Top Moments From Don’t Flop's "Checkpoint 2" Weekend

Jay "SleepyGee" McDougall recaps the title match, the freestyle Royal Rumble and more.

Don’t Flop is already known for having arguably the most enthusiastic crowds, and when the world sees the footage from "Checkpoint 2" I think it will become an undisputed fact. Both the main card at Ministry Of Sound and the private "Training Days" event on the Sunday were an honor to attend so it's only right that I put together a quick piece on what I thought were the best moments of the weekend.

The "Checkpoint 2" crowd.
The "Checkpoint 2" crowd.

Soul vs. Cee Major (Title Match)

Eurgh introducing Cee Major.
Eurgh introducing Cee Major.

This was easily one of the best matches in Don’t Flop history with both Soul and Cee Major bringing their best material and performances to date. Prior to the match both emcees had stated multiple times the amount of respect they had for each other as writers and you could see that in the standard of content they had prepared for each other.

Soul and Cee Major in the title match.
Soul and Cee Major in the title match.

The standout moments were Cee’s “I fly the box office / I define the hot topic / Yes, one battle last year and got a title shot off it” and Soul’s history of battling scheme which started with “You're from the 2012 killer crop? Oh you mean the 2012 only-here-because-of-Mark-Grist-and-Blizzard crop?”

Despite a choke from Soul in the first round this was a classic that ended up going to Soul on a 4-1 decision.

Lunar C’s Return

Lunar C at "Checkpoint 2."
Lunar C at "Checkpoint 2."

Since Lunar took a step back from Don’t Flop to focus on his music career in 2012 there hasn’t been a day when a fan hasn’t asked for his return. His opponent was the ever hilarious ex-champ/Don’t Flop legend Oshea. It ended up being the perfect way to stage Lunar's return and yet again a highly anticipated match that delivered what was expected.

Oshea and the tape measure against Lunar C.
Oshea and the tape measure against Lunar C.

Lunar was comfortable in the ring and had clearly done his homework, adapting his approach extremely well for 2015. His jokes were fresh and he blended in some extremely well-constructed punches that won over fans of more bar-heavy material (e.g. “You had to downgrade from yay to whizz like Amber Rose.”) This is taking nothing away from Oshea who was top class and funny as ever with one of the strongest performances I’ve seen from him. It will be interesting to see how soon Lunar takes another battle.

100 Bulletz vs. Shuffle-T

100 Bulletz against Shuffle-T.
100 Bulletz against Shuffle-T.

Most people went into this expecting a clear victory for Shuffle-T and it’s safe to say Bulletz proved them wrong. This match was tight straight from the off with Shuffle breaking down the version of Bulletz everyone expected to show up, but Bulletz switched up his approach by minimizing the scheming/gun references, which negated Shuffle’s approach a bit.

Shuffle-T against 100 Bulletz.
Shuffle-T against 100 Bulletz.

Some of the best moments included Shuffle “How many bullets? 100, that’s quite a few!” and Bulletz doing an on-beat section in the third based on crowd participation. Again this match-up was potentially a classic with both emcees putting in dope performances, but the judges gave the decision to Bulletz 3-2.

Charron vs. Pedro

The "Training Days" event that followed on the Sunday was a perfect way to carry on from the previous evening. The venue was a small upstairs bar overlooking the river which looked amazing. The invite-only event meant that everyone knew each other and the sense of community was strong.

Four scheduled battles took place on this secret card, the best of which was Charron vs. Pedro. These are arguably two of the best freestylers in the battle world at the moment so it was no surprise that the room was in stitches by the time the battle was over. Charron was on point with some ridiculously well constructed bars for freestyle and Pedro was, well ... Pedro. The standout bar has to be Pedro’s: “It’s mum joke time, your mum’s got Columbo’s eyes."

The Calcium Kid & Pedro.
The Calcium Kid & Pedro.

Freestyle Royal Rumble

This really was the perfect way to finish the weekend off. What started out as a 3-on-3 freestyle battle between Innuendo, Soljitzu, Unanymous, Cracker, Oshea and Bloodstro ended up with everyone from 100 Bulletz and Calcium Kid to Eurgh and Charron being tagged in. The vibe throughout the battle was truly amazing.

Sunset at "Training Days."
Sunset at "Training Days."

The whole weekend was yet another highly successful classic U.K. event without a single bad battle. The staff worked tirelessly across both days to ensure "Checkpoint 2" was a name for the history books and they certainly succeeded. Be sure to purchase the PPV to watch the battles back ASAP.

Here's the PPV trailer:

And here are a few more photos from the event, all taken by Ollie Thom. See more of his work here.

Michael White catching up on sleep.
Michael White catching up on sleep.

Willzy against Take Note Tox.
Willzy against Take Note Tox.

Take Note Tox against Willzy.
Take Note Tox against Willzy.

Marv Won vs. Big J at "Checkpoint 2."
Marv Won vs. Big J at "Checkpoint 2."

Dotz & Enigma.
Dotz & Enigma.

Unanymous vs. Gemini at "Checkpoint 2."
Unanymous vs. Gemini at "Checkpoint 2."

Shox The Rebel vs Cojay.
Shox The Rebel vs Cojay.

Bloodstro and Villun on Day 3.
Bloodstro and Villun.

SleepyGee hanging out.
SleepyGee hanging out.

Were you there? What were your favorite moments?

1 Comments

Latest
Best
Worst