Derek B Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 [i]abstract taken from [u]ProWrestlingHits.com[/u][/i] [QUOTE] [CENTER][size=5][b][u]British Indy Show[/b][/u][/size] [color=green][size=4][b][u]MAIN EVENT[/b][/u][/size][/color] [IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/PhillipCooper_alt.jpg[/IMG][b][u] VS. [/b][/u][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/Christian%20Black/ChristianBlack2.jpg[/IMG] [b][u]Phillip Cooper vs Christian Black[/u][/b][/CENTER] The match starts off slowly, with both men unwilling to attempt anything too high risk in the early stages. Black targets Cooper's left shoulder, attempting to wear it down to take away from the flambuoyant youngster's exciting offence. 21CW's hot talent doesn't let Black dictate the pace though and counters with some excellent mat wrestling of his own. The last 6 months has seen both of these men working hard on the indy scene and making their name. Cooper recent reward for his hard work was a 21CW contract when Jeff Nova took over the promotion, and most of the UK wrestling scene. Black is known to be a protege of British Samurai and seems set to make a move to Ring of Fire to help replenish their roster. The match progresses and the ante increases as Black makes his first attempt to lock in the feared Fujiwara Armbar on Cooper's weakened arm. The Cooper Man fights if off though and evades a charging knee attack, sending Black to the outside. Cooper hits a big plancha to the floor that gets the 90 or so fans at ringside on their feet cheering and gets in his first big string of offense for the whole match. Black is clearly reeling after five minutes of abuse but lands a northern lights suplex out of nowhere for a nearfall. Black follows up with a tight fishermen's suplex for another close fall before he connects with a big brainbuster that gets the crowd on it's feet. Unfortunately for Black it's only another two count at this gets him mad at the referee, giving Cooper valuable time to get his breath back. Black gets Cooper to his feet and locks him in a front face lock to get him up to the top rope. Cooper senses trouble as Black makes his way to the top rope with him, prompting Cooper to connect with some stiff shots to the kidneys. Black is perched precariously on the top as Cooper hooks up a suplex and the crowd are gasping as it looks like he's going to suplex Black to the floor! But Black fights back again, still in no-man's land on the top rope. The two exchange rights and rock back and forth on the top dangerously. It looks like Black has the upperhand as he goes for the suplex again. But Cooper holds on once... twice... and then counters into a front suplex from the top. Black falls into position in the middle of the ring as Cooper signals to the crowd that this one is over and leaps off with the Cooper Fly Splash (frog splash), giving the 90something crowd something to cheer for before they go home. [b]WINNER:[/b] Phillip "Cooper Man" Cooper defeated Christian Black by pinfall in 16:34 [/QUOTE] [CENTER][size=5][u]...Journeyman...[/u][/size] [IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/PhillipCooper_alt.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/Christian%20Black/ChristianBlack1.jpg[/IMG] [i]London, early January 2007[/i][/CENTER] Another British indy show held in another high school gym hall, all part of the learning experience for the rookies who really want to make it in the business. As indy shows went, this was about as small as it would get as the promoter hadn't even made an attempt to get any big names on the card. Luckily for him though, two men had made significant progress on the indy scene over the last few months and those two men were [b]Phillip "Cooper Man" Cooper[/b] and [b]Christian Black[/b]. Having worked together over the last six months, the two had grown to be good friends and had developed a natural understanding of each other in the ring. Their matches had been hailed as some of the best on the UK indy scene during the tail end of 2006 and it seemed almost inevitable that at least one of them would be heading towards 21CW when Jeff Nova took over the company. And as it transpired, one of them did, as Cooper was given a contract and told to finish up his indy bookings. The crowd in attendance may not have even known it, especially considering the event was just a small part of a bigger event that neither Black nor Cooper knew anything about, but this could very well have been the last time the two men would have wrestled together. Except... that wouldn't make for a very interesting story, would it? After the show, Christian Black's phone rings in his bag, muffled by the sound of his ring gear that was hurriedly stuffed into it after the show so that he could get back to Cooper's couch for another unconfortable few hours of sleep before getting a supersaver bus ride back to his place in Birmingham and the drudgery of a day job that he would hopefully not be to sore for in 48 hours time. Back to the phone... Black recognises the number and picks it up. [color=blue][b]Black :[/b] "Hey BS, what's up?"[/color] [color=red][b]BS :[/b] "[i](jokingly)[/i] How many more times must I ask you not to call me that?"[/color] [color=blue]"At least one more. So why are you calling me at this hour? No training tomorrow?"[/color] [color=red]"Actually, quite the opposite. You know how I said I wanted you to get more experience before you stepped into a Ring of Fire ring officially?"[/color] [color=blue]"Sure do, just finished working on that again tonight. Small indy gig in London."[/color] [color=red]"Excellent. Well, I think it's time for you to debut. 21CW signed away a lot of our workers and I'm a few men short for January's [b]Kickstart[/b] show. If you want in, all you have to do is say the word."[/color] [color=blue]"Word, BS."[/color] [color=green][b]Cooper :[/b] "You know, you could at least give me my keys so I can be cold in the car sitting down, instead of being cold standing up."[/color] [i](Black reaches into his pocket and throws the car keys to Cooper, who immediately lets himself in and cranks on the heating on the ancient, noisy car. Once upon a time it may have been white but the only white on it now is a crisp frost that covers a mix of mud and rust over most of the bodywork. Beggars can't be choosers.)[/i] [color=red][b]BS :[/b] "Great to have you on board, Christian, it truly is. Who was that in the background?"[/color] [color=blue]"Oh, just Cooper. He's moaning about the cold again."[/color] [color=red]"Cooper? Phillip Cooper?"[/color] [color=blue]"The very same"[/color] [color=red]"Damn, I wish we could have signed him to ROF too. Would have been good to have you two continue your indy feud in ROF. I've heard nothing but good reviews about you two."[/color] [color=green]"Dude, I'm not sure how long the battery will last if we don't move. And you know how I hate being cold. Who you talking to anyways?"[/color] [color=blue]"[b]British Samurai[/b]. He just gave me a place on the ROF roster. And he's saying it's a shame me and you can't continue our feud there, what with you signing for 21CW and all."[/color] [color=green]"Dude, you do realise my deal with them isn't exclusive, right?"[/color] [color=blue]"What? I thought everyone there was being signed exclusively?"[/color] [color=green]"Nope, just the top brass. Little guys like me still need time to improve and Nova figures I can do that working elsewhere."[/color] [color=blue]"BS, can you hold on for a minute?"[/color] [color=red]"Sure, but don't leave me hanging."[/color] [i](Black sits into the car and faces Cooper who is busy warming his hands up on the "heating" although it seems to be doing little except blow the cold air around. Frozen breath hangs in the air.)[/i] [color=blue]"But you said you couldn't wrestle any more indy shows?"[/color] [color=green]"Nova doesn't want us working for dodgy promoters, says he doesn't want his talent putting themselves at risk and stuff. But he doesn't mind if some of us work for ROF or MOSC or even abroad, as long as the company has a decent reputation"[/color] [color=blue]"Dude... speak to BS. I think we can work something exciting out here."[/color] [color=green]"Samurai?"[/color] [color=red]"Cooper, I assume. Say, I could overhear what you were saying there, hope you don't mind. As I said to Christian, I've got a few spots on ROF's January card available, if you guys want them. I'd be happy to make it a regular thing if you want."[/color] [color=green]"You know what, after everything Black here has told me, I think I'm gonna have to say yes. Provisionally at least. We can sort out money and stuff when I'm not freezing my ass off in this rustbucket car here."[/color] [color=red]"(laughing) Sure thing. I'll call you guys tomorrow. Try not to freeze to death down there, I hear it's almost minus ten down there."[/color] [color=green]"Will do. Laters, Samurai."[/color] [color=blue]"Hey, maybe I wanted to say something else to him? You shouldn't hang up like that."[/color] [color=green]"Did you want to say something else?"[/color] [color=blue]"Well... no. But that's not the point really, is it?"[/color] [color=green]"Dude, I'm too cold to argue with you."[/color] [color=blue]"It's better than an icepack this though... numbs some of those bumps and bruises."[/color] [color=green]"Yeah, and all the healthy bits of me too."[/color] [color=blue]"Whatever (laughs)"[/color] [i](After a hesitant moment where it looks like the car is about to stall, the two young wrestlers pull away and head off to Cooper's place to crash for the night. It's been a good day, with each receiving a £20 pay off and finding out that they have a new job which will presumably offer even better pay offs. Our scene fades to black....)[/i] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted May 4, 2007 Author Share Posted May 4, 2007 [CENTER][size=5][u]... Bumps and Bookings...[/u][/size] [IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/Christian%20Black/ChristianBlack1.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/PhillipCooper_alt1.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/BritishSamurai.jpg[/IMG] [i]Wednesday, week 2 of January at Samurai's house[/i][/center] [i](Over a week has passed since the initial phone call from British Samurai to Christian Black. As promised, Black and "Cooper Man" have made their way to Samurai's house for a meeting regarding their future with ROF. Black has been guest here many times and looks around the comfortable, if a slightly small 1 bedroom flat. Cooper, having removed his brightly coloured novelty hat for the day, looks around the room and inspects some of the pictures close up, including each of Samurai's MOSC Championship wins... accompanied as you would expect with the customary crimson mask. Nothing says MOSC title change like a river of blood.)[/i] [color=red][b]Samurai :[/b] "I'd appreciate if you didn't touch everything you see. Some of my things need to be handled with care."[/color] [color=green][b]Cooper[/b] : "Just looking at your stuff."[/color] [color=red]"Hasn't anyone ever told you you see with your eyes and not your hands?"[/color] [color=blue][b]Black :[/b] "Hah, burn on you Coop."[/color] [color=green]"Lighten up, Samurai. You should be proud I'm taking such an interest. That's quite a blade job you took there."[/color] [color=red]"If only it was. Colin wasn't.."[/color] [color=green]"Colin?"[/color] [color=red]"Colin Chalke, also known as The Steamroller. He wasn't quite as careful as he should have been with a discarded beer can during the match. Sharp edge took a chunk out of my head and well... you can see the results for yourself. Was pretty nasty, needed a few stitches and I had the taste of tin in my mouth for days afterwards, as if a chunk of it had broken off and got stuck there. Every year about the time it happened I can still feel the pain from where the metal pierced me."[/color] [color=green]"Wow... I mean... wow... I... really?"[/color] [color=blue]"No you idiot, he just likes telling that story to newcomers."[/color] [color=red]"[i](laughing)[/i] Yeah, I got Christian with it too first time. Always good for a laugh or two that story. Anyways, Cooper. Since I know you've got to scoot on over to a 21CW taping later today, I just wanted to let you know the booking plans for the show and sort out the finances. You know, important stuff."[/color] [i](We fade out for a few minutes as the final details of Cooper's verbal deal with Samurai and ROF is hammered out, sorting out how much is going to be paid and when they'll talk about renegotiating. Black, who has been here many times on his way to training with Samurai makes his way through to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. It's been a long day at the day job and he's not had any chance to eat since finishing. Training for Friday's show takes priority and he'll have plenty time to eat later. He rejoins the conversation as the subject matter moves on to bookings.)[/i] [color=red][b]Samurai :[/b] "Ah, Christian, just in time. I'm sure you guys know how the card looks so far. We've got a few big matches planned and... Cooper?"[/color] [color=green][b]Cooper :[/b] "In the spirit of honesty, I don't have a clue what's on the card. Care to run things by me one time?"[/color] [color=red]"Well... I guess it is sort of to be expected. Ring of Fire is still pretty small and you don't exactly spend a lot of time in the area."[/color] [color=blue][b]Black :[/b] "Coop, I'm sure I've told you a few times what's going on. I must have mentioned it at least once while we've been hanging out over the last month."[/color] [color=green]"Don't think so, amigo. Anyways, enlighten me. I like to learn stuff."[/color] [i](Samurai and Black look at each and shake their heads with a smile. Cooper Man may be flashy and exciting in the ring but in real life, he fairly often isn't entirely sure what's going on. But Samurai is patient, afterall, he can still remember a time where he didn't know what was going on in half the places he worked... hell, no-one ever knew what was going on in MOSC back in 1999.)[/i] [color=red][b]Samurai :[/b] "Since 21CW heavily raided a lot of the Ring of Fire guys, and rightly so if they wanted talent, we've had to restructure things a bit. The #1 Contender Trophy is being dropped since it doesn't seem to fit with the promotion any more. A second main event belt just seems...."[/color] [color=blue][b]Black :[/b] "Superfluous. Actually, I think that was something that mighta been my idea."[/color] [color=red]"[i](laughing)[/i] You know, it might have been. But I agreed with it so I'm claiming it as mine. Anyways, the storyline has been that it's basically getting unified with the Ring of Fire Championship so it's a kind of champion vs champion match between [b]UK Dragon[/b], the champ, and also [b]Billy Robinson[/b], the #1 contender trophy holder. That's the main event."[/color] [color=green]"You know, that sounds kinda familiar."[/color] [color=blue]"Really?"[/color] [color=green]"Well... maybe a little... sorta... a bit...."[/color] [color=red]"Also on the show will be two big singles matches that will certainly help determine who will get the next title shot. [b]Petey Barnes[/b] will face off against [b]Walter Morgan[/b] in one match and in the other, I'll be facing [b]Johnny Highspot[/b]. "[/color] [color=green]"Hey, I remember hearing about Highspot. Got arrested for trying to steal a camera or something and missed a show."[/color] [color=blue]"Actually, it was a camel. He tried to steal it from London Zoo during peak time while he was drunk."[/color] [color=green]"Really?! Holy crap, he must've been pretty seriously wasted..."[/color] [color=red]"You can ask him for yourself at the show, he loves telling the story. At least, whatever parts of it he can remember. Also, [b]Don Henderson[/b] has an open challenge out on the card. His partner is already in the main event and Don is supposed to think he can beat anybody. We've got a nice suprise in line to help make ROF Kickstart a good start to the year for us."[/color] [color=green]"Oh, who is it? Someone I know? Me maybe?"[/color] [color=red]"Hah, actually no, it's neither of you two. I heard earlier today from the mystery man, you can find out who he is at the show. It'll be more fun that way. Oh, and in our last singles match of the night..."[/color] [color=blue]"Us?"[/color] [color=red]"Actually, no. I thought about putting you guys against each other but I decided against it."[/color] [color=green]"Huh? Why? We're good against each other."[/color] [color=blue]"Its not often I disagree with you BS, but it would make sense."[/color] [color=red]"True, it would. But the crowds that come to ROF shows are the same as the ones that attend the indy shows you guys have been at. I figured that since I'm putting more emphasis on the tag team division that you two could work together as a tag team."[/color] [i](Cooper and Black take turns to look at each other and at Samurai who looks anxious to see what they say next. Springing a suprise like this isn't always a good plan.)[/i] [color=green]"Sounds fun. I've never really had any proper tag matches before."[/color] [color=blue]"And I've not had any at all yet. You sure that's a good idea?"[/color] [color=red]"Of course I am. But if it doesn't work then we can always split you guys up and have you feud, thats your call. But I think you'll work well as a team, you've got a good spark about you and I think people will see that."[/color] [color=green]"So who are we working then? Anyone good."[/color] [color=red]"Actually, you'll be up against a duo I'm trialling. A couple of French guys called Jacques and Pierre DuPont. Twins actually. I've heard good things about them and they're looking to tour the UK for a few months. If they're good, they might get a full time contract."[/color] [color=green]"Sounds good to me. If the match sucks we can blame them."[/color] [color=blue]"You know it takes more than one person to make a good match."[/color] [color=green]"Still only takes one to make it suck though. You've seen [b]Jim Force[/b] right?"[/color] [color=green]"FEEL THE FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORCE!!!"[/color] [color=blue]"FEEL THE FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORCE!!!!"[/color] (Samurai can only sit and give Black and Cooper odd looks as they burst out laughing at what must be some kind of bizarre in-joke that no-one else in their right mind could possibly understand.... Black regains his composure first.)[/i] [color=blue]"Ah yes.. anyways. What was the last singles match? And what about the Tag straps. Are the Martin Twins defending them on the show?"[/color] [color=red]"Indeed. Lance and Kelly [Martin] will be defending the belts against [b]Glen Ward[/b] and [b]Jonni Dyslexic[/b]. Should be a good match and I'm looking forward to seeing Ward in action. Another new signing to Kickstart the new year."[/color] [color=blue]"And the singles match?"[/color] [color=red]"The Irish Stretching Machine" [b]Merle O'Curle[/b] will be taking on [b]Stardust[/b]. One of the most exciting, flashy high fliers we've got against...."[/color] [color=green]"The Black Hole of Charisma himself. I mean, seriously... he's so dull!"[/color] [color=blue]"He's fine once you get past his quiet exterior. He likes to keep himself to himself but he's a good guy. And a helluva wrestler too."[/color] [color=green]"Black hole..."[/color] [color=red]"Anyways... Phillip, I know you've got a match to prepare for with 21CW so I won't keep you waiting. We're heading off to the gym, I'll leave the tapes I've got of the DuPonts with Christian here and you guys can watch them later. Work out what you can do with them and get Donny to help you pit together a match if you want."[/color] [color=green]"Donny? As in Donny Damage?"[/color] [color=red]"The very same. He's retired now but he can't keep himself far from the ring. He's happy to help us out backstage and pass on some of his wisdom to anyone who'll listen."[/color] [color=green]"Cool. I wonder if he'll like my hats."[/color] [color=blue]"Dude, no-one likes your hats except you. That freaky pink thing you got with you isn't going to help either. But anyways, get going. I don't want you to be late and get in trouble. No telling what they'd do."[/color] [color=green]"Totally. Thanks for the loan of the car, it'd be so much easier for us both if we just had one car instead of two. Anywho... laters!"[/color] [i](The Cooper Man sees himself out of the flat in typical style, stopping to put his garish pink hat on in front of a mirror as he goes. Black finishes up his coffee as Samurai grabs his gym bag. Black does the same thing and the two men get ready to head out for some more training.)[/i] [color=red]"You ready for another marathon bumping session? I'm looking forward to seeing if you've picked up any more new tricks."[/color] [color=blue]"I've got a few ideas. And you know as well as anyone that I'm always ready. If I slipped in some milk in a store I'd take a perfect bump."[/color] [color=red]"You know, sometimes I worry about you. Not as much as I worry about his taste in hats, but I still worry. Although I have to admit... it's nice to have such a dedicated student. With a few good breaks you could be a star wherever you went."[/color] [i](And with that, Black and Samurai head off to the gym for a proper work out and some serious training. Samurai isn't kidding when he says that Black is a dedicated student, if it weren't for his day job Black would be wrestling every hour he possibly could. But real life always takes precedence and clearing the student debt isn't easy. Only two days until show time. And even if there won't be thousands of fans in attendance, Christian Black is very, very excited.)