Grand Pro Wrestling

Grand Pro Wrestling
Acronym GPW
Founded 2003 - Present
Style Professional wrestling
Headquarters Wigan & Manchester
Founder(s) Lee Butler
Owner(s) Johnnie Brannigan
Website Grand Pro Wrestling

Grand Pro Wrestling (formerly Garage Pro Wrestling) or GPW is a British professional wrestling promotion based in the north west of England. The promotion was set up by former British wrestler - "The Middleman" Lee Butler - in February 2003. However, in August 2004, Butler handed over the reins of the promotion to his senior trainees and retired from wrestling due to injury and ill-health. GPW is now run by Johnnie Brannigan, but with Richard Noble being the public facing name.

Contents

Overview

The promotion runs shows all over the north west of England, mainly in the Greater Manchester area. It has developed a large, passionate fan base and has gained a reputation for one of the best story telling wrestling companies in Europe, with second to none character development. Its shows are known for their addictive and progressive story lines, superb production values, mixed with hard hits, high flying, comedy and a very strong connection between their audience and their characters.

On average, it runs between 10 and 12 shows per year with the main story line shows taking place in Wigan at The Monaco Ballroom. GPW has established several flagship shows that it has become very well known for, such as: Crazy Cruiser-8 (one night 8-man tournament show), Only The Strong Survive (survival themed show) and A Few Good Men (a Royal Rumble themed show).

GPW is credited with having started off many of today's British and American independent wrestlers careers. These names include: Bubblegum, El Ligero, Claudio Castagnoli, Juggernaut, Joey Hayes, "Dangerous" Damon Leigh, Heresy, TJ Cain, Juice, Dylan Roberts, "The Model" Danny Hope, Jiggy Walker, JC Thunder, Cameron Knite and many more.

History

The promotion's first show was in July 2003, GPW: "Defection" held at the Monaco Ballroom, Wigan. Wrestlers on that night who are still active on the roster are Heresy, "Dangerous" Damon Leigh, Joey Hayes and Roxi.

Other memorable shows include GPW: "Nemesis" which saw a main event tag team tables match between Lee Butler & Heresy vs. The Young Offenders ("Dangerous" Damon Leigh & Joey Hayes). The match saw both Heresy and Damon Leigh in a 30 ft balcony stunt. GPW: "Hold The Line Tour" in March 2004 saw the debuts of Chris Hero and Gangrel. During GPW: "Last Orders At The Legion" in January 2005 there was a well documented riot, at the now demolished venue in Leigh, Greater Manchester. The riots in the audience were very real and occurred when Alex Shane stole the British Title from then champion Damon Leigh.

In July 2005, GPW: "Saturday Night Showdown" saw JC Thunder vs. El Ligero in main event hardcore match. The match was quite possibly the most controversial in British wrestling history and resulted in the venue banning all professional wrestling from the Greater Manchester area. GPW followed up its well publicised problems with a show in Preston called GPW: "Trials & Tribulations" in September of the same year. The following year it returned to the Greater Manchester area.

In November 2006, Garage Pro Wrestling promoted the first ever Crazy Cruiser-8 tournament. With headline grabbing shows in between such as GPW: "Salvation Is Here", GPW: "Keep The Faith" and GPW: "Friday Night Thriller" it was in May 2007 that GPW promoted Europe's first ever Survivor Series dedicated show. July 2008 saw its 5th Anniversary show GPW: "V" which was considered by many to be the best show so far. In October 2008,] GPW became the only European company to feature a Torneo Cibernetico.

Re-Branding as Grand Pro Wrestling

After 7 years of being known as Garage Pro Wrestling, in August 2010 GPW re-branded as Grand Pro Wrestling and announced an association with Big Bang Entertainment. A new company tag line was also revealed as "Entertainment with a Kick!"

