DarK_RaideR

Mind? It's not like I've trademarked anything, I probably stole those too from another diary. That's the beauty of these forums, ideas circulate and inspire other writers. Not requesting a spotlight, but just to make sure, is White Rabbit played by Karrion "Killer" Kross?

Congratulations to the winners and all participants. Some great quality diaries going on.

<p>Dang, missed the preview and Martina's spotlight! No predictions for me this week, though it's probably best for my numbers as I'd only gotten Dreamer vs Rabbit right <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> Another great show!</p>

<p>Demon Hardcore Match</p><p> <strong>Brothers In Vengeance (Battle Sakata & Hiroshi Morisue)</strong> vs. Kimi Kawano & Eiichi Umehara</p><p> </p><p> Hardcore Encounter</p><p> Washi Heat vs. <strong>Toyokuni Hardcore</strong></p><p> </p><p> Special Tag Match</p><p> <strong>INSPIRED (Tornado Nagai & Morimasa Kato)</strong> vs. Azumamaro Shimizu & Masashi Urogataya</p><p> </p><p> Tag Team Action</p><p> <strong>Taiji Chajima & Taheiji Konoe</strong> vs. Takuro Awatari & Kyuichi Matsumoto</p><p> </p><p> Six Man Tag Action</p><p> Noritaka Imakura, Shuga Amano & Ieshige Nishio vs. <strong>Ritsu Ibata, Yuta Isono & Sozen Ishinomori</strong></p><p> </p><p> Tag Team Action</p><p> <strong>Cloaked In Shadows (Prowler Igarashi & Shadow Ichimori)</strong> vs. Big Boss Emperor & Goro Hatamoto</p>

<p>Xavi Ferrera & Nelson Callum vs. <strong>Rich and Famous</strong></p><p> Furniture Showroom Showdown Match</p><p> Notes: <em> Established team plus assists from Longan and Youngman</em></p><p> </p><p> Madman Boone vs. <strong>Ash Campbell</strong></p><p> Notes: <em>Feels early to put Ash over Boone, but feels like he's strapped to a rocket. Plus Boone should be on decline</em></p><p> </p><p> For the Right to be Called the 'Baddest Man in PSW'</p><p> Deadbolt vs. <strong>Devil Dog</strong></p><p> Notes: <em>Never liked Dead Bolt.</em></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Cerberus</strong> vs. Cowboy Buck Winchester</p><p> Backstage Food Fight</p><p> Notes: <em>Might be the night's most entertaining bout</em></p><p> </p><p> Who is Jebediah's Mysterious 'Nephew?'</p><p> <strong>Jebediah & ???</strong> vs. Blood Soldiers</p><p> Notes: <em>No clue</em></p><p> </p><p><strong> Samoan Machine</strong> vs. Vendetta</p><p> Notes:</p><p> </p><p> <strong>Sayeed Ali</strong> vs. Teddy Powell</p><p> Parking Lot Brawl</p><p> Notes: <em>Ali vs DAVE has such promise as a feud</em></p>

First of all Croq, your work lately is off the charts good. I particularly appreciate some full body renders, like the thick-thighed Ursula Saez or Minh Ruby in that dress. Second, as someone who enjoys GSW and has noticed a lack of black skinned worker portraits for too long (at least prior to TEW20 using those from WMMA) this is just the thing. And if not for KP Avatar or random workers, they can always be used to put Fro Sure under a ton of wacky gimmicks <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Quick update on this, I had a corrupt file mess with the memory card I had WMMA5 installed on, so the save got messed up and I had no backup. As such, this diary is unable to continue, but thanks for reading so far and I hope you enjoyed!

Jacob Fatu is a great pick, always thought he'd be great inside a Japanese ring. Hard hitting and Los Ingobernables... I'm guessing we got Shingo Takagi incoming.

This is actually a pretty interesting concept. Downloaded the mod and played through the first couple of years, very much liking it. Thanks.

