In a day and age when things seem pretty short lived, its crazy to think that in just over one month, DOA will be celebrating its 10 year anniversary.  As always, there is bound to be plenty of action and top matches, a show full of twists and turns, but not everything is under wraps.  The Banker wasted no time in letting everyone know the main event he had chosen for this huge milestone show at the Drill House in Great Yarmouth.  The dust had not even settled when he stood up from the announce table at Beach Ball Mania and interrupted Big Joe's title celebrations to inform everyone that Big Joe vs Brett Semtex 3 would take place at the anniversary show.  Talk about a way to grab people's attention! we should not expect anything less from the banker, whom no doubt has grabbed the nations attention throughout this year with the interest rates.  

This is a match for the ages, a battle between two true heavyweights for the biggest prize of all - the DOA Heavyweight championship.  Despite the fact these two have wrestled twice already in DOA, lets not over look the significance of what a huge match up this really is.  It has the ingredients to be a true classic, it has history, it has two men who know each other very well, and it will have a hot Yarmouth crowd who will be quite torn over who they want to see walk out as the champion.  Oh, and lets not forget it has two warriors who whilst they are different, are both hard hitting and will be doing all they can to walk away with the gold.  

It is actually really difficult to analyse this one and even predict who will grab the victory. Regardless, I see this being a close one.  Firstly, lets look at Big Joe - it was only a matter of time before he claimed the top prize in DOA - it has been brewing for some time.  This is a man who is known across the country as a true hardcore icon, a king of the death match, in fact it is not just the UK, his no nonsense approach has took him to several countries.  Whilst he might be known for his death match antics, he can wrestle in the traditional sense and has demonstrated this time and time again.  When he went into the Beach Ball Mania title match with Semtex, he was more focused than any of us have ever seen, and he had his eyes firmly on the prize.    

Joe was on top form and had Semtex well scouted for this one, he had clearly studied their encounter from 2022 when he fell short against Semtex on Semtex's DOA debut.  Thinking about it now, that must have been a difficult one for Joe because he did not fully know what to expect from Semtex, none of us did and that will have made it quite hard to prepare.  It is perhaps that very loss which spurred Joe on even more in the big Beach Ball Mania rematch, a determination to even the score and finally take the top prize in DOA for the first time.  Whatever it was, it worked. 

So going into this third match, what will Big Joe's mind set be? We all know that over confidence can be dangerous and he certainly knows from past experience now that Brett Semtex can never be under estimated or counted out.  Surely as the current champion, most people will see Big Joe as the favorite going into this match, but that is where the water gets all a bit murky, because it can be argued that just as many people will see Semtex as the favorite to win back the championship. 

Brett Semtex is a machine.  This is a man who walked in to DOA and defeated Big Joe on his debut and then in the same night beat big Charlie Winston to become the new heavyweight champion.  We are talking about victories over two of the biggest men in DOA history on the same night.  How many people can claim they made such an impact on their DOA debut? Answers on a postcard for that one because I cannot think of any.  For over a year he went on to defeat anyone he came up against and ensured that he held on to the DOA title, he looked unstoppable.  All streaks eventually come to an end though as Semtex found out with a harsh reality check when Joe pinned him for the three count.

After such a big loss and such a good run as the champion, no one in DOA history has ever went on to respond by taking the title back, or even holding the biggest prize more than once.  Semtex now has a chance to make history by responding instantly by winning the title back and becoming the first two time heavyweight champion - what a fitting occasion it would be to do that as well.  Lets be honest here, if anyone could do that, it would be Brett Semtex based on his form over the past year and half.  However, a big loss can sometimes impact your mentality and could that be a factor here? could that loss to Joe be playing on Brett's mind and impact his confidence.  One other thing to consider.  At September's show in Bury St Edmunds, Semtex comes up against a true veteran in the form of Mike Bird, a man who takes no prisoners in the ring.  That is a really tough match that Brett will need to get through before facing Joe at the anniversary.  Meanwhile, Joe will be fresh for that match so does that make it easier or harder? 

The answer to the above question is all down to what happens in the Semtex vs Bird match.  If Brett can score a huge victory over Mike Bird, his confidence will be sky high going into the anniversary and that might give him a slight edge regardless of how fresh Big Joe is.  On the other hand though, Big Joe has worked for years to get the biggest prize of all and would never let that go without the fight of his life.  In conclusion, its too difficult to call this one and all eyes will be on how Semtex responds to the loss in the match with Mike Bird in a couple of weeks. 

Just to add the cherry on the top of this match, The Banker announced that DOA legend Peter Nixon would be the special guest referee.  This will not tip the balance because it is safe to say that Nixon will call this right down the middle - he is that kind of guy and that's the reason the DOA faithful adore him.  It is fitting that he will be involved in this match though isn't it? Nixon is no stranger to championships, after all, he was the first person to have held the DOA Heavyweight title, Adrenaline title, and tag team titles.  The match is in safe hands. 

So, who do you think is going to win this huge match? The jury is out. 

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Blink of the eye and you could have missed it during the show in Ipswich last month.  The Banker Marc Lloyd was getting ready to deliver his big boot to the face of Lord Steven Farrell when he was suddenly hit over the head with a championship belt.  Standing there with a grin on his face, a Farrell Family vest, and an unknown silver championship belt was none other than Brad O'Brien.  It was unexpected and it led to many people questioning just where he had been for the past four months, and what was the mysterious belt he was holding. 

