Paid Members Big Benny HG Posted September 13, 2014 Paid Members Share Posted September 13, 2014 Well, we've done it again. For the tenth consecutive year nominations have been made, votes have been cast and we now have a fully ranked and ordered list of wrestlers to comprise the finalised 2014 UKFF UK50. Before I get to the results, just a reminder of how we got there. In Stage One, I invited UKFF members to submit their unranked nominations for 15 wrestlers that they felt deserved a place somewhere in this year's UKFF UK50. For the first time in the 10 years this has been running, that first stage produced a clear 50 names without any ties, so there was no need for the second round vote-off as has taken place previously. Once we had our 50 names, the final stage saw UKFF members this time submit their own top 15 from those 50, ranked in order of preference. I collated and counted the votes (using a simple mathematical scoring system of 15 points for a first place, 14 for a second etc. all the way through to 1 point for 15th) and totaled the scores. As always, the rankings are based on the following criteria: Upon what criteria are the rankings based?All the way through the process, nominations and votes should be made based on British wrestlers' in-ring performances you have seen on shows that took place between 1 July 2013 and 30 June 2014. The key points around which the rankings, nominations and votes are based include:- whose in-ring performances are the most gripping, convincing and enthralling?- who is consistently involved in great matches?- who is able to tell the best "story" through their performance?- whose performance is able to capture the crowd's interest and make them emotionally invested in the match?- who actually makes pro wrestling enjoyable to watch with their performances? This year also saw the return of our 'SHIT LIST' nominations. Rather than sorting those into any kind of list, I will instead use those and reveal them at various intervals to break up the main countdown. All that remains is for me to thank each and every person who took the time to put together a list of nominations or votes, especially those who clearly put a lot of thought into their lists and the supporting comments. This project has seen varying levels of interest over the years, but it really wouldn't be anything if people weren't interested. Yes, thank you very much. So, ladies and gentlemen, for the TENTH STRAIGHT YEAR, I now present your UKFF UK50: ***************************************************** No. 50 - Danny Hope Twitter: @DannyTheHope Entrance theme: 'Rockstar' - Prima J Total 1st place votes in 2014: 0 UKFF UK50 History: 36th in 2014... 39th in 2010... 39th in 2009. Regular promotions during period: PCW in Preston... Infinite Promotions in Liverpool... FutureShock Wrestling in Manchester... HXC in Manchester... GPW in Wigan. Photo credit: Gordon Harris & Preston City Wrestling One half of 'The Models' tag team with Joey Hayes in FutureShock, Infinite and HXC, with increasing fan support turning them babyface after many years as the arrogant heels... Character in PCW is essentially an amplified, more outrageous singles version of his 'Models' persona. Went at it with Mad Man Manson in matches, dance-offs, catwalk contests and Rocky Horror Picture Show reenactments(!) before finally forming the 'TassleMadness' tag team. Duo fought Mike Bennett & Maria Kanellis in a hilarious contest in February. In the ultimate feel-good moment, won the vacant PCW Heavyweight Title to a massive genuine reaction as the unlikely winner of the annual 30-man rumble in March. Was inevitably unseated by Money-In-The-Bank redeemer Joey Hayes just minutes later, then battled Hayes in an all-star Lumberjack Match (starring Terry Funk, Vader, Rikishi and more), tag matches (including MVP), 6-man tags before finally losing his final shot in a 3-fall title rematch in May... Fought for the home side as GPW battled invading outsider faction The Cause, though eventually failed to regain the British Title from Zack Gibson... Appeared for All-Star Wrestling on the holiday camp shows last summer... UKFF says: "TASSELMANIA is now in full swing, all his work has now been focused on both the Models, and his 'tasseltastic' Persona, and the investment has paid off, he's just over everywhere!" Benny says: I was surprised by the lack of support for Danny this year, considering the high-profile position he has held in PCW as both a headliner and one of the most popular performers on the shows. I think he's great - wrestling should be about colourful characters like this and I find him massively entertaining. Heel tag team with Joey was an absolute hoot, but you could just feel that crowds were desperate to cheer them. Unfortunate that he no longer seems to be around in GPW, since his more serious side was an