<div style="padding: 15px; border: 3px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #6e1812; max-width:55%;box-shadow: 0 6px 12px ";"> Motor City Made kicked off this go-home episode before Degeneration with a promo. Foxxy LaRue announced that Deaf Touch would be facing the previous West Coast champion, Tavon Blake Jr, in tonight's main event, a warm up for the main event of Degeneration, where he would be involved in a three way match with Cali Slick an Fro Sure for the American title. Meanwhile, she would be defending her newly won title against Mexico's Finest, correcting Los Guerilleros for calling her a bitch: she's not a bitch, she's the baddest bitch in this business and she will prove it when she makes the ex-con her bitch, fittingly in a Dog Collar match! (Rating: 54) Speak of the devil, Mexico's Finest was in the opening contest against a woman many see as a younger version of Foxxy LaRue, a preview perhaps of what fans can expect at Degeneration. Black Diamond held her ground admirably against the hard hitting Mexican, but with LatiNoFear and MexiCain at ringside, it felt like she was outnumbered from the start. Once the brawling spilled outside the ring, Los Guerilleros zoned in for a 3 on 1 attack, a move that quickly wrapped up the match to allow their leader to chokeslam Diamond with his Hard Times finisher and get the pin as he's headed for his big title match. (Rating: 32) Who'd have thought there would come a day in GSW when an all-white tag team would get cheered over the likes of Devyn Retribution and Omar, but such was the case as the vocal audience deemed that neither man really fit, given their lack of apparent charisma or any overly violent redeeming quality. This was one of the two surprises of the match, the other being Top Dolla actually carrying this hardcore bout, despite being in the ring with veterans. Max Mayhem is beginning to show signs of declining physical ability, something that cripples his high flying style hard, and it was down to Dolla to hold things together, which he did thanks to his signature balcony dive and a huge Dinero Driver that earned him the pin over Devyn Retribution. (Rating: 33) Having someone with the technical prowess of TBJ was a blessing for Deaf Touch, as it allowed him to showcase his own straight wrestling acumen, something that often gets lost in the chaos and graphic violence that is GSW's hardcore matches. Though short, this 7+ minute match was a glimpse of the legitimate skill the two competitors possess and Foxxy LaRue's presence at ringside only served to add excitement to the match as she played it straight and only encouraged Deaf Touch without interfering in the match. The big finish saw TBJ go for a release version of his Black Plex finisher, only for Deaf Touch to flip around and land on his feet, responding with a superkick that set Blake up for the Crooked Moonsault and pin. (Rating: 45) To wrap up the final episode before Degeneration, a video was shown from inside Big Magic's office, which the Long Beach Crew were visiting. Slick was busy finalizing his upcoming title match details with the Commissioner of Violence, but Aces High jumped in to make a request, since he did not have a match scheduled. What he asked was a one on one against Busta Capp, a chance to redeem himself for taking the pin the week prior. After a quick check of his notes, Magic concluded that he did have room in the card for such a money and given the setup, there was money to be made if he made it the semi main event, so Aces better do well or his failure might affect Slick who'd be wrestling next... (Rating: 43) </div> A first-ever in this diary, announcing the card of a major event in advance! This is not a prediction contest, but feel free to post your picks if you want to. I figured I wanted to keep these things vague at first while the roster is still shifting (and to represent the "card subject to change" feel and unpredictability of GSW) but as I'm near hitting the next size level, I'm thinking of a few new things to introduce in order to celebrate and showcase that bump, prior commitment to show cards among them. It's still at an experimental level until I hit that level though.

Always up for another Warrior Engine diary!

Thanks and welcome! Hope you enjoy, got some big stuff coming up in a few (in-game) months, so stay tuned. Also, a big thank you goes out to Historian for nominating this in the DOTM thread, apparently doing so raised awareness and brought some new readers here (or at least made some silent followers decide to make their appearance known).

