Image -Geoff WildLIVERPOOL, England
The famous Royal Empire Theatre,
Mon 11th February, 2008
Sell out crowd of 2500 people saw Metal Master, American Dragon, Carl Oulette, and Rene Dupre against Team UK. Great match.
Full show report
All-Star Wrestling Report: Monday 11th February 2008
The Royal Empire Theatre, Liverpool, United Kingdom
-Shaun Best
Rajah.com Reporter
The roster ...was stacked and some of the stars in attendance last night included 'American Dragon' Bryan Danielson, Doug Williams, Robbie Brookside, Rene Dupree, Pierre Lafitte and Gangrel. I couldn't miss this.
The Empire Theatre holds 1,800 and I think 1,600 was the official attendance figure announced, so a good crowd was in. Sitting down in the upper circle of the theatre, I pictured and compared it to the setting of Monday Night Raw in early 1993.
As the curtain came up and the sparklers alighted in a way similar to the entrance of Chris Masters, the All-Star dancers started the night off with a number which was a much tamer version of Extreme Expose. Well it had to be really, as the event was very family orientated with the audience made up of mostly kids and families.
With the ring setup on a small stage directly below me, we were ready to start.
The show started on time at 7:30pm and finished at 9:45pm. There was a 15 minute intermission halfway through and the crowd were hot all night.
Five matches were scheduled with each match having a 20 minute time limit. Here we go.
1)"Filthy" Phil Powers vs Frankie Sloan
From the first bout it was obviously more of a carnival type show as anyone that wasn't from the UK or carried a British flag got booed. Basic opener with Sloan getting the advantage then Powers reversing the tide. Sloan eventually won it with a top rope cross body. Little to no selling from both in a sloppy match.
2) James Mason vs Gangrel
Mason had control for the most part as Gangrel played the part of chickenshit heel brilliantly while constantly jawjacking with the crowd. Gangrel refrained from using profanities. However, Gangrel did receive a public warning for a blatant kick in the balls. I don't know why it wasn't an instant DQ. The finish came when Mason Irish whipped Gangrel then missed a charge allowing Gangrel to roll Mason up and get the win with his feet on the ropes. Mason protested after the match and led the crowd in a cheat chant but Gangrel didn't come back out. The referee didn't reverse the decision either.
3) American Dragon, Metal Master, Rene Dupree & Pierre Lafitte vs Doug Williams, Ben Levy, Robbie Dynamite & Deano (Xtreme Dean Allmark)
This match was dubbed an 8 man International tag team match where the only way to win was to throw your opponents over the top rope. Basic tag match rules apply though. It was the USA/Canada combo vs The Great Britain All-Stars. Master and Dragon both came out in masks. Dupree played the cocky heel, trying it on and posing with the ring girls. Dragon cut a heel promo to start. He told us to shut up and show respect as he comes from the greatest country in the world (USA). Dragon then proceeded to sing the U.S anthem but kept stopping as the boos were putting him off. Master ended up putting his hands over Dragon's ears allowing him to sing the anthem in full.
Lafitte then started to sing the French-Canadian anthem but stopped before saying we didn't deserve it.
The Brits came out to a massive pop and they were all wearing red All-Star wrestling shirts.
The Brits started off well landing double dropkicks, double hiptosses and a four way Irish whip to their foreign counterparts. Deano then hit Dragon with a 619. Dragon sure wasn't working an ROH type match as he stayed pure sports entertainment. Still, Dragon was inexplicably the first man out. After a top rope backflip over Dynamite, Dragon missed a lunge and Dynamite threw him out. Enraged, Dragon tried to get back in only to be sent back over the top rope by a Dynamite dropkick. Master levelled things up by depositing Levy. Lafitte then caught Dynamite in a sky high/sitdown powerbomb before tossing him out. Deano levelled things up once again after landing sweet chin music and a second rope moonsault to Master. This left Master ripe for inevitable elimination. Dupree then got rid of Williams to leave Deano at the mercy of the Canadians. After a brief double team, Lafitte sent Deano to the corner then Irish whipped Dupree but Deano managed to backdrop Dupree out. It was down to Deano and Lafitte. After eliminations, the Brits stayed out whereas the heels went to the back but Dupree stayed out and hid on the floor. After hooking Deano's leg, Dupree held him for an open shot on the apron. Deano avoided Lafitte's charge and Dupree was sent flying again. Deano then pushed Lafitte out to win. This was the best match of the night.
