NGW Eternal Glory

Saturday 8th December 2012

Eastmount Recreation Centre, Hull

The final NGW event of 2012, and the last one in Hull for 3 months. Not only that, but it was to feature Hull's first ever ladder match with 8 men in  the ring at once, battling it out to become NGW Tag Team Champions. This event promised everything, but could it deliver?

Proving Ground Pre-Show

6-Man Tag match

A team of heel wrestlers, led by Barnaby, heads out to take on a team of faces led by local favourite Ricky Halestorm. It's a good match too! Sometimes these 'dark matches' are dark for a reason, but this time I would have been happy with these guys coming first or second on the actual card. The good guys stood victorious at the end of this one, getting a good pop off the crowd and getting the event off to a good start.

Stixx vs Bam Bam Barton

This was Stixx's return match after losing to Rampage Brown at Ultimate Showdown, a chance to show the NGW crowd that he was still a contender. And what a contender he is. He's one of the most consistent performers on the roster; always puts on an great match and always gets a great reaction from the crowd. Bam Bam Barton made for a good opponent, but in the end had to tap out to a Sharpshooter from the 'Heavyweight House of Pain' Stixx.

After the match, commentator 'the Geach', decides to get into the ring and berate the victor. After showing Stixx some footage of NGW Champion Rampage Brown claiming that he's never returning to the Eastmount Centre, Geach tells him it's all his fault that the NGW title will never be seen by the Eastmount Crowd again. Bizarrely, Stixx has no response, and instead just skulks off to the locker room, seemingly hanging his head in shame.

Martin Kirby vs Caz Crash

Martin Kirby hasn't been seen in an NGW ring since he lost his roster spot to Caz Crash at the 4th Anniversary Show back in June. In fact, his only sighting was at Full Force in October, sitting at ringside, when Caz and the rest of The Proven attacked him and then challenged him to this very match. When Kirby accepted, he didn’t realise that Caz was being his usual underhanded self and meant a three-on-one handicap match! Once the match got started it was clear how this one was going to go, with the so-called ‘numbers game’ catching up to Kirby and The Proven getting the pinfall victory.

Nathan Cruz vs Colossus Kennedy

With Richie West as Special Guest Referee

This. Was. Awesome.

We know these two can wrestle, but that’s not what this was about. This was all about telling a story. Colossus fights not only for himself in this one, but also for everyone that Cruz has wronged in the past year. And that is a long list of people… One of them is Richie West, Cruz’s former manager, who has been made the special guest referee to make sure that Cruz doesn’t find a way to cheat his way out of this match. That doesn’t stop Nathan from trying to cheat though, as he gets a steel chair and continuously hits Kennedy with a series of almighty chair shots, assuming that he’ll get himself disqualified. However, both West and Colossus want to see this match through to its bitter conclusion, and so the beating goes on. To the crowds delight, things do eventually turn in Kennedy’s favour, landing a sick chair shot of his own, and pinning him to the mat for the three count.

After the match, long suffering girlfriend Mel walks out on Cruz, leaving him alone with only his water-boy for company.

Matt Myers vs Mark Haskins

I could honestly watch these two go at it every single week; great in ring chemistry from two fast paced and entertaining wrestlers. After Myers beat Haskins in their last encounter, the ‘Star Attraction’ has been popping up and trying to get his own back ever since. And, after an amazing back and forth match, Haskins finally got the revenge he was so desperate for, pinning Myers and getting his hand raised in victory by the ref. I say bring on the rubber match; 30 minute Iron Man Match sound good to anyone?

Dave Rayne vs Mad Man Manson

Oh dear Lord… My face actually hurt from this one. Dave Rayne came out and made the fastest heel turn I’ve ever seen, calling out anyone in the NGW locker room in order to prove he is the greatest. Out comes somebody he's not quite expecting, Mad Man Manson! You either love this guy or you hate him, and after the last time I saw him I really was heading towards the latter end of the scale. This time however, he completely changed my mind! Him and Dave Rayne did some slow motion wrestling, and, as ridiculous as it sounds, it had the whole crowd in hysterics. I would tell you to buy the DVD and check it out for yourself, but the cameraman was doubled over laughing so hard that I'm not entirely sure if he got any of it. Great stuff. I think it ended with Dave Rayne winning the match, but does it really matter? The crowd was the winner of this one.

Four Corners Ladder Match for the Tag Team Titles

Team GB (c) vs Los Amigos vs The Predators vs Robbie X & Dean Allmark

My words are just not going to do this justice.

The anticipation for this match was incredible. Ladders were marched out and placed around the ring before the match started, and then the four teams came out one at a time, all pausing for a glance at the Tag Title belts hanging from the ceiling. Now, I've seen a lot of Ladder matches and TLC matches, but I've never seen one up close and personal and I spent the entire match in one of two states; shock or fear. They did things that I've never seen or even thought was possible. Biggest props go to Zack Gibson, who managed to sell an injury so well that we were all convinced he would never walk again, but still managed to get back up in time to get himself thrown through the announce table! Team GB managed to retain their titles, as all 8 of them received a well deserved standing ovation.

Incredible stuff to round up a great 2012 for NGW. Can't wait to see what they've got planned for 2013!