<div style="padding: 15px; border: 3px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #6e1812; max-width:55%;box-shadow: 0 6px 12px ";"> Motor City Made were in the office of Big Magic as the episode kicked off, the Commissioner of Violence mentioning that tonight's main event would be the Long Beach Crew against Busta Capp and Fro Sure. He also admitted that the winners would be in an advantageous position to make any requests, which fired up LaRue to claim that if Fro Sure keeps pushing for a title shot, Deaf Touch could not be counted out. Besides, she and him won their match last week. Magic's response was that there was little he could do regarding the American title, but he could work around the West Coast title. LaRue's response was that she'd be glad to put her title on the line for a chance to smack Mexico's Finest around and shut his big mouth, but the only way she'd be doing this would be if DT also was involved in a title match. (Rating: 46) Not seen for a while, both G Force and Omar made a return to work the opening match with their high flying style and excite the fans for the rest of the episode. Though they sported similar hairstyles and wrestling moves, G Force was able to connect with the audience and get a pop for his spots, unlike Omar who got the all too familiar "boring" chants. This was most evident when G Force hit a corkscrew dive through a table, which Omar managed to get out and despite coming up empty, G Force still got a loud pop for his stunt, with Omar getting booed next once he took control of the match. Fans got what they wanted though when G Force caught Omar in a small package and was able to score a quick pin, much to the veteran's dismay. (Rating: 29) Miss Jones just can't catch her break after her return from being injured, it seems. It didn't help that this match was heavy on the hardcore action either, something she's not quite versed with, but her involvement was limited anyway when MexiCain took her out with a vicious unprotected chair shot to the head, earning heat for himself and sympathy for his victim. This left the rookie PE#1 to do the heavy lifting for his team, in what was essentially a 3 on 1 handicap match, as Mexico's Finest was also around the sidelines. It was an uphill struggle, but clearly one he could not hope to win and after plenty of punishment he took defiantly, a recovered Miss Jones was hit with the Border Toss and pinned to end the match. (Rating: 32) As soon as the match was over, the lights went out and a pre-taped message was shown on the big screen. Travis Century cut a promo to hype up the upcoming Tag Team titles match between State of Destruction and Brown Pride saying they should be careful what they wish for, because they just might get it. The wording per se was pretty standard, but Century's calmly menacing delivery, Boneyard and BB Colossus being menacing behind him, the lighting and the scenery all made for a very entertaining promo. (Rating: 51) Things were explosive in the main event before the opening bell even rang and LBC jumped their opponents before introductions were over to start things off. The action quickly spilled out of the ring and followed a frantic pace, with all four men brawling wildly all over the Warehouse. There was no time to play out the strained relationship between Aces and Slick or to show whether Capp and Fro were getting along, this was frantic and action packed in order to get the adrenaline of the audience flowing. This intensity made for a hard hitting match but also one that felt it could end at any time, in either team's favor, so when Capp finally hit Aces High with a Mafia Kick for the pin, the place erupted and the episode ended with Capp and Fro celebrating with the fans as Slick crawled back into the ring to check on his teammate. (Rating: 54) </div>

