Pier Fear Predictions

On November 20th, OPW is invading Blackpool for the first time with Pier Fear which is sure to skyrocket OPW as one of the best promotions Blackpool has seen. However, it is the purpose of this show which makes it so much more special. Profits will be going towards Brian House Children’s Hospice, a charity based in Blackpool which provides vital palliative care to children and support for their families. This charity was chosen by the family of Jordan Banks, who was a fan of wrestling and close to R.P. Davies, so it is fitting that this event is dedicated to the memory of the boy who is sadly missed throughout the local community. It’s going to be an emotional night and with tickets already sold out, we can be sure that it will be one to remember. But who will come out on top in this gigantic card? Join me as I run down the match ups and predict the winners.   Ryan Hunter vs Scotty Rawk A first-time encounter, this is somewhat of a dream match. Labelled as “Morecambe’s John Cena” by Sinergy, Ryan Hunter is arguably the most popular name in Morecambe – the crowd adore him as he made his way to the wrestling business in Morecambe and are always deafening in their support for him. This energy is unlikely to be lost at Pier Fear as Hunter is originally from Blackpool, making this a homecoming event for him. Rawk will be keen to thwart this energy and with his outstanding quickness he might be able to do just that. Seeing these two very different competitors clash is going to be exciting, with Rawk being a well-known face to wrestling fans throughout the UK but Hunter as the North West legend. Hunter’s fighting style is more strength-based whereas Rawk is technical, but they are both used to being the underdog and fighting hard for what they achieve, so this encounter is bound to be high energy. I must give the edge to Hunter, though, as the energy from a home crowd is something you can’t replicate and will undoubtedly spur him to kick out from even the most vicious of strikes and slams.   Tu Byt vs Nick Kutter Tu Byt may have solidified himself in OPW as one of the most dangerous men out there, but this is his first time wrestling in Blackpool and as one of the biggest wrestling towns, this is no small occasion for the Rat King. I doubt this will daunt him, though, as he has proven that he is not short of confidence in any situation, and Nick Kutter will have to be on his guard. Kutter is making his OPW debut at Pier Fear so he may not be familiar with what Byt can do between the ropes, or indeed the danger Jennifer on the outside plays too. But having gone through the LWF academy and being keen to make a name for himself, I don’t doubt that Kutter will be an intimidating force for Byt to reckon with. Two hungry young competitors being given the floor to showcase what they can do is what OPW is all about so this has all the potential to steal the show. I think Tu Byt is on a rampage after advancing in the OPW championship tournament at Stormy Waters and will be impossible to stop, so I think he will be the one with his hand raised at the end of this bout. I can’t wait to see what Kutter can come up with to stop this though, and he has every chance of being successful.   Jennie B vs Helana Razor Pier Fear is going to be a treat for the fans as it is a night full of debuts and firsts, proven by this match in particular which is expanding the already fruitful women’s division to new heights. Having said that, neither of these women are new to in-ring competition. Both have wrestled in various companies and are sure to bring their experience to bear in OPW where they will be wanting to make a further name for themselves. Jennie B is not known for being a fan favourite and feeds off the boos she earns with her antics, and the Blackpool fans are nothing if not loud, so this could help or hinder her. On the other hand we have Odyssey's resident "Big Strong Mum" Helena Razor who is not opposed to throwing down with the men, proving her versatility and never-say-die attitude. She is living proof that you can be a mum whilst also being a totally badass, violent wrestler (and did it before Becky Lynch). I can’t wait to see these two athletic competitors show Blackpool what women’s wrestling is all about, partly because I am struggling to pick a winner and I am eager to see who it is. I think I might give the edge to Jennie B here though as she has Jackie B in her corner who will no doubt be there to spur her on and maybe even play a part in the match, and we all know that the numbers advantage plays a big part in any wrestling bout.    