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2014 UKFF UK50 - Results Thread


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No. 10 – Will Ospreay
Twitter: @WillOspreay
Entrance theme: ‘Shoot to Thrill’ – AC/DC
Did anyone vote him No. 1 in 2014? No.


UKFF UK50 history:
39th in 2013.

Regular promotions during period:
IPW:UK in Kent... Revolution Pro Wrestling in the South-East... Future Pro Wrestling in London... Lucha Britannia in London... PROGRESS Wrestling in London.

 

ospreay.jpg

Photo credit - Oli Sandler

As part of the ‘Swords of Essex’ with Paul Robinson, won the RevPro British Tag Team Titles from Project Ego (Kris Travis & Martin Kirby) at ‘When Thunder Strikes’.  Engaged in tag action against the London Riots and Mark Haskins & Josh Bodom over the remainder of 2013, before dropping the tag straps to the Inner-City Machine Guns (PWG stars Ricochet & Rich Swann) at the March supershow... Started the eligibility period excluded from PROGRESS, having wagered his roster spot in a losing effort to Mark Andrews earlier in 2013.  Was officially reinstated by Andrews after ‘White Lightning’ won the Natural Progression Series and was allowed to name an entrant into the following year’s tournament... Was eliminated from the 2014 Natural Progression Series in the first round by Zack Gibson, and he and Robinson were knocked-out of the Tag Team Title tournament by Andrews & Eddie Dennis... Was abandoned by Robinson at ‘Chapter 13 – Unbelievable Jeff!’ in favour of evil the anti-PROGRESS ‘Regression’ faction, the betrayal capped off by Regression leader Jimmy Havoc attempting to CUT OFF OSPREAY’S EAR with a Stanley knife.  Attempted to get his hands on Robinson in various tag and multi-man matches over subsequent months, but Robinson would always escape and revenge would have to wait...

Won IPW:UK’s ‘Battle Royale’ in April, his ‘Royale Reward’ being the ability to make any one match he wants, whenever he wants... Faced international stars Ricochet (RevPro), Uhaa Nation (IPW:UK) and Petey Williams (in Germany for GWP) in singles matches... Since the end of the 2014 eligibility period, has taken part in his first Dragon gate UK tour, debuted as a surprise in Preston City Wrestling, headlined York Hall against Matt ‘Evan Bourne’ Sydal, won the ‘ThunderBastard’ rumble for a guaranteed PROGRESS Title shot, and won both the Southside Speed King and RevPro Cruiserweight titles.

UKFF says:

"One of the best 'high flighers' of UK wrestling, he always puts on an entertaining show"

 

"The true breakout star of this year"

 

"Similar story to his perennial rival Mark Andrews, big year for Will establishing himself as one of the top dogs in Rev Pro stealing the show in tag matches with The Inner City Machine Guns and 2 Unlimited at York Hall and also impressing greatly in Southside, especially against Mark Andrews"

 

"A fantastic all rounder who will be the best in the UK really soon"

 

"I would have to say Osprey is the UK's premier flyer but to just label Osprey a flyer would do a disservice to his overall ability. Osprey is capable of having a good match with anyone no matter their style or experience. The Swords of Essex were one of the top teams in the UK over the voting period and they showed this fact against both local and international talent. On the singles side Osprey showed great ability to get over and develop a bond with the fans"

 

"has just got better and better in every match i have seen him in this year and hope his impressive debut at dguk earns him a spot in japan"

 

"Up and coming star - has improved greatly this year and his in ring style is settling in. Matches in Progress and RPW make him, although DragonGate this year was superb"

 

Benny says:
Ospreay is someone that I (along with most, I’d bet) have only really had on my radar for 18 months or so.  I’d heard of him as Paul Robinson’s evil twin ‘Dark Britannico’ in Lucha Britannia and was aware of him on the early PROGRESS cards, but it wasn’t until I saw his pair of thrilling early-2013 singles bouts with Mark Andrews in PROGRESS that I had him pegged as something special.  A spectacular high-flyer, the ‘Aerial Assassin’ is that rare performer that is able to use his acrobatics in the context of a great pro wrestling match.  I’m not making it up when I tell people I see the same qualities in Ospreay as I did in a certain young Geordie lad I first saw up here on local shows in 2005, and I wouldn’t bet against a similar path being taken over the coming years.  Will’s facial expressions during matches are tremendous, really selling what he is going through to the live audience.  He was the star of many a PROGRESS tag match, and his all-action stunt show at York Hall this past June (with Jake McClutsky, versus Irish flying brothers 2Unlimited) was heaps of fun.  He seems to have had even more breaks since the end of the voting period, which have brought him to even more people’s attention.  He was great across the DG:UK (July) and RevPro (October) weekenders and made a great first impression on PCW fans in August.  2015 is likely to be a year of big, high profile matches and huge opportunities, with him probably being one of the faces of British wrestling over the coming annum.

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Ospreay vs Zack Gibson from the Natural Progression Series is one of the underrated bouts of the year. Absolutely superb stuff. His Rev Pro bouts have earned him a match with AJ Styles in February, which should be interesting given Styles career moves in the last year.

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No. 9 – Grado
Twitter: @gradowrestling
Entrance theme: ‘Like A Prayer’ - Arieand
Did anyone vote him No. 1 in 2014? Aye!


