Welcome to the Coastal Zone: The First Five Years (2007-2011)

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Coastal Zone Championship Wrestling is the embodiment of the 'California Indy' -- using fast-paced workers to put on matches, they've been trend-setters but never hugely popular; they've made small profits but never been rich; their workers grow popular but not into household names. Owner Cliff Anderson was willing to stay on this path, but at the Zone's last show of 2006, they set out to Fargo, North Dakota for an end-of-year show... but bad luck lead to a crazed gunman trying to rob The Venue, and Cliff took a shot to the chest. He would recover, but he was unable to run the show that night; it was a random fan, there with his four-year-old son to introduce him to his unique style of wrestling, who found himself arranging the show and sending people out to get props, clothes, whatever. And when Cliff needed surgery, this fan wound up being roped into the Head Booker position, eventually moving from North Dakota to California. January 2012 marks the five-year aniversary of William Peers taking over the role of head booker for CZCW. W Under his leadership, the Zone has slowly grown, making headway into the Mexican market by becoming a melting pot of three styles: Califonia-American Cruiserweight, Purosu Lightweight, and Mexican Lucha Libre. Focusing on daredevil antics and an action-before-acting philosophy, they have... well, dwindled their budget down to the bare bones, but grown faster than at any point in their past. Join us now as we take a look at the people and history of the Coastal Zone. Staff The Coastal Zone's staff is a small, close-knit group. Cliff Anderson handles the business duties, while William Peers acts as head booker. Pee-Wee Germain is the Zone's long-serving referee, while while young Remmington Remus handles road agent and announcing duties. Remus was on his way to being a singles star in 2006, but a bike accident left him unable to compete; he has been the voice of the Zone for most of recent history and, given another five years, could easily be one of the best announcers in wrestling. The Jobbers The Coastal Zone employs a small group of jobbers, although they have been getting less ring-time as the Coastal Zone pushes towards larger status. Simon Ice showed up in the Zone with a decent match, but has yet to achieve that standard again; The Luna Twins are young luchadores who have great communication... but mediocre skills. The pair of William Crash and Zenshin Makioka may appear to have nothing in common, in reality the have great chemistry made them stand out from the normal jobber pack, although they've been unable to grow much beyond that. Finally, Ben Williams is able to bump around the ring, but lacks a serious offense. The Midcard In December of 2007, a backyard promotion called XDW shut down. Three of their wrestlers promptly found themselves in the Zone: Fearless Blue, Daredevil Aero, and Super Sonic were a minor force with their close ties and decent-enough-to-get-by flying skills. After a short time, they left the Zone... but in 2011, they returned, with fellow XDW friends Xavier Reckless and Extreme Deluxe, who would go on to steal the CZCW Title. With BSC Champion Dharma Gregg as their mouthpiece, they took over the Zone for a short time before finding their place in the midcard. Joining them there is Marc 'Speedball' Speed, who seems unable to make it as a singles star and so stays with the pack. The Uppercard The Zone's uppercard is strong in Lucha Libre talent, with Mexican names Angel de Mexico and Phoenix I as well as newcomer Amazing FireFly. Joinging them is long-time Zone veteran Snap Dragon, who has shown himself to be dependable and able to adapt to any style thrown at him. The Main Event Masked Cougar is one of the few Zone members to have been on the roster for the entirety of the last five years; While he only had a short championship run some time ago, he's still managed to stay near the top through sheer match quality. Nathaniel Casino came to the Zone at the begining of his career, and found himself in a long-running tag team with Marc Speed called 'Fast Money'. The team broke up recently, and Casino took part in a few singles matches with an eye towards improving himself his work in other promotions has made him popular enough to be considered one of the Zone's biggest names. Spanish Superfly is a big name in Mexico, but after spending a year without work, he came to the Zone at exactly the right time; when a #1 Contender left the Zone before his title match, they needed a big-name replacement. Superfly fit into the slot perfectly, ad has engaged in an extended feud with the champion. Roderick Remus came to the Zone when his brother Remmington did; having the announcer behind him might've helped get him over. While not as talented a high-flier as the other main eventers, he's also a good brawler and technician, and can get the crowd behind