Faith can be a wonderful thing.
It can propel people to greater plateaus in life. Indeed, the injured Bubblegum had faith in Dylan Roberts, who he elected as his replacement ahead of the evening’s six man tag team war main event in which Roberts, El Ligero and Si Valour took on the Mil-Anfield Connection and Juice.
Unfortunately for the crutch prone Hubba Bubba Ville native who hurt himself a week prior to the event, Roberts and his tag team partners El Ligero and Si Valour, the faith Bubblegum had didn’t quite pay off. Roberts fell to Juice’s patented Frog Splash to bring the back and forth match to its conclusion. The victory enabled Juice and the GPW Tag Team Champions to shout abuse at their defeated opponents while Dylan and co were left to rue what might have been.
It all meant a bad start to a year Bubblegum proclaimed could be Roberts’ time to shine as he addressed the fired up Monaco Ballroom crowd prior to the main event. “Hello GPW! Sorry I won’t be able to compete tonight,” the fan favourite began, before introducing Hubba Bubba Lucha partner Ligero in to the fray.
“While I was in the back I was looking for a suitable replacement.
“Since GPW is where opportunities start, I’ve found someone as a suitable replacement. “2008 may be this guy’s year. I want you to show your appreciation to the third member of this team, Dylan Roberts!”
Speculation seemed to be reaching a fever pitch as Bubblegum moved closer to naming his substitute and the GPW fans were doubtlessly thrilled as Roberts entered the ring. Bubblegum, proud of his protégé, looked on from ringside and suffered Juice’s ‘cripple’ taunts throughout the match.

Both teams made quick tags in the early stages of the match and though it was Ligero who began the battle with Juice, Roberts was given an early chance to excel as the Mexican high flyer tagged him after delivering very little offence.
Roberts, who was hit with maggots in the opening match during his last GPW appearance at ‘Supercharged’ in November, was given quite the introduction to the main event scene as Juice threw him to the canvas and immediately caught him in a wristlock. Jiggy Walker soon made a blind tag and hit Roberts with a clothesline and arm lock, before Roberts recovered to double team the obnoxious Liverpudlian with El Ligero. He held down Walker while Ligero dived on him from the top rope. With Walker on the floor, Ligero tagged in Valour who beat down Walker until Juice and Ligero were tagged in for their respective teams. Ligero dropkicked Juice before catching him in a hurricarana. Danny Hope saw his first action after Walker struck Ligero from behind and Hope was tagged by Juice. Indeed, it was Hope who got the contests first two count after he knocked Ligero down to the canvas. The ever opportunistic Hope proceeded to hurl Ligero out of the ring and then viciously stomp away at his head. Ligero, quickly becoming isolated from his team, was struck by Walker for another two count. After some more tags, the master of the C4L DDT was once again at the mercy of the Toxteth born Walker, who stretched his arms in a submission manoeuvre. Thankfully for Ligero, however, he caught a break when Walker and himself fell to the canvas after a double clothesline.