UKFF UK50 history:
24th in 2013.

Regular promotions during period:
Insane Championship Wrestling in Glasgow (& tours)... British Championship Wrestling in Ayrshire & Lanarkshire... Pro Wrestling Elite in Ayr... Premier British Wrestling across Scotland... Scottish Wrestling Alliance in Ayrshire & Lanarkshire... WrestleZone in Aberdeen.
 

grado.jpg

Photo credit - David J Wilson & Insane Championship Wrestling

 

Contested a 4-way ‘Money In The Bank’ Ladder match at PWE’s September 2013 show, losing out to Dave Mastiff, but came back to win the 15-man ‘Elite Rumble’ the following March to earn a crack at the title.  His shot at the belt, at this point held by Mastiff, came at the appropriately named ‘GradoMania’ this past July, where he scored the big win in the main event... Was afforded matches with US stars Jay Lethal and Scotty 2 Hotty for WrestleZone, and teamed with former WCW World and IWGP Heavyweight Champion Vader at BCW’s big ‘No Blood, No Sympathy’ year-ender... Challenged Mikey Whiplash for the ICW Heavyweight Title, Kid Fite for the BCW Heavyweight belt, Sha Samuels for the IPW:UK World title, BT Gunn for the Target Wrestling championship and Noam Dar for the BCW Openweight strap... Enjoyed singles matches with the likes of Davey Blaze, Liam Thomson, Jack Jester, Scott Maverick and James Scott across ICW, PBW and BCW, and took part in both the ‘Battlezone’ and ‘Clan Wars’ signature events for SWA...

 

Came into London’s PROGRESS Wrestling to face Project Ego, Mad Man Manson and Noam Dar... Brought Adam Shame ‘out of retirement’ to form a tag team in Triple-X Wrestling and battle The Hench Men and The Wrestling Dead, the latter of which involved an encounter with p*rn star Michelle Thorne... Debuted for Preston City Wrestling in a losing effort to Dave Rayne in the 2014 ‘Road to Glory’ tournament... Battled Andy Boy Simmonz for both IPW:UK and Revolution Pro Wrestling in England... Starred in BBC documentary ‘Insane Fight Club’, Challenge TV’s ‘TNA British Bootcamp 2’ and other entertainment series for BBC Scotland and Channel 4... After the end of this year’s eligibility period, formed the tag team ‘IRN JEW’ with Colt Cabana to dethrone the New Age Kliq for the ICW Tag Team Championship, enjoying a 2-week reign over the course of the Edinburgh Festival.

UKFF says:

"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? It's yersel. Grado's a star. The Insane Fight Club programme proved that, and the recent article on a broadsheet's website confirmed it. He may not be a technical master but I'm more likely to go to a show if he's on it"

 

"Making wrestling fun for everyone again. In this country there are a lot of good shows, but also a lot of shows with a formula of ripped guy in trunks vs ripped guy in trunks for five matches. We need more Grado's to keep things interesting"

 

"after appearing in that icw documentary Gradomania has exploded and he has appeared everywhere and deservedly so, as he is also hilarious and as said before the Conga line and match with dar at progress world cup highlights for me"

 

"I'd seen the Grado ICW videos and thought it looked fun. Then I saw him on BBC and thought I'd like to see him live. I finally got the chance at a show. Sometimes it doesn't pay to meet people you're a fan of but over the weekend I met him twice and saw him in two different matches a comedy bout and a more serious one. Both were very good matches and he was a nice bloke to boot"

 

"Perhaps some will find it hard to justify having him as number one but out of all the guys in the top 50 he's the one that's most likely to convince me to buy a ticket to a show"

 

"Perhaps the best chance British wrestling has of making a connection with mainstream culture. The major attention he's receiving would have killed the underdog aura of many wrestlers, but with the bags of likeability Grado has it only seems to fuel him"

 

"My first chance to see Grado came during this voting period and I was impressed. Was always a highlight of any show whether for Progress, IPW UK, RevPro or ICW. He is quite possibly the UKs biggest draw"

 

Benny says:
There’s been a bit of a backlash against him online recently, but I still find Grado massively entertaining and a great face for British wrestling.  He is over-flowing with character, personality and charisma, and he is completely unique to this country.  There are other ‘comedy guys’, but there is only one Grado, so he always adds something different.  His contributions to PROGRESS with Mad Man Manson and Project Ego were great, but his ‘World Cup’ opening match with Noam Dar, which went something like FIFTEEN MINUTES, was brilliance.  His interaction with Adam Shame in Triple-X and associated videos was also priceless.  You know what you get with Grado - he does his own particular thing and he does it amazingly well.

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No. 8 – Jimmy Havoc
Twitter: @JimmyHavoc
Entrance theme: ‘I Hope You Suffer’ – A.F.I.
Did anyone vote him No. 1 in 2014? Yeah


UKFF UK50 history:
None!

Regular promotions during period:
PROGRESS Wrestling in London... IPW:UK in Kent... Insane Championship Wrestling in Glasgow (& tours)... Southside Wrestling Entertainment in Hertfordshire & East Midlands... Lucha Britannia in London.