interesting contrast, but I guess after his feud with Gibson was done there was just no story for him in a storyline-based promotion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Big Benny HG Posted September 13, 2014 Author Paid Members Share Posted September 13, 2014 No. 49 - Xander Cooper Twitter: @thexandercooper Entrance theme: some dance tune that a mad-fer-it guy in the crowd gets up and RAVES to. Total 1st place votes in 2014: 0 UKFF UK50 History: None. Regular promotions during period: FutureShock Wrestling in Manchester... Great Bear Promotions in Cheshire... Leicester Pro Wrestling in, yep, Leicestershire... HOP:E in Nottingham... Photo credit: Tony Knox & FutureShock Wrestling Wrestling Head of lead baddie stable The Uprising in FutureShock, comprising Don Meacho, Ryan Hendricks and Danni Hunter. Battled against the promotion's babyfaces in singles, tag and 6-man action. Beat Josh Bodom and Joe Vega to lift the 2013 FutureShock Trophy, guaranteeing him a title match. Led The Uprising to victory in the 8-man elimination Shockwave Gauntlet in June 2014. His run-ins at FutureShock's 10th Anniversary Show (coming after our deadline) allowed Uprising colleagues to separately win the Women's and Tag Team titles, before he called on his own guaranteed title shot in the closing moments of the show. Lifted the main belt in defeating exhausted new champion Jack Gallagher when just-dethroned former champ Zack Gibson turned on Gallagher and joined The Uprising... UKFF says: "'The man for all seasons' has lived up to his Moniker, Xander has gotten better through the seasons, been working a lot more shows, and he's on the verge of greatness at Futureshock,. He'll be making much more waves in the coming seasons." Benny says: I first saw this guy years ago as part of daft space-hopper-ing tag team Vitamin C, then didn't see FutureShock for a couple of years and was amazed just how far this guy had developed as a bad guy in the meantime. Charisma, personality, confidence and poise are all impressive, and wrestles in a way as make every move meaningful and impactful. I do wonder how far he'll go given he isn't the biggest guy, but that's probably less of a barrier now than it ever has been. He is known as 'The Man For All Seasons', which surely just means 'Man Who Owns A Sensible Coat'? I also love that young fans call him "XANDER POOPER". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Big Benny HG Posted September 13, 2014 Author Paid Members Share Posted September 13, 2014 No. 48 - Marty Scurll Twitter: @MartyScurll Entrance theme: 'Warp 1.9 (Princess Sisters Remix)' - The Bloody Beetroots Total 1st place votes in 2014: 0 UKFF UK50 History: 21st in 2013... 14th in 2012... 5th in 2011... 15th in 2010... 18th in 2009... 30th in 2008. Regular promotions during period: Revolution Pro Wrestling in the south-east... PROGRESS Wrestling in London... WrestlingStore.co.uk in the south-east... IPW:UK in Kent... Tidal Championship Wrestling (nationwide)... Photo credit - James Musselwhite & Marty Scurll Became a fully-fledged bad guy in RevPro after teases in that direction for months. Fell to NJPW megastar Hiroshi Tanahashi in the main event of 'Uprising', tasting a post-match sharpshooter from ringside observer Bret Hart. Won the 'Extreme Measures' tournament in December to earn a title shot, then downed Colt Cabana in a 30-minute Iron Fist match to win the RPW British Heavyweight Championship. Founded heel group The Revolutionists with Josh Bodom and the reunited Kartel and defended his belt against Mark Andrews, Kevin Steen, Kris Travis and Martin Stone... Lost a main event match to El Ligero for the new Tidal Wrestling Championship in Leeds... Returned to PROGRESS after nearly a year to battle Jimmy Havoc, El Ligero and Rampage Brown in an insane all-out war of a 4-way for their championship... Teamed and bickered with Mark Haskins on "WrestlingStore.co.uk Presents" shows, before the pairing finally exploded on the 2014 Dragon Gate UK tour. Scurll then moved to a minus-5 win/loss aggregate and was booted off the roster following a loss to Haskins in a brilliant No Holds Barred match... Still teams with Zack Sabre Jr. as the LDRS in IPW:UK, WXW and FPW. Beat DGUSA/EVOLVE stars Ricochet & AR Fox in a very good tag bout at IPW:UK's 9th anniversary... Other international opponents have included Jay Lethal, Uhaa Nation and Sonjay Dutt... UKFF says: "has become mr dependable at rev pro with good matches against Tanahashi (again not sure if this is in the window), the cabana rivalry and the match Steen (even though this was his 1st match back from inj) and to top it off i loved his match with mark haskins at dguk a few weeks ago" Benny says: I know Marty is losing favour with a lot of UK fans, which has been reflected in his falling UKFF UK50 rankings the past few years, but I didn't