Devilb0y

Ok, Where Angels Fear To Tread is in the history books. Let's have a look at how our adventurous predicters got on. christmas_ape: 9/12 DarEatWorld: 8/12 eayragt: 8/12 kanegan: 9/12 Xendarii: 8/12 Generally strong scores all round with no one buying that Edd Stone was going to take the title off of Aaron Andrews one month before a potential Total Mayhem main event with Jay Chord on the horizon. Interesting to me though was that no one saw Sammy Bach beating Greg Gauge. While Gauge is obviously the young up-and-comer I couldn't in good conscience have Sammy lose four PPV matches in a row. And for the Joshua Taylor fans among you; fear not. This loss to Doc Hammond doesn't signify that he is lower on the card than Doc. Just that Doc is a better opponent for Mighty Mo at Total Mayhem . So this week we have joint winners in christmas_ape and eayragt! Congrats to both of you on your great scores. And thanks to everyone who predicted for the engagement. It really does mean the world to me to see people still reading this 4 months on. And of course, the big thing to take away from this is that our winner of this months prediction scores is - we kinda knew who it was gonna be but drumroll please anyway... eayragt With 4 events where they predicted the most (or joint-most) correct results out of a possible 5, that's a hell of a month. As our winner you are free to pick any worker, team, stable or staff member that you would like profiled and I will write one up for you. Congratulations again and on to May! <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";"> This Month Prediction Scores: christmas_ape: 2 DarEatWorld: 1 eayragt: 4 Overall Running Prediction Scores: christmas_ape: 11 DarEatWorld: 1 eayragt: 5 Herrbear: 2 kanegan: 2 KnowYourEnemy: 1 Sco xY2Jx: 1 TJ94: 2 Xendarii: 7</div>

Booker's Notes Well there we go. My best show to date in the books. Really stunned by that final grade to be honest. Let's look at how everything went down... Show Notes Where else can we start but the main event? Aaron Andrews, you hero. Stone continues to pull match ratings in the low 70s (which is annoying) but Aaron Andrews really put this one on his shoulders to get me the show grade we ended up with. Scoring an 85 for the segment with a personal rating of 87, he would - and probably should - be my MVP of the night if not for... Wolf Hawkins. What can I say about him I haven't already said? He can have a great match with literally anyone. Blackfyre is very talented but isn't over at all, as demonstrated by his 52 match rating. And Wolf just casually turns out a 95 to put on a main event level match with a complete newbie. I love him so much. And likewise I was incredibly happy with Hocking / Chord and Gauge / Bach pulling 81s as well. Chord we all know about but it's great to see from Gauge and Bach. If Stone can't elevate his performances to the next level then we may well see Gauge take his spot in the near future. Watch this space... And returning to the idea of dragging guys to performances, Mo turned in an MVP-of-the-night kind of performance as he carried Troy Tornado's busted, broken-down body to a 73. That might not look great on paper, but Mo gets nowhere near the plaudits Wolf does while still being able to mitigate his opponent turning in a 53 to reach a good match grade. Of course the big news tonight is that I can finally (FINALLY!!!) debut Mikey Lau. I've been sitting on this signing for months waiting for the moment to reveal him and this felt like the time with how my plans for The Heritage are panning out. I've always loved Mikey Lau. He's like a Katsuyori Shibata analogue to me. A guy who can't really talk but just has that star quality about him and is at his best when he's kicking ass in the ring. There are plans for him. And let's just say there may be other new signings waiting in the wings. Just because I don't debut them immediately doesn't mean they aren't there Overness Changes Wolf Hawkins is up from an 88 overall to an 89, knocking on a 90 now. He is now the third most over worker in America. Andrews is also improving, now at 87 overall up from 85 despite a big singles loss. Of course Jay Chord jumped up massively after that win over Andrews, up to 80 overall from 76 last month. That's 3 of the top 10 most over workers in the country that TCW now have; we started with 1. Not to mention the fact that in terms of youth and work rate my guys beat the rest of the top 10 into a cocked hat. Mo is back into the 70s (72 to be precise) and is well on his way to a main event push. Sammy Bach has bounced back to 73 overall thanks to his victory over Gauge On the bottom of the card we've got Blackfyre now up to 26 overall (his low Star Quality really makes his progress slow, but goddammit he's getting over if it kills me). Overall a great show. I loved writing it, I'm super stoked with the grade and can't wait to get on the road to Total Mayhem! Prediction scores will go up tomorrow followed by an Eye On The Ring, and the predictions for next week's show will probably go up a bit early since I got this done sooner than expected. Look for those this weekend.

