HOPE

HOPE is a stable based in Empire Pro Wrestling it consists of The First, EPW World Television Champion Layne Winters, EPW Intercontinental Champion Shawn Hart and Anarky.

HOPE was revealed at the EPW Pay-Per-View Russian Roulette leading up to the event, there had been a many hints to something happening. The First in many promos had talked about 'hope', even going so far as to declare 'Hope would destroy Anthology'. The First and Layne Winters clashed in backstage segments and had a TV Title match that went to a draw. While Shawn Hart had quit Anthology and was repeatedly sneak attacked by Cameron Cruise and neaten in matches against Anthology. While all this was happening Anarky was becoming even more unstable and insane then normal, finally having chair shot EPW announcer Dean Matthews, leading to Anarky being indefinitely suspended.

At the Russian Roulette event itself, The First was seen signing papers, which were at the time believed to be potentally related to his Street Fight with Felix Red, but were in fact forms leading to the reinstatement of Anarky into EPW. He was also confronted by Winters, who demanded to know why The First was so busy in the backstage area. The First promised to tell Winters what was going on, and during this time off camera was able to recruit Winters into HOPE.

It was then during the Shawn Hart Vs Cameron Cruise match that the first true battle between HOPE and Anthology happened as after a series of run-ins from both sides, Anarky made his return to EPW and cleared the ring of Copycat and Sean Edmunds leaving Cruise to fend for himself, he was then hit with the Intercontinental Title Belt and pinned by Shawn Hart.

Both Anarky and Winters made it clear that HOPE is merely an alliance of convenience and that they harbor no great loyality to the other members of HOPE and merely seek to use HOPE to further their own careers. The First has stated that HOPE's objectives are to destroy Anthology and to secure the EPW World Title into the HOPE camp.

At Aggression 48, The First, teaming with Fusenshoff defeated Anthology members Larry Tact and Sean Edmunds, at Aggression 48, Sean Stevens took over control of Anthology and removed Cameron Cruise from the faction. After First and Fusenshoff's victory, Stevens laid out First with an X-Factor. While Winters defended his TV Title via pinfall victory over Erik Black

At Aggression 49, Anarky and Shawn Hart won the main event match over Anthology's Sean Stevens and Larry Tact, after the match all of Anthology was fired from EPW by Lindsay Troy before all of them, save Tact, were rehired by Dan Ryan. In a match between The First and Jared Wells, Troy Windham was revealed as a new member of HOPE, he sought to defeat Stevens by mentoring First and HOPE rather then beat him in the ring.

At Aggression 50, Anarky and Winters were beaten by the Heirs of Wrestling, triggering a rampage by Winters where he attacked several EPW wrestlers, ending with a brutal attack on Karl Brown. Shawn Hart retained the IC Title over Sean Edmunds, and the First defeated Sean Stevens by DQ, First's failure to win the EPW World Title led to a near falling out of HOPE after the match, with First keeping a tenuous peace amid the various men in the group, by vowing that he'd have his final shot at the EPW World Title at Black Dawn.