THE TWO SHEDS REVIEW by Julian Radbourne
E-mail: twosheds316@aol.com
Website: www.twoshedsreview.com & www.myspace.com/twosheds316
Last October four wrestlers entered an invitational tournament organised by Australian wrestling legend Ox to determine the number one contender to Steve Frost’s Wrestlerock title. So who, out of Laser, Daniel Swagger, Stephan Cool and Slex managed to get the title shot? Well, that’s what we’re here for as we take another trip down under with a look at Greystoke Entertainment’s Wrestlerock 3.
After the usual introductions from hosts Julian James and Chris Fresh, and after we get a view of the lovely Emily Grace, we see footage of Wrestlerock Sheriff Ox getting taken out by several masked guys, which explains his absence from the show. Our hosts are then interrupted by Brave Dave, who comes out with a set of safety rules for the fans and the wrestlers (no drinking, no swearing, etc.), which certainly doesn’t endear him to the crowd. Who ever heard of an Australian not drinking? Dave then promises to return later to issue open challenge for later in the show.
Then it’s on to the action, and the first match in the Ox Invitational, as Laser takes on Daniel Swagger. The former partners put on a barn stormer of an opener. Swagger has a sort of cool-cockiness about him as a heel, and is probably the better man in this bout, which sadly doesn’t help him as Laser emerges victorious after a high leg drop to the back of Swagger’s head.
The second semi-final match follows, with Slex taking on “the most beautiful man in the cosmos” (his quote not mine) Stephan Cool. Another impressive match here, although some of Cool’s actions certainly wouldn’t go down well with the un-PC crowd out there. Cool almost got the victory with a sleep hold, but got a little bit ahead of himself after Slex’s arm only dropped twice. After celebrating what he thought was a victory, Slex took him out with his slex-ecution kick to gain the victory and a spot in the final.
Backstage, Steve Frost and Rohan Herbstreit claim that they had nothing to do with the attack on Ox, and Rohan says that Frost will retain his title later on in the evening.
Brave Dave, now in his wrestling attire, then returns to the ring for his open challenge. Dave’s challenge is answered by none other than the hardcore maniac Mad Dog. The Dog manages to forego his hardcore tendencies for the majority of this entertaining encounter, until he’s tempted to use his barbed wire chair. After the referee stops him, Dave catches him with a low blow, which only serves to enrage the Dog as he takes his man out with a death valley driver through a ringside table, which earns him a disqualification. I knew that he’d have to do this sort of thing sooner or later!
Time for another video package, as another hardcore wrestler, KrackerJak, takes us on a tour of the Kracker’s Continental, his version of Ricky Diamond’s Hardcore Hotel, for Wrestlerock 4. Needless to say that the Mad Dog accepts the challenge. Then it’s interview time, with the returning tag-team Double Impact, who looked highly impressive in the short video package. Just as they’re about to announce their comeback, their interrupted by Sebastian Walker and the Bulldog. Walker brings out their long-lost “little brother”, Little Impact. Yep, you guessed it, he’s a midget. As the twins despatch the midget in a non-violent manner, the Lebanese shoot fighter, Karnish, comes to the ring, and proceeds to get his ass kicked double-team style. As they’re about to finish Kanish off, Walker and the Bulldog come to the ring and are taken out. Even the midget gets in on the act. Walker then issues a challenge for Wrestlerock 4. A very good segment here, and a good way to set up an encounter at the following show.
A return to action next in the tournament final, as Slex takes on Laser. A good little match here between the two baby faces, although it did look a little sloppy at times, with both men almost getting the win on a number of occasions. Slex almost got the win after his slex-ecution kick, but was attacked by his semi-final opponent, Stephan Cool. Slex was counted out as he brawled with Cool outside the ring, giving Laser the title shot.
As soon as the match finished, Wrestlerock champion Steve Frost, accompanied as always by his manager Rohan Herbstreit, came to the ring for the title match, with Laser still lying on the mat. Frost proceeds to take Laser apart, and would have had the cover after a sit-down power bomb had Rohan not pulled him off and told him to inflict more punishment on the challenger. As Frost argued with his manager, Laser came up from behind and got the pin with a schoolboy roll-up, winning the title. A good story and match here as the underdog Laser came out on top.
DVD extras come in the form of the usual backstage promos, as well as a couple of archive matches, one of them involving the highly impressive Double Impact, as they take on Vanity Inc in a match dating back to 2003.
In conclusion – these Aussie shows just keep getting better. Okay, there were a couple of sloppy moments, but Wrestlerock 3 shows that the good people at Greystoke Entertainment are heading in the right direction with these shows, and my contact down under tells me that Wrestlerock 4 is even better than this one. So in short, this one is highly recommended.
With thanks to Rohan Herbstreit for supplying a copy of this release. For more information on Wrestlerock and their upcoming shows, visit www.wrestlerock.com.au.
Now it’s time to plug a few items;
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Some of my work has made it into book form, with the first two stories of my 1990 Anglo-Force series, co-written with my brother Paul, The Two Sheds Review: Wrestling Pulp Fiction, featuring three wrestling-based fictional stories, and A Cornish Adventure, an account, complete with my photos, of my trip to the Cornwall in May 2001. All three books are now available to buy in either book form or via download in PDF format via www.lulu.com/twosheds316. And if you haven’t brought a copy yet, then shame on you!
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