Top 10 TWF Moments of the last Decade

On February 8 2000, a legacy was born as the TWF's first ever episode of Grit BasH went on the air. To celebrate, we have compiled a list of the Top 10 TWF's Greatest Moments since that very first episode.

Moments that almost made it into the countdown… 

  • Mr. BIG hits a BIG Storm to the AshTaker off the top of the cell (June 2002)
  • Mr. BIG and Louise vs. Hawke and Falcon - with a blow-up doll (December 2004)
  • The Assassin returns as the Judge, Jury and Executioner (May 2007)
  • Jon Bennetta and Louise finally become a couple (August 2007)
  • Ric Flair is unveiled as the new TWF Commissioner (September 2007)
#10 Frekishi throws Mr. BIG off the TotalTron (October 2003)
It summed up one of the most violent feuds in TWF history. After brawling to a no contest in a match at the TD Waterhouse Centre in Orlando, Florida; the two fierce rivals took their fight to the very top of the TotalTron, trading shots back and forth until Frekishi hit Biggie with his Sit-Out Powerbomb finishing move from the top of the stage, sending Mr. BIG plummeting down 70 feet to the stage below. Biggie was lucky to escape with just a separated shoulder (where he took most of the impact), but it was a moment that TWF fans will never forget.
#09 Mr. Edwards & Sophie Return to help end the Dangerous Alliance (August 2008)
To say that Paul Heyman was hated in the TWF would be a disastrous understatement. After initially setting the TWF alight under a blaze of glory, he formed the Dangerous Alliance as a part of Black Sunday, where he disrespected the TWF and the TWF World Championship. Heyman also lost many fans when he berated an emotional Sophie who was recovering from a tragic miscarriage and break-up from her long-term partner. So when Sophie made an appearance at Summer Break, it was met with euphoria. Add to that a returning Mr. Edwards, and Heyman was dust. He said he would leave the TWF if all of his Dangerous Alliance team were to lose at Summer Break IX which they did, meaning the former ECW boss left the TWF with the tail between his legs.
#08 The Bandit wins his first TWF World Title (April 2003)
Hall of Famer The Bandit is one of the most beloved stars in the history of the Total Wrestling Federation. His arrival through his great friend Mr. BIG meant great things for the company and it didn't take long for the Chicago-born legend to make his mark. At Easter HeAT, he stepped up to challenge Frekishi, the incumbent champion who won the championship via forfeit after High Voltage announced he would be unable to defend his championship within the required 40 days. To the surprise of many, Voltage would aid Bandit in upsetting the behemoth, queueing amazing scenes both in the ring and in Bandit's hometown, where at Cyberslam 3 in 2005, he received an emotional reception and some of the loudest cheers in the history of professional wrestling.
#07 Marz and NJS shake hands at last (August 2005)
There have been very few constants through out the history of the TWF. But, the intense hatred that exists between Marz and NJS is one theme that has been constant since the year 2000. The two have fought in all kinds of matches, and done whatever they could to get their hands on one another, but it was finally settled in one of the greatest matches of all-time between the two at Summer Break VI. The match became more memorable when after the match, Marz extended his hand to his bitter rival. To the shock of the world, NJS extended his hand and the two shook hands and congratulated each other on their amazing match and amazing careers, which continue to this day.
#06 The Assassin blows up Mr. Edwards's BMW (February 2004)
Mr. Edwards didn't think things could get much worse. After losing his fight to get Mr. BIG barred from the TWF board, the Chairman left TWF Towers that night dejected and despondent. Then he got to his now vacated parking space. Hawke and Falcon, allies of the Chairman searched for his prized BMW, when Hawke shouted at the boss to look up, where he saw a crane with a concrete block sitting ominously alongside his motor car. Within seconds, the block fell onto the car, turning it into a towering inferno. A mysterious man left in a heavily-customised Mazda MX-5 with the number plate B1GG1E2, leading many to believe that it was his brother Biggie's doing. But two nights later, The Assassin revealed himself to be the mole from within Seek and Destroy and helped NJS bury Hawke alive in one of the TWF's zeniths.
