2011 UKFF UK50 - RESULTS THREAD

[GPW Kristian Zane]

I imagine the fact that the likes of Zebra Kid, Zak 'Bex' Zodiac and Phil Powers are not on the list shows that exposure does have at least something to do with whether or not someone is on the UK50 list.

Just because they didnt make the top 50 doesnt mean people dont rate them or didnt vote for them, its not like everyone would be on the top 50 otherwise it wouldnt be a "Top 50" would it?

[Snitsky's back acne]

I imagine the fact that the likes of Zebra Kid, Zak 'Bex' Zodiac and Phil Powers are not on the list shows that exposure does have at least something to do with whether or not someone is on the UK50 list.

Just because they didnt make the top 50 doesnt mean people dont rate them or didnt vote for them, its not like everyone would be on the top 50 otherwise it wouldnt be a "Top 50" would it?

 

I'm not saying people dont rate them or didnt vote for them, my point is that Zebra and Zak predominently work WAW and HEW which are not 'internet' promotions, and Powers works holiday camps, which means their visibility on shows that the majority of people who are voting on the UK50 would see is minimal.

 

James Mason and Dean Allmark have been fantastic for years, yet their omission up until recent years [when they spread their wings from All Star a bit and started working shows the internet fans tend to favour like IPW, NOAH, Dragon Gate etc.] shows, to me anyway, that exposure IS important when voting.

 

After all, out of sight, out of mind.

[Whiskey_Jim]

I imagine the fact that the likes of Zebra Kid, Zak 'Bex' Zodiac and Phil Powers are not on the list shows that exposure does have at least something to do with whether or not someone is on the UK50 list.

Just because they didnt make the top 50 doesnt mean people dont rate them or didnt vote for them, its not like everyone would be on the top 50 otherwise it wouldnt be a "Top 50" would it?

 

I'm not saying people dont rate them or didnt vote for them, my point is that Zebra and Zak predominently work WAW and HEW which are not 'internet' promotions, and Powers works holiday camps, which means their visibility on shows that the majority of people who are voting on the UK50 would see is minimal.

 

James Mason and Dean Allmark have been fantastic for years, yet their omission up until recent years [when they spread their wings from All Star a bit and started working shows the internet fans tend to favour like IPW, NOAH, Dragon Gate etc.] shows, to me anyway, that exposure IS important when voting.

 

After all, out of sight, out of mind.

nail. head.

[The Cum Doctor]

Lets not forget guys that Spitfire is fucking woeful. Dean Allmark is very very good though.

[Big Benny HG]

No. 5 - Marty Scurll

Score: 418 points

Total 1st place rankings in 2011 votes: 3

2010 ranking: 15th

(2009=18th; 2008= 30th; 2007=NL; 2006= NL; 2005=NL)

 

 

The 400 points barrier comes and goes....

 

A big year for Cambridgeshire's Marty Scurll, seeing a 10-place rise in the rankings in 2011 to his best-ever finish in the UKFF UK50 following a year of big performances, high-profile appearances and critically-acclaimed matches. As well as being known as one half of what many believe to be Britiain's top tag team act, the 'LDRS of the New School' (currently with Zack Sabre Jr, though previously with Paul Robinson and Nikko Brixton), 23-year old Marty has shone in singles appearances. As well as appearing across England for IPW:UK, FWA, 1PW, SOUTHSIDE, BAWA, 4FW, HEW and others, Scurll is a regular for WXW in Germany and has also appeared in Scotland, Spain, Belgium, Denmark and the United States during the 2011 UKFF UK50 period and is part of the Dragon Gate:UK roster.

 

In the Kent-based IPW:UK, Marty and Zack Sabre Jr reigned as the Undisputed British Tag Team Champions. At the "6th Anniversary Show" in August 2010, The "LDRs" defeated jet-setting Brits Pac and Mark Haskins in a thrilling contest. Mikey Whiplash and Robbie Dynamite had won a bout earlier the same evening to become number one contenders to their straps, and the duos met for their title tussle the following month in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire. Held as the 'warm up' match for that evening's Dragon Gate: UK tour event, a short-but-sweet encounter saw Marty and Zack beaten by "The All Stars" to lose their belts. The very next night, Scurll returned to the main card for DG:UK (following his appearance on the debut event the previous year), falling to then-KAMIKAZE member Cyber Kong in a village near Cambridge. Despite some people firmly believing it to be the case, Marty did not in fact then embark on a tour of Dragon Gate in Japan...

