberts was behind the mask of the evil El Oscuro, who had been targeting El Ligero for months). Roberts has an awesome new entrance theme, which starts with the "DYLAN - YOU SON OF A BITCH!" quote from Predator. He said he would explain himself when he wanted to, then Tasker introduced his bodyguard, Jason Logan (who was immediately barraged with claims from the audience that he does, in fact, like bananas). Tasker complained about having a terrible Christmas due to the beating he took from former charge (and new GPW Heavyweight Champion) Cyanide at the end of 2012, before Ligero and Cyanide made an appearance. Ligero, however, was attacked from behind and beaten down by T-Bone, making his first GPW appearance, who was subsequently revealed as filling the role of Roberts' mystery tag partner for the bout with Ligero and Cyanide later on. That explains the ring too, I guess. A cool little angle which served its purpose well and introduced T-Bone with a purpose, rather than being just another random new face.

 

Matt Myers beat Bubblegum (***1/4).

A really good match this, though the crowd was slow to react since Myers was completely new here and didn't really manage to do anything which meant the crowd cared about him. A pale, skinny guy with a nondescript appearance, generic tattoo and generic gear, he wasn't able to make an immediate impression. Over in his home NGW promotion, he had this really cool storyline where he was the ultimate unlikely underdog, who wasn't anything special and didn't stand out, but who kept plugging away, won the fans' support and eventually overcame adversity, righted the wrongs and rose to the top. Here, he obviously didn't have any of that, and he didn't have a character, he didn't try to engage the fans - he just came out and wrestled. He did, however, do that really, really well and looked a decent in-ring talent. If he is brought back for more appearances here to the point where the regular GPW audience becomes familiar with him, then he certainly looks a worthwhile and interesting addition to a roster than has been in need of a shake-up. Bubblegum was his usual brilliantly arrogant, cocky little prick self, continuing to be one of my favourite British wrestlers to watch at the moment. At one point, 'Gum rubbed his hand up and down his own arse crack, then tried to wipe it on Myers face. Of course, it backfired and the shitty hand ended up shoved in Bubblegum's own mouth. The finishing stretch was an exciting back-and-forth exchange of moves and near-falls, before Myers hit a roll-up to gain a debut win.

 

Post-match, Myers took the microphone to address the rumours that Bubblegum will likely be packing in this wrestling lark, for a good while, anyway, due to his knee injury. He said that when he broke into wrestling, Bubblegum was one of the guys he watched, looked up to and learned from.... but that that Bubblegum was a different one to what we see today. Myers said that if Bubblegum is going to go out, he should go out right, the way people remembered and loved him for. He offered his hand, 'Gum looked like he was thinking about shaking it, then spat all over Myers (and the front row), showed him the Vs, and ran off.

 

Interval, and a quick look outside revealed the snow was REALLY starting to come down now...

 

After the interval, Dave Rayne, Axl Rage, JD Sassoon, Sam Bailey and Sean Daniels all emerged again, together, walking through the crowd and heading to the bar area to watch.

 

Dylan Roberts & T-Bone (with Alan Alan Alan Alan Alan Alan Alan Alan Tasker & Jason Logan) beat GPW Heavyweight Champion Cyanide & El Ligero (***1/2).

"DYLAN! YOU SON OF A BITCH!!" Ha! Such a proper good tag match, this, I really enjoyed it. I never really took to Roberts as a babyface for all those years. I mean, he was alright, but he never struck me as anything special. On first look, his new GPW heel persona looks to be bang on the money. Now a bitter, angry, pissed-off man who is now putting himself first in order to finally achieve the success he has missed, he now has an edge and comes over like a proper star. No reason why this new role can't genuinely lift him to the top of the cards. This was full of all the character and story that GPW is so good at doing in bouts like this. As well as showcasing the new Roberts character and his feud with El Ligero, this was also Cyanide's first apprearance as a fan favourite and much of the contest was also based around Cyanide vs. T-Bone in a battle of big, strong, hard dudes. If I was someone who threw around pro wrestling cliches, I'd say it was like the irresistible force meeting the immovable object. Damn. The heels got the heat on Ligero, and seeing the massive 400lbs Cyanide making this big babyface comeback off the hot tag was something else. There was liberal interference from Tasker and Logan when opportunity arose and, of course, everyone knows that "JASON LOGAN LIKES BANANAS". Ahem. While Cyanide went after Logan and Tasker on the floor, T-Bone caught Ligero with a hanging DDT off the ropes for victory for the bad guys. This immediately sets the direction for the next few shows, with the continuation of Ligero vs. Roberts in new form, and T-Bone being a credible first challenger for Cyanide's belt. Just a wonderfully executed example of good, old-fashioned pro wrestling.

 

They did the raffle next.... where I failed to come close to any of the three prizes. Oh well, I have still got this, I suppose:

 

 

 

Zack Diamond beat GPW British Champion Danny Hope by Countout (***1/4).

