REVIEW: TIDAL Championship Wrestling - Once More With Feeling

TIDAL Championship Wrestling - Once More, With Feeling
The Parish, Huddersfield
Sunday, July 24, 2022
Reviewer: David South (@DavidSouth1980)

The previous Tidal event, two shows in Leeds City Museum, was my first time seeing the company. Despite an attendance hampered by national railway strikes, the performers put on an excellent show for those who could get there and I quickly decided to go to the following show, at the Parish venue in Huddersfield.

The setup, with the ring on the floor of the upstairs gig room was perhaps the most contained place I’ve ever seen wrestling and sat on the elevated stage, by the corner post, I felt more like a tag team partner than the audience.

With the seats taken and the crowd ready the show got underway.

Gia Adams vs Natalie Sykes

Both women came out to a warm reception from the crowd and shook hands before the match began. Those positive feelings were not to last, however.

A classic match of power vs pace, Sykes offered the occasional flurry of offence, but was regularly cut off and thrown around by her larger opponent.

Sykes’ frustration was growing, especially when she only managed a two-count following a cutter and Adams managed to get to the ropes from the subsequent arm bar.

With her opponent sat in the corner Sykes began to kick her and, after a five count and repeated warnings, Referee Scott Bell had no choice but to end the match on a disqualification.

Sykes continued the beatdown before announcing that the Tidal women’s division was “on notice”.

Joe Kessler vs Sean Only

North West Strong’s Kessler (and his lovely jacket) is an undisputed powerhouse, but Sean Only was able to use his skill and experience to remain in control of this one.

That is until he tweaked his knee leapfrogging over Kessler, an injury that was spotted and then targeted following a chop block.

Whilst this focussed assault took place, Referee Bell repeatedly considered calling the match but Only begged him not to end it. Kessler slapped on a single leg crab and Only only just managed to make the ropes.

A desperation superkick won Only some time, if only a 2-count from the pinfall, but that recovery time proved decisive as Only reversed a Power Slam attempt into a sleeper hold and Kessler was forced to tap.

Harley Harris vs Ivy - Tidal Women’s Championship

Ivy, clearly annoyed that Harris would get a championship match so soon after joining Tidal, offered her the chance to leave, take the count out loss and live to fight another day.

Harris refused, which looked to be a mistake as a dominant Ivy took much of the early running. Harris would recover though, and her fightback led to a number of near falls, from a ‘Sky-High’ Powerbomb, from a wrench off the top rope and finally from a Pedigree, which Ivy only escaped as she was able to reach the ropes.

Sensing she was in trouble, Ivy tried to use her championship belt but Harley saw it coming and caught it. As she turned to drop the belt back into the corner, Ivy rolled her up and held on for a three count.

Ivy escapes again, but serious challengers for her title are starting to mount up.

Reece and Rogan vs Violence Party (BA Rose and Jack Turner) - Tidal Tag Championships, anything goes match

Having danced to the ring to The Pina Colada song, Violence Party found their opponents in a mood to fight. There was a lot to focus on here, as both pairings fought at the same time in different parts of the room.

In the ring, an arms race took place as BA Rose and Reece started with duelling Kendo sticks, then chairs and finally with a broken crutch. Rogan and Turner fought outside the ring until a suplex into the chairs downed them both.

Reece disappeared for a while, but then returned dragging Violence Party’s third member, Jet Marshall, out via a rope around his neck.

BA went to rescue him but was cut off and received a 3D on the stage for his trouble. Isolated two-on-one, Jack Turner did his best and actually had the match won at one point, but the referee was distracted and missed Rogan tapping.

BA finally crawled back to the ring, but only to be slammed onto a Perspex window, which eliminated him entirely. Isolated again, Turner fought off repeated chair shots, but eventually the one-man concerto proved enough to keep him down and for Reece and Rogan to be crowned new tag champions.

Dynamite Lee Dawson vs Jet Marshall vs Jack Bandicoot

Back from the interval, sorely needed to clean up after the carnage of the tag match. This triple threat match, where all three competitors are like lightning also had a lot going on.

Jack Bandicoot made most of the early running, asking the crowd which of his opponents suplexes he should join in with and getting a two-count off a skinning the cat backdrop that I don’t think I’ve ever seen before.

Lee Dawson then nearly had the match won twice, first with a slingblade following knees in the corner and then following a rope assisted cutter, which Marshall broke up with a stomp off the top rope.

Marshall would then get the victory, pinning Bandicoot following a Michinoku Driver. The competitors all shook hands after the match and took appreciative applause from the crowd.

Tom Thelwell vs Joe Wade - Tidal Open Championship

Already the TNT Ultra X Champion and, for the sake of argument let’s say, ‘carrying’ the BWR cruiserweight title, “Tommy Two Belts” arrived with his usual swagger but struggled to get started against Joe Wade, particularly after Wade hit a splash to the outside.

The crowd struggled to decide who to cheer for in this one, but oddly seemed to mostly side with Thelwell and perhaps encouraged by this unusual show of support, he fought his way back in.

He ended up kicking a prone Wade so hard in the back it was hurting his foot. He couldn’t finish Wade off though, even after a Spear, brainbuster and penalty kick combination.

But an electric chair driver proved to be the key to victory, with the Mancunian Stallion hitting that and claiming another yet championship. “Thelly three belts” looks like he has a hell of a future ahead of him.

HT Drake vs Brady Phillips - Tidal Heavyweight Championship

HT Drake beat Thelwell at the last show, and his efforts didn’t go unnoticed, earning him a shot at Brady Phillips title here.

This was a classic heavyweight collision, starting with battling for wrist control, then trading headlocks and a test of strength heading into a long series of holds and counters.

The initiative eventually went to Phillips though, following a cutter off the top ropes, he was unable to capitalise though. He did then get a two count off a Lou Thesz press.

Thelwell then returned to ringside and hands a chair to Brady. Could the two champions have formed an alliance?

Brady refuses to hit HT with the chair but the distraction has given Drake enough time to recover and he hits a suplex knee drop but Brady kicks out.

Thelwell provides another distraction, taking Brady’s title but it works to Brady’s advantage and he hits the package piledriver to retain. Brady and Thelwell are both in the ring just long enough to wonder if the distraction was intended, but Brady then throws him across to HT Drake, who hits a codebreaker.

Brady says that HT deserves a rematch, without the interference, and the pair shake hands. Two successful defences and two new champions, on what was, overall, another really good show.

Tidal continue to be a promotion that more people should be paying attention too.

REVIEW: TIDAL Championship Wrestling - Once More With Feeling

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