Main image by Norman Berger

Here are five things you need to know about British wrestling this week:

1) Sammi Jayne is the new queen of EVE

Given that it was during a match with her that Pro-Wrestling EVE Champion Rhia O’Reilly suffered a broken leg that forced her to vacate the belt, that Sammi Jayne won the tournament to crown O’Reilly’s replacement was fitting.

After impressive performances against Meiko Satomura and O’Reilly this year, the Scottish brawler was a quiet favorite for the weekend’s Babes With The Power at the Resistance Gallery in Bethnal Green, and victories over Emi Sakura in the quarterfinals, and Viper and Riho in the semifinal, carried her to the final against fellow Scot Kay Lee Ray.

Kay Lee Ray had beaten Charlie Morgan in her quarterfinal, and then overcame Jinny, Laura Di Matteo, and Martina the Session Moth in the semis, and was in impressive form going into the final, which ended prematurely when both women were counted out following a series of dives to the floor.

The match was restarted as a no disqualification affair, which allowed copious interference from just about the whole locker room, before Jayne finally put Kay Lee Ray away to lift the belt.

Emi Sakura surfboards Alex Windsor — photo by Jack White

While day one was an all-tournament affair, day two saw non-tournament action, as Jetta beat Erin Angel (which sees Angel become apprenticed to the Coventry veteran for a year), the Owens Twins defeated Shanna & Nina Samuels, a hugely popular Kris Wolf pinned the impressive Charlie Morgan, and in the show’s co-main event Emi Sakura beat a spirited Alex Windsor.

Star of Netflix original TV show G.L.O.W., Kate Nash, was in attendance both nights, and EVE are back again at the Resistance Gallery on July 15th.

2) It was a bad night for Havoc’s Army at Supershow 9

Although you can count the number of defenses he’s made on one hand, Jimmy Havoc remains IPW:UK Heavyweight Champion, but he suffered a bad night at the promotion’s latest Supershow, live on FloSlam from the Casino Rooms in Rochester last Sunday.

Havoc once again failed to defend the belt, instead teaming with the New Age Kliq (more usually found in ICW) of BT Gunn & Chris Renfrew against Tom Dawkins & IPW:UK Tag Team Champions DnD. Havoc’s team lost, as did his lieutenant Sammy Smooth, who relinquished the IPW:UK All-England title to arch-rival (and former friend) Scott Star, after a restarted main event.

The reason for that restart — Livvi Grace (who interfered on Smooth’s behalf and was then spotted by the referee) — did bring some success to the heel faction in successfully defending her IPW:UK Women’s title against Chakara.

Angelico hits Big grizzly with a stiff knee — photo by Beyond Gorilla’s Robyn Goding

A couple of injuries forced a reshuffle to the show, and El Ligero faced Dezmond Xavier instead of Ryan Smile, with Xavier’s partner in Scarlet & Graves, Zachary Wentz, also injured. Scarlet & Graves’ place in the four-way tag team match — won by veteran flyers Jonny Storm & Jody Fleisch — was taken by #CCK.

Also on the show, Big Grizzly beat Angelico, and Cuban Heat did another 10,000 Cuban Peso Challenge. You can view the show on catch-up on FloSlam and IPW:UK are back on June 3rd in Snodland.

3) Fight Club: PRO warmed their new WrestleHouse

Just ten months after moving into the Fixxion Warehouse in Wolverhampton city centre, Fight Club: PRO moved out, just over the way to another warehouse, the Starworks. The former bicycle factory played host to the DTTI Hangover last Friday and witnessed a barnstorming Travis Banks vs. Trent Seven title match, which Banks won to continue his impressive run of form.

The show kicked off with a “dark” match showcasing the talents of the FCP training school, which the popular Omari won over Johnny T, Adam Cage, and Australian visitor Kyle Fletcher.

After that, it was into the show proper, which began with a lackluster Wolfgang win over Joe Coffey (who suffered a knee injury halfway through the match), before kicking into high gear with Kay Lee Ray beating Kris Wolf, #CCK winning a three-way tag team encounter over both Scarlet & Graves and the Hunter Brothers, and Jordan Devlin stealing a win in a six-way that explored every inch of the Starworks.

