REVIEW: Wrestle Carnival - Pure Grand Prix & Carnival of Champions III

WrestleCarnival: Pure Grand Prix & Carnival of Champions III
Venue: HMV Empire, Coventry
Sunday, January 28, 2024
Reviewer: David South (@DavidSouth1980)

One last hurrah for the Carnival then, closing the big top after four years, two venues (for me) and too many great matches to mention. WrestleCarnival married a mix of Pure wrestling and big characters, great up-and-coming British and Irish talent and top-quality imports and this final show was no exception.

I made my way to Coventry one more time, to the HMV Empire, where the doors opened on time (unbelievable I know!). For some reason it was freezing inside the venue, colder than it was outside.

People with VIP tickets, and those like myself who paid the £5 additional fee, were able to access the “Pure Grand Prix” a three-match hour of Pure Wrestling before the main show.

Pure Grand Prix

I really liked the presentation of this, with all six competitors invited to the ring whilst the Pure Rules were explained to us. Match one was . . .

Tommy Kyle vs Sam Bailey

After Bailey offers the barest legal minimum handshake allowed, the grappling begins, and Bailey quickly loses his first of three allotted rope break to a kneebar. He responds though, stripping one of Kyle’s breaks with a Hammerlock, a fact he then delights in pointing out to the crowd.

After some more back and forth, Bailey receives his one warning from the Referee, following a closed fist punch to the face. From there the match changes styles entirely, they trade forearms before Kyle hits an enzuigiri, then a high boot near the ropes and a Death Valley driver for the first near fall.

He’s even closer moments later with a clothesline after both competitors hit the ropes. The win though would come after countering Baileys Tilt-a-whirl attempt into Tombstone Piledriver, which Bailey heroically kicked out of.

Unfortunately for the Northwest Saviour, he kicked out about thirty seconds later, after Kyle had already completed the pin, had his hand raised and left the ring.

Jordan Blade vs Safire Reed

With Wrestlecarnival’s Pure Champion, Emersyn Jayne, ill and unable to compete, Jordan Blade took double duty subbing in for this match with Safire Reed. As with the first match, these two quickly took a ropebreak from each other.

Blade rolled into a single leg crab and Reed had to use hers, but then she worked the bigger opponent into an arm bar and Blade had to surrender one. Also, as with the first match, things turned more violent quickly after.

With a high boot knocking Blade to the floor and Reed dropkicking her through the ropes. That momentum shifted though when Blade picked Reed up into a spinning backdrop onto the apron.

A series of pin attempts from Jordan Blade followed, after a half-and-half that would have won many encounters and a Fishermans Suplex. Reed replies with a standing Octopus hold, which forces Blade to use another rope break, then a forearm off the second rope.

With Blade down, Reed goes for the Radioactive running knee but her opponent ducks and applies an Ankle Lock, which she then keeps on as they both rise and Blade hits a trapped legged German Suplex.

Reed would again go to the forearm off the ropes and this time successfully follows it with the knee strike, but Blade is close to the ropes and grabs hold to break the pin. Reed quickly transitions into a Crossface though and, with no more rope breaks available, Blade has no choice but to tap out.

Chris Ridgeway vs Jonathan Gresham

It was the prospect of this match that first convinced me to go to a WrestleCarnival show back in October of 2021. That amazing match ended in a double count out and an alliance forming between the two.

Though they shake hands at the start of this match, they thrive on competition and some of the counters and reversals in this one defies description. A test of strength results in an early pin for Gresham, but Ridgeway bridges out.

Gresham manages to twist his legs around Ridgeway’s arms in such a way he can stand up and engage with the crowd and Ridgeway is unable to escape.

Later the Empire rings out with the trading of Gresham chops and Ridgeway’s kicks. Ridgeway grabs an arm and rolls into a hold which Gresham uses a rope break to escape, but not until Ridgeway has held the move to the point of disqualification. There’s not much evidence of that earlier alliance now.

The end comes when Gresham attempts a La Magistral style pin, but Ridgeway changes his balance and manages to trap a struggling Gresham down for the three count. The pair shake hands again at the conclusion.

That concludes the Pure Grand Prix, but there was even more wrestling to come…

After a bit of a break, before the Carnival of Champions show starts, Gary Ward comes to the ring and explains the reasons why WrestleCarnival is taking the indefinite hiatus but also that Wrestling will continue in Coventry with RevPro, who Gary is working for now, running their first show in this venue in March.

Carnival of Champions 3 begins with..

