REVIEW: British Wrestling Revolution The Last Stand

British Wrestling Revolution: The Last Stand 2021
Memorial Hall; Cleethorpes
Friday, December 3, 2021
Ben Corrigan (@BritWresAwayDay)

After (what at least felt like) a loooong four-and-a-bit months since their previous show there, British Wrestling Revolution returned to the Memorial Hall in Cleethorpes for the second time since the big summer restart, rounding off their 2021 with the appropriately-labelled Last Stand.

I’d been sufficiently impressed with what I had seen back in the summer to be tempted back to the North East Lincolnshire coast for my second taste of the area’s top wrestling offering.

BWR currently run a handful of the ‘bigger’ shows held at the Cleethorpes Memorial Hall, supported with smaller, near-monthly ‘Underground’ shows at the Casablanca Club in neighbouring Grimsby (and, in 2022, additional EVO trainee events at the latter).

It’s a schedule that means that if you can’t/don’t want to come down every month (which, given it is two+ hours travel and an overnight stay for me), you can see which are treated as the ‘tentpole’ events and plan your attendance accordingly.

On this occasion, after said two hour journey and quickly checking into our guesthouses, there was time to check out a number of the local drinking establishments, the list this time including Scratching Post, Fisherman’s Arms, Message In A Bottle, Willy’s and the Coliseum Picture Theatre, all soaked up by a wonderful boxful of fish and chips (and Spam… and peas… and gravy… and scraps) from Ernie Beckett’s.

Then, it was over to Cleethorpes Memorial Hall for what looked to be a loaded event, with 30+ wrestlers scheduled.

One thing to say about the Memorial Hall is just how fantastic it looks for wrestling after BWR get their hands on it.

The somewhat-dated-looking building with its pebble-dashed concrete walls, curved corrugated iron roof and MS Word posters for tea dances and whist drives opens to become a visual treat of colour, lights and screens, with a decent-looking ring, all covered in strong BWR branding.

A very professional set-up, among the best I’ve seen in British wrestling. Attendance was noticeably down from the July event, but that one didn’t come in deepest darkest December, with the pent-up demand of over a year without any shows.

Ten-person Battle Royal

Though kicking-off at the proper advertised start time, this was almost treated as a pre-show match of sorts, taking place before the formal show open and welcomes, with ring announcer Richard Young making the introductions from an unseen location.

That’s not to say it didn’t have real stakes to it, though, given the winner was to be the final man entered in the 6-way Ladder Match for BWR’s Anarchy Briefcase later this same night. More on that later.

It also served as a showcase for some of the trainees of the EVO wrestling school who, as mentioned, will be getting their own series of regular shows in 2022.

So, in this was local favourite Jimmy McIlwee, ‘Crashboat’ tag partners Jack Bandicoot & The Pop Punk Kid, obnoxious inspirational life coach Ace Matthews, rugged brawler Dara Diablo, powerful tag team Reece & Rogan, Erin Jacobs (known elsewhere as Joe Rage) and EVO’s Bret Semtex and Big Jesse.

There wasn’t *a lot* to this, but everyone did get a chance to show off a bit of what they were all about before they were tossed out, with eliminations coming quicker than I might have expected.

It did become apparent fairly early on that this was likely heading the way of Ace Matthews, and his smug “let me help you” character with headset microphone (which remained ‘live’) was once again a big hit.

Sure enough, after much hiding out of the way on the floor, Matthew snuck back in to send Jacobs over the ropes and secure that Ladder match berth.

Battle Royals and Rumbles are a guilty pleasure of mine, and in some ways it was a shame they got this quickly out of the way, but it was easy to see why they had to on this stacked night (and, no less, they had just done a big 30-person rumble on the last show here).

After this, we had the opening video packages, with Richard Young out to take up hosting duties and formally welcome us to The Last Stand.

BWR Cruiserweight Championship - Tu Byt(c) vs. Scotty Rawk

Champ ‘The Rat King’ was accompanied by his regular sidekick ‘Rat Queen Jennifer’ against the hugely popular hometown ‘Greebo Grappler’ Scotty.

