Frontier Wrestling Alliance

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

File:Fwa.png

Frontier Wrestling Alliance logo

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.<ref name="fsm">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="hist">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The emphasis on new wrestlers organicallyTemplate:Clarify 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.Template:Citation needed

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.<ref name="fsm"/> 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.<ref name="roh">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="hist"/> 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.<ref name="fsm"/>

File:FWA logo.jpg

FWA logo used during its final years

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<ref name="brawl6">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and proclaimed war on the company.<ref name="war">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="faw40">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="last">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="ipwfinal">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Closure and XWA

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} After the FWA went out of business, Greg Lambert and Mark Kay held a press conference and formed a new promotion named XWA<ref name="lives">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="gregint">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="liveson">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="shore5">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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.<ref name="rebirth">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> They held their comeback show, New Frontiers, in early August with matches designed to crown a new FWA World Champion and FWA Flyweight Champion.<ref name="newfront">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="uproar">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and their website shutting 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

• Alex Shane
• Zack Sabre Jr.
• Marty Scurll
• Andrew Simmonz
• Jonny Storm
• El Ligero
• Jody Fleisch
• Sha Samuels
• Terry Frazier
• Mark Haskins
• Rockstar Spud
• Bubblegum
• Drew Galloway
• Jorge Castano
• CM Punk
• Steve Corino
• AJ Styles
• Nikita

Championships

Championships in other companies

Championship	Last FWA Champion	Date won	Current champion	Current promotion
British Heavyweight Championship	Robbie Brookside<ref name="f06">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	15 July 2006	Spud<ref name="last09">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	XWA
British Flyweight Championship	Ross Jordan<ref name="f06"/>	10 December 2006	Spud<ref name="ven08">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	XWA
All England Championship	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	25 March 2007	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom

Defunct championships

Championship	Date created	First champion(s)	Date retired	Last champion(s)
FWA World Heavyweight Championship	13 February 2010	Martin Stone	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Martin Stone
FWA Flyweight Championship	30 July 2005	Ross Jordan	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Jynkz
FWA European Union Championship	2000	Stuart "Fury" Farrimond	9 July 2001	Scottie Rock
XPW European Championship	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Christopher Annino (Rescue 911)	28 November 2004	Jonny Storm
FWA Tag Team Championship	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	The New Breed Template:Small	20 October 2006<ref name="f06"/>	Stixx and Stone Template:Small
FWA Academy Championship	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	James Tighe	27 January 2007<ref name="th"/>	LT Summers
FWA Academy Tag Team Championship	25 November 2005<ref name="th"/>	Mark Sloan & Ollie Burns	27 January 2007<ref name="th"/>	Mark Sloan & Ollie Burns

Defunct accomplishments

Accomplishment	Latest winner	Date won	Notes
Gold Rush	Jonny Storm<ref name="gold">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	3 February 2007	Now competed for in XWA
King of England	Jody Fleisch<ref name="fw02">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	9 February 2002	One-off tournament
Round Robin tournament	Jody Fleisch	31 July 2005	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

External links

• FWA Official website