Robbie In The Ring - Liverpool Echo

[Jaded]

All comments welcomed... Hi, I'm Sarah Maynard, the new girl at the Liverpool Echo, and I still can't quite believe what they want me to do. Robbie Brookside, a 16 year old local boy, wants to become a professional wrestler, and they've asked me to follow him around doing a day to day diary of his career! The owner of the paper seems to think that he's got the potential to be a big star in the future, and wants us to be involved right from the beginning - I guess he thinks if he becomes world-famous, we'll be in pole position for interviews and features. There may be a slight problem (I don't really know much about wrestling), but I'm game for anything, so here we go, with Robbie in the Ring! Day 1 - Monday August 2nd, 1983. Well, the first shock I've had is just how many wrestling promotions there are, and where they all are! I was expecting places like Portsmouth, Nottingham, and Sheffield, but there's only two proper federations in this country - Joint Promotions and All-Star Wrestling UK. Joint Promotions think Robbie's a bit too young, but he says they're interested in him working for them down the road. ASW-UK, on the other hand, offered him £14 or so a night. When Robbie tried to negotiate a better deal, Brian Dixon, the owner, just slammed the phone down on him! So, here I am on day one - not in London, Manchester, or Birmingham; but in Memphis! That's right, Memphis, America, as Robbie wrestles a try-out for the Championship Wrestling Association! Try-outs are unpaid matches in which a wrestler shows off his skills - good for him because they hopefully lead to a contract with that fed, good for the fed because they save a bit of money on paying someone. Robbie's match will be against a tough guy called Norvell Austin. He seems excited by the chance - or maybe that's his attitude all of the time, I only met him for the first time just before our plane left so it's hard to judge. Still, he's a nice kid, and there are plenty of worse people to be travelling around America with. Austin is a tough guy who's been in the business about a decade, and according to Robbie, is better known for tag matches - in which teams of two pound each other - than singles contests. Still, Robbie admitted to me on the plane that there wasn't much chance of him getting a win, and he just hoped that he put up a good enough fight to be invited back. He said Austin is a power wrestler with good technical skills - in other words, he can beat you to a pulp, or grab you in those painful submission holds that make you feel like your legs or arms are going to drop off. Robbie is apparently more of a high flyer, jumping around like a gymnast, the difference being that gymnasts rarely land on guys they're competing against. Anyway, time on the plane flew by, if you'll pardon the pun, and we were soon at the arena in Memphis, ready for CWA All-Stars. Backstage, we started to get to know a few of the other wrestlers. One guy Robbie got on well with was this cute young blonde wrestler, Ricky Morton. From my point of view, Robbie striking up a friendship with him would be good - just so I can compare the two's progress, naturally! Apparently he's about to start teaming with another Rob, Robert Gibson. Jerry Lawler - more of him in a second - has given them the team name the Rock 'N' Roll Express, and thinks they're going to be huge. Ricky's dad Paul was also around, he works as a referee and helped Ricky get into the business. Nice guy, very pleasant. But the stars of the show were obvious - owner Jerry Jarrett and booker (that means the guy who puts the matches together) Jerry Lawler. Two wrestling legends, apparently, and just talking to Lawler especially, you can see how they got there. A pair of incredibly charismatic guys, although I have to say Jerry spent more time looking at my chest than I was altogether comfortable with. Robbie was totally in awe of them, but they were both really nice to him, helping him settle in. Apparently Lawler is something of a local hero, being mobbed by wellwishers when he goes to the shops in Memphis, according to the other guys there. Two of the other guys we had a chance to talk with backstage were a pair of brothers, Lanny and Randy Poffo - although Randy goes by the somewhat meaner sounding Randy Savage. Their father was a Hall of Famer called Angelo Poffo, and they're both following in his footsteps. They act mean in the ring, and apparently Randy isn't too popular with most of the other wrestlers - there was some muttered bitching when he had a long private talk with Lawler - but they were welcoming to Robbie. What surprised me was just how generous a lot of the guys were, giving Robbie tips about little things to do when wrestling - Lawler, Morton, and Larry all spent some time with him telling him the best way to do things. After a while, word came through that it was time for the show to start - and Brookside vs Austin was up first! I had a front-row ticket, paid for by the Echo, and was able to see Robbie's first match up close... Match 1: Robbie Brookside vs Norvell Austin Robbie actually had a great start here, dropkicking Norvell to knock him to the mat and then keeping him there with a few nasty looking submission holds focused on Austin's head. Unfortunately, he got a little overconfident, and picked Austin up looking for a bodyslam - but the bigger guy fell on top of him, and nearly got a really early victory. Thankfully, Rob kicked out, but Norvell took control and threw him around for a few minutes - that HAD to hurt. Robbie did get back into things, and managed the slam at the second attempt, and it was reasonably even for a bit - until, on the seven minute mark, Norvell grabbed something out of his tights and knocked Robbie out cold with a punch! Come on ref, surely that's not allowed? A few women at ringside were furious, screaming at the referee, but he said he hadn't seen anything, and Austin got rid of the offending object before the ref could search him. Disappointing that Robbie didn't really get a chance to show his skills. Rest of the show was fun, especially the main event, in which a bizarre cross-dresser called Adrian Street beat Steve Keirn, who the fans were cheering, after Randy Savage interfered and hit Keirn. Apparently that's what he was talking to Lawler about pre-match, saying that he should be featuring in the top matches instead of Street, and this would be a good way of getting the fans interested in a series of matches (or feud, as the wrestling term is), between them. The big news, though, is that Robbie was offered a contract! Despite Lawler and Jarrett admitting to him that he hadn't exactly blown them away with the performance, Norvell Austin apparently put in a good word with them, saying he'd had to cheat to win because Brookside was a 'tough little bastard', and that was good enough to get a year's contract with CWA! Only for $20 a night to work opening matches, but still, it's a start to his dream.

[D. Boons Ghost]

What a great start to your diary, Jaded. Good luck! I'm not too familiar with Brookside, but am familiar enough to know that this is a very interesting choice. Also, taking the point of view of a cub reporter is quite innovative; I'll be following this and rooting you on.

[Jaded]

Thanks Ghost :) I'm a big fan of Robbie's, have seen him live two or three times as a heel and once as a face, and in both roles, he's brilliant at working the crowd. Really fun to watch, especially against other high flyers - the match that stands out is an awesome one with James Mason, only 80 or so in the crowd at a tiny leisure centre, and they both pulled out all the stops. As for the diary, next stop Puerto Rico (hopefully posted later tonight) as Sarah gets to see what a few decades of hardcore matches can do to your body - by checking out Abdullah the Butcher.

