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The 2010 UKFF UK50(+) - Results


Big Benny HG

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Hey hey hey,

 

As the various round of nominations, votes and rankings all come to an end, we are now left with the final standings for the 6th Annual UKFF UK50. A huge thank you from me to everyone that took part again this year and contributing to what I believe is a fair, yet interesting, set of rankings for 2010.

 

As a reminder about what this project is all about, the UKFF UK50 is the largest annual attempt by fans, wrestlers, promoters and others that make up the UKFF community to establish and publish a yearly set of rankings for who we determine to be the top 50 in-ring performers in British wrestling.

 

The rankings are based on in-ring performances that UKFFers have seen, which took place between 1 July 2009 and 30 June 2010. The criteria upon which we were judging included:

- who is able to capture and maintain the audience's interest with their performance?

- whose performance is able to allow the audience to become emotionally invested in the match they are seeing and legitimately care about the outcome?

- who is able to tell the best in-ring story through their performance?

 

First, during Stage One, UKFFers made nominations for people they believed deserved to be ranking in the 2010 UKFF UK50. This wasn't necessarily who they thought was the absolute best but people they believe that, based on the above criteria and within the time period, deserved a place somewhere in the top 50. In this stage:

- 97 UKFF members submitted lists of nominations

- a total of 216 individual wrestlers received at least one nomination for inclusion in the UK50

 

48 wrestlers made it directly into the 2010 UKFF UK50 via the number of nominations they received. However, 5 wrestlers received a tied number of nominations for the last 2 places, so Stage Two saw UKFFers vote for which of these 5 "maybes" they most wanted to see make the cut.

 

With that, we had our list of 50 names for this year. In Stage Three, these 50 names were ranked into order by UKFF members submitting their own individual Top 15 rankings from the 50 nominated wrestlers. The votes have now been collated and finalised, and so the process is nearly complete for another year. In Stage Three:

- 85 UKFFers submitted their votes

- 25 individual wrestlers received at least a single "number 1" ranking in the individual sets of votes

 

Compiling the final list came down to pure mathematics: 15 points for each individual 1st place, 14 points for each individual 2nd place, 13 points for each individual 3rd place, etc all the way to 1 point for a 15th. Tied scores were then resolved by looking at who had received the most individual 1st place rankings, then 2nd places, then 3rd places etc until they could be separated.

 

All that's left to do is to reveal the rankings. As with previous years, this will be done gradually from 50th to 1st, with some background detail about the wrestlers, who they are and what they have done over the year. I'll also include some of the justifications and reasons that UKFF members submitted with their nominations and votes throughout the process to give a bit of understanding why people chose to rank them.

 

You may remember that part of Stage One this year also included, for the first time, the "negative nominations". These were a chance to name and shame the opposite to what the UKFF UK50 stands for, to identify the very worst in the UK as a sharp contrast to the elite ranked within the 50 itself. These nominations were also collated and the mini "shit list" will be revealed alongside the main 50.

 

And so, ladies and gentlement, it is left to me to present to you the 2010 UKFF UK50...............

 

****************************

 

No. 50 - Joseph Conners

Score: 39 points

Total 1st place rankings in 2010 votes: 0

2009 Ranking: Not Listed

2008 Ranking: Not Listed

2007 Ranking: Not Listed

2006 Ranking: Not Listed

2005 Ranking: Not Listed

 

conners.jpg

Photo - Rob Brazier

 

Who is he?

Stixx-trained product of the Nottingham school, "Special Edition" Joseph Conners makes his first ever appearance in the UKFF UK50..... Conners has been a feature for promotions all across the East Midlands, Derbyshire, South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire for a number of years now..... A mainstay of the SLAM Wrestling roster, Conners is currently part of heel faction LEGION with Devon Starr as well as his regular tag team partner Bam Bam Barton. He is also an ever-present at the monthly House of Pain Wrestling Academy student shows in Nottingham, having come through that system..... In the last 12 months, Joe has appeared on the Unsigned events for New FWA, which eventually morphed into the Adrenaline Pro Wrestling feeder group. He has also appeared for All Star Wrestling, including a bout with fellow Stixx-student Paul Malen in one of the promotions key regular national venues, the Victoria Hall in Hanley..... Just after the end of the 2010 eligibility period, Conners returned to GNP/NBW for the first time in over a year to main event and unsuccessfully challenge Cameron Kraze for the NBW strap.....

