Ultimate Pro Wrestling(UPW) was a California-basedindependentpro wrestlingcompany owned and operated byRick Bassman,[1]that operated from 1999–2007.
| Acronym | UPW |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1999 |
| Defunct | 2007 |
| Headquarters | California |
| Founder(s) | Rick Bassman |
| Owner(s) | Rick Bassman |
The company had working relationships withPro Wrestling Zero1andWorld Wrestling Entertainment.It served as a developmental company forWWE,where they would scout wrestlers and send others for training, from 2006 to 2007.[2]Some of the major names to go on to stardom areJohn Cena,Samoa Joe,The Miz,andChristopher Daniels.The promotion was featured on aDiscovery Channelspecial calledInside Pro Wrestling School.
Notable alumni
editDeceased individuals are indicated with a dagger (†).
- Melina Perez
- Rick Bassman
- B-Boy
- Mike Bell†
- The Blue Meanie
- Jack Bull
- Cheerleader Melissa
- Melissa Coates†
- Christopher Daniels
- Head Bitch in Charge
- Jon Heidenreich
- Horshu
- Tom Howard
- Ivory
- Tony Jones†
- Evan Karagias
- Al Katrazz
- Frankie Kazarian
- Mike Knox
- Paul London
- Scott Lost
- The Miz
- Michael Modest
- Donovan Morgan
- Chris Mordetzky
- Nova
- Human Tornado
- Shinjiro Otani
- Adam Pearce
- The Prototype(John Cena)
- Daniel Puder
- Tyler Reks
- Puma
- Quicksilver
- Ricky Reyes
- Davey Richards
- Rocky Romero
- Ruckus
- Joey Ryan
- Keiji Sakoda†
- Samoa Joe
- Scorpio Sky
- Skulu†
- Babi Slymm
- Bison Smith
- Spanky
- Solo Snuka
- Masato Tanaka
- Chase Tatum†
- Sylvester Terkay
- Brett Wagner
- Tommy Drake
Tag Teams:
- The Ballard Brothers (Shane and Shannon) andCheerleader Melissa
- Los Cubanitos(Ricky ReyesandRocky Romero)
- Evolution (Frankie KazarianandNova)
- Hardkore Inc. (Adam Pearce,Hardkore Kidd,andAl Katrazz)
- Team Emblem (Keiji Sakoda,Masato Tanaka,andShinjiro Otani)
Championships
editUPW Heavyweight Championship
editThe UPW Heavyweight Championship was a championship contested for byHeavyweightwrestlers in Ultimate Pro Wrestling.[3][4]
| Wrestler | # | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sylvester Terkay | 1 | February 1, 1999 | Mission Viejo, California | Won aBattle royalto become first champion |
| Aaron Baker | 1 | 1999 | Santa Ana, California | |
| Mike Bell | 2 | November 1999 | Santa Ana, California | |
| Vacant | N/A | January 9, 2000 | N/A | Mike Bell was stripped of the title. |
| Bad Boy Basil | 1 | January 27, 2000 | Santa Ana, California | DefeatedJ. D. Dempseyin a tournament final. |
| Smelly | 1 | March 29, 2000 | Santa Ana, California | |
| The Prototype | 1 | April 27, 2000 | San Diego, California | |
| Smelly | 1 | May 24, 2000 | Santa Ana, California | |
| Staz | 1 | August 23, 2000 | Santa Ana, California | |
| Christopher Daniels | 1 | October 12, 2000 | Costa Mesa, California | |
| Samoa Joe | 1 | March 14, 2001 | Santa Ana, California | |
| Mikey Henderson | 1 | November 27, 2001 | Hollywood, California | |
| Vacant | N/A | November 27, 2001 | N/A | stripped for no-show |
| Christopher Daniels | 2 | March 13, 2002 | Santa Ana, California | DefeatsSamoa JoeandFrankie Kazarianin a 3-way match. |
| Tom Howard | 2 | May 8, 2002 | Santa Ana, California | DefeatedChristopher Danielsin a tournament final, stripped of the title on June 3. |
| Vacant | N/A | June 3, 2002 | N/A | |
| Adam Pearce | 1 | July 11, 2003 | Anaheim, California | DefeatedChris Mordetzskyin a tournament final. |
| Tom Howard | 1 | October 22, 2003 | Santa Ana, California | |
| Inactive | N/A | 2007 | N/A |
UPW Lightweight Championship
editThe UPW Lightweight Championship was a championship contested for byCruiserweightwrestlers in Ultimate Pro Wrestling.[5][6]
| Wrestler | # | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prodigy | 1 | January 27, 2000 | Santa Ana, California | Won aBattle royalto become first champion |
| Rick Bassman | 1 | January 27, 2000 | Santa Ana, California | Bassman [who was the company's owner] stole the title belt and named himself champion. |
| Prodigy | 2 | February 23, 2000 | Santa Ana, California | |
| The Enterprise | 1 | March 15, 2000 | Hollywood, California | Title might be vacant later in the month. |
| Savvy | 1 | March 28, 2000 | Santa Ana, California | Won aBattle royal.Might have been for a vacant belt. |
| The Enterprise | 2 | March 29, 2000 | San Diego, California | Won aBattle royal.Stripped of the title on May 24, 2000, for being over the title's weight limit. |
| Stretch | 1 | May 24, 2000 | Santa Ana, California | Won aBattle royalfor the vacant title. |
| B-Boy | 1 | June 2000 | San Diego, California | |
| Stretch | 2 | June 10, 2000 | Santa Ana, California | |
| Drunk Irishman | 1 | July 20, 2000 | Huntington Beach, California | Later had to vacate the title due to injury. |
| Stretch | 3 | July 29, 2000 | Huntington Beach, California | Won a tournament for the vacant title. |
| Mikey Henderson | 1 | August 23, 2000 | Santa Ana, California | Vacates the title on October 12, 2000, to create theUltimate Pro Wrestling Southern California title. |