[Jaded]

Day 2 - Tuesday August 3rd Well, after being surprised to find myself in the US yesterday, I'm now off to Puerto Rico! Robbie's been offered a try out by the World Wrestling Council, a federation which specialises in no-rules hardcore matches - rather him than me! The top guys around here are pretty scary - I though Randy Savage was a little weird until I met this 360 pound Canadian guy who calls himself Abdullah the Butcher! In fairness, I'd heard of this guy before - but he's a legend in North America and Japan, according to Robbie. I think he finds it hard to believe he's wrestling in the same federations as guys he used to watch on TV or read about. The top guy and owner here is Carlos Colon, who all the fans and wrestlers seem to love. He and his friend Pedro Morales hold the tag belts and the top two singles titles, and have done for a while. Unsurprisingly, Robbie is on first again, taking on a guy called the Cuban Assassin. The Assassin sure isn't built like you'd expect a top wrestler to be - short and stocky, probably not much taller than Robbie but a whole lot wrestler. He's also 47, almost 3 times Rob's age! But Rob assures me on the flight over that he's not someone to be taken lightly, he's an experienced fighter. And to be fair, he may not look much like a wrestler, but he definitely looks scary - nearly as much as Abdullah. I'm almost hoping Robbie loses this try-out, just so I can get far away from some of these guys... But that's before we meet a few of them. Robbie is stammering when he's introduced to the Butcher, telling him what an honour it is to meet a hardcore legend, but Abdullah laughs and tells a few stories of life on the road, putting him at his ease. He says he's got the night off tonight, but has come down to watch the other guys put on a show. With Abby, Carlos and Pedro all free today, it's fallen to Hercules Ayala, once Morales' best friend but now a bitter enemy (in the ring, at least - outside the ring, they're laughing and joking with each other) to main event against Johnny Rivera, who wrestles as the masked Invader #3. Well before their match, though, it's Robbie's second ever pro fight... Match 2: Robbie Brookside vs Cuban Assassin Just before we go out there, Carlos taps Robbie on the shoulder. "By the way," he says. "The Assassin's got a big cage match in a few weeks, and wants to get some practice in. So I told him this could be a cage match. That okay?" Gulp. (From me, obviously.) "No problem!" Robbie responds enthusiastically. The kid's got guts. I just hope they don't end up smeared over that cage... A quick rundown of the rules - Rule 1, to win, you need to climb out of the cage, over the top, and down to the floor. Rule 2... there is no rule 2. Anything else goes. Norvell Austin's brass knuckles punch which knocked Robbie cold, in this match, would have been 100% legal. I can barely watch. I somehow force myself to, though, and Robbie makes a great start again. One thing that both Lawler and Poffo told him yesterday was that it can be a good idea to pick one part of your opponent's body, and work it over. He's doing just that, targetting Assassin's left arm with wrenching holds and painful submissions on the ground. He even takes the time to do something Ricky Morton suggested, and gee the crowd up, managing to get a small 'Robbie' chant started. Unfortunately, he gets a little too into it - jumping to the top rope, he leans against the cage, bounces on the rope, and springs off knee first into... The mat, as Assassin rolls out of the way. Brookside is hurt, and Assassin capitalises, slamming his head into the mat then hitting him in the face with a forearm, and repeating the combination of moves. Throwing him into the corner, the CA chokes him with the tag rope (a little rope that the wrestlers on the outside have to hold when they're tagging in in tag matches), then stomps him in the chest. Robbie mounts a comeback, but Assassin uses his wrist tape a couple of times to choke our boy, and while the ref doesn't like it, there's nothing he can do about it - he's just standing there ready to decide whose feet hit the floor first if it's close. Robbie comes back, though, and knocks the wind out of the Cuban with a move known as the running butt drop - exactly what it sounds like, running then sitting on your opponent's chest. Robbie then decides to try and get out of the cage, and is really close to making it and pulling off a major upset, only for the Assassin to catch him at the top. Robbie actually manages to take control of the match for a while, throwing the much bigger Assassin face first into the cage a couple of times, and hitting that slingshot kneedrop he tried before this time. He also manages to draw oohs from the crowd when a sliding dropkick makes the Cuban bleed, although the Assassin doesn't take much notice of it - and to be honest, he looks as if this is a regular occurence to him. Unfortunately though, the Assassin makes a comeback, and in turn busts Robbie's face open with a piledriver, to screams of horror from the crowd as the sixteen year old rolls over with a blood drenched face. Somehow, he staggers to his feet, and is up quickly enough to drag the Assassin from the top of the cage back down to the mat. Robbie then leaps from the ropes with a somersault over the Assassin, catching him on his way down to bring him to the mat, and jumps up and throws himself to the cage wall. Climbing as fast as he can, he nearly makes it out, but the Assassin grabs his foot just in time and brings him back in. Robbie then hits an incredible move, as Assassin tries to get him in the corner, but Brookside backflips out and dropkicks the Cuban. I don't think it hurt that match, but it looked cool as anything, and the ladies - this one included - loved it. Leaping onto the big man, he then punches him in the head ten times as the crowd count the punches, and follows with a repeat of the back flip dropkick. Next big sequence comes as Robbie and the Assassin charge at each other. Robbie throws himself at the Asssasin, but the Cuban ducks, and Robbie hits the mat hard. Thanfully, he can still get up in time to catch the Assassin as he tries to climb the cage. Incredibly, a few minutes later, there's an exchange of moves which ends up with Robbie rolling up the Assassin - he springs off, leaps onto the cage wall, and by the time the Assassin has clambered to his feet, Robbie is over and down, victorious at the end of a 40 minute match! It's certainly not the best match of the night - that honour goes to Ayala's win over Invader #3 in a 30 minute classic which even I could see was something special, unaccustomed as I am to watching wrestling - but it's good enough to get him the offer of a contract, and to win him the respect of the Assassin, who tells everyone backstage how tough an opponent Robbie had been. Colon offers Robbie $40 an appearance - twice what Jarrett is paying him! - and Robbie's pleased to sign for a year. Robbie is really in the zone backstage after the event, talking to another youngster, Eddie Watts, and getting as many tips as he can from him. Jose Luis Rivera and Tim Tall Tree, who fights as Inferno #1, also stop by to congratulate him and pass on more tips.

[Ultima]

Great perspective for this diary. I'll have to keep an eye on it.