A place where gods and men alike are weary to walk Where the strength of one’s character is judge as harshly As the strength of one’s arm Neither above Nor below Walk with us, where angels fear to tread... TCW Presents: Where Angels Fear To Tread, April 2020 Theme: by Gemini Syndrome Garden Park Fields, South West - 50’000 (SELLOUT) <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">(Pre-show) One Man Army & Jackson Laine def American Ultra, Hammer & Anvil Length: 9:46 Rating: 61</div> <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">(Pre-show) Davis Wayne Newton & Nelson Callum def Bart Biggins & Chance Fortune Length: 9:59 Rating: 50</div> <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">(Pre-show) Ernest Youngman def Fro Sure, Human Arsenal, Roderick Remus Length: 10:09 Rating: 60</div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> The custom set for Where Angels Fear To Tread - a pair of grand pillars with a gate between them standing in front of the jumbotron with each half dedicated to either a demonic or heavenly appearance - springs to life as flames erupt from behind it, while the arena is rocked with pyro as the theme song for the event blasts out of the PA system in Garden Park Fields. It’s a hell of a spectacle. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">JA: This arena is alive tonight! Thank you for joining us at home in this sold out Garden Park Fields, where fifty thousand TCW fans are ready to tear the house down. Tonight is not about good or evil, but a clash of powers so profound that this company may never be the same again! ET: It’s only been a month since The Heritage burst onto our screens at Battleground III, but they’re now in a position to bury some of the biggest stars in TCW in one swoop. Aaron Andrews, Sammy Bach, Matt Hocking; they’re all going DOWN. JS: Who can resist a group as powerful as The Heritage? Is there anyone? ET: Nope. Not after Andrews ended last week’s Total Wrestling counting the lights. JA: And of course it’d be remiss of us to not mention what promises to be a chaotic clash between John Blackfyre and Wolf Hawkins. Revenge may well be a dish best served cold for the Alpha Wolf. JS: And elsewhere we will see Mighty Mo attempt to overcome Troy Tornado and his own injuries, while Masked Patriot will face off against The 1%’s Rich & Famous. And of course Joshua Taylor will be looking to take Doc Hammond’s head off as he postures for World Title contention once more. ET: The only thing JT is in line for is a choke hold, believe me. JA: And folks: I’ve been with this company a while. You might call me an “old timer”. And it brings a smile to this old timer’s face to be able to call our opener tonight as Koshiro “The Kobra” Ino makes his return to in-ring action against Freddy Huggins. Welcome back, Ino. ET: Gonna be a rude awakening for The Kobra, I tell you that! LET’S DO THIS!</div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> VS Standard Singles Match (1 vs 1) Koshiro Ino (1-0-0) vs Freddy Huggins (1-5-0) w/ Laura Catherine Huggins <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">”Huggins wore a special outfit for tonight and - frankly - he might as well keep it on. He won’t be staying long.” </div> These two cut pretty distinct figures as they square up with Ino in his black and white face paint, muscle bands and tassels while Huggins wears what can only be described as a burgundy robe complete with a train carried by his sister. And it soon becomes obvious that Huggins has no interest in getting into a proper match with Ino as he ducks and dives around the ring to try and escape, eventually frustrating Ino into chasing after him. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";"> ”When he wants to be, Huggins is an impressive athlete” </div> The former Canadian Animal gains an advantage when he goads Ino into headbutting a ring-post and then begins to display some of his flashier moveset including a stunning corkscrew suicide dive to the outside. However a moonsault from the top proves to be his undoing as Ino catches him and plants him with a devastating shoulder breaker. Huggins is on the ropes - quite literally - as he groggily staggers to his feet in the corner and doesn’t see the Kobra Bite spear coming until it is far, far too late. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 70 (Huggins: 68, Ino: 65) Length: 15:31 Winner: Koshiro Ino via pinfall <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> ET: I think Huggins really had him on a couple of occasions there. JS: Had him realising he could take it easy, maybe. Ino just walked that. JA: A brutal reminder to TCW what the Kobra is all about. Welcome back Ino-san! </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> The camera cuts backstage to a walking Jay Chord who is - briefly - stopped by interviewer Haley Buck… <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">HB: Jay, can we have a word? JC: Seems like you’ve already had more than one. HB: Forgive the hackneyed figure of speech. Anyway, you recorded a stunning victory over the World Champion this week on Total Wrestling. How hard has it been to re-focus on Matt Hocking?</div> Chord laughs and sneers. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">JC: Unlike the neanderthals in our fanbase, I’m actually able to think of two things at once. I’m focused on Hocking. And once I’m done with him you can bet that I’ll be focused on Andrews. I’m not done with him, not by a long shot. HB: So it IS fair to say that Andrews is providing a distraction here and it may impact your performance?</div> Chord’s face becomes deadly serious and he leans threateningly close to Buck. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">JC: How about you stop trying to provoke a reaction and just watch how distracted I am next?</div> He holds his position in her personal space for a few seconds longer then walks on, leaving a clearly shaken Buck to collect herself. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 81 <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> ET: I hate “Gotcha” journalism. JA: Whatever Chord might argue, his main event at Total Mayhem with the World Champion - whoever that may be - simply MUST be playing on his mind. JS: And that could play right into Matt Hocking’s hands next. </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> VS Standard Singles Match (1 vs 1) Matt Hocking (7-2-0) vs Jay Chord (7-2-0) <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">”Hocking sees a Chord with one eye on Total Mayhem, he’s gonna take advantage” </div> The Shocking Superstar starts the match at quite a pace, launching into a high flying offensive that catches Chord off-guard. It’s clear that The Heritage member hadn’t expected such an energetic start and is caught completely off guard by it, culminating in a moment where - after eating a springboard front dropkick and then almost being pinned with a sunset flip - he is forced to roll out of the ring to collect himself. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";"> ”High risk offense versus Jay Chord’s cerebral, almost prescient style...” </div> The fans are on tenterhooks as the match reaches its climax, with Hocking trying increasingly more spectacular moves to try and end things while Chord looks for his own opening. They sense that it is poised on a knife-edge and could go either way. And so it proves to be as a Hock Shock attempt goes disastrously wrong when Chord is able to move out of the way, and Hocking is unable to recover in time; eating a sequence of strikes before being nailed with the Cradle Piledriver for the victory. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 81 (Chord: 80, Hocking: 67) Length: 16:30 Winner: Jay Chord via pinfall <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> JA: A strong showing for Hocking there, even if he couldn’t walk away with the victory. ET: I’ll take a few more of those “Noble” defeats for the Heritage’s opponents tonight. JS: You know they aren’t going to invite you to join, right? No one even knows you work here. </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> World Tag Team Titles VS Standard Tag Match (2 vs 2) The Behemoths (2-3-0) vs The Roughnecks (3-0-0) © (3rd Defence) <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">”Christ, you’re ugly” </div> The Behemoths are towering mountains of muscle, but The Roughnecks aren’t exactly small either. So when Marshall Dillon starts things off by clocking Killer Shark across the face the fans rise in excitement to meet the absolute hoss-fest they are about to see. And it doesn’t disappoint with all four men laying into one another in a stiff-as-a-board encounter, leaving welts and red marks across everyone’s chests. At one point it looks like the match may be over as Shark signals for the Big Bite by pulling down the shoulder straps of his singlet, but Dave Diamond is able to wriggle free and - after disposing of Titan - the Roughnecks are able to put Shark down with not one, not two, but 3 Dead Hand double clotheslines to seal the win. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 64 (Diamond: 54, Dillon: 58, Killer Shark: 60, Titan: 59) Length: 10:17 Winner: The Roughnecks via pinfall (Dazzling Dave Diamond over Killer Shark) <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> JA: It’s not often that you see Killer Shark take a pin. What a hellacious, bruising encounter for all four of these competitors. ET: I’ll say this for those boys from Texas: they’re tough. JS: That might be the nicest thing I’ve ever heard you say. </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> VS Handicap Match (1 vs 2) Masked Patriot (2-1-0) vs Rich & Famous (4-4-0) <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">”It’s never too late to go back to school and learn a trade, boys” </div> Masked Patriot behaves as everyone has come to expect him to; with borderline-annoying encouragement and the occasional burst of impressive power moves which serve to embarrass and frustrate his opponents. Particularly when his opponents outnumber him and are supposed tag team specialists. He seems to have found a way to glide around the ring and away from their offense which begins to infuriate them into mistakes, culminating in the big hope spot of the match where Patriot nails a double clothesline on both men and then plants both with a DDT. However, Rich & Famous are able to rally behind some well-timed cheating and Patriot is unable to respond. Blinded by a scalding hot vegan soy macchiato to the face he can only flail limply until he is ultimately put out of his misery with a House Always Wins. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 63 (Jackpot: 54, Idol: 62, Patriot: 65) Length: 9:28 Winner: Rich & Famous via pinfall (Jackpot Jordan over Masked Patriot) <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> ET: Once again: stupid games. Stupid prizes. JS: Ok, agreeing to a handicap match does seem kind of dumb in retrospect. JA:But you have to admire the enthusiasm! </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> We now cut to Wolf Hawkins backstage with a mic in hand, ready for his match next. He’s in his black and white, lightning-designed tights and white boots with a black baseball bat in his free hand. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">WH: There aren’t many men out there who would have the balls to get involved in one of my matches. Much less a title match. I guess I’ve got to give Blackfyre credit for that. Even if it might be one of the dumbest decisions he has ever made. Career suicide, is what it is.</div> He stops for a moment and smiles slightly to himself. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">WH: I don’t even dislike you, John. That’s the sad thing. We could have been friends. I could have helped you. But instead we’re here.</div> The lifts the bat up from its resting place against his shoulder and stares at it. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">WH: I need to hurt you, Blackfyre. I need to make an example out of you so no one else tries what you tried… hell, what you succeed in doing. And it’s nothing personal. Tonight, when everything is said and done, you’ll be back in the shadows for good. And you will remember the night that you tangled with the Wolf.</div> Wolf’s music begins playing and he walks off-screen as the camera fades to black. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 95 <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> JA: Ask not for who the bell tolls... ET: Blackfyre is about to sustain a beating of biblical proportions JS: The Man In Black has the deadly combination of an almost supernatural ability to read people and a complete lack of fear. Wolf might be in for a surprise... </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> VS Falls Count Anywhere Match (1 vs 1) John Blackfyre (3-0-0) vs Wolf Hawkins (12-1-0) <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">”I’ll teach you to be afraid of me, Blackfyre” </div> The question of whether or not Wolf will resort to using the baseball bat he has brought to the ring is quickly answered as he takes a swing at Blackfyre at the bell, an action that The Man In Black applauds while laughing. It’s clear that Wolf, despite being the favourite in terms of experience and notoriety, is nervous about what Blackfyre is bringing to the table in the early running. And that fear of losing comes to dominate his performance as he begins to fall behind. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";"> ”It was only a matter of time until they went AWOL” </div> Reminding everyone that this is a Falls Count Anywhere match, Blackfyre presses his advantage by dragging Wolf up the ramp and backstage - accompanied by cameras and referee Tony Thorpe who tries (in vein) to get the men back to the ring. After a few pit stops, including one great spot where Wolf is back-dropped through the window of an office, the pair find themselves in a poorly-lit area that appears to still be under construction. The kind of place Blackfyre loves… <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";"> ”What goes around comes around...” </div> But as luck would have it, there are others in TCW who favour a backstage brawl over a fight with rules… ...and Eddie Peak stuns the fans by making his first on-screen appearance since the Sinner Society was disbanded to blind-side Blackfyre just as he appears to have Wolf where he wants him. A dazed Hawkins watches on as Blackfyre is bloodied with a steel pipe before being hit with a Peak of Perfection through a pile of wooden palettes. Peak grins down at Blackfyre and then exits the scene. Wolf goes for a cover that Blackfyre is somehow able to kick out of, but the damage has been done and Hawkins is able to nail a Full Moon Rising to score a pinfall at the second time of asking. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 81 (Blackfyre: 52, Wolf: 95) Length: 10:29 Winner: Wolf Hawkins via pinfall <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> JS: Eddie Peak is back and he has just cost John Blackfyre what would have been one of the most stunning upset victories we have ever seen! JA: And what a performance it was from Blackfyre, take nothing away from that, even in defeat. ET:You make powerful enemies, things like this will happen. Blackfyre’s devil may care attitude has come back to haunt him, as we all knew it would. </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> VS Standard Singles Match (1 vs 1) Mighty Mo (1-4-0) vs Troy Tornado (3-3-0) <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">”Mo is hurt, there’s no question about that, but the focus in his eyes is something we haven’t seen before” </div> Mo limps down to the ring with tape around his shoulder where Troy struck him with a piece of metal last week and looks as though he may struggle to compete, but as things get underway it soon becomes a question of whether Troy can sustain the punishment Mo wants to exact upon him. Although the pain is clear in Mo’s face, he isn’t letting it get in the way of his offense as he takes Troy to school with a series of slams and powermoves. Eventually things are brought to a merciful end when Mo nails a Plunge deadlift superplex and follows it up with a Hopes Fall spinebuster for the victory. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 73 (Mo: 76, Troy: 53) Length: 9:22 Winner: Mighty Mo via pinfall <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> JA: Wow, that was emphatic. JS: But at what cost was that performance? Has Mo done more harm to his body that good? We know it’s likely he will be facing the winner of Joshua Taylor and Doc Hammond’s match for a shot at the World Title. Will he make it to Total Mayhem? ET:Even if he does, he won’t be beating Doc. </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> VS Standard Singles Match (1 vs 1) Joshua Taylor (5-3-1) vs Doc Hammond (1-4-0) <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">”This is a distinctly exotic, almost puro affair..” </div> Taylor and Doc going at it always promised to be an affair more akin to what you would find in a Japanese promotion than something in the US, and the fans are into it from the start. JT’s puro striking experience meshes perfectly with Doc Hammond’s pure catch wrestling style to create a captivating matchup which feels different to anything else on the card. In terms of form, JT is streaks ahead of Doc Hammond and quickly proves that this is more than just empty numbers as he roars into a commanding position with a series of stinging exchanges including a brutal series of chops to the neck and face of Doc Hammond which The Syndicate man sells like he is out on his feet. But JT’s desire to punish the Doc gets the better of him as he drags the match on rather than finishing it, and Hammond is able to turn the tables with a quick low blow and roll-up using the ropes as leverage to steal a pinfall victory that leaves Taylor laughing incredulously. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 66 (Doc: 60, JT: 63) Length: 19:47 Winner: Doc Hammond via pinfall <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> ET: What a performance from the Doc! He’s going to Disneyland! JA: Not a classic performance from the Syndicate man by any means, but he will face Mighty Mo at Total Mayhem with a title shot on the line. JS:And against my better judgement, Mo should be wary of Doc’s catch style with the shape his body is in. </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> VS Submission Match (1 vs 1) Sammy Bach (4-3-0) vs Greg Gauge (5-3-0) <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">”Gauge targeting that injured leg of Bach early” </div> In the second instance of a wrestler working hurt tonight, Bach’s leg is the story of this match as Gauge looks to inflict as much pain as possible before attempting his signature Proton Lock. And while Bach does have some submission experience this is clearly a match which favours the son of Sam Keith. Wearing his usual navy and white trunks with kickpads he looks every bit the legit submission specialist that he is, and it’s all Sammy can do in the early stages to just clamber for the ropes and look for an opening. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";"> ”Do you even remember what it feels like to win at a big show, old man?” </div> Gauge taunts Bach with his poor record at pay per views (three shows, three losses) as his opponent struggles to get to his feet, let alone remain standing. The fans sense that this has become a ritual execution for The Heritage, that Bach is a sacrificial lamb for them to make a point. And when Bach takes a wild swing that Gauge easily ducks it looks like it’s all over when the Heritage man drops Bach with three German suplexes. Taunting further, Gauge stands over Bach and goes for the Bach On Your Back as the ultimate sign of disrespect. It proves to be a fatal mistake - if there’s one submission Bach knows how to counter it’s his own. He pulls Gauge’s leg out from under him and then stands and reverses the hold into one of his own. Trapped in the centre of the ring, Gauge has no choice but to tap. A tearful Bach celebrates with the fans as a dismayed Gauge limps to the back. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 81 (Bach: 71, Gauge: 77) Length: 26:24 Winner: Sammy Bach via submission <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> JA: Bach has finally done it! His torrid 2020 is finally back on track with a statement victory over one of the fastest rising stars in the company! JS: How can you not fall in love with that man? One-legged, the wrong side of 40 but still dreaming of the day he might claim a World Title. ET:Trust me, that’s all that is. Dreams. And not particularly good ones either. </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> After a short segment where the announcers sell the sponsors of tonight’s show, we cut backstage once again where Aaron Andrews is warming up for his title match with Edd Stone. He stops stretching for a moment when Haley Buck enters the room with a microphone. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">HB: Ace, mind if we get a quick word from you? AA: Yeah, sure. Make it fast. HB: We caught up with Jay Chord just before his match with Matt Hocking tonight. A match he swore he was focused on, yet came very close to losing. Where is your head at after your loss to Chord this week? AA: It’s right where it needs to be. I can’t lie to myself or my fans; I under-estimated Chord this past week. And that’s something I’m going to need to deal with once tonight is over. But tonight I guaran-damn-tee that Stone is going to have to kill me if he wants to beat me tonight. You don’t become the Ace by making the same mistake twice. I underestimated The Heritage once, it won’t happen again. Unluckily for Stone.</div> Andrews nods at Buck as a polite way of indicating that the interview is over and then leaves the room. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 91 <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> JA: The Ace looking focused and ready for battle there, none of the bluster of recent weeks. ET: Chord humbled him 5 days ago. Now it’s time for Stone to take his title. JS: When Aaron Andrews guarantees something you can take it to the bank. He’ll be walking out of here still the champ, you mark my words. </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> World Heavyweight Title VS Standard Singles Match (1 vs 1) Edd Stone (4-5-1) vs Aaron Andrews (5-1-0) © (8th Defence) <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">”Kind of Stone to dress up for the occasion” </div> This match marks Edd Stone’s first ever World Heavyweight Title shot, and he honours the occasion by altering his in-ring gear slightly; changing his usual black tracksuit bottoms for gold ones instead. It makes him look even more unbearable than he already does. And when Andrews gets things off to a fiery start by dropping the Canadian like a bad habit the fans respond with raucous cheers. They want to see Stone get his comeuppance as much as anyone. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";"> ”Get on your feet so I can put you on your ass again...” </div> Stone has no response to the Ace’s onslaught and takes punishing moves one after another, including a sick bump where he is dropkicked off of the turnbuckle and lands flat on his back on the mats at ringside. The match swings on a dime, however, when a tactical thumb to the champion’s eye opens things up for Stone who begins his own vicious attack - intent on proving that he’s in the World Title picture at least partially on merit. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";"> ”And now we see why Stone wanted this to be made a no-DQ match...” </div> At Andrews’ lowest ebb Stone heads to the outside of the ring and grabs a chair. Chief referee Ray Johnson is recovering in the ring from a bump a few minutes earlier and so doesn’t see when Stone clocks the Ace with a sick chairshot to the head, but what happens next catches everyone in the arena by surprise… ...Jay Chord and Greg Gauge appear on the ramp. They don’t advance, they don’t attack, they simply watch. Stone looks up to them with the chair in hand, Andrews at his feet and Ray Johnson - now up and reffing again - trying to get him to drop the weapon. Chord pauses for a moment then nods, Stone nods back and then opens up on Andrews on the ground with the chair as The Heritage hit the ring. Ray Johnson calls for the bell and the fans shower the ring with boos as the three men descend on the fallen champion like hyenas with brutal strikes and chair shots that open Andrews up... <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 85 (AA: 87, Stone: 71) Length: 26:39 Winner: Aaron Andrews via DQ <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> JA: WOULD SOMEONE STOP THIS? ANDREWS IS STILL OUR CHAMP, YET WHO IS THERE TO HELP HIM NOW!? JS: THE HERITAGE ARE SICK. SICK I TELL YOU. THIS HAS ALL BEEN PART OF A PLAN TO WEAKEN ANDREWS FOR TOTAL MAYHEM ET: AND WHAT A PLAN IT IS!!! </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> The brutal beating continues in the ring for several minutes... <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">??: Boys, boys, boys. What did I say?</div> The source of the voice - GM Jack Bruce - emerges out onto the stage as the beating in the ring momentarily pauses. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">JB: I warned you not to get involved, didn’t I? I said I’d make you regret doing it. Now, I threatened your booking. That clearly didn’t work. So maybe this will help you get it clear in your heads...</div> A song starts playing. One the fans haven’t heard before. The stage fills with smoke and the arena lights go dark, punctuated only by rapidly flashing spotlights from the ramp. There are flashes of someone on the jumbotron. It’s not immediately clear who. Black kickpads. Black boots. Black padded gloves. Black hair. Black trunks - with one small detail. One small word written in white near the waist… <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">JB: You done messed up now boys. I would run if I were you...</div> The word is “LAU”. There is a sudden burst of pyro and Mikey Lau steps through smoke like some kind of MMA demon, throwing punches and kicks, looking like he’s headed to the Octagon to rip off some heads. In the ring Jay Chord, Greg Gauge and Edd Stone stand with mouths agape, stunned into terrified silence. Lau glances sideways at Bruce, who grins, and then hits the ring at a hundred miles an hour. The fans go wild as he drops Jay Chord with a devastating front drop kick, just about takes Edd Stone’s head off with a roundhouse and then hits Greg Gauge with a sickeningly stiff sequence of chops and strikes which sees him collapse into the corner. He pulls Gauge back to his feet, locks in a sleeper hold as Stone and Chord watch on in dazed horror from the outside, then - when Gauge collapses to his knees - hits the ropes and nails his PK running kick to flatten the son of Sam Keith in the ring. Andrews is still down and receiving attention - the damage has been done there, but the fans chant “DRAGON” as the battered remnants of The Heritage high tail it past Jack Bruce to the back. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 77 <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> JA: MIKEY LAU IS IN TCW. HE HAS ANSWERED THE CALL. JS: THEY HAVE AWOKEN THE DRAGON AND BOY IS HE PISSED OFF. ET: This isn’t going to end well... </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";"> Overall Show Rating: 87 </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div>

