falling_star

VIBERT'S VOICE PODCAST "JANUARY 1997, PT. THREE" So, that Highway show was my first at the helm, and I couldn't have been happier with how it turned out-- we didn't fire the shots at SWF that everyone expected us to fire, we fired shots at XFW instead. I knew Henry Lee wanted to do XFW's King of the Deathmatch thing, but I didn't want him going to XFW to do it; so, I decided to bring the King of the Deathmatch to him. It was not easy, I'll tell you, getting Genghis Rahn to jump ship... Duncan Kendall and XFW had invested heavily in him, but I just made it clear to him what I was about to do and told him I wasn't prepared to show any mercy on my way to the top of the East Coast Wars. That was the genesis of the bloodiest feud in DAVE history, Henry Lee versus Genghis Rahn... The Icon of Insanity versus The Arizona Assassin. I mean, those two were just gold together... on the mic, in the ring, they knew how to give the fans what they wanted. For all the shit they've each gotten over the years about being being quote-unquote garbage wrestlers, those two knew drama. I mean, Christ, the Highway show was just Rahn's debut, but their first match? At Back In Black? God. Damn. I don't think I had seen the crowd so ready to riot since Vengeance had Miss Bliss on his chain. But, I'm getting ahead of myself... Genghis wasn't the only debut on that show, we also had the insurance policy, Frankie Future, another XFW guy. Frankie wasn't into the deathmatch scene, but he knew that's the direction XFW was headed and he wasn't prepared to go that route. Getting him to come with us was much easier than Rahn, especially when I pitched him the insurance policy angle and the whole story I had for him. Frankie is a good guy, that's why he's still in the business today-- he's smart, he took care of his body, and he knows how to make a crowd hate him. Total opposite of the guy in real life, would give you the shirt off his back if he thought you needed it more than him. But, I digress. Frankie was there to be a new heater for Vengeance, at least as long as Sean was staying with us... I mean, we had gotten all we could out of Sean and Hardway and I didn't want to feed JD Morgan to someone who could leave us at any moment. Of course, the real money, the obvious money, was on Nemesis and Vengeance, but that was... well, that was a tricky situation. I mentioned before that we took risks on written contracts... we, scratch that, I made talent believe in us enough to sign on the dotted line but that doesn't mean I was the only smart guy in the room. John was a smart guy, Sean is a smart guy... I wasn't going to get what I wanted without giving something in return to either guy, so, Nemesis and Vengeance? Of course I wanted to run that program, but it wasn't as simple as putting it down on paper and sending them out to the ring. God, I wish it was that simple... Todd also debuted for us at that show... The Hype... man, what could have been. That kid could have been the next Rip Chord in all the best ways, and I really wanted him to be that for us. But, as we say in this business, those demons got the best of him. I mean, the kid could talk, he could work... but everyone knew he was toxic, which made us the only outfit willing to touch him. He came in all full of piss & vinegar, but, man... what a sad story. Anyway, that takes us to Back In Black. I'll be doing a watch along with Buddy Gaines over on the subscriber page this coming Monday to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Back In Black 1997, you can watch with us on WrestleWorld. Use promo code "EXTERME" to get your first 30 days free and check out the DAVE library, and I might also recommend you watch Pittsburgh Steel Wrestling's upcoming show on there as well. I'm Phil Vibert, this has been Vibert's Voice. We'll see you next time, thanks for listening.

Just got caught up on this, and it's an excellent read!

