The 2007 UKFF 50

[GPW Kristian Zane]

In Hindsight yeh, truth be told i'd probably rank those guys in the same order. Though I'd have Manson at the top because for me hes the most entertaining out of the 4.

[IrishDave]

If Ben ever posts any more results...

He's probably still waiting for Edler to restore the IPW results.For shame, indeed.

[dopper]

With one of the most unique looks on the UK Scene, Id recommend EVERYONE should look more closely at Moralez's work as he pisses on 90% of the UK scene!

I've always thought he's the same size and shape of Mini-Vader from 1997 WWF.Fair enough he's very wide, but he's so tiny height-wise. Which makes his angriness seem more funny than scary.I'm on the same side of the fence as those saying he hasn't impressed me.It seems from reading everybody's comments that those who have seen a lot of his matches like his work, but those of us who have only seen a handful of his matches think he's pretty crap.The fact he was in the 8-man main event of a sold-out 1PW show was mentioned in his write-up, but fuck me him and Storm looked out of place in there with the other 6.

[NBT]

Storm and Moralez also looked incredibly out of place at the Swanley (boo) match with the FWA and RoH guys, they had an absolute stinker of a night and looked a long way behind the other four guys in terms of talent and ability.

[stewey]

In my eyes Storm and Morales are true heels, they dont want you to cheer them, so they dont do anything flashy or give you any reason to cheer or even pop for them, which i see so many times when "heels" do big moves and expect the fans to not appreciate their skill and clap or cheer. (eg-Johnny Storm when he plays heel)These two guys in front of a casual crowd are pure heat magnet because of that very reason, smart fans see them as boring because they want action, but when they get given it they start cheering in appreciation (eg- Burchill) Ironically when theyre faces its the total opposite, they do falshy stuff and work the crowd like great babyface.Also their selling is fantastic.Alot of people in this country could learn a thing or tw from watching these guys.

[Big Benny HG]

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No. 21 - Lionheart

2006 Ranking: Not Listed

2005 Ranking: Not Listed

Moving Up

 

Photo - www.pbwwrestling.com

 

Highest ranked new entrant to the UKFF 50 from those that have been eligible for it in previous years.

 

Scotsman Lionheart has been making a big impression north of the border, both in singles competition and alongside his regular tag partner Liam Thompson. Arriving in the new PBW promotion in July 2006, he and Thompson entered contendership for the Tag Team Titles by defeating Bubblegum and Brad Fusion, but did not end up walking out with the belts in the eventual title match at "Hallowe'en Hell" in October, that honour going to the 'Gum/Fusion tandem that they had defeated on the previous show.

 

Over in BCW, however, Lionheart had just taken on Wolfgang in a Match of the Year contending Ladder Match for the vacant BCW Openweight Title at their "Retribution" show (not to be confused with the SWA show of the same name....). Though he fell to defeat, Lionheart established himself perhaps more than ever before as a major singles star. Lionheart would then go on to clash with Wolfgang over more gold in PBW, losing a singles match in March 2007 and then another Ladder match (this time a 4-way also featuring "Flawless" James Wallace and England's Dave Moralez) in April, all over WG's PBW Heavyweight Title.

 

Lionheart also appeared in SWA at the "Call to Arms" show in October, replacing Conscience to team with Adam Shame, Martin Kirby and White Tiger against an A-List quartet in an elimination tag. Lionheart's team would lose, but the two sides clashed again the following month when LH and WT faced A-List's Johnny Darko and Falcon, and the score was evened. The stage was therefore set for singles action against the A-List, with Lionheart then falling to members Wolfgang and Falcon over the next 2 SWA shows. The rivalry was renewed in July 2007 when Lionheart defeated Johnny Darko in a singles match, and is set to continue as he will clash with Wolfgang in a Ladder match once again when they make up 2 of the 6 men competing in a 6-way Ladder bout at Scottish supershow "The Gathering" this fall...

