Ultimate Pro Wrestling
California-based independent professional wrestling promotion
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW) was a California-based independent pro wrestling company owned and operated by Rick Bassman,[1] that operated from 1998–2007.
| Acronym | UPW |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1998 |
| Defunct | 2007 |
| Headquarters | Santa Ana, California |
| Founder | Rick Bassman |
| Owner | Rick Bassman |
The company had working relationships with Pro Wrestling Zero1 and World Wrestling Entertainment. It served as a developmental company for WWE, 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 are John Cena, Samoa Joe, The Miz, Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian. The promotion was featured on a Discovery Channel special called Inside Pro Wrestling School.
Notable alumni
Deceased 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 (Victoria)
- 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
- Navajo Warrior
- 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) and Cheerleader Melissa
- Los Cubanitos (Ricky Reyes and Rocky Romero)
- Evolution (Frankie Kazarian and Nova)
- Hardkore Inc. (Adam Pearce, Hardkore Kidd, and Al Katrazz)
- Team Emblem (Keiji Sakoda, Masato Tanaka, and Shinjiro Otani)
Championships
- UPW Heavyweight Championship
- UPW Lightweight Championship
- UPW Tag Team Championship
- UPW Southern California/Shoot Championship
- UPW No Holds Barred Championship
- NWA/UPW/Zero1 International Junior Heavyweight Championship
UPW Heavyweight Championship
The UPW Heavyweight Championship was a championship contested for by Heavyweight wrestlers in Ultimate Pro Wrestling.[3][4]
| Wrestler | # | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sylvester Terkay | 1 | February 1, 1999 | Mission Viejo, California | Won a Battle royal to 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 | Defeated J. D. Dempsey in 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 | Defeats Samoa Joe and Frankie Kazarian in a 3-way match. |
| Tom Howard | 2 | May 8, 2002 | Santa Ana, California | Defeated Christopher Daniels in 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 | Defeated Chris Mordetzsky in a tournament final. |
| Tom Howard | 1 | October 22, 2003 | Santa Ana, California | |
| Inactive | N/A | 2007 | N/A | |
UPW Lightweight Championship
The UPW Lightweight Championship was a championship contested for by Cruiserweight wrestlers in Ultimate Pro Wrestling.[5][6]
| Wrestler | # | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prodigy | 1 | January 27, 2000 | Santa Ana, California | Won a Battle royal to 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 a Battle royal. Might have been for a vacant belt. |
| The Enterprise | 2 | March 29, 2000 | San Diego, California | Won a Battle 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 a Battle royal for 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 the Ultimate Pro Wrestling Southern California title. |
| Prodigy | 3 | November 8, 2000 | Santa Ana, California | Won a Battle royal for the vacant title |
| B-Boy | 2 | May 30, 2001 | Santa Ana, California | |
| Frankie Kazarian | 1 | August 15, 2002 | Santa Ana, California | This was a 2 out of 3 falls Triple Threat Match also involving Spanky. The first fall was for Spanky's Zero1 International Junior Heavyweight Championship and the second fall was for B-Boy's UPW Lightweight title. |
| Lil Nate | 1 | February 23, 2005 | Santa Ana, California |
UPW Tag Team Championship
The 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 a Battle royal to 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
The 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 the Ultimate Pro Wrestling Lightweight Champion 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 beats Christopher Daniels for the Heavyweight title on May 8, 2002 |
UPW No Holds Barred Championship
The 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 | Defeated Samoan Joe to 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
The 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 a Battle royal. |
| The Blue Meanie | 1 | March 14, 2001 | Santa Ana, California |
UPW Women's Championship
| Champion | # | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erica Porter | 1 | April 25, 2003 | Anaheim, CA | Beat Savvy to become champion. |