REVIEW: Sovereign Pro Wrestling - First Reign

*Credit: Sovereign Pro Wrestling/@elliottt93*

Sovereign Pro Wrestling: First Reign
Trinity Sports Centre, Manchester
Saturday, October 1, 2022
Reviewer: Paul Norrington (@pnoz888)

First Reign, first time in the game. I have to confess to knowing very little about the British Wrestling scene before this event, bar watching 'The Last of McGuinness' a few years ago out of general curiosity.

I used to watch a lot of WCW and WWE but even with the larger USA based promotions, it had been many years since I paid much attention to wrestling full stop. John Cena was brand new when I was just falling out of touch with it all if that's any indication.

The night was being promoted by Shotty Horroh who I have a lot of respect for and have always been a big fan of. This, plus the fact I'd not really kicked back into social mode fully in the months since lockdown ended, meant I was tempted enough by what I saw on social media to buy a ticket.

I'm very, very glad I did. Despite being booked on a night where NJPW, 1PW and Odyssey Pro Wrestling were also running shows in the UK, it's to Shotty's credit (and co-owners Ryan Skillit and Zubie Baig) that the event was sold out. Taking place in the 500-capacity Trinity Sports Centre in Hulme this was no small feat.

In actuality, there were a few seats left empty in the stands but this was due to a national rail strike that happened on the same day causing problems for many travelling fans. It didn't really impact on the show either with energy levels from the crowd being absolutely insane throughout the night and the chanting near non-stop.

Doors opened around ten minutes late but there are always going to be teething troubles with any first-time event. Ryan Skillit came out and thanked the crowd for our patience and welcomed us all to the show which was a nice touch.

I really didn't have a clue what to expect and even had lingering doubts I'd end up watching a sub-par take on ECW or a throwback to the Giant Haystacks days, but within minutes of the show starting all my doubts and fears were allayed.

The only tiny negative I could point out if you really, really forced me to say something bad was that the music at times drowned out Ring Announcer Lincoln Jack who did a sterling job throughout and was brimming with charisma.

That one tiny point aside I thought the production levels were great, the level of skill showcased in the ring was jaw-dropping and the whole thing far exceeded my expectations. An extremely professional show that was on a par with anything I'd seen in my younger years from WCW or WWE in the flesh.

Tom Thelwell vs Maverick Mayhew

A really strong opening match. Thelwell came in to a serious 'hometown hero' reaction from a very vocal crowd, though Maverick clearly had a lot of fans in attendance.

Early pressure from Thelwell after an initial collar and elbow tie-up with some big knees being thrown and an impressive dropkick in the mix. Mayhew managed to recover and turn the momentum around with a truly stunning Swonton Bomb off the top buckle and some vicious kicks of his own.

This was quite an even match throughout with control of the bout yoyoing between the two at a fast pace. Toward the end, Thelwell hit Mayhew with a savage spear, then finished things in style with a slamtastic double under hook suplex after which he covered Mayhew for the 1, 2, 3.

RJ Singh vs Benjamin Black

RJ Singh entered to a massive pop from the crowd. Early in the match, Black hit Singh with a stinger of a suplex putting him down for a two count. RJ responded with a crossbody off the ropes but was caught in mid-air and slammed hard.

Black followed this slam with a submission hold that looked to be a mix of a half nelson and a sleeper hold but it wasn't enough to finish the match. RJ fought back with a flurry including a head kick, flying clothesline and some knee drops and elbows which resulted in Black being put down for a two count following a brainbuster style drop from RJ.

Black bounced back and caught RJ in a brainbuster-style drop of his own and got the pinfall. As RJ lay prone and dazed Kelly Sixx ran in from the crowd and attacked RJ with a spinning take on a powerbomb.

A cool match overall but I had to feel for bad RJ as on a night where momentum shifted quickly in most of the matches, he seemed to come off as the biggest victim of a beasting. A bit of a slaughterhouse you might say. There was offence but Black didn't seem fazed by it.

Aurora Teves vs Lucia Lee

This was my second favourite match of the whole card. Both ladies got a huge reaction from the crowd and Aurora's ring attire came across as the fanciest of the night so far so full marks for effort.

Lucia kicked things off by drinking from a bottle of water which kicked off a massive "stay hydrated" chant and clap around Trinity which went on for a good few minutes.

As the chant cranked the atmosphere both Aurora and the referee accepted Lucia's offer to take a swig from the bottle too. Random but highly entertaining. Aurora caught Lucia with a pacy arm drag takedown before applying an arm bar which Lucia reversed into an arm drag of her own.