Vusyk vs George Lydon

Hometown hero Lydon kicks off the show with Czech wrestler Vusyk. Lydon tries to end this one early with a crossbody and then floating over into a pin after a suplex. However, Vusyk catches a second crossbody and slams him down to the mat, then tries to win the match himself after a delayed backdrop.

The match continues for flow backwards and forwards, with Lydon rolling out of another caught crossbody and dropping both of them with an Enzigiri. Lydon hits a handspring back elbow and hits a fishermans suplex for two, but the next time he attempts is, Vusyk is ready and catches him in a sleeper holder and then transitions into a snapdragon.

A cross-legged Michinoku driver should probably win the match for Vusyk but he takes some time to rub it in the faces of some of the crowd on the front row. Lydon recovers enough to clothesline him to the floor, then dive out after him. Lydon attempts the backslide pin in the ring, but Vusyk still has enough.

Lydon would get him in the double underhook then and flip him into a tiger driver for the popular victory.

Jordan Blade vs Daisy Jenkins

Back for her scheduled match, Blade again has a strength advantage over her smaller opponent which she uses in the early stages. Elbows and knees in the corner are followed by mounted punches.

A suplex got her a two count, then a brutal knee shot after a backslide feels like it must be the end, but Jenkins kicks out. Then another fierce German Suplex looks like the job is done, but no, again Jenkins kicks out.

The comeback starts from that, Jenkins scoring with running forearms, a senton and a forearm off the ropes all gaining her a two count. She puts on a sleeper hold, but Blade powers that into a suplex.

She hits a spin kick and then slaps on a sleeper hold of her own and Jenkins has no choice but to tap out.

Reece & Rogan vs Mark Trew & Keiron Lacey

Reece and Rogan attack Trew and Lacey before the bell, clearing out Lacey and working Trew over. They recover though and, with an opportunity to double team, hit an assisted elbow drop on Reece.

Lacey doesn’t see his opponent sly tag though and is squashed after attempting a sunset flip. They work him over for a long time until Lacey comes off the ropes with a crossbody. He should tag out, but a rush of blood sees him attempt a pin.

Rogan kicks out and the assault continues. The tag to Trew does finally come after an enzigiri. A suplex on Reece has him down and Rogan charges from behind, but Trew sees him coming and knocks him down too.

Trew heads to the top for a shooting star press, but Reece gets Rogan out of the way, and he crashes into the mat. They push him off the ropes and into their double press slam and the victory.

August Artois vs CJ Rawlings - Full Impact Pro Championship

Impressively, it only takes August Artois a few seconds on the microphone to get the crowd onside, not on his side, obviously, but behind CJ Rawlings – the Carnivals biggest villain of recent shows.

Before the match starts though, more music hits and they are inexplicably joined in the ring by Edgar Adams, Alex Connors and Steve Valentino. To Artois’ exasperation, he’s informed that the match is now . . .

August Artois vs CJ Rawlings vs Edgar Adams vs Alex Connors vs Steve Valentino - Scramble Match, Full Impact Pro Championship

There’s naturally too much going on to try and sum it all up here, but having badmouthed all of the competitors, they all start to beat up August Artois, they beat him down and then, as he gets up he gets a quadruple superkick for his trouble.

They manage to keep Artois on the outside, stopping him from getting involved in his own match for a long time. He does manage to get in though, coming off the top in a frog splash as Edgar Adams comes off the other corner onto Valentino.

They all line up for the Russian/American/ Pirate Legsweep, with CJ Rawlings actually instigating it with a dropkick off the top. They all dive to the floor, with the referee looking to join in too until Artois trips him after he bounces off the ropes.

The ending would come when Edgar Adam’s hits a Canadian destroyer on CJ, but only to fall victim to Artois’ high angle neck breaker. AA would pin Adams to escape with his championship intact.

Jordan Oliver vs Robbie X - Jersey Championship Wrestling Championship

This is relatively good natured at the start, with Robbie X placing Oliver’s foot down on the mat after catching a kick attempt. The first pinfall attempt comes after a beautiful senton over the top ropes into the ring by Robbie X.

He’d get another near fall following the snapmare-handspring-dropkick combination. Oliver would hit a stunner over the top rope to get back into it, following that up with a high boot.

Robbie would try to come off the top with a crossbody, only to get caught by a standing dropkick from Oliver. Oliver would try to clinch the match with the cloutcutter, but Robbie X handstands out of the move.

X hits a powerbomb but Oliver kicks out of the pin. Robbie X would attempt the X-ecution, but Oliver times a second cloutcutter and catches him this time. Oliver gets him in the corner and retains the title following an insider’s edge style slam out of the corner.

