Greg Lambert

Greg Lambert (born in Morecambe, Lancashire on January 22 1972) is a professional wrestling manager, journalist, promoter and ring announcer.

Early years

From 1990-1994, Lambert studied English and History at Keele University. He worked as a customer service manager at BT, before resigning to study journalism at the University of Central Lancashire, Preston from 2001-2002.

A lifelong wrestling fan, Lambert entered the UK wrestling business after a chance meeting with Dann Read while attending FWA Revival at Crystal Palace Indoor Arena on February 9 2002 (the day he also met Alex Shane for the first time). His first show was FWA New Era Wrestling at Ipswich on July 13 2002, where he commentated on the event for Ipswich Community Radio.

Lambert began writing for "Power Slam" magazine in 2002. Lambert was made co-host of the "Talk Wrestling" show on TalkSport, alongside top British wrestler Alex Shane, and Simon Lilsboy of "The Sun", and appeared on several Saturday night broadcasts in 2002.

Joining the FWA

Lambert debuted as an obnoxious manager at FWA New Frontiers on February 8, 2003, at Walthamstow, instigating an attack on Alex Shane by the UK Pitbulls. He proclaimed himself Britain's Number One Wrestling Journalist, bringing a notepad and pen to ringside for matches. Lambert gained acclaim as one of Britain's top wrestling managers due to his ability to get crowds to hate and heckle him. Fans love to chant 'Harry Potter!' at Lambert due to his ringside attire of a long dark coat and glasses.

Lambert allied himself with wrestling 'cult' The Family, becoming their manager at FWA Crunch on March 16, 2003, in Broxbourne during an angle when they attacked female wrestler Nikita (now Katie Lea in the WWE), girlfriend of Alex Shane. Later that night The Family (Paul Travell and Scott Parker), with Lambert at ringside, beat Alex Shane and Ulf Herman to become British Tag Team Champions.

Lambert went on to lead The Family to three FWA Tag Team Titles during this tremendous feud with Alex Shane and Ulf Herman, which raged throughout 2003 at venues all over the UK. It included a six-person tag at FWA/ROH Frontiers of Honor on May 17, 2003, at the York Hall in Bethnal Green (The Family - Brandon Thomas, Scott Parker and Paul Travell, defeated Alex Shane, Ulf Herman and Nikita). Later Lambert was at ringside when The Family beat Shane and Herman in a controversial First Blood match at FWA Vendetta 2003 in Broxbourne on June 22, 2003. The match ended when Raj Ghosh, who Lambert had recruited to The Family, smashed Ulf Herman in the head with a glass trophy, cutting him open.

Lambert was at ringside when The Family met Ulf Herman and Mikey Whipwreck in the final match of their feud at FWA's answer to WrestleMania - British Uprising 2 at the York Hall in Bethnal Green on October 18, 2003. After Herman and Whipwreck won, Lambert was tied to the ropes and blindfolded by Ulf Herman, who was about to smash him with a vicious chair shot when 'The Truth' was saved by Alex Shane, who turned on the 7-foot German with a brutal chair assault.

At FWA Crunch on April 11, 2004, he tried to recruit the popular wrestling butler Simmons to The Family but was unsuccessful. He managed The Family as Hampton Court beat them for the FWA Tag Team Titles at Vendetta 2004 at Broxbourne Civic Hall, Hertfordshire in July 2004, in a match where Paul Travell turned on Lambert and his team-mates. Then he announced that The Family had split up and briefly managed The Triad - Drew McDonald, Thunder and Raj Ghosh. With Lambert at ringside, The Triad lost to Terry Funk, Paul Birchall and Paul Travell at British Uprising 3 on November 13, 2004 (in a match refereed by legendary WWF manager Jimmy Hart), in front of FWA's biggest-ever crowd of 1800 at Coventry SkyDome.

Lambert later managed Iceman in FWA and Damage Control in GPW. He also appeared on shows for FSW, IWP (where he managed WWE star Paul Burchill, including a match against D'Lo Brown in Hull in November 2004) and WAW.