Might be a wise change, who can say? Arsenal doesn't have the best singles record in 2020, let's put it that way

<div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #295D83; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";"> Saturday Night Showcase is TCW's exciting new show, giving their talent - both young and old - an opportunity to showcase their skills on the largest platform in the world. Whether they are attempting to gain some momentum for a title run or make a name for themselves... Saturday Nights Are Alright For Fighting. </div> TCW Presents Saturday Night Showcase - April 2020, Week 4 Wichita, KS, Mid South - 2,721 by Solence <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";"> Ernest Youngman (0-2-0) def Human Arsenal (2-1-1) Rating: 50 Length: 10:04</div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Fro Sure addresses his fine through a veiled promo where he talks about his own struggles with substance abuse, and rising above adversity. Rating: 59</div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";"> The Behemoths (1-3-0) def Dean Daniels & Bart Biggins (0-2-0) Rating: 41 Length: 3:09</div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";"> The 1% (Nelson Callum, Davis Wayne Newton and Rich & Famous) (4-0-0) def Chance Fortune, Flying Jimmy Foxx and Hammer & Anvil (0-0-0) Rating: 50 Length: 9:55</div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">We get a full replay of the angle between John Blackfyre and Ricky Dale Johnson from Total Wrestling earlier in the week. Rating: 65</div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";"> Fro Sure (3-4-0) def Marc Speed (0-4-1) Rating: 49 Length: 9:38</div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";"> Overall Show Rating: 53 </div>

Those rookie C-Verse winners are all well deserved in my opinion. I'm continually blown away by the quality of writing and presentation I see from you guys (even if I don't have as much time as I'd like to actively engage in your diaries). Puts my work to shame, in all honesty

Preview: Where Angels Fear To Tread Throughout history there have been groups who have shaped the world around them... The Syndicate "What you're seeing right now is the present and future of professional wrestling..." Taken the torch to what they saw and re-built it in their image... Painful Procedure "St. Louis, we are here to rock you ALL NIGHT LONG..." Or, perhaps, just left a smoking ruin in their wake... The Sinner Society "You wanna make a deal with the devil?" The pantheon of the greats awaits for those willing to stake their claim... The Heritage "We have a legacy of greatness to uphold" Neither above, nor below... Where Angels Fear To Tread TCW Presents: Where Angels Fear To Tread Theme: by Gemini Syndrome Join us at the scenic Garden Park Fields where The Heritage will make their pay-per-view debut in a triumverate of matches: Jay Chord looks to cement the momentum gained from his stunning singles victory over Aaron Andrews as he faces off against Television Champion Matt Hocking, Greg Gauge faces the wounded Sammy Bach in a submission match and Edd Stone gets his first ever shot at the Ace's World Title! Elsewhere Wolf Hawkins will look to exact revenge on John Blackfyre for costing him the World Title at The War To Settle The Score in what promises to be a brutal Falls Count Anywhere match; a match type which surely plays into the Man In Black's hands. Will Wolf be able to survive such an encounter unscathed? Much less emerge victorious? And the undercard is stacked with some of the most exciting talent in North America as Mighty Mo faces Troy Tornado and Joshua Taylor takes on Doc Hammond; two matches which - if rumour is to be believed - will position the victors in the World Title picture. The Roughnecks face former champions The Behemoths in defence of their Tag Team Titles, Koshiro Ino makes his long-awaited PPV return against Freddy Huggins and the eccentric Masked Patriot faces 1% members Rich & Famous in a handicap match. Join us on TCW: Elite! The home of the world's best wrestling! <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";"> Quick Preview: World Heavyweight Title Edd Stone vs Aaron Andrews © Submission Match Sammy Bach vs Greg Gauge Joshua Taylor vs Doc Hammond Mighty Mo vs Troy Tornado Falls Count Anywhere Match John Blackfyre vs Wolf Hawkins Handicap Match Masked Patriot vs Rich & Famous World Tag Team Titles The Behemoths vs The Roughnecks © Matt Hocking vs Jay Chord Koshiro Ino vs Freddy Huggins Pre-Show Fatal Four-Way Fro Sure vs Ernest Youngman vs Human Arsenal vs Roderick Remus Davis Wayne Newton & Nelson Callum vs Bart Biggins & Chance Fortune Triangle Tag American Ultra vs Hammer & Anvil vs One Man Army & Jackson Laine

It's time once again to review the scores of our intrepid predicters, and it was yet another week of really strong scores with only the finest of margins separating you all. That margin being a Jay Chord-shaped victory in the main event. christmas_ape: 6/7 DarEatWorld: 6/7 eayragt: 7/7 Xendarii: 6/7 So congratulations this week to eayragt who takes a commanding 3-1 lead for the month with only Where Angels Fear To Tread left to go. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";"> This Month Prediction Scores: christmas_ape: 1 DarEatWorld: 1 eayragt: 3 Overall Running Prediction Scores: christmas_ape: 10 DarEatWorld: 1 eayragt: 4 Herrbear: 2 kanegan: 2 KnowYourEnemy: 1 Sco xY2Jx: 1 TJ94: 2 Xendarii: 7</div>

That's awesome to hear, thank you so much for checking it out. It's rad to see experienced diary writers even taking the time to look at this! Yeah I really went back and forth on doing it as it's essentially giving a big PPV match away for free on TV (and a big PPV match which may well be the main event of TCW's Wrestlemania equivalent in a months time too). But I felt like Chord needed a statement win to set him up for where I see his character going and handing Andrews his first singles loss of 2020 seemed like as big a statement as he could make. And in terms of psychology I feel like the Ace stays relatively strong out of it as he has excuses: he had his mind on his match with Stone at the PPV, he was slightly distracted by the interference (even if it came to nothing), he under-estimated Chord etc. In many ways Chord is my Okada and Andrews is my Tanahashi; I kind of want to mimic the sudden impact Okada made on return from excursion here, without giving too much away. As you say, the trick is to use it sparingly.

Booker's Notes Show Notes Happy with the show grade there, even if the main slightly underwhelmed. I'm not too worried, I think that was mainly due to an announcer quality ding and the pair holding back for TV. Plus Chord was only in the low 70s for overness here so he's performed above his level. I was worried Andrews would use his creative control to put the kaibosh on this but fortunately not. This - for me - was the "Sit up and take notice" moment for the wrestling world as far as Jay Chord is concerned. He has always been a future world champion, but now that future looks very, VERY close indeed. I like having Blackfyre on my shows because his angles are a little different to the others I write, and I like the juxtaposition of him and RDJ's characters. There's potential character work to revisit there. Wolf once again proves he can have a great match with anyone. Not to say that Benson is a bad worker - he isn't. But his overness and momentum are both very poor, yet Wolf and he still match the grade of frickin' Andrews vs Chord. The one thing I've struggled with this month is giving enough time to all of my feuds. Doc Hammond vs Joshua Taylor, Matt Hocking vs Jay Chord, Mo vs Troy Tornado and The Behemoths vs The Roughnecks have all had little more than lip service to be honest. The joys of trying to book midcard feuds I guess! Anyway, we're onto Where Angels Fear To Tread next (after a short pit stop at Saturday Night Showcase). A good show there will see me leapfrog SWF into 2nd place in American for popularity, as well as seeing me probably rise to "Big" size and entering the national battle with USPW. Nail biting time. The prediction scores will go up tomorrow, followed by the Where Angels Fear To Tread preview and SNS.

