Evangelista & Pride vs. McBride & Patrick:
Jay Pride and Leanne Evangelista made their way to the ring to a mixed reaction. I think there were a lot of MWA fans in the building tonight, hoping to see these two fail in their own challenge. But the majority of the crowd were behind the duo. A “Best team in England” chant started until Jay Pride took offense and made the fans change it to “Best in the UK”. I guess some people in Oxford forgot he’s Scottish.
McBride and Patrick got a fantastic reaction as they made their way to the ring. This may have been one of the smallest crowds they’ve performed in front of but I’m sure they’ve seen few who have been as vocal. Their faces told the story, they looked excited to be here. Especially John Patrick, because this was his first match in a very long time and the first since being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.
Patrick is an inspiration, diagnosed with cancer and in hospital as recently as two months ago after collapsing in training. But he’s been adamant about coming to FRONTIER since the day Jay and Leanne first made their challenge. McBride let Patrick enter the ring on his own and take all the cheers as the crowd shouted out messages of support such as “Kick cancers ass” and “Cancer fears John Patrick.”
We get handshakes all around to start, and it’ll be McBride and Evangelista to start the match. McBride and Evangelista circle each other, and Evangelista gets the quick single leg takedown into a front chancery. McBride slides behind and grabs a waist lock, but Evangelista reverses into a quick roll-up for a one count. McBride makes the tag to Patrick, and Patrick calls for the tag to Pride. Evangelista obliges, and Pride quickly gets a rear waist lock into a front chancery. Pride is riding Patrick, and Patrick can only get to the rope to force the break.
We get a test of strength in the middle of the ring, and Pride muscles Patrick down to the mat. Patrick counters and we’re back to a stalemate. They lock up and move to the corner, so Evangelista makes the blind tag. McBride calls for the tag, and Patrick obliges. McBride lands a double-leg takedown and works over the leg. Quick tag to Patrick, and Patrick locks in the front chancery. Another quick tag to McBride, and McBride sweeps the leg and rolls into an inverted Figure Four Leg Lock.
McBride spins and bridges into the Muta Lock before making the quick tag to Patrick. Patrick punches the gut in the corner and makes the tag to McBride. McBride wrenches the arm and makes the tag to Patrick. Patrick comes off the top rope with a double ax-handle shot to the arm of Evangelista. Patrick wrenches the arm, applies a hammer lock, and makes the tag to McBride. McBride hits a top rope double stomp to the arm and goes for a cross arm breaker, but Evangelista clasps her hands to block. McBride applies a key lock and makes the tag.
Great tag work from McBride and Patrick in these early stages. You can tell these two have known each other a LONG time! Patrick goes with a modified Fujiwara Arm Bar into a hammer lock before once again making the quick tag to McBride. McBride tries to whip Leanne to the corner, but Evangelista reverses and instead whips McBride to the corner. That gives Evangelista enough time to FINALLY make the tag to Pride.
Pride whips McBride chest-first into the corner and gets a two count. Pride hits a delayed suplex for another two count. Evangelista gets the tag and drives a knee into the gut. Evangelista whips McBride HARD into the corner and gets a two count. Evangelista cinches in the body scissors, but McBride rolls into a submission stretch. Pride rushes the ring to prevent a submission and then gets the legal tag. Pride drives his head into the… um… lower abdominal region of the former MWA World Champion. Pride muscles McBride into a Figure 4 but Patrick connects with a boot the skull to break the hold.
Pride makes the tag to Evangelista, and Evangelista drives a knee into the back for a two count. Evangelista applies a side head lock on the mat, but McBride escapes and hits a clothesline. Evangelista rolls to the outside, and Pride rushes the ring to prevent McBride from nailing a baseball slide. McBride sends Pride to the outside, and we get stereo baseball slide from the MWA pair to Pride and Evangelista on the outside.
Patrick rolls Evangelista back into the ring, and McBride connects with an assisted diving head butt from the top. Patrick gets the tag and hits a monstrous chop. Patrick connects with a snap suplex for a two count and then transitions to a seated abdominal stretch. Evangelista counters into a crucifix pin for a two count. Evangelista tags Pride, and Pride lands a STIFF kick to the back of Patrick’s knee. Pride hits a knee-DT and a spinning toe hold. Evangelista gets the tag and continues to work over Patrick’s injured leg.
