''Pro Wrestling Pride'' (Sometimes referred to as ''Pride Promotions'', or simply PWP) 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 through
South West England
South West England, or the South West of England, is one of the nine official regions of England, regions of England in the United Kingdom. Additionally, it is one of four regions that altogether make up Southern England. South West England con ...
, and occasionally in wider
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
.
Style
The promotion was well known for its liberal use of United Kingdom-based wrestlers, and international stars (Such as
Jim Duggan
James Edward Duggan Jr. (born January 14, 1954), better known by his ring name "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best-known for his time in World Wrestling Federation (now WWE), where he won the first ...
,
Mr. Anderson and
Rob Van Dam
Robert Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD) is an American professional wrestler. Known for his unique ring style—which includes his variety of kicks, acrobatic movemen ...
). The style of the events could be best described as traditional
sports entertainment
Sports entertainment is a type of spectacle which presents an ostensibly competition, competitive event using a high level of theatre, theatrical flourish and extravagant presentation, with the purpose of entertainment, entertaining an audience. Un ...
, with events designed to be 'fun for all ages', suitable for families, as opposed to the more 'extreme' or alternative style which is marketed at older viewers (See
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) was an American professional wrestling promotion that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and operated by its parent company HHG Corporation. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as Nationa ...
.)
Catch Division Wrestling
The company was also different from other similar wrestling companies for its 'catch division' championship. Rather than a midcard title based on a weight (Such as
All Japan Pro Wrestling
(AJPW/AJP) or simply All Japan is a Puroresu, Japanese professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on October 21, 1972, by Giant Baba after he left the Japanese Wrestling Association to create his own promotion. Ma ...
's
Junior Heavyweight Championship, or
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of National W ...
's
Cruiserweight championship), and was more in line with
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (abbreviated as TNA Wrestling or TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a Canadian media company owned by busines ...
's
X-Division Championship; which stated the division was 'not about weight limits, it's about no limits!"
The catch division, was likely originally designed as a showcase of
catch wrestling
Catch wrestling (also known as catch-as-catch-can) is an English wrestling style where wrestlers aim to win by Pin (sport wrestling), pinning or Submission (combat sports), submitting their opponent using any legal holds or techniques. It emph ...
; rather than high-flying wrestling, with well known grapplers
Johnny Kidd (wrestler)
John Lowing (born 20 September 1955) is a retired British people, British Professional wrestling, professional wrestler best known under the ring name Johnny Kidd. Kidd was best known for his work during what was known as the Professional wrest ...
and
Doug Williams winning the title.
The style however, changed over the duration of the belt's longevity; with the aforementioned catch style, with a mix of luchador,
Puroresu
is a Japanese term used for professional wrestling in Japan, professional wrestling in and outside of Japan. The term comes from the Gairaigo, Japanese pronunciation of , which in Japanese is abbreviated to “puro” ( - “pro”) & “resu” ...
and even more 'extreme styles'. This was reflected in the match types contested for this championship; with "catch as catch can" wrestling style (See
Mountevans Rules),
Luchas de Apuestas and even
TLC
TLC may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Television
* ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2
* TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network
** TLC (Asia), an A ...
matches. The division's prize was a catch division trophy, and not a traditional belt.
History
Formation
Pride was founded in 2012 by Darren Ferguson. Having been an
independent wrestler since 2009 under the
ring name
A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...
'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, and Plymouth Wrestling Alliance/Association.
The companies first show was actually not an official production under the Pro Wrestling Pride banner. It was a mixed boxing and professional wrestling show based in the Plymouth Guildhall named 'Plymouth Prizefighters 2'. The event was not advertised as a Pride event; however the event was agreed as
cannon
A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during th ...
in the companies history as it was featured on the companies YouTube channel and could be considered a
pilot 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 of
Teignmouth
Teignmouth ( ) is a seaside town, fishing port and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is on the north bank of the estuary mouth of the River Teign, about south of Exeter. The town had a population of 14 ...
; which featured the companies' first championship match; with Tyler Hawke besting 'Wild Boar' Mike Hitchman for the
PWP Catch Division Championship.
It was also notable for local Devon wrestler
Joel Redman having his last match in the UK on the show before signing with
WWE under the
NXT brand.
Redman would later return to the UK in 2015 having been the first
NXT Tag Team Champions with partner
Adrian Neville.
Early Years (2012-14)
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. Schmidt would defeat Tyler Hawke for the championship during the weekender, and defend the championship in the United States against
A. R. Fox. The
PWP Heavyweight Championship was also established won by
Crediton
Crediton is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Mid Devon district of Devon, England. It stands on the A377 road, A377 Exeter to Barnstaple road at the junction with the A3072 road to Tiverton, Devon, Tiverton, north w ...
wrestler Chris Andrews in a
fatal-4 Way Match.
