The 2007 UKFF 50

[alexander]

And if BT Gunn is any cop, I imagine the tag also featuring Maj and Lewis would be quite good.

I was actually disappointed by that match. I seemed to be the only one though.

Yeah, but I've noticed you and I never agree on SWA match quality stuff. Plus you liked Briscoes/Kotarvin better than Sasaki/Miyamoto so you're probably some form of homosexual.

I'm really not sure about ranking a deathmatch highly. I think that's the only thing keeping it away from the #2 spot. I'm going to give it a proper watch sometime soon as I'm doing a wad of reviews for my own reference.

Fair enough. Watch the recent Sasaki/Ito match as well, it's about as good.In order to keep things on topic - As someone who probably sees more Scottish wrestling than most and is entirely impartial, would you rate Renwick above Shamer? Cause if he's better than Shame I kind of need to see more of his stuff, like, yesterday.

[The Cum Doctor]

I'd probably rate Renwick above Shame. The guy is most likely one of the very best in Scotland right now.He goes in there with most opponents and will come out looking great.

[claymore]

I can see why people are surprised at the Butcher coming in above Adam Shame. Adam was a deserving champion who had some fantastic matches and had his run with the belt finish far too early due to a horrible injury. I think what may have edged Butcher ahead in many peoples' minds is the simple fact that wherever he goes, he's instantly insanely over. He can walk into a hall where nobody knows him and walk out as everybody's favourite wrestler. It's remarkable.

[Majik]

He can walk into a hall where nobody knows him and walk out as everybody's favourite wrestler.

The bastard.

[Big Benny HG]

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

No. 25 - "Human Hate Machine" Dave Moralez

2006 Ranking: 24

2005 Ranking: 32

Moving Back Down

 

Photo - www.saswrestling.com

 

The "Human Hate Machine" retains virtually the same spot he had in last year's UKFF 50.

 

Entering the summer of 2006 as one half of the IPW UK Tag Team Champions alongside Jack Storm, Moralez was at this time one quarter of the faction known as The Untouchables (the final two members being Martin Stone and Jonny Storm). With their series against the imploding AK-47 finished, Moralez and Storm seemed to lack direction. They defeated LDN's Project Future (Bobby Hostile and Riccardo Young) in a crap match at July's "Royale Rewards" to retain the belts, and then came out on the losing end of a poor 3-way tag match at "Frontiers of Honor II" against Team FWA (Doug Williams and James Tighe) and Team ROH (Austin Aries & Roderick Strong) in August in Swanley (boo).

 

The very next night, Moralez and Jack Storm returned to Doncaster for 1PW, where they were known as Team Supreme, henchmen to lead heel Sterling James Keenan. At the "Invincible" show, Moralez was in the main event in front of 1,400 fans. Though his team were the winners, Moralez was not one of the survivors of a disappointingly ridiculous, messy 10-man tag team falls-count-anywhere elimination match. The night after this, however, Moralez and Storm returned to IPW:UK and set-up their next big feud. In a great angle at "Summer Sizzler", the Untouchables were revealed as being the guys that had attacked and injured Luke "Dragon" Phoenix backstage at the previous month's show. This time leaving both of the Dragonhearts (Phoenix and Spud) laying, the challenge was made for a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match at the "2nd Anniversary Weekender" in September.

 

Infinitely better than the TLC match at the 1st Anniversary Show a year beforehand, Moralez and Storm vs. Spud and Phoenix under TLC rules took the main event spot on the 2nd night of the event, and was a dramatic, emotional and spectacular effort. Focusing more on the story being told as opposed to the spots the match contained, all 4 tore the house down. Though Moralez and Storm lost the IPW UK Tag Team Titles to the Dragonhearts, the rematch under the same conditions was set for IPW:UK "Hotwired" in Hoddesdon in October. The night before "Hotwired", Moralez returned to 1PW for their Anniversary show, with him, Storm and SJK beating Samoa Joe, Spud and Darkside in a naff match. The TLC rematch itself was no re-run of the original, yet still contained all the passion and drama that bout had seen. The Untouchables failed in their chance to regain the gold.

 

After defeating 3CW's Chris Whitton and Kid Richie in IPW:UK but being downed by (the newly babyface) Sterling James Keenan, Ulf Herman and Steve Corino (alongside the newly heel Darkside - try to keep up...) in 1PW in November, Moralez and Storm headed to RQW, where they appeared under their SAS Wrestling guise of Team Charming. December's free admission show saw them win a bizarre comedy 4-way elimination tag match, before they were confirmed as one of 8 teams entered into the never-ending tournament to crown the first RQW British Tag Team Champions. Their first round match actually took place on the 3CW "1PW Will Not Die....No Matter How Hard We Try" tribute show in Doncaster in January 2007, where they scored another win over Whitton and Richie to advance to the semis. Then, a great non-tournament match in February saw Team Charming defeat Hubba Bubba Lucha (Bubblegum and El Ligero) at York Hall.

