It was regarded as one of the finest matches on British soil in 2002, yet the sad fact is that only the most die-hard of fans, and those within in the industry, really got what it was about.
It was regarded as one of the finest matches on British soil in 2002, yet the sad fact is that only the most die-hard of fans, and those within in the industry, really got what it was about.
It was regarded as one of the finest matches on British soil in 2002, yet the sad fact is that only the most die-hard of fans, and those within in the industry, really got what it was about.
On Saturday, October 19th, 2002, the World Association of Wrestling presented their annual October Outrage card at The Talk in Norwich. The show, highlighted by a main-event bout pitting Ricky Knight against Bash for the vacant WAW British Championship, was notable for a bold experiment, until then untried by an promotion in the history of British wrestling.
On that night, "The Anarchist" Doug Williams faced Flash Barker. Nothing special about that, you're probably saying. The rivalry between Williams and Barker is a long and storied one. They have competed against each other four many other promotions in Britain, most notably, for the Frontier Wrestling Alliance.
But what made this particular match different was the fact that it was fought under shoot-style rules.
The rules for the contest were thus - each wrestler would be allotted five points at the beginning of the bout. Should a wrestler use the ropes to escape a submission attempt, he would lose a point. Pin falls did not count. You could only gain victory by submission.
So as two of the country's best wrestlers went at it, the crowd sat in silence. Williams and Barker tore into each other with clubbing blows, suplexes and submission holds. It was an excellent exhibition of scientific wrestling, the likes of which was rarely seen.
Yet the fans didn't get it. While many of the wrestlers began to gather together from their backstage viewpoints to see this scientific spectacular, the fans, used to guys running the ropes and delivering high spot after high spot, sat in silence. Some began to chant "boring, boring" and "start wrestling". But most of them just sat in silence.
As the bout came to an end, Williams locked in the cattle mutilation, and as the clock ticked away, Barker had finally had enough, and tapped out. However, the referee was out of position, and failed to see Barker tap as the time limit expired. He declared the contest a draw.
Barker was unhappy with the decision, but he accepted that the referee's decision was final. In reply, Williams challenged Barker to another contest, this time fought under a no time limit rule.
Many of the wrestlers present that night said that this was the match of the night. The U.K. Pitbulls gave it their "Match of the Year" award, and the match also placed highly in the WAW Wrestling Awards for 2002. A few months later, Barker himself told me that it was his favourite match of 2002, and that he hoped that the video of this contest would help him get some work overseas.
But it's a sad indictment on the fans of today that the majority of those in attendance that night just didn't get what it was all about. It wasn't about doing multiple-somersaults off the top rope and punching your opponent in the family jewels. It was about wrestling, hard hitting action between two of the best wrestlers in the world today. It made one think of the old UWFI shows, or the matches in the heyday of British wrestling, something which today's fans can enjoy on TWC now.
Williams and Barker would later go on to team together in future WAW matches. The following February, they defeated the U.K. Pitbulls to win the Crusher Mason Memorial Trophy, making them number one contenders for the WAW Tag-Team Championship. The title match with the Pitbulls sadly never took place. Injuries and other circumstances meant that Barker and Williams never wrestled the Pitbulls for the titles. Although these two were known for their accomplishments in the singles ranks, they would have made fine tag-team champions.
On Saturday, October 19th, 2002, the World Association of Wrestling presented their annual October Outrage card at The Talk in Norwich. The show, highlighted by a main-event bout pitting Ricky Knight against Bash for the vacant WAW British Championship, was notable for a bold experiment, until then untried by an promotion in the history of British wrestling.
On that night, "The Anarchist" Doug Williams faced Flash Barker. Nothing special about that, you're probably saying. The rivalry between Williams and Barker is a long and storied one. They have competed against each other four many other promotions in Britain, most notably, for the Frontier Wrestling Alliance.
But what made this particular match different was the fact that it was fought under shoot-style rules.
The rules for the contest were thus - each wrestler would be allotted five points at the beginning of the bout. Should a wrestler use the ropes to escape a submission attempt, he would lose a point. Pin falls did not count. You could only gain victory by submission.
So as two of the country's best wrestlers went at it, the crowd sat in silence. Williams and Barker tore into each other with clubbing blows, suplexes and submission holds. It was an excellent exhibition of scientific wrestling, the likes of which was rarely seen.
Yet the fans didn't get it. While many of the wrestlers began to gather together from their backstage viewpoints to see this scientific spectacular, the fans, used to guys running the ropes and delivering high spot after high spot, sat in silence. Some began to chant "boring, boring" and "start wrestling". But most of them just sat in silence.
As the bout came to an end, Williams locked in the cattle mutilation, and as the clock ticked away, Barker had finally had enough, and tapped out. However, the referee was out of position, and failed to see Barker tap as the time limit expired. He declared the contest a draw.
Barker was unhappy with the decision, but he accepted that the referee's decision was final. In reply, Williams challenged Barker to another contest, this time fought under a no time limit rule.
Many of the wrestlers present that night said that this was the match of the night. The U.K. Pitbulls gave it their "Match of the Year" award, and the match also placed highly in the WAW Wrestling Awards for 2002. A few months later, Barker himself told me that it was his favourite match of 2002, and that he hoped that the video of this contest would help him get some work overseas.
But it's a sad indictment on the fans of today that the majority of those in attendance that night just didn't get what it was all about. It wasn't about doing multiple-somersaults off the top rope and punching your opponent in the family jewels. It was about wrestling, hard hitting action between two of the best wrestlers in the world today. It made one think of the old UWFI shows, or the matches in the heyday of British wrestling, something which today's fans can enjoy on TWC now.
Williams and Barker would later go on to team together in future WAW matches. The following February, they defeated the U.K. Pitbulls to win the Crusher Mason Memorial Trophy, making them number one contenders for the WAW Tag-Team Championship. The title match with the Pitbulls sadly never took place. Injuries and other circumstances meant that Barker and Williams never wrestled the Pitbulls for the titles. Although these two were known for their accomplishments in the singles ranks, they would have made fine tag-team champions.
No comments:
Post a Comment