Championships

GPW Heavyweight Championship

Wrestler Times Date Place / Type Of Match / Event
Chris Hero 1 6 March 2004 Whitehaven / vs. JC Thunder / GPW: "Hold The Line Tour Pt.1"
TJ Cain 1 17 October 2004 The Legion, Leigh / vs. Chris Hero / GPW: "...A Hero's Welcome"
Heresy 1 22 January 2006 Den Haag, Holland / vs. TJ Cain / DCW: "Shockwave"
Dirk Feelgood 1 17 October 2006 The Monaco Ballroom, Wigan / vs. Heresy / GPW: "Friday Night Thriller"
Darkside 1 21 September 2007 The Monaco Ballroom, Wigan / vs. Dirk Feelgood / GPW: "Back To School"
Johnny Phere 1 7 March 2008 The Monaco Ballroom, Wigan / 3-Way vs. Dirk Feelgood vs. Darkside / GPW: "Strictly Come WRESTLING!"
Bubblegum 1 4 July 2008 The Monaco Ballroom, Wigan / 4-Way vs. Johnny Phere vs. Dirk Feelgood vs. Darkside / GPW: "V"
Juggernaut 1 18 April 2009 The Monaco Ballroom, Wigan / vs. Bubblegum / GPW: "Slam Jam"
"Dangerous" Damon Leigh 1 19 November 2010 The Monaco Ballroom, Wigan / vs. Mark Kodiak / GPW: "Guts and Glory"
Dirk Feelgood 2 2 December 2011 The Monaco Ballroom, Wigan / vs. "Dangerous" Damon Leigh / GPW: "Do or Die"
Martin Kirby 1 2 Decemeber 2011 The Monaco Ballroom, Wigan / vs. Dirk feelgood / GPW: "Do or Die"

GPW British Championship

Wrestler Times Date Place / Type Of Match / Event
"Dangerous" Damon Leigh 1 24 April 2004 Blackburn, Lancashire / vs. Joey Hayes w/ Heresy as special guest ref / GPW: "Hostile Takeover"
Alex Shane 1 16 January 2005 The Legion, Leigh / vs. "Dangerous" Damon Leigh / GPW: "Last Orders At The Legion"
"Dangerous" Damon Leigh 2 3 February 2006 The Monaco Ballroom, Wigan / vs. "Showstealer" Alex Shane / GPW: "Back With A Bang 2006"
Juggernaut 1 16 February 2007 The Monaco Ballroom, Wigan / vs. "Dangerous" Damon Leigh / GPW: "Let Loose"
"Dangerous" Damon Leigh 3 16 March 2007 The Monaco Ballroom, Wigan / vs. The Juggernaut / GPW: "Hot Gossip"
Joseph Hayes 1 20 July 2007 The Monaco Ballroom, Wigan / 3-way vs. Heresy vs. Joseph Hayes / GPW: "Collision Course"
Heresy 1 16 November 2007 The Monaco Ballroom, Wigan / "I Quit Match" vs. Joey Hayes / GPW: "Supercharged"
"Dangerous" Damon Leigh 4 1 February 2008 The Monaco Ballroom, Wigan / vs. Heresy / GPW: "Back With A Bang 2008"
Jac Domitrescu 1 4 April 2008 The Monaco Ballroom, Wigan / vs. "Dangerous" Damon Leigh / GPW: "Ballroom Blitz"
"Super" Sam Bailey 1 12 December 2008 The Monaco Ballroom Wigan vs. Jac Domitrescu / GPW: "Christmas Crunch"
"The Juice" CJ Banks 1 16 October 2009 The Monaco Ballroom Wigan vs. "Super" Sam Bailey / GPW: "Friday Night Thriller III"
Zack Diamond 1 19 November 2010 The Monaco Ballroom Wigan vs. "The Juice" CJ Banks vs Jack Gallagher vs Martin Kirby / GPW: "Guts & Glory"
Jack Gallagher 1 3 June 2011 The Monaco Ballroom Wigan vs. Zack Diamond / GPW: "Heroes & Villains"
Ste "Bin" Mann 1 2 December 2011 The Monaco Ballroom Wigan vs. Jack Gallagher / GPW: "Do or Die"

GPW Tag Team Trophy

Wrestler Times Date Place / Type Of Match / Event
Project Ego (Kris Travis & Scotty Hexx) 1 18 March 2006 The Monaco Ballrom, Wigan / 4-way vs. Kev n Krev vs. Damage Control vs. WKD / GPW: "Hold Tight"
WKD (Matty "D'Lyrium" Taylor & "Super" Sam Bailey) 1 16 February 2007 The Monaco Ballroom, Wigan / Tag Team Gauntlet Match vs. Project Ego vs. Mil-Anfield Connection vs. The Holmes Bros. / GPW: "Let Loose"
Mil-Anfield Connection ("The Model" Danny Hope & Jiggy Walker) 1 20 July 2007 The Monaco Ballroom, Wigan / vs. WKD / GPW: "Collision Course"
The Young Offenders ("Dangerous" Damon Leigh & Joey Hayes) 1 16 January 2009 The Monaco Ballroom, Wigan / 2/3 Falls Match vs. The Mil-Anfield Connection
Paradise Lost (Heresy & Kastor LaVey) 1 17 July 2009 The Monaco Ballroom, Wigan/ vs. The Young Offenders / GPW: Heatwave
The Mystics (Voodoo & The Great Suzuki) 1 16 April 2010 The Monaco Ballroom, Wigan/ vs. Paradise Lost / GPW: "Jam Hot!"
Paradise Lost (Heresy & Kastor LeVay) 2 21 May 2010 The Monaco Ballroom, Wigan/ vs. The Mystics / GPW: "A Few More Good Men" NHB Match
Chris Echo & Ricky J Mckenzie 1 6 May 2011 The Monaco Ballroom, Wigan/ vs. Paradise Lost / GPW: "Battlefield" NHB Match