TCW Presents Total Wrestling - April 2020, Week 4 Minnesota Coliseum, Mid West - 10’000 (SELLOUT) <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">(Pre Show) Real Deadly def Hammer & Anvil Rating: 62 Length: 10:10</div> <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">(Pre Show) Killer Shark def Flying Jimmy Foxx Rating: 59 Length: 10:02</div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> Caught between a Stone and a hard place... ”Stone… I’m gonna embarrass you. Even more than you’ve already embarrassed yourself.” The weight of a legacy... ”...I have a standard of greatness to uphold.” Lost in the shadows... ”Long way down from the top, man.” Don’t miss Where Angels Fear To Tread. Sunday. <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> by Five Finger Death Punch We’re back in the Mid West again at a sold out Coliseum and the ten thousand TCW fans in attendance are in loud and full voice, as excited as the fans at home by the opening hype package which sets the table for Where Angels Fear To Tread on Sunday. Our faithful announce team of Shawn Doakes, Ernie Turner and Jasmine Saunders are ready to walk us through the night’s action. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">SD: We are six days away from Where Angels Fear To Tread. Six days away from an event which many suspect will re-shape the landscape of TCW. But our wrestlers can’t take their eyes off of the ball as we head into another exciting episode of Total Wrestling here in Minnesota! JS: We already know that Aaron Andrews will address the fans once again to open our show, and after his blistering verbal assault on Edd Stone last week it remains to be seen how he plans to up the stakes once again for the Canadian Party Animal. ET: Dude is distracted, man. He’s not focused on his own game plan and it’s gonna cost him. JS: He seems very focused on the idea of putting Stone in his place if you ask me. SD: And we’ll also see tag team action tonight with The Roughnecks meeting Rich & Famous in their second title defence. Stone himself will take on the perennial opponent of The Heritage - One Man Army... ET: Wolf Hawkins will be burying Benny Benson... JS: And Sammy Bach, Joshua Taylor and Mighty Mo form something of a super team tonight. ET: That’s a loose definition of “Super Team” right there. SD: And as Jasmine alluded to earlier; before any of that we are scheduled to hear - once again - from our champion: Aaron “Ace” Andrews. Stay with us folks!</div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> In an almost like-for-like recreation of the opening of last week’s show, “Ace” Andrews kicks things off by striding down to the ring - this time in his in-ring gear - with a mic in hand. The fans greet his arrival with thunderous cheers. by Fire From The Gods As he steps into the ring, Andrews initially sounds as if he’s in a slightly better mood than he was last week, though his gaze remains steely and focused as he addresses the hard camera. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">AA: So I’m gonna try and be a little less serious than I was last week. Can’t promise anything. But I promise to try.</div> The crowd laugh lightly <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">AA: I went in pretty hard on Stone last week and, let’s be honest, the dude deserved it. He’s a whiney, unprofessional jackass who is only dangerous because of who his friends are. And the fact that the so-called “Heritage” are using their stroke backstage to wrangle themselves title shots rubs me the wrong way. Not because I think they can beat me - I’ve faced plenty of guys who I thought might beat me - and won, I might add. But because none of them earned it. The best of the bunch is probably Chord and even he has done nothing to show me he warrants a title shot over guys like Sammy Bach…</div> The crowd pop <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">AA: ... or Mighty Mo.</div> They pop again <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">AA: So while I might have seemed harsh on him last week, the reality is that this Sunday is going to be embarrassing for Stone. Just like Chord’s gift-wrapped Total Mayhem main event for the title, a main event which - rest assured - I will be a part of, is going to be embarrassing…</div> by Black Label Society The Heritage have heard enough and hit the stage in their ring gear, looking ready for a fight <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">JC: Andrews, I’m not gonna do Edd the disservice of speaking for him. He’s his own man - as you will find out to your own peril on Sunday. I can abide criticism of Stone, because I know he’ll make you eat those words. But criticism of me… suggestions that I’m not where I am today on merit… that I cannot abide. You’ve been sat in your ivory tower, ducking any real challenger not called “Wolf” for far, far too long “Ace”. You’ve forgotten what it’s like to scratch and claw and grind for everything you have.</div> The Heritage begin pacing down the ramp, eyes on Andrews in the ring like big cats hunting gazelle <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">JC: We’re gonna remind you. Whether it’s this Sunday or at Total Mayhem, we don’t care. We’re gonna bring you low, champ. So low you won’t even recognise where you are. And maybe the view from the bottom will help adjust that warped sense of perspective you’ve got…</div> The Heritage step into the ring, each taking a different side, surrounding Andrews - who has his dukes up and is ready to fight <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">AA: Why don’t you put your money where your mouth is then, Chord? You and me, tonight. No titles, no games. Just two guys figuring out who the better man is?</div> At a signal from Jay, The Heritage pause <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">JC: You sure you don’t want to leave confirming that you can’t hold a candle to me until Total Mayhem, champ? That’s an ‘L’ you can’t afford to take right now. AA: I’ll live with that risk. JC: Maybe. Maybe not.</div> Chord gestures to The Heritage again, who turn and leave the ring. Chord himself pauses as he steps out onto the apron to look back at The Ace <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">JC: You’re on!</div> by Black Label Society Chord’s theme music rocks the arena as The Heritage head back up the ramp, never taking their eyes off of the wary figure of Aaron Andrews in the ring <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 90 <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> SD: Chord will face Andrews in non-title singles action tonight! A preview of a potential Total Mayhem main event and what a match that should be! ET: Andrews really didn’t think this one through. Chord is gonna have him scouted and will be looking to put down a marker. JS: And with The Heritage in his corner the odds are stacked against the champ. </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> VS Standard Singles Match (1 vs 1) Wolf Hawkins (11-1-0) vs Benny Benson (3-3-0) <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Benson is a fan favourite and a nice guy, but nice guys rarely prosper </div> What on paper appears to be a warm up match for Wolf Hawkins reveals itself to be exactly that as he is able to largely dominate Benson from start to finish. The high flying veteran gets a few hope spots but his popularity with the crowd is largely based around his ability to sell a beating, and sell he does, bumping around for Wolf and making him look like a killer. And ultimately the match is decided when Wolf rolls out of the way of a frog splash attempt before nailing his Full Moon Rising finisher for the victory. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 80 (Benson: 57, Wolf: 94) Length: 10:27 Winner: Wolf Hawkins via pinfall <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> SD: An authoritative victory for Wolf there. ET: As if anyone expected anything different. JS: Definitely a compelling warm-up match for Blackfyre, who you suspect must have been watching from some dark corner of the arena. </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> The camera feed cuts backstage where we find Greg Gauge walking up to, and opening a door… ...which reveals Jack Bruce sat with his bare feet up on a wooden desk, finishing a phone call. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">JB: Ok… ...well just think about it is all I’m saying... ...yeah… ...yeah, sure. We’ll catch up next week...</div> He hangs up the phone and looks up at Gauge cautiously. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">JB: Lemme guess: you’re here to ask for some kind of change to your match with Bach, right?</div> Gauge tilts his head, his face emotionless and vaguely condescending. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">JB: You gonna tell me what that change is or am I gonna have to guess? GG: Make it a submission match. It won’t favour either man and means you’ll get to see Sammy Bach giving up. JB: Not sure that I agree with you that it doesn’t favour anyone, but what the hell? I’m busy and in a more charitable mood than I was last week. Submissions only it is.</div> Gauge nods and turns to leave. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">JB: But Gauge; what I said to Stone last week goes for you, too. If I see any of your Heritage boys out there I’ll come down on all of you so hard that you won’t even remember what a title looks like by the time you get another shot at one.</div> Gauge’s mouth contorts into a humourless smile and he exits the room. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 87 <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> JS: What on Earth is Bruce thinking? Of course a submission match favours Gauge. The man is a submission specialist. SD: Bach has some submission experience of his own, though it’s hard to argue that this doesn’t play right in Gauge’s hands. ET: Whatever you gotta do to get an edge. That’s what makes The Heritage special. </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> VS Standard Singles Match (1 vs 1) One Man Army (4-4-0) vs Edd Stone (3-5-1) <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Stone has a point to prove here </div> While Stone may have outwardly made a point of saying he didn’t pay any attention to Andrews’ promos over the last few weeks, the way he starts this match tells a different story as he immediately cuts a rapid pace designed to exhaust and ultimately overwhelm his slower opponent. And he is able to show some grit in recovering from OMA’s offense where it lands to continue his own high speed assault that leaves the former New Wave man reeling. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">One Man Army isn’t just a cute name. He’s as tough as they come. And Stone is going blow for blow with him. </div> For the second time in as many weeks Stone proves that he has some real fighting grit in him by standing up to an absolute pounding from OMA, who rocks the Canadian with European uppercuts and thunderous forearms to his collar bone and neck. And while Stone does begin to fall under these blows he is quick to stand back up each time; an action which draws more than a little admiration from the commentary team. Stone is eventually able to duck a Guided Missile attempt from OMA, land a snug super kick and then score a quick pinfall on OMA with a crucifix pin to end the match. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 76 (Stone: 72, OMA: 68) Length: 19:43 Winner: Edd Stone via pinfall <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> ET: What a strong and efficient performance from Stone there. JS: Not sure I’d call getting your head nearly taken off by OMA followed by a quick pinfall an efficient performance, but there’s no doubting that Stone has toughened up some. SD: And that’s the last thing Aaron Andrews will want to see. Has he awoken a monster in his provocations of Stone? </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> After a short ad break we go backstage once more, or - more accurately - outside, to the roof of the arena where John Blackfyre sits with his back to a massive air conditioning unit, most of his body bathed in the shadow of it. The dull hum of a city still alive with activity can clearly be heard above the gently gusting wind. The camera focuses in on the prone form of Blackfyre - distinguishable despite the shadow by his billowing duster and cowboy hat, and from somewhere behind it comes the noise of a fire escape opening and closing, followed by foot steps on the gravel. Foot steps which eventually pass the camera to reveal the distinctive leather jacket and slicked-back, dark hair of Ricky Dale Johnson. RDJ comes to a halt a few feet away from Blackfyre and stands with his hands in his jacket pockets, unspeaking and unmoving, for several seconds. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">RDJ: People downstairs are lookin’ for ya, kid. Something about wanting a soundbyte for the match with Wolf.</div> Blackfyre’s head leans back in light laughter; you can see condensation escaping his mouth into the night air. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">RDJ: Yeah, I think it’s stupid too. Told ‘em that’d probably be your response. JBF: And what else do you think I’ll probably do, Ricky?</div> RDJ shrugs and says nothing for some time. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">RDJ: What’s your deal, Blackfyre? I’ve seen a lot of guys come through this business over the years. But none like you. JBF: I don’t know what you mean… RDJ: What do you want from all of this?</div> Blackfyre laughs again. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">JBF: To tear down sacred cows. To push the best to be better. To punish the wicked and elevate the weak, or maybe that should be the other way around? I can’t tell you what I want. But I know it when I find it. RDJ: So you’re just planning on rolling through the roster finding fights that feel ‘right’ to you?</div> The cowboy hat in the shadows nods slightly. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">RDJ: Sounds dangerous to me. You’ll make a lot of enemies that way, kid. You’ve already pissed off Eddie Peak and Wolf. Who else you gonna add? JBF: Anyone else who wants on. You think I care about having enemies? Or friends, for that matter?</div> RDJ glances around at their surroundings. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">RDJ: I guess not. So I’m telling the folks in production to get lost? JBF: You tell them that if they want to talk to me they can come themselves. RDJ: They’re scared of you, Blackfyre. JBF: Good. They should be. Catch you round, Ricky.</div> RDJ clicks his teeth and then turns and walks past the camera, leaving Blackfyre exactly where he found him as the camera fades to black. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 74 <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> ET: Just hanging out on rooftops. Totally normal behaviour. JS: I’ve managed to exchange a few words with Blackfyre this week and let me say this: the man likes time alone to reflect. SD: And one wonders exactly what he is reflecting on right now; one week out from his historic singles clash with Wolf Hawkins. </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> VS Standard Tag Match (3 vs 3) Sammy Bach, Mighty Mo and Joshua Taylor (0-0-0) vs Marc Speed and American Ultra (0-0-0) <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Mo is running things here, which is a good thing too, because the Ultra have done a number on Bach’s leg. </div> Bach starts the match off and initially looks great before landing gingerly from a top-rope move, an incident which swings the match in the heels’ favour. America Ultra and the MMA badass Marc Speed seize on Bach’s weakness to take it in turns to decimate his leg and the arena breathes a sigh of relief when the veteran is able to tag in Mighty Mo to turn the tables. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";"> Taylor and Mo are essentially fighting 3 on 2 here, but they’ve got the stomach for it. </div> Taylor and Mo put on a clinic as Bach recovers at ringside with Mo sending the Ultra packing with a series of high impact running moves that flatten the tag team specialists, leaving Taylor to deal with Marc Speed. And while Speed is a dangerous opponent it is clear he is not on JT’s level as the pair engage in some catch wrestling which Taylor comes out on top of before dropping the Speedball with a rasping shin kick to the chest and cinching in the Butterfly Lock for the win. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 67 (Waldorf: 43, JT: 66, Speed: 56, Statler: 42, Mo: 71, Bach: 70) Length: 9:53 Winner: Sammy Bach, Mighty Mo and Joshua Taylor via submission (Joshua Taylor over Marc Speed) <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> SD: Mo and Taylor looking strong there, but Greg Gauge must be salivating at the prospect of the damage done to Sammy Bach’s leg. JS: Almost as if he knew this was going to happen... ET: I don’t know what you’re implying, but Sammy Bach just became about 100% likelier to tap out to the Proton Lock on Sunday! </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> Tag Team Titles VS Standard Tag Match (2 vs 2) Rich & Famous (4-3-0) w/ Nelson Callum vs The Roughnecks (3-0-0) © (2nd Defence) <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">The 1% have one eye on Masked Patriot at the end of the week, but imagine if Rich & Famous are able to go into that match as champions too... </div> Rich & Famous bring Nelson Callum to the ring and immediately give a brief cameo of the kind of numbers-based chicanery we can expect to see on Sunday when they face Masked Patriot, however The Roughnecks are more than happy to break the rules if push comes to shove and after Callum interferes one too many times Dave Diamond drops him from the apron with a tornado forearm before thumbing Jake Idol in the eye. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";"> Hopefully Jackpot Jordan is able to wake up before his match on Sunday... </div> With Jake Idol and Callum out of action, Jackpot Jordan is left with the bulk of the work left to do. And while he does an admirable job of standing up to Marshall Dillon it ultimately isn’t enough as he makes the risky choice of mounting the turnbuckle, where Dave Diamond is able to shove him forward and straight into a mid-air Dead Hand clothesline from Marshall Dillon, who covers him for the victory. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 59 (Diamond: 55, Jordan: 45, Idol: 53, Dillon: 54) Length: 10:10 Winner: The Roughnecks via pinfall (Marshall Dillon over Jackpot Jordan) <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> SD: Rich & Famous warming up for Masked Patriot by getting their blocks cleaned off! ET: Masked Patriot will be fighting worse odds, and they’ve already scouted him. They’ll be fine. JS:And The Roughnecks are in imperious form going into their title rematch with the Behemoths. Three wins from three since they won the titles! </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> We head backstage again where Mighty Mo and Joshua Taylor are helping Sammy Bach limp to the medical examination room… <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">MM: There you go, there you go. Nice and easy, B JT: Yeah, listen to Mo. It’s really not that bad. I once shattered my knee cap in Japan and had to finish the match. SB: Jesus christ, JT. Talk about something else. JT: I’m just saying you’re being a baby.</div> They push the door open and help Bach up onto one of the examination tables, however it is clear that the room is empty and Sammy needs attention now. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">MM: JT, stay here with Sammy. I’m gonna go find someone. JT: Got it. MM: Try not to kill each other before I get back. SB & JT: No promises.</div> Mo leaves the pair in the room and goes hunting for someone - anyone - with medical experience. The camera follows him as he rounds several corners, ending up in an area full of deconstructed scaffolding which appears to be empty. Mo looks around and calls out for anyone but gets no answer, until… ...Troy Tornado explodes into shot with a pipe in hand and brutally attacks the back of Mo’s knee. Troy, in what appears to be a velvet hoodie and matching tracksuit pants, continues the vicious assault for several minutes before high-tailing it out of the scene at the sound of an approaching voice. Joshua Taylor runs into shot with a yell and calls for help but it’s clear the damage has been done as Mo desperately clutches his own leg while shouting in agony. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 66 <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> ET: Another smart guy who knows how to balance the odds in his own favour. JS: If by ‘balance’ you mean ‘cheat to give yourself an advantage’, then sure, Troy Tornado is very smart. SD: Will Mo and Sammy even be able to wrestle on Sunday? Both men look to be in terrible shape. Neither could walk. </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> VS Standard Singles Match (1 vs 1) Jay Chord (6-2-0) vs Aaron Andrews (6-0-0) <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">This is the first time these two men have faced one another in singles competition, yet this feels like a snapshot of TCW’s future... </div> These two pillars of TCW get things off to a fast, aggressive start as they launch themselves at each other and begin wildly exchanging blows in the centre of the ring. Neither man is willing to give much ground and the announcers make a point of highlighting that there’s no way that they can maintain this pace for long, given the damage both are sustaining. Chord is the first to waiver as a sweet missile dropkick puts him down. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Welcome to the big leagues, kid </div> Andrews presses his advantage with a snug sequence of suplexes which further the damage to Chord’s torso, and as his opponent drags himself to his knees and sneers up at the champion, the Ace’s derision is picked up by the ringside mics and a few of the fans - who seem a little taken aback by it. Chord eats a nasty right hand that drops him to the mat again. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">It was only a matter of time until these guys showed up </div> Chord begins to rally behind a running knee and a suplex from one announce table through another which referee Ray Johnson wisely decides to ignore - the fans would have eaten him alive if he ended this in a DQ. As the pair brawl on the outside with Chord holding a clear advantage it catches absolutely no one by surprise when the remaining members of The Heritage - Edd Stone and Greg Gauge - head down the ramp, presumably to lend a hand... <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">I’ve got this. Let me do it myself. </div> However, what does surprise everyone is when Chord roars at them to get back. Andrews is equally confused by the interference and can only duck when Chord charges at him after ordering The Heritage back. Andrews eventually gains the upper hand and looks to have the match won when he mounts the turnbuckle for a Into The Blue, but Chord stunningly rolls through the impact and picks Andrews up into a Cradle Piledriver, which he nails for the pinfall victory. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 80 (Andrews: 83, Chord: 79) Length: 30:16 Winner: Jay Chord via pinfall <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> ET: HOLY S***. JAY CHORD JUST PINNED YOUR GODDAMN WORLD CHAMPION WITHOUT ONE BIT OF HELP. JS: I… I can’t believe this. This is a preview of what could very easily be our Total Mayhem main event… a main event many believed Jay Chord didn’t deserve. But… the truth was supposed to out… Chord was supposed to be exposed... SD: Aaron Andrews must now get his head straight to face Edd Stone in five days time and put to one side fears that - should he win that match - Jay Chord has his number for Total Mayhem. Look at our champion. He is STUNNED. We can’t believe what we’ve seen here but we’re going to have to leave you there. Join us at Where Angels Fear To Tread! Goodbye and Goodnight! </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";"> Overall Show Rating: 82 </div>

