Paid Members Big Benny HG Posted September 23, 2010 Author Paid Members Posted September 23, 2010 No. 17 - "The Juice" CJ Banks Score: 216 points Total 1st place rankings in 2010 votes: 3 2009 ranking: 13th 2008 ranking: 42nd 2007 ranking: 47th 2006 ranking: not listed 2005 ranking: not listed Who is he? Mouthy villain from Southport who came through the GPW promotion, branched out into other north-west promotions like FutureShock and XWA, then in the last 12 months broke out across England and Scotland for DPW, PW101, 1PW, BCW and FWA. The former member of WKD and Sin makes his 4th consecutive UKFF UK50, though does fall 4 places this year. The frog splash-master achieved singles gold in GPW and DPW, and formed a new tag team with former SIN stablematch and GPW challenger Joey Hayes named "Northern Xposure"..... In his home GPW promotion, "The Juice" was on course for the British Championship, having taken champion Sam Bailey to the time limit earlier in the year and making it clear he wanted his rematch ever since. Following months of back-and-forth verbal jousting and Banks and his team of training partners interfering in Bailey's matches, the huge rematch was eventually signed for the "Friday Night Thriller III" event in October at GPW's regular venue of the Monaco Ballroom in Hindley, Wigan. In front of a red-hot, jam-packed crowd, Banks and Bailey went toe-to-toe in a genuinely gripping corker. The pair fought to the time limit once again, but this time it was decreed that that must be a winner, and so the bout continued. Bailey kicked out of Banks' frog splash, but Banks hit a 450 splash just minutes later to wrap up one of the best British bouts of 2009 and take his first GPW singles title..... The following month, GPW presented their annual "Crazy Cruiser 8" one-night tournament, of which Banks was the reigning trophy holder. He went all the way to the final yet again, beating Dylan Roberts and Martin Kirby in fine contests before coming across Joey Hayes in the tournament final. A tremendous match wrapped up a brilliant show, as Hayes pinned Banks to take the 2009 trophy..... All 4 of the CRazy Cruiser 8 semi-finalists were brought back for a tag team attraction on the February "Back With A Bang!" show, Banks teaming with his back-up buddy Fox Carter against Hayes and Kirby. Hayes won the bout by scoring another pinfall win over "The Juice", thus putting him directly in line for the first shot at Banks' British Title. As such, Banks and Hayes for the belt headlined March's "Out For Justice" show, but nothing was settled between the pair as the referee counted a double pinfall following a superplex. Banks refused Hayes' plea for 5 more minutes, and so they were rematched in 2/3 falls fashion the following month at "Jam Hot!". With the assistance of Carter, CJ retained the British Title by taking the bout 2 falls to 1..... Since GPW returned from its summer break, Banks has been running an "open challenge" gimmick for prospective challenegers to the belt..... Over in West Yorkshire, Banks used his allegiance to heel general manager Christopher Brammer to become the first ever DPW Champion, last beating hometown hero Cameron Kraze in a 4-way tournament final. At "August Anarchy 2009", Banks retained the gold over international export Doug Williams, while Kraze's championship chase began. Kraze and Bingo Ballance beat Banks and Rainz in the headliner of the December show, setting up Kraze's title shot at "2 Years Old!!" in Morley Town Hall in March. The good guy finally achieved his goal, as Kraze downed Banks in the main to take the gold..... Since then, Banks has snatched the title back, defeating Ballance for the vacant belt when an injured Cameron was stripped..... Back in the north-west for XWA in Morecambe, "Serious" CJ Banks was a part of the "Deadly Serious" heel duo with Damon Leigh, who made it clear that they did not want the suspended Johnny Phere to be reinstated to the roster. Banks and Leigh attacked Phere at "Vendetta" in July 2009, but were run off by XWA Champion Sam Slam and Jonny Storm. Later that same night, Phere returned to cost Deadly Serious the tag main event to Slam and Storm. It was announced immediately afterwards that Banks and Leigh would face Phere in a handicap match on the next show, with Phere's XWA roster spot at stake. So, at "Last Fight at the Prom" in September, the bizarrely popular Phere bested the 2-on-1 odds to defeat Banks and Leigh in a supremely heated bout and earn a new XWA contract..... Next up, Banks went for XWA singles gold in the form of the vacant British Flyweight Title (given up when Spud won the Heavyweight belt), but El Ligero came out the victor of the 4-way championship bout which also featured Sam Bailey and Marty Scurll.....Things didn't get better for Banks, since he lost to GPW rival of the time Joey Hayes in the opener of "War on the Shore VI" in April to lift the curtain on XWA's new home venue of The Carleton..... What did the UKFF think? "Simply put, he's the best wrestler in Europe. There's