[Jaded]

Day 3 - Wednesday August 4th 3rd day, and we're off to Championship Wrestling from Florida for a match at their Beach Tour show. Robbie's third ever opponent will be the intimidating sounding Brickhouse Brown. He's far smaller than I was expecting him to be, and according to Robbie, another fairly new guy - debuting last year. He's a good all-rounder, though, and Robbie is looking forward to the challenge of trying to make it two wins in a row. He also sounds pretty confident, compared to the past two days when he's seemed almost resigned to losing before he gets in the ring - although that made yesterday's shock victory even sweeter. Robbie meets another of his heroes in the back, and almost seems to be getting used to it by now - he's able to say "Hi Dory" to Dory Funk Jr, of the legendary Funk wrestling family (I think I may even have heard of them), quite calmly. Dory's another pleasant guy; I'm surprised by just how friendly all the wrestlers we've met so far have been. I spend a while talking to a guy called Black Bart - he's off tonight's card because his regular tag partner, Ron Bass, is up last against Mike Rotundo, but like Abby last night has turned up to hang around, catch up with people, and watch the matches. Match 3: Robbie Brookside vs Brickhouse Brown This one is fast-paced, with a painful looking start as after a few minutes, Robbie catches Brickhouse on the top rope and crotches him repeatedly, bringing tears to the eyes of most of the guys in the crowd. Robbie is explosive, hitting something which is apparently called a grounded kangaroo kick a few times, and never letting Brickhouse get the advantage. He breaks out that backflip dropkick in the corner again, and the slingshot knee drop. To the fury of the fans, Brown briefly regains control by hurling Brookside over the top rope - an illegal move - then dragging him back in and cutting him open for the second night in a row with a piledriver. Robbie, though, picks up his second win on the 21 minute mark, grabbing Brickhouse from behind and falling forward to slam his head into the mat (a move called a forward Russian legsweep) then getting the pinfall. 3 tryouts for Robbie, 3 contracts! Post match, Brickhouse praises his conqueror, and owner Eddie Graham gives him the same deal as WWC have signed him to. It looks like there could be a lot of travelling for Rob... He also gets some more handy tips from Hiro Matsuda, a retired guy who's now working as an occassional character involved in 'angles' (confrontations which set up matches.) His role today is to set up a Florida Heavyweight title match, interrupting an argument between Jos Leduc and Barry Windham to tell them to take it into the ring.

[D. Boons Ghost]

What a fab start to your career! Congrats on those first wins! :)

[Jaded]

Day 4 - Thursday August 5th A trip south to Mexico now, for the Universal Wrestling Association. And it's Robbie's first ever tag match! His partner is a 17 year old called Adolfo Tapia Ibarra. Strangely, he decided since it's not the catchiest of names, he'd wrestle as something else - La Parka. The name means 'Day of the Dead', and his costume is just insane. A word on the Mexican wrestling scene. Masks are worn by lots of guys. They're also treated with respect, even reverence. One of the marquee matches they only use occasionally is a mask vs mask contest, in which the loser is forced to unmask. And stay unmasked, for the rest of his career. It's hard to explain to another culture, but this is a huge deal. So, masks are fairly common. Flashy costumes are standard. But a black bodysuit with a lifelike skeleton on it? That sorta stands out... The kid only debuted a few months ago himself, but he's already popular with the fans. Like Robbie, he's a jumpy, flippy guy (or high flyer, to use the more common terminology), and I think tonight's match could be remarkably entertaining. Especially with the villains they're facing. The first of those villains is another 17 year old, Dr Wagner Jr. Like La Parka, he wears a mask, and like La Parka, he's only been around two or three months. That's where the similarities end. While La Parka is gaining a lot of popularity with the fans, Wagner's booed mercilessly whenever he appears. He's the son of another wrestler (Dr Wagner, unsurprisingly), and is another high flyer, but one who cheats his way through matches. (Having said that, Robbie's shown a somewhat relaxed attitude to the rules himself at times, such as the half-dozen or so crotchings of Brickhouse yesterday, so maybe I shouldn't complain too much.) Completing our quartet for the opening match is Juan Rodriguez. Despite being 21, the oldest in the match by a good 4 years, he's even less experienced that the other three. I'm told this is just his second match, and he's looking to impress and earn himself a full contract. For once, Robbie's not in this position, with the Flores' impressed enough by what they've heard of him to give him a similar contract to his CWA one straight away. So, four guys in one ring. How will Robbie cope with tag team action? He needs not only to win, but also to impress the bookers enough to be used frequently - this is the first match on Todas Las Estrallas, vital for not only getting the live crowd into things, but also stopping TV viewers in Mexico from changing channels. With just three matches lined up today, owner Francisco Flores and his son Carlos, the guy booking, will be hoping they all go a decent length. The main event is a long-awaited clash between evil El Satanico and veteran hero El Audaz, which they're banking on to bring in decent viewing figures. Match 4: Robbie Brookside and La Parka vs Dr Wagner Jr and Juan Rodriguez The first few minutes see La Parka take on Juan, and there's high energy stuff from the start, as they exchange dropkicks, suplexes, and moves called sentons - in which the attacker jumps up, flips over, and lands backfirst on his opponent. Juan is first to tag out, bringing in Dr Wagner, who meets a monkey flip (wrestler falls backwards and uses his legs to catapult the opponent over his head) in response to an attempt at a running forearm. La Parka is warned a couple of times about choking his opponents, much to the crowd's dismay, as they're convinced their favourite was using a sleeper hold (which is legal, unlike the choke.) He then hits a painful pair of moves, with Wagner down, first legdropping him between the legs and then hitting a headbutt to the same tender area. Then, he tags in our boy Robbie! Brookside leaps up to the top rope and throws himself in with a half senton bomb, jumping off the top and landing back first on the prone Wagner. Wagner goes to tag out, but to the crowd's delight, Juan tries to come in before Wagner leaves the ring or makes the tag, and the ref hustles him back to his corner, letting Robbie regain control. After a missile dropkick from Robbie, though, the Doctor does make the tag, and Juan is in, only for Robbie to take him straight down to the ground and lock on a headlock. Releasing that, Robbie slides out of the ring, and comes back in with that slingshot legdrop he loves using so much! A couple more moves, and Robbie's ready to tag out - except the ref didn't see it - is he blind? Juan tosses Robbie to the corner and charges in with a dropkick, but Robbie sidesteps, and Rodriguez painfully crotches himself on the ringpost! A few moves are missed by both men, and Juan's able to tag out. Wagner comes in and blasts Robbie with a horrendous low blow, again missed by this hopeless referee. Disaster nearly strikes, as Robbie attempts a flying forearm smash, only for the Doctor to duck and make the cover. Thankfully, Robbie kicks out just before the three, and is eventually able to tag out. The fresh La Parka dominates the other two men, throwing Juan over the ropes when he tags in (technically against the rules but he got away with a warning), but then missing a dive to the outside. This is enough to let Juan get the advantage, and he locks in a hold called the Rolling Romero Special which forces La Parka to submit. The fans were somewhat disappointed by this result, but were cheered up by Audaz's victory over the diabolic Satanico in the main event. As for Robbie, he was disappointed not to win, but proud of his performance in the match, and pleased that Rodriguez got the contract he was looking for - probably because he's hoping for a rematch in the future. With that in mind, he approached the Flores family after the show. He asks if they'd be willing to book him and La Parka together as partners regularly in the future. The two men laugh, and tell him they may have something different in mind - and that's all he'll tell me, damn him!

