A year and a month ago I wrote a relatively short article about a new pro wrestling company that was setting up in Sheffield. That company was Breed Pro Wrestling. In the year and a bit since I wrote that article, Breed have gone on to have a stellar rookie year as far as promotions go. since starting in February, Breed have managed to put on a wrestling show at least once a month with the wrestling on those shows usually being absolutely incredible. Just 13 days ago they put on a show in a god damn cave, something that no other company in the world has done before. But unfortunately Breed has some debts to settle and because of that, there will be no more Breed Pro shows for the rest of the year. Now that really does suck because the cave felt like the springboard that really announced Breed to the British independent scene and it's a shame we won't be seeing anything of them until the new year. But this isn't a piece of writing that will focus on negatives, I want to write this piece to show the positives that Breed Pro Wrestling have had on the Sheffield wrestling scene and the positive impact that they've had on my life as well.
I'll be honest, it was a very last minute decision to head to the first Breed show back in February. I think I bought tickets for myself and a friend on either the Thursday or Friday before Sunday Night Yeet. I don't think either me or my friend really knew what we were getting into when we turned up at the Picture House on that Sunday, but we took our seats and waited for the show to start. What we witnessed was a really, really good night of pro wrestling with performers like Spike Trivet and Lucky Kid as well as More Than Hype really impressing myself and my friend. A month passed and we were back at it again, this time at City Hall. Once again, a good time was had (even though The O.J.M.O did make me clap my hands rather aggressively) and the good times have continued throughout the year. No matter where Breed have set up shop, it's been an absolute privilege to go to shows. Everyone involved with Breed are some of the nicest people you could meet, whenever I've come to the ticket desk to get in I've always been greeted extremely warmly and made to feel like I am a part of this Sheffield wrestling community that Breed have built. Two incidents in particular really stand out to me when discussing the niceness of Breed and they both involve Mitch. The first was at the inaugural Breeding Ground event, when I came in with my friend, I was greeted with a smile and then Mitch asked if I'd recently bought merch, I had, he went off to get my shirt and when he came back he gave me the shirt and shook my hand. Now that's not something that Mitch had to do, but he did and it made me feel right at home. A small act of kindness goes a long way and that segway's nicely into my next anecdote about Mitch. It was at the beginning of the This Isn't Murder, It's Just Grenoside and I had just been to the Sheffield United match before going to Breed. Again, I was greeted with a smile and, even though it was literally minutes before the start of the show, Mitch asked me about the United match. We had a short discussion about how United had been unlucky to lose. Again, Mitch didn't have to do that but he did. Kindness is a big thing with Breed and I'm really happy and proud to have a company like Breed leading the way for pro wrestling in Sheffield. Breed was also the first place that I saw a lot of wrestlers who I hadn't heard of before but over the course of the year have become some of my favourite wrestlers. Athletes like Shay Fu, Kurtis Chapman and Joe Nelson are people that I probably wouldn't have watched had it not been for Breed. Not only that, but some of my favourite matches of the year have happened in a Breed ring. Standouts include Ridgeway/Romo at Breeding Ground 1, Nelson/Barker at Colossal Tussle and Nelson/The O.J.M.O at Breeding Ground 2 to name but a few. Breed have managed to put on top class pro wrestling on a regular basis in Sheffield and that is something they should be immensely proud of. It's rare that a company doesn't at least put on one bad show in a year, but Breed have managed to do that this year, I've never left a venue feeling like I've wasted my money. Breed have been brilliant value for money. I could go on and on about how brilliant Breed are, but I don't want you dear reader to be here all night/day. So I'll sign off on this, thank you Breed Wrestling for everything that you have done so far for independent pro wrestling in Sheffield. You've created something that is incredibly positive in a world that doesn't have many. This isn't goodbye, it's just an I'll see you later.
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It finally happened. After buying tickets in April, and after waiting 4 months then waiting an extra month because someone was a spoilsport, it happened. We went to the Devil's Arse in Castleton and watched some wrestling. It's the biggest event in Breed's history so far, did it live up to the hype? Let's find out.
