Self

My original plan was to finish him up at WrestleFestival (in canon I think he leaves CGC in December '96) but for now he's still with the company. He has his good qualities. A solid experienced heel with size. However, he's also kind of expensive and comes with more travel costs than most. It's possible you'll never see him again, or he could show up next week. While on the subject, here are some other bits of roster news... Brys Turcotte has finished up. Really, I only brought him in to work WrestleFestival and a few Live event shots. Unlike his tag team partner, he isn't local, and despite Brys being a solid, dependable guy, that's not worth the plane fare from Halifax. If Nelson ever needs to work a tag match, I have his number. Similarly, Andy Gordy is a solid referee, but lives too far away and isn't worth the travel expenses. Noel Madden just debuted, and he lives in Calgary. Financially it made more sense to use him. Xander Robinson is in the final month of his contract, and I'm probably not going to resign him. I don't have room to push him right now, but he's far too talented to just be a job guy. Like, outrageously talented. So good. He needs to disappear and return in 6-8 months with a fresh coat of paint and be a force to be reckoned with. Switchblade Mike is in a similar boat. I tested some ideas on Live Events, but the chemistry wasn't there. He has a good thing going in DAVE, so I'm tempted to let his contract expire and see how things look further down the line. I have enough big, musclehead projects to develop. Finally, Bob Casey is the quintessential job guy... but he's not local, and it's hard to argue he's worth the travel expenses when I have a growing number of cheap youngsters at home. I could easily see myself reversing any of these decisions at a moment's notice, but my roster is getting a bit big.

SUNDAY WEEK 3 APRIL 1997 Calgary, Alberta (626 in attendance) Broadcast on Alberta on Air (3,706) and BCB (3,688). Combined Rating <0.01 Alex DeColt calls out the School of Tradition 69 ROCKY PSYCHO VS HOWLING DOG 47 Bowen & Rogers Promo 58 CONDOR VS MARIO HEROIC 26 George DeColt tries to get the belt 58 BIFF THE BRUISER VS TED MOORE 20 Highlights from Cranbrook 20 Live Events /w Ed Monton 53 THE FLOCK VS SOLDIERS OF FORTUNE 52 George DeColt announces next Title Bout 60 FINAL RATING 57 Posting late. Sometimes my job requires me to work weekends. I thought the most interesting thing about this week's Frenchie's Five (favourite babyfaces in Alberta) would be Ed Monton's popularity... but Condor's the fifth most popular? Poor guy. He's been less than an afterthought this entire time. No wonder so few thought he could beat Mario Heroic. Speaking of Mario... Is he a popular character is more modern version of the database? I've only ever seen him as a washed out never-was or 18 year old still figuring out his first handful of matches. Maybe in the future the upside will emerge, for now Condor is twice the wrestler he is. Next time on Title Bout Wrestling... CGC Bubbleweight Title: Jake Sloan vs Helen Wheels Dan DaLay & John McClean vs Jack & Alex DeColt Rash Reilly & Frankie Flame vs Eddie Chandler & Johnny Maverick