 

What did the UKFF think?

"Vastly improved on the mic, solid in the ring and gets his persona over really well. Has a big future, looks a bit like Martin Stone and with luck could be as good. Trained by Stixx and you can tell"

"Always liked this guy's work, last year seems to have stepped it up quite a lot. On the shows I get too see he's usually on them and is always able to get a great heel reaction. Very under rated and the few times I have seen Conners and Malen team it seems to be something that works."

"Hard-hitting and vocal. Not at all surprised Conners made it onto the UKFF50 this year. Carried Ghloom and Robbie Sincaide to good matches, and continues to impress on the mic, as witnessed at Adrenaline: Bringers of the Dawn and each of the House of Pain shows"

"Looks like a wrestler. Solid"

"Up and coming midlands worker. Good on the mic, good with the crowd, solid in the ring. Potential to be a star of British wrestling and beyond"

"Underrated guy in my opinion, really good promo skills, that we are starting to see more and more of. His and Malen's match for the tag belts in XWCA against Ego and Exposure was a great contest and their heel turn afterwards was pulled off perfectly. Hopefully big things will happen for him in the future"

Edited by Big Benny HG
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No. 49 - Wolfgang

Score: 41 points

Total 1st place rankings in 2010 votes: 0

2009 ranking: 49th

2008 ranking: 22nd

2007 ranking: 15th

2006 ranking: 44th

2005 ranking: Not Listed

 

wolfgang.jpg

 

Who is he?

Scottish former multi-promotional champion and headliner again fails to recapture his high-rankings of 2007 and 2008, and maintains the exact same ranking as he did in last year's UKFF UK50..... Wolfgang has continued to work for every major promotion in Scotland, taking in BCW, PBW and SWA, as well as ICW, W3L and SSoW..... In BCW, Wolfgang has mainly been occupied by his tag team with Red Lightning, which came to be known as Operation RedWolf. As reigning BCW Tag Team Champions, they were involved in a lengthy feud over the belts with English team The Models (Danny Hope and Joey Hayes). As such, 'Gang and Lightning beat Hayes and Hope in title defences on back-to-back nights in December 2009 and again in Ayr in February 2010. After defences in subsequent months against Scott Renwick and Damien O'Connor and German imports "One Night in Paris", RedWolf finally lost the tag straps to The Models in May following interference from their manager Charles Boddington. During the title rematch the next month in Kilmarnock, Lightning turned on Wolfgang to allow The Models to retain and bring their team to an end.....

 

In SWA, Wolfgang headlined the annual "The Gathering" supershow in September 2009 with his challenge to Lionhert's NWA Scottish Championship. The bout was made a three-way by Scott Renwick cashing in his "Money in the Bank" title shot he'd won earlier that night, and it was the late addition that left with the belt. Wolfgang was unsuccessful in a shennanigans-affected shot at Renwick at the After Hours event in Glasgow's Sports Cafe in March, and came up on the losing end of a bout with BT Gunn in May..... Over in PBW, Wolfgang has featured in singles bouts against Liam Thomson, England's Zack Sabre Jr, his BCW partner Lightning and Bingo Ballance, as well as teaming with champion Lionheart to defeat more Englishmen in Project Ego (Kris Travis and Martin Kirby).....

 

What did the UKFF think?

"Hard not to put the guy in any list. He looks like he is completely enjoying himself. Not as great matches as two, three years ago, but still awesome"

"Not as good as he was, but still one of the best"

"Not as prolific this year as he has been in the past, but still a tremendous wrestler to watch and always engaging, mostly because he looks like he's having a ball every time he steps into the ring."

