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UKFF: Then and Now


Frankie Crisp

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Then: March 2003

Doing generic office admin jobs through an agency and living with my partner and (almost) 5 year old daughter. I wasn't a total cripple, but I was still pretty inactive as I was halfway through a 2 1/2 year bout of physiotherapy because of my knees being fucked (hence spending more and more time on the internet). My Mum had not long died, my Dad had not long remarried and so my family was still rabidly tearing chunks out of each other.

Now: November 2017 (obviously)

Split up with my partner due to us being stupid with each other but managed to keep a good relationship with my (now almost 20 year) daughter. Within a month of being signed off physio I started wrestling training, which on the surface seems incredibly stupid but I ended up getting in the best shape of my life and never had any problems with my knees during this time, even when doing the camp circuit and having 2-4 matches a day, every day for a fortnight. Now I'm stuck behind a desk for 10 hours a day on what might as well be called the First World Problems Hotline, eating badly and my knees are giving me grief again.
Living in Nottingham now with a new (scouse) girlfriend of 7 years and a 16 month old son, who is already displaying some superb nobhead qualities.

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Then September 2003.  Happily married and a dad to a wonderful 2 year old.  Working as a housing officer in the roughest part of Manchester, avid gamer and very happy.

Now.  Still happily married and dad to a wonderful 16 year old.  Work Coach in another rough part of Manchester, avid gamer and very happy.  Had the dark period 6 years ago when I was shafted out of my job by so called friends who I had looked after in the past only to have them stab me up the arse.  Long period of depression and general feeling of worthlessness, but my wonderful wife helped me through it all, and I was back in the swing of things within 12 months.  I never forget how lucky I am with her.

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Then: November 2004

Aged just twenty fucking three!! - formerly as SaxonsQB, or, more accurately saxonsqb leading to many on here referring to me more often than not as SaxonsGB

I can't for the life of me remember how I heard about this place, but it must have been at, or shortly after FWA British Uprising III which I can only imagine I learned of through The Wrestling Channel at the time.  I had to check the dates, because I remember my regular show companion and I wearing our East Midland Saxons jerseys, me in the vain hope someone at the show would clock Saxons on the back and approach me with the offer of lifetime friendship.  Never happened.  But turns out that was at International Showdown in 2005 where I met the first of five UKFF'ers I've had the pleasure to meet over the years, the lovely Pyrotechnik.

Anyway, back in 2004 i'd just taken over the running of the Saxons American Football team after a season of absolute raggings where the club found itself laughably embroiled in a steroid scandal of all things.  Yes, despite getting 60 nil humpings most weeks and me being on the recieving end of far too many of these, we were publicly outed as users after a BBC documentary charting the life of one of our players who competed during his bodybuilding off-season was in fact broadcast under the title DRUGS IN SPORT!  Didn't help his fathers business sponsored our uniform and unbeknownst to us, a quick link through to his website would reveal this banner

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I'd been with my girlfriend eight years at this point, and had just left my first employer where i'd steadily climbed the ranks since 1997 going from office junior to acting sales manager - the subsequent pressure of which caused me to resign in 2004, and I ended up working on the dealing desk of an internet stockbroker, because, natural leap and all that.

Back then, my life essentially revolved around playing or running/promoting the football team (experience which would stand me in good stead later in life) and spending my spare time trawling charity shops for old martial arts movies and the majority of my expendable income on junk food.  Every night i'd get in, log straight on to MSN and indulge in the same monotonous small talk with my circle of friends night in, night out.

I'd been living independently for three years at that point in a shoebox of a flat, the walls of the living room covered almost entirely in VHS tapes and the bins near overflowing with soiled tissues.

Now: 

I mean christ, I barely know that guy.  I'm practically unrecognisable from the Matrix of 2004.  

My involvement with American Football came to an end in 2011 in horrific fashion, after many of my closest friends moved on, I felt somewhat trapped.  I'd achieved a degree of notoriety in the sport, our club was arguably the best promoted in the country despite competing in the bottom tier, and we were a legitimate contender each year without resorting to paying players or brining in imports, however, as the familiar faces slowly stepped away, so they were replaced by a newer generation with either no idea of just how hard I'd worked to get the club to where it was, or who simply didn't care, only wanting more but offering little by way of support to make it happen.  Despite improving year on year, the politics became to much to bear, and at our home opener in 2011, I knew by halftime I was done with the sport.  Following two sideline punch-ups between my players and another getting ejected in front of children and families who I felt responsible for attracting to watch, that was it.  

Having been made redundant, I spent the next few years bouncing around roles with no direction, first in education, then in social care project management and eventually people management.   

My girlfriend and I bought a house together in 2009 and married in 2010 which should have been the start of great things, but instead, coincided with what were the darkest years of my life.

Having lost my grandmother in 2010, football having become toxic and lacking anything resembling job satisfaction, I found myself desperately trying to seek validation elsewhere.  Fortunately, things worked out, but I carry those emotional scars of the damage I did with me on a daily basis and was eventually diagnosed with Depression back in August 2014 after breaking down out of nowhere on the eve of our first born's christening.

