| Acronym | TRP |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1981 |
| Style | Professional wrestling |
| Headquarters | New Bedford, Massachusetts (1996–2000) Fall River, Massachusetts (2000–2017) |
| Founder | Joe Eugenio |
| Owner | Steve Ricard (2000–2017) |
| Formerly | Yankee Pro Wrestling (1994–2004) South Coast Championship Wrestling New England Wrestling (1988–1994) Whaling City Wrestling (1981–1984) |
| Website | www |
Top Rope Promotions (formerly known as Yankee Pro Wrestling and South Coast Championship Wrestling) is a North Eastern independent professional wrestling promotion based inNew Bedford, Massachusetts and is the largest promotion in the SouthernNew England area rivaling other North Eastern promotions includingChaotic Wrestling, theMillennium Wrestling Federation andNew England Championship Wrestling.[1] Along with its former head trainerMatt Hyson (Spike Dudley), their seminars have been hosted byRing of Honor alumniJamie Noble andA.J. Styles. A number of independent wrestling stars have competed in Top Rope Pro Wrestling during their careers including Amanda Storm,[2][3] Andy Jaxx,[4]D. C. Drake,[5]Slyck Wagner Brown,Johnny Heartbreaker,Shark Boy,Christian York, The Metal Maniac,Robbie Ellis,[6]Rick Fuller,Dan "The Beast" Severn,Anthony Greene, and"Brutal" Bob Evans.
Following the close ofExtreme Championship Wrestling, several ECW mainstays such asAmish Roadkill,[7]Dawn Marie,Simon Diamond,Perry Saturn,Tony DeVito,Little Guido,Jerry Lynn,Steve Corino,Justin Credible,Julio Dinero,Chris Hamrick,Big Dick Dudley andJoel Gertner had brief stints in the promotion. In recent years, TNA wrestlersChristy Hemme,Talia,Abyss,Jay Lethal,Joey Matthews,Ron "The Truth" Killings,Bubba Ray Dudley, andD-Von Dudley have also made appearances.
The promotion began holding events in the Fall River-New Bedford area during the early-1980s, picking up the old territorial area previously run by theWorld Wide Wrestling Federation during the 1970s. After going through several name changes and owners, the promotion changed its name fromNew England Wrestling Association toYankee Pro Wrestling during the 1990s. During this time, the promotion gained a strong following in southern New England regularly bringing in former WWF stars from the 1980s and 90s.
The promotion was purchased by head booker Steve Ricard in 2000. Under theTop Rope Promotions banner, he continued running monthly shows in the Fall River-New Bedford area as both Yankee Pro Wrestling and South Coast Championship Wrestling,[8] successfully making between $500–$5,000 a show.[9] The majority of its shows are held at the PAL Hall in Fall River, Massachusetts and the Top Rope Arena in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The promotion also ran a weekly cable television program in the local area. In 2007, the names Yankee Pro Wrestling and South Coast Championship Wrestling ceased to be used and all events were now exclusively under the name Top Rope Promotions.
In addition to monthly events at the PAL Hall in Fall River, Top Rope Promotions runs events at the Creative Auction Centers inFall River andNew Bedford, the Adams-Turners Hall inAdams and the Elks Lodge in Franklin. Top Rope Promotions also appears at the annual Whaling City Festival at Buttonwood Park in New Bedford and at the annual Wolcott Country Fair inWolcott, Connecticut. The promotion also holds annual events at Outdoor World campground inSturbridge, Massachusetts.
The Lock-Up Wrestling School
The school was founded by Top Rope Promotions owner Steve Ricard and former head trainer Matt Hyson (formerly known as Spike Dudley) in 2005. Hyson had been the school's head trainer from 2005 to 2013, The school is responsible for training several independent stars such as Teddy Goodz,T. K. O'Ryan, formerRing of Honor Television Champion, formerRing of Honor Tag Team Champion, formerIWGP Tag Team ChampionMatt Taven andRing of Honor wrestlerVinny Marseglia.[citation needed] Top Rope Promotions veteran "H2O" Ryan Waters became one of the school's trainers in 2013 after Hyson left the promotion. In 2021 Lock-up graduate Nico Silva and New England veteranElia Markopoulos joined Waters as co-trainers. In 2022, both Ryan Waters and Nico Silva stepped down as trainers, making Elia Markopoulos head trainer. In July 2023 Bob Evans became a trainer at the Lock-Up.
| Championship | Current champion(s) | Date won | Event | Previous champion(s) | Days held | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TRP Heavyweight Championship | "Heavy Metalweight" Moshpit | April 19, 2024 | Spring Fling 2024 | ”World Class” Channing Thomas | 565+ days | |
| TRP Interstate Championship | "The Greatest Greek Alive"Elia Markopoulos | May 9th, 2025 | Spring Retaliation 2025 | ”The Beastmaster” PPH | 179+ days | |
| TRP Tag Team Championship | Guapo Suave (Diego Alvarez and Lex Lozano) | May 9th, 2025 | Spring Retaliation 2025 | Tough Guy Inc | 179+ Days |
| Accomplishment | Previous winner | Date won | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spindle City Rumble | Moshpit | December 27, 2024 | Spindle City Rumble: Rise and Fall | |
| Kowalski Cup | PPH{Portuguese Power House} | November 15, 2024 | Kowalski Cup Tournament: 18th Annual | |
| Gold Rush | Moshpit | July 14, 2023 | Summer Showdown 2023 | None Since |