[XellenceOfXecution]

A really great start to the diary! I've played a bit of a career with young Mr. Brookside myself, and it is great fun. Your writing style is very enjoyable and I like the third person perspective offered by the reporter point of view. Laughed out loud at the comments about Lawler not making much eye contact! :D Really nice backstage stuff and great background on all the people Robbie is meeting. I look forward to this being a long and productive diary! :)

[Jaded]

Thanks for all the feedback guys, it's great that people are enjoying reading this! A few other thanks... Adam for designing this great game, and Rick and Eric for the wonderful mod. Also kayfabememories.com, and obsessedwithwrestling.com, which are filling me in on some details about the guys Robbie's meeting (I wasn't into wrestling myself until the early 90's, so there's a bunch of guys I haven't heard much of, and even more guys I've never actually seen - those sites are great for at least filling me in on what they looked like and when they came into the business.) Now, before this turns into an Oscar speech with all the gratitude, back to Florida for day 5... Day 5 - Friday August 6th After a night out with a few of the boys from the UWA, and a chat with Wagner about the match - Wagner giving Robbie some helpful hints - it's time to switch countries again, returning to CWF. The show with the somewhat unwieldy name, Last Tango in Tampa Revisited, will see Robbie in action - but not in the opening match! B Brian Blair will fight Mike Rotundo, and Brickhouse Brown, Robbie's opponent from Wednesday, will take on Scott McGee. Only then will Robbie step into the ring for his second tag match in as many days, teaming with a charismatic and powerful 25 year-old just getting started in the business, Lex Luger. Luger looks incredible; he's into bodybuilding, and has by far the most chiselled physique I've ever seen up close. Their opponents will be Mike Davis, who plays 'Maniac Mike', a member of the demon-worshipping Kevin Sullivan's Army of Darkness, and Jack Hart, a perennial loser who's been around for a while but never been much good. Robbie's keen to find Luger and discuss tactics, but he's not around at the moment, and apparently he generally leaves it late to get to the arena. Instead, he catches up with Brown, shaking hands and telling him about the previous day's match in Mexico, then introducing himself to Hart. Hart gives him some advice, which Robbie tells me was really useful - surprisingly so when you consider that Jack can't really have been taking that much of it himself. Dory Funk makes Rob's day by calling out a greeting as he enters the room, and there's no getting him down from cloud 9 after that. The first two matches are awful. I don't know what exactly's gone wrong, but Blair looks ill or something, and is beaten with almost embarassing ease by Mike Rotundo, who looks as if he can't quite believe he got the win that quickly. Next is Brown and McGee, but even though that's more even, the crowd seem bored by the two men, and McGee's victory is greeted with sighs of relief that the match is over. In an attempt to get things going, owner Eddie Graham gets on the house mic - and announces the next bout will be a very special tag team tables match! In this kind of match, there's only one way to win - smash one of your opponents through the tables scattered around the outside of the ring. This is far more dangerous than a normal match, and I'm not sure Robbie knows what he's letting himself in for - too late to try and stop him now, though, as they're going out there for the match. Match 5: Robbie Brookside and Lex Luger vs Jack Hart and Maniac Mike Lex and Mike start things out, and it's a ton of brawling from the get-go, very different from the flying moves I'm used to seeing in Robbie's matches. Lex throws Mike about for a few minutes, and the Maniac takes the opportunity to tag in Jack, who also gets beaten up by Luger. One of Luger's nastiest moves is a super hard kick to the head when Jack is down, leaving the guy they call the Stretcher dazed. Lex then hits an incredible clothesline which takes both men over the ropes, sending Hart flying to the floor while Luger stays on the apron, and tags out to Robbie. Robbie tries to make an impression, diving from the apron with a flying forearm, but Hart staggers out of the way and then bodyslams Rob onto a chair - remember, no rules except the one about the tables. Robbie takes advantage of the lack of rules himself though, slamming Hart's head into the guard rail as the fans cheer. There is more brawling on the outside, and Robbie takes the opportunity to slide a table into the ring. Dragging Hart back in, he tags out, and Lex reenters. Lex hits a press slam (lifting his opponent up and tossing him to the mat), and goes for a second, but Hart desperately kicks him in the gut, then manages to dive over and tag in Mike again. They fight for a bit, and Lex manages to get the table set up and roll Mike on top of it. Tagging out, Lex motions to Robbie to climb the ropes... and he does. Mike manages to scramble to his feet as Robbie's climbing, but Brookside dropkicks him right off the table. Mike makes a comeback, reaches into his trunks for some brass knuckles, and goes to knock out Robbie... only for Rob to sidestep at the last minute, and use Mike's momentum to pick him up and bodyslam him right through that table for the win! Graham seems fairly pleased with the match, which although generally considered by the boys in the back to have been fairly average, was at least a big step up from the previous two bouts. Robbie and I take a bit of time in the back to say "See you next week" to everyone, before leaving for Texas tomorrow.

[Jaded]

Day 6 - Saturday August 7th Next stop San Antonio, for a match with Southwest Championship Wrestling, another hardcore promotion... who knows what they have lined up for our hero! However, Jonathan Boyd, notorious for portraying an anti-American in the ring, and now making the matches for SWCW in addition to managing one or two of its wrestlers, merely needed Robbie to wrestle a singles match against Kelly Kiniski. Well, okay, 'only' in this context means 'in an escape the cage match', but Rob assures me this is pretty much par for the course in hardcore feds. Kiniski is an interesting guy... despite being 39, he's never really broken out of the shadow of his much more famous father, Gene. He seems fairly content in SWCW though, so I guess some people are happy without being a superstar. The SWCW crowd is interesting, with more non-Americans than most. Two of these are a team from New Zealand called the Sheepherders, Luke Williams and Butch Miller. The original team was Williams and John Boyd, and Boyd's keeping his friends in the main matches. One of the other foreigners here is another Brit, Skull Murphy. Robbie tells me he's one of the best-known of the young crop of British talent, at 23, and I think Robbie's hoping that if he's successful in the US, it will help the cause of other Brits like Rob. Backstage, we talk to Boyd and Miller, and hear some of their stories of a few decades touring in the States. Match 6: Robbie Brookside vs Kelly Kiniski Robbie starts off and immediately works over Kelly's head, launching him into the cage wall and then locking on a head scissors before shifting to a head and arm lock. Everytime Kelly comes back, Robbie goes back to those same holds, until he varies things up by blitzing Kiniski with rapid dropkicks, then hits that half senton bomb he started using the other night. Hitting a forward Russian legsweep, Brookside climbs the cage, but is caught right at the top by Kelly. Robbie is on fire from here, hitting a series of European uppercuts, then jumping to the ropes and nailing that kneedrop. Unfortunately, though, Kiniski then catches him in a dangerous sleeper hold, cutting off the supply of oxygen to the head, and locks it in for long enough to send Rob slumping to the mat when it's released. Kiniski climbs the cage, and when Robbie finally struggles to his feet, it's too late to catch him. Rob is pleased with the match; despite not winning, he gave a good account of himself, and SWCW have no reason to regret the 6 month, $20 a night contract they gave him. The big news on the card, however, is a title change - the charismatic Canadian Wildman, Jos Leduc, defeated Scott Casey, the popular cowboy, to win the Southwest heavyweight title, much to the fans' disgust.