 

Marty and Zack were rematched with Whiplash and Dynamite for the main event of IPW:UK's October event, but dirty tactics from the All Stars meant they left empty handed from a reportedly brilliant bout. The LDRS came a step closer to championship gold in FWA, however, when the beat Stixx and Paul Malen the following month at "Memorablia" to advance to the final of the tournament to crown new tag champs. The tournament was then forgotten about, meaning the final never took place. Back in IPW:UK, the LDRS received another crack at the champions as part of the "Brawl at the Hall 2010", this time as part of a one-night round-robin series also including then-PWG World Tag Team Champions Paul London and El Generico ("iPeligro Abejas!"). First, Marty and Zack finally bested The All Stars in an excellent match to kick off the evening. London and Generico would beat Whiplash and Dynamite mid-way through the card, meaning that the main event contest between the LDRS and the "Danger Bees" would see the winners walk out the British Tag Champions. Another absolutely superb offering tore down the house before Marty and Zack scored the win the take the belts back.

 

2011 has, arguably, seen the best Scurll of his career so far. Plenty of eyes were on him as he pulled double-duty at IPW:UK's "No Escape 2011" in March, where he was beaten by El Generico in a superb main event contest which was possibly the strongest singles performance of his career to that point. The night had kicked off with Scurll and Sabre Jr defeating ROH team Kyle O'Reilly and Adam Cole in a typically strong effort. 2 days later, Scurll beat the US pair again, this time in a triple-threat bout on a hardcore-themed event at the 'Tap n' Tin' club in Chatham. The rivalry went continental the following weekend, as Marty and Zack beat Cole and O'Reilly in reportedly-stunning contest in Oberhausen, Germany on the final day of WXW's "16 Carat Gold 2011" weekend. It then went international as the LDRS were part of the contingent to tour the north-east USA with other WXW stars. Cole and O'Reilly got a win over Mary and Zack in the famous ECW Arena in Philadelphia, though Scurll was to get a measure of revenge the following night, beating O'Reilly at the ACE Arena, the indy wrestling hotbed in Union City, New Jersey.

 

Given his Dragon Gate connections, Marty did not appear on the Pro Wrestling NOAH tour of the UK that May. He did, however, get to take on NOAH's Kotaro Suzuki the IPW:UK show held as part of that weekend. There, Scurll beat the former GHC Junior Heavyweight singles and tag champion in another storming showcase singles attraction bout likely to finish high in the 2011 British Match of the Year polls. The roll continued in May, as he and Sabre again beat Pac and Haskins in a 1PW rematch of their IPW:UK cracker the year before. With Zack away in Japan on a tour of NOAH, Marty continued his singles success at IPW:UK's "Summer Sizzler 2011", coming just after the end of the 2011 UKFF UK50 eligibility period. This time, it was CZW and Chikara import Jonathan Gresham that fell to Scurll in a decent match. Scurll is scheduled to return to Dragon Gate:UK this October, where is he set to star as one of the top UK names on all 3 nights of the tour.

 

What did the UKFF think?

"Never has a bad match"

"The number one guy for sure this year, Scurll has finally managed to rangle off the 'Jannety' tag of the LDRS and pull himself out as the main guy ahead of Zack. Great matches with Generico and Suzuki just to name a few that have shown him to be truly great"

"Really good wrestler. Quality bouts even flying the flag for British wrestling abroad"

"Hottest prospect in the whole of Europe, without a doubt a Dragon Gate tour is on the cards"

"Has really come into his own as of late with Zack not around, solid, performer and a DG tour surely isn't far off the cards"

"Good matches with the Leaders. Plays a underdog well as can be witnessed in his Dragon Gate match with Cyber Kong. Also can play a comedy character which shows his versatility"

"Tremendous young talent. Adept as a babyface or heel, in singles or in tag action. LDRS partnership with Zack Sabre Jr. continues to astonish. Dragon Gate outing against Cyber Kong boosted Scurll's credibility hugely, as the youngster took everything handed to him, and gave a lot of it back. Great sympathy as a face. Outing in 4FW against Junior Heavyweight champion Owen Phoenix highlighted Scurll's antagonistic qualities. Always remembers the fundamental importance of involving the crowd. Cameo appearance on TNA Xplosion was a hoot. All being well, has a very bright future in this industry"