Unfortunately, the tag to Dylan did little to improve the situation. Despite an initial dropkick to Hope, a shot by Walker made Roberts vulnerable. He kicked away and scoop slammed Roberts, before Juice threw him to the canvas for a two count. A tag to Hope saw Roberts’ head squashed on the middle rope as the man from Milan pounded away at his adversary for another near fall. Juice’s arrival saw Roberts elbowed for a third two count before Juice caught him in a massive suplex. A frustrated Ligero pulled Juice off the subsequent pin fall attempt before Walker and Juice both knocked Roberts down. The contest nearly degenerated in to a brawl when Valour pushed Walker but Hope nailed Roberts with a boot to the face to get a near fall. Hope then tagged in Juice who pounded away at Roberts’ back and face for yet another two count, before Juice locked in Roberts’ arm in a bid to make him submit. Roberts, who was never going to back down to any of his opponents, tried to fight back but the cocky Juice wrapped Roberts’ legs round his arms in an excruciating submission attempt.
But when Valour arrived on the scene via a long awaited Roberts tag, the fan favourites finally held some sort of distinct advantage. His huge clothesline caught out Hope for two, before he slammed him down to the mat. Although Valour was dragged down from the top rope by Juice and Ligero and was taken down by Walker for two, he nailed Juice with a Rock Bottom variation for his own two count. After Walker ran in to break up the fall, he took shots at Valour’s head and stomach and headed for the top rope. But the tenacious Valour joined him to hit a huge top rope scoop slam. Hope soon caught him in his signature Boston Crab submission, but the alert Ligero broke up the painful hold. Juice, also reactant to the action, pounded away at Ligero. The hard to put away Mexican, however, dove on top of both Mil-Anfield Connection members before the match’s final exchanges between Roberts and Juice began.
Roberts kicked away at Juice and rolled him up for a two count before scoop slamming the former S.I.N member. It was Roberts’ dash to the top rope, however, that would prove costly. Juice dove out of the way of Roberts’ top rope elbow before climbing to the heights himself and hitting his Frog Splash for the three count.
Despite the loss, Dylan felt he had a positive experience in the main event.
“This was a massive opportunity and I took it with both hands.
“The pace was about 150 miles per hour compared to what I’m used to.
“I got beat down big time and I wouldn’t expect anything less. That kind of thing will put me on the map.
“I’m used to the starting matches where it’s all good clean fun in the end but these lads were dirty.
“The only way is up, I can’t go down now.”
Perhaps the same is ironically true of GPW veteran Dangerous Damon Leigh. He proclaimed ahead of his GPW British Championship battle with Heresy that it his goal to bring good friend Joey Hayes back to GPW. Leigh actually ended up both moving closer to accomplishing that goal and earning another.
Hayes was controversially made to leave GPW after quitting in a Winner Takes All match at Supercharged when Heresy and new found team mate TJ Cain dragged his younger brother in to the ring and threatened to strike him with a brick.
Indeed, Hayes ran through the crowd to attack Cain during the title battle before being ejected by GPW security. On top of that, Leigh claimed his fourth British Championship by hitting the hated Heresy with the Diamond Dust to secure the three count. But the confrontation did not simply begin in the match. Leigh and Heresy exchanged words in the ring following the night’s second contest. Heresy, as some sort of tribute to his fallen foe, aired a video package of Hayes’ greatest GPW moments.
“I absolutely loathe coming here but tonight I have to admit there’s an air of excitement in the air,” the loud mouthed grappler began.
“I am going to finally put 2007 behind me. I’m starting the year off as British Champion. Tonight I will finally put to rest the memory of Joey Hayes.”
The former S.I.N leader then ‘had the pleasure’ of introducing TJ Cain. He instructed the now lukewarm crowd to clap his best friend.
“You all remember December. Joey Hayes did the same to me two years ago. What goes around comes around. You can sit here chanting ‘Joey, Joey’ but your chanting won’t bring him back,” Cain told the fans.
“Joey Hayes fans, this is your time,” Heresy said.
“Let’s have a minute’s silence,” he asked the Monaco crowd, before growing angry at the cheers of support for the former British champion.
“I had a feeling the people of Wigan wouldn’t be able to understand, so I had a back up plan,” Heresy said.
In a bizarre turn of events, an R.I.P Jeremy Beadle picture appeared on the screen, before the eerie black and white tribute to Hayes aired on the GPW Tron.
“I couldn’t let tonight go by without saying a few words from the Bible for the funeral and burial of Joey Hayes.
“I’ve read it and there’s nothing here,” Heresy bellowed, before chucking the holy book on the floor and breaking in to verse by reading a poem about Hayes.
DDL had clearly heard enough. He grabbed the mike after his music was greeted by raptures of cheers from the rampant crowd.
“I just heard you say that what happened to Joey Hayes was an act of God.
“As I said, I was going to make it my goal to get Joey Hayes back in GPW.
“I can’t believe what I saw at the last show, the levels you would stoop to.
“The time for talking is over. Tonight, I will take that belt and become the four time GPW British champion.

