Facts from Total Action Wrestling, Dunstable Leisure Centre, May 26th 2012

“I’ve wrestled in Dunstable before,” mused Doug Williams to me, “but that was at the Queensway Hall.”

Ah, Dunstable. The place where Henry VIII divorced Katherine of Aragon. A market town whose market now closely resembles a car boot sale. And the small town where I grew up.

I don’t remember seeing wrestling shows advertised in Dunstable when I was a kid, to be fair, but the Queensway Hall would have been a fabulous place for it – a huge civic arena with plenty of seating and great sight-lines.

Sadly the Queensway Hall is no more. It was knocked down, and now there’s an Asda in its place.

So Total Action Wrestling host their events at the Leisure Centre – across the road from the Queensway Hall’s former site.

Fact: ‘Siren Search’ is just another way to make wrestling more sexist

Dress it up all you like, but Fighting Spirit Magazine’s new ‘Siren Search’ competition is hideously depressingly sexist.

You can add female judges to the panel all you like – thanks, Winter and Alpha Female!

The idea behind the ‘Siren Search’ – SIREN SEARCH! – is to get more women involved in wrestling.

That is a terrific idea, and one I fully support.

Except, you know, these Sirens won’t be wrestlers. Who’d want to see that, after all?

Interview: Nikki Storm on training, sexism, and her inspirations

Last night, Nikki Storm won the first women’s ladder match to be contested in the UK at Clash of the Titans. So now seems a good time to have a chat with her.

Why did you want to be a wrestler, and how did you begin your training?

I wanted to be a wrestler ever since I first watched it when I was ten. Fully Loaded 2000 was the first wrestling show I ever watched, in the days when some wrestling PPVs were shown on Channel 4. The first match was a six-person tag between Lita and the Hardyz and Trish Stratus with Test and Albert. Lita was doing all the crazy shit like jumping off the top rope and backflipping and Trish was the perfect bitch. I was hooked.

When I was 18, I just kinda thought, “Well, why not give it a go and stop daydreaming?” I googled Scottish wrestling schools. I came across Scottish Wrestling Alliance, British Championship Wrestling and W3L. Checking all websites I could see that W3L and SWA had females on their roster page, but as W3L was quite far from Glasgow I decided to try the Scottish Wrestling Alliance school which at that time (2008) was in Linwood. I have never looked back.

Some facts on how to make three hours of WWE RAW worth watching

So as from this summer, Monday Night RAW will run for three hours rather than its usual two and a bit. (I’m sure anyone who saw this week’s instalment will be DELIGHTED at this news.)

For WWE’s delectation, I’ve made a list of ways to ensure that a three-hour RAW is worth watching.

1. Give one hour of every show over to CM Punk and Daniel Bryan facing each other in an iron-man match.

Fact: TNA Impact Wrestling is returning to the UK. And is bringing a steel cage

If you didn’t already know, Impact Wrestling will be returning to these shores at the start of the year for more TV tapings and arena shows.

This time it’s the Road to Lockdown, which means they are bringing the steel cage associated with that PPV along with them.

Exclusive: UK wrestling insiders respond to allegations about licensing technicalities and FPW’s Futuremania – part 2

The first part of this investigation covered Steve ‘Heavy D’ Evans’s response to the issues surrounding FPW’s licensing issues this weekend – and since then, others involved in the wrestling industry have been telling TOWIS about the problems of paperwork a lot of promotions face.

As part 1 showed, sources have told TOWIS that it was an insider within the UK scene who informed the council of the licensing technicality that resulted in FPW’s show being cancelled at two venues.

“The old trick of contacting local councils to get shows pulled on licensing ‘technicalities’ is hardly a new thing,” one source tells TOWIS today.

Exclusive: UK wrestling insiders respond to allegations about licensing technicalities and FPW’s Futuremania – part 1

Further to TOWIS’s exclusive coverage of the behind-the-scenes machinations that led to the double postponement of FPW’s Futuremania show over the bank holiday weekend, promoter Steve Evans has hit back at some of the rumours that have been circulating.

Meanwhile, insiders within the UK wrestling scene have been accusing others in the business of “unethical” practices.

Exclusive: licensing ‘technicalities’ mean FPW bring guerrilla wrestling to London

Well, Greg Burridge is always keen to see “fun and games” at wrestling shows, but his experience at FPW’s FutureMania tonight may be just a little bit over the top.

This morning we broke the story that Sutton Council had been forced to cancel the show at Wallington Hall due to a technicality – or “a small problem”, as they put it.

Gina Gillam, Sutton Theatres and Venues Manager, told TOWIS at the time: “We’re gutted we can’t host the Futuremania event in Wallington tonight as it looks like a great line up and a top night…we’re looking forward to hosting wrestling events here soon.”

The council worked with the guys at FPW to find a new venue at the very last minute, and the Canons Leisure Centre, Mitcham, just over the borough border in Merton, agreed to be the show’s new home.

Then at 5pm on Saturday afternoon, citing another licensing issue, the Leisure Centre too had to cancel the show.

Instead of cancelling altogether – and this is a show, remember, that’s raising money for Cancer Research UK – the FPW chaps took the very brave step to stage a guerrilla wrestling event right here in London.

URGENT – late Fact: FPW’s FUTUREMANIA show will be at the Canons Leisure Centre TONIGHT

Remember the fabulous Futuremania show that’s booked for tonight? With Doug Williams on the card? And the Warden set to shave his head if he loses to Greg Burridge? And with loads and loads of money to go to Cancer Research UK?

Well, it’s changed venues. Get yourself along to the Canons Leisure Centre in Mitcham, Surrey (CR4 4HD) instead. Doors open at 7pm, show starts at 7.45pm.

More on this story soon.

Interview: Kris Travis talks Owen Hart, television coverage and deathmatches

How and when did you first become interested in wrestling ?

Well, I used to watch wrestling when I was a child and grew up on WWF and WCW on ITV. I kinda grew up a little and fell out of love with wrestling, but Over The Edge when Owen Hart sadly died got my interest back into the business as I watched it to see if it was just storyline or if he had actually passed away.

How did you begin your training, and who was the biggest influence?

After watching wrestling for a while I bought a magazine and it advertised a wrestling school which was only 10 minutes from my house. After much umming and ahhhing Scotty Hexx and myself decided to go and give it a go! My biggest influence at that time was my trainer Alan Johnson – he taught me the basics very well and gave me a good foundation to build on.