STEELCHAIR Wrestling Magazine #15

FIGHTCLUB: PRO // REVOLUTION PRO EPIC ENCOUNTER

WRESTLING

THE CASE FOR 205 LIVE

THE CUSTOMER ISN’T ALWAYS RIGHT

BILLIE KAY LOOK BACK : FLAIR VS HBK

IWGP TAG CHAMPION HANSON

EMILY READ DISCUSSES PRO WRESTLING EVE

april 2017

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// KATSUYORI

£3.50

SHIBATA: THE WARRIOR AND HIS WAY

SteelChairMag.com

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O T E V R “I DESE Y B N E BE SE N I Y D O B Y R E V E ” D L R O THIS W

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WELCOME

Visit VultureHound.com for regular wrestling updates from the SteelChair team

WELCOME FROM THE EDITOR

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his month saw the return of IMPACT to UK TV on Spike. We got the opportunity to chat to EC3 who discusses the return and the UK scene.

We also welcome one half of the new IWGP Tag Team champions War Machine’s Hanson, and NXT’s Billy Kay. After the WrestleMania weekend Liam discusses the fans role within WWE and asks ‘Is The Custmore Always Right?’. You can join us on on Twitter and Facebook to have your say.

This issue is packed as we also look at Shibata, 205 Live, NJPW, chat to Emily Reed from Pro Wrestling EVE and more!

David Garlick @davidgarlick

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PAST MONTH MATCHES OF THE MONTH

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BRITISH STRONG STYLE VS CALLIHAN, JIMMY & SCURLL FIGHT CLUB:

After returning from the whirlwind of Wrestlemania weekend in Florida at the start of the month, it was business as usual for BSS, putting on the kind of performances that show just why they’re on the WWE radar. Functioning as a unit, they downed two of the best on the UK scene and a US indie darling in a match that stood out even in a show dedicated to the art of tag team wrestling.

BOBBY ROODE VS SHINSUKE NAKAMURA NXT TAKEOVER: ORLANDO

In a meeting that was hard to find fault with of any kind, Nakamura demonstrated the fact that he’s been ready for the main WWE roster for some time and, at the same time, elevated Roode accordingly by putting him over strongly. For his own part, Roode shone more in the WWE developmental league than he ever did as a headliner in TNA, showing that it shouldn’t be too long before he too is ready to make the same jump to the main roster.

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WRESTLER

OF THE MONTH

PRO DREAM TAG TEAM INVITATIONAL

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Visit VultureHound.com for regular wrestling updates from SteelChair Magazine

KAZUCHIKA OKADA VS

TRAVIS BANKS ravis Banks has had a hell of time over here in England, the Kiwi Buzzsaw has found a home for himself here and a starring role in such promotions as Insane Championship Wrestling, WhatCulture Pro Wrestling, Fight Club Pro and Rev Pro, where he opened the Bank Holiday Weekend’s Epic Encounter retaining his tag team titles against Martin Stone & Sami Callihan.

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This month, he’s also had incredible matches against the likes of Zack Sabre Jr and Will Osperay.

Considered the most underrated talent currently working in a packed UK scene, this month Travis Banks has gave us no choice but to make him our Wrestler of the Month.

KATSUYORI SHIBATA NJPW SAKURA GENESIS

This latest in a series of IWGP title defence epics to take place in 2017 proved that the Shibata may have been the hardest hitter in modern puro, but also that Okada is arguably the best talent in the entire business right now. Tragically, it appears that this match may have been Shibata’s swansong, his injuries preventing him from returning to the ring, depriving the industry of a true superstar in the long term and fans of a potentially more intense and dazzling rematch in the short term.

DAILY UPDATES AT STEELCHAIRMAG. COM

EVENT OF OF THE MONTH FIGHT CLUB: PRO - DREAM TAG TEAM INVITATIONAL

APRIL 2017 STEELCHAIR 05

COVER STAR

INTERVIEW: ETHAN CARTER III WORDS: CRAIG HERMIT

e is a two-time Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight Champion, a former House Of Glory Heavyweight Champion, and one of the most recognisable faces within the Impact Wrestling roster. He is charismatic, he can be controversial, and this year, he aims to be a threetime Champion. He is Ethan Carter III, otherwise known as EC3. We managed to talk to him about Impact Wrestling’s return to UK television

H

On April 21st, Impact Wrestling made their return to free view on Spike UK, what can fans expect to see from yourself and the roster now that Impact is back in Britain?

We, as a company, could not be more excited about being back on UK TV, one of our best fan bases. It’s where we belong. Myself personally? I deserve to be seen by everybody in this world, and Spike in the UK is a well-known network with a lot of viewers, and I will give them the benefit of myself. I know a lot of wrestling fans couldn’t wait to have us back.

Previously in the UK, fans had to wait five days to see IMPACT. Now it’s 06 STEELCHAIR APRIL 2017

impact wrestling is now on spike uk fridays at 9pm

"The UK is a hotbed of wrestling, great fans and when the greatest performances are turned in, the crowd are at their best" broadcast in the UK on Friday nights, just one day after the episodes aired after US. How beneficial do you think this will be to the UK fans and for Impact Wrestling?

I think that is an extreme benefit. I wish they could see it as soon as it aired, because I know personally, I have countless followers from the UK, because if something takes place in a match, I’m talking about it, I’m posting about it. It’s hard to avoid spoilers for 4-5 days, somebody spoils a programme like Game of Thrones for me, first thing I want to do is hunt them down and beat them half to death, so I can only imagine the emotions the UK fans are going through, even if they aren’t searching for it, they will find out and that kinda sucks. The best thing about sport entertainment, the best thing about wrestling, is the element of surprise, the

unforeseen. Hopefully, now they will see it the next day, and avoid spoilers. Hopefully, they can see the product as it was meant to be enjoyed. Somebody ruined King Joffrey’s death for me and I’d been waiting since the first episode for that. I was just on Facebook and they ruined it. I was just devastated but it was a few years ago, I’ve gotten over it since then.

With The UK fans having Impact Wrestling regularly now, what are your hopes on a possible Impact Wrestling tour in the future like it had before?

I don’t hope it happens, I need it to happen. I dying for it to happen.

I’m striving, I’m thriving, I’m demanding it happens. As I said, the UK is a hotbed of wrestling, great fans and when the greatest performances are turned in, the crowd are at their best. You guys are as much as part of the show, as the talent is in the ring. After a match there, I have the feeling of why I got into this, it’s the unbelievable adrenaline rush that I can’t come down from, I love every second of it and it only comes with the dynamic interaction with the people that came to the shows. One thing about professional wrestling, the only way to have a great match, an excellent match, a career defining match, isn’t always about

APRIL 2017 STEELCHAIR 07

COVER STAR what you do in the ring, it’s about how other people react to what you do in the ring. If they give you as much as you put in, you give more in that match. You could have the best technical match in front of a bunch of people but if they aren’t making a lot of noise, then that’s not a great match. To have a great match you have to be surrounded by great people

Within Impact Wrestling, you appeared to fans as this elitist, easy to dislike individual who would run down competition, but now, universally fans see you an easy to like bad guy, is that a fair assessment and is that something you’ve done intentionally or did it happen organically?

I think that overall that was my vision, but like as you said it has happened organically. Its 2017 and looking back at my career, I haven’t had as much success recently as I did when I arrived. That’s down

to circumstances or injuries. Do I choose the people or do I choose success? If people want to cheer me go for it, they want to boo me, do it. They want to chant I suck?

Do it. Throw beer at me? Go for it.

I am going to focus on what I do best, I claim I’m the top man, I

"They want to chant I suck?

Do it. Throw beer at me?

Go for it" act like the top man and I promote like the top man, but I’m not the World Heavyweight Champion, so something will have to change.

You have worked with Kurt Angle, Bobby Lashley, Alberto Del Rio and some of the top

talents in the business. Who have you enjoyed working with the most and who have you learned the most from, either inside or outside of the ring?

Everyone you have mentioned there, I have beat them all! (laughs). Everyone of them great talents, I’ve had no problems with, but you obviously mentioned the one man, Kurt Angle, one of, if not the greatest living professional wrestlers alive. I was fortunate to compete with him, against him, for the World Heavyweight Title. When I was growing up, wanting to do this when I was a teenager, my dream match was against Kurt Angle for a World Heavyweight Title, not only I did I have that match, took the Angle Slam three times, he locked in the Angle Lock twice, with the Grapevine and I still beat his ass, I still won (laughs). But the answer to that question would be Kurt Angle.

The Impact Knockout’s Division has presented Impact Wrestling fans with some of the promotion’s best wrestling moments since 2007. Are you a fan of women’s wrestling and who do you think fans should be watching out for?

I’m absolutely a fan of Women’s Wrestling, whether it’s our company, WWE and across the board, there is no question that Women’s Wrestling should be at the focal point of any company it is in, where it should be. Personally,

08 STEELCHAIR APRIL 2017

impact wrestling is now on spike uk fridays at 9pm

I think Impact Wrestling has some of the best wrestlers around in Rosemary, Allie, and my personal favourite, as long as she is looking dishevelled in a wedding dress, make up a mess and covered in champagne, its Laurel Van Ness. I love it.

