NCL Cup Preview // Sat 8th April 2023
by Harry Miller
The inaugural NCL Cup is on the horizon and eight of the hottest talents the UK has to offer are all clambering to raise the magnificent trophy come the end of the night.
This one-night tournament will see one-on-one matches with a 10-minute time limit contested for one fall.
Count-outs will only be to a five count and no interferences will be permitted to ensure the North faithful see the best wrestling matches possible. After the ten minutes have elapsed, there will be no rope breaks.
The field of competitors is so immensely stacked that any of the eight could realistically take the NCL Cup home.
Luke Jacobs
Making his NORTH debut is one of Britain’s finest wrestlers: Luke Jacobs.
At just 22 years of age, Jacobs has already had huge success on the British wrestling scene. The Young Gun competes often in Progress Wrestling and Revolution Pro Wrestling and made his debut for New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2022.
Jacobs has experience in winning tournaments as he came out as the victor in the Progress Atlas Title Tournament to win the Atlas Title, beating JONAH (current WWE performer, Bronson Reed) in the final. This title win made Luke Jacobs the youngest male solo champion in Progress history.
North West Strong is more than just a moniker for Jacobs, the Mancunian powerhouse’s chops could sink the Titanic twice as fast as an iceberg could. But don’t let his hard-hitting style deceive you, Jacobs isn’t afraid to use the top rope to deliver a killer moonsault to put away his opponent.
Expect the Young Gun to collect a few heads with his vicious lariat and maybe even collect the NCL Cup during his stay.
Lizzy Evo
The Dream Chaser is back in NORTH with hopes of taking the NCL Cup back to Merseyside.
Lizzy Evo has already had a storied career at just 24 years old being the longest reigning TNT Women’s Champion of all time and the final ever Defiant Women’s Champion.
One-night tournaments are nothing new to the Liver Bird, having won the Great British Heritage Tournament in CATCH Pro-Wrestling.
In NORTH, Evo has a record of 3 wins and 3 losses, most recently losing to Millie McKenzie at NCL.32.
However, Lizzy Evo holds two victories over fellow NCL Cup competitor, Rhio which may give her a psychological advantage if the two meet in the tournament.
The Pride of the Merseyside is one of the most versatile wrestlers in the cup line-up with a great mix of technical ability and strong style striking. However, Lizzy Evo’s greatest attribute could be her willingness to do anything to win which may make the Liver Bird one of the favourites to finish in style and win the whole tournament.
Will Kroos
One of the best heavyweights in the wrestling world is coming to NORTH for a thirteenth time to run through the competition and lift the NCL Cup (with ease because he’s really strong).
Will Kroos has won gold in promotions all across the nation and isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. With the power of a brown bear and the agility of a gazelle, Kroos excites audiences and terrorises his opponents.
During his time at NORTH, the Final Boss has had five wins including victories over Martin Kirby, Session Moth Martina, and most recently, Kidd Bandit.
The Headline went on a 16-match winning streak in 2021 that stretched all the way to early 2022 including a victory over Luke Jacobs.
The crowd at any Will Kroos match will inform everyone about his willingness to bodyslam your dad but that is not the only way Big Willy could incapacitate your father. The powerhouse has an array of deadly moves in his arsenal including piledrivers, hurricanranas, powerbombs, moonsaults, and if all else fails, Kroos can just throw just about any opponent across the ring like he’s throwing a teabag in the bin.
Kroos’ smashmouth style paired with his high-flying ability might make the Final Boss the final competitor standing in the NCL Cup.
Rhio
Rhio is well on her way to solidifying herself as one of the faces of British professional wrestling. Winning the NCL Cup could be the catalyst that changes the wrestling scene into Rhio’s World.
The Unbreakable one recently went viral for defying death and becoming the new ICW Women’s World Champion by beating Molly Spartan in an epic clash.
In NORTH, Rhio is currently on a three-match winning streak in one-on-one competition and holds an overall record of 4 wins and 3 losses.
The purple-haired punisher possesses an unrivalled thirst for violence that will leave any opponent battered, bruised and beaten.
Rhio is truly a total package who can tap-out her opposition with a variety of submission manoeuvres or knock her opponent out for the three count with the devastating neckbreaker.
