Tickets for 1PW’s First Anniversary show on October 14 at The Dome in Doncaster, England are selling steadily, although plenty are still available with just under six weeks to go. Tickets are selling slower for the ‘Fight Club III’ show that takes place on the afternoon of October 14 ahead of the evening’s show (also at The Doncaster Dome), but 1PW are quietly confident of a decent turnout for that show, and are hoping for a near sellout (which would mean around 1,500 seats sold) for the evening’s main show.

I’ve received a lot of emails and messages over the past couple of days after comments were made in the latest edition of Powerslam which hit the shelves here in the UK a few days ago. Powerslam editor Fin Martin is quoted as saying that “1PW is having serious financial problems. 1PW and its merchandise company 1UP Games Ltd owe thousands of pounds to three businesses that we know of. One of those companies obtained a county court judgement against 1UP Games Ltd on July 7, and is attempting to recover the sum of £3,057.50.”

While I have heard from several sources close to the situation over the past few weeks that things in the 1PW/1UP Games camp are not as positive as the company are making out, I’ve heard nothing concrete to suggest that there’s an immediate danger of 1PW going out of business. Promoter Steven Gauntley has been quite open in the past on the subject of the company’s finances, admitting that there aren’t cash reserves that they can rely on, and that the company has been ran over the past twelve months largely on ensuring that advance ticket sales are high to pay for the show (or at least the bulk of it) in advance. Once ticket sales get to a point where the advance is not so high, then I do think that based on the current setup, 1PW will find itself in a huge hole.

1PW are yet to officially respond to the comments, and no doubt will be keen to repudiate what has been printed. It won’t be the first time in recent weeks that Gauntley will have had to respond to reports and speculation that 1PW and 1UP Games are in financial trouble. It’s no secret that 1PW have made budget cuts in a bid to reduce overheads, and both ticket and merchandise sales are down. While at this time of year there are factors to take into account such as family holidays, and fans’ income being spent elsewhere, there’s definitely a case for arguing that the supershow bubble
is starting to deflate. With Ring of Honor returning to the UK next Spring, and with many of the names that feature on the 1PW roster working for other promotions around the UK (with admission costing a fraction of what a ringside ticket for 1PW’s First Anniversary show will), as I’ve written about in the past both over at WrestleMag and on our MySpace page, it’s evident that the 1PW business model needs to change in order for the company to succeed going forward. And this is before even adding TNA (who are still looking to run in the UK in 2007) to the equation.

We’ll have much more on the financial situation and threats of legal action against 1PW and 1UP Games over at WrestleMag over the next few days.

If you missed it last week, I conducted a very lengthy and detailed interview with former 1PW colour commentator and head booker, Anthony Kingdom James which you can read in full by clicking here. Kingdom James will be returning to 1PW at some point in the future, but a prior engagement has ruled him out of the October 14 show. For those who have asked - yes, an interview with Joe Dombrowski, who as we previously reported was also let go by the company, is in the pipeline, and will happen at some point over the next week or so. Even though Dombrowski has been released with the official words used being “cost cutting", there’s more to the reasons behind the decision, and 1PW will be replacing him with a yet to be
named commentator also based in the United States.

The current card for 1PW’s First Anniversary show on October 14 at The Dome in Doncaster, England, currently looks like this:

1PW Title - No Rope Barbed Wire Match
- Steve Corino © vs Abyss

1PW Tag Team Title - Triple Threat Ladder Match
- Jody Fleisch & Jonny Storm © vs Colt Cabana & Darren Burridge vs Southern
Comfort

Triple Threat European Deathmatch
- Martin Stone vs Ulf Herman vs Iceman

Plus
- Teddy Hart vs Pac
- Austin Aries vs Darkside
- Sterling James Keenan & Team Supreme vs AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels &
Samoa Joe

It’s likely that a couple of changes will be to the card over the next few weeks, with possible changes to the 6-man tag team match on the horizon. This is a huge, huge show for 1PW, and they need to deliver on all fronts - from match quality right through to ensuring the advertised line-up remains the same come belltime on October 14. There’s a lot of gimmick matches scheduled, and as I’ve stated in the past, I do believe there’s a risk that 1PW could potentially alienate families from attending the show, or returning to future shows. That said, on paper it’s a loaded card, and there’s no reason why the show can’t be a success if they address issues that have drawn criticisms in the past, such as no-shows and shows finishing late.

Former WWE Tag Team The HeartThrobs will also be on the above show, making their first non-WWE appearance in the UK, while Dustin Rhodes is also set to make his 1PW debut. As always, we’ll be on hand to provide live coverage of 1PW’s First Anniversary show on October 14 at WrestleMag.

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