ft. preview of March 9th Northfleet Card, interview with SIMMONZ! ...
BY STEVE ASHFIELD
(www.piledriver-online.co.uk)
Preview of the March 9th Northfleet Card
RQW Heavyweight Title
Ulf Hermann v Johnny ‘The Vigilante’ Moss
I think there are few of us apart from perhaps Mystic Meg who could have predicted this would be the RQW Heavyweight title contest in Dartford on March 9th. The past few weeks have seen the title picture in this division change beyond recognition as something that would make Tail End Charlie quake with fear has happened, a German has taken over!
On February 9th Martin Stone who’d been champion since winning the title tournament at the York Hall at the end of 2006 travelled over to Germany with the dream of coming home with two title belts over his shoulder. He was booked to take on the ACW Heavyweight Champion Ulf Hermann with both titles at stake. After a long hard fought battle the unthinkable happened and a new champion was crowned leaving Stone to travel home empty handed apart I imagine from a fair share of duty free to drown his sorrows.
So RQW found itself in the perhaps unique position of having a heavyweight champion who hasn’t actually fought on an RQW card in the UK. However, Ulf Hermann is definitely not an unknown quantity but a veteran with many years of experience at the top level including a spell in ECW when ECW really was ECW. FWA fans will remember him for his hardcore matches and may possibly have learnt a few swear words they’d never heard before.
It’s usual that the former champion gets an immediate chance to regain his cherished and much missed title but Martin Stone hasn’t been seen in RQW since his title defeat. Is he simply licking his wounds preparing himself for the day he’ll get a chance to once again become RQW Heavyweight Champion? In his absence a challenger was needed to take on the German invader on March 9th in Northfleet so at the last Dartford show a round-robin tournament was held to determine a new number one challenger.
Some fans may have been surprised by the choice of competitors with then WAW British Heavyweight Champion Brett ‘The Kraft’ Meadows, Stixx and the debuting Johnny ‘The Vigilante’ Moss the participants all eager to get a shot at the title in Northfleet. The tournament wasn’t to be a happy one for Brett Meadows who went down in defeat to Stixx in the opening match of the tournament and then faced a match against Johnny Moss that he simply had to win to keep his hopes alive.
Johnny Moss has made a big reputation for himself in NWA:UK Hammerlock who regularly hold cards in Kent and he’s also chasing titles in the North East of England and Scotland. He ended Meadows chances of adding another British title to his collection by gaining victory via submission setting up a winner takes all match with Stixx. Despite the confidence of Stixx it was Johnny Moss who got the pin to set uip this title clash.
So what lies in store for us this weekend? Hermann is one heck of a tough cookie to crack that’s for sure and the former 1PW World Heavyweight Champion won’t be coming to England looking to return home empty handed. However, Johnny Moss has quickly proved to RQW fans that he is going to be a major player in the heavyweight division and what better way of further establishing that reputation by walking out of Northfleet as the new RQW Heavyweight Champion?
‘Avenging a Fallen Friend’
Majik v James Tighe and Dragon Aisu v Andy Boy Simmonz
The RQW Tag team division is lucky enough to have some of the strongest teams in the UK at the moment but the matches taking place this weekend have little to do with the RQW Tag team titles. This isn’t about the desire for the Iron Lions (Simmonz and Tighe) to take the belts from the Damned Nation, it’s a personal matter that the tag champions have to deal with this weekend.
After winning the tag titles from Team Charming on RQW’s last visit to Northfleet they were given one of the toughest first defences imaginable. The team of James Tighe and Andy Boy Simmonz represents two wrestlers both of whom have challenged for the RQW Heavyweight Title and together have quickly showed RQW fans how devastating a team they can be .
After beating Maximum Head in their debut match RQW officials quickly gave them a shot at the RQW Titles and it proved to be a great match in Dartford but one that would have a frightening conclusion.
