War on the Shore Predictions

Next Saturday, OPW sees its biggest card yet explode onto the shores of Morecambe. The emotions running into this show mean that it’s going to be a tense evening of brutal battles and hardcore grappling that you cannot afford to miss. Today, I’m going to be running down the card for you and predicting who I think will be the winners and losers of this giant evening. Ryan Hunter vs Dekker vs RPD for the OPW Championship I’m going to kickstart with the main event and the most anticipated match in OPW history. There is bad blood between these three competitors to say the very least, stemming all the way back to Set Sail when Dekker was fuming that he had not been signed for OPW and took this out on RPD. The rivalry has developed since then, with Dekker always quick to capitalise on opportunities to blindside RPD, including winning the Overboard Rumble to earn himself a championship shot and trying to cash this in on a down and out Hunter. But the show was over and his chance has been moved to this match instead, in a triple threat which sees the rightful winner of the tournament, RPD, finally able to take it to Dekker and perhaps capture the championship. But this will be no easy feat, especially with Hunter in defence in front of such an adoring crowd. Hunter has been an active and passionate champion, and the Morecambe fans admire him, but will they still be behind him with another fan favourite RPD on the other side of the ring? I can guarantee one thing though - no one in the building will be cheering for Dekker… apart from Chris Brooker, at least. But who will leave the Alhambra with the belt around their waist? It’s a tough one to predict, but I think I have to give it to RPD. He and Hunter should logistically work together to thwart their common enemy, Dekker, so that they can turn their attention to each other. After all of the hurt that Dekker has put RPD through, I think that he will be unstoppable in his passion and drive to prove that he can come out on top. I hate to predict against Hunter, but I believe that RPD brings something to the table that Hunter is yet to face in OPW. Taonga vs Harley Hudson for the OPW Women’s Championship After finding out that she would be defending her title against both Helana Razor and Alexxis Falcon at Shipwrecked, Taonga was alight with rage, claiming that Falcon did not deserve the opportunity. You would expect her to be happy, then, when this match had to be rearranged to a battle with KT Hawkins instead, although she still found plenty of reason to complain, especially when Gia Adams was added in at the last minute. We know that Razor was out due to injury, but the circumstances surrounding Alexxis Falcon’s absence are unclear and I have not been able to find out more information. Will we see Falcon appearing at War on the Shore? In her scheduled match, Taonga finds herself facing one of the biggest stars in the UK scene today, Harley Hudson. Hudson has only recently come back from injury which thwarted her momentum somewhat, so it’s unclear whether she’ll be able to bounce back in this surely career making match. It’s for this reason that for me, this is Taonga’s match. She is so protective over her belt, willing to do anything to keep it, so I don’t suspect that she will be letting it go any time soon – if nothing else, just to spite the Morecambe fans. But we will all have to keep our eyes open for a potential return from Falcon… Sexy Kev vs Dark Mark Meltzer We still do not know what the stipulation of this match will be yet, as the OPW fans are getting the amazing chance to vote for what they want to see over on Patreon. No matter what type of match it is, though, I can guarantee that this will be a personal and emotional battle. Sexy Kev has never received an explanation for why Meltzer turned on him and joined Isaiah Quinn’s Freakshow (those cryptic videos do not count as explanation if you ask me) so the betrayal is still very raw for him. When these two finally get their one-on-one battle, it’s going to be intense and violent, as I’m sure the Morecambe fans will choose a brutal stipulation. As far as a winner goes, I don’t think Isaiah Quinn will let Meltzer lose. The Freakshow will no doubt be on call to invade should anything go wrong (even with Carter’s broken nose) and Quinn always has tricks up his sleeve. The numbers game may be too much for Kev and he will have to dig deep if he is to come out with the victory. JJ Webb vs Big Guns Joe Another grudge match and this one will be just as personal. This began during the Overboard Rumble, when Webb failed on his attempt to turn the tables on his own teammate Joe who then used the opportunity for himself, eliminating Webb and basking in the cheers from the delighted fans. He has finally broken free of the grasp of this unsuccessful tag team and has the chance to cement himself as a top singles competitor in OPW in this match. It will be hard with Sandy Beach always on ringside to support Webb, but I think that the fiery Joe will not let this opportunity slide especially combined with his momentum coming off an endorsement from Ryan Hunter despite being unsuccessful in his title shot at Shipwrecked. Supported by his adoring fans (I might as well re-name the Lancaster University Pro Wrestling Society to the Big Guns Joe Fanclub) and finally able to let his charisma show, this could be Joe’s night. Sinergy vs Reece and Rogan Next, I’m turning to the meat fest. These teams have met in OPW before in the unforgettable TLC triple threat match at Pier Fear, and then finally got their two-on-two chance at Shipwrecked. Reece and Rogan were victorious here and this was a brutally hard-hitting battle which did little to stop the rivalry between these two teams, only enraging it further. Going off their momentum, I believe Reese and Rogan have every chance to come out on top again here, especially with the confidence that Chris Brooker will no doubt instil in them. Nick Kutter and Lucas Neon vs Tu Byt and Scotty Rawk Tu Byt has always been bitter against the whole world, but a series of losses in OPW has made him even more angry than usual and desperate for a victory to come his way. After spotting him backstage, Scotty Rawk offered Byt to join him in a team after he himself has not had much success in OPW. Similarly, we have Neon and Kutter on the other side of the ring who have had their chances to shine ruined by various other unhappy competitors, using them to display their own strength. With two hard done by teams desperate to prove they deserve to be on the roster, this is going to be a high energy battle. The scrappiness of both Byt and Rawk gives them the edge for me. They are sneaky in the ring and will have Jennifer to help, so not even the high energy offense of Neon and Kutter will be enough to stop them. Nate Reese vs Lance Revera Reece may have come up short against Dekker at Shipwrecked, but he impressed OPW management enough that they deemed him worthy of a Morecambe debut. This comes against Lance Revera who was impressive in the Overboard rumble but perhaps feels stagnant in OPW at the moment, looking to achieve this win as a way to catapult himself further. This is if he can focus given his recent feud with Simon Hill, OPW commentator, who he has been engaging in a spat on Twitter which feels like it must come to a head at some point soon. With this on Revera’s mind, I think this is Reese’s match for the taking. Whether you agree or disagree with my predictions, make sure you get your tickets soon as this is a huge card with potential match of the nights from top to bottom!