On the announced card, I did have this one pegged as a potential understated cracker, as these two have been two that have consistently impressed me in 2021.

It felt slow to get going, but when it did start getting somewhere it built into a SERIOUSLY good match. Tu Byt is all about doggedly, roughly and aggressively going for an opponent or a body part and not letting up, while Scotty has more than enough flashiness in his repertoire to make a good babyface when he is usually cast elsewhere as a baddie.

A turning point came when Rawk appeared to tweak his leg on a landing, which is the worst thing you can do against Tu Byt.

Sure enough, the ‘Rat King’ (or “Raaaatttt Boyyy” as the heckling crowd gave him) noticed and immediately took advantage, jumping on it and working it over relentlessly for the remainder of the match.

Great thing about Tu Byt is that he isn’t fancy, he’s just nasty, aggressive and tenacious. Finish came when that aggression turned overly dirty and Byt failed to break the hold, causing the disqualification.

Others may disagree, but I don’t mind a finish like this every now and then when you’re building something greater.

Rawk didn’t claim the belt on the DQ but showed his hometown crowd great strength and character as he was repeatedly put in dangerous holds but refused to quit, and will likely be even more popular here next time.

And Tu Byt, despite the loss, came out as a huge villain, not only for the way the match ended, but for the fact that as officials and BWR staff scrambled to get him off the downed Rawk, Byt went for loveable host Richard Young, shockingly attacking him.

As “Youngy’s” role was taken over by another (actually really capable) MC for the rest of the night, we would be given updates on his condition, but he played no further part on the show.

BWR Underground Championship - Will Kroos(c) vs. Brady Phillips

Somewhat of a dream match in some circles, as both of these men have been on fine form for a couple of years, making them cult favourites of the northern, erm, “undergraps” circuit, yet have rarely ever clashed one-on-one.

Indeed, this was just their third ever singles match, despite often appearing for many of the same promotions. I was at the first of those, a match on a rare London outing for Yorkshire’s TIDAL Championship Wrestling, and it was a genuine thriller on a sparsely- attended, non-filmed show, which just adds even more to the idea that it’s this much-anticipated underground dream contest.

Here for the mainly family-friendly BWR, they went with a straight-up goodie vs. baddie match, Will being the popular star of the promotion’s ‘Underground’ secondary events, Brady being the sneering heel backed up by the baseball-bat toting Ivy.

It wasn’t a match based on the big moves, breathless near-falls and crazy action that you might get between them at, say, a TIDAL, but it was slower, building purposefully to get this crowd into their story and making them care about the outcome.

And it was absolutely the right match for this audience, as by the closing moments the Memorial Hall attendees were WELL into it. It was Kroos that retained his belt to a big reaction, in what has to be considered a very good match.

And I would get the feeling that when they finally face of again in TIDAL (they seem to be almost purposely being kept apart while being built as the separate ‘aces’ of that promotion, so the eventual meeting will feel MASSIVE to followers of that group) they would have a completely different type of match again for that environment.

Good stuff, from two guys I always feel happy about seeing on a line-up.

Anarchy Briefcase Ladder Match - Ricky Knight Jr. vs. Miles Kayman vs. Callum Newman vs. Rory Coyle vs. Tyler Devlin vs. Ace Matthews

The Anarchy Briefcase is BWR’s take on the much-cloned concept of the Money in the Bank, where the holder can request a championship match at a time of their choice, potentially causing, yes, anarchy.

That word could also be used to describe the action itself, as we would find out. The diverse nature of the participants, especially with Ace Matthews added in, worked in the match’s favour and meant it had multiple elements all blending together, and wasn’t just a one-dimensional stunt show, or hardcore match, etc.

You had RKJ, Newman and Kayman as the high-flying ‘action’ type guys with spectacular moves, Coyle and Devlin bringing a more violent, dangerous hardcore edge, and Ace (and arguably Coyle as well) as a big character bringing reactions and a few laughs.

