Welsh Wrestling

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Welsh Wrestling
Founded2004
StyleProfessional wrestling
Sports entertainment
HeadquartersWales, United Kingdom
Founder(s)
WebsiteWelshWrestling.com

Welsh Wrestling is the only national Welsh professional wrestling promotion. Neath-based Alan Ravenhill is the founder and promoter of the group, which was established in 2004 and holds live events all across the country.

Overview[]

Welsh Wrestling is the only national Welsh professional wrestling promotion, holding live professional wrestling events across the length and breadth of Wales.

Welsh Wrestling at Porthcawl's Grand Pavilion in October 2014

The shows combine athleticism, drama and fun, with each having the primary goal of giving each paying customer an enjoyable and action-packed night out. The product is family-orientated sports entertainment, catering for adults and especially children, while aiming to provide humour, excitement and overall enjoyment for both.

The actual wrestling is hybrid of American wrestling and traditional British wrestling, with contests most often contested under ‘one-fall’ rules. Each match is overseen by a referee, dressed in traditional bow-tie and shirt, with a smartly-attired MC.

Wrestlers on the card will typically be larger-than-life, both in persona and physique – with the heroes drawing influence from wrestling stars like Hulk Hogan, Big Daddy and Rey Mysterio and the villains bringing with them traits popularised by past performers Kendo Nagasaki, Ravishing Rick Rude, Superstar Billy Graham and others.

Welsh Wrestling at Trecco Bay in August 2015

Throughout each year, the roster perform in front of several thousand fans at primarily theatre-based venues. The live events run around two hours in duration, with a short interval, and are typically headlined by either a Battle Royal, Royal Rumble or multi-man tag team match, with an array of singles bouts on the undercard.

At the conclusion of each event, Welsh Wrestling offers a Backstage Pass – allowing spectators to meet the evening's wrestlers, take photographs with them and collect autographs. Traditional wrestling merchandise, including foam hands, is commonplace at the shows, and adds to the colourful, carnival-like atmosphere.

The Welsh Wrestling touring roster has showcased wrestlers with experience from WWE, TNA Wrestling, National Wrestling Alliance, Ohio Valley Wrestling and promotions across Europe. WWE NXT athletes Oliver Grey[1] and Gavin Reid[2] worked extensively for Welsh Wrestling prior to signing their developmental contracts and moving to the United States.

In 2017, Ravenhill set up the Welsh Wrestling Training Academy, based in Morfa, Swansea.

International stars[]

In the early days of Welsh Wrestling, international talents including Billy Kidman, Chad Collyer and Joe E. Legend were brought in for various big events. However, in recent years the promotion has maintained a policy of promoting quality domestic talent. Among the WWE superstars to have plied their trade in a Welsh Wrestling ring are the former Intercontinental Champion, Wade Barrett, as well as Mark Andrews, Pete Dunne and others. Promoter Alan Ravenhill also helped to introduce former Impact Wrestling star Rob Terry to the wrestling business, after a chance encounter in the Swansea area in the mid-2000s. Through his association with Orig Williams, Ravenhill has been a long-time advocate of North Wales grappler Mason Ryan, who has also wrestled on the Welsh Wrestling circuit.

Celebrity involvement[]

In 2012, former Liberal Democrat MP and media personality Lembit Opik became embroiled in a feud with Kade Callous, with the dispute covered by The Guardian,[3]The Daily Express,[4] The Daily Mirror,[5] Metro,[6] The Independent,[7] The Telegraph[8] and The Huffington Post.[9]

The key incidents between the two, culminating in a tag team match in Welshpool, drew television coverage on both BBC News[10] and ITN News,[11] as well as entertainment programmes The Wright Stuff and Have I Got News For You. National radio station talkSPORT also covered the story, which appeared on the MSN, AOL[12] and Orange[13] websites and spread as far as Albania,[14] Croatia[15] and Opik's homeland of Estonia.[16]

Premiership footballer and Wales captain Ashley Williams has also appeared in Welsh Wrestling,[17] participating in an in-ring angle with Mean Tommy Dean.