“Tonight, you will find out why they call me ‘Dangerous’ Damon Leigh!”
With that, DDL left the ringside area to yet more applause. There is certainly no doubt the confidence he exuded paid off at the match’s end.
Cain and Heresy didn’t even let announcer Luke Marsden finish welcoming DDL to the ring later in the night. The pair pounded away at Leigh before the referee ensured Cain was out of the squared circle. Heresy enjoyed an early advantage, clothes lining and stomping Leigh before and catching him in a neck breaker for the contest’s first two count. It soon became clear the match resembled more of a two on one handicap tussle as Cain tripped DDL up from the outside of the ring when he fought back against Heresy. Heresy hit a suplex before Cain climbed to the ring apron to distract DDL while he and Heresy battled away. The boisterous Heresy gained two near falls by strangling DDL in the ropes and elbowing him respectively.

“Who’s your man?” yelled Heresy.
But you can never take DDL lightly. Despite gripping Leigh’s chi n in the centre of the ring, Heresy was elbowed four times, then clothes lined and slammed to the canvas by his opponent. But it was when DDL climbed to the top that Cain once again proved himself a useful tool in Heresy’s ammo by throwing him down from the lofty heights. Heresy then hurled Leigh to the canvas head first before picking him up and clothes lining him. It was then that Joey Hayes both shocked and delighted the crowd.
Perhaps he brought a ticket to the event. Or perhaps he was watching from the rafters. Wherever he came from, he went straight for Cain on the outside of the ring after jumping the barriers. In a desperate attempt to help out his new best friend, Heresy darted to the outside but DDL soon caught up with him and the pair fought back inside the ring. Quickly recovering just prior to Hayes getting ejected by GPW security, Heresy took several shots at DDL to get a near fall. But after the pair exchanged several hits, Leigh climbed to the top rope and hit the Diamond Dust to get the three count and win the title.
Heresy was fuming about the loss when I spoke to him.
“Joey Hayes wasn’t even supposed to be there. I don’t know who the hell let him in.
“I’m going to have a word with Richard Noble about his security. It’s a travesty of justice.
“He distracted me and took my eye completely off the ball. I’m putting the blame for the loss totally on Joey’s shoulders.”
The former S.I.N leader was also irate that Hayes had re-injured TJ Cain’s neck, which has been broken for some time.
Another man who will no doubt be incensed is Dirk Feelgood. Time and time again Feelgood has attempted to wrest the GPW Heavyweight Championship away from Darkside, but the Scotsman has escaped on every single occasion. Darkside’s bizarre collection of fake Dirk’s have foiled the challenger in previous months. At this juncture, the fearsome Johnny Phere’s totally unexpected interference in this competitive outing was enough to ensure Darkside retained the title by disqualification. If Feelgood had won the match and title, Darkside’s reign as GPW Heavyweight Champion would have been erased from the history books.
Feelgood started confidently enough. He nailed his opponent with a dropkick and gained two quick near falls before hitting a neck breaker for a third two count. Ever the opportunist, Darkside kicked out by raking Feelgood’s eyes but Dirk hit back with a dropkick to the outside. Darkside soon fought back with a couple of chops and kicks but Feelgood’s ever reliable dropkick again took him down for another near fall. Full of hatred for his opponent, Feelgood clothes lined the Scot in to the corner, ventured to the outside and pulled him in to the ring post nuts first. But Darkside quickly recovered to clothes line Feelgood and hurled him through the middle ropes. Looking to avenge his earlier meeting with a ring post, he whipped Feelgood in to the same steel structure and rolled in and out of the ring at the count of eight before choking Feelgood on a ringside barrier. The champion survived a brief Feelgood fight back before ramming his knees in to his face for a two count. A suplex on and a shot to Feelgood earned Darkside two more near falls. Darkside then threw Feelgood in to the corner yet the doctor recovered to scoop slam his rival. But Darkside ended Feelgood’s revival with a backbreaker before hanging him upside down in the corner and kicking away at his chest for a two count.

