Wrestlers on the card :-
• "The Spectacular" Charles Crowley
• "The Prima" Tommy Vril
• MJ Grayson
• Spike Trivet
• Harrison Bennett
• James Ellis
• Benjamin Harland
• Jack Knudsen
• Adam Crater
• Kenny Mantra
• Chris Ares
• Big Van Wesker
• CJ Rawlings
• Toby St. John
• Jordan Sparkes
• Chicago Desailly
• Ryan Saint
• Rhiannon Jade
• Lil Marz
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...
Sunday the 15th of March marked an important moment for No Mercy Wrestling: Firstly, it was their 4-year anniversary. Rising from the ashes of a post-Covid world, No Mercy has quickly established itself as a leader within the South Wales wrestling community. With video packages and production values that are unrivalled - that's not hyperbole - plus a stacked roster of polished veterans and up-and-coming talent, it has become one of the places to be for British independent workers and fans alike. Alongside the likes of Attack! Pro Wrestling, New Wave, and others, South Wales is a hot-bed right now. I'm writing this review the day after Attack!'s 15-year anniversary...and boy was it amazing!...but that's a review for another day. Secondly, it was the retirement night of Big Van Wesker: a No Mercy original and 15-year veteran of the Squared-Circle. During his tenured Indie career, Wesker has wrestled a myriad of noteable names and notched up a reputation of being a strong, reliable hand in the ring that's a benefit to any card he's on. He will be greatly missed.
While on the subject of the production values, I wrote this during my last No Mercy review and wanted to share it again because it still holds weight...
"The
production for No Mercy was spectacular. The best production I’ve seen at a local
indie show for years. They had a proper entrance stage, complete with a ramp
and two large video screens either side. They had decent lighting in the
entranceway. They had smoke. It was very impressive. The quality production
value on the entranceway coupled with us sitting next to it led to us capturing
some of my favourite pictures I’ve ever taken at a wrestling show. Case in
point..."
Furthermore, the awesome production values and great seats over the course of the last two shows led me to be able to record Tommy Vril's goosebump-inducing entrance from the entranceway and the front row, and blend them together...
...I had to split it into two for copyright reasons on the music...how GREAT is that entrance?!
It was our second time in the Caerphilly Leisure Centre for No Mercy. As my review of the first show attests, No Mercy put on fantastic events. I was thoroughly impressed by the first show...but could they get lightning to strike twice? Would the second event be as good as the first? Was it a fluke? Let's find out together...
Like New Wave and Chaos, No Mercy put on their meet-and-greet pre-show. I see the benefit of both. Pre-show allows the breaking down of the venue to happen earlier once the show has concluded and it gives the audience the ability to get to know the wrestlers before the event starts, making it easier to boo and cheer accordingly. The downside is that you can't talk about the match that has just taken place that night. If you were unfamiliar with a wrestler before the event, you might not know what to say to them during a meet-and-greet if you haven't watched them perform yet. Pros and cons to both. I have no real preference. One of the things that struck me the very most about our first No Mercy show was that the performers were all super friendly. Like really friendly. Treat you like family friendly. The likes of Chris Bevan (Owner extraordinaire), Leon Brando, Big Van Wesker, and Kenny Mantra immediately spring to mind.
This particular meet-and-greet contained CJ Rawlings, No Mercy Champion MJ Grayson, No Mercy Legacy Champion Adam Crater, Big Van Wesker, Chris Ares, Kenny Mantra, and Act Two (Benjamin Harland & Jack Knudsen). Much like its predecessor, it was fantastic! We were VIP ticket holders so we received an event poster included in the purchase. All 8 of the aforementioned wrestlers signed the poster. While everyone was a pleasure to chat to, Act Two were a distinct highlight. I've been a fan of the team for quite a while now - arguably the greatest team in Britain for my money - and have even met them before, but this meet-and-greet gave me more opportunity to talk and also get them to sign a print I'd brought with me...
I also managed to get CJ Rawlings to sign a print too (that I'd also brought with me)....
Chatting to the performers was a real treat. It's typically one of my favourite parts of any wrestling show. I like getting to know the guys (I use that term in a unisex way). It makes it easier to get into the matches and root for the babyfaces.
