Lincoln-born wrestler Robbie X main-evented One Pro Wrestling’s debut show in Lincoln, against the world-renowned Will Ospreay. Wrestling is often a misunderstood phenomenon, however, 1,033 people packed themselves into the Engine Shed, Lincoln, for UK independent promotion 1PW’s ‘No Turning Back’ event.
1PW welcomed wrestlers from across the UK and the world to the show, from Japanese wrestling headliner Will Ospreay to former WWE stars John Morrison and Rhino.
The show opened in electric fashion, as the Rascalz (Trey Miguel and Zachary Wentz) flew from the USA to take on the duo of Leon Slater and Man Like Dereiss. The lively crowd got involved straight away, showing their support for the British duo. The match was fast-paced and contained a plethora of high-flying offence, seeing the Rascalz pick up the win after a hotly contested opener.
The next match was a triple threat with championship implications, as All Elite Wrestling’s Ruby Soho took on ‘Liverbird’ Lizzy Evo and the ever-popular Session Moth Martina. It was short and sweet, ending with Martina rolling-up an angry Evo for a shock win. This was much to the delight of the Lincoln crowd, who serenaded Evo in boos after her loss.
The show kicked into gear with its third match, pitting USA wrestling mainstay Davey Richards against the ‘Black Swan’ Cara Noir. The match was built around submissions and technical exchanges, seeing Richards focus on Noir’s leg. This looked to have paid dividends as Noir was unable to use his leg for offence, but he eventually swung the match back in his favour and won via submission.
Cara Noir is one of the most unique wrestlers in the world, from his Swan Lake entrance, to his ballet inspired outfit and his eye-catching style. He impressed the Lincoln crowd in an interesting match.
Next came an extreme rules match that lacked the hardcore elements it was built-up to include. UK indie stalwart Mark Haskins took on former ECW and WWE star Rhino, much to the excitement of the partisan crowd. They cheered on Rhino and booed Haskins, especially after his wife, Vicky Haskins, began bending the rules to help her husband. The crowd were at fever-pitch when Rhino hit his famed Gore through a table, but he had already lost the match at this point courtesy of a Haskins roll-up pin after Vicky threw powder into Rhino’s eyes.
After a mid-show internal, there was a 4 vs 4 tag team match to restart proceedings. Luke Jacobs, Ricky Knight Jr., John Skyler and Charles Crowley faced-off against Callum Newman, Scotty Rawk, Yorkshire’s Amir Jordan and crowd-favourite Will Kroos. The entrances almost took as long as the match, which wasn’t to the liking of the whole crowd. It was an energetic match once it finally started, but after lots of back-and-forths, Charles Crowley antagonised his teammates and was pinned by everyone on the opposing team.
Before the much-anticipated main event, Valkyrie defeated Sheffield-born Taonga in a dull, overly-long match that sucked the air out of the room. This was followed by former WWE and IMPACT wrestler John Morrison facing a mainstay of British wrestling Nathan Cruz. Again, the match overstayed its welcome, but the crowd were excited to see John Morrison in the ring. Cruz played the role of bad-guy in the match, cheating to defeat his more well-known opponent. The end of the match came as Cruz hit Morrison across the face with a pair of brass knuckles, while his cornerman distracted the referee.
Overall, it was a show that struggled in terms of time, over-running and forcing some in attendance to leave early in order to catch trains. However, the vast majority of the crowd enjoyed their evening.
To close the show hometown boy Robbie X wrestled the world-renowned and arguably the best wrestler in the world, Will Ospreay. Despite Robbie’s hometown advantage, his opponent still enjoyed much of the crowd’s support. Ospreay, known as the ‘Aerial Assassin’ because of his high-flying style, rose to prominence in the British wrestling scene before hitting the top of the wrestling world in Japan, as a former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion in New Japan Pro Wrestling.
The crowd came alive for the last match of the show, cheering on both men in duelling chants of “Let’s go Robbie / Will Ospreay”. It was a cracking match, impressing the sell-out Engine Shed. The more experienced Ospreay won the match after a flurry of his signature offence, but he showed respect for Lincoln’s Robbie X in the post-match, shaking his hand and allowing him to lap-up the admiration of the crowd.
1PW are already scheduled to return to Lincoln in June this year, following the success of this show. Lincoln’s hometown hero Robbie X showcased his skills in front of the crowd, winning them over by the end despite the split in support between him and the more accomplished Will Ospreay.
Robbie X was at the centre of this show, as he put Lincoln on Britain’s wrestling map.