There was a time in my life where I was obsessed with watching as much wrestling as possible.
It was a badge of honour, an incredibly nerdy one, to have poured through countless hours of wrestling, spending all of my free time gorging on grappling action from Mexico to Japan and everywhere else in between.
As a man now sickeningly close to his thirties (it’s weeks away), that free time is limited by the shackles of adulthood. Caring for a family, working a “proper grown up” job and looking after a home means that free time is at a premium and has to be maximised.
Part of this change has meant that I simply don’t watch as much wrestling as before, but it’s something that I’m okay with.
With my free time being in shorter supply, just having “good” matches doesn’t draw me in like it once would. For me, pro wrestling has to matter
American TV wrestling on the whole isn’t my cup of tea, especially when you need to set aside 10+ hours a week to keep up with it all.
You have to make me truly care, for me to carve out that time now.
At True Grit, they put on wrestling that matters. They’re a company that makes people care and True Grit: Redemption was loaded with emotional moments and landscape altering incidents.
Coinciding with what is already traditionally the biggest night of the year for the company, Redemption was also the first True Grit show to be livestreamed on Triller TV as part of a 12 month streaming deal with the platform.
On such a momentous occasion, it was important that TGW opened the evening by putting their best foot forward and they did just that by showcasing the Pride Championship.
While many companies, both in wrestling and in the wider world, say that they’re inclusive, True Grit are actually proactive in making their community inclusive. Adam Bolt is in a much better place than me to explain why, which he did on Twitter recently.
Showcasing the Pride Championship also meant showcasing the champion. Adam Bolt has got star potential. The way he carries himself and interacts with the crowd screams big time and he backs that up with the ability to deliver in-ring.
Accompanied by his right hand man Jackie T, Bolt faced Jason Joshua, a powerhouse wrestler in a match that ticked all of my boxes for kicking off a show – clear good guy/bad guy dynamics to get the crowd geared up and exciting action.
Joshua used his strength advantage to chuck Bolt all across the ring with a host of suplexes and slams. It was nice to see you getting beat up, Adam.
While Joshua had the clear upper hand from a physical aspect, he was out-manned with Jackie T repeatedly sticking his beak in to interfere with proceedings.
A Frog Splash looked to have been enough for Joshua to get the pinfall before Jackie interrupted the count. This continued when Bolt slithered out of Joshua’s grasp while the pair were on the top turnbuckle.
Bolt dramatically threw himself at the feet of the referee which gave Jackie the opportunity to compromise Joshua’s leg, taking the big man off balance. Bolt capitalised by kicking out the leg before hitting a diving stunner to retain the championship. BOOOOOOOO (but in a this was brilliant way).
Next up, Billy O’Keefe went one-on-one with Mega Colibre. Colibre comes out to Daddy Yankee’s Gasolina so he’s automatically the best lucha in the world, you can keep your Misticos and your Mascara Doradas, mush.
In keeping with the “making people care” vibe of everything, there was a family sat in front of me at the show with a young lad.
He’d bought a Lucha mask from the merch tables earlier in the night and he was absolutely loving every little thing that Mega Colibre was doing – that’s what it’s all about.
With nothing on the line in terms of titles or in a storyline sense, this was the perfect calming breath before the plunge where the crowd could sit back and enjoy some fun wrestling without having their nerves smashed to bits as O’Keefe got the win.
That might sound patronising but it was sorely needed on this show especially with what was to come, with four set piece matches scheduled.
The first of those four was a No Disqualification contest between Nathan Black and Paul Stewart.
Paul is a member of the True Grit faithful and leader of the Nsereko section. He is a fan like you and me, but over the past few months, he has been the target of Nathan Black.
Black has repeatedly attacked him, both verbally and physically, as both a member of the audience and during in-ring competition after Paul eliminated him from the Rumble and having his NRG cronies take on Paul in a match.