"Still one of the top wrestlers. His PBW stuff has been amazing"

"Gone right down hill since 2009, dunno why, but it seems as though he can't be arsed anymore. He's got fat too"

"Still brilliant even though he'snot at the level he once was"

"Main event expert, and agile for a big guy"

"Whilst not nearly as good as he once was, still a solid performer"

"Definitely a man who doesn't take his craft as serious as he could, but he's massively entertaining"

"What happened to Wolfgang??? At one point he was THE wrestler in Scotland. He's still plodding along on most shows, but outside of W3L, no other company seems to be using him terribly high up the cards. Would like to see him get the energy back that he had in 07/08"

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No. 48 - Red Lightning

Score: 50 points

Total 1st place rankings in 2010 votes: 0

2009 ranking: 46th

2008 ranking: Not Listed

2007 ranking: 40th

2006 ranking 42nd

2005 ranking: Not Listed

 

redlightning.jpg

 

Who is he?

Another Scot, and one who finishes a single place above his regular tag team partner for much of the year. A perrenial finsiher in the 40s of this project, Red Lightning falls 2 places this year..... Lightning's BCW tag exploits alongside Wolfgang, and eventual heel turn against him, have been covered in the write-up of his partner/rival at #49 above..... In SWA, Lightning is aligned with heel boss Eric Canyon, and defeated Damien O'Connor for the Laird of the Ring title in March. O'Connor got non-title revenge, however, by defeating Red in the first round of the NWA British Heavyweight Title Tournament in May. In July, just after the eligibility period ended, Lightning went from start-to-finish in the annual Battlezone rumble, tipped right at the end by Andy Anderson, who was then tossed by Lightning's buddy Canyon for the win..... In PBW, Lightning has picked up singles victories over other-promotion-headliners "Highlander" Colin McKay and NWA Scottish champ Scott Renwick, as well as bouts with J Hazard and Sean South.....

 

What did the UKFF think?

"Great character wrestler, always gets heat wherever he goes"

"Whilst not the most amazing wrestler in the world, he always has decent matches"

"Entertains me greatly"

"Greatest promo in Scotland"

"Absolutely captivating heel, great ring skills and a wonderful act and persona to back it up"

"He's the best mic worker in Scotland at the moment, as he can switch from serious to comic in an instant. His matches are always solid"

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No. 47 - Mohmed Ameen

Score: 59 points

Total 1st place rankings in 2010 votes: 0

2009 ranking: 38th

2008 ranking: Not Listed

2007 ranking: Not Listed

2006 ranking: Not Listed

2005 ranking: Not Listed

 

ameen.jpg

Photo - John Searle

 

Who is he?

Leeds-based character wrestler who can be seen performing on shows for various promotions across the north of England. Formerly Mojo Pervito, Ameen makes his second consecutive UKFF UK50 appearance, but falls 9 places to 47th..... In 3CW storylines, the former "Prince" Mohmed Ameen had lost his entire fortune and wealth to Mr. Dragon Aisu. As such, he was appearing in the audience of 3CW events begging and selling copies of the Big Issue outside venues at the shows. His request to be reinstated saw him fall to defeat in quick order to 3CW trainee Stuart Woods at Darkest Deeds 2009 in Billingham. At the November show, the promotion's lead heel Cameron Kraze picked destitute Ameen out of the audience to be his tag team partner in the night's main event against El Ligero and Darkside (who both individually held versions of the 3CW Championship). Kraze and Ameen beat the dual title holders, and Ameen was "officially" back in 3CW, thanks to Kraze. At the February 2010 show, Ameen revealed that Kraze had saved him, and he now looked up to him and worshipped him. Ameen debuted the brilliant "Cameron Kraze Is My Idol And Role Model" t-shirt as his new ring gear, but fell to "Pop Sensation" Jason Mason in a qualifier for a shot at the North-East Title. Later that night, however, Ameen and Kraze interupted the 3CW title unification bout between Ligero and Darkside, leading into the tag rematch as the main event of the show in Northallerton in March..... In April at 3CW's Anniversary Show, Ameen tried to recruit the "Most Valuable Killer" Val Kabious into Team Cameron Kraze, was was defeated in the powerhouse's Billingham debut.....

