UK Pitbulls
Encyclopedia
The UK Pitbulls were a professional wrestling
tag team
that consisted of brothers Bulk (Mike Waters, born 1978) and Big Dave (Dave Waters, born 1971). Their motto was "if we don't beat you, we eat you!". They held a number of titles in the United Kingdom
, notably in their own promotion and in some minor United States
promotions. Their career as a tag team ended when Dave Waters sustained a crippling injury in a strongman contest which left him in a wheelchair. They are 20 time Tag team champions.
"Spot", which formed in 1996, playing the drums as Big Mike with Chris (guitar), Ollie (bass), and Bub (guitar and vocals). Bulk left the band for a short time to feature in another band "OVER–BORED".
Most of 2007 has been taken up recording with his band SPOT, who have signed to HellCat records and recorded songs for a successful movie franchise.
SPOT have now disbanded and Mike is busy with his other band projects and is due to be married to Sheena on Halloween 2009.
Mike has formed a new band called The Pocket Godzillas and they can be found on myspace.
Mike is now married to sheena and still wrestling for select promoters. He is due to start filming for French tv.
Mike is now retired - he had his last match at Hemsby for Falling Star Promotions Sept 2011.
He is now concentrating on family , band and work.
Dave used to own and run the "Pitbull Powerhouse Gym" in Cromer, Norfolk, which was open to the public and also has a pro-wrestling training facility as part of the setup. Dave and Mike were directly involved in the wrestling training as well as having regular guest trainers. The gym is now closed due to Dave's career ending injury in the Britains most powerful man comp on the 29th June 2008 in Kent.[The video is here]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l62jH8Dncw, 7m23 in. Dave dislocated his left knee, fully ruptured the left patella tendon , fully ruptured his right quad tendon and ruptured his right quad muscle. He was in hospital for 3 weeks, in double leg casts - groin to foot - for 8 weeks , he then suffered a deep vein thrombosis and was on warfarin for 4 months. The right leg is now ok but his left knee op failed , he recently had an MRI (feb 12th 2009) scan and is waiting for a date for another op - he is currently on crutches and has to use a wheelchair quite a bit.
Dave is now officially disabled indefinetely and will have to use crutches all the time , no more operations are planned
- 3 ops on the left leg have left it with restricted circulation and severe swelling.
On a brighter note Dave married Wendy in July 2011 and is happy being a family man.
. However, Dave and Mike completed their training in late 1997 at WAW of Norwich under Sweet Saraya.
The UK Pitbulls name is actually a play on the World Wrestling Federation
's British Bulldogs
tag team name; Bulk and Big Dave were asked to wrestle as the British Bulldogs on a holiday camp but declined and suggested the name UK Pitbulls instead. The UK Pitbulls gimmick is not similar to that of the Extreme Championship Wrestling
tag team The Pitbulls
.
In 2000, they held 7 different tag team titles in minor UK promotions such as WAW as well as overseas.
The UK Pitbulls opened a wrestling and powerlifting gym "Pitbull Powerhouse" in Cromer
, Norfolk
. Here they ran a wrestling training school and concentrated on the heavier side of weightlifting, strongman training, fitness weight loss, and any routine to personal requirements. They also ran their own promotion, DAM Promotions (Dave and Mike Promotions), holding several shows in Holt, Norfolk
. They were known for constantly getting over as firm fan favourites despite being hated in other parts of the country. The shows raised over £8000 for various charities. The UK Pitbulls also helped out at other charity events all over the country.
In 2007, the pair were working mainly abroad and with each other on non-wrestling projects, but maintained a busy schedule nonetheless.
Mid 2008 The UK Pitbulls are no more due to Dave's career ending injuries. Mike is still wrestling occasionally for some UK companies.
Both are now happily enjoying retirement.
, in an independent film called "Slumber Party" and the BBC 6 o'clock news. The UK Pitbulls would also appeared on Channel 4
's The Big Breakfast
, and in 2003 they filmed several segments for MTV
's "Dirty Sanchez
" and ITV
's Celebrity Wrestling
.
Mike recently filmed a speaking part in Danny Dyers forthcoming film "Malice in Wonderland"
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
that consisted of brothers Bulk (Mike Waters, born 1978) and Big Dave (Dave Waters, born 1971). Their motto was "if we don't beat you, we eat you!". They held a number of titles in the United Kingdom
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...
, notably in their own promotion and in some minor United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
promotions. Their career as a tag team ended when Dave Waters sustained a crippling injury in a strongman contest which left him in a wheelchair. They are 20 time Tag team champions.
Bulk
Bulk (Mike Waters) is part of the Rock bandRock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
"Spot", which formed in 1996, playing the drums as Big Mike with Chris (guitar), Ollie (bass), and Bub (guitar and vocals). Bulk left the band for a short time to feature in another band "OVER–BORED".
