Hammerlock Wrestling memories and musings

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

1 hour ago, Jesse said:

I'm pretty sure I got my first booking with him because I was the only person in the class who had seen Loose Change (the 9/11 conspiracy 'documentary')

That's not bad Jesse. Some people got black (Top tier) armbands in Alex's Britwres Pyramid Scheme because they could drive. 

[AshC]

Something perhaps a bit lost in history is the effect latter day NWA Hammerlock had on both the Irish and Welsh wrestling scenes.

Through the affiliation with NWA Ireland, Hammerlock gave the future Finn Balor and Becky Lynch a bunch of their earliest shows in the UK.

With the former, a great match on a Hammerlock show with Dru Onyx of Montreal, portraying the Son of Abdullah (the Butcher), ended up getting a rerun on an NWA Anniversary card that helped Balor get going in the United States. 

Now, that first match was in Cardiff at Cathays Community Centre and I think Hammerlock were the first to run the venue in years and years, if not ever.

The school set up there in tandem helped establish roots for what's gone on in South Wales for 20 years now, with Celtic Wrestling and Welsh Wrestling running out of Cathays in the 2000s and then Mark Andrews, who attended at least one camp with Hammerlock, being involved in the crew that would establish Attack! in 2011, using Cathays as a base. 

Hammerlock also had actual, proper TV in South Wales, however briefly. Their Transatlantic Wrestling Challenge show was on HTV and a couple of other regions, with a decent slot initially as well, if I remember. A family/kid-friendly show at the height of the blood and barbed wire Attitude Era, it's timing did for it as much as anything. But it was still British wrestling on telly, at a time where there was scant wrestling at all on terrestrial (think it predated WWF on Channel 4, not sure about WCW on 5).

Sorry, bit of a tangent there! 

But yeah, Hammerlock, I think there's traces of its influence in a lot of different people that went on to be big deals, including the aforementioned Zack Sabre - I think I refereed one of his first singles matches, in Hammerlock. 

Oh, and Wade Barrett started there as well! 2004, in Cathays. Worked as 'The Pinnacle', named after an estate agents or something around the corner. ?

Edited January 23, 2025 by AshC

[simonworden]

I remember Transatlantic Wrestling Challenge. In retrospect it was alright for an hour of wrestling TV but was launched at a time everyone had access to WWF Heat and PPVs plus most had WCW Worldwide. 

To the kids at school it just looked naff and second rate with the smaller wrestlers and lower production values. In hindsight they were a lot better than anything from British Wrestling before.

The only two things I clearly remember was American Sin who I think might have been related to OVW and a somewhat coming out for Nikita.

Being young and far away from Kent that was my only experience with Hammerlock. 

[Infinity Land]

Just like the UWA. Youtube has all the TWC for those that haven't seen it and want an idea of what it was like.

 

Edited January 24, 2025 by Infinity Land

[Snitsky's back acne]

11 hours ago, Lion_of_the_Midlands said:

That's not bad Jesse. Some people got black (Top tier) armbands in Alex's Britwres Pyramid Scheme because they could drive. 

Alex still owes me £80. 

I trained briefly with Stevie Knight in 2005 and he used to call Alex Shane 'Mavis'. I never did find out why. 

[Statto]

I've heard that before, and always wondered if it stems from Corrie's Mavis Wilton and her oft-parodied "I don't really/rightly know" catchphrase. Perhaps something the Showstealer was heard to say a lot? 

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

50 minutes ago, Snitsky's back acne said:

Alex still owes me £80. 

Let's not get into all the people Alex owes money, we'll probably crash the site. 

[herbie747]

18 hours ago, AshC said:

 

Through the affiliation with NWA Ireland, Hammerlock gave the future Finn Balor and Becky Lynch a bunch of their earliest shows in the UK.

 

Fergal running an NWA Ireland training session in 2002 (Bray, Co. Wicklow).

Right of frame is Simon Rochford who would go on to run Irish Whip Wrestling. 

 

Rebecca Lynch/Knox/Quin in a mixed tag match at an NWA Ireland show in November 2003. I think the show was in Navan, Meath.

She'd have been 16 here. She started training with Fergal and Paul (Tracey) at age 15 in June 2002. 

 

Edited January 24, 2025 by herbie747

[The Dart]

2 hours ago, Lion_of_the_Midlands said:

Let's not get into all the people Alex owes money, we'll probably crash the site. 

The person did note it was nothing to do with Alex Shane as he said he never met him, but I saw something recently where they said they did 5 matches for the FWA and never got paid anything, then on his 6th match he was told he'd get paid for it and it was a 6-Man tag team match and they got £5 to share between the 6 of them.  He then said he never wrestled again after that.  Maybe not true, but probably true.  I'd assume FWA Academy based on him having never met Alex Shane.  And it is fairly common (well it was then, who knows now) to not get paid for your first few shows, especially if they are academy shows and you are one of the trainees - but being told you're going to get paid for the first time and it ends up being 85p is so insulting - he was right to quit.

Edited January 24, 2025 by The Dart

[davertfnewman]

6 hours ago, Infinity Land said:

Just like the UWA. Youtube has all the TWC for those that haven't seen it and want an idea of what it was like.

 

That lion looks so fucking wank.

[Hannibal Scorch]

6 hours ago, Infinity Land said:

Just like the UWA. Youtube has all the TWC for those that haven't seen it and want an idea of what it was like.

 

The intro reminded me of BBC Shitcom Rumble, with added cgi. Mark Webster and Mike Carlson must have been the go to guys for American sports at that time. Did they do the NFL together or was it NBA? Or possibly both!

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

13 minutes ago, davertfnewman said:

That lion looks so fucking wank.

How dare you speak ill of my cousin. We called him Cousin Shonky but we are family. 

[AshC]

NFL and possibly some baseball as well? At least Webster.

Another note, the Transatlantic Wrestling Challenge ring ended up at Cathays Community Centre in the mid-2000s, or at least the canvas did. Would have been the first in-house ring at the venue. 

Ricky Martin trained at Hammerlock in Cardiff as well. No, the other one. Apprentice winner. 

[SuperBacon]

12 minutes ago, AshC said:

NFL and possibly some baseball as well? At least Webster

Mark Webster? Top man. Grew up just down the road from him and played in the same football team as his son.

Covered NBA for Channel 4 for live games and the magazine show, and live baseball and NFL on Channel 5.

[davertfnewman]

1 hour ago, Lion_of_the_Midlands said:

How dare you speak ill of my cousin. We called him Cousin Shonky but we are family. 

Same family tree? You're up in the resplendent leaves, he's down in the manure.