REVIEW: NGW - Eternal Glory

New Generation Wrestling: Eternal Glory 2023
Connexin Live Arena, Hull
Saturday, December 16, 2023
Reviewer: David South (@DavidSouth1980)

Having decided to get one last show in 2023, it seemed only fair to make my first trip to Hull for Wrestling, and to see NGW’s Eternal Glory event, advertised as the biggest show in their history.

The Connexin Live Arena is a newly built theatre style venue, part of the ongoing refurbishment of the docklands area. Around 1000 people came to the show, which makes it comfortably the biggest independent show I’ve been to this year.

Bit of chaos on entrance, as some people, like myself, had bought tickets on ticketmaster and could pretty much walk straight in, but some people had to join a lengthy queue to confirm tickets and get in. Doors did open on time though (take note pretty much every other company!) and almost everyone was in place for the start of the show.

Executive producer Mark “The Beast” Labbett appears on the screen, explaining that though he couldn’t be here tonight, he is watching a feed and won’t hesitate to get involved if he sees something he doesn’t like.

Reece and Rogan Open Challenge

We knew that one of the bruisers’ opponents would be Man Like Dereiss, but we didn’t know who, or indeed if, he’d manage to get a partner. He did though, and it was none other than Adam Maxted.

It was a surprise that took Reece and Rogan a while to recover from, and all the opening exchanges went to Dereiss and Maxted, with double dropkicks and frequent tags keeping them on top.

No matter what they tried, Reece and Rogan couldn’t get a foothold in the match. Reece managed to shove Dereiss into the ringpost, behind the back of the referee. He also yanked Maxted of apron when Dereiss went for a tag, but the tag did soon follow, and a series of clotheslines, and ‘Stinger’ Splashes in the corner kept them on top. He’s nearly claimed the victory with a springboard dropkick off the ropes.

Despite barely being in the match, Reece and Rogan would actually obtain a tainted victory. Maxted speared Reece and then Dereiss hit his 450 splash and would have won had Rogan not distracted the ref, then threw Maxted out to the floor.

Dereiss still tries to clinch it, hoisting Rogan up onto his shoulders, but he rakes his eyes and gets free, then they both hit a massive double team chokeslam on Dereiss and pin him.

Jack Bandicoot vs Amir Jordan vs Vusyk

This triple threat match was part of the Gen X League, which means matches with a ten-minute time limit to encourage risk taking. Vusyk starts it, flattening Bandicoot and lifting Jordan into a backbreaker.

Bandicoot recovers and jumps over the top rope with a cutter, then does his ‘skin the cat’ splash back into the ring. He tries the first pin on Jordan after a backpack stunner, but Vusyk breaks it up.

He works Bandicoot over ahead of a knockout knee strike, but this time Jordan breaks up the pin with a splash off the top ropes. Jordan lifts Vusyk onto his shoulders, but he slides free and into a sleeper hold, dragging him down to the mat.

Bandicoot hits his double bounce splash out of the corner to break that up before Jordan passes out. Vusyk throws Bandicoot over the top rope, but again he hangs on and pulls himself back in.

Vusyk is waiting this time though and now applies the sleeper to him, dragging him to the centre of the ring and down on his back. Bandicoot though has a counter to the counter and rolls backwards, holding Vusyk down long enough for the pinfall victory.

Jordan was trapped on the other side of the referee and couldn’t break it up. Jordan and Bandicoot shake hands at the conclusion, whilst Vusyk stalks to the back.

Sam Bailey vs Matt Myers - NGW Championship

After a video package explaining the length history between these two, and the introductions, Sam Bailey explains that he doesn’t believe that Myers is worthy of this title shot so, unless he signs the contract for a non-title match, Bailey is taking the count out loss and keeping his belt.

Before Myers has a chance to answer, Bailey is off, but “The Beast” appears on the screen and explains that unless he starts this match properly, Bailey will be stripped of the NGW title and fired.

In the ring, Myers goes for his stunner early, but Bailey avoids it and the heads to the floor. Myers dives out after him. He hits a high boot back in the ring and tries to pin him.

Bailey recovers and starts to focus on Myers arms, wrapping him in the ropes and working him over. He hits a spinning blue thunder bomb for his first near fall but misses a follow up moonsault.

Myers hits a clothesline in the corner and the hits his moonsault, but only for a two count. He lifts Bailey up onto his shoulders and hits an attitude adjustment, but again the Northwest Saviour kicks out.

Then the key moment of the match. Bailey tries for a Slingblade but it has a really awkward looking landing and he’s clearly in pain straight away. He gets to his feet somehow, but Myers hits his Stunner finish and wins the title.

The hometown hero takes the plaudits whilst Bailey receives medical treatment immediately and the is helped to the back.

We’d find out the next day that he’d dislocated his shoulder so all the kudos to Bailey for gutting out those last few moments to “finish the story”.

“Beast Mode” Battle Royale

OK. For clarification on how this works. Four men start in the ring, they fight for two minutes, then another competitor joins them every minute. Elimination is over the top rope to the floor. There are 13 men in the match.

The first four are Caz Crash, Marc Mathers, Zachary Rowe and Rampage Brown. They brawl for two minutes, the highlight probably being Rowe’s superkicks on everybody else. The next entrant is Hard Man Dan, who gets the first elimination, throwing Rowe out from his shoulders.