 

havoc.jpg

Photo credit - James Musselwhite

Storyline in PROGRESS saw him try to be accepted on his technical wrestling abilities rather than the hardcore extremism for which he is best known.  Despite this, owner/promoter Jim Smallman booked him in a ‘hardcore’ match to punish opponent James Davis, as JD and his London Riots partner Rob Lynch had constantly clashed with PROGRESS management since the start of the promotion.  Havoc beat Davis in their brutal match at ‘Chapter 8’.  At ‘Chapter 9’, Havoc ran in from the crowd to seemingly save Smallman from the invading Riots, only for Jimmy to turn on him with a sick chair-shot, aligning himself with Davis & Lynch and creating the evil stable known as ‘Regression’ (as in, the opposite of ‘Progress’)... At ‘Chapter 10’, Havoc and the Riots interrupted the celebrations of new PROGRESS Champion Mark Andrews, who had just successfully cashed-in on his guaranteed title match to unseat Rampage Brown. Havoc wanted to redeem his own title shot, that Smallman had apparently previously promised him, and threatened to set Andrews ON FIRE if he didn’t get his way.  Smallman relented, and moments later Jimmy Havoc became PROGRESS Champion... Havoc added ‘The Omega’ Isaac Zercher and Paul Robinson to his Regression ranks, which assisting him in retaining the title over Zack Sabre Jr, in a 4-way (with Marty Scurll, El Ligero & Rampage), in a Ladder match with Andrews, and against surprise unannounced opponent Prince Devitt in the Irishman’s ‘Hannibal’-themed last non-WWE appearance...

Created a stable similar to ‘Regression’ in IPW:UK, which also included the Riots and Robinson, but also Jon Ryan and Darrell Allen... Fought BT Gunn in a ‘Thumbtack Kickpads’ bout for ICW, then battled James Scott and Sabu in a 3-way at ‘Fear & Loathing VI’, the biggest show to that point.  Fought with various New Age Kliq members, and challenged champion Jack Jester in a ‘street fight’ on ICW’s first London event... Fought the likes of Sabu, DJ Hyde and T-Bone in hardcore matches for Southside, leading to a return with CZW owner Hyde in a ‘No Rope Barbed Wire’ effort this past October... Beat home star Clint Margera in a ‘Fans Bring the Weapons’ match for Fight Club: Pro in Wolverhampton, then teamed with Margera to best established US hardcore wrestlers Mad Man Pondo & Crazy Mary Dobson for HXC in Manchester...

UKFF says:
"Has shown a great transition from hardcore wrestler to an incredible heel"

 

"Some people might have him lower down their lists but for me he's up there with Jack Jester in terms of how well he mixes hardcore wrestling with great storytelling"

 

"The most improved wrestler this year by a mile. His heel character has developed to the point where he has been turned in just about every promotion, with PROGRESS being the big exposure that really kicked it off. His promos and generally fucking terrifying demeanour make him one of the best heels in Britain today. No longer doing deathmatches regularly, he still puts his body on the line with some jaw-dropping spots. In the four way at PROGRESS in March his double foot stomp to the outside on to chairs was even sicker when you know he had a broken foot at the time! Deserves every opportunity he is getting"

 

"Ever since his turn at progress chapter 9, i have been emotionally invested in his storyline as champion and his matches, also enjoy watching him in the face role at lucha britannia"

 

"Best Hardcore wrestler in the UK (this is not a downside) - his heel turn in Progress was exceptional and he is great whenever he is on the card"

 

"has risen to the top due to some standout performances at Progress and other places"

 

Benny says:

I can't really add anything further that the voters above haven't already said.  I've been watching this guy since 2006, first as the pleather-clad, long-haired tag partner of Zack Sabre Jr, then he has lived on over the years typically as the 'go to' hardcore British wrestler.  Since his big angle and turn in PROGRESS, his character has been exceptional, it's reinvented him and it's added a whole new dimension to his act.  The whole storyline was superbly executed, but Jimmy is absolutely believable as the disturbing lead.

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Not ashamed to say Jimmy was my #1, he's been absolutely outstanding this year. Glad to see him finally included and so high, but I honestly think he deserved to be even higher! 
 
If you haven't seen it, this four way match shows Jimmy's new character and style very well:

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No. 7 – Rampage Brown

Twitter: @RampageBrown

Entrance theme:

– Hatebreed

Did anyone vote him No. 1 in 2014? No.

 

UKFF UK50 history:

8th in 2013... 27th in 2012.

 

Regular promotions during period:

Preston City Wrestling in Preston... New Generation Wrestling in Hull... Tidal Championship Wrestling in Leeds & North-East England... PROGRESS Wrestling in London... All-Star Wrestling (nationwide)... Revolution Pro Wrestling in the south-east.

