One Pro Wrestling

Last updated

One Pro Wrestling
Acronym1PW
Founded2005
11 April 2022 (relaunch)
Defunct29 September 2023
Style Professional wrestling
Sports entertainment
Headquarters Doncaster, England
Founder(s)Steven Gauntley
Owner(s)Steven Gauntley
Website 1prowrestling.com

One Pro Wrestling (abbreviated as 1PW) was a British professional wrestling promotion. 1PW was founded in 2005 by Steven Gauntley. Originally run by the now defunct retail chain 1 Up Games, the company's headquarters were located in Doncaster. [1]

Contents

Early days

The promotion was founded in 2005, and went into liquidation in 2007; however, they would restart within the same year, until August 2013, when they announced their closure. [2]

Relaunch

On 11 April 2022, One Pro Wrestling announced its return, with its first event, A New Twist of Fate, taking place on 1 October at the Doncaster Dome. [3] Rob Van Dam, Jamie Hayter, Mickie James, Christopher Daniels, Cara Noir, Nick Aldis appeared on the show, with the event being shown on FITE TV. A follow-up event (No Turning Back) scheduled for 18 February 2023 included the 1PW debut of Will Ospreay taking on the hometown wrestler in Robbie X. John Morrison and Rhyno also debuted in Lincoln.

On 22 April 2023, 1PW returned to the Doncaster Dome with All or Nothing. Will Ospreay was crowned the first 1PW World Heavyweight Champion since the re-launch, meanwhile Robbie X won the Openweight Championship, Boisterous Behaviour won the Tag Team Championships and Lizzy Evo became the inaugural 1PW Women's World Champion. [1] [4]

On 8 September 2023, Will Ospreay announced that he would not work for 1PW again, amid accusations that the promotion had not paid employees, including current Openweight Champion Robbie X. [5] On 15 September 2023, One Pro Wrestling confirmed that all of their championships had been vacated. [6]

On 27 September 2023, former 1PW announcer Joe Dombrowski made a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), accusing 1PW owner Steven Gauntley of deceptive business practises and fraud. Shortly afterwards, wrestler Matt Cardona, who had been advertised to compete for the 1PW World Heavyweight Championship in a future show, announced that the show had been cancelled, revealed issues he had with receiving payment from 1PW in the past and claimed that Gauntley was refusing to respond to messages from him. [7]

The following day to Dombrowski's accusations, Doncaster Culture and Leisure Trust, which operate the Doncaster Dome announced they were suspending ticket sales on all future 1PW shows at the venue whilst investigations into the allegations took place. Meanwhile, the official 1PW website and social media accounts went offline. [8]

On 29 September 2023, 1PW's Instagram account announced that the company had ceased trading and all future events had been cancelled. [9]

Championships

ChampionshipCurrent champion(s)ReignDate wonDays heldLocationPrevious championNotes
1PW Heavyweight Championship VacantN/A15 September 2023356+N/A Will Ospreay Vacated alongside all over championships after multiple wrestlers ended their working relationships with the promotion. [6]
1PW Tag Team Championship VacantN/A
(N/A)
15 September 2023356+N/ABoisterous Behaviour
(Man Like DeReiss and Leon Slater)
Vacated alongside all over championships after multiple wrestlers ended their working relationships with the promotion. [6]
1PW Openweight Championship VacantN/A15 September 2023356+N/A Robbie X Vacated alongside all over championships after multiple wrestlers ended their working relationships with the promotion. [6]
1PW Women's World Championship VacantN/A15 September 2023356+N/ALizzy EvoVacated alongside all over championships after multiple wrestlers ended their working relationships with the promotion. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1PW Heavyweight Championship</span> Professional wrestling championship

The One Pro Wrestling (1PW) World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the British promotion One Pro Wrestling. The title was established in 2006 and was the highest ranked men's championship in the company. 1PW became defunct on 29 September 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Finlay (wrestler)</span> American professional wrestler

David Stephen Finlay III is a German-born Irish-American professional wrestler who performs under the ring name David Finlay. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the current and longest reigning IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion in his record-setting second reign, and is the seventh and current leader of Bullet Club. He also is the leader of the War Dogs subgroup.

