At the Telepathy, Lambs & Hungry Like Rakovitz gig (Antwerp Music City, read the review), Robbie Maddox invited me to this event. What's more, he invited me to take a bunch of Metal Decks with me, something I quickly agreed to. So, Joined by a few friends (Analoch Games' designer Bart and marketing wizard Wouter - titles not to be taken too seriously) I headed to the nice Eglantier venue to enjoy an afternoon of wrestling and rock 'n roll, courtesy of the Flemish Wrestling Force and Antwerp's own Interstellar Deathroll.
Earlier this year, Wouter and I already went to a wrestling event, the WWE Wrestlemania Revenge tour in Brussels. Quite frankly, we were somewhat disappointed by that show. We wanted to see the Undertaker but apparently "The Deadman" is scared of terrorists. It was fun, but I doubt that we'll ever go to another WWE event. Not only because of the pussy, the Undertaker but also because most WWE fans are morons who are only there to film the whole event on their iPad and get pissed off whenever someone decides to stand up and cheer for The Miz or AJ Styles (yeah, the back print on my t-shirt appeared on several of their videos).
Earlier this year, Wouter and I already went to a wrestling event, the WWE Wrestlemania Revenge tour in Brussels. Quite frankly, we were somewhat disappointed by that show. We wanted to see the Undertaker but apparently "The Deadman" is scared of terrorists. It was fun, but I doubt that we'll ever go to another WWE event. Not only because of the pussy, the Undertaker but also because most WWE fans are morons who are only there to film the whole event on their iPad and get pissed off whenever someone decides to stand up and cheer for The Miz or AJ Styles (yeah, the back print on my t-shirt appeared on several of their videos).
The event kicked off with two matches for the Flemish Wrestling Cup 2016. Andrei Ivanov defeated Mark Benjamin to advance to the final against homeboy Robbie Maddox (photo left, without facepaint) who scored a rather quick pinfall on Gridlock (photo left, with facepaint). Of course, Maddox was cheered by the audience, who could have come in greater numbers to be honest.Gridlock couldn't take the loss and kicked Maddox down, making us all wonder how Maddox was going to survive the final...
Although there was only a handful of people in the audience, the atmosphere was great. I didn't know exactly what to expect from this event, but it did feel like going to see a gig in Antwerp Music City, days after watching some big band on Pukkelpop. No big event can ever top the fun of a small one in my opinion and this wrestling event was no different.
The main ingredients for a decent wrestling event are athleticism, cooperation and humor. I really enjoyed Ivanov, a giant from The Netherlands who was probably the most professional wrestler in the line-up, at least, he looked like he was the most professional. I also like the tag team of Money and Might (Adam Goodrich en Rex Rage) who eventually lost against the mixed tag-team of Emerald Fusion (Phil Boyd en Katey Harvey from Ireland - photo below). Their bout showed a lot of wrestling quality, show, intrigue, humor.
Although there was only a handful of people in the audience, the atmosphere was great. I didn't know exactly what to expect from this event, but it did feel like going to see a gig in Antwerp Music City, days after watching some big band on Pukkelpop. No big event can ever top the fun of a small one in my opinion and this wrestling event was no different.
The main ingredients for a decent wrestling event are athleticism, cooperation and humor. I really enjoyed Ivanov, a giant from The Netherlands who was probably the most professional wrestler in the line-up, at least, he looked like he was the most professional. I also like the tag team of Money and Might (Adam Goodrich en Rex Rage) who eventually lost against the mixed tag-team of Emerald Fusion (Phil Boyd en Katey Harvey from Ireland - photo below). Their bout showed a lot of wrestling quality, show, intrigue, humor.
Homeless Tom was the most entertaining wrestler. His backstory claims he comes from 'under a bridge in Tessenderlo'. He is the current FWF World Champion, a title he had to defend against Dynamite Kev. This was a great match, funny but at times quite intense and showing great athleticism. Kev threw everything he got at Homeless Tom but to no avail. The championship belt will still dangle from that bridge in Tessenderlo for now.
The main event was the cup final between Maddox and Ivanov, and this time, both wrestlers would steal the show. Maddox threw Ivanov into the bar, right in front of our table. For a second I feared that one of the wrestlers would end up on top of my Metal Decks and through the table but that didn't happen. In the end, Maddox was victorious, scoring a pinfall over the previous cup holder.
The main event was the cup final between Maddox and Ivanov, and this time, both wrestlers would steal the show. Maddox threw Ivanov into the bar, right in front of our table. For a second I feared that one of the wrestlers would end up on top of my Metal Decks and through the table but that didn't happen. In the end, Maddox was victorious, scoring a pinfall over the previous cup holder.
After a short break, it was time for Interstellar Deathroll who played inside the ring. It's too bad nobody made a video out of this. The combination was awesome. Rock and wrestling fit perfectly together. Interstellar Deathroll is a sleazy, blues driven sludge metal band with plenty of raw power and delicious guitar solos. On this event, they blasted and everyone seemed to enjoy the show. At the end, Peggy from Bliksem joined the band for a raunchy version of W.A.S.P.'s 'Animal (Fuck Like A Beast)'. This cover definitely topped off a great afternoon.
 |  |
After the gig, the three of us started walking back home, pretty happy with what we've experienced. We sold some decks, talked to some wrestlers, solidified a merch stand an upcoming festival (Rodeo Winter Fest - 21 December) and thanked Robbie Maddox for the opportunity to be there. We are fans now...
Serge
Serge