[/i] [size=1][b][u]Quick Predictions for ROF Kickstart[/u][/b] [b]ROF Championship vs #1 Contender Trophy[/b]: UK Dragon (c) vs Billy Robinson [b]ROF Tag Team Championship[/b]: Lance & Kelly Martin (c) vs Glen Ward & Jonni Dyslexic British Samurai vs Johnny Highspot Petey Barnes vs Walter Morgan Don Henderson vs [i]open challenger[/i] Merle O'Curle vs Stardust Phillip Cooper & Christian Black vs The DuPont Twins[/size] [center][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/ROF.jpg[/IMG] [i]Journeyman[/i][/center] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irish Wolf Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 [SIZE="2"]Quick Predictions for ROF Kickstart ROF Championship vs #1 Contender Trophy: [B]UK Dragon (c)[/B] vs Billy Robinson ROF Tag Team Championship: [B]Lance & Kelly Martin (c)[/B] vs Glen Ward & Jonni Dyslexic [B]British Samurai[/B] vs Johnny Highspot [B]Petey Barnes[/B] vs Walter Morgan Don Henderson vs [B]open challenger[/B] [B]Merle O'Curle[/B] vs Stardust [B]Phillip Cooper & Christian Black[/B] vs The DuPont Twins[/SIZE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bye1918 Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 ROF Championship vs #1 Contender Trophy: [B]UK Dragon (c)[/B] vs Billy Robinson ROF Tag Team Championship: Lance & Kelly Martin (c) vs [B]Glen Ward & Jonni Dyslexic[/B] [B]British Samurai[/B] vs Johnny Highspot Petey Barnes vs [B]Walter Morgan[/B] Don Henderson vs [B]open challenger[/B] [B]Merle O'Curle[/B] vs Stardust [B]Phillip Cooper & Christian Black[/B] vs The DuPont Twins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigerkinney Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 ROF has never been a fed that has particularly piqued my interest, I know there are some solid workers who work there such as U.K Dragon but they just seem a little bland as a fed on the surface. I've got to say though that you grabbed my interest with a great back-story of the two rivals in the ring/friends in real life angle...not only do we get to see if ROF can not only survive but perhaps eventually thrive, but we also have these two characters in Christian Black and Phillip Cooper to follow and invest in. You even sneaked in the now obligatory JIM FOOOOORCE reference. :) Anway on to making predictions... [B][U]Quick Predictions for ROF Kickstart[/U][/B] ROF Championship vs #1 Contender Trophy: [B]UK Dragon (c)[/B] vs Billy Robinson ROF Tag Team Championship: [B]Lance & Kelly Martin (c)[/B] vs Glen Ward & Jonni Dyslexic [B]British Samurai[/B] vs Johnny Highspot [B]Petey Barnes[/B] vs Walter Morgan [B]Don Henderson[/B] vs open challenger [B]Merle O'Curle[/B] vs Stardust [B]Phillip Cooper & Christian Black[/B] vs The DuPont Twins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted May 6, 2007 Author Share Posted May 6, 2007 [b]From [u]ProwrestlingHits.com[/u][/b] [i]Report on Ring of Fire from RingOfFireLoudMouthedArse'Ole aka [b]ROFLMAO[/b][/i] [QUOTE] [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/ROF.jpg[/IMG] [size=5][b][u]Kickstart 2007[/u][/b][/size][/center] It hurts me to see that ever since 21CW took a large chunk of ROF's upper card roster, that so few fans have been showing up to shows lately. Instead of the couple of hundred that the Norman Blue Athletic Center in Birmingham usually packs in, only 57 people showed up to see Kickstart. Kathleen Lee, Ref Bailey, Daniel Black Francis, Leo Price, Adam Matravers and Pheoebe Plumridge (I'll miss you most of all!), Rolling Johnny Stones and Stevie Stoat... it's a shame to see that so many fans only came to see you and not to support the promotion itself but don't worry, the new guys came good tonight and the future is bright indeed! [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/PhillipCooper.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/Christian%20Black/ChristianBlack2.jpg[/IMG][b][u] Vs [/b][/u][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/JacquesDuPont.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/PierreDuPont.jpg[/IMG] [b][u]Cooper & Black vs The DuPont Twins[/b][/u][/CENTER] This match was the ROF debut of all four men and featured the only man who currently works for both 21CW and ROF, the indy stand out Phillip Cooper, complete with ludicrous big hat. I have to admit, this was the first time I've seen the DuPonts in action as the French kids have never been in the UK to wrestle before and I was impressed with them. The DuPonts (I can't tell them apart) kept the match grounded as they tried to pick apart Cooper. Lots of quick tags to keep Cooper in trouble as he tried to make the tag. In a nice counter move that signalled the ending sequence, Cooper landed a big springboard back elbow on whichever DuPont was legal at the time and made the hot tag. It didn't take long after that for Black to hit the ring, fired up to the max and unload with a series of brute suplexes on both DuPonts. They really were painful looking. Jacques (I think) kicked out of a nothern lights suplex pin but he left his arm exposed and Black hooked it into a Fujiwara armbar. Cooper stopped the other DuPont from breaking it up with a nice flying forearm shot and there was no option but for Jacques to tap out. Short match but an excellent showing from both teams in their ROF debuts. [b]WINNERS:[/b] Phillip Cooper and Christian Black by submission in 7:33 [b](D-)[/b] [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/MerleOCurle.jpg[/IMG][b][u] Vs [/b][/u][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/Stardust.jpg[/IMG] [b][u]Merle O'Curle vs Stardust[/u][/b][/CENTER] Stardust is back from his brief venture as Phil Cox, once again wearing the mask and gold singlet that helped him get established in 21CW. A nice slap in the face to them I think. :) Sadly, a slap in the face was about the only real offense he got in on the Irish Stretching Machine as Merle was all business in this one. Merle may have the same charisma as a plate of my mother's macaroni and cheese but when it comes to wrestling, he's one of ROF aces in my opinion. Stardust's few comeback attempts were limited to some fast paced moving but as the match wore on and Merle continuously zeroed in on Stardust's legs, he found it harder to counter. In the end a standing rana attempt was countered into a powerbomb which allowed Merle to tie Stardust up in his bridging Indian deathlock, grabbing the jaw to hook up the Celtic Wreath. Ladies and gentlemen, our second submission victory of the night goes to Merle O'Curle. [b]WINNER:[/b] Merle O'Curle by submission in 11:01 [b](D)[/b] [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/LanceMartin.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/KellyMartin.jpg[/IMG][b][u] Vs [/u][/b][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/GlenWard.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/JonniDyslexic.jpg[/IMG] [b][u]Lance and Kelly Martin vs Glen Ward and Jonni Dyslexic[/b][/u] [i]for the ROF Tag Team titles[/i][/CENTER] As always, this match featured a lot of slick teamwork from the twins, with frequent tags and the use of some covert tactics to take advantage of the fact that Humphrey Woolsey can't tell them apart even after all this time. Glen Ward showcased his dangerous judo skills early on, utilising a few quick takedowns and almost locking in a judo choke sleeper. The champs took a few moments to get their bearing before demanding Dyslexic be tagged in. Once Jonni was in, the flow of the match changed as he became more of a punchbag for the champs than the competitor that Ward had been. You could clearly see the frustration building on Ward's face as he was forced to stay on the apron. He almost had the tag at one point but the Martin Twins cut him off. Ward charged the ring anyway, prompting the ref to try to stop him. Dyslexic was double whipped to the ropes but looked to come back with a double clothesline, only for it to be evaded by his targets just as Ward shoved the ref out the way. The crack of skulls was probably audible in the car park as Ward and Dyslexic clashed hard. The Martin Twins waited outside the ring for a minute in one of the worst examples of psychology I've seen in a while as Ward got to his feet and got very angry at Dyslexic for the accident. Dyslexic tried to explain what happened but Ward just snapped and quickly hooked Dyslexic in the katahajime, an illegal move in judo until Dyslexic passed out. Ward left the ring and one of the Martin Twins, again I'm not sure which, rolled in for a sneaky pinfall victory. Not sure I'm a fan of Ward's angry man gimmick, but I thought it was a nice touch for a judo competitor like him to pull out an illegal judo move. [b]WINNERS:[/b] Lance and Kelly Martin retain the ROF Tag Team titles by pinfall in 9:58 [b](E)[/b] [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/DonHenderson.jpg[/IMG][b][u] Vs [/u][/b][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/KeithAdams.jpg[/IMG] [b][u]Don Henderson vs Keith Adams[/b][/u][/CENTER] I had my suspicions about who the mystery challenger was going to be and had my "I'm not a criminal!" sign ready for when Keith came out to one of the loudest pops of the night. I think he appreciated the sign too, almost everyone knows the story about him once arresting someone legit during one of his matches. Wish I'd been there for that.... Anyways, Henderson sold the shocked look well, looking genuinely suprised to see Adams here. The match started quickly and kept going that way throughout. Henderson tried to slow things down but Adams just wouldn't le him get into this match at all, even when Henderson went to ringside for a breather, Adams followed him and hit a side Russian legsweep into some empty seats. Adams got into the ring and waited for Henderson to gingerly get to his feet while the referee applied the Japanese style 20 count to him. Henderson took his time at ringside as Adams taunted him before simply turning his back and walking away as the referee counted 19 and 20. Needless to say we (the crowd) crapped all over that ending having paid out money to see a good match. Seems growing a little facial hair and wearing darker clothing doesn't make you rugged, does it Henderson? [b]WINNER:[/b] Keith Adams by count-out in 6:38 [b](E)[/b] [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/PeteyBarnes.jpg[/IMG][b][u] Vs [/u][/b][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/WalterMorgan.jpg[/IMG] [b][u]Petey Barnes vs Walter Morgan[/b][/u][/CENTER] Since Adam Matravers left for 21CW Petey has started to break out as a star in his own right, racking up a few wins over midcarders in singles competition. His opponent tonight though is on a different level though, as the rough, tough Wigan wrestling style of Walter Morgan squared off against the flying antics of Petey Barnes. The early going saw Walter trying to find a limb and work on it but Petey showed he was equally capable of wrestling on the mat when he needed to and countered with some good wrestling of his own. The ante picked up after several minutes when Petey started picking up the pace and hitting Walter from every angle but a Rolling Thunder was countered with Walter's knees into Petey's back to stop his momentum dead. What followed was a schooling in how to work over an opponent as Walter completely shut down Barnes for over 5 minutes, moving from left arm to neck and back again whenever necessary. Barnes looked like he was never going to escape the classic old-school wearing down that Walter was employing but he eventually got a head scissors on the mat and repeatedly drove Morgan's head into the mat while in the move. This led to a series of high paced moves to quick to call as Barnes pulled the momentum in his favour but one mistake landed him in the dreaded sleeper hold. Barnes sold it in true sports entertainment style, powering to his feet after his hand almost fell for a third time. A series of elbows let him escape briefly but moments later he as back in the hold and fading again. Petey got himself to a corner though and pushed off, landing Morgan on his back and the referee counted to three much to the suprise of everyone in attendance, including myself. [b]WINNER:[/b] Petey Barnes by pinfall in 16:48 [b](D-)[/b] [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/BritishSamurai.jpg[/IMG][b][u] Vs [/u][/b][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/JohnnyHighspot.jpg[/IMG] [b][u]British Samurai vs Johnny Highspot[/b][/u][/CENTER] I broke out the "I like camels" sign for this match, for obvious reasons as it got underway. It was only as this one began that I realised a guy behind me had been filming the show, apparantly to put it on YouTube later. I guess ROF are trying to pick up on some extra fans by putting shows on the internet, I just hope they draw a bigger crowd next time as a result. Anyways, the match itself was everything we expected it to be. Samurai paced himself as he always does, striking hard when the opportunity presents itself. And with this match being against Johnny Highspot, there were plenty of chances to strike. The action was back and forth with a lot of high impact moves from both men. Highspot made his name with 21CW as a risk taking high flyer and even became one of their biggest stars as a result. But Jeff Nova released him and he's been taking ROF by storm. As both men were clearly starting to feel the effects of the others high impact offense, it became clear that all it would take to put either one down would be one final big move. Samurai tried for a superkick but Highspot caught his foot and landed one of his own before climbing to the top and coming off with a big moonsault which was all she wrote. Personally, I enjoyed this match and everyone in the crowd seemed to be into it. Highspot has had a few good matches since joining the company and looks set to be pushed towards the top of the card in the near future. Should be exciting as a match between him and UK Dragon would be sure to get the fans going. [b]WINNER:[/b] Johnny Highspot by pinfall in 10:56 [b](D-)[/b] [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/UKDragon.jpg[/IMG][b][u] Vs [/u][/b][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/BillyRobinson.jpg[/IMG] [b][u]UK Dragon (c) vs Billy Robinson[/b][/u] [i]To unify the ROF Championship and #1 Contender Trophy[/i][/CENTER] Justin Blackham really hyped this match up during the ring introductions, citing as much history between these two as he could. He gave us the vital stats such as [b]UK Dragon[/b] being a 15 year pro, the ROF champion who's reign started 8 months ago when he took the belt from the seemingly unbeatable [b]Stevie Stoat[/b] in arguably ROF's biggest match. Dragon has also made it clear where his loyalties lie and that is firmly with himself, with Blackham reminding the crowd that Dragon had even blown off a title defense against Rolling Johnny Stones to work in Japan, where he is the reign World Level Tap Out champion since October. And lastly, he reminds everyone how UK Dragon earned his chance to face Stoat for the ROF Championship... by winning the ROF #1 Contender Trophy. Blackham then put over [b]Billy Robinson[/b], a 4 year pro who already has two ROF Tag title reigns under his belt and who picked up the #1 Contender Trophy in December at Festive Beatings by defeating K'Lee Hawkings. That match was followed up by the announcement that the #1 Contender Trophy was to be unified with the ROF Championship and granted Billy Robinson a shot at being the first and last man to ever be an ROF triple crown winner. You know.. I think Blackham actually remembers all this. I know people talk about him having an encyclopedic memory and all but I didn't see him look at a cue card or anything while he said all that. Seriously. The formalities were over from here as the referee told the competitors the rules and checked them for concealed weapons. With both men showing up clean the match kicked off without so much of a hint of a handshake that I've gotten used to seeing at the start of title matches. Both men have been booked as resembling heels in the past so perhaps I shouldn't have been terribly suprised but I had sort of hoped for a handshake in the main event. Note to self: make a sign for next time demanding handshakes in every match. The match started out quickly with Dragon almost toying with Robinson, baiting him into going for certain moves and escaping them with relative ease. It didn't take long to realise that Dragon was simply in a different class, as good as Robinson is and Robinson realised it too. Taking the initiative, Robinson went for the knee and hit some low dropkicks that caught the champ off guard. Robinson's aggression kept him on the offense as Dragon was brought down to the mat and his knee aggressively targetted with some driving elbows and knees into the joint. Dragon had a hard time getting back into the match but attempted to use whatever free limbs he could to get Robinson's head. Eventually this tactic evened the match up as both men started to get warmed up, taking turns to take control and engaging in a chop battle that made their chests look hot even in the cold arena hall. Robinson tried to follow up a corner irish whip on Dragon but was a step too slow as Dragon vaulted out by stepping to the second rope and hitting a cannonball out the corner on Robinson. After this, it was pretty much one way traffic as the seasoned veteran stayed on his opponent and drove the breath out of him with some high impact slams and suplexes. Dragon signalled for the end with Robinson struggling to catch his breath, hooking on the Dragon sleeper to soften him up further. With Robinson in trouble, Dragon kept the move locked in as he hoisted him up to his feet and then drove him into the mat with the Dragon Drop (lifting reverse DDT). Humphrey Woolsey made the academic count for the victory. [b]WINNER:[/b] UK Dragon retains the ROF Championship and unites it with the #1 Contender Trophy by pinfall in 12:39 [b](D+)[/b] As Dragon celebrated with the ROF Championship and the #1 Contender Trophy, I couldn't help but think that a new time was beginning in ROF. With a lot of the old roster leaving for 21CW (good luck to you all) and a lot of new talent debuting on this show, there seems to be a new air around the company. There were some good matches on the show and I hope there are a few guys I can't wait to see at the holiday camp shows that ROF has run the last two years. While they are rarely big shows, it's always good to see the undercard getting more experience and after tonight's opening matches, this summer looks like it could be a very exciting group of matches that British Samurai can offer holiday goers this year. I can't wait to see more, I think [b]ROF All Is Fair[/b] is the next event. Should be good. [b][u]Show Rating[/u]: (D)[/b] in front of 57 fans at the Norman Blue Athletic Center in the Midlands [size=1][b][u]ROF Kickstart 2007 Quick Results[/b][/u] Cooper & Black defeated The DuPont Twins [b](D-)[/b] Merle O'Curle defeated Stardust [b](D)[/b] Lance & Kelly Martin defeated Ward & Dyslexic to retain the ROF Tag Titles (1 defense) [b](E)[/b] Keith Adams defeated Don Henderson by count-out [b](E)[/b] Petey Barnes defeated Walter Morgan [b](D-)[/b] Johnny Highspot defeated British Samurai [b](D-)[/b] UK Dragon defeats Billy Robinson to unify the ROF Championship and #1 Contender Trophy [b](D+)[/b][/size] [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/ROF.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [/QUOTE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted May 6, 2007 Author Share Posted May 6, 2007 [CENTER][size=5][u]... Kickstart Post Show...[/u][/size] [IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/Christian%20Black/ChristianBlack1.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/PhillipCooper_alt.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/BritishSamurai.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/MerleOCurle.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/DonnyDamage.jpg[/IMG] [i]Taking down the ring at the Norman Blue Athletic Center[/i][/center] [i](Ring of Fire don't have a ring crew or a production team or writers or anything fancy that many fans believe every wrestling promotion has these days. When the show is over, even while the fans are busy trying to get autographs from their favourite workers, life continues on. The ring still has to be taken down and transported to it's other home, the workers still have to get home to nurse any wounds they may have and prepare for the grind of daily life. The harsh reality is that most people have real jobs where they make their money to fund their wrestling hobby, only a select group can rely on wrestling to feed and clothe them. And so we join a group of hard working men, most of which have real jobs as they take down the ring. Merle O'Curle, Donny Damage, Christian Black, Phillip Cooper and British Samurai work together to dismantle the ring and pack it up so that it'll fit in Damage's van.)