Wrestlers on the card :-
• Eddie Ryan
• Chris Bronson
• Prince Phoenix
• The Blockbusters: Jordan Sparkes & Toby St. John
• Alexios
• Mega Pegasus
• Nadia Sapphire
• Ruby Manitoba
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Here's
a promo video to show you what you're missing out on if you haven't
been to a Brit King Pro event. Do yourself a favour and buy tickets.
They regularly put on shows in Swindon, Oxford, Cardiff, Gloucester,
Bristol, Pontypridd, Portishead, Thatcham, Emersons Green, and other places! The
ticket prices are more than fair and I guarantee you'll have a great
time! One of the things that separates Brit-King from most indie
companies is that their events are story-driven. They give you
cliffhangers that make you desperate to attend again next time.
With that being said, let’s dive in…
Kingdom Road took place on Saturday the 21st of June in Emersons Green, Bristol. This event was memorable for a number of reasons: it was our first time attending a Brit-King show in Emersons Green, it was 31 degrees celsius outside which meant the inside of the venue was roughly the same temperature as the fires of Mount Doom, there was a Brit-King Pro Heavyweight Championship title change, and it was my 36th birthday...or as I like to refer to it, bonus year #14 (see my review of Buffy's "Amends" for justification around that comment).
The line-up for the event had to be worked on later than usual due to a few notable absences: JD Knight and Nico Angelo were unavailable, while Saime Sahin and Tiger Ali were injured. Could Brit-King pull it out the bag with four heavy-hitters absent and the sweltering heat outside?
One thing to note is that something feels different about Brit-King Pro. Dave's former wrestling company 4FW was special. It brought names like Rey Mysterio, Alberto Del Rio, and Kenny Omega to England, while housing names like Pete Dunne and Zack Sabre Jr. that wrestle for WWE and NJPW today. Some of the best wrestlers on the U.K. indie scene right now were born and bred in 4FW's dojo - Eddie Ryan, Saime Sahin, Tiger Ali, Chris Bronson, and Prince Phoenix to name a few...but during the 10 years I attended 4FW shows live, I don't recall it ever feeling like this. Like something is coming. Something is brewing. Something special. If Dave, Nadia, and the team get the next few crucial steps correct, could we be seeing the infancy of England's next big independent promotion? The crowds are growing (and, more importantly, returning for the next show), the buzz is getting louder, an on-demand service is imminent, and there is a roster stacked full of talent. I'm very excited to see the future. My understanding is that this was the first event filmed for YouTube in its entirety. Slightly further down the line it will transition from YouTube to on-demand. Worth every penny.
Match 1: "Rising Heat" Prince Phoenix vs. Toby St. John
Phoenix vs. St. John was a fresh match-up for myself and Susie. It should be very apparent by now that I'm a massive fan of Prince Phoenix - I first saw him wrestle when he was 16 years old under the ring name of "Vulkan Azlan" for 4FW. Phoenix left wrestling behind him for nearly a decade after that, but decided to return - we're all very glad he did. Phoenix's ability to generate heat has become one of the major selling points for Brit-King as a company. I've been in the crowd twice this year when Phoenix has nearly caused fans to legitimately physically attack him. He's easy to dislike: the sunglasses indoors, frequently getting carried to the ring by Mulligan as "Champions don't walk", the towel, the attitude, the air of smugness....coupled with that was the naturally likeable Toby St. John, with his effortless smile, his curly hair, and his engagement with the live crowd. Expectations were high for this one.
Fair play to both men - and everyone on the card in fact - as wrestling in general can't be easy physically, but wrestling in that heat must have been brutal. Phoenix used this to his advantage: while distracting Drew (referee), Phoenix strangled St. John with his towel, before playing it off as dabbing his sweaty face. Good stuff. Brings a whole new meaning to the moniker "Rising Heat" in that weather. He also got some people in the crowd to fan him with their foam fingers. As you can see in the first video above, St. John is a phenomenal athlete. Remarkable athleticism.
After a competitive back-and-forth match, St. John got what can only be described as an upset win against the reigning Junior Heavyweight Champion (the title wasn't on the line), particularly as St. John is primarily a tag team wrestler with Jordan Sparkes, collectively known as "The Blockbusters".
Match 2: "The Stallion" Chris Bronson vs. Mega Pegasus
Two veterans in this match. Both been wrestling for Dave for 8 or 9 years at this point. Pegasus is a great character. Due to the mask, children are instantly drawn to him. Plus, his moveset is aerial, which everyone loves. When Chris lost the Heavyweight Championship to Eddie Ryan back in March, I had this to say...
