Wrestlers on the card :-
It's not a shock or secret to tell you that Brit King Pro is "our" company. We go to other awesome shows as well: New Wave, Attack!, SWW, No Mercy, Chaos, Evolution...but Brit King is home. My first live show for 4FW (Brit King's spiritual predecessor) was some 18 years ago and in the succeeding years I've seen many, many of Dave Sharp's events. For the last 2 years my Wife has joined me during these expeditions and has become as invested as I am in the wrestling, the stories, and the awesome human beings behind the company. As I alluded to in the promo for the YouTube channel above, I truly believe that the South West of England and the South of Wales has become a hot-bed for incredible wrestling talent and wrestling shows in the UK, and I want to be a big part of the process shining a spotlight on the talent, the companies, and the events. They deserve it. People like Chris Bronson, Prince Phoenix, Saime Sahin, Tiger Ali, Nico Angelo, Danny Jones, Tommy Vril, Charles Crowley, Jay Joshua, and a host of others are well known in certain circles, but it's a travesty that the wider world doesn't know about them enough...yet.
Onto Swindon!
Swindon is the home of British Kingdom Professional Wrestling. While they put on great shows all over the South West, Swindon always has an extra buzz. The announced card for this show was as spectacular as expected for the Mecca of the company: Former WWE/NXT/AEW/TNA/ROH/NJPW wrestler, Lio Rush, would be taking on “Rising Heat” Prince Phoenix, who is quickly becoming the biggest star in a company full of stars. The criminally underrated Tiger Ali was back from injury and would be taking on “Worth Every Pound” Charlie Sterling. “The Stallion” Chris Bronson would be defending the Heavyweight Championship against “The Silverback” Saime Sahin, who won the right to challenge for the Title at the last Swindon show; winning the Royal Rumble. Finally, we had “The Man With A Black Heart of Gold” Nico Angelo facing Brit King newcomer, Levi Muir. There are typically 5 matches per show at Brit King, so I was confident there would be another match that wasn’t advertised.
Before we dive into the play-by-play of the matches, a few general notes…
2026 is looking like the year Brit King really starts to make waves. As Dave Sharp put it: 2024 was the return, 2025 was finding the talent, 2026 is the year they go full-throttle. They’ve already released most of the dates for 2026 and are running shows in Swindon, Thatcham, Cardiff, Oxford, Southampton, Emersons Green, Portishead, other places….and Gloucester! The return to Gloucester! Our home-city! I can’t help but feel personally excited by this one. Firstly, it’s so close to home! No travel! Secondly, I found the venue and sent Dave their way, so I feel like I played a small part in this event happening. Gloucester will be our first wrestling show of 2026 (Saturday 24th January, Kings Theatre) and the line-up so far is already solid! Junior Heavyweight Champion – and former WWE Superstar – Brian Kendrick is defending against Nico Angelo, Tiger Ali is facing Kouga (formerly Owadasan), and Prince Phoenix is facing Leyton Buzzard. Leyton vs. Nico from Pro Wrestling Chaos was one of the matches of the year, so I have very high expectations for Phoenix vs. Buzzard. We then have Swindon and Cardiff for Brit King the weekend after Gloucester.
But before all that, we have wrestling shows on December 13th, 14th, 19th, 20th, and 27th! Between a “real job”, wrestling shows, helping organise Comic Cons, the YouTube channel, and writing reviews, I’m ready to sleep for a month.
The anticipation around Brit King is already growing as we conclude 2025. The crowds are getting larger and more raucous, and the on-demand service launches in 2026! I consider my YouTube channel an amuse-bouche (good word!) for their on-demand. I’ve got shorts and highlights to whet the appetite and direct people to the on-demand, where people can watch the full match in professional quality. It’s a natural lead-in.
Speaking of the on-demand; the footage I’ve seen thus far looks incredible. The commentary is solid as well. I’ve no doubt the service will be awesome once launched. We’ll definitely be subscribing! However, there are still some tweaks needed for the live audience I feel. A lot of the big moments of the matches were missed by the middle of the front row and second row because the cameraman was stood in the way. It certainly irritated the family in front of us. There needs to be some fine-tuning to find a happy medium: getting great footage while not impacting the live experience. It certainly can be done. Some other local shows have mastered it already.