[/i] [b]BS :[/b] "You know Cooper, you don't have to stay behind and help here. We've got it covered." [b]Cooper :[/b] "I know, but this is rookie stuff and I don't ever want it to be said that I haven't paid my dues. I'm a rookie, I demand to be treated like one damnit!" [b]Black :[/b] "Coop, sometimes I wonder if you're even half as smart as I think you are." [b]Cooper :[/b] "Thanks... I think." [b]BS :[/b] "Guys, I was speaking to the DuPont's earlier and they were saying they enjoyed the match you guys had. And I have to say, it was certainly a better match than I expected from you all." [b]Cooper :[/b] "I was meaning to ask actually, where did those guys scoot off to? Shouldn't they be stuck here with us rookies taking down the ring?" [b]BS :[/b] "The place they're staying at has a curfew, they couldn't stick around. They offered to help but I sent them off. Besides, they would've only gotten in the way. Too many people falling over each other and all that." [b]Damage :[/b] "Boys, I was impressed with the match you had too. You almost equalled Merle here in terms of ring performance and he's got years on you. Samurai, you tell these guys the plans for next month yet?" [b]BS :[/b] "Not yet. Was just getting to that. Cooper, the next show is on the second Friday of next month, you available for that?" [b]Cooper :[/b] "Sure thing. 21CW only needs me on Wednesdays and whenever Nova decides the big shows are. Think he has it scheduled early for next month so I'm all clear." [b]BS :[/b] "Good, good. Right, in that case here's a quick run-down of the show so that you guys know what to expect. Obviously after tonights show there is going to be a match between [b]Glen Ward[/b] and [b]Jonni Dyslexic[/b]. I figure that was pretty much a given. I was going to have a tag title match with the [b]Martins[/b] going against [b]The Shooters[/b] (Don Henderson and Billy Robinson) but Don has a family wedding to be at so he won't make the show." [b]Black :[/b] "Who's getting married? And more importantly, is she hot?" [b]Damage :[/b] "He said it was a cousin or something, not anyone we know about. Besides, brides aren't hot." [b]Cooper :[/b] "Unless it's someone elses." [i](The group laugh out loud, with the exception of Merle who is as stony faced and quiet as always. No matter where he goes or what is going on around him, Merle rarely seems to smile or laugh or show any kind of emotion. I guess that's why he's so good at playing the all-business machine gimmick... cos it isn't really a gimmick.)[/i] [b]Merle :[/b] "......" [b]Cooper :[/b] "Ooookay. What plans have you got for me?" [b]BS :[/b] "I want you to face [b]Billy Robinson[/b] in a singles match. I know I said I want to push you as a team but I want you both to look good in singles competition too." [b]Black :[/b] "Makes sense. Means you can book us more flexibly in the future too if you need or want to." [b]BS :[/b] "I knew you'd understand. The tag title match will be Lance and Kelly against [b]Eric Future[/b] and [b]K'Lee Hawkins[/b]. They were the only two regulars who weren't on the last show and I know they're friends so they should be able to work a good match as a team. Might even find out they're the next big tag team around here." [b]Cooper :[/b] "Hey boss, me and Black are the next big team around here. Well... once we have a bit more experience anyways." [b]BS :[/b] "Perhaps, we'll have to see how things go. Anyways, Christian. You'll be facing off against Merle in singles competition next month too. I expect a good match from you two and I don't doubt you'll deliver." [b]Black :[/b] "No pressure, eh." [b]Damage :[/b] "You'll be fine. Come over to mine and train with Merle and myself this week. We'll run some spots and see if you can pick up a few more things while you're there. You have a tendency to learn things from people pretty quickly." [b]BS :[/b] "I was thinking the same thing. I couldn't help but notice a few influences from Johnny [Stones] and Walter [Morgan] during your last match." [b]Black :[/b] "Well, you spend enough time around people and you pick up some of their habits. I guess that's why I wrestle so much like you do." [b]BS :[/b] "Well, as long as you only pick up the good things I couldn't possibly complain. [i](Things are packed up into boxes as the discussions continue. Merle even talks quietly to Damage sometimes, although it's a mystery about what he'd be talking about.)[/i] [b]Damage :[/b] "Sam, you forgot the last match." [b]BS :[/b] "Did I? Oh yeah, in case you lot are actually interested I'll be facing off against [b]Keith Adams[/b] on the show. It's a part of the storyline where Henderson isn't tough enough to face him and is ducking him instead. Should be a good match up." [b]Black :[/b] "Sounds good to me. Anything else I might need to know about?" [b]Damage :[/b] "Don't think there's anything else to know about the show. Just make sure you show up for training on time. We've got a bunch of videos you can watch too, from all over the world." [b]Black :[/b] "I'll be there as soon as I can get there after work. I'm sure you know the deal." [b]Damage :[/b] "You're speaking to a guy who spent most his career wrestling part time instead of touring the world... I know what it's like. Just... show up on time, ok?" [b]Black :[/b] "Sure thing. [i](The back of Damage's van looks like a tornado has passed through it, with an entire wrestling ring being compressed down into a comparitively small space. Damage and Merle take their seats in the front, with barely enough space for them to get in.)[/i] [b]BS :[/b] "Look after yourself, Donny. And make sure you don't injure my student when he's over training with you." [b]Damage :[/b] "As if I'd do such a thing. Have fun with the kid, Sam. [b]BS :[/b] "You know I will. Later guys." [b]Merle :[/b] "......." [i](The van pulls away from the back of the Norman Blue Athletic Center and past a few fans who are still lurking around at the end of the show. But even they are preparing to head home and don't bother our heroes as they finish up for the day, grabbing their few remaining things as they prepare to head home themselves.)[/i] [b]BS :[/b] "I've just got to go hand a key back in at reception. Don't bother waiting for me guys. Have fun and take care of yourselves." [b]Black :[/b] "Will do. Have a good week." [b]Cooper :[/b] "Yeah. And I'm looking forward to next time." [b]BS :[/b] "Later guys." [i](British Samurai, owner of ROF, hands Black a small envelope and heads back into the Center with a key and a bag full of his wrestling gear, the night's takings and various ROF related bits and pieces, including a few small bits of merchandising. This just leaves Black and Cooper as they get into Black's car.)[/i] [b]Cooper :[/b] "Hey, Black. What kid?" [b]Black :[/b] "Samurai's kid is staying for the week, that's why Damage is looking after the ring. He doesn't get to see the kid very often so he's taking all the time he can to look after her. It was a painful split for him." [b]Cooper :[/b] "I didn't know... I see. And the envelope?" [b]Black :[/b] "Think of it as a sort of... report card. I asked him to evaluate my strengths and weaknesses as a wrestler. [b]Cooper :[/b] "Can I see it?" [b]Black :[/b] "Sure. Don't see why not." [CENTER] [size=4][u][b]Christian Black - Progress Report as at January 2007[/size][/u][/b] [IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/Christian%20Black/Yearly%20Progress/2007.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [i](Cooper reads over the stats with a suprising degree of care for someone who has still to realise his hat is on backwards. Black starts the old car up as Cooper looks close to finishing reading it.)[/i] [b]Cooper :[/b] "Seems like he's basically saying you could do better." [b]Black :[/b] "I'd hope so. If he thought I was the best already then I'd be pretty worried for the guy." [b]Cooper :[/b] "But he doesn't seem to rate you very highly at all. I mean... he's barely given you a C grade for anything." [b]Black :[/b] "Its a comparison to the entire world, I'm not worried about it. Besides, I like a challenge. The day he starts giving me passing grades is a day I'm looking forward to." [b]Cooper :[/b] "I suppose." [b]Black :[/b] "Anyways, I hope you're ready for another night on the couch. Brought all your warmest hats have you?" [b]Cooper :[/b] "Bastard. You know I don't like the cold. Can't you just turn the heating up more?" [b]Black :[/b] "No can do, can't afford it. Just wear more hats and clothes, it achieves the same goal in the long run." [b]Cooper :[/b] "Awwww...." [i](And with that, Cooper and Black pull away from the Norman Blue Athletic Center, ROF's small hometurf venue almost, and head off for another night in a small, cold, uncomfortable flat. Life isn't easy for a young wrestler trying to make his way in the industry and hold down a real job at the same time but he's managing it. Our scene fades to black....)[/i] [size=1][b][u]Quick Predictions for ROF All Is Fair...[/b][/u] [b]ROF Championship[/b]: UK Dragon (c) vs Johnny Highspot [b]ROF Tag Team titles[/b]: Lance & Kelly Martin (c) vs K'Lee Hawkins & Eric Future Keith Adams vs British Samurai Phillip Cooper vs Billy Robinson Christian Black vs Merle O'Curle Glen Ward vs Jonni Dyslexic[/size] [center][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/ROF.jpg[/IMG] [i]Journeyman[/i][/center] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irish Wolf Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 [SIZE="2"]ROF Championship: [B]UK Dragon (c)[/B] vs Johnny Highspot ROF Tag Team titles: [B]Lance & Kelly Martin (c)[/B] vs K'Lee Hawkins & Eric Future Keith Adams vs [B]British Samurai[/B] [B]Phillip Cooper[/B] vs Billy Robinson Christian Black vs [B]Merle O'Curle[/B] Glen Ward vs [B]Jonni Dyslexic[/B][/SIZE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnightnick Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 Quick Predictions for ROF All Is Fair... ROF Championship: [B]UK Dragon[/B] (c) vs Johnny Highspot ROF Tag Team titles: [B]Lance & Kelly Martin[/B] (c) vs K'Lee Hawkins & Eric Future [B]Keith Adams[/B] vs British Samurai [B]Phillip Cooper[/B] vs Billy Robinson Christian Black vs [B]Merle O'Curle[/B] [B]Glen Ward[/B] vs Jonni Dyslexic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigerkinney Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 ROF Championship: [B]UK Dragon (c)[/B] vs Johnny Highspot ROF Tag Team titles: [B]Lance & Kelly Martin (c)[/B] vs K'Lee Hawkins & Eric Future [B]Keith Adams[/B] vs British Samurai Phillip Cooper vs [B]Billy Robinson[/B] Christian Black vs [B]Merle O'Curle[/B] [B]Glen Ward[/B] vs Jonni Dyslexic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted May 7, 2007 Author Share Posted May 7, 2007 [CENTER][size=5][u]... Training and Travelling...[/u][/size] [IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/Christian%20Black/ChristianBlack1.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/DonnyDamage.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/MerleOCurle.jpg[/IMG] [i]Donny Damage's home near Birmingham, Late January[/i][/center] [i](We join Christian Black, Merle O'Curle and Donny Damage in what at first glance appears to be a gym, but upon closer inspection turns out to be a large garage. Set up is the ROF ring, in which Damage is running through a series of spots with Merle while Black is on a treadmill intently watching a screen while he runs. On it we can see quite clearly that a video is playing, with the sound blasting into Black's ear via headphones so as not to interupt the training session in the ring. Black ignores a promo for the night's main event as he turns his attention from the recent SWF When Hell Freezes Over PPV to the action in the ring near him. Having just watched two excellent matches in Rich Money vs Angry Gilmore and Elmo Benson vs Sam Keith, he at least feels that he may have picked up a little something new.)[/i] [b][u]Damage[/u] :[/b] "Good work, Merle. You know the counters, just follow them through as I put you in the holds. [i](Around this time Black realises that what he is actually watching isn't so much a training session as it is a training match. He's been coming here everyday, watching videos and learning some new chains of moves, working on some more bumps and learning in advance the kinds of spots he's likely to use when ROF All Is Fair takes place. And today more than any other day, it looks like Merle and Donny are having a match, lacking only in the fact that neither man is actually selling the offense being used. This goes on for several minutes of fast paced hold and counterhold before Damage allows Merle to briefly lock in the Celtic Wreath and tap out, at which point Merle notices that Black is watching.)[/i] [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] "Hey, Black. You finished watching the Sam Keith match yet? There is some excellent little tricks he uses in there. Very subtle." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] [i](caught off guard)[/i] "Uh... yeah. It finished a few minutes ago. *huff* Jack Bruce was cutting a promo before *puff* he faced Robbie Retro. I kinda zoned out *huff* on it, not really what I'm after." [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] "Yeah, me neither. Cutting promos, dancing, ridiculous hairstyles. That's not wrestling." [b][u]Damage[/u] :[/b] "Merle, I know you don't like that side of wrestling but it does help bring in more people to watch shows. Not everyone has to be good at the entertainment side of things but if no-one is, then no-one will come to watch. Thats how it is these days. Even Jeremy Stone talks sometimes." [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] "But he doesn't have to." [b][u]Damage[/u] :[/b] "Indeed, but he does. And it adds to the matches. I might not be able to convince you about this but I know that some people appreciate that being great in the ring can be complimented by being great out of it too." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "I *puff* know what you mean. Just like great speeches can *huff* motivate people to go to war, great promos can get people *puff* fired up for the war in the ring." [b][u]Damage[/u] :[/b] "Exactly. Like over in Japan, they value good wrestling but they still like guys to be able to talk a good match too. Unlike in the US, where they seem to prefer good talking regardless of wrestling skill..... Anyways, Black. You ready for another session in the ring? Nothing fancy or anything, this ceiling isn't getting any higher." [i](Black hits the stop button on the treadmill and almost slumps onto the screen, removing the headphones as he goes. Merle is quick to move in in case he needs to catch Black but he's okay and moves painfully off the treadmill.)[/i] [b][u]Damage[/u] :[/b] "You okay?" [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "I'm just *huff* a bit *puff* tired out. I don't know how you guys can keep up with *huff* a training regime like this. I mean *puff* I'm young and healthy and pretty *huff* damn fit compared to most people. But you're retired and in much better condition than *puff* me. And Merle is like a machine. I'm not even sure I've *huff* seen you guys sweat this entire week!" [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] "It takes a lot of effort to get into condition like this and once you're there..." [b][u]Damage[/u] :[/b] "Once you're there you have some trouble letting go. I used to have my own ring here you know. I sold it after I retired but I kept all the gym gear." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "I still can't believe the missus *huff* lets you keep all this in the garage. Most people put cars in garages, not a *puff* wrestling ring and half a gym." [b][u]Damage[/u] :[/b] "Well, that's one of the good things about only being a part-time wrestler in my career. Instead of having one badly paid job, I had one badly paid job and a well paid job. So I get to have a lot of things that I couldn't have had if I'd worked full time." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "I suppose." [b][u]Damage[/u] :[/b] "But... if I could do it again I might not make the same choice. I always wanted to go to Japan to wrestle but never did, even though I had offers from GCG more than once. Real work always kept me here and as the years rolled on, the opportunities left me until I... well, I'm happy. I've got a loving wife and I'm still part of the business which has been good to me. I can't complain." [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] "Donny, you're doing it again." [b][u]Damage[/u] :[/b] "What?" [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] "Reminiscing about old times, wishing you could've done things differently. Time to go over recent wrestling events again." [b][u]Damage[/u] :[/b] "Sorry... just sorry. If either of you ever get the chance to go to Japan, do it. Black, I don't care if you have to miss two months of working at whatever temp job you have just now, I'll work it for you while you're out there. Just take the chance. You too Merle." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] [i](laughing)[/i] "Don't worry old man, I wouldn't miss out on a chance like that. Specially if I get to see you trying to work in an office. I just can't picture you with in front of a computer all day." [i](Donny and Christian have a good old laugh to each other, with Donny giving him a slightly harder than intended slap on the back that knocks the little breath Black had lef back out of him. Merle... well, he's Merle.)[/i] [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] "Recent events. I've drawn up a list of things I thought to be important." [b][u]Damage[/u] :[/b] "Yes, of course. It'll give Black here some time to recover from his time on the treadmill." [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] "I think we all know about Floyd Goldworthy's recent run-in with the police over a traffic ticket. Moving on from that, a lot of companies decided to start the new year with a change in the creative departments. While most of these were irrelevant, the appointment of [b]Arson Wells[/b] as head booker at MOSC was a bit of a suprise." [b][u]Damage[/u] :[/b] "Yeah. Given that he was crap when he was in charge of 21CW for a while. I don't know what Greg is thinking." [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] "Indeed. Other new appointments included Marcos Flores at MPWF, Shawn Gonzalez at CZCW, Shane Sneer at RIPW and lastly Burning EXILE at the pitiful WEXXV. Quite what a wrestler like him is doing at that glorified stuntshow, I will never know." [b][u]Damage[/u] :[/b] "Merle, you know how I feel about hardcore wrestling." [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] "I know. But WEXXV isn't hardcore, it's garbage. It's like watching those stupid kids that do backyard wrestling and think they're cool because they can hit each other with random items... except worse, because many of these men should know better. At least MOSC has, at times, been more than just blood and beer." [b][u]Damage[/u] :[/b] "I'm assuming that some of those times were when I was there, of course." [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] "Indeed. It also seems that there are a lot of people looking to move into the business side of wrestling too. Over the last few weeks there has been talk of promotions opening up around the world but only three of those have come to any kind of fruition." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Any in the UK?" [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] "No. The European League of Professional Fighters [i](ELPF)[/i] was opened up by the partnership of Razor Valentine and Jamie Anderson over in Germany. Seems there is a strong market over there for the kind of wrestling ROF has so I wish them good luck." [b][u]Damage[/u] :[/b] "That almost seemed like a positive sentiment Merle. I'm proud of you!" [i](Damage and Black laugh out loud once again as Merle merely stands quietly with his piece of paper in hand, looking so serious and stony faced that if it weren't for the movement of his eyes you would almost think he had been turned to stone.)[/i] [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] "Lucha libre was also dealt a blow when Larry Wood opened up Mexican Hardcore Wrestling. I hear he's got a local manager called Cuervo to help him hire the "right" people for him but I don't think I'm the only one who believe this is nothing more than an attempt for him to promote garbage wrestling in another country. If some young wrestler gets hurt because of that, I hope he's held responsible." [b][u]Damage[/u] :[/b] "And back to the old Merle again. Different strokes for different folks. You don't have to like it as long as it works." [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] [i](ignoring Damage)[/i] "And lastly, a new women's promotion opened up in Canada called Canadian Women's Wrestling Federation." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Original name, never woulda thought of that myself. Does exactly what it says on the tin, right?" [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] " If you mean women wrestle there, then yes." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Cool, maybe Peaches [McCream] will be able to get me some tapes of their shows. She's been handing out lots of DVDs of 5SSW whenever she gets the chance. I'd never seen Sensational Ogiwara wrestle til lately but had heard the hype. She's good but the Ichihara/Hike match was better than Ogiwara/Butler." [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] "Nana Ogiwara is the best female wrestler on the planet, that was just a bad match by her standards but it was better than most people could ever hope to achieve." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Sounds to me like someone has a bit of a crush." [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] "......." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Ah ha! Wow, I never woulda thought she'd be your type. She's so old!" [b][u]Damage[/u] :[/b] "She's younger than me." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "She's so old! But then Merle, I forget you aren't that young either. If you ever do get to Japan, maybe you could ask her on a date to talk about wrestling and... whatever else you like. Simpsons!" [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] "No." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "South Park?" [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] "No." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Lost?" [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] "No." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Hollyoaks?" [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] "......" [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "The Bear Cam Show?" [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] "......" [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Celebrity Shark Attack?" [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] "......" [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Dark Angel?" [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] "Ah, actually...." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "What? You like that TV show?" [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] "TV show?" [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Ah....." [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] "News from last night's GCG show. Cliff Wilson aka Dark Angel was injured during a tag match, teaming with Pistol Pete [Hall] against Toshiharu Hyobanshi and Namboku Makuda. He couldn't finish the match properly and...." [b][u]Damage[/u] :[/b] "Crap, what happened to Cliff?" [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] "I'm getting to that. Seems a spot went wrong and he landed hard on his left elbow. I don't know how bad it is but a report I read seemed to suggest his elbow looked pretty bad. I saw a picture of it and it reminded me of the time in PDW that a student shattered his elbow. He never came back and wouldn't have been cleared to wrestle for a year even if he'd wanted to." [b][u]Damage[/u] :[/b] "Aw, crap... I hate to see an old friend go down like that. I'll have to pass my regards on to Harry [Wilson, his brother] sometime soon. I just hope the little bastard doesn't try to use it as an excuse to try and land a job with ROF again." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Harry Wilson? Don't you like him?" [b][u]Damage[/u] :[/b] "Can't stand him, he's a total... can't really think of the right word. He's always causing trouble, trying to influence people. Thinks he can treat people like crap just because his older brother is a legend in the business." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Ouch, I think that's the worst I've ever heard you talk about someone. Except Merle or course, but he doesn't count." [i](Black sticks his tongue out at Merle, a mannerism he's picked up from Cooper a lot of the last few motnhs spending time with him. Merle doesn't seem to see the funny side of things though and gives an emotion-free look.)[/i] [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "You must be vulcan. Anyway, not to disrespect Cliff but you didn't say who was running the women's promotion. Anyone exciting? Like Catherine Quine? Joanne Rodriguez? Missy Masterson? [i](drools)[/i]" [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] "Fumihiro Ota and Leo Davis." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Wha? Must be perverts or something." [b][u]Damage[/u] :[/b] "Annoyed you aren't there?" [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Meh, probably. Anything else interesting been going on? And by interesting, I mean by human standards, not vulcan." [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] "Nothing of note. There's an indy show coming up in Glasgow but thats about it." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Good. If I don't get home soon I'm not sure I'm going to be able to drive at all." [b][u]Damage[/u] :[/b] "It's been good having you here this week, I hope you learned a few things." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Just that you two seriously know how to torture people." [b][u]Damage[/u] :[/b] "Well, you're always welcome back whenever you want to train with us. Just let me know in advance otherwise the missus might get upset." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Thanks guys. I'll see you both at the next All Is Fair if I don't before then. Merle, I genuinely think our match might be able to steal the show. After all the pain you've put me through, I really hope it does." [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] "Me too." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "I'll get changed when I get home. Will be easier. Later guys. Have fun." [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] "Time for more training." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Wow....." [i](Rather than ramble forever about Black leaving, we've ran out of useful dialogue and so Black gets into his car and drives away home where he feels stiff for days. But he may just have learned something, not just about what to do in the ring but also something else more valuable. As long as he remembers it by time he speaks to British Samurai again, it could be something very important.)[/i] [center][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/ROF.jpg[/IMG] [i]Journeyman[/i][/center] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted May 7, 2007 Author Share Posted May 7, 2007 [size=4][center][b][u]An OOC Post[/u][/b][/center][/size] I figure I had best not ignore you all any more, now that I've got the initial development postings out of the way. So time to address a few things in case you were wondering. First of all, welcome aboard! Emergency exits are located in the top right corner, simply click the X if things get too traumatic for you. :) Secondly, the title of this diary is deliberate. I don't plan to stick with ROF forever by any stretch of the imagination. While I'll probably be with them for a while, I'm hoping to build up my user character while in ROF and eventually travel the world with him. The whole dynasty (which sounds better than diary) is basically centered around the user character and the goings on in his life. I've got some plans that I hope will work but obviously I don't control the gameworld so anything could happen. Although I have to admit, I'm currently enjoying ROF rather a lot as it's got a lot of potential... asides from being able to lose money and appeal to a fanbase that both hates pure wrestling and high flying, I can see them really going somewhere. Just need to work out how to grow quickly without losing too much money. Thankfully, I've got a storyline for that too. Yeah, storylines in a pure promotion! *gasp* :p For those wondering, I started my booking reputation at "low" just in case something went horribly wrong in the game and I ended up being fired. Wouldn't want the game to end just because of that. Also, if anyone would like a roster post then let me know and I'll do one. Even I barely know ROF roster compared to most promotions so I understand the need for one. Just remember that whatever the actual positions are will pretty much be ignored by me when it comes to pushes. Like I care what the game suggests I do! :p Thanks for reading so far, I hope you keep reading because knowing you have readers makes writing even more fun. And of course, you can give me ideas I can steal. Derek B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted May 12, 2007 Author Share Posted May 12, 2007 [b]From [u]ProwrestlingHits.com[/u][/b] [i]Report on Ring of Fire from RingOfFireLoudMouthedArse'Ole aka [b]ROFLMAO[/b][/i] [QUOTE] [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/ROF.jpg[/IMG] [size=5][b][u]All Is Fair...[/u][/b][/size][/center] I got to the show early, not an uncommon occurrence, and counted the fans as they piled in. The official figure for the number of people in attendance..,. just 58, I think that includes me although I don't know if I included me in that. Shame really, it hurts to see that the formerly sold out Norman Blue Athletic Center with so much space. Still, if my math is right, we've at least got 1 more fan in. Perhaps someone brought in a date before Valentine's Day. You know, for practise of something. Shame it wasn't me... anyways, on with the show! [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/GlenWard.jpg[/IMG] [b][u] VS [IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/JonniDyslexic.jpg[/IMG][/u][/b] [b][u]Glen Ward vs Jonni Dyslexic[/b][/u][/CENTER] Since it appears that no-one follows ROF these days, I guess I'd best fill in the backstory. Glen Ward is "The Angry Man" who has a strong judo background. For his debut match in ROF, he teamed with Dyslexic for a tag title match but Ward lived up to his nickname and snapped after an unfortunate accident in the ring and Ward choked Dyslexic out and left him high and dry in the ring. Not sure how much we're supposed to care since it wasn't a hugely hyped match or anything but that's the story. The match itself was again nothing special. Ward is clearly being groomed for something bigger than Dyslexic as Blackham was big time pushing his judo background as he repeatedly tossed Dyslexic to the mat and tried for submission moves. Dyslexic rallied and hit some moves to showcase his agility but Ward caught him and slammed him hard at one point. It was clear after that that the match was on it's way to the finish and Ward used an over-the-shoulder throw to set up once again for the Katahajime submission, a move that is illegal in judo but perfectly legal in wrestling. Dyslexic tapped in fairly short order. Decent extended squash for an opening match but nothing special. [b]WINNER:[/b] Glen Ward by submission in 9:52 [b](E)[/b] [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/Christian%20Black/ChristianBlack2.jpg[/IMG][b][u] VS [/u][/b][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/MerleOCurle.jpg[/IMG] [b][u]Christian Black vs Merle O'Curle[/b][/u][/CENTER] After a quiet opening match, this one really took things up a few notches and got the crowd going. With little hype going into it, these two wrestled a very solid technical match that left me wishing I had a thought of some kind of witty sign to wave around during it. Merle really is a wrestling machine, showing about as much emotion for his opponent as I do for my mother's feeble attempts at lasagne. The early goings had the typical feeling out phase and a very patient approach from Merle while Black tried to speed things up and hit something earlier. You know, I remember when teachers in school would say "I can do this all day, its your time you're wasting".. I get the feeling Merle was doing that too. Things picked up as Black got close enough on attack for Merle to counter with a submission of his own and this led to a few frantic minutes of action where both men were drawing countermoves out every few seconds. Exciting stuff. The momentum kept switching back and forth though because even though Merle is very good at what he does, he is somewhat predictable and that was used against him. It must've been difficult for Merle to scout the newcomer as he rallied repeatedly and started chaining some suplexes together that rocked him. But Merle kept his cool (as if he looks like he'd ever lose it) and worked back into the match by going for the knees and taking him down. All the suplexes must've slowed Black down for a while because it wasn't long before he found himself vulnerable to the Celtic Wreath, the painful Indian Deathlock/clutch move of Merle's and he continues his winning streak after Black simply couldn't find a way out of it. Another strong showing from Merle, I'm not sure this write-up does justice to how good both men looked in this one. [b]WINNER:[/b] Merle O'Curle by submission in 15:46 [b](D-)[/b] [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/KellyMartin.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/LanceMartin.jpg[/IMG][b][u] VS [IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/EricFuture.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/KLeeHawkins.jpg[/IMG][/u][/b] [b][u]The Martin Twins (c) vs Eric Future & K'Lee Hawkins [/b][/u] [i]For the ROF Tag Team Titles[/i][/CENTER] So far the tag title run of the Martin Twins has been a little disappointing, but what can you expect when they are being put up against makeshift teams like this one? Even so, this was the only tag team match of the night but was preceded by an announcement from Justin Blackham that the former champions [b]Billy Robinson & Don Henderson[/b] were going to exercise their rematch clause next month against whoever the tag champs were. More on this after the match. There was little tag fluidity in this match, at least on the part of Eric and K'Lee who looked like they were teaming for the first time. Whether it was deliberate or not, their timing was a bit off and they weren't good at cutting off their opposition who as usual worked well together and pulled the old switcheroo at least twice. Smooth teamwork from the champs at least made this a watchable match although I still wonder if they would be the champs if it weren't for 21CW. I suppose some guys catch breaks in peculiar ways. Anyway, enough about this match as it wasn't that special. Typical heel antics from the champs as Eric played the face in peril. Hot tag near the end led to some cleaning house before a smooth distraction from Lance (I think) allowed Kelly to steal a roll-up victory. This match was either a sub-par match or a genius bit of booking, as once again a one-off pairing of arguably better talents lost a match to some good teamwork. If this is a subtle lesson in how you need tag experience to be a good team, then it's too subtle even for ROF fans. As for the announcement of the next challengesrs I've got mixed feelings on this. On the plus side, it's an established team which could well play into the "superb booking" theory. On the minus side, they are clearly a far superior team destined for better things. Could be that management (ie: British Samurai) wants better champs or could be a match designed to make the Martins look strong. Either way, should be interesting. [b]WINNER:[/b] The Martin Twins by pinfall in 9:34 [b](E)[/b] [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/PhillipCooper.jpg[/IMG][b][u] VS [/u][/b][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/BillyRobinson.jpg[/IMG] [b][u]Phillip Cooper vs Billy Robinson[/b][/u][/CENTER] Cooper is quickly becoming one of ROF's most popular workers although sadly, this isn't thanks to an epic and glorious history with ROF. Its more due to th recognition factor he's gaining working for 21CW on weekly television, even beating former ROF greats like Rolling Johnny Stones and... well, thats the only ROF guy he's beaten so far. I like his hats, they rule! One month ago Robinson was against ROF's undoubted #1 when he had a shot at winning the ROF Triple Crown if he could've beaten UK Dragon for the ROF championship. He didn't make it and now he has a tough match against a rising star in ROF to make things even more difficult for him. I enjoyed this match immensely as I waved my "Hats Are Hot" sign around. It wasn't as technically sound as the O'Curle/Black match but thanks to Cooper's flambuoyancy and general popularity at the moment, the crowd were into this one more and it helped lift the match. Both men enjoyed some good offense but in a cliched display of how to work your high flying finisher into a match, Cooper once again reversed a top rope suplex attempt to allow himself to hit the Cooper Fly Splash and pick up the three count. These two had a little something extra together that really made me enjoy this match more than I normally would. I'm not sure if it's the way Robinson has been booked lately or just that Cooper has that little extra popularity compared to most but there was something that made this otherwise ordinary combination that bit better than I would've expected. Very entertaining. I want a hat. [b]WINNER:[/b] Phillip Cooper by pinfall in 11:35 [b](D-)[/b] [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/KeithAdams.jpg[/IMG][b][u] VS [/u][/b][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/BritishSamurai.jpg[/IMG] [b][u]Keith Adams vs British Samurai[/b][/u][/CENTER] The penultimate match of the night was another exciting contest and it was clear that Keith Adams was after a rematch with [b]Don Henderson[/b] following what went down last month with Henderson bailing from the match up. Keith slapped hands with most of the fans around the ring before British Samurai came out to the ring with his gameface on, as serious as ever but still giving a brief demonstration of his nunchuks to wow the crowd. Samurai, eh? :) This was a good battle between two very solid wrestlers. The initial feeling out stage saw a stiff overhand chop battle that saw Keith get fired up quickly and then take over control for some early offense. Samurai worked his way back in with some powerful kicks to the midsection and to the legs to ground his opponent. There was a long spell of back and forth offense that saw both men get a "this is awesome" chant, although I'm not quite sure it was entirely deserved. The finishing sequence saw Keith on the offense with a rally of hard strikes in the corner rocking his opponent. He turned to the crowd for a moment to show off before Samurai attacked with devastating effectiveness, rushing him from behind with a kick down on the back of Keith's knee and following up with a lightning fast roundhouse kick to the back of the head that genuinely echoed in the hall. At least, it would've if the crowd weren't cheering all over it. Game over for Keith, Samurai's clinical finishing ability strikes again at a time when some of us were starting to forget how effective he can be. [b]WINNER:[/b] British Samurai by pinfall in 12:40 [b](D-)[/b] [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/UKDragon.jpg[/IMG][b][u] VS [/u][/b][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/JohnnyHighspot.jpg[/IMG] [b][u]UK Dragon (c) vs Johnny Highspot[/b][/u] [i]for the ROF Championship[/i][/CENTER] Justin Blackham was once again on hype duty for tonight's [b]main event[/b] and he ran through the achievements of each man. He started with tonight's challenger, [b]Johnny Highspot[/b]. He put over Highspot's show stealing 8 year career, his time with 21CW where he became one of the best known workers in the country and how he is regarded by many fans as one of the best UK workers to have never yet held championship gold. He put over that tonight could very well be the end of Highspot's quest for glory but then put over his opponent. [b]UK Dragon[/b] was hyped to the max, starting with the reminder of how he has got an incredbile 15 year career so far. He was put over as the reigning Ring of Fire Champion beating Stevie Stoat for the belt in 2006, as well as the reigning WLW Tap Out Champion. He is also a former UCR World Combat champion and he was announced as recently signing on with the legendary BHOTWG promotion for a tour starting in March that would be sure to elevate his career to new heights. In short... Blackham made this match sound big and important, which to ROF and all it's fans, it really is. The ROF belt has a lot of prestige behind it and all of Dragon's touring in Japan and Europe is doing nothing to hurt that image. [b](E-)[/b] You know, I almost think the introductions merited the streamers the Japanese guys get. That would be cool. Anyways, from the word go this was an exciting match as Highspot used the style of wrestling that brought him to the dance and launched into a high paced, high impact offense. Dragon tried to escape to the floor but Highspot followed him out and used the safety barriers as a weapon as he frequently does, whipping and then russian legsweeping Dragon into the barriers. Highspot broke the Japanese style 20 count that ROF uses by rolling in and out of the ring again before following up by charging Dragon's back into the ring apron and rolling him into the ring. Highspot followed up with a springboard splash for a 2 count and then a series of beautiful dropkicks that had Dragon reeling long enough for a brainbuster suplex and another 2 count. Highspot set up for the running shining wizard knee strike but Dragon saw it coming and countered amazingly by catching it and rolling back with the momentum into a half crab. Highspot was in trouble and this only multiplied as Dragon pulled him back in and turned it into an STF. Highspot spent a lot of time in the hold before escaping but the momentum had definitely turned and Dragon spent several minutes with some very controlled offense, working on Highspot's neck with neck vices, elbow drops and some plain ol' stomps. Eventually it was time for Highspot to get some counter-offense back in as he finally escaped a camel clutch when Dragon had leapt up and Highspot rolled over. The crowd popped big time as Highspot mounted a comeback with and hit a huge bulldog after a powerful splash into the corner. Dragon was clearly reeling as he tried to counter by reversing a whip and hitting a dropkick but Highspot grabbed the ropes and hit what looked to be a low leg drop from my point of view. Dragon found himself in trouble as Highspot once again went for the shining wizard but found himself on the wrong end of a massive rising European uppercut that knocked him silly. Dragon looked to capitalise by locking in the Dragon sleeper but Highspot countered it by using the ropes as a springboard over the top and into one of his own. Dragon was in trouble as he seemed to be fading fast and the crowd were popping for Highspot (all 58 of us) but Dragon showed why he is champ by reversing out of it himself by twisting out and locking it back in again. Highspot tried his hardest to escape and once again looked to the ropes for help but this time Dragon was ready for him and twisted in mid-air to hit Highspot with the Dragon Drop, using Highspot's own momentum against him to hit it home harder than ever. And that was all she wrote in this one. I've never been a huge fan of Johnny Highspot in all honesty, but tonight he showed that he can be a tremendous wrestler when he wants to be and he gave Dragon a real challenge. The two men put on one hell of a show and as far as my opinion counts for anything, this is by far the best match in the UK so far this year and even comes close to being one of ROF's finest matches. Awesome stuff, I just wish I could get it on DVD. Although I suspect I'll be able to find it on the internet soon enough, I just don't think it'll do either man justice compared to seeing it live. [b]WINNER:[/b] UK Dragon by pinfall in 15:32 [b](C)[/b] The traditional post-match celebrations were on show from Dragon, celebrating in each corner before slapping hands with a few fans at ringside. Once again, no handshake from Dragon to his defeated foe which is something that really grinds my gears but perhaps there's a reason for that too. Next month from the Norman Blue Athletic Center it seems we'll have the Martin Twins vs Robinson & Henderson. Seems Henderson is ducking Keith Adams to me. I think (if things are making sense) that we might get to see Petey Barnes take on UK Dragon for the title. After that I'm not sure what to expect. Probably Walter Morgan in action, perhaps more of Phillip Cooper and Christian Black in tag action. Whatever happens, I just hope there are more fans at the show because I'm pretty sure these guys have to get paid and crowds like this can't be good for ROF funds. This was a good solid show headlined by a great main event and this was at least as good, IF not better, than anything 21CW has done so far this year. So come to the show, you won't regret it! [b][u]Show Rating[/u]: (D+)[/b] in front of 58 fans at the Norman Blue Athletic Center in the Midlands [size=1][b][u]ROF All Is Fair Quick Results[/b][/u] Glen Ward defeated Jonni Dyslexic [b](E)[/b] Merle O'Curle defeated Christian Black [b](D-)[/b] The Martin Twins defeated Eric Future & K'Lee Hawkins to retain the ROF Tag Team Titles (defense #2) [b](E)[/b] Phillip Cooper defeated Billy Robinson [b](D-)[/b] British Samurai defeated Keith Adams [b](D-)[/b] UK Dragon defeated Johnny Highspot to retain the ROF Championship (defense #2) [b](C)[/b][/size] [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/ROF.