There was always something going on, though it will mostly be remembered for being a non-stop parade of huge stunts, thrills, spills and a real sense of head-in-your-hands threat of genuine danger.

Key moments included Coyle spinning a ladder on his head like he was Terry Funk, then Tyler Devlin taking it off him and DUMPING it on the heads of RKJ & Kayman on the floor, then later Knight backdropping Myles onto a ladder leaning in the corner.

Tyler Devlin took, as a Norwegian football commentator might say, ONE HELL OF A BEATING, with RKJ throwing a ladder straight into his face as he climbed the ropes, then immediately following up by launching Devlin off the top rope so he landed back-first on a ladder laid on its side in the ring. OUCH.

Later, when Devlin nearly had the briefcase secured, Rory Coyle tipped the ladder up, sending Tyler sailing clear over the ropes, crashing onto another ladder set up as a bridge between the ring and entrance stage outside, with the other ladder then tumbling uncontrollably after.

THAT one had the watching St. John’s Ambulance team immediately grabbing their kit and scurrying over.

After all this insanity and more, the finish came when RKJ and Callum Newman were scrapping on top of a ladder in the centre of the ring, Knight ended up backdropping Newman from the top down onto another ladder set up as a bridge below, then reached above and secured the case.

A breathless, somewhat ridiculous, but, undeniably, a fantastically enjoyable effort, this was a legitimate spectacle and genuinely one of the craziest matches I think I’ve ever seen live.

BWR Tag Team Championship - Second To None (Nathan Cruz & Matt Myers)(c) vs. Reese n’ Dereiss (Reese Ryan & Man Like Dereiss)

After the interval, the second half started with a completely different change of pace, and one that was definitely welcome.

Much like the Second To None (Second 2 None? Second II None??) tag title match from the previous Cleethorpes show, this was a really strong, well-worked tag team match – a great example of doing the classic tag wrestling basics well and making them have maximum impact.

Myers and Cruz would isolate one of their opponents, work them over to build frustration, then the goodies would start making a flashy comeback, only to be stomped back down and start all over again.

Really good stuff. Dereiss, another who has been a star performer in multiple promotions since the restart, fired back with a top rope crossbody, a series of kicks and a “6-1-9”, though when he went for his signature 450 splash he hit nothing but canvas, setting up Myers catching him with a superb-looking DDT for the title-retaining three-count. I liked this.

BWR Women’s Championship - Gia Adams(c) vs. Jenny McIlwee

McIlwee is widely known elsewhere as Jenny B, but in BWR portrays Jimmy McIlwee’s cousin so is named accordingly.

Gia is another member of Second To/2/II None and was here cornered by stablemate Miles Kayman. This was mainly a showcase of Gia, setting her up to this crowd as a dominant force who brushed Jenny aside with aggressive, powerful moves.

Which was fine, for what it was. The most interesting part in all this came afterwards, as Kayman took the microphone to issue a challenge on Adams’ behalf, to be answered moments later by Gia’s seeming eternal rival Taonga.

Indeed, I think there’s hardly a promotion in the north that hasn’t seen these two clash this year. I did think Taonga displayed great star presence while coming out at the end here and sending Second To None packing, and there’s your direction for the next BWR Women’s Championship situation.

Tyler Owens, Antonio Gonzalez, Joe Lando & Hard Man Dan vs. Tom Thelwell, Leon Slater, Jack Turner & Jet Martial

On a show that already featured a 10-man rumble, a 6-man ladder match and five other title bouts, this eight-man tag might have felt like excess, but was included to make up for BWR’s recent ‘Youth in Revolt’ tournament in Grimsby which had to be cancelled.

Instead, all eight of those originally booked for that series were put in the match here, which was now being treated as the tournament’s first round, with all four on the winning side advancing to the next stage.

This was fine, with everyone getting a chance to come in and show some of their stuff, however brief. The most notable thing, though, was the audience selecting HARD MAN DAN, the unassuming lad with a great name, as their new cult favourite, showering him with chants and songs (including a take on William Regal’s ‘Real Man’s Man’ that was just inspired!).

