Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW) was a California-based

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

pro wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

company owned and operated by

Rick Bassman Richard David Bassman (born November 20, 1961) is an American entrepreneur, producer, talent agent, and author. Early life Rick Bassman was born in Northridge, California to Jewish parents. Bassman's mother, Felice, died when he was 13 years o ...

, that operated from 1999 to 2007. The company had working relationships with Pro Wrestling Zero1 and

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

. It served as a developmental company for

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

, where they would scout wrestlers and send others for training, from 2006 to 2007. Some of the major names to go on to stardom are, John Cena, Samoa Joe, The Miz and

Christopher Daniels Daniel Christopher Covell (born March 24, 1970), better known by the ring name Christopher Daniels, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and is the Head of Talent Relations. He is best kno ...

. The promotion was featured on a

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Channe ...

special called ''Inside Pro Wrestling School''.

Notable alumni

Deceased individuals are indicated with a dagger (†). *

Melina Perez Melina Nava Perez (born March 9, 1979) is an American professional wrestler and model. She is best known for her time with WWE under the ring name Melina. Outside of WWE, Perez most recently wrestled for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). ...

/Kyra *

B-Boy Breakdancing, also called breaking or b-boying/b-girling, is an athletic style of street dance originating from the African American and Puerto Rican communities in the United States. While diverse in the amount of variation available in ...

* Mike Bell † * The Blue Meanie * Jack Bull * Cheerleader Melissa *

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

* Melissa Coates † * Steve Corino *

* Tommy Dreamer * Edge *

Scott Hall Scott Oliver Hall (October 20, 1958 – March 14, 2022) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his tenures with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under his real name and under the ring name the Diamond Studd and with the ...

† * Head Bitch in Charge * Jon Heidenreich *

Molly Holly Nora Kristina Benshoof (''née'' Greenwald; born on September 7, 1977) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler signed to WWE as a producer, she is best known for her appearances with the said company from 2000 to 2005 under the ring na ...

Horshu Matthew Robert Wiese (born September 22, 1971) is an American former professional wrestler and actor. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed on its SmackDown brand under the ring name Luther Reigns. Professional wrestling care ...

* Tom Howard * Ivory * Tony Jones * Evan Karagias * Al Katrazz * Frankie Kazarian * Mike Knox * Konnan * Paul London * Scott Lost * Jerry Lynn *

Juventud Guerrera Eduardo Aníbal González Hernández (born November 23, 1974) is a Mexican professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Juventud "Juvi" Guerrera. Guerrera is best known for his appearances with the Mexican professional wrestling promot ...

* The Miz * Michael Modest *

Donovan Morgan Andrew Vassos (born January 10, 1976) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Donovan Morgan. Best known for his near five-year run as a Pro Wrestling NOAH mainstay in Japan and Ring of Honor in the United States, M ...

Chris Mordetzky Christopher Todd Mordetzky (born January 8, 1983) is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) under the ring name Chris Adonis as a member of Strictly Business. He is a former two-time National ...

* Kevin Nash *

Nova A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramati ...

* Sean O'Haire † * Human Tornado * Shinjiro Otani * Diamond Dallas Page * Chuck Palumbo * Adam Pearce * The Prototype (John Cena) * Psicosis *

Daniel Puder Daniel Puder (born October 9, 1981) is an American retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. As a mixed martial artist, Puder trained at the American Kickboxing Academy, in San Jose, California. He is undefeated in MMA competitio ...

* Tyler Reks *

Puma Puma or PUMA may refer to: Animals * ''Puma'' (genus), a genus in the family Felidae ** Puma (species) or cougar, a large cat Businesses and organisations * Puma (brand), a multinational shoe and sportswear company * Puma Energy, a mid- and d ...

Quicksilver Quicksilver may refer to: * Quicksilver (metal), the chemical element mercury Arts and entertainment Music * Quicksilver, a bluegrass band fronted by Doyle Lawson * "Quicksilver" (song), a 1950 hit for Bing Crosby * ''Quicksilver'' (sound ...