nobody better than him right now. He looks/acts like a wrestler, gets heat and has 5 star matches with Joey Hayes etc. Deserves the #1 spot. Oh and he'll eventually be in TNA/WWE, he is THAT good!" "The Juice is a funny one. The muppet stuff and his constant need to flash his arse annoys me. But he is a damn fine wrestler as the tag matches against LDRs show, and was a great first choice as DPW Champion having a great match against Cameron Kraze this year. Overrated by some, but a damn solid talent and someone who will easily make it into the top 15 at least" "Reminds me a bit of Dynamite Kid, just has a believable style about his work" "Workhorse, always has good outings and is a legit hard-looking bugger" "The best heel in the UK. Needs more exposure. Great in DPW and GPW" "Looks the part, quality wrestler" "Dynamite Kid and Chris Benoit all wrapped into one" "Always been a favourite of mine...possibly to the extent that I tend to over-rate him at times but I just think that he has all the tools necessary to make it to the top in the UK. Fantastic technical ability, great chemistry with his opponents, an obvious skill for heeling it up although the
ajmcstyles Posted September 23, 2010 Posted September 23, 2010 I have never seen a head that looked more like an egg. HEY YOU GUYS
kamicazze Posted September 23, 2010 Posted September 23, 2010 redman should be much higher. im looking for him to headline fwa as soon as stone leaves. needs to work on his promos though. he should just get an angle like persona
Paid Members Big Benny HG Posted September 23, 2010 Author Paid Members Posted September 23, 2010 No. 16 - Darkside Score: 225 points Total 1st place rankings in 2010 votes: 4 2009 ranking: 19th 2008 ranking: 18th 2007 ranking: 24th 2006 ranking: 8th 2005 ranking: not listed Who is he? Main event player in numerous promotions up in his homeland of Scotland, but is also well known to English wrestling fans due to his regular previous appearances for 3CW, GPW and 1PW. This year, Darkside has held championship gold both north and south of the border for BCW, W3L, ICW and 3CW and, despite taking time out during the year due to injury, in 2010 he achieves his highest UKFF UK50 ranking since 2006..... As reigning Heavyweight Champion in the promotion, babyface Darkside main evented both shows on BCW's December 2009 double-header. First, at "No Blood, No Sympathy VII" in Kilmarnock (BCW's biggest show of the year), he retained the belt in the 4-way match over Openweight Champion Kid Fite, Sean South and pre-show battle royal winner Zack Sabre Jr. Then, the next night in East Kilbride, he retained again by defeating "Bad Boy" Liam Thomson..... Darkside followed this up with successful defences over Noam Dar, CJ Banks and Justin Thorne between February and April before injury placed him on the sidelines..... In PBW, heel Darkside defeated Scott Renwick in September, and then faced former WWE star Kevin Thorne on the biggest card of the year, "Maximum Impact", in October. Darkside was again victorious, but fell to defeat in a December 3-way with Liam Thomson and BT Gunn..... 2010 kicked off with a chance to add the PBW Heavyweight Title to his BCW gold, challenging Lionheart in the main event of the Alloa show. 'Side was unsuccessful here, as he was later the same month when he lost to Bubblegum at "Fully Charged 2010" in a crazy brawl. A change of attitude and mixed results, as Darkside tangled with TJ Rage and Logan Storm and Andy Wild in subsequent PBW bouts..... Down in England, Darkside defeated Cameron Kraze for the 3CW Championship in a No-DQ match in Northallerton. When he was unable to make his scheduled defence at "Darkest Deeds" in Billingham in September, 3CW crowned a new champion that night in their annual "Free For All" rumble, the returning El Ligero taking the belt. Title controversy reigned, however, since Darkside still had his version of the 3CW title. Until the situation could be resolved, Darkside continued to reign as the Heavyweight Champion, and racked up a successful defence on 3CW's Scottish debut show, while Ligero was recognised as the British Champion. Ligero and Darkside were due to meet to unify the belts at the November Billingham event, but former champion Kraze interrupted and challenged the pair of champions to a tag bout in the main, taking down-and-out Mohmed Ameen as his partner. Darkside and Ligero suffered from a difference of opinion, leading them open for Team Cameron Kraze to take the win..... In February, the Darkside vs. Ligero unification match finally did take place, but ended with the matter unresolved when Kraze and Ameen interfered, causing a no-contest to be called. A March rematch of the November tag bout saw Darkside and Ligero work together to avenge their defeat, all of which built towards the 3-way main event of the "6th Anniversary Show" in April. There, Darkside, Ligero and Kraze fought to settle the issue once and for all in a brilliant bout. Kraze was eliminated first when the bayfaces combined to take him