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THE FWA’S FIFTY GOLDEN MOMENTS

After consultation with FWA wrestlers, staff and fans both past and present, here is what we consider to be the defining half-century of iconic moments in the history of Britain’s most influential wrestling promotion.

1) Jody’s leap to the top
British Uprising 1, October 13 2002, Bethnal Green
‘The Phoenix’ Jody Fleisch’s emotional victory over Flash Barker to win the FWA British Heavyweight Title was the defining moment in FWA history. Not only because it was an unbelievable match between two FWA greats, and not only because it contained THAT Jody moonsault off the York Hall balcony, but because Jody’s win was the perfect conclusion to what was pretty close to the perfect show - the first ever British Uprising. Fleisch’s win helped establish Uprising as UK wrestling’s answer to WrestleMania and the event that kickstarted FWA’s golden age as the most influential and groundbreaking promotion in the country.


2) Hampton Court win the Tag Team Titles
Vendetta, July 25 2004, Broxbourne
Fans still talk about this match and the ear-splitting crowd pop when Simmons executed his infamous ‘double turn’ and pinned Raj Ghosh, capturing the FWA Tag Team Titles for himself, The Duke of Danger and the lovely Buttercup. This match was the peak of the phenomenon known as Simmons-a-mania which saw the butler become the most popular wrestler in the FWA. This bout was also memorable for Paul Travell walking out on The Family and a heated pull-apart involving Paul Burchill and Drew McDonald with commissioner Flash Barker at the centre. With so much going on in just one match and such an emotional rollercoaster ride for the fans, this moment typified all that is good about the FWA.


3) Alex turns heel on Ulf
British Uprising 2, October 18 2004, Bethnal Green
Nobody saw it coming. Alex Shane and Ulf Herman had been the most popular tag team in FWA history. The fans had been right behind them as they waged a hellish feud with The Family throughout 2003. Then Shane had to pull out of the feud-ending clash at Uprising II. Still, Ulf found a partner in former ECW Champion Mikey Whipwreck, and after they beat The Family in a fiery (see later) non-title hardcore war, the stipulation was that The Family’s manager Greg Lambert would have to take an Ulf Herman chair shot. Shane and Herman tied The Truth to the ropes, but as the German took aim, ‘The Showstealer’ snatched the chair and laid out his own tag team partner. This shocking moment laid the foundation for a heel Alex Shane to dominate the FWA’s televised era on Sky TV for the next two years.


4) Revival
February 9 2002, Crystal Palace
Tommy Boyd may have been the front man for this event, but the FWA was its heart and soul. This was the night when 2,000 fans packed into the Crystal Palace Indoor Arena to see ex-WWE superstars Brian Christopher and Eddie Guerrero, but left talking about Jonny Storm and Jody Fleisch’s thrilling ladder match, Alex Shane and Scott Parker’s balcony dives, Doug Williams’ technical excellence, Fleisch’s King of England Tournament win and emotional endorsement from the Dynamite Kid, and generally how they couldn’t believe that UK wrestlers could put on such an unbelievable show. This event made fans across the country sit up and take notice of the FWA – and through TalkSPORT and Bravo’s coverage of the event, it put British wrestling back in the mainstream media too.


5) Alex Shane v Steve Corino
Hotwired, September 5 2004, Broxbourne
Alex Shane is without a doubt the FWA’s most influential figure and this match, although he lost, may well have been his finest hour. A white-hot conclusion to his bitter feud with ‘The King Of Old School’, this was an incredibly dramatic, up-and-down nail-biter that saw all the enemies Shane had made during the previous months – Aviv Maayan, Ross Jordan, Jack Xavier, Doug Williams and even Flash Barker – gang up on him before Corino landed his crushing lariat and scored the pin to a deafening response. As Power Slam, a magazine not known for praising British wrestling, later reported: “Shane was told by his peers that he’d just had the match of his life…it was a great night all-round for the FWA.”


