TCP1

This is an excellent idea. 🙂

AWA All Star Wrestling Match Card Mike Graham VS. Buck Zumhofe Rick Martel VS. Bobby Duncum Curt Hennig VS. Boris Breznikoff (Nikolai Volkoff for those not in the know) Main Event Hulk Hogan VS. Masa Saito ALSO: Contract Signing Between Bockwinkel (I don't know how you win a contract signing, but he'll find a way) and Santana

Prediction Results For EEE Starclash I 1. John Lions - 7/10 1. KyTeran - 7/10 3. Herrbear - 6/10 4. DinoKea - 5/10 4. eayragt - 5/10 4. Theheel - 5/10 7. Scottie - 2/10 Overall Prediction Standings 1. KyTeran - 22/35 (63%) 2. DinoKeo - 21/35 (60%) 2. eayragt - 21/35 (60%) 2. Theheel - 21/35 (60%) 2. Herrbear - 21/35 (60%) 2. John Lions - 21/35 (60%) 7. MisterRomanini - 15/25 (60%) 8. Scottie - 5/16 (31%) The biggest show is in the books and rather than seperating folks, it's brought everyone together. As I was reading John Lions and KyTeran's predictions I had a feeling that they'd setup shop in my head. But some truly great guesses, although the main event seems to have thrown people. Which I hope is a good thing. One last note from me; thank you Scottie for the nomination for Diary of the Month. If anyone would like to vote for this diary click here. But if you just want to keep reading, that's great too. Thanks again everyone.

EEE Starclash I Sunday, Week 4, May 2024 Greenwalt Dome, New York City, New York Attendance: 40,967 STOMPER MEMORIAL CUP FINAL The Biggins Boys vs. The Fantastic Express It is arguable that these two teams have fought each other more than any other tag team in New York history. And now they both have the chance to beat the other and claim the prestigious Stomper Memorial Cup and the title shot that goes it. The action, as it always is, is fast and furious. Both teams are incredibly experienced and know each other inside and out and the match plays out like a ‘Best of’ series. Move and counter move is sumptuous and wonderful. Sadly; Bart Biggins, despite being the younger of the brothers, is out of his depth. There are a few missteps and his conditioning is obviously not what it used to be. Despite this, the crowd still get behind him and just when it looks like The Fantastic Express are about to finally win the tournament, Brett Superkicks Rafe into a B-Dropper from Bart. Hooking both legs guarantees the victory for the veteran team. In a bout that had great heat and good wrestling, The Biggins Boys defeated The Fantastic Express in 10:27 when Bart Biggins pinned Rafe Sashay with a B-Dropper. The Biggins Boys win the EEE Stomper Memorial Cup. Rating: 59 Notes: Likely an upset to be honest. But we told you there was a plan and this was only part of it. The match was horribly disappointing, mainly because of the performance of Bart Biggins, whose body is collapsing faster than a wet cake. If we’d tried to hold off on giving them the win here for another year, they may not have made it. SINGLES MATCH Jason Patterson vs. The Masked Mauler With little in the way of story; The Masked Mauler finds himself facing the young man out of Oklahoma. Despite his fire and passion, Patterson is no match for the bruising Mauler, who exhibits a series of old school moves (including a Big Swing), before putting his prey away with a traditional IRON CLAW!?! In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, The Masked Mauler defeated Jason Patterson in 4:48 by submission with an Iron Claw. Rating: 60 Notes: Simple squash match, although it’s interesting to note that these two have pretty good chemistry. GANG WARS MATCH Bradley Blaze & The VCC vs. Crusher Toko & Samoan Wrecking Crew After years of curtain-jerking, the Samoan Wrecking Crew finally have a third member and natural leader. With Crusher Toko proving his worth already, he leads the team into battle against the hard-hitting Blaze and VCC combination. It’s a slug-fest of a match, with all the guys taking turns to chop one another and hit power move after power move. To highlight the difference Toko makes, he actually manages to save the Wrecking Crew from a move which previously would’ve cost them defeat. He then almost single-handedly wins the match in the second decent upset of the night. Bradley Blaze & The VCC vs. Crusher Toko & Samoan Wrecking Crew In a decent match, Crusher Toko and Samoan Wrecking Crew defeated Bradley Blaze and The VCC in 7:52 when Crusher Toko pinned JP Barnham with a Brainbuster Suplex. Rating: 45 Notes: Ray Cavalero sustained a cracked tail bone and the match was not great. SINGLES MATCH Angry Gilmore vs. Honest Frank Jr The middle-aged and crazy older generation, take on the arrogant and whining younger generation in a surprisingly heated battle. Angry Gilmore, despite his age finally catching up with him saved his best performance in a while for the young Honest Frank Jr. Gilmore’s stamina is becoming a problem though and the match was littered with interference from Big Jon Walker and a healthy dollop of cheating from the young star in the making. Despite Gilmore’s rough and tough style, he couldn’t keep up with Frank Jr, who had him beat with a Roll of the Dice, but grabbed some tights when pinning for the added insult. In a bout that had fantastic heat and decent wrestling, Honest Frank Jr defeated Angry Gilmore in 10:30 by pinfall with a handful of tights. Rating: 65 Notes: Legend Killer indeed. Continuing his success of recent months, Honest Frank Jr gets the win on the grandest stage of them all. Gilmore isn’t completely done yet, but this is likely his last big singles match before we consider forcing him into retirement someone down the line. He’s a fantastic backstage worker for us though, so we wouldn’t push until we thought he was ready. But there are plenty of younger stars who can’t quite break through because he’s got a spot in the middle of the card. SINGLES MATCH The Eagle vs. Monty Trescarde In the storylined match-up with the least heat heading into the show, the long-awaited rematch between Eagle and Monty delivers up to its build and not a bit more. It’s a solidly crafted match, but one which gave the audience a bit of a breather. Both men bring solid, methodical wrestling to a show filled with excitement and it sadly feels a little boring as a result. When in doubt on the big show, give the win to the face. Especially when the heel is suffering with chronic back pain. In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, The Eagle defeated Monty Trescarde in 10:24 by pinfall with a Freedom Slam. Rating: 64 Notes: BOR-RING! EEE WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH Cross River Connection vs. The Twin Powers (c) After the previous match-up the crowd were hungry for something meatier and the World Tag Team Title Match more than delivered. The Twin Powers and the Cross River Connection have been feuding for months, with the titles even changing hands. The match had a lot to live up to and thankfully it did. In a classic David vs. Goliath match-up, the Cross River Connection were forced to use their speed to counter the bullying nature of Smith and Harper. As the match drew to a close, there was another miscommunication between Prime Time and Perfect, but this time Pep is able to avoid the collision, sending Prime Time into Harper. With him out the way, Pep delivered a massive Fisherman’s Suplex to Bulldozer (a feat needing to be seen to be believed) and linked the fingers into a bridged pin for the 1-2-3. In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Cross River Connection defeated The Twin Powers in 10:05 when Perfect Pepper Pelton pinned Bulldozer Brandon Smith with a Fisherman's Suplex. Cross River Connection win the EEE World Tag Team. Rating: 73 Notes: This match was great with everyone working hard to deliver some big time drama. The Cross River Connection are both masters of their craft and the miscommunication fake-out nearly had the crowd believing they’d lose. But the face’s prevailed in the match of the night so far. SINGLES MATCH Charlie Corner vs. ‘The Stud’ Phil Anders A few weeks ago, this would’ve been an interesting match-up between two equals. But heading into the match, Corner is the overwhelming favourite having beaten both Trent Shaffer and Angry Gilmore and the big match-up is nothing more than a glorified squash as Corner makes relative short work of The Stud. In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, Charlie Corner defeated Phil Anders in 10:27 by pinfall with a Corner Cutter. Rating: 62 Notes: The build to this was skewed by the sudden decision to push Corner and poor Anders suffers as a result. But with Hagman out long-term, I needed someone to step up and with the help of Gilmore and Shaffer; Corner became the guy. EEE INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE MATCH Fro Sure vs. Davis Wayne Newton (c) Arguably the match-up with the best possible in-ring talent was fought over the Intercontinental Title. Fro Sure, riding a wave of red hot momentum clashed with Davis Wayne Newton, the defending champion riding a white-hot wave of his own. In a match-up which could legitimately have gone either way, both men enter the match with some of their best mic-work on display during the build-up. It’s a fast-paced affair, which incorporates chain-wrestling to the delight of the nuclear hot crowd. In quite incredible scenes, the champion, who is known worldwide for his cheating ways, doesn’t indulge in it and even more incredibly, he manages to out-wrestle his opponent, locking in the STF for the victory. In an exceptional match, Davis Wayne Newton defeated Fro Sure in 22:49 by submission with a STF. Davis Wayne Newton makes defence number three of the EEE Intercontinental. Rating: 80 Notes: These two are future main event stars and no denying it. I didn’t think it was quite time to switch the belt just yet. But there is no doubt in my mind that both of these guys will be higher-up the card next year. Perhaps even in the main event proper. TRIPLE THREAT MATCH Valiant vs. Trent ‘The Talent’ Shaffer vs. ‘The Georgia Bulldog’ Riley McManus A rare triple-threat match for our three biggest stars not in a feud for gold. The stories of Trent and Riley have been intertwined since The Talent joined us here in New York. And here we are almost a year later and they’re still embroiled in one another’s business. They are without doubt two of the most solid all-round workers we have and the audience love the fact that they have an on-again-off-again team. Valiant plays the outlier of the match. The all-American, apple pie-eating hero who stands for truth, justice and the American way. Like American Machine, but way more popular. The match is classic sports entertainment fare, so as to best hide Valiant’s in-ring deficiencies. Despite the slower pace, the crowd lap up the action because of the names involved in the actual fight. Despite the heels outnumbering Valiant, he always rises to a big show and after Riley and Trent inevitably turned on one another, Valiant was there with a waiting V-Split for the pinfall and the win. In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Valiant defeated Riley McManus and Trent Shaffer in 22:23 when Valiant pinned Trent Shaffer with a V-Split. Rating: 77 Notes: Fantastic match with two great in-ring workers and all three men being suitably over too. Valiant must be kept strong as per Larry’s instructions, mainly because he’s out-selling all other workers in merchandise by about 10-1. But this was the perfect setup for the main event proper. Mitch Naess and Emma Chase rundown the showdown we're about to see between Aaron 'The Ace' Andrews and 'The Star' George Trapesi including highlighting Trapesi being the first ever EEE World Heavyweight Champion proper and The Ace winning the inaugural Empire Royale. We are then treated to a video package of the two men, their interview and their interactions. It's all set to My Way by Limp Bizkit. Rating: 88 EEE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH Aaron ‘The Ace’ Andrews vs. ‘The Star’ George Trapesi (c) The match the world has been waiting for for two months. Ever since Aaron ‘The Ace’ Andrews overcame the odds in the first ever Empire Royale and claimed victory and a title shot, these two friends have been on a collision course. After two elaborate entrances (Trapesi got the actual Sirius to play his theme live), the two men stand in the spotlighted ring while the crowd offer duelling chants. Andrews has perhaps been hungrier and more morally grey nit he build-up to the event, but the crowd split for the two men is equal. In an exceptional match, George Trapesi defeated Aaron Andrews in 25:24 by pinfall with a Star Maker Lariat. George Trapesi makes defence number eight of the EEE World Heavyweight. Rating: 82 Notes: Not much I can say that these two didn't say in the ring. While it may not have been the best built match-up in company history, it also wasn't a letdown. Good enough for me. OVERALL RATING: 82 In the production office after the show, with bleary eyes and lots of coffee we waited for the figures to come through. We’d got 708,520 viewers on same day as Total Mayhem XXVIII, which was a great start. But the key to us was the head-to-head figures. Starclash had got an 82, while Total Mayhem got… 80. A cheer rippled through the office. I made sure to check the finances; we’d lost $720,556, which in a period of spending heavily on child promotions and buyouts was actually better than I’d thought it would be. In defense of TCW, which is not something I’d normally do; main event star and World Heavyweight champion Chris Flynn had torn his quad a week out from the sure, forcing them to insert old NYCW star Kip Keenan to face Sammy Bach. He’d done pretty well, but I couldn’t imagine what would’ve happened if the same had happened to us. Still, a win is a win. And it was a big one for us. Next time… the post-Starclash All Star Wrestling promises a big debut, and a face from our past makes waves online…

I will definitely be following. Always liked TCW and their roster, so interested to see where you go with it. Also love the Aaron Andrew’s render; totally going to steal that. 😁

Nope, just took their overness and moved on. A brutal shutting down of all small-scale companies. An attempt to force change on the wrestling world.

