FWA All England Championship
Encyclopedia
The All-England Championship (formerly the FWA All-England Championship) was a professional wrestling
championship
which was originally contested for in Frontier Wrestling Alliance
(FWA) and subsequently in International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom
(IPW:UK) after FWA's closure. The title was established in 2001 and existed for eight years until it was unified with the IPW:UK Championship
in September 2009. The All-England Championship title reigns were determined by professional wrestling matches
.
, and Williams in a storyline dispute with the promotion's commissioner, Victoria De Montfort, a decision was made to focus on a secondary belt as a TV championship. At the time, the FWA had been using the FWA European Union Championship
as a secondary title, and with the company's ownership keen on promoting a particularly English flavour to the show, the title was renamed the All-England championship, a nod to the organisation running the Wimbledon tennis championships.
Scottie Rock, the last-recognised EU Champion, had been coming to the ring wearing the belt, which at that point was not recognised on the TV show. This was explained away as being a "gypsy fighting championship" belt by the commentary team. Nevertheless, Rock and Johnny Storm were chosen to compete for the initial championship, won by Storm in Portsmouth in July 2001.
The championship was initially envisaged as being a Brits-only competition. However, Ahmed Chaer, a Turkish-German wrestler from the German Stampede Wrestling promotion, was given the title to cement a short-lived alliance between the two promotions, though he lost it on his first defence a week later, to Paul Travell. Although the belt would then revert to its homegrown roots, the American Chris Hamrick
would also later hold the title.
on October 16, 2005, was stripped of the title on November 19, 2006 after siding with IPW:UK in an inter-promotional feud with FWA. Kincade first put his title reign in jeopardy on October 7 of that year by competing in an unsanctioned All-England Title defence at an IPW:UK show. Even though FWA had a working relationship with the promotion, and Kincade in fact retained the title, FWA refused to recognised the result of the match as the FWA management team did not agree for IPW:UK to use the All-England Title name and belt on their show. This continued with Kincade repeatedly siding with IPW:UK and scheduling his own title defences before finally being stripped of the FWA All-England Championship.
Kincade continued to defend the belt even though not officially being champion. However the next official champion would be FWA loyalist Iceman who defeated Kincade at an IPW show. Prior to the match, the FWA announced it would sanction the Title match only if Iceman won.
During the Final Frontiers show, IPW:UK wrestler Sam Slam won the title from Iceman. However, this show also saw IPW:UK win the inter-promotional feud and push FWA out of business, leaving the titles status unclear. FWA would also revive itself as XWA but would sever all ties with the All-England Championship. The title would continue to operate in IPW:UK for just under two years, being part of the British National Championship
tournament in 2008, until it was unified into the IPW:UK Championship
.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
championship
Championship (professional wrestling)
A Championship or "title" in professional wrestling is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations.Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in which competitors are involved in scripted rivalries...
which was originally contested for in Frontier Wrestling Alliance
Frontier Wrestling Alliance
Frontier Wrestling Alliance is a British professional wrestling promotion. Established in 1993 as the Fratton Wrestling Association it soon became the Frontier Wrestling Alliance six years later and until 2007 when it lost a scripted inter-promotional feud with International Pro Wrestling: United...
(FWA) and subsequently in International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom
International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom
International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom is a British professional wrestling promotion. Daniel Edler is the majority owner, chairman and founder of the company. The company was established in 2004 and since their foundation they have held monthly shows in Orpington, Kent...
(IPW:UK) after FWA's closure. The title was established in 2001 and existed for eight years until it was unified with the IPW:UK Championship
IPW:UK Championship
The International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom Unified British Championship is a professional wrestling championship owned and copyrighted by International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom. The title was established in 2005 and is the highest ranked championship in the company...
in September 2009. The All-England Championship title reigns were determined by professional wrestling matches
Professional wrestling match types
Many types of matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, can be found in the form of performing art that is professional wrestling....
.
FWA
The genesis of the All-England title had its roots in the weekly FWA TV show on Portsmouth's MyTV channel in the summer of 2001. With the main FWA title held by Doug WilliamsDoug Williams (wrestler)
Douglas Clayton Durdle is an English professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Doug Williams. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Douglas Williams...