Jerome Turner "Last week Barry Bowen made a statement with an attack on Steve DeColt and Ed Monton, seemingly supported by Roger Rogers. Is a new alliance forming? It won't be the only one. The School of Tradition has expanded. Not only do they boast tonight's defending tag team champions, but they have some new students, already in the ring. " IN RING ERIC TYLER has his entire roster of School of Tradition students lined up in the ring. FRANKIE FLAME. RASH REILLY. JOHN McCLEAN looks absolutely thrilled to be there, while DAN DALAY looks like he'd rather be anywhere else, clutching his CGC Television Title belt. ERIC TYLER Settle down and listen up. School is now in session. Last week I introduced you to the men who will soon become household names in this sport. Alone they have suffered, but together, under my guidance, they will become the finest athletes this country has ever seen. Paragons of virtue. Monuments to my excellence. And why? Because they have something those DeColts could only dream of having; a willingness to learn. ALEX DECOLT There's only one thing your students have that I want, and that's the CGC Television Title. I feel like you've been avoiding me, Dan DaLay? What happened? I used to see you every week. Attacking me. Bullying me. Now all you do is run away like a coward. What changed? Surely it's not because I kicked your ass at WrestleFestival. Why don't I come down there right now so we can 'talk'. For old time's sake. ERIC TYLER You've got a big mouth, Alex, but I'm sorry to inform you that your newfound confidence is just warm, comforting self-delusion. Dan DaLay didn't run from you at WrestleFestival... he simply granted you mercy. A rookie mistake that will not be repeated. If you want to provide my students another learning opportunity, we'll happily welcome you into this ring... but Dan DaLay isn't the only one looking to take you DeColts down a peg. I think you'll find yourself quite outnumbered. ALEX DECOLT I don't know about that. EDDIE CHANDLER and JOHNNY MAVERICK slide into the ring and pull all of the Student's trousers down! Reilly covers his shame. John McClean falls over himself trying to cover his sparkling white tighties whities. Frankie shamelessly tries to give chase in brown-stained underpants. DaLay is furious and embarrassed and Eric Tyler finds himself face to face with JACK DECOLT, who is preparing the Iron- Tyler bails, hiding behind security as the attackers leave laughing. ROCKY PSYCHO VS HOWLING DOG Jerome Turner "Two weeks ago Howling Dog broke Rocky's undefeated streak with a shock roll-up. Rocky demanded this rematch." All smiles, Howling Dog mocks Rocky with roll up attempts and culturally inappropriate pasta references. Rocky struggles to keep his cool, but elegant arm drags and fancy head scissors can't put the Dog away. Rocky snaps and- Sky High Spinebuster! 1... 2... Rocky kicks out but Dog uses his anger against him. Small package! Victory Roll! Dog climbs up top, but underestimates Rocky's fury and gets shoved all the way to the outside! Cannonball dive! Rocky is relentless, hammering away with punches and headbutts and the referee counts... 7... 8...9... Rocky comes to his senses just in time to roll inside, and Dog is counted out. ROCKY PSYCHO WINS (9:29) Security are terrified that Rocky is going to continue the assault, but instead he takes Dog's magic tomahawk and leaves. INTERVIEW ZONE ROGER ROGERS is pleased as punch to have his wheelchair parked up alongside the gigantic BARRY BOWEN. ROGER ROGERS I'm sure you have been worried all week, but let me assure you that I am fine. I escaped unharmed from the violent and vile attack upon my person by Steve DeColt, and it's all thanks to this man, Barry Bowen. A hero. A knight in shining armour. He saw an innocent fan in need, a disabled man who simply wanted to cheer on his former favourite wrestler, and he came to his rescue without a second thought. Yet how does CGC reward this heroism? With scorn. With talks about another suspension. Ludicrous! Unfair! A travesty of justice! I will do everything in my power to make sure the treacherous Committee can't stand in his way, because I know exactly how it feels to have George's DeColt's cruel boot upon my neck, keeping me from what I want. Me and Barry Bowen are two peas in a pod, and all of CGC are going to feel our might. BARRY BOWEN No more running, DeColt. No more hiding. That belt belongs to me. CONDOR VS MARIO HEROIC Jerome Turner "It's time for some fast paced Bubbleweight action!" Condor uses karate kicks and judo throws to try to solve the enigma that is young Mario, but to no avail. His moves? Mysterious. His tactics? Strange. He flips and flops and misses a springboard backflip done for reasons unclear, allowing Condor to swoop in with the Flight of the Condor (Top Rope Splash) for the 1... 2... 