Next from the back is Ace Matthews, who has been running a vocal campaign to have Rampage Brown fired. Brown waits for him to enter, but Matthews decides to stay outside, so Rampage comes out after him.

Next entrant is Jimmy McIlvee, who quickly ends up on Hard Man Dan’s shoulders but manages to escape before suffering the same fate as Zachary Rowe. The next two entrants are Benjamin Quill and Dara Diablo. Diablo would combine with Jimmy McIlvee to throw out Hard Man Dan. In comes The Mighty Colossus and this King Kong Bundy lookalike clotheslines everyone, then throws out Marc Mathers.

Next from the back comes Rogan and out goes Benjamin Quill and Caz Crash. Jack Maxwell is the next entrant and Ace Matthews thinks he has a friend, but Maxwell turns quickly and throws him into the ring, to a waiting Rampage Brown.

Everyone else pauses to allow Brown to finally get some revenge on Matthews. After a beatdown he throws him over the top, but not to the floor and is interrupted before he can finish the job.

Into the ring comes the last competitor, Rogan’s tag partner, Reece. Dara Diablo is accidentally eliminated by Jimmy McIlvee with some friendly fire. McIlvee is then pushed out and Diablo catches him and, after some debating with the crowd, decides to return him to the apron, but only long enough for Ace to push him back to the floor in a heap.

Jack Maxwell is then added to that heap, choke slammed out by Colossus. Colossus then eliminates Rogan, but only to be immediately tipped out by Reece himself. Rampage Brown then clotheslines Reece out and celebrates, but he’s forgotten about Ace Matthews, who sneaks into the ring.

Ace attacks, but at the last-minute Rampage ducks and then clotheslines Matthews out for the win. His prize is a shot at the NGW title, at a future show.

Aleah James vs Lizzy Evo

Lizzy begins the match, controlling Aleah’s wrist. James fires up and then gets the first pin attempt following a bulldog. Evo is not pleased and ties James’ hair in the ropes and holds it for as long as she can without getting disqualified.

Aleah misses a dropkick and then the Liver Bird hits a snap suplex for her first near fall. Aleah hits several forearms and then a crossbody for a two count. It looks like Lizzy might have caught her on the top rope, but James kicks her off and hits a flipping DDT.

Aleah would miss a kick though and Evo would viciously whip her into the turnbuckles back first. As she was climbing up from the mat, Evo would hit a knockout knee blow to clinch the win.

Evo revels in the boos of the crowd, but as she’s leaving, Alexxis Falcon appears on the screen to say that yes, Evo put her out with an injury, but from April onwards Falcon will be back home and looking for revenge.

We do the Raffle whilst the cage is set up.

Nathan Cruz vs Myles Kayman - Steel Cage Match

It’s explained to us that the only way to win this match is by escaping the cage, no pinfall, no submission.

Kayman tries to climb the cage immediately, but Cruz stops him and starts to release months of pent-up frustration in each chop and kick and with three short Irish whips into the corner. Kayman responds with high boot and a suplex.

They both have attempts to climb the cage cut off by the other and both throw their opponent into the cage and crashing to the mat. Kayman, after throwing Cruz into the cage, then tries to force him through the cage, like a potato through a chipper.

He throws Cruz into the cage once more and then walks to the door, he could win the match easily at this stage, but decides to try and inflict more pain and humiliation on Cruz.

It was a mistake. Kayman goes for a cutter off the ropes, but Cruz turns it into a codebreaker. He catapults Kayman into the cage and then hits a sit out powerbomb. He climbs in the corner, looking to head over the top but Kayman’s stablemates, Reece and Rogan again return to the ringside and the distraction is enough for Kayman to recover and pull him back in.

Cruz knocks Kayman back to the mat though and then hits a big diving headbutt from the cage. He tries to leave via the door, but Reece slams it closed on his head. Rogan meanwhile throws a chair into the ring and, as the referee is dealing with Reece, Kayman gets some shots in with the chair.

He lifts Cruz to his feet and puts him on the ropes screaming in his face, he goes for another chair shot but Cruz gives him a low blow, then puts him in a crossface that has Kayman tapping, but escape is the only way of winning the match.

Cruz tries to leave by the door but again finds Reece and Rogan in his path, once more they slam the door on his head, then slide a table into the ring, before finally Colossus re-emerges from the back and chases them from ringside.

Kayman sets up the table, but thinks better of using it, slams Nathan Cruz into the cage a couple more times, then climbs up. Cruz only just recovers long enough to stop him and they brawl right at the top of the cage.

Finally, after a headbutt, Cruz pulls Kayman close kisses him goodnight and then pushes him, from the top of the cage, through the table. Cruz then climbs down for the victory.

Whilst a little more family friendly than is my usual taste, it’s impossible not to admire the success that NGW has had with this show, comfortably the best attended indie I’ve been to, since a pre-covid Super Strong Style and with a level of professionalism that various other companies should aspire to.

The main event was the standout match for me, a star making turn for ‘The Golden Boy’ Myles Kayman, even in defeat, and the crowd really reacted strongly to the Myers winning the title, even if the circumstances weren’t ideal.

I’ll certainly be taking a look at the NGW shows in 2024 and trying to come back.

REVIEW: NGW - Eternal Glory

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