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Frontier Wrestling Alliance

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Frontier Wrestling Alliance
AcronymFWA
Founded1999
Defunct2012
StyleProfessional wrestling
Sports entertainment
HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
Founder(s)Mark Sloan (Founder of Fratton Wrestling Association)
Owner(s)Mark Sloan (1993-1999); Mark Sloan & Elisar Cabrera (1999-2004); Tony Simpson (Managing Director 2009-)
FormerlyFratton Wrestling Association (1993-1999)

Frontier Wrestling Alliance (FWA) was a professional wrestling promotion in Britain. Established in 1993 as the Fratton Wrestling Association it soon became the Frontier Wrestling Alliance six years later and until 2007 when it lost a scripted inter-promotional feud with International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom. As a result of losing the promotion was forced to close and the company XWA was founded, largely based on the old FWA with some old staff and wrestlers as well as some championships. However, in 2009 the FWA brand was relaunched again as a separate promotion to the XWA, running for three more years before folding again in 2012.

History

First run

Frontier Wrestling Alliance logo

The FWA initially started out as the Fratton Wrestling Association in 1993 by Mark Sloan in an attempt to create a forum for serious wrestling training and performance based in Portsmouth.[1] Renaming the promotion to the Fratton Wrestling Alliance 1999, it experienced a renovation that geared it towards national expansion and promoted its first show in February of that year, changing to Frontier Wrestling Alliance by the second show in June. The promotion (now being co-run by Mark Sloan and film and TV producer Elisar Cabrera) soon produced a regional television programme ("Frontier Wrestling") in Portsmouth as well as founding a training academy to create its own talent.[2] The emphasis on new wrestlers organically[clarification needed] led to an early storyline of new, internationally influenced wrestling clashing with traditional British wrestling with some veterans brought in to help promote FWA's own performers.[citation needed]

The company created a British championship later that year and in 2000 also crowned tag team champions as it continued to expand, performing across the south of the country. By August FWA began promoting shows with foreign talent, initially Sabu and Dan Severn, which it would continue to do so during its first run by cross promoting with other promotions.[1] This eventually led to the British Heavyweight Championship being won by American wrestler Christopher Daniels, the belt being defended on international soil and a joint-promoted event with American independent promotion Ring of Honor in 2003.[3] The company used international stars to gain notoriety (including hosting the XPW European Championship) and were further aided in advertisement when Alex Shane became a regular presenter on national talk radio station Talksport, aiding the company's expansion into the north of England.[2] The ties with Talksport became important when FWA promoted a show entitled "Revival" from the Crystal Palace Indoor Arena that was broadcast live on radio and later on national television, through Bravo.[1]

FWA logo used during its final years

In late 2006, FWA entered into a scripted feud with International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom (IPW:UK) when FWA wrestlers invaded IPW:UK's annual Brawl at the Hall event and took some of the locker room hostage. In the elimination tag team contest, Team FWA beat Team IPW:UK[4] and proclaimed war on the company.[5] As the rivalry intensified over the next few months, wrestlers from both rosters had matches in both promotions and neutral ground with FWA gaining the early advantage.[6] After months of clashes three events were held under joint banners with the final show, IPW:UK vs. FWA: Final Frontiers, booked for a match between IPW's Martin Stone and an unnamed FWA wrestler to with both companies' future on the line.[7] The show featured much in-fighting, including the two commentators breaking out into a brawl and ended with the mystery FWA wrestler being revealed as the retired former FWA British Heavyweight Champion Flash Barker who lost the match, resulting in FWA folding in March 2007.[8]

Closure and XWA

Main article: XWA (professional wrestling)

After the FWA went out of business, Greg Lambert and Mark Kay held a press conference and formed a new promotion named XWA[9] alluding to their former company but insisting the two had a different ethos, with the new company gearing its product towards family entertainment rather than being adult orientated.[10] Despite only basing their promotion on the former company, XWA inherited the physical British Heavyweight and Flyweight Championship belts from FWA and continued to use them, promising to also resurrect the FWA Tag Team Championship, though they never would.[11] However, in April 2009 at XWA's War on the Shore V, Lambert finally announced the creation of XWA's own British Heavyweight Championship belts and gave the FWA belt to Alex Shane, making his only appearance at an XWA event, while Shane presented the new physical title to the winner of the evening's championship match, Sam Slam.[12]

Rebirth

Despite being on the losing end of the battle with International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom and the XWA promotion purportedly taking its lineage, in May 2009, over two years after its original demise, Tony Simpson and Alex Shane announced their intention to revive the national promotion.[13] They held their comeback show, New Frontiers, in early August with matches designed to crown a new FWA World Champion and FWA Flyweight Champion.[14] On 13 February 2010 at the British Uproar event in Broxbourne, Martin Stone defeated Andy Simmonz in the tournament finals to become the first FWA World Heavyweight Champion.[15] He subsequently turned heel and formed a faction called "The Agenda", whose aims are to decimate the UK's top talent in order to showcase their skills to the large American wrestling companies and earn a lucrative contract as a result. At the European Uprising show in Birmingham on 20 November 2010, Alex Shane turned heel and revealed it was he who was the real leader of the Agenda.