out, leaving Darkside and Ligero to fight for the Undisputed Championship. Several minutes of edge-of-the-seat action later, Ligero pinned Darkside to take all the gold..... Elsewhere, Darkside returned to the GPW promotion, of which he had once reigned as Heavyweight Champion, for the first time in a year-and-a-half. Returning at "Back With A Bang!" in February, Darkside mirrored his 3CW rivalry with El Ligero. First, the pair were half of a 4-way contenders' match also featuring Sam Bailey and eventual winner Ricky J McKenzie, and it was Darkside that cost Ligero the match by pulling him back down to the floor, allowing both to be counted out. At "Out For Justice" the following month, they fought again on opposite sides of a GPW signature 6-man tag match, Darkside teaming with the evil Paradise Lost (Heresy and Kastor LeVay) while Ligero sided with The Mystics (Voodoo and The Great Suzuki). Later that night, Ligero came out to challenge GPW Heavyweight Champion Juggernaut in an impromtptu bout when scheduled challenger Damon Leigh failed to show in an angle. Before the bout could start, however, Darkside came out and cracked Ligero with a chair, taking him out. The two were supposed to have their long-awaited GPW singles match at "Jam Hot!" in April, but Darkside suffered from travel issues and was unable to make it..... Since the end of the 2010 UKFF UK50 period, Darkside returned from supposed injury-induced retirement in a shocking and effective angle for ICW..... What did the UKFF think? "Best all rounder in Scotland" "Scotland's best wrestler by a considerable margin, I probably seen him upwards of 20 times this year and never once did he have a match approaching "poor". Has adapted his ring style over the last few years to a more mat-based style, but it suits him better" "I've not seen him in England that much this year but the times he's been here he has been very impressive. Crisp performances, nothing too spectacular but comes across as a fine wrestler" "Finally got recognised by BCW and ICW as champs" "Had a great year. Good matches in PBW, won W3L title. He's a great talent" "Brings amazing intensity to any match he's in" "Had another great year of matches" "Participated in some fantastic matches whilst upping his intenisty at the same time" "this has been a wicked year for Darkside. From having a wicked exchange with Scott Renwick at last year's Gathering, to taking the BCW Title off Lionheart. Literally everything I've seen of him has been amazing, and that includes his match with Mike Musso in W3L where he took the title" "Brilliant worker, had some great matches with El Ligero & Cameron Kraze. He also tried to steal my shoes" "My number 1 pick of the year for a few reasons. Even when heel/face he still manages to be thoroughly entertaining. Really intense style mixing MMA style striking/submissions with traditional wrestling. Ability, charisma and presence. 3 key ingredients for anyone I feel" "Never had a bad match" "Over the last year he has finally got the recognition he deserves. ICW, BCW, W3L Heavyweight Champ, and not without reason. I'd have had him with PBW and SWA belt if I could also! He really was the best. Originally broke in with a Japanese style, but now he's got so much more to his game. A wrestler who refuses to let his height limit him, I really hope he comes back to pro wrestling. Without a doubt, I'd love to see him wrestle Zack Sabre, O'Connor and Mastiff as I'm yet to see them happen" "Despite his tendency to phone it in, capable of magic if motivated" "Thank fuck he's back in GPW, I've missed him being there. He's a terrific heel. I like how he's added the MMA to it" ******************* So, still to come somewhere in the Top 15: (alphabetical order) Bubblegum Dave Mastiff El Ligero Joey Hayes Johnny Moss Jonny Storm Kris Travis Lionheart Mark Haskins Martin Kirby Martin Stone Marty Scurll Spud Stixx Zack Sabre Jr Before that, though, it's a return to more entries from the ever-controversial Shit List.... *********************
cobystag Posted September 23, 2010 Posted September 23, 2010 12 out of my list managed to crack the top 15. Not too shabby.
The Cum Doctor Posted September 23, 2010 Posted September 23, 2010 I can't say I've ever seen a match where I've thought that Darkside was phoning it in.
Patrick "Madman" Kelly Posted September 23, 2010 Posted September 23, 2010 I can't say I've ever seen a match where I've thought that Darkside was phoning it in. This.
Paid Members Gordon_The_Gopher Posted September 23, 2010 Paid Members Posted September 23, 2010 So, still to come somewhere in the Top 15: 1) Spud 2) Dave Mastiff 3) Mark Haskins 4) Martin Stone 5) Zack Sabre Jr Would be my guess, but again, only a guess...
Legend101 Posted September 23, 2010 Posted September 23, 2010 My personal picks would be 1) Lionheart 2) Kirby 3) Stone 4) Ligero 5) Hayes
Paid Members I Bent My Wookie Posted September 23, 2010 Paid Members Posted September 23, 2010 1) Mark Haskins 2) El Ligero 3) Spud 4) Zack Sabre Jr 5) Martin Stone Only a guess...