expect a drop like this. Most of his appearances are in the south-east which, combined with the fact he was injured for a period earlier this year, may mean that people just haven't seen much of him. Or, as I said, they just don't like him. The times I've seen him this year he has looked decent, though was absolutely the wrong guy to be matched with Tanahashi. I do approve of his heel persona, though, as it is a terrific way of provoking genuine, emotional and heated hatred from audiences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Big Benny HG Posted September 13, 2014 Author Paid Members Share Posted September 13, 2014 No. 47 - Jack Gallagher Twitter: @GrappleDays Entrance theme: 'A National Acrobat' - Black Sabbath / 'New World Symphony (extract)' - Antonin Dvorak Total 1st place votes in 2014: 0 UKFF UK50 history: 25th in 2013... 6th in 2012... 15th in 2011... Regular promotions during period: FutureShock Wrestling in Manchester... Grand Pro Wrestling in Wigan... Scottish Wrestling Alliance in Lanarkshire/Ayrshire... Photo (vs. Jim Nastic) credit: Tony Knox & Grand Pro Wrestling 'The Grappler' returned from his extended excursion for Pro Wrestling ZERO-1 in Japan as the second surprise addition (the other being noted former rival Davey Richards) to FutureShock's now-4-way main event title match last October. Helped friend Zack Gibson defeat Cyanide for the FutureShock title at the end of 2013, then formed a tag team with the new champ to fight off various heel combos. Respectful friends faced-off for the belt in the main event of the promotion's 10th Anniversary Show, with Jack eventually regaining the title he lost some 2 years earlier but then losing it almost immediately as Gibson turned on him and Xander Cooper took advantage with his guaranteed title shot... Returned to GPW as part of the 'Crazy Cruiser 8' tournament last November, the heel version of Gallagher beating Bubblegum in the first round but losing to eventual tourny winner El Ligero in the semi-finals. 2014 has seen rivalries with new fan favourite CJ Banks as well as GPW newcomer Ashton Smith... UKFF says: "He's very good and he knows it, which i find a little of offputting. No denying his in-ring skills though." Benny says: He's really, really good. Tremendous technical wrestler, with plenty of attention to detail in his performances, but also a good character who is able to project his personality onto the audience. Cracking promo too, which surprises many people when they hear him for the first time. I personally think he's better as an arrogant villain (as in GPW), all cocky and confident in his skills, than as a clean-cut goodie (as in FutureShock), but he's always worth watching. GPW singles matches with Ligero, Banks and Ashton were all increasingly excellent, while his exemplary FutureShock anniversary main event with Gibson (while outside the voting period) was the best all-British match I've seen anywhere so far this year. It's a shame he isn't seen more widely around the country, since there's all kinds of people he could be having great matches against. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Big Benny HG Posted September 13, 2014 Author Paid Members Share Posted September 13, 2014 No. 46 - Liam Thomson Twitter: @BadBoyLiamT Entrance theme: 'Bad Boy For Life' - P Diddy Total 1st place votes in 2014: 0 UKFF UK50 history: 37th in 2013... 39th in 2012... 32nd in 2011... 19th in 2010... 33rd in 2009... 21st in 2008. Regular promotions during period: Premier British Wrestling (Scotland)... Insane Championship Wrestling (Scotland)... Pro Wrestling Elite (Ayr)... British Championship Wrestling (Ayrshire/Lanarkshire)... Photo credit: David J Wilson & Premier British Wrestling Had reigned as PBW Heavyweight Champion since unseating BT Gunn in November 2012 and continued to rule with defences over the likes of Gunn, Davey Richards, Jay Lethal, Marty Scurll, Andy Wild, Wolfgang, Davey Blaze and Kenny Williams before finally becoming unstuck against El Ligero in the Ladder match main event of 'Breaking Limits 9' this past May... Split and feuded with former Fight Club partner Kid Fite in ICW, whilst also teaming with Carmel Jacob for a series of mixed tag bouts against Kay Lee Ray & Stevie Boy Xavier. Failed in his attempt to take the ICW Zero-G Title from Mark Coffey... Opponents in PWE have included Joey Hayes, Mark Haskins, Uhaa Nation and TopCatch European Champion Johnny Moss... Appeared south of the border to face Chikara star Soldier Ant for RAD:PRO in Newcastle and in PCW's 30-man rumble in March... UKFF says: "Has to be the most underrated gy in the UK. Been on shows that I've attended since 2006 and I've yet to see him have a bad match. In fact, I've seen him get passable matches from guys who'd stroll on to the shitlist if they were still getting bookings." Benny says: I've only actually seen Thomson twice during the voting period: once in the PCW 30-man rumble mentioned above and also in a Fight Club tag match against DNA (Robbie Dynamite & Dean Allmark) earlier the same night. Always thought of him as a decent, solid talent going back to his appearances in 3CW, PCW and 1PW, but just don't see him much these days to be able to comment further... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Big Benny HG Posted September 13, 2014 Author Paid Members Share Posted September 13, 2014 ~~WARNING! SHITARSE ALERT!~~ Disclaimer: the comments, opinions and stories contained below have been provided by the nominating members of the UK Fan Forum and should not be taken in any way as a reflection of my own personal views. Ozzy Saint Vio Our first nominated shirtarse is Ozzy Saint Vio, sometimes known simply as 'Saint Vio', whatever that actually means. Nick-named 'The Cowboy From Hell', Vio is a regular for Phoenix Wrestling Association UK which runs shows in the Warwickshire area using - yes - a six-sided ring. He has also previously featured for the UKFF's favourite shit wrestling promotion, PTW... One UKFFer described Ozzy as "A low-rent James Storm with a Leeds accent", while another simply opened with "Shit name. Shit gear. Can't work. Idiot. This fucking guy..." and closed by calling him a "fucking melt". Saint Vio can apparently often be spotted wandering around Coventry city centre in his binbag Undertaker cowboy costume handing out flyers for PWA events, such as the one shown above, and walking around venues HOURS before shows in his gear (which includes furry leg covers) so that people recognise him as A WRESTLER. He once broke his arm giving a spinebuster, and has been said to have full blown panic attacks about appearing on shows in front of less than a dozen people. One time, he forgot to kick out after some nondescript move in the opening moments of a match, so the referee counted him down and called for the bell. He proceeded to march backstage and immediately shout "I FUCKIN FORGOT TO KICK OUT" in full earshot of the 'crowd'. After one particularly bad match, he tried to defend his performance backstage afterwards by claiming "I WENT OUT THERE ON THE EDGE OF DEATH, MAN", when it actually turned out he had the shits but still insisted appearing for the 20 people in attendance... Ozzy Saint Vio: you have been nominated for the Shit List... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members FLips Posted September 13, 2014 Paid Members Share Posted September 13, 2014 I'm only in this for the shitarse list and it has not disappointed so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranmoor Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 That haircut and beard helps Jack Gallagher no end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members gadge Posted September 13, 2014 Paid Members Share Posted September 13, 2014 Shocking how low Marty is, but there's definitely been a backlash since his undercard match with MK McKinnan was the worst thing on Rev Pro's first York Hall show, When Thunder Strikes. I have seen a couple of decent Xander Cooper matches recently, which was nice as his early PROGRESS appearances were a while ago now.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Big Benny HG Posted September 20, 2014 Author Paid Members Share Posted September 20, 2014 No. 45 - Ashton Smith Twitter: @Trent99 Entrance theme: 'All Of The Lights' - Kanye West ft. Rihanna & co. Total 1st place votes in 2014: 0 UKFF UK50 history: 32nd in 2010... 31st in 2009... Regular promotions during period: Grand Pro Wrestling in Wigan... HXC in Manchester... Photo credit - Brett Hadley & House Of Pain: Evolution Man also previously known as D-Rok and Derice Coffie made his return to in-ring action after a several year absence... First returned in HXC, where he feuded with The Brotherhood of Purity in singles matches and in teams with Sam Bailey and The Models... Won HXC's 30-man hardcore rumble on WrestleMania night... Made his GPW debut in February, with his splendid subsequent singles matches with Joey Hayes, Jack Gallagher and Zack Gibson standing out as the in-ring highlights of that promotion in 2014. With victories over the latter two, Smith is in the midst of a big push... Competed for PCW as one of the entrants in their own 30-man rumble in March... Debuted for HOP:E in June and is now a regular with that crew... UKFF says: "has been amazing everytime I have seen him whether it be at HOPE or at HXC, he always impresses" "Unbelievably, after a brief stint away Ashton seems to have carried on his momentum from where he left off" Benny says: BIG fan of this guy. I first saw him years ago in Triple-X Wrestling where, along with Stiro and and certain Zack Sabre Jr, he was presented as an athletic, talented newcomer gradually making