PRESENTED IN AS COMPLETE A FORM AS POSSIBLE BY WRESTLEWORLD DANGER AND VIOLENCE EXTREME PRESENTS HIGHWAY TO THE DANGER ZONE! AN ARENA SHOW LIVE FROM NEW JERSEY FRIDAY, JANUARY WEEK ONE, 1997 The WrestleWorld presentation of the show begins with a shot from the hard camera of the buzzing Weston Gym in New Jersey, the crowd restless as they wait for the show to start. A graphic of highly outdated quality comes onto the screen, listing the date and location of the show and labeling it as a Highway to the Danger Zone event. The crowd stirs and turns towards the entrance, a makeshift affair of chain link fence and thick stage curtains, erupting into cheers as DAVE Extreme Champion Johnny Martin makes his way into the gym. Mitch Naess' commentary track finally begins as the familiar voice of DAVE welcomes us to the show and mentions Martin's open contract for the night. When Martin makes it to the ring, microphone in hand, he only has a few moments to play to the crowd and go through some standard babyface motions on the microphone before some more music hits, and JD Morgan enters the gym with Phil Vibert by his side. Naess hints at Vibert being the new owner of DAVE, but continues to call him Morgan's "sports agent," which has been his gimmick in the promotion to this point. Morgan and Vibert hit the ring, and Vibert has a microphone of his own; he calls Johnny Martin a fraud, and says that Martin would never be Extreme Champion if it weren't for a fluke victory in a four-way dance. Naess points out the match also involved Freddie Datsun, Henry Lee, and Vegeance and reminds fans that Vibert bullied the Director of Extreme Buddy Gaines into making a match between the four fan favorites to soften up the eventual winner for JD Morgan to pick the bones, but it didn't play out that way of Morgan and Vibert. Vibert and Martin go back and forth on the mic for a while until Vibert eventually drops a line about "owning everyone in this building," to which the crowd begins a "F**K YOU BOSSMAN!" chant. Vibert just smiles wryly, waves them off, and goes on with his promo. Martin finally asks why Morgan is even out here tonight since Gaines said he can't answer the open call. Vibert then says that they're out here to make sure Martin doesn't make it to Back In Black, but before Morgan can attack, the DAVE theme music plays and Director of Extreme Buddy Gaines comes out to the roar of the sold out crowd. Always wearing his trademark leather biker jacket, Gaines comes to the ring and takes the microphone from Vibert's hand "with authority," as Naess says on commentary. Gaines paces back and forth for a moment before shaking his head, and starting to rant at Vibert and Morgan. He says Vibert might think of DAVE as his playground, but Gaines is still Director of Extreme and his word is law around here; if Vibert can't play by the rules, then he is banned from building! Vibert says Gaines can't do that, but the Director of Extreme assures Vibert that he can indeed. Vibert isn't smiling, though, and he reiterates himself. "No, Buddy," Vibert says with a dramatic pause. "You cannot do that, because..." Officer Hardway blindsides Buddy Gaines with a brutal lariat to the side of the head, and JD Morgan attacks the Extreme Champion Johnny Martin. The crowd jeers as Vibert directs traffic, telling Morgan and Hardway to "take them out." Morgan puts the boots to Martin and eventually takes him out of the ring with a running belt shot from the Extreme title; Hardway brutalizes Gaines, eventually grabbing a chair and wrapping it around Gaines' knee while Naess raves on commentary that the Director has a bad knee. "I was being literal when I said I own everyone here," Vibert practically growls on the microphone. "There's no reason to hide it for the sake of theatrics... I OWN DANGER AND VIOLENCE EXTREME!" The crowd starts to throw trash into the ring as Morgan and Hardway both stomp on the chair, Gaines writhing and screaming in pain as he sells a shattered knee. "Buddy Gaines... you're fired!" Vibert announces with a smile. "Get this trash out of my ring, and out of my building!" Morgan and Hardway lift Gaines up as he continues screaming in pain, begging for mercy as he's literally dragged from the arena. Naess calls the scene despicable, noting that Gaines is the beloved founder of this promotion, and that he deserves better. Vibert, Morgan, and Hardway exit the arena with the injured Gaines in tow, dragging him backstage while a camera follows. "Goodbye, Buddy," Vibert says as Hardway and Morgan toss Gaines out of an open door into the parking lot. Gaines lays there selling his leg as they slam the door shut on him, Vibert grabbing the cameraman and forcing him to