 

With the close relationship between BCW and WZW, Lionheart has also established himself in northern England, becoming a firm fixture on the WZW roster. Though he and fellow BCW star Jack Jester came out on the losing end of a tag match against Bad News (formerly AJ) Anderson and Jake Rockwell (formerly Juvenile) in July's England vs. Scotland Dual Nations show in Ponteland, he would return to winning ways with a new, if somewhat random, tag partner in 3CW's Chris Whitton, downing Anderson and his Empire stable leader Sir Jonathan Britain in Peterlee just a week later in an exciting contest.

 

Just before this, the babyface high-flyer made his 1PW debut along with several other BCW/PBW/WILD/W3L wrestlers at "Devil's Due"....where he was squashed in convincing fashion by a man he is more than familiar with, James Wallace, in a very dull match.

[The Cum Doctor]

Lionheart vs. Wolfgang in the Ladder Match was an absolute beauty of a match, and easily my favourite match of 2006.Lionheart sure has impressed me this year, and his high placing is deserved IMO.

[xear]

At WZW's Duel nations show Lionheart + Jester faced Band News anderson and Sir Johnathon Brittain, not Bad news and Rockwell.

[The Cum Doctor]

I've actually been very pleasantly surprised.

 

Wolfgang is going to finish in front of Darkside, which is something I couldn't see happening, especially after Darkside's great position last year. He deserves a very high placing though, and I'd agree that yes, he's better than his tag partner. Other guys regular on the Scottish scene still to come are Falcon, Majik and Drew Galloway, and you are pretty much looking at the top three in Scottish wrestling with those three men.

[Big Benny HG]

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No. 20 - "Sadistic" Jack Storm

2006 Ranking: 15

2005 Ranking: 16

Moving Down

 

Photo - UK Hat Guy

 

Slight slip in 2007's rankings for a man who is a major player in SAS Wrestling and IPW:UK.

 

Jack's tag exploits in IPW:UK, 1PW etc have already been covered in some detail under his partner "Human Hate Machine" Dave Moralez (see #25).

 

In solo competition, Storm went to the final of the tournament to crown the first ever SAS Champion, where he fell to longtime rival Spud in one of the best British matches seen in a long, long time.

 

Over in IPW:UK, Jack was also involved in a mini-feud with Paul Robinson over the little fella's quest to earn the respect of Storm....and, in his eyes, the fans. Refusing to lie down and accept the defeat after being beaten by Jack at "Christmas Craker" in Swanley (boo), the two clashed again the following night in Colchester at "The Dome Show", where Storm and Moralez beat Paul Robinson and his unlikely tag team partner Darkside, the Untouchables beating Paul when Darkside walked out and abandonned him. From there, their issue got centre stage in the main event of "No Escape 2007" as Robinson took Pac and the returning Battalion as his partners to face Storm, Moralez and the deceitful Darkside. Though the heels lost that night, Storm seemingly put the feud to bed when he pinned Robinson in a singles match at "Battle Two" in February. When Robinson requested a rematch in a "Respect" match, Jack responded with a firm "FUCK OFF!!!" I guess that means no.

 

As stated under Moralez above, Storm now finds himself embroiled in a feud with former Untouchable Martin Stone, which should see him through the IPW:UK "3rd Anniversary Weekender".

[Big Benny HG]

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No. 19 - "Bombay Dream" Ross Jordan

2006 Ranking: 23

2005 Ranking: 30

Moving Up

 

Photo - www.nortonbritishwrestling.co.uk

 

3rd consecutive UKFF 50 appearance for "The Gift", and the 2nd consecutive rise in the rankings.

 

12 months ago, Jordan was in the hunt for the FWA Flyweight Championship, looking to regain the belt from Pac. Their eventual title match took place in Morecambe in July 2006, with Pac retaining in a solid bout. Clearly upset by his loss, Jordan stuck around and got in the face of Stevie Knight, who came out for an interview segment. This led to Knight and Jordan getting into a scrap, battling backstage, and supposedly fighting throughout the rest of the show - keeping appearing at various random points throughout the evening. Later that night, when they emerged for the final time, Jordan somehow ended up taking Johnny Angel's place in the scheduled "I Quit!" match against Knight, falling to Stevie in an incredibly entertaining cartoon hardcore brawl.

