Why did you decide to start up EWC?
Ah just for a laugh to be honest………I miss a lot of the guys and there isn’t much good wrestling in the North, and people wanted to see it, so I thought what the hell….
What is going to make EWC different from other UK federations?
Well were not going to use any fakes, phonies or rip anybody off, we are going to have a product people can enjoy a place for the family. With great matches featuring the UK’s best wrestlers. You can still have a good show without blood and gore
How long has EWC been in the pipeline?
Only since about November, We are not expecting to set the world on fire, hopefully something can come of it, but I personally have been involved in so many “next big things” I just take it as it comes.
The EWC is using many FWA wrestlers, is EWC going to work alongside or against the FWA?
I would not say we are using FWA wrestlers. They are just my friends and the people I consider to be the best in Britain. No wrestler in Britain is exclusive to any company, but the FWA have good sense and use great wrestlers nowadays, other promoters should take note.
Tell some of the fans who don’t know about the US stars (like Brute Shooter and Mr USA Axl Morison) on the show what they are like and what they can expect from them?
Well it looks like Brute Shooter may not be able to make it, He’s having difficulty getting a passport after the September 11th events. Axl Morison is from Alaska in the U.S. However he is in the U.S Airforce and is based in England, he trains at my wrestling school and is a great bloke.
Is Axl Morison just down for this tour or will they feature on a permanent basis for EWC?
Probably on a permanent basis. I mean don’t get me wrong this guy is no high flying super worker. He is just an entertaining guy who I think people will like and he is a real American which is more than can be said for a lot of U.K shows.
If I remember rightly you personally were named to appear at SCW what happened to that?
I was indeed. It just was not financially right to do, for me or for the promoter.
Many of the EWC stars are close friends who you have built up through your years in the UK scene working for various feds which was your favourite federation to work for and wrestlers to work with?
Ah that would be the UWA. That was a blast. It got a lot of people good exposure and yes there was some real bad stuff on there, but some of it was great. And that’s where I met a lot of good people like Alex Shane, Doug Williams, Jonny, Jodie and others. When I was there I got a good push, those guys where on the fringe, now they are Britain’s top wrestlers.
What is your opinion on the UK scene today compared to when you first started out?
mmm, that’s a tough 1. When I started it was a lot tougher sport, in the ring and out of it. I had to go through a lot of shit the new guys now don’t go through. Sometimes I chuckle to myself when the guys in the changing rooms now talk about what happened on Raw, Smackdown etc. Some of them don’t, even have a clue who Mark Rocco, Marty Jones, etc are. And just want to go out there and hit every move they saw on TV on Saturday in the first 5 minutes of their match. They know how to do a moonsault but not a wristlock. If every English guy is the same as an American why would they get anywhere?
You are involved on both sides of EWC wrestling and setting it up, who else has been involved with the setting up of EWC?
Wow, Nobody really, just a financer
You help train many wrestlers will any of these feature on EWC shows?
Yes indeed, there will be a few of my students on the shows who I believe are ready. Deano, Brendan Blaze and others. Brendan Blaze has been with my school for 2 years. He is wrestling Jodie Flash on 1 of the shows as a treat for his loyalty and I’m interested in seeing him work with Jodie
What are the long-term goals of EWC?
Ah a bit of fun. I mean don’t get me wrong I love wrestling, I’ve wrestled in America and Europe and enjoyed almost every bit of it. But I’m 26 now I need a good future I have a house to pay for and a sports car to run:-) wrestling in this country unfortunately doesn’t pay the bills. If I could work in wrestling full time I’d jump at it but it’s not to be yet.
Are there any plans for a future tour if so where or are you just going to see how the Genesis tour goes?
We have plans for the future. A tour of Ireland is in the pipeline, and we have more shows booked. I would like to bring over some Big name Americans but that is purely based on finance.
Well that about raps it up, any final comments you would like to make?
Yep, I’m not making any bold claims. We are not the WWF. We just want to put on some shows everybody can enjoy. Come along and give me feedback.
Thanks Stevie Knight for your time and I would like to on behalf of TWO/W101 wish you good luck in the future with EWC and the rest of your career. You can keep up to date with and get all the information like tour dates from EWC by going to their site at ewcwrestling.info or you can follow Stevie Knight personally at stevieknight.com. This week I managed to catch up with Stevie Knight the 11 year wrestling veteran with the brand new wrestling organisation EWC who are causing waves going in to their first tour. Stevie has wrestled for many federations like UWA and EWW just to name two and now he wants to bring in a federation of his own.
Adam Sibley