 

rampage.jpg

Photo credit - Tony Knox & True Grit Wrestling

 

Beat El Ligero for the PROGRESS Championship and held onto it in defences against Doug Williams and Stixx, but was upset the same night as the latter by 2013 Natural Progression Series winner Mark Andrews, who immediately requested his guaranteed title match just moments after beating Paul Robinson in the final. Shunned his ‘Screw Indy Wrestling’ stablemates and won the support of the PROGRESS fans with impressive wins over Tommy End and Darrell Allen, as well as his performances in a 4-way title match (vs. Jimmy Havoc, Marty Scurll & Ligero) and in reaching the final of the one-night PROGRESS World Cup. By the time he faced Samoa Joe at ‘Chapter 14’, he was arguably the most popular wrestler in the entire PROGRESS cast... Forms ‘Team Single’ with Bubblegum and T-Bone in PCW, where he and ‘Bone in particular are the promotion’s cornerstone tag team. Having won the belts from the Steiner Brothers earlier in 2013, Rampage & T-Bone were dominant PCW Tag Team Champions, defeating Cyanide & Dave Mastiff, The UnbreakaBALLS (Davey Richards & Michael Elgin), Project Lucha (El Ligero & Martin Kirby), DNA (Robbie Dynamite & Dean Allmark), AJ Styles & Lionheart, Battle Squad Awful (Dave Andrews & Danny Chase), Tassel Madness (Danny Hope & Mad Man Manson), Brian Kendrick & Paul London, reDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) and The Legion of #BOOM (Chris Masters & Dave Rayne). The pair also linked with pals ‘Gum and Joey Hayes for multiple 6- and 8-man tag team matches against an array of PCW babyfaces...

 

As Leeds’ hometown hero, led Yorkshire to victory over Lancashire on True Grit Wrestling’s debut ‘War of the Roses’ event by virtue of his victory over Cyanide. Carried on that momentum by beating Stixx, Dave Mastiff and Kris Travis in a single night to win the TG Cup on the follow-up event... As a baddy, returned to NGW (where he had won the title, refused to defend and was stripped of the belt without being beaten in the ring) and joined forces with Mark Haskins and heel authority figure Richie West in ‘The Control’. Smashed his way through the NGW babyface ranks, with a particular penchant for bullying and destroying young trainees... Was part of WrestlingStore.co.uk’s tour of southern towns in February, then wrestled former IWGP and Triple-Crown Champion Satoshi Kojima in Gloucester in March... Participated on Tidal Championship Wrestling’s debut nationwide tour, battling the likes of El Ligero, Colt Cabana and Nathan Cruz, then remained a regular part of the roster when the promotion settled into its regular Leeds/Darlington/Newcastle home. Beat ‘Wonderkid’ Jonny Storm to become top contender to the Tidal title, then beat champion Ligero for the belt in a crazy match in June... Has since won the NGW Title from El Ligero but lost his Tidal belt to Liam Lazarus.

 

UKFF says:

"A cracking year from Rampage who really has everything it takes to be a major singles star. His facial expressions are gold and I've been in several crowds where the people are dying to cheer for him. He's been in the ring with guys the stature of Satoshi Kojima and Samoa Joe, gaining experience and confidence, and his eventual split from T-Bone and babyface turn will be highly rewarding when it comes. And it will come"

 

"Impressive competitor. His alignment with Team Single continues to be a joy to behold at PCW"

 

"best pure heavyweight in the country. The look the presence the everything and his matches at progress, infinite and NGW have been show stealers everytime"

 

"has had tremendous matches with Tommy End (progress chapter 11 and world cup) and has shown he can go with the best ie samoa joe at progress chapter 14"

 

"Amazing matches with guys like Tommy End, Samoa Joe, El Ligero, Doug Williams and more mean that Rampage Brown is still one of the most reliably awesome wrestlers in the UK. Someone any promotion can build around"

 

"If Brown leaves us again, we'd sure as hell know about it, not many people can fill Rampage's boots. He's never put on a bad performance, always given it 110%, devastatingly hard worker. Pro wrestling as a whole needs to Honor wrestlers like Rampage Brown for their commitment"

 

"The best big man in the UK last year. Not only has he the ability to wrestle anybody and make there style fit his own but he never forgets hes performing for a crowd and constantly keeps the audience involved"

 

"He just looks like a killing machine everywhere he wrestles, has a real intimidating look and has incredible intensity in the ring. Rampage also back it all up by being excellent in the ring to prove he is the complete package and not just there for his size alone"

 

Benny says:

I’ve watched an almost Ligero-like number of Rampage matches this year. It dawned on me when I ended up seeing EIGHT live Rampage matches in 3 days in June (winning an 8-man tournament for TGW on the Friday, followed by 2 tag matches for PCW on the Saturday, then reaching the final of another 8-man tournament for PROGRESS on the Sunday) that this guy has never been better and, for my money, is pretty much the best we have on these shores at the moment. He is absolutely at the very top of his game. I’ve already mentioned that I am firmly of the opinion that his PCW tag team with T-Bone is the best tag act in the entire country, showing remarkable versatility in being required to play pantomime villain, or pull off all-action sprint-style matches, or bump n’ feed for former WWE stars, or engage in intense brawls, or brutally batter poor jobbers.

 

As a lead babyface in places like True Grit (and he is on the way to being in PROGRESS), he is equally fantastic, which came as a big surprise to me as I had only ever previously seen him as a heel and had no idea of massive potential he has on the other side. The 5 matches I’ve seen him have over the first 3 True Grit shows were all crackers, with his own performances being world class (as an aside, the Leeds-based True Grit Wrestling really is somewhat of a hidden gem - they’ve only done three shows, but they’ve all been incredible impressive). As well as those TGW bouts and his Team Single tag antics, during the voting period I've also seen him have a few belters with Ligero and a corking PROGRESS Title match with Doug Williams. There’s a natural intensity and an ‘Aire’ (geddit?) of legitimacy about him, and without question he would be the first guy I would pick if I ever (god forbid) had to start my own wrestling company. As a bad guy he scares the shit out of you; as a good guy you can’t help but love how he kicks arse.

