North Wrestling, “Slamfest 2024” and APC “20th Anniversary show results: Vetter’s review of Leon Slater vs. Mike Bailey for the North Wrestling Championship, Mustafa Ali vs. Aigle Blanc

By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)

We are looking for reports on all WWE, AEW, NXT, TNA, MLW, ROH, GCW, and other notable live events. If you attend a show, you are encouraged to send a report or even basic results to dotnetjason@gmail.com

In the past couple of days, two European promotions have opted to post their major matches from last weekend for free on YouTube. Here is a look at them.

North Wrestling, “Slamfest 2024”, Jan. 5, 2024

1. Leon Slater defeated Mike Bailey to retain the North Wrestling Championship at 23:12. This was the main event of the show. I always say Slater is the Black, British version of Nick Wayne; they are teens with similar height/body types and ring skills well ahead of their age. Veda Scott (Bailey’s wife) is on commentary with a male announcer. This is in a shockingly small auditorium; most of the fans are on one side of the ring with no seating between the ring and a stage.

A bit of a feeling-out process to open. Slater nailed a plancha to the floor at 3:00. Bailey nailed the corner moonsault to the floor, and he hit a series of kicks as they fought at ringside. In the ring, Bailey hit a kneedrop to the back as Slater was draped across the top rope at 7:00. Bailey hit another kneedrop to the back as Slater was draped over the guardrail at ringside, and he was in charge. In the ring, Slater hit a handspring-back-elbow at 9:00, and the crowd rallied for him. He nailed a running Mafia Kick for a nearfall. Bailey fired back with his Speedball kicks to the ribs and thighs. He hit a series of kicks and his running Shooting Star Press for a nearfall at 11:00.

Bailey missed his Moonsault Kneedrop. They avoided each other’s moves, then they hit simultaneous kicks to the head and were both down at 13:00, with the crowd chanting, “Both these guys!” Slater hit another Mafia Kick, then a swinging suplex at 15:30, but he missed a 450 Splash. They both tumbled over the top rope to the floor, and we got a “this is awesome!” chant. Bailey nailed a Frankensteiner, but he missed an Ultima Weapon. Bailey hit a Poison Rana, but Slater immediately hit a kick to the back of the head and a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall at 18:30, and we got a “Fight forever!” chant.

Bailey bailed to the floor, so Slater hit a dive over the corner post onto Bailey at 20:30, and that popped the crowd. Back in the ring, Slater hit a second-rope twisting suplex. Bailey hit a huracanrana, then the moonsault kneedrop. He nailed the Tornado Kick in the corner, then he nailed the Ultima Weapon for a believable nearfall. “Are you kidding me!” the male commentator shouted. They traded kicks, and Bailey nailed the Green Tea Plunge/modified mid-ring Spanish Fly. Slater hit his incredible 450 Splash for the pin. That was fantastic. The male commentator said it’s “the greatest North Title match we’ve ever seen.”

* Michael Oku came out and challenged Slater for a future match.

APC, “20th Anniversary show,” Jan. 6, 2024, Nanterre, Frankreich, France (western Paris region)

2. Mustafa Ali defeated Aigle Blanc at 22:18. I’ve seen the French wrestler Blanc a few times, most recently against Mike Bailey; he’s masked with a tuft of long blond hair coming from under it; think Matt Riddle in a mask. This also is a strangely narrow room with no seating against one wall but the crowd is perhaps 200 packed along opposite sides of the ring. Blanc came out first, then Ali got a nice hero’s welcome for his first indy match since his WWE release. A warning this is French-only commentary. They played to the crowd at the bell and both got cheers, then they shook hands, then they traded deep armdrags, and they stalled a bit, then did some standing switches.

They each hit huracanranas, and neither was getting much of an advantage. They went to the floor at 11:00, and Blanc had fans hold Ali’s arms apart so he could chop Ali. Ali nailed a dive through the ropes and he was fired up. In the ring, Blanc hit a flying double knees to the back of the head for a nearfall at 16:00. Ali went for a tornado DDT, but Blanc caught him and nailed a hard forearm strike! Nice. Ali hit a tornado DDT, but he missed a 450 Splash. Blanc hit a Dragon Suplex, then a decapitating clothesline, and they were both down at 18:00.

They got up and began trading forearm strikes and both were wobbly. Ali hit a superkick and another tornado DDT, then a top-rope 450 Splash for a believable nearfall at 20:30. Blanc hit a springboard 450 Splash to the floor! In the ring, Blanc hit a Tombstone Piledriver, then his own 450 Splash for a nearfall. However, Ali applied a submission hold around Blanc’s neck as they were on the mat, and Blanc tapped out! That finish came out of nowhere, but the crowd really liked it.

* Ali got on the mic and said that every under management person in wrestling he’s ever worked for has told him the fans will never cheer for a wrestler named Mustafa Ali. But he pointed out that every person in this building is chanting for Mustafa Ali. “I want change in this industry,” he said. (It is really hard to hear Ali speak, as the commentator is interpreting Ali’s English into French.) Ali thanked the fans and celebrated. A classy post-match speech.

Final Thoughts: I’m so glad both of these promotions opted to post these matches for free. Ali showed he can work a good main event style match. The first half didn’t have a lot of action to describe, but yet it never dragged and he and Blanc held the crowd throughout. Meanwhile, Bailey and Slater zipped through that match with a lot of offense. I recall that Slater was expected to head to TNA wrestling, and if that’s the case, it’s a great signing. I whole-heartedly recommend fans check out both matches.