 

Elsewhere, a still-wealthy Ameen was the leader of the heel Prophets of Liberty faction (D-Rock, Sam Bailey, Leroy Kincaide and Val Kabious) in the now-closed 1PW, leading them into wild hardcore wars with Iceman, Ruffneck, Keith Myatt etc at the 4th Anniversary Show in November and 2010's show at the Liverpool Olympia..... In the equally ill-fated Pro Wrestling 101 promotion, Ameen debuted under a new gimmick, as "Money Makin'" Mo Montana..... As a main event heel for GNP/NBW, "King" Ameen held the tag titles with former Project Ego member Scotty Hexx, clashed with fellow 3CW wrestlers Kraze and Ligero, and engaged in a long feud with "Big Dog" Rainz over the GNP title (including launching a fireball into his face).....

 

What did the UKFF think?

"Probably had his best run from July to November, but he's still doing alright"

"Best bad guy in the UK"

"Has a fantastic double act going as the lacky of Cameron Kraze, whilst able to hold his own in the ring"

"Brilliant as a heel, as both 'The Richest Man In Wrestling' & 'The Artist Formally Known As'. Really makes you dislike him. The beating he got from Val Kabious during the last 3CW show got a great reaction"

"Each year I've seen this guy perform his performances just keep getting better. He is able to carry average wrestling skills by having an absolutely fantastic ability to work the crowd into a frenzy"

"Great heel run in RDW last summer, unbelievable heat and was a great RDW British Champion"

"On his day a very good wrestler. Had a great run for RDW during the summer"

"If wrestling is about HEAT, He is the most talented wrestler in the country, by far"

"One of the people I

Edited by Big Benny HG
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Thank God, it's begun!

 

Conners is the only one of the first four I've seen recently, and I think he's a worthy addition to the list. I think over the years, as the school gets established, we'll be seeing more and more of Stixx's trainees breaking out. Conners certainly has a lot of potential; he's already got a lot of the personality side down, he's a solid worker, and his look is always developing.

 

Without taking the time to look back myself, isn't number 50 normally occupied by someone who goes on to do well for themselves?

 

Nice to see Red Lightning keeping up his streak as the only UKFF UK50 mainstay I have never, ever seen wrestle.

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No. 46 - Robbie X

Score: 64 points

Total 1st place rankings in 2010 votes: 0

2009 ranking: 47th

2008 ranking: not listed

2007 ranking: not listed

2006 ranking: not listed

2005 ranking: not listed

 

DSC_0317.JPG

Photo - Brett Hadley

 

Who is he?

Young, high-flying sensation who frequents the Yorkshire/Derbyshire promotions, making his second ever UKFF UK50 appearance with a rise of a single place..... In his home NBW/GNP, he spent most of the last 12 months picking up wins over fellow academy wrestlers such as Scumboy, Pitbull Pearson, Reece Jordan and Jamie Jewel, including a win in an Academy Gauntlet in April in Dinnington. This has naturally led to Robbie moving up the card, and scored a pinfall win over Martin Kirby in the main event of May's Cambridge show. Robbie also then formed a team with Rainz to unsuccessfully challenge for the NBW Tag Titles..... In Morley's DPW, he beat fellow GNP standout Chris Holmes at the Christmas show and followed up with an 8-man tag team appearance at the promotion's 2nd anniversary event in March..... Elsewhere, he has tangled with former WWE, ECW and TNA star Kid Kash during RDW's summer 2009 season, beat Scottish wrestling sensation Noam Dar for SSW and faced El Ligero's dark heel persona at PW101's November afternoon show at the Doncaster Dome.....

 

What did the UKFF think?

