Having been waiting since September last year, the Odyssey fans were thrilled to be back in the Alhambra on the 4th of February to enjoy some of the best wrestling the UK has to offer. They made it clear by filling every single seat and raising the roof with some of the loudest fan reactions I have ever heard. But what were they reacting to and what exactly went down? You’ve come to the right place to find out!
Tag Team Tournament match – Made To Last vs. Reece and Rogan
Born Ready were supposed to be facing Reece and Rogan in this semi-final match of the Odyssey Pro Wrestling Tag Team Championship Tournament but RPD came out to the ring to announce that unfortunately Rick Markus was injured and couldn’t compete. However, he said he was willing to fight on his own and take it to Reece and Rogan. The Spotlight were quick to appear, with Brooker claiming that “It doesn’t matter what you say or how loud they chant those three letters at me, once these two carnivores are done stripping the meat from your body, you won’t even make it to the Overboard rumble.”
But it was Ryan Hunter who initiated the attack on RPD, emerging from behind to clobber him with the OPW Championship belt. As Ryan Hunter, Andre Dekker, Reece and Rogan all unloaded on RPD, it took Ethan Edwards coming down to the ring to stop them, after they had taken a humiliating selfie with a knocked-out RPD. He insulted Reece and Rogan, calling them the Chuckle Brothers, and told them they wouldn’t have an easy night off. He announced that he had found a suitable tag team replacement to face them – Made To Last, who appeared in OPW back at Shipwrecked where they defeated The Freakshow.
The Spotlight were unhappy with this turn of events but Reece and Rogan had no choice but to step in the ring if they were to keep their chance of winning the OPW Tag Team Championships. Made To Last were all fired up for this opportunity, unleashing high-energy offence on the two bigger men. Leon Grey was quick to hit a huge suicide dive that had the Chuckle Brothers floored. Him and Ryan Thorn are an experienced team and this was obvious with their effective double-teaming and in-tandem moves, but Reece and Rogan were equally in synch which allowed them to build up momentum. Thorn tried to use his speed to work his way around this, rolling up Rogan, but he was able to kick out and hit a swift snap suplex quickly afterwards. Grey was then knocked off the apron preventing the tag. This meant that Thorn could be isolated in the corner and beaten down.
Despite their athletic offence giving them a fighting chance (and making them firm Morecambe favourites), the strength of Reece and Rogan was too much for Made To Last. Grey was even caught mid-air attempting to floor them with a cross body. They put up an impressive fight but it was the Spotlight who claimed the victory, much to the disdain of the fans.
Interestingly, Reece and Rogan appeared to be frustrated with Brooker, perhaps because they came so close to losing their chance at gold despite being promised an easy night off.
Nick Kutter vs Lucas Neon
This former tag team finally met face-to-face here and the tension was high. Despite their bad blood, Neon tried to initiate a handshake to show his respect. Kutter bitterly decided to slap Neon instead, causing Neon to lose his cool and unleash an aggressive attack. He tackled Kutter to the floor and rained a flurry of fists. Kutter had no choice but to try and retreat, but Neon followed him all the way to the outside of the ring and continued the attack.
Kutter struggled to keep up with Neon’s high energy for the first part of the match, but a split-second mistake saw Neon backed into the corner and subject to a nasty eye rake and some cutting words from Nick who told him their tag team held him back. This proved to be a mistake, though, as Neon responded to the trash-talking by becoming more riled up. Neon attempted to hit his finisher but Kutter had it scouted well, able to avoid him and instead send Neon flying towards the referee who had to avoid it. This meant that the refs back was turned as Kutter hit a nasty low blow. Then, Kutter hit the Go To Sleep and Morecambe held their breath, almost certain it was over, but Neon kicked out at the very last millisecond.
Neon had the resolve to get Kutter on his shoulders and place him on the top rope, perhaps in an attempt for a superplex, but Kutter was able to prevent this. From this vantage point, Kutter went for aerial offence, but quick thinking allowed Neon to hit his huge cutter in mid-air. Kutter was down for the three count and the fans were loud in their appreciation of this thrilling bout which saw Neon have the emphatic last word. I think the entire OPW roster needs to keep both of these young wrestlers in their sights going forward.