But maybe he spent too much time taunting the fans. The resilient Feelgood rose to strike Darkside’s head and hit a colossal spine buster to leave both men lying on the canvas. Although the pair rose at the referee’s eight count, Feelgood clothes lined his opponent three times for a two before taking him down with a modified bulldog for a very close near fall. But Darkside’s vicious eye rake thwarted the fan favourite while he was perched on the top rope and the Scot leaped on top of him for his own two count. But his disrespectful nature was very nearly his undoing again. His slap to Feelgood may have knocked his foe to the floor, but Darkside missed a dive from the top rope and Feelgood struck him with a dropkick for a close near fall. A roll up got him yet another close near fall but it was when Feelgood looked to nail his patented Anaesthetic finishing move that Phere leaped in to the ring from seemingly nowhere to clothesline both men and Ram Slam Feelgood. The referee rang the bell to leave a frustrated Feelgood wondering just what he had to do to once again reign as GPW Heavyweight Champion.
An understandably annoyed Dirk said afterwards: “I do not, honestly and legitimately know what is going on. It seems month, after month, after month, every time I’ve got the victory something else happens.
“If this keeps on happening there is going to be serious hell to pay and Dirk Feelgood is going to have to deck a lot of people.”
Dirk was furious at Johnny Phere for seemingly costing him the gold.

“I don’t even know where Johnny Phere’s come from or what he’s doing. He won about one match all last year, lost all year to Si Valour and now thinks he needs a title shot.
“Well, I tell you what, he does not need a title shot. What he needs to do is get his brain in gear and realise that there’s a hierarchy and Dirk Feelgood is top of that hierarchy.
“Not only did I kick Darkside square in the face but I was setting him up for the Anaesthetic and then that loon, that psychopath just runs from the crowd dressed like some sort of Californian sunbather.
“I don’t know what the hell he was doing, where his mind was. He was probably out in the park before drinking cider and getting all riled up sitting in his bus stop bench that he calls a home and decides that he’s going to get involved in my match.
“It’s absolutely gob smacking.”
Darkside disagreed with Dirk’s match analysis.
“At the end of the match I still left with the belt. He was going to get beaten anyway.
“He tried everything he could and he still couldn’t beat me. I don’t think he’s got the balls to beat me if I’m honest.”
He wasn’t concerned by Phere’s interference but he did issue a warning to the master of the Ram Slam.
“It’s rather unexpected but a lot of people are gunning for the belt. No-one’s been able to take it off me yet and I think that trends going to continue.
“Johnny Phere’s stuck his nose in where it really didn’t belong even though he helped me out a little bit. I’m sure we’ll bump in to each other down the road.”
One man who must be delighted with his performance at GPW’s first event of 2008 is Chris Echo. The huge fan favourite pulled off what many might call an upset victory by defeating the much larger Juggernaught in a Grudge Match. Juggernaught’s manager, Alan Alan Alan Tasker, also found himself involved in the contest, though not as he may have planned. He paid dearly for getting in Mya’s (Echo’s valet) face before the bell was rung.
Juggernaught immediately asserted his size by driving Echo in to several ring corners and hurling himself in to Echo while he lay prone. Echo, the quicker of the two grapplers, soon hurricaranaed Juggernaught and stomped away at him on the ropes. Tasker, who was a constant bully on the outside, forced Mya in to the ring but Echo wedgied the manager before Mya got her own back by delivering a clothesline to Tasker. But what Tasker did to Mya paled in comparison to Juggernaught’s next offensive move. The formidable combatant double clothes lined Echo and Mya in the centre of the ring while Tasker escaped to the outside. He then caught Echo in a huge scoop slam before clothes lining him in to a corner. This terrifying flurry of Juggernaught attack prompted the evening’s first of many deafening ‘Echo, Echo, Echo, Oy, Oy, Oy!’ chants from the GPW faithful. Echo tried desperately to fight back but was met with a scary vertical suplex. But Echo, who never gives up, soon dropkicked and stomped Juggernaught before somehow catching him in a sunset flip for two.