Lambert confronted famous American wrestling journalist Bill Apter at International Showdown at Coventry SkyDome Arena on March 19, 2005 (in front of a sold-out crowd of 3,500) in a segment also featuring Alex Shane and WWE legend Mick Foley. Managed Shane, Stixx and Stone and Iceman against Foley, Sandman, Steve Corino and Paul Travell on November 12, 2005. On April 2, 2006 Lambert managed Iceman in an incredibly brutal hardcore match against Paul Travell at FWA Crunch in Broxbourne. The match ended with both men bloody, and in a no-contest, when Travell finally got his hands on Lambert after a near two-year feud, body slamming him on a canvas full of drawing pins and then delivering a flying Bloodshot Splash from the top rope. Lambert has steered clear of Travell ever since.

Promoting and booking

Alongside boyhood best friend Mark Kay, Lambert brought wrestling back regularly to the Morecambe Dome. He promoted shows in Morecambe from 2003 to the present day featuring Raven, D'Lo Brown, Steve Corino, Juventud Guerrera, Christopher Daniels, and stars of Pro Wrestling NOAH in Japan. Under Lambert and Kay's promotion, FWA sold out the 450-seater Morecambe Dome for the Gold Rush event on February 3, 2007. Lambert became assistant booker of FWA in late 2004 and was co-booker (with Alex Shane) throughout 2005. Alongside Mark Kay, Lambert took over running the FWA in January 2006.

Greg has also worked backstage on some of the biggest UK shows of the modern era. He assisted Alex Shane, as his right-hand man, to promote FWA British Uprising 3 (which drew 1800 fans to Coventry SkyDome on November 13 2004), International Showdown (3,500 fans at the Skydome on March 19 2005, headlined by Mick Foley, CM Punk, Raven, Mitsuharu Misawa, Scorpio and Samoa Joe)and Universal Uproar (2,800 fans at the Skydome on November 12 2005, headlined by Kenta Kobashi and Mick Foley). Greg's roles on these shows included running the shows backstage, booking flights for international talent, liasing with national and local media, and assisting with creative matters (at Uprising 3). He also worked behind-the-scenes during the second night of the King of Europe Cup tournament on April 29 2007 at Liverpool Olympia - a groundbreaking tournament organised by Alex Shane and Doug Williams featuring 16 top wrestlers from 16 top worldwide promotions.

Greg also assisted Alex Shane - promoter of TNA's first UK tour- with behind-the-scenes matters when TNA toured the UK for the first time in June 2008.

In 2006, Lambert became head booker and owner of the FWA. In his hometown of Morecambe, Lambert played a 'good guy' authority figure and MC who had several run-ins with hated British Heavyweight Champion Robbie Brookside on shows at The Dome in 2006. Brookside bullied and berated Lambert at every turn, even decking him with a punch in front of his home town fans after the Liverpudlian won the FWA Title in Morecambe on July 15, 2006. Greg has continued as promoter and booker of the XWA (which evolved from the FWA)in 2007-8, and has improved greatly as a booker to create a popular local 'Memphis-style' wrestling promotion featuring strong characters and storylines, and shows which incite real emotions within its fan base.

FWA vs IPW:UK

On October 15, 2006 Lambert, playing his heel character, interrupted the IPW:UK show at Broxbourne Civic Hall and launched the feud between FWA and IPW:UK - where the losing UK company would cease to exist. In a hot angle, Lambert berated IPW:UK and its owner Daniel Edler as a 'copycat company' who had rode the FWA's coat-tails to the top of British wrestling. The segment ended with Alex Shane appearing in the Broxbourne ring to deliver a vicious chair shot to Edler.

On February 18, 2007 Lambert made an appearance at IPW:UK's show Battle Two at Orpington Halls, Kent, announcing that Alex Shane had a neck injury and a replacement would be found to wrestle on behalf of FWA against Martin Stone at Final Frontiers - where the losing company would cease to exist. Lambert then instigated an attack on IPW competitor Ashley Reed by his former FWA charge 'The Messiah' Brandon Thomas. Later in the evening Lambert managed James Tighe (FWA) against Martin Stone (IPW) but Tighe lost, then turned on Lambert and FWA, handing The Truth over to a mob of IPW wrestlers. Lambert was then thrown out of the building through the fire exit.

