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]
 One Pro Wrestling's logo | |
| Acronym | 1PW |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2005 11 April 2022 (relaunch) |
| Defunct | 29 September 2023 |
| Style | Professional wrestling Sports entertainment |
| Headquarters | Doncaster, England |
| Founder(s) | Steven Gauntley |
| Owner(s) | Steven Gauntley |
| Website | 1prowrestling.com |
Early days
editThe 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
editOn 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
edit| Championship | Current champion(s) | Reign | Date won | Days held | Location | Previous champion | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1PW Heavyweight Championship | Vacant | N/A | 15 September 2023 | 454+ | N/A | Will Ospreay | Vacated alongside all over championships after multiple wrestlers ended their working relationships with the promotion.[6] |
| 1PW Tag Team Championship | Vacant | N/A (N/A) |
15 September 2023 | 454+ | N/A | Boisterous 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 | Vacant | N/A | 15 September 2023 | 454+ | 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 | Vacant | N/A | 15 September 2023 | 454+ | N/A | Lizzy Evo | Vacated alongside all over championships after multiple wrestlers ended their working relationships with the promotion.[6] |
References
edit- ^ a b "One Pro Wrestlinh History". 1prowrestling.com. One Pro Wrestling. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
- ^ Chaplin, Harry (5 January 2007). "Breaking News: UK promotion 1PW goes into liquidation". wrestlingnewssource.com. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
- ^ "Wrestling Megastars To Headline Sensational 1PW Relaunch". 1prowrestling.com. 11 April 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- ^ Tessier, Colin (23 April 2023). "1PW All Or Nothing Results (4/22): Will Ospreay Wins World Title". Yahoo Entertainment. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
- ^ Thomas, Jeremy (8 September 2023). "Will Ospreay Announces He's Parting Ways With 1PW". 411Mania. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
- ^ a b c d e 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Burke, Darren (28 September 2023). "Doncaster wrestling show suspended amid 'fraud' allegations". Doncaster Free Press. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
- ^ "Announcement from 1PW Ltd". Instagram. 29 September 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.