Rumbles

In its five years, GPW has had just two 30 men over the top Royal Rumble matches, and one 20 man one. Known simply by the company and its fans as "Rumble". As well as acknowledging the eventual winner, GPW also recognise the M.V.P of the match. This is the person who has performed the best by either eliminating the most people from the match, or having out-lasted his or hers peers the longest without actually winning.

Crazy Cruiser-8

The Crazy Cruiser-8 is an eight-man one night tournament, and one of the shows GPW has become synonymous with. The eight entrants into the tournament are junior heavyweights or are considered a cruiserweight. Heavyweights are not permitted entry into the tournament. Qualifying matches are contested months prior to the tournament either in traditional one on one matches, 4-ways, 3-ways or as a "Last Chance" to qualify there has traditionally been a Last Chance Saloon battle royal. Byes passed the preliminaries have been given in the past to foreign entrants and reigning Tag Team Trophy holders.

The eventual winner of the tournament would have not only been successful in the preliminaries, but have won three times in a row on the night of the tournament. The winner does not defend his title the following year and is not permitted to compete in the tournament the following year.

2006

The first CC-8 tournament was 3 November 2006 and the final 8 men were:

The eventual winner was Bubblegum after he defeated Joseph Hayes in the final.

2008

The second Crazy Cruiser tournament was known as CC-08 and competed on 2 May 2008. The final 8 men were:

Juice was the eventual winner after defeating Chris Echo in the final.

2009

The third Crazy Cruiser tournament was competed on 13 November 2009 and saw new rules on qualifying. For the first time, the reigning CC8 Champion (in this case Juice) was allowed to re-enter the tournament to defend his title. 2 top seeds were slected as automatic qualifiers (Joey Hayes & Bubblegum). Other qualifiers were decided through a first ever Fan's Choice, a 4-Way Qualifier, The Last Chance Battle Royal and the return of the International Entrant. The final 8 men were:

Joey Hayes was the eventual winner after defeating CC8 2008 Champion, Juice in the final.

Roster

Current roster

  • Alan A.A Tasker
  • Axl Rage
  • Bruce Sheila
  • Bubblegum
  • Cameron Kraze
  • Carl Clinch
  • Chris Echo
  • Cyanide
  • "Dangerous" Damon Leigh
  • Darkside
  • Dirk Feelgood
  • Dom Travis
  • Dylan Roberts
  • El Ligero
  • Fox Carter
  • "Gentleman" Jervis Cottonbelly
  • Heresy
  • Jack Gallagher
  • Jac Domitrescu
  • Jason Logan
  • Jeff Wilkinson
  • Jiggy Walker
  • Joey Hayes
  • Juice
  • Juggernaut
  • Kastor LaVey
  • Kris Eganski
  • Matty "D'Lyrium" Taylor
  • Mark Kodiak
  • Martin Kirby
  • Mikey Whiplash
  • "Mini-Iron" Mike Holmes
  • Mothman
  • Mya
  • Noam Dar
  • "Professor" Mike Holmes
  • "Retro" Dave Rayne
  • Ricky J. Mckenzie
  • Roxi
  • The SkullCrusher
  • Si Valour
  • Ste "Bin" Mann
  • "Super" Sam Bailey
  • "The Model" Danny Hope
  • "The Great" Suzuki
  • Thor Laarson
  • TJ Cain
  • Vladimir Radkov
  • Voodoo
  • William Gáylord
  • Xander Cooper
  • Zack Diamond

GPW alumni and retired

  • Johnny Phere
  • Johnny Moss
  • Keith Myatt
  • Kelly Adams
  • Kenzo Richards
  • Kev
  • Krev
  • Kris Travis
  • Lisa Fury
  • Luke Phoenix
  • Mad Man Manson
  • Man Mountain Matt Hughes
  • Mike Quackenbush
  • "Minx" Sarah Jones

Stables past and present

Tag teams

GPW shows

GPW shows have a passionate following of fans who follow all story lines and characters religiously. This creates a wonderful atmosphere that the promotion have become renowned for wherever they perform.

GPW has a rich vein of main events, and to be part of a main event match is held in high regard within the company. The promotion has also gained a reputation for some of the best 4-Ways and 6-Man Tags in the country.

