Preston City Wrestling: 'British wrestling is going through strong period and it's down to the fans trusting us,' says founder Steven Fludder

Preston City Wrestling is the brainchild of former events manager Steven Fludder, who started the promotion in 2011 after realising he could apply his business expertise to the squared circle.

PCW is part of the new wave of UK wrestling companies that have taken the nation by storm with a flourish of frenzied fans supporting the movement in the space of three years. The Lancashire outfit welcomed talent from across the pond in a joint venture with respected American promotion, Ring of Honor last weekend.

"The Supershow of Honor" saw local talent such as Rampage Brown & T-Bone square up against Americans strongholds The Briscoe Brothers while fans from across the world watched on over the three day event. There were also special appearances from veterans such as Booker T who gave his faithful a treat with his trademark "Spinaroonie".

The event highlighted clear contrasts between the styles of wrestling from the representatives from the two outfits. "The biggest difference between UK and US wrestling are the venues.” Steven said. “I can't think of any American companies that run in a nightclub, they usually run in gyms so when they come here they have the nightclub experience and the fans are louder.”

The crowd were more vocal than a Football League match and you could confuse the chants for being found the away end of a Saturday afternoon kick-off. Many of the American guests were left with a puzzled face in the middle of a Suplex as fans sang local gems such as the Eastenders theme.

Steven had a gleaming smile on his face as he had a brief break away from the business end to catch a Triple Threat Cruiserweight match between Kyle O'Reilly, Bubblegum and Adam Cole. Steven talked about how UK wrestling has been able to spread globally, "As technology advances with YouTube and downloads, it makes it easier to branch out to international audiences.”

He continued, “These shows are just the beginning, I would love to see some of my roster go to America." The production of world class stars shows no signs of slowing down as Uhaa Nation defeated Dave Mastiff and former WWE Superstar Chris Masters on the night to win the PCW Heavyweight Championship. The victory has set up a "Loser leaves PCW" angle with some reports stating that Uhaa is on the radar of WWE to join PCW alumni Prince Devitt.

The company is swiftly growing as each show commences with other UK institutions such as PROGRESS Wrestling, Revolution Pro Wrestling and Insane Championship Wrestling following suit. Steven explained, "For every one of us, 100 people fail, it's good that the new top companies are consistent and we don't let the fans down. Right now we’re going through a strong period and it's down to the fans trusting us.”

The next show is on 23rd January, which will be a charity event to support UK wrestler Kris Travis, who announced earlier this year that he is battling stomach cancer. Tickets for the event have already been selling fast, setting up a progressive 2015 for PCW.