New York City… where the tag team division gets more and more interesting… In years previous we aimed to have an event honouring The Stomper. This year however, we thought it’d be more in-keeping to his legacy to incorporate it into Starclash. Therefore we had a tournament we needed to blitz through in the weeks ahead. After the Cross River Connection’s surprise loss, where would we be going? Well, I’ll tell you what I tell the fans… stay tuned to find out. EEE All Star Wrestling #13 Friday, Week 1, May 2024 The Empire Ballroom, New York City, New York Attendance: 10,649 [*]STOMPER QUARTER FINAL: Cross River Connection vs. Samoan Wrecking Crew In a decent match, Cross River Connection defeated Samoan Wrecking Crew in 9:43 when Prime Time Jack Pryde pinned Loa Laki with a Prime Time Perfection. Rating: 61 [*]ANGLE: Angry Gilmore is with Thom Barrowman and today, he’s not as angry as he normally is. Because he gets to face Honest Frank Jr and his Big Dumb Friend in the quarter finals of the Stomper Memorial Cup. Having seen these young whippersnappers causing him trouble, he’s done something he never thought he’d do. He’s found a young person to be his tag team partner; California Cool Charlie Corner. Rating: 78 [*]EEE INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE MATCH: Alistair Shufflebottom vs. Davis Wayne Newton (c) In a decent match, Davis Wayne Newton defeated Alistair Shufflebottom in 10:28 by pinfall with a Fisherman's Suplex. Davis Wayne Newton makes defence number two of the EEE Intercontinental. Rating: 61 [*]ANGLE: Trent Shaffer and Riley McManus are out to the ring and they still hate Valiant, he’s cost them a chance at the World Title and now he’s going to have to pay. They’ve chatted it through and Trent is the guy whose going to issue the challenge. A challenge of a one-on-one match at Starclash. Let’s see if the all-American hero is a coward of not. Rating: 86 [*]SINGLES MATCH: Jason Patterson vs. ‘The Stud’ Phil Anders In a bout that didn't have much heat and terrible wrestling, Phil Anders defeated Jason Patterson in 9:53 by pinfall with a Hangman's Neckbreaker. Rating: 45 [*]ANGLE: Cross River Connection are with Thom Barrowman. “So Pep, looks like it’s that time of year again. It’s the Stomper Memorial Cup.” “Also it’s Starclash,” adds Perfect Pepper. “That’s a good point Pep. That’s two big events happening at the same time.” “And we have a rematch clause.” “Another good point Pep. But aren’t you worried that we’re not on the same page? That’s what the The Twin Douchebags keep saying.” “They the team who aren’t putting their titles on the line during the tournament?” “Yes indeed,” Prime Time responds. “They’re saying we’re not working as a team.” “In fairness it’s hard to act as a team with you clotheslining me Prime Time.” “That was an accident Pep.” The two look at one another intensely, before high-fiving and spinning to face the camera. “You think we’re not on the same page?” Pepper begins. “You think our team… our friendship can be broken up by a couple of idiots like you and loss here and there. The Cross River Connection are beyond things like that. We are best friends and there’s nothing we won’t do to help each other. To have each other’s backs. So if I were you… Twin Powers… I’d concentrate on holding onto those titles and do your best to get to the finals of the Stomper Cup, because by hook or by crook, we’re coming for you!” After a moment of wide-eyed shock, Prime Time finishes… “Good point Pep.” Rating: 86 [*]SINGLES MATCH: Valiant vs. The Masked Mauler In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Valiant defeated The Masked Mauler in 10:29 by pinfall with a V-Split. Rating: 72 [*]ANGLE: We see a recorded video of Part 1 of a sitdown interview between Aaron ‘The Ace’ Andrews and ‘The Star’ George Trapesi. They recount their earlier careers and what being the World Champion means to them both. It all seems pretty tame and polite. Rating: 87 [*]STOMPER QUARTER FINAL: The Biggins Boys vs. The Twin Powers In a bout that had great heat and good wrestling, The Biggins Boys defeated The Twin Powers in 9:45 when Bulldozer Brandon Smith was disqualified while fighting Prime Time Jack Pryde outside the ring. Rating: 72 [*]ANGLE: After the match the Cross River Connection viciously attack The Twin Powers, beating them around the ring with chairs before they are forced to retreat. Rating: 91 [*]OVERALL RATING: 76 – 0.65 (491,908 viewers) If I haven’t said it before, I’ll say it now. I absolutely LOVE the Cross River Connection. Just a joy to work with across the board. They’ve found themselves in a position where they’re one of the most over acts in the whole company. EEE All Star Wrestling #14 Friday, Week 2, May 2024 The Empire Ballroom, New York City, New York Attendance: 10,123 [*]ANGLE: Billy Keelan and Monty Trescarde are out to run down The Eagle. He’s still running around the place like he owns it. Monty demands satisfaction. This brings out Riley McManus who points out that no one cares about that. All they care about is who Valiant is going to choose to face between him and Trent Shaffer. Finally The Eagle and Valiant come out. Valiant is still weighing up who to beat at Starclash. But The Eagle is looking for a fight tonight and if The Georgia Bulldog wants a lesson, why doesn’t he face him tonight? Rating: 73 [*]STOMPER QUARTER FINAL: The VCC vs. The Fantastic Express In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, The Fantastic Express defeated The VCC in 10:02 when Rafe Sashay pinned Ray Cavalero while using the ropes for leverage. Rating: 66 [*]ANGLE: Prime Time Jack Pryde and Perfect Pepper Pelton are out to the ring. They think it’s hilarious that The Twin Powers… the EEE World Tag Team Champions are out of the Stomper Memorial Cup Tournament. What kind of idiots lose before even making the final. But they don’t need to worry. Once the Cross River Connection deal with their old friends The Biggins Boys, they’ll beat whoever is in the final. Then, they’ll cash in their tag team title shot. And if that doesn’t work, they’ll cash in their rematch. One way or another; The Twin Powers better be ready to fight. Rating: 90 [*]SINGLES MATCH: The Eagle vs. Riley McManus In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, The Eagle drew with Riley McManus in 10:20 following a double count out after interference from Monty Trescarde and Valiant. Rating: 74 [*]ANGLE: After the match The Eagle and Monty brawl to the back. In the ring Valiant beats down Riley, grabs a microphone and says he’ll happily take both him and Shaffer on… in a triple threat match. Rating: 86 [*]SINGLES MATCH: Aaron ‘The Ace’ Andrews vs. William Jetterson In a decent match, Aaron Andrews defeated William Jetterson in 11:39 by pinfall with a Standing Hot Shot. Rating: 69 [*]ANGLE: We go to the pre-recorded part 2 of the sitdown with The Ace and the Star. Both men respect each other and find it strange that they have to fight, because they’ve been teaming up against their opponents Shaffer and McManus. But they’re both professionals and the two share a laugh about their competitiveness. They promise to put on the best match of a decade. Rating: 86 [*]EEE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH: Texas Hangman vs. ‘The Star’ George Trapesi (c) In a decent match, George Trapesi defeated Texas Hangman in 12:12 by pinfall with a Star Maker Lariat. George Trapesi makes defence number seven of the EEE World Heavyweight. Rating: 64 [*]ANGLE: Davis Wayne Newton is in his Special Balcony. Today he’s eating foie gras and drinking Chateau neuf du pap. It’s good to be the undisputed intercontinental champion. And the best part is, he’s raised some hell, but has dealt with all of his competitors. What is a man to do? Just then Fro Sure leaps from behind him and starts beating him down with the silver trays of food. Once he’s sure he’s scared off DWN, Fro Sure says it’s good to be back and downs the entire bottle of wine in honour of himself. Rating: 83 [*]STOMPER QUARTER FINAL: Angry Gilmore & Charlie Corner vs. Honest frank Jr & The Masked Mauler In a bout that had fantastic heat and decent wrestling, Angry Gilmore and Charlie Corner drew with Honest Frank Jr and The Masked Mauler in 10:13 when the referee lost control and stopped the match. Rating: 75 [*]OVERALL RATING: 78 – 0.66 (500,059 viewers) Massive result for The Fantastic Express there who book their place in the finals at Starclash having only won a single match. Unusual for us to have two non-tag teams in the tournament, especially with other teams available, but it told a compelling story and allowed us to do something different with the tournament this year. With that, it was time to take myself downtown for the latest NYCW show. NYCW Gang Wars 2024 The Ministry, New York City 1,000 (SOLD OUT!?!) Denny King, Pablo Rodriguez & Jay Silver defeated Machine Gun Marino, Sandman Winks & Geoff Borne – 54 Crockett Tubbs & The Latino Kings defeated Rayne Man & The Wild Dogs – 54 Marco Gonzalez, Ray Snow & Stevie Stanley defeated Flip Simpkins, Astro & Carlos Imes – 48 Christian Plotcheck & The Rebels defeated Leonardo Fry & Total Eclipse – 32 Bowden Snoop, Stan Manna & Merlin Poutin defeated Antonio Graves, Chris Danzig & DB Rechsteiner – 32 Overall Rating: 51 I was contemplating the fact that we’d given up Gang Wars to try and pursue a new gimmick (Battle Games) when Larry called me. At a house show; Monty Trescarde had clutched his back in pain. After the Doc looked him over, he was given the news that he suffers from chronic upper back pain. Well, that sort of puts a crimp in any long-term plans for him. What a waste of a talented worker with upside. Still, he could still wrestle and maybe, with training he might be able to fully recover. The Doc seemed less optimistic, but I wasn’t ready to give up on the evil Taxman just yet. *** Larry called me into the boardroom along with Sam Keith and Thom Barrowman. Sam had a briefcase open in front of him. He instinctively went to close it when I entered, but left it open when he realised it was me. Larry offered me a seat and got right to it. “Sam is looking to sell up,” he said. “Sell up what?” I replied, dumbly. “MAW,” Sam said. “Things are too tough out there for a small company like mine. The COTT is now basically a lucha-libre alliance and with no decent income from bigger companies and having seen what you’ve accomplished here. I’m looking to sell to Larry.” “It’s only a couple hundred thousand,” Larry said, completely out of character for him. “I wanted you in here because we now have access to the workers and the titles. So, what do you want?” “Rip Chord Invitational,” I said immediately. “Sam Keith Classic too I presume?” Sam replied. “… yes,” I said. I didn’t really care about that because of the Stomper Memorial Cup, but I wasn’t about to insult a legend of the sport. Sam slung me a printed list of wrestler names. “Let me know if you want any of these guys and I’ll move the contracts over. I can’t imagine they’ll have an issue.” “On top of MAW,” Larry said. “I’m also looking to acquire WINNOW, ALPHA, CWW and Invincible Pro Wrestling.” “WHAT!?!” I said in disbelief. “How much are you spending?” “Not a lot,” he said. “Like I told you, if we’re going to beat the big boys, we have to act like a big boy.” “Five buyouts though!” “I know, but these were, by-and-large, and present company excluded… badly run operations, notorious for stiffing their workers. I’m creating gaps in the market in hopes that someone new and better will come along. That’s free market economics for you.” I stood dumb-founded. What universe was I living in? EEE All Star Wrestling #15 Friday, Week 3, May 2024 The Empire Ballroom, New York City, New York Attendance: 9,969 [*]ANGLE: California Cool Charlie Corner opens the show. He’s got a challenge for Starclash. Him vs. The Stud Phil Anders. If he’s got the stones. Trent Shaffer interrupts and he doesn’t have time for whoever Corner is and whatever he’s talking about. He needs a warm-up before his showdown with Riley McManus against Valiant. Corner says he’s up for a match; Trent laughs and accepts. Rating: 70 [*]SINGLES MATCH: Fro Sure vs. The Masked Mauler In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Fro Sure defeated The Masked Mauler in 9:50 by pinfall with a Sure Thing. Rating: 59 [*]ANGLE: The Final part of The Ace and The Star plays. While they respect each other, this is where the interview becomes about honesty. George Trapesi has taken the last year to prove that not only can he make it as a singles star, but that he’s good enough to be The Star. And no-one is going to take that away from him. Aaron ‘The Ace’ Andrews says he’s been to the top, but without the World Heavyweight Title, he doesn’t know what he is any more. He accepts that Trapesi is a Hell of a competitor, but he doesn’t NEED the title like he does. Come Starclash, with all due respect, he’s taking the win. Rating: 87 [*]EEE WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The VCC vs. The Twin Powers (c) In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, The Twin Powers defeated The VCC in 10:05 when Andrew Harper pinned JP Barnham with a Stereo Powerbombs. The Twin Powers make defence number two of the EEE World Tag Team. Rating: 67 [*]ANGLE: The Fantastic Express are chilling backstage awaiting the main event. They want to see which of their long-time rivals they have to face at Starclash to claim the Stomper Memorial Cups. They’re not worried either way as they are THE team of Empire Elite Entertainment. Rating: 76 [*]SINGLES MATCH: Charlie Corner vs. Trent ‘The Talent’ Shaffer In a bout that had fantastic heat and decent wrestling, Charlie Corner defeated Trent Shaffer in 19:46 by pinfall with a Corner Cutter. Rating: 65 [*]ANGLE: Honest Frank Jr is ready for Starclash. He and Big Jon will be rolling into the Greenwalt Dome with a view to retiring Angry Gilmore. Well, not retire… more like bury. You can just call him the legend killer. Rating: 90 [*]STOMPER SEMI FINAL MATCH: Cross River Connection vs. The Biggins Boys In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, The Biggins Boys defeated Cross River Connection in 10:23 when Bart Biggins pinned Perfect Pepper Pelton while using the ropes for leverage. Rating: 75 [*]ANGLE: After the match The Twin Powers, with Billy Keelan directing traffic, assault Prime Time. Perfect Pepper is already unconscious, when Harper puts Prime Time through a table. The champions pose to end. Rating: 83 [*]OVERALL RATING: 79 – 0.67 (503,024 viewers) And thus the card takes shape with a couple of weeks to go. The big news online was the purchases of smaller companies, which in turn draws more attention to us at exactly the right time. There was a chance Larry was a genius. Then I saw it. On the same night as Starclash was… Total Mayhem. The old man had specifically setup the calendar of events to mirror TCW. He’d obviously targeted the weakest of the big three. And now he was gambling that we could beat them; head-to-head. Absolute stones on the old man. Still nothing like pressure to bring out the best (or worst) in us. From the completion of the MAW buy-out we took the two tournament titles and signed Sam Keith to an exclusive written contract. He paid through the nose, but we would use him as both a road agent AND as the on-screen President of Empire Elite Entertainment. Along with his signing, we grabbed hold of Sione Tokoeka (renamed Crusher Toko), The Historian and, returning after our botched attempt to get him over… Dreadnought. EEE All Star Wrestling #16 Friday, Week 4, May 2024 The Empire Ballroom, New York City, New York Attendance: 10,335 [*]ANGLE: ‘The Star’ George Trapesi is out to rapturous applause. He’s ready for Sunday, but he wanted to ask Aaron Andrews to ‘his’ ring. The Ace obliges and the two men square off in the middle of the ring. Trapesi offers his hand, but Andrews is sceptical. But eventually he shakes the hand; Trapesi goes to leave but Andrews holds on. Just as it looks like they’re coming to blows, here come Riley McManus and Trent Shaffer. They think the two guys in the ring should just kiss and be done with it. Then, Valiant storms down and attacks them sending them running. But in the confusion Aaron Andrews ‘accidentally’ delivers a Star Maker Lariat to the champion. Rating: 97 [*]TAG TEAM MATCH: The VCC vs. Samoan Wrecking Crew In a decent match, The VCC defeated Samoan Wrecking Crew in 7:58 when JP Barnham submitted Loa Afu with a Golden Scissors. Rating: 58 [*]ANGLE: Backstage Valiant is playing with his hair and smiling while Thom Barrowman asks him questions. He wasn’t sure how Trapesi ended up getting attacked, but he beat down both McManus and Shaffer, so he’s happy with how it all went. Trapesi approaches holding his neck and doesn’t seem impressed. Valiant just shrugs. Rating: 80 [*]SINGLES MATCH: Valiant vs. Crusher Toko In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, Valiant defeated Crusher Toko in 7:34 by pinfall with a Patriot Missile. Rating: 69 [*]ANGLE: Backstage Phil Anders and Charlie Corner are fighting. Angry Gilmore walks by and isn’t happy with his favourite ‘Youth’ getting into scraps. “Don’t wrestle in mud with pigs kid; you’ll end up dirty and they’re used to it.” Corner looks genuinely angry at what he considers a patronising comment and challenges Gilmore to a match right now. Rating: 69 [*]SINGLES MATCH: Charlie Corner vs. Angry Gilmore In a bout that had fantastic heat and decent wrestling, Charlie Corner defeated Angry Gilmore in 9:42 by pinfall with a Corner Cutter. Rating: 61 [*]ANGLE: Honest Frank Jr rushes the ring with Big Jon and beat down Angry Gilmore. Charlie Corner tries to save the old man, but Phil Anders joins the carnage. The heels stand tall. Rating: 88 [*]GANG WARS MATCH: Fro Sure & Cross River Connection vs. Davis Wayne Newton & The Twin Powers In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Fro Sure and Cross River Connection drew with Davis Wayne Newton and The Twin Powers in 22:05 following a double disqualification. Rating: 82 [*]ANGLE: After the match a wild brawl begins and more and more wrestlers pour out from the back. After each takes turns beating on one another, only Trapesi and Andrews remain, but The Ace has his back turned. Trapesi lines up for a Star Maker Lariat and when Andrews turns around, Trapesi doesn’t strike. Sending the message that he could have, but chose not to. Rating: 86 [*]OVERALL RATING: 85 – 0.72 (545,755 viewers) One note from that absolute barn-stormer of a show; Charlie Corner has now beaten both Trent Shaffer and Angry Gilmore this month alone. It would seem we’ve found our natural Danny Hagman replacement and he’s knocking it out of the park. Everything I read told me he’d ascended straight to the main event based on those wins alone. Incredible. But it was time now, for the biggest show in our history. And going toe-to-toe with TCW for the first time. EEE Starclash EEE World Heavyweight: Aaron ‘The Ace’ Andrews vs. ‘The Star’ George Trapesi © EEE Intercontinental: Fro Sure vs. Davis Wayne Newton © EEE World Tag Team: Cross River Connection vs. The Twin Powers © Stomper Memorial Cup: The Biggins Boys vs. The Fantastic Express Valiant vs. Trent ‘The Talent’ Shaffer vs. ‘The Georgia Bulldog’ Riley McManus Angry Gilmore vs. Honest Frank Jr The Eagle vs. Monty Trescade Charlie Corner vs. ‘The Stud’ Phil Anders Bradley Blaze & The VCC vs. Crusher Toko & Samoan Wrecking Crew Next time… the Grandaddy of them all…