The Cum Doctor Posted September 23, 2010 Posted September 23, 2010 Lionheart will be really high on the list I reckon. If he doesn't break that top 5, then I think STJ's prediction looks about right.
Paid Members I Bent My Wookie Posted September 23, 2010 Paid Members Posted September 23, 2010 sweet, makes a change for me to possibly be right
The Dart Posted September 23, 2010 Posted September 23, 2010 So, still to come somewhere in the Top 15: 1) Spud 2) Dave Mastiff 3) Mark Haskins 4) Martin Stone 5) Zack Sabre Jr Would be my guess, but again, only a guess... I think El Ligero is likely to be in the Top 5, so maybe him instead of Sabre. Out of the 15 left my 5 would be Martin Stone Spud Mark Haskins Johnny Moss Jonny Storm although they are in no way my actual Top 5.
Paid Members Big Benny HG Posted September 24, 2010 Author Paid Members Posted September 24, 2010 (edited) Again, all the stories, comments and quotes used below have been based upon those provided to me by the UKFFers who made the Shit List nominations..... ~~SHITLIST No. 7(equal) - "Big Dog" Rainz~~ Big, tall wrestler in the Yorkshire and Derbyshire area who actually has around 8 years experience. He is the man who pretty much runs GNP/NBW, and as such he is often presented as the top star, appears in main events and has had several runs with the promotion's singles championships. He can also be seen in places like DPW and as fitness fantatic Kris Travis' sidekick "High Tower" in 3CW..... Rainz actually made it to the "Maybes" stage of the 2009 UKFF UK50, though there were suspicions that he had used multiple accounts to nominate himself into such as position. As a result, he has been going around for over a year now telling every man and his dog (pardon the pun) that he is officially the 51st best wrestler in the UK. I wonder if he will now spend the next year going around saying he's officially the 7th worst wrestler in the UK? He used to attend the training sessions at 1PW, and it was a regular occurrance for him to show off by lifting the small teenage trainees high in the air, throwing them around, etc, basically trying to appear lke a big deal in front of all the young kids. It backfired on him on one occasion, however, as the 12-year old kid he was attempting a move on flailed around in a combination of fear and panic at what the big dude was going to do to him. Rainz was kneed in the face, blood starting pouring, and he ran away crying to go and get his nose checked out. Despite his willingness to throw kids around, he is surprisingly reluctant to actually take any moves or bump himself. At one of GNP's Cresswell shows, Rainz was scheduled to wrestle Prince Ameen. Ameen suggested that he hit a spinebuster in the match, requiring a basic back bump that most trainees learn in the first few weeks of training. Rainz started panicing, and wanted to make sure he had fully practiced the move. He hunted all around the building and found a crash mat, put it in the ring, and asked Ameen to do the move to him. Overcome with happiness that he'd been so brave to take such a brutal move, he asked Ameen to do it again....again, on the crash mat. The doors were opened, the audience started coming in and the show started, but Rainz was still nervous about taking the spinebuster, and so throughout the entire show up until his match, he repeatedly practiced the spinebuster again and again on the crash mat, this time outside the building while the show was going on. When the match came, Ameen hit the move on Rainz...to virtually no audience reaction whatsoever..... Another common trait for "The Big Dog"is for him to be announced in some form of big match, only for him to declare himself injured and pull out just days before it is supposed to take place. He must be the most injury prone wrestler since Mr Kennedy or Mark Henry. Either that, or he lacks the bottle to actually go through with the matches. Thing is, though, time after time Rainz will withdraw like this due to a supposed injury, only for his music to hit and him to make a "surprise" run in to save the day....expect he's used this gimmick so often it has ceased to be a "surprise" at all..... Finally, on the way to the ring for one of the GNP shows, he tripped and fell when getting into the ring. Instead of trying to cover it or get up, he JUST LAY THERE IN THE RING FOR AGES, as if he had been shot by a sniper. I am told that YouTube footage of this incident may shortly be available!! "Amazing that this guy has a brand new singlet for each show, despite him only wrestling about once a month. Also, each new set of gear looks awful. Absolutely awful" "Just a fat bloke in a swimsuit. Seems to be getting fatter by the month and has got to the stage where he is literally a blob with limbs" "I have yet to see Rainz in anything resembling a decent match. The guy is terrible" "A man of his size could be the total package but, sadly,he seems content on being a useless fat lump" ********************** Edited September 24, 2010 by Big Benny HG
Indyscenerocker Posted September 24, 2010 Posted September 24, 2010 cameron kraze and cj banks :s Dissapointing!!
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