This week, writing about wrestling should be easy. We’ve just had the Elimination Chamber PPV, the Wolves have just become the TNA Tag-Team Champs, and the WWE Network has just launched. However, there’s one hot topic that stands above them all…
Last week, after I had a go at an individual at a Ring of Honor show, I was quite literally inundated with an email telling me how harsh I had been.
It got me thinking. These guys actually pay money to go and support wrestling organizations that are not mainstream, and not on TV. Guys that wear mustard shirts and P1 gloves are the ones that actually support wrestling, and actually part with hard cash to go and see a live event.
There was only one thing for it. I got all Jack Kerouac, and decided it was time for a road trip. A road trip where I would go to see a live wrestling show. Distance was no object. I would travel as far as it took to take in some live action.
Saturday lunchtime, and the road trip began. A road trip which saw me travel over 100 miles just to take in a wrestling show, just so I can report back to you, just so I can have some inner peace once more after my savage attack on the fashionista from ROH. Now that’s dedication for you. Not many people would go to lengths like that just to write about wrestling.
The first half of the journey, (the actual physical journey, not the emotional one) was fairly uneventful. In fact, the only thing worth noting was that exactly at the half-way point, we decided to stop for a while and noticed, by sheer coincidence, that my football team was playing in that very town! Imagine my surprise!!! We had plenty time, and so decided to take in the match before continuing on with our journey…
And so, five and a half hours after setting off, and a quick detour back home to change into a mustard shirt (I could not find my gloves anywhere!), we reached our final destination – a real live wrestling show.
SWE is a local company in Dundee. You may well have heard of them as my fellow SLTD writer George has interviewed quite a few of their wrestlers for this very site. You can find them here.
Tonight (22nd February), they had a show on in Dundee – their monthly Uprising event.
Now generally, I’ve always avoided this type of show after a bad experience with British wrestling a few years ago, when almost everyone on the bill was a fake ‘Taker or clown, so I really wasn’t expecting too much. However, SWE soon showed me the error of my ways.
The first thing that struck me when I arrived – about an hour before bell-time – was a queue that went out the door. Once I got inside, the next thing I noticed was how professional it all looked. The ring itself looked great, the barriers gave that authentic “WWE” feel, and they even had a large screen showing the action. Cynical Grant was going to be taking a back seat for a while!
Nobody was billed as The Undertaker. Everyone had their own ring name, and I quickly found out that SWE runs storylines from show to show.
The first match on the card, Martyn Stallyon vs Scott Renwick, came about after a sneak attack by Renwick at a previous event. Mr News had previously been fired, and was wrestling tonight to get his job back – the kinds of stories you’d expect from a TV wrestling show.
That does create a slight drawback. The crowd is a mix of hardcore SWE fans, kids and casual fans who saw a poster and just turned up. To compensate, the heels have to make it pretty obvious to everyone who they should be booing. Without the aid of fantastic MFX “Boo Me, I’m A Heel” t-shirts – I’m sure you’ve all got one – they really need to lay it on pretty thick to get the heat they want.
But back to the wrestling. The show itself lasted a good three hours. It started slowly, but built pretty well to a fantastic triple-threat main-event for the Future Division title.
Cynical Grant was getting annoyed after the first match, when things were obviously going well.
Stallyon and Renwick opened the show in style, set the tone for the night, and looked like they belonged. The card looked well thought out, the timing of matches seemed good, and we even got the distraction of a ring announcers’ feud. Even to the first-timer, it all pretty much had some kind of logic to it.
Mr News returned without a contract, then won his job back after beating Christopher Saynt. SWE Heavyweight Champion Ian Ambrose pulled double-duty and successfully defended his title twice on the same night, beating Joe Hendry and Gabriel Angelfyre, and still came back for more!
LJT and Scotty Riccio served up an excellent Luchador-style match, with plenty of high-flying, all-action moves. It entertained the crowd, with not one “tiny man dressed as bull” in sight. It was almost as if they didn’t need it because the wrestling was good enough to go without an annoying gimmick!
I should point out something else here. SWE differ from WWE in more than just the fact they don’t need stupid gimmicks. You’ll all remember the WWE going pink for a month, and giving “a portion of the profits” to cancer research. Now…I have no problem with that. Actually, I do. One, they give a “portion” of the profits, and two, they ram how charitable they are down my throat.
SWE also donate something to charity – although you’ll find no mention of it on the website. In fact, I couldn’t see mention of it anywhere.
“Us Together” is a charity set up to give single parents the chance to get together, and help each other out. One of the things they do is take kids to events like wrestling or football. I got to know them through football, and recognized them when they came in. SWE had given them tickets so single parents who may not have been able to afford the show could take their kids.
Now this is relevant to my experience, mainly because I know these people. Sometimes parents go to events because the kid wants to go, and the parents aren’t really that interested. In a wrestling sense, that means they’re not fully invested in the product. So the kids have a great time, and the parents sit at the back – like Cynical Grant – kinda paying attention, but way too smart to be fooled by it.
Then Steve Magners made an appearance. Chaz Phoenix was hot on his heels and attacked him with a kendo stick, followed by a steel chair. Suddenly the “Us Together” parents were on their feet, totally engrossed in what was going on. They bought into it, every one of them.
Another difference to the WWE model was the main-event – a triple-threat affair between Future Division Champion Viper, Debbie Sharp and Sammii Jayne. While Divas matches in the WWE are basically an excuse for the audience to go and do anything else, this was a real wrestling match, with no dancing, no 12-person tags and no screaming in an attempt to get heat.
It was three wrestlers, who just happened to be female, and SWE were confident enough to let them go out and close the show. All three of them performed well, and repaid the faith the SWE had in them with dives through the ropes, top-rope action and an ending that saw a new champion crowned, with Sammii Jayne coming out on top, thanks to some help from Ian Ambrose.
The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed that I’ve gone into some detail about the event, which isn’t something I usually do. The reason I generally avoid it with TV shows is because I never remember the details. Elimination Chamber was less than 12 hours ago and it was so memorable that I had to go back and check who opened the show.
SWE gave me a show I remembered, even after watching WWE ignoring their customers again. That’s how good the show was. SWE gave me a real insight into how good wrestling in the UK is, and how a show can be put on in a community centre, in front of 400 or so people, and actually be entertaining for everyone.
Live wrestling in the UK, at least in this instance, proved to be more memorable than a WWE PPV, and I was pleasantly surprised at that. The ticket prices were reasonable, cheaper than going to the cinema, and that’s for a 3-hour show.
All in all, it was a great night out. I honestly can’t speak highly enough about SWE. They put on a professional looking show, entertained a crowd for three hours, and absolutely changed my attitude about local independent wrestling in the UK. The wrestlers looked the part, played the part, and showed you don’t have to be 6’6”, or built like the side of a house, to get over with a crowd – you just need to put on good matches, which make sense and are well booked.
It’s not rocket science, but it’s refreshing when you see it, especially if all you ever see is WWE. Or TNA up ‘til a few months ago…
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to get all Mick Foley on your ass and get in a cheap plug.
For anyone who’s never listened, the MFX Podcast really is worth a go. Duckman and Sir Ian may not always stay on topic, but between them, they reignited a passion I have, and they’re the reason I take the time to write for SLTD. In a week where Elimination Chamber disappointed, the one thing you can be sure of is that the MFX Podcast will find something other than The Wyatts vs The Shield to talk about, and honestly, listening to the show will be some of the most entertaining hours of any week.
As always you can follow me on Twitter @GrantCookDFC or you can leave a comment at the bottom of the page
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