3! CONDOR WINS (4:35) Jerome Turner "The Bubbleweight division is heating up. There's just the small matter of CGC management getting their hands on the belt..." BACKSTAGE GEORGE DECOLT is trying to get into a locker room, but the door is blocked by the massive LAND MASS. Inside, HELEN WHEELS has the CGC Bubbleweight Title belt. GEOERGE DECOLT Helen, be reasonable. If you're not going to defend it, why do you want it? HELEN WHEELS I'll defend it! Bring Julie Forletta over here and I'll defend it right now. Or one of Steve's girlfriends. Line them up I'll knock all their teeth down their throats! Why didn't you make a women's championship, huh? Sexism, that's why! You afraid of strong women, George? I'll give you back your precious, shrimp belt for babies, when you get me my own belt. CGC Queen of Everything! I want jewels! I want gold! Give me the prettiest belt the world has ever seen and maybe I'll consider trading you. George considers barging in, but there's no way past Land Mass. GEORGE DECOLT I'll talk it over with the Committee... FRENCHIE'S FIVE FRENCHIE MARCEL We asked ze fans here in Calgary who their favourite wrestler is... BIFF THE BRUISER VS TED MOORE Jerome Turner "Biff has been forced to hold the "Poor Widdle Baby" belt ever since he embarrassed himself in a pie eating contest at WrestleFestival" Ted mistakes the Poor Widdle Baby belt for a teddy bear and Biff doesn't like that one bit. He bashes, batters and bruises before hitting a Lariat for a pin. BIFF THE BRUISER (2:45) Biff's pretty pleased with himself, until the referee gives him back the Poor Widdle Baby belt. Jerome Turner "Last week CGC were in Cranbrook, British Columbia." Undersized and overmatched, JAKE SLOAN hits CHRISTOPHER HART with a baseball slide to keep him out of the ring and score a count out victory. RASH REILLY distracts the referee so that FRANKIE FLAME can take out the opposition with a chair and JOHN McCLEAN can lock in the Tradition Lift (Double Chicken Wing) for the tap out. UPCOMING EVENTS Saturday Week 4 April - CGC Live! in Revelstoke, British Columbia Saturday Week 1 May - CGC Live! Fort McMurray, Alberta Sunday Week 1 May - Title Bout Wrestling in Edmonton, Alberta Saturday Week 2 May - CGC Live! Smithers Bulkly, British Columbia Saturday Week 3 May - CGC Live! Powell River, British Columbia Sunday Week 3 May - Title Bout Wrestling in Langley, British Columbia Saturday Week 4 May - CGC Live! Kamloops, British Columbia ED MONTON Roger Rogers has found someone else to try to ride to the top of CGC, but it'll take more than cheap tricks and powerbombs through furniture to keep me down. If Barry Bowen wants a piece of me, he can meet me this Saturday at the Revelstoke Forum. I said I wasn't aboot to let Rogers get away with any more tomfoolery, and I aim to be a man of my word. CGC TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH Black Sheep & Battering Lamb THE FLOCK THE SOLDIERS OF FORTUNE Chance & Fate /w John McClean Jerome Turner "Black Sheep humiliated John McClean at WrestleFestival, so he's paying extra special attention to this one." John McClean has set up a little school desk at ringside, where he can take notes as the Soldiers deal with his sworn enemy. Black Sheep constantly messes with him, throwing balls of paper, until the Soldiers stop his farmyard fun with cohesive destructive power. They herd Black Sheep into their corner and do exactly what they've been paid to do; teach McClean how to solve an irritating problem. Chance repeatedly gives the student openings to interfere behind the referee's back, but McClean messes each of them up. Taking too long. Talking too loud. Missing a punch and hurting his hand on the ring post! Battering Lamb is finally unpenned, and battering rams his opponents with shoulder tackles and mutton chops before dropping a big Leg of Lamb! Slow Roast (Torture Rack) to Fate! McClean tries to interfere, but Black Sheep chases him. Around the ring. Under the ring. Through the ring! In the meantime however, Chance has saved his partner, disposed of Lamb, and the Soldiers intercept Black Sheep with a Spinebuster/Senton combo for the 1... 2... 3! SOLDIERS OF FORTUNE WIN (11:16) INTERVIEW ZONE HELEN WHEELS looks incredibly smug as LAND MASS guards her from GEORGE DECOLT, who stands beside a large podium with a sheet covering it. What could possibly be under there? Helen is thrilled. GEORGE DECOLT Against my better judgment, the CGC Matchmaking Committee have determined that we are unable to force Helen Wheels to relinquish her stolen property, so we have no choice but to give her what she wants. If Helen wants to be a Champion, we hereby officially recognize her as the first ever CGC Bubbleweight Champion... Helen is confused. GEORGE DECOLT ... and we are thrilled to announce her first ever title defense. Next week! Title Bout Wrestling! Helen Wheels versus... George whips the sheet off of the podium to reveal... It's JAKE SLOAN! HELEN WHEELS What? No! That's not what I... No!

Love the idea of most belts. Definitely going on the list, but may need a few tweaks to get a clean Top 5. Currently it's a 6-way tie for 5th place. He can bulk up to Middleweight, but he's 5'7 so that's a lot of (hopefully) muscle to pack on. Height might hold him back from being a top star in a medium term, unless he becomes some kind of tiny tank. I like him as a Lightweight right now. I have a lot of big heels, so having someone smaller to take bumps in valuable. Plus, there's a Bubbleweight division that is overflowing with babyfaces and no heels. Rash is going to find it easy to find spots on live events. In my last private game he had a solid, multi-year midcard career, with lots of storylines and TV time, as a dumb guy in heel teams who eventually spins off as a babyface. Problem is, he's already a babyface, he's had terrible chemistry with everyone I've paired him with, and he kind of sucks in general. Bottom 5 worst performers on the roster. So he's not exactly a priority. Haven't done tallest. Or heaviest. It's trickier to do it when I'm making things up.

I'm currently using the "CGC Matchmaking Committee" as my authority figures in my 1997 diary game. A 5-man team, a mix of veteran wrestlers and television executives who mostly stay in the background, deciding on matches, but occasionally pop in to suspend someone or publicly vote on the odd big issue. "Directors" felt too Big Business for me (works for corporate WCW though and "Booking" feels like it breaks kayfabe too much for me. "Matchmaking" just felt nice and quaint. Does exactly what it says on the tin.

SUNDAY WEEK 1 APRIL 1997 Langley, British Columbia (803 in attendance) Broadcast on Alberta On Air (3,570) and BCB (3,657). Combined Rating <0.01 Eric Tyler Promo 73 FRANKIE FLAME VS XANDER ROBINSON 41 Steve DeColt Promo 70 Slave Lake Highlights 31 RASH REILLY VS TEMPEST APPLEBY 33 Whipper tries to get Helen's belt 45 Rocky Psycho Interview 26 MAMMOTH & LAND MASS VS CHANDLER & MAVERICK 42 Live Events /w Moose 34 John McClean hypes Tag Title Match 51 BARRY BOWEN VS STEVE DECOLT 45 Bowen Attacks 54 FINAL RATING 55 No one wants to watch Monton fight the DeColts. Will I ever learn my lesson? Ed Monton is really good (on the same level as Steve, better than the other DeColts) but babyface vs babyface doesn't work, and no amount of Roger Rogers could save it. Thankfully, good promos from Tyler and Steve. The School of Tradition have expanded, which to be fair was a pretty obvious move from the very beginning. It's been one of Tyler's main goals after all. It was just a question of who joins and when. I toyed with introducing them earlier, maybe getting involved in the WrestleFestival main event... but that would have neutered them to fail right out of the gate. This is Tyler's rebound move after a big loss. I considered a lot of options to fill this expanded group. CGC have a lot of youngsters to choose from. Johnny Maverick and Eddie Chandler were far too obvious choices, and I didn't want to just do a Prelude to the eventual Elite stable. Alexander Robinson is excellent but a little too old. Mario Heroic and Canadian Dragon were busy with Bubbleweight stuff, Christopher Hart felt too similar to DaLay, and Ted Moore... I think a really dumb guy would turn himself babyface in that setting way too fast. I'm struggling to write Moore. There's a 'Eugene' quality that isn't sitting well with me when I write the actual words. John McClean feels like a perfect addition to the School of Tradition to me. Good worker. Natural sycophant. Can talk if Tyler is 'occupied'. 'Dirty' Frankie Flame is a bit more of a gamble, but he is a favourite of George DeColt. Finally, the wildcard Rash Reilly is a random gen who graduated from the DeColt Power House in January. He's a smaller guy (although not small enough to make it onto Frenchie's Five last week) but good star quality and promising stats. At 19 he's very young, but has spent the past few months working every live event and pre-show possible... and he's the same age as Jack DeColt. Either way, a lucky guy. Speaking of the Power House, we had our second graduate this week. Much like Rash, he'll be working live events for a while until I find a spot for him. CGC Tag Team Title Match: The Flock vs Soldiers of Fortune Rocky Psycho vs Howling Dog Condor vs Mario Heroic I'm running out of ideas for Frenchie's Five segments. Any ideas?

