Pro Wrestling Pride (sometimes referred to asPride Promotions, or simplyPWP) was a pro wrestling company based in the South West of England, established in 2012 by professional wrestler Darren 'Saviour' Ferguson. Since its inception in 2012 until its demise in 2017, the company promoted a range of shows; utilizing events throughSouth West England, and occasionally in widerEurope.
The promotion was well known for its liberal use of United Kingdom-based wrestlers, and international stars (Such asJim Duggan,Mr. Anderson andRob Van Dam).[1] The style of the events could be best described as traditionalsports entertainment, with events designed to be 'fun for all ages',[2] suitable for families, as opposed to the more 'extreme' or alternative style which is marketed at older viewers (SeeExtreme Championship Wrestling.)[3]
The style however, changed over the duration of the belt's longevity; with the aforementioned catch style, with a mix of luchador,Puroresu and even more 'extreme styles'. This was reflected in the match types contested for this championship; with "catch as catch can" wrestling style (SeeMountevans Rules),[7]Luchas de Apuestas[8] and evenTLC matches.[9] The division's prize was a catch division trophy, and not a traditional belt.[10]
Pride was founded in 2012 by Darren Ferguson.[11] Having been anindependent wrestler since 2009[12] under thering name 'Darren Saviour' wanted to create a brand of pro wrestling for the South West of England. The name of the company was designed not to be territorial, and thus given the name Pride; in direct comparison to the local companies Devon Wrestling Association,[13] and Plymouth Wrestling Alliance/Association.[14]
The companies first show was actually not an official production under the Pro Wrestling Pride banner.[15] It was a mixed boxing and professional wrestling show based in the Plymouth Guildhall named 'Plymouth Prizefighters 2'.[16] The event was not advertised as a Pride event; however the event was agreed ascannon in the companies history as it was featured on the companies YouTube channel[17] and could be considered apilot episode. The 'Prizefighters' name would go on to be used for the companies annual knockout tournament (See"Early Years")
The first show advertised under the Pro Wrestling Pride name took place on 13 May 2012, in Fergusson's home town ofTeignmouth; which featured the companies' first championship match; with Tyler Hawke besting 'Wild Boar' Mike Hitchman for thePWP Catch Division Championship.[18][19] It was also notable for local Devon wrestlerJoel Redman having his last match in the UK on the show before signing withWWE under theNXT brand.[18][20] Redman would later return to the UK in 2015 having been the firstNXT Tag Team Champions with partnerAdrian Neville.[21][22]
PWP would run two more shows in 2012, the events taking place in the Carlton Theatre, Teignmouth. These events would take place on the 25/26 August weekend; and would feature US based wrestler Josef Von Schmidt.[23] Schmidt would defeat Tyler Hawke for the championship during the weekender, and defend the championship in the United States againstA. R. Fox.[24] ThePWP Heavyweight Championship was also established won byCrediton wrestler Chris Andrews in afatal-4 Way Match.[25]
This trend would continue through 2014; with the 'adrenaline rush' tour,[29] with three new locations in three days; before the brand's first venture outside of Devon. The show was to take place inSaltash,Cornwall, and would be the first instance of the annual 'Prize Fighters' Tournament, an 8-personSingle-elimination tournament in the span of one night; reminiscent of theKing Of The Ring Tournament.[30][31]
May 2014 had to date the companies' onlyLuchas de Apuestas match; with a championship vs mask"I Quit" match for the Catch Division Trophy.[32] However, the match ended with a traditional title change, and not an unmasking.[33] The match would take place at 'Pride and Glory 2014', an event that has marked the companies spiritual anniversary every year, if not its chronological anniversary.[34]
Before the end of 2014, Pride held an event featuring formerExtreme Championship Wrestling alumnusRaven,[35] promoting the show as the stars final event in the UK. At the time, the star had not wrestled for over a year, and had considered retiring.[36] Raven would actually return to Pride two year later; having only wrestled in the United States in between.
Late in 2014, Pride would return to Saltash, and promote a match between then Catch Division Champion Dick Riley, andRing Of HonorTelevision ChampionJay Lethal for both championships. Despite neither championship changing hands, this is the first instance of an outside championship being defended on a Pride wrestling event.[37] This would be followed by aTNA Tag Team Championships Match in 2015, withThe American Wolves defending.[38]
With the size of crowds escalating, the next project had been conceived; known as 'Heroes & Legends' (Sometimes shortened to ""H&L", an event with multiple high-profile wrestling stars, andWWE Hall Of Fame members.[39] FeaturingRockstar Spud,Chris Masters,Roderick Strong &Jim Duggan[40] the event was a success; with over 800 in attendance,[41] over double the size of any Pride crowd before it. The event also saw multiple timeTNAWorld Heavyweight ChampionMr. Anderson win the Pride Heavyweight Championship, although he would lose the championship four weeks later in Truro.[42]
With the success of "H&L"; the second titled show was designed for later that year. This event featured a main event ofRhyno against Steve Griffiths for the championship, as well as a plethora of talent, including Hall Of FamerTed DiBiase.[43] The event would catch on, and become a bi-annual event.
Towards the end of 2015, Pride would do its first show outside of Devon or Cornwall, where they would appear inTaunton,Somerset; which would then hold three shows in January withKenny Omega (who would be awarded a 5-star match by Pro Wrestling Illustrated that year)[44] and WWE Hall of FamerTatanka, July featuringRob Van Dam[45] in front of over 800 people,[46] and in October withAdam Rose[47] Pride would promote 25 shows in the year of 2016, despite taking the month of November off.[48] Pride would also introduce a female only championship; with Nadia Sapphire winning the Pride Women's Championship in October 2016.
However, despite crowd attendances growing and United Kingdom wrestling being its strongest since the 1980s,[49] increasing competition and heightened number of events required more events to feature international wrestlers than ever before. This in turn effected Pride and in September 2017, the company fell into hiatus as owner Darren Ferguson placed the company in a state of hiatus owing to debts surrounding the shows.[50] Despite saying that he would be "closing down all future live events", he has also stated that the company would start up again once issues had been resolved.
The company's last shows before the hiatus included a three-day tour with shows inTaunton,Launceston andPlymouth, with the last being the 5th iteration of the Heroes and Legends event. These shows included guest appearances fromSimon Gotch,[51][52]Carlito[53] andJoey Ryan.[54]
Despite being a regional touring product; based in the South West of England,[55] Pride promoted shows in Europe outside of the UK. The first of these, being the 2015 international Brussels Tattoo Convention, and then again in February 2016 taking a team to co-promote two shows inLisbon based Centro De Treinos De Wrestling.[56] The team they would take included regular Pride members Saviour himself,Jigsaw,Ultimo Tiger, Cy Gregory and even Senior Referee Ed Dyer.[57]