6) Flash Barker retires
Carpe Diem, June 18 2004, Brent
This night was something all too rare in the wrestling business, a dignified and poignant farewell to one of its best-loved servants. When former FWA Champion Phil ‘Flash’ Barker aggravated a knee injury in losing to Hade Vansen at Uprising 2, he announced he had been forced to quit the squared circle. At Carpe Diem ’04, Doug Williams, James Tighe, Justin Richards and Low Ki joined the fans in paying homage to the ‘Quadruple Hard’ star. Quite a few tears were shed that evening. Barker went on to become the FWA commissioner and defend the integrity of the FWA from outside the ring just as hard as he’d fought for it inside.


7) The Alex Shane-Danny Williams confrontation
Hotwired, September 5 2004, Broxbourne
When was the last time British wrestling ended up on the back pages of a national tabloid? Answer, at least 15 years before The Daily Mirror covered the stunning moment when Alex Shane punked out the man who had knocked out a still-feared Mike Tyson two months earlier. Shane badmouthed the heavyweight boxer – who had been invited to Hotwired as a guest of commissioner Flash Barker - and spat water in his direction in a classic piece of Showstealer controversy, then security had to step between the two giants as the Broxbourne Civic Hall was abuzz with excitement. Although Shane’s subsequent win over Doug Williams at Uprising 3 meant he never had to face Danny Williams in the ring, this incident will still go down in history as one of the most famous between a boxer and a wrestler from the UK.


8) Corino crashes the party
New Frontiers, March 26 2004, Brent
It was supposed to be Aviv Maayan’s FWA debut match against his trainer ‘The Specialist’ Mark Sloan. But it became known for the unannounced arrival of former ECW Champion Steve Corino, who simply walked through the crowd and into the ring to interrupt the match as the fans went nuts. Corino was there to call out Alex Shane, with whom he’d had a highly-publicised bust-up after Frontiers of Honour 2003. ‘The Showstealer’ was only too happy to oblige and their intense war of words kicked off a bitter rivalry that would culminate at Hotwired. The fans were left buzzing about Corino’s appearance which showed just how unpredictable FWA can be. And for further historical significance, the Sloan-Maayan bout and its aftermath was the opening item on the very first proper episode of FWA TV on The Wrestling Channel – which marked the return of weekly UK wrestling to television after a lengthy absence.


9) International Showdown
March 19 2005, Coventry
Many fans think 2005 was a tough year for the FWA. But the fact is that if it wasn’t for Alex Shane and the FWA, there would never have been the Coventry SkyDome supershows that year, which saw some of the world’s greatest wrestling superstars competing under one roof on one night. Although its sequel Universal Uproar was a fantastic event, everyone who was privileged to see it agrees that the original supershow International Showdown was off-the-charts awesome. From Samoa Joe v CM Punk to Raven v Alex Shane to the appearances of legends Mitsuharu Misawa and Mick Foley, this joint TWC and FWA collaboration will go down in history as possibly the best-quality wrestling show ever held on UK shores.


10) Old School v New School
High School Hell, November 10 2001, Harrow
In late 2001, many UK fans were starting to hear about the Frontier Wrestling Alliance thanks to Alex Shane’s presence on the Talk Wrestling radio show on TalkSPORT and coverage in WOW/POW magazine. What hooked these new fans to the FWA was the exciting cross-generation feud between the veterans of the Old School – the likes of Dino Scarlo, Drew McDonald, Justin Richards and Flash Barker – and the youngsters of The New School, including Alex Shane, Scott Parker, Jonny Storm and Jody Fleisch. The feud had been simmering but it completely boiled over on this night in Harrow, when the Old School’s manager ‘The Twisted Genius’ Dean Ayass made his debut, Flash Barker – hitherto ‘Mr Blond’ and head of security – turned on his paymaster Alex Shane, and then the entire Old School tried to set ‘The Showstealer’ on fire until the rest of the New School came to Shane’s aid for a huge show-ending showdown, drawing battle lines for the months ahead.