 

Later that month, the heelish Jordan made his debut in Nottingham for NBW, defeating Adrenalin. Under the guidance of Sir Thomas Chamberlain, he was then instrumental in the breakup of the then-NBW tag team champions Stixx and Bubblegum, as he tempted his former RBW tag partner Stixx into turning on Bubblegum and the loyal fans as a part of Jordan's own intentions for 'Gum's NBW Cruiserweight title. After his medling led to the dissention between Stixx/Gum which caused them to lose the tag titles to Killer Instinct (Angel Blade and Tiger X) at "Full Circle" in February 2007, Jordan defeated the popular Bubblegum for the Cruiserweight Title in a one-on-one match when Stixx finally made his choice, turned on Bubblegum and joined Jordan in the new Capital City Clique faction of villains.

 

This made Jordan a double singles champion, as by this point he had managed to regain the FWA Flyweight Title. After finally seeing the end of his long-running feud with Spud in a losing effort in a Last Man Standing match at "Last Fight at the Prom 2006" in September, Jordan made an unscheduled appearance at the XS-W/WXW "Gorefest" show at the Colchester in December as a part of the heated IPW:UK vs. FWA feud. Attacking him after the gruelling Five Minute Warning match, Ross pinned Pac for the title in an inpromptu championship match ordered there and then by FWA owner Greg "The Truth" Lambert.

 

From there, Jordan turned on the FWA fans in Morecambe, teaming with IPW:UK's ANDY SIMMONZ!! to take on the newly babyface Manchester Massive (Declan O'Connor & Joey Hayes) in February 2007. In a huge upset and big moment, the chav team scored their first ever FWA win thanks to interference from El Ligero. It would prove to be the last ever FWA show, as FWA lost to IPW:UK at "Final Frontiers" in Orpington and the Morecambe Dome shows continued under the new XWA moniker.

 

With a hilarious video package heralding his entry into Real Quality Wrestling in March, Jordan made his first appearance in London's York Hall for nearly 4 years as he beat reigning XWA British Heavyweight Champion Jonny Storm and reigning PWG World Champion El Generico in a 3-way in April, before downing his bitter XWA rival El Ligero on RQW's Colchester debut in June. Now in the midst of a feud with Ligero for his re-branded XWA Flyweight title, "The Bombay Dream" (and The Juice) lost to the "UK Luchador" (and Spud) at "Vendetta 2007" in June and appear to be heading for a showdown singles match.

Edited August 4, 2007 by UK Hat Guy

[DJ Kris]

Because he's gonna do a legit~ shoot run in for the number one spot anyway.

It's funny because I was there. It's was also funny watching him cry afterwards. That must have been the worst birthday ever.

What happened?

Yeah, what happened?

[sparkle]

the first time i saw that picture of Adam Shame i said to myself "my god hes a backyarder".Now ive never seen him wrestle (he might be great) but just from a look standpoint he looks awful, made even worse by the 3 people on the same page as him having the look that i think a wrestler should have, you know, athletic, muscles etc.He reminded me of the people on that program that was on channel 4 "looks up your kids" about backyard wrestling.

[NBW]

QUOTE(Josh D @ Aug 3 2007, 22:32) QUOTE(the-it-boy-quentin-hyde-styles @ Aug 3 2007, 21:42) QUOTE(Natural Born Thrilla @ Aug 3 2007, 20:49) Because he's gonna do a legit~ shoot run in for the number one spot anyway.It's funny because I was there. It's was also funny watching him cry afterwards. That must have been the worst birthday ever.What happened? Yeah, what happened?If i have this correct. Before i was in charge at an NBW show, in i think Boston, in 2005? G-Man got in the ring during the interval, after drinking himself into a state and grabbed the mic shouting and swearing about how he wanted the title belt of his, that NBW was using at the time, back.

Edited August 4, 2007 by NBW

[Big Benny HG]

*********************************************************************

No. 18 - Luke "Dragon" Phoenix

2006 Ranking: 31

2005 Ranking: 24

Moving Up

 

Photo - www.saswrestling.com

 

One half of the Dragonhearts tag team (with Spud), and equally notable singles wrestler, Dragon Phoenix moves back up the rankings of the UKFF 50 after a superb year which has seen him become one of the very best in-ring performers in the UK.

