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[Dragonmack]

ROF Napalm Nightmare – November 2011 ROF Talisman Title [B]Billy Robinson[/B] © vs Hugh de Aske [I]Even if De Aske is the one taking Robinson's spot at the cusp of the main event, he doesn't get served by having the title again, so Robinson retains[/I] The Show Stealers & Geordie Jimmy vs [B]Warriors of Honour & Kevin Jones[/B] [I]The former owner does the honors for the current owner as he gets his team back in the tag title hunt.[/I] Nigel Svensson vs [B]UK Dragon[/B] [I]Svennson's time will come, but it isn't now, and it isn't against the Dragon.[/I] ROF Tag Team Titles High and Low © vs ??? [I]Draw [/I] 8-man Tag Elimination [B]Dark Angel’s Team[/B] vs Rolling Johnny Stones’ team [I]DA's team of fanatics over RJS's hodgepodge team of 4:20'ers.[/I] ROF Championship [B]Jack Giedroyc[/B] © vs Merle O’Curle [I]The Wrath retains once again, setting O'Curle over the edge and into a seriously dark place from which to eventually face Dark Angel.[/I]

[Beeker]

[B][U][COLOR="Orange"]ROF Napalm Nightmare – November 2011[/COLOR][/U][/B] ROF Talisman Title Billy Robinson © vs [B]Hugh de Aske[/B] [I]- Short reign for Billy R as Danny D cries. And I take the stance of always picking *against* Billy R coz then eventually I'll be right! Actually I'm joking because if Robinson loses here his pretty much fast tracked to working up in MoSC.[/I] [B]The Show Stealers & Geordie Jimmy[/B] vs Warriors of Honour & Kevin Jones [I]- Kevin Jones... one last job for the departing Geordie from Newcastle. [/I] Nigel Svensson vs [B]UK Dragon[/B] [I]- I like the INSPIRE vs. WLW possibilities and if it centers around Svensson and UK Dragon all the better. Dragon pips Svensson at the post... or would it be the pillar?[/I] ROF Tag Team Titles High and Low © vs [B]???[/B] [I]- I was gonna pick Saint and Matyr but they're otherwise disposed so instead the Russians are coming, the Russians are coming! Khoklov and Doloskov hit the PPV and clothesline the heeeeeeeeeeeed off of some Highspottin' Lowlife! Never bet against the ???s.[/I] 8-man Tag Elimination [B]Dark Angel’s Team[/B] vs Rolling Johnny Stones’ team [I]- Free Spirit RJS finds three like Free Spirits and they all do their own thing, man. Whereas the Angels in Facepaint cheat to win! Seraphym still jobs though. Dark Angel is likely the last angel standing.[/I] ROF Championship [B]Jack Giedroyc ©[/B] vs Merle O’Curle [I]- I like grumpy Merle. Angry Merle. Disgruntled Merle. So Giedroyc crashes onwards n' upwards as he finally gets to rule the RoF and all of Britain for an extended spell.[/I]

[Tigerkinney]

[U]ROF Talisman Title [/U][B]Billy Robinson ©[/B] vs Hugh de Aske [I]Can't see Robinson dropping the Talisman belt just yet[/I] Nigel Svensson vs [B]UK Dragon[/B] [I]I think that eventually Svensson will get the big singles victory over one of the big guns and it could well be Dragon, but not this time.[/I] [U]ROF Tag Team Titles[/U] High and Low © [B]vs ???[/B] [I]My initial thought was that Cool Breeze would step up and challenge for the tag belts , but then Beeker came up with his 'Russians' idea and I think that has some mileage too. Either way I think the mystery team nabs the belts.[/I] [I]Even though High and Low have been much better in this title run (though it still wouldn't be a particularly long one), I feel they are the sort of underdog duo that are more convincing chasing the titles, rather than being the dominant force at the top of the tag division.[/I] [U]8-man Tag Elimination[/U] [B]Dark Angel’s Team[/B] vs Rolling Johnny Stones’ team [I]I don't see either of the Morgan's in action on this show, so I think they are a strong possibility to be on Stones team, who have also recently had issues with Dark Angel, so I think Stones will bring along the heavy artillery, that being said Angel and his acolytes will somehow find a way to sneak out the win[/I] [U]ROF Championship[/U] [B]Jack Giedroyc ©[/B] vs Merle O’Curle [I]I'm with everyone else on this one, and I'm hoping O'Curle's failure to get the better of Giedroyc, sends him 'over the edge' [/I] I also think the show will see Jeri Behr make a surprise appearance and 'promote' her nude shoot in XTC magazine with a live strip-tease[I] ;)[/I]

[DannyDemon]

ROF Napalm Nightmare – November 2011 ROF Talisman Title [B]Billy Robinson ©[/B] vs Hugh de Aske For Beeker's sake ill pick Billy. :p [B]The Show Stealers & Geordie Jimmy [/B]vs Warriors of Honour & Kevin Jones You can't let him go without a win. [B]Nigel Svensson [/B]vs UK Dragon Svensson wins with a Hyper Extension armlock, cant let him lose it'll stop his build up. ROF Tag Team Titles High and Low © vs [B]???[/B] I'm gonna go with the russian feeling thats going on. 8-man Tag Elimination [B]Dark Angel’s Team[/B] vs Rolling Johnny Stones’ team Gonna go with the dark Angel theme thats going on. ROF Championship [B]Jack Giedroyc ©[/B] vs Merle O’Curle Boo Who O'Curle lose's again.

