Paradigm Wrestling Live from the Cockpit (House Show #1)
*** This event is held at the Cockpit theater in Marylebone, London .... its a small community theater that has regularly held a lot of independent wrestling shows in the UK since Progress folded .... after 3 months of deliberation in bankruptcy court, Tony Khan (co-owner of the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham F.C of the English Premier League) became the primary investor in a new venture to bring a major promotion back to the UK ****
Gabby Loren is the MC of the night, and in between each match she takes the opportunity to put over Paradigm’s debut on AXStv coming in a few weeks .... she also puts over the talent signed to Paradigm including some of the biggest stars from all over the world ....
Match 1: Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake) vs. Mustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven)RESULTS: We open the night with great tag team action from 2 of the Uk’s best teams .... This feud has endured for several years on the British wrestling scene despite both teams enjoying success in the States as part of PROGRESS .... Typical immaculate work from both teams to start, with Bate shining with lightning arm drags and a tag to Seven for some double teams .... Seven with chops but Gibson traps him in the corner as a set up for the charging dropkick by Drake .... The Vets take over, with Gibson talking shit about how they are the top UK tag team .... Gibson and Drake ground the action, but Seven scores with a spinning backfist for a double down .... Hot tag to Bate who comes in and runs wild .... Bate does BIG STRONG BOI things with the Xploder and a standing shooting star gets 2 .... Bate with Tyler Driver 97 on Gibson but Drake pulls the ref out .... Seven fakes the chop on Drake on the floor and when he ducks it Seven hits the DDT on the floor! Gibson hits Helter Skelter on Bate, but Seven makes the save at the last second .... Gibson tosses Seven and takes Bate up top, but Seven is back in and makes the save .... Seven scoops Gibson off the top into the Burning Hammer, and Bate & Seven hit the Mustache Ride for the 3 count ....
RESULTS: We get our first taste of women’s action here as touted signing THUNDER ROSA battles HYAN, a standout on the independent scene in the US .... This is a good, hard-hitting match where Hyan gets a lot in .... ‘The Renaissance Woman’ pushes Rosa to the limit but Rosa escapes Hyan’s finisher, the Beauty Sleep (Glam Slam) and hits the flatliner into the Coji Clutch! Hyan struggles to get to the ropes, but can’t make it and she is forced to tap out ....
Match 3: ‘The Black Swan’ Cara Noir vs. Ilja Dragunov RESULTS: This match steals the entire show and features 2 guys not even on the Paradigm roster .... Both guys are mainstays on the British independent scene and have garnered a loyal following, so this is somewhat of a dream match for British Indy fans .... There is a lot of pomp and circumstance during the entrances, especially with Noir, but the match itself is intense and hard hitting .... Ilja is usually unmatched in intensity, but it seems like he is weirdly entranced by Noir .... Like someone seeing the snow fall for the first time in their life and wanting to touch it .... As the match proceeded, they begin to realize something kindred between them, adding to the feeling of theatricality .... these two have the crowd eating out of their hand after near-fall after near-fall and the fans are on the edge of their seat .... in the end, it is the kindred between them that costs Noir, causing him to hesitate briefly and allow Dragunov to strike with Torpedo Moscow for the 3 count ....
Both men receive a standing ovation after the match ....
Match 4: Geurrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tonga Loa) w/ Bad Luck Fale vs. South Wales Subculture (Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster) RESULTS: Good dynamic of the power of the Samoans against the high-flying of the boys from Wales .... They use their speed to gain an advantage early, but Tonga Loa stops Andrews with a Samoan drop .... Webster bails out his partner and they hit ‘Free Toast at 3am’ gets a close 2 count on Tama Tonga .... Webster goes for a dive to the outside but Fale steps in to stand in his way so he dives on Fale instead! Andrews with the poison-Rana to Loa, and he goes up for the shooting star press but Tama Tonga pulls him out of the way and Andrews crashes! Gun Stun (RKO) to Andrews, then the GoD hit Guerrilla Warfare (elevated double arm DDT) for the 3 count ....
POST MATCH: Bad Luck Fale comes in the ring and takes out both Webster and Andrews with the Grenade (Chokeslam tossed into Samoan Spike)
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UP NEXT we get an in-ring segment where MVP comes out .... he introduces his new client, Bobby Lashley .... MVP says Lashley is the face of Paradigm wrestling from day 1, and he is the most dominant combat athlete in the world .... respect the dominance because Lashley isn’t a man, he’s a destroyer .... he is in the business of hurting people for a living, and the business is open ....
