In hindsight, I suppose the events at New Frontiers shouldn't have come as much of a surprise.  In my last blog entry, just before we started Season 2 at the NEC, I talked about just how much of an uphill struggle I expect this coming year to be for the Resistance, which was shaken to its core by Alex Shane’s betrayal last November.  So I kind of knew what to expect going in, but somehow it was still a shock to see just how much the balance of power has shifted in favour of The Agenda, and just how easily they were able to impose their will on everyone for the majority of the weekend.

I won't recount all of the events from New Frontiers again, given that the full results are still available on FWAUK.com for anyone who missed them.  But there are a few guys whose actions in Birmingham merit special attention.

First and foremost, I want to get something off my chest about David Deville.  Being in the FWA should be a privilege, and there are literally dozens of trainees in the BWC system who would do anything for a spot on the roster.  Now, I'm not saying Deville is unworthy of his position, having worked his way up through promotions in London and the south east over a number of years.  But clearly, the way he is parading around is not sitting well backstage.  I probably need to be careful what I say here, so let me simply offer Her Majesty’s footman some friendly advice: Kissing up to your boss might result in you being given a championship belt on a silver platter, but it’s going to take much more work and a distinct change in attitude for you to earn the respect of the fans and your peers in the locker room.  Oh, and wearing a ridiculous purple singlet doesn’t help much either.  Just saying.

Anyway, New Frontiers also saw a couple of other notable début appearances for both sides in the ongoing war for British wrestling.  The first was Colossus, the monstrosity that Deville sent to fight his battle for him against Leroy Kincaide in the main event of day one.  It's now well documented that Leroy ended up passing out at the end of that match, trapped in a submission hold that put unbearable pressure on a neck that had already been badly damaged by a devastating choke slam and an earlier assault by the Agenda.  Of course, given the injury, it doesn’t necessarily follow that any of this means Colossus has Leroy's number – but I think there is plenty of cause for concern if you’re part of the Resistance.  The main reason I say this is not because of any physical damage to Leroy – hopefully that will heal soon enough – but rather the psychological scars that might linger as a result of this unexpected defeat.

Let me explain.  I have known Leroy Kincaide for close to three years now, and I consider him a good friend.  But it is obvious to all who know him well that his intensity can be as much a curse as it is a blessing – he is the kind of guy who wears his heart on his sleeve and lives or dies by the amount of self-confidence he is feeling at a given time.  I remember I was commentating when Leroy won his first British championship in 2009 (ironically against Alex Shane), when I was working for a different promotion.  It was quite a moment, but in the course of picking up the victory he injured his shoulder and subsequently lost the belt much more quickly than anyone would have predicted.  Even then the bad times weren't over – for the next few months he seemed to go into a funk that lasted long after his shoulder had healed.  It wasn't until he started winning matches in the new FWA during 2010 that he finally found his feet again and rose to where he is now.  My fear is that this new injury could cause a similar problem for Leroy, and if it does then it will seem to many as though Colossus was the man who made it happen.  I don't personally believe that any rookie is unstoppable, however big and powerful he is, but if this newcomer is able to project an image of invincibility then he might have half of the roster beaten before they even set foot in the ring with him.  Perception has a habit of becoming reality in cases like this.

Anyway, the other début of sorts at New Frontiers arguably caused even more of a stir.  For those who didn’t recognise him, the psychopath who broke into the NEC at the end of Sunday’s show was Johnny Phere – a crazed madman who has been at war with The Ascension for the past few months over the XWA British Heavyweight Championship, up in the north-west.  Having been unable to get the revenge he wanted against Shane, he had vowed to storm into Birmingham and force the issue.  No-one seemed to believe he was serious at the time given his apparently unstable demeanour, but it turned out he had been seriously underestimated.  Just when the Agenda thought they had wiped out all the threats facing them in Birmingham, the "Psychotic Warrior" turned things completely on their head.