[Marcel Fromage]

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[Phantom Stranger]

I have to say, I'm surprised your PPV buyrate's only around there. I imagine your popularity's well above mine but my last buyrate was 0.14. Maybe it's time to look at running a show or two in Europe? Some of your crew should have some overness there to help...

[Marcel Fromage]

[QUOTE=Phantom Stranger;351823]I have to say, I'm surprised your PPV buyrate's only around there. I imagine your popularity's well above mine but my last buyrate was 0.14. Maybe it's time to look at running a show or two in Europe? Some of your crew should have some overness there to help...[/QUOTE] To be honest, the buyrate is really fluctuating. If I hold shows on a Saturday, it's reasonable. Hold them on Fridays or Tuesdays, and they drop considerably. But I'm really feeling the pinch in trying to find a day when all my workers are available. That said, looking into my crystal ball (!), December's buyrate is likely to be considerably better. As for Europe, all my tv shows and PPVs are broadcast there, and ROF's popularity across Europe is the same as in the Midlands and Scotland. But running shows there makes no real financial sense at present. And I wouldn't bank on the fact that I'm way ahead on popularity. Your ROF was putting on higher quality shows way earlier than mine was. You hit cult earlier, I think. And you've been running 2 brands and therefore more shows per month for a while now. I'd imagine that where you are at year end 2010 is about where I am at year end 2011. Put it this way...I'm currently up to mid 2012 in my game, and I'm still a fair way off hitting National! :D

[Shmoe]

I set up my diary promotion at the end of January 2008. I'm now in March 2010 and still the same size I was when I started, but with higher prestige and popularity running my shows on the net. That said, I did only just start running weekly events in February 2010, so I didn't gain as much popularity as fast. And now for something completely different. Once again, your show was awesome, congrats on being a cult promotion and running ANOTHER A rated show! I don't know how you do it, seeing as TCW managed to clamber from cult to international doing B- or B rated shows only, so you should have easily reached national by now. Still, I'm sure you'll get there soon. Good to see Giedroyc hold onto the belt, and a bit dissapointed to see High and Low drop the straps. Overall, stellar. Again.

[Beeker]

Whooo! Red Mafia! I called it! Whooo!

[Phantom Stranger]

[QUOTE=Marcel Fromage;351830] Put it this way...I'm currently up to mid 2012 in my game, and I'm still a fair way off hitting National! :D[/QUOTE] Oh, believe me, so am I. I wouldn't be surprised to manage it too far from now, but it'll be by a marginal amount only, I think - and I suspect that any speed I make beyond yours will be due to the deeper talent pool from deactivating the worker areas. (The downside to which really is trying to get people over from 0.0% popularity while trying to maintain B- ratings or higher for your shows, mind.)

[Marcel Fromage]

[QUOTE=Phantom Stranger;351854]Oh, believe me, so am I. I wouldn't be surprised to manage it too far from now, but it'll be by a marginal amount only, I think - and I suspect that any speed I make beyond yours will be due to the deeper talent pool from deactivating the worker areas. (The downside to which really is trying to get people over from 0.0% popularity while trying to maintain B- ratings or higher for your shows, mind.)[/QUOTE] I still haven't quite figured out how much overness plays into the ratings. I think it makes a marginal difference but not a huge one with ROF. I'm 6 months or so ahead in the game towards the diary, and at that point I'm already at the level needed for National in the South, and right on the cusp in the North. But Midlands and Scotland are still some way off (about 9% to make up...which is a long way!). To be honest, National won't benefit me hugely anyway. I have a big roster and only use workers a couple of times per month (3 max), and most of my top guys are shared with other promotions who will have higher prestige than me at National and with whom I currently have working agreements - without those I'd already be without UK Dragon, Dark Angel, Marat Khoklov, Oleg Dorosklov and Nigel Svensson. So at the moment I'm not really pushing it towards National. I'm just playing the game and if and when National comes, so be it. I need to make some money at Cult first anyway! :D

[Marcel Fromage]

[QUOTE=Shmoe;351837]Once again, your show was awesome, congrats on being a cult promotion and running ANOTHER A rated show! I don't know how you do it, seeing as TCW managed to clamber from cult to international doing B- or B rated shows only, so you should have easily reached national by now. Still, I'm sure you'll get there soon. Good to see Giedroyc hold onto the belt, and a bit dissapointed to see High and Low drop the straps. Overall, stellar. Again.[/QUOTE] Tigerkinney hit the nail on the head a few posts back with High and Low - its easier having them chasing the belts than holding them. Thanks for the kind comments. I think the reason I'm not moving up in popularity too fast is because my weekly tv shows aren't really aimed at getting great ratings. I only expect those to be B- or B, simply because I don't have that many great workers who can put on stellar matches, and I don't want to burn out the few top guys against each other all the time. So whilst I've nailed a couple of A grade PPV shows, the tv ones are less good. [QUOTE=Beeker;351842]Whooo! Red Mafia! I called it! Whooo![/QUOTE] Yeah, a few of you called it! Never realised I was that transparent! :D To be honest, with Khoklov's stamina not really making him a viable long-term main eventer in ROF, and Dorosklov's psychology being less than stellar, I thought a tag team was a good way to go with them. Plus it shakes up that division a little.