First off it's time for a venue review! This one is a doozy because I'm reviewing a literal cave. So Peak Cavern (aka Devil's Arse) is an absolutely stunning piece of nature with the walk up to the entrance being particularly jaw dropping. Once in the cave, the lovely views didn't stop there with the mouth of the cave proving to be a stunning backdrop to a night of wrestling. Talking about the wrestling, let's get onto the card. Opening us up it's a seven way scramble match with Henry Faust taking on Ethan Allen, Tom Thelwell, Simon Miller, Tate Mayfairs, Fraser Thomas and Shaun Jackson. This match was full throttle from the opening bell with everyone aiming to take out the biggest man in the match in Simon Miller. Once Miller was temporarily incapacitated, the rest of the field went to work on one another with Allen and Faust being particularly impressive. It wouldn't be either of these men who would secure the win though, the victory would instead be Miller's with a spear on Thelwell being enough to secure him his first win in Breed. Although this was relatively short and the ending was very unexpected it was a good way to kick off the card and it was nice to see Simon Miller secure his first win in Breed. Afterwards, Miller did have some afters with a nearby Adam Bolt so I'm sure we'll be seeing a resolution to that feud in the near future. Tag team handicap action is next and it's Club Tropicana (with Captain Cuddles!) vs The Anti - Fun Police. After his antics at PMA last month, everyone was excited to see Cuddles back in action and he didn't disappoint with a DDT and a Hurricanrana proving why he's one of the best in the business right now. Or should that be that he was one of the best in the business because, and I hate to break this to you dear reader, Captain Cuddles is dead. He was thrown into the depths of the cave by Chief Deputy Dunne and this seemed to throw off Club Tropicana who up to the point of the death had been in control of the match. Even after hitting the Super Sexy Slip N' Slide it wasn't enough to get the victory and continue their unbeaten streak in Breed. The Anti - Fun Police picked up the win after Dunne hit a codebreaker. All in all this was a great watch and I honestly don't think I've heard a crowd turn on a wrestler as quickly as when Dunne launched Cuddles to his untimely demise. So where do Tropicana go from here? We'll have to see how they do whenever we see them next. It's time for two men who like to hit very hard up next, Luke Jacobs took on Dan Moloney in a match that more than lived up to it's hard hitting billing with both men knocking seven bells out of each other. It came to a head when a chop battle broke out and as the sound of hand on skin rang out around the cave, it looked like these men would just annihilate one another before we got a winner but we did get a winner and that winner would be the man known simply as 'Drilla' with a gnarly looking piledriver being enough to put away the Young Gun. After the match, Moloney offered his hand to Jacobs and after deliberation Jacobs accepted the show of sportsmanship before leaving and letting Moloney take in the acclaim. Just before we move on, I'd just like to say that it is an absolute joy watching Luke Jacobs wrestle. Breed has almost an embarrassment of riches when it comes to hot young talent and Jacobs has been at the very forefront of that with him usually putting on brilliant matches no matter where he's placed on the card. An absolute joy to watch. Fantasy booking came into reality next with Chuck Mambo taking on Mike Bailey in singles action. This was a match that I didn't get to see a lot of because it went off into the opposite side of the cave that I was on. What I did see however was crisp and quick with both men putting it all on the line for our entertainment. Mambo would come away with the win in the end of a hellacious bout (shout out to Bailey standing on that gravel barefoot) with a springboard frog splash being enough to see off the man known as 'Speedball'. So ETM have come through one test, will TK be able to pass the test put in front of him? First half main event and it's trios action with firm fan favourites More Than Hype taking on the eclectic mix of Chris Brookes, Dani Luna and the dab master Kurtis Chapman. There was lots and lots of bread in this match with the stuff literally raining down on the competitors just before the bell rang. Although there were questions asked before the bout if Brookes and Luna could get along they did just fine early doors and managed to slow down More Than Hype and kept Kearney isolated from his brothers in arms. Kearney did eventually break through