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [/QUOTE] [QUOTE] [b]From [u]GreydogSoftware.com/forums[/u][/b] [i]Ring of Fire All Is Fair... Predictions Contest Results[/i] Apupunchau - 5 out of 6 correct Midnightnick - 5 out of 6 correct Tigerkinney - 4 out of 6 correct Sorry guys, no clear cut winner here and I couldn't possibly give out more than one prize. So with no clear cut winner, the prize of one free lottery ticket rolls over until next time where anyone has the chance to win. ROF can't afford prizes, deal with it! :p [i]Derek B[/i][/QUOTE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted May 18, 2007 Author Share Posted May 18, 2007 [CENTER][size=5][u]... Sweat and More Sweat...[/u][/size] [IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/Christian%20Black/ChristianBlack1.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/BritishSamurai.jpg[/IMG] [i]Post show discussions, British Samurai's place[/i][/center] [i]([b]British Samurai[/b]'s week with his kid turned out to last closer to ten days, not that he minded at all. Those ten days turned out to be hard work for [b]Christian Black[/b] though as he trained hard with the better conditioned Merle O'Curle and Donny Damage. Samurai and Black have finished catching up, which largely consisted of Sam talking about his kid rather than the traditional post show review session that took place. Thankfully the topic of conversation is about to change because there really is only so much one person can take.)[/i] [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "I just wish I had more warning when she was going to leave her with me. Not that I don't want to look after the kid, I just might've been busy that's all." [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "I'm with you on that one. It's always nice to have some kind of warning about stuff rather than having it thrust upon you." [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "I'm glad you understand. I didn't mean to ignore you the last to couple of weeks, I just haven't had the chance to do anything else. Not that I'm complaining." [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "Don't worry about it. Anyway, how'd you feel the show went? And more importantly, have you decided the next card yet?" [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "Still working out the final details of the card just now, but I thought that All Is Fair went down well. [b]Dragon[/b] and [b]Highspot[/b] really put on a great match, best match I've seen in the UK all year so far." [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "Agreed. They worked so well together that it's hard to believe that was their first match together. Specially since they can't have planned much of it beforehand due to Dragon's Japanese commitments." [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "Oh! That reminds me, I meant to tell you. Dragon was saying that he's been approached by [b]Burning Hammer[/b] [BHOTWG] to go on tour with them." [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "Holy crap! I hope he's accepted it." [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "He asked my opinion first, wanted to make sure that he wouldn't miss any dates here if he accepted. Obviously I told him to take the tour, it's a [i]huge[/i] opportunity for him." [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "It's good to see him breaking Japan, representing the UK while he's over there." [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "He's a fine talent, got a lot of desire and respect for the business. I think he'll do just fine with Burning Hammer. Might even get to face some of the real legends they have. I have to admit I'm a little jealous." [i](It's not yet public knowledge that UK Dragon has signed a touring deal for BHOTWG but it won't be long until it's out to the public. He'll be the first British wrestler since Cliff "Dark Angel" Wilson to work for the company in over five years. Big news and a good sign for British wrestling.)[/i] [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "I wonder what Donny would have said to him if he'd asked him first." [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "Same thing he says to everyone. [i](doing an impression of Damage's gruff voice)[/i] Kid, if you get the chance to travel and wrestle, take it! Don't miss out like I did, seize the opportunity and go for it. You don't want to have any regrets." [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "So I'm not the only one who thinks Damage regrets never going to Japan." [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "He doesn't really keep it a secret, especially not from those he spends time around. From what I've heard, he's been encouraging Merle to go to Japan. Even shows him tapes from Japan to make sure he knows how to work the style properly. Which reminds me, how as training with Donny? He give you a hard time." [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "I puked... twice. You know, I thought I was in pretty good condition being able to keep up with you but those two are something else." [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "It's been a while since I've trained with Donny, I sometimes forget how hard he likes to push people. Still, he probably was easier on you than most since he's retired now." [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "Actually, I was wanting to talk to you about that." [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "Hmm?" [i](Black doesn't quite know how to say what he wants to say, but he feels it's important. Not necessarily just important to him but perhaps to Ring of Fire.)[/i] [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "I'm not sure Donny is as retired as he makes himself out to be." [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "What? You saying he's doing something else? Wrestling on the side or...." [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "No no, nothing like that. Its just that... training, if you can call it that. It wasn't just cardio or anything. It's hard to say." [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "The tension is killing me." [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "It wasn't just regular training. Sure, there was cardio and everything and he covered for that by saying he loves to stay in shape. And he had the ring too where he kept doing training drills with me and Merle, working on some basics and a few moves we were trying out for out match." [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "I'm guessing there's a but somewhere?" [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "He was having matches with Merle, full matches. Not just running through spots or anything, not working on anything in particular like we usually do when we're training, I mean full fifteen or twenty minute matches. I was in the same room, listening to them and I couldn't even hear them calling moves or anything. It was almost like he....." [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "... was missing being in the ring?" [i](Black scratches his head as he looks at his mentor, the man who helped train him in his early months and really took him under his wing when it was clear that he had never needed to.)[/i] [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "Christian, when you've been a part of the business for a long time, you get attached to it. You become a part of it and it becomes a part of you and it isn't always easy to let to. It's one of the reasons I gave Donny a job working backstage for us because I knew that when he retired, he wouldn't be able to let go. It happens to a lot of people. I mean, you've seen guys like Rip Chord and Sam Strong make countless comebacks when we thought they'd retired. Was it for money? Perhaps... but really, I think it was because they love the business too much. They've made their money, they've even got their own promotions now and yet I still think they'd happily step back into the ring for the right matches regardless of the payoff. Sometimes, no matter how much you might want to, your vice will get the better of you." [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "I understand... but I think this is different. I've seen his matches from before he retired and he hasn't lost a step. If anything, he's got sharper. And I don't think it's a case of Donny showing tapes to Merle, I think its the other way around. Merle is a machine, he doesn't think of anything except wrestling. He truly lives and breathes it. And you know, I think he's had an effect on Donny too." [i](A long pause ensues as the two men size each other's opinions up. A lot has been said, even more has been left unsaid and both men believe they are right. Who will give ground?)[/i] [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "I admire your strength of opinion but I have to say you're [i]probably[/i] wrong this time. There are a lot of things you may be right about, but I've seen it happen before and I've had a lot more experience than you. Plus, if Donny really wanted a match he would only have to ask me and I would happily give him one on the next show." [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "But..." [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "No buts this time Christian. I'd rather you drop the subject. If Donny wanted something he'd ask for it. He hasn't asked therefor he doesn't want it. I've known him longer than you, you have to trust me on this one as much as I trust you on many other things." [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "... okay." [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "Good, that's what I wanted to hear. Now that we're past that, here's the card for Ring of Fire's next show, coming to a probably tiny crowd in the Norman Blue Civic Center, [b]March Into Battle![/b] [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "Um..... boss?" [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "Yes?" [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "You do realise that DAVE have a show called that this month too, right?" [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "Really? Damn... I knew it sounded too good to not be a show already. Oh well, too late. I've printed up the fliers and put them in the usual locations. Hopefully no-one from DAVE will notice." [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "If the fans around here barely notice, I'm sure DAVE bosses will manage not to notice too." [i](Both men enjoy a small laugh before the harsh reality kicks in. Crowds have been down significantly despite the quality of the shows. Money has become a thing of issue and cards have been becoming smaller to compensate for the smaller crowds. Smaller card then draw less people which draws less money which makes smaller cards... it's a vicious cycle.)[/i] [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "Quite. The card for the show. You already know that I've given the the tag title shot to [b]The Shooters[/b] [Billy Robinson and Don Henderson] so they'll be facing the [b]Martin Twins[/b]. Should be a good tag match. Also, yourself and Cooper will have a return match against the DuPont kids. You guys worked well together last time so I'm hoping you do well again. Might even lead to a title match if I think any of you guys are ready for it." [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "Another tag match, excellent. As silly as he can be, I like working with Cooper." [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "He does have some excellent hats. You know, I think they could be a big merchandise seller one day. A lot of people like hats. Anyways, the main event will see [b]UK Dragon[/b] taking on young [b]Petey Barnes[/b]. He earned his shot back in January when he beat Walter [Morgan] so he'll be getting his first singles title shot. Should be an exciting match." [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "That might even out-do Dragon/Highspot. I think Barnes is a far better worker than Highspot." [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "That may be true, but Highspot has name value and that counts for a lot in wrestling. Recognition is more than half the battle. Without it, you're a nobody and there isn't a person around who'll pay to see nobodies, no matter how talented they are. Sad, but true. But I agree, should be a cracking match. I've also pencilled in myself against [b]Glen ward[/b], I think that'll make an exciting match since we have similar styles." [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "Sounds interesting." [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "The other big name match on the card is [b]Keith Adams[/b] taking on [b]Walter Morgan[/b], that should be one of the top matches of the night outside of the main event. I'm looking forward to that one myself. And the final match will be a styles clash kind of match as [b]Jonni Dyslexic[/b] takes on our friend Merle. Does he ever send you his information sheet thing?" [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "Information sheet?" [i](Samurai moves from his seat and over to a small table on which lies the phone, a garishly primary coloured kids toy phone and several sheets of paper that look professionally typed and are covered with bulletpoints.)[/i] [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "He calls it the "Wrestling News Ticker". Seems to me to be pretty much everything that has gone on within the wrestling industry over the last month or so. He's given me a couple of them before but I never really read too much of them. Lots of contract information that I'm sure he can't possibly know about, results from around the world, speculation from radio interviews, injury reports and all kinds. I was sad to hear about Cliff Wilson's injury, he was really representing the UK across the world." [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "Merle told me about that injury too. Donny seemed fairly broken up about it." [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "Yeah, I hear they were close during their MOSC days even if they aren't now. Anyway, I skim read this thing to see if there was anything important. He noted that there was an indy show up in Scotland, low turnout and fairly hardcore too." [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "I was asked to work that show actually. Said no because I couldn't travel that far, not even if I wanted to." [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "Well, seems it was a good idea. Apparantly there were as many workers as fans so the pay must've been pretty bad. If there was any. There was a lot of television related news too. Seems USPW lost their deal for low ratings in early February and also that GCG's TV deal expired shortly after Cliff's injury. And DAVE let their deal expire too so they're off the air in the states. Which kinda sucks since [b]Giedroyc[/b] is working for them." [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "And of course it sucks for DAVE since they're really struggling to stake a claim for 3rd biggest promotion in the US too. Although with USPW losing their deal, it probably isn't as bad as it could've been." [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "Lots of new TV deals, don't interupt me because this will take a while. SWF SMASH is now on for 2 hours on Monday nights on America Sports-1. MPWF Acontecimiento Principal is on Los Deportes Hoy for 1 hour every Thursday." [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "You speak Spanish?" [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "If it sounded like I said it right, assume I did. I've got no idea what it means. OLLIE Lucha Total, I know that one, is on Sundays on Los Deportes Hoy for an hour meaning that all three Mexican companies have a deal on the same network on consectutive days no less." [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "Thats... just... bonkers..." [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "What happened to no interuptions? NOTBPW Decimiation debuted on Canadian-I Broadcasting with 2 hours on Friday. And lastly, WLW Wrecking Ball shows tour highlights in Japan every Monday for one hour. Merle notes that it should be interesting to see what they show given that they aren't touring in March when the show starts and presumably weren't taping their last tour either. Although perhaps they taped some of their shows since they announced the deal. Who knows?" [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "Merle probably does. Out of curiosity, do you ever talk to him?" [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "Sometimes. He's got a good wrestling mind in him." [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "DO you ever talk to him about anything except wrestling?" [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "Sometimes. I've talked to him about a number of things. Although, come to think of it he doesn't seem to talk back whenever I do that. You want a cup of tea? I'm making one anyway." [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "No thanks, Sam. I'm good." [i](Black smiles and shakes his head gently, a minor thought seemingly proved right once again. He reaches out for the papers that Samurai has put down on the floor. He leafs through the pages almost absent mindedly, noting that there are indeed lots of details that Merle couldn't possibly know much about and that he may in fact have in front of him the ultimate dirtsheet of the goings on within wrestling. Thankfully the show results are in shorthand form and not any kind if match report otherwise it would be a novel. Suddenly, a news article grabs him.)[/i] [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "****!" [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "Papercut?" [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "[b]Jeremy Stone[/b] is out with a long term injury. Massive tear to his rotator cuff seemingly. Happened last week it says here. No wonder Merle was sad, he practically worships the guy." [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "That's bad news for wrestling. And NOTBPW. First they lose Cliff and now Jeremy. Rotator cuff injury. How serious?" [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "Merle talks about it a bunch but says maybe a year out of actively competing. Says Stone knew it was bad the moment it happened when he went to lift his arm and couldn't. Wasn't Duane's [Stone] fault though, just a routine suplex from Jeremy somehow gone wrong. Ref called time on the match and announced a time limit draw." [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "Smart thinking. I guess Duane was never meant to win that match." [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "Seems that way. [i](glances at watch)[/i] Damn it. Sam, I've gotta go. Work calls." [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "Anything exciting today?" [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "Company is moving their customer records onto computer... so, no. It's the most boring tedious job I could think of doing, my own personal hell brought to life. Still, at least I can take my aggression out in the ring again soon." [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "I forgot to mention. Cooper won't be allowed to tag you in. At all. Ever. Under any circumstances." [b][u]Black[/u][/b] : "Bastard. Anyways, gotta catch you later. I hear it's still possible to be late for the night shift." [b][u]Samurai[/u][/b] : "Catch you later. And watch out for paper cuts. They're a real pain." [i](And with that, Christian Black is swiftly out the door and off to his latest temping job and the nightly grind of doing the painful but necesary tasks that no-one else wants to do. But at least the money is good, that is what's important. Samurai eventually walks back into the room with his cup of tea and picks up Merle's notes. He reaches for the phone, picking up the correct one on the second attempt and our scene ends.)