In various episodes of TNA Xplosion in 2015, you commentated alongside Jeremy Borash. What are your thoughts on him returning to the desk on a permanent basis and the work he has done on Impact?

EC3: You know he once claimed to be the MVP of Impact Wrestling!

But to his credit he has done nearly everything at Impact Wrestling, backstage, in front of the camera, I even remember him getting involved in a match and leaping from the top turnbuckle to the floor at a match in Glasgow when we are on tour, so he gets in the mix that way.

He’s a great commentator working alongside Josh Matthews who I do feel gets a bad rep. But Jeremy has a quick wit adding a new element and he deserves to be there.

Outside of wrestling, you have an association with Mogy Workouts, Why should fans check it out?

Well, the Mogy Workout App was created by Rob Macintyre, has been used by many wrestlers, in various promotions. John Cena is one of them. Mogy is a great application, it gives you a great programme, from the coaching aspect to the sport scene, it answers questions and allows you to see how far you’ve developed in your workout. Every workout it shows you how to do it. I’ve been using it since it was created two years ago. It’s real routines for real people. I don’t get paid for endorsing it, I just think it’s great for your workout and if you want to become a coach, I’d use it.

Check it out on Marketplace over

your phone.

Continuing with outside of wrestling, you recently teased a big announcement over social media and that announcement was that you have chosen to focus on @ instagram stories over @ snapchat. How could you?

EC3: (laughs) Okay, Instagram is great, Snapchat is great, and my biggest support is on Twitter, but it is too much and it’s hard to keep up with everything. I see something funny, I snap it, but how do I Instagram it? I can’t do it, Snapchat can be limited but now Instagram has the snap feature so Instagram does it all, and for anyone reading this, if I am going to make a big announcement, I’m not going to announce it, I’m just going to do it.

If I’m going to do something big, you won’t see it coming, it’s about the element of surprise.

APRIL 2017 STEELCHAIR 09

WRESTLEMANIA

WORDS: LIAM O’ROURKE | PHOTO: WWE

THE CUSTOMER ISN’T ALWAYS RIGHT… spent last week in sunny Orlando, Florida for NXT TakeOver, WrestleMania 33, and a variety of other theme park related activities. It was my second Mania, having attended in 2012 to watch The Rock and John Cena collide after a year long build.

I also witnessed the beginning of the Daniel Bryan movement after his 18 second loss to Sheamus. Five years later, I find myself reflecting on the passionate crowd response that weekend which marked a huge change in Bryan’s career, and comparing it to what I experienced in Orlando.

I

The dynamic was completely different for Mania 33, and being amongst the hub of die-hard wrestling fans and observing their habits in person for such an event opened my eyes. Don’t get me wrong, I was already keenly aware of the current nature of WWE’s audience, but experiencing it at that level cemented a lot of my perspectives.

As we all know, WWE is inadvertently gravitating towards the niche – the most passionate crowd members of all, in order to squeeze every last dime from their reliable pockets.

While cashing in a TV deal with the USA Network, they’ve created an overload of television content that runs off casual fans. You must be dedicated to follow WWE in any real capacity due to the time investment

10 STEELCHAIR APRIL 2017

required. For those who want more, it is available in ample supply on the WWE Network. This has created a unique subculture of people who will spend a lot of money on WWE, and also fill social media with their opinions, typically about what WWE is doing wrong.

There is always fair criticism to throw WWE’s way, certainly. But WrestleMania 33 week demonstrated how false, inaccurate, and in many ways, completely irrelevant the vocal opinions of the most passionate fans are. Who are these people, you ask?

They are the minority who think they are the majority. They believe that what they want and think is not only correct, but that it’s what everybody else wants and thinks. They have been given the tag of “smart fans”, but in reality, they’re the biggest marks of all.

They’re the people who complained about Goldberg beating Kevin Owens for the Universal Title when watching at home, and gave him a frosty reception at WrestleMania.

Until the bell rang. At which point, they reacted with more pure emotion than they did for all their weekly favourites, because the star power, physical charisma and storytelling is more important than their socalled educated opinion and pious prejudices. The next night after Raw, they did the same. A cold reaction to his music. Then Goldberg talked, and when he was finished, he

received resounding Goldberg chants from fans living in the moment and not self-consciously overanalysing.

They’re also the people who chanted “We Want Balor!” in the Brock Lesnar segment on Raw and believe he’s a superstar. He has New Japan cred, NXT cred, and has been lucky enough to never be overexposed thus far due to injury. Him, they’re willing to treat like a big deal. Until they finally get him, then they do the Mexican wave during his match minutes later, not caring about him one bit.

They chant “TEN!” in every match that spills to the floor to amuse themselves, undermining the hard work and stories being told in the ring to the viewers at home. They pop for the debut of the Revival, then go silent for their match.

It’s a weird dynamic. They’re diehard fans in a sense, but in another, they embody the traits of the casual fan, in that they’re seemingly waiting for the talking point, the quick, superficial event that happens, giving them something to tweet about. The big debut. The surprise heel turn. The shocking highspot.

In between, their passion dwindles waiting for the next big moment.

Their reactions over WrestleMania week tell that story clearly. But despite the casual fan tendencies, they project the “smart” perspective, for lack of a better term. And they wear their fandom and attitude proudly.

watch wrestlemania on the wwe network

APRIL 2017 STEELCHAIR 11

WRESTLEMANIA than anything in years. In reality, it was just engaging the existing, die-hard fans a little more. Money In The Bank only did about 15,000 more buys on Pay-Per-View than it did the year before, a marginal improvement. Catering to the vocal minority didn’t pay off either time.

There is an old saying – “the easiest person to con is a conman”. You know, the guy that has enough knowledge to feel like they know the whole score, but really don’t.

That was never more evident on Raw when Roman Reigns stood mid-ring for ten straight minutes of vociferous booing. It displayed the most beautiful, grand irony of all. For the fans desire, pride and self-importance about being opinionated, their reactions are actually the most predictable of all.

Quite possibly, they’re also the most oblivious. How so?

If you’re Vince McMahon, who do you see more money in – the guy the fans say they want, react big for at first, then do the mexican wave when they get him? Or the guy they say they don’t want, but evokes genuine, incredible emotion for 10 straight minutes without saying a single word?

People have complained about the booking of Roman for a long time, and fairly so. But to people who complained about him beating Braun Strowman at Fast Lane, or have grumbled every time Reigns is featured above everybody else, there is one lesson you must understand.

Vince McMahon isn’t booking Roman Reigns to be a Finn Balor. Balor fits the category of guys like Kevin

12 STEELCHAIR APRIL 2017

Owens and Seth Rollins – people that are identifiable as WWE TV stars and perceived as a big deal by the existing audience. The number of Balor, Owens, Rollins and Enzo and Cass shirts spotted around Orlando was incredible. To that segment of the crowd, the most impassioned fans, they are big stars.

But the stats show that Roman sells more shirts than all of them – you just didn’t see anybody in Orlando wearing them.

Vince McMahon is booking Roman Reigns to be a superstar. He wants Roman to be somebody whose reach extends beyond the current audience. He already has you for life. It may work. It may not. But cast your mind back, as I am, to the passion surrounding Daniel Bryan. The hardcore fans backed him all the way and through force of will, got him to the main event of WrestleMania 30, convinced he was a genuine superstar. By the reactions, you could easily believe it.

But make no mistake, Bryan didn’t move the numbers beyond the level they were already at. A star to one segment of the audience, who think they are the entire audience. But the cold hard facts said otherwise.

Further back, when CM Punk did his famous pipebomb promo, you heard all the talk about how the angle had more “mainstream buzz”

Roman isn’t there yet either in terms of paying off. The natural comparison is, of course, John Cena. While the comparison is tough, Vince ended up being justified in his stubbornness in never turning John. Economically, Cena meant more a babyface than he would have as a heel, and nobody was close to his numbers. The first chant that started in the Citrus Bowl before the WrestleMania 33 preshow hit the air, by the way? “Let’s go Cena! Cena sucks!” Cena is a superstar, and sometimes it’s the indirect message that tells the story more than the direct one.

Regardless of the content of the actual chants, Roman Reigns looked like a red-hot money player standing amongst that type of response. Was it the exact reaction Vince wants Roman to have in a perfect world?

Of course not. But as Arn Anderson once said, “We don’t take your cheers to the bank.”

The fans are entitled to enjoy pro wrestling however they see fit. But part of wrestling gravitating to the niche audience is the proliferation of vocal opinions denigrating WWE’s direction, and in some ways stunting their potential growth. As stated earlier, plenty of criticisms are valid. But if WrestleMania 33 taught anybody any lesson, it was that if the fans looked at their own positions with the same critical eye as they view WWE’s, they’d be chanting “Go Away!” at themselves quicker than you could say “Yes! Yes! Yes!”.