Perhaps feeling unable to beat the Damned Nation’s Dragon Aisu and Majik, the Iron Lions instead chose to attack their weakest physical link. Simmonz and Tighe brutally attacked Gabriel Grey leaving him unconscious. The Iron Lions may have lost the match in Dartford by DQ but this cowardly attack perhaps makes them feel they have the upperhand in their ongoing battle with the Damned Nation. After this weekend they may have to rethink that strategy.
This weekend sees two singles matches taking place as Majik takes on James Tighe and Dragon Aisu faces Andy Boy Simmonz. Whether they’ll end up as true one-on-one contests remains to be seen but despite the fact that the titles aren’t on the line this weekend there’s a lot more at stake. Majik and Aisu will be doing everything they can to get revenge for Gabriel Grey while Simmonz and Tighe will obviously feel two singles victories will ensure another shot at the titles in the near future. I fear they may have miscalculated their strategy though. Facing the Damned Nation at any time is not a desirable task but facing them after what happened in Dartford might result in unimaginable retribution.
Jetta v Sweet Saraya
OK here’s a reminder of the ways to win a wrestling match and hopefully Jetta will be paying full attention. A wrestling match can be won by pinfall, submission, knockout, by your opponent being disqualified or your opponent failing to get back in the ring and being counted out. Simple really isn’t it but you see Jetta still hasn’t managed a singles victory in RQW so I just thought I’d remind her what she’s supposed to be doing this weekend.
Despite that lack of wins Jetta continues to make her presence felt and especially when it comes to Sweet Saraya. They’ve become deadly rivals in recent weeks with matches in WAW and WAWW where Jetta is the current British Ladies champion though few of us would dare describe Jetta as a lady, more ladette to be honest or just loud.
In RQW Jetta has on three occasions found herself in the ring with Wesna and with a chance of winning the RQW Women’s title that she thinks should be around her waist. On all three occasions Jetta has come up short losing recently to Wesna in Germany where she was forced to submit by the Croatian.
If there’s something to moan about Jetta will find it with ease whether she’s right or wrong and recently she’s been upset about the standard and morals of the RQW referees accusing them of not just being incompetent but fancying her. Rumours that Len Davies has asked Specsavers to help his referees can be firmly denied. When Jetta received another shot at the title in Northfleet she refused to have a male referee for the contest and yet again that big mouth of hers landed her in deep trouble. A female referee was installed for the match but I doubt Jetta had Sweet Saraya in mind when she made her request. After losing the match Jetta was again critical (what a surprise) of the refereeing and accused Saraya of being biased.
In Dartford Jetta was spouting her mouth off yet again and made her views about Saraya clearly felt. It would perhaps have been slightly more helpful for her however if Saraya hadn’t happened to be in the building at the time. Enraged by her comments Saraya came to the ring and the pair had to be dragged apart.
So now we come to Northfleet and the rivalry between Saraya and Jetta is at fever pitch. Both need victories if they’re to get a shot at RQW Champion Wesna in the future but as in the situation between Jetta and Jezebel, could the ill-feeling between the pair be the dominant factor here?
Spud and Mark Sloan v Ross Jordan and ?????
The rivalry between Spud and Ross Jordan continues in RQW even though it seems to be taking their minds off chasing the RQW Cruiserweight title. The rivalry between the pair goes way back to Summer Brawl when Spud made the ill-judged decision to ask Jordan to be his tag partner in the tag tournament semi-final against Team Charming. It didn’t take long for Jordan to show his true colours and he had as much interest in being Spud’s partner as Wayne Rooney has of joining Accrington Stanley.
As Jordan switched his focus back to the cruiserweight division he discovered however that he had more enemies than Spud. In fact this guy seems to have almost as many enemies as Jetta and that’s saying something! In Great Yarmouth Jordan had the chance to become number one challenger to Red Vinny but didn’t reckon on the interference of Mark Sloan who cost him the match and gifted victory to Zak Zodiac.