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Mark Andrews is a guy I first heard about through Celtic Wrestling back in the old days, first saw at Triple X, first spoke to at 4FW. He was always kind and polite and willing to really just make himself known as the absolute gent he is. Even now, I somewhat have him to thank for a lot of my wardrobe choices with the Defend Indy brand and my night out choices through mutual club nights we both seemed to head too in different cities. There's a lot that can be said for someone who takes the time to talk to nerds like me about wrestling and music and all that stuff and take time to chat to guys not involved to the level they are.

 

I started following British Wrestling a lot later than most the people that probably voted here, so didn't really see the rise of ZSJ and El Ligero and such, but seeing Mark get the recognition he deserved for the hard work he put in, and ultimately become one of the better workers in the country is fantastic and something I'm happy as a fan to have witnessed.

 

Wherever he finishes in that top 6, he's proved himself to be one of the best. 

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No. 6 – Dave Mastiff
Twitter: @DaveMastiff
Entrance theme: ‘Denim & Leather’ - Saxon
Did anyone vote him No. 1 in 2014? They did.


UKFF UK50 history:
5th in 2013... 10th in 2012... 3rd in 2011... 2nd in 2010... 6th in 2009... 11th in 2008... 25th in 2007... 24th in 2006... 32nd in 2005.

Regular promotions during period:
Preston City Wrestling in Preston... Pro Wrestling Elite in Ayr... Fight Club: PRO in Birmingham... Pro Wrestling Kingdom in Birmingham... IPW:UK in Kent... PROGRESS Wrestling in London... Tidal Championship Wrestling in Leeds & the North-East... All-Star Wrestling (nationwide).

 

mastiff.jpg

Photo credit - Tony Knox & True Grit Wrestling

Run in PCW saw him go to the final of the ‘Road to Glory’ tournament in February, beating Jonathan Gresham, Dave Rayne and Kris Travis in successive rounds before being defeated by Chris Masters in the grand final.  Won a 6-way to earn the #30 spot in March’s ‘Who Dares Wins’ rumble, but was eliminated from the rumble itself as an upset by newcomer Charlie Garrett.  Beat Garrett in a singles the following month as revenge.  Just after the end of the eligibility period, won PCW’s ‘Money in the Bank’ in a 6-way elimination match, then redeemed the contract later that same night after Chris Master had just beat Joey Hayes for the title.  That would prove unsuccessful, as Hayes interference brought in unscheduled title bout to a quick end, but served as the arrival of Mastiff in the PCW Heavyweight Title scene... Won a 4-way Ladder match at ‘Elite Ruination’ last September to gain PWE’s version of the ‘Money in the Bank’ contract, then cashed-it in later that night on Andy Wild in the closing stages of the 4-way elimination main event to take the belt.  Held onto the title against Wolfgang before being unseated by Grado at the Three-Year Anniversary show... Reign as champion and top dog of Fight Club: Pro saw successful defences against Mark Haskins, MK McKinnan and Trent Seven before Dutchman Tommy End brought it to an, erm, end... Faced international stars Uhaa Nation (in Southside and IPW:UK), Chris Hero (Southside) and Bad Luck Fale (RevPro) in singles matches... Battled Rampage Brown in RevPro, Tidal and True Grit... Formed the tag team ‘Dangerous Bastards’ in IPW:UK with ‘Dangerous’ Danny Garnell... Had matches against Tommy End and Doug Williams for PROGRESS, and teamed with Stixx in a losing effort to Mark Haskins & Nathan Cruz as part of their Tag Team Title tournament...

UKFF says:
"The best big man in the UK, always reliable to bring hard hitting battles to any show he is on. Some of his most impressive performances include MK McKinnan and Trent Seven in FCP, Steen in PCW and Hero in Southside"

 

"Guy's had some great work, it's hard to pick a singular moment as all his work has been top notch"

 

"Always steps up on all shows he is on. His run as FCP champion stands out this year, as does his matches in Preston"

 

"legitimacy in the ring"

 

"lower on my list as I've not seen big Dave that much this year but when I have it's been the MOTN"

 

"A guy that I consider an attraction to any show he is on. A treat to watch and adaptable to many opponents. A pro"

 

"Another guy that has had a series of really engaging matches, especially in PCW where he has been wrestling a variety of styles of opponent, from high-flyers like Jonathan Gresham to bruisers like Chris Masters. A believable ass-kicker who works really hard and always delivers"

 