Tag Team Tournament match – JJ Webb and Sam Bailey vs Sinergy
Another high-stakes tag team match was on the horizon, but there was another change of personnel. As Sam Bailey attempted to explain over deafening boos, Rob Drake couldn’t make it but he had a replacement. Morecambe was equally as unhappy to find out that it was JJ Webb. However, there was another surprise in store, and this one worked wonders to cheer everyone up – Anderson Daniels was back in Sinergy’s corner.
It was Jack Roberts and Troy Ryan who were in the ring and they were fired up with their strong but surprisingly agile offence that OPW has become used to by now. It took Bailey’s extensive ring smarts to gain the upper hand when he was thrown into the ropes and feigned tripping, making it look as if Anderson on the outside had gotten involved in the match. The trick worked a treat and the referee threw Anderson out as a result.
Bailey’s crafty techniques gave him and Webb an edge throughout, allowing him to prevent Sinergy from making tags and beat down on Roberts with illegal double-team moves whenever the referee was distracted. Webb was also effective at grounding the two much bigger men, but even a huge superkick combination and backbreaker couldn’t keep the Meat Wagon down for long. When Bailey tried to launch at Ryan in the corner, Ryan was too fast and launched him over the top rope, taking the plunge down to the floor. Following this, Sinergy were able to get Webb down so that Roberts could hit him with a giant frog splash for the hard-earned victory. Webb and Bailey put up a valiant fight against the well-oiled Sinergy but couldn’t quite mesh as a team, sending them tumbling out of the tag tournament.
This means that Sinergy will face Reece and Rogan at War on the Shore to determine the inaugural OPW Tag Team Champions. I can’t wait to see who will make this historical moment theirs in an epic clash of two well-established teams.
Will Carter’s Commitment Ceremony
Even SilentMark didn’t know what to make of this next segment, so he introduced Isaiah Quinn to the ring and said little else. Quinn was flanked by the masked Nightmare and Sheriff Steele as he complained that “I have been working for over a year to ensure the Freakshow can have a new and fulfilling life. Unfortunately, Will Carter has not given me enough back. He keeps making mistake after mistake after mistake.”
He invited Carter down to the ring to pledge his commitment and allegiance to the Freakshow. Carter was met with rapturous encouragement from the Morecambe fans to leave his dark past behind, but no one could gauge his reaction thanks to his ominous cloak. Quinn ordered Carter to his knees and questioned him: “Do you admit that before me your life was meaningless?” to which he responded, “Yes, my guiding light.”
“Do you pledge that you will leave behind all of your errors, mistakes and dull-witted behaviour?”
“Yes, my guiding light.”
“Do you unequivocally pledge your life to me?”
Carter was silent. Quinn became enraged at having to repeat himself, insultingly slapping Carter in the face. The cloak fell from his shoulders as the fans chanted “We want Will!”, before Carter defiantly exclaimed “No!”. Morecambe erupted in cheers as he attacked the Freakshow in revenge for the way he had been treated up until this moment. He impressively took all three men out and basked in the overwhelming appreciation of the fans, finally finding the light.
After this emotionally driven moment, we thankfully found ourselves at the interval. It’s hard to believe that this was only half of the action of the night! Join me in part 2 for an epic number one contendership match for the OPW Women’s Championship and of course, the gigantic Overboard Rumble.
Jennie B vs Leah Raven
This clash was to determine who will face Alexxis Falcon for the OPW Women’s Championship at War on the Shore, so the stakes were high and you could tell as Leah Raven came down to the ring with a determined look in her eye. Jennie B, on the other hand, was more focused on getting the Morecambe fans to stop booing her and finding excuses to not lock up. “Why you always shouting and stuff? Just be quiet!” she told the audience, which, needless to say, went ignored.
Raven was spurred on by the fans’ support and managed to catch Jennie with a headlock when she was not expecting it. She exhibited outstanding agility to dodge Jennie with precision, but there wasn’t a lot she could do to prevent the interference of Jackie B from the outside. He repeatedly tried to distract the referee so that the pair could dish out effective illegal offense. Jennie’s camel clutch was brutal – Raven was capable of escaping but it was clear that damage had been done.
