Acronym IPW:UK Website IPWUK.com | Owner(s) Daniel Edler Founded 2004 | |
 | ||
Style Professional wrestling
Sports entertainment Headquarters Margate, United Kingdom Profiles | ||
International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom (IPW:UK/IPWUK) is a British professional wrestling promotion. Daniel Edler is the owner, chairman and founder of the company. The company was established in 2004 and currently hold monthly shows across Kent and the south-east; notably in Tonbridge, Swanley, Snodland and Selsdon. They also have a pro wrestling training school.
Contents
Company history
The promotion made its debut in September, 2004 with a show called Extreme Measures at the Orpington Halls in Orpington, Kent. The show included an Iron Fist match between Jonny Storm and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's Super Dragon. Other memorable early shows for IPW:UK would include the Best of British series which would see matches to determine the best wrestlers in the UK of a certain class (High Flyers, and Heavyweights). The promotion would soon reach a deal with The Wrestling Channel to broadcast a weekly one-hour television show.
In August, 2006, Frontier Wrestling Alliance allowed IPW:UK to participate in its second Frontiers of Honor show which also involves American promotion Ring of Honor. This working relationship with FWA would seem to take a turn for the worse when several incidents involving IPW:UK using FWA talent when the same talent were scheduled to appear in FWA events, and promoting FWA title defences without asking for permission from the FWA management team. However, these seemingly legit incidents were worked into an inter-promotional feud that would see then IPW:UK Champion Martin Stone be stripped of his FWA Tag Team Title, siding with IPW:UK in preparation to face semi-retired FWA Star Alex Shane in a Promotion vs. Promotion – Winner Takes All Match at Broxbourne on 16 March 2007. This was later changed to The Orpington Halls vs. Flash Barker, on 25 March - an event which IPW:UK won.
In early-2007, IPW:UK announced that from October, 2007 to September, 2008, they would be running a year-long, 64 person tournament entitled the "British National Championship". This culminated in a final bout between Johnny Moss and Terry Frazier, with Frazier coming out on top as the winner of the BNC and the new All-England Champion.
In mid-2007 IPW:UK were contacted by Channel 4's Endemol regarding working with Big Brother's Little Brother and former Big Brother contestant Billi "Lightning" Bhatti. After successful training days, IPW:UK were featured heavily on the BBLB program and have continued to work with Billi ever since, featuring him on several of their live events.
IPW:UK returned to its core values in 2012 with Daniel Edler in sole control, helping to develop new characters for the UK wrestling scene. They now run multiple shows around the country, with a home base Swanley, Kent.
IPW:UK have a training school, available at http://www.ipwuktraining.com.
British Under 23's Championship
The 'National (British) Under 23's Championship was an inaugural professional wrestling event hosted by International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom on 18 November 2006 at the Drill Hall, in Ware, Hertfordshire, to crown the first-ever British Under 23's Champion. The event showcased young talent from over 12 United Kingdom promotions and though the event was hosted by IPW:UK it ran under the British Wrestling United (BWU) banner with the intention for the belt to then be defended on various companies' shows around the country for the foreseeable future. Several "Guest Matches" from promotions took place on the afternoon card before the tournament in the evening, where competitors do not need to meet the Under 23 age qualifier.
Tournament
Eight wrestlers, chosen or qualified from eight separate promotions around the country, will face off in a single-elimination one-night tournament, to ultimately crown the first National British Under 23 titleholder.
1 Bubblegum won a 9-Man Elimination match to qualify as RQW’s entrant at RQW Summer Brawl 2006 on 18 August 2006.
2 Aviv Mayaan qualified in an FWA:A guest match against Ollie Burns during the afternoon show.
3 Robinson qualified as IPW:UK’s entrant after defeating Aviv Maayan at IPW:UK's 2nd Anniversary on 24 September 2006.
4 Stiro defeated Zack Sabre, Jr. to qualify as TXW’s entrant.
5 Match ends in a no contest after interference from Aviv Maayan and LT Summers with both men being taken out of the tournament.
6 Aviv Mayaan filled the empty semi final spot.
7 Sam Slam becomes the first British Under 23's Champion.