"Seen him a few times and he was pleasant, funny and always delivers. He always seems excited to be in the ring and it comes across well"

"Maybe a little bit in the shadow of Sabre Jr but a great wrestler in his own right"

"His match with El Ligero for NBW Southside in St Neots was my match of the year. Simple as that"

"Can get it done in a fast paced internet indy style matchup, as well as excelling in front of the family crowd, and can definitely go in a technical rounds World of Sport style. If he isn't already a major star (some would say he is) he will be"

"Improved majorly over the last year"

"Pretty sure everyone will have Marty in their list. He was hardly a poor wrestler before, but the improvement in the last year has been ridiculous. One of the UK's finest for sure, and HAS to be destined for bigger things"

"Either him or Sabre Jr. deserve to be top of this list for me. Fantastic wrestlers"

"Looks the part is the part! I think he is next to cross the pond"

"Really brought the game in IPW:UK vs. Generico and Suzuki. Breaking out and making moolah"

"Consistently involved in the most exciting matches on any card in the past year"

"With Sabre Jr. as part of LDRS he's produced some of the finest tag team wrestling the UK has seen. In singles matches, he still blows me away. Fantastic guy"

"Marty more than held up his end in The LDR's tag matches, on some occassions perhaps even surpassing and standing out more than Zack as he made some of those tag matches *his* own - Notably the October All Stars encounter that was a Marty Scurll tour de force. Marty started breaking out just a little bit more on his own this past year with notable matches against Cyber Kong, El Generico and Kotaro Suzuki. The Kotaro Suzuki match I would perhaps put up against matches that took place on the NOAH shows as being a stand out match. While I bought the rumour about Marty going to Japan hook, line and sinker for training after the DG:UK shows, I don't think anyone can argue against Marty stepping up his game considerably after those shows. This definitely was a stand out year for Marty, it only took Zack Sabre Jnr turning into a truly elite wrestler to stop Scurll from out-shining his tag partners with the strides in improvement he made this year. If Zack does leave England to wrestle full time in Japan or America, we can rest safe in the knowledge that we will still have Marty for a little while longer until those opportunities presented to Zack open up for Marty too down the line"

"Keeps improving every year"

"Has had the year of his career worked very hard to put on MOTN on most of the shows he has been on"

"Really good look, and has had some good matches along with some great moments, enjoyed his part in King of Cruisers 2010"

"No one on the UK scene has entertained me so consistently. His matches with Generico, Kotaro, and a trio of awesome performances in WXW in Germany have turned him into my favourite wrestler. Awesome music too. Zack gets more praise, but Marty's more my cup of tea"

"He's been called "improved" but I don't believe that at all. I think there's a difference between "improved" and "underappreciated". I've seen nothing to suggest that he's ever been any worse than he's been over the last 12 months. He's now getting the recognition he deserves though"

 

 

Still to come (alphabetical order):

 

Dave Mastiff

 

El Ligero

 

Mark Haskins

 

Zack Sabre Jr

 

 

Stay tuned...

[tattooedgooner]

No. 5 - Marty Scurll

Score: 418 points

Total 1st place rankings in 2011 votes: 3

2010 ranking: 15th

(2009=18th; 2008= 30th; 2007=NL; 2006= NL; 2005=NL)

 

 

The 400 points barrier comes and goes....

 

A big year for Cambridgeshire's Marty Scurll, seeing a 10-place rise in the rankings in 2011 to his best-ever finish in the UKFF UK50 following a year of big performances, high-profile appearances and critically-acclaimed matches. As well as being known as one half of what many believe to be Britiain's top tag team act, the 'LDRS of the New School' (currently with Zack Sabre Jr, though previously with Paul Robinson and Nikko Brixton), 23-year old Marty has shone in singles appearances. As well as appearing across England for IPW:UK, FWA, 1PW, SOUTHSIDE, BAWA, 4FW, HEW and others, Scurll is a regular for WXW in Germany and has also appeared in Scotland, Spain, Belgium, Denmark and the United States during the 2011 UKFF UK50 period and is part of the Dragon Gate:UK roster.

