Wrestling fans head to Wolverhampton for Fight Club PRO event - review

Few men have had as rapid an elevation as Man Like Dereiss, with the charismatic young Birmingham pro wrestler claiming championship gold in only his second appearance in a Fight Club: PRO ring.

He and the promotion’s world champion, Dan Moloney defeated WWE Superstars Trent Seven and Tyler in a Birmingham vs Black Country local derby.

In a testament to the event’s geographical reach that the crowd was loudly split despite taking place in Wolverhampton.

The extent to which the two teams knew each other was evident throughout, with much of the match built around the two teams countering or escaping each other’s signature moves.

The most impressive was Moloney helping his tag team partner escape Bate’s airplane spin by deadlift suplexing the Dudley native.

It would, however, be Dereiss who would secure the victory for his team, hitting a spinning splash for the championship-winning pinfall.

That wasn’t the only high stakes tag team match, with two teams booking their place into Fight Club: PRO’s prestigious Dream Tag Team Invitational, in a unique three-team eliminator.

It was a bad night for Londoners Michael Oku and Connor Mills with first Charli Evans and Millie McKenzie, and then Ethan Page and Luke Jacobs, booking their place in the tournament by pinning a member of Destination Everywhere.

While the crowd’s interest flagged after the local fan favourites had secured qualification, they did come alive as the Young Guns started to hit their big moves to set-up the finish.

Elsewhere the show was built around the opening round of the tournament to crown Fight Club: PRO’s new Openweight Champion.

Former world champion Travis Banks booked his place into the semi-finals, winning a spirited sprint of a match against the larger Shigehiro Irie.

It was a pace that Kyle Fletcher, his fellow Australasian now living in the West Midlands, would do well to copy, as his methodical victory over Shota Umino sometimes lost the crowd.

Chuck Mambo and A-Kid round out the semi-finals, with victories over Mike Bailey and Lee Hunter respectively.

Mambo had been a last-minute replacement for WWE superstar Ilja Dragunov who had been caught up in the travel disruption caused by the Coronavirus.

Likewise, several performers, including local pro wrestlers Moustache Mountain and Omari, were due to leave the West Midlands after this show to fly to Dublin for OTT’s Scrappermania, but that event was cancelled due to Ireland’s response to the crisis.

The threat posed by thecCoronavirus was never far from people’s minds, with the ring announcer repeatedly reminding people to thoroughly wash their hands, and new signage in the toilets imploring people to do the same.

Everyone involved will be hoping that such preventive measures will be enough for everyone to return to The Hangar next month for one of the promotion’s biggest shows of the year; Night Two of the Dream Tag Team Invitational.

Friday the 13th will shortly be available on VOD and DVD. Fight Club: PRO is currently scheduled to return The Hangar on Saturday 11th April. For more information visit fightclubpro.bigcartel.com.

By Will Cooling