Piledriver Wrestling presents Hotlanta Hassle 1997 Wednesday, Week 1, August 1997 Live from Atlanta, GA Announcers: Dennis Sims and Micky Starr Rich Money opens the show by making his entrance and grabbing a mic to speak his mind. Money: "Settle down and let the champion talk. You people will never be as rich, as talented or as good looking as I am… or as smart, so shut up and listen, you might learn a thing or two. You don’t have to be like me, hell, you don’t even have to like me to realize that I’m on top of the food chain here. I’ve beaten everyone there is to beat. And honestly, I expected more when that man over there in the announce table joined this company. I expected new talent. Someone even remotely close to my level. But I got none of that. So I’m guessing I’ll just have to take this title on the road and defend it elsewhere. Who knows, maybe if I get out of this dump and head to New York I might be able to…” Starr: “Hold on a second there, Rich… I gotta hand it to you, you’ve taken on all comers and stayed on top. You even managed to defeat Nathan Coleman somehow. But there’s one man you have yet to face for the PDW Men’s title. One man who would challenge you for the top spot on that food chain. So tonight, you’re going to put that title on the line once again… against Big Cat Brandon!” PDW Women’s title match Cherry Bomb © vs Ashley Murphy Ashley Murphy got a chance in this match to reclaim the title she lost to Cherry Bomb and fans were on her side, but what really helped her was Bomb’s uncontrollable temper. The champion played up her explosive character to work the crowd as well as to set up hope spots that allowed her opponent to get some offense in, before she cut her off to inflict more damage. Hardly an exciting contest, but a watchable one nonetheless, with Cherry Bomb making her second successful defence as she ended up getting the pin over her challenger. Winner: Cherry Bomb (Defences: 2) Once the match is over, Trauma Doll’s music hits and the division’s demented one comes out with her head tilted to the side and a mic in once hand. Doll: “Congratulations Cherry… You beat another challenger. And you said you want Piledriver Wrestling to bring in new ones for you to face. That seems to be a theme around here, don’t it? But I digress, because you missed out a very important piece of the puzzle… and it’s staring right at your face! That’s right, me. I’ve been winning match after match. I’m the one who beat your very first challenger, Raven Nightfall, but somehow I never got the opportunity she did. So I’m no longer waiting for management to make things right. I’m coming straight to you to lay down the challenge… if you think you can handle the Trauma.” Chris “Nuzzle Bunny” Bruins vs Dario Shelton vs R.T. Kayfabe Not much story or any kind of special rivalry behind this match, those involved still tried to tell a story in the ten or so minutes they had from bell to bell. What it essentially came down was Bruins’ charisma (and fans chanting “Nuzzle Bunny” at times) but lack of any particular in-ring skill, Shelton’s solid technique that barely popped the crowd and R.T. Kayfabes zany gimmick that he can back up with enough charisma and some legitimate grappling. Though Kayfabe may have been the best overall, the story was that he did get a bit carried away punishing Shelton for “not following kayfabe” (a smarky inside joke because he lacks any particular gimmick) and Bruins was able to slip in while R.T. taunted Shelton, take him out with a swinging neckbreaker and roll up Shelton for a quick three count. Winner: Chris “Nuzzle Bunny” Bruins, by pinfall PDW Tag Team titles match The Peak Brothers © vs Henry Bennett & Skeeter Colquhoun Unlike the chaos that is usually a Peak Brothers match, this contest was mostly contested inside the ring and with minimal use of weapons. Bennett’s technical prowess and Colquhoun’s high flying were an unexpected but effective combination that forced the champions to wrestle a more straightforward match than usual, switching their tactics into a more classic southern brawler style or throwing in some stiff Japanese-style blows. Despite taking Doug and Eddie out of their home territory of hardcore wrestling, the challengers were unable to also convert that into a title win and the brothers’ experience together shone through, allowing them to take out Bennet with a double team move to retain. Winners: The Peak Brothers, by pinfall (Defences: 2) Big Cat Brandon made his entrance next, but he got cut off before he could reach the ring when former AMW wrestler “Whisky” Jack McCallister appeared from the crowd to attack him from behind. The two men had a brief but exciting brawl, with Brandon losing ground due to him being surprised. It was only when Cat E Tude, of all people, showed up to try and pull Whisky Jack away that Brandon was able to catch a breather, although PDW’s resident crazy cat lady paid for it with her own well being as she had her spine crushed against the guardrail by Jack. Cat E Tude’s sacrifice was not in vain though, because it allowed Brandon to regroup, forcing McCallister to a retreat as he gave chase. Black Eagle vs Blue Sky Battle of the high flying masked luchadors once again, their previous bout in January having ended without a decisive winner when they both got counted out. With fans now having warmed up to the two men, the match had the crowd reaction to match the in-ring action as Eagle and Sky went back and forth in a fast paced and rather competitive contest. As it started to become apparent that Blue Sky was getting the upper hand and could outwrestle his opponent, Black Eagle turned the tables when he sprayed black mist in the face of his opponent to steal a pinfall win. Winner: Black Eagle, by pinfall after cheating Piledriver Men's title match <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GgQWSs1nf4Y" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> Show Rating:

<p><strong>Ernest Youngman</strong> vs. Xavi Ferrera</p><p> #1 Contenders Match for PSW Championship</p><p> Notes: <em>I'm guessing Youngman has more upside right now and can put on a better match against Nelson Callum. Ferrera still has time to grow.</em></p><p> </p><p> Devil May Care vs. <strong>Reckless Antix</strong></p><p> Loser Leaves Town Match!</p><p> Notes: <em>DMC are probably not worth the trouble, so this is likely their send-off. Reckless Antix still got stuff to offer.</em></p><p> </p><p> Little Bill Bekowski vs. <strong>Logan Wolfsbaine</strong></p><p> Notes: <em>Le squash</em></p><p> </p><p> One Night Only: Tank Bradley Returns!</p><p> Tank Bradley vs. <strong>Sayeed Ali</strong> [C]</p><p> PSW National Title Match</p><p> Notes: <em>Likely another squash, Bradley is just terrible (and he's in for one night only). Also, here are some alternative portraits for him you might be interested in</em></p><p> <img alt="r35Tr78.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/r35Tr78.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="lCmpVLs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/lCmpVLs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="MI4qfWB.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/MI4qfWB.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Blood Soldiers</strong> vs. Samoan Destruction Inc.</p><p> Notes: <em>Titles aren't on the line, so Blood Soldiers win to set up a shot/feud</em></p><p> </p><p> Dustin Deuce vs. <strong>Ash Campbell</strong></p><p> Notes: <em>No surprise pushing Nemesis' boy here</em></p><p> </p><p> Additional comments: <em>Let's hope this diary sticks around indeed...</em></p>