11) Ulf returns for revenge
British Uprising 3, November 13 2004, Coventry
Alex Shane achieved two of his dreams on November 13 2004. He did what other UK promoters had failed to do by running a show at the Coventry SkyDome. And he captured the FWA Heavyweight Title into the bargain, by ending the 20 month reign of ‘The Anarchist’ Doug Williams. But it wasn’t all plain sailing for Shane, who had to contend with the surprise return of the man he had cheapshotted, injured and humiliated 12 months previously – Ulf Herman. The 1,800-strong SkyDome crowd, and Shane himself, couldn’t believe it as Ulf came ploughing through a mass of security in his desire to get to Shane and although his interference in the match backfired, inadvertently leading to Alex winning the belt, his very presence electrified the arena. Due to subsequent issues between FWA management and the German star, the Shane-Ulf feud never reached its conclusion – something that remains a huge source of regret for FWA officials and fans alike.


12) First Impressions – Tighe v Xavier v Ghosh
British Uprising 1, October 13 2002, Bethnal Green
With the eyes of the world watching the FWA’s biggest show to that point, the first match was always going to be an extremely high pressure situation – especially for three of FWA’s relatively inexperienced young guns. James Tighe, Raj Ghosh and Jack Xavier came through, and then some, assembling a thrilling Triple Threat that was many UK fans’ first impression of FWA action – and an overwhelmingly positive one at that.


13) FWA v IPW:UK
Hotwired, October 15 2006, Broxbourne
The inter-promotional war that signified the end of the FWA climaxed at Final Frontiers on Sunday March 25 2007, when Martin Stone defeated the comebacking FWA legend Flash Barker to kill the FWA name forever. This historic feud began on FWA turf, at Broxbourne Civic Hall, on a night that was supposed to be IPW:UK’s coming out party at the traditionally FWA venue. But an unscheduled appearance by FWA owner Greg ‘The Truth’ Lambert, and the chair shot heard round the UK by Alex Shane on IPW boss Daniel Edler, was very much the rain on IPW’s parade.


14) Enter Burchill
British Uprising 1, October 13 2002, Bethnal Green
Although Paul Burchill had begun his run-in reign of terror before the night of October 13 2002, his impromptu arrival and complete annihilation of The New Breed at Uprising sticks in many fans’ memories as the moment they first realised British wrestling had a potential worldwide superstar on its hands. The Mark Sloan-trained Monster, later managed to such great effect by ‘The Twisted Genius’ Dean Ayass in FWA, eventually realised the full potential he showed that night in the York Hall.


15) ROH v FWA
Frontiers of Honour, May 17 2003, Bethnal Green
By spring 2003, FWA was really making a name for itself. Across the pond, a new American promotion called Ring of Honour was making similar waves. It was only natural that the two companies should come together for an inter-promotional one-night contest which remains memorable for so many reasons. Not only for James Tighe’s win over WWE-bound Paul London, or for Nikita’s balcony dive on The Family, or for Burchill’s first match, or for Samoa Joe’s triumphant UK debut and premiere of the ‘Ole’ kick, but also for Jonny Storm costing FWA the victory as Jody Fleisch went down to Christopher Daniels in the deciding bout. A bad night for the FWA result-wise, but Frontiers of Honour was a great one for so many other reasons.


16) Daniels takes the belt to America
London Calling, October 25 2002, Walthamstow
Just less than two weeks after British Uprising, most FWA fans expected Jody Fleisch would enjoy a long reign as champion. Imagine their shock when American star ‘The Fallen Angel’ Christopher Daniels defeated ‘The Phoenix’ and ‘The Anarchist’ Doug Williams in a three-way main event at Walthamstow to take the belt overseas. It would be five months before Williams would venture to Philadelphia and defeat Daniels to reclaim the title for the FWA on US soil – which was a historic moment in itself as it was the first time the British Heavyweight Title had been defended on foreign soil.


17) FWA win back the Inter-Federation Cup
FWA v All-Star, May 13 2006, Morecambe
There have been some emotional nights in FWA history, but very rarely have fans actually invaded the ring in sheer spontaneous joy to help the wrestlers celebrate a special moment. This happy stampede of FWA supporters came after Jonny Storm scored the decisive pinfall in an elimination match to stick one over his deadly rival Robbie Brookside and return the Inter-Fed Cup to FWA hands. It was also the night FWA said farewell to the lovely Nikita, who became our second homegrown star to earn herself a WWE contract (as Katie Lea), and the night the FWA Title belt was stolen leading to its replacement with an updated version.