When RQW returned to Dartford in October it was Jordan v Sloan but again Jordan was thwarted by outside interference, this time from someone who wasn’t even there. During the match Spud’s theme music played and anticipating a run-in by his rival Jordan lost his concentration allowing Sloan to get the pin but Spud was nowhere to be seen.
Finally Jordan got his hands on Spud at ‘No Pain, No Gain’ scoring a victory tainted by the fact that his feet were on the ropes at the time of the pinfall but hey that’s the kind of guy Jordan is. He also loves gloating about other people’s misfortunes and couldn’t help goading Mark Sloan after his loss to Zak Zodiac. With tempers getting frayed all-out war between Jordan, Sloan and Spud has broken out and so a tag match was set up for this weekends show with Jordan believing he’d got the trump card in the shape of heavyweight contender Stixx who he’s tagged with on many occasions.
However the events of last month’s show in Dartford wiped the smile off Jordan’s face. Not only did he again fail to become number one challenger to Red Vinny losing a triple threat match to Zodiac and Sloan he lost his tag partner. Stixx was so confident that he’d win the round-robin tournament and be facing Ulf Hermann for the RQW Heavyweight title, he took the decision to pull out of that tag match. After losing the deciding match of the tournament to Johnny Moss it wasn’t just Stixx who was left with egg on his face. Jordan now has to find a new partner for his match against Sloan and Spud and whoever it is has to be ready for one hell of a battle because their opponents can’t wait to get their hands on Jordan and co.
Tail End Charlie
This is RQW calling Tail End Charlie, can you hear me? I repeat this is RQW calling Tail End Charlie. You must report to Northfleet on March 9th for another secret mission. Your opponent is unknown at present but we can be pretty sure he will be fiendishly beastly. Support will be offered at ringside from General Womble and Private Dowland. After your valiant wins over the enemies Malen and Kirby your country continues to be proud of you and wishes you luck as you continue whatever it is you’re trying to do in RQW and may we all hope you manage to do it before Mad Man Manson gets wind of what’s going on.
Report to barracks at 1600 hours Charlie, your promotion needs you in this darkest hour (and no that doesn’t mean the ring has collapsed again). For King and Country Charlie be at your very best.
Martin Kirby v El Ligero
It might be an idea to put this match on last because if Mr Kirby does happen to lose then he might be in the mood to stage another of his sit-down protests. On the last show in Northfleet Kirby lost to Tail End Charlie (God Save the King!) but felt he should have got the win. Thus he sat in the ring until Mark Sloan did us all a favour and chucked him over the top rope so he could continue his sulking in the dressing room area.
El Ligero is always a worthy addition to any RQW card but his win-loss record hasn’t been as impressive as in other companies he’s appeared in. However a win over Jimmy Havoc in December may just have given the Mexican the momentum he needs and a win over Mr Bad Attitude (or is that Bad Loser) himself might continue that momentum on towards a shot at the RQW Cruiserweight title.
Jon Ryan’s £10,000 Submission Challenge
Still no one has managed to get their hands on the £10,000 up for grabs and it’s beginning to look as if nobody ever will. Ryan continues to be impressive in RQW and hasn’t yet tasted defeat yet alone have anyone last five minutes in his submission challenge. Connors, Tiger X and Havoc all tried to win the cash on the last show, just who will try their best this weekend?
The Thrillers
The last show saw the arrival of the Thrillers in RQW as Gilligan Gordon made his way to Dartford with the team of Mark Haskins and Joel Redman. An impressive win over Maximum Head certainly made people realise that another top tag team had arrived in RQW but there appears to be more to the Thrillers than we’ve seen so far. A new member of the team will be unveiled this weekend in Northfleet but just who will that be and why the heck does Gordon dress like that?
Real Quality Wrestling at the Fleet Leisure & Sports Club, Nelson Road, Northfleet, Kent, DA11 7EE on Sunday, March 9th.