"For
413 days, Chris Bronson propped up Brit-King Pro. He was the face of
the first calendar year for the company...and what a face he was. He
looked the part (and got into better and better shape as the year
progressed), he talked the part, he walked the part. I don't think
Brit-King would have grown so quickly without Bronson's in-ring skill
and heel ability to get people to buy a ticket to see him hopefully get
beaten next time. What a champion he was."
All of that remains true. "The Stallion" is a great character. Equal parts Curt Hennig and Ric Flair, Bronson can cut a decent promo and is close to flawless bell-to-bell. In a company filled with quality wrestlers, a spotlight still shines bright on Bronson.
(Drew having words with "The Stall" before the action began)
The match itself was decent. It was a faster pace than expected given the heat. Pegasus' offence was exciting; Bronson's offence looked crisp and impactful.
"The Stallion" ultimately got the victory with a beautiful looking knee drop style finisher...but that wasn't the end of the story. Bronson grabbed a yellow steel chair from under the ring and placed Pegasus' head in the middle of it. He called the Heavweight Champion, Eddie Ryan, to the ring and demanded a Championship match tonight in order to spare his friend from a potentially devastating injury. Eddie Ryan accepted the challenge and the main event was set: "The English Lion" Eddie Ryan defending the Brit-King Pro Heavyweight Championship against "The Stallion" Chris Bronson. What a main event that should be.
Match 3: "The Golden Greek God" Alexios vs. Jordan Sparkes
This was a repeat of the match they had in Thatcham in March, but I think this one was slightly better (both were great). Before the match began Alexios stood on a chair to pose so that the people in the "cheap seats" could get a look and take a picture at greatness. This was my second time seeing Alexios wrestle live and he's definitely a special talent. The character is enjoyable and the in-ring work is credible. One particular stand-out moment of the match was right at the start, when Alexios slapped Sparkes. It sounds loud on the video below, but it sounded even louder in person. That's not a leg slap, that's good ol' fashioned hand-meets-face. Ouch.
At one point Sparkes sent Alexios flying out the ring and I nearly had a lap-full of The Golden Greek God as you can see below. Alexios tried to put Sparkes away with the Greek Destroyer, but Sparkes kicked out at two - perhaps because of the exhausted lackadaisical cover from Alexios. Eventually, Sparkes got the win by hitting the aptly named Blockbuster on Alexios. Really fun match.
It was now time for the intermission. A chance for people to wring their sweat-soaked undies, grab a drink, and perhaps go and meet the Blockbusters who were signing autographs and taking selfies. I took the opportunity to get a Blockbusters print signed - it was a picture I'd found on Instagram and then printed myself as I thought it would pop. Both Toby and Jordan were fun to chat to, like they always are. They're an awesome duo. You really should go out of your way to watch them wrestle live or meet them if you can. Two legitimately nice humans. Eddie Ryan trained them well. Toby wrote the "To Shane" on the autograph.
Match 4: Nadia Sapphire vs. Ruby Manitoba
In all my years of being around Nadia, this was bizarrely my first time seeing her actually wrestle. I can't believe it. Nadia's character work was flawless. She is a heat magnet. Vein, funny, and very interactive with the crowd. I got the impression she thought we were all losers...can't imagine why.
It was a fun match. Some highlights include Ruby chopping Nadia on the outside of the ring and then sending Nadia head-first into the ring post. Nadia crawled across the floor while yelling "help me, someone help me!", then proceeding to use me as a climbing frame to get back to her feet. That was great. I enjoy being part of the show. Nadia also used a compact mirror during the match to look at herself while holding Ruby down. Great heel mannerisms. This was also my first time seeing Ruby Manitoba wrestle live. Ruby was an athletic, easy-to-root for babyface with an obvious gymnast background as her rolls and flips were effortless.
More on Nadia later in the show...
Another thing to note is that a group of men were having a Stag-Do during this show. The Groom-to-be was Cosplaying as "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and he was invited into the ring to do his best Steve Austin impression. It was great fun.
Match 5: Brit-King Pro Heavyweight Championship - "The English Lion" Eddie Ryan (C) vs. "The Stallion" Chris Bronson
What an incredible match this was. One of if not the best match I've ever seen at Brit-King Pro. It had it all - brawling outside, flying through audience chairs, interference, drama, hard-hitting action, the dawning of a new era in Brit-King, and even a little Stall-crack...
