The World Wide Wrestling League have been putting out a few shows for their Workin’ Man’s Wrestling series, events held in your working mans clubs, social clubs, your community staple venues where you can get a reasonably cheap pint, a nip, and the measures were done by the eyeball where a double could possibly give you blood-alcohol poisoning. So on this edition, it’s obvious where it was going to take place… a gala in front of a small gaggle of locals out for the day to be gouged at a wind swept marquee and eating chicken goujons prepared from the back of a van. I suppose Workin’ Man’s Wrestling can take many forms.
Hera defeated Piper Reynolds by submission.
There was no music or introductions, it was just sink or swim for the wrestlers to do all the talking and create the stories from scratch. Referee Edith Summer held the belt up, the W3L Women’s Championship graphic came up… then we were informed by Bryan on commentary that it was a non-title match.
Hera threatened to rip the arms off Piper if she didn’t leave the ring, Reynolds step out of the ring but changed her mind while Hera was posing. Piper got bullied about, her attempts to fight back being swatted away, with Hera continuing to pose after every attack. Reynolds side stepped a corner rush but was forearmed almost immediately. Piper got another opening to deliver a bulldog and a running flatliner to garner a near fall. Hera grabbed Piper Reynolds from the second turnbuckle for a Samoan Drop. Reynolds got a shoulder up so was picked up and locked into a Full Nelson and taken to the mat as the bell was called for the submission.
The kids got into the match which added some atmosphere but between Hera being over the top, to take into account the show being at a gala, and Piper Reynolds being reserved and timid, it was like oil and water. There was little by way of rest, which made the match rushed and messy, and there was a lack of flow between any of the moves.
Euan G Mackie defeated Danny K by pinfall.
Mackie controlled the opening moments with a headlock, Danny wriggled out to send Euan around the ring and clocking him with a dropkick. Mackie tried a sneaky kick to the gut but his foot was caught, then his other foot, with Danny K throwing forearms in response. A harsh camera cut went to Mackie being whipped off the ropes and sliding under the bottom rope for some respite.
Danny was in pursuit, chasing Euan around the ring but it was a ruse for Mackie to swing his elbow back to crack Danny in the face. Danny reversed an Irish Whip to send Euan into the ring post and slammed Mackie onto the apron to send him harshly back between the ropes. It wasn’t long before the tides were turned again with Euan setting his sights on the torso of Danny K, a body press in the ropes to the back was followed by a breakfast launcher knee to the mid-section, and a springboard second turnbuckle Vader Bomb completed the combination with Danny able to kick out. Mackie went back to work on the spine with a Camel Clutch, his opponent quickly slid out of a Steiner Recliner version of the hold to drive Euan’s head to the mat with a two handed bulldog.
The comeback was on for Danny K, until a a cravat leg sweep from Euan G Mackie almost dashed those hopes, slightly raising his shoulder up the with narrowest of margins. After a Sliced Bread 2 didn’t do the job, Mackie headed up to the top turnbuckle for a Total Eclipse of the Arse, unfortunately he was caught into the waiting arms of Danny, who slammed Euan to the mat. Danny connected with a full nelson sit out front slam but couldn’t take advantage as Mackie rolled over to the ropes. A trade off of forearms seemed to be going into Danny K’s favour but Euan rolled through a second full nelson sit out front slam attempt to snatch victory.
A handshake was offered from Danny K that was refused, so Danny booted Mackie to send him out of the ring.
This felt long, and it had the same issue as the first match where some portions were rushed. The Camel Clutch was especially noticeable, it could have invited a crowd response but there was no drama and it was over within seconds. Danny kept trying the clapping routine to get a reaction and it returned an out of sync array of hand smacking. It didn’t quite mesh together.
Rosie Nyte defeated Peighton Lee by pinfall.
A brief chicken chant broke out with Peighton Lee being the recipient of the comparison. A pull of the hair from the tie up had Rosie Nyte dragged into the corner. Nyte ducked the second lock up to frustrate Lee with a kick to the backside and dropkick to the front side that had Peighton seek some space on the outside. Lee hung around and didn’t see Rosie prep for flight, meeting her with a dive through the ropes and rolling Peighton Lee back into the ring. Rosie kept on top to rattle Peighton, until Lee did the rattling via an Irish Whip counter to a forearm to the face. A facecrusher netted a near fall as Peighton continued to assault Nyte.