[Phantom Stranger]

[QUOTE=Marcel Fromage;351905]I still haven't quite figured out how much overness plays into the ratings. I think it makes a marginal difference but not a huge one with ROF. [/QUOTE] Part of it is just that I'm including angles. If overness is less than C, maybe C+, the angle reliably drops by two grades - so the more people who can reach an overness of at least C+ the better. (Davis has reached the point where he can reliably score B- to B+ angles depending on momentum, which is fantastic - see the end of my last PPV, where his and Joey's overness following an A* match led to an angle involving six other people scoring a B - a major boon when I'm trying to bring everyone else up).

[Marcel Fromage]

[CENTER][IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/MarcelFromage/ROF/Wrestler%20Pics/ROF2011.jpg[/IMG] ______________________________ [IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/MarcelFromage/ROF/Wrestler%20Pics/Pyromania11.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/MarcelFromage/ROF/Wrestler%20Pics/BillyRobinson2ROF.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/MarcelFromage/ROF/Wrestler%20Pics/VSborder4-1.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/MarcelFromage/ROF/Wrestler%20Pics/HughdeAskeROF.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/MarcelFromage/ROF/Wrestler%20Pics/VSborder4-1.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/MarcelFromage/ROF/Wrestler%20Pics/KevinJonesROF.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/MarcelFromage/ROF/Wrestler%20Pics/VSborder4-1.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/MarcelFromage/ROF/Wrestler%20Pics/NigelSvenssonROF2.jpg[/IMG] [U][FONT="Georgia"][SIZE="3"]ROF Talisman Title[/SIZE][/FONT][/U] [FONT="Century Gothic"][SIZE="3"]Billy Robinson © vs Hugh de Aske vs Kevin Jones vs Nigel Svensson[/SIZE][/FONT] [I]October saw the last title change for the Talisman belt, with Billy Robinson winning a 4th title when he was challenged by the then champion Hugh de Aske. Robinson successfully defended the title at Napalm Nightmare against the Crossbreed Pirate, but now comes up against not only de Aske, but another former champion in Nigel Svensson, and the always dangerous Kevin Jones, who is desperate for a first taste of ROF gold.[/I] [IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/MarcelFromage/ROF/Wrestler%20Pics/EXILEROF6.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/MarcelFromage/ROF/Wrestler%20Pics/VSborder.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/MarcelFromage/ROF/Wrestler%20Pics/GregGauge2ROF.jpg[/IMG] [FONT="Century Gothic"][SIZE="3"]Burning EXILE vs Greg Gauge[/SIZE][/FONT] [I]These two men became tag partners and short-lived tag champions during EXILE’s first stint in ROF back in 2009. However EXILE suddenly disappeared, vacating the tag belts which were then won by Greg and brother Matt. It transpires that EXILE was unhappy with Gauge comparing him unfavourably as a partner to his brother, so EXILE cut his losses. He returned at the King of the Ring and went at it with ‘Double G’. Which of these two former tag champions will come out on top now that they finally meet one-on-one?[/I] [IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/MarcelFromage/ROF/Wrestler%20Pics/RedMafiaROF.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/MarcelFromage/ROF/Wrestler%20Pics/VSborder3.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/MarcelFromage/ROF/Wrestler%20Pics/HighandLow2011.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/MarcelFromage/ROF/Wrestler%20Pics/VSborder3.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/MarcelFromage/ROF/Wrestler%20Pics/ShowStealersROF.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/MarcelFromage/ROF/Wrestler%20Pics/VSborder3.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/MarcelFromage/ROF/Wrestler%20Pics/WarriorsofHonour.jpg[/IMG] [U][FONT="Georgia"][SIZE="3"]ROF Tag Team Titles[/SIZE][/FONT][/U] [FONT="Century Gothic"][SIZE="3"]Red Mafia © vs High and Low vs The Show Stealers vs Warriors of Honour[/SIZE][/FONT] [I]Whilst Show Stealers and Warriors of Honour were otherwise engaged at Napalm Nightmare, the new team of Red Mafia snuck in and seized the opportunity to defeat the tag champions High and Low. Now the Russian duo of Khoklov and Dorosklov are pitched into the most difficult of defences straight away, as three sets of former champions look to regain the gold. Red Mafia have the size and skill to dominate this division, but these three opponents will provide a very stern examination of their championship credentials.[/I] [IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/MarcelFromage/ROF/Wrestler%20Pics/DarkAngelROF.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/MarcelFromage/ROF/Wrestler%20Pics/VSborder.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/MarcelFromage/ROF/Wrestler%20Pics/RollingJohnnyStonesROF.jpg[/IMG] [FONT="Century Gothic"][SIZE="3"]Dark Angel vs Rolling Johnny Stones[/SIZE][/FONT] [I]This rivalry started back at the King of the Ring when these men drew numbers 1 and 2. Stones eliminated Angel, which heightened Angel’s wish to see Stones suffer as the next victim on his crusade. Angel did win against Stones in singles action at Light Up The Night, but only through much interference from his minions. Stones put together a strong team to take on Angel’s acolytes last month at Napalm Nightmare and gain a modicum of revenge. But now the men meet again – will there be major Stones in the road on Angel’s crusade?[/I] [IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/MarcelFromage/ROF/Wrestler%20Pics/WrathofGodROF.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/MarcelFromage/ROF/Wrestler%20Pics/VSborder2.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/MarcelFromage/ROF/Wrestler%20Pics/MerleOCurleROF.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/MarcelFromage/ROF/Wrestler%20Pics/VSborder2.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/MarcelFromage/ROF/Wrestler%20Pics/UKDragonROF.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/MarcelFromage/ROF/Wrestler%20Pics/VSborder2.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/MarcelFromage/ROF/Wrestler%20Pics/WalterMorganROF.jpg[/IMG] [U][FONT="Georgia"][SIZE="3"]ROF Championship[/SIZE][/FONT][/U] [FONT="Century Gothic"][SIZE="3"]Jack Giedroyc © vs Merle O’Curle vs UK Dragon vs Walter Morgan[/SIZE][/FONT] [I]Jack Giedroyc has had a great run as champion. He has put on stellar matches with all 3 of his opponents in this bout and has each time found a way to keep the title around his waist. He defended the title against O’Curle in both August and November, against Dragon in September, and against King of the Ring winner Morgan in October. But will all 3 of these tough athletes at once prove too much for the Wrath of God?[/I] _____________________________[/CENTER] [B]ROF Pyromania – December 2011[/B] [U]ROF Talisman Title[/U] Billy Robinson © vs Hugh de Aske vs Kevin Jones vs Nigel Svensson Burning EXILE vs Greg Gauge [U]ROF Tag Team Titles[/U] Red Mafia © vs High and Low vs The Show Stealers vs Warriors of Honour Dark Angel vs Rolling Johnny Stones [U]ROF Championship[/U] Jack Giedroyc © vs Merle O’Curle vs UK Dragon vs Walter Morgan