[/i] [size=1][b][u]Quick Predictions for ROF March Into Battle[/u][/b] [b]ROF Championship:[/b] UK Dragon vs Petey Barnes [b]ROF Tag Team Championships:[/b]The Martin Twins vs Don Henderson & Billy Robinson [The Shooters] Keith Adams vs Walter Morgan Glen Ward vs British Samurai Merle O'Curle vs Jonni Dyslexic The DuPont Twins vs Phillip Cooper & Christian Black [/size][center][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/ROF.jpg[/IMG] [i]Journeyman[/i][/center] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irish Wolf Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 ROF Championship: [B]UK Dragon[/B] vs Petey Barnes ROF Tag Team Championships: [B]The Martin Twins[/B] vs Don Henderson & Billy Robinson (The Shooters) Keith Adams vs [B]Walter Morgan[/B] Glen Ward vs [B]British Samurai[/B] [B]Merle O'Curle[/B] vs Jonni Dyslexic The DuPont Twins vs [B]Phillip Cooper & Christian Black[/B] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trypio Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 ROF Championship: [B]UK Dragon[/B] vs Petey Barnes ROF Tag Team Championships: The [B]Martin Twins [/B]vs Don Henderson & Billy Robinson (The Shooters) [B]Keith Adams [/B]vs Walter Morgan [B]Glen Ward[/B] vs British Samurai [B]Merle O'Curle[/B] vs Jonni Dyslexic The DuPont Twins vs [B]Phillip Cooper & Christian Black[/B] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steev42 Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 ROF Championship: [B]UK Dragon[/B] vs Petey Barnes ROF Tag Team Championships: The Martin Twins vs [B]Don Henderson & Billy Robinson[/B] (The Shooters) [B]Keith Adams[/B] vs Walter Morgan Glen Ward vs [B]British Samurai[/B] [B]Merle O'Curle[/B] vs Jonni Dyslexic The DuPont Twins vs [B]Phillip Cooper & Christian Black[/B] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Actarus Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 How have I been missing this one?! Great job Derek_B! Finally caught up, and like everything you've done! Keep up the good work! ROF Championship: [B]UK Dragon[/B] vs Petey Barnes ROF Tag Team Championships: The Martin Twins vs [B]Don Henderson & Billy Robinson (The Shooters)[/B] [B]Keith Adams[/B] vs Walter Morgan Glen Ward vs [B]British Samurai[/B] [B]Merle O'Curle [/B]vs Jonni Dyslexic The DuPont Twins vs [B]Phillip Cooper & Christian Black[/B] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackman Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 ROF Championship: [B]UK Dragon[/B] vs Petey Barnes ROF Tag Team Championships: The Martin Twins vs Don [B]Henderson & Billy Robinson (The Shooters)[/B] Keith Adams vs [B]Walter Morgan[/B] Glen Ward vs [B]British Samurai[/B] [B]Merle O'Curle[/B] vs Jonni Dyslexic The DuPont Twins vs [B]Phillip Cooper & Christian Black[/B] Nice to see a ROF story. It was the first promotion I played, and I still know all the competitors. It's nice to see the DuPont twins get an opportunity. :P (btw: O' Curle is teh bomb!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnightnick Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 ROF Championship: [B]UK Dragon[/B] vs Petey Barnes ROF Tag Team Championships: [B]The Martin Twins[/B] vs Don Henderson & Billy Robinson (The Shooters) Keith Adams vs [B]Walter Morgan[/B] Glen Ward vs [B]British Samurai[/B] [B]Merle O'Curle[/B] vs Jonni Dyslexic The DuPont Twins vs [B]Phillip Cooper & Christian Black[/B] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted August 4, 2007 Author Share Posted August 4, 2007 [b]From [u]ProWrestlingHits.com[/u][/b] [i]Report on Ring of Fire from RingOfFireLoudMouthedArse'Ole aka [b]ROFLMAO[/b][/i] [QUOTE] [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/ROF.jpg[/IMG] [b][u][SIZE=4]March of War![/SIZE][/u][/b][/CENTER] Even though I could perhaps question my counting skills I'm now pretty sure that the ROF crowds are getting marginally bigger. 57 fans attended for Kickstart in January, 58 for All Is Fair in February and a massive 59 fans in attendance (including myself) for March of War this month. Given that Ring of Fire runs one event per month normally, it seems like it'll only be another 20 Rylandian years until we sell out the Norman Blue Athletic Center again. I'm making a sign for that for the next show, keep an eye out for it on any YouTube videos you look up folks. Anyways, since Ring of Fire doesn't do with the fancy talking segments, I will try to do the same and get on with my own post-show wrap up of tonight's event. [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/MerleOCurle.jpg[/IMG][b][u] VS [/u][/b][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/JonniDyslexic.jpg[/IMG] [b][u]Merle O'Curle vs Jonni Dyslexic[/b][/u][/CENTER] It doesn't take a genius to work out how this match panned out. Dyslexic likes to fly high but we know he's no technician as has been shown by him getting choked out on the last two shows by "Angry Man" Glen Ward and his illegal judo choke. Hopefully Dyslexic is picking up a few things during his schoolings in the art of wrestling because Merle put on a real clinic and dismantled him without even a flicker of emotion, less emotion than I try to show when faced with a plateful of my mother's finest tortellini. It just wouldn't be right to hurt her feelings, ya know? Dyslexic tried to fight out of Merle's holds and even had him looking awkward at times but Merle eventually locked in the Celtic Wreath and forced the supposedly mildly illiterate jobber to tap out in short order. Merle has looked really strong in recent months and must be in store for a big match sometime in the near future. I do wonder how he'd fare against someone like British Samurai, Walter Morgan or perhaps even the UK Dragon himself. Hmm.... [b]WINNER:[/b] Merle O'Curle by submission in 9:02 [b](D-)[/b] [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/PhillipCooper.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/Christian%20Black/ChristianBlack2.jpg[/IMG][b][u] VS [/u][/b][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/JacquesDuPont.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/PierreDuPont.jpg[/IMG] [b][u]Phillip Cooper & Christian Black vs Pierre & Jacques DuPont[/b][/u][/CENTER] Ring of Fire's tag team division is oddly weak at the moment when once it was packed with great British teams. Having said that, neither of these teams are slouches by any stretch of the imagination either. The French Twins took advantage of their genetics to confuse the referee whenever they could and put in a far stronger performance here then they did last time. Some strong teamwork from the DuPonts put them into a solid position until the hot tag to Cooperman brought him into the ring. Displaying all the endurance and bravery of a typical French army, the DuPonts quickly folded before his onslaught and the recovery of Cooper and Black. Black had contol of one of the twins as Cooper launched himself from the top with a Cooper Fly Splash for the pinfall victory much to the delight of the crowd. He may be making his name with 21CW's TV deal but he is fast becoming one of ROF's top names too as evidenced by this performance. Incidentally, it also seems that Cooper is unbeaten in the Norman Blue Athletic Center, which is a nice fact that I hope 21CW pick up on too although I doubt they will. I hope I don't sound bitter at them.... at least not [i]too[/i] bitter. They did steal most of ROF's uppercard roster afterall. [b]WINNERS:[/b] Phillip Cooper & Christian Black by pinfall in 7:35 [b](E+)[/b] [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/GlenWard.jpg[/IMG][b][u] VS [/u][/b][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/BritishSamurai.jpg[/IMG] [b][u]Glen Ward vs British Samurai[/b][/u][/CENTER] "The Angry Man" was given his first real fight in ROF here as he went up against British Samurai. Unfortunately most of my signs got soaked before I even got into the building today so I couldn't display my "Real Wrestlers Look Like Karate Kids" sign. Ward was out in his full white judo costume while Samurai kept his dark coloured one on even after his nunchuk display. The match itself turned out to be an excellent one if you like throws and grounded wrestling. This was as close to pure wrestling as it gets thanks to both men's legitimate backgrounds which helped them really understand each other's styles. Ward kept throwing Samurai to the mat but Samurai out wrestled him down there and once back to his feet looked for the roundhouse kick that usually signalled the end of things. After two such attempts with ward ducking under each, Samurai hit a stiff front kick to force Ward to sit up. Still reeling from it, Ward barely had time to see Samurai plant his other foot and connect with the brutal roundhouse kick to end the match. These two deserve more time in the ring against each other because I really enjoyed this match and it really helped to build up Ward's aggressive, impatient style while keeping Samurai strong as the silent, deadly attacker. Lots of potential for Ward to build up from here, I expect more from these two especially when Ward left the ring looking ready to take a fan's head off. Nice stuff. [b]WINNER:[/b] British Samurai by pinfall in 9:35 [b](D)[/b] [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/KellyMartin.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/LanceMartin.jpg[/IMG][b][u] VS [/u][/b][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/DonHenderson.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/BillyRobinson.jpg[/IMG] [b][u]The Martin Twins (c) vs The Shooters[/b][/u] [i]for the ROF Tag Team Titles[/i][/CENTER] As far as title defenses go, The Martin Twins haven't had any particularly difficult matches so far. But things were clearly about to change as the former two time tag champs exercised their rematch clause. Don Henderson got some heat from the crowd, one of which had a sign emblazoned with "Henderson Fears The Law". As for the match itself, it gets at least a couple of paragraphs because it was pretty solid on it's own. Lance and Kelly must be cursing the DuPont twins for pulling their twin-related tricks earlier because referee Woolsey caught them at it and enforced order on the match. Despite some slick teamwork of the kind you expect from two men who have known each other since they were in the womb, the former champs showed why they are considered ROF's #1 team and two of their top singles wrestlers too by simply outclassing their opposition. With the referee showing some uncanny skills at [i]actually doing his job[/i] The Shooters were able to unleash their technical wrestling skills to the max upon the champions. During their ROF careers it has always been evident that the Martin Twins' strength lay in their ability to work as a team and deceive the referee and without that, their weaknesses as wrestlers was exposed. It didn't take long for the former champions to wear the current champs down for some perilous submission holds and when Don Henderson finally locked in the Scottish Deathlock, Lance (I think) had no choice but to tap out leaving his brother frustrated on the floor while Robinson kept him at bay. Another decent tag match with what I consider to be an unexpected result. I know the Martins weren't great champs really, more like beneficiaries of circumstance thanks to 21CW but I didn't expect their reign to end tonight. But it did and once again The Shooters are Ring of Fire tag champs following on from a commanding performance. [b]WINNERS:[/b] The Shooters by submission in 11:33 [b](E+)[/b] [COLOR=Red][b]*The Shooters are the NEW Ring of Fire Tag Team Champions*[/b][/COLOR] [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/KeithAdams.jpg[/IMG][b][u] VS [/u][/b][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/WalterMorgan.jpg[/IMG] [b][u]Keith Adams vs Walter Morgan[/b][/u][/CENTER] This match is one that I would think would go a long way to securing a championship match for one of these men, although going into it I wouldn't have liked to have placed money on one over the other. The match itself was another of ROF's best of the year so far and worthy of it's position on the card as Walter Morgan schooled Adams in Wigan style wrestling. Morgan made it clear that he was having a wrestling match while Adams knew it would be fatal to play into that strategy and tried to keep the match vertical and using strikes. Even so though, whenever Morgan forced Adams to wrestle the Lawman that Donald Henderson seems to be running from would turn to Morgan's left arm. While Morgan ground down Adam's leg to slow him down, his attempts were increasingly impaired as Adams ground down Morgan's defenses. Morgan repeatedly tried to lock in crab variations and heel locks but fell victim to a cross arm breaker that almost ended the match on it's own. Morgan's arm never fully recovered from that and this allowed Adams to sneak a devastating pair of elbow strikes through that almost knocked him unconscious before Adams got behind him and hit the Tiger suplex that he likes to call the Citizen's Arrest. Morgan very nearly kicked out but the sheer force of the percussive blows to the head stunned him long enough for Adams to score what some would call an upset victory over him. While it was clear that he was beaten, Morgan had the good grace to shake hands after the match and I was glad to see it myself as many of the younger workers seem to neglect this simple courtesy. It also seemed to me that Morgan promised to "get you next time" to Adams so a possible rematch may be on the cards. I enjoyed this match, I have to admit but the finish did seem to me to come a little quickly. Maybe next time it'll be longer. And more exciting. [b]WINNER:[/b] Keith Adams by pinfall in 16:27 [b](D)[/b] [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/UKDragon.jpg[/IMG][b][u] VS [/u][/b][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/PeteyBarnes.jpg[/IMG] [b][u]UK Dragon (c) vs Petey Barnes[/b][/u] [i]for the ROF Championship[/i][/CENTER] The main event match of each night always gets that little extra hype given to it by Justin Blackham, just to really build up the tension that little bit more. I was raised to believe that it's always the little things that matter but the crowd aren't always into the long introductions given to the main event competitors. Out first of course was the challenger, [b]Petey Barnes[/b]. He was put over as being a 5 year pro who's main successes were in the tag team ranks, being a two-time Ring of Fire Tag Team champion alongside Adam Matravers. He was also put over as having earned his title shot by defeating Walter Morgan most (most recently) having become a singles competitor in late 2006 and having been unbeaten since doing so. Unfortunately, despite being the closest things to a babyface in this match, his accolades paled in comparison to his opponent's. UK Dragon was hyped to the max, starting with the reminder of how at the young age of 31 he already has got an incredbile 15 years of experience behind him. His previous accolades include being the champion of Europe's largest wrestling promotion UCR in 2005, being the reigning WLW Tap Out champion while also being about to start a tour for arguably the most prestigious wrestling promotion in the world, Burning Hammer of the Wrestling Gods. He was also put over as being the first and last man to ever hold the Ring of Fire #1 Contender Trophy before he unified it with the championship belt that would be on the line tonight, the undisputed Ring of Fire Championship, to which all the fans in the front row cheered. Given that ALL the fans in attendance were in the front row, that doesn't sound quite so impressive... or depressive. Not enough fans attend shows any more. [b](E+)[/b] With the hype out of the way the crowd settled to admire the match which was expected to be even better than the classic Dragon/Highspot encounter from just four weeks ago. While Barnes can fly just like Dragon's previous opponent, he can also wrestle just as competently as anyone on the ROF roster and the early exchanges were designed to show that both men were capable of matching each other in terms of speed, technical skill and athletic ability. As expected, given that his finishing moves target the head and neck, those areas were the target for UK Dragon's assaults while he was in control of the match. Barnes on the other hand needed to find a way to keep Dragon down for long enough so that he could enact his high flying moonsault finisher but had a lot of trouble getting any impactful offense in as Dragon went for the long wear down. In a match filled with a lot of logical, if not exactly exciting, wrestling Barnes was forced to the mat where he was kept in a series of rest holds designed to drive the air out of him and put a crick in his neck that would soften him up for the Dragon Sleeper or Dragon Drop. Barnes may be one of ROF's rising talents but in the face of such logical wrestling he was still almost powerless. He did manage to inject some energy into the match during his comebacks but every time he seemed about to hit an impactful move that would really change the course of the match he was countered. One big DDT eventually connected giving him enough time to attempt a moonsault that missed it's mark. Dragon zeroed in on the neck once again and quickly locked in the Dragon Sleeper that signals the end for so many matches in ROF but to his credit, Petey almost managed to squirm and turn out of the hold but Dragon was just too good tonight and eventually turned it into the Dragon Drop once Barnes was really struggling for air. With the last of the air driven out of his lungs Barnes was simply too drained to kick out of the pinfall attempt and UK Dragon extends his reign as ROF Champion to 9 months. This match may have never picked up as many expected it to but it was a solid match. Shame it was the main event because I had been hoping for more but it was a good match at the very least. I guess Barnes will have to rethink his strategy for next time he clashes with the UK Dragon. [b]WINNER:[/b] UK Dragon by pinfall in 21:32 [b](D+)[/b] All in all, another solid show from the reshaped ROF roster. I still personally think that Ring of Fire is producing better wrestling shows than 21CW but unfortunately they aren't getting the exposure that 21CW gets from it's TV deal. There are clearly a few new names being pushed that are showing potential, clearly a few people who are being fed to others to help build up some other reputations. The tag division is a bit limited at the moment too but given that I believe the company will be doing the holiday camp tour over the summer some of the new youngsters will likely be working on their skills on those low pressure shows. With a bit of sharpening, I can easily see ROF being far superior to 21CW in every way by the end of summer but if crowds remain as low as they are currently, there may not be many people to see these shows. 59 people in attendance.... everyone with a front row seat no matter where they buy tickets for. I'm going to try to personally get every seat filled for ROF's as-yet-unnamed April show. Don't miss out on your chance to see what is sure to be another great show from ROF. You know you'll only become a saaaaad panda if you miss it! OVERALL: [i](D)[/i] in front of 59 people at the Norman Blue Civic Center [size=1][b][u]ROF March Of War Quick Result[/u][/b] Merle O'Curle defeated Jonni Dyslexic [b](D-)[/b] Phillip Cooper & Christian Black defeated The DuPont Twins [b](E+)[/b] British Samurai defeated Glen Ward [b](D)[/b] The Shooters defeated The Martin Twins for the ROF Tag Team titles [b](E+)[/b] Keith Adams defeated Walter Morgan [b](D)[/b] UK Dragon defeated Petey Barnes to retain the ROF Championship [b](D+)[/b] [/size][/QUOTE] [QUOTE] [b]From [u]GreyDogSoftware.com/forum[/u][/b] [i]Ring Of Fire March Into Battle Predictions Contest Results[/i] [b]Actarus - 6/6[/b] steev42 - [b]5/6[/b] Blackman - [b]5/6[/b] Apupunchao - [b]4/6[/b] Trypio - [b]4/6[/b] midnightnick - [b]4/6[/b] Congratulations to Actarus for being the only person to correctly guess the winner in each of the ROF matches at their last show. Unfortunately the lottery ticket promised to the last winner has long since expired and turned out to not be a winner anyways. Since it seems unfair to accumulate more than one prize for each winnner ROF will not be issuing any further prizes this month! Please feel free to try again for next time and good luck! :) [i]Derek B[/i] [/QUOTE] [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/ROF.jpg[/IMG] [i]...Journeyman...[/i][/CENTER] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted August 4, 2007 Author Share Posted August 4, 2007 [size=4][CENTER][u]...Jokes and Jobs...[/u][/size] [IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/BritishSamurai.