chris caulfield Posted November 12, 2007 Share Posted November 12, 2007 Steve Flash vs. [B]Huracan Sandoval Jr[/B] [B]El Critico[/B] vs. Jonni Lowlife [B]Don Henderson[/B] vs. Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. Byron for the Heritage Championship Brothers Grim vs. [B]Davis Wayne Newton & Seiji Jimbo[/B] [B]Petey Barnes[/B] vs. Joey Beauchamp vs. Bairei Yasujiro for the ROF Championship Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted November 12, 2007 Author Share Posted November 12, 2007 Tuesday Week 4 December The Paddington Club 300 in attendance The final show of the year, a couple days before Christmas. It's been an incredible year, plus this is my last chance to leave an impression on the boss before my contract's up. Let's hope we do well. Huracan Sandoval Jr and Steve Flash found themselves in the dark again; Steve put the youngster through his paces, showing him a little more about structuring a match, eventually kicking out of a sunset flip and putting in a lovely Flash Bang for the pin. [I]Steve Flash defeated Huracan Sandoval Jr by pinfall[/I] RATING: D [B]El Critico vs. Jonni Lowlife[/B] The Low Lives' captain is out of action this week due to injuries sustained over the past months of combat with El Critico, and Jonni was out for blood. This was a good solid match designed to throw some momentum back toward the tag champs as we step into the new year; Critico and Jonni put on a pretty good opening contest of back and forth action before a Low Down ended things at 9:11. [I]Jonni Lowlife defeated El Critico by pinfall[/I] RATING: C- [B]Don Henderson vs. Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. Byron for the Heritage Championship[/B] Byron's leaving us soon, having refused to reopen negotiations. I've got to admit that I'll be watching where he goes with some interest. Don and Brandon really did shine beyond him in this match, though, so I can't be too sad that Byron's leaving us. Eventually the contest ended when Don locked the Scottish Deathlock on the Brooding Blueblood. [I]Don Henderson defeated Bulldozer Brandon Smith and Byron when he forced Byron to submit.[/I] RATING: C- [B]Brothers Grim vs. Davis Wayne Newton & Seiji Jimbo[/B] Davis has announced his intention to regain tag team gold in the new year; this would appear to be him beginning that quest. This was a damn good match, one of the best I've seen from the tag division in some time. Steve and I debated the possibility of a new Young Blood while Matthew kept his insightful commentary on the in-ring action itself; after 9:29, though, the Newton's Cradle claimed another victim in Greg Gauge and Davis and Seiji got the win. [I]Davis Wayne Newton & Seiji Jimbo defeated Brothers Grim when Davis pinned Greg Gauge.[/I] RATING: C [B]Petey Barnes vs. Joey Beauchamp vs. Bairei Yasujiro for the ROF Championship[/B] Merry Christmas, fans! This was an incredible match; these three played off each other brilliantly and ran no less than three separate overbooked all-finishers-on-display sequences before a decision was finally reached, with Bairei taking Joey out of the equation with a Yasujiro Superplex only to rise up and eat a Future Shock across Joey's prone form! Petey shoved Bairei off Joey in time to prevent a three-count and scrambled through, pinning Bairei for three himself. [I]Petey Barnes defeated Joey Beauchamp and Bairei Yasujiro when he pinned Bairei Yasujiro.[/I] RATING: B- Yes, another very good show to end the year. So long as we can regularly put together cards of this quality I'll be happy, I think. The word of mouth going into the festive season is amazing. OVERALL: C+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted November 12, 2007 Author Share Posted November 12, 2007 “...and yeah,” I finished. “Ninety-six shows. I'm kinda stunned we've made it this far.” Sammy grinned. “Me too. Now, as far as performance review goes... do you really need me to tell you you made it?” “No, but it'd be nice...” He shrugged. I shrugged, too; once again on New Years Eve we were hunkered down in the Norman Blue. Early afternoon, now, waiting for the rest of the guys to trickle in. I poured myself a scotch. “Stunningly enough, you made it,” Sammy said. “Selling this place out proves that on its own, and we've been doing that since August. What I hear says the prestige of working here's actually nearly up with 21CW, too, which considering we don't have TV is pretty impressive.” I nodded. “Oh, speaking of TV – Davis won't be at the party tonight. He's got to wrestle on CGC's program tonight.” Sammy blinked. “But his surname isn't DeColt...” I laughed. “Tell me about it. But he's there and he's picking up the win.” “Which we didn't do, by the way.” Sammy's hand patted the issue of ProWrestling Hits! Magazine on the desk. “Not that we expected to.” “No,” I said. “I want to see the Hot 100, though. We had Dragon on there last year. We