[Dragonmack]

ROF Pyromania – December 2011 ROF Talisman Title [B]Billy Robinson[/B] © vs Hugh de Aske vs Kevin Jones vs Nigel Svensson [I]Robinson is still slightly above his current competition.[/I] Burning EXILE vs [B]Greg Gauge[/B] [I]For all the hype, I have never really seen Burning EXILE tear it up outside of Japan.[/I] ROF Tag Team Titles [B]Red Mafia [/B]© vs High and Low vs The Show Stealers vs Warriors of Honour [I]The Red Menace continues to lower the iron curtain on the tag division.[/I] [B]Dark Angel[/B] vs Rolling Johnny Stones [I]DA over RJS due to some shenanigans outside the ring.[/I] ROF Championship Jack Giedroyc © vs Merle O’Curle vs [B]UK Dragon[/B] vs Walter Morgan [I]THe Dragon regains the top spot, if only to be torn apart by O'Curle in a rematch.[/I]

[Tigerkinney]

ROF Talisman Title [B]Billy Robinson ©[/B] vs Hugh de Aske vs Kevin Jones vs Nigel Svensson [I]I agree with D-Mack, Robinson seems to be that slight level above the competition, right now for who the 'top mid-carder' is right now in ROF..despite the recent time limit draw with Svensson.[/I] [I]Order of Elimination (first to last):De Aske (by Jones) , Jones (by Svensson), Svensson (by Robinson)[/I] [B]Burning EXILE[/B] vs Greg Gauge [I]This one could really either go either way, but I think Gauge will get his first big win, since who knows how long.[/I] ROF Tag Team Titles [B]Red Mafia ©[/B] vs High and Low vs The Show Stealers vs Warriors of Honour [I]Red Mafia Krushski > Rest of the Tag Division[/I] [I]Order of Elimination: High and Low, Warriors of Honour, Showstealers (Red Mafia eliminate all of them) [/I] [B]Dark Angel[/B] vs Rolling Johnny Stones [I]I think Angel will get his 'mission' back on track, but it wont be through fair means as his minnions once again interfere.[/I] ROF Championship Jack Giedroyc © vs Merle O’Curle vs UK Dragon vs [B]Walter Morgan[/B] [I]I think each time this match has been run the champion has managed to retain, so I think one of the challengers will finally buck the trend. I'm actually enjoying O'Curle not having the belt (don't get me wrong I like O'Curle, but it freshens things up to see him chasing the champion), U.K Dragon could be another good option but he's already had title runs. So I'm going to out of a limb here and say that Walter Morgan finally gets the job done to earn his first title run. [/I] [I]Order of Elimination: U.K Dragon (by Morgan), O'Curle (by Giedroyc, Giedroyc (by Morgan)[/I]

[Marcel Fromage]

[QUOTE=Tigerkinney;352393]ROF Championship Jack Giedroyc © vs Merle O’Curle vs UK Dragon vs [B]Walter Morgan[/B] I think each time this match has been run the champion has managed to retain, so I think one of the challengers will finally buck the trend.[/QUOTE] 2007 - O'Curle retained against Stoat, Dragon & Samurai 2008 - Dragon beat JD Morgan, O'Curle & Stoat to win the title from Morgan 2009 - O'Curle retained against Stones, Dragon & Walter Morgan 2010 - Stones retained against O'Curle, Dragon & Robinson As you can see from my dip into ROF history, the title has changed hands once in this match. Interesting footnote to the match is that O'Curle and Dragon are both taking part in it for the 5th time. It's Morgan's 2nd appearance and Giedroyc, as champ, is participating for the first time.