After April 2012, the company quietly went inactive again running no further events,[16] and their website going down.

Rules

The promotion followed the same rules as seen in most of professional wrestling but adopted the penalty card system from football, with the yellow card serving as a warning, and any red card offence resulting in disqualification. Piledrivers were banned under FWA rules and could result in a fine as well as disqualification.

Notable wrestlers

Championships

Championships in other companies

Championship Last FWA Champion Date won Current champion Current promotion
British Heavyweight Championship Robbie Brookside[17] 15 July 2006 Spud[18] XWA
British Flyweight Championship Ross Jordan[17] 10 December 2006 Spud[19] XWA
All England Championship Sam Slam[20] 25 March 2007 Leroy Kincaide[21] International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom

Defunct championships

Championship Date created First champion(s) Date retired Last champion(s)
FWA World Heavyweight Championship 13 February 2010 Martin Stone 1 April 2012[22] Martin Stone
FWA Flyweight Championship 30 July 2005 Ross Jordan 28 July 2012[23] Jynkz
FWA European Union Championship 2000 Stuart "Fury" Farrimond 9 July 2001 Scottie Rock
XPW European Championship 16 March 2003[1][24] Christopher Annino (Rescue 911) 28 November 2004 Jonny Storm
FWA Tag Team Championship 24 March 2000[25] The New Breed
(Ashe and Curve) 		20 October 2006[17] Stixx and Stone
(Stixx and Martin Stone)
FWA Academy Championship 28 June 2003[26] James Tighe 27 January 2007[26] LT Summers
FWA Academy Tag Team Championship 25 November 2005[26] Mark Sloan & Ollie Burns 27 January 2007[26] Mark Sloan & Ollie Burns

Defunct accomplishments

Accomplishment Latest winner Date won Notes
Gold Rush Jonny Storm[27] 3 February 2007 Now competed for in XWA
King of England Jody Fleisch[28] 9 February 2002 One-off tournament
Round Robin tournament Jody Fleisch 31 July 2005 [29]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Austin, Phil. "The Rise + Fall of the FWA". Fighting Spirit Magazine. Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
  2. ^ a b "History of the FWA". Frontier Wrestling Alliance. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
  3. ^ "Ring of Honor past results". Ring of Honor. Archived from the original on 22 March 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
  4. ^ "Brawl @ The Hall". International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 31 January 2009. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  5. ^ "Loyalists line up". Frontier Wrestling Alliance. Internet Archive. Archived from the original on 11 December 2006. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  6. ^ "We salute Ross Jordan - two-time British Flyweight Champ!". Frontier Wrestling Alliance. Internet Archive. Archived from the original on 12 January 2007. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  7. ^ "Last ever FWA show?". Frontier Wrestling Alliance. Internet Archive. Archived from the original on 22 January 2007. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  8. ^ "IPW:UK vs. FWA - Final Frontiers 2007". International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 31 January 2009. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  9. ^ Jones, Phil. "XWA: Raising From The FWA's Ashes". BritWres.com. Retrieved 24 December 2007.
  10. ^ "The truth about XWA - An interview with Greg Lambert". Frontier Wrestling Alliance. Internet Archive. Archived from the original on 9 February 2008. Retrieved 24 December 2007.
  11. ^ "XWA - The legend lives on". Frontier Wrestling Alliance. Internet Archive. Archived from the original on 31 May 2007. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  12. ^ "XWA War on the Shore V". XWA. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  13. ^ Simpson, Tony (26 May 2009). "A message from the new FWA Managing Director". Frontier Wrestling Alliance. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  14. ^ "New Frontiers Round-Up". Frontier Wrestling Alliance. 6 August 2009. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  15. ^ "Andy Boy Simmonz: Profile & Match Listing - Internet Wrestling Database (IWD)". www.profightdb.com. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  16. ^ "Events « Frontier Wrestling Alliance (FWA) « Promotions Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  17. ^ a b c "FWA Results 2006". Frontier Wrestling Alliance. Archived from the original on 15 August 2009. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
  18. ^ "LastFight News - Spud v Sam Slam aftermath". XWA. 13 September 2009. Retrieved 15 September 2009.
  19. ^ "Vendetta 2008". XWA. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
  20. ^ "FWA Results 2007". Frontier Wrestling Alliance. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
  21. ^ "Summer Sizzler 2009". International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 30 July 2009. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
  22. ^ "FWA World Heavyweight Championship". Cagematch. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  23. ^ "XWA Flyweight Championship". Cagematch. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  24. ^ "FWA History 2003". Frontier Wrestling Alliance. Internet Archive. Archived from the original on 11 December 2007. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  25. ^ "FWA Results 2000". Frontier Wrestling Alliance. Archived from the original on 15 August 2009. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
  26. ^ a b c d "XWA Title Histories". Title Histories. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  27. ^ "The History of Goldrush". XWA. 10 January 2009. Retrieved 24 July 2009.
  28. ^ "FWA Results 2002". Frontier Wrestling Alliance. Archived from the original on 15 August 2009. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
  29. ^ "FWA Results 2005". Frontier Wrestling Alliance. Archived from the original on 15 August 2009. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
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