King of Europe Cup
Encyclopedia
The King of Europe Cup is a Europe
an professional wrestling tournament
in the style of the "King of Indies" and "Super 8
" tournaments of the United States
.
The inaugural event was hosted in Liverpool, England on the last weekend of April 2007 and was the brainchild of two UK
wrestling veterans Alex Shane
and Doug Williams
. In what was considered a historic event in British wrestling history
, the first event featured a tournament to crown the first KOE cup holder and involved 16 promotions and wrestlers from across the world. Just 5 days later, Germany's westside Xtreme wrestling hosted another weekend worth of shows and its own international tournament, known as the 16 Carat Gold Tournament.
For the first time in modern British wrestling, fans were given the opportunity to make voluntary donations for match of the night. This money was then added to a £1000 match of the night cash prize which was donated by event organizers, giving £500 a night for the best match on each day. Fans were given score sheets at the start of the show and were asked to put their top three matches from that night in order. The votes were collected and the three matches with the most votes were decided. The fan donated money was then added to the $1000 prize fund giving grand cash reward.
The participants who fans selected to have the best 3 matches each night then received the prize money at the end of each night with 55% for 1st prize, 35% for second, and 10% for third prize, improving the earnings of the wrestlers who give fans the best matches.
At the end of night one, fans were asked upon leaving to select two matches using the eliminated 8 wrestlers from round one. Once again these suggestions were collected and the matches with the most audience votes were made for the following evening.
1 Chris Hero was hand-picked by CZW owner John Zandig
.
² Claudio Castagnoli defeated Mike Quackenbush to qualify.
³ Are$ qualified for the wXw spot after winning wXw's point system which saw any wrestler scoring a direct pinfall over another wrestler during one of wXw's shows was awarded one point; and whoever scored three points first would represent wXw in both this tournament and their own 16 Carat Gold Tournament. As the promotion is based on the pure effect of the sport, points are not given for a DQ, Countount, Draw or even if your tag team partner scores the fall. Wrestlers are unable to lose the points.
4 Matt Sydal was chosen by IWA:MS to represent the company.
5 IWS's representative was decided at their "Praise the Violence" show on January 20, where El Generico won a three-way dance involving Jagged and Kid Kamikaze, and was named the official IWS representative for both the King of Europe Cup and for wXw's 16 Karat Gold tournament.
6 RQW representative Martin Stone secured his spot by being the winner of the one-night RQW Heavyweight title tournament from London
’s York Hall
on December 16, 2006.
7PWG representative Davey Richards won the right to represent the company by defeating a veteran of the 2006 16 Carat Gold Tournament, Rocky "Azucar" Romero, in a Double Tournament Qualifying Match (winning entry in both tournaments) at their Passive Hostility! event on December 2.
8 WAW representative Zebra Kid is the son of WAW owner Ricky Knight.
9 Though involved with the pre-show, IPW:UK were not originally scheduled to enter a wrestler into the tournament. However, this was changed in February 2007 when it was revealed that IPW:UK would in fact be entering Pac.
10 Trent Acid won the right to represent PWU by pinning Gary Wolfe in a qualifying match on March 14.
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an professional wrestling tournament
Professional wrestling tournament
On various occasions in professional wrestling a single-elimination tournament of varying match types are held, often to determine a championship or number-one contendership therein...
in the style of the "King of Indies" and "Super 8
ECWA Super 8 Tournament
The Super 8 Tournament is an annual professional wrestling tournament held by the East Coast Wrestling Association. The tournament is contested by eight wrestlers in a one-night single-elimination format.-History:...
" tournaments of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The inaugural event was hosted in Liverpool, England on the last weekend of April 2007 and was the brainchild of two UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
wrestling veterans Alex Shane
Alex Shane
Alexander Daniel Spilling is a British professional wrestler who is best known by his ring name "The Ascension" Alex Shane. Spilling also works as a promoter and wrestling teacher.-Early career:...
and Doug Williams
Doug Williams (wrestler)
Douglas Clayton Durdle is an English professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Doug Williams. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Douglas Williams...
. In what was considered a historic event in British wrestling history
Professional wrestling in the United Kingdom
Professional wrestling in the United Kingdom spans over 100 years but became popular when the then new Independent Television station - ITV began showing it in 1955 firstly on Saturday afternoons and then also in a late night mid week slot...