[Beeker]

[QUOTE=Marcel Fromage;351907]Yeah, a few of you called it! Never realised I was that transparent! :D To be honest, with Khoklov's stamina not really making him a viable long-term main eventer in ROF, and Dorosklov's psychology being less than stellar, I thought a tag team was a good way to go with them. Plus it shakes up that division a little.[/QUOTE] Not transparent, but I took a shot at who wasn't on the card and the Red Mafia made more sense than Cool Breeze. Everyone after me supported my fantasy booking. Coz it seemed plausible. And it was still a badass debut. It does shake things up nice. Enjoyed seeing a team jump to the top of the rankings. And yes, I'll be back to edit in some predictions. Quite possibly AFTER Pyromania is posted. :D *** ROF Talisman Title Billy Robinson © vs Hugh de Aske vs [B]Kevin Jones[/B] vs Nigel Svensson [I]- Now that Kevin Jones has a finisher I think he steals the win here, because he's got a semi-legitimate finisher and this sort of match allows anything to happen. And I want to see Kevin prove his worth.[/I] Burning EXILE vs [B]Greg Gauge[/B] [I]- Could go either way, but with EXILE unreliable at best, I think Gauge offers more upside than the Burninating one.[/I] ROF Tag Team Titles [B]Red Mafia ©[/B] vs High and Low vs The Show Stealers vs Warriors of Honour [I]- Moscow Lariat decapitates someone other than British Samurai.[/I] [B]Dark Angel[/B] vs Rolling Johnny Stones [I]- I've said it before, Dark Angel falls to either Dragon or O'Curle. RJS won last month, Dark Alba wins this one... almost cleanish.[/I] ROF Championship Jack Giedroyc © vs Merle O’Curle vs UK Dragon vs [B]Walter Morgan[/B] [I]- Because I thought Walter had missed his chance but if he's ever gonna taste RoF gold, it's in a match like this. It'll be a short reign, but a reign none-the-less. Still more credible than Justin Credible's ECW title though.[/I]

[Bad Blood]

[FONT="Microsoft Sans Serif"]Great stuff Marcel. Have read through most of this and am hooked! Once I get up to date, I'll get a few predictions up for you.[/FONT]

[Marcel Fromage]

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[Phantom Stranger]

Naturally enough, I'm keeping an eye out for Joey, and it seems like he's doing well for you so far...

[Marcel Fromage]

