FWA British Uprising III Special

Welcome one and all to the one before the big one that being of course the UK Scene column before British Uprising III. Not even the news of Burchill signing with the WWE can completely overshadow the build up to this historic event which will see the Coventry Skydome play host once again to what is hoped to be a defining moment in British Wrestling history but will tonight be the night the jinx is broken forever?

So before I talk about British Uprising I must of course salute Paul Birchall on his massive achievement of securing a WWE developmental deal. We have seen many UK Wrestlers go to the OVW camps before but this moment is truly historic as he has put pen to paper on an official contract which will keep him there long term. It is for moments like this I have been writing this column for over the last three years waiting and hoping.

This could be one of the most important moments in modern British wrestling as if he can break in to the main WWE rosters and secure himself a regular spot we will have someone flying the flag for Britain when Regal decides to call it a day. The benefits to the UK Scene could be huge as Paul strikes me as a guy that won’t forget his roots and try and use his success to help the UK Scene and the FWA in anyway he can. See the roster cuts make sense now they were just making way for Burchill.

Now on to what could prove to be one of the most important nights in British Wrestling in our lifetimes as the FWA bring British Uprising III to the Coventry Skydome this weekend and boy has it come round quickly, it feels like just yesterday the event was announced. The feuds have been developing, the Americans have been flown over and returns to the ring from greats have been confirmed, now all that awaits us if the roof coming off of the Skydome.

This year I watched on as the Boston Red Sox beat the curse of the bambino to clinch their first World Series since 1918 so hopefully that is the signs of things to come as the FWA stare the curse of the Coventry Skydome in the face and break it. The venue first played host to an attempt by UCW to take the British Wrestling on to greater levels and the event only drew a half house audience which caused the UCW to disappear off the scene shortly afterwards. Then it was set to play host to Wrestlexpress which was billed as being the event to change British Wrestling forever, this time the event didn’t go ahead at all as the promoter ran in to problems, ended up selling the name to Conway who then moved it down to Dagenham with a much smaller scale show. So will it be third time lucky for the FWA?

Once again the fans have had there say about the event in the run up making me wonder why sometimes the FWA put their neck on the line for these net fans just to get the abuse they get in return. No doubt most of those people who were complaining will be in the audience tomorrow to witness a history making event. There has been some constructive and interesting discussion though as the anticipation reached fever pitch this week as people confirmed their travel and accommodation plans.

The event will see the first mainstream personality involvement in a big British wrestling event for some time as British Boxer, future world champion and the man that knocked Tyson out Danny Williams will be on hand to see if he can gets his paws on Alex Shane in a Wrestler / Boxer match. The ongoing feud between the Showstealer and Williams has brought the FWA and Uprising publicity in national newspapers with the coverage of the incident where Alex Shane spat on Danny Williams and since then there has been a regular weekly feature in the Daily Star which has brought a bucket load of credibility to the event.

If you live in Coventry you can’t have escaped hearing about the FWA even if you haven’t been out of the front door as the FWA have been working the media companies and advertising hard to make sure that everyone in a 20 mile radius of the Skydome knows what’s going down. This makes it the most heavily promoted FWA event of all time as the FWA have never stepped foot in Coventry before and they are bringing them their biggest most important event to date. This makes the event truly ground breaking as instead of sticking to their strongholds they bring their show to a whole new audience.

The Wrestling Channel will be very interested to see how the event goes as off the back of the FWA they have an event coming up at the Coventry Skydome in 2005 and Uprising III will be the measuring stick. I personally think if the FWA can’t make it work nobody can and I believe they can and will deliver this weekend. I just can’t imagine what it is going to feel like for some of the wrestlers on the crowd that are use to only going out in front of the usual small British crowds the feeling that’s going to hit them as they walk out in to a big arena in front of massive crowd will be a moment they can treasure forever and I bet Alex Shane has had people biting his hand off for the chance to perform at British Uprising III.

So now I have you buzzing with excitement for the big event here are my official predictions for the big event.

Three Way Dance – The Next Generation
Final Eliminator for the FWA All-England Title
Aviv Mayaan v Spud v ‘Little Dragon' Ross Jordan

Prediction: Spud’s incredible run of form will continue as his star in the FWA rises even further.

Winner: Spud

Mark ‘Five Star' Belton v D-Lo Brown

Prediction: Are you down with the brown. I think Five star Belton is going to have his hands full with this one and there are a lot of disgruntled workers backstage with him due to getting the chance to wrestle the Americans so it’s not going to be a clean finish by any means.

Winner: D-Lo Brown

The return – perhaps for one night only - of ‘The Phoenix' Jody Fleisch

With Jonny Storm in the building I think we have a good chance of seeing a Storm / Fleisch classic one last time.

Terry Funk, ‘The Righteous' Paul Travell and Burchill (with ‘The Twisted Genius' Dean Ayass) v Drew McDonald, Raj Ghosh and Thunder (with Greg ‘The Truth' Lambert) With special guest referee ‘The Mouth of the South' Jimmy Hart

Prediction: Look for this one to get out of hand early with so many guys in the ring and outside the ring Jimmy is going to have his work cut out for him controlling this one. I wouldn’t be surprised if Jimmy tried to screw Funk but as its his last night in the FWA I don’t think it will be enough.

Winners: Terry Funk, Paul Travell and Burchill

FWA Tag Team Title Match
The Duke of Danger and Simmons (with Buttercup) v ‘The Specialist' Mark Sloan and ‘The Shining Light' Stevie Knight (with the EntouRAGE)

Prediction: This is going to be a completely comedic match after the bloodbath 6 man tag. With the push they are on and with the fans take to their gimmick so well I don’t think Simmons will be polishing those belts for much longer.

Winners: Mark Sloan and Stevie Knight

30 minute Iron Man Match
AJ Styles v James Tighe

Prediction: I think this could be the match of the night following on from AJ’s first Uprising appearance. After missing number Uprising II AJ will be determined to leave his mark on number III.

Winner: AJ Styles

FWA All-England Title Match, Last Man Standing
' The South City Thriller' Hade Vansen v Jack Xavier

Prediction: This is going to be another violent affair following on from a heated rivalry. If this match goes before the main event I think Jack will finally get his retribution and his moment in the sun which he thoroughly deserves after a hard year.

Winner: Jack Xavier

FWA British Heavyweight Championship Match, One Fall, Winner Takes All
‘The Anarchist' Doug Williams v ‘The Showstealer' Alex Shane
If Shane fails to win the title, he must fight Danny Williams in a Boxer v Wrestler Match

Prediction: It’s a bit telegraphed but I believe Danny will turn on Doug Williams proving it was a plot by Alex and Danny all along as Danny has no reason to be in the crowd at Hotwired and Alex had no reason to confront him so I think Doug has been set up. This would cement the Showstealer as the top heel in the company and would leave the face Doug wronged and wanting revenge in the upcoming months.

Winner: And new FWA champion The Showstealer Alex Shane.

You can read a preview of the event by Stephen Ashfield here.

Hope you all enjoy Uprising and I will be back next week with all my thoughts on the event.

Until next time,

Adam Sibley

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