 

In the Kent-based IPW:UK, Marty and Zack Sabre Jr reigned as the Undisputed British Tag Team Champions. At the "6th Anniversary Show" in August 2010, The "LDRs" defeated jet-setting Brits Pac and Mark Haskins in a thrilling contest. Mikey Whiplash and Robbie Dynamite had won a bout earlier the same evening to become number one contenders to their straps, and the duos met for their title tussle the following month in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire. Held as the 'warm up' match for that evening's Dragon Gate: UK tour event, a short-but-sweet encounter saw Marty and Zack beaten by "The All Stars" to lose their belts. The very next night, Scurll returned to the main card for DG:UK (following his appearance on the debut event the previous year), falling to then-KAMIKAZE member Cyber Kong in a village near Cambridge. Despite some people firmly believing it to be the case, Marty did not in fact then embark on a tour of Dragon Gate in Japan...

 

Marty and Zack were rematched with Whiplash and Dynamite for the main event of IPW:UK's October event, but dirty tactics from the All Stars meant they left empty handed from a reportedly brilliant bout. The LDRS came a step closer to championship gold in FWA, however, when the beat Stixx and Paul Malen the following month at "Memorablia" to advance to the final of the tournament to crown new tag champs. The tournament was then forgotten about, meaning the final never took place. Back in IPW:UK, the LDRS received another crack at the champions as part of the "Brawl at the Hall 2010", this time as part of a one-night round-robin series also including then-PWG World Tag Team Champions Paul London and El Generico ("iPeligro Abejas!"). First, Marty and Zack finally bested The All Stars in an excellent match to kick off the evening. London and Generico would beat Whiplash and Dynamite mid-way through the card, meaning that the main event contest between the LDRS and the "Danger Bees" would see the winners walk out the British Tag Champions. Another absolutely superb offering tore down the house before Marty and Zack scored the win the take the belts back.

 

2011 has, arguably, seen the best Scurll of his career so far. Plenty of eyes were on him as he pulled double-duty at IPW:UK's "No Escape 2011" in March, where he was beaten by El Generico in a superb main event contest which was possibly the strongest singles performance of his career to that point. The night had kicked off with Scurll and Sabre Jr defeating ROH team Kyle O'Reilly and Adam Cole in a typically strong effort. 2 days later, Scurll beat the US pair again, this time in a triple-threat bout on a hardcore-themed event at the 'Tap n' Tin' club in Chatham. The rivalry went continental the following weekend, as Marty and Zack beat Cole and O'Reilly in reportedly-stunning contest in Oberhausen, Germany on the final day of WXW's "16 Carat Gold 2011" weekend. It then went international as the LDRS were part of the contingent to tour the north-east USA with other WXW stars. Cole and O'Reilly got a win over Mary and Zack in the famous ECW Arena in Philadelphia, though Scurll was to get a measure of revenge the following night, beating O'Reilly at the ACE Arena, the indy wrestling hotbed in Union City, New Jersey.

 

Given his Dragon Gate connections, Marty did not appear on the Pro Wrestling NOAH tour of the UK that May. He did, however, get to take on NOAH's Kotaro Suzuki the IPW:UK show held as part of that weekend. There, Scurll beat the former GHC Junior Heavyweight singles and tag champion in another storming showcase singles attraction bout likely to finish high in the 2011 British Match of the Year polls. The roll continued in May, as he and Sabre again beat Pac and Haskins in a 1PW rematch of their IPW:UK cracker the year before. With Zack away in Japan on a tour of NOAH, Marty continued his singles success at IPW:UK's "Summer Sizzler 2011", coming just after the end of the 2011 UKFF UK50 eligibility period. This time, it was CZW and Chikara import Jonathan Gresham that fell to Scurll in a decent match. Scurll is scheduled to return to Dragon Gate:UK this October, where is he set to star as one of the top UK names on all 3 nights of the tour.

 

What did the UKFF think?

"Never has a bad match"

"The number one guy for sure this year, Scurll has finally managed to rangle off the 'Jannety' tag of the LDRS and pull himself out as the main guy ahead of Zack. Great matches with Generico and Suzuki just to name a few that have shown him to be truly great"

"Really good wrestler. Quality bouts even flying the flag for British wrestling abroad"

"Hottest prospect in the whole of Europe, without a doubt a Dragon Gate tour is on the cards"

"Has really come into his own as of late with Zack not around, solid, performer and a DG tour surely isn't far off the cards"

"Good matches with the Leaders. Plays a underdog well as can be witnessed in his Dragon Gate match with Cyber Kong. Also can play a comedy character which shows his versatility"