The One Pro Wrestling (1PW) Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team championship created and promoted by the British promotion One Pro Wrestling. The title was established in 2006, and became defunct upon the company's closure on 29 September 2023. Title reigns were determined by professional wrestling matches with different wrestlers involved in pre-existing scripted feuds, plots, and storylines. Wrestlers were portrayed as either villains or fan favorites as they followed a series of tension-building events, which culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches for the championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1PW Openweight Championship</span> Professional wrestling championship

The 1PW Openweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the British promotion One Pro Wrestling. The title was established in 2006 and retired upon the closure of 1PW on 29 September 2023. It was the midcard championship of the company. Title reigns were determined by professional wrestling matches with different wrestlers, involved in pre-existing scripted feuds, plots and storylines. Wrestlers are portrayed as either villains or fan favorites as they follow a series of tension-building events, which culminated into a wrestling match or series of matches for the championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Phantasmo</span> Canadian professional wrestler

Riley Vigier, better known by his ring name El Phantasmo, is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a former member of the Guerillas of Destiny stable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chaos (professional wrestling)</span> Professional wrestling stable

Chaos is a professional wrestling stable performing in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The group was formed in 2009, when nearly all the members of the Great Bash Heel (G.B.H) stable turned on leader Togi Makabe and reformed under new leader Shinsuke Nakamura. Soon after, the new group was named Chaos, with Nakamura as the leader. As the leader of Chaos, Nakamura was one of NJPW's top wrestlers, winning the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and the IWGP Intercontinental Championship as well as the 2011 G1 Climax and the 2014 New Japan Cup.

Ulf Nadrowski is a German professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ulf Herman. He is best known in the United States for his appearances in Extreme Championship Wrestling where he was part of The Full Blooded Italians faction from 1998 to 1999. Herman is also known around the world for his time in the European independent circuit, most notably in the United Kingdom for All Star Wrestling, the BWF, Frontier Wrestling Alliance, and more recently 1 Pro Wrestling and Real Quality Wrestling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will Ospreay</span> English professional wrestler (born 1993)

William Peter Charles Ospreay is an English professional wrestler. As of November 2023, he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the current AEW International Champion in his second reign. He is also known for his eight year tenure with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he held various championships, including the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.

<i>Los Ingobernables de Japon</i> Professional wrestling stable

Los Ingobernables de Japón, also shortened to L.I.J. or Los Ingos, is a Japanese professional wrestling stable, based in the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion and led by Tetsuya Naito. An offshoot of the Mexican stable Los Ingobernables from the Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) promotion, the group was formed in November 2015 by Naito, Bushi and Evil, but came to also include Sanada, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, Titán and Yota Tsuji. Through NJPW's working relationship with other companies, they have also appeared in CMLL and in the American Ring of Honor (ROH) promotion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noam Dar</span> Israeli-Scottish professional wrestler

Noam Dar is an Israeli-Scottish professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand. He is the leader of The Meta-Four stable and has held the NXT Heritage Cup a record-setting three times. He is also known for his tenure with Scottish promotion Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship</span> Professional wrestling championship

The IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" are the initials of NJPW's governing body, the International Wrestling Grand Prix. The final champion was Will Ospreay, who was in his second reign at the time of the title's deactivation. On December 11, 2023, the title was replaced by the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wrestle Kingdom 13</span> 2019 New Japan Pro-Wrestling event

Wrestle Kingdom 13 in Tokyo Dome was a professional wrestling event produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on January 4, 2019 at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. It was the twenty-eighth January 4 Tokyo Dome Show and the thirteenth promoted under the Wrestle Kingdom name. The event was streamed live on NJPW World and FITE TV and was aired on tape delay on AXS TV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Empire</span> Professional wrestling stable

United Empire, originally The Empire, is a professional wrestling faction currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The faction is led by TJP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Fletcher</span> Australian professional wrestler (born 1998)

Kyle Fletcher is an Australian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Don Callis Family stable. He also performs in its sister company Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is a former one-time ROH World Tag Team Champion and ROH World Television Championship. Fletcher was previously signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was a former IWGP Tag Team Champion and inaugural and record-setting two-time Strong Openweight Tag Team Champion. He also made appearances for British promotion Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro), where he was a two-time Undisputed British Tag Team Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Davis (wrestler)</span> Professional wrestler

