“In THE BEGINNING, they came together, and set a tone. They ignited a fire and unleashed a fury within the South West. Then that fury grew, became a passion, a call for an Army to follow, as they bared witness to that of the SECOND COMING.
And as that Army set on their way, the glory of two excellent events one after the other, there was great rejoicing as they witnessed ACT 3. The fury, the passion, and the rejoicing would become one, lead to the no limits of THURSDAY NIGHT REACH, when the people learned…If you know…you know.
But then the Army would hear the trumpets, the beckon to the call, the anticipation in preparation, as they would witness the desire of those who seek the JOURNEY FOR THE GOLD.
As they reach the culmination of the build, the end in sight, as they narrowed the field of the FINAL FOUR and succeeded in their INVASION, they looked back over the 365 DAYS gone past and rejoiced in victory.
But the time has now passed, and as the old blocks stumble and fall, they begin to look to the future. As the SECOND THURSDAY struck the calendar, we witnessed the standing of Men and Women in proclamation, crowned as their respective Champions.
They have laid the pathway for the RISE of those who follow the journey, who view the Titans of the ring and aim to join. But victory comes at a cost, and the darkness may set in soon, as we prepare for the cold and cruel unveiling, of WINTER.”
Battle For The Briefcase:
Beano Vs ‘The Winner’ PJ Jones
The Briefcase has had an interesting life already since its inception on 7th July at 365 Days Later, when it was successfully won by Charlie Sterling in a tremendous six-man ladder match featuring six of the best from the Reach Wrestling roster. Unfortunately, due to personal issues that have occurred, Sterling has had to forfeit his right to the Briefcase, effective immediately. In the aftermath of this decision, ‘The Lion’ Eddie Ryan was given the opportunity for the briefcase at Thursday Night Reach 2, but was unsuccessful in an excellent match against the man of many nicknames, David Starr. But where opportunity closes for one, it opens for another, and specifically, for the man who was closest to the Briefcase before Sterling, the Reach Army favourite Beano. Man Like Beano has recently been confirmed as one of the finalists of the Reach Tag Team Championship, alongside his compatriot ‘Dirty’ Dick Riley, and Beano himself has proven himself a gutsy underdog whose early days of losses seem behind him. However, he finds himself going up against a polarizing figure among the Reach Army.
‘The Winner’ PJ Jones entered the company at The Beginning in a less than clean victory over co-owner Jason King, which would lead to a year-long feud between Jones and Team Reach, which would lead to a bet at 365 Days Later, with Jones promising he would win a Battle Royal where the winner would be able to choose any title shot they wanted. To his frustration and embarrassment, Jones would not only lose, but his forfeit would involve dressing as a life-sized hotdog (nicknamed ‘The Wiener’) for the crowd. However, despite this embarrassment, Jones has proven himself a dastardly and clever individual, having somehow swindled a victory at TNR 2 over five tough opponents, as well as having almost proven himself the equal of Reach Heavyweight Champion Finalist Eddie Ryan. Whilst Beano may be feeling the confidence, Jones has an innate ability to come out on top against overwhelming odds, defying expectations. One thing that we can guarantee is that this match should be an absolute barnburner, and whoever takes the victory has a strong possibility of becoming the next Reach Heavyweight Champion. Will Man Like Beano double up Championship opportunity by winning the Briefcase before his upcoming Final for the Tag Team Championship, or will PJ Jones demonstrate what he already knows, that he is a Winner?
Grudge Match:
Aurora Vs LA Taylor
At the recent Reach Academy debut event, they featured their first ever women’s match, with Aurora taking on LA Taylor, an event I unfortunately had to miss. However, the feedback upon this match was that of a very successful debut for both women in a match highly enjoyed by all watch, culminating in a proud victory by LA Taylor. Taylor’s victory unfortunately was controversial, having reversed a Cross Armbreaker into a roll-up with some assistance from the nearby ropes. Following the controversy of the victory, combined with the plaudits of an entertaining match, Reach Wrestling decided to make a previously unprecedented decision: the first ever official rematch in the history of Reach Wrestling (Redman Vs Ryan doesn’t count, as their second match occurred due to them reaching the final of a tournament, not because the match was booked for a second time).