Just before the show started, I decided to peruse the merchandise table at the back of the room. I ended up getting a No Mercy t-shirt and wristband. Money well spent. I've become such a fan of the promotion so quickly that it's nice to represent them when out and about in "regular" life. With about 10 minutes remaining before the first bell, a wild Harrison Bennett appeared! Like Act Two, Harrison Bennett has become another favourite of mine over the last couple of years. It feels so weird to be a "veteran fan" on the Indie scene. Back in my late teens, I watched emerging talent that still wrestle today such as Eddie Ryan, JD Knight, and Jonny Storm. Then I watched the next generation come through...largely the headliners of today. Your Nico Angelo's and Jay Joshua's, and Mark Andrews'....now, bizarrely, the third generation are on the rise! Tommy Vril, Shane Hook, Leon Cage, Chicago Desailly, Archie Cole, The Blockbusters...it's such a privilege to watch these phenomenal performers from day one.
I grabbed a picture with Harrison, got a print signed, and returned to my seat. Speaking of...HUGE shout-out to Chris Bevan, who hooked us up with tickets in the centre of the front row, camera-side, so that I could get the best pictures and videos possible for the review. Not every organiser does that. He's so gracious and accommodating. Promoters like Chris deserve to be at the forefront of the British Indies.
The show started with Chris Bevan welcoming everyone. He talked about the legacy of No Mercy and the pride he felt over the 4-year anniversary. There was an anniversary video package played on the big screens before Chris announced the new General Manager of No Mercy Wrestling...Lana Rae! That's a great "get" for No Mercy as Lana is tremendous. I know of Lana from her work with The Blockbusters.
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With that it was time for the matches to start...
Match 1: No Mercy Legacy Championship - Adam Crater (C) vs. Kenny Mantra vs. Chris Ares
It's often said in wrestling that if you're not the main event, you want to be in the opener. It's the opener's job to set the tone for the night, get the crowd engaged, and put down a marker for everyone else to try to follow. This match was perfect to cover those bases. You want something fast, frenetic, high-octane, high-impact, and high-spectacle. Every. Box. Ticked. The chemistry between Crater, Mantra, and Ares was undeniable. Highlights included Ares' suicide dive to the outside onto Crater right in front of us (see it in the highlights video below!), Mantra's kip-up German suplex to Ares, Crater's running-dropkick to Mantra while he was draped over the bottom rope, Mantra's through-the-ropes Spear to Ares while he was mid-run, Ares catching Mantra coming off the top rope with a cutter onto Crater, and Crater catching Mantra coming off the turnbuckle with a sit-out powerbomb.
We've watched Adam Crater perform 6 or 7 times over the last 6 months and he's impressed every time. From his Dog Collar match with Mulligan, where he was cut open hard-way, to this match, he continues to grow from strength-to-strength. In a world of Indie wrestling that is largely contained with smaller, athletic-looking wrestlers, Crater has the ability to stand out. He's broad, he's grizzled...and he can wrestle! That's a great foundation for success. The only thing I don't know is how good of a promo he is.
Kenny Mantra is one of the heartbeats of No Mercy. He's been around a long time and he's clearly one of their A-Players, being the sole survivor of their "Winner-takes-all" elimination match at the last event. He proved here why Chris and the team have so much faith in him. Everything he did was executed with pinpoint precision. The crowd love him as well. He'd be a good candidate to wrestle MJ Grayson for the No Mercy Championship down the line.
Chris Ares was new to us. A rare, brand new entity. I'd heard good things and was excited to see him perform with my own two eyes. Like Crater, like Mantra, Ares didn't disappoint. His cutter to Mantra while Mantra was airborne was my personal highlight of the match. He's definitely a Cruiserweight (or Junior Heavyweight in Britain) star of the future from what I can see. With seven years of experience under his belt and being in his late-20's, you'd expect the likes of TNA to have eyes on him for the X-Division for the future because he'd fit right in!
After a fast-paced match, Adam Crater retained the Title.
Match highlights! :-
Match 2: "The Spectacular" Charles Crowley vs. "The Prima" Tommy Vril
At the start of January, I wrote a list for myself. My dream matches for the British Indies that I'd like to see in 2026. The #1 entrant on that list was Charles Crowley vs. Tommy Vril. Ironically, I'd seen the match before - last summer in the Loco Klub for Attack! - but that match didn't feel "right" for the dream match list. It was a solid match, but Vril hadn't found himself yet. Not like he has now. He was portraying a golf character at the time. After "The Prima" was born - a character mirrored on Vril's real-life talent and passion as a dancer - it changed the game. For the last year I've bleeted on about Vril's undeniable star-power. He has "it". I told you on this blog a year ago that Vril was a star of the future. It is so rewarding to see him actualising that promise. He's no longer a star of the future. He's a star of the present. At the time of writing this, I'm two days removed from Vril vs. Cara Noir at Attack!'s 15-year anniversary event and Vril was welcomed like a conquering hero. There were Tommy Vril t-shirts scattered throughout the audience. The venue echoed the war-cry of "Tommy; Tommy Vril!" It feels weird to say this about someone I don't know "well" - although I have gotten to know him over the last year - but I'm proud of his progress (no pun intended) and success. He puts a lot of thought and care, and passion into what he does and it's wonderful to see the rewards of that work coming to fulfillment. He's also an excellent promo. A bit weird, a bit quirky - which is a good thing in the era of social media where everyone sounds the same - but bloody brilliant. If he can put some muscle on his frame, he's about as close to a "guaranteed" star of tomorrow as I can see on the Indies right now.