I sought help and treatment, and less than 18mths later, our second son arrived - that was my catalyst for posting really - this week, i've celebrated my youngest's second birthday and taken my eldest to view potential schools for next September.  I don't know what the fuck happened, or when!?  That entire period is an absolute blur, a combination of sleep deprivation and weight gain bought on by mass snacking and convenience meals on the go stuck in a twisted groundhog day of work, bedtime routine, more work, sleep.  I have however been medication free for almost a year, so that's something!

Professionally, I got my break back in 2013 gaining a secondment to a marketing department, an area of work that had interested me for years mainly thanks to promoting the football team and the media exposure and design work that came with it.  Since then, i've devised and delivered record breaking campaigns, been nominated for awards and invited to speak at conferences, and after being made redundant earlier this year, took the opportunity to move forwards in my career, having recently been appointed as Communcations and Marketing Manager for a national charity.

I've also started my own freelance graphic design business in order to keep on top of my extortionate childcare bills and whilst an absolute punt at the time, i've gone on to build a client base consisting of some of the UK's biggest promotions.

I'll never feel worthy of the good things that have happened to me over the past few years, but I have always believed you make your own luck in life so whilst I may not feel deserving, i'm grounded enough to know it's no fluke either and am at least proud of myself for knowing the changes i've made to become a better person.

This place has been an ever present throughout all those ups and downs.  There are members of this forum who've done more for me than the people I see on a daily basis in terms of lending an ear, or offering support and guidance.  I know for many it's simply somewhere to check in and catch up with the latest news, but for me, when life is getting out of hand and things are going crazy, this place offers a sense of security.  It's always here when I need it.

 

 

 

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It's good to hear you're doing so much better, Matrix. You're one of the good guys, so you deserve all the success you're getting - don't ever feel otherwise.

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Then: 2006ish

I'd been training at FutureShock for a bit & attending FWA shows so I mostly logged on to see what HatGuy thought of our shows, and to see if he'd mentioned the handsome, fantastic ring announcer. Looking back, I was nowhere near as good as I thought I was, and was more acting like how I thought a ring announcer should, rather than how I'd go about it now. At the time was dealing with untreated Borderline Personality Disorder, which I'd soon discover.

 

Now

I've been out of wrestling now for about five years, but have started following again the past couple of years, even attending a few shows & travelling up North for FutureShock again. I have an amazing life as the former Esports Manager, now Creative & Content for the Insomnia Gaming Festival (the UK's biggest gaming festival) and BRICKLIVE (the UK's largest LEGO fan convention). I mostly spend my life writing stage shows involving YouTubers now, and hiring wrestlers/ex wrestlers to host our stages (and occasionally using old NOAH or NJPW themes to make myself happy).

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On 20/11/2017 at 7:26 PM, Kookoocachu said:

2003. I was a lost 15 year old flunking high school with spectacular mental health issues, manifested by me being a colossal dickhead. 

Now: Medically retired from nursing at 30 thanks to MS and rheumatoid arthritis which as you can imagine takes me to hell and back on the regular. Still working on the mental health but now at least I know where it came from etc and every day is another step. I do have the most amazing 9 year old son though and I'm in a relationship with the love of my life for 3 years now who has helped me through some of the most horrific things I wouldn't wish on anyone. 

I also have life long friends that I wouldn't have if I had never joined the UKFF. Friends so good I consider them family, who have also helped me through so much and I love more than they'll ever know. 

As someone who has had his life turned upside down and left partially crippled by Psoriatic Arthritis, I relate to this paragraph massively!

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On 11/25/2017 at 10:15 AM, Cod Eye said:

As someone who has had his life turned upside down and left partially crippled by Psoriatic Arthritis, I relate to this paragraph massively!

Currently going through Psoriatic Arthritis diagnosis (what can I say, I'm greedy). All tests done and waiting on results now. Depending on results I could go on a treatment very similar to what I'm on for my MS which is brutal but worked miracles for that so fingers crossed. Are you on any therapy? 

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33 minutes ago, Kookoocachu said:

Currently going through Psoriatic Arthritis diagnosis (what can I say, I'm greedy). All tests done and waiting on results now. Depending on results I could go on a treatment very similar to what I'm on for my MS which is brutal but worked miracles for that so fingers crossed. Are you on any therapy? 

I really hope you haven't got it. It can be brutal! Saying that, MS must be hell to live with at times...

I've been on dozens of treatments over the years. Basic anti-inflammatory drugs were useless for me so they put me on the DMARD tablets. The side effects ranged from awful to being even more debilitating than the actual illness its treating, but the hospital said it varies widely from person to person. Now they have me on some injections that work much quicker, but completely knock me out for 3 days at a time and are playing havoc with my stomach.

The worst thing about the treatments are that they can't reverse any damage that has already been done, and just stop things getting worse so it's harder to see the benefit your getting from them.

If you ever need any advice on the illness or meds, feel free to drop me a pm and I'll be happy to try and help!