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205 LIVE

THE CASE FOR 205 LIVE WORDS: LEE HAZELL | PHOTOS: WWE 05 Live was an interesting prospect, and one I was keen to follow the fortunes of. It was the first proper, weekly extension of WWE’s wrestling programming since NXT and the first one to be conceived after the birth of the network. It was preceded by a Cruiserweight tournament that the WWE dubbed the Cruiserweight Classic and it certainly felt like it. Ten concise episodes, with simple storylines, populated by a well-chosen and objectively talented roster, backed up by die-hard, screaming fans invested in every single moment. While not every match was a sure fire hit, there wasn’t a bad one in the bunch.

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It was when the format of the show evolved into a weekly production, like NXT or Main Event, that things started to go sour. No longer enclosed by the intimacy of Full Sail University, with a knowledgeable and passionate crowd in full support of them, they were put in front of an apathetic RAW audience ignorant of their talent and gimmicks, with precious little promotion, in the deadest spots of the night when the silence during their segments is as loud as Vince McMahon’s bellowing laughter.

Cruiserweights, to the average WWE fan, eyes glistening with hopeful nostalgia for men in masks and brightly coloured plumage, is code for ‘Flippy Shit’. Wrestling defined by insane feats of acrobatic intricacy, employing a highenergy style that utilised somersaults, backflips > and multiple mid-air rotations. It was fast, exciting, and a complete change of pace to the traditional American showman style matches of WWE and WCW. Unfortunately, for those hoping this would be a new generation of spinning top superstars, this

14 STEELCHAIR APRIL 2017

watch 205 live on the wwe network new Cruiserweight generation wasn’t that. No, this new batch of talents aren’t shackled only to spectacular high-flying, but are also proficient in the technical, strong style, Lucha Libre and traditional WWE forms of wrestling.

Now, this being a magazine written by wrestling enthusiasts, you might guess that I place the blame firmly on WWE’s controlling, yet confused, direction for the fan’s rejection of the show. So much of the hype surrounding this new division on Monday Night RAW was touted as a return. Yet, it is also WWE who have decided that the new batch of happymeal sized grapplers aren’t going to be performing this same type of overexaggerated, visually impressive and gymnastically astounding feats.

This is because it is a style with a high injury rate – which can lead to a bad ratio of superstar investment to returns on those same investments – and an increased likelihood of botching, which is death for live television. Therefore, WWE have created the expectation of out-ofthis-world athletics, but haven’t allowed its talent to fulfil it, creating an inherent disconnect between the audience and the product. Not a good start for any brand to have.

This is a massive tragedy. This new batch of WWE’s 205lb wrestling finds shouldn’t be held to that standard.

Firstly, an hour long show that is only conducive to that one style would become stale and repetitive. The fact that they aren’t being chained to one type of wrestling is good for pacing, variety and the personalities of the characters on screen. Would Jack Gallagher’s gimmick be improved were he to add an imploding 450 splash to his repertoire? No, it would

One of the show’s key strengths is the sheer quality of the wrestlers they have under contract. be very out of sorts for this World of Sport style extraordinary gentleman.

One of the show’s key strengths is the sheer quality of the wrestlers they have under contract. Yes, the way they have been handled has seen some big missteps. The way TJ Perkins was treated comes to mind, as WWE wasted their first Cruiserweight Classic winner on a lame-duck, videogame gimmick that’s references were both lacking in imagination and a decade out of date.

It showed WWE misjudging its audience, trying to appeal to merchandise buying children, rather than the hard-core convention goers who are already invested in the likes of Perkins, Kendrick, Gallagher, Alexander and Noam Dar. However, not all have been so unsuccessful. Brian Kendrick is the most charismatic man on any 205 Live card (sorry Austin) and the fun he’s been having at Tozawa’s expense is fantastically rotten stuff.

The endlessly inventive hijinks of

APRIL 2017 STEELCHAIR 19 15

205 LIVE

watch 205 live on the wwe network them, was a refreshing thing to witness, especially from a company that shies away from any kind of emotion that isn’t driven by animosity.

Jack Gallagher makes his matches a constantly joyous experience, especially when he puts the props away and brings out a strong striking style with the best headbutt in the business.

Noam Dar too was utilised incredibly as the smarmy arrogance smeared across his face like glam rock lipstick, was put to good use in a Carry On Sid James-alike character. Even TJ Perkins, at the time of writing, has taken on a more snarky persona, one that could go better with his videogame aesthetic, like the dude on Xbox Live who trolls you with hacks then rubs your loss in your face.

Now, in 205 Live, the roster is better than ever before. Names such as Neville and Austin Aries have done wonders to add star power to a roster people found it hard to

16 STEELCHAIR APRIL 2017

invest in. Neville turning up to a PPV to turn heel was a turn that many questioned. His move set is one made up of almost entirely crowd-pleasing feats of acrobatics.

How could he bring the heel heat needed for fans to turn on him? But those people have underestimated the flexibility in Neville’s incredible repertoire. His programme with former X-Division champion Austin Aries will no doubt be a gateway drug for newcomers looking to check out the brand.

It has also become the place, as NXT once was, to find the simplicity in WWE’s storytelling. The magic of the CWC was that it became the place to see empathy put back on WWE programming. Wrestlers showing sympathy for their downed opponents or sportsmanship for the men who have gotten one over

It added a much needed extra layer to what can often be a onedimensional product. 205 Live hasn’t necessarily reached those lofty ideals, but as the show settles down and finds its identity, the feuds are visibly getting more out of doing less, meaning that the rivalries are succinct, engaging and easy to understand. There’s none of the overblown pomposity that is all too prevalent on the other shows.

And that’s it. That’s my case for 205 Live. A show with a start so creaky it could have been a location in a Vincent Price film, but with time and a developed roster it has grown into what has seriously become my favourite hour of WWE wrestling in the week. A great roster and varied wrestling, and none of RAW or SmackDown’s excessive and exuberant soap opera nonsense.

Also, the best theme on WWE TV. Bar none.

205 Live may not be breaking the paradigm or crossing the Rubicon, or whatever other TV buzz words are being used for what shows have to do now to be promoted, but it is a bloody good show. Can a programme not just be that anymore? Just aspire to be good without overloading itself with dazzling spectacle and outrageous melodrama? I not only think that it can but that it will elevate other shows by providing a break from all that industry baloney.

205 Live airs after SmackDown every Tuesday on the WWE Network

PHOTO: DAVID GARLICK

REVOLUTION PRO

REVOLUTION PRO EPIC ENCOUNTER WORDS: TONY QUANT

HOW TO BE A PROFESSIONAL, OR SO I THINK WORDS: DASHER HATFIELD

FAITH- And I am not talking about the kind of faith religious types tell you that you need to have in Jesus.

I am talking about the kind of faith you need to have in yourself.

No one, and I mean no one, has found success in a professional wrestling ring without believing in their ability to connect with an audience. Heck, there have been multiple wrestlers who found great success driven only by an inflated self belief built from their own self righteousness. Yet, because they had faith in themselves, eventually others bought in as well. When you sit back and look at the most successful professional wrestlers of all time, the one thing they have in common is amazingly high self belief. Do not get this confused with self esteem, because in my experience the majority of us have medium to low self esteem. Despite this, we share an understanding that in order to be successful at this craft you have to believe you can succeed.

An audience can sniff out a lack of confidence from a mile away..

If you are supposed to be a hero, you have to believe that you are a hero. If you are suppose to be evil, you have to have confidence that you can be evil. Develop faith in yourself, eventually others will too!

APRIL 2017 STEELCHAIR 17

evolution Pro returned to the iconic York Hall on Easter weekend with their latest instalment, labelled Epic Encounter. SteelChair was live at the event which more than lived up to its name and featured a number of top worldwide imports across the card.

R

Kicking off proceedings CCK put their tag titles on the line against Martin Stone & Sami Callihan. The champs retained the belts but it was the ambush by Callihan on Stone after a post-match promo which was the main talking point.

In singles action, Jay White defeated Lucha Underground’s Angelico, and NEVER Openweight Champion Hirooki Goto got the win over Zack Gibson.

The MOTN featured ROH Television Champion Marty Scurll, taking on IWGP Junior HW Champion Hiromu Takahashi. The pair had the crowd hot from the get go and after a solid umbrella shot to the face from Scurll, Takahashi took to using his

unorthodox attacks to finally get the win and bring York Hall to its feet.

Josh Bodom and Will Ospreay battled next to unify the Rev Pro British Cruiserweight Title, and whilst Ospreay may have been the favourite going in, it was Bodom who was able to use both his power and aerial ability to take the match to Ospreay and be crowned the undisputed Cruiserweight Champion.

Zack Sabre Jr and New Japan’s KUSHIDA put on a technical masterclass in their co-main event match. Sabre Jr used his extensive range of submission holds to pull apart KUSHIDA all around York Hall. KUSHIDA did get close to getting the three count on numerous occasions but it was Sabre Jr who was able to overcome KUSHIDA to retain the title.

In the main event of the evening Lio Rush, Ryan Smile & Shane Strickland teamed up to take on The Elite (Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks). The crowd was super hot for this one and whilst it was not the most technical bout of the evening, was definitely a fitting end to a fantastic show from top to bottom from Rev Pro. Whilst the overseas talent added some great matches to the card, the UK guys were more than capable of shining alone.

watch rev pro ondemand a revolutionprowrestling.com

APRIL 2017 STEELCHAIR 17

SHIBATA

WORDS: MAT LINDSAY | PHOTOS: KAY MYS

NJPW FIRST COMPETITORS THEIR FIRST EVER U.S. SHOWS WORDS: COURTNEY ROSE New Japan has announced the first four competitors for their first ever shows in the United States, slated to take place on the 1st and 2nd of July.

