Is the UK scene healthier now that it was ten years ago?

[nfc90210]

For the past eight years (maybe even slightly longer) I have paid virtually no attention to the UK Wrestling scene. I think in the past eight years I have been to two wrestling shows. Lucha at The Roundhouse and a UK Lucha show in Bethnal Green, which I went to at the invitation of some friends who aren't even wrestling fans. So, I really don't know the answer to this question.

 

Is the UK scene healthier now that it was ten years ago?

[fye]

Its certainly a lot more prolific with countles promotions running regular shows. Like anything there are a handful of shows that consistently draw good houses with good talent - PBW, NGW, FutureShock, GPW, IPW, PCW, Southside, Progress, etc (dont be offended if I have missed your promotion) - do well for themselves consistently and use top tier talent.

 

There are also lots of lesser known promotions who may or may not be doing well, WAW and All Star continue to run more shows than most of course and have done for decades. There are also inevitably lots of morons with one training session opening schools or wrestlers not wanting to learn to get better opening their own promotions which dilute the quality throughout the country. I am sure similar points will be made by others.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

There's more chance for wrestlers to be noticed and make a living, so its great from a wrestlers point of view. You only have to look at WWE, TNA and New Japan's rosters over the last few years to see that. I'm no expert, but the WWF was still fairly hot a decade ago, so you'd think shows would have been better attended, with all the people who wanted a piece of the live wrestling experience.

[cobystag]

Personally I attended my UK show in Jan 2006 as 1PW was my local promotion and the TNA, ROH, ex-ECW, ex-WWE guys immediately caught my attention. 2007 I first started going to other UK shows with friends, but it's only really in 2008 that I started going more across the country and seeing more English guys and becoming a BritWres fan rather than going to shows just for the imports.

 

I have to say in those four years the abundance of talents who have either upped their games tremendously or come out of nowhere, the UK talent pool is the strongest I have ever seen it. The guys I would have picked for the UKFF50 four years ago have done an almost complete change over with the new guard of hungry young wrestlers. I now go see more promotions and travel up and down the country for shows that are *worth* seeing. Four years ago I'd go to a local show in a WMC as an opportunity to see some alright wrestling with friends. Now the South Yorkshire scene is completely dead due to 1PW's influence and I will not go see a sub-par show/promotion just because it's easy and local, I will make the effort to travel to promotions like RPW, SWE, PCW, FCP, FSW, 4FW, GPW, NGW, etc etc as a lot book the best talent in England and don't merely book the guys who are local to them.

[fye]

I think there were a lot less feds about running shows and a lot were doing the tribute shite but in terms of attendees to shows ratio it was probably much healthier then.

[Jambo]

I think there were a lot less feds about running shows and a lot were doing the tribute shite but in terms of attendees to shows ratio it was probably much healthier then.

 

There were much less companies about, less workers, less quality workers and less fans being drawn to shows despite WWE still being more popular then than now. This is a credit to the workers, trainers (Mark Sloan especially IMO) and promoters of the time, who laid the ground work for people in the business today.

[Ravenhill Promotions]

For me, yes.

[PBW_ROSS]

100% yes. Long may the rise in quality and awareness continue.

[simonworden]

I would say yes, most parts of the country have a decent promotion nearby with quality shows. I think 10 years ago when I started going to british shows you had some great promotions about which were doing well. You had the FWA in its peak as well which helped. Then I would say about 5-6 years ago you had a boom of loads of FWA copy-cat type promotions (Im not sure how else to say that). They all dissapeared and we were left we new and more and more quality promotions being set up. It seems the north end of the country has a fantastic scene right now and I am very jealous living in bournemouth

[Richie Freebird]

What did

[andrew "the ref" coyne]

What did

[simonworden]

By normal I take it you mean the Broxbourne or regular venue shows. I didnt go to many in there peak however between 02-04 as far as I know they were drawing 300 minimum to the main shows regularly. Which around then was quite good I believe. Which then certainly answers the question that a lot of attendance is up as its rare I go to a decent show these days without 250 -300 people there, when that was a good attendance back then

 

EDIT: Uprising 3 only had about 1500-1700 in attendance I believe. Which can be put down mainly to running it in Coventry away from London the FWAs main home. shame they used the skydome as it looked half empty for a very respectable UK independent crowed

[Mark Sloan]

What did

[Big Benny HG]

A few of the FWA Broxbourne shows in 2002-2004 used to do 400-450, in the days when they used to put seating on the stage as well.

 

I believe the 3 York Hall shows they ran (Uprising in October 2002, Frontiers of Honor in May 2003 and Uprising 2 in October 2003) did 700, 900 and 1,100, but I can't remember which figure went with which.

 

Uprising III in Coventry did 1,800, from what I remember.