Thunder Road Preview // Sat 24th June 2023

By Harry Miller

Fasten your seatbelts and check your mirrors. It’s time to drive down Thunder Road, the last show before the biggest show of the year, Thunderstruck, and what a show it promises to be. There are seven matches in store, each being a first time ever match-up, making this truly a night of wrestling that you won’t see anywhere else in the country.

Rhio vs Luke Jacobs

For the first time since winning the NCL Cup, Rhio makes her triumphant return to NORTH to face North West Strong stable mate, Luke Jacobs.

Rhio has been collecting wins like pocket monsters as of late and recently evolved into the woman with the most wins in NORTH history. The inaugural cup winner has not been pinned in a NORTH ring since her debut back in 2021 but she has to get past a locked and loaded Young Gun to keep this record intact.

Luke Jacobs was unsuccessful in his only previous NORTH appearance but he has found huge success all around the country, winning gold in PROGRESS and RevPro last year. Any match involving Jacobs promises to be a cracker with an abundance of hard-hitting strikes that leave the audience’s eardrums just as damaged as his opponents bruised body.

This clash of the North West will be a chance for Rhio to continue having the best 2023 in Britain or for Jacobs to start creating his own legacy in NORTH Wrestling. Either way, it’s going to be an absolute banger.

Rory Coyle vs Ace Matthews

Last time out at Let The Cannons Fly 4, Ace Matthews pissed off an already pissed off Rory Coyle by causing him to lose a tag match against the Landed Gentry. It didn’t take long for Coyle to enact revenge, returning the favour and costing Matthews his match later in the same evening.

However, this was not enough for the Sick Boy who will be out to take a pound of flesh and a pint of blood from Matthews.

Technically, this is the worst run of Coyle’s legendary NORTH career as for the first time ever, the Video Nasty has lost two consecutive matches. Pummelling the medaling Matthews would be a perfect way for Coyle to return to his best form.

Ace Matthews may be new to NORTH but he has made an impressive impact in recent times, winning championship gold in Tidal Wrestling already this year. A victory over former two-time champion Rory Coyle could catapult Matthews into the NORTH Championship scene on just his second appearance.

Amir Jordan vs Michael Oku

Jordan vs Oku: two global stars who have each cemented themselves as two of the best wrestlers on the continent. This contest could easily main event any card on any event in any country.

Over the past couple of years, Oku has shared the ring with the likes of Chris Jericho, Mike Bailey, Zack Sabre Jr. and even had a five-star affair with Will Ospreay. Oku is equal parts charismatic and athletic, possessing an impressive arsenal of strikes whilst also delivering the best frog splash in the business.

At NORTH, the Master Of The Half-Crab’s last two appearances were failed attempts at the world and tag-team championships but at Thunder Road, Oku will be looking for a victory over the people champion.

The last time Amir Jordan was at NORTH, the reaction from the crowd was loud enough to warrant noise complaints from anyone living in a five-mile radius. The Bhangra Bad Boy came ever so close to winning an opportunity at the NORTH Championship at Thunderstruck but a win against Oku could earn Jordan a title opportunity later down the road.

The support of the NORTH faithful along with Jordan’s aerial assaults may make him the favourite for this match between two of the greatest athletes on the scene.

For those who will be attendance for this match, make sure to buy your drinks well in advance of the first bell because you won’t want to miss a second of the action.

Bodyslam Puf Challange

Puf is a 418 pound man. For imperial metric users, that equates to almost 30 stone. For those who use infant animals to measure weight, it equates to two baby elephants.

Can anyone bodyslam Puf? Probably not but lets find out anyway.

Natalie Sykes vs Millie McKenzie

Despite both competitors being younger than the invention of Wi-Fi, their insane level of ability would make you mistake the pair to be multiple-decade veterans.

Natalie Sykes has been on a tremendous run of from, winning her first two NORTH matches against the unhinged Raven Creed and the current PROGRESS Women’s Champion, Lana Austin. Skyes has quickly went from residing on the pre-show to being a top attraction of the brand and will be looking to collect another star’s scalp to add to her ever-growing accolade list.

The future is bright for the 21st Century Liability but for her shine to continue, she will have to beat one of the best talents of this generation.

Millie McKenzie is like an ethical British Empire, conquering the world by pure dominance. McKenzie has won championships inJapan, Germany, Spain and even Newcastle. Last time in NORTH, McKenzie made an instant impact by defeating Lizzy Evo with a vicious spear on her debut

The Suplex Sovereign will be out to launch Sykes across the ring as many times as possible whilst also launching herself to the top of the rankings.

