Commissioner Doyle makes blockbuster announcement concerning UPW Heavyweight Title!

As promised last week, UPW Commissioner Pete Doyle has decided to utilize this edition of the Weekly Wire to drop a bombshell announcement regarding the UPW Heavyweight Championship, and the role that it will play at "Title Wave" on July 11 at The Grove of Anaheim. The following decree comes directly from the desk of the UPW Commissioner:

War or Peace? That was the ultimatum on the mind of George W. Bush in recent history. Either way, he was screwed. Not invading Iraq would have made the United States and Bush look weak and cowardly. Then again, after deciding to go to war, Bush could not escape being criticized by many of his own people and the rest of the world. What I am trying to say is that there comes a time in everyone's life in which you must make a decision that many people will disagree with, even though you are confident in you heart that it is the right thing to do. Now, I've been in this business for quite a few years, and I made it all the way to the top. In fact, unbeknownst to many, I'm still there. As someone who is seasoned in the business, I take pride in knowing what the average wrestling fan wants; even if they don't agree with me all the time. Just like George W. Bush, I feel that I must make a decision that many of you may not like, but trust me, it is for the good of the company and you, the fans. In my case, the role of The United Nations is played by UPW Chairman, Rick Bassman. Although the U.N. traditionally has the final say, Bush made a gutsy move and decided to put his plan into action anyway. At first, this was met with the dismay of the U.N., but they finally came around. I am confident that Rick will come to realize that what I am about to do will be done with the best interest of UPW and its fans in mind. People like George Bush and myself do not need our hands held to make the major decisions in our careers. Just as we now have a new hope of peace here in the United States after the victory in Iraq, we will have a new hope for the success of UPW and the company that it will continue to become. Leadership is action, not position.

Therefore, the action that I am taking as of now is this; Tom Howard is hereby officially stripped of the UPW Heavyweight Title. I regret having to enforce this action, as I agree with many that Tom is the premiere performer in UPW and in all of independent wrestling for that matter. Tom has been the heart and soul of this company as a champion as well as being the Head Instructor at UPW's training center, Ultimate University. He also continues to represent the United States in Japan and is widely considered the leading American star in Zero-One. However, his hectic schedule in Japan and subsequent frequent absences from UPW events here in the U.S. has unfortunately left me with no other option. I have consulted the UPW By-Laws and there is a mandatory 90 day title defense rule in effect. Howard has not defended the title since defeating Bison and Schwag on March 15 in Laughlin, Nevada. If I did not take action, Title Wave would have marked the fourth consecutive UPW event without the presence of the UPW Heavyweight Champion. This would simply be unacceptable. Despite the fact that Howard has proven himself to be a fantastic champion, allowing this to continue would not be fair to the fans or the hard working UPW Superstars who deserve an opportunity to fight for the coveted gold. Although Rick Bassman, who often accompanies Tom in his journeys to Japan, may likely not agree with me, my decision if final. Tom is, as of now, no longer the UPW Heavyweight Champion.

UPW's upcoming show at The Grove of Anaheim is aptly named "Title Wave" as a new UPW Heavyweight Champion will be crowned July 11. I'm not one for crowning a champion by way of battle royal, nor any other similar gimmick match. I prefer one-on-one competition, with the best man coming away with the gold having earned it. I want to make the road to the title a challenging one; thus ensuring that my fans are entertained with the highest level of competition possible. Therefore, I further decree that a 4-man tournament will be held at Title Wave. The new champion will certainly have some big boots to fill. To ensure that he is able to live up to the legacy and standard previously set by the former champion, I have gone up and down the UPW roster to personally select the four individuals who I feel are most deserving of the opportunity to battle for the richest prize in UPW. Horshu? No, he's on his way to WWE. Mike Knox? Worthy yes, and destined to be a top contender, but embroiled in a bitter feud with the Native Nation. Hardkore Kidd? Also deserving, but carrying a UPW Title already. Ditto for Frankie Kazarian. After applying much logic to the task at hand, I've selected crowd favorite Skulu, the never-more-on-top-of-his-game Keiji Sakoda, the recently returning Scrap Iron Adam Pearce, and Tom Howard/Rick Bassman protégé and 22-Man Battle Royal winner Big Chris Mordetsky. I will be on hand to preside on July 11, and will personally hand the belt to the winner ...and new UPW Heavyweight Champion!

Let the games begin!

Your UPW Commissioner
Pete Doyle

Wow! Commissioner Pete Doyle promised a big announcement; he certainly did not disappoint. Since receiving this decree, Doyle's office has sent further details regarding the UPW Heavyweight Title Tournament, which is set to take place at Title Wave. In semi-final action, Japanese Assassin Keiji Sakoda will battle Big Chris Mordetsky. Polynesian powerhouse Skulu will lock horns with Scrap Iron Adam Pearce in the other semi-final match. The winners will advance and face each other in a one-on-one contest in the Main Event of the evening with the victor earning the right to wear the coveted gold around his waist. Who will walk away as the new UPW Heavyweight Champion on July 11? One thing is for sure, the new champion will certainly be a deserving one as he will have wrestled and defeated two of the very best that UPW has to offer in one night! Make sure that you reserve your opportunity to be on hand to witness history in the making at The Grove of Anaheim. To see how these historic tournament matches fit into an already stellar card, check out the updated Title Wave match line up towards the bottom of the Weekly Wire!