"Compare Robbie now to the one that ranked in the late 40s last year and they are like 2 different competitors, much more confident in his skills, everything looks crisp, people who dismiss him as a kid when he walks through the curtain are 9 times out of 10 on their feet, amazed at this young lads talent, by the end of his match"

"One of the younger guys around, but he's got plenty of experience already and keeps getting better"

"Great prospect for the UK scene. An awesome worker"

"Great talent for such a young age"

"Good young flyer with a bright future. I think Reece Jordan is better, though"

"The sky is the limit for this kid. He seriously has unlimited potential, and seems to be often the most popular performer on some shows, despite his age. Is starting to gain invaluable experience with some of the best in the country"

 

********************

Edited by Big Benny HG
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I echo your sentiments on Joe Connors, Alexander, and also on Red Lightning and Robbie X. Connors has a lot of potential, I also have never seen Red Lightning, and Robbie X definately needs a mask. With a name like Robbie X he should be a mystery wrestler behind a black mask with an X on the front. It would fit perfectly with his name.

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For me, the thing is, as much as you can say "he looks like a kid but then he's awesome" and as true as that might possibly be, "kid who can do cool stuff" is never going to be as universely accepted as "high flying masked guy", especially if your weak suit right now is facial expressions and crowd work. You can get a custom mask for not much money. It's totally worth it.

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A timely entry,it would seem, then, for:

 

No. 45 - Lion Kid / British Eagle / Wade Fitzgerald

Score: 65 points

Total 1st place rankings in 2010 votes: 0

2009 ranking: not listed

2008 ranking: not listed

2007 ranking: not listed

2006 ranking: not listed

2005 ranking: not listed

 

lionkid.jpg

Photo - www.lionkid.co.uk

 

 

Who is he?

Young Mark Sloan product, who toiled for years as part of Sloan's EntouRAGE faction and later the BritRAGE tag team with Sloan himself, but actually makes his very first UKFF UK50 appearance in 2010..... While he still does make appearances as simple Wade Fitzgerald (including for the classic British-style Premier Promotions on the south coast, seen as an invaluable learning experience by many), 2009 and 2010 has seen him also adopt masked superhero alter-ego's to create new, interesting characters and appeal to different markets..... As the British Eagle (which was a gimmick which was, as rumour would have it, very close to a proposed new El Ligero character....), he had already notched up a reign as the British Cruiserweight Champion, trading the belt with fellow Sloan protege on IPW:UK's summer holiday camp shows, where the bird-influenced masked high-flyer gimmick was ridiculously popular with the kids. On IPW:UK's acclaimed Sittingbourne events, British Eagle was beaten by ROH star El Generico in a fantastic action packed bout in July at "Summer Sizzler 2009" and then by veteran Jonny Storm in another thoroughly decent contest at the 5th Anniversary Show in September.....

 

Shelving the British Eagle costume in October, it was the Lion Kid who then made his memorable debut in a fun effort against Stixx as the "dark" match curtain raiser to major Japanese promotion Dragon Gate's UK Invasion supershow in Oxford..... From there, with a range of Dragon Kid merchandise available, Japanese-style support banners hanging from the ceiling and a wonderfully cheesy entrance video (showing him practicing KUNG FU IN A FOREST.....ROAR!!), it has been the Lion Kid persona which has featured on both IPW:UK's major Sittingbourne events and holiday camp shows..... Lion Kid beat Haskins in a tremendous opening bout at the "Brawl at the Hall" in November to win the British Cruiserweight Championship for the first time as this character. In February 2010, he had a series of matches against US imports Cheech and Cloudy and then beat AllStar Wrestling's Robbie Dynamite in a really good match at "No Escape" back in Sittingbourne. Lion Kid continued to be the star of IPW:UK-promoted shows on tour, including holiday camps and Peterborough, where he first defended his Cruiserweight Championship against RJ Singh and then won the main event rumble over the rest of that night's roster.....

