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!
This report will be split into two parts due to the sheer size of the event. In this first part, you'll find:
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.