Truth is without WCPW I wouldn’t have had one of the matches that helped me break out in the UK Scene.
Zack Sabre Jnr vs myself In Manchester for the Lights Out PPV in 2017.
Thanks so much for everything guys!
You can watch the match here:https://t.co/EJt863HY2v
— Travis Banks (@Travis_BanksPW) August 1, 2019
Newcastle based promotion Defiant Wrestling has announced via Twitter that they have had to close their doors. Throughout this piece will be examples of some of their finest matches. The company, formally known as WCPW, was set up three years ago and ran across the country mainly setting its home base in Newcastle. It rebranded to Defiant in late 2017 after some shake-ups behind the scenes.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfcDBRXgX5w]
Over the years it has seen memorable talents such as Drew McIntyre, David Starr, Austin Aries, Joe Hendry, Rampage Brown and Rory Coyle hold its top title and has even hosted the likes of Minoru Suzuki and Kurt Angle over its life span. It also had a massive tag and women’s divisions that saw the likes of Aussie Open and Bea Priestley dominate.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fe5RunHXAS8]
The company also hosted a successful Pro Wrestling World Cup that saw top-level wrestlers from all around the world collide in a series of dream matches ending in KUSHIDA vs Will Ospreay.
No reason was given for the company shutting down but it has received an outpouring of support on Twitter from wrestlers and fans alike all sharing memories of both WCPW and Defiant.
It gained popularity for airing a free weekly wrestling show on YouTube known as Loaded that aired in multiple seasons until the company came to an end.
Their last big PPV, Built to Destroy ’19 has been released on YouTube and can be viewed here. Your writer here will personally miss the promotion.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5_BZlz5UxQ]
All images/videos courtesy of Defiant Wrestling/WCPW, Travis Banks Twitter