With the confidence both competitors would have gained from their performance in their first match, and the familiarity they undoubtedly have in one another, these two women have the possibility of putting on a show stealer, bringing a volatile nature to a bigger audience. Aurora will be determined to prove that her loss was a mild blip on her path towards a successful career in Reach Wrestling, but Taylor’s victory does give her the edge and she can possibly use it to get into her opponent’s head. The question becomes whether Taylor can use her tricks to cement her dominance over her rival, to move on to challenge for the Reach Women’s Championship, or will Aurora overcome her previous loss to tie the series up at 1-1? We will find out this Sunday.
Tag Team Match:
‘Country Big’ Josh Knott & ‘Bronco’ Brendan White
Vs
Joey Seven & Danny Steele
With the confirmation of Man Like Dick as the finalists on one side of the tournament, it’s now time for the other side of the brackets to determine their opponents, and we begin with two contrasting teams. On one side is the longest lasting partnership in Reach Wrestling, Knott and White having worked together since The Second Coming and proven themselves as two of the most consistently impressive wrestlers on the roster. Both men featured in the tournament for the Reach Heavyweight Championship, Knott having lost to Redman and White being downed by Grayson Reeves, and both were unsuccessful in the Six-Man Ladder Match for the Briefcase; surely there must come a point where these two workhorses will prove their strength and ability by becoming Tag Team Champions? Maybe so, but that doesn’t consider their opponents, two of the graduates from the Reach Academy, Joey Seven and Danny Steele.
There has been a developing feud between Seven and Knott, having first met in a four-on-three elimination match that also featured Seven’s debut, before going on to face one another at Reach: Invasion, with Knott gaining victory over Seven. However, when the Reach Academy Championship was on the line, Seven rose to the occasion and finally defeated his foe, becoming the first Champion. In a continuation of their feud, Seven will join his fellow graduate, Danny Steele, to take on Knott once again, with the opportunity at the Reach Tag Team Championship on the line. Will Seven and Steele continue their rise up the card by defeating two veteran workhorses, or will Josh Knott and Brendan White prove their experience will always succeed over youth and exuberance?
Singles Match:
‘Dirty’ Dick Riley Vs Kian Fox
The other half of the Tag Team Championship Finalists Man Like Dick, the crowd favourite Dick Riley, is recently coming off two strong victories over wrestling legend ‘The Phoenix’ Jody Fleisch and Charlie Sterling in singles action, as well as proving himself a tremendous challenger to future Reach Heavyweight Champion Joel Redman in the Journey For Gold Semi-Finals. Since his debut at The Beginning, Riley has proven himself as one of the most popular members of the roster, almost rivalling hometown heroes Grayson Reeves and Eddie Ryan at times. With the successful path he has crafted as a breakaway singles star, Riley will be determined to gain the opportunity to challenge for the Reach Heavyweight Championship and gain his revenge over the tricky Redman. However, he faces a tough challenge to get there, in returnee Kian Fox.
Fox has only appeared once in Reach Wrestling, but it was in a successful victory over British mainstay James Mason, shocking fans and competitors alike when he took advantage over a possible injury by Mason to gain the pinfall. Since then, Fox has bided his time for the perfect opportunity, citing his wait for the ‘right paycheck’, and in Riley, he finally sees the perfect opponent. The winner of this match should have a good chance of being catapulted into the main event scene, looking to challenge for the Reach Heavyweight Championship. Will the fan favourite Riley prove himself once again worthy of a main event, or will the unknown qualities of Fox allow him to outwit the ‘Dirty’ one?
Tag Team Match:
Heritage City Hitmen (David Eton & Ricky Reed)
Vs
Lucian Phillips & Lance Cole
One of the most underrated tag teams in Reach Wrestling history, the original iteration of the Heritage City Hitmen, return with pride as they continue their determination to prove tag team is an art. HCH have previously lamented Reach Wrestling for featuring makeshift tag teams in matches, believing it insults the art of tag team wrestling, which leaves a sense of irony in who they shall be facing. Lucian Phillips once featured in the first ever match in Reach Wrestling history, losing to now-retired Chris Andrews in his guise of ‘Psycho’ Phillips, before returning as a gradual fan favourite and rechristened as Lucian. However, Phillips’ return would be ruined during his attempt to destroy PJ Jones when he was attacked by an interfering Lance Cole, and since then, the two men have attempted to destroy one another. These attempts would lead to a double count out between the two during an elimination handicap match, and vicious attacks when included in a Six-Man Ladder Match for the Briefcase, and yet, in a playful decision, co-owner Jason King decided to partner the two together as a new tag team.