focus in on his face. "We are The Extreme Agency," Vibert seethes. "And we OWN DAVE!" THE DARKNESS WARRIORS VERSUS TIM TANTRUM & LUCAS HALE Back in the Weston Gym, the ring has been cleaned of debris, and The Darkness Warriors are now inside of it, playing to the booing crowd in their matching robes. Mitch Naess points out that these men have been on a rampage in DAVE, and all the while have claimed that their "master isn't far away." Jay and Raul repeat that statement here tonight before their opponents for the evening come to the ring, Lucas Hale and Tim Tantrum entering the gym to Tantrum's theme music. The match itself doesn't last long, the Warriors making short work of Tantrum & Hale just like they have all of their other opponents in DAVE so far; their tag team finished, Fall Into Darkness, looks like a Doomsdy Device with with a flying body press instead of a clothesline. Hale takes the pinfall for his team, and Tantrum gives the crowd what they want by freaking out after the loss. "I didn't even get pinned!" he screams while throwing things around ringside. WINNERS: THE DARKNESS WARRIORS While Tantrum does his thing, the camera takes us to the announce table where Mitch Naess tells us that 411 has a special message for us tonight. 411 VERSUS SHAUD THE BOD 411 enters the Weston Gym to a bunch of cheers, the big man playing to the crowd and making his way to the ring where he calls Chris Caulfield a fraud. He says that the blue chipper isn't cut out for DAVE, and promises to send him packing after Back In Black, "and that's the 411 on Chris Caulfield." Tri-State regular Shaud the Bod comes out and calls 411 lame, and claims, "the real 411 is that big men with braided beards have no brains." Shaud claims to have brains, beauty, and brawn but 411 makes short work of him before ending things with a chokeslam for the win. WINNER: 411 DAVE TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH BLACK MURDER (C) VERSUS THE HOTBODIES The Hotbodies are out to the ring first, playing to all the ladies in the crowd who can't stand them. Black Murder are out second with the DAVE Tag Team titles, which they retain in relatively short order by putting The Hotbodies away in a brawling affair that ends with Rodney taking the pinfall. WINNERS, AND STILL TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: BLACK MURDER "The Icon of Insanity" Henry Lee is out next, whipping the crowd into a frenzy with his over-the-top entrance that includes coming in through the crowd. Lee says that it doesn't matter who is in charge around here because the inmates run the asylum, and he's at the top of the food chain. Lee says that Vibert is in for a rude awakening if he thinks he's going to steamroll The Icon of Insanity the way he and his cronies injured Buddy Gaines earlier tonight. That brings out Phil Vibert, who tells Henry Lee, "he can either fall in line or be thrown outside with the rest of the trash." Lee tells Vibert to watch his mouth, and says he doesn't care about his money or power. Vibert can try to throw his weight around all he wants, but it's nothing an Asylum Buster won't fix. That brings out Officer Hardway, who tries to attack Lee as Vibert tells the timekeeper to ring the bell. HENRY LEE VERSUS OFFICER HARDWAY Hardway's attack gets countered, and Lee goes on the offense. The ensuing match is little more than organized mayhem with chairs, tables, cookie sheets, trash cans, and even a crutch being used at one point while Hardway and Lee throw everything they can at one another. Vibert tries to aid Hardway more than once throughout the match, but it rarely helps. Lee picks up a big win with an Asylum Buster. WINNER: HENRY LEE "That's Genghis Rahn!" Mitch Naess screams on commentary as Henry Lee is blindsided by an attacker. "The Arizona Assassin! XFW's King of the Deathmatch!" It is Rahn indeed, and he comes with a kendo stick in hand to attack The Icon of Insanity! Battering him over the head and across the back, Rahn grabs Lee and gives him a Russian legsweep aided by the kendo stick, and it becomes apparent that Henry Lee has been busted open! Rahn wipes his fallen foe's blood on his hand and smears it across his face, sticking his tongue out and licking some of Lee's blood as Naess wonders why Rahn has set his sights on Henry Lee. The School of Tradition, Eric Tyler and Vin Tanner, are out next to run down the crowd for being "ravenous, bloodthirsty morons." Tyler calls Freddie Datsun "the biggest moron among them," and ponders why Datsun craves the cheers of the crowd when they've watched him put his body through hell for so little reward. Datsun is nothing more than a redneck who could stand to learn from The School of Tradition, and