Gotta hand it to SWA. With every passing show, the cards just get stronger and stronger. I thought Battlezone was a fantastic show from top to bottom, with all the curve-balls adding to what was a fantastic night. Then came Aftermath, which saw the crowning of new tag team champs - Muay Tache (I recently done an interview with one half of the new champs - DCT - check that shit out!) as well as a match of the year candidate between Tommy End and Mikey Whiplash, and a heavyweight battle between Joe Coffey and Dave Mastiff. For me, it topped Battlezone and has set the standard for SWA moving into the final shows of the year and heading into next year. The announcements that have been made for this show here show has gotten me proper excited. Thrilled, even. Here are these matches.
Nikki Storm & Viper vs Courtney & Debbie Sharpe
For me, this will be an interesting match-up, for various reasons. For one, there is a decidedly mixed team in there. Nikki Storm was last seen in SWA at Aftermath, getting the better of Canadian star Leah von Dutch (or even more recently, on TNA's British Bootcamp and on RAW as a Rosebud... in the same week). She's all attitude and doesn't tend to play well with others. Her teammate here, Viper, was also on British Bootcamp. Last time we saw her, she was the victim of some shoddy refereeing at the hands of Fiona Fraser at Battlezone, in which, even in front of Fraser's hometown crowd, Viper was firmly the fan's favorite. It will be interesting to see how their partnership holds up throughout the match. Courtney and Debbie Sharpe, on the other hand, are pals. They've teamed together before in SWA and it's likely they'll be more firmly on the same page than their adversaries. Besides that, all four of these women are great wrestlers, and if you believe Nikki Storm, she's the best in the galaxy. This will be a belter of a match, and the dynamics between the two teams should make for a really interesting bout.
Prediction - Courtney and Debbie Sharpe pick up the win, after there is a disagreement between Viper and Nikki Storm.
Jack Gallagher vs Liam Thomson
On the face of things, this match right here has the ingredients to be the all over match of the night. It's a simple tale. Jack Gallagher is the #1 contender for Doug Williams' SWA Zero1 Heavyweight title, and is also the man who has the hearts of the SWA faithful. Liam Thomson is, as his nickname suggests, is a bad boy. Or at least, he is everywhere else, and I can't remember if I've seen him before in SWA. Even more simpler, these two are top-notch, 100%, world class wrestlers. Probably among the very best technicians in Europe. Logically, this will be a masterclass in suplexes. Of many varieties. Throw in some mat-based submissions, and these two working the crowd like nobody's business. With no title match, I'd say this would be a worthy substitute for the main event, but we'll wait and see how the night pans out.
Prediction - tough one to call, I thought Gallagher would beat Rampage in Paisley to keep up his momentum and it didn't happen, so I'll go out on a limb and say Liam Thomson gets the win here.
Jackie Polo vs Grado
I have two predictions for this match, because I like to cover the realistic outcome and the outcome that I want to happen. Before I get to that though, lets break this match down. Jackie Polo - the self proclaimed "King of Chat" and Scotland's BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEST wrestler. Perhaps the most polarizing wrestler in Scotland today. He knows how to work a crowd, he enjoys very high-arched scoop slams, and he makes it extremely easy to boo utter fuck out him. His opponent is Grado. A star of Insane Fight Club, a star of TNA's British Bootcamp, and a star of River City. That's not just what Grado is about though. On his game, he is the most captivating guy to watch in a wrestling ring. He has the ability to draw a crowd into a match, no matter which way the match itself is swinging, and have them screaming "IT'S YERSEL" to will him on to victory. These two very different personalities should make for a great match, no matter which way it turns out.
Prediction #1 - Grado picks up the hard-fought win.
Prediction #2 - outlandish as it is, Doug Williams comes down and begins a two-on-one assault of Grado, only for hauners to arrive in the form of Joe Coffey, and it gets made a tag match. Williams and Coffey end up fighting into the back and Polo manages to pick up the cheap win. I know it's unlikely that Williams will make an appearance, but the tag match was very much my main line of thinking, and I ruled Joe's betrayer, Mark Coffey, on the basis that he'll be a bit busy...
Mark Coffey vs BT Gunn
Plenty of this please. With extra helpings. Though I won't lie, it'll be weird seeing BT Gunn in a match where he isn't trying to murder/seriously maim Wolfgang, as that's the only scenario I seem to ever see him in. He's one of the most consistent guys around, and is probably the most adaptable wrestler in the country. Mark Coffey cost his brother Joe the SWA Heavyweight title, and even though I kinda want the prediction in the last match to come true, this is more likely to be the match where Joe makes an appearance. If given time to breathe though, this will make for a cracker. Both guys are top-notch performers who never seem to miss a step in the ring. Expect BT to pepper Coffey with those chops, and collectively groan when you hear the sound of Mark Coffey's chest cavity slowly beginning to collapse.
Prediction - BT Gunn to pick up the win after Joe Coffey distracts Mark, or a no-contest.
Muay Tache (c) vs The Forgotten (SWA Tag Team Championships)
At this point, I'd like to take some time to plug the interview with DCT that I mentioned earlier again. You should read it, it's good. At Aftermath, DCT and Adam Carrel overcame the disadvantage of Jam O'Malley's ominous presence at ringside to defeat Glen Dunbar and Alex Cavanagh and become the tag champs. Without a doubt, Muay Tache will be ready for the challenge, as The Forgotten will be coming at them like steam trains, and it should be a scrap to say the least. Expect Carrel to kick folk...a lot, expect some major mustache game, and expect some custom tag title belts, it would seem. As the sole title match confirmed for the show, it will be expected to set the standard, and considering how good the match in Paisley was, these guys shouldn't find it too difficult to put on another classic.
Prediction - Muay Tache retain. And they're gonna do it... as PARTNERS!
Well there is the card so far for Scottish Wrestling Alliance in Cumbernauld. If there are any changes/additions, I'll be quick to add them in here, and I'll do my best to provide live results on the night. As always, you can follow SWA on twitter @swaonline and like their facebook page - Scottish Wrestling Alliance. I suggest you get yourselves down to the Link Community Centre in Cumernauld for a cracking night!
Cheery-bye!