Viddy well brothers (and sisters), the RIPTIDE RETROspective is back with show two of RIPTIDE’s Brighton Spirit Weekender. This is the three show event that featured a tag team tournament in which the victors would claim a trophy as their prize. Advancing past round one were ETM, Medusa Complex, Rob Lias & Kurtis Chapman and The Rascalz. The show was capped off with a superb main event between Cara Noir and Su Yung. That’s a match that has to be seen to be believed. Show two features some recurring players along with some different faces. Let’s get to it!
RIPTIDE Wrestling: Brighton Spirit Weekender Show Two. 4th October 2019. Brighthelm Centre, Brighton, UK.
Speedball Mike Bailey vs Damon Moser
An issue that was originated on show one reaches its conclusion to kick things off. Damon Moser attacked Mike Bailey following his win over Jordon Breaks and now Speedball is out for revenge. They have a spirited contest here (no pun intended) with a couple of very nice spots. The first is the sequence that sets the match in motion as Bailey and Moser takes turns slapping one another in the mush.
This goes on until each man has struck the other at least twenty times. Sometimes it really is the simplest things that are the most effective in wrestling. A narrowly avoided count out proves that theory again, as Bailey dives from the raised stage and through the middle rope just before the count of ten. Simple but effective again. A Flamingo Driver seals the victory for Mike Bailey, his second of the Weekender, in an excellent opener.
Brighton Spirit Weekender Show Two
Veda Scott vs Tate Mayfairs
It’s not a bad match by any means, but this is probably the match that connected the least with me. Consequently, I don’t really have much comment to pass on the contest. Both Veda Scott and Tate Mayfairs worked hard, precisely, and didn’t botch. It was just missing some pro wrestling pizzazz, for my money. Scott won with the safest looking Crippler Crossface I’ve ever seen. Her hands were around Mayfairs’s upper chest as he tapped out. I like both wrestlers, but this one was a bit of a miss for me.
Brighton Spirit Weekender Show Two
Jordon Breaks vs Daniel Makabe – British Rounds Match
I haven’t seen a British Rounds match in many a moon, and so Jordon Breaks and Daniel Makabe present an interesting change of style. This is very much a mat-based contest, in the fashion of old school BritWres, and during round one, Breaks has the measure of Makabe. The best sequence sees Breaks escape Cattle Mutilation by flipping back over onto Makabe, although that leaves him open to a choke. Nice stuff. No decisions in round one.
The second round sees Makabe assert himself a lot more as he cuts off Breaks’ offense regularly. He seems to have the advantage all the way up to the first decision of the match, in fact. Like his role model, Zack Sabre Jr, Breaks counters a running roll-up by hooking Makabe’s legs to take the three count. That’s round two in Jordon Breaks’ favor.
Makabe comes flying out of his corner at the start of round three and steps his offense up a notch (bam!). He hits a nice bridging suplex at the bell and takes just a few minutes to score a submission with Cattle Mutilation. Makabe takes round three.
There’s a brief heelish moment in round four when Makabe hits Breaks with a closed fist. He receives a warning from the referee and slams some elbows into the Brighton resident’s shoulder. Ultimately it comes down to which man wants it more. That man turns out to be Jordon Breaks who claims the third and final fall by tapout to a key lock. That was a very interesting match, and I enjoyed it tremendously. Great work by both wrestlers.
Brighton Spirit Weekender Show Two
Chris Brookes vs Mike Bird
Chris Brookes and Mike Bird have the kind of match that has become Bird’s calling card in RIPTIDE next. That’s to say that although Bird’s character is that of the cranky veteran, annoyed at the new-fangled wrestlers on the block, he can still wrestle hard and fast. Yes, this another excellent showing from the Welshman opposite the ever wonderful Brookes. There’s time for a brief spot of levity during the match as Brookes swears at Bird – this is supposed to be the afternoon family show. It provokes a big ‘ooooooooooooh’ from the crowd which tickled me.
A Preying Mantis Bomb from Chris Brookes looks to have the match sewn up, but Bird shows resilience by battling on. Shortly after that near fall Bird gets the pin on Brookes with the Newport Crusher to continue his win streak in Rippy. A nice, little match there which continues to build Bird for a main event run.
Carlos Romo vs Ashmore
Carlos Romo and Ashmore complement one another’s styles very well during their match up. Romo’s speed and dexterity contrast nicely with the hipster’s power-based arsenal with a touch of high flying. The former Team White Wolf man has long been a star waiting to happen and now A-Kid is off doing his own thing perhaps that can happen. Ashmore is still embroiled in a feud with The OJMO which gets highlighted nicely in the finish of the match. Shortly after Romo nearly breaks his own back botching a poison ‘rana, Ashmore gets the win via the half crab – OJMO’s signature finisher. That’s a nice way to keep that plate spinning; clever stuff, and a decent showing from both guys.
Cassius (c) vs Cara Noir – Pride of Brighton Championship Match
Cassius makes the first defence of his Pride of Brighton medal against the man of the hour Cara Noir in the semi-main event. This marks something of a departure for Cara as he wrestles the majority of the match heel. It makes sense to do so as Cassius is a touch smaller and has less of a mean streak than the Black Swan. Indeed, Cara seems to take great joy in kicking the Neon Explosion as hard as he can, and giving him a simple hard slap here and there. All that really does is rile the champ up though and he returns fire in kind.
The majority of the match sees Cara Noir in control, and he gets a pinfall from a devastating looking package piledriver. What the referee hadn’t seen was Cassius’s foot on the ropes; Noir had seen it and (silently) requests that the match be restarted. As is wrestling law, the actual finish happens very shortly after the restart. Cassius drills Cara with his elevated bulldog that spikes the challenger right on the top of his head. Following the finish, Mike Bird comes out and assaults Cara Noir to keep the plate spinning on their feud. RIPTIDE plays these long-term stories so well.
ETM: Chuck Mambo & TK Cooper vs The Rascalz – Brighton Spirit Semi Final
Chuck Mambo & TK Cooper’s dissonance comes to the fore again as they face off with the Rascalz. Everything seems to be going swimmingly when the match starts; both men are all smiles and compliments to one another. Following a protracted spell where Wentz and Xavier wear down TK, the Brighton champion enters the fray and runs wild. We get a wonderful series of parties involving superkicks from all four men before heading into the final sequence of the match.
Zachary Wentz brings Mambo’s title belt into the ring and Cooper snatches it from him before he can wallop Mambo with it. Chuck turns around and sees his partner clutching the belt and flips asking him what the hell he’s doing. This sends TK over the edge and he smashes Mambo with a forearm, then gets rolled up by Dezmond Xavier for the pinfall loss! I think it’s safe to say that ETM aren’t going to be teaming together much beyond this match. Once The Rascalz have left the ring, Mambo challenges Teeks to a match to settle the score on show three of the Brighton Spirit Weekender. Although the Samoan doesn’t give an answer it seems safe to assume that he would like another shot at the title.
And that’s everything for show two of Brighton Spirit. The RIPTIDE RETROspective will return very soon with a look back at show three of the Brighton Spirit Weekender. If you’re celebrating Christmas I hope you’re having a very Merry one indeed. Catcha on the flippidy flop.