Unsurprisingly, the first announced performer for this new experiment in the US is NJPW IWGP Heavyweight champion Kazuchika Okada. Young him is his Wrestle Kingdom 11 rival and leader of the Bullet Club, Kenny Omega. The third roster member to appears another popular stable leader, Tetsuya Naito of Los Ingobernables. Rounding out the first group of performers is New Japan’s Ace, Hiroshi Tanahashi.

At this point, it is not yet known how many roster members will be brought across to America for these shows, nor do we know how these events will be structured.

However, as these shows are part of the road to the G1 tournament, one can assume joining these four men will be several, if not all of those participating in the 2017 tournament.

The July shows in America are now sold out entirely, so if anything, New Japan will be able to be content with two sold out shows in order to foster a cross-cultural appeal.

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KATSUYORI SHIBATA

THE WARRIOR AND HIS WAY pril 9th 2017, NJPW Sakura Genesis – the main event pitting the incomparable “Rain Maker” Kazuchika Okada against the insanely brutal Katsuyori Shibata, for the former’s IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. Okada enters with his gaudy robes, resplendent beneath the shower of fake bank notes bearing his likeness and accompanied by his manager (and NJPW booker) Gedo. Shibata, by contrast, carries only a scarf that bears the legend “The Wrestler”, but the crowd chant his name as relentlessly as they jeer at the champion.

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Okada starts strong, but soon withers in the face of Shibata’s superior technical ability and the sheer power of his blistering strikes, and then the momentum shifts, as the champion inevitably finds his pace, and the smoothest worker in the world of professional wrestling begins to outwrestle Shibata. Towards the end, it comes down to an epic exchange of kicks, slaps and forearms, battling from a vertical base to the mat and back again, until Shibata hammers Okada square in the face with a headbutt that makes a sickening sound and leaves a stream of blood winding down his own face from a wound on his forehead.

Fast forward to the end of the match, Shibata succumbs to the Rain Maker lariat and Okada retains, cementing himself once again as the number one talent in the company. Shibata is rushed

to hospital for emergency surgery to treat a subdural hematoma, unarguably the result of the sheer physicality of the match and that one headbutt. Shortly after his admission to hospital, it was reported that Shibata had also suffered dehydration and temporary paralysis on the right side of his body, making it highly unlikely that he will ever be medically cleared to wrestle again.

The story of Shibata’s journey to reach the heights of the NJPW roster was not one of simple or straightforward progression, and ironically much of the popularity he had gained by the time of what will likely be his final match, is precisely due to the immense changes that the company has undergone since his debut and the stark difference between its current ethos and his own in-ring style.

In this article we take a look back over the course of that career and how it shaped Shibata, making him the unique talent that he will be remembered as today, one lauded and applauded not only in Japan, but in the USA and UK also.

Second Generation Star Rewinding to the very start of the story, Katsuyori Shibata was born on November 10th 1979 in the city of Kuwana in the Mie Prefecture. A second generation athlete thanks to his father, Katushisa Shibata having wrestled for NJPW and the now defunct JWA, Shibata attended school with fellow future New Japan star Hirooki Goto and excelled in amateur wrestling, going on to

compete at a national level at the age of eighteen in 1997.

Just two years later, in late 1999, Shibata graduated from the NJPW dojo and made his professional debut against Watarou Inoue, and was almost immediately tagged as one of the new “Three Musketeers” alongside Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shinsuke Nakamura (the original “Three Musketeers” having been Masahiro Chono, Shinya Hashimoto and Keiji “Great Muta” Mutoh in the late eighties). This singled the three rookies out as talents expected to prove worthy of carrying the company forward into the twentyfirst century, but also put a great deal of pressure upon them.

Disaster struck early on in his career, when Shibata was pitted against Masakazu Fukuda in the 2000 Young Lion Cup, shortly after his opponent had returned from surgery to treat a brain haemorrhage. Fukuda was medically cleared to wrestle, but when Shibata hit an elbow drop during their tournament match, he failed to kick out as he had been supposed to, never regaining consciousness and tragically dying in hospital three days later of a second haemorrhage.

None of this was Shibata’s fault, but the shadow it cast over him was not helped by the fact that the incident happened at a period in New Japan’s history when much was made of the “Strong Style” for which the company is rightly famous and Antonio Inoki’s obsession with mixing professional

APRIL 2017 STEELCHAIR 19

SHIBATA wrestling and MMA was the main driving force behind where NJPW was headed.

The death of Fukada and the fact that prominent names on the New Japan roster, such as Jushin “Thunder” Liger and Yuji Nagata, had foolishly been booked against genuine MMA fighters and roundly humiliated did nothing to deter Inoki. Shibata was booked, along with other young talent that had a background in combat sports, in the Makai Club, a stable that was supposedly composed of MMA fighters dedicated to Inoki’s vision and revering him as an almost divine figure.

By 2004, the Makai Club had fizzled out, and after a brief spell in Masahiro Chono’s Black New Japan stable, Shibata walked out on NJPW. At the time he stated that this was because he did not want to remain what he called a “salaryman wrestler” (“salaryman” being the semi-derogatory term given to white-collar workers in Japan, suggesting that a person is conformist and happy not to stand out of the crowd). The fact that Shibata chose to do this in the middle of what many considered to be a push caused resentment in the New Japan locker-room that would linger for many years.

Facing the Heat Whilst Coming in from the Cold Shibata wrestled for Pro Wrestling NOAH and Big Mouth LOUD between 2005 and 2006, frequently teaming with close friend KENTA (now Hideo Itami of NXT fame) and contesting an ultra-heated

20 STEELCHAIR APRIL 2017

encounter with Jun Akiyama. He even made a very brief return to New Japan in 2006, oddly being booked to defeat Tanahashi at Toukon Shidou Chapter 1, before finally leaving professional wrestling behind to focus on MMA full time in early 2007.

Between 2007 and 2012, Shibata fought in such Japanese MMA organisations as K-1, Hero and Deep, with extremely mixed success. Though he aquitted himself well in his appearances, Shibata lost far more times than he won, with only four victories and one draw out of a total of fifteen fights from the time he officially left professional wrestling to the time he made his return.

That return came in controversial circumstances, and to a very different NJPW than the one Shibata had left, as the Inoki regime had been replaced when the company was bought by Bushiroad in 2012. Bushiroad chairman Takaaki Kidani (who sited Vince MacMahon Jnr and Eric Bischoff as strong influences on his vision for NJPW) made the unprecedented move of rehiring both Shibata and former UWFI wrestler Kazushi Sakuraba without the knowledge or agreement of New Japan management.

At the final of the 2012 G1 Climax tournament, Shibata and Sakuraba entered the ring, the former grabbing the mike and announcing “I came here to fight!”. The shock of their return and the genuine heat that Shibata had garnered upon walking out back in 2005 meant that fans were instantly drawn to the idea of seeing confrontations between him and many of the loyal

New Japan wrestlers that wanted the chance to get their hands on him in a wrestling ring.

Though Kidani’s schemes were stymied and a distinct separation between those who ran Bushiroad and NJPW established, the battles that Shibata fought to regain his status in the company over the space of the next few years were what effectively made him. Under the more colourful and characterdriven booking of Gado and Jedo, his spartan black trunks and reliance upon straight-up striking and toughness, indeed the very lack of a discernible gimmick, now became a unique gimmick in its own right.

Among those with whom Shibata would have a truly career-defining confrontation was New Japan ace Hiroshi Tanahashi, who penned a book in 2013 that criticised Shibata and the hard-hitting style that he espoused. Tanahashi

and then dropped the RPW:UK belt back to Sabre Jnr two months later on 6th March, Shibata went on to win the 2017 New Japan Cup just over three weeks later on 20th, by defeating Bad Luck Fale. This entitled him to a championship match for the singles title of his choice, and by choosing to challenge for Okada’s IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, brings us full circle to the point where this article began.

claimed that the cost of this intense style was wasted, as it was soon forgotten, and labelled it “Bachi Bachi Style” (“Bachi” being a Japanese term that means something similar to bad luck resulting from one’s own negative actions).

When the two met one year later, in September of 2014, it was clear that things had changed, as Tanahashi used more traditional moves, such as a dragon-screw and the High Fly Flow to defeat Shibata’s soccer kick, before pinning him with authority. Afterwards, both men shed genuine tears as they embraced one another, symbolising the fact that Shibata had paid his dues and was now being accepted by those whom he had previously offended.

the fold, simply take a sample of his high-profile matches between 2014 and the present day: Sterling performances in successive G1 Climax tournaments, multiple reigns with the NEVER Openweight Championship and numerous noteworthy showings against fellow top names on almost every major New Japan show.

