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Pro Wrestling Pride
AcronymPWP
Founded2012
Defunct2017
StyleProfessional wrestling
Sports entertainment
HeadquartersUnited Kingdom
Founder(s)Darren Ferguson
Owner(s)Darren Ferguson
Websiteprowrestlingpride.com

Pro Wrestling Pride (Sometimes referred to as Pride Promotions, or simply PWP) was a pro wrestling company based in the South West of England, established in 2012 by professional wrestler Darren 'Saviour' Ferguson. Since its inception in 2012 until its demise in 2017, the company promoted a range of shows; utilizing events through South West England, and occasionally in wider Europe.

Style

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The promotion was well known for its liberal use of United Kingdom-based wrestlers, and international stars (Such as Jim Duggan, Mr. Anderson and Rob Van Dam).[1] The style of the events could be best described as traditional sports entertainment, with events designed to be 'fun for all ages',[2] suitable for families, as opposed to the more 'extreme' or alternative style which is marketed at older viewers (See Extreme Championship Wrestling.)[3]

Catch Division Wrestling

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Main article: PWP Catch Division Championship

The company was also different from other similar wrestling companies for its 'catch division' championship. Rather than a midcard title based on a weight (Such as All Japan Pro Wrestling's Junior Heavyweight Championship, or World Championship Wrestling's Cruiserweight championship), and was more in line with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's X-Division Championship; which stated the division was 'not about weight limits, it's about no limits!"[4] The catch division, was likely originally designed as a showcase of catch wrestling; rather than high-flying wrestling, with well known grapplers Johnny Kidd (wrestler) and Doug Williams[5] winning the title.[6]

The style however, changed over the duration of the belt's longevity; with the aforementioned catch style, with a mix of luchador, Puroresu and even more 'extreme styles'. This was reflected in the match types contested for this championship; with "catch as catch can" wrestling style (See Mountevans Rules),[7] Luchas de Apuestas[8] and even TLC matches.[9] The division's prize was a catch division trophy, and not a traditional belt.[10]

History

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Formation

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Pride was founded in 2012 by Darren Ferguson.[11] Having been an independent wrestler since 2009 [12] under the ring name 'Darren Saviour' wanted to create a brand of pro wrestling for the South West of England. The name of the company was designed not to be territorial, and thus given the name Pride; in direct comparison to the local companies Devon Wrestling Association,[13] and Plymouth Wrestling Alliance/Association.[14]

The companies first show was actually not an official production under the Pro Wrestling Pride banner.[15] It was a mixed boxing and professional wrestling show based in the Plymouth Guildhall named 'Plymouth Prizefighters 2'.[16] The event was not advertised as a Pride event; however the event was agreed as cannon in the companies history as it was featured on the companies YouTube channel [17] and could be considered a pilot episode. The 'Prizefighters' name would go on to be used for the companies annual knockout tournament (See "Early Years")

The first show advertised under the Pro Wrestling Pride name took place on 13 May 2012, in Fergusson's home town of Teignmouth; which featured the companies' first championship match; with Tyler Hawke besting 'Wild Boar' Mike Hitchman for the PWP Catch Division Championship.[18][19] It was also notable for local Devon wrestler Joel Redman having his last match in the UK on the show before signing with WWE under the NXT brand.[18][20] Redman would later return to the UK in 2015 having been the first NXT Tag Team Champions with partner Adrian Neville.[21][22]

Early Years (2012-14)

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PWP would run two more shows in 2012, the events taking place in the Carlton Theatre, Teignmouth. These events would take place on the 25/26 August weekend; and would feature US based wrestler Josef Von Schmidt.[23] Schmidt would defeat Tyler Hawke for the championship during the weekender, and defend the championship in the United States against A. R. Fox.[24] The PWP Heavyweight Championship was also established won by Crediton wrestler Chris Andrews in a fatal-4 Way Match.[25]