The on-demand service is also leading to wonderfully positive steps, such as new talent coming into the company (Levi Muir) or the return of others (Chicago Desailly and Chris Ridgeway). Brit King feels like the place to be in 2026!
I also want to give a special shout-out to the Deanery Theatre in Swindon. I don’t know what it is about the place, but the lighting is spectacular. The best pictures and videos we have in our collection typically come from Deanery. It’s a beautiful space to hold a wrestling show.
Onto the show!
Match 1: Brit King Pro Heavyweight Championship: “The Stallion” Chris Bronson (C) vs. “The Silverback” Saime Sahin
This match confused me to start with because it was the opener! The Heavyweight Championship in the opener?! By the end of the match, it made total sense. Before the bell rang, Saime gave himself a treat and felt Bronson’s abs during Bronson’s ring introduction. Eroticism or tactical warfare, you decide!
Very early into the match, Bronson rolled out of the ring to regroup. Someone in the crowd started yelling at him, so Bronson went into the stands to argue back. He offered the fan the opportunity to hit him (he didn’t take) and called him a “chicken”. Good heel work. I caught the exchange in the match highlights video below.
Bronson and Sahin are two of the very best wrestlers in Britain today. Both are seasoned, polished, impressive professionals. It’s a bout we’ve seen a number of times before, but they always deliver so I’m totally fine with it. It’s also a match I’d recommend when going into new markets. It’s a good showcase for Brit King: they know each other well, they have great chemistry, and can put on world-class performances. It’s still a mystery to me that Bronson and Saime aren’t being snatched up by the likes of WWE, AEW, or NJPW.
Just when it looked like Saime was going to win the Championship, Tiger Ali interfered and attacked Saime. On paper, Saime won the match by DQ, but he didn’t get the Championship. I think it’s fair to say that Tiger Ali is a legitimate member of The Kingdom at this point. The new gear certainly implies it. Tiger Ali and Prince Phoenix have both invested in black and gold, while Bronson typically wears gold already…and not just around his waist 😉
Nadia Sapphire, Prince Phoenix, Chris Bronson, and Tiger Ali…that’s a formidable stable! It’s also a good argument for the company re-introducing tag team titles. The Kingdom, The Blockbusters, The Steel Serpents – plus a multitude of other talented teams around – could be the basis for a solid tag team division.
Charlie Sterling made the save and proposed the following: Sterling vs. Ali turns into Sterling and Saime vs. Ali and Bronson. The proposal was accepted and we have our new main event! What a match! I do hope we get Ali vs. Sterling one-on-one in the future too though. That should be a master-class. The last visual of the match was Charlie Sterling holding Chris Bronson’s Heavyweight Championship in his hands and looking at it longingly…lovingly…tenderly.
Match highlights! :-
Match 2: “The Man With A Black Heart of Gold” Nico Angelo vs. Levi Muir
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Nico Angelo is arguably the best wrestler in Europe right now. He’s got a great look – I’ve recently started referring to him as “The Man With A Black Heart of Swoled” because of his increased muscle mass – he’s got an awesome entrance theme (“Dark Nights” by Dorothy), cool attire, he’s aggressive and believable, and he’s got terrific merch…I’m basically a walking billboard for him at this point, having bought a cap, t-shirt, and shorts in the last couple of years.
I did hear rumblings that Nico was injured coming into this match, so I wasn’t sure what to expect…but the match delivered. Like all Nico matches.
Levi Muir was a new name for us. I was woefully uneducated on him as a performer, but quickly became a fan. The first thing about Levi that is striking is his physique. He’s built like a Greek God. Absolutely enormous man. A big ol’ slab of beef. The second thing is his intensity. He is so intense and aggressive. I love it. A good heel – especially one built like him – should be intimidating and aggressive! So many wrestlers today are more interested in being cool and liked than they are with being good at being a heel. It was very apparent that Levi doesn’t give a shit what you think of him; he’s here to win. By any means necessary.