[DannyDemon]

this is great keep it up ill be reading :D

[Jaded]

Day 7 - Sunday August 8th Florida once more, with Graham's fed quickly becoming a second home for Robbie. Less committed journalists than I am would be tempted to stay in Miami and just get him to tell them a few things about what happened on his days off, but not me! As nice as the weather here is... All the talk backstage is of another event being held tonight, the Cadillac Cup, a tournament in Georgia. Later, we hear that the massive King Kong Bundy won the event, beating up and coming tag team star Animal, of the team the Road Warriors, in the final. As for our fed, Robbie takes on one of his opponents from the Friday night. Mike Davis, at the end of that tables match, got bodyslammed through a table by Brookside. He's now getting a chance to get his revenge, while the fans (and me) are hoping Robbie will make it two out of two wins against him. It's also going to be Robbie's first televised match for the Florida organisation, an extra incentive for him to try his hardest - not that he needs any incentive, this boy does not have a rest mode. The two other guys from that tag match, Jack Hart and Lex Luger, are also squaring off in singles action tonight, and Robbie tells me that he's hoping the four of them will get quite a few matches together over the next few months. Brickhouse Brown and Scott McGee also get a rematch, although Graham looks like he may be regretting this decision, possibly remembering just how bad the reaction to their fight on Friday was. But the main event is one which Robbie says should be a great bout, as his hero Dory Funk Jr defends the CWF TV title against B Brian Blair - just as long as Blair is more together than he was last time round. Pre-match, Robbie gets to meet another bona fide legend, Gordon Solie, the voice of pro wrestling. Another great guy, it's clear just from talking to him for a few minutes that he has a vast knowledge of the sport and a genuine love for it. One of the guys he speaks to isn't so nice, though. Kevin Sullivan plays a demon worshipper on air, and is arguably even less pleasant off it, retorting "Why should I help you?" to an innocent question from Robbie. Match 7: Robbie Brookside vs Mike Davis Robbie is on the attack with forearms, jabs, and European uppercuts straight away. Davis gets in a few wear down holds, but it's mainly Robbie in the early stages, as he knocks the Maniac to the mat with a dropkick and then goes to work with the head scissors. He does miss the slingshot kneedrop, though, and nearly lets Mike back into things, but then rolls through a charging roll-up to get a two count. After working Mike's arm for a couple of minutes, he goes back to the outside and this time hits the kneedrop, then leaps up top and gets that half senton bomb. A charging basement dropkick follows, then Rob picks Davis up and hits that forward Russian legsweep, almost getting the three count. Davis tries for his patented running knee strike, having fought his way back into the bout, but Rob ducks it and works over Mike's arm, then nails him with a series of rapid fire dropkicks. He then goes up top and leaps off with a flying knee drop which misses, nearly causing him to get pinned, but just manages to kick out on 2. One Irish whip later, though, Davis pulls something out of his trunk, plants Robbie with it, and gets the win! Yet another blind referee... if I were Robbie, I'd be going crazy by now. Rob's tag partner from Friday also loses, Jack Hart cheating slightly by holding the tights to pin Lex. Scott McGee and Brickhouse have a far, far better match, McGee winning once again, and in the main event, Dory Funk's spinning toe hold allows him to retain the belt against Blair. Post card, I find Robbie talking to a guy called 'The Outlaw' Ron Bass. He's reminding Robbie of the importance of making sure an opponent's worn down enough to stay down once they go down - he points out that Robbie going for the slingshot knee drop too early was what let Davis get back into the match originally. Wise words, I'm sure, and Robbie agrees, thanking him for the advice. Robbie's also pleased when Dory tells him he'd spoken to Don Carson, a manager in SWCW who we chatted to briefly yesterday, and that Carson had sounded extremely impressed by Rob's match. On his way out, Robbie sees Eddie Graham and asks if he can be booked in a feud (series of matches) against Maniac Mike. Graham doesn't outright refuse, but seems less than keen on the idea, telling Robbie to work on winning a few matches and getting the fans on his side before he concentrates on any opponent in particular.

[D. Boons Ghost]

You've got to admire the determination of the reporter. Disney World is calling to her, and still she trudges the rinky dink promotions with Brookside. ;) Strictly off-topic, you might want to one day consider the 'Socko Rules' when playing. Basically, they are a set of self-imposed rules a fellow poster (and friend) made that limit the tremendous progression rookies (and vets) can make in the game. For example... only talking to one or two people backstage per event (to limit the mic and PSY advice given out) - only getting jobs in feds that your friends work (to encourage you to make friends, and to limit the amount of feds worked) - limiting yourself to 2 or 3 promotions worked at one time (to slow down the overness gain) - etc. Back on topic: I am really enjoying this piece. You've got an excellent voice. Go, Robbie! :)

[Jaded]

Thanks D Boon :) I am planning on limiting a few things, probably at the end of the month. (mainly because Sarah's going to complain of jetlag from all this travelling pretty soon ;) ) Glad you're enjoying it.

[Jaded]

Day 8 - Monday August 9th Back to Memphis tonight, as Robbie wrestles his first match as an official member of the CWA roster. And almost as importantly, I get to catch up with Ricky Morton. Ricky's great, and we have a nice conversation, although in the middle of it, I feel a pair of hands on my shoulders (and starting to work their way down), and look around to see Jerry Lawler grinning at me. Tempting as it is to flick my heel up and show him that's not considered polite back in Sheffield, I hold back. I have to be honest, he may be sleazy, but he's undeniably charming. Plus, something tells me it wouldn't be the best idea for Robbie's career prospects, and therefore for this column either. I also get to talk to one of the women involved in wrestling, Miss Linda. I actually only walked over to her to rescue Rob - if I'd thought he was tongue-tied talking to guys like Dory and Lawler, that was nothing compared to seeing him try and stammer through a conversation with a gorgeous leather-clad blonde. I join in the conversation and suggest that he should go change into his wrestling gear, much to his relief. And hers, I think - I'm talking to her for a while and she's really nice, but I doubt she wants to get involved with anyone 15 years younger than her, and it's obvious Rob's developed something of a crush. Robbie's on opening duty again tonight, and will be taking on another rookie, Tony Falk, who's just got involved in the business at the age of 25. Match 8: Robbie Brookside vs Tony Falk As usual, Robbie is the aggressor early on, dropping Falk with a pair of European uppercuts and keeping him on the ground with a couple of knee drops. Falk is quickly up, though, and they exchange strikes for a bit with neither able to dominate. However, Robbie regains the advantage when he manages to nail that slingshot kneedrop, and then hits his sequence of rapid fire dropkicks to stun Falk. Climbing the turnbuckles, he goes for that half senton bomb - only for Falk to move out of the way. However, Falk then throws Robbie to the ropes, Robbie leapfrogs him on the way back, and then collides in mid-air with him, knocking the breath out of Tony and landing on top for the three count. Over at the ten minute mark. Not one of Robbie's best matches, but everyone seems happy enough with it, and glad to be back to winning ways after the two previous losses. I also get to see Ricky wrestle for the first time, but Miss Linda's man, the villanous Kareem Muhammad, cheats his way to a victory over Morton in the main event. Still, a fun night, and Memphis is about the friendliest place of the five we've been so far. One guy who Robbie seems to be getting on really well with is Austin Idol, one of the top men in the federation - could be useful to have a friend in such high places.