Despite all Greg's efforts, the FWA was forced to fold on Sunday March 25 when his hand-picked FWA representative Flash Barker lost to Martin Stone in the main event of FWA v IPW:UK Final Frontiers at the Orpington Halls. This historic match ended when FWA Champion Robbie Brookside smashed Barker with the FWA Title and then flattened Lambert at ringside, before Stone scored the pin with a London Bridge DDT. At the end of the show a distraught Lambert sat in the ring, seemingly unwilling to believe that the FWA was dead.

The XWA

Days after Final Frontiers, Lambert announced that due to the controversial ending to the Stone-Barker match he wasn't taking the death of the FWA lying down and therefore was starting a new wrestling promotion - the XWA (Ex-WA) solely to run events in Morecambe. In reality the whole FWA v IPW:UK feud had been a 'storyline cover' for Greg's real-life wish to break away from the old FWA way of doing things and change the name of the promotion.

The first XWA show was on April 7 2007 at the sold-out Morecambe Dome, where Lambert's presence at ringside distracted the man he blamed for killing the FWA, Robbie Brookside, so he lost the British Heavyweight Title to 'The Wonderkid' Jonny Storm.

With Brookside gone from XWA, Lambert's new arch-rival in XWA appears to be Stevie Knight, who had verbal confrontations with Greg both at XWA Vendetta on June 30 2007 and at Battle of Britain on September 29.

On September 30 Greg promoted XWA's first ever live wrestling event at the Hexagon, Lancaster and Morecambe College.

XWA has four events scheduled at The Dome for 2008 and two at the Hexagon.

In January 2008 Greg campaigned hard after the Dome was threatened with closure due to Lancaster City Council cutbacks, starting a Facebook petition to 'Save The Morecambe Dome' (which gained nearly 500 members in four days) and writing a number of articles for The Visitor making the public aware of the possible closure of the popular venue. On January 22 2008, Greg's 36th birthday, Lancaster City Council bowed to pressure and announced they would keep The Dome open for at least four more years.

The XWA presented its Anniversary Show - War On The Shore 4, on Saturday April 12 2008 at The Morecambe Dome. This was the XWA's first anniversary, the 25th wrestling show Lambert and Kay have promoted in the Morecambe area, and also their 5th anniversary as wrestling promoters.The show ended with an angle where Martin Stone gatecrashed the Dome and beat up several XWA stars with a cricket bat.

Lambert in RQW

Lambert returned to the York Hall, Bethnal Green on January 12, 2007, as manager of star Jon Ryan for Real Quality Wrestling. Lambert challenged any wrestler to last five minutes or more with Ryan without tapping out, offering £10,000 cash to whoever could meet the challenge. star Paul Robinson took up the challenge but Ryan made him submit in three minutes. This match was shown on Sky Digital channel 427 (TWC Fight) on February 7, 2007.

On Saturday March 24 2007 at the York Hall, Ryan (managed by Lambert) destroyed Tom De Morney in 53 seconds then beat up RQW security guards. Lambert then managed Hade Vansen against Ryan's arch-rival James Tighe, but Tighe defeated Vansen to earn a rematch with Ryan on a future RQW event (this was shown on RQW TV on May 8 2007). At the end of the show Lambert sent Ryan and Vansen to attack Martin Stone and Jody Fleisch, setting up a tag team main event for April 20's RQW show, which Ryan and Vansen won after Lambert interfered.

In the storyline, "The Truth" has missed several RQW TV tapings since then because he has been banned from the building by RQW management. In reality, Greg has put managing on hold to concentrate on his journalism, the XWA and his work for the European Boxing Federation but has not ruled out a return for his Truth persona in future.

Personal life

Greg has worked for his hometown newspaper, "The Visitor" since July 2002. He is the chief reporter and entertainments editor. He has also written freelance articles for Power Slam - Britain's top wrestling magazine -since 2002. Greg is married and has two sons.

A big fight fan since the early 80s, Greg MC'd the European Boxing Federation's 'Fight Night 3' night of white-collar boxing at The Carleton in Morecambe on Friday November 9 2007. This has led to Greg MCing further EBF shows starting in Carlisle on November 30 2007, then in Chorley on March 8 2008, in Blackpool on March 14, and back in Morecambe on April 4 2008. Greg is now a regular ring announcer for the EBF.

External links

* [http://www.xwawrestling.com The XWA's Official Website]