Let The Cannons Fly 4 Preview //Sat 20th May 2023
By Harry Miller
Kermit The Frog once said that sequels are never quite as good but what most people don’t know is that he also said the fourth time you do something is usually the best one of them all. The card for Let The Cannons Fly 4 proves Kermit correct as this could be one of the greatest nights of wrestling ever seen on this island.
NORTH Championship: Liam Slater (C) vs Open Challenge
Liam Slater is on the cusp of making history at LTCF4 as he could become the second NORTH Champion to ever defend the title successfully on six occasions, matching the record set by the man he beat for the title, Rory Coyle.
This show will mark day 371 of the title reign and to celebrate, Slater is offering an open challenge to anyone willing to step into the ring with the post-modern professional wrestler.
The last time the title was defended was also in an open challenge with NJPW star Gabriel Kidd answering the call.
Liam Slater did typical Liam Slater things as he put on a wrestling clinic with Kidd and came out the victor.
Gabriel Kidd was just the latest name to be added to the list of defeated challengers that include Michael Oku, Joe Hendry, Will Kroos and Axel Tischer.
An open challenge creates the opportunity for many dream matches to come to fruition with anyone being able to accept. This will be undoubtedly a hotly anticipated affair that will in no way fail to live up to expectations.
NORTH Tag Team Championship: Boisterous Behaviour (C) vs Lykos Gym vs Crashboat
For the first time in NORTH history, the tag-team championships will be defended in a three-way match.
The current champions, Boisterous Behaviour, are on the run of their careers. At NORTH, BB are undefeated in tag team competition with a 7-0 record. Individually, the champs have been just as impressive with Leon Slater only ever being pinned once since his debut and Man Like DeReiss boasting the longest winning streak in NORTH history with 9 consecutive victories. The Lyrical Dragon will be looking to become the first ever NORTH wrestler to win 10 in a row, but he and Slater will need to overcome their biggest challenge yet.
Lykos Gym are perhaps the most downright despicable group of delinquents to ever enter the world of professional wrestling. Kid Lykos and Kid Lykos II may be two of the most talented young wrestlers in all of the UK and have shown their immense ability time and time again. The fury-faced friends have come close to tag team gold in the past, losing to the current champions in a match of the night contender but this time, the Lykos Gym may work out a way to finally capture titles. Also, watch out for the delightfully devilish Gene Munny who will likely take part in some sort of villainess deed.
Jake Silver and Jack Bandicoot, collectively known as Crashboat, are the heart and soul of NORTH wrestling, loved by the faithful and feared by the rest of the roster. Their exuberant existence paired with their high-speed offence could get them mistaken for a pair of sneaker-wearing hedgehogs and this match could see Crashboat finally grasp the brass ring that they’ve been chasing since the titles were introduced. Silver and Bandicoot reached the finals of the tournament to crown the inaugural tag champions but came up short against Boisterous Behaviour in what was the greatest tag-team match in all NORTH history.
Boisterous Behaviour have done so well to avoid losing so far in NORTH but in this match, the champions do not need to be pinned to lose their titles which makes this the toughest defence so far.
NORTH Ultraviolet Championship: Clint Margera (C) vs Gary Jay
At the last show, Clint Margera became just the second person to defeat Rory Coyle in the last four years to become the second holder of the Ultraviolet Championship. Through the use of barbed wire, thumbtacks and other torture materials, Margera won the championship, but this match left more than just scars and bruises on his body; winning the championship left a massive target on the back of Margera and it was only a matter of time for another bloodthirsty fiend to step out from the shadows.
Gary Jay put himself first in line for a shot at the title after calling out Margera which is what set up this battle of the violent titans. The Head Cat is as stiff as your neck after a long-haul flight and one of his chops could have demolished the Berlin Wall in a much more efficient manner. This brutalising style of Jay paired with the vicious nature of Margera gives the potential for this bout to have enough bloodshed to permanently stain the apron.
Gary Jay may have 9 lives, but the Deathmatch Devil will not hesitate to condemn the Head Cat into the hellfire made of blood and barbed wire.
Natalie Sykes vs Raven Creed
Natalie Sykes was forced out of the NCL Cup due to an unfortunate injury but the 21st Century Liability is back and ready to continue building her momentum. Last time out, Sykes picked up a huge victory over Lana Austin but there is no time to gloat as a new challenger has approached.
Raven Creed may be out of her mind, but her opponents are usually out of luck when they come face to face with this terror. Creed has dominated promotions up and down the country and at the age of 20, became the youngest women’s champion in OTT history.
Sykes is an early achiever in her own right, winning the TCW Women’s Championship (a title won by the likes of Rhio, Mia Yim and Lizzy Evo) last year and defending it ever since.
This will be a battle of the prodigies who will both be out to prove themselves as main-event calibre stars. Sykes’s speed and strikes could make the difference but that’s only if she can survive the cranium-crushing headbutts of Creed.
Close Personal Friends (CPF) vs Joe Wade and Joe Kessler
This match set out to answer the question that has been pondered for millennia: Can true friendship overcome two big goths?
CPF are very much the boy band of professional wrestling, they have the best synchronised moves, stupendous fashion and they all have great hair. What’s more impressive than their style is their seemingly impossible high-flying ability that has proved super effective against their larger opponents. Representing CPF on this occasion are Joe Lando and Danny Black but any combination of the platonic syndicate would leave a lasting impression on the CPF’s NORTH debut.
Joe Kessler and Joe Wade are a formidable twosome who will have the size and strength advantage in this match-up. Kessler is brutality personified, usually seen tossing his opponents around like a trash bag on bin day. Wade is a violent goth boy who can attack from all angles, possessing great agility and hard-hitting striking ability. Together the two Joes make a superb addition to any rosters tag division.
Both teams are making their NORTH main roster debut and will be looking to climb the rankings to earn the right to be the next challengers for the tag titles.
Scramble 4: Thunderstruck
The Scramble is like Christmas for the NORTH faithful: it only comes around once a year, it’s full of surprises and a big bearded man always appears.
The previous three scrambles have all been for the NORTH Championship and were all won by Rory Coyle. This year’s scramble differs in that it is for an opportunity at the NORTH Championship at the next show, Thunderstruck (tickets available now). Other than that change, the rest of the format remains the same.
Eight competitors, two begin the match in the ring with another joining the competition every three minutes. Eliminations only occur through pinfall and submission until only one person is left standing.
The entirety of the NORTH roster will be clambering to enter this competition that will be packed with the best talent the UK has to offer. It is not uncommon for wrestlers who already have a match scheduled to pull double duty and appear in a scramble which truly means anyone can appear.