Prediction Results For EEE Empire Royale 2024 1. DinoKea - 4/6 1. eayragt - 4/6 1. John Lions - 4/6 1. KyTeran - 4/6 5. Scottie - 3/6 6. Herrbear - 2/6 6. MisterRomanini - 2/6 6. Theheel - 2/6 Overall Prediction Standings 1. DinoKeo - 16/25 (64%) 1. eayragt - 16/25 (64%) 1. Theheel - 16/25 (64%) 4. Herrbear - 15/25 (60%) 4. MisterRomanini - 15/25 (60%) 4. KyTeran - 15/25 (60%) 7. John Lions - 14/25 (56%) 8. Scottie - 3/6 (50%) A small nubmer of matches to guess and a big multi-man made this one a tough prediction run. But continued positive selections throughout. It's always fascinating to see how people fantasy book compared to myself, but there's plenty of points up for grabs in the next show.

New York City… Where we’ve got both singles champions in a multi-man tag team main event… EEE Supershow: Good Friends, Great Enemies Sunday, Week 4, April 2024 Greenwalt Dome, New York City, New York Attendance: 46,732 TAG TEAM MATCH: The VCC vs. William Jeterson & Bryan Jewett In a decent match, The VCC defeated William Jetterson and Bryan Jewett in 10:10 when JP Barnham submitted William Jetterson with a Golden Scissors. Rating: 57 Notes: A nice simple win for the forgotten tag team over two of our better enhancement talents. The VCC would get their turn eventually. But they were still learning their craft and I didn’t feel the need to rush. SINGLES MATCH: Charlie Corner vs. ‘The Stud’ Phil Anders In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Charlie Corner defeated Phil Anders in 9:58 by disqualification. Rating: 63 Notes: California Cool Charlie Corner is building himself some momentum here and while we liked The Stud, now was not the time to give him the big win. Corner’s momentum was arguably the strongest in the whole company as he’d finally taken a big leap forward in skills and overness. We always knew he could do it. TAG TEAM MATCH: The Biggins Boys vs. The Fantastic Express In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, The Biggins Boys defeated The Fantastic Express in 10:23 when Bart Biggins pinned Zippy Deverell with a B-Dropper. Rating: 68 Notes: Something of a surprise win perhaps? The Fantastic Express had been dominant tag team champions not that long ago. But now they found themselves fourth in the pecking order. Life is strange sometimes. SINGLES MATCH: Bradley Blaze vs. The Masked Mauler In a decent match, The Masked Mauler defeated Bradley Blaze in 10:12 by submission with an Iron Claw. Rating: 60 Notes: An easy win to keep Mauler’s position on the card intact. Bradley Blaze was superbly talented in-ring performer, but I just didn’t have the space for him to succeed just yet. He formed part of what I call ‘Break In Case of Emergancy’ worker. If one of our top stars where to be stolen or leave the company, Blaze would be next man up. But with our improved negotiating position it almost always made more sense to bring in a bigger name. One day we’d have something for him to do. Just not today. And probably not tomorrow. EEE WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Twin Powers vs. Cross River Connection (c) In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, The Twin Powers defeated Cross River Connection in 9:51 when Andrew Harper pinned Perfect Pepper Pelton with a Stereo Powerbombs after Perfect Pepper Pelton and Prime Time Jack Pryde miscommunicated. The Twin Powers win the EEE World Tag Team. Rating: 76 Notes: What a great match, highlighted by the miscommunication between the previously resurgent tag team champions. This was a surprise for those in the crowd and for some of the boys in the back and has thrown the tag team division into fictionalised chaos. The reality was, we had a plan. It was a wild plan, but hopefully it would all work out. SINGLES MATCH: The Eagle vs. Monty Trescarde In a bout that had great heat and good wrestling, Monty Trescarde defeated The Eagle in 22:17 by pinfall with a handful of tights. Rating: 69 Notes: Monty Trescarde is a cheat. And here, he cheats to win. Decent midcard match with low stakes which give Monty a boost, without damaging Eagle too much. As with the Blaze comments earlier, we barely had anything for these two great (and popular) workers, never mind spots for new stars. SINGLES MATCH: Angry Gilmore vs. Honest Frank Jr In a bout that had fantastic heat and decent wrestling, Honest Frank Jr defeated Angry Gilmore in 10:13 by pinfall, illegally using the ropes for leverage. Rating: 68 Notes: A big win for Frank against a former World Champion on the decline. He had to cheat of course, but there can be no doubt about Frank Jr’s solidified midcard spot now. He had all the tools to keep rising, we just had to make sure we didn’t botch it in any way. GANG WARS MATCH George Trapesi, Aaron Andrews & Valiant vs. Trent Shaffer, Riley McManus & Davis Wayne Newton In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, George Trapesi, Aaron Andrews and Valiant defeated Trent Shaffer, Riley McManus and Davis Wayne Newton in 21:46 when George Trapesi pinned Riley McManus with a Star Maker Lariat. Rating: 76 Notes: Great match between six of our best. The faces get the win; mainly because two of them are the main event of our biggest ever show. In the long run, a loss like this might be a bad move as the next likely challenger will be one of them. Unless we go for face vs. face for the next few months. Options, options. ANGLE: George Trapesi is celebrating after the match, when Aaron Andrews absolutely clobbers him. Valiant plays peacemaker to calm the situation, but Andrews makes the belt gesture as he leaves the ring. Rating: 87 Notes: Not a heel turn, but rather a gesture at the high stakes of their upcoming match. Valiant interfering to calm them down is about as on-brand for his character as its possible to get. OVERALL RATING: 76 Good show with a nice 694,682 viewers and the month ends with us making a cool $438,526 profit. Our turnaround from just-in-time business model to regular profit-maker has been swift and fantastic. It certainly kept Larry happy and meant that we had the flexibility to go after big names with big contracts if needed. Although all the great ones were locked up in long-term contracts with the Big 3. Next time… all roads lead to Starclash…