the isolation and when he made the tag, the momentum of the bout swung back in the favour of the trio who tag with each other on a regular basis. It was perhaps this inexperience as a trio that cost the triumvirate of Brookes, Luna and Chapman in the end with Brookes being put away by More Than Hype's Canadian Megazord. A thoroughly entertaining encounter that saw us nicely into the break. We're back from half time and the second time is starting off strong with a grudge match between friends who have become enemies. Joe Nelson defended his Leader Of The New Breed title against JJ Barker in a repeat of a bout that was one of the first qualifying matches for this very belt. Nelson looked to try and finish off Barker early doors with a flurry of offence that was ended when Barker countered Nelson's Sliced Bread No.2. After this, Barker took control of the match and looked to have it won a couple of times. Nelson did manage to put his foe away though after just about hitting a code red to pick up the win. Nelson continues to impress as Leader Of The New Breed and has most definitely done a cracking job as being it's champion. Much like Jacobs he's a joy to watch and long may his reign continue. It's back to the drawing board for Barker, it'll be interesting to see where he goes next. Women Of Steel championship match and Ivy appeared to have her work cut out with a returning Gia and a debuting Veda Scott making a retention look difficult but Ivy had an ace up her sleeve. The fourth member of this match wouldn't be Raven Creed but would instead be Ivy's tag team partner Ruby Radley. Veda Scott was quickly eliminated from the bout after falling foul to a double team manoeuvre but the odds were turned against Ivy when Gia managed to eliminate Radley from the bout. It looked like Ivy's rain of terror would be over... But it isn't as Radley managed to distract the official and Ivy took advantage and clocked Gia with the belt. Somehow, someway Ivy has managed to keep her belt but she might not have it for much longer as Ivy was then informed she would be defending her belt against Eliza Roux at Lucy Openshaw's charity event in Manchester in early November. Shortly after Dani Luna came out and also laid down a challenge of her own for the Breed event in November. So although she kept her belt in the cave, she might not have the belt for much longer. Penultimate match and it's another dream match with Team Whitewolf taking each other on. Carlos Romo comes off the back of an impressive performance against Daniel Makabe at Breeding Ground 3 and A - Kid was making his Breed debut. This was a lovely little match with both men showing their technical prowess inside the squared circle. It wouldn't be technical prowess that would end this match though but some good old cheating instead. Romo looked to put away Kid with a running knee but Kid ducked and Romo blasted the match official instead. Taking advantage, Kid proceeded to level Romo in his groin and get the win with a submission. A brilliant match tainted by it's finish. Main event time and it's a big one for one man in particular. Big Guns Joe took on Brady Phillips and TK Cooper in a match for the Breed Championship. The crowd was firmly behind Joe this support seemed to carry him forward with Joe coming out to a flying start. The dream however appeared to be over when Joe appeared to tweak his leg after hitting a senton to the outside on Phillips and Cooper. Joe was taken to the back and Phillips and Cooper proceeded to put on a really solid match. The biggest shock of the night was when Joe managed to return to the ring and, against all odds, pinned Phillips to become our NEW Breed Pro Wrestling Champion. What an wonderful end to the night. The journey that Big Guns Joe has been on has been the thing that you would only see in a film. To go from villain to hero in the way he has is heart warming to see and you could see in his face after the match that this win meant everything to him. Well done Big Guns Joe, you deserve this more than anyone. So how was Starrcave? Apart from a few issues with the audio and some quiet bits from the crowd this was a solid night of action and it was brilliant to see a turn out as good as this for a company that is only 8 months old. It's been really, really awesome to see this company grow since the beginning back in February. I hope that this is the start of something special for Breed and I really think that it is. Big well done to everyone involved. I'm incredibly proud. You keep on fighting the good fight! |
AuthorHi I'm John and I am a wrestling fan. Archives
December 2019
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