Benny says:
I first saw this guy back in 2005 as ‘Dave Moralez’, with that name the least Hispanic-looking guy you could imagine, with a shit mullet.  I came to enjoy his work during his 2006-2007 run in IPW:UK as part of ‘The Untouchables’ with Jack Storm, then have loved him ever since his rebirth as a no-nonsense solo arse-kicker in IPW:UK and SAS in 2008.  Now ‘The Bastard’, Mastiff was arguably the stand-out singles performer in PCW this year, having absolute belting matches with Kevin Steen (Supershow 3), Jonathan Gresham (Road to Glory), Cyanide, Chris Masters & Johnny Moss (4-way, Supershow 4) and Low-Ki (also Supershow 4), and with the exception of his cr*p match against Vader, pretty much everything else he’s done there (strong matches with Charlie Garrett, Zack Gibson, the 6-way Rumble qualifier and numerous bouts against members of Team Single spring to mind) has been really good too.  I didn’t see his PCW match with Davey Richards from the midweek ‘Fright Night 2’ event, but heard that was pretty great as well.  This came after the deadline, but a sure sign of his standing in the promotion was at the recent ‘Supershow of Honor’ when General Manager Lionheart announced that the PCW Heavyweight Title match between Chris Masters and Uhaa Nation was being turned into the triple-threat.  The audience initially let out a collection groan of disappointment, given that their huge, long-awaited, highly anticipated, first-time title match between the two regular PCW imports was being messed with, but then immediately jumped for joy and became even more excited when it turned out the third man was Big Bad Dave.  If PCW ever bring out a ‘Best of Dave Mastiff’ DVD (which is pretty much a certainty), it will be must-have material.

He didn't reach those heights in PROGRESS, where his match with ‘The Antihero’ Tommy End was terrific but he was otherwise treading water.  He did, however, look the absolute business in the Leeds-based True Grit Wrestling, putting on fantastic contests against Ligero and Rampage, then after the deadline was part of one of my favourite British matches of the year there in the No-DQ, 6-way elimination ‘True Grit Games’ bout.  He also has the gift of using his intensity and seriousness with absolute perfect comic timing.  The pro wrestling chemistry between him and Bubblegum, whenever and wherever they meet, is just superb and I could honestly never tire of seeing them face each other.

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No. 5 – El Ligero
Twitter: @Ligero1
Entrance theme: El Ligero Theme
Did anyone vote him No. 1 in 2014? Si!


UKFF UK50 history:
1st (WINNER) in 2013... 1st (WINNER) in 2012... 1st (WINNER) in 2011... 4th in 2010... 3rd in 2009... 2nd in 2008... 6th in 2007... 22nd in 2006... 42nd in 2005.

Regular promotions during period:
All-Star Wrestling (nationwide)... New Generation Wrestling in Hull... Southside Wrestling Entertainment in Hertfordshire & East Midlands... Grand Pro Wrestling in Wigan... Infinite Promotions in Liverpool... Preston City Wrestling in Preston... PROGRESS Wrestling in London... Premier British Wrestling in Scotland... 4 Front Wrestling in Swindon... Revolution Pro Wrestling in South-East England.

 

ligero.jpg

Photo credit - Gordon Harris & Preston City Wrestling

 

At one point recognised as a 5-belt champion, simultaneously holding the PBW, NGW, Tidal, GPW British and Infinite Promotions Tag Team titles, while additionally enjoying separate reigns as the PROGRESS and NBWA Champions over the course of the year too.  Also made unsuccessful challenges for the Kamikaze Pro Championship (against Ryan Smile), Kamikaze’s Relentless Division Title (against Damien Dunne, then Robbie X), Infinite Promotions’ British Title (versus CJ Banks), PCW Heavyweight Championship (versus Doug Williams, then Lionheart), the PCW Tag Team straps (against T-Bone & Rampage Brown), the PWE Title, the BCW Heavyweight Championship (against Kid Fite) and BCW Tag Team Titles (vs. Just Uz).  Phew.  International stars wrestled this year include Jay Lethal (Infinite), AR Fox, Tommy End, Chris Masters, Trent Barreta, Davey Richards, Juventud Guerrera (all Southside), Sonjay Dutt (RevPro), Micahel Elgin (4FW), Uhaa Nation, Petey Williams, Low-Ki, reDRagon and Ultimo Dragon (all PCW), all while continuing to work the halls and camps for All-Star Wrestling, facing the likes of Sam Adonis, Ringo Ryan, Nathan Cruz, Robbie Dynamite and more...

 

2-year Southside feud with Martin Kirby concluded with a Steel Cage loss in October 2013... Took the place of the injured Noam Dar in challenging Doug Williams for the PCW title in 60-Minute Iron Man headliner of the promotion’s Second Anniversary.  Lost out on a final score of 5-4... Was one of the babyfaces feuding with dominant invading faction The Cause in GPW throughout 2013, including in the 12-man Torneo Cibernetico match that main evented the promotion’s Tenth Anniversary.    Beat Dylan Roberts, then Jack Gallagher and finally Cause member Zack Gibson in one night to win the ‘Crazy Cruiser 8’ tournament and score GPW’s first big win over the principle enemy.  Match for Gibson’s British Title in February ended in a disqualification finish, leading to a ‘Bring Your Jeans’ streetfight rematch at ‘Only The Strong Survive’ in April.  Ligero got the win to lift the British title and turn the tide in the war against The Cause... Lost his PROGRESS Championship to Rampage Brown at ‘Chapter Eight’, then failed to regain it in the 4-way main event of ‘Chapter Twelve’ against Rampage, Marty Scurll and new champion Jimmy Havoc.  Moved into a feud with the super-serious Michael Gilbert... After previously failed to take NGW Title from Mark Haskins, beat him in a streetfight to win the belt at the Arena in Hull in November.  Retained the strap in defences against Caz Crash and ‘Los Amigos’ tag partner Dara Diablo, and fought to a double-count out with Rampage Brown at ‘Destiny 2014’.  Would later be defeated by Rampage for the belt...