Venues[]

Grand Slam Wrestling[]

Welsh Wrestling also hold wrestling events in England under the Grand Slam Wrestling banner, in towns including Abingdon, Bude, Banbury, Brackley, Cheltenham,[49] Crewe,[50] Colne,[51] Congleton,[52] Craven Arms, Didcot, Eastbourne, Henley-on-Thames, Kidlington, Kettering, Newbury, Oswestry, Ormskirk, Oxford, Plymouth, Poole, Reading, Walburton, Witney and Weymouth. These shows typically use a similar structure, ethos and talent pool as the Welsh Wrestling shows.

Roster[]

The Welsh Wrestling touring roster typically consists of 8–12 heavyweight and super heavyweight wrestlers at any one time, with light heavyweights and guest talent featuring often as further attractions. Women's matches are a rarity in Welsh Wrestling, but have been known to occur as a special attraction.

Welsh Heavyweight Championship[]

History[]

The inaugural Welsh Heavyweight Champion was crowned at a special "King of the Castle" tournament in Harlech on 1 May 2010, run in association with Cadw at the Harlech Castle site.[53] The six-man tournament consisted of three singles matches, which saw contenders Dafydd Rhys, The Saint and JD Knight eliminated. The final match was contested under triangle rules, and saw James Mason defeat both Kade Callous and Danny Garnell to win the championship. The present Welsh Heavyweight Champion is Stevie Starr while Kade Callous holds the record for longevity, with a reign of 480 days.[54]

Champions[]

# Order in reign history
Reign The reign number for the specific set of wrestlers listed
Event The event in which the title was won
— Used for vacated reigns so as not to count it as an official reign
N/A The information is not available or is unknown
+ Indicates the current reign is changing daily
# Wrestler Reign Date Days held Location Notes
1 James Mason 1 1 May 2010 175 Harlech, Wales Defeated Danny Garnell and Kade Callous in a tournament final three-way elimination match to become the inaugural champion.
2 1 23 October 2010 480 Builth Wells, Wales
3 Stevie Starr 1 15 February 2012 142 Llanelli, Wales
4 Tommy Dean 1 6 July 2012 7 Machynlleth, Wales
5 1 13 July 2012 72 Blaengarw, Wales
6 Iestyn Rees 1 23 September 2012 151 Cardiff, Wales
7 2 21 February 2013 65 Maesteg, Wales
8 Stevie Starr 2 27 April 2013 397 Swansea, Wales
9 2 29 May 2014 63 Barry, Wales
10 Stevie Starr 3 31 July 2014 200 Tenby, Wales
11 3 16 February 2015 102 Llanelli, Wales
— Vacated — 29 May 2015 — N/A
12 1 29 May 2015 232 Barry, Wales Won a tournament for vacant title
13 4 16 January 2016 84 Blackwood, Wales
14 2 9 April 2016 55 Merthyr Tydfil, Wales
15 Stevie Starr 4 3 June 2016 266 Barry, Wales This was a three-way match, also involving Kade Callous.
16 5 24 February 2017 98 Swansea, Wales
17 3 2 June 2017 92 Aberdare, Wales
18 1 2 September 2017 119 Cardiff, Wales
19 1 30 December 2017 111 Lampeter, Wales
20 1 20 April 2018 1,407+ Trecco Bay, Wales This was a three-way match, also involving Sterling Gold, Esq.

Affiliation[]

