REVIEW: Wrestle Carnival - Carnival of Champions
Wrestle Carnival: Carnival of Champions
Sunday, January 30, 2022
The Portland Centre, Nottingham
Reviewer: Tia Owen (@BlazingOptimist and @TiaOwen_Author)
Certain shows set the tone for an entire promotion. AEW had Double or Nothing, ICW had Fear and Loathing… and for Wrestle Carnival? Well, I’d argue that’s Carnival of Champions.
As the name suggests, the main focus was on crowning two new champions - one man and one woman. However, the card had plenty of other action, and today I’ll take you through my thoughts on it all.
Man Like Dereiss vs Tom Thelwell
There’s a reason the crowd chant “Dereiss is on fire” whenever Man Like Dereiss makes his entrance - he’s got so much enthusiasm. His freestyling was as hyped up as we’ve come to expect from the Lyrical Dragon, and it was in stark contrast to his opponent.
Tom Thelwell might not be well-known, but this isn’t the first time I’ve seen him; in February 2020, he wrestled Tommy Kyle for HOPE Wrestling. He’s bulked up massively since that time, and has an attitude to match; that kind of progression is always great to see.
Both men started quickly, their offence equal parts strength and speed. Considering Thelwell played the face last time I saw him, he made a great heel, annoying the crowd and making fun of Dereiss’ “0121” moniker. Dereiss was unfazed though, coming back with some impressive moves to secure the win. He’s looking to be a big player in Wrestle Carnival for 2022 - more on that later…
Pure Beef (Blake & Will Kroos) vs Reece & Rogan
Credit: Wrestle Carnival
Pure Beef have destroyed every team in their path over the last few months, and this match was no exception. The two teams wasted no time getting down to business, including some fighting in the crowd, and the destruction of a fair few chairs (not the folding variety, either!)
Though Pure Beef were the heels here, the crowd appreciated their talent - after all, not many men Blake's size can pull off such a perfect spear.
Despite Reece & Rogan having a weight disadvantage, they gave as good as they got with hard-hitting double team moves. In the end, though, this match ended like the rest for Pure Beef - with an emphatic win. If a tag team title is in Wrestle Carnival’s future, they should definitely be at the front of the queue.
Taonga vs Ivy
Credit: Wrestle Carnival
Ivy has been an underrated talent for years, and the Queen of Monsters settled into her role as an unhinged heel as quickly as ever.
To me, though, the big surprise was Taonga. When I met her later, I was amazed to find out that she doesn’t usually work as a face. You wouldn’t have known it from the crowd’s reaction, as she won their heart (and mine!) when she was surprised by the pyro in her entrance.
Taonga’s million dollar smile was backed up by some million dollar moves; her bridge is a thing of beauty. With all the recent talk about diversity in pro wrestling, it was awesome to see a BAME wrestler showing such prowess.
Though there wasn’t a storyline going into this match as such, Taonga and Ivy bounced off each other brilliantly, with the latter very close to getting a count out victory at one point.
Despite Taonga’s determination, Ivy was one step ahead: a sneaky, hair-choke assisted backstabber got her the win.
King of the Carnival Championship Gauntlet Match
Credit: Wrestle Carnival
Okay Tia, deep breath…
I’m going to fight the urge to make this section 100 repetitions of “CROWLEYYYY”, and start by saying that this was an outstanding showcase for everyone involved.
With the format of this match (starting as a Rumble, then turning into a standard singles match when it gets down to the last two competitors), it would be all too easy for performers to get lost in the shuffle. That certainly wasn’t the case here.
Whether it was Dean Allmark shoryuken-ing into a kick, Chris Ridgeway twisting people into pretzels, or Tommy Kyle telling a screaming Charles Crowley to “shut up”, everyone got their moment to shine.
Gradually, though, the field was whittled down. In the end there could only be one winner - but who that was - and how it happened - shocked everyone.
As my friend pointed out to me, Charles Crowley doesn’t have the best record when it comes to Rumble-style matches. Add to that how the Portland Centre is none too fond of the Ultimate Showman, and I was worried we would see history repeat itself. Instead, history was made.
After scurrying out of a submission attempt, Crowley rolled Chris Ridgeway up for his first loss in Wrestle Carnival, becoming its inaugural champion.
To say I was ecstatic was an understatement. After my previous chance to see him win a title was canceled by COVID-19, this felt like it was long overdue.
It was so daring, so underhanded, so spectacular - and as the confetti fell, it seemed like it couldn’t have gone any other way.
