The entire line up for the first ever King of Europe Cup has now been fully released along with the full tournament bracket for the history making events on April 28th and 29th live from the Liverpool Olympia. The announcement also includes the confirmation of the final two company entrants in this huge 16 man tournament. With less than 3 weeks to go all eyes are focussing on Liverpool for this truly ground breaking European event that will set new levels for match quality on British shores. Sixteen of the worlds top wrestling promotions will be represented in an event the likes of which has never been presented anywhere ever before!
The King of Europe is almost here………….
The first round tournament matches are:
TNA’s Rhino Vs ROH’s Nigel McGuiness
Who is their more loyal to their respective companies than either Rhino or Nigel McGuiness? While the former ECW Champion Rhino thrashed the company’s belt on a TNA taping just as WWE were trying to revive the old brand, Nigel McGuiness has watched ROH stars come and go and stood firm whilst having the frame, physique and talent to jump ship more than almost all of his Ring of Honor team stable mates who have done so before him. It is the ultimate battle of power and rare strength versus style and technique, the ultimate battle of TNA’s philosophy against ROH’s. It is Nigel McGuiness Vs Rhino for the first time ever at the KOE Cup 2007.
McGuiness said “2006 has been a year I will never forget. I have proved in America, Japan and across Europe that I am one of the top heavyweights in independent wrestling and am confident that in 2007 I will win the belts and titles to back that up. The KOE Cup is the ultimate way to kick start 2007 for me and there is no bigger potential match for me in this tournament than TNA’s Rhino. I am seeing Rhino as a test case to show that I am not only on of the top Heavyweights in ROH but one of the best in the world. Rhino is as tough and talented as they come but to have him in the first round when I am fresh is, for me, far better than latter one in the tournament. I’m going to show the world that Nigel McGuiness really is in it, to win it at the KOE Cup.”
Rhino was not available for comment.
CZW’s Chris Hero Vs CHIKARA’s Claudio Castagnoli
It is battle of the tag partners on night one of the KOE Cup. Certainly one of the most impressive and controversial tag teams of 2006 was the ‘King of Wrestling’ Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli. Winning gold in both ROH and CHIKARA, Hero and Double C proved that their reputation as the most well travelled tag team in independent wrestling has paid off for them. Now they must work against each other to win gold of a different kind, The King of Europe Cup. Saturday April 28th will mark their first clash against each other on UK sole and will be one that no fan will want to miss. They know each other hold for hold and inside out but now they must use those skills to out match one another and prove who the real king of kings is.
IWA-MS’s Matt Sydal Vs IWS’s El Generico
Without question one the most highflying contests that will be seen at the first ever KOE Cup will be between Matt Sydal and El Generico. Also taking place for the first time on European sole this potential match of the night encounter will pick two of the most innovative cruiserweights of the modern era against one another as IWA Mid South takes on IWS in the tournaments only American Vs Canada battle. 2006 has certainly been a great year for Matt Sydal with his rise up the card in ROH leading to a tag team tile win alongside Chris Daniels against the ‘Kings of Wrestling’ who are both also in the tournament and could be looking for revenge against Sydal here.
El Generico on the other hand sees 2007 as the year that he will finally get the recognition he deserves as one of the most exciting indy workers of the current circuit. His performances for PWG helped him expand his portfolio and lead to multiple tours of Europe over 2006 and recent outings with Ring of Honor have lead insiders to believe that this will be the year he finally gets a regular spot with the Philadelphia based wrestling hotbed. Sydal Vs Generico is sure to see both me bring their best efforts to Liverpool in order to secure that all important step up on the European and ultimately world wide wrestling circuit.
PWG’s Davey Richards Vs WAW’s The Zebra Kid
To the excitement of event staff and organisers the addition of the Zebra Kid meant that the original confrontation between Davey Richards and an FIP opponent would be automatically changed and what better match up for the KOE Cup. One of Britain’s hardest hitting competitors ever against one the United States right now. The Zebra Kid was the man who took it to Samoa Joe on his first ROH overseas title defence and left a trail of battered British wrestlers in his wake until he was forced to leave the UK wrestling scene due to legal issues. Along with the trail of beaten wrestlers was also a trail of saddened fans that would greatly miss his strong style performances and hard hitting approach.
