NWA UK Hammerlock
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| NWA UK Hammerlock | |
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| Details | |
| Acronym | NWA UK |
| Established | 1993 |
| Style | British Wrestling with modern influences |
| Location | Kent |
| Founder(s) | Andre Baker |
| Owner(s) | Andre Baker |
| Parent | National Wrestling Alliance |
NWA UK Hammerlock is a British professional wrestling promotion based in Kent.
[edit] History
Established in 1993 by former wrestler turned promoter Andre "Sledgehammer" Baker, it is one of the National Wrestling Alliance's territories. For many years the NWA had shunned Europe because it recognized a rival World Heavyweight Championship based in the UK (recognized by All Star Promotions), but in the late 1990s, the UK Hammerlock became a member of the NWA, opening Europe to its influence. The Hammerlock wrestling school has produced some of the top names in England ranging from former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Gary Steele, Doug Williams, Johnny Moss, Fergal Devitt, Rebecca Knox Katie Lea and many more.
Probably the biggest event in Hammerlock's history came in 1999, when the promotion's top star, Gary Steele, defeated Naoya Ogawa to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Gary Steele also made appearances for the Japanese promotion ZERO-ONEon their PPV supercards "Fighting Athlete" in March 2001 and True Century Creation II in March 2002. NWA-UK Hammerlock generally run shows around the Kent area, but have been known to put shows on around the Essex area, Wales, Cumbria etc. The promotion also has training schools in Kent, Coventry, Scotland and Dublin.
The promotion would also branch out after the turn of the century, setting up a sister operation, known as NWA Ireland as well as gain a working relationship with the Scottish Wrestling Alliance.
Hammerlock training school graduate Fergal Devitt is their biggest success currently at New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) under the ring name of Prince Devitt. While graduates Paul Tracey and "Rudeboy" Peter Jay have also embarked on campaigns to the United States both taking notable stays at New Japan's L.A Dojo
UFC Hall of famer Dan 'The Beast' Severn also held the promotion's NWA United Kingdom Heavyweight Championship while on tour with the promotion before losing it to Johnny Moss.
The NWA-UK Heavyweight title's biggest exposure in recent times was when Scottish Wrestling Alliance presented the Gathering from the Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena in Glasgow, Scotland. Drawing a complete sellout of 1700. Conscience retained his NWA-UK Heavyweight title agaisnt Doug Williams in the main event. Also on the show was a NWA Scottish Heavyweight Championship match, Jack Jester defeated "Vigilante" Johnny Moss by pinfall to capture the title. Jack becomes the 8th champion.
[edit] Championships
| Championship: | Current champion(s): | Held since: |
|---|---|---|
| NWA British Commonwealth Heavyweight Championship | Dru Onyx | October 26, 2007 |
| NWA United Kingdom Heavyweight Championship | Conscience | March 17, 2007 |
| NWA United Kingdom Junior Heavyweight Championship | Zack Sabre, Jr. | October 22, 2005 |
| NWA Ireland Heavyweight Championship | Phil Boyd | April 1, 2007 |
| NWA Ireland Junior Heavyweight Championship | Jordan Devlin | May 28, 2006 |
| NWA Ireland Tag Team Championship | The Regency Society (Aguila Artois and Michael Winchester) |
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| NWA Scottish Heavyweight Championship | Wolfgang | May 17, 2008 |
[edit] External links
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