On various fan forums recently, my esteemed employer Ricky Knight once again raised the topic of an all-British supershow, asking fans just who they would want to see on such a show.
It's been a dream of Ricky's for some time now, to promote a show where all companies put aside all of their differences, and come together for the good of the sport to hold a show that doesn't contain expensive, American or Japanese imports, just nothing but the top, home-grown talent.
It was while reading these threads that I thought it would make a good column. I've posted my views on who should be on the card, but since then I've done a bit more thinking, and I've come up with a few more ideas.
It's been a dream of Ricky's for some time now, to promote a show where all companies put aside all of their differences, and come together for the good of the sport to hold a show that doesn't contain expensive, American or Japanese imports, just nothing but the top, home-grown talent.
It was while reading these threads that I thought it would make a good column. I've posted my views on who should be on the card, but since then I've done a bit more thinking, and I've come up with a few more ideas.
So here, before your very eyes, J-Rad Promotions, in conjunction with the Acme Corporation, bring to you the British super-show!!!!
So just where is this card being held? Well, my first choice would be the NEC in Birmingham. It's centrally located with easy access to public transport, so this would seem like the perfect place to hold such a show. My dream venue would be the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, perfect for such a show with it's retractable roof. However, we're not talking Wrestlemania-like proportions here, so it's probably best to stick with somewhere like the Norwich Sport Village, the Fairfield Halls in Croydon, or the Princes Theatre in Clacton. You'll notice that I've only listed venues in East Anglia. Keep in mind that the only show I've travelled to outside of London and East Anglia was the GWF Aftermath show in Blackburn last year. Mind you, that was a good venue, so that's another possibility.
Let's get down to the actual card then. I don't claim to be an expert on the British wrestling scene. I only took an interest in it again three years ago, so there are loads of wrestlers and promotions I've never seen. So if I've not included anyone on this list you think I should have, please keep in mind that I can only offer opinions on those I have seen.
I would open the show, ala Wrestlemania IV, with a battle royal. Many British companies, when they stage battle royals, often leave them to the end of the show, but as you will read later, the nature of my main event would mean that when the end of the show is reached, the fans may be burned out a little. This would be a good way of getting things going. Who would enter this match? Well, perhaps those guys I haven't heard or seen much of, as well as wrestlers like James Mason, Frankie Sloan, The Kraft, Rock Weiler, and James Tighe.
The first singles match would involve two stars who are probably quite underrated at the moment. Jack Xavier has earned rave reviews for some of his performances for the FWA, while Hot Stuff, a ten year-plus veteran, may be one of British wrestling's best kept secrets. Both men have the charisma, and the skill, to open this show with a bang and to entertain the fans.
Second match up would be something a little different, something not many companies do in Britain at the moment, and would definitely be something for the old school fan. Robbie Brookside and Drew McDonald are legends in the British wrestling game, and have faced each other countless times over the past few years in all manner of bouts. But with the younger fans enjoying the old style British matches on The Wrestling Channel, I'd give the fans something they haven't seen, Brookside and McDonald fighting under old-style rules, best of three falls, over six five minute rounds.
Rather than having a couple of tag-team matches, I'd put all of my eggs into one basket and bring together six teams in a tag-team turmoil match.
The first team to enter this mini-tournamet would have to be the team regarded as the most dominant in Britain today, Big Dave and the Bulk, the U.K. Pitbulls. Since they debuted for WAW a few years back, they've gone on to dominate the British tag-team scene, holding a record seven titles in one calendar year not long ago.
The New Breed are probably one of the more popular tag-teams of recent years. Ashe & Curve are former FWA tag-team champions, with a storied rivalry with the Pitbulls. They may not be the biggest dogs in this fight, but they certainly have a lot of fight in them.
The Essex Boys combination of Paul Tyrell and Phil Powers is one of the most underrated in Britain in my opinion. Tyrell and Powers compliment each other perfectly, and it's surprising to me that they haven't won more titles.
The Hampton Court team of the Duke of Danger and Simmons are gaining something of a cult following not just on the Internet but around the country. Simmons is proving to be quite a capable little worker, sometimes overshadowing his "boss". If truth be known, I've only really included these two to make up the numbers though!
Representing All-Star, I'd pair up Dean 2 Extreme and Robbie Dynamite. These two normally compete against each other, but for the sake of this bout, I'd team them together. I've only seen these two compete on a couple of occasions, but I'm sure they wouldn't be out of place in this match.
My final pairing may leave some of you scratching your heads - The Coalminers, Miner P & Minder D, haven't been heard of much lately, but whether they compete as the Coalminers or Electric Mayhem, they are always capable of putting on a good bout. If only I can remember which one is which though!
The next match may surprise a lot of you, but if you're going to cater to all types of wrestling, and all wrestling fans, then you're going to need a match of this sort - Burchill v Flatliner - two powerhouses going against each other.