Intermission was followed by another dance number from the All-Star dancers.
4)(Mr USA) Brody Steele vs Robbie Brookside(All-Star Heavyweight Title Match).... This was the only match which had no time limit. Brookside controlled the early going with solid matwork. Steele hung Brookside up on the top rope to turn the tide. Steele used power moves, a sidewalk slam and a chinlock to wear down Brookside. Brookside recovered to hit a tree of woe dropkick. Steele countered a cross body to hit a Mark Henry esque world's strongest slam for a close nearfall. The fight then spilled outside for a while. Back inside, Brookside managed to catch Steele on the top rope and fling him off with both arms to pick up the win. After the match a small pile of confetti went off in celebration. Crowd loved the finish. Good match.
5)The Bambi Killer vs The Fearless Flatliner
This was a comedy match which was designed for the kids. Think Eugene but on a funnier scale. Bambi Killer is an Austrain heel on his first tour. Flatliner is a big bald Johnny B. Badd type character who was very popular with the kids.
There was a massive queue to go backstage after the event and get autographs. When I made it through I just missed Gangrel and Rene Dupree was finishing up and looked a bit agitated at everyone crowding him. I briefly spoke to Doug Williams and American Dragon before getting their autographs and a picture with Dragon. I then spoke with Robbie Brookside for a bit about the mentions Chris Jericho gives him in his book. .......
The famous Royal Empire Theatre,
Mon 11th February, 2008
Sell out crowd of 2500 people saw Metal Master, American Dragon, Carl Oulette, and Rene Dupre against Team UK. Great match.
Full show report
All-Star Wrestling Report: Monday 11th February 2008
The Royal Empire Theatre, Liverpool, United Kingdom
-Shaun Best
Rajah.com Reporter
The roster ...was stacked and some of the stars in attendance last night included 'American Dragon' Bryan Danielson, Doug Williams, Robbie Brookside, Rene Dupree, Pierre Lafitte and Gangrel. I couldn't miss this.
The Empire Theatre holds 1,800 and I think 1,600 was the official attendance figure announced, so a good crowd was in. Sitting down in the upper circle of the theatre, I pictured and compared it to the setting of Monday Night Raw in early 1993.
As the curtain came up and the sparklers alighted in a way similar to the entrance of Chris Masters, the All-Star dancers started the night off with a number which was a much tamer version of Extreme Expose. Well it had to be really, as the event was very family orientated with the audience made up of mostly kids and families.
With the ring setup on a small stage directly below me, we were ready to start.
The show started on time at 7:30pm and finished at 9:45pm. There was a 15 minute intermission halfway through and the crowd were hot all night.
Five matches were scheduled with each match having a 20 minute time limit. Here we go.
1)"Filthy" Phil Powers vs Frankie Sloan
From the first bout it was obviously more of a carnival type show as anyone that wasn't from the UK or carried a British flag got booed. Basic opener with Sloan getting the advantage then Powers reversing the tide. Sloan eventually won it with a top rope cross body. Little to no selling from both in a sloppy match.
2) James Mason vs Gangrel
Mason had control for the most part as Gangrel played the part of chickenshit heel brilliantly while constantly jawjacking with the crowd. Gangrel refrained from using profanities. However, Gangrel did receive a public warning for a blatant kick in the balls. I don't know why it wasn't an instant DQ. The finish came when Mason Irish whipped Gangrel then missed a charge allowing Gangrel to roll Mason up and get the win with his feet on the ropes. Mason protested after the match and led the crowd in a cheat chant but Gangrel didn't come back out. The referee didn't reverse the decision either.