Well to get to the answers here, we need to rewind a bit back to 2022 when Sunset Skip was doing an interview backstage ahead of a DOA show.  In another attack which was quick and effective, he was jumped by someone wearing a hoody and thrown face first into a wall, knocking him clean out.  The attack appeared to be a little personal when the attacker stole Skips prized Pan Arabian Championship belt.  Lets not forget, this is a title belt he has reportedly won near on 100 times or so, and it has been defended worldwide for decades, its prestige is demonstrated with the fact it has been won in the past by the likes of the Iron Sheik and The Brooklyn Brawler.  I personally cant help but feel that when that belt was taken, a small part of Sunset Skip was taken. 

It did not take long though for it to be revealed that it was actually Brad O'Brien who had carried out the attack and stolen the title - the King of Couture had stooped that low.  To rub salt in to the wounds of Skip, O'Brien actually cracked him over the head with the belt to allow Lord Steven Farrell to pin him and score victory for the Farrell Family in a 6 man tag team match at the 9 year anniversary show in October.  Lets face it, outside of the walls of wrestling, O'Brien probably would have spent a night in a Police cell after such actions, but instead he was able to parade around DOA as the self proclaimed Pan Arabian Champion.  

Things came to a head in March 2023 as Sunset Skip finally had the chance to level the score when he went one on one with O'Brien at DOA In Their House in Norwich.  The belt was on the line and it seemed a sure bet that Skip would take back what was his, but the unthinkable happened, and O'Brien won the match, forcing Skip to shake his hand and recognise him as the official Pan Arabian Champion.  That night was maybe as tough as they come for Sunset Skip, other than probably his 'territory' days when he went coast to coast across America.  As for O'Brien, I stated it was unthinkable for him to win, but that is probably not true.  This is a guy who has been involved in wrestling since he was a teenager, he has grown up in the business and probably learned nearly every trick of the trade.  He is not someone you can ever under estimate, he can be unpredictable and that probably makes him quite dangerous.  

Going back years, who would have thought that the young looking kid would one day be known as the Beefcake of British Wrestling? On that note, there has been some talk recently that he is a meat feast kind of guy, so it would come of little surprise to me if he one day ends up using that in his growing list of nicknames.  Anyway, back to the point, O'Brien won the belt but then vanished for 4 months with little mention of him in DOA.  The Farrell Family started to fall in to a bit of turmoil without him and the memories of the Pan Arabian Championship started to fade slightly.  

The truth is, not long after that victory, Brad O'Brien broke his foot and was therefore ruled out of wrestling and confined to a set of crutches.  It therefore came as a surprise to suddenly see him appear out of nowhere at Ipswich and crack the Banker over the head with the belt.  It goes without saying just why he attacked the Banker - he was defending the leader of the Farrell Family and its obvious that O'Brien is the golden boy of the family in Lord Steven's eyes, however, what was not clear was the silver championship he was holding, it did not look familiar.  

The answer was offered later in that show when O'Brien spoke to the cameras backstage and revealed all.  He suggested that the Pan Arabian Championship was dated and he needed something more 'him' more relevant to the here and now, which is why the championship had been renamed the Social Media Championship.  Some work had been carried out on the belt and it has had a total make over - just what will Sunset Skip think about that, and all those past holders for that matter - I bet O'Brien has ruffled a few feathers with this move.  With that said though, what started as theft, did end with him officially winning the belt. I do still think though a night down in the cells at Ipswich nick would have done a lot of good for O'Brien - maybe he would have changed his ways.

So your wife and my wife's favorite wrestler is back, but what is next for him and the Social Media Championship? Will Skip be out to take back what was his and rename it again?, or has he finally accepted it is gone forever? One thing is for sure, things are getting interesting and if I was O'Brien I would be looking over my shoulder because he really is upsetting a lot of people.  Interesting to note though, Marc Lloyd still has not addressed what happened in Ipswich, but I am pretty sure our Director of Authority will have something in the works - that you can bank on, be alert Beefcake. 

Tickets are now on sale for DOA's return to the New Bury Community Centre in Bury St Edmunds for Fury Road.  2023 has been a year of stacked action packed shows from DOA and this will be no different with so much going down.  The first match announced could be a main event in it's self as the Adrenaline Cup reaches its climax.  

Fan favorite Ben Jones will go one on one with Sir Ryan Matthews, a man who really has been making his mark since his debut back in March.  Both Jones and Matthews have worked hard to get to the final, competing in tough matches along the way.  

In the first round, Jones had to battle it out with his fellow 'Lad' Alex Ecco, before over coming Harrison Payne in a semi final match.  This was a big test for Jones, because lets not forget, he was scheduled to wrestle Truman Roswell, who has mysteriously gone AWOL.  This was all very last minute with little time to prepare for the match but Jones pulled through and ensured he booked his place in the final. 

Sir Ryan Matthews was himself a late entrant in to the cup where he found himself going up against Spike Valentine back in March at the WAW performance centre.  Using some underhanded tactics, Sir Ryan won the match and then went on to overcome Richie Gopaul in the semi finals.  Some saw this as major upset because just a few weeks prior, Richie scored a pinfall over Matthews in a tag team match featuring the semi finalists.  However, Sir Ryan has bounced back and is determined to make his mark in DOA by winning this prestigious cup.  To do so though, he needs to get past Ben Jones - someone who was on the winning side in the two occasions these two men have met in tag team action in DOA. 

In the coming weeks, more matches will be announced for this show, but we can promise you it will be action packed.  We are still yet to hear from the Director of Authority regarding the incident in Ipswich when he was brutally attacked by Brad O'Brien, Is Dillon Slade now a member of the Farrell Family? How will Rex Whyld respond to the loss against Danny Darko last week? Can Leia Elise be stopped as Womans Champion? and will we hear from the new Adranline Division Champion Cali Grey? Make sure you get your tickets by visiting the 'tickets' section of this website and come and see what all of the fuss is about on September 16th.