Speaking of "promo", we have Charles Crowley. Crowley utilises social media as a tool to get his character over better than anyone else in the world for my money. Certainly on the Indies. His vignettes, his promos, his character work is legendary. It's hard for me to say I have a "favourite" wrestler from the British Indies because I love so many - Prince Phoenix, Chris Bronson, Nico Angelo, and Tommy Vril immediately spring to mind - but it might just be Crowley. It's been a tough few months as readers here will know. I lost my Father-in-Law to cancer back in January and then my friend Nicky passed away in March. It's been a pretty rough time. My head has been in a dark place. One of the things that helped get me through the dark days was seeing that a new Crowley video had been uploaded. He's just so, so talented. He can make you laugh out loud, he can shock you...and he's always entertaining. There isn't a day dark enough that a little Crowley ridiculousness can't fix.
Furthermore - and I contemplated whether to add this or not - Crowley was wonderfully supportive to me personally. During the end-stages with my Father-in-Law and since his passing, Crowley sent voice-notes to me; supporting and encouraging. It meant a lot. It means a lot.
When I first saw that Crowley and Vril were on the poster for "Blood, Sweat & Tears", I started bombarding Chris with a question...were they against each other? Could they be? Chris told me - without telling me - that they would be. That was it. That's all I needed to hear. Didn't matter where, didn't matter what date...I was in. V.I.P., front row. It's rare I have that much excitement for a match. I fear when I do because the anticipation is so high that the only way is down (there's a joke in there somewhere if you have Crowley's sense of humour). Thankfully, mercifully, the match was awesome. It lived up to the "dream match" title.
As you'd expect with these two, the entrances alone were worth the price of admission. There was a dance-off, there was a lot of middle-fingers from Crowley, there was a nipple twist, there was a ref-bump when some mysterious white powder came out of Sebastian - Crowley's pet stuffed monkey - and went into the ref's eyes, there was a ballet shoes whack to the head, and there was a risen-from-the-dead Vril sit-up. We already knew these two were great characters, but I believe both are underrated wrestlers inside the ring. They are both so entertaining that it's easy to forget that they can both GO! I love Crowley's springboard cutter, I love Vril's springboard clothesline. I genuinely don't know if Vril has taken inspiration from Crowley, but you can see the similarities within their work. Vril is the next generations' Crowley. Crowley himself knows it as he shouted during the match (while beating up Vril), "Is this your new showman?!"
(Photo Credit: @Sharpshootercrtv...I think...)
After a back-and-forth battle that could have gone either way, Vril was victorious. Post-match Crowley bowed to Vril and they performed a curtain-call together: bowing to all four sides of the audience. I took it as Crowley welcoming Vril to the upper-echelon of character performers in Britain. A stamp of approval. Crowley has earned a shot at the big leagues. He needs to be in WWE or AEW, or TNA. As much as I'd miss having him perform locally, he's too talented to not get his shot. He's world-class. World-class character, impeccable acting, fantastic promo, and massively underrated in the ring. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for both of these performers.
Match highlights! :-
Match 3: Dragon Kingdom Women's Championship - Rhiannon Jade (C) vs. Lil Marz
This was a slightly shorter match than the two that preceeded it - it certainly felt shorter if it wasn't! My first time watching both performers live. I've heard a lot about Rhiannon Jade. She's wrestled for Brit King Pro a lot - my "main" promotion that I've been watching live for 20 years (formerly 4FW) - so I was familiar with her work, but I'd never had the opportunity to watch her perform live. Comparingly, Lil Marz was completely new to me. I'd never heard of her before. It makes sense now as she's from Australia and has only been in the U.K. a handful of times.
Nevertheless, I was excited to see what these two could do. As it turns out, it was a solid match. The suplexes in particular were exquisite. Rhiannon and Lil Marz had great chemistry together and were able to showcase their talents admirably.