might've done better or worse this year...” Sammy made a big show of shaking out the magazine and turning it to the correct page. Extracting a big plastic set of Groucho glasses/eyebrows/nose from the desk drawer, he put them on and began to read. “You're enjoying this, aren't you?” I asked. He ignored me. “Dragon's made it up to 69, for what it's worth,” he said. “Not that he's been with us this year. Gino follows him in 70, and I think we can take some credit for that. That's it for us this year, though.” A shrug. “Double the alumni we had in there last year. Give it time.” I let it go; to be honest, I mostly agreed, and I was kinda proud of Gino. “So, this coming year,” I said. “New contract. Please God tell me I don't have to make us the biggest show in the UK in a year or something...” Sammy smiled. “I'll tell you tomorrow,” he said. “After the party. You know we've got a bunch of other UCR talent coming to our do tonight?” “Let me guess,” I said. “Simona Cox, on account of her dating Jed and Jed preferring it here even when he's got the strap there. Speedy Marie, whatever her real name is, who's seeing Toby and likes to hang out with Miss Information anyroad. And Joey'll be bringing Anna Ki along.” Sammy shook his head in wonderment. “Hey, I pay attention to the guys' lives,” I told him. “You realise we need a women's division, right?” “Maybe one day.” “Look, I know you can't be too uncomfortable with the idea,” I pointed out. “You trained our Miss.” “True,” he said. “And there's a whole bitchy clique stable just in the girls seeing our other wrestlers,” I pressed on. “'Wrestlers Wives'. We could book them like that TV show. But they'd need people to wrestle.” Sammy shook his head, amused. “One day, Terry,” he said. “Maybe when we get a TV deal, OK?” “I'll hold you to that.” Sammy just grinned. “Look, Terry, you've done a lot to change the face of the product. And I'm not going to claim it hasn't worked, because by God has it ever. All I'm trying to do is keep the pace of change slow enough that our fans get comfortable with it, OK?” I kinda stopped there. I honestly hadn't thought of it like that. He had a point. “OK,” I said, after a long moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted November 12, 2007 Author Share Posted November 12, 2007 Checking my e-mail the following... afternoon, if I'm honest... I found Sammy's new direction for me. Hey, kid. Another two years, but I'm not going to ride you too hard on this. First off, and most important, we're not going into the red, OK? Two years from now I want there to be black figures on the bottom line, just like there are now. (Although richer will be good if you can manage it.) Other than that, we're doing OK. Keep up the good work on signing only people who have a good grasp of the basics, and make sure anyone coming in can take the punishment the others dish out, OK? See you Tuesday, Rob Brown Ring of Fire Official Rankings January 2009 [B]MAIN EVENT[/B] Petey Barnes Toby Juan Kenobi Joey Beauchamp British Samurai Fumihiro Ota [B]UPPER MIDCARD[/B] Don Henderson Davis Wayne Newton Jed High Johnny Highspot Bairei Yasujiro [B]MIDCARD[/B] Hector Montez ('El Bandito') Hidekazu El Critico Bulldozer Brandon Smith Jonni Lowlife Billy Robinson Sergei Kalashnov Byron (for another 13 days) [B]LOWER MIDCARD[/B] Steve Flash Greg Gauge Seiji Jimbo Black Eagle [B]OPENERS[/B] Amo del Gato Velocidad Matthew Gauge [B]Enhancement Talent[/B] Huracan Sandoval Jr [B]PERSONALITIES[/B] Miss Information Nadia Snow April Appleseed Matthew Morris [B]ANNOUNCER[/B] Steve Smith [B]COLOUR COMMENTATOR[/B] Terry Roberts [B]REFEREE[/B] Humphrey Woolsey [B]ROAD AGENT[/B] Donny Damage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted November 12, 2007 Author Share Posted November 12, 2007 To begin the year: Black Eagle vs. Huracan Sandoval Jr El Critico vs. Sergei Kalashnov Hector Montez vs. Matthew Gauge Byron vs. Joey Beauchamp Petey Barnes vs. British Samurai vs. Fumihiro Ota vs. Jed High vs. Toby Juan Kenobi for the ROF Championship Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris caulfield Posted November 12, 2007 Share Posted November 12, 2007 Black Eagle vs. [B]Huracan Sandoval Jr[/B] [B]El Critico[/B] vs. Sergei Kalashnov Hector Montez vs. [B]Matthew Gauge[/B] Byron vs. [B]Joey Beauchamp[/B] [B]Petey Barnes [/B]vs. British Samurai vs. Fumihiro Ota vs. Jed High vs. Toby Juan Kenobi for the ROF Championship Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcel Fromage Posted November 12, 2007 Share Posted November 12, 2007 [B]Black Eagle [/B]vs. Huracan Sandoval Jr [I]Eagle has more ROF experience[/I] El Critico vs. [B]Sergei Kalashnov[/B] [I]I prefer Sergei, and if Lowlife can beat Critico...