 

While all of this was going on, Moralez was also establishing himself as a singles star in IPW:UK. His Untouchables stable-mate Jonny Storm had by this point left the group to side with the FWA during the inter-promotional feud, but Moralez had beaten JP Monroe and Pac in strong solo showings in December and January in order to be confirmed as one of the IPW:UK Army to face the FWA at "Final Frontiers" in March. On that climatic show in Orpington, Moralez smashed FWA's Johnny Phere in a super-heated grudge match, marking the first - and only - time he has been considered a fan favourite there. From there, a really strong April saw Moralez and Jack Storm defeat Madder Than You (JP Monroe & Mad Man Manson), Gunns of Steele (British Borne Steele & Tommy Gunn), Blockbusta & C-Juice and EntouRAGE (Mark Sloan and Ollie Burns) on IPW:UK shows, as well as finally turning on the other remaining Untouchable, Martin Stone to tie off a loose end.

 

This opened the next chapter for Moralez in IPW:UK, as Stone swore revenge. Moralez and Jack Storm fell to Stone and Jonny Storm at "Royal Rewards" in May, and then Moralez was defeated by Martin Stone in singles competition at "The June Show!!" With the issue not yet settled, Stone has now brought in his old partner Stixx in order to go to war with The Untouchables, with the first tag meeting between the two sides scheduled for August's "Summer Sizzler 2007".

 

Moralez has also continued to play a major part in SAS Wrestling, where as a member of the previously mentioned Team Charming, he has fought alongside Jack Storm, "Charming" Don Charles and Martin Stone (until Stone turned babyface on their evil asses) and been invovled in a lengthy feud with their old rivals Spud and "Dragon" Phoenix, recently seeing him challenge for Spud's SAS Championship in the main event slot. Continuing his tag team speciality, Moralez has also been an on-off regular for Swindon's 4 Front Wrestling. Somewhat unbelievably, he is not partners with Jack Storm (!), instead teaming with Matt Lomax in the Bruiser Street Mob. The name "Moralez" is spreading too, since he travelled all the way up to Scotland to challenge for the PBW Championship...

Edited August 2, 2007 by UK Hat Guy

[Big Benny HG]

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

No. 24 - Darkside

2006 Ranking: 8

2005 Ranking: Not Listed

Moving Back Down

 

Photo (about to Ass Chop Joseph Hayes) - www.gpwrestling.org.uk

 

Perhaps not the breakout year that everyone expected, as the Scotsman sees his Top 10 2006 UKFF 50 finish fall away 16 places.

 

July 2006 saw Darkside score the biggest upset of his career as he pinned Pro Wrestling NOAH's former GHC Junior Heavyweight and Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion Takashi Sugiura at 3CW's "Midsummer Showdown" in Billingham. The match itself was excellent. From there, Darkside would enter the 3CW Heavyweight Title hunt...

 

..but before that, he returned to 1PW in August for "Invincible", where he teamed with ROH stars Jay and Mark Briscoe to face Austin Aries, Roderick Strong and Matt Sydal in an exciting trios match. In the same promotion in October, he would take part in another 6-man tag, this time teaming with Spud and Samoa Joe against the evil trinity of Sterling James Keenan, Jack Storm and Dave Moralez.

 

Before he would return to 3CW to make his title challenge, Darkside made his IPW:UK debut. Walking through the crowd in his street clothes (that must have meant it was LEGIT~) to interupt the Ashley Reed vs. Pac "dream" match in Swanley (boo) in October, Darkside showed a heelish side that English fans were unfamiliar with. His next IPW:UK appearance was also unannounced, as he walked into Orpington in November and added himself to the Sam Slam vs. Paul Robinson National U23 Title match at "Brawl at the Hall". Though he didn't win, his cowardly tactics also meant that he avoided the Sam Slam spear that made Robinson puke his guts up. Returning to 3CW at "Night of the Damned" in November in Billingham, Darkside made up 1/3 of a 3-way for the Heavyweight Title, against defending champion Dragon Aisu and former champion Pac. The match was excellent, but saw Aisu retain.

 

November saw Darkside take part in GPW's fantastic "Crazy Cruiser8" one-night tournament, where he beat "Model" Danny Hope in a decent 1st round bout before falling to SIN member Joseph Hayes in a truly terrific semi-final. It was also around this time that he unveiled his new "Ass Chop" signature spot...

