This is a script for a video on my YouTube channel. You can find the video here.
When we talk about championships in pro wrestling usually we're usually referring to championship belts, but occasionally thats not the case. When Progress wrestling formed in 2011 their singles championship was first symbolised by a staff, and their tag team championships were two halves of a shield that fitted together like yin and yang. Thankfully these didn't last long though... A more modern example would be the New Japan KOPW Championship, which began as a trophy before being replaced by a belt in December 2022. This video however, is about a championship around for a little over a year, that was represented by a presumably empty briefcase. Whats more, the company it belonged to no longer existed. The title I'm referring to is the XPW European championship.
XPW is a broader topic than is relevant here, but as a brief introduction, it was founded in July 1999 by Rob Black, who was also well known in the porn industry. Black fancied himself a promoter, and hoped to assist in bringing ECW to the West Coast, but was turned down by Paul Heyman, leading him to create his own company to be a sort of ECW competitor. Towards the end of XPW's original run they formed a working relationship with UK based Frontier Wrestling Alliance, which was formed in 99 but began as the much more locally minded Fratton Wrestling Association in 93. FWA would become known for it's US influenced presentation of storylines that many UK promotions weren't doing yet. Following XPW's closure FWA would go on to work with Ring of Honor, with the likes of Christopher Daniels, AJ Styles and Bryan Danielson, still under a mask as the American Dragon working for FWA. This even resulted in a co-promotion, with FWA and ROH presenting Frontiers of Honor in May 2003, and a sequel in 2006. As best I can tell, the seemingly odd pairing of FWA and XPW came about through FWA wanting a US working relationship.
Now let's talk about the one and only ever XPW European champion, the Wonderkid Jonny Storm. Jonny started training to wrestle in the early 90's, having his first matches for NWA Hammerlock. The same school that produced Doug Williams and Zack Sabre Jr. He would wrestle mainly for Hammerlock before arriving in FWA and other promotions in 99. In 2002 at age 25 Jonny would make his first trip to America, competing for CZW, Ring of Honor, Heartland Wrestling and crucially, XPW. His cruiserweight style made him a perfect fit against wrestlers like Jerry Lynn, Brian Kendrick and his long time friend Jody Fleisch, who was also touring US indies around this time. Jonny and Jody would often be opponents, having put together a match they could tour the indies with long before shows were as accessible as they are today through streaming. The match they planned was designed to allow them both to shine, leaving a lasting impression on whatever local crowd they were in front of.
Jonny Storm would defeat Jerry Lynn in the finals of the tournament at the Broxbourne Civic Hall on March 16th 2003. Unfortunately though XPW would run it's final event (that time), on March 8th. Whether XPW's closure around this time was the reason, or whether the belt had been completed in time, either way it didn't make it's way to Hertforshire in time for the tournament final, and so Jonny actually won and would continue to carry a black briefcase. Ya see, to the best of my remembrance from watching FWA at the time, Jonny never actually opened the briefcase. According to the thought experiment of Erwin Schrodinger, the contents of the briefcase are equally both there and not there until the case is opened. Welcome to yet another philosophy channel. And yes, I know the full theory is more complicated than this, I'm just messing around.
As the title was made in conjunction with FWA, Jonny would continue to defend the black briefcase apparently containing the XPW European title for a little over a year, long after XPW closed, until it was quietly retired in mid 2004. I guess you could say Storm was before his time, as Money in the Bank wouldn't become a thing until Wrestlemania 21 in 2005, thus continuing the tradition of briefcases being carried to the ring. In a 2005 shoot interview Jonny Storm would note that XPW had ambitions of expending internationally, explaining the link with FWA from their side. He also stated that he was long out planned to be the European champion. Jonny would defend the case mostly in FWA, but also in Germany based WXW. He would defend mostly against imported talent such as Juventud Guerrera, Super Crazy and Justin Credible among others, which did a lot to raise Storms profile, working with and beating former ECW names. As of September 2023, Jonny Storm continues to be active in the ring, some twenty eight years since his first match. Now that XPW is back maybe we might see him reactivate the briefcase, whether there's a belt in it or not some day?
Sources:
Final XPW show https://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=2781
Belt history https://www.cagematch.net/?id=5&nr=78&page=5&reign=1
Storm 2005 shoot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BUd5Wuu2mg XPW 1:19
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