Road Warrior Animal Joseph Michael Laurinaitis (September 12, 1960 – September 22, 2020), better known by his ring name Road Warrior Animal (or simply Animal), was an American professional wrestler. Along with Road Warrior Hawk, he was one half of the tag team T ...

† * Road Warrior Hawk † * Ricky Reyes *

Davey Richards Wesley David Richards (born March 1, 1983) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW), under the ring name Davey Richards, and is the current MLW National Openweight Champion in his first reign. ...

* Rikishi * Rocky Romero * Ruckus * Joey Ryan *

Keiji Sakoda Ryan Keiji Sakoda (December 31, 1972 – September 2, 2021) was a Japanese American professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances in WWE and later Ultimate Pro Wrestling as a part-time trainer for the wrestlers, as well as working ...

* Samoa Joe * Scorpio Sky * Skulu † *

Babi Slymm Tony Drake is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances in the short-lived Wrestling Society X. He currently competes on the independent circuit using the ring name Babi Slymm. Professional wrestling career A defensive ta ...

* Ken Shamrock *

Bison Smith Mark Smith (September 24, 1973 – November 22, 2011) was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Bison Smith. He's best known for his appearances with Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan; and World Wres ...

* Spanky *

Jimmy Snuka James Reiher Snuka (born James Wiley Smith; May 18, 1943 – January 15, 2017) was a Fijian American professional wrestler. He is better known by the ring name Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. Snuka wrestled for several promotions from the 1970s to 2010 ...

* Solo Snuka *

Masato Tanaka is a Japanese professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW) in Japan where he was a one-time FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Champion and a one-time WEW World Heavyweight Champion and in Ext ...

Sylvester Terkay Sylvester Matthew Terkay (born December 4, 1970) is a retired American professional wrestler, actor,and mixed martial artist best known for his run in WWE. He has held NWA Zero-One's United States Championship twice and Ultimate Pro Wrestling's ...

* Rob Van Dam * Brett Wagner *

Tommy Drake Cory R. Carey (born August 21, 1979) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Tommy Drake. He is best known for his appearances with Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan and various independent promotions in the United States. ...

Tag Teams: * The Ballard Brothers (Shane and Shannon) and Cheerleader Melissa * Los Cubanitos ( Ricky Reyes and Rocky Romero) * Edge and Christian * Evolution ( Frankie Kazarian and

) * Hardkore Inc. ( Adam Pearce, Hardkore Kidd, and Al Katrazz) * Kevin Nash and Scott Hall * The Road Warriors (

Hawk Hawks are bird of prey, birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica. * The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. Th ...

and

Animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...

) * Chuck Palumbo and Sean O'Haire * Team Emblem (

, and Shinjiro Otani)

Championships

UPW Heavyweight Championship Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW) was a California-based independent pro wrestling company owned and operated by Rick Bassman, that operated from 1999 to 2007. The company had working relationships with Pro Wrestling Zero1 and World Wrestling Entertai ...

* UPW Lightweight Championship * UPW Tag Team Championship * UPW Southern California/Shoot Championship * UPW No Holds Barred Championship * NWA/UPW/Zero1 International Junior Heavyweight Championship

UPW Heavyweight Championship

The UPW Heavyweight Championship was a championship contested for by

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...

wrestlers in Ultimate Pro Wrestling.

UPW Lightweight Championship

The UPW Lightweight Championship was a championship contested for by Cruiserweight wrestlers in Ultimate Pro Wrestling.

UPW Tag Team Championship

The UPW Tag Team Championship was a secondary title contested for in Ultimate Pro Wrestling.

UPW Southern California Heavyweight Championship

The UPW Southern California Heavyweight Championship was a secondary title contested for in Ultimate Pro Wrestling.

UPW No Holds Barred Championship

The UPW No Holds Barred Championship was a secondary title contested for in Ultimate Pro Wrestling.

UPW Internet Championship

The UPW Internet Championship was a secondary title contested for in Ultimate Pro Wrestling.

UPW Women's Championship

References

External links

www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ca/s/upw

www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/upw
{{Professional wrestling in the United States Pro Wrestling Zero1 Sports in California Independent professional wrestling promotions based in California WWE