An exciting, well-worked back-and-forth match between two talented and polished performers, both in good form coming into 2013. Diamond is looking more and more like a legitimate breakout British star every month, while Hope is enjoying somewhat of a singles resurgence, utterly convincing in his portrayal as one of this promotion's lead villains. No sign of Hope's manager Mel Price this time, however, which is always a shame. During the early going, Diamond held Hope's arms behind his back at ringside and encouraged a kid at ringside to hit the antagonist....which he did. COOL, thought all the kids in the building, WE GET TO HIT THIS ONE! Back inside, Hope first tried to use the ring bell and then the title belt on his opponent, but was stopped by the referee. Hope tried to use the belt again, but Diamond caught him with a Codebreaker, driving the title into his face. That looked like a finish, but Hope managed to get his foot on the rope at the very last split second to keep in it. Having enough, Hope grabbed his belt and bailed, going outside the barrier and heading to the back. Of course, because WE GET TO HIT THIS ONE, one child ran up to Hope while he sat on the floor and put the boots in!!! This caused every other kid in the building to run over to have a go themselves, until the first attacker had his legs swept from under him by Hope, and they all backed off in terror! Hope then continued his journey to the locker room, being counted out by the referee in the process, and managing to cheaply save the ugliest championship belt in British wrestling... This type of booking normally sets up something like a cage match, lumberjack match or similar, but in any case I'm glad the issue between these two isn't settled yet, as they clearly have chemistry which makes for good matches.

 

'Dangerous' Damon Leigh beat Cameron Kraze, Joey Hayes, Martin Kirby, 'The Juice' CJ Banks and Ste 'BIN' Mann in a 6-way to win the GPW 2013 Money in the Bank contract (****).

This is the third year that GPW has done the whole MITB thing that just about every promotion seems to do these days, and the third year that it has featured at 'Back With A Bang', but this was by far the most star-studded effort yet. Indeed, the other 2 have actually been the opening match on the card, the first GPW bout of the year. However, since Martin Kirby and Danny Hope have 'cashed-in' the contract to win gold in 2011 and 2012, it is now established as a pretty big deal in GPW, and being a 'Back With A Bang' trademark, it was a fitting main event for the first show of 2013.... and what a super match this was. Easily the best of these 6-way MITBs they've done so far, this was an all-out, action-packed thriller which blended character, story development, drama and top-notch in-ring excitement. It was fought under lucha-style rules where two wrestlers would fight one-on-one in the ring with the other four stood in their corners, but one wrestler could simply replace another without a tag. All six men shone brightly. So much going on:

- Dave Rayne and his cronies made it clear they were interested in this match, moving closer to ringside and standing near the barrier throughout. When Leigh made his entrance, Rayne tried talking to him in the same way he had the others, but Damon wanted nothing to do with him.

- Nick McGuire, who debuted on the last few shows of 2012, appeared during the early stages of the match, perched up high in creepy, vampiric fashion at the top of the stage, watched for a while, then disappeared.

- Kirby and Hayes, best friends who have been unable to score a decisive win other the other in an increasingly competitive rivalry, failed to get along and argued the entire match.

- Banks and BINMAN went to war with increasing ferocity, until they brawled out of the ring and through the curtain to the back, leaving the other 4 fighting it out.

- While Kirby and Hayes were going at it, Kirby looked to slip on the ring apron and went down, clutching his leg. He didn't get up. Hayes simply walked off, taking himself out of the match...

- With BINMAN, Banks, Hayes and Kirby no longer in, Leigh and Kraze went at it, until Damon locked on the STFU to win by tap-out. This gives him the 2013 MITB, granting a shot at any GPW title any time he wants.

- While celebrating, Dave Rayne again made advances to Leigh, but Damon continued to dismiss him.

 

So, a good start to the year, with multiple strong matches and capped off by a genuine early match of the year contender. Also, which is good for the start of any journey, is that we appear to have good indications of direction over this season, what with Ligero vs. Roberts, Cyanide vs. T-Bone, Hope vs. Diamond, Kirby vs. Hayes, Banks vs. BINMAN, the Island Brothers' march to a tag title showdown, an interesting new McGuire character, a reflective Bubblegum winding down and a will he-won't he storyline with Damon Leigh and the new Dave Rayne 'FutureShock' stable. Good things to look out for.

 

By now, the snow had really come down. 9-10 inches of the stuff, with drifts of 2ft in places. Going back to Bolton rather than home, I had to wait around for the 11pm train, so popped into a pub on the way back up the hill. Then, on the way back to the station, there were people slipping and sliding all over the place, and I got involved in pushing 2 stuck cars up the hill in the snow. Hindley station was whited-out:

 

 

... and things were pretty horrendous in Bolton, with more cars sliding all over the road:

 

 

I understand that the Yorkshire-based wrestlers going home from the show ran into trouble too, and were stuck on the motorway for hours. Crazy, crazy night.

 

Next show is 'Romance is Dead' in February. They also announced that June would be an annual 'Dom Travis Tribute Show' and July would be 'X', the GPW 10th anniversary event. I won't be here in February, unfortunately (breaking my 2 year+ streak of attending every show), due to it being the same day as Dragon Gate in Hertfordshire, but I will definitely be at the others going forward. After all, I do have this.....

 

 

[Mr. Noble]

Thanks for the great review Benny, nice one. And I'd just like to extend my thanks on here to all who worked on and attended this show. I was amazed at how good the turnout was considering a) TNA and b) the terrible weather.

 

I was even more astounded by the fact that everyone stayed right to the end, even after the snowfall had so obviously taken grip outside by the second half. With the forecasts, we had been expecting an impact on attendance so did some cosmetic work to the venue and put less seats out than normal but we ended up having to put extra ones out again once everyone had arrived.

 

As mentioned above, after the show most of the roster (myself included) had overnight stays in cars, at service stations, on motorways etc. and the lucky ones only had their journey time quadrupled. A show of dedication perhaps only attributed to the wrestlers and fans who make wrestling as good as it is! Thanks to all once again and we'll be back on February 22nd with GPW: 'Romance Is Dead'.