Yep, Eddie pulled Bronson's trunks down. The golden trunks - "gold for winning the gold". Earlier in the review I gave everyone kudos for wrestling in the heat, but the most praise is earmarked for Bronson as he had to wrestle twice. Given the temperature one could have forgiven Bronson for taking it easy during his first match of the night against Mega Pegasus, but he didn't. Then you could have forgiven him for having a good match with Eddie, but remaining somewhat conservative, but yet again he didn't. The Stallion went above and beyond the call of duty.
Eddie Ryan and Chris Bronson put on a masterclass. The crowd were tired by this point in the night as the warm venue was zapping people's energy, but Bronson and Ryan did everything they could to ensure the crowd remained boisterous throughout. This included what I'm going to refer to as "Chairway To Heaven", where Bronson demanded that a section of people vacated their seats so that he could throw Eddie into the chairs. It was an entertaining spot...
Right from the start it was a grudge match. Given what happened earlier in the night it made sense. Bronson threatened to injure Eddie Ryan's friend, Mega Pegasus, if Eddie didn't agree to the Championship match. As you can see in the videos above, both Bronson and Ryan were incredible. I can't think of a single Brit-King match that was better than this one. Towards the end of the match a well-earned, natural "this is awesome!" chant broke out. No plants, no bullshit. They deserved it. One of the things I love about both competitors is that their offence looks realistic and their selling - an often ignored word with independent wrestling - looked genuine.
There's a lot of videos to get through in this match because it was so unbelievably good.
Eddie had the match won. He had Bronson in a deep Sharpshooter. Just when Bronson was on the edge of tapping, Prince Phoenix and Nadia Sapphire appeared, knocked down the referee, and attacked the reigning Heavyweight Champion...
Just as Bronson was about to take Eddie's head off with the Championship, Pegasus made the save!
A brawl ensued. Phoenix smashed a steel chair against Eddie Ryan's back, knocking down the English Lion. Bronson took advantage of the situation and put Eddie Ryan's head inside the steel chair. Just like he threatened to do to Mega Pegasus earlier in the night, Bronson brought his foot down on the chair, crushing Eddie's throat. Drew regained consciousness and counted...one...two...three. We have a NEW Brit-King Pro Heavyweight Champion. For the 2nd time, "The Stallion" Chris Bronson holds the most prestigious Championship in the company.
The event concluded with the birth of a new stable, which I'm going to refer to as "The Monarchy" until they're given an official name - they have a Prince, they have a Queen, and they wear a lot of gold! It looks as though the YouTube and subsequent on-demand era of Brit-King Pro will start with some babyfaces having to step up and chase the heel Champions. Talk about the ability to generate heat: Bronson, Phoenix, and Nadia. All together. Look out, Swindon. A riot is coming.
Brit-King will be taking a short summer hiatus for July and August. They will then return with a vengeance in September. During the hiatus, both Chris Bronson and Prince Phoenix (A.K.A. Le Champions) will be heading to Mexico to take North America by storm. Best of luck to them both in the Lucha Libre capital of the world. Fly the British flag for us all, gents. Stay safe. Don't draw so much heat that you get shot at!
After a spectacular main event, it was time for the post-show meet-and-greet. Much like I did with the Blockbusters earlier in the night, I'd brought prints for Chris Bronson, Nadia Sapphire, Alexios, and Eddie Ryan to sign....Eddie's was him holding the Heavyweight Championship and celebrating the night he first won it...bad timing as he'd just lost it! It was great fun though. I got the chance to chat to Nadia for a while, to Dave Sharp for a while, to Tiger Ali, to Chris Bronson, to Alexios, to Eddie Ryan, and then to Phoenix. When my Wife asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday during the evening, my answer was an easy one. We had plans during the day already, but I was determined to go to the Brit-King show during the evening. Firstly, it was the last show for a couple of months and I wanted to see the team tear it down one last time before the hiatus. Secondly, they're just an awesome group of people. I have such a vested interest in the company and the performers and owners behind the company. There are people in Brit-King that I've known for 17 years. There was nowhere else I'd rather be. I've been fortunate to watch the last three title changes live: Phoenix winning the Junior Heavyweight Championship from Nico Angelo, Eddie Ryan winning the Heavyweight Championship from Chris Bronson, and now Chris Bronson winning it back. It's a streak I want to continue.
We can't wait for Thatcham on Saturday September 6th and Swindon on Saturday September 13th.
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