Will Kroos vs Shigehiro Irie

Reinforce the ring and give the audience earplugs before the bell rings. This match promises to be loud and hard-hitting with an array of power moves that would leave a standard wrestler in a pile of shattered limbs but Kroos and Irie are in an elite class of powerhouses.

Will Kroos has found a new level of destruction ever since he pummelled Jack Bandicoot after a shock loss. Since then, the Headline had a monstrous showing in the Thunderstruck Scramble which saw four of NORTH’s best team up just to eliminate Kroos. The size and pure power of Kroos make it an almost impossible task to survive a powerbomb or piledriver from the Final Boss.

The Worksop Wrecking Ball’s path to becoming the King Of The North has came to a halt due to a beast-sized obstacle in the way.

Shigehiro Irie is a global megastar that has more gold from around the world than a British museum. Any form of strike from the Wrestling Teddy Bear has enough force behind it to rupture the foundations of any building in the surrounding area. This immense power paired with Irue’s agility ability makes him one of the most dangerous wrestlers on the planet.

This collision between two titans of the industry will leave all expectations exceeded and will undoubtedly be on many viewers’ match of the year list.

Hyan vs Eve Bateman vs Chantal Jordan vs Alexxis Falcon

An international superstar vs a crime lord vs a teenage sensation vs the Iron Queen. This is women’s wrestling at its finest with four of the world’s best clambering to start their ascend to the top of the division.

Alexxis Falcon is making her long-awaited return to NORTH after almost two years of anticipation. Falcon will be looking to soar up the rankings as she has done successfully in many promotions across the county.

The Iron Queen has an array of offence that can end a match and leave her opponent out cold, most of which come from her brutal kicking strikes.

Crime rates in the UK are currently the highest they have been this century and coincidentally, Eve Bateman has recently walked out of HMP. The Queen Of Crime may have left a lasting impact on the mean streets of Newcastle but is yet to make her bones at NORTH, being on the losing side in her last two appearances.

However, Bateman has a fantastic talent of finding a way to get the job done and as this match is no disqualification, don’t be surprised if a hand loaded with the finest imported jewellery gets thrown once or twice.

Hyan has travelled the globe, winning titles wherever she goes, impressing the masses with her brutal blows, slamming down all of her rivals and foes. The Renaissance Woman has finally made her way to the company that is at the forefront of British Wrestling’s own renaissance. In recent years, Hyan has put away the likes of Rox-C (WWE’s Roxanne Perez), Kylie Rae and Jordynee Grace with either her devastating Grand Slam manoeuvre or by using her elite submission ability.

Chantal Jordan may have been under the legal drinking age for most of her career but the litany of championships she has already won should quash any implications of her age meaning inexperience. The Bad Girl is a proficient technical grappler who already has a wrestling IQ of a seasoned veteran. The other competitors in this four-way would be wise to avoid starting a strike exchange with Jordan if they want to leave the match with all of their ribs intact.

Liam Slater and Boisterous Behaviour vs Bad Boi Gym Gang

The Bad Boi Gym Gang are the most despicable, villainous group to ever walk the Earth and at Let The Cannons Fly 4, the troublesome trio finally completed their maniacal mission of capturing the NORTH Tag Team Championships from Boisterous Behaviour.

Kid Lykos and Kid Lykos II were the two who actually won the match but the overwhelming interference from Gene Munny did enough for him to deserve his own (admittedly illegitimate) title belt.

Facing the nasty nuisances is the trio of the greatest tag team in NORTH history, Boisterous Behaviour and the greatest champion in NORTH history, Liam Slater. This is truly an all-star lineup with Liam Slater, Man Like DeReiss and Leon Slater being the top three wrestlers with the most wins in NORTH since the pandemic.

Boisterous Behaviour’s Leon Slater has earned the right to face Liam Slater for the NORTH Championship in the main event of Thunderstruck but at Thunder Road, the two will have to put that monumental match to the side to focus on the threat of BBGG.

Something to remember is Leon Slater pinned his tag partner Man Like DeReiss to earn that opportunity but I’m sure the Lyrical Dragon doesn’t hold any animosity towards Slater…

The team of Munny, Lykos and Lykos II are undefeated in trio’s competition and are not opponents that should be taken lightly despite their sunflower clad bodies. The delightfully devilish Gene Munny is a real wildcard in this matchup as his nefarious nature means he will be up to all sorts of cheating to get his team the win.

Paired with the prodigy Kid Lykos II and the young veteran Kid Lykos, who are both just as talented as they are despicable, this is truly a formidable unit that may just be unstoppable in this current form.

Can Leon Slater and Liam Slater coexist before their Thunderstruck showdown? Will the Bad Boy Gym Gang’s momentum continue? Who will be in the driver’s seat as we travel to Thunderstruck?

Find out at Thunder Road.