Front Row Wrestling

Front Row Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion located in Rochester, New Hampshire. It is one of the few New England-based promotions outside Massachusetts, such as Pro Wrestling America Live in Maine and Joel Gertner's MXW Pro Wrestling in Connecticut, and is the only wrestling promotion active in the state of New Hampshire. Founded by wrestler Scott C. Despres in 2003, it is the sister promotion of Eastern Wrestling Alliance and an affiliate of the National Wrestling Alliance. FRW has co-promoted events and hosted sanctioned title defenses of both promotions.

Front Row Wrestling
AcronymFRW
Founded2003
Defunct2012
StyleAmerican Wrestling
HeadquartersRochester, New Hampshire
Founder(s)Scott C. Despres
Owner(s)Scott C. Despres
SisterEastern Wrestling Alliance
WebsiteFrontRowWrestling.net
Front Row Wrestling on Myspace

A number of Northeastern independent stars competed for FRW, including Brian Milonas, Chase Del Monte, Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Handsome, "The Alpha Male" Justin Powers and Antonio "The Promise" Thomas. The promotion also has a small women's division, largely dominated by Sarah Blackheart, Mistress Belmont and Vanity Vixxxen, but also brought in Sara Del Rey, Mercedes Martinez, Ariel, Alere Little Feather and Awesome Kong. Matt Calamare, the only working deaf professional wrestling referee, also regularly appeared for the promotion.

On February 26, 2010, Despres announced the promotion would be forming a partnership with NWA Liberty States, formerly No Limit Pro, to promote wrestling events throughout New England under the banner of the National Wrestling Alliance.

History

Front Row Wrestling was started by Scott C. Despres, better known as New England independent wrestler Maverick Wild, in 2003 and held its first show in Milford, New Hampshire, that year. When Steve Bradley's Wrestling Federation of America closed its doors a year later, the promotion became the sole wrestling promotion in the state of New Hampshire.[1][2] Although the promotion struggled financially during its first years, partly due to Despres' inexperience as a promoter, it eventually gained a small but loyal following in the Rochester area. The promotion not only established a home arena at the Rochester American Legion Hall but began touring cities throughout New Hampshire within two years. In the summer of 2006, they visited Claremont where it performed at a children's community center in Claremont Park.[3] That same year, they co-promoted an event in Gardner, Massachusetts, with the Eastern Wrestling Alliance. It was one of FRW's first successful shows, with a record 175 fans in attendance.

It eventually took over the WFA's former home base in Dover, New Hampshire, as well. This change influenced one of the promotion's earliest storylines, which pitted one-time WFA stars, known as the Dover Legends, against "heel" manager The Grand Wizard of Wrestling and his Stable of Assassins. Among its earliest stars were former WFA mainstays such as "The Alpha Male" Justin Powers and Antonio "The Promise" Thomas as well as Northeastern independent stars including Maverick Wild, Chase Del Monte, Tommaso Ciampa, Brian Milonas,[4] and Johnny Handsome. Handsome spent part of his early career in the promotion. FRW also developed a small women's division, largely dominated by Sarah Blackheart, Mistress Belmont and Vanity Vixxxen,[5] and would come to include Sara Del Rey, Mercedes Martinez, Ariel, Alere Little Feather and Awesome Kong. Matt Calamare, the only working deaf referee in professional wrestling, also frequently appeared for the promotion.[6]

In early 2007, the promotion was involved in a minor controversy with Rochester city officials when they suddenly shut down Rochester American Legion Hall a little over eight hours before the start of FRW's January 12 supercard "Friday the 12th". According to Despres, an estimated 90-150 fans were turned away. FRW was forced to offer a full refund for all the tickets purchased and was prohibited from running shows in the city until he was issued a special permit by the city council. He met with the council in May[7] and again in November 2007[8] in order to promote shows in the town. Meanwhile, FRW continued to tour New Hampshire, returning to Claremont in the spring[9] and looking into securing an alternate venue outside of Rochester. Eventually, Despres and the city came to a settlement allowing FRW the use of the Rochester American Legion Hall.