Roy Stephens is even worse. How could anyone idolize a man like Freddie Datsun? That's enough to bring out Datsun and Stephens, along with Miss Bliss, who has a microphone in her hand. She says her boys didn't come to talk, they came to fight! FREDDIE DATSUN & ROY STEPHENS VERSUS THE SCHOOL OF TRADITION Datsun & Stephens storm the ring and gain the upperhand rather quickly, the babyfaces shining in the early moments of the match. The story of the match, however, is Tyler & Tanner isolating Roy Stephens and punishing him for most of the match. Despite their best efforts, the babyfaces fall here as Stephens is tapped out by the much more experienced and technically savvy Eric Tyler. WINNERS: THE SCHOOL OF TRADITION Following the match, Phil Vibert is out once again to a chorus of boos. He says he couldn't care less what these people think of him, because The Extreme Agency is running the show now. JD Morgan will be the Extreme Champion following Back In Black, and Officer Hardway will lay down the law for him-- but that doesn't seem like enough. He needs something more... maybe a little insurance. Before he continues, he'd like to invite Monty Walker out to the ring. Mitch Naess refers to him as "The Coolest Guy in the Room" as Walker comes out to chorus of cheers from the fans; Walker came close to becoming Extreme Champion somewhat recently, but fell short of claiming the gold. Still, the DAVE fans are firmly behind him as he enters the ring with Vibert who says that Monty must feel good to get that reception from the crowd. He congratulates him on nearly becoming champion, and says that he needs people he can trust right now. Walker grins and shakes his head, telling Vibert he can shove it. "I thought you might say that," Vibert grins. "That's why I brought along an insurance policy..." "That's Frankie Future!" Mitch Naess exclaims as the man in the suit nails Monty Walker with a metal briefcase. "First The Arizona Assassin and now Future? What is going on here tonight? Are we being invaded by XFW?" FRANKIE FUTURE VERSUS MONTY WALKER Vibert remains in the ring with a microphone for the entirety of the match, first demanding a referee and then demanding the bell ring to signal the beginning of a match. He raves on the microphone that he needs to surround himself with people he can trust, and Frankie Future is one of those men. When Future heard Vibert was taking over, he called him personally to jump ship. At some point, Walker turns the tables and Vibert hightails it out of the ring so the match proper can take place. Walker puts in a valiant effort, but he can't overcome the odds to pick up a win; Future takes the win with an impressive move Naess calls the Future Shock on commentary. WINNER: FRANKIE FUTURE After the ring is cleared once again, the lights go out and fans begin to stir-- lights out in the DAVE arena means one of two things: a big surprise, or the entrance of Vengeance. Both things are a sight to behold in DAVE, and the opening riff of Vengeance's music signals his arrival. The crowd goes nuts as the Avenging Angel of DAVE makes his way to the ring, cutting a brooding promo on Tyrannosaurus Pex and his "misguided vanity." He ends on his signature line, telling Pex, "you have been judged guilty, and vengeance shall be mine." VENGEANCE VERSUS TYRANNOSAURUS PEX This match was a wild brawl that went all around the gym, but the outcome was never really in doubt. Vengeance puts Pex away with his finisher to pick up the win, much to the crowd's delight. WINNER: VENGEANCE After Vengeance has left, some new music begins to play and an unfamiliar face makes his way out into the gym. After calling for a microphone, he lets the crowd know that they can call him The Hype and proceeds to cut an excellent heel promo. He says people need to believe The Hype, and lets it be known that he is here to become Extreme Champion; everyone in the tri-state is after the Extreme championship, so how could he pass up an open contract to put it around his waist? The greatest talent in the wrestling world today has arrived in DAVE, and it's time for us all to believe The Hype. DAVE EXTREME TITLE MATCH JOHNNY MARTIN (C) VERSUS THE HYPE Johnny Martin has the match of the night with the newcomer, putting on a slobberknocker of a main event that sees The Hype getting himself over with a crowd who didn't know who he was before he entered the gym. The match manages to stay free of Extreme Agency shenanigans despite the happenings of the rest of the evening, and Martin picks up a clean victory while The Hype walks away with a new lease on life as a newcomer in DAVE. WINNER, AND STILL EXTREME CHAMPION: JOHNNY MARTIN SHOW RATING: 53 ATTENDANCE: 300 [SELLOUT]