Micky Barnes and Nate Reece vs Freakshow We have seen what The Freakshow can do at the past two OPW shows, and no matter what you think of Isaiah Quinn, he has been very influential in bringing their success to a whole new level. But there may be limitations to what he can do to prepare them for Micky Barnes and Nate Reece. These two brutal heavyweights will bring everything they have and more to Pier Fear and will undoubtedly be spurred on by their hometown fans. It’s unlikely to bother the Freakshow who are used to antagonising the crowd, but the confidence that Barnes and Reece bring to the table could be a game changer. However, after winning at Stormy Waters, Freakshow appear to have hit their stride in OPW and if anything is going to be able to flatten Barnes and Reece, it’s going to be their aerial offense. That’s why I think we will be seeing Freakshow achieving their second consecutive victory at Pier Fear – but they will have to keep up their stamina if they are to escape the tight grasp of their opponents.   Sam Bailey vs Big Joe vs Keinen Krishna vs Rob Drake Multi-man matches are always chaotic and judging the characters of the men in this bout, it’s unlikely to be any different here. Chaos may benefit Keinen Krishna who is a fighter at heart and never one to back down from a violent situation. Hailing from Mumbai, Keinen’s dream of escaping struggle to be a pro wrestler has brought him to Blackpool where he is certain to bring the fighting spirit of someone who needs to win to survive. However, we also have Rob Drake in the mix who is from Blackpool so is all too familiar with what it takes to win here, something which perhaps the other competitors don’t. His large stature is unlikely to intimidate Big Guns Joe, though, who has probably convinced himself that he is bigger than Drake and will make sure the fans know about it. Joe hasn’t been very successful in OPW so far so he’s going to be keen to make up for that, and contrastingly we have Sam Bailey who beat RPD at Stormy Waters, a huge confidence booster for him and proof he can stick it to the biggest names. This is the main reason I’m predicting a win for Sam Bailey here, as I was very impressed by his skills against RPD; he may have had Dekker who floored RPD to thank for the victory but there’s no doubting his in-ring skill and opportunistic ability, a key factor in winning a fatal four-way match where the smallest chance can result in a win.   Born Ready vs Sinergy vs Rogan and Reece As I established above, multi-man matches are always crazy with action inside and out the ring – whether that’s a tag team match or a triple threat. The same can be said about TLC matches and with weapons involved it reaches a new level of violence. Now, this match is a combination of all three of these things. With three of the physically largest and hardest hitting teams involved, this is going to blow the roof off the Layton Institute… as Big E once said, “big meaty men bumpin meat!” But we all already know what a fast-paced showing of brutality and breath-taking feats of strength and disregard for safety this is going to be, but which team will come out on top? I’m sure it will be impossible to predict right up until the final bell. Like the fatal four way, any one mistake or lucky moment can result in someone getting the win, and with twice as many men involved with it being a tag team match, this is even more so the case. Born Ready are at a slight disadvantage with having never wrestled as a team before despite being close friends, whereas the other teams have heaps of experience in tag team wrestling and are well-oiled machines. Reece and Rogan in particular are terrifyingly aggressive and will not be afraid to put their own bodies on the line to inflict maximum damage, whether the crowd is behind them or not. Sinergy’s strength is what sets them apart and they are well known for keeping their spirit and charisma even in the toughest of situations; I think they will bring the humour to this match, but that’s not to say they aren’t incredibly skilled wrestlers too. However, RPD is the homecoming hero in this bout and has a special connection to the family of Jordan and is the driving force behind this event being for such an amazing cause. With the desire to do everyone proud, I think RPD is going to be unstoppable. Markus has already proven that he has RPD’s back at Stormy Waters and I think this will be no different – there will just be a few more tables involved this time.   This massive event has unsurprisingly already sold out but if you didn’t manage to get tickets, you can still donate to Brian House and support their incredible cause at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/odysseyprowrestling in Jordan’s memory. If you disagree with my predictions make sure to let us know!