Wrestlers on the card :-
• "The Main Character" Prince Phoenix
• Tiger Ali
• "The Man With A Black Heart of Gold" Nico Angelo
• Brian Kendrick
• Leyton Buzzard
• Levi Muir
• "The English Lion" Eddie Ryan
• JD Knight
• "The Sexy Cowboy" Karl Parker
• Kouga (F.K.A. Owadasan)
Before starting with the review, a quick note - I've
recently started a YouTube channel for independent wrestling content in
the UK. It has near-daily 15-second videos I've dubbed "Smackdown
Showcase", it has match highlights (some of which are embedded in this
review), and more. The purpose of the channel is to shine a spotlight on
the incredible talent we have in the UK. Memorable moments, memorable
matches, hard-hitting action...if you'd be so kind, please could you
check out the YouTube channel. Like, comment, share, and subscribe!
With that being said, let's dive in...
I originally intended to write this review a couple of weeks ago, but sadly after a long battle with cancer, we lost my Father-In-Law, George. It's ripped a hole through the family and we're all still very much in mourning. Part of my reason for writing this is to distract myself. Apologies for the delay.
Brit King's return to Gloucester was special for a few reasons. Firstly, Gloucester is our home-city and it made a nice change of pace to not have to travel very far for a wrestling show. Gimme a 10-minute drive any day! Secondly, I was a part of getting Brit King back to Gloucester to begin with. Brit King Pro and its predecessor, 4FW, have deep ties to Gloucester, running events there for 15 years. However, in early 2024, the long-standing Churchdown venue stopped running wrestling shows, leaving Brit King homeless in Gloucester. With the obvious venues such as GL1 already booked up with Evolution Wrestling, I scoured the local area to find one suitable. I know Dave (Brit King owner)'s particular tastes and managed to find the Black Box theatre in King's School - a stone's throw from the iconic Cathedral; one of several venues used as Hogwarts in the Harry Potter film series!
The next time Brit King are running Gloucester is Saturday the 30th of May, so why not make a day of it? Go to the cathedral and explore the city centre, and historic Quays during the day, then head to the wrestling in the evening? Tickets are available for sale here.
Furthermore, this Gloucester event served as a launching point for Brit King's on-demand service. This was the first event released. You can purchase it as a standalone offering or subscribe to monthly content for £4.99 per month here. Definitely a bargain given the quality of events and the level of talent available at Brit King! I can't wait to see what 2026 has in store! I already know that my YouTube channel highlights from the show has led to on-demand subscribers.
Onto the event itself!
Months before the Gloucester debut, Brit King started announcing the card on social media: Former WWE Superstar Brian Kendrick defending his newly-won Junior Heavyweight Championship against one of the best in Europe, Nico Angelo. The longest reigning Brit King Pro Junior Heavyweight Champion in history - and the man Kendrick beat for the Title - Prince Phoenix squaring off against the debuting Leyton Buzzard. British legend Eddie Ryan taking on the powerhouse Levi Muir, and 4FW megstar, Tiger Ali, facing Pro Wrestling NOAH's Kouga. On paper, that's one of the best cards I can remember seeing in England for a long time. All that was missing was an appearance from the Heavyweight Champion, "The Stallion" Chris Bronson, but he was booked elsewhere....would the event live up to the hype?
Match 1: Tiger Ali vs. Kouga (formerly known as Owadasan in my previous reviews)
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This was one of the matches I was most looking forward to. I've been saying for years that Tiger Ali is arguably the most underrated wrestler in Britain. He can do it all! Incredible mat wrestling, chain wrestling, technical wrestling. He can high-fly, he can brawl. You could put him in the opening match or the main event of any show and he'd deliver. He's one of the most dependable guys to have on the roster. You're guaranteed a quality match.
Ali has never been the flashiest, loudest person in the room, preferring to let his athleticism and between-the-ropes domination do the talking for him, but his recent transformation has been impressive. The conclusion of 2025 saw Ali debut a new theme, new gear, a new mask, and a new attitude: beat everyone by any means necesary. This updated version of Tiger Ali is someone that should be vying for Championship gold in Brit King.
In stark contrast to Ali - who I've been watching wrestle live for nearly 15 years - I'd first seen Kouga in Swindon about 6 months earlier against Prince Phoenix. It was a great match and Kouga - or "Owadasan" as he was known then - made his mark as someone to keep an eye on for the future.
A decade earlier, Ali toured Japan with Michinoku Pro and the Japanese influence is apparent in his work even today. Ali's experience wrestling Japanese stars coupled with Kouga's energy was a recipe for success. It was a great match. It started with a wild exchange of holds. Counters, countered counters, and near-falls. There was a "who has the biggest balls" exchange of kicks and chops, as Ali and Kouga went blow-for-blow. It was a close match with both men having the opportunity to shine and prove their worth.