VIBERT'S VOICE PODCAST "JANUARY 1997, PT. TWO" So, we used to do these arena shows every week in the Tri-State area called Highway to The Danger Zone-- which is what we called our regular arena in Pittsburgh, The Danger Zone. This was before we had weekly TV, and, again, that's why it was was called Danger Zone TV-- because it took place in The Danger Zone. My first show in charge was our last Highway show, because I had organized a TV deal for us that would start the week of Back In Black; nothing special, but I got us an hour on Central Perk TV, this little east coast outfit that got us into the homes of the potential audience who could come to the arenas and see us. It was a natural, needed step in the evolution of Danger and Violence Extreme. I knew I wasn't going to give away Nemesis showing up at a Highway show, and TV was going to be taped so I could wait until the first TV taping because there was every chance Richard Eisen would've slapped me with an injunction to keep him from appearing for us-- not that we wouldn't have fought back, probably gone ahead with it anyway. But, I knew I didn't want us to start off that way; it's one thing to appear to buck the system and not be willing to play quote-unquote their games, but it's another thing entirely to be dragged into the system and forced to play their game because, y'know, that's the way these legal things go. But, I knew I wanted my first show to be big, and that's how The Extreme Agency came about; I was already managing JD Morgan, it was just smart money to lean into this evil owner persona because, frankly, it had never been seen in professional wrestling until I did it. Sure, the territories back in the day had commissioners, but it was always this white hat, good sheriff type to make sure the fans went home happy. But, I decided early on, I needed to embrace not sending the fans home happy... I wanted to send them home thirsty for blood, whether it was mine of Morgan's or Eric Tyler's, I just wanted them to go home so angry that they had to come back for their pound of flesh from whoever. And, not to brag, but it worked; it worked before I took over as well, especially when Vengeance was a heel and got physical with Miss Bliss. There was nearly a riot when he wrapped that chain around her neck, so, I knew what our fans wanted... they wanted to be happy, and chant, and be part of the show when it came to guys like Tim Tantrum and Lucas Hale, but in the main events? They wanted blood, and I don't just mean blade jobs and hard way cuts-- The Danger Zone was like the Colosseum, the wrestlers were the gladiators, and they fans wanted what they always want: to be entertained. They showed up knowing they'd get what they wanted, but they knew it didn't mean they'd leave happy, and I honestly loved that about my relationship with our fans in the DAVE days. But, back to The Extreme Agency, and harking back to what I said about the main event scene in part one, I didn't know who I could count on to stick around so I just decided that I would be the center of attention. Now, I'd always, always, have a wrestler at my side to get the rub because there was no chance I'd step in the ring for any reason, but it would be like I was the devil and JD Morgan, Officer Hardway, and the rest were my favorite demons. It worked, and I knew right from the start we had something, right from that last Highway show...