New York City… where things are going so well, we have to pretend there’s drama when there isn’t… I took a cab to The Ministry over the weekend to check-out the latest NYCW show and see what they were doing and if they’d taken my suggestions under advisement. NYCW March Into Manhatten I The Ministry, New York City 1,000 (SOLD OUT!?!) Pablo Rodriguez defeated Denny King to retain NYCW Tri-State Regional Title – 57 Sandman Winks defeated Ray Snow to retain NYCW Nationwide Title – 52 The Wild Dogs defeated Crockett Tubbs & Geoff Borne to retain the NYCW Tag Team Titles – 49 Rayne Man & Jay Silver defeated Machine Gun Marino & Marco Gonzalez – 37 Christian Plotcheck defeated Leonardo Fry – 32 Stevie Stanley defeated Flip Simpkins – 51 Captain Canada defeated Blue Dragon – 41 Derrick Crump defeated Astro – 32 Overall Rating: 50 That was a decent little show. All the titles were defended and the crowd seemed very into a few workers, notably; The Wild Dogs and Astro. We’d have to keep an eye on those boys. Two shows to go and a relatively quiet week. Certainly in comparison to recent ones. On with the show. EEE All Star Wrestling #11 Friday, Week 3, April 2024 The Empire Ballroom, New York City, New York Attendance: 10,401 [*]ANGLE: George Trapesi and Aaron Andrews are out and they’re angry. They’re not sure why DWN is getting involved in their business, but they’ll happily accept the extended challenge. Trent and Riley come out asking what extension? Trapesi adds DWN to their team and if he wins he gets a spot in the main event. But they need to make it fair. So they’ve got Fro Sure joining them. Oh, and the match isn’t at the Supershow. It’s tonight… in Gang Wars. Rating: 86 [*]SINGLES MATCH: Charlie Corner vs. Texas Hangman In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Charlie Corner defeated Texas Hangman in 7:59 by pinfall with a Corner Cutter. Rating: 40 [*]ANGLE: Fro Sure is backstage with Thom Barrowman and he’s delighted to be added to the main event. Maybe if he does well enough he might get invited to the main event of Starclash. Rating: 78 [*]SINGLES MATCH: Bryan Jewett vs. ‘The Stud’ Phil Anders In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Phil Anders defeated Bryan Jewett in 5:56 by pinfall with a Hangman's Neckbreaker. Rating: 49 [*]ANGLE: The Eagle has been around these parts for a long time. Some refer to him as the heart and soul of the company. He takes that responsibility seriously, but if The Brain wants to take him out with his personal accountant or whatever, then come get some. Rating: 66 [*]TAG TEAM MATCH: Chip Martin & Porkchop Patterson vs. The Fantastic Express In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, The Fantastic Express defeated Chip Martin and Porkchop Patterson in 7:50 when Zippy Deverell pinned Porkchop Patterson with a Fantastic Flashbang. Rating: 55 [*]ANGLE: Phil Anders is with Thom Barrowman. He’s been trying to figure out where he stands with things right now. He’s used to just throwing bails of hay in Nebraska and beating up people he has a problem with. But Charlie Corner just never seems to do anything. Or go anywhere. What is the point of Charlie Corner? He’s going to push him and find out. Rating: 74 [*]SINGLES MATCH: Angry Gilmore vs. Big Jon Walker In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Angry Gilmore defeated Big Jon Walker in 6:15 by count out. Rating: 55 [*]ANGLE: Honest Frank Jr hopes that Angry Gilmore has learnt what happens when old people step out of their lane. Rating: 89 [*]GANG WARS MATCH: George Trapesi, Aaron Andrews & Fro Sure vs. Riley McManus, Trent Shaffer & Davis Wayne Newton In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, George Trapesi, Aaron Andrews and Fro Sure drew with Riley McManus, Trent Shaffer and Davis Wayne Newton in 20:52 when the referee lost control and stopped the match. Rating: 77 [*]ANGLE: After the match is over; Trent Shaffer, Riley McManus and Davis Wayne Newton isolate Fro Sure and set about destroying his ankle with a steel chair. By the time Ace and Star make it to him the damage is done and he’s carried out on a stretcher. Rating: 79 [*]OVERALL RATING: 79 – 0.66 (496,257 viewers) Another great show in a series of them as we begin to find our rhythm with high-end main events, great angles and lots of jobber-to-the-stars matches. This is classic 80s style wrasslin and while Larry was initially hesitant to step out of the 70s, the change has been good for us all. The third show of each month would traditionally be our weakest as Mitch Naess insisted on working the monthly PSW event on that day, forcing me to cover. And I was no Mitch Naess. EEE All Star Wrestling #12 Friday, Week 4, April 2024 The Empire Ballroom, New York City, New York Attendance: 10,212 [*]ANGLE: George Trapesi and Aaron Andrews are out and they’re spoiling for a fight in honour of their friend Fro Sure who is hospital recovering. But they’re not stupid. Three on two is never a good idea. So they’ve searched high and low for the biggest name free agent they could find. And he’s here tonight. So DWN better get ready for the main event. Because he’ll be facing him; one-on-one. Rating: 79 [*]EEE WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Samoan Wrecking Crew vs. Cross River Connection (c) In a decent match, Cross River Connection defeated Samoan Wrecking Crew in 10:25 when Perfect Pepper Pelton pinned Loa Afu with a Prime Time Perfection. Cross River Connection make defence number four of the EEE World Tag Team. Rating: 63 [*]ANGLE: Billy ‘The Brain’ Keelan is backstage with The Twin Powers. They’ve seen the troubles the Cross River Connection have been having. It’s adorable. They can high-five all they like, but when they’ve lost the tag team titles, what’s left keeping them together? Rating: 88 [*]SINGLES MATCH: Alistair Shufflebottom vs. Spike Sylvain In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but terrible wrestling, Spike Sylvain defeated Alistair Shufflebottom in 10:11 by pinfall with a Punk-N-Nasty. Rating: 45 [*]ANGLE: Billy ‘The Brain’ Keelan is out with Monty Trescarde. They think The Eagle is a little bit insane. He seems to think he’s the heart and soul of EEE. When in fact, he’s just some guy in facepaint. A lunatic who no-one really cares about. It’s a little depressing. But they’ll clip his wings once and for all. Rating: 68 [*]SINGLES MATCH: Angry Gilmore vs. Texas Hangman In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Angry Gilmore defeated Texas Hangman in 10:13 by pinfall with a Sky High Elbow. Rating: 47 [*]ANGLE: We cut to Fro Sure, who is in a hospital bed. His ankle was pretty badly destroyed by those punks. But it’s cool, he’ll be back to his best soon. And when he is; Davis Wayne Newton is in for a kicking. Rating: 87 [*]SINGLES MATCH: Valiant vs. Davis Wayne Newton In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Valiant defeated Davis Wayne Newton in 9:40 by count out. Rating: 77 [*]ANGLE: After the match is over Riley McManus and Trent Shaffer join Davis Wayne Newton in the ring and begin to circle Valiant. George Trapesi and Aaron Andrews rush down to even the odds and all six men square off before launching into a wild brawl. Rating: 73 [*]OVERALL RATING: 79 – 0.66 (498,728 viewers) Well, we discovered a few things from that show. For one; Spike and Shufflebottom don’t click in the ring, which was actually bad for Spike. Tough to imagine him getting wins if he can’t wrestle our top-end jobbers. We also discovered, via a sprained wrist injury, that Angry Gilmore’s body was disintegrating before our eyes. Oof! Never mind, we didn’t need to worry about that now and Gilmore had shown zero sign of wanting to stop. EEE Supershow: Good Friends, Great Enemies George Trapesi, Aaron Andrews & Valiant vs. Riley McManus, Trent Shaffer & Davis Wayne Newton EEE World Tag Team: The Twin Powers vs. Cross River Connection © Angry Gilmore vs. Honest Frank Jr The Eagle vs. Monty Trescade The Biggins Boys vs. The Fantastic Express Charlie Corner vs. ‘The Stud’ Phil Anders Next time… Gang Wars main event…

New York City… where some of our big plans are crippled by an errant move… Yes, the disastrous bump taken by ‘The Pittsburgh Kid’ Danny Hagman over the top rope resulted in an inoperable broken neck. I felt absolutely devastated not only for the Kid, who’d been a superb upper-midcarder threatening to break-out at any moment, but also for us as we had planned that breakout to happen this year. Now that was all up in flames and I had to get to re-writing three different storylines because of it. Injury aside though; Empire Royale had been exactly the sort of successful new idea we’d been clamouring for. The online community were obsessed with it and it got more OnDem videos than almost any other wrestling content worldwide. I owed Troy Tornado a drink. Or a sustainable payrise. With one Supershow between now and Starclash, subtitled ‘Good Friends, Great Enemies,’ we had work to do. The plus side was, we had a main event basically set in The Star vs. The Ace. EEE All Star Wrestling #9 Friday, Week 1, April 2024 The Empire Ballroom, New York City, New York Attendance: 10,103 [*]ANGLE: Billy ‘The Brain’ Keelan is out with Monty Trescarde. They’ve heard that The Eagle is facing Trent Shaffer tonight. They think it’s outrageous that he’s getting opportunities ahead of the hottest free agent in professional wrestling. This Eagle better watch his back. Rating: 70 [*]SINGLES MATCH: Porkchop Patterson vs. Monty Tresacarde In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Monty Trescarde defeated Porkchop Patterson in 10:26 by pinfall with a Cash Bonus. Rating: 53 [*]ANGLE: Charlie Corner is still on a mission to defeat The Stud. Luckily he’s not getting angry just yet. Rating: 68 [*]TAG TEAM MATCH: The VCC vs. The Razorbacks In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, The VCC defeated The Razorbacks in 10:27 when JP Barnham submitted TJ Brown with a Golden Scissors. Rating: 52 [*]ANGLE: Billy Keelan is back with The Twin Powers. They’re happy that they dealt with the Cross River Connection at Empire Royale. Or maybe they dealt with each other. Is that dissention in the ranks? And all it took was a bit of pressure. Next they’re going to take away their shiny title belts. Rating: 86 [*]SINGLES MATCH: Fro Sure vs. William Jetterson In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Fro Sure defeated William Jetterson in 10:25 by pinfall with a Sure Thing. Rating: 55 [*]ANGLE: Honest Frank Jr is being interviewed by Thom Barrowman when Angry Gilmore walks by and starts ranting and raving. Before Honest Frank knows what’s happening, Gilmore is attacking him. Big Job steps in and stops the attack. Rating: 83 [*]TAG TEAM MATCH: Alistair Shufflebottom & Ben Williams vs. The Twin Powers In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, The Twin Powers defeated Alistair Shufflebottom and Ben Williams in 10:05 when Bulldozer Brandon Smith pinned Alistair Shufflebottom following Stereo Powerbombs. Rating: 53 [*]ANGLE: Davis Wayne Newton is in his personal balcony and he’s furious at Fro Sure. Some are born lucky, and he’s one of them. Rating: 85 [*]SINGLES MATCH: The Eagle vs. Trent ‘The Talent’ Shaffer In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Trent Shaffer defeated The Eagle in 10:18 by pinfall with a Heart Burn. Rating: 72 [*]OVERALL RATING: 75 – 0.65 (491,579 viewers) Decent start to the build. Hilariously I discovered that The Chop Shop had only gone and won the IPW Tag Team Titles, which was a nice reminder of the power of our creativity. Papa Swoll, who’d recently had a cup of coffee with us had signed an exclusive written contract with USPW. On the next show it was time to vacate the Intercontinental Title and hold a singles match for it. Davis Wayne Newton and Charlie Corner were two perfect opponents to fight over it. EEE All Star Wrestling #10 Friday, Week 2, April 2024 The Empire Ballroom, New York City, New York Attendance: 10,464 [*]ANGLE: Trent Shaffer and Riley McManus come to the ring to start the show. They’re angry at missing out on a title shot that’s rightfully theirs. So they’re putting aside their differences for now and have a proposition. The Star and The Ace; if they’re real men, they’d put their spots on the line. In a tag team match. Trapesi and Andrews come out and they’re fighters and they’ll happily accept the challenge. Rating: 84 [*]SINGLES MATCH: Jason Patterson vs. The Masked Mauler In a poor match, The Masked Mauler defeated Jason Patterson in 7:37 by pinfall with a Piledriver. Rating: 53 [*]ANGLE: The Fantastic Express are backstage with Thom Barrowman. Rafe and Zippy are sick and tired of The Biggins Boys always getting involved in their business. It’s been going on for too long and a change is coming. At this point Zippy starts singing the song in his deep Kentucky drawl. Rafe smiles and nods his head in time with the music. Rating: 79 [*]SINGLES MATCH: The Eagle vs. William Jetterson In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, The Eagle defeated William Jetterson in 6:10 by pinfall with a Freedom Slam. Rating: 65 [*]ANGLE: Angry Gilmore is furious and Barrowman is his listening board. Today he’s angry about the kids. Those damn kids; always playing frisbee on his lawn, always making noise with their pets and always challenging his spot in the professional wrestling business. Honest Frank Jr is just the next in a line of faceless youths who he needs to teach a lesson to. Rating: 89 [*]EEE INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE MATCH: Charlie Corner vs. Davis Wayne Newton In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Davis Wayne Newton defeated Charlie Corner in 9:50 by submission with a STF after blatantly cheating. Davis Wayne Newton wins the EEE Intercontinental. Rating: 75 [*]ANGLE: Honest Frank Jr has heard what Old Man Gilmore had to say. If he needs to fantasise about beating up kids to get his tired heart up for a fight, that’s fine with Frank Jr. The older generation have been holding on to all the wealth and success for too long. Now his generation are going to take it back by force. Rating: 83 [*]TAG TEAM MATCH: The Biggins Boys vs. Spike Sylvain & Texas Hangman In a decent match, The Biggins Boys defeated Spike Sylvain and Texas Hangman in 8:19 when Bart Biggins pinned Texas Hangman with a B-Dropper. Rating: 60 [*]ANGLE: Cross River Connection are out for a chat about the challengers to their titles. “Seems to me Prime Time; that Lawnmower and the Harpist have bitten off more than they chew.” “Good point Pep. They may be bigger than us.” “And stronger.” “And more experienced.” “And have a decent manager.” “… Pep, are we going to lose?” “I don’t know…” They then both laugh and high-five one another. Rating: 83 [*]EEE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH: Honest Frank Jr vs. ‘The Star’ George Trapesi (c) In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, George Trapesi defeated Honest Frank Jr in 22:02 by pinfall with a Star Maker Lariat following interference from Angry Gilmore. George Trapesi makes defence number six of the EEE World Heavyweight. Rating: 76 [*]ANGLE: With the match over Trent Shaffer and Riley McManus storm the ring. It doesn’t take long for Aaron Andrews to even the sides up, when all of a sudden; Davis Wayne Newton joins the fray and sides with Shaffer and McManus. It’s a brutal attack which leaves champion and challenger knocked down. Rating: 74 [*]OVERALL RATING: 79 – 0.66 (496,340 viewers) That was an amazing show, highlighted by an incredible main event. Honest Frank Jr may not be World Heavyweight Title ready just yet. But it’s good to know that he can hang with the big boys. Next time… the road to the Supershow is beset on all sides…

Are you suggesting that I bow down to wrestlers how kick up a fuss about results of matches? No comment.

