In 2023, NORTH Wrestling set out to put on its biggest ever show, Thunderstruck, at the Walker Dome. Away from the relative safety of its spiritual home of Anarchy Brewery, the event was wildly successful, even spawning a behind the scenes documentary. One year later, could the Newcastle based promotion capture lightning in a bottle for the second time?
Where the first iteration of Thunderstruck called upon a couple of legends straight from WWE’s Attitude Era, Thunderstruck 2 and its card aimed to tip the scales towards long term story-telling. Scores to be settled, titles on the line and friendships potentially ended. Starting the night with an eight man tag match, captains Myles Kayman and Henry Faust attempted to settle their growing rivalry by piecing together a team to ensure bragging rights belonged to them. While Kayman opted for the team of Yorkshire Tough and snarling bodyguard Kemper, Faust opted for cult favourite Kegstacker, local boy Lou Nixon and a shock NORTH debut for TNA’s Trent Seven.
Not one for the rule-abiding citizens in attendance, the action spilling out to ringside almost immediately. Team Faust grabbed the first victory of the night after Kayman and Kemper abandoned Reece & Rogan, leaving the Yorkshiremen to unsuccessfully fend for themselves against the four man team.
Best of British
After some verbal lashings disguised as ring introductions by their other halves, Michael Oku (with Amira) vs Mark Haskins (with Vicky Haskins) pitted two of Britain’s best against each other, as Oku searched for a result that would reverse his recent run of defeats at NORTH shows.
A Fosbury Flop over the top rope into a shooting star press from Oku just one astonishing moment from a fast and furious bout. It would be Amira and Vicky Haskins that would ultimately decide the match’s finish however. Tired of the constant distractions by the fairer Haskins, the former locked in a half crab on Vicky at the exact same time as Oku trapped Mark in one of his own. When you’re billed as the master of that particular submission move, you better believe there’s no escape. A proud Newcastle United fan, this was a win that went down very well with the partisan crowd.
A fatal four way match between some amazing talent saw Eve Bateman beat Debbie Keitel, Natalie Sykes and Allie Katch with a huge forearm smash to an unsuspecting Keitel. For the majority of the match it looked like Sykes and Katch’s team work would come in clutch but with every woman for herself, Bateman claimed her biggest victory in NORTH to date.
As the card for Thunderstruck 2 began to take shape, the pairing of Joe Hendry Vs Elijah immediately received widespread attention from fans and media alike. A clash of two musical maestros, if everything else to this point of the night had been indie-centric, this was quintessential WWE.
Appearing before the NORTH faithful and delivering his classic guitar-strumming, “Who wants to walk with Elijah?” schtick, the ex-WWE Superstar lamented the recent hype surrounding his opponent and gaining some nuclear heat by uttering his preference for Sunderland. Interrupted by a trademark Joe Hendry musical parody set to the tune of KC & The Sunshine Band’s, Give It Up (Henry took his job, took his job, Henry took his job…) and entrance garnered the loudest pop of the night.
It’s difficult to fully explain the excitement surrounding Joe Hendry right now. One of the hottest commodities in professional wrestling, it is vindication that hard work pays off. A mainstay in the North East wrestling scene for going on a decade now, Hendry has recently credited NORTH for rekindling his passion for the industry. With everyone in attendance gleefully singing his chart topping entrance theme, the Scotsman also enjoyed a ridiculously long line for a meet and greet as well as his mech table before, during and after the show. With more NXT appearances scheduled, it looks likely that both TNA and WWE will continue to say his name as much as possible. His match here was relatively short, picking up a roll up pin before a post match endorsement from a game Elijah.
Tables, Ladders & Chairs…Oh My!
In what was arguably the best match of the night, Rhio & Emersyn Jayne defended their NORTH Tag Team Championships against Post Modern Sick Boys, Will Kroos & Rampage Brown and The Landed Gentry in a TLC Match. There have been so many ladder matches in recent years it’s become increasingly difficult to see any real kind of ingenuity. Happily, that wasn’t the case here. After tearing both themselves and Anarchy Brewery apart, the teams of Post Modern Sick Boys and Kroos & Rampage looked set for another war.
Hopping the barricade and into the crowd, the action was frenetic from start to finish. From jumping off the top of the bleachers to package piledrivers through tables, this match will live long in the memory for all in attendance. One particular highlight reel moment saw Jayne execute a Spanish Fly on Liam Slater from the ladder onto a pair of steel chairs below. Rory Coyle, the resident hardcore NORTH legend put pain over glory and crashed through a table much to the chagrin of his partner Slater. This was a case of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory with Liam abandoning the titles in favour of checking on his stricken tag team partner.
