REVIEW: Catch Pro-Wrestling - Catch 5, A New Art Riot
CATCH Pro Wrestling: Catch 5 - New Art Riot
The Bread Shed, Manchester, England.
Sunday, April 3, 2022
Reviewer: David South (@DavidSouth1980)
Circumstances presented me with the opportunity to see a CATCH show for the first time this weekend. Having travelled across the Pennines again, found my way to the Bread Shed and, even more impressively, found my way ‘into’ the Bread Shed, I checked my name off the ticket list and took a position at the back of the room, not too long before our pre-show match.
Scott Oberman vs Chris Egan
Having recently made his PROGRESS debut, this was my second chance to see North West Strong’s scowling assassin in action, this time against crowd favourite Chris Egan.
Oberman made the early running in this one, though Egan recovered and even found time to tie Oberman’s hair around the rope. The two fought outside the ring, and into a raised seating area, Egan then hit an elbow drop onto his prone opponent.
It was a passionate and hard for encounter, especially for the pre-show but eventually Oberman put on a crossface submission and clinched the victory.
After a brief pause, the show started proper and to the tune of Regals’ iconic “Man’s Man” theme, the Lumberjacks surrounded the ring.
JJ Webb vs Chantal Jordan - Lumberjack Match
JJ came to the ring with Alexxis Falcon, but if the pair hoped she might be allowed help in this match, the Lumberjacks were not in agreement, and she was soon escorted to the back.
In fact, it was clear early on that the lumberjacks were not on Webb’s side, as he was trapped in the ring and beaten on the occasions he fell out, whilst Jordan was assisted to her feet and helped back in.
It was on one such beatdown that Jordan went for the matches biggest moment, a front forward flip off the top rope onto Webb and the Lumberjacks. Though the match could have gone either way, the delighted crowd cheered when Chantal Jordon hit a spinning DDT and then a brutal kick to Webb’s head for the three.
Her celebrations were interrupted though, when Lizzy Evo and Lucia Lee came out. After some tension between Evo and Jordan, the match winner left, allowing Evo to complain bitterly about why she, as CATCH women’s champion, wasn’t booked on this show.
She said that she wasn’t leaving until she, or they, saw some action. Fortunately, there was a couple of people to oblige.
Lizzy Evo and Lucia Lee vs Lucy Sky and Natalie Sykes
With the crowd on Lucia ‘preshow’ Lee’s back from the start, it was perhaps understandable why Sky and Sykes got off to a strong start. That lasted until Sykes attempted a dive to the outside that Evo and Lee were anticipating and countered.
From there the pair worked over Sykes for a long time until she made the hot tag and Sky cleaned house, earning a near fall with a Tiger Driver. All was not rosy in the Evo/Lee tag team, and both competitors blind tagged themselves in, to the annoyance of their partner.
Evo would get the win, hitting a running knee on Sykes, kicking Sky off the apron and then hitting a brainbuster and pinning Sykes. Though the pair left together, the uneasy truce between them appears to be on shaky ground.
Scotty Rawk vs Joe Kessler
Scotty Rawk, like the rest of us, was anticipating Danny Proper, rather than North West Strong’s giant Joe Kessler and was looking for a measure of revenge for his defeat to Tom Thelwell at the last CATCH show.
But it seems that Proper isn’t here and that Kessler will step in. This is the classic wrestling match up of speed vs. power and in the early going its power that has the advantage.
Following a backdrop onto the apron, Kessler keeps control with suplexes and back body drops but can’t finish the Grimsby native off. Eventually though, speed would win out as following a number of flips and kicks, a spinning kick to Kesslers head dazes him enough for Rawk to get the popular three.
The pair shake hands post-match and leave, though Kessler’s influence on the evening wasn’t over yet.
Daz Black vs Tom Thelwell - CATCHweight Championship
Credit: Catch Pro-Wrestling
Thelwell suggests that he doesn’t know who his opponent is, or what he’s done to deserve this title shot, but he learns quickly as Black uses his killer pace to take an early lead in the match.