Davis Passfield, better known by his in-ring name Mark Davis, is an Australian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He also appears in its sister company Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is a former one-time ROH World Tag Team Champion. He also appears for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a former IWGP Tag Team Champion, and record-setting and inaugural two-time Strong Openweight Tag Team Champion and Revolution Pro Wrestling, where he is a former two-time Undisputed British Tag Team Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aussie Open (professional wrestling)</span> Professional wrestling tag team

Aussie Open were an Australian professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Mark Davis and Kyle Fletcher. They are currently signed, as individuals, to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), and also wrestle for AEW’s sister company Ring of Honor (ROH), where they are former ROH World Tag Team Champions. The team is currently on hiatus after Davis suffered a wrist injury in October 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wrestle Kingdom 17</span> 2023 New Japan Pro-Wrestling event

Wrestle Kingdom 17 was a two-day professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event co-produced by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah) promotions. The first day of the event took place on January 4, 2023, at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan and the second day of the event took place on January 21, 2023, at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan. It is the 32nd January 4 Tokyo Dome Show and the 17th promoted under the Wrestle Kingdom name. The event was held in honor of the NJPW founder Antonio Inoki, who died on October 1, 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1PW Women's World Championship</span> Professional wrestling championship

The One Pro Wrestling (1PW) Women's World Championship was a professional wrestling championship in One Pro Wrestling. The title was established in April 2023 as part of the 2022 relaunch and was retired when the company closed in September 2023. It was the highest ranked women's championship in the company. Title reigns were determined by professional wrestling matches with different wrestlers, involved in pre-existing scripted feuds, plots and storylines. Wrestlers are portrayed as either villains or fan favorites as they follow a series of tension-building events, which culminate into a wrestling match or series of matches for the championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wrestle Kingdom 18</span> 2024 New Japan Pro-Wrestling event

Wrestle Kingdom 18 was a professional wrestling event promoted by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on January 4, 2024, at the Tokyo Dome, in Tokyo, Japan. It was the 33rd January 4 Tokyo Dome Show and the 18th promoted under the Wrestle Kingdom name. Wrestlers from NJPW partner promotions All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah) were featured at the event. This was the first Wrestle Kingdom event to feature Hiroshi Tanahashi as the new president of New Japan Pro-Wrestling. This was the first Wrestle Kingdom since Wrestle Kingdom 13 to have a one-night format, as the previous Wrestle Kingdoms had been held across multiple nights in a row.

Robert Bell, better known by his ring name Robbie X is an English professional wrestler. He is currently performing on the British independent circuit, particularly for Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro), where he is a former Undisputed British Cruiserweight Champion.

References

  1. 1 2 "One Pro Wrestlinh History". 1prowrestling.com. One Pro Wrestling. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  2. Chaplin, Harry (5 January 2007). "Breaking News: UK promotion 1PW goes into liquidation". wrestlingnewssource.com. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  3. "Wrestling Megastars To Headline Sensational 1PW Relaunch". 1prowrestling.com. 11 April 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  4. Tessier, Colin (23 April 2023). "1PW All Or Nothing Results (4/22): Will Ospreay Wins World Title". Yahoo Entertainment. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  5. Thomas, Jeremy (8 September 2023). "Will Ospreay Announces He's Parting Ways With 1PW". 411Mania. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Brennan, Corey (15 September 2023). "Exclusive: Matt Cardona Will Face James Storm For Vacant One Pro Wrestling World Title Following Former Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay's Exit". BodySlam.net. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  7. Brennan, Corey (27 September 2023). "Former 1PW Wrestling Announcer Joe Dombrowski Exposes Former Owner Steven Gauntley For Litany Of Lies, Deceptive Practises And Incredible Amount Of Money Owed". BodySlam.net. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  8. Burke, Darren (28 September 2023). "Doncaster wrestling show suspended amid 'fraud' allegations". Doncaster Free Press. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  9. "Announcement from 1PW Ltd". Instagram. 29 September 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.