Ivy vs Aluna - Wrestlecarnival Queen of the Carnival Championship

Before the match Ivy, with the ring mic, her megaphone or just her normal voice (it doesn’t matter you can always hear her) tells us that she’s happy this is the last Carnival, as she hates the crowd here, who call her a ‘Karen’ all the time.

Ivy slams Aluna about for a little while, until her opponent fires back. That seems to infuriate Ivy, who realises that she doesn’t actually need to win this match to retain the title, so decides to leave and take the countout loss.

Aluna though isn’t having this, chases Ivy and drags her back to the ring. She doesn’t spot Ivy grab her megaphone on the way in though and a close range scream into it staggers Aluna. Ivy hits two gut wrench suplexes, then an elbow for a near fall.

Aluna hits a headbutt and then a crossbody for a two count of her own. It wasn’t to be though. Ivy would end Wrestlcarnival as its unpopular Queen, making Aluna tap to a Boston Crab after a back cracker.

Ivy though refuses to hand over the belt to the referee, saying that it’s hers and she’s keeping it. She tries to leave adn all the referees come out to try and take the belt from her, eventually they do, and the belt is ceremoniously left in the ring, as Ivy is dragged (still screaming) to the back.

Liam Slater vs Jonathan Gresham (Pure Rules)

Slater loses a ropebreak straight away after some go-behinds end up with him in the ropes. The post-modern pro-wrestler though does the same back and with a crafty little push, Gresham too is forced to give up a ropebreak.

Slater loses his second ropebreak, using his legs to escape a headlock applied for a long time. Gresham hits a focused dropkick to his opponent’s legs and then uses a figure four to strip him of his last ropebreak.

After some brutal chops, Slater responds with a snap Death Valley Driver and gains a near fall. Gresham would put on a figure four leg lock and Slater slowly crawls to the ropes; he has no ropebreaks left though.

He keeps fighting and fighting and not tapping out despite the pain. It is still the end though, as somehow Gresham manages to get to his feet, without releasing the figure four, he then leans forward and pins Slater whilst maintaining the hold. Very Impressive.

Myles Kayman vs Man Like Dereiss - Wrestle Carnival Championship

The early lockups go to Dereiss, who controls his wrist well. The ‘Golden Boy’ resorts to slapping him across the face, which instigates a brawl. From the floor, Dereiss plans to crotch Kayman around the ring post, but Kayman desperately holds on to referee James Greenwood’s legs to stop it happening.

He then pulls Greenwood into his way, as Dereiss returns to the ring, and hits a sly elbow. He starts to Irish whip the Champion into the corners, throwing his whole body into the moves and Dereiss is suffering.

Slowly the Lyrical Dragon recovers and some German suplexes have him back in it. He actually has the match won with a spinning driver, but unfortunately, in the spin, Greenwood is hit and unable to make the count.

CJ Rawlings returns to ringside and though Dereiss fights them both off for a while, a low blow from Kayman changes the momentum. They both hit drivers on Dereiss and a new referee hurries to the ring to complete the count on the new champ, but Dereiss kicks out! Dereiss catches Kaymen in a Cutter, coming of the top rope and again might have had the match won, but Rawlings pulls this second referee out of the ring.

They argue, until a right hand from Rawlings ends that debate quickly. The pair continue to attack the Champion, fetching his title belt from the ringside to use as a weapon.

George Lydon, who was Rawlings tag partner on a previous show, until Rawlings turned on him after the loss, comes to the ring and drags CJ back to the floor. Kayman still has the belt though and is stood in the corner, ready to strike. Gary Ward though, unwilling to see his last main event end like this, climbs to the apron and snatches the title away.

Kayman turns around, only to fall victim to a superkick from Dereiss, who then climbs to the top rope and hits the 450 splash. With both referees still down, Ward himself counts the final pinfall in the history of Wrestle Carnival.

Dereiss ends the match, the show and the company as the eternal champion – ceremoniously leaving the belt in the ring. Whilst I can’t honestly tell you that I was totally happy with the relocation from Nottingham to Coventry, I’m very much going to miss what WrestleCarnival provided to a, still rather underserved, Midlands wrestling community.

Rather than be sad at seeing it end, I choose though to be happy that it happened at all and that I have the memories; Ridgeway/Gresham one, Will Kroos breaking the ring, Charles Crowley in perhaps his most natural environment, Max The Impaler, the NOAH crossovers and Dereiss’ epic title defences.

Only one way to end it. Thank You Gary. Clap clap clap-clap-calp.

REVIEW: Wrestle Carnival - Pure Grand Prix & Carnival of Champions III

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