"Tremendous young talent. Adept as a babyface or heel, in singles or in tag action. LDRS partnership with Zack Sabre Jr. continues to astonish. Dragon Gate outing against Cyber Kong boosted Scurll's credibility hugely, as the youngster took everything handed to him, and gave a lot of it back. Great sympathy as a face. Outing in 4FW against Junior Heavyweight champion Owen Phoenix highlighted Scurll's antagonistic qualities. Always remembers the fundamental importance of involving the crowd. Cameo appearance on TNA Xplosion was a hoot. All being well, has a very bright future in this industry"

"Seen him a few times and he was pleasant, funny and always delivers. He always seems excited to be in the ring and it comes across well"

"Maybe a little bit in the shadow of Sabre Jr but a great wrestler in his own right"

"His match with El Ligero for NBW Southside in St Neots was my match of the year. Simple as that"

"Can get it done in a fast paced internet indy style matchup, as well as excelling in front of the family crowd, and can definitely go in a technical rounds World of Sport style. If he isn't already a major star (some would say he is) he will be"

"Improved majorly over the last year"

"Pretty sure everyone will have Marty in their list. He was hardly a poor wrestler before, but the improvement in the last year has been ridiculous. One of the UK's finest for sure, and HAS to be destined for bigger things"

"Either him or Sabre Jr. deserve to be top of this list for me. Fantastic wrestlers"

"Looks the part is the part! I think he is next to cross the pond"

"Really brought the game in IPW:UK vs. Generico and Suzuki. Breaking out and making moolah"

"Consistently involved in the most exciting matches on any card in the past year"

"With Sabre Jr. as part of LDRS he's produced some of the finest tag team wrestling the UK has seen. In singles matches, he still blows me away. Fantastic guy"

"Marty more than held up his end in The LDR's tag matches, on some occassions perhaps even surpassing and standing out more than Zack as he made some of those tag matches *his* own - Notably the October All Stars encounter that was a Marty Scurll tour de force. Marty started breaking out just a little bit more on his own this past year with notable matches against Cyber Kong, El Generico and Kotaro Suzuki. The Kotaro Suzuki match I would perhaps put up against matches that took place on the NOAH shows as being a stand out match. While I bought the rumour about Marty going to Japan hook, line and sinker for training after the DG:UK shows, I don't think anyone can argue against Marty stepping up his game considerably after those shows. This definitely was a stand out year for Marty, it only took Zack Sabre Jnr turning into a truly elite wrestler to stop Scurll from out-shining his tag partners with the strides in improvement he made this year. If Zack does leave England to wrestle full time in Japan or America, we can rest safe in the knowledge that we will still have Marty for a little while longer until those opportunities presented to Zack open up for Marty too down the line"

"Keeps improving every year"

"Has had the year of his career worked very hard to put on MOTN on most of the shows he has been on"

"Really good look, and has had some good matches along with some great moments, enjoyed his part in King of Cruisers 2010"

"No one on the UK scene has entertained me so consistently. His matches with Generico, Kotaro, and a trio of awesome performances in WXW in Germany have turned him into my favourite wrestler. Awesome music too. Zack gets more praise, but Marty's more my cup of tea"

"He's been called "improved" but I don't believe that at all. I think there's a difference between "improved" and "underappreciated". I've seen nothing to suggest that he's ever been any worse than he's been over the last 12 months. He's now getting the recognition he deserves though"

 

 

Still to come (alphabetical order):

 

Dave Mastiff

 

El Ligero

 

Mark Haskins

 

Zack Sabre Jr

 

 

Stay tuned...

 

 

Gutted , In my opinion he was no1 after the matches he has had in the last year but I know there are a hell of a lot of people that will vote for Zach.

 

El Ligero all the way for me now !

[cobra_gordo]

I'm shocked Scurll is 5th, it really could have been his year, he's had some belting matches. I voted him second to Ligero but it was a tough call

[ninevisions]

seems like my analogy fail last year worked, scurll hit the top 10!

[Whiskey_Jim]

I think we start the main bulk of BBHG praise now we are into the top five, good work again, big man! good to see there were no police enquiries this year!

[tattooedgooner]

I think we start the main bulk of BBHG praise now we are into the top five, good work again, big man! good to see there were no police enquiries this year!

 

here here

[PunkStep]

I imagine the fact that the likes of Zebra Kid, Zak 'Bex' Zodiac and Phil Powers are not on the list shows that exposure does have at least something to do with whether or not someone is on the UK50 list.