On June 23, 2007, FRW held its first card outside the New Hampshire area at the Memorial Ice Arena in Winchendon, Massachusetts. The main event featured a first-ever "champion vs. champion" match between FRW All Star Champion Kid Krazy and Granite State Champion Christian Angers. On February 8, 2008, Despres was a guest on the internet radio show Rumble Radio Online.[1] On June 11, FRW was one of several New England independent promotions which participated in a special benefit show for Brandon Cusick, a 5-year-old child diagnosed with leukemia, at the Bank Street Armory in Fall River, Massachusetts.[10][11] Seven months later in Rochester, on November 15, 2008, the FRW Tag Team Championship changed hands in a 6-person intergender match between The Pleasures of Pain & Mistress Belmont and Tony Star, Sethoran and Vanity Vixxxen. Also on the card, Shane Sharpe defeated Justin Shaype in a 2 out of 3 falls match to win the heavyweight championship.[12]

On July 31, 2009, on the first night of his tour of the East Coast of the United States, Antonio Thomas defeated Shane Sharpe in an Iron Man match in Rochester.[13][14] In addition to running shows in New Hampshire and Massachusetts,[12] FRW made its Vermont debut in White River Junction on September 25.[15] Tony Spencer, then FRW Granite State Champion, appeared on the October 10th edition of the internet call-in radio show Late Nite JengaJam. Among the topics he discussed included his thoughts on the death of Lou Albano, the state of the wrestling industry and World Wrestling Entertainment, and his own career in Front Row Wrestling.[2] On November 6, 2009, Maverick Wild was forced to leave FRW after losing to Bruiser Costa at the American Legion in Rochester.[16] Also on the card, Christian Angers & Stephen Marriott won the FRW Tag Team Championship from Shawn Sharp and Cameron Blaze, and Johnny Vegas defeated Sethoran to become the new FRW All Star Champion.[17]

On February 26, 2010, Despres announced the promotion would be forming a partnership with NWA Liberty States, formerly No Limits Pro, to promote wrestling events throughout New England under the banner of the National Wrestling Alliance.[18] Despres continued co-promoting NWA Liberty States with Joey Eastman for another year. The promotion was then taken over by Todd Sople, which left the NWA around this time, and relocated to Dracut, Massachusetts as Liberty States Pro Wrestling. In an October 2017 interview, Despres confirmed he would not bring back Front Row Wrestling due to his retirement and believed running an independent promotion in New England was no longer profitable.[19]