Welsh Wrestling is Wales' representative in the UEWA (Union of European Wrestling Alliances),[55] which recognises the Welsh Heavyweight Championship as the country's premier title. As part of their membership, the promotion has hosted one of the few European Heavyweight Championship title matches on UK soil[56] and sent light heavyweight standout Wild Boar to represent them at the inaugural European Cruiserweight Championship tournament in Oslo, Norway.[57]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "WWE Oliver Grey profile". WWE. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  2. ^ "WWE Gavin Reid profile". WWE. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  3. ^ "Lembit watch". The Guardian. London. 16 April 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  4. ^ "Oh pick on someone your own size Lembit Opik". The Daily Express. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  5. ^ "Carried out on a stretcher: See how Lembit Opik ended up as the fall guy in bruising encounter with 18 stone wrestler". The Daily Mirror. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  6. ^ "Lembit Opik hospitalised after wrestling debut lasts just two minutes". The Metro. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  7. ^ Norman, Matthew (16 April 2012). "A new outlet for Lembit's cheek". The Independent. London. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  8. ^ "Lembit Opik stretchered from wrestling match by paramedics". London: The Telegraph. 3 June 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  9. ^ "Lembit Opik dragged into wrestling ring". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  10. ^ "Ex-MP Lembit Opik 'black and blue' after wrestling bout". BBC News. 4 June 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  11. ^ "Former Lembit Opik dragged into wrestling ring". ITN News. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  12. ^ "MP dragged into wrestling ring". AOL. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  13. ^ "Wrestler drags Lembit Opik into the ring". Orange. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  14. ^ "Albanian coverage". Albania. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  15. ^ "Croatian coverage". Croatia. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  16. ^ "Estonian coverage". Estonia. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  17. ^ "Swans star is in the ring for fights night". South Wales Evening Post. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  18. ^ "Coliseum: What's on? Live Superstars of Wrestling". Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  19. ^ "Wrestling stars set for Barry's Memo". Barry and District News. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  20. ^ a b c d "Welsh Wrestling - Live Events". Welsh Wrestling. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  21. ^ "WW @ Blaenavon". WrestlingData.com. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  22. ^ "Welsh Wrestling". UKFF. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  23. ^ "Former Welsh MP Lembit Opik gets ready for the wrestling ring". Gwent Gazette. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  24. ^ "Live Superstars of Wrestling". Ticketline UK. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  25. ^ "Live wrestling in Cwmbran. Interview with The Big Dog". WordPress. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  26. ^ "Friday's pro wrestling events". Gerweck.net. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  27. ^ "Live Superstars of Wrestling". Carmarthenshire Theatres. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  28. ^ "Wrestling – Maesteg date for Welsh Wrestling". WalesOnline. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  29. ^ "Live Superstars of Wrestling: Kade Callous, Iestyn Rees, Tommy Dean, Magico". Ents24. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  30. ^ "Shows Calendar". Three Count Magazine. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  31. ^ "Live Superstars of Wrestling". Bridgend County Council. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  32. ^ "Live Superstars of Wrestling". WhereCanWeGo.com. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  33. ^ "Opportunity knocks for city wrestler with WWE dreams". South Wales Evening Post. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  34. ^ "Welsh Wrestling at the Welfare Hall, Ystradgynlais, Wales, UK". CageMatch.net. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  35. ^ "Welsh Wrestling Live Events". WelshWrestling.com. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  36. ^ "Live Superstars of Wrestling – Wyeside Arts Centre". Wyeside. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  37. ^ "Superstars of Wrestling – Caernarfon". TheTicketSellers. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  38. ^ "Wrestlers' show can prove a hit with families". Carmarthen Journal. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  39. ^ "Welsh Wrestling LIVE! in Colwyn Bay". Facebook. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  40. ^ "Welsh Government – Welsh wrestling making history at Harlech Castle". Welsh Government. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  41. ^ "Live wrestling heads for Lampeter in Ceredigion". ThisIsSouthWales.co.uk. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  42. ^ "Superstars of Wrestling – Llanrwst". WordPress. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  43. ^ "Wrestlers face off for April fund". The Free Library. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  44. ^ "February 2012 Events @ The Queen's Hall, Narberth". The Free Library. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  45. ^ "Superstars of Wrestling – LIVE at Pater Hall Pembroke Dock". Savvy Network. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  46. ^ "A slamming night out for charity rumble". Caernarfon and Denbigh Herald. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  47. ^ "Lembit Opik hospitalised in wrestling debut". Shropshire Star. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  48. ^ "Wrexham.com What's on Guide". Wrexham.com. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  49. ^ "My Weekend of Wrestling". Blogspot. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  50. ^ "Wrestling comes to Crewe". Crewe Guardian. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  51. ^ "Listings: October 26 – November 2". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  52. ^ "Superstars of Wrestling – Congleton Town Hall". MumsInTheKnow. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  53. ^ "King of the Castle wrestling at Harlech Castle". Cadw. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  54. ^ "Welsh Heavyweight Championship history". Welsh Wrestling. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  55. ^ "UEWA website and members list". UEWA. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  56. ^ "UEWA European Heavyweight Championship title history". UEWA. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  57. ^ "Norwegian Wrestling Federation stages UEWA European Cruiserweight Championship Tournament". The Wrestling Press. Retrieved 21 January 2013.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""