REVIEW: Tidal Championship Wrestling - Matinee at the Museum & High Tide

TIDAL Championship Wrestling. Matinee at the Museum & High Tide
Leeds City Museum, Leeds
Saturday, June 25, 2022
Reviewer: David South (@DavidSouth1980)

What with cancellations and postponements I’ve not had too much luck getting to shows recently, so I wasn’t going to let a little thing like the rail network service being gutted by industrial action stop me from getting up to Leeds for my first TIDAL event; and a double header no less.

Having arrived at the lovely Brodrick Hall in the centre of the Museum, I took a seat and awaited the start of the show.

Matinee at the Museum

Crashboat (Jack Bandicoot and Jake Silver) vs. Violence Party (BA Rose and Jack Turner)

We began with Violence Party defending their TCW tag team championships against a couple rising stars on the UK Tag scene, Crashboat.

The match began in good spirits, but Violence Party began to get the upper hand with their power advantage. All was going well for them until Bandicoot dodged out the way of a double squash that left both Rose and Turner down.

Bandicoot then hit a splash off Silver’s shoulders but could only get a 2 count. They attempted the move again, but this time Rose was on hand to give Silver a gut wrench backdrop, which saw poor Bandicoot folded up like an accordion.

Violence Party then hit their suplex throw into a powerbomb finisher to retain.

Franco Fate vs Brady Phillips

Franco Fate then came to the ring and demanded the microphone. He said that he’d only come to Tidal to face the absolute best and issued an open challenge to anyone in the back.

The response came from Tidal’s champion, Brady Phillips, who took the match even though he had a title defence scheduled for the evening show.

Though it was an even start, Phillips decision started to look unwise as Fate took over with a backbreaker and began a sustained assault on the Champions lower back.

Momentum in the match shifted back and forth, and Fate came close to winning with a power slam having wrenched a prone Brady out of the corner by his arm.

It was not to be though and a big lariat and cactus style piledriver was enough for Phillips to win, but would it prove costly later on?

Rebecca Reznor vs. Harley Hudson - Number One Contenders Match

The winner of this one would receive a title shot on the evening show against the winner of the Lana Austin/Ivy match that was coming up.

Both of these competitors were popular with the crowd and both started their match at 100 miles an hour. They traded flips, reversals and counters and set such a wild pace it wasn’t surprising that the match didn’t last long.

Hudson would manage to keep Reznor still long enough to apply an overdrive neckbreaker and progress to the second show.

Dara Diablo vs. Nsereko

No such divided loyalties here, with the crowd firmly behind the Ugandan Warrior Nsereko. In the early running, Diablo had no answer for his opponent’s superior speed and balance, but a missed move through the ropes gave him a route in and he used powerful strikes to remain on top.

Nsereko mounted a comeback from time to time, but had no answer to a firmly applied chokehold and was forced to tap out.

Jet Marshall vs. Joe Kessler

Violence Party’s highflyer vs. North West Strong’s enforcer was the first match back from the interval. Quick shout out for Kesslers’ sci-fi looking jacket, very fancy.

Kessler threw his opponent around the ring for much of the first few minutes but was knocked to the floor, at which point Marshall hit a suicide senton, though he appeared to come off worse from it.

After some more Kessler dominance, a running knee knocked him to the floor again and Marshall bravely went for the same dive, faring better this time.

Victory would go to Kessler though, hitting an underhook suplex with some extra rotation for the three count.

Leon Slater vs. Tom Thelwell

Tom Thelwell is one of the most despicable villains on the scene at the moment and he attacked Slater here before the bell rang.

Slater rallied though, until Thelwell caught a handspring attempt and turned it into a back suplex, which began a long period of dominance for the Mancunian Stallion.

Slater would eventually get back into the match, and even nearly win it by trying and hitting the handspring elbow. The ending would prove far more controversial though as Slater attempted a small package, which was reversed with the referee eventually counting Slater’s shoulders down for a three.

He looked to have kicked out to me, but Thelwell wasn’t sticking around to debate it.

Lana Austin vs. Ivy - Tidal Women’s Championship

Main Event time. Whilst I’ve never been to a Tidal show before, I was at the CATCH show in April when Ivy won the Tidal title from Rhio. It’s testament to just how awful Ivy is that this crowd cheered for the similarly villainous Lana Austin over her.

Indeed, having not had her own way in the opening exchanges Ivy tried to leave, only for Austin to drag her back to the ring.

Austin nearly won the match twice, once with a middle rope codebreaker and again with a snap DDT but the title wasn’t to change hands in this one. Ivy eventually kicked out Lana’s legs and then applied a Boston Crab which forced Austin to tap out.

High Tide

Joe Kessler vs. Dara Diablo

Having been booed in the afternoon, Dara Diablo was cheered by the crowd here against Kessler (and his fancy jacket). Inspired by the change in crowd opinion he made much of the early running, until Kessler hoisted him into the turnbuckle and took control.

