The Man In The Middle #2
Published Thursday, 24th November 2011
Welcome to the second edition of The Man In The Middle, where once again I give you a referee’s view on life as the third man in the ring.
At this time of year, as we approach the IPW: UK 7th Anniversary show, it seems a perfect time to reflect on the past and in particular, my past 3 years with IPW: UK.
After 4 years refereeing for various UK promotions, I got the call from IPW: UK management offering me the opportunity to work for them beginning in 2009. To say I was thrilled would be an understatement and I greatly looked forward to my first IPW: UK events. My time in IPW: UK started with a bang during the Superstars of Wrestling tour in February 2009, a week long run of events featuring the very best UK stars alongside American stars Al Snow, Doug Basham and Big Vito.
That week is still one of my favourite times in my wrestling career as I got to spend a lot of time with some close friends as well as getting to travel with Al Snow where he christened me with the nickname ‘Hotbox’. You’ll have to ask him for an explanation. That tour hosted some legendary backstage moments which would take me hours to tell but include a week long obsession with The Saturdays song “I Just Cant Get Enough”, Vito’s many “Wham” moments and a very drunken night in Portsmouth! Should I ever write a book it’ll be worth it for this week of stories alone.
Another IPW:UK memory, although not a pleasant one, took place in July of 2009. During a match featuring then IPW:UK Champion Iestyn Rees, a brawl broke out at ringside between members of Iestyn’s stable, The Thrillers and The Kartel. During the brawl I was dragged from the ring and kicked in the head, the kick forced my face into the ring post and I was cut below my right eye and I still have a scar to this day. It isn’t easy being a referee and this just goes to prove it.
In my time with IPW: UK, without question, the biggest thrill for me has been having the honour of refereeing matches featuring some of the greatest wrestlers in the world. I’ve been in the ring with UK stars such as Dave Mastiff, Sha Samuels, Dave Taylor T Bone, Mark Haskins, The Leaders, Iestyn Rees, Pac, Martin Stone, Joel Redman, Danny Garnell, Terry Frazier and Rockstar Spud. I’ve been privileged to referee US stars such as Al Snow, Doug
Basham, Big Vito, Bryan Danielson, Colt Cabana, Jimmy Jacobs, Paul London, Eddie Edwards and Kevin Thorn as well as
Mexican stars Juventud Guerrera and El Generico. I’ve also had the pleasure of being in the ring with Pro Wrestling Noah Stars such as Takeshi Morishima, Go Shiozaki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Taiji Ishimori.
I’ve had an amazing three years with IPW:UKand I look forward to many more, starting with the 7th Anniversary Show next
weekend. The card is stacked as always and each match could potentially steal the show. From my point of view it’s going to be a long, busy night but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
In the evening’s main event, The Leaders team of Marty Scurll and Zack Sabre Jr take on the US duo of the Young Bucks. Having refereed nearly every Leaders IPW:UK match I know exactly what to expect in this one… chaos! I plan on doing my best not to get caught amongst the mass of bodies flying around the ring at breakneck speed and hopefully ill walk away
unscathed. These matches are always hard to officiate as there’s so much going on but I know that our fans will love this one.
The card features two international contest as Eddie Edwards takes on the returning Martin Stone and Nigel McGuiness makes his last ever IPW: UK appearance taking on Joel Redman. I imagine the returning “Guv’nor” will be looking to make an impact and there no denying that Eddie Edwards is one of the best in the world at the moment. This one has classic written all over it. Redman vs. McGuiness should be a British wrestling master class and hopefully Joel Redman won’t tie me up in knots this time!
Sha Samuels defends his IPW:UK Undisputed title against The Lion Kid. Ill keep my opinions to myself on this one.For my thoughts on the IPW:UK champion, check out my last column.
In other tag team action, Project Ego take on the debuting team of the Tempest Warriors ( The Saint and Jason Larusso ). IPW: UK’s tag team division is the best in Europe and I have no doubt that these two teams will tear the house down in order to make their mark this Sunday.
The other announced match for next weekend is a semi final in the IPW: UK Cruiserweight tournament. Marty Scurll takes on Dean Allmark and expect one thing, fireworks!
As always, IPW:UK will no doubt blow away the competition next weekend and show exactly why they were, are and will continue to be the very best wrestling company in Europe.
Thanks for reading, I’ll see you from the ring…
