THE BRITISH BEAT
By: John Lister
The Fight Network

Link: http://www.liveaudiowrestling.com/

*** Although no British talent appeared in dark matches or on Heat on the recent UK tapings (as usually happens when WWE crosses the Atlantic), Leroy Kincaide appeared on the Smackdown TV show losing to Vladimir Kozlov. Kincaide, a former FWA All-England champion, is best known for his appearance on the reality TV show 'Britain's Hardest' where he placed as the fourth toughest man in the country.

*** The Real Quality Wrestling group has announced its German TV slot will include involve programming from the WAW and IPW-UK promotions. The first episodes will be taped at this Sunday's IPW-UK show in Bromley (headlined by champion Martin Stone against Big Brother TV contestant Billi Bhatti) and the May 18 WAW Norwich show (main evented by boxer Earl Ling and Zebra Kid against Sam Slam and Karl Kramer).

The deal marks a return to the originally-billed concept of RQW as an NWA-style promotional banner rather than a standalone promotion. The group has run regular shows since 2005 but has struggled to attract respectable crowds despite experimenting with several regular venues. It seems the plan now is to concentrate on RQW's strengths in television production through owner Len Davies Spectrum Multimedia group.

*** A rumour has popped up on a satellite television forum that ITV (one of the main UK television networks, and the station which aired British wrestling for 33 years) would be bringing back a British wrestling TV show with pilots shot in London, Leeds, Liverpool and Cardiff, using UK grapplers. We've not been able to get any confirmation of this and it seems unlikely at best, particularly given the way the network was soured by 'Celebrity Wrestling.

This was a 2005 gameshow billed as the return of wrestling to the airwaves and featuring D Lo Brown and Joe Legend as coaches for teams of very minor celebrities. The show, which turned out to feature grappling-based games with no connection to pro wrestling, drew extremely disappointing ratings and was axed from its prime time Saturday slot after five episodes.

*** Speaking of TV gameshows, British grappler Nick Aldis has been selected to appear on the returning Gladiators (the UK version of American Gladiators). Aldis, a regular for Premier Promotions and All Star, will perform under the name Oblivion.

*** Several British grapplers are among the victims of the latest WWE talent cull. Third generation star Dave Taylor, who debuted in the US for WCW, has been released after a year of virtual inactivity. He'd previously worked as a trainer and agent. Developmental talents Chris Gray and Tommy Taylor have also been dropped; it's not yet clear if they are simply part of the regular post-Wrestlemania clearout or if this yet another sign that plans for a UK developmental territory appear to be on hold.

*** Pro Wrestling Noah has announced another match for its 21 June show in Coventry, but it's already become obsolete. Doug Williams and Nigel McGuinness were scheduled to face the Briscoe Brothers, but Mark Briscoe appears extremely unlikely to have recovered from recent wrist surgery in time for the bout. There's no word yet on a replacement; ROH stand-in Austin Aries seems unlikely to fill the slot as, unlike all other US talent on the show, he has not previously worked for NOAH.

Meanwhile Atsuhi Aoki, Junji Izimuda and Tsuyoshi Kikuchi have been announced as the final Japanese performers on the show, while British grappler Wade Fitzgerald is also scheduled. The 'pre-show' British six-man showcase match will feature Mark Haskins, Dave Moralez and Zack Sabre Jr against El Ligero, Bubblegum and a partner to be announced on the night.

The following night's (22 June) smaller show has been confirmed for the Faringdon Leisure Centre, Oxfordshire with a 6pm start. While not an official NOAH event, the card is based on a NOAH vs UK series with Mitsuhara Misawa, Jun Akiyama and Takeshi Morishima the leading stars; Kenta Kobashi will be working in Germany that evening.

*** Female grappler Melodi has hung up her boots. One of WAWW's brightest younger stars, she teamed with Britani Knight as the resident babyface team the Norfolk Dolls. Arguably her highest-profile bout came when the Dolls faced Destiny and Kharisma last year in a non-tournament match as part of the first UK edition of the Chickfight tournament.

*** The retiring Klondyke Kate, who we profiled a couple of weeks ago, is to have a special send-off at the All Star show in Hanley, Stoke on May 10. The event will be main evented by a womens match, and the promotion is promising former partners and opponents will be in attendance to honour Kate's career.

Credit: A1 Wrestling Newsletter