WOS Wrestling: Episode Eight

This week is billed as the battle of the heavyweights, while also featuring WOS’s first inter-gender tag team match and an unmasking match.

First match on the card is a number one contenders match for the women’s championship between Viper and Ayesha, with the winner facing champ Kay Lee Ray in the next episode. Although we kind of knew this match was coming after the two squared off during the Battle Royale in episode five.

This is only Ayesha’s second match and it’s not really been established if she’s a heel or a babyface (bad/good guy), but Viper is well established as a heel, however the crowd get right behind her. Not just with general chants of ”Viper, Viper”, you can also hear various people shouting things like “come on Viper”.

Match two sees WOS’s first mixed tag match, with the added twist the two teams comprise of real-life couples Will Ospreay & Bea Priestley and Stevie Boy & Kay Lee Ray. The relationships between the wrestlers being established by commentator SoCal Val during previous matches, as what seemed like offhand remarks. Val’s commentary often takes a more gossipy style, remarking on performers attire, attractiveness etc.

The women start off in the ring and the action is perfectly fine, but as soon as it’s the men’s turn the pace of the match increases considerably, this is largely down to the calibre of Ospreay as a performer, although Stevie Boy keeps up pretty well. But when the women get tagged back in the pace seems sluggish by comparison. Once the two teams start double teaming the pace levels out and the whole thing is pretty entertaining.

Then we have the second of the billed battle of the heavyweights, seeing one half of the tag team champions Lestyn Reese facing British Bulldog Jr, who ring announcer Phil Seymour introduces as Britain’s own, when in fact Bulldog Jr is actually Canadian.

Last week during a fatal four-way match Crater was finally pinned, all be it by the other three individuals in the match, Crater however took out his frustration on Robbie X, trying to rip his mask off. This week’s final match sees the follow-up, an unmasking match between the two mask men, the winner crowned after removing his opponents mask.

During the introduction of the match SoCal Val comments that one of the highlights of the original run of World of Sport Wrestling was the unmasking of Kendo Nagasaki by Big Daddy. A nice little reminder of the shows legacy.

It’s a match that’s hard to call, you can’t imagine either man loosing their mask because in both cases it’s a major part of their gimmick. In the end the loser is unmasked but covers their face to keep the mystery alive for another day. On a different note Robbie X is surely going to be a more prominent presence in series 2 judging by the crowd reaction he’s received in every match he’s been in thus far.

Have you been watching WOS Wrestling? What did you make of this episode? Let me know in the comments below