3) American Dragon, Metal Master, Rene Dupree & Pierre Lafitte vs Doug Williams, Ben Levy, Robbie Dynamite & Deano (Xtreme Dean Allmark)
This match was dubbed an 8 man International tag team match where the only way to win was to throw your opponents over the top rope. Basic tag match rules apply though. It was the USA/Canada combo vs The Great Britain All-Stars. Master and Dragon both came out in masks. Dupree played the cocky heel, trying it on and posing with the ring girls. Dragon cut a heel promo to start. He told us to shut up and show respect as he comes from the greatest country in the world (USA). Dragon then proceeded to sing the U.S anthem but kept stopping as the boos were putting him off. Master ended up putting his hands over Dragon's ears allowing him to sing the anthem in full.
Lafitte then started to sing the French-Canadian anthem but stopped before saying we didn't deserve it.
The Brits came out to a massive pop and they were all wearing red All-Star wrestling shirts.
The Brits started off well landing double dropkicks, double hiptosses and a four way Irish whip to their foreign counterparts. Deano then hit Dragon with a 619. Dragon sure wasn't working an ROH type match as he stayed pure sports entertainment. Still, Dragon was inexplicably the first man out. After a top rope backflip over Dynamite, Dragon missed a lunge and Dynamite threw him out. Enraged, Dragon tried to get back in only to be sent back over the top rope by a Dynamite dropkick. Master levelled things up by depositing Levy. Lafitte then caught Dynamite in a sky high/sitdown powerbomb before tossing him out. Deano levelled things up once again after landing sweet chin music and a second rope moonsault to Master. This left Master ripe for inevitable elimination. Dupree then got rid of Williams to leave Deano at the mercy of the Canadians. After a brief double team, Lafitte sent Deano to the corner then Irish whipped Dupree but Deano managed to backdrop Dupree out. It was down to Deano and Lafitte. After eliminations, the Brits stayed out whereas the heels went to the back but Dupree stayed out and hid on the floor. After hooking Deano's leg, Dupree held him for an open shot on the apron. Deano avoided Lafitte's charge and Dupree was sent flying again. Deano then pushed Lafitte out to win. This was the best match of the night.
Intermission was followed by another dance number from the All-Star dancers.
4)(Mr USA) Brody Steele vs Robbie Brookside(All-Star Heavyweight Title Match).... This was the only match which had no time limit. Brookside controlled the early going with solid matwork. Steele hung Brookside up on the top rope to turn the tide. Steele used power moves, a sidewalk slam and a chinlock to wear down Brookside. Brookside recovered to hit a tree of woe dropkick. Steele countered a cross body to hit a Mark Henry esque world's strongest slam for a close nearfall. The fight then spilled outside for a while. Back inside, Brookside managed to catch Steele on the top rope and fling him off with both arms to pick up the win. After the match a small pile of confetti went off in celebration. Crowd loved the finish. Good match.
5)The Bambi Killer vs The Fearless Flatliner
This was a comedy match which was designed for the kids. Think Eugene but on a funnier scale. Bambi Killer is an Austrain heel on his first tour. Flatliner is a big bald Johnny B. Badd type character who was very popular with the kids.
There was a massive queue to go backstage after the event and get autographs. When I made it through I just missed Gangrel and Rene Dupree was finishing up and looked a bit agitated at everyone crowding him. I briefly spoke to Doug Williams and American Dragon before getting their autographs and a picture with Dragon. I then spoke with Robbie Brookside for a bit about the mentions Chris Jericho gives him in his book. .......
First reviews
"Brillant show last night, 5 great matches .... All Star really are putting on good stuff at the moment." (UKFF)
"Apparently over 2,000 fans in attendance. Way more than King of Europe or Ring of Honor got."