The Warrior finds his Way

In addition, Shibata was trusted to represent the NJPW brand in both the USA and UK, unsuccessfully challenging Zack Sabre Jnr for the RPW:UK British Heavyweight Championship in July 2016 and defeating Silas Young at ROH’s Death Before Dishonor XIV a month later in August. He would return to RPW:UK in November and this time succeed in taking the British Heavyweight belt from Sabre Jnr, which he carried to the ring at Wrestle Kingdom 11.

To see how well Shibata has managed to fit himself back into

Though he lost his NEVER Openweight title at the same event,

That the very same commitment to an unrelenting and physically punishing interpretation of “Strong Style” both carried Katsuyori Shibata to the highest point of his career and also was responsible for the injury that seems to have ended it as he contested the greatest match of that career is surely one of the cruellest ironies of recent times in the world of professional wrestling. While it is possible to speculate as to just how much further Shibata could have gone in his pursuit of Okada’s IWGP Heavyweight Title, there would forever have been the spectre in the background of just what happened at Sakura Genesis 2017 happening, sooner or later, somewhere down the road.

Now, more than ever, the wisdom of Gado and Jedo’s move away from the Inoki interpretation of Strong Style and towards a more characterbased booking style is becoming apparent. And while Shibata truly deserves to be recognised as one of the greatest talents of his generation, he also serves as a stark warning to those who would follow in his footsteps of the true price that has to be paid to embody such an intense and unrelenting inring style.

APRIL 2017 STEELCHAIR 21

HANSON

Q&A: IWGP TAG CHAMP WAR MACHINE’S HANSON WORDS: TONY QUANT | PHOTO: DAVID J WILSON

ar Machine have been tearing up the Tag Team division across the professional wrestling World in the last few years and the pairs recent NJPW Title win was testament to the hard work that the dynamic duo have put in to their craft.

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Hanson and Raymond Rowe have been tagging together since April 2013 and in that time have captured the VIP Tag Team Titles, ROH Tag Team Titles and most recently the NJPW IWGP Tag Team Titles.

The pair had a very different story in the run up to finally meeting each other under the ROH banner during the Top Prospect Tournament and Steelchair Magazine were lucky enough to catch up with Hanson to talk about his roots in the industry, meeting Raymond and what plans the pair have for 2017.

Hey Hanson, thanks for talking to us.

First of all congratulations on winning the IWGP tag team titles. What have you been up to since the win?

Thanks man! Things have been crazy busy and > we are travelling the world. We hit England, Scotland, PWG in California, and I am on a plane, right now, coming back from Mexico.

Demand is high for War Machine and we are happy to try to get everywhere in the world that has fans who want to see us.

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Watch ROH and ICW on the fite app

APRIL 2017 STEELCHAIR 23

PHOTOS: KAY MYS

HANSON

win over Razor not only hooked me as a fan, but it also made me decide that that’s what I was gonna do when I grew up. The drama, the excitement; anything can happen! Man, I was hooked.

Always my intention was to be a professional wrestler. The goals have changed throughout the years, but the dream has never changed, and I’m living the dream. I am a professional wrestler!

Learning the ropes you had the privilege of learning from the legend that is Killer Kowalski. You must have some good stories from your time with him?

Haha, of course I do. He was the best. He had such passion for wrestling and realism. At the end, he wasn’t very mobile, but that didn’t stop him from teaching. If he saw anything he didn’t like he would yell from his chair, “FAKE! FAKE!” He was a perfectionist, and everything you did needed to be

believed. Whether it was the fans or him or, most importantly, yourself.

If you don’t believe what you’re doing, no one will. “SHOOT FOR THE MOON, IF YOU MISS YOU MAY HIT A STAR!”

Growing up, what was it about wrestling that made you want to progress with it as a career? Was that always the intention?

When I was very young, I wasn’t a wrestling fan, but then I saw the 1 2 3 Kid beat Razor Ramon on RAW. The kid with the major upset

Back in 2007, you were involved in an NECW sponsored fundraising hot dog eating contest. Do you think you could still hang in an eating contest now?

Ha! I sure could! It’s kind of a thing on the road actually. Not so much eating contests but the speed with which I devour food and the process I go through to avoid consuming my own beard.

Many wrestlers around the world enjoy the spectator sport which is watching me eat.

You had a brief spell with the WWE during 2005/2006.

Whilst only brief what did you make of the experience?

Well, from 2004 thru 2008 I was constantly on WWE TV as an extra.

Also off and on from 2009 through to 2011. I only had three matches, two of which are on TV. The rest was all extras spots. At the time period I was there, it was tough.

6ft 2inches, 240lbs those were the guys they wanted. Didn’t matter how good you were in the ring back then, they just wanted that cookie cutter chiselled physique. It was tough mentally to be so close but

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Watch ROH and ICW on the fite app the strongest men I have ever been in a ring with. Then there’s me, the larger of the team, the risk taker.

At over 300lbs and moving like a Cruiserweight at times. Both of us 100% bad ass. We are versatile, we can wrestle the Young Bucks or GOD and you are gonna see War Machine adapt our styles to optimise performance with each team we encounter ... we are a team with a whole different style.

so far, and seeing guys constantly leapfrog you purely based on look. I learned a lot in every aspect of the business in that time period though, thoroughly invaluable.

Before you joined forces with Raymond you faced him in the final of the ROH Top Prospect tournament. Did you know from that point of time just how good your chemistry was?

The tournament was actually the first time ray and I met in, or out of, the ring, and yes, we could tell from that first encounter that we had something. ROH saw it too and suggested we become a team.

It’s the undeniable chemistry we have and the force that we’ve have become.

As War Machine, you have achieved great things including capturing the ROH Tag Titles and most recently the NJPW IWGP Tag Titles.

What achievement ranks highest during your tag career?

Winning the IWGP world Heavyweight Tag Titles was the number one moment. In front of a sold out Sumo Hall in Tokyo Japan, defeating the legendary team of Ten-Cozy ... Wow, just wow. What a moment. Officially proving ourselves on a whole new level, earning the admiration of the New Japan fans worldwide. Amazing!

Are you hoping to emulate the likes of physically intimidating gaijin teams of the past?

Teams such as Brody/Hanson and Gordy/Williams, or do you see yourself as breaking new ground in terms of their presentation in NJPW and Japanese wrestling today?

I love being compared to such amazing and legendary teams. The truth is, Ray and I, though we look similar to those teams, are very different. Our dynamic is unique, not something seen before in Japanese wrestling, maybe not seen anywhere in the world before, for that matter. Ray, the smaller guy in our team, is the powerhouse with an amateur background. Legit one of

What teams on the NJPW roster do you most like working with and are there any other teams out there that you haven’t yet had the chance to share the ring with that you would like to?

Ten-Cozy, G.O.D., the Young Bucks, we love wrestling these guys. There is still a whole roster of teams for us to wrestle in NJPW and we look forward to the opportunity.

To name one, Ishi and Yano are an interesting team with another interesting dynamic between the two of them. That would make for an exciting encounter for the New Japan fans, I think.

After a great start to 2017, what else are you looking forward to accomplishing this year?

We are trying to spend as much time as we can working everywhere we can. Internationally to be specific. Fans from all over the globe contact us on social media and want to see us live. We want to reach all these fans, get to their country and perform for them live. 2017 is War Machine World Domination!

APRIL 2017 STEELCHAIR 25

SMACKDOWN

WORDS: BRADLEY TIERNAN | PHOTOS: WWE

SMACKDOWN W

elcome to the most must-see SteelChair Magazine review in history; welcome to… The SmackDown

Review.

American rock band Staind once said, over 15 years ago (Christ, I’m old), ‘It’s Been Awhile’. Indeed, it has been ‘awhile’ since we last spoke before WrestleMania. Since then (not 2001), we’ve seen the Undertaker supposedly retire, a couple titles change hands, and most recently the announcement of a “Superstar Shake-Up” which is basically an alliterative name for an informal draft. The process of which saw Raw and SmackDown superstars switch brands in the same way that Michael Scott declares bankruptcy.

Arguably the most popular draft choice, Kevin Owens has moved over to the Blue Brand. Despite being the heel that is the ‘Face of America’, the United States Champion arrived on SmackDown Live to a louder pop than your mum snapping her gastric band. The Champ is set to face off with Chris Jericho in their title rematch at Payback with the caveat that Jericho will switch to SmackDown if he wins. AJ Styles won the right to be the number one contender so be sure to expect some fantastic promos with Styles, whoever has the title after the PPV. The shock of the month saw Jinder Mahal claim the number one contender’s spot for the WWE Championship in a 6-pack challenge.

During the closing stages of the

26 STEELCHAIR APRIL 2017

aforementioned match, Gurv and Harv Sihra, aka The Bollywood Boyz, aka The Singh Brothers, aka the Brothers of Desi-ruction, aided Jinder by grabbing Sami Zayn’s legs near the ring apron, which would provide the distraction and allow him to capitalise and score the pinfall victory. Who knows where this is going? If history is to tell us anything it’s that Jinder will play the “evil foreigner” role, become champion, and then be dethroned by a returning American hero, John Cena. Yawn.

