We begin the forecast this week with a bit of a hangover from the previous one, as Bruce Pritchard, one of the inner circle of the WWF during the Attitude Era, continues his Something To Wrestle With tour, calling at the Manchester Comedy Store on 17th and then travelling down to the London Walkabout Temple on 18th. Whether you’re a fan of the Attitude Era, one of the millions that listen to his podcast, or simply want to hear the stories, anecdotes and accumulated wisdom of a true industry insider, this is an event you won’t want to miss.
Jumping forward to the 22nd, WCPW take over the Northumbria Students Union in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, as they continue their epic World Cup of Wrestling, where “The Villain” Marty Scurll meets NJPW standout Ricochet and former ROH Heavyweight Champion Jay Lethal takes on “The Mexican Sensation” El Ligero. Other tournament matches are scheduled to include “The Kiwi Buzzsaw” Travis Banks, Icarus and Mark Davis, with David Starr, Matt Sydal, GFW beefcake Moose and the veteran James Storm appearing in non-tournament matches on the same night.
Also on the 22nd, XWA will be at the London Resistance gallery, where they have bagged the scalp of not only former NXT and WWE superstar Simon Gotch, but in addition the UK debut of none other than Daisuke Sekimoto, the explosive powerhouse headliner of Big Japan Pro Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling. Sekimoto will be going one-on-one with “Limitless” Keith Lee in what promises to be a memorable bout, and a debut for which any true fan of Japanese pro wrestling would want to be able to say they were there to see in person.
Again on the 22nd, but a little further south, at the Mountbatten Centre in Portsmouth, RPW:UK team up with the Portsmouth School of Wrestling to present Ultimate Survivor, where a mixture of veteran pros from the former and graduating students from the latter will compete alongside one another in a series of 8-man, elimination rules, tag matches. In addition, the main event of the night will be the first ever TLC match to be held in the Mountbatten centre.
And finally, PROGRESS return to the Manchester O2 Ritz on 23rd, with Chapter 52: Vote Pies, for which no matches had been announced at the time of writing, but with a title as subtle and witty as that, the content of the card is surely going to be anything but the kind of snouts and entrails commonly associated with a cheap and nasty Isle of Skye.