After a back-and-forth contest that saw Nico and Levi battle outside the ring, in the stands, and inside the ring, Levi Muir picked up what can only be described as an upset victory against the established former Junior Heavyweight Champion, Nico Angelo. It’s a debut performance that should send ripples through Brit King as we head into 2026. The future is bright for Levi Muir.
Match highlights! :-
Match 3: “Rising Heat” Prince Phoenix W/Nadia Sapphire vs. Lio Rush
The match I was most looking forward to. 2025 was undoubtedly the breakout year for Phoenix. It started with him winning the Junior Heavyweight Championship, where he set the record for the longest reign in Brit King history, and it culminated with opportunities against former WWE Superstars Brian Kendrick and Lio Rush. Between those two pillar events, Phoenix put on great performances all year, started wrestling Heavyweights (where he didn’t seem out of place), and has consistently been an M.V.P. for the company.
I’ve been saying for 2 years now, Phoenix is the future. I predicted his Junior Heavyweight Championship win, I predicted his main eventing shows, and I’m still calling it: he will be Heavyweight Champion by the end of 2027. I would say sooner than that, but his bestie is the current Champion and I can’t currently see Phoenix turning on Bronson.
Much like his match against Kendrick, Phoenix continues to prove that he belongs in the ring with the best. Another test, another pass with flying colours.
Going into the match, it had a big fight feel. It was the interval main event (typically the 2nd most important match of the show at Brit King). It still feels weird to see Phoenix walk to the ring without a Championship around his waist as that’s been the image all year long: the sunglasses (indoors like all douches), the gold, and the smug expression.
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Obviously, we’ve seen Lio Rush on television a lot over the years. Various companies. He’s always been talented. What we didn’t expect was how goosebump-inducing his entrance would be! The violin entrance music, the slow walk, the black mask, the face-paint underneath…it all works so fucking well. It was absolutely mesmerising. When his theme changed to his own song, “I’ll Be Me”, it really was the cherry on the cake. Not only is Lio a talented wrestler, but he’s a spectacular musician as well. It should be illegal to be so multi-talented.
Now that footage is being recorded, one thing big matches could benefit from at Brit King is video packages. We were at No Mercy Wrestling the day after this event and the main event of the show had a video package that aired on the two big screens by the entranceway before it started. It was really helpful. Firstly, it filled in the gaps. We hadn’t been to No Mercy before. We didn’t know the feuds or stories…but we did by the end of the video. Secondly, it builds anticipation. As awesome as this match was, imagine if it had a video package on social media a week before?! Imagine if it had a fiery Phoenix promo released a week before?! As we move into the on-demand era, I strongly recommend taking this approach. Familiarity breeds connection. Connection coupled with compelling stories = money (ticket sales, merchandise, and on-demand).
The match itself was great. Phoenix and Lio had good chemistry, exchanging holds and moves effortlessly. I like the fact it was back-and-forth as well. It felt as though either of them could win. A particular highlight for me was that the offence from both looked believable. Nothing takes me out of the moment more than weak-looking offence. The kicks from both looked crisp. Phoenix’s Pele kick and back suplex are particular highlights of his arsenal.
It’s also worth noting that Nadia Sapphire made her presence felt in the match. She’s always such an impressive performer. Easy to feel distain for. There were a few times in the match where Lio had the upper-hand, only for Nadia to get involved and give Phoenix a chance to recuperate. Ultimately, Lio Rush got the win. It would have been nice to see Phoenix win after his loss to Kendrick, but his stock rose after the match either way. It was, for my money, the 2nd best match of the night to the main event. So it definitely delivered.
Match highlights! :-
During the interval, myself and Susie met Lio Rush at his merchandise table. I bought a 3D-printed replica mask of his, plus grabbed a picture with him. He was a very nice guy! Some of the art prints on his autograph table were spectacular as well.
Match 4: JD Knight vs. Chicago Desailly
This was the 5th match that was previously unannounced. There are a few interesting things to note here….Firstly, JD came into the match sick. Kudos to him for performing while sick. Even more kudos for having a great match while sick.