It would seem obvious that the hatred between Phillips and Cole would surely prove too much and it would be easy for the Heritage City Hitmen to take advantage to move into the Semi-Finals. However, wrestling history has proven that sometimes the worst enemies make the best of teams (Team Hell No would come to mind), and despite their differences, both Lucian Phillips and Lance Cole have proven themselves capable wrestlers as individuals. Could their individual capabilities come together to become a tremendous tag team and take advantage of an unsuspecting, possibly even arrogant, Heritage City Hitmen?
The Open Challenge:
Jason King Vs TO BE REVEALED
The first ever Reach Wrestling event, The Beginning, would be my first introduction to ‘The Best Man’, Jason King, whose Open Challenge would lead to the debut of ‘The Winner’ PJ Jones, beginning a year-long rivalry between Jones and Team Reach, a story that grew each event, rewarding fans for their support. Following his return from injury concerns and cathartic victory over former partner Adam Flint, the co-owner of Reach Wrestling emotionally confirms his true return to wrestling, as he brings back his beloved Open Challenge. The best thing about Open Challenges is that it opens a world of opportunities previously unthought of (my favourite example is always Rey Mysterio getting an opportunity at Ric Flair in 1999 for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship), and the lack of hints from Reach Wrestling make it impossible to guess. However, if I had to guess, there are several stars from previous events that could appear, such as the unbeaten Joseph Miller, who has left many an injured competitor in his wake, or maybe one of the recent debuts from Thursday Night Reach 2, such as Omari, or Rob Lias?
Or maybe a return from King’s past shall rear their ugly head? There’s the bitter Blake Harrison, recently appeared at TNR 2 in a vitriolic promo aimed towards the Reach Army, who was driven away by King’s partner in crime, Grayson Reeves. There’s also the patronising Adam Flint, previously beaten in unceremonious nature by King, who might decide to gain his revenge against his former partner? Or maybe even commentator Vinnie Clay may shock fans by bringing out one of his two behemoths, The Silverback or The Redwood, to punish King for the indiscretions he believes he’s suffered? Regardless, this match will be worth watching, as if The Beginning is any indication, this match could bring out a huge reveal with a tremendous future in Reach Wrestling.
Reach Heavyweight Championship:
Joel Redman defends against Big Grizzly
Despite his lack of appearance at Thursday Night Reach 2, Joel Redman returns for his first successful title defence as Reach Heavyweight Champion, having proven himself a wonderfully smooth and intelligence wrestler. In his lead to the Title, he outwrestled Reach Wrestling mainstays such as Josh Knott, Dick Riley, and finally Eddie Ryan, using his strength and technical ability to defeat all before him. However, standing across the ring will be a new challenge, one unlike any he has faced before, the man mountain himself, Big Grizzly. Big Grizzly has previously appeared twice, featuring in the second ever main event at The Second Coming, where he was defeated by Eddie Ryan, and then featured in the opening match at ACT 3, where he defeated Charlie Sterling. Since then, Big Grizzly has been on his travels around the country, eventually going on to feature at companies such as IPW:UK, before returning to where he has unfinished business. Grizzly may not match Redman technically or possibly even for pace but is physically more intimidating and most likely overpowers Redman, leaving Redman as possibly the underdog overall in this performance. However, there might be one area where Redman possesses the superiority, and that will be his craftiness.
In two matches, Redman has displayed a dastardly tactical strength, having caused Dick Riley to be unfairly disqualified when Redman faked an attack by Riley with a ring bell, and then attempted the same thing when facing Ryan in the Final. Whilst Redman is possibly the best technical wrestler on the roster, he has proven himself to have a lack of patience and to be easily frustrated when things don’t go his way, using underhanded tricks and sleights of hand. Grizzly, however, has come out to say that if Redman should try such tricks, he’ll end up regretting it, although that very comment suggests Redman may already be in Grizzly’s head. This match could end up coming down to who is quickest, Redman’s tricks, or Grizzly’s violent tendencies. Either way, this could be a fascinating contest featuring two of the biggest stars in Reach Wrestling, without even taking into consideration any factors such as a broken Eddie Ryan, or even a possible Briefcase winner…this match should not be missed.
Every event, Reach Wrestling attempts to push itself with something new, something bold, and something unexpected. With a Tag Team tournament in full swing, two matches featuring possible future number one contenders, a multitude of graduates from the Reach Rise Academy, and a huge main event for the Reach Heavyweight Championship, the future is looking bright for Reach Wrestling, and I cannot wait to see the action unfold…
#TeamRB
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