April 19th 2020 - Eye On The Ring, Konrad Douglas Rising Star Falls Foul Of Drug Testing Troubling news coming out of TCW with confirmation from the company via press release that one of the most promising young acts on the roster - Fro Sure - has been fined for a violation of their drug policy. There's no official word on exactly what kind of substance Fro was busted for, but my sources within the company tell me that it was steroids. Fro Sure's physique - or lack thereof - has often been the subject of fan speculation since he burst onto the indie circuit in his early twenties, with many speculating that unless he is able to add significant muscle to his skinny frame he will never be able to succeed at the highest level. Many believe that the look he currently possesses simply isn't what the big 3 are looking for. Is that the truth? It's hard to say. Certainly TCW are the most likely of those companies to give someone whose appearance doesn't immediately scream "Star" a shot, but the fact remains that Fro must have been feeling pressure in this regard for years. Perhaps this is the natural outcome. No word yet on how he has responded to the fine, or if he has responded to it at all. Though one hopes that this is just a blip in a promising career for the young man. The full press release from TCW, such as it is, follows. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";"> Drug Policy Violation We at TCW regret to announce that the performer Chris Jackson, known to most of our fans as 'Fro Sure' has today been fined for their first violation of our internal drug policy. Our doors remain open to any and all workers who seek support in battling any kind of substance addiction or abuse. </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> TCW Announce Lone Star Classics In what must surely be an attempt to bury the bad news of Fro Sure, TCW has today also announced the opening of a new developmental territory in Texas, going by the name of Lone Star Classics (or LSC for short). This marks a move away from their existing development agreement with Sam Keith's Mid-Atlantic Wrestling, with some within the company reporting that Keith was growing annoyed with the number of workers TCW were attempting to send to him for development. As a rapidly growing - some might say "Ascending" - company, it's fair enough that TCW have a lot more staff on their books than they did when they first brokered the deal with Keith. So the question now is, who's gonna run the place? Well, look no further. Former TCW hardcore brawler Genghis Rahn has been appointed as the chief executive of the territory and will be responsible for its business operations, meanwhile the active wrestler Bradford Peverell is being inserted as the booker in charge of running the shows. An odd combination, no doubt, and we'll be fascinated to see how they get on in Texas. <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div>

<div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #295D83; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";"> Saturday Night Showcase is TCW's exciting new show, giving their talent - both young and old - an opportunity to showcase their skills on the largest platform in the world. Whether they are attempting to gain some momentum for a title run or make a name for themselves... Saturday Nights Are Alright For Fighting. </div> TCW Presents Saturday Night Showcase - April 2020, Week 3 West Texas Coliseum, Mid South - 2000 (SELLOUT) by Solence <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";"> Benny Benson (2-3-0) def Ernest Youngman (0-1-0) Rating: 55 Length: 9:40</div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";"> Fro Sure (2-3-0) def Jeremie Courtney (0-1-0) Rating: 30 Length: 1:22</div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";"> American Ultra (9-2-0) def Hammer & Anvil (0-2-0) Rating: 36 Length: 10:30</div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Fro Sure and Jackson Laine meet up backstage and discuss his impressive quickfire win over Jeremie Courtney. Rating: 54</div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";"> John Blackfyre (2-0-0) def Maverick (0-3-0) Rating: 28 Length: 10:12</div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">A pre-recorded video package plays shows the members of The 1% relaxing on beaches, competing in sporting events, making big business deals and drinking champagne. Complete with a cheesy voice over from - notably - TCW reporter and interviewer Haley Buck giving a brief profile of each member. Rating: 47</div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";"> Masked Patriot (1-1-0) def Marc Speed (0-4-1) Rating: 58 Length: 9:51</div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";"> Overall Show Rating: 55 </div>

I don't know all that much about the Canadian scene now and am effectively learning about it through your vision, so these might be wildly off base, but here goes! Christian Price vs. Aaron Knight Seems like Knight probably needs to remain the strongest of these two if he's heading into a match with Vessey and this could be an opportunity for McFly to even the score. Brooke Tyler vs. Sally Anne Christianson Not all that familiar with the women's division so this is largely an educated guess Jason Thunder vs. Cam Jones Marc DuBois vs. Antonio Del Veccio This is heart over anything else. I've always liked DuBois and would like to see him do well, haggered mess of a human being though he may be! Nadia Snow vs. Ariel Breaks Same goes for this one. Need to brush up on my women's wrestling Danny Draper vs. Derek Frost vs. Dermott Ayres vs. Diablo Duvak vs. Donte Dunn vs. Marc Raisin vs. Mark Griffin vs. Mountie Mann vs. Omar Brown vs. Princeton Pryce vs. Robby Griffin vs. Robin DaLay vs. Sean Deeley vs. Solomon Gold vs. Sonny Wildside Always gotta go for my boy Donte Bonus Questions: Who will be the runner-up in the 100th Episode Anniversary Battle Royale? Shooter Sean Deeley Who will have the most eliminations in the 100th Episode Anniversary Battle Royale? Donte Dunn This is probably heart over head again, as if Donte is winning then the most eliminations should probably go to someone else to shine them up, even in defeat. But I just like Dunn a lot.