[CENTER][U][FONT="Book Antiqua"][SIZE="4"]2011 - THE YEAR IN REVIEW[/SIZE][/FONT][/U] [QUOTE]OOC - In this end of year review, the promotions are done by game area, and within that area are listed in order of current importance.[/QUOTE] [U]North America[/U][/CENTER] [B]NOTBPW[/B] remains the undisputed king in Canada and the US and they had another solid year, even if their attempts to break the Stone monopoly at the top were scuppered. Omar Brown was the man the company was being built around, with a 12-month title reign already behind him when he was struck by a major concussion in September. The title was vacated and eventually found its way on to the previous champion Duane Stone. The All-Action belt is also on a Stone – Edd Stone on his 7th reign – although both Jacob Jett and John Maverick held that belt in 2011. The tag belts are rarely defended and swapped mid-year from Sean Deeley & Harrison Hash back to the ever reliable Can-Am Blondes. New NOTBPW signings included Zeus Maxmillion, Primus Allen, Scout and new Women’s champ Eve Grunge. Gregg Boone and Tamara McFly left. [B]TCW[/B] ended the year in the news as 2 stalwarts of the roster left. Both Squeeky McClean and Wolf Hawkins were released at the end of their contracts, with TCW preferring to bring in Robbie Retro from SWF. Randall Hopkirk and Harry Allen also parted ways with the company in 2011. Their only other newcomer was also their biggest success – Greg Gauge really impressed since joining the promotion. Tommy Cornell won the World title from Zimmy Bumfhole in March and has held it ever since. Jungle Jack won his 2nd International title from the outgoing Hawkins. And BLZ Bubb and Texas Pete have held the tag straps for the entire year. [B]CGC[/B] continues to run steadily despite a seemingly ever-changing roster. This year saw them become the land of the giants as they added both Bruce The Giant and Marat Khoklov to the roster, along with Big Smack Scott. Runaway Train left, as did Primus Allen to join NOTBPW. Steve DeColt started and finished the year as World champion, with his brother Alex relieving him of the belt for a chunk of the year in between. Both are now 6-time champions. The Canadian title was more fluid. It started the year in the hands of Trent Shaffer, but he soon relinquished it to Stan Manna. He then lost the belt to Carlos Hawkins, only for Hawkins to leave the company and drop the belt to Dan DaLay. History then repeated itself at the end of the year, as DaLay left and the belt went to Frederique Antonio Garcia. [B]DaVE[/B] was voted the most improved promotion by Pro Wrestling Hits in 2011. They lost Scout to NOTBPW and Rhino Umaga to INSPIRE and replaced them with the less reliable Big Smack Scott and Brendan Idol, but didn’t seem to suffer too much as a result. The top end of the roster has seen little change, as the Unified title switched from Jack Giedroyc to Big Cat Brandon and on to current champ Chris Caulfield. Trent Shaffer held the Brass Knuckles belt for most of the year, with a short Acid reign in the middle. Shaffer also holds the tag belts with Shawn Gonzalez. [B]SWF[/B] continues to be a shadow of its former self. Current champion Runaway Train and Eric Eisen continued to share the World title between them – no one else has got near the belt since 2009. Steven Parker injected some new life into the North American title when he defeated the departing Akima Brave for the belt in August. The unlikely duo of Mainstream Hernandez and Jumbo Shrimp hold the tag titles. SWF suffered from losing Greg Gauge and Robbie Retro to TCW in 2011, bringing in Bruce The Giant, Hugh de Aske, newcomer Leroy Summers and TCW reject Harry Allen to compensate. USPW seemed incapable of hanging on to their champion. Mick Muscles won the belt from Jumbo Shrimp in June, only to drop it back to him in September when Muscles decided to leave. Shrimp would soon follow, meaning the belt was moved on to Nevada Nuclear. But rumour has it that he also feels he has outgrown the rather stagnant promotion. Muscle-men Primus Allen and Gargantuan also moved on to pastures new, whilst the jailing of Tribal Warrior brought USPW to the public’s attention for all the wrong reasons (Warrior also departed the company). They did make some promising signings though at the back end of 2011, as the likes of Joss Thompson, Ernest Youngman and Lewis Vibert point towards a better USPW future. [B]RIPW[/B] continue to run a monthly show and Professor Nero and Shane Sneer continue to keep the ship steady. In fact, RIPW are rather scarily close in prestige now to their parent company SWF. Their very settled roster has seen no changes at all in 2011. Rodger Dodger dropped their title to the more skilled Thomas Morgan in July. The tag belts have been on Aristocrat and Mikey James for nearly 4 years now. [B]CZCW[/B] were unlucky not to be named most improved promotion of 2011. The all-action promotion are extremely popular in the South-West of the US now, with their tv show CZCW Direct pulling in decent ratings. Head booker Chris Caulfield lost and then won back the Coastal Zone Championship from Brendan Idol, who then left the company. Other notable departures included former champion Nate Johnson, Citizen X, Insane Machine and Sayeed Ali. In came Valiant and youngsters Ash Campbell, Gargantuan and Leroy Summers. Bart Biggz and Remmy Skye have been swapping the Xtreme title all year. [B]MAW[/B] has kept things going pretty well since the death of Rip Chord, with Alex Braun and Black Hat Bailey now running things. Former Rip Chord Invitational winner Kid Toma has been a successful and long-running champion for 18 months now, whilst this year’s Invitational winner was Lead Belly. MAW suffered the losses of former champ Stevie Grayson, Primus Allen and Rhino Umaga, although 2011 also saw the return to the company of the popular Des Davids. [B]NYCW[/B] continues to survive, as they also try to develop their product and roster. The presence of the likes of Black Eagle, Calamari Kid, Matt Sparrow and Remmy Skye means that high-flying is far more prominent these days, particularly shown by Rudy Velasquez winning the Empire belt from Kid Toma in June. Youngster Ernest Youngman joined up, as did Stevie Grayson, although the recent loss of Hugh de Aske shows that NYCW are still unable to hold on to name wrestlers for long. [B]4C [/B]has had a very quiet 2011. November saw their main title change hands for the first time in 2 years as the long reign of Guide was ended by Mainstream Hernandez. The only changes to the roster during the calendar year were former champion Carlos Hawkins leaving and being replaced by Frederique Antonio Garcia. It has to be said that while Chris Caulfield develops