Patrick comes close to making the tag, but Evangelista gets a single-leg takedown and drags Patrick back to the corner. Pride gets the tag back in and tosses Patrick knee-first into the second turnbuckle. Pride locks in a leg bar, but Patrick makes it to the ropes. Pride pounds on the back and goes for a scoop powerslam, but Patrick floats out into a reverse DDT for a two count. Pride connects with the short-arm clothesline and makes the tag to Evangelista.
Patrick creates some distance and hits a diving lariat from the second rope before FINALLY making the hot tag to McBride. McBride takes Evangelista up top, but Evangelista connects with three head butts that send McBride back down to the mat. McBride heads back up top and goes to work with a vicious series of head butts of his own. McBride hits the top rope superplex but only gets a two count. McBride and Evangelista roll for a bit, but McBride ends up catching her in the Ankle Lock. Evangelista escapes and makes the tag to Pride, but McBride catches Pride with a crucifix pin.
Evangelista makes the save. Patrick chops Evangelista as McBride kicks Pride. Patrick and McBride hit stereo clotheslines to Pride and Evangelista and follow with a double big boot to Pride for a two count. McBride hits a powerbomb on Evangelista with an assist from Patrick, and we’ve got stereo rolling German suplexes from Pride and Evangelista to McBride and Patrick. The MWA duo reverse and hit stereo rolling German suplexes of their own. Pride and Evangelista reverse again and go back to the stereo rolling German suplexes! But McBride and Patrick counter into stereo roll-ups for duplicate near falls.
All four are down in the middle of the ring as we get a “This is wrestling!” chant from the crowd. An awesome display from these two legends from the MWA and the young British pair of Evangelista and Pride. Another great showcase match for FRONTIER.
Evangelista and Patrick slug it out in the middle of the ring, but I have no idea if they’re the legal pair. I actually think Pride and McBride are legal at the moment. Patrick takes out Evangelista, but Pride gets back to his feet and damn near kills McBride with a vicious rebound lariat. Pride goes for the cover, but Patrick catches him with a lariat of his own. Evangelista hits Patrick with the Filipina Legsweep, and McBride connects with a volley of forearm shots to the back of Evangelista’s head. Evangelista counters into an inverted atomic drop, and Pride follows with a second rebound lariat for a LONG two count.
Pride and Evangelista take McBride up top, but McBride dumps Evangelista to the outside. Pride heads up top, but McBride sends him back down to the mat. Pride pops back up top with a big kick and looks for the superplex once more, but Patrick catches him with a boot to the head. Patrick assists McBride with a big side slam from the top. McBride locks in the Ankle Lock on Pride as Patrick locks in the Achilles lock on Evangelista, but Pride and Evangelista kick out and send the MWA duo into each other. Pride catches McBride with the Pride Eater and FINALLY gets the three count.
Your winners, from FRONTIER, Jay Pride & Leanne Evangelista.
What an outstanding match that was! Truly breathtaking at times, these two teams showed some excellent teamwork and blew the crowd away. But as the dust settled and the crowd were on their feet applauding the four fighters Scott Mayo walked to the ring. John Patrick and Sean McBride didn’t look to happy to see him, not surprising bearing in mind what happened between them on BattleZone. Mayo asked for a mic and directly addressed the MWA duo.
He said that on Monday night he told a story to the world about how Sean McBride cost him his job. He said McBride came to FRONTIER’s predecessor, the UKWA, as part of an MWA team. He said McBride helped kill the UKWA. He said that, today, Sean came back and helped show the world that FRONTIER is the greatest wrestling promotion in Europe. He thanked McBride and Patrick and told them they’d be welcome back here any time.
Just as Mayo was shaking hands with the MWA duo there was a disturbance in the crowd as a figure leapt over the guardrail and slid into the ring. The man grabbed the microphone from Scott Mayo and addressed the audience. He said that FRONTIER picked the wrong team to appear here tonight. He said that there was another team that offered to challenge Pride and Evangelista. A team from High Octane Wrestling. He said that Scott Mayo was too scared to let this team appear. He said that HOW will not be denied a chance to prove themselves better than anyone FRONTIER has to offer. He said this team will be in Wolverhampton next month, whether Mayo liked it or not!