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Xendarii" data-cite="Xendarii" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="49598" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Sorry for not commenting for quite some time! Lots of real-life stuff going on right now and porting my diary over to DocDroid took a lot of time that I then didn't have to read other diaries. Just starting with that again right now and yours was the first one I caught up with!<p> </p><p> I've enjoyed every single word out of the last shows, with the pay-per-view obviously being especially amazing. Ino's comeback was extremely well written, Blackfyre continues to be an absolute favourite of mine. In any case, this continues to be my absolute favourite diary in this forum right now.</p><p> </p><p> The new format is great as well. The match write-ups ahead of the changes definitely got a bit too long for my tastes, or rather, went a bit too much into detail on who hit which move. The way you're handling it right now is absolutely perfect.</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> No problem at all, and thanks for the encouragement. I've been reading through your diary in my off days and I am frankly staggered you have time to do anything else (let alone read other's work), your presentation and writing is so good.</p><p> </p><p> And yeah, I felt like the match write-ups were getting too long winded for my tastes. I was struggling to write them so I'm sure they were a slog to read <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />.</p>

Thanks very much! Throwing away pay-per-view main events for free on television was one of the things WCW did that put them out of business, so HOPEFULLY I'm not completely falling into that trap. There is a method to this madness. Not necessarily a good method, but a method nonetheless . And thanks for the continued engagement guys, it means an awful lot to me to somehow still see people regularly reading and commenting 3 months (or 4 in-game months) into my first diary. "Flattered" doesn't begin to cover it.

Preview: TCW Presents Total Wrestling - April 2020, Week 4 (to be posted by 25/08/2020) Wolf Hawkins in a Falls Count Anywhere match with John Blackfyre, The Heritage plotting something for Aaron Andrews, Joshua Taylor and Doc Hammond coming to a head. The bad blood is building up for Where Angels Fear To Tread with very little sign of abating! This week we'll see a titanic singles clash, another tag title defence and Wolf Hawkins in singles action! <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Jay Chord vs Aaron Andrews Tale of the Tape: A pay-per-view main event anywhere in the world. These two pillars of TCW will face each other in singles action for the first time ever in a non-title match! A victory for Jay Chord here would send shockwaves throughout the whole of TCW. Tag Title Match Rich & Famous vs The Roughnecks © Tale of the Tape: The Texan tag team make the second defence of their tag team titles with one eye on a clash with The Behemoths at the end of the month. But they'll need to focus if they're to beat Rich & Famous, who are licking their lips at the prospect of a handicap match with Masked Patriot at the PPV. Sammy Bach, Mighty Mo & Joshua Taylor vs Marc Speed & American Ultra Tale of the Tape: Bach and Taylor look to bounce back from losses last week with the aid of Mighty Mo against the ruthless trio of Marc Speed and American Ultra. This should be a hard-hitting and technical affair. One Man Army vs Edd Stone Tale of the Tape: There's no love lost between Edd Stone and OMA, who have clashed in multi-man tags in recent weeks. Stone has been accused of depending on his Heritage stable mates to get the big wins and this will be a test of that as he goes one-on-one with a TCW veteran. Wolf Hawkins vs Benny Benson Tale of the Tape: Wolf once again opens the show against the veteran cruiserweight Benny "Elmo" Benson. The fun-loving babyface will need to be at his absolute best to stand a chance here, surely? (Pre Show) Flying Jimmy Foxx vs Killer Shark Tale of the Tape: It doesn't take a marine biologist to know that foxes and sharks don't mix. Will Jimmy be able to overcome The Behemoth in singles action? (Pre Show) Real Deadly vs Hammer & Anvil Tale of the Tape: Roderick Remus continues to hang out with Doc Hammond; the prospective Syndicate member attempts to make a case for his induction against the team of Mark Griffin and Elliot Thomas. </div>

Another show in the books and time to review our prediction scores for the month. christmas_ape: 4/5 DarEatWorld: 3/5 eayragt: 5/5 Strong scores all-round with a clean sweep for eayragt! Congratulations are due for that, so well done! We had some left-over copies of Genghis Rahn's autobiography "Barbed Wire and Bourbon" hanging out in the TCW warehouse, so please enjoy the copy that is currently on its way to you now! <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";"> This Month Prediction Scores: christmas_ape: 1 DarEatWorld: 1 eayragt: 2 Overall Running Prediction Scores: christmas_ape: 10 DarEatWorld: 1 eayragt: 3 Herrbear: 2 kanegan: 2 KnowYourEnemy: 1 Sco xY2Jx: 1 TJ94: 2 Xendarii: 7</div>

Booker's Notes Another show in the books and we're well on our way to Where Angels Fear To Tread now, with our "Big 4" matches all established and plenty of midcard action too. Show Notes The biggest news of the night is that Ino - at 43 years of age - isn't in time decline. Woop! I wanted to hold off on making any big booking decisions for him until his in-ring debut so I could gauge how important he could be for me. Well, now I know! Wolf Hawkins continues to prop up my main events by himself, pulling a 92 match rating to make that main decent; a solid 20-30 points higher than everyone else in the match. God I love him. As some people predicted, JT is above the Television Title and this was really just an opportunity for a high profile win for Matt Hocking while furthering Taylor's feud with Doc Hammond. I loved writing The 1% / Masked Patriot angle. It's a comedy skit which I feel like TCW barely does, canonically, but I want their product to have some levity in it. The main event scene is very serious indeed but there's room in their midcard for some fun, I think. And in that vein we had the opposite end of the angle spectrum with Jay Chord monologueing about how hard his life has been in a very serious promo indeed (one that was also fun to write). I feel like Jay Chord actually believes that his family name hurt him more than it helped when it comes to his career, which is why he is so touchy about it. Overall I'm pleased with the show. Some fun angles. Ducks are very much in a row for the PPV now and we're able to have some fun in the final two weeks before the big show.

