January 27th 2017.
Parklands Social Club, Armthorpe, Doncaster.
Phoenix Events Yorkshire presents “Rumble In Doncaster”
After a nearly two month wait, I was able to slap on the fake tan and walk in to a wrestling ring on a show. It genuinely felt like a lifetime since the last time this happened. I hate hanging around, genuinely despise it; but it was finally here.
Finally a chance to get back in the ring!
I was only involved in the over the top rope Rumble match in the main event. The winner would go on to face Champion CJ Banks at the next show in March.
With me being in the last match it gave me time to hang around. There’s two things you can do when you hang around. You can either get excited or get nervous. I stood around and got nervous.
This was my first real showing for Phoenix as a heel. A chance to establish myself with the fans. I sat in the locker room with my Valet, Ivy, my tag partner Sam Kenny and a couple of the other guys chatting away about different amounts of rubbish.
Then I decided to get dressed and starting stretching. I walked in to the main locker room surrounded by the other guys, the like of Filthy Gorgeous (Kyle Kingsley and Rob Sharpe), WWE UK Championship Tournament star Tyson T-Bone and Rampage Brown amongst others.
I looked at the running order and saw that I was given some big spots in the rumble which was really cool. It was a chance to stand out on my own.
As I stood behind the curtain waiting for my music to play. I was incredibly nervous. I was waiting to go out to potentially no reaction at all, a feeling I haven’t had in 8 months. I didn’t know if the small pocket of existing fans would create enough of a reaction.
“Eat You Alive” by Limp Bizkit starts to play. The general manager David Stewart announces me, admittedly with caution after our staggered history in EBW. I walk out and stand centre stage.
The small pocket of existing fans started doing their “Barney the Dinosaur” chant. (Long story, I used to wear a lot of purple and be very fat. Nick Mason started this and its never left me since!) But that reaction alone was enough to get the people around them booing too.
I walk down the steps, with the boos getting stronger the more I take my time. I walk into the ring, turn and square off with my fellow Monster Sam Kenny. Everyone stopped. Everyone was watching, could the team really square off and ruin things so quickly?
No.
Don’t be silly.
Once a team always a team 😉
From there it’s a bit of a blur until the end really. There was a point where I took some massive kicks from Tommy Nova, right in the ribs, in front of some kids who were going crazy that I was getting beat up!
Also, there was a point where I was getting boos from two kids, Ivy went over and gave them a gobful, once she had done, I stuck my head through the middle and top rope and screamed as loud as I could “Why don’t you go home and do some homework” don’t know why, but it’s the first thing that came to my head. They didn’t like it either way!
It was coming towards the end of the rumble, down to the last 6. Myself, Paul Malen, Ryan Lee, Joey D, King Dangerous and T-Bone. At the point of T-bone getting in to the ring I am holding on to a rope in the corner avoiding the wedgie fest that is currently going on in the centre of the ring.
As King Dangerous is thrown over the top rope and eliminated, T-bone comes and grabs me by the hair. Here we go, this is where I die. The throws me into the corner, gives me a couple strikes, sticks a headbutt on me, and the entire time I am stood there thinking ” This guy has been on WWE, this is amazing”.
He pops me over to the ropes and over I go. Myself, T-bone and Paul Malen all toppled over at the same time. Damn. I was so close. As I hit the floor I turn round in to T-Bone. Square up to him, “That was all your fault!” I scream in his face.
He just smirked back at me.
So I scream it again ” THAT WAS YOUR FAULT” but this time I push him.
Mistake.
I start throwing strikes and he starts throwing them back. Eventually he takes control and pushes me back in to the ring-post. BANG. I bumped that too hard. Idiot. Cracked my back and my neck against the ring-post.
I decided to call that a day. I crawl across towards the entrance way and just take a second to reflect on everything that happened. I’ve just been brawling with a WWE star and was last four in a number one contenders rumble.
Ha, mental.
After the show, I took the time to thank everyone who had given me something to do in the rumble. I had managed to stay relaxed, didn’t panic and happened to enjoy the show. This doesn’t happen very often. This is something that I can remember for a while.
Pretty cool, eh?
Anyway, here’s to the next show!
Later Nerds x
Photo Credit – Brett Hadley 2017
Cover Photo – John Mayo Photography