Alumni

Maverick Wild
Johnny Punch
Alex Arion
Antonio "The Promise" Thomas
"Brutal" Bob Evans
"The Duke of Elegance" Don Chesterfield
Matt Taven
Taeler Hendrix
Male wrestlers
Birth name: Ring name(s): Tenure: Notes
Richard Adorno Punisher Don Vega 2008
Jeremy Barron Dr. Reginald Heresy / Dr. Heresy 2006-2009
Jeff Costa Bruiser Costa 2008-2010
Tom Demers Johnny Punch 2008
Maverick Wild Maverick Wild 2005-2010
Robert Evans Brutal Bob Evans 2006-2007
2009
Michael Gallagher Mike Nice 2007-2008
Jared Ganem Paul Lombardi 2006
Matthew Marinelli Matt Taven 2010
Thomas Matera Antonio "The Promise" Thomas 2007-2010
Tom McCormack Jr. Tommy Mack 2006-2009
Justin McIsaac Justin Shaype 2007-2009
Brian Milonas Brian Milonas 2006-2007
James Milonas Jimmy James 2007
Max Pelham Max Impact 2006
Corey Peloquin Chi Chi Cruz 2006
Alex Pliakos Alex Arion 2006
Joseph Puffer III Christian Angers 2006-2010
Francesco Roda Frankie Arion 2008
Todd Smith Don Chesterfield 2007-2008
David Tombari Tony Omega 2006
Sarath Ton Kid Mikaze 2007-2008
John Vitale Johnny Vegas 2006-2010
Tommaso Whitney Thomaso Ciampa / Tommy Pennmanship 2006-2007
Unknown AJ Mulkie 2006
Unknown Alex Payne 2006
Unknown The Alternate Warrior 2008
Unknown Arson 2007
Unknown B.A. Tatum 2009-2010
Unknown Billy King 2009-2010
Unknown Brandon Locke 2007
Unknown Bryan Logan 2006-2007
Unknown Cameron Blaze 2009-2010
Unknown Chase Del Monte 2006-2007
Unknown Dan Thunder 2007-2009
Unknown Dave Barron / DJ Dave / Moondog Barron 2006-2009
Unknown Ethan Masters 2008-2009
Unknown Flash Farenhyte / Master Flash Farenhyte 2006
Unknown Frankie Armadillo 2006-2007
Unknown Gary "The Torch" Kudalis 2007
Unknown Guthrie O'Dwyer 2007-2008
Unknown Hawaiian Hotbody Vain 2007
Unknown Hawaiian Joe Simone 2009
Unknown John Magnus 2009
Unknown John Poe 2010
Unknown Johnny Royal 2009
Unknown Jonny Idol 2009-2010
Unknown JT Fox 2010
Unknown Justin Sharpe 2008
Unknown Kid Krazy 2006-2007
Unknown Kurt Adams 2007
Unknown Larry Huntley 2006-2007
Unknown Link 2008
Unknown Lynch 2.0 2008
Unknown Mad Dog Mulligan 2007
Unknown Master Flesh 2006-2009
Unknown Matt Logan 2006-2007
Unknown Matt Spectro / Tarzan Taylor 2007-2010
Unknown Michael Sain 2006
Unknown Morbid Malitia 2007
Unknown Nick Steel 2007
Unknown Panther Martin 2006-2010
Unknown Psycho 2006-2008
Unknown Rocco Abruzzi 2006
Unknown Scott Reed 2007
Unknown Sethoran / Vampire Sethoran 2007-2009
Unknown Shane Sharpe / Shane Sharp / Shayne Sharp / American Thunder 2007-2010
Unknown Shawn Sharp / Shawn Sharpe 2009-2010
Unknown Sonny Goodspeed / Strutting Sonny 2006-2010
Unknown Stretcher McGuirk 2008
Unknown Tim Walker 2006-2007
Unknown Todd Sopple / Todd Sople 2009-2010
Unknown Tom Kane 2007-2008
Unknown Tom Liddell 2007-2008
Unknown Tommy Boy 2008
Unknown Tony Star 2008-2009
Unknown "Tough Talk" Tony Spencer 2007-2010
Female wrestlers
Birth name: Ring name(s): Tenure: Notes
Catherine Belmont Mistress Belmont 2009-2010
Taeler Conrad-Mellen Taeler Hendrix 2010
Alisha Inacio Alexxis 2010
Nicole Raczynski Nikki Rox 2008
Unknown Kimaya 2009-2010
Unknown Sarah Blackheart 2009-2010
Unknown Vanity Vixxxen / Vanity Vixen 2008-2009
Stables and tag teams
Tag team/Stable(s) Members Tenure(s)
The Apex Cameron Blaze and Shawn Sharpe 2009-2010
The Boogie Woogie Express 2009
Chunky But Funky DJ Dave and Strutting Sonny 2007-2008
Dr. Reginald Heresy and Christian Angers Dr. Reginald Heresy and Christian Angers 2006-2008
The Logan Brothers Bryan Logan and Matt Logan 2006-2007
The Marriott Corporation Steven Marriott, Johnny Vegas & Justin Shaype, Max Impact 2006-2010
The Pleasures of Pain Maverick Wild and Master Flesh 2007-2008
The Science of Insanity Christian Angers and Steven Marriott 2009-2010
Technical Thunder Tony Spencer and Dan Thunder 2008

Managers and valets

Birth name: Ring name(s): Tenure: Notes
Catherine Belmont Mistress Belmont 2007-2010
Unknown Dr. Everett Payne / Dr. Payne 2006–2007
Unknown George Romero / Jorge Romero / Jorge Akbar 2008-2010
Unknown Joey Eastman 2007-2010
Unknown Lexxus 2008
Unknown Marshall McNeil 2008-2010
Unknown Nurse Kiki Van Dyke 2006
Unknown Steven Mariott / Stephen Marriott 2006–2010
Unknown Vanity Vixxxen / Vanity Vixen 2007-2009

Championships

FRW All Star Championship

The FRW All Star Championship was the main professional wrestling championship defended in Front Row Wrestling. It was the original heavyweight title of the All-Star Wrestling Association from 2002 to 2005, and continued to be defended in FRW until the promotion merged with NWA Liberty States, the National Wrestling Alliance affiliate in Massachusetts, in February 2010.