Most of 2007 has been taken up recording with his band SPOT, who have signed to HellCat records and recorded songs for a successful movie franchise.
SPOT have now disbanded and Mike is busy with his other band projects and is due to be married to Sheena on Halloween 2009.
Mike has formed a new band called The Pocket Godzillas and they can be found on myspace.
Mike is now married to sheena and still wrestling for select promoters. He is due to start filming for French tv.
Mike is now retired - he had his last match at Hemsby for Falling Star Promotions Sept 2011.
He is now concentrating on family , band and work.
Big Dave
Big Dave competed heavily in strongman competitions from 1990 to 2000 and has reached the UK finals three years running, gaining second place in 1995. In 1996, he was ranked #1 in the UK and Europe, he competed in the universally recognized competitions, such as the "Britain's Strongest Man" and "UK's Strongest Man" events, that were shown regularly on mainstream British television as well as SKY TV and shown in the USA and Europe. However as of August 2003, Dave retired from strongman competition to pursue a full–time career in professional wrestling. However, Dave occasionally returns to run strongman competitions, and has spent most of 2007 coaching Richard "Bomber" Hudson for the Worlds Strongest man events. It was at a recent strongman event that he suffered his career ending injury.Dave used to own and run the "Pitbull Powerhouse Gym" in Cromer, Norfolk, which was open to the public and also has a pro-wrestling training facility as part of the setup. Dave and Mike were directly involved in the wrestling training as well as having regular guest trainers. The gym is now closed due to Dave's career ending injury in the Britains most powerful man comp on the 29th June 2008 in Kent.[The video is here]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l62jH8Dncw, 7m23 in. Dave dislocated his left knee, fully ruptured the left patella tendon , fully ruptured his right quad tendon and ruptured his right quad muscle. He was in hospital for 3 weeks, in double leg casts - groin to foot - for 8 weeks , he then suffered a deep vein thrombosis and was on warfarin for 4 months. The right leg is now ok but his left knee op failed , he recently had an MRI (feb 12th 2009) scan and is waiting for a date for another op - he is currently on crutches and has to use a wheelchair quite a bit.
Dave is now officially disabled indefinetely and will have to use crutches all the time , no more operations are planned
- 3 ops on the left leg have left it with restricted circulation and severe swelling.
On a brighter note Dave married Wendy in July 2011 and is happy being a family man.
UK Pitbulls
Dave was trained originally by Andre Baker at NWA UK HammerlockNWA UK Hammerlock
NWA UK Hammerlock was a British professional wrestling promotion based in Kent.-History:Established in 1993 by former wrestler turned promoter Andre "Sledgehammer" Baker, it is one of the National Wrestling Alliance's territories...
. However, Dave and Mike completed their training in late 1997 at WAW of Norwich under Sweet Saraya.
The UK Pitbulls name is actually a play on the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
's British Bulldogs
British Bulldogs
The British Bulldogs were the team of cousins Davey Boy Smith and Tom Billington , professional wrestlers who competed through most of the 1980s in both North America, England, and Japan and is by many considered one of the top tag-teams in history.-Early years :In the 1970s, Dynamite Kid and Davey...
tag team name; Bulk and Big Dave were asked to wrestle as the British Bulldogs on a holiday camp but declined and suggested the name UK Pitbulls instead. The UK Pitbulls gimmick is not similar to that of the Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
tag team The Pitbulls
The Pitbulls
The Pitbulls were a professional wrestling tag team that consisted of "Pitbull #1" Gary Wolfe and "Pitbull #2" Anthony Durante. They were best known for their tenure in Extreme Championship Wrestling, where they were one-time World Tag Team Champions...
.
In 2000, they held 7 different tag team titles in minor UK promotions such as WAW as well as overseas.
The UK Pitbulls opened a wrestling and powerlifting gym "Pitbull Powerhouse" in Cromer
Cromer
Cromer is a coastal town and civil parish in north Norfolk, England. The local government authority is North Norfolk District Council, whose headquarters is in Holt Road in the town. The town is situated 23 miles north of the county town, Norwich, and is 4 miles east of Sheringham...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. Here they ran a wrestling training school and concentrated on the heavier side of weightlifting, strongman training, fitness weight loss, and any routine to personal requirements. They also ran their own promotion, DAM Promotions (Dave and Mike Promotions), holding several shows in Holt, Norfolk
Holt, Norfolk
Holt is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...
. They were known for constantly getting over as firm fan favourites despite being hated in other parts of the country. The shows raised over £8000 for various charities. The UK Pitbulls also helped out at other charity events all over the country.