These attacks haven’t been limited to Paul though, with Black berating the Stewart family on countless occasions. Paul might be a fan but he is first and foremost a Dad and partner, so he laid out the challenge for a match with Nathan. True Grit owner JC, in his “divine wisdom” made this No DQ because he’s a bit of a prick, isn’t he?
After roasting the crowd and the Stewart family on the microphone, Black engaged Paul in a few lockups, or more accurately in a few opportunities to take the mickey out of his opponent.
He wasn’t taking things seriously, an attitude which backfired when he aimed a kick below the belt, something Paul had scouted and prepared for by wearing a cup. Top drawer point and laugh moment at the villain.
As Paul started to gain little victories in the opening stretch of the match, Black’s piss-takey attitude gave way to anger, like a petulant child who hasn’t got his way. This reached a boiling point when, on the outside, he shoved Paul’s partner to the ground, sending “Daddy Cool” into a wild frenzy.
The aggro cranked up from here, with Black leathering Paul around the Left Bank with kendo stick shots, wet floor sign strikes being traded between the pair and Paul diving from the former church’s pulpit.
Forever the bully, “The Comedian” was also picking on members of the crowd and True Grit staff, being given a tremendous double middle finger salute from a young lad in the front row.
As with any bully, there are reasons for Black’s behaviour. There can be no excuse for targeting a man and his family, but there are reasons.
Nathan Black is a fantastic slapstick baddy, who routinely shows arse and is made a fool of, but that frustration has to go somewhere. Like a schoolyard bully who has problems at home or is targeted by the bigger boys, Nathan Black punches downwards.
However, at his core, he is still a slapstick baddy and he would get his comeuppance here when the entire Stewart family teamed together to bring down their tormentor.
Paul and his partner taped Black to the ropes before everyone got their licks in – including Paul’s kids getting payback for their Dad with some swift kicks to the bollocks – and when Black broke free, Paul hit a final lowblow before a family pile-on got the win.
The moral of the story? Never mess with a man when it comes to his family.
The story of the next match, our first-half main event, wasn’t about one sole issue. When True Grit owner JC and his Regime faced Team Nsereko in an 4-on-4 elimination tag, it was about power, control, vengeance and opportunity.
At the heart of this tale are two former friends, James Carr and Wesley Nsereko. At Friday Night Face Off in September, JC cost Nsereko the chance to win the TGW Heavyweight title against Brady Phillips when Carr, who was acting as the referee for that match, refused to count the 3.
This has boiled over into all-out warfare between the pair, with Carr’s newly formed Regime of Sash, Franco Fate and Brad Matthews (often Phillips and Riley Nova) targeting Nsereko at every turn as well as anyone else who stands in the Regime’s way.
Carr’s beef with the former Gladiators star comes from precisely that – that Nsereko has tried to use his company as a “stepping stone” to further his career while men like Brady Phillips, Sash, Fate and Matthews care about True Grit.
To get the full picture of Carr’s grievances, I’d highly reccommend checking out Bobby Cash’s in-depth interview with the owner, where JC expertly blends grains of truth with pure delusion.
While JC has repeatedly claimed that his actions have had the best interests of True Grit in mind, ironically his actions have threatened to rip the company apart.
The lawless nature of The Regime and Phillips and Nova, as well as the likes of Nathan Black who has been empowered by the example of the man in power to do as they please, hasn’t just affected the active roster.
True Grit staff went on strike until safer working environments could be guaranteed on show days, while Bobby Cash was appointed to the board for one night only (for now) and given three actions he could make in regards to the show.
The strike, which occurred via social media, is just one example of the work that is done by the True Grit crew outside of events to get people invested.
Even away from the weekly newsletters and hype videos, it’s not uncommon to see members of the roster arguing on Twitter on a random Tuesday afternoon.
That extra layer keeps those stories or upcoming matches lodged in your brain and gets you buzzing for the next show. More promotions should follow that lead.
If Team Nsereko (Wesley, Joey Slade and CrashBoat) were able to win here, then Nsereko would get a match with JC, one-on one. However, if The Regime won, Nsereko would be out of True Grit forever.
With the battle lines drawn and the stakes as high as they possibly could be, it was time to ring that bell. Ding, ding motherfuckers.
Carr faked starting the match against Nsereko and instead tagged in Sash to kick things off, as the good guys took turns battering Sash every which way. More of Sash getting battered please, True Grit.
The Regime’s game plan revolved around targeting Joey Slade and utilising their chemistry. The 18-year-old was continuously isolated and beaten down while some sneaky tactics created the opportunities to quickly eliminate both members of CrashBoat.
Slade has been consistently mocked by JC for months and when The Regime had broken down the teenager enough to his liking, Carr entered the match to lay into him.
After being told he didn’t belong in this company, Slade showed real True Grit and dished out some revenge on the owner, almost turning the tide and tagging Nsereko until Sash cut him off, leading to his elimination at the hands of Fate and Matthews.
This left Nsereko at a 4 vs. 1 disadvantage, but with the crowd behind him, the Ugandan hero went hell for leather to try and topple The Regime.
As the Left Bank roared in delight, Nsereko quickly mowed through Sash, Matthews and Fate to even the odds. As his men fell one by one, JC could only look on in fear.
Though he was decked out in his jiu-jitsu attire and proclaimed that he was a “legit badass”, Carr stood by and watched his henchmen get eliminated even when he could have broken up pins.
With his attempt to flee backstage blocked off by CrashBoat, JC was forced into the ring to receive a joyous beat down from Nsereko. With a win seemingly inevitable for Wesley, JC shoved his rival into the ref, sparking a team-wide brawl and a flying Ugandan headbutt that only managed the visual pinfall rather than an official victory.
As the ring cleared, JC brandished a steel chair ready to strike until it was ripped away from his hands by Joey Slade. As Nsereko prepared to plunge JC through the canvas, the anticipatory rumble of excitement swept round the venue, with the fans ready to go ballistic.
That sensation of impending victory was shattered when Joey Slade cracked the chair over Nsereko’s back. The power, the control in True Grit resides with The Regime, and the impressionable teenager has taken a shortcut to getting the opportunities he’d promised to earn. You little bastard.
As a Pedigree from JC and the 1,2,3 followed, the curtain came down on Nsereko’s time in True Grit Wrestling. It has been a long time since I’ve stood in a room full of wide-eyed wrestling fans genuinely stunned into silence.
The shock, dejection and silence were soon broken by thankful chants for one of the pillars of the promotion. It won’t be the same without Wesley Nsereko.
After a much-needed interval, Bobby Cash’s first action as a temporary member of the board came into play for the championship rematch between Vusyk and Brady Phillips.
Phillips’ protege Riley Nova was to be locked in a shark cage after directly impacting the result of the initial matchup at the Rumble. Though he protested, True Grit officials and the snarling Vusyk forced him inside.
I would happily take being locked in a shark cage if it meant being able to watch Vusyk and Brady Phillips beat the shit out of each other.
As the pair brawled around ringside and exchanged power moves, it made me incredibly appreciative of the fact that I can watch top-tier performers like this in the flesh by getting on a train for just over an hour.
While Brady Phillips is a stellar wrestler in his own right, he has made a habit of escaping with the TGW Heavyweight Championship by the skin of his teeth for months, due to the assistance of Nova and through his own underhanded tactics. Even a shark cage couldn’t stop that.
Unable to beat Vusyk by himself, Phillips attempted to free Nova. The ensuing kerfuffle between the wrestlers and referees led to the cage going flying and breaking apart.
With the action now back in the ring, Nova slinked his way towards ringside and when Vusyk was kicked towards the ropes after a pinning attempt, he blasted the Czech challenger with the belt to hand his mentor another successful title defence.
As they stuck the boots to Vusyk in the aftermath, Brady declared that nobody was capable of beating him and that when he was finally done with True Grit, Riley Nova would simply take his place as champion.
Arrogance is the death of men and Phillips could well find that out on May 9th as a on-screen video from KEMPER detailed that Bobby Cash’s final executive order was to place him and Phillips in a STEEL CAGE MATCH for the title. Oh Brady, mate, oh dear you are in trouble.
The penultimate contest pitted Lana Austin against the upcoming Hollie Barlow, who is growing into being a fan favourite at True Grit. The crowd was split here between cheering for Hollie and enjoying Lana’s antics, because she’s far too funny for her own good.
With Women’s Champion Rhio returning at the next show on April 12th, this could’ve been viewed as a potential #1 contender’s match but instead it seems like these two are heading more towards the tag team division.
Though Lana had to cheat to win, grabbing hold of the ropes during a pin attempt, Hollie seemed unfazed and instead told Lana that True Grit needed the pair of them to come together as one.
If the post-show videos on Lana’s social media are anything to go by, we’re in for some major laughs with the duo while there’s also the possibility that this could follow in the footsteps of the terrific Ivy and Zizi story in the future. COUNT ME IN.
Speaking of tag teams, that brings us to the main event (as ordered by Bobby Cash), between Meat Wagon and NashBoat for the True Grit Tag Team Championships.
NashBoat, the team of Ace Matthews and Wing Commander Nash, had never won a match in True Grit. Frankly, JC didn’t want them in the company – something he made clear by adding the stipulation that they could never challenge for the belts again if they lost here – and it was fan power that propelled them into the Jacob’s Ladder match where only the shithousery of Meat Wagon’s manager Tom McManus stopped them claiming the belts.
Though they’d almost capitalised on the chaos of the ladder match to claim victory, this felt like an even bigger challenge. There were no shortcuts or silliness that they could count on.
This was simply Ace and Nash against one of the best tag teams in the country, but the underdogs were determined to BEAT THE MEAT and the entire Left Bank was behind them.
Tag team wrestling is an art form within an art form. I never want to hear people refer to tag team wrestling as a sideshow, subpar or as second fiddle to singles wrestling because when it’s done like it was here by Meat Wagon and NashBoat, it can be magical. I was cheering for Ace Matthews for fuck sake!
Whenever NashBoat were able to get on top, Meat Wagon would cut off the momentum with expert timing, either hitting nasty double team combos or halting the relief of a tag.
Still, NashBoat kept plugging away, with the support of the True Grit faithful powering them onto their finest performance in the promotion.
The unthinkable almost became reality when they landed a double team move onto Troy Ryan but Anderson Daniels dragged the ref out before the count of 3 before she was clocked round the back of the head by Tom McManus.
Ryan hit double low blows to the heroes and threw Ace aside, as McManus climbed into the ring.
With Wing Commander Nash at the mercy of the Meat, McManus stepped up to the plate to hammer the final nail in NashBoat’s coffin with his shoe but Nash ducked, the homerun hit instead finding the forehead of Daniels.
Nash then dodged an attack from Ryan, sending him crashing into McManus before teeing up Ace for a Destroyer. Nash took to the skies (from the second rope) before splashing down onto Ryan for the win. The win.
THE WIN. NASHBOAT ARE YOUR NEW TRUE GRIT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS.
If I’m in the crowd for a more joyous moment in British Wrestling this year, I’m going to be a lucky ducky.
As rubber ducks filled the ring, fans high-fived and hugged with joy, the realisation came over Ace and Nash as they embraced and the tears flowed, capping a night of incredible twists and turns.
Tom McManus, on what turned out to be his final night in wrestling, handed the belts to NashBoat with a handshake before leaving his shoes in the middle of the ring as the new champions celebrated with the crowd.
Redemption promised a lot and delivered a whole lot more.
Chapters closed and others began. The Regime’s stranglehold on the company was strengthened. Revenge was served. Dreams were realised and careers came to an end. Redemption was realised for some while others are still searching for it.
That’s why we keep coming back. True Grit Wrestling makes you care.
Image Credits: True Grit Wrestling, @Elliottt93
Beers and Bodyslams 
Leave a comment