When I first put forward the idea of this match on the UK Fan Forum, some laughed at me. But if you look at some of the great WWE cards of the past few years, they've always included one strongman v strongman match. Burchill and Flatliner would fill this gap perfectly in my opinion. And if you don't like Flatliner in this match, you could substitute him with Thunder.
Following this battle of the powerhouses would be an old-school type of match between "Gentleman" Jimmy Ocean and "The Shining Light" Stevie Knight.
Knight is one of those wrestlers that has gained a cult status amongst Internet fans, and rightfully so. I've only seen him compete a couple of times, but what I saw impressed me, and a supercard show without the Shining Light wouldn't seem right.
Ocean competes only sporadically these days, but there's a lot of spark in this old flame. He may be a little slower, and may not fly as much as he used to, but put him in a match with Stevie Knight and you're guaranteed something special.
Next up would be the kind of match that really gets the fans going - a ladder match. But this wouldn't be an ordinary ladder match, it would be a three-way ladder match.
The Zebra Kid would be my first choice for this match. Having competed in a great ladder match against Jody Fleisch three years ago, there's no way he could be left out of this match. Many would have put him in the main event match, and while I'm not saying he's not deserving of being in the main event, I think this match would be a better way of showcasing some of his talents.
Second choice for the match would have to be "The Wonderkid" Jonny Storm. Storm is really coming into his own now, having competed all over the world and earned a fan following wherever he goes. He's not the biggest by any means, but he can certainly got that extra mile to get the job done.
A year ago my third choice for this match would have been Jody Fleisch, but now that "The Phoenix" has retired, I'm forced to look elsewhere. And who better to replace Fleisch than one of the best up-and-coming talents of British wrestling today, the former member of the Dark Angels tag-team, WAW's Ashe.
Ashe has taken great strides since turning pro in 2001, and is earning rave reviews wherever he competes. He's also getting the attention of other wrestling promoters in Britain and abroad. Ashe would be the perfect foil for the Zebra Kid and Jonny Storm in this match.
One match some fans have been clamouring for is between FWA head honcho, "The Showstealer" Alex Shane, and his WAW counterpart, "Rowdy" Ricky Knight. This seems to have become something of a dream match in the past few weeks. It would definitely be a new school/old school kind of battle. But such a rivalry would have to be fought under hard-core rules. Both men are well versed at using weaponry. Knight is recognised by some as the British Hard-core Champion, while Shane showed last year that he can take it up a notch while playing with the toys. This wouldn't be a match for the faint-hearted.
The next match would again be a surprise to some, but would showcase two of the brightest young talents in British wrestling today, Zak Zodiac & Phil Lea, the two youngest wrestlers in Britain. Their match for the WAW Youth Title last October was one of the highlights of the night for me, and this match would definitely fit in here.
Leading up to the main event, I'd put the only women's match on the card. I had toyed with the idea of putting two women's matches on the show, but this may not appeal to your average wrestling fan. So for this match, I'd once again throw all of my eggs into the same basket and put the four top female grapplers in the country in a four corners elimination match.
My choices for this match would be "Naughty" Nikki Best. Some of you may be surprised by this, but look at the facts - she's a fifteen year veteran and second-generation wrestler, as well as being a former British champion. She's also one of the toughest wrestlers of any gender I've ever seen. She may not be the mosttechnical wrestler in the world, but she's one tough woman.
Nikita would be my second choice. She's come on leaps and bounds since she wrestled for Hammerlock on the TWA Challenge. She's improved a hell of a lot. Some people have been critical of the FWA's booking policy towards her, saying that she should be booked against other woman instead of against men. This match would be a perfect opportunity to show her skills.
My third choice would be the Sweet Saraya, without a doubt the best female wrestler in Britain today. Now working a limited schedule because of injury, she's still capable of putting anyone else in knots inside the squared circle, and this match wouldn't be complete without her.
Making up my quartet of femme fatales would be the legendary Klondyke Kate. Now semi-retired, Kate is one of the true legends of the British wrestling seen, and like Nikki Best, one of the toughest wrestlers of any gender you'd meet. To list her achievements here would take too long. It wouldn't be right, though, to hold such a match without here.
For my main event, I'd go for something on a grand scale, pitting two of the top wrestlers in the country against each other in one of the toughest matches. "The Anarchist" Doug Williams and Flash Barker have a long and storied rivalry which has produced some outstanding matches. Williams in particular has earned a great reputation for himself, while Barker was cut down with a severe knee injury he's still recovering from. For my main event, I would pit these two in a sixty minute Iron Man match. Could both guys go sixty minutes? Williams has done it before, almost winning the Ring of Honor title in the process.
This match would not only prove taxing to the wrestlers, but to the fans as well. They may be a little put off by it, but given the nature of the wrestlers in the match, they'd probably salivate at the prospect.
So there you have it - my dream British supercard. Hopefully there is something that would appeal to every wrestling fan here. But like everything else in life, this is a very subjective matter. Everyone will have their own opinion about who should be on this show and in what kind of match, and I look forward to reading the debates this column will hopefully start.
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