CZCW, DaVE colleague Shawn Gonzalez is not having the same effect at 4C [B]ACPW[/B] opened in 2011, offering a classic wrestling style to Canada under the rule of ‘Mammoth’ Wayne Dubeski and Teddy Powell. They put together an interesting roster of veterans and newcomers who hadn’t been given a chance in North America, such as Cameron Vessey, Casey Valentine, Jared Johnson, Frankie Dee and Raphael. Harry Wilson was the inaugural champion, but he only managed one defence before the belt moved on to their most recognisable face – Big Cat Brandon. Women’s wrestling continues to be very well represented in North America. Not only is NOTBPW’s women’s division still going strong, but independent companies [B]QAW[/B] and [B]CWWF[/B] continue to thrive. Older promotions [B]AAA[/B] and [B]BSC[/B] have been somewhat left behind, but are surviving too. CWWF is currently the leading women’s promotion, with Larry Wood at the helm and the ever-fluctuating Bart Biggz and Leo Davis booking it. Suzanne Brazzle held their main title all the way through 2011. In QAW, Brazzle is the head booker. Their titles have an old-fashioned feel as Catherine Quine holds their premier belt and Joanne Rodriguez the secondary title. Quine won the main belt after it was vacated by the retiring Suzue Katayama. Quine was also the AAA Femme Fatale until the back end of 2011, when Wanda Fish won that belt for the 5th time. BSC continue to cater to a specific audience, with Dharma Gregg on top of the company at present. [CENTER][U]Japan[/U][/CENTER] The wrestling landscape in Japan saw a major change in 2011, with both WLW and INSPIRE beginning to offer written contracts to workers. [B]BHOTWG[/B] has cemented its place at the head of the Japanese wrestling industry. Their toughest moment of the year came with the retirement of all-time great Elemental II, who then decided against re-signing as a backstage employee. He did go out as the reigning and 10 time Burning Junior champ, a title which was then vacated before being won by Golden Scorpion and then Awesome Kiyaru. The World title began and ended the year in the hands of Hiroaki Nakasawa, but saw lots of changes in between. Eiji Hamacho won it in April and held it until October, making more defences then any other BHOTWG champion in the last 5 years. He lost it to Yasunobu Masuno, who quickly passed it on to touring wrestler and surprise winner Wael Hossam. However, the Egyptian left mid-tour when INSPIRE made his contract an exclusive written one, and he dropped the belt back to Nakasawa. VENOM returned from a long injury to win the Best of the Super Juniors tournament. And the Openweight title was retired and replaced with the Arena title, won by Fukusabaru Inao. Roy Edison was their only notable signing of the year. [B]WLW[/B], with their manic touring schedule, firmly replaced PGHW as the number 2 promotion in Japan. They had a consistent roster, with nobody leaving or joining, save for the touring wrestlers. Toshiharu Hyobanshi won the Universal title from The Great Hisato in January, but lost it back to Hisato in April. Hyobanshi would soon be once again on the injured list. Hisato meanwhile lost the belt to owner Koji Kojima, who then was beaten for the gold by Young Wrestler of the Year Bussho Makiguchi. The Show Stealer belt had an exciting year, being passed back and forth at a rate of knots. UK Dragon held the belt 3 times during the calendar year, with Magnum KOBE holding it twice and short reigns for Silver Shark and Eagle Kawasawa. Eventually The Incredible Koyama won it for his 6th reign in November. [B]PGHW[/B] saw a major change at the top of the company. PRIDE Koiso, released in 2010 and who had a short BHOTWG tour, returned to the company and won their Glory Crown title in July. Prior to the Koiso reign, it had been held by old hands Mito Miwa and Yoshimi Mushashibo in the early part of the year. The year ended on a sour note for Mushashibo, as a major concussion left him on the shelf indefinitely. Long-time Historical Japan champ Akinori Kwakami was finally beaten for that title by touring wrestler Dark Angel, only for Angel not to return to defend the title on the next tour. The vacated belt was claimed by Raymond Diaz, and is now in the hands of Noriyori Sanda. The Elite Series tournament was won for the 2nd time by Mito Miwa, whilst Inukai and Mushashibo won the Tag Tournament for the 4th straight year, and 8th time in total. [B]INSPIRE[/B] had an excellent 2011. They extended their roster considerably, bringing in the likes of Dark Angel, Nigel Svensson, Stone Yoshikawa, Hyosuke Kokan, Enforcer Roberts, Sotatsu Sarumara, Rhino Umaga, Tiger Fuyuki and Marat Khoklov. Their sole King of Fighters title remained the height of the promotion, changing hands from Mike Watson to Masaaki Okazaki in June, and then on to 46 year old Raul Hughes in November. INSPIRE did lose the likes of Roy Edison, Henry Bennett and Eagle Kawasawa as Japan’s wrestlers suddenly had to choose one place of work over another as the four main promotions started to divide and conquer. [B]5SSW[/B], who nearly went out of business a few years back, continued their renaissance with a new generation at the forefront. Kiko Sakakibara became the latest big-name former champion to hang up her boots, leaving space to be filled in the main event. Dragon Assassin began the year as champion, but surprisingly lost the belt to Joanne Rodriguez, winning it back a couple of months later. Another American came to the attention of the Japanese public then when Alicia Strong won the title and held it for most of the rest of the year before losing it to young Japanese starlet Fuyuko Higa. [B]HINOTE[/B] and [B]SAISHO[/B] continue to groom talent for the major companies. SAISHO took on Henry Bennett on a development deal, replacing ‘Classic’ Mistunari Fugunaga, who had been forced into early retirement. Toyokuni Hardcore continues to hold their Destiny title, now retaining that title for over 2 years. At HINOTE, Roku Sotomura has already held their title for over 12 months. Their only roster alteration was brining in Namboku Makuda on a developmental deal. [CENTER][U]Mexico[/U][/CENTER] [B]SOTBPW[/B] remain the leaders in Mexico and is still the only promotion there offering written deals to workers. Their roster settled down in 2011, with only Electrico departing. There was also solidity with the main title, as Pablo Rodriguez lost it to Soul Taker in April, who held it through to the end of the year. Hysteria and Amo del Gato exchanged their secondary title. The ever (un)popular Los Sickness continue to reign over the tag division. [B]OLLIE[/B] had been stuck in a rut, but came out of it as a cult phenomenon by the end of the year, and started