30th November, 2019 – KFR Centre, Dublin, Ireland

I love shows in the KFRC in Tallaght. It’s a 5 minute drive from my house, it’s beside a massive supermarket for beers and getting home is easy. Win win. The KFRC is the mid sized venue OTT needs in the absence of the Tivoli. It’s accessible by public transport, mid sized and can keep a good atmosphere in the place. It’s also great for drink prices with €4.50 for a pint of Tuborg (They had Budweiser, Guinness, Tuborg and Coors light on tap).

I had an early entry ticket and met up with the usual regulars in the OTT queue. I enjoyed a Hop-On by Hope Beer Session IPA in the queue (a 4.0 on Untappd – if you’re that way inclined) and discussed several topics with James (@newsabre) and Eamonn (@no_more_mutants) including the previous night’s Fight Club Pro show, adventures from James’s recent trip to Japan and potential matches of the decade.

There was a pre-show Q&A which was fun if you’re into that sort of thing but there was nothing noteworthy. Guests were Speedball Mike Bailey, Katey Harvey and More Than Hype. MTH sat in a single office chair and span around every few minutes. B-Cool eventually crashed it and made it about himself. The big takeaway is how well Speedball comes across as a person and the revelation that OTT promoter Joe Cabray has no idea who Tigre Uno is despite advertising him in 2017 (but subsequently not actually booking him).

Classified Results:

Terry Thatcher def. Omari, Kyle Fletcher, Calum Black & Mao

Aidan def. Liam Royal

Kings of the North def. Bestia 666 & Mechawolf

Katey Harvey def. Debbie Keitel

Scotty Davis Def. Ren Narita

Paddy M def. B Cool

Lucha Bros & Rey Horus def. More Than Hype

David Starr def. Speedball Mike Bailey

Thoughts:

All in all, a very middle of the road OTT show apart from the semi-main and main event. There was something off about the 5-way scramble and it didn’t feel like it hit the right notes or tone as you’d expect with the guys involved. Omari did look great but it was sloppy at times and felt frantic in a bad way. The tease of a match with Calum and Terry at the end was good though.

Aidan vs. Liam Royal was fun, short and enjoyable (and what it needed to be). I’m not a big fan of Royal taking the loss even if it’s by roll up as I felt that it’s against what they’ve been building on recent shows.

I spent the Kings match outside in the cold chatting to the good folk who don’t give a shit about Kings matches and supporting Mechawolf so no comment there.

Harvey vs. Keitel was very good with Katey still shaking off the ring rust here but her strong chemistry with Debbie meant it was perfectly good.

Scotty vs. Narita was exactly what you’d hope it to be. Both guys hate their necks and this was a great showing for Narita in defeat. Scotty has stepped up another level this year and it’s a joy to watch him grow as a performer.

B Cool vs. Paddy M was a late booking as B Cool’s scheduled opponent Mark Haskins was sick. B Cool has been a highlight of OTT since Angel has left and his comedy shtick is getting over. He’s a absolute bollox but you can’t help but love him. It was great seeing Paddy M bust out the greatest hits again too. Joe Cabray getting involved in the match is going to irk some people but it’s building to a Cabray vs. B Cool match at some point in the future and I’m here for it.

The second half began with the lucha rules match and this woke up a crowd that was in danger of being lost. More Than Hype held their own in here against one of the best teams in the world right now in the Lucha Bros. Nathan Martin is an absolute star – for someone who has been wrestling for just over 2 years, he’s light years ahead of where he should be. Watch this match when it drops on Video On Demand.

The main event delivered too and we got a glimpse of what to expect from David Starr’s title defences. It was vicious, hard hitting and brutal in places. Starr acted as a conductor with the crowd raising his arms and stopping on command. The crowd is still understandably split on the champ though but a large number are still drinking the Independent Kool Aid.

Starr furthered the “us vs them” argument after the match with a great promo. He invited the ring crew and security into the ring (mostly trainees) and asked them if they believe in him. The trainees then raised Starr above their shoulders. I’m still not sure where OTT are going with Starr as champ and it’s great. OTT’s main event scene is still one to keep an eye on even in the absence of Jordan Devlin.

The first half of the show felt a little flat overall but the phenomenal semi-main and great main event brought this show up. This is the last of the main shows with the next being More Than Hype’s Christmas Party Contenders show in December. Despite the venue issues and uncertainty with their main event talent, it’s been another stellar year for the Irish promotion. Roll on 2020.

✏️ @GaryOnGraps