Slipstream

ESW Career: To sum up Rob “Slipstream” Richards career here in the ESW, you can sum it up in one world : Elite. Slipstream arrived in the ESW towards the end of the Eddie’s career and being the second bloke from England to win the World title, Slip picked up where Eddie left off. Slipstream has left his mark on the ESW and then some. 5 time World champion, 2 time Survivor champion, TV champion, tag Team champion, 5 time wrestler of the month, and a ESW MVP Slipstream is tied with Kid Krazy for most titles held in the ESW with 9, second to Rayne on the wins list with 72, ranks near the top with most Main Events and is ESW’s only Elite member. Slipstream is a corner stone of the ESW, a guy who has always seemed to win even when the odds are against him.

Height: 5'9"

Weight: 195

Hometown: Halifax England

Theme Music: Halo by Soil

Alignment: Face

Years wrestling: 7th

Wrestling Style:Martial Arts/Aerial/Hardcore

Age: 26

Nationality:Spanish-American

Finisher:FyReLyGhTeR
Sweetchin music

Secondary Finisher:Bonecracker
Judo's Sweeping Hip Throw

Bio / Background:
Whereas most wrestlers break into the business to escape something from their lives, for Rob Richards that was not the case. Born and raised in Yorkshire, England, it was sometimes hard to take a deep breath in the Richard household, so full was the timetable every day. Rob became a national youth champion in judo, and competed nationally for a youth athletics team.

When it came to competing in the senior categories however, Richards was considered 'too small' and 'too light' to fight against grizzled men twice his height and weight. Practicing the martial art became less and less frequent, eventually fizzling out.and it led to what could be considered being a normal teenager. With no chance of breaking into senior judo, and without the fitness that came from judo to compete at athletics, Rob began to become less and less involved with his former sports, taking up soccer instead. But it was the television that inspired the boy that would become Slipstream to get involved with the squared circle of wrestling. Watching men of his stature and size take on giants and come out with victories made him think that this was the thing for him. It was lucky then that his home was near to both the arenas that hosted the shows of two national wrestling federations.

In a training camp set up by the head of one of those federations, the Death Pain Association, Slipstream took to the ring like a fish to water and, although the smallest in his class, received a first-class scholarship from the camp. The DPA hired Rob soon after, and the man known then as the FiReStArTeR began his career in 1999 as a jobber to the DPA legends such as Lionheart and Rick Van Dijk.

Of course jobbing couldn't hold Richards back. He had seen the footage; he had watched the in-ring action. He wanted more. Being the FiReStArTeR had appeal, yeah. He was a fire-raising jobber, but a jobber nonetheless.

But when he changed his name to Slipstream, and created heel tag team the Shadowdragons with Bronco Burner, the new fearsome duo in the doubles division won 3 Tag Team Championships in 6 months. Although not a success in the singles division, his no-nonsense style, martial art knowledge and individual talent got noticed by the fed owner Hardcore Jonny and, in becoming a surprise winner of a singles tournament, got his chance at the DPA World Championship. But Rick van Dijk stood in his way. The company legend that he used to fight as a jobber was the one obstacle in his path. The reigning champion was highly touted to win the fight against this young pup. But Slipstream was determined not to fail. Climbing the ladder was his goal and, in front of 15,000 disbelievers, competed in the biggest match of his career. And he did it.

But he cheated to do it. While the referee wasn't looking, Slipstream levelled the champion with some brass knuckles and, while thousands of people booed and showered the ring with cups, the count was made, and there was a new World Champion.

As well as the title, and the hate of all DPA fans everywhere, there was a stipulation in the rematch. If Rick Van Dijk won the title back, Slipstream would never be allowed to compete in the singles division ever again. But Jonny was determined to make things hard for Slipstream. He stacked the odds so much against the champion, that there wasn't even a stipulation for if the title was defended! But, in a cruel twist of fate, van Dijk injured himself hitting his finisher on the champion, and was forced to concede defeat.

Slipstream had one choice to do whatever he wanted, so he chose to become commissioner for 2 months. What followed were some of the most entertaining shows the paying public had seen. Because of this, Richards was later offered co-ownership of the federation by Jonny, who considered his talent to stretch out of the ring and into the boardroom. Slipstream snatched up every opportunity he got, and this was no exception. Jonny later gave him full control when he retired 3 months later, and Slipstream got to work. From establishing international links to signing up wrestling talent, Slipstream sent DPA from strength to strength.

