Surprise! I’m back with yet another Powerslam.TV Review! In order to prepare for Over the Top (OTT) Wrestling’s Scrappermania V next month, let’s sit down and watch Scrappermania IV. Grab some popcorn, maybe grab a bag of cans and let’s enjoy some good Irish wrestling.
The show opens with Jordan Devlin arriving at the arena. He blows right past the cameraman and goes straight to the locker room. Zack Sabre, Jr. arrives next and stops to speak to the camera. He says he’s known Jordan since he was a kid, and that while Jordan may be the Import killer, he’s no import. ZSJ vows to take the OTT World Championship from Devlin.
We then see a video package with a voice over running down the entire card. OTT is very proficient with these video packages. Next, we cut to the arena where Aonghus McAnally, Daniel Gannon, Jamie Humperdink, and Tony Kelly make their way to the ring. The crowd chants for McAnally who does indeed look gorgeous. Kelly attempts to speak to the crowd who were having none of it. He’s very jealous of how beloved Aonghus is, and even Gannon and referee Niall Fox. Humperdink is suddenly told something, and he and Kelly make a quick exit. Just as Aonghus was about to kick off the show solo, we are greeted by the return of Don Marnell! Big D is welcomed with open arms by the fans and he comes to the ring with a belt of cans.
Marnell talks about his exploits since his firing by Jamie and his dislike of his ‘replacement’, Tony Kelly. Well Big D thought up the scheme to get rid of both Humperdink and Kelly for the night. So, for the biggest night in OTT of the year, it will be Aonghus and Dan Marnell on commentary. With that settled, it’s time for our show to begin. The first match will be for the golden contract. It will start as a six-man tag team match, and the winning team will go on to face each other. That will be a three-way dance and the winner of that match will get a title opportunity whenever they would like.
The first team is David Starr, Shane Strickland, and LJ Cleary. On the other side of the ring is Scotty Davis, Tyler Bate, and Mark Haskins. Both teams are stacked full of talent and Scotty Davis starts things off with David Starr. Cleary tags in when Starr wasn’t expecting it and the exchange is made. Cleary did not get off on the right foot with Strickland and Starr, so this is not helping his cause with the team. There is also clear friction between Haskins and his team. Scotty Davis is particularly impressive in this contest. He picks up the tag team win over David Starr.
Now we move onto the next stage of the match, which is the three-way dance. Haskins goes for a quick pin on Davis, before Bate tangles with Haskins. Just a handful of moves later, Bate hits the Tyler Driver 97 on Davis for the pin. Haskins sneaks in, superkicks Bate and takes his place pinning Davis for the win. Mark Haskins now holds the golden contract which entitles him to a championship shot anytime he wants. The fans also applaud and appreciate the work that Scotty Davis and Tyler Bate turned in. They even pose with the signature mustache twist. Great opening match and one you should seek out.
A gorgeous video package rolls, spelling out the story of our next match. The Kings of the North have been one of the most dominant factions in OTT. Lately, though, they’ve been going through a losing spell and it doesn’t sit well with them. They challenge three Australians in Kyle Fletcher, Mark Davis, and Adam Brooks. Fletcher and Davis are in a regular team called Aussie Open; they usually don’t get on with Brooks. However, for this one, they’re willing to bring him along to take down the Kings of the North. If the Kings can’t win again, they might even give up teaming together entirely.
As the Kings made their entrance, Damien Corvin seemed to be out of sync with his stablemates. This fueled the rumor and innuendo on commentary that perhaps Corvin might strike out on his own. Brooks started the match off hot, attacking the Kings. The fight then was taken to the outside between the two teams. At one point during the match, Corvin who had taken quite the beating went to tag out. Once he made it to the corner, he found his teammates were gone, due to Brooks and Fletcher engaging them on the floor. This team miscommunication would continue for the Kings too.
This was less of a wrestling match and more a six-person brawl. A great change of pace from the first tag team match. Some miscommunication from Brooks and Aussie Open perhaps cost them the match when they had Corvin isolated. This allowed the Kings of the North to regroup and work like a well-oiled machine once again. They finally got a victory and celebrated as united Kings. After the match, Aussie Open and the Kings shared a moment of respect. Brooks got taken out by Aussie Open, which made sense since they weren’t really friends to begin with.
Our next match is going to be Matt Riddle taking on the Aerial Assassin Will Ospreay. While it may have been considered a mistake for Ospreay to go to mat wrestling with Riddle, Ospreay held his own. When it comes to power, Riddle has the advantage. The King of Bros may not bust out fancy moves but he sure can beat the tar out of you. The former UFC fighter soon focused on Ospreay’s injured neck. Ospreay had been dropped on it by Riddle early in the contest by a throw. The one advantage Ospreay always has on anyone is his heart, as he continued to fight back time after time. This allowed Ospreay to overcome everything Riddle threw his way and pick up the victory. If you had been on the fence about Matt Riddle, like I was, this was a fantastic outing. He’s the real deal.