‘OH BASK IN HIS GLORY’ and out comes Keith Lee! Greetings and Salutations .... Lee wants to come out for a proper introduction, and to offer Lashley & MVP a chance to stop what they are doing and ‘bask in his glory’ of a man who is truly ‘limitless’ .... MVP interrupts and says the only thing that is limitless is Lashley’s ability to destroy anything in his path .... Lee says that it music to his ears because he didn’t come out here to talk .... He wants to fight .... MVP says Lashley is a prize-fighter .... Lashley is the top draw in this company and doesn’t take fights that can’t be properly promoted so they can make the most money .... Lee says they will return to the Cockpit next week, so how about the main event of that show? MVP starts to object, but Lashley takes the mic and says he will ‘think about it’ ....
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Match 5: Reika Saiki vs. AQA RESULTS: AQA is agile and quick, and moves effortlessly in the ring; a Jaguar in purple spandex .... she is a skilled striker and solid technical wrestler .... Reika Saiki is a Japanese muscle idol and former mixed martial artist .... she calls herself your ‘Daily Dose of Protein’ and speaks almost perfect English .... despite only being 5ft tall, she is one of the strongest women on the roster .... Lots of action in this one as Saiki matches AQA’s high-flying with that of her own .... However, Saiki’s power gives her the final advantage as she rocks AQA with a sick running knee strike and then finishes her off with the Jackhammer ....
Match 5: Ridge Holland vs. Noam Dar RESULTS: Holland is a former Rugby league player that is well known in the UK and rising fast .... Dar comes out firing and holds nothing back with his strikes, but Holland puts a stop to that real quick .... Holland tosses Dar around and then obliterates him with European uppercuts .... Dar fights back with a big roundhouse that staggers Holland, but he runs into a rugby tackle that sends him flying .... Ridge traps the arms and repeatedly headbutts Dar, then hits a double-arm overhead suplex .... Ridge finishes him off with the Northern Grit (northern lights bomb) ....
Match 6: Matt Riddle vs. Jeff Cobb RESULTS: These bros bring their A game as they try to top the Noir vs. Dragunov show-stealer from earlier in the night .... Early on we see how evenly matched these guys are on the mat as both utilize their wrestling backgrounds .... we get some exchanges that end in a stalemate, resulting in both guys sharing a fist bump .... The action quickly picks up as they start trading blows and suplexes, almost becoming a game of ‘can you top this’ between the two .... They lay into each other with chops, resulting in both men’s chests being a beaten red by the end of the match .... Riddle shows his incredibly underrated power by muscling Cobb up into the Bro-Derek (cradle tombstone), but Cobb kicks out so Riddle shows his strength again by hitting 2 consecutive fisherman busters!!!! Cobb kicks out at 2.99999! Not only does he survive, but Cobb comes back with a pop-up German suplex and then a Canadian Destroyer! The building explodes as Riddle kicks out at 2!!!! Cobb goes for the Tour of the Islands, but Riddle somehow avoids it and Cobb walks right into the Final Flash for the KO out of nowhere and Riddle falls on top for the 3 count ....
RESULTS: This is our main event and they have a lot to follow, but Nakamura is MASSIVELY over with the crowd even before the match starts .... this is NXT/ NJPW Nakamura .... the crowd knows these guys well, so they barely have to do anything and the crowd goes ape shit .... the action slowly escalates, coming off like a mix of technical wrestling as well as a brutal fight and everyone treats it like a real battle .... Nakamura starts destroying Johnny with knees, but Johnny comes back with a stiff superkick that busts Nakamura’s nose open .... Johnny crushes Shinske with a huge clothesline that turns him in a flip for a near fall .... Slingshot spear is countered by Nakamura with a knee strike! Johnny’s out! 2.99999! Johnny battles back with a tornado DDT that Nakamura reverses into a flipping armbar as he charges .... Johnny fights it off into the Gargano Escape! “PLEASE DON’T TAP!” Nakamura finally makes it to the ropes for a break and both men nearly collapse in exhaustion .... “FIGHT FOREVER!’ Johnny with a superkick, but Nakamura comes right back with a step-up Enzo gyro and then the inverted Exploder Suplex! Johnny avoids the knee strike and hits the Hurts Donut! He goes to the apron and hits One Final Beat for 2!!!! Nakamura rolls to the apron and Johnny tries to Suplex him back in but Nakamura counters with elbow strikes .... Nakamura with a Death Valley driver on the ring frame! He rolls Johnny back in and goes to the middle rope .... leaping knee strike to the back of the head! Nakamura sets .... KIIIIINSHASAAAAAA! 1 ... 2 ... 3!
POST MATCH: What a match! Both guys lay on the mat at the trainers come in to check on them and apply ice packs to their necks .... Candice is there checking on Johnny .... Both guys rise to their feet at the same time and meet in the middle, then shake hands and hug as the fans give them a standing ovation ....
Gabby gets on the mic and thanks fans for coming .... She announces that the main event when Paradigm returns to The Cockpit will be Keith Lee vs. Bobby Lashley .... also scheduled to appear will be Jeff Hardy and Bobby Roode!