Both then threw a few kicks which were either dodged or caught by the other. Aurora then caught Lucia with a head-scissor takedown and a headlock. Lucia turned the tide with a flying elbow and dropkick resulting in a 2 count. Aurora then put Lucia down for a couple of quickfire two counts, one following a roll up and one following a suplex.

They then knocked each other out resulting in the ref starting a ten count but by number six both were back on their feet. The two count fest then continued - Lucia kicking Aurora up against the turnbuckle before attempting the pin and Aurora trying to get the win after a neckbreaker-style suplex.

After a lot of back and forth, Lucia caught Aurora in a fireman's carry, turned on a helicopter spin and dropped her on her head. Big drop. Big, big drop.

This still only resulted in a two count but Lucia applied a submission within seconds of the kick-out and got the win all the same. A truly amazing match with some great athleticism. Very much my style of wrestling.

Iestyn Rees vs HT Drake vs Kidd Bandit vs Commander Stephanie Sterling vs Simon Miller vs Ian Skinner vs Big Guns Joe vs Smashing Mike - Sovereign Pro Crown Cup

Chaos. Utter chaos. Miller, Big Guns, Rees & Kidd Bandit were the first to enter. Miller got a hero's welcome that topped that of Thelwell's.

Rees’ manager James Roach did a good job of working the crowd "LOOK AT HIM!, LOOK AT HIM!" though I will note for a man that was baiting fans on Twitter about the train strike saying things like "haven't these peasants heard of limos?!" his attire looked more Primark than John Lewis.

Bandit got a huge reaction too, probably the only one of the night that rivalled the crowd's enthusiasm for Miller. After Bandit ran into the crowd and struck a few poses the fighting kicked off. Miller and Big Guns spilt out of the ring fairly quickly, Bandit rocked with Lees with a head scissors but then got caught attempting a crossbody and suplexed hard.

Miller reappeared in the ring and threw Rees out which resulted in a heavy brawl outside the ring between the two. Big Guns rallied back a little at this point slamming Bandit before Miller reappeared catching him with a big chokeslam.

Scrapping between Bandit and Rees went down the entrance aisle and into the backstage area at this point with the in-ring focus remaining on Miller who punished Big Guns with a few brutal elbows before Guns recovered and put Miller in a Boston Crab.

During this initial melee, Ian Skinner entered but avoided confrontation and hid in the crowd. He was quickly chased out by Smashing Mike who came down the aisle and went straight for him.

HT Drake then entered just as Miller got a pinfall on Big Guns Joe. It was seriously hard to keep up with everything by this stage - Drake hit Miller with a drop kick off the buckle just as Skinner pinned Mike.

Bandit attacked Miller with an inflatable toy prompting a vocal chant of "ONE MORE TIME!" from the audience only for Miller to block the second attempt and power bomb Bandit.

Commander Stephanie Sterling then entered with a little spot on the mic and yet another huge pop from the crowd. Sterling then performed a hugely impressive double chokeslam on Miller and Bandit followed up with a clothesline off the second buckle on Bandit.

Drake tried to come off the corner post and ambush Sterling but was caught, power bombed and pinned. Rees reappeared at this point, raked Sterling's eyes and got the pin on Sterling.

Miller snuck back into proceedings, rolled up Rees from behind and got the 1,2,3 which was quickly followed in amusing fashion by Skinner rolling up Miller from behind to get a 1, 2, and 3 of his own.

The crowd was going absolutely nuts at this point and one of the loudest chants of the night "FUCK EM UP BANDIT! FUCK EM UP!" broke out. Bandit attempted to oblige with a moonsault but missed, then caught Skinner with a huge slam and ended the madness.

Shotty Horroh and a few wrestlers from backstage entered the ring and presented Bandit with the cup as streamers were flying and the applause was deafening.

A really great match with some brilliant wrestlers and fan interaction. I'm personally not into the battle royale style of match as much as regular one one one's or tag teams, but it did the job perfectly and was definitely a highlight of the card all the same.

Match 5 - The 87 (Big Wavy Roy Johnson & Alexander Roth) vs Close Personal Friends (Joe Lando & Danny Black)

This was one of my most anticipated matches of the night as Big Wavy had caught my attention with some wicked banter on Twitter in the run up to the event.

It was also one of the most physical matches of the night. Early on the 87 laid a pretty savage beatdown. Heavy kicks. Heavy hands. A CPF chant broke out in the crowd and they rallied a little putting Big Wavy down for a two count following a dropkick.

A moonsault on Big Wavy produced another two count quickly after. A quick turning of the tides then ensued with advantage switching between the teams quite rapidly. Big Wavy threw Danny Black over the top rope.

CPF countered with a double dropkick on Wavy off the buckle. Roth got suplexed into the turnbuckle, Big Wavy landed a massive clothesline, more like a flying larriet, and got a two count.