[/I] [B]Hector Montez [/B]vs. Matthew Gauge [I]The newly unmasked Bandito to win. Gauges are winning much in tag matches, so I see no reason for Matt to get a singles win[/I] Byron vs. [B]Joey Beauchamp[/B] [I]Byron loses another on the way out the door[/I] [B]Petey Barnes [/B]vs. British Samurai vs. Fumihiro Ota vs. Jed High vs. Toby Juan Kenobi for the ROF Championship [I]Barnes to continue his reign[/I] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted November 12, 2007 Author Share Posted November 12, 2007 Tuesday Week 1 January Norman Blue Athletic Centre 300 in attendance Back where I started with near enough ten times the attendance figures, two years on. Feels good to have made that kind of improvement, even if Seiji Jimbo's association with WLW means this show will be lacking an advertised bout. Huracan Sandoval continued his dark practice run taking on Black Eagle, and losing after nine and a half minutes. This wasn't at all a great show, but it worked reasonably well, all told. Donny put together a reasonable script, but high flying isn't his speciality. [I]Black Eagle defeated Huracan Sandoval Jr by pinfall[/I] RATING: D- [B]El Critico vs. Sergei Kalashnov[/B] It's been so long since these two tied up together I'd forgotten how well they work in the ring. Both men played to their strengths, their weaknesses hidden by automatic instinct. The result was fantastic; even with less than eight minutes between the bells, they put on a great match. Eventually Sergei went for the Eastern Bloc but found the Critical Mass waiting, and Critico got the pin. [I]El Critico defeated Sergei Kalashnov by pinfall[/I] RATING: C+ [B]Hector Montez vs. Matthew Gauge[/B] Hector makes his first appearance shorn of the mask of El Bandito here. And, while it isn't up to the standards of the bout just beforehand, it's pretty good. Matthew looks a little lost without Greg by his side, but ultimately that's a flaw we're going to have to work out of them. With any luck just having the confidence in themselves as a team will ultimately do that; for now, though a representative of the tag champs took on a representative of a great young tag team, and over the course of just shy of ten minutes worked things round to the point where the Hijack Suplex could grant him the victory. [I]Hector Montez defeated Matthew Gauge by pinfall[/I] RATING: C- [B]Byron vs. Joey Beauchamp[/B] Byron's on the way out. Joey Beauchamp came from nowhere to become the most impressive champion in Ring of Fire history. So, yes, this was academic. That being said, it's also two English stars throwing down, which alone would make it worthwhile – we need these people to grow for English wrestling to grow. We can't just farm our best and sell them abroad. You'll have to excuse me, though, if I prioritise those who have a future with me. Joey slipped out of the Upper Class and got the Breeze Block from a standing start at the end of a really good match. [I]Joey Beauchamp defeated Byron by pinfall[/I] RATING: C- [B]Petey Barnes vs. British Samurai vs. Fumihiro Ota vs. Jed High vs. Toby Juan Kenobi for the ROF Championship[/B] The Force collide in this one, as Jed High becomes the latest of my greatly-improved grapplers to test his luck in the main event scene. Like Toby, the major issue here is, simply, that at this point his stamina is tested working that hard for that long, but with the other three men in the bout we were able to disguise that pretty well. This... actually seemed to be about five great competitors having a rollicking good time seeing how long they could skirt the edge of overbooking for, but that kept the crowd into it and gave us a great time on the stick. Having two guys who can work play by play currently on the announce team was a blessing here as Steve and Matthew more or less traded off constantly. Spot of the night; the two UKW stars, Petey and Ota, back to back, as the Force launch off opposite turnbuckles toward them; Ota meets Jed's diving clothesline with a Ninja Strike, wiping both men out, while the champ catches the X Factor perfectly onto Toby's chin as he tries a cross body block. A Future Shock on Sammy later and Petey caught Jed in an armlock, getting him to tap just before Toby could reach him to break it up. [I]Petey Barnes defeated British Samurai, Fumihiro Ota, Jed High and Toby Juan Kenobi when he made Jed submit.[/I] RATING: C+ Yeah, the boards had a lot of bitching that Davis and Seiji didn't get to take on The Shooters. I'll confess to being peeved myself; I'd been looking forward to it. Still and all, though... A good card. Just not quite good enough to take us to the next level; not at the Norman Blue. OVERALL: C Hunh. RIPW have snagged Greg Gauge on a developmental deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted November 12, 2007 Author Share Posted November 12, 2007 Next week: Brothers Grim vs. Huracan Sandoval Jr & Capitao Brasil Jr Steve Flash vs. Amo del Gato vs. Velocidad The Shooters vs. Young Blood II (Davis Wayne Newton & Seiji Jimbo) Petey Barnes vs. Joey Beauchamp in a 30 minute Iron Man Match for the ROF Championship Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted November 12, 2007 Author Share Posted November 12, 2007 [QUOTE=Marcel Fromage;316159] [I]I prefer Sergei, and if Lowlife can beat Critico...