I think the issue is that I wrote the initial post in Google Docs and pasted it, while the post that is offending in dark mode was written right in the Invision editor-- not sure why that's the issue as it should probably be the other way around, but these are the new forums. It's really, really frustrating to me all the issues dark mode has on the forum, because it's my preferred viewing mode literally everywhere else; but around here? I suggest just not using it.

COPIED FROM AN ORIGINAL 1997 FLIER, COLLECTION OF PHIL VIBERT DANGER AND VIOLENCE EXTREME PRESENTS HIGHWAY TO THE DANGER ZONE! AN ARENA SHOW LIVE FROM NEW JERSEY FRIDAY, JANUARY WEEK ONE, 1997 FEATURING... DAVE EXTREME CHAMPION JOHNNY MARTIN HAS AN OPEN CONTRACT! The wrestling world is buzzing, and on our last stop before Back In Black, Johnny Martin has an open contract to defend his DAVE Extreme Championship against "anyone in the Tri-State area with the balls to step into the ring." Director of Extreme Buddy Gaines has said that JD Morgan is unable to accept the open challenge because he wants to preserve the planned main event for Back In Black, which, at this time, is Johnny Martin defending his championship against Phil Vibert's client JD Morgan. Gaines has promised to accept the signature of anyone who wants to step up, and it promises to be a memorable night at The Weston Gym in New Jersey. VENGEANCE VERSUS TYRANNOSAURUS PEX The Avenging Angel of DAVE, Vengeance himself, has promised to put an end to T-Pex's "misplaced vanity." Meanwhile, T-Pex claims that he is currently at his apex, and suggests Vengeance is out of line. He aims to do something that, so far ,Henry Lee has been the only man in the company to do: defeat Vengeance. Is T-Pex really at his apex, or will Vengeance reign supreme once again? THE GOOD OLE BOYS ARE TAKEN TO SCHOOL Freddie Datsun has had his share of trouble with Eric Tyler and Vin Tanner, who have recently dubbed themselves The School of Tradition. Not only Datsun had troubles with the School, but his superfan Roy Stephens has been taken to task by Tyler & Tanner as well. This Friday will see Datsun and Stephens teams up to take on The School of Tradition in New Jersey; will Tradition rule, or will The Good Ole Boys dismiss class once and for all? THE ICON OF INSANITY DEFIES THE LAW Henry Lee is known as The Icon of Insanity in DAVE, and is a former Extreme champion-- not only that, but he's been involved in some of the most insane moments in DAVE history! It's no wonder Phil Vibert and his Agency of Extreme have set their sights on Lee, but he has refused to join them so far. This Friday, Vibert promises to "lay down the law" by bringing in Officer Hardway to take down The Icon-- but will the corrupt lawman be any match for DAVE's homegrown hardcore hero? TAG TEAM TITLES ON THE LINE! Black Murder, Elijah Black and Murderous Mikey, defend the belts against The Hotbodies! ALL OF THIS, PLUS MONTY WALKER, THE DARKNESS WARRIORS, 411, AND MORE! AUTHOR'S NOTE: I DON'T INTEND ON RELEASING FULL CARDS FOR ANYTHING BUT THE BIG MONTHLY SHOWS, BUT I WILL RUN PREDICTIONS FOR THE ANNOUNCED MATCHES. READERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PREDICT OTHER HAPPENINGS ON THE SHOWS AS WELL! PREDICTION KEY DAVE EXTREME TITLE: JOHNNY MARTIN (C) VS. ?????? VENGEANCE VS. T-PEX FREDDIE DATSUN & ROY STEPHENS VS. THE SCHOOL OF TRADITION HENRY LEE VS. OFFICER HARDWAY DAVE TAG TITLES: BLACK MURDER (C) VS. THE HOTBODIES MONTY WALKER VS. ??????? THE DARKNESS WARRIORS VS. ??????? 411 VS. ???????

I'll see what I can do about the formatting, but, unfortunately, dark mode just doesn't seem to be the best for viewing dynasties. It makes me sad, as that is my preferred skin. But, I'll look into it, either way! Thanks for the kind words.