[Jaded]

Day 9 - Tuesday August 10th A day with no travelling! Robbie's meant to be heading back to Puerto Rico, but Jarrett asked him last night if he wanted to stay and be involved in CWA's big Mid-South Coliseum show instead. Robbie was keen, and after Jarrett checked with Colon that his missing the WWC show's wasn't a problem, he was put on the card. It's sheer bliss to not have to travel, but to be able to spend some time looking around Memphis while Robbie hits the gym. Oh, and I have to ben honest, the extra time in bed was pretty great! This is an important show, as not only is it one of the CWA's big monthly events, it's going up against the World Wrestling Federation's Tuesday Night Titans TV show. Our card isn't televised, but we're hoping that people aren't tempted to stay away and watch a stacked lineup that Vince McMahon's boys are offering. That lineup includes Jesse 'The Body' Ventura going up against the Iron Sheik, Adrian Adonis taking on Tony Garea, Dick Murdoch fighting Tito Santana, and a massive tag match for the main event, as Rocky Johnson and Ivan Putski take on the Wild Samoans. However, CWA are putting on a pretty stacked lineup of their own... Austin Idol will take on Eddie 'Hot Stuff' Gilbert, the 21 year old who is expected to be one of the biggest stars the territory has ever seen. He, in particular, wants to stick it to the WWF. 2 years ago, he looked set to become a major star there, until he broke several bones in his back and neck in a car accident. By the time he'd recovered, others were making strides in the federation, and he decided to return to Memphis instead. Also, another Brit, the famous Giant Haystacks, will team with Robert Gibson (Ricky being given a night off after his match with Kareem yesterday) to take on the PYT Express of Koko B Ware and Rob's friend Norvell Austin. And in the main event, Kareem will go toe to toe with Jerry Lawler. As for Robbie? He'll be taking on Tony Falk again... but there's a twist. Falk, after Robbie beat him yesterday, will be teaming with Jim Neidhart, a Canadian who's just getting started in the US, for a handicap elimination match! I can't quite see how Robbie's going to win this one, and am at first annoyed at Lawler and Jarrett for putting him in a position where he's likely to get beaten up, but have an interesting conversation with Ken Patera on the subject. Patera is a former Olympic weightlifter who turned to pro wrestling, and laughs when he hears me talking about this being a "no-win situation" for Robbie. "No win?" he asks. "More like no-lose!" "How's that?" I enquire. "Think about it this way. He loses, then yeah, he gets bruised a bit, but the fans all expected him to lose anyway, because he's taking on two guys who are both older and bigger than he is. He wins by some miracle, then holy cow, the young kid just got here and he's beaten two tough guys in a handicap match! They'll love him for taking them on, they'll love him more if he wins. Like I said, no-lose." Maybe he has a point... Match 9: Robbie Brookside vs Tony Falk and Jim Neidhart. Robbie takes Falk down at the start and keeps him there, working with head scissors and head locks to prevent him getting up. He then pulls him up, dropkicks him down, and goes for an elbow drop which unluckily misses, allowing Falk to tag out. Neidhart hits a giant swing which renders Robbie dizzy, then drives an elbow into his groin - ouch! Thankfully, he can't repeat the move, as Robbie rolls out of his way and mounts a comeback. He's happy to rest for a minute or two, holding Neidhart in a couple of headlocks to buy some time and presumably work out just how he can deal with this pair. Neidhart breaks a take down, though, and throws Robbie out of the ring, but Robbie is back in before Jim can follow up. Neidhart winds him with a massive shoulder tackle, and goes for a crucifix powerbomb which Robbie manages to fight his way out of. A minute later, though, Neidhart hoists him onto his back in a submission move that Jim calls the Torture Rack, and Rob has no option but to quit on 6 minutes. Lawler and Jarrett are pleased with the fight Robbie put up, and as Patera predicted, the fans applaud him for trying his best against the two villains. Lawler is also happy as he and Austin Idol both successfully defend their titles in their matches.

[captainlou]

The "King" was a jerk in booking Robbie in the handicap match against two big guys but he (Robbie) gave them a good fight. Good luck to Robbie as he begins his career.

[jksander]

Yeah Lawler always did have a mean streak ;

[Jaded]

Day 10 - Wednesday August 11th Florida once more! Hitting the road again was a drag, to be honest - if Robbie decided just to work for Texas, I wouldn't complain. However, it's back to Beach Tour today. And a clash with a guy Robbie was teaming with just last week, Lex Luger. It's been decided that Luger needs more of a 'hook' than just being an incredibly good-looking and well built guy. He's been asked to play a nastier character in the ring, becoming part of Kevin Sullivan's Army of Darkness, and being managed by Sullivan's wife Nancy, who goes under the name the Fallen Angel. Jack Hart, on the other hand, is playing a de facto nice guy, as he goes up against Maniac Mike, in a clash of the tag partners from the other team in that match. And Brickhouse Brown gets chance number 3 at beating Scott McGee, in a match everyone hopes will resemble their second match far more than the disastrous first. There are a few people backstage when we get there, including Gordon Solie and Dory Funk, who both greet Robbie, but there's a slight run-in with road agent Jim Holliday, who shoots Robbie down after a friendly request for advice. Robbie doesn't look pleased, but Nancy Sullivan walks over at that point to introduce herself, defusing the situation. She's a lot friendlier than her husband, that's for sure! Match 10: Robbie Brookside vs Lex Luger Unusually for one of Robbie's matches, Lex is the dominant one to start with, punching away at Robbie and then going up top for a double axe handle. Robbie manages to gain control, though, with a drop toe hold, then dropping two knees on him. He brings the crowd into it, whipping Lex into the corner then jumping up on him for the classic ten punch as the crowd count along. A second attempt doesn't work though, as Luger shoves him off, but Lex goes for an Irish whip which Robbie reverses. A dropkick takes Lex down, and Robbie climbs up top to hit another one. A running dropkick misses though, Lex perhaps working out what Robbie's strategy is, and Lex hits an atomic drop (a move where the aggressor stands behind his opponent, picks him up, and slams him down butt first onto his knee.) Lex goes for a bear hug but Robbie is able to slip behind him, twisting his arm behind his back, then working into another armlock. Unfortunately, Lex powers his way out of that, gets the bear hug on... and that's all she wrote. Poor match, to be honest, and I got the feeling Graham wasn't too impressed... hope I'm wrong. But losing in less than 10 minutes can't be a good thing. I tried discussing it with Robbie afterwards, but he didn't want to talk about it. Dory, however, takes a bit of time to talk to Robbie about the match, and where he could improve in the future. Elsewhere on the card, Maniac Mike demolished Jack Hart, and Scott McGee made it 3 out of 3 against Brown.

