Welcome one and all once again to another look in to the strange yet fascinating world of the UK Scene. This week I will be discussing the future of the FWA, talking more on X-Wrestling and their latest updates as well as the next event in FCW’s climb up the notoriety ladder. All of this as well as all the updates I can possibly fit in one column so sit back and enjoy.
Last weekend saw one of the most interesting shows put on by the FWA in Winchester as the latest academy event took place. This event though was very unlike previous academy shows as the event heavily featured FWA stars from the main roster. Normally at an academy event you will only see 1 maybe 2 tops from the main roster and to add to this, these shows run their own storylines, which differ from the main storylines happening at the big FWA shows. This was not the case at Winchester though as the event featured 8 wrestlers from the main roster and there were some quite significant happenings in the storylines used in the big FWA events.
The main storyline news coming out of the recent FWA academy events is the continuation of Alex Shane’s heel turn in which over recent academy events has really been cemented. Back on January 4th he turned on his tag team partner Ross Jordan and revealed his offer of a contract to Jordan was a cruel stunt and was abusing his power. The most shocking action took place at Winchester though as he turned on his latest tag team partner Paul Travell to take the glory for himself. Over the last month the “Showstealer” has stolen all the limelight for himself and has severed any ties he may have had as he continues to abuse his power.
It is unsure at the moment if this is the way they will continue to go or if its just because of the break FWA are having from running big shows before starting back up for the new year bigger and better than ever. The FWA fans aren’t complaining though as they are getting more than their money’s worth as tickets are as cheap as £5. This will hopefully also benefit the up and coming wrestlers in the FWA academy a they get to perform in front of more people due to the pulling power of the main roster stars as well as being able to test their abilities against some of the best in the organisation in a live match.
For the fans that follow the academy show they have never seen a better time with the invasion of main roster stars. Will the shows continue in this way though or is there going to be yet more changes to the show to bring it more closely tied to the main roster shows? (Which I would like to see happen) The question is though when the Wrestling Channel starts up will the up and coming guys in the academy get more exposure?
This weekend is another big one for FCW as after a successful 2003 they promote their first event of 2004 entitled “Back to the Future”. Last year FCW emerged from nowhere to really establish themselves as a promotion that was going places. With a great blend of up and coming wrestlers, established wrestlers and ring veterans they put on some very entertaining shows to good crowds. The two things that really pushed them over the edge though were the guest stars they were able to attract which included Jonny Storm and the captivating abilities of Spud who since working regularly for FCW has gained the attention of many fans as well as people inside the business. So what does 2004 hold for them? Will it be as good as 2003? The only way to find out is getting to the Baggeridge Social Welfare Centre, Lower Gornal this Sunday (25/01) as Majik makes his FCW debut and becomes the first guest star of the year. Doors open at 7pm for a 7:45pm start and the current card shapes up like this:
- “High Impact” Sam Green vs Keith Myatt
- Devils Advocate vs The Coalminers
- “Tomcat” Kevin O’Neil vs Dragon Phoenix
- The British Connection vs “SOTN” Rob Hunter/Celt Kennedy
- The Judge vs Jack Storm
Also scheduled to appear: Morales, Majik, Laken Xander w/Innocence, A-Star Athlete, Marc Hogan and The Bouncer and 4Play debut “Melicious”
Now to talk about the most talked about promotion so far this year that is yet to hold an event that being X-Wrestling. As the weeks go on the event is turning even more of an international event if this was ever possible with the announcement of some new matches and new talent. The latest match announced for the event on the 28th of August is Chris Candido vs. Bam Bam Bigelow which is yet another all American match on the card as our UK talent is yet to be put in a match.
To add to this as I write this column news has just come in that Raven has been confirmed for the debut event at the Dome in Doncaster. If this is correct he will be able to put some bums on seats as he hasn’t been used in the UK since he left the WWE but will the casual fan still remember him? I think it is another great name to add some credibility to the event but we should be using the US stars to push and highlight the stars we have in the UK which I don’t see that this event will.
As you may know by now we currently have a poll going on the UK section of the Wrestling101 site asking which new UK promotion will stand the test of time, well we have just talked about one of the contenders now lets talk about another that being TNT. They have just announced the line up for their show this Saturday (24/01) and it features some very impressive UK talent. The card includes Tex Benedict, Andy Simmonz, Phil Powers, Baxter Burridge and Paul Tyrell to name a few. So this event is looking like a very strong card so if you live in the area it may be advisable to get down to the Connaught Leisure Centre in Aldershot to see if the card can deliver.
Now you may remember last week I said I was going to announce another big exclusive this week well after talking it over with various parties and for reasons beyond our control we are going to leave off making the big announcement until we feel the timing is right. I would like to announce it today but I hope you will trust my track record and when I say I deliver I always do so if you are patient enough you will find out in due time.
I hope you guys are enjoying the new style columns as I am now taking the major stories from the week and talking about them in greater depth as in previous years I have tried to cram as many stories in to a column as possible. Now though with the UK newsboard on Wrestling101 I can bring you the best of both worlds by reporting all the news as it happens and because of that being able to produce a more opinionated column every week.
Remember now that you are done reading this column to check Scott Future’s 4th edition of his column Future-Shock and in my humble opinion its his best yet so well worth the read. Also as you know resident writer and quizmaster for Wrestling101 Dan has taken over doing the UK Scene interviews and he has another big one lined up as he has arranged an interview with the biggest tag team in the UK none other than the UK Pitbulls. Now if you can think of a question you would like asked please feel free to post them here and Dan will do his best to get them answered.
Until next time,
Adam Sibley
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