The British Wrestling Ambassadors

The other day I had a rather interesting conversation with a young British wrestler on MSN Messenger. The young man, who will remain nameless, began his professional career a couple of years ago, and even though he’s sill in the formative stages of his career, he claimed to be an ambassador for ambassador for British wrestling. He got rather annoyed when I disputed this, pointing out that he had only competed for two or three promotions in the south and east of England.

But the youngster got me thinking, thinking about what makes a true ambassador for British wrestling. I began to think long and hard about this subject. For me, a British wrestling ambassador isn’t just someone who competes in Britain, but someone who carries the word about British wrestling around the world, someone who shows that they’re just as good as their counterparts in Europe, America, Mexico and Japan.

Over the past few decades there have been numerous Brits who have made names for themselves abroad, with Davey Boy Smith, the Dynamite Kid and Chris Adams being the first ones that come to mind. But who are the current stars that fly the flag for queen and country around the world? Well, here’s my current ten, starting at ten and working up to number one.

Number ten is a woman who has just signed a developmental contract with WWE. Four years ago Nikita was heavily criticised after her match at Tommy Boyd’s Revivalshow, but since then she’s worked on her skills and become one of Britain’s top female stars, working all over Europe and in America and Japan, and becoming the
first British woman to sign a WWE deal, having impressed during a try-out last November. While there are some who will claim to be better wrestlers than her, you can’t deny the fact that she deserves her chance after all the hard work she’s put in.

Number nine may seem a strange choice to some of you, because he’s never actually wrestled overseas - Alex Shane. While he certainly has his critics as far as his wrestling ability goes, you can’t dispute what he’s done to promote British wrestling, not just in this country but around the world. As an agent for some of Britain’s top stars it’s his job to get his clients work overseas, and as the recently appointed Director of European Operations for Ring of Honor, he certainly has the scope and contact to promote the British scene on a wide scale.

Number eight is one man who is a definite for this list - Robbie Brookside. Having wrestled for over twenty years, Brookside enjoyed tremendous success in America and Japan and continues to compete all over Europe. If anyone epitomises what it means to be a British wrestling ambassador, then it’s certainly Robbie.

At seven and six are two wrestlers who are always mentioned together - Jody Fleisch and Jonny Storm. Both of these tremendous high flyers have competed all over Europe, America and Japan, against each other and against the local stars.There’s no doubting these two deserve to be on this list.

Number five sees a man rumoured to have interested Vince McMahon a few months ago, Doug Williams. The Anarchist is considered by many fans and experts to be the best technical wrestler in Britain at the moment, and as a regular for ROH in America and Pro Wrestling NOAH in Japan, Williams has held numerous titles all over the world, and his style of wrestling is popular wherever he goes.

At number four, over in Ring of Honor, Nigel McGuiness continues to champion the British style, which seems perfectly suited to the ROH style. McGuiness continues to compete in Britain from time to time, as well as working on the American indy scene.

I wasn’t sure whether to include Paul Burchill on this list, but he makes it to number three, mainly because he’s the only Brit ever to have been head hunted by WWE. Burchill was a big fish in a small pond in Britain, but in WWE he seems to be of average size. There’s no doubting his talent, but it may be a while before WWE fans see him challenging for the second tier titles.

Coming in at number two is Fit Finlay. The Northern Irishman has been in America for years, and recently returned to the ring after an extended absence, and even though he’s approaching his 49th birthday, he looks like he hasn’t lost a step. His recent matches with Bobby Lashley and Chris Benoit show that he’s just as good now as he was during the World of Sport heyday in the eighties.

William Regal heads the list at number one. Currently plying his trade on the WWE Smackdown roster, Regal has been competing in America for well over a decade for both WWE and WCW. His style is definitely unique when compared to some of his American contemporaries, and it’s a pleasure to watch him on television whenever he appears, even if it’s on the weekend shows.

So there you have it, nine men and one women, ten people who fly the flag for British wrestling, home and abroad, and with the wealth of talent in Britain at the moment, I have no doubt that these ten names will soon be joined by several more.