With such an emphasis on good storylines and strong characters, there is not a show that goes by where the headlines are not grabbed in some way or other. Here are some of the most memorable shows:

GPW: "Defection"

The first ever GPW show was held in June 2003 at The Monaco Ballroom. The card was a mix of GPW trainees and established UK talent. The card on the night was:

GPW: "Hostile Takeover"

In a departure from what has become known as a more traditional GPW show, April's "Hostile Takeover" saw the promotion bring in an abundance of established talent from both the European and American independent circuit, as well as using tits own roster.

The show was an important one for GPW as, arguably aside from the GPW: "Nemesis" main event, the main event at "Hostile Takeover" really set a standard for future ones. The original main event was advertised to be Chris Hero vs. B-Boy, however B-Boy ended up not being able to make the show and a last minute replacement had to be found. An unknown by the name of Claudio Castagnoli flew in from Switzerland to take his place, after a 2/3 Falls Main Event with Hero, Castagnoli was no longer unheard of. In a match that had every fan on their feet both Hero and Castagnoli have both moved onto do great things in America.

GPW: "The Return"

GPW's "Return" show was named as such as it returned to The Monaco Ballroom after a six months absence in July 2004.

The show featuerd the return of Claudio Castagnoli as part of Swiss Money Holdings with his tag team partner, Ares. The duo took on "Dangerous" Damon Leigh and Joey Hayes, The Young Offenders. But the night was all about the fabulous main event that is still talked about today as Robbie Brookside took on Johnny Kidd in a British Rules match.

GPW: "Revelations"

GPW: "Revelations" took place in August 2004 at a sold out British Legion in Leigh and saw the debut of Mike Quackenbush as he battled with TJ Cain for the No.1 Contendership to the International Heavyweight Title. The match was considered by many to be one of the best ever GPW matches. The main event was a bloody climax to a brutal, long running feud between Heresy and "Dangerous" Damon Leigh as the two clashed in GPW's first ever street fight for the British Championship.

GPW: "Last Orders At The Legion"

An historic night in December saw the last ever event at the Leigh British Legion take place. A sold out audience was witness to one of the most memorable nights in GPW history. The night not only saw the fans' darling Joey Hayes turn his back on them and join Heresy's SIN stable along with Minx, but the main event saw British Champion Damon Leigh cheated out of his title. Corrupt referee Mike Bishop rung the bell when challenger Alex Shane had Damon in a basic submission hold. Damon had not given up and both Bishop and Shane fled from the venue in an waiting car. Riots followed in the audience between rival fans and wrestlers alike; such scenes have never been seen before or since.

GPW: "Salvation Is Near"

One of the highest attendances at The Ballroom packed in to see TJ Cain and Heresy clash for the International Heavyweight Championship in May 2005. It was an emotional end to a hard hitting feud that had been the main feature of GPW shows since TJ Cain had won the title in September 2004. In another first ever, the stipulation to the match was that the loser had to leave British wrestling and was dubbed as a "Winner Take All" match. TJ Cain was eventually victorious in one of the matches that has defined what the promotion is all about. This event also saw the third member of Heresy's SIN faction make his GPW debut, Johnny Phere joined Minx and Joey Hayes.

GPW: "Saturday Night Showdown"

As previously covered in the History section, this show will always be remembered for one thing... the brutal main event. The Street Fight between JC Thunder and El Ligero got the promotion banned from all wrestling events in the Greater Manchester area due to its violent and bloody content. Perhaps remembered for all the wrong reasons, the truth is this match was excellent.

GPW: "Back With A Bang 2006"

January 2006 saw "Dangerous" Damon Leigh finally got revenge on the man that had cheated him out of the British Title, Alex Shane as the two met for the first time since December 2004 for the title. The night also marked the retirement of former International Heavyweight Champion, TJ Cain who retired following an aggravated neck injury suffered in a match against Heresy in Holland for the title.

GPW: "Salvation Is Here"

GPW: "Salvation Is Here" will be remembered for the superb Double Main Event. Two perfect examples of why the main event spot at GPW has such a great reputation. July 2006 saw the climax of two emotional feuds as Mark Kodiak took on Damon Leigh for the British title in a first ever Blindfold Match and International Heavyweight Champion Heresy took on challenger and Rumble winner Bubblegum. Voted one of the best shows of the year.