to sign a glut of new and old talent. The likes of Amazing Firefly, Fray Valiente Jr, Phoenix III, Inca Jr, Mustang Blanco Jr and Delirium all joined towards the back end of the year. Phoenix I holds their main title, winning it from Tricolor Jr in June. OLLIE have once again moved to number 2 in the public perception in Mexico and it will be interesting to see if they can keep their momentum going. [B]MPWF[/B] continue to strive towards the SOTBPW level and are getting there. Extraordinario Jr was a surprise winner of the vacant Herencia de Mundo title in January, but lost it to former soccer star Mateo Montero in his very first defence. Montero surprised many by holding on to the title for most of the year before Huracan Sandoval Jr won it in November. Black Eagle and Heavy Metal Anarchy started to rule the undercard as both had tag title and Lucha title reigns. El Bandito was the only prominent departure from the company. [B]MHW[/B] are still the baby in terms of Mexican promotions, with their revolving door policy on talent still very much in evidence in 2011. They did score a coup towards the end of the year when Marcos Flores decided to finally join the company, having been unemployed for around a year. Perhaps unsurprisingly, their World title has the most broken lineage of any in world wrestling. Heavy Metal Anarchy had a decent reign going into 2011, but dropped the strap to Phoenix I when he left. Phoenix I then also left, vacating the belt for it to be won by Julio Dominguez. And in a case of déjà vu, Dominguez left and the belt was again vacated before being picked up for the 2nd time by El Critico. [CENTER][U]UK and Europe[/U][/CENTER] The wrestling scene across Europe changed dramatically in 2011 as 21CW and UCR, the two major forces in wrestling on that continent up to that point, both folded in the early part of the year. [B]ROF[/B] became the undisputed number one promotion across the UK and Europe, employing an ever increasing roster. Rolling Johnny Stones was champion going into 2011 and doing a good job with the belt, only to lose it in February to 3-time champ Merle O’Curle amidst rumours of persistent lateness. O’Curle would hold on to the belt for a few months before Jack Giedroyc took the title in July and held it through to the end of the year. The secondary title switched between relative newcomers Nigel Svensson and Hugh de Aske before older hand Billy Robinson won the belt for the 4th time. Notable additions to the roster were the Russian pair of Oleg Dorosklov and Marat Khoklov, who won the tag titles at the back end of the year as Red Mafia. Burning EXILE also made his return to the promotion at King of the Ring. [B]MOSC[/B] continues to do what it does best – blood and guts wrestling. However there was a shake-up at the top as Highland Warrior retired and left the company in the hands of son Jeffery McPeterson. Warrior did stay on to assist his son as head booker. The younger McPeterson immediately showed a different method to his father by hiring a batch of new workers, including ROF regulars Adam Matravers, Petey Barnes and Glen Ward. He also snapped up former 21CW stars the Ivanoffs and Phillip Cooper. Jonathan Faust was their champion going into 2011, but his departure meant the title changing to Adam Matravers. Former partners Danny Patterson and Harley Neill feuded over the Blood & Beer belt before reuniting and winning the tag straps. Petey Barnes won that title, which also passed through the hands of Igor Ivanoff. [B]EWA[/B] made quite a splash in Europe, running a slow-paced, traditional product with a few modern twists. Mr Evilness continued to hold their Triple Crown title, as he has down since the promotion formed. The secondary Nationwide belt went from Bam Bam Johansson to Aleksi Jankowski to Haiti Voodude and finally on to head booker Ali Bloxsome at the year end. The Force are now champions in the tag division. EWA made a couple of surprise signings in ROF stars Joey Beauchamp and Greg Gauge, although did lose Kalu Owusu, who signed a written deal with INSPIRE. [CENTER][U]Wrestler Retirements[/U][/CENTER] [B]Elemental II[/B] One of the all-time greats of the Japanese scene bowed out at the age of 47, but not before he had won his 10th Burning Junior title. He then chose to retire whilst still on top. He was also a 2-time winner of the Best of the Super Juniors tournament. [B]Kiko Sakakibara[/B] The lady in the pink had a long and stellar career in 5SSW, the pinnacle of which was her albeit short-lived World title reign in 2009. Prior to that she had won the All-Asian title 3 times, and the tag belts twice with Otsune Tsumura. She moved on to BHOTWG as a manager following her retirement. [B]Danger Kumasaka[/B] The old campaigner finally hung up his boots at age 56. He continues to work backstage for PGHW, for whom he was Historical Japan champion twice at the turn of the century. [B]Randall Hopkirk[/B] The former bass player of Painful Procedure in TCW retired at age 46. Always more successful in tag wrestling than singles, Hopkirk had been relegated to the role of jobber in TCW and was let go by the company in July. He wrestled one final independent match, beating Stink, before retiring at the back end of the year. [B]Geordie Jimmy Morris[/B] Morris was the founder of ROF back in 2005, although he didn’t stay long at the helm of the company as he moved to Japan and sold up to British Samurai. However he was soon back in Britain wrestling for MOSC, where he continued to work up until his retirement last month. He also had a career swansong back in ROF. [B]Masayuki Shiga[/B] Like Danger Kumasaka, Shiga was a valuable member of PGHW as he trained up some of their younger stars. He had 2 Historical Japan title reigns in 2000 and 2004, and his last title success was in tandem with Joshua Taylor, winning the PGHW tag titles in 2007. [U]Also Retiring[/U] Carol Singer Michelle Brendon Blackjack Robbins Suzue Katayama Nene Ebina

[Marcel Fromage]

[QUOTE=Phantom Stranger;354968]Naturally enough, I'm keeping an eye out for Joey, and it seems like he's doing well for you so far...[/QUOTE] Yes, I'm taking it quite slow with him. I decided to introduce him in the tag ranks, partly because I liked the Cool Breeze idea too much, and partly because I hoped he and cool might benefit each other by working together. However I'm also aware that Beauchamp isn't too young by this stage so I'll need to think carefully if and when to turn him to singles. But I'm trying to keep him fairly strong within the tag ranks for now.

[Marcel Fromage]

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[Rathen4]

Holy crap. I love your graphics so much, and that is such a brilliant run down. Inspirational stuff.