, and Williams in a storyline dispute with the promotion's commissioner, Victoria De Montfort, a decision was made to focus on a secondary belt as a TV championship. At the time, the FWA had been using the FWA European Union Championship
FWA European Union Championship
The FWA European Union Championship was a short-lived mid-card title contested for in the professional wrestling promotion, Frontier Wrestling Alliance....
as a secondary title, and with the company's ownership keen on promoting a particularly English flavour to the show, the title was renamed the All-England championship, a nod to the organisation running the Wimbledon tennis championships.
Scottie Rock, the last-recognised EU Champion, had been coming to the ring wearing the belt, which at that point was not recognised on the TV show. This was explained away as being a "gypsy fighting championship" belt by the commentary team. Nevertheless, Rock and Johnny Storm were chosen to compete for the initial championship, won by Storm in Portsmouth in July 2001.
The championship was initially envisaged as being a Brits-only competition. However, Ahmed Chaer, a Turkish-German wrestler from the German Stampede Wrestling promotion, was given the title to cement a short-lived alliance between the two promotions, though he lost it on his first defence a week later, to Paul Travell. Although the belt would then revert to its homegrown roots, the American Chris Hamrick
Chris Hamrick
Chris Hamrick is an American professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling throughout the early 2000s...
would also later hold the title.
IPW:UK
Former champion Leroy Kincade, who defeated Hade VansenHade Vansen
Hade Vansen is an English professional wrestler who was under a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment until he was released from his contract on January 9, 2009.-Career:...
on October 16, 2005, was stripped of the title on November 19, 2006 after siding with IPW:UK in an inter-promotional feud with FWA. Kincade first put his title reign in jeopardy on October 7 of that year by competing in an unsanctioned All-England Title defence at an IPW:UK show. Even though FWA had a working relationship with the promotion, and Kincade in fact retained the title, FWA refused to recognised the result of the match as the FWA management team did not agree for IPW:UK to use the All-England Title name and belt on their show. This continued with Kincade repeatedly siding with IPW:UK and scheduling his own title defences before finally being stripped of the FWA All-England Championship.
Kincade continued to defend the belt even though not officially being champion. However the next official champion would be FWA loyalist Iceman who defeated Kincade at an IPW show. Prior to the match, the FWA announced it would sanction the Title match only if Iceman won.
During the Final Frontiers show, IPW:UK wrestler Sam Slam won the title from Iceman. However, this show also saw IPW:UK win the inter-promotional feud and push FWA out of business, leaving the titles status unclear. FWA would also revive itself as XWA but would sever all ties with the All-England Championship. The title would continue to operate in IPW:UK for just under two years, being part of the British National Championship
British National Championship
The British National Championship was a year long professional wrestling tournament, organised by International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom, that started in September 2007, with the final being held at The Great Hall in Bromley on October 26, 2008....
tournament in 2008, until it was unified into the IPW:UK Championship
IPW:UK Championship
The International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom Unified British Championship is a professional wrestling championship owned and copyrighted by International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom. The title was established in 2005 and is the highest ranked championship in the company...
.
Title history
| # | Wrestler | Reigns | Date | Days held | Location | Event | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scottie Rock | ||||||||
| Jonny Storm Jonny Storm Jonathan Whitcombe is an English professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Jonny Storm. He has worked for many independent promotions across the United Kingdom, including the Frontier Wrestling Alliance, Real Quality Wrestling and One Pro Wrestling... |
Portsmouth Portsmouth Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island... , Hampshire Hampshire Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force... |
No Surprises | ||||||
| Ahmed Chaer | Essen Essen - Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
Broken Rulz | ||||||
| Paul Travell | Harrow London Borough of Harrow The London Borough of Harrow is a London borough of north-west London. It borders Hertfordshire to the north and other London boroughs: Hillingdon to the west, Ealing to the south, Brent to the south-east and Barnet to the east.-History:... , London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... |
Trick or Treat | ||||||
| Mark Sloan Mark Sloan Mark Sloan is a British professional wrestler. Sloan is best known for his work with the Frontier Wrestling Alliance due to founding the promotion and being head trainer in the company's training academy, FWA Academy.... |
Acton, London Acton, London Acton is a district of west London, England, located in the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross.At the time of the 2001 census, Acton, comprising the wards of East Acton, Acton Central, South Acton and Southfield, had a population of 53,689 people... |