 

Featured on Tidal’s debut nationwide tour in November 2013, then faced Marty Scurll to crown the first champion when the promotion settled into a permanent Leeds base.  Held onto the belt against Liam Lazarus in Darlington, then dropped it to Rampage back in Leeds in June... Feuded with Mark Haskins’ fake version of El Ligero in RevPro, who was eventually revealed as Josh Bodom.  Bodom then beat Ligero in a ‘Falls Count Anywhere’ score-settler at the ‘Sittingbourne Spectacular 2014’... Beat ‘Bad Boy’ Liam Thomson for the PBW Title in the Ladder match main event of ‘Breaking Limits 9’, then held on against Jack Jester... ‘Hubba Bubba Lucha’ team with Bubblegum overcame Dylan Roberts & Eddie Dennis, then The Council, then finally The Models to win the inaugural Infinite Promotions tag team championship.  Held onto their titles by defeating Indy 500 (Morgan Webster & Ryan Smile)...

UKFF says:
"While he may not have shined as brightly for me as the previous 12 months (for what I've seen) he remains one of the most consistent and reliable performers on the scene. I'd argue the toss with anyone who doesn't think he's one of our best. My personal highlight of his year was a super smooth match with former tag team partner Bubblegum at HXC the night of WrestleMania which was worth the price of admission"

 

"never liked the gimmick to be honest but always delivers the goods. He's also EVERYWHERE!"

 

"no list of 15 could be complete without him, the work he does is tireless and he makes a card complete"

 

"One of the hardest working men on the UK scene. Never seems to have a bad match. A great all round entertainer. Suitable for kids and older fans"

 

"Senor Consistency"

 

"The hardest working man in British wrestling, Ligero doesn't know how to have a bad match"

 

"Anybody who travels up and down the county, works 8 days out 7, and has wrestled in practically every promotion in the uk, deserves to be called one of the UK's best"

 

"a major slip for El Ligero in my rankings. I believe this comes down to the character becoming stale and Ligeros inability to develop his character with promos. However what cant be denied is Ligeros in ring ability. Had some of the best matches in the UK... still can be called the hardest worker in the UK"

 

"Mr reliable when it comes to British Wrestling, had a particularly strong first 6 months in Southside where he was one half of the best British feud in years with Martin Kirby. The pair had a host of incredible matches over the course of their 3 year storyline it including an excellent I Quit Match and a brutal Steel Cage Match during the voting period. Also shone in other matches with Tommy End, Tommy End & AR Fox (3 way) and against Josh Bodom in Rev Pro"

 

Benny says:
I would make an easy guess at Ligero being the wrestler I’ve seen live the most times this year.  That isn’t unusual, since he is one of the busiest wrestlers on the entire scene.  It’s not an exaggeration to say he’s bloody everywhere.  I have no hesitation in ranking him towards the top of any list, having seen him capably pull off family-friendly happy-clappy pantomime, ‘indie’-style spotfests, high-flying, deep storyline/drama and building-wide brawls.  To pick out just a few matches I saw during the eligibility period that were my favourites, I would say that his GPW matches against Zack Gibson (Crazy Cruiser 8 final, and British Title Streetfight), PCW Iron-Man contest with Doug, PROGRESS Title loss to Rampage Brown and True Grit Wrestling bouts with Bubblegum and Dave Mastiff are worth going out of your way to see (and I’m still working my way through the Kirby feud in Southside, and have yet to see Ligero vs. Rampage anywhere in anything resembling less than a brilliant match).

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No. 4 – Martin Kirby
Twitter: @MKirbyProEgo
Entrance theme: ‘Dragostea Din Te’ – O-Zone / ‘Jump In My Car’ – David Hasselhoff / ‘Bodies’ – Drowning Pool
Did anyone vote him No. 1 in 2014? Yes


UKFF UK50 history:
2nd in 2013... 7th in 2012... 7th in 2011... 9th in 2010... 10th in 2009... 15th in 2008.

Regular promotions during period:
Southside Wrestling Entertainment in Hertfordshire & East Midlands... Preston City Wrestling in Preston... Grand Pro Wrestling in Wigan... New Generation Wrestling in Hull... Revolution Pro Wrestling in the South-East... PROGRESS Wrestling in London... FutureShock Wrestling in Manchester... Tidal Championship Wrestling in Leeds & Darlington.
 

kirby.jpg

Photo credit - Gordon Harris & Preston City Wrestling

 

Started the 2014 UKFF UK50 eligibility period in the middle of his violent feud with El Ligero in Southside, having being unmasked as the man behind the evil ‘Ego Dragon’ persona in 2012.  While continuing to wage war with Ligero, beat ROH’s Jay Lethal for the Speed King Championship (Southside’s version of the X-Division title) in August.  Sent a message to Ligero during his September defence against Kay Lee Ray, intentionally getting himself disqualified by stuffing a load of drawing pins in Ligero’s partner’s mouth and delivering a stunner.  This all led to the climatic final showdown with the ‘Mexican Sensation’ at the Third Anniversary in October, where Kirby defeated Ligero in a brutal Steel Cage match... With the Ligero feud over, Kirby continued to feud with Kay Lee Ray... Held onto his Speed King title against MK McKeenan, in a 6-way Scramble and over the duration of the entire 2014 ‘Speed King’ tournament (at which his belt was at stake), finally defeating Kay Lee in a dramatic finish.  Ray would eventually settle the issue and relieve Kirby of the belt in a No Disqualification contest at ‘Menace to Society’, coming just after the end of this year’s eligibility period...