#05 Rebels With Attitude finally defeat Seek and Destroy (July 2004)
After over a year of feuding, a war that saw almost the entire TWF roster divide into two factions ended in July 2004 in the TWF's first (and only) WarGames match. Seek and Destroy had the upper hand for most of the war, holding the TWF World Championship in their control for much of the activity in the feud, but towards the end, their control slipped away, despite High Voltage becoming a Benedict Arnold and betraying the Rebels to align with the corporate Seek and Destroy. The Bandit supplied the eventual end to the war, applying a Bandit Stretch to Jason Davies from which he did not recover, signalling the end of the longest war in the history of the company to that point.
#04 FX Reunites for One Night Only (March 2007)
Although Marz's history with NJS is more storied, it should be remembered that whilst he was great friends with Mr. BIG, he was also his most bitter enemy with the two butting heads on opposite sides on many occasions, most recently when Marz ended Mr. BIG's fifth TWF World Championship reign in 2004. However, when Marz needed a partner to face Team EV at No Way BacK, Biggie answered the call, meaning a match that should have taken place seven years earlier at the TWF's first show would finally take place. Many didn't think that FX would show up that night, but when the immortal lines "FX Rules the World!" echoed over the TWF Arena, the home of the company turned into a frenzy with Bryan Daniels memorably exclaiming "Damn, this is UNBELIEVABLE!". To put the fairytale punctuation on a magical evening for TWF die hards, Biggie and Marz shared post-match beverages after delivering their patented Double-D finishing move to both members of Team EV.
#03 Mr. BIG vs. The Assassin, Match of the Decade (August 2007)
Many could have given him a run for his money, but for many, Mr. BIG is the TWF's franchise player. Until 2008, he was almost an ever constant except for his retirement in May 2005. The Assassin made his first TWF appearance in June 2003 but it was well-known that he was a protégé of the TWF CEO. When the two's paths finally crossed in mid-2007, it was a feud that set the wrestling world alight, culminating in a match in front of 100,000 people at the Bridgend Dome on Summer Break VIII. The match is already considered to be one of the greatest of all-time and helped Biggie and Assassin win the PWI and Wrestling Observer Wrestler of the Year awards respectively. A 3-minute highlight reel of the match remains one of the highest viewed clips on YouTube and the commentary provided by Biggie and The Assassin on the Summer Break DVD has become the stuff of legend.
#02 Summer Break 2003 in the Bridgend Dome (August 2003)
This may not seem like that big a deal to many, but Summer Break 2003 was significant for all sorts of reasons. It was the first Summer Break to take place in the TWF's home country, in a venue designed and built using their funds. After originally agreeing to use the then TECW Dome almost a year in advance, the Bridgend Dome was designed to be more of a stadium based affair. But when Marz famously rebuffed the idea and charged the TWF an obscene amount of money to use the venue, it spurred the TWF on. The Bridgend Dome became a way to "out do TECW" with the capacity being increased from 80,000 to 100,000 overnight. As it turned out, Summer Break 03 was the first after the demise of TECW/NCW and the venue still stands and attracts visitors worldwide to admire the spectacle that is the Total Wrestling Federation.
#01 The TWF Returns from hiatus! (January 2007)
2006 was a dark time in professional wrestling. All of the xWa promotions had either disbanded or gone bust, with the TWF on hiatus after Summer Break VI. After One Night Only, which was filmed in HD, it was expected the company would return shortly after. But this did not happen. Months went by and there was no news, when just before Christmas at a one-off RWF show, Mr. BIG dropped an enormous bombshell, the TWF would return in January 2007 on a full-scale tour and would be filmed in high definition. Tickets for the first show back, in Orlando, Florida, the company's self-styled "second home" sold out immediately, and the event, When Worlds Collide, kicked off a brand new era for the Total Wrestling Federation which we continue to enjoy to this day, meaning the sacrifices of 2005 and 2006 were not in vain. Here's to another decade of dominance!