Lights, Camera, Acton | ||||||
| Zebra Kid Roy Bevis Roy Bevis, better known by his ring name Zebra Kid is a British professional wrestler. Bevis is the son of the well-known wrestler-turned-promoter, Ricky Knight... |
Telford Telford Telford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham... , Shropshire Shropshire Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west... |
Vendetta | ||||||
| Jack Xavier | Broxbourne Broxbourne Broxbourne is a commuter town in the Broxbourne borough of Hertfordshire in the East of England with a population of 13,298 in 2001.It is located 17.1 miles north north-east of Charing Cross in London and about a mile north of Wormley and south of Hoddesdon... , Hertfordshire Hertfordshire Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and... |
Crunch | ||||||
| Zebra Kid | N/A | |||||||
| Chris Hamrick Chris Hamrick Chris Hamrick is an American professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling throughout the early 2000s... |
Morecambe Morecambe Morecambe is a resort town and civil parish within the City of Lancaster in Lancashire, England. As of 2001 it has a resident population of 38,917. It faces into Morecambe Bay... , Yorkshire Yorkshire Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform... |
Live event | ||||||
| Jonny Storm | Sudbury, Suffolk Sudbury, Suffolk Sudbury is a small, ancient market town in the county of Suffolk, England, on the River Stour, from Colchester and from London.-Early history:... , Suffolk Suffolk Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east... |
Live event | ||||||
| Zebra Kid | Portsmouth Portsmouth Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island... , Hampshire Hampshire Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force... |
Live event | ||||||
| Vacant | Bethnal Green Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is a district of the East End of London, England and part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, with the far northern parts falling within the London Borough of Hackney. Located northeast of Charing Cross, it was historically an agrarian hamlet in the ancient parish of Stepney,... , London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... |
British Uprising 2 | ||||||
| Hade Vansen Hade Vansen Hade Vansen is an English professional wrestler who was under a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment until he was released from his contract on January 9, 2009.-Career:... |
Bethnal Green Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is a district of the East End of London, England and part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, with the far northern parts falling within the London Borough of Hackney. Located northeast of Charing Cross, it was historically an agrarian hamlet in the ancient parish of Stepney,... , London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... |
British Uprising 2 | ||||||
| Leroy Kincaide | Broxbourne Broxbourne Broxbourne is a commuter town in the Broxbourne borough of Hertfordshire in the East of England with a population of 13,298 in 2001.It is located 17.1 miles north north-east of Charing Cross in London and about a mile north of Wormley and south of Hoddesdon... , Hertfordshire Hertfordshire Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and... |
Hotwired | ||||||
| Iceman | Orpington Orpington Orpington is a suburban town and electoral ward in the London Borough of Bromley. It forms the southeastern edge of London's urban sprawl and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:... , Kent Kent Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of... |
No Escape | ||||||
| Sam Slam | Orpington Orpington Orpington is a suburban town and electoral ward in the London Borough of Bromley. It forms the southeastern edge of London's urban sprawl and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:... , Kent Kent Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of... |
IPW:UK vs FWA: Final Frontiers | ||||||
| Jonny Moss | Wolverhampton Wolverhampton Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region... , West Midlands West Midlands (county) The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The... |
Fourth Anniversary Tour | ||||||
| Terry Frazier The Kartel The Kartel is a professional wrestling tag team made up of Terry Frazier and Sha Samuels. They are best known their work on the independent circuit mainly within the United Kingdom.-Professional wrestling career:... |
Bromley Bromley Bromley is a large suburban town in south east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It was historically a market town, and prior to 1963 was in the county of Kent and formed the administrative centre of the Municipal Borough of Bromley... , Kent Kent Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of... |
British National Finale | ||||||
| Leroy Kincaide | Sittingbourne Sittingbourne Sittingbourne is an industrial town about eight miles east of Gillingham in England, beside the Roman Watling Street off a creek in the Swale, a channel separating the Isle of Sheppey from mainland Kent... , Kent Kent Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of... |
Summer Sizzler | ||||||
| Unified | Sittingbourne Sittingbourne Sittingbourne is an industrial town about eight miles east of Gillingham in England, beside the Roman Watling Street off a creek in the Swale, a channel separating the Isle of Sheppey from mainland Kent... , Kent Kent Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of... |
5th Anniversary Show |