<p>Nice swerve there, for a second I thought McFly was mediating for Stallion to get a contract elsewhere. Good to have him as a mentor.</p><p> </p><p> Your writing is top notch as always, and I'm noticing improvement, especially in terms of volume. Keep it up, sir.</p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Bigelow Cartwheel" data-cite="Bigelow Cartwheel" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="48528" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Ok, had a crack at it.<p> </p><p> Say hello to the Moustache Patrol. "They're on patrol... with moustaches."</p><p> </p><p> <img alt="Frank-Danson-alt2.jpg" data-src="https://i.ibb.co/zHq7Lf4/Frank-Danson-alt2.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="Luis-Alfredo.jpg" data-src="https://i.ibb.co/yBPVRB7/Luis-Alfredo.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div></blockquote><p> Those are great. One on the right reminds of LatiNoFear, maybe I could do an arc where he turns out to be an undercover cop <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p>

Of all those vigniettes, you had to post Aerostar's. Now I want to do that EMLL diary and I'm already struggling with two others that are active Since I got called out, here are my predictions Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs. TJ Perkins - Submissions Match Guessing Chavito's too old to go over here Sniper Eagle and Ryu vs. Low-Ki and ??? Predicting a clash of egos in the rudo team, tecnicos fly in for a surprise win over Low-Ki to set up a match for the Gift of the Gods title Son of Havoc vs. Jake Strong - Lucha Underground Championship Match Havoc is not the guy to do this. Besides, he's better as the almost-there underdog Bonus Questions Will there be more sacrifices in this episode? Yes/No There should be, this is Lucha Underground. Somehow I feel like there won't be though, unless it's a vigniette. Sacrificing a too broken post-match Havoc feels a little cheap. Who's Low-Ki's mystery partner? Ryback Which match will get the highest rating? Main event, as it should

<div style="padding: 15px; border: 3px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #6e1812; max-width:55%;box-shadow: 0 6px 12px ";"> The episode kicked off hot with the menacing Mexico’s Finest delivering a beatdown to Shooting Star Perez. The masked high flyer had a hot start using his speed and agility to surprise his opponent with some fast aerial moves, but once Finest regained his composure he was firmly in control of the match till the very finish, when he chokeslammed Perez with the Hard Time through a table. (Rating: 31) Brown Pride were at ringside for the opening match by they only cheered the leader of Los Guerilleros on, never needing to interfere in his match. Afterwards, they joined him between the ropes and MexiCain got to cut a promo on State of Destruction, as always in Spanish, saying that he and LatiNoFear are not afraid of the two big men, as they have one of their own as backup and at Degeneration, they will finally get their shot and reclaim tag team gold. The new West Coast champion did not escape MexiCain’s shots either, with him saying that either member of his group, or all three at once, would be happy to “take care of that b**ch” anytime. (Rating: 40) Facing Magwitch was a callback to the extreme hardcore days for Fro, who has lately been getting a lot of “cleaner” opponents. The psycho clown went straight to his bloody business as Fro seemed to underestimate him and preferred to pander to the audience, a choice he’d come to regret when he got hit in the head with a steel chair. Just to make sure there would be blood, his or his opponent’s, Magwitch busted out a baseball bat wrapped in barb wire and sure enough, he and Fro bled alright. A missed dive however was enough to turn things around and Fro Sure was able to mount an offensive sequence leading up to his Sure Thing piledriver finisher for the win. (Rating: 45) The Long Beach Crew are shown backstage, the two men arguing over nearly losing their match last week against "those punk-ass white boys" when Busta Capp walks up to them. Capp delivers some street knowledge in his pep talk, telling the two men they forgot where they came from and who they're reppin' but he'll remind them next week alright. (Rating: 45) Much like the Long Beach Crew, Motor City Made have been struggling with their members having somewhat opposite trajectories and this allowed the highly motivated E-Soteric and TBJ to control large chunks of the match. Not that they didn't have their own internal issues as well, which bubbled up to the surface when it became apparent that Blake was putting on some great wrestling, as opposed to E-Soteric's one-dimensional brawling, with the crowd reacting accordingly. This difference in cheers brought out E-Soteric's ego and jealousy, which turned the match in favor of Motor City Made and sealed the deal courtesy of a Crooked Moonsault from Deaf Touch. (Rating: 47) </div>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Dalton" data-cite="Dalton" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="52370" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Loving all of this man. I'll be checking back in tomorrow to give more indepth feedback because I'm not all the way through yet, but I am really enjoying what I'm reading thus far!</div></blockquote><p> Thanks a lot man, reader comments and interaction are always welcome and encourage me to keep going.</p><p> </p><p> I haven't been doing a lot of non-show narratives besides the occasional GSW-IPW comparison, but for anyone interested, HWA is already turning in a profit and GSW has one more monthly show to run before King of California, which I've turned into a season finale. At that point or just before I'm expecting it to grow in size, which is nice timing too. Got all sorts of ideas to celebrate the growth and maybe add some things going forward.</p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Jaysin" data-cite="Jaysin" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="47719" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Oh man that's exciting. I think I might do a diary. I need to get acquainted with the cverse puro scene.</div></blockquote><p> You totally do. If you start a diary, I'd be interested to follow.</p>