, the first event featured a tournament to crown the first KOE cup holder and involved 16 promotions and wrestlers from across the world. Just 5 days later, Germany's westside Xtreme wrestling hosted another weekend worth of shows and its own international tournament, known as the 16 Carat Gold Tournament.
Interactive aspects
The following ideas were advertised on the web-site prior to the tournament, but were not implemented.- Prize fighting
For the first time in modern British wrestling, fans were given the opportunity to make voluntary donations for match of the night. This money was then added to a £1000 match of the night cash prize which was donated by event organizers, giving £500 a night for the best match on each day. Fans were given score sheets at the start of the show and were asked to put their top three matches from that night in order. The votes were collected and the three matches with the most votes were decided. The fan donated money was then added to the $1000 prize fund giving grand cash reward.
The participants who fans selected to have the best 3 matches each night then received the prize money at the end of each night with 55% for 1st prize, 35% for second, and 10% for third prize, improving the earnings of the wrestlers who give fans the best matches.
- Match suggestions
At the end of night one, fans were asked upon leaving to select two matches using the eliminated 8 wrestlers from round one. Once again these suggestions were collected and the matches with the most audience votes were made for the following evening.
King of Europe 2007
Qualified by/Other notes1 Chris Hero was hand-picked by CZW owner John Zandig
John Zandig
John Corson was an American professional wrestler and promoter, better known by his ring name, John Zandig. He is the founder and former owner of the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based promotion Combat Zone Wrestling .-Biography:...
.
² Claudio Castagnoli defeated Mike Quackenbush to qualify.
³ Are$ qualified for the wXw spot after winning wXw's point system which saw any wrestler scoring a direct pinfall over another wrestler during one of wXw's shows was awarded one point; and whoever scored three points first would represent wXw in both this tournament and their own 16 Carat Gold Tournament. As the promotion is based on the pure effect of the sport, points are not given for a DQ, Countount, Draw or even if your tag team partner scores the fall. Wrestlers are unable to lose the points.
4 Matt Sydal was chosen by IWA:MS to represent the company.
5 IWS's representative was decided at their "Praise the Violence" show on January 20, where El Generico won a three-way dance involving Jagged and Kid Kamikaze, and was named the official IWS representative for both the King of Europe Cup and for wXw's 16 Karat Gold tournament.
6 RQW representative Martin Stone secured his spot by being the winner of the one-night RQW Heavyweight title tournament from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
’s York Hall
York Hall
The York Hall is a health and leisure centre and one of Britain's best known boxing venues.The venue is situated on Old Ford Road in Bethnal Green, London, England. The hall, opened in 1929 with a capacity of 1,200, stages boxing as well as providing a gymnasium and swimming pool.The hall is owned...
on December 16, 2006.
7PWG representative Davey Richards won the right to represent the company by defeating a veteran of the 2006 16 Carat Gold Tournament, Rocky "Azucar" Romero, in a Double Tournament Qualifying Match (winning entry in both tournaments) at their Passive Hostility! event on December 2.
8 WAW representative Zebra Kid is the son of WAW owner Ricky Knight.
9 Though involved with the pre-show, IPW:UK were not originally scheduled to enter a wrestler into the tournament. However, this was changed in February 2007 when it was revealed that IPW:UK would in fact be entering Pac.
10 Trent Acid won the right to represent PWU by pinning Gary Wolfe in a qualifying match on March 14.
- Prior to the final of the tournament there was a 6-Man Elimination Match
- Martin Stone, Atsushi AokiAtsushi AokiAtsushi Aoki is a Japanese professional wrestler working for the Japanese wrestling promotion Pro Wrestling Noah, where he is one half of the reigning GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions. Aoki made his professional wrestling debut in 2005 and has worked primarily for NOAH where he was part...
& El Generico defeated Trent Acid, Are$ & Claudio Castagnoli
Title history
| Wrestler: | Times: | Date: | Location: | Notes: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nigel McGuinness Nigel McGuinness Steven Haworth is an English professional wrestler, better known by the ring names Desmond Wolfe and Nigel McGuinness. As McGuinness he first gained notoriety working for Ring of Honor in the United States and Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan... |
1 | April 29, 2007 | Liverpool, England | Defeated Doug Williams in the tournament final match to become the first champion. |