him. He's got an impressive resume, with a four-month CZCW Title reign, two CZCW Tidal Tag Title reigns, and three Xtreme Title reigns. He has not held gold in a year and a half, and is chomping at the bit to return to Zone glory. Alicia Strong. With the blood of Sam Strong in her veins, and trained by the best women Japan had to offer, Alicia has proven that in the Zone, the right women can still hang with the boys. She holds the record for the longest title reign in Zone history, holding it for just a few minutes short of a full year, and has slowly turned from the gung-ho tomboy to the stuck-up, privileged primadonna... who has taken part in some of the best matches in Zone history. The Titles Tidal Tag Titles The Tidal Tag Titles are midcard titles, mainly existing as a reason to give the midcard something to do, occasionally elevated to the level of giving the main eventers something to do. They have been held in the past by Air Force One, the Fly Boys, The Backyarders, The X-Factor, The Partners, The Savages, The Latino Kings, Fast Money, Moose & Remus, and The Mexican Revolution. The current champions, Marc Speed and Fearless Blue, are known as Blue Shift. Xtreme Title The Zone is already a daredevil promotion; the Xtreme Title is for those who go above and beyond the call of duty for daredevil stunts. Commonly defended in ladder and lucha libre matches, the Xtreme Title flip-flops between midcard and main event status depending on who holds it. Former champions include Insane Machine, Rod Remus, Sam 'Calamari Kid' Pratt, Ash 'Nemesis II' Campbell, Fox Mask, Plague, Angel de Mexico, El Leon, and Amazing FireFly, with Snap Dragon recently beginning his second reign. CZCW Title The big one, holding this title is proof that you don't just rule the Zone... you -are- the Zone. Almost always a main event title (except briefly in the eyes of fans during the XDW Invasion), this is the belt everyone wants, even if they say they don't. Former champions include Fox Mask, Donnie J and James P, Plague, Ultimate Phoenix, Rod Remus, Ash 'Nemesis II' Campbell, Citizen X, Masked Cougar, Extreme Deluxe (although we prefer not to talk about that), and Insane Machine. Alicia Strong once held the title for nearly a full year, and has recently begun her second reign. Plot Points Due to their blending of styles, the Coastal Zone is ripe with invasion angles. We've seen the arrival of the Mexican Revolution, of the Backyarders (and, later, XDW), and of DAVE. In all these cases, the groups not only were 'defeated', but eventually integrated into the Zone. Although currently, nobody from the DAVE group and only a couple names from the Mexican Revolution remain, XDW has basically become the Zone's midcard. Also due to their position as a slow-growing regional promotion, the Zone has lost their fair share of stars, either to outlandish salary ranges or simply not feeling the Zone was big enough. Ultimate Phoenix, Ash Campbell, Insane Machine, Fox Mask, Citizen X, Hugh de Aske, all have left the Zone for greater pastures, causing us to have to rewrite shows and plotlines on the fly. Most recently, Plague left while the #1 Contender, causing us to hire Spanish Superfly to take his place, only for Insane Machine (credited with a huge boost to the Zone's popularity in 2011) to leave a month later. What now? As things currently stand in the Zone, Alicia Strong holds the CZCW Title, with Spanish Superfly still the #1 Contender due to a match stipulation after the two went to a half-hour draw. Snap Dragon has taken the Xtreme Title in a four-way ladder match that saw FireFly lose his title and action from Insane Machine and Rod Remus. It remains to be seen if FireFly wants his title back, if Rod Remus wants another shot, or if they'll both be moving on to challenge for the CZCW Title. Blue Shift (Marc Speed and Fearless Blue) have won the Tidal Tag Titles; nobody is sure if this means Blue has split from XDW, if Speed has joined, or something else entirely. Behind the scenes, Peers has a reputation for waving the cash around, and the Zone's finances have gotten so bad that Cliff Anderson has threatened him with firing several times if he doesn't improve. At the same time, this style has allowed the Zone to become popular in Mexico thanks to their TV show 'Welcome to the Coastal Zone' on Los Desportes Hoy. They are currently planning a big push in the attempt to become a larger promotion, but have lost two main eventers in the last two months, and could very well lose more this year. Will they be able to grow as large as they want to... and will it be a good thing? Will they be able to compete with the Lucha feds that have dominated Mexico, or the American promotions that run that country? Welcome to the Coastal Zone begins [URL="http://www.greydogsoftware.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19457"]here[/URL]. The next five years begins [URL="http://www.greydogsoftware.com/forum/showpost.php?p=241377&postcount=433"]here[/URL].