Stuff I have little room to expand on: - New Day, Rusev and Lana have all been announced for SmackDown despite not appearing so they’ve kinda missed out on surprise pops but who cares – New Day, Rusev and Lana are coming to SmackDown Live!

- Shinsuke Nakamura and Tye Dillinger have been appearing on SmackDown but are yet to be thrusted into developing feuds.

- The Women’s division looks stronger once again with Naomi being a successful babyface champion and Charlotte Flair as the number one contender.

- The Usos are still tag team champions and The Shining Stars legitimately look like a heel partnership to be reckoned with.

Since the most enthralling feud of SmackDown’s WrestleMania build up, Randy Orton, has confirmed he’s effectively buried the best possible

outcome to that story by sending Bray Wyatt running off to Raw with his tail between his legs. Ahead of their almost futile rematch at Payback, Orton has been distracted by spooky Bray Wyatt cutting promos ahead of their ‘House of Horrors’ match for the WWE Championship.

The bizarre thing about this is that Orton (top champion of SmackDown) and Wyatt (officially of Raw) are still facing each other at Payback (a Raw exclusive PPV) for the (SmackDown exclusive) Championship. That’s a little confusing when Owens (now of SmackDown) is defending the US title at Payback with the added caveat that Jericho will be transferred to SmackDown if he is Champ. Still with me? No? Okay!

My point is, why when we have two (technically speaking) cross promotional matches would they complicate matters by then using the draft as a consequence for the winner of only one match. Wyatt said he was on Raw as did Owens with SmackDown. Basically WWE are giving away the result of the “House of Horrors” match already because we all know you can’t have four men’s singles belts all on one show.

Isn’t that right, Attitude Era? I think I’m just bitter because Elliot now gets to write about The Miz!

read weekly reviews at steelchairmag.com

WORDS: ELLIOT DYSON

RAW

RAW

The battle between raw and smackdown, and bradley and elliot continues

ome people spend their days pursuing mind-broadening leisure activities such as reading, writing and whittling, or the 3 Ws, as we all know them. I, on the other hand, watch muscular men do flippy shit and write about how it should have been better. Oh how I wish I was ‘some people’. Here’s what’s been going on with Monday Night Raw since we last spoke.

vs. Austin Aries 2. In an attempt to differentiate this story from the WrestleMania feud, TJ Perkins has turned heel and is currently acting as ‘Neville’s Advocate’, which is the ‘B-Sharps’ of wrestling nicknames.

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The biggest story since WrestleMania has been the ‘Superstar Shake Up,’ which is a phrase I’ve grown to detest more than ‘just $9.99!’

Working as a mini-draft that operated on a surprise appearance basis rather than the tiresome brand-figureheads-at-podiums shtick, the... sigh... “Superstar Shake Up” came down to these headlines: - Charlotte, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Jinder Mahal, Primo & Epico, Rusev & Lana, Sin Cara, The New Day and Byron Saxton all departed for the greener pastures of Smackdown Live.

- Alexa Bliss, Mickie James, Miz & Maryse, Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose, Apollo Crews, Kalisto, Heath Slater & Rhyno, Curt Hawkins and David Otunga all belong to Raw. Because of this Wrestler Shuffle Round, the United States title is now being defended by Kevin Owens (a SmackDown guy) at Payback (a Raw PPV), which is legitimately infuriating. Randy Orton (SmackDown) will also be facing

Bray Wyatt (Raw) at this event, so, why not just call it a cross-brand PPV? I lose sleep over this issue.

Remember the Universal Championship? The crown jewel of Monday Night Raw? The red belt that everyone inexplicably hates?

Well, it’s going unrepresented and uncontested for at the moment, as Brock Lesnar has presumably taken the belt to a remote cabin in Saskatchewan to gather dust, whereas Goldberg appears to have re-retired.

In the meantime, Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman, who are set to battle once more at Payback, occupy the main event scene. The word on the street is that the winner of this bout will be next in line for a Universal Championship match and it’s currently looking like that man will be Braun Strowman. I know, it’s certifiably insane of me to bet against the ultimate underdog, but Raw are currently running an injury angle with Roman after Braun went full on, old school monster heel and pushed over Reigns’ ambulance with him still inside. It was ridiculous yet spectacular.

In the women’s division, the heavilyexpected Sasha Banks heel turn has still yet to take place and it possibly won’t for a little while longer as Alexa Bliss is the new #1 contender for Bayley’s title.

The cruiserweight division has, as usual, been putting on weekly clinics of shit-hot wrestling while they’re currently building for Neville

WrestleMania really did live up to its rollercoaster branding, in that it had some pretty good moments alongside a lot of waiting around.

One of those thrilling moments was the return of the Hardy Boyz, whose Raw Tag Title win in the middle of the show was unexpected and provided a ruddy lovely nostalgic pop.

The somewhat broken Matt and Jeff are currently building to a title defence against Sheamus and Cesaro at Payback, which is sure to be a great match, and potentially an upset for Hardy fans. However, last week, Jeff faced Cesaro in singles action (standard tag-team feud building), and won. Listen, I understand that from the kayfabe nostalgia point of view, Jeff was a top singles star, but that was almost 10 years ago and, in reality, Jeff beating Cesaro is a ridiculous result from a company that too often maligns it’s ability to make new stars.

In other, far less important news, Kurt Angle is the new Raw General Manager; Seth Rollins and Samoa Joe are working their way through a boring midcard feud; and Finn Balor is back and currently running through jobbers in preparation for a programme with Bray Wyatt (no points for guessing who will win).

APRIL 2017 STEELCHAIR 27

BILLIE KAY

INTERVIEW: NXT’S BILLIE KAY WORDS: LEE HAZELL | PHOTO: WWE he is the Australian Femme Fatal, one half of the Iconic Duo, and along with her stable mate, Peyton Royce, she is looking to take over the NXT Women’s division. We caught up with Billie to talk about NXT, the upcoming Women’s Tournament, and the recent explosion of Oceanic Wrestling talent.

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How did you get your start in the industry?

I started watching wrestling when I when I was about ten years old, my big brother sat me down in front of the TV and forced me to watch it with him and his friends, and I absolutely fell in love with it. The Rock was definitely my biggest inspiration for wanting to get into the wrestling industry. I’d probably say WrestleMania 19 with him and ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin is a match that stands out to me as one of the moments I realised that I needed to be in this industry because I want to make people feel the same way he made me feel. I want to inspire others the way he inspired me. When I saw him, I thought I could do anything in the whole world and that’s just something that I want to pass down. So I started

28 STEELCHAIR APRIL 2017

training just before I turned 18 and actually had my first match on my 18th birthday.

Oh, wow. How did that go?

It went good. I won. I started my career off very well, and then from there I got the opportunity to travel around America and Canada a couple of times which was awesome to learn from other parts of the world. Then, in 2015, I was fortunate enough to get signed by WWE, which has been my dream since I was ten years old.

What’s wrestling in the Australian indie scene like?

It’s good. There is wrestling in Australia, I don’t think many people realise that but now we have a lot of Australians here now in NXT and WWE. There’s myself, Payton, Emma, Buddy Murphy, TM61, so I think the world is realising that Australia does have a strong wrestling foundation.

We’ve currently seen an > explosion of Australian talent on the global wrestling scene, what is it about Australia at the moment that it’s producing such awesome

Watch nxt on the wwe network talent?

Australia’s awesome. I’ll just go out and say that. We love wrestling.

I think everybody grows up loving WWE and everything WWE related. We’re big into sports too; in Australia everyone grows up playing multiple sports, myself included. I think Australia just has a really good foundation for sports in general. I think that’s why we have a lot of fans of the WWE who then grow up to want to become wrestlers.

How did your friendship with Peyton Royce come about?

We went to the same high school together and we used to have this rivalry over who was the biggest WWE fan, and as Peyton isn’t here, I can say that it’s me. We didn’t get along at first, that was until we started training at the same wrestling academy in Sydney. From there we became best friends. We got signed together, we moved over here together, we live together, so it was awesome having that support with her.

The Iconic Duo has one of the most intriguing aesthetic looks and distinct entrances on the WWE Network, what was the inspiration for that?

We wanted to be our own individuals that can come together to be a strong unit. We collaborated on what we liked and what we didn’t like and we also practiced a lot.

We have incredible coaches here at the performance centre so we took advantage of that to practice our entrances, chose music and outfits to wear down to the ring, so it was one big collaborative effort.

For my own look, I’m a big classic Disney villain fan so my biggest inspirations were Maleficent and the Evil Queen from Snow White. There was just something about those two characters that resonated with me, they were so stunning and every time they moved it had purpose.

When they were on the screen you couldn’t take your eyes off them, so they were the biggest inspirations for what I wear.

a fellow Australian?

What has been the experience working at the performance centre like?

We at SteelChair are still trying to shake off the postWrestleMania blues, is there any particular moment from that weekend that stood out for you?

It’s been awesome. When I first walked into the performance centre I was just blown away because it’s a state of the art facility with seven rings, a physical therapy centre, a gym, we have these coaches from around the world who teach us a new thing every single day; it’s just a really awesome facility to learn in and I just want to take full advantage of that every day that I’m here.

Do you have any mentors?

What have they taught you?