Ultimately, Rhiannon retained her Title, as expected. With Lil Marz over here on tour it made little sense for a Title change to happen. I believe after this match, both ladies and both Blockbusters had to blitz it over to a Brit King Pro show that was also taking place on March 15th. Kudos to all for hustling!
Match highlights!
Match 4: The Blockbusters (Toby St. John & Jordan Sparkes) vs. Ryan Saint & A Mystery Opponent (Chicago Desailly)
During our last outing to Caerphilly, The Blockbusters debuted for No Mercy. Like Act Two earlier, The Blockbusters are arguably the best tag team in Britain right now for my money. Frankly, there aren't a lot of established teams about. You have the Young Guns, Act Two, The Freshnas, Greedy Souls, Sunshine Machine, The Blockbusters, Legion of Bloom, Subculture, and a handful of others. Teams these days are usually together for a couple of years and then disband. It's nice to see some teams sticking together longer. Being a tag team wrestler isn't anything to scoff at. Some of the most successful wrestlers in history were tag team specialists, e.g. The Hardy Boyz.
Also, man, I love The Blockbusters as heels. They're very likeable as babyfaces, but they're absolutely brilliant as heels. They're so egotistical and conceited!
Before the show started, I saw Chicago hovering around the venue and assumed he was Ryan Saint's tag team partner. As No Mercy's 2025 Iron Cobra tournament winner, it would be odd for Chicago not to be on the show. I first saw Chicago wrestle live during his 7th ever match (vs. JD Knight for Brit King Pro). He was impressive then, but was very obviously a piece of clay that still needed to be moulded. Jump forward a year or so and Chicago has fully established himself in the south of England and Wales. He seems to wrestle everwhere...and he's still so young. He's built out his frame very well, he's created a ton of charisma, a spectacular entrance, and is ever-improving in the ring. He's one of the biggest success stories to come out of the Indies over the last couple of years. His progress from his debut to now is mesmerising. Kudos!
Ryan Saint was new for us, bizarrely. We've been to many companies where he frequently wrestles, but he has - for whatever reason - evaded us until this one. Ryan was impressive. He's very agile for a larger man. He's got a lot of charisma too.
After an inadvertent dropkick to the face from Chicago to Ryan Saint, The Blockbusters were able to pick up the win. Post-match, Ryan Saint viciously attacked Chicago and turned heel. Just before Saint turned heel, I saw it coming. While Chicago and Saint were hugging in the ring and Saint had a microphone in his hand, I telegraphed Chicago changing position ready to be slammed. Nevertheless, it didn't take away from the moment. It was a very well executed heel turn. Ryan Saint did a great job, as did Chicago of playing up the attack. No Mercy personnel swarmed the ring to stop Ryan Saint attacking Chicago further and the show went to its mid-session interval.
Match highlights will be added on Thursday once they're up on YouTube!
During the interval, fans had the opportunity to take pictures with Charles Crowley & Tommy Vril in the ring. While Crowley and Vril were ringside, I bought the new Crowley t-shirt from the man himself, plus grab a picture with Crowley, got an autograph, and got Vril to sign my picture that I took at the last No Mercy show (the one at the top of this review). It was awesome to see both of them as they were missing from the pre-show meet-and-greet (likely for this reason).
Match 5: No Mercy Tag Team Championships - James Ellis & Harrison Bennett (C) vs. Act Two (Jack Knudsen & Benjamin Harland)
The story coming into this one was that Harrison Bennett doesn't want to be tag team Champions with James Ellis. During the last show - while James Ellis was General Manager - Ellis made himself Bennett's tag team partner and they won (Ellis) and retained (Bennett) the tag team Titles against The Blockbusters. This was all relayed to the audience via a video package on the big screens before the match with Act Two commenced.
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Frankly, these are four of the best performers in Britain in 2026. All of them are tremedous. Act Two have superb chemistry and timing together after being a team for quite a long time now. While Bennett and Ellis aren't usually a team, their enemies-that-have-to-team-together schtick works really well. From Ellis refusing to tag Bennett in or stealing a pin after Bennett does the work to Bennett's facial expressions of utter distain whenever Ellis is near him...it all works.
The match started with a frenetic exchange between Ellis and Jack Knudsen, swapping counter-after-counter. At one point Ellis had Knudsen's leg grapevined...Jack rallied the crowd around him, making it look like he was going to conduct some incredible, daring escape from the grapevine...only to easily slip his foot out. It was hilarious. The match then transformed into another mesmerising exchange between Bennett and Ben Harland. Flawlessly executed chain-wrestling.
