Taking place on February 12 2017, coming live from Milton Keynes, England, WCPW True Destiny was the third iPPV presented by What Culture Pro Wrestling. The show featured Kurt Angle’s final UK match against a man he has never been across the ring from, Alberto El Patron. A match between these two technical, ruthless warriors is destined to be one not to miss; It’s true, it’s damn true. Also on the card are three title matches, the biggest of which is a grudge match for the WCPW World Championship between two Scotsmen, the defending champion Drew Galloway and the somewhat unassuming challenger Joe Hendry. GHalloway has been tearing up the independent cicruit for years now, and his role as WCPW Champion is just another stepping stone to indie immortality. Self proclaimed WCPW Women’s Champion Bea Priestly will also defend her title against official champion Nixon Newell, and tag team champions Moss & Slater put their titles on the line in an open invitational tag team ladder match, both of which are as unpredictable as they come. Also not to be forgotten, Primate and Rampage continue their best of seven series in match number 5, scheduled not to end until one man says the words ‘I quit’. Jim Ross and Matt Striker are on commentary when WCPW presents True Destiny.
+ Kurt Angle vs Alberto El Patron: this was really, really good. Kicks that sounded like gunshots were the calling card form El Patron to Angle, and the physics defying counters from armbar to ankle lock to armbar were almost impossible to catch the first time. El Patron is such a good bad guy, and Angle is a hero to more than just the American crowd, it seems. I’m almost upset Angle is going back to the WWE here, because dammit I want to see more of these two
+ Moss & Slater (c) vs Gabriel Kidd & El Ligero vs Prospect (Alex Gracie & Lucas Archer) vs Swords of Essex (Scott Wainwright & Will Ospreay) (Fatal 4-Way Tag Team Ladder Match for the WCPW Tag Team Championships): Ospreay joined Wainwright, since Wainwright’s partner was unavailable, and that only made this more exciting. This had the potential to be little more than a spot-fest, but it was actually a rather solid technical match as well. With a wide range of styles, from Moss’ fists and Ospreay’s flips tot he various teams all working together. Lots of teases led to very impressive moments, and this overall was a very good match
+ Drew Galloway (c) vs Joe Hendry (WCPW World Championship) (Martin Kiry as the Special Guest Referee): Galloway has been on fire, but the crowd connects to Hendry in a way I have not seen in a long time. These two managed to silence the crowd, and then bring them back to life in the space of ten minutes. This was very technical, and both showed their surprising power, which was a good thing for this main event title match
+ Will Ospreay vs Ricochet: a rematch from NJPW the Battle of the Super Juniors what was either the best match ever, or the worst thing in wrestling, depending on who you ask. A fantastic opening sequence led to a sudden issue with the ring ropes (surely these must be intentional, by now?), though that then led to some great improvisations outside the ring, and working around the top rope. Your enjoyment of this match will depend entirely on whether you like the highly choreographed style they are known for, but I personally found it thoroughly entertaining
+ Primate (w/ James R. Kennedy) vs Rampage (I Quit Match): tied on two wins a piece, this was the fifth match in a best of seven series. I’m a big fan of Primate, and seeing these two big boys slog the crap out of each other was a genuine joy. Some hardcore spots and almost legit dangerous manouvres led to a well deserved ending
+ Bea Priestley (c) vs Nixon Newell (c) (WCPW Women’s Championship): Priestly has been claiming to be the champion, but Newell is the official champion, so this was to determine the rights to call themselves the undisputed champion. Newell’s blistering kicks, including a few striaght to Priestley’s face caused me to wince a few times. Some twists and turns made the most out of this relatively short match
– Drago vs El Hijo de Dos Caras: the latter of these two, the son of Dos Caras and brother to Alberto El Patron, was much larger than the last time I saw him a few years ago, and that strength made for some great power moments. Drago did a little to ease my longing for more Lucha Underground. Some very innovating offence from both men, but also some very sloppy transitions, made for a very up-and-down affair, and left a bad taste in my mouth
– Travis Banks vs Zack Sabre Jr.: much like Ricochet/Ospreay earlier, your enjoyment of this will depend entirely on whether you like Sabre’s style. The constant switching between holds goes from impressive and smooth to wildly overused in the space of seconds, which is a shame because I am a big fan of submissions. In the end, this was another which will solely depend on whether you like this sort of match; it’s no surprise the crowd was seemingly a bit conflicted throughout
– Bad Bones vs Doug Williams: this was part of the Youtube pre-show, and it was a relatively nothing sort of match. An underwhelming, out of nowhere ending cemented it as entirely missable
– the overall presentation is, unfortunately, still so amateurish. The handheld cameras give the whole thing a very low budget feel, especially when filming the entrances
> I personally really hate it when commentators speak over the wrestlers’ introductions. I want to hear them announced properly
> Following on from NXT Takeover, the crowd was counting ‘TEN’ for every referee count. It has to lose steam soon, right? …right?
Should you watch this event: Although I can’t help but think the show would be ten times better with some better cameras (and those operating them) and despite the undercard falling a bit flat, all of the main event matches delivered in spades. If you’re a fan of Ricochet, Ospreay or Sabre Jr., check them out, and definitely try to catch the Galloway/Hendry and Angle/El Patron main events.
MoshFish Reviews 