On the other side of the Atlantic there was anew kid on the block making a name for himself using a very similar approach. ECWA Super 8 winner Davey Richards has combined hard hitting offence with raw power and aggression to make him one of the US independent scenes top stars. With the eyes of the world on him and his ROH and PWG performances Richards has fast become a regular overseas traveller with England seeing him perform for RQW, 1PW and other others in the last 4 months alone.
The contest will be one that pushes and ultimately enhances both men reputations as two of western wrestling’s toughest stars. This is a bout that no fan of either mans will want to miss.
Dragon Gate’s Ryo Saito Vs 1PW’s Jody Fleisch
Fans of Japan’s Dragon Gate promotion will be sure not to want to miss the UK debut of Ryo Saito, a true star and stand out performer of one of the wrestling’s most unique promotions. He will be taking on the last man to be added to the tournament in world renowned British high flyer Jody Fleisch. For fans of both men this will be a unique first time meeting that will be of interest to both Fans in the UK and Japan alike. Fleisch has great experience with many of Japans top names such as The Great Sasuke and Jushin Liger to name but two although Ryo Saito is one of the current stars of a scene that “The Phoenix” has been away from for some time. A win for Saito is a victory over one of the UK’s top names of the last 10 years. A win for Fleisch is a major step in the right direction in the path to rebuilding his name and legacy overseas. It was his win in the history making “King of England” tournament that shot him to world wide recognition just 5 years ago. Can Dragon Gates best, Ryo Saito, put a stop to it happening again before Fleisch has even gotten off the blocks in round one? Our can Jody send the DG representative packing in night one? Whatever the outcome will be there is no denying that the confrontation itself is a mouth watering expectation for any wrestling fan.
NOAH’s Go Shiozaki Vs RQW’s Martin Stone
Go Shiozaki is seen by many as the next big thing is Pro Wrestling NOAH. The student of Japanese legend Kenta Kobashi, he is one of the most promising and well received stars to come out of Japan in some time. The same can also be said of Martin Stone in his own country of England. Yet unlike Shiozaki, Stone is already pretty far down the road of success. The current RQW British Heavyweight Champion, Stone has really proven himself to be one of the two biggest rising stars in the UK on a domestic level but can he cut it with the world’s best on a global stage? His recent history making contest against the Great Muta proved that he can go toe to toe with the big names but whilst still in his early 20’s does he have what it takes to BEAT the worlds best in this years KOE Cup? Both Shiozaki and Stone truly have what it takes to be the best in their own respective countries in the not so distant future. The real question is who is the better man right now? Both men bring their strong style approach to this first round contest making it a must see confrontation for anyone who is a fan of the hard hitting Japanese style. Stone wants to make a name for himself in Japan and the US whilst Shiozaki wants to the same thing in the US and Europe. Both will hold nothing back and both will give fans a contest that will potentially leave a lasting toll on each man long after April 28th.
PWU’s Trent Acid Vs IPW:UK’s PAC
If Martin Stone is one of the UK’s top two breakout stars of the last year then the other 50% of the that statement is without question PAC. “The man that gravity forgot” has shot out of nowhere in the last 12 months to become that most talked about British star of the past 5 years. His death defying high flying is in a league of it’s on any stage and with offers coming to him from all over the world it’s clear to see why the KOE Cup could potentially solidify his status as the man to watch in 2007 and beyond. The things he can do from the top rope are unrivalled in all of professional wrestling and it appears that the sky really is the limit for the North East’s fastest rising star in more ways than one.