18) Bret Hart in an FWA ring
NOAH Limits 2, April 30 2006, Colchester
FWA set the standard for UK promotions bringing over the best of North American talent to grapple with the cream of the British scene. From Nova to Little Guido, from Raven to D-Lo Brown, from Juventud Guerrera to Billy Kidman, the great and the good from the Americas have mixed it in an FWA ring. But perhaps the greatest legend of them all to cross the Frontier was former five-time WWF Champion Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart. Although it was simply to give a speech, his appearance in Colchester to a rapturous ovation was one everyone who experienced it will never, ever forget.


19) Travell is set on fire
British Uprising 2, October 18 2003, Bethnal Green
Former FWA referee Mike Bishop recently described this as “one of the scariest moments of my life”. It happened during the Ulf Herman/Mikey Whipwreck v The Family feud-ender at Uprising II when, in sheer desperation, The Family set a table on fire and tried to send the giant German through it. But the move backfired and Travell was sent crashing into the burning wood, leaving his back and shoulders ablaze. Officials managed to extinguish the fire but for a few terrifying seconds, ‘The Righteous One’ looked a goner. This moment was pivotal for two reasons - it was instrumental in the FWA being forced to leave The York Hall for good, and it set off a chain of events that would lead to the crazed Travell quitting The Family and becoming FWA’s ‘Hardcore Icon’.


20) Shane v Xavier – Last Man Standing
Crunch, April 11 2004, Broxbourne
When many fans and FWA insiders are asked ‘What was the best ever FWA match?’ this one is right up there. Alex Shane’s brutal Last Man Standing War with Jack Xavier was a highlight reel all of its own, from Jack’s spear of Alex through a table to Alex hurling Xavier off the Broxbourne balcony, to the series of chair shots and eventually the interference from Hade Vansen that enabled ‘The Showstealer’ to scrape the win, this amazing brawl set the standard for sheer drama in a British ring.


21) Turning Japanese
NOAH Limits, June 18 2005, Morecambe
The FWA is known for so many ‘firsts’ in a British ring. So how about this one? The first time a Pro Wrestling NOAH title was defended on UK soil was when Doug Williams and Scorpio lost the GHC Tag Team Titles to Naomichi Marufuji and Minoru Suzuki at The Morecambe Dome on a thrilling card in the hot summer of 2005. The working relationship between NOAH and the FWA – fostered by Doug Williams himself – would see Takeshi Morishima and Muhammad Yone visit our shores for NOAH Limits 2 the following year, proving that the FWA has had a truly international impact on the wrestling scene.


22) Flash creams Dirty Sanchez
Hotwired, August 26 2002, Ware
Wrestling history is full of incidents where outsiders have tried their luck in the squared circle, usually receiving their come-uppance pretty quickly and painfully. Such a fate befell a cocky group of have-a-go crazies from the MTV stunt show Dirty Sanchez, who actually believed they stood a chance of taking out the devastating Old School star Flash Barker. In front of the MTV cameras and a baying crowd at Ware in Hertfordshire, the Flash Man proved them horribly wrong with a public display of brutality. And the Dirty crew also received seconds at the hands – well, backside- of The UK Pitbulls.


23) Krammer injures Shane
Urban Legends, March 22 2002, Walthamstow
Alex Shane was enjoying unprecedented popularity thanks to his weekly Saturday night TalkSPORT wrestling radio show and his tremendous showing at Revival just months earlier. But it all came crashing down thanks to ‘The Barbarian’ Karl Krammer on a devastating night when, during a match between the two, Shane appeared to seriously injure his neck. This led to long lay-off and an outpouring of public support for ‘The Showstealer’ that demonstrated just how the FWA was taking off in the eyes of the British wrestling fans.