TCW Presents Total Wrestling - April 2020, Week 3 Evanovich Riverside, Tri State - 10’000 (SELLOUT) <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">(Pre Show) Ernest Youngman, Troy Tornado & Nick Booth def Danny Fonzarelli and Hammer & Anvil Rating: 57 Length: 9:47</div> <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">(Pre Show) Human Arsenal, Fro Sure & Jackson Laine def Jeremie Courtney and American Ultra Rating: 54 Length: 9:58</div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> Six Men. ”...you and Gauge seem to despise each other just enough to make it entertaining.” Three Matches. ”You want a legacy of greatness?” One chance to settle the score. ”We might be opponents at the end of the month, but that’s no reason we can’t be friends, right?” At Where Angels Fear To Tread the future is now. <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> by Five Finger Death Punch The Tri State area is heated up and ready for a night of awesome in-ring action by the sounds of their raucous cheers, which can be heard over the event theme, and threaten to drown out even the voices of our three intrepid announcers for the night: Shawn Doakes, Ernie Turner and Jasmine Saunders. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">SD: Welcome, one and all, to Total Wrestling. It’s a muggy night here and things aren’t showing any signs of cooling down in this arena. And boy, do we have a card stacked with non-stop action for you tonight! JS: Sammy Bach teams with the unconventional Masked Patriot to take on Wolf Hawkins and Doc Hammond while Joshua Taylor takes on Matt Hocking for the Television Title. And let’s not forget the in-ring re-debut of “The Kobra” Koshiro Ino. ET: I’m not a fan of the guy but I wouldn’t want to be Maverick tonight. And of course we’ll be seeing The Heritage make mincemeat out of One Man Army and the tag team champions: The Roughnecks JS: If The Roughnecks’ form in recent weeks is anything to go by they may provide stiffer opposition than you’re giving them credit for ET; stiff as a Marshall Dillon lariat! ET: That was a reach, even for you Shawn. JS: Ignore them. John Blackfyre and Mighty Mo will be in action against The Elite - dangerous tag team specialists that they are - tonight. That should be a great match. SD: And after last week’s visitation of Wolf Hawkins by Blackfyre it has been revealed on Twitter by our GM Jack Bruce that he has sanctioned a Falls Count Anywhere match between those two, which surely plays into Blackfyre’s favour as a man who is most at home when attacking from the shadows. ET: What!? Who allowed this!? That’s outrageous! That plays right into that freak’s hands! JS: I’d be careful who you call a freak, ET. He’ll come for you if you’re not careful. SD: And on that note we’re scheduled to hear from the champ Aaron Andrews right now!</div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"> The arena rises as one to greet the familiar theme song of the champion, Aaron Andrews, who strides out onto the stage in a light grey linen suit. by Fire From The Gods <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">AA: Cut my music.</div> The production team oblige him. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">AA: I’m gonna have to apologise to all of you fans here tonight, but I’m not here to play. Edd Stone is a coward, a waste of my goddamn time and an embarrassment to this company. I’ve fought damn near everyone worth anything on this roster; lost to some, beat most of them, and I can honestly say that Edd Stone is the least deserving title challenger I have ever had. The man comes to the dressing room I share with all the boys in the back and asks me to quietly vacate the title so he can have a run? Not on my watch.</div> The crowd have never seen Aaron Andrews this incensed before. There is normally a genial element to his demeanour even when he’s focused and angry. Not today. He points at the jumbotron and an image of the legendary Dan Stone Senior appears. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">AA: Dan Stone Senior. Patriarch of one of, if not the most, famous wrestling dynasties in history. Was winning World Titles consistently for 15 years. Surely, being one of his children would set you up for success?</div> The image shifts to the bald head and icey demeanour of Jeremy Stone. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">AA: His eldest son: Jeremy Stone. One of the finest technicians to ever set foot in a ring. Could have a great match with anyone, just don’t expect him to keep you enraptured in conversation.</div> The crowd laugh a little as the image on the screen changes to Dan Stone Jr. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">AA: Dan Stone Jr. One of the greatest wrestlers of all time. Storytelling, technique, charisma. Junior had it all in a career that spanned twenty five years.</div> Once again, it changes. This time to Duane Stone. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">AA: Duane Stone. Took after his older brother, Jeremy, as an amazing technician. And, just to prove that it wasn’t all nepotism that got the Stone boys to where they were, he went off and became a legend in Japan.</div> Next up the pretty but dangerous face of Victoria Stone-McFly. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">AA: Now this is one for the books. Not content with being an ass-kicking member of the Stone clan, the only girl decided that the only thing better than being a Stone was being a Stone-McFly. Victoria was a great wrestler in her own right.</div> Finally, the screen is dominated by a large and frankly unflattering photo of Edd Stone in mid-party. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">AA: And so we come to Edd. The “Black Sheep” of the Stone family and man, that term may as well have been made up just for him. In character he’s nothing like his brothers and - let’s be real - in achievements as well. Look back at that list. World Champions as far as the eye can see, man. Gold falling off of every member of the Stone family. And then there’s Edd. He won some Cruiserweight titles in Canada fifteen years ago, sure. Even picked up one down here too. But aside from Freddy Huggins carrying his useless ass to three tag title runs, what has Edd actually done with his career?</div> The Ace gets a close-up from a camera man on the apron, staring straight into it. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">AA: Nothing. Absolutely nothing. You see, Stone, you talk about this legacy that you, Gauge and Chord share. This rightful place in the pantheon of the greats based on your family heritage. But the fact is that you didn’t do a damn thing with that heritage until it seemed like it might get you something for free. So here’s the deal, Stone. Listen hard - and I know you are listening: you get your title shot at the end of the month because it means I get a chance to show the world just how far you’ve got to go until you’re on my level. But if you ever, EVER come to me and ask me to give you something based on who your father is again I’m gonna embarrass you, even more than you’ve already embarrassed yourself. Ace. Out.</div> Andrews tosses the mic over his shoulder and stares down the hard cam as his music plays and the show goes to commercial. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 88 <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> SD: A blistering promo from Aaron Andrews there. Edd Stone has really gotten under his skin, it seems. ET: Brilliant mind games from the party animal. The Ace isn’t thinking straight. JS: Hard to argue with that, though Andrews is likely to channel this into a biblical beating for Stone at the end of the month. </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> VS Standard Tag Match (3 vs 3) One Man Army and The Roughnecks (0-0-0) vs The Heritage (0-0-1) <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Stone is making a show of not caring what the Ace has to say. </div> As things get underway Edd Stone is making a point of vocally and often stating that he doesn’t care about Aaron Andrews, jaw-jacking with fans at ringside instead of focusing on his match, a behaviour which begins to frustrate his partners. Culminating in a moment where he eats a double Dead Hand from The Roughnecks and looks as though his lack of attentiveness has cost his team the match before Greg Gauge and Chord leap into the ring to break up the pin. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">You aint got the spine of your brothers, kid </div> Dave Diamond gets into a slugging match with Edd Stone which sees the Canadian Party Animal battered down to the mat with clubbing blows, and it is to his credit that he continues to stand back up. However, after one such exchange Diamond is able to simply shove Stone over at which point he laughs down at the prone form of his challenger. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">The Heritage are running like a well-oiled machine. </div> Chord, Gauge and a - relatively - recovered Stone take it in turns to dismantle their opponents with a highly choreographed, exciting display of tag team wrestling, culminating in a moment where Marshall Dillo eats a Cradle Piledriver while One Man Army is down on the outside of the ring and legal man Edd Stone is able to land a Party’s Over shooting star press onto Diamond for the pinfall victory. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 76 (Diamond: 55, Stone: 70, Gauge: 78, Chord: 77, Dillon: 57, OMA: 69) Length: 18:17 Winner: The Heritage via pinfall (Edd Stone over Dave Diamond) <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> ET: Stone had a point to prove to Andrews there, and prove it he did. JS: Still, it’s easy to look impressive when you have Jay Chord and Greg Gauge standing behind you. SD: Will those two be a factor in the title match between Stone and the Ace? </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> VS Standard Tag Match (2 vs 2) The Elite (3-2-0) vs John Blackfyre & Mighty Mo (0-0-0) <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">To hell with that, I aint fightin’ him </div> Blackfyre spends the first five minutes employing his typical waifish offense, slipping all of The Elite’s attempts to grapple and responding with stinging strikes that frustrate and anger his opponents. When Eddie Chandler lands a big german suplex on The Man In Black he lies on the mat and begins loudly laughing, which seems to visibly scare his opponents, who demand Mo be tagged in. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Asking to fight Mighty Mo is an interesting, if vaguely suicidal, choice. </div> The Elite soon regret their decision as they prove incapable of dealing with Mo’s high-power offense. They get a few licks in but ultimately Mo is far too dangerous an opponent for them to contain and after he has has finished toying with them he tags in Blackfyre who is able to kill things off with a Batwing on Eddie Chandler, followed up with a pinfall for the victory. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 64 (Blackfyre: 41, Chandler: 57, Mo: 69, Johnson: 57) Length: 10:11 Winner: John Blackfyre & Mighty Mo via pinfall (Blackfyre over Eddie Chandler) <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> SD: Mo looking imperious there, Troy Tornado watch out. JS: And Blackfyre’s unconventional offense upsetting The Elite; could be a warning for Wolf Hawkins. ET: Wolf has faced far weirder than Blackfyre and walked away. </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> The Elite are helped to the back with ice packs on their necks and, after a brief handshake, John Blackfyre leaves Mighty Mo alone in the ring where he calls for a mic. His breathing is slightly heavy as he stares down the hard cam. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">MM: Troy Tornado. You’ve got a death wish, coming at me the way you did last week. I’m gonna turn that wish into a reality. You think I was handed anything? That I’m getting opportunities I don’t deserve? Man, you’ve screwed up so many of your own chances that I genuinely think you believe that noise now. Well imma show your pompous ass exactly what I’m owed. See you at Where Angels Fear To Tread, Troy.</div> He drops the mic and his theme song hits. by Vo Williams <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 80 <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> SD: It was always going to have this result, Mo wasn’t going to take that lying down. ET: Troy is playing Mo against his own ego. Genius. JS: Or he’s just pissing off one of the most dangerous men on the planet. Not so genius. </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> After another ad break we cut to Jack Bruce’s office backstage where Edd Stone, in his stringer vest, backwards snap back and adidas tracksuit pants, is after something... <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">ES: All I’m asking, Jack, is that you consider the proposal. JB: That we make your match with Andrews No-DQ? Do you think I was born yesterday, Stone? I’ve cheated enough times to know when someone is asking me to set them up to do it themselves. ES: Ok, but, hear me out: we could make it worth your while… JB: And what exactly does that mean? ES: You wanna run a smooth, profitable ship, right boss man? Prove you aren’t just a party guy - and believe me, I empathise. Well The Heritage is how you do that. No one on this roster will mess with us, we just need you to let us do things our way.</div> Bruce rubs his eyes tiredly and sighs. He cuts a very different figure right now to the man who wore a silk dressing gown to the ring two weeks ago. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">JB: Stone… you got your title shot. Chord got his. And I’m out of favours to do you guys. If you can’t win with the deck already stacked in your favour then you aren’t the big deal you’re claiming to be. So no. There will be standard singles rules for your match with Andrews. And if you or any of your Heritage boys try to get around those rules I’ll personally see to it that you’re disqualified and ejected from the arena. ES: Oh Jack. You’re making a mistake here, hermano. JB: I’ve made ‘em before.</div> Stone pauses, looks down at the ground for a moment and then raises his head again with a conniving grin on his face. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">ES: Fine. Normal rules it is. We’ll just have to do this the long way. But when it’s all said and done, Jackie boy, just remember that we gave you the option to make this easy on Andrews and yourself.</div> Stone turns and exit the room, leave Bruce to ponder his cryptic parting message. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 80 <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> JS: The hell did Stone mean by that? SD: I’m not sure, but I don’t like it. The Heritage are up to something here. ET: You bet your ass they are. They’re conspiring to get the World Title away from the Ace by any means necessary. </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> The camera cuts again and, rather than going to another match as expected, we find ourselves in another room backstage dominated by a large wooden table around which are seated The 1%, Masked Patriot and - in between them - Haley Buck. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">HB: Gentlemen, thank you for agreeing to meet here today. As well as being an accomplished journalist, award-winning author and successful amateur tennis player, I also have a Bachelor’s degree in group psychiatry and workplace conflict remediation. MP: Young lady, I understand about 30% of the words you just said. NC: She wants us to talk through our problems, moron. MP: Friend, you and your gang have some anger issues. NC: We’re not a… Newton, talk to him. DWN: Patriot, I’ll make it simple and use short sentences so you can understand. You beat me last week and we can’t have that. We want revenge. HB: ...and will get it in the form of a constructive dialogue between the conflicted parties. MP: Dialogue? DWN: Talking. MP: Ahahaha, you’re a real good sport, Ms. Buck. But talking is for politicians. NC: So you DO want to fight? HB: I think we need to drill down on the core of the issue here, really get to the centre of where this animosity comes from. DWN: You understand this is a wrestling organisation, right Haley? Fighting is kind of what we do here. MP: Boys, I’m tuning out almost all of what you’re saying. But if you’d like to suggest a time and a place for a donnybrook I’m all ears.</div> The 1% exchange slightly confused glances and then laugh. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">NC: Alright. Where Angels Fear To Tread, at the end of the month. You versus Jake and Jackpot over there.</div> Rich & Famous grin and crack their knuckles. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">MP: Two on one? I like those odds. You’re on!</div> Masked Patriot reaches across the table and shakes each of The 1%’s hands, followed by Haley Buck, in turn before giving a thumbs up to the camera, which fades to black. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 58 <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> SD: Did Masked Patriot just willingly agree to a handicap match? ET: At some point it becomes cruel to keep him employed. JS: He’s not the sharpest tool in the box, I’ll grant you. But point him at a wrestling ring and he’s dangerous.. </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> VS Standard Singles Match (1 vs 1) Koshiro Ino (0-0-0) vs Maverick (0-2-0) <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">What would possess a man to fight the Kobra? </div> Ino’s debut match goes exactly as the fans expect it to go: with him flattening Julian “Maverick” Watson in no time flat. The Kobra runs through his big moves, each popping the crowd before finally putting Maverick down for the count with a bone-snapping Kobra’s Bite. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 54 (Maverick: 37, Ino: 62) Length: 4:51 Winner: Koshiro Ino via pinfall <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> SD: Well I’ve seen weaker returns. JS: Freddy Huggins must be watching this and praying Ino catches a cold. ET: Funnily enough, I’m hearing that we can catch up with Huggins right now.... </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> As promised, the camera feed cuts backstage where Huggins is standing with a look of consternation on his face, arms folded, watching Ino’s match on a TV. He’s muttering to himself just loud enough for us to hear. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">FH: He’s sloppy. So sloppy. See that move there? Real rough. He’s rusty, Freddy. Very rusty. Nothing to measure up to you. See that that? Oh man. See that? You could have slipped that, easily. Oh you’ve got this…. oh… oh yeah you’ve got this. Nothing to worry about, nothing at all.</div> It becomes clear that he is going to carry on like this and isn’t going to address the camera, so the feed cuts back to the announce team. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 75 <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> JS: Freddy seems totally normal and not at all nervous. SD: Wouldn’t you be nervous going up against The Kobra! ET: It’s all mind games. Lulling Ino into a sense of false security. </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> Television Title VS Standard Singles Match (1 vs 1) Joshua Taylor (5-3-1) vs Matt Hocking (6-1-0) © (5th Defence) <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">These two don’t particularly like each other, but there’s respect there at least </div> Things start off technically between the pair in a great display of catch wrestling, with Hocking doing the majority of the selling, taking a sequence of throws and stiff strikes; JT’s typical no-nonsense offense. However he brings the crowd to their feet when he drops Taylor to his knees with a low drop kick and then spikes his opponent’s head into the matt with a great running face crusher. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Revenge is a dish best served cold </div> Taylor has the upper hand for much of the match, putting on a clinic which serves as a great advertisement for his own capabilities as a potential Television Champion, however his offense is pulled up short by the sudden and profoundly unwelcome appearance of a certain Syndicate member... Doc Hammond, clearly frustrated with being submitted by Taylor last week, strides down to ringside and begins remonstrating with Taylor, who lets a battered Hocking drop to the mat rather than finishing him. The pair get into it with Hammond eventually eating a high kick that sends him spilling back to the floor. But the distraction is enough as Hocking hits a nice reverse facelock backbreaker and then finishes things off with the Hock Shock from the top rope. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 65 (JT: 66, Hocking: 64) Length: 20:05 Winner: Matt Hocking via pinfall <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> SD: Hocking got a little lucky there, though neither man will be happy with the Doc’s intrusion. JS: And Doc must know that JT is going to come back at him. ET: Doc eats fake tough guys like Joshua Taylor for breakfast. </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> A frustrated Joshua Taylor leaves the ring while Doc Hammond lingers around ringside - being up next. But as he makes his way up the ramp JT can clearly be heard shouting back up at Doc: <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">JT: You just put a bullseye on your head, Doc. Good luck next, I don’t need to mess with your matches to embarrass your ass. See you at the end of the month.</div> <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 62 <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> ET: Yeah, yeah, yeah... SD: I can think of a long list of people I would piss off before crossing Joshua Taylor. JS: But would Doc Hammond come before or after him on that list? If these two are going to go at it it’s going to be a clash of two of TCW’s most brutal technicians. </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> The feed goes to a brief commercial and then returns with Jay Chord sitting in a leather seat backstage, undoing the black athletic tape on one of his wrists. He looks up at the camera periodically as he slowly, methodically undoes the tape. He doesn’t shout; he’s clearly in one of darker moods, despite the win earlier. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">JC: Nice little win you got for yourself there, Hocking. Only took some help from one of Wolf’s buddies to get you over the line. You’re a real credit to yourself and the Television Title.</div> He finishes unwrapping one wrist and then moves onto the next with the same cautious pace. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">JC: People round here don’t like me. Never did, really. They don’t like seeing someone succeed through adversity. “But Jay, your dad is Rip Chord, what adversity?” You think it’s easy to hear how great your dad is constantly? You think that makes life fun for me? It just so happens that I’m better than my dad, which makes my life easier, but that has nothing to do with him. I have a legacy to maintain and I never had a choice in the matter. So yeah, I’m a Chord. Yeah, that means I have a standard of greatness to uphold. And yeah, people watched my tapes because of who my dad is. But don’t for one second think I wouldn’t be where I am right now if I had a different name.</div> He closes his eyes and exhales slowly. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">JC: So when I see someone like you: a talented guy, no doubt, but a talented guy who does more harm than good by ultimately being a nothing more than a skillful failure, it makes me sick. It makes me sick because it diminishes how hard I’ve had to work to get where I am. People look at you and think that anyone can coast to a Television Title, because you’re lucky and the powers that be like you. Well here’s the deal, Hocking. The powers that be don’t like me. And I don’t like them. And when I run this place I’m going to change the entire system. And parasites like you are gonna be the first thing to go. But I’ll make you a deal: if you can beat me at the end of this month I’ll give you a shot once the paradigm shift happens. I’ll let bygones be bygones and give you a clean slate. If - and that’s a big goddamn “if” - you can beat me in two weeks.</div> He grins humourlessly and tosses the athletic tape to the ground as the camera feed cuts back to the ring. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 78 <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> ET: Chord extending an olive branch to Matt Hocking there... SD: Strange looking olive branch. JS: His world view is so distorted, it’s not reality that Jay Chord lives in. </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> VS Standard Tag Match (2 vs 2) Sammy Bach & Masked Patriot (0-0-0) vs Wolf Hawkins & Doc Hammond (0-0-0) <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Doc seems pleased with himself for costing JT a match, but he needs to get his head in the game </div> After a strong start the Syndicate team begin to suffer as Doc allows himself to - uncharacteristically - be fairly self-congratulatory which opens him up to some great offense from Sammy Bach, who plants Hammond with a snug northern lights suplex and follows it up with a rare hurricanrana. All the time he is cheered on by the earnest encouragement of Masked Patriot from ringside. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">These hoodlums won’t overcome us, friend! </div> Patriot faced Wolf two weeks ago and looked great in doing it, even though he lost, and Wolf continues to “shine up” Patriot by selling like crazy for his power moves, eating a sequence of three vertical suplexes as well as giving the masked man time to get his bizarre catchphrases in. The fans seem to be getting on board with him, especially after the angle earlier tonight. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #EAE4E4; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">It’s really not wise to offer a handshake to Doc Hammond </div> After a nice exchange of lariats and European uppercuts, Masked Patriot nods approvingly and offers a handshake to Doc as the match enters it’s end game. Everyone in the arena knows it’s a terrible idea, and so aren’t surprised when Doc responds by accepting the handshake and then booting Patriot in the gut and planting him with a fantastic tiger driver, before cinching in the Greetings From Parris Island which is enough to force the Patriot to tap. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Rating: 81 (Doc: 64, Patriot: 62, Bach: 71, Wolf: 92) Length: 20:25 Winner: Wolf Hawkins & Doc Hammond via submission (Doc Hammond over Masked Patriot) <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> ET: Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. JS: You say that, but once again the Patriot has proved that he can hang with the best in the company. SD: And that’s gonna do it for all of us here, good night folks! </div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";"> Overall Show Rating: 81 </div>