Key
Symbol Meaning
No. The overall championship reign
Reign The reign number for the specific wrestler listed.
Event The event in which the championship changed hands
N/A The specific information is not known
Used for vacated reigns in order to not count it as an official reign
(nlt) Indicates that a title change took place "no later than" the date listed.[Note 1]
  Indicates that there was a period where the lineage is undocumented due to the lack of written documentation

Title history

No. Champion Reign Date Days held Location Event Notes Ref(s).
1 Johnny Vegas 1 November 19, 2005 301 Claremont, New Hampshire live event As the last holder of the All-Star Wrestling Association Championship, Johnny Vegas was recognized as the first FRW All Star Champion. [20]
2 Maverick Wild 1 September 16, 2006 62 Gardner, Massachusetts live event This was an interpromotional "champion vs. champion" match co-hosted with the Eastern Wrestling Alliance. Maverick Wild won both the FRW All Star and EWA Heavyweight Titles. [20]
3 Kid Krazy 1 November 17, 2006 227 Rindge, New Hampshire live event   [20]
Vacated July 2, 2007 N/A N/A Kid Krazy was stripped of the title for undocumented reasons [20]
4 Christian Angers 1 August 3, 2007 301 Rochester, New Hampshire Ultimate Endurance Defeated Don Chesterfield in an "Ultimate Endurance" tournament final [20]
5 Shane Sharpe 1 May 30, 2008 126 Rochester, New Hampshire live event   [20]
6 Justin Shaype 1 October 3, 2008 43 Rochester, New Hampshire live event   [20]
7 Shane Sharpe 2 November 15, 2008 174 Rochester, New Hampshire live event This was a two out of three falls match [20]
Vacated May 8, 2009 Rochester, New Hampshire live event Held up when Shane Sharpe and Antonio Thomas struck a referee during their match. It was decided by the promotion to award the title to the winner of Ultimate Endurance 3. [20]
8 Sethoran 1 June 19, 2009 140 Rochester, New Hampshire Ultimate Endurance 3 Defeated Master Flesh in an "Ultimate Endurance" match for the vacant title. [20]
9 Johnny Vegas 2 November 6, 2009 112 Rochester, New Hampshire live event   [20]
Deactivated February 26, 2010 N/A N/A FRW merged with NWA Liberty States on February 26, 2010, and the title was abandoned. [20]

FRW Granite State Championship

The FRW Granite State Championship was a secondary professional wrestling championship defended in Front Row Wrestling. As its name suggests, the title was contested in matches specifically in the state of New Hampshire and existed from 2005 until FRW's merger with NWA Liberty States, the National Wrestling Alliance affiliate in Massachusetts, in 2010.

Key
Symbol Meaning
No. The overall championship reign
Reign The reign number for the specific wrestler listed.
Event The event in which the championship changed hands
N/A The specific information is not known
Used for vacated reigns in order to not count it as an official reign
(nlt) Indicates that a title change took place "no later than" the date listed.[Note 2]
  Indicates that there was a period where the lineage is undocumented due to the lack of written documentation