Chicago Desailly has to be considered one of the biggest success stories for 2025 for British independent wrestling. We first saw Chicago wrestle almost 18 months ago in what I believe was his 7th or 8th match ever. Coincidentally, it was against JD Knight. Back then he was raw, unmoulded clay. The potential was obvious for all to see, but it was yet to be actualised. Fast-forward to now and he’s a totally different animal. He’s confident, he’s got a great character, awesome entrance, he’s charismatic, he’s put on a lot of muscle mass, and he’s clearly much more experienced in the ring in front of a live crowd. He just won the Iron Cobra Tournament at No Mercy the day after this event…and he’s still a bloody teenager as far as I’m aware! I think he’s 19! That’s insanity! Frankly, his future is as bright as he wants it to be.
As an aside, myself and Susie are booked in to see JD Knight perform as Thor for Mythos Theatre in St. Alban’s on April 3rd 2026. Can’t wait for that! “The Star of Stage and Screen” indeed!
Not the longest match on the card, but understandable given JD’s illness. It was still perfectly serviceable. A decent, well-told story, with the experienced JD Knight coming out on top over the rookie.
Match highlights! :-
Match 5: Chris Bronson & Tiger Ali vs. Saime Sahin & Charlie Sterling
The main event!
Tiger Ali was back. With awesome new entrance attire, a cool new entrance theme, but the same attitude. So great to have him back from injury. He’s been sorely missed. Of all the talent in Britain right now, I put Ali as #1 on the most underrated list. He’s flawless in the ring. Not always the biggest personality in the room, but a ridiculously talented wrestler. The new theme and gear also adds a new dimension to him. It’s a very interesting twist on his gimmick.
Incidentally, Ali is taking bookings for 2026. If you’re a promoter looking for a world-class talent – and a really great human – drop him a message. You will not be disappointed in the result.
Bronson and Ali vs. Saime and a partner is a proven formula in Swindon. Earlier in the year it was the loveable Ryoya Tanaka, now it was Charlie Sterling. The main event style of match for Brit King is consistently the best in Britain right now. Every main event delivers. It doesn’t matter if it’s Saime, Ali, Bronson, Phoenix, Eddie Ryan, Antonio De Luca, Nico Angelo, or someone else, the main event is always worthy of the name. They’re always fast-paced, high-action, and chaotic.
As I mentioned above, this match was the best of the night. Each match was decent – some were great – but this one was a step above. Charlie Sterling has brought a fresh dynamic to Brit King over the last few months. He’s a superb heel and a very likeable babyface…plus he can go in the ring! It’s nice to have some newbies to the promotion mixing it up with the established crop of talent.
As is expected, the contest was wild. You had Saime and Bronson fighting in the crowd on one side, Ali and Sterling fighting on the other side. After a referee bump, the dastardly Ali and Bronson retrieved some chairs from under the ring. Their swings were to no avail! Sterling and Saime ducked, dropped them both, and picked up the win to send the crowd home happy.
Match highlights! :-
After the event concluded, we had to head back to Gloucester straight away afterwards so didn’t get a chance to chat to the guys. Best of luck to Phoenix and Bronson, who are currently embarking on their 2nd tour of Mexico of the year! Give ‘em Hell, boys! Show ‘em what Britain is made of…and maybe get another matching tattoo. El Grande Chicos for life.
Phoenix just wanted a smooch from The Stal!
It was yet another great Brit King show. We’ll see you all again in Thatcham on December 20th and Portishead on December 27th (where Bronson is likely getting his head shaved against Saime Sahin in a hair vs. hair match!), then Gloucester, Swindon, and Cardiff in the New Year. Outside of Brit King, we have Pro Wrestling Chaos on December 13th, Attack! Pro Wrestling on the 14th, and Bridge Pro Wrestling on the 19th. What a busy life!
My review of No Mercy Wrestling’s “We Will Rise” will be out in the next couple of days. In the interim, I’ve been your Friendly Neighbourhood Shangel. Thank you for reading. All likes, shares, comments, and feedback are greatly appreciated. As is a subscription to the YouTube channel. The more I can grow the blog and YouTube, the more I can help spotlight the incredible abundance of talent we have around right now.
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