[Jaded]

Day 11 - Thursday August 12th Right back down to Mexico today... I'm sure it's a wonderful country, but all I can think of is that Robbie could've taken a day off and we could have had another wonderful lie in... would've been great! Oh well, this is what happens when you're on the road with a young up-and-comer, I guess, and he certainly needs the money from working as often as possible. On the plus side, Robbie gets a chance to show some acting skills today! He's filming a sketch... these are used by promoters to make it look like there's actual animosity between wrestlers when really none exists, to make the matches more interesting. The sketch is chosen to open the show, somewhat surprisingly, but perhaps necessary so the match it's building to can go on first. Here's how it goes... Backstage, a cameraman is filming La Parka. Robbie walks up to him. "Hey man... good tag match last week, we should team again some time." "Team again with you? After you lost us the match?" La Parka responds. "What? Hey, wait a minute... you were the one who screamed 'I quit'!" "Only because I was having to wrestle two of them by myself because you were so useless!" sneers La Parka. "Hang on!" And at this point, La Parka grabs a chair and whacks Robbie with it. I know this is coming, and I still cringe. In fairness, I cringe slightly less than I did during the rest of the sketch... I know Robbie wants to get his own bar or something if he ever makes it big, but perhaps he should spend the money on acting lessons instead. But the sketch isn't over yet! As La Parka stands over Robbie, Juan Rodriguez charges in... and saves Rob, chasing La Parka off! He helps Robbie to his feet, and Robbie turns to the cameraman. "Out there, in the ring, now! Me and Juan against him and whoever he can get to team with him." And this is how we build to La Parka and El Hijo del Diablo against Rob and Rodriguez. On the plus side, the crowd hopefully now like Juan and dislike Parka. On the minus side, they may already be asleep... Match 11: Robbie Brookside and Juan Rodriguez vs La Parka and El Hijo del Diablo Diablo is on fire at the start, peppering Robbie with dropkicks and hitting a half senton, then a senton when he goes down. Thankfully, he goes for a choke hold but the ref spots it, and Robbie's able to get up while the ref admonishes his opponent. The two exchange jabs and kicks for a minute or so, then Robbie arm drags Diablo to the ground and goes for the head lock and head scissors sequence he uses a lot. Going to the outside, we know what's coming, and he catapults himself back in with a slingshot kneedrop, then tries to go up top, but Diablo stops him. Bodyslamming Diablo to the ground, Robbie tries to tag out, but Diablo grabs his ankle to stop him, then springs to his feet and manages to tag out himself. Robbie sees La Parka come at him with a charging forearm, and swiftly sidesteps, dropping Parka to the mat with a quick kick. Working over La Parka's arm with an arm drag and then a few armlocks, Robbie then monkey flips him, before going outside and hitting the slingshot kneedrop on him too. Juan is fresh and screaming for the tag, and Robbie makes it, at the same time as Diablo comes back in for his team. He immediately hits a flurry of forearms, but takes too much time going for a spectacular rolling senton, allowing Diablo to move out of the way. Diablo can't capitalise though, and a dropkick then a half senton keep him down, before Rodriguez goes for an incredible slingshot moonsault, only to miss, allowing La Parka to tag back in. La Parka tears away at Rodriguez, but then allows Juan to slip behind him and drive him into the corner, then hit a dropkick. Leaping up top, Juan flies off with a knife edge chop, and goes for the slingshot moonsault again, only for a second miss. The ref then gets in the way as he whips La Parka to the ropes, and fires off dropkicks to send him reeling and eventually down to the ground. He tags out, and Robbie comes in, only to get caught in La Parka's feared Martinete after he misses a sliding dropkick. Thankfully, the ref is still groggy, and misses Robbie tapping out, allowing Juan to charge in and make the save. La Parka now tags in Diablo, but Robbie sends him to the corner and hits the backflip dropkick, then smoothly tags out to Juan. Juan takes the opportunity to throw Diablo from the ring through the ropes, then dives after him, only to crash into the guard rail when he moves. Diablo drags him back into the ring, but Juan surprises him with a roll up for a near fall. Diablo then tosses Juan over the top rope, causing him to hit the ground hard, but also misses a dive to the outside. Juan hits a running neck snap onto a chair, drawing a warning from the referee, then rolls him back in and throws him to the corner. He then grabs Diablo by the head and starts to climb the turnbuckles, but Diablo desperately shoves him away, and dives to his corner to tag in La Parka. La Parka tries to throw Juan to the outside, but Juan manages to block, and take La Parka down with a spinning head scissors. He tags Robbie back in, and Rob hits that slingshot kneedrop again. Up top, Robbie hurls himself off and connects with a half senton bomb, then picks La Parka up and drops him with a spinning neckbreaker. Another tag follows, and as La Parka climbs to his feet, Juan dives off with a flying body press. Unfortunately, La Parka ducks it and covers, but Juan is just able to kick out in time. Juan hits a rana (leaping up, catching La Parka's head between his legs and falling backwards to take him to the mat), then locks in an intricate submission hold apparently called the Rolling Romero. La Parka fights his way out, though, and makes the tag. Diablo is in, but Juan dives outside then comes back with a slingshot sunset flip, which is enough to get the win. Up there with Robbie's best matches, despite the painful skit to set it up... backstage though, Dr Wagner Jr catches up with him and gives him a few tips on how to sound slightly more convincing next time. If anyone's stupid enough to ask him to talk ever again, that is.

