How’s THAT for a relaunch?!

Friday night saw the highly-anticipated return of Force Pro Wrestling with The Prelude, the promotions first event in over a year-and-a-half. The card was loaded with a veritable who’s who of Alberta’s top talents, with names like Colton Kelly, Kato, Jack Pride and “The Thickness” Reid Matthews on hand for the evening’s action.

Of course, only two matches had been announced heading into Friday’s show; however, both of them not only had Albertan wrestling fans eager with anticipation for The Prelude, but each had huge implications on the entire landscape of Force Pro Wrestling moving forward.

Truly, Friday night’s show was an outstanding relaunch for Force Pro Wrestling. The in-ring action was as excellent as could be expected considering the immense talents selected to appear on the show. Not only was The Prelude a hell of a show, but Force Pro Wrestling did an excellent job of setting up their first-ever adult-only show, Just the Tip.

Only one thing left to do: let’s recap!

Quick Results:
  • Michael Richard Blais def. Dylon Stone w/ Andriy - Countout
  • Jack Pride def. “Spaceman” Beri Grayson
  • Kayla Jaye vs. Zoë Sager - 15-minute time limit draw
  • “The Thickness” Reid Matthews def. Kato
  • Colton Kelly def. Aiden Adams
  • The Gold Cartel (Kayla Jaye/Dylon Stone) def. Michael Richard Blais/Zoë Sager
The Headline:
The Future is Golden

As had been previously announced by the WCSN, The Prelude was kicked off with a true dream matchup between Dylon Stone and Michael Richard Blais. Prior to Friday, the pair had never faced off in-ring, and many were thrilled at the prospect of a first-time-ever matchup kicking off Force Pro Wrestling’s inaugural card.

However, as excited as the fans may have been, it appeared as though Stone himself was less than thrilled to be there. Immediately upon entering the ringside area, the Alberta Champion launched into a promo not only chastising the fans but the Force Pro Wrestling locker room. Furiously, Stone explained how he felt like an outsider in the promotion, but more importantly, he announced that he had brought himself an insurance policy for his impending match with Blais.

Through the curtain entered Andriy. The mountain of a man hadn’t been seen in months on the Albertan independent scene, and the reason why became crystal-clear when the giant entered the ringside area with his arm in a sling. However, even with one arm, Andriy’s sheer size made him a more-than-formidable deterrent for any sort of shenanigans - or, as we’d come to see, a factor in the ending of the match.

Though Blais and Stone were facing off for the first time on Friday, the pair certainly didn’t show it in delivering an instant classic to kick off The Prelude. Their back-and-forth affair truly delighted the near-capacity crowd, with each fan in attendance creeping closer to the edges of their respective seats with every near fall.

However, as mentioned, it was Andriy that would prove to be the difference.

Holding the upper hand late in the match, Blais ascended the top rope looking to hit a finishing 450 splash. However, as MRB steadied himself to vault off the top, Andriy reached into the ring and effortlessly pulled Stone out of harm’s way. With the Alberta champion to his back, Andriy absconded to the backstage area, earning his partner a countout loss for his efforts. Though the battle may have been lost, it was clear that Stone was pleased with his efforts, both in the match and in avoiding a true defeat at the hands of God’s Gift to Wrestling.

The Golden Child

The outsider mentality was one apparently shared by Kayla Jaye.

Of course, Jaye represented one-half of the other previously-announced matchup for The Prelude. Though the former three-time women’s champion was scheduled to take on long-time friend and training partner Zoë Sager, a series of pre-match interviews made it clear that Jaye was more than a little irritated with claims that Sager was the best female wrestler in Alberta.

From the opening bell of the women’s tilt, it was clear why. There’s little doubt that Sager and Jaye represent not only two of the best female wrestlers in Western Canada, but two of the best wrestlers, period. From the hop, both looked hell-bent on proving why they should be held as the standard-bearer for women’s wrestling in Alberta. Between the gasps of the crowd and the duelling chants for both women, there was nary a moment that the fans in attendance could be contained as the match reached its conclusion.

Unfortunately, the ending of the match certainly left something to be desired. For a few seconds, that is.

Fans were both surprised and dismayed at the 15-minute mark of the battle, as the ring bell sounded to signal the end of the match in a time limit draw. It looked as though the fans in attendance wouldn’t receive a clear end to a match - at least until both Dylon Stone and Andriy re-entered the ringside area. Grabbing the microphone yet again, Stone began lambasting the time limit draw, claiming that Jaye, too, was the victim of preferential treatment. It wasn’t long before Jaye had joined the fold, claiming that had there even been four extra seconds, she would have won the match - one for a Superkick, and three for the pinfall.

At that moment, Michael Richard Blais entered the ring. Grabbing a microphone, he made an offer to both Jaye and Stone: that the duo face off with Blais himself and Zoë Sager in the main event of the evening. It was an offer that was quickly accepted.

The main event - well, folks, there’s not much to say but go watch it. All four individuals put on an absolute clinic of professional wrestling, each exemplifying what makes this province’s indie scene so, so great. Whether it be Sager making like a human pinball and flying through the ropes, Stone’s ability to wear down his opponents, or Blais simply fantastic high-flying ability, there was nary a fan unsatisfied with Friday’s main event.

