Mississauga, Ontario-based UWA Hardcore Wrestling had a banner year in 2006, capping off the year with a November weekend featuring a number of international stars, including the legendary Ultimo Dragon. In 2007, the company’s goal is to raise the bar even further.
Their strategy includes blending equal parts of the ‘Hardcore’ and the ‘Wrestling’ elements of the promotion’s name. The wrestling component was on full display this past Friday night. The main event saw UWA regulars Josh Prohibition and M-Dogg 20 compete in a three-way match with TNA star Sonjay Dutt for Prohibition’s UWA Canadian Championship. The three started off brawling and never really stopped, fighting into the crowd, all through St. John’s Hall, and ultimately even outside the building. When they got back in the ring, a table and chair were introduced as weapons, and it didn’t take long for Prohibition to steal a victory to retain his belt.
Arguably, the best match of the night was the tag encounter between the team of the Olsen Twins versus the North Star Express. Bell to bell, the two teams executed some excellent wrestling sequences, hilarious comedic spots, and an overall good match storyline. The teams worked so well together, that I was surprised to learn that they had never faced one another before — you would only expect that sort of chemistry from opponents who have worked together numerous times. What made that match even more notable was that it was a relatively tame affair in terms of dangerous moves and the use of weapons. Last year, one criticism of UWA was that too many matches relied on weapons, which diluted the impact of those elements in the main events. On Friday, they were used sparingly, and as a result, seemed much more effective.
Besides, there will be plenty of the hardcore on display at their upcoming King of the Deathmatch tournament, which takes place on Saturday, February 24th in Bolton, Ontario. The tournament, promise owners Jon McCausland and his brother Joe, will showcase amazingly violent action that will satiate even the most bloodthirsty of fans.
The eight-man tournament includes various violent stipulations, including a Four Corners of Pain match where barbed wire and panes of glass will be in play, a TLC math, and a scaffold match. This event, the owners say, will be unlike anything UWA fans have seen before.
In coming months, UWA promises even more stellar events, including a double-shot on the May 24/25 weekend which will see Jushin “Thunder” Liger make a rare Canadian appearance. “2007 will be UWA’s greatest year ever,” Joe said at the company’s January show. If they can continue to build on their momentum so far this year, they should have no problem living up to this goal.
Full results from February 16th: The Virus pinned Phil Atlas; Arik Cannon defeated Josh Abercrombie; the Ring Crew Express beat Rip Impact and Matt Bison; the Olsen Twins defeated the North Star Express; Dan Paysan pinned Tyler Black; Derek Wylde overcame Asylum and Jennifer Blake in a handicap match; Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin retained their Zero-1 Max Tag Team Championship over Chris Bishop and Lionel Knight; Josh Prohibition won a 3-way over Sonjay Dutt and M-Dogg 20 to retain the UWA Canadian Championship.