his mark. He went on to be D-Rok in IPW:UK and have the Derice Coffie Jamaican bobsleigh character in SAS and the relaunched FWA, but disappeared in 2010 to pursue non-wrestling interests. In his absence, he has put on some mass, got ripped, got a load of cool ink and looks like a big deal. In the ring, he is seemingly better than ever, immediately making an impression on me all over again in his awesome GPW debut match with Hayes. Further singles showdowns with Gallagher and Gibson were of equal high quality, EASILY being the best GPW has produced this year and all three are likely to be in my Top 10 British bouts of 2014. If I had to put money on a surefire breakout talent over the coming year, Ashton would be the horse to back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Big Benny HG Posted September 20, 2014 Author Paid Members Share Posted September 20, 2014 No. 44 - Cyanide Twitter: @AlexCyanide Entrance theme: 'Skeletons of Society' - Slayer Total 1st place votes in 2014: 0 UKFF UK50 history: 23rd in 2013... 43rd in 2012... 43rd in 2011... Regular promotions during period: FutureShock Wrestling in Manchester... Grand Pro Wrestling in Wigan... Preston City Wrestling in Preston... HXC in Manchester... Britannia Promotions in North Wales...Infinite Promotions in Liverpool... True Grit Wrestling in Leeds... Photo credit: Tony Knox & True Grit Wrestling Began the 2014 UKFF UK50 period as the singles champion of both FutureShock and GPW... Successful as a bad guy in FutureShock challenges from Doug Williams and Joe Vega, and then retained in a massive 4-way against Zack Gibson, Davey Richards and Jack Gallagher in October 2013. Eventually dropped that strap to Gibson in a brilliant bout at FutureShock's 2013 season-ender, then failed to take it back in an April Ladder match... As the babyface GPW champion, entered that promotion's feud with invading outsiders The Cause as seemingly their last hope, but was beaten for the belt in a 6-on-1 handicap elimination-style bout that resulted in all The Cause being recognised as co-champion. Joined with fellow GPW babyfaces 'Dangerous' Damon Leigh and Binman to form 'Dangerous Toxic Waste' to take the war to The Cause, but failed to regain his championship in the specially-stipulated elimination tag main event of 'Only The Strong Survive'. Has now permanently joined the tag ranks with Binman, as Toxic Waste look set to feud with The Bad Lads over the rest of 2014... Debuted in PCW last August as a replacement for an absent Johnny Moss, teaming with former FutureShock rival Dave Mastiff to challenge T-Bone & Rampage Brown for the tag titles. Returned for the 2014 'Road to Glory' tournament, contesting a real good first round match with Chris Masters, then looked the absolute business in terrific 6-ways and 4-ways in March and May respectively... Main evented the inaugural TGW card in a belting brawl with Rampage... Battled ROH stars in Jay Lethal for FutureShock and Michael Elgin for Infinite... UKFF says: "He has put up with some shit this year, but has gotten through it with hard work and excellent performance, I've always believed he is one of the UK's best 'big men'" "A guy I was originally a little sceptical about, largely down to the faction he was involved with at the time for a certain promotion, 2-3 years ago. However, the improvement that Cyanide has made in the past year has been impressive and the athletic ability of the guy is always a sight to behold. An honourable mention goes to his bout with Chris Masters at PCW this past February, Cyanide held up his end and I’d like to see him in the ring with more experienced talent." Benny says: Another of my favourite guys to watch and has continued his trend from last year for some really, really great matches. Highlights for me were the fantastic Elgin match in Liverpool, the magnificent 2013 curtain-closer with Gibson for FutureShock and the bloody brilliant 4-way against Uhaa Nation, Chris Masters and Dave Mastiff at PCW 'Supershow 4', though his singles bouts with Doug and Masters were also really good and he has played his part in making many a multi-man GPW tag bout incredibly entertaining. I also want to speak up for his work in new Leeds promotion True Grit, where his crazy building-wide brawl with Rampage Brown on the first show and intense, fast-paced bout with Kris Travis on show 2 were both great, but he also put a shift in and made for the single best Valkabious bout I've ever seen too. EDIT: must also add that "He's got biiiiiiiiiiiinbags, for his pants" is an awesome chant/song... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Big Benny HG Posted September 20, 2014 Author Paid Members Share Posted September 20, 2014 No. 43 - Jim Hunter Twitter: @JimnLeeHunter Total 1st place votes in 2014: 0 UKFF UK50 history: 33rd in 2013... 