GPW: "Keep The Faith"

In September 2006, GPW promoted GPW: "Keep The Faith" - one of the most highly rated GPW shows ever featured Tracy Smothers, the first ever Crazy Cruiser-8 qualifiers, one of the best 4-ways in the country and a 6 man tag to rival the best in the world. The full card was:

GPW: "Only The Strong Survive"

In May 2007, GPW broke the mould with the first ever show in Britain dedicated to Survivor Series-style matches. The show received critical acclaim and having already promoted a tournament-themed show and a Rumble-themed show to great praise, the promotion's reputation sky-rocketed. The teams on the evening were:

Chris Echo, Rupert Holmes, Dylan Roberts and Benson Richards vs. "Iron" Mike Holmes, Lethal Dose & Kev Noir

El Ligero, WKD & Roxi vs. Juice, The Mil-Anfield Connection & Kelly Adams

Dirk Feelgood, Si Valour, Dom Travis, "Dangerous" Damon Leigh vs. Mark Kodiak, Johnny Phere, Heresy and Darkside

In addition to these matches, Joseph Hayes battled "Retro" Dave Rayne for the No. 1 Contender's spot to the British title.

GPW: "Collision Course"

GPW: "Collision Course" featured one of the highest rated matches of 2007 when Heresy faced "Dangerous" Damon Leigh and Joey Hayes for the GPW British Title in a main event 3-Way. The three men who were part of the first ever show, battled it out in one of GPW's most memorable matches and feuds to date. An emotional "passing of the torch" from Damon to Hayes, Hayes eventually won. Pinning Heresy signified the end of the SIN faction and the start of a Joey Hayes British Title run.

The show also featured Juice vs. El Ligero in a Los Sanchos Street Fight. Up there with one of the best matches you'll ever see, this match saw Juice's career take off. There was also another title change as Mil-Anfield Connection's long hunt for the Tag Team Trophy came to an end when they defeated WKD to lift the cup.

GPW: "Supercharged"

In November 2007, GPW brought their season ender - "Supercharged" - to the Monaco Ballroom. The show saw the climax of all major storylines in a fanatic finale. In a dramatic main event that will live in the memory of every GPW fan for a long time bitter enemies Heresy and Joey Hayes did battle in a "Loser Leaves Town I Quit Match" for the British Title. TJ Cain returned to GPW for the first time since his retirement and offered his support to Joey by staying in his corner throughout the match. However, in several cruel twists Hayes left the building the loser. A main event match that summed up everything a main event should be.

In an epic encounter Mil-Anfield successfully defended their tag team trophy against El Ligero and Bubblegum. Johnny Phere began his quest to become GPW Heavyweight Champion on this night with an impressive win over Damon Leigh.

GPW: "V"

GPW: "V" was the promotion's fifth year anniversary show, and considered by many to be one of the very best in the UK, and one of the best GPW shows ever. The historic night took place on 5 July 2008 and saw many faces from the past return as well as current storylines continuing. The card on the night was:

GPW: "Back II School"

September 2008 saw a monumental occasion when both Joey Hayes and "Dangerous" Damon Leigh reformed the Young Offenders after more than four years apart on the UK circuit. The re-united tag team took on GPW Tag Team Champions, The Mil-Anfield Connection in a wonderful, dramatic tag team main event.

GPW: "Only The Strong Survive 2008"

In October 2008, GPW promoted Europe's first ever Torneo Cibernetico. The main event match lasted just short of an hour before GPW Heavyweight Champion, Bubblegum was crowned the last man standing. The show also saw the debut of Johnny Moss as he took on and was defeated by Juggernaut. WKD also took on two members of the Eastern Bloc in a traditional tag team match. The teams for the Torneo Cibernetico were:

GPW: "Slamjam"

In April 2009, GPW returned to a Saturday night for the 1st time in 5 years. Featuring all three championships on the line, The Juggernaut defeated Bubblegum to begin his 16 month reign as the GPW Heavyweight Champion. The Young Offenders successfully defended the Tag team Trophy against Paradise Lost; and British Champion Sam Bailey went to a stunning 20 Minute draw with The Juice. Former partners Jiggy Walker and Danny Hope also clashed on this event.

GPW's training school

Established when the promotion first started in 2003, the training school has turned out some of the best wrestlers on the European circuit today. Names such as Joey Hayes, "Dangerous" Damon Leigh, Heresy, Juice, Danny Hope, William Gaylord, Ricky J. McKenzie, Jiggy Walker, Voodoo, Chris Echo, Juggernaut, The Great Suzuki, Bruce Sheila, Fox Carter, Dylan Roberts, TJ Cain and many, many more.

Grand Pro Wrestling boasts the highest number of graduates exported overseas than any other UK training centre.

The training facility is based in the heart of Manchester with regular classes. Head trainers are Heresy and Damon Leigh. However, other graduates are also involved in the development of trainees as well as guest trainers from the roster and the American independents.

External links