24) The Phoenix rises
British Uprising 3, November 13 2004, Coventry
Just after he’d wrestled on the Northern Exposure Tour of August 2003, completely out of the blue, Jody Fleisch announced his retirement. The UK wrestling scene was in shock. But then, after much contemplation and negotiations with the FWA, ‘The Phoenix’ agreed to return for one night only to say a proper farewell to his fans on the FWA’s biggest show to that date – Uprising 3. But after Fleisch helped reinstate his old sparring partner Jonny Storm and ended up in a physical altercation with James Tighe and Mark Belton, the old competitive juices came back. The rest is history…


25) Jonny turns on Jody
Crunch, March 16 2003, Broxbourne
When ‘The Wonderkid’ Jonny Storm won the XPW European Title against Jerry Lynn at the climax of one of FWA’s greatest ever cards of action, Crunch 2003, it was supposed to be his crowning moment in wrestling. But Storm spoiled it all by taking the microphone and spitting out a cutting speech aimed at his best friend Jody Fleisch, saying he was sick of being in The Phoenix’s shadow. This led to a bitter feud between the two that was thankfully cooled by Fleisch’s sudden temporary retirement later that year.


26) Hade shoots on FWA
Hotwired, September 21 2003, Broxbourne
When up-and-coming, but frustrated young star Hade Vansen was asked to perform security duties at Hotwired 2003, little did FWA management know that he was about to take the microphone and unleash a barrage of insults at the FWA that had fans wondering ‘work’ or ‘shoot’? Hade’s anti-establishment tirade launched The South City Thriller’ on the FWA, and led to his capturing of the All-England Title – and his record reign as champion – at the expense of Flash Barker’s career.


27) Jerry Lynn’s Christmas Surprise
Seasons Beatings, December 15 2002, Broxbourne
The FWA has always specialised in the unexpected and the appearance of The New F'N Show at the climax of the excellent Seasons Beatings round robin tournament in 2002 was an early Christmas present fans really appreciated. Lynn demanded a match with finalists AJ Styles and Doug Williams, and ended up winning the whole thing in a memorable three-way.


28) The Funker at Uprising
British Uprising 3, November 13 2004, Coventry
The legendary Terry Funk wrestles for the FWA. Need any more be said?


29) Burchill’s Last Stand
Gold Rush, November 28 2004, Broxbourne
Fans paid an emotional ‘bon voyage’ to the WWE-bound Monster after he wrestled his final FWA match against Alex Shane.


30) Hamrick on Tour
British Breakout Tour, April 2003, various venues
Former ECW star Chris Hamrick became a cult hero with FWA fans thanks to his comedic antics and in-ring skills on the first ever FWA UK tour.


31) Jonny leaves FWA
May 29 2004, Morecambe
James Tighe beat Jonny Storm in a Loser Leaves FWA match at The Dome, leading to Postcards From Thailand and The Wonderwhirl-d Tour!


32) The Duke’s Public Workout
Hotwired, September 11 2003, Broxbourne
The Great Peasant Thrashing of 1547 had nothing on the time when The Duke of Danger and Simmonz had the Broxbourne Civic Hall in stitches in a hilarious segment that ended with Paul Burchill annihilating referee Steve Lynskey.


33) Williams v Daniels
Crunch, February 1 2002, Broxbourne
Quite simply a technical masterclass as arguably the greatest ever FWA Champion Doug Williams outwrestled the Dean Ayass-managed and future TNA legend ‘The Fallen Angel’.


34) Corino Crashes The Party II
Trick Or Treat, October 26 2001, Broxbourne
Two-and-a-half years prior to his unscheduled appearance at New Frontiers 2004, Steve Corino pulled exactly the same trick by walking out unadvertised onto an FWA show to align himself with the Old School against Scott Parker.


35) The First TV Taping
High Potential, May 19 2001, Portsmouth
The FWA held two sell-out shows in one day after securing its first ever television deal with the local MyTV station in the Portsmouth area. The crammed day of action included Doug Williams capturing the FWA Title for the first time defeating Scott Parker in a tournament final.


36) First Blood
Vendetta, June 22 2003, Broxbourne
The FWA’s hottest ever feud – The Family v Shane and Herman – got bloody in controversial circumstances thanks to Raj Ghosh’s heel turn on Ulf and Alex.


37) Styles in Action
British Uprising 1, October 13 2002, Bethnal Green
FWA fans greeted the hottest new star in wrestling – AJ Styles – with a messiah’s welcome before he tore the house down in a classic match with Jonny Storm.