45th in 2012... Regulation promotions in period: Fight Club: Pro in Wolverhampton... Southside Wrestling Entertainment in Hertfordshire & East Midlands...Triple-X Wrestling in Coventry...Kamikaze Pro in Birmingham... ATTACK! Wrestling in Birmingham/Cardiff/Bristol... Leicester Championship Wrestling in Leicestershire... Pro Wrestling Kingdom in Birmingham. Photo credit: Grae Davidson (Y2Grae Photography) and Triple-X Wrestling As The Hunter Brothers with sibling Lee, battled the likes of Flips n' Forearms (Mark Andrews & Pete Dunne), Calamari Catch Club (Jonathan Gresham & Chris Brookes), the Young Wolves (Tyler Bate & Dan Moloney), the London Riots (James Davis & Rob Lynch), the Alpha Males (Charlie Garrett & Iestyn Rees) and others across the Midlands for various promotions... As well as holding the LCW Tag Team Titles for the entire period, added the Kamikaze Pro straps to their credentials by beating The Magnums in a tournament final for the vacant titles... Also held ATTACK!'s 24/7 championship too, in the promotion where the brothers wrestled each other while dressed as Mario and Luigi... Attempts to lift the PBW (Scotland) and still-active RQW (hosted by WAW) Tag Team Championships were not successful... Collided with The Predators (Paul Malen & Joseph Connors) and the Bhangra Knights (RJ Singh & Darrell Allen) in a series of matches as part of the tag title scene in Southside, as well as competing individually as part of scrambles and multi-man affairs... Feuded with The Henchmen (Jim Diehard & Benton Destruction) in Triple-X, starting when they were disqualified in a regular tag, escalating through their cheating to win a wild Tables match, before finally going down to the Henchmen in a Bar Room Brawl at 'WrestleCunts' on WrestleMania night. The UKFF says: "Jim seems to bring a little more humour and personality than his brother, but isn't that far behind in terms of in-ring skills" "The hunters can make a card - example Elite Wrestling Rugby this year. Their matches in FCP and Southside have been excellent and the ATTACK!! Pro Press Start 2 match was great" "one half of the best tag team in the UK" Benny says: I've caught Jim as part of the Hunter Brothers tag team as the hated, cheating Tipton representatives in Triple-X Wrestling and as good guys in GPW (when on ring duty) over the past year. I'm ashamed to say that I've always been able to tell the Hunters apart, but it was only over recent months that I've actually been able to remember on a consistent basis which one was actually which(!). They never really left an impression with the regular GPW audience in the few trips they made there (and one match almost completely fell apart due to a freak accident suffered by Cameron Kraze in the opening moments when he was injured TRYING TO BE SEXY), though their tag title bout against the Island Brothers was really good. However, they've without doubt been very strong in Triple-X, excelling at being utter dicks. The feud with the Henchmen was terrific, capturing the XXX essence perfectly with a blend of brawling, character work and humour. After that was finished Jim vs. Lee vs. Pete Dunne vs. Damien Dunne in a 4-way on the June show was great - an example of a fast-paced, big-move spotfest pulled-off really, really well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Big Benny HG Posted September 20, 2014 Author Paid Members Share Posted September 20, 2014 No. 42 - Joey Hayes Twitter: @TheJoeyHayes Entrance theme: 'I Am The Walrus' - Oasis (PCW) / 'Getting High' - Ian Brown (GPW) Total 1st place votes in 2014: 0 UKFF UK50 history: 10th in 2013... 15th in 2012... 14th in 2011... 10th in 2010... 9th in 2009... 5th in 2008... 39th in 2007... 47th in 2005. Regular promotions during period: Preston City Wrestling in Preston... Grand Pro Wrestling in Wigan... FutureShock Wrestling in Manchester... Infinite Promotions in Liverpool... HXC in Manchester... Pro Wrestling Elite in Ayr. Photo credit - Gordon Harris & Preston City Wrestling Cocky heel competed in the exiting, high-risk 6-way Money In The Bank Ladder match at PCW's second anniversary event, that ended up with Kris Travis claiming the briefcase. However, when Travis attempted to cash-in on the champion mid-match during that night's Iron Man main event, he was attacked by Hayes who left with the case. Hayes and Travis feuded for the rest of the year in PCW's lead storyline, main eventing 'Final Fight' with their building-wide brawl, 'Fright Night', where Joey officially won the MITB briefcase in another Ladder match, and 'Festive Fury 3', where Travis finally beat Hayes in a Hair vs. Hair match. It was therefore a newly-chopped Hayes that was hovering around PCW main events in early 2014, always threatening a MITB cash-in. A downright dirty attempt to cash-in on injured champion Lionheart was rejected with the declaration that the title