Title history

No. Champion Reign Date Days held Location Event Notes Ref(s).
1 Dave Barron 1 May 20, 2006 119 Claremont, New Hampshire live event Barron became the first champion by winning the title in a battle royal. [21]
2 Flash Farenhyte 1 July 29, 2006 63 Keene, New Hampshire live event   [21]
3 Tim Walker 1 September 30, 2006 147 Claremont, New Hampshire live event   [21]
4 Christian Angers 1 February 24, 2007 83 Rindge, New Hampshire live event   [21]
5 Maverick Wild 1 May 18, 2007 77 Rochester, New Hampshire live event   [21]
6 Shayne Sharpe 1 August 3, 2007 175 Rochester, New Hampshire live event   [21]
7 Steven Marriott 1 January 25, 2008 49 Rochester, New Hampshire live event   [21]
8 Tommy Mack 1 March 14, 2008 127 Rochester, New Hampshire live event   [21]
9 Matt Spectro 1 July 19, 2008 293 Rochester, New Hampshire Ultimate Endurance 2 Defeated Tommy Mack in an "Ultimate Endurance" tournament in which the title was on the line. [21]
10 Tony Star 1 May 8, 2009 148 Rochester, New Hampshire live event   [21]
11 Tony Spencer 1 October 3, 2009 146 Rochester, New Hampshire live event   [21]
Deactivated February 26, 2010 N/A N/A FRW merged with NWA Liberty States on February 26, 2010, and the title was abandoned. [21]

FRW Tag Team Championship

The FRW Tag Team Championship was the major tag team title in Front Row Wrestling from 2005 until 2010. As former holders of the All-Star Wrestling Association Tag Team Championship, albeit with separate partners, Dr. Reginald Heresy and Christian Angers were introduced as the inaugural tag team champions in late 2005. The title existed until FRW's merger with NWA Liberty States, the National Wrestling Alliance affiliate in Massachusetts, in 2010.

Title history

Key
No. Overall reign number
Reign Reign number for the specific champion
Days Number of days held
No. Champion Championship change Reign statistics Notes Ref.
Date Event Location Reign Days
1 Dr. Reginald Heresy and Christian Angers 2005 (n) live event Unknown 1 N/A Heresy and Angers were introduced as the first tag team champions [22]
2 Tim Walker and Tommy Mack April 8, 2006 live event Claremont, New Hampshire 1 0 This was a no disqualification match. Tommy Mack suffers a serious head injury during the match, however, and is unable to compete for several months. [22]
3 Dr. Reginald Heresy and Christian Angers April 8, 2006 live event Claremont, New Hampshire 2 112 Due to Tommy Mack's injury, the titles were returned to Heresy and Angers. [22]
4 Tommy Mack and Panther Martin July 29, 2006 live event Keene, New Hampshire 1 111 [22]
5 The Logan Brothers
(Matt Logan and Bryan Logan)
November 17, 2006 live event Rindge, New Hampshire 1 130 [22]
6 Tommy Mack and Panther Martin March 27, 2007 live event Rochester, New Hampshire 2 94 [22]
7 The Marriott Corporation
(Johnny Vegas and Justin Shaype)
June 29, 2007 live event Rochester, New Hampshire 1 141 [22]
8 Chunky But Funky
(DJ Dave and Strutting Sonny)
November 17, 2007 live event Rochester, New Hampshire 1 118 [22]
9 Pleasures of Pain
(Maverick Wild and Master Flesh)
March 14, 2008 live event Rochester, New Hampshire 1 246 [22]
10 Sethoran and Tony Star November 15, 2008 live event Rochester, New Hampshire 1 97 [22]
11 Dr. Reginald Heresy and Johnny Vegas February 20, 2009 live event Rindge, New Hampshire 1 161 [22]
12 Shawn Sharp and Cameron Blaze July 31, 2009 live event Rochester, New Hampshire 1 98 [22]
13 Christian Angers and Steven Marriott November 6, 2009 live event Rochester, New Hampshire 1 112 [22]
Deactivated February 26, 2010 FRW merged with NWA Liberty States on February 26, 2010, and the title was abandoned.

FRW Ladies All Star Championship

The FRW Ladies All Star Championship was a short-lived women's professional wrestling title in Front Row Wrestling, which was defended for less than a year before the promotion merged with NWA Liberty States, the National Wrestling Alliance affiliate in Massachusetts, in February 2010.