 

The summer of 2006 saw Phoenix and Spud lend a helping hand to Kris Linnell in his feud with his former buddies Ashe and Curve (The New Breed) in IPW:UK. At July's "Royale Rewards", the Dragonhearts were due to meet the New Breed in a tag match, but Luke was mysteriously absent after an apparent backstage attack, forcing Spud to go alone. The next month at "Summer Sizzler", Phoenix was back, as he, Spud and Linnell clashed with Ashe, Curve and SUWA in a fantastic 6-man tag match. After the bout, the reason for Phoenix's non-appearance at the last show was made clear, as IPW UK Tag Team Champions The Untouchables (Jack Storm and Dave Moralez) revealed themselves as Luke's attackers. This set the scene for 2 months of TLC...

 

In a taster of what was to come, Luke beat Jack Storm at Night One of IPW:UK's "2nd Anniversary Weekender" in September, before the big Tables, Ladders and Chaors match between the Untouchables and the Dragonhearts on Night Two. After an epic, bloody, spectacular and dramatic thriller, Phoenix and Spud won the tag titles in one of the most emotional moments of the year. The TLC rematch the following month in the Broxbourne Civic Hall in Hoddesdon for "Hotwired" was more of the same terrific material.

 

Now as reigning IPW UK Tag Team Champions, Phoenix and Spud notched up successful defences against Maximum Head (Dan Head and Max Voltage) and EntouRAGE (Mark Sloan and Ollie Burns) before Spud suffered an injury that would put him out of action for the rest of 2006. Phoenix took on Bubblegum as a replacement in the team for scheduled defences, creating the team which became affectionately known to IPW:UK fans as BubbleFACE. After the partnership got off to a good start with a win over JC Thunder and Blockbusta at "Christmas Cracker" in Swanley (boo), BubbleFACE/Dragonhearts lost the UK Tag Team Titles the very next night in Colchester at IPW:UK's final show of 2006, "The Dome Show", to Claudio Castagnoli and Are$, $wiss Money Holding. Luke didn't look best pleased that substitute Bubblegum had lost his championship....but the issue never went anywhere.

 

Spud returned to IPW:UK in 2007, and with his regular partner back, Luke went after the tag team titles once again. The $wiss Money Holding duo of Are$ and Marc Roudin turned back their challenge at "No Escape" in January, and once the fun and games of the FWA vs. IPW:UK feud had passed, the rematch was signed for the King of Europe Cup weekend in April. With the champs this time being represented by their arguable "A" line-up (Castagnoli and Are$), Luke scored a huge upset singles win over ROH, PWG, CZW and Chikara star "Double-C" at "A Taste of IPW", before the tag title match proper the next day at "Another Taste of IPW". The tag match (which was, bizarrely when you consider the length of time the rivalry had been going, the first time that these 2 line-ups had wrestled each other) was possibly my own personal favourite match of 2007 so far. Blending action, comedy, characterisation, drama, passion, emotion and in-ring story-telling, it was truly splendid. Dragonhearts failed to win the IPW UK tag titles on this occasion, but Luke had his eyes on singles gold.

 

Over in SAS Wrestling, Luke "Dragon" Phoenix was established as a headline player. Unsurprisingly, he and Spud had been feuding with Martin Stone, Dave Moralez and SAS Champion Jack Storm pretty much since the inception of the promotion. it boiled down to Jack Storm vs. Luke Phoenix in a Title vs. Career match in May. Unbelievably, Phoenix actually lost, and as per the stipulation we were to believe his in-ring career was over. Apparently, this was no pro wrestling storyline - he was done....

 

He did appear for 1PW at the "Know Your Enemy 2007" weekend in June/July, where he and Spud won the vacant 1PW World Tag Team Titles in a 6-team gauntlet. They then successfully defended the championships against 4 of the same teams again the next night, this time in a 4-way match. However, the most notable aspect is that anti-1PW faction Damned Nation ran in on Night One and stole the belts, meaning Luke doesn't have a shiny gold strap to wear. 1PW are advertising Dragonhearts vs. Damned Nation for the titles and the belts at their August "Invincible" show, but we are still led ot believe that Luke "Dragon" Phoenix may well be finished...