Ali is so crisp in the ring. Everything he does looks like it was designed for a video game. Every movement serving a purpose; every strike impactful...but what good are strikes and moves if they aren't being sold? Independent wrestling gets a bad rap for a lack of selling - rightfully so. I saw a video recently of someone getting piledriven, then popping straight back up like nothing had happened! Wrestling means nothing if you don't give the audience the opportunity to suspend their disbelief. Kouga's selling in this match was sublime. Masterful. Even when he was on offence later in the match, he still sold the leg. Very, very good stuff!
Tiger Ali won with a Crossface and he continues his momentum into 2026.
Match highlights below! :-
Match 2: "Rising Heat" Prince Phoenix vs. "El Capitan" Leyton Buzzard
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Will 2026 be the year Prince Phoenix fulfils his destiny and becomes the Heavyweight Champion of Brit King? I bloody hope so! Ever since his awesome feud with Tristan Lee concluded in early 2025, Phoenix has been arguably the M.V.P. of British Kingdom Professional Wrestling. He's put in top performance after top performance, he's nearly caused two riots - and that's just the shows we were there for! - and he became the longest reigning Brit King Pro Junior Heavyweight in the history of the company. He can cut a strong promo, he's spent countless hours in the gym increasing his muscle mass, and, more important than anything, he makes you feel something. As a heel, he's typically making you feel nausea, but he's making you feel something nonetheless! I can't find an argument for him not to become Champion. The previous argument of "he's too small to be a Heavyweight" doesn't apply in the same way it used to. He's bulkier now. Plus, frankly, he's a draw. He sells tickets. I've heard people in the crowd talking about buying a ticket to watch Phoenix get his ass kicked. Also, Phoenix and Nadia Sapphire are the two wrestlers who garner the most views on my YouTube channel.
Leyton Buzzard was perhaps the find of 2025 for me. I feel a bit late to the party as Leyton has been around for quite a few years, but I first saw him wrestle live at Pro Wrestling Chaos in 2025 against Nico Angelo. It was one of the best matches I saw live all year...and I must have seen circa 300 matches. Leyton's combination of ridiculous athleticism and genuine strength made him instantly catch the eye. It's obvious from my words above that I think Phoenix is a star, so coupling him with one of last year's standout performers was a shrewd move for El Capitan's Brit King debut.
One of the most memorable moments early in the match was Buzzard using a child from the front row's hand to chop Phoenix as he was sat in a seat recovering. That was fun. Phoenix's hangman DDT to Leyton was another awesome moment. Mid-match, while Phoenix had Leyton is a rear naked choke, Phoenix bit his ear, then spat whatever he'd chewed into the first row of the crowd. That's some old-school heat, right there. Good shit.
Leyton's natural athleticism is impressive. He can flip or dive on command.
Phoenix's kicks are some of the coolest, most impactful looking ones in Britain. His Pele kick and his axe kick to an opponent resting on the turnbuckle or ropes are particular highlights.
It felt like a match pitting Leyton's athleticism against Phoenix's strikes. It ebbed and flowed. Leyton took control, then Phoenix took control. Leyton had the match won, only for Phoenix to kick out. Then Phoenix had the match won, only for Leyton to kick out. The crowd certainly came up an octave between the opening match and this one, which is a testament to both of the performers in the ring.
Eventually, Phoenix won after a top-rope double foot-stomp to Buzzard. Very impressive match.
Match highlights! :-
Match 3: "The English Lion" Eddie Ryan vs. Levi Muir
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Incredibly similarly to match #1, I've been watching Eddie Ryan wrestle live for many, many years and had only seen Levi Muir wrestle live once before. One of the things that has always made Eddie stand out is his strength. He's a jacked powerhouse of a performer. So when I say that Levi Muir makes Eddie seem "small", I want you to understand my full meaning. Levi Muir is a behemoth. He looks as though he was chiselled from granite.
We've all seen big, strong wrestlers that don't have any personality, however. You know the type. They look intimidating, but once the bell rings you want to take a nap. Levi Muir is the opposite. He oozes intimidation. He yells, he screams, and he isn't afraid to get into people's faces in the crowd...and that's just his entrance. After making some children in the front few rows shit bricks, he then proceeds to have all the necessary aura and menace between the ropes. He gives off the vibe of genuinely being capable of crushing someone at a moment's notice. The athleticism with which he delivers his off-the-ropes crossbody is a thing of beauty to witness live. There's certainly some Bron Breakker vibes when Levi performs, which is a strong compliment.
So it was a classic match-up: The O.G. Lion vs. the new, younger Lion. Experience and ring savvy vs. raw power and aggression.
I've said many times on this blog how much I think of Eddie Ryan. I've been a fan for a long time. Before The Lionhearts. Before NXT UK. Before he became a household name for British wrestling. Following Eddie's career and rise has been a true delight. Now 40 years old, he still has the physique, the strength, and the competitive spirit of a wrestler 10 years younger! He still has so much to offer after more than 15 years in the game.