Shay Purser is possessed by the spirit of Stone Cold — photo by Ben Morgan

Then came a chunk of Fight Club: PRO strangeness, as Martina the Session Moth challenged referee Shay Purser to a fans bring the alcohol match. Purser, who just turned 18 and is thus now legally able to drink, decided he liked the taste after just one sip and it descended into debauchery from there.

Needless to say, the whole thing is a must-see on VOD, which will soon be available on FCP’s Vimeo service. The promotion return to the Starworks for a double-shot in late June.

4) The Sacred GameCube is no more at ATTACK!

ATTACK! Pro-Wrestling’s Soundtrack To A Head Drop, held at the Trinity Centre in Bristol last Saturday, ended with things going a little bit weird. What’s that, I hear you say? Oh, much weirder than normal!

After ATTACK! champion Chief Deputy Dunne and his loosely-affiliated allies in #CCK lost the six-man main event to Flash Morgan Webster, Mike Bird & Wild Boar, Dunne lost it. He instructed his henchman, Los Federales Super Santos Junior, to use his enormous, funless backside to crush the Sacred GameCube, which the AFP had confiscated earlier in the evening.

That precious piece of hardware controls the yearly Press Start — ATTACK!’s next event — and as a result of its destruction there appears to be a glitch in the system. Whether (ab)normal service will ever resume is still to be determined.

Press Start has a glitch

Outside of that strangeness, Soundtrack To A Head Drop also saw Ryan Smile defeat Dan Moloney, The Brothers of Obstruction beat Bowl-A-Rama, Eddie Dennis pin Sergeant (Travis) Banks, and doom-monger Elijah see off Australian visitor Kyle Fletcher. “Extremely Confused” ECDrew Parker also popped up, this time as an “ECW fan in the crowd,” to beat the Love Making Demon, Cletus, and Danny Jones.

The show is already available on ATTACK!’s Vimeo service and the next show should be the sold-out Press Start 5 on June 2nd. Stay tuned for what actually happens.

5) Soner Dursun steals the show again at FutureShock

After the cancelation of their joint show in London with Fight!Nation, Lucha Forever returned for the third outing of their short existence last Thursday, with Bark Twice If You’re In Southampton, at the town’s 1865 Club.

The show was headlined by the first ever battle of British Strong Style — Pete Dunne, Trent Seven & WWE UK Champion Tyler Bate — and the full CCK — Chris Brookes, Travis Banks & Kid Lykos.

There were also wins for Kelly Sixx, Josh Bodom, Logan Bryce, Angelico, and Martina the Session Moth, and the impromptu hardcore daredevils team of Jimmy Havoc & Kay Lee Ray beat Dan Moloney & Viper. The show is available to watch on catch-up on FloSlam, and Lucha Forever are back live tonight (Thursday) on the same platform from Birmingham.

The short and terrible (in the best definition of that word) reign of Shady Nattrass is over at Target Wrestling. He failed to overcome the odds at the promotion’s big event at The Venue in Carlisle last Saturday, with Karnage taking the belt in a four-way which also included Joseph Conners and Joe Coffey.

The promotion’s other champions — High Octane Division title holder Josh Terry and Tag Team Champions Polo Promotions — had better luck, overcoming Bubblegum and team Single, respectively.

There were also wins for Sha Samuels & Lionheart, Medallion, and The Tyne Wolves, and Martin Kirby was fired from The Guest List. Target return on June 3rd in Stranraer.

Soner Dursun takes to the air — photo by Tony Knox

FutureShock Wrestling’s regular outings at the Masonic Guildhall in Stockport are always worth a look, and Uproar 94 proved no differently, with FutureShock Adrenaline Champion Soner Dursun once again stealing the show — this time against Flash Morgan Webster — after two stellar outings against Travis Banks (which are available to watch, for FREE, on YouTube).

The show’s main event ended in a no contest as Tyson T-Bone and Rampage Brown brawled to such an extent that the whole locker room emptied, and there were also wins for Joey Hayes, The Uprising, John McGregor, and for Zack Gibson, James Drake & Cyanide in a six-man tag. FutureShock are back on June 11th in Manchester.