You know, Sara Amato is definitely a mentor of mine. She’s incredibly intelligent, she’s an awesome performer and athlete. I had wrestled her on the independent scene before coming to NXT, so anything that she’s said or advice she’s given me, has helped me with signature moves and just making myself a more rounded performer and entertainer, so I would definitely say her.

The Women’s Championship Tournament coming up soon.

Is there anybody you would like to see involved? Perhaps

First off, I’m so proud we’re getting a women’s tournament. It’s going to be an amazing opportunity for a bunch of females from around the world. As for anybody from Australia? The first person who ever trained me, Madison Eagles. She is a strong, athletic female and I think that she would do great in the Woman’s tournament.

Just being at WrestleMania in Orlando was incredible. The stage was absolutely stunning. The whole show as soon as I walked in to sit down, you could feel the energy straight away. As for a stand out moment? I just loved everything to be honest. I’m such a fan still that to be able to watch the whole show, live right in front of me was just amazing. I can’t pick a favourite moment just because I loved all of it. Well, actually, I love Brock Lesnar so I would have to say I cheered his match the most.

Is there anything else you’d like us to say to your fans for you?

Just that it’s going to be my first time coming to the UK so I’m extremely excited, I’ve heard from people on the main roster that the UK fan base is absolutely incredible, that they are all very passionate fans, so I’m just excited to experience that for the first time, and as it is my first time it makes it so much more special.

APRIL 2017 STEELCHAIR 29

FIGHTCLUB:PRO

WORDS: LEE HAZELL | PHOTO: DAVID GARLICK

FIGHT CLUB: PRO DREAM TAG TEAM INVITATIONAL t was fifteen years ago when a young Christopher Daniels headlined Ring of Honor’s very first pay per view, in a triple threat match featuring Low Ki and Bryan Danielson, better known to the fans as WWE’s “Daniel Bryan”.

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Fast forward to March 10, 2017. In a moment that was met with tears of joy and applause from wrestling fans all over the globe, Christopher Daniels shocked the world and captured the Ring of Honor Championship, a title that had eluded him in his previous nine attempts that included a draw against the ultra popular CM Punk and a nail biter against a game, Eddie Edwards. It seems like fate that the 46 year old Champion, known respectfully as “The King of the Indies” to his peers, knocked off Adam Cole to cement his legacy as both a “founding father” and Champion under the Ring of Honor banner, a company of which he has spent a good majority of his career competing in. Despite his big win, Daniels remains one the most humble and down to earth superstars in the world of wrestling and was kind enough to sit down with Steelchair humble and down to earth superstars > in the world of wrestling and was kind enough to sit down with Steelchair Magazine and talk about his big win and what the future holds for him in the squared circle.

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order the eventon dvd at fightclubpro.bigcartel.com

EVENT OF OF THE MONTH

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PHOTOS: OLI SANDLER & THE RINGSIDE PERSPECTIVE

EMILY READ

INTERVIEW: EMILY READ WORDS: CRAIG HERMIT or years, fans within the UK and many more across the world have spoken about an all-female professional wrestling promotion dedicated to showcasing the best women wrestlers in all of Europe.

That promotion has had an incredible 2016 and an already sterling 2017 with events that have made fans stand back in awe at what they have witnessed.

The promotion is Pro Wrestling EVE, and Craig Hermit recently spoke to Emily Read, Co-Creator/Owner and Ring Announcer of EVE.

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So how did you get started in wrestling and being involved in wrestling promotions?

I couldn’t see a logical way to get into wrestling apart from training. The Wrestling Channel was out and I saw the adverts for FWA Academy and I was in Norfolk so I was like, “Yeah.” I signed up and started training. Then I just moved there so I could train to be a wrestler and that’s when I met Dan. I decided to stop wrestling for many reasons, my Bipolar was quite bad cause I wasn’t medicated, so that made training hard. I didn’t really want to be a wrestler anyway, I always wanted to be a commentator. Then I got very interested in the details of how to run shows. Through Dan I got to work as a runner on a Ring of Honor over here. I worked backstage, did a load of shows, then worked on CHICKFIGHT which really opened my eyes to Women’s Wrestling, how under-utilised it was and how amazing it could be.

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EMILY READ How do you feel about the stigma of women’s wrestling today compared to what it was back then?

I’d say it’s not as bad, some of the things I had in training was awful.

Considering that I was told that, the male trainees had a right to sleep with the female students and the wrestlers. I mean, just being told that point blank by people…

Bloody Hell.

That’s messed up. I do believe things aren’t that bad anymore.

After being told that the only reason I’d be booked anywhere is because the promoters wanted to sleep with me, I’d reply that they can want to sleep with me all they want, doesn’t mean they are going to. It was the girls, it would be the rumours that would fly around and that having sex with someone meant that you didn’t earn whatever you were doing, which is ridiculous anyway. I don’t believe it is that bad anymore, but I believe there still is a stigma more rumours going around. Just like it is in society. With EVE we ignore all the bullshit, and that’s the best way.

Men especially, have a problem thinking that a strong, athletic woman would be hard work, so they won’t use them. It’s still not equal and it’s still not right, but with EVE we ignore it. We can’t tell promotions how to book, but we can make ourselves better and better and more visible so people

So, your debut show was in May 2010, featuring Saraya 34 STEELCHAIR APRIL 2017

Knight, Paige, Jetta and Rhia O’Reilly. How important was it to make an impact on your first show?

We had to knock it out the park on that first show because we needed people to look and see and feel something better than the men’s wrestling to impress them. It was a bizzare situation.

"We have named something political in wrestling and most wrestling promotions won’t touch on anything like that".

We all knew from the very start it was gonna be something special and we all wanted to fight for it.

I think people knew how much it meant to me and Dan. We just tapped into something. People got the names straight away, they got it was a nod to NOAH, and it was easy for them to think it was an all-female promotion because of the connection with CHICKFIGHT. People were putting lists up of their favourite promotions and EVE was theirs, even before we hosted

our first show (Laughs).

What do think and feel when people use the term ‘women’s wrestling’? Should it just be wrestling because people don’t says, “Men’s Wrestling?”

It’s funny because, I hate it when people call it WMMA, it’s just MMA. With wrestling I get it, I just call it wrestling. When people ask me what I do, I don’t say I run allfemale wrestling shows. When I am talking about EVE I point out that it is a women’s promotion because you will get complaints if there are no men. Also, it’s making a statement. It’s saying this is what we are and we are not ashamed of it. I get complaints anyway. I get messages from male wrestlers and fans telling me that I’m sexist and I’m discriminating against men, so that’s quite funny. I get messages from male wrestlers, “Can you book me?” Nope. “But can I do this angle?” Nope. Maybe we can talk about it for an XWA show but not on EVE, it’s an all-female show. You do not need a man to get the story over, you don’t need a man to make the women look stronger. WWE does enough romance storylines like that, we don’t need a guy involved, apart from obviously with Dahlia (Laughs), and then, she’s at the forefront, he’s encouraging her, telling her how good SHE is.

Next up, we should discuss the hugely popular, and apparently controversial, “Pile Drive A Fascist” t-shirt, why do you think its termed as “controversial”?

I think it’s because we have named something political in wrestling and most wrestling promotions won’t touch on anything like that.

In life, people tell you not to touch on that but with Facebook everyone is sharing things. We have had people ask for refunds, we have had people not like it, we have had people say we shouldn’t talk about anything like that, mental health or gay rights, or feminism, with regards to our wrestling shows.

I disagree with them. When we moved and we decided to do EVE again, I had a mental breakdown and I was recovering from it, part of my recovery and part of the way I got better was that I wasn’t going to hide who I was anymore.

I didn’t want to be ashamed for being ill, and with EVE I wanted to push exactly my vision. I didn’t want to half ass it. I wanted it to be something I am fully passionate about. I will put in my political

views in there, doesn’t mean you have to agree with them but I’m not going to hide them.

See for any fans who suffer from anxiety, that do suffer from depression or similar conditions that may cause them distress what advice would you give them as someone who has been through it?

Get help, I grew up with a lot of people who would say, “Don’t take the medicines, you can exercise or take supplements, and crystals.”

I do not think you can name a complementary therapy that I have not done, and it’s not always the right path. It is hard when you do the medicines, it takes a while to get the right ones, and that one may not work so you try another, and

it’s hard, I know it is hard because you get some new med’s and you hope that this one may work and it doesn’t and it is crushing. So you try again, and you know you are gonna have that hope again.

So get help, keep being brave, it is horrendously difficult.

Praise yourself, you took a shower today, well done. Hey, you changed out of your pyjamas. That’s fucking great. I had days where I couldn’t get out of my pyjamas, and washing the clothing made me feel too anxious. Praise yourself, for the basic things but get help, it will take time. I don’t think it is said enough, that Depression, Bi-polar, anxiety are fatal illnesses, they may not kill you in the way a heart attack does, but they do kill you. They are scary, they are serious and hard.

Let’s talk about your next event “Babe’s With The Power”, on May 20/21. You APRIL 2017 STEELCHAIR 35

EMILY READ

have already got a great line up, Rhia O’Reilly is coming back, RIHO, The Legendary Emi Sakura, Sammii Jayne, Kay Lee Ray, VIPER and more, what can fans expect to see there?

