Screw Indy Wrestling, I'm a Pro

This is it.

This is the angle that could actually unite all British wrestling federations in one nationwide storyline.

Imagine the pairing of Nathan Cruz and Mark Haskins travelling up and down the country, taking on anyone looking to 'Defend Indy Wrestling', and maybe recruiting a couple more guys to their cause somewhere down the line. Cruz is one of the best talkers in British wrestling, and Haskins is one of the most accomplished wrestlers; so if anyone can truly take over this country's pro-wrestling scene, then these are the guys to do it.

And how good would this go over if you also gave it some coverage on a new TV show about British wrestling?

I hope you're reading this Challenge.

Now obviously I've no idea what Cruz and Haskins actually have planned, but couldn't this be great? I for one am looking forward to seeing where they take it, and just hope that 'where they take it' is on the road.

NGW Destiny

Eastmount Centre

Saturday, 16th March 2013

So here we finally arrive.

It's been 99 whole days since the last time NGW took over the Eastmount Centre, and with the promise of a 30 man rumble, it's no wonder they're queuing out the door.

The night starts with Luke Ingamells in the ring explaining what's to come over the next couple of hours, when he's rudely interrupted by the Proven who tell us... well... they don't really tell us anything. Other than that they are going to do something, and the rest of NGW have no idea what's coming. Apart from the fact that they just warned them of course. Wouldn't a surprise be more surprising if it was actually kept a surprise?

Rumble Roulette

Mark Haskins vs Kris Travis vs Stixx vs Zack Gibson

This years rumble won't just be for a shot at the title... It will be for the new title! Rampage Brown ran off in a sulk because the Eastmount fans say 'he can't wrestle and he looks like a clown' (although I never really understood that one...), and so NGW management had no choice but to strip him of the title. Since Rampage took the old belt with him, we're treat to a brand new belt too!

So with the stakes so high this year, it means that the rumble roulette could be key to deciding who the next champ is. Four enter the match, all vying for the coveted number 30 spot.

With two great heels like Haskins and Gibson in the match there was bound to be shenanigans aplenty, and while Gibson kept the ref distracted, Haskins struck Travis in the back of the head with Stixx's signature chains. Getting out of dodge, Haskins quickly palmed the smoking gun off to Stixx just in time for the referee to turn around and blame the wrong guy, disqualifying Stixx from the match and bestowing upon him the unenviable task of starting the rumble in the number one spot.

Gibson and Haskins continued to form a team of sorts, all the while just trying to get one over on the other. After some great fast paced action the pairing finally managed to take out Travis, leaving it down to the two of them to decide who comes in at number 20 and number 30. This next bit was one of my favourite bits of the night; a heel masterclass! They did the tried and tested 'fake hand shake', the ever effective 'low blow', and the classic 'rake of the eyes', all before Haskins managed to role up Gibson with his feet well and truly on the ropes, earning not only the win, but that much desired number 30 spot.

Nathan Cruz vs Robbie X

The last year has been rough for Nathan Cruz... After losing his title, he lost his bodyguard, his manager, and then his girlfriend. Now he stumbles out, seemingly not even able to dress himself properly, with just a bottle of Jack to keep him company, and his former waterboy, Kev Cash, following him around dressed up like some sleazy cocktail bar mixologist. Seeing Cruz a little worse for wear prompts the crowd into some excellent chants such as the straight to the point "You need to sort your life out, matey" and the witty new nickname 'Nathan Booze'.

The match doesn't last too long, Robbie X takes it to the fallen Showstealer in what starts off to be a great one-on-one contest, but Nathan soon gets frustrated and begins to beat on Robbie in the corner until the ref is forced to ring the bell and end the match in a no contest. Upon this announcement Nathan decides to turn on the ref, before Luke steps in to break it up and he and Matt Myers perform a sort of intervention. Nathan says that he has no idea what NGW are doing anymore, Luke has lost control, and nobody even knows who the General Manager is anymore. Myers makes an inspiring speech, telling Nathan that the rumble is his chance to turn it around; erase the memories of the recent defeats and start anew. Nathan seems to listen. Maybe a face turn on the horizon for poor old Nathan Booze?

El Ligero vs Sam Bailey

We've seen these two go at it many a time as part of the their respective tag teams, but never have they gone one-on-one in front of an NGW crowd. Great in ring action from both guys, but especially the hardest working wrestler on the British scene, El Ligero. It's a very back and forth affair, punctuated by some deafening chops around ringside to the chest of Bailey. In the end Ligero managed to score the pinfall over one half of the current tag team champions, cementing his name as a major player in NGW.

30 Man Rumble

After what proved to be a great first half, we're back to our seats to witness the 30 man over-the-top-rope battle royale, with participants entering the ring at intervals of 90 seconds (or there abouts).