SPECIAL BULLETIN - Right at press-time, UPW Owner Rick Bassman learned of Commissioner Pete Doyle's decision regarding the UPW Heavyweight Championship. His comments are forthcoming in the next edition of the "Weekly Wire."

UPW Tag Team Championship
Triple Threat Match signed for Title Wave!

Hardkore Inc. (Champions)
vs
The Ballard Brothers
vs
The Thrillaz

The UPW Tag Team Titles will also be up for grabs at Title Wave. There is a lot of history and bad blood between the three teams that will be brawling for the belts on July 11. At Season's Beatings in January, the seventh tag team title reign of The Ballard Brothers (Shannon and Shane) came to an end as they were defeated by The Thrillaz (B-Boy and Funky Billy Kim). The Thrillaz' victory was not without controversy however. Hardkore Inc. (Hardkore Kidd and Al Katrazz) along with their devious manager El Jefe interfered in the match, contributing to The Ballard's loss of the match and their Tag Team Titles. Later that night, while celebrating the win with The Thrillaz, Hardkore Inc broke beer Bottles over the heads of the new champions and left them laying in the back. Team Hardkore then declared themselves to be the #1 contenders for the titles before fleeing in their custom low rider after being run out of the building by the enraged former champions, The Ballard Brothers. UPW's administration did not agree that Hardkore Kidd and Al Katrazz had done anything to deserve a shot at the titles. In fact, at Rage on the River, in his final act before naming Pete Doyle as the new UPW Commissioner, UPW Chairman Rick Bassman suspended Hardkore Inc. for their actions and kicked them out of the building to the delight of the Laughlin crowd. A frustrated Hardkore Kidd circled the outside of the venue and took out his aggression on a helpless janitor by beating him senseless. Hardkore stole the keys and uniform from his victim and used them to re enter the building. Later in the evening, during a championship rematch between the Ballards and The Thrillaz, Hardkore Kidd appeared at ringside dressed as a janitor. Just when it looked like the Ballards had everything going their way, Hardkore Kidd bashed Shannon Ballard in the head with a trashcan. Obviously, Hardkore had planned to screw over the Ballards yet again; but, the plan backfired as Shannon fell directly on top of a prone member of The Thrillaz for the 1,2,3. In the midst of a melee, the Ballards became 8-time Tag Team Champions! Hardkore Kidd then hit the ring and in a sickening attack, chokeslammed the lovely Desire who had accompanied the Ballards to the squared circle. Once again the interference of the thug from the "mean streets" of Orange County had created major controversy in a UPW Tag Team Title Match. This time it came at the expense of the Thrillaz who had been out to prove that their title reign was not a fluke. The new champions, Shannon and Shane approached Commissioner Doyle and requested for him to lift Hardkore Inc.'s suspension so that They could exact some revenge for their rival's constant interference and for the inexcusable attack on Desire. Doyle claimed that it was against his better judgment, but he agreed to reinstate Hardkore Inc. for The Ballards as well as the fans. "I had a hunch that the fans would love to see the Ballards get their hands on Hardkore Inc. and make them pay" said Doyle. On April 25 at Entertainment Overload, The warring factions met in a brutal table match for The UPW Tag Team Titles in which both tables and bodies were destroyed. Not only were several tables broken in the match, but the 8th Tag Team Title reign of The Ballard Brothers and their dreams of revenge were shattered as well when Hardkore Inc. won the titles after yet another controversial decision. The shoe is now on the other foot as Harkore Inc. now holds the gold and has two very hungry teams knocking at their door. Hardkore Kidd and Alkatrazz must face two teams who feel as if they are uncrowned champions and who are willing to do anything to re-capture the UPW Tag Team Titles. The odds are certainly not in the favor of the current champions as in this triple threat match, neither member of Hardkore Inc. even has to be involved in the decision for them to lose their titles. It would be poetic justice if they were to lose the titles in that fashion, as they have been illegally involved in so many Tag Team Title match decisions in recent months. The UPW Tag Team Titles have changed hands three times over the last six months; will lightning strike once again at The Grove of Anaheim? Who will walk away with the gold once the dust settles at Title Wave? Make sure that you are on hand to find out!

The Weekly Wire returns next week with all the latest UPW news as well as an in-depth look at the four competitors who will strive to become the new UPW Heavyweight Champion at Title Wave

This week on upw.com
By Murphy McDermott

With all the excitement surrounding "Title Wave" at the The Grove of Anaheim, It has been a busy week out there in cyberspace. But we still found some time to add the following updates to upw.com this week:

The complete card for Title Wave has been released and is available here. Come check out who your favorite UPW superstar will be facing on this huge night!

We at UPW are proud to announce that The Navajo Warrior is the UPW June Wrestler of the Month and that Kjel Hansen is the Ultimate University June Student of the Month.

http://www.upw.com/