More power moves followed until Diablo hits a Lou Thesz Press and a spike piledriver for a near two count. It would end up being a second win for Diablo eventually as again his chokehold proved the difference maker.

Jet Marshall vs. Keinen Krishna

Having already lost to one member of North West Strong, Marshall got a chance for some payback with this brilliant encounter with Keinen Krishna.

The travel situation had an adverse effect on the evening attendance, with only about 50 people able to stick around but these two put on a show for those there.

Following a rapid start and some brutal kicks by Marshall, Krishna had three close attempts at winning, from a brutal German suplex, then a rope spring stomp and finally a powerbomb, to a tombstone, to an elbow drop.

But for all those attempts, Marshall would get his revenge on N.W.S, pinning Krishna after a Falcons Arrow. Excellent stuff.

Harley Hudson vs. Ivy

Ivy was supremely confident in the early running of this one, offering Hudson free shots. Hudson used the third of these to run circles around Ivy until she became dizzy and then manged to knock her down.

Hudson continued to have flurries of offense, but Ivy was always able to use her power to cut her off. Hudson went for her overdrive neckbreaker again, but Ivy dragged her into the Boston Crab.

Hudson was able to reach the ropes this time, but the Queen of the Monsters hit a gut wrench suplex and reapplied the Boston Crab, retaining her title by submission.

Tom Thelwell vs. HT Drake

As he had earlier, Thelwell attacked before the bell rang. He threw Drake into a column and then tipped over a table he was lying on.

The referee called for medical assistance and they began helping Drake back for treatment on an injured shoulder. Thelwell wasn’t done though, and stole both the microphone and an audience members pint.

He said that Drake was a nobody and he was embarrassed that he was all Tidal could offer him. This brings an angry Drake back to the ring and against the trainers advise, the bell signalled the start of the match.

Thelwell was merciless in his attack, though he was unable to finish the match, even with his spear. Following a second spear, Thelwell sensed the match was done, but made the mistake of pulling Drake up out his cover to continue the assault.

A third Spear had Drake kicking out and, firing up, he then nearly won with a top rope Codebreaker. Sensing he might be in trouble, Thelwell attempted the small package again and the pair rocked forward and back, this time it was Drake who was able to hold on for the unlikely three count and a measure of revenge.

Sean Only vs. Nsereko

An even start to this one, both popular with the crowd and both using the floor to break the others momentum. Only’s tactic was very focused around hitting his superkick, which Nsereko avoided and then one time he did hit it, the Ugandan Warrior was close enough to the ropes to break up the pin attempt.

After more back and forth Nsereko hit a running forearm, which Only was able to kick out of, but it was only delaying the end and when Nsereko hit that move a second time it proved enough to get the win.

Henry Faust and Leon Slater vs. Violence Party (BA Rose and Jack Turner)

The story of this match was the tensions between the moaning, bitter Faust and his charismatic partner. After Slater had posed on the rope for a photoshoot with .. well .. me as his cameraman, the match began.

And soon so did the Violence Party beatdown. Though Slater did his best, Faust tagged himself in whenever he saw an opportunity and back out when it didn’t go his way.

He threatened to leave his partner at various points and verbally berated him throughout. Eventually Slater had enough, and so, seemingly had Violence Party.

While Faust looked away in disgust, Rose and Turner offered Slater the chance to switch sides, which he gladly took, but not before blind tagging his partner in.

Violence Party hit their suplex powerbomb finish, but then Leon Slater added a 450 splash for emphasis and then celebrated his win/loss whilst Faust slunk away.

Will Kroos vs Brady Phillips - Tidal Heavyweight Championship

There can’t be many times that Brady Phillips gives up the weight and strength advantage, but he did here to the gargantuan Kroos.

Phillips could not get the big man off his feet until he managed an impressive body slam to take control. He focused his attacks on the back of Kroos’ neck and in a particularly spectacular moment, leapt from the mat to the top rope to suplex Kroos down.

The key moment though was when Kroos dodged an attempted cutter and Brady wiped out the poor referee instead. With the ref down Kroos applied a Boston Crab which saw Brady tap out, but with no official the match continued.

Kroos then hit a piledriver and pinned Brady, but the second referee only arrived in time to count a two before Brady kicked out.

Living on borrowed time, Brady hit a desperation lariat and then managed to get Kroos in the cactus piledriver for the three count.

Brady retains, but on another day the outcome could have been very different. It’s unfortunate that the train issues limited the attendance from what is ordinarily an easy venue to get to and from.

But the (mostly local) performers gave it their all and certainly won Tidal another fan in me. I’m booking my tickets for the next show in Huddersfield this week.

REVIEW: Tidal Championship Wrestling - Matinee at the Museum & High Tide

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