28/04/2019, Newport, Wales
By Ciaran James@TheCiaranJames
Mark Andrews def. Josh Holly w/ Daisee-Mae Love
This was Josh Holly’s biggest test to date, and to his credit for a while he was able to hang with Andrews but eventually the veteran won out. Mark as always was given a thunderous ovation on his return to Dragon Pro, Josh also made a grand entrance, that lad has huge potential. The match was even in the early going, both were vying for an advantage, Andrews wasn’t having any of it. This was a nice and snug back and forth match, Andrews was a smooth as usual and played to the audience well. Holly keeps improving, he has all the essentials to be somebody, however I still feel his future lies in being a heel. Josh gave a great account of himself but overall this was Andrews bread and butter, he weathered the offence and hit a perfect Shooting Star Press for the win. Great opener.
The Hunter Brothers/Jessica Light def. August Jackson/Elliot Hightower/Christopher Toumbas
We had a great mixture here of well-seasoned veterans and talented newcomers. The Hunter Brothers as you can imagine were as good as ever, their offence and timing are second to none and they again exhibited that here. Jessica Light, making her Dragon Pro debut also showed good promise, great confidence and her willingness to get stuck in was obvious. Hightower who we have seen before looks more comfortable in the ring, although the fur coat is dubious (lol), Toumbas was good, very intimidating aura and lots of confidence, he wrestled well. August Jackson was a last-minute replacement but he was just fine, this was the first time I’d seen him play the heel and he was great. There were a few stop/start moments but overall the match was good, The Hunters got in their patented offence and looked crisps, the heels rallied but it was not enough. The Hunters hit Superkicks followed by a roll-up from Light for the victory.
Celtic Crown Women’s Title Triple Threat
Dani Luna © def. Gisele Shaw
If there were any doubts over Dani Luna as the Celtic Crown Champion, then on Sunday she put them all to sleep. This was a fantastic one on one match, Gisele was a worthy opponent but Luna gave a towering performance. Gisele started off the stronger of the two, she went after Luna early but failed to put her away. The wrestling was great here, the exchanges and fluidity were excellent throughout the whole match. Dani came back into the match, she wrestles like a woman possessed, but with a controlled style that demands attention. The audience were well and truly invested into this match, Gisele had the majority of the crowd behind her but I think big number respect Dani as a worker and character, you can really believe it. This was an excellent match and arguably one of the best women’s matches of 2019, Luna as she said she would, retained the title via a Powerbomb and White Noise. Huge applause for both.
Dragon Pro Tag Team Championship
Jay Jewel & Sid Oakley © def. Danny Jones/Chris Ridgeway
I had very high hopes for this match and it delivered, the combination of Jones and Ridgeway was always going to be a winner and the champions have proved to be quite the tag team. This was excellent from start to finish, the wrestling was easy on the eye as the match flowed. As good as Sid is, it is Jay that stands out as the premier player in their team, he was excellent the night before at Chaos, and again at the Neon he proved his skills once more. Danny and Chris were great opponents as their styles mixed well, they had great chemistry and were perfect challengers. The exchanges between Danny, Chris and Jay were excellent, the wrestling was smooth and without fault. Sid had some great back and forth moments with Jones, the challengers seemed to be in control of the match. Seeing Chris and Jay duel was a treat, their exchange of strikes, slaps and kicks had the audience on the edge of their seats. Danny came back into the match and took out Sid, literally, Danny came off the top rope and launched Sid across the ring, Oakley tagged out quickly. Jay entered and took out Jones with a huge roundhouse kick for a big win.
All Wales Title
Beano © def. Fletcher Law
Beano attempted to have a Championship celebration; however, the father of sin Fletcher Law saw it different. As Beano was thanking the audience, Law saw fit to make his grand entrance and challenge Beano for his newly one All Wales Title. The audience were more than happy to see this match and Beano was more than willing to take on the challenge. This unannounced match was a nice addition to the card, the audience were happy to see Beano in action and in Law we had the perfect heel. Fletcher has been a winning act since making his Dragon Pro debut, he has lots of skills that enable him to fit right into a main event spot. The entrance music, his look, the delivery of his promo and wrestling ability is a joy to watch and evolve, he is easily one of the better gimmicks on the local independent scene. The two foes went back and forth, Fletcher got in some good offence but the defending, valiant champion was not losing this quickly. Fletcher’s apostles got in the way of Beano on the outside but it wasn’t enough, the champ rallied and the audience cheered as Beano hit the Urinage for the win.
New Wave Trophy
Elijah © def. Big Grizzly
Dragon Pro seemed intent on pushing Elijah so I was not surprised to see him win out against Grizz. The match started off with the typical small/big man shenanigans, both were great here. Elijah would strike Grizz, which was a mistake as Elijah would then flee as Big Grizzly would chase. It was a case of Elijah working away at the bigger man, looking for his opportunity and taking it. Grizz was playing the face, he has reached that point now where he is so well respected that people love and cheer him, he was definitely playing up to the crowd early on. When Grizz caught Elijah, he worked him hard and laid in with the stiff offence and power moves, Elijah forever the opportunist made sure not to get caught for too long. As despicable as Elijah is, he has the respect of the audience, he is dedicated to the craft and always seems to improve. As good as Grizzly was here, Elijah proved much with the win here, he worked away at Grizz and got the chance as he rolled him up for very big win.
Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake/Zack Gibson) def. 198 (Wild Boar/Flash Morgan Webster)
The main event and arguably best contest of the night was a terrific match, featuring four superb workers it was always going to be something special. Gibson started off by cutting a blistering promo, you could only sit back and listen to a class act exhibiting his craft. The Grizzled Young Vets are even better in person, their characters, move set and the overall act is top draw. The 198 however were not going to lay down, Boar and Flash were excellent also, the early flurry settled down as Gibson and Drake worked away on Flash, they cut the ring in half and went to work. The tag was built perfectly, GYV kept Flash a world away from Boar, it was great to see watch. The tag team work was exceptional, this was the best version of Drake I have seen, for me personally he works better in a team than a singles competitor. The tag was finally made as Boar entered the fray, he went wild and sent the heels packing, the atmosphere picked up again as the 198 took the fight to their opponents. Unfortunately, it would not be enough, the Grizzled Young Vets took control once and secured victory as Drake hit picture perfect 450 splash.
As James Drake and Zack Gibson left ringside, Boar and Webster finally got to their feet to the applause of the audience. From the right hand side Brendan White stormed the ring and attacked the 198, the cheers turned to boos, Brendan admired his work. Danny Jones then ran to the ring, chair in hand to seemingly thwart the actions of the ‘Suplex Slinger’. As Brendan turned to see his fate, Jones viciously attacked Boar and Webster, the boos reigned down as Danny Jones and Brendan White stood tall and celebrated their actions!
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