Here’s my question: how much of a good thing is Johnny Phere for the Resistance?  On the face of it you might think there is a big upside to his arrival, given the desperate times and the ever-dwindling troops available to fight for the cause.  But I’m not sure it’s all good news.  Phere is the proverbial loose cannon who is liable to assault anyone in his way, and has already said he is not on the side of the Resistance or the Agenda.  His vendetta is a personal one against Alex Shane, nothing more.  The problem is that Shane has now beefed up security at THORPE PARK and promised that Phere has no chance of getting into the building.  Given that he has already attacked FWA staff and event stewards at the NEC, I can’t imagine that Phere has anyone fighting his corner in the FWA management office either.  Frankly, I think managing director Tony Simpson probably sees him as a lawsuit waiting to happen so he’s unlikely to stand up to the Agenda and push for Phere to be given a spot on the roster.  It’s a fair point, but I hope eventually the powers that be will decide to take the risk – Phere is certainly a handful to say the least, but we might just need him if we are to win this war and keep British wrestling alive.

There's one other headline-maker from the opening weekend of Season 2 who I must mention.  Nathan Cruz certainly grabbed the bull by the horns when he inserted himself into a pair of matches involving perennial rivals El Ligero and RJ Singh, eventually gaining victories over both before the weekend was out.  I may not find Cruz to be particularly likeable, but I wonder if he might just have picked the perfect moment to make his mark in the flyweight division.  All of his potential rivals seem to have their attention diverted – Singh and Ligero still seem intent on ruining each other’s careers, while the bitter feud between Rockstar Spud and Jonny Storm shows no signs of abating, even after one of them claims victory in the championship round robin tournament. Is it possible that the only man with the single-mindedness to focus exclusively on the gold might be the person who sneaks through the middle and steals the show from everyone in 2011?

With all of that in mind, we're headed into four days of action at THORPE PARK.  This was the big announcement to which I alluded at the end of my last post, and is a major moment for the evolution of the FWA – I hope and expect it will be the beginning of a very fruitful relationship between us and the Merlin Entertainments Group, which also owns many other top theme parks and attractions around the UK.  It’s actually a homecoming of sorts for me – I had my first job at THORPE PARK, working in the souvenir shops when I was a wee lad!  I’ll be getting a nice home-cooked meal on Saturday night when I visit my folks, but that’s about the only thing I can be certain about as we head into the weekend.  Very little has been announced about the cards for any of the four days, although we do know that Friday will be "Adrenaline Friday".  This is good news in my book – the FWA Adrenaline stars did a great job at the NEC, so I want an encore.  I understand that over the weekend we’re expecting Singh, Cruz and Ligero to all put in an appearance.  The Agenda will undoubtedly make their presence felt while for the Resistance, Nick Riley will be in the house.  I can also tell you that Sha Samuels intends to be there after missing New Frontiers – and by the way, having spoken with him this week I can confirm that he was not simply “stuck in London” that weekend as the Agenda tried to claim.  I won’t say any more than that – I’m sure Sha can speak for himself.

I'm yet to be told about the commentary plans for the weekend, but I gather there's a chance I might be paired with Joel Ross again, which is fine by me.  I won’t say it was a pleasure to commentate with him on Day 2 of New Frontiers, but it was certainly something of a relief to be working with a former BBC Radio 1 DJ rather than a wannabe journalist who thinks a pair of sunglasses and silly leather gloves makes him sinister.  Greg Lambert, please rest assured that you know absolutely nothing about my life, so I’d appreciate it if you backed off.  In fact, ideally I’d like it if you backed off a cliff.

One last thing to mention, although it deserves to be much more than a footnote.  I firmly believe that the announcement we made a few weeks ago about Equity accepting pro wrestlers as full members will turn out to be one of the biggest stories in our industry for many years.  To my knowledge, it is absolutely unprecedented for pro wrestlers to have access to a powerful trade union and to be eligible for the same insurance as stuntmen claim under that union.  Make no mistake about it – this is ground breaking stuff that could reverberate far beyond the UK.  I would think a few tremors are being felt in Connecticut, for example...

That’s all for now.  Hopefully see some of you at THORPE PARK for what promises to be an Easter weekend to remember!