In 2007, the pair were working mainly abroad and with each other on non-wrestling projects, but maintained a busy schedule nonetheless.
Mid 2008 The UK Pitbulls are no more due to Dave's career ending injuries. Mike is still wrestling occasionally for some UK companies.
Both are now happily enjoying retirement.
Other media
The UK Pitbulls have appeared on local TV, Trisha, Documentaries on Five and ITV2ITV2
ITV2 is a 24 hour, free-to-air entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998, and is available on digital television via satellite, cable, IPTV and terrestrial platforms. The channel has the...
, in an independent film called "Slumber Party" and the BBC 6 o'clock news. The UK Pitbulls would also appeared on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's The Big Breakfast
The Big Breakfast
The Big Breakfast was a British light entertainment television show shown on Channel 4 and S4C each weekday morning from 28 September 1992 until 29 March 2002 during which period 2,482 shows were produced. The Big Breakfast was produced by Planet 24, the production company co-owned by former...
, and in 2003 they filmed several segments for MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's "Dirty Sanchez
Dirty Sanchez (TV series)
Dirty Sanchez: The Movie, a reality film based upon the series, was released on 22 September 2006. It is in the format of a world tour and incorporates stunts related to the Seven Deadly Sins. Stunts are on a larger scale and more extreme than stunts shown in the TV show.The film also features the...
" and ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's Celebrity Wrestling
Celebrity Wrestling
Celebrity Wrestling is a British television programme, broadcast on ITV in 2005. It involved two teams of celebrities, competing against each other in wrestling style events. The series was presented by Kate Thornton and Rowdy Roddy Piper...
.
Mike recently filmed a speaking part in Danny Dyers forthcoming film "Malice in Wonderland"
In wrestling
- Finishing and signature moves
- Double Whopper (Leg dropLeg dropA leg drop or legdrop refers to an attack used in professional wrestling in which an attacking wrestler will jump and land his leg across a fallen opponent's chest, throat, face or head or in some cases, the groin/lower-abdominal area...
(Bulk) / Standing or a running splash (Dave) combination) - Spike powerbomb
- Double Whopper (Leg drop
- Signature moves
- Club Sandwich (Bulk Irish whips Big Dave into a cornered opponent or vice versa)
- Big Dave's finishing moves
- Pitbull Pitfall (Full nelson slam)
- Big Dave's signature moves
- Corner avalanche
- Dog Collar (Cobra clutch)
- Rack of Ribs (Backbreaker rack)
- Standing or a running splash
- Bulk's finishing moves
- Bulk Driver (Reverse piledriver)
- Bulk's signature moves
- Bulk–A–Rolla / Crowd Killa (Rolling somersault senton, sometimes from the apron to the outside)
- Corner avalanche
- Leg dropLeg dropA leg drop or legdrop refers to an attack used in professional wrestling in which an attacking wrestler will jump and land his leg across a fallen opponent's chest, throat, face or head or in some cases, the groin/lower-abdominal area...
Championships and accomplishments
- DAM Promotions
- DAM Tag Team Championship (1 time)
- Frontier Wrestling AllianceFrontier Wrestling AllianceFrontier Wrestling Alliance is a British professional wrestling promotion. Established in 1993 as the Fratton Wrestling Association it soon became the Frontier Wrestling Alliance six years later and until 2007 when it lost a scripted inter-promotional feud with International Pro Wrestling: United...
- FWA Tag Team ChampionshipFWA Tag Team ChampionshipThe Frontier Wrestling Alliance Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling championship contested for in the British Frontier Wrestling Alliance promotion. The title was only contestable by male tag teams and in tag team matches...
(1 time)
- International Catch Wrestling Association
- ICWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times)
- K-Star Wrestling
- K-Star Tag Team Championship (1 time)
- Premier Promotions
- PWF Tag Team Championship (1 time)
- Real Deal Wrestling
- RDW Tag Team Championship (1 time)
- World Association of Wrestling
- WAW British Heavyweight Championship (1 time) – Bulk
- WAW Open Championship (1 time) – Big Dave
- WAW Tag Team Championship (4 times)
- WAW Youth Championship (1 time) – Bulk
- King of the Ring (1998) – Bulk
- Wrestler of the Year (2001) – Big Dave
- Other titles
- AIWF-GB Tag Team Championship (1 time)
- AIWF World Hardcore Tag Team Championship (3 times)
- BRAWL Tag Team Championship (1 time)
- British Wrestling Website's British Tag Team of the Year (2004, 2005)
- EWC Tag Team Championship (1 time)
- SCW Commonwealth Championship (1 time) – Bulk
- UCW Tag Team Championship (1 time)
- UKWW's UK Tag Team of the Year (2005)
- UWA Tag Team Championship (1 time)