Thelwell fights back though, brutally hammering his opponent whilst badmouthing the crowd, who seem to want to call him ‘Donkey’ rather than the ‘Mancunian Stallion’ that he seemed to prefer.
The pair traded two counts, Thelwell with a sit out powerbomb and Black with a beautiful cutter off the top rope. I thought that a spear by Thelwell had it won, but Black kicked out.
He could not kick out of the follow up pump handle powerbomb though and Thelwell retained. We then see footage from backstage of Joe Kessler, it seems that Danny Proper missed his match as Kessler had attacked him.
His target though was not Proper specifically, but his stablemate Thelwell and the CATCHweight belt. Into the interval.
Keinen Krishna vs Brady Phillips
North West Strong are all over this card, and are represented here by Keinen, whose no slouch himself in the mass department but is outmatched against the frankly huge looking Brady Phillips.
Phillips has it mostly his own way, until Keinen ducks and Phillips smacks the ring post. Krishna then has a few minutes on top focusing his attacks on that damaged arm. The fightback doesn’t last though, as Brady hits a staggering one-armed powerbomb for a close two count.
He then hits a one-armed Alabama slam type move and began to stomp on Keinens head over and over until the referee determined that he can’t defend himself and calls the match in Phillips favour.
Rhio vs Ivy - Tidal Women’s Championship
Credit: Catch Pro-Wrestling
We’re told that this match with be fought under Tidal championship rules, which essentially means that anything goes. Rhio starts strong, with a spinning heel kick but Ivy, exploiting the rules uses her baseball bat as an equaliser.
They fight on the outside, with the crowd so keen on Rhio putting Ivy in a bin, they largely ignore the fact that Ivy has been whipped into the very solid looking bar twice.
Back in the ring, Rhio appears to have the match won when Lucia Lee returns to ringside and distracts her. She’s involved in the finish too as behind the referees back she helps keep Ivy stable as she rolls up Rhio for the shock win.
Ivy doesn’t seem supper grateful for the assist though and flattens Lee with the belt after the match. The crowd are unhappy, but the stolen title goes back to Sheffield tonight.
Chris Ridgeway vs Tu Byt - 30-minute Ironman Match
Before the match starts Ridgeway decides to add one more stipulation. This match will take place under Pure Rules. Ridgeway makes a methodical start, and after a little more the five minutes Tu Byt has lost all three of his rope breaks.
Not long after, Ridgeway slaps on a crossface and, though he battles gamely Byt taps. 1 – 0 Riddy. This inspires a bit of a comeback from Byt and he applies a single leg crab but can’t get Ridgeway to give up a fall, or even a ropebreak.
Ridgeway changes his focus to Byt’s legs and applies an ankle lock. Byt pulls the pair all the way to the floor at which point he flips Ridgeway into the corner post. This opens a cut onto Ridgeway’s forehead, which Byt targets.
He applies a crossface and finally gets Ridgeway to give up a rope break. Byt stays on him though, and with a pair of Spike DDT’s and a focused dropkick he gets a pinfall equaliser. 1 -1.
Ridgeway pushes Referee Greenwood, who misses a rollup by Byt that would have put him in the lead but it’s only a short time before a long series of rollups and counters gives Byt a precious and shock lead. 2 – 1 Byt.
There are five minutes left. The rest of North West Strong to come ringside to support their talisman. Ridgeway kicks and kicks and kicks, but Byt will not stay down. There are three minutes left.
Ridgeway switches to slaps, the face, the neck and the back of the head, but still no three count. Two minutes left, Headbutt after headbutt but still no decision for Ridgeway.
He slaps on an ankle lock. The crowd are standing, begging Byt to hold on. And he does, tapping seconds after the bell rings to say that time has expired. The rat king has done it. A brilliant match, a brilliant story.
The crowd are not the only ones impressed though – and with North West Strong in the ring, Ridgeway presents Byt with an offer to join – and his own NWS jacket, which he accepts.
Though I have mixed feelings about the Bread Shed as a venue, it’s a great atmosphere but the viewing experience wasn’t always brilliant, I’ve got to say that this was a brilliant show with a main event that would grace any company.