Despite all the support, it was Tom Thelwell, Leon Slater, Jack Turner and Jet Martial that advanced in the Youth in Revolt tournament, meaning Hard Man Dan wasn’t as Hard as everyone first thought (though ‘Not Youngy’ the ring announcer did make sure afterwards to plug that Hard Man Dan would be appearing on the EVO shows in Grimsby in 2022!).

Thelwell is someone who has been making a strong name for himself across the north of England this year, so it did seem a tad strange to see him limited to a small role in this, though with him on the winning side, and the point of Youth in Revolt being to introduce new stars to the BWR audience, I’m convinced he’ll have a bigger role to play.

BWR Heavyweight Championship Robbie X (c) vs. Joe Hendry

Joe Hendry is perhaps best known for his singing entrances, where he will adapt a well-known pop song into something relevant to his opponent/match/location, include a cheesy video and then mime it on his way to the ring.

Well, he was about fit to start a riot in Cleethorpes with his version of Ronan Keating’s “When You Say Nothing at All”, including lines such as “Cleethorpes awakens a rage that’s inside me” and a chorus that concluded “I can’t wait to drive back to Scotland, so suck on ma baws; No point bringing merch (you’re so poor); You’ve got no money at all”.

Though it does attract some travelling fans (*raises hand*), I’d estimate at 90+% of the BWR audience being locals, and Hendry’s dissing of them and their local area like this (and in such a clever way) stirred up a massive heated reaction and threw everyone fully behind champ Robbie X, making for an atmosphere worthy of the main event position.

And that atmosphere elevated everything they did in the match and gave it added drama – Robbie going for his X-Clamation cutter, Hendry taking over with his big, powerful amateur wrestling-style slams etc.

It all made for good drama. As it felt like the bout was drawing towards its closing moments, the pair exchanged a series of back-and-forth strikes in the middle of the ring, before Mr. X showed his own power by getting Hendry up from a deep squat into a Death Valley Driver and followed up with a standing shooting star press for a near-fall.

And, sure enough, there was a gigantic cheer moments later when Robbie did manage to hit the spring-back cutter, keep the title for the “home” fans and send Hendry homeward to think again.

Like much else on the show, I genuinely enjoyed this and thought it was a perfect way to end the show…or was it??

As champion Robbie celebrated in the ring, new Anarchy Briefcase holder Ricky Knight Jr. emerged? Was he going to take his title match here and now..??

Erm, no, he wasn’t. RKJ instead explained he wants to be able to say he beat Robbie X at his best, and so is only going to, ahem, ”cash in” his contract when he’s ready to give the best match possible.

I really like the story they are telling with Robbie X and Ricky Knight Jr, setting them up as both equals and rivals in the current era of BWR.

They were part of a three-way to open the first show back, then both the first two and last two in the Riot Rumble to determine the new champion.

Now, Robbie holds that belt, but Ricky has that briefcase that effectively makes him top contender and guarantees another showdown.

But we weren’t done there, either. As people started to make their moves away, someone in a hoodie jumped in the ring and started beating on Robbie X.

The locker room emptied to pull him off, then the hood came down to reveal Joseph Conners, long-time megastar to the Grimsby/Cleethorpes-area wrestling scene, who had been absent due to the ongoing belief he was still under contact to WWE’s NXT:UK brand.

That sent Wrestling Twitter into a spiral of speculation and rumour all night, before it became apparent that Conners is no longer with the Enfield outfit and is therefore BACK in British Wrestling Revolution.

An effective angle that got a reaction. For a second time, I thoroughly enjoyed what I saw from BWR in Cleethorpes. In fact, I’d say this was a better overall show than the last one, with several good matches, with plenty of stuff set up going forwards, and more questions that need answers.

The style/presentation of the shows here, family friendly wrestling with strong goodies and baddies, yet with advancing show-to-show storylines to get your teeth into, is one that always appeals to me, and already has me looking down BWR’s list of announced 2022 dates in order to schedule in my next visit…

REVIEW: British Wrestling Revolution The Last Stand

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