Some particular standout moments of the match were Levi Muir faking a knee injury to gain the upper-hand, Eddie's Superplex to Muir, and the formerly mentioned crossbody off of the ropes from Muir to Ryan. Ultimately, Muir tapped to the Sharpshooter and the grizzled veteran walked away with yet another win.
Match highlights! :-
It was intermission time. As is usual for Brit King Pro, during intermission, you could get your photo taken with a star of the show, in-ring, for £5. On this occasion it was former WWE Superstar Brian Kendrick. Just as the intermission was drawing to a close and Kendrick was taking pictures with the last few people in the ring, Nico Angelo came out of nowhere and attacked Kendrick! He beat him with a chair and slammed him onto it. There was a very visible dent in the chair after all was said and done. I guess that's Nico's heel turn in Brit King! It makes sense as Nico is heel pretty much everywhere else he wrestles. As much as I love Nico as a babyface - and I do - he's even better as a heel. I can't wait to see what he accomplishes in Brit King as a heel! Bring it on!
Match 4: JD Knight vs. "The Sexy Cowboy" Karl Parker
The only unannounced match of the show.
JD Knight has been wrestling for 4FW and Brit King Pro for 20 years...literally. He's the most tenured performer that still regularly wrestles for the promotion. Over the years he's gone from a technical wrestler to one that also incorporates everything else he's learned along the way. His acting chops are used most effectively these days in every match he's in. His comedic timing and facial expressions, and crowd engagements are some of my favourite in all of live British wrestling.
"The Sexy Cowboy" was new to me. Given the nickname, I assumed I was going to be getting a Texan Magic Mike-style performer, which is a pretty accurate description of what transpired. Before the match began, Karl Parker showed the crowd his...erm..."Sexy Cowboy" dance. He then asked JD Knight to do it too. JD gave a look to the crowd, smiled, and then started to build towards dancing...only to not do it. Classic heel work. Get the people nice and pissed off at you before the match even starts. Excellent.
While predominantly a comedic match - including Parker riding Knight like a pony, Knight trying to ride Parker, a spin that left both feeling dizzy, and Parker grinding on Knight when Knight was on the offence - it had some genuinely decent wrestling moments contained within it as well. Parker's gut-buster into a suplex was damn cool as was Knight's sit-out chokebomb.
Knight stole a quick pin on Parker and walked out of Gloucester with the victory.
Match highlights! :-
Match 5: Junior Heavyweight Championship Match - Brian Kendrick (C) vs. "The Man With a Black Heart of Gold" Nico Angelo
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After the beatdown Nico gave Kendrick during the intermission, Kendrick arrived to the ring with bandaged ribs. Like Kouga earlier in the night, Kendrick's selling during this match was impeccable. During the entrances and ring announcements he genuinely looked like he was in pain and moved as though he was legitimately injured. Very good stuff.
During Nico's entrance, he grabbed a blue foam finger off of a child in the front row and paraded it around the ring atop his gunstock war club, mocking the child. God, I love him as a heel! Although, it does leave Brit King a little heel-heavy. Nico, Phoenix, Bronson, Knight, Ali, Nadia...we need some regular babyfaces to join the ranks alongside Saime Sahin and Eddie Ryan!
The match was a masterclass in the art of wrestling, selling, and making you believe someone is genuinely injured. As a babyface, Nico was aggressive. As a heel, he's downright murderous! When Nico was on offence, he didn't give Kendrick a chance to breathe. He'd elbow him, then go straight into a move or choke hold, then he'd knee him. He was relentless! There's a reason why Nico Angelo is probably my favourite independent wrestler in Britain right now. Others are close - Charles Crowley, Prince Phoenix, Chris Bronson, and Tommy Vril immediately spring to mind - but Nico just has it. Whatever it is that makes you a star. That makes people pay attention.
At one point during the match, Kendrick went to baseball slide to the outside where Nico was, only for Nico to lift up the ring apron, trap Kendrick underneath it, then preceed to stamp on Kendrick's back and head. Innovative, cool shit!
Kendrick was on the back-foot for most of the match. He was getting pummelled. When he did manage some offence, it was out-of-nowhere, like his calf kick or cradle pin to Nico just as Nico almost had the match won.
An inadvertent ref bump led to Phoenix joining the fray, but just as Phoenix was about to hit Kendrick with the Title, the referee woke up and grabbed it off of him. While Nico was distracted by this, Kendrick rolled Nico up and stole a win, retaining his Title. It was a feel-good moment to end a brilliant show.
Match highlights! :-
Post-show I managed to chat to the guys at the meet-and-greet. Had great conversations with Phoenix, Levi Muir, Brian Kendrick, and Nico Angelo. It was a genuinely brilliant event. In my top 5 Brit King shows of all-time. Every match delivered in their own way. Every match was different to the others on the card. Can't wait to be back in King's on May 30th!
Until next time, stay strong, stay safe, and keep kicking ass.
- Your Friendly Neighbourhood Shangel
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