Prediction Results For EEE Empire Royale 2024 1. Theheel - 5/9 2. DinoKea - 4/9 2. Herrbear - 4/9 2. John Lions - 4/9 5. eayragt - 3/9 5. KyTeran - 3/9 5. MisterRomanini - 3/9 Overall Prediction Standings 1. Theheel - 14/19 (73%) 2. Herrbear - 13/19 (68%) 2. MisterRomanini - 13/19 (68%) 4. DinoKeo - 12/19 (63%) 4. eayragt - 12/19 (63%) 6. KyTeran - 11/19 (58%) 7. John Lions - 10/19 (53%) Hugely difficult set of results, but I have to say most people got two or more of the final four, although the order threw people a bit. This does mess with the overall standings, which will be collated over the course of a calendar (in-game) year and the person with the highest score will be declared the winner (in a Fink voice). But all-in-all I was impressed with everyone, even with a potentially surprising winner. Hopefully you enjoyed the Empire Royale. I appreciate the format was different, but I was thinking for the big 4 events, it might be nicer to have a bit more detail while keeping all other shows breezy. Contructive comments or feedback are of course welcome. I’d also like to thank Willrock for his awesome logo and belt work. ReapeR for his belt work and ElChorizo and Scottie for their event logo work. Not to mention thanks to all the artists in the Re-Render thread for their continued excellence.