One person who stands in the way of all that is US independent wrestling main stay Trent Acid. One half of the world famous “Backseat Boys” Acid is on a quest to once again become the talk of the wrestling world and come into, and out of, the KOE Cup with a huge impact. What better way to make that impact than by beating the most talked about UK star of the hour on his home turf in the first round of such an enormous tournament? After spending a few years out of the spot light he was constantly under in the early part of the decade, Trent Acid has his sights set on stealing the show at the KOE Cup and just like old rival (and fellow tournament competitor) Jody Fleisch, wants to show the new breed of high flyer that the generation before them is still a step ahead. At the KOE Cup the world will find out if the old guard are right or if the new kid on the block is as good as the critics and fans alike seem to think he is. With both men being widely known for their crazy, risk taking styles expect Pac Vs Acid to be the contest that leaves Liverpool breathless in night one of the King of Europe Cup.
Premier Wrestling’s Doug Williams Vs wXw’s Ares
Without question Doug Williams is the man to beat in the KOE Cup. Not only does he have a huge experience advantage over 99% of his fellow competitors but he also has victories over half of them. Ares falls under this category. Yet unlike Williams, he has the eye of the tiger that only someone who is yet to climb to the heights of “The Anarchist” but knows he has the talent to do so, can have. These two men have met on multiple occasions in the past with the outcome being different each time. Yet one thing has been definitively proven by their previous confrontations. Williams Vs Ares is considered by many experts to be the best singles match in Europe right now.
Doug Williams has nothing to prove to anybody in professional wrestling and has been the true constant performer in Europe and around the globe for almost 15 years. The only person slowly creeping up on him to take that role is not only from his home country but also his home county of Kent. That person is KOE Cup Ring of Honor representative Nigel McGuiness. If Doug is to lose in the first round against Ares whilst Nigel manages to beat his first round opponent in TNA’s Rhino, many will question who is the real “Man” in British wrestling. For Doug to be eliminated in the first round would be a huge blow for his reputation world wide by a man who clearly has the potential to do it in Ares. When NOAH recently flew Ares over for his first tour with them it was a sign that he was somebody to watch. Ares knows full well that if he can eliminate their top UK star in the KOE Cup, he has a huge chance of replacing Doug Williams on many of his already set in stone Japanese dates for 2007. Ares has nothing to lose and everything to gain. Doug on the other hand simply cannot afford to lose at any cost. With so much at stake for both men fans in Liverpool need to prepare for the potential match of the night on April 28th.
So what is the King of Europe Cup?
Europe’s biggest worldwide tournament comes to England
The biggest tournament in European wrestling history will take place over two days on Saturday April 28th and Sunday April 29th 2007 from the home of Ring of Honor’s recent UK debut show, The Liverpool Olympia. 16 of the top companies in wrestling today will send representatives to battle it out in a massive 16 man tournament to crown to first ever King of Europe. The tournament will then continue with a three day event between May 4th and May 6th at the Musikpalette in Essen, Germany.
Arguably British wrestling’s top two contributors over the last 10 years Alex Shane and Doug Williams have spent 18 months negotiating to bring this two day spectacular to the UK and between them have used their contacts and experience to guarantee European fans an event like no other. Organisers are in talks with companies in Italy and France about the concept of having tournaments of their own during the week in between the huge UK and German events.
Offers have been coming in from all over the world by wrestlers and promoters, who want to be included in this massive event. The winner of the tournament will be awarded the first ever KOE cup after going through 4 rounds of matches with the best talent independent wrestling ahs to offer.
Doug Williams is without question the greatest overseas ambassador for the British wrestling industry of the last 10 years. He made the following comments regarding his reasons for getting involved in the project. “I really began to make a world wide name for myself after my appearance in the American King of the Indies tournament. After my performance there a world of opportunities opened to me from promoters in more than 20 countries. Ever since then I have often wondered why no one has ever taken the concept and used it in Europe. After speaking to Alex Shane, we both discussed how great it would be to take that tournament to the next level and really do something on a scale that has never been done. We used all our contacts made over a combined 25 years plus in the wrestling business and decided to see what we could pull off”.
The current Pro Wrestling NOAH European ambassador continued “We have worked on this for over a year and are confident that this will become one of the biggest events on the worldwide wrestling calendar. 16 of the best promotions from around the entire world sending their very best talent to represent them is a massive deal. To have this tournament then go over to Germany for a 3 day follow up weekend is even bigger. We believe that within two years this will already be considered a must see annual event for fans from all countries and are fully expecting them to travel from all over the world to see it in April.”