p { margin:0; padding:0; line-height: 1em; } VIBERT'S VOICE PODCAST "BUDDY GAINES" W/ SPECIAL GUESTS BUDDY GAINES AND MITCH NAESS PHIL VIBERT: Welcome to Vibert's Voice, the second episode in our deep dive into the year that was 1997 for Danger and Violence Extreme. Don't forget, you can follow along with the DAVE tape library on WrestleWorld, use promo code "EXTREME" to get your first thirty days for free. I wanna thank my first guest for joining me today... Mitch, it's been a long time. MITCH NAESS: It really has, bossman. Thanks for having me today. VIBERT: Oh, God, no need to call me that these days, Mitch. You're gonna give me traumatic flashbacks. The pair share a brief laugh, and it's clear the two friends share a great respect for one another. VIBERT: Well, let's get right into it... DAVE 1997. You had been the voice of the company for a while, and there was lots of pressure on me right from the beginning to find you a broadcast partner. But, man, if anyone can carry a DAVE show on their back, by themselves, with just their voice? That man was surely Mitch Naess. What did you think when you heard I was taking over? NAESS: Well, I didn't know you then like I do now, so my first thought was, "do I still have a job?" But, man, you came to me early in the week and made me feel like the greatest announcer in wrestling history! Not only did I have a job, but I was going to be able to carry on business as usual in my position. It was a great relief, and it made me strive to be even better... for you, for the fans, for the wrestlers. VIBERT: Let's talk for a minute about our other special guest, before he joins us... DAVE founder and original owner, Buddy Gaines. NAESS: Sure. VIBERT: When I bought the company, Buddy had already retired from the ring. He still hung out in angles on the card as the defacto "Director of Extreme" as he called himself; everyone knew he was the owner, so he leveraged that into some on-screen appearances late in his career. The crowd loved what he stood for, because they knew he was running the show. NAESS: (laughing) You certainly changed that dynamic. VIBERT: Well, I had to-- the crowd knew me, and hated me, from being JD Morgan's manager, but they were smart. They knew I was the new owner, they knew I was going to be running the show, so I thought, let's give them something they've never seen before in wrestling: an active, evil owner. Richard Eisen wasn't hated because of anything he did on television, he was hated in Pennsylvania because of who he was as an owner and businessman. For me, I wanted to show right from the beginning who I was going to be as the owner on-screen. NAESS: Which, of course, played right into the hottest act in the company, Vengeance. VIBERT: Exactly. The crowd knew that Vengeance, as a character, wasn't going to let me get one over on anyone in the company as a heel. I had already been stopped from screwing Johnny Martin over countless times, but, now, we had a spoiler coming in for the big babyface. NAESS: Nemesis? VIBERT: Nemesis. The Speaker of Truths, the devil's advocate, going toe-to-toe with the Avenging Angel of DAVE. I knew that would be the program to get us to the next level, whatever that level was, and I knew I had to keep them both on board to make my vision work. NAESS: So, not to take over your show, but, how did Buddy Gaines figure into that? VIBERT: Well, the Director of Extreme was going to have to go away, at least on-screen. We couldn't have a war for power between the good guy Gaines and the bad guy Vibert; Johnny Martin didn't need to be allied with Gaines on-screen, and Vengeance didn't need anyone or anything but himself to get over with the crowd. Long story short, Buddy's services were no longer needed on-screen. NAESS: Well, again, not to take over... but that seems like a good a time as any to welcome Buddy Gaines to the show, doesn't it? VIBERT: (laughing) I guess it does. Buddy, it's been even longer since I talked to you; welcome to the show, how have you been? BUDDY GAINES: Well, aging isn't getting any easier; I could complain, but I won't. VIBERT: Amen to that. GAINES: But, seriously, thanks for having me on the show. I love talking about the good ole days. VIBERT: So, let's just get into it... you were the Director of Extreme when I took over. You were the guy who would send 411 out to chokeslam the bad guys. GAINES: The one who claimed he could control Vengeance. I had this grand booking idea, thank God you took over and it never took came to light, that I was going to be an extreme god and Vengeance was going to be my Avenging Angel. The trio all laugh heartily. VIBERT: Buddy Gaines, the God of Extreme-- could've worked in an alternate timeline. GAINES: Don't humor me, Phil, I already got your money. Another hearty round of laughter from the three old friends. VIBERT: So, tell me, Buddy: what, if anything, were your plans for DAVE before I took over? GAINES: Well, I've heard the quote from Mitch a thousand times over the years, and it couldn't be more true-- I would've been content running local shows with local stars, making a name for ourselves by winning the East Coast Wars and establishing a name as the top promotion on the east coast. I would've been content living out life knowing that I was king of the east coast, but, man, Phil, I would've sworn you wanted to be king of the wrestling world back then. VIBERT: I never would've admitted it at the time, but, I did. I wanted to take DAVE national and shove it up Richard Eisen's ass; John wanted that even more. While I had a healthy competitive spirit, John ran on pure spite. Eisen told him he'd never be anything after he kicked him out of SWF... Richard thought he would always be the only game in town. I wanted to shove that up his ass in quick fashion. GAINES: See, I couldn't have cared less about what Richard Eisen and the SWF were doing... never could've dreamed of bringing in someone like Nemesis... and, here, you do it in a matter of weeks after taking over. NAESS: I couldn't believe it, either. I don't think anyone believed Phil when he revealed the big surprise for Back In Black, because he told us all Nemesis was coming. GAINES: I distinctly remember Johnny Martin telling me he thought Phil was a snake oil salesman. VIBERT: His attitude changed really quickly when I delivered. GAINES: Everything did, but you can't blame anyone for doubting you at the time, can you? I mean, one of SWF's biggest stars was just going to show up in Pennsylvania for our rinky dink operation? VIBERT: (laughing) No, I got it-- how could it have been anything other than a pipe dream until the moment it happened? Hell, I don't even know that I believed it at the time-- I've convinced myself in the years since that I always had confidence in every move I made but, if I'm being honest? Nemesis showing up in January was never a certain for me... I wasn't even certain when he showed up at the building if he'd walk through the curtain, you know? Maybe he'd suddenly want more money, or maybe he'd get a call from Stallings. NAESS: You mean JK Stallings, founder of HGC. VIBERT: Of course. He was throwing money around like confetti at the time, and how we weathered the storm, I'll never know. GAINES: I don't know if you threw money like confetti, but it was certainly more money than I ever imagined investing in the promotion. I mean, right out the gate, that first show.. everyone knew something special was brewing. It's why I had no trouble stepping aside on-screen... I knew people didn't care about Buddy Gaines anymore. VIBERT: I don't know if that's entirely true. People had to have cared to invest the way they did after what happened to you. GAINES: I suppose that's true. VIBERT: We're about out of time for today, but, Buddy, how about you join us for the Back In Black watch along over on the subscriber page? GAINES: I'd love to do that. VIBERT: Then it's set. Mitch, you're always welcome on the show, but I know you're a busy man. Pittsburgh Steel Wrestling has a huge show coming up, your debut on WrestleWorld, I understand? NAESS: That's right, Phil, and, to steal your line, use promo code "EXTREME" to get your first thirty days free-- which would include our upcoming show! VIBERT: Great stuff. Listeners, Buddy and I will see you this coming Monday night; you can watch along on the 25th anniversary of Back In Black 1997 with the man who booked the show, and the man who made it possible. Until next time, this has been Vibert's Voice.