Key
Symbol Meaning
No. The overall championship reign
Reign The reign number for the specific wrestler listed.
Event The event in which the championship changed hands
N/A The specific information is not known
Used for vacated reigns in order to not count it as an official reign
(nlt) Indicates that a title change took place "no later than" the date listed.[Note 3]
  Indicates that there was a period where the lineage is undocumented due to the lack of written documentation

Title history

No. Champion Reign Date Days held Location Event Notes Ref(s).
1 Mistress Belmont 1 July 31, 2009 210 Rochester, New Hampshire live event Defeated Vanity Vixen and Kimaya in a three-way match to become the first FRW All Star Ladies Champion. [23]
Vacated February 26, 2010 N/A N/A FRW merged with NWA Liberty States on February 26, 2010, and the title was abandoned. [23]

Notes

  1. Documentation of the specific date of a title change is not found but documentation of the champion holding the title on that date/in that period.
  2. Documentation of the specific date of a title change is not found but documentation of the champion holding the title on that date/in that period.
  3. Documentation of the specific date of a title change is not found but documentation of the champion holding the title on that date/in that period.

References

  1. Eastman, Joey; P.J. Drummond; Pete Kreten; Pat Creed (2008-02-08). "Joey Eastman 2: Electric Boogaloo (2 of 3)". RumbleRadioOnline.com. Retrieved 2010-06-14.
  2. "Late Nite JengaJam Ep. 140 - Tough Talk With Tony Spencer". Late Nite JengaJam. Talkshoe.com. 2009-10-20. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
  3. City of Claremont Parks & Recreation (Summer 2006). "May - August 2006 Brochure" (PDF). Claremont Parks & Recreation. ClaremontNH.com. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
  4. East Coast Wrestling Association (2009). "ECWA Pro Wrestling: 14th Annual Super 8". Super 8 News. ECWAprowrestling.com. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
  5. "Vanity Vixxxen". G.L.O.R.Y. Wrestling: The Wrestlers. GloryWrestling.com. 2009-05-06. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
  6. "Wrestling Respect Interview with referee Matt Calamare". WrestlingRespect.com. 2008-10-13. Archived from the original on 2010-10-21. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
  7. Eisenberg, Sheryl L. (2007-05-01). "Rochester City Council Meeting: Tuesday, May 1, 2007". Public Documents. RochesterNH.net. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
  8. Eisenberg, Sheryl L. (2007-11-07). "Rochester City Council Meeting: Wednesday, November 7, 2007". Public Documents. RochesterNH.net. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
  9. City of Claremont Parks & Recreation (Summer 2007). "May - August 2007 Brochure" (PDF). Claremont Parks & Recreation. ClaremontNH.com. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
  10. "Benefit for Brandon." DOIwrestling.com. Ed. Sean McCaffrey. N.p., July 2008. Web. 8 July 2010. <www.declarationofindependents.net/doi/pages/ben711r.html>
  11. O'Domski, Shawn (July 2008). "Independent Wrestling Results - July 2008". Miscellaneous Independent Results. OnlineWorldofWrestling.com. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
  12. Tanaka, Dan (2009). "Match Listings: (1001-1100)". Match History. ProWrestlingReferee.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2010-06-14.
  13. "NECW Star "The Promise" Antonio Thomas Launches Wrestling, Media Blitz". Newsblaze.com. 2009-07-31. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
  14. "Independent Wrestling Results - July 2009". Results. OnlineWorldofWrestling.com. July 2009. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
  15. Tanaka, Dan (2010). "Match Listings: (1101-1200)". Match History. DanTanaka.com. Archived from the original on 2010-09-22. Retrieved 2010-06-14.
  16. Meltzer, Dave (2009-11-06). "THURS UPDATE: Vince talks business; GSP signs deal; New PPV match; Ratings; Hogan; Pillman; Rogers". Wrestling Observer/Figure Four Online. F4Wonline.com. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
  17. "Front Row Wrestling results from 11/6 in Rochester, NH". Newswire. IndyWrestlingNews.com. 2009-11-09. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
  18. Despres, Scott C. (2010-02-26). "Big Change Ahead: NWA Liberty States". FRWrestling.com. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
  19. Connors, Leo (host) (October 2017). "Maverick Wild, 1st Visit". The Ring & All Other Sports. Episode 71. Nashua TV.
  20. "FRW All Star Title History". Solie.org. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  21. "FRW Granite State Title History". Solie.org. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  22. "FRW Tag Team Title History". Solie.org. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  23. "FRW All Star Ladies Title History". Solie.org. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
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