In 2013, the company would branch out to new towns, cities and venues. Running shows in
Exeter
Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...
(
Exeter Corn Exchange) establishing the PWP Tag Team Championships, Totnes (Totnes Civic Hall), featuring the companies first No Disqualification Match - With a
Texas Tornado Tag Team Match and
Torquay (
Town Hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...
.)
This trend would continue through 2014; with the 'adrenaline rush' tour, with three new locations in three days; before the brand's first venture outside of Devon. The show was to take place in
Saltash,
Cornwall
Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
, and would be the first instance of the annual 'Prize Fighters' Tournament, an 8-person
Single-elimination tournament
A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, ...
in the span of one night; reminiscent of the
King Of The Ring Tournament.
May 2014 had to date the companies' only
Luchas de Apuestas match; with a championship vs mask
"I Quit" match for the Catch Division Trophy. However, the match ended with a traditional title change, and not an unmasking. 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.
Before the end of 2014, Pride held an event featuring former
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) was an American professional wrestling promotion that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and operated by its parent company HHG Corporation. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as Nationa ...
alumnus
Raven, 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. Raven would actually return to Pride two year later; having only wrestled in the United States in between.
Heroes and Legends
Late in 2014, Pride would return to Saltash, and promote a match between then Catch Division Champion Dick Riley, and
Ring Of Honor
Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011; the promotion was subs ...
Television Champion Jay 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. This would be followed by a
TNA Tag Team Championships Match in 2015, with
The American Wolves defending.
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, and
WWE Hall Of Fame
The WWE Hall of Fame is a List of halls and walks of fame, hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when An ...
members. Featuring
Rockstar Spud,
Chris Masters,
Roderick Strong &
Jim Duggan
James Edward Duggan Jr. (born January 14, 1954), better known by his ring name "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best-known for his time in World Wrestling Federation (now WWE), where he won the first ...
the event was a success; with over 800 in attendance, over double the size of any Pride crowd before it. The event also saw multiple time
TNA World Heavyweight Champion Mr. Anderson win the Pride Heavyweight Championship, although he would lose the championship four weeks later in Truro.
With the success of "H&L"; the second titled show was designed for later that year. This event featured a main event of
Rhyno against Steve Griffiths for the championship, as well as a plethora of talent, including Hall Of Famer
Ted DiBiase. The event would catch on, and become a bi-annual event.
Growth, Hiatus & Eventual Demise (2016-2017)
Towards the end of 2015, Pride would do its first show outside of Devon or Cornwall, where they would appear in
Taunton
Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England. It is a market town and has a Minster (church), minster church. Its population in 2011 was 64,621. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century priory, monastic foundation, owned by the ...
,
Somerset
Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
; which would then hold three shows in January with
Kenny Omega (who would be awarded a 5-star match by Pro Wrestling Illustrated that year)
and WWE Hall of Famer
Tatanka, July featuring
Rob Van Dam
Robert Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD) is an American professional wrestler. Known for his unique ring style—which includes his variety of kicks, acrobatic movemen ...
in front of over 800 people, and in October with
Adam Rose Pride would promote 25 shows in the year of 2016, despite taking the month of November off. 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, 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. 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 in
Taunton
Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England. It is a market town and has a Minster (church), minster church. Its population in 2011 was 64,621. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century priory, monastic foundation, owned by the ...
,
Launceston and
Plymouth
Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
, with the last being the 5th iteration of the Heroes and Legends event. These shows included guest appearances from
Simon Gotch,
Carlito and
Joey Ryan.
International Events
Despite being a regional touring product; based in the South West of England, 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 in
Lisbon
Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
based Centro De Treinos De Wrestling. The team they would take included regular Pride members Saviour himself,
Jigsaw,
Ultimo Tiger, Cy Gregory and even Senior Referee Ed Dyer.
Championships and accomplishments
Pro Wrestling Pride Championship
*Final Champion:
Bram
Pro Wrestling Pride Catch Division Championship
*Final champion: Tyler Hawke
Pro Wrestling Pride Tag Team Championship
*Final champion: The Professionals (Joshua Knott &
Joel Redman)
Pro Wrestling Pride Women's Championship
*Final champion: Bobbi Tyler
Pride Prizefighters Tournament
*2017 Winner:
Eddie Ryan
*2016 Winner:
Eddie Ryan
*2015 winner: Steve Griffiths
*2014 winner: Darren Saviour
See also
*
Professional Wrestling
Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...
*
List of professional wrestling promotions in the Great Britain and Ireland
References
External links
Pro Wrestling Pride official websitePro Wrestling Pride official Facebook PagePro Wrestling Pride official Twitter account
{{Professional wrestling in the United Kingdom
British professional wrestling promotions
2012 establishments in England
Defunct professional wrestling promotions