Sami Callihan claims Fight Club: PRO title as Wolverhampton promotion raises own bar
Sami Callihan vowed to defend the Fight Club: PRO championship around the world in a dynamic, winning return to the acclaimed Wolverhampton promotion for the first time in four years last night.
Former WWE NXT star Callihan, 28, claimed the title vacated earlier in the evening on medical grounds by MK McKinnan - whose wrestling future remains unclear - in a thumping confrontation with company talisman Trent Seven, a rival he has failed to beat on two previous occasions under the FC: P banner.
No quarter was given nor requested by either man as they pounded one another with flurries of clotheslines, chops and forearms that left fans in attendance wincing at the unrelenting display of brute force.
It was a main event worthy of headlining such a cracking bill, presented in Fight Club: PRO's sweltering new Fixxion Warehouse home - and one of the promotion's finest laid out shows in their near seven-year history.
Indeed, the goodwill was flowing so freely that even the reviled McKinnan - also a filmmaker away from the ring - received 'thank you' chants from the FC: P faithful and travelling fans for his reign as titleholder, stretching back to May of last year.
The evening's action kicked off - literally - with WWE Cruiserweight Classic standout Zack Sabre Jr and Travis Banks ferociously punting each other in an excellent bout that proved once again why both Sabre Jr is regarded as one of the very best performers in the world and Kiwi grappler Banks is rapidly becoming a firm FC: P favourite.
The roaring start continued to accelerate as beloved brawler Clint Margera convinced the odious Chris Brookes to dispense with the rules for their tussle. Unsurprisingly, matters became merciless in rapid order, with chairs, drawing pins, bottle tops and even a Jif squeezy lemon (introduced by gobber Brookes to maximise pain inflicted on Margera's open wounds) all considered fair go. Further festivals of ultra violence are to be expected from these grafters on future shows.
Now six months in, the intense feud between the Hunter brothers and Dan Moloney and Wild BOAR looks unlikely to abate any time soon after another incredible moment of destruction that left FC: P workers and fans worrying over the condition of Jim Hunter.
The clash between monster talent Moloney and Lee Hunter fell apart after BOAR assaulted one of Tipton's favourite sons - but the sequence of non-decisions registered between the warring tag teams in singles encounters became an afterthought as Jim struggled to recover from a devastating package piledriver through a table. Quietly, but certainly not softly, this series has become one of the most compelling in the company.
With the assistance of his partner, Welsh powerhouse BOAR positioned Jim for the outrageously dangerous manoeuvre atop of the venue bar before leaping backward and battering his Black Country rival with terrifying vigour.
Thanks to Al MacKenzie () of for the clip above - please note video contains profanity @Al_MacKenzie1 of Beardy Gaming () for the clip.
And in a great boon to his Midlands-based fanbase, Tommy End seemed to request a rematch against 'Bruiserweight' Pete Dunne. Teasing expectations he will be plying his trade more and more in the US by the end of the summer, Fight Club: PRO will hopefully host the Dutch master at least one more time on upcoming bills in August and September.
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Fight Club: PRO results for Rage Against The Death Machine - Friday July 8, Fixxion Warehouse, Wolverhampton
Zack Sabre Jr submitted Travis Banks
Chris Brookes pinned Clint Margera in a no disqualification match after Margera was planted through a pair of chairs with a Michinoku Driver
Lee Hunter got a DQ decision over Dan Moloney after Wild BOAR attacked Hunter. Jim Hunter joined the fray, but his scheduled clash with BOAR was thrown out following a chaotic brawl that concluded with Jim being piledriven through a table
Pete Dunne beat Tommy End
Sami Callihan became the new Fight Club: PRO champ, tapping out Trent Seven