Juggernaught, however, quickly stopped all Echo’s momentum with a side slam variation for his own near fall. After Mya slapped Tasker on the outside following his constant taunting, Juggernaught clothes lined and bear hugged his opponent. The Echo chants, which were arguably at their loudest at this point, may have spurred him in to a fight back. Echo took down Juggernaught with a huge DDT for two before heading to the top. However, Juggernaught’s resiliency once again showed as he hurled Echo from the ropes and proclaimed the match was over. But instead of going for the pin, he seemed to make a mistake by picking Echo up from the canvas. Echo fought back with punches and kicks before a huge dropkick and a face buster got him a near fall. But just when Echo seemed to have the match under control, Juggernaught speared his rival. In a fascinating final twist to this involving battle, Juggernaught went to pick Echo up but in what seemed like a split second, Echo rolled him up for the three count.
Echo was shocked with the win but was full of praise for the crowd.
“It was quite a surprise; he had me beat pretty much.
“If you have that kind of support, it just eggs you on so much, it’s great. I didn’t expect it at all, they were just chanting ‘Echo, Echo, Echo’ and it really pushed me along.”
Another pair who will be delighted with their night are Dave Rayne and Harry Doogle. Much like Echo, this debuting team, known as the Next Gen Superstars, pulled off a shock victory over the Lethal Dose tandem of Cyanide and Jack Toxic. Dave Rayne’s half nelson/ neck breaker variation on Toxic was enough to put their unorthodox opponents away.
It’s weird how Rayne didn’t seem confident when the contest began. The teams faced up to each other in the ring, but Rayne shifted Doogle in front of Toxic before pairing him off with Cyanide. Not wanting to be messed about, the pair clothes lined the bemused Doogle and Cyanide suplexed Rayne to the outside. But Doogle, who certainly wasn’t intimidated by his opponents, nailed Toxic with a bulldog to get the first two count. His shot to Toxic’s head and subsequent clothes line prompted Toxic to tag in his much larger partner. With Doogle seemingly isolated from his partner who was still recovering on the outside, the Dose pair made quick tags. Doogle took shot after shot at Cyanide but he and Toxic double teamed him when Cyanide threw Toxic on top of Doogle for their opening near fall. Doogle again attempted to fight back but Cyanide nailed him with a harsh scoop slam for two. Toxic soon hurled himself at Doogle in the corner before diving on him in the centre of the ring for another two count. Doogle and Toxic exchanged shots to each other’s heads before an elusive Toxic elbow took both men out. The next tag could well have been the turning point in the match.
Rayne may have slowly risen to his corner but after Doogle tagged him in he dashed to take shots at Toxic in a corner. Cyanide tried to rescue his partner but the gargantuan only succeeded in clothes lining his partner. Cyanide recovered to slam Rayne to the canvas but Doogle nailed him with a huge dropkick. With the match quickly degenerating in to a confusing brawl, Toxic took Doogle down for a near fall. Rayne caught Toxic in a reverse DDT but Cyanide threw out partner Doogle and picked Rayne up by the legs before slamming him to the mat for a near fall which was saved by the resilient Doogle. Cyanide took exception to Doogle’s interference and the pair soon brawled to the outside. While Doogle ran towards the fans, Cyanide walked towards him, eyeing up his prey. But back inside, Cyanide looked to hit Doogle but clothes lined his partner instead. Rayne, ever the opportunist, caught the confused Toxic in his half nelson/neck breaker variation for the three count and the win for the appropriately named Next Gen Superstars.
Rayne was delighted with the victory but had didn’t know how he ended up on the outside.
“I don’t know what happened. One second I was on Cyanide’s back, the next thing I know I’m on the apron holding my hand out for a tag. I’ve got no memory of what happened in the middle.
“Lethal Dose are a tough tag team, they get around a bit. Not many people have got wins over them so I’m happy about that.
“Harry Doogle’s over the moon! He’s a good lad. We’ll see where GPW takes us. They might ask us to team up again.
“We’ll go far if we stick together. We beat one of the best tag teams in the north so there’s a lot of potential for us.”