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/Christian%20Black/ChristianBlack1.jpg[/IMG] [i]Britsh Samurai's place, April 1st[/i][/CENTER] [i](It's been a long month for Ring of Fire's owner, British Samurai. His real job has been putting him through the wringer and forcing him to work almost all the extra hours the world sends, all while he still has to keep Ring of Fire ticking over and organise the next show that will be coming from the Norman Blue Athletic Center. It's been hard work to say the least but when he hears the familiar death rattle of Christian Black's car pulling up outside his car he permits a smile to cross his face. He marches himself over to the door and pulls it open as Black makes his way to the door with an armful of flyers and a gym bag.)[/i] [b][u]Samurai :[/b][/u] "Christian, I'm so glad you're here. I've got news." [b][u]Black :[/b][/u] "News? Good news?" [b][u]Samurai :[/b][/u] "News, certainly. I think you'd best sit down for this. [b][u]Black :[/b][/u] "Ooookay..." [i](Samurai's tone suggests to Black that something is up but if it's anything that Black should know about then he can't think what it would be. Samurai beckons for Black to take a seat and Black can't help but worry that something is horribly wrong.)[/i] [b][u]Samurai :[/b][/u] "Black, I know you and Cooper are close but I've got to tell you something about him." [b][u]Black :[/b][/u] "Tell me something? He's not done something stupid has he?" [b][u]Samurai :[/b][/u] "Please, let me talk. This is hard for me to say but it's something I've been meaning to tell you about for a long time, I just could never find the right time to tell you." [b][u]Black :[/b][/u] "Sam, you're worrying me. What is it? Tell me." [b][u]Samurai :[/b][/u] "It's.... it's just that... it's..... well..... Cooper, he's got terrible taste in hats." [i](Black looks confused for a moment before he spots the calendar on the wall informing him that it's April 1st. He hadn't even given it any thought since he realised that he wouldn't be spending the day with Phillip Cooper anyways. It would have been all too easy to get Coop so he didn't bother. He lets a small smile pass his lips as Samurai continues on.)[/i] [b][u]Samurai :[/b][/u] "That's not all. He's actually got a twin, and it's you. You're his brother and one of you is the evil twin but it's not easy to tell which is which so I'm afraid I'm going to have to kill you both because the prophecy says that one of you will end up ruling the universe if only one of you lives. And a previously unknown sister of mine of extraordinary beauty will fall for one of you if I don't do my job and then all manner of evil will befall the land..." [b][u]Black :[/b][/u] "You are so not funny, Sam. Don't give up your day job. Or your evening one for that matter." [b][u]Samurai :[/b][/u] [i](settling down)[/i] "Fine, fine. I know I'm not great at telling jokes but I'd have never have been able to keep a straight face for long. I had a big story that I was gonna tell you about me stopping being booker and handing control of Ring of Fire over to you so help usher in a new era with your creative vision and whatnot. But I figured no-one would believe a youngster like you could be in charge of a wrestling promotion and I woulda laughed far too quickly." [b][u]Black :[/b][/u] [i](rather hastily)[/i] "I could be booker." [b][u]Samurai :[/b][/u] "One day, certainly. But not yet. Not for a long while yet. You're still only 22 years old, too young to get bogged down in the business side of things. Not experienced enough to understand the kinds of troubles that often happen." [b][u]Black :[/b][/u] "I'd make a great booker, you've said it yourself. I've got a natural story-telling instinct...." [b][u]Samurai :[/b][/u] "There's a difference between a booker and a writer. This isn't the SWF, we have a booker who signs people up for the shows and makes contracts and hires venues. Promotions like TCW and the SWF have a seperate department for their on-screen product, a bunch of Hollywood writers who don't understand the wrestling business and couldn't arrange a real show if they tried. A lot of youngsters think they can run one of those e-fed things on the internet and that somehow they'd be a great booker in real life. There's a lot that goes on that people never hear about, no matter what the dirtsheets say. Remember that Christian and you'll do better than most men ever do in this industry." [b][u]Black :[/b][/u] "........" [i](Without prying further into what Samurai has to say, Black simply remains quiet and thinks what could have caused such a speech. Perhaps he's had an argument with someone or maybe his wife is causing trouble with the kid again.)[/i] [b][u]Samurai :[/b][/u] "Don't mind me, kid, I'm just not having a great day. I see you've got the flyers printed up for me. Thanks for that, work has been putting a lot of pressure on me and I've not been able to hit the gym anywhere near enough to blow off stress." [b][u]Black :[/b][/u] "You're not working today?" [b][u]Samurai :[/b][/u] "I think they got the idea that I needed a day off. And I figured that since you were between temping jobs at the moment that you'd maybe want to head to the gym for a training session. Maybe even put some flyers up in shop windows while we're on our way there?" [b][u]Black :[/b][/u] "Sounds like a good plan, boss. But I warn you now, I'm getting in better shape by the day thanks to some of the stuff I picked up from Merle and Donny." [b][u]Samurai :[/b][/u] "I hope so. I don't plan to go easy on you. I'll get my stuff just now and we can head off in a few minutes. Merle's latest [b]"Wrestling News Ticker"[/b] is on the table there. Feel free to have a nose through it while you wait. Everything that happened in March is in there." [b][u]Black :[/b][/u] "Cool. Will have a quick browse." [i](Samurai heads through to his room to get his gear for what promises to be a long morning and afternoon session. In the past there have been times where he's spent hours in the gym until he could barely walk home from exhaustion, usually as a result of something his wife has done although he'd never actually admit it himself. It was Donny Damage that told Black to look after his boss on days like that but when you're doing everything you can to look after someone who is going all out, you really need to be in tip-top condition yourself. As Black skim reads a few pages he mutters softly so himself at some of the stories and sections he spies.)[/i] [b][u]Black :[/b][/u] "Looks like Merle is moving into sections. Results from the UK, even the indy show in Norman Blue. Drew a bigger crowd than we did. Bet it lost money though. Hmm, Yoshimi [Mushashibo] won the Elite Series this year. Bet Merle was thinking of that before he rolled over to sleep. Practically idolises the man. Oh, Yoshimi lost the Glory Crown days later. I guess Nobu [Nobuatsu Tatsuko] is going to be challenging him this year then." [i](Black skims the pages quickly, skimming the headings for US show result, TV ratings, contract renewals and all sorts from around the world. One page catches his eye and that is filled with details of the foreign workers GCG are signing up for their next tour. One name in particular catches his eye as he scrolls the list.)[/i] [b][u]Black :[/b][/u] "Holy crap! Matravers is off to Japan! I wonder if Donny gave him the idea to go on over there. And he'll be joined by Cameron Vessey, Frankie Perez and Hell Monkey. An impressive list of names on that list there. Although it does seem that Hell Monkey is trying to take over Japan. He's working for GCG, WLW and BHOTWG now." [i](As Black's eye hastily goes through the pages he makes a mental note to read the entire thing in detail when he gets the chance. He can hear Samurai coming back through when he spies a page headed "INJURIES" and the frequent initials of one of the finest wrestling promotions on the face of the planet.)[/i] [b][u]Samurai :[/b][/u] "Come on then Black, race you to the store. They always let me put up flyers." [b][u]Black :[/b][/u] "Just a sec. Did you realise that NOTBPW have had so many injured workers lately? It says here that in March alone NOTBPW have lost RK Hayes to a major concussion so he's a long term concern along with Jeremy Stone and Cliff. On top of that they have Duane Stone working through a lot of pain [Churchillian Neck Damage] while The Natural and Johnny Bloodstone picked up head injuries that ruled them out for a couple of weeks too. Is it just me or does NOTBPW have mounting injury worries?" [b][u]Samurai :[/b][/u] "Injuries happen, it just looks like they're all happening at about the same time for them. Bad run of luck I suppose." [b][u]Black :[/b][/u] "I suppose so. Say, before I beat you in our little race do you mind if I borrow the Ticker some time? I think I'd like to read more of this properly. Might even be able to learn a few useful things from it." [b][u]Samurai :[/b][/u] "Of course, I barely read it anyways. He talks about a lot that I don't really care about but at least he's organising it a bit more now. Isn't so hard to find things you're interested in when you break it down into types of stories." [b][u]Black :[/b][/u] "True." [i](Black puts the Wrestling News Ticker that Merle must've put hours and hours of work into back onto the table and hops to his feet. They both have basic training gear with them and as they step outside they are happy to find that the weather hasn't decided to go from an almost pleasant spring day to a downpour. Dedicated they may be, but they hate running in the rain.)[/i] [b][u]Black :[/b][/u] "First person to get the flyer up on the store has to spot for the other first. Agreed?" [b][u]Samurai :[/b][/u] "Agreed. Start on three. One... two...." [i](Samurai shoves Black into a budding bush of some kind as he hurries ahead, leaving Black cursing quietly as he hastily extracts himself from it, spilling a couple of flyers out of his hand on the way.)[/i] [b][u]Black :[/b][/u] "You didn't say three!" [b][u]Samurai :[/b][/u] "THREE! April Fool!" [i](Black smiles to himself as he picks up the dropped flyers and glances down at the card once again. He's not had time to discuss it with Samurai yet but he knows they'll talk about who's going over who later unless something happens before the show starts. With a good 15 second headstart on him already, Black breaks out at a fast run and tries to catch up with his mentor. The scene fades to black.)[/i] [b][u][size=1]Quick Predictions for ROF Fools Rush In[/u][/b] [b]ROF Championship:[/b] UK Dragon vs British Samurai [b]ROF Tag Team Championship:[/b] The Shooters [i](Don Henderson & Billy Robinson)[/i] vs Suicidal Tendencies [i](Johnny Highspot & Stardust)[/i] Keith Adams vs Glen Ward Merle O'Curle vs Eric Future The Martin Twins vs Cooper & Black Walter Morgan vs Petey Barnes [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/ROF.jpg[/IMG] Journeyman[/size][/center] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted August 6, 2007 Author Share Posted August 6, 2007 [b]From [u]ProWrestlingHits.com[/u][/b] [i]Report on Ring of Fire from RingOfFireLoudMouthedArse'Ole aka [b]ROFLMAO[/b][/i] [QUOTE] [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/ROF.jpg[/IMG] [b][u][size=4]Fools Rush In[/SIZE][/u][/b][/CENTER] First thing I noticed about tonight was a lot of RingOfFireWrestling.co.uk messages all over the place. Even the guys working the concessions stands were putting the website over so I guess ROF must have a new site to push. That's probably a good thing. 61 fans by my very unofficial count tonight, an increase of two from the previous show. It might not sound like much but ROF are increasing their attendance rates by almost 2% per show on average! Over the course of a year that means a net increase of almost 27% a year (assuming 1 show per month) which means that by the end of the year we'll have... 72 and a bit fans here. Well... it's a start at least. If we have the usual summer tour it might increase much more quickly even than that! Sold-out crowds, here we come! [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/KeithAdams.jpg[/IMG][b][u] VS [IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/GlenWard.jpg[/IMG][/u][/b] [b][u]Keith Adams vs Glen Ward[/b][/u][/CENTER] In my hand right now is a flyer that originally advertised a match between Keith Adams and Jonni Dyslexic, which is what I think most people thought they were coming to see. But what we got instead was Glen Ward vs Keith Adams and personally, I think this is a better match. "The Angry Man" was quick to show frustration when his early takedowns were counter by the mor experienced police officer. Lots of exchanges down on the mat that Adams kept getting the better of led to some extremely aggressive offense that saw Ward getting his first real spell of solid offense with a few painful throws and submission attempts. Ward eventually managed to get behind Adams and hooked in the katahajime, the move illegal in judo but legal in wrestling. Adams was quick to the ropes but Ward refused to break the hold. Referee Woolsey used his count to try and get Ward off but he would relinquish the hold and he was forced to call for a disqualification. Ward's anger was quickly turned on the ref who jumped out the ring, leaving Adams to roll out to the floor to have his hand raised in victory. A decent match, no-one was very happy at all at the ending. [b]WINNER:[/b] Keith Adams by disqualification in 9:58 [b](E-)[/b] [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/KellyMartin.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/LanceMartin.jpg[/IMG][b][u] VS [IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/PhillipCooper.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/Christian%20Black/ChristianBlack2.jpg[/IMG][/u][/b] [b][u]The Martin Twins vs Phillip Cooper & Christian Black[/b][/u][/CENTER] The former ROF Tag Team champions did not look happy coming into this one, apparantly they were still smarting over the loss at the last show and were blaming the DuPont twins for making Referee Woolsey be "super strict" with them when they lost the belts. Even if that were true they had more important things to concentrate on as the young duo of Cooper & Black have shown themselves to be a high promising team in recent months with their high impact offense and good knowledge of each other after their many indy encounters. The match was pretty even throughout with each side sticking to their normal strategies. Black hit a rally of high impact suplexes on one of the Martin brothers but a quick distraction led to the Martins pulling a switch and a nearfall from a quick small package. More teamwork enabled the former champs to gain a significant advantage for a few minutes as they worked over Black but a hot tag saw Cooper burst into the ring with fists and knife-edge chops flying. All four men were briefly in the ring but Cooper backdropped Lance (perhaps) to the floor as Black hit a facebusting front suplex on Kelly (maybe), setting him up in perfect position for Cooper to head to the top rope and come off with the Cooper Fly Splash for the victory. This was a strong outing for both teams in this match and even the Martins looked a step better than they normally do. Cooper and Black on the other hand must have rocketed themselves into title contention with this victory. [b]WINNER:[/b] Phillip Cooper & Christian Black by pinfall in 10:38 [b](E+)[/b] [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/MerleOCurle.jpg[/IMG][b][u] VS [IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/EricFuture.jpg[/IMG][/u][/b] [b][u]Merle O'Curle vs Eric Future[/b][/u][/CENTER] It's no secret that Eric Future isn't really in favour at ROF any more after a number of less than great performances. With it looking likely that he is to leave the company in the near future it came down to what amounted to little more than a squash match to pack him on his way. Less than 6 minutes of virtual torture later and Merle O'Curle locked in the Celtic Wreath and bridged back to force a tap out from his opponent. Watching Merle torture his opponents is painful to look at but I'd rather spend ten minutes with him than suffer another mouthful of my mother's linguini. Another great performance from Merle, he has almost undoubtedly looked like one of the most dangerous men in ROF lately and should be moving on up to more difficult matches, IMO. [b]WINNER:[/b] Merle O'Curle by submission in 5:42 [b](D)[/b] [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/DonHenderson.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/BillyRobinson.jpg[/IMG][b][u] VS [IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/JohnnyHighspot.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/Stardust.jpg[/IMG][/u][/b] [b][u]The Shooters (c) vs Suicidal Tendencies[/b][/u] [i]for the ROF Tag Team titles[/i][/CENTER] Personally I'm not sure why this match was for the tag titles since I can't see what Highspot and Stardust have done to earn it but it was at least a pretty solid tag bout. As their team names suggest, the high flyers stuck to aerial attacks and fast paced action to try and keep the Shooters from their technical grounded offense. Both sides carried the momentum for some of the time, with Highspot in particular pulling out a big plancha dive to the outside to take out his opponents and tag partner alike. The final stretch of the match saw the challengers really building up momentum but when they went for stereo moonsaults to their fallen opponents they wasted far too much time. Highspot was shoved to the safety barriers by Don Henderson (who I tried to start a chant against but it didn't take) as Robinson back suplexed Stardust into the middle of the ring. Henderson was quick to lock in the Scottish Deathlock and it didn't take long for the former 21CW man to tap out. Solid title defense for The Shooters but it didn't make the challengers look weak either. [b]WINNER:[/b] The Shooters by submission in 12:57 [b](E+)[/b] [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/WalterMorgan.jpg[/IMG][b][u] VS [IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/PeteyBarnes.jpg[/IMG][/u][/b] [b][u]Walter Morgan vs Petey Barnes[/b][/u][/CENTER] These two met for the first time back in January at Kickstart and it was the that victory that led Petey Barnes to his recent title shot. Walter Morgan has yet to pick up a win this year going into this match and he looked ready for another tough contest. While Petey is knwon for his exciting high flying skills he is no stranger to the mat either. Morgan's mastery of the mat and submission game led him to target Petey's knees as Petey tried to wear down the Wigan-style wrestler. Lots of hard hitting action and it wasn't one way traffic despite Morgan trying to lockdown Petey to the mat. Barnes repeatedly had to use his leg to try and break free from holds, which must have been excruciating for him as Morgan really wrenched them in, therefor making each escape almost a painful as being in the hold. A big enziguri kick slowed Morgan down long enough for Petey to gain a foothold in the match and up the ante, finally getting enough momentum to shoot himself off the ropes for some high impact dropkicks and his trademark cannonball attack into Morgan's guts. His knee was clearly hurting him however as he signalled for the end but when he struggled to climb up he instead pulled Morgan up for a piledriver. It wasn't enough for a three count though and Petey realised that despite his aching knee he had to go to the top for his famed moonsault. It took him a long time but he had the strength to launch in a high arc and hit the canvas where Morgan had been until a brief moment earlier. With the wind more than driver out of Petey, Morgan moved in for the kill and locked in a boston crab as Petey tried to pull himself to the ropes. Petey was so close but Morgan pulled him back to the middle of the ring before moving into his version of the feared STF. Petey was clearly in agony but tried as hard as he could to get to the ropes but in the end was forced to tap out. Excellent match! [b]WINNER:[/b] Walter Morgan by submission in 17:42 [b](D)[/b] [CENTER][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/UKDragon.jpg[/IMG][b][u] VS [IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/BritishSamurai.jpg[/IMG][/u][/b] [b][u]UK Dragon (c) vs British Samurai[/b][/u] [i]for the ROF Championship[/i][/CENTER] It seems to have become ROF custom now for the main event to receive an extra bout of hype from Justin Blackham and tonight was no exception to this custom. He introduced the challenger first and once British Samurai had done his nunchuk routine Blackham put him over as a 12 year veteran of the sport who has wrestled in the UK and Europe, and has even travelled as far as Japan (although only on holiday to my knowledge). He put over that Samurai is a two time champion of the famous MOSC promotion and that if you want to find out more about his career that there would be an exclusive interview up on RingOfFireWrestling.co.uk later this week. I hope I remember to check it out, should be interesting to see what the owner says about his own company. :) Next it was UK Dragon's turn to come out. Blackham once again put over Dragon's 15 years as part of the industry (note: this is the official figure but he may have started earlier) and the titles he's had. They listed that he is a former two time holder of the ROF #1 Contender's Trophy, the UCR World Combat belt, and recently became the [i]former[/i] WLW Tap Out champion which got a small roar from the crowd and an angry twitch from Dragon. He was then finally put over as being the reigning and defending Ring Of Fire Champion as the introductions came to an end as the referee checked both men for weapons