| Prodigy | 3 | November 8, 2000 | Santa Ana, California | Won aBattle royalfor the vacant title |
| B-Boy | 2 | May 30, 2001 | Santa Ana, California | |
| Frankie Kazarian | 1 | August 15, 2002 | Santa Ana, California | This was a2 out of 3 fallsTriple Threat Matchalso involvingSpanky.The first fall was for Spanky'sZero1 International Junior Heavyweight Championshipand the second fall was for B-Boy's UPW Lightweight title. |
| Lil Nate | 1 | February 23, 2005 | Santa Ana, California |
UPW Tag Team Championship
editThe UPW Tag Team Championship was a secondary title contested for in Ultimate Pro Wrestling.[7][8]
| Tag Team | # | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Ballard Brothers (Shane & Shannon) |
1 | December 2, 1999 | Hollywood, California | Won aBattle royalto become first champions. |
| Team Hardcore (Justin Sane&Hardkore Kidd) |
1 | March 2000 | Santa Ana, California | |
| The Ballard Brothers (Shane & Shannon) |
2 | March 28, 2000 | Santa Ana, California | |
| Jobbers-R-Us (Billy Kim & Troubled Youth) |
1 | April 19, 2000 | Santa Ana, California | |
| Los Cubanitos (Ricky Reyes&Rocky Romero) |
1 | April 27, 2000 | San Diego, California | |
| The Ballard Brothers (Shane & Shannon) |
3 | May 24, 2000 | Santa Ana, California | |
| Team Hardcore (Justin Sane & Hardkore Kidd) |
2 | July 1, 2000 | Huntington Beach, California | This was a phantom title change meaning it never actually took place. |
| The Ballard Brothers (Shane & Shannon) |
4 | July 15, 2000 | Huntington Beach, California | Phantom title change. Stripped on January 31, 2001. |
| Evolution (Frankie Kazarian&Nova) |
1 | May 30, 2001 | Santa Ana, California | Won a tournament for the vacant titles.[9] |
| The Ballard Brothers (Shane & Shannon) |
5 | May 8, 2002 | Santa Ana, California | |
| Funky Billy Kim(2)&B-Boy | 1 | January 8, 2003 | Santa Ana, California | |
| The Ballard Brothers (Shane & Shannon) |
6 | March 15, 2003 | Laughlin, Nevada | |
| Hardkore Inc. (Hardkore Kidd(3)&Al Katrazz) |
1 | April 25, 2003 | Anaheim, California | |
| The Ballard Brothers (Shane & Shannon) |
7 | February 20, 2004 | Anaheim, California |
UPW Southern California Heavyweight Championship
editThe UPW Southern California Heavyweight Championship was a secondary title contested for in Ultimate Pro Wrestling.[10]
| Champion | # | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mikey Henderson | 1 | October 12, 2000 | Santa Ana, California | Henderson was theUltimate Pro Wrestling LightweightChampion when he vacated that title to create the UPW Southern California title. Was stripped for too many no shows. |
| Tony Jones | 1 | January 30, 2001 | Santa Ana, California | Was awarded the title after winning a six-man tag match. |
| Tom Howard | 1 | June 26, 2001 | Santa Ana, California | The title is renamed the UPW Shoot Championship on August 22, 2001. Unified with the UPW Heavyweight Championship When Howard beatsChristopher Danielsfor the Heavyweight title on May 8, 2002 |
UPW No Holds Barred Championship
editThe UPW No Holds Barred Championship was a secondary title contested for in Ultimate Pro Wrestling.[11]
| Champion | # | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| J.D. Dempsey | 1 | March 28, 2000 | Santa Ana, California | DefeatedSamoan Joeto become the first champion. |
| Samoa Joe | 1 | March 29, 2000 | San Diego, California | |
| Smooth Billy D | 1 | April 19, 2000 | Santa Ana, California | |
| Shane Ballard | 1 | April 27, 2000 | San Diego, California |
UPW Internet Championship
editThe UPW Internet Championship was a secondary title contested for in Ultimate Pro Wrestling.[12]
| Championship | # | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Navajo Warrior | 1 | November 8, 2000 | Santa Ana, California | Won aBattle royal. |
| The Blue Meanie | 1 | March 14, 2001 | Santa Ana, California |
UPW Women's Championship
edit| Champion | # | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erica Porter | 1 | April 25, 2003 | Anaheim, CA | Beat Savvy to become champion. |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Harris, Keith (6 September 2011)."Bill Goldberg still hates Vince McMahon, may wrestle soon in Africa".Retrieved19 June2016.
- ^"WrestlingClassics Message Board: UPW becomes new WWE developmental territory".wrestlingclassics.
- ^"UPW Heavyweight Title (California)".Wrestling-Titles.
- ^"Solie's Title Histories: UPW".solie.org.
- ^"UPW Lightweight Title (California)".Wrestling-Titles.
- ^"Solie's Title Histories: UPW".solie.org.
- ^"UPW Tag Team Title (California)".Wrestling-Titles.
- ^"Solie's Title Histories: UPW".solie.org.
- ^Hoops, Brian (May 30, 2015)."On this day in pro wrestling history (May 30): Inoki beats Andre to win MSG league, Garea & calhoun win WWWF Tag titles, Gagne vs. Funk Jr., UFC booker wins title".Wrestling Observer Newsletter.RetrievedMarch 21,2020.
- ^"UPW Southern California Heavyweight Title".Wrestling-Titles.
- ^"UPW No Holds Barred Title (California)".Wrestling-Titles.
- ^"UPW Internet Title (California)".Wrestling-Titles.