Empire Royale 2024 Statistics

New York City… where the biggest arena in New York is fast becoming our personal playground… We were back to the Greenwalt Dome for the big show. We’d brought in some wrestlers on a one-shot deal to allow us to have an undercard of sorts for the event. We’d even put on the match-up that precisely 3% of the world wanted to see with Samoan Destruction Inc vs. Samoan Wrecking Crew. Two generations of Samoans battling each other was going to be a site to behold. EEE Empire Royale 2024 Sunday, Week 4, March 2024 Greenwalt Dome, New York City, New York Attendance: 46,765 ANGLE: Larry Vessey’s gravelly voice gives a voice over to a video graphic highlighting still images of wrestlers. “Featuring: Bulldozer Brandon Smith… The Canadian Hero Davis Wayne Newton… Prime Time Jack Pryde of the Cross River Connection… Aaron ‘The Ace’ Andrews… Trent ‘The Talent’ Shaffer… Perfect Pepper Pelton of the Cross River Connection… Fro Sure… ‘The Georgia Bulldog’ Riley McManus…’The Bully Enforcer’ Andrew Harper… Honest Frank Jr… ‘California Cool’ Charlie Corner and Angry Gilmore. It’s a thirty man, over-the-top rope spectacular. It’s time, for the Royale… the Empire Royale… No cheese.” We then cut to the announce table with Mitch Naess and Emma Chase. Naess: “That’s right folks, we’re here in the magnificent Greenwalt Dome for the first ever Empire Royale. We’ve got all titles being defended tonight and then the big one. The over-the-top rope Empire Royale; where it’s every man for himself. Chase: “That’s right Mitch. Thirty of the top stars from Empire Elite Entertainment will be vying to win the biggest match of the year so far. With the winner knowing that they’ll be booking a slot against the EEE World Heavyweight Champion, whomever that may be.” Naess: “It’s certainly the biggest opportunity of the year for some of the competitors. Now, let’s go to ringside for the first match-up…” Rating: 75 TAG TEAM MATCH: Samoan Destruction Inc. vs. Samoan Wrecking Crew What we have here is something of a dream match. As arguably one of the most dominant tag teams of the last ten years faces off against the team some are saying can take their place. It’s a Samoan Showdown between Destruction Inc. and the Wrecking Crew. As you might expect, this is not a technical masterpiece, but more of a destruction derby of a match-up. There is even a moment where both teams attempt to headbutt each other, with both sides no-selling it. But the veterans succumb to the superior physical endurance of the newcomers. Samoan Wrecking Crew defeated Samoan Destruction Inc. in 10:05 when Loa Afu pinned Rhino Umaga with a Samoan Splash. Rating: 40 Notes: The biggest, and possibly first win for the rookie monsters. They have been improving steadily with their somewhat limited in-ring skills and it felt right to pull the trigger and allow them to take a step forward. The old sink or swim methodology.[/i] EEE INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE MATCH Garry the Entertainer vs. Danny Hagman (c) Garry the Entertainer here with a rare shot at some gold on a major show. The crowd reaction to him is somewhat tepid. They do seem to love ‘The Pittsburgh Kid’ Danny Hagman. A man with some of the highest upside in the entire promotion. He also stands as the inaugural Intercontinental Champion. After a particularly brutal mistiming by Garry the Entertainer, he grips his shoulder and chest area. Seconds later, Danny has hit him with a Missing Piece and got the easy and quick win. In a decent match, Danny Hagman defeated Garry The Entertainer in 8:10 by pinfall with a Missing Piece. Danny Hagman makes defence number three of the EEE Intercontinental. Rating: 44 Notes: First things first. These two have great chemistry. Secondly Garry broke his collar bone in the second minute and the match was crippled because of it. Disappointing for Garry as this was his first proper title match on a big show. EEE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH Chip Martin vs. George Trapesi (c) Speaking of wrestlers stepping up to the plate. Chip Martin, son of the legendary Johnny Martin gets his first World Heavyweight Title shot on a major show. Sadly the situation is overwhelming to the obviously nervous youngster. To his credit ‘The Star’ George Trapesi doesn’t hold back. He knows his title is on the line and that there’s no room for any pity or concern. With Chip looking increasingly lost, Trapesi throughs him against the ropes as the camera zooms out and he hits a massive Star Maker Lariat for the win. In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but terrible wrestling, George Trapesi defeated Chip Martin in 9:53 by pinfall with a Star Maker Lariat. George Trapesi makes defence number five of the EEE World Heavyweight. Rating: 44 Notes: And to complete the disappointment, Chip and George do not click, leading to this abomination. Thankfully, this show was sold on a single match. Because everything else has been toot. EMPIRE ROYALE MATCH Troy Tornado is in the ring. “Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the first annual Empire Royale. The rules are simple. Two men will start and every two minutes a new competitor will enter the match. Elimination occurs when someone is thrown over the top rope and both feet touch the floor. Once all thirty competitors have entered, the one remaining at the end will be declared the winner and will go on as the challenger to the EEE World Heavyweight Title at Starclash. So, without further ado, let’s find out who drew, number one…” ‘Oh mama, I’m in fear for my life from the long arm of the law…’ Entrant 1: Danny Hagman Danny Hagman hits the ring, nursing his elbow, an injury no doubt caused in his title defense earlier. He enters to applause as everyone waits for number 2. Entrant 2: The Masked Mauler The Masked Mauler comes out holding a clawed hand to a chorus of boos. The two lock-up and begin a basic chain-wrestling sequence, but it quickly descends into punching and kicking, which gives Mauler the edge. Hagman, still obviously tired from his earlier match ends up getting beaten down and this allows Mauler to lift him onto the top turnbuckle as he tries to ease him out. The countdown timer clicks down and the crowd chant along to zero… ‘It’s just one of those days, where you don’t want wake up, everything is ****ed, everybody sucks…’ Entrant 3: Angry Gilmore And here comes Angry Gilmore, marching to the ring, middle-aged and crazy as always. He immediately beats Mauler down to the mat and then takes his place trying to get Hagman out. But a poke in the eye stops that and all three men are in the ring, circling. Hagman and Gilmore agree to team up together, leaving Mauler to take a beating. The tag team moves are surprisingly slick between the veteran and the intercontinental champion. But they can’t quite get Mauler out as the time clicks down again. ‘Two faced! I feel you crawling under my skin, sickened by your face…’ Entrant 4: Rhino Umaga Rhino Umaga hits the ring and immediately sides with the Mauler, giving us our first two-on-two segment of the match. Hagman and Gilmore fight tough, but the fresh Umaga is too much for them and after throwing Hagman against the ropes he nearly eliminates him with a clothesline. Entrant 5: Brett Biggins Brett Biggins sprints to the ring looking fresh and ready to go. He runs up the turnbuckles on the outside and hits a top rope flying crossbody on both Rhino Umaga and Angry Gilmore. He follows this with a discus punch on Hagman before getting attacked from behind by the Mauler. Umaga has got to his feet, but looks dizzy. Masked Mauler applies the IRON CLAW!?!, which seems like an odd move for an over-the-top affair like this. But he then uses the CLAW to push Umaga to the ropes and over and out. Mauler brandishes his Claw hand with his other hand. Eliminated: Rhino Umaga (by The Masked Mauler) Remaining: Danny Hagman, The Masked Mauler, Angry Gilmore and Brett Biggins Momentarily the lights in the arena go out and are replaced with a blue-ish low-light and here comes the Prince of Pain himself… Entrant 6: Aldous Blackfriar Aldous takes his time to reach the ring and slowly removes his long black coat. This is a man who is already outsmarting his opponents. Choosing to use up most of his two minute time slot to get in, he picks the perfect spot when the four men in the ring are down and he begins to put the boots to Angry Gilmore in a corner. Lifting the old man up onto the top rope to try and ease him out, Aldous drops him as the timer reaches zero and the buzzer goes. The blazing guitar riff of Even Flow plays and here comes… Entrant 6: Perfect Pepper Pelton One half of the EEE World Tag Team Champions charges the ring and goes straight for Blackfriar. The two are furiously taking turns to punch each other until Pep ducks one punch bounces off the ropes and delivers a powerful clothesline. Like a ball of energy, he quickly lifts Blackfrair up and runs him towards the ropes and throws him clean out. Eliminated: Aldous Blackfriar (by Perfect Pepper Pelton) Remaining: Danny Hagman, The Masked Mauler, Angry Gilmore, Brett Biggins and Perfect Pepper Pelton Outnumbered by the volume of people gunning for him, The Masked Mauler, wisely drops to the mat and grips the bottom rope, refusing to let go as the other four men try to drag him free. Brett Biggins, having given up, turns on Pepper and begins to battle him. A rock version of the Canadian National Anthem plays… Entrant 8: Davis Wayne Newton We see now why DWN was so unhappy with his drawn number. It’s hugely unlikely that someone this early will win the whole thing. Nevertheless he spins in his long, sequin robe, makes sure to clean the bottom of his boots before entering the ring. Hagman wastes no time in attacking him. With the two of them paired up, Biggins and Pepper fighting and Gilmore still trying to coax Mauler from the bottom rope, the ring is starting to fill up as another two minutes passes. “Jump…” Entrant 9: Bart Biggins Joining his tag team partner and brother in the ring, The Biggins Boys waste no time in breaking out their patented tag team moves on Perfect Pepper Pelton. The high-low, the Heart Attack and even the double suplex. They make a mistake when they both climb to opposite top turnbuckles however, allowing The Masked Mauler to crotch Bart and Gilmore to punch Brett. Fortunately both men fall into the ring and not out. And here comes another tag team specialist… Entrant 10: Samoan Machine Slow and methodical upon his entrance, the massive Samoan Machine marches around the ring clubbing each of the other competitors down with double axhandles. He stops momentarily to beat his chest and roar as the timing clicks down again… “Every word I say is what I mean…” Business is about to pick up. Entrant 11: Bulldozer Brandon Smith Bulldozer is as good as his name as steps over the top rope to enter the match, kicks Samoan Machine in the gut and easily lifts the big man into a powerbomb. He scoops up the barely moving Samoan and easily tosses him. The Biggins Boys have seen the entrance and the both run against opposite ropes to clothesline Bulldozer, but he is wise to their tag team antics and follows Bart and clotheslines him over the top rope, before turning around to catch Brett in the middle of a crossbody. Bulldozer catches him with ease and backdrops him over the top rope too. Bulldozer then body-charges Perfect Pepper, sending him to the outside under the ropes. And a double-clothesline puts down the already exhausted Danny Hagman and The Masked Mauler. This leaves Bulldozer and Angry Gilmore on their feet. The two old foes square off and Gilmore pulls off his elbow pad and slaps his elbow, ready to fight… Eliminations: Samoan Machine (by Bulldozer Brandon Smith), Bart and Brett Biggins (by Bulldozer Brandon Smith) Remaining: Danny Hagman, The Masked Mauler, Angry Gilmore, Perfect Pepper Pelton, Davis Wayne Newton and Bulldozer Brandon Smith The buzzer sounds again… Entrant 12: Chip Martin Making his way to the ring with Gilmore and Bulldozer squaring off, Chip Martin makes a cross symbol on his chest and gets in the ring. Oddly Gilmore drills Martin with his unpadded elbow. Bulldozer then picks him up and powerbombs him and the two foes throw out the young kid together before turning against one another. Elimination: Chip Martin (by Bulldozer Brandon Smith and Angry Gilmore) Remaining: Danny Hagman, The Masked Mauler, Angry Gilmore, Perfect Pepper Pelton, Davis Wayne Newton and Bulldozer Brandon Smith They begin slugging at each other with heavy-duty hurting bombs. But in the time it’s taken to get to fighting Danny Hagman and The Masked Mauler are both up too. Hagman blindsides Bulldozer and throws him into the turnbuckle, following in with a charge. But Bulldozer ducks at the last minute sending the number one entrant out over the top. It looks like he caught his back on ring post on his way over. In the opposite corner; The Masked Mauler holds his Claw Hand in the air, and the pause gives Gilmore the chance to deliver a stiff elbow to his jaw. Rattled, Mauler is easily tossed by the veteran. Eliminations: Danny Hagman (by Bulldozer Brandon Smith), The Masked Mauler (by Angry Gilmore) Remaining: Angry Gilmore, Perfect Pepper Pelton, Davis Wayne Newton and Bulldozer Brandon Smith Gilmore and Bulldozer square off again, but this time it’s Davis Wayne Newton whose recovered from an earlier assault. He eyes up both men and decides better of it and goes and sits down in the corner; waving his hands at them to carry on fighting one another. They pause for a moment as the buzzer goes… “Every word I say is what I mean…” Uh-oh. On the outside a stretcher is brought out to collect Danny Hagman who hasn’t moved since being eliminated. Entrant 13: ‘The Bully Enforcer’ Andrew Harper The Twin Powers have united. Angry Gilmore is more than aware of the problem he know faces. But he doesn’t back down. He does try to encourage DWN to join him, but Newton rolls under the bottom rope to get a drink of water. While outside he doesn’t notice an awakened Perfect Pepper Pelton who smashes him with a clothesline. Pepper then slides into the ring alongside Gilmore as Harper steps over the ropes and alongside his partner. The crowd are going ballistic as the four men square off and start beating on each other. Angry Gilmore is the first to be overwhelmed as his longevity in the match starts to wear on him. Bulldozer delivers more and more heavy hits, pushing him to the ropes and with an almighty punch he flips the veteran over the top rope and out. Eliminated: Angry Gilmore (by Bulldozer Brandon Smith) Remaining: Perfect Pepper Pelton, Davis Wayne Newton and Bulldozer Brandon Smith, Andrew Harper With Gilmore eliminated, Bulldozer is able to save Harper from a beating from Pepper. The two behemoths double-shoulder charge him and like a rag doll he bounces out of the ring under the ropes. Getting his bearings, Pep sees DWN coming-to and blasts him again. The young man from Green Bay, Wisconsin slaps himself in the face to psych himself up when the buzzer goes. The guitar riffs tell him he’s got help. Entrant 14: Prime Time Jack Pryde Outside the ring, the Cross River Connection line-up, high five and charge the ring. Their speed keeps them out of the clutches of The Twin Powers and they both connect with dropkicks, followed quickly be a flurry of punches and then clotheslines which have Bulldozer and Harper reeling. But the big men manage to regain some control by reversing irish whips and sending the tag champs towards the ropes. Both big men follow up with immediate clotheslines that send Prime Time and Pepper over the top rope. As The Twin Powers celebrate, they don’t notice both opponents clutching to the top rope. Within a moment they’ve both managed to pull themselves to the apron just in time for Bulldozer and Harper to actually notice. The Twin Powers charge at their foes, but are stopped be stereo kicks to the stomach. Then from outside the ropes Prime Time and Perfect Pepper are able to hiptoss the big men out over the top rope and to the floor. The crowd are losing their minds as the two men raise their arms in triumph… WAM. Perfect Pepper Pelton delivers a lightning quick Super Kick to Prime Time, who falls to the floor; eliminated. Prime Time wheels around to complain, but Pep points out it’s ‘Every man for himself.’ Prime Time thinks for a second, which gives Davis Wayne Newton, who has dragged himself back into the ring, the opportunity to rush Pepper and bash him out of the ring too. Eliminations: Bulldozer Brandon Smith (by Perfect Pepper Pelton), Andrew Harper (by Prime Time Jack Pryde) Prime Time Jack Pryde (by Perfect Pepper Pelton), Perfect Pepper Pelton (by Davis Wayne Newton) Remaining: Davis Wayne Newton DWN drags himself to his feet as the buzzer goes… Entrant 15: Big Jon Walker The big man stalks to the ring like a killer. He sizes up DWN, who offers his hand in friendship. Big Jon doesn’t accept and just smiles a malicious grin. So DWN pokes him in the eye and goes low. Taking the big man off his feet. DWN drags himself up, grabs Big Jon by the scruff of his neck and tries to through him out, but Big Jon stops and starts beating DWN down to the mat and continues to do so for the whole two minutes. “California lo-oooove.” Entrant 16: Charlie Corner California Cool Charlie Corner struts to the ring, wearing shades and waving to the ladies in the audience. He slides in as DWN escapes the beating from Big Jon and approaches Corner and offers his hand. Corner blasts DWN and then squares up to Big Jon. Despite the size difference, Corner doesn’t shy away as the two duke it out. After gaining the upper hand, Charlie lifts the giant into the air in a scoop slam, bringing him down with so much force that the ring shakes beneath him. He then takes turns putting the boots into both DWN and Big Jon as the counter counts down again. “You say you’re tired waitin by the telephone…” Entrant 17: Trent ‘The Talent’ Shaffer Business is about to pick-up as one of the favourites for the match enters earlier than he would’ve liked. But the ring could’ve been in a worse state for his arrival. Sliding into the ring and posing for the crowd, he’s attacked by Charlie Corner. But Shaffer turns around and delivers a Yakuza Kick to put him down. He then turns his attention Big Jon Walker, delivering a vicious Heart Burn, scooping him up and throwing him out. Elimination: Big Jon Walker (by Trent Shaffer) Remaining: Davis Wayne Newton, Charlie Corner and Trent Shaffer Davis Wayne Newton staggers over to Trent and stands next to him, patting him on the shoulder in a friendly way, like their partners. Shaffer looks at the beaten and sweating DWN, smiles and drops him with a cutter. With DWN out cold, Shaffer goes over to put the boots to Charlie Corner. “I finally know why I can’t get an answer…” Entrant 18: JP Barnham Straightening his top knot ponytail, JP Barnham enters the match, fresh and looking for victims. With Shaffer and Corner kicking lumps out of one another, we sees DWN on the mat, marches over and applies a Twisting Indian Leg Vine. DWN screams in agony, as JP Barnham demonstrates a series of chain wrestling moves which change into a variety of submission moves. He grins throughout the mini-exhibition. “And this one is for the champions…” Entrant 19: Zippy Deverell One half of the Fantastic Express enters the ring, looking as confident and cocky as always. He knows exactly what he wants though and goes for JP Barnham, giving DWN a bit of a break. “And this one is for the champions…” Entrant 20: Rafe Sashay Now we see why the two men swapped their picks. The Fantastic Express, unbelievable come out in consecutive numbers. It’s a hue advantage to team up at this stage of the match, and the others competitors seem to know it. Trent Shaffer stops his attack on Corner to face the former champs, while JP Barnham staggers to his feet too and joins Shaffer. Even Corner senses the danger. With a three-on-two developing, DWN crawls over to the Fantastic Express to offer his services. Zippy kicks him in the head. And yells for the others to bring it! And they do. It’s a wild brawl with the five men, while DWN lays face-down on the mat, unmoving. Even though one side has the numbers advantage; The Fantastic Express are a well-oiled team. They separate JP Barnham from the group and a beat him down. It’s then Super Kicks for Corner and Shaffer as they take complete control. “IRON MAN…” Entrant 21: The Eagle The heart and soul of EEE enters to a good reaction. He’s wearing special facepaint tonight which looks like blood smeared over him by hand. The Fantastic Express waste no time in jumping him as he gets into the ring, but his power shouldn’t be under-estimated as he beats them back. JP Barnham has managed to get to his feet, but Zippy quickly clotheslines him over the top rope before switching his attention back to The Eagle. Elimination: JP Barnham (by Zippy Deverell) Remaining: Davis Wayne Newton, Charlie Corner, Trent Shaffer, Zippy Deverell, Rafe Sashay and The Eagle The Eagle is dodging attacks from The Fantastic Express and is able to deliver a crushing stunner to Zippy and a Stun Gun to Rafe. He’s certainly feeling himself in a match almost custom-built for his style. Entrant 22: Ray Cavalero Fist-bumping his beaten partner on his way to the wring, Ray Cavalero twists his own wrists like he’s ready to go to work. Upon entering the ring he delivers clubbing blows to everyone standing. When he reaches The Eagle, he gets a blow back. The two stand toe-to-toe dishing out punishment and then chopping one anothers chests. The crowd Woo with each blow as both men refuse to quit. Couple of tough guys. Davis Wayne Newton, for reasons best known to himself, tries to get involved, leading to Cavalero and Eagle both chopping him at the same time. DWN collapses in a heap on the floor and quickly crawls away. “Can you remember, remember my name…” Entrant 23: Honest Frank Jr The Second Generation Superstar struts to the ring and he’s bringing Big Jon Walker back with him. Ordering Big Jon to wait outside, Honest Frank gets in the ring. It’s a low-blow for The Eagle and Ray Cavalero. A big clothesline to take out Charlie Corner, he then purposefully avoids Trent Shaffer, but nods to him in respect. Zippy and Rafe and regaining their strength in the corner and Honest Frank Jr crushes them both with a corner cannonball. He quickly gets up and short-armed clotheslines Rafe out over the top. He then goes back to Cavalero, who is still clutching his crotch. With a flourish, Frank Jr tosses him out. Outside the ring, Big Jon beats on both defeated opponents. Elimination: Rafe Sashay (by Honest Frank Jr), Ray Cavalero (by Honest Frank Jr) Remaining: Davis Wayne Newton, Charlie Corner, Trent Shaffer, Zippy Deverell, The Eagle and Honest Frank Jr Entrant 24: Bradley Blaze The Cowboy Bradley Blaze comes to the ring in a leather duster coat and brandishing a lasso. Sliding into the ring he dishes out punishment, even trying to hogtie Zippy. But The Lip is wise to his games and escapes and crawls to the bottom rope and holds on tight. Trent doesn’t like the newcomer though and kicks him in the bread-basket and then smashes him with a Heart Burn. Before he can follow-up though, Charlie Corner attacks Shaffer again and the two go back to brawling. Bodies are certainly piling up in the ring. Entrant 25: Monty Trescarde Billy Keelan is back, escorting Monty to the ring. He has a little pep-talk with his guy and when Monty enters he goes right for Trent Shaffer. He gets a figure-four leglock on his target as Trent desperately tries to escape, clutching the ropes. But there’s no DQ in a match like this. Keelan is beside himself with joy at the pain being inflicted on his former client. The buzzer sounds and the lights switch to purple as some of the most funk-a-delic music the audience has ever heard plays. Entrant 26: Fro Sure The reaction to Fro Sure is surprisingly huge. He enters the ring with the cool of someone who knows he’s struck gold. A flurry of punches and kicks later and the ring are all in trouble. He picks up Zippy and slings him over the top rope. He turns his attention to Monty Trescarde and offers a test of strength and then kicks him in the nuts and The Eagle is able to toss the dastardly tax man. Fro Sure tries something similar The Eagle, who has learnt the lesson of Monty. But doesn’t act quick enough to miss the sudden shining wizard and he’s gone at the 52-minute mark too. Finally Bradley Blaze tries to beat the unique superstar, but Fro Sure tricks him into charging him, drops at the last minute and pulls down the top rope, causing Blaze to topple out. Then Fro Sure sees Davis Wayne Newton. The crowd are already losing their minds as Fro Sure lines up DWN and delivers a massive shining wizard to him too. The crowd count down and the buzzer goes again. Eliminated: Zippy Deverell (by Fro Sure), Monty Trescarde (by The Eagle), The Eagle (by Fro Sure), Bradley Blaze (by Fro Sure) Remaining: Davis Wayne Newton, Charlie Corner, Trent Shaffer, Honest Frank Jr and Fro Sure “Surprise! You’re Dead, hah hah hah hah hah…” Entrant 27: Denny King Having not been seen since the first ever EEE show, Denny King makes a shocking return. He looks as tricksy and troublesome as always. He slides into the ring and sits in the corner, making no effort to actually attack anyone. Fro Sure is having none of that though and attacks, but Denny reverses an irish whip into his patented short-arm clothesline. King then pairs off with DWN, while Fro Sure remains being beaten down by Honest Frank Jr. Corner and Shaffer meanwhile, are still beating lumps out of one another as the buzzer goes off. “Hey Ho! Let’s go…” Entrant 28: Spike Sylvain A plum draw for EEE’s resident anarchist and punk. Sylvain is a whirling dervish of chaos as he enters the match and starts throwing out leg lariats and elbows to anyone in his way. His path of destruction continues surprisingly long when he’s met with a stiff punch to the face from Charlie Corner which knocks him silly. During the madness, the guys in the ring appear to have missed the fact that the timer is already ticking down… it hits zero… Southern Flavour begins to play… Entrant 29: ‘The Georgia Bulldog’ Riley McManus What a draw for The Georgia Bulldog! Oddly he orders Fern to the back and charges the ring. He looks more fired up than we’ve seen him in months. Obviously aware that this is his best chance to get the World Heavyweight Title back, he lays siege to everyone in the ring. Honest Frank Jr is stupid enough to get in his way. Slingshot suplex and he’s gone. McManus then targets Fro Sure and gives him the same treatment. Charlie Corner gets drilled with a seated powerbomb and is scooped up and out, ending his impressive run too. Eliminated: Honest Frank Jr (by Riley McManus), Fro Sure (by Riley McManus), Charlie Corner (by Riley McManus) Remaining: Davis Wayne Newton, Trent Shaffer, Denny King, Spike Sylvain and Riley McManus The Georgia Bulldog and Denny King see each other from across the ring. Mitch and Emma explain their long and storied match-ups as the two men meet in the centre of the ring and are unloading on each other, with neither giving an inch as the buzzer goes for the final time and the only possible man enters at lucky number 30… ‘The drama, the trauma, don’t pay the prima donna!’ Entrant 30: Aaron ‘The Ace’ Andrews Much like McManus before him, Andrews storms the ring. If he’s smart, there’s no doubt he could finish this match off quickly. Jumping onto the apron and spring-boarding himself into the ring, he wastes no time to delivery a beatdown on Spike Sylvain. A spinning heel kick later and the New York Punk is eliminated. Andrews starts throwing around clotheslines, leg lariats and punches to everyone. At the same time McManus has beaten back King to the corner. McManus walks up to Andrews and they’re at each other. The crowd are beginning to reach fever pitch as Trent Shaffer viciously attacks Andrews from behind. McManus, aware that his on-again-off-again partner has that in hand, turns his attention back to Denny King. Crushing him with a corner clothesline, he picks him up and throws him clean over the top rope. Eliminated: Spike Sylvain (by Aaron Andrews), Denny King (by Riley McManus) Behind McManus, Andrews delivers a stiff punch to Shaffer knocking him into another corner. Andrews retreats momentarily to the third corner and Davis Wayne Newton climbs back into the ring and slumps into the fourth. Final Four Davis Wayne Newton, Trent Shaffer, Riley McManus and Aaron Andrews The crowd are chanting ‘THIS IS AWESOME’ and Mitch and Emma have to agree with them. As all four psych themselves up, it is, unbelievably, Davis Wayne Newton who moves first, charging the corner with Aaron Andrews in. McManus and Shaffer watch momentarily as the man whose been in there the longest takes on the freshest man. He’s pounding away, looking like a killer. He drags Andrews into the centre of the ring and lifts him in a standing suplex. But Andrews reverses and lifts DWN. He then carries him over to the ropes and drops him forward over the top. DWN lands on the apron though. Taking his chance; Trent Shaffer charges Andrews from behind, unaware that McManus is following him. All of a sudden Shaffer notices someone is holding the back of his trunks and as he barrels into Andrews; DWN drops, clutching the ropes and somehow Trent ends up over the top rope and on the floor. Eliminated: Trent Shaffer (by Riley McManus) Remaining: Davis Wayne Newton, Riley McManus and Aaron Andrews Torn between Aaron Andrews (on the mat) and DWN (on the apron), Riley looks at both and then strikes at DWN. Newton tries to pull the top rope down again, but McManus stops before he reaches him. But McManus has chosen poorly. Andrews was playing possum. DWN looks up just in time to see Andrews’ boot connect with his face and he topples over the top rope after a gruelling 45 minute run. McManus barely has time to turn around either as Andrews connects with a whip-like spinning heel kick and McManus looks up to the ceiling as he falls out too. Aaron ‘The Ace’ Andrews stands tall in the ring as the winner the first ever Empire Royale. Rating: 72 OVERALL RATING: 69 I was exhausted after that. What a match. Did it get the best rating? No, did I care? No I did not. We got a healthy 604,783 viewers and make a chunky $332,297 profit. But the devastating news was still to come. And it took the wind out of my sails. Next time… The Pittsburgh Kid’s Broken Neck…

These are great. Thank you my man. I think I’ll stick with the Starclash from Scottie to differentiate for the normal (it’s the Mania of EEE). But the rest of these are definitely being added. Thank you.

Thank you very much for the nomination. I will add: AWA: A New Generation by Bockwinkel All Elite Wrestling by Dalton TCW - The Return of J.K. Stallings by eayragt

Oh they are beautiful. Thank you so much. Genuinely love them.

Nope, I'm just tired and misread my own results sheet. All amended now.

New York City… where we have our eyes on the game-changing Empire Royale… Slow news week after all that, so we just ploughed on ahead. EEE All Star Wrestling #7 Friday, Week 3, March 2024 The Empire Ballroom, New York City, New York Attendance: 10,179 [*]ANGLE: Monty Trescarde looking to win big at Empire Royale. Rating: 82 [*]SINGLES MATCH: Garry the Entertainer vs. Monty Trescarde Monty Trescarde defeated Garry The Entertainer in 10:19 by pinfall with a Cash Bonus. Rating: 44 [*]ANGLE: DWN insults Fro Sure and warns him not to keep going after DWN, he’s a Canadian Hero after all. Rating: 86 [*]TAG TEAM MATCH: The Biggins Boys vs. Samoan Wrecking Crew The Biggins Boys defeated Samoan Wrecking Crew in 9:45 when Bart Biggins pinned Loa Afu with a B-Dropper. Rating: 49 [*]ANGLE: The Biggins Boys remind each other that while they’re a team, it’s every man for himself at the Empire Royale. Rating: 82 [*]EEE INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE MATCH: The Masked Mauler vs. Danny Hagman (c) Danny Hagman defeated The Masked Mauler in 9:36 by pinfall with a Missing Piece. Danny Hagman makes defence number two of the EEE Intercontinental. Rating: 70 [*]ANGLE: Danny Hagman runs down Honest Frank Jr. Rating: 91 [*]SINGLES MATCH: Chip Martin vs. ‘The Georgia Bulldog’ Riley McManus Riley McManus defeated Chip Martin in 10:25 by pinfall with a Slingshot Suplex. Rating: 58 [*]ANGLE: George Trapesi wishes Shaffer all the luck in the upcoming Empire Royale. But he’s seen his number and knows that he’s going to need it. Rating: 85 [*]SINGLES MATCH: Charlie Corner vs. Trent Shaffer Trent Shaffer defeated Charlie Corner in 9:33 by pinfall with a Heart Burn. Rating: 73 [*]OVERALL RATING: 77 – 0.66 (495,369 viewers) And again, not a lot going on as it really felt like all eyes were on us and what we’d do a little over a week from now. EEE All Star Wrestling #8 Friday, Week 4, March 2024 The Empire Ballroom, New York City, New York Attendance: 9,646 [*]ANGLE: BBS and Harper will be gunning for Cross River Connection in the Empire Royale. And when they eliminate them, they’ll be getting another shot at the titles. Rating: 83 [*]SINGLES MATCH: Chip Martin vs. Honest Frank Jr Honest Frank Jr defeated Chip Martin in 9:55 by pinfall with a Roll The Dice. Rating: 58 [*]ANGLE: Riley McManus hates Aaron Andrews. There’s little else to say. Other than he’s going to do everything in his power to knock him out at the Royale. Rating: 79 [*]SINGLES MATCH: Fro Sure vs. TJ Brown Fro Sure defeated TJ Brown in 10:14 by pinfall with a Sure Thing. Rating: 59 [*]ANGLE: Aaron ‘The Ace’ Andrews has been around longer than half his opponents have been alive. But at Empire Royale, he’s going to show why he’s considered one of the best around. Rating: 72 [*]SINGLES MATCH: The Eagle vs. Jamarr Green The Eagle defeated Jamarr Green in 9:51 by pinfall with a Freedom Slam. Rating: 56 [*]ANGLE Charlie Corner is a pretty laid back dude. But this Phil Anders guy is starting to irritate him. He doesn’t want to get mad… people wouldn’t like him when he’s mad. Rating: 67 [*]SINGLES MATCH: Bradley Blaze vs. Davis Wayne Newton Davis Wayne Newton defeated Bradley Blaze in 9:34 by pinfall with a Fisherman's Suplex. Rating: 56 [*]ANGLE: George Trapesi has it easy, no big match for him. So he’s throwing out an open challenge to anyone on the roster whose never had a title shot before to come challenge him. Rating: 84 [*]TAG TEAM MATCH: The Biggins Boys vs. The Fantastic Express The Fantastic Express defeated The Biggins Boys in 10:08 when Zippy Deverell pinned Bart Biggins while using the ropes for leverage. Rating: 76 [*]ANGLE: Both teams get into a big brawl, leading to a cascade of tag team wrestlers hitting the ring and being thrown out, battle royal style. When all is said and done, Bulldozer Brandon Smith is standing tall in the centre of the ring. Rating: 81 [*]OVERALL RATING: 77 – 0.64 (486,319 viewers) And that, as they say, is that. EEE Empire Royale 2024 Winner of the Royale: Runner-Up of Royale: 3rd Place in Royale: 4th Place in Royale: Most Eliminations: Longest Run: EEE World Heavyweight: Chip Martin vs. George Trapesi © EEE Intercontinental: Garry the Entertainer vs. Danny Hagman © Samoan Destruction Inc. vs. Samoan Wrecking Crew Next time… The First Ever Empire Royale…

Actually I quite like this gradient. And the words/font. Any chance I could get it without the tanks at all? Just the logo and words beneath? I reckon that would look swish.

