by Daniel Johnson

Benham Ali vs. Jack Gallagher

Here is something you don’t see every day. Two incredibly talented young lions from the United Kingdom who have had success in Japan. While plenty of UK wrestlers have wrestled in Japan few have done it at the age and with the skill set “The Sheik” Benham Ali aka Tiger Ali and Jack Gallagher aka Jack Anthony have. Before much of their success though they wrestled for Great Bear Promotions (GBP) in Chestshire, England. In fact, they wrestled on the company’s first show, GBP Battle Kingdom.

The match starts off with plenty of technical wrestling, which Jack Gallagher had the chance to show off just months earlier to a Japanese promotion. He did this in a bout with Paul Robinson he had on a show jointly held by Dragon Gate (DG) and Dragon Gate UK (DGUK). Some months after this match Gallagher wrestled at another joint show. This time it was with Mikey Whiplash at a Scotland event held by ZERO 1 and the Scottish Wrestling Alliance (SWA), which led to him getting booked on a Japanese tour for ZERO 1 in 2013.

Although the technical wrestling may appeal to some fans, Ali’s heel work gets the biggest reactions out of GBP’s audience. Such skills have served him well in the UK and abroad. By this point Ali had already wrestled in Japan, most prolifically in Kaientai Dojo (K-DOJO), but it was not until later he enjoyed his greatest success in the far east to date with Michinoku Pro Wrestling (MPW). Actually, up until May 2014, Ali held gold as a holder of the MPW Tohoku Tag Team Championship with Japanese star Taro Nohashi.

Getting back to the action, Gallagher looks to finish Ali off with a dropkick followed by a butterfly suplex and an armbar following a two count. Gallagher must not have been as aggressive as Alberto Del Rio because Ali doesn’t tap. Gallagher stays on the offensive, but Ali catches him with a northern lights suplex out of desperation.

While Gallagher may not still be as aggressive as Alberto Del Rio he turns out to have some of Ric Flair’s mojo. Ali gets trapped in a figure four leg lock and submits.

The full match can be seen right here:

The next GBP show is yet to be announced. However, you can check out the company’s always entertaining logo here.

For the full results of GBP Battle Kingdom click here.

For more in the 25 and Under series featuring enthralling talent from the UK click here and here.

Categories: Wrestling Clips

Tags: "The Sheik" Benham Ali, 25 and Under, 25 and Under series, Alberto Del Rio, Benham Ali, Chestshire, DG, DGUK, Dragon Gate, Dragon Gate UK, England, GBP, GBP Battle Kingdom, Jack Anthony, Jack Gallagher, Japan, K-DOJO, Kaientai Dojo, Mikey Whiplash, MPW, MPW (Japan), MPW Tohoku Tag Team Championship, Paul Robinson, Ric Flair, Scotland, SWA, SWA (Scotland), Taro Nohashi, The Sheik, Tiger Ali, United Kingdom, ZERO 1