[/I] [/QUOTE] Sergei will begin to get more limelight over the next few months, as in February I moved to a different format which gave me a lot more slots for worker appearances - and the income to make that viable. His push is improving consequently, and I'm glad - I really like the Fresh Prince. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted November 14, 2007 Author Share Posted November 14, 2007 Tuesday Week 2 January The Paddington Club 300 in attendance In the dark this week the Gauges tested Huracan and another young grappler; Capitao Brasil Jr makes his debut here, and the four put together a great showing, during which Greg showed exactly why RIPW are after him. The finish came with Matthew isolating Huracan and applying a spectacular Proton Lock in the centre of the ring; Greg caught Capitao's charge with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker to prevent him breaking it up. [I]Brothers Grim defeated Huracan Sandoval Jr & Capitao Brasil Jr when Matthew Gauge forced Huracan to submit.[/I] RATING: D [B]Steve Flash vs. Amo del Gato vs. Velocidad[/B] Three criminally overlooked members of the roster pop in for their irregular appearances on the main show, and sadly put on a weaker performance than they deserve to show. Flash looked to end things with a Flash Bang, but Velocidad countered to send the veteran out of the ring, went to the top rope, and got the Velocidad Tornado on del Gato for the pin. [I]Velocidad defeated Steve Flash & Amo del Gato when he pinned Amo del Gato[/I] RATING: D- [B]The Shooters vs. Young Blood II (Davis Wayne Newton & Seiji Jimbo)[/B] Ahh, yes. This was what we missed last week, as Davis and Seiji officially team up for the first time. And it's good, man, it's good. Some really good tag work from four technical experts that ends when Billy discovers a Newton's Cradle can flow out of a Capital City Crucifix and Davis scores the pin on the veteran. [I]Young Blood II defeated The Shooters when Davis Wayne Newton pinned Billy Robinson.[/I] RATING: C [B]Petey Barnes vs. Joey Beauchamp in a 30 minute Iron Man Match for the ROF Championship[/B] Joey pretty solidly established Iron man as his match during his championship tenure, so I figured it'd be interesting to see what happened this time around. And once again, these two gelled perfectly and put together an absolutely spectacular match. I'm not even going to try to chronicle the six falls these men scored; but that was the score at the end, three falls each, for an exhilarating draw that left fans screaming themselves hoarse. [I]Petey Barnes drew with Joey Beauchamp, three falls to three.[/I] RATING: B I need more shows like that, I really do. I'm starting to wonder how many show downloads our servers can handle. OVERALL: C+ Well, goodbye, Greg. And good luck in developmental. Too few folks ever seem to actually make it out of those. Matt's also signed with USPW this week; we run the same night they do. This could get awkward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted November 14, 2007 Author Share Posted November 14, 2007 Next week: Low Lives vs. Death from Above Don Henderson vs. Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. Hidekazu for the Heritage Championship Young Blood II vs. The Force Petey Barnes vs. Bairei Yasujiro vs. Joey Beauchamp for the ROF Championship in an elimination match Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris caulfield Posted November 14, 2007 Share Posted November 14, 2007 Low Lives vs. [B]Death from Above[/B] [B]Don Henderson[/B] vs. Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. Hidekazu for the Heritage Championship [B]Young Blood II [/B]vs. The Force [B]Petey Barnes[/B] vs. Bairei Yasujiro vs. Joey Beauchamp for the ROF Championship in an elimination match Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted November 14, 2007 Author Share Posted November 14, 2007 Tuesday Week 3 January Norman Blue Athletic Centre 300 in attendance Packed show tonight, enough so that the tag title defence was pushed down into the dark. Low Lives went up against Death from Above and produced a real humdinger of a match, battling good and hard for twelve full minutes before the Mexican Standoff sank Black Eagle like a stone and Hector Montez picked up another pinfall. [I]Low Lives defeated Death from Above when Hector Montez pinned Black Eagle.[/I] RATING: C- [B]Don Henderson vs. Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. Hidekazu for the Heritage Championship[/B] The biggest mystery to me, booking Ring of Fire for over two years, is that Don Henderson hasn't been picked up by anyone else. Sure, he ain't someone you want near a microphone, but that never stopped Enforcer Roberts and Don could happily fill the same role on a great many stages. And, as he showed tonight, he's at home wrestling in a great many different styles. This time he took on two expert puro stylists and played them off against each other, capitalising on the heat between the pair expertly. After Brandon got the Inverted Piledriver on Hidekazu Don was ready to move in; an inverted DDT dropped the Bulldozer and Don was able to cinch the Scottish Deathlock in comfortably. [I]Don Henderson defeated Bulldozer Brandon Smith and Hidekazu by making Brandon submit.[/I] RATING: C+ [B]Young Blood II vs. The Force[/B] Because in Ring of Fire you don't just forget allegiances. This was a hell of a match; I'm expecting to see the occasional complaint online about Seiji being permitted to hang with the other three for this long, but Davis' stellar performance really helped put it over and Jed let Seiji hang with him in a lengthy brawl in the middle, which I think helped the youngster build himself up. The fifteen minutes, sadly, ran out before either side could prove themselves the winner. [I]Young Blood II drew with the Force when the time limit elapsed[/I] RATING: C- [B]Petey Barnes vs. Bairei Yasujiro vs. Joey Beauchamp for the ROF Championship in an elimination match[/B] An unusual match, this; Bairei evidently had his own belief as to who the more dangerous man was. As Joey made a beeline for Petey with the ring of the bell, Bairei took advantage, smashing the Breeze to the ground with a Sadaharu Jimbo-style strong enzuigiri. Petey stayed clear, watching, and as Joey slowly, disbelievingly, picked himself up, Yasujiro did it again, then moved in and set up for the Yasujiro Suplex. It hit home, but somehow – astonishingly – Joey kicked out. The whole thing picked up in pace after that; Joey had a grudge to settle with Bairei now and Petey wanted his championship to stay around his waist. Twenty minutes in the Breeze saw a third enzuigiri coming, grabbed Petey and dragged him into the way. As the champ toppled, Joey hit the ropes and smashed into Bairei with a massive Breeze Block, only to see Yasujiro power out and deliver another Yasujiro Suplex, but he was too winded to cover. Petey slowly recovered, keeping Bairei down with a legdrop and then going to the top turnbuckle whence he hit a 450 splash and covered, eliminating Bairei with authority around the 22 minute mark. The remaining two would continue for another eight minutes before Petey hit the X Factor into Joey's shoulder once again, then immediately capitalised with his fourth Future Shock of the match to finally eliminate the Breeze. [I]Petey Barnes defeated Bairei Yasujiro and Joey Beauchamp by elimination.[/I] RATING: B- Yeah; another really good show to leave our Norman Blue crowd buzzing and wanting more, not to mention the fans online. Hell, Seiji didn't even get any complaints. I'll take that as a definite positive. OVERALL: C+ Well, isn't that interesting. Marcos Flores, who's been booking 21CW for the last while, just left the company. From what I hear, Jeff's been really, really getting on his back for results. They're hunting for a new booker – I know because I was one of the guys who got an invite. Sorry, Jeff; too many of this crew are people I want to take as far as I can. Wonder who'll take over... Hey, the news crews are tipping me to push Huracan Sandoval to the top in a couple of years! It's always interesting to see what they think's going on... Sandoval, just like his dad, could one day be a major player, but I don't think he can until he learns how to put a good match together. One day, though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted November 14, 2007 Author Share Posted November 14, 2007 Next week: Steve Flash vs. Huracan Sandoval Jr Low Lives vs. The Shooters vs. Young Blood II for the Tag Titles in an elimination match British Samurai vs. Fumihiro Ota vs. Sergei Kalashnov El Critico vs. Bulldozer Brandon Smith Petey Barnes vs. Toby Juan Kenobi in a ladder match for the ROF Championship Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris caulfield Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 Steve Flash vs. [B]Huracan Sandoval Jr[/B] [B]Low Lives [/B]vs. The Shooters vs. Young Blood II for the Tag Titles in an elimination match [B]British Samurai [/B]vs. Fumihiro Ota vs. Sergei Kalashnov El Critico vs. [B]Bulldozer Brandon Smith[/B] [B]Petey Barnes[/B] vs. Toby Juan Kenobi in a ladder match for the ROF Championship Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted November 15, 2007 Author Share Posted November 15, 2007 Tuesday Week 4 January The Paddington Club 300 in attendance We continue to try and teach Huracan about match pacing by the simple expedient of handing him to Steve Flash with ten minutes of dark time. It worked pretty OK, all things considered, but proves why Huracan needs the work; in