38) Kidman flies again
NOAH Limits 2, April 30 2006, Colchester
Supposedly past-his-best former WWE star Billy Kidman proved he still had what it took to electrify a crowd with a virtuoso display – complete with astonishing balcony dive - in a fabulous three-way with Storm and Fleisch.


39) Brookside wins the belt
Summer Classic, July 15 2006, Morecambe
The Morecambe Dome was left in stunned and angry silence as smug All-Star representative, and loather of everything the FWA stands for, Robbie Brookside captured the British Heavyweight Title in a three-way with Hade Vansen and Jonny Storm.


40) Dean's Dream Theme!
British Uprising 1, October 13 2002, Bethnal Green
The FWA's former musical director Ralph Cardall produced some classic theme tunes in his time, but perhaps the most infamous FWA ditty of all was the side-splittingly cheesy Dean's Dream Theme. To show the power of Alex Shane's Talk Wrestling radio show on TalkSPORT, where this song debuted, the fans at British Uprising were singing along when it was played just weeks later in the York Hall as 'The Showstealer' confronted the not-exactly-impressed subject of the tune, Dean Ayass, in a memorable and typical Alex Shane in-ring segment.


41) North West Super Nova
When Thunder Strikes, April 21 2001, Bolton
The FWA branched out into the north west for the first time for a show headlined by ECW star Nova defeating Doug Williams and some Alex Shane-Scott Parker balcony fun 10 months before they reprised it at Revival.


42) Pac wows the Hall
Crunch, April 2 2006, Broxbourne
In only his second FWA match, the incredible ‘Man Gravity Forgot’ downed Stevie Lynn and Ross Jordan to win the British Flyweight Title, leaving fans and the wrestlers in the back in complete disbelief at his jaw-dropping skills.


43) Saraya claims the bounty
Carpe Diem, June 18 2004, Brent
Speculation had been rife for months as to who had placed a bounty on the head of the beautiful Nikita. No-one could believe it when the culprit was revealed to be jealous ring announcer Jane Childs, and the disbelief continued when Sweet Saraya collected with a tombstone piledriver on Nikita that nearly ended her career.


44) A Massive First Win
Gold Rush, February 3 2007, Morecambe
The Dome took those unruly but loveable chavs, The Manchester Massive, to their hearts on the last ever FWA show. A sustained standing ovation greeted Declan O’Connor and Joey Hayes’ celebration after their win over Andy Simmonz and Ross Jordan, their first ever FWA victory after losing every single other match they’d ever had.


45) Balls v Ulf
British Uprising 1, October 13 2002, Bethnal Green
The violent battle between the two men with the hardest chair shots in the business, Balls Mahoney and Ulf Herman, was a chaotic spectacle at the first Uprising. Balls won, but fans agreed afterwards that Ulf Ist Gut!


46) Send in the Clown
Vendetta, July 10 2005, Broxbourne
Who could forget the night when straight-laced James Tighe was forced to wrestle against Jack Storm in a full clown costume, as the fans lapped up every second of his humiliation.


47) Brilliance in Bolton
Northern Exposure Tour, August 3 2003, Horwich
Jody Fleisch and Doug Williams v Jonny Storm and Christopher Daniels – possibly the greatest ever FWA tag team match.


48) The American Invasion Begins
Evil Intentions, August 5 2000, Halifax
The FWA’s biggest show to date came in conjunction with local promoter John Feltham, as a crowd of 1,100 saw the FWA’s first flirtation with bringing in overseas talent such as Dan Severn and Sabu. Although not critically acclaimed, this event also saw FWA’s first extensive coverage in Power Slam magazine.


49) The Odd Couple
FWA TV, 2004
The FWA TV skits involving the hilarious Stevie Knight and straight man Mark Sloan had everyone in stitches.


50) Parker gets his hair cut
No Surprises, July 28 2002, Portsmouth
After losing his FWA British title challenge to Flash Barker at No Surprises 4, Scott Parker had his trademark long blonde hair cut off in the middle of the ring by ‘The Twisted Genius’ Dean Ayass