If all else fails, the Braided Bruiser can outlast almost any other wrestler, no one can withstand pain quite like Rhio. A freight train could hit Rhio on the way to the venue and I still would expect Rhio to go far in the NCL Cup.
Kid Lykos II
The Problem Child will be hoping to have the problem of finding a suitable mantle to place the NCL Cup come April 8th.
Kid Lykos II is one of the best young wrestlers in the world at just 20 years old, making him the youngest competitor in an outstandingly youthful competition. The fury-faced fighter is on the fast track to becoming recognised as a staple in British wrestling and an NCL Cup victory could be what springboards him to the very top.
In NORTH, Lykos II is more commonly seen as part of the stable Lykos Gym which means the rule banning interferences in the NCL Cup could really hinder the younger Lykos’ chances.
This is not to diminish Lykos II’s singles ability as he holds two one-on-one victories in North including a pinfall win over NORTH’s ‘2022 Breakout Star of the Year’, Leon Slater.
Kid Lykos II has already amassed an impressive catalogue of titles, winning the Progress Tag Titles (alongside Kid Lykos) in a tournament format and winning the inaugural TNT Ultra X Title in a one-night tournament at just 18 years old.
Out of the eight competitors, Lykos II is one of the most agile which will help when competing against the multiple powerhouses in the line-up.
Lykos Gym promised 2023 would be the year of redemption and what better way to redeem the team than Kid Lykos II bringing home one of the most prestigious trophies in all professional wrestling.
Natalie Sykes
The Houston-born Sykes is looking to rocket her way to the top of the British wrestling scene using the NCL Cup as fuel.
The 21st Century Liability will be seen as one of the underdogs in this competition due to her relative inexperience compared to the other competitors, but it won’t be the first time Sykes overcame the odds to succeed. Natalie Sykes made her NORTH main roster debut at NCL.34 with a victory over current Progress Women’s World Champion, Lana Austin, delivering Austin her first one-on-one loss at NORTH.
Sykes is the current Tidal Women’s Champion, a championship that has been held in the past by fellow cup competitors Rhio and Lizzy Evo.
The seven other competitors need to not be lulled into a false sense of security from Sykes’ cheerful smiley persona as when the bell rings, the selfie-taking savant won’t hesitate before ripping their arms straight out of the socket after kicking their teeth into the next postcode.
The 21st Century Liability will need to find the winning filter to be the one to take a selfie with the NCL Cup at the end of the night.
Jet Martial
In his short time at NORTH, Martial has already become a favourite amongst the fans who are sure to go mental if he is able to Jet off with the NCL Cup.
After three consecutive losses to Rory Coyle, Warhorse and Shreddy, Martial picked up his first win at NORTH against Leyton Buzzard. The Infamous one will be hoping to carry this newly found momentum to finally start a lengthy winning streak that would involve claiming the NCL Cup as his own.
Martial possesses a honey badger like aggression, striking fast with vicious assaults that will leave his opponents like a newspaper: black and blue and red all over.
Jet Martial’s kicks are so strong that the noise from one of his feet making contact with another human’s chest could burst an ear drum. It would be a surprise if at least one competitor doesn’t go home with a broken rib after stepping into the ring with Martial.
The Infamous Killa’s stature is deceiving as he can easily toss around most opponents and has an incredible reach for a man his size.
Jet Martial has the heart of a warrior and the knee strike of a future champion, expect the roof to go sky high if he is able to raise the NCL Cup.
Jack Bandicoot
The NORTH faithful love Jack Bandicoot and they will tell you, honestly, they would love it if he beat the competition and wins the NCL Cup.
The Worm of West Yorkshire wrestled more matches at NORTH in 2021 and 2022 which surely gives Bandicoot a home-court advantage compared to some of the newer talent to travel to Tyneside.
Seeing Jack Bandicoot in action is like watching a match at double speed; he travels around the ring like a tornado, striking his opponent from all angles with a variety of innovative manoeuvres.
Bandicoot has won tag titles all across the country as one-half of Crashboat but can hold his own in one-on-one competition as he has solo victories over Amir Jordan, Man Like DeReiss and many other staples of the wrestling scene.
Jack Bandicoot has already captured the hearts of the NORTH faithful, now it’s his time to capture the trophy for the NORTH faithful.