Frontier Wrestling Alliance#Rules
{{short description|British professional wrestling promotion}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2013}}
{{Infobox wrestling promotion
|name = Frontier Wrestling Alliance
|image = 250px
|caption = Frontier Wrestling Alliance's logo
|acronym = FWA
|established = 1999
|folded = 2012
|style = Professional wrestling
Sports entertainment
|location = London, United Kingdom
|founder = Mark Sloan (Founder of Fratton Wrestling Association)
|owner = Mark Sloan (1993–1999); Mark Sloan & Elisar Cabrera (1999–2004); Tony Simpson (Managing Director 2009–)
|parent =
|sister =
|merged =
|split =
|predecessor =
|successor = XWA
|formerly = Fratton Wrestling Association (1993–1999)
|website =
}}
Frontier Wrestling Alliance (FWA) was a professional wrestling promotion in Britain. 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 Kingdom. As a result of losing the promotion was forced to close and the company XWA was founded, largely based on the old FWA with some old staff and wrestlers as well as some championships. However, in 2009 the FWA brand was relaunched again as a separate promotion to the XWA, running for three more years before folding again in 2012.
History
=First run=
The FWA initially started out as the Fratton Wrestling Association in 1993 by Mark Sloan in an attempt to create a forum for serious wrestling training and performance based in Portsmouth.{{cite web|url=http://www.fightingspiritmagazine.co.uk/article.asp?IntID=47|title=The Rise + Fall of the FWA|last=Austin|first=Phil|publisher=Fighting Spirit Magazine|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001044137/http://www.fightingspiritmagazine.co.uk/article.asp?IntID=47|access-date=8 August 2009|archive-date=1 October 2011}} Renaming the promotion to the Fratton Wrestling Alliance 1999, it experienced a renovation that geared it towards national expansion and promoted its first show in February of that year, changing to Frontier Wrestling Alliance by the second show in June. The promotion (now being co-run by Mark Sloan and film and TV producer Elisar Cabrera) soon produced a regional television programme ("Frontier Wrestling") in Portsmouth as well as founding a training academy to create its own talent.{{cite web|url=http://www.fwauk.com/index.php?page=history_fwa|title=History of the FWA|publisher=Frontier Wrestling Alliance|access-date=8 August 2009}} The emphasis on new wrestlers organically{{clarify|date=January 2020}} led to an early storyline of new, internationally influenced wrestling clashing with traditional British wrestling with some veterans brought in to help promote FWA's own performers.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}
The company created a British championship later that year and in 2000 also crowned tag team champions as it continued to expand, performing across the south of the country. By August FWA began promoting shows with foreign talent, initially Sabu and Dan Severn, which it would continue to do so during its first run by cross promoting with other promotions. This eventually led to the British Heavyweight Championship being won by American wrestler Christopher Daniels, the belt being defended on international soil and a joint-promoted event with American independent promotion Ring of Honor in 2003.{{cite web|url=http://www.rohwrestling.com/live/events/past-event|title=Ring of Honor past results|publisher=Ring of Honor|access-date=6 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130322142414/http://www.rohwrestling.com/live/events/past-event|archive-date=22 March 2013|url-status=dead}} The company used international stars to gain notoriety (including hosting the XPW European Championship) and were further aided in advertisement when Alex Shane became a regular presenter on national talk radio station Talksport, aiding the company's expansion into the north of England. The ties with Talksport became important when FWA promoted a show entitled "Revival" from the Crystal Palace Indoor Arena that was broadcast live on radio and later on national television, through Bravo.