 

Coming back to England in December, Darkside was a busy boy. He teamed with the returning Stevie Lynn to defeat Damned Nation members Dragon Aisu and Blake Norton in the superb 30+ minute tag team main event of 3CW "Fight Before Christmas - Night One" before heading to Swanley (boo) the next day for IPW:UK "Christmas Cracker", wher he fell to Ashley Reed in a decent match. The night after that, Darkside was a part of the XS:W/WXW "Gorefest" 18+ hardcore show, where he and Germany's Stevie Douglas were determined to have a decidedly un-hardcore 1st round Deathmatch tournament bout, before their purposefully boring, rather humourous World of Sport routine was interupted by Zack Sabre Jr and the resulting 3-way got painful. It was Douglas that advanced, but Darkside showed yet another string to his bow. Also, he must have thought he had a stalker or something, since the only other person in the entire country who also attended those 3 particular shows in that 3-day period was.......me.

 

January 2007 saw Darkside's continued assault on the 3CW Heavyweight Crown. Though he had lost in his last title shot, he went through 30 others in the (admittedly dull) Royal Rumble-style "Free IV All" in January to earn another chance in the main event of one of 3CW's biggest shows of the year, the "History in the Maiming" 3rd Anniversary show. Taking place in March, the overall event was truly excellent. Darkside's main event against Dragon Aisu was a very enjoyable slice of gimmick-filled sports-entertainment pie, and the roof nearly came off the place when it appeared as though Darkside had won the title. However, ref bumbs and other interference meant the match was restarted, and Aisu used his trickery to retain. Darkside had been screwed. His grudge against Aisu would continue in another excellent 30+ minute Northallerton tag team main event in May, when he teamed with "Mr 50-50" Dan Evans to face Dragon Aisu and Majik in a fabulous losing effort. Unfortunately, Darkside hasn't been seen in 3CW since...

 

Over in 1PW, the cocky, heelish Darkside entered into a battle with with 1PW security team, led by mat veteran Keith Myatt. His interference, interuptions and promos weren't to everyone's taste, but will surely eventually lead to a match with Myatt. This little angle has also led to Darkside bringing in the "Heavyweight House of Pain" Stixx as his bodyguard for backup.

 

With regular appearances in 3CW, 1PW, IPW:UK, TTP, GPW and north of the border in his native Scotland for BCW, PBW etc, Darkside has been kept busy, and will surely continue to make an impact in 2007/8.

Edited August 2, 2007 by UK Hat Guy

[rattol]

At no 25 I think Dvae Morales has improved so much in the last couple of years nad has becomea great wrestler. He has the aggresion and fight to make a great heel, either in singles ortag team wrestling.

[Big Benny HG]

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

No. 23 - "Flawless" James Wallace

2006 Ranking: 12

2005 Ranking: 26

Moving Back Down

 

Photo - www.pbwwrestling.com

 

After an amazing 12th place finish in last year's UKFF 50, the former Jay Phoenix starts to slip back down the rankings.

 

One year ago, Phoenix/Wallace was still involved in his 1PW feud with Samoa Joe, built entirely around a backstage incident that only INSIDERZ~! and 'net fans knew about. As he continued to call out Joe, he teamed with 3CW's Stevie Lynn but fell to the bizarre team of Darren Burridge and Jimmy Snuka at July 2006's "Fight Club II" in Barnsley. Then, the Joe vs. Phoenix mini-feud came to an end when Joe smashed Jay at "Invincible" in Doncaster the next month. Despite his losing streak, he somehow managed to earn a 1PW World Title shot against Steve Corino at "Fight Club III" in October, on the afternoon of 1PW's "First Anniversary Show". He lost again.

 

1PW didn't run a proper show for another 6 months, but in the meantime, Wallace managed to add himself to the main event title match of the 1PW tribute show ("Will Not Die!!") in January 2007, becoming an odd third wheel to the Iceman vs. Ulf Herman hardcore antics. Of course, he didn't win here either, as it was Herman who left with the belt.

 

From there, however, with the promotion now having to be more focused on British talent, his 1PW career began to take off. Defeating Spud on Easter weekend at "Resurrection", G-Man at "Know Your Enemy - Night One" in June and his old BCW buddy Lionheart in a poor match at "Devils Due" the next day, Wallace began the 2007-2008 UKFF 50 year by defeating Pac for the 1PW Openweight Championship at "Know Your Enemy - Night Two". In case you are confused by the fact that 1PW's only other singles title is the Heavyweight belt, which is open to all weight classes anyway, this is the secondary title, like the IC belt, and a sign that 1PW may well have big plans for him down the line. Wallace then went on a tour of Belgium, defending his gold against the, erm, best the famous Belgian wrestling scene has to offer.