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2 hours ago, Cod Eye said:

I really hope you haven't got it. It can be brutal! Saying that, MS must be hell to live with at times...

I've been on dozens of treatments over the years. Basic anti-inflammatory drugs were useless for me so they put me on the DMARD tablets. The side effects ranged from awful to being even more debilitating than the actual illness its treating, but the hospital said it varies widely from person to person. Now they have me on some injections that work much quicker, but completely knock me out for 3 days at a time and are playing havoc with my stomach.

The worst thing about the treatments are that they can't reverse any damage that has already been done, and just stop things getting worse so it's harder to see the benefit your getting from them.

If you ever need any advice on the illness or meds, feel free to drop me a pm and I'll be happy to try and help!

It's very much the same for my MS treatment, It's slowed the disease but can't do anything for the horrific central nervous system damage it's already done. The symptoms that I get from that damage are getting worse and worse, my wheelchair days are getting more frequent, but I still can't sing enough praise for Natalizumab (my treatment) and what it's done for me.

It came about by my joint pain suddenly getting horrific and my consultant said I must be reviewed immediately when he saw I had suffered from psoriasis since early teens as well as a huge flare up now with this joint pain.

Wait and see. I'm past worrying whether I've got something or not I just want to know.

Steroid injections though have been a life saver in the meantime! 

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18 minutes ago, Kookoocachu said:

It's very much the same for my MS treatment, It's slowed the disease but can't do anything for the horrific central nervous system damage it's already done. The symptoms that I get from that damage are getting worse and worse, my wheelchair days are getting more frequent, but I still can't sing enough praise for Natalizumab (my treatment) and what it's done for me.

It came about by my joint pain suddenly getting horrific and my consultant said I must be reviewed immediately when he saw I had suffered from psoriasis since early teens as well as a huge flare up now with this joint pain.

Wait and see. I'm past worrying whether I've got something or not I just want to know.

Steroid injections though have been a life saver in the meantime! 

Thats how I was originally diagnosed(psoriasis), but as I was only 10 years old I hadn't had any real issues. Then when I hit my mid 20's, it was like someone hit a switch and turned my life upside down. I'd say I'm spending 90% of my time confined to my "push chair"(what we cal the wheelchair so the kids don't feel to scared).

Like I say, if you ever need any info on things, just ask. I looked hight and low for some sort of support groups and shit, but they were all full of the older end of the scale and I just couldn't relate to them...

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Just now, Cod Eye said:

Thats how I was originally diagnosed(psoriasis), but as I was only 10 years old I hadn't had any real issues. Then when I hit my mid 20's, it was like someone hit a switch and turned my life upside down. I'd say I'm spending 90% of my time confined to my "push chair"(what we cal the wheelchair so the kids don't feel to scared).

Like I say, if you ever need any info on things, just ask. I looked hight and low for some sort of support groups and shit, but they were all full of the older end of the scale and I just couldn't relate to them...

Totally hear you on the groups thing. They're also echo chambers of "Woe is me" and I can't stand that crap. It's a big competition on who's the sickest too.

Cheers :)

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Then (2003 or so, I think — I'm on my second account, due to a hissy fit)

Lived in West Ham in a shared flat with two friends from college, just started my first proper job in independent publishing, didn't really love sharing a house with the two of them. Just started going to British wrestling shows, but didn't really know anyone on the wrestling scene, so I was just rocking up to them alone; was a recovering WWE fan, didn't watch much other wrestling. Had some good friends from home and uni, and one really close best friend who I'd met on my publishing post grad. Was comically bad with women, but had an amorphous thing going with a different girl from my course that was driving me crazy — way out of my league, but also a loon.

Now (2014)

Living in Manhattan with my wife of nearly nine years, and our two cats (7 and 1/2 years) — love them all to death. After I left that flatshare, basically never spoke to my flatmates again, grubby bastards. Have barely been to a live wrestling show in a decade, and don't watch any wrestling on the telly. Working in puzzle magazines, and doing the odd freelance book typesetting job, along with making pocket money from Redbubble. Shed almost every friend I've ever had, think that 2004 me would think 2017 me is a right miserable twat, he'd probably be right. Had a tumultuous time with the 2004 lass I was seeing, eventually came to a point where we were openly trying to cause each other severe inconvenience out of spite, so I'm glad I got out of that sharpish.

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Then (2000).

I had found the place via a link on the PAL tape trading forum when it was known as The Wrestling UK Fan Forum. I was 20, still living at home and at college doing an HND in Business Studies (which I had to repeat a year as I sat about watching wrestling instead of studying). I had just met a lovely young girl through my part-time job in a local Chinese Restaurant.

Now.

Live with aforementioned lady (now Mrs SiMania) and our 2 boys who are 6 and 2. I now work as an IT Project Manager, mainly from home but travel around the country (we still need that UKFF night out Carbomb).  Rarely watching wrestling these days due to career and family but trying to get my eldest boy into watching it instead of just wanting to have wrestling matches with me all the time.  

 

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