In late 2006, FWA entered into a scripted feud with International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom (IPW:UK) when FWA wrestlers invaded IPW:UK's annual Brawl at the Hall event and took some of the locker room hostage. In the elimination tag team contest, Team FWA beat Team IPW:UK{{cite web|url=http://www.ipwuk.com/results/2006-11-19.php|title=Brawl @ The Hall|publisher=International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom|access-date=9 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090131133647/http://ipwuk.com/results/2006-11-19.php|archive-date=31 January 2009|url-status=dead}} and proclaimed war on the company.{{cite web|url=http://www.frontierwrestlingonline.co.uk/ |title=Loyalists line up|work=Frontier Wrestling Alliance|publisher=Internet Archive|access-date=9 August 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061211003714/http://www.frontierwrestlingonline.co.uk/ |archive-date = 11 December 2006}} As the rivalry intensified over the next few months, wrestlers from both rosters had matches in both promotions and neutral ground with FWA gaining the early advantage.{{cite web|url=http://www.frontierwrestlingonline.co.uk/ |title=We salute Ross Jordan – two-time British Flyweight Champ!|work=Frontier Wrestling Alliance|publisher=Internet Archive|access-date=9 August 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070112003240/http://www.frontierwrestlingonline.co.uk/ |archive-date = 12 January 2007}} After months of clashes three events were held under joint banners with the final show, IPW:UK vs. FWA: Final Frontiers, booked for a match between IPW's Martin Stone and an unnamed FWA wrestler to with both companies' future on the line.{{cite web|url=http://www.frontierwrestlingonline.co.uk/ |title=Last ever FWA show?|work=Frontier Wrestling Alliance|publisher=Internet Archive|access-date=9 August 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070122233018/http://www.frontierwrestlingonline.co.uk/ |archive-date = 22 January 2007}} The show featured much in-fighting, including the two commentators breaking out into a brawl and ended with the mystery FWA wrestler being revealed as the retired former FWA British Heavyweight Champion Flash Barker who lost the match, resulting in FWA folding in March 2007.{{cite web|url=http://www.ipwuk.com/results/2007-03-25.php|title=IPW:UK vs. FWA – Final Frontiers 2007|publisher=International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom|access-date=9 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090131133652/http://ipwuk.com/results/2007-03-25.php|archive-date=31 January 2009|url-status=dead}}
=Closure and XWA=
{{main|XWA (professional wrestling)}}
After the FWA went out of business, Greg Lambert and Mark Kay held a press conference and formed a new promotion named XWA{{cite web|url=http://www.britwres.com/news/177165660.shtml|title=XWA: Raising From The FWA's Ashes|last=Jones|first=Phil|publisher=BritWres.com| access-date=24 December 2007}} alluding to their former company but insisting the two had a different ethos, with the new company gearing its product towards family entertainment rather than being adult orientated.{{cite web|url=http://www.frontierwrestlingonline.co.uk/backstage_pages/lambert_interview1.htm |title=The truth about XWA – An interview with Greg Lambert|work=Frontier Wrestling Alliance|publisher=Internet Archive|access-date=24 December 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080209163936/http://www.frontierwrestlingonline.co.uk/backstage_pages/lambert_interview1.htm |archive-date = 9 February 2008}} Despite only basing their promotion on the former company, XWA inherited the physical British Heavyweight and Flyweight Championship belts from FWA and continued to use them, promising to also resurrect the FWA Tag Team Championship, though they never would.{{cite web|url=http://www.frontierwrestlingonline.co.uk/backstage_pages/backstage.htm|title=XWA – The legend lives on|work=Frontier Wrestling Alliance|publisher=Internet Archive|access-date=9 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070531033214/http://www.frontierwrestlingonline.co.uk/backstage_pages/backstage.htm|archive-date=31 May 2007|url-status=dead}} However, in April 2009 at XWA's War on the Shore V, Lambert finally announced the creation of XWA's own British Heavyweight Championship belts and gave the FWA belt to Alex Shane, making his only appearance at an XWA event, while Shane presented the new physical title to the winner of the evening's championship match, Sam Slam.{{cite web|url=http://www.xwawrestling.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=299:xwa-war-on-the-shore-v-domes-day-official-review&catid=2:reviews&Itemid=7|title=XWA War on the Shore V|publisher=XWA|access-date=9 August 2009}}