the end Steve was merciful, ending things with the Flash Bang. [I]Steve Flash defeated Huracan Sandoval Jr by pinfall[/I] RATING: D- [B]Low Lives vs. The Shooters vs. Young Blood II for the Tag Titles in an elimination match[/B] An expensive match, this, but worthwhile; Seiji's schooling is coming on leaps and bounds, and Hector played a fantastic role as the man who absolutely refused to go down, fighting to the very end; he even got Billy Robinson with a Hijack Suplex and covered him to eliminate the Shooters from the bout. Don's bid to hold dual gold was cut off and Hector turned back to the new guys, getting as far as landing a Mexican Standoff on Seiji before Davis tagged in blind and came off the top rope, dropkicking Jonni out of the ring and countering another Hijack Suplex into an STF to win the bout. [I]Young Blood II defeated Low Lives and the Shooters by elimination.[/I] RATING: C+ [B]British Samurai vs. Fumihiro Ota vs. Sergei Kalashnov[/B] A nice quick match here to give these guys more exposure; pretty by-the-numbers in a lot of ways but the fans seemed to like it. Ota missed a Ninja Strike and Sergei dropped him with a DDT, turned around, and ate a fisherman's suplex as Sammy capitalised for the pin at 7:45. [I]British Samurai defeated Fumihiro Ota and Sergei Kalashnov when he pinned Sergei Kalashnov[/I] RATING: C- [B]El Critico vs. Bulldozer Brandon Smith[/B] The second nice quick match on the card; two great competitors thrown out because they don't fight each other often and have something to teach each other. Critico was the first man I've seen who successfully used the arm strategy against Brandon, getting just about far enough to ultimately counter the backdrop driver into the Critical Mass. [I]El Critico defeated Bulldozer Brandon Smith by pinfall.[/I] RATING: C+ [B]Petey Barnes vs. Toby Juan Kenobi in a ladder match for the ROF Championship[/B] Toby came into this fired up like we've seldom seen him. Perhaps the highlight of the match, for me, was when he knocked Petey from the ladder with a hurled toy lightsaber to the temple. Something different, there, and the laughter cracked me the hell up. Petey got mad, then, and instead of making an early beeline for the ladder he went over to using it as a weapon, destroying Petey and eventually suplexing him over the crowd barrier before setting the ladder up and capturing the title. [I]Petey Barnes defeated Toby Juan Kenobi by retrieving the title[/I] RATING: C+ Another really good show. We got the Seiji complaint this time – go figure – but I'm pretty sure that we made more of ourselves at the Paddington Club than we'd done previously. Thank goodness. OVERALL: C We were up against a 21CW supercard tonight, the first under Eric Tyler's tenure. It would be an overstatement to say they've improved, sad to say... Beginning with next week's show, we're going to an hour and a half format so I can showcase more of the talent. ...Oh, ouch. The UK Dragon seriously injured himself at this week's UKW Saturday Night Kings. A herniated spinal disc looks to keep him out of action for a year. In less serious news, Danny Jillefski's lost the book at USPW, so Sam Strong's evidently not happy with him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted November 15, 2007 Author Share Posted November 15, 2007 To start off the new show format: Hector Montez vs. Capitao Brasil Jr Don Henderson vs. Johnny Highspot vs. Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. Hidekazu vs. Sergei Kalashnov for the Heritage Championship Davis Wayne Newton vs. Bairei Yasujiro El Critico vs. Seiji Jimbo Petey Barnes vs. British Samurai for the ROF Championship Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris caulfield Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 [B]Hector Montez [/B]vs. Capitao Brasil Jr [B]Don Henderson[/B] vs. Johnny Highspot vs. Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. Hidekazu vs. Sergei Kalashnov for the Heritage Championship [B]Davis Wayne Newton [/B]vs. Bairei Yasujiro El Critico vs. [B]Seiji Jimbo[/B] [B]Petey Barnes[/B] vs. British Samurai for the ROF Championship Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted November 15, 2007 Author Share Posted November 15, 2007 Tuesday Week 1 February Aston University Sports Hall 736 in attendance And look at that attendance jump! 'Course, being confident in moving beyond the Norman Blue for the first time was always going to do that. Here's hoping we can maintain this kind of audience, though I have to admit that stepping beyond the Norman Blue feels really, really weird. Our dark bout tonight; Hector Montez crossed gloves with Capitao Brasil Jr as part of our testing for our two young luchadors. In just over ten minutes they produced something very solid that ended when a springboard assault by the youngster was caught into the Hijack Suplex. [U]Hector Montez defeated Capitao Brasil Jr by pinfall[/U] RATING: C- [B]Don Henderson vs. Johnny Highspot vs. Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. Hidekazu vs. Sergei Kalashnov for the Heritage Championship[/B] Now this was a fantastic bout; part of the intent was to showcase the fact we've expanded the undercard time limit to allow for twenty minute matches. In order to do that convincingly, five men went for a title, everyone's desire ensuring every pinfall would be broken up, every submission cut off – and the twenty minutes were filled with extremely good wrestling. Don Henderson, Johnny Highspot, Bulldozer Brandon Smith, Hidekazu and [I]Sergei Kalashnov drew when the time limit elapsed[/I] RATING: C+ [B]Davis Wayne Newton vs. Bairei Yasujiro[/B] This was a bout I expected to be a little more of a humdinger. In hindsight, that was kind of foolish of me; the Triple Threat is a gifted all-rounder, while Bairei is absolutely a phenomenon in his chosen field, but weaker elsewhere, and the match suffered whenever Davis tried to guide the match into other directions. Which is to say that it was only very good, not outstanding; on the other hand, I may have to pair these two more often. Bairei was, by the end, stepping up his technical game significantly in response to Davis, but that didn't prevent the younger man slipping free of a Yasujiro Suplex and running through the complex motions of a Newton's Cradle. [I]Davis Wayne Newton defeated Bairei Yasujiro by pinfall[/I] RATING: C [B]El Critico vs. Seiji Jimbo[/B] One of these days I'll remember that these two don't work at their best together. Nonetheless, this was still an OK match which pointed up how far Seiji's come since arriving in Ring of Fire. They worked through their repertoires for about eleven minutes before the Critical Mass ended things. [I]El Critico defeated Seiji Jimbo by pinfall[/I] RATING: C- [B]Petey Barnes vs. British Samurai for the ROF Championship[/B] It's been even longer since I matched these two up in singles competition, and they still don't mesh – at all. This match is, therefore, a testament to just how good they both are – producing a result like this isn't easy under those circumstances. The bout ran for 30:01, though in fairness the last ten seconds of that were a lengthy countout sequence following a superplex Sammy hit to the outside. Sammy made a valiant effort, rising to his feet at eight, but didn't make it into the ring in time to beat the count. [I]Petey Barnes and British Samurai drew with a double countout[/I] RATING: C+ It wasn't our best show, but we were in a new home, so to be honest that doesn't surprise me. Word is the show was good enough to get a few more people attracted next time... OVERALL: C Considering USPW still had no official head booker, Red, White and Blue was pretty good, around a par with 21CW's better output. Freddy Huggins did well out of it, too; his contract was resigned during the bookerless period, where it might not have been otherwise; I think they wanted to be sure he was available for the new regime if they wanted him. On Friday it was revealed that the new regime will be overseen by Enforcer Roberts. This will hopefully prove interesting; no one can say the Enforcer doesn't know wrestling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted November 15, 2007 Author Share Posted November 15, 2007 Ota walked into my office the morning of the next show, and I just looked up, grinning in welcome. He shook his head. “I'm not re-signing, Terry,” he said. “I'm hanging out here more and more, and I don't have the time to do this and book UKW. If we were bigger, if it'd be fair to Ring of Fire to ask for the kind of money I'd need to justify it... then I'd do it. But you're just not there.” I frowned, considering, then nodded. “It's not like I ever find much for you to do,” I commented. “All right, man. You're on tonight, though – I want you to try out a new talent for me.” He nodded, smiling quickly. “Good enough. We're still on for poker night, right?” “Every non-PPV Sunday,” I smiled mildly. I kinda wished I could get pissed at him for this, but... he had a point. I'd been wondering for a while why he put up with his schedule. But you don't make many friends in the world of wrestling. He'd been with us only seventeen months or thereabouts, but he'd become one of the few that I did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted November 15, 2007 Author Share Posted November 15, 2007 Next week: Fumihiro Ota vs. Nichiren Amagawa Amo del Gato vs. Capitao Brasil Jr vs. Huracan Sandoval Jr vs. Velocidad Black Eagle vs. Steve Flash Young Blood II vs. Low Lives for the Tag Titles Don Henderson vs. Jed High vs. Johnny Highspot for the Heritage Championship Petey Barnes vs. Joey Beauchamp in a two out of three falls match for the ROF Championship Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris caulfield Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 