Defiant Wrestling make their debut in Sunderland, England on Saturday night as they present the Magnificent Seven iPPV. The build towards this event has seen several twists and turns, with new Tag Team Champions being crowned just this past Sunday on Loaded. As we head towards the spring months though, the future of one lucky man could completely change should they come out on top in the namesake match.
John Klinger vs Justin Sysum
An Unstoppable rematch will see John Klinger going one on one with Justin Sysum. Sysum was a replacement opponent at last month’s event, stepping in for recent NXT UK signee Ilja Dragunov who was unable to appear due to contractual obligations. The World of Sport star would end up winning the contest after executing one of his patented 450 splashes, but that wasn’t the end of the night for him. Klinger would deliver a vicious attack post-match, leaving The Hammer with blood pouring out of his mouth. As a result, Sysum demanded a rematch from The Badness at Magnificent Seven, out for revenge for the damage the Ringmaster Tournament winner dished out. He didn’t appear to be in the greatest condition when making the challenge on an episode of Loaded – is it too soon for Justin to return to action?
Prediction: John Klinger
Joe Hendry vs Gabriel Kidd
Ever since turning his back on Prince Ameen at last year’s Lights Out event, Gabriel Kidd has made enemies with just about everyone on the Defiant roster. One of those names is Joe Hendry. The Prestigious One came to the aid of The Primate at the tail-end of 2018, saving him from a beatdown at the hands of Kidd and Rory Coyle, leading to a tag match at Unstoppable. That match would see Kidd and Coyle come out on the winning end, but Gabe’s destructive nature wasn’t over quite yet. He ambushed David Starr on a recent episode of Loaded, resulting in him being suspended from competition and leaving Starr at a severe disadvantage in his match with Joe this past Sunday. The former World Champion went straight to General Ameen and demanded that the suspension be lifted, a plea that Ameen was happy to oblige to. Thus, this match was signed as The Young Bull returns to action. We saw what Kidd was able to do to David Starr. If he utilizes this sort of attack at the event, Hendry will be in for a rough night.
Prediction: Gabriel Kidd
Triple Threat Match for the Defiant Women’s Championship: Kanji (c) vs Lana Austin vs Lizzy Styles
Kanji made her Defiant debut when Loaded returned to our screens last December and, in a shock twist, captured the Women’s Championship in her second match. Despite having successful defenses against the likes of Little Miss Roxxy and Lana Austin, The Asian Sensation has been left questioning her ability to be the champion following two losses to newcomer Lizzy Styles. The One Woman Army answered Kanji’s open challenge on the post-Unstoppable episode of Loaded and put her away with a vicious running knee strike, then followed it up with another win over Kanji in tag team action where she teamed with Lana Austin while Kanji teamed with Bea Priestley. The champ seemed happy enough to vacate the title on Sunday night’s episode of Loaded, feeling as if she didn’t deserve to hold the gold. Once General Ameen motivated her, however, Kanji demanded to face both Lana and Lizzy on Saturday. That may come back to bite her though. Both challengers possess finishers that could shorten Kanji’s career, with the snap DDT and the flying knee respectively. A tough challenge awaits The Asian Sensation.
Prediction: Lizzy Styles
Defiant No Fun Championship: No Fun Dunne (c) vs Omari
A new Hardcore Champion was crowned last month at Unstoppable as No Fun Dunne was awarded the title following Jimmy Havoc being unable to compete in their scheduled Anti-Hardcore Match. After his retention of the title over Lucky Kid on Loaded, it became clear that the chief of The Anti-Fun Police had a new target in sight in the form of Omari. One of the ongoing stories in Defiant right now that has left us all on the edge of our seats has been the disappearance of El Phantasmo‘s LED glasses, which were in the possession of Dunne all along. The champion threw them in the ring during a match between Phantasmo and Omari, framing the latter for the crime which angered The Headbanga. Omari hasn’t let this rest and was actually offered a No Fun Championship match at Magnificent Seven after he chased the entire Anti-Fun Police through the streets of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Even though they’ll be competing in the Magnificent Seven Match later on in the night, don’t be surprised to see Deputy Drake and Los Federales Santos Jr. popping out to support Dunne and stop all the funahhh.
Prediction: No Fun Dunne
Defiant Internet Championship: Martin Kirby (c) vs El Phantasmo
In a match that was originally scheduled for Unstoppable, Martin Kirby will put his ‘Interweb’ Championship on the line against El Phantasmo. Their original bout was sadly postponed due to an injury suffered at the hands of the challenger, with Benji taking his place in an unsuccessful effort at winning his first taste of gold in Defiant. Now that he’s been cleared though, ELP is coming for Project Ego. Ever since he was revealed as Matt Riddle‘s replacement in last year’s Ringmaster Tournament, the Canadian sensation has become one of the perennial fan favorites on the Defiant roster. His captivating charisma and outrageous athleticism have allowed him to slide into the hearts of all Defiant fans. However, that doesn’t mean it’ll be an easy night for him against Martin Kirby. Kirby won the championship by defeating WALTER remember, although it was after executing a low blow and hitting him with the championship belt. Shenanigans aside, Kirby’s been far too entertaining as champion to end his reign quite yet.
Prediction: Martin Kirby
Defiant World Championship: Rampage (c) vs Rory Coyle
Rampage is nearing a whole year as Defiant World Champion, having finally won the big one at last year’s No Regrets event from Austin Aries. In the 11 months that have followed, the big man has seen off all challengers, from Gabriel Kidd to Nathan Cruz to David Starr. But he’s never come across someone as sick as Rory Coyle. With Primate gone from Defiant, the sickest man in British wrestling has set his sights on the Defiant World Champion. Coyle jumped Rampage following his defense against Cruz, choking him out with some cables, and then dished out a bloody assault on him at Rampage’s own training school. The Video Nasty may look as if he’s got this one all planned out but look at what he’s done – he’s angered Defiant’s monster. Rampage is no easy man to defeat anyway, let alone when he’s been pushed to the limit. If he has any hope of becoming a full year champ, he’ll have to get past this obstacle. Can he do it?
Prediction: Rory Coyle
2019 Magnificent Seven Match: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs Los Federales Santos Jr. vs Visage vs Benji vs Man Like Dereiss vs Deputy Drake vs Conor Renshaw
The Magnificent Seven Match was introduced by then-general manager Adam Blampied in March 2017, allowing seven men the opportunity to enter a single-elimination contest in the hopes of walking away with a briefcase that grants them a future championship opportunity whenever they choose. Previous winners include Martin Kirby and Rampage, with the latter being successful in his cash in whereas Kirby lost his briefcase before he had the opportunity to do so. This year sees one Defiant original enter the fray in the form of Deputy Drake – he’ll be joined by five relative newcomers to the company, along with the debuting Maxwell Jacob Friedman. It’s an interesting assortment of talent to say the least. A win here could boost the career of any of the guys involved. Unlike previous years where the winner would challenge for the World Championship, it’s been said that whoever wins will be allowed to cash in on any of the Defiant championships. Drake and Santos have already declared their intention to go for the Tag Team Championships, while Visage said Kanji should keep her eyes open incase he comes for her Women’s Championship. It opens the playing field that extra bit in the sense that you really have no clue whatsoever when or where the cash in will occur. Such fun.
Prediction: Benji