New York City… home of the Royale… no cheese… Two months earlier… At headquarters in a creative meeting, we were discussing upcoming shows and plans. The big show was three months away and we wanted to build a main event from scratch. At the moment we had George Trapesi, Trent Shaffer and Riley McManus as our top stars who we could realistically use. If we wanted someone else, we needed to heat them up as soon as possible. The plans for the end of this month were still a little in flux and the discussion was getting heated. “What’s wrong with a battle royal?” Larry said gruffly. “Everyone does battle royals,” Barrowman said. “They’re not special.” “Why do things have to be special?” “Because we’re not running a deli,” Sam snapped. “This is professional wrestling. Without special events, crowds aren’t going to be as engaged. In fact, if you’re insistent on switching to a PG-friendly sports entertainment type show in the future, you need even more special things to separate you from the competition.” “So we’re back to a battle royal,” Angry Gilmore added. “No!” Barrowman said. “Intervals,” said Troy Tornado. All eyes in the room moved to Troy. He was comfortably the least verbal member of the creative team. And rarely added anything different or special. “Explain,” Larry said. Troy got to his feet and went over to the whiteboard to explain. “You start with two wrestlers, then, every two minutes you bring in another. Elimination occurs when they’re thrown over the top rope. Once all the entrants have entered, you keep eliminating until one wrestler remains and they are declared the winner.” Everyone around the table was in shock. This was brilliant. It was unique, I’d never seen anything like it and it allowed us to use most of the roster AND winning something like that would be a real accomplishment. Absolutely incredible. “What would we call it?” Larry asked. “The Battle Royale?” said Sam. “The Royal Battle?” chimed in Barrowman. “The Royal Rumble,” proposed Gilmore. “The Empire Royale,” said Troy. Larry raised an eyebrow. “I like it.” *** EEE All Star Wrestling #5 Friday, Week 1, March 2024 The Empire Ballroom, New York City, New York Attendance: 9,566 [*]ANGLE: Gilmore and Trescarde get into an argument, while waiting to draw their entry numbers to the Empire Royale. about their match at the weekend. Trescarde laughs at his number, but Gilmore looks angry. Rating: 79 [*]SINGLES MATCH: The Eagle vs. Loa Afu The Eagle defeated Loa Afu in 9:55 by pinfall with a Freedom Slam. Rating: 59 [*]ANGLE: Fro Sure & DWN are the next pair to draw their numbers. DWN looks devastated, but Fro Sure can’t help but laugh and do a little dance. Rating: 79 [*]SINGLES MATCH: Porkchop Patterson vs. Big Jon Walker Big Jon Walker defeated Porkchop Patterson in 7:33 by pinfall with a Monster DDT. Rating: 22 [*]ANGLE: Aaron Andrews draws his number and smiles, but refuses to tell Barrowman what number he drew. Rating: 71 [*]SINGLES MATCH: Aaron ‘The Ace’ Andrews vs. Loa Laki Aaron Andrews defeated Loa Laki in 10:29 by pinfall with a Standing Hot Shot. Rating: 59 [*]ANGLE: Trent Shaffer approaches the spinning dispenser and draws a number. Seemingly happy, he puts on his shades and ignores Barrowman’s questions. Rating: 88 [*]EEE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH: The Masked Mauler vs. ‘The Star’ George Trapesi (c) George Trapesi defeated The Masked Mauler in 24:23 by pinfall with a Star Maker Lariat. George Trapesi makes defence number four of the EEE World Heavyweight. Rating: 80 [*]ANGLE: George Trapesi celebrates with Cheerleader Nicki. Rating: 82 [*]OVERALL RATING: 80 – 0.66 (497,312 viewers) With little else happening of note, and all hands to the pump the week flew by and we were ready to go again. EEE All Star Wrestling #6 Friday, Week 2, March 2024 The Empire Ballroom, New York City, New York Attendance: 10,204 [*]ANGLE: A row of wrestlers are lined up to draw their numbers. The Cross River Connection have to cut the queue because they have a match in a minute. After showing each other their numbers, the two high five. Behind them lurk Bulldozer Brandon Smith and Andrew Harper. Rating: 84 [*]EEE WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Razorbacks vs. Cross River Connection (c) Cross River Connection defeated The Razorbacks in 9:55 when Perfect Pepper Pelton pinned TJ Brown with a Prime Time Perfection. Cross River Connection make defence number three of the EEE World Tag Team. Rating: 67 [*]ANGLE: Fro Sure insults DWN about his number in the Empire Royale. But DWN has made peace with it. You’ve got to beat all the best to be the best. Not something Fro Sure knows anything about. Rating: 83 [*]SINGLES MATCH: John Greed vs. Monty Trescarde Monty Trescarde defeated John Greed in 9:44 by pinfall with a Cash Bonus. Rating: 66 [*]ANGLE: The Fantastics and the Biggins Boys are next up to draw numbers. Rafe and Zippy swap numbers and then laugh. Rating: 74 [*]SINGLES MATCH: The Eagle vs. Teddy Powell The Eagle defeated Teddy Powell in 10:25 by pinfall with a Freedom Slam. Rating: 69 [*]ANGLE: Honest Frank Jr hasn’t forgotten about a shot at the Intercontinental Title. But he’ll settle for besting 29 others and claiming a shot at the World Heavyweight Title. Rating: 88 [*]SINGLES MATCH: Angry Gilmore vs. Spike Sylvain Angry Gilmore defeated Spike Sylvain in 10:15 by pinfall with an Anger Management. Rating: 71 [*]ANGLE: Trent Shaffer insults George Trapesi and promises to win the Empire Royal. Rating: 91 [*]TAG TEAM MATCH: The VCC vs. Bulldozer Brandon Smith & Andrew Harper Bulldozer Brandon Smith and Andrew Harper defeated The VCC in 9:38 when Andrew Harper pinned Ray Cavalero with a Spike Slam. Rating: 77 [*]OVERALL RATING: 80 – 0.66 (496,128 viewers) Fantastic stuff all round there, with the gimmick about drawing numbers going over a storm with the live crowd. The following day, it was time to head to The Ministry to checkout the latest from NYCW: NYCW Spring Showdown I The Ministry, New York City 1,000 (SOLD OUT!?!) Pablo Rodriguez defeated Ray Snow to win NYCW Tri-State Regional Title – 40 Sandman Winks defeated Rayne Man to retain the NYCW Nationwide Title – 56 The Wild Dogs defeated The Latino Kings to retain the NYCW Tag Team Titles – 47 Marco Gonzalez defeated Bowden Snoop – 41 Leonardo Fry defeated Derrick Crump – 31 Christian Plotcheck defeated Blue Dragon – 27 Clarence Chambers defeated Carlos Imes – 18 Overall Rating: 49 Well at least they’ve put the Tri-State Regional Title on someone worthy. That’s a step in the right direction. I would say though… it’s a bit samey. Next time… More numbers are drawn and more feuds are intensified…

Prediction Results Standings following EEE Supershow: Genesis 2024 1. MisterRomanini - 10/10 (100%) 2. eayragt - 9/10 (90%) 2. Herrbear - 9/10 (90%) 2. Theheel - 9/10 (90%) 5. DinoKeo - 8/10 (80%) 5. KyTeran - 8/10 (80%) 7. John Lions - 6/10 (60%) I will aim to keep a running tally throughout the year so that you can all see how you get on. Congrats to MisterRomanini for his perfect scores and to everyone for the high scores across the board. I suspect the opening show was always going to be a bit predictable, but I can guarentee you the next one won't be so straightforward.

New York City… home of the massive Greenwalt Dome… To say that the Greenwalt Dome is legendary would be an understatement. This was the premier venue for any events in the entire city of New York. Bigger in capacity than the Garden, higher in prestige than the Evanonich Arena. This was where the biggest crowds went to see the biggest shows. And here we were. Taking the first steps towards becoming a major player in the world of professional wrestling. I spent time beforehand talking to some of the key players. Trapesi and Shaffer were predictably calm and in control ahead of their match. Aaron Andrews was really excited to get back to just doing what he loves and had actually formed a decent relationship with his opponent backstage. McManus had no doubt that they’d steal the show, but Shaffer overhead and told them to bring it. Friendly rivalries are always good. Bulldozer was smoking a cigar, while Harper drank a can of beer. The two had setup a little poker tournament to keep the boys busy and calm. Larry had chosen to watch the show from in the crowd and was wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap to cover his identity. EEE Supershow: Genesis Sunday, Week 4, February 2024 Greenwalt Dome, New York City, New York Attendance: 43,424 SINGLES MATCH: Angry Gilmore vs. Monty Trescarde In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, Angry Gilmore defeated Monty Trescarde in 10:20 by count out. Rating: 65 Notes: Crushingly disappointing start as these two old-hands don’t click. I figured of all the match-ups these two where the least likely to let us down. Still, because of their joint popularity, the crowd were still into the match, even it was clunky and occasionally mistimed. SINGLES MATCH: The Eagle vs. Spike Sylvain In a bout that had great heat and good wrestling, The Eagle defeated Spike Sylvain in 9:53 by pinfall with a Freedom Slam. Rating: 67 Notes: This match with no build-up and two somewhat forgotten stars got the crowd more fired up than the opener, to give you an idea of how bad it was. The Eagle is still looking for some identity, btu we needed to heat him up to give him a chance. This was a good opportunity to do so. TAG TEAM MATCH: The Biggins Boys vs. The Fantastic Express In a bout that had great heat and good wrestling, The Fantastic Express defeated The Biggins Boys in 10:28 when Bart Biggins was counted out while fighting Rafe Sashay. Rating: 71 Notes: Another decent match between these two, but perhaps the sheen was wearing off after having battled around each other for over a year. That’s not to say they didn’t bring the goods, but it was underwhelming considering some of their previous matchups. SINGLES MATCH: Bradley Blaze vs. The Masked Mauler In a decent match, The Masked Mauler defeated Bradley Blaze in 7:57 by submission with an Iron Claw. Rating: 56 Notes: Oof, this was not great. Mauler is still someone we’re high on, but Bradley clearly needed more name recognition before being put onto the main show like this. Perhaps we’d save him for bit-parts going forward. SINGLES MATCH: Charlie Corner vs. ‘The Stud’ Phil Anders In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Charlie Corner defeated Phil Anders in 9:52 by pinfall with a Corner Cutter. Rating: 59 Notes: Cali Cool brought the goods, but Anders’ green-ness in the ring was unavoidable. He definitely needed more seasoning, which would come. And in his defense, when he was good, he was great. He just wasn’t good enough for long enough. EEE WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Twin Powers (Bulldozer Brandon Smith & Andrew Harper) vs. Cross River Connection (c) In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, Cross River Connection defeated The Twin Powers in 9:45 when Prime Time Jack Pryde pinned Andrew Harper after using a foreign object. Cross River Connection make defence number two of the EEE World Tag Team. Rating: 73 Notes: This was a great match-up. The newly christened Twin Powers brought their absolute best and the Cross River Connection matched them every step of the way. Billy Keelan did great work outside the ring, but when he tried to toss in a billy club, Prime Time caught it and smashed Harper in the face and stole his team the win. Classic tag team wrestling. EEE INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE MATCH: Honest Frank Jr vs. Danny Hagman (c) In a bout that had great heat and good wrestling, Danny Hagman defeated Honest Frank Jr in 9:33 by count out. Danny Hagman makes defence number one of the EEE Intercontinental. Rating: 68 Notes: This match may have been the most disappointing of the whole show. I secretly had a feeling these two might just sneak into top-tier entertainment, but a lack of psychology really hurt matters. This is what happens when you build a company’s midcard around younger stars. I’d have to reconsider the pushes a little if this was going to be a consistent issue. Better to have someone in each match who can help carry it and teach the new generation how to work effectively. SINGLES MATCH: Fro Sure vs. Davis Wayne Newton In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, Davis Wayne Newton defeated Fro Sure in 9:44 by pinfall while using the ropes for leverage. Rating: 73 Notes: No such worries between these two, who are two of the best we have in all aspects. An extended feud between them might just elevate them both to the tippy top. This was a great starting point and only hints at how high they could get if we nurtured it properly. SINGLES MATCH: Aaron Andrews vs. ‘The Georgia Bulldog’ Riley McManus In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Aaron Andrews defeated Riley McManus in 21:43 by pinfall with a Flying Body Press. Rating: 75 Notes: We might need to look at his ‘Finisher’ as it’s just a basic move and it’s not the 1970s anymore (no matter how much Vessey wishes it was). But I expected good things and they delivered in spades. An absolute barn-stormer of a match which breezed through it’s run time. Aaron Andrews, while toxic, was one of the best workers on the planet and we’d be using him for as long as we could. EEE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH Trent Shaffer vs. ‘The Star’ George Trapesi (c) In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, George Trapesi defeated Trent Shaffer in 24:57 by pinfall with a Star Maker Lariat. George Trapesi makes defence number three of the EEE World Heavyweight. Rating: 88 Notes: WHERE THE HELL DID THAT COME FROM? Holy cow! The second match-up between these two is an absolute barn-stormer of epic proportions. Comfortably our best match ever and an early contender for Match of the Year. Astounding stuff. I actually don’t know what to add that wasn’t said during the match itself. OVERALL RATING: 86 We got a staggering 661,960 viewers and while we made a $515,855 loss, over $1m was taken out by the re-creation of New York City Wrestling. Backstage after thanking Shaffer, Andrews and Trapesi for their incredible performances, I was handed a print-out of the first months merchandise figures: George Trapesi - $21,977 Aaron Andrews - $19,587 Prime Time Jack Pryde - $14,964 Fro Sure - $14,043 Emma Chase - $10,607 Angry Gilmore - $10,172 Perfect Pepper Pelton - $10,006 Trent Shaffer - $5,993 Danny Hagman - $5,466 Davis Wayne Newton - $3,269 People love their babyfaces in New York it seems. And why the devil not. Next time… we begin planning for a completely new type of match…

Anyone have any advice for booking a ‘Classic Sports Entertainment’ product? I’ve almost exclusively played ‘Golden Age’ and I’d prefer not to make a colossal mistake. Am I right in thinking it’s like 1980s WWF?