Has continued to be a regular in PCW’s many 3-, 4- and 6-ways, but there he has also challenged Tommaso Ciampa for the ROH Television Title, beat DGUSA and EVOLVE star AR Fox and competed against Japanese junior heavyweight legends Ultimo Dragon and Jushin Liger.  Additionally forms the occasional PCW team ‘Project Lucha’ with El Ligero... Was in the midst of a long-running competitive rivalry with friend/partner Joey Hayes in GPW, leading to a huge singles match at the Tenth Anniversary event in July 2013.  When Hayes scored the decisive win, Kirby’s anger and jealously finally boiled over and he viciously attacked Joey after the match.  Undergoing a change of attitude, Kirby became the ‘Hindley Hero’, falsely believing everyone supported him, and took the creepy newcomer Noah as his sidekick.  There were more attacks and words between Kirby and Hayes for the rest of 2013 and into 2014, until they signed to face each other one final time at the Dom Travis memorial show in June.   Kirby’s team fell to a Hayes-led squadron in an 8-man elimination match in May, then Hayes was finally satisfied when he defeated Kirby one-on-on in their big match... Moved into a GPW mini-feud with Ashton Smith for the rest of 2014... Having been expelled from NGW following an earlier loss to The Proven, returned under a mask as the mysterious Ryu Killik.  Unmasked to reveal Kirby’s return, then continued the battle with The Proven... Was part of the WrestlingStore.co.uk live tour, Tidal Championship Wrestling’s debut nationwide tour and in supporting matches for the 2014 Dragon Gate:UK tour...

As part of Project Ego with Kris Travis, lost the RevPro British Tag Team Titles to the Swords of Essex (Paul Robinson & Will Ospreay) at ‘When Thunder Strikes’ in London’s notorious York Hall, then teamed with the Swords to best the London Riots, Mark Haskins & Josh Bodom in an 8-man tag on the October return there.  Their next date with the promotion was against former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions the Forever Hooligans (Alex Koslov & Rocky Romero) in November, before a bout with ROH, PWG and NJPW stars The Young Bucks back at York Hall in March... Tussled with the Hunter Brothers and the Bhangra Knights (RJ Singh & Darrell Allen) in PROGRESS, then beat Mad Man Manson & Grado at ‘Chapter 10’ as part of the tag Team Title tournament.  Failed to win either the 3-team championship final in March, or the 4-team contender’s decider in May... Aside from Kirby’s singles run in Southside, he has also linked with Travis there to battle such teams as Davey Richards & Michael Elgin, Petey Williams & Mark Haskins, X-Pac & Robbie X and Grado & Stevie Boy... Squared-off with The Models (Joey Hayes & Danny Hope) in both FutureShock and Infinite, and The Proven (Caz Crash & Sam Wilder) in both NGW and Tidal... Took part in the Harlow WrestleForce tag team title tournament, beating The Lavelles in the opening round but losing out to The Magnums in the semi-final... Appeared north of the border as a tag act for both PBW and PWE on multiple occasions, facing Scottish opposition each time... Represented Yorkshire against Lancashire’s Blackpool Blondes at True Grit’s ‘War of the Roses’ event, then faced each other in a singles match as part of the ‘TG Cup’ on the next show.  Travis got the win to advance in the tournament...

The big matches have kept coming for Kirby after the end of the 2014 UKFF UK50 period, including bouts against Lance Storm, Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian, Curt Hawkins and more.

UKFF says:
"The last 2 or 3 years in Southside have been the best in Kirbys career thanks to his excellent heel persona and winning his incredible feud with El Ligero that immediately transitioned into a feud with Kay Lee Ray which has been as good if not possibly better than his Ligs feud. Kirby and Kay Lee getting down to the final 2 participants at Speed King and the match and story their told was amazing. Kirby also been great as part of Project Ego having a blinder against Young Bucks in Rev Pro and also looked brilliant against Tommaso Ciampa in PCW"

 

"If Martin Kirby achieves the same result as last year's UKFF 50 then as far as I'm concerned that's a victory, but I've believe that Kirby is the best wrestler in this country, and has been for the last 3 years, wherever he's been, Kirby has always worked to the highest standard, and always found time to entertain the fans whatever the antics. he's got some great opportunities in the next few months, I feel this will be Kirby's time to step out of the shadow of others"

 

"This man can do it all. Comedy or serious he can have great matches. Sharp as a tack with the crowd. If he's on a card then you're guaranteed at least 1 good match"

 

"Kirby (and Ego Dragon) again great every time they are on a card from Evil Ego to comedy matches in RPW with Travis, This years SpeedKing card he and Kay lee stole the show. The fact his feud with Ligero is still exciting 3 years in is testament"

 

"no one he can't work with and make look a million bucks"

 

"A perennial top performer, always entertaining and consistent. Kirby is a guy you always want to see on the card. I usually find he's the ideal guy to have in your opener as he gets a crowd going with his "sing-a-long" entrance and energetic repertoire. Although personally I prefer him as a heel in Project Ego"

 

Benny says:

Kirby sux.

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