[Jaded]

Day 12: Friday August 13th It's Friday 13th, and we're back in Memphis. I have a bad feeling about this, for some reason... Robbie's first ever opponent, Norvell Austin, is in tonight's main event. He's taking on Robert Gibson, tag partner of my boy Ricky Morton. Robbie, meanwhile, is in the card's second match, taking on Rick Steiner. Steiner is an All-American college wrestler from the University of Michigan, who's just joined the pro ranks. Unfortunately for him, he's not a success at the moment, having lost to Doug Gilbert, Jim Neidhart, and Spoiler over the past couple of weeks. Hopefully his first win won't come against Robbie. On entering the building, the first people we see are Austin Idol and Ricky Morton. Robbie spends a while talking to Idol, while I excuse myself and go over to see how Ricky's getting on. He's excited, telling me he's been working a lot in Mid-South Wrestling as well as CWA, and as well as the Rock N Roll Express, he's just started teaming with a guy called Jesse Barr. They had a big win a few days ago in Mid-South against a powerful young team called the Blade Runners, two face painted young guys who he said were powerful but not too good at wrestling yet. He did say they were the size promoters loved, though... unlike he and Robbie. I can see that it must be a lot easier to get yourself known if you're 260 pounds or so rather than 200 or so. We also get to meet Randy and Lanny Poffo's father Angelo, who works here as a manager. Say what you like about them, but he's far ruder than they've been! Match 12: Robbie Brookside vs Rick Steiner It's Rick who takes control of the match early, clubbing away at Robbie before taking him down with a single leg trip. Robbie slips out of a front facelock to go into his headlock/head scissors sequence, though, but Rick eventually breaks the head scissors to take Rob down, then goes up top and strikes with a flying knee. Robbie gets out of a Boston crab attempt, however, and hits a nice gutwrench suplex. Unluckily for Robbie, Steiner fights back, getting a samoan drop, then a Boston crab, and hitting a running headbutt to stun Robbie for the pin. If I'm honest, I thought the match was awful - Steiner steamrolled over Robbie in about seven minutes, and it wasn't the most exciting around. But the fans, for some reason, loved that running headbutt, and they liked the two shaking hands post-match as well. Not up to Robbie's usual standard, though. On the plus side, I got to talk to Ricky even more backstage after the event - there's definitely some chemistry there! And when Rob came over, Ricky laughed at my story about the sketch yesterday, but gave Robbie some more (badly-needed!) acting tips. In fact, Austin Idol joined in the conversation with some tales of his own, so maybe Robbie won't suck quite so badly on the mic next time.

[Jaded]

Day 13: Saturday August 14th Texas again for SWCW... and this definitely isn't my favourite place to be. There's a run-in with a guy called Tim Brooks in the back, as Robbie tells him he's hoping to be at Brooks' level in the fed before long, which the big guy seems to look on as a challenge. Thankfully, nothing comes of it, with champion Jos Leduc walking over to talk to Brooks as the two glare at each other. There's then another incident as Al Madril, rumoured to be about to quit the business, takes offence at something Robbie says. That's forgotten though, as Jon Boyd comes over to tell Robbie what his match tonight will be - a clash with the Irish Dave 'Fit' Finlay for the SWCW TV title! Robbie is pumped for this match, as not only is it a shot at a belt far more quickly than he could ever have dreamed of getting one, he's also taking on the Belfast Bruiser, who at just 23 is already a big name in the UK. It's a no-DQ match, meaning anything goes. Match 13: Robbie Brookside vs Dave Finlay Finlay starts off brutally, wailing away at Robbie with strikes, and Robbie really struggles to get back into it. Rob's first chance to get back into it is when he falls on top of Finlay as Fin attempts a gutwrench suplex. However, Finlay is back to dominating, breaking a corner ten punch to hit a few strong forearms and break Brookside open with one incredibly stiff shot, then slam his head into the mat to make it even worse. Robbie does well to flip up onto the turnbuckle when Fit sends him to the corner, but he then comes off with a move which is caught and turned into a running fireman's slam from Finlay. Finlay takes things to the outside, as Robbie tries to fight back, and Brookside does manage to hit a slam through a table. However, blood's still soaking his face, and it seems to have gone through his head... after 3 knee strikes from the apron, screaming "STAY DOWN!" each time, Rob rolls Finlay onto a table and jumps at him. Unfortunately, Fit rolls off and Robbie crashes through the table, clutching his knee in pain. From there, it's easy for Fit to roll him into the ring, trap him in a double knee backbreaker, and get the submission victory to retain the belt. Post-match, we leave early for once, not staying for the other three matches. Robbie seems depressed for the first time since I've known him, although I'm not sure whether it's the loss or the two arguments backstage taking their toll. We head back to our hotel, ready to shoot back to Florida tomorrow morning.

[Jaded]

Day 14: Sunday August 15th Okay, adding a few rules to myself for a bit here... but not saying what they are, it'll spoil the storyline :P I like Florida! Beautiful weather, beautiful people, and Robbie is much more relaxed today - laughing and joking with Brickhouse and Dory at the arena. Plus, he gets to take on Lex Luger in a rematch from last week. And it's a nice, straight, one on one match, with rules and everything. Not that dangerous at all, I may even be able to watch without looking through my hands! Match 14: Robbie Brookside vs Lex Luger Lex goes to town on Robbie from the start, blasting him with punches, dropping him with a shoulder block, then coming off the top rope with a flying double axe handle. A gutwrench suplex drops him, and while a missed bionic elbow nearly gives him the chance to get back into it, Nancy at ringside distracts him. A roundhouse punch floors Robbie again, and this time there's no mistake with the bionic elbow, as Lex hits it twice. Luger whips Robbie to the ropes, unfortunately knocking the referee down as he does so, then catches him on the way back with a big boot. Another bionic elbow follows, then the torture rack. Robbie is screaming in pain, but the referee's still down so can't declare the match over. A bear hug follows, but still no ref. As the referee recovers, though, Luger hits a shortarm clothesline, then a roundhouse punch, and hoists him up in the torture rack to draw the submission. Wow... okay, 15 minutes, and pretty much zero offense for Robbie. Plus there's no way he would've lasted that long without the ref being down... this is not good. Hopefully he can get back on track tomorrow, but it looks like the travelling may be catching up with him. Day 15: Monday August 16th Things don't improve. We turn up in Memphis, only to find that there's been a screw up somewhere along the line. Jarrett left a message at the hotel we stayed in last for Robbie, telling him he didn't have a place for him on this show. Only problem is, he never got the message. This means not only does he not get paid by CWA, since he hasn't worked tonight, he's also missed out on the UWA show he could have been on if he'd known. Rob doesn't hang around for the card, leaving quickly after Lawler tells him about the mix up. Jerry is apologetic, and Robbie manages to take it reasonably well. As for me... well, things don't improve was perhaps a little pessimistic. I was talking to Ricky Morton when Robbie announced he was leaving, and Ricky offered me a lift back to our hotel after the show if I wanted to hang around and watch the four matches. Well, it would be a shame not to take the chance of getting to know more about the business, and it could've seemed rude to refuse... so we have a pleasant few hours, then journey back to my hotel. Via a bar or two, I admit. I got in a bit after midnight, decided Robbie would probably be asleep so there was no point saying good night...

[jksander]

Wow, is our newspaper reporter getting down and nasty with the wrestlers? Watch out, Robbie! She might try to make a move on ya! Seriously though, this is a fun one to read :)