=Rebirth=
Despite being on the losing end of the battle with International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom and the XWA promotion purportedly taking its lineage, in May 2009, over two years after its original demise, Tony Simpson and Alex Shane announced their intention to revive the national promotion.{{cite web|url=http://www.fwauk.com/index.php?fn_mode=fullnews&fn_incl=1&fn_id=3&page=news|title= A message from the new FWA Managing Director|last=Simpson|first=Tony|date=26 May 2009|publisher=Frontier Wrestling Alliance|access-date=9 August 2009}} They held their comeback show, New Frontiers, in early August with matches designed to crown a new FWA World Champion and FWA Flyweight Champion.{{cite web|url=http://www.fwauk.com/index.php?page=news&fn_mode=fullnews&fn_incl=1&fn_id=38|title=New Frontiers Round-Up|date=6 August 2009|publisher=Frontier Wrestling Alliance|access-date=9 August 2009}}
On 13 February 2010 at the British Uproar event in Broxbourne, Martin Stone defeated Andy Simmonz in the tournament finals to become the first FWA World Heavyweight Champion.{{Cite web|url=http://www.profightdb.com/wrestlers/andy-boy-simmonz-3070.html?prom_id=36|title=Andy Boy Simmonz: Profile & Match Listing – Internet Wrestling Database (IWD)|website=www.profightdb.com|access-date=10 January 2020}} He subsequently turned heel and formed a faction called "The Agenda", whose aims are to decimate the UK's top talent in order to showcase their skills to the large American wrestling companies and earn a lucrative contract as a result. At the European Uprising show in Birmingham on 20 November 2010, Alex Shane turned heel and revealed it was he who was the real leader of the Agenda.
After April 2012, the company quietly went inactive again running no further events,{{Cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=8&nr=38&page=4|title=Events « Frontier Wrestling Alliance (FWA) « Promotions Database « CAGEMATCH – The Internet Wrestling Database|website=www.cagematch.net|access-date=10 January 2020}} and their website going down.
Rules
The promotion followed the same rules as seen in most of professional wrestling but adopted the penalty card system from football, with the yellow card serving as a warning, and any red card offence resulting in disqualification. Piledrivers were banned under FWA rules and could result in a fine as well as disqualification.
Notable wrestlers
Championships
=Championships in other companies=
=Defunct championships=
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
!Championship | Date created | First champion(s) | Date retired | Last champion(s) |
| FWA World Heavyweight Championship
|13 February 2010 | ||||
| FWA Flyweight Championship
|30 July 2005 |Ross Jordan |Jynkz | ||||
| FWA European Union Championship
|2000 |Stuart "Fury" Farrimond |9 July 2001 |Scottie Rock | ||||
| XPW European Championship
|16 March 2003{{cite web|url=http://www.frontierwrestlingonline.co.uk/fwa_shrine_pages/history03.htm|title=FWA History 2003|work=Frontier Wrestling Alliance|publisher=Internet Archive|access-date=9 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071211083629/http://www.frontierwrestlingonline.co.uk/fwa_shrine_pages/history03.htm|archive-date=11 December 2007|url-status=dead}} |Christopher Annino (Rescue 911) |28 November 2004 | ||||
| FWA Tag Team Championship
|The New Breed |Stixx and Stone | ||||
| FWA Academy Championship
|LT Summers | ||||
| FWA Academy Tag Team Championship
|Mark Sloan & Ollie Burns |Mark Sloan & Ollie Burns |
=Defunct accomplishments=
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
!Accomplishment | Latest winner | Date won | Notes |
| Gold Rush
|Jonny Storm{{cite web|url=http://www.xwawrestling.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=201:the-history-of-goldrush&catid=6:features&Itemid=21|title=The History of Goldrush|date=10 January 2009|publisher=XWA|access-date=24 July 2009}} |3 February 2007 |Now competed for in XWA | |||
| King of England
|Jody Fleisch{{cite web|url=http://www.fwauk.com/index.php?page=results&res=2002|title=FWA Results 2002|publisher=Frontier Wrestling Alliance|access-date=25 July 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090815180916/http://www.fwauk.com/index.php?page=results|archive-date=15 August 2009}} |9 February 2002 |One-off tournament | |||
| Round Robin tournament
|31 July 2005 |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20121112030035/http://www.fwawrestling.co.uk/ FWA Official website]
{{Professional wrestling in the United Kingdom}}
{{XPW}}
Category:British professional wrestling promotions
Category:1993 establishments in the United Kingdom
Category:Defunct professional wrestling promotions