before signalling for the bell. [b](E-)[/b] Once again I have to question the logic of giving the title shot to Samurai, even though he is undoubtedly skilled. He hasn't won enough big matches to warrant it so this seemed a bit... wrong to me. Nevertheless, he has been made to look dangerous in his last few matches so it isn't a bad idea. This match opened up with Samurai attempting to get a handshake but Dragon flipped him off in a complete show of disrespect. On commentary Justin Blackham pointed out that Dragon has yet to shake hands with a single one of his opponents in ROF since winning the title, a clear show of disrespect to everyone on the roster especially when he's known to shake hands with many opponents while in Japan. Ouch! The match itself was another top notch affair as the Dragon delivered once again. Samurai brought his kicks into the match hard and early but Dragon gave as good as he got and soon enough both men were turning red where the kicks had found their marks. Samurai was first to break up the kicking battle when he hit a (ironically) Dragon Screw Legwhip and followed up with an attempted roundhouse kick that would've taken Dragon's head off if he hadn't ducked underneath it and slithered backwards out the ring to safety. After two more similar exchanges the match picked up again with Dragon hit some low dropkicks to take Samurai to the mat and begin working over his head and neck in preparation for his finishing moves. Dragon's focus remained on the neck for quite some time as Samurai used a lot of kicks and throws to try and assert his authority on the match. Dragon went for a high running knee attack into the corner that missed and set himself up for a big bridging German suplex that was almost a three count. Dragon once again almost got caught with the devastating roundhouse kick but caught it in mid air and quickly locked in an ankle lock that took everyone by suprise. Samurai escaped quickly but by then Dragon was stamping his seal on the match and soon hit a big German suplex of his own that he rolled through and allowed him to quickly synch in a variation Dragon sleeper on the mat. Samurai had nowhere to go but he gave it all he could before he tapped out, unable to shift his weight in any direction to get to the ropes. [b]WINNER:[/b] UK Dragon by submission in 18:36 [b](C-)[/b] Another great show from Ring of Fire tonight, I know I'll be watching it on the internet as soon as I can. Also, remember to head on over to RingOfFireWrestling.co.uk once you've read this too cos I figure there has to be a perfectly good reason for them hyping it up tonight. Well, that reason and of course the fact that Justin Blackham told the crowd after the match that there would be important announcements on the website after the show was done along with exclusive video content from British Samurai and interviews with a number of the roster on all manner of things. From my point of view it seems that the company are working on incorporating more storylines into it's product but without all the hassle of getting in the way of matches. By using the website they can get the troublesome interviews out of the way and tell some of the story there rather than taking up valuable showtime with it. Which can only be a good thing from my point of view. Would hate for ROF to become a new sports entertainment promotion. Anyway, as I said, it was another great show tonight. UK Dragon never fails to deliver for ROF even when he's flying in from Japan to compete. If there's ever a ROF Best of 2007 DVD, I expect he'll be involved in almost every single match. :) Anyway folks, until next time, make sure you stay tuned to Ring of Fire and buy your tickets in advance. If my calculations are correct it's only a matter of 100 years of steady progess til ROF are selling out massive stadiums. SO buy tickets now and let everyone know you were there when the company was still small! [b][u]Show Rating[/u]: (D+)[/b] in front of 61 fans at the Norman Blue Athletic Center in the Midlands [b][u][size=1]ROF Fools Rush In Quick Results[/b][/u] Keith Adams defeated Glen Ward [b](E-)[/b] Cooper & Black defeated The Martin Twins [b](E+)[/b] Merle O'Curle defeated Eric Future [b](D)[/b] The Shooters defeated Suicidal Tendencies to retain the Ring of Fire Tag Titles (1 defense) [b](E+)[/b] Walter Morgan defeated Petey Barnes [b](D)[/b] UK Dragon defeated British Samurai to retain the Ring of Fire Championship (9 defenses) [b](C-)[/b][/size] [center][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/ROF.jpg[/IMG][/center] [/QUOTE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcel Fromage Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 Glad to see you're back into this. I was awol when you started it, but have caught up now. I'm enjoying the fact that although we're using the same company in our dynasties, almost everything we're doing is different, from the booking to the way we're presenting it. I like reading your match write-ups in particular, because that's something I can't really be bothered with in mine! I'll be interested to see how long you stick with ROF, seeing as you said at one point that you expect to move around company to company within the diary. Good stuff and keep it up. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted August 8, 2007 Author Share Posted August 8, 2007 [center][size=4][u]...Backstage Chaos...[/u][/size] [IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/BritishSamurai.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/PhillipCooper_alt.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/Christian%20Black/ChristianBlack2.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/MerleOCurle.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/DonnyDamage.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/UKDragon.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/KeithAdams.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/DonHenderson.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/BillyRobinson.jpg[/IMG][/center] [i](Thanks to the innumerable angles run by sports entertainment promotion, fans now believe that backstage is a hive of activity at all times, where wrestlers hang out and talk in small groups that are always convenient to whatever plot is going on at the time and where the star performers always get their own locker-room regardless of the limited amount of space available for such things to happen. Cameramen can always get to wherever fights are going on, and indeed often turn up before they even start and getting into the most private of conversations is easy. Hell, wrestlers never even know what fans know most of the time because they always ignore watching the bits of the show that they aren't in. It's odd...)[/i] [i](But for once, the locker-room really is a hive of activity and there are small groups of people talking. Admittedly, they aren't in the friend groups they are associated with in front of the camera and admittedly the activity is all being organised by one man who is frantically trying to rally group of people in front of a camera held by Merle O'Curle's steady hand. As far as it is possible to tell, Merle doesn't look terribly happy but British Samurai is injecting a lot of effort and passion into proceedings, encouraging the various small groups to think of something good to say as quickly as possible before they all head off home. Christian Black appears in the midst of the fray looking like he's just run five miles, Samurai spots him quickly and shouts him over.)[/i] [b][u]Samurai[/u] :[/b] "Black, you've been a while. Everything working okay?" [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Took ages to upload the videos but they're up now. Had to use a local pub with a Wi-Fi connection and they weren't best pleased that I was doing it without buying something first so I had to get...." [b][u]Samurai[/u] :[/b] "It's all up now though, right?" [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Yeah, everything you sent me over with. Merle done a real good job putting together that video, must've taken him ages to find all those highlights. And the website looks really good too. Your interview is loaded but not yet linked to, thought we'd best do that tomorrow or perhaps the day after so that it didn't look like it was recorded before tonight's show happened." [b][u]Samurai[/u] :[/b] "Agreed. Don't want to break kayfabe too much. It's bad enough with everyone knowing wrestling is staged without reminding them constantly." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "It's chaos back here boss. I told you we should've waited for the launch of the site until later. No-one really knows what they're doing or quite what's going on." [b][u]Samurai[/u] :[/b] "I advertised the site to the fans, couldn't let them know it existed and not have something on it. So we're going to put up regular content all through the week. Promos, interviews, hype videos, you know... all the stuff that we don't really want to have in shows but that help build up the matches more. I doubt people would even know about the site if we didn't tell them about it now. We needed to get them hooked quickly." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Well, at least we've got the hype video up. If I know our fans like I think I do then they'll go nuts to see that [b]Burning EXILE[/b] is coming to Ring of Fire. I still can't believe that Dragon managed to convince him to come to the UK." [i](Samurai's mind wanders slightly as he watches [b]UK Dragon[/b] cutting a promo on the wandering Japanese journeyman. Even though he can barely hear the words thanks to the crowds nearby, he can see him working through a crack in the door.)[/i] [b][u]Samurai[/u] :[/b] "You know, I'm starting to think there's nothing that Dragno can't do these days. He even cuts a good promo, although I have to admit he's not exactly on the same level as Colin [The Steamroller] ever was. That man could talk a crowd into arena, no doubt about it." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "It'll be great to see what Dragon and EXILE can do together. Will be a real show stealer. Have you decided who else he'll face? I heard it's a three match deal he's on..." [b][u]Samurai[/u] :[/b] "Are you angling for a match with him, young man?" [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Just curious." [i](The smirk on Black's face suggests that his curiosity was indeed wondering if he'd be allowed a chance to face the foreign star. It's not every day that a former Burning Junior champion is in town and if you don't ask, you'll never get. Dragon's promo finishes and Samurai politely gestures to [b]Keith Adams[/b] to head into the room where Merle is filming the promos.)[/i] [b][u]Samurai[/u] :[/b] "Actually, in all honesty I'm not sure who'll have the other matches yet. It would be foolish of me to not seize the chance for myself so I'll probably take one of them. I haven't decided on who'll have the other yet." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Wel,l I know it won't be likely to be me but promise me one thing. Don't give it to Cooper. Please? I'd never hear the end of it." [b][u]Samurai[/u] :[/b] "Don't worry, I've got a shortlist of people I'm considering. Walter [Morgan], Merle, Highspot or Adams are the most likely. I think that Donny might even consider coming out of retirement for that one." [i](Black's raises an eyebrow at the mere mention of Donny Damage coming out of retirement given that he's suggested it already.)[/i] [b][u]Samurai[/u] :[/b] "Don't look at me like that, it was just a joke." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "I didn't say anything." [b][u]Samurai[/u] :[/b] "You thought it. Loudly." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Perhaps. So, is Keith in filming his challenges just now?" [b][u]Samurai[/u] :[/b] [i](glad of the distraction)[/i] "Yeah. I told him to make a number of challenges that grew in level of frustration as they went. He really wants to get a hold of Don Henderson. Afterall, he answered the open challenge for a match with him back in January and he's yet to get it." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "And Henderson?" [b][u]Samurai[/u] :[/b] "He and Billy [Robinson] filmed their respons earlier. They've let everyone know that Don would love to accept the challenge but that they've already lined up a string of great tag teams to face over the coming months and it would be wrong to not honour those commitments." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Nice. I won't ask who the teams are but I assume you've got them organised already?" [b][u]Samurai[/u] :[/b] "I've been in touch." [i](As a protege of British Samurai, Black has been privvy to a lot more of ROF's booking plans than most people would ever know. Indeed, it's probable that he's helped booked more of the card and the angles than even he would realise. Samurai makes the final decisions about everything and books everyone for the shows but many of the ideas have been created or at least shaped by Black's creative mind. Unfortunately, one of the characters who has shaped themselves has just wandered back into the throng of activity and he hails Black and Samurai on his way over.)[/i] [b][u]Cooper[/u] :[/b] "Hey Black, there you are. I was getting worried that I wouldn't be able to crash on your couch tonight. You've been gone a long time you know." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Duty called. Had work to do." [b][u]Cooper[/u] :[/b] "And a beer to drink if my nose doesn't deceive me." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "The pub was the only place nearby that was open still. I needed their Wi-Fi connection." [b][u]Samurai[/u] :[/b] [i](his mobile phone ringing in his pocket)[/i] "Guys, I'd love to stay and chat but I've got to keep organising things around here. All work and no play and so on." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Catch you later, boss." [i](Only as Samurai is leaving for somewhere quieter does Black notice the magazine in Cooper's hand, spotting the familiar typeface and highly recognisable logo that all 14 year old boys try to get their hands on.)[/i] [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Dude! Why the hell do you have a copy of Playdude with you here? We're supposed to be working on promos for the website, not... I dread to think what you've been doing." [b][u]Cooper[/u] :[/b] "Chill out, this is still wrestling related. April's issue, it's got [b]Katie Cameron[/b]'s nude photoshoot in here. When I carry this around I get to mix business with pleasure. You should check it out, that [b]Jacob Jett[/b] guy is a lucky, lucky man." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Seriously dude, I sometimes worry about you." [b][u]Cooper[/u] :[/b] "Only sometimes? Besides, I don't see what the problem is. There was a bunch of guys back there all gathered around some magazine. I'm just glad I had my own copy." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "They're reading Merle's Wrestling News Ticker. It's... well, it's pretty much everything about wrestling written down. I'm sure he'd include videos if he could but thankfully he's not worked out how to do that on paper yet." [b][u]Cooper[/u] :[/b] "Sounds dull, boring, not interesting in any way.... sounds just like the sort of thing Merle does. Anyways, you worked out what we're doing for our promo yet?" [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "We're doing ours tomorrow. I figure since we'll be training together we could do something there. At the very least it's a different setting from the rest of the promos and it gives us more time to think." [b][u]Cooper[/u] :[/b] "More time to let the booze out of your system more like." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "I just had the one beer! The videos were taking ages to upload and the woman behind the bar was getting really snippy about me sitting there without buying stuff." [b][u]Cooper[/u] :[/b] "Sure. I believe you. Millions wouldn't." [i](Samurai returns from his phonecall at the same time as Keith Adams emerges from the promo room. The darkly lit room probably doesn't make for high quality video but there is at least a large ROF logo on the wall for people to stand in front of.)[/i] [b][u]Samurai[/u] :[/b] Cooper, you busy? [b][u]Cooper[/u] :[/b] "Not terribly at the moment." [b][u]Samurai[/u] :[/b] "Good, I want Merle to cut a promo. Go do camera duties for him while I speak to Black for a few minutes." [b][u]Cooper[/u] :[/b] "You want [i]Merle[/i] to do a promo? Is this the same Merle I know, the Black Hole of Charisma himself?" [b][u]Samurai[/u] :[/b] "Just do it. No-one is likely to get any better unless they get practise and I want everyone here to at least get a little practise. He may not be the most flambuoyant personality on the roster but you could learn a few things from him in the ring. More than a few." [b][u]Cooper[/u] :[/b] "I'm there already. Keep your hair on." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "You want to speak to me?" [b][u]Samurai[/u] :[/b] "I mostly wanted him to be kept out of the way for a few minutes. But I want to speak to you to. I just got off the phone with one of the teams I was wanting for the tag defenses. Seems they won't be able to make it. SO next month [b]The Shooters[/b] will be having a title rematch against the [b]Matin Twins[/b]. We also obviously have UK Dragon vs Burning EXILE, and I've decided that Keith Adams' challenges will be answered by Cooper too. He's ****y, it'll fit well enough into the show. [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Sounds good but where does that leave me?" [b][u]Samurai[/u] :[/b] "I figured I'd put you against Walter Morgan, I know you'll be able to learn a lot from him. He's an excellent guy so I'm sure he'll help you as much as possible. Earlier I told Merle he'll be up against [b]Petey Barnes[/b], it'll be interesting to see if he's picked anything up from everyone else's promos so far and used it in his. And lastly, I'll be going up against [b]Glen Ward[/b] again. I figure the "Angry Man" storyline can be stretched out through the summer too so I want him on board for that." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "When are we announcing the summer shows? Soon?" [b][u]Samurai[/u] :[/b] "Probably after the next show. I figure the website will need big news just after each show so that'll work well. I'm still trying to decide the final roster but I've got a few youngsters I've helped train lately. They might be ready for some proper shows." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Any new tag teams coming out of that lot?" [b][u]Samurai[/u] :[/b] "Perhaps. We'll just have to wait and see." [i](At that moment Cooper appears from the promo room, a perplexed look on his face and the video camera in his hand. Merle paces behind him with a stony look on his face that seems to be emotion free.)[/i] [b][u]Samurai[/u] :[/b] "Is everythin okay?" [b][u]Cooper[/u] :[/b] "Never play poker with this guy. He just stands there looking at the camera, not even twitching a muscle. He just stood there, silently for two minutes and didn't do a thing! Not a thing!" [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Cooper, calm down. Not everyone likes being in front of the camera. Some people have a sense of, what do you call it, decorum. Manners, even. Not everyone craves it like you do." [b][u]Cooper[/u] :[/b] "I don't crave it. I just really like it. Are we off yet? I'm tired and want to get some sleep, even if it is on your couch." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "Boss?" [b][u]Samurai[/u] :[/b] [i](smiling slightly)[/i] "Yeah, I think I've got everything done here. I'll see you two tomorrow to go over this. Myself and Donny will be sorting out the rest of the videos tonight if we can. Maybe tomorrow night if we have to. [b][u]Cooper[/u] :[/b] "Great. Tomorrow. Afternoon, not morning. I like to sleep in on Saturdays." [b][u]Black[/u] :[/b] "You like to sleep in [i]everyday[/i]." [b][u]Cooper[/u] :[/b] "Yeah, but I only get to do it at weekends. Sometimes." [i](And with that, Phillip Cooper and Christian Black join many of the other Ring of Fire athletes in heading home. Walter Morgan and Donny Damage join Samurai as part of a group with Merle. A quiet discussion is held between them.)[/i] [b][u]Samurai[/u] :[/b] "Merle, excellent work. How long did you manage to stay silent for?" [b][u]Merle[/u] :[/b] "About a minute and a half. Cooper looked ready to explode." [b][u]Damage[/u] :[/b] [i](in his gruff voice)[/i] "Hah! He cracked even more easily than I thought. I guess I owe you five pounds then Walter." [i](Damage hands over the money to Walter who smiles quietly. To some it would seem cruel to place bets on how long it would take to crack Cooper, forcing him to stay silent while Merle remains his stony faced self but to others it's clearly a great source of amusement. Merle doesn't laugh out loud like the others do but for the briefest of moments it almost looks like he cracks a faint smile. The scene fades to black.)[/i] [size=1][b][u]Quick Predictions for ROF Disciplined Mayhem[/u][/b] [b]ROF Championship[/b]: UK Dragon [i](c)[/i] vs Burning EXILE [b]ROF Tag Team Championship[/b]: The Shooters [i](c)[/i] vs The Martin Twins Keith Adams vs Phillip Cooper British Samurai vs Glen Ward Christian Black vs Walter Morgan Merle O'Curle vs Petey Barnes[/size] [center][IMG]http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c33/DerekB83/Journeyman/ROF%20People/ROF.jpg[/IMG] [i]...Journeyman...[/i][/center] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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