Same thing we always bring, a great time, a kick ass atmosphere, that’s something we have never not had at EVE. We always bring the wrestling quality. Every match is good. If it’s not good, it’s because it’s fucking amazing. That’s what EVE brings. We don’t use people that aren’t ready. We don’t do long overbooked shows, because it takes away from the quality of the matches. We do well rounded shows. We always do high quality matches.

How do you feel about the mainstream representation of women at the moment compared to what it was ten even twenty years ago?

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This is really like a WWE question right? I like that that they are using more women, I think it would be nice if they stayed clear of the romance story lines. They’re unnecessary and dated. I don’t think they realise how sexist some of the stuff they’re putting on is, but I understand it is easy to fall back on old habits. I don’t watch WWE it makes me too angry. So I’ll watch the odd match, see the match quality, see Charlotte, she that she is still amazing and that she is getting better and better, but I can’t sit and watch the show.

The thing is, I love that they are pushing it because, for a lot of fans, it is the only female wrestling they will see, and I am all for them making the match quality higher.

I like that they are using a wider variety of women, as weird as that sounds. I like that they are happy to use tattooed women and to use women that are beautiful in different ways, just like everyone is beautiful in different ways. But the thing that got me is, that they kept saying they were doing the Women’s Revolution, but they

weren’t doing anything different.

Triple H kept coming out saying there’s are Women’s Revolution.

Well, Meyoni Toyota already pointed out that the Women’s Revolution has been going on a long time in wrestling before that. But I am pleased it has finally reached WWE, so over the past year they have started to make more changes. I hope they continue to do this. That said, the Women’s Tournament is coming up and obviously I’ll be watching that. I think there are some things they are doing well, I just think they can do better.

Can you tell fans anything more about the first ever SHE-1 Champion’s League that has been announced for November 2017?

Too me, it’s like super cool. We wanted to do something similar to G-1, to give that high match quality. I’m really excited about it and it starts on May 20th. I’m very pleased about what it will bring.

APRIL 2017 STEELCHAIR 07

WORDS: LEE HAZELL

LOOK BACK

LOOK BACK: FLAIR VS HBK - WRESTLEMANIA 24 t’s hard to bring a legend’s career to a great conclusion, especially in the autumn of their years, but it can happen. In light of recent events, I felt it pertinent to look at Taker vs Michaels as one of the greatest career ending matches of all time, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought that Flair vs HBK at WrestleMania 24 was the better match to discuss.

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McMahon has already assured Flair that the next time he loses, Ric will never step foot in a WWE ring again.

Flair chooses the Show Stealer as the only man who can give him the final match he desires. But, Flair can sense Michaels’ pity for him, for his friend of decades. Flair has earned more respect than that, and he doesn’t want Shawn’s sympathy. He is ‘The Man’ and he will go down fighting to an opponent who will give him his all.

Michaels, with a wink and a nod to the audience, decides that if this match is going to be the contest that Flair and the fans deserve, it needs a little heat. Knowing exactly what he is doing, he compares Ric to Old Yeller.

Infuriated, the fire that won him 16 World Titles reignites in Flair’s eyes and the audience now thinks that his retirement might not be a foregone conclusion. It is a masterclass in storytelling and symbolism.

Flair walks down to his last WrestleMania ring a picture of ‘pomp and pageantry’. Before the bell even rings, he goes to touch hands with his opponent, only to put them through

his hair and he gives an almighty ‘Woo!’ perhaps the best of his career.

Already, I’m captivated.

They begin old-school, exchanging hammer locks and chain wrestling to the ground. They’ve taken Flair’s age-limited move set and are working wonders with it. Even now, Michaels looks troubled, like he expected to walk into a ring with a pensioner, only to find Ric Mother-Fucking Flair in his prime. The feeling doesn’t last long though, as Michaels slaps his rival in his face, busting his lip. Suddenly, Flair is a man again, not a legend.

That’s when things get heated.

Michaels engages Flair in a chopping war that doesn’t bode well for him.

After a rally, he attempts a moonsault to the outside that sees him land his abdomen on a part of an announce table that refused to break. Flair gets him back in the ring and does a delayed vertical suplex on Michaels that gets a standing ovation. At this point, I truly did think Michaels might have bitten off more than he could chew.

But Michaels’ ability to regroup is too much for Flair. It isn’t HBK defeating him so much as mortality is. Michaels tunes up the band. The first time his leg stomps on the mat I can’t tell if the crowd are chanting “One!” or “No!” But Michaels can’t bring himself to do it, to end the career of the man who has led his locker room for decades. Flair seizes the moment and straps on the Figure-Four.

Flair then brings out every dirty trick

he knows, much to the delight of the crowd. Chop blocks, low blows and the fans are on their feet. But, as we all know, this is the match where the legend of The Nature Boy had to end.

After another instinctual Super Kick from Shawn, Flair rises to his feet, defiant, but helpless. The Heartbreak Kid gives Flair’s career a dignified warrior’s death. The only kind fit for such a man. Referee, Charles Robinson, such a huge fan of Flair himself that his nickname is ‘Little Naitch’ counts to three on his idol, effectively ending the most storied career in wrestling history. Michaels walks out of the ring, knowing what he has done. He doesn’t want his hand raised in victory.

Flair stands in the ring to an audience in awe of a man who has meant so much to them and to the industry he was on the top of for so long. It was a painful, yet glorious moment.

Tears are streaming down his face, yet, funnily, it’s only when I see his daughter Charlotte, now one of the greatest women’s wrestlers in the world herself, unable to hold in her emotions, that I join them in bawling.

This is how you end a man’s legendary career. Two greats, using all of their in-ring knowhow to thrill an audience with symbolism and emotion and end it all in the best way possible. This is how you book a match of this gravity.

For this match, I was able to watch, not as a cynical smark, but as a trueblue fan. Do you see now why I think it has such relevance?

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GO-HOME Listen to Alan’s podcast

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GO-HOME SHOW

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ho’s your favourite wrestler? Are you a John Cena guy? If so, what’s it like being 8? Or are you an AJ Styles girl? Is that because he has hair like yours? Or maybe you’re a Roman Reigns fan? In which case, how does it feel to be completely fictional?

can do the character of a hacker on an (even a glorified) indy show. I could see that Crowe had something - and there were enough people expressing disappointment, often in that curious form of declaring him DONE - but I didn’t know what wasn’t clicking and, when he was eventually released from NXT, I thought nothing of it.

Whoever your favourite wrestler is, and whatever the reasons for that are (and given that a panel of our finest boffins have finally determined that wrestling is ART, it really doesn’t matter why), it’s great to have someone you can get fully behind. Having a player in the game makes everything that little bit more special, that little bit more personal. It raises the stakes and you feel each hit and slam that tiny bit harder.

Then Sami Callihan came back to the indies. And I can’t tell you if he picked up where he left off but he certainly raced straight out of the gate, and became a must-see part of any card he was booked on. And slowly, over the course of summer 2016, Sami Callihan became My Favourite Wrestler.

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I’m a bit of a slut. I don’t settle on one favourite wrestler for too long - although the eternal favourites will remain so, and sadly most of them are dead now so nothing they can do can tarnish their legacy - but for a while now I’ve been head over heels in love with one particular guy.

If you’ve followed any of my stuff in this fine publication, you’ll know that I took a break from wrestling in the mid2000s. During the time that I was away, a few fellas made a huge impact on the indy scene and got themselves contracts with WWE (or at least the FCW/NXT part of WWE).

Those guys - Tyler Black, Jon Moxley, el Generico, PAC, and more - were the vanguard of a solid second wave of mid-2000s workers, and they all made big impacts in Florida. One man who joined them, also off the back of being REALLY FLIPPING GREAT on the indies, was Sami Callihan, although I knew nothing of this. All I knew was Solomon Crowe.

Solomon Crowe was a hacker. Even 20 years past hackers being crazy sexy cool it was an attempt to do something a bit different, only no-one really worked out just how you

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If you’re gonna pick an indy wrestler as your favourite, Sami’s a great one to have. He works a LOT, and most of it makes tape, and he comes to the UK all the time. Last year he came to the UK TWELVE times, and was a regular at Southside and at Fight Club: PRO, and this year he’s been less often (so far) but will still be making regular trips for FCP and for RevPro, for whom he made his debut in Orlando over WrestleMania weekend (alongside 10 other appearances that week).

In the US, Callihan’s major promotions are CZW, FIP, and the WONDERFUL AAW (where he is champion), and he also promotes his own shows under the Wrestling Revolver brand. He’s probably the most consistent yet unpredictable - performer on the scene right now, switching between the Death Machine, Worldwide Desperado and Space Cat gimmicks with ease, and NEVER leaves anything in the locker room.

I LOVE Sami Callihan. I’m not afraid to admit it. His only drawback is that he isn’t Keith Lee, but - and this is that sluttiness coming out again - I’ll gush about him another time. I want you to love Sami, too, but I don’t mind if you don’t. But please pick a favourite. Wrestling is so much better when you do.

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