Rosie evaded a corner charge to start striking Peighton and taking her down with a corner headscissor for a two count. Lee rolled through a final cut attempt but couldn’t escape a second go round, Lee managed to get a shoulder up to continue the match. Lee delivered a Paige Turner for another near fall as he set up Rosie for a Final Cut, Nyte broke out of the hold to spike Peighton with a DDT to get the win.
A high quality match, as she has been fairly new on the scene, this was my first Peighton Lee experience and she burst out of the gates with a lot of confidence and was on point from start to finish. She paired up well with Rosie Nyte who held the crowd support throughout, there may have been a couple bits that could have been cleaner but it didn’t detract from the overall match. I was really impressed by how good Peighton Lee was in this and I can see why she is pointed out as a future star from her peers.
Frank X. Cross defeated Marc Munro by pinfall.
After some yay-boo antics, Frank easily overpowered Marc Munro from the lock up by casually moving Munro around the ring. Marc slipped through to start kicking at the legs of Cross to try and chop his opponent down, sending Frank to the canvas with a dropkick. Munro tried to bamboozle Frank with agility and ducking and diving until a well timed knee to the mid-section sent Marc crashing to the canvas.
Frank was in control as the crowd gathered and were happy to give Frank Cross a piece of their mind. Munro and Cross brawled at ringside with Marc able to send Frank hurtling into the ring post and giving him a tour around the barrier for a chop fest from the audience. Muncro continued his barrage of offense back between the ropes as the chant from behind the barrier called for an rKo which Marc was happy to provide. Cross pushed back and connected a hard forearm to the lower back of Munro before hoisting him up and planting him with an inverted TKO for the three.
A solid back and forth match, it certainly helped that there was a good gathering around about that were cheering and booing accordingly. Munro showed plenty fire against a ruthless Cross to make for an easy narrative to follow.
Tommy Lockhart & Brian Christie defeated The Commune (Luke Aldridge & The Tormentor) by pinfall.
Brian Christie tried to prove his strongman potential to Tommy Lockhart by attempting to bodyslam Luke Aldridge. It didn’t quite go to plan, in fact it didn’t go to plan at all. The Commune tried to mount an attack but were sent back off the ropes as they made for a hasty exit out of harms way. Aldridge found a whistle and called a time out, after losing a game of rock, paper, scissors, Father Luke decided to toss The Tormentor into the ring anyway. Lockhart frustrated the Commune duo and brought in Christie to join the isolation of Luke Aldridge with his arm being the focus of the double team efforts. Brian took it to Aldridge until a missed kick gave Father Luke the opening to connect with an arm DDT and unleash The Tormentor.
The Commune took charge, keeping Brian Christie under their control with Aldridge repaying the earlier damage by focusing on the arm and shoulder of Christie. A Tor-Men-Tor Elbow got a near fall as The Tormentor continued to torture his plucky foe. The Commune were on the up until a misaimed forearm Aldridge made contact with The Tormentor’s dome which had Father Luke scrambling into a bodyslam from Christie. Tommy Lockhart re-entered the match as the ringmaster of the fireman’s carry spun Aldridge around to take out Tormentor in the process. A stereo stunner from Christie and Lockhart to Aldridge and Tormentor ended The Commune’s day with them looking up into the sky.
A solid main event to a confusing show. It was a gala, and some amount of leeway is given to the nature of the matches that are going to be primarily non-cannon bouts to provide entertainment to passing families in a bid to have them stick around and maybe buy a ticket to a show near them, it doesn’t need to be a “network special” and it’s all stuff that could have been featured in Wrestling Showdown over a few weeks as a throwback to the outdoor season.
As there was no entrance music or introductions it could have been hard cut into the bell being rung, which it was for Frank X. Cross and Marc Munro which made it a bit snappier to begin with. A few noticeable snippets of action was missed when the camera was being switched, which I can’t judge wholeheartedly because I wouldn’t know where to begin piecing together to edit a match. Luke Aldridge and The Tormentor spawning from behind a van with a double feature of an awkward confrontation with Batman made for… something, and the little promo between Tommy Lockhart and Brian Christie was a bit of fun.
Of the matches the stand out was by far Peighton Lee and Rosie Nyte which hit all the right notes for what the match was to be, the dynamic, and catering to the audience that was made up of 12% casual wrestling fans, and the rest being families out to get a go on the waltzers and be overcharged for a 99, it was a very good. The crowds came and went such is the nature of the set up, but as the show went on the gatherings got more vocal.
A curiosity of a show.
The full show is available on the W3L channel on YouTube:
