1PWfan

I'm really enjoying the previews- having lost touch with this dynasty for a while it's nice to have a solid intro to what's coming up

Brian Pillman vs Rick Rude Pillman's better than his record- I'm backing him for a late season run- but Rude's one of your top stars Larry Zbyzsko vs Ric Flair Yeah, this is kind of obvious Bam Bam Bigelow vs Steve Williams This could go either way but I just feel like Williams is gonna take it Sting vs Scott Steiner Steiner's not yet at the level Sting is Big Van Vader vs Kevin Sullivan I could absolutely see Sullivan sneaking an upset win against a major competitor but it wouldn't feel believable against Vader. Ricky Steamboat vs Nobuhiko Takada Takada's clearly someone you're behind but come on, it's The Dragon. Lex Luger vs Rick Steiner If I were booking this Rick would definitely go over. But I'm not, and Luger's a bigger star at this stage Arn Anderson vs Powerhouse Simmons Simmons won't suffer much for a loss here and Arn needs the win to stay in the mid-table position he belongs in

Could somebody put a suit or shirt on this luchador? I just feel like that 'tache needs a smart outfit to go with it.

Brian Pillman vs Larry Zbyszko Big Van Vader vs Sting Lex Luger vs Scott Steiner Bam Bam Bigelow vs Rick Steiner for the United States Championship Nobuhiko Takada vs Powerhouse Simmons Steve Williams vs Rick Rude Arn Anderson vs Ric Flair Ricky Steamboat vs Kevin Sullivan

That's great, thankyou!

Could somebody put a more colourful shirt on this Eddy Cornell re-render? It'd be great if they could lighten the hair up as well but the shirt's the main thing

Arn Anderson vs StingLex Luger vs Larry ZbyszkoRicky Steamboat vs Ric FlairRick Steiner vs Rick RudeBrian Pillman vs Big Van VaderNobuhiko Takada vs Kevin SullivanSteve Williams vs Scott SteinerBam Bam Bigelow vs Powerhouse Simmons for the United States Championship

Steve Williams vs Big Van Vader I would pay money to see this match. Vader takes the win to build towards a finale with Flair. Rick Steiner vs Larry Zbyzsko One of these guys is a future star, one is not. Lex Luger vs Arn Anderson I could see it going the other way for sure but I just figure Arn's technical ability fits better with the serious feel of the product. Rick Rude vs Scott Steiner Steiner's got bags of potential but Rude's at his peak right now Ron Simmons vs Ric Flair for the United States Championship I could see this going the other way as Flair's, well, Ric Flair, but at the same time Simmons is a rising prospect and it's not like Flair needs the US title anyway. Ricky Steamboat vs Brian Pillman A big upset to keep things interesting. Bam Bam Bigelow vs Kevin Sullivan I prefer Bigelow Nobuhiko Takada vs Sting I'm sure Takada's great but he ain't The Stinger

I don't know the mod you seem to be using for this game but I love the characters in this dynasty- ordinarily hardcore wrestling and joshi are two things I know nothing about but this is really interesting.

Well heck, all I did was fiddle about with the booking, if you did actual analysis then you're almost certainly better informed than I am.

Thanks for the explanation, that makes sense.

Kevin Sullivan vs Ric Flair Flair's my pick to take the whole thing, and I figure on him being the last undefeated competitor in the game so he won't go down in round 3. Nobuhiko Takada vs Brian Pillman I don't know Japanese wrestlers outside of the last 5 years or so, so I'll go with the guy I know Bam Bam Bigelow vs Scott Steiner I'm surprised you don't have the Steiners in the Tag Grand Prix, they seem like a better fit there Rick Rude vs Larry Zbyzsko Rude was amazing in this period and Zbyzsko was never on that level. Steve Williams vs Arn Anderson Ordinarily I'd go the other way but it feels like you're building something with Dr. Death Powerhouse Simmons vs Sting Can't pick between them so I'm going for a draw Rick Steiner vs Big Van Vader Again, I figure the Steiners would be better off in the Tag Division Ricky Steamboat vs Lex Luger Eh, this is really a coinflip Quick question: how do the titles figure into the Grand Prix? I didn't read your last dynasty so I'm a bit lost as to how those fit in

I've done some experimenting with this, and the best time to use highlights focus over regular is for an angles-heavy promotion with a weaker undercard- that way you can build around your strongest workers. I'd say it's more of an alternative to consistent focus than regular.

I'm really enjoying this dynasty- I don't have the Cverse 97 database so it's sometimes hard to keep track of who's who but the main characters are easy to follow and I love your format with the podcast covering the backstage narrative. My only issue is that about half the images won't load for me- it's probably a thing at my end but it's very distracting

Okay, so remember how I said the next show would be up three days ago? Well, it might be next Sunday now instead. Long story short I accidentally deleted the save file for this game whilst clearing out my hard drive and whilst I've got an up-to-date back-up somewhere I'm not quite sure which external hard drive/memory stick it's on so restoring the game's taking a while.

So, Night One's in the books, let's look at how the predictions went: 5/7 for HerrBear, who lost out to solo victories from Sharp & Heath 6/7 for James the Animator, who only missed out on the technical showcase. 5/7 for Regis. That leaves James the Animator with the fan question for this round. Next show will probably go up Sunday evening.

NYCW Empire Title: Thom Barrowman vs. Angry Gilmore © I don't see a reason for Gilmore to drop the title just yet American Machine vs. ‘The Georgia Bulldog’ Riley McManus I like Riley but he's not a GODDAMN AMERICAN HERO NYCW Tag Team Titles: The LA Stars vs. Cross River Connection © CRC are probably my favourite act of this whole dynasty Bart Biggins vs. Richie Riggins Riggins feels like a more compelling character to me Brutus Milano, Sal DiMeo & Spike Sylvain vs. Honest Enterprises (Harper, Kobe & Frank Jr.) Bit of a shock here maybe but I've got a soft spot for Brutus NYCW Tri-State Title: Denny King vs. Danny Hagman © Is Danny Hagman a randomly generated guy? I don't recognize the name. Either way, I don't see a title change here Charlie Corner vs. The Masked Mauler I like him more Freedom Eagle vs. Howlin Mad Mort I'm surprised you kept mort around without Whittaker Davis Wayne Newton vs. Greg Black I will predict against Greg Black until he becomes Groucho Bling again

CWW Summer Sizzler Tour Night One Record as live at Sham 69 Friday, Week 3, July Audience: 88 The Show Grant Taypen vs. Gavin Owen We kicked things off with the technical showcase, featuring two guys more used to tag competition. It was as good as you’d expect it to be; Grant may not be terribly exciting, and Gavin may not be terribly experienced, but they’re both terribly good at technical wrestling and got the chance to show it here. It’s interesting that Gav was clearly the stronger performer of the two- I’m still figuring out the impact of inexperience on performance, and on the basis of this one it’s not as big a factor as might be feared. Of course it helps that Grant’s got enough experience to carry most of our rookies, and given that Gav’s pretty great anyway I’m guessing it’s a matter of native talent mattering more. Grant took the win here, nailing Gav with a Single-Arm DDT to boost his team’s credentials for a rematch down the line. Winner: Grant Taypen Match Rating: 37 * Pinfall Peters vs. Jonni Leyland vs. Jon Michael Sharp vs. Glen Ward This was a filler match- I realised none of these guys had a match booked for the show so I threw them into a four-way to get them on the card. As you might imagine the results were a little mixed; all four of these guys are talented but with Jonni and Glen’s stamina problems I had this running at about 20 minutes, slightly too short given that JMS is one of our biggest names. Plus, of course, there’s a gap between Pinfall Peters and the other three; I like Pinfall, don’t get me wrong, but he’s working towards a solid midcard role whereas the other three are all at least established players with serious title credentials (well, maybe not Jonni but he’s still way ahead of Peters). I gave Jon the win here as the worker closest to the main event, and he pinned Pinfall Peters with the Flying Cross Body. Winner: Jon Michael Sharp Match Rating: 33 * Jermaine Granger & The Black Country Boys vs. Lynton Minehead and Cross & Archer I’d booked this to be the show-stealer, forgetting that absolutely none of these guys should be anywhere near that kind of match. Honestly I cannot wait for our product to finish transitioning to the new direction; if I’d been a bit more on it I’d have started it back in the spring and we’d be in a better position for the tour. Still, I just need to be more careful with my booking and accept that these six guys are all in need of heavy duty work. On the plus side, Jermaine and the BCB’s looked better which is good as they’re the ones I have plans for- Gazz was the strongest performer but Jermain wasn’t far behind and Mickey lagged behind the other two but wasn’t bad. As for the other guys, Bryn was the best and Myles and Lynton were pretty rubbish, as you’d expect. Still, our fans enjoyed the match so ultimately it really only sucked in comparison to what everyone else can do. Jermaine got the win here, pinning Myles with a Frog Splash. Winners: Jermaine Granger & The Black Country Boys Match Rating: 24 * JK Lee vs. Walter Morgan Next up on the ‘Walt puts over the future’ tour we had a win for our reigning King of the North in a match that definitely put us back on track. JK needed a big win to get some momentum going after a couple of major losses and Walter’s enough of a name for a win to matter, even if the match suffered for being too short for a top match (largely because Walter can’t handle long matches any more). Sure enough, JK looked like the star he is whilst Walt looked like what he is; a nearly 50 year-old man who’s physically struggling to go the way he used to. Still, now he’s been in a couple of big matches he can start working his way through the younger guys and get some wins back whilst teaching them how to work (first stop: Lynton, who needs all the help he can get). JK put Walt away with the Crossface, as per usual (seriously, I can’t remember the last time JK pinned someone). Winner: JK Lee Match Rating: 40 * Aurelian Bradley vs. Neil Warburton Okay, this one’s my fault. I’d originally booked it to be the technical showcase and when I moved things round I forgot to correct the length, so it came off as too short and it really hurt the overall reception. On the plus side it was otherwise pretty good; Aurelian’s young but already developing in the right direction and Neil’s already a terrific hand. Inexperience was definitely an issue here, though; I don’t think we have more than four or five years of combined experience between these two and nearly all of that’s Neil, so there were the usual bits of awkwardness you’d expect from a couple of rookies. Mind you, at our level I’ll take what I can get and two inexperienced but talented workers is better than two experienced hacks. Neil took the win here; Aurelian will definitely be Submissions Champion one day but not until he doesn’t have to bring I.D. to the pub. Winner: Aurelian Bradley Match Rating: 33 * Martin Heath vs. Curtis Jenkins vs. Padraig O’Hearne I had a weird feeling of déjà vu about this match but we’ve never had it before. Which is a shame, as it was really good even with Padraig having an off night (I think he must have had to watch an SNP show start to finish). Martin was of course the star of the show as usual; seriously, how has Jeff Nova not noticed how good he is? Not that I’m complaining, mind you, but I figure Martin could out-wrestle at least half the guys on Jeff’s roster. CJ, meanwhile, remains a strong hand who remains our insurance policy for if 21CW do ever come calling, he’s got plug-and-play champ material running bone-deep through him. Padraig, meanwhile, wasn’t as good as he usually is but remains a strong hand who can do pretty much anything we need him to do. Including, as it turns out, taking the loss, as he was put away by Martin Heath with the Flying Fist Drop for the finish. Winner: Martin Heath Match Rating: 51 * Lenny Mochin vs. Leighton Buzzard We ended the night with a strong main event; after a couple of months of bad chemistry Lenny was back to normal and did the business against a strong opponent. Leighton’s sneakily turned into one of our best workers, which suggest that all our surprise top guys are high-flying specialists with a tag team background (I wonder if the Assassins’ Guild are available?); he did a good job in this one and matched up surprisingly well with Lenny’s more grounded style. Mind you, Leighton’s not really a pure high flier the way Martin is, he’s more of what the Japanese call a Super Junior and that slots in well with what we do here; he can fly off the top rope with Martin then get into a more physical slog with Lenny or Padraig. Still, for all his versatility and main-event ability Leighton’s still more of a tag guy and took the loss here, going down to the Eye of the Storm and a hooked leg for the pinfall. Winner: Lenny Mochin Match Rating: 50 Overall Rating: 48, a good solid show after last month’s downturn. Spreading the love this month we give plaudits to JK, Walter and Padraig.

From Sid’s Notebook: Sat down and talked with CJ today- persuaded him to slightly change our product. Up to now we’ve been presenting ourselves in that very Japanese wrestling as a sport style, and that’s not a perfect fit for who we are and where we sit in UK scene. Instead we’ve agreed to move in a slightly lighter direction, more a Pseudo-Sporting look; it’s not a major difference but it does mean that the audience isn’t expecting a show-stealer every single show and we can mix in a few more gimmicks and character bits if we want (not that that’s on the cards or anything but it’s nice to have options). Also, as we’re past the halfway stage of the year TEW.com put out their first look at the potential year-end award winners. Good news for British wrestling, we’re favourites for Wrestler (Edward Cornell), Tag Team (Buff Martinez and J-B Cash aka Hot Stuff), Match (Eddie vs. Adam Matravers, Leigh Burton and Jonathan Faust at Steel Cage Challenge) and Show (Guess) of the Year. Of course, by ‘we’ I mean 21CW but hey, any win for British Wrestling means everyone knows we’re better than the Yanks anyway. With it being the halfway mark me and CJ sat down for a roster review to take stock of where we’re at- I know I’ve been recording my thoughts on a show-by-show basis but this helps put everything side by side, it’s much more holistic (that’s what CJ says, anyway). I’ve also copied JB’s notes on entrance music and move details, mostly because he gets annoyed if nobody else reads his notes. Major Stars Curtis Jenkins Age: 35 Billed From: Wigan, Greater Manchester Entrance Music: Finisher: Fisherman’s Suplex I don’t think you can really emphasise enough what a good boss CJ is; whatever I’ve asked of him he’s done without any posturing or complaint and he’s been a consistently positive influence in the locker room. I’ve probably also undervalued him as a wrestler as well; I’d got it into my head that he was one of those jack-of-all-trades ‘okay at everything but not good at anything’ types but he’s actually one of our best technical wrestlers and can hold his end up well in a brawl as well (he’s even improving as a flyer, though I wouldn’t put him near JMS or Marty yet). Future plans are a little vague but I’m definitely keeping him at the top of the card; provided he’s still at peak fitness next year I wouldn’t rule out taking the King of the North Trophy. JK Lee Current CWW King of the North Age: 26 Billed From: Ipswich, Suffolk Entrance Music: Finisher: Crossface At the start of the year I saw JK as a future CWW Champion and the big rising star of the year. Unfortunately since then he’s been overtaken by other workers and his miserable personality and refusal to back down from a fight means that it’s been easy to drop him down the priority list. He’s still a great worker, though, who’s shown useful improvement in his workrate so he probably deserves some renewed focus in the back half of the year. As for his attitude, I’ve already mentioned how problematic he could be but surrounding him with positive influences has meant that there’s been no trouble so far. I don’t love the potential for trouble if he becomes our top guy but that’s only a potential issue, whereas his actual performance means he’ll be a key player for us for quite a while yet. Jon Michael Sharp & Martin Heath- Sharp & Heath Ages: 32 & 31 Billed From: Leeds, Yorkshire Entrance Music: Finishers: Flying Cross Body (Sharp), Flying Fist Drop (Heath), Disarmer (Double Arm Trap Neckbreaker, Double Team) CWW’s top tag team, the only reason these two don’t have the titles is that they’ve already held them once. Well, that and the fact that Martin’s sneakily become our top performer and de facto next CWW Champion. That was probably the biggest surprise of this year so far; I always knew Martin was a crazy-good high flyer but I didn’t think that was a style our fans would particularly go for. Turns out that they just like any wrestling as long as it’s good, which is fair enough and definitely something I can get behind. As for Jon, he’s definitely a step or two behind his partner but has stronger technical skills to make up for it; he’s unlikely to be a key player but I can’t rule out a Submissions Title run for him in the future. Throw in the fact that both guys are model workers behind the scenes and I want to really emphasise Sharp & Heath as cornerstones of CWW. Lenny Mochin Current CWW Champion Age: 29 Billed From: Woking, Surrey Entrance Music: Finisher: Eye of the Storm (Butterfly Powerbomb) Lenny’s an interesting one; he’s never not delivered in the ring, but as other wrestlers have improved their game and stepped up their performance he’s largely stayed where he was. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still a great wrestler and a good champion, but his improvements feel like minor things that I’m less fussed about, things like his aerial skills or his basics. Throw in two straight months of bad chemistry that limit our main event options and I’m increasingly of the opinion that his time with the top title is coming to an end. Padraig O’Hearne Age: 26 Billed From: Cork, Ireland Entrance Music: Finisher: Crowning Glory (Brainbuster) Padraig’s apparently our top star in terms of drawing power but I’m honestly not sure why. He’s not our most over name, he’s not our most talented worker and he probably isn’t our most charismatic (not that anyone really cares about that anyway). Don’t get me wrong, he’s a very good worker and has improved in some crucial areas but calling him a bigger name than the likes of CJ or Martin seems a stretch. Still, the fact that he’s such a big draw despite some fairly indifferent handling can only be a good thing, and a championship rematch is definitely on the cards. Walter Morgan Age: 46 Billed From: Wigan, Greater Manchester Entrance Music: Finisher: Wigan Wrench (Scissored Armbar), Northern Crossface (Over the Shoulder Crossface) When you’re as close to 50 as Walter is nobody can blame you for being past your best and there’s no point denying that Walter is up here because of name value rather than what he’s capable of in the ring. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still the best technical wrestler we’ve got by some distance but his stamina has dropped off a cliff since the start of the year and he’s physically declining as well. Current plans have him working more with our rookies, guys like Bryn Archer and Jermaine Granger, and giving up the occasional big win to rising stars like JK Lee or Ward & Owen. Stars Gavin Owen Current CWW Tag Team Champion Age: 28 Billed From: Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire Entrance Music: Finishers: Judo Arm Lock, Judo Rolling Leg Lock Gav’s probably the weaker half of our current Tag Champs but not by a lot, and what he lacks in raw talent he makes up for in physical prowess. Really Gav’s biggest issue is his inexperience; he’s got all the raw ability and physical gifts to be a success but he needs more seasoning before I’m ready to put him in a major singles run. He’s a great fit for us, though, and has the kind of legitimate combat sports background that’s an easy sell to our fanbase (and unlike Vernon George he combines that with actual wrestling ability). Glen Ward Current CWW Tag Team Champion Age: 36 Billed From: Barnet, North London Entrance Music: Finishers: Judo Choke-Sleeper Glen’s the slightly stronger worker of our current tag team champs but not by a lot; it’s largely a matter of experience and a couple of key areas like brawling and psychology. The biggest issue with Glen are his physical attributes; he just doesn’t have the stamina or athleticism to handle a main event push and unless that improves there’s very little chance of him moving any further up the card. Plus, of course, the second he gets a better offer he’ll be out of here so it’s hard to build around him long-term anyway. Still, he’s worked out so far in tag team action and everything I said about Gav’s background applies to Glen as well. Grant Taypen & Leighton Buzzard- Taypen & Buzzard Ages: 30 & 27 Billed From: White City, London & Southwark, London Entrance Music: Finishers: Single Arm DDT (Taypen), Buzz Off (Spinning Heel Kick, Buzzard), Missile Double Impact (Missile Dropkick/Electric Chair Drop combo, Tag Team) The former tag champs are a little in limbo at the moment, with no clear indication as to where they fit in the rankings post-title run. They’re both good hands, Leighton a little more so than Grant, but nothing about them jumps out as particularly astonishing at the moment. Still, they’ve both shown solid improvement (Leighton in particular has come on leaps and bounds from where he started the year) and if they continue to improve I could definitely see one or both of them getting a protracted singles run with one of the titles; Leighton in particular could either slot into the Submissions scene (he’s more of a high flier but a surprisingly competent mat wrestler) or potentially follow Martin into a main event role. Jonni Leyland Age: 34 Billed From: Manchester Entrance Music: Finisher: Low Down (Swinging Reverse STO) Jonni might be considered a star performer but I definitely see him as a midcard anchor, he’s at his best working shorter matches with our younger talent, helping them improve. There’s not really a lot more to say about him; he’s a solid high flier who can brawl and wrestle a bit, and whilst he’s nowhere near main event level he’s definitely improved in some key areas (stamina’s probably the big one). I don’t figure on him being a key player around the titles any time soon but he’s useful in an anchor role and could become a serious tag contender if we bring Johnny Highspot in. That’s not on the cards any time soon but Your New Favourite Team were a good unit and if a gap opens up I wouldn’t be opposed to bringing them in. Neil Warburton Current CWW Submissions Champion Age: 23 Billed From: Sheffield, Yorkshire Entrance Music: Finisher: Texas Deathlock (Indian Deathlock) Neil started the year as a solid midcard champion with little chance of moving up the card, and at the halfway stage he’s moving increasingly close to the main event. Experience remains an issue, as does the potential for a major tantrum if things go wrong (Neil’s not a bad guy but he’s infernal touchy), but in terms of talent there’s very few better than Mr. Warburton on our roster. I’m still sorting out who our next Submissions champion will be so Neil’s push isn’t likely to skyrocket in the near future, but fortunately he’s ideally suited to his current role. Well-Known Jermaine Granger Age: 20 Billed From: Birmingham, West Midlands Entrance Music: Finisher: Frog Splash I like Jermaine but I’ll freely admit I don’t really know what to do with him. He’s got a lot of potential but there’s some major weaknesses in his game that need to be developed, especially his consistency. I split him off from his team with Myles because I think he’s better suited to singles work but it’s fair to say there’s still a lot of work to do before he’s ready for a major push. Don’t get me wrong, the raw materials are all there and the improvement does seem to be happening but there’s a gap between where Jermaine is right now and the guys ahead of him in the booking order. Myles Cross Age: 21 Billed From: Mile End, London Entrance Music: Finisher: Spinning Back Fist It’s interesting to compare Myles to his former tag partner Jermaine; both of them are in that ‘improving but still raw’ bracket but in different ways. With Myles, his fundamentals are strong (except his poor selling) but his workrate’s pretty mediocre, though both are improving surprisingly quickly. The biggest issue with Myles is really his attitude; though he’s never caused a problem that’s more down to how many good people I’ve surrounded him with. He’s a selfish pr*ck with a lousy temper- not in and of itself a major problem (heck, he’s no worse than JK and we like him) but it does put him at the top of the cut list. Pinfall Peters Age: 22 Billed From: Hull, Yorkshire Entrance Music: Finishers: Bridged Back Suplex, Oklahoma Roll, Bridging Roll Up Pinfall Peters is kind of the physical ideal of a CWW midcarder; if I had my way everybody outside the main event would be variations on him. Admittedly it’d be nice if he could become a bit less one-dimensional but at least he’s improving (not enough but it’s only been six months and it’s going to take at least another six before he’s even a mediocre brawler). He’s my current favourite for next Submissions Champion but probably needs a little more seasoning before he’s ready, not to mention a boost in momentum. Recognisable Aurelian Bradley Age: 18 Billed From: Swansea, Wales Entrance Music: Finisher: Figure Four Leglock The only problem with Aurelian is his age; in almost every other respect he’s already one of our best young wrestlers. As I said, though, at 18 he’s the youngest guy on our roster and that means he’s some ways down the pecking order, if only to make sure he doesn’t develop an attitude problem through being pushed too far too early. Besides, there’s still things I’d like to see him improve, especially his psychology, so whilst he’s too good to be a consistent jobber he’s probably going to a kind of junior version of Jonni Leyland- win against lower guys, lose against top veterans who can help him improve. Bryn Archer Age: 20 Billed From: Pontypool, Wales Entrance Music: Finisher: Spinning Elbow Strike Bryn improved a lot in the early part of the year- it’s why I brought him in- but he’s tailed off a bit since then and is largely settled into a similar role to Myles Cross as a decent undercard brawler with a lot of room for improvement. Of course, unlike his new tag partner Bryn’s a quiet guy who doesn’t make trouble so he’s got a much longer shelf life. Gazz Vedmore & Mickey Robson- The Black Country Boys Ages: 22 & 24 Billed From: The Black Country Entrance Music: https://i.imgur.com/i6jPqjF.jpg[/img]"]Gudbuy t’Jane- Slade Finishers: Rolling DDT (Gazz), Package Piledriver, Short Arm Lariat (Both Robson) Our newest tag team, The Black Country Boys have a lot of promise but are definitely on the rookie side of our projects-to-stars gap. There’s plenty to work with here, no two ways about it, and a specialist tag team with good chemistry is always useful but as individuals neither Mickey or Gazz are much to write home about. They’re both solid enough, Gazz more so than his partner, but solid is about the best you can say, there’s plenty I’d like to see them improve. Lynton Minehead Age: 19 Billed From: Wigan, Greater Manchester Entrance Music: Finisher: Tombstone Piledriver Lynton’s biggest problem is that he’s yet to improve on his big weaknesses. Some areas have developed, that’s for sure, but his psychology and selling are both not good and haven’t improved at all since the start of the year. Really, the biggest plus point in his favour right now is that he’s British Samurai’s protégé, otherwise he’d be second behind Myles on the bubble; he’s not a bad guy but I don’t like the lack of key improvement and all the new signing have really come in ahead of him. Vernon George Age: 25 Billed From: Leeds, Yorkshire Entrance Music: Finisher: Knock Out Left Hook Two things count in Vernon’s favour; firstly he keeps winning his MMA fights which gives him an air of well-earned toughness. Secondly, he’s a Leeds-Bradford boy and we’ve got to stick together. Otherwise, though, he kinda sucks; there’s been no improvement in his truly dreadful fundamentals, and okay he’s been away from wrestling for a while training for his fight but that doesn’t make it better. I’ll give him a chance to improve but as it stands he’s not going to be winning a huge amount, I don’t know if there’s anyone I’d put below him in the pecking order. Non-Wrestlers Justin Blackham and Jackie Goldstein- the Commentary Team JB and Jackie are both perfectly adequate at what they do and cause no problems so they’re here for the long haul. In all honesty Jackie’s more than good enough to fly solo at the desk but I prefer two-person teams and the colour options weren’t as good, plus JB’s knowledge and history with ROF is a good fit for us. I see no reason not to keep these two around, though I’m not opposed to bringing in a third voice if the right one becomes available. Sid Chaudhry and Allan Granger- The Referees Leaving aside the fact that I can’t fire myself, I’m perfectly happy with the work of our ref team thus far. Allan’s a boozy old thing but he’s a good guy and has actually sharpened his game up over the last few months- not bad considering he’s the oldest member of the roster by a good 12 or so years- so there’s no reason to bring in an extra hand to augment the two of us. Not that any such hands exist (I mean, Jackie could as he can do basically everything but I prefer him on commentary) but hey, at least it’s not a problem. British Samurai- The Road Agent BritSam’s the best road agent in the British Isles not named Cliff Wilson so why on earth would I want to get rid of him? The only possible downside is that he’s fairly expensive but he’s worth every penny so he’s here until he says otherwise. And even if he does choose to leave we’ll probably grab him round the ankles and try to stop him going anyway. *** Card for CWW Summer Showdown Night One: FOR THE CWW CHAMPIONSHIP Lenny Mochin © vs. Leighton Buzzard Martin Heath vs. Curtis Jenkins vs. Padraig O’Hearne JK Lee vs. Walter Morgan Grant Taypen vs. Gavin Owen FOR THE CWW SUBMISSIONS TITLE Neil Warburton © vs. Aurelian Bradley Pinfall Peters vs. Jonni Leyland vs. Jon Michael Sharp vs. Glen Ward Jermaine Granger & The Black Country Boys vs. Lynton Minehead and Cross & Archer Card for CWW Summer Sizzler Tour Night Two: FOR THE CWW CHAMPIONSHIP Lenny Mochin/Leighton Buzzard © vs. Martin Heath Grant Taypen, Jon Michael Sharp and Leighton Buzzard/Lenny Mochin vs. Curtis Jenkins, JK Lee and Padraig O’Hearne FOR THE CWW TAG TEAM TITLES Ward & Owen © vs. The Black Country Boys FOR THE CWW SUBMISSIONS TITLE Neil Warburton © vs. Jonni Leyland Pinfall Peters vs. Myles Cross vs. Aurelian Bradley Jermaine Granger vs. Bryn Archer Walter Morgan vs. Lynton Minehead Quick note; whilst the predictions are being posted simultaneously shows will go up as usual with a gap between them, with fan questions being handled separately. Unless I change my mind

So, let's take a look at predictions: 6/7 for Regis, with only the opening match tripping you up (I'm not entirely surprised, this wasn't one of my favourite cards and that always makes them more predictable). 5/7 for HerrBear, though it could easily have been 6 as I was considering giving the tag win to Padraig and JK. The formatting hasn't quite worked out the way I wanted it to here, but James the Animator gets the perfect score and once again has the question. Here's the response to your last one: Bryn: I don't really think in those kind of terms. I mean, in an ideal world I'd like to be working in 21CW in a big role but so much of this business is about luck and chance that there's no way I can actually control what happens next. I prefer to focus on the here and now and being the best young prospect in CWW. Next show will probably go up tonight.

CWW Throwdown Recorded as live at LeChuck’s Revenge Friday, Week 3, June Audience: 87 The Show Neil Warburton vs. Grant Taypen As usual we kicked things off with our technical showcase and Submissions Title match. It was just about the best it’s ever been; Grant’s a great hand and Neil continues to develop into a serious prospect, although how much is native talent and how much is momentum remains to be seen. Whatever the case, this was a terrific opener that got the show off on just the right footing and didn’t show any poor chemistry, which is great as we’ll definitely come back to this match on the Summer Sizzler tour. Neil took the win; I was seriously considering having Grant win the belt but there are other options out there that I want to explore first, and in any case I want Neil to rack up as many defences as possible first to boost his credentials for a potential top run. Winner: Neil Warburton Match Rating: 36 * Aurelian Bradley vs. Pinfall Peters I wasn’t sure how this one would go; Bradley looked good on paper, but anything could happen once he’s in the ring and for all I know he’s a habitual crack smoker who’d turn up high and botch the whole match. Fortunately he wasn’t (not that I really thought he would be, to be fair), and whilst his lack of name value probably affected how well he performed this was a decent match that did everything I wanted it to. It probably helped that Peters was on the other side of the ring; his momentum tanked after a couple of big losses but even with that in mind I’d put Peters as our most reliable mid-level guy, and once I get that momentum warmed back up he’s due another go-round at the Submissions Title. As is Aurelian, to be honest; he’s ideally suited to holding that belt and a couple of wins on the summer tour would make him a good choice for a shot if we swing through Wales. This show, however, took place in Newcastle, so Pinfall Peters got the win with an Oklahoma Roll at 12:20. Winner: Pinfall Peters Match Rating: 28 * The Black Country Boys vs. Cross & Archer This was a step down from the last couple of matches but I always knew it would be; the talented guys in this match aren’t as over and the (relatively) over guys aren’t as talented. Cross looked pretty good here by his standards, but those aren’t great standards to begin with. I’m not cutting anyone yet but if I was he’d be on the bubble, he’s improved but not by enough to make up for issues with his selling or the looming possibility of serious backstage problems (though with Walt and The BCB’s around that’s even less likely than it used to be). On the plus side, his new team with Bryn looks promising and Bryn himself was alright; don’t get me wrong, he wasn’t any better than Myles but Bryn’s fundamentals have just shot up since he debuted with us and that’s worth paying attention to. As for Gazz and Mickey, they’ve got the chemistry and fluidity of a way more experienced unit, but our fans are still getting to know them so I’m gonna hold off on putting the titles around their waists just yet (especially since Ward & Owen are so good). Still, the debutants are the guys with the big future so they got the win here, with Mickey nailing Bryn with his Package Piledriver to secure the fall. Winners: The Black Country Boys Match Rating: 24 * Ward & Owen vs Jermaine Granger and Lynton Minehead There was no way I could credibly sell this as a title match, hence the non-title designation for what was essentially a pilot scheme to see if Jermaine and Lynton would gel as a team. The results weren’t bad- there weren’t any chemistry issues or anything- but I’m pretty sure this won’t become a permanent fixture. Lynton’s improving, don’t get me wrong, but the fact that Jermaine was off his game and still the better performer indicates that the talent gap here isn’t in Jermaine’s favour. I like him, and I think Jermaine has solo potential, so he’s gonna stay solo for now and we’ll see how it goes (and if it doesn’t work out there are certainly better options out there). As for the champs, this one was never going to tell me anything new; they’re both good, Glen’s better but Gav’s easier to work with, end of story really. They took the win here, as you’d obviously expect, with Glen forcing Lynton to submit to a Judo Rolling Leglock. Winners: Ward & Owen Match Rating: 31 * Curtis Jenkins vs. Jonni Leyland vs. Leighton Buzzard I’m exploring options on moving away from a product that needs a show-stealer, but for now we still need one and I picked this triple threat as the best option. It actually worked out really well; Jonni still isn’t really cut out for it and the crowd didn’t like how (comparatively) short the match was but in every other respect it delivered. Leighton in particular is looking really good at the moment; I’m not breaking up his team with Grant Taypen but let’s face it, one of them looks more like a solo star than the other and it ain’t the one they call Pig Boy. As for Jonni, I’ve already said he doesn’t really suit this kind of intensity but he’s no disaster or anything and he’s one of the options I’m looking at for a potential Submissions Title run (it doesn’t really suit his style but he does at least know a leg lock from a padlock). That just leaves CJ, who remains a top player and consistent performer despite being on paper a fairly mediocre all-rounder; mind you, he might not be better than anyone else at something but he competes at everything and that counts for a lot. Also, he’s willingly taken some big losses in the past so I gave him the win here, which he got via Fisherman’s Suplex to Leighton after Buzzard had taken out Jonni with the Buzz Off. Winner: Curtis Jenkins Match Rating: 44 * Sharp & Heath vs. Lee & O’Hearne I want you to understand, I’m not saying that Sharp & Heath are the best Tag Team in British wrestling. I’m just saying that they’re definitely in that conversation and I can’t think of many better units at the moment. Martin continues to build an argument as to why we’re idiots for not putting every title in the world on him, he’s insanely good, whilst JMS is quietly carving out a niche as the strongest of our second tier stars, guys like him and Leighton that are maybe main event level but not on a consistent basis. Across the ring their competition are both pretty good but need a bit more direction and a proper plan; Lee won the King of the North but last month’s chemistry issues with Lenny and concerns over his backstage influence have put him on a losing streak over the last couple of months and O’Hearne hasn’t really had anything specific to do all year. If we did feuds and the like that’d be easier but that’s not something that really fits with our product at the moment, so I guess I’ll just have to find them a couple of good strong wins to get them back on track. At least their losses have come in really good matches like this one, which ended with Sharp & Heath nailing Padraig with The Disarmer for the victory. Winners: Sharp & Heath Match Rating: 50 * Lenny Mochin vs. Walter Morgan Two straight months with bad chemistry in the main event; at this point Lenny’s shelf life as champion is coming to an end. Admittedly this one was less of an issue as Walt’s not long for the main event; he basically came in here to drain off some pop and then we’ll drop him into the midcard where he can work with the rookies and play elder statesman until he retires. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled we were able to bring him in and we could really use him but, well, he’s 46 and on the downslope of his career, main events are basically not on the cards for him. As for Lenny, he’s a great individual worker but an ideal top guy can work with everyone on the roster and two cases of bad chemistry are really two more than I’d like him to have. Even once his run’s come to an end I’d expect him to stay near the top of the card, mind, but when you’re not champion I can afford to be more selective with where I put you so there won’t be as much pressure on Lenny to deliver every single time. As I’ve already said, though, Walter isn’t and never will be the man to take the title and he did the job here, losing out after Lenny hit him with the Eye of the Storm. Winner: Lenny Mochin Match Rating: 40 Overall Rating: 41, quite a comedown from last month. Leighton, Gav and JMS get the praise tonight to spread the love around a bit.

The CWW-Cast “Hello fans and welcome to another edition of the CWW-cast. I’m your host Justin Blackham, joined by broadcast partner, CWW Analyst Jackie Goldstein.” “At this time of year we’re looking ahead to our Summer Sizzler tour that takes us all over the UK but before that we have CWW Throwdown and at this show we’ll see a range of new stars debuting for Championship Wrestling from Wigan.” “On tonight’s episode we’ll take a look at these debuting stars and what you can expect from them in CWW” “First among the big debuts is Aurelian Bradley, the Welsh technician fighting out of Swansea.” “Bradley’s a graduate of the National School of Wrestling and one of the finest young technical wrestlers on the independent circuit. With his emphasis on technical mat wrestling and deadly figure four leglock you have to assume the Submission Title is firmly in his sights.” “He’s no veteran though- Bradley’s only 18 and has been wrestling for just over a year.” “Yeah, and you’ve got to assume the great team at FightAnalytics.com are going to bear that in mind as they work out his CVOA and his ranking in the company. But make no mistake, Bradley may be 18 but so was Tommy Cornell once and now? He’s the greatest wrestler in the world.” “Can’t argue with that, so let’s move onto our next big arrival…” “…Gazz Vedmore and Mickey Robson, The Black Country Boys.” “The best thing to come out of Wolverhampton since the music of Slade. Fans have been clamouring for CWW to bring these lads in since the start of the year and now that wish has come true.” “These two will surely challenge for the Tag Team Titles in the near future.” “Yeah, but to get there they’ll have to get through a lot of other great teams and that won’t be easy. Look for them to chalk up some big wins in the division before going for the titles, Gazz and Mickey aren’t fools and know they’ve got to prove themselves before getting the title shot they’re after.” “And on that note, let’s turn to the last and undoubtedly the biggest of all our new signings…” “The greatest catch wrestler in all the UK, Coventry’s own Walter Morgan has returned to the UK and we are thrilled to announce that he will be challenging for the CWW Championship at Throwdown.” “Has there ever been a more natural fit for CWW than Walter Morgan? This is a competitor steeped in the traditions of classic British wrestling, exactly the kind of style we at CWW promote.” “I can remember seeing Walter in his prime back in Ring of Fire and honestly, there were maybe three wrestlers in the whole UK who could have matched up in pure technical terms. Two of them are retired, and the last is fighting in Europe and hasn’t competed in the UK for a few years now.” “Now let’s be honest here, at 46 years old Walter’s definitely not in the prime of his career, but that also means he’s seen pretty much every trick you can think of. We’ve got some great wrestlers here in CWW, and the big question is, will the likes of Lenny Mochin or Curtis Jenkins be able to out-muscle Walter? Because believe me, even at 46 there’s no way you’ll out-think The Shooter.” “Certainly a main event to look forward to at Throwdown. Now that’s all we’ve time for tonight fans, but stick around for the credits and we’ll run down the full card as well…” *** Card for CWW Throwdown: FOR THE CWW CHAMPIONSHIP Lenny Mochin © vs. Walter Morgan Shark & Heath vs. Lee & O’Hearne Curtis Jenkins vs. Jonni Leyland vs. Leighton Buzzard FOR THE CWW SUBMISSIONS TITLE Neil Warburton © vs. Grant Taypen NON-TITLE TAG TEAM SHOWCASE Ward & Owen vs. Lynton Minehead & Jermaine Granger The Black Country Boys vs. Cross & Archer Pinfall Peters vs. Aurelian Bradley

So, show's in the bank (quite a long way in the bank, to be fair, but work scheduling and such means that posts will be irregular for the forseeable), let's see how predictions went. 3/5 (I'm assuming you picked Padraig over Lynton as it's really bleedin' obvious), having missed on the two big matches. Fair enough, really, the semi-main was a 50/50 toss-up and nobody ever really predicts a draw. 4/5 for James the Animator, as once again the Main Event Draw puts paid to a perfect record. 3/5 for Regis, who came out the same as HerrBear. Also, here's your question: Fan question for CJ: You did a long stint in America with MAW. Are there any wrestlers from your time there that you'd like to see do a stint in CWW one day? Curtis Jenkins: Two names really spring to mind- Al Coleman and Ricky Turner. I don't know that they're globally known stars but they were great technical workers who deserve way more recognition than they've got so I'd love to see them in CWW. And of course it'd be great to team back up with Riley and get The Atlantic Connection going again. Anyway, the winner of this predictions contest is James the Animator, who gets the fan question this month. Next show will be up either tonight or tomorrow, depending on how my schedule shakes out.

CWW Only the Strong Recorded as live at LeChuck’s Revenge Friday, Week 3, May Audience: 77 The Show Ward & Owen vs. Neil Warburton & Jonni Leyland We kicked things off with our usual technical showcase, giving our new tag champs their first title defence. It worked as well as ever; three of the four guys are absolute technical specialists, and whilst Jonni was definitely the odd man out he at least knows the basics and did as good a job as he could. That’s actually something I’ll have to keep an eye on when the summer hiring spree starts- we’ve got a lot of dedicated specialists (brawlers, puro guys, even some high flyers) but very few versatile all-rounders, it’s basically just Jonni and CJ and even then Leyland’s more of a high flier who can sort of mat wrestle a bit. As for the other three, Glen was definitely the star performer here but I’ve no complaints about Neil or Gav, they were perfectly fine. Glen got the win, locking Jonni in the Judo Choke-Sleeper and forcing the submission. Winners: Ward & Owen Match Rating: 36 * Pinfall Peters vs. Bryn Archer This was probably the weakest match we’ve had since the King of the North tournament; I’d overestimated Peters’ ability to carry a greenhorn (I wonder where that term comes from?) like Bryn. Still, compared to where we were at the start of the year this was pretty good, and Bryn’s biggest problem is simply that he’s very inexperienced. Given more time to develop, and the right opponents, I’m confident that he’ll eventually get there and in any case, he’s definitely better than the likes of Vernon George. Peters was good but nothing more; I like him but he’s definitely still got room to grow. In a few months I could definitely see him getting a run with the Submissions Title but that’s for the future; for now Peters got the win to help build up his momentum after a couple of losses. That victory came (naturally enough) via pinfall, as he put Bryn away with the Bridging Roll-Up. Winner: Pinfall Peters Match Rating: 28 * Cross & Granger vs. Taypen & Buzzard One of the big advantages of having Grant and Leighton drop the belts is that I could immediately book them against our weakest tag team without undermining the belts. The results were about what you’d expect; the former champs were great, Jermaine was alright, Myles wasn’t particularly good but has improved since the start of the year. I’m not massively sure what to do with Myles, to be honest; he’s improved and deserves to be kept around for a while if he continues to avoid making trouble but I don’t love his team with Jermaine, there’s a big talent gap and I’d rather put them with other partners who match their styles better. Let’s put it this way; Myles with Bryn is an equal pairing that can develop together; Jermaine with a different partner could conceivably challenge for the titles and feel credible. Cross & Granger, though, are just a filler tag team that I’ve no plans and no major use for; they took the loss here to give the former champs some momentum back, with Taypen pinning Granger after the Missile Double Impact (Missile Dropkick/Electric Chair Drop combo) Winners: Taypen & Buzzard Match Rating: 32 * Padraig O’Hearne vs. Lynton Minehead Man, I cannot figure Lynton out at all. On paper he’s one of our brightest young prospects but every time I give him the chance to really stake his claim he comes up way short. Take this match; I booked it as our designated show-stealer and thought Lynton had the intensity and style to at least do something, instead of which he completely shrivelled up and couldn’t perform at all. Honestly, if our fans didn’t expect it I wouldn’t book any more of these bl**dy things, we’ve got maybe three people who can handle the matches and they’re all needed in big match spots that use different booking rules. Fortunately enough Padraig’s one of the ones who can, so whilst I’m annoyed at this match’s existence it wasn’t that bad or anything. You really should be able to guess who won here. Winner: Padraig O’Hearne Match Rating: 33 * Jon Michael Sharp vs. JK Lee This was predictably good, given that JK’s still one of our top guys and JMS isn’t exactly a slouch himself. I’m not sure what to do with JK, to be honest; his chemistry issues with Lenny make a rematch unlikely in the near future so the CWW Championship’s back-burnered and him and Padraig have probably outgrown the Tag titles for now (plus, y’know, new champions). I figure for right now we’ll keep him around the top of the card and just cool off his push a little, give some other guys a chance to show what they can do and come back to Lee when the titles have moved round and he’s got a new opportunity. As for JMS, he’s a long way behind his partner but a good hand in every other respect- I haven’t ruled out putting him with another partner but finding the right one will be tricky and I don’t especially want to split Sharp & Heath right now anyways. He took the win here- like I said, I’m cooling JK’s push a little and JMS deserves a win- via a flash roll-up, preserving at least a little of JK’s momentum even in defeat. Winner: Jon Michael Sharp Match Rating: 44 * Lenny Mochin vs. Curtis Jenkins vs. Martin Heath It says something about how good Martin is that he was having an off-day and was still the top performer in this match. Okay, so not by much but still, it’s a matter of when, not if, Martin becomes CWW Champion. Not that Lenny’s done a bad job at all, mind you; he was only a half-step at most behind Martin in performance terms and has done a great job of consistently delivering main-event level matches. Okay, so he’ll drop the title at some point, but make no mistake, the only reason Lenny will drop out of the main event is if 21CW comes a-calling. As for CJ, he’s a good hand, a great boss and did a good job in this match even if he wasn’t quite as good as either of the other two. I don’t see him as necessarily a franchise player for us anymore but I’m not giving him too many losses anyway, he’s too reliable to waste on filler matches. This went to a time-limit draw as I didn’t want anyone here to lose- all three guys are needed to main event the Summer tour and this was mostly a pilot run to spot any potential chemistry issues. Winner: None Match Rating: 49 Overall Rating: 47, our best show yet. The main event gets all the plaudits for delivering our best match yet.

Okay, slight change of plan: I'm going to put off posting the show for a day. Not for any dramatic reasons or anything, there's just other things I wanted to get done tonight that I haven't managed so I'm rearranging my schedule.