Fumihiro Ota vs. Nichiren Amagawa Amo del Gato vs. Capitao Brasil Jr vs. [B]Huracan Sandoval Jr[/B] vs. Velocidad [B]Black Eagle[/B] vs. Steve Flash [B]Young Blood II[/B] vs. Low Lives for the Tag Titles [B]Don Henderson [/B]vs. Jed High vs. Johnny Highspot for the Heritage Championship [B]Petey Barnes[/B] vs. Joey Beauchamp in a two out of three falls match for the ROF Championship Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted November 15, 2007 Author Share Posted November 15, 2007 Tuesday Week 2 February Parliament Square 694 in attendance Yeah, looks like going to the new show format was the right idea. Ota's match tonight, likely his last with the company, leaves him facing Nichiren Amagawa in the dark; another new signing I expect great things from in the future. Ten minutes of pretty good back and forth ended when Nichiren charged, was hurdled, and turned into a Ninja Strike. [I]Fumihiro Ota defeated Nichiren Amagawa by pinfall[/I] RATING: C- [B]Amo del Gato vs. Capitao Brasil Jr vs. Huracan Sandoval Jr vs. Velocidad[/B] A possible future of lucha libre here. A lot of the weaknesses here, I think, come from the fact none of these guys are ring generals; I gave it to Donny to script. Really I need to look at getting another road agent, one who knows his lucha libre. This was ten minutes of spotfest, really, and our fans expect a coherent story when our boys step between the ropes. The finish saw Velocidad sink Huracan with a Velocidad Tornado, presumably for reasons of irony. [I]Velocidad defeated Amo del Gato, Capitao Brasil Jr and Hurcan Sandoval Jr when he pinned Huracan.[/I] RATING: D- [B]Black Eagle vs. Steve Flash[/B] Oh, ugh. This is going to be one of those shows that has a hard time climbing out of first gear, I can tell. These two are both good, but unfortunately they don't work well together; as such we saw only a passable match roll on for a quarter of an hour before the New Jersey Turnpike ended things. [I]Black Eagle defeated Steve Flash by pinfall[/I] RATING: D+ [B]Young Blood II vs. Low Lives for the Tag Titles[/B] Yes, this was essentially a title rematch, something we try not to do immediately, but it seemed called for. And this was good; very good, in fact, as the two teams really rocked and rolled through the contest, eventually – with six seconds remaining on the clock – settled when Davis got the tired Jonni with a Newton's Cradle for the pin. Very nice work that helped Jonni's fundamentals a lot. [I]Young Blood II defeated Low Lives when Davis Wayne Newton pinned Jonni Lowlife[/I] RATING: C+ [B]Don Henderson vs. Jed High vs. Johnny Highspot for the Heritage Championship[/B] Don continues to shine and to help the rest of the card polish their technical know-how as his Heritage Championship reign continues. This wasn't as good as I'd hoped, but as ever a lot of the intent in Ring of Fire is to keep exposing the weaker workers so everyone can improve. Johnny Highspot was rolling along merrily toward the finish, looking dominant and strong as befits one of our stronger #1 Contenders of past memory; he dropkicked Don out of the ring, hit that lethal setup spike DDT on Jed, and went to the top rope for the Frog Splash. Don rolled back into the ring, tossed him off the top rope, and hooked in the Scottish Deathlock; Johnny tapped before Jed recovered, and Don continues his winning ways. [I]Don Henderson defeated Jed High and Johnny Highspot when he made Johnny Highspot submit.[/I] RATING: C- [B]Petey Barnes vs. Joey Beauchamp in a two out of three falls match for the ROF Championship[/B] Joey's probably had the strongest underdog run of any of my main eventers since losing the title. The only guy who compares on that score is probably Merle. In an all-out match where both men really went for it, Petey scored the first fall with an X Factor to that regularly injured shoulder of Joey's, which he would continue to work on during the remainder of the match. Joey fought back, though, winning the second fall with a Breeze Block from his other shoulder and countering a top-rope Future Shock to hit a 450 splash and finish the job, feet on the ropes, at 21:42. The second Beauchamp championship reign begins here, and does so with a superb match... [I]Joey Beauchamp defeated Petey Barnes two falls to one[/I] RATING: B It was a rocky start, no question, but we fought back and produced a show I'm proud to have overseen. OVERALL: C+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted November 15, 2007 Author Share Posted November 15, 2007 Next week: Nichiren Amagawa vs. Capitao Brasil Jr Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. Seiji Jimbo The Force vs. The Shooters Davis Wayne Newton vs. British Samurai vs. Petey Barnes Joey Beauchamp vs. Bairei Yasujiro for the ROF Championship Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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