Joe Lando got caught in the 87 corner for a few minutes and took a serious battering - hard chops and stomps. The crowd fired up yet again with a "HEY HO LETS GO!" chant spurring CPF on to fight back and land a headkick or two. Roth caught one of the CPF guys with a 'razors edge' straight out of a vintage WWE pay-per-view.

CPF missed a couple of moonsault attempts, Big Wavy caught one of them with a spear Goldberg would have been proud of but still only got the two count.

After a lot of very brutal action (both CPF guys but Joe Lando, in particular, had some massive welts and visible red raw patches on their backs by this point) the 87 landed a deadly finisher with Roth coming off the ropes onto one of the CPF guys as Wavy held him aloft, open prey to be eaten up. 1, 2, 3 done.

I have to say as much as I was personally rooting for The 87 in this one the athleticism of CPF left me nearly speechless. They were doing suplex, dropkick and moonsault variations that I don't even know the names for.

Like Edge & Christian or The Hardy Boys times ten. Incredible. A little bit of pantomime went down after the bell with Wavy offering his hand out to one of CPF to shake before revealing it to be a fake gesture of goodwill and laying a further smackdown on the smaller team.

Joey Hayes vs Danny Duggan

As Lincoln Jack started to announce this match some music came over the PA and he was interrupted by Sam Gradwell who came out and informed the crowd he was now with SovPro and gave quite a heartfelt speech about those who have worked so hard for many years in the UK scene and put their bodies on the line.

After he exited the ring the action got underway. Hayes wrapped up Duggan with a wristlock and armbar then landed an early two count followed by two more in quick succession, each of which Duggan bridged out of.

Duggan applied a bizarre lock on Hayes wrapping Hayes's own arms around himself but Hayes was able to get free and land a splash on Duggan after ducking a couple of big clothesline attempts.

Duggan then took control for a while punishing Hayes with some big chops in the corner and working his legs over resulting in a two count. Hayes then fired back, reversing an Irish whip off the ropes and landing a clothesline of his own before getting a two count from a leg sweep.

Duggan applied a crossface to Hayes but Hayes was able to reach the rope with his foot preventing the submission. A few chops and slaps were then exchanged centre ring before Hayes landed a spinning head kick for yet another two count.

At this point, Kelly Sixx reappeared and distracted the referee whilst Leyton Buzzard entered the ring and slammed Hayes. Duggan seized the advantage and suplexed Hayes before getting the pinfall.

They savaged Hayes as he was on the floor and delivered a spot on the mic informing everyone and anyone at SovPro that if they mess with the collective (Killective) they will "get killed".

Mariah May vs Harley Hudson - "If It's Pink It's Legal" Hardcore Match

This was my most anticipated match on the card. I find Mariah to be hilarious on socials and I've always been a sucker for a blonde. Shallow as a fork? Maybe, but at the same time I've got a huge amount of respect for her abilities in the ring so take it with a pinch of salt. Mariah had me laughing hard right from the off after flipping off a fan at ringside that was giving her a bit of grief as she entered. Harley was more no frills. Pegged it down the aisle to her theme music ready to bring the ruckus. Things were pretty hectic from the off. A quick exchange of blows, May throws Hudson out, Hudson comes back in and lands more blows, and May goes for a kick and gets caught and dropped. Hudson turns to the crowd and asks "DO YOU WANNA SEE SOME WEAPONS THEN?!". Crowd go nuts. May hits Hudson with what looks like a metal tray or bin lid. Hudson fires back whipping May into the ring post outside the ring. 2 pink fishing nets were then produced resulting

in a bizarre kendo-style showdown, net blows are exchanged then May launches Hudson into some chairs in the crowd. The brawling spills right around the sports centre, Harley tries to suplex Mariah up on the tiered seats in the crowd but gets blocked, Hudson gets some stiff kicks in as the crowd chants "FUCK HER UP HARLEY FUCK HER UP!". Hudson responds by climbing the barriers on the tier and landing a HUGE splash. Definitely a highlight of the night. Back in the ring, Mariah gets a 2 count after landing a tasty blow on Harley. Harley takes back control with a powerbomb on Mariah. A pink guitar then enters the mix, the two ladies wrestle over it as the crowd chant "PLAY SOME OASIS" before Harley lands two decent blows on Mariah with it. Mariah goes out of the ring to regroup and produces a pink car license plate with OASIS written on it. She then proceeds to smack Harley with the number plate and then applies a pair of pink handcuffs leaving Harley imprisoned against the turnbuckle, arm cuffed to the ropes. Mariah gets a few kicks in then lashes Harley with a pink belt. Just as it looks like Mariah is going to deliver a serious beating having now exchanged the belt for a pink dustbin lid Harley frees herself from the cuffs and hits May