The next match at Scrappermania IV is for the OTT Women’s Championship. Sammii Jayne defends against Valkyrie. This is the first time I’m seeing both women, despite being familiar with the names. Sammii is a Scottish wrestling star and you can see her at independents across the UK and Europe. She’s also traveled to Japan and worked for Sendai Girls’ Pro Wrestling. Sammii is also a wrecking force in women’s wrestling, her nickname is the Main Event Empress. Valkyrie is an Irish star from Fight Factory Pro Wrestling, the same school Becky Lynch trained at. Valkyrie is a darker character, wearing warpaint befitting a Norse goddess. Sammii also has a bit of a size advantage over Valkyrie, but Valkyrie is not intimidated.
Sammii, like Riddle before her on this card, is a power-driven wrestler. She will pound on her opponent and then give the crowd a mocking smile. Valkyrie has a very solid technical wrestling nature and isn’t afraid to go high risk either. She’s also got less experience, having only been in wrestling for 3 years. This does come back to haunt her a few times against the veteran Jayne. Sammii Jayne resorted to some underhanded tactics, pushing the referee into the ropes as Valkyrie attempted to ascend them. This allowed the champion to drop Valkyrie with a driver and pick up the win. One thing is clear though, the future of Irish women’s wrestling is safe in the protection of Valkyrie.
Up next we have Jeff Cobb taking on the Stone Pitbull, Tomohiro Ishii. These are two big, powerful wrestlers and this match will not be pretty. The distinct smack of flesh echoes throughout the National Arena as Cobb and Ishii try to shoulder tackle the other down. Eventually, Cobb is able to take the veteran down, but he just awakened the Pitbull. If you’ve yet to experience true strong style, this is a good example for you. After an insane amount of punishment dished out by both men, Ishii walks away with the win.
Another gorgeous video package rolls for the next match at Scrappermania IV. It will be for the OTT Tag Team Championships, the Rapture defending against the Angel Cruzers. It’s clear from Zack Gibson’s comments, the Rapture looks down on their opponents on a fundamental level. The cocky English champions will look to continue their reign of terror. The Angel Cruzers will look to prove themselves as serious contenders and bring the belts home to Irish hands. The entrance movie for the Angel Cruzers is also worth looking up, they save the National Stadium from being blown up! After the Rapture made their way out, they attempted to start a riot in the raucous Irish crowd. You could hardly hear Gibson on the microphone over the loud boos and fuck you’s.
Once the match gets underway, it’s clear that Angel and B. Cool are willing to pull out all the stops. They attempt the HBK kip up, go Old School and hit the Coast to Coast. Gibson and Sterling though, they seem to always be ready to halt any forward momentum. Despite the Angel Cruzer’s absolute best efforts, they were unable to win. B. Cool had been laid out on the floor and Zack Gibson locked in the Shankly Gates on Angel. Angel had initially refused to tap, but under threat of Charlie Sterling slicing into Team Prick with a sword, had to give up. The reign of terror by The Rapture continues.
Up next is another collision of humanity. We have the limitless, Keith Lee taking on the sadistic and legendary Minoru Suzuki. Unlike the earlier contest between Cobb and Ishii, this one is not equal in size. Lee has the size advantage in spades over the leader of Suzukigun. However, what leans in Suzuki’s direction is the lengths he is willing to go to. Suzuki is fearless and isn’t deterred by pain or suffering. Lee starts off with an early advantage, stepping on Suzuki near the ropes. Ever ring aware, Suzuki jumps up from the apron and traps Lee’s massive arm over the rope. This would dictate the rest of the match, with Lee’s arm giving him severe pain. Suzuki would eventually be able to weaken the big man enough to spike him with a piledriver. The living legend that is Minoru Suzuki walks away with another win.
It is now main event time at Scrappermania IV. Jordan Devlin, the OTT World Champion will defend against the Technical Wizard, Zack Sabre, Jr. These two have known each other since they were kids, just teenagers learning their craft. Now their paths cross again as ZSJ looks to take the OTT World title from Devlin. Devlin is also going into this match with an injured thumb, heavily taped. A wrestler the caliber of Sabre will certainly not dismiss that and work it into his game plan. Jordan Devlin though is perhaps the toughest wrestler in the world, having won matches through much worse injuries in the past.
This contest is a human chess match, trading holds and working body parts. Devlin obviously has the big white target with the tape on his thumb. However, he isn’t about to let Zack see him sweat and continues to keep pace with the Technical Wizard. Despite all of Zack’s focus on the injured thumb, Devlin hung on. He was able to trap the wizard with his package piledriver and get the hard-fought victory.
That’s it for this edition of the Powerslam.TV Review! It’s been an absolute pleasure to watch three-plus hours of wrestling greatness. I suggest you check out Powerslam.TV for your wrestling viewing desires. Use code PROWRESTLINGPST for a free month trial of the site, and it’s just $5.99 a month after that. You get access to great shows such as OTT Scrappermania IV and so much more!
