IMPACT WRESTLING
Nottingham Arena, 24 January 2013.

Almost exactly a year since it last visited, TNA Impact Wrestling returned to the UK this week and after last year's hugely entertaining show, Strange Things was all too happy to go along and check it out again. After all, the hyperactive melodrama and astonishing athleticism that makes up professional wrestling these days is a spectacle to behold.

As with last year's show, the arena is about three quarters full – there seems to be a cut-off point for Nottingham that other cities don't have, and I'm not entirely surprised that the city isn't on the itinerary for the 2014 tour. Despite the crowd-pleasing comments of various performers, the audience just didn't seem to have the enthusiasm of other UK cities. Who knows why?

The show kicked off with our host for the evening Jeremy Borash getting the crowd warmed up before the opening match of the night, which was a Tag Team Championship bout between current holders Hernandez and Chavo Guerrero Jr and TNA's accomplished comedy heels Christopher Daniels and Kazarian. Now clearly, the belt wasn't about to change hands at a non-broadcast show, but this was an entertaining battle nonetheless. Daniels is excellent as a comically villainous bad guy, and he and Kazarian have formed quite a double act, hamming it up for the crowd. Their opponents couldn't match that sense of personality, but it's always entertaining to see man-mountain Hernandez holding an opponent vertically upside down for ages before slamming them into the mat.

Next up, we had the two male contestants from TNA's recent British Boot Camp reality show. Only in the UK would a wrestler be called Rockstar Spud, and he and opponent Party Marty (yeah...) were here to represent the best of home-grown talent. Certainly, Spud did a good job of playing the heel, if my non-wrestling fan companion's reactions were anything to go by – rarely has a man come in for such verbal abuse from someone who had never previously heard of him. Their actual bout is athletic enough, though neither wrestler grabbed me during the TV show personality wise.

British Boot Camp also featured female wrestlers The Blossom Twins, and they were up next to battle Gail Kim – always a favourite in Strange Things Towers – and Tara, in a match that is oddly refereed by fellow Knockout Velvet Sky. It's odd that crowd favourite Sky wouldn't get an actual match, though with Kim and Tara being seasoned heels and the Blossoms being hyped as baby faces, there was probably no room for her on the bill. And hey, better referee Velvet than no Velvet at all, especially as she came out wearing a silver mini skirt and furry moon boots – it was like being back at the Carnival of Souls in the 1990s (and yes, that's an entirely gratuitous photo of her included here - so sue me...)!

TNA's female division has seemed a bit depleted in the last few years, so hopefully the Blossoms will get their shot – though I'd suggest not wearing identical costumes, as the crowd seem unsure which one they were supposed to be cheering on. They score an not-unconvincing victory in the match, and Velvet gets in on the action when Gail and Tara engage in an after-bell attack on the twins.

After this, the match-up between Rob Van Dam and Zema Ion feels slightly flat, despite some comic touches – it's notable that these UK shows are generally a less serious affair than the TV version – though the prowess of both performers can't be faulted. Ion plays a bit of a cock rather too well for comfort and RVD is perhaps too laid back, but they give a decent account of themselves, leading to the end of the first half.

After a 20 minute break, we're back with another tag match. This time it's long-term rivals Bobby Roode and James Storm (who also faced each other last year), teamed with Austin Aries and Magnus respectively. While I wish the Roode / Storm rivalry would be given a rest, both have developed more interesting personalities over the last year – Roode an excellent, petty villain, Storm the beer drinking man of the people. Combine this with the excellent Aries and the rapidly improving Magnus, and it's no surprise that the match is a little cracker, with the spoils going to the good guys.

The main event is the promised Cage Match, and while the fifteen foot steel cage is being erected, JB entertains the crowd. It feels a increasingly desperate as the cage is slowly erected, and you wish it could've been lowered from the ceiling – or that the break had been held over until this match. But, eventually it's done, and the match up is certainly worth while. Despite last year being hyped as his final UK appearance, the legendary Sting is back – as replacement for Jeff Hardy, who's legal issues / injury (depending which source you believe) prevented him from entering the UK – and here he's teamed with Kurt Angle as they battle the invading force of biker gang Aces and Eights. Now, the Aces and Eights storyline has gone on for some time in Impact, and all too often the unmasking of the secretive members has resulted in more or a 'who the hell is that?' rather than a 'what the fuck!'. But there's no denying they've added a certain extremity to the show, and that carries on here with unmasked members Devon and D.O.C. stepping up for the fight.

Unfortunately, the fight does seem to duplicate one seem on TV initially, with Angle locked outside the cage and set upon by other Aces and Eights members while Sting has to face two opponents alone. But these guys are too good to allow this repetition not to work, and both Angel and Sting give it their all, eventually being victorious. But Aces and Eights, being the thugs they are, don't give up easily, and before long, the four members are piling in, wielding a hammer against out heroes. To the rescue comes Bully Ray, who last year gave a masterclass in heeling but is now very much on the side of the heroes, and to everyone's delight – previous UK shows having been light on the more visceral side of the TV show – D.O.C. is slammed through a wooden table.

It's a great end to the show, and after a round of cheerleading from Bully, the crowd makes its way home, happy to have seen another glorious combination of panto, acrobatics and cartoon violence. Roll on next year!

DAVID FLINT