Jerome Turner "It's been three months since Ed Monton broke free of the managerial services of Roger Rogers, and tonight he's bagged himself a CGC World Title shot. Does he have what it takes to dethrone Stunning Steve? But first, the School of Tradition have some new students, and Eric Tyler wants to introduce them to you all personally." IN-RING ERIC TYLER is already is the ring, looking upon the crowd with scorn. ERIC TYLER Settle down and listen up. School is back in session! A proper education is something that should be given to every young wrestler, but I'm afraid I can no longer allow Jack DeColt entry into my School of Tradition. For all of his promise. For all of his potential. He has been tainted by his family's degenerate influence. He robbed me of the CGC World Title at WrestleFestival. He has rejected my teachings. Just like Alex. Just like Steve. Just like Eddie Chandler and Johnny Maverick. They can't see the benefit of my wisdom... but I've found students who do. This is a new era for the School of Tradition, and some day you will all thank me for it. FRANKIE FLAME VS XANDER ROBINSON Eric Tyler "For years he's been called "Dirty", but Frank is a diamond in the rough. He just needs some polish." Frank looks cleaner in his new school uniform, but he fights dirtier than ever, adding several tricks from the Eric Tyler's playbook. Xander hits back with knife edge chops, but Frankie begs for mercy and Xander turns his back. Pit Stain (Falling Inverted DDT)! 1... 2... 3. FRANKIE FLAME WINS (6:08) INTERVIEW ZONE STEVE DECOLT warms up for his match as his date for tonight, GABRIELLA, watches on. STEVE DECOLT Let's hear it for Eric Tyler. He's finally found some wrestlers dumb enough to join his stupid school. As much as I'd love to go down there and prove you can't polish a turd, tonight I have my hands full, and I don't just mean with this little minx to my left. Ed Monton might be the toughest man I've ever met, and he has my deepest respect... but if he thinks he can take this sweet, sweet belt from my sweet, sweet waist, he doesn't know Stunning Steve. I made a promise to Gabriella that I'd show her the night of her life, and I'm going to do it as CGC Champion. Jerome Turner "Last night the stars of Canadian Golden Combat were at the Arctic Ice Centre. Here's what you missed." BIFF THE BRUISER pins BOB CASEY after a brutal lariat. Biff is thrilled, until he's handed his Poor Widdle Baby championship belt to wear. MOOSE MULDER and MAMMOTH compete in a Pie Eating Contest, but MARIO HEROIC and CONDOR keep stealing pies from Mammoth's table. They offer to trade them to HELEN WHEELS for the stolen Bubbleweight belt, but she refuses. Mammoth has nothing to eat! Moose wins! RASH REILLY VS TEMPEST APPLEBY Eric Tyler "I discovered young Rash defacing the WrestleFestival grounds with some very colourful anti-DeColt graffiti. He made good first impression." Arm drags! Dropkicks! Tumblesaults! Flippy do's! A force of nature, Tempest puts the student in a spin, but Rash responds with some Tyler-esque eye pokes and hair pulling and hits a High Schoolboy (Schoolboy off the Second Rope) for the 1. 2. 3. RASH REILLY WINS (6:12) Jerome Turner "Lightning fast bubbleweight action, but what of the new Bubbleweight Championship?" BACKSTAGE CGC Bubbleweight Title belt around her waist, HELEN WHEELS lounges around, protected by LAND MASS and MAMMOTH at her side. WHIPPER SPENCER MARKS can't get past them. WHIPPER SPENCER MARKS Helen. You need to give the belt back. It's not yours. HELEN WHEELS Why not? I won it. I climbed up there and got it. Those were the rules, right? "Any fighter under 200lbs". You saying I'm over 200lbs, old man? WHIPPER SPENCER MARKS You weren't part of the match. There are rules. HELEN WHEELS I don't care about your rules. Those five midgets don't deserve a belt. They only won at WrestleFestival because...I don't know how they won. They probably cheated. Belts should be for real stars, like me. Helen roller skates away, followed by the gigantic Land Mass and Mammoth. No getting around them. INTERVIEW ZONE JULIE FORLETTA interviews a seething ROCKY PSYCHO. JULIE FORLETTA Last week, you lost you first match in Canadian Golden Combat... when... you um... Rocky glares at her. Julie hands him the microphone and backs away. ROCKY PSYCHO Howling Dog! Fortunato! Molto Fortunato. You could never do that again in a million years. Voglio una rivincita! Rematch! Next week! /w Helen Wheels LAND MASS & MAMMOTH EDDIE CHANDLER & JOHNNY MAVERICK Eric Tyler "In ten years, when Rash Reilly and Frankie Flame are top stars in this sport, no one will remember these short sighted fools Chandler and Maverick." Helen roller skates around the ring, showing of her stolen CGC Bubbleweight Title, as Johnny and Eddie compete over who can body slam the giants. Both lose equally, and Chandler gets squished and squashed. CANADIAN DRAGON and MARIO HEROIC chase Helen around the ring, trying to recover the Bubbleweight belt. Mammoth lumbers to her aid, clotheslining the two cruiserweights. Eddie and Johnny try to take advantage with a double suplex on Land Mass, but their timing is off because Eddie insists on doing a countdown in French. Land Mass suplexes both of them, and Mammoth hits a Running Splash for the pin. LAND MASS & MAMMOTH WIN (5:31) Jerome Turner "Missed out on WrestleFestival? Don't worry, the stars of CGC could be coming to a town near you soon." UPCOMING EVENTS Saturday Week 3 April - CGC Live! in Cranbrook, British Columbia Sunday Week 3 April - Title Bout Wrestling in Calgary, Alberta Saturday Week 4 April - CGC Live! in Revelstoke, British Columbia Saturday Week 1 May - CGC Live! Fort McMurray, Alberta Sunday Week 1 May - Title Bout Wrestling in Edmonton, Alberta MOOSE MULDER You got pies in Cranbrook? Because I'm comin' on Saturday and I'm comin' hungry! I'm the CGC Pie Eating Champion and I plan to defend that title in every town in the country. Open challenge! Any wrestler! Any fan! Bring your appetite! SCHOOL OF TRADITION CLASSROOM JULIE FORLETTA interviews the School of Tradition in a locker room that has been kitted out as a Classroom, complete with desks and a blackboard. In the background, RASH REILLY carves his name into a desk as FRANKIE FLAME throws paper airplanes. JOHN McCLEAN is positively beaming, as he's flanked by CHANCE and FATE. JOHN McCLEAN WrestleFestival was a dark day for John McClean. A dark, dirty day... but then Eric Tyler turned my frown upside down by asking me to enroll in his prestigious School of Tradition. What an honour! What a privilege! The things I will learn sitting under Mr. Tyler's tree. It's every young wrestler's dream. Next week my education begins, as I get to sit ringside as the Soldiers of Fortune defend their tag team titles. I'm not even mad that the Matchmaking Committee have given The Flock a title shot. Black Sheep humiliated me at WrestleFestival, and next week I get to learn how Mr. Tyler's fabulous faculty settle the score. FATE Next week! Lambs chops and a side of Sheep Stew! CGC WORLD TITLE MATCH ED MONTON VS STEVE DECOLT /w Gabriella Eric Tyler "This may be the only time I ever say this, but I hope Ed Monton wins this match. Steve DeColt is a disgrace as Champion." Before the match can begin, ROGER ROGERS barges his way to the front row in his wheelchair, fending off fans with a pointy stick. He's wearing an old Canadian Enforcers t-shirt and waves a 'front row' ticket around, threatening to sue anyone who questions its authenticity. Stunning Steve struts his stuff early, showing off his raw power and delighting his date by hitting a Gabri-Electric Chair Drop just for her. Double tough Monton responds with pure fisticuffs, throwing hands as Rogers loudly cheers on his former client. Which mostly serves to distract Monton. Ed unleashes patriotic fury, but Steve won't go down without a fight. He kicks out of a Bridging Canadian Suplex. He powers out of a Canadian Half Crab! Rogers raises a boombox above his head to play the old Canadian Enforcers theme music. Monton ejects the tape and breaks it, but it gives Steve an opening. Powerful Punches! Luscious Lariat! Sexy Slam! Steve hits a Running Bulldog, but Roger Rogers is poking Gabriella with a pointy stick, so he rolls out of the ring to confront him. He tells Rogers to knock it off, but the wheelchair bound 'fan' responds by throwing his shoe at Gabriella. Steve snatches him by the collar and referee Francis Long has to get between them. BARRY BOWEN charges to ringside at full speed and runs through Steve with the Train Wreck (High Velocity Shoulder Tackle)! NO CONTEST (10:23) Bowen batters away security and he continues to attack Steve, preparing to Powerbomb him through the- Monton makes the save with Haymakers, but Bowen's unstoppable. He powerbombs Monton through the announce table! Rogers takes off his Enforcers shirt to reveal a Barry Bowen shirt, and cheers as Bowen stands over the broken bodies of the two competitors. Security rush in to protect them from further damage.

For small indy shows, I think ring announcers make a huge difference in the quality of the show. Maybe not the matches, but certainly the show as a whole. They welcome the crowd. They transition from match to match. They introduce raffles and plug tickets to the next event. They host. A good ring announcer is the most visible member of the roster at that level. However, TEW is designed more around televised wrestling, where ring announcers become a small enough element to abstract out of the game. Which is fine. I do miss them when I'm running tiny promotions though, and doing angles for them gets fiddly.

I loved watching the X Division matches back in the day. That's what brought me back to being a fan after college. Awesome stuff. I agree with that... I just don't like the name. Or the vagueness of the concept. And I'm not particularly interested in writing those kinds of matches. My CGC in 1997 isn't about Xtreme, no limits wrestling. I genuinely forgot WWE did cruiserweights for a while, so I guess it didn't leave much of an impression on me. It's a good, dynamic name. If I had a potential megastar like an AJ Styles or Rey Mysterio (or a Ricky DeColt) maybe I would have gone with it. Sometimes I'm more interested in trying something different, rather than simply referencing things I liked growing up.

"Feared for my life" just seemed like a legal move. Something he was advised to say to help protect the company from unfair dismissal charges. I assumed AEW were showing the footage because it would contradict something Punk said in his interview, but it didn't. Unless I'm missing something? Without audio it's still pretty inconclusive. So the whole thing seems more to pop a rating than anything. I was certainly more interested than usually to read what happened this morning.

Because I like making fun of tiny wrestlers. I'm kidding. Partially kidding. Personally I find "Lightweight" boring. "Cruiserweight" feels very specifically WCW. "Junior Heavyweight" suggests a Japanese influence. The less said about "X-Division" the better. "Bubbleweight" to me is a wackier, more colourful name, inspired by some of the smaller weight classes in boxing (flyweight, featherweight, strawweight) while also not being anything real or specific. I actually had to check I didn't steal it from somewhere, but I can't find anything with a quick Google search. Is it an insulting name? Little bit, yeah. I think that makes sense for CGC in 1997 though. Big George DeColt and his muscular sons (Jack is currently the runt of the litter, all 6' 235lbs of him) would think these little rascals are kind of cute, so why not give them a toy belt to play with? And why not have the manager girl on roller skates take it from them? I do think the CGC belts in general need more vibrancy. I hate the TV title. Cliché boring belt. My CGC is halfway to being a cartoon, so the belts should reflect that. Hence the Tag Belts getting a garish redesign. I asked for pitches months ago about what belt to add to CGC, and a lot of folks suggested a Lightweight belt. I was skeptical at first, but I'm really excited about it now. This is going to be a very useful belt, I think. Nothing main event. Nothing spectacular. But with some recent additions to the roster and the right stories, a good bit of undercard fun.

I use the version with the text, but also including the plan for options. Bonus Belt

If you're competing in WWE, then you are (in theory) one of the greatest fighters in the world who has risen through the ranks to make it to the grandest stage of them all. The NFL has the best football players. WWE has the best combat sports specialists. From Cody to Miz to Dom to Joe McNXT. All better scrappers than the lads down the local pub. That's the central conceit of the show. So for any celebrity to come in and not lose in 5 seconds to anyone on the roster... that's where it starts to bother me. For Logan specifically, that stance has softened. Originally I thought he was just a Youtube celebrity, but he's done combat sports, fights, etc, that give him more legitimacy. Enough to beat Dom, sure. Miz? Maybe. But he lasted longer than 5 minutes against Roman Reigns. That bothered me. In the same way Goldberg beating The Fiend bothered me. But it's much like the Rock thing. My brain has been set up to believe repetition equals mastery, and that the only way to become the best fighter in the world is to have many, many fights on live TV and PPV. And that's not really reality. I should also note I've watched very little of Logan Paul's stuff. I don't habitually watch WWE. My feelings are just based on reading and hearing about things happening. Feelings based on concepts more than execution.

I partially agree. I don't take it to those extremes, but there's something about returning legends or celebrities or 'part timers' coming in and instantly destroying the current roster that makes the sport (the fictional sport that exists in the reality of the show) look bad. Or at least, worse. Goldberg's done it a bunch. Logan Paul instantly being a world beater. CM Punk returning after X years away and becoming AEW World Champion so quickly. It rubs me the wrong way. I believe in ring rust. I believe that if you stop doing something, you lose a certain spark. I guess I want to believe that there's a reason that WWE superstars (in the fictional reality of the show) fight so often. It's to keep their skills sharp and stay ahead of the game. They're like sharks. If they stop swimming they die. But maybe I'm wrong in this thinking. MMA is structured differently. Fight camps are the real way to get people ready for a fight. Those damn Paul brothers keep succeeding in things thanks to (I assume) proper training and expensive trainers. Maybe if companies showed this (kayfabe) preparation side it might help. Rock didn't just wander in. He's been at the Bloodline's Fight Pit, running drills with Solo and Jimmy Uso, rediscovering his spark. I do think Cody/Rocky is a good money match to set up for the future, although I didn't personally love the finish they did in the tag match. Kinda slow.

SUNDAY WEEK 1 APRIL 1997 Langley, British Columbia (803 in attendance) Broadcast on Alberta On Air (4,065) and BCB (3,828). Combined Rating <0.01 DeColt Boys Promo 76 ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE VS THE FLOCK 42 Rogers tries to win back Monton 40 ROCKY PSYCHO VS HOWLING DOG 26 Barry Bowen Promo 44 Frenchie's Five: Lightest 40 BUBBLEWEIGHT TITLE 5-WAY 32 Dan DaLay Promo 38 Upcoming Events /w Mammoth 43 SCHOOL OF TRADITION VS THE DECOLT BOYS 61 New Students Attack 59 FINAL RATING 62 I had a little fun teasing it, but Eric Tyler isn't done. No reason for plans to change. Yet. Feeling rough today. If I did have anything I wanted to wax poetic about I've forgotten. Psycho/Dog was poorly received, but it was a very short storyline match with a lot of penalties built into the concept of it. Mammoth's a better promo than I've been giving him credit for. He's fine. I've let worse talkers talk. Next week on Title Bout Wrestling... CGC World TItle: Ed Monton vs Steve DeColt Land Mass & Mammoth vs Eddie Chandler & Johnny Maverick Dirty Frank vs Xander Robinson