 

Away from 1PW, Wallace has continued to be a regular for W3L and PBW in his native Scotland, as well as appearing for smaller English promotions such as Newcastle's WWP, South Yorkshire's NWL and GNP and Midlands' BHW. However, his antics away from the ring continue to draw as much attention as his work within it, as he got into a brawl with Ruffneck at 1PW's "Fight Club II", scuffled with Chris Hero at the "King of Europe Cup" and as soon as his match was over at 1PW "Devils Due" the heel Wallace went and sat in the crowd to watch the rest of the show in full view of the audience.....next to the babyface Lionheart that he had just beaten.

Edited August 2, 2007 by UK Hat Guy

[$tew]

No. 24 - Darkside

This man is not better than Big Dave Moralez.

No. 23 - "Flawless" James Wallace

This man is not better than Big Dave Moralez.I cannot fathom this.

[sstevens619]

Both of the above are NO WAY better than Dave Moralez.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! Definately one of the best we have (imo of course!).

[Big Benny HG]

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

No. 22 - Mad Man Manson

2006 Ranking: Not Listed

2005 Ranking Not Eligible

Moving Up

 

Photo - UK Hat Guy

 

First ever UKFF 50 entry for the Irish crazyman. Manson had first become noticed through the IWW Whiplash TV show on The Wrestling Channel, but the past 12 months have seen him make a big impression on this side of the water.

 

Arriving in Real Quality Wrestling, Manson faced another fellow know for larking about , Darren Burridge, at the "Rebirth" show in Bethnal Green in November. The following month, Mad Man Manson was teamed with the goofy "Cooler Than You" JP Monroe to form the comedy tag team pairing known as "Madder Than You". After eliminating themselves from their 4-way elimination tag match in December when Manson submitted himself(!), the pair became a regular fixture. Indeed, they were entered into the still on-going RQW Tag Team Title tournament in January at the cheesily-named "No Pain, No Gain", where they defeated Burridge and AJPW's Kikutaro to advance. Then, taking Kikutaro's place in the so-called Team SHAG International, Manson himself teamed with Burridge the next night on the 1PW tribute show in a losing effort in a 3-way match for the 1PW tag titles.

 

Manson missed RQW's February show, which was explained to the live crowd for being due to him "being detained at the airport for licking a customs official", but returned in March as Madder Than You were dumped out of the tag title tournament by the IPW:UK team of the Hated Heroes (Aviv Maayan and ANDY SIMMONZ!!).

 

April was another busy month for Manson, as he faced former UPW, ZERO-ONE and WWE star Heidenreich at 1PW "Ressurection", beat G-Man at Futureshock Wrestling in Manchester, and then team with Monroe again to lose to Damned Nation (Dragon Aisu and Majik) back in RQW. Making his IPW:UK debut alongside Monroe at "Battle Royale", Manson joined in the celebrations of "The JC Thunder DVD" Launch Party, before Madder Than You took place in a tag team gauntlet, losing to The Untouchables in the first leg.

 

Back in 1PW in June, Manson unveiled his new Assylum interview segment at "Devils Due", his first guest being ROH star Delirious. Yes, you can imagine. Later that night at "Know Your Enemy - Night Two", Manson's alter ego El Hombre Insanico took part in a comedy 3-way with Delirious and El Ligero.

 

Exploding on the UK scene with his unique character and match style, Manson fills a necessary gap so well, and is sure to be a fixture for years to come.

Edited August 2, 2007 by UK Hat Guy

[Big Benny HG]

No. 24 - Darkside

This man is not better than Big Dave Moralez.

No. 23 - "Flawless" James Wallace

This man is not better than Big Dave Moralez.I cannot fathom this.

I personally would actually rate Darkside higher than Moralez, but I'll let you have Wallace.In fact, both Darkside and Moralez (and plenty more who ranked lower) are better than Wallace.The next entry may cause a bit of controversy too...

[$tew]

No. 22 - Mad Man Manson

Right, this one is pushing it, admittedly, as Manson is wonderful - but this man is not better than Big Dave Moralez.

[NBT]

Not using the picture of Manson tying Lantern up with wrist tape, boo-urns, Mr. Hat Guy, boo-urns. A couple of interesting entries in the last four, if I were listing them alone I'd goDave MoralezDarksideMadman MansonJay PhoenixBut that's me. Also, is Dave the smallest person ever to be given the nickname 'big' in a non-ironic way?

Edited August 2, 2007 by Natural Born Thrilla

[B3rry]

Also isn't it "Gooder Than You" for JP?