 

As such a major star and popular member of the IPW:UK roster, it was Lion Kid that was chosen to face touring Pro Wrestling NOAH junior heavyweight sensation and former Toryumon X standout Taiji Ishimori at the promotion's showpiece event of the year. Indeed, at the Sittingbourne Spectacular in April, Lion Kid actually beat the international guest in one of the biggest wins of his career to date..... Next time back in Sittingbourne, in June for Unfinished Business 2010, however, Kid went on to lose his British Cruiserweight title to "Rockstar" Spud in a choice encounter, then failed to regain the gold in a supremely entertaining rematch at the 6th Anniversary Show in August..... ROAR!!!!

 

What did the UKFF think?

"A much needed makeover for the former Wade Fitzgerald, good mixture of being able to entertain families with great highflying"

"Great gimmick, great in-ring presence, decent all-rounder and plays the underdog really well against bigger opponents. Makes for a decent character for kids to get behind"

"Continues to improve. As he gains more experience I can see him shooting up this list in the same way Haskins has"

"I love the new gimmick. He

Edited by Big Benny HG
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No. 44 - JD Knight

Score: 70 points

Total 1st place rankings in 2010 votes: 1

2009 ranking: not listed

2008 ranking: not listed

2007 ranking: not listed

2006 ranking: not listed

2005 ranking: not listed

 

Jdnight.jpg

Photo - Richard Maidment

 

Who is he?

The 3rd of our 10 UKFF UK50 debutantes this year, "The Saviour" JD Knight is top heel star and former Heavyweight Champion for Swindon's 4FW promotion, as well as a headline star for Ravenhill Promotions/Welsh Wrestling. In case you need to ask, he is no relation either Ricky Knight or Stevie Knight.... At January's New Year's Wrestlution, Knight smashed his way through a six-man field in a Ladder match to win a Money In The Bank-style title shot at a time/place of his choosing. The time/place he did choose was later that night, as champion Jack Dynamo was attacked by Alex Shane following his successful defence against Eddie Reyes, with Knight taking advantage to cash in and win back the strap..... Knight was scheduled to defend the belt against his old rival Dynamo in a rematch at April's big "Battle Britannia", but an injury to Dynamo at the last minute prevented the bout from happening. Instead, JD came out and made a non-title challenge to Marcus Brash, who had just competed in a 6-man tag bout immediately prior. Interference from the hobbling Dynamo allowed Brash to score a massive upset win over the champion..... All of this set up a huge grudge match inside a steel cage to headline the major July event. There, Knight faked an injury to allow his Knight Templar faction (including Gilligan Gordon and Mad Dog Maxx) into the cage when it was opened to allow supposed medical treatment. Taking advantage of the assistance, Knight beat Dynamo to remain the 4FW Heavyweight Champion.....

 

What did the UKFF think?

"Good worker in-ring, good heel to hate in 4FW and looks to be a great talent. Has the look of a wrestler as well which is definitely a plus for the UK scene"

"A bit bland but is a top worker. Definitely one for the future"

"A really good talent. Great all-rounder who deserves to be in the Top 50"

"WWE-bound. A total package. Fantastic, individual look. A natural crowd antagonist. Series with Jack Dynamo has rumbled on and produced even more excellent bouts. Third cage match in as many years for 4FW saw Knight lift his game once more. A reliable, effective hand for Ravenhill Promotions in Wales. Confident enough in his own abilities not to whore himself out to other promotions for free. Excels in angles and has trained numerous rookies at 4FW, who have proved their abilty by going to wrestle NOAH stars. Series with James Mason for Welsh Wrestling has been excellent. An iron man of many battle royals this year"

"JD is quite possibly one of the most under-rated guys in the whole of the UK and deserves to tour the country more"

"Going off the criteria, I truly believe JD fits it the best. Getting emotionally involved in the match, caring about the outcome and telling a story; He

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More rankings to be revealed tomorrow....

 

Also starting very soon (hopefully tomorrow, certainly with the next couple of days) will be the start of the promised "shit list", which nicely formed a neat Top 20 (or perhaps Bottom 20 would be more accurate?) from the initial nominations round for the little experimental side project. Probably do that in a separate thread, but that side of it has always been done with the thought that, in my mind at least, the two lists go together as they are based on opposites of the same principles and ideals.

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