Tickets
£15 Ringside
£10 General Admission
£6.50 Children
£28 Family (2 adults, 2 children)
Available from the venue or realqualitywrestling.com (no booking fee).
Doors open 6pm. Show starts 6:30pm.
RQW FAN OF THE MONTH
JOHN STEPHENS
Hi, I’m John Stephens, I’m 15 years old and i have been an RQW fan for over a year.
I found out about RQW when I done a Google search for wrestling in London. The RQW site showed up, and their next show was the Not Just For Christmas show at York Hall. I got tickets even though I never knew about the promotion, and knew I would not lose anything if the event was bad, because the tickets were free. I was amazed at the show, and I have been a fan since.
One of my favourite matches was the Martin Stone Vs Jody Fleisch match from the March 2007 York Hall Show. Both men seemed to work well together and it was a really exciting match. What made it even better was I was actually there to witness it.
Interview with Andy Boy Simmonz
When did you first get interested in pro wrestling and when did that turn into a desire to actually become a pro wrestler?
My earliest memories of wrestling is when I was about 7 and I absolutely hated it. I got 2 older brothers who used to watch the videos with their mates and would hijack the TV every weekend. I soon came to the realisation that older brothers always get their own way or they would beat you up so I just sat down one day and watched it with them. It was Survivor Series 1988 and the first match I ever saw was the awesome 5 team elimination match. That really was the day I decided I wanted to be a wrestler, it’s all I ever wanted to do.
What are your memories of training at the FWA Academy?
It was hard work, that was the best way to describe it. Saying that though, it was all good fun. Everyone there had the same desire to be successful so everyone was kept very motivated. If you look at the list of people who came from that school it’s a pretty top list- James Tighe, Dan Head, Paul Birchall, Max Voltage, Aviv Maayan, LT Summers, Eamon O’Neill and loads more who came from there. It goes to show that the training was top notch.
You suffered a bad ankle injury while wrestling in Italy, was there really a chance that might cause you to have to retire?
Yeah, there really was. Even when I won the IPW belt for the first time I was still in plaster and had no idea what was going to happen when I came out of it. Luckily though, the bone had healed very well and I’m still here. When I knew the bone had healed I had months of physio to go through and that was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I still suffer from the injury to this day and probably will for the rest of my life. Long live Stevie Douglas!!!
WWE seem to use you whenever they come over to film Raw/Smackdown, what was it like this time around against Umaga and is it surprising you haven’t been signed up to a developmental contract with them yet?
Yeah, that was good fun. It was brutal but I was paid very well so can’t complain. Everyone was really nice and very complimentary about everything I did. I can’t really talk about contracts or anything for now, but we‘ll see what happens in the new year……
This year you’ve started tagging with James Tighe, how did that come about and what are your thoughts of your upcoming match in RQW on December 20th?
Me and James have been friends for 7 years now. In and out of wrestling. He was at my first ever training session and we have been good mates ever since. I’ve always been a huge fan of tag team wrestling. Whether it be the British Bulldogs, Steiners, Rockers, Hart Foundation all of whom are great teams. Something I always wanted to do is be in a proper tag team with matching gear, double team moves and who better than your best friend and I’m really looking forward to wrestling together. We’re also debuting a brand new look, which is pretty edgy I think but I think will go down well. You’re going to see a whole different side to us as well. Much more aggressive and wrestling based rather than the routine I’ve been doing for the past 2 years now
RQW Quiz
Rearrange the names of these five RQW wrestlers, answers after ‘Around The Halls’
1 A Lean Lump
2 Half Men Run
3 Hitler Onions (clue, it’s a tag team)
4 A Seesaw Tray
5 No Neat Trims
Quiz Answers
1 Paul Malen
2 Ulf Hermann
3 The Iron Lions
4 Sweet Saraya
5 Martin Stone.
STEVE ASHFIELD
(www.piledriver-online.co.uk)