Mad Man Manson by Tony Knox

The opening match of the night may have left many GPW fans equally bewildered. Mad Man Manson, who is probably best described as unorthodox, made his debut in a 3 way Madness match which also featured the intriguing Jervis Cottonbelly and Voodoo. Cottonbelly secured the win with a roll up over Manson to end one of the most, erm, fascinating matches in GPW history.
Fans seemed unsure how to react to the debutant, who’s first GPW step was to poke his foot out from behind the entrance way curtains. Manson, who donned a Mohawk haircut, arrived in a straight jacket which he himself struggled out of. Fans then saw his somewhat eccentric collection of tattoos, which featured an unusual collection of sketches and words.
“I’ve still got it” Manson yelped.
Both Cottonbelly and Voodoo, themselves perhaps not the brightest tools in the shed, looked on in amazement as Manson placed his straight jacket on top of the referee and waved the ring bell shouting “here yee, here yee”. After feeling the referee’s backside, he then stated “I wish my wife was this over” before holding some form of conversation with his opponents. When Voodoo caught him in a wristlock, Manson asked himself what he was doing and simply uttered “Oh, wrestling”. Cottonbelly seemed to direct Manson in his technique prior to his new found student telling him he had a cotton belly. Cottonbelly threw Voodoo to the ground before Manson told Voodoo he liked his style and asked him to teach him. But Voodoo grabbed his skull and when he held it out on the ring apron, the seemingly mesmerized pairing of Voodoo and Manson fell to the canvas. Both men, however, recovered. Manson did so in his own unique way, grabbing a crutch from ringside and knocking out Voodoo, before Cottonbelly clothes lined the skull master. Manson took shots at Cottonbelly’s back, Voodoo joined in the beatings and the three rotated in circles as they punched each other. Cottonbelly, seemingly wanting to put an end to this bizarre contest, took Voodoo down with a hard slam.
In another surely unprecedented manoeuvre, each man proceeded to grab each other’s nipples before they all grabbed the surely innocent referee’s nipples. Manson hurled Voodoo in to the ropes but although he ‘Voodooed’ up, almost like Hulk Hogan, he was hurled to the floor. Cottonbelly, however, caught Manson in a submission lock in the centre of the ring. He then rolled up Manson but proceeded to read his paper while holding him down. You wouldn’t have thought the match could get any more, for want of a better word, ‘different’. But Voodoo grabbed a potty of poo from goodness knows where. He soon smothered the faeces over him and dived on top of both Cottonbelly and Manson who had now found themselves on the outside. That may have been the very first ‘holy poo’ chant GPW has ever heard. Voodoo soon head butted Cottonbelly but Manson had grabbed an inflatable hammer from the crowd. He whacked Voodoo with it inside the ring before shouting “****ing hell” in amazement at the power of the weapon. Manson slapped the referee after he failed to make the three count. But Cottonbelly showed Manson you should never turn your back on anyone in GPW by rolling up the mad one for the win.

Alongside all the mayhem, GPW upped the ante on their raffle with two prizes of 50 bars of chocolate up for grabs as fourth and third prizes respectively. Fans could also get their hands on two few tickets to the next show on March 7, while the ultimate winner found himself with a GPW DVD set of the best shows of the past three years.

Fans were also asked to fill in a fan survey conducted by a University of Manchester student as part of her research in to the British wrestling scene. People who filled in the survey were put in to a prize draw to win a bottle of wine and a bag of sweets. Bubblegum presented the winner of the draw with the prizes prior to the night’s main event.
There can be no question the opening event of 2008 lived up to its name.

As GPW kicks off its fifth anniversary year, Back With A Bang has indicated GPW is one step closer to fulfilling announcer Luke Marsden’s prediction that 2008 will be better than any other year. The next eleven months will have to go some way to better 2007, which was summed up in a highlight video at the beginning of the show. But if this event is any indication, Marsden may just have hit the nail on the head.
Yet only some superstars left happy, while others were rightfully disgruntled.
Joey Hayes appearance shocked and delighted the Monaco Ballroom faithful, as did DDL capturing the British title to begin his fourth reign as champion. Chris Echo’s huge victory over Juggernaught sent the crowd in to raptures. The Next Gen Superstars, Dave Rayne and Harry Doogle, pulled off a fantastic win against Lethal Dose. The 3 Way Madness match was odd but only in a good way.
But Dirk Feelgood is wondering just what he has to do to capture the GPW Heavyweight Championship. Johnny Phere’s interference could well have cost the doctor a win over Darkside, who instead left with his title thanks to the disqualification victory. Dylan Roberts didn’t get the win Bubblegum will have craved in the six man tag team war and will no doubt be disappointed following the match.
What will the next show bring? There’s only one way to find out – come along to the Monaco Ballroom on March 7 from 7pm to take your seat for another thrilling evening of action!