with a Stone Cold Stunner. Harley then covers herself in pink Monster Energy drink, throws a pink bin over Mariah's head and smacks her with a stick a few times whilst the bin remains firmly over her head and upper body. After freeing herself from the bin Mariah slumps in the corner and Hudson dives on her and gets a 2 count. A pink 'Barbie' bag then appears which is emptied out covering the ring in pink Lego bricks. May hits Hudson with a pink tennis racket after blocking a suplex attempt then reverses a suplex attempt of Harley's and power bombs Harley onto the lego. At this point in the match, a guy behind me and a guy on my left both say "I have never seen anything like this, it's awesome" pretty much in synch. May then produces a handbag, but hold on a minute, it's GREY, not PINK. The ref intervenes and sure enough, there is a brick in the bag. As May protests to the ref Hudson rolls her up and gets the 1, 2, 3. Crazy, crazy, crazy. This was a ridiculously high-quality match which could have been the main event in its own right. Mariah gets on the mic and produces a cake saying it's for Harley, it's from Waitrose a posh shop where Harley can't afford to shop. As May goes to splatter her with the cake Harley reverses and slams Mariah hard into it leaving her absolutely covered with cake from head to toe. Phenomenal.

Warhorse vs Malik vs Joseph Conners vs Levi Muir - SovPro World Heavyweight Championship

Entrance wise I was really impressed with Levi Muir who came down the aisle and headed straight to the fans with a big "What's up Manchester?!" all smiles. Great enthusiasm and charisma.

Malik was also amusing refusing to give a few fans a high five but in a comedy cocky fashion rather than outright ignorant. The four competitors passed the mic around, having a bit of a war of words, before Malik's manager, Kosta K, grabbed the mic and told everyone Malik was going to be the first SovPro heavyweight champion. This guy had some real energy and humour as a manager and his mic skills seemed a cut above a lot of the others over the course of the night.

As with the Crown Cup match, things were just absolutely hectic from the bell onward. Malik opened up by drop-kicking Warhorse, Levi hit Conners with a clothesline Conners responded with some swift kicks, and Warhorse threw Conners into the corner and landed some heavy chops.

The action then spilled out of the ring with Warhorse putting a pretty substantial beatdown on both Conners and Levi. Malik joined the fray landing some big elbows on Levi then started savaging him on the barriers.

Warhorse and Conners then ended up in the tier seats right behind where I was sitting exchanging some SERIOUS chops that Ric Flair would have been proud of.

Levi joins in the brawl and Conners moves things up a notch leaving both Levi and Warhorse grounded and in pain. Nothing too technical at all - a suplex attempt by Conners on Warhorse was blocked, but Conners unfazed just went back to kicking and chopping the opposition out of his way.

Back in the ring and Warhorse lands a double dropkick on Malik and Levi and gets a two count on Levi. Levi tried to suplex Malik off the top buckle but gets interrupted by Warhorse.

Things got hard to track at this stage, Levi hit a series of two counts on the others - after a powerbomb on Malik a crossbody on Warhorse and a splash off the corner onto Malik.

Kosta tries to interfere and gets sent away backstage by the referee. Malik and Warhorse then traded over-head backdrops and Warhorse hits an elbow drop off the top rope resulting in a two count.

Warhorse then turns his attention to Conners and lands a powerbomb but the referee is absent so there is no one to deliver a count. The crowd chants a count getting well past the three mark.

Levi and Malik then start brawling outside the ring again and Warhorse dives outside and splashes Levi. As Warhorse reenters the ring Conners hits him with a neck breaker and gets the 1, 2, 3. Conners is crowned the first-ever Sovereign Pro Wrestling Heavy Weight champion.

After the bell, there's a slightly strange fracas with Simon Miller running out to confront Conners whilst several SovPro staff try and hold him back. After Miller unsuccessfully tries to fight his way through Conners makes his way back down the aisle but not before slapping Shotty Horroh's cap off his head. Whether this was a work or something genuinely unplanned it was hard to say, very hard.

All in all a highly emotionally charged night, from Shotty's heartfelt opening speech in the ring before the first match, right through to the end. To think I only paid £15 plus £2.50 booking fee is insane as this was easily on the same level as WWF and WCW shows I paid similar or more to see over twenty years ago.

I left pretty gobsmacked and really, really hungry for more. Huge congratulations to all the wrestling talent, the promoters, the venue staff and the crowd for what was an amazing night underpinned by a hugely strong sense of community.

First Reign will definitely NOT be my last.

REVIEW: Sovereign Pro Wrestling - First Reign

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