had been vacated, with Hayes forced to enter that evening's 30-man championship-deciding rumble at #1 as a result of him losing the fall in a 6-way qualifying match. Failing to win the belt in the rumble, Hayes returned at the end of the night to spoil super-popular unlikely winner Danny Hope's party, redeeming his contract and winning the Heavyweight Championship from an exhausted Hope. Joey retained over Hope in main event title rematches contested under All-Star Lumberjack and 2-out-of-3 falls rules and formed an alliance of sorts with fellow heel champions Bubblegum (Cruiserweight) and T-Bone & Rampage Brown (Tag Team) over the summer... Just after the 2014 UKFF UK50 deadline, Hayes lost the title to 2014 'Road to Glory' tournament winner Chris Masters, but set up future situations by costing 2014 Money-In-The-Bank winner Dave Mastiff the belt in a post-match cash-in... Over in GPW, Hayes was involved in an all-fan-favourite increasingly-bitter competitive rivalry with friend/partner Martin Kirby, which came to a head at the promotion's 10th Anniversary show last July. Hayes finally beat Kirby decisively in an excellent bout, though Kirby's frustration boiled over afterwards in attacking and Joey and beating him down. Hayes chased Kirby for the rest of 2013 and into 2014, taking time out to defeat GPW newcomer Ashton Smith in a superb match in February. A Hayes-led team defeated Kirby's squadron at the 'Only The Strong Survive' elimination-themed show, before Joey eventually put the 2-year situation to bed by beating Kirby in their tremendous final encounter at the 2014 Dom Travis Memorial Show... 'Hotstuff Hayes' is also one-half of The Models with Danny Hope in FutureShock, Infinite and others, as previously described in Hope's own UKFF UK50 entry at #50. The UKFF says: "A very accomplished wrestler, Joey's biggest asset is his innate ability to make you hate him. His sneer and swagger only intensified after he won the PCW title, and he's maintained that throughout. Another guy that while I wouldn't necessarily build a show around his match, I always want to see him on the card. His team with Danny Hope as "The Models" is always a hoot too" Benny says: Absolutely flabbergasted by this one. Joey has always tended to rank highly in this project and, given that the past couple of years have seen the UKFF UK50 heavily influenced by PCW and Joey being that promotion's top heel and champion for a good portion of the year, I fully expected him to feature towards the top end again. I think you can see by who is already revealed and who we know is still to come in the rankings that there seems to have been a definite shift in UKFF UK50 votes this year from the north-west (which has normally been very strongly supported in recent years) to the south (particularly those wrestlers associated with a certain London-based promotion). Hayes seems to have been the forgotten man this year. For me personally, he's top 10 without argument. Either as a character when he's a bad guy, or his in-ring wrestling skills when the athletic goodie, he's definitely upper-tier. GPW fued with Kirby, particularly their singles bouts, provided consistent excellence and, given that pairing's work in PCW, pretty much tells me that it is simply impossible for those two to have an average-level match with each other. While his PCW feud with Travis, for me, disappointingly never really lived up to potential, he has really shined in his 2014 role as lead villain there and he continues to have some potentially interesting matches coming up for the rest of the year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleslie92 Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 A lot of dramatic drops so far, I assume they will be coupled with some dramatic rises. My gut tells me Benny is hinting at PROGRESS, which would make sense given their continued growth and expansion to a bigger venue in the end of the voting period. I suspect we may see a lot more ICW guys higher up too due to their expansion. With regards to PCW, could it be that less people overall are attending the shows? In the sense that maybe the same people are going more often, while casuals are being put off by things like DVD-gate? I don't know, obviously speculation. Maybe it's as simple as a big increase for those going to other promotions has pushed the North West and PCW down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members WWFChilli Posted September 20, 2014 Paid Members Share Posted September 20, 2014 I reckon Joey is an unfortunate case of being great, yet in he vote just falling through the cracks. I'd probably rate him higher than most who appear on this list who I have seen but it's not about talent sadly (and thank god as well), he'd be much higher by default in that case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.