Starting off is Stixx, who earned this place by going out first in the roulette match earlier on in the night. He has a long road to walk if he's going to become NGW champion, but I wouldn't count him out just yet.

Next in the ring we have an assortment of characters, including Robbie X to rapturous applause, Scott Adams to immense boos, and Bagheera to... vague apathy. Robbie gets even more cheers when he eliminates Adams, really gaining some momentum from the fans.

The first big surprise come in the form of a small child. I didn't catch his name, but he couldn't have been more than 13. As he headed into the ring, a guy who was at least four times his size stormed out unannounced and seemingly took his place, throwing the young wrestler out of the way like he was swatting off a fly, before then eliminating Robbie X and clarifying for us all his heel status.

A few more enter the fray, including Sam Wilder and Sam Bailey, plus a guy who dances on stage like a legend, before our next big surprise of the night; Stixx is eliminated by the now named Paul Ryker, who took himself out in the process, hopefully setting up a great hard-hitting  feud for the future.

When Nathan Cruz comes out to the ring, thoughts of a face turn are increased as he tears his way through everyone in the ring with a string of massively impactful moves, until he suddenly quells all our speculations by waving 'bye Luke' and eliminating himself from the match! He did say that he was done stealing the show for NGW, and I guess this is how he proves it.

Colossus Kennedy proves to be a force to be reckoned with by eliminating two members of the Proven, Caz Crash and Sam Wilder, before going on to eliminating both of Team GB at the same time. Unfortunately for him, Bailey and Gibson take this personally and re-enter the ring just to take him out. As Kennedy chases them both backstage, we are left with the final four in the ring; El Ligero, Dara Diablo, Mark Haskins and Matt Myers.

There's a lot of history between these four, with two of them being in a tag team together and the other two having a very recent heated rivalry, their in ring chemistry really shows. With my main two picks Stixx and Colossus already out of the competition, it really could be any one of them taking home the title. But when Myers is eliminated by Dara, and Dara in turn eliminated by Haskins, it just boils down to Ligero and Haskins to fight it out. Meanwhile the Proven execute their first strike, delivering a beatdown to Dara outside the ring. But why Dara? Was it just a random attack to prove something to NGW fans and management? Or is there some other motive?

In the end Mark Haskins is the one that really did come out on top. Not only did he win the rumble roulette at the beginning of the night, but that proved key in helping him stay fresh and ultimately winning the rumble, throwing El Ligero over the top rope to become the new NGW Champion! Not shy to rub it in, he holds the title aloft gloating over the disappointed Ligero.

With so many new angles to explore, new storylines, and new feuds, this really is the start of what could be a massive year for New Generation Wrestling!

NGW Destiny Preview: Who's walking away with the title?

New Generation Wrestling took a bit of a break over the festive period while everyone seemed to go away and simultaneously give birth. But now that nonsense is out of the way, we can get back to the important things in life, and that comes in the form of a 30 man Rumble.

Last years event was excellent, honestly more exciting than WWE's copycat event (I heard a rumour that Vince stole the idea from the NGW show runners anyway - apparently a DeLorean was involved). So this years is already highly anticipated, but then add in the newly released newsflash that Rampage Brown has in fact been stripped of the title, and we have a massive event filled with the best of British, all vying for the prized and now vacant NGW title!

So who's going to walk away with the title?

The safe money is probably on Stixx. The Heavyweight House of Pain just couldn't quite get it done against the former NGW champion, but now he's out of the picture, what's stopping him?

Colossus. Kennedy. Yeah, he could be the one standing in his way. He hasn't been confirmed as a participant yet, but it seems all but a foregone conclusion. Last year he was still standing firmly in the camp of Cruz Enterprises, but without him as a distraction, this could definitely be his year. Plus he has been on a bit of a streak in recent months, and the fans are definitely getting behind him.

Speaking of Cruz, what are the chances that he could regain the title that he always believed was his anyway? I would normally say he had a great chance, but Colossus will be looking to throw him out if he gets the chance, plus Nathan already has another match scheduled for earlier on in the night against Robbie X, a young guy who is looking to take the former champion to his limits and move his way on up the rankings.

What about Robbie X then? He has that tough match earlier on in the night, and he is fairly green when it comes to the NGW roster, but he has quickly gained a following for his fast high flying style, so the crowd could just be the boost he needs.

The Star Attraction Mark Haskins has also been confirmed, plus he's entered himself into the Rumble Roulette and could earn himself that coveted #30 spot, which would quickly push up his chances of taking home the gold. But if he gets that #1 spot then he's going to to find that odds are stacked against him.


Other past title holders could also be in the picture; Sam Bailey has already been announced, plus local hero Matt Myers has just been announced as the latest entrant. Could either of these regain their former glory?

Plus there's another 23 guys that I haven't even mentioned! So who's your money on?