Alex Shane holds the boost of organising the biggest independent wrestling shows in UK of the last decade. From making the FWA once the most talked about promotion in Europe to the unbelievable International Showdown to the recent and highly acclaimed Ring of Honour UK tour Shane has experience and success in this field like no other. The current ROH European Head of marketing and promotions said “Everyone involved in this event from the organisers to the 16 companies on board believe that this event will put the UK on the map in a way that no other event has done before. We want to make the King of Europe Cup and annual event which has the world’s top promotions clambering to be involved. We are confident that this will be a massive boost to the UK industry. For the several UK wrestlers that are picked they will surely be seen by promoters worldwide. UK Promotions will be able to get their product seen on global stage by thousands of potential new fans and British fans that will witness some of the best wrestling that the current stars of today can possibly offer. I am in no way afraid to say that this will be the single most important event I have ever promoted”.
What can fans expect?
Let’s take a look at what fans will be seeing over the two days including running times and some of the brand new concepts and ideas that event organisers are debuting to guarantee this will be a weekend that no UK wrestling fan will want to miss.
Day one on Saturday April 28th will feature the 8 first round matches with all winners going into the Quarter finals on day two.
Day two on Sunday April 29th will feature the quarter final, semi final and Final plus more matches featuring the eliminated talent from the first round.
King of Europe Cup tickets on Sale NOW
Tickets for the first ever King of Europe Cup tournament which takes place live from the Liverpool Olympia on April 28th and 29th are on sale NOW. The event, which features a world wide 16 company tournament, features the following wrestlers.
The list of wrestlers now confirmed to appear so far are:
Nigel McGuiness (ROH)
Rhino (TNA)
Ryo Saito (Dragon Gate)
Davey Richards (PWG)
Go Shiozaki (NOAH)
Chris Hero (CZW)
Matt Sydal (IWA:MS)
Claudio Castagnoli (CHIKARA)
The Zebra Kid (WAW)
Doug Williams (Premier)
Trent Acid (PWU)
Martin Stone (RQW)
El Generico (IWS)
Pac (IPW:UK)
Jody Fleisch (1PW)
Ares (wXw)
There are still two more top names from the world of international wrestling still to be announced for this two day mega event.
King of Europe Cup ticket information
Tickets for this event are as follows
Gold Ringside for one day = £75
Includes free entry to IPW:UK pre show, free entry to signing session and free event poster.
Gold Ringside ticket for both days = £130 (£20 saving)
These must be booked together. We will endeavour to give you the same seat for both shows but cannot guarantee it.
Silver Ringside for one day = £60
Includes half price entry to IPW:UK pre show, free entry to signing session and free event poster.
Silver Ringside ticket for both days = £105 (£15 saving)
These must be booked together. We will endeavour to give you the same seat for both shows but cannot guarantee it.
Bronze Ringside for one day = £45
Includes free entry to signing session and free event poster.
Bronze Ringside for ticket for both days = £80 (£10 saving)
These must be booked together. We will endeavour to give you the same seat for both shows but cannot guarantee it.
Other seats are priced at £25 and £20 for ground far ringside, £15 middle balcony and £10 upper balcony.
Doors will open at 5.45pm
Bell time is at 6.30pm
Tickets are available on line by going to www.kingofeuropecup.com and are on sale NOW!!
Telephone ticket orders can then be made from The Liverpool Olympia Ticket hotline on: 0151 – 263 – 6633
Lines are open Monday to Saturday 9.30am until 5.30pm
Biggest Ever wrestling party in UK history
As part of the KOE Cup weekend, event organisers are hosting the UK’s biggest ever wrestling party in history! That’s right for fans in Liverpool that weekend a massive after show event is taking place where fans and wrestlers alike will be able to mix and party all night which a completely free and unlimited bar!!