Despite this, Leah was able to build some momentum with excellent innovative moves, including a shining wizard, but it was only for a two count. Meanwhile, Jackie B had noticed that Jennie was in trouble, so when Raven almost had Miss Morecambe down for 3, he jumped in the ring. Raven was tough enough to kick him out but the distraction allowed Jennie to connect with a backstabber. Raven fought on but when Jennie locked in the camel clutch again and Jackie pulled the rope away from her, she had no choice but to tap to save her career. The referee was blind to the shenanigans that went on as the fans chanted “Cheater” and Raven appeared crestfallen.
This means that Jennie B will face Alexxis Falcon at War on the Shore for the Odyssey Pro Wrestling Women’s Championship. Will she use underhand tactics to secure the belt and the title of Miss Morecambe for good?
Overboard Rumble
It was time for the main event – the 30-man over-the-top-rope Overboard Rumble. This clash of bodies grants the winner an opportunity at the OPW Championship whenever they choose.
The person granted the pressure of kicking off this flagship match was debuting Toby Valentine. He might have been new to the fans but they had no trouble getting behind him when it was revealed that Andre Dekker was in at number two. Last year’s rumble winner had reason to be confident but was thwarted when Valentine threw him over his head. In another act of defiance, Valentine lobbed his shirt at Chris Brooker, perhaps making a statement that he is not one to dismiss in OPW going forward. 90 seconds later, the tide turned when Sheriff Steele joined the fray and teamed up with Dekker but even these two big men couldn’t tip Valentine over the top rope. The next entrant was Looster the Gooster who loves to hug and made the mistake of targeting Dekker who was enraged by the love. Looster didn’t last long.
Next up was the War Machine Craig Kollins who Morecambe was happy to see as he unleashed cannonballs on Steele, Valentine and Dekker within seconds of entering the ring. He was followed by the masked man Ginha who had a similarly explosive entrance with a roundhouse kick and dropkick to Kollins, but couldn’t avoid Kollins’ momentum and was victim to 10 harsh punches. Entrant 7 was Jackie B who the crowd had not forgiven for his earlier actions. He resorted to biting Steele to avoid a slam.
Ethan Edwards stormed down to the ring next and showed no fear coming face-to-face with Dekker. Morecambe came unglued when his quick thinking to pull down the top rope meant that Dekker went tumbling out of the ring. Everyone was relieved that a repeat of last year would not be happening and amazed at the performance of this non-wrestler defending OPW from the hands of the Spotlight once again. A returning Anderson Daniels was up next, showing no signs of ring rust as he and Edwards formed a coalition to get rid of Jackie B. However, Anderson had his back turned when Dekker illegally reentered the ring in order to eliminate Ethan out of pure spite.
Up next was Nick Kutter who was angry having lost his match to Neon earlier, and his mood was not helped by the strong style offence of Valentine that greeted him. Another new face entered the ring – Maximilian Jaggard, who was clearly familiar with Valentine as they went head to head. He managed to reverse Valentine’s slam into a cutter but Valentine couldn’t be kept down.
The next entrant was Chris Stone, followed swiftly by Davey Getski, a fellow member of the Wrecking Crew alongside Nick Kutter. This reunion was followed by another one when Troy Ryan came down to the ring and single-handedly took out all of the Wrecking Crew followed by Jack Roberts. The Wrecking Crew fought back but Sinergy managed to eliminate Getski and Stone, leaving Kutter alone. Ryan then came face-to-face with Valentine, offering the OPW fans a glimpse into perhaps a future dream match, but they ended up teaming up to take out Jaggard who had bitten off far more than he could chew against two much bigger men.
In amongst this chaos, we had some other entrances including Clash and Nightmare. Despite both trying to make their own impact, Clash did not last long in the match and Nightmare was caught with a huge belly-to-belly from Kollins. Jack Best was another new face to the Morecambe fans who became another victim of Valentine.
The debuts didn’t stop there – this time it was Mr B trying to make an impact, who was accompanied by a lookalike. All three of the masked men – Mr B, Nightmare and Ginha – came mask to mask and it was Mr B who was eliminated. Or, so it seemed before his lookalike on the outside caught him and prevented the elimination.