Just because they didnt make the top 50 doesnt mean people dont rate them or didnt vote for them, its not like everyone would be on the top 50 otherwise it wouldnt be a "Top 50" would it?

True as that may be, I think SBA has a valid point here. Why have Robbie Dynamite & Mikey Whiplash only made the top 50 over the past couple of years? They've always been shit hot. It's because they've been working more shows that guys on here watch. Plain & simple. Not invalidating the claim in this being a true top 50 or anything, but exposure plays a massive part here.

[Snitsky's back acne]

I imagine the fact that the likes of Zebra Kid, Zak 'Bex' Zodiac and Phil Powers are not on the list shows that exposure does have at least something to do with whether or not someone is on the UK50 list.

Just because they didnt make the top 50 doesnt mean people dont rate them or didnt vote for them, its not like everyone would be on the top 50 otherwise it wouldnt be a "Top 50" would it?

True as that may be, I think SBA has a valid point here. Why have Robbie Dynamite & Mikey Whiplash only made the top 50 over the past couple of years? They've always been shit hot. It's because they've been working more shows that guys on here watch. Plain & simple. Not invalidating the claim in this being a true top 50 or anything, but exposure plays a massive part here.

 

Note the date and time people, it may be a while before that sentence gets said again.

[Daaaaaad!]

Note the date and time people, it may be a while before that sentence gets said again.

And posts like this are probably why...

 

I expect the Top 4 to be Haskins, Mastiff, Sabre Jr. and Ligero at #1, based on absolutely nothing.

[Big Benny HG]

No. 4 - Mark Haskins

Score: 452 points

Total 1st place rankings in 2011 votes: 2

2010 ranking: 8th

(2009=8th; 2008= 29th; 2007=NL; 2006= NL; 2005=NL)

 

 

Oxford's Mark Haskins rises to his highest ever finish in the UKFF UK50, going up 4 places after finishing 8th the previous two years (and 29th in his debut appearance the year before that). Known as the "Star Attraction", this Mark Sloan-protege's UK appearances started to become few and far between over the course of the last 18 months, as he became a full-time member of the Dragon Gate roster in Japan. In between his far eastern excursions, Haskins has managed to slot in appearances in for IPW:UK, FWA PBW, BAWA and All Star Wrestling in Britain, as well as the UK offshoot of Dragon Gate. Always with his passport to hand, the 23-year old has also featured as a regular for WXW in Germany and appeared in France and Belgium for Be.Catch Company. He appeared as a guest on TNA Wrestling's 2011 European Tour and is likely to be making his last ever appearance in the UKFF UK50 this year.

 

Haskins had embarked on his first Dragon Gate tours in February and March 2010 and, when the 2011 UKFF UK50 eligibility period began in July 2010, he was in the midst of a second, much longer string of consecutive tours which had begun in May. This culminated in him appearing on the "2010 World Pro Wrestling Festival" PayPerView in Kobe, Dragon Gate's biggest event in its calendar, where he, Naoki Tanisaki and Kokota were beaten by Kenichiro Arai, KZY and Yasushi Kanda in an undercard trios bout.

 

Haskins returned to the UK at the end of July, entered as one of the participants in IPW:UK's one-night "Hardcore Lottery" tournament in Chatham. On the adult-themed show, Mark was beaten by Zack Sabre Jr in a "Sex Pin" match in the first round (a pinfall only counts if it is done in the form of a sex position, together with the audience shrieking "SEEXXXXX PIIIIIIIINNNN!!!!"). Following an appearance for WXW the following weekend, Haskins teamed with fellow Dragon Gate Brit Pac to challenge Sabre Jr and Marty Scurll for the Undisputed British Tag Team Championship at IPW:UK's "6th Anniversary Show" in Sittingbourne. A belting match saw the LDRS retain. The Haskins and Pac team returned to Japan just days later, entered as a unit in Dragon Gate's "Summer Adventure Tag League 4", the annual tag team tournament featuring all the top names in the promotion. Haskins and Pac scored a win over the KAMIKAZE combination of Cyber Kong and KAGETORA, but lost each of their remaining Block A matches to end their tournament. Haskins was to remain out on tour with the Japanese promotion until September, when he returned for Dragon Gate's second series of now-seemingly-annual supershows back in his home country. Hailed a huge success, the events saw Haskins beat fellow Sloan-product The Lion Kid on the first night in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, and the now-regular Haskins/Pac combo defeat the WARRIORS unit of CIMA and Dragon Kid in the reportedly thrilling main event of Night Two in a Cambridgeshire village. The tour headed to Germany for Night Three, where Haskins was beaten by CIMA in a singles bout.