Bennett eventually got the hot-tag and smacked down both of Act Two with some devastating-looking kicks and a beautiful spinebuster. There was an incredible sequence of near-falls, where I truly believed Act Two were going to win the tag team Titles...only for Bennett to slam Harland down hard and Ellis to throw Bennett out of the ring and steal yet another pin. Bennett is stuck with Ellis for another day!
(Photo Credit: @Sharpshootercrtv)
Match highlights will be added on Thursday once they're up on YouTube!
Match 6: Big Van Wesker vs. CJ Rawlings - Wesker's Retirement Match
This match felt emotional before it even began. Wesker is a No Mercy original and he told me in the meet-and-greet before the show that he didn't really want to retire - the passion was still there, but the wear-and-tear on his body had become too great after 15 years of impact on his joints.
With tension and sadness in the air, both competitors made their way to the ring.
I must say that both of them did an outstanding job. If you're going to have a retirement match to be proud of, you can't go wrong with CJ Rawlings. He's bloody brilliant in the ring. He has so much presence, a great look, and he can wrestle his ass off. CJ made Wesker look like a million bucks...not that Wesker needed the help! To his credit, Wesker didn't wrestle like someone about to retire. He looked great. He looked sharp.
The story was a simple one, albeit executed beautifully. Rawlings is a wrestler; Wesker is a brawler. Rawlings was trying to retire Wesker by out-wrestling him, while Wesker was constantly fighting back with strikes. Rawlings' fall-away slam into a kip-up and his fisherman's suplex into a bridge were flawless. The near-falls were also spectacular. As Rawlings had Wesker in a Crossface - where it would have been perfectly plausible for Wesker to tap-out and retire - Wesker turned it into a pin and nearly won the match! There was also a moment where Wesker hit Rawlings with a thunderous clothesline and collapsed on top of Rawlings...only for Rawling to kick-out at 2. It was the last gasp of a man on the ropes.
With anguish on his face reminiscent of Shawn Michaels retiring Ric Flair at Wrestlemania 24, Rawlings delivered a superkick and slam to Wesker, pinned him, and won the match. Even in victory, Rawlings looked defeated. He hated retiring Wesker. Wesker was visibly emotional after the match concluded. He hugged Rawlings, raised his hand, and took off his boots in the middle of the ring. Chris
Bevan, MJ Grayson, and Big Van Wesker - three men who have done it all
together in No Mercy - hugged each other. The locker room emptied out to give Wesker a standing ovation - much like the crowd in attendance did - and Wesker walked up the ramp and out of his in-ring career on his own terms. He will be missed. It was a genuinely lovely send-off.
Match highlights will be added on Thursday once they're up on YouTube! I can't wait for you to see them. Some of the post-match celebrations of Wesker are included.
Match 7: No Mercy Championship - MJ Grayson (C) vs. Spike Trivet
A video package aired before the match, hyping up the main event. As I mentioned in my last review, MJ Grayson was very impressive during my first time watching him at the last No Mercy show in Caerphilly. He had star-power. Comparingly, I'd heard of Spike Trivet - a lot in fact - but had never seen him live.
Boy, Spike Trivet is impressive to watch live. He has such presence. Without knowing anything about him, you can't help but hate him, which is the mark of a great heel. In addition to that, he can actually wrestle! He had an impressive array of moves and knew exactly where to place them in the match to get the most out of the crowd. Brilliant work. His entrance is also a spectacle to watch live.
There is a reason Grayson is the Champion. It's because he's a top-class performer. Everything I just said about Trivet rings true for Grayson as well. He's an easy-to-root for babyface that has the aura of genuine knock-out power.
The main event lived up to the name. It was a bloody brilliant match, complete with toe-biting. Some of the highlights included Trivet's Superplex to Grayson off of the top turnbuckle, Trivet's diving Codebreaker, his low-blow into a piledriver spot, and Grayson's flying knee. After Trivet "accidentally" knocked down the referee, he retrieved Grayson's Championship belt and smacked Grayson in the head with it. Just as it looked like we'd have a new Champion, Grayson kicked out! Grayson retained the Title to send the fans home happy!
Another No Mercy show, another roaring success! We will most definitely be back! Until then, my review of Attack!'s 15-year anniversary will be up soon.
Stay safe, stay strong, and keep kicking ass.
- Your Friendly Neighbourhood Shangel
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