All fans need to do is present their event ticket for the KOE Cup at the door and they will receive a reduced entry fee of £15. Then once inside ALL drinks are 100% free of charge and the number of drinks you can get is UNLIMITED!
Wrestlers from all over the UK are invited to this event regardless of their involvement in the KOE Cup so this massive and certainly unforgettable night.
The night will feature fans going head to head with wrestlers in grand slam giant sumo contests and for the first time ever in UK wrestling a special King of Europe Cup wet T shirt competition!!
This first time ever event will be taking place at the Grafton Ballrooms which is next door to the Liverpool Olympia so fans can simply go straight in there after the event.
The doors open from 10pm and the night will go on until 3am the next morning
This event is strictly over 18’s only
For a 3-D tour of the club go to the venue section on the official KOE Cup website or www.koecup.com
Why not try a taste of IPW:UK?
Organisers of the King of Europe tournament have signed a deal to bring fans a “taste of IPW:UK” pre show event during the afternoon of April 28th and 29th.
The two hour mini show will contain no interval and give the UK’s fastest growing independent company a chance to be seen in front of their largest audience ever whilst giving new fans a chance to see what all the fuss is about.
The event will feature not only the best IPW:UK as seen on their weekly TWC show talent but also several overseas stars from that evening’s tournament and a few added surprises to boot. Tickets for this will be priced at the trail rate of only £8.50 and will give you the chance to sample the hottest UK promotion in the eyes of the wrestling press and fans alike.
The 2 hour show will begin at 2pm and will go on until 4pm
Tickets will be available from October 30th via IPW:UK’s official website at:
www.IPWUK.com and www.KOEcup.com
Meet the stars
Each day’s events will also include a pre event signing sessions where fans can meet the stars of the tournament and get signed pictures and t shirts.
The signing session will begin at 4.30pm and go on for 1 hour.
Entry to the signing session is only £2.50
VIP packages available NOW!
There are also several VIP and sponsorship packages. These are fantastic for fans who are either in larger groups or fans who want this once a year event to be as special as it possibly can be. Unlike tickets, which are not available to buy until October 30th, these packages can be purchased NOW!
The packages are as follows:
VIP Balcony box for 10 – 12 people
Includes: special post show meet and greet in your VIP box with the stars of the show, free entry and VIP access at post show party, selection of free drinks, free food buffet, hostess to deal with drinks orders, VIP box for afternoon shows, free access and early entry to fan autograph session, free event merchandise selection. This is guaranteed to be an amazing experience for the lucky group who purchase this.
Price for one night £1,500
Price for both nights £2,250 (this is a saving of £750)
There are two boxes only available per night
Promotion or wrestler sponsorship
You can sponsor your favourite promotion and/or representative/wrestler at two different prices.
Gold sponsorship
Includes: 2 VIP Gold Ringside tickets (more can be added on request at fee), free entry and VIP access at post show party, free access and early entry to fan autograph session, free event merchandise selection, a post show meet and greet with your chosen wrestler, mentions of website, during show and in event programme.
Price of package £500 (is valid for both nights)
Silver Sponsorship
Includes: 2 VIP Bronze Ringside tickets (more can be added on request at fee), free entry and VIP access at post show party, free access and early entry to fan autograph session, a post show meet and greet with your chosen wrestler, mentions of website, during show and in event programme
Price of package £350 (is valid both nights)
These packages are available now so you do not have to wait before tickets go on sale. If you wish to acquire any of these we advise making contact now as they sell out very quickly.
Simply email the your package request or enquiry to sponsor@kingofeuropecup.com
The official website is now online at www.kingofeuropecup.com or www.KOEcup.com
A: Merchandise to run official stall at KOE Cup 2007
The UK’s top wrestling and Mixed Martial Arts merchandise company, A: Merchandise, will be present at the Liverpool Olympia on both the 28th and 29th of April at the King of Europe Cup. Fan will have the chance to buy the very best and latest merchandise on offer to European fans from a huge range of companies including:
WWE
TNA
UFC
ROH
Plus many others…
For more details on exactly what is on offer check out the official A:M website at:
www.a-merchandise.co.uk