 

Back in IPW:UK, Haskins was supposed to challenge for Spud's British Cruiserweight Title at "Make or Break 2010" in October as part of a triple-threat match, but the "Rockstar" stated that his demands had not been met and so refused to compete. Haskins beat the match's 3rd member, 'Tough Enough' cast member Matt Cross, in a non-title match, only to be laid out by Spud afterwards. Spud's absence was later revealed to be due to injury, so the Haskins-Spud title programme never went any further. Mark made a one-off appearance in Scotland the next weekend, featuring for Premier British Wrestling on their big "Maximum Impact" supershow. Taking part in the annual 'King of the Cruisers' 6-way, Haskins, Marty Scurll, Zack Sabre Jr, CJ Banks and Chris Rampage were beaten by El Ligero. A series of appearances for All Star Wrestling were to follow next, with Haskins tangling with Scurll and Kid Cool, and challenging Mikey Whiplash for the UEWA European Heavyweight Title. IPW:UK's next event in Sittingbourne saw him beat future ROH World Champion Eddie Edwards in a decent singles match, before returning later that same night as one of former tag partner Joel Redman's surprise team-mates for the "Brawl at the Hall" elimination tag attraction. This was where Haskins and Redman finally closed the door on their heel "Thrillers" days, beating former manager Gilligan Gordon and his remaining Thrillers Iestyn Rees and Wolf Alexander.

 

2011 began with Haskins being selected to appear as a X-Division star for TNA Wrestling, as a part of their "Maximum iMPACT!" tour of France, Ireland, Germany, Scotland and England. Over the course of the 7-day schedule, Mark would face Jeff Jarrett, Mid Cardy, Chris Sabin, Frankie Kazarian and Shannon Moore. Though he failed to register a win, TNA representatives were clearly suitably impressed. Back to IPW:UK, and Haskins and Redman revived their partnership in defeat to Mikey Whiplash and Robbie Dynamite at "No Escape" in March. A couple of days later, Haskins headlined IPW:UK's return to Chatham, beating ROH's El Generico in a showcase singles bout. Next up, it was Germany for WXW's "16 Carat Gold" tournament, where Mark beat CZW's Adam Cole in the first round, but bowed out to eventual finalist Big Van Walter in the quarter-finals the next day. Back in England, IPW:UK offered another intriguing singles exhibition next at the "Sittingbourne Spectacular 2011" in May, this time in the form of ex-WWE, WCW, ECW, TNA, AAA, CMLL, Perros del Mal, WWA, NWE and FWA star "Da Juice" Juventud Guerrera. Though many didn't know what to expect, the match was supremely entertaining with "Juicy Love" in full effect before Haskins picked up the win. Later that month, Haskins and Pac reformed their team for 1PW to again fight Marty Scurll and Zack Sabre Jr near Chester, with the LDRS again getting the win.

 

Just after the end of the UKFF UK50 period, Haskins appeared on TNA's "Destination X" PPV in Florida against fellow Brit Doug Williams. Though the debut was not well-received, it was revealed that Haskins had signed a two-year contract with the company going forward.

 

As a full-time contracted member of a US promotion, Haskins' UK appearances look are set to be limited to one-off guest appearances for the foreseeable future, in the same way as Doug Williams and Pac. Indeed, he will almost be treated as an "import" and, as such, is likely not to be eligible for consideration in the UKFF UK50 next year...

 

What did the UKFF think?

"Never fails to deliver, top worker, didn't look out of place on the TNA UK Tour"

"I've always been a fan of Mark Haskins. I feel he's the best talent in the country bar none. Whether he's against Richtor or El Ligero small or big , tall or small he will always try his best and give his all"

"Exudes star quality"

"Falls into the category of pleasure to watch in the ring, always entertaining and top-notch"

"Simply unreal this year. Most likely onto bigger and brighter things sooner rather than later. Make the most of him whilst he is around because I can't see some big company not snapping him up soon"

"Tag team headliner of the St. Ives DragonGate show was a national highlight of the year

[Snitsky's back acne]

Note the date and time people, it may be a while before that sentence gets said again.

And posts like this are probably why...

Honestly, there's just no pleasing some people!