What can I say, I enjoyed Lucha Underground and this is a great diary, totally deserves the nomination. Been following for a while from the shadows, keep it up!

<div style="padding: 15px; border: 3px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #6e1812; max-width:55%;box-shadow: 0 6px 12px ";"> The episode begins inside Big Magic’s office, where the Commissioner is trying to convince E-Soteric and Tavon Blake Jr to work together again in order to help him defend GSW against Travis Century and HWA. E-Soteric says he’s done with that and being mistrusted and TBJ adds that what the two men want is opportunities. Magic mentions they’ll get those alright, because he has something in mind to satisfy all parties involved: next week, E-Soteric and Blake will have a match against Motor City Made. Before the two men can respond, Brother Grimm walks in and says he’s got some business to discuss with the Commissioner. TBJ and E-Soteric get the cue and leave the office, the door slamming in front of the camera and leaving whatever discussion Grimm and Magic are having a mystery. (Rating: 48) Raheem Stash and Papa Swoll, now announced as “The Answer” are in the opening match against State of Destruction. Although the tag team titles are not on the line, the personal history between Stash and the champions is more than enough to guarantee a violent fight. Travis Century is on the sidelines as always and it is his guidance (and a timely assist) that ensure victory for the champions, with BB getting the best of Swoll for the finish. (Rating: 39) Miss Jones made her return to action after suffering a concussion, but Busta Capp did not take it easy on her because of it. Hot after his loss to Aces High at Gatecrasher, the brawler from Compton unleashed hell on the AAA veteran with no mercy and caught her by surprise with his viciousness. The wrestler formerly known as Candy Floss got very little offense in this one sided scenario and Capp took her out with a Mafia Kick for the pin that seemed to do little in terms of calming his apparent anger down. (Rating: 31) Backstage, Foxxy LaRue is shown using sign language to converse with Deaf Touch, in light of her West Coast title win and his American title loss at Gatecrasher. Fro Sure walks into the scene and congratulates Foxxy, telling her to pass a message to DT: He’s shooting for the top prize, so Touch better get out his way or be prepared to face him for it. (Rating: 58) Wild Things found themselves in the night’s main event, their sudden success as a team bringing them against the experienced team that is the original incarnation of the Long Beach Crew. The match was surprisingly even though, as the inexperience of Top Dolla and Max Mayhem was countered by their momentum, while Slick and Aces seemed to be struggling after losing Mobstar and the tag team titles. The communication between Aces and the new American champion was telling of the distance between them, their careers seemingly in opposite trajectories and a hint of mistrust or bitterness creeping in. This led to a minor argument between them while in control of the match, providing Top Dolla with enough time to climb up to the balcony and hit his signature suicidal dive to take out both men and end their argument. The spot and its subsequent two count seemed to work as a wake up call and after that, the Long Beach Crew seemed like their good old selves once again and floored Max Mayhem with their High And Low tag team finisher so that Aces could get the three count. (Rating: 51) </div>

Ah, wish I'd seen that before voting. Pretty sure I intentionally did not cast a vote in the Rookie category for Saving the War but voted for it in the Veteran category. Keep that in mind when calculating results.

July 1997 News