This got the attention of major European wrestling federations, and when DPA merged with WWHF, a huge Euro-fed based in the Flemish region of the continent, Slipstream kept his management role in the new WHA, and in forming a tag team with the other owner VeNoM, kept his wrestling intact as well. His team, the Mortal Warriors, picked up five tag team title victories over the two years. Besides wrestling and managing in the WHA, Slip wrestled in the singles division of the other British wrestling company, Lost Soul Wrestling for a short while, under the name of Rob "Fury Fist" Richards. However, it was a temporary contract, and he didn't get very far with singles competition anyway, so it was inevitable that he stay with the Fyrechyld in the WHA.

Two years had gone by and Slipstream had beaten his partner to become sole owner of the WHA, linking back up with Bronco Burner, who had changed his gimmick to Highrise. Together with Highrise's partner Aquarius, the three formed another group and owned the tag team division as well, with Slipstream helping his stable mates to the tag team championship. But the power had gone to the head of Richards, and he took the WHA to far too dizzying heights. Eventually, he lost control of the WHA to a federation called the GZWF, in which the final showdown, an Inferno match between the two owners, scarred Slip for life when he lost to the GZWF owner Pulverizer. Ironically, Pulverizer was one of the talents that Slipstream had made into a world-beater, and was the flagship wrestler in the federation until it was revealed that he was a huge part of the invasion plot. On the same night, Highrise and Aquarius lost the tag titles when Aquarius accidentally injured his partner. While Highrise was in an emergency clinic, his partner suffered a severe beating at the hands of an angry group of punters who lost a lot of money on a bet concerning the tag titles. Aquarius was rushed into the clinic in a critical condition and died that night.

Slip left the wrestling business for 3 months for recovery and to mourn for Aquarius, then finally came back to wrestle in the eWo/WHA, a combination of the WHA federation (released after GZWF ran into financial difficulty and was sold to another company) and the European based 'eWo' federation. Each federation became a brand, and Slip, now a singles competitor, captured the WHA World Championship for 2 weeks, and the Tag Team Championship four times with different partners in the 5 months the eWo/WHA was around, before it merged to create the GWF, from the remaining wreckage of the GZWF. This is when Slip was at his most lethal, helping to introduce the WarGames match to the GWF, in which he was a competitor in all three appearances of the stacked steel cages. He also picked up a variety of titles, including the European, Intercontinental (2), and Cruiserweight Championship (3), before the GWF slowly died, wrestlers being lured elsewhere by big money packages and celebrity status.

Slip managed to join the ESW, and when he arrived in the New-York based federation, was determined to create a long and successful era of the Fyrechyld. His first appearance was at Suicide Mission in 2004, and almost got a chance at the ESW World Title that very first night after winning a gauntlet match. But a man who Slipstream had beaten earlier that evening, Larcen Night, came back to haunt him and knocked him out at the final hurdle to go and collect the World Title. It was a setback for Slipstream's attempt, but a small setback. He quickly bounced back and picked up a piece of silverware: the Survivor Title.

Now, almost two and a half years later, Slipstream is the only 4-time World Champion. He was half of the 2005 tag team Champions. He is the 2005 MVP, and the only one who is also a Grand Slammer after winning every title on offer in the ESW. The man with the most wins in the ESW (2nd behind ESW legend Rayne), you might think that Slipstream has done it all in Empire State Wrestling. But you would be wrong. Slipstream has made his intentions known that he is gunning for the all-time win record, and will stop at nothing to guarantee a place in the ESW's Hall of Fame.

Titles previously held: DPA Tag Team Championship (w/ Bronco Burner x3)
DPA World Championship
DPA Owner
DPA Extreme Title x10
WHA Tag Team Championship (w/VeNoM x5)
WHA Intercontinental Championship
WHA Hardcore Title x14
WHA Co-owner
WHA World Championship (part of eWo/WHA)
WHA Tag Team Championship (w/VeNoM x3, w/Bronco x2)(eWo/WHA)
GWF European Championship x2
GWF Cruiserweight Championship x3
GWF Intercontinental Championship x2