Joe “The Answer” Hendry vs Axel Tischer (wXw World Wrestling Title)
Credit: Wrestle Carnival
Joe Hendry looks to have been using Wrestle Carnival as his own gimmick workshop lately. Leather jackets, baseball bats and Hawaiian shirts are great, but sometimes the old gags are the best.
As soon as a cardboard mask of Tischer appeared on the big screens, I knew we were in for a treat. Yes folks - it’s another parody entrance! This gave us three for the price of one, riffing on The Shining, Billy Gunn and Eminem at the same time.
Comedy bits can be hit and miss with me, but as Hendry hit the ring in full forensic garb,I was close to crying with laughter. Predictably, Tischer wasn’t impressed, and carried this into the match.
In some promotions, a performer like Tischer would be pigeonholed into emphasising his foreignness to get heat. As such, it was really refreshing to see Wrestle Carnival rise above the lazy stereotypes and instead have Tischer play the heel by not taking Joe Hendry seriously with words like “you’re nothing”, and “I’m the champion”.
It was an intense, evenly matched bout. There were lots of near falls - but despite Hendry’s momentum, Tischer stooped to raking The Answer’s eyes to put him down for a three count.
Gabriel Kidd vs Yota Tsuji
Credit: Wrestle Carnival
To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, three things in life are certain: death, taxes, and Gabriel Kidd getting a heroes’ welcome in his hometown.
This match had another dimension through the fact that Gabe and Yota know each other so well. They've wrestled countless times in Japan, and even shared a dorm - this friendship was clear from the start of the match, where they engaged in some good natured ribbing.
However, don’t let that fool you into thinking they would go easy on each other. Both men brought the strong style straight away, with Yota testing the chairs for the second time by bowling Gabe directly into them. Things escalated quickly, with the pair giving each other more chops than your local butchers. I was shocked they even had chests left by the final bell!
After ages where it seemed neither would budge, Kidd put Tsuji down with a tombstone piledriver for the win. Then, he took to the mic to address the audience, including his friends and family. He talked candidly about his mental health over the past two years, and how good coming back to Nottingham has been for that. Poignantly, even though he and Yota come from different sides of the world, they’re bonded together by the fact that “home will always be home”.
With my mental health history, seeing someone as successful as Gabe discuss it so openly was inspiring. I told him as much after the show, and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one in the Portland Centre feeling that way.
Joseph Conners promo
Credit: Wrestle Carnival
Joseph Conners’ post-interval promo struck a similar chord to Kidd’s. He looked back on his career - even taking some shots at his former employer WWE - and spoke about how throughout every high and low, his mind was his own worst enemy.
It reminded me of a similarly stellar promo cut by Drew Galloway a few years ago. “I am never getting in my own way again,” Conners vowed. The whole of the audience seemed to believe him, but one man wasn’t convinced: Nathan Cruz.
As he stalked the ring like a tiger, I realised these two BritWres veterans were on parallel paths. Both have wrestled in front of tiny crowds for tinier paychecks - but while Conners took the step up to WWE, Cruz did not. Now, they’re both back on the indies - both, perhaps, with something to prove. It’s an intriguing dynamic, and I can’t wait to see how it unfolds.
Queen Of The Carnival Title Gauntlet Match
Credit: Wrestle Carnival
And so, we come to our main event. The contenders read like a who’s-who’s of women in British wrestling, but the eight would quickly become ten, courtesy of Alexxis Falcon and Gia Adams.
As with the men’s match, all the women got individual moments. After their great showing at Carnival of Honour, fiancees Charlie Morgan and Jetta worked as a tandem to eliminate the interloper pair. But the real story here was what happened afterwards - in trying to get rid of Gia, Charlie inadvertently sent Jetta over the top rope as well! Now, that’s what I call a domestic…
Eventually, it came down to the final two: Rhio, and my personal pick, Alex Windsor. There was much more of a build than in the men’s match, and at various points it looked like either could take the gold. In the end, a sharpshooter forced Rhio to tap, and gave Windsor a second title to keep the RevPro belt company. #AlexTwoBelts, anyone?
If I thought the earlier matches had drained me of emotion, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Alex’s title was presented to her by her young son in what goes down as one of the most adorable moments I’ve seen in wrestling.
It was also great to see Crowley and Alex raise their titles together at the end of the show - a clear sign that Wrestle Carnival sees them both as equals.
But being a champion means you have a target on your back - and it was no different for these two. They were confronted by Dereiss and Ivy respectively - the standoff setting up two rising stars to challenge two worthy champions.
Wrestle Carnival has established itself in the UK scene, and now begins to chart its course for the future. There’s no telling where they’ll go next, but if Carnival of Champions was any indication, it’s going to be quite the show.