DANGER AND VIOLENCE EXTREME CHAMPIONS ROLL CALL CURRENT DAVE EXTREME CHAMPION NEMESIS defeated Johnny Martin, January 1997 CURRENT DAVE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS THE ANIMALZ (THE WOLVERINE & BIG CAT BRANDON) defeated Black Murder, January 1997

p { margin:0; padding:0; line-height: 1.5em; } DANGER AND VIOLENCE EXTREME: THE ALTERNATE SHOWCASE [A TEW DYNASTY BY FALLING_STAR] VIBERT'S VOICE PODCAST "JANUARY 1997, PT. ONE" It all started at the end of 1996... well, it didn't all start there, but that's when it became my show. You probably know me, but, either way, my name is Phil Vibert… welcome to Vibert’s Voice. January 1st, 1997 is the day I became the official owner of Danger and Violence Extreme, purchased from founder Buddy Gaines with the intent of not only winning the East Coast Wars, as the warring promotions would come to be known, but of making DAVE the place for people who couldn’t or didn’t want to make it in the SWF environment. Of course, Hollyweird Grappling Company was the new game in town at that time, and they were making a play for kind of the same thing. There were a lot of SWF castoffs and late-80’s, early-90’s stars that the audience was familiar with thanks to their time in the Supreme Wrestling Federation, and they were aiming to be the alternative but they wanted to be a similar flavor of the same thing. HGC wanted to be lite beer to SWF’s full flavor brew, but I wanted DAVE to be the full-on craft brewery experience instead. I wanted to give the viewer some of that full flavor experience with guys like Vengeance, give them their lite beer with real wrestlers like JD Morgan, and then hit them with the full-bodied stout flavor of a guy like Nemesis, may John rest in peace, or the IPA bitterness of an old school guy like Eric Tyler. I didn’t want to be SWF lite; extreme was right in the name, I wanted to be f**kin’ extreme. HGC and SWF were breathing down my neck for Vengeance from the moment I took over; everyone was saying he’d done all he could in DAVE and was ready to take the next step. But, as far as I was concerned, I, and DAVE, were ready for that next step as well. Nemesis was such a unique character, the “Speaker of Truths,” and such a steal for us in DAVE, I knew he needed an antithesis and I knew it had to be Vengeance. So I did what any obsessed individual would do, and I invested everything in the company, and I do mean everything. I mortgaged my house, I took out business loans, I maxed out credit cards with cash advances, and I didn’t put a dime of it towards my own well-being. I had a really nice sports car, I sold it and bought this little beater that was good enough on gas for me to get around the Tri-State area. I was eating ramen noodles and canned tuna, I mean… anything to have more money to sink into the company. I knew it was a risky decision, the written deals– Buddy had been telling everyone that, if they wanted DAVE to succeed, that they needed to be team players and believe in each other’s word as bond on their contracts. But HGC showing up changed the landscape; they were willing to offer stupid money, and they tried, and did, to talent in DAVE– we weren’t able to keep everyone around. But they wanted everyone, and I do mean everyone; they sent out feelers and written contracts to Johnny Martin, to Vengeance, to Nemesis, to Freddie Datsun.. I mean, Eric Tyler, even The Wolverine. The only guy we had who seemed safe from going out west was Henry Lee, and even then there were rumblings that HGC wanted to do a hardcore division with him as the centerpiece. Not to mention XFW had just started their King of the Deathmatch thing a few months prior, and I knew Henry was keen to compete in the next iteration but he also didn’t want to leave DAVE. What I’m trying to say is this: when I took over the company, my entire main event scene was in question. Chris Caulfield wasn’t The Hardcore American yet, he was some blue chipper the crowd tried to boo out of the building every night. “Big Money” Brandon James was just Big Cat Brandon in his tiger facepaint, trying to get a rub from The Wolverine. There’s every chance in the world I was gonna be left with Tyrannosaurus Pex and Vin Tanner– God bless Vin, but his name might as well be Vanilla Tanner and he would’ve been lost at that time without Eric Tyler and the whole School of Tradition act that was blooming while they were kicking the shit out Freddie every night. When I signed the papers to purchase DAVE, I literally had no idea what the top of my card looked like outside of Nemesis, and even then I was going on his word alone. There was buzz about the big surprises that could be in store, but there was also buzz about who could be leaving us– I’ve never had a pit in my stomach like the one I felt in the winter months of early 1997. Not even, you know, when I could see the writing on the wall there at the end. John was gonna come in as soon as he could, there was just the question of when his days in SWF were gonna be up. He hated Richard Eisen, and he wanted out so badly– he just had to orchestrate it so that he could get out of his contract and show up somewhere else immediately. Rumor has it he and Tommy Cornell were planning a bloodbath on live TV to get out of their contracts, but John didn’t last long enough to carry out that plan. How different the world may have been if that happened, but it all ended in a shouting match where Richard basically told John he could go to Hell, and John told Eisen that he’d send him there himself before storming out. So, I had the last TV show before the 1997 edition of Back In Black, and then the Back In Black show itself to really establish myself, and DAVE, as a force to be reckoned with in the world of professional wrestling, not just on the East Coast. The internet scene was small in those days, but everyone in the smart crowd was buzzing about what was gonna happen at those shows. I knew I had to do everything just right if I was going to be able to get a foothold, and really tell the stories John and I wanted to tell. So, there you have it… DAVE, the beginning. January 1997, Phil Vibert goes into debt and makes one stupid decision after another just to deliver the kind of show the fans want to see… to deliver the shock the world expects, and still leave them shocked in the end. Thanks for joining me today on Vibert’s Voice as we, finally, take a deep dive into the DAVE years. Coming up next week, we’ll look at Back In Black and the quote-unquote “big bang” for Danger and Violence Extreme that took place there. Don’t forget to use promo code “EXTREME” to get your first thirty days of WrestleWorld for free– it’s the only place to see the DAVE tape library, and remember, we’ll be doing watch alongs for each TV and event over on the subscriber’s page. We’ll see you next time.

Can't wait to see how this goes, thinking about firing up my own CV07 DAVE game for fun... as fun as it can be, anyway.

I'm here for anything Frankie Perez.

My forum avatar is pretty degraded from what was uploaded as well... I'm guessing Invision runs some kind of compression on images?

That was exactly how Adam intended it in 2007, IIRC.

Just wanted to thank Arlie and the support team for all their work... I'm normally not a complainer, but even I have wanted to complain about this process so I can only imagine everything they've had to put up with along the way. I did notice that in my GAMMA dynasty thread, and the EXWrestling mod hype thread, that it duplicated the initial post. I'm not sure if this has happened to everyone or not, but seems like an odd quirk.

Oooooh man, I had a killer DAVE save in 2007. Time to resurrect the dead!

Bumping the topic now that all the forum posts have been recovered to let people know it is still a work in progress.

Looks like all the posts were finally recovered today.

It's the black text on grey background in a lot of the dynasties that does it for me. Dalton's new ROH dynasty, for example, is unreadable with the dark theme.

I'm sad these forums look so awful (and are downright incompatible with dynasties) with the dark theme because I hate light themes.

EMLL can be so much fun, so I'll definitely be checking this out!

Yes, please, add me to the "Dynasty" group!

Click on the "Customizer" switch on your control panel and you can select the background you want on the forums, light mode, dark mode, etc. It's the little slide icon to the right of your messages.

I just deleted about 14 years worth of old PMs and my inbox is finally below 100% storage. You just have to delete all the old, useless messages that got carried over.

I love a good tournament!