And so, the victory went to The Landed Gentry. Just as Coyle looked to inflict more misery on Benji at a Thunderstruck event, the latter used one of Coyle’s explosive VHS tapes to quite literally blow up in the Video Nasty’s face. They were not the most popular victors of the night, but after years of taking pelters from crowds and in Benji’s case, suffering the embarrassment of having his head shaved, it’s hard to begrudge Landed Gentry their big moment. That is until later in the night when they helped their running buddy, Ace Matthews claim a win over Clint Margera to become the Ultraviolent Champion. Stretching the boundaries of the family friendly tag, Margera looked set for a routine win and even a chance to use a barbed wire table when The Landed Gentry turned the tide and fortune of the match. You’ll struggle to find a more reluctant champion than Matthews, as the sudden realisation of the kinds of matches he has to look forward to dawned heavily on the new champ’s face.
One of the biggest names in British wrestling has long been Scottish star Grado. At Thunderstruck 2 he paired with Gene Munny to take on the latter’s former stable mates, Lykos Gym. Comedy spots galore, the families in attendance really seemed to enjoy this one with the pairing of Grado and Munny firmly in their entertaining element. For wrestling aficionados, Gene Munny walking the ropes in an Undertaker old school spot while singing a hefty chunk of the Deadman’s “You’re Gonna Pay” entrance theme, was easily the moment of the night.
The penultimate match of the night saw Liverpool’s own, Lizzy Evo take on TJPW’s Miyu Yamashita. In a technical masterclass, it looked like Yamashita’s continued targeting on the arm and shoulder of Evo would pay dividends but with the proud Scouser more than held her own and managed to pick up somewhat of a shock win after a couple of small packages bore fruit.
Main Event Musings
Which brings us to the main event of the evening. Man Like Deriess Vs Leon Slater for the NORTH Wrestling Championship. Even first stages between the two competitors showcased just how well the pair know each other after years of teaming together. A blockbuster from the top rope looked to swing momentum towards the Lyrical Dragon, but Slater’s time in TNA saw the fledgling star quickly offer a riposte and bring up the pace of the match. A nasty spill for both men to the outside slowed the battle down one last time as a double count out threatened to spoil a potential NORTH classic. Constant attacks and submissions zeroing in on the challenger’s knee pointed to a long night for anyone from the 01-21 area. However, a cutter that Randy Orton himself would have been proud of granted Deriess the nearest of near falls.
Throughout the fight, Leon Slater showed a cockiness previously unseen in a NORTH ring, and spent the majority of the match on top. It would be an attitude that would nearly prove to be his downfall. Literally spitting in Deriess’ face was the final straw, awakening the challenger and providing enough adrenaline to rally against the champion. With his opponent prone on the mat, Deriess attempted a 450 splash but was thwarted by Slater pulling the ref into his position instead. As an increasingly frustrated Leon tried to gain the upper hand by using his championship to claim an underhanded win, former mentor and opponent at last year’s Thunderstruck, Liam Slater pleaded with his apprentice not to win that way.
A miscalculation turned into mischief however, as Liam would inadvertently receive a kick from Deriess before the former champion gifted the win to Leon by using the belt to the challenger’s head away from the ref’s view. A shocking end to an epic battle and one that will no doubt have implications further down the road for all involved. Refreshingly, this was a victory for progressive storytelling over a quick feel-good moment. It takes not just the talent in the ring, but those in attendance to buy into moments like these and return to see what happens next. Thankfully NORTH has cultivated faith in both those areas, just one of the reasons it is regarded as one of the very best in Britain right now.
Northern Soul
NORTH has the unenviable task of catering to as wide an audience as possible. Unlike their regular shows at the spiritual home of Anarchy Brewery, Thunderstruck 2 is advertised and executed as a family friendly event. This doesn’t mean any of the charm or spirit of NORTH is lost to a wider and younger audience however. Instead, young fans are simply entrusted to know you don’t put someone through a table or smash an aluminium bin over anyone else’s head. Judging by the response of the copious amounts of families in attendance absorbed in every moment of the action, it’s a move greatly received.
With WWE as hot as it has been in decades, British wrestling must strike while the iron is hot. It may have been much maligned in some quarters, but NXT UK/Europe currently lies dormant and defunct, and the Brit indie scene has begun to pick itself back up like it always has. When something is talked about in glowing terms like professional wrestling is right now, it’s important to foster and nurture a new generation of fans while the picking is ripe. Events like Thunderstruck 2 will go a long way to helping showcase the very best our fair shores have to offer. Hard-hitting, funny, emotional. The card crafted here, hit every expectation and perhaps even surpassed last year’s inaugural show at the Walker Dome. That night will go down in history because it was the culmination of every show to that point. But as it is with movie sequels, the bar was set and set high by its predecessor. Thankfully Thunderstruck 2 managed to balance welcoming new attendees while rewarding the loyal NORTH Faithful crowd that sell-out every event.
Where most promotions (sometimes including WWE) could have been tempted to stick to a clean, safe ending to cap off a record attendance, NORTH stayed the course and allowed storytelling to become the ultimate winner. While the next show in Newcastle is back to an over 18 event, another family friendly outing follows quickly. With some huge talking points setting up future shows nicely, a hint that the promotion are preparing to go (ahem) All In with an event, shows just how ambitious everyone involved truly is.