April 8th 2020 - Eye On The Ring, Konrad Douglas The Return of Saturday Night Showcase Pretty big news coming out of TCW this week with the return of the weekly Saturday Night Showcase. Originally considered an 'A' show, rumour has it that the event has been re-purposed to exist as more of a... well, a showcase for the young talent on the roster, a chance for them to get some exposure and experience against one another in a lower pressure environment. The TCW Network continues to reap dividends with this show reported to be the latest addition to the FunCo-owned subscription model network, though if other rumours are to be believed them there may be yet another show in the offing. Though exactly what form that will take remains to be seen. <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> Catching Up With The New Tag Team Champions Yours truly was able to grab some time out of The Roughnecks' busy partying schedule to catch up with the new TCW Tag Team Champions about their recent success, Marshall Dillon's move from SWF down south and how they see the future of the tag division panning out. Be warned, when I say "Some time" I really mean "About five minutes of conversation over loud music in a bar somewhere". <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">KD: Dave, Marshall, thanks for taking the time. First of all: congratulations on your success. Straight back into the tag division with a big win. How do those belts feel? DD: These gimmicks are such a rib, brother. I get recognised all the time already, now with these things we're basically walking "Free autographs" signs. MD: He says that, but no one is forcing the jackass to wear the damn thing through the airport. DD: Man, if I don't how's anyone gonna know who I am? KD: But I thought you just said... MD: Try not to think too hard about what Diamond says. He just wants to confuse people so we're all operating on his level, aint that right double D?</div> There is the sound of a cheer down the phone and then a clinking of glasses. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">DD: You know it, Walker. KD: Walker? MD: Texas Ranger. He thinks it's funny. I don't have the heart to tell him that no one has watched that show in thirty years. KD: There's worse people to be compared to than Chuck Norris, I guess. MD: Hell yeah, brother. Man is an ass-kicker, just like me. KD: So Marshall, how has your first month in TCW been? And how is the transition from up north? MD: Honestly, it's been a little tough. Y'all are a lot more serious down here. Lot more focused on 'The Sport' if you get my meaning. Which isn't to say that it's bad... DD: You BETTER not be sayin' it's bad, brother. MD: ...just that it's more work than I thought it'd be. But then TCW was always famous for workrate. It's why none of the old-timers wanted to come out here anymore. SWF is a cushier retirement.</div> There is another voice, I can't make out what they're saying, but whatever it is it gets The Roughnecks' attention. <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">DD: Aw hell, we gotta go. Butch is here and he's after my tab. Peace, man. MD: Sorry man, we'll catch up again another time. KD: If I could just get one more word....</div> Spoilers: I couldn't. Still, charming guys. <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Teh_Showtime" data-cite="Teh_Showtime" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="47616" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I ended up grabbing Cameron Vessey from Canada, and Lisa Bowen has great chemistry with a Greg Gauge. Cam has a legendary gimmick and Bryan Vessey came out of retirement to put him over, so he’s sitting mid 60s popularity already.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> That's rad. I love that Cameron Vessey is in the spot he's in, popularity-wise. It makes pushing him interesting. And the connection to Bryan makes signing him for TCW an easy choice.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Generic Heel 104" data-cite="Generic Heel 104" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="47616" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Does anyone have tips for getting new guys over in TCW? I've brought in Masked Cougar & Mr. Lucha III as a tag team, but the crowd doesn't like them squash people since they see it as four complete unknowns.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> It's really the same as it was in the past. Bring them in with high momentum by starting them off in a hot angle with someone over, then have them go over more popular guys on the roster in 10 minute matches (I find squashes don't work very well in TCW).</p><p> </p><p> TCW's midcard is absolutely full of bad wrestlers and guys in their 40s who I have no problem turning into jobbers. Jimmy Foxx, Chance Fortune, Maverick, Human Arsenal and Danny Fonzarelli can all be used for this, plus others. If you really want to avoid annoying them you can go the New Japan route and start putting your new guys in multi-man tags (I usually use 3 vs 3 or 4 vs 4) with experienced guys so they can get wins without actually getting a pin.</p><p> </p><p> I just realised that Nicky Champion's contract is up in 56 days in my game. Saying nothing as this is a dynasty game but... hello USPW bidding war. <img alt=":eek:" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/eek.png.0e09df00fa222c85760b9bc1700b5405.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p>

Bonuses is my way of doing it, usually. Toss ten grand at Wolf and he'll probably be fine. I managed to re-sign Koshiro Ino in my dynasty game and am so happy about it. Always loved the big painted monster. Also noticed that someone else here also put Jay Chord and Greg Gauge in a "Legacy" style stable called "The Heritage" which is very funny. Mine has Edd Stone in it though. Houses of Chord, Keith and Stone and all. Now if only I could get my hands on a Valentine, a Vessey, a Faith and a DeColt...

I know! I suspect that this might have been retconned in the C-Verse from the earlier games as I feel like he must have held the International Title at some point. Though according to his title history it was just a lone tag title reign with Rocky Golden back in 2009. 3 titles in 10 years is no good. I think he's one of those guys who has such great star quality that he kind of doesn't need titles, but that doesn't mean he doesn't deserve them!

April 8th 2020 - Eye On The Ring, Konrad Douglas In Profile: Koshiro Ino <div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #C2C2C2; max-width:100%;box-shadow: 0 1px 3px ";">Name(s): Koshiro Ino, The Kobra, Theme Song: by Parkway Drive Signed: 2008, 2020 Notable Accomplishments: Trained by Haruki Kudo, 1 x BHOTWG World Champion (2016), 1 x BHOTWG Tag Team Champion (2006), 1 x TCW World Tag Team Champion (2009 - w/ Rocky Golden) Real Name: Koshiro Ino Age: 43 From: Nagoya, Chubu, Japan Billed From: Japan Gimmick: The Kobra - Power and Paint Signature Moves: The Kobra Bite (Spear), Snake Fangs (Mongolian Chop) Ring Attire: Black and white face paint, black and white trunks, boots and bicep bands (both with tassles) and black kneepads. Power15 Highest Placement: 4 Likes: Working out, shonen anime, baby oil Dislikes: Snakes, bullies, backstage politics</div> <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div> Koshiro Ino is a man who has travelled from one corner of the world and back again, multiple times in fact, in an attempt to perfect his craft. One of the rare examples of a Japanese export who has not only succeeded in the US but blazed a path bright enough for others to follow. While it's true that he never won the big one during his six years with TCW, he was also never far off and was booked strongly enough that it convinced a younger generation of Japanese stars that they could make a career in the west. Quite simply; without Ino you wouldn't have landmark deals like the ones that have brought "Brave Star" Yuta Isono, Orange Tsuchie, Takenori Doi and Tsuneyo Yanagimoto to TCW. And entire generation of Japanese talent now making their way through TCW's developmental system have The Kobra to thank for their opportunity in the US. But this is not to say that Ino's career is done. The man himself remains a fantastic in-ring brawler and powerhouse, capable of getting a good match out of just about anyone he has ever faced. As evidenced by the fact that he is only a few years removed from winning the BHOTWG World Title. And while he has never been an exceptional promo he remains a decent enough talker to disprove the notion that non-native-English-speaking workers struggle to connect with fans in interviews. Ino is, and always has been, loved by the US fans, who have always been attracted to the combination of his old school Power 'n' Paint gimmick and the typical fighting spirit of Japanese workers. He can hype a crowd with the theatricality of his intro as much as with an exchange of blows in the middle of the ring. His in-ring style is fairly slow-paced and psychology based which has perhaps contributed to the longevity of his career, yet he is capable of making his offense look incredibly stiff and believable. In particular, his Kobra Bite spear has an awesome sense of speed and dynamism to it. The last time Ino hit these shores he was a relative unknown, but he now returns as a bonafide star at a time when TCW is in desperate need of anyone not named "Andrews" or "Wolf" to take the pressure off of the guys at the top of their card. And The Kobra's mixture of work rate and popularity fits the bill to a tee. Whether he is coming back to settle unfinished business and finally win a World Title remains to be seen, but that must surely have factored into the discussions which brought him back. <div style="font-size:0px; height:1px; width:900px; background-color:#000;"></div>