Lance Revera looked as confident as ever when his music rang out despite the ring being filled to the brim. He began his tirade by knocking Mr B and co off balance, causing the elimination. In the ring, Revera subjected almost everyone to his aggressive superkicks before being eventually taken down by a triple superkick courtesy of Sinergy.
The fans were delighted to find out that it was Will Carter joining the fray next who eliminated Sheriff Steele and Nightmare in quick succession. Joining him soon after were Reece and Rogan who went face-to-face with Sinergy as a precursor for their Tag Team Championship match. Jack Baron was eliminated at this point before Leon Grey entered to attempt revenge on Reece and Rogan. He launched into the ring from the top rope, taking everyone out.
Then, Sam Bailey was up, but he decided to have a rest before entering – probably a smart move considering the pure amount of bodies that filled the ring. When Ryan Thorn’s music hit 90 seconds later, Bailey rushed between the ropes. When Reece eliminated Anderson and Kollins, Troy Ryan enacted his revenge by getting rid of Reece but was quickly pushed over the top rope by Rogan in retaliation. The numerous eliminations didn’t stop there, when Valentine strategically positioned himself to suplex both Jaggard and Best to the outside of the ring where they crashed and burned into a raft of men on the floor with the most devastating move of the night.
As if the action wasn’t hot enough, RPD was entrant 27, with focused determination. Within seconds, he had eliminated Rogan. Number 28 was Matty T who hit a series of stunners (needing three to take out Valentine) and was closely followed by Jason King in the penultimate spot. Instead of using his advantageous position, he decided to berate Morecambe and the North of England as a whole, saying he would win the match for the South. He was sent flying over the top rope with barely any chance to land a punch.
Morecambe was tense as we waited to find out who had secured the envious 30 spot. The crowd could barely have been happier to find out that it was Lucas Neon, who had the momentum to surely go far. He and Carter formed an alliance to take on Bailey and Valentine, stomping holes into them. Neon then took it to Lance but Bailey was quick to put a stop to this, before being inches away from elimination by RPD. This gave Revera the chance to jump Neon and rake his eyes, resulting in Neon tumbling over the top rope. The fans barely had a chance to catch their breath before Isaiah Quinn appeared from out of nowhere to eliminate Carter which left them and Carter fuming as he chased Quinn backstage.
It was down to the final four – RPD, Lance Revera, Sam Bailey and Toby Valentine. RPD and Bailey exchanged blows before RPD managed to eliminate him. Valentine then took it to Revera who looked to be out of the match when he was caught by a referee on the outside. The crook revealed a Revera shirt before being ushered away by the other shocked referees. This unexpected twist gave Revera the apt opportunity to throw Valentine out of the match who had lasted for well over an hour but was ultimately outsmarted by the Playboy Prince in a frustrating fashion.
As the final two faced off, the ‘RPD’ chants never ceased. RPD and Revera exchanged suplexes and both came within inches of elimination at multiple points. Revera hit a huge moonsault before a double clothesline took them both out. It didn’t appear to be RPD’s night as Revera had the Superman Punch well scouted, able to avoid it multiple times. However, he wasn’t able to avoid it when he needed to most – when he was hanging on by a thread on the apron. RPD springboarded and connected harshly and Revera went toppling to the floor. The roof was raised as RPD was declared the winner of the 2023 Overboard Rumble.
It was difficult to hear him over the deafening, ecstatic cheers, but RPD addressed the fans. “I promised I would get rid of The Spotlight. There’s one last piece of the puzzle – Ryan Hunter and the Odyssey Championship. This contract means I can claim it any time I want, but I’m honest. I will claim it at the next show, War on the Shore! One year since they took away my chance I will take it back. Now we finish this!”
Hunter entered the ring to square up to RPD but RPD took him down and went on the attack. Brooker could do nothing but look on in sheer disbelief when RPD sent Hunter running and held the championship belt up high.
Is this a precursor for what is to come at War on the Shore? You will have to buy your ticket to find out – and be quick before they sell out! This was one hell of a show with breathtaking moments from start to finish, and I can’t wait to see the fallout on April 22nd which will no doubt be even bigger and better!