In 2013, the company would branch out to new towns, cities and venues. Running shows in Exeter (Exeter Corn Exchange)[26] establishing the PWP Tag Team Championships, Totnes (Totnes Civic Hall), featuring the companies first No Disqualification Match - With a Texas Tornado Tag Team Match[27] and Torquay (Town Hall.) [28]

This trend would continue through 2014; with the 'adrenaline rush' tour,[29] with three new locations in three days; before the brand's first venture outside of Devon. The show was to take place in Saltash, Cornwall, and would be the first instance of the annual 'Prize Fighters' Tournament, an 8-person Single-elimination tournament in the span of one night; reminiscent of the King Of The Ring Tournament.[30][31]

May 2014 had to date the companies' only Luchas de Apuestas match; with a championship vs mask "I Quit" match for the Catch Division Trophy.[32] However, the match ended with a traditional title change, and not an unmasking.[33] The match would take place at 'Pride and Glory 2014', an event that has marked the companies spiritual anniversary every year, if not its chronological anniversary.[34]

Before the end of 2014, Pride held an event featuring former Extreme Championship Wrestling alumnus Raven,[35] promoting the show as the stars final event in the UK. At the time, the star had not wrestled for over a year, and had considered retiring.[36] Raven would actually return to Pride two year later; having only wrestled in the United States in between.

Heroes and Legends

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Late in 2014, Pride would return to Saltash, and promote a match between then Catch Division Champion Dick Riley, and Ring Of Honor Television Champion Jay Lethal for both championships. Despite neither championship changing hands, this is the first instance of an outside championship being defended on a Pride wrestling event.[37] This would be followed by a TNA Tag Team Championships Match in 2015, with The American Wolves defending.[38]

With the size of crowds escalating, the next project had been conceived; known as 'Heroes & Legends' (Sometimes shortened to ""H&L", an event with multiple high-profile wrestling stars, and WWE Hall Of Fame members.[39] Featuring Rockstar Spud, Chris Masters, Roderick Strong & Jim Duggan[40] the event was a success; with over 800 in attendance,[41] over double the size of any Pride crowd before it. The event also saw multiple time TNA World Heavyweight Champion Mr. Anderson win the Pride Heavyweight Championship, although he would lose the championship four weeks later in Truro.[42]

With the success of "H&L"; the second titled show was designed for later that year. This event featured a main event of Rhyno against Steve Griffiths for the championship, as well as a plethora of talent, including Hall Of Famer Ted DiBiase.[43] The event would catch on, and become a bi-annual event.

Growth, Hiatus & Eventual Demise (2016-2017)

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Towards the end of 2015, Pride would do its first show outside of Devon or Cornwall, where they would appear in Taunton, Somerset; which would then hold three shows in January with Kenny Omega (who would be awarded a 5-star match by Pro Wrestling Illustrated that year)[44] and WWE Hall of Famer Tatanka, July featuring Rob Van Dam[45] in front of over 800 people,[46] and in October with Adam Rose[47] Pride would promote 25 shows in the year of 2016, despite taking the month of November off.[48] Pride would also introduce a female only championship; with Nadia Sapphire winning the Pride Women's Championship in October 2016.

However, despite crowd attendances growing and United Kingdom wrestling being its strongest since the 1980s,[49] increasing competition and heightened number of events required more events to feature international wrestlers than ever before. This in turn effected Pride and in September 2017, the company fell into hiatus as owner Darren Ferguson placed the company in a state of hiatus owing to debts surrounding the shows.[50] Despite saying that he would be "closing down all future live events", he has also stated that the company would start up again once issues had been resolved.

The company's last shows before the hiatus included a three-day tour with shows in Taunton, Launceston and Plymouth, with the last being the 5th iteration of the Heroes and Legends event. These shows included guest appearances from Simon Gotch,[51][52] Carlito[53] and Joey Ryan.[54]

International Events

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Despite being a regional touring product; based in the South West of England,[55] Pride promoted shows in Europe outside of the UK. The first of these, being the 2015 international Brussels Tattoo Convention, and then again in February 2016 taking a team to co-promote two shows in Lisbon based Centro De Treinos De Wrestling.[56] The team they would take included regular Pride members Saviour himself, Jigsaw, Ultimo Tiger, Cy Gregory and even Senior Referee Ed Dyer.[57]

Championships and accomplishments

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Pro Wrestling Pride Championship

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Main article: PWP Heavyweight Championship

Pro Wrestling Pride Catch Division Championship

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Main article: PWP Catch Division Championship
  • Final champion: Tyler Hawke[6]

Pro Wrestling Pride Tag Team Championship

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Pro Wrestling Pride Women's Championship

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  • Final champion: Bobbi Tyler[60]

Pride Prizefighters Tournament

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Live with WWE & TNA international megastars". Visit Somerset. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  2. ^ "Exeter Corn Exchange: Pro Wrestling Pride". Visit Exeter. Retrieved 9 October 2017.[permanent dead link‍]
  3. ^ "PWP Presents: Maximum Mayhem Tour - Night4: Pro Wrestling Pride @ The Albemarle Centre, Taunton". Ents24. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  4. ^ McNamara, Andy. "No limits to second X Division DVD". Slam! Sports. Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^ "Doug Williams - Calling Spots". Calling Spots. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  6. ^ a b Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Pro Wrestling Pride Catch Division Championship « Titles Database « Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database". cagematch.net. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  7. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Johnny Kidd's last Devon Stand « Titles Database « Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database". cagematch.net. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  8. ^ Edward, Dyer (19 April 2014). "Tyler Hawke vs Ultimo Tiger – Press Conference". Pro Wrestling Pride. Retrieved 11 October 2017.[permanent dead link‍]
  9. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "PWP Undisputed 2 « Titles Database « Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database". cagematch.net. Archived from the original on 20 March 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  10. ^ Dyer, Edward. "Pro Wrestling Pride Roster". Pro Wrestling Pride. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  11. ^ "Darren Ferguson Personal Appointments". Gov.uk. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  12. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Cagematch » Wrestlers Database » Darren Saviour". cagematch.net. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  13. ^ Hepburn, Dominic. "Devon wrestling at its best". Devon Wrestling Association. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  14. ^ Parnell, Luke. "Professional Wrestling at its best in Plymouth!". Plymouth Wrestling Association. Retrieved 9 October 2017.[permanent dead link‍]
  15. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "PWP Plymouth Prizefighters 2 « Events Database « Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database". cagematch.net. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  16. ^ "Pride Promotions (Plymouth Prize Fighters 2 Highlights)". YouTube. 12 May 2012. Archived from the original on 20 March 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  17. ^ "Pridecast episode 1 (pro wrestling pride, 30 April 2012)". YouTube. 30 April 2012. Archived from the original on 22 March 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  18. ^ a b "Mike Hitchman vs Stevie Jones for the PWP Catch Division championship Part 1 of 2". YouTube. 12 May 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  19. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Matches By Year « Catch Division Championship « Titles Database « Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database". cagematch.net. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  20. ^ Modaberi, Josh (27 April 2015). "Interview: Joel Redman AKA Oliver Grey". Cult of Whatever. Archived from the original on 14 October 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  21. ^ Dyer, Edward (12 May 2014). "Joel Redman Announced at Torquay!". Pro Wrestling Pride. Retrieved 10 April 2018.[permanent dead link‍]
  22. ^ "Hall of NXT Tag Team Champions:Photos". World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  23. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Josef Von Schmidt « Workers Database « Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database". cagematch.net. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  24. ^ "A.R. Fox vs Josef Von Schmidt - PWA 12/01/12". YouTube. 12 January 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  25. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Chris Andrews « Workers Database« Titles Database « Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database". cagematch.net. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  26. ^ Dyer, Edward (4 January 2013). "Exeter Corn Exchange Sunday 26th May". Pro Wrestling Pride. Retrieved 9 October 2017.[permanent dead link‍]
  27. ^ Dyer, Edward. "Totnes Civic Hall Sunday 18 August 2013". Pro Wrestling Pride. Retrieved 10 April 2018.[permanent dead link‍]
  28. ^ "Totnes Civic Hall Sunday 18 August 2013". Exeter Life. 2 August 2014. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  29. ^ Dyer, Edward. "The Adrenaline Rush Weekend - Feb 2013". Pro Wrestling Pride. Retrieved 10 April 2018.[permanent dead link‍]
  30. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "1st Annual Pride Prizefighters Tournament « Events Database « Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database". cagematch.net. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  31. ^ "Plymouth Guildhall: PWP Presents Ultimate PrizeFighters 4". Skiddle. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  32. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "PWP Pride & Glory 2014 « Events Database « Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database". cagematch.net. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  33. ^ Dyer, Edward (17 May 2014). "Official Torquay Town Hall Results 17/05/14". Pro Wrestling Pride. Retrieved 10 April 2018.[permanent dead link‍]
  34. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "PWP Pride & Glory 4th Anniversary Show « Events Database « Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database". cagematch.net. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  35. ^ Hunt, Nathan (31 December 2014). "Pro Wrestling Pride - Nevermore...Never Again (Live Event Review)". Eye On Wrestling. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  36. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Raven « Wrestlers Database « Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database". cagematch.net. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  37. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "PWP Results « Results Database « Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database". cagematch.net. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  38. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "PWP The Hunt is on « Events Database « Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database". cagematch.net. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  39. ^ "PWP Live presents 'Heroes & Legends'". Eventssi. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  40. ^ "Sunday Events: U.S. stars headline big U.K. show, SMASH with Hero & Gargano, Young Bucks get their own 2CW show, Santana vs. Su Yung, Sonjay Dutt seminar, more". PWTorch.com. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  41. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "PWP Heroes & Legends « Events Database « Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database". cagematch. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  42. ^ Orchard, Jonathan. "Pro Wrestling Pride Mr Anderson Truro 30 August 2015". Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  43. ^ "PWP Inner City Showdown « Events Database « Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database". Creative Torbay. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  44. ^ Fiorvanti, Tim (22 October 2016). "Kenny Omega breaks through Japan's wrestling barriers to become a true champion". ESPN. Archived from the original on 25 October 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  45. ^ "Wrestling Superstars head to Taunton". Somerset County Gazette. 4 June 2016. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  46. ^ "Pro Wrestling Pride - One of a Kind Photos". Turning Face Photography. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  47. ^ "The Week in British Wrestling: Mark Haskins Vacates His Titles Due to Injury". Wrestling Observer. 4 November 2016. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  48. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Events « Pro Wrestling Pride « Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database". Cagematch.net. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  49. ^ Henderson, Rik (28 January 2015). "Why the British can't get enough of American wrestling". Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 20 October 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  50. ^ "Announcement: PWP cancel all upcoming events". Hashtag Wrestling. 24 September 2017. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  51. ^ Spencer, Joeseph (11 April 2017). "Simon Gotch To Face Former TNA Star In Pro Wrestling Pride Match". All Wrestling. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  52. ^ "Simon Gotch booked for indy Match". 24 Wrestling. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  53. ^ "Pride Promotions Live In Taunton". Believe In Geek. 2 August 2017. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  54. ^ "PWP: Live in Taunton - International Supershow". EventsBU. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  55. ^ "Events24 Pro Wrestling Pride". Events24.com. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  56. ^ Salvador, Luis (21 December 2015). "Jigsaw em Portugal para show e seminário do CTW". Wrestling PT. Archived from the original on 22 October 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  57. ^ Dyer, Edward. "RefereeEdDyer's Tweet". Twitter. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  58. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Pro Wrestling Pride Championship « Titles Database « Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database". cagematch.net. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  59. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Pro Wrestling Pride Tag Team Championship « Titles Database « Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database". cagematch.net. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  60. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Pro Wrestling Pride Womens Championship « Titles Database « Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database". cagematch.net. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  61. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Cagematch » Promotions Database » Pro Wrestling Pride (PWP) » Tournaments". cagematch.net. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
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