Ireland’s Over The Top (OTT) Wrestling returns to The Arena at Suir Road for it’s second biggest show of the year. New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) stars Tomohiro Ishii, Juice Robinson and KUSHIDA are featured in great matches. Main eventing is the biggest clash in OTT history, as Jordan Devlin faces WALTER. Let’s jump right into this awesome card as WrestleRama 2 looks like one of the shows of the year.
Match 1: Legit 100 (Michael May, Scotty Davis & Curtis Murray) vs More Than Hype (LJ Cleary, Darren Kearney & Nathan Martin), Losing faction disbands
OTT Contenders has been active for just over a year but is already paying dividends. Everyone in this match has been regularly featured on Contenders since it’s inception. Ahead of Being The Elite, Legit 100 were chosen as the top three Contenders to face British Strong Style. While they were unsuccessful on the night, all three proved that they belonged. The Technician May, The Aviator Murray and The Shooter Davis have no weaknesses as of yet and to beat them MTH will need to be at their best. MTH comprises of Handsome Darren, Psycho Nathan and LJ – while they were not picked to be unbeatable, they are best friends and have unrivalled chemistry when in the ring together. On August 18th, Irish wrestling takes centre stage as the chosen ones face the chosen friends where the losing faction must disband.
Match 2: OTT Tag Team Championship: Kings Of The North (Bonesaw & Dunkan Disorderly) (c) vs. Angel Cruzers (B.Cool & Angel Cruz)
The new look Kings Of The North make their first defence since winning the titles for the third time. They face fan favourite team Angel Cruzers who have been on a year-long quest for the tag team championships. While B and Angel are finding their groove and look set to finally claim the tag team championships, a part of Cool’s past is haunting him. A part which Angel thought was dead and buried.
Match 3: Club Tropicana (Captain Sexsea & Aiden Epix) vs Aussie Open (Mark Davis & Kyle Fletcher)
Aussie Open come back to OTT. The fan favourite Aussies get to face Davis’ favourite team. Tropicana have made the step up to main shows with the backing of Jose Idle. The trio have kept fans entertained for their entire Contenders run and were a huge hit in their Tivoli debut when they defeated More Than Hype. A win for Aussie Open would put them into tag team title contention. For Tropicana, they have the chance to prove themselves against one of the best tag teams in the scene.
Match 4: KUSHIDA vs Shane Strickland
While we have part of the card featuring the Irish talent, we also have some exciting matchups featuring international stars. The first of which is a junior clash between the ace of the NJPW Junior Heavyweight division, KUSHIDA and Swerve Worldwide and a breakout US indie star Shane Strickland. Both are great in ring talents and Strickland is a cult favourite in OTT thanks to his amazing catalogue of matches and his theme song. Both men have made their name based on athleticism and a high-speed style. This international dream match pits the best of New Japan against one of the next big stars of the US indie scene.
Match 5: Tomohiro Ishii vs Juice Robinson
Juice Robinson comes in as a replacement for NXT bound Matt Riddle. While losing out on Riddle vs Ishii isn’t ideal, getting to see Ishii vs Juice more than makes up for it. Ever since departing NXT for New Japan, Robinson has gone from strength to strength with his promos, fighting spirit and improved in ring skills making him one of the more popular figures in New Japan. The current US champion faces the Stone Pitbull Ishii. Ishii is an embodiment of Strong Style, he hits hard, wants to be hit harder and goes 110% in every match. A G1 Climax rematch comes to Ireland as two of New Japan’s finest square off.
Match 6: David Starr vs Timothy Thatcher
Starr once again clashes with a member of Ringkampf. The two have clashed many times before and Starr always plays the underdog superbly. Thatcher substitutes for WALTER and beats down on Starr with hard strikes and a great submission game. Starr on his end doesn’t give up and returns in kind with stiff lariats. This will be another great addition to the series of Starr vs Ringkampf matches.
Match 7: OTT Women’s Championship: Sammii Jayne (c) vs Valkyrie vs Katey Harvey
Katey Harvey finally cashes in the opportunity she earned at Defiant, but to win she will have to go through her best friend, student and the woman she beat at Defiant, while Valkyrie won a three-way against Raven Creed and Veda Scott at The Ring Really Tied The Ring Together. Both feel they are the true number one contender so General manager William Humperdinck made the title match a triple threat. Sammii Jayne makes her return from injury to face not one, but two of the best in Ireland. Will Harvey reclaim her throne? Will Valkyrie add the OTT women’s championship to her cabinet after capturing the Irish Junior Heavyweight Championship? Or will Sammii Jayne continue her reign as OTT Champion?
Match 8: OTT World Championship: Jordan Devlin (c) vs WALTER
The Import Killer, the benchmark of Irish Wrestling, the WWE UK star, the man who has not lost a singles match in OTT for 18 months, Jordan Devlin takes on his biggest challenger yet. WALTER has been tearing it up in 2018 – having finally stepped outside of Germany, he has become a dominant force in independent wrestling. The current PROGRESS and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) World Champion and the generational star of German Wrestling, made Jordan Devlin tap out in his OTT debut. After that he knocked Sean Guinness out and has stated his intention to beat Devlin. Two huge forces collide as Ireland’s best faces Austria’s best at WrestleRama.