That is, perhaps, everyone outside of God’s Gift to Wrestling himself.

Yet again, Blais was perched on the top rope, settling in to hit a dazzling 450 splash on Dylon Stone. Unfortunately, Andriy yet again inserted himself into the action, pulling Stone out of the ring in the midst of Blais jump. This time, however, he was met by Kayla Jaye, who nailed a picture-perfect Canadian Destroyer upon God’s Gift to Wrestling. With Blais reeling, Jaye hit not one, but two massive Superkicks on Blais. To the shock of the audience, Blais was quite literally down for the count. Three short seconds later, and Kayla Jaye had pinned Michael Richard Blais.

The Good Stuff
“Is…Is He Okay?”

The quote that headlines this portion of the article was overheard coming from a small child following an insane table spot from - who else? - Colton Kelly.

Of course, those familiar with Kelly’s previous work know that a manoeuvre like the one observed above out of the ordinary for the Millennial Icon. There are few - if any - that can match Colton Kelly’s sheer brutality in the ring, and it was on full display in his match against Aiden Adams on Friday night.

Much like Kelly himself, Adams has routinely had his praises sung by this writer. In fact, I’m on record as saying that the Above Average Joe could put on a good match with a broomstick, and that sentiment holds true today. Friday was yet another example of Adams’ excellence, as not only was he able to persevere through the seemingly endless strikes from Colton Kelly but lay in some offence of his own in the process. Despite Kelly’s clear advantage in both size and brutality, Adams was somehow able to muster the resolve to continue fighting. In fact, Adams’ loss didn’t come due to any sort of pinfall or submission, but simply the lack of ability to continue wrestling after the devastation caused by both the fragmented table and the cement floor.

Though the two have held their fair share of battles throughout the Prairie Wrestling Alliance, Friday was perhaps the duos best match yet. With Adams likely to cause a stir over never technically losing the match, here’s to hoping we get another one in the near future.

Thickness, Kato Tear Down the House

First-time-ever matchups were seemingly everywhere on the card for the Prelude, and fans were treated to yet another between “The Thickness” Reid Matthews and Kato.

Admittedly, it was slightly jarring for many in attendance to see both men wrestling under the Force Pro Wrestling banner. However, that surprise was eliminated within minutes, as both the Thickness and Kato put on a hard-hitting wrestling clinic immediately following the evening’s intermission. Of course, Kato attempted to use his considerable agility to gain an advantage over the PWA Mayhem Champion, but the Thickness was able to keep his opponent grounded for the majority of the match.

It was a fact that played into his advantage, as Matthews made good on his Archer Report promise to bring some Mayhem to Force Pro Wrestling and picked up the victory in his FPW debut.

Jack Pride Victorious in Force Pro Debut

Bow Down to Pride.

Yes, Jack Pride was on hand for The Prelude, as he was scheduled to take on “Spaceman” Beri Grayson.

There are few wrestlers in Alberta with as much on the line right now as Pride. Fresh off of making his shocking debut for the Prairie Wrestling Alliance, the Man of Two Minds is scheduled to take on long-time rival Michael Richard Blais at this Saturday’s upcoming Fright Night event. Frankly, after a statement year throughout 2019 and signing with Alberta’s longest-running promotion, Pride is in the midst of his hottest streak in wrestling. Debuting for his second “new” promotion in just under a month, many speculated as to whether Pride would be able to live up to the pressure.

Well, that question was answered quite easily on Friday night. There are so many ways in which Pride can win a match; whether it’s outsmarting or overpowering an opponent, the Man of Two Minds is as malleable as it gets in professional wrestling, and he utilized it early and often against Beri Grayson. Though the Spaceman was more than up to the task - more on him later - Pride was simply too much to overcome. In the end, all it took was one massive dose of Swallowed Pride to give the Man of Two Minds the pinfall victory.

Spencer’s Three-Count
  • Kayla Jaye looked like a star on Friday night. Not only was the Jaye/Sager match a personal highlight, but scoring the winning pinfall on arguably Western Canada’s most highly-regarded wrestler is certainly a statement in and of himself. As has already been confirmed by the WCSN, Jaye will face off with Blais at Force Pro Wrestling: Just the Tip.
  • I’m predicting it right here, right now: for “Spaceman” Beri Grayson, the sky is the limit (and pun fully intended). Though he may not have emerged victorious against Jack Pride on Friday, he put in a hell of a fight against a man many regard as one of the top wrestlers in the province. If Grayson continues showing as he did on Friday, he’s got a bright future ahead of him.
  • If someone had told me a year ago that we would ever see a card in Edmonton featuring the likes of Kato, Jack Pride, Colton Kelly and Dylon Stone, I would have laughed directly at you. Isn’t it a beautiful thing when people work together?
Up Next:

Force Pro Wrestling returns on Friday, November 8th for Force Pro Wrestling: Just the Tip. The event marks the first adult-only show in FPW’s history. Tickets are available through any Force Pro Wrestling roster member or any of